At this time of year as we regroup, we can also reassess our own health and that of our family and patients, with detox in mind. 

It's been estimated that there are more than 80,000 new chemicals in our environment, and yet less than 5% of these have been characterised for human toxicity. In addition, we are releasing heavy metals into the biosphere at an alarming rate.   

Anyone conversant with the scientific literature will attest that the evidence implicating low-level toxin exposure in chronic disease is accumulating at a rapid rate. Important examples are the rising incidences of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), autoimmunity and endocrine disruption. 

But detoxification has become a controversial issue. The debate over its value and safety has made headlines around the world. In 2009, even Prince Charles was accused of quackery and exploitation over his company's promotion of an herbal 'Detox' tincture. But the fact that the value of detoxification does not have mainstream acceptance actually denies the accumulating evidence for its adverse impact on health.

Detoxification was probably always part of the herbalist's agenda and now there is the science to back it up. Because this is such a large and important topic, this article is divided into three parts. The first part will mainly examine the many types of environmental toxins we are exposed to. In part two, I will discuss specific disorders linked to environmental toxins such as endocrine disruption and ASD. Finally in part three, the herbs that can help achieve optimal detoxification will be outlined.

Traditional Blood Cleansing Herbs

Before we move on to discuss the types of environmental toxins, it is worthwhile to briefly examine the traditional herbal concept of cleaning the blood. This was in the past particularly applied in the context of chronic skin diseases, which were felt to be signals of inner toxicities, accumulations of irritants that the normal eliminatory functions had failed to remove.¹ 

In European traditions, for example, skin problems were treated with 'blood cleansers' or 'alteratives', and the more modern term 'depurative' is derived from this perspective. In China, some herbal remedies were seen as simply good at eliminating poison: the more acute and severe the skin inflammations, the more robust the treatment used.

Unfortunately, there is at present a gaping lack of modern research supporting the role and use of alterative or depurative herbs, but they are certainly still used for chronic skin conditions and other disorders seen to result from toxic accumulations. Key western herbs in this category include burdock (Arctum lappa), Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium), clivers (Galium aparine), yellow dock (Rumex crispus) and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). However, while these traditional herbs are great for skin problems, none of them (as yet) really have a major role in optimizing detoxification of modern chemicals.

Classifying Modern Toxins

The key toxin exposures resulting from our modern industrialized world can broadly be divided into two categories: inorganic (mineral) and organic (molecules containing carbon). The main inorganic toxins of concern are the heavy metals (HMs), such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury.

Organic toxins of major focus are the persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These are mainly the organochlorines, which largely comprise the PCBs and DDT and its metabolites. They have been banned from use in industrialized countries for several decades, but they are incredibly stable in the environment and accumulate in body fat. POPs can act as potent endocrine disruptors - especially for thyroid hormone, insulin and sex hormones. They have also been implicated in cancer and autoimmunity. The body struggles to eliminate this persistent menace from its tissues, because of their chemical stability and solubility in fat tissue.

There is also an alarming and growing list of new organic chemicals in our environment. Because these molecules are not as stable as POPs, and don't tend to accumulate in fat tissue, they are readily excreted from the body, especially in urine. However, we are exposed to these new chemicals every day from the containers we use for food and water, the personal care products we apply to our skin, the surfaces we touch and the food and water we ingest. Hence they are sometimes referred to as pseudo-POPs or (pseudo-persistent compounds), because of their consistent presence in our bodies. Examples include phthalates, bisphenol A, numerous flame retardants and perchlorate.

In Feb 19, 2013 Brian Bienkowski wrote the following in Environmental Health News:²

"An international team of experts reported today that evidence linking hormone-mimicking chemicals to human health problems has grown stronger over the past decade, becoming a "global threat" that should be addressed. The report is a joint effort by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme to give policymakers the latest information on chemicals that alter the hormones of people and wildlife.  Much has changed since 2002, when the organizations released a report that called the evidence linking the chemicals to human health impacts "weak."

The panel of 16 scientists from 10 nations in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia found that endocrine-related diseases and disorders are on the rise. There is now "emerging evidence for adverse reproductive outcomes" and "mounting evidence" for effects on thyroids, brains and metabolism, according to the report summary.

"Over the past decade, we know much better that chronic diseases, ones related to the endocrine system, are increasing globally," said Thomas Zoeller, a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a co-author of the report. Such diseases include male reproductive problems, pregnancy complications, certain cancers, obesity and brain development. Many factors can cause these diseases, but the report concludes that given how fast some are rising, environmental chemicals are likely playing a role. Fetuses, babies and young children "are not just little adults" and are the most vulnerable to hormone-altering chemicals since their bodies are still developing, the authors wrote.

A decade ago the biggest threat was thought to be persistent organic pollutant chemicals - such as DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). These chemicals -now banned in the United States - travelled the globe, persisted in the environment and caused severe population declines in some wildlife species.

Such contaminants still pose a threat. However, less persistent but more ubiquitous chemicals found in everyday products - such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates - now are increasingly linked to human health problems.

"These chemicals are what we call 'pseudo persistent," said Tracey Woodruff, a professor at the University of California, San Francisco, and a report co-author. "They don't stay in the environment long but people are exposed to them all the time so it's the same effect as if they were persistent."

 "Frankly, for BPA, the science is done. Flame retardants, phthalates … the science is done," Zoeller said. "We have more than enough information on these chemicals to make the reasonable decision to ban, or at least take steps to limit exposure." Government agencies and industry groups however remain unconvinced.

Our Toxic Modern World

What better way to introduce the concept of our toxic modern world than this WHO report? Another organization, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), is also conducting some interesting research in this area. A study by the EWG in 2005 identified 287 environmental contaminants in umbilical cord blood.³ Of these 287 chemicals detected, 180 cause cancer in humans or animals, 217 are toxic to the brain and nervous system, and 208 cause birth defects or abnormal development in animal tests. The dangers of pre- or post-natal exposure to this complex mixture of carcinogens, developmental toxins and neurotoxins have never been studied.

In another study, the urine of every one of the 22 mothers and 26 children tested yielded evidence of exposure to TDCPP, a carcinogenic fire retardant.⁴ In children, the average concentration of a chemical biomarker left when TDCPP breaks down was nearly five times the average in the mothers.  In the most extreme case, a child had 23 times the level measured in the mother. Modern treated furniture is a big source of exposure to TDCPP.

On the topic of how we are exposed to environmental chemicals, our main means of coming into contact with heavy metals, POPs and pseudo-POPs can be summarized as follows:

- Air and smoking

- Water, drinks and drink packaging

- Food and food packaging

- Skin contact and hand-oral transfer from touching surfaces

- Personal care products

- Dental fillings and body implants

References on request