—Why do we need to think differently about how we live day to day for good health and a slim waistline!

by Dr. Eric Wood

Perhaps more than ever before in human history, we are facing a daily onslaught of toxins that many people are largely unaware of.  From air pollution to dangerous chemicals in cleaning products and cosmetics to hormones and antibiotics in dairy and meat, pesticides in produce to chlorine and fluoride in municipal water supplies, this list unfortunately seems to grow every year!  That is why it is so crucial that we all take DAILY steps to support our detoxification systems as well as take steps to reduce our exposures.  Let’s talk about a few simple, yet effective daily strategies!

1. Learn what is in your cleaning and personal care products and avoid those items with unpronounceable names!   If you can’t pronounce, and don’t know what it is, odds are high that it won’t be beneficial for you and may likely be harmful!  Every year, approximately 1000 new chemicals are introduced into the North American marketplace, most of which are never tested for human safety.  The Environmental Working Group has a great, free database that evaluates thousands of such products for safety and efficacy called Skin Deep.  Take advantage of this by checking it out: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep  and seeing what you need to change out in your daily routine!
2. Start your day off with a detox tea or some fresh squeezed lemon in water.  Companies like Traditional Medicinals or Gaia Herbs make great, all around liver supportive detox teas which can be a great way to start your day off, by getting you hydrated after a full night’s rest and encouraging the liver to process out toxins.  Lemon is known as a liver stimulant as well and the bitter/sour flavor of lemon encourages bile flow, helping again with processing toxins as well as getting the digestive juices to start flowing in preparation for breakfast!
3. Consider taking a couple of broad spectrum detoxification supplements such as curcumin or milk thistle.   Both of these herbal extracts support both phase I and II detox pathways in the liver, which is crucial for you to be able to metabolize the toxins as well as excrete them successfully out through the bowels.  Moreover, they do other great things for you, such as help to quell inflammation and act as powerful antioxidants in the body! 
4. Sweat regularly!  Many individuals don’t realize or forget that our skin is our largest organ of elimination.  So one of the best ways to help you cleanse from the inside out is to sweat!  Whether that is via exercise or saunas, both can be very therapeutic and support good elimination, so you don’t hold onto such toxins, which inevitably we all get exposed to at least to some extent, as unfortunately so many aspects of our worlds are polluted nowadays!
5. Buy organic and get a good water filter for your home!  While this may entail a bit of additional expense, studies have illustrated that organic produce has dramatically lower levels of pesticides and often higher levels of many nutrients.  Additionally, municipal city water is often full of trace amount of various contaminants, including even medication residues!  Opt for a reverse osmosis system if possible or at least a very high quality charcoal filter to minimize your exposure to such items and make sure to change your filter(s) as recommended!  Make sure to include ones on your showers as well as often people can absorb more toxins in a daily shower than from the tap, according to some research!

Remember the key here is that we do these things ROUTINELY!  Once every week or two isn’t enough with the toxic onslaught we’re facing nowadays to stay healthy, so we need to be mindful with our routines and remember, just like it is important to bathe and shower regularly on the outside, we have to clean out our insides as well!