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Abby's Magazine - Volume 5 Issue 4 | Page 35 (I've had kids as young as two years old in my prac ce for autoimmune disease treatment) and, also a massive rise in the number of kids with au sm. Many of these condi ons can be traced back to environmental toxin exposure. These exposures also affect our fer lity and gene cs, and we pass the impact down to our babies at concep on. Then we download more toxins during pregnancy. In fact, several studies have shown that at the me of birth, babies already have nearly 300 different environmental chemicals detectable in their blood. Heavy metals are a problem, too. A study done in New York State showed that Asian women of childbearing years had blood levels of mercury that exceed federal safety standards, and that most of this mercury can be traced back to high levels of fish consump on. Also, the study that shed light on the problem with arsenic in rice some years ago was actually done on pregnant women in New Hampshire. Those consuming high levels of concentrated rice products (i.e., energy bars that contained rice syrup) had the highest levels. The toxic load we've built up prior to pregnancy can have an impact on our children. We also know from "washout" studies (which look at what happens when someone switches from conven onal to organic food), that just in the span of a few days, we can eliminate significant amounts of toxins from our bodies, par cularly herbicides and pes cides we consume with our foods, and thus lower systemic toxic levels. So, it's worth it to spend a few months, ideally, "cleaning up" our toxin exposure and levels before concep on whenever possible. That said, 40 percent of all pregnancies are reported as unintended, which is why it's op mal to go clean and green and limit toxic exposures overall. I really want to emphasize that none of this is meant to mom- blame or shame, or to frighten people. The problems we're seeing in kids are, though, a wakeup call to the fact that things need to change—and women are the force of nature that can make the posi ve change for the next genera on. It's about learning the real risks and ge ng fierce about protec ng ourselves and our kids. What's going on in the environment has to do with big industries: pharma, agriculture, and energy. Just to give you an example: In 2016 scien sts found that salmon in Puget Sound were contaminated with over eighty chemicals and toxins, many of them pharmaceu cals. These are ending up in water systems due to industrial runoff, and human runoff—what we pee out. Water decontamina on plants in the US have used one loophole a er another for decades to avoid being more stringently federally regulated and well-paid industry lobbyists make sure it stays that way—while we pay the price with our health. Q What kind of detox do you recommend? A First, it's important to men on that women shouldn't do a deep inten onal detox within six weeks of ge ng pregnant, or a provoked heavy metal detox within three months of ge ng pregnant (ideally), because if you do release a lot of toxins and get pregnant during that me, the baby is poten ally ge ng a big download into his or her developing body. In my prac ce, I work with women on three- and six-month preconcep on plans to op mize health and nutri on, as well as dive into detox. STEP ONE: GO ORGANIC If a woman is generally healthy, then making sure her diet is as organic as possible is the first step. Di o on cosme cs, body products, personal care products, and household cleaners— you want to clean up any everyday sources of toxins. Before leaving for work in the morning, most women are inadvertently applying dozens of chemicals that disrupt their endocrine systems and alter their hormones. BPA is another classic example. For the past decade, it's been ge ng into our food through almost all the plas c packaging we use, plus the linings of cans (even those that contain organic foods). These endocrine disruptors have been shown to cause congenital abnormali es in babies; most notably, penis malforma ons because the chemicals act as strong estrogens in the body. The impact on pregnant women has led several states to ban them in paper receipts and airline ckets, which are dispropor onately handled by women in their childbearing years, working as airline personnel and store clerks! It may sound expensive to go clean and green in your diet and cosme cs, but it doesn't have to be; and if you do have the choice to pay now for healthier food and products, or pay later with your/your family's health, the upfront cost is of course the easier one to bear than the long-term one. STEP TWO: SUPPORT YOUR BODY'S BUILT-IN DETOX SYSTEM The next thing is to make sure that the diet contains a wide range of foods that support our own natural detoxifica on processes, and to make sure you're taking out the garbage every day, meaning having a daily bowel movement. Leafy greens (like kale and broccoli), good quality proteins and fats (like salmon, avocado, and extra virgin olive oil), fresh or frozen berries, lacto-fermented foods (like sauerkraut), and if you tolerate dairy, full-fat yogurt or kefir with live ac ve cultures, all support natural detox—the work your liver does, for example, to break down and eliminate toxins.