8 ms·
More evidence essential oils 'make male breasts develop'
- rainbowmverse 9y ago>> "The American study found that key chemicals in the oils boost oestrogen and inhibit testosterone." I find this highly suspect. If the effect were significant, every trans woman I know would be talking about their essential oils instead of salt cravings and estrogen pills/injections. Is there something to this, or is it another case of shoddy science reporting?
- Analemma_ 9y agoI doubt the effect is anywhere near large enough to be satisfactory for people who want to transition.
- lostgame 9y agoTrans woman here. Was going to say this, but you nailed it. Just going to confirm right now any effect this has is nowhere close to the kind of estrogen changes that actual hormone therapy provides.
- ashleyn 9y agoPerhaps not but already I'm wondering if it could enhance the effect of conventional HRT for transgender patients. Certainly something worth further investigation.
- drngdds 9y agoThey also say that gynecomastia is rare, which is not true.
- vanderZwan 9y agoPerhaps it originally was statement by the scientists that it is rare among young boys, and the interviewer dropped that condition? Not that I know whether or not it is rare among young boys either.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- rukuu_001 9y agoI don't know about the validity if the science, but what they're claiming is that it only affects pre-pubescent & pubescent boys. So, no help for most trans people.
- yegle 9y agoThe post did mention: > Not everyone will have the same reaction to an essential oil.
- RobertRoberts 9y ago>Not everyone will have the same reaction... Is there even a single substance on earth this doesn't apply to?
- nicwilson 9y agoYes, think substances used for positive controls, e.g. histamine for skin-prick tests (allergen response).
- RobertRoberts 9y ago>...substances used for positive controls, e.g. histamine for skin-prick tests... Are you 100% certain that every single person, regardless of age, health, or any other criteria will always have the exact same response to these, under every conceivable circumstance and environment?
- nicwilson 9y agoTo have no reaction on a histamine test you would have to be on antihistamines OR have a malfunctioning innate immune system _and_ malfunctioning vasculature and/or severe malnutrition to the point where you're at deaths door (possibly not even then, those extreme cases aren't usually considered when administering allergen tests). Assuming the dose is controlled the result is a small, well pronounced welt ~0.8mm diameter. It's very consistent, you know that it will occur (because it's the direct primary mediator), that why you use it as a positive control (also you control for it, thats the point of a positive control). In answer to you question, barring the use of antihistamines, pretty much.
- burfog 9y agoThere might be something to this. Coworker P and coworker S shared an office. Coworker P got a device that filled the office with a haze of vaporized essential oils. It was sort of a large-scale vaping device, a bit like a humidifier or fog machine. Coworker S was a married father of two who seemed rather ordinary. After a bunch of time sharing that office, Coworker S decided to transition. So, it's just an anecdote, but I don't think I'll be taking my chances with essential oils.
- throwaway10701 9y ago> father of two who seemed rather ordinary Besides the fact that this language makes trans people not "ordinary", lots of people transition later in life. There are more role models and resources now than ever before, and lots of people take time to feel secure in their identity. My point is there's nothing unusual about transitioning once you have kids, even though it can be harder. Also, elevated estrogen wouldn't make you transition. If you think you're a man and you start growing breasts you aren't going to say "whoops, I'm a woman now I guess". Transitioning is a hell of a lot more work than just deciding one day, and typically people pre-tra sition have typical hormones for their assigned gender.
- groby_b 9y agohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSVqLHghLpw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSVqLHghLpw
- zaarn 9y agoJust because substance Y does X doesn't mean it should be used to achieve X in a medical situation. There is usually a substance Z which achieves it more effectively (unless Y was designed to be more effective than Z)
- amelius 9y agoDoes anyone know why there seem to be so many more estrogenic substances compared to androgenic substances, in our everyday lives? It seems a bit unfair ...
- jnwatson 9y agoSpeculation is that plants produce phytoestrogens for herbivore birth control. "Phytochemical mimicry of reproductive hormones and modulation of herbivore fertility by phytoestrogens" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1474615/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1474615/
- snowpanda 9y agoThis is really interesting, thanks for sharing. Question: so are plants leeching it into the soil => our water supply? Or is it the plants that we're eating?
- ianai 9y agoPlants have phytosterols instead of cholesterol. If anything, predation chose for plants that had some population controlling affects on predators. But I’ve read those same compounds are completely ignored by our bodies. I’m going to suggest there’s more going on than we know here. Ie there are toxic compounds leaching into food from plastic containers, possibly water supply, and definitely cooking utensils.
- staplers 9y agoA better link: “Since there was no identifiable cause for prepubertal gynecomastia in the three patients we reported, we speculated that environmental factors might be contributing to their condition. Together, the case histories and NIEHS in vitro studies provide support for our hypothesis that topical exposure to lavender and tea tree oils likely caused gynecomastia in the three patients.” - https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/lavender-tea-tree-oils-may-cause-breast-growth-boys https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/lavender-tea-t...
- zmk_ 9y agoSample size of 3?!
