Daily Dose of TOXINS: Part 1
Episode 116
In this episode of Integrative Wellness Radio, Dr. Nicole & Grace walk through a typical day for most people… laced with toxins. They’re diving into part 1 of this episode by exposing unknown irritants and underscoring the mantra “you don’t know what you don’t know.” Listen through the end to hear about the potential toxins you’re being exposed to on a daily… and solutions to eliminating them. Interested in working with IWG? Book a complimentary consult call to learn more using this link: https://bit.ly/IWRcall2021 Noteworthy Time Stamps: 2:47 Where to start… how to eat & your day-to-day 4:00 Everyone’s a liar 6:14 Familial aspect 9:34 Overlooked toxin from your environment 13:15 What they’re doing to conventional celery 17:30 Morning through midday assessment
Topics: because, medicine, toxins, part, integrative, time, everyone, daily
Key takeaways from this episode
- Nicole to learn more about the top trends in integrative medicine, to learn about what the limitations are with testing and what you can do to start your health journey.
- I should really say integrative medicine practitioner because I keep kicking myself by saying that because we're both really embracing this integrative approach with our patients and not just focusing on diet and supplements.
- Sometimes I tend to lose myself when I'm out here on the Hello, everyone.
- In when I started with Integrated Wellness Group and I was doing nutrition consults, I cultivated a style of um almost like an interview where I say the same thing every single time, no matter how many times they've worked with me and I say, take me through a normal day for you.
- I am here with Grace, our lovely functional medicine practitioner.
Pull quotes
Imagine if medicine actually looked at you as a whole opposed to looking at you as a bunch of separate systems.
Nicole to learn more about the top trends in integrative medicine, to learn about what the limitations are with testing and what you can do to start your health journey.
Um it's interesting because this will definitely come up today but I was trained traditionally and as a clinical nutritionist.
Transcript
I've been up all night. No sleep. Imagine if medicine actually looked at you as a whole opposed to looking at you as a bunch of separate systems. Dive into Integrated Wellness Radio with Dr. Nick and Dr. Nicole to learn more about the top trends in integrative medicine, to learn about what the limitations are with testing and what you can do to start your health journey. Sometimes I tend to lose myself when I'm out here on the Hello, everyone. So welcome back to another episode of IWG Radio. I am here with Grace, our lovely functional medicine practitioner. I should really say integrative medicine practitioner because I keep kicking myself by saying that because we're both really embracing this integrative approach with our patients and not just focusing on diet and supplements. Right. So, tell them about yourselves. Happy to be here. Um it's interesting because this will definitely come up today but I was trained traditionally and as a clinical nutritionist. And everything I learned was dictated by the American Dietetic Association. Um and so it's interesting in a way that that built a foundation of course and I always say that but in integrating in practicing functional medicine and up leveling that to an aspect of care where we can integrate therapies and supplementation along with lifestyle and diet has made the biggest change in my scope of practice. And your life. And my life. Absolutely. That's for sure. So, today we're going to get real real because well, I I'll say, I just recently had uh had the pleasure to go visit my in-laws who I love dearly. Uh but they are from the Midwest and their lifestyle is quite different than ours. Well, I should really say a majority of the population their life is a lot different. And the only reason is because I've been in this industry and I've seen chronic illness, I've seen mystery illness and we've worked with people that haven't been getting answers and when that happens and you dig deeper and you ask better questions, it starts to uncover a lot of information that is very shocking and honestly disturbing. Right. And I think a good way to start peeling back those layers is to ask first and foremost what you eat and how you go about your day. In when I started with Integrated Wellness Group and I was doing nutrition consults, I cultivated a style of um almost like an interview where I say the same thing every single time, no matter how many times they've worked with me and I say, take me through a normal day for you. So, everything you're eating and drinking from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep. And it's so funny because again no matter how many times we've had consults together, the patient will still skip things and I'll know it and I'll have to interrupt. So if I'm interrupting 10, 12, 15, 20 times, it's because I'm like what did you drink with that? Did you have a snack? Did you have a piece of gum? Did you do that and they're like, oh. oh. Yeah. I'm like yeah, I know. So we you can get very caught up in glazing over parts of your day that are so into I'll use the word again, integrated ritual and like almost ritualistic to the point where you just they like they're just part of you and you don't think about them anymore. Yeah. Well, what was the first thing that I taught you when you started working with us? Don't put me on the spot. There's things. Okay. Everyone's a liar. Everyone's a liar. Yes. And I say that with love to our audience because first of all, I did not know what I didn't know. uh and when I got into this world and I did my own testing. I realized how much of my symptoms were my normal but I also realized how many things that I was doing on a day-to-day basis that were contributing to my symptoms but I had no idea because they were the norm not just for myself, but they were the norm based off of most people's lives. And we are living, you know, in a world where we're being marketed a variety of different types of products and services that are contributing to the toxicity that we have in our bodies. And we're actually going to go through a day by day, hour by hour to help give you a harsh reality of how much you are doing on a day-to-day basis that is actually exposing you to different toxins. Yep. And we're not doing this to scare you, but it's more so knowledge is power and you don't know what you don't know and you may have chronic fatigue. You may have sleep issues. You may have gut issues. You may have chronic headaches and you're seeking out the specialists, you're seeking out a variety of different types of therapies, maybe medications. Maybe you've even had botox in your forehead because your migraines are so bad. And nothing is helping and you feel completely powerless and you're to a point that you don't know what the heck is causing it and you don't know what to do. Right. So when I had the luxury of being with my family, you know, it brings me back to reality of how much people do on a day to day that they don't have any idea might be contributing to their overall status of their health. Yeah. And it really this was where I was I was texting Grace. I'm like, dude, we're doing a podcast about how many toxins people are exposed to on a day to day basis. And she's like, let's do it. Yeah. And I think that they're going off of that experience you had. I think there's an aspect to this that is really familial. And we hear this all the time in practice, oh, my mom has heartburn, oh, my dad had gallstones, oh, depression runs in my family. And it's like, okay, but how about the hair dye your mom started you on when you were 15, the birth control that you went on when you were a teenager and the nails you've been getting since you were young, the food you all ate together, the hair products, the makeup, like. The detergents. Yeah. So, it's not I'm not blaming anyone's parents, of course, it's just like thinking about things that we have taught, we have been taught to believe are inherited or passed down when it's really just because you all lived in the same environment together. And we're raised a certain way. And practice the same thing. Exactly. So, as we get into this topic, a couple of things that I want to preface with is understanding that this is not about ingestion. You know, when we talk about the accumulation of toxins, we're talking about various avenues of absorption. And if you look at the back of your toothpaste, it says, if you swallow uh in large quantities, please call Poison Control Center. But when we really think about it, and if you dig into biology and physiology, you understand that there are a variety of glands in your mouth that are designed to absorb um that's actually where you absorb a portion of your nutrients. And then they're also designed to excrete out uh enzymes to help you break down your food adequately. It's early. It's early. So with that being said is small amounts of toothpaste on a day-to-day basis, anywhere between two to three times a day, it's almost like you're micro-dosing yourself with the specific chemicals that are in it. Right. And in addition is we have our skin. And we are all putting things on our skin and especially coming out of the pandemic, we have all been recommended to wash our hands repeatedly, to use hand sanitizer, um there is a lot of talk about how harmful the sun is now that we're in the summer months and we are being recommended to use SPF in our makeup. We're being recommended to use sunblock, you know, if we are outside. And no one is necessarily talking about the quality. Right. And talking about, you know, not all sunblock is created equal, not all makeup is created equal. And one of the other aspects is there's going to be some things that you hear from us today that are repetitive. And it's because one of the things that and Grace, you can speak to this too is I personally feel like a lot of patients that come to us, they've usually been other places. And they've had some foundational knowledge of like, hey, you have some heavy metals in your system and maybe it came from the silver fillings that were put in your teeth as a kid and people have some general knowledge of maybe this has contributed to my symptoms. But I feel that one of the things that's highly highly overlooked in the conventional medicine space, the functional medicine space is pesticides. Yep. Unfortunately, in this day and age, pesticides are on almost everything and not to completely depress all of you, but even organic food. Don't get me wrong. Organic is better because it has significantly less amounts of pesticides but if you're in the conventional realm of conventional produce, you are getting an absurd amount of glyphosate, which is also known as the lovely weed killer that we use in our yards called Roundup. Roundup. Yeah. And we