How Shopping Can Affect Your Hormonal Health

On any given day, you're picking up your favorite drink, putting gas in your car, grabbing some cash from the ATM, shopping for a new pair of shoes or sitting down for a nice lunch at your favorite restaurant. 

What do all these have in common?  

​They all end with sales receipt....

So, where's the danger in that?  

It's actually on your fingertips!  

What consumers don't know is that those receipts contain a heavy dose of BPA (Bisphenol - A)  that can affect hormonal health.

Toxicity Found In Sales Receipts

In a 2014 study published in the journal, PLOS ONE, researchers confirmed that cash register receipts contained high levels of bisphenol A. This synthetic toxic chemical is a known carcinogen and endocrine disruptor with a wide range of adverse health effects, including male and female infertility.

Since BPA was recently banned in plastic water bottles and baby toys because of the serious long term risks it poses, why does it remain hidden in every sales transaction we complete day in day out?  

The secret is in the thermal paper.  BPA is the powdery film on the surface of the receipt that makes it smear and feel smooth......  (don't go and do this, now!)

As a powder, it's easily transferred onto your skin, therefore, into your bloodstream and then you're instantly exposed!  In fact, the same study showed immediate BPA blood level spikes the minute participants touched a receipt.  
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BPA Toxicity and Hormonal Health

Bisphenol-A (BPA) really messes with hormones, especially estrogen. 

Because BPA can mimic estrogen and accelerate toxic cell growth, small and repetitive exposure can have amplified effects on estrogen dominant conditions such as fibroids, PMS and endometriosis. 

On top of that, studies from Jinlin Medical College in China and UC San Francisco discovered that long term exposure of BPA can lead to functional changes in ovaries, uterus and vagina, which have been linked to infertility as well.

Our bodies are now suffering the repercussions of environmental damage caused by decades of manufacturing in the synthetic age.   

And, we do pass this toxicity along to our offspring!   

​How To Reduce Your BPA Receipt Exposure

There's really no simple solution.  BPA and other known chemicals are virtually impossible to avoid.  And, there exists no "chemical free" alternative for manufacturers to change the way these receipts get printed!  

Boo-hoo for the manufacturers.....

The only thing you can do is to be aware of where these toxins lurk and reduce your daily BPA exposure, especially from sales receipts.  

I personally say, "toss it" and just skip the receipts all together. 

But i'll admit, it can get awkward when someone's shoving a receipt in your face!  

In the meantime, try these tips to reduce exposure: 

• Save paper.  If you really don't need a receipt, ask the cashier not to print one.
• You can skip the receipts if you pay with credit cards.  If you need to look over a transaction, just hop online a look at your bank statement.
• Request an emailed receipt for your records.  
• Don't throw the receipt in the bag.  Remember, the poison is in the powder.  Whatever is in your bag will now contain BPA, especially organic produce. 
• Wash hands immediately with soap and water, not with antibacterial gel.  Those gels penetrate the skin, letting BPA sink deeper, quicker.
• Wash hands in between touching a receipt and eating.  
• If you're in retail, wear gloves.  Might look silly, but too much estrogen toxicity ain't pretty either!  ​

​As hard as we may try to stay on top of our health, we just can't seem to keep up all these chemical toxins. 

​They're just part of our environment, whether we like it or know about it. 

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But, now that you know how to reduce even more BPA from causing further estrogenic toxic build up, a little shopping therapy won't hurt!