I am going to imagine your answer is, you do not know.
The truth of the matter is, we all have toxins to varying degrees, especially if you live in the US. You are thinking an exposure here and there- may be not such a big deal. Maybe??? The problem is when they accumulate to a point that something has to give- it is usually your ‘health’ and/or the quality of your life.
Signs and Symptoms of toxic lifestyle choices may start out subtly, under the radar- and get worse as time goes on. Many people just ‘deny’ signs of toxicity, and hope they go away.
If you are having any of these signs, this could be a warning that something bigger is brewing below the surface. Simple things we do not connect the dots to like, bad skin, sleep issues, bathroom problems, dependence on lip balm or mouthwash, bad fingers and toenails, bad breath, body temp that changes, foggy mind, bloating/flatulence and there is more… things like being fat and not being able to lose those pesky extra pounds.
Think of every fat cell in your body as the vacation spot for toxins… because that is where they are stored when the Liver can no longer process them into the intestinal tract, so you can deposit those in a toilet. Yuck.
WHERE DO THESE TOXINS COME FROM ANYWAY?
Believe it or not, the average person has exposure to over 200 chemicals a day.
Products you take for granted that are safe, but are not on closer inspection? It is not one exposure that is important, it is the repetitious exposures. This includes everything from shampoos, lotions, perfumes, cleaning products, flame retardants in our clothing, herbicides, pesticides, and metals in our food, out-gassing of furniture and carpeting, soaps, detergent, makeup and more.
What do Toxins do you?
- Toxins can over-burden liver function. One of the liver’s jobs is to produce hormones and detox toxins from the foods we eat, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. When this doesn’t work properly, toxins build up and cause a lot of symptoms and make you sick.
- Toxins cause inflammation which has been linked to weight gain, aches and pain, chronic illness and disease, and mental fog to name a few.
- Toxins can be hormone disruptors that may cause mood swings, muscle, and bone breakdown, increased cholesterol, and weight gain and have been linked to some cancers.
- Toxins can interfere with how you metabolize and get energy from the food you eat. If your diet is full of processed foods, how mitochondria (the powerhouse of every cell in the body) function may be impaired, and whatever you eat may be stored as fat.
- Toxins, accelerate aging.
Again, toxins that you are exposed to and do not get handled to be excreted by the body are usually stored in fat. Fatty tissues in the body just are not the belly you see when you are looking in the mirror. They also include your brain, liver, sexual organs, and bone marrow. This is why there are known links to chronic diseases that plague us today.
This is why it is so important to detox/cleanse your whole body and not just a one system
7 Things To Do Right Now To Protect Yourself From Toxins
- Look at all of the products in your home- read the labels and look of side effects of anything that you do not recognize
- Look and buy cleaning products that are toxin free. I use the app THINK DIRTY which is available on Google Play Store and Apple.
- Check the Environmental Working Group for products that won’t disrupt your hormones and immune system
- Eat organic- do it as much as possible.
- Detox/Cleanse your body regularly. Do not wait for a crisis.
- IF- you have to take medications- always know the contraindications and side effects. Many of them outweigh why you are taking them in the first place. There may be Lifestyle Medicine Solutions that would do the same without the risk or harm associated with those medications.
- Be informed.
Are you interested or need to do a detox? Take this health assessment now… MDQ
If you answered no, I ask you to please do your research… and get the app: Think Dirty, it is free!
To find out what your scores on the MDQ mean, rsvp time with Dr.Pat HERE
Dr. Pat Boulogne ~ AskDrPat
