Within the body, minerals such as Magnesium are responsible for essential functions all the way down to the cellular level. Magnesium in particular, acts as a catalyst for hundreds of functions within the body. When a deficiency of this and other minerals exists within the body, even vitamins cannot be properly utilized, or even absorbed.
The consumption of processed sugar, salt, and foods with additives and preservatives will sap essential minerals from the body. Even worse, if a mineral deficiency already exists within the body, the consumption of these processed substances over a period of time will cause the minerals to be sought from bone marrow, opening the path for Osteoporosis.
The reason these foods sap minerals from the body is because of the way these foods are manufactured. Both salt and sugar are normally bleached with chemicals, or via a process of chemicals and high-heat, stripping them of any naturally-present enzymes, minerals, and vitamins. Once the bleaching and processing is complete, you are left with substances which can be thought of as having an overly "negative charge". In other words, they are devoid of any nutrients whatsoever. To get rid of them, the body must then use essential minerals to bind to the substances, giving them a "positive charge", which then allows for proper elimination of these substances.
This is essentially the process of detoxification which the body uses to get rid of any substances it deems foreign, and there exist many different detoxification pathways which are used depending on the situation. This is also why ingestion of pharmaceutical or recreational drugs often causes vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Finally, a word about preservatives. In nature, there exist tiny microbes whose sole function it is to break down dead matter. These microbes are everywhere, and are not "bad". Rather, they simply perform the function they are meant to.
Preservatives act to retard the natural spoilage and oxidation of foods. Once they are ingested in the body, however, they function the opposite way: they cause the body to signal that its tissues are in fact 'dead'. The microbes mentioned above then begin to break down tissues, because that is their function. The result then, is premature aging.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
A Warning about Fragrances, Colognes, and Scented products
Perfumes, artificial air deodorizers, and other artificially-scented personal care products often contain petroleum-based chemicals which over time can lead to serious health problems.
All too often, companies market said products under the guise of cleanliness but in fact they are anything but. The important thing to remember is that the perfume industry is entirely unregulated, which means many of the ingredients are not tested for long-term health hazards and many of the said companies are not required to disclose potentially harmful and dangerous ingredients their products may contain.
This is especially true for the less-expensive 'generic' perfumes or to put it bluntly, cheap ones.
How might the ingredients affect someone's health you ask? Without going into too much detail, the way scented products generally retain their fragrance over a period of time is often because they contain plastics/petroleum-based chemicals which are just that: chemical reactions. Many of these ingredients are in fact mutagenic, https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Mutagen meaning that they have the ability to bind to a person's DNA, causing low-level cellular damage and in some cases, Cancer.
Apart from the mutagenic factor, it is now being understood that many chemicals and additives act like the female hormone Estrogen once inside the body, both for Men and for Women, and can cause a person to gain weight because these substances store themselves in fat cells. As a result, it can make burning fat even THAT much harder, even if one is active, because the body fat now contains chemical substances which become very difficult to flush out.
A final consequence of using products which contain artificial scents is a phenomena called Chemical Sensitivity or MCS https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Multiple_chemical_sensitivity
To give an example, I once worked with a middle-aged woman who wore a heavy amount of perfume. To myself and to many others, her perfume smelled quite chemical and quite strong. Over a period of a year, I gradually began to notice the woman had constant phlegm, and a constant cough. She was a non-smoker, yet had a cough like she had been smoking for years. She also began to have an appearance like she was 'high' or 'stoned' but in fact she did not take any illegal substances. The culprit it was found was her perfume: because she didn't ever give thought to it, and because she constantly exposed herself to some chemical component present in it, she began to manifest constant flu-like symptoms.
Physiologically, she developed excessive constant phlegm because that was a defense of her body, the phlegm was a reaction by her body to the chemicals present in her perfume. Usually these symptoms disappear once a person removes their particular trigger (in this case a certain perfume) because the body has a remarkable ability to heal itself if it is allowed to.
All too often, companies market said products under the guise of cleanliness but in fact they are anything but. The important thing to remember is that the perfume industry is entirely unregulated, which means many of the ingredients are not tested for long-term health hazards and many of the said companies are not required to disclose potentially harmful and dangerous ingredients their products may contain.
This is especially true for the less-expensive 'generic' perfumes or to put it bluntly, cheap ones.
How might the ingredients affect someone's health you ask? Without going into too much detail, the way scented products generally retain their fragrance over a period of time is often because they contain plastics/petroleum-based chemicals which are just that: chemical reactions. Many of these ingredients are in fact mutagenic, https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Mutagen meaning that they have the ability to bind to a person's DNA, causing low-level cellular damage and in some cases, Cancer.
Apart from the mutagenic factor, it is now being understood that many chemicals and additives act like the female hormone Estrogen once inside the body, both for Men and for Women, and can cause a person to gain weight because these substances store themselves in fat cells. As a result, it can make burning fat even THAT much harder, even if one is active, because the body fat now contains chemical substances which become very difficult to flush out.
