Detox and Women’s Health
For instance, there are approximately 75,000 chemicals now in common use. Of these, fewer than 3% have been tested for carcinogenicity, and no safety studies have been done on more than half of them. In our daily life, we now use more than 50,000 chemicals, more than 3000 chemicals are deliberately added to our food, and the average home contains more than 1000 chemicals. The EPA has reported nearly 30 cancer-causing chemicals in the fatty tissue (where toxins are usually stored) in most Americans today. All these toxins put a heavy load on your system, causing you to feel like you are “sinking,” and increasing the need for detoxification.
A recent report by the Organic Consumers Association shows that our children are exposed to harmful pesticides, such as melathion and chlorpyrifos, mainly through our food supply (not by spraying) and that an organic diet will provide “dramatic and immediate” protection.
What is detoxification?
Unfortunately most people think of detox as withdrawal from drugs like alcohol and cocaine, but actually it is much more. Detoxification is a primary function of the body — and the body’s most energy-consuming metabolic process.
Your body is detoxifying all the time; it has its own body-cleansing system consisting of enzymes, hormones and lymphatic fluids that rid the body of unwanted materials or chemicals.
Although it may sound like a strange concept and Western medicine doesn’t pay much attention to it, there is a lot of research documenting the role of detox in health and disease. When I reviewed this literature, I discovered that in the last 20 years, scientific discoveries have given us great insight into our biochemistry and the intricacies of our bodies’ detoxification systems.
We now know that nutrition and lifestyle are critical in supporting our natural ability to detox. We know what nutrients are needed, as well as what chemicals inhibit and which ones stimulate the enzymes essential to detoxification. We also have a more sophisticated understanding of how chemicals from the environment — including medical drugs — are broken down and eliminated, what may prevent this, and what may help this process.
Toxins (which I define as anything that your body interprets as harmful or stressful) enter your system in many ways, not just through your mouth. Everything we breathe or absorb through our skin, eyes, and ears can be a boon or a deficit to our system, not least of all emotional stress.
To filter this constant stream of potential toxins, we need hundreds of enzymes, vitamins and other molecules. Our bodies must get the raw materials necessary to synthesize these molecules to help take the good from what we ingest and get rid of the rest.
Detoxification as a physical process
Your liver and gastrointestinal (GI) tract are the major organs responsible for detox. Think of them as your body’s sanitation department. Chemical conversions occur in these organs that fundamentally alter the molecular structures of substances so they become useful or not.
It is important to remember that the GI tract, or gut, is the largest organ in your body. It’s responsible for your digestion, absorption, elimination, and immunity. It’s also a sensory organ, connected to your brain through neurotransmitters and receptors. This means it is directly linked to your mood and perception of well-being.
Your detoxification system gets overwhelmed when the rate of exposure is greater than what your body can handle, the liver and/or intestines are not functioning optimally, or specific nutrients required for detoxification are lacking. So balancing your gut and supporting your liver nutritionally are essential.
A breakdown in your detox system results in a range of symptoms. Some are subtle, leading you to repetitive trips to the doctor. Eventually this breakdown may manifest as disease. Either way, the most effective approach requires a commitment to identifying and removing unnecessary burdens and providing needed support — not covering up symptoms with long-term medication.
Assessing the burden on your detox system
Once toxins enter our bodies, everyone responds differently. This individual response depends on genetically-determined available enzymes, nutritional status, how many toxins you have been exposed to over the years and the state of your detox system. That’s why, ideally, it is best to work with a practitioner knowledgeable in the subject to determine your unique needs.
Please click here to examine a list of potential toxic burdens (there may be others, depending on the individual). Everyone has a different level of resilience to particular stresses, but no one is immune to the effects of a toxic overload. We just range in degree.