Dr. Karly Powell, ND is an expert in treating illnesses related to heavy metals, toxic mold, plastics, pesticides, and other chemical additives. These toxins increase the risk of many chronic conditions including cancer, dementia, osteopenia/osteoporosis, and heart disease – often manifesting earlier as chronic inflammatory changes. Symptoms such as fatigue, pain, autoimmune conditions, fibromyalgia, recurrent infections, abdominal pain, stool changes, rashes, chemical sensitivity, increasing allergies, infertility, and menstrual changes are often related to excessive chemical exposure or impaired detoxification.

What Is Chemical & Toxin Exposure? 

We all come into contact with chemicals in our daily lives - through food and drinking water, the air we breathe, medications, and treatments applied to our indoor environments (furniture, carpet, and cleaning treatments). While not all chemicals are toxic, many of these are harmful to our health in small amounts or via cumulative load over months and years. The World Health Organization estimates that there are 2 million deaths related to chemical toxicity, with an additional 53 million years lost to disability (poisonings, heart diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancers) each year. And this problem isn’t going away; chemical sales are
projected to nearly double from 2017 to 2030.

​So what do we do about our exposures? Consider the body as a bucket with water. We have a constant flow of water (toxins, processed foods, negative thoughts, etc.) filling our bucket, and our liver, kidneys, lungs, and intestinal tracts act as the drain at bottom of the bucket. If water in exceeds the flow out, the bucket overflows and we experience unwanted symptoms or illness. Detoxification support helps ensure that the drainage can keep up with the input.

Diagnosing Chemical & Toxin Exposure

Lab testing can provide a definitive assessment about the toxic load in the body. Based on your exposure history, testing may include:
  • Mycotoxin Levels for Mold Exposure
  • Baseline and Provoked Heavy Metal:  Provocation involves taking an oral chelating agent that can bind metals in your tissues and carry it out through the urine. An increase in urine metal levels demonstrates that metals are stored in your tissues.
  • Glyphosate (Round Up) and other Pesticides or Herbicides
  • Phthalates, Benzene, Solvents, and other Non-Metal Environmental Toxicants
  • Food Preservatives/Additives and Coloring Agents
  • Inflammatory Markers:  To assess your body’s reaction to the toxicant load.

Treating Chemical & Toxin Exposure

Detox from toxicants must start with removing the source. We need to turn off the faucet before we can drain the bucket!
  • For metals, this may involve removal of mercury amalgams via SMART protocol, limiting intake of mercury-contaminated fish and fish oils, and drinking water filtration with a carbon or reverse osmosis filter.
  • For mold, this may include home remediation, duct cleaning, and washing mold toxins from household belongings. Learning to avoid harmful chemical additives by reading ingredient labels for foods, cleaning products, and skin care products, avoiding plastic storage containers for food and water, and knowing when to buy organic foods (see resources below!) are also essential steps for reducing your body burden.
In cases where removing the source is not enough, Dr. Powell may also recommend medical detoxification – use of oral or intravenous agents to help your liver and kidneys carry toxins out of the body. Dr. Powell uses very gentle detox methods that work in harmony with the body's natural processes, and you should never feel sick during the detox process. Re-assessment is typically done every 3-4 months to assess your progress.

21-Day Functional Detox Program

Our functional detoxification program is ideal for those wanting to do a system clean-up to support overall health and prevent toxic accumulation to a level that requires medical detox. Designed and led by Dr. Karly Powell, this program provides support for your body's natural pathways of elimination. This food-based system will optimize function of all your major organ systems and is specifically designed to help you: 
​
  • Lose weight
  • Increase energy
  • Decrease inflammation
  • Reduce bloating and constipation
  • Decrease joint and body pain
  • Enhance mood & reduce anxiety
  • Improve sleep
  • Boost immunity
  • Establish healthy eating patterns... and more! 

Included in the Functional Detox Program:
  • 60-minute One-on-One Consult with Dr. Karly Powell
  • Detailed Instruction Manual:  This step-by-step guide provides recipes, problem solving tips, home spa treatments, and more to give you all the tools for success right from the beginning.
  • Medical Grade Supplements:  The highest quality herbs and supplements to aid natural elimination, boost energy, and decrease inflammation.  
  • Individualized Care:  Depending on your specific needs and health concerns, Dr. Powell will order necessary lab work and/or make changes to the program to set you up for success.
  • Ongoing Medical Oversight:  Initial safety screening plus direct access to advice from Dr. Powell throughout the entire process.  
Resources:
  • Dirty Dozen - the most important produce to buy organic:  https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php
  • EWG Healthy Living App – scan food, skin care, or cleaning products to get a rating for toxicity and explanation:  https://www.ewg.org/apps
  • Water filtration for heavy metals:  https://www.berkeyfilters.com/