Toxins come in many forms from harsh and deadly organisms such as snake venom, to man-made environmental agents like asbestos. While some toxins are fatal, others simply serve to cause mild annoyances like headaches, nausea or irritability.
To detox with yoga is to assist our bodies in the removal of non-life-threatening toxins such as those absorbed from eating chemical laden junk food, drinking alcohol or being exposed to smog and other types of air pollution. From the sounds of this, you may realize toxins are an often-unavoidable part of life, but thankfully our bodies are equipped to deal with them, and yoga can help.
The liver is the main organ responsible for filtering the blood for the processing and removal of toxins. When your liver is healthy, toxins are more readily released from your body in the form of sweat, urine and excrement, through the liver’s metabolic functions.
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By Steven V. Joyal, MD, VP of Medical & Scientific Affairs at Life Extension.
The simplistic “eat less, move around more” solution for weight loss cannot explain the sharp increase in the rise of obesity over the past 30 years. The disturbing fact is that toxins in our environment are hidden causes of weight gain.
Our children represent the future. Yet their future may be irrevocably mortgaged by toxic chemicals that seep into our food supply, lying in wait to trigger damaging effects. The startling truth is that infant obesity rates have skyrocketed 73% over the past 30 years (since 1980), and an important, yet under-recognized culprit, is the presence of special types of environmental toxins in our food supply.
Certain hormone-mimicking chemical toxins in our foods act on genes during development that literally create more fat cells. These toxic endocrine disruptor chemicals change our metabolism to hoard calories as body fat. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that mimic the effects of certain types of hormones in your body to promote weight gain.
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It looks like BPA strikes again and this time our canned tomatoes and beans are under attack.
Just a few years ago bisphenol-A, or BPA, a toxic chemical that has been linked to biological problems and developmental problems in the young, was found in many popular reusable water bottles and baby bottles. This discovery gained lots of attention and called for a major change in the manufacturing of many products.
Now it is being found that the lining of most cans contains a resin that can pick up the toxin BPA. Canned tomatoes are more susceptible due to their acidic properties; the acid increases the rate at which BPA is absorbed into food. This is found to be true for canned soda and canned beans as well.
The risk that this poses is argued to be significant, especially for children under the age of six. Due to their smaller size, the levels of BPA that children are exposed to is higher than that of adults. Children also metabolize BPA slower therefore the toxins stay in their systems longer causing a higher risk for damage to their developing bodies.
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The Environmental Protection Agency said last month that it was considering the application of Swiss company HeiQ Materials Ag to market a new textile coating made from Swiss nanosilver. Referred to as HeiQ AGS-20, the nanosilver material helps to control odor in clothing and is being marketed for use in children’s athletic wear.
In some studies, it is claimed that nanosilver has a ten minute kill time for both home and hospital disinfection against deadly pathogens like staph, yeast, and black mold. The EPA has proposed a 4 year conditional approval to allow the agency time to explore the affect of nanosilver on human health as well as environmental trouble.
Nanosilver consists of created, nanometer-scale particles of silver. Some preliminary testing seems to point to the fact that these particles can be toxic to cells that develop into eggs or sperm in mammals. Some recent studies suggest that the almost invisible particles can and do penetrate the skin, may be toxic when inhaled, especially to asthmatics, and can even enter the brain through the blood-brain barrier.
The Environmental Working Group sent a letter requesting that the approval be revoked. From their paperwork:
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Considering how much fat and how many calories are in a typical hamburger, veggie burgers often seem like a much healthier choice. They are often high in protein and other nutrients. But we all know that soy beans don’t grow in the shape of a patty. Veggie burgers are a heavily processed food, and that means there is the potential for ingredients you don’t want to eat lurking in your sandwich.
According to a Cornucopia Institute report, the soy in many veggie burgers is processed with hexane. Hexane is a by-product of fossil fuel refining that food manufacturers use to separate soy oil from the protein and fiber. The Environmental Protection Agency has put hexane on its list of hazardous air pollutants. Cornucopia found that traces of hexane were still present in the finished product.
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