DETOX: Why Should I Care?

Written by Dr. Michele Reid

Detox has been a hot topic and it’s not just for the super-health-conscious folks or the crunchy people who eat only quinoa and kale anymore. Toxins affect all of us and just by changing a few things to clean up your life, you can see dramatic difference in your health and wellbeing. In the SIZEWIZE Weight Management Program you can expect to start things off right with a 3 Day-Whole Food, Plant Based Cleanse.

However the question is no longer IF we are toxic. The real question is HOW toxic we are.

Everybody in this world has detectable level of toxins in the body.

• Studies have shown that every organism on the planet has detectable level of Teflon in the body.
• 287 chemicals were detected in umbilical cord blood of newborns. They include pesticides, consumer product ingredients and waste materials from burning coal, gasoline, or garbage.
  • 180 of the 287 chemicals found are known to cause cancer in human or animals.
  • 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system.
  • 208 of those are shown to cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests.

Sources of Environmental Toxins – and how harmful they are
Among the 212 chemicals tested and found in the blood and urine of most Americans, six of them, in particular, are found in virtually every person, and they were identified by the CDC as probable health hazards!

• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) – used as flame retardant and found in virtually every building. It can cause damage to the nervous system, liver, and kidney.
• Bisphenol A (BPA) – found in plastic products, can linings. It is a reproduction, developmental and systemic toxicant in animal studies and is weakly estrogenic – which can impact our reproductive system.
• Perfluoro octanoic acid (PFOA) – also known as Teflon, it affects liver, immune system, and reproductive system.
• Acrylamide – chemical carcinogen formed when carbohydrates foods are cooked at high temperatures. Exposure can lead to cancer and neurological dysfunction.
• Mercury – most common route of exposure is seafood. It is associated with neurological dysfunction.
• Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) – gasoline addictive linked to neurological and reproductive problems

Symptoms of Toxicity
Even though the SIZEWIZE program has a weight loss focus, the wellness aspect absolutely will not be overlooked. Nine times out of ten patients that need to lose weight also suffer from one or several of the symptoms of toxicity below.

Sometimes symptoms of toxicity can be quite non-specific and therefore hard to pin down. We are all different genetically, so we react to toxins differently and at different dosage. Toxic exposure can manifest itself very differently in different people. If you have systemic or atopic health issues that have been lingering for a while, it’s worth looking at toxicity being the root cause.

Common symptoms of excessive toxic burden can include:

• Fatigue
• Depression
• Headaches
• Cognitive problems: brain fog, memory problems
• Neurological issues: balance problems, tremors

Although toxins don’t cause the following conditions, they do affect the expression of the symptoms, so lowering toxic load may help alleviate symptoms:

• Allergy and asthma
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Chemical sensitivity (any adverse physical, mental, or emotional reaction to the presence of a chemical smell)
• Fibromyalgia
• Fertility problems and birth defects
• Parkinsonism
• Bone marrow cancers – lymphomas, leukemia, multiple myeloma
• Auto-immune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Hasimotos thyroiditis, etc.

5 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Toxic Exposure
Reducing your toxic exposure can lead to a lot of health benefits, including:

• weight loss
• clear skin
• mental acuity
• reduced stress
• more energy
• improved immune function
• better digestion
• reduced cravings

Here are 5 tips to reduce your toxic load:
1. Use herbs that support our detox organs – liver, kidney and colon. E.g. milk thistle and dandelion.

2. Encourage elimination through skin, our largest organ for elimination. E.g. sweating and dry brushing.

3. Buy and eat organic food as much as possible – learn about the “Dirty Dozen” list and try to shop organic for this produce: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty_dozen_list.php

4. Reduce processed and packaged foods, which are loaded with chemicals.

5. Replace household and personal products that have a lot of chemicals in them with those made with natural ingredients.