What's Your Body Burden? Part 2- Know Your Toxins

toxic: -adjective- acting as or having the effect of a poison; poisonous

Last week we discussed the concept of your body's "burden" or chemical load.Taking the definition of the word toxic into account, what this really means is, how many poisonous substances are in your body at a given time? And how will they affect your health? Remember that if something is toxic, it is poisonous, and poisons cause disease, which cause death.

While it's true that it's the dose that makes the poison, our everyday lives are bombarded with so many toxins (we'll look into the common ones that I guarantee are a part of your life) that our bodies simply cannot handle them all. Once our bodies cannot handle the toxins we put in, they simply shut down. Unfortunately, they don't just shut down and take a break for the day. They shut down with heartbreaking diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's, dementia, arthritis, diabetes, chronic fatigue, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, digestive disorders, and a host of other health conditions. In America, one out of three people dies of cancer. I believe this statistic alone is proof that we need to take a serious look at the toxins going into our bodies on a daily basis.

Below is a list of the major toxins (substances that cause disease, which leads to premature death) that are swirling around our environment, in our homes and out, which have been scientifically proven to be toxic:

(Taken from p. 174-175 of The Great Physician's RX for Health & Wellness)

1. 1. PCB's. Polychlorinated biphenyls- highly toxic chemical compounds developed in the 1930's. Although banned in the late 70's worldwide, 24 million pounds are unaccounted for. (They were originally used in paint, ink, dye, and insecticides, among other things.) Currently, farm raised salmon contain PCB's.
2. Dioxins. Produced naturally through volcanoes or forest firest, or through the manufacturing of PVC products or industrial chlorinated cleaners. This toxic chemical tends to wind up in animals with high fat contents such as fish and shellfish.
3. Metals. Particles of mercury, lead, arsenic, aluminium and cadmium accumulate in the soft tissues of the body. Mercury is especially prevalent in canned tuna, and arsenic can be found in tap water. Yikes!
4. Asbestos. A cancer-causing material used to insulate older buildings.
   
5. Insecticides and pesticides. Used in all conventionally grown fruits, vegetables, and most conventional food. We'll discuss these more later.
6. Phthalates. Chemicals used to soften plastics and lengthen the shelf life of cosmetics, hair spray, mousses, and fragrances such as room sprays , colognes and perfurmes. They harm the developing testes of males and damage the lungs, liver and kidneys.
   
7. Parabens. Ethylparaben, Methylparaben,Butylparaben, Propylparaben. Preservatives used in personal care products to extend their shelf life. These chemicals like to stay in the fatty tissue in our bodies. In a study performed on breast cancer patients, every single one was found to have parabens in their breast tissue. They are also endocrine system disrupters, or disrupters of your hormonal balance. This can lead to infertility, and other hormonal problems.
8. VOC's. Volatile organic ompounds. These are petroleum- based chemicals found in perfumes, aftershave lotions, toiletries, shampoos, household cleaners, furniture polishes, air fresheners, adhesives, foams and plastics.
9. Chlorine. Found in tap water, pools, household cleaners, and your daily shower.
   

So, to make a long story short:
Toxins enter your body when you:

• Get up in the morning and take a shower
• Use your shampoo, body wash, and facial soap in the shower
• Use your moisturizer, shaving lotion, aftershave and deodorant
• When you put on your perfume or cologne
• When you put on your makeup and put gel, mousse or hairspray in your hair
  
• When you drink tap water
• When you put your leftovers in plastic
• When you eat conventional, non organic food
• When you eat conventional fish and salmon, and eat any kind of crab, oyster or shrimp
  
• When you clean your house with conventional cleaning products.
• When you wash your clothes with standard detergent.
• When you use standard paint.
  

And we wonder why our bodies break down! See how these seemingly small things build up, day after day after day after day?

I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to lessen the amount of toxins entering my body and those I love on a daily basis. In the next post, we'll discuss ways to decrease the chemical load on your body, by decreasing the toxins going in. I look forward to helping you give your body a break!