I used to never wear gloves when I cleaned the house. They were a nuisance for me. I knew plenty of friends that would don the long gloves to wash dishes or clean the bathrooms but that just never worked for me. I also never wear gardening gloves for the same reason.
It was not until I learned what toxins were really in our products that gloves not only became a tool of safety but also made me question what we were actually using some of the products for in our home. We can water down a lot of things to make it justified for use or consumption but when it comes to toxins, it really leaves behind a film of the worst kind.
There is a lot of talk these days about toxins. It’s not new but with current virus variants, product concerns and environmental threats toxin concerns have once again emerged to top of mind. Toxins are something all of us should be concerned about because they are unavoidable. While we need to learn to live with some of them we also need to know how to eliminate and minimize others that can have a detrimental impact to our health.
What is a Toxin?
Let’s start at the beginning with describing what a toxin actually is. Like most things, the news on toxins has varied and not always been helpful in knowing if they are harmful or not.
A toxin is very simply a poison. It is the fine print on labels that hardly anyone reads. It is dangerous to our body. This can mean it is dangerous to not only our skin but respiratory, digestive, cognitive, muscular, and nervous systems among others. The damage may be minimal or it may be extreme. It can harm our mental health, mood, appetite and even things we don’t even notice.
It can seem not that bad too. Like a strong aroma that stings our nose when we smell it or dry hands after touching it. We scrub that off with soaps before touching other things but often there is still an exposure that has done something to our body. Our immune system is put into hyper mode trying to protect us from even the smallest of exposures of these kind.
They are everywhere too. Toxins are not only in our products we use every day but our soaps we wash the dishes and laundry with, our food and water and even the air we breathe. It is unavoidable most days. We can take measures of course to reduce but there is no way to live 100% toxin free.
Where we run into trouble with the toxin definition is with the word safe. In small doses some toxins can be considered safe for use, exposure and even ingestion. This is why most people don’t give them a second thought and labels on products go unread. Safety is relative in this respect and can be watered down to length of exposure, dosage, purpose and even accessibility.
What is Toxic Load?
Toxic load is another term you may have heard especially in the natural health space. Given that we cannot completely avoid toxins all of us have a toxic load in our body. Quite simply it is the level of the body’s total accumulation of toxic chemicals.
High toxic load can occur through ongoing exposure to toxins but also because of the body’s inability to detox from these chemicals regularly. This results in a weakened immune system that can cause illnesses and diseases in the body. It can also occur through genetics passed from parents to children through DNA cells. This can result in deformities, diseases and illnesses in children even before they are born. It can also predispose us to lifelong conditions held in our cells when we are adults.
Our mental health is also impacted by toxic loads. The brain’s ability to process thoughts, direct cellular activities and perform repairs are all inhibited. Nervous system issues and autoimmune concerns can transpire due to these weaknesses.
Understanding Your Toxic Load
There are laboratory tests that can be done to asses your toxic load. Many full panel lab tests can show the different chemicals in our body. That is a sure way to identify and work to improve our toxic load.
Knowing we all have a toxic load we can easily begin with assessing our own lifestyle and determining a range of how high our toxic load could be. Begin by looking at all the products in your home and the ingredients they contain. If there are ingredients you don’t recognize or cannot pronounce look them up! You will be surprised at the amount of artificial fragrance and chemical in most every day products. It may be scary but also check your food. Processed snacks, sodas, sports drinks and foods can also be sources for chemicals.
What shocked me the most is my dish soap. Here I was thinking I was washing my dishes so they would be clean and usable for our next meal only to realize I was applying chemicals to them and we were eating that. The flatware, plates, and cups we use every day were coated in chemicals that don’t rinse off.
Another big source of chemicals is our personal care products. Hair care, skin care, bath products and more! On average we use products containing over 60 chemicals alone in this category every day. From toothpaste to moisturizer there is chemicals in every one of these products that are intended to help us not smell, be clean and are intended to be good for us. Yet by their very ingredients they can be a source for cancer, disease, illness and more.
Once you know the products you have in the house and use regularly its time to find alternatives. This is where knowing your ingredients is crucial. Many manufacturers have learned that by changing some ingredients they can create green-washed products. These are products that are less chemical based but when you actually look at those ingredients they are just as toxic as regular products. A great example is the use of fragrance in products. Most of the time this is synthetic aroma that can be harmful to our respiratory system and that of our babies and pets.
Detoxing from Toxic Load and Toxins
There is not a one-sized-fits-all approach to toxin load detoxes. It is greatly dependent on organ, multi-system and targeted strategies. It also considers our nutrition and cellular health currently.
To begin, swapping products is a great thing everyone can realize improvements from. It is believed by doing this alone we can improve our toxic load. However, that is only the beginning of detoxing. Obtaining naturally derived ingredient based products or making them yourself is not expensive and an easy swap. There are good quality natural companies that have great products.
Making your own products is also easy to do with simple ingredients you can find at most big box stores.
In conjunction with more natural products in our homes for cleaning, cooking and personal care, we need to address other areas such as nutrition, water quality and vitamins. Detoxing our bodies and rebuilding our health from toxic load can take some time and is one of the best investments we can make in our lifestyle.
I like to use a detox protocol from the DesBio company called OmniCleanse. This is a professional protocol that I recommend to my clients as well. It contains botanicals, nutrition and homeopathy to relieve the symptoms of toxic load in all major organ systems. It is great to use when you just need that overall detox as it targets the common exposure to household chemicals, glyphosate, vaccinations and heavy metals.
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If you have a specific toxic exposure identified such as candida or Lyme we can cater a detox protocol for those. Detoxing is great for resetting our bodies to begin generating healthier cells that can defend us from toxic exposure. It also helps in improving allergic responses to toxic chemicals we encounter every day.
I like to follow up detoxification with introduction of nutrition that supports our body’s natural ability to heal. Supporting immune function, adrenal health and digestion gives our body what it needs to heal and start producing cells that perform optimally. To achieve this we need to look at nutrition. From the food we eat to quality of water we drink it all matters to our cells. Where deficiencies are found natural based supplements help fill those voids to ensure our bodies have what they need to build health.
To support ongoing detoxification I like the doTERRA Zendocrine Complex and Softgel along with the DDR Prime. Together this trio helps our bodies continue a regular detoxification that is gentle while support new healthy cell regeneration. It helps keep things from returning to those higher level of toxic loads in between full detoxes.
Nutritionally, I also like to look at diet. Specifically what we call meals every day and where it comes from. High quality fruit, vegetable and meat makes a big difference in our toxic load and overall health. The same goes for water. Most of us don’t think twice of turning on the faucet or grabbing a plastic bottle of water. These sources however can be problematic for introducing toxins into our body. Cleaning up our diet is not only good for our waistline but our overall health and well-being against toxic chemicals.
Getting help with toxic load
If you don’t know where to start or want to personalize your approach to toxic load, I invite you to schedule time with me. Assessing your personal needs and health is a great way to baseline your toxic load and develop a plan to reduce your risk.
Schedule your consultation at dragonspitapothecary.com/book-online
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