This concept is super important to understand if you have been feeling unwell and are looking for ways to feel better. Before I learned about this, I struggled with constant setbacks, where I would get a little bit better but then backslide hard, never understanding what I was doing wrong or how I was making things worse. The Rain Barrel Effect will explain why we are seeing a surge in chronic illnesses in this country and how reducing your overall toxic burden is the secret to finally feeling better and achieving health and wellness. The good news is that there are ways to reduce your toxic burden and we are here to help you at each step with personalized approaches.

The Rain Barrel Effect

Did you know that according to a Harvard study, there are an estimated 85,000 chemicals in which we are exposed to daily in the United States? By simply living in our society, we are constantly exposed to toxins through our air, water, soil, food, products, and environments.  The Rain Barrel Effect is the idea that as these toxins accumulate in our bodies, they can exceed our capacity to detox and safely excrete them, which leads to dysfunctions, illness, fatigue, and weight gain. Like a rain barrel filling with water, we often do not know how toxic we are until it fills up and spills over, which is the point where most of us start to experience a myriad of symptoms and identify as chronically ill. Everyone shares this toxic burden, the question is to what extent? Even newborn babies routinely test positive for nearly 300 chemicals, which are passed from mother to child in utero [1]. 

A high toxic burden can explain most illnesses.

Symptoms associated with a high toxic burden include fatigue, brain fog, joint pain and swelling, irritable bowel disease, gastrointestinal permeability, cancers, thyroid and adrenal dysfunctions, estrogen dominance, low testosterone, fertility issues, autoimmune diseases, mast cell activation syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivities, and many more. Unfortunately, toxins, chemicals, heavy metals, and pesticides have all been used for a very long time worldwide in consumer based product such as food, water, cosmetics and they are still being used today without much regulation for safety [3]. In Europe, where there are more regulations on chemicals, there are less than 9,000 chemicals allowed for use. Practically speaking that means that by living in the United States we are at higher risk of disease than those living elsewhere, despite our advances in healthcare technology, because our toxic exposure is so high.

A high toxic burden can impact gene expression.

Our ancestors did not have as much exposure to chemicals and toxic elements as we do today, which is why we are seeing changes in how genes express due to toxic environmental factors and other modern day stressors (otherwise known as epigenetics). Some people are more efficient at detoxing and methylating than others are, which is a fancy way of saying that some get rid of toxins more efficiently than others. It is quite common for people to store toxins in their fat and tissues when they can’t excrete them, which is actually a protective activity the body does to try to keep you safe from that toxin. This is one reason why some put on rapid weight when their toxic burden reaches the point where the rain barrel spills over.

A high toxic burden can deplete vital nutrients.

Phase 1 and Phase 2 detox and the buffering of waste products in the body are nutritionally demanding processes, burning up our vitamins, minerals, and electrolyte stores, which are essential cofactors for detoxification and methylation enzymes [5]. Our daily stressors also contribute to a rising toxic burden. Increased stressors related to the pandemic, traffic, work, social media, the news, finances, health, and poor sleep quality can fill our barrel, causing it to overflow. Constant stressors mixed with a high toxic burden is nutritionally demanding as the body tries to naturally reduce the toxic burden.

5 Ways to Reduce Your Toxic Load:

It can be overwhelming to start reducing your toxic burden, especially if you are already feeling unwell and your rain barrel has spilled over. You don’t have to do this alone. We are here to help customize a plan to reduce your toxic burden and feel better.

Here are 5 ways to get started reducing your toxic burden:

1. Avoid processed foods and eat organic plant based foods as much as possible, especially for the EWG’s Dirty Dozen. The Clean 15 are less of a priority to choose organic, but still important. Eating heavily pesticide sprayed non-organic produce is like putting bug spray down your throat. Fruits and veggies also contain the vitamins and minerals you need to detox and feeds you at the cellular level, allowing for more ideal gene expression. Choose organic meats, pastured or organic eggs, organic dairy, grass fed beef products, and wild caught fish (refer to EWG’s Seafood Guide). Avoid processed meats. This will limit your exposure to pesticides, hormones, inflammatory GMOs, and heavy metals like mercury.

2. Filter your water, especially drinking, cooking, and bathing water. This will limit your exposure to chemicals such as arsenic, chloride, fluoride, and other additives and chemicals that seep into the water supply from the ground. This will help your microbiome balance and neurological symptoms. If you are interested in finding out what is in your tap water visit https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/ and enter your zip code and city to see the contaminants found in your local water supply and how it compares to safe levels.

