Recommendations for body and household products free of xenoestrogens

[Zonz]

Thanks man. It's a shame how many things are anti androgenic. I wouldn't be shocked if a study came out that oxygen slightly inhibits 5ar or something, lol

What if I told you... the air you breathe has pesticides and industrial chemicals beyond healthy levels?

Air and Pesticides

[Mojo]

Unless you live in downtown Beijing, it seems like minimal problem.

That said, 2 things are bothering me right now. I work as an airline pilot and my ‘office’ air is constantly being polluted by tiny doses of burnt oil. We’ve had multiple cases already of people developing neurological problems after long time exposure.

Another thing is I have to handle receipts from the onboard printer all the time. And that paper is apparently coated in PBA’s. Wearing gloves will make me look like a clown and I don’t want to have to explain myself over and over. For now I try to touch it as little as possible till I find a more suiting solution.

[Cdsnuts]

Unless you live in downtown Beijing, it seems like minimal problem.

That said, 2 things are bothering me right now. I work as an airline pilot and my ‘office’ air is constantly being polluted by tiny doses of burnt oil. We’ve had multiple cases already of people developing neurological problems after long time exposure.

Another thing is I have to handle receipts from the onboard printer all the time. And that paper is apparently coated in PBA’s. Wearing gloves will make me look like a clown and I don’t want to have to explain myself over and over. For now I try to touch it as little as possible till I find a more suiting solution.

Who cares what it makes you look like. I highly doubt an airline pilot in uniform wearing gloves will be viewed as anything negative. You gotta do you.....

[DKnighten]

Unless you live in downtown Beijing, it seems like minimal problem.

That said, 2 things are bothering me right now. I work as an airline pilot and my ‘office’ air is constantly being polluted by tiny doses of burnt oil. We’ve had multiple cases already of people developing neurological problems after long time exposure.

Another thing is I have to handle receipts from the onboard printer all the time. And that paper is apparently coated in PBA’s. Wearing gloves will make me look like a clown and I don’t want to have to explain myself over and over. For now I try to touch it as little as possible till I find a more suiting solution.

You're a damn pilot? I couldn't think of a more stressful job to have while coping with PFS lol. Maybe a Physical Therapist is a somewhat close second

[LetsGo]

You're a damn pilot? I couldn't think of a more stressful job to have while coping with PFS lol. Maybe a Physical Therapist is a somewhat close second

I’m not Mojo obviously so I can’t speak for him, but every commercial pilot I’ve known has said that the actual piloting aspect of the job is not stressful. (If you’re afraid of the plane, and a small percentage of pilots are, then you’re in the wrong business.)

Things like a single engine failure are extremely rare nowadays and might happen once in a career, if that. So the vast majority of the time, everything is very routine. Those rare emergencies are why they get paid the big bucks.

What can make it stressful is working odd shifts like redeye flights, and being away from your family. Until you build up seniority, you end up with the worst schedules. And then when you have enough flight hours to move up to one of the major airlines, you have to start all over again at the bottom of the seniority ladder. On the other hand, you only fly about 85 hours per month, so you have tons of time off every month.

[Mojo]

I’m not Mojo obviously so I can’t speak for him, but every commercial pilot I’ve known has said that the actual piloting aspect of the job is not stressful. (If you’re afraid of the plane, and a small percentage of pilots are, then you’re in the wrong business.)

Things like a single engine failure are extremely rare nowadays and might happen once in a career, if that. So the vast majority of the time, everything is very routine. Those rare emergencies are why they get paid the big bucks.

What can make it stressful is working odd shifts like redeye flights, and being away from your family. Until you build up seniority, you end up with the worst schedules. And then when you have enough flight hours to move up to one of the major airlines, you have to start all over again at the bottom of the seniority ladder. On the other hand, you only fly about 85 hours per month, so you have tons of time off every month.

I've already had my engine failure so my career should be smooth sailing from now on. One of our engines blew up shortly after taking of from london heathrow airport, completely disintegrating the turbine stage. You are right that the rest of the job is never really that stressful or fulfilling unless you got to go somewhere with extreme weather or challenging procedures, which doesn't happen that often.

My main gripe right now is the obvious bad effects everything has on your health. Altitude, neurotoxic poisoning, shifty hours, radiation, constant loud noise etc. When you fly 85 hours, that implies 85 hours of engine running time, which you have to multiply by 2 to get to your working hours on a medium/short haul sector., as it does not account for time spent before, between and after flights. So I guess it does translate to standard job hours.

