How Toxic Are You?

How Toxic Are You?

Every day we are exposed to toxins in one form or another. We encounter them in the air we breath, the food we eat, and the water we drink. The environment is filled with natural and manmade toxins. Even our own bodies produce toxic metabolic waste.

While our immune system can detoxify and eliminate many of the toxins we are exposed to each day, it can only do so much. If we are exposed to more toxins than our immune system can process and eliminate, these toxins accumulate in body tissues. As toxins accumulate in our bodies, cells and tissues begin to degenerate. When this happens symptoms arise.

The more toxins that accumulate in the body the more problems or symptoms will manifest. Signs of toxic accumulation in the body manifest themselves in a variety of ways and include: frequent illnesses (i.e. colds, flues, etc.), lack of energy, insomnia, digestive problems, joint and muscle pain, constipation, bad breath, body odor, depression, sexual dysfunction, high blood pressure, skin blemishes (i.e., psoriasis, aging spots, etc.), loss of mental function, and many other conditions that we often attribute to aging. To some extent degenerative diseases such as cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and such are also caused by toxic accumulation.

As we age we naturally lose some of the strength and stamina of our youth, but age does not cause disease or ill heath. There are many seniors who lead active, healthy lives without experiencing these degenerative conditions and without losing the ability to function for themselves. If you look at people in less developed countries where degenerative disease is relatively rare (because they eat fresh, natural foods), some live to be 90, 100, and more without experiencing the so-called age-related diseases. Many of these people continue to work, which is usually physically demanding, until the day they die. They aren’t incapacitated by old age. Symptoms of degeneration are clearly not a condition of aging. It is a condition of toxic accumulation.

The reason older people seem to be affected most by the effects of toxic accumulation is because they’ve lived longer and have had more toxins in which to store poisons in their bodies. The more toxins you have inside of you, the greater the number and the greater the severity of the symptoms.

Your Immune System

Why do we get sick? Is it because we come into contact with germs? The answer is “No.” Contrary to popular belief, germs don’t make you sick. They can be involved in the process, but they don’t cause it. Germs live around us every second of every day. If they caused sickness why aren’t we all sick all the time?

I’m going to answer this question using an analogy with a garbage can. This analogy illustrates why we develop degenerative health problems, why we get sick, and how our immune system works. It also describes the difference between a healing crisis and a disease crisis.

The body can be viewed as a container filled with various levels of garbage. Throughout life garbage is dumped into the trash can. This garbage represents all the toxic substances that enter and accumulate in our bodies. Fortunately, we have a release valve located near the bottom of the can. As garbage accumulates, this valve drains it out. This prevents the can from becoming too full. We can visualize the release valve as our immune system working to empty or clean our toxins and germs. That’s what the immune system does – clean toxins and other harmful substances from our bodies.

If, however, you fill the trash can up faster than the drain (immune system) can empty them, the can will eventually overflow. This would be the point at which death occurs – when the container can no longer hold any more garbage. The more garbage you have in your trash can (i.e., your body) the closer you are to disease and death.

To prevent trash from accumulating too fast, the release valve is designed to open up extra wide when the container becomes too full. The release valve is forced open extra wide whenever we become sick. Toxins accumulate in the body to such a high level that life is threatened, so the release valve pops wide open in an effort to quickly flush out the toxic debris.

As long as the valve works as it’s suppose to, you can live a long healthy life. However, if you keep dumping toxic sludge into the trash can it will begin to corrode the release valve. Over time the release valve loses some of its ability to open. This allows more trash to build up, filling the can higher and higher. Because the valve is corroded it takes more pressure, or a higher accumulation of trash, to force over the valve. As the valve becomes more corroded its ability to open fully decreases and the can slowly fills up. As the can reaches it capacity, health deteriorates and symptoms often associated with degeneration or aging, appear. The fuller the can, the more severe the symptoms until the can is full and we die.

Now, if you reduce the amount of trash you put into the can, you may eventually empty out a lot of toxic debris and prevent sickness and physical degeneration. You can, figuratively speaking, wash off the corrosion and lubricate the release valve. You can do this a number of ways. Most anything that improves health will do this. This rapid release of toxins would be the equivalent of a healing crisis. Afterwards, our garbage can holds less debris. Symptoms of ill health disappear because toxins in the can have dropped to a more tolerable level.

Germs don’t cause illness any more than flies cause garbage. Flies are attracted to garbage; they don’t cause it. Likewise, a person full of garbage attracts germs. Cold and flue germs can only grow in a body that is filled with garbage. This is because the immune system is so overworked it has difficulty fighting off and removing infections.

Germs that surround us every day are only able to take hold inside of us when our immune systems become overworked. As germs begin to grow, the toxic level inside us reaches a critical point and our bodies go into a state of panic and toxins are flushed as quickly as possible to prevent death. We call this a sickness of a disease crisis.

