I know that the symptoms in my title cover a lot of stuff, but may I propose to you a very interesting and mind-blowing possibility? What if they are all related? Could that possibly be? Why of course, the answer is yes, otherwise I’d be trying to write a short article on a multitude of very common health concerns! That’s too much work and way too long of a read, so I will condense it a bit here today.
Back to the question of how on earth can these symptoms be related? Is there a link between fatigue and allergies? What about hair loss and muscle pain? Stomach aches and depression? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding YES. In this day and age, we have seen so many changes to our lifestyles that it is not unusual to start to see common trends regarding the symptoms we see quite often in our health journey. These changes include factors such as diet, environmental, stress, aging, and pollution.
What is it that is happening, and what’s the common link? The quick answer is toxic burden. Is that the answer for everyone? This is a very tricky question to answer in a politically correct world. Toxicity comes in many forms. As mentioned above, our exposure can be from something as simple as our diet, but it can also be an unavoidable exposure from environmental pollutants in the air that we breathe. Stress is also very toxic to the body and it impacts cellular health significantly. I want to highlight an important point before going further in this article. There are different levels of toxic burden that we are dealing with from one person to the next, thus when I say that there is definitely a link, sometimes, of course, there are more clear indices that point to another route that needs to be addressed in a more clinical environment. That said, please make sure you receive proper clinical care if you have a health concern.
Toxins are everywhere. They are in your house, in your car, in your clothes, in your food. They are in your shower curtain, in your daily hygiene products and in your water. This sounds so incredibly frightening, doesn’t it? There are so many really good books out there that talk about this at length, and some of this literature can be downright depressing. A couple of books worth mentioning include “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson, which is a book on the effects of pesticides that was written in 1962. That book was quite an eye-opener and has received more credibility within the last two decades. A lighter read that takes the depressing facts and places a bit of humor in it to make it less painful of a read is “Slow Death by Rubber Duck” by Rick Smith. Rick Smith, a biologist, and his buddy Bruce Lourie, an environmental advocate dare each other to do some outrageous things (eg. Drinking coffee out of a plastic baby bottle, eating meals cooked on nonstick cookware, sleeping in a freshly carpeted room, etc) over a two year period, where they ended up testing their blood levels of different toxins. One of the excerpts in R. Smith’s book incorporates the number of chemicals an average woman puts on themselves before their first coffee in the morning. That number, by the way, is 126 different chemicals in 12 different products!
Are you depressed yet? I sort of was when I re-read what I’d written so far. This blog can’t just be about doom and gloom! I will give you some bad news and good news on the topic. Bad news first: as we go forward into the future, the amount of toxin exposure we will face on a daily basis will exponentially grow higher and higher. The good news, if we can call it good news, is our body is able to handle and process a great portion of these toxins. What we need to do is ensure that our bodies are in top working form in order to process these toxins and eliminate them efficiently.
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms noted in the title of my blog, or the others I’m about to list below, chances are that your body is having a bit of trouble dealing with toxic burden at the moment and it needs some assistance.
Here is a list of common symptoms leading to a toxic burden on the body:
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches
- Joint pain
- Sinus congestion
- Postnasal drip
- Excessive sinus problems
- Headaches
- Bloating
- Gas
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Foul-smelling stools
- Heartburn
- Sleep problems
- Difficulty concentrating
- Food cravings
- Water retention
- Trouble losing weight
- Rashes
- Skin problems
- Eczema
- Psoriasis
- Canker sores
- Acne
- Puffy, dark circles under the eyes
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Other menstrual disorders
- Bad breath
What a crazy long list! If you have any of the above symptoms, it is a good idea to start thinking about ways that you can help strengthen your ability to remove toxins from the body.
