Understanding Toxemia
 Orthodox medicine tends to look for a germ as the cause of a particular disease (though not always for chronic or degenerative diseases). Where no germ can be found, the cause may be given as unknown. Natural health looks at a completely different picture. Realizing that almost all illnesses today are diseases of civilization – which means diseases of lifestyle- the underlying causes of our vast range of health problems, plus premature aging, become perfectly clear. We find the basic causes of illness in daily living: our modern diet, stress, lack of exercise, and man-made chemicals are the four key areas. The progression from modern lifestyle…to deterioration within the body… to disease is almost in- avoidable. When we understand this, it enables us to gain control of our physical and mental well being. This understanding is increased by three basic principles, which are considered natural laws that support human health and provide the key to the means of restoration and maintenance of our health. We can distinguish three Fundamental Natural Health Principles:

1. Good health is a normal state and should continue from birth until death. Illness and premature aging will not occur, unless we do something to cause them to occur.

2. Broadly speaking, disease is not an attack on the body by some foreign agent. Rather it is the body’s defenses at work attempting to preserve the status quo of good health.

3. The human body, given the right conditions, is an efficient, self-healing organism. We all know that a cut on the skin will heal, but damage to internal organs is another matter. They have just the same ability to heal. When we consider the phenomenal health of populations that were isolated from the Western world, it is easier to accept the first principle, which is fundamental. Arthritis, obesity, heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, colds, flu, skin disease, etc. rarely occur because of defects in the human body: they occur because we unwittingly make them happen. Principle No. 2 depends on an understanding of the natural relationship between germs and humans. They are not the primary cause of disease. Principle No. 3 is explored in the following subject.

We will now have a look at what (according to Natural Health theory and experience),
is the cause of illness – or better still, what causes health – and look at how diet, stress, exercise and chemicals affect body and mind.

Toxemia from food and chemicals.
The typical modern way of eating is at the top of the list for most individuals.
It is usually too concentrated, containing excess fat, protein and refined carbohydrates.
It is lacking fiber, vitamins and minerals, and contains food additives, pesticides and
stimulants such as coffee, tea, salt, pepper and alcohol.

The unavoidable result of this type of eating is that toxic waste products of metabolism are
formed quicker than the body can eliminate them by the liver and kidneys, resulting in
a build-up in the body. This condition in Natural Health is called ‘toxemia’ or ‘acidosis’-
because the wastes are acidic and so tissue fluids become more acidic that they should be.

Synthetic chemicals, including air and water pollutants, pesticides, food additives and
drugs, are often toxic and contribute to toxemia.

Because of lack of exercise, circulation is sluggish and doesn’t get the r5egular boost that is
needed to flush waste products out of the tissues and for detoxification and elimination from the body.

Stress and inadequate sleep devour vital nerve energy and leave insufficient available for
normal activities that include digestion, assimilation of nutrients and elimination of waste.
As a result, waste products build up even more quickly and the toxemia increases further.

The effects of negative attitudes like anger, resentment, bitterness, intolerance, and greed
works like putting grit in the bearings of an engine: our system wear out sooner.
However, positive attitudes such as love, kindness, tolerance and generosity works like
oil on the bearings for smooth running. Negative attitudes indirectly contribute to toxemia.

While coping with the demands of everyday living – plus the toxins – overworked organs
and tissues become exhausted, or better still, enervated (depleted in nerve energy).
Enervation diminishes elimination, which further increases the toxemia.
So a vicious cycle is created. The combination of toxemia and enervation is the basic
cause underlying most diseases.

How do we know if we are toxic?
Toxemia comes in many shades of grey, ranging from a little to a lot.
And the first thing you want to know is – how toxic am I?
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to find out. In fact, it is possible to be in quite a ‘polluted’ state and be unaware of anything wrong. Probably the most reliable indication is provided by iridology (analysis of the iris of the eye), conducted by a skilled practitioner.

But there are signs you can look for to get an idea. Any of the following signs may be present:

*  Constantly feeling unwell, off color, a bit ‘crook’.
*  Always tired, like your batteries are flat. The extreme case is chronic fatigue syndrome.
*  Repeated minor ailments, like colds and headaches. You ‘pick up’ infections easily.
*  It’s an effort to drag yourself out of bed in the morning and you need coffee to get going.
*  The breath is off and it’s not due to problems with teeth.
*  There is body odor that returns soon after showering.
*  The tongue is coated, especially first thing in the morning.
*  Wound healing is poor; the smallest cuts become inflamed and remain so for days.
*  You feel persistent aches and pains, not due to physical injury or muscle or joint strain.
*  There is degenerative disease.  

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