The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 60,000 chemicals have been buried or dumped throughout the U.S. over the last 100 years. According to the Palm Beach Post, on average 196 pounds of pesticides are currently used for every acre of tomatoes grown in Florida. These environmental toxins not only have a disastrous impact on our environment but our bodies as well. Some of these toxins make it into our food directly from pesticides, pollution, etc. but others may come from the packaging material such as plastic wraps, plastic storage containers, water systems or the air we breathe.

Substances such as PCBs, BHA, DDT, and phthalates are considered endocrine disruptors. An endocrine disruptor (ED) is a foreign substance or mixture that alters function(s) of the endocrine system (glands of the body, i.e., thyroid, ovaries, pituitary) and consequently causes adverse health effects. These ED’s can affect the body by causing hormonal interference leading to the following possible problems: thyroid dysfunction, reproductive disorders, fetal developmental problems, and estrogen and progesterone imbalance. When the endocrine glands and systems are not functioning properly this leads to a whole host of disorders that we are seeing more commonly in our society, conditions such as: fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, infertility, intellect and behavioral problems in children, as well as menopausal and PMS type problems just to name a few.

So what’s a person to do to minimize the exposure to these toxins and protect our systems from being affected? The following tips are helpful: decrease exposure from foods by eating mostly organic meats, fruits and vegetables; don’t cook food in plastic containers in the microwave. Natural purification programs that emphasize sauna therapy, liver and organ system clearing utilizing protein shakes and supervised fasting are effective approaches to lessen the burden these toxins can have on our overall health and well being. An excellent resource on the web to learn more about environmental toxins is www.ourstolenfuture.org.

Dr. Walsh of CARE Chiropractic & Wellness Center is a Chiropractic Physician who uses safe, natural solutions such as chiropractic, nutritional therapy and stress management techniques to restore and maintain total health and well-being. Dr. Walsh will be the featured speaker for Secrets to Healthy Living, a free conference call series, on October 27th, 2005 at 8pm. Call 702-851-3330 and use the code 03042006 to listen and have the opportunity to ask questions. To contact Dr. Walsh for more information or appointments call 321-728-1387.