A Gentle Guide to Environmental Detox and Self Care

As we look around our environment in the 21st century it’s not hard to tell that our

ecosystems are severely compromised. From our external ecosystem to our

internal ecosystem. As a Registered Holistic Nurse and Certified Functional Medicine

Health Coach I am always curious about the deeper layer of health impacting our

quality of life. The strong pattern recognition for this breakdown is obvious

through my eyes. This article will be highlighting some of these obvious

environmental atrocities we face in our health in the 21st century. Some Internal

and External things to be aware of. And most importantly how we can try to avoid

them influencing our health back towards a higher quality of life.

Let’s start by painting a picture of one environment that starts external and

then absorbs to impact the internal. Health far supersedes just what we eat and

how we move. In fact, let’s talk about one very important system of our body, the

integumentary system also known as our skin. Did you know that our skin is the

largest organ of our entire body? And even more interesting is that our skin is

completely transdermal. This is by brilliant design. This is how we cool ourselves,

detox, protect, and breath in one regard. However, did you also know that our skin

is completely transdermal? Meaning everything we put on our skin then absorbs

and goes directly into our blood stream.

Have you heard the term endocrine disruptors? These are toxins found in many of our household products such as personal care products that many of us use daily or several times per day. Or how about what’s really in our cleaning products? The Environmental Working Group

publicly states that cleaning product companies are not required to completely

reveal the ingredient list of cleaning products in its entirety. So do really even

know for sure what’s in our cleaning products?

Some of the major offenders of the endocrine disruptor group include;

Bisphenol A (BPA) — used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy

resins, which are found in many plastic products including food storage

containers

Dioxins — produced as a byproduct in herbicide production and paper

bleaching, they are also released into the environment during waste

burning and wildfires

Perchlorate — a by-product of aerospace, weapon, and pharmaceutical

industries found in drinking water and fireworks

Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) — used widely

in industrial applications, such as firefighting foams and non-stick pan,

paper, and textile coatings

Phthalates — used to make plastics more flexible, they are also found in

some food packaging, cosmetics, children’s toys, and medical devices

Phytoestrogens — naturally occurring substances in plants that have

hormone-like activity, such as genistein and daidzein that are in soy

products, like tofu or soy milk

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) — used to make flame

retardants for household products such as furniture foam and carpets

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) — used to make electrical equipment

like transformers, and in hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids, lubricants,

and plasticizers

Triclosan — may be found in some anti-microbial and personal care

products, like liquid body wash

This group is by no means exhaustive but a great start. But, as you can see

they’re prominent and prevalent amongst the products we label as “household”.

Another household product we may not consider to be toxic but heads our focus is

water.

What does good old H2o have to do with environmental toxins? Our bodies

are composed of anywhere from 55-60% water and some believe it to be even

higher. Even our bones contain water. So, does the quality of water we put into

our bodies truly matter? Lets take an example of a person who has city water.

The state mandates that the city tests for 10 major contaminants although it is

known that there may be 1000’s-10000’s more. Perhaps you recall the January

2016 Michigan outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis (“Crypto”). A perfect example of

why this is a problem. Water may look clean because we’re conditioned that if it’s

clear it must clean. But, that just isn’t true. Scientists have recently discovered

that water has 4 major properties instead of the former thinking that there was

three properties. The four properties include liquid, gas, solid and what can be

absorbed into it the water. Water can be polluted by heavy metals,

pharmaceuticals, and many many toxins we wouldn’t be able to see with the naked

eye. However, our bodies identify them as toxins and they’re wreaking havoc in

our system. Also, if you’re on city water I strongly urge you to request a City

Water Samples Test. You have a right to this information. Could be quite

informative.

So what areas of my life are environmental toxins impacting? Well truly

everything.

Some of the major symptoms I see currently are;

Weight Gain

Fatigue

Skin Irritations

Disease around Lungs

Obesity

Infertility

Headaches

Complaints of just not feeling “myself”

Gut Problems

Sensitivity to smells

Adrenal Issues

......Many Others that are too long to mention in this list.

So in just two examples we’ve discussed our largest organ and the largest

item we intake daily (or should) to support our bodies. So how can we impact our

health environments through changes with environmental toxins? A great resource

to check out what’s in your products is the Healthy Living App put out by the

Environmental Working Group. I encourage you to download this app and check

your products before continuing use of them or prior to purchasing them. Be your

own best advocate! After all you get the privilege of living in your body. Consider

making your own personal care products and cleaning products. This avenue

gives you complete control of what you put into them. Sites like Pinterest and a

simple Google search will take you to far places when you’re ready to attack this

fun, integrative and healthful new approach to cleaning up your external and

internal environment. Small changes with regard to Environmental Toxins such as

looking at your products and examining your water can have huge health gains.

Are you interested in learning more? Going deeper?

Check out my website www.uniquelyone7.com

* I teach classes on these topics and would be honored to have you dig in deeper

with me. Equip yourself!