Most of you know that various kinds of chemicals aren’t good for you and some are downright poisonous. But did you know that they are one of the biggest causes of nearly all chronic disease?
What are chemicals?
But first, what exactly are chemicals? Isn’t everything made of chemicals?
Well, yes, but chemicals as defined here are those things that can enter your body and don’t belong there. They can get into your body by being eaten – deliberately or otherwise – or by being breathed in, or they can get in through your skin.
Why are chemicals so bad for you?
Chemicals can disrupt the proper function of the body in a number of ways:
- They stress your body; stress of any kind can tax your body’s resources.
- They can damage your cells directly.
- They can substitute for a necessary substance, such as cadmium from cigarettes or mercury from metal fillings keeping beneficial zinc from the cells.
- They can interfere with the action of hormones that regulate your body’s systems.
- They can bind with your cells to confuse the immune system and lead to its attack on your cells, leading to autoimmune disease.
- Many chemicals are oil-soluble, meaning that they can get into the fat in your body. When the fatty myelin sheath around the nerves is affected, these chemicals can contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS) and other brain and nervous system conditions.
- Chemicals can interfere with the formation of, or break down, parts of the body. An example is fluoride in water, which can weaken bone.
- Certain organs and body systems, including the liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, and colon, are designed to remove toxins. When overloaded, these can show signs of strain that become disease or symptoms: liver or kidney disease, asthma, skin problems, or digestive problems.
- By burdening the immune system and interfering with proper digestion, chemical overload can lead to food and other allergies.
- By retaining water and fat to try to dilute the toxins, your body may develop a problem of overweight, which in turn can contribute to other health issues.
- An overload of toxins can cause chemical sensitivity, which can make everyday life difficult.
Doesn’t the body detoxify chemicals on its own?
Yes, but only up to a point. We aren’t designed to have to deal with the massive onslaught of chemicals that we are exposed to in modern life. Once the intake of chemicals exceeds the ability of the body to remove them, disease often results.
The first step: identification and avoidance
The first step in keeping chemical damage to a minimum is to recognize sources of these toxins and avoid them. Some of these sources may be surprising – did you know that your cologne, toothpaste, medicine, ant spray, or deodorant can be causing problems?
Pesticides
Pesticides poison the cells of pests such as ants or bacteria. Since we are made of cells too, it follows that pesticides can poison our cells and cause harm. Pesticides are found in any kind of bug spray, and also in non-organic food.
Solvents
Solvents are made to dissolve chemicals that are oil-based or plastic-based and don’t dissolve in water. Solvents are used in cleaners and paints, nail polish, glue, plastics, carpets, air fresheners, cosmetics, and even the manufacture of furniture. In short, they’re hard to avoid, but it helps to minimize your exposure. Solvents especially affect the fatty brain and nervous system, and your cells have a fatty protective wall around them, so solvents can let other toxins into your cells.
Water pollution
All kinds of toxic chemicals, deliberately added and otherwise, can be found in tap water. These include chlorine, fluoride, solvents, copper and lead from water pipes, microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, pesticides, medications that have been flushed down thousands of toilets, and just plain dirt. None of these belong in your body, and any of them can cause problems.
Personal care products
All those pretty bottles on your bathroom counter or dresser contain things that can be toxic to your body. Think about cologne or any scented product: if you can smell it, that means that molecules of something that doesn’t belong in your body enters it when you breathe. Colognes usually contain a penetrant to drive the cologne into your body so it lasts longer; this penetrant, similar to that used in pesticides to drive the poison into a bug’s body, is both toxic in itself and drives the harmful chemicals and solvents into your cells. Other personal care products can contain harmful metals and solvents.
Drugs
All drugs – a category that includes prescribed and over-the-counter medications, illegal recreational drugs, and legal recreational drugs such as alcohol and tobacco – have potentially toxic effects in addition to their desired effects. Antibiotics kill the beneficial bacteria in the intestines that aid digestion, resulting in poorer nutrition, which can itself contribute to disease.
Food toxins
There are many toxins in food, some of which are added deliberately. These toxins include pesticides used on produce, preservatives, colors, flavors, MSG, artificial sweeteners, sugar and corn syrup, hormones in meat, and others. They don’t belong in your body and can cause harm. It is usually best to eat organic foods in as natural a state as possible.
Metals
Metals are usually toxic. These include mercury from metal dental fillings, allergenic and cancer-causing nickel, cadmium from cigarette smoke and paint, and aluminum from cans and deodorant.
The second step: detoxification
So the first step is to remove chemicals from your environment as much as possible. The next step is to remove them from your body. Ways to do this include:
- A detoxification diet to reduce toxins, allergens, and yeast, as well as providing optimal nutrition so the body can detox to the greatest extent possible
- Sauna detoxification (hyperthermia) to get rid of solvents and pesticides
- Chelation to remove metals
- Colonics to clean out the digestive tract
- Lymph massage and exercises to help the lymph system detoxify the body
- A liver/gallbladder flush to maximize the liver’s detoxification capability
- A kidney cleanse; the kidneys also help with detoxification
- Parasite cleanses help to remove microorganisms that can cause disease.
- Allergy desensitization decreases allergic symptoms as well as enabling greater use of nutrients.
- Nutritional support maximizes the body’s detoxification efforts and helps to heal chemical damage.
It is important to have a knowledgeable practitioner, such as those at CAM, assess your level of toxicity and make customized recommendations.
For more information…
Dr. Bill Kellas and Dr. Andrea S. Dworkin have written two books on chemicals, the harm they can cause, and what to do to eliminate them from your body. These books are Surviving the Toxic Crisis and the more recent Detox or Disease.
