By John Coombs |Clinical Director| Wellbeing and Fatigue Specialist and Lisa Edmondson | Nurse | Master Health Coach and Hormone Specialist
In recent years, there has been a quiet shift in the conversation around men’s health. More men are beginning to question their energy levels, declining testosterone, libido changes, and mood shifts.
Many come to our clinic after trying to make sense of what feels like a slow drift away from vitality. They’ve tried exercising more, eating better, sleeping longer—but something still feels off and brain fog and fatigue becomes normal.
What many don’t realise is that these symptoms are often influenced not just by what we do, but by what we’re exposed to—every single day.
Many people are exposed to hormone and neurological disrupters on a daily basis, and this leads to many of the modern diseases afflicting men.
The rise is adrenal overload has reached alarming levels for stressed out or tired men, from age 14 onwards. For many it starts at puberty with simple triggers like glandular fever, bullying or school exams. Some get stuck in this rut for decades, losing confidence and mojo.
Global health has specialised in Adrenal fatigue and helping to optimise male hormones since 2011, and we’ve developed a wide range of strategies and very practical solutions. The cost to benefit outcomes of these programs is remarkable.
John Coombs our director was a stressed out full time sole parent with 5 children in the early 2000’s and inevitably he burned out and could no longer work effectively to support the family.
From a frightening near death experience he was forced to find practical solutions to his predicament, which of cause included financial and emotional overwhelm. So along with decades of professional experience in nutrition, mind management and wellbeing, he brings a very practical male focused attention to optimal wellbeing with a simple forthright approach to male recovery programs.
Hundreds of men have been to numerous clinics, Drs and support people without success and yet within a few weeks at Global health gain solutions that seemed otherwise unimaginable.
Hidden hazards.
Along with lifestyle, work and relationship stress the modern world contains many fishhooks.
In modern New Zealand life, men are surrounded by environmental toxins that were virtually non-existent just a few decades ago. These toxins, often hiding in plain sight, act as endocrine disruptors—substances that interfere with the normal function of our hormones, particularly testosterone.
Take the example of personal care products. The average shampoo, deodorant, or body wash lining supermarket shelves contains a chemical cocktail of parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrance, and sulphates. These compounds are absorbed through the skin and, over time, can mimic or suppress hormone activity. Phthalates, for example, are known to reduce testosterone levels and impair sperm quality. Parabens have estrogenic effects, meaning they can throw off the delicate hormonal balance men need for optimal function.
Laundry products are another hidden offender. Conventional detergents, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets are often scented with chemical-based fragrances and laced with residues like benzene derivatives and alkylphenols—many of which linger on clothing, bed sheets, and underwear. For men, wearing synthetic fabric undergarments washed in these products may mean consistent exposure of the groin area to harmful substances that disrupt reproductive function.
One behaviour we see frequently is carrying a phone in the front pocket. While it’s convenient, it places the reproductive organs in direct proximity to heat and low-level radiation. Emerging evidence suggests that prolonged exposure to these emissions may impact sperm motility and testosterone expression.
Even clothing itself can be part of the problem. Many synthetic fabrics, especially those treated with stain-resistant or wrinkle-free coatings, contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals like nonylphenols and perfluorinated compounds (PFCs). When these materials are worn close to the skin, particularly in high-friction or high-heat areas, they may slowly release harmful substances into the body.
In New Zealand, we are not immune to these influences. Local testing and consumer safety reports have shown hormone-disrupting chemicals present in imported personal care and household products—many of which are still legally sold on supermarket shelves. Chemicals such as triclosan, used in antibacterial soaps, and BPA, found in plastics and thermal receipts, have both been identified as hormone disruptors here. While some countries have banned or restricted their use, regulation in New Zealand remains inconsistent, and consumer awareness is still catching up.
So, what can be done? The solution isn’t about living in fear or purging your entire house overnight. At our clinic, we guide men through awareness, not alarm. Most men have simply never been told that these seemingly harmless habits could be impacting their health. Once they know, they can make small, impactful changes—like switching to natural personal care products, avoiding synthetic underwear, and storing phones away from the groin area.
Our holistic toolkit goes further. We use epigenetic hair analysis to pinpoint environmental and nutritional stressors that may be disrupting hormonal pathways. We support detoxification using ozone and oxygen therapies, which help cleanse the body at a cellular level. And we offer practitioner-only supplements specifically designed to support testosterone production, liver detox pathways, and cellular repair.
We don’t promote quick fixes or fear-driven protocols. What we offer is clarity, support, and a practical path forward. Hormonal health isn’t just about testosterone levels—it’s about energy, mental clarity, mood, and a sense of strength from the inside out.