by Dr. Rebecca Berzow & Dr. Chris Meletis (Special thanks to www.vrp.com)
Now is a great time to think about cleaning out our internal environment as well as our external environments. Just as we start mowing our lawns, cleaning out our garages, we should also consider cleansing our bodies and relieving our toxic burden. In the spring and summer, our exposure to certain toxic substances such as pesticides and herbicides increases.
Supporting detoxification is not only for improving our general health today but also is preventative allowing us to meet the challenge of the ever-increasing toxic burden in our lives. Each day, environmental toxins are presented to our bodies of every age and level of health through eating, drinking and breathing.
Increased Pesticide Exposure
As the weather improves we tend to spend more and more hours outdoors. This means we are exposed to more environmental toxins. This is the time of year when pesticides and herbicides start getting used more and as a result our bodies must deal with getting rid of these exposures.
Exposure to environmental toxins is widespread; there are approximately 80,000 chemicals in use by millions of Americans in their daily lives that are largely unregulated and under- or unstudied. Our human bodies, are continually exposed to the yearly rise in the production, use, and disposal of billions of pounds of toxic chemicals entering our environment. Although they are everywhere, efforts can be made to limit our exposure to chemicals such as pesticides, for example, in our immediate environments. Approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pesticides alone contain nearly 900 active ingredients, many of which have carcinogenic, neurotoxic and endocrine-disrupting properties.( stats taken from VRP.com article)
Is there help?
It is important always to work with a trusted physician, to be sure your unique body chemistry is taken into consideration when considering a detox regimen, but we can suggest a few ideas:
1. REDUCE YOUR EXPOSURE
- Eat Organic whenever possible Use Environmental Working Group’s recommendations for Produce selection using their lists The Dirty Dozen and The Clean 15. http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/
- Use only natural, organic pesticides, herbicides and cleaning products in and around your home, and ask your neighbors to do the same.
- Stay indoors when the air quality is in the danger zone! http://www.airnow.gov/
2. SUPPORT YOUR BODY’s DETOX PATHWAYS
- Talk to your doctor about supplements that support your bodies natural detox pathways. Be sure you have a health plan that supports liver, kidney and GI health. VRP.com offers several products most notably Detox 365, which is designed for daily ongoing detox support.
- Ask your doctor about taking a good quality Antioxidant supplement to help your body convert toxins into safe byproducts that can be eliminated without further damaging your cells.
- Be sure to drink plenty of clean, filtered water
- Elimination is key, talk to your doctor if you have any constipation issues. A healthy GI tract eliminates 1-3 times daily.
