DETOXIFICATION: Are We Truly Toxic? Do We REALLY Need It?

If you're like most of us, you’ve probably been more concerned about your health lately. You do what you can to stay healthy and avoid having to feel sick, or worse, have to go to the emergency room.

• You try to eat better

• Avoid processed food

• Cut back on sugar

• Cut back on smoking and alcohol

• Limit takeout food

• Cook at home more often

• Perhaps you even have eliminated dairy, gluten or other sensitive foods

• Maybe you’ve even had testing done to take a deeper look into your health

Lately we’ve been hearing so much about toxins and everyone seems to be on some sort of cleanse or detox.  Whether people heard it on Oprah or your neighbor next door, the public’s interest is definitely piqued.  

What are common signs and symptoms of excessive accumulation of toxins?

• Obesity

• Inability to lose weight

• Diabetes

• Cardiovascular diseases

• Cancers

• Neurodegenerative disease

• Infertility

• Poor sperm quality

• Autoimmunity

• Inflammation

• Brain fog or chronic headaches

• Joint pain/stiffness

So where are the toxins coming from?

Despite trying hard to do what it takes to be healthy, eating organic, living close to nature, using natural personal care products, today's world has reached a point of pollution where all humans on Earth are exposed to pollution and various substances on a daily basis by:

• Foods

• Air pollution (outdoors and in homes)

• Cleaning products, sanitizers

• Plastics and other endocrine disrupting chemicals

• Fire retardants in furniture and volatile fumes from flooring, carpeting, paint, furniture

• Pet dander

• Medications and supplements 

How Do I Know If I Need to Detoxify My Body:

Toxins will accumulate in our bodies depending on our environment, occupation and amount of fat on our bodies. The majority of toxins we come into contact with are ‘fat-soluble’, which means they are enveloped within our fat cells (adipose tissue). Studies show a correlation between BMI, as well as age, and levels of toxins in our bodies.

Therefore, weight loss has the ability to set these toxins free. Oh how cool! No, not so fast! It’s not as easy as impulsively jumping on the latest weight loss craze. There is evidence now showing drastic levels of toxins increasing in the blood with weight loss, fasting and even unsupported bariatric surgery (1) . This increase in blood levels of toxins is often seen with yo-yo dieting and fasting.

Did you know some culture use fasting as a means to remove toxins from the body?

Well great, you’re fasting! How do you know your body is actually removing these toxins?

Yes, fasting is used to rid the body of toxins (2). This is why successful fasting and/or weight loss go hand in hand with detoxification! Unless properly neutralized and eliminated, one can run the risk of actually ‘recirculating’ the toxins and having them redistributed throughout other tissues once calorie intake increases.

Read through the list below and if any of them resonate with you, you might want to consider exploring supporting detoxification in addition to what you are already doing:

These foreign toxic chemicals, know as xenobiotics, can enter our bodies in many ways:

• Orally: (foods, medications, alcohol, tap water, supplements)

• Inhaled: air pollution, exhaust fumes, cleaning chemicals, poor indoor air quality

• Skin: personal care products, hand sanitizer, chlorine from showers and pools

• Endogenously:  Yes, our bodies create toxic compounds in various ways:

  • Toxic by-products of foods & medications

  • Infections, bacteria 

  • Psychological Stress

  • Reabsoprtion of toxic chemicals due to constipation and poor gut heatlh

Keep in mind the above is a very short list of toxins!

Two important things to keep in mind:

1. It’s not about the dose: Small exposures of seemingly benign toxins like phthalates in plastics add up over time.  So whether you were exposed to a strong toxin like mercury once or plastics hundreds of times a week, the effects add up and are stored in your body.

2. Additive Effects: Various toxins have shown synergistic effects with other toxins, making them much more damaging than we think

Regardless of where you live, how much money you make, how healthy you are, we all have some level of exposure, the only differences may be in the substances we are exposed to in our individual lives. That means every human living on this Earth should be concerned by their own level of toxicity and its effect on health.

So, if you are not aware and hearing this for the first time, the question should not be:

“Wait! Am I toxic?!” …..but “Oh! How toxic I am?!”. 

So What Can You Do?

• Reduce/Remove your current exposure 

• Focus on fresh whole foods. Eat clean, organic foods and pastured animal products as much as your budget allows

• To save money, stick to the Environmental Working Group’s Clean Fifteen List of produce low in pesticide that can be inorganic, as well as their Dirty Dozen List of the 12 highest pesticide laden produce, which should be organic as often as possible.

• Clean up the air in your home:  house plants, air purifiers, take off shoes, wash hands

• Avoid plastics water bottles, styrofoam cups, non-stick take out containers & sandwich wrappers

• Limit canned foods

• Scrutinize your personal care products for harmful ingredients.

• Clean up your thoughts & emotions
  
  Detoxification is safe and beneficial for our health. It is suggested that each one should at least have a short detoxification program yearly. However, children, nursing mothers, and patients with cancer, chronic degenerative illness and tuberculosis should consult their physician first for approval and supervision or find someone who is familiar with detox.

  If you decide to award your body with holiday, find a nutritional therapist who is familiar with proper detoxification.

Book a Free Consultation with a Functional Nutrition Practitioner today to explore and unlock all the possibilities of what an evidence-based detoxification program will do for you!!

Remember to Stay Inspired, Be Well, and Be YOU!

Tommy Markov is a Functional Nutrition Professional and Wellness Educator with a Master’s in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. He specializes in healing the person, not the condition. He is passionate about uncovering the root cause of his client’s ailments and incorporating an integrative mind-body approach.

Tommy’s knowledge of the interconnectedness of body systems helps him identify imbalances before they manifest into dysfunction and disease, allowing for an effective preventative approach.

Tommy has been working in the health and fitness industry since his 20’s, ranging from health clubs, hospitals, medical practices to currently founding his own thriving practice, Living Wellness Solutions, after overcoming his own health challenges.

Tommy has appeared as a guest and expert speaker on numerous podcasts, speaking events, as well as being a nutrition and supplement consultant. Most recently, Tommy became a proud partner of F.L.O.W. Wellness Center in Abington, Pennsylvania, where he incorporates Functional Medicine and Nutrition along with various other healing modalities and practitioners.