What are Toxins?
In today’s world, toxic elements are nearly impossible to avoid. Many people that experience fatigue, joint pain, skin conditions and even weight gain maybe be experiencing these as a result of an excess of toxin build-up in their systems. What may appear to be complicated health issues that require in-depth health solutions or even surgery, may actually be a biological imbalance that is a result of excessive exposure to toxins.
These toxins can include everyday pollutants in the air, food and water, and chemicals that can interfere with hormonal balance, slow one’s metabolism and even prompt weight gain. The body comes equipped with its own detox system that works through the liver, gut, skin, kidneys and lungs to keep the body free of toxins, but sometimes an excess can build up can cause complications or cause this system to be less effective.
Eliminating the Toxin Burden
There are many ways to reduce one’s toxin burden that won’t require medications, surgery or complicated treatments. With the help of functional medicine and its six elements — including nutrition, sleep and relaxation, exercise and movement, stress management and relationships — Dr. Lisa Ballehr can help her patients decrease their toxic load and increase their health!
“Detoxing” one’s environment can help people avoid or reduce a toxin burden. For example, eating fresh organic foods can help people avoid BPAs that are often found in canned fruit and vegetables or those that come in those individual plastic cups. Eating fruit and vegetables from the produce aisle also helps eliminate waste — an added bonus! Speaking of plastic, it’s a good idea to avoid drinking water from plastic water bottles or cups. Drinking clean, filtered water from a reusable glass or stainless steel vessel is an easy way to help eliminate toxins.
Using all-natural products from body lotions, shampoo and conditioners, makeup and other haircare and skincare products can help reduce one’s toxin burden as well. Check labels or look into making DIY skincare and haircare products with ingredients such as oils, shea butters, honey, avocados and more.
While clearing the bathroom cabinets of those chemical-laden products, check out the cabinets underneath the bathroom and kitchen sinks! Many cleaning products are filled with harsh chemicals that can contribute to that toxin burden as well. Cleaning products are often made with byproducts such as dioxin, which can disrupt the body’s detoxification pathways and even lead to breast cancer.
Limiting or abstaining from toxins such as tobacco, alcohol and even caffeine can help reduce the toxic burden as well. Even pharmaceutical medications that are prescribed with good intent can have less than desirable side effects — so it’s important to understand what those are and how they can be avoided.
Stress As a Toxin
Another major toxin that can greatly affect the body is stress! Reducing stress is one of the key elements of functional medicine and limiting stressors in a person’s life is a very effective way to reduce toxins. Stress can actually lead to chronic diseases and illnesses such as high blood pressure, weight gain, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, lack of sleep and more. While often easier said than done, reducing stress is an important and highly effective way to eliminate the toxic burden.
Those that are experiencing health issues, should consider the effects of the toxic burden as a possible offender. When trying to determine whether or not eliminating toxins can be the solution, seeking the advice of a doctor that focuses on functional medicine can be an effective natural approach to improving one’s health without getting caught up in prescription medications (and their numerous negative side effects), surgeries, and other treatments can could possibly be avoided with a proper “prescription” using the natural elements of functional medicine.