Untold Truth #1:  Your World Is Making Your Body Toxic

Everyday, you are exposed to hundreds (if not thousands) of chemicals, many of which did not exist 100 years ago. These chemicals are present in the air you breathe, in the water you drink, in the food you consume and in the products you put on your skin.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in one year, the amount of toxins dumped into the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink was equivalent to loading eighteen-wheelers full of toxins and placing them end to end. The line would go from Los Angeles, CA to Des Moines, IA! This represents the toxins that are contaminating everything around you in any given year.

Your body can handle small amounts of toxins - it does it all the time. That's why your body is equipped with detoxification systems. And if you were exposed to these toxins one at a time, you could probably handle them. The problem is you're getting small amounts of many different toxins, which, compounded by the problem of nutritional deficiencies caused by consuming refined and processed foods, cause your detoxifications systems to become overwhelmed. And as your body gets backlogged with toxins, it becomes irritated, inflaming and damaging various tissues and organs.

Inflammation can be thought of as the "mother" of all diseases. Nearly all chronic and degenerative diseases begin with an inflammatory process, including heart disease and cancer.

Fortunately there is another answer to the diseases caused by these toxins - cleansing. While cleansing isn't a "cure-all", you'll be amazed at how many of your minor aches and pains, chronic health problems and even emotional problems diminish or simply disappear when you stop trying to suppress the efforts of the body to eliminate toxins and start helping it.  Recommended cleansing products are CleanStart, Tiao He Cleanse, Dieter's Cleanse and ParaCleanse.

Untold Truth #2: Your Body Has Several Pathways of Detoxification 
What makes toxins so difficult to eliminate is that they are fat-soluble substances, not water-soluble substances. Before your body can flush them from your system, it has to be converted to a water-soluble form. This process involves two steps - phase 1 detoxification and phase 2 detoxification.

Phase 1 Detoxification breaks down the toxins into water-soluble substances. Ten different families of enzymes, including glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, carry them out.  Not only do these enzymes help prevent the oxidation of fats, they also help to break down toxins from car exhaust, smoke, drugs, radiation and other carcinogens.

There are several problems that can occur during, or because of Phase 1 Detoxification. First, phase 1 detoxification can produce free radicals. Fortunately, by supplementing with antioxidant, you can help offset the damage caused during phase 1 detoxification. Nutrients that help protect the body include: carotenoids, vitamin A, vitamin C, selenium, copper, zinc, manganese, coenzymes Q10, silymarin (from milk thistle) and proanthocyanidines.

Phase 2 Detoxification 

Of course it is very important for the intermediate metabolites created in phase 1 to undergo phase 2 as quickly as possible. There is growing scientific evidence suggesting that certain diseases are the direct result of damage to the body from poor phase 2 detoxification. Some of the diseases that may be caused by toxic intermediate metabolites and free radicals include cancer, Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, lupus and immune dysfunction.

In phase 2, various enzymes act directly on the toxic substances by binding them with protective compounds, thereby either inactivating or neutralizing the toxins. Substances that increase activity of phase 2 detoxification enzymes are flavonoids found in fruits, vegetables and many herbs. Ellagic acid, found in red grape skin, induces several phase 2 enzymes while decreasing phase 1 activity. Other substances that can induce phase 2 enzyme activity include garlic, rosemary, soy and cabbage.

Untold Truth #3: Select Nutrients Can Help You Detoxify Every Day 

According to the 2002 study published in the Journal of American Medical Medical Association, "Most people do not consume an optimal amount of vitamins by diet alone. Pending strong evidence of effectiveness from random trials, it appears prudent for all adults to take vitamin supplements." Taking a multivitamin is an easy, convenient way to reintroduce these vitamins and minerals into your diet.

When choosing a multivitamin, make sure it contains a wide variety of nutrients, in the right dosages.  Ideally it should include:

• vitamin A (8,000 IU as beta-carotene and 8,000 U as palmitate)
• vitamin C (500 mg)
• vitamin D (600 IU)
• the full range of B-complex vitamins (including 400 mcg of folic acid, 300 mcg of biotin and 150 mg of pantothenic acid)
• vitamin E (100 IU)
• lutein (2 mg)
• lycopene (1 mg)
• calcium (400 mg)
• magnesium (400 mg)
• potassium (100 mg)
• phosphorous (200 mg)
• iodine (200 mcg)
• chromium (100 mcg)
• copper (2 mg)

Arm Yourself With Antioxidants

Antioxidants gobble up as many free radicals as they can and deactivate them, helping prevent inflammation, which is the key step in reducing heart disease and protecting your genetic material.

When choosing an antioxidant supplement, look for a product that contains both bioflavonoids and xanthones. Bioflavonoids aid your body's immune system while xanthones provide powerful immune, digestive and cardiovascular support. Mangosteen, a fruit found in the eastern tropical countries such as Thailand, contains the greatest known supply of xanthones.  Try Thai-Go or Nature's Noni.

Fill Up On Fiber 

While it seems like it would be easy to consume the recommended 25-40 grams of fiber a day, most Americans fall dangerously short of this. That's why I recommend supplementing with a fiber product - ideally one that contains apple pectin, oat bran and/or psyllium husks, such as Nature's Three. Since the late 1950's apple pectin has been known to increase the excretion of cholesterol and lipids and to bind with bile acids to lower cholesterol and fat absorption.

Oat bran is another excellent source of dietary fiber and is safe for individuals sensitive to grain gluten. Furthermore, oat bran has been shown to decrease fecal pH, which is indicated as a possible risk factor for developing colon cancer. 

And finally, psyllium hulls are comprised of 70% soluble fiber. Psyllium hulls cleanse the intestines and absorbs toxins adhered to the intestinal walls. Numerous studies also demonstrate psylliums ability to significantly lower both total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. 

Digestive Support 

All foods need to be properly digested to allow you to adequately break down the different components of food and absorb all the nutrients they contain, and digestive enzymes are the keys to this process. They work in your mouth and stomach where they predigest foods. They also operate in the small intestine where they aid pancreatic enzymes in continuing the digestive process.

A good enzyme product should contain the full range of digestive enzymes: Pepsin, papain, bromelain (digest protein), bile salts and lipase (digest fats) and amylase (digests carbohydrates). Recommended digestive enzymes are Food Enzymes, Protease Plus, and Proactazyme Plus

Drink to Your Health

Taking a cleansing herb and juice drink every morning is a beneficial part of a daily health maintenance program. Try this basic "recipe", which can be modified to suit your individual needs.

• 2 Tablespoons Aloe Vera Juice,  Nature's Noni or an antioxidant juice blend.
  
• 2 Tablespoons Liquid Chlorophyll
• 1 heaping teaspoon of a high-quality fiber blend Nature's Three or Psyllium Hulls Combination