The most common factor contributing to health problems is exposure to toxic substances and inflammatory triggers in our homes, air, water, and food.
According to the Environmental Working Group there are almost 85,000 chemicals currently approved for consumer use!
Let’s look at personal care products for example.
How many personal care products do you use in a day? According to an Environmental Working Group study people use an average of nine and up to fifteen products each day. Most people regard cosmetics and personal care products as safe, however there are no health studies or pre-market testing required for personal care products.
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Personal care products are manufactured with 10,500 unique chemical
ingredients, some of which are known or suspected carcinogens, toxic to the reproductive system or known to disrupt the endocrine system.
— The Environmental Working Group
The increased exposure to toxic substances (pharmaceuticals, pesticides, chemicals, and heavy metals) we experience today can create a toxic burden which can overwhelm our biological detoxification pathways and have negative effects on our health.
Detoxification is primarily handled in the liver which typically processes toxic substances by making them water-soluble and therefore able to be excreted (flushed out) via the bowels and kidneys. When this process is disrupted by increased toxic burden, poor liver function, constipation, or dehydration toxins can cause health problems by increasing oxidative damage, inhibiting enzymes involved in normal metabolic processes and nutrition, damaging DNA, decreasing cellular function, and disrupting hormones.
One of the easiest ways to improve health is to limit toxic exposure in our environment by becoming educated consumers and buying smarter. The Environmental Working Group has made it easy to find out which products contain harmful chemicals and which products are rated the safest.
How To Decrease Your Exposure To Toxins :
- Choose a water filter for your home.
- Carry filtered water in a glass or stainless steel bottle.
- Avoid plastic bottled water.
- Avoid eating rancid oils such as canola oil, vegetable oil, and safflower oil.
- Know the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen and choose organic whenever possible.
- Use non-toxic personal care and cosmetic products.
- Use non-toxic cleaners
In addition to these recommendations, we use nutrition, lifestyle, and natural medicines to improve detoxification, treat health problems, and maximize wellness.