I had one of my first panic attacks from PFS in a miserable hotel room somewhere, away from home. Hands down one of the worst experiences of my life. The thought of losing my job has been a very big concern since mental problems are a big no no. Luckily the pandemic had locked down everything at the best possible time for me so I've had enough time to recover sufficiently to start working again. But honestly, if I now had to go back working in 6-7 day shifts like before covid I'd probably ask for medical leave.

[LetsGo]

I've already had my engine failure so my career should be smooth sailing from now on. One of our engines blew up shortly after taking of from london heathrow airport, completely disintegrating the turbine stage. You are right that the rest of the job is never really that stressful or fulfilling unless you got to go somewhere with extreme weather or challenging procedures, which doesn't happen that often.

My main gripe right now is the obvious bad effects everything has on your health. Altitude, neurotoxic poisoning, shifty hours, radiation, constant loud noise etc. When you fly 85 hours, that implies 85 hours of engine running time, which you have to multiply by 2 to get to your working hours on a medium/short haul sector., as it does not account for time spent before, between and after flights. So I guess it does translate to standard job hours.

I had one of my first panic attacks from PFS in a miserable hotel room somewhere, away from home. Hands down one of the worst experiences of my life. The thought of losing my job has been a very big concern since mental problems are a big no no. Luckily the pandemic had locked down everything at the best possible time for me so I've had enough time to recover sufficiently to start working again. But honestly, if I now had to go back working in 6-7 day shifts like before covid I'd probably ask for medical leave.

I’m glad you’re doing better with your panic side effects, that is the most important thing for you to recover from in the short term. (Gotta keep that first class medical certificate in good standing.) Meditation is incredibly important and it builds up an inner resistance to panic over time.

My two panic attacks were caused by spirals of catastrophic thinking, that I was doomed and never going to get better, and I got overwhelmed with panic that I was going to become suicidal. I lost my job because of one, so I know what you mean. I was in no condition to drive, let alone fly a plane.

Anyhow, you can and will get better but it will take time, obviously. In one of my recent introspective periods I was like “maybe I should’ve been a pilot instead of a lawyer - am I too old?” And started looking into it and although I’m not really too old, it wouldn’t be the right move for me, and I can do great things in my field. But I was thinking about what it’d be like for a pilot with PFS.

Diet could be a challenge because you might have to eat airplane food and food court food, which is not always the healthiest. The other thing is working out - depending on your schedule you might not have great access to gyms on some days, so you’d need hotel workouts and stuff.

Like you mentioned, radiation is higher with less atmosphere above you to absorb it, so flight crews get more radiation exposure each year, but nowhere near what nuclear power plant workers get, or the TSA agents by the baggage scanners. I don’t trust those plastic fringes to block all the radiation, I’m sure they’re getting blasted with low dose X-rays all day long, and I wonder if they have super high cancer rates.

I also forgot about the loud noise - airplanes are noisy and you probably can’t wear earplugs because you need to be able to hear the other pilot, the radio, and the call outs from the plane itself. I was reading that noise can be unhealthy aside from hearing damage, like it puts stress on the body. So I understand that concern, it’s valid but there’s nothing you can really do about it. As a passenger, I often wear earplugs except during meal/drink service, but as a pilot, you need your full hearing all the time.

I would absolutely get disposable gloves for handling the receipts, like CD said, it doesn’t matter if it looks weird.

That’s a good point about the hours, yeah, you only get paid for flight hours. Also if there are mechanical or weather delays, you can wind up getting home very late, or have to spend the night at an airport hotel, and you don’t get paid for that or if you do, it’s only a token amount.

I’d imagine that the weird shifts can be bad for sleeping, and that’s a major reason why I’m okay with not having gone down the pilot route - also I wouldn’t have been confident enough to do it when I was in my early 20s. I’m happy enough to be in the passenger seat and leave the flying to the professionals.

However... Delta’s museum has a real FAA grade 737 sim (with an instructor) that I want to book an hour on for like $400. Would be super fun. In Dubai there’s an FAA grade A380 sim in a mall for like $200. Those are bucket list items for me

[Cdsnuts]

I’m glad you’re doing better with your panic side effects, that is the most important thing for you to recover from in the short term. (Gotta keep that first class medical certificate in good standing.) Meditation is incredibly important and it builds up an inner resistance to panic over time.

My two panic attacks were caused by spirals of catastrophic thinking, that I was doomed and never going to get better, and I got overwhelmed with panic that I was going to become suicidal. I lost my job because of one, so I know what you mean. I was in no condition to drive, let alone fly a plane.

Anyhow, you can and will get better but it will take time, obviously. In one of my recent introspective periods I was like “maybe I should’ve been a pilot instead of a lawyer - am I too old?” And started looking into it and although I’m not really too old, it wouldn’t be the right move for me, and I can do great things in my field. But I was thinking about what it’d be like for a pilot with PFS.

