Episode 35: What is Toxic Load?

Transcript

Hey everybody my name is Lindsey Graham, I am a momma, a wife and a Blue Diamond Wellness Advocate with doTERRA. I'm so excited to be here today to share with you not only my story, but to speak to you about something that I'm super passionate about. And that is reducing your synthetic exposure or more commonly referred to as reducing your toxic load. 

I truly feel like there's never been a greater time or a bigger need for us to be really educated and empowered about what we are putting on our skin, what we are eating, what we are exposing ourselves to in our home. And just really being conscious of this. 

Lindsey’s Experience

This all started for me, and this is the reason why I'm so passionate about this, is years ago I moved from a really big city to a very small community, it's an island community, there is around 10,000 people there, and I was practicing as a dental hygienist. And what I noticed is that my patients, their health was just superior in so many different ways, and that got me interested as to why. And the reasons were that they lived a less stressful life, they were really, really mindful about supporting themselves in a more holistic natural way, and they were really, really mindful about the food they were eating and the quality of the food they were eating. This started me on a journey that has changed everything for me, and this is why I'm so passionate about this. 

It became even more amplified when I got pregnant with my daughter Adeline, and at that time I read a study and it was a story on cord blood. And they tested cord blood and what they found in there were industrial chemicals, and pesticides, they found neurotoxins, they found so many different toxins in the cord blood and this horrified me. I really made a conscious decision when I read that research article that I was going to make a commitment to myself and my unborn baby that I was going to empower myself with education and do better for her and for I. 

So when doTERRA came into my life I truly feel like it was that missing puzzle piece that I was looking for. Just because of the way that doTERRA does everything and what they stand for. And it really set me into the next level of really up-leveling my health and wellness and being even more conscious about what I was doing, what I was bringing into my home, and what I was putting on my skin. 

I truly feel honored to be partnered with a company like doTERRA, and to be able to help other people figure out just how important it is to look at all of the toxins that we are exposed to on a daily basis. I truly believe that there's no such thing as ignorance is bliss when it comes to our health and wellness. We can bury our heads in the sand and pretend nothing is happening, but I think we owe it to ourselves and especially our families to do better, and to empower ourselves with research and education, so that we can make conscious decisions and better choices and speak with our dollars. 

Our bodies are so miraculous, they do so many amazing things for us and they really put up with so much. But there is a threshold that is reached, and that is where we get to the tipping point. I see through my work with doTERRA is a real awakening of people, people want to be empowered, people want more education now, people want to make better choices for themselves and their family, and they want to reduce their toxic load. Because we are learning just how harmful these things can be to us. 

I want you to know that small daily actions, simple shifts, simple swaps can make a massive impact over time. And it's just taking little things and changing them every single day, and you will be feeling so much better overall, and it will inspire you to keep going and to do more. So today I just want to empower you with education, and some tips and some tricks and some things that I've swapped out in my home that have really reduced my toxic load, and also my daughter's toxic load. 

What Is Toxic Load? 

So what is a toxin? It's any substance that causes stress in our body. And what is toxic load? It's the accumulation of that and the burden that it puts on our overall body and our organs. 

Let’s quickly chat about our friend the liver. It is our master organ, our master detoxifier, it is responsible for so many things in our body, and really it does so much for us. And we're gonna go into a little bit about some of the different products that doTERRA has put out just to help support the liver in doing the best job it can for us. 

Because our modern world really is a toxic soup we are bombarded with so many different chemicals and toxins every single day, our liver is under stress. And we just want to support it in a way that is going to help its best job. 

Where are Toxins Coming From? 

So where are toxins coming from? We bring a lot of these into our homes, these are our household cleaners, these are candles, these are potpourri, these are things we plug in the wall that that put scent in the air, or fragrance. 

And I'll talk about fragrance a little bit later, because it's one of the worst culprits. Well let's talk about it now. So fragrance is a blanket term. So under the ingredient fragrance on anything you have in your home it can literally contain thousands of toxins and chemicals that are harmful to us. So you just want to be careful of that. 

Our beauty care products as women, we are putting so many things on our skin every single day before we leave the home. And I think there is this misconception, or we've been really conditioned to believe that we can trust it. We can trust when we go to the store that these things are safe for us, and that is not the case, and that's what I hope to educate you more on today. 

It's also the paint that we are putting on our walls, its carpets we're bringing in, and its perfume we're spraying on ourselves. It's our food that has pesticides in it. There's so many different ways, even our water, we are exposed to toxins and chemicals. So I just think there's never been a greater time to be super-mindful about all of this and to try to change that. 

Non-toxic, Natural Cleaning

Okay, let's start with one of my favorite areas. Household cleaners. This is one of the easiest ways to change things in your home and just to reduce that toxic load. You can literally clean your entire home with water, lemon, baking soda, Castile soap and essential oils. 

That is what I clean my entire home with, I save so much money, and I feel so much better that my pets are walking on the floor and they are not getting harmful chemicals on their paws. When I had Adeline, I could let her crawl across the floor and then not worry about her putting her hands in her mouth and being exposed to harmful chemicals and toxins. Believe it or not there is no governing body that's looking out for us when it comes to these chemical cleaners. They can be marketed as green and clean, and again, it's that trust we're putting into other people's hands instead of doing our own research in making simple things and just swapping it out. 

So, the good news is that we can clean our entire home with simple, natural, beautiful products that aren't going to increase that toxic load in our body. One of my very best friends always says when we are talking about green cleaners and reducing our toxic load is, you can clean like your great-grandmother did and not all of these products that are so beautifully marketed to us for us to think that we need them. 

Non-toxic, Natural All-purpose Cleaner

One of the first switches that I ever made was making my own all-purpose cleaner. And it looks just like this. Super simple, I bought the bottle for a couple of dollars, you can get them in so many different places online. 

And this is my all-purpose cleaner, so what I have in here that I have our doTERRA On Guard^® Cleaner Concentrate, which is amazing, I put two tablespoons in here, some water, a couple of tablespoons of vinegar, and then I like to add some extra Lemon. I just love the smell of Lemon. 

You can switch it up though, sometimes I'll put Arborvitae or Tea Tree in there, and that's just for additional cleansing benefits, or even for the aroma, since you're gonna be using this and then you can also benefit from it as well. So that is my all-purpose cleaner. 

Non-toxic, Natural Glass Cleaner

The next one I'm gonna talk about is my glass cleaner, so again, this super simple bottle, and all I have in here is water, vinegar and Lemon. You can also add some alcohol, some denatured alcohol or even just some regular alcohol just to help with evaporation, but you don't need it. 

So again, water, vinegar and Lemon, and that's what I clean all of our windows with, and as you can see, we have tons of windows in our home, so it's super, super effective. 

Non-toxic, Natural Soft Scrub

The next one I want to talk about is the soft scrub, so I use this on our toilets, on grout, anywhere I need a little bit of that pumice-style cleaner. And what I use for this is I used Castile soap, vinegar, baking soda and On Guard and Lemon, and I'll just take a cloth and I'll use that on my grout. It's an amazing super effective cleaner for those types of things. 

Lemon Essential Oil

So now that I've referenced Lemon a few times, I'm gonna talk to you about all the different ways that I use it in my home. Lemon is probably my most used oil in our home. I put it in my water every single day for its digestive and cleansing properties that it provides the body. 

I want you to be mindful about what bottle you are using, so I always put it in a glass or stainless steel, never plastic. Plastic is a petrochemical, and what the lemon is gonna do is it’s gonna try to break down that petrochemical, and then we're gonna be drinking those chemicals in our water, so you just don't want to do that. Also starting off with a good quality water is really important as well, and you can just get a simple BRITA or Sativa, I know a lot of people have different systems in their home, but we just have a BRITA Filter in our fridge and then I just fill up my huge stainless steel bottle and I just put a couple of drops of Lemon in there. 

Lemon also creates this beautiful alkaline state in our body, which we want. As a formal dental hygienist, I used to see a lot of damage to peoples enamel to their teeth from squeezing lemons in their water. So it does create that alkaline state, and that cleansing state in our body, but what it does because it's squeezed from the pulp, it's very acidic and it breaks down our enamel. So what I love about doTERRA's lemon is it's cold-pressed from the rind, doTERRA sources these beautiful lemons from Italy, and we still get those cleansing and those digestive properties, but because it's cold-pressed from the rind, we are not damaging our enamel. So it's just an amazing way to have that lemon in your water and you only need a drop or two, and its gonna do amazing things for your body. 

I also love to diffuse Lemon, it's really fresh it's gonna cleanse the air when we're diffusing it, and let's just talk about a diffuser for a moment. When we're putting our essential oils in the diffuser with some water and those are going through the air, they are providing that cleansing and that uplifting aroma to our environment instead of burning toxic candles and bringing in other scented products, or air fresheners, these sorts of things, these are things you really, really want to stay away from, and they are really bad for our respiratory system and also just building up that toxic load in our body. 

Lemon is also really, really good to help me focus, so I'd like to put that in there when I'm trying to focus on something or when my daughter is working on homework, it's just a beautiful versatile oil. 

