Reduce Your Toxic Burden -

Your Step by Step Guide to

Healthier Living

A hundred years ago, we didn't have a toxic burden caused by thousands of chemicals, pollutants, industrial waste, and heavy metals running through our water, air, food, clothes, furniture, houses, cars, etc. Today we do, and this adds lots of stress to our liver, the organ in charge of filtering all of these toxins.

Therefore, it is very important to work to reduce this toxic burden. Then, when you detox using the steps on the other pages in this website, the results will be more long-lasting.

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Here are the steps to reducing your toxic burden and living healthier.

1. Get an air filter and/or house ventilation system - Find one that is HEPA, that has a fan to blow the air (nicer if it says quiet operation), and that does NOT have an ionizer or ozone operation. I say this because after trying ozone therapy to treat Lyme disease, I breathed too much ozone in low levels over a long period of time. My lungs were severely impaired for several weeks, and although they have recovered, it took a long time. With the ionizer, I'm not sure if it would cause the same reaction, however it smells like ozone, so I definitely don't recommend it.

2. Get a water filter - Tap water is loaded with things you don't want. Chlorine, fluoride (yes, fluoride is very toxic even though it does help teeth), lots of chemicals, even prescription drugs are often found in tap water. Install a water filter, preferably one that filters fluoride (many don't) and enjoy healthier, better tasting water.

3. Get a shower filter - You can actually absorb more toxins through your skin by taking a hot shower, than drinking several glasses of the same water. Get a shower filter, and until you do, make the water less hot so your toxic burden will be reduced.

4. Trade in your antiperspirant for deodorant, or better yet deodorant from a health food store, or even better yet, baking soda from a health food store. Read the antiperspirant page for more information.

5. Don't use sunscreen! - Yes, after a thousand articles telling you to liberally apply sunscreen, I am telling you DO NOT USE SUNSCREEN. Do you think that 100 years ago people went out in the sun more or less than today? I would answer "much more". And do you think they have more or less skin cancer? I would answer "much less." Based on that fact, I would conclude that it is things like toxic sunscreen, with dozens of unnatural chemicals, that causes way more skin cancer than the sun. The best thing to do is simply be in the sun for 15-30 minutes at first to build up a base of sun in your skin. Then you can increase your time. If you are out for an extended period, put on long sleeves (a long sleeved T-shirt) and a hat, and turn the hat's brim in the direction to cover the sun. As long as you don't get sunburned, the sun is VERY HEALTHY and necessary to be in WITHOUT SUNSCREEN.

6. Get an ear-bud for your cell phone to reduce radiation - Yes,even ear buds transmit a small amount of radiation. However, this is way, way less than putting the cell phone up to your ear. Cell phone usage is relatively new, so no one knows if in the long run brain cancers will result. I'm not taking the chance. You shouldn't either. If you don't have an ear bud yet, use the phone's speaker-phone until you do.

7. When in traffic or at a red light, stay several feet back from the car in front of you - This is an effort to reduce the car fumes that you breathe in. If you have the vent, heat, or air conditioning on, this is especially true because all the air coming through the vent will be filled with car fumes unless you are several feet back.

8. Whenever possible, get off both prescription and over-the-counter drugs - Believe it or not, all types of drugs are very unhealthy. They often mask the symptoms of one ailment, and then cause the symptoms for something else because your body can't handle their toxic burden.

9. When having fish, try to eat white-fish (cod, tilapia, orange roughy), because it is generally wild caught and not filled with mercury. Or get salmon or other darker fish labeled "wild caught." If it says it's Alaskan or cold-water caught, even better. These will have the least amount of mercury and other pollutants, and won't contribute nearly as much to your toxic burden.

10. Throw out your non-stick cookware. It is so toxic that the fumes it gives off when heated actually will kill birds that are living in the kitchen. The fumes don't kill humans, but maybe you will develop chronic fatigue and then wonder where it came from. On top of the fumes, the non-stick chemicals eventually leach heavily into your food. Get stainless steel pots and pans without any aluminum or inner layer, or solid cast iron cookware.

11. Throw out your bug spray - This is one of the most obviously dangerous and highly toxic chemicals, and I cringe when mothers spray this on their children without thinking about it. Throw it out ASAP. Wear long sleeves in the woods or at night when the bugs come out.

12. Throw out your cleaning agents and buy cleaners from health food stores only. There is a whole toxic burden in your closet that you'd do well to get rid of. You can also clean with baking soda and vinegar (remember your elementary school volcano - that bubbling was a great cleanser).

For information regarding alkalizing your body, click here.

To return from the Toxic Burden page to How to Detox the Body home page, click here.