The Best Solutions to Limit Toxin Accumulation: How to Limit Everyday Toxin Exposure (Part 1)

Introduction

Toxins surround us all day, every day. Whether it’s your car fumes you inhale, frozen dinner you eat, or the negative thoughts you have at work, toxins are everywhere.

This post is not meant to drive you crazy. It’s not meant to turn your life upside down and be paranoid about everything you and your family are exposed to.

In fact, most of the toxins discussed in the article don’t harm you unless you are exposed to extremely high levels on a consistent basis, or if your body is unable to process them safely. History has shown us that everything is toxic and it is only the dose that separates the toxic from the nontoxic.

Merriam Webster’s definition of “toxin” is:

“A poisonous substance that is a specific product of the metabolic activities of a living organism and is usually very unstable, notably toxic when introduced into the tissues, and typically capable of inducing antibody formation.”

By this definition, many typical toxins (e.g. car fumes, additives, synthetic chemicals) are not poisonous, life-threatening, or created by a living organism.

For simplicity’s sake, this article will refer to a “toxin” as a synthetic or nonsynthetic molecule or state of mind that has the potential to negatively affect the body in moderate amounts over the course of a person’s life. This may be a vague definition, but it is the accumulation and toxic burden that negatively affect people the most. It’s not often one singular exposure.

Our bodies are designed to handle daily toxic exposures: in fact, it can be healthy to challenge your immune system and detoxification pathways. Living in a sterile environment has its dangers, especially with children.

The body needs to maintain a balance between T_h1 and T_h2:

T_h1 is your “cellular immunity” that fights viruses and other intracellular pathogens, eliminates cancerous cells, and stimulates allergic skin reactions.

T_h2 drives your “humoral immunity” and upregulates antibody production to fight extracellular organisms.

It has been hypothesized that the decrease of infections (T_h2) in Western countries—and, more recently, in developing countries—is at the origin of the increasing incidence of both autoimmune and allergic diseases (T_h1). This is called the “hygiene hypothesis.”^[1] It is based upon epidemiological data, particularly migration studies, showing that subjects migrating from a low-incidence to a high-incidence country acquire the immune disorders, especially with first generation.

More simply:

T_h2 > T_h1: If a child grows up in a clean, semisterile environment (low T_h1), studies have seen an increase in autoimmune, asthma, and allergic conditions (high T_h2).

T_h2 < T_h1: Alternatively, if a person is exposed to many microorganisms, such as bacteria and parasite infections (high T_h1), it has been shown to reduce humoral allergic incidences (low T_h2).

Ideally, we should aim to have balanced T_h1 and T_h2 systems (T_h1 = T_h2).

Therefore, I say “limit toxin accumulation” in the title of this article, and not “avoid toxins.” Some exposure to toxins, microorganisms, and substances that challenge our immune system is crucial to find optimal health.

So far, we’ve learned that everything is toxic, and it is only the dose that separates the toxic from the nontoxic, and that a moderate number of toxins are required for a healthy immune system. There are, however, natural toxins that could have deleterious effects even at small doses (e.g. food poisoning, heavy metals), but for the most part, it is the accumulation that stresses our bodies and have them working suboptimally.

We take in toxins in a variety of ways, including external and internal processes. My recommendation is not to make all these changes. And if you have already, I would question if your “healthy lifestyle” is more of an obsession. There are dangers in going too far: it’s called orthorexia. Limiting some of these toxic exposures and accumulations one step at a time will bring you closer to optimal health and vitality.

Limiting External Toxin Accumulation

External toxins or extrinsic factors are the most common factors that people think of when it comes to their health. It is anything from the things we consume, absorb, inhale, observe, or hear.

The list in the next page consists of common toxins we are exposed to daily, and excludes major infections such as E. coli and C. difficile, or side effects of vaccinations and specific medications.

Part 2 of this two-part article will be published on this blog on June 1, 2017.

For references and other great articles, visit NaturopathicCurrents.com