common toxins and how to avoid them

Common Toxins And How To Avoid Them

Common Toxins In Everyday Life Are Making You Sick

There are so many common toxins that we are exposed to on a daily basis and most people aren’t even aware these poisonous chemicals exist. However, exposure to these toxins is making us sick and slowly killing us. The key is to be aware of what products contain toxins and look for alternative products that don’t damage our health. Unfortunately, the greater majority of commercial products that we use every day are laden with toxins so we need to completely revamp our lifestyle to avoid them.

Common Toxins Are Contained In So Many Products

Since World War II there have been 80,000 new chemicals created and used in various commercial products. Most of these products have either not been tested for safety or are only tested for acute safety. As every year goes by another 1,500 new chemicals are created, and again, the process for vetting the safety of these products is limited.1

Common Toxins In Household Cleaners

There are so many common toxins in household cleaners that it is astounding they can be marketed as safe products, as they contribute to so many detrimental conditions. Laundry detergent, fabric softeners, and dry cleaning products all contain toxic chemicals. Some of the main offenders include dichlorobenzene, nonylphenol, formaldehyde, phthalates, and benzyl acetate.2

common toxins in household cleaners

Ideally, choose natural options like lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, alcohol, and baking soda for cleaning. Here is a more detailed article on the toxins contained in cleaning products and their health effects.

Common Toxins In Beauty Products

There are many common toxins in beauty products and cosmetic products. More specifically, there are 518 different chemicals used in makeup and body care products. Unfortunately, there isn’t much oversight into the chemicals that are used in beauty products, as only 2 pages out of an 829-page government act that regulates cosmetics are dedicated to the safety of these chemicals. This has allowed 595 cosmetic manufacturing companies to continue to use 88 chemicals that are linked to reproductive issues, and birth defects.3

However, the science is clear, chemicals like parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol, diethanolamine, and BPA are extremely damaging to our health.4

Even more shocking is that the known neurotoxin lead is still contained in beauty products, specifically, some red color lipsticks.5

some red color lipsticks contain lead

Ideally, choose non-toxic, natural body care products that don’t contribute to illness.

Common Toxins In Our Water Supply

There are many common toxins in our water supply that makes drinking such water a health hazard. The main toxins include chlorine which is used to treat the water and fluoride which is added to the water in the name of preventing dental decay. Ingestion of chlorine is linked with thyroid dysfunction.6 7

Fluoride is especially toxic, as it has been shown to reduce IQ, is neurotoxic, is linked to hypothyroidism, and decreases fertility.8 9 10 11

Water supplies also contain trace amounts of medication, antibiotics, birth control, hormones, and psychotropic drugs.12

In some municipalities, there are even high concentrations of lead and arsenic, as well as hexavalent chromium that are all extremely detrimental.13

Common Toxins In Our Water Supply

One way to purify city water is to set up a reverse osmosis water filtration system for the whole house so you aren’t exposed to contaminants upon consumption and washing. Other options include sourcing a tested natural spring for water that contains high quantities of crucial minerals without poisonous contaminants.14

Common Toxins In Our Air

If you live in a manufacturing area, you are exposed to common toxins in the air such as nitrogen oxide, dioxins, sulfur dioxide, VOCs, dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and particulates. Air pollution is linked with COPD, cardiovascular issues, and asthma.15

Ideally, move to an area that doesn’t contain air pollutants for a better quality of life.

Another concern is indoor air pollution. Typically, indoor air pollution is a bigger concern than outdoor air pollution because the air stagnates. This allows VOCs and particulates to build up, leading to allergies, asthma, and other health issues.16

If you haven’t already, install a high-quality air filter that can purify indoor air and reduce exposure to such contaminants.

Other sources of indoor air pollution include off-gases that come from carpets and furniture, among other products. Typically, VOC off-gases are more common in newer houses, as these items haven’t aired out yet. This is one reason why many people who move into a new house experience health problems, as these off-gases are toxic.17

Toxic Mold Exposure

Mold exposure is extremely common in many different residences, especially houses that experienced water damage. Testing for residential mold is often difficult, as it is generally contained within the walls. As the mold spores are released, they are inhaled, causing autoimmune conditions and hormone dysfunction

Living in a residence that is moldy is a recipe for disaster, as mold is a biotoxin. Specifically, mold affects leptin receptors that eventually cause weight loss resistance, dysregulate hormones, and result in chronic fatigue syndrome.18 19 20

Here is more information on the toxic effects of mold.

Toxic Heavy Metals

While not as common as they once were, heavy metals are still a pressing concern because they cause significant health-damaging effects. Both mercury and lead are the main offenders, as they used to be contained in many different products from amalgam silver dental fillings to gasoline. 

After eliminating exposure to heavy metals, they must be removed from the body, or otherwise, they will cause a lifetime of havoc. Here is more information on the consequences of heavy metal toxicity and how to remove heavy metals from your body.

There are other hidden toxins that we are all exposed to that also cause health problems and can quickly be eliminated from the body once they are identified. Read more about these hidden toxins.

Common Toxins In Food

There are so many common toxins in food that the topic deserves an entire book dedicated to it. Typically, anyone consuming the Standard American Diet (SAD) is exposed to countless toxins.

