Even though the story is all over the news and the Internet, there is actually only ONE study that makes these claims. So, I took a closer look at the study.
Originally published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the study details three young boys who had developed gynecomastia (breasts). The doctors treating the boys learned that each of them were using products with lavender or tea tree essential oils, and once they stopped using these products, the breasts went away. The researchers then took these case studies and decided to test the essential oils on human tissue in a lab. According to their study, the essential oils acted estrogenically, and thus could have been the cause of the breast development in the boys. However, I, along with numerous researchers and doctors have found some major flaws in the study.
Before I get in to more specifics--just a quick note. Looking at the footnotes of the study, you'll notice that all of the doctors who conducted the research are sponsored by numerous drug companies. 'Nuff said.
Three doctors (Kathi J. Kemper, M.D., M.P.H., Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157; Aviva J. Romm, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510; Paula Gardiner, M.D., M.P.H., Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215) wrote a commentary on the study:
The study by Henley et al. (Feb. 1 issue)1 raises many questions. Product names were not provided. Did the authors contact manufacturers to report concerns or ask about constituents? The variability, adulteration, and contamination of herbal products have been widely reported,2,3 as have discrepancies between labels and contents.4 Plastic containers may contain phthalates, known endocrine disrupters.5 What was actually in the products cited in this report?The doctors bring up a few great points here, number one in my book is, what other estrogen mimickers were present in these products used on the young boys? Parabens? Phalates? The ingredients are not documented and could be a number of things--even from using bottles made with BPA.None of the hormonal testing showed abnormal results, except in Patient 2, who had elevated levels of testosterone (not estrogen). There was no report on ultrasound examination or needle biopsy, nor were subsequent weight changes reported. Might the patients' gynecomastia have reflected another pathophysiological process that resolved spontaneously?
Traditional use and clinical trials have not suggested estrogenic effects of tea tree or lavender oil, though estrogenic effects have been reported for other essential oils and plants. Are occupational exposures to lavender and tea tree associated with estrogenic symptoms? In vitro testing alone is not adequate grounds for indicting traditionally used products and may raise public fear.
But what about the laboratory tests they did on petri dishes of human cells? If you look carefully at their study, you'll notice they didn't apply pure lavender or tea tree essential oil on the cells they were testing, they used a solvent to dilute the oils. The solvent is dimethylsulfoxide---which, as it turns out, is an estrogen mimicker! (as documented here.)
The bottom line is that lavender and tea tree essential oils have been used for thousands of years with no history or evidence of estrogen mimicry. They're probably the most widely used essential oils in baby products, so of course the three boys in the study were using them. If lavender and tea tree essential oils were truly estrogen mimickers, we would have known about their effects long ago.
9 comments:
A sample size of three subjects is hardly enough to generalize to the population.
Awesome research! Thank you for debunking the debunkers!
As you have I'm sure noticed, there seems to be a growing number of attacks on natural and organic products. It is frustrating that big pharma and industrial giants are blurring the positive message and effects of natural and organic products.
Keep up the fight!! I am purchasing from you today to keep supporting your great products and your work to keep getting the word out on health through organics!
Thanks for looking into the "science" behind the news stories. I am sooo skeptical about scientific reports now that it seems almost pointless to read them. However, I want to be an informed user of herbal products because there are times and circumstances in which certain herbs should not be used. Thanks
After 48 years of putting toxins in and on my body I appreciate your products and research. I like being able to read a label and recognize the ingredients. I've had man-boobs since I was a child and would not take off my shirt during gym class. I was brought up on a normal American diet and remember using Prell, Johnson's Baby Shampoo and Coppertone Suntan lotion. I probably drank excessive amounts of Kool Aid and Coca Cola but other than that I think being overweight and heredity might have played a part? I'm hoping that switching back to the basics will make a difference in my future and the future of my children. The shame is that the younger generation cannot afford to buy organic products at this time.
Thank you so much for this information! I've been using California Baby Lavender and Tea Tree shampoo on my boys for years, and tea tree oil mixed with olive oil to treat their athlete's foot. Now I know it's okay! :)
Thanks for this very informative article. I do find it a joke when scientists look for problems in all the wrong places. Why pick on natural products? Part of me wonders if its because there's just no money in lavender and tea tree for the pharmaceutical industry, so they have to stamp it out one way or another.
Thanks for this! I'd stumbled across an article about this (published in the past week, no less) and was worried about the 32 fl oz of tea tree oil face wash I'd purchased a year ago and have been using regularly since. Your research has alleviated any worries I might have had about lavender and tea tree oil.
This was extremely helpful. My ND also doubted that this study was valid based on her experience of using Lavendar Oils.
If you were to advise parents who do wish to opt for alternative EOs what would would you suggest for daily use for DIY baby wipes ie antifungal do and one for baby bath? Is cedar wood a good option for toddlers ( 23 months old) have you heard about black cumin seed oil is that also a safe alternative? thank you for your help and information
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