“Cleaning Up Your Act” After A Cancer Diagnosis: Why and How to Detoxify, Part 1

By Keith I. Block, MD

Many of us have grown weary of the reality that pollutants have flooded our modern environment, with little sign of reprieve on the horizon.  U.S. industries annually release billions of pounds of toxic chemicals into the environment.  Modern agriculture, too, is a major source: By conservative estimates, about two billion pounds of pesticides are used on our food crops each year! So, it follows that part of the appeal of “natural” or “holistic” medicine is a fairly consistent emphasis on the importance of detoxifying the body.

Your body works around the clock to neutralize and eliminate toxins.  The body does this because it has no choice: every cell produces some toxins naturally as waste products of metabolism.  Thus, our bodies evolved with the capacity to handle at least a modicum of toxins on an ongoing basis.  Every second of the day, billions of cells are laboring to neutralize and eliminate these toxins.  Most toxins are readily eliminated through the urine, feces, mucus, sweat, and of course the breath, upon exhalation.  If we didn’t have this ability, I think it’s fair to say our quality of life and life expectancy would be significantly reduced.

But why is it important to detoxify after a diagnosis of cancer?  I think there are several salient reasons, beginning with the possibility that some toxins—including chemotherapy residues left over after you’ve completed treatment—may actually promote cancer.  This is an area of considerable controversy and the scientific debate is beyond the scope of this blog article.  Nevertheless, regardless of whether these chemicals may fuel the growth and progression of cancer, we do know that their accumulation in the body can harm the immune and nervous systems, as well as promote hormonal imbalances and other problems.  So, whether or not these toxins may impact your disease per se, they certainly have an adverse impact on your personal well-being and quality of life.  The concern about these potential side effects is, of course, one of the reasons cancer patients may fear and have great concerns about receiving chemotherapy.  Among the typical signs of toxic overload—“feeling toxic” as it were—are chronic fatigue, irritability, malaise, depression, mood swings, confusion, headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, digestive problems, flu-like symptoms, and pallid skin.  In addition, there is “chemobrain,” a condition that some believe is linked with the toxic effects of chemotherapy on the brain itself.

In this article, I will address some of the main types and sources of toxins, and what steps you can take to help alleviate this burden.

In the next blog, I will show you how different nutritional and botanical strategies can be used before, during, and after treatment to support optimal detoxification and how to download some of the toxic metabolites that build up through the course of treatment.

A central concept in the study of toxins and their impact on human health is something called the total load—the totality of toxic exposures that impact your health and overall functioning.  Two broad groupings of toxins contribute to the total load.  One group is the exotoxins, those toxic factors generated externally.  These include a vast range of environmental pollutants that are particularly toxic to the nervous, immune and hormonal systems.  Many of these pollutants are also mutagens and carcinogens—substances capable of spawning mutations and cancers, respectively.  Examples of exotoxins are pesticides, herbicides, PCBs, dioxins, drugs, chemical solvents, heavy metals, X-rays, and toxins produced by molds, fungi, parasites and other organisms.  Smoking, alcohol, junk foods, heavily processed foods, high-fat animal products, food additives, and life-related stress factors are also examples of exotoxins.

The second group of toxins consists of those we generate from within our own bodies, also known as endotoxins.  These toxins are no less relevant in terms of their health-negating effects, and yet most people tend to overlook this source of toxicity.  A build up of endotoxins can occur due to the following:  liver or immune dysfunction, surging stress hormones, and a damaged intestinal tract, often called leaky gut syndrome.

With exotoxins, the practical imperative is to avoid toxic factors and make appropriate lifestyle changes.  If you live near a toxic waste dump or heavy industry, for example, your body may be taking on more toxins than it can handle, and you may either need to relocate to a new home, or take extra care to detoxify.  Choosing a safe water source, eating more organically grown foods, washing fruits and vegetables, avoiding animal products, and choosing safe personal care and cleaning products—these are all examples of ways to minimize your body’s exposure to toxins.

With endotoxins, the problem has more to do with tending to your body in ways that optimally support detoxification.  For example, because constipation can be a source of internal toxicity, you want to make sure that your colon is functioning smoothly.  This can happen more effectively by taking three key steps:

1. chewing your food very well, until it turns to liquid in your mouth
2. increasing your fiber intake, particularly soluble fiber (for example, from eating oats, beans, legumes, and various fruits), but also including insoluble fiber from vegetables and whole grains
3. taking a probiotic supplement and eating more cultured or fermented foods such as pickles, sauerkraut, miso and unsweetened yogurt

Overall, you want to provide strong support for your body’s main detoxification systems.  For instance, leafy greens, garlic, onions, and milk thistle all help support the liver (a topic I will cover in more depth in the next blog), as does eating more crucifers such as broccoli and cabbage.  Along with a healthy, plant-based diet, you want to maintain a regular exercise routine—physical activity has many detoxifying effects—and make sure that you have adequate (preferably filtered) water intake to keep your kidneys functioning smoothly.  Lastly, you want to bolster your immune system in order to ward off bacteria, yeasts and other organisms that generate excessive toxins.  Eating a low-fat, antioxidant-rich diet, along with taking immune-enhancing supplements such as selenium, vitamin C, astragalus and mushroom compounds (e.g., beta-glucans), is an excellent strategy to help support your body’s immune defenses (as always, I recommend seeking the advice of a healthcare practitioner knowledgeable about the use of nutraceuticals prior to starting any supplement regimen).

In an ideal world, we’d all be able to avoid external sources of toxicity; however, the sad reality is, this simply isn’t possible.  Which makes being mindful of the internal sources of toxicity and supporting all of your body’s detoxification systems that much more important.  In the next two blogs, we’ll go into more depth about ways to support your body’s detox systems, and how to best coordinate these strategies with the treatments you’re receiving or have recently received.

Comments

[Natalie]

Great article! It is absolutely true that most of us think of external toxins vs. internal toxins. We should not ignore the internal toxins as we have the power to mitigate them. Excited to read the next article.

[Shannon]

I can say from personal experience (recent chemotherapy) that the first days after treatment, when my body was not eliminating properly, were sooo difficult. I only began to feel more normal as my bowels started to return to normal function. I know also that returning to some form of physical activity was a key in regaining normal function. I found that regular ground flaxseed was helpful in this area as well.