Many illnesses are a form of toxins in the body or organs not functioning properly due toxic damage. Issues of anxiety, fatigue, brain fog, extra weight, and even rashes are often caused by toxins and cellular damage. Toxins damage the eukaryotic cell membrane and alter the state, such as function, movement, enzyme, secretion, or expression of the cell. Many toxins combine with receptors on the membrane to penetrate the cell. When you are inflamed at the cellular level, medication cannot enter the cell properly and be fully effective. Healing needs to be addressed at the root cause and this can even reduce the need for medication. Often the cause is at the cellular level because your body is not properly eliminating toxins. Stress increases your toxic load and can damage your mitochondria, impacting your ability to detoxify. The liver, kidneys, and colon eliminate most of the waste and harmful substances in your body. Your immune system protects your cells, defends from infection, and learns about threats in your body. Healthy immune systems know which cells are yours and which are foreign and need to be removed, however many people’s immune systems are either under-reacting or over-reacting in our current toxic filled society of polluted air, food, and stress.
The United States National Institute for Health says “mitochondria are especially susceptible to nutrient deficiencies, environmental toxins, and oxidative damage.” We know that Mitochondria converts energy for basically all of our biological processes. Damaged or malfunctioning mitochondria emit toxic free radicals leading to cell death and disease.
To reduce your toxic load, make changes to your environment and what you put into your body. Remove toxins and pollutants from your home’s air by removing dust, using green cleaning products, avoid candles, have indoor plants, ventilate with exhaust fans, and by using a good quality air purifier. It is also important to open the windows when there is low humidity, low pollen count, and good air quality. To reduce your internal toxins, eat clean whole food and reduce stress. The steps in the Happiness Pyramid are designed to safely and freely reduce toxic stress in your personal life that impacts your health.
Circadian Rhythm
Not following your circadian rhythm, eating unnatural food, and being in pollution, impacts your mitochondria. Your circadian rhythm, also known as your internal clock, is regulated by small nuclei in the middle of your brain, the Master Circadian Clock is in the hypothalamus. This naturally occurring rhythm has molecules that trigger the production of other molecules that tell your brain and body it is time for the next phase in your day, such as releasing certain chemicals. Your circadian rhythm not only controls your sleep-wake cycle, but also your body’s ability to regulate temperature, hormone release, metabolism, immune system, and memory consolidation. This 24-hour clock is impacted by light, temperature, and when you eat. It helps you know when you are most alert and can be most productive. To reset your body’s natural circadian rhythm:
- Have a similar routine of sleep and wake each day.
- Go outside in the morning to give yourself 20 minutes of sunlight (you can also use a sun-lamp).
- Avoid alcohol and caffeine in the evening.
- Reduce exposure to bright and artificial lights at night, especially limiting screen time in the evening.
- Exercise in the morning or afternoon (at least 2 hours before bedtime).
- Reduce food consumption at least 2 hours before bedtime.
- Get off your phone, off social media, and away from blue lights at least 2 hours before you want to fall asleep.
- Set the mood for bed and create a relaxing atmosphere with relaxing music and a cool dark room. This is an ideal time to try some relaxation methods. If none of this works, talk to your doctor about supplementing with some melatonin and magnesium 2 hours before bedtime.
Gut Heal/ Microbiome Flora
The human microbiome is a collective term for an array of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes, that naturally live on and inside the body. These microorganisms help people maintain reproductive health, digest food, regulate our immune system, produce vitamins, and fight infections. Our gut health impacts our skin, disease, and moods. Stressful lives and modern food all impact our microbiome. Having poor gut health prevents your kidneys from being able to flush out toxins properly. Gut microbiota composition changes and metabolism disruptions are connected to the pathogenesis of numerous diseases, such as autoimmune disease (Jiao et al., 2020), mental illness (Jarbrink-Sehgal and Andreasson, 2020), cerebrovascular disease (Xu et al., 2020), and disorders of the central nervous system (Vuotto et al. Your gut microbiome is a collection of approximately 40 Trillion different organisms living in your gut alone! Your gut health plays a critical role in your overall health, sometimes referred to as “leaky gut,” or increased intestinal permeability, known as hypochondrium in Ancient Greece. A leaky gut has holes or cracks in the lining of the intestinal wall (which is more than 4,000 square feet of area surface) allowing toxins, buugs, and partially digested food to penetrate the tissues beneath, creating inflammation and disturbances to the normal bacteria (gut flora) inside your stomach. This is why many doctors will have you take probiotics* and prebiotics* if you are having stomach issues or on an antibiotic because it kills both the bad and the good bacteria.
