If you’ve been following our journey with glyphosate toxicity, you’ll be happy to know this podcast interview is with Dr. Torrie from Meraki Wellness. She is who Josh and I have been seeing to walk us through our detox protocol, and in this podcast, she’s sharing the who, what, when, where and why of common toxins and toxin buildup.
About Dr. Torrie Thompson
Dr. Torrie struggled with her health for years. She went from doctor to doctor searching for answers and was told, “Everything is fine” or “I’m not sure how to help you.” In all, she went to over 25 doctors and spent over $100,000 on lab testing, supplements, and various procedures to make very little progress with her health. She was gaining weight, was physically and mentally exhausted, couldn’t remember words, was depressed, in extreme pain, and honestly just wanted to give up.
It wasn’t until she was going to school to get her doctorate that she was finally able to put the pieces of the puzzle together to find out she had Lyme disease, mold toxins and parasites. Through a natural approach with food, high-quality safe supplements and lifestyle adjustments, she was able to find healing.
She’s now on a mission to educate and empower others to take their health back into their own hands. Dr. Torrie addresses symptoms, including adrenal burnout, brain fog, infertility, autoimmune diseases, hormonal imbalance, depression, anxiety, weight gain, fatigue, and so much more!
Common Toxins
I asked Dr. Torrie what the most common toxins she sees in people’s labs are. Here is her list of the “big guys,” as she puts it:
- Pesticides/Herbicides – Whether glyphosate on crops, pesticides on food, or household pesticides such as bug spray, this is the largest issue Dr. Torrie sees in labs. There are about 20 different pesticides and herbicides, so usually at least one is showing up in someone’s labs. (Try these natural pest control methods to prevent toxins in your garden.)
- Plastics – BPA is the leader in this group of toxins.
- Heavy Metals – This can come from water sources and fish.
- Radioactive Materials – This used to be very uncommon in a lab. However, with events such as Hiroshima, there are more and more radioactive elements in the oceans which end up in the fish we eat. This is a very slow process to detox from.
Common Toxin Sources – Where Is It Coming From?
- Food & Water – With the expansion of Big Ag and their heavy use of pesticides, this is one of the largest culprits of our toxin exposure today. The chemicals used in growing not only end up in the food we eat but also in our drinking water, which can’t be properly filtered out. These toxins end up in our rivers, lakes, and even our rainwater.
- Plastics – We are a convenience based generation. We love disposable one-use plastics, whether it’s a bottle of water, zip-top baggies for sandwiches, or our plastic Tupperware and to-go containers. Furthermore, many of the water filters that claim to filter out these toxins may not actually be filtering out BPA.
- Makeup, Skincare & Household Cleaners – When we look at our cosmetics and personal care items, we are surrounded by chemicals, fragrance and even PFAS, or polyfluoroalkyl substances (known as forever chemicals). Furthermore, many of the everyday items we use to keep our homes clean contain toxins and are actually harming us long-term.
This list may seem overwhelming, and you may be wondering how and where you start. Dr. Torrie has some great advice for that as well…
Toxin Overload/Buildup Symptoms
Symptoms will depend on what toxins you’re dealing with. This is what makes it so tricky. Dr. Torrie says if we look at many of the pathologies and diseases being studied, they’re showing that they all have an environmental toxin association.
On the extreme side, we can end up with diseases like ALS, various cancers, Parkinson’s disease and even auto-immune diseases. On the less extreme side, Dr. Torrie is seeing people with hormonal imbalances.
For example, she may have a woman come in thinking her hormones are out of balance. So the struggle is to find out why the hormones are out of balance. It could be there are plastics in her system that are acting like estrogen, so the body thinks it’s estrogen and gets out of balance.
Other symptoms of toxin overload are unexplained weight gain that won’t budge even with proper diet and exercise. Brain fog, skin issues, depression, anxiety, leaky gut/poor gut health, etc.
How to Test for Common Toxins
If you’re concerned about a toxin buildup, Dr. Torrie uses a urine test which is the least painful and least invasive test that can be done. We also tested our soil, feed sources for the animals we raise, our well water and many other items to identify the source of our toxin exposure. Check out this blog post for more information on toxin testing.
I don’t recommend trying to identify and remove toxins on your own. Having a specialist who can review your labs, explain what they’re seeing and walk you through the detox protocol is key, especially because you will have questions. Having a qualified practitioner who knows what you’re going through, what protocol you’re on and what supplements you’re taking is priceless.
