A healthy excretory system is necessary.

Besides the skin which helps us to dispose of our toxic wastes, there is our excretory system which takes out what our body does not need, such as excess liquids and food.

When it comes to food, it goes into our stomach, the food is digested and the remainder that has not been used goes down to the colon either to stay there for a short while or a day or even two or three days, sometimes a week or more before it is eliminated from the body.

How long the food stays in the colon depends upon a number of factors. One is the habit of flushing all the feces down every morning, afternoon or evening. Another is the amount of fibres in your diet.

If you have a habit of visiting your 'pleasure chamber' first thing in the morning,then you have not much of a problem.But there are people who are not in the habit of going to the toilet everyday. Some of them can even last for a week without having to bother about flushing waste down.

If that is the case, have we ever thought what could possibly be happening to the waste accumulated there in the colon, rotting there, emitting all kind of gas and multiplying all kind of bacteria and increasing the amount of toxins as a result. Would the toxins leach back into the body through the walls of the colon into the bloodstream into our body? Would not that add problems to the immune system and our health. That is exactly the reason why we have to remove waste as soon as it reaches its terminal point.

So as to avoid such a terrible occurrence, the best move is to eliminate all waste at the earliest possible, just before or after the next meal. Then, there would be no possible contamination of our body with unnecessary toxins. I believe three times a day is best and I have been able to achieve that with the amount of raw greens that I take together with my major meals.

Excess liquids which are not too much can help dissolve some of the waste to be removed through the kidneys and the liver through the urinary organs. However it is up to us to prevent our oprgans from deteriorating by taking clean water and nutritional liquids which do not tax our organs too much.

When it comes to the kidneys, there are a number of sicknesses that can cause renal failure. Other than those illnesses, we should ensure that there is sufficient blood flow as it is through good blood flow that toxins and wastes are brought to the kidneys for elimination from the body. Poor blood flow could be due to dehydration. It could, of course come about as a result of serious injury, burns, bleeding or even through blood loss from surgery. Therefore we should drink sufficient water.

The liver is another eliminating organ of importance. Yet we never think if its health. It's always heart, heart and heart but never the liver. And because of that the drinkers would take as much alcoholic drinks as they feel they can withstand. What about the amount our liver can withstand? What about the amount that can cause what is known as a fat liver? What if the amount we can stand is enough to burn the liver?

Well, I admit I was an egoistic drinker once during my heady young days. Challenging others just because I was clever enough to know how high I can go and stupid enough to think that I could beat them by secretly drinking some water and urinating out the alcohol. I thought i was great until God showed me how wrong I was. Thank God for that! One day, while I was at the hospital I met a middle-aged policeman who was observing his own shaking outstretched hand with tear-drops in his eyes. I was so moved that i just had to ask him what the problem was. He had a burnt liver from drinking alcohol drinks every evening. Since then I understood that was not the way I intended to go. So, I stopped drinking. But stopping is not as easily done as said. It took me a lot of determination and fighting off the "I know you can drink." that my well-intentioned friends constantly urged. Glad to say I won that round.

Sugar can be also a problem when it comes to a fatty liver. Since a fatty liver can lead to many problems and diabetes, we have to be careful about using too much sugar in our food and fruit juices. Why add sugar to fruit juices anyway? Furthermore, sugar looks like such an unhealthy food. Of course, not all kinds of sugar are bad as research seems to find certain kinds of sugar such as cane sugar and sugar from berries good. Whatever it is, limiting sugar intake is apparently a good move.

Well, obviously, looking after our body and its organs is just as important as the type of food, exercise and rest that we are so aware of.

Sweet Seduction by Stan Gardner, MD

It pervades our lives, infiltrates our food supply, changes our behavior, interferes with our brain and body function, and can ultimately lead to aches, pains, and disease -- with early death as a side effect. Yet this subtle deceiver is featured at every party and every holiday, given as gifts to loved ones, and paraded before our eyes in an enticing panorama of tempting tastes.

