How to detox your water and air

 

In this blog we focus on reducing the pollutants in our water and air so that what we  drink and breathe does not add to the toxins building up in and around us.

Remember our metaphor a motorway with five lanes of cars all converging at a toll gate and causing a massive traffic jam? It is not enough to just open more toll gates and get the cars out faster. We also need to reduce the flow of cars from the lanes leaning into the toll gates.

As I said in my introduction to this series, wisdom teaches us to be methodical. We need to be practical and proceed step-by-step to detoxify our water and air.

Water

Did you know that thirst lags behind the body’s actual needs for water? This means most people wait to feel thirsty before drinking water and

Every-day the body loses approximately 2.8 litres of water through sweating, exhaling, passing urine and bowel movements. For the body to function properly, this water needs to be replaced through water-containing drinks and foods.

The water we drink is so important for our health. The body is made of approximately 66% water.  Water is vital to the body because it is needed in every biological process, chemical reaction and mechanical action.  Our brains, muscles, organs and digestion are dependent on it.  It is essential for our health and we need to replenish supplies regularly.

Unfortunately, tap water is not always as pure as we would think. Traces of chemicals such as chlorine, fluoride, pesticide and herbicide residues, and pharmaceutical drug residues are found in our tap water.  Although these levels of toxins are considered to be safe, experts argue that over the long term, these accumulate within the tissues of the body possibly causing long-term health problems.

The most important thing is to make sure the water you drink is as pure as possible and that you are drinking as much as you need to.

 

Hydration

First step: Be conscious about hydration and dehydration. A mug of hot water, with a slice of lemon and ginger, first thing in the morning helps the body remove the build-up of toxins.  One glass before bed helps prevent dehydration throughout the night.

End goal: Food usually provides the body with 20% of its fluid intake therefore consuming 2 litres of water with a normal diet will replace lost fluids. Be aware that drinks such as coffee, tea, alcohol and concentrated juices can dehydrate the body and deplete the body of its own reserves.

Top tips:

• As a general thumb of rule, our bodies need 35ml of drinking water for every kilo of body weight (if people want to work out how much they should be drinking!).
• Water should not be drunk at meal times as it dilutes stomach acid which can affect nutrient absorption. It is best to wait to drink for 1 ½ after meals and stop 30 minutes before meals.

Pure Water

First step: Purify your water supply. Use a NSF-certified water filter if indicated (Pb, As, Cd, trihalomethane, atrazine, benzene, etc.). Instead of tap water, drink bottled mineral water in glass bottles to avoid potential chemicals that may leach from plastic bottles.

End goal: You are familiar with the water filter that remove bacteria and parasites. You might also like to consider investing in a water distiller or reverse osmosis, which will remove the most pollutants from your water.

 

High-quality Water

First step: Ensure beneficial minerals are in your water. Electrolytes and minerals in drinking water can be easily absorbed and have health benefits for the body. You can add a small amount of bicarbonate of soda and pure Celtic salt to drinking water to add more minerals and aid hydration.

End goal: If you decide on a distillation or reverse osmosis process, you can replace the minerals in the water by adding some mineral drops before drinking.  Concentrate trace mineral drops available from Higher Nature are a good recommendation.  Add about 5 drops to each litre of water.

 

Showers and Baths

First step: I have talked briefly about the importance of sweating out toxins – washing away the sweat and toxins afterwards is vital! Avoid using new vinyl shower curtains (danger of phthalates) and make sure your bathroom is free of mould and has good ventilation.

End goal: Consider buying a filter shower that will purify the water from chlorine and OCs.

Sauna and Shower

First step: Take cold showers to close the pores of the skin, especially after a sauna. As you know, the skin is a major organ in which we both excrete and absorb toxic substances like heavy metals. If you warm the skin in a sauna, you open the pores and the metals can be excreted. Afterwards  it is a good idea to have a cold shower so the skin closes the pores and toxins cannot get back in.

End goal:  Take more cold showers in general! There is a lot of evidence that cold showers help decrease anxiety, boost your well being and contribute to overall health.

 

Air

Fresh, clean air is as important as pure water! Air quality is closely linked to pollution and while many of us are aware of air pollution due to chemical contamination in busy city centres, we often overlook the contaminants in our own homes. Considering the fact that we spend so much time at home and that many of us struggle with allergies, we need to look closely at the quality of the air we breathe at home.

 

Clean air

First Step: bring fresh, clean air into your home by opening the windows! Even if it is cold, opening the windows can let in fresh air and reduce chances of mold.

End Goal: Filter air in your bedroom and office using filters, ionizers or plants that reduce airborne toxins. You can also use air purifiers which tackle gases, vapours and VOCs.

 

Bathroom:

First Step: Close the toilet lid before flushing so that no contaminated back spray gets into the rest of the bathroom.

End Goal: Keep the extractor fan on in your bathroom to reduce steam and excessive moisture that can lead to mold.

 

Reduce toxins:

First Step: Throw away all perfumed candles, air fresheners or plug-ins, and scented trees from your car. Many air fresheners employ carcinogens, VOCs and known toxins such as Phthlates.

End Goal: Use only beeswax candles and buy some house plants such as peace lilies which help purify the air and reduce airborne toxins. Plants can remove a significant percentage of benzene, formaldehyde and TCE as well as many other toxicants.

 

More helpful information:

 

Mold

Mold can make an insidious and silent contribution to chronic illnesses. Mycotoxins are produced by fungi/mold which can infest buildings, vehicles and foodstuffs.  Fungi/mold is able to grow in warm wet environments such as inner walls, under wall paper and windowsills.  These fungi then release mycotoxins which can cause different chronic disease. If you want to identify mycotoxin exposure and make recommendations for detoxification treatments that have been effective, contact me for more information about the Mycotoxin laboratory test and read more here.

 

Allergies

Allergies are often linked to air quality. Find out more about allergies in my blog posts here and consider keeping a journal of your symptoms and activities which could give more insights the root causes. A stool analysis can also be very helpful because gut issues are often linked to allergies, providing more evidence that a healthy gut is also a healthy body!

Breathing exercises

The most important thing is to make sure you are breathing correctly, and all research shows that this means through the nose not the mouth. Nasal Breathing has many, many physiological benefits compared to mouth breathing. Ideally, we all should be breathing through our nose with our lower belly (diaphragm) moving in and out rather than our chest.

• Try to exhale completely to empty your lungs.
• Use diaphragmatic breathing rather than shallow chest breathing.
• Use square breathing, or box breathing, which slows the breath to 6 counts on the inhale, hold, exhale, hold pattern as visualised in the 4 sides of a square.

You can read more in my blog on Optimal Breathing here.

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