Environmental medicine is a fairly new topic and unfortunately still does not get the public attention it deserves. The basic idea goes something like this:
In our modern world, our environment contains pollutants. These come in three different forms: either chemical, physical or biological. It would be best to strictly avoid all of these, but this is impossible. Therefore, the goal is to reduce our exposure to all of these environmental toxins as much as possible.
…And that’s what we’re going to look at today. We’ll examine what environmental toxins there are, and what the best-known representatives are in everyday life. But most importantly, we’ll clarify how everyone can avoid them at home with relatively little effort!
What is Environmental Medicine?
Environmental medicine deals with all the pollutants we regularly come into contact with from our environment. Some we absorb through the skin, EMF waves penetrate our bodies, others enter through the mouth.
We first look at the avoidance & reduction part – practical knowledge that we turn into tips for everyone. However, another area of clinical environmental medicine is still the elimination of substances such as heavy metals or mold toxins. We will not touch on this sub-area today.1https://www.umweltmedizin.de/
First of all, let’s take a look at the topics that environmental medicine deals with.
The 1. Topic of Environmental Medicine – Chemical Environmental Toxins
Chemical environmental toxins are mostly man-made and often come from industry, construction or modern materials such as plastics, Teflon, and asbestos.
The natural representatives are heavy metals and semi-metals. They also occur in nature, yet our modern lifestyle favors bringing many of them into our daily lives.
These are the best-known chemical environmental toxins:
- Asbestos, PCBs & other man-made material fibers
- Heavy metals and semi-metals such as aluminum, cadmium, lead or mercury
- Organochlorine compounds such as fluorocarbons (PFAS, PFC, Teflon, etc.)
- Plastics and plasticizers (bisphenols, pthalates, etc.)
- Air pollutants such as ozone, nitrogen oxides or peroxyacetyl nitrate
- Pesticides, herbicides & fungicides (glyphosate, atrazine & co)
The 2. Topic of Environmental Medicine – Physical Environmental Toxins
Similar to chemicals that enter the body in molecular form, there are also physical environmental toxins. These enter or penetrate our body in waveform.
Unfortunately, only very few people think about this sub-area – with the various types of EMF radiation leading the way. Many worry about BPA or plasticizers and their hormones, yet a cell phone in a man’s pocket is extremely potent at tanking testosterone.2Effects of mobile phone radiation on serum testosterone + Effect of Radiation Emitted by Wireless Devices on Male Reproductive Hormones: A Systematic Review
The best-known examples are:
- Noise (everyone knows the effects of noise if you ever had a hotel room next to the highway).
- non-native EMF radiation (5G, 4G, Bluetooth, NFC, WLAN and many other wireless connection types)
- Infrasound (noise below the audible spectrum, especially from technology)
The 2. Topic of Environmental Medicine – Biological Environmental Toxins
In addition to the environmental toxins that mainly originate from humans, there are also purely natural ones. They come mainly from our diet and our lifestyle. Molds can quickly infest wet or poorly insulated corners, and heaps of plant foods bring some defense.
The most important biological environmental toxins are:
- The toxins secreted by molds (aflatoxin, ochratoxin, etc.)
- Phytoestrogens (plant defense substances that resemble estrogen, e.g. lignans in flaxseed, or isoflavones in soy)
- lectins (carbohydrate-like plant defenses, especially in legumes/beans/grains)
- many other plant defense molecules & antinutrients (oxalates, goitrogens, phytic acid, …)
How Environmental Medicine helps you to lead a Healthier Life!
Next on our journey, we’ll look at what common environmental toxins we should know about. More importantly, I’ll explain how this knowledge can help you make healthier choices when it comes to avoiding all this junk in the best way possible.
Reduce your Heavy Metal Exposure
Avoid Heavy Metals from Foods
Our food naturally contains heavy and semi-metals. However, industrialization has led to a sharp increase in the concentration of heavy metals in some foods.
A classic example here is fish – but fortunately not all fish. Namely, rather predatory fish at the top of the food chain such as swordfish or tuna. Seafood can also be contaminated, depending on the harvesting area.
It is important to know that our body has mechanisms to eliminate heavy metals – they create oxidative stress in the body. Our redox system has to react to eliminate them. I see the consumption of fish & seafood in general as good, because of the DHA. Provided that the person eating it has healthy mitochondria and therefore excellently functioning redox systems.
Another area can be meat that has not been fed a natural diet. Feed is often not only richer in heavy metals, but also many other environmental toxins. So avoiding pollutants is another reason for pastured meat.
Avoid Heavy Metals at Home
There are also heavy metals at home, especially in houses with ancient pipes. Lead could be a problem here if they are not yet made of copper. Fortunately, few should have this problem – for testing, there are also many providers online that offer tests.
