Last summer, I returned to the corporate work environment after working from home for several years.
During that time, I had overcome illness and changed my living habits to the much healthier regimen advocated on this site.
This was the ultimate test and I wondered how I would fare.
Would I, once again, become subject to getting sick several times a year with every flu virus and cold that came into the office, despite the fact that I thought I was pretty healthy? It was July and hot in Arkansas when I started working again.
You wouldn't think people would be sick this time of year.
However, I think because of the very tight working environment (a lot of people in a small space), many people were getting sick even through the warmer months.
By October, I had moved further north to western Washington and resumed working in a colder, wetter climate.
One in which I had lived in the past and almost always ended up with Bronchitis each year.
The climate change alone should have been enough to trigger a cold but it didn't.
It's now January and most of the people I work with directly have had a cold, the flu and/or been out sick at least 2 times since the first part of October but I've been just fine through it all.
This is more proof to me that consistently putting healthy, immune boosting elements into your body can and will help you prevent illness.
So, please read the following information carefully.
I believe it's the most misunderstood reason why it's so important to live healthy.
And, the next time you hear someone tell you that we can't possibly eliminate all the toxins in our lives and it's silly to even try - give them a copy of this article.
When we eat poorly on a regular basis and disregard the importance of good nutrition, the body doesn't get the proper fuel it needs to protect you from illness.
In effect, the same thing happens to your body that would happen to a gas powered engine if you put diesel fuel in it.
The only difference is that the gas powered engine will die very quickly.
The same is true of plants -- we all know that if a plant is not properly nurtured, eventually it will wilt and die.
Conversely, we've probably all seen plants that were thriving because they were given a good living environment and proper nutrition.
Why we don't understand the importance of good nutrition in our bodies then, is really a mystery to me.
We are not that different from plants or other animals - just smarter.
Or are we? Our amazing bodies have the ability to compensate in many ways to overcome the toxins and poor diet most of us continually pour into them.
Over time, however, the body does succumb to the results of poor nutrition and unhealthy living habits.
When the body encounters toxins (unnatural or poisonous elements), even those found in our foods (preservatives, pesticides and other unnatural elements), it reacts by attempting to expel the toxin from the body.
If it can't expel the toxin through the colon, mouth, nose, etc.
, it looks for a place to store or hide the toxin where it will do the least amount of harm.
Because we often use medications that suppress the ability for the body to expel toxins, those toxins get stored in various places throughout our bodies over the years.
After enough of them are accumulated, we start deteriorating and/or become ill.
That illness often involves an effort by the body, once again, to expel the toxic buildup that has occurred.
Modern medical practice has taught us to suppress the functions of the body that allow it to expel toxins.
When we get diarrhea, we suppress it with an over-the-counter medication.
When we run a high temperature, we suppress it with aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Now, not only have we suppressed the bodies' attempts to eradicate toxins, we've just added more toxins for it to deal with.
We may feel better temporarily but as more time passes, the action will start again.
Our repeated efforts to suppress the bodies' attempts to rid itself of toxins will only make us worse off in the long run.
I'm not advocating that you never take anything to suppress these functions.
Sometimes it is necessary.
Instead, I'm hoping that you'll gain a better understanding of why you get diarrhea or run a fever, etc.
It's the bodies attempt to rid itself of something that doesn't belong there.
It's trying to protect itself.
Once you understand this, you can help by not suppressing as quickly, by using natural remedies when you do and by not ingesting as many toxins in the first place.
Then your body won't have to work so hard to keep you alive.
Over time, as you start putting healthier elements into your body, it can begin to heal, it will be better able to manage your health and you won't get sick as often, if at all.
Many of the changes that happen to us when we eat poorly are blamed on "old age.
" But the truth is the majority of it is really the result of poor nutrition and living habits.
Science now knows that humans have the ability to live much longer than most of us do.
However, there is a great deal of money to be made in keeping us sick.
There's also a great deal of money to be made in creating food products that appear to be healthy but really aren't.
Start reading labels and eliminate products that contain toxic elements.
Unfortunately, most of the foods people think are healthy really aren't.
Be careful of commercials promoting products that contain healthy elements.
Read the labels and determine for yourself.
Don't believe everything you see on TV.
Food manufacturers are attempting to take advantage of the heightened interest in good health and often advocate a product is much healthier than it really is.
I have a couple of simple rules to get you started.

• If it's not natural, it doesn't belong in your body.
  
• If you can't pronounce it or have never heard of it, it probably doesn't belong in your body.
  

Today, many people are becoming wise to the fact that the mainstream medical establishment is not helping us to become well.
If you're reading this, you're one of those people and I applaud you.
It's great that you're taking responsibility for your own health.
Now that you better understand how the body deals with toxins, I hope you'll start eliminating them from your environment and your food sources as much as possible.
Your body will love you for it!