Hi, I’m Sara
I’m a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor and Environmental Toxins Educator and I started Lower Tox Living to help bridge the gaps that exist in conventional healthcare today.
My goal is to seek sustainable results instead of short-term solutions that don’t address root cause. When you continually put a band-aid on a symptom, the issues will eventually manifest into other symptoms. I think of it as a game of whack-a-mole – constantly chasing symptoms with no sustained healing.
Combining my studies in environmental health with functional nutrition/full body systems, allows me to take a unique approach and focus on both the internal and external environments that are driving chronic health issues.
I’m grateful you’re here!
Why is lowering harmful chemical exposures important?
We are living in a time with more chronic daily exposures to harmful chemicals than ever before. These exist in our food, food packaging, tap water, personal care products, laundry and cleaning products, cookware, mattresses, and built environments.
When it comes to chemicals, small things add up quickly and our bodies have not evolved fast enough to deal with the onslaught of daily exposures. Everyday exposures, and an over-taxed natural detox process, create an overwhelming and often overlooked toxic burden on our health, eventually tipping the scale into chronic disease.
How does nutrition play a role?
Not only does proper nutrition help to keep our detox pathways clear, but emerging research has shown that a healthy gut microbiome may also minimize some of the potentially toxic effects of chemicals we’re exposed to.
We are all exposed to environmental chemicals daily, including ones directly linked to serious health issues so step 1 will always be to reduce our exposures. Step 2 is to focus on nutrition to aid our organs of detoxification (along with sleep, exercise, and stress management) to lower inflammation and optimize our overall health.
Could this be the missing link in your health journey?
Let’s find out together. It’s never too late to take steps towards a healthier future – I’m so glad you’re here!
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What Brought Me Here?
In my 20’s, my mom was diagnosed with ALS, a devastating and terminal disease. While I’ll never know the exact cause, I’ve learned that along with genetic pre-disposition, ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases have ties to environmental toxicant exposures.
In my 30s, when we were ready to have children, it took us 4+ years before we were finally able to welcome our first daughter. I had no clue that the foods we were eating and the products we were using were exposing us to Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), which contribute to infertility in men and women.
In my 40’s, I had several friends diagnosed with breast cancer. This is not normal and we should not accept that this is our future! We can use our collective voices and purchasing power to send a strong message to companies and regulatory agencies that we demand safer foods and products.
Also, so many people in my life, including myself, have or are experiencing chronic health issues and at younger ages. For me personally, in addition to fertility issues, I also went through a 2 year battle with rosacea, along with symptoms like hormonal depression, irritability, low energy, hair loss, insomnia, and more – I just did not feel like myself.
Instead of taking the recommended prescriptions to treat my symptoms, I decided to continue searching for answers on the root cause and only found complete symptom relief when I finally addressed both my external and internal environments. Even my “incurable” rosacea cleared up without any prescription meds! Healing can happen when you give your body what it needs to detoxify, balance, and thrive.
If you are just beginning your lower tox living journey, welcome! As with everything new we learn about health, it’s progress over perfection – starting small, and consistently making smart swaps over time!
So glad you’re here!
Why Lower Tox Living Matters
Even though we are living longer lives, it’s getting harder to conceive naturally. It’s estimated that most couples will need reproductive assistance by 2045. In addition, developmental disorders in children are on the rise and rates of chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, auto-immune disease, thyroid conditions, skin disorders, and certain cancers are skyrocketing.
These trends are not going in the right direction and it’s no longer possible to only focus on genetics or lifestyle choices. There’s something happening in our environment that is having major implications for our health.
The founding president of Bastyr University, the nation’s leading science-based natural medicine and research university has stated that “Toxicity is the primary driver of disease”.
Looking at these stats, it’s easy to see why:
# of chemicals automatically presumed safe and grandfathered in when the Toxic Substances Control Act was passed
# of chemicals used in personal care products - the majority of which have never been evaluated for safety
years since the Safe Drinking Water Act was updated, even though many new contaminants in drinking water have been identified
# of man-made chemicals in our bodies, according to the CDC
the amount that sperm counts in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand have declined since 1973
According to the EPA, indoor air can be 2-5 times and as much as 100 times worse than outdoor air, exposing us to chemicals in dust and air.
If My Story Resonates with Yours…
I’d be honored to help you take the next step in your health journey.