Non-stick cookware–a silent, sinister threat lurks in the kitchen cabinets as Americans work to get healthier and return to cooking nutritious meals at home. Non-stick pots and pans stand as the culprits that may prevent your nerves from healing.
Is Non-Stick Cookware Safe?
The cookware industry tirelessly works to convince consumers of the “safety” of non-stick pots and pans. Research dating back 70 years exposes the dangers of non-stick cookware, known as Teflon.
The US banned one of the chemicals used to make Teflon. In response, the Dupont corporation, the makers of the non-stick coating, changed their formula and branding name to GenX. Unfortunately, it is equally as toxic as Teflon.
Companies add these toxic coatings on pots, pans, rice cookers, air fryers, electric grills, and some types of parchment papers.
Companies manufacture non-stick cookware surfaces using polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS for short. This umbrella category contains 15,000 synthetic chemicals.
The media primarily covers two popular PFAS: PFOA and PFOS. Both these chemicals are under the PFAS umbrella.
PFAS, also known as Forever Chemicals, gained the nickname from their capacity to never break down in an environment and build up in our bodies. The research found PFAS chemicals in the blood of nearly every American, including newborns.
How Do Forever Chemicals Enter the Environment?
When distributed, Forever Chemicals build up in the environment. In the 1990s, residents of a West Virginia town near a Dupont manufacturing facility raised a major lawsuit against Dupont.
In this town, an abnormally high incidence of people suddenly developed conditions like liver and kidney disease, birth defects and low fetal birth weights, and certain cancers like kidney and testicular cancer.
The investigation discovered that Dupont dumped PFOA-contaminated waste into the local water supply. During this time, no one knew the dangers of PFAS chemicals, resulting in no regulations regarding their dumping.
As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency pushed for changes in legislation to outlaw PFOA, causing companies to phase it out of production. For this reason, companies now label non-stick cookware as PFOA-free.
While this moves in the right direction, PFOA is only one of 1,500 other highly toxic chemicals in non-stick cookware. The new non-stick coating, GenX, contains no PFOA but has many other toxic chemicals listed under the PFAS umbrella.
The federal, state, or local governments do not regulate GenX chemicals. Companies can dump chemicals into the environment or water supply without legal repercussions.
How Does Non-Stick Cookware Harm Peripheral Nerves?
PFAS chemicals also harm the peripheral nervous system. Over the last few decades, countless studies have revealed PFAS’s toxic effects on the nervous system. Scientists propose several pathways of nerve destruction from PFAS chemicals.
Inflammatory Pathway
Exposure to PFAS chemicals increases the body’s levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, resulting in chronic inflammation. This inflammation damages nerve cells and disrupts signal transmission within the peripheral nervous system.
Oxidative Stress
PFAS chemicals induce oxidative stress, which occurs when imbalances exist between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the body’s ability to detoxify them.
With too much ROS, the body cannot neutralize them, resulting in cell and tissue damage. The state of chaos, known as oxidative stress, leads to cellular damage, including peripheral nerves.
Disruption of Neurotransmitter Function
PFAS chemicals interfere with the function of neurotransmitters–chemical messengers that transmit signals between nerve cells.
Studies show that PFAS exposure disrupts dopamine signaling in the brain, which includes motor control and reward pathways. It also disrupts other neurotransmitters like serotonin, which balances mood and lessens depression and anxiety.
Blood-Brain Barrier
PFAS chemicals from non-stick cookware cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in the brains of fetuses, children, adults, and animals. Research reveals that the accumulation of PFAS is associated with:
- Decreased fetal growth
- Birth defects
- Poor brain development in children
- Developmental delays
- ALS
- Parkinson’s
- Alzheimer’s
- Ataxia
- Huntington’s disease
All of the neurodegenerative diseases listed above and more result from damage to neurons in the brain caused by PFAS chemicals.
