It is a surprise to some when I expose the fact that toxins play a major role in upsetting your hormone health. From disrupting important messages from your brain to your hormone glands and overwhelming your liver (a crucial organ for hormone health), toxins can impact the health of your thyroid, adrenal and sex hormones.
Even more of a shock is that these toxins are often delivered through in-home sources, including off-gassing furniture, electronics, clothing, body care products, fragrances and your food…. and this is just a minute amount of what you’re exposed to inside the home.
As a major amount of your time is spent in your home, there is great reason to create this space into a hormone happy environment. This is something I talk about extensively throughout my upcoming hormone health book: Balanced, The Natural Way To Healthy Hormones, but today I wanted to share one simple thing you can do.
Cue, indoor plants.
HOW DO PLANTS HELP HORMONES?
They help you to Detox
An effective way to improve the air quality in your home, is to use indoor plants. As shown in the NASA Clean Air Study, indoor plants can reduce pollution from harmful toxins which are likely off-gassing in your home environment. This study showed that plants helped to detoxify from dangerous carcinogenic household toxins- benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.(1)
Indoor plants also play a role in cleansing indoor mould spores, a known driver for multiple health conditions in the body.
Plants work to purify the air by increasing the uptake of carbon dioxide (what you breathe out) and improve the vital levels of oxygen in the air, for you to breathe, nourish your cells and support your hormone health.
They give off negative ions
Everything and everyone is made up of molecules. At a chemical level if these molecules lose an electron, they become ‘positive ions’ and if they gain an electron they become ‘negative ions’. Negative ions are a product of nature and they help to clean the air of pollution and germs as they are attracted to and buffer out detrimental airborne particles.
Positive ions on the other hand are found in excessive amounts in areas such as buildings with poor air flow, air conditioned rooms and nearby electrical appliances. These give off electromagnetic radiation and their synthetics fibres release pollutants into the atmosphere.
A buildup of these positive ions can have a detrimental effect on your health due to their contribution towards free radical damage; a rust like process in your body. Positive ion exposure can contribute to low energy, moods and compromised immunity.
In an effort to reverse the burden positive ions have on your health, aim to increase your negative ion exposure by surrounding yourself with plants. Get outdoors and amongst nature as often as possible and bring the plants indoors for continual exposure to beneficial negative ions.
WHAT PLANTS ARE BEST TO DISPLAY INDOORS?
My favourite air purifying plants are:
- Aloe vera
- Bamboo palm (also known as Reed palm)
- Boston fern
- Dwarf date palm (also known as Pygmy date palm)
- English ivy
- Ficus tree (otherwise known as Weeping g)
- Moth orchid
- Peace lilly
- Philodendron
- Snake plant (also known as Mother-in-law’s tongue, or Saint george’s sword)
- Spider plant
CREATE YOUR OWN PLANT PARADISE
It is important to reduce toxin exposure where possible, such as using natural body care products, organic foods and regularly airing out the home. Also surround yourself with plants to benefit from ongoing protection against indoor toxins and enjoy natures special way to support your hormone health.
Stay tuned for loads more hormone health news in my upcoming book: Balanced, The Natural Way To Healthy Hormones.
Kasey
1) BC Wolverton, WL Douglas, K Bounds (July 1989). A study of interior landscape plants for indoor air pollution abatement (Report). NASA. NASA-TM-108061.
