Toxin Exposure

Is Toxin Exposure Aging You Faster?

Is Toxin Exposure Aging You Faster?

Are you looking in the mirror every day and wondering how you can turn back the clock?

You’re in the prime of your life, but you are noticing wrinkles and fine lines where there used to be none.

You can’t seem to squeeze into your favorite jeans.

You feel an energy dip in the afternoon when you want to be present to your kids.

It seems like your mind has lost its sharp edge.

Your muscles are less toned, even when you double-down on your workouts. 

After tackling work and home life, does it feel like you have nothing left over for your own enjoyment?

Unfortunately, you’re not imagining things. It’s real. Your cells are aging. You are aging. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Because you can turn back the clock. 

I’m inviting you to get off the aging train. Keep reading to find out one of the most important steps you can take to slow the aging process. You can hold on to that youthful glow -and turn heads- now and well into your golden years.

 

Look and Feel Younger 

Did you know that your biological age can be much younger than your chronological age?

Your chronological age is based on how many birthdays you’ve celebrated. Your biological age is based upon how old your cells think they are and how they feel. By turning back the clock on your biological age, you will no longer be a prisoner to your chronological age.

Here’s an example of young biological age… 

I’ve taken up social dancing recently, a type called Casino that is from Cuba. Dance is a huge piece of how I stay younger. Dance brings me joy. 

When we’re joyful, our cortisol levels are more balanced, our hormones are more balanced, our body functions better and we have more oxytocin, a love hormone that plays a role in social bonding.  

Dancing is good for my health. I’m a better person when dance is part of my regular weekly routine. 

A couple of weeks ago when I was out dancing, I saw a woman in her mid- to late 70s. Not only was she the life of the party, she was even getting down on the dance floor with the lead singer of the band! She was the poster child for someone who has a young biological age

I will be doing something right if I’m her age and have her energy and her outlook and her mood! I just looked at her and thought #lifegoals. 

The point is: there are a lot of ways to be 75 or 80 years old. She’s found what feeds her soul. She found her place, her happy spot. Her chronological age might be chasing 80, but her biological age was much younger.

So what does dancing have to do with environmental toxins? You see, exposure to toxins is one of the most common things that cause our biological age to skyrocket. Your youthfulness—or your biological age—is an equation. You can slow down aging with things that bring you joy, a healthy diet, nutrients, building muscle mass, and more. You can speed up aging with stress, toxins, poor diet choices, drinking, staying up late, smoking, working out too much, radiation, and more. 

Toxin exposure can make you look and feel older. Toxins trigger inflammation, damage DNA, shorten telomeres, and get in the way of healthy mitochondrial function.  

The good news? There are ways to measure your toxin exposure and to detox your body. Let’s take a deep dive into how toxins age you faster. You’ll find out what you can do to kick toxins to the curb so you can feel and look more youthful.  

 

Lead and Mercury and BPA, Oh My!

Everywhere you go and everything you do exposes you to toxins. They’re found everywhere from canned food to cash register receipts to some personal care products, children’s jewelry and toys, vinyl flooring, dust, and soil. Toxins lurk in the water you drink, the air you breathe, and the food you eat. 

For example, lead—a chemical linked to heart disease and other health problems—is found in many places including:

  • Electrical cords including Christmas tree lights
  • Houses painted (and toys made) prior to 1978
  • Imported candies and food
  • Lead-glazed ceramics, china, leaded crystal, and pewter
  • Some folk medicines, ayurvedic medicines, and cosmetics
  • Some children’s jewelry and toys.   

This article isn’t meant to go into detail about each and every toxin. Just know that toxins are out there and we’re exposed to them from the time we’re in the womb. 

But don’t let this discourage you because there are ways to decrease your toxic burden. I will discuss more on how to detox later in this article.

 

 A Telomere’s Worst Enemy

One reason why toxins age the body is because of their impact on telomeres. The genetic blueprint of our bodies is encoded on double-stranded DNA molecules called chromosomes. Telomeres are protective caps on the ends of chromosomes that make it possible for cells to divide without scrambling that important DNA information. Telomeres are often compared to those hard sections at the end of shoelaces that stop them from unraveling. 

Telomeres grow shorter and shorter each time cells divide. Eventually telomeres get so short that cells can no longer divide, and instead they die. 

