I MARRIED A NUTRITIONIST Inside Information for Men on Health and Nutrition

Hopefully by now you’ve heard of Parabens.  They’re a group of chemicals used as preservatives in all those personal care products we squirt, lather, scrub and massage onto our bodies.

From conditioners on top to sex lube down below, most people are coated with parabens as they’re in literally thousands of products used by consumers every day.  Parabens go by many names such as methylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, benzylparaben, isobutylparaben and propylparaben.  They make it simple for us to remember… just look for any product ingredient ending in paraben.

In the 1990’s the scientific community became increasingly aware that some synthetic chemicals are able to interfere with the function of both female and male hormones.   Within the category of hormone disruptors are xenoestrogens, synthetic chemicals that mimic estrogen.  A number of studies have shown that parabens fall into the xenoestrogens’ group; xenoestrogens may be linked to high rates of breast cancer, reproductive problems in women and descreased sperm counts, prostate and testicular cancer in men.

Product manufacturers and the FDA give a thumbs up to parabens for consumer use.  After all, they give products a long shelf life and they’re cheap.  Many people believe more research needs to be done before rubber stamping them safe.  Despite FDA approval, a number of manufacturers are following consumer demand by removing parabens from some of their products.  Other companies, such as Bubble and Bee, one of my favorites, not only bans parabens from their entire product line, but no one within 500 feet of the company headquarters is allowed to say, spell, utter, sing, burp, slur, or hiccup the word paraben.  Actually, I just made that up.  No one can hiccup the word paraben.

If you have any questions about whether your personal care products contain parabens or any toxic chemicals, click on SKIN DEEP to visit the cosmetics database.  It’s a great website and resource.

With my nutritionist being an expert in hormone imbalance, she is very serious about our home being paraben free.  If you’re interested in going that route, there are some terrific products out there to replace what you’re currently using.  Just read the label, ask around, and let your fingers do the walking on the keyboard.

And that’s the rub on parabens from Healthy Spouse.  Get squirtin’.