It is well-known today that we are all exposed to harmful chemicals and toxins. It is impossible to completely escape being exposed to harmful chemicals. Our bodies are magnificently designed with a very sophisticated system for the removal of harmful substances. When during a period of time the body is contaminated with more toxic substances than it can remove, some of the toxins are retained in body tissues and fluids.
Our bodies are always attempting to maintain a balance. There are many ways that a state of homeostasis is maintained. Everyone who took biology in high school has had the structural system of the body memorized: cells make tissues, tissues make organs, organs make systems, and systems make an organism—in this case the human body. With the understanding of the structural makeup, it is easy to see that the health of our individual cells comprises our overall health. And the toxic body burden acquired over a lifetime of intake inhibits the cell’s ability to function properly, in turn affecting the body’s ability to operate as a whole.
This was demonstrated in a study conducted by Dr. Alexis Carrell in 1912. In his experiment, he confirmed the power of proper nourishment and detoxification. Dr. Carrell, in collaboration with Rockefeller Institute, took healthy, living tissue from a chicken and immersed it in a solution that provided optimal nutrition and no harmful chemicals. The solution was changed regularly to eliminate toxic waste produced for a time by the cell. Carrell’s objective was to prove that cells could live for a long period of time when provided with optimal nutrition free of harmful substances. Under these conditions, the cultivated cells lived for 34 years! The tissue finally died only when a lab assistant forgot one day to change the solution. Under the best of conditions, the cell’s life was extended not just days but decades beyond expectancy! In fact, it was 21 years past the life expectancy of the organism from which it came!
God designed the human body with systems to eliminate harmful substances from our bodies. The process of toxic waste elimination begins at the cellular level. The cells carry out their duties related to detoxification in several ways. One way this is done is by the cell’s ability to engulf, devour, and destroy a toxin. In other cases, the body releases free radicals (a molecule with one unpaired electron) to rid the body of toxic material. Another method that is employed primarily by the liver, but occurs also in the cells, neutralizes toxic chemical compounds in a two-phase process. The first phase is a biochemical transformation of a toxin into a secondary substance. Phase two neutralizes the altered substance and transforms it to an element the body can easily eliminate.
In addition to this, practically every system of the body is involved in detoxification. The organs designed for this are, of course, the liver, kidneys, and the systems particularly pertaining to the lymphatic system, the respiratory system, the skin or the alimentary tract and the circulatory system, including the lymphatic system.
Yet, even with the entire body working as a unit to keep a healthy balance, the intake of harmful substances can be greater than the body can keep up with. Because of the intensity of the pollution in air, water and food, it is needful for optimal health to evaluate a person’s home environment, diet, workplace and hygienic practices. Some helpful questions are, Am I drinking pure soft water, and am I breathing pure air, and am I eating food that has not been chemically manipulated? Because of air pollution some people living in large cities have been able to obtain relief from various maladies by installing an air purification system in their home.
“The medicine of the future will be found in food.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes.) God created in nature everything that we would need to keep our bodies healthy, and it has long been recognized, although not generally accepted, that nutrition is a key component to healthy lives. Hippocrates, 460 to 370 B.C. understood this principle well. “Let thy medicine be thy food and thy food thy medicine.” Certain herbs contain properties useful for detoxification.
Just as we clean our houses, our cars, and our outer bodies, the inner body too needs to be clean. Often times it is best done once a year to restore our bodies to a natural state, void of built-up poisons.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of the world uses herbs as the basis of their medical practices. These herbs are used for preventative medicine and cleansing, as well as for healing. This practice has allowed other cultures to aid their bodies in combating illnesses and terminal diseases that would otherwise be more prevalent and maintain a more ideal environment for the basic units of life—cells.
There are many cleansing programs that are available now, but not all are effective.
Children and pregnant women should not attempt any detoxification program without medical advice. Some people believe that nobody should attempt any type of bodily cleansing program without a physician’s advice, but at the present time in most c0untries herbal cleansing programs are available in health food stores and have been used by millions of people on their own. But if you have a chronic disease of any kind or have any hesitation because of any physical problem, it would certainly be wise for you to consult a physician prior to beginning a cleansing program. A cleansing program should be for a limited time only (a few days) and not repeated over and over again without medical advice. Once you are through with a cleansing regimen, it is important to maintain your body’s cleanliness to experience the greatest results. A diet rich in fresh, unprocessed foods reduces the amount of toxins ingested; it also boosts the body’s ability to eliminate what toxins are unavoidable in the environment. A diet derived from fresh foods provides nutrients that we do not get from foods that are processed. “Between the mind and the body there is a mysterious and wonderful relation. They react upon each other. To keep the body in a healthy condition to develop its strength, that every part of the living machinery may act harmoniously, should be the first study of our life. To neglect the body is to neglect the mind.” Counsels on Health, 122.