What does telomere shortening mean for your body? The shorter your telomeres, the greater the chance you’ll feel and look older. Short telomeres are linked to a whole host of age-related problems, whether we’re talking about cancer, immune system and memory problems, inflammation and all the diseases that go with it, or skin wrinkling. 

Toxins are basically out to get your telomeres. For example, every time you touch a cash register receipt or eat food out of a plastic container or can that’s not BPA-free, your telomeres will need to duck and cover because they might get a hefty dose of bisphenol-A (BPA). Even low-doses of this toxin speed up telomere shortening.  

Likewise, lead exposure damages telomeres.  This is an important way in which toxins age you faster.

 

How Toxins Do Their Dirty Work

Environmental toxins damage the mitochondria, the powerhouses that fuel our cells and give them energy to keep working their best. When toxins hurt the mitochondria, cells are injured and stressed, creating molecules that are pro-inflammatory and speed up aging.  

Normally, inflammation benefits the body because it helps the body recognize and fight off infections or address naturally occurring damage to our tissues. This type of inflammation is low-grade and should have a beginning, middle, and end. 

We have systems in our body that understand when the inflammation is needed and should resolve it in the same way firefighters strive to put out a wildfire before it gets out of control.  

But when toxins damage our mitochondria, the checks and balances that the body usually puts in place to stop inflammation from spiraling out of control stop working. 

The result? Inflammation rages out of control and goes on and on, causing a shift in the immune system and leading to more tissue damage, cellular aging, and chronic inflammatory diseases. For example, it can cause the immune system to attack itself, causing autoimmune disease. 

 

Are You Suffering from Inflammaging?

As we grow older or are exposed to damaging substances like toxins, inflammation ramps up in the body like a fire that hasn’t been put out. Damaged mitochondria from toxin exposure create pro-inflammatory molecules, which can speed up aging. 

Scientists coined a term for the inflammation that goes into overdrive when we age. It’s known as “inflammaging.” Aging plus inflammation is not pretty. It puts you at greater risk for many diseases that disable the elderly including heart disease, diabetes, and dementia. Out-of-control inflammaging can also cause wrinkles to pop up on your face, and you can say goodbye to your youthful appearance.  

There’s another damaging process called oxidative stress, which goes hand in hand with inflammation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are the culprits behind oxidative stress. Some oxidative stress is healthy, but too much of it hurts your body. That’s why people take antioxidants—to protect themselves against too much oxidative stress. 

Oxidative stress builds up in your body for many reasons, but toxin exposure is one of the most common. 

 

Where Are Toxins Lurking?

Toxins are made by harmful bacteria in the gut and those in the water supply. We also can get exposed to toxins when we eat or drink, especially food that’s not organic or when we drink too much alcohol.  

We breathe air and dust that contain toxins (such as mycotoxins from mold), which enter the lungs, travel into the mucous membranes in the sinuses, and drip into the throat. When we swallow, the toxins end up in the gut. 

If your cells are exposed to lots of toxins—and heavy metals are some of the worst offenders—production of reactive oxygen species goes into overdrive and damages the mitochondria and weakens your body’s ability to protect you. 

If the toxic burden is too high your mitochondria can’t repair themselves, which means the mitochondria can’t make enough ATP, the energy molecule that fuels your cells. The result? Feeling tired and dragging as you perform your daily responsibilities.  

 

How Your Body Protects You Against Toxins

So what happens when you’re exposed to these toxins? Nrf2 to the rescue! The Nrf2 pathway in your body soothes inflammation and boosts your body’s production of antioxidants. 

Aging, toxins, and infections weaken the Nrf2 pathway, which is why it’s important to increase levels of this powerful protein. I’ll talk more about a substance that activates the Nrf2 pathway later in this article, so you’ll be armed and ready to defend yourself against rapid aging.

 

Testing for Toxins

The good news? We can measure our toxin exposures by using a number of blood tests such as:

  • Genova ION test to measure levels of the antioxidant glutathione, oxidative stress, and different liver detox pathways 
  • Testing for mycotoxins, or toxins from mold (Mycotox Panel by Great Plains Laboratory)
  • Heavy metals testing (Mercury Tri-Test & Blood Metals Panel Quicksilver Scientific test) 
  • Environmental toxin burden panels (Great Plains Laboratory ENVIRO-Tox Panel). 

