Humans, specifically in the first world, have been exposed to a litany of chemicals and toxins in a combination that is unique to the last few generations.
I don’t believe it is a coincedence that conditions such as autism, Alzheimers, cancer, chronic and mental illness rates have all exploded in recent decades. I am by no means pinning the following items as the main cause of these conditions. But to contend that these newly introduced substances into humans bodies have no or negligible effects is disingenuous.
Without properly studying the long term exposure and common interactions of all these chemicals it is difficult to definitively name any main culprit and the degree of damage. However looking at the macro view of chemical consumption coupled with these massive increases in new age diseases the correlation is stunning.
Boiling Frogs, The Hangover, Death by a Thousand Cuts
The lens I have come to write this through is the one I hope you read it through. The lens is comprised of 3 main themes.
Boiling Frogs
The metaphor of boiling frogs comes from the idea that if a frog is placed in boiling water it will jump out realizing the danger. However if you put the frog in room temperature water and gradually bring it to a boil the frog won’t sense the ultimate danger of being in boiling water.
The consequences of prolonged use of low levels of toxins aren’t noticeable in the short term, in the same way the benefits of detoxing them aren’t immediately apparent.
The Hangover
The hangover is inevitable after a night of heavy, prolonged drinking. In my illustrious community college years I learned the lesson so many others have, that you can push the hangover off by shotgunning the warm Rolling Rock on the coffee table after waking up.
However that doesn’t fix the problem, just kicks the can down the road. The hangover must be felt in order to get back to proper function. Detoxification will initially be difficult because of the taxing nature of the exposure to toxins being released from stores in the body, but it is a necessary step in the process.
Death by a Thousand Cuts
When researching all the different toxins in all the different everyday products it is overwhelming how many different pathways these different chemicals have to our different systems in our body that cause differing effects.
The “Death by a Thousand Cuts” lens I view this all through comes from the outsized impact that all the following toxins can have cumulatively to our physical and mental health.
Heavy metal detoxification
Heavy metals are elements that can build up in the body in a form and quantity that can become toxic at even low levels.
The main culprits are mercury, arsenic, lead, nickel, uranium, cadmium and aluminum.
Some of the metals play vital functions in the body but can easily be accumulated to a toxic degree, others play no role. These metals are mainly stored in fat cells, but can be held in the organs and connective tissue also. The release of these metals can cause abnormal nerve function, hormone imbalance, autoimmune diseases, chronic fatigue, decreased cognition and vital organ damage.
Long term exposure have been linked to neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.
An increase of heavy metals also brings an increase of free radicals in the body. A free radical is produced when oxygen in the body splits into individual atoms that carry an unpaired electron. These atoms need to find another atom in the body in order to pair its electron. When it finds it’s pair that can lead to damage to DNA, cells and proteins.
The best way free radicals in the body have been described to me is to think of a car. The car requires gasoline, motor oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid in the same way our body requires water, air, food and vitamins. The free radicals are comparable to the exhaust, and remnants of the used fluids. The gunk that gets left behind on everything under the hood of the car can build up and can cause a variety of issues. An issue that isn’t immedietley realized however left untreated can have outsized consequences down the road.
Where do they come from?
The most well known heavy metal toxicity resides in farm raised fish laden with mercury. Mercury, depending on the form, is the most toxic substance to humans in existence.
Other common sources of heavy metals include car exhaust, air pollution, dental fillings, cigarette smoke, tattoos, processed foods, deodorants, old paints, toothpastes, insecticides, certain pots and pans, makeup and fabric softeners.
How to detox heavy metals from your system
To properly detox your system of the metals you need to properly take care of the organs whose job is just that. The liver and kidneys are vital in these processes and eating foods that optimize them are key. These foods will also help to detoxify the large and small intestines and the colon.
Vitamin C’s antioxidant properties reduce the damage done by heavy metals. ex. citrus fruits, berries, kiwi, spinach, kale, broccoli
Garlic and onion’s high sulfur content helps liver function. Flax and chia seed’s fiber and omega 3 content helps with detox of the colon.