We do buy all organic produce, but I still take all of my vegetables and my fruit, and I'll fill my sink up with water and I'll put my 10 to 15 drops of Lemon in there, and I'll soak my vegetables and fruit in there for about 10 to 15 minutes, just to get any chemical residue off there, a lot of people have been handling it, we don't know how far its traveled, all sorts of things like that. 

Zendocrine^®

Okay, let's chat about another product that I love that supports our friend the liver that we discussed earlier among other organs. Zendocrine comes as an oil, so you can have it in this bottle as a little oil, it also comes as a soft gel which I'm out of right now, and also this herbal detoxification complex which we'll also talk about. 

So I want to tell you how I use it, after I have been traveling I really, really like to, or long plane rides, or maybe I haven't been eating well, I really like to put a couple of drops of this in my water, or in a veggie cap, and I will take this a couple of times a day just again to help support my liver. 

Zendocrine has amazing detoxing and purifying benefits. It is a blend of essential oils. So in here we have, Tangerine, Rosemary, Geranium, Juniper Berry and Cilantro. Those are all powerhouse oils that are really just gonna help support our detoxification organs. 

Quarterly Cleanse with Zendocrine

So during my quarterly cleanse that I do, I do a cleanse quarterly in addition to upping my water intake, cutting out things like wheat and meat and sugar and dairy, because I just want to give my body the best advantage that it can have, so I don't want to clog it up. I will take this during the cleanse every single day, a couple of times a day and then also be using that roller as well. And it's just really going to help support the body and the liver and our detoxification organs to do what they need to do. 

So when I'm doing my quarterly cleanse I love to use the Zendocrine Detoxification Complex. So it's just a blend of whole foods and herbs and it's in a patented enzyme delivery system that doTERRA has created which is amazing and just helps us gain all the benefits from the herbs that are in there. So it has ingredients like barberry, milk thistle, garlic bulb, Turkish rhubarb root, psyllium husk, and we are looking at all these different things that are going to specifically, they've picked all of these to specifically support each detoxification organ. 

Natural Beauty and Skin Care Products

That is going to lead me into talking about the next area that we can really cleanup to help reduce our toxic load. And that is looking at our body care products and what we are putting on our skin every single day. So let's talk about beauty care and skin care products. They say that the average woman leaves the house every single day and literally has hundreds of chemicals and toxins on them, and that is just because of what we are using in our make-up, perfume, cream and all sorts of things like that. 

So our beauty and skin care industry is actually again super poorly regulated, and again we think we can trust what's out there and that it's gonna be safe and healthy but that is not the case at all. And this is an area that as women we need to be really mindful of. 

Non-toxic, Natural Skin Care

So I personally used to use a very expensive organic skincare line, and I was super scared to switch over my skincare products, because as women we know once we find something and it's working okay we don't want to mess with it if you have a breakout or things changing, but I'm so glad I switched over to doTERRA's Verage^® and Essential line. I mix them both up, I use some from Verage, and some from the Essential Collection line, and my skin has never looked better. I'm gonna be 42 in a couple of months and I wish I would have found it earlier. It's one of the simplest things that we can switch over that's gonna just reduce that toxic load. 

I also love to make some of my own products at home, and I just want to preface this by saying that I was never one of those DIYers, but when you start making things and they work so well and you know what's in them, it becomes a little bit addictive because you are reducing your toxic load, you feel better, your skin looks better, or whatever product you are using, and also you are saving a lot of money. 

DIY Exfoliator

So something that I recently made because I had a couple of little dry patches on my face which I think was from traveling, is I made this exfoliating mix and what is in there is I have Castor oil, baking soda, I put Frankincense, Lavender, Tea Tree, Yarrow and Geranium in there. So I mixed up until it was a nice little consistency, like a light paste, and then I gently rubbed that into my skin and then I took a warm face cloth and I wiped it all off and I followed it with my Verage Cleanser, and the toner and my cream. So after using that exfoliator a couple of nights the dry spots on my face are gone. So this is something you want to implement maybe once a week, or if you're having any issue and you just feel like your face needs a really good exfoliation, it's a simple thing to make at home with very simple ingredients. 

DIY Face Wipes

So the next product I love to make, and its super simple, is DIY face wipes. So I'll just get a very large mason jar, and I get an old T-shirt and I cut little squares, they are like 4x4s, or you can do 2x2s, whatever you want. And I put those in a jar, and then what I add is witch hazel, distilled water, jojoba oil, Frankincense, Tea Tree, Lavender, Geranium, you could add Yarrow, you could add Juniper Berry, you could add so many different things, depending on what you want, you can play around with your oils, and that's the fun thing. And there are so many different recipes on the doTERRA DIY Blog that you should check out. 

