Next month will be January! The New Year. And even though December can see some of the busiest calendars of the year, it’s a great time to begin considering what changes you might want to make once all the holidays and festivities have come to a close for a bit.
I like to ask people what they do to take care of themselves, and a reply I often hear is “I don’t really do anything to take care of myself”. What??!! You HAVE to take care of yourself!! Indeed, in an essential way, no one else will, and more importantly, no one else really can ~ this one is all yours.
So, perhaps as this year begins to wind down, you might consider what you can do next year to take care of yourself in a bigger way. Self care is at the heart of much of what we ask patients to do when they step onto the Functional Medicine path, because not even the best doctors, healers or helpers can make changes for you.
One of the key concepts in Functional Medicine is the idea of the “total body burden”. This is basically all the accumulated toxins, pesticides, additives, harmful chemicals and other “new to nature molecules” that make their way into our everyday lives and therefore into our bodies.
Did you know that there are over 
84,000 chemicals currently used in the US, and the vast majority of them have never been safety tested? That’s right. And when the Centers for Disease Control routinely tests people for chemicals, they find that most of us have about 200 chemicals that our bodies have to try and recognize, detoxify and eliminate on an ongoing basis; that’s a lot of work! And many of these chemicals are related to the very health problems we’re trying most to avoid: cancer, diabetes, insulin resistance, weight gain, thyroid disease, hormonal imbalances, infertility, behavioral problems and the like. Yikes!!
But, don’t be discouraged!! There are a lot of steps we can take to reduce these toxins, to lower our total body burden. One great way to start doing this is by buying organic whenever possible. Studies have shown that eating an 80% organic diet can reduce the amount of circulating pesticides in the body by nearly 90% in only 3-5 days! Now that’s good news!
Shortly after the first of the year Forum Health Akron will be launching a 6 week Cleanse ~ a way to re-set your body after all the holiday excesses, lose a few pounds, feel lighter and healthier and to shed some of those toxic chemicals. Each week, we’ll be talking about things that impact our weight and wellness such as hormones, stress, sleep and environmental toxins.
So, maybe you’ll decide that this year you’ll make a commitment to lowering your total body burden, do a January kick off to mark your journey’s beginning, and join us in eliminating that which no longer serves us or our healthy intentions. Call to find out more about our January Detox and do some serious self-care next month ~ you’ll be glad you did.
Wishing you a great holiday season!! Victoria 
