How to Deal With Micro Plastics
Currently, we cannot escape microplastics. They are ubiquitous. I remember reading an article by a woman who was planning to go a whole day without touching plastic. She realized the futility of this idea when she got up to go the bathroom and was confronted with a plastic toilet seat. She hadn’t even touched the plastic light switch yet. So she gave up after less than a minute into the project.
We know that plastics break down into smaller and smaller pieces and get into just about every part of our bodies. Problems reported are:
Oxidative stress
DNA damage
Organ dysfunction
Metabolic disorders
Immune Response Problems
Neurotoxicity
Reproductive Toxicity
Developmental Problems
That just about covers all of human physiology.
So what can we do?
First is to avoid plastics whenever possible. As already mentioned, that isn’t going to be a 100% solution, that is you are going to be exposed if you are in civilization at all.
Avoid packaged and processed foods. Choose as much organic and low processed foods when possible. I see people buying case after case of water in cheap plastic bottles. Also canned food often has a plastic inner liner. Old canned food will probably will contain bisphenol A (BPA) that has been linked to numerous, serious health issues.
Keep plastics away from heat. Heating food in plastic containers in the microwave will help release plastic particles into the food. Cheap plastics probably shouldn’t be used in the dishwasher either.
Get Physical
Physical activity helps your body move these plastics into your elimination system. Saunas have been reported to help move plastics out of the body in sweat. This has been reported to be especially true for the BPA mentioned earlier.
Deep breathing exercises.
If you aren’t getting enough aerobic activity, you can do some deep breathing exercises. It might be possible to move some of these toxins out of your lungs with some air movement.
Deep Breathing Exercises
Plastics have been reported to affect the lungs by causing irritation and can give a person symptoms of asthma. A chronic cough may be partly from these micro plastics.
The recommended exercise is: inhale through the nose for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 4 seconds and then exhale to a four seconds count. Try doing a few of these twice a day to see how you do over time.
Fiber Intake
Increasing fiber in your diet helps improve your G.I. tract health in general, partly from giving your microbiome what it needs to be healthy and this will help keep toxins moving out through the normal elimination process.
Detox Supplements
I have written more than a few blogs about glutathione. This is your body’s master antioxidant. We use NAC caps (N-acetyl cysteine) for its glutathione increasing properties. Also you should keep your vitamin C levels up for its potent antioxidant properties.
Side note: You may have read that you have the equivalent of a plastic spoon's amount of plastic in your brain. That is extremely unlikely. Listen to podcast Science Vs (spring 2025) where this is discussed. After listening to this podcast I still feel better taking steps to minimize any possible damage from this relatively new source of toxicity.
DS
2025