Disease 101 – How we create disease on a cellular level (and how we reverse it):

Our cells are designed to function in specific chemistry which has been created intelligently based on our natural diet which is a function of our anatomy and physiology.

When we stray from the natural human diet of fruits and tender greens we begin to change the internal chemistry of the body.

When we consume foods that are not well suited to our anatomy and physiology we are overworking the cellular metabolism.

As the cells work they produce waste.  Everything in nature eats and poops and so do our cells.

So in a normal, healthy body, the cells are working at normal efficiency in normal chemistry. The cellular waste is sent into the intracellular fluids, which are then transported through the lymphatic system (the body’s sewer system) out of the body and expelled via the primary or secondary elimination channels.

When the body is in a state of health, this cellular waste is quickly cleared away from the cells and sent out of the body. If we encounter stress or emotional trauma, these acids are quickly eliminated by the body. If we run from a lion and build up lactic acid, these acids are quickly eliminated as a normal part of the body’s functioning.

BUT…

When we put in inappropriate foods we do two things that cause our health to suffer. The first is consuming cooked or dry foods which do not have adequate water content for our physiology. When we consume these water-deficient foods we dehydrate the body and the body must pull from its own cells to help move the drier foods through our digestive system.

We require roughly 80% water content simply for food to make it through the digestive tract without pulling water out of our cells.

Consuming any non-ideal foods including processed foods, cooked foods, or dried foods dehydrates the body. This leads to a dehydrated lymphatic system. The lymphatic system, again, being the sewer system, needs to flow freely if we are to avoid disease. If the lymphatic fluid becomes dehydrated it becomes sticky and slow-moving.

The natural state of the lymph in a healthy body could be seen as flowing like maple syrup. Thick but free-flowing. But when we consume cooked foods, the lymph will dry out. Moving into a peanut butter consistency, the lymph barely slides along, getting stuck in various parts of the body. The more dehydrated the body becomes the more slow-moving the lymph. Eventually, you end up with lymph that resembles the dry crusty peanut butter stuck to the bottom of the jar that has been in the back of the pantry for five years.

With our unnatural cooked-food diets, we are dehydrating the sewer and that means that the waste is getting backed up around the cells. The waste is predominately acidic, and acids burn and damage the cells which makes it harder for the cells to function normally. Instead of normal cells, functioning in normal chemistry, we now have damaged cells, functioning in abnormal chemistry.  This is what creates the problems we call symptoms of disease. The cells are in a state of dis-ease, or lack of ease, and so is the body as a whole.

The second thing that causes our health to suffer is overworking our cells by providing raw materials which are difficult to digest and assimilate. Our natural foods are very low in protein and very low in fat. Protein and fat are more difficult for human anatomy to digest, requiring our stomachs to produce harsher stomach acid as well as leaving more residue and waste.  Fruits and leafy greens contain the same nutritional components in a form that is much easier for us to digest and assimilate.  They are already in the ideal form the body needs to create its own proteins and fats so excess energy is not wasted in digestion and excess waste products are not produced. They are not in a complete protein or complete fat form which requires breakdown before assimilation and a lot of excess waste as a result. Instead, they are in the exact form needed for immediate use.  

Our natural foods are also very high in carbohydrates, predominantly fructose, which is ideal for our physiology.  Carbohydrates are the energy for every cell in the body. They are required in abundance to keep all the cells running properly.  When we starve our body of carbohydrates by eating high-fat and high-protein diets we create fatigue as the body is unable to have enough fuel to run each cell efficiently.  

Most of the inappropriate foods consumed today tend to be much higher in protein and fat.  However, we cannot use protein directly;  it must be broken down into its constituent amino acids.  Consuming these foods forces the body to do extra work to break down these proteins into amino acids. This is why we often get tired right after we eat a meal of inappropriate foods.

This excess work of the cellular metabolism also leads to excess waste. Remember, everything eats and poops.

