Could Toxins Be What's Holding Your Health Back?
We live in a toxic world - but sadly many of us don’t even know what toxins we’re being exposed to every day. From the personal care products and home care products, to pesticides, artificial ingredients, and even our cookware!
Now, let me start by saying - this sounds all doom and gloom and totally hopeless. It’s not. There are numerous ways we can reduce our toxin exposure and find greatly improved health!
Here are just 5 categories of toxic products (and what you can use instead):
Air fresheners, perfume, and all “fragrances”:
This title is really a misnomer - there is nothing “freshening” about these chemical concoctions. These contain hundreds of synthetic ingredients that quickly convert to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the air. These cause air pollution and have been found to be toxic to both humans and animals.
The generic terms “fragrance”, “perfume”, or “parfum” can be any number of chemicals combined in a proprietary format - so you can’t even find out what you’re being exposed to! Many of these ingredients have been found to disrupt reproductive health, other hormone function (beyond sex hormones), and even disrupt development.
What do use instead?
Open windows.
Use quality essential oils (100% purity) - though be mindful of essential oil use - as some can also cause hormone imbalances.
Use a HEPA air filter.
Use an activated charcoal pouch to filter the air.
Add house plants - they can naturally pull toxins out of the air!
Cleaning Products
We think we’re doing a great thing by keeping our environment clean - but it turns out that we may be causing more harm by cleaning.
Being overly clean and sterile can harm your microbiome (the microbes that live in and on your body that help protect you from infection, produce nutrients, and help digest your food).
Secondly, many of these products are exceedingly toxic. Sadly, even many of the “green”, “eco-friendly”, and “organic” cleaning products are no better. Just because they’ve removed a few big-name harmful chemicals doesn’t mean they didn’t replace them with lesser-known, yet equally bad ingredients.
What do you do?
I highly recommend you check out EWG.org to find some tested and safer alternatives!
You can do a lot of your cleaning without toxic chemical at all.
Simple products you likely already have at home can be used to make your own cleaning products: white vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, steam or plain hot water, and essential oils can all make great products for many uses.
Fabric softeners and dryer sheets
We all love having soft clothes - but these ingredients have been linked to respiratory issues, skin irritations, and central nervous system disorders. Some have even been found to be carcinogenic. They also release VOCs into the air - furthering the pollution you’re breathing at home.
What to do instead?
Add 1/4 cup of baking soda or white vinegar to your wash cycle to naturally soften clothes.
While we’re on the topic of laundry - beware of dry-cleaning too! Even “green” dry cleaners are loaded with toxic chemicals that linger on the clothing and end up off gassing in your house. These chemicals have been found to cause liver, kidney, and central nervous system damage, and may also be carcinogenic.
Non-stick cookware
Teflon and its similar non-stick pans are common because they’re convenient - but they’re also highly toxic, leaching chemicals directly into your food and releasing them into the air in your home. Don’t fall for the “PFOA-free” - often those are substituted with chemicals that are equally bad!
What to use instead?
Stainless steel
Glass
Cast iron
Untreated clay pots
Plastics
Plastic is everywhere these days - it’s very difficult to fully remove. However, we can choose not to store or cook our food in plastic and not to drink out of plastic bottles.
Even BPA-free plastic can be harmful - they’re often substituting BPS or BPF, which don’t seem to be any safer and end up causing the same metabolic dysfunctions as BPA.
What to use instead?
Glass
Stainless steel
Wrapping it up
You might be toxic if:
you’ve struggled to lose weight no matter how well you eat and how much you work out - and you feel worse when you do lose weight
you’ve used conventional cosmetics and personal care products for years
you’ve experienced a change in your eyesight that seems more extreme than simply “age”
you’ve experienced recurrent rashes, eczema, gastrointestinal issues, headaches, joint pain, or illnesses
you know you’ve been exposed to mold, paint, or other toxins in your life
you have experienced infertility, yet all of the conventional testing shows you’re “normal”
These are just a few examples of signs that you may have toxins accumulating in your body. If you’re struggling to get your health back on track - even after trying diets, medications, and many other paths…I can help.
Toxins that accumulate in your body can interfere with hormones, nutrient absorption, nutrient utilization, energy metabolism, neurological function, and so much more. We have to repair the cell, detox the body (properly; not with a simple green drink), and restore the normal function.
Let’s identify what toxins are holding you back and get you back on track from a truly cellular level. Fill out the health questionnaire to get started.