You most likely drink water everyday. Maybe six to eight glasses per day? Or more! We need water to survive! And water is one of the most essential components of a detoxification program. As they say, the solution to pollution is dilution! But what happens when our water is contaminated?
All over the news: toxic amounts of lead in the water in Flint, Michigan; high amounts of a chemical called perchlorate in the water in San Diego; and massive amounts of pharmaceuticals in the water in Los Angeles. Yuck! Suddenly our water supply is not so pure.
I was living in this fantasy that my water in San Francisco was clean. After all, it comes from the Hetch Hetchy Dam in Yosemite. I had it tested for lead a year ago and received a clean report!
Fast forward: I recently got the results of my Toxic Chemical Profile test. This test measures by- products of major chemicals in the urine.
One of the chemicals that tested on the high side was perchlorate. So not just a Southern California thing! This chemical is used in the production of rocket fuel, missiles, fireworks, flares, explosives, fertilizers, and bleach. Studies show that perchlorate is often found in water supplies. Many food sources are also contaminated with perchlorate. Perchlorate can disrupt the thyroid’s ability to produce hormones. The EPA has also labeled perchlorate a likely human carcinogen.
My test results also showed an elevated marker for a metabolite of organophosphates, one of the most toxic groups of substances in the world, primarily found in pesticide formulations. Children exposed to organophosphates have more than twice the risk of developing pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), an autism spectrum disorder. Maternal organophosphate exposure has been associated with various adverse outcomes including having shorter pregnancies and children with impaired reflexes.
I was surprised to have high levels of organophosphates, as I make a special effort to eat organic foods! However, these organophosphates can end up in our – you guessed it – water supply! I live in San Francisco and found out that Napa Valley is a hotbed for this class of chemicals and winds can carry these chemicals about 50 miles.
What is the good news? There are really great water filter systems that can clean this garbage out of your water! I will be attending an environmental medicine conference in Portland on Sept. 9th and one hour will be dedicated to the best water filter systems. I will be sure to share my notes from this lecture. In the meantime, if you feel you cannot wait until September to upgrade your water filter system, please comment on this post or email info@nutritionwithbeth.com for some top of the line water filtration systems.
There is also so much we can do to support the detoxification of these chemicals. First get rid of the exposure, then support your detox systems! I learned that pomegranate juice and resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes, stimulate an enzyme that helps to detoxify organophosphates. Omega 3 essential fatty acids are helpful too!
If you read my blogs and newsletters, you know that I am a big fan of regular cleanse programs. And yes, I will be doing my annual pre-holiday cleanse again this November! 🙂
