Welcome Back! Let's talk about Environmental Toxins.

In our last post we talked about the muti-factoral nature of most health conditions. We broke it down into four main categories:

1. Environmental toxins
2. Genetic mutations
3. Bacterial/ Viral load
4. Stress

Let's start with number one, Environmental toxins:
We live in a highly toxic world. Never before have there been so many different types of environmental toxins that we all get exposed to on a daily basis. Our food, our water, our air, even our health and beauty products contain known carcinogens. 
Don't Panic! There is a lot that you can do to minimize your exposure and improve your bodies ability to detoxify and eliminate what you are exposed to.
Here's the story:
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Around the end of World War Two, industry and agriculture took off. This explosion while great for the economy, introduced a lot of new chemicals into the environment. Most of these chemicals were untested as far as what the long term effects would be on the world around us and especially ourselves. This practice has continued and increased to this day. We now find ourselves in a highly toxic world where not only has the amount of exposure to toxins  increased dramatically, our ability to detoxify has been significantly reduced due to Genetic mutations from these toxins! Each successive generation accumulates more genetic damage which then makes them more susceptible to the increasing environmental toxic load. This is currently thought to be the root cause of many chronic autoimmune and neurological conditions prevalent today. Such as: Parkinsons, Multiple Sclerosis, Lymes , Alzheimers, Autism, just to name a few. We will come back to all this later.
Another piece of the puzzle is that due to current agricultural practices the amount of nutrition that we get from our food is significantly less. For instance you would have to eat 3 apples today to get the same nutrition that you would have gotten from one apple in 1940!

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Wow, So what can we do?
Don't panic, lets keep it simple.
Here are some simple steps to help you and your family:

•  Drink Filtered Tap water.Filtering home tap or well water can decrease exposure to numerous known or suspected carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals.   Unless the home water source is known to be contaminated it is better to use filtered tap water than commercially bottled water. 
• Store food and water in glass or steel containers.Storing and carrying water in stainless steel, glass, or BPA- and phthalate-free containers will reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting and other chemicals that may leach into the water from plastics.  This action also will decrease the need for plastic bottles, the manufacture of which produces toxic by-products, and reduce the need to dispose of and recycle plastic bottles.  Microwaving food and beverages in ceramic or glass instead of plastic containers will reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals that may leach into food when containers are heated. 
• Eat organic fruits and vegetables.Exposure to pesticides can be decreased by choosing, to the extent possible, food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers and washing conventionally grown produce to remove residues.
• Choose organic or free range meat.Similarly, exposure to antibiotics, growth hormones, and toxic run-off from livestock feed lots can be minimized by eating free-range meat raised without these medications if it is available.
• Decrease consumption of processed, charred, or well done meat.Avoiding or minimizing consumption of processed, charred, and well done meats will reduce exposure to carcinogenic heterocyclic amines and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.
• Protect children and pregnant women from exposure to carcinogens and endocrine disruptors.It is vitally important to recognize that children are far more susceptible to damage from environmental carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting compounds than adults.  To the extent possible, parents and child care providers should choose foods, house and garden products, play spaces, toys, medicines, and medical tests that will minimize children’s exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and known or suspected carcinogens prior to a child’s conception and throughout pregnancy and early life, when risk of damage is greatest.
• Decrease exposure to radiation.Adults and children can reduce their exposure to electromagnetic energy by wearing a headset when using a cell phone, texting instead of calling, and keeping calls brief.
• It is advisable to periodically check home radon levels.   Home buyers should conduct a radon test in any home they are considering purchasing.
• To reduce exposure to radiation from medical sources, patients should discuss with their health care providers the need for medical tests or procedures that involve radiation exposure.  Key considerations include personal history of radiation exposure, the expected benefit of the test, and alternative ways to obtaining the same information.
• Turn off lights and electrical devices when not in use.Turning off lights and electrical devices when not in use reduces exposure to petroleum combustion by-products because doing so reduces the need for electricity, much of which is generated by fossil fuels.  Driving a fuel efficient car, biking or walking when possible, or using public transportation also cuts the amount of toxic auto exhaust in the air.
• Avoid second hand tobacco smoke.Individuals can reduce or eliminate exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke in the home, auto, and public places.  Most counseling and medications to help smokers quit are covered by health insurance or available at little or no cost.
• Get rid of household toxins properly.Properly disposing of pharmaceuticals, household chemicals, paints, and other materials will minimize drinking water and soil contamination.  Individuals also can choose products made with non-toxic substances or environmentally safe chemicals.  Similarly, reducing or ceasing landscaping pesticide and fertilizer use will help keep these chemicals from contaminating drinking water supplies. 

You can do this!!!
One step at a time. Take baby steps and just keep going.
In our next post we will explore Genetic mutations further and how these affect your health.
Yours in Health,
​Dr Rick