Therefore, when consuming inappropriate foods, we are creating more cellular waste while drying out the sewer system that is designed to flush the waste out of our bodies. We have both more waste being created than we are physiologically designed for AND we have less waste being eliminated because the elimination channels are slowed and in some cases so dry and backed up that they are completely blocked.

There is more waste and less flow, so cells are sitting in waste. We start to see the beginning stages of dis-ease, or lack of ease, with symptoms like irritability, irritation, itching, and many other mild to moderately uncomfortable symptoms. The cells are uncomfortable sitting in their own waste.

In addition to these two issues, we are also creating inefficiency in cell processes. If you try to walk knee-deep in mud you are going to be working much harder than if you were strolling down a sidewalk. Cells sitting in their own waste are operating knee-deep in mud. They are using far more energy and creating far more waste because they are working in such inefficient and dirty terrain.

We have a slower-moving sewer, fewer functional cells, and more waste being created.  This disruption of the sewer system creates more dysfunctional cells, which in turn create more waste and a dirtier sewer system.  So round and round we go, building layer by layer of dirty terrain, eventually encouraging the cells to change their structure from a healthy normal cell to a bacteria, yeast, fungus, or eventually into a cancer cell.

But don’t despair, the body has ways of remediating all of this waste. One of the most common of which is the cold or flu symptoms which we are taught to fear and think of as its own distinct type of disease. Colds and flus are expulsive cleaning events.  In times of trouble the body creates these expulsion events wherein the body expels the waste via secondary channels, encased in mucus.  This is why we end up with a runny nose or mucus in the throat and lungs. 

Another common symptom of the body eliminating waste is skin rashes like chicken pox, measles, scarlet fever, foot in mouth, impetigo, etc. The body is pushing acids out through the skin and the skin becomes irritated by the acids, creating redness and inflammation. These events can also create tiny ulcers, such as chicken pox. The ulcer is a drain point for the acid wastes to exit.

Natural hygiene organizes all types of disease into a single paradigm that encompasses seven stages.  When the body first becomes bogged down in waste we say it is in a state of enervation.  To be enervated is to be drained or lacking in vigor.  We might feel a little run down, weak, or tired. If we fast and rest at this first sign the body quickly catches up on its waste backlog and can return to normal function.

However, most people ignore this first sign of disease and simply reach for something to suppress the symptoms.  The symptom in this case is the lack of energy or tiredness and we tend to suppress this symptom with stimulants.  Coffee, tea, caffeine pills, energy drinks.  Even salt and animal products can act as stimulants.  This means most people are maintaining their bodies in a constant state of low-level disease.  Of these seven stages of disease, many of us tend to remain in stages two to four.  These are called toxicosis, irritation, and inflammation. 

Level three, irritation, is where we see the cold and flu symptoms, allergies, or body odor. The body is working to eliminate the backlog by creating expulsion symptoms.  The body still has the energy to clean but the waste load is high enough to impede normal operations. 

Level four, inflammation, is where we see inflammatory conditions and pain. Levels four and five are where we begin to see destructive symptoms. This is where the wastes are causing enough damage to the cells that this leads to significantly impaired function.

Level five, ulceration, is a worsening of the inflammation to a point where instead of just cells being irritated or destroyed, now larger tissues are being broken apart in an effort to clean; Ulcers being the eponymous example.

Level six is called induration.  Induration means hardening.  This stage is where the body is creating scar tissues to attempt to create a boundary between the waste and other healthy cells.  This is a self-protective measure that allows the other cells in the body to continue normal operation. This stage is where many people can get a cancer diagnosis although this is not true cancer.

The final stage, level seven is cancer.  At this point the cells are so saturated in waste that they are no longer able to communicate with the surrounding cells. The cells are operating solely for their own survival and have recruited other types of cells that can survive in the high acid environment.  Though they may be able to survive and help process the dangerous wastes in order to clean up the area they cannot perform normal functions.  

