“Keeping those cell walls around even after cracking them for digestibility is necessary because it’s chlorella’s cell walls that bind to toxinsin your body in order to eliminate them. This is why you see chlorella products promoted with cracked or broken cell walls.” – P Fassa
Chlorella seems to be an undervalued superfood, offering a lot of nutrition in very small servings. But chlorella offers even more than high nutritional value per gram. It is a powerful detoxification source. It’s able to detox heavy metals mercury, lead, cadmium, aluminum, and barium and eliminate other ubiquitous pollutants, such as PCBs and other dioxides. Further, it detoxes without disturbing the necessary mineral elements of magnesium, potassium, iodine, and other important minerals.
We are heavily besieged by toxic pollutants from our food, water, from the air we breathe, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and the most prevalent toxic medical mercury source of all – dental amalgams.
As long as you chew food with those mercury amalgams in your mouth, you’re releasing mercury vapors into your body. But it takes a special type of dentist to remove them safely – a biological or holistic dentist.
Regardless of when or if you’re able to have these fillings removed properly (not to mention you will still be exposed to other toxins), it would be wise to incorporate a daily consumption of chlorella, which also chelates (binds and removes) mercury and other heavy metals.
September begins with you deciding to detox physically and energetically. Just like last week when you were donating unused items to charities, this week you’ll continue to let go of the old . . . in many ways!
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You’ll notice an increased psychic awareness, where your intuition is heightened. You may also feel increased sensitivity. Honor your sensitivity, as it’s a gift for your life purpose. Surround yourself with gentle people and situations, or spend time alone or with a gentle pet. Nature is also very helpful for sensitivity. Continue reading →
“. . . the reality is that the probiotics in our bodies and in cultured foods ultimately derive from the soil, where an unimaginably vast reservoir of ‘good bacteria’ reside . . .” S Ji
You’ve probably heard the buzz already about the many health benefits of probiotics, a word which literally translates to: pro- “for” + biotics “life” — FOR LIFE. But did you know that these remarkable commensal microorganisms, which outnumber our bodily cells 10 to 1, and contribute over 95% of our body’s total genetic information, also break down highly toxic manmade chemicals which your body is either incapable, or only partially capable, of defending itself from?
Learn about some of the amazing ways in which ‘good bacteria’ help to detoxify chemicals within our body:
Bisphenol A:
This ubiquitous toxicant — linked to over 40 diseases — found in anything from thermal printer receipts, paper money, canned food liners, dental composites, and of course plastics, is a powerful endocrine disrupter now found in everyone’s bodies. Remarkably, two common probiotic strains, Bifidobacterium breve and Lactobacillus casei, have been found in animal research to help the body detoxify it by reducing the intestinal absorption of bisphenol A through facilitating increased excretion.[i] The animals receiving probiotic treatment were found to have 2.4 times higher excretion of Bisphenol A in their feces, suggesting probiotic supplementation could be of significant benefit to humans as well.
Pesticides
Probiotic strains from the traditional Korean fermented cabbage dish known as kimchi have been identified to degrade a variety of organophosphorous pesticides such as chlorpyrifos, coumaphos, diazinon, methylparathion, and parathion.[ii] These nifty organisms actually use these exceedingly hard to break down chemicals as sources of carbon and phosphorous – ‘food’! – and were found to break down the pesticide 83.3% after 3 days and degraded it completely by day 9.[iii] While this test tube study likely does not reflect exactly what happens in our gut when we ingest both chlorpyrifos and Kimchi, it is provocative, and may indicate there is some protective effects in the gut, and certainly cabbage tainted with organophosphorous pesticide which is subsequently fermented as an ingredient in Kimchi would certainly reduce the burden of this chemical in the diet.
