Our exposure to environmental poisons is at an all time high. Tens of thousands of new chemicals have been introduced into the biosphere since 1945. Shockingly, most have never been tested for safety.
They’re in the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat, the products you apply to your skin, and just about everything else you come into contact with.
Meanwhile, every cell in your body is trying to perform its own brilliant balancing act – dealing with its own local environment while ceaselessly performing its particular vital function. The cells of our digestive tract, nervous system, and immune system – all of them highly metabolically active – are particularly vulnerable.
We have to assume that all this toxic exposure poses at least a potential to do harm. That’s why it’s important to minimize your exposure to poisons and strengthen your body to deal with them as best as it’s able.
Protect Yourself
Here are eight great ideas for you to put into action. Seven of them will help you limit your toxic dose. And the all-important eighth suggestion – Dr. Lavine’s Detox 2014 – will strengthen your metabolic machinery to rid your body of the toxins you’ve already got stored up inside.
1. Stay away from pesticides
Our food safety regulations are just nuts. They’d be comical if they weren’t responsible for so much chronic illness.
Here’s an example. Why does an organic apple carry the label “organic”? It should be called just a plain old “apple”.
At the same time, a pesticide-sprayed apple (which is legally allowed to be called an “apple”) should be called an “Apple with Added Pesticide.”
Next time you shop for produce, avoid Lettuce with Added Pesticide, Grapes with Added Pesticide, and so on.
2. Avoid high-mercury fish such as tuna or swordfish
We’ve turned our oceans into cesspools. And a fish that’s higher up the food chain – tuna or swordfish, for instance – has a higher concentration of toxins than a primary feeder. Mercury is one of the best-studied toxins in ocean fish, though there are many others, too.
3. Filter your water
I use a Pur brand filter underneath my kitchen sink. But, frankly, that’s because it was easier to install than another brand. They all probably work fairly well. You can also use the pitcher method.
4. Switch to a natural deodorant stone
Anything that you apply to your skin is absorbed through your skin into your body. A deodorant stone neutralizes sweat but doesn’t put artificial chemicals into your bloodstream.
Other cosmetics and skin care products are also potential sources of toxins. So be careful.
5. Open your windows
Hard to believe, but indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air (even in New York City). Give yourself a healthy dose of fresh air whenever possible.
6. Filter your shower
You may already be drinking filtered water, but there’s another health threat lurking – in your shower stall.
When the water shoots through your shower head, it splatters into thousands of mini-droplets. You inhale them directly into your lungs. And they contain chlorine which can burn your lung lining.
That’s why it’s just as important – maybe more important – to attach a filter to your shower water as it is to filter your drinking water.
7. Check your prescriptions
The doctor who prescribes a drug isn’t always aware of the interaction of one drug with others. Plus, your doctor may have prescribed something to you months (or even years!) ago, without any follow-up to determine that you still need to take it, or that you still need to take it at the same dosage level.
Periodically review your prescription drug regimen with your medical doctor or pharmacist.
It’s dangerous out there. Take effective action to safeguard your health.
I am 52 years old.
My feet are swelling from the knees down. Blood Tests for kidneys and liver showed nothing except that one enzyme in the liver test read a somewhat high. My doctor says therefore both organs are fine and that the problem can be that of varicose vein. I have no such protruding veins however.
I started a detox programme however, focusing on the liver particularly.
Foods are my biggest issue, I have ulcers so the fruit juice and fruits gets me very acidic inside.
I bought ORGANIC SPELT FLOUR TO make a bread and fried plaintain with ORGANIC COCONUT OIL. However I read that spelt flour has gluten and should not be used in a detox programme. Can you advise? What about the fried plaintain.
Thank you for your response.
Spelt does have gluten in it. Spelt is a variety of wheat. But should or should you not use spelt on a “detox diet?” It depends.
A typical detox diet limits or eliminates the foods that most commonly give people problems. Gluten is high on the list of offending foods. But not everyone has a problem with gluten.
If you are trying a “one size fits all” type of detox program, then eliminate all sources of gluten, including spelt. The alternative is much more involved- systematically evaluating your response to each and every possible food to which you might be sensitive. There are two ways to do this: eliminate foods one at a time for a week or two and evaluate your response; or start with a very restricted diet and add back in foods one at a time.
Good luck. I don’t know why your legs are swelling. I hope the detox program gives you some information about that.
Ron Lavine, D.C.
PS – the fried plaintain should be fine