That being said, for cases that are less complex, Dr. Torrie also offers a DIY protocol based on your results.
How to Eliminate Toxins
With toxins all around us, it can feel frustrating (and seem expensive) to change out all these products for healthier options. But Dr. Torrie says to “bite-size chunk it” when switching over to healthier products.
- First, you should change what goes IN your body. Switch to buying organic, whole-food options. If you can’t afford to buy all organic items, learn about the Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen when shopping for produce. By eliminating highly processed foods you’ll immediately cut down on your risk of genetically modified foods as well.
- Second, change what goes ON your body. After we’ve cleaned up what we’re putting into our bodies, we want to think about the products that are going onto our bodies. Things like shampoo, deodorant, skincare, laundry detergent, etc. All of these items end up on your skin and could possibly be seeping into your bloodstream.
- Third, change what’s around you. If you’re a big fan of air-fresheners, scented candles and room deodorizers, you may want to rethink the products you’re using. Our homes are filled with toxins from off-gassing of mattresses and paint to the cleaning products we use to clean the bathroom. By switching to natural, healthy options, we are eliminating many contaminants from our homes.
Isn’t the Body Supposed to Detox?
Why are toxins building up in our system if our bodies were designed to detox naturally?
Dr. Torrie explains that our liver is a detoxing organ that’s meant to filter out toxins we may be exposed to from time to time. We have other organs that aid in the detox process; however, they can only handle so many toxins at a time. When our exposure to toxins becomes so high that our body can’t detox them safely and efficiently, our body will store those toxins in our fat cells to “deal with them later.”
Dr. Torrie says if we never eliminate the amount of toxins we’re being exposed to, our body never has a chance to catch up. Furthermore, even when we eliminate our toxins to a level our body can handle, sometimes our body will still hold on to the toxins in our fat cells because it’s protecting us from their negative effects.
How to Detox Your Body From Common Toxins
I asked Dr. Torrie, if our bodies are overloaded with toxins and no longer able to get rid of them, what can we do?
She said detoxing is a two-part approach: making sure your body is supported and binding the toxins so they can be flushed from the body. Once the toxins are removed, there’s a third step that focuses on rebuilding and rebalancing the body.
Supporting Your Body
Before you ever detox, you want to make sure your body is supported. You want to make sure your liver, gallbladder, kidneys and all your detox organs are all in great working order so they can do their job well.
If you skip this step, you’ll likely feel horrible during your detox.
Binding the Toxins
There are various binders that can be used based on the toxin you’re dealing with. A binder is like an agent that works like hands, grabbing the toxin and removing it from the body.
There are what Dr. Torrie calls “old-school” binders like bentonite clay and activated charcoal. These can be used to help flush toxins out of your body. These work well and are a nice, gentle approach. However, they’re not very advanced, and they can’t target specific toxins.
The more advanced options are carbon-based detoxes which can go in and out of cells, only grabbing the toxin they’re supposed to remove.
You don’t want your body to dump these toxins all at once, or you’ll feel horrible. Once the toxin is out, it’s time to rebuild.
Rebuild and Rebalance the Body
Once the detox protocol is over, Dr. Torrie recommends retesting to see where your toxin levels are to make sure you’re at the place of maintaining.
She will then make sure your body is properly rebuilding and rebalancing. Toxins can cause all kinds of problems and imbalances in our body, so she wants to make sure to rebuild our body so it functions properly.
Ways to Support Your System During a Detox
- Eliminate Toxins – We want to make sure we’re not continuing to expose ourselves to toxins while trying to detox. So identifying and eliminating toxins (especially what goes into our bodies) is key.
- Supplements – To help support your system during a detox, Dr. Torrie also recommends working with a practitioner who will recommend supplements. A detox can be taxing on our body and we want to minimize the symptoms as much as possible. Supporting our system with supplements is the next key.
- Additional Support – In an effort to help the detox process along there are other things we can implement. Infrared saunas, coffee enemas, dry brushing, red-light therapy and exercise/movement are all great ways to support your detox.
We understand that there are many ways to care for your health. We know these options aren’t always the most affordable, however, if you can find it within your budget to make it happen
Where to Find Dr. Torrie
Find Dr. Torrie on the Meraki Wellness website and also follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
For more information, this is the total toxin bundle that Josh and I did.
