Change your environment, change your life.
Detox
Detox is a healing practice all on its own. It is crucial for finding healing success especially long-term. If we are not eliminating toxins, we are never going to heal. Our bodies will be too busy dealing with a toxic burden. Generally, most people have a skewed perception of what the word "detox" means. It is not a 7-day cleanse. It is not a series of specific supplements or shakes. It's a way of life. While there are specific detox practices that I'll cover here, it's important to note that without addressing your environment, what you're putting in and on your body, and what you're using in your home, you will be treading water. Start your focus in one area. Then add another. And another. Daily actions make a massive impact long-term.
Food
This is always the area with the most confusion. Generally, you want to ensure you are eating the cleanest food possible by eliminating anything that has come into contact with toxic chemicals during growing or processing. For this reason, always buy organic whenever possible. Organic will also always be non-GMO. If you can't always find organic, check out the Environmental Working Group's yearly Ditry Dozen and Clean 15 for some extra guidance on what foods are the most contaminated vs. the least. For example, if strawberries are number one on the dirty dozen list and you can't find them organic, consider buying a different berry instead.
Many commercial farms grow the same item in the same area over and over, depleting the soil and leaving produce with a fraction of the nutrients it would have if it was grown with a biodynamic approach. Look into local organic farm co-ops for fresh produce, especially ones that focus on biodynamics. Do what you can with what you have access to.
Dental
Our dental health (or lack of it) directly impacts nearly every organ in the body. Yet, we tend to treat our teeth in a vacuum, failing to acknowledge that connection. Each tooth corresponds to a specific body part through a series of meridians. We have chains of lymph nodes that run from our mouths, down our chests, and throughout the rest of the body. We have blood vessels that do the same. Infection, bacteria, and metals in our mouth can affect areas of the body that share the same meridian or enter through the lymph and bloodstream, creating a systemic burden.
Mercury amalgam fillings, root-canaled teeth, cavitations, and gum disease all need to be addressed. These things act like a leaky faucet, constantly releasing small amounts of heavy metal and bacteria into the body that build up over time. Ideally, this would be done by a biological dentist that has the certifications to safely remove these heavy metals, replacing them with more bio-compatible materials like zirconia ceramic. I had 8 mercury-amalgam fillings removed and replaced as well as a dead tooth pulled from a previous root canal. The dead tooth was on the same side (right side) as the breast cancer. My 3 largest amalgam fillings were on the same meridian as the right breast. I do not believe this was a coincidence.
Skin + Products
The skin is the largest organ and very quickly absorbs everything it comes into contact with, including all of the personal care products we use every day. Just because it's on store shelves does not mean it's safe. Just because it's a popular, household brand name doesn't mean it's safe.
Did you know that the federal law designed to ensure these products are safe has not changed since 1938? Even then, personal care products fall into the category of "cosmetics" and the FDA along with other governing bodies do not require any testing of any ingredients before they go to market. The average woman uses around 12 products a day, exposing themselves to up to 168 chemical ingredients. The average man uses half that. Look for products that have limited, non-synthetic ingredients and for brands that are transparent about their ingredients and where they source them. The Environmental Working Group has an app called Skin Deep which is a great resource for understanding the ingredients in your cosmetic and household products and their toxicity levels. I've found that you get what you pay for in this area. I have made some big switches over the years and while the clean, safe products may cost more, I find a little goes a long way and they tend to last much longer.
Sweat + Infrared Sauna
Our skin is a major detox pathway and sweating is an effective way to remove toxins from the body. Infrared saunas use near, mid, and far wavelengths to create heat, penetrating the skin instead of just heating the air like a traditional hot rock or steam sauna would. Rock and steam saunas typically have to get much hotter than infrared saunas to be effective, and they can harbor mold.
Detoxing with an infrared sauna is much more effective because the infrared wavelengths penetrate deeper into the body, your core temperature rises, and soft tissues and organs effectively release toxins.
Before using an infrared sauna, always take a binder to act as a magnet for toxins, mopping them up so you can more effectively eliminate them as you sweat. There are many different binders available. Some stay in the digestive tract while others will be more effective at entering the bloodstream or crossing the blood-brain barrier. Binders also vary in the types of toxins they most effectively help remove. Some are excellent for heavy metals while others are better for biotoxins from mold.
Coffee Enemas
The main purpose of a coffee enema is to remove toxins that have accumulated in the liver and remove free radicals from the bloodstream.
