You’re not going to completely eliminate environmental toxins in your life. It’s just a part of the world we live in. Some toxins have been found to be cancer causing, others disrupt the endocrine system, and all of them work by disrupting our ever-so-sensitive biological systems. Many of these toxins are naturally occurring and others come from man-made products. Here is a list of 15 things off the top of my head that you can do to minimize and eliminate potential environmental toxin impact to your biology.
Be sure to make it to number 15, or else you’ll miss a dynamite drop-in from Tate Barrett, an environmental scientist who is expert in testing and understanding the quality of our home environment.
- Drink Just Sometimes
- Your liver is just a tad important when talking about getting rid of toxins. If you are drinking alcohol every single day, stop it! Even if it’s just a one drink per day, your liver needs a rest so it can work on eliminating other toxins besides what you are guzzling down each night. I am not against alcohol altogether, don’t get the wrong impression. A couple drinks a couple times per week is reasonable for most. Notice how I said reasonable, not optimal. 🙂
- Sweat it Out
- Find a way to sweat every day. Sweating through exercise kills two birds with one stone. Our bodies are really good at eliminating toxins through sweat. This is why I sit in my infrared sauna 4-5 nights per week.
- Stop Using Artificially Scented Products
- These come in the form of soaps, detergents, candles, and more. As a side note here: stop having your clothes sent to the dry cleaners, or better yet, just buy clothes that don’t require dry cleaning!
- Throw Out Plastics
- I’m sure at this point you’ve heard of BPA. You want to avoid it. Period. The best thing you can do is to use glass as much as possible. When using plastic, do not heat it, stress it, and by all means, never microwave it. Sad news: the highest estimated daily intake of BPA occur in infants and children. Side note: look for BPA free toys, canned goods, bottles, and storage containers.
- Use Non-Toxic Cleaning Supplies
- Stop using the big name household cleaners. You’d be surprised how good some vinegar and water can work. I’m not perfect, have you ever tried to clean a mirror with vinegar? Not a good look. I used Windex yesterday, it’s not good, and I am still alive, barely.
- Dust, Mop, and Vacuum
- Toxins have a tendency to accumulate in dust and settle on the floor. Keeping your floors cleaned and dusting occasionally can do wonders for decreasing toxin buildup in your home.
- Buy an Air Purifier
- Clean air makes a big difference. Air purifiers have become extremely good at their job over the past few years. I use a large commercial unit in my home, with smaller purifiers in each bedroom. Some of my favorite brands are Austin Air, AirDoctor, Molekule, and Aerus.
- Shop Organic
- Pesticides are a big deal. They latch on to produce and no, they don’t all get washed off when you “wash” your produce before you eat it. This is especially true for fruits and vegetables with irregular surfaces like strawberries, raspberries, broccoli, and others. You get the idea. I would say that foods like watermelon, avocado, and bananas are the least important to buy organic if you are trying to save some bucks.
- Never Eat or Drink Artificially Colored Stuff
- Just don’t. You’re not 5 years old anymore, and beyond that, please don’t let your 5 year old get used to eating this garbage.
- Filter Your Tap Water
- A whole host of toxins can be present in your tap water. Many opt to just drink bottled water instead. While this is a better choice, be careful because that’s a lot of BPA in your life. Here is the 14 Stage filtration unit I have in my home. It’s quite expensive and not so simple to install. If you want something quick, easy, effective, and much cheaper, try Berkey. And if you want to take it a step further, buy a shower head water filter to ensure you aren’t showering in toxins.
- Replace the Teflon
- Teflon is the original non-stick cookware. This stuff is bad news. There are several healthier alternatives these days. Nothing works as well as teflon as a non-stick, so decide to be OK with that!
- Move Your Body
- The lymphatic system of your body is also important for eliminating toxins. Movement helps this system do its job. Those tiny rebounder trampolines actually do a good job supporting the lymphatic system. So do vibration platforms like the Power Plate.
- Reduce EMF Exposure
- EMF’s are emitted from most electronic devices and can disrupt various biological rhythms in your body. Electricity is just a little important. All that I ask is that you turn things off when you don’t need them. This is especially true when you are sleeping. Put a timer on your wifi router so that it automatically turns off each night. Think about charging your phone somewhere else, not right next to your bed.
- Use Natural Beauty and Hygiene Products
- Anything from toothpaste, deodorant, makeup, hairspray, and soaps can be harboring toxins. Play it safe and opt for natural.
- Get Your Home Tested
- If I told you to go to the doctor and have some labs run, you would probably oblige. It is time to start taking care of the home you are living in. What is the toxin status of your home and what can you do about it? Anything from mold, to radon, to VOC’s being emitted from carpets and paints can all influence your personal health. Aren’t you curious? Here is a a short excerpt from Tate Barrett, an environmental scientist that I use for testing my home:
“Research has shown that indoor air can be 2-5x more polluted than outdoor air. WIth the average American spending approximately 90% of their life indoors, knowing what is in the air you breathe is of the utmost importance. Additionally, the EPA ranks indoor air pollution as one of the Top 5 environmental risks to human health. Common indoor air pollutants include particles, chemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and mold.
In order to keep your air clean and healthy, you should minimize the use of toxic chemicals, minimize burning things indoors (yes, this includes Volcano candles!), increase ventilation in your home, and control moisture. By doing these things, you can keep your air clean and healthy.
If you want to know the health of your indoor environment, it is best to hire a professional air quality consultant to perform testing and assessment of your indoor air. An indoor air quality and mold inspection includes measuring the levels of common indoor pollutants as well as inspecting for the presence of mold. This service will provide you with a wealth of knowledge about your indoor environment and provide you with resources and recommendations on how to maintain a clean indoor environment.
I would also recommend the use of an indoor air purifier. These range from air filtration units which remove particles from the air, to more advanced systems that trap particles, bacteria, and viruses, and destroys them with self-contained UV systems.”
These changes don’t take any more time out of your day to implement, except for sweating and exercise, those take a little extra time in your day if you aren’t doing them already. Why wait? Give yourself the best chance to reach optimal health by controlling these toxins in your environment. If you want more information on using Tate to come and test your home, shoot me an email and I will connect you directly to him.