My Answer to Breast Cancer with Dr. Jenn Simmons

Foreign. Hello, Facebook. It is Tuesday night, it is seven o'. Clock. And what does that mean? It means it's time for my answer to breast cancer. This is Dr. Jen Simmons from Real Health MD and tonight I want to talk to you about toxins. We've been discussing this in my answer to breast cancer group which meets every Monday. It's a wonderful collection of people who are going through the breast cancer experience. They're at various stages of the breast cancer experience. And each week it's a 12 week program and each week we talk about different things as it relates to breast cancer and to inflammation. It's really about living an anti inflammatory life. And so for the past three weeks, because it's such a huge topic, we've been talking about toxins and we really live in a sea of toxins. Unfortunately, there are just toxins everywhere around us. We are literally surrounded by toxins. And so you can't live a toxin free life. It's just absolutely impossible in this day and age to live a toxin free life. But we can do what we can and we can always do better. So. So I just wanted to talk to you about the places that I look to think about how I can reduce my toxic load. Because the key to it all at the end of the day, it's about putting in less and taking out more. So the putting in less is the decreasing of the toxic load. So decreasing the amount of chemicals that you put in and on you and the taking out more is the increasing of your body's own detoxification. So we're going to run through some things that you can decrease and then we're going to run through some detoxification things. So the first thing that I want to start with, what I always start with, what it comes down to for most of us is eat real food. And there's such a dietary debate going on. You know, you could be Paleo and you could be keto and you can be vegan and you can be Mark Hyman's new book, which is Pegan. And you know, there are all these philosophies, but what all the people agree on, what all the sides agree on, is that you should be eating real food. Because if it came from nature, then those are the chemicals that you want and if it came from industry, those are the chemicals that you do not want. What happens when you eat processed food? And I'm not talking about lunch and meats, I think that a lot of people get confused and they think when you're talking about processed food, that you're talking about lunch and meats, I'm talking about anything that's not in its original form from nature. So when you eat things that are processed, they come into your body and they are not recognized as food. And when that happens, it sets off an inflammatory cascade which alters your chemistry and sets you up for chronic disease. So it's important to eat real food. Now the people that know me know that I AM A Eat 75% non starchy vegetables and the rest of the 25% that you eat, that's on you, I don't need to hear about it. You can call it your 8020 rule, you can call it whatever you want to call it, but we everyone should be eating mostly vegetables and a little bit of whatever else you choose. And so if you're eating mostly vegetables, that means that you're eating an unprocessed diet and that's really what it's about. And eating lots of colors so that you're getting all the nutrients you need. The second thing is buy organic when you can. I know that everyone can't buy organic and I know that it's not, not only is it not always affordable, but it's not always available. And so I think it's really important to know about the Environmental working group's website, ewg.org and I'll go ahead and put that in the comments. So everyone has it, but on that at that site they have a Dirty Dozen list and a clean 15 list. So on the Dirty Dozen list those are the things that we know have lots and lots of chemicals on them, pesticides, herbicides, that kind of thing. And so, so those are the ones that you absolutely want to buy organic. And then the things that are on the Clean 15 list, you can buy those fruits and vegetables conventionally, it doesn't matter what they are. And those tend to be the things that have a thick skin that you're going to peel off before you eat them, that kind of thing. So really getting to know that Environmental working groups or EWG.org getting to know that dirty dozen lists and the clean 15 list, it changes every calendar year. So now there's a 2021 list. And getting to know that having it on your phone, there's even an app that you can scan things when you're at the grocery store. But knowing that list will be quite helpful to you. Not only the food that you eat, but how you prepare your food is important. So getting rid of your non stick pans, what's happening with those non stick pans is that that coating is a plasticizer that acts as, as an endocrine disruptor, a hormone disruptor in your body. So as you cook as that heats, it then melts down and gets incorporated into your food and acts like toxic estrogen in your body. You don't want this, you don't want it. It disrupts your hormone system. And also your body is then taxed with the responsibility of clearing it out. So it's making your liver work really, really hard. So we need to get rid of those nonstick pans. So the safe things to cook in are stainless steel, glass, ceramic, those kinds of things. And so just making sure that you're not cooking in nonstick. Avoid high heat cooking, the grilling, the frying, all of those things that brown the food, that's