Dr. Nedic writes about toxic environmental factors in Longevity Magazine…
I have been running an aesthetic and anti-aging clinic for a number of years. Recently, I have noticed that the number of young people seeking preventive anti-aging has increased significantly. In addition to this, patients who were previously only interested in aesthetic procedures are now searching for more integrative anti-aging approaches and lifestyle changes that will deliver a better quality of life. With further research into my patients’ complaints and problems, I have concluded that one of the major and often underrated factors is environmental toxicity. This deduction explains why one of the most popular DNA tests used in my practice is Detoxigen; it identifies our individual capacity to detoxify environmental toxins, drugs used in conventional medicine, and even our own hormones. The majority of patients, whether they are young or aging, are not aware that detoxifying environmental toxins is are important. Here are a few specific conditions for which I would prescribe the Detoxigen test in order to identify hereditary predispositions for detoxification inefficiency:
- Premature skin and body aging (dull-looking skin,
sagging and wrinkling of the skin); - Saddlebags and love handles;
- Insulin resistance and the inability to lose belly fat with
diet and exercise; - Chronic fatigue and autoimmunity;
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis and
estrogen dominance; and - Family history of sporadic breast, cancer, lung,
colorectal and bladder cancer (in order to prevent
them).
We know that aging occurs when your body undergoes a biological process known as senescence. This is when healthy cells become damaged and lose their ability to divide. However, according to new research, environmental toxins known as gerontogens can increase the risk of accelerating aging, even in those under the age of 30, particularly if they have a specific DNA make-up that is incompetent to deal with an environment that is “overstored” with toxins. Similarly, patients with saddlebags have a detoxification problem that means they are unable to deal with environmental xenoestrogens that are reacting excessively with estrogen receptors in ganoid fat tissue. Extensive research has been done in identifying the causes of chronic fatigue, and it concludes that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are poisoning mitochondria (our small energy organelles), and that these pollutants are huge contributing factors for the development of this condition. One of these environmental “monsters “ is dioxins, which are found in large quantities in animal fats (red meat and pork, shellfish, even fatty fish and dairy). Supportive literature shows that endocrine disrupters (toxins) are important in developing insulin resistance, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and obesity. One recent study showed that patients with high insulin levels undergo, under influence of bisphenol A (in plastic bottles and canned food), and alteration of fibroblasts into adipocytes – fat cells further contributing to belly-fat development. The presence of one of these detoxification mutations is found to be more prevalent in some cancers, such as the GSTM variant in autoimmunity and lung cancer, NAT2 in bladder cancer, COMT in breast cancer, etc. In order to successfully treat these conditions, we need to identify a person’s individual detoxification capacity by recognizing SNPs involved in detoxification. This will help to personalize supplements and lifestyle changes for the enhancement of detoxification, together with decreasing an impute of environmental toxins. Simplified detoxification – self-prescribed juicing with inorganic fruit and vegetables without expert supervision – can be dangerous, especially in patients who experience detox headaches and tiredness. This simply means that detoxification capacity is exceedingly insufficient.