Removing The Sludge and Finding Clarity Through Detox by John Williamson

What is environmental toxicity?

Environmental toxicity is the detrimental effects experienced by the human body when exposed to xenobiotics.   Xenobiotics are substances found within the human body which are not naturally produced or present.  When they are present they alter the biochemistry of the organism.  Our biochemistry is what keeps our cells and our bodies alive.  One example:  Picture a 4 way intersection during rush hour traffic.  If there is an accident on 1 road, there are only 3 routes left.  Therefore, traffic backs up.  When enough of these xenobiotics affect the cell, roads or pathways start to back up.  Thus, the result is your body’s adaptation to that stressor which is non-conducive to your overall health and vitality and over time results in chronic disease.

How do these chemicals get into our bodies?

The chemicals in our environment are ubiquitous.  They are everywhere.  Even though you cannot see them you are being exposed right now, this very minute, nearly every second of the day. These chemicals are in the air we breathe, the water we drink and bathe in, the food we consume.  Technology has certainly afforded us conveniences, but at what price?  The truth of the matter is that our bodies were never designed to be continuously exposed to the degree of toxins they are today. Our current cancer risk in Maricopa County, due to polluted air and water resources, is in the 90 % to 100 % range for the dirtiest/worst counties in the US (scorecard.org).

Why are these chemicals hard to get out of our body?

As I had mentioned earlier, our genetics were never programmed to deal with the continuous chemical onslaught we experience on a daily basis.  Many of these chemicals are fat soluble.  Fat-soluble substances can become toxic because many tend to accumulate in the body.   The reason for this is that fat or lipids are our main source of energy.  Fat provides more calories than protein or carbohydrates.  Our bodies have adapted a survival mechanism to recycle fat through a process called enterohepatic recirculation. This adaptation likely originated in our ancestors who would endure long periods of fasting while searching for food.  This means >95% of your fat is reabsorbed through your small intestines and with it those fat soluble chemicals.  If you are someone who is chronically constipated you can expect fat to be reabsorbed at > 99%. So in essence the chemicals in your body continuously re-circulate over and over again like a Ferris wheel.  With each circulation these chemicals affect your biochemistry by inhibiting enzymes, genes, proteins, and using up antioxidants thus wreaking havoc on your body’s homeostatic processes.  In time, the result is accelerated aging, chronic disease, cancer, neurological disorders and even early death.

Additionally, the majority of us have inherited genetic polymorphisms in the detoxification pathways.  This means that if you are one of these individuals you do not detoxify xenobiotics well; meaning you accumulate toxins more than the average fellow.  Therefore your chemical burden accumulates faster and you begin having problematic symptoms at a younger age.  A family history of an autoimmune disease is a good indicator that you may have one or more of these polymorphisms.

How can this affect our health acutely?

When exposed acutely, in other terms exposure to an amount which results in immediate illness over a short period of time, one may experience headaches, migraines, muscle weakness, physical fatigue, mental fatigue, inability to concentrate, dizziness, chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, asthma attack, liver inflammation aka hepatitis, stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, numbness over an area of the body, tingling, blurred vision, flu-like symptoms, and even death.

How can this affect our health chronically?

A person who has an elevated toxic body burden over time will manifest many different chronic disease processes.  Three systems are most commonly affected.  These include your neurological, endocrine, and immunological systems. Keep in mind that all of these illnesses or symptoms overlap with each of the three systems mentioned above because the body is connected and operates as a synergistic whole.  You cannot simply treat one system and expect everything to go back to normal.  This is why conventional medicine does not do well with chronic disease because they isolate the body systems rather than looking at the complete picture.  Some chronic neurological symptoms and illnesses related to toxicity include migraines, headaches, brain fog, mental fatigue, lack of concentration, dementia, Parkinson’s, autism.

The endocrine system involves your hormones.  Contributing illnesses include erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, elevated estrogen levels in males, fatigue, endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, infertility, painful menses, heavy bleeding, PMS, menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, fibrocystic breast disease, diabetes, hypothyroidism, obesity and problems losing weight.

Some immunological disorders include autoimmune disease such as Lupus, RA, Hypothyroidism due to Hashimotos, Graves’s disease hyperthyroidism, and multiple sclerosis.  Cancer is a disease linked to immunodeficiency.  We all have cancer cells in our body right now.  If they evade automatic programmed cell death our immune system is our backup system that recognizes and destroys the cancer cells before they become problematic.  This course of action is inefficient in individuals who develop cancer.  One of the reasons that cancer comes back so aggressively after receiving chemotherapy is because the person’s immune system was never restored.   Therefore when the cancer comes back it does so with a vengeance.

Why Should I be concerned?

* There are over 80,000 chemicals in production; only about 200 have been tested for safety.

* Chemist Purnendu Dasgupta of Texas Tech University in Lubbock tested breast milk samples in 2005.  Perchlorate, a Jet fuel additive, was found in 100% of breast milk samples obtained from women residing from 18 different states.  Perchlorate is very toxic to the thyroid gland and has been implicated in the cause of hypothyroidism.

