Rhonda

About me:

I'm a work at home mom (WAHM) of two boys (ages 4 and 5). Born and raised in the Charleston area.

Over the past few years, I've been reading more and more about environmental toxins, where the primarily come from, and how they effect our health.

In the past few decades the autism rate in America has gone from 1 in 2500 children to 1 in 150 children, and the number of children in the US diagnosed with ADHD has reached 4.4 million.

"Every year, US industry releases about 24 billion pounds of toxic substances that are believed to cause developmental and neurological problems in children." - Environmental News Network, 2000

In the US alone over 5 million people suffer from Alzheimer's Disease. Nearly 19 million people report activity limitation due to arthritis. 8 out of 10 people over the age of 65 have at least one chronic illness.

"Most of the diseases of aging - vascular, most cancers, arthritis and others - have been shown to be associated with toxic metals and persistent organic pollutants. Vascular diseases, stroke, heart attack, plus most of the cancers and macular degeneration, have been directly linked to lead. And that's just lead." - Robert Nash, MD

Toxicity is a contributing factor in these and other conditions:

*ADD/ADHD * Autism * Alzheimer's Diseases * Asthma * Arthritis * Autoimmune Disorders * Candida * Chronic Fatigue Syndrome * Cancer * Diabetes * Epilepsy * Fibromyalgia * Heart Disease * Insomnia * Infertility * Kidney Disease * Liver Disease * Multiple Sclerosis * Parkinson's Disease * Schizophrenia * Stroke * Thyroid Disorders

Most toxins are synthetic, man-made compounds that are found in our home, our drinking water, our air, our soil, and various products we use on a daily basis, and these toxins are more prevalent now than ever before.

"Over 80,000 chemicals have been synthesized in the last 100 years, 15,000 are used in consumer products and only 43% have been tested for safety" - Trade Secrets, Bill Moyers

We're exposed to toxins even before we are born. According to a recent study, a newborns umbilical cord contains an average of 200 chemicals and pollutants.

Researchers at two major laboratories found an average of 91 industrial compounds, pollutants, and other chemicals in the blood and urine of volunteers. Like most of us, the people tested did not work with chemicals on the job and have not lived near an industrial facility. Of the 167 chemicals found in the group, 76 cause cancer in humans and animals, 94 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 79 cause birth defects or abnormal development.

"Exposure to radiation, air and water pollutants, household chemicals, and medication residue only adds to the toxin load. When toxins assault or build up in the body, the immune system must make an effort to eliminate these harmful substances. Otherwise, it loses the ability to protect against other defenders, such as viruses and bacteria. We end up getting sick more often -- and even when we are 'well,' we may not feel as strong and resilient as we could." - Ellen W Cutler, DC and Jeremy E Kazlow, MD, Micro Miracles

Click here to learn more about environmental toxins and the effect on our health

Some steps you can take to limit toxic exposure:

* Change your diet - limit or, if possible, eliminate processed foods, artificial sugars, artificial dyes, etc from your diet. Processed foods are loaded with toxins.

* Eliminate certain types of materials from your home and office - some materials to check would be cleaning supplies, personal hygiene products, skin and hair care products, perfumes, candles, air fresheners, children's toys (for lead), plastic items (for BPA), bug sprays

* If you smoke or drink alcohol, quit - both of these habits produce tremendous amounts of toxins in the body.

Ways to detoxify the body:

* Chelation therapy - this is done in the office of a health care professional. It is a rather expensive procedure. Good minerals can be stripped from the body along with the bad heavy metals and toxins, and even still there is a chance that some traces of heavy metals will remain in the body.

* Zeolites - 100% natural nutritional supplement that safely removes heavy metals and toxins from the body. Zeolites are natural volcanic minerals with a unique, complex crystalline structure. This honeycomb structure acts like a cage that works at a cellular level, trapping heavy metals and toxins. Because zeolites are one of nature's few negatively charged minerals, they act like a magnet, drawing in heavy metals and toxins, capturing them in its cage, and removing them from the body.

By minimizing your intake of pollutants and reducing the body's toxic load you may experience lower risk of disease, increased energy, elimination of certain symptoms/ conditions, and an overall greater sense of well-being.

"In my opinion, based on the evidence, every single chronic insidious disease process is related to one word - toxicity. You cannot address the issues of aging unless you address detoxification." - Rashid O Buttar, DO