Toxic Body and Disease
Everyday more and more people are being diagnosed with chronic health problems. Approximately 68 million people suffer from some form of heart disease, 25 million have diabetes, 1.5 million will die of cancer within the next year, 5-8% of the population suffers from a chronic, debilitating autoimmune disease, 57.7 million suffer from some mental disorder, and over 6 million are diagnosed with a neurological disease.
Alzheimers has more than doubled since 1980, every week 200 people are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, diabetes has increased over 54% and the rate our children are being diagnosed with Autism, ADD and ADHD is alarming. So, what the heck is going on?
Our problem is not singular, meaning there is no one thing that we can identify as the problem. It is a combination of many things that has resulted in the decay of our health in the United States. Let's start with our environment.
In the last century we have created over 80,000 chemicals and every year, four billion pounds of these toxins are released into our environment. Our air, soil, animals, plants, water, and our bodies are being contaminated. Our bodies are being poisoned by these carcinogenic, endocrine-disrupting, and gene damaging chemicals and they are being stored within our cells. Do you realize that these toxins have the ability to be passed to fetuses in the womb? A fetus grows in a womb contaminated with as many as 287 foreign chemicals and the level of mercury in umbilical cord blood is 1.7 times higher than the level in the mother's blood. Thousands of babies born each year are at risk for brain damage and learning difficulties due to the toxin exposure while in the womb. Do you think there could be a correlation with these facts and the ever increasing numbers of Autism, ADD and ADHD diagnosis in our children?
It is a proven fact that cancer is caused by environmental toxicity and it affects our immune, neurological and endocrine systems. This toxicity can lead to numerous health problems including allergies, neurological illnesses, immune dysfunction, reproductive dysfunction, mood changes, asthma, autoimmunity, allergies, sexual dysfunction and dysregulation of glucose.
Mercury, the most destructive of these toxins can cause neurological, immunological, psychological and enzymatic issues. It can contribute or cause autism, Alzheimer's, cancers, heart disease, autoimmune disease, endocrine problems as well as neurological and behavioral issues.
It has been proven that there is a direct link between these toxins that are stored in our organs and tissues and disease causing microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses. The stored toxins result in immune system deficiency which is the perfect environment for the growth of these pathogens. The higher the toxic pollution, the more likely the body's immune system will be compromised and these microorganisms will thrive and multiply.
The next issue to be addressed is our food sources which have become so compromised that no one can get the recommended whole food nutrition that our bodies require. Are you familiar with genetically modified foods? There are no labels to advise us as a society what we are eating; it is to the benefit of these "genetically modified" food companies to keep the consumer ignorant.
Many scientists believe that many chronic illnesses and diseases and the weakening of the immune system may be a result of these biotechnological altered foods. This could account for innumerable cancers, the unexplained auto-immune diseases such as CFS, Fibromyalgia, Epstein-Barr Syndrome to name a few, as well as chronic headaches, migraines, even arthritis and other chronic inflammatory diseases. No one knows for sure what the long term effects will be on the human body. No one knows for what the long term effects will be on our future generations.
The facts known and documented are only on the effects of the animals being injected with this DNA altering technology. Some cows and pigs injected with growth hormones have suffered from unspeakable nervous system side effects, unable to walk or even stand. Some are so grossly large that they suffer respiratory distress and skeletal breakdown. DNA altered fish have produced offspring with birth defects and chickens that have been altered to extinguish the brooding instinct have exhibited aggressive behavior. Even our wildlife is being put at risk with genetic altered grains and the escape of genetic altered fish into our streams and rivers. This genetic revolution has not been observed in a real ecosystem with real organisms and there could be an ecological catastrophe or alarming disease.
Our food is void of nutrition as well. Our food processing has removed vitamins, fiber and other essential nutrients from the foods we eat. Nutrition is important to a healthy life. Good nutrition provides antioxidants, micronutrients and the fuel our body needs for optimal health performance. It is recommended that adults should eat 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day depending on their age, gender and physical activity. These Whole Foods support the immune system, reduce oxidative stress, and help protect our DNA and impact key indicators of cardiovascular wellness.
Right up into the early 1900's, just about all diseases were infectious in nature, for example; diphtheria, typhoid, smallpox, pneumonia, black plague, tuberculosis, etc. With our progression as a civilization the way our food and farming was processed changed and new diseases began to manifest, for example; cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, etc. The more modern our civilization has become, the more new diseases have manifested. Today, the following diseases are regularly diagnosed such as, arthritis, IBS, bi-polar, fibromyalgia, schizophrenia, hyperactivity, ADHD, allergies, depression, etc. Our food processing has removed vitamins, fiber and other essential nutrients from the foods we eat. Nutrition is important to a healthy life. Good nutrition provides antioxidants, micronutrients and the fuel our body needs for optimal health performance. It is recommended that adults should eat 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day depending on their age, gender and physical activity. These Whole Foods support the immune system, reduce oxidative stress, and help protect our DNA and impact key indicators of cardiovascular wellness.
We are also being subjected to a "dangerous substances" in our food. Our families may be eating or drinking products without being aware of the potential damage they are having on your health. Chemicals and additives are used in preserving and enhancing the flavor of foods and drinks. We are led to believe they are safe and sometimes even beneficial to weight management.
One of these sneaky substances is known as "Aspartame", or the technical name for NutriSweet, Equal, Spoonful and Equal-Measure. Aspartame has been marketed to the public as a "diet aid" but the chemical nature of this substance defeats this alleged purpose by instilling a craving for calorie-laden carbohydrates. How many times have you seen someone washing down their "high carb" meal with a diet drink? When carbohydrates are consumed, there is an increase in levels of the chemical called serotonin in the brain. This increase is what gives the feeling of being relaxed after a meal.
