Many of us have heard of doing a "cleanse" to get rid of environmental toxins and lose weight, but what is this process actually doing? How does it benefit our long term health?

Environmental toxins are all around us and there is mounting evidence that they are having a detrimental effects on our health. Is there a link between environmental toxicity and Diabetes? How do these toxins affect our emotional well being and energy? Explore these questions and learn about the role of detoxification and how it can help minimize the impact of these toxins on our health. 

Impact of Environmental Toxins on Digestive Health

A toxin is a substance that causes cellular damage to the body when cells come in contact with it. If they are not removed or isolated from the body these toxins will damage neighboring cells as well.  The liver is considered part of the digestive system and is the main organ responsible for removing and isolating these toxins. In most cases our liver does this without any problem. However, as these toxins increase in our environment our liver's ability to detoxify can be compromised, but that does not stop is from trying. In cases where the liver has an abundance of toxins to eliminate it's cells can even become damaged as it tries to keep up. This damage known as "hepatitis" further slows down the function of the liver. The amount of toxic exposure that causes hepatitis varies form person to person as our ability to detoxify is chemical specific and based on genetics.  

The liver removes and stabilizes toxins in two phases known as, phase one and phase two. The liver does this to prevent the toxins from damaging the cells and to make them water soluble. Phase one detoxification occurs with the help of multiple different cytochrome P450 enzymes. Each type of cytochrome enzyme is responsible for removing toxins of similar molecular shape. If you have a genetic aberration or change in one of your cytochrome P450 enzymes it could lead to decreased removal of the corresponding toxins with that shape. The second phase of detoxification is known as conjugation and consists of making the toxic molecules more water soluble in addition to the above. Phase two detoxification consists of several different conjuration pathways which can also have genetic aberrations leading to sluggish detoxification. 

Genetic testing can now be done to determine if you have any aberrations in detoxification. In the case you do, it can be helpful to take certain supplements and nutrients to support the under-functioning pathway(s). 

Affect of Heavy Metals on Mental Emotional Health

Heavy metals like Mercury, Lead, Arsenic, Aluminum are toxic to our bodies even in small amounts. Despite this many heavy metals still cross our paths in everyday living. If they do enter our bodies they can be difficult to remove because they are bulky, difficult to bind, and our detoxification systems are sometimes inadequate at removing them. Some are removed but many are deposited and stored with fats in our adipose tissue. If by chance these heavy metals get lodged in the membrane that separates the blood in the body from the blood in the brain (know and the blood brain barrier), there can potentially be serious mental and emotional problems. There is no hard evidence to support this but there are sound logical extrapolations.

For instance we know from un-refutable research that many brain cells sit in close proximity to this "blood brain barrier." We also know that heavy metals change the cellular responsiveness of the cells that they come in contact with and those close by. A good example of the effect of heavy metals on brain neurons is the effect of lead. Lead toxicity can and does cause or increase seizure activity. It is also well accepted that seizure activity and bipolar disorder share some close similarities in terms of cause and treatment. We know this most notably by the well established use and effectiveness of anti seizure medications to treat bipolar disorder. Therefore, if lead causes seizures and seizures share many commonalities with bipolar, it would make sense that lead exposure could be a contributing factor to bipolar disorder. Equally plausible is the effect of other heavy metals and environmental toxins on mental health issues like bipolar disorder, moderate and severe depression, generalized anxiety disorder, ADHD, etc. 

To our knowledge no actual research has been done to look at removing heavy metals as a treatment for mental and emotional disorders. The type of heavy metal and its proximity to different receptors on the brain cell will have varying decrease of destabilization on one's emotional state. This could be further impacted by the ensuing inflammation and immune response to the heavy metals.

How do you know if you have heavy metals in your blood brain barrier? Currently there is no way to know this but there is a test for checking your overall heavy metal burden. If you have a significant amount of heavy metals in your body, there is a good chance some are effecting your brain functioning as well. As discussed above, removing them could and should create an improvement your mental state. 

Obesagens and the Weight Loss Puzzle

The term obesagen was recently coined and refers to the impact of environmental toxins on human metabolism, more specifically weight loss. Xenoestrogens from plastics and perfumes as well as the abundance in hormones in the animal products we consume give our bodies an added burden metabolically. Obesagens have been shown to increase insulin resistance, fat accumulation, and hunger. Many researches agree and think the toxins in our food are more problematic than the calories themselves. 

It is likely both but the calories and the toxins. If you are someone who continues to struggle with weight loss despite doing "everything right", this may be your problem.

Affect of Toxins on Mitochondrial Energy System

Environmental toxins are just that, toxic. They damage the cell membrane and cellular components they come in contact with. One of these components called the mitochondria, are particular susceptible. The mitochondria, also known as the batteries of the cell and are responsible for generating energy. Through this process they create a lot of free radicals that are potentially harmful to the mitochoindria and the cell itself. The mitochondria have a built in mechanism for handling these free radicals and are normally efficient at removing them, however. When and if additional chemical toxins are introduced this efficiency can be compromised. 

It turns out that toxins create similar free radicals as the mitochiondria do. If the added burden is not handled it can lead to cellular death from the or just decreased energy production. 

Environmental toxins impact on Insulin Receptors

Diabetes and insulin resistance are increasing in our society and around the world. In most cases Type II Diabetes Mellitus is found in those who are overweight but there are a growing number of people with Diabetes, PCOS, impaired fasting glucose, and other glucose intolerances that are quite thin. This counterintuitive relationship is very common in China and the Diabetes link is thought to be from exposure to toxic chemicals. 

As mentioned above toxic chemicals can cause insulin resistance. The insulin resistance is thought to be mediated through changing specific insulin signaling at the Ppar Gamma receptor.  

The above are all great reasons to remove toxins from your body but how do you go about doing it?

Decrease the Toxic Burden with a Spring Detox

The best way to minimize the toxins in your body is to decrease your daily exposure and periodically focus on removing toxins from your body with a detox. Using a specialized detox program is essential but this should be in conjunction with removing your biggest sources of exposure. If you suffer from any of the above you may benefit from a specialized detox program at Southwest Integrative Medicine. 

We are now offering a spring detox program to enhance your elimination of toxins. Spring is naturally the time for your body to detoxify as Spring is a time when the liver energy is more active. In this detox program you will get:

• A specific diet that is hypoallergenic to minimize exposure to toxins. 
• Detox shake that helps enhance phase one and phase two detox.
• Chlorella which is a natural binder and remover of heavy metals.
• Liver support to minimize damage and enhance function.
• Additional detoxification information and lifestyle support.