were just doing some research prepping for this and Roundup cannot be washed or scrubbed off. So, that's something to be said about this is that if if you're like we've all heard um dirty dozen, clean 15, right? So So glad you said that. Yeah. So there are certain fruits and vegetables and and produce products that are we we are told, it's okay to eat these conventional typically it's because they grow on a tree versus growing from within the earth. So that's like an orange with skin or an apple with skin versus a carrot, versus lettuce, things like that that you have to pull out of the dirt. And that's just so asinine because there is absolutely no reason for you to be consuming anything that is covered in pesticides, whether it's from within the earth or growing on a tree. I have a perfect example because I was eating dinner and the person I was with was like, oh I hate peppers I hate peppers. And I'm like, why? And they said because I don't like the way they squeak on your teeth. I told you this cuz I was so mind blown. No, I don't think you did. But I hate how they squeak too, but I know why they squeak. Exactly. And I'm like it's wax. Like it's literally forms a waxy substance and then you're ingesting that. So if you're like washing a piece of a pepper, let's just go with a pepper. If you're washing the pepper and you're watching the water bead off of it as you're washing it, there that's because it's impenetrable at that point. 100%. So it's just interesting because it's hard to bring that to the forefront of your mind every time you're shopping, every time you're eating, every time you're cooking. And I know organic produce has a higher price tag and that connotation has also been outlined by Dirty Dozen versus Clean 15. Here's what you can save on by shopping conventional. And but but the way that I look at this too though is when you're in the grocery store and you look at the organic celery versus the regular celery, they look pretty similar and in your mind you could easily say, well, I can't see the chemicals, how different really is it. Right. But what's interesting is there we're in the summer right now here in New Jersey and there's a lot of farmers markets. And that is definitely a fantastic way to go is support your local farm first of all, and second of all, you will have a completely different perspective about your produce because I specifically bought celery from a local farm. It was organic. And I couldn't believe how dark and color it was. And then when I actually cooked with it, I could not believe the strength of the flavor. Right. It was so potent and I commented on it the next week when I went back to uh grab my produce. And they're like, yeah, so when you're getting your organic celery, uh very often between the shipping and the amount of time before it gets on the shelf at a grocery store to keep it hydrated, they actually inject it with fluid. So that's why the celery is so pale and so watery. So watery and it has a watered-down flavor. And it's just, you know, mind-blowing these little things because you see the difference, you taste the difference and a lot of people don't know those differences. They they haven't experience the taste of, you know, a farm raised, pasture-raised, quality chicken versus your conventional chicken in the store. And when you taste it, that's the biggest eye-opener and you're like, whoa, I know. This is good. Yeah. Like this is why I never liked celery or something like that. 100%. And what you're saying too is I know there's a lot of individuals that are like, well, my bananas are conventional, but I take the skin off and I'm good to go. But the contamination of those pesticides is in the soil. Right. So if that is growing in contaminated soil, it is contaminated from the inside out and the outside in. Yeah. So understanding that it's not just about what's on it, but it's also the soil that it's grown in. Right. Hmm. So the last thing that I want to mention before we dive into the hour by hour is um in relation to, you know, we're talking about pesticides and one of the things that's happening as we ingest these different foods that are high in pesticides is it's compromising our microbiome. It's compromising the good versus bad bacteria in our gastrointestinal system. And many of you have heard is, you know, there's a lot happening in the gut and the gut dictates your immune system, the gut dictates your mood. And you can't be healthy without a healthy gut. Right. And there is definitely relevance to that. I think that a lot of doctors really need to look beyond the gut because there's various things or many variables to look at. But when we're talking about microbiome, we're also talking about your skin, your mouth Your vagina. We're talking about needing that beautiful balance of good and bad bacteria in all of those areas. And very often we're overlooking that and we are, you know, spraying our skin with different things. We're using hand sanitizers, we are using, you know, soaps that are antiseptic. And we're not realizing that the less bacteria on the skin, it's not just about bad bacteria, but the less good bacteria on the skin, the less good bacteria on the gut in the gut, the more opportunity there is for the bad to infiltrate. Mhm. So it's almost keeping this simple idea of the good bacteria crowds out the bad bacteria. So we really have to find that that balance of what can we be doing that allows us to not just be kill, kill, kill, kill, kill