038 - 10 Concepts to Help You Survive in a Toxic World

06/30/22 • 38 min

The Autoimmune Doc Podcast w/ Dr. Taylor Krick

Detox Pathways and Protocols (Youtube)
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So - yup, toxins are a big problem. We are exposed to tons of them, and if our bodies aren't detoxifying properly, they can accumulate or cause damage to our cells, organs, and systems and wreak havoc on our lives. So how do you make sure you aren't overflowing your bucket? Here are 10 Important Concepts:

Bucket Theory explains everything - keep this in mind if things are NOT getting better. SOMETHING is still filling the bucket from somewhere if you are actively trying to detoxify and leading a non-toxic life and you aren't improving. You have to empty the bucket faster than you are filling - you either aren't emptying it well, or you are still exposed somewhere.
Breathing - There are only a few "exits" for things to get out of the body, breath is one of them. Think about a roadside alcohol test - you breathe out toxins to get rid of them.
Peeing - this one is more obvious that you are "getting rid of waste", but the kidneys filter toxins and toxic metabolites, and you pee them out, so that system has to be working well too.
Pooping - This one is the most obvious - - waste is bad so you want to get it out of you!! Your poop is how you get rid of MANY MANY toxins, and if your gut is not moving well, everything else backs up.
Sweating - You are slightly limited on how much you can speed up your breathing, peeing, and pooping, but you can always open the other exit - sweat. Many toxins have been found excreted in the sweat - mycotoxins, BPA, parabens, metals, etc, so sweating is crucial for detoxification.
Liver/Bile Flow - The liver filters toxins (through many processes - phase I and II, cytochrome P450 enzymes, glutathione, conjugation, glucuronidation, methylation, etc). These toxins are then put into bile, which is stored and released by the gallbladder. You have to have good liver function to filter the toxins, and then you have to have good gallbladder function and bile flow for the toxins to get into the gut, then you have to be pooping for them to get out.
Lymph Drainage - The lymphatic system is one way that toxins and waste products are transported around the body to be excreted, and your lymphatic system has to be moving, it can't be stagnant.
Cell Membranes - Toxins damage your cell membranes (including mitochondrial membrane), causing lipid peroxidation, stiffening, and poor membrane fluidity. Then toxins can also STORE in the cell membranes, so you need good healthy cell membrane support - this can be really important for detoxification.
Mitochondria - THEY DO IT ALL!!!! Toxins store in the mitochondria, they damage the mitochondria, they affect fatty acid beta oxidation, Kreb's Cycle, Oxidative Phosphorylation, all the things - and mitochondria power detoxification in the liver, organs, cells, etc. It's all mitochondrial!
Relevant Genes - There are a lot of relevant genes in detoxification, and it's super important. Many of them relate to "methylation", like MTHFR, COMT, PEMT, HNMT, but there are many others that regulate processes like glutathione recycling, cytochrome P450 activity, and many many more.

