How to Save the Sperm

Sperm is going extinct.

In yesterday’s episode, we unpacked the study conducted by Hebrew University and Mount Sinai medical school on sperm counts in the U.S., Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

The result? Over the past four decades, they found, sperm counts have plummeted over 50%.

So, it begs the question, what can be done?

Halpern, in his GQ article, suggests one avenue of salvation, somewhat vindicating the “The Future is Female” crowd:

“As long as we hover somewhere above Sperm Count Zero, and with an assist from modern medicine, we have a shot. Men will continue to be essential to the survival of the species. The problem with innovation, though, is that it never stops. A new technology known as IVG—in vitro gametogenesis—is showing early promise at turning embryonic stem cells into sperm. In 2016, Japanese scientists created baby mice by fertilizing normal mouse eggs with sperm created via IVG. The stem cells in question were taken from female mice. There was no need for any males.”

On an individual level, however, this is hardly comforting, and misses the crux: Doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, young or old.

“Estrogenics” (artificial estrogens) aren’t just making us infertile — they’re destroying our health.

The one thing you CAN do is limit your exposure to the “bad” estrogens, those disrupting your hormones.

Enter Dr. Anthony G. Jay, author of Estrogeneration: How “Estrogenics” Are Making You Fat, Sick, and Infertile.

[His book is one of those “must-reads,” which is why I invited him to contribute a piece in the upcoming (self-published) book, 99 Things Every Millennial Man Should Know.]

So, to recap, the problem:

Estrogenics are artificial estrogens, which act like estrogens in your body.

You’re being exposed every day, everywhere you go.

Every time a cashier hands you a receipt, for example, the phthalates on the receipt absorb into your skin, travel through your bloodstream and trigger your estrogen receptors.

The problem is so severe, even polar bears in Northern Alaska have high levels of estrogenics.

Estrogenics are mainly stored in fat.

They, among many other things…

– Can trigger fat gains
– Promote allergies
– Raise the risk of breast cancer
– Lower testosterone
– Increase mood swings and depression
– Can cause infertility through accumulation
– Are being passed onto future generations

What to do? Well, first, as one of my heroes Ben Franklin put it…

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Knowing where these artificial estrogens are coming from is crucial.

(Did I mention they’re effin’ everywhere?!)

Phytoestrogens.

Phytoestrogens are the cleanest dirty shirt. They are plant hormones that act like estrogen in the body — but they’re the least harmful of the estrogenics.

The bacteria in your gut can eat through most of them. However, foods like soy and flax have such high amounts your body can’t keep up.

[Solution: Avoid soy. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. About 75% of packaged foods (and even more in livestock feed) contain soy protein or oils. And the protein goes by many names: autolyzed yeast calcium caseinate, flavoring (including natural and artificial), high protein flour, hydrolyzed plant protein, hydrolyzed soy protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, mono & diglycerides, monosodium glutamate (MSG), soy albumin, soy flour and textured vegetable protein (TVP).]

Mycoestrogen

Mycoestrogen is produced by fungus. This includes, but isn’t limited to, mold contamination. Mold thrives in damp, dark places.

Unfortunately, massive grain containers are both of those things, which are on every factory farm.

This means, of course, the fungus is often eaten by the livestock and ends up in your grocery store meat.

[Solution: Source your meat locally from pastured cows, preferably grass-finished.]

Atrazine

Atrazine is a common herbicide (see: Glyphosate). It’s sprayed on corn and grain in the U.S., China and many other big food exporters. (It’s been illegal in Europe since 2004.)

Because of this, it’s also found in drinking water.

[Solution: Filter your water. Reverse osmosis is best. Eat organic. Source locally from small farmers, if you can. Or, better yet, grow your own.]

Triclosan & APEs [Alkylphenols]

Triclosan and Alkylphenols (APEs) are found in cleaning products, soap and lubes. (Also found in drinking water.)

Worse, because they’re fat-soluble, they tend to stick to the skin and are hard to wash off. (Europe has also banned their use.)

[Solution: Go for natural soaps. Dr. Bronner’s products are all-around a good choice.]

BP & 4-MBC [Benzophenone & 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor]

These two devils are found in sunblock lotions, a few “organic” sunblocks and even some breakfast cereals.

[Solution: Read the labels. Nix the sunblock if you don’t need it. Kill the breakfast cereal, it’s generally on par with candy in sugar count or unhealthy anyhow.]

Red No. 3 & 40

Red No. 3 has taken a lot of heat over the years, which is why many food companies switched to Red No. 40.
Problem is, Red No. 40 is also an estrogenic.

Bigger problem: It has many pseudonyms. So it’s almost impossible to keep track of.

[Solution: Avoid all artificial red food coloring.]

Parabens

“Parabens” means “Congratulations” in Portuguese — one of the few words I still remember from my private lessons in Brazil.

Unfortunately, it means something else entirely on the ingredients list of your laundry detergent.

That “fresh” scent on your clothes can transfer through your skin and get absorbed as an estrogenic.

Parabens are so prevalent, in fact, one study found over 90% of umbilical cords contained it… alongside the vast majority of breastmilk.

[Solution: Again, Dr. Bronner’s is my go-to for laundry, too.]

Phthalates

Phthalates are a plastic additive.

You can find them in everything from the plastic wrap used over food, vinyl flooring, certain baby crib mattresses, cash register receipts, fragrances/perfumes and many medical devices.

[Solution: Apart from encasing yourself in a big plastic bubble, just be aware they are everywhere. Don’t hold onto receipts for long. Detox (see below).]

BPA & BPS [Bisphenol A&S]

BPA is one of the better-known estrogenics. It can be found in most major water sources, and inside metal canned foods and plastic bottles.

Because of public concern about BPA, some companies have replaced BPA with BPS… which, of course, is still an estrogenic.

Puh.

[Solution: Don’t fall for “BPA-FREE” labels. Drink out of glass.]

EE2 [17α-Ethinylestradiol]

More than 60% of women take this one.

It’s in every chemical contraceptive — or birth control.
Problem is, it’s peed out and flows back into the water source. Water treatment plants are effective at killing viruses and bacteria, but don’t filter out estrogenics.

Worst part? They take years to degrade naturally.

[Solution: Again, strong filters.]

Detox

On top of avoiding the worst offenders, there are effective ways to detox.

Cooked (no, not raw) cruciferous vegetables has shown to help the liver detox and eliminate estrogenics.
Saunas, too, help to detox the body. (This has been known for centuries.) Especially the infrared ones, which allow the heat to penetrate your body more deeply.

Exercise. Get rid of excess fat. Estrogenics accumulate in fat.
And, FOOD.

Supporting local, pasture-focused farmers will go a long way in getting our food supply back to some semblance of sanity.

Until tomorrow,

Chris Campbell
Managing editor, Laissez Faire Today

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