but to maintain a healthy amount of bacteria in the system. Yeah. And we're not talking about going out and getting a probiotic because that's a whole another podcast, but the same way you can have an overgrowth of bad bacteria, you can have an overgrowth of good bacteria. If that balance is off, that can present in the oral cavity, in the gut, in the esophagus, in the in the vagina and it's basically goes to show you that the same way you have a microbiome in your gut, you have one in your mouth. And so, And it's all about diversity. Exactly. It's exactly what you're saying is that if you're stripping away so much of your native bacteria through antibiotics and antiseptics and then you are proactive to just go get your probiotic that maybe is lactobacillus based. Right. Now you have a major lack in diversity, which is not going to benefit you. Right. Right. Exactly. All right. Let's do it. Okay. I'm ready. So, Grace is really going to shine when it comes to the food side of things because I know what the items are, but with her background, she obviously knows more of these intricacies when it comes to, you know, what these ingredients actually are and what they do. We really want to kind of start with helping you to understand from the moment that you are getting up. So, okay, we go to bed at night. Obviously, we know sleep is really important. But what we don't always think about is the things that are in our home that are potentially toxic and then again, we often think, well, we're not going to be affected by it because we're not ingesting it. Right. So if you are sleeping in a bed, which most people are. Or even, you know, maybe you sleep on a couch, maybe you sleep on a futon, whatever it is. Yeah. Flame retardants are one of the major things that is in all of our furniture. Flame retardants are things to prevent them from going up in flames. Yeah. Yep. So flame retardants are things that can out gas and can be inhaled. So obviously, this is not something that is you know, we're inhaling in large large abundance, but it's just one thing that could be overlooked that could be affecting your sleep. Yep. There was one time where um I was living somewhere and I was stripping the bed and I wasn't the one making it typically. And there was an entire latex covering on the bed that had memory foam in it and things like that, but it had it was fully latex. And I personally have a latex allergy. So I was like, oh. That's so nice. But And you weren't having, you know, a throat closing reaction. Right. But it could be I'm waking up with a headache every day. Exactly. And I'm not refreshed in the morning. Yeah. Or I'm just waking up several times throughout the night. If that otherwise doesn't happen to you, that could be why. But it's just interesting how mattress companies will typically tell you, oh, let it outgas for a few days. Yep. Right? Like there's just a disclaimer that we've accepted. So it comes in and if your windows are closed or something like that, you will smell that toxic load. And yes, it is outgassing but you're still inhaling it and that doesn't mean it's gone. All of that didn't evaporate. It's just because you took it out of the plastic or the box. So it's still in your mattress. So as we get into this, we're probably scaring the shit out of all of you already. And we're not even close to done. Yeah. So I want to say is that when we get to the end, we're going to circle this back to really understand how to build more resilience in your body. And that you don't have to live in fear of your environment. It's really a matter of understanding why your body may be more susceptible to these things. But also to help you understand the elephant in the room that you maybe have not acknowledged. Right. So, with that example that we just provided, if you are a person who is struggling massively with sleep and you are never refreshed in the morning and you wake up with chronic headaches and you've been medicating or you've maybe tried to take supplements or maybe you like, oh, maybe it's a dietary thing. And nothing's working. And then you realize that, you know, something you're allergic to is in your mattress or the sheets that you're using um are washed in a detergent that creates irritation for your system. You know, when we're talking about the world of detergent, fabric softeners and dryer sheets, this is one of the most toxic arenas. Yep. And what's crazy about it is that when I was growing up, I would hold my my mom caught me when I was probably like six years old. And we go to the grocery store and she would walk down the aisle. She loved her cleaning products. Oh, my gosh. Loved them. All the best stuff, you know, the ammonia, she she went for it. Bleach. All of it. And I would hold my breath in that aisle because it would make my head hurt so bad. And she she was like, why are you holding your breath? And I'm like, get me out of this aisle. Right. Um but the more that I've learned about it is, you know, you're washing your clothes, you're washing your sheets in these items that have thallotes and parabens and benzenes. And it's absorbing directly through your skin. And it dies. And dyes. Yeah. And, you know, we have an epidemic of melanomas, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell um changes and we are thinking that this is directly correlated to the sun. But what if it's because of your sheets and your clothing and the dry cleaning chemicals? Right. And not to mention