Standard American Diet (SAD) contains countless toxins

As a brief summary, consuming refined sugar that is common in many manufactured products spikes insulin levels and leptin levels that eventually contribute to hormone resistance.

Additionally, the consumption of sugar is linked with premature aging, heart disease, ADHD, high cholesterol levels, and obesity.22

The consumption of grains is also toxic and not something the human body was designed to eat. Eating grains, even whole grains, cause a spike in blood glucose levels.23

Polyunsaturated vegetable oils have been touted as healthy, but are in fact, toxic. The reason for this is that polyunsaturated vegetable oils denature quickly and go rancid, leading to toxic byproducts that are linked with sclerosis, coronary heart disease among other things. Stay away from seed-based oils like corn, soy, canola, cottonseed, safflower, and sunflower oil.24 25 26 27 28

So many different products are now GMOs and should be avoided at all costs. Common GMO foods include corn, soy, milk, sugar beets, and wheat.

Conventionally grown meat products contain high quantities of omega-6 fatty acids because these animals were fed grains instead of their natural diet of grass.29

Avoid grain-fed animals and choose only organic, grass-fed meat.

Avoid conventionally produced dairy products because they contain a toxic protein called A1 beta-casein. This protein has been given the name the “devil in the milk”. This protein is produced due to a genetic mutation in cows. The consumption of this protein is linked with digestive issues, autoimmune conditions, autism, infertility, heart disease, and neurological problems.30

Only choose organic, grass-fed dairy products.

Commercial soy products like soy milk, tofu, and soy cheese, as well as soy protein, are all GMOs and they also contain phytoestrogens that mimic estrogen in the body.31

Avoid food and soda that contains aspartame, as it is linked with weight gain.32 33

I could go on and on about common toxins contained in food. My advice is to consume natural food that is high in fat, low in carbohydrates, and moderate in protein as defined by my Cellular Healing Diet.

Cellular Healing Diet Book

Common Toxins In Consumer Products

There are thousands of common toxins in consumer products including BPA, phthalates, and parabens to name a few.34 35

BPA is one of the worst offenders, as it is an estrogen-mimicking compound that is also linked with epigenetic changes that contribute to obesity. Specifically, BPA triggers the Fat Agouti Gene resulting in obesity in both the consumer and even their offspring.36

BPA is contained on the inside of aluminum beverage and food cans, plastics with the numbers 3, 6, and 7, and even on paper receipts. For that reason, avoid consuming beverages and food in aluminum cans and avoid using the aforementioned plastic bottles. Also, avoid touching receipts. Ideally, drink out of glass containers and store your food in glass containers.37

Common Toxins In Consumer Products

An Increasingly Common Toxin – EMF Radiation

EMF radiation is an increasingly concerning toxin that is emitted from microwaves, Smart meters, Smartphones, Wi-Fi, cellular towers, Bluetooth, wireless devices, especially wireless headphones, gaming systems, and 5G internet. Since so many devices emit EMF radiation, we are being exposed to levels that humans have never experienced before.38

EMF radiation forces calcium channels within the cellular membrane to open and thereby allow more calcium to enter the cell than typical. This leads to DNA damage. Additionally, excess calcium entering cellular bodies is attributed to inflammation and neuropsychiatric changes like depression.39 40 41 42

Common Toxin - EMF Radiation

Excess EMF radiation adds to the bucket of toxins that we are already exposed to and can lead to a wide range of health issues. Side effects of EMF radiation are especially pronounced in individuals who are suffering from mold exposure and high levels of toxic heavy metals.

Look for ways to reduce your EMF exposure by avoiding wireless devices, avoiding Wi-Fi, turning off your Bluetooth, avoiding Smart meters, and avoiding 5G internet. If avoiding EMF radiation isn’t possible, ground yourself with grounding sheets, and grounding pillows, and walk around barefoot outside as a way to ground yourself to the earth.43 44

Common Toxins – Take Measures To Avoid Them

I know it’s not easy but if you take measures to avoid the common toxins that surround us, it can have significant health-improving results. After identifying and removing toxins from your life, the next step is to repair the cellular membrane, improve ATP production, downregulate inflammation, and restore methylation. A healthier tomorrow awaits you if you are willing to put this knowledge into action.

References

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2 Corriher, S. C. (2013, November 16). The Toxicity of Dryer Sheets, Fabric Softeners, and Laundry Detergents. The Health Wyze Report. https://healthwyze.org/reports/642-the-toxicity-of-dryer-sheets-fabric-softeners-and-laundry-detergents

3 Cal. Dep’t of Pub. Health, Cal. Safe Cosmetics Program, Current Data Summary, https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/OHB/CSCP/Pages/SummaryData.aspx (last accessed Mar. 8, 2019). The California Safe Cosmetics Act of 2005 requires cosmetic manufacturers to disclose to the California Department of Public Health all products containing ingredients known or suspected to cause birth defects or other reproductive toxicity as determined by certain authoritative scientific bodies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

4 The Toxic Twelve Chemicals and Contaminants in Cosmetics. (n.d.). Environmental Working Group. https://www.ewg.org/the-toxic-twelve-chemicals-and-contaminants-in-cosmetics

5 Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. (2022, November 22). Limiting Lead in Lipstick and Other Cosmetics. U.S. Food And Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-products/limiting-lead-lipstick-and-other-cosmetics

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