We live in a toxic, polluted world.
Studies now confirm that diet and environmental chemicals cause 95% of cancers.
Furthermore, we are the first generation exposed to such an unprecedented amount of chemicals on a DAILY basis – chemicals that have never been tested for their long term effects, let alone their long term effects when combined together.
Every human is now polluted with chemicals and toxins – including YOU.
Even newborn babies have, on average, over 200 chemicals – and that is even before they take their first breath.
These toxins need to be removed to improve energy, vitality and longevity.
Where do we get toxins from?
- From the foods we eat and drink (additives, preservatives, flavorings, artificial sweeteners, and plasticizers leached from plastic containers)
- From the water we drink, cook with, and bathe with (low level pollutants including medication residues)
- From what we put on our body (shampoos, conditioners, deodorant, perfumes, fragrances, and make-up all are laden with chemicals)
- From the air we breathe (indoor air quality is on average four times more polluted than outdoor air quality)
Often, the biggest source of toxins is generated internally from a lack of probiotics, or good friendly bacteria.
Normally you should have lots of probiotics living in your colon.
But, if you’ve ever taken antibiotics, your probiotics get killed off.
This creates an imbalance wherein too many bad bacteria and yeast take over.
It becomes an even bigger problem if these bad bacteria and yeast start moving from your colon to your small intestine (normally there should be little to no bacteria or yeast in your small intestine).
All these bad bacteria and yeast give off waste products and this is what adds to your toxic load from the inside.
(By the way, one round of antibiotics causes chaos within your body for about four years. That’s ONE round. How many rounds of antibiotics have you been on?)
Probiotics are our #1 best source of detoxification.
They’re more effective and efficient than our liver.
You liver is the #2 best source for detoxification.
Liver detoxification occurs in two steps – Phase One and Phase Two.
I don’t want to bore you with the details of what happens during Phase One and Phase Two (although you could easily do an internet search if you wish to learn more).
But…
Phase One and Phase two are heavily dependent on key nutrients for the whole detoxification process to work properly…and smoothly.
The key Phase One and Phase Two liver detox nutrients are:
- Riboflavin (B2),
- Niacin (B3),
- Pyridoxine (B6),
- Folic acid,
- B12,
- Vitamin A,
- Vitamin C,
- Vitamin E,
- Selenium,
- Copper,
- Zinc,
- Manganese,
- Coenzyme Q10,
- Bioflavonoids,
- Glycine,
- Taurine,
- Glutamine,
- N-acetyl-cysteine,
- Cysteine,
- Methionine, and
A deficiency, or insufficiency, in just ONE of these key nutrients will slow your liver’s detoxification ability…
And toxins stay longer inside your body, doing damage and creating chaos.
Symptoms of Impaired Detoxification
- Sensitivity to perfumes/chemicals
- Sensitivity to caffeine and alcohol – a little bit really affects you
- Generally sensitive or reacts to even small amounts of medications and herbs
- Foggy brain
- Recurrent patterns of swelling and edema
- Numbness/tingling on one side of the body
Testing Your Detox Systems
There are MANY different tests that can be done to determine your specific level of toxins, including blood, stool, urine and hair tests. It is beyond the scope of this publication to list them all in detail.
Please know that working with a great Functional Medicine doctor will help determine which tests are the appropriate ones for you.
Treatment
Detoxification needs to be done properly for each individual – doing the right method of detox in the right amount and at the right time.
There is nothing worse than when a person has all the best intentions and does a detox cleanse off the shelf of the health food store, but in actuality just stirs up the toxins and makes them worse in the long run.
I recommend you seek professional help with this step to determine what is best for you.
Make a promise to yourself starting today:
Stop feeling lousy…rotten…awful…crummy…miserable…terrible…crappy.
Find a good Functional Medicine doctor to help you get to the root cause of your health problems.
Like I always say:
Find the cause.
Fix the cause.
Feel normal again!
Dr. Carri Drzyzga, DC, ND – The Functional Medicine Doc
Find the Cause. Fix the Cause. Feel Normal Again!