Diet could be a challenge because you might have to eat airplane food and food court food, which is not always the healthiest. The other thing is working out - depending on your schedule you might not have great access to gyms on some days, so you’d need hotel workouts and stuff.

Like you mentioned, radiation is higher with less atmosphere above you to absorb it, so flight crews get more radiation exposure each year, but nowhere near what nuclear power plant workers get, or the TSA agents by the baggage scanners. I don’t trust those plastic fringes to block all the radiation, I’m sure they’re getting blasted with low dose X-rays all day long, and I wonder if they have super high cancer rates.

I also forgot about the loud noise - airplanes are noisy and you probably can’t wear earplugs because you need to be able to hear the other pilot, the radio, and the call outs from the plane itself. I was reading that noise can be unhealthy aside from hearing damage, like it puts stress on the body. So I understand that concern, it’s valid but there’s nothing you can really do about it. As a passenger, I often wear earplugs except during meal/drink service, but as a pilot, you need your full hearing all the time.

I would absolutely get disposable gloves for handling the receipts, like CD said, it doesn’t matter if it looks weird.

That’s a good point about the hours, yeah, you only get paid for flight hours. Also if there are mechanical or weather delays, you can wind up getting home very late, or have to spend the night at an airport hotel, and you don’t get paid for that or if you do, it’s only a token amount.

I’d imagine that the weird shifts can be bad for sleeping, and that’s a major reason why I’m okay with not having gone down the pilot route - also I wouldn’t have been confident enough to do it when I was in my early 20s. I’m happy enough to be in the passenger seat and leave the flying to the professionals.

However... Delta’s museum has a real FAA grade 737 sim (with an instructor) that I want to book an hour on for like $400. Would be super fun. In Dubai there’s an FAA grade A380 sim in a mall for like $200. Those are bucket list items for me

I always wanted to go up in a fighter jet. Just to experience the G's and the speed. If I ever get the chance, I'll make sure I go up with an empty stomach......lol

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You're a damn pilot? I couldn't think of a more stressful job to have while coping with PFS lol. Maybe a Physical Therapist is a somewhat close second

Damn.

I could barely leave my house at my worst.

[Mojo]

Yea meditation has been really helpful. More often than not I can just observe my anxiety stewing inside at a distance, and if it does become overpowering I learned to accept that it will happen and pass eventually.

I would honestly not recommend anyone to become a pilot anymore. The lifestyle isn't as glamorous as the old days and became just another daily grind.
You get to see some awesome stuff once a while and meet a lot of cool people but it's not worth the investment when there is no guarantee of return. I had to look for 2 years before I found my first gig while my loan was ticking away.

Do check out a private license if you like the idea of flying though. Cruising around small prop planes in absolute freedom is a blast and I think it's comparably affordable in the states.
And if you want to take it a step further, an acrobatic license is a cool extra if you have the funds. Taking a friend with you and hearing them scream as you fall into a spin is priceless.

Damn.

I could barely leave my house at my worst.

I wonder about this sometimes. I had periods of such intense anxiety and fear that I could barely go outside. I remember having to bike somewhere and I had ear plugs in the entire way trying to wrestle down panic.

In retrospect, these periods started getting more intense after I got prescribed Xanax and also happened days after I consumed alcohol. Must be something funky going on at GABA level.

[Cdsnuts]

Yea meditation has been really helpful. More often than not I can just observe my anxiety stewing inside at a distance, and if it does become overpowering I learned to accept that it will happen and pass eventually.

I would honestly not recommend anyone to become a pilot anymore. The lifestyle isn't as glamorous as the old days and became just another daily grind.
You get to see some awesome stuff once a while and meet a lot of cool people but it's not worth the investment when there is no guarantee of return. I had to look for 2 years before I found my first gig while my loan was ticking away.

Do check out a private license if you like the idea of flying though. Cruising around small prop planes in absolute freedom is a blast and I think it's comparably affordable in the states.
And if you want to take it a step further, an acrobatic license is a cool extra if you have the funds. Taking a friend with you and hearing them scream as you fall into a spin is priceless.



I wonder about this sometimes. I had periods of such intense anxiety and fear that I could barely go outside. I remember having to bike somewhere and I had ear plugs in the entire way trying to wrestle down panic.

In retrospect, these periods started getting more intense after I got prescribed Xanax and also happened days after I consumed alcohol. Must be something funky going on at GABA level.

Of course. The gaba agonists have a nasty "spring back" effect ESPECIALLY when in pfs when neurosteroids are already in a depleted state. Not as bad as the alcohol "booze rooster" but with continued use it gets worse and worse and will actually start making the anxiety worse.