 

How to Detox Your Body from Toxins

You don’t have to put up with a toxic brew of chemicals that harm your health and age you faster. Here are some ways to detox your body or avoid toxin exposure in the first place. These strategies can slow aging and lead to younger looking skin and a healthier body.   

  • Use an Infrared Sauna. Pull toxins out of your body by sweating them out using an infrared sauna or infrared sauna blanket. 
  • Dry Brushing. This method is thought to open pores and promotes sweating to release toxins through the skin.
  • Install a Good Water Filter. To purify the water supply, use a water filter not only in the kitchen but also in the bathroom so you don’t breathe in (or bathe in) toxins while you shower.  
  • Eat Organic Food. To reduce your toxin exposure in the first place, eat organic food. Researchers have found that people eating an organic diet have lower levels of pesticides in their urine samples.
  • Promote Bile Flow. After the liver detoxifies toxins, the byproduct is removed from the body through bile, which is excreted in the intestines. Make sure you’re pooping daily. If not, try eating more fiber, taking a magnesium supplement, and addressing other root causes of constipation. 
  • Drink Lots of Water and Liquids. You’ll need to drink enough water or other healthy liquids like herbal tea to keep toxins moving through the kidneys and out through the body. 
  • Support the Nrf2 Pathway. Sulforaphane, which is found in broccoli, is an Nrf2 activator. It’s a good idea to eat lots of this vegetable to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress and to keep the mitochondria healthy. Just make sure you choose the organic variety in order not to expose yourself to even more toxins. Healthcare practitioners may offer supplements that contain other Nrf2 supportive combinations of herbs and nutrients.
  • Keep Your Mitochondria Happy. NAD+ is just one supplement that I use in my clinical practice to support mitochondria health. You can read more about this nifty nutrient here:
  • Take a Prebiotic and Probiotic. These can protect your gut against bacterial-produced toxins. I recommend Megaprebiotic and Megaspore.

 

Other Factors That Can Make You Look and Feel Older Than You Are

Many factors besides environmental toxin exposure can age you faster. These include:

  • How you sleep or don’t sleep
  • Ongoing infections in the gut or bacteria-related toxins known as endotoxins
  • Smoking cigarettes
  • Solar radiation
  • Eating too many processed and artificial foods
  • Not spending enough time in nature
  • Being under a lot of stress
  • Ongoing psychoemotional challenges (experiencing trauma)

All of those things impact how fast or slow we age, more so than the number of years you have on the planet. They’re the driving force behind whether you’re going to be dancing salsa when you’re in your 80s or too tired to get off the couch. 

 

How to Slow Aging with My Help 

Are toxins causing you to age faster? That’s what we will find out if you choose to reach out to me for a free 15-minute troubleshooting call. As a functional medicine provider, I can order the right tests and interpret the results to find out which toxins are damaging your telomeres and mitochondria. Then I’ll develop a treatment plan to detox your body and give you a more youthful appearance, increased energy levels, and a sharp memory—to name just a few healthy aging benefits. Sign up for a call today, so you can feel and look years younger. 

 

by Kyle Leahy

How To Detox Your Body The Right Way

So you’ve decided to go on a detox cleanse.

Maybe you’re starting a seven-day cleanse.

Or you’re going on a juice fast.

NEWSFLASH! Neither of these methods are true detoxification, the kind that can remove harmful toxins from your body. 

Don’t get me wrong. Both seven-day cleanses and juice fasts can have real benefits. Seven-day cleanses are great for people who are generally healthy and who want to reset their bodies. Juice fasts give your gut a break, and you’re boosting your antioxidant intake.   

But if you’ve been exposed to toxins and really need to detox your body, those strategies aren’t going to work. 

In this blog post, I’ll go into what detoxification is and what it isn’t. But before we go there, let’s review the red flags that suggest you need to detoxify in the first place.

 

Common Symptoms of Broken Detox

The only way to know for sure if you need to be on a detoxification program is to work with your functional medicine provider to order the right tests (more on this later).

