you will achieve best results by following the program 100 percent, you may customize it to fit your own lifestyle and schedule. If you’re not ready to go all the way, you may tailor it to meet your specific needs and still achieve positive results, making significant improvements to your health.
“Chemicals … from well-known toxins to newer compounds with unknown effect are building up in our bodies and sometimes staying there for years.” —“The Pollution Within,” by David Ewing Duncan, National Geographic, October 2006
We are living in a toxic and chemically polluted environment, and our health is threatened by the many chemicals and other pollutants in our air, food, and water.
Average people of all ages and races throughout the world are being inundated with thousands of chemicals that are invisible, odorless, and colorless, yet have a deadly effect on our bodies. Toxins include poisons, heavy metals, synthetic hormones and hormone-mimicking chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, cleaning solvents, and smog. These and many other substances are being absorbed into our bodies through contact with clothing, furniture, carpets, air, cosmetics, and the environment within which we live. Fortunately, our bodies are equipped with organs of elimination to clear away the accumulation of these toxins; however, when our organs are overworked, a buildup of toxicity occurs. Our health then suffers. We become fatigued, lack concentration, and become susceptible to sickness.
Many studies link environmental chemicals to the state of our health. Toxins disrupt normal metabolic functioning of the body, which, over time, can lead to conditions such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, asthma, infertility, neurological disorders, and inflammatory disease. Cancer and cardiovascular disease, arthritis, allergies, obesity, and many skin problems are among the main toxicity-related diseases.
Toxins can damage our health, the health of our children, and the health of our planet.
How serious a problem is this? How widespread? How toxic are we? The report Polluted Children, Toxic Nation (toxicnation.ca) contains the results of “the first Canadian study to test for harmful chemicals in children’s bodies, and the results show that Canadians, young and old, are polluted regardless of where they live, work, play, or go to school.”
Toxins can be found in:
• processed foods (additives, dyes, preservatives)
• animal products (hormones, steroids, antibiotics in meat and dairy products, and mercury in fish)
• mold-contaminated foods (peanuts and cashews may be contaminated with aflatoxin)
• rancid vegetable oils
• tap water
• coffee and tea
• tobacco
• antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals
• pesticides, herbicides
• city air
• heavy metals in soil
• plastic products
• petroleum-based chemical cleaning products
• carpets
• plywood and particle board products containing formaldehyde
• dyes
• commercial shampoos, cosmetics, body care products, nail polish, hair dyes
• perfumes, colognes, and other scented products
• deodorants containing aluminum chlorohydrate, methylparaben, propylene glycol
• bedding (foam and cotton mattresses and pillows contain fire retardants and pesticides)
• candles with lead-core wicks
• soft vinyl floors
• photocopiers and correction fluid (trichloroethylene/TCE)
See Making your home toxin free for more information on making your home toxin-free.
How toxic are you?
The following may be symptoms of toxicity:
• exhaustion, fatigue
• muscle and joint pain
• compromised digestion
• intestinal bloating or gas
• chronic constipation, diarrhea
• recurring headaches
• arthritis
• cardiovascular disease
• excess weight
• sinus problems
• asthma
• psoriasis, adult acne, rashes
• abnormal body odor and breath
• coated tongue
• metallic taste in mouth
• food allergies
• brittle nails and hair
• depression
• mood swings and anxiety
• chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia
• poor memory or concentration
• frequent colds and flu
• insomnia or over-sleeping
• powerful food cravings
• environmental sensitivities, especially to odors
Tip: A strong body and immune system can resist toxic overload and disease.
Why detox?
In our toxic environment, detoxification is crucial, a matter of survival. We are assaulted with pollutants daily, from environmental pollutants to the toxins produced by our own bodies as byproducts of normal metabolism, and most of these toxins are stored in our bodies as acid, mucus, or fat. Toxins slow down the body’s metabolism and lower immunity, leaving you feeling sluggish, heavy, tired—and ultimately causing illness and disease. Toxins can lodge in the organs, cells, and fat tissues, making it difficult to lose weight.
Our bodies are naturally equipped to eliminate harmful substances through the liver, kidneys, lungs, colon, skin, and lymphatic system. However, as toxins accumulate throughout the body, it can no longer keep up with elimination, leading to symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, aches and pains, coughs, congestion, and gastrointestinal problems. Long-term exposure can weaken our systems, increase our susceptibility to
