With the advances of the industrial and chemical revolution in the last 200 years, we are exposed to an increasing amount of pollution and toxins in our everyday lives. While industry and science had made an incredible progress, we have paid a price for it. Our air is no longer clean, the soil is contaminated, our water supply contains high levels of toxic chemicals and microorganisms, the purity of our food cannot be guaranteed, and its quality is dangerously low. We tend to overeat and to eat wrong kinds of food, we don't exercise as much as our ancestors did, we are exposed to staggering amount of stress, and we have, for the most part, lost the sense of community, our support system. Without proper cleansing, preventive measures, and a careful lifestyle, our bodies can be assaulted and overwhelmed by toxic substances.

There are many sources of toxins in our environment, including toxic metals like Mercury, solvents, pesticides, herbicides, agricultural and industrial chemicals, household cleaners, synthetic clothing and furniture, food microorganisms, noise, radiation, water, air, plants, excess of body chemicals, emotional trauma, and cumulative life experiences.

Our exposure to toxins can be both external and internal. External toxin exposure ranges from industrial pollution to household cleaning supplies, furniture, clothing, perfumes, and cigarette smoke.

Internal toxins are fat-soluble chemicals that are absorbed and can not be excreted. They accumulate in our fat cells and cell membranes (phospholipid bi-layer) and become internal toxins. When the body is under stress, it releases these chemicals from the fat to circulate in the bloodstream triggering various symptoms and diseases in the body. Later, these chemicals will return to the fat cells and cell membranes to be released another time. Also, our bodies create internal toxins in response to various sub-optimal conditions, often producing metabolic by-products that are toxic to the body, especially if the detoxification apparatus is out of balance.

1. Absorption through skin

Solvents, acidic and alkaline solutions can easily penetrate skin. Once a chemical penetrates the outermost layer of the skin, skin's blood supply transports the chemical into the bloodstream distributing it throughout the body. Common sources of toxins absorbed through skin include household cleaning supplies, laundry detergents, chemicals used in dry cleaning of clothing, synthetic clothing (petrochemicals used in its manufacturing), fabric dyes, commercial cosmetics products, perfumes, hair dyes, perms, and atmospheric pollution.

2. Inhalation through respiratory tract into lungs

The lungs have the greatest exposure to the environment. Gases, small solid particles, and liquid aerosols can easily enter the lungs and be deposited in the lungs, thus, potentially damaging lung tissue and its function. Also, the pollutants can enter the central blood circulation via highly vascularized alveoli (air sacks). Furthermore, the nose absorbs gases more readily if the air flow increases. This may account for some of the increased absorption of gases that people have when they are physically active. It is also possible that during the exposure the gas may alter the lining fluid so that absorption increases.

3. Ingestion through the gastrointestinal tract.