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Do Toxins Affect Your Metabolic Health?

Post by: KATHY SKINNER in Toxins, Metabolic Health
As you have been learning in the last several posts about Metabolic Health, you can see how it is inseparable with biological aging. And if you want to look good and be healthy on the outside, you need to take care of your insides. In my previous blog posts, I covered the 5 Pillars of Metabolic Health:
I hope you found the information helpful to either get you started or to reinforce your already great habit. 

There is one more topic I want to cover and that is:

How Toxins Affect Your Metabolic Health
I touched on it a bit but our world is becoming more and more toxic in all areas. There are serious metabolic illnesses on the rise and it is proving out that toxins are playing a role in that crisis. * 

Some of the major harmful effects of toxicity that occur intracellularly include:
  • Altered biochemical pathways
  • Cellular damage, particularly to cell membranes
  • Genetic alteration or damage, increasing the risk of cancer
  • Lowered bone strength and density
  • Hormonal changes and hormone-associated diseases such as diabetes
  • Damaged enzymes
 
You may not have one of the major issues but you still may have signs of toxins contributing to a wide range of conditions. Here are a few:
  • Fatigue or difficulty sleeping
  • Indigestion and other temporary gastrointestinal upset
  • Food cravings and weight gain
  • Reduced mental clarity  
  • Low libido
  • Skin that’s not looking its best
  • Joint discomfort
  • Stuffy head
Where are These Toxins Coming From?
The human body has exposure to both endogenous (from our own body) toxins and external toxins. This is happening on a daily basis, which can put pressure on your body's natural metabolic detoxification capacity.
The environment contains about 80,000 novel chemicals that are registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, so we encounter many potentially harmful exposures every day. These include pollutants, pesticides and other household chemicals. 

Two Types of Toxicity
Toxicity is classified into two types depending upon the duration of exposure to the toxin, namely:
  • Acute toxicity - which develops rather quickly after short-term (brief) exposure to a toxic substance.
  • Chronic toxicity - which develops over a prolonged period after long-term (extensive) exposure to the offending substance.
 
How Can You Limit Your Toxin Exposure?
Unfortunately, toxins are everywhere. The first step starts with awareness. 
One of the biggest offenders is Phthalates. These are a group of chemicals that are incredibly toxic. They are “endocrine disrupting chemicals,” which means that they affect hormones and also weaken immunity, part of your metabolic health.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they are “used in hundreds of products, such as toys, vinyl flooring and wall covering, detergents, lubricating oils, food packaging, pharmaceuticals, blood bags and tubing, and personal care products, such as nail polish, hair sprays, aftershave, lotions, soaps, shampoos, perfumes, and other fragrance preparations.”
Because of proprietary laws, companies don’t have to disclose what’s in their scents, so you won’t find phthalates on a label. If you see the word “fragrance” on a label, there’s a good chance phthalates are present. 
 
When possible, choose fragrance-free products. Bypass aerosol or plug-in air fresheners and instead use essential oils. Or simply opening windows to freshen the air. Also consider adding more plants into your home. They’re natural air detoxifiers.
 
Another strategy to reduce toxins is to filter your water. A high-quality water filter may reduce atrazine (an EDC and common herbicide) and other environmental toxins that leach into groundwater. It may also reduce disinfection by-products, aka DBPs—toxic chemical residues of chlorine disinfection. Click HERE for some under sink and also faucet attachment filters that I use.  
 
Get my free resource for some simple strategies you can start with today to significantly reduce your toxic load in your home.
 

Are you ready to reduce toxins in your daily life? 
You know things like household cleaners, mouthwash, soaps, etc.   Keep in mind that you don’t have to do everything at once. As you need to replace items, then re-stock with healthier alternatives. Upgrading will improve your health, your family’s health, and even your pet’s health.
 
Here are some BLOG post to get you started. And I'll be adding more, so check back often. 
 
I hope you find these helpful. If there is anything you are looking for in particular Contact Me, I probably have a recipe waiting just for you.
OR maybe you rather purchase something already made, I can help you with that as well.
 
Blessings for Health, Joy & Laughter, Kathy
 

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