actually forming a chemical process called acrylamide and that is directly carcinogenic, cancer causing. So we want to stay away from those cooking techniques, stay away from the grilling, stay away from the frying, the deep frying and get to the poaching, the steaming, the broiling. Think about like a slow cooker. Slow and low is the key, that is the key to healthy cooking techniques. Braising, that was the other word that I was looking for. Remember that plastic and food don't mix, so you don't want to drink out of plastic, you don't want to cook, reheat anything like that in plastic. And it's when that plastic is changing temperatures that it gets incorporated into your food. So you definitely don't want to drink something hot out of plastic because that's taking like a cold plastic glass or putting hot something in it, or cold plastic cup, obviously putting something hot in it. And then it's the plastic's melting, getting incorporated into the liquid and then you're drinking that or storing in plastic. So putting something hot in the plastic and then making it cold, that's incorporating the plastic in. You don't want to freeze in plastic. None of those things, those changes in temperature, you don't want them. So making sure that you're not storing in plastic and that you are not changing temperature in plastic. Fragrance is another big thing. So I know that people love scented candles and room sprays and room fragrance and all those kinds of things, but all of that fragrance is toxic and it's directly toxic to your liver. It burdens your liver with having to get rid of that toxin and so best to just skip those things. So if you're looking for a fragrance for your home, even perfume, even Perfume is toxic. So if you're looking for a fragrance for your home, for yourself, then you can use essential oils, and you can actually, like, take class on how to blend those oils to come up with your own signature scent, both for your home and for yourself. And they're actually really wonderful. And once you get those perfumes and fragrance, all those things out of your life, you'll see that they actually don't make you feel good. You'll notice the difference once you've detoxed from them. So getting rid of the fragrance in all of its forms, including, like, scented lotions and soaps and all of those things, you definitely want to. You definitely want to clear them out of your routine. Four things that you are using in and on you. So to clean your home, to wash your clothes, as skin care, that kind of thing, you really want to look for that USDA certified organic seal because you want to know that there is. That there is purity of that product and that it is not tainted with fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides. All of those things that are designed to kill the organisms on the plant actually kill the organisms in you, too, and it is not beneficial. And many of those antibiotics that they use on the plants, they act as hormone disruptors in your body, and you would be astounded to know where these things are. So those antibiotics are in your toothpaste, in your hand cream, in your body lotion, in your cosmetics. And they're there so that there's not bacterial buildup in these things. But in the meantime, you're either ingesting them or putting them on your body and absorbing them through your skin, and it's having detrimental effects on your health. So making sure that you're using products in and on you that are USDA certified, but also around you to clean your homework with. And you actually don't even need home cleaners. You can use essential oils. You can use vinegar, you can use lemon juice. Like, there are so many possibilities of what you can use to clean your home. You do not need any of those toxic cleaners. I remember that one of my mentors said to me that he realized a few years ago that that smell of Clorox that people that associate with being clean, that's actually the smell of death. So you definitely don't want that. You don't want that. We all spend so much time in our homes now. I want to make sure that people aren't using hand sanitizer in your home. Like, if you feel like you're in Your home and you need to wash your hands. Go to the sink and wash your hands with soap and water. Stop dry cleaning your clothes. Wet clean your clothes. Don't dry clean your clothes. Those chemicals are getting absorbed into your skin. They're quite toxic. Skip the fluoride. Fluoride is a byproduct of, of chemical production. And it was decided that there was this whole like glut of fluoride from whatever chemical process it's a byproduct of. And so because there is an element of fluoride in the teeth, someone decided that they would put fluoride, fluoride in toothpaste. You do not need it. It is not good for dental health. Over time, you build up toxic levels of fluoride and it also inhibits thyroid production. So we have so much thyroid disease in this country that may very well likely be due to the fact that we put fluoride in the drinking water. There's fluoride in our toothpaste. So get rid of the fluoride. Skip the fluoride. Use a fluoride free toothpaste and make sure that you're filtering your water for fluoride. Paring down your beauty routine. You need so much less than you think you need and making sure that those few products that you're using are really quality products. So I have my own favorite brands. I'm happy to share them with you. But I love Salty Girl Beauty. I love Beauty Counter. I think that young living savvy, I think it's called Savvy Minerals. They do a really nice job. There are so many nice cosmetic and skincare brands that are organic and are using safe ingredients. And the Environmental Working Group has a site where you can, where you can look up the products and see what their rating is. So I think that's called Skin Deep. And so just making sure that you're doing the most to get the least. And if you are just starting out, detoxifying and you want to know where to start, I would start with lipstick and skin care. Because lipstick is something that you are constantly replenishing, eating, absorbing skincare, the same thing, you're using it with great frequency. So. So I would definitely start there. And again, look for that USDA certified organic seal when you know we're all about to come on to springtime. Thank goodness, because I don't know about you guys, but I've kind of had it with winter and we've been shut into our homes and so we're just recirculating around that same Air. It's time to start. Open your windows and circulate that air from outside. And if you can, if you can, put an air purifier, at least in the room where you spend the most time. So if you spend the most time in your bedroom, then put it in your bedroom. If you spend the most time in your office, put it in your office. I like the air doctor the best. But if you can put an air purifying system in your house, that is wonderful. If you can just do one room, maybe get an air doctor. If you can, you know, get a HEPA filter for your whole house, awesome. Cut down on the amount of products that you use in your home. Look underneath your cabinets. If you have like 10 products in your laundry room and underneath your kitchen sink and you know, here, there and everywhere in your bathroom, you have way too many. You do not need them. They are chemical laden. They are endocrine disruptors. They're probably using a lot of plastic packaging. And so you really want to try to minimize, minimize that. I clean my entire house with one product. It's called Thieves from Young Living. I just dilute it in hot water. It's in a glass spray bottle. I literally use it on everything. It smells amazing. It's a blend of I think five or seven essential oils. And I do not worry about is my dog gonna lick it or my kids gonna lick it. Like, it's fine, it's safe, you can adjust it. And you should really think about not using things on surfaces of your home that you wouldn't put in your mouth. Avoiding antibiotics when you can. I know that people are getting sick and everyone's still really worried about the virus. And when you have lingering symptoms, it's really tempting to go on antibiotics. But antibiotics are very, very disruptive for your health. And just one dose of antibiotics, just one course of antibiotics, increases your risk of breast cancer. So we really want to save those antibiotics for when we really need them. And so being mindful about not using antibiotics unless you need them. And also if you're eating meat, if you're eating animal products, if you any kind, being mindful that 70% of the antibiotics in this country are going towards livestock, they're not being used for human consumption, they're going towards livestock. So if you are still eating animals, make sure that you are not eating conventionally raised animals because they are very pro inflammatory and they've all been fed antibiotics, which only increases antibiotic resistance and leads to this whole cycle. And if you think that you're not using antibiotics, but you're eating conventional meat or poultry or farm raised fish, then you are consuming antibiotics and quite frequently. And less toxins and in means the less work that your body needs to do coming out. So let's talk about a couple of detoxification techniques. So the way that our body gets rid of toxins is by peeing, pooping and sweating. So anything that we can do to increase these processes will help us to get rid of toxins. So exercise is a great way to get rid of toxins. And you can do whatever exercise that you love that leads to perspiration. And at the same time, anything that leads to perspiration increases your detoxification. So steam, sauna, literally anything that makes you sweat, a hot bath, anything that makes you sweat will increase detoxification. I also recommend lymphatic massage, which is just getting a dry brush and brushing your skin for 10 minutes before you shower or before you take that bath or taking a bath, a hot bath with magnesium salts or Epsom salts in it that will help you to detoxify. You can add a cup of baking soda into that water and that will help you to further detoxify. Other things that are known to help with detoxification, rebounding. Get a mini trampoline and jump on it for 10 to 20 minutes every single day or a few days a week. That will help with detoxification, lymphatic massage, and then again, making sure that you're drinking enough water and that it is purified water that is not out of plastic, but out of glass or metal, and then making sure that you move your bowels regularly. And that doesn't mean every other day or a couple times a week, that means every single day, one to three times a day. And so if you do these things, if you decrease your toxic load going in, increase the toxins going out, you're going to find yourself in balance. So I am so grateful that you were here today. I hope that some of this resonated with you and that you can make 20, 21 a less toxic year. Bye for now.