The second deep dive into detoxification looks at your environment. As you know, detoxification is not just about removing toxins and harmful foods from our diet, it also includes our the environment we live in, the water we drink, the air we breathe, the clothes we wear and what we put in our body.

Our environment is intrinsically connected to our physical and mental health. The places where we spend a lot of time are closely linked to our health and well-being.

Detoxing our environment is one of the first things we can do to ‘turn the tap off’. If you remember our metaphor of a sink full of dirty water that is clogging up the drain, you will remember that we need to turn off the tap first before we start cleaning the sink and drains. What can we do to create a toxin-free environment in which we can heal and thrive ?

This blog will focus on detoxifying your home, but all of the steps can be applied – if possible – to the other places where you spend a lot of times. Before we dive in, let’s find out where you want to finish and what you want to achieve in a simple exercise. Give yourself a few minutes of reflection. Set a timer for 2 minutes and visualise the environment that feels good to you – what does it look, feel, smell, and sound like? Jot a few notes or draw an image that will be a good reminder for you as you begin the journey of detoxifying your environment.

 

How do you know if you are exposed to toxins?

It is a good idea to keep a diary of your symptoms. Note any allergic symptoms you experience, along with where and when you experienced them. Also note any other factors that may be contributing to symptoms (such as where you are – indoors or outdoors, any odours or scents, any food or drink you’re consuming when symptoms occur).

Do you have contact or exposure to metals, dust, fibres, chemicals, fumes, radiation, or biologic agents through your job or your hobbies? Can you smell the chemical or material you are working with?  Do you use protective equipment such as gloves, masks, respirator, or hearing protectors?

Has there been a change in the health or behaviour of other family members or pets? Are pesticides or herbicides (bug or weed killers; flea and tick sprays, collars, powders, or shampoos) used in your home or garden, or on pets?

Detoxing your environment might seem like a mammoth task, but be patient. While it is true that it may take longer than you think, you can rest assured that every change you make is reducing the daily toxic load that you absorb and inhale every day.  Awareness of hidden, harmful chemicals and taking a proactive approach is what is needed to make your environment healthy!

 

Identify external stressors

External stressors such as exposure to mould, heavy metals, plastics and other chemicals can negatively impact kidney and liver function and lead to declining health, disruption of the endocrine system, and changes in immune health.

Mould

Mould is often found in carpets, textiles, and inside surfaces, especially on window frames. It has been associated with hypersensitivity pneumonia, sinusitis, and asthma. Houseplants can easily grow mould, so you can keep on the dry side to decrease mould growth.

 

Harmful chemicals

From perfumes and scented products, like candles or soaps contain volatile organic compounds, to fire retardants and chemicals in furniture and paint, many chemicals are allergenic as well as toxic. Toxic chemicals and contaminants that accumulate in our fat tissues and organs, increasing our overall toxic residue lead to many medical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and multisystem complaints such as fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivities.

 

Endocrine disruptors

Endocrine Disruptors are chemicals that confuse your body by increasing or decreasing the production of various hormones. They can also imitate hormones and interfere with their normal function, disrupting  fertility, cognitive function, metabolism, and immunity. Endocrine disruptors include Bisphenol-A or BPA, organophosphate pesticides, mercury and lead.

 

Dust mites

Dust mites are microscopic creatures that thrive on dead skin scales we shed. They seek out soft materials like pillows, blankets, mattresses, and other fabrics that make it easy for them to hide. If you have a an allergy to dust mites, this can cause your body to release histamine which then upregulates your immune system and exasperates autoimmunity.

 

Examine your house room by room!

Kitchen

Use this straight forward and accessible checklist to make a start on detoxifying your environment…starting in the kitchen.

• Cleaning products

First step: Take TWO cleaning products and swap them for natural products, for example Ecover products or sodium bicarbinate and vinegar.

End goal: Swap ALL your cleaning products that have bleach and ammonia for more natural products. Choose fragrance-free and solvent-free detergents and cleaning agents.

• Storing and preparing food

First step: Make sure you don’t use plastic products to heat food or store/cover hot food and use a wooden chopping board instead of plastic to avoid micro-plastics in you food.

End goal: Use glass to store ALL food and do not use plastic wrap.

• Cooking and heating food

First step: Be mindful of how you cook and re-heat food. Use oven and stove where possible.

End goal: Avoid using a microwave and an air-fryer (air-fryers release harmful gases and volatile compounds). Switch your plastic kettle for a stainless steel kettle.

