Did you know that BPA (used in food packaging) has been linked to heart disease? Triclosan, a common ingredient in anti-bacterial products, is causing increased rates of allergies. C8, the stuff in Teflon, is being linked to all kinds of medical problems including cancer, thyroid disease, and high cholesterol. Those are just a few of the over 80,000 synthetic chemicals in commerce today.
As "greenies" we work hard to avoid them, educating ourselves on harmful ingredients and how they enter our bodies, and diligently reading labels. But the large number of chemicals in our world means that they are hard to avoid. And avoiding them doesn't address the problem of chemicals already in our systems.
So how do we get this "stuff" out of our bodies?
My Review
Using self-experimentation and interviews with experts, Bruce Lourie and Rick Smith take a look at how toxins enter our bodies and then go on to investigate detox programs, including the body's own natural detox mechanisms. They discuss the value of herbal remedies, diets, detox kits, and things like the use of saunas to sweat the toxins out.
Their treatment evaluation table was fascinating. While I don't want to give you all the results, I will say that many of the popular therapies available today have no detox effectiveness and are, basically, a waste of money. It turns out that some of the least expensive methods are actually the most effective.
In a chapter entitled "Clean, Green Economic Machine", the authors talk about what to do with contaminated products. For example, we know that Teflon is bad but what do we do with any pans we already have? If they go into a landfill or incinerator, those toxic chemicals enter the soil and/or air. Further, what needs to happen to ensure that harmful chemicals never enter our environment in the first place. It's an interesting look at the difficulties with adopting a fully holistic approach which covers everything from manufacturing to use to disposal of stuff. And by the way, there doesn't seem to be a good way to dispose of those Teflon pans at this time.
My favorite chapter is the last one, entitled "The Toxin Toxout Top 10". Readers are given a simple "to do" list ... easy actions which each of us can adopt to both eliminate and avoid toxins. Is it a perfect list? Of course not. Governments, corporations, and society in general need to shift their thought processes to completely eliminate toxins from our world. Until that happens (and there is evidence that it is happening), there are many things that we can do to avoid the harm caused by chemicals.
My Thoughts
I believe that this is an important book. It isn't a casual read. Indeed, I found it hard to get through at times. The sheer volume of information takes time to absorb. For those who wish to take some time with it, Toxin Toxout offers useful information.
Would I recommend this book? YES! It not only tells us the problem, it gives us practical solutions and hope for the future.
If you'd like to pick up your own copy of Toxin Toxout, you can buy it HERE.
I received a copy of "Toxin Toxout" in order to write this review. I received no other compensation. All opinions expressed are mine and mine alone and reflect my honest opinion of the material reviewed.
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