Here's how it works: When holding in a coffee enema, the caffeine travels to the liver via the hemorrhoidal vein and the portal system. This relaxes the blood vessels and bile ducts, allowing the release of stored bile that is full of toxins. The coffee also stimulates the liver's production of glutathione by up to 600-700%. Glutathione is a master antioxidant and reacts to free radicals (that cause cell damage) in the bloodstream, effectively neutralizing them. For every 3 minutes you hold in the coffee, the entire body's blood supply passes through the liver, getting hit with that extra glutathione, acting as a form of dialysis for the blood. The bile from the liver and gallbladder picks up these neutralized substances and removes them through the intestines.
This is a great full-body detox tool. Many people also use these to help with general pain, headaches, and nausea. I do one almost every day and sometimes two a day depending on what I feel my body will benefit from.
Mindset
Mindset is the foundation for finding success with healing. There is almost always room for detox here. How do you speak to yourself? Be conscious of negative self-talk. How much do you let fear and stress rule your thoughts? Don't spend too much time dwelling in those areas. What are your dreams telling you? Is there anything that keeps popping up in your subconscious? This could indicate an area in waking life where you need to do some mindset work.
Fear is a big one that creeps in for a lot of us. Instead of shutting it out, welcome it and listen to it. Try to understand what it's trying to tell you. Is it reminding you that some things are out of your control and this is all part of the human experience? Is it showing you an area where you need to gain more self-confidence? Or is it your imagination running wild with scenarios that aren't based on the present? Remember you have the power to reframe your mindset and remove the aspects that are holding you back.
Creating a non-toxic, healthy environment begins at home, with the basics. Air, water, mold, EMFs, and home cleaning products are areas where you can make big impacts on how your health is influenced.
Air
Pollutants from busy city streets, factories or power stations, farming practices, and construction can all affect our outdoor air quality. Molds, dust, pet dander, viral particulate, off-gassing from new building materials, cleaning products, and burning candles or incense can all impact indoor air quality. Make sure you're filtering your air within your home to ensure you're not increasing your toxic load with every breath you take. Consider a free-standing filter like an IQ Air that can be placed around the home as well as proper filtration on your HVAC if you have one.
Water
Have you had your tap water tested? Do you know what's in it? You might be surprised. One quick way to get this info is to visit EWG's tapwater database and enter your location. Oftentimes, harmful cancer-causing substances will be found hundreds of times over the recommended "safe" amount. Make sure you have a quality filter that's going to filter out more than chlorine. I love Berkey filters for the number of harmful substances they filter. If you're using a water ionizer like a Kangen, I'd recommend adding a pre-filter to remove even more sediment and bacteria. Research your water, find out what's in it, and find the appropriate filter.
Mold
Mold can hide in places you can't see, downgrading your immune system and causing a massive range of symptoms. There is evidence that has linked some molds like Aflatoxin to cancer. Test your home to ensure it's not full of biotoxins from mold. I highly recommend an ERMI test. You can order one yourself through envirobiomics.com or have a professional do one for you. Be conscious of any water-damaged areas that did not have all affected surfaces removed and replaced as well as things like carpets and clutter that can hold onto organic matter (dust), one of mold's favorite places to grow.
EMFs
Electromagnetic Field radiation is produced by mobile phones, 5G towers and repeaters, wifi, smart meters, and many other sources. Man-made EMF radiation is associated with DNA damage that can lead to cancer. You can not heal if your body is under constant stress from EMFs. Consider choosing hardwired connections over wireless and Bluetooth. Use a faraday bag for mobile phones when not in use, or an EMF-reducing case like Safe Sleeve or Defender Shield. Opt out of the smart meter on your home and have it replaced with an analog meter. Invest in an EMF-blocking garment or blanket to use during the times you have to be tied to a laptop. It's nearly impossible to escape EMFs, especially if you live in a densely populated area. But there are precautions you can take to reduce exposure and reduce DNA damage.
Home Cleaning Products
Most home cleaning products are full of carcinogenic chemicals which cause or promote cancer, neurotoxins that affect brain activity and the nervous system, and endocrine disruptors that wreak havoc on hormones, causing everything from cancer to infertility to ADHD. Even products that are advertised as safe or "green" often have problem ingredients. The best thing you can do is gradually replace these items with safer alternatives. Or even do some research and make your own. Stay away from anything with bleach, ammonia, antibacterial products, dyes that include FD&C and D&C, fragrance, Phthalates, DEP, DEHP, DBP MEA, DEA, TEA, phosphates, SLS, SLES, Triclosan (TSC) and triclocarban (TCC), NTA, EDTA, just to name a few.