Autism has been thought to be caused by genetics, but recent research is pointing to environmental factors. The likely culprit? Toxins. Toxins that aren’t even in use today seem to have a link to autism.
Lingering Chemicals Make Themselves Known
A recent study has discovered a link between autism and prenatal exposure to toxic chemicals known as organochlorine chemicals. Organochlorine chemicals were used in pesticides and insulating material in the United States. They were banned in the 1970s, but that doesn’t mean those chemicals are entirely gone. Traces of these chemicals remain in our environment, even in the animals that we eat.
The study showed that prenatal exposure to organochlorine chemicals, especially specifical compounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), may increase a child’s risk for autism by as much as 80% when compared to children with the lowest amounts of prenatal exposure to these chemicals.. Prenatal exposure to other PCB compounds showed a 50% increase. (1)
But these chemicals were banned over 30 years ago. How are we still exposed to these chemicals? How are children exposed to them before they’re born?
These compounds of organochlorine chemicals are absorbed into the fat of the animals we eat. If you eat contaminated food, then you introduce the chemicals into your body.
Organochlorine chemicals, like other environmental toxins, can freely pass from a mother to her child through the placenta. She could easily and unknowingly do this by eating contaminated meat. Once the organochlorine chemicals make their way through her body and past the placenta, they could easily do harm to a developing fetus and increase the child’s future risk for complications like autism.
Pesticides Aren’t the Only Danger
Organochlorine chemicals aren’t the only toxins that are linked to autism. Glyphosate in particular is a chemical used in herbicides today, and it seems to be related to the rise in autism in our society today. (2)
If that weren’t enough, glyphosate seems to work in tandem with aluminum. Glyphosate facilitates the entry of aluminum into the body where it can cause more damage. Aluminum may:
Affect the process by which the body metabolizes energy
Alter DNA and gene function
Coagulate proteins, preventing them from functioning normally
Damage cell membranes
Increase a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease
Impair the body’s natural ability to detoxify
Kill neurons and increase brain inflammation
Reducing Your Exposure to Toxins
In today’s world, it may be impossible to avoid all chemicals and environmental toxins. But we can lower our exposure to them. You can follow these tips to reduce the amount of toxins that you expose yourself to:
Eat raw, fresh, organic foods and avoid foods that are overly processed, genetically modified, or exposed to dangerous pesticides and herbicides. This would not only lower the amount of toxins you ingest but also strengthen your body’s natural detoxification system.
Many conventional and farm-raised fish today are contaminated with mercury and PCBs, so you’d be better off avoiding them. Instead, eat wild-caught small size fish. Alternatively, you can take a high-quality fish oil supplement like OmegAvail™ Liquid or OmegAvail™ Synergy.
Use glass and ceramic cookware rather than non-stick cookware, which are lined with chemicals that have been linked to toxicity and other complications like high cholesterol, obesity, and cancer.
Store food and drinks in glass containers instead of plastic ones. Avoid using plastic-wrapped and canned foods as these containers are often lined with BPA and BPS chemicals.
Install filters on all faucets in your home if your water is contaminated with chemicals including but not limited to lead, fluoride, and chlorine.
Use natural and organic toiletries: shampoos, soaps, deodorants, etc.
Plastic shower curtains are lined with toxic plasticizers that give them their flexibility. Use fabric shower curtains or glass doors instead.
Use natural cleaning products around your home.
Avoid using synthetic fragrances like those found in air fresheners, fabric softeners, and dryer sheets.
Only use drugs when necessary. Over-the-counter and prescription drugs are chemicals, after all. They could leave behind residues that build up over time, resulting in complications that may not make themselves known until much later.
Use safe, natural alternatives to insect repellents that contain DEET.
The Body’s Natural Detox Tool—The Liver
One of the best things you can do to detoxify naturally is support your liver. Your liver is responsible for ridding your body of toxins, but it can’t do this if it’s overwhelmed. We can put an extra burden on our livers by eating processed foods, smoking, or drinking too much alcohol. The liver can’t clear out all of these toxins if it’s constantly bombarded by them. It would be spread too thin.
If you want to feel healthier and decrease your toxin levels as well as your child’s, start supporting your liver by doing the following:
Limit your exposure to toxins by following the tips above.
In addition to eating a healthy, organic diet, limit the amount of sugar you eat, especially fructose. The only organ in the body that can break down fructose is the liver, so consuming fructose is just an added strain on the organ.
Exercise to get rid of and prevent the buildup of visceral fat. Visceral fat is located in the abdomen and crowds your liver and other vital organs. High amounts of visceral fat are linked to chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and stroke.
To further support your liver, consider taking high-quality supplements like these which are designed to optimize your liver function:
Amino-D-Tox™
Hepatatone Plus™
LV-GB Complex™
Milk Thistle
PaleoCleanse Plus™
Detoxing the Right Way
When it comes to pregnancy, avoiding toxins and supporting your liver may not be enough. Taking those steps would limit a child’s prenatal exposure to toxins, but what about the toxins that are already in the mother’s body?
If you want to lower your child’s prenatal exposure to toxins, you have to make sure the toxins in your body are flushed out before you become pregnant. The best way to do that is to have your detoxification done by a medical expert.
Dr. Kalitenko’s detoxification protocol is intended to remove heavy metals by first checking the levels of heavy metals in the blood and urine as they are, before provocation. Then, a provocation agent is administered to draw heavy metals out of bones and tissue and into the bloodstream. The level of heavy metals in the urine is checked again. The heavy metals levels in the urine before and after the provocation agent as well as the person’s height and weight are used to determine the person’s heavy metal burden.
Properly detoxifying could lower the burden on your liver and let it do its job. This is especially important for pregnant women, as detoxifying and avoiding toxins could ensure a healthy, autism-free child. Even if you’re not pregnant or trying to become pregnant, clearing your body of toxins could prevent other issues related to chemical and heavy metal exposure.
You can cleanse your body on the inside by supporting its natural detoxification processes. So why not do it?
Sources:
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-08-chemicals-decades-linked-autism-today.html
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