When it comes to toxins in your environment, ignorance is not bliss. Dangerous environmental pollutants may include PCBs that can increase cancer risk and hinder a baby's brain development; pesticides linked to cancer, birth defects, and Parkinson's disease; endocrine-disrupting phthalates found in personal care products; toxic heavy metals likely to accumulate in the soft tissue of the body; and much more.

Researchers confirmed what we already suspected: harmful environmental substances, including cigarette smoke and benzene, can age you prematurely. For the younger, developing population, this risk is even bigger. Doctors have been encouraged to counsel pregnant women to be very careful of the damaging toxins in the food they eat. In his 2012 paper published by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. David Bellinger estimated that a whopping 16.9 million IQ points in children had been lost because of common agricultural pesticide exposure.

The good news: Your body cleanses itself on a daily basis. It is nature’s gift to you that keeps illness away, gives you energy, and allows you to think clearly. But too many people are getting used to feeling “not so well.” Too many people live with the painful effects of a toxic system and remain unbalanced in their thinking, emotions, and physical health. You certainly don’t have to be one of them.

Watch out for the warning signs your body is giving you:

1. Adrenal Fatigue: If you are exhausted, having trouble losing weight, finding it hard to focus, or even experiencing problems in the bedroom, adrenal fatigue could be the culprit. The adrenal glands interact closely with the thyroid, liver, digestive system, brain function, and reproductive systems. When toxins hinder the performances of the liver and other vital cleansing organs, adrenal fatigue often results.
2. Cravings: It seems like everyone has cravings these days. There are emotional triggers to this, but physical cravings can come from an abundance of highly processed and concentrated foods that artificially stimulate dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter, which plays a role in addiction. So, you will “feel good” and naturally want more of the food that makes you feel good. Adding in fermented foods can help teach your body to crave what makes you feel well. Cravings usually disappear once you detoxify.
3. Depression: Depression, anxiety, and even some eating disorders have been linked to an abundance of certain toxic substances. A build-up of harmful chemicals can block the absorption and release of beneficial chemicals, leading to an imbalance that can have adverse physical, psychological, and emotional effects.
4. Food Allergies: Food allergies are often a sign that you don’t have the proper beneficial microflora to absorb and assimilate the nutrients from your food. This occurs when toxins, like Candida yeast, proliferate and cause a leaky gut. Over time, you can recover from many food allergies or sensitivities by detoxifying your body and restoring that microflora with a balanced, probiotic-rich diet.
5. Heart Disease: The accumulation of toxins in the body leads to an increased risk of heart disease. A diet lacking in living and fermented foods can lead to malabsorption of nutrients. As a result, a domino effect of nutritional deficiencies, high cholesterol, heart attack, or even stroke can occur. Purifying the body of harmful substances is one significant way to lower the risk of heart disease.
6. Mental/Emotional Instability: The hazards of allowing dangerous chemicals into the body are not limited to the physical being. A toxic system can cause mental and emotional disorders that, much like food allergies, can be corrected.

If you experience any of these on a daily basis, try a detox or talk to your healthcare professional for more insight as to their cause.