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The Role of Toxins: Women's Health Continued...Does the Body Need Detoxification? Chemical toxins move quickly from the blood into the storage sites-mostly fat tissue, organs, and bones-so blood or urine levels severely underestimate our total toxic load. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) monitored human exposure to toxic environmental chemicals from 1970, when it began the National Human Adipose Tissue Survey (NHATS), to 1989. This study evaluated the levels of various toxins in fat tissue from cadavers and elective surgeries. Five of what are known to be the most toxic chemicals humans have created were found in 100 percent of all samples (OCCDD, a dioxin, styrene, 1,4 dichchlorobenzene, xylene, and ethylphenol-extremely toxic chemicals from industrial pollutions that may cause harmful changes in your liver, heart, lungs, and nervous system). Nine more chemicals were found in 91-98% of the samples, including benzene, toluene, ehtylbenzene, DDE (a breakdown of DDT, the pesticide banned in the United States since 1972), three dioxins, and one furan. Polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs) were found in 83% of the population. Where do these toxins come from? They come from two places. One is the environment (external toxins); the other is our own gut (internal toxins). The by-products of our metabolism (internal toxins) need to be processed. All of them put stress on our liver). Reduction of Toxic Load in the Body: Here are some basic steps tot take to reduce toxin load:
Toxic Additives While most of the heavy metals inside the body are a result of environmental contamination due to industrial use, it doesn't help matters when we eat foods laced with chemicals, and fruits and vegetables doused with pesticides. Liz Lipski, Ph.D., author of Digestive Wellness, points out that the average American consumes fourteen pounds of additives a year. An additional environmental issue has surfaced in recent years: genetically modifying crops, such as soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola. They're called "GM foods" or "biotech crops." Critics have called genetically modified crops "Frankenfood" or "agricultural asbestos." Many shoppers unwittingly fill their shopping carts with genetically modified foods, because roughly 75% of processed foods-cooking oils, boxed cereals, grain products, and frozen dinner-contain come GM ingredients, according to the Grocery Manufacturers of America. Take a Deep Breathe Another environmental issue looming large is the presence of airborne toxins in our homes. Regarding the air we breathe, double-pane windows and year round heating and air conditioning ensure that fresh air stays outside, and stale, chemically, tainted air dwells inside. Today's well-insulated homes an energy-efficient windows and doors trap "used" air with harmful particles of carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and pet dander. In office, buildings, heating, cooling, and ventilation systems that are not properly maintained are frequent sources of airborne toxins such as asbestos and nitrogen dioxide. When the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a survey of six hundred homes in six cities, researchers discovered that peak concentrations of twenty toxic compounds were hundreds of times higher inside homes than outside. The remedy to poor air quality inside homes is to open your windows several times a day to allow fresh air to flow into your home no matter how cold or warm the temperature outside. Air purifiers are a wonderfully technology that's becoming more affordable each year, but don't purchase ones that use ozone as their primary source of purification since overexposure to ozone can bring on asthma symptoms and even scar your lungs, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola. You should also avoid ionic air purifiers, which don't remove much must or come close to the performance of other air purifiers tested. You can take other steps around the house to improve your air quality. Change your air conditioning and heater filters often. If possible purchase highly efficient filters that trap micronize particles. It's also imperative to wash your bed linens often- and your pillows. Dust mites by the hundreds of thousands even millions camp out in sheets and pillowcases, according to the Mayo Clinic. These microscopic creatures inhabit even the cleanest homes, and their residue-droppings and decaying carcasses-mixes with dust mites becomes airborne. "If you aren't allergic to dust mite residue, it's not harmful, "said the Mayo Clinic article. "But if you are, it can make you sneeze and wheeze year round. Dust mites are one of the most common causes of perennial asthma and allergy symptoms." Dust mites, which prefer warm environments, thrive just about anywhere inside the house: couches, carpets, stuffed toys, and bed covers. Their favorite abodes are your sheets. While it's impossible to rid our homes of dust mites completely, you can take measures to diminish their numbers. The Threat of Non-Stick Frying Pans A potential hazard is non stick frying pans. Pots and pans coated with Teflon or Teflon-like surfaces are immensely popular: 95 million nonstick pots and pans were purchased in 2004, according to the Cookware Manufacturers Association. While nonstick cookware has certainly made cleanup chores easier, scientific studies, as well as lawsuits-are suggesting that nonstick pots and pans give off potentially harmful fumes at medium to high temperatures. In addition, a chemical crucial to the manufacture of nonstick surfaces-but not found in the finished pots and pans-is prevalent in the environment, and in most America's blood. The scientific research regarding the dangers of nonstick cookware has prompted eight U.S. companies, including industry leader DuPont, to virtually eliminate a harmful chemical used to make Teflon from all consumer products by 2015. That chemical called perflooroctanoic acid, or PFOA, and it has been linked to cancer and birth defects in animals and is in the blood of 95 percent of Americans, including pregnant women. Cosmetics and Toiletries Toxic chemicals are plentiful in our everyday cosmetics and toiletries. Products such as lipstick, lip gloss, lip conditioner, hair coloring, hairspray, shampoo, and soap routinely contain chemical solvents and phthalates, though you could never tell from reading the labels. Phthalates are chemicals with many industrial uses, including being used to preserve cosmetics and fragrances. Emerging scientific evidence is raising serious concerns, as certain phthalates have been shown to cause a wide range of adverse affects in laboratory animals, including reproductive and developmental harm, organ damage, endocrine disruption, and cancer. Your goal should be to minimize your exposure to potentially harmful toxins in our environment whenever and wherever you can. Natural cosmetics without phthalates can be found in progressive grocery stores and natural health food stores. Even using underarm antiperspirant could heighten the risk of breast cancer. Antiperspirants contain chemicals, such as aluminum salts, that mimic the body's natural hormone estrogen, which are known to affect breast cancer risk. Researchers are studying antiperspirants because they are sued so closely to the breast an are often used by women directly after shaving, which might allow for easier absorption. Consider using antiperspirant (which stops perspiration) or deodorants (which masks odor) found in natural food stores.
Biblical Health Institute. Women's Weekend of Wellness (program guide); October 5-7, 2007; Atlanta, Georgia
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