Take Charge Of Your Health: Chemical Well-Being

Take Charge of Your Health: Chemical Well-BeingnnPart Three of a Four Part SeriesnnBy Dr. Darrin Robertson, D.C. www.yourhub.comnnWhat is Chemical Well-Being?nnWe began by exploring the meaning of health. My inspiration in taking the time to write these articles is to stimulate conversations around the common concept of health. I hope to create a paradigm shift by helping others take charge of their personal well-being. This week, we will be delving into Chemical Well-Being. nnAs mentioned last week, chemical well-being can be affected by everything from the foods we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, to the chemical residue in the dry cleaned shirt on your back. Our body is designed to utilize everything it absorbs as building blocks. Building blocks are used for everything from creating new muscle, hair, lung tissue, down to the walls around each individual cell. The chemicals we absorb affect our building blocks. Chemicals can affect us positively or negatively. American Heritage Dictionary defines chemical as "a substance produced by or used in a chemical process." Chemical Well-Being exists when two things occur: our body is able to ingest and utilize the nutrients it needs to properly form the tissues and cells in our body; and, our body must also counter the damage created by the toxins we ingest. nnEnemies of Chemical Well-Being nAny substance that enters your body will be utilized in some way. If your body absorbs a protein, commonly found in meat, eggs or beans, your body can use utilize this protein positively to do many things, such as rebuild tissues or cellular walls. If your body absorbs a trans fatty acid, which is found in any product containing hydrogenated oils, your body will utilize this man-made chemical in ways that are harmful to you.nnTrans fats are liquid fats that have been chemically altered to be solid at room temperature. When our bodies absorb a trans fat, our cells become more rigid and inflexible. The FDA states that there is no safe level for trans fats in our body. Trans fats have been linked to clogged arteries, coronary dysfunction and diabetes. Most packaged foods and fried foods contain trans fats. Trans fats have been created to increase the shelf life of products in stores. Fats naturally go rancid due to exposure to oxygen. By shifting the chemical structure of the fat, the chemists were able to delay the breakdown process of the oils. Therefore, stores can keep bread and other products on the shelves much longer. nnIf we consume trans fats, we have a more difficult time receiving information from our nervous system. Our cells, now rigid and inflexible due to trans fats, have difficulty interpreting messages from the spinal nerves. You may remember from our previous article that our nervous system is the master system; it is responsible for coordinating and controlling the function of all tissues, organs and cells in the body. Proper communication to and from the nervous system is imperative. If anything interferes with the nervous system, our body's ability to heal itself is immediately decreased. nnAnother prevalent ingredient in foods today is high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup has been shown to produce the following problems: insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance and high insulin, which are all linked to diabetes. In addition, high fructose corn syrup has been shown to produce high levels of triglycerides, which are considered to be the "bad fats." Hypertension, an arterial disease in which chronic high blood pressure is the primary symptom, is also connected to high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup tricks the body into thinking it needs to eat more.nnThe San Francisco Chronicle had the following to say:nn"Journalist Greg Critser lays out a compelling case against high fructose corn syrup in his 2003 book, Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World. He argues that federal policies that aimed to stabilize food prices and support corn production in the 1970s led to a glut of corn and then to high fructose corn syrup. With a cheaper way to sweeten food, producers pumped up the size and amount of sweet snacks and drinks on the market and increased profits. nnDr. George Bray, principal investigator of the Diabetes Prevention Program at Louisiana State University Medical Center told the International Congress on Obesity that in 1980, just after high fructose corn syrup was introduced in mass quantities, relatively stable obesity rates began to climb. By 2000, they had doubled." (If you'd like the link to this article email us.)nnWe all know about the devastating affects poor air quality has on our ozone; imagine what it is doing to our body. The government even created an agency, the EPA, to protect us against many of these pollutants. Many cities, including Denver, have banned smoking in public buildings. Obviously the EPA and our city government cannot alone ensure the purity of our air. We must do everything we can to create a clean environment, inside and out, to ensure our chemical wellness.nnLet's look at a possible pollutant from our advances in technology. EMFs, electromagnetic frequencies, exist in anything with electricity - this includes our bodies! The nervous system uses electricity to send and receive messages within our body. Our body has its own electromagnetic frequency. We are using many technological tools that emit their own unique EMF, which could potentially interfere with our individual EMFs. When the EMF from any electronic device interferes with our own EMF, our cells disorganize, break apart, and create an opportunity for disease to prevail.nnAllies of Chemical Well-Being nSo far, we have only spoke about the negative affects on Chemical Well-Being. We are realists and we recognize that it is impossible to avoid all harmful things. However, we can become educated about chemical wellness; therefore, minimizing our exposure to bad chemicals and maximizing our exposure to the good nutrients created to counter these toxins. nnAntioxidant is a big buzzword these days. Antioxidants are nutrients that we can ingest either through the foods we eat, or through supplementation. No one will argue that the best way to receive the benefits of antioxidants is through our food. We can find antioxidants in carrots, tomatoes, yams, leafy greens, broccoli and blueberries, to name a few. nnBy eating antioxidants, we can counter the adverse affects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules that are unstable and are found in all living bodies. Free radicals will steal what they need to become stable. Unfortunately, many times free radicals steal what they need from our cell walls, causing our cells to either die or replicate themselves in an unstable form. Our unstable cells can keep replicating and create disease in our body. Simply put, antioxidants can stabilize a free radical, and avoid potential damage to our cells. Correct communication is more likely if a cell is healthy. A damaged cell can no longer communicate effectively, therefore, increasing the opportunity for disease.nnGood nutrients can be found in the foods that we eat. Ideally, we should eat raw fruits and vegetables. Cooking raw fruits and vegetables kills the nutrients nature meant for us to absorb. If you eat meat, you must realize that no one knows the long term affects of the hormones and antibiotics used on the majority of animals today. Honestly, we don't know the human health consequences of eating genetically engineered produce.nnGood nutrients that we ingest will combat the toxins that enter our body. None of us are going to have the perfect diet. However, the greater the concentration of good nutrients our body contains, the greater our chance of countering the negative affects of toxins. nnOur bodies want to be healthy. Our nervous system will continue coordinating every process within the body, regardless of the quality of the nutrients the body receives. Every cell in our body was created with a specific purpose. Each cell requires specific nutrients to carry out the cell's purpose. If the needed nutrients are not present, the cell will continue with its purpose, yet its outcome may be undesired. These undesired outcomes are the creations of disease.nnEducate Yourself nEducation about chemical wellness is on going and requires all of us to keep the conversation alive. In order to have Chemical Wellness, we must keep good nutrients in our system. We must do our best to eliminate toxins in our environment. We truly are what we eat. By eating natural, unprocessed foods, we can begin to combat the toxins in our body. When our body receives good nutrients, our cells are able to perform properly and receive messages from our nervous system. Our bodies have been created to adapt to our environment. Unfortunately, man has created an environment that is more toxic than ever before. Therefore it is essential that we supply our bodies with the highest quality nutrients available. We truly believe in the body's ability to heal itself, but it's impossible if we don't supply it with what it needs. nnPhysical and Chemical Wellness are only portions of the Triad. The final piece of the Triad is Emotional Wellness. Our moods have a direct affect on how our body functions. Join us next Sunday, January 28th, to hear more.nnDr. Darrin Robertson, D.C. Copyright ã 2007n