When that meal is being washed down with an "aspartame" (diet) drink, the brain ceases to produce the serotonin, and that feeling of "having enough or being full" never materializes. The result is more food (which also may contain aspartame), more aspartame (diet) drinks and the cycle continues. Aspartame directly alters brain chemicals.
Aspartame can be found in thousands of products:
Instant breakfasts
Breath mints
Cereals
Laxatives
Sugar free gum
Cocoa mixes
Frozen desserts
Gelatin desserts
Juice beverages
Multivitamins
Shake mixes
Soft drinks
Tabletop sweeteners
Tea beverages
Instant teas & coffee
Wine coolers
Yogurt
Pharmaceuticals
OTC medications
Supplements
If brain chemicals are being altered by this substance it only goes without saying that behavior is affected as well. The reduction in serotonin levels in the brain can manifest into depression and other emotional disorders. Research has suggested that people ingesting high doses and who are sensitive to aspartame may suffer from problems ranging from dizziness, to subtle brain changes, to mental retardation. This data also shows that a fetus may be at risk for these effects as well. There is also evidence of aspartame contributing to brain cancer. There is concern for persons with diabetes and hypoglycemia. Research conducted by a specialist reports that aspartame leads to the precipitation of clinical diabetes, causes poorer diabetic control, on insulin or oral dependent drugs, leads to aggravation of complications such as retinopathy, cataracts, neuropathy and gastro pareses and can cause convulsions.
The following are some of the symptoms of "Aspartame Sensitivity/Intoxication": blurred vision, severe headaches, nausea, gastrointestinal disorders, mood changes, ringing in the ear & hearing loss, loss of energy, loss of control of limbs, blindness, memory loss, slurred speech, hyperactivity, muscle & joint pain, loss or change of taste, vertigo, insomnia, mild to severe depression, seizures, rashes, anxiety attacks, skin lesions, and symptoms mimicking a heart attack. These symptoms can be moderate to severe in each individual depending on their sensitivity level. Aspartame changes brain chemistry. It also acts as an information transmitter, known as a neurotransmitter. Too much aspartame in the brain kills certain neurons triggering excessive amounts of free radicals which kill your cells or put in another way, they "excite" or simulate your neural cells to death. When a substantial number of these neurons are destroyed, clinical symptoms of a chronic illness may begin to manifest.
The following chronic illnesses have been shown to be contributed to by the long term exposure to "stimulated" neuron damage. Multiple Sclerosis Parkinson's Alzheimer's Memory or Hearing Loss Hormonal Problems Epilepsy AIDS Brain Lesions Neuroendocrine Disorders ALS Hypoglycemia.
The next subject to address is our water supply. Once again we will need to address chemical pollutants resulting from farming and industry as well as the chlorine that is added to kill bacteria. Bottled water is not much better as it is usually nothing more than processed tap water. Even that expensive spring water may be full of harmful contaminants. Common methods of purifying can remove the chemicals but it also removes the important minerals our bodies need. Did you know that our water contains pharmaceuticals? Many people flush their unused or outdated medications down the toilet and what do you think happens to that water after it is flushed….it is treated for bacteria and other pathogens and then routed back into the water system. That next glass of tap water may contain the chemicals from someone's medicine cabinet which could be harmful to you or your family's health.
Proper hydration is essential to a healthy life. Even the best filtration systems will not be able to remove the pharmaceuticals from your water and reverse osmosis and distilled water are void of necessary minerals that our body's need during the purification process. Well water can be potentially harmful due to the seepage and run off of chemicals used in farming, lawn and garden care. Rainwater is no less safe as it passes through our contaminated polluted atmosphere.
The last thing I would like to address are pharmaceuticals. I wonder if you have connected the dots in this article. I mean, really, our environment, our food, our water, what do they all have in common? They are creating human toxic bodies and what are these human toxic bodies creating…disease! And who is benefiting from these diseases? You guessed it, the pharmaceutical companies. I will be the last person to say that we don't need medications because we do. Without them we would not have rid ourselves from some of histories deadliest diseases. So yes, we do need drugs but are these drugs being manufactured to treat the diseases or are the diseases being created to promote the manufacturing of the drugs? It's obvious the drugs aren't curing the disease. It's also obvious that there is no one interested in finding the cure or cause of the disease. The drugs are being manufactured to treat the symptoms and the symptoms are not the disease. The profit is in the treating of those symptoms, it is not in the cure. The profit is in the prescribed drug that results in more prescribed drugs to relieve the side effects until you are suffering the "side effect" roller coaster. By the time you get to this point, who knows what the initial cause of the symptom were or for that matter, who can remember.
We have become an "instant society". We want more by doing less and we want it now! We don't stop to think of the consequences, we don't have time to wait on food, we want it fast. We don't have time to wait on Mother Nature she is too slow. If there is a drug problem in our society we are all to blame because we are all chemically dependent! We are chemically dependent for our food, our water, our health. Everything we use or eat or rely on in our daily lives is dependent on chemicals, and now, that chemical dependency is coming back around and it is killing us.
So, have you thrown your arms up in despair? Is all this information just too overwhelming? As someone once said to me, "Ya gotta die from somethin". Is that the attitude you will take after reading this article? Are you so chemically dependent that you would rather die than find the patience to live? Isn't it ironic that the very technology that sustains us is also what is killing us! If you are willing to take the time, there are answers out there but they won't be quick and they may not be easy. You just may have to work at being patient in order to eat, live and breathe a healthy life!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
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