- deusum 9y agoThree boys and a lab test of cancer cells. And they don't expect long term effects from the oils. The article title is a bit sensationalist, but a thorough investigation is arguably worthwhile
- tritium 9y agoHmmm, so a there's a broad suspicion that endocrine disruption is a widespread problem, and suddenly we see a dubious article provoking confusion, and possibly a lot of very costly research only to determine we might've been barking up the wrong tree? This story sounds familiar... [0] [0] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2146171.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2146171.stm
- lvs 9y agoThis piece refers to a NEJM article from 2007, whereas the link above refers to unpublished work that seems to have solely a press release. (I wish press offices would stop this practice. It's terribly corrosive.)
- truculation 9y agoDrat, my favourite toothpaste contains tea tree oil.
- ipsum2 9y agoThat's a terrible idea. > Tea tree oil is poisonous when taken internally.[1][4] It may cause drowsiness, confusion, hallucinations, coma, unsteadiness, weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach upset, blood cell abnormalities, and severe rashes. It should be kept away from pets and children.[1] Tea tree oil should not be used in or around the mouth.[2][4] As a test of toxicity by oral intake, the median lethal dose (LD50) in rats is 1.9–2.4 ml/kg.[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_tree_oil#Safety https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_tree_oil#Safety
- anotherboffin 9y agoThe hypothesis is that topical exposure is linked to the hormone changes. For me, that means tea tree oil in toothpaste shouldn't be something to worry about.
- justinator 9y agoTea tree oil should NOT be taken by mouth for any reason, even though some traditional uses include tea tree oil as a mouthwash, treatment for bad breath, and treatment of toothache and mouth ulcers. https://www.poison.org/articles/2010-dec/tea-tree-oil https://www.poison.org/articles/2010-dec/tea-tree-oil
- mrfusion 9y agoDon’t you get the oil when you drink tea?
- im3w1l 9y agoDespite the name, tea is not made from the tea tree.
- justinator 9y ago
- hawktheslayer 9y agoI started using a diffuser at home, typically with tea tree or eucalyptus oil. It helps me relax, maybe via the placebo effect. But I have also become somewhat obsessed with it, to the point where I have a diffuser at home, the office, and even in my car. Had anyone else had this experience?
- zaarn 9y agoThis sounds like a somewhat minor psychological addiction (I'm not a doctor though and addiction is not always harmful)
- hawktheslayer 9y agoIt can't be worse than my coffee addiction...
- thetrumanshow 9y agoSee, now this lends some credence to the idea that the oils can have any (medicinal or other) effect at all... which up to this point I found highly suspect.
- colecut 9y ago2 years ago I had a boil on my neck that lingered for months. It shrank to nearly nothing within a week or two of tea tree oil. But now I'm worried about manboobs. So far so good though.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- nimbius 9y agosoapmaker here. While lavender oil is nice to have, its also rather cost prohibitive in what i believe would be a compelling dose to elicit this type of response. as for tea tree oil, im in favor of phasing this out entirely as it seems to serve no real purpose in cosmetics and is actually somewhat toxic to humans. Its had a number of folk remedies, such as a cure for syphilis and a tincture to reduce boils, but none of these have succeeded in scientific testing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_tree_oil#Safety https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_tree_oil#Safety most cold process soaps will fragrance at 3-5% the weight of the actual oil. I can speak from experience that 5% tea tree oil soap is vile. The final product emerges with an acrid fragrance not unlike pine floor cleaner, and each bar is brittle enough to crack if dropped. many crack during the curing process, and the final product has a texture similar to the gear shift on a cheap car.
- acranox 9y agoThe Dr Bronner Tea Tree soap definitely has a hint of pine floor cleaner to it’s smell. :)
- reedx8 9y agoTea tree oil is used widely in the African American community as an effective aftershave, and is used in general as a powerful antiseptic and face wash. Wikipedia has never been and never will be an authoritative source.
- tammer 9y agoMy experience has been that confirmation bias is very strong with EO's. What else is in the solution you're using? Its very easy to convince oneself that the EO is the active ingredient when there's so much misinformation on the 'net. One of my hobbies is herbalism & over a long period of time I've begun to recognize all of the purported benefits of EO's come from other ingredients in whatever is being produced. That doesn't mean that various herbs don't have active properties however. I've moved on to recognize how useful infused oils can be. (Note: these are of course easy to make yourself, not as easy to produce en mass & keep fresh for regular sale, and don't cost much depending on the oil.)
- antirez 9y agoI'm happy to be so sensitive to any kind of flavor to eliminate everything that smells from my life, more or less. I guess it is some form of innate protection.
- wallflower 9y agoFrom personal experience, I avoid eating too much tofu. At one point, I had a condition called gynecomastia. The doctor asked me about my diet (eating steamed tofu every day) and recommended that I stop based on some research he had read. Condition went away.
- 6t6t6t6 9y agoJust bro science here, but if tofu had a real effect on the hormones, wouldn't that mean that gynecomastia should have a much higher prevalence in the countries, such as Japan, where tofu is consumed daily?
- VLM 9y agoGenetic variance based on geography much like the situation with lactose intolerance.
- b1daly 9y agoGiven the problems with replication, and the selection biases, I’ve decided it’s a safe bet to ignore the implications of articles about health studies! It’s shocking how many dietary and medical practices have been championed, and then later repudiated. One challenging example: fish oil. Article saying it’s good... http://time.com/4619488/omega-3-fats-heart-health/ http://time.com/4619488/omega-3-fats-heart-health/ Article questioning the overall research: https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/30/fish-oil-claims-not-supported-by-research/ https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/30/fish-oil-claims-no...
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