Toxins
Modern life sees us exposed to a frightening amount of chemicals, toxins and poisons.
From the air that we breathe through to the food and drink we consume we are inhaling, ingesting and absorbing a myriad of toxic chemicals everyday.
Why is this?
In simple terms this is the inevitable result of large scale production of consumer products from farming through to food processing and every other industry producing goods for use by humans where the priority is pure profit and shareholder returns.
So how can I avoid toxins?
Short answer is that unless you are living on an uninhabited island you probably can’t There are however, many things you can do in your daily life to massively reduce your exposure.
Water
Your tap water is full of bad stuff. Dependant where you live the quality can be better or worse but you really should not be drinking or cooking in tap water.
Find a local supplier of quality water. Not only will you not be getting toxins such as fluoride but good water contains natural minerals that are actually good for you.
Is this more expensive? Of course but if you drink two to four litres of water a day would you prefer yours with or without poison? Cant find good , affordable water? Invest in a water filter either attached to the tap or a standalone filter.
Cooking pots and pans
If you haven’t seen the film “Dark Waters” please watch it asap.
So modern cooking pans use non-stick coatings which sounds like an awesome idea until you hear the story of Teflon which has been proven to contain compounds (perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA) with a laundry list of serious health implications in humans (please watch the film). Whats even more terrifying is that you can still buy Teflon pans today, the government has deemed them safe as long as they don’t get heated over a certain temperature (yeah right).
To avoid this simply don’t use any non-stick pans. Use cast iron, copper, granite or anything that does not have any kind of non-stick treatment. Go look in your kitchen cupboards, your may find some pans you really must throw out.
Phthalates
I’m sorry? Microscopic pieces of plastic that leech from anything plastic into the human body. These tiny, tiny fragments are entering the human body almost from birth through baby bottles and we continue to consume and absorb them throughout our lives. The latest research of this is truely scary and it seems that phthalates may be at least partly responsible for the 50% reduction in male testosterone in the last 30 years and worsening fertility in general.
Its virtually impossible to completely prevent these getting into your body but some tips are;
- Only drink from glass or steel containers, no plastic bottles.
- If you must microwave, don’t ever microwave food (baby bottles even worse) in plastic containers.
- Avoid any foodstuffs packed in plastic packaging.
Chemicals in household items
Shampoo, deodorants, washing liquid, sunscreen, makeup, the list is endless. We rub and spray all manner of toxic crud into our bodies every day. Many of the common chemicals found in everyday items at home have dubious histories and uncertain levels of toxicity.
Sunscreen is a classic. For years we have been terrified of instant skin cancer as soon as we step outside into the sun and urged to lather ourselves in sunscreen which is full of some horrible chemicals which is cooked into us in the sun. Far from being something we should be scared of, sunlight is vital to many processes in the human body and whilst we should obviously be careful and avoid the hottest part of the day the demonisation of the sun and promotion of sunscreen I think will be shown in the future to have been a counterproductive exercise.
You will find if you remove processed food from your diet, particularly foods containing high levels of linoleic acid that you will not be so sensitive to the sun and you will not burn as easily. If you need to use sunscreen buy a zinc based product with as few ingredients as possible.
Food
In the FUEL section I talk a lot about the importance of food quality and avoiding mass produced and processed food as much as possible. One of the many reasons is the prevalence of industrial weedkillers and other terrible chemicals (glysophate anyone?) used in modern factory and mono crop farming practices. Find a farmers market, talk to the farmers, ask them about what they use and try and buy organic produce from a local source. When you get your fresh fruit and veg home wash it in water (not tap if you can help it) with a splash of apple cider vinegar to get rid of anything else.
When you buy fresh meat, look for meat from animals raised in regenerative agriculture that have been grass fed where possible and try and avoid meat from animals that are stall fed which are predominately fed corn and soy, both of which are garbage nutritionally and make the meat high in linoleic acid. Buy fish from local waters and be aware that larger fish normally have higher toxin levels than small fish.
Ultimately you need to be accountable for everything that goes into your body. Read ingredient lists and get to know where your food is coming from and remember that good food is not cheap and cheap food is not good.
Environmental toxins
If you live in a big city you know what I am talking about. My daughter used to live in LA and when we visited I would have a respiratory reaction to the high levels of pollution which is almost impossible to avoid. In addition as well as the much documented issues with air pollution there is now a silent killer who is starting to emerge as something to be aware and concerned about. EMFs or Electric and Magnetic Fields are everywhere today. We are surrounded where we live and work and the prevalence of smart phones and bluetooth devices mean that many of us, particularly the younger ones spend their entire waking hours exposed to these. The science on this is new and to be honest is not being researched the way it should due to vested interests however what is accepted today is that EMFs absolutely do disturb and interrupt the bodies metabolic processes and exert various biological effects on cells through a range of mechanisms. EMF disrupts the chemical structure of tissue since an energy absorption can change the electric current in the body. Doesn’t sound optimal does it?
Again unless you live on an uninhabited island without any technology you cannot avoid some of this toxicity but there are practical things you can do;
- Get some houseplants which will naturally improve the quality of air in your house.
- Breathe through your nose (lots on this in the BREATHE [hyperlink] section)
- Move out of the city and find some nature
- Turn off your Wi-fi when you go to bed
- Avoid bluetooth headphones in particular the AirPods style which send the bluetooth EMF straight through your brain!
- Don’t leave devices like TVs on standby
- Don’t be joined to your phone. Put it down, stick it on airplane mode sometimes, or leave it at home occasionally.
- Get grounded. Find some grass, beach, body of natural water and nature in general. Take your shoes and socks off and connect with the earth. Apart from feeling good at a deep, evolutionary level there is some great research showing the benefits to the body from reducing inflammation and correcting the electrical levels in the body.
PHOENIX HOLISTIC WELLNESS IS Our life path
This is why our practices are offered on a value for value model.
Which means you pay what the treatment is worth to you and what you can afford, as we want everyone to benefit from these practices designed for health & wellbeing but made with unconditional LOVE!