liver spots. Liver spots don't just pop out overnight. So if you have them on your face, if you have them on your hands and your immediate thought is to go get your enzymes checked and maybe you're drinking too much. Maybe you are, but if the liver's too toxic and it's you have a a lifetime of inhaling things like this, that's a contributing factor. Yeah. And I I definitely want people to understand the liver a bit better. But even speaking, I don't know if I told you this story, but the dry cleaner right up the street from the office, that's where I bring my clothes sometimes. And yes, people, I'm not an angel or a saint. I do dry clean sometimes mainly because I have a shopping addiction, and my husband hates, and I manage to like things that have to be dry clean. Yeah. Retail therapy. So, I go to the place, you know, they they totally rip me off and tell me it's organic, but it's, you know, I know the real reality. I know the reality of it. It's better, but um the so the dry cleaner, he actually moved. So he uh unfortunately lost his business in during the pandemic. And then he is still in the industry, but he is pretty much working for um someone else who owns the facility. But, um, when I was talking to him, I was just like, you know, how are things? He's super nice guy. And, uh, he actually told me that he just underwent surgery. And one of the reasons wasn't just about the pandemic, but he has like almost a million dollars in medical bills. Oh. And he had to, he lost his business because of it because he pretty much went bankrupt. Right. And I was like, oh, I'm so sorry. And of course I didn't want to pry, but, uh, he had liver cancer and his daughter donated half of her liver uh in a transplant and, but he is going to be taking certain drugs, uh, to hope so that his body doesn't reject the surgery. Yeah. Right. And he has a variety of interventions that cost him three to four thousand dollars per month. And he's not well. Like he's not thriving. He's not paying three to four thousand dollars to and feels great. Be well and feel great. But as he was talking about this, I just couldn't help but think about the fact that he's been in the dry cleaning industry for 30 years and that he's being told, you know, oh well, this is maybe hereditary or this is because you drink and it has nothing to do with the fact that you've been repeatedly exposed to chemicals via skin absorption and inhalation. Yeah. They probably didn't even ask what he does. Yeah. And he's still in the industry. So it breaks my heart that this individual went through these great leaps in order to get a transplant surgery and is trying to just get well and and his daughter. And chances are he won't get well. Uh because of the fact that he's being repeatedly exposed to these chemicals. Right. So, you know, these are things that we all need to think about and, you know, for the individual that's waking up in the morning and then going to their profession, you know, I'm sure there's more than even what we're listing off, but some of the professions that are exposing us to repeated toxins is stylists working in hair salons where you have aerosol sprays and hairsprays and there's formaldehyde in the um everything. Yeah. The dyes and what are those treatments that straighten your hair? Oh, my God. Keratin. Keratin. Yeah, so keratin treatments and When I got one, they gave you a little um like cone with a handle to put over your face because they're like these chemicals are going to make your eyes water and your nose burn. Yeah. So you had to sit there for hours with that over holding that to your face while they were doing it. Oh, my gosh. And, you know, mechanics. Yeah. Painters, uh even I was working with a patient the other day and uh one of the things that came up in her testing was uh a tremendous amount of formaldehyde. And I was explaining to her how some, you know, foods unknowingly, you know, they can break into formaldehyde and formaldehyde is something that and ammonia actually, um, can be broken down by certain types of or certain types of fish through consumption can be broken down and yield ammonia. Right. Right. And she's like, I'm going to stop you right there. She's like, I was a dental hygienist and I worked. Um this was she's like, this was years ago. She's like, I literally played with ammonia and I played with formaldehyde. Like it was used in, you know, various treatments that I use. And she's like, I didn't wear gloves and, you know, I didn't wear a mask or anything like that. And I was like, interesting. Right. Okay. Wow. So, you know, there are going to be certain industries that are more obvious that they're getting exposed, but, you know, there's so much that we're doing beyond waking up in our bed with potentially flame retardants. But, you know, then we're hopping in the shower. Yeah. And chlorine. Ammonia. What What's the biggest thing we've been seeing lately? Chloroform toxicity. And so that combination of chlorine, ammonia and hot water will create chloroform. And Yes, people, we're talking about in the movies when they put the stuff on the rag and they put it over your face and they pass out. And it knocks you out. And it knocks you out. And it's like I'm so tired. And that's the other thing it's like, oh, is what's wrong with my sleep? What's wrong with my sleep? And it's like, okay, we just told you two things. Is it your mattress or is it is it your sheets? Is it your is it your dry cleaning or is it your