Amalgam fillings from the dentist are a problem. They contain mercury, which is guaranteed to dissolve ending up in your metabolism. This happens during installation, but also under the enormous forces of normal chewing pressure.
The only thing that helps here is to replace these garbage fillings for the newer ceramic models. The best thing to do is to ask the dentist about it and if he dismisses it as an impossibility, look for a holistic dentist.3Rethinking the Dental Amalgam Dilemma: An Integrated Toxicological Approach + Do Fillings Cause Mercury Poisoning? + New Research Links Dental Amalgam Mercury Fillings To Arthritis + 100 more
Reduce the Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors
Plastics are packed with hormonal Disruptors
Plastic is a huge problem that unfortunately NO ONE addresses.
Substances such as bisphenols or phthalates are used in the production of various types of plastic. Bisphenols give structure to plastic, phthalates are used as plasticizers. We can eat these substances, absorb them through our skin, and even breathe them in, as polyester carpets, for example, off-gas them into indoor air.
In the body they influence the thyroid hormone and the sex hormones. That is why they belong to the group of substances called endocrine disruptors. BPA & pthalates, for example, enhance the effect of estrogen and feminize. No Bueno! A class book on the subject is Dr. Shanna Swan’s ‘Count down*’ in which she presents in detail the literature on all endocrine disruptors. Frightening & eye opening!
The best-known is bisphenol-A (BPA), which is banned in the EU. However, this does absolutely zero good. Companies now use BPS in all their ‘BPA-free’ plastics instead.
Bummer! These are just as harmful, only the legislative apparatus needs another decade to figure that out. Fun Fact: PET is called polyethylenetere’phthalate’. The phthalate is in the NAME.
These substances are found in PET bottles, polyester and many other plastics. Therefore it is important to fanatically eliminate all plastics wherever possible. No plastic bottles, no polyester clothing, and especially no plastic cans for storing food. Rather use natural materials like glass, wood, wool or steel. Medical silicone is also a great alternative.
Phytoestrogens from Plants
Plants, as living beings in their own right, want one thing – to survive & pass on their genetic material. Dawkin’s ‘Selfish Gene’ in action. What they don’t want is to be your favorite lunch. That’s why most plant parts contain plant defense substances also called antinutrients – examples are phytic acid, oxalates, goitrogens, or even estrogen-like substances.
What we are interested in here are the plant estrogens aka phytoestrogens. In particular, flaxseed, hops, and soy are extremely rich in them. Flaxseed contains various lignans, hops also, soy contains isoflavones. These substances act like estrogen in the body and feminize. They are also extremely concentrated. It happened to me at the beginning of my ‘#fitnessjourney’ that I developed gynecomastia after ~30g of flaxseed a day. My doctor thought I was on steroids….
So everyone, male or female, should radically avoid flaxseed, hops and soy in all forms. Yes, this includes beer – a few glasses of beer contain as many lignans as if you were taking the hormone pill(!).4The Potent Phytoestrogen 8-Prenylnaringenin: A Friend or a Foe? + Alcoholic Beverages as a Source of Estrogens + Acute effects of drinking beer or wine on the steroid hormones of healthy men Therefore, all these are not suitable for human consumption. Read correctly – hops. Beer is the most unmanly thing to drink. Therefore absolutely avoid beer – if you drink, choose wine or liquor.
Environmental Toxins in Personal Care & Cleaning Products
The next buddies that want to get at your hormones are hygiene products and cleaning products. These include:
- conventional shampoo, conditioners, shower gel
- Shaving foam & razor blades with moisturizing strips
- creams & lotions
- conventional make-up and make-up products
- Detergents, hand soap, dishwashing liquid and fabric softener
Assume that all these products are loaded and attack your hormones until you prove otherwise through research.
Many contain nanoplastics, parabens, PUFAs and many other harmful substances. Natural cosmetics are sometimes better and free of harmful substances, but not always. Here, too, unfortunately, you have to do research. So the burden is clearly on the consumer – companies unfortunately don’t have to prove (yet) that their substances are safe for humans.
A great starting point for this topic is the book ‘Estrogeneration*‘ by Dr. Anthony Jay, also he has exemplified his favorite products on his website and written about the ‘why’ behind the choice.