But there are some symptoms of toxin exposure that can clue you in that you need detox. For example:

  • Autoimmune problems
  • All over joint and connective tissue pain
  • Brain fog
  • Flare ups of latent viral infections (loss of immune tolerance). For example, your herpes infection comes out of hiding after 10 years and causes you to suddenly get cold sores. 
  • General malaise
  • Random headaches
  • Rapid skin aging
  • Resistant weight loss
  • Skin breakouts like eczema, acne, rashes
  • You just don’t feel as well
  • You react to everything around you: food, chemicals, environmental exposures like pollen, the fact that it’s Wednesday. ☺

But you don’t have to be a complete mess to have a detox problem. In many cases, the full ramifications of having toxins build up in your body doesn’t show up until years later. 

A lot of people are overburdened with toxins and don’t know it because symptoms haven’t showed up yet. 

 

Sources of Toxin Exposure

Toxins are all around us in the food, air, and water supply. Here are some of the more common ones we’re exposed to daily:

 

Toxins show up in places you’d never think about—like the disposable plastic lid on that almond milk latte you just grabbed to go. Some common places that you’ll encounter toxins include:

  • Seafood (mercury)
  • Non-organic fruits and vegetables (glyphosate, pesticides)
  • Water-damaged buildings (mycotoxins). Half of all buildings in the United States are water damaged, so mycotoxins are a common problem.
  • Items not labeled BPA-free: Linings of cans, cash register receipts, toothbrushes, cloudy plastic containers. However, even items labeled BPA-free can contain BPS. This is another type of chemical that is just as toxic or more so than BPA.
  • Personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, moisturizers (phthalates)
  • Pesticides and herbicides sprayed on your yard or around your office (glyphosate and others)

You can’t get away from these environmental toxins, so your best bet is to get tested to make certain your detoxification is working like it’s supposed to do. With those results, a detox program can be tailored to your needs. How do you do that? By working with functional medicine providers like me to order the right tests and design customized protocols.

 

How To Test for Toxins in Your Body

Before starting a detox cleanse, it’s critical to get tested to see if you have a detox problem and how severe it is. 

Patients who have had an obvious exposure should definitely get tested. For example, if a person grew up in an agricultural area, or near a coal plant, or worked in a hair salon, it’s a safe assumption that a detox treatment is needed. 

Sometimes, however, it’s not so obvious. Exposure can come from working in the garden, eating food that’s not organic, drinking tap water for years, living or working in a building with water damage, and the list goes on and on. 

We often see patients who are loaded with really nasty toxins. 

Testing not only helps us understand how well your detoxification is working—it also helps us establish a baseline, so we can get a snapshot of whether detox treatments are working by retesting again after treatment.

The tests I use to tell how well your detox pathways are working are reviewed in the next section. But popular detox cleanses and juice fasts miss all of this. They don’t address how well your body’s detoxification- your unique biochemistry- is actually working.

 

Common Detox Tests

Your body cleanses itself of toxins using glutathione, sulfation, methylation, and a few other pathways. So, I always run tests to tell me how well these detoxification pathways are working in your body. 

We want to know whether you have a glutathione deficiency as indicated by urine pyroglutamate and sulfate tests. Low sulfate levels show the body is using up glutathione faster than it can make it due to the high burden of toxins. 

When you run out of glutathione, it leads to a high level of oxidative stress, which is an imbalance between damaging free radicals and beneficial antioxidants. The body needs some oxidative stress, but when there’s too much of it, cells become damaged. Tissues can be harmed. Disease processes can be triggered and aging speeds up.

My favorite antioxidant test? Urine 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, or 8-OHdG for short, is a marker of DNA damage due to free radicals. If that marker is 3.5 or higher it means your detoxification is shot. Your rate of all-cause mortality just went up significantly, you have a greater chance of getting cancer, and you’re aging faster. But there’s good news. We can balance your DNA damage by boosting levels of glutathione and antioxidants.    

Detox tests often measure levels of the following markers: 

  • Pyroglutamate – High levels mean that your body is detoxing vigorously and needs glutathione support. 
  • Sulfate – Low levels indicate your body is running out of what it needs for detoxification, especially sulfation and glutathione.
  • 8-OHdG – High levels indicate your detoxification is weak and antioxidants are out of balance.
  • P-hydroxyphenyllactate – High levels of this marker show that your antioxidant levels are getting too low. You may need vitamin C.
  • Hydroxymethylglutarate – High levels show you’re not getting enough of the antioxidant and energy producer, coenzyme Q10.
  • Methylmalonate – High levels show you’re having trouble with your methylation detoxification pathway. You need vitamin B12. 