We can begin to reverse the course at any time by doing our best to remove the cause of the pollution and by supporting our bodies with water, rest, and foods they were designed to metabolize.  By supplying a natural diet we are able to return to normal chemistry.  Utilizing fasting and rest also helps to allow the body time to clean and repair. Fresh, ripe, juicy fruits are easy to digest and allow the body to direct its vital energy to heal itself.  Additionally, fruit provides hydration to flush out old acidic wastes. Filling up on mineral-rich tender greens allows the body to neutralize the acids with alkaline minerals and sweep out the bowels to clear elimination channels. 

Levels six and seven of disease (induration and cancer) may not fully heal in all cases, however, the body always seeks to return itself to normal operating parameters. If the scar tissue has gotten too thick, the body may not be able to remove all of it. One example is seen in the remodeling of the bones in arthritis, where the body is not able to correct these issues. Otherwise, the body will replace and repair all cells if we give the body the appropriate diet, plenty of rest, adequate digestive rest, and enough time.

As always the best time to get yourself back to a state of wellness is now.  Before you begin the slide into a deeper state of disease which may have serious consequences.  Start today by incorporating more fruits and more salads and transition gradually back to your natural foods. 

Eat fruit and be well my friends!

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Why do we get sick?

What is the internal process which creates disease conditions and the progression of the disease state?

Everything in nature eats and poops. This includes our cells. When we work our cells they create waste. When we work our cells in ways that are normal and natural the level of waste created is easily managed by the body and the area around the cells stays clean and free-flowing.

When we eat outside of our physiology, consuming high protein, high fat, or denatured foods we overwork the cells. Our digestive system must work longer and harder utilizing energy that should be available to the cells for cleaning and repair purposes.

Our cells sit in intracellular fluid, this fluid drains to the lymphatic system. When our body is functioning normally this fluid is free-flowing and well-hydrated. When we eat cooked foods, animal proteins, and other inappropriate substances we dehydrate the body and therefore dehydrate the lymph.

A dehydrated lymph system is much less efficient at removing waste from around the cells than a properly functioning lymph system. As the flow slows down the wastes become more concentrated causing further backups.

As the cells become saturated in their own waste, they become less efficient in their processes and therefore create more waste as a result. Much like walking on a sidewalk versus trudging through the mud, going the same distance through knee-deep mud will make you fatigue much faster because you are overworking the body.

In order for the body to maintain a state of health the cells must be free from a backup of waste. This means the body needs energy available for cleaning AND the cells need to be producing normal levels of waste, not abnormal levels. Once either of these criteria are not met the waste will build up around the cells leading to symptoms of disease.

There are two different types of symptoms which are all referred to as disease. The first type of symptom is body cleaning symptoms. These are your expulsion symptoms like coughing, sneezing, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever as well as shifts in energy from external use (moving arms and legs) to internal use (cleaning the organs and making repairs) which we refer to as fatigue.

The second type of symptom is a cellular malfunction symptom. These would be symptoms like the pancreas no longer producing insulin, the heartbeat becoming altered, or blood pressure raising or lowering. These symptoms are all a result of the cells being so backed up in waste that they are not able to function normally, hence creating abnormal functioning.

Disease is a word that is made up of two parts, the first “dis-” meaning “lack of, or away” and the second “ease” meaning “physical comfort, peace”. So disease is simply the body being in a state of lack of comfort or lack of ease. Health is the state of the body at ease or in a state of complete comfort.

Disease is a progression, it starts with the first sneeze of childhood and builds over years of mis-feeding the body and overworking the cells. Disease is not the various medical labels that group together symptoms and call your symptoms heart disease or cancer or diabetes, disease is simply the state at which your body is no longer operating in normal and efficient parameters as it is designed to work.

Our detoxification (cleaning) systems run 24/7/365 to keep the cells clean and functioning optimally. When we eat as we are physiologically designed and we get plenty of rest, relaxation, sunshine, and exercise the body continues to operate at high efficiency.

