Well, it has been a while since our last blog post here on the website. A lot has happened over the last 16 months. Most of which I am most assured no one wants to reminisce about. With that being said, we will move forward. If anything, we may post a 2020 year in review video on our Facebook page (pending it is approved of course by the social media overlords of censorship). I digress though.
The topic of discussion today is one I will be co-hosting a podcast on in a couple weeks with Colton Zeck on the Silver Bullet Podcast… DETOXIFICATION!
Basically, detoxification is your $10 word for elimination of wastes/toxins in the body. In order to begin eliminating toxins from the body, we must first understand: 1) What are toxins/where do they come from? 2) How are they impacting the body/what systems are involved? 3) How do we remove/protect/prepare ourselves from them in the future?
What are TOXINS/where do they come from?According to Oxford Languages tox·in /ˈtäksən/ noun plural noun: toxins an antigenic poison or venom of plant or animal origin, especially one produced by or derived from microorganisms and causing disease when present at low concentration in the body.
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Toxin is truly a loosely defined term though as we know pollutants, synthetic chemical irritants (cleaning supplies, detergents, household products, soaps, shampoos, etc), agrichemicals (herbicides, fungicides, pesticides), heavy metals, processed foods, medications, plants, animals, and even people have the ability to create toxicity within us. Essentially, a toxin can be anything that has the ability to create dysfunction and disease inside a living organism. These toxins can be broken down into 4 simple categories though of chemical, biological, physical, and radiation. As much as I truly dislike Wikipedia they have made a great description of these 4 categories with specific examples from each:
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Chemical toxicants include inorganic substances such as, lead, mercury, hydrofluoric acid, and chlorine gas, and organic compounds such as methyl alcohol, most medications, and toxins. While some weakly radioactive substances, such as uranium, are also chemical toxicants, more strongly radioactive materials like radium are not, their harmful effects (radiation poisoning) being caused by the ionizing radiation produced by the substance rather than chemical interactions with the substance itself. Disease-causing microorganisms and parasites are toxic in a broad sense but are generally called pathogens rather than toxicants. The biological toxicity of pathogens can be difficult to measure because the “threshold dose” may be a single organism. Theoretically one virus, bacterium or worm can reproduce to cause a serious infection. However, in a host with an intact immune system, the inherent toxicity of the organism is balanced by the host’s ability to fight back; the effective toxicity is then a combination of both parts of the relationship. In some cases, e.g. cholera, the disease is chiefly caused by a nonliving substance secreted by the organism, rather than the organism itself. Such nonliving biological toxicants are generally called toxins if produced by a microorganism, plant, or fungus, and venoms if produced by an animal. Physical toxicants are substances that, due to their physical nature, interfere with biological processes. Examples include coal dust, asbestos fibers or finely divided silicon dioxide, all of which can ultimately be fatal if inhaled. Corrosive chemicals possess physical toxicity because they destroy tissues, but they’re not directly poisonous unless they interfere directly with biological activity. Water can act as a physical toxicant if taken in extremely high doses because the concentration of vital ions decreases dramatically if there’s too much water in the body. Asphyxiant gases can be considered physical toxicants because they act by displacing oxygen in the environment but they are inert, not chemically toxic gases. As already mentioned, radiation can have a toxic effect on organisms. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicity
How are toxins impacting the body/what systems are involved? The simple answer is, toxins impact every system of the human body physiologically. The key is looking deep into the most basic workings of the human body, the cell.
Toxins ultimately attack the innermost workings of the human system from the cellular level up. From damaging permeability to the cell wall impacting the internal organelles within all the way to disrupting normal organ and tissue function leading to an inability to repair and heal. This leads to the root of all disease patterns in the body. The most detrimentally impacted systems which lead to chronic disease and dysfunction from toxicity include digestive, lymphatic, endocrine/exocrine, and neurologic.
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How do we remove/protect/prepare ourselves from toxins in the future? This is also a very simple answer, and yet it is the most difficult feat to accomplish: live a truly healthy lifestyle.
How do we attain health? If you’ve been a long-time reader, you’ll know way back in 2018 before Lindsey and I got married, we approached this topic in a 4 segment series (New Year, New You!) where we outline physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness. If you want, you can refer back to those on our blog section! Although time has passed since then, the principles still remain the same. My simple approach these days has been to treat your body as a temple designed by God with nourishment from the sources HE created, perform activities suitable for the body HE created yours to do, and surround yourself with people who are on mission to serve HIS purpose here on earth. These are the controllable variables. But what about the things we can’t control?
