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What is Your Total Toxic Burden? How To Reduce It For Better Health

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Toxic Burden

I believe environmental toxicity is one of the biggest contributors to the rise in chronic illness today. And yet, because doctors don’t really learn about chronic toxic burden in medical school,  it’s now become somewhat of an elephant in the room.

The fact of the matter is when it comes to toxicity we mostly understand when it’s acute – when it causes sudden and definitive symptoms. However, most toxin exposures are chronic, involve more than one toxin, and happen after years, even decades of accumulation. This accumulation overloads the body’s detox mechanisms and causes symptoms such as:

  • Fatigue
  • Memory disturbance
  • Sleep issues
  • Headaches

Over time, if the environmental toxicity and detox pathways aren’t addressed, the toxic burden can lead to conditions like:

  • Cancer
  • Autoimmune disease
  • Neurodegenerative diseases

In a 2015 review in the prestigious journal Carcinogenesis, researchers found that lifestyle factors are responsible for a considerable portion of cancers worldwide. Concluding that 7-19% of all cancers are attributable to toxic environmental exposures. On top of this, they examined 85 chemicals and found 59% of them exerted low-dose effects.

In my personal practice, I’ve seen the devastating effects of environmental toxin exposure.  Because the symptoms are chronic and multisystem it can lead to a perplexing situation for both the patient and the practitioner. I found the best method for helping a patient with a chronic condition is to reduce their levels of toxin exposure and improve detoxification to bring down their toxic burden.

So today I want to talk about different types of toxins, other factors that add to your burden, symptoms and conditions of suspected environmental toxicity, and detoxification.

 

17 Possible Environmental Toxins

Toxins can either be introduced to the body through external exposure or internal exposure.  I break different exposures down into exotoxins (external) and endotoxins (internal). A huge part of reducing your toxic burden is being aware of different sources of toxins so that you can avoid potential exposures. With that in mind the list below is meant to be a resource for different areas of your life that should be considered when you work to reduce your toxic burden.

Exotoxins:

  1. Heavy metals – Can come from cookware, tap water, personal care products, and home furnishings.
  2. Solvents/VOCs – Can come from cleaning products or off gas from new furniture or carpet. Oftentimes are indoor air is more toxic than the air outside.
  3. Pesticides – As an exotoxin, pesticides affect people when they work with them either at their job or in their personal garden or lawn.
  4. BPA – BPA is an endocrine disruptor and also found in plastics.
  5. Phthalates – Can be found in personal care products, home cleaning products, and makeup.
  6. Parabens – Also found in personal care products, home cleaning products, and makeup.
  7. EMF radiation – This comes from electronics and Wi-Fi sources, so cell phones, smart TVs, microwaves, fitness trackers, routers, cell phone towers, and airplanes.
  8. Heterocyclic amines – These are chemicals that are released from animal products when they are cooked at high temperatures.
  9. Mold – I’ve written extensively about mold, if you’d like to learn more I encourage you to explore the rest of my website.

 

Endotoxins:

  1. Intestinal bacteria – Such as endotoxemia from LPS.
  2. Yeast/candida – Candida produce the toxin acetaldehyde.
  3. Other infectious diseases – Common ones include Epstein-Barr and Lyme disease.
  4. Food – Standard American Diet contributes to total toxic burden. Chemicals, food additives, and glyphosate all cause problems. When it comes to food your best bet is to eat as organic as possible.
  5. Insulin resistance – When insulin resistance climbs in your body it causes stress. Work to promote insulin sensitivity instead.
  6. Medications – Medications generally contribute to overall toxic burden.
  7. Stress – Stress is an extremely powerful influence in your overall health and yet it’s often not taken into consideration.
  8. Emotions – Emotions cause biochemical reactions in the body and are often overlooked.

 

What Else Can Add to Your Total Toxic Burden?

Besides toxins there are other things that can contribute to your total toxic burden that you might not have considered. This is because your total toxic burden includes all stressors on the body, which means things like emotional and psychological stress.

