Other Toxins To Be Aware Of And Avoid Diet for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
ALS Diet Pages
To list every possible toxin would be an impossibility - volumes of encyclopedic books would fill entire rooms in an attempt to do so. Our highly and overly technological world has many wonderful inventions that make our lives fuller, unbelievably enriched, more accomplished, and faster-paced... but at a price to our health. Below is a list of the most common toxins, but again, it is by no means a list of all the thousands of possible toxins circulating in our environment. The answer to counteracting toxins is one day, one item, one step at a time, for example, insisting on non-toxic laundry and household cleaning supplies; using glass, not plastic; using stainless steel, not Teflon; not using a microwave, etc.
PCBs These were commercially produced as complex mixtures containing multiple isomers at different degrees of chlorination. In the United States, commercial production of PCBs was taken over in 1929 by Monsanto from Swann Chemical Company. Manufacturing levels increased in response to the electrical industry's need for a "safer" cooling and insulating fluid for industrial transformers and capacitors. Risks: Cancer; impaired fetal brain development. Most Prevalent Sources: Farm-raised salmon. These fish absorb PCBs from the environment.
PESTICIDES According to the EPA, 60% of herbicides, 90% of fungicides and 30% of insecticides are known to be carcinogenic - but the EPA hasn't even scratched the surface. We now have a strong link between the ingestion of pesticides even in tiny amounts daily (imagine putting just a tiny drop of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides into your pet's water every day, assuming it wouldn't hurt him - this is as ludicrous as assuming the tiny drop you might get daily by eating a variety of fruits, vegetables as well as that in meats and dairy won't hurt you! Reports show that as much as 95% of America's food supply is tainted with pesticides and the like...so even if you think you're doing the right thing by frequenting Souplantation or Sizzler's salad bar you're in grave danger. Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides cannot simply be washed off as you may have believed. Risks: Cancer, Parkinson‘s disease, miscarriage, nerve damage, birth defects, blocking the absorption of food nutrients. Most Prevalent Sources: Food (fruits, vegetables and commercially raised meats and dairy) and bug sprays
MOLD AND OTHER FUNGAL TOXINS One of three people test allergic to mold, but mold isn't good for anyone. Mycotoxins in particular (toxins produced by fungus) can cause a range of health problems from asthma to cancer and everything in-between - even with exposure to a tiny amount. Risks Cancer, heart disease, asthma, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and more Most Prevalent Sources: Contaminated buildings. Do you have any brown spots on your ceiling from rain leaking through? You'll likely have mold in the walls!); Foods, like peanuts, wheat and corn that are stored in warm, moist places prior to being distributed to food manufacturers (in just 2-3 days can develop mold!); alcoholic beverages
PHTHALATES These chemicals are used to lengthen the life of fragrances as well as to soften plastics. When you leave plastics in the sun or heat (as in storing flat after flat of bottled water in warehouses) the phthalates and other chemicals get into the water and are consumed by us. Risks: Endocrine system damage Most Prevalent Sources: Plastic wrap; plastic bottles; plastic food storage containers.
VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) VOCs are a major contributant to ozone. Ozone is formed when nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) react with sunlight. NOx is a by-product of high-temperature combustion created by automobiles and power plants. VOCs include organic chemicals that vaporize easily, such as gasoline. Therefore, ozone is found in higher concentrations in urban areas. Ozone can be classified as both "good" and "bad", depending on where it is found. "Good" ozone is formed naturally in the stratosphere, , providing a protective layer from the sun's ultraviolet rays. This type of ozone serves to protect our health. "Bad" ozone is found at ground-level when it is sunny and hot. This type of ozone is harmful to our health. Risks: Cancer, eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, and memory impairment Most Prevalent Sources: Drinking water, carpet, paints, deodorants, cleaning fluids, varnishes, cosmetics, dry cleaned clothing, moth repellants, air fresheners.
DIOXINS These are chemical compounds that are formed as a result of combustion processes such as commercial or municipal waste incineration and from burning fuels (like wood, coal or oil - note that heavy metals like mercury are also generated in like manner and put into our atmosphere to fall with rain and snow to get into our food chain!) Risks: Cancer, reproductive and developmental disorders, chloracne (a severe skin disease with acne-like lesions), skin rashes, skin discoloration, excessive body hair, mild liver damage Most Prevalent Sources: Animal fats (over 95% of exposure comes from eating commercial animal fats in fatty meats and butter, for example).
ASBESTOS This is a material used to insulate homes and businesses and was used from the 1950's to the 1970's, until it was discovered to be a carcinogen. In fact the horrible mesothelioma (a rare, and horrific form of lung cancer) is specifically linked to asbestos. Risks: Cancer, scarring of lung tissue, the aforementioned mesothelioma and more Most Prevalent Sources: Insulation on floors, ceilings, water pipes and heating ducts, but only from the 1950's to the 1970's when it was then banned.
HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS & TOILETRIES You breathe in vapors, and your skin absorbs what you put on it. Start checking product labels, and eliminate any that have the following hazardous ingredients. Then check out lines of 100% natural, organic products at your healthstore.
Propylene Glycol penetrates the skin quickly. The EPA warns against contact to prevent brain, liver and kidney abnormalities, yet it is put into your stick deodorant and other toiletries!
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Lareth Sulfate are foaming detergents. Animals exposed to them have experienced eye damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation and even death. They can be transformed into nitrosamines, which have proven carcinogenic.
DEA (diethanolamine) MEA (monoethanolamine) and TEA (triethanolamine) Hormone-disrupting chemicals that can form cancer-causing nitrates. Restricted in Europe, still used here, even though you may be exposed 10-20 times daily as it is in shampoos, shaving creams, bubble baths and more. Repeated applications of DEA-based detergents resulted in major increase in liver and kidney cancer.
Sodium Hydroxide This is a poison (caustic lye) found in drain cleaners. Found in drain cleaners and labeled as POISON, yet the cosmetic industry is not putting it in our skin and oral care products!
Triclosan A synthethic antibacterial with a chemical structure similar to Agent Orange! The EPA registers it as a pesticide with high human health risk scores and yet it's being put into your handsoaps!
DMDM & Urea (Imidazolidinyl) Two (of many) preservatives that often release formaldehyde which cause joint pain, skin reactions, allergies, depression, headaches, chest pains, ear infections and more. Weakens the immune system.
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Carcinogenic petroleum. Used in spray-on oven cleaners to dissolve the grease.
Parabens alkyl hydroxyl parabens, alpha hydroxyl benzoate as well as methyl-, ethyl-, propyl- and butyl-parabens are all weakly estrogenic meaning they mimic estrogen, which isn't good.
Alcohol, Isopropyl (SD-40) Promotes brown spots, premature aging, leaves you vulnerable to bacteria and viruses. The Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients says it may cause headaches, flushing, dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting and coma.
Mineral Oil Baby oil is 100% mineral oil. It's a petroleum by-product that coats the skin like pastic wrap, clogs pores, interferes with skin's ability to eliminate toxins!
FD&C Color Pigments Synthetic colors from coal tar that deposits toxins onto skin. Absorption of certain colors can cause depletion of oxygen in the body and death. Animal studies have shown almost all of them to be carcinogenic.
Fragrances Can contain up to four thousand ingredients, many toxic and carcinogenic. Use aroma-therapeutic, organic essential oils instead!
CHLOROFORM This is a colorless liquid that has a pleasant, even nonirritating odor. It is used to make other chemicals. It is also formed when chlorine is added to water, such as in the water processing plants of cities where chlorine and even fluorine (a toxic heavy metal) are added as disinfectants. Risks: Cancer, reproductive damage, birth defects dizziness, fatigue, headache, liver and kidney damage and more. Most Prevalent Sources: Anything to which chloroform is added or used along the way of manufacture can contain it, such as the air, drinking water and foods.
CHLORINE This is prevalent in the environment as it is used in laundry (Clorox Bleach!), in disinfecting water, household cleaners and more. It is highly toxic and unfortunately, one of the most heavily used chemical agents in homes, hospitals and industry. Risks: Sore throat, coughing, eye and skin irritation, rapid breathing, narrowing of the bronchi (lungs), wheezing, blue coloring (lack of oxygen) to the skin, fluid and pain in the lung and so much more. Most Prevalent Sources: Household cleaners, drinking water, air when living near industrial plants.
Before we leave this subject, just one more word about Teflon. The truth is, perfluorochemical (PFC) emissions from synthetic compounds in non-stick cookware and cleaning products (produced by DuPont) is implicated in cancer and other health problems - like neurological diseases. When you heat a Teflon pan, these emissions are released into your food and into the air and end up in your body. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), cannot be further broken down, so they remain in the body to cause tumors in the pancreas, liver, testicles, thyroid, or mammary glands as shown in animal studies. Workers involved in manufacturing PFOA were also shown to be three times as likely to die of prostate cancer as those who weren't. PFC concentrations have been found in the bodies of fish, dolphins, seals, sea lions, minks, polar bears, gulls, albatrosses, bald eagles, sea turtles, and dozens more species. PFOA is present in the blood of 90 percent to 95 percent of U.S. residents and can even be passed along (as can most toxins) to infants in the womb.
ALS Diet Pages
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Please click the PDF icon to the left to read or download the entire 36 page Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Diet by Dr. David Steenblock
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