Understanding Toxin Overload

Humans living on planet Earth are being assaulted daily with millions of toxins that kill the good bacteria in our systems. These toxins come in the form of processed and genetically modified foods (GMOs), toxic beverages, chemicals in topical creams, soaps, lotions, perfumes and shampoos, the air we breathe, the drugs we take, the thoughts we have, the heavy metals we ingest, EMF and radiation exposure, etc.

The list goes on and on when you consider the typical American lifestyle. Our bodies are bombarded with so many chemicals, processed, refined and artificial foods that it is hard to know how to separate the good from the bad. All these toxins suppress our body's natural ability to heal itself resulting in many health conditions. One of the responses to an overload of toxins in the body is to wrap the toxin in a fat cell and store it until it can cope with it. This, in part, could explain the rise in obesity in the US. How can a person expect to lose weight without addressing the toxic load that comes from living in today’s world.

More than 90% of these toxins enter the body through the intestinal tract. From the intestinal tract, the toxins make their way into the blood stream where they begin eroding the body’s biological system. The result is health breakdowns. This is why they say 'disease starts in the gut' and conversely 'health starts in the gut’.

The health and efficiency of the digestive system depends on the complex interaction and balance of the intestinal ecological system. This system is made up of over 500 different species and trillions of strains of organisms inhabiting the human gut. There are about 10 times more bacteria in the gut than there are cells in the human body. These bacteria communicate with the body and the immune system through the epithelial cells of the gut wall using a complicated system of messenger chemicals. Another way to look at this is that the intestines harbor a complex ecology of probiotic "friendly" flora (like lactic acid producing bacteria) along with "unfriendly" bacteria known as coliforms, bactericides, yeasts, pathogens, etc. The point is to balance the good and the bad bacteria - quite a challenge in today's world and one of the reasons for supplementing with Wondrous Gut.

As we age, there are even more reasons for supplementing with Wondrous Gut since the levels of beneficial bacteria decline dramatically as we age. Some of the reasons for this decline include:

• Over time the colonies of friendly bacteria naturally age and lose their vitality.
• Disruptions and changes in the acid/alkaline balance of the bowels can play a major role in reducing the growth of beneficial bacteria. These changes often result in the growth of harmful viral and fungal organisms as well as putrefactive, disease-causing bacteria.
• The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like Advil, Motrin, Midol, etc. are destructive to intestinal flora.
• Chlorine/fluoride in the drinking water not only kill bacteria in the water, but they also devastate the beneficial bacteria living in the intestines.
• Radiation and chemotherapy have a deleterious impact on your inner bacterial environment. As does eating most meat, chicken, and dairy products (other than organic) as they are loaded with antibiotics, which destroy all the beneficial bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract.
• A diet high in meats and fats promotes the growth of the harmful, putrefying bacteria because of the length of time it takes for it to break down in the human body.
• Constipation allows harmful bacteria to linger and proliferate.
• Cigarettes, alcohol and stress have a deleterious effect on good bacteria.
• Antibiotics will deplete all beneficial bacteria as they indiscriminately destroy both bad and good bacteria, allowing virulent, mutant strains of harmful microorganisms to emerge and run rampant inside the body. Antibiotics (from pharma and in our food) are responsible for the overgrowth of harmful pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract (dysbiosis).

Diseases associated with low levels of beneficial bacteria can include:

Acne, ADHD, allergies, arthritis, asthma, bladder and urinary-tract infections, breast pathologies, cardiac problems, chronic fatigue, colitis, colon cancer, compromised immunity, constipation, diarrhea, diverticulitis, tooth infections, ear and respiratory infections in children, eye, ear, nose and throat diseases, foul breath and body odor, gastritis, headaches, hormonal imbalances, IBS, liver and gallbladder problems, migraine headaches, ovarian and uterine cancers, PMS, sinus problems, spastic colon, stomach bloating, and vaginal yeast infections.