Your skin can help you or hurt you.
Posted on November 16, 2015 by Dr. G
Here is part 3 of our series on how we interface with our environment.
Read the previous posts here…
Part I: The Body/Environment Interface
Part II: 5 Solutions to Indoor Air Pollution
The ability to effectively adapt to our environment in order to thrive (not to be merely “not sick”) is my goal for health, and I believe it is your goal as well. “Not being sick” is what most people do, but I never pursue what most people pursue. I choose to be in the minority and thrive. I hope you’ll join me.
In recent decades, our culture and society have dramatically altered our ability to adapt, resulting in chronic disease and earlier diagnosis of chronic disease, chronic symptoms, and loss of quality of life. Just as knowledge and science have advanced our society in immeasurable and positive ways, there have been some severe unintended consequences to our health that threaten our economy, happiness, success and longevity.
I know that the solutions to these big problems reside in the application of knowledge and science in order to gain an adaptive advantage to the relatively new challenges we face.
Let’s recap why our interface with the environment is so important to consider. Our personal environment is where our body comes into contact with the immediate world around us:
- The air we breathe, particularly in our homes and workplaces, where our lungs come into contact with our blood and there is an exchange.
- The food we eat, where our intestines comes into contact with our blood and there is an exchange.
- The terrain we move across regularly (geography, seasons, time of day, where we walk, sit and stand every day). In this category, our nervous system makes thousands of adaptations every day that determine the release of hormones, contraction of muscles and range of motion and health of our joints.
- The people, situations, relationships and spiritual and psychological experiences where our blood and brain chemistry are impacted via the release of hormones that dictate everything–appetite, blood pressure, mental health, etc.
- The things that come into contact with our skin (cosmetics, lotions, clothes, sheets, bedding, furniture).
One could argue that there has been a measurably dramatic increases in the level of toxicity we in the Western industrialized world have experienced in each of these categories. The poison is in the dose, and the last 20-60 years have dramatically increased the dose. Our health issues are usually related to the above categories of toxicity exceeding our ability to adapt.
This post is going to focus on the last item of the above list: our skin. Here are some fundamental truths:
- What you put on your body is just as important as what you put in your body.
- Your skin is the largest organ in your body and it is porous.
- Areas of your skin absorb an average of over 60% of contaminants they come into contact with, and other areas of your skin, like under your arms and genitalia, absorb 100% of contaminants.
Contaminants can be present in water, lotions, sunscreen, fragrances, cosmetics, shampoos and conditioners, soap, clothing, detergents used on clothing, bedding, and furniture, to name a few. - You must understand the the list of ingredients on your lotion and other things mentioned above, just as you need to understand the list of ingredients in packaged food.
- How your skin looks and feels is determined more by what you eat and your gut health rather than what you put on your skin.
- The sun is important. Here is a link to a video for making your own sunscreen.
- You must begin to understand the basics for various methods of detoxification.
Common ingredients to avoid in skin care products.
This is a limited list of common ingredients. There are many more to consider.
Rule of thumb: If you can’t pronounce it or wouldn’t put it in your food, don’t put it on your skin.
The fewer ingredients, the better.
A few examples of common ingredients to steer clear of are: Cocoamidopropyl Betaine, Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Luaroyl Sarcosinate, Potassium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sulfates, Parabens, and Phenoxyethanol.
Parabens: Benzylparaben, Butyiparaben, Propylparaben, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Isobutylparaben. Parabens have been linked to testicular and breast cancer. They are used as a preservative so the product can have a long shelf life. Shelf life improves the profitability of the company that makes the product at the expense of your health.
Resorcinol: Found in hair coloring products–I stopped using those 20 years ago :). It is a known disruptor of thyroid hormone. It is restricted in government buildings but not in the private marketplace.
Methylisothiazolinone (a.k.a. MIT): classified as an irritant and neurotoxin. Commonly found in baby shampoos (you can’t make this stuff up) among other cosmetics. It is an antibacterial preservative. Associated with seizures and visual abnormalities.
Oxybenzone: A hormone disruptor found in sunscreens.
Petroleum: aka Xylene, Toluene, Mineral Oil, Liquid Paraffin, Isopropyl Alcohol.
“Petroleum products contain 1,4-Dioxane, which has been listed by the World Health Organization and the Environmental Protection Agency as a probable carcinogen.” – Anne Marie Gianni
Formaldehyde: It’s a carcinogen. Enough said.
Fragrance: Yes, this is listed as an ingredient. Sounds innocuous enough, but run and hide from this toxic ingredient. Fragrance ingredients can number in the thousands and therefore they are put into this aptly named single ingredient. Fragrance ingredients increase your risk of developing several medical problems, including chronic dizziness, nausea, rashes, depression, respiratory distress and severe headaches. On a scale of one to ten, the Environmental Working Group rates fragrance an eight.
Here are a few more to steer clear of: Cocoamidopropyl Betaine, Olefin Sulfonate, Sodium Luaroyl Sarcosinate, Potassium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sulfates, and Phenoxyethanol.