Supplements work just as well, if not better to assist in detoxification. Chlorella, cilantro and milk thistle all have shown positive results.
Avoiding processed foods as much as you can.
Health benefits
The most noticeable benefits I’ve felt from heavy metal detoxing is increased energy levels and better cognitive function. Other common experiences include better immunity function, healthier digestive function and healthier skin.
Long term benefits provide a reduced chance of many cognitive disorders and reduced chronic pain from reduced free radicals.
Not just metals…
Laundry Detergent
The chronic all day exposure our skin has with our clothes is something that goes unnoticed for us because of its everyday normalcy. The most widely used laundry detergents contain a long list of known toxic chemicals and carcinogens. The passive absorption of these chemicals is akin to the frogs in boiling water.
Dioxane and nonyl phenol are the two most notable and known toxins.
The alternative I use is soap nuts. A soap nut is a berry from the Sapindus mukorossi tree native to tropical areas of Asia that have been used by civilization for thousands of years as a cleaner and for skin health.
The environmental effects of less plastic use in containers, less toxins in our body and environment and a flow of revenue away from large corporate chemical manufacturers to farmers and businesses that promote health and sustainability are all positive effects of moving to this type of product.
Aluminum Deodorant
Things we already know: aluminum can build up to toxic levels in the body leading to a litany of chronic issues.
Aluminum deodorant is applied at a daily rate onto an area of the body which contains a very high concentration of lymph nodes, which are vital to immune function. The lymphatic system is a canary in the coal mine for many major health issues.
A notable connection can be seen between aluminum deodarant use and breast cancer in females. It makes plenty of logical sense. Toxic chemicals at low levels applied to an area of the body on a regular basis, which is absorbed into that area of the body, where lymph node concentration is very high, this change in human behavior happening only in recent decades, coincides with increased breast cancer rates.
The outermost .25 to .40 mm of our skin has absorptive capabilities that are able to use external oxygen for supply. This absorption ability of our skin lends itself to more than just oxygen absorption.
The following excerpt is from a 2009 study by Philippa D Dabre on the links between deodarant and breast cancer.
“Clinical studies dating back decades report a disproportionately high number of female breast cancers originating in the upper outer quadrant of the breast [1], and although this is attributed to a greater amount of epithelial tissue in that region, it is also the area to which underarm cosmetic products are applied [2, 3]. Early studies reported 31% of cancers in the upper outer quadrant [1], but later studies in the 1990s report up to 61% [2, 3]. The annually recorded quadrant incidence of breast cancer in Britain documents a rise in England and Wales from 47.9% in the upper outer quadrant in 1979 to 53.3% in 2000, and in Scotland a rise from 38.3% in the upper outer quadrant in 1980 to 54.7% in 2001 [4]. Any increase in the disproportionality of breast cancer in the upper outer quadrant would be inconsistent with an explanation relating to the greater amount of target epithelial tissue in that region but does parallel the increasing use of cosmetics in the underarm area [2–5].” Darbre, P.D. Underarm antiperspirants/deodorants and breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res 11, S5 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1186/bcr2424
Best alternatives? Aluminum free deodarant and making it homemade with recipes which are widely available online.
Sunscreen
Wearing sunscreen has always felt unnatural. Spray on sunscreen is even more toxic than it feels. Even normal lotion sunscreen always had a smell and a feel of something I innately felt I should not use.
Even the FDA, whose misinformation over the decades is as consistent as the sun rising, admits at least to the fact that they have not tested highest absorbed chemicals to any substantial degree.
“FDA expects that sunscreen active ingredients that are absorbed into the bloodstream at a level of 0.5 ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter) or higher, or that have potential safety concerns, would generally need to undergo further testing to help determine if they increase the risk for cancer, birth defects, or other adverse effects. All of the active ingredients in the study noted above were absorbed in levels substantially higher than the 0.5 ng/mL threshold value cited in the proposed rule. However, without further testing, FDA does not know what levels of absorption can be considered safe.” Shedding New Light on Sunscreen Absorption By: Janet Woodcock, M.D., Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), and Theresa M. Michele, M.D., Director, CDER’s Division of Nonprescription Drug Products, Office of New Drugs
Oxybenzone in sunscreen has been strongly linked to anti-andronegnic effects and lowered testosterone levels in men, specifically adolescent boys. The fact that the hormonal disruption is most prevalent at such a critical stage in biological development is of major concern.
The harms oxybenzone causes does not stop with our bodies. It is extremely toxic to coral reefs. The following is an excerpt from TIME’s Justin Worland in 2015:
“Currently, somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 tons of sunscreen enters coral reef areas around the world each year, according to the U.S. National Park Service. That’s a lot of sunscreen considering how little it takes to cause toxic effects. According to the new research, toxicity occurs at a concentration of 62 parts per trillion. That’s the equivalent of a drop of water in an Olympic swimming pool, according to study author Omri Bronstein, a researcher at Tel Aviv University.”
As with most toxins in our everyday products, the harm does not stop with health of our bodies, it extends to the world around us. Regardless of how anyone feels about the climate change debate the effects of these chemicals are dangerous. I believe the effects of oxybenzone use has, and will continue to cause the worst effects of anything mentioned in this article.
Alternative?
Coconut oil, red raspberry oil, non nano zinc oxide.
Coconut oil has a natural SPF between 5 and 7. In addition it is a natural skin healer and moisturizer. IT ALSO SMELLS AND FEELS INCREDIBLE.
Red raspberry oil and non nano zinc oxide are ideal for people who need stronger sun protection. Homemade combinations of those 3 can provide up to SPF 25 and done so in a non-toxic manner.
Teflon Coated Pans
Non stick cookware is advertised as convenient but the tradeoff is perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)and polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) absorption.
The main danger lies when heating the pans in excess of approximately 500 degrees F. A multitude of chemicals are released via fumes. Even use of these pans at moderate temperatures have caused death in pets, specifially exotic birds and dogs. The excerpt below is from the Environmental Working Group’s collection of personal accounts of this phenonemon:
In one case of human polymer fume fever in the literature, the author reports a case in which a person developed polymer fume fever about one hour after a non-stick pan overheated. Five cockatiels in the house died within 30 minutes [16]. In another case, a healthy 26-year-old woman went to the hospital complaining of difficult breathing, chest tightness and cough after being exposed to toxic fumes coming from a defective microwave oven part: a melted and scorched Teflon block used as an axle for a rotating platform in the oven. At the hospital, doctors noted that her heart was racing, and she had high blood pressure, increased white blood cell count (leukocytosis) and was breathing heavily. An X-ray showed she had “diffuse pulmonary infiltrate.” Her lung function was still abnormal a month later. This woman’s two pet parakeets died within minutes of being exposed to the Teflon fumes [17]. https://www.ewg.org/research/canaries-kitchen/teflon-offgas-studies
The continued use, heating, cleaning, scraping of these teflon coated pans will break down even if you stay within the recommended temperatures.
“The Devil We Know” is a good documentary available on Netflix detailing the origins of Teflon products from the Dupont chemical company and the numerous health and environmental dangers it causes to the workers who fabricate these materials.
Best alternatives?
Stainless steel or cast iron pans.
Why this matters
The extreme consequences of these toxins, Alzheimers, MS, Parkinsons, they are all traumatic for the victims of these diseases. The difficulty in the “end of life years” that these diseases cause rack up such an emotional toll for the people around them.
The lesser chronic issues may have an even larger aggregate impact on our society than the previously stated extreme problems.
The billions in healthcare spent on these conditions, billions in research for cures, could all be diverted to other pressing issues if we moved to the best cure of all : prevention.
The environmental consequences of our air, groundwater, oceans and soil being exposed to the litany of harmful chemicals not only hurts ourselves in the now, but condemns our children and grandchildren to an even more outsized consequences of our collective actions.
The true cost of our chemical romance can’t be calculated. Going forward, it can be minimized.
The last 120 years of Western society has moved so rapidly, our living standard with it, that we haven’t been able to see the slow forming consequences of those changes.
We need to turn around and return to nature.