* From the Journal of Toxicol Environ Health :  Out of nearly 6000 people tested (ages 12 to 74) by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) 99.5% of them had measurable levels of the chlorinated pesticide residue DDE in their blood.  Research has shown that this pesticide has been linked to neurological, immune system, reproductive, and hormone related diseases.  In fact, it is blamed for nearly causing the bald eagle to go extinct.  Surprisingly this pesticide was banned in 1972 yet nearly everyone still has it floating around in his or her blood on a consistent basis!

*Between 1972 to 1992 fat tissue was collected and analyzed for chemical toxicity by the EPA in the NHATS study.   100% of samples contained 5 solvents:  styrene, benzene derivatives, phenol derivatives, xylene, and OCDD a dioxin.  28 chemicals were found in over half of the samples with 14 chemicals occurring in greater than 90% of fat samples.  Solvents are very potent immunotoxins.  They inhibit bone marrow thus are linked to bone marrow related cancers and deficiencies.  They are also toxic to the neurologic, hormonal, and reproductive systems.

* As a mother or expecting mother your chemical body burden is passed to your baby while he or she is in the womb and also through your breast milk.  Consider this before you become pregnant in order to give your child the best chances at normal development.  The autism rate according to the CDC is now 1:110 children, which is the highest in the world!

What Can I Do to Assist my Body in Detoxification and Depuration?

One premise must be made crystal clear.  Detoxification of the body is not enough!  Detoxification is only half of the equation.  The other half of eradicating oneself of xenobiotics (foreign chemicals) is to depurate, which means to remove from the body.  When these fat-soluble chemicals become stored they do not stay in storage.  When individuals skip a meal or don’t eat for 4 or more hours their body’s start breaking down fat for energy.  This is when chemicals flow out into the bloodstream and this is when some persons get headaches, brain fog, muscles aches, and other unexplained flu like symptoms.

Picture an empty bucket.  Over top of that bucket is a leaky faucet.  At the bottom of the bucket is a very small hole.  The leaky faucet drips water into the bucket slowly over time filling the bucket with more and more water.  The hole at the bottom of the bucket cannot keep up with the input from the faucet.  In simple terms input exceeds output so the bucket continues to fill.  Now think of the bucket as your body, the leaky faucet as chemicals going into your body, and the small hole represents chemical removal from the body.  As the bucket continues to fill you begin to become ill due to the oxidative stress on your body, cells and DNA, which most likely will result in disease if not addressed.  Undergoing detox and depuration helps to drill a larger hole in the bottom of that bucket allowing for the removal of more chemicals.  The only way to decrease the leaky faucet, however;  is to avoid chemical exposure as much as possible.  Because our environment and our bodies are so polluted each generation starts off with a bucket that is more and more full hence the increased developmental problems faced by children in this country.

Rx for success

Individualized treatment protocol: One of the benefits of seeing our practitioners is that you will receive an individualized treatment protocol tailored to your concerns.  This is not a one size fits all scenario which you have encountered on a daily basis in the conventional realm of medicine.  You are different than anyone else, your genetics and how you respond to environmental influences is different. Therefore you require an individualized treatment protocol.  In addition, our practitioners have the knowledge and training to test for many of these chemicals that may be affecting your health.

Far Infrared Sauna is a therapy that is very effective at mobilizing stored chemicals and toxins.  The infrared rays maintain the ability to penetrate several inches into the body reaching the subcutaneous fat layer.  As the body heats up fat is broken down releasing the chemicals into the bloodstream where your body can detoxify them.  This therapy is vastly more effective than ordinary saunas due to its ability to penetrate the tissue.

Colon Hydrotherapy increases the speed at which substances move through the intestines by increasing peristalsis (peristalsis is how our intestines move substances further along). Waste moves faster through your intestines so that much less fat-soluble toxins are reabsorbed.   This includes pesticides, heavy metals, solvents, and PCB’s.  Finally, this therapy increases IgA levels, which is a first line defense against infection and is a major component to your immune function.

IV Chelation involves the use of chelating substances that bind to and remove heavy metals from the body.  Heavy metals such as Mercury, Lead, Cadmium, and Arsenic are fat-soluble and contribute to a vast array of health conditions.  These substances contaminate our food and water sources and accumulate in our bodies from the time we are in the womb all the way to our death.  Aluminum is also a problematic substance that is chelated though it is not regarded as a heavy metal.  Chelation is a very effective tool and has an impeccable safety record when used by properly trained clinicians.

IV Nutritional therapy involves administering vitamins and minerals intravenously.  This allows for 100% absorption of nutrients.  One need not contemplate nutrients being lost during digestion or from faulty intestinal absorption.  Many individuals are nutrient depleted and the effects of environmental toxicity further deplete these substances, which are essential for detoxification pathways.  The most common nutrient deficiencies seen in environmentally toxic individuals are selenium, magnesium, and pyridoxine (B6).

Massage is a therapy that stimulates blood circulation and lymphatic flow.  It can be a valuable tool when used concomitantly with detoxification and depuration due to its ability to move fluids.

At Bodhi Body with take a natural, comprehensive, science-based approach to treating all patients.  If you would like more information regarding the details on our detox treatments, email us at info@bodhi-body.com or call us at 480-237-2410 to schedule a consultation.  Visit our website at www.bodhi-body.com

We will also be hosting a FREE event Wednesday September 22nd at 6pm called: Remove the Sludge and Reveal Your Inner Clarity with Detox.  RSVP to this event at RSVP@bodhi-body.com

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