BRAIN HEALTH, PART 5: Detox Your Brain

 As seen in Healthy Living Magazine

Today, we start with a quiz:

How many IQ points do you think the citizens of the United States have collectively lost due to exposure to toxins?

Take a guess.

The answer is 41 million IQ points have been lost due to toxins, more specifically to lead, mercury, and pesticides. This was estimated in a study published by the National Institutes of Health.

Toxins are body bashers and brain killers. Toxins are chemical substances that damage our bodies at the cellular level. When toxins kill or damage our nervous system and our brain, we call them neurotoxins.

Neurotoxins can cause lower IQ, but also lead to ADHD and autism; they can damage the brains of unborn children and have a range of other harmful effects.

The most insidious thing about toxins is they exist all around us in our everyday environments, but they are invisible. They’re in our furniture, our clothing, our food, and in the air. We’re only now beginning to understand the long-term effects of toxin exposure, but it’s becoming chillingly clear that toxins can wreak havoc on our bodies and brains. Toxins are poisonous to us.

So how do we face this toxic reality?

7 rules to eliminate toxins

1. Eat organic

You can reduce your exposure to pesticides 80-90 percent by eating organic foods. In the US, the term “organic” means the food is strictly controlled and must have at least 95 percent organic ingredients. “Natural” is rarely as natural as the producer would like you to think.

2. Throw away canned food

Cans are lined with anticorrosive compounds, for example bisphenol-A and manganese. This goes for both food and soda cans. These compounds seep into the food, drink, and right into you.

3.  Avoid all plastics

In general, plastics are loaded with chemicals and toxins. To put it bluntly, all plastics are a long-term health risk. The substances in plastic can cause problems ranging from cancer to infertility. Take a moment to think about how much plastic is in your life. Take a look in your fridge. Instead of plastic, use glass and ceramic containers for your food. Unpack food from its plastic wrapping when you get it home to minimize the time in plastic.

4. Put a filter on your water supply

Public water usually contains a lot of fluoride, chlorine, and other potentially damaging chemicals. To filter the water, for example, you can put a reverse osmosis filter on your sink. Not only will it protect you, the water will taste better.

5. Avoid anything synthetic and strong smelling

If you are using artificial air fresheners, get rid of them. If you want a nicer smell, replace the air freshener with essential oils mixed with water. Avoid cleaning agents that smell harsh. The same goes for beauty and personal care products. Find a new deodorant, shampoo, and soap that are as chemical free as possible.

6. Open your doors or windows every two hours and let in fresh air

You get the benefit of fresh oxygen, but you also let out all the chemicals that your furniture, walls, and carpets are slowly releasing into the air.

7. Say no to cash register receipts

This is a final and sneaky source of toxins. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s a fact. Cash register receipts are soaked in bisphenol-A. So just say no to them, or as a minimum, wash your hands after being in contact with them.

In the next article, you’ll learn why learning is paramount to brain health. Learn more at Brain-plus.com.

Follow Kim on Twitter - @KimBadenK | www.brain-plus.com

Kim Baden-Kristensen, CEO and Founder of Brain+ 

Kim founded the Danish brain training company, Brain+, with the vision of creating the most effective and engaging brain training tools from cutting edge neuroscientific insights. The content in this article is part of the extensive BrainCoach feature in the app, Brain+ Brain Training for iPad and iPhone.