3. Filter your air with a high quality multi-stage air purifier with at least a HEPA filter.  About 80% of the toxins we take in daily come in through our lungs in the air we breathe, and indoor air quality is found to be 500 times worse than outdoor air. For this reason, it is important to protect yourself by using an air purifier in the house, especially in the rooms you spend the most time in. Our lungs act as a direct portal to our blood stream and circulatory system. Protecting the air we breathe from the chemicals all around us will help to reduce the toxins or chemicals your body is taking in every day. Buy one that is within your budget, it is better to have one than none. The best are Molekule or Air Doctor, but there are other great options out there.

4. Limit your EMF exposure, which basically means purposely lowering the amount of levels of electromagnetic frequency exposure you have each day by putting your phone on airplane mode when you sleep, shutting off your WiFi router, limiting the amount of bluetooth exposure you have during the day, avoiding EMF wearables, and shielding with devices like Harmoni pendants or computer mats. Long periods of exposure to even low levels of electro magnetic frequencies (EMF), without breaks, has been shown to disrupt your cells DNA, which negatively impacts their ability to create new healthy cells that function appropriately [2]. Studies have shown that long-term exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produced by technology causes inhibitory effects on the immune response, increases oxidation, and inhibit DNA methylation [4].

5. Use binders to help absorb toxins to be excreted from the body. We recommend using Cellcore’s binders because they are able to be taken with or without meals and other supplements, which increases the convenience factor. If you have ever used activated charcoal or clays, you’ll know how hard it can be to space everything out around it. The binders we use can remove bacterial and viral byproducts, mycotoxins, fungus, heavy metals, environmental pesticides, chemicals, micro plastics, and more.

You Don’t Have to Figure Out How to Reduce Your Toxic Burden on Your Own

Life is a balancing game of limiting chemical exposures into the body, eliminating the trapped chemicals and toxins, and supporting the body’s natural healing ability.  You can reduce your toxic burden, cleanse the water in your rain barrel, and get your health back. If you are overwhelmed, let us help you. We know how to get you to your results in the fastest way possible.

Each person is different and needs a personalized approach to decreasing the overall toxic burden. At Healing Masters, we look at genetic deficiencies (MTHFR, COMT, and HLA-DR), pathogens such as bacteria or parasites, chemicals from cleaning products or pesticides, and heavy metals from dental work or cosmetic products. We use a Multiple Symptom Questionnaire (MSQ) to assess how toxins are currently impacting the various systems of your body and to what degree. In other words, we use tools to get an idea of how full your rain barrel is. We also offer various root cause tests to educate on what underlying toxin imbalances exist in the body.

Overcome Your Chronic Symptoms & Heal Holistically

Are you looking to get to the root cause of your symptoms? We can help you.

We use holistic approaches and functional medicine lab testing to investigate what is triggering your chronic symptoms so you can address them at their source and start to feel better faster. Our health coaches are masters at guiding the healing of multiple root causes in a personalized order that gets you wellness results that last. We also help you maintain good health and minimize your disease risks.

References

1.      Center for Disease Control, 2009 Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Chemicals

2.      Díaz-Del Cerro, E., Vida, C., Martínez de Toda, I., Félix, J., & De la Fuente, M. (2020). The use of a bed with an insulating system of electromagnetic fields improves immune function, redox and inflammatory states, and decrease the rate of aging. Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, 19(1), N.PAG. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-020-00674-y

3.      Kharrazian, D. (2021). Exposure to Environmental Toxins and Autoimmune Conditions. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, 20(2), 20–24

4.      Liu, Y., Liu, W., Liu, K., Ao, L., Zhong, J. L., Cao, J., & Liu, J. (2015). Effect of 50 Hz Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields on the DNA Methylation and DNA Methyltransferases in Mouse Spermatocyte-Derived Cell Line GC-2. BioMed Research International, 2015, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/237183

5.      Pizzorno, J. (2015). Conventional Laboratory Tests to Assess Toxin Burden. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, 14(5), 8–16.

by sarah southerton

Certified Integrative Health Practitioner (IHP2) & Functional Medicine Health Coach

I specialize in helping people heal chronic illnesses and achieve optimal health. After my own battle with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Lyme disease, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and Post Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), I was thrust into the world of alternative medicine, herbal healing, and low-tox/low-stress living. I have since restored my health and no longer suffer with debilitating symptoms and I’m passionate about help other people who are suffering, so they can feel better a lot faster than I did.

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