When the waste level reaches the body’s current tolerance level the body initiates a high-intensity clean out. This is what we call colds and flu as well as rashes. Colds, flus, rashes, and other similar events are not diseases, they are the process by which the body remedies disease conditions. Once we have allowed the body to complete a cold or flu process without interference our bodies are much cleaner and functioning more optimally. The body has lowered its state of disease and moved closer to health.

On the other hand, when we interfere with the cold or flu symptoms by trying to stop the symptoms via the application of various poisons, both drug and plant-based/natural (garlic, ginger, honey, echinacea tea, elderberry syrup, etc) we stop the body from efficiently cleaning and expelling waste. We instead force the body to stop its deep cleaning efforts to instead focus its energy on the expulsion of the incoming poison. When we do this eventually the body runs out of energy to clean and the cold symptoms stop, perhaps a week or a month later. Had we simply fasted at the first sign of a cold and went to bed and slept the body would have had all of its energy available to expel waste and clean out and the cold/flu would have passed in a few hours to at most a few days. If we continue to eat during this process we slow down the cleaning process forcing it to take longer because the energy of cleaning is diverted instead into digestion. The heavier the meal we eat, the more energy is taken away from the cleaning process and at the same time the more waste is added to the existing burden.

For this reason, a simple cold when fed a heavy meal like chicken soup can progress into the flu and into pneumonia all by the simple mistake of feeding the body and forcing digestion when the body is trying to clean and heal. While fasting at the first signs of a cold detox can stop the symptoms rapidly by allowing the body to divert all of its energy to the cleaning processes.

When we eat foods that are far from our natural diet and carry a heavy burden, like animal products, wheat, beans, cooked foods, dairy products, eggs, and other substances we both drain the bodies energy available for cleaning by requiring long-drawn-out periods of digestion and we add large amounts of cellular waste by overworking the cells. The lack of energy to clean combined with the extra burden of more waste is what leads to symptoms of disease as well as colds, flu, and other cleaning events.

When we eat whole raw fruits, tender vegetables, leafy greens, and small amounts of nuts and seeds we are not overworking the cells because these are the foods our physiology is built for. We are providing all of the nutrients the body requires to run itself in a usable and easily assimilable form. The body is not required to break anything down from an unusable format and convert it to something usable, so we are not losing energy in the conversion process. We are not taking in excesses of things the body needs very little of like amino acids (protein) which would drain the energy as the body needs to expend energy to expel the excess. We are not eating high fat which blocks the absorption of sugar and the expulsion of acids so we are getting our energy from sugar more efficiently and we are getting the sugar into the cells cleanly because there is no excess fat surrounding the cells blocking its entry. In short, when we eat right for our physiologic design all systems function optimally and efficiently creating minimal waste and requiring minimal cleaning.

OUR NATURAL FOODS DO NOT CREATE DISCOMFORT OR DISTURBANCE TO THE BODY.

The Avoidance of Irritants, Stimulants, and Depressants is key to optimal Health.

One of the primary differences between the natural human diet/natural hygiene and many of the promoted raw food and whole food plant-based diets is in the avoidance of irritants on a natural diet.

There are many plant-based substances that humans have incorporated into their diets over many generations, which have a drugging effect on the body, either stimulating or depressing. The fact that these substances trigger the body to create these drugged effects when consumed tells us of the harm they are causing the body.

When ideal health is the goal, we are seeking to cause no irritation to our cells or our organism as a whole. Disease is dis = lack, ease = comfort, so disease is any state of discomfort or any lack of ease in the operation of our cells. Disease is progressive, starting out with the minor irritations of everyday mistakes in eating and building layer upon layer as we continue to injure our cells, “death by a thousand paper cuts”.

