We at Apogee Wellness throw around the term “binders” quite frequently. In a previous post where we taught you how to “detox like a boss,”we broadly discussed the need for binding while you kill off the toxic invaders in your terrain.
Many of you probably nodded along pretending like you knew exactly what we were talking about much like I do when anyone describes the inner workings of a vehicle.
Anyone else lay awake at night wondering why tires are made out of air instead of all rubber to prevent blowouts? I digress…
To prevent you from sleepless nights wondering why functional medicine doctors like Dr. Chris and Dr. Emilea prescribes specific binders during your detox journey, we will explain the who, what and why behind these often essential supplements.
What are Binders?
In any good action film, the “bad guys” end up taken down by the “good guys.” The heroic cops throw tear gas into the building making the bad guys disabled. The brave officers draw their guns and tactically enter the building.
Here’s the thing - you never see the cops invade and escort the bad guys out without handcuffs, right? Heck no! The cops seize the drugs, deactivate bombs, and handcuff the invaders. Unless the producers plan for a sequel, the villains left in cuffs often beat up, bruised, bloodied, shot, or dead.
Binders are the cops and the cuffs. They see through the smoke, render the likely already injured invader harmless, and escort them out of your body in handcuffs. They also assess and seize the reason for the attack. Otherwise, you end up with a sequel - a recurrence of infection and otherwise toxic terrain.
Why Do We Need Binders for Detox?
I love a good sequel! The Bourne Ultimatum, Terminator 2, Mission Impossible - I will pay good money to sit in a room full of strangers to jump, squirm, and experience the open-ended victory of the heroes all while knowing there will be a trilogy!
While I may look forward to action movie entertainment, I prefer to skip the internal drama that comes with a toxic terrain.
Your body naturally detoxes using bile, enzymes, fat, vitamins, and minerals. However, our bodies often need help escorting “forever chemicals,” heavy metals, mycotoxins, and other toxins out of our system.
The body smartly attempts to adapt to its terrain. For example, if your body contains too many heavy metals, your body allows parasites to colonize in your body. Parasites feed off of heavy metals. However, these little nasties excrete waste that further harms your system.
Therefore, you may effectively kill off the parasites, but their food source still exists. Binders go the extra mile by eliminating the hard to reach and difficult to naturally eradicate toxins that attract more invaders. Binders ensure your action movie does not have a sequel.
Athletes, Why Should You Care?
Often, practitioners miss the binding step in the detox process. While the athlete may start to feel and perform better, old and maybe new problems ultimately return.
Returning your terrain to a natural homeostasis means fewer injuries, pain, and setbacks. You crush your PR and feel unstoppable! Your body runs efficiently like a brand new model right off the car lot!
Binders are the final clean up crew. They sweep away the trash left in the stands after the competition to ensure rats, raccoons, and parasites don’t squat in the bleachers.
Your body naturally handles metabolic waste and microbial toxins. However, our toxic load exposure far exceeds our body’s natural capacity to handle without intervention.
Luckily, nature provides bountiful resources that effectively aid our body’s efforts to reach new heights and live long and prosper!
11 Binders to Know
Zeolite Clinoptiolite: Formed from bubbling lava and frigid seawater, zeolites negative charge traps toxins within its cage-like structure. The aluminum and silicon formula often contain oxygen, tin, zinc, and titanium to bind onto positively charged ions such as sodium, potassium, and calcium.
Zeolite attracts the attention of heavy metals and other elements with a strong positive charge. In this case, the good minerals such as oxygen and zinc leave the particle and stay in the body while the heavy metals bind to the zeolite.
Considering that zeolite may come preloaded with potentially hazardous material, the supplement needs 3rd party testing to ensure its efficacy and safety. A “clean” zeolite binder not only detoxes the body but acts as an excellent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diarrheic agent.
Clinically, Apogee Wellness docs use zeolite clinoptiolite to eliminate toxic levels of heavy metals and radioactive elements from infected patients. Studies indicate that zeolite may also effectively eliminate mycotoxins, pesticides, ammonia (from parasites), and other toxins.
Probiotics: Probiotics gained a lot of popularity for good reason over the last decade. Scientists recognized the beneficial bacteria in and on the body that support your immune system, digestion, and overall health.
Probiotics on the market that include good bacteria such as Bifidobacterium, lactobacillus, Bacillus, and Saccharomyces boulardii recolonize the good population within your system as well as act as a binder for toxins including mycotoxins.
Keeping diversity in mind, we recommend rotating probiotics from time to time. We recommend the following:
Immunoglobulins: Ig’s are naturally produced by our immune system and include IgA, IgM, IgD, IgG, IgE. These Y-shaped antibodies bind to antigens. An imbalanced immune system lowers our secreted immunoglobulins throughout the intestinal tract.
When our immune system is imbalanced however, our secretory immunoglobulins decrease throughout our gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Chris and Dr. Emilea find immunoglobulins often necessary as a binder for antigens such as yeast and mold. In addition, immunoglobulins heal the intestinal tract and reduce and even eliminate food sensitivities.
Apogee Wellness approved IgG products include:
Bentonite Clay: Bentonite clay is derived from volcanic ash and effectively binds to mycotoxins, pesticides, and heavy metals. However, due to bentonite clay’s ability to interfere with calcium uptake, thyroid hormones, and one’s intestinal tract, we recommend only using bentonite clay topically unless working with a practitioner.
The medicinal use of clay goes back centuries. Studies indicate that bentonite clay especially works as an aflatoxin binder.
Diatomaceous Earth: This binder attracts heavy, mycotoxins, and pesticides. Diatomaceous earth is frequently used in filtration systems for water, fruit juices, beer, and wine.
Clinically, Apogee Wellness docs found that diatomaceous earth effectively treats heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and cadmium. Much like zeolite, the product may come preloaded with contaminants and heavy metals, so a thorough, third party testing is imperative to ensure the safety and quality of the product.
Pectin: This polysaccharide, such as apple pectin or modified citrus pectin, derives from the cell walls of terrestrial plants. Pectins act as a prebiotic, which feeds the good bacteria inoculated with probiotics. The high amounts of Vitamin A, C and Potassium supports your detox functions.
Pectin increases intestinal motility and binds to bile acids, heavy metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins. Apogee docs often prescribe pectin as a facial cream due to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
Chitosan: Made from the shells of shellfish, chitosan binds to heavy metals, mycotoxins, and bile salts, which helps lower cholesterol. Like pectin, chitosan also serves as a prebiotic.
Chlorella: This popular binder made from blue-green algae is rich in minerals, vitamins, fibers, and amino acids. Chlorella binds to environmental toxins and heavy metals.
Clinically, Dr. Chris and Dr. Emilea use chlorella for babesia infections. Babesia consumes red blood cells, which depletes nutrients within the body, and chlorella replaces the nutrients while binding to the toxins that lead to harmful levels of babesia.
Activated Charcoal: “Activated” simply refers to the charcoal from coconut or wood processed under heat with gas in order for spaces or pores to develop. The expanded spaces trap toxins.
The pores effectively trap mycotoxins, pesticides, environmental toxins, and heavy metals. Apogee’s favorites include:
Cordyceps: This mushroom naturally increases metallothionein, which helps detoxify heavy metals from the body, specifically copper, mercury, lead, and arsenic.
Our favorites include:
Bioactive Carbons: When a plant or animal dies, the microbes in the soil devour the remains. Then, another microbe eats that microbe, and another microbe eats that microbe and so on. The by-products of these microbes are fulvic and humic acid.
This natural process takes thousands to millions of years, so the geographic origin of the dirt-based carbons makes a difference in nutrient concentrations.
Fulvic and humic acid contain bioactive carbons. The smaller and shorter the bioactive carbon chain, the deeper the binder may enter into our cells and even within our DNA-containing nucleus.
Humic acid raises pH allowing toxins and heavy metals to be released and bound. Fulvic acid’s nano-size allows the cell to absorb the binder and reach our mitochondria, which helps increase our mitochondrial energy production along with binding to toxins and delivering minerals and other nutrients to the cells.
Our go-to humic and fulvic acids include:
Now, you may talk binders at your next dinner party, and well, let’s face it, you’ll lose your crowd pretty quick! However, after reading this, you became a more informed advocate for your health!