How does one reduce toxicity in the body? I would strongly recommend seeing a naturopathic doctor (Such as…ahem…myself) or a trusted health care practitioner so they can go through an individualized process to see what would be the most beneficial method for YOU as an individual. Be careful! If you do a detox without properly informing yourself on the repercussions of going too hard and too fast, you may end up being iller than you started off with. An example of this would be a condition called the Herxheimer reaction, or die-off reaction. The Herxheimer reaction occurs when the cells release toxins into circulation but the elimination organs (skin, lungs, liver, kidneys, bladder & GI tract) are not able to eliminate them quickly enough. The symptoms of this reaction include the following:
- Nausea
- Headache, fatigue, dizziness
- Swollen glands
- Bloating, gas, constipation or diarrhea
- Increased joint or muscle pain
- Elevated heart rate
- Chills, cold feeling in your extremities
- Body itchiness, hives or rashes
- Sweating
- Fever
- Skin breakouts
- Recurring vaginal, prostate and sinus infections
Notice how similar the reaction is to an actual toxic burden symptom?
Cellular health is a very complex topic to explain in great detail, however, suffice it to say that cells are the foundation to health. Your body is built on cells (37.2 trillion cells to be exact) and they are needed for a wide variety of functions. Not giving your cells the proper time and attention to healthy habits can destroy its foundation, leaving you vulnerable to a wide variety of health problems, like the ones listed earlier.
Here is a list of the top 5 things you can do to maintain cellular health
1. Diet
Eat clean, eat green. The more options you can choose organically, the less your body has to work at eliminating the toxic burden of excess pollutants, pesticides and other unwanted chemicals. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts are amazing cell supporters. Cruciferous veggies have a component in them called brassinin, which helps support healthy cellular growth. Another key compound, called diindolylmethane (DIM) is contained within the brassicas and DIM is widely used to help support hormonal balance in men and women by eliminating bad estrogenic compounds called xenoestrogens by promoting the excretion of them. DIM is used a lot as a cancer preventative supplement.
2. Hydration
Water. Water. Water. It is essential to life. Without water, we would die. As the total amount of fluid intake is a very personal value, it is extremely important to monitor your fluid intake and ensure you are keeping hydrated. Muscle cells are 75 percent water, red blood cells contain 82 percent water, the brain is 76 percent water and even bone is 26 percent water! If you are dehydrated, think about what a dried up bone would look like, your susceptibility to injury would increase, less fluidity means more tension. Water also helps to move toxins out to the third phase of detoxification – elimination. Drinking water helps transport toxins out of the body that are excreted by the liver and kidneys.
3. Exercise
Exercise helps to promote circulation and increase lymphatic drainage in the body. This ultimately improves the immune system as well as promoting elimination through the primary detoxification organs; liver, lungs, kidneys, skin and gastrointestinal tract. Depending on the level of activity you are able to do, it can be as easy as going for a leisurely walk, or as intense as a CrossFit workout. At our clinic, we have a machine called the Power Plate, which is a whole body vibrating machine that helps to achieve a more intense workout with less effort! If you are interested in learning more about the power plate, feel free to book a free 15-minute appointment where we can show you what the power plate can do. It is beneficial for most people.
4. Mental Health
This is a huge one for detox. I have had to really work on this myself as the mind is a very powerful tool. It can help, but if there is toxicity, it can be hindered and can create a whole downward spiral of negative emotions. Ensure that you take time to meditate, breathe and continue to think positive thoughts. No matter what type of toxic or negative energy is around you, you must always remember that you may not be able to change the energy or person that is toxic, but what you can change is your reaction to it. There is always a choice. There are many great apps for your phone for mindful meditation. You can also see a mental health counselor for cognitive behavioral therapy, or at our clinic, we even have a clinical hypnotherapist who can help to reframe the mindset and halt negative self-talk.
5. Sleep
There is nothing more satisfying than a good night’s rest. I like to call it the duvet diet. Sleep is essential for the body to have adequate rest in order to repair and regenerate tissues and cells as necessary. The average person should be getting around 7-9 hours of sleep a night. If this is not occurring, this needs to be addressed. The less sleep you have, the less likely you are able to handle cognitive function. Sleep is vital to optimal health and optimal internal cleansing success.
Please note that the information cited above are just suggestions on how to get started. For more information on how to safely cleanse YOUR body, please consider booking a free 15-minute consultation to see if this clinic is the right fit for you.
Dr. Frances Turk, ND, at Absolute Health Science