Support Your Hard Working Liver by Reducing Your Toxic Load
Many people associate the concept of “detox” with detoxification from alcohol or drugs, but detoxification is not limited to detoxing from substance use. It is a function of your autonomic nervous system, something your body is programmed to do on an ongoing basis. Even if we don’t use drugs or alcohol, our hard-working livers are working overtime because we live in a toxic world. Simply because we are inhabitants of the earth, we are exposed to naturally occurring compounds such as lead, mercury, radon, formaldehyde, benzene, and cadmium. Toxicity may manifest in the body in the form of joint pain, fatigue, weight gain, or neurological dysfunction.
We are exposed to toxins through air pollution caused by automobile emissions, yard equipment, cleaning supplies, and the personal care products we use daily. According to the Environmental Working Group, the average woman in the US applies 168 chemicals to her face and body daily. Many of these endocrine-disrupting chemicals impact the body’s normal hormonal balance and can result in thyroid dysfunction, estrogen dominance, endometriosis, or polycystic ovarian syndrome.
If you have been unable to lose weight, it may be due to the fact that your body is toxic. Toxins store in fat, so your body will hold on to excess fat for storage of toxins. There is a risk associated with detoxification if it is not done safely, as it can result in detox reactions such as headache, tremors, heart palpitations, flu-like symptoms, and brain fog. Therefore, you must use select substances that bind to specific toxins so they can be effectively excreted.
Detoxification is a complicated three-phase process. Phase one involves converting toxins into intermediates so they can be converted into a water-soluble, non-toxic substance in the blood in phase two to prepare it to be excreted through elimination in phase three.
Unless conventional medical professionals have functional medicine training in the area of detoxification, they are not equipped to assist you in detoxification of environmental toxins. For guidance to effectively detox from environmental toxins, such as heavy metals or mold, you should seek help from a functional medicine practitioner to help you detox safely. Trying to do so without help from a trained professional can result in re-absorption of toxins and detox reactions.
To minimize your body’s toxic load, avoid the following endocrine disruptors: Xenoestrogens are fat-soluble endocrine-disrupting chemicals that disrupt your normal hormone balance by binding with hormone receptors in your cells, which blocks your endogenous hormone from binding with the cell and can result in an overload of hormones if your liver is unable to excrete excess hormones. This can lead to estrogen dominance. Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in plastics, pesticides on your produce, flame retardants on fabrics or upholstery, and fragrances of any kind are all xenoestrogens. Plastic water bottles are known as “obesogens” because they can actually alter your hormones in a way that cause weight gain. It is better to drink out of glass or stainless bottles, but if you must drink out of plastic bottles, make sure the bottom of the bottle has a recycling number stamp of either 1, 2, or 5. If the bottle is the kind that makes a crinkling noise when crushed, it is plastic you should avoid.
Perchlorate is another toxic substance, a highly reactive compound used to manufacture rubber, leather, paint, batteries, fuel and explosives. It accumulates in soil, groundwater, and food grown in contaminated soil. Because perchlorate has the same ionic charge at iodine, it competes with iodide for uptake by the thyroid gland, which results in diminished thyroid hormone production. Even at low levels, perchlorate can disrupt normal thyroid function.
Herbicides and pesticides interfere with thyroid hormone gene expression, which interferes with the thyroids ability to absorb iodine, binding to thyroid hormone transport proteins, reducing cellular uptake of thyroid hormone, and increasing thyroid hormone clearance from the body. If you are a frequent golfer, you are being exposed to the chemicals used to maintain the turf on the course, so it is essential that you actively detoxify your body on a daily basis, which you can do by taking herbs, such as milk thistle, dandelion root, and burdock root that support your body’s detoxification processes. The most powerful food for detoxification is broccoli sprouts, which you may find in whole foods.
The health risks of beauty products: If you have your nails done in a salon, you may not realize that the application of acrylic nails is exposing your body to toxic chemicals such as formaldehyde and resins, which have been linked to cancer. Even gel polish is loaded with “the toxic trio”: dibutyl phthalate, toluene, and formaldehyde. Lash extensions are beautiful, but the adhesives used to apply them contain formaldehyde and latex. This is particularly problematic since it is being applied in such close proximity to the mucous membrane of the eyes, which allows for easy access into your blood stream.
If you are one of the 25% of Hispanics or 15% of Caucasians who have inherited the MTHFR gene variant, your body’s detoxification processes may be impaired, especially if you have two copies of the gene. If you have one or both of the two MTHFR gene variants, the C677T or the A1298C, your body may not be able to process folate effectively, resulting in increased levels of homo-cysteine in the blood, which can contribute to arterial damage and blot clots in your blood vessels as well as age-related cognitive dysfunction.
Keep in mind that the FDA approves these toxic chemicals for use because they are tested using small amounts in isolation from other toxins. It is critical for you to understand that there is a detrimental synergistic effect when toxins are combined, which is never measured by the FDA.
Tips for reducing your toxic load: Use organic hair color, such as Goldwell Nectaya, which is free of the formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene-2.5-diamine, p-phenylenediamine, coal tar, resorcinol, and eugenol found in many hair colors.
Avoid acrylic nails and gel polish and use, instead, regular OPI nail polish, which is free of the “toxic trio.”
Avoid microwave popcorn – the bags are lined with plastic.
Avoid canned foods – cans may be lined with plastic.
Avoid scented detergents, fabric softeners, air fresheners, etc.
Avoid use of artificial lashes – instead, use Revitalash, which is free of parabens, phthalates, and BHT.
Avoid wearing fragrances or using products with fragrance.
We all know people who’ve died from cancer. If wish to avoid cancer, consider reducing your toxic load by avoiding exposure to environmental toxins such as herbicides, pesticides, solvents, PCBs in plastics, as well as the toxins in personal care and cleaning products. While it is impossible to completely avoid toxins since they are in the air we breathe, we can actively detox our bodies each day. For me, the choice is simple. I choose to avoid cancer-causing chemicals as much as possible. I take herbs and minerals to detox my body daily, and I encourage you to minimize your risk by actively detoxifying your body on a daily basis.
If you want to know which toxins your body is hosting, I can order the GPL-TOX for you. All you have to do is send a urine sample in a postage paid fedex package, and the lab will notify me when your test has been analyzed. Once I know which toxins are challenging your detoxification organs, I can develop a personalized detoxification protocol for you and safely guide you through the detoxification process.
In good health,
Valerie Folsom-Martin, MSW, LCSW, CIMHP, CCTP, FDN-P, CHHC
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