Your environment – what does it look like in your duck pond?

It’s no secret that our environment has evolved incredibly quickly, if put into perspective for our ancient organism. More people are affected by chronic pain, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, circulatory diseases and neurodegenerative diseases.

At a genetic level, we are still hunter-gatherers and this presents some challenges when we have to function under completely different conditions.

The environment you find yourself in affects you in particular and in the vast majority of cases to a greater extent than your genetics do, even though these are two inseparable factors.

If we take the absolute weakest gene pool of individuals and the strongest, there is only about a 5-year difference in terms of lifespan. So it is more the environment that is decisive for how well, and for how long, we survive, if we ignore the very special gene variations that are extremely rare. But the environment affects your genes and can activate and deactivate them. An on and off mechanism that responds to everything we are exposed to. Let’s therefore focus on what in the environment can affect us in this article.

Pollution – the invisible enemy

It is clear that pollution has a role to play when we talk about the environment and health in relation to our bodies. Far more people get lung cancer in cities than in the countryside, and we have long known that chemicals can cause damage to our organism. This applies to the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the substances that can pass through our skin barriers.

Fortunately, you and I have a fantastic detoxification system, where the liver, kidneys, intestinal system and lungs in particular help to throw garbage out of the system. Like a delicate purification plant, the detoxification system must make sure to throw the dirt out through urine and bile ducts (bile comes out through the stool), as well as our exhalation. We must, so to speak, collect all the gold that our body can use and throw out that which can be harmful in large quantities. We must also get substances out of the body when they are used, such as hormones, so that they do not recirculate and create total chaos.

There may also be things in your environment, such as fungal spores, that can affect your health. Here is the most well-known mold that I have experienced in the clinic, has helped to create health problems for some. This is especially surprising when there are NO visible signs of mold in the home, but we find toxins in the urine, which can be a contributing factor to various symptoms often around the lungs and throat region (Sundhed.dk).

The environment we find ourselves in can be difficult to change, so it makes sense to look at all the things we can do something about.

Of the lowest hanging fruits, there is a healthy diet, adequate sleep, regular exercise, limiting alcohol (which is also a toxin for the body) and the very obvious smoking. In addition, there may be other areas that can be investigated in depth in relation to various toxins, as well as how the function of the detoxification system or biotransformation works in the body, how blood sugar is regulated, the amount of cholesterol particles, the balance of hormones, both stress and sex hormones and much more. Nothing stands alone and it is important that science is used in the context of the individual that we are considering.

People around us

The brain is constantly being influenced and the people you surround yourself with can have a huge impact on how your body responds. It is therefore important that we do not underestimate social relationships when we talk about health and the environment.

If the brain, especially the part called the amygdala, the center for fear and anxiety, perceives that the environment around it is dangerous, it will set off a cascade of stress hormones in the body – an ancient instinct that is important for our survival. In the short term, this is not a problem, but in the long term it is immunosuppressive. Cortisol in particular, which is a stress hormone formed from cholesterol, has negative effects on our health when levels are high for too long.

Therefore, if you have social situations at home or at work that make you feel insecure and anxious on a daily basis, this can have enormous consequences for your health. It is therefore important that such situations are also evaluated when your full health profile is taken into account. Of course, tools such as meditation and mindfulness can be used here, which have shown good effects when we look at the research.

Read more about how to get started with mindfulness here.

The holistic perspective – a necessary approach

During a Functional Medicine consultation, we address all the facets that can contribute to creating chaos in your body or, in other words, make your body work against you. It is therefore our most important task to act as a detective and a guide when we need to find the reason or reasons why your body will not cooperate. It can be chronic pain, digestive problems, skin problems, reduced energy and much more.

In Functional Medicine, work should be done exclusively with the integration of scientific disciplines such as; neurology, anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pathology, etc., as well as the evidence that may be in the respective areas. This always in close collaboration with the established system, if possible. A system that is fantastic for saving lives, but not so well-functioning when we look at prevention and prevention is absolutely the place where we can do the most ourselves, with the greatest effect.

In addition, Functional Medicine is particularly relevant if you are not sick, but conversely do not feel completely healthy either.

That is, if you are in the gray area, so to speak. Because your body reacts to the environment around you and those connections are revealed in your physiology, your biochemistry, etc. and it is our experience that in most cases we can significantly improve the symptoms or even eliminate them completely. The body is complex and many factors are at play, which is why it is essential that we take the whole person into account when we help people return to a life with more energy, joy and vitality.