Inflammation
One common example is Uric Acid, a normal product of protein breakdown in the body that passes through the kidneys, being eliminated through urine. However, some things, such as high purine foods can impact proper elimination, causing inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney stones. It can even build up and form small, sharp crystals which can settle in the joints causing serious pain and swelling, called gout. To improve elimination of uric acid, limit sugar, alcohol, and excessive fats in red meat; while increasing vitamins C and E, add lime juice, apple cider vinegar, cherries, bananas, and HYDRATE as a start. Always refer to a professional that knows your personal health profile before making major changes.
There are many scientists that believe Food is Medicine, meaning you can make yourself sick or healthy based on your diet. Beneficial foods can be used as medicine, by eating anti-inflammatory foods, foods with naturally occurring vitamins and minerals, food extracts, probiotics and prebiotics. The 3 most toxic food products are sugar, white flour, and animal fats. These should be the first dietary changes to make to bring your body back into a healthy alignment.
Metal detox is always a good start. Studies have shown that the spongy pulp from citrus fruit peels can be made into Modified citrus pectin (MCP)*, a type of supplemental dietary fiber that offers multiple potential benefits, such as heavy metal detox, reduce symptoms of lyme disease, improve gut health, slow cancer cells, and improve cognition. Studies have suggested not to take more than 5 mg three times per day to reduce toxic load. MCP is believed to benefit permeability of the gut wall to help with leaky gut and IBS symptoms. MCP helps to control Galectin-3, a binding protein that plays a significant role in tumor formation and progression. Side effects are typically limited to stomach cramps and diarrhea that stop when stopping the supplement. People with mold toxicity may have trouble tolerating MCP. For more information please read the study below:
Hormone and Metabolism Disruptors
Lastly, hormone and metabolism disruptors become stored up toxins in the body, often in the form of fat, that diet and exercise will not help to remove. These disruptors impact your thyroid function, your weight and can lead to Diabetes, fatty liver, and metabolic syndrome. The most common disruptors include Bisphenol A (BPA), Phytoestrogens, Phthalates, Dioxin, Metalloestrogens, fluoroalkyl substances, Caffeine, and Triclosan. These chemicals are often in food sources, along with skin products, air, soil, and the water supply. The U.S. EPA has a Endocrine Disruptor Screening program to help ban some of these lesser needed harmful chemicals, but they do not consider the more popular ones, naturally occuring disruptors or ones with lower toxic loads. Anyone trying to get pregnant should stay away from all of these hormone disruptors, especially phytoestrogens that have been proven to increase infertility and miscarriages in Australian sheep. Keeping your home free of dust with natural cleaning products, artificial fragrances, unnatural cosmetics, and canned foods can significantly reduce your impact of hormone and metabolism disruptors. It is also important to filter tap water, wash your hands before eating, reduce plastics, and most importantly watch what you consume! Eating toxic preservatives will help the toxins stay inside of your body longer because they are designed to keep things around longer.
HEALTH SYSTEMS and Treatments in the Modern Age
No health system is perfect. There are 3 main types of “Medicine” and all three work together to provide us the best possible outcomes in a Whole Health Approach, which is what the United States Veteran Administration (VA) uses now.
Traditional Medicine or Homeopathic (which has been around the longest) focuses on prevention, such as food as medicine, staying hydrated, moving your body, getting enough quality sleep, stress management, sound healing, supporting your immune system with adaptogens*, and reducing toxic stress. Homeopathic medicine treats disease and illness with substances that cause similar symptoms in healthy people while using the minimal dose possible to have effect, meaning as many natural substances or food sources to heal without chemicals that can have side effects. This can also include detoxification of the body to quickly remove toxins, however healing or detoxing too fast can lead to a healing crisis also known as an extinction burst. https://www.healthline.com/health/healing-crisis
Conventional Western Medicine or Biomedicine has only been around for about 200 years, often known as the medical model is used to treat illness with medication, surgery, antibiotics, and radiation. However, it now, also includes prevention in the way of vaccinations, exercise, diet changes, and education.
Osteopathy treat conditions to correct structural imbalances, improve circulation, and repair tissues. Osteopathics use manipulation and massage of ligaments, joints, muscles, bones, and connective tissue to promote health by opening lymphatic pathways and increasing blood flow at the cellular level.
*Natural or Homeopathic Herbs, Supplements, and Vitamins are NOT regulated. You must be extra careful with these, since some companies put in toxic fillers or wrong dosages which can cause more harm. Do not get any information about “safe” or “tested” from the company’s own advertisements. No one needs to advertise the nutrition of an apple- but ads for other foods are trying to prove something distorted.
