Terrifying TOXINS

We’re reading increasingly about the potentially significant threat to our health of toxins, but what exactly are they? How will they impact on our longevity and what can we do to reduce our exposure to them?

Dr Duncan Carmichael is a functional medicine specialist and author of the book Younger for Longer. He says: “A toxin is simply something that damages the body. It could be an obvious toxin, like alcohol, that the body needs to clear in order to feel normal again. Or it could be largely invisible, like the car exhaust we inhale while going about our daily lives, or the fumes that leach from certain cleaning products or carpets.”

Your body and toxins

There’s still much denial around the level of toxins in our environment. This, coupled with a general lack of awareness, makes for a challenging health-management situation. However, what is indisputable is that, with the pace of change and globalisation, the spread of technology and consumer products, eventually the entire planet will be affected by toxins in some form or another.

Also, toxic threats will differ from region to region, country to country and person to person. Some people may be less affected than others, depending on their own health and ability to detoxify naturally.

“Fortunately, your body has an amazing detoxification system and does a great job of removing unwanted dangerous substances, typically via the liver,” Carmichael says.

This suggests we should be able to adapt to any toxic threat, but it’s not