Are hidden toxins making you sick? This question often goes unnoticed in our daily lives, overshadowed by the hustle and bustle of our routines. Yet, the reality is that unseen toxins are everywhere – in our homes, our food, and even the products we use every day. These invisible adversaries are silently impacting our health, contributing to a range of issues from mild discomforts to serious chronic conditions. In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the world of hidden toxins: where they lurk, how they affect us, and most importantly, practical steps you can take to minimize their impact on your health. Join us in uncovering the truth behind these stealthy invaders and learn how to safeguard your well being in a toxin-saturated world.

How Hidden Toxins Sabotoage Your Health

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What are Toxins?

Defining Toxins in Our Environment

Toxins, in the broadest sense, are substances that can cause harm to living organisms. They are often associated with pollution and can be found in various forms in our environment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), environmental toxins can include a range of chemical substances – from common household chemicals to industrial pollutants.

Types of Toxins and Their Sources

  1. Chemical Toxins: These include synthetic chemicals like bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, and certain pesticides. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies many of these substances as potentially harmful due to their effects on human health and the environment.
  2. Natural Toxins: These are naturally occurring substances that can be harmful, like certain plant toxins or animal venoms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that while natural, these toxins can still pose significant health risks.
  3. Biotoxins: These are toxins produced by living organisms, like mold. The Institute of Medicine (NAM also known as IOM) has found that indoor exposure to mold can lead to respiratory issues, especially in people with sensitivities.

How Toxins Affect the Human Body

Toxins can enter the body through various pathways – ingestion, inhalation, or skin absorption. Once inside, they can disrupt bodily functions in several ways. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) explains that toxins can interfere with the body’s endocrine system, affecting hormone balance, or they can cause oxidative stress, leading to cellular damage.

The Cumulative Effect

One key concern highlighted by health authorities like the CDC is the cumulative effect of toxins. Even low-level exposure to multiple toxins over time can lead to a buildup in the body, potentially resulting in chronic health issues like allergies, neurological disorders, or even cancer.

What are the Sources of Toxins in Your Body?

A Day in the Life of Sally

Sally is your typical woman in her late 20’s. She lives in a suburban apartment, has a 9-5 job and a good social life.

Sally wakes up to her alarm at 6 AM. She gets up, drinks some coffee and checks her social media. Then she jumps in the shower where she uses lovely smelling shampoo and body wash. Once she gets out of the shower, she puts on some lotion, deodorant, and makeup before getting dressed for work.

For breakfast, she grabs her favorite cereal with skim milk. After eating, Sally heads to work. As she waits for the bus, some people walk by smoking and discussing the latest politics. After a short bus ride, she arrives at work and heads for her desk to get to work.

After a quick morning meeting there are plenty of doughnuts to be found in the break room. Lunch rolls around after a busy morning at her desk. For lunch Sally goes out with co-workers for hamburger and french fries. This includes some bottled water and m&m cookies for dessert.

Sally and her friends rotate weekdays cooking meals at different houses. Tonight is Sally’s night to cook. She gets home cleans the bathroom, kitchen and picks up the living room in no time at all. She even starts a load of laundry. Her cleaning routine consists of a generic all-purpose cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner and air freshener spray.

For dinner Sally cooks up a chicken dish using her Teflon coated frying pan. Sides include baked potatoes and canned vegetables.

The doorbell rings, she lets in her 3 girlfriends and they all enjoy dinner and girl-talk. Afterwards they watch some TV along with a few bowls of microwave popcorn until it starts to get late. The girlfriends head home. Sally brushes her teeth with toothpaste, uses mouthwash and crashes into bed.

Toxins You Might Encounter Daily

Now you might be wondering, what is so toxic about Sally’s day? Lets take a look at the invisible toxins that Sally encounters during her day.

  1. Toxins in the Shower
    • Tap water contains fluoride and chlorine. The steam from the shower can carry these toxins right into your lungs.
    • Shower curtain liners are usually made of harmful chemicals such as PVC. These chemicals release toxic volatile organic compounds or VOC’s into the air.
  2. Personal care products
  3. Toxins in food
  4. Air Pollution
    • This includes any number of things some which are out of our control
      • Smoking
      • Car Exhaust
    • Air fresheners used inside the house fill the air with toxins.
  5. Drinking Water
  6. Cleaning Supplies
    • Conventional cleaners contain dangerous chemicals.
    • Have you noticed the warnings listed on the bottles?
  7. Non-Stick Pans
  8. Laundry detergent
  9. Food Storage Containers

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What is Toxic Load?