I mentioned stress and emotions above but it’s worth taking the time to dig a little deeper on each because they are all too commonly overlooked. They don’t fit our traditional idea of a toxin. A few potential stressors that are outright “toxins” include:

  • Age
  • Sex
  • Financial stress
  • Sedentary lifestyle
  • Career stress
  • Toxic personal relationships
  • Significant life events, such as a death in the family or divorce
  • Unresolved emotional trauma

 

25 Symptoms of Environmental Toxicity

Over the years I’ve noticed there are some symptoms that are more commonly seen in patients with environmental toxicity. If someone comes into my office with a few of any of the following symptoms I immediately start checking for sources of toxins and for ways to reduce their overall toxic burden.  

Here are 25 symptoms of environmental toxicity:

  1. Fatigue
  2. Muscle aches
  3. Joint pain
  4. Sinus congestion
  5. Postnasal drip
  6. Headaches
  7. Gas/Bloating
  8. Constipation
  9. Diarrhea
  10. Foul-smelling stools
  11. Heartburn
  12. Insomnia
  13. Difficulty concentrating
  14. Food cravings
  15. Water retention
  16. Trouble losing weight
  17. Rashes
  18. Skin problems
  19. Eczema
  20. Psoriasis
  21. Acne
  22. Canker sores
  23. Dark circles under the eyes
  24. Premenstrual syndrome
  25. Bad breath

In addition to these symptoms there are a few conditions that are major red flags to me. These include:

  • Immune system dysfunction
  • Chronic infection
  • Autoimmune diseases
  • Endocrine disorders
  • Multiple chemical sensitivity
  • Infertility
  • Adverse reactions to medications
  • Allergies and asthma
  • Obvious industrial or agricultural exposure
  • Poor caffeine tolerance

 

5 Methods of Detoxification Support

Here’s the deal, we all need detoxification support. This is because we live in a time when we are constantly bombarded with toxins unlike any other point in human history. Tens of thousands of chemicals are introduced via our products each day and there’s very little oversight. Basically, we’re all human guinea pigs and we need to take steps to reduce our routes of exposure and support our detoxification organs.

  • Glutathione – A master antioxidant which can be taken orally or intravenously. Glutathione reduces oxidative stress, is an intracellular antioxidant, and helps with detoxification of environmental toxins.
  • Reducing medication use – Genexa Health has come up with a line of natural products for various ailments. I recommend most of my patients do what they can to address the root causes of their conditions so they can limit the amount of medications they’re on. Genexa Health is a great way to get people off of over-the-counter medications such as Advil, which only contribute to leaky gut and inflammation.
  • Make sure you’re going to the bathroom regularly – To properly eliminate toxins in the body you need to be sure you are not constipated. Consider using an Elimination Diet to find any food sensitivities.
  • Use detox binders – I recommend using detox binders like activated charcoal and GI detox. These bind to toxins and help your body eliminate them more readily.
  • Take detox supporting nutrients:
    • Chlorophyll  
    • Green Tea
    • Quercetin
    • Active B complex
    • Milk Thistle
    • Calcium D-glucarate
    • Curcumin  
    • Probiotics 50 billion CFUs

I’ve put together a thorough guideline with more detail to help you through the process of reducing your toxin exposure. You can find that here: Reduce Your Daily Toxin Exposure.

 

Resources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26106142

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* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The product mentioned in this article are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.   The information in this article is not intended to replace any recommendations or relationship with your physician.  Please review references sited at end of article for scientific support of any claims made.

