Environmental Toxins

Detoxing with Cholestyramine and Natural Binders

By / Environmental Toxins / , , ,

Have you ever paused to consider the contaminants that you’re exposed to each and every day? The simple fact is, we live in an increasingly toxic world. Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, we’re exposed to high levels of environmental toxins. These come in the form of biotoxins (such as mold toxins); toxins from bacterial, fungal, and viral infections; toxic chemicals such as pesticides; heavy metals; air pollution (smog); and dust and other irritants. Harmful chemicals can also be found in food, beverages, clothing, cleaning products, home construction materials and furnishings, and electronics and electronic emissions. When the toxins in our bodies exceed the body’s innate ability to detox, we are at an increased risk of developing one or more of the following environmentally acquired illnesses (EAIs): Allergies Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases Asthma Autistic spectrum disorders Autoimmune diseases Cancer Chronic inflammatory response …

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What to do if You Suspect Red Tide is Making You Sick

By / Environmental Toxins / , , ,

Most residents along Florida’s Gulf Coast are well aware of the phenomenon known as red tide. Just recently, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported that the red tide organism — Karenia brevis — was measured at bloom concentrations in southwest Florida. And in early October, it was recorded at background levels in northwest Florida. Red tide blooms are not an uncommon sight for those of us who reside in Tampa. Such blooms occurred over the course of 14 months in 2017-2018 and were apparent in 17 months in 2005-2006. A severe bloom that occurred in 2012-2013 killed hundreds of manatees and scores of other marine life. Significant blooms also occurred in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, with smaller blooms in other years. And it’s not a recent phenomenon. Written descriptions of red tide events in the Gulf of Mexico reach back to the era of Spanish exploration in the New …

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Is Glyphosate Making Me Sick?

By / Environmental Toxins / , , ,

If you follow the news, you’re probably aware of the controversy over whether glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup Weed & Grass Killer and many other herbicides, poses a significant threat to human health. Nobody argues the fact that humans are exposed to this chemical. It is the most commonly used herbicide on the market. It is commonly and frequently used to control weeds in crops and forests, on lawns and gardens, in industrial areas, and even in lakes and ponds to control unwanted aquatic plants. As a result, it is often dispersed in the air, where it may be inhaled, and it finds its way to our drinking water and food products, where it is ingested. Also, there is general agreement that glyphosate causes acute toxicity at certain concentrations. Disagreements arise, however, over whether and to what degree exposure to low concentrations of glyphosate, such as those common in …

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Reporting on the International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness (ISEAI) Conference

By / Environmental Toxins / , , , , , , , , , , ,

Editor’s Note: Last week’s post, which focused on the connection between mold and psychiatric illness, referenced the first annual International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness (ISEAI) Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. That professional gathering included doctors and others in the healthcare field who are blazing trails in the diagnosis and treatment of environmentally acquired illnesses. Today’s post features a report from one of those pioneering doctors — BioDesign Wellness Center’s own Dr. Matthew Lewis, DC, DACBN, CFMP. Below is Dr. Lewis’ report from the conference, including insights on how the event is shaping our own approach to healthcare: The 2019 ISEAI conference featured valuable information shared by pioneering healthcare practitioners from a variety of backgrounds. What I found most valuable were the healthcare providers who spoke about their work with patients suffering from environmentally acquired illness, as well as indoor environmental professionals (IEPs) who check homes for water damage, volatile organic compounds …

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Diagnosing and Treating Environmentally Acquired Illness (EAI)

By / Environmental Toxins /

We hear a lot these days about the environment — most of it focuses on the long-term rise in the average temperature of the Earth’s climate system. Seemingly lost among the talk (and debate — over the causes of global warming) is one simple fact that’s hard to ignore. Unless you live in a bubble, you are being bombarded by toxins and infectious agents that could result in you contracting an environmentally acquired illness. Environmentally acquired illness (EAI) is characterized by any of a number of illnesses or syndromes (symptom clusters) caused by exposure to toxic molds and other biotoxins; toxic chemicals such as heavy metals and pesticides; and persistent infections, such as Lyme disease. Environmental toxins are in foods and beverages, furniture, carpets, clothing, cleaning products, cosmetics, personal hygiene products, medications, and the air around us. In addition, you can acquire serious and persistent infections from insect bites and …

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Florida Conference Focuses on Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome

By / Environmental Toxins, Mold / , , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Mold Sickness” is an immunologic disease that is brought about by exposure to the interior environment of a water-damaged building that becomes a haven for toxic microbes and harmful chemicals. These “dangerous buildings” promote the growth of bacteria, microbes, fragments of microbes, and fungi, and residents or people working in these buildings which are harmed by these conditions often suffer a systemic inflammatory response syndrome known as Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). Physicians, researchers, medical providers, and indoor environmental experts have been studying CIRS for years, and much progress has been made. And late last month, during a four-day conference convened in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., current breakthroughs and updates about the mold epidemic facing this country were presented. Meeting of the Minds Called Meeting of the Minds, the conference was attended by BioDesign Wellness Center’s own functionally medicine-trained Dr. Matt Lewis, DC, DACBN, CFMP®, and BioDesign medical director Dr. Winston …

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