10.22.06
Early Puberty and the Modern Era
Heres a short article on chemicals in modern products (Shampoos, lotions, drugs, environmental pollutants that, while semi-harmless to adults, disrupt the endocrine systems of children. While there has been talk about estrogenic compounds being present in many products (e.g., soy) and also as a nasty by-product in some manufacturing processes, this is the first time that I’ve seen references to natural oils disrupting endocrine systems.
While Dr. Tiwary is quick to admit that his unpublished findings must be interpreted with great caution, some of his sex hormone levels changed by almost 40 percent after he used the shampoos. In some cases, substances other than sex steroids may also disrupt normal sexual development. In Boston at the annual Endocrine Society meeting in June, Clifford Bloch of the University of Colorado School of Medicine presented several cases of young men who had developed marked breast enlargement from using shampoos containing lavender and tea tree oils, which are widely used essential oil additives that present no problem for adults. (Unlike Dr. Dedekian’s cases, these cases were not a result of passive transfer from parents. The boys themselves used the shampoos.)