naming what harms us, to get free

Identifying endocrine disruptors is a simple step toward restoring harmony within the ecology of our bodies.

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the endocrine (hormonal) system in the body, potentially leading to a variety of health issues. These substances mimic, block, and/or interfere with hormones, causing disruptions in our normal biological functions, affecting reproduction, development, and metabolism. They can be found in many everyday, staple products, including personal care items, beauty products, food, and packaging materials.

Long before I knew what an "endocrine disruptor" was, I was in the process of rewilding. Following my heart and instincts deep into the seja selva (eyebrow of the jungle), I was living off-grid, completely immersed in the elements. Every day, my routine involved waking up before sunrise, walking to the creek that trickled down the mountain near my tent, and filling buckets of water. I’d haul them to the kitchen, light the wood stove with kindling, and start boiling water for drinking, tea, and cooking for the day. Around noon, I would bathe in this same creek. It was during this time that it became viscerally clear how precious and sacred water is. It was obvious that I would never put anything in this water that could harm it, contaminate it, or, by extension, be harmful to any animal consuming it.

Admittedly, I was never into "products." I grew up with a mom who also wasn’t into makeup or perfumes; our use of products was limited to lotions and shampoo. I’m the friend who, when people would come over and ask for conditioner, toner, mascara, or a hair straightener, didn’t have any of that stuff. Even then, as I was living in the rawness of nature, I realized how curated and lathered up in synthetic things I had been throughout my life. I realized how I’d been conditioned to view nature as dirty, how I thought I needed to wash my hair every other day, and how my idea of cleanliness was so rooted in socially engineered perceptions that funnel you into being a lifelong customer.

In this space, I became aware of how unnatural it was to insert a prepackaged tampon into my body and then have “trash” when it was time to take it out. I became so sensitive and receptive to what my body felt that I could sense the residue of cotton (and now I know, endocrine-disrupting chemicals) in my vaginal canal. This was before the boom in menstrual cups, and so, during this time, I went full-on free bleed. It was the most liberating experience—to see, feel, and smell myself and to watch my body harmonize with the natural essence of our Earth Mother.

After my first time living out there, returning to Babylon was intense. I realized that before, I had normalized or been desensitized to perfumes, colognes... and honestly, those things should be illegal. I could hardly breathe on the airplane because the smells were so intense. I could feel the chemicals suspended in the air, entering my body, causing headaches and tightness in my chest. Recently, my madrina Dianira from the Arhuaco Nation was here with us, and she mentioned needing to rest. She asked if I could do some bodywork on her because her head hurt so badly from the chemical bonaches (a term for non-Arhuaco people) on the bus ride here. I knew exactly what she meant.

So many of our bodies are filled with chemicals, and we have normalized it, become desensitized to it. In turn, this desensitizes us to what is really going on within the ecosystems of the territory of our bodies.

Often in my one on one work with women, when we’re mapping to identify all that intersects to create the reality that their experiencing, leading to chronic imbalance, the first step that yields tangible shifts toward well being is identifying the things being constantly consumed, or exposed to that are endocrine disrupting.

It can be dry and distant to talk about our bodies systems, but our endocrine system is the silent (not so silent when imbalanced) keeper of our most profound mysteries, the unseen force that shapes our bodies, our minds, and our very sense of being. It is the invisible thread that ties together the past, present, and future of our physical existence, guiding us with a subtle but unyielding force throughout the human experience. Contaminating it, dulling it out with chemicals, is the same as contaminating our water ways.

So what are endocrine disrupting chemicals? how do we identify them and make conscious choices to divest from our consumption of them? how do we do this without paranoia, or looping into fear? We explore this in depth in CICLO

And I'm going to get into some of it now because I can attest to this being a crucial part of reversing chronic and long-term disease and imbalance. I've had the great pleasure of accompanying processes of endometriosis reversal, PCOS healing, and psycho-emotional imbalances coming back into harmony. This is a step toward informational empowerment for our collective well-being.

First common endocrine disruptors in women's hygiene and beauty products…

[Upgrade to a paid membership and receive access to live community classes and their replays, full-length posts, our family vlog, special rates on virtual and in-person immersions—all while supporting our early childhood education initiative and Seed to Body living arts residency.]