Detox Your Life: My Toxic Top 10

Detox Your Life

Ready To Detox Your Life?

There is nothing more important than discussing how chemicals of all sorts are profoundly compromising our health and well-being. When new clients start on their journey towards better health, there is no better way to learn how to keep themselves safe than pointing out the Toxic Top 10 offenders: “5 under their roof” and “5 under their nose”: all destroying the body’s ability to get well.

When you think about our modern-day environment, it is no mystery why so many people are struggling with their health. Since World War Two, 80,000 new chemicals have been created, with 1,500 new chemicals each year. Testing is insufficient at best: 10 will be tested for their neurotoxic effect and NONE will be tested to see how they react with other chemicals (the synergist effect).

Because most cleaning chemicals are protected by trade secrets, many companies are not required to disclose all ingredients. In fact, they are including ingredients that are proven carcinogenic (cancer-causing) with neurotoxic (brain disruptive) effects, with no ramifications. What a shame for our world and our children.

As I discuss the ability to detox your life and the toxic top ten, imagine a beautiful stream (your internal environment). Downstream we are emptying toxins, attempting to make our environment better (our detoxification organs); while upstream, there is such a flood of chemicals that we just can’t keep up with the onslaught. This is one reason why people get sick today. The following list is a reminder of the toxins surrounding us in daily life and solutions to protect you from toxic overload.

#1 – Household Cleaners:

Household cleaners contain neurotoxic, cancer-causing ingredients. When you spray them on your counter, you inhale the fumes that go right into your airways and gut from contaminated food that contacts the sprayed surfaces.

Solution: Natural options like Seventh Generation Spray cleaner.

Furniture polish contains many toxic chemicals (see list below) that remain on your furniture.

Solution: Purchase non-toxic polish or make your own natural furniture polish as follows:

  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • Optional: a few drops of your favorite essential oil
  • Simply shake ingredients in a glass jar and apply with a soft cloth to naturally clean and polish hardwood furniture

Toilet Bowl Cleaners off-gas dramatically for hours in your bathroom as your children are breathing in these unseen fumes.

Solution: Try Ecover brand cleaner.

Dishwashing Detergent can be very toxic. Toxic chemicals in the soap combine with chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals in our city water forming a toxic gas. When we open the dishwasher, we are then showered with those chemicals. It is very dangerous indeed.

Solution: switch to an all-natural, safe detergent like one from Seventh Generation.

Fabric Softener is estimated to have 6 neurotoxins, which are considered endocrine disrupters (known for their ability to alter hormones). Also, they can cause weight loss resistance, the state wherein one cannot lose weight regardless of diet and exercise. When patients have thrown out their commercial fabric softener, their migraines disappeared and they were finally able to drop stubborn pounds.

Solution: Use wool dryer balls which are chemical free, soften fabric, and decrease drying time up to 25%. My pets love them!

Laundry detergents contain carcinogens that have easy access to your pores and bloodstream, especially the scented varieties.

Solution: Try Seventh Generation or Life Tree laundry detergents

The following list gives you an idea of some of the toxins contained in these household cleaners:

  • Formaldehyde – Found in furniture polishers, car cleaners, disinfectants, rug, and upholstery cleaners, and toilet bowl cleaners.
  • Ethylbenzene – Found in bathroom tub and tile cleaners, floor and furniture polish, laundry starch preparations, and rug upholstery cleaners.
  • Petroleum Distillates (Petrochemicals) – Found in furniture polish and cleaners, lubricating oils, pet flea, and tick products and collars, petroleum products, floor and furniture polish, dishwasher cleaners, aerosol sprays, and laundry detergents.
  • Chlorine – Found in dishwashing detergent, laundry detergent, kitchen, and all-purpose cleaners.
 Note: Any substances containing chlorine, when mixed with ammonia, toilet bowl cleaners, or vinegar, will produce deadly toxic fumes (chloramines or chlorine gas).
  • Benzene – Used as optical brighteners (in surface cleaners, laundry and dishwashing detergents, surface polishers) and found in general performance sealants (PVAC, butyl, vinyl, etc.), laundry starch preparations, lubricating oils, scatter rugs, bath mats, and bath sets.
  • Butyl Cellosolve – Found in window cleaners and other all-purpose-cleaning products.
  • Phenol – Found in disinfectants, antibacterial, antiseptics, hard surface cleaners, paint and varnish removers, and synthetic resin and rubber adhesives.