You guessed it -- I'm talking about sugar.

If you want to jumpstart your energy, enhance your overall health, and strengthen your immune system, you'll want to pay careful attention to how you can get off of sugar simply and painlessly.

Researchers recently reported at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology,1 that sugar induced a reaction in the brain of rats similar to the reaction of morphine and other drugs. This may be the first scientific evidence of what we have suspected for years -- sugar is addictive. When I reported this finding on my website, I was flooded with hundreds of pleas for help to get off sugar addiction.

Even knowing the harmful effects that sugar has on our bodies does not stop the cravings and the addictive behavior. One reader wrote, "Please hurry, I need to get off the sugar roller coaster... and get healthy again."

Another writer said, "I have always wanted to be free of my sugar addiction... It just feels like I (and my family) would have to be in a bubble to avoid all that sugar. I was in the store yesterday and passed by a big display of Easter candy. I just got through Valentine's. Help!"

We find sugar or its manufactured counterpart, high fructose corn syrup, in almost all processed food. That is, all food placed in a can or a box. It's even added to ketchup! Soda pop is one of the most pervasive sources of sugar in America.
In order to understand the effects of sugar on our bodies, we need to first understand the normal metabolism of carbohydrates in our bodies. There is no known "minimum daily requirement" for carbohydrate ingestion into our bodies like there is for proteins and fats. All carbohydrates eventually break down into glucose.

Unlike complex carbs (from natural fruit and vegetable sources), which take more effort to digest, and release their sugar load more slowly, simple carbs (including foods containing refined sugar or high-fructose corn syrup) break down quickly, with immediate absorption of glucose into the bloodstream.

This immediate release of blood glucose initiates the production of high levels of insulin to help the cells absorb the glucose. And with this reaction, another set of problems arises. High insulin levels increase fat formation and storage, while inhibiting fat breakdown to be used as energy. This makes it easy to gain weight, and VERY difficult to lose weight.

High insulin also enhances sodium (salt) re-absorption from the kidneys, thus promoting water retention and hypertension. High insulin levels can stimulate certain ovarian hormones that result in elevations in free testosterone, which can lead to male sex characteristics in women.

If you want to get off the sugar roller coaster and permanently improve your health, here are some tips to help you on your way.
• Use fruit as a substitute. Fruit should be the sweetest thing you ingest. In the long term, fruit will fulfill your need for sweets.
• Don't have sugar in the house. Don't buy more sweets. Try the "don't buy it diet."
• Find a buddy to cheer you on, and one you can cheer on in your journey to health.
• Try two supplements that have helped some people with their cravings: the herb Gymnema and the amino acid L-glutamine.
• Be sure to take a potent multivitamin and omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids (finely ground flax seed oil may be your best choice, because it has both).
• Love your body as it is (inside AND outside). Address emotional issues that may be affecting your image or attitudes toward eating and health.
• Focus on "real" food -- natural organic meats and produce with no sugar or chemical additives.

Give it time and realize you are making important, lifelong changes. Perhaps soon, you'll be writing me a message similar to this one:

"I have known for some time that I am addicted to sugar. In September I cut out (for the most part) white refined flour and white refined sugar. I weigh myself every six weeks. Last time I weighed, I was down 20 pounds in 18 weeks. I look better, but more importantly, I feel better. This whole experience has made me want to learn more about sugar and its addictive nature."

To your dynamic health and energy!

Stan Gardner, MD

Reference
1. American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, source: http:www.acnp.org.
[Ed. Note: Stan Gardner, MD, has practiced energy and alternative medicine for over 10 years. He believes that many diseases could be prevented entirely, healed more quickly, and cause less damaging results through the application of proper nutrition. To visit his website and sign up for his free daily health secrets, click here.]

"This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise's Total Health Breakthroughs, offering alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription,
visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com”