Category: Environmental ToxicityBy Dr. Jill C. Carnahan, MD, ABIHM, IFMCPJuly 19, 201812 Comments
Tags: chronic illnessEndotoxinsenvironmental toxinsExotoxinsFunctional MedicineToxic Burdentoxicitytoxins
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Author: Dr. Jill C. Carnahan, MD, ABIHM, IFMCP

https://www.jillcarnahan.com/

Dr. Jill is Your Functional Medicine Expert! She uses functional medicine to help you find answers to the cause of your illness and addresses the biochemical imbalances that may be making you feel ill. She'll help you search for underlying triggers contributing to your illness through cutting edge lab testing and tailor the intervention to your specific needs as an individual. She may use diet, supplements, lifestyle changes or medication to treat your illness but will seek the most gentle way to help your body restore balance along with the least invasive treatment possible. Dr. Jill is a functional medicine expert consultant and treats environmental and mold-related illness as well

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12 Comments

  1. Brian Johnson (Liver King) says:
    July 20, 2018 at 11:49 am

    Love that you included the pervasive EMFs that we are swimming in today. Great article. I’ve queued the “Reduce Your Daily Toxin Exposure” for my next read. This may be redundant, surely not nearly as complete, but here’s my 2 cents…

    – Avoid Danger To Begin With, Then Support Detox & Methylation Pathways
    – Eat Liver, Bone Marrow & Get More Methylation Support (i.e. pastured, organic egg yolks, creatine, sprouted chickpeas)
    – Support Liver & NRF2 w/ Milk Thistle, Turmeric and Kimchi-Like Foods (e.g. cabbage, broccoli, cruciferous veggies)
    – Drink Adequate Native, Non-Treated Spring Water; Add Lots Of Himalayan Sea Salt
    – Include Chlorella, Especially For Heavy Metal Detox… Especially if you have headaches… Especially if you have or had amalgam / mercury fillings.
    – Do Contrast Showers, Do More Movement, Do Saunas
    – Take Activated Charcoal Between Meals (this is temporary)
    – Get Plenty Of Magnesium & Turn Off Wifi To Mitigate “Some” Of The Harmful Effects Of EMFs
    – Get Lots Of House Plants To Mitigate “Some” Of Those Offgassing VOCs
    – Get Native, Natural Furniture, Flooring, Clothing & Toiletries
    – The Ultimate Is The 5-Day Water Only Fast; more on that later…

    Reply
  2. Tony says:
    July 27, 2018 at 4:20 am

    Jill what’s your stand on a good quality clean C60 ? Apparently it’ has 170% times antioxidant power than Vit C ?
    And Brian Johnson do you have a website as I notice you put ( liver king ) in brackets 🙂

    Reply
    • Jill Carnahan, MD says:
      July 27, 2018 at 4:14 pm

      Hi Tony, I have not heart of C60, but liposomal versions of Vitamin C are highly bioavailable.

      Warmly
      Dr Jill

      Reply
  3. Pingback: Insane Medicine
  4. Maria M says:
    December 16, 2018 at 2:36 pm

    What would you suggest to use as natural cleaning products instead of bleach and bathroom cleaners full of chemicals, that would also get rid of microbes and their spores?

    Reply
    • Jill Carnahan, MD says:
      December 16, 2018 at 7:56 pm

      https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners

      Reply
  5. Pingback: Cancer causing weedkiller glyphosate found in children’s vaccines and in food supply | Help save our kids future
  6. Pingback: Is IV Vitamin Therapy Simply a Fad? Or is It Here to Stay? - Jill Carnahan, MD
  7. joseph Ligeri says:
    November 13, 2019 at 6:50 pm

    An old Allergist went natural, Doris Rapp was aware of these chemical sensitivities many years ago.
    I had her book ” is this your child” about 25 yrs ago. Unfortunately not any doctors seem to know about

    Reply
  8. Sarah says:
    December 16, 2019 at 9:12 am

    How much of the detox binders should one person take? Daily?

    Reply
    • Jill Carnahan, MD says:
      December 17, 2019 at 4:43 pm

      Best dosed by your physician but I generally recommend up to 500-1000mg twice daily for charcoal.

      Reply
  9. Pingback: Dr. Jill’s 6 Best Travel Hacks for People with Chronic Illness -

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