There are many ways that toxins invade our bodies. The air we breathe is full of pollution – byproducts from burning fossil fuels, aerosols, and metals – contributing to increased allergies, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, and other respiratory diseases1. The soil we walk on and plant our food in is laden with pesticides that have the risk of causing nervous system dysfunction2. The water we drink and swim in is constantly being tested and treated to prevent accumulation of heavy metals which can have neurological and developmental impacts.
All of these sources contribute to our bodies toxic load and demonstrate that it is not a question of if we carry a burden of toxic compounds, but rather the question should be how much toxic burden do we have and how this load is affecting our health?
Making small lifestyle changes can have a big impact on your toxic load. Limiting one’s exposure through label checking on household chemicals, filtering water and air, and by selecting and adequately washing fruits and vegetables to diminish pesticide and herbicide exposure, are all ways to limits one’s toxic load.
Increasing all forms of elimination is another way to decrease one’s toxic load. Drinking more water to promote increased urination is one of the simplest ways of increasing the elimination of waste products. As well, ensuring adequate bowel elimination and provoking increased sweating are other easy ways of promoting detoxification for your body.
1. David Suzuki Foundation 1998. Taking Our Breath Away: The Health Effects of Air Pollution and Climate Change. [online]
2. Health Canada 2007. Pesticides and Health. [online]