Maurice Pierce September 18, 2024
● The textile industry is responsible for the invisible pollution that is created by synthetic fiber. Your clothing and bedding contribute to a toxic lifestyle because of these synthetic fibers. They are plastics produced entirely in a laboratory from petroleum byproducts.
The textile industry’s considerable use of hazardous chemicals contributes to a quarter of the world’s toxic chemical consumption. Sixty percent of the fibers that are used to make our clothing and bedding are made of synthetic fiber. That’s why synthetic fibers make up most of the global textile market.
Make no mistake about it, synthetic clothes and bedding are toxic to us and the environment. Synthetic fibers are known by several names: polyester, nylon, acrylic to name a few. While cheap to produce and buy, they are non-biodegradable and contribute to microplastic pollution.
The toxic substances contained in synthetic fiber may break down in hot weather and then be absorbed through our skin. Once in the body, they can travel through the bloodstream and lodge in organs, like the brain, liver, and placenta and cause severe health issues. Many microplastics contain additives that can act as endocrine disruptors, causing hormonal imbalances.
Every time you take your synthetic clothes and bedding to the laundry, fiber detaches from them, enters the waste water and is released into the environment. Synthetic textiles are a major source of microplastics in the oceans, with laundry contributing approximately 35% of this pollution. Basically, any fiber that’s not cotton, wool, leather, hemp, silk, bamboo and linen (made from the flax plant) is synthetic.
When possible, go organic with cotton, bamboo, hemp and linen; wool, leather and silk are naturally organic. Organic clothing and bedding are fully biodegradable, breaking down within months, unlike synthetic clothes that persist for hundreds of years. Organic fibers are grown without the use of toxic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers.
They are not processed with any other toxic substances and must be colored with non-toxic dyes. That said, organic clothing and bedding may have a shorter lifespan compared to synthetic textiles. But they help to reduce the chemical load on the body and the environment. Try to buy organic clothing and bedding with the GOTS or OEKO-TEX certification when possible.
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Maurice Pierce September 3, 2024
● Toxic food additives and environmental pollutants usually accumulate in fat cells after entering the body. As a result, fat cells prevent toxins from building up in our organs. An obese or overweight person may end up storing an excessive amount of toxins over decades.
These toxicants promote obesity by acting as endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors increase fat cell size and number, alter metabolism, and trigger chronic inflammation. By reducing our metabolic rate, toxic food additives and environmental pollutants lock the body into storing more fat.
Low-intensity exercise encourages the body to use stored fat as an energy source and promotes fat as the primary fuel source. At lower intensities, there is sufficient oxygen available for fat oxidation, which is the process of breaking down fat for energy. Low-intensity exercise enables the body to efficiently use oxygen to convert fat into usable energy.
When fat is converted to energy, the process can also release previously stored toxins within those fat cells back into your bloodstream. Because the breakdown of fats via low-intensity exercise is a gradual process, the body can expel stored toxins without overwhelming its detoxification system — the liver, kidneys, digestive system, skin and lungs.
This differs from high-intensity exercise, which relies more on carbohydrates due to the faster release they provide. “During high-intensity exercise, carbohydrates become the body’s primary fuel source. They can be converted into a usable fuel source without the presence of oxygen, unlike fats.
Sustained low-intensity workouts at a comfortable pace typically last for at least 30 minutes, but can extend to an hour or more. Our bodies are well-equipped to handle most toxicants in very small doses. So, if we take our time burning fat, the human body will detoxify and heal itself as we lose weight.
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