The Sad Story of Bob

Bob retreats to his cottage on the lake. He rows out onto the still water on his old worn out row boat. After a while, he sees a bit of water gathering in the bottom of the boat. After inspecting the puddle Bob becomes concerned as it expands. He makes a mental note to get a new row boat patch during his next town visit.

All of a sudden the water starts coming in so fast that Bob starts to bail water with a bucket. But he can’t catch up enough to stop bailing and row to safety. There’s nobody in sight. For hours he bails water. He gets tired and can hardly move anymore. Exhaustion hits him and he gives up bailing water.

A few minutes later the boat sinks and Bob drowns.

The Analogie

I promise I did not make up this story to make you sad.

The leak in the boat is a metaphor for how toxins can sneak up on us and impact our health and our life.

The water filling the boat represents the toxins entering your body.

The bucket is your liver and detox organs struggling to keep up and get rid of them fast enough.

After a while the body can not get rid of toxins fast enough, so they overflow to rest of the body and cause symptoms. As Bob starts to notice the leak it might begin with some weight gain or a few headaches as he goes about his life. He will ignore these minor inconveniences and consider it a part of getting older. As the water gets deeper, his symptoms begin to include chronic pain and forgetfulness. Eventually his body can’t handle normal functions and he becomes a cancer victim.

What are Signs of Toxins in the Body?

  • Seasonal Allergies
  • Digestive issues
  • Gas / Bloating
  • Weak Immune System / getting sick easily
  • Headaches
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • Heartburn
  • Acne
  • Fatigue
  • Brain Fog
  • Food Allergies
  • Chemical Sensitivities
  • Sinus Issues
  • Heartburn
  • Sleep Issues
  • Bad Breath
  • Menstrual Issues

Over time and with constant overflowing of the bucket things can progress to diseases like

  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Dementia
  • Autism
  • ADD
  • Depression and other mood disorders
  • Cancer
  • Autoimmune disease

When our bodies are operating optimally they can handle the toxins we encounter. The body will remove the toxins before they cause damage. When toxins cause symptoms they manifest at the weakest link.

The weakest link is different for each individual. Weakest link examples

Skin – Symptoms for this person may include eczema or psoriasis.

Digestion – This person may have issues with bowel movements or stomach pain.

Brain – symptoms might be brain fog, ADHD or dementia.

Things that can affect the weakest link

  • Some people have a genetic predisposition to certain diseases.
  • Some people have an overall higher load of toxins.  Perhaps they encounter more toxins in their daily environment.
  • Some people might have an overburdened system.  If they can’t detox then they will show symptoms at the weakest link in their body.

How hard is Sally’s body working to detox each of her daily exposures? My intention is not to scare you into a panic. I don’t want you to think that your entire life and EVERYTHING in it is toxic.

Instead, broaden your insights about where you might encounter different toxins.

Avoiding toxins in some cases is quite simple. Find a different product, or change a daily habit.

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Why Some People Don’t get Sick

Why do I get sick and my best friend is fine? Why do some people not appear to be affected. The answer is it’s complicated. Each persons body is different. Genetics, gene expressions and toxins exposure all contribute. Some people have the ability to detox more efficiently than others.

Another popular metaphor is that everyone has a built in sink (they can be different sizes).  Your sink gets clogged and it starts to fill up.  Once it fills to the top it overflows and that is when you start to get symptoms.  In this case once you know the problem the solution is obvious.

  1. Turn off the water  – stop the toxins from coming in.
  2. Unclog the sink – help the toxins out of the body.

How to Get Rid of Toxins

Now that you’re thinking about these toxins in your body, the question is how do you get them out?  The first step is to quit putting them into your body.  There are plenty of small things you can start doing right now.

Stop Exposing Yourself to Toxins

  1. Clean up your diet
  2. Clean up your personal care routine
  3. Use less toxic cleaning products
  4. Make a goal to use less plastic
    • Get a reusable stainless steel or glass water bottle. Our favorite is Klean Kanteen.
  5. Get rid of invisible toxins in your home

Help Your Body Naturally Detox

Don’t go and think that you can go buy some expensive detox program and be fine.

When I say detox I’m referring the science of how our bodies get rid of waste. The body naturally detoxifies itself day after day, 24 hours a day. We have organs for this job. The kidneys, lymph system, liver, lungs, and skin all work to expel toxins.

