Toxins

Are we hurting and heavy? One of the top seven killers is diabetes, associated with obesity and increased sugar consumption. Obesity has increased to the extent that stadium seats had to be increased two inches in width about 15 years ago. Headaches alone account for one of 25 doctor visits. 15-45 million Americans have chronic headaches. [20] $2 billion is spent on over-the-counter pain killers. In a 1996 Business Week survey of what Americans feel they can't live without, 19% say they can't live without aspirin. All of these are degenerative diseases or conditions. Two things contribute to the development of degenerative diseases: Too much bad stuff - toxic chemicals Not enough good stuff - nutrients. Take out the bad and put in the good . . . then your body will work as it should! What's going to protect you from truckloads of harm? We are exposed to amounts of toxic chemicals well beyond what our bodies were designed to cope with. For example, in 1989, according to the 1989 Toxic Release Inventory National Report, U.S. EPA, Office of Toxic Substances: [30,31] Over 1/2 billion pounds of industrial chemicals were dumped into the public sewage system. 1.2 billions pounds of chemicals were released into the ground, threatening our natural aquifers (water sources). Almost 200 million pounds of chemicals were discharged into surface waters. Almost 2.5 billion pounds of air emissions entered the atmosphere. In short, over 5.7 billion pounds of chemical pollutants were released into the environment in 1989, in the U.S. alone. To put this huge number into perspective, imagine these toxins filling semi-trailers, each holding 45,000 pounds. This convoy of trailers could form an unbroken line reaching from Los Angeles to Des Moines, IA! [31] The question becomes: How much of this is in your body? Since all this poison is more than we can deal with, it becomes clear that we need some help. Help comes in many forms, but two major sources are: Feeding the good guys - Nutrients to help feed and protect our bodies, including our natural detoxification systems, and help them perform optimally. Disarming the bad guys - Antioxidants to help prevent free radical damage, widely talked about in the news and discussed throughout this book.