A few examples of these types of substances include irritants like spicy peppers, which lead to a runny nose and watery eyes as the body tries to rapidly protect the sensitive tissues of the mouth and digestive tract with mucus.

Animal secretions, like cow’s milk, trigger thick mucus to protect the digestive tract.

Honey, which stops cold and flu cleaning symptoms in their tracks, thereby trapping waste inside the body.

Garlic, which burns the tongue and causes indigestion if eaten raw.

Onions are so irritating that we cry before we even eat them.

Cacao/Cocao, which stimulates the body, leading to heart palpitations and anxiety.

Salt burns the tongue and raises blood pressure.

These non-foods can also be some of the most difficult to give up because we have become accustomed to the “high” of our bodies in distress. We often seek out these foods when we are feeling dissatisfied or bored, stressed or emotional, because we are trained since birth to associate these painful feelings of bodily discomfort with celebration.

As a society, we start feeding cake to babies as young as their first birthday, training them in the addictions we ourselves suffer from before they can even put words to the discomfort. By the time they are old enough to speak, they are already addicted to these drugs and accustomed to the discomfort. This is a lifelong battle that needs to be treated as the drug addiction that it is in order to be overcome.

“Nutrition is an autonomic function, that is, it takes place below the conscious level. Just as digestion, absorption, circulation, glandular secretion and other autonomic functions take place without conscious perception or awareness, so also do the processes of nutrition (at a cellular level) occur without our direction or participation. Everyone will admit that stomach function will only produce symptoms when it is impaired. No one will deny that under ideal conditions we are totally unaware of the functions of our livers, intestines, etc. These are autonomic functions and they do not produce symptoms.

Nutrition is the same way. It is an autonomic function. Just as the digestion of food does not produce symptoms, the appropriation of nutrients, internally, should not produce symptoms. However, when digestion is disrupted symptoms arise and, likewise, when nutrition is disrupted symptoms arise. Russell Thacher Trall stated in 1871 that “Pure and perfect nutrition implies the assimilation of nutriment material to the structure of the body, without the least excitement, disturbance or impression of any kind that can be properly called stimulating.” Here is a profound statement to come from a man who lived over 100 years ago, before the explosion of knowledge about nutrition and biochemistry began at the turn of the century. Yet he realized then what few people realize today, that any specific effects that occur from the ingestion of foods or nutrients are the results of stress and irritation and are not the result of an enhancement of nutrition. If a person is manifesting the symptoms of a cold, and taking vitamin C aborts those symptoms, this effect can no more be regarded as nutritional than can the effects of taking aspirin. The vitamin C is having a pharmacological effect (that is, a drug effect), not a nutritional effect. If a woman has severe menstrual cramps and taking dolomite relieves her symptoms, it is foolish to think that a need for calcium has been satisfied. The calcium is exerting a pharmacological effect. Crude calcium was one of the first drugs used as an anesthetic in surgery because it impairs the conduction of nervous impulses and thereby reduces sensibility. To call this nutrition is a shame, a travesty, an outright lie. Any food or nutrient that “suddenly gives you pep,” “makes you feel warm all over,” “cures your headache,” “helps you sleep” or has any other specific effect should be avoided like the plague. It is obviously irritating, disrupting and enervating.”

The Life Science Course, Lesson 5, Article #3, pgs129-130

As we return our bodies to the natural human diet it is natural to desire to keep some of our previous habits of enervation and stimulation. As the body becomes cleaner and more vital however these stimulating and enervating habits will become more and more uncomfortable and you will naturally find that you gravitate away from these substances.

When choosing your next meal, ask yourself what effect is this meal having on my body? Our natural foods do not create discomfort or disturbance to the body.

Have more questions? Want answers about your specific health issues or concerns?
👉 I offer one-on-one consultations — learn more here: https://www.therawkey.com/consultations/

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👉 Join our 30-Day Natural Human Diet Support & Education Group. New groups start on the 1st of every month! https://www.therawkey.com/the-natural-diet-support-group/

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🍎 Eat fruit and be well, my friends.

THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF NATURAL HYGIENE

The practical application of Natural Hygiene consists of many practices that, collectively, comprise biologically correct living. Specifically:

FOOD

DO

  • Eat predominantly of fresh raw fruits, [tender] vegetables, nuts and seeds;
  • Eat predominantly of raw, live food;
  • Learn and apply the rules of food combing to insure efficient and easy digestion;
  • Eat foods at room temperature;
  • Chew thoroughly to maximize surface area of the food for complete digestion;
  • Eat when relaxed; and
  • Eat only when hungry.

DON’T

  • Cook or overcook food – past 120 degrees, nutrients are destroyed;
  • Overeat;
  • Eat when emotionally unsettled, when tired, when in pain, or immediately after hard physical work;
  • Salt or overly season foods; or
  • Eat many strong-tasting foods including hot peppers, garlic, onions mustard, etc.
WATER

DO

  • Drink only distilled (soft) water;
  • Drink only when thirsty; and
  • Drink only enough to quench thirst.

DON’T

  • Drink with your meals.
AIR

DO

  • Get as much fresh air as possible;
  • Allow for maximum ventilation when indoors;
  • Walk on streets that have less vehicular traffic and exhaust; and
  • Make sure indoor air is free of sprays, circulating dust, etc.

DON’T

  • Breath through your mouth;
  • Inhale tobacco [or any other] smoke;
  • Permit smoking in your home or office; or
  • Breathe excessively cold air (if possible).
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

DO

  • Exercise vigorously;
  • Involve all parts of the body, preferably exercising the muscles against resistance; and
  • Exercise in fresh air (or if indoors, with windows open).

DON’T

  • Exercise to the point of exhaustion;
  • Exercise immediately following a meal;
  • Prolong muscular contractions beyond a few seconds; and
  • Breathe deeply without simultaneously remaining active.
REST

DO

  • Cease activity sometime during the day by napping or resting;
  • Close your eyes; and
  • Rest when tired.

DON’T

  • Read or watch television while resting.
SLEEP

DO

  • Go to bed early;
  • Select a dark, quiet, well ventilated room; and
  • Maintain a comfortable body temperature.

DON’T

  • Eat before retiring.
LIGHT AND SUNSHINE

DO

  • Expose as much of your skin to sunlight as possible, up to an hour maximum daily;
  • Use natural, not artificial light (rays penetrate only white or light colored porous clothing); and
  • In cold climates, while indoors, get sunlight through open windows with heater turned on to avoid undue chilling.

DON’T

  • Remain in sunlight for long periods; or
  • Expose yourself to the midday sun;
EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

DO

  • Find something about which to be happy everyday;
  • Feed your emotions daily with inspirational thoughts, pleasant sights and sounds, kind words and the like;
  • Keep negative emotions to a minimum; and
  • Couple negative emotions (fear, grief, anger, depression, etc.) with physical activity.

DON’T

  • Dwell on the negative.
TEMPERATURE

DO

  • Maintain a comfortable temperature at all times; and

DON’T

  • Take excessively hot or cold baths.
CLOTHING

DO

  • Wear clothes of porous material (cotton); and
  • Wear light colored clothing.
  • Dress for comfort, not merely for fashion.

DON’T

  • Wear synthetic clothing; or
  • Wear constricting clothing (girdles, tight belts, etc.)
POSTURE

DO

  • Sit erect at all times; and
  • Keep your head straight-up while walking, standing or sitting.
ZEST FOR LIVING

DO

  • Pursue some constructive objective; and
  • Engage in some activity which gives you fulfillment.

Natural Hygiene does not substitute foods, fasting, sunbathing, etc., for drugs, but it uses these influences because they are essentials of health. Hygienic Self-Health Care peddles no cures and recognizes none. Instead, only nature, meaning those normal influences and processes of life, restore health.

Hygienic