Is Your Bath Soap Stealing Your Mind?
Every day, you take a shower, wash your face, and brush your teeth so you can look and feel your best. But could the bath soap, shampoo, deodorant, and other personal care products you use actually be contributing to mood issues and brain fog? Could they be stealing your mind?
Living in a Toxic World
On a daily basis, we are exposed to a host of chemicals and substances that poison the human brain. Common toxins can be found in the products we put on our arms, legs, faces, and hair. For example, in 2019, the FDA found asbestos in cosmetics marketed to teens, prompting a voluntary recall. The harmful chemicals in these everyday items are easily absorbed through your pores and can be transported to every organ in your body, including your brain.
Your brain is the most metabolically active organ in your body. As such, it is vulnerable to damage from toxins.
This means that while trying to look better on the outside, you could be poisoning yourself on the inside and increasing your risk for brain health/mental health issues. The more exposure you have to these everyday toxins, the more you are putting your brain at risk.
Think about how many personal care and cosmetic products you use each day. If you’re like the average American woman, that would be about 12 products. The average American male uses about 6.
The risk from these items is real. In 2016, Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $72 million to the family of a woman whose death from ovarian cancer was associated with the daily use of Johnson’s Baby Powder among other company products. And all those hair care products? Research shows that hair salon workers have a higher than normal risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
Toxins and Psychiatric Symptoms
Environmental toxins impact nearly every aspect of your body and can damage the brain and lead to a variety of symptoms.
On the physical side, issues can include autoimmune diseases, diabetes, cancer, fatigue, weakness, aches and muscle cramps, numbness/tingling, tremors, allergies, abdominal pain, diarrhea, smelly stools, bad breath, low appetite, weight issues, skin rashes, sweats, temperature regulation problems, and more.
From a psychiatric standpoint, exposure to toxins can increase the risk of depression, suicide, ADD/ADHD, learning problems, brain fog, autism, temper outbursts, psychotic behavior, and dementia.
Even though toxins are one of the major causes of psychiatric issues, they are almost completely ignored by most healthcare professionals. If you go to visit a primary care physician or psychiatrist with complaints of depression, for example, it is highly unlikely they will ask you anything about your exposure to toxins. And because most psychiatrists never look at the brain, they don’t see the evidence of brain toxicity.
Instead, in the case of depressive symptoms, it is common to be given a prescription for anti-depressants. But if you have brain toxicity, traditional psychiatric treatments may not be effective because the brain needs to heal from the toxic exposure.
Seeing Brain Toxicity
It is possible to see evidence of brain toxicity with brain SPECT imaging studies. On brain scans, an overall pattern of low blood flow in the brain is commonly seen when there is exposure to toxins.
Seeing this evidence can prompt questions about what personal care products or other substances might be causing the problems. Finding the root cause is a critical step in getting the right treatment.
Lighten Your Toxic Load
In most cases, when a specific toxin is identified as contributing to mental health issues, the first step is to eliminate your exposure to it. In general, to minimize your exposure to toxins, it’s a good idea to ditch personal care products containing harmful ingredients.
Check ingredients on labels and avoid the following:
- Acrylates
- Aluminum
- Formaldehyde
- Fragrance
- Oxybenzone
- Parabens
- Phthalates
- Polyethylene glycols
- Triclosan
- Lead
Remember: What goes on your body, goes in your body and in your brain. Be careful with the personal care products you use and following these 9 ways to prevent toxins from stealing your mind.
At Amen Clinics, we perform a comprehensive evaluation that includes brain SPECT imaging, which can reveal patterns associated with brain toxicity from environmental toxins, such as chemicals and harmful ingredients in products. By identifying potential substances that contribute to psychiatric symptoms, we can personalize treatment using the least toxic, most effective solutions.
If you are experiencing psychiatric symptoms that are not responding to traditional treatment, reach out today to speak with a specialist at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit online.
