Are plastics paving the way to the apocalypse?

In all my years of practicing medicine, I’ve found there are only a few things men really worry about when it comes to their health: testosterone, prostate problems, erections, and dying of a heart attack.

Obviously, there are a whole host of other concerns worth considering. But those four categories easily bring the most men into my office. So when I find news that falls under any one of those headings, I make a point to share it with you immediately.

Which brings me to a recent article I came across regarding sperm counts and plastics…

Killer chemicals are crushing sperm counts

For years, I’ve been seeing younger and younger men come into my office with low testosterone counts. And I’ve always suspected that the amount of phytoestrogens (or plant-derived estrogens) in the modern food supply was to blame.

As it turns out, I was correct. But that’s only part of the story.

In fact, the problem runs deeper — and has much more dire consequences — than a simple uptick in cases of “manopause.” Because the fertility-killing combination of low T and low sperm counts may be poised to leave us with a very lonely planet.

This potentially dire combo is the result of a condition called testicular dysgenesis syndrome. A doctor by the name of Niels Skakkebaek coined the term, and traced it back to in utero male development gone awry.

But the real question is, why? Allow me to pitch you a few theories…

Like the industrial revolution. Followed by the entire 20^th century. More specifically, the oil and chemical industries — the latter of which exploded after World War II, bringing hundreds of new chemicals onto the market in a relatively short period of time.

I won’t get into the obvious benefits of these modern advances. But I must point out their dark side — which is that they also turned the human body into a living experiment without our knowledge, much less our consent.

For one thing, many of these chemicals are endocrine disruptors, which I’ve discussed at length in multiple articles and in my books. Chemicals like phthalates and bisphenol A are everywhere now — in water bottles, food containers, sales receipts, coatings of pills and nutritional supplements, gelling agents, lubricants, binders, nail polish, liquid soap, hair spray, milk, yogurt, sauces, fruits, pasta, and noodles.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

In fact, these hormone-hijacking environmental toxins are lurking in the water supply itself.

So it’s not surprising the CDC has confirmed that just about everyone in this country has a measurable amount of phthalates — a chief component of modern plastics — in their system.

These chemicals are unavoidable. And they’re also more dangerous than you could ever imagine.

The easy answer to the modern male fertility crisis

A few disturbing facts: Men with higher concentrations of phthalates have less T and lower sperm counts. In pregnant mothers gestating a male baby, higher phthalate levels can also lead to smaller penis size and lower levels of T.

In other words, men can inherit the fertility-crushing consequences of these endocrine disrupting chemicals. Chemicals that were once considered virtually harmless. But which we now know to be affecting not only us, but also our children, on a genetic level.

We’re talking about sperm counts that are plummeting from generation to generation. And while this doesn’t mean the imminent demise of the human race, it could be signaling the start of it.

Of course, scientists are already hard at work addressing this problem. Their idea of a solution? To sidestep the need for male sperm entirely, transforming embryonic stem cells into sperm in vitro. (A process by which both egg and sperm are created from a female—no need for men…just science.)

But as usual, there’s a simpler way to address low sperm counts. And with daylight savings just a few short weeks away, I can’t think of a better time to bring it up.

I’m talking, of course, about vitamin D. Research shows that levels of the “sunshine vitamin” can impact both sperm quality and quantity, as well as testosterone concentrations. Something subscribers to my monthly newsletter, Logical Health Alternatives, may recall from the November 2017 issue (“The No. 1 vitamin for a satisfying sex life — now matter how old you are”). Not a subscriber yet? Simply click here to get started.

Just as a reminder, I recommend taking at least 2,000 to 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily, year-round. But in the winter, that dosage may need to be raised considerably.

I take 10,000 IU myself this time of year — and you can safely take that amount as well, provided your doctor is monitoring your levels regularly. (And if they’re not, they really should be. All you have to do is ask for a simple blood test called the 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or the 25(OH)D, test.)

I shoot for blood levels around 80 ng/mL in my patients (a far cry from the abysmally low threshold of 29 that’s accepted as “sufficient” by most mainstream doctors). To get vitamin D’s best benefits, make sure you’re aiming this high too.

Source:

gq.com/story/sperm-count-zero