Reduce toxins to ease RA & autoimmune symptoms

Dia duit agus fáilte – that’s Irish for hello and welcome – to this blog post about how we can reduce toxins to ease rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune symptoms.

Today we are talking about the need to reduce body toxins in our lives so our bodies can reduce inflammation and begin to heal.

We are living with toxins, surrounded by them, in fact; they are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. They are also in our body care products, our cleaning products and occasionally in the people around us.

Some immune systems are better able to address an attack of body toxins but those of us with under- or overactive immune systems might find such battle more than we can manage without giving effort to the fight.

Continue reading to learn how to fight and release toxins, move towards a toxin free life and heal your body.

What is a toxin and how does it affect my RA/autoimmune body?

The term “toxin” typically includes pollutants, synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, and processed foods — all of which negatively affect health.

As you know by now, an autoimmune disease develops when the immune system has gone bonkers and is confused about who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. When we overtax the body with toxins, the immune system doubles down and works overtime to try and protect its territory. But as we know from real life, being crazy busy does not translate to being effective.

It’s easy to understand why a body with a malfunctioning, overactive and exhausted immune system might struggle to fight toxic invaders.

What if we could reduce or remove toxins from our bodies and give our immune systems less to get its knickers in a twist about?

What types of toxins am I exposed to regularly?

(Don’t get too stressed by this info; there is good news to follow)

When we breathe in polluted air, our lungs struggle to function as well as they can leading to shortness of breath and coughing. The toxins in the air creep into our eyes, sinuses and can leave us with a headache. Dirty air is everywhere! We find ourselves driving behind a truck spewing black exhaust clouds or we pop in to one of the many stores that spray with fragrances, and yes, it may smell nice enough but that air may be full of toxic ingredients.

A visit to the drycleaners or the purchase of a new mattress can expose us to known carcinogens; synthetic chemicals are used to fire-proof furniture, add fragrance to your cleaning products and in the plastics we use to store our food. Unfortunately, less than 1% of the 40,000 chemicals used in the US have been properly tested for human safety. Hmmm … that figure is a little scary! Especially when you consider that exposure to toxic synthetic chemicals such as pesticides, phthalates, BPA and PFOAs (Teflon) can lead to cancers, hormonal imbalance, reproductive concerns and liver damage.

Heavy metals: You might have heard of the high levels of mercury in tuna or lead in paint, both should be avoided as much as possible. But did you know there are also heavy metals found in electronics like TVs and computers (beryllium), plastics (cadmium), batteries (cobalt) and lipstick (lead.)

Heavy metal exposure can lead to dizziness, headaches, constipation and achy joints and muscles. One of the reasons we tested our well water was because our neighbor had experienced similar symptoms to my RA symptoms and learned that their well water picked up high levels of arsenic. After digging a new, much deeper well, my neighbor’s symptoms quickly went away.

The list of toxic ingredients in processed foods known to cause serious health issues include several preservatives linked to cancers, endocrine and hormonal disruption and metabolic syndrome. In addition, artificial food colorings are also linked to several cancers and a long list of other ingredients have been linked to asthma, heart disease and digestive problems. See here for more info

How can I avoid or reduce toxins?

I promised you hope when we began this article and here it is.  I agree, the list above can be quite depressing and, yes, there are things we cannot control, like the dirty air when we visit London or LA, or the mandatory flame-retardants on furniture (unless you live in California.) But the good news is: you and I have more control over our toxin free life than we may think.

14 ways to reduce toxins from daily life:

1. Avoid fragrances found in body-care and house-cleaning products and source brands and products that use essential oils.
2. Make your own non-toxic cleaning products using vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice. See the article I wrote here.
3. Make your own personal care products – simple, healthier and less expensive (nice side benefit.)
4. Skip processed foods – replace with delicious home-made versions and train your tongue to enjoy “real” food.
5. Choose fresh or frozen veggies over canned.
6. Avoid the “dirty dozen” – that list of fresh fruit and veggies that have the highest levels of toxins.
7. Replace plastics with glass food storage containers and use metal or BPA-free water bottles.
8. Filter tap water if your water source contains fluoride, chlorine, lead or other known toxins. See full list.
9. Don’t use Styrofoam or plastics for hot foods. (Avoid Styrofoam completely if possible.)
10. Rather than air freshener for your house, open a window, use an essential oil diffuser or simmer water with a stick of cinnamon or fresh mint with orange slices. (Read this post about essential oils and diffusers.)

11. Create a shoe-free home to avoid tracking in all those environmental toxins you might have picked up as you ran errands or went to work (road pollution, carpet cleaners etc…)
12. Avoid pesticide and herbicide use in the garden: check in with your local Master Gardeners to learn about alternatives. (As a Master Gardener, I can attest to their willingness to support toxin-free gardening.
13. Quit dry-cleaning or find a local environmentally friendly and toxin-free option.
14. Consider using the internal air-circulator option in your car when you’re in cities or heavy traffic.

5 ways to reduce toxins in your body:

1. Stay as healthy as possible – the best defense is an offense. Plenty of exercise, sleep (see post), positive relationships and mindfulness will support your immune system (which we know is already a little wobbly because of our blasted autoimmune disease!)
2. Eat organic food when possible. If you cannot, then clean all produce with a gentle vinegar solution. (1 part distilled vinegar to 3 parts filtered water and soak produce for up to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with fresh water.) Don’t use this method for delicate fruits like berries.

3. Drink plenty of fresh, clean water – filtered when possible.
4. Take Vitamin C and enjoy other anti-oxidants (e.g. blueberries, kale, beets) daily.
5. Set aside the electronics, especially in the evenings. Yup, that means turn off the TV in favor of a book, leave your phone in the other room and enjoy time with others, or alone.

Toxic people

As damaging as all the toxins we face in our physical world are, perhaps the toxic people in our lives play an even more significant role in undermining our immune system. Toxic relationships are exhausting, draining and make us second guess ourselves constantly, all of which further compromise our health.

Kind and loving relationships are the foundation of a wonderful, delightful and toxin free life.

You deserve, we all deserve, to be surrounded by people who love and respect us but cleaning up relationships can be much more difficult than giving up those Cheetos and hot dogs.

You know who I’m talking about:

• Jekyll and Hyde – one day they’re your best friend, the next they’ll throw you under the bus.
• the sulker – you have to apologize or cower to them in order to prove you love them.
• the manipulator– this person forces you to their position, sometimes subtly, sometimes like a bull in a china shop but the end result is: they get what they want at your expense.
• the passive-aggressive who regularly doles out sarcasm, back-handed compliments and blame.
• the whiner is always the victim, happy to share endless tales of woe and wrongdoing, against them, of course.
• the narcissist has an elevated sense of their own importance, they need constant attention and rarely care about the feelings of others.
• the judge – need I say more?

In order to clean up, and remove toxins from, your environment, it is essential to look at the relationships in your life. Unfortunately, this often leads to uncomfortable conversations or painful break-ups. I have stepped away from relationships that caused stress and pain and I have lost friendships when I stood up for myself; in all cases, the journey was one of grief and loss but ultimately, I now have space in my life for loving, respectful relationships that nurture and support me as I am.

This step may be more than you can manage alone; find support from a true friend or loved one or look for it in a therapist. And be kind and gentle if this is one area of change you need to postpone for now; too much change can be overwhelming and cause stress even as it aims to improve our health and wellbeing.

A great way to reduce toxins in the home

The average-sized house plant (6-8”) is capable of removing environmental toxins from about 100sqsf by absorbing many gases including VOCs and carbon dioxide through its leaves and roots. That’s pretty cool. Plus, they look wonderful, add a serene element to any room and bring a little touch of nature inside.

The following plants are low maintenance and great choices for cleaning the air:

Most of these plants do well in low or indirect light, can tolerate being ignored occasionally and are very affordable.

The biggest rule of thumb for house plant care is to only water when the plants are thirsty. (Over-watering is the number 1 killer of house plants!) Depending on the humidity and heat in your home and the size of the plant, you will probably need to water once every 10 days-2 weeks.

Final thoughts

The more we practice toxin free living, the easier it gets; I promise.

I often joke that my drug of choice is cereal and in years past, that drug was Corn Pops, you know the one – big yellow box with an ingredient list that would make your toes curl. Well, I still love my cereal, it is the easiest answer to the “what can I eat?” when the day is full and I cannot make another decision. But today, I opt for Gorilla Munch with its 3 ingredients, all of which I recognize. I’m sure I can make a better snack choice – kale salad, a handful of blueberries but sometimes I just want a fix and for me, that comes in a friendly gorilla-pictured box.

Instead of trying to make a dozen changes, pick one or two that feel manageable and begin there. You’ve got this.