#2: Furniture, Carpet, and Appliances:

Furniture: Most furniture is made with materials known to cause respiratory problems, breast cancer, and even leukemia over extended periods of time. Even furniture made of pressed laminated wood (which is used to make both inexpensive and expensive furniture) contains formaldehyde, which is extremely poisonous and makes its way into your airways. Also, beware of furniture pads containing polyurethane and different petrochemicals that off-gas continually.

Solution: Solid wood furniture with non-toxic glue, natural cushions (made of down and wool), and natural fabrics (cotton, hemp, linen).

New cabinets can be extremely toxic as they off-gas VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that negatively affect indoor air quality.

Solution: Check out innovative companies such as greenbuildingsupplies.com, which sell safe sealants that contain the off-gassing and provide carbon inlays that will pull out these harmful odors.

Mattresses and Pillows: The last thing you want to do is sleep on a mattress and pillow that is off-gassing chemicals while you sleep. But sadly, the majority of mattresses today are made using petroleum-based chemicals, foams, plastics, and flame-retardants, linked to illness. Note: Flame retardants are compounds added to manufactured materials, such as plastics, textiles, surface finishes and coatings that stop or delay the production of flames to prevent the spread of fire. Studies show that flame-retardants are present in the body of almost everyone in the U.S., and are known to cause hormonal and neurological damage.

Solution: Get 100% wool (antibacterial), organic cotton or real rubber pillows, and consider natural pillows.

Carpets: Some of the major chemicals released from new carpets and furniture are formaldehyde (levels still high after the 2nd year), benzene, toluene, and xylene. The carpet fibers themselves, the rubber backing, the glues, dyes, fungicides, and stain resistant treatments all off-gas these chemicals for up to three years after installation. And be careful with old carpets as they can be filled with mold spores.

Solution: Solid hardwood floors (bamboo is attractive and sustainable), cork flooring, and wool carpet. Get more healthy flooring ideas here.

Dry Cleaning chemicals are known to cause neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson’s disease. Most dry-cleaning shops in the U.S. use perchloroethylene as their primary solvent, a toxic chemical with human and environmental health concerns.

Solution: There are many natural dry cleaning shops available today. Always leave your dry-cleaning unwrapped in the garage or outdoors until the smell dissipates to be safe.

Electronic devices and appliances are sprayed with brominated flame retardants (BFRs) that compete with iodine (needed to make thyroid hormones) and can cause thyroid problems,

Solution: If you buy new electronics or appliances, allow to off-gas outside on a sunny day (be careful to watch for weather changes). The heat will dissipate the smell, but it might take some time so be patient.

#3: Water

City water is full of fluoride, chlorine, medications, hormones, antibiotics, birth control and psychotropic drugs (they alter our serotonin levels) and fish are literally transforming from female to male because of the presence of these hormone disruptors.

Solution: My suggestion is to buy a reverse osmosis water filtration system. Save up for a whole house filtration system because the amount of chlorine absorbed and inhaled in a 10-minute shower (without a chlorine shower filter) is equivalent to drinking 10 cups of tap water.

#4: Air Quality:

Our homes are so efficiently sealed that chemicals are getting trapped because our houses don’t breath. Good air filters are necessary to take out pollen and dust, and an ERV (energy return ventilator) brings in the fresh air and lets out stale air.

Air conditioning units can be challenging because when they are shut off, condensation builds up and mold forms in the ducts. When the unit is turned on again, mold spores are blowing throughout your home. Please review CHTV Episodes 93: Mold Remediation and 74: Creating a Healthy Home.

Solution: Ventilate, off-gas, choose products with low VOC’s, freshen the air by diffusing natural essential oils, and run a fan all the time, especially in the summer months.

#5: Mold:

Biotoxins from mold affect leptin receptors. Leptin regulates hunger and tells the body to burn fat for energy. When disrupted, it can cause weight loss resistance, hormone dysregulation, and even cause unexplained pain. Conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, insomnia, and other unexplainable illnesses can be linked to mold exposure.

Toxic molds may not be seen but can come about as a result of water leaks. Controlling humidity is also essential to keep mold from growing. In CHTV episode 93, mold and home inspection expert, Dan Howard, notes that if your home humidity levels are over 50, mold will grow. Unfortunately, some people have a more difficult time getting rid of these biotoxins, causing their toxic bucket (which is already loaded with other toxins) to overflow. These biotoxins get trapped in deep tissues and can turn on bad genes.

ERV’s (as noted above) not only help dilute toxins but also help control humidity by bringing in the fresh air, which has a big impact on humidity. Homes are built today airtight which not only increases toxins in the air but humidity as well. Air exchange is key for a safe home today.

Solution: If mold is an issue, proper and safe remediation must take place. Once toxic mold has been removed, we have a safe and effective detoxification system called the IDS system, which contains GCEL (removes biotoxins like mold from the cells) and BIND (binds to chemicals and biotoxins accumulated in the bile that have been dumped in the gut). To enhance and accelerate detox, add CytoDetox™ drops which cross into the cell and grab toxins and heavy metals, bringing them into the gut where BIND can remove them from the body.

For additional information on creating a healthy home environment, please watch the following CHTV episodes: 73, 74, 75 and 93.

#6: Food:

We all know how toxic foods included in the Standard American Diet can be. But, we now need to talk about glyphosate. Recently, I did an interview with Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a senior research scientist at MIT who has published many papers on the damaging effects of glyphosate. Glyphosate is the #1 herbicide/pesticide and is in every non-organic product, and sprayed on grains before the harvest to increase the yield and profits. According to Dr. Seneff’s studies, this herbicide pokes holes in our gut and affects the shikimate pathway, where we make a lot of brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. Glyphosate also is linked to autoimmune conditions–article, food allergies, and sensitivities, dementia, autism, diabetes–article, heart disease (disrupts cholesterol sulfate) and uncontrolled weight gain.

Solution: Avoid all conventional grains, and choose organic produce and grass-fed, pastured animal products whenever possible (since we are what we eat).

Note: For a health-promoting diet, recall the principles of my Cellular Healing Diet: no conventional grains or toxic fats and upgrade to high-quality animal protein (only GRASS-FED and ORGANIC).

Toxic Fats: Vegetable oils are toxic fats that drive cellular inflammation. Canola oil is rancid oil that drives inflammation as well. Moreover, eating fats that come from healthy animals is vital because when cows eat genetically modified grains (instead of their natural diet of grass), it imbalances ratios of fat in the meat. Add in antibiotics, steroid hormones, and other drugs found in conventionally raised meat and this equals a recipe for disaster.

Solution: Check out my article on healthy fats with recipe ideas and avoid turning good fats into rancid fats by taking the following precautions: :

  • High Heat: Use only animal fats (tallow, ghee, bacon fat) coconut butter, coconut oil, avocado oil.
  • Medium Heat: Use olive oil. It will turn rancid when heated above 120° F. If it smokes, it has already turned rancid. Butter is also a good option, but if it starts to brown then it has become rancid.
  • Baking: Butter, coconut butter, expeller-pressed sunflower or safflower, and olive oil can be used in baking if the temperature is less than 325°. In a hotter oven, use butter, olive oil, avocado oil or coconut butter.
  • No Heat Oils: Cold-pressed oils, olive oil, flax oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, hemp seed oil, almond oil, and walnut oil. These oils all have very fragile fatty acid bonds and should be used raw on salads, other cool foods, or smoothies.
  • Cookware
    • A Teflon pan heated at a regular cooking temperature has been shown to release at least six toxic gases, including two carcinogens, two global pollutants, and MFA, a chemical lethal to humans at low doses.
      Aluminum pans hold a similar problem. It’s no secret by now that aluminum cookware is being linked to neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis, extreme nervousness, anemia, headache, decreased liver and kidney function, forgetfulness, speech disturbances, and memory loss.

Solution: In my home kitchen we use Scan Pan cookware products that are environmentally friendly and non-toxic.

#7: Amalgam Fillings:

Most readers know my story of being mercury poisoned (R1). I developed CFS and chemical sensitivity, hormone dysregulation, anxiety, insomnia, brain fog, my thyroid was not functioning properly and my adrenals were exhausted. It is no wonder, because 50% of an amalgam (silver) filling is mercury, and it is proven that these fillings leach this toxic metal. The World Health Organization says amalgam fillings are not meant to be put into human beings, and most other countries, except the US, have banned them.

Before an amalgam filling goes into your mouth, it is handled as hazardous waste with guidelines from OSHA. But when it goes into your mouth, it is considered SAFE? And then the moment it comes out, it is again considered hazardous waste. Unbelievable.

Every year there is an outcry before Congress trying to ban these fillings because they are indeed a hazardous waste. But somehow, the AMA (American Dental Association) manages to push it through. In episode #30, biological dentist Dr. Derek Greico notes that they are afraid of the backlash because once they actually classify it as “hazardous waste”, it is obviously toxic to humans and there may be tons of lawsuits. We must consider amalgams are more dangerous in our mouth because of the acidic environment. Also, we are brushing our teeth, and drinking a hot liquid that makes the mercury vaporize even more.

Solution: Please, don’t run to get those fillings taken out by a conventional dentist. There is a specific and safe way it needs to be done. Here is a resource to locate a biological dentist in your area: IAOMT. I also teach our network of practitioners pre and post-amalgam removal protocols (call our office for more info on working with one of my trained practitioners). Please note that PompaCore Cellular Detox should not be performed for more than 3 months with amalgam fillings in your mouth.

#8: Vaccines/Flu Shots:

Flu shots still contain 25 mcg of mercury and many folks get them every year. Leading immunologists’ note that 5 consecutive flu shots over a 10 year period can increase your chance of Parkinson’s (and Alzheimer’s from other studies) 10 FOLD!

But with vaccines, it is not just about mercury (they have removed mercury in many vaccines). They still contain aluminum, formaldehyde, aborted fetus tissue and propylene glycol. Because they need to kill off viruses and bacteria, they must drive the immune system. Now I’m not saying to avoid vaccination and flu shots. However, I am strongly encouraging everyone to get educated before getting vaccinated.

Solution: The toxic load left in the wake of vaccinations and flu shots necessitate a greater need for PompaCore Cellular Detox. Please read my in-depth article on the PompaCore Cellular Detox™ process.

#9: Plastics:

Plastics are everywhere: we can’t escape them. The main problem with plastics is how they disrupt the hormone system (they are endocrine disrupters). A Duke University study gave groups of mice BPA (a chemical in plastic) and it turned on the agouti (fat) gene that made them obese, with other health challenges. Phthalates (another chemical in plastic) gets into our bodies driving hormone problems.

Solution: Please don’t put hot food in plastic containers, as heat will drive plastic chemicals into the food. And never microwave in plastic. In addition, canned foods have plastic in the lining. The acidity of certain food pulls the BPA, phthalates, and other plastic chemicals right into the canned food source. Choose BPA-free canned foods whenever possible. Also avoid styrofoam, which contains styrene, a cancer-causing chemical. If you drink lemonade out of a Styrofoam cup, for example, the acidity from the lemons will leach this chemical easily into the drink. And if you drink hot coffee out of a Styrofoam cup, you will be drinking a cup of styrene. Not good.

Other ideas:

  • Use glass for most of your storage. To minimize the big effects of plastic leaching, don’t place hot foods in plastic containers or bags. Let the food cool completely before storing. Fatty and acidic foods should never be stored in plastic containers. Also, prolonged refrigeration storage in plastic isn’t a good idea. Instead, you’re better off with leaving food on a glass plate or bowl and using plastic wrap over it to minimize contact (preferably so that the plastic isn’t touching the food at all).
  • Store food in mason jars. If you don’t want to purchase these, just clean out emptied glass jars and reuse them for storage. Reduce, reuse, recycle.
  • Drink filtered water instead of bottled water. However, bottled water would be better than tap water when away from home. Remember to avoid plastics with numbers 3, 6 and 7. BPA free does not mean that is necessarily safe.
  • Stainless steel and glass bottles are the best two alternatives for your water. To easily save money, you can buy a glass bottle of iced tea (or any other beverage in a glass bottle) and reuse the bottle for water once emptied.

#10: Toxic Beauty Products:

One of the highest exposures of BPA is toxic beauty products. Certain red colored lipsticks contain very high amounts of lead (lead is added for a smooth texture). And it is estimated that women eat 32 tubes of lipstick per year! With foundation or eyeliner that contains BPA, those tissues around the eye are highly absorbent and, therefore, extra vulnerable.

There are approximately 518 chemicals in makeup, body products, deodorant hair care, etc. that many people use in the morning, and approximately 125 ingredients are suspected of carcinogenic activities. Out of the 125, here are five that are in practically every personal care product used today.

  1. Diethanolamine (DEA) is found in over 600 home and personal care products such as soaps, lotions, cosmetics, bubble baths, laundry, and dish-washing detergents, and more. DEA is used to provide a rich lather in shampoos and maintain consistency in lotions and creams
  2. Propylene Glycol is a substance used in antifreeze solutions and hydraulic fluids as a powerful solvent. Ironically enough, it is also found in childhood vaccinations, cosmetics, toothpaste, shampoos, deodorants, lotions, and even processed foods (including pet foods). Propylene glycol helps products retain moisture, and when used on your skin, helps it stay soft and moist. That’s why it is found in most baby wipes and skin lotions.
  3. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is perhaps the most common of the three chemicals and by no means any less toxic. SLS is used as a surfactant to break down the surface tension of water. Therefore, it will break up grease and is used in concrete floor cleaners, engine degreasers, and carwash detergents. Unfortunately, the same degreaser is being used in practically every soap, shampoo, and toothpaste on the market today.
  4. Phthalates are dangerous chemicals found in plastics that cause endocrine disruption and cancer. Phthalates are also found in baby care products. A study testing the urine of 163 infants between two and twenty-five months of age found 80% of the infants had at least 7 phthalate metabolites in their urine.
 All infants in the study had detectable levels of at least one phthalate metabolite. Almost all of the mothers had used baby wipes and over half of the mothers had used baby shampoo on their infants within 24 hours of the urine collection.
  5. Nanotechnology is a newer technology that involves the manipulation of materials at the scale of atoms and molecules. To give you an idea of how small a nanometer is, a human hair is 80,000 nanometers in diameter. This technology is entirely unregulated and almost no testing has been done for its health effects. Nanotechnology is of a concern because it is now being used in virtually all personal care products from make-up to toothpaste and perfume. Unless you call the companies that manufacture your personal care products and ask if they use nanotechnology, there is no way of knowing if those products contain nanoparticles. Companies are not required to test nanoparticles or label them.

Solution: There are many non-toxic beauty products that can be purchased from health stores (Gabriel, Rejuva, Afterglow and many other brands). See the resources section below for recommended companies that sell safe hygiene products.

EMF’S: A Category of Its Own

We do have one last “bonus” category to mention: EMF’s (electric and magnetic fields). In our world today, this is a new hidden toxin. And if your toxic bucket is close to being full, and you continually expose yourself with your cell phone and other electronic devices, you are very vulnerable to EMF’s that can drive cellular inflammation—R4.

EMF’s are also being linked to cancer and tumors and they are everywhere: you can’t escape them. They emanate from your TV, computers, iPads, cell phones, hair dryers, and fans. And because they are so pervasive in our environment, EMF’s belong in both categories: under your roof and under your nose.

Solution: To learn more about the effects of EMF’s, please watch CHTV episode 213, where I interview an EMF and infrared frequency expert and offer many solutions and resources to decrease the impact of EMF’s. Such as putting your phone on airplane mode and getting an EMF reducing case, turning off WiFi at night, EMF absorbing rocks and crystals, etc.

In Review:

Let’s think back to the toxic bucket. It actually starts to get filled up in utero and as we are exposed to vaccines, toxins, and chemicals over the years, it gets filled. And when it overflows, that is where our symptoms begin: and that is why so many people are so sick. We want to empty our buckets with PompaCore Cellular Detox and keep those toxins out of our bucket by following these principles. You can’t expect to change all this overnight, but knowledge is power. Slowly remove these things from your life and you will start to see changes in your health. Detoxing your home and body is a huge step forward in realizing optimal cellular health.

Additional Healthy Home and Natural Product Resources