TOXINS & OBESITY: Connected at the Hip

Can cleansing your body shed unwanted pounds?
By Cherri Gann

Why are moe and more Americans getting fat? The lastest national Health and Nutritional Examination Surve (2003-2004) by the U.S. Centers For Disease Control indicates that an estimated 66% of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese, but other studies say that number is as high as 80%. Either way, excess fat is a huge problem in our society, and, according to the studies by the US Department of Health & Human Services, in spite of efforts to turn it around, more Americans are tipping the scales higher each year.

Environmental Effect

What's the cause of all this excess poundage? Is it because we have become couch potates, eating too much and moving too little? Is it the restaurants tempting us with jumbo servings of high-fat entrees, or the fast food joints with their greasy fare and convenient drive-through windows?

Consider also the construct of our "mobile society," which requires us to drive long distances- instead of walking- to work or to go shopping. Due to laziness or time constraints, we literally have anything and everything done for us, which also contributes to our lack of activity.

But what about the people who exercise regularly and try to watch what they eat, yet the pounds still won't budge? There's another complex issue at work here - environmental toxins. We're talking about toxins associated with processed foods, unfiltered water and air pollution. Household chemicals and cosmetics are also a factor. We are assaulted each day by poisons in our air, water, food and homes.

Here is a partial list of toxins found in everyday life:

--Trans-fatty acids (from fast foods)
--Chemical additives in prepackaged food
--Insecticide residue
--Prescription drugs
--Alcohol
--Cigarette smoke
--Formaldehyde (from new carpets & processed wood furniture)
--Hair dyes, cosmetics and deoderants
--Gasoline
--Chlorinated water
--Home cleaning fluids

Toxic Traffic

What does all this have to do with excess weight? It's the key to the obesity epidemic, because these toxins reside in our fat and interrupt our body's natural processes.

In The Body Restoration Plan: Eliminate Chemical Calories and Restore Your Body's Natural Slimming System, Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton argues that our natural weight regulation systems are being poisoned by the toxic chemicals we encounter daily, which make it harder for our bodies to maintain proper weight. These toxins hamper our metabolic and appetite-regulating systems.

For example, livestock headed for market are injected with estrogen to fatten then up and fed pesticide-laden grains. We ingets the meat from these animals, and it affects our metabilism by making it harder for us to realize when we're hungry or when we need to burn off the calories we've taken in.

Even if you're not obese, without a nutritional diet that promotes the cleansing of these substances, the body will lose its strength and vitality. The immune system will become suppressed, contributing to illness and disease. An article in Alternative Medicine Review suggests a toxic system has been associated with several chronic diseases, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Parkinson's Disease, and Cancer.

Our bodies protect us by using any nutritional substance they can find while eliminating dangerous material. Often, this system becomes overwhelmed, and the body's general response is to encase toxic material with mucous or excess fat, some of which people carry for years.

Many people suffer from diseas, sickness and pain because they aren't properly eliminating poisons, chemicals, preservatives and environmental toxins from their bodies. Years of bad eating habits, low water intake, low-fiber diets, sedentary living and other lifestyle choices slow the sigestive processes.

Clean it up

You can cleanse your system back to health. Cleansing your body by nutritionally supporting your body's organs to rid themselves of impurities and toxic materials is essential for good health.

Cleansing is the way to begin to address these problems. Cleansing can help the body naturally remove harmful substances and return its natural balance with good immune and eliminative functions. some experts believe cleansng can help overcome food cravings, re-establish natural hunger and restore our appreciation for healthy foods.

The physical manifestations of cleansing include increased energy, better sleep, clearer skin, sharpened senses, a cleaner body and increased relaxation. The mental and spiritual aspects include greater creativity, self-confidence, motivation, optimism, and improved mental clarity.

But the positive effects aren't just physical. When the body has eliminated the buildup of harmful substances, we feel healthier, more energized, and better equipped to enjoy life's posibilities.


Article featured in Your Business at Home Magazine
Volume 1, Issue 7, October 2006