I will tell many, if not all, of my patients to give those burdens to God in prayer and fasting. Now I say fasting in a couple ways. In one way, fasting needs to be spiritual to help us align ourselves with our Creator by removing any and all distractions so we can listen to His guidance. In another way, it can be an incredibly useful tool of detoxification of the body physically. Not all people are designed to be able to fast though. There may be a specific season of life, congenital disorder, chronic illness, or other type of issue that may lead someone to be unable to fast. This is why it is important to seek professional help and consult your physician prior to fasting at any level. It is also important to reference with resources and guides to fast appropriately if you are trying to achieve a specific health goal. Dr. Jason Fung, MD wrote a publication, “The Complete Guide To Fasting” which would be a phenomenal resource for anyone looking to detailed guidance after physician consultation.
Another avenue to eliminate toxins in the body is to perform specific detox programs and nutritional protocols based upon the specific type of toxicity, organ system(s) involved, and level of toxicity. I want to state this as delicately as possible though for any MLM detox junkies; detoxes, cleanses, purges, flushes, or whatever you want to call them. PLEASE STOP AND BE HONEST. Cellular, organ, and whole body detoxification takes complete lifestyle modification, specific protocol approaches, and TIME to be done appropriately in order to eliminate wastes and heal the root cause of the problem. A 2 week series of shakes and juices with supplements and meal plans can be a step in the process, but it won’t be the golden ticket. I may delve into this world a bit more on the podcast with Colton in a couple weeks or make it the second blog post of the year sometime next month. The basic premise of a pure detox needs to be addressed appropriately and in the correct order. Our friends at CELLCORE Bioscience have done a great job of outlining these steps.
Disclaimer: CELLCORE produces effective detox products, but they are not the only source to achieve the proper outcomes. We can order CELLCORE Bioscience products or develop specific protocols based upon specific testing in office. Step 1: Address energy and promote drainage Step 2: Develop appropriate gut and immune support Step 3: Produce a full body immune support against any and all types of pathogens Step 4: Perform a systemic detox Step 5: Continue a deeper immune support to protect from future pathogenesis CELLCORE Comprehensive Protocol
In our office, we also perform specific gut dysbiosis protocols with specific individualized nutritional plans (Paleo, Food Intolerance Test Meal Plans, Mediterranean, etc) to heal the gut prior to patient’s using any specific supplement, herb, or homeopathic formula to enable increased absorptive function. This is why timing is so important. Ultimately, if our bodies are not absorbing them correctly, we will excrete them as waste and create a lack of bioavailable nutrients. This reduces our chances of impacting the body in a positive way from our genetic code to cellular organelles to tissues up through the rest of the biologic chain of command designed by our Creator!
There are some great ways to help the body in this functional release of toxins as well. I will dig into some these processes more with Colton on the Silver Bullet Podcast episode to air in a couple weeks.
In order to protect/prepare ourselves from toxins, we have to create an environment in and around us that is suitable for life. We must develop an internal health that is appeasing and complimentary to God’s design through how we live, interact, and function. We also must look to where we were formed.
7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. Genesis 2:7 ESV
SOIL. This is also another topic of discussion I would love to refer to Dr. Zach Bush, MD and his knowledge base on sustainable health. Although I don’t agree with everything Dr. Bush believes in, he has an incredible insight to the complexities of human health and regenerative health and food systems. Learn more by checking out his website! I have a few colleagues and patients who are very well versed in this topic as well. We may have some guest posts regarding this topic of discussion in the future! So stay tuned for that!
There are specific herbs and nutrients that can help us in the protection battle against toxins as well. These are usually termed adaptogen herbs and nutrients. Some dynomite adaptogens include: shaga and reishi mushrooms, ginseng, maca root, ashwaghanda, eleuthero, rhodiola, and schisandra. It is best to consult your physician or healthcare provider before starting any of these herbs though depending on your current state of health or disease.
WOW! That was a bit intense of an initial post back. Maybe making up for lost time I guess. Future discussions and posts should be some more quick hitters. With that being said, stay tuned for more to come in 2021 regarding health, wellness, family, and home!
As always, in health and Christ,
Dr. B
