Are We Overloading Our Natural Detox System - 2008-May-8
In the early part if this century, the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ran a study of 2500 health people, to see if their bodies contain any of 116 different highly toxin chemicals. These chemicals included many that were actually banned several decades ago, like PCBs, DDT, and heavy metals including lead, mercury and aluminum.
In every one of the 2500 people tested (remember, these were people considered to be in very good health) they found instances of every chemical they tested for.
The problem that the tests highlighted is that as so many new chemicals have been created and released into public use, our body's natural detox system can't cope with the extra workload to eliminate them from our body.
Did you know...
Fluoride, added to tap water in many areas to protect the teeth, can build up in the soil, in plants and in our bones. It can cause osteoporosis, and some studies link it to hypothyroidism, which affects 10-25 per cent of the British population. Fluoride can make it harder for the immune system to distinguish foreign substances from the body's own tissue, leading to skin rashes and intestinal disorders, while several studies link fluoride with genetic disorders.
Chemicals that mimic the effects of estrogen in the body are present in a wide range of household cleaning products, including some washing-up liquids and fabric softeners - and cosmetics, such as lipstick and nail polish, as well as hair dyes and many other substances found in the average home. This is one cause of estrogen dominance, a hormonal imbalance that affects men and women throughout the Western world.
Formaldehyde, found in new carpets and processed wood furniture among other things, can irritate the eyes, nose and throat at just low levels.
A ready-washed bag of salad contains chlorine levels 20 times higher than in most swimming pools. Chlorine was one of the poisonous gases used to kill the enemy in World War I.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are found in aerosol sprays, dry-cleaned clothing, paint, paint strippers and petrol - in fact, there are more than 200 VOCs in common household products.
So the conclusion appears to be that although our body has a very efficient natural detox system, it is being overloaded and unable to cope on its own with all these new chemicals being created today. So here's some simple detox diet tips to help you support your body in eliminating those toxins.
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