 

What a Detox Program Is Not

First, going on a juice fast is not detoxing because it’s low in protein. All the detox pathways need amino acids. And where do we get amino acids from? You guessed it: protein. 

The best way to ruin your body’s natural detox abilities is to go on a protein-deficient diet. That’s why we see a lot of vegans or vegetarians who can’t carry out detoxification. Many of these patients haven’t developed a comprehensive nutrition plan to make sure they get enough protein, because creating this type of plan is labor intensive. And carrying through with it is even more difficult!

Going on a vegan or vegetarian diet often comes from a place of compassion and doing what seems best for your health. But there are some risks.  

It is very hard to get all of the nutrients you need on a meat-free diet. Vegans and vegetarians who aren’t getting the nutrition they really need and who have protein malnutrition can be highly toxic. Sure, they eat a lot of antioxidant-rich plant foods. But due to the lack of protein and impaired detox, they can ironically have a lot of oxidative stress. Remember, oxidative stress results when detox mechanisms aren’t working and it damages tissues and cells and speeds up aging.

We find that vegans and vegetarians can also have problems with an important process known as methylation. Healthy methylation is involved in so many processes in our bodies, including detox. Vitamin B12 is a critical nutrient for methylation, but vegans and vegetarians are often deficient in this vitamin.  

Having said all that, a plant-forward diet is something everyone should be on for good health regardless of what other diet criteria you choose. 

 

A Real Detox Cleanse Takes Time

A real detox program is stretched out over time. It’s not the same as a seven-day detox cleanse. If your glutathione levels are depleted and you notice your aging is accelerated it’s going to take three to six months, or more in some cases, to get your detox tests in the normal ranges. It might take a year to get your glutathione levels up to where they need to be. 

 

How To Detox Your Body

The first step is to work with a functional medicine provider to help you personalize an effective protocol. When a patient needs to undergo a detox program, I always start with what’s going on in the gut. Often, the gut is the main source of toxins and oxidative stress. That’s why in most cases, I clean up the gut first.

In regards to dietary supplements, it’s really important that you address both Phase I and Phase II liver detoxification pathways. 

In Phase I, the liver breaks down toxins and makes them less harmful and water-soluble. This process creates a large amount of free radicals, which leads to excessive oxidative stress. 

In Phase II detoxification, another molecule is linked to the toxin to make the toxin less harmful. This is known as conjugation.     

Herbal combos that include dandelion, milk thistle, and artichoke leaf really just emphasize Phase I liver detox. If you’re taking supplements that address only Phase I and not Phase II,  you can go into what’s called pathological detox. This means your efforts to detoxify are actually backfiring. You’re not effectively getting rid of toxins. You’re making yourself more toxic.

When a patient feels bad during detox it’s often because the patient is doing pathological detoxifying by only supporting the Phase I pathway.  Or, in some cases, the patient doesn’t have enough bile flow to move the toxins out.  

Here are the detox supplements I often use in my patients to make sure I’m supporting both a patient’s Phase I and Phase II detoxification:

Coffee enemas can also promote bile flow.

 

Don’t Go It Alone

Your body’s detox can break in so many ways. That’s why a detox cleanse is going to be more effective if I customize a detox protocol designed especially for your needs. I do this based on testing to find out how well your body is—or isn’t—getting rid of toxins.  Book a free 15-minute troubleshooting call with me to find out the best course of action. 

If after the call you come on board as a patient, I’ll order the right tests for you. I’ll also support your gut health and your body’s unique biochemistry to address the root causes of your detox problems. If the tests warrant, I’ll put you on a cleansing detox program that supports both Phase I and Phase II in order to eliminate uncomfortable detox symptoms. The goal? Make your body as clean and pure as possible so you’ll feel your best once again.

by Kyle Leahy

Woman with depression sitting outside at sunset

How To Treat Depression & Anxiety Holistically - Part Two

In Part One of this series, I delved into the fact that depression and anxiety are not problems of JUST the brain or JUST the body. There is a definite mind-body connection, and the best treatments (and prevention) for depression and anxiety treat both. I also started going into the root causes – everything from childhood trauma to candida – and the solutions that might be able to help you. If you haven't read Part One yet, click here to go back and check it out!

 

Lots of people think “holistic” = “natural” or “alternative.”

But that’s not actually what holistic means!

