Today’s post features a few key takeaways from a recent Wellness Your Way podcast interview.  Find the full episode here, and be sure to subscribe to Wellness Your Way so you don’t miss future episodes!

Guest Bio: Wendie Trubow, MD

Wendie Trubow, M.D., MBA is a functional medicine gynecologist with a thriving practice at Five Journeys, and is passionate about helping women optimize their health and lives. Through her struggles with mold and metal toxicity, Celiac disease, and other health issues, Trubow has developed a deep sense of compassion and expertise for what her patients are facing. She is the co-author of “Dirty Girl: Ditch the Toxins, Look Great, and Feel Freaking Amazing!”.

Top Insights from Dr. Wendie’s Interview

1. We have to be our own advocate for our health. Even when you have a great team around you, and you’ve gotten the “all clear” from basic blood work, if you know something is not right, trust your gut!
2. A toxin is anything that your body interprets as harmful. Anything that you have too much of can create a state of imbalance or inflammation in your body.  That can be as innocuous as a piece of bread (because many people are sensitive to gluten), or it could be a more traditional “toxin” like living near a plastic factory or artificial ingredients in beauty products that can build up in our bodies.
3. If we are exposed to one toxin one time, our body is well equipped to handle it. BUT … the onslaught of toxins that we’re exposed to is continuous.  Wendie uses the analogy that our toxic exposure is like a rainbarrel.  We’re (hopefully) born with an empty rainbarrel, but as we go through the world, it gets filled up with various stressors like food sensitivities, toxic exposures, sleep issues, toxic stress, and more.  Some people have an amazing rainbarrel “spout” … they can detoxify very easily and don’t experience symptoms.  But others, whose genetics don’t support easy detoxification, have pressure building in their rainbarrel until it’s about to burst.
4. Symptoms of toxic overload include headaches, constipation, high blood pressure, stomach aches, autoimmune diseases, dementia, cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, degenerative diseases, and more. The body wants to be in balance, but when something gets in the way, these symptoms emerge.
5. Plastic exposure is rampant these days. The average American consumes the equivalent of one plastic credit card worth of plastic each day, or one fireman’s helmet each year!  This comes from plastic wrapping on almost everything we buy, the plastics from landfills that get into the water and then into the fish we eat, and so much more.
6. We can make a difference by contacting companies we love and asking them to “level up” by stopping the usage of plastics. Simply reach out – companies recognize that people who do reach out likely represent dozens more who feel the same but didn’t reach out, so your comment makes a huge difference!
7. Transitions, like going through menopause, having a child, changing jobs, moving, and other physical and mental transitions can often trigger the symptoms of toxins that have been building up over a long time. Be particularly cautious of your symptoms around these times!
8. The Environmental Working Group does a great job at rating ingredients and letting us know which products are harmful or not. Check out this site or the Think Dirty app to check out your regular products.
9. Our genetics are not always our destiny. We can influence our genetic expression by “get enough quality sleep to let your body recover every night, eat the right foods to ensure proper nutrition and proper elimination, surround yourself with healthy relationships and ditch the toxic ones, move your body on a regular basis.” (a quote from Dr. Wendie’s book).  When you sleep the cells of your brain shrink, which allows more space between them to drain the toxins out.  Sleep is critical!
10. We have to get out of “fight, flight, or freeze” mode in order to actually detox. When the body is incredible stressed, it does not have enough resources to detox.

Want to hear the full episode, including your liver’s role in detox, how recirculating hormones can be toxic, and so much more?

Head over here to catch the full episode with Dr. Wendie Trubow!

Now it’s your turn!  What is one thing you learned from this interview?  What’s one thing you’re committed to changing after learning from Dr. Wendie?