Avoiding Polyfluorinated-Alkyl-Compounds in Everyday Life
Yes, it’s a terrible word. That’s why we call it PFAS. The industry loves fluorine and chlorine compounds because of their properties. Therefore, they are also increasingly common in our everyday lives, in the form of:
- Wall paints & building materials
- Teflon and non-stick coatings
- Anything that is ‘water repellent’ such as clothing
- Lubricants and waterproofing agents
- Cosmetics
It is well known that they are harmful and persist in the environment for a long time. Even Wikipedia knows about it in great detail. As previously, avoidance is the way to go – throw away Teflon, avoid water-repellent high-tech clothing or wear only as a top layer without skin contact and above all avoid cosmetics.
Reduce your Exposure to non-native EMF Radiation
Avoid EMF at Home
In everyday life, the two biggest criminals are your cell phone and Wi-Fi. If you use smart home technologies, these are added to the list. Unfortunately, there is no improvement in sight here, since the technology is always evolving. With the emerging 5G and the era of IoT comes more and more electrosmog from the manufacturing side.
EMF radiations have been shown to manage to open voltage-dependent calcium ion channels. Thus, leading to manipulation of cellular voltage ratios with all sorts of consequences. For example, little is as well supported in the literature as the extremely negative effect of cell phones worn in the pocket and male testosterone. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
So again, the responsibility is on us consumers to not use most junk and if to do so responsibly with our health in mind. These are the most important points:
- Always have cell phone in flight mode when not in use, especially during transport. If necessary, carry the cell phone in a faraday bag, at best in a backpack or pocket.
- Never put the cell phone in your pocket or bra.
- Use LAN instead of WLAN. If not otherwise possible, switch off WLAN at night with a timer.
- Remove the fuse from the power supply in the bedroom at night. Flowing current = electromagnetic field.
- Never put your laptop in your lap.
Even your Environment radiates you with EM
There is even more radiation from the surrounding area, the most important for health are the various mobile phone connections such as 4G & 5G. In my area, for example, there are (unfortunately) two 5G towers in the vicinity. With the coming expansion, this could look similar with you. Here, for example, you can see a map with the expansion in Switzerland – the things are fucking everywhere!
Unfortunately, there’s little you can do here except move to the countryside. Or aiming at 5G antennas for target practice. Neither is an option for many people, including me.
So, unfortunately, there is little you can optimize here. What helps is to live close to the ground and be grounded. A great book on EMF’s is Arthur Firstenberg’s ‘The World Under Electricity*’.
However, if you are serious, you can get EMF-blocking curtains and wall paints. They have colloidal silver built into them that shields some. Also, if you are building a new house, you can include a silver mesh in the walls. If I lived in a condo, this would be a no-brainer for me….
Avoid Mold Exposure
Mold from Foods
In food, mold toxins are found in many things that have been dried and stored. At the forefront are:
- Cereals, beans, rice, etc.
- Muesli
- Dried fruits
- Coffee beans and teas
- Feed for animals: therefore also milk & meat from conventional husbandry
- Wine and beer
- Nuts and seeds
Here, quite clearly, an animal-based diet also shows its advantages – one avoids the highly contaminated representatives anyway. Among many other reasons, mycotoxins also speak for the avoidance of grains, beans and nuts. Animal products such as meat & milk can also accumulate them if the animals are fed forages or silages. Animals raised on pure and species-appropriate pasture logically do not have these problems.
As far as coffee beans or wine are concerned, there are now even manufacturers who have their products tested for mycotoxins.
Mold at Home
Mold from the apartment probably everyone has seen. The fungi are similar breeds to the food mold. Like them, they produce a range of toxins that they release into their environment. Actually, the mycotoxins are meant to prevent the growth of other molds – people who inhale them are just ‘collateral damage’.
They develop in damp corners and poorly insulated areas. Traditionally, mold has never been a problem – every forest is full of them. Mold is everywhere in nature. Here, air regulates detoxification due to the enormous amount of air in the earth coupled with the constant drafts.
However, indoors when the air is stagnant, it becomes an issue: indoor mold is a disaster and must be eliminated immediately. It is not something that should be downplayed. The toxins are enormously harmful and can even lodge in the human body. The symptoms are meaningless and versatile, while eliminations are difficult and tedious.
6 practicable Tips from Environmental Medicine that everyone should do at Home!
Air Purifier for your Living & Bedroom
An air filter in the living rooms is mandatory to reduce the load of mycotoxins, degassed particles of furniture and dust.
For this purpose, a HEPA filter should be made, which covers an appropriate square meter. HEPA here stands for the type of filter – it removes 99.99% of all particles from the air. Anything else is overkill for home use and rather something for intensive care units.
You can find everything about air filters in this post of mine. My two favorites are this one from Xiaomi* or alternatively this filter from Philips*. Important is a good filter performance and no ‘smart’ gadgets, as they mostly have to work via Bluetooth or WLAN.
