What is a toxin? Think of it as any substance that can cause you harm. They impact your body and mind in many ways. Toxins don't just affect your physical health, they affect your mental well-being too. They impact brain cells, the digestive system tissues like the stomach lining, and liver tissue (which makes toxins especially dangerous).
But let us begin by defining what a toxin is…
The following is a medical or scientific definition that answers the question what is a toxin?:
What is a Toxin?
Toxin – noun – “A toxin is a poisonous substance that is a specific product of the metabolic activities of a living organism and is usually very unstable, notably toxic when introduced into the tissues, and typically capable of inducing antibody formation.”
Professor Tom Brenna studies biomedicine and nutrition at Cornell University’s College. To make it simpler to understand that extended definition, he says to just remember this – “toxin = poison.”
Your digestive system and liver do the best they can to process the toxins (your liver's job is to be the housekeeper of the body.) If your liver is functioning well, it may pass through your system unnoticed.
But, what happens when too many toxic substances accumulate in the body? Well, your body will start to warn you with symptoms because your health is compromised!
Two Types of Toxins
1. Environmental Toxins
They enter your body from the food you eat, in the air, you breathe, liquids you drink, and even from your skin from skincare and personal care items.
Toxins can be found everywhere including household items (paint, furniture, rugs, etc., And let's not forget a common source of heavy metals… Water!
The problem in today's chemical-filled world is that there are hundreds of environmental toxins you may come into contact with on a daily basis.
Ama
The second type of toxin is a waste product of poor digestion. This type of toxin known in Ayurveda as Ama is a sticky toxic byproduct of poor or incomplete digestion.
So, if you eat too many foods that are too heavy to digest, like fried foods, hard cheese, meats, processed foods, and junk food… These types of foods can overload your digestion and cause toxic ama to form.
Learn – How to Detox the Liver in 10 Days
What are the signs & symptoms of your liver that may be toxic?
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You are constantly sick. This is due to an immune system that is not functioning correctly, which can lead to any sickness or disease
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Chronic fatigue
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Chronic itching and redness or puffiness in your eyes
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Type II diabetes and prediabetes
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A yellow tint to your eyes, evidence of jaundice
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You are angry and emotional for no reason
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Chronic skin conditions. Your skin may feel itchy frequently, or you display brown spots and blemishes
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Heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as unpredictable mood changes
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Eczema, acne, the visible appearance of blood vessels on your face and a yellowish tint to your skin
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Irritable bowel syndrome, vomiting, indigestion, acid reflux, and hemorrhoids
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The palms of your hands and the soles of your feet are itchy
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A slow metabolism, leading to weight gain
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A swollen abdomen
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A foul body odor that won't go away
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Stiff joints
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A coated tongue
How Toxins Affect Your Health
When your body cannot cleanse itself naturally from harmful toxic stressors, you can suffer mild to severe health conditions.
Heart disease and acne, hair loss and obesity, premature aging, chronic fatigue, and neurological problems like Alzheimer's disease and dementia are just a few of the many health conditions which can be caused by toxins.
Inflammation Is the Real Cause of all Diseases
How ever a toxin enters your body, your immune system's first response is to get rid of that poison. This may happen through the passing of urine or feces, sweat, saliva, and even earwax.
What happens if a toxic substance gets past your immune system's first line of defense?
Your body's response is inflammation.
If your doctor has ever diagnosed you with some “itis” condition, you are experiencing inflammation. The suffix “itis” is defined as “the inflammation of”. So colitis is another way of identifying inflammation of the colon, and tonsillitis occurs when your tonsils are inflamed.
What is Inflammation and Why is it Such a Problem?
What are the Risks and Dangers of Inflammation?
Inflammation can lead to high blood pressure and diabetes. Chronic pain and arthritis, cancer, and acid reflux. Osteoporosis and urinary tract infections are also symptoms of inflammation. Inflammation can also cause skin conditions that make you look years older than you are.
And if you have tried but failed to lose weight, participating in every diet plan that comes along, inflammation may be the problem.
From head to toe, inside and out, human beings suffer a wide variety of diseases, infections, and sicknesses linked to inflammation.
One of the major causes of inflammation is a toxic liver. As I mentioned above, your liver is in charge of removing toxins from your body. When more toxins are entering your body than your liver can process, you could benefit from a healthy liver cleanse.
Discover the 20 best foods for liver detox in this very informative article.
Is a Toxic Liver Making You Angry?
I read about the effects of toxins and hear people talking about them casually, but walked away still feeling uniformed. Thanks for giving me something to work with so I can understand not only what they are, how we’re exposed to them, plus how we make them.
This is the first time I heard about Ama.
I find it amazing how our emotions are directly tied to the health of our organs. Your example of the liver and anger is an eye opener.
I knew that eating certain foods are hard on our systems, but I never knew that hard cheeses fit into that category.
Thank you for explaining the details. I’m walking away feeling more informed. I’m definitely more interested in cleansing my liver so that I can be more healthy and avoid the symptoms of a toxic liver.
Hello Becky, The best thing you can do is make sure you’re digesting well. Good digestion is the key to health. Here are 10 tips: How to Improve Digestion – 10 Keys To Health If you have good digestion, you won’t have to worry about Ama. (Toxic digestion)
Thanks for connecting. I really enjoyed reading your comment.
Hey Jackie!
you offer some interesting information, and I fully agree with you that it is important to address the cause of illness, not just leave the symptoms.
How unwise it is to waff the smoke away, and leave the fire blazing away.
Toxins effect our health more than we realise. I studied toxicology with the Health Sciences Academy of London and am a fully qualified dietary detox specialist.
Did you realise that the body also creates fat JUST to stores a large number of toxins that it is unable to process, also contributing to stubborn weight?
Hi Marcie,
Yes, thanks Marcie… So happy to connect with you here. Most people who cleanse the liver end up taking off stubborn weight they’ve been carrying for sometimes many years.