All of us are exposed to toxins on a daily basis. Some of these toxins are generated internally and some are external.

When you eat something, the body will break the food down, keep the nutrients it wants and dispose of the rest as waste through natural processes such as urination and defecation. However, if digestion is not working optimally, undigested food can build up in the bowel. This can cause decay of foods left in the bowel resulting in harmful bacteria and yeast growth. Toxins can develop from the harmful bacteria, the yeast, and the food not digesting. 

There are also external environmental toxins that most people are exposed to. These are the chemicals that we are exposed to in everyday life, and we often don’t even know it. They are breathed in or otherwise ingested.

VOCs

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the most common example of chemicals that we are exposed to because they are the chemicals we breathe in. These are the chemicals in the air from things such as air fresheners, hair spray, fumes from perfumes and other scented products, car and truck exhaust fumes, smoke, pollution, and even fumes from the grocery store detergent aisle.  

Plastics and Phthalates

Many plastic containers such as water bottles and plastic food storage containers can leach phthalates into food and drink. Phthalates are a group of chemicals including (but not limited to) BPA, that are used to soften plastic and vinyl. Phthalates are also used in a number of personal care products such as some soaps and shampoos, hair spray, nail polish, and scented products. 

Minimization or (better still) elimination of as many of these toxins is a good idea.  These chemicals may be more dangerous than has been generally recognized and removing as many of them as possible from our lives might alleviate current health issues and may also prevent the onset of future health problems.

Heavy Metals

Heavy metals are called that for two reasons. First, they are physically very dense and they are “heavy” on the periodic table of elements. Secondly, the body has no natural method of removing them. These metals have no known metabolic function in the body. Since the body has no system for removing heavy metals, they can build up in the fatty organs of the body including the liver, adrenals, thyroid, and brain. The most common heavy metals that cause health problems are mercury, lead, and cadmium. 

There are many sources of heavy metals. Lead, for instance, can be found in the drinking water in some older houses whose lead pipes have not been replaced. Lead can also be found in some surprising places such as some artificial turfs, toys, jewelry, and even some imported candy. It can also be found in old buildings with lead paint and older stored gasoline that is leaded and was stored before lead-free gasoline was legally mandated in the 1970s (yes, people still have stocks of this stored leaded gasoline). It can leach out of the storage tanks and get into the water supply.

Mercury can be emitted into the atmosphere through such activities as the burning of fossil fuels and municipal waste which often contains such things as discarded batteries and light bulbs. The emissions into the atmosphere are then transported and deposited on the earth’s land and water surfaces by wind, snow, and rain. Sadly, mercury is also found in much of the commercially available fish.

Not all municipal water filtration systems are equipped to remove heavy metals from drinking water. Exposure to large quantities of heavy metals such as cadmium, aluminum and mercury, to name a few, often overloads the body’s natural detoxification function. Our bodies simply cannot remove these metals through the filtering organs, and they can build up. 

Aluminum, although not classed as a heavy metal, can create significant health issues. It has no biological function and is difficult to remove. Exposure to aluminum toxicity is primarily from aluminum beverage cans and cookware.

Systematic detoxification that will yield effective and sustainable results is best done in consultation with a healthcare practitioner.

Stayed tuned for Part 2 – Testing for Toxins

Green Apple Health Care practices Cause Based Medicine™ which is the systematic process of finding and treating the core cause of health concerns by using a classic naturopathic approach combined with scientific research to optimize patient outcomes.

Our focus is cause-based.  We are relentless in identifying the root cause, the “why” behind the symptoms, and we address our treatment programs to the cause of the health condition, not the symptoms.

Call us at (780) 485-9468 to book a consultation.  If you prefer, online booking is available for both new patients and repeat patients.