Toxic Influences: A Major Source of Stress
By
Peter M. McCarthy, Certified Traditional Naturopath
It is a little known fact that our species has been exposed to more chemicals and toxic influences in the last fifty years than during all the prior 200,000 years of human history combined. The US Environmental Protection Agency now requires safe handling notices to be posted in workplaces around the country for over a half million chemicals!!! The number of these toxins is increasing at the rate of about 5,000 annually.
While most of these chemicals have been developed for the purpose of enhancing our quality of life on this planet, there is definitely a down side. When these chemicals are disposed of, transported or mishandled, there is always a risk of toxic chemical exposure; these episodes are what we usually hear about in the media. However, it is the daily exposure we all undergo, in small increments, that holds the greatest potential for chronic stress and widespread ill health.
For example, there is no doubt that the fertilizers and pesticides which are used to help grow our crops of fruits and vegetables are valuable aids to the productivity of American farmers. The “Breadbasket of America” is truly a success story. But as time has gone on, we have discovered that this unbridled productivity has a definite down side; we have paid the additional price of chronically exposing ourselves to continuing small doses of these same chemicals.
When we look across the huge spectrum of products which have been created over the last century to help make our lives easier, such as the many forms of plastic products we use, we see that many of them also have an unintended side effect. When introduced into the body, even in small doses, they mimic the effects of certain hormones, especially estrogen. As such, they have been collectively assigned the name xenoestrogens (“xeno” being a prefix meaning “from a foreign source”). Once inside the body, they act as a multiplier of the effects of real estrogen, including the tissue proliferation associated with uterine, breast, and other forms of cancer.
A second source of these xenoestrogens is found in the chemicals used to process and manufacture cosmetics products. Many of the ingredients in these products, designed to sooth and beautify the skin, have the unintended consequence of adding to the xenoestrogenic load and again increasing the likelihood of serious illness. All of that, collectively and cumulatively, is stress.
Another category of toxic exposure is prescription drugs. Most substances introduced into the human body, whether they are natural or synthetic, derive their mechanism of action from interacting with (latching onto, really) the cell receptor sites having to do with the particular physiological activity the substance addresses. While the manufacturers of pharmaceutical products take great pains to synthesize the purest forms of drugs possible, their own research shows that these synthetic compounds cannot exactly duplicate the effect of the natural products they are designed to emulate.
This is the reason why synthetic prescription drugs generate side effects. When the synthetic molecular structure of the drug does not align accurately with the cell receptor site, side effects result. These side effects cause stress. Combine that with the fact that many of our prescription drugs are also combined with stress-causing ingredients like caffeine, and we have a real “witches’ brew” of stress generating ingredients.
Finally, in this electronic age, we are constantly exposed to a wide variety of electromagnetic fields which can have toxic effects on our systems. Recent research has disclosed that as little as 15 minutes on an unprotected cell phone can damage tissues deep inside the brain. Combine that with all the wireless networks that have sprung up throughout our society, and it is evident that our toxic stress load is rapidly climbing.
We can help you construct a personalized anti-toxin protocol which will help yourid your body of unwanted toxic influences. Contact us to begin your journey to good health today!
Certified Traditional Naturopath Peter McCarthy is nationally certified as a traditional naturopath by the American Naturopathic Certification Board. He and his wife, Nancy, are co-owners of Life Energy Holistic Partners in Helotes, TX. They specialize in stress management, detoxification, weight management, and energy balancing. They may be reached at (210) 372-0002 or by e-mail at for appointments. Office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 9AM til 6PM, and Saturday from 9AM til 2PM. For further information please visit their web site at .