Toxic Lifestyles

We are exposed to countless inflammatory toxins every day in our external environments, through our air, water, food and commonly used consumer products. These toxins come in many forms – some common examples include heavy metals such as lead and mercury, pesticides and herbicides, gases (carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide), aromatic carbon compounds (benzene, toluene), pthalates, polychlorinated biphenyls (PBCs), dioxins and furans, even some therapeutic drugs (diphenylhydantoin, lithium) and natural products such as antibiotics and plant alkaloids, just to name a few.

The inflammatory effects of environmental toxins on our bodies are well documented. According to a World Health Organization report, poor environmental quality accounts for 25% of the world’s preventable illness. Research shows that chronic exposure to toxins creates inflammation in the body, and worsens existing inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, cancer, obesity and fibromyalgia. Environmental toxins can also trigger auto-immunity in the body, also an inflammatory process, and can induce auto-immune conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, scleroderma, myasthenia gravis, pemphigus and autoimmune thyroid disease. It is evident from the wide scope of toxin-induced illnesses that no body system is immune to these damaging substances, and this fact was proven in a large scale study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which found toxins stored in fat tissue in every part of the body.

There are many specific examples of toxins triggering specific inflammatory responses in the body. Auto-immune conditions, specifically collagen vascular diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and scleroderma, are often triggered by environmental toxins. In these conditions, the immune system makes antibodies and attacks normal proteins found in the body, resulting in inflammation in the blood vessels and connective tissues such as the synovial lining of joints.

Many toxic drugs, foods and air pollutants are believed to induce these conditions; one striking example of this is a prescription drug used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, procainamide, which triggers lupus in up to 25% of cases. Another potential trigger for lupus is malathion, a commonly used pesticide. Studies also show that workers in certain industries such as farming, mining and forestry suffer a higher incidence of rheumatoid arthritis compared to other industries, which is attributed to environmental toxins associated with these occupations. Food intolerances are also linked to rheumatoid arthritis; studies have found that animal protein-free diets (ie. vegan diets) help to improve symptoms of the condition, by virtue of their lack of inflammatory proteins.

Click on the Natural Detoxification section to learn about ways to naturally reduce your body's exposure to toxins and increase your chances of living a healthy, active, disease-free lifestyle.