Poisons & Burdens
Seeing the Burden on Our Body
Most of us carry an ever-increasing toxic burden. At Nirvana Living, we believe that a significant portion of common disease symptoms stem from genetic vulnerabilities aggravated by poisons in our injections, diets, and environment. We examine this through the lens of 'Body Burden'—the cumulative weight of modern life.
Meet our two avatars: Average Joe and Typical Susan. Both are 50 years old with busy modern lives, eating without attention to wellness, yet beginning to endure "pain bodies."
The Four Vectors for Poisons to Enter our Body
Injection Ingredients
Stabilizers, adjuvants, and preservatives from treatments
Digestive Exposures
Seed oils, surfactants, and food additives in our food supply
Topical Skin Irritants
Soaps, lotions, makeup, laundry residues, and cleaners
Inhalation Stressors
Work fumes, off-gassing, and fragrances in homes
Average Joe | Construction Contractor
Average Joe is a 50-year-old live-alone contractor. For 30 years, he has 'toughed it out' on gas station coffee, food truck lunches, and a daily evening beer habit that started at 16. He handles harsh solvents with bare hands and breathes diesel and silica dust for 8+ hours a day. Like most of us, he followed the standard medical schedule—receiving the full slate of childhood vaccinations, routine adult boosters, and additional tetanus shots required by job-site injuries. He’s also navigated several dental procedures, including two root canals and multiple fillings, all requiring heavy doses of local anesthesia. His body is shouting through aches and brain fog—he thinks it's age; but we can see below it’s the math of his cumulative toxic burden.
His Health Impact Summary: The Cumulative Math
The Bloodstream Injections & Tissue Exposures: The Immune Tipping Point
When substances enter directly into the bloodstream through injections, they bypass our body's natural filters. For Joe, aluminum salts and preservatives from vaccines and dental work have created chronic inflammation, manifesting as persistent brain fog.
What has gone into his bloodstream from injections:
Aluminum Salts (Vaccines/Boosters) 8 mg Chronic immune stimulation & neuroinflammation
Sodium Metabisulfite (Dental Anesthesia) 40 mg Respiratory triggers & sulfite
Benzyl Alcohol & Sulfites 139 mg Local neurotoxicity & sensitivities
Radiation Burden 153,000-167,000 µSv Amplified cancer risk
The Mouth: The Fuel of Inflammation
By eating industrial sugars and seed oils, Joe has essentially been feeding a fire for years. This massive digestive burden drives metabolic dysfunction and coats his joints in inflammatory markers. Meanwhile, the NSAID fillers and ethanol have compromised his gut lining and liver. He isn't absorbing nutrients; he is most likely absorbing undigested proteins and chemicals through a "Leaky Gut."
What has gone into him for digestion:
Folic Acid (Synthetic Folate) 5.5-8.2 kg Cardiovascular stress, impaired detox, brain fog and neuro-inflammation
NSAIDs & Fillers (Ibuprofen/Naproxen) 5.8 kg Kidney stress & "Leaky Gut"
Glyphosate (Weed Chemical) 14-28 kg Gut microbiome disruption, Mineral deficiencies, Blocks liver enzymes, Impairs proteins
Fluoride (Water additive) 25-37 kg Thyroid suppression, Neurotoxic effects, Bone and joint accumulation, Melatonin disruption
Alcohol (Ethanol from age 16) 598 kg Liver burden & DNA damage
Industrial Seed Oils (Omega-6) 821 kg Systemic inflammation & joint pain
High Fructose Corn Syrup & Sugars 1,627 kg Metabolic dysfunction & fatty liver
The Lungs: The Hypoxic Grind
Joe’s respiratory system is a filter that hasn't been cleaned in years. The construction dust and formaldehyde have caused structural scarring (fibrosis), while the carbon monoxide exposure has kept his tissues in a state of oxygen-starvation. This chronic hypoxia is why he feels exhausted before the workday even hits noon.