A final consequence of using products which contain artificial scents is a phenomena called Chemical Sensitivity or MCS https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Multiple_chemical_sensitivity
To give an example, I once worked with a middle-aged woman who wore a heavy amount of perfume. To myself and to many others, her perfume smelled quite chemical and quite strong. Over a period of a year, I gradually began to notice the woman had constant phlegm, and a constant cough. She was a non-smoker, yet had a cough like she had been smoking for years. She also began to have an appearance like she was 'high' or 'stoned' but in fact she did not take any illegal substances. The culprit it was found was her perfume: because she didn't ever give thought to it, and because she constantly exposed herself to some chemical component present in it, she began to manifest constant flu-like symptoms.
Physiologically, she developed excessive constant phlegm because that was a defense of her body, the phlegm was a reaction by her body to the chemicals present in her perfume. Usually these symptoms disappear once a person removes their particular trigger (in this case a certain perfume) because the body has a remarkable ability to heal itself if it is allowed to.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Keeping the body Loose
Oxygen plays an important role in cleaning out toxins and burning fat in the body.
If your schedule allows it, think about putting in light activity or light workouts throughout the day rather than in one large block. This is especially a good strategy for those wanting to become more active or those looking to lose weight.
Keeping the body supple throughout the day will ensure your muscles don't become stiff and will ensure that adequate oxygen circulates throughout the body, important for burning fat and cleaning out toxins in the blood and tissues.
If you take the example of an Office worker sitting at a desk for hours on end, physiologically and more often than not, their posture suffers, the muscles throughout the body become 'tight', and breathing and oxygen distribution becomes minimal, thus causing even MORE tightness. It's a vicious cycle but can be minimized even in the above example by moving the body, doing light stretching throughout the day, taking a walk during one's break etc.
If your schedule allows it, think about putting in light activity or light workouts throughout the day rather than in one large block. This is especially a good strategy for those wanting to become more active or those looking to lose weight.
Keeping the body supple throughout the day will ensure your muscles don't become stiff and will ensure that adequate oxygen circulates throughout the body, important for burning fat and cleaning out toxins in the blood and tissues.
If you take the example of an Office worker sitting at a desk for hours on end, physiologically and more often than not, their posture suffers, the muscles throughout the body become 'tight', and breathing and oxygen distribution becomes minimal, thus causing even MORE tightness. It's a vicious cycle but can be minimized even in the above example by moving the body, doing light stretching throughout the day, taking a walk during one's break etc.
Being in Season
The body's biological clock is parallel to that of the climate one is in.
Unfortunately, supermarkets today give the illusion that there are no Seasons. As an example, you can for purchase bananas or pineapple (both tropical fruits) in Winter even if you live in a temperate zone where there is a harsh Winter (e.g. Chicago).
To expand on this example, people living in the tropical climates, where for instance bananas or pineapples grow, have evolved eating certain foods over thousands of years. Eating tropical fruits such as pineapples actually opens up the pores of the skin, a natural cooling mechanism for people of these regions. In the same manner, the Eskimo people who evolved in a very cold climate, have for centuries eaten more rich animal-based foods because these foods are contracting, and allow the body to shield against the harsh cold.
Eating foods out-of-season and those not meant for your region (such as tropical fruits and juices in Winter) will throw the body off, and make it more susceptible to contracting colds and different strains of flu. It will also cause discomfort because the body will be less able to adapt to weather changes and usually will cause a person to rely overly on artificial heating and cooling, which for some people can throw off their sleep cycle, further weakening the immune system. It is important and essential to let the body experience the weather changes because this allows the body's internal clock to 'know what time it is'.
If you are traveling, and need to adjust your body's clock, periodically expose yourself to a light and moderate amount of sunlight in the new area you find yourself in. This will help the body adjust your internal clock and will lessen the effect of jet-lag.
Unfortunately, supermarkets today give the illusion that there are no Seasons. As an example, you can for purchase bananas or pineapple (both tropical fruits) in Winter even if you live in a temperate zone where there is a harsh Winter (e.g. Chicago).
To expand on this example, people living in the tropical climates, where for instance bananas or pineapples grow, have evolved eating certain foods over thousands of years. Eating tropical fruits such as pineapples actually opens up the pores of the skin, a natural cooling mechanism for people of these regions. In the same manner, the Eskimo people who evolved in a very cold climate, have for centuries eaten more rich animal-based foods because these foods are contracting, and allow the body to shield against the harsh cold.
Eating foods out-of-season and those not meant for your region (such as tropical fruits and juices in Winter) will throw the body off, and make it more susceptible to contracting colds and different strains of flu. It will also cause discomfort because the body will be less able to adapt to weather changes and usually will cause a person to rely overly on artificial heating and cooling, which for some people can throw off their sleep cycle, further weakening the immune system. It is important and essential to let the body experience the weather changes because this allows the body's internal clock to 'know what time it is'.
If you are traveling, and need to adjust your body's clock, periodically expose yourself to a light and moderate amount of sunlight in the new area you find yourself in. This will help the body adjust your internal clock and will lessen the effect of jet-lag.
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