Environmental toxins are everywhere, but how do they really impact heart health? Dr. Regina Druz sits down with Dr. Daniel Kessler to uncover the ways toxins like microplastics and heavy metals affect cardiometabolic health. They break down which toxins are most likely to contribute to heart disease and what really happens when toxins leave our bodies. Dr. Kessler shares insights from his work in European biological medicine, and offers practical solutions for reducing toxic exposure. From improving your water quality to eating a colorful, fiber-rich diet, these steps can support the body’s natural detox processes. He challenges the usual focus on high LDL cholesterol, pointing instead to inflammation and oxidative stress as the real culprits behind heart disease. The choices we make every day can help lower our toxic burden. More importantly, understanding how toxins connect to cardiometabolic health can empower us to protect our cardiovascular system. This episode offers a fresh perspective on the path to better heart health, and provides actionable steps to get there! Quotes “Toxins are metabolic disruptors. They disrupt the function. If we think about biological medicine, my mentors always said, it’s very logical. We have systems—our body has systems, like the cardiovascular system, endocrine system—systems that become dysregulated because of the toxic burden.” (06:02 | Dr. Daniel Kessler) “From a preventative standpoint, it is so important to tell people, if you have blood pressure, what is normal? What is abnormal? The first thing is always lifestyle. But what are the forces in your life that are affecting you? We start simple: food, diet, sleep, stress, etc. And then, if they are still uncontrolled, we ask, well, could it be environmental toxins? What is super important is the relationship of the mouth to the lymphatic system… We all know that our lymphatic system is what keeps us healthy. If people have metals in their mouth or infections or periodontitis, gingivitis—all these things—these are bacterial burdens, toxic burdens that have to be removed. And it drains, and the lymphatic system is very close also to the arteries, and there’s this interchange.” (30:47 | Dr. Daniel Kessler) “You need to understand toxin-induced loss of tolerance. So, if you draw a line from left to right, this is your life. You make a little pivot in the middle. You say, ‘What do I have to remove that is toxic and be unapologetic about it?’ I always tell people, this is the number one: make a not-to-do list. Not a to-do list, but a not-to-do list. What are you not going to do anymore from today? And decrease the burden. It could be a relationship, food, whatever, but stick to it. Then, induced loss of tolerance means if you’re staying in the same environment and expecting different outcomes, that’s the definition of insanity.” (47:50 | Dr. Daniel Kessler) Links CDC Toxic Substances Portal: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/index.aspx "Detoxify for Life": https://a.co/d/7n6bbkA Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): https://www.epa.gov/ Connect with Dr. Regina Druz: Website: http://holisticheartcenters.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@holisticheartcenters Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