A “holistic” approach looks at a person as a whole. Rather than seeing each part of the person - say their digestive system, or hormones, or mental health - as separate entities, holistic medicine views them all as interconnected.

(Sometimes, that does mean we use natural and alternative approaches to healing.)

But it always means that we’re looking at YOU as a whole person and not just a set of symptoms or a diagnosis.

I think that’s so important to make clear as I dive into the 2nd part of my series on treating depression and anxiety holistically.

Today, I’m going to explore how environmental exposure to toxins and hormone imbalances can play a role in depression and anxiety. It might seem crazy to think your detox pathways or PCOS could be related to depression or anxiety - but they can! Today I’ll explain exactly how and what you can do about it.

If you haven’t read Part 1 of my series, go HERE and read it first! Then come back and dig into Part 2!

 

What Toxins Are (And Aren’t)

Toxins is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot. But what does it really mean?

A toxin is any chemical or compound that has noxious or harmful effects on living organisms.

Toxins can come from outside us (our environment) but they can also be generated internally. For example, our hormones can become toxins if they stick around too long. They must all be “detoxified” - broken down and cleared from the body in order to make room for new fresh hormones to be produced. We also produce toxins in the gut.

But, the major source of toxins is the outside environment.

We have THOUSANDS of toxin exposures every single day. Here are just some of the most common ones:

  • Smog in the air we breathe
  • Touching receipts coated with chemicals
  • Pesticide residue on food
  • Prescription medicine contamination in drinking water
  • Hair & beauty products made with dangerous chemicals

The EPA estimates that in 2014, 4 billion pounds of toxic chemical waste was released into the air, water or placed in some type of land disposal in the U.S.

(And they consider this an IMPROVEMENT over the 4.7 billion pounds released in 2002!)

It’s likely that at least 25% of the United States population is dealing with heavy metal poisoning, too.

And while our body is equipped to deal with toxins (that’s what our liver is for!) the amount of toxic exposure humans have today is overwhelming. That’s why so many people's detox systems are overburdened. We can’t detox at a rate fast enough to keep up with all the toxins coming in!

This leads to fatigue, allergies, skin reactions, accelerated aging, autoimmunity, brain fog, yeast and bacterial overgrowths, and… increased depression and anxiety.

 

How Toxins Mess With Our Brains

The brain is a powerful and vulnerable organ.

The brain is made of nearly 60% fat. And that’s a problem - because many chemicals and toxins are fat soluble (including the nefarious heavy metals!).

The brain is so susceptible to toxin damage that there’s a specific name for toxins that negatively impact the brain neurons’ function: neurotoxins.

Neurotoxin exposure is a direct cause of depression and anxiety because they cause neurotransmitter dysfunction and inflame the brain.

This creates problems with brain signaling.

Neurons work by secreting specific brain chemicals (primarily serotonin and dopamine) out of the end of one neuron (called vesicle) into the space between the neurons (called the synapse).

Ideally, these chemicals are taken up by the receptor sites on the next neuron meant to receive the message. When that happens, a response signal is stimulated, and it continues on down the line to next neuron. If too much of any one brain chemical is released, it should be reabsorbed into the storage vesicles. This is called reuptake.

It’s sort of like your neurons are all playing a game of telephone.

But when toxins get in the way, the game gets messed up. The next neuron can’t hear the message clearly and passes it on wrong - or maybe not at all.

The toxins (and the inflammation caused by them) block the receptor sites on the neurons from taking up the chemicals  - aka “hearing the message.” Your neurons don’t get the signal.

And that means you don’t feel the effects of serotonin or dopamine, because they aren’t able to do their job.

Then, the serotonin and dopamine that should have been taken up start building up in the synapse.

Your body goes into action: it knows it can’t let too much of these chemicals accumulate. It starts creating enzymes to break down the serotonin and dopamine that are stuck in synapse.

The end result? Your reserves of serotonin and dopamine are lowered.

Depression and anxiety are both a result of the receptor sites in your brain being “shut down” and the lowered serotonin and dopamine this ultimately causes.

 

Signs Your Detox System is Overburdened and Needs Help

If you’re dealing with symptoms of depression or anxiety, it’s a sign your detox systems could be overburdened - along with these other signs:

  • Memory, concentration, and focus problems
  • ADD or ADHD
  • Skin problems (acne, eczema, psoriasis, hives, rashes)
  • Fatigue
  • Overeating & food cravings
  • Autoimmune conditions
  • Feeling chronically flu-like
  • Yeast overgrowth (Candida)
  • Bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
  • Food intolerances

But - all of these symptoms can be related to OTHER problems as well - which is why it’s so important to get accurate lab testing, and not just guess at a diagnosis based on symptoms.

