Dr. Nancy Iankowitz DNP, RN, FNP-BC

You may very well know how to balance your mind, body and spirit. Your diet and nutrition might work well for you, and your weight might be exactly where you want it to be. It is possible that you have no joint pain, your muscles are strong, and you are flexible, well rested and generally centered.  Perhaps you meditate several times a week, self-reflect and have reached that point in life where you feel confident, excited, gratitude & joy on a daily basis, and you even pay your blessings forward whenever possible.  Namaste.  If, however, you are still working diligently to fulfill your potential and master the art of ‘balance & joy’ then take a few seconds to view the video (a 9-second long ‘stay-cation’)  and then, please read on.

The 21st Century has fast forwarded us into the technological era where focus is on external communication.

• We can face time with people thousands of miles away at the touch of a button. This brings us closer to those we miss and love.
• Computer savvy has trumped traditional ‘wisdom’ since grandparents are, for the first time in human history, consulting with grandchildren for THEIR advice on how to . . . . .

. . . and yet, there is indeed a downside which needs to be returned to the ‘right-side-up’ position if the human race is to be left in the hands of a healthy next generation.

We are what we eat; what if food is toxic?

At the current rate, if present day focus remains unrefined, and the rampant neglect of essential issues remain unaddressed, the next generation (which is already suffering) will suffer an even greater impact, not to mention the generation following that . . .

        . . . I prefer to address what CAN be done – rather than consequences if we don’t.

We need to

• stop putting chemicals that throw our hormones off balance into what we drink, eat and breathe (click here to learn about endocrine disrupters)
• become more mindful of what we do to our environment (water, soil, seeds, air)  Click here for details.
• choose herbs and behavior that heal our organ systems (Click here for additional information and an 8-step intervention to detoxify).
• tune in to what our unique body needs to have as well as to avoid Click here for details.

Becoming aware of poisons that are avoidable is key.  The State of Maine, for example, has taken a huge step in requiring manufacturers of paints and cleaning products to give the consumer a ‘heads-up’ by insisting that they list toxic ingredients in their products.  Click here for a sample list.  We all deserve to know what is in the products we bring into our home – especially if we have vulnerable children who depend on us to keep them safe.

Once aware of the toxins, you can make informed decisions about how exposed you wish to be.  You get to pick and choose your poison – in the very real sense of the phrase.  Again, YOUR body is indeed designed to handle occasional toxins – but if you deliberately (or neglectfully) overload your organ systems, the result is often illness that is directly related to imbalance you created.

Let me say this again: The healthy human body is able to clean and filter air it breathes, food it eats, and fluid it drinks.

We are designed to purify and detoxify ALL SORTS of pollutants.  The problems arise when we either overload the human body with unnecessary toxins (i.e. alcohol for the liver; fuel exhaust for the lungs) AND/OR we have an organ that is compromised (illness etc. which may decrease that organ’s ability to keep the human body safe).

If you have healthy organs, a liver that is not unduly burdened, and lungs and kidneys that work generally well, chances are good that with careful selection of healthful food, air and water, you will continue to be able to efficiently filter the occasion toxins that leak into the soda or are delivered to your gut by the burger you crave a few times a month. However, if your organs are compromised, the filtering system becomes a bigger deal and impacts the body on a bigger scale.

When the body is off balance, all sorts of labels (aka: diagnoses) are offered by health care providers.  The bottom line is simply that there are a few diagnoses which are 100% preventable and, even once diagnosed: 100% reversible.  An example of two of these: obesity & insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes).  In fact, these labels often represent imbalance that MIGHT be related to TOXINS rather than just diet!  Think about it.  Talk to your doctor.

Toxins from plastic bottles (i.e. phthalates – click here for details) are found in foods as well – and they are KNOWN to cause hormonal disruption.  This is a HUGE awakening.  It takes the ‘fault’ and ‘guilt’ out of these organ system issues . . . and that helps SOME people reconsider the effort they are willing to put into healing their body as a whole.

Speak with YOUR holistic, integrative or functional medicine health care provider about the possible benefit YOU might derive from interventions that detoxify YOUR body (especially liver and kidneys) so that YOU can live a cleaner life, set a healthful example, and leave a legacy of balance and positive energy for future generations.

Wishing you goodness & healing,

~ Dr. Nancy Iankowitz

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Dr. Iankowitz is an ANCC Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner who takes an integrative/ functional medical approach to facilitating wellness. As Founder and Director of Holistic and Integrative Healing LLC, she joins each patient along his/her unique healing adventure, embracing a mind/body/spirit patient-centered journey. To maintain her own spiritual center, Dr. Iankowitz plays chess & enjoys nature. As founder and owner of Universe’Secretary, she writes children’s stories, essays and inspirational books of poetry and philosophy.