We believe that toxicity plays a role in every chronic health issue. Let's explore this in more details.

First, let's look at the symptoms of toxicity.

SYMPTOMS OF TOXICITY

• Fatigue
• Muscle & joint pain
• Sinus congestion
• Headaches
• Digestive issues
• Hormonal issues
• Foul-smelling stools
• Sleep problems
• Water retention
• Trouble losing weight (the body holds on to the fat to protect you... as the toxins are stored in fat)
• Skin problems
• Dark circles under eyes

SO WHERE DO THOSE TOXINS COME FROM?

• Endotoxins. Those are the natural by-products of various body processes. For example, during protein metabolism, ammonia is formed, which the liver breaks down to urea to be excreted through the kidneys. The body is designed to be able to handle those toxins… problems arise when the body is already overloaded with toxins!
• Heavy metals. Mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, and other heavy metals are all around us… in our mouths (almalgams), in our water, in the air we breathe, in our food, etc.
• Petrochemicals. In our beauty products, etc.
• Your Home. Building materials, paint, mattresses, cleaning products, carpets etc.
• Pesticides, Herbicides and Fertilisers.
• Moulds and mycotoxins. See more in section 'Detox Your Home'
• Processed food. Look at the labels!
• Plastics and Other Endocrine Disruptors (Xenooestrogens). Bottled water, food containers, beauty products, etc.
• Stress. The mental, emotional and spiritual toxins that affect us.
• Medications. Although sometimes necessary… drugs are overused these days, often causing more problems in the long term
• Poor Gut Health. This is so often overlooked as a cause of toxicity. Bad bacteria (mostly gram negative) have what is called LPS in their cell walls, which is just one of the toxins that the body has to deal with when the gut is unhealthy. When you have a leaky gut, those LPS leak into your blood, which creates a constant source of toxicity, overloading your liver.
• EMF. Wi-Fi, mobile phones, lap top, etc See more in section 'Reduce EMF Exposure'

HOW MUCH TOXICITY IS TOO MUCH

To understand toxicity, you must understand the concept of total load.

Many would argue that levels of individual toxins found in our food, water and environment are not significant enough to cause harm. However, it is the compounded effects of multiple toxins exposure at any one time that becomes a concern.

This is a total amount of stressors on your system at any one time and it happens like a glass filling over with water. It takes a certain amount to fill the glass and then, after a certain point, you put more in and it overflows.

When our detoxification system is overwhelmed, we start getting symptoms and get sick.

It may take years of accumulated stress and toxins to get to that point.

Detoxification is an ongoing process, and the liver is no stranger to working overtime. However, the sheer volume of chemicals in the environment and in the diet has caused many people to reach their threshold of tolerance, which adversely affects their health.

Moreover, as mentioned above, if you have poor gut health, you already have a constant stream of toxins coming from your gut, which means that people with gut health issues are much more likely to develop symptoms of toxicity.

When the body is burdened with more chemicals than it can efficiently detoxify, chronic health problems can occur.

WHY AREN'T WE ALL SICK?

Why aren’t we all sick, given this incredible load of toxins?

It is because each of us is genetically and biochemically unique.

Various factors can affect our capacity to detoxify:

• Gene mutations (like MTHFR, but there are many more)

• Gut health

• Liver health

• Toxic exposure throughout your life

• What you were born with… toxins are transferred from mother to baby ;-(

The good news is that by learning to support your system and learning how to reduce your toxic exposure, you can improve your health dramatically.