What do we know about "toxicity"?

I'd like to have some sort of discussion about toxicity because it's such a "hot topic" in the health realm these days and I've also noticed that this topic brings out a variety of opinions on these boards (some of them puzzlingly hostile).

I think the following are good to start:

• Do you believe that toxins accumulate in our system over time?
• If you do, do you think that this is something that warrants preventative action and/or treatment? In other words, is it really a big deal?
• How do you best prevent such a thing?
• How do you best rid yourself of toxins?

Without going into much detail for now, I answer yes to the first two questions and the last two are pretty complicated and of great interest to me.

I should also add that I'm talking about toxicity and general health, not toxicity and athletic performance (though that would be interesting for a different discussion).

 

I think I am going to get some of those foot pads to draw the toxins out of my system!

I think toxins are just a fact of life living in an industrialized world. I just try to buy as much organic/unprocessed foods as I can. Also a lot of water intake. Other than that and sweating them out I don't know if I buy into these other "detoxifying" methods. But I haven't researched it much either TBH.

 

I really don't buy into the toxins hype, but I do believe a good dry sauna a few times a week is beneficial.

I know too many folks who have lived HARD lives (working with cement or other chemicals, poor diet, lots of alcohol, cigarettes, etc) and have lived long lives. My grandma lived off cookies, smokes, and coffee for the last 10 years of her life and she made it to 85.

 

Grandma and Michael Tierra say kicharee will clean you up. Seems to work well on many levels.

 

Don't knock the foot pads. Stick one of those on your liver before bed. Quite an eye opening experience.

 

I think there's a big difference between living a long life and living a long and good life. I'm interested in this whole debate as well (haven't done much research on it yet). I don't want to hit 70 and get fucked up by accumulated toxins/poisons and be damned to live an inactive, senile, wreck of a human.

 

I wish there was a clearer consensus on this subject. Seems everyone either disagrees or is trying to sell a magic pill.

Here's a quick and relatively uneducated stab at your last two questions:

Avoid ingesting and breathing chemicals: tap water, engine exhaust, foods exposed to pesticides, pharmaceutical drugs, foods or liquids heated in plastic, cigarettes, etc.

By maintaining a diet of clean protein, nuts, seeds, organic veggies and fruits, and plenty of purified water, and by letting your liver do it's job while sweating during exercise or the aforementioned sauna.

 

"toxicity" is way too broad of a topic to discuss IMO. I seriously doubt there is a one size fits all solution to get rid of every toxin.

If were talking things like poison, I'd think a ton of water and the accompanying vitamins and minerals to prevent water intoxication would do quit a bit..

 

If I would have done that after this last weekend, I probably would have melted the pad. :icon_twis

 

Good point. Toxicity is waaay too big for just one post. A whole forum could be devoted to it.

But IMO, becoming somewhat toxic is inevitable. Humans are one of THE most toxic things on the planet (hence body bags and other post-mortem precautions). Everything around us is toxic in its own way, from water to air to food. You just have to stay as healthy as you can.

 

this is interesting because my own mom is a HUGE "alternative medicine" buff. she will throw about 100 different pills at me every year, which I always reject because quite frankly i just am lazy anyway.

one thing I am pretty diligent about though is WATER.

water is no doubt essential, but there is a lot of word (a lot of hype as well i believe) that it is really the source for good health.

i currently take the time to pour all of my water into a special container that has all these minerals at the bottom. i use it because my mom gave it to me, but now i use it out of habit.

the taste remains the same.

here is what the bottle claims to do:

1) mineral rocks to release calcium
2) zeolite ball to remove heavy ****ls
3) magnetized ball to incerase reduction power (WTF IS THIS??????)
4) magnesium alloy to generate acive hydrogen (uhmm... okay)
5) acivated carbon to assist in water alkalization

i think there is a lot of hype around the word "alkaline" at the moment and most definitely with heavy ****ls.

i realyl dont know what to think of this product, but i guess it doenst hurt to use it so i do for the sake of my mom.

would any of you take it?

 

I think it can be overblown, yet at the same time, in certain circumstances, there's been some serious cases of environmental toxicity.