Here’s what I commonly see with my patients:

A patient with depression or anxiety will also have digestive tract infections or dysbiosis, yeast overgrowth, or food intolerances.

These promote inflammation in the gut, and the inflammatory cytokines circulate in the blood and travel into the brain across the blood brain barrier, impacting brain function.  

(What do I do to help? Glad you asked! After testing, I use specific amino acids like 5-HTP, tyrosine, and GABA, plus nutrient cofactors to deal with shut-down receptor sites and neurotransmitter deficiency. At the same time, I’m addressing  underlying root causes of the gut infections.)

 

How To Address Depression & Anxiety Related To Toxin Exposure

The solution to depression and anxiety caused by toxin exposure is to address the cause of the inflammation: those toxins!

That means limiting exposure as much as you can: get a water filter, air purifier, buy organic, switch to natural beauty products, etc.

From there, I start by enhancing detoxification pathways with nutrient protocols, hydration, herbs, saunas, skin brushing, and lymphatic system support so the toxins can be broken down and excreted from the body.

Next, I use lab testing to identify where in the detox pathway things are getting gummed up. Is your Phase 1 or Phase 2 liver detox malfunctioning? Proper testing can tell us!

I also use Organic Acids Testing and Heavy Metals testing to see exactly what toxins you’re dealing with.

I have to give a warning here: you MUST be careful when doing detox work. It can be dangerous to stimulate detox and have the body suddenly dump toxins from storage into circulation.

It’s never good to detox someone who still has a leaky gut or gut issues - and it can make your gut issues get worse.

You shouldn’t feel sick when detoxing - this usually indicates pulling toxins out of storage faster than your body can clear them.

An experienced practitioner can help you detox safely.

 

Depression, Anxiety & Hormones

I’ve saved the best (worst?) for last: hormones!

On some level, almost all depression & anxiety is related to hormone imbalances.

Neuroscientists at the National Institute of Mental Health have even stated that most depression in the United States is caused or contributed to by HPA-axis dysregulation (also called adrenal fatigue) and hormone imbalances.

The most important players for depression and anxiety are cortisol, DHEA, testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone. Together they can trigger a biochemically-induced depression.

 

Cortisol Dysfunction

Cortisol is a stress hormone that’s has to be just right. Too high or too low, and you can have lots of problems. But it’s tricky because your cortisol levels shouldn’t be steady throughout the day: they should follow a predictable arc of rising quickly in the morning when you’re exposed to light and slowly lowering throughout the day.

(That’s why cortisol problems can be easily overlooked! You can’t just look at one reading - you need to look at both levels throughout the day, and the rate at which they rise and fall to get the complete picture of cortisol health.)

Low cortisol levels are related to depression - and in particular, are linked to postpartum depression. Low CAR response (the rise of cortisol first thing in the morning) can also be related to depression.

But  - high cortisol (especially high at nighttime) is also related to depression - both high and low levels can cause similar symptoms. Again - that’s why you must have accurate testing!

What messes up cortisol levels?

The big triggers for cortisol imbalances are are sustained and chronic stress! It can be mental OR physical stress - anything from a stressful job, being a super-busy new mom, or over-exercising can wreak havoc on cortisol levels.

 

Sex Hormones Imbalances

Progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone are the primary sex hormones - but they can also have a huge impact on mental health and depression and anxiety in particular.

Here are just a few of the many ways sex hormones can directly impact mental health:

Progesterone helps balance blood sugar levels. Remember - the brain is dependent on adequate glucose to function. Low progesterone levels can lower the supply of glucose available to the brain. This decrease in "brain fuel" contributes to the most common psychological and emotional symptoms of PMS like:

  • Irritability
  • Rage
  • Depression
  • Tension
  • Anxiety
  • Confusion
  • Fatigue
  • Memory lapses and loss
  • Inability to concentrate
  • Decreased stress tolerance

Estrogen and progesterone also have a strong effect on the neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation:

  • Progesterone binds GABA receptors (which decreases anxiety and depression)
  • Progesterone raises serotonin hormone levels in brain
  • Estrogen increases dopamine activity in the brain

That means, any change in hormone levels (even subtle ones!) can contribute to psychological symptoms.

Unfortunately, the treatment given to many women who do experience mood symptoms with their monthly cycle is the hormonal birth control pill.

This drives me crazy as it only compounds the problem!

Birth control pills deplete the body of essential vitamins and minerals like folate, b vitamins, and magnesium - all of which are involved in the synthesis of chemicals for brain health (among other things!).

This can result in intensified depression, anxiety and PMS! A number of studies have linked depression with the use of oral contraception.

Studies have also indicated that using the Pill for extended periods of time can alter the gut microbiome, especially predisposing users to candida overgrowth and other bacterial and fungal issues.

The nutrient deficiencies that are induced by the Pill are largely due to the influence on the gut microbes, where many of these nutrients are synthesized. (So again, many of these issues point back to the gut - make sure you read Part 1 of this series!)

But that’s not all…

Thyroid Problems

Every cell in your body has receptors for thyroid hormone - including the brain!

(That should give you a clue to how essential a healthy thyroid is for overall well-being!)

Thyroid hormone makes progesterone receptors more sensitive. This means that low thyroid hormone can mimic the symptoms of low progesterone. (Remember the fun PMS stuff we talked about in the previous section??)

Low thyroid hormone can also directly impact neurotransmitter levels. It can cause low dopamine levels - which translates to lack of motivation, drive, and willpower.

Taking Control Of Anxiety & Depression

No matter what root cause (or causes) of depression and anxiety you’re dealing with, there are certain steps you take with your diet and lifestyle to help alleviate symptoms.

For some of my clients, just making lifestyle and diet changes is enough to completely alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety! Here are some things to try in all the major categories:

Eat:

  • Eat plenty of healthy fats (like avocado, coconut, and olive oil)
  • Avoid processed foods and excessive sugar
  • Some people can benefit from removing dairy & gluten
  • Choose organic foods (especially the Dirty Dozen)
  • Aim for 10 servings of fruits & veggies per day
  • Focus on eating for balanced blood sugar (avoiding processed carbs!)

Move:

  • Exercise has been shown to be as effective in most cases as antidepressant drugs for alleviating depression
  • Find what works for you and what you ENJOY doing
  • If you haven’t been exercising regularly, just start with 20-30 minute walks daily

Sleep:

  • Turn off screens 1 hour before bedtime
  • Schedule enough time for enough hours (8 hours or more)
  • Sleep in a dark room, with the temperature slightly cooler

Stress:

  • Active stress management is something I recommend for ALL my clients (no matter what health concern they have)
  • Meditation, yoga, tai chi or qi gong, making art, dance, journaling are some of my favorite options for managing stress
  • Making a conscious decision to “switch” from fight-or-flight mode to rest-and-digest mode
  • Consider working with a counselor or therapist - especially if unresolved emotional issues are a factor for you

 

Next Steps For Treating Anxiety & Depression

After reading Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed.

It seems like you could have hormone issues, toxin exposure, gut issues, and maybe yeast overgrowth, too! (Plus there’s definitely some past trauma lurking that needs to be dealt with….)

As one of my mentors in Chinese medical school used to say: “You are entitled to more than one problem at the same time!”

The truth is that while some people have one primary cause, the majority of depression or anxiety cases is due to a “perfect storm” of factors.

Everything we’ve discussed in this series can be interrelated:

  • Having dysregulated cortisol levels can not only contribute to changes in the brain and brain chemistry, but can alter the way the immune system operates, leaving us more prone to inflammation and more vulnerable to infections in the gut
  • Having a leaky gut from food intolerances or infections will affect the brain directly, but will also be a major contributor to detox system overwhelm
  • Having low thyroid function can cause symptoms of low progesterone

The complex way all these systems interacts means one thing: you don’t want to go this alone!

I really believe everyone should have a trusted practitioner by their side, guiding them through the process of healing.

The right practitioner (trained in a holistic approach like Functional Medicine) can untangle the strings of depression and anxiety and get back to feeling like yourself!

 

If this resonates with you, I’d be honored to have you book a 20-minute consult with my team. These consults are totally free and a chance for us to share how we are trained to help you!

→ Learn more and book a free consult with my team here.

by Brie Wieselman