By Darcy McConnell, MD
We come into contact with thousands of chemicals each day. Luckily, we are equipped to handle toxic exposure – our liver metabolizes and removes these harmful substances the best that it can and we go about our business. Unfortunately, sometimes the burden of toxicity becomes overwhelming to the body, and causes us to suffer a multitude of ailments from fatigue and brain fog to autoimmune disease and cancer.
Though it is impossible to avoid exposure altogether, it is not difficult to reduce our body’s burden of toxins with some simple steps. Let’s take a look at where these toxic exposures are hiding in our everyday life so we can address them and make some simple changes.
A day in the life … of your toxic exposure. Where you might be accumulating toxins without even being aware of it:
You wake up after sleeping for hours on a mattress that may be exposing you to hundreds of harmful chemicals, and walk across a carpet that has flame retardants and VOCs seeping from it. The cleaning products used in your home are full of toxins that remain in the air you breathe and on surfaces you touch.
- You start your day brushing your teeth and showering with water that may be contaminated with chlorine, heavy metals, and other toxic compounds.
- You use personal care products that contain endocrine disruptors, harmful chemicals that alter hormones, and other dangerous substances like aluminum, phthalates, propylene glycol, and all kinds of colorings and fragrances.
- Into the kitchen for breakfast, and you prepare and eat food that is tainted with chemicals and additives. Pesticides, antibiotics and hormone residues lurk in conventional produce, meats, and dairy; heavy metals and PCBs contaminate our fish supply. BPA and phthalates leach from plastics in food packaging and bottles.
- You get dressed, and the clothing you wear may have toxins from dry cleaning chemicals, flame retardants and synthetic plastics that are breathed in and absorbed through the skin.
It’s scary, you haven’t even left the house yet and you’ve been exposed to so many disruptive chemicals!
But we should not despair, though the research and evidence of harm is damning. We have a choice to make the less toxic purchase every time we buy food, cleaning products, cosmetics, clothing, or furniture.
Come learn how to detoxify your environment and find guidance on how to make clean, healthy choices for decreasing your everyday toxic exposure. Join me for my free talk on Monday April 18th at 6pm!
Photo Credit: Household Chemical Cleaners