So I mixed that all up in the jar, and then I take those wipes and I'll just wiped off my makeup, or mascara or anything like that, they are so refreshing. The other thing that I really love about it is that they are reusable. So I can wash them, dry them, and then make up another batch. So again, it's gonna save you a lot of money and it's really, really good for the environment as well. 

Detox Bath Soak

The next thing I want to talk about that I use a few times a week is a bath soak. So I'm gonna talk about a detox one that I use, and when I'm doing that quarterly cleanse and I'm really flushing a lot of things out of my system and I'm drinking a lot more Lemon water just to assist in that, I like to do a bath, a detox bath a few times a week. 

So what I do is in a mason jar, or any jar of your choice, I take Epsom salts, baking soda, I love using Frankincense, Juniper Berry, Geranium and Lavender. And then what I'll do is I'll take a quarter cup of that mix and I'll put that in my bath. So what that does is all of those salts and the baking soda absorbs the oils, and then when we're adding that to the bath water, it's dispersed throughout the water and then the oils aren't sitting on the top of the water. And you don't want the oils sitting on top of the water you want them throughout the whole bath. 

But just not for detox, even my daughter, she's six years old, we love to do Epsom salts, baking soda, Lavender and Aroma Touch, and we put that in her past, and every time she bathes; she loves it. Those are her two oils of choice, and it just really is such a nice relaxing bath to have. 

DIY Dry Shampoo

The next thing I want to talk to you about is something that I make a lot of and it's really saved me so much money, and that its dry shampoo. I would love if you're using a traditional dry shampoo is to get that thing dirty up and to scan your dry shampoo, it has so much in there. And you can make such an amazing dry shampoo yourself at home. 

So it's not fancy, it's just a little mason jar, and I have some arrowroot powder in here, because I'm a blonde. If you're a brunette, you can add some cocoa or cocoa powder into that so that it's a darker color. And then what I do is I get a really large blush brush and I'll put it in there, and then I'll apply it to all of the roots and underneath to my hair. I let it sit for a couple of minutes, and then I brush it out or I blow dry it. 

I also add oils to it of course, so I personally like a drop of Patchouli, not too much, just a little bit. Rosemary, Lavender and Tea Tree. And this is what I use, and it can really extend the amount of time between washings, which is really important, we don't want to be stripping all of that from our hair, all the goodness from our hair all the time. So that is dry shampoo, its super easy, again simple, simple ingredients. 

Natural Deodorant, Toothpaste, Shampoo and Conditioner and other swaps

So like I said earlier there are so many different recipes that you can make, you can go all the DIY Blog that doTERRA has and look up so many swaps, I know a lot of people make their own deodorant, I love the deodorant that doTERRA has. I use the Balance deodorant, this is another area that women, or everyone, even men, we need to be really mindful about our deodorant, and those antiperspirants and what that is doing to our insides. So I use the doTERRA Balance deodorant, I love it, I've tried so many different deodorants and this one works amazingly, I can do my hot yoga class and I don't find that I have that scent afterwards, it keeps me fresh and dry which I really, really like. 

As a former dental hygienist, I love our toothpaste, I could talk about the toothpaste all day long. We also have an amazing mouthwash or mouth rinse, which is an On Guard Mouth Rinse we use with the shampoo and conditioner. 

And that brings me to talking about when we're in the shower. We're usually using hot or really warm water which is opening our pores, our skin is our largest organ, and it’s our first line of defense. So we want to be mindful about what we are putting on there. So the soap we are using, the shampoo conditioner that's running down on us, so I love that doTERRA has all of these beautiful non-toxic products that I can use. 

Shampoo, conditioner, soap, body wash. We also have an amazing mud mask, which is a detoxifier for our face as well. I could go on and on about all the amazing products that you can swap out and just help to lessen that toxic burden on the body. 

Small Changes, Big Impact

So I think I've talked about enough today, and I hope that wasn't overwhelming. My wish is that I inspired you, I inspired you to start making changes that are going to affect your health and your family's health and wellness in a positive way. When we are educated, when we are empowered, and we are making better choices for ourselves and just swapping simple things out. And again, like I said, making tiny little shifts, every day, every week, every month. Over time that's gonna have such an amazing impact on our overall health and wellness, and just give our body that break. So it doesn't have to work as hard, and it can work the way it's supposed to without all of the added gunk and junk and toxins and chemicals that we put on it. So I hope you guys all have a really good day, and I hope this was helpful, and I'll see you all soon.