Water Filter for your Shower and Drinking Water
The second vector through which pollutants enter the body in large numbers is tap water. Anyone who thinks that German, Swiss or Austrian tap water is a natural resource is way off the mark.
Here I have written in detail about the water quality and pointed out numerous contaminations: such as uranium, pesticide residues, metabolites of various drugs, or even the residues of the hormone pill.
So for home, it should be a screw-on shower filter and a drinking water filter. I use this shower filter here from Alb, and the Berkey drinking water filter*. It has 2 filter elements and sucks the water through via gravity. The great thing about it is that the company has transparently posted their toxicology test results online. And it performs great.
WLAN: Timer or LAN connection
EMF exposure comes mainly from the household – cell phone & WLAN are the main culprits here.
Optimally, you turn off the WLAN completely and pull LAN cables through your home. This way there is no radiation exposure at all. For those who can’t do that easily, you should put the router in a corner of your home that is far away from everyone and set a timer so that the WLAN is always off when you sleep. Sleep = regeneration. You don’t want to disturb that.
Use & Wear Natural Materials only
So much clothing is just fake!
Cheap polyester, viscose and other synthetic fibers are the favorites of trendy fashion companies. Sure, they have good properties, are more water-repellent and stretchier than cotton and co. Nevertheless, they also contain hormone disruptors that your skin can absorb all too readily. This causes problems both locally and systemically.
Therefore, wear only natural fibers – exclusively cotton, linen, leather or wool. It is possible, and even sportswear is available in these materials. If it has to be synthetics, such as for outdoor clothing, wear them as the top layer to minimize contact with the skin.
The same goes for the home – out with all plastic cans, water bottles, freezer bags and plastic wrap. There are good no-waste alternatives made from natural materials, as well as glass or metal cans.
Avoid Teflon, Standard Detergents & Personal Hygiene Products.
Teflon and all coated pans have to go. That’s just the way it is. Cast iron and stainless steel are good, non-toxic alternatives.
Detergents also contain all kinds of fragrances and environmental toxins. It is best to replace them with an eco-alternative from the health food store (although these are not always optimal). Make sure to buy detergents without fragrances or essential oils. If you’re serious about it, just make your own detergent.
Hygiene products are another main vector of harmful substances. Women in particular are far more affected here than men. Cue makeup and co. But men are also affected when it comes to hair care, brushing their teeth, perfumes and skin care. It works best to avoid the whole thing. But I know it is sometimes not so easy for everyone. Therefore, choose wisely here too, and buy from companies that transparently write down what they use, and avoid the standard garbage.
Avoid heavily-polluted Foods
The most strongly polluted foods are5Find more info at the Enviornmental Working Group:
- Brown rice
- Most grains, beans and nuts
- Coffee beans & teas
- Conventional dairy products and non-grazing meats
- Fish at the top of the food chain (skate, swordfish, shark, tuna, …)
- Phytoestrogens like soy, beer, and flaxseed
It is best to avoid grains, beans, nuts and co altogether, in the sense of an animal-based diet. Absolute no-go’s are soy, hops and flaxseed. They come with other problems like anti-nutrients. Read more here. Buy fruits locally or only certified organic.
As for meat, fish and dairy products, everyone has to decide for themselves what they want to spend. With your purchase you support the respective production process. So money is a voice – when you buy wild caught, local products from trustworthy farming and animal products from pasture farming you give it away.
You can take it even further…
Sure, these were just the big & important tips. Our modern world is full of man-made environmental toxins – either in the form of chemicals that we encounter from all angles or in physical waveform emitted from various technology in the home and surrounding areas.
You can take it much further – a few undertakings would be:
- Throughout the house, use EMF-blocking curtains and wall paints that contain colloidal silver. Or better yet, weave a mesh of silver threads into the walls during construction.
- Ripping out all carpets made of polyester
- Ripping out all furniture made of pressboard & faux wood
- Replacing all lights with full spectrum lights or red lights
- A complete reverse osmosis system on the house siding
- Complete HEPA air filtration of the indoor air
The big question now is – does this make sense? I would see this individually. Someone who wants to optimize performance as in professional sports or considers his health as the most important, certainly sees sense in this endeavor. Someone who only wants to cover the roughest, not. And he probably does not need it, because already with the above tips a large part of many environmental toxins is reduced. But still not all of them. Also, someone living in the country has to worry much less about EMF radiation than the poor guy who (like me…) lives next to a 5G antenna.
Long story short: a lot of things play into this and everyone has to make their own plans for the future. Feel free to write your questions in the comments, if something is still unclear! Have you already thought about the way our modern environment can make or break our health? Feel free to let me know too!
Fußnoten & Quellen
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