FIGHTING THE DEADLY DANGERS OF TOXINS
About five years ago, I started to spend some time reading up on detoxification. I have taken courses, read books, researched articles, and spoken with other practitioners yet, there is still much to learn on the subject. No matter what your goal is, success in any fitness program is largely determined by three factors: what we eat, how much we exercise and our ability to limit the many toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis. Many determined and focused individuals risk not only their fitness success, but their very lives for lack of knowledge about toxins and the war they wage against us all.
Toxins, or substances that pollute, are everywhere and virtually impossible to avoid altogether. That doesn’t mean, however, that we are stuck with them. It is important to be aware of the risks associated with the toxins we are exposed to, and it is equally important to educate ourselves on how to combat them. Did you know that, on average, we are exposed to around a thousand man-made chemicals or toxins every day? There are 45,000 chemicals added to the environment each year. It’s no wonder that a recent study testing 2,000 umbilical cords found traces of rocket fuel, fire retardants and other pollutants in all samples. That means that, even before birth, we are exposed to poisonous chemicals and pollutants that our bodies were not made to live with. With many similar reports and findings, it has become critical to support the body with proper nutrients in order to combat the deadly effects of these toxins. These toxins also creep in through the everyday lifestyle habits we may think are normal or safe. For instance, many people apply and ingest hundreds of harmful chemicals to their bodies each day without knowing it. You may not have given much thought to many of them, but hundreds of everyday, household items such as toiletries, non-stick pans, plastic food containers, unfiltered water and food pesticides are poisoning our bodies with the toxic chemicals they are made with.
What Makes Environmental Toxins so Deadly?
The scientific evidence is exhaustive, but here is the gist of it: nearly every toxin disrupts cellular function in the body. All toxins end up being stored in fat cells, prohibiting the mitochondria’s main function of providing energy to the body. Toxins also mimic hormones, which horribly disrupts the natural balance of the body. There is a great deal of research that has verified the impact of chemicals in lowering testosterone in men, increasing estrogen in both sexes, increasing rates of cancer, heart disease, neurodegenerative disorders and birth defects.
How Can We Effectively Combat Toxins in our Systems?
We can greatly reduce your exposure to toxins and lessen the body’s demand to detoxify in a number of ways:
- Reduce exposure to plastics.
- Avoid heating plastic through Tupperware and Keurig coffee makers.
- Filter your water.
- Eat organic produce and wild or pastured meats.
- Minimize processed food intake.
- Use ceramic or cast iron pots and pans.
- Use ewg.org to research your cleaning products, soaps and toiletries for levels of toxicity. You ideally want to try and find products with a rating of “3” or lower.
- Invest in a high quality multi vitamin.
We always address toxins and detoxification early on in the regular Biosignature meetings that are included in your membership. Our primary goal is to help you decrease exposure to toxic chemicals by altering your shopping list. Nutrient support certainly speeds up detoxification by removing these harmful chemicals from our bodies, but reducing our daily exposure to these harmful chemicals is paramount. Think of your daily toxic exposure like a flooding bath tub, where removing the drain is like taking nutrients to detoxify, and turning off the faucet (or removing many of the toxins from your home) will help avoid the flood in the first place!