Heavy Metals
Lactobacillus bacteria found in food have been looked at as a potential adjunct agent for reducing metal toxicity in humans. According to one study, “This is because they have resistance mechanisms which are effective in preventing damage to their cells and they can bind and sequester heavy metals to their cell surfaces, thus removing them through subsequent defecation.” [iv] The study differentiates between detoxification and detoxication, the former of which is described as “the ability to remove drugs, mutagens, and other harmful agents from the body,” and the latter of which is the mechanism through which ‘good bacteria’ prevent “of damaging compounds into the body.” Because there is a large body of research on probiotics preventing and/or healing up intestinal permeability, this may be another way in which toxic stomach contents are preventing from doing harm to the body as a whole.
Cancerous Food Preservatives
Another imchi study found it contained a strain of bacteria capable of breaking down sodium nitrate, a naturally and artificially occurring chemical (used from anything to rocket fuel and gunpowder) linked to a variety of chronic degenerative diseases, including cancer.[v] The study found a depletion of sodium nitrate by up to 90.0% after 5 days. Sodium nitrate becomes toxic when it is converted in food products, and even our intestines via microbiota, to N-nitrosodimethylamine. A recent study found that four lactobacillus strains where capable of breaking this toxic byproduct down by up to 50%.[vi]
Perchlorate
Perchlorate is an ingredient in jet fuel and fireworks that widely contaminates the environment and our food. Sadly, even organic food has been found concentrate high levels of this toxicant, making it exceedingly difficult to avoid exposure. It is now found in disturbing concentrations in breast milk and urine, and is a well-known endocrine disrupter capable of blocking the iodine receptor in the thyroid, resulting in hypothyroidism and concomitant neurological dysfunction. A recent study found that the beneficial bacterial strain known as Bifidobacterium Bifidum is capable of degrading perchlorate, and that breast fed infants appear to have lower levels than infant formula fed babies due to the breast milk bacteria’s ability to degrade perchlorate through the perchlorate reductase pathway.[vii]
Heterocylic Amines
Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HCA) are compounds formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures of 150-300 degrees C, and are extremely mutagenic (damage the DNA). Lactobacillus strains have been identified that significantly reduce the genotoxicity of theses compounds.[viii]
Toxic Foods
While not normally considered a ‘toxin,’ wheat contains a series of proteins that we do not have the genomic capability to produce enzymes to degrade. When these undigested proteins – and there are over 23,000 that have been identified in the wheat proteome – enter into the blood, they can wreak havoc on our health. Recent research has found that our body has dozens of strains of bacteria that are capable of breaking down glutinous proteins and therefore reduce its antigenicity and toxicity.
While the role of probiotics in degrading gluten proteins sounds great, a word of caution is in order. Since modern wheat is not a biologically compatible food for our species – having been introduced only recently in biological time, and having been hybridized to contain far more protein that our ancient ancestors were ever exposed to – it would be best to remove it entirely from the diet. Also, the aforementioned research showing bacteria in the human gut are capable of breaking some of these wheat proteins revealed that some of the species that were capable of doing this for us are intrinsically pathogenic, e.g. Clostidium botulinum and Klebsiella. So, relying on the help of bacteria to do the job of digesting a ‘food’ we are not capable of utilizing on our own, is a double-edged sword. Again, the best move is to remove it entirely from the diet as a precuationary step.
What Probiotic Should I Take?
While plenty of probiotic pills and liquids exist on the market, and many of which have significant health benefits, it is important to choose one that is either shelf stable, or has been refrigerated from the place of manufacture all the way to the place you are purchasing it from. Moreover, many probiotics are centrifugally extracted or filtered, leaving the nourishing food medium within which it was cultured behind. This is a problem in two ways: 1) without sustenance, the probiotics are in ‘suspended animation’ and may either die or not properly ‘root’ into your gastrointestinal tract when you take them. 2) the ‘food matrix’ within probiotics are grown provides a protective medium of essential co-factors that help them survive the difficult journey down your gastointestinal tract.
With that said, another option is to consume a traditionally fermented, living probiotic food like sauerkraut, kimchi, or yogurt (focusing on non-cow’s milk varieties, unless you are lucky enough to find a source that has the beta-casein A2 producing cows). There is always goat’s milk which is relatively hypoallergenic.
