You may have heard this term before and just know because it contains the word toxic that it isn’t good, right? However, you may not really understand what people are talking about when they say, like the title of this post, reduce your toxic load. So, before I dive into the how to reduce your toxic load, let me shed some light as to what that I’m referring to when I say toxic load.

The term “toxic load” refers to the amount of toxic substances that have been accumulated in the body, which, in the short term, can cause discomforts within your bodies systems and organs.  Long-term and unattended exposure can be the cause of major issues, like autoimmune diseases, chronic issues, and more.

Toxins can enter your system in three primary ways: skin, lungs and digestive tract.  

Unfortunately, toxins come from just about everything (or at least it seems). From the air you breathe, food you eat, water you drink to the personal care and cleaning products you use. There may even be toxins in your clothing, towels, sheets and pillows!

However, your body is pretty amazing and has a built-in filtration system to help you get rid of the “bad” stuff – either intentionally or just by living life. Despite how awesome your body is though, over exposure to toxins through your daily routine is still not good and you should be aware of what you can do to help limit your exposure and take a proactive approach with reducing your toxic load.

Let’s take a look at some things you can do to help reduce your toxic load:

UPGRADE YOUR WATER: Purchase a water filter for your tap and shower. Filtering your tap water is much better than drinking bottled water. Avoid plastic water bottles whenever possible! A shower filter also helps to prevent toxic gases from filling the air and helps to add shine to your skin and hair. Drinking plenty of clean water is one of the best ways to cleanse your system!

AVOID BPAs: Avoid plastic water bottles and plastic food packaging that contain BPAs. Store your food at home in glass containers and carry a glass or metal water bottle. Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates (found in plastics) are linked to cancer, endocrine problems, hormone imbalance and reproductive issues. Shop My Things for some fun ideas.

GREEN CLEANING: Household cleaners are loaded with harmful chemicals that end up in the air and on surfaces every time you use them. This unnecessary exposure puts stress on your liver and leads to an array of health issues, from allergies to asthma. It has become quite easy to find great non-toxic, household cleaning products. Just ask me if you need some suggestions or a recipe!

BEAUTY DETOX: The average woman uses about 12 personal care products a day! Most products contain hundreds of endocrine disruptors, which interfere with hormones. I usually say that if you can’t pronounce it, you probably shouldn’t be putting it on your body. Replace your cosmetics and perfumes with chemical-free options whenever possible. The most important products are the ones you are using constantly, like your shampoo, toothpaste, face creams and foundations. I’m not much on make-up, but In addition to the dōTERRA skincare lines, I do like Ilia (which you can find on Amazon), and my other fav is Beautycounter - a great company that offers sunscreen and all sorts of beauty supplies that you can trust.

GO ORGANIC: Pesticide residues build up in our bodies, especially in our fat tissues and cause excess stress to the liver. Refer to Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list. Choose organic whenever possible, but most importantly wash your produce. My pro tip: soak your produce in a water bath for 10 minutes with a couple drops of either dōTERRA On Guard essential oil or Lemon. You’ll be amazed at all the junk that comes off and bonus your produce will last a little longer too.

STOP EATING CANNED FOOD: Cans are lined with BPA (Bisphenol A), a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP). POPs can linger in the human body for up to 100 years! POPs preferentially induce Phase 1 enzymes (Cytochrome P450 enzymes) of your liver detoxification pathways, causing production of free radicals, which in turn deplete the antioxidant reserves of your body.

REDUCE STRESS: Stress is a toxin, especially when chronic! Our body cannot differentiate between emotional and physical stress, and reacts similarly to both, by producing generous amounts of the stress hormone cortisol. When elevated for long periods of time, cortisol can lead to undesirable chronic diseases and symptoms like high blood pressure, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, IBS, sleep issues, and it even increases your risk for heart attacks and strokes. I’ve written several posts on ways to naturally reduce stress without buying a product, you can find them under the Mind/Mood/Stress category. But I’ll give you one product that’s my go-to: dōTERRA Adaptiv™ - Calming Blend. It was clinically tested for all things mental wellness. If you haven’t tried it yet I highly recommend it.

MOVE YOUR BODY: Movement mobilizes toxins! Exercise regularly to gently release toxins through skin via sweat. Yoga is great to enhance lymphatic drainage. Slow deep breathing releases toxins through lungs.

PHARMACUTICALS: There is no denying the overuse of pharmaceuticals can be detrimental to our body. Make sure you are aware of the potential side effects of the drug, read the package insert, and remember that even if it lists a side effect as rare, it can still happen to you. Many, many drugs are vastly over-prescribed and unnecessary. I’ll raise my hand here. Before I knew better, I didn’t hesitate to pop an Advil or two… or three. Sigh! These synthetic meds TOTALLY built up in my system and caused me a lot of problems. Thankfully, you can undo most of the damage pretty quickly when you start making better choices and reduce your toxic load.

TOXIC SUBSTANCES: Remove tobacco, alcohol, drugs, even stimulants like caffeine!

SLEEP: It's the best way to rejuvenate the body’s detoxification capacity both on a mental and physical level. Assess whether you wake up refreshed every morning. If not, please get evaluated for why that is, it could be the most important thing you did for yourself! If you’d like to try natural remedies first, or like me, just don’t have a lot of trust and faith in traditional western medicine, then email me back. I’m a self-proclaimed sleep expert – I suffered insomnia for over 20 years and was able to correct all my sleep issues within 3 weeks using only two products (one oil and one supplement). There are TONS of suggestions though, and you might have guessed that I have written my fair share of posts on that subject too. You can look up the Sleep/Pain category to find some great stuff! 

In a toxic world, the bottom line is that you have more control than you think. I hope you’re able to implement some of these in a meaningful way that feels natural, comfortable and right for you.