morning shower? Yeah. And then that's Or your evening shower. Right. And it's like, and my hair is falling out and my skin is dry. And then we're seeing it in the tissue. So it's just, it's just so interesting. We're seeing it in nasal passageways. We're seeing it in hair follicles. We're seeing it in skin cells. And it's definitely contributing to overall toxicity but that's just setting you up for the rest of your day because we're we haven't even gotten to like 7:00 AM yet in our day to day. Yeah. Well, you know, and then in the shower, when you're really going for more of those conventional brands, like the easy to access, I can buy it at CVS, Rite Aid, some type of pharmacy. I can buy it at my, you know, local grocery store is unfortunately a lot of these more well-known products in the shampoo, conditioner, body wash family. They're containing a variety of different chemicals and just to scratch the surface because people are most familiar with, they keep seeing these products that say, no thallites and no parabens. Right. But between thallites, parabens, as well as benzenes, these are three chemicals that are extremely toxic and extremely harmful to the body, even carcinogenic in high amounts that we are literally using every single day. Not to mention, there is such a obviously, we're all aware that we're in a self-care movement. And there definitely people and I'll say from experience, specifically women, who are really embracing taking baths. Mm-hmm. And so then you're multiplying the length of time you'd be in these in the shower times two or three. Yep. You're soaking in that water and then maybe you're using these products on top of that and then soaking in the products. Yeah. Well, there was a website that I loved, and I still complain about it to this day because it's been like a year. I know you're so hurt. I'm very upset about it. But there was a website, uh, called scorecard.org and you were able to plug in a zip code and it would tell you the water contamination as well as the air pollution, but it would also tell you the companies that have contributed to the pollution. So just, um, a great example that people can wrap their head around is here in New Jersey. Uh, there are things called superfund sites. So superfund sites are all over the world. Um, specifically this website that I'm talking about showcased the ones in the United States. And, you know, most states are a lot larger than New Jersey. California's huge, Texas is huge. So when you looked at Superfund sites state to state, most states had, you know, two, three, four, I think that, you know, the most was eight. Okay. And a Superfund site is a site that has a government ordinance to be cleaned up due to massive pollution or even nuclear waste. Okay. In New Jersey, there are 126 Superfund sites in our little tiny state. So just thinking about that and the amount of pharmaceutical companies and factories and, you know, different facilities like a, what is that one called the fragrance uh Oh, locally. Flavors, fragrance something. We can never remember. It's it's not very far from us. It's in Monmouth County. But overall, it's just understanding that these companies, their they're contributing to the pollution in the air, in the soil, which then gets into the groundwater. And this is then creating a massive issue in the water that we are showering in and bathing in. And when we talk about these water companies, how they're using chlorine and ammonia, this is purely just to manage parasites and harmful bacteria. Right. This is not helping to eradicate out toxicity from the water. If anything, it's contributing. It's adding more. Exactly. Yeah. All right. So, some of the lesser known uh professions that we were list we were kind of listing stylists and dry cleaners and such. But also think about like your school coaches who are on the field. And then I was thinking about, what about NFL players who are working out on the field. And you're just Perfect. Yeah. Pesticides. What's worse grass or turf? So, it's things like that. Also, we were talking about like ferry directors and how they're just breathing in car exhaust all day. So, the list is long. Bus drivers that sit in the in the Lincoln Tunnel or the Holland Tunnel. Yeah. For hours. So the I know we said this already, but we're not saying that and we don't say this to our patients either. Like we don't need to change your profession. We don't need to change your your job. That's unrealistic. We need to get out what is causing damage and and allow for your body to heal in a way where it's then able to filter and detoxify properly so that you can walk down the detergent aisle and not get a headache. Yeah. But it's also a matter of there are little things that you can change because if we once we get through this whole list, it's like, you can change your toothpaste. Right. You can change your lotion. Right. You know, you can change your coffee. Yeah. Uh oh, we're going there. Okay. So before we get to the coffee, we so obviously, you've got out of bed, you took a shower, maybe you brush your teeth now. And the two biggest things that are falling in that realm is fluoride and triclosan. Fluoride, I know, has a lot of mixed information because dentists are stating that fluoride is the best thing to keep your enamel strong and to keep your teeth healthy. But what we have to understand is that there is fluoride in the water. There is fluoride in your mouthwash. There is fluoride in your