Altered Myelination
Myelin is a fatty substance that forms a protective coat around nerve fibers and allows for fast nerve impulse transmissions. Animal studies, however, suggest that exposure to PFAS may disrupt myelination in the peripheral nervous system, leading to impaired nerve conduction and communication between nerve cells.
Because of the potential for extensive damage to the myelin, scientists think these chemicals are linked to the rise of multiple sclerosis.
Multiple studies, both human and animal, found that exposure to PFAS leads to abnormal structural changes in peripheral nerves, as well as deficits in nerve conduction speed and sensory-motor coordination.
Can I Touch Non-Stick Cookware?
Yes, you can touch non-stick cookware. The chemicals become dangerous when the pan heats to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (or 260 degrees Celcius) or higher.
While it may seem like the temperature is exceptionally high, pots and pans heat to 510 degrees in less than 5 minutes on medium heat. Another aspect to be aware of is the toxic fumes (which have no odor) that outgas from the cookware at temperatures as low as 390 degrees Fahrenheit (or 199 degrees Celsius).
Toxic Materials to Avoid In Cookware
While some labels boast the cookware as safe, Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro steer clear of various types of cookware.
Non-Stick Cookware
First, we recommend avoiding anything labeled as non-stick cookware, even if the product is marketed as the safest, non-stick, non-toxic, ceramic, PFOA-free, PTFE-free, titanium diamond coated, hex-clad, or other terms.
Although companies market cookware like ceramic pans as safe and toxin-free, they refuse to provide the complete list of chemicals used to produce the non-stick surface.
Companies need synthetic toxic chemicals to make any non-stick cookware. They boasted Teflon was completely safe for many decades, and now they do the same with GenX.
Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro travel with their non-toxic pans to ensure their cooking safety.
Other Types
They also avoid glazed ceramic pans and enamel-coated pots and pans, including from expensive brands like Le Creuset. These pans can expose you to heavy metals like cadmium, cobalt, and lead.
Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro also avoid pans containing aluminum–aluminum cores, coated-cast aluminum, or bare aluminum. The toxic heavy metal creates significant damage to neurons.
What Are Safer Alternatives to Non-Stick Cookware?
We highly recommend cast iron cookware, as long as it’s plain cast iron–no paints, colorings, or metal accents. With those add-ons, you begin introducing dangerous heavy metals.
The best pick is plain stainless steel pots and pans without an aluminum core or painted or colored metal accents. If you have a nickel sensitivity, find brands labeled as low-nickel stainless steel.
For those looking for more in-depth information regarding non-toxic cookware, we recommend the website “Lead Safe Mama.“ We have no affiliation with this site. Tamara Rubin had two children who suffered from lead poisoning in 2005, leading her to advocate for childhood lead poisoning prevention.
She goes to great scientific lengths to test for many toxicants in cookware and kitchenware and backs her claims with valid scientific evidence.
When conquering neuropathy, it’s not only about supplements or therapies. Every choice we make in our daily lives affects our future.
Go to your kitchen, take inventory, and plan on how to get rid of all your toxic cookware. Start by replacing one pan at a time.
Struggling with Neuropathy?
Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro’s dedication to combating neuropathy is deeply personal, stemming from Dr. Monteiro’s experience with her mother’s severe chemo-induced neuropathy. This personal journey fueled their commitment to develop a systematic, drug-free approach to reversing neuropathy.
They founded the San Antonio Neuropathy Center, where they’ve successfully treated over 18,000 patients over the past two decades. Their acclaimed book, “Defeat Neuropathy Now in Spite of Your Doctor,” along with their neuropathy product line, stands as a testament to their expertise and innovative solutions.
Recognized as leading neuropathy specialists in America, Dr. Coppola and Dr. Monteiro offer a beacon of hope for those diagnosed with this challenging condition. If you or a loved one is seeking relief from neuropathy, reach out to us at 844 400-0101 or email us through our contact page – Click here.
Your path to healing can start today.
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