• Kitchen utensils and cookware

First Step: Identify the healthiest pots or pans in your kitchen (without ‘Teflon or non-stick’ coating) and use those for making food this week.

End Goal:  Get rid of ALL Teflon pots and pans and use stainless steel, cast iron, or enameled or anodized aluminum cookware.

There are a few more important changes to make with regard to what foods you keep in your kitchen. I will cover this in much more detail later in this guide, but it is worth mentioning here as well. Firstly, if you have seed oils in your kitchen, take this opportunity to switch them for healthy fats such as olive oil, coconut oil and butter and ghee. Secondly, if you have lots of processed foods in your cupboard, start to read the back of the labels and consider which ones need to be thrown out.

Bedroom

• Bedding

Smart Step: Make sure your sheets are 100% cotton and wash bedding in hot water every week or fortnight.

End Goal: Replace your mattress with natural fibres such as wool or coconut coil and make sure all your bed clothes are natural fabrics.

• Heating

First Step: Keep ALL electronic devices and blue light devices out of the bedroom and switch them off two or three hours before sleep.

End Goal: Turn the temperature down and the lights down. Keep your bedroom dark and cold for good sleep. Keep windows open as often as possible

• Relaxation

First Step: Keep your bedroom clean and tidy for less stress

End Goal: Identify and implement routines conducive to healthy sleep patterns (more about this in a later blog!)

• Allergies

First Step: Wash bedding regularly or use allergen-proof bed covers and pillowcases

End Goal: Monitor air purity and invest in a HEPA filter in bedrooms

Living Rooms

• Dust-Free

First step: Dust with a damp cloth and vacuum or mop floors weekly

End goal: Keep relative humidity in the home below 50% to prevent dust mite growth

• Toxin-free

First Step: Air out dry-cleaned clothes outside with the plastic cover off before bringing them inside. Dry cleaners use perchloroethylene as a solvent, which is allergenic as well as potentially toxic.

End Goal: Remove shoes you’ve worn outside when entering your home to avoid bringing in lead, pollen, and pesticides.

• Furniture

First Step: New furniture also gives off some nasty carcinogenic chemicals including formaldehyde, so try to air them outside before bringing them into the house.

End Goal: Reduce exposure to all fire retardants, especially polybrominated diphenyl ethers or PBDE (eg in reupholstering foam furniture or old carpets with padding underneath that may contain PBDEs).

• Walls

First Step: Limit exposure to chipped or peeling wall paint if you are concerned about volatile organic compounds in old paintwork.

End Goal: Consider ‘toxin-free paint’ paint alternatives when doing home improvements or re-decorating your home.

• Clean air

First Step: Remove all aerosol air fresheners or plug-ins

End Goal: Replace all air fresheners for candles made with beeswax (not paraffin wax) or diffusers with essential oils.

 

Bathroom

• Skincare and Hygiene

First Step: Find or make a natural toothpaste that doesn’t have fluoride.

End Goal: Swap all your skincare and hygiene products for items with safer ingredients.

• Chemical-free

First Step: Get rid of shower curtains that release hormone-disrupting phthalates into the air.

End Goal: Identify harmful chemicals such as parabens by reading ingredient labels. Look for methylparaben, propylparaben, isoparaben, or butylparaben and replace these products with healthier alternatives.

• Cleaning products

First Step: Throw away old cleaning products that have been lying around for a while and replace them with an all-purpose, nontoxic cleaner.

End Goal: Replace ALL cleaning products with an all-purpose, nontoxic cleaner. Use natural cleaning and disinfecting agents such as sodium bicarbinate, citric acid, castile soap, and vinegar which is a natural antibacterial and a good all-purpose cleaner.

Functional Laboratory tests can help identify levels of substances such as heavy metals, environmental pollutants, or mycotoxins from mould exposure. These tests can also identify the body’s detoxification capacity and unique ability to process and remove these toxins from the body. Additionally, blood analysis gives more detailed information about what is going on inside your body through a range of different blood markers. If you would like to see how blood, urine, and hair analysis can provide insight into toxic exposure see the Functional Laboratory tests that are available here and talk to me in your next consultation!

 

With every blessing,

Emma

 

Emma Maitland-Carew – Registered Nutritional Therapist

Dip.ION, mBANT, CHNC Registered Practitioner, ILM Accredited Wellbeing Coach

Certified Live and Dried Blood Analysis, Metabolic Balance® Coach, HeartMath Coach, Accredited Wellbeing Coach