What is Body Burden?

Published May 04, 2015

Every day we are bombarded with toxic compounds. The air we breathe, water we drink, food we eat, and even the homes we live in — all have some level of toxic contamination. It's just the unavoidable nature of our industrialized world; there's almost no safe haven. You can't eliminate every point of exposure but you can reduce and control it. And by reducing your exposure to toxins, you'll help reduce the effect they have on your health.

What is Body Burden?

Body burden is a term that refers to the total accumulation of toxins in your body. This can include anything from dangerous metals like lead or mercury, to pesticides, unsafe food additives, or fluoride — just to name a scant few.

Certainly your body has self-cleansing mechanisms, but if you expose yourself to more toxins than your body can eliminate, they will accumulate in your fatty tissue and organs. The greater the accumulation, the greater the stresses on your health.

Why You Should Be Concerned About Body Burden

By some calculations, everyday products like plastic containers and even children's toys can be tainted with any one of over 80,000 chemicals. Very few of these chemicals have been safety tested and almost all were given rubber stamp approval with no consideration for potential health effects.

In the "Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals," the CDC reported that the average person in the United States has at least 212 chemicals in their blood and urine. ^[1] Seemingly innocuous substances like non-stick coating, fire retardants, baby products, and plastic food containers all contain some level of chemical contaminants that contribute to body burden. When you consider the fact that you're nearly always in contact with something, it's clear how accumulation happens.

Reducing Your Body Burden

Reducing your body burden requires an active approach. The ubiquity of toxins in the environment — the environment known as nature as well as your personal environment — requires you to be awake and actively defend yourself. Be smart about what you allow into your life. Equip your home with water and air purification devices. Consider routine colon, liver, and kidney cleanses. A comprehensive approach is the best strategy to reducing the accumulation of toxins in your body.

-Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM