Know Your Toxicity Quiz

If you’re wondering whether a detox program is really right for your specific situation, check out these three sets of questions. Your body sends you clear messages, your food habits also give some clues, and there are a bunch of environmental factors that can contribute to your body’s toxic load.

Your body's signs:

Are you struggling with your weight?	Do you have less than 1 bowel movement per day?
Do you urinate small amounts of dark, strong-smelling urine only a few times a day?	Do you feel weak and lethargic even when you are well rested?
Do you suffer from joint pain or stiffness?	Do you get frequent headaches?
Do you have to deal with reoccurring yeast infections, athlete's foot or other skin fungus?	Do you have food allergies, skin allergies or other allergic reactions?
Do you struggle acne, psoriasis or eczema?	Do you experience depression or mood swings?
Do you crave sweet foods, bread or pasta?	Do you experience indigestion or bloating?
Do you experience brain fog or poor memory?	Do you rarely break into a real sweat?
Do you feel pain or nausea if you press into your abdomen below and under the bottom right-side rib?	Do you have fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome?
Do you have signs of premature aging?	Do you get frequent urinary tract infections?

Your food choices:

Do you eat fast food, fatty foods, pre-prepared foods or fried foods?	Do you eat a lot of sugar and/or breads?
Do you eat conventional raised meat, chicken, eggs and pork?	Do you eat large fish (swordfish, tuna, shark, tilefish) more than once a week?
Do you drink tap or well water without a filtration system that removes fluoride and chlorine?	Do you drink alcohol on a daily basis?
Do you drink coffee, sodas or smoke?

Many of these food habits are either downright toxic (like chlorinated water and fish with heavy metals) or they affect liver health, which in turn prevents proper detoxification (like eating a lot of sugar, bread and fatty foods.)

Other signs of toxic exposure:

Do you use regular household cleaners, detergents and anti-bacterial products?	Do you dry-clean your clothes?
Do you use lawn and garden chemicals or have your house or apartment treated for bugs by an exterminator?	Do you use regular personal care products? (99% of which have aluminum, parabens, sodium-lauryl-sulfate and other petroleum-derived ingredients)
Do you work or live in a building with poor ventilation or windows that don't open?	Do you have more than one or two mercury amalgams ("silver" fillings)?
Do you live in a large urban or industrial area?	Do you have a family history of Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, MS or other motor neuron diseases?
Are you bothered by one or more of these: gasoline or diesel fumes, perfumes, new-car smells, fabric stores, dry cleaning, hair spray or other strong odors, soaps, detergents, tobacco smoke, incense or chlorinated water?	Do you have a negative reaction when you consume foods containing garlic or onions, MSG, sulfites (found in wine, salad bars, dried fruit), sodium benzoate (a preservative), red wine, cheese, bananas, chocolate, or even a small amount of alcohol?
When you drink coffee or other substances containing caffeine, do you feel wired, have increased aches in muscles and joints, or have hypoglycemic symptoms (anxiety, palpitations, sweating, and dizziness)?	Do you have a history of any of the following conditions: breast cancer, smoking-induced lung cancer or other type of cancer, prostate problems, food allergies, sensitivities or intolerances?
Do you regularly use any of the following substances or medications: acetaminophen (Tylenol), acid-blocking drugs (Tagamet, Zantac, Pepcid, Prilosec, Prevacid), hormone-modulating medications in pills, patches or creams (birth control pill, estrogen, progesterone, prostate medication), ibuprofen or naproxen, medications for colitis or Crohn's disease, medications for recurrent headaches, allergy symptoms, nausea, diarrhea or indigestion?	Have you had jaundice (turned yellow), or have you been told you have Gilbert's syndrome (an elevation of a liver test for bilirubin)?

The more "yes" answers you have the more pressing it is that you consider some form of detoxification program. Honestly, even with one "yes" answer, I would say it's a good thing for you to consider.

Go back to our Four Week Cleanse page to learn more about how you can detoxify and how we can help you.