toothpaste. Right. And it is overkill at this point. Right. And fluoride treatments. When you go to the dentist. Yeah. When you go to the dentist. And what research is starting to show is that it actually deposits in the pituitary gland which is located like if I were to show you um a cross-section of the face, the skull, the the nose, the eyes and everything. The hypothalamus and pituitary sit right sort of right behind the nose and the nose and and the mouth. And so if you think about that location-wise, it makes a lot of sense as to why fluoride is building up and depositing in the pituitary. And then you bring into play the HPA axis, hypothalamus, pituitary adrenals, and how all of that is still so connected to the gut. So then we've got mood disorders, depression, unhealthy gut microbiome, but we're pouring fluoride down our throats. Well, to get real conspiracy theory on you guys is that um there's actually been information and research that was released um that was in relation to the era of uh Nazi Germany and that there was uh a lot of fluoride that was administered in order to see how docile the individual would be. So, pretty much how compliant they would be. Um even for things that were like irrational requests. Right. So, fluoride is something that again, in these high dosages, uh or long-term dosages, can affect the pineal gland. The pineal gland has a lot to do with your creativity and it also has a lot to do with governing yourself being empowered, thinking for yourself. So, in the world that we live in, think about just schools. School is training us for the workforce. It's training us to follow rules, ask for your bathroom pass. For other people that listen to my other podcast, So bad about the bathroom pass. I know. So bad about the bathroom pass. But it's just, you know, it was always just rules, rules, rules. Listen, listen, listen, don't talk back. Do what you're supposed to do. And, you know, a lot of a lot of that is more capable when we are more toxic and our certain functions of our brain are being suppressed so that we can just follow rules more easily. And it's banned in the UK, no? All the stuff we're talking about is banned in Europe. It's banned in Russia. It's just it's literally so, guys, when you know, we're getting into breakfast now and even talking about Kellogg's cereal. Yep. If you I when I was in Paris, because I wanted to prove it to myself because I've heard how the ingredients in your Kellogg's cereal is different in the US versus in Europe. It's 100% accurate. So in the US, you know, we have a variety of different ingredients including high fructose corn syrup and, you know, bleached flour and brominated flour. Yeah. And none of that is in the same exact cereal in Europe. So it's just they took a stand to say, no. Right. We're not going to allow you to put this in our food because these are harmful chemicals and some of them are being classified as carcinogenic. Right. So, you know, when we talk about, you know, before breakfast and we're starting to get ready, you know, male and female, all of this applies is, you know, when we're talking about a female, we're talking about we're applying makeup. We're applying lotion. We're doing our hair products. Maybe we're putting some perfume on. We're adding our deodorant. Um maybe we're putting on makeup that has SPF. Self-tanners. Self-tanner. Oh, gosh. I look orange if I ever use that. Um, you know, if we're currently on our cycle, we might be using tampons. Right. And what we don't realize is that depending on what type you're using, every single one of those items is exposing you to an array of different types of toxins that your body presumes to be completely foreign and that your immune system reacts to. Right. And that can build up over time as well. So it's something that may not be affecting you until you're 22 and then things may start to go downhill from there. But of course your first thought is what am I eating? What is the food I'm eating? What could be causing this? What am I exposed to in that way? And you're not thinking about like we were talking about before, the things you've used all along. Yeah. Well, the I used to buy the economy pack of Tampax from Costco. Oh, yeah. Yeah. It was like the best thing ever because I would have tampons for like a year. Yeah. But, uh, did I tell you I did a toxicology report on Tampax? No. Oh, yeah. Uh and then I presented it to my predominantly male class and and they were like we don't care. There were many comments. Uh but when it comes to tampons I think some of the most interesting things found is dioxin. Dioxin is a cancer-causing chemical that is present in tampons. Um certain tampons there was traces of fiberglass. The theory behind that is the fiber glass makes you bleed more. So that you use more tampons. So more from an economic standpoint. And uh the cotton. So at this point in time, the majority of cotton is genetically modified. Uh so cotton tampons, if they are not organic then chances are it is also genetically modified. Right. So between, you know, the quality of the cotton and the dioxin, this is one of the things that we were mentioning earlier with the stripping of the vaginal microbiome. So And if you strip the microbiome, now you're more prone to yeast infections. Yeah, yeast infections. Yeah, and that's why again, like I was saying. It's like you could all of a sudden get a recurring yeast infection that you never had before. But it's just because there's nothing left at that point to protect. At that point. To protect. 