What went into his lungs:
Construction Dust (Silica/Cement) 47 kg Lung fibrosis & immune over-activation
Formaldehyde (Building materials/Home) 61 kg Carcinogenic & respiratory irritant
Carbon Monoxide (Diesel/Smoke/Stove) 765 kg Chronic hypoxia & cardiovascular stress
The Skin: The Barrier Breach
Joe’s skin is no longer a shield. By using harsh surfactants and petroleum solvents, he has stripped away his natural lipids, creating "Leaky Skin." This allows the aluminum from his deodorant and the muscle rub menthol to enter his bloodstream at an accelerated rate. His adrenal system is now suppressed by years of steroid creams used to calm down the rashes caused by the very solvents he handles.
What went onto his skin:
Aluminum (Deodorant/Work gear) 3.1 kg Neuro-inflammation & metal burden
Steroid Creams & Preservatives 7.8 kg Skin thinning & adrenal suppression
Harsh Surfactants (SLS/Industrial soaps) 22 kg "Leaky Skin" & barrier destruction
Muscle Rubs (Menthol/Methyl Salicylate) 36 kg Dermal overload & salicylate toxicity
Petroleum Distillates (Work solvents) 15.6 kg Neurotoxicity & organ stress
Joe's symptoms aren't mysterious—they're chemistry in action. Three decades of chemical toxins and cumulative radiation exposure have saturated his detoxification pathways beyond capacity. The critical insight: burdens can be measured, and what can be measured can be managed. With a functional medicine practitioner, Joe can quantify his specific load, map his genetic vulnerabilities, and implement a systematic clearing plan that addresses the root causes before they manifest as cancer, heart disease, or stroke.
Is Your Home Filled with Fragrances?
Typical Susan | Office Manager & Family Lead
Typical Susan is a 50-year-old mother of two, working 40+ hours a week in a climate-controlled office. She keeps a "clean house," manages the family’s pets, and makes the dietary choices for the household. Like most, she follows standard health advice: she gets her annual flu shots, uses diet products to maintain her weight, and relies on Botox to manage the visual signs of stress. Her body is shouting through chronic migraines, vision issues, and fatigue she can’t sleep off. She thinks it's just the stress of life, but the math of her cumulative burden tells a different story.
Health Impact Summary: The Burden of Modern Living
The Bloodstream Injections & Tissue Exposures: The Hormonal Maze
Susan’s injection profile is dominated by Botox and Synthetic Hormones. Every injection session includes human serum albumin as a carrier, adding a cumulative protein load her body must process. Combined with 25 years of synthetic hormones (pill/ring/HRT), her liver is perpetually "busy" clearing exogenous hormones, leading to estrogen dominance and the migraines she now treats with more injections.
What has gone into her bloodstream from injections:
Botox (Botulinum Toxin Type A) | 60+ sessions | Human serum albumin load & neuro-muscular stress
Synthetic Hormones (Birth Control/HRT) | 25 years | Endocrine disruption & liver clearance burden
Aluminum Salts (Vaccines/Flu shots) | 12 mg | Chronic immune stimulation & metal accumulation
Sodium Metabisulfite (Dental/Anesthesia) | 35 mg | Sulfite sensitivity & respiratory triggers
Radiation Burden 159,000-167,000 µSv Amplified cancer risk
The Mouth: The Diet Trap
Because Susan prioritizes light and low-fat options, she has consumed a high amount of Artificial Sweeteners. These chemicals signal the brain for sugar that never arrives, disrupting her metabolic signaling. The emulsifiers in her almond milks and low-fat dressings have steadily worn down her intestinal lining, creating a "Leaky Gut" that triggers her "mystery" skin rashes.
