Ruby Ferguson is among many seniors who stay healthy by staying active and eating responsibly. She is shown here competing in last year’s Oliver Half Iron triathlon.
Environmental pollutants exist in air, water, food, manufactured goods, cosmetics, and dental fillings, amongst many other sources.
The bad news is that it is difficult to avoid exposure to pollutants and it is estimated that the average person stores over 200 chemicals in their body; but the good news is that with education and determination, we can avoid many sources of environmental toxins, and there are proven methods of detoxifying these chemicals. So why worry? People wonder if there is any proof that these toxins are harming us. Well, the proof is in and they are (harming us).
Pollutants have been associated with an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, dementia, neurological and behavioural disorders, kidney disease, fibromyalgia, chemical sensitivity, chronic fatigue, infertility, and hormone imbalance issues.
Following is a list of some of the biggest offenders that we can easily avoid:
– Aluminum in antiperspirants:
– Cadmium and many other chemicals in cigarettes
– Mercury in some seafood and dental amalgams
– Lead from old paint, leaching of old pipes into drinking water, ceramics, and food grown in contaminated soil.
– Plastics contain compounds such as phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA). These can leach into food stored or warmed in plastic. BPA has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and liver problems; phthalates to hormone disruption.
– Pesticides: low dose chronic exposure is linked to cancer and hormone imbalances.
– Indoor air pollutants: carpet, furniture, dry cleaning clothes, chemical cleaners and detergents . . . all can out-gas toxins from formaldehyde and flame retardants to volatile organic compounds and solvents.
– Personal care products may contain toxic chemicals such as coal tar, lead, formaldehyde, parabens, nitrofurazone, and others.
How can you protect yourself?
– Eat a nutritious diet mainly from local, organic, fresh sources. Plenty of fresh veggies, dark berries, wild game and fish, free range eggs, raw nuts and seeds, green tea, olive oil and coconut oil. Avoid processed, packaged, fast food.
– Hydrotherapy and exercise to detoxify: sauna therapy or exercise to sweat for 30 minutes, three times weekly. Alternate hot/cold showers, three minutes hot/30 seconds cold. Drink lots of clean water to flush out toxins.
– Supplements: good detoxifiers include antioxidants; liver, bowel, and kidney cleansers; minerals, greens, and probiotics. Ask a qualified health care provider which supplements are best to take on a regular bases.
– Avoidance: use natural cleaners in your home, natural cosmetics and body products, filtered water, glass or metal water containers, eat organic food, if building or remodeling use non-toxic building materials and furniture/carpets, avoid the use of pesticides in and around your home, don’t smoke, and don’t drink too much.
– Chelation: This is an intravenous therapy administered by a trained doctor to remove lead, mercury, other heavy metals and toxins from the body.
