Stress -- Part 2

Last time I posted an entry I talked about emotional or mental stressors.  This month I am writing about environmental stressors, or stress that our bodies are under from toxins in our environment.  These include many things we put into our bodies like food, water, air, and medications.  They also include the types of things we put on our bodies like hair dyes, nail polish, lotions, shampoos, soaps, sun block, make-up, and hair spray.  And they include the things we use around our bodies such as household cleaning products, air fresheners, laundry products, and lawn care applications.  

Perhaps the most impactful to our health are those things that we consume internally or put into our bodies.  Processed, dead foods or foods that are contaminated with pesticides, water that is not satisfactorily filtered, and air that is polluted cause the greatest amounts of bodily stress.  Our health and our very survival depend on good food, water, and air, yet we often don’t seem to make the connection.

When we consume, wear, or surround ourselves with unhealthy and toxic items our bodies have to work overtime to make sure they don’t harm us.   It was shocking for me to discover the acrobatics the body has to perform to try to stay in balance when we consume junk food, for example.

The body’s filtering system is amazing, but as with all types of filters over time they can get clogged with dirt, grime, and toxins.  The kidneys and liver are the primary filtering organs and making sure they’re functioning optimally can really help to keep the body healthy. The best ways to do that are to avoid processed and toxic foods, to pay attention to what you put on your body, and educate yourself about the household products you’re exposing yourself to.

Incorporating whole, raw, organic foods into your diet will help to keep your filtering and eliminative systems in fighting shape.  In the case of serious illness or toxicity, you may need to radically alter your diet to remove as many harmful substances as possible, as I did.

Anyone who seriously desires optimal health must eventually consider environmental stressors.  Simply think about what is going in your body, what is going on your body, and what you’re using around your body.

The Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) has a lot of information you can use to begin making informed choices about what to put in and use on and around your body.  Check it out and relieve some of the stress your body may be experiencing as a result of your environment.