This post about mental health was to be the last of the Healthier You Series of 2024. Time ran out before I finished it; however, its relevance did not. Surveys of polls show that a New Year’s Resolution to improve mental health in 2025 ranks among the most prevalent; also prevalent is a debate about whether making New Year’s resolutions is good for your mental health.
Based upon the CDC’s description below, virtually all resolutions align with a goal to improve mental health:
Mental health is the component of behavioral health that includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Mental health is a state of well-being that enables us to cope with the stresses of life, realize our abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to our community.1
When I encounter the term “mental health, I tend to think toward the negative — “Why, what’s wrong?” A keyword search prominently features sites sponsored ads for behavioral therapy. Anxiety, depression – are common yardsticks for measuring where on the spectrum your mental health lies. Yet sadness, anxiety — some of the moods identified with problematic mental health, when in context, are as much a part of the spectrum of mental well-being as are joy and happiness. Mental wellness is a matter of appropriateness, balance, and equilibrium. Prolonged, detached sadness is depressive; constant anxiety breeds chronic stress.
The Influence of Environmental Toxins on Mental Health – The Research
A paper published in 2009 sounded an alert that not enough attention was being paid to the effect environmental toxins have on mental health: toxicants can affect neurological homeostasis and brain health. It appears that, in the interim, there has been a dearth of research in this area.
While a holistic approach may more likely examine environmental factors, the extent of our environment’s effect on the brain and nervous system may be surprising. I know I was surprised. Do I ever consider that a feeling of sadness might be affected by or even due to something I am routinely eating and drinking? Prolonged sadness can become depression. A recent study coauthored by researchers at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health found a significant link between the risk of depression and a diet high in ultra-processed foods.3
Environmental Toxins and the Brain
The brain plays a central role in mental health. Its limbic system regulates our emotions and communicates these emotions to the rest of the body through its neurological connections. Neurophysiological changes in the brain are the chemical expressions of these emotions. Because the brain plays a crucial role in our survival, it consumes a large portion of the metabolic activity of the body. It s therefore, the organ most affected by environmental toxicity. Toxicants can affect the homeostasis – the balance and equilibrium – of our neurological connections. Neurotoxins, thus, affect our emotional equilibrium.
In addition to the more obvious symptoms such as headache, cognitive dysfunction, memory disturbance, and other neurological signs, disruption of brain function may also show up as subtle or overt alteration in thoughts, moods, or behaviors.4
The Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB)
You might wonder, as did I, about the protection offered by the blood-brain barrier. I looked it up. The blood-brain-barrier is a structural gatekeeper whose function is to prevent the passage of harmful substances while allowing beneficial nutrients through. Still, many toxicants such as, some heavy metals, cross this protective barrier, as do some endocrine disruptors, pesticides, and food additives.
Heavy Metals
Quite a few metals (e.g., Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sb, and Cs) have been shown to pass through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and accumulate in human brain tissue, disrupting brain homeostasis.5
The most common heavy metal toxicants — cadmium (Cd), (methyl and ethyl) mercury (Hg), arsenic (As0, and lead (Pb) — all can enter the brain, as well. While not considered a heavy metal, aluminum (Al) is sometimes included in this list. There is some debate about its association with Alzheimer’s disease.
The Collaborative for Health and the Environment, twenty years old, is a network of scientists, researchers, government agencies, and interested people committed to exploring the relationship between the environment and health. One of its publications lists the mental health symptoms and conditions associated with lead, aluminum, mercury, arsenic, manganese, thallium, and manganese.6 Cadmium, which is on this list, is associated with anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, and lower IQs.
The list of possible symptoms due to exposure to these metals is daunting. It includes dementia, depression, anxiety, confusion, memory loss, poor concentration, insomnia and many more.
Pesticides
Pesticides is another broad category of toxicants that can affect mental well-being. Like heavy metals, many of these substances can cross the blood-brain barrier. For example Glyphosate, a common ingredient in herbicides, is a neurotoxin that can cause inflammation and alter BBB permeability — the characteristic that filters access to the brain and keeps toxins and pathogens out.
The Gut-Brain Axis
The gut microbiome is a crucial element in mental wellness. The gut and brain are intricately connected and communicate back and forth with each other through the gut-brain axis. The microorganisms that reside in the gut can significantly influence your mental equilibrium and health. Glyphosate and other common pesticides, such as atrazine and malathion, may alter the gut microbiome and affect its communication with the brain. This can have huge impacts.
Processed Foods
A paper published in 2022, a meta-analysis survey of recent studies, found correlations between higher levels of ultra-processed foods in the diet and symptoms such as depression and anxiety.8 Ironically, some foods marketed as healthy are actually ultra-processed — for example, health bars, cereals, vegan meat, and plant-based milks and cheeses.The research community is now exploring the link between red food dye 40 and ADHD symptoms.
A Detox Lifestyle
As I researched this article, I was particularly daunted by the thought of environmental toxins entering and messing around with my brain’s neurons. That seemed to be somehow a bit more personal and invasive than, say, changing a hormonal level. I had a glass of wine with dinner – organic, but even so possibly containing traces of glyphosate. I thought for a moment about what might be happening to the equilibrium of the neurons responsible for my thoughts and feelings. Other than making me feel mellow, that is. What will I do with that thought? Well, I am not sure, yet. I enjoy my evening ritual.
We have so much knowledge at our fingertips, and this knowledge grants us the ability to create our healthiest lives and fulfill the intentions of all New Year’s Resolutions for happiness and success. And as the resolutions imply – they are not a one-time fix but require a regular and systematic effort.
Like aspiring to a detox lifestyle.
A “detox lifestyle” is a two-fold approach:
1, Support your body’s natural detoxification processes. Focus on whole, unprocessed foods, stay hydrated, get enough sleep, and get enough exercise to support your body’s natural detoxification processes:
Food choice – the foods you eat play a role in the composition of your gut microbiota and can affect communication with the brain via the gut-brain-axis.
Food choices can make a difference, though.
Getting enough sleep is crucial to brain health. Your brain detoxifies itself during sleep: one of the main activities of the deep, non-REM stage.
2. Reduce toxic exposure and accumulation as much as possible.
A three-part post of AMD’s 2024 Healthier You series addresses the environmental toxins found in personal care products, the home, and food.
Reduce chronic stress — the body does not detox in the fight-or-flight response.
Meditation and other relaxation techniques can help. There are many detox protocols available to explore: infrared sauna, massage therapy, herbal detox teas are a few.
AMD Detox Footbath
We at AMD believe our AMD’s IonCleanse detox footbath can be an important contribution to a detox lifestyle. It works on two fronts — mobilizing and eliminating toxins during a session and creating the relaxation response for heightened detoxification for several days thereafter. Our proven research includes a heavy metal and a glyphosate study. We cannot entirely eliminate our exposure to these chemicals, which is why a thorough detox protocol is necessary for everyone.
I hope you enjoyed this article. As always, I welcome thoughts and comments to [email protected].