100%. And one of the things we were talking about, like to get real graphic on you guys, but, you know, let's be be real is, like with males, uh, when, you know, with masturbation, very often they're using some type of lubricant. Right. And they're using Vaseline. They're using lotion. And we're talking same chemicals, you know. Vaseline is petroleum based. Yeah. And applying that to your your member. Right. Right. Is absorbing directly through the skin. It's absorbing into the lymph nodes in the groin. And the crazy thing about men is men if they have some type of uh STD or they have some type of urinary tract infection, they don't have symptoms. Yeah. It goes unnoticed. It goes completely unnoticed. They don't have symptoms and then they eventually down the line maybe end up with a prostate issue. Right. Or they are now a carrier and spreading things to females and females tend to have more symptoms when they're exposed to different types of bacteria. Right. Right. And the same thing can be said for female masturbation because then it's a direct absorption. It doesn't have to go through skin first. So, we're talking about this on both sides, but even that product, what's it I can't remember the name of it. Oh, Summer's Eve. Yeah. Summer's Eve. Then women are using something like that maybe after intercourse. Or maybe just in the shower as a as a quote-unquote preventive measure. And there's just Chemicals in that. Chemicals in that. Yeah. And you know, and the great thing about it is we've created so many uh different avenues for for women to repair their vaginal microbiome and to help them heal from chronic urinary tract infections and chronic yeast infections and chronic bacterial vaginosis. And by the way, for you women that have been told, oh, it's HPV and that's why you have abnormal cells or an abnormal pap. Did they test you for HPV? Did they get a blood test to say that you have that virus? Did they do a swab to tell you have that virus? It's an assumption. It's an assumption because you have abnormal cells that it's 100% of the time HPV. But what if you have abnormal cells as an adaptation to the fact that you have chronic bacteria, chronic yeast or maybe it started in your urinary tract and traveled to your vaginal tract. Maybe vice versa. Right. But these are things that are being completely ignored and it's leaving women in a very scared state which is then saying, oh, well the only option is to get the HPV vaccine which has its own side effects and really at the end of the day, it's it's really a matter of balancing the microbiome. Right. Right. All right, guys. So now you get into your coffee. Yep. This is going to be the saddest part probably. So now you're at Starbucks, you're at Dunkin Donuts. You've waited in line. You're ready to pay $8. And you get a half calf, triple shot, pump, pump, pump of what did you say before like vanilla, mint, caramel, mocha, whatever the case may be. And we actually looked it up. Well, my friend, I was telling you she was crazy. She used to buy the giant one when it came out. And she used to get vanilla and mint. And they in the size that she got, she it was eight pumps of each. Yeah. Yeah. So we looked it up tall, grande, venti and then trenta. Like you're talking about are all different numbers of pumps that they just put in regardless. Yup. So then if you ask for extra, it's already multiplied by the amount that would be in that size. Yeah. So, it's this when and you could say sugar-free and think that that's better, but I could argue it's worse because then there are artificial sweeteners that are causing bloating, gas, GERD, all and so many other erosive gastrointestinal issues when you're having them on a regular basis. Well, the crazy thing about the sugar-free stuff and again, as we mentioned is when we're talking about sugar-free sweeteners, this is in your toothpaste. This is in your mouthwash. It's in your cereal. It's in your cereal, but it's it's also readily available in any diet based products or sugar-free based products. The interesting thing is that one of the primary amino acids that it affects is phenylalanine. And once you have abnormal levels of phenylalanine, then that in turn screws up your pancreas, which regulates your blood sugar. So you're you're trying to be proactive and saying, I'm going to not consume excess sugar so that I, you know, don't gain weight or I don't have blood sugar issues or I don't affect my diabetes, but you're actually perpetuating the problem because the phenylalanine is a dictator of your blood sugar. Right. So it's just blowing back on you. 100%. We thank you for being a listener and subscriber to Integrated Wellness Radio. If you're looking to learn more about Integrated Wellness Group as well as Dr. Nick and Dr. Nicole, you can check out Integrated Wellness Group.com. I feel like I'm always dreaming.
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About Integrative You Radio
Integrative You Radio is a root cause medicine and integrative medicine podcast hosted by Dr. Nicole Rivera and Dr. Nick Carruthers — two integrative doctors who build personalized wellness protocols from your DNA, minerals, hormones, gut, and nervous system rather than from a population template. Looking for an integrative doctor who reads your labs together instead of in isolation? This is the show.
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