24
October 2017
Valley Voice
A Closer Look
Toxins: Biology versus Hysteria By Monica Yager
Of all the concerns we have about our health, should toxins be one of them? The biological definition of a toxin is “a substance that is produced by one organism and is harmful to others.” So, in that regard, yes, we should be concerned about toxins if we are exposed to a toxin that causes harmful, life-threatening symptoms. Botulinum, tetanus, diphtheria, known toxins that come from bacteria, can be deadly to humans.
The “LOCAL’S” choice for Personalized Health Care
HALLOWEEN We have it all.
Costumes, wigs, make-up, tattoos, candy, decorations & MORE!
You Don’t Have To Brush Your Pets Teeth!
Just The Ones You Want Them To Keep! 8 out of 10 dogs and 7 out of 10 cats show signs of dental disease by age three.
But what to make about the toxins the alternative health industry claims come from stress, modern living, and too much fun, as in the partying kind. These toxins are claimed to cause a number of vague and common symptoms, from being tired to sneezing, but so far there is no scientific evidence to suggest that any symptoms can be attributed to toxins, or even that these toxins actually occur in the human body. To take this slightly further, would humans still exist if our bodies were subject to adverse symptoms caused by something as universal as stress or modern living? In other words, haven’t humans, from the beginning of time, experienced stress? How does our contemporary stress compare to that of our ancestors trying to kill a wooly mammoth or face starvation? And hasn’t every generation experienced modern living, a time that is one or two steps more modern than the previous generation? Do our bodies really need help from external sources, like vitamins, oils, massage, yoga, or even soaps or lotions in order to survive stress and modern living? What if we don’t buy into the alternative health notion of toxins and detoxifying? Will we be OK? We’ll be just fine. It’s a good thing our bodies have a natural detox system. Lungs remove byproducts of energy metabolism. Kidneys remove acids as well as excess water. The liver treats toxic substances that are not soluble in water by adding an extra molecule, which allows the substances to dissolve in water and be excreted through the kidneys. The colon removes waste. This natural detox system is even working when we have too much fun, the partying kind. But the alternative industry tries to blame the aftermath, hangover, on toxins, too. It’s probably easy to convince an individual suffering through hangover that they need to get the toxins out of
What to do? • Take your pet to Pet Kare to get a dental exam • Start an at home regimen. We can help you with this. • Schedule regular dental cleanings
10% off on all preventative dental products in the month of October.
M their system in order to feel better. And what better way tou do that than with an injection of glutathione. That sounds c like natural health care, after all, our bodies utilize that E very thing, glutathione, as an antioxidant, and medical doctors prescribe intravenous glutathione to treat serious m conditions such as the side effects of cancer treatments, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, hepatitis, heavy Y a metal toxicities, and immunological deficiencies. But hangover is none of those, it is just the symptoms of the v body trying to stabilize after getting rid of a flood of alcoM hol that can only be metabolized at a certain rate, as well t as any other party type substances that may have been ingested. So adding a flood of glutathione doesn’t seem M logical. Because our bodies are pretty tightly regulated, v it uses a set amount of glutathione and senses a flood of d glutathione as something to get rid of in order to maintain s its happy place of homeostasis. As it turns out, glutathione is not stable in blood, having an extremely short half-life ofH fourteen minutes that leaves no time to do anything about c that hangover. Better off to save the couple hundred dol- t lars an alternative practitioner charges for a glutathione p infusion and avoid the hangover in the first place or suffer through it. After all, hangover is a self-inflicted condition Y e and the symptoms go away with or without any help. d Lest a claim is made that our body’s detox system is insuf- c ficient or compromised and requires help from an outside e source, here is one more biological reference: Our bodies o are pretty tightly regulated. The break down of the body’s l complex detoxification system means lung failure and the use of a ventilator, kidney failure, which means the use of E l dialysis, liver failure, which leads to death. Unless those kinds of symptoms are experienced, rest assured your I natural detox system is working as it should and you can m go about your modern living with one less thing to stress c about. I Monica Yager is a graduate of Brown Institute, Minnew apolis, MN and attended Colorado Northwest Community O College (CNCC) and Colorado Mountain College (CMC) Artse & Humanities program. A Closer Look is the culmination f of witnessing first-hand the wackiness of the alternative health world as former owner of a health food store and M c the encouragement of a couple of professors to write, write, write. I l m
SUP’s 1/2 price!
Airhead Inflatable, Whole Kit & Kaboodle ...while they last!!!
www.petkareclinic.com 102 Anglers Drive
970-879-5273 For those who live here and for those who wish they did.
60% OFF SALE on Last Season Ski Gear
NOW ON Instagram: @onestopskishop | #SKIMAGIC 35 11TH ST #130 (11TH & YAMPA ST.) (970) 879-4SKI | ONESTOPSKISHOP.COM
*WITH COUPON EXP.10/31/17
O o o s
I w h
T r t fi h
I t a