The Dirty Truth About Environmental Toxins (And How to Protect Yourself)

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Mar 17, 2025

Joseph Pizzorno, a leader in integrative medicine and founding president of Bastyr University, dives into the alarming impact of environmental toxins like microplastics and BPA on our health. He reveals how these contaminants disrupt hormonal balance and contribute to chronic diseases. Pizzorno emphasizes the body's detoxification abilities and shares dietary, lifestyle, and supplementation strategies to combat toxin exposure. He also discusses how everyday choices can affect long-term well-being, particularly in relation to children's cognitive health.

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INSIGHT

Total Toxic Load

Toxins cause oxidative stress and deplete glutathione, crucial for mitochondrial health.
Total body load matters more than individual toxins, and DNA damage accumulates over time.

ANECDOTE

Dr. Hyman's Mercury Poisoning

Dr. Hyman's experience with mercury poisoning in China led him to functional medicine.
He had high mercury levels, and multiple body systems broke down. He was able to treat the illness.

ADVICE

Common Toxin Sources

Avoid fast food, microwave popcorn, and other sources of PFAS.
Limit exposure to BPA, phthalates, and other harmful chemicals found in everyday products.

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The pervasive presence of microplastics and environmental toxins in our daily lives poses a growing threat to human health, with impacts ranging from hormonal disruption and metabolic dysfunction to immune system compromise and chronic inflammation. These contaminants, found in food packaging, water supplies, personal care products, and even the air we breathe, accumulate in the body and contribute to the rise in chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and autoimmune conditions. Understanding their far-reaching effects is essential, but the good news is that the body has powerful detoxification mechanisms that, when properly supported through dietary choices, lifestyle adjustments, and targeted supplementation, can help mitigate their damage.

In this episode, I discuss, along with toxin-expert Dr. Joseph Pizzorno, why we need to take action to reduce toxin exposures, reverse existing damage, and build a foundation for long-term well-being.

Dr. Joseph Pizzorno is a transformational leader in medicine. Through half a century of work, he has helped establish and advance the academic, scientific, and clinical protocols for natural, functional, integrative, and environmental medicine. As founding president of Bastyr University in 1978, he coined the term “science-based natural medicine” and led Bastyr to become the first-ever accredited institution in the field. He has set worldwide standards of practice by authoring or co-authoring six textbooks for doctors, including the Textbook of Natural Medicine (over 100,000 copies in 4 languages across 5 editions) and Clinical Environmental Medicine. He is Editor-in-Chief of PubMed-indexed IMCJ—the most widely read, peer-reviewed journal in the field (25,000 copies each issue). He is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Functional Medicine, where he served three terms as Chair. A licensed naturopathic physician, educator, researcher, and expert spokesman, he is also the author or co-author of eight consumer books (most recent, Healthy Bones, Healthy You! with his wife Lara).

This episode is brought to you by BIOptimizers.

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Full-length episodes can be found here:

Microplastics: What They Are, Why They are Dangerous, and How to Protect Yourself

Environmental Toxins: How To Eliminate the Silent Killers with Dr. Joseph Pizzorno

How To Reduce Your Environmental Toxin Exposure