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What is BPA and what does it do?

BPA - Where is it?We have heard a lot about bisphenol-A BPA, but many of us still don’t understand what it is, and why we need to be cautious of it. In simple terms this is a chemical that mimics estrogen in our bodies, because of this it throws off our natural hormone systems. Scientists are finding more and more links between BPA and disease or other developmental problems.

Where is it found?

It is found in almost all plastics. This includes shower curtains, children’s toys, baby bottles, sippy cups, plastic drinking glasses, plastic water and soda bottles, plastic food wrap, canned foods, plasticized paints, pvc pipes, chemically treated clothing, furniture, building supplies, and almost anything else made of plastic. It is also in our water supply. It is what makes thermal paper receipts work, so it is on them, and any money they come into contact with. You even need to be wary of produce and spices that come from foreign countries.

What does it do?

It inhibits nervous system development in utero. This means babies can be born with neurological disorders. It encourages weight gain, and discourages weight loss. It interferes with the proper transport of chloride out of the body, damaging neural circuits and compromising normal brain development.

Autism

Because of these neurological effects there are strong links between BPA and Autism. There is not one single cause of Autism. It seems to occur when a young body is overwhelmed with toxins. BPA seems to be one of the toxins that is commonly found when Autism is confirmed.

Asthma

With childhood asthma reaching almost epidemic proportions scientists are taking a closer look at this disease. A majority of the cases studied show high levels of BPA in their systems.

What can we do?

First of all avoid all known sources of BPA. This means avoiding plastics in all forms. This can even be as draconian ad avoiding your plastic coffee maker. Wash your hands after handling receipts or money. Don’t store foods in plastics. Once you have eliminated every evident source of plastic in your life you need to think about detoxification.

Detoxify

Since we are exposed to this chemical on a daily basis we need to think of detoxification as a daily process. This includes eating foods that have detoxifying properties, taking supplements with detoxifying properties such as chlorella, spirulina, edible earth, and turmeric, and causing the body to sweat. Keeping the bowels clean is also a daily process. Additional actions would include detoxifying baths such as Epson salts or clay baths.

Although detoxifying is a good plan it is better to avoid as much as possible. BPA is considered an accumulative chemical. It accumulates in our bodies, our soils and our drinking waters. We need to take personal responsibility to get it out of our lives before we seek legislative recourses to get it out of our world.


Sources:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/01/30/pvc-plastic-chemical-exposure.aspx?e_cid=20130130_DNL_art_2&utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20130130
http://www.naturalnews.com/039309_BPA_developing_babies_brains.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/039415_organic_spices_BPA_contamination_hidden_chemicals.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/039546_BPA_exposure_asthma_kids.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/039531_BPA_exposure_detoxify.html
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