Things we can do to help our bodies natural detox pathways:

  1. Make sure your Elimination Pathways are Working Correctly.
    • Do you poop one to two times a day?
    • Do you sweat?
  2. Drink Plenty of Clean Filtered Water.
  3. Increase your Intake of Produce.
    • Eat more leafy greens and brassicas (Kale, Cauliflower and Brussels sprouts)
    • Aim for 8-10 servings of vegetables a day.
    • Idea – Challenge yourself to eat at least 2 different vegetables at every meal.
  4. Move More
    • Movement and exercise helps get the detox pathways going
  5. Manage Stress
    • Relax
    • Get some ‘me’ time

Don’t forget your loved ones! Consider a non-toxic gift for mom.

BONUS – Optional but helpful routines

Oil Pulling

Skin Brushing

Take a detox Bath

Once a week sit in a hot bath for 20 minutes. This will help draw out toxins, and lower stress.
Before getting in add:

Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)

How can I start reducing toxins in my home if I’m on a tight budget?

Reducing toxins in your home doesn’t have to be expensive. Start by making small changes, like switching to DIY cleaning solutions made from vinegar and baking soda, or purchasing eco-friendly products in bulk to save money. Prioritize changes based on what you use most frequently, such as switching to a safer laundry detergent or buying organic for the ‘Dirty Dozen’ fruits and vegetables.

Are there any immediate health benefits to reducing toxin exposure in my daily routine?

Yes, many people notice immediate health benefits when they reduce toxins in their daily routine. These can include improved energy levels, better skin health, and a reduction in allergy symptoms. Long-term benefits can be even more significant, including a lower risk of certain chronic diseases and overall better well being.

How can I make sure the personal care products I use are toxin-free?

Start by reading the labels and avoiding products with known harmful chemicals like parabens, phthalates, and sulfates. Utilize resources like the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep database, which rates products based on their ingredient safety. Also, consider switching to brands that are certified organic or known for their natural and non-toxic products.

Discover Your Guide to Ditching Toxic Personal Care Products

Can reducing toxins in my diet help with chronic health conditions?

While it’s always important to consult with a healthcare provider about chronic health conditions, reducing toxins in your diet can contribute to better health. Eliminating processed foods and choosing organic can reduce your exposure to pesticides and additives, which may help in managing inflammation and improving overall health.

Is it necessary to replace all plastics in my home to reduce toxins?

While it’s ideal to reduce plastic use, it may not be feasible to replace all plastics immediately. Focus first on plastics that come into contact with your food or drink, such as water bottles, food storage containers, and cooking utensils. Opt for alternatives like glass, stainless steel, or BPA-free plastics. Gradually replace other plastic items in your home as they wear out.

Explore Our Complete Guide to Ditching Plastic Food Containers

Conclusion: Embracing a Toxin-Free Lifestyle

Understanding and reducing our toxin exposure is more than just a health choice; it’s a commitment to a cleaner, healthier way of living. While it’s true that toxins are a part of our modern environment, we aren’t powerless. Small changes in our daily routines can have a significant impact on reducing our body’s toxin load.

Remember, it’s about progress, not perfection. Start with one area, whether it’s your diet, personal care products, or household cleaners, and gradually incorporate more changes. Every step you take towards a toxin-free lifestyle helps reduce the overall burden on your body, contributing to better health and wellbeing.

This journey is also about awareness. As you become more conscious of the toxins in your environment, you’ll start making more informed choices, not just for yourself, but for your family and the planet. Sharing what you learn with others can amplify the impact, creating a healthier community around you.

So, take that first step today. Whether it’s switching to an organic apple, trying a new eco-friendly shampoo, or taking a few moments to de-stress and support your body’s natural detox process, each choice matters. Together, let’s embark on this journey towards a healthier, toxin-free world.

Remember, you have the power to make a difference in your health and environment, one choice at a time. Let’s defy the odds and embrace a vibrant, toxin-free life!

The 4 Most Important steps to getting rid of hidden toxins. Free quick start guide, download now.

More Reading and References

Staying Healthy In A Toxic World – Lara Adler – Better Belly Project 2017 by Summer Bock

Ep.87: Environmental Toxicity with Jill Carnahan

Feeding You Lies: How to Unravel the Food Industry’s Playbook and Reclaim Your Health Hardcover by Vani Hari

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