THE HUMAN BODY is amazingly resilient. Many of its internal vital organs will continue to function without a complaint even when their function is reduced or compromised due to the onset of a disease. A liver, for example, may be nearly 70% compromised or damaged and yet the person may not feel any pain or know that there is a problem.
Likewise, your immune system may have been under stress due to absorption of toxicity from various sources without showing any symptoms. But at some point, when the “barrel” is full, things begin to change.
Here is what it means. Even though your body may be absorbing various toxicity for a period of time – sometimes a long period of time – without showing a problem, a time comes when it may turn to what is called the “Rain Barrel Effect”, leading to various illnesses. This term was first coined by Dr. William Rae, Director of the Environmental Health Center in Dallas, TX. He suggested that our bodies are like a rain barrel, with each person having a different size barrel. The body may not show symptoms when the barrel is not yet full, though it is being damaged internally. At some point, however, the barrel overflows. That is when symptoms begin to show some of which can be serious including auto-immune disease and cancer. This is best illustrated by the image above.
Here are some sources of toxicity that one may be subjected to in today’s world. Many modern building materials, cleaning agents, paints, solvents, combustion products, flame retardants in fabrics, and various household products release VOCs and formaldehyde (formaldehyde may be found in flooring products, cabinets, furniture, upholstery, drapery, etc.) in the indoor air. The house you live in may have issues of pet dander, mold, dust mites, radon, asbestos, etc., turning the indoor air further pollutant. In fact, the air inside a modern house can be more toxic than the air outside (read my article on this here). The commercial processed foods are loaded with preservatives and many other chemical substances. Agricultural produce that are not organically grown have toxicity from chemical fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. The air we breathe in may have industrial toxicity (a lab test of New York city air showed thousands of chemical elements in it). City water have chemicals some of which cannot be filtered using regular filters. There may be emotional or psychological stress in one’s life. Then there is toxicity from electromagnetic radiations coming from cell towers, cell phones, wireless devices, powerlines, etc. Subjecting your body to all these may lead your personal “rain barrel” to overflow, and that is when you develop symptoms. By this time, the disease has usually already progressed. As Dr. Rae said, the size of your barrel may be smaller or larger than that of other people.
Toxic load can also make one develop Toxicant‐Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT). According to University of Texas Health Center in San Antonio, TX, TILT “is a two-stage disease process initiated by a one-time major exposure, or a series of low-level chemical exposures (Stage I, Initiation).” About 10-20% of people suffer from TILT.
What can you do
While some of the toxicity is unavoidable due to living in a modern world, there are many others that you can eliminate or reduce. It is your lifestyle choice.
- Avoid commercial and processed food and eat only wholefood, especially locally grown food.
- If you can afford, eat organic food. Next best option is to avoid the “dirty dozen” list unless they are organic. This is a list of 12 produces that have most pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. applied. This list is updated by the Environmental Working Group every year. Click here for the current list.
- Avoid chemical sprays and chemical cleaning agents and use only natural products.
- Prevent mold growth within the home.
- Avoid indoor pets.
- Avoid or minimize exposure to electromagnetic radiations in your living environment and your life in general.
- If you have the option, then consider living away from cities and industrial areas.
- If you are building or renovating your house, avoid materials that off-gas and use natural materials only.
- See my article “The Indoor Generation” for other considerations.
Here is a short 3-minute video overview of what I discussed above.
I am a certified Building Biology Consultant and a certified Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist. To schedule an EMF assessment in your home or office, please click here or contact me at (301) 653-0056.