It’s time to make our way out of the toxic soup we live in. I fully believe most, if not all, disease stems from a combination of toxicity and deficiencies.
A significant source of toxins is in the majority of the nutrient-devoid foods we eat in a Standard American Diet (SAD). Not only are we not getting vitamins, minerals, enzymes, polyphenols, or the myriad of other beneficial components of eating whole foods, we are ingesting so many toxins.
Our bodies are constantly dealing with pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, BPA, trans fat, synthetic vitamins like folic acid, artificial sweeteners, food coloring, preservatives and additives like bromide and bromate.
Every one of these will take you down a rabbit hole.
It’s very difficult to avoid food toxins. Organic fruits and vegetables are a wonderful way of incorporating minimally toxic contamination. At Me & McGee, we are actively working on solutions.
The environmental toxins are also terrifying, including within our homes. Sigh. It can get overwhelming so I wanted to simplify some solutions.
There are two prongs for dealing with toxins: prevention and detox.
On prevention, two of the most important ways of interrupting the toxic burden is by focusing on water and air.
Drink clean water!
Don’t drink tap water. The “sanitizing” chemicals are toxins. A high-quality water filter is of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, most of the pitcher styles aren’t sufficient to make clean water.
Natural spring water is my choice for daily drinking but purified water prevents damaging toxins.
Breathe clean air!
Outgassing is the release of a gas that was dissolved, trapped, frozen, or absorbed in some material. This is another scary aspect of our living environment from construction materials and furniture to mattresses and floorings like carpets.
Mold is another toxin that is excessively prevalent in the humid south climate of Arkansas. Dave Asprey made a documentary that I highly recommend.
Moldy Movie
12 Mold Toxicity Symptoms to Watch For – And How to Heal If Exposed [1]
- Cognitive difficulties (brain fog, poor memory, anxiety)
- Pain (especially abdominal pain, but can include muscle pain similar to fibromyalgia)
- Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
- Numbness and tingling in extremities or other areas of the body
- Metallic taste in the mouth
- Vertigo or dizziness
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
- Digestive issues (especially limited tolerance to food, persistent bloating)
- Significant fatigue that interferes with daily activities
- Changes in mood
- Excessive thirst and dehydration, bed-wetting in children
- Symptoms that resemble hormone imbalances (hair loss, rashes)
On the prevention side of mold, the best option is removing mold. A reputable mold inspector can tell you a lot.
Homebioic is a probiotic cleaning spray that helps eliminate and knock back mold.
https://homebiotic.com?ref=loganduvall1n Affiliate Link
In-home air can be improved with a purifier as there are plenty of really good ones available.
Ideally, covering the whole home with purifiers is the best option but in consideration for expenses, put the highest quality purifier in your bedroom.
Houseplants!
An easy and fun way of improving our in-home air is by using nature. NASA has done extensive studies of the role of houseplants in cleansing the air, hoping to utilize the benefits for space stations.
NASA recommends having 15-18 houseplants for a 1,800 square-foot house and came up with a list of indoor plants that cleaned the air most efficiently.
18 standouts:
- English ivy (Hedera helix)
- Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis)
- Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
- Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
- Peace lily (Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa’)
- Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
- Bamboo or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)
- Snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata)
- Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron scandens `oxycardium’)
- Lacy tree philodendron (Philodendron selloum)
- Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
- Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)
- Corn plant (Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana’)
- Janet Craig & Warneckii dracaena (Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig’ & `Warneckii’)
- Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)
- Gerbera daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
- Pot mum (Chrysanthemum morifolium)
Detox!
The body removes toxins in a few ways but the general overview is by four processes we all do.
- Breathing
- Sweating
- Urination
- Bowel movements
The problems arise from an overburden of toxins – there are more present than the body can handle on its own.
Let’s play a little game. Visualize a cup of water filling slowly from the faucet. It’s a very slow trickle and the goal is to drink using a straw to keep it from overflowing. If the water overflows, you lose.
Now, if it’s a small amount of water at a slow place, it’s very easy to keep the water under the rim. But what if we increase the water? Not only do we increase the flow and volume, but we also pinch the straw.
In this exercise, the cup is our body, the water is the toxins, and the straw is our detoxification pathways.
If our liver isn’t functioning properly, we essentially pinched the straw. If we don’t sweat and eliminate the toxins from building up, they become stored and cause so many problems.
This can get deep, so let me cover some of my top tips.
- Exercise – moderate exercise to the point of sweating is the goal. Get those toxins out through sweat and increased blood flow.
- Intermittent fasting – one of the most beautiful things about fasting is the break we give our bodies. The energy of breaking down food can be utilized to help detox.
- Infrared sauna parallelling exercise and infrared sauna causes you to sweat and increases blood flow. (I’m working on much more in-depth resources regarding this topic. Infrared saunas are a big deal.)
- Zeolite is a negatively charged volcanic mineral. Since most toxins such as heavy metals, radiation, and pesticides, are positively charged, the zeolite attracts and sticks to the toxins like a magnet. These damaging toxins become trapped in zeolite’s structure and are safely and gently carried out of the body. I recommend using it as an oral supplement in the spray form.
- Activated charcoal is a form of carbon with a massive surface area and a strong negative charge. It’s been around for thousands of years, and it’s still used in emergency rooms today to treat poisoning. I recommend taking it on an empty stomach (charcoal will absorb good stuff, too) and encourage taking charcoal pills before exercising and using an infrared sauna. They should absorb many toxins you release into your gut and GI tract. [3]
- Glutathione – “This powerful antioxidant also supports liver enzymes that break down mold toxins and heavy metals. Your digestion will destroy normal glutathione, so opt for a liposomal glutathione supplement that makes it through your stomach.” [3]
- Calcium-D Glucarate supports the liver, and I take it as a daily oral supplement.
- TUDCA – (Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid) is a water-soluble bile acid and helps with bile flow. As an oral supplement, it is taken on an empty stomach. Affiliate Link https://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=963135&u=3366283&m=69785
- Chlorella is a type of algae and is considered a green superfood. Chlorella is rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and omega-3 fatty acids. It is crucial to note Chlorella has a rigid cell wall that must be broken down to make its nutrients readily available. Chlorella is a powerful chelator, meaning it bonds to metal ions in the body.
- Humic Mineral Complex collects free radicals and bio-waste, binds with heavy metals and provides important detoxification support by carrying these unwanted elements out of the body. Beam Minerals is my favorite go-to product. https://www.beamminerals.com/LANDER Discount code Lander
There are gene variations that play into this as well. The same article on Selfcare, Gallbladder, and MTHFR will walk you through the steps to getting those answers. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-b-9lWOJ5gsH0196vVoyT5r9ZbgXI5JC6HlmvOZN8tU/edit
To recap, we must limit toxin input by eating a low toxin diet and living a low toxin lifestyle where we can.
To assist the body in detoxifying practice proper nutrition, aim to exercise, and explore modalities and supplementing when necessary.
Reference.
[1] https://www.parsleyhealth.com/blog/mold-toxicity-symptoms/
[2] https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19930073077/downloads/19930073077.pdf
[3] https://daveasprey.com/8-detox-methods-that-really-work/