How toxins impact our health!

Health and Wellness

How toxins impact our health!

Hi, my name is Janet.

 I am a life and wellness coach, program consultant/facilitator for A Fresh Chapter, a certified Daring Way facilitator, occupational therapist, yoga instructor, global citizen, mother and a grandmother. I believe OPTIMAL HEALTH IS WITHIN YOUR REACH!

Have you noticed the alarming increase in numbers of people with autoimmune disorders, cancer, autism, ADHD, and food allergies, to name a few?  Per the American Cancer Society statistics in 2020, there will be an estimated 1.8 million new cancer cases diagnosed and 606,520 cancer deaths in the United States. It is not just cancer that is on the rise but many other disorders including autism which has increased from 1 in 10,000 kids in 1970 to 1 in 59 kids diagnosed in 2018.

Could it be that the increasing numbers of disease and childhood disorders has anything to do with the increasing numbers of toxins that are showing up in our body and everywhere in our world today? Toxic chemicals are abundant in our everyday life and they are showing up as a piece of the puzzle in many disease processes. As reported by Lindsey Wells, ND at the October 2019 TACA conference,  A study spearheaded by the Environmental Working Group (EWG)…found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and pollutants in umbilical cord blood from 10 babies born in August and September of 2004 in U.S. hospitals. Tests revealed a total of 287 chemicals [out of 413 tested] in the group…including the Teflon chemical PFOA, recently characterized as a likely human carcinogen by the EPA’s Science Advisory Board —dozens of widely used brominated flame retardants and their toxic by-products; and numerous pesticides.

How can that many toxins not affect the health of a child? The number of toxins we are exposed to every day as an adult can be the final straw to push our bodies over the edge toward disease when accompanied by all the other factors that create a burden on our systems. As stated in the Metabolic Approach to Cancer , Exposure to carcinogenic toxins causes mitochondrial damage, inflammation, and oxidation, disrupts hormone balance, and suppresses the immune system. It is estimated that 90 percent of all cancers are due to exposure to environmental carcinogens. Toxins affect our epigenetic expression, which shows up as disease. As stated in Advances of Molecular Toxicology, Disruption of epigenetic mechanisms is a major cause of diseases. Environmental exposure has a great impact on modulation of epigenetics.

 It is hard to look at the good news in all of this, but there is a silver lining and it has to do with epigenetics. One of the greatest scientific breakthroughs in the last decade has been a greater understanding of epigenetics and it’s role on health and disease. Epigenetics controls our gene expression and can be turned on or off through lifestyle, diet and even sleep. Our epigenetics gives us the ability to change the outcomes of what was handed down to us through our DNA. As stated in the US National library of medicine, environmental influences, such as a person’s diet and exposure to pollutants, can also impact the epigenome. One of the greatest impacts on how we can affect our epigenetic expression is to reduce our exposure to toxic chemicals. As toxic chemicals are everywhere it is nearly impossible to avoid them all, but here is a good starting point:

  • Change cleaning products (natural, biodegradable, fragrance free)
  • Do not dry clean
  • Avoid Chlorine –water, pools
  • Avoid flame retardants –clothing, mattresses
  • Avoid fluoride –toothpaste, water
  • Avoid pressure treated wood
  • Use an air purifier
  • Replace cookware with stainless steel, cast iron, glass
  • Avoid herbicides/pesticides on lawn and/or pets
  • Use natural skin care products
  • Avoid refined, manufactured food products- food dyes
  • Eat organic
  • Avoid plastics

As with any lifestyle changes we make, it takes time and consistency to create new habits. Try to change one thing at time and be kind to yourself in the process.

Janet

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