Depression is often thought of as an emotional or psychiatric disorder without any physical basis. In many cases of depression, however, there may well be a physical basis or even an environmental one.

One such cause which has been well established in the medical literature will be discussed here today.

Estrogen dominance has been established as a physical cause of depression since Dr. Lee's work in the 1980s, and beyond.

Since that time it has become clear that many chemicals behave as Estrogens. What is also clear is that we are exposed to them all our lives, not just in the womb. This group of compounds have been called the Xenoestrogens. Xeno is the Greek word for stranger, hence the comment about strangers in the night. The list is represented below. These are chemicals which are cumulative in some instances and increase in quantity in the body as we get older. One of the effects of Xenoestrogens is to reduce the excretion rate of copper from the body. All estrogens cause copper accumulation, xenoestrogens look like estrogens to our biochemistry and hence also cause copper retention. These patients have very high copper levels. These Xenoestrogens (especially the pesticides) over time have progressively been classed as carcinogens. The combination of high copper (which disables iron, zinc, Vitamin C and Vitamin E) and intracellular carcinogens may explain the more unpleasant problems in this list.

List of the Xenoestrogens

Pesticides (DDT, DDE, 2,4,T, Dioxin, Dieldrin, endosulfan, methoxychlor, kepone, toxaphene, chloropicrin etc)

Petroleum products (car fumes, methlybenzene, toluene, benzene, styrene, pyrene)

Plastics (PVC, PCB's biphenyl, nonylphenyl, octaphenyl, lunch wraps etc)

Hormones: a. From Doctors (OCP & HRT), b. From poultry industry and antibiotics in animal feed