Finally, the reality is that the probiotics in our bodies and in cultured foods ultimately derive from the soil, where an unimaginably vast reservoir of ‘good bacteria’ reside – assuming your soil is natural and not saturated with petrochemical inputs and other environmental toxicants. And really fresh, organically produced – preferably biodynamically grown – raw food is an excellent way to continually replenish your probiotic stores. Food is always going to be the best way to support your health, probiotic health included.
[vii] C Phillip Shelor, Andrea B Kirk, Purnendu K Dasgupta, Martina Kroll, Catrina A Campbell, Pankaj K Choudhary. Breastfed infants metabolize perchlorate. Environ Sci Technol. 2012 May 1 ;46(9):5151-9. Epub 2012 Apr 20. PMID: 22497505
About the author: Sayer Ji is an author, educator, Steering Committee Member of the Global GMO FreeCoalition (GGFC), advisory board member of the National Health Federation, and the founder of GreenMedInfo.com – an open access, evidence-based resource supporting natural and integrative modalities. His writings have been published and referenced widely in print and online, including Truthout, Mercola.com, The Journal of Gluten Sensitivity, New York Times and The Well Being Journal. Visit GreenMedInfo online and on Facebook, or sign up for GreenMedInfo’s Newsletter.
If you don’t know by now, pay closer attention—pesticides are everywhere. They are on our food, in our water, and in the air. They find their way into our bodies through a variety of vehicles. We can buy organic, grow our food, and use fancy water filtration, but we are still exposed to these modern chemicals on a daily basis. The key to minimizing the effects of pesticides come through both minimizing our exposure, but also through detoxification and preventing their effects on our bodies.
So, how can you detox from pesticide exposure? Here are 7 tips on how to detox pesticides.
1. Milk Thistle
This plant is a member of the daisy family and has a long history of healing. It is primarily seen as a liver cure-all and is also said to be a great way to detox from toxic chemical exposure.
Many people have this wonderful idea of how a detox will feel—they imagine they will feel light, energetic, and generally amazing. After all, the detox is all about getting rid of the bad stuff, right? While it’s true that a detox is designed to rid your body of harmful toxins and “bad stuff”, it isn’t always fun for everyone – at least during the detox process. Although the end result can feel amazing, the process of detoxing can come with some rough side effects due to the exiting of toxic waste. We call this a “healing crisis.” But there are measures to take to reduce detox side effects and lessen the healing crisis.
When you detox, your body is purging itself of impurities. You’ve been walking around with toxins from the air, your food, medications, and more, for who-knows how long. Your body is used to it—this is it’s “normal”. When you disrupt the normal, toxic state, you are bound to feel some not-so-great effects, many of which are due to the toxins being released into the bloodstream and digestive system, before they are expelled from the body.
There are several things you can do to reduce the negative feelings associated with detoxing.
Reducing Detox Side Effects and Lessening a Healing Crisis
1. Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is perhaps the most important tip for minimizing detox side effects during any detoxification protocol or fast. Fresh juices, green tea, or plain, filtered water should be your best friends. Flushing out the toxins is priority number one when detoxing and you can only do this when you are sufficiently hydrated. Because you may be taking something to help rid yourself of these toxins (ie. expelling more waste than usual), rehydration is particularly important.
2. Shift into the Detox, Altering Your Diet Before Beginning
Chlorella seems to be an undervalued superfood, offering a lot of nutrition in very small servings. But chlorella offers even more than high nutritional value per gram. It is a powerful detoxification source. It’s able to detox heavy metals mercury, lead, cadmium, aluminum, and barium and eliminate other ubiquitous pollutants, such as PCBs and other dioxides. Further, it detoxes without disturbing the necessary mineral elements of magnesium, potassium, iodine, and other important minerals.
You’ve probably heard the buzz already about the many 