Water
Water standards have not been updated in over 15 years. Chemicals that are not identified by the government as being a problem are commonly found in the water supply and since there is no ruling on them, they can be present in any quantity. That means their sources are unregulated, and continued dumping is legal. The chemicals we do regulate, however, are present in unsafe quantities and are at those high levels as a trade-off for other perceived benefits. Examples include chlorine and fluoride.
Filtration systems I’ve mentioned in previous posts are recommended.
Soaps, shampoos & conditioners.
Is your shampoo on this list? If so, find an alternative.
The concerning ingredients for soap are the same as all those listed above; in addition, we should avoid the following:
- PE6
- Triclosan
- SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate)
- DEA (Diethanolamine)
Here is an good alternative to toxic soaps and other products. .
Laundry Room:
Fabric softeners are a toxic soup and should be avoided. Here are some ideas.
- Add 1/4-1/2 cup of vinegar to your wash.
- Add baking soda to the wash-cycle.
- Try adding a ball of aluminum foil in the dryer. Avoids static cling and creates spaces for air to flow for even drying. Like drying balls do.
- Use wool balls to use in place of dryer sheets. You can add a safety pin to the wool ball to also help with the static. Spray the wool ball with some vinegar and essential oils like lavender or vinegar.
- There are a number of green fabric softer on the market that are made with natural scents or are scent-free.
- Use Molly’s soap suds to replace your toxic laundry detergent.
Furniture, Clothing, Bedding etc.
Here is a great resource for all household products.
Sleeping on mattresses, bedding and furniture and wearing clothes that are treated with flame retardant chemicals are a tremendous source of toxicity that enters your system by skin contact. It may sound funny, but buying clothes that are natural fibers like cotton and wool is a good idea. But since cotton is not a consumable crop, it is heavily sprayed with chemicals to increase yield and limit the negative impact of pests on the crop yield. Those chemicals make their way into our body when we wear them on the largest most absorbent organ in the body, our skin. Therefore, cotton should be organic when and if possible. Here is an excellent resource for more information on organic cotton.
Flame retardant chemicals have been linked to cancer, birth defects, infertility, neurological impairment, developmental delays, reduced IQ and hormone disruption. They are used in order to slow or prevent the rapid spread of fire. This no doubt saves lives, but at what cost?
There is a long political history on the use of these chemicals and their negative health effects. Actually, there is an argument that when they burn, they are so toxic that inhaling the smoke from them will more likely kill you than the rapid spread of the fire. Associations of fire fighters have even gone to court to fight the use of these dangerous chemicals.
So what do you do?
When it comes to buying mattresses, bedding, pajamas, cushions, furniture etc., the truth is that unlike our food, the ingredients of the chemical bath your mattress took before leaving the factory does not have to be disclosed. So here are some guidelines.
- Look for green and organic labels.
- Polyurethane products manufactured before 2005 are likely soaked in these chemicals also known as PBDE’s.
- Certified organic latex is an option, avoid synthetic memory foam.
- Wool and silk bedding.
- When it comes time to replace your mattress, pillows, and comforters, replace those with toxin-free versions. This is the best mattress company that I can find.
Exposure is inevitable.
You can attempt to limit your toxic exposure to any degree that you feel is necessary. Common sense limitations are recommended for everyone. That means paying attention is a good idea and making your home less toxic tomorrow than it is today is a good idea.
More significant restrictions can be followed if you have a difficult chronic health concern. If you live in urban modern America, you can do your best but chances are that through water, cosmetics, soaps and other products, you will have a level of exposure and build-up in your body you are probably uncomfortable with. Inevitable exposure does not mean you should throw your hands up in the air and accept your fate. On the contrary; you can take many steps over time to decrease your toxic load.
This information should not be a source of anxiety, it should be a source of empowering education. The body has incredible, innate wisdom and knows what should be removed–it’s called Detox. Detox systems can be enhanced in many ways so that your skin, kidneys, liver and GI tract can remove many of the offensive ingredients and toxins we are exposed to before they are overwhelmed. To prevent overwhelming your detox pathways, you can assist them. Here are a few suggestions on how to complement your natural detoxification:
- Supplements:
- N-Acetyl cysteine and/or Oral liposomal glutathione: Powerful support for detox pathways found in organs like the liver and intracellular detoxification.
- Vitamin C (2000-5000 mg/day)
- Methyl donors: Support methylation pathways of detoxification.
- B12 – Methylcobalamin form.
- B6 – P5P form.
- B9 – Activated Folate (aka 5 MTHF). Avoid folic acid.
- Choline and Betaine.
- Milk Thistle: Silymarins. Nutrients shown to support liver cells.
- Sauna: Far infrared sauna. Supports detoxification pathways.
- High intensity interval exercise.
- Diet: Whole and real food diet, very rich in:
- Vegetables.
- Protein found in healthy meats, nuts and seeds, avocado.
- Fats in the form of:
- Healthy animal fats (omega 3, EPA/DHA found in wild fish and pastured land meats).
- Medium chain triglycerides, as found in extra virgin coconut oil.
- Omega 9 (extra virgin olive oil, cold).
- Raw nuts and seeds.
Thanks for reading!
Please let us know if you have any suggestions or experience with any of the methods or products mentioned here by posting in the comments section.