What went into her mouth for digestion:
Folic Acid (Synthetic Folate) 11-18 kg Cardiovascular stress, impaired detox, brain fog and neuro-inflammation
Emulsifiers (Gums/Lecithins in "Light" foods) | 18 kg | Intestinal permeability & "Leaky Gut"
Glyphosate (Weed Chemical) 18-42 kg Gut microbiome disruption, Mineral deficiencies, Blocks liver enzymes, Impairs proteins
Fluoride (Water additive) 44 kg Thyroid suppression, Neurotoxic effects, Bone and joint accumulation, Melatonin disruption
Alcohol (Social wine/Evening stress relief) | 310 kg | Liver toxicity & estrogen dominance issues
Artificial Sweeteners (Aspartame/Sucralose) | 420 kg | Gut microbiome disruption & neuro-excitotoxicity
Industrial Seed Oils (Salad dressings/snacks) | 640 kg | Systemic inflammation & cellular oxidation
The Lungs: The Fragrance Fatigue
Susan’s home and office are "clean," but they are chemically loud. Between the synthetic musks in her laundry, the plug-in air fresheners, and the aerosol cleaners used to manage pets and kids, her lungs are a primary entry point for Phthalates. These chemicals are "hormone hackers" that confuse her thyroid and adrenal glands, resulting in the "unexplained" fatigue.
What went into her lungs:
Pet Dander & Chemical Flea Treatments | 30 years | Chronic histamine response & immune fatigue
Office VOCs (Printers/Carpet/Electronics) | 28 kg | Bio-accumulation of flame retardants & solvents
Cleaning Aerosols (Bleach/Ammonia/Sanitizers) | 42 kg | Respiratory irritation & lung tissue stress
Synthetic Fragrances (Plug-ins/Candles/Laundry) | 55 kg | Phthalate load & endocrine disruption
The Skin: The Cosmetic Cocktail
Susan applies many personal care products before she leaves the house. The Parabens and Phthalates absorbed through her skin daily bypass the digestive filters and enter systemic circulation. Her skin is "thinning" not just from age, but from the cumulative chemical stress of stabilizers and preservatives meant to make her look younger.
What went onto her skin:
Aluminum (Antiperspirant) | 2.8 kg | Lymphatic system burden & metal load
Laundry Residue (Softeners/Brighteners) | 4.8 kg | Dermal absorption of skin sensitizers
Parabens & Phthalates (Makeup/Skincare) | 12.5 kg | Estrogen mimicry & hormonal chaos
Susan's symptoms make perfect sense when you see the chemistry. Decades of synthetic hormones, cosmetic chemicals, dietary toxins and cumulative radiation exposure have saturated her detoxification pathways. But here's the critical insight: burden can be measured, and what can be measured can be managed. A functional medicine practitioner can help Susan quantify her toxic load, identify her genetic detox vulnerabilities, and design a targeted clearing protocol—addressing root causes before they progress to autoimmune disease, breast cancer, or neurological decline.
Clean(er) Living Begins with Taking Inventory
While we can’t all go move to Central America, we can make the decision to come off auto-pilot and observe our current habits. We can clean up a great deal of our toxic exposures. It’s important because most us have some dimmed efficiencies within our liver systems that impact the processing of chemical exposures. Even if you haven’t had you Functional Genomics delineated (methylation and detox SNPs in particular), you can still begin reducing the chemical burden on your Body.
Calculate Your Personal Toxic Burden
Use AI to analyze your exposures:
Gather documentation: List all injections, photograph food labels, personal care products, and household fragrances
Upload to an AI platform: Create separate folders for each category, upload into a project folder
Request analysis: Ask for a plain language tally of cumulative burden in each category
Identify vulnerabilities: Request which genetic SNP profiles (methylation and detox) may be most affected
Consult a professional: Share results with your health practitioner to develop a detoxification plan"
Finding Cleaner Substitutions
Often we are forced to find alternatives due to allergy alarm bells going off. Sometimes we even have Mast Cell Activations. If you find yourself on a Cortisone Pack and are considering getting allergy tested; then figuring out want to avoid and how to calm the Immune System down, becomes a priority.