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According to renowned integrative medical doctor and osteopath Garry Gordon, MD, DO, MD(H), in the foreword that he wrote for Create a Toxin-Free Body and Home…Starting Today , studies reveal that newborn babies today are born with more than 200 different types of environmental toxins in their bodies. It is a myth that when babies enter this world, their bodies are pristine and toxin-free. If this is true, then just imagine how many more toxins those of us who have been on this earth 30, 40, 50 years or more have accumulated in our bodies!
Sadly, we have polluted the earth with a multitude of chemical, radioactive and electromagnetic toxins, which have soiled our food, air and water supply, and in turn, our bodies and homes. The truth is that we are all full of harmful toxins such as heavy metals, phthalates, PCBs, dioxins, GMOs, pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, pharmaceutical drugs, radiation, and more. What’s worse is that these toxins may affect people with chronic illnesses such as Lyme disease more than the average person, since such people already tend to have compromised immune and detoxification functions.
And it isn’t just that people that have Lyme disease or another chronic illness are more susceptible to the effects of toxins. Rather, environmental toxins can be a huge part of the reason why people get sick from infections and/or other causes in the first place. Most chronic, degenerative health conditions and diseases today; everything from heart disease, to cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s, ADD, autism, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, and Alzheimer’s, are caused largely by toxins. A hundred years ago, these types of diseases were rare, if they existed at all. In conventional medicine, most of these diseases are managed with drugs, as their true cause remains masked and hidden to the afflicted.
So many people who have undiagnosed and chronic symptoms such as fatigue, pain, depression, anxiety, insomnia, headaches and allergies, are really suffering from the effects of environmental toxins upon their bodies. Toxins cause inflammation, disrupt and destroy enzyme systems, metabolism, and other biochemical and electromagnetic processes.
Fortunately, by identifying and removing these toxins from our bodies and homes, we can heal from Lyme disease or other “mystery” illnesses and experience a reduction in or complete elimination of our symptoms. Environmental toxins are sometimes only part of what is making us sick- but more often than not, if we will remove them from our bodies, we will experience radical, accelerated healing from whatever else ails us.
It may not be easy to identify the things in your environment that are making you sick. Toxins are often invisible and you don’t feel their effects at the time that you are exposed to them. But as you begin to remove them from your body and home, you may notice your symptoms abating; your energy increasing, your thinking becoming clearer, your sleep improving, and aches and pains disappearing.
This process doesn’t happen overnight. For me, it took years, and I discovered that it’s not just enough to take some chlorella or do a sauna once a week, although these things certainly are helpful. While doing one or two things to get rid of toxins is better than doing nothing, we seriously underestimate the problem of toxins if we think that one or two therapies or supplements is enough to stay become, or remain, healthy. Removing and avoiding toxins is a multi-faceted endeavor and we all need to do a variety of things in order to live a long, healthy life, or recover from the health conditions that ail us.
I found all of the following helpful in my recovery process:
1) Eliminating genetically-modified, antibiotic and growth-hormone laden food from my diet. The body wasn’t created to ingest hormones, chemicals and antibiotics on a daily basis. I know organic food is expensive, but so is being sick.
2) Avoiding talking on my cell or cordless phone for hours daily. I would also turn off the circuit breakers in my bedroom at night, and turn off my Wi-Fi and cell phone before going to bed. Electromagnetic pollution disrupts the body’s natural electromagnetic field and can hinder healing.
3) Getting rid of all my chemical household cleaning and personal care products. Studies have linked the chemicals in these products to a variety of chronic neurological and degenerative diseases. For instance, Alzheimer’s has been linked to the aluminum in deodorants; cancer has been linked to chemicals found in lipsticks, and the list goes on. If you go to the medical database PubMed.org and do a search on these subjects, you’ll see what I mean.
4) Testing my home for mold. According to renowned integrative medical doctor, W. Lee Cowden, MD, in Create a Toxin-Free Body and Home…Starting Today, mold is one of the most damaging toxins to which we can be exposed, and according to mold expert Ritchie Shoemaker, MD, in his book, Mold Warriors, a full 25% of the population cannot detoxify mold. Many integrative medical doctors have found mold to be a contributing factor to symptoms in people with Lyme, so it’s essential to find out whether mold is making you sick, and then ask your doctor to help you to do something about it.
5) Doing simple detoxification therapies several times per week. This included things like sauna therapy, coffee enemas, liver cleanses, body brushing to stimulate lymphatic flow, and exercise. I continue to do all of these therapies today, to remain healthy.
For most people, toxin removal is essential to recovery, and I believe that by cleaning up your body and home, you will be able to recover more quickly from Lyme disease or whatever condition(s) ails you.