In no way am I advocating that existing in a constant arousal and fearful state is something to aspire to, but I can see why some have. Have you heard what’s out there? Now, it’s not just found in our genetically probed and pesticide ridden foods, it’s in our chemical water, or off-gassing from our mattress, carpets, and cars. Recently, even our own communication devices are now being found to zap our brains with free radicals. In fact, this summer the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) released a report on cell phones having a possible link to cancer. Today, it seems as if there is nowhere that’s safe for our bombarded bodies (and those weekly newsletters reminding of us of this could be contributing to our adrenal burnout!).

I’ve discussed the background of the toxicity of our world several times before:

The fact is, we can’t get away from our toxic environment!  Approximately 100,000+ chemicals are used in commercial industry today with about 25,000 (25%) being reported as hazardous to human health. The CDC ‘s Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals of 2010 was a 529 page “summary” of how different aspects of environmental chemicals can harm us. The average volunteer of this study had over 200 chemicals, 75 of which had never been seen in prior studies, in their blood and urine samples!

Nasty chemicals and pollutants are prominent in the gas we pump, the carpet we walk on, the paint in our house, the apple we eat, and the “water” we drink. Therefore, even the most pure and obsessive can’t shelter themselves from exposure! It’s like a (bad) Friday the 13th movie; we never know what else is going to turn the corner and stab at our poor, little, innocent, livers who are just trying to clean out our blood!

Fear is a natural instinct; it’s not something to relinquish but rather something to investigate in order to allow for a rational response pattern. In this case, surrounding ourselves in a big bubble may be a tempting option, but there exists other support measures that are a little less intense. The trick (pun intended) is finding ways to move from that deep limbic emotional brain into an empowered, rational response via the executive function of the prefrontal cortex. Part of the way to protect your body is educating yourself on the problem in order to find a solution; therefore, these weekly newsletters serve a purpose rather than just an adrenal stress!

Good news for me is that I’ll be in Arizona December 8-11 studying another certification course from the Institute for Functional Medicine on Detoxification and Biotransformation. (Hopefully, I will not be too terrified to ride the plane and come back). As part of my registration, I was given the gift of several webinars and wanted to share more facts with my readers on this topic.

One of the reasons that I was prompted to take an advanced training in detoxification is due to the fact that everyone is affected. I’ve seen this most recently. Since Irene, I’ve been shocked with how many of my clients are experiencing “odd” symptoms that come and go, especially in relation to the seasonal upswings of the mold count. Whenever someone has symptoms that wax and wane, my first thought is to assess for an environmental issue causing a stressed out liver.

Dr. Mercola recently discussed this environmental concern of toxic mold:

Illnesses caused by mold exposure are a growing problem that few people are aware of, including most primary care physicians, and can develop into serious chronic illness and a syndrome called Mixed Mold Toxicosis.

Unfortunately, there is no precise formula for rebuilding perfect health if you have been damaged by mold or its toxins. No one set of interventions will work for everyone. Treatment depends on many factors—the type of mold you were exposed to, length of exposure, your overall health, medications, allergies, genetics, and a host of other factors.

Your best approach is to find a well-informed physician who has expertise in environmental medicine. Together you can devise an appropriate treatment plan, based on your own unique physiology and situation.

That said, there is much to be learned from those who are on the other end of what you’re going through. You are definitely not alone! By finding some good resources and arming yourself with the best information, you’ll decrease the amount of time-consuming “trial and error” along your path to recovery. Many people have suffered for years because they simply didn’t have information like what I am presenting in this report.

One excellent resource is the book Mold: The War Within by Kurt and Lee Ann Billings. The Billings learned the hard way about the damaging health effects of mold—and the level of ignorance about mold’s effects by the medical profession as a whole.

Whether its mold, diesel, mercury, or lead, some common symptoms are very vague and include: headaches, heart arrhythmias, skin and nail changes, muscle aches, digestive disturbances, changes in weight and appetite, fatigue, and mood imbalances. Still, it’s not in everyone that is affected to a tipping point, why?

The issue is total toxic load. According to Dr. Sult:

TOTAL TOXIC LOAD= Total Toxic Exposure – the Ability to Mobilize, Detoxify, and Excrete Toxins

Therefore, there’s more to the picture than just the exposure of a toxicant. How well one detoxifies and excretes is a major factor that constitutes if someone will experience symptomology from  the mold in the basement, a leaky lead pipe, arsenic off-gassing from playground or deck wood (or non-organic chicken!), persistent organic pollutants contained in their meat, and pesticides in GMOs (equivalent to dioxin exposure to agent orange).

In conventional medicine, it’s not something that’s discussed; however, in Naturopathic and Functional Medicine, it’s a big topic. This is because biotransformation in the liver doesn’t just affect our detoxification of chemicals, but also assists in hormonal balance, inflammation, cholesterol formation, and fat and vitamin absorption. Therefore, detoxification is always part of the holistic approach to health. In my view, the problem is not just if someone will react, but when, and if it’s recognized to prevent future complications in symptoms.

The good news is that know that’s known that by just breathing, we are exposed, an easy way to speed the body’s clearance of toxins is to supply it with what it needs to clear them! For example, various nutrients must be present in order to effectively allow the biotransformation of these toxins to be excreted verses reabsorbed into our bloodstream. Specifically, deficiencies in certain nutrients can create a sluggish clearance or create excess free radical damage, harming various tissue structures.

Examples of nutrients include: amino acids from healthy protein sources, antioxidants such as coQ10, fiber, probiotics, and vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin C, E, B, magnesium, and selenium). Other keys for staying healthy in a chemical world include:

1.       Eating Organic

2.       Using a filtered water system

3.       Diffusing therapeutic Essential Oils which help neutralize and kill airborne toxins and increase oxygenation

4.       Using Safe and Organic Personal Care Products and Household Items

5.       For mold (Dr. Mercola):

•  Most primary care practitioners are not trained to treat mold poisoning, and their approach is limited to prescribing steroids and dangerous antifungal medications, many of which are liver-toxic. Recovering from a mold-induced illness requires an integrative approach under the guidance of at least one knowledgeable healthcare practitioner.

• The most important aspect of recovering from mold toxicity is starving the fungi out of your body with an antifungal diet, and avoiding foods likely to be mold-contaminated.

•  Probiotics, select herbs, air purification, and other natural therapies have been found to accelerate recovery

What about Cell phones?

Oram Miller provides a very comprehensive webpage concerning position papers on the science of and the safe use of computers, cell phones, smart meters, earthing, chips, ect….

References:

Robert Rountree, MD. Toxins and Biotransformation Part I: Genetic and Environmental Determinants: Toxins & Toxicity. IFM. Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice. Baltimore, Maryland. September 2011.

Tom Sult, MD. Regulating Biotransformation Using Diet, Lifestyle and Nutraceutical Strategies. IFM. Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice. Baltimore, MD. September 2011.

Oram Miller, BBEI. The Health Effects of EMFs. Designs for Health Clinical Rounds. (teleseminar). October 26, 2011.

Oram Miller, BBEI. CreateHealthyHomes.com. http://www.createhealthyhomes.com/about.php

Merocola, J. Forget Antibiotics, Steroids and Medication – Starve This Toxin out of Your Body. Mercola. com. November 01 201http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/01/recovery-from-toxic-mold-exposure.aspx?e_cid=20111101_DNL_art_2

Be sure to check out my informational blog on Saratoga.com which includes:

1. Naturopathic Philosophy Highlight Fun Facts:

a.       Prostate Cancer & Fish Oil

b.       B vitamins and Brain Health

c.       Video on What you Need to Know about the Flu

2. Upcoming Events!

a.       This Thursday, November 3rd, for Practitioners: What Every Doctor Should Know About Drug-Induced Nutrient Deficiencies. Contact Applied Nutritional Services: (518) 226-0197 or email ansny@nycap.rr.com

b.      Upcoming Essential Oils Workshops with Terry Quigley and Lori Mershon at the Healing Garden. Contact Terry at 518-831-9469

3. Radio For Your BodyMind-Soul: I Can Do It Hour

Diane Ray
October 31, 2011 A Survivor’s Guide to Kicking Cancer’s Ass with Dena Mendes

Join Diane Ray as she interviews Dena Mendes, ND as they discuss Dena’s personal survival tips on how she survived metastatic breast cancer. In this 47 minute podcast, you’ll learn how Dena suggests snapping out of the victim patient role and creating an empowered role when diagnosed with cancer.

Core Balance for Women’s Health
Marcelle Pick

November 1, 2011 Healthy Body, Healthy Sex Life

Join Marcelle as she welcomes Dr. Anna Cabeca for a powerful discussion of women’s health issues. They share tips for sensual living as well as discuss different causes of sexual dysfunction. Tune in to learn about restoring health and balancing hormones for a healthier self and sex life.

4. Book of the week: A Survivor’s Guide to Kicking Cancer’s Ass with Dena Mendes

5. Don’t miss out: