Tag: chemicals

Toxic build-up

Today’s post is about Toxic build-up and the human body.

First, what is a toxin?

Scientists and doctors don’t have a clear definition of a toxin. They can be the waste products that our body naturally produces, like carbon dioxide. They can also be environmental contaminants which include physical, chemical and biological pollutants and organisms.

We are surrounded by thousands of industrial chemicals. They are in our air, food, water and household products. They come from pesticides, herbicides, smoke, flame retardants (chemicals that make things resistant to fire), and other chemicals used in factories.

We are exposed to these chemicals or toxins on a daily basis. They are in cleaning products, processed, non-organic foods, and food additives. There are also chemicals in personal care products and cosmetics, common kitchen items such as plastic food wraps, containers and non-stick surfaces.

Many of these chemicals have been tested for safety. However, not much is known about the long-term health effects. We know even less about mixtures of these chemicals. What is known is that some of them, like persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have been connected with heart disease, cancer, hormonal problems, growth problems for children, and brain problems.

Is it real or just hype?

It is real. Scientists at the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sampled a number of people living in the United States. Their research revealed that every person in the United States has small amounts of chemicals in their bodies. They even found 200 industrial chemicals, pollutants, and pesticides in newborns. These were absorbed during pregnancy and then via breast milk.

This is what many health practitioners, nutritionists and dietitian’s call ‘toxic build-up’.

This build-up can interfere with our body’s ability to heal itself, therefore compromising the immune system.

How do we get rid of toxins?

Our body has built-in ways to remove toxins. For example, our body produces carbon dioxide when it converts food to energy. Carbon dioxide is a waste product or toxin, and we get rid of it by breathing it out. Other organs that help remove toxins include the liver, skin, kidneys, intestines, lymph nodes, and blood vessels. In addition to breathing out, we remove toxic products through urine, feces, and sweating.

What about a ‘detox’?

Historically people used fasts, saunas, leaches, and practiced bloodletting to ‘purify’ or ‘detox’ their body. There have been only a small number of studies on “detoxification” programs in people. While some have had positive results on weight and fat loss, insulin resistance, and blood pressure, the studies themselves have been of low quality.

There have been no studies on long-term effects of “detoxification” programs.

However, there are ways to reduce our exposure. Studies have shown that when changes are made to diet and lifestyle, reducing the absorption of toxins, the body can more effectively remove them. This is a way of ‘detoxing’.

Reducing intake of processed foods and alcohol, eating fresh, organic produce. Use natural cleaning products. Consider the ingredients in the products you put on our skin, because much of what goes ON you ends up going IN you.

 

We also did a bit of our own research and found that in Australia there are several different regulatory standards, depending on how the product is classified.

The one common standard in Australia, the US and the EU that we could find is ‘skincare and cosmetics must have a list of ingredients on the label, regardless of whether it is toxic or not.’

So, take the time to read labels and make yourself familiar with the most common nasties. By buying smarter, you can reduce the toxin load on your body, helping it to work better and keeping you in better health.

Till the next post,

Live Clean and Prosper

Sources – U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention – National Library of Medicine – University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health

 

Nails, are yours absorbing toxic chemicals?

Today I’m going to write about nails. I was talking with a work colleague this week about Acrylic manicures and whether they were ‘toxic’.

For 20 years I used to get acrylic coatings on my nails. I didn’t mind that over time this process made my nails thin and weak, because that is how they are naturally.

It is only in recent years that I stopped this practice. I became more aware of the damage that some chemicals can do to our body.

Not many people are aware that our nails are in fact porous and that water can pass through more easily than normal skin. Any moisture that collects underneath the surface of the nail would ordinarily evaporate, passing through the porous structure of the nail. The presence of an artificial nail or a polish impedes that.

With these facts in mind I was concerned that any of the chemicals used in the acrylic manicure could be absorbed through the nail.

The research…..

I have done a lot of research online to clarify this, but have found so much conflicting information.

One study I found did reveal that some chemicals used in some nail polishes are absorbed into the body.

“Duke University researchers and a non-profit organisation called the Environmental Working Group, conducted the study.

The study found evidence of a nail polish chemical in the bodies of women who used popular nail polish brands. The researchers discovered traces of triphenyl phosphate, or TPHP in all of the study’s participants just 10 to 14 hours after they painted their nails.

TPHP has been linked to changes in hormone levels including endocrine disruption. In addition, previous studies in animals have found connections between the chemical and adverse developmental and reproductive problems.

The group’s research found that not only did TPHP exist in many popular nail polish brands, also that several polishes did not list the chemical in their ingredients.” (Source http://www.dukechronicle.com/)

What to do…

So, after all this I still am unsure about acrylic & gel. I am however convinced that we absorb some chemicals through our nails as the Duke University study revealed. With this in mind I probably won’t go back to using acrylic. However, I do use a nail polish that is free of triphenyl phosphate and other chemicals such as – toluene, formaldehyde and DBP (dibutyl phthalate).

We all make choices that contribute to our health and this is just another way for me to minimise my exposure to unnecessary chemicals.

Till the next post,

Live Clean n Prosper

Food and the Food Industry

Today I’m going to write about the ‘food industry’.

Scott and I watched a documentary this week called ‘Food Inc.’

‘Food Inc.’ exposes America’s industrialised food system and its effect on the environment, health, economy and workers’ rights. It’s also driving a campaign to encourage people to become actively involved in fighting for  a healthier food supply.

The documentary explains how in the space of a few generations the food system has been transformed.

From humble farm origins to a highly efficient commercial entity. A business controlled from seed to supermarket by a small number of large multinational corporations.

So, how relevant is its analysis to the Australian context?

There is a common lesson. Control of the food system by large corporations supported by government policies driven by the almighty dollar, has resulted in a food system that is a commercial success, but at what cost to public health.

Australia’s processed food is in the hands of 10 big players, and that is not taking into consideration the control that Woolworths and Coles have in the industry.

The food manufacturing industry is Australia’s largest manufacturing sector, accounting for $111 billion and almost one in six jobs. Its peak body, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC), wields enormous power.

The AFGC

The AFGC aims to shape a regulatory environment that increases the profitability of the food and beverage sector. Its approach generally involves a seat at the policy table arguing that food industry regulation is unnecessary or flawed.

It uses three main tactics to do this.

First, it pre-empts government regulation by introducing its own voluntary schemes.

Like many self-regulatory schemes, there is no formal sanctions for non-compliance, and relies instead on peer pressure and companies’ fear of damage to their reputations.

Then, there are the initiatives focusing on the exercise side of the energy imbalance equation that is leading to population-wide weight gain. Given a choice, the food industry would prefer us to move more, rather than consume less.

The AFGC’s third tactic is to influence policy, and it seems the efforts are paying off. Parts of its wish list came closer to being granted in the recent federal budget. This included cutting funds to the National Preventive Health Agency and National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health.  (Source – http://theconversation.com)

So what does this mean in regards to our food? If the AFGC is only interested in increasing the profitability of the food industry, how healthy is our food?

Foods subjected to processes such as high levels of heat, light, and/or oxygen, suffer nutrient and vitamin losses. These are then replaced with manufactured vitamins and nutrients. There is plenty of information available about the chemicals used to make some foods look better and last longer. There is not yet a lot of information available about the long-term effects of some of these chemicals on the human body.

How many times have you gone to the supermarket and picked up products to read the labels and not been able to understand anything on them.

Real Food

A wise man once said, ‘real food doesn’t have ingredients, real food is ingredients.’

Real food is food that has not been processed at all or food that looks similar to its original state. There are some foods that require processing such as flours, milks, butters and cheeses.

In an effort to know what we are consuming, we try to buy very little in the way of ‘processed’ foods. It is easier to understand how different foods affect your body when you know what you have eaten.

Until the next post,

 Live Clean n Prosper