Toxins: the buzzword that’s permeating conversations and creeping into our daily routines. From skincare to household cleaners, these insidious substances seem to lurk around every corner, prompting questions and concerns about their potential impact on our health. But amidst the chatter and confusion, there’s a pressing need for clarity and action. How should we respond to the omnipresence of toxins? Should we succumb to fear or dismiss it as unfounded paranoia? Neither path offers a viable solution for safeguarding ourselves and our families. Instead, it’s time to adopt a new approach: education.

Interestingly enough, toxins are not always man-made chemicals. They can also be made by nature. An example of this is mold. We all come in contact with mold. But too much or certain types of mold can be extremely harmful. And the effect can even be different for each individual. I know. I am living out this truth right now in the form of an illness that was brought on by mold. So yes, absolutely be educated!

Our bodies were designed to get rid of toxins through a process called detoxification. It is truly amazing how our body works and heals itself. Here is what is important to understand about detoxification: nutrients are required for this process to take place. Without nutrients the toxin will be reabsorbed into the body and will have to start the process all over again. If not eventually eliminated, toxins will find places to hide in the body, mostly in adipose tissue (fat) but some toxins also go into bone, such as lead, or even the brain, such as mercury. When toxins are not eliminated the first time around you will suffer with more inflammation, oxidative tissue damage and cancer causing free radicals.

So what you eat really does matter! Nutrients do not just appear in the body. You must get them through your food. This is why it is so important to get those fruits and vegetables. I always encourage my clients to make sure they are eating detoxifying foods such as cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts – to name a few), allium vegetables (onions, garlic), and berries.

On a side note – it is also crucial to have regular bowel movements. If you are not “going” at least once a day then your body is reabsorbing toxins. I never allow one of my clients to do any kind of detox until they are good in this area. You don’t want to release toxins on purpose if there is no way to eliminate them from your body.

All toxins have to be detoxed and the more toxins you are coming into contact with the more of a toxin load you will put on your body. You can understand why you may not be feeling well if you are coming into contact with a lot of toxins and not getting the nutrients you need to get them out. To help reduce this load, besides getting in the nutrients that help with the detox process, you also need to reduce the amount of toxins you are coming into contact with. This is not as hard as it may sound. As I stated before, there are toxins in skin care products, personal hygiene products, cleaning products, makeup, nail polish, and the list goes on. You want to simply begin replacing products with cleaner, healthier options. I always have my clients do this gradually to control getting overwhelmed and to control the expense of replacing products. Pick one to start with and then begin replacing with natural products.

The good news is that there are so many wonderful products out there without these chemicals. The Environmental Working Group has a tool called ‘Skin Deep’ with lots of information on healthy and safe products to use: www.ewg.org.

Dawn Mills

Dawn is an AFMC (Applied Functional Medicine Certified) Practitioner (https://afmccertification.com/)

She resides in Virginia and enjoys spending time with her 4 grown children and 13 grandchildren. Personal health challenges started her on a journey that led her to this field of study and ultimately coaching other people in addressing their own health challenges.  She applies the principles of Functional Medicine, finding the root cause of a disease dynamic, to her coaching, educating her clients and helping them make the lifestyle changes necessary for  addressing issues such as autoimmune disease, insulin resistance, hormone imbalance, gut health, and infertility. 

Dawn provides one-on-one coaching, coaching groups and classes.

Feel free to reach out with questions –  [email protected]