From this explanation you can see that a healing crisis is a process in which the body is becoming stronger and healthier. The immune system is able to work efficiently because it is healthy and has less garbage to remove. In contrast, a disease crisis is a process in which the body is struggling to survive; the immune system is so overworked that it can barely maintain life, let along optimal health. In the next issue I will tell you what steps you can take to cleanse the body and strengthen your immune system.

Why We Get Sick

Our world is teaming with disease-causing toxins both man-made and natural. These poisons are everywhere – in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. Even our own bodies produce toxic waste as a by-product of living and breathing. Some toxins are man-made like car exhaust and pesticides, while others occur naturally like mercury and smoke. Even living creatures like bacteria and mold can be toxic.

Our bodies are constantly exposed to harmful toxins in the environment. Any of these poisons could cause disease, pain, and death. Fortunately, our bodies have a remarkable ability to neutralize and eliminate toxins to keep us healthy.

Illness only occurs when toxins enter the body faster then they can be removed. At some point toxins reach a critical level of concentration and, if not removed, would eventually lead to permanent injury or death. At this point the body kicks into a feverish frenzy of activity to purge the toxins as quickly as possible. The process of intense detoxification may involve any number of symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, excessive mucus production, etc. This is the time when we become noticeably sick. The body is battling with all of its strength to remove harmful toxins and we feel tired and miserable. If the body is capable of mounting a sufficient defense and eliminates the toxins faster than they are produced, we eventually recover.

Many people have high accumulations of toxins in their bodies without manifesting severe symptoms. They may have minor sinus congestion, frequent headaches, occasional back pain, allergies, etc., but no major symptoms that would indicate any serious health problem. But their bodies are desperately struggling to eliminate a toxic overload. Any exposure to additional toxins would push them over the edge and their body would respond with severe symptoms characteristic of an illness.

This is why during cold and flu season some people get sick and others don’t. Two people could be working side by side; one is susceptible while the other is not. A healthy person can live and work alongside another while he is constantly coughing and sneezing and yet not experience any ill effect. We don’t "catch" a cold because we are exposed to a virus. We all encounter viruses and bacteria every day, but we all don’t get sick. The cold virus can only harm those whose bodies are weakened by other factors. Those people whose bodies contain the most toxins are the first to become sick and experience the most illness.

Our lifestyle and dietary habits determine, to a great extent, the level at which toxins accumulate in our bodies and our susceptibility to illness. A person who smokes, drinks lots of soda or alcohol, and eats junk food will be the first to become sick.

On the other hand, a person who does things that help the body detoxify such as eating wholesome foods, taking vitamin and herbal supplements, getting regular exercise and adequate amounts of sleep each night, and avoiding harmful activities (such as smoking or drug use) will have a low level of toxins in his body and be able to fight off seasonal infections without becoming sick.

Do You Know What You’re Eating?

When you buy food at the store do you ever read the ingredient label? You should. The reason for ingredient labels is to help consumers make wise food choices. Foods contain a variety of ingredients: some good, some not-so-good, and some that are definitely bad. The good are real foods such as fruit, whole grains, vegetables, herbs, and spices. The not-so-good are foods that have been so highly processed or refined that they have been stripped of most of their vitamins and minerals such as sugar, vegetable gum, and starch. The bad are chemically altered, man-made, or artificial substances (note that I didn’t call them foods). These include such things as red dye #40, BHT, MSG, sodium phosphate, metabisculfite, aspartame (Nutrasweet), and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.

The items in the bad category are added primarily to enhance flavor, color, and texture and to retard spoilage. They have absolutely no food value and are generally quite toxic. Commonly used food additives are known to promote tumors, cause allergies, depress the immune system, and accelerate aging. The list of health problems can go on and on. So why would anyone in his right mind eat foods that contain artificial food additives?

Most of us do it out of ignorance. We don’t realize how dangerous they are. The government recognizes the toxic nature of these additives and usually sets a limit or at least makes a recommendation on how much can be included in a serving. The amount you would get in one or two servings is not considered too dangerous and is, therefore, acceptable. The problem with this reasoning is that many people get far more than a couple of servings worth each day. Consider the fact that the foods we eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks may all contain harmful additives. If you ate these foods only once or twice a week it probably wouldn’t have a huge impact on your health, but if eaten every day, day in and day out, year after year, what do you expect will happen? Toxins have an accumulative effect. When you’re young you won’t notice much, but as you get older you will experience signs of premature aging—lack of energy, joint and back pain, loss of mental ability, frequent illness, and chronic health problems. The symptoms get worse and worse each year. Chemical food additives are a major source of toxins in our bodies. To prevent the buildup of these health-destroying poisons you should read ingredient labels and choose your foods wisely.