We live in an environment with unprecedented exposure to toxins. In the 20th century, toxin exposure in the USA increased by 1500%. We are exposed to over 80,000 industrial chemicals throughout our lives. These toxins can have a detrimental effect on your immune system.
In his foreword to The Autoimmune Epidemic, Dr. Douglas Kerr, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, says that “there is no doubt that autoimmune diseases are on the rise and our increasing environmental exposure to toxins and chemicals is fueling the risk. The research is sound. The conclusions, unassailable.”
Below are three ways you can decrease your toxic load.
- Eat Organic-Organic foods have less chemicals in them due to the standards used to grow them.
- Decrease Use of Plastic- Some ways to do this include using glass bottles and glass storage containers for leftovers and other food, decreasing your use of canned foods (most cans are lined with BPA and the food absorb toxins from the lining), and use metal or glass containers for lunch boxes and snacks for your family.
- Drink Pure Water- Our water sources have toxins in them as well. Start with drinking filtered water and cooking with filtered water as much as possible. Take it a step further and get a whole house filter or shower filter so you can bathe with water that the toxins have been removed from.