There was a great write up in National Geographic about 6 month ago on this; the writer had a plethora of screening tests done, costing thousands of dollars; some toxins came back high, others low, and based on his geographical location and daily habits, they could pinpoint exactly where the source was. It was a sobering article, but it didn't get into any of the alternative detox methods.

Another well documented case if from some of the FDNY firefighters from 9/11; post-incident, a large number complained of respiratory complaints, generalized pain, malaise, and chronic fatigue. This group was treated with wet saunas and alternative cold shower therapy. They would steam for a set amount of time, get out, wipe down with a white towel, shower, and return to the sauna. In some cases, guys were staining towels PURPLE. Now tell me THAT'S not crazy.

Acute incidents and chronic heavy environmental exposure aside, I don't really see it as an issue with athletes that eat well and train from day-to-day.

 

Do you have a link to the product? Name?

 

The only things I know about Toxicity is "disorder, disorder" and "sacred silence and sleep." I have no clue what the hell he's saying the rest of the time.

 

There are lots of interesting comments so far. Good times!

I agree that there is an unfortunate lack of consensus out there about toxicity and that it is a very broad topic. It certainly does seem like some toxicity is inevitable in our world, but what I've noticed over the years is that what we consider--or know--to be toxic has changed and is still changing. For instance, there has been a stir as of late over the dangers of Bisphenol A, a chemical found in some plastic bottles (actually, there had been a stir in some circles over this for years prior to the recent boon of attention it has been given). Here's an article that just came out recently about Bisphenol A's presence in canned goods:

globeandmail.com: The hidden chemical in cans

What I find interesting is that there is a community, I guess you could call it, that has been vocal about the dangers of environmental toxins such as BPA for years. Some common (albeit somewhat oversimplified) culprits off the top of my head are:

Teflon (esp. when heated at very high temperatures), cleaning products, synthetic carpeting, detergents, sodium lauryl and laureth sulfate (a chemical found in most soaps and shampoos to produce better lather), food preservatives, DEET (chemical in mosquito-repellant)

So I'm wondering which, if any, of the above will end up like BPA. I tend to agree with the poster who mentioned the difference between living long and living well. The impact of such environmental toxins on our long-term health (more so than short-term) is something that I think should be examined more closely.

And MikeMartial, that's an interesting example. It makes me wonder about the people who spend their lives surrounded by such toxins (of course, they'd be of a different nature than those found at Ground Zero...I'm talking about some of the items listed above as well as your garden-variety air pollution, etc.). These people go to the doctor complaining of any number of ailments and are often given medication to treat the symptoms of their ailment when in reality, their bodies may just be overwhelmed with an accumulation of foreign, unhealthy substances.

In the past, I've seen some argue that the body is designed to rid ourselves of such substances and "cleansing" isn't necessary. But I've also read (and tend to believe) that: a) we're living in a time that is filled with these toxins; b) we're not fully aware, as noted above, of how dangerous some of our everyday surroundings can be; and c) we do not live (exercise, relax, etc.) and eat (diet high in fiber and nutrients) in such a way that helps our bodies rid ourselves of these toxins.

 

Hyuk yuk.

 

lol are you asking this because you saw South Park last night?

 

Nope, haven't seen South Park in ages. What was it about (besides toxicity)?

 

The whole thing was about toxicity lol. They were making fun of it. Kyle was deathly ill and his parents were trying to heal him with natural remedies - he just kept sicker and sicker; throwing up more and more. The medicine woman said it was good; that his body was getting rid of the toxins. In the end he was about to die and the mexicans (who everyone thought were natives - and why they were buying the natural remedies) said to go to a doctor. His parents took him and he was fine.

Anyways, I burst out laughing at one point because she recommended the only medicine for him be lemon juice and cayenne pepper. I have a total-retard friend who's taking that 5x a day (no food) along with maple syrup, so he can lose weight from "flushing out the toxins" hahaha.

 

Ahhh.. I figured they'd take an angle like that. Anyways, don't knock lemon juice and cayenne pepper tea; it can cure all sorts of minor ailments! But for weight loss...I think he's "waisting" his time. LOL. Ahem.