How to Decrease Your Toxic Burden

In the world that we live, it is very difficult to avoid toxins. Toxins can be in our water, food, personal care products, home, and work.

In the world that we live, it is very difficult to avoid toxins. Toxins can be in our water, food, personal care products, home, and work. According to the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), there are over 85,000 chemicals that are registered under the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act. These chemicals have not been tested or there is very little data on their safety. Our bodies have not caught up with the ability to detox all of these toxins which is why decreasing your toxic burden and detoxing is so much more important that ever. The greater our toxin exposure is, the greater chance we have to get sick. There have been some conditions associated with toxic exposure such as infertility, diabetes, leaky gut, obesity, metabolic syndrome, asthma, allergies, Parkinson’s, cancer, autoimmune conditions, cardiovascular disease, poor caffeine tolerance, Alzheimer’s, and fibromyalgia. In a 2015 Carcinogenesis article, researchers found that worldwide lifestyle factors have a considerable impact on cancer and that 7 to 19 percent of all cancers are due to environmental toxin exposures. Additionally, they found that 59 percent of the 85 chemicals exerted effects at low doses.

What does toxic burden mean?

Toxic burden is the overall total of toxin stressors in your body at one time. Sometimes when I am talking with patients, I use the term “toxic bucket.” Over time, the toxins build up in your bucket such as stress, infections, medications, environmental toxins, processed food, and trauma which causes chronic inflammation and leads to health complications. Common signs and symptoms of an overfilled toxic bucket:

• Congestion
• Chronic sinus problems
• Weight issues/weight-loss resistance
• Skin issues: acne, eczema, rashes, psoriasis
• Aches and pains
• Digestive issues: constipation, gas, heartburn, bloating, diarrhea
• Sleep issues
• Memory and concentration issues
• Hormone imbalances
• PMS
• Low or high blood pressure
• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Headaches

Where do the toxins come from?

• Negative thinking and chronic stress
• Unresolved traumas and emotions
• Opportunistic infections: mold, bacteria, yeast, Candida, Lyme, viruses, Epstein-Barr, or fungus
• Air pollution
• Highly allergic foods: dairy, soy, gluten, sugar, eggs, corn, GMOs, and food additives/preservatives
• Solvents/VOCs such as cleaning products, off-gases from carpet or new furniture
• Medications such as supplements, prescriptions, and vaccines.
• Chemicals (phthalates/parabens) from dry cleaning, personal care products, dry cleaning, house cleaners, laundry detergent, industrial farming and production, plastics, water treatment, etc.
• Herbicides and pesticides used on our foods (glyphosate)
• Heavy metals are found in water, fish, soil, cookware, silver fillings, personal care products, etc.
• BPA- plastics, carcinogen, and endocrine disruptor
• EMF radiation– WiFi, cell phones/towers, microwaves, airplanes, electronics, etc.

What can I do to decrease my toxic burden?

I tell my patients when it comes to working on decreasing their toxic bucket by changing to nontoxic products is to do one at a time. It can become very costly and overwhelming to do it all at once. For example, when you start to run out of toothpaste get a non-toxic version. It’s the small changes that you make every day that start to add up to a healthier lifestyle.

With the way our environment is so toxic these days, we need detoxification support more than ever. Never before in history have, we had to live with so many toxins. Of course, at Be Whole Wellness Center, we suggest working with us to help you properly detox or work with a professional that is trained in detox. We are excited to be helping people nationwide detox, lose weight, better eating, and create a healthier overall lifestyle. Other ways that you can help to decrease your toxic burden include:

• Supplements such as glutathione (helps to detox), green tea, quercetin, chlorophyll, cilantro, milk thistle, probiotics, calcium D-glucarate and B-complex. Please check with your healthcare provider before taking any supplements.
• Try your best to eat organic, local, and seasonal produce and be aware of foods in the EWG’s dirty dozen.
• Avoid high-fructose corn syrup, rice syrup and other chemicals in foods such as BHA, BHT, benzoate, sulfites, and artificial colorings and sweeteners.
• For storing food or drinking water, avoid plastic water bottles and use glass, stainless steel, or ceramic containers.
• Avoid high mercury containing fish and eat wild-caught as much as possible.
• Look up personal care products, house cleaning products, over-the-counter medications, etc. in the EWG database. The EWG also has an app you can download to your phone or tablet.
• Go to an approved integrative dentist in your area using the IAOMT website to remove silver fillings and non-toxic teeth cleaning. These dentists are specialty trained on how to safely take out silver fillings.

Tiffany and I will be talking more about this in our Q&A Friday, February 18, 2022 at 1pm CST in the Prayer Tower at the Global Spheres Center. We hope that you will tune in to watch it or come to visit us live. If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment with us, call us at 940-783-5761 or email at receptionist@bewhole.com

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