by
Leah Zerbe
Lackluster libido? Try clearing your home of these sex-drive annihilators!
Feeling a little lackluster in the libido department
this Valentine’s Day? You’re not alone. Americans’ sex drives are
plummeting, thanks to many chemicals and ingredients added to our food,
medicines, shower gels, and even sex toys! Get your hormones back on
track and rev up your sex drive by eliminating the top sex-drive killers
that lurk in your home.
Soda
Have you heard the gross fact about many sodas? Some, like Mountain Dew,
list brominated vegetable oil—or BVO—as an ingredient. Bromine products
are linked to male infertility, impotence, and decreased libido.
For that same reason, it’s also a good idea to avoid other sources of
brominated flame retardants,
including one found in some carpet padding. That means wet-mopping and
vacuuming with a HEPA-filter-enabled vacuum cleaner often so flame
retardants don’t accumulate in your household dust.
Fish
Industrial waste chemicals that build up in fish, dairy, and meat
products could be erasing sex drive in women, according to Michigan
State University researchers. Although banned in this country,
hormone-mimicking polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, can remain in the
environment for decades.
To protect yourself, eat lower on the food chain, try Meatless Monday
dinners to cut back on meat consumption, and choose fish from the
safe fish list, which are low in contaminants. Definitely avoid the
12 fish you should never eat.
Cash-register receipts
About 40 percent of receipts today are coated with the
hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which has been linked to
fertility problems and heart disease. A recent study published in the
journal
Fertility and Sterility discovered that men with higher
BPA levels in their urine experienced low sperm counts and lower sperm
quality than men with lower levels. To keep your sperm—and sex
drive—levels healthy, turn down unnecessary receipts and avoid another
huge source of BPA, canned foods, including soup.
Soy
A Harvard study published in the journal
Human Reproduction found
a strong association between men’s consumption of soy foods and
decreased sperm counts. In the study, men who ate a variety of
soy-containing foods and then underwent semen analysis had poor sperm
quality. Animal studies also found connections between males chowing
down on soy and erectile dysfunction. Since genetically engineered soy
is found in the majority of processed foods, eat non-soy-containing
foods made with whole ingredients as much as possible.
Sex Toys
Certain sex toys and other vinyl-containing products can harm both male
and female libidos. The chemicals in vinyl products—everything from that
plastic vibrator to your shower curtain—can disrupt hormones and lower
testosterone, killing the urge to have sex in both men and women. Look
for glass or medical-grade silicone vibrators, not vinyl ones, to heat
up your foreplay without slowing your desire.
Microwavable Popcorn
Nonstick chemicals that are used in the inner lining of microwave
popcorn bags and in nonstick pots and pans often contain perfluoroalkyl
acids; common types include PFOA or PFOS. And these common chemicals can
really do a number on a guy’s manhood. Small doses of them are linked
to testicular tumors, male infertility, and lack of sex drive.
To protect yourself, opt for untreated stainless steel or
American-made cast-iron cookware, and use this brown-bag trick to make
safer microwavable popcorn.
Scented Candles & Air Fresheners
You’d think candles would help set a sexy mood, but if you’re using the
most common kind on the market—artificially scented ones—you’re
unleashing sex-drive-killing chemicals into the air. A 2008 South
Carolina State University air-quality test found petroleum-derived,
artificially scented candles polluted air with benzene and toluene,
toxic components of tailpipe exhaust. These can spark asthma attacks.
The fake fragrances in candles and air fresheners also act as fake sex
hormones, which can put a damper on testosterone levels.
Choose beeswax candles. Not only do they have a mild, pleasant (but
not overpowering) scent, but the negative ions they emit also help clean
the air.
Birth Control Pills
Birth control pills have the ability to tamper with a woman’s
testosterone production by putting the ovaries to sleep. (Yes, women
create this male hormone, just in smaller amounts.) The testosterone
that your body is able to create is rendered useless, thanks to the
potent fake estrogen in the contraceptive. (Your liver sees this excess
wave of estrogen from the pill and sends out sex hormone-binding
globulin to neutralize many sex hormones, including testosterone.)
Gender-Bending Pesticide
Atrazine, a common weed-killing chemical, can drastically suppress a
man’s sex drive. Scientists were tipped off to this fact when they
noticed that male frogs exposed to trace levels of the chemical suffered
a decrease in male sex hormones and fertility. Worse yet, about 10
percent of the frogs actually turned into females. Many other pesticides
are considered to be hormone disruptors, so eat organic as much as you
can to avoid feminizing chemical exposure.
Sugar
A 2009 study published in the
Journal of Sexual Medicine found
that men with better blood sugar levels enjoyed better sexual health.
Studying about 800 men with type 2 diabetes, researchers compared blood
sugar levels to sexual health questionnaires. Men with higher blood
sugar were more likely to report erectile dysfunction.
To help regulate your sugar intake, opt for safer sweeteners, such as
organic liquid stevia or raw honey, and avoid more harmful ones like
agave and aspartame.
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress can throw a woman’s hormones into a tizzy and kill
libido. During high-stress times, the female body actually converts
progesterone, the precursor molecule to testosterone, into the body’s
“stress hormone,” cortisol, instead of sex hormones that make you crave
your partner. Tap yoga or a few minutes of
mindfulness-based stress reduction to regulate your whacked-out hormones.
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