Bucket Theory explains everything - keep this in mind if things are NOT getting better. SOMETHING is still filling the bucket from somewhere if you are actively trying to detoxify and leading a non-toxic life and you aren't improving. You have to empty the bucket faster than you are filling - you either aren't emptying it well, or you are still exposed somewhere.
Breathing - There are only a few "exits" for things to get out of the body, breath is one of them. Think about a roadside alcohol test - you breathe out toxins to get rid of them.
Peeing - this one is more obvious that you are "getting rid of waste", but the kidneys filter toxins and toxic metabolites, and you pee them out, so that system has to be working well too.
Pooping - This one is the most obvious - - waste is bad so you want to get it out of you!! Your poop is how you get rid of MANY MANY toxins, and if your gut is not moving well, everything else backs up.
Sweating - You are slightly limited on how much you can speed up your breathing, peeing, and pooping, but you can always open the other exit - sweat. Many toxins have been found excreted in the sweat - mycotoxins, BPA, parabens, metals, etc, so sweating is crucial for detoxification.
Liver/Bile Flow - The liver filters toxins (through many processes - phase I and II, cytochrome P450 enzymes, glutathione, conjugation, glucuronidation, methylation, etc). These toxins are then put into bile, which is stored and released by the gallbladder. You have to have good liver function to filter the toxins, and then you have to have good gallbladder function and bile flow for the toxins to get into the gut, then you have to be pooping for them to get out.
Lymph Drainage - The lymphatic system is one way that toxins and waste products are transported around the body to be excreted, and your lymphatic system has to be moving, it can't be stagnant.
Cell Membranes - Toxins damage your cell membranes (including mitochondrial membrane), causing lipid peroxidation, stiffening, and poor membrane fluidity. Then toxins can also STORE in the cell membranes, so you need good healthy cell membrane support - this can be really important for detoxification.
Mitochondria - THEY DO IT ALL!!!! Toxins store in the mitochondria, they damage the mitochondria, they affect fatty acid beta oxidation, Kreb's Cycle, Oxidative Phosphorylation, all the things - and mitochondria power detoxification in the liver, organs, cells, etc. It's all mitochondrial!
Relevant Genes - There are a lot of relevant genes in detoxification, and it's super important. Many of them relate to "methylation", like MTHFR, COMT, PEMT, HNMT, but there are many others that regulate processes like glutathione recycling, cytochrome P450 activity, and many many more.

Previous Episode

037 - The 4 WORST THYROID TOXINS

www.autoimmunedocpodcast.com

The thyroid is a REALLY, REALLY important gland.
Thyroid hormones regulate your metabolic rate and because of that, are important for basically every function in your body to work properly - all of your energy, healing, digestion, brain function, cellular functions, all of it. Every single cell in your body has receptors for thyroid hormones. It's also the target of the single most prevalent autoimmune disease in the U.S. - Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and millions of Americans have diagnosed thyroid conditions, while potentially 100s of millions have subclinical thyroid "problems".
The thyroid is very susceptible to damage from toxins, so in this podcast I talk about those toxins, what they are, where they come from, and why you should be scared of them. The toxins are, in no particular order:
- BPA - found in plastics, receipts, etc
- Mercury - found in fish, dental fillings, some vaccines
- Perchlorate - mostly found in fertilizers and drinking water
- Fluoride - mostly found in drinking water and dentist's offices
Toxins cause problems. Sometimes they bind to tissue and cause adducts and autoimmunity. Sometimes they block receptors, sometimes they just deplete glutathione and drive oxidative damage causing cellular inflammation. But no matter their mechanism, they can wreak havoc on your health (hence the obvious name....they are TOXIC, duh!), and it's very important to know about them and how to avoid them - if you want to avoid problems like thyroid problems!!
Youtube Video about BPA and Autoimmunity!
Listen back to the last episode (TOXINS TOXINS TOXINS!) and my previous episode on Toxins and Autoimmunity (episode 25), and my previous episodes on the Thyroid Puzzle - episodes 14, 15, and 16!

Next Episode

039 - How to Empty Your Toxic Bucket (aka DETOXIFY!)

Purchase these detoxification products HERE!
Ok this series is a lot like the mitochondria series, it requires multiple episodes because order to understand the solutions you have to understand the mechanisms first. Last episode was all about the most important "big picture" concepts for detoxification such as understanding the old "toxic bucket" metaphor, my next episode will be about how to make sure you aren't filling the bucket....but this episode is all about how you empty the toxic bucket - aka how you DETOXIFY YOUR BODY.
In this episode I go over MANY MANY tools that I use regularly to support detoxification, including lifestyle strategies like sauna, coffee enema, rebounding, etc and I give my opinion on various supplement companies, individual ingredients (different important vitamins, herbs, amino acids, etc), and also all the specific products that I like and use regularly, and why I like them, including support for: