Our bodies are constantly being bombarded with toxins from the foods we eat, the air we breathe, the medications we take and the water we drink. The things we intentionally put on our skin, and the things that unintentionally get
Our bodies are constantly being bombarded with toxins from the foods we eat, the air we breathe, the medications we take and the water we drink.
The things we intentionally put on our skin, and the things that unintentionally get on there, are other ways that we take in toxins. All of these impurities can lead to sub-optimal health and contribute to weight gain, water retention, many disease processes, premature aging and body tissue destruction. Toxins are contributing to the increasing problem of obesity in America because our bodies, in an effort to reduce the harmful effects of impurities, dilute them with held water and enfold them in fat.
As toxic levels rise in one’s body, so does the fat level.
Cleansing has been practiced in many cultures and for many centuries, either as part of a religious ceremony or as a rite of passage. The cultures engaging in cleansing did so for the physical benefits and the mental clarity that cleansing provides.
People who engage in nutritional cleansing report better energy, improved vision, clearer skin, sharper mental capacity, an improved ability to cope with stress and more lustrous hair. They also report fat loss, held water loss, clearer sinuses and less discomfort in their joints and muscles. The liver is the chief detoxifying organ of the body, and in years gone by it did a very good job of keeping our bodies clean. But since the age of industrial revolution, industrial farming and processed foods, our livers are overwhelmed and need help.
A study called “Confronting Toxic Contamination in Our Communities: Women’s Health and California’s Future” confirmed that women are more affected by environmental toxins than men. Women many times work closely with very potential toxic chemicals and there is preliminary research that suggests their physiology is more conducive to absorbing and carrying these chemicals. Of the studies on record, little is known about the differences between men and women in terms of toxic load. Most gender-specific studies focus on reproductive health rather than on women’s health. However, we do know that women have as much as 10 percent more body fat normally than men, and are able to store more fat-soluble toxins. Many of these toxins have been tentatively linked to breast cancer and hormone disruption. Many fat-soluble synthetic chemicals such as flame retardants are known carcinogens. Women also transfer toxins to their unborn children in utero and through breast milk, which some researchers suggest can affect fetal and childhood development.
The estimated U.S. health care cost of diseases affecting women that have a strong environmental association is $12.2 billion per year. These diseases include breast cancer, birth defects, auto-immune diseases and infertility. One important step to reduce the toxic overload is to switch to more natural cleansing products such as vinegar and baking soda and natural soap. But other diseases such as asthma, cancer, endometriosis and perhaps autism also have links to the dirty environment and that is a bigger picture than just reducing the toxic load inside your home.
The various ways to cleanse one’s body may be colon cleanses, skin cleanses, liver or kidney cleanses, parasite cleanses, Ayurvedic cleanse and nutritional cleansing. Most of these procedures may benefit the local organ subjected to the cleanse but do little to remove toxins such as PCBs and lingering DDT because those are stored in the fall cells.
There are other cleanses that entail gathering copious amounts of fruits, veggies and various herbal teas that can have some good results if you don’t mind doing all the preparation. Then there is another type of cleanse that is nutritional supportive and supplies your body with all of the nutrients including protein, that your body needs to function well. By keeping the protein in your body and eliminating the fat, your body naturally becomes more fit and healthy. Here’s what I do, www.discoverthis.isagenix.com, and now you know why.
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Jane Riley, M.S., B.A., C.P.T., Certified Nutritional Adviser, can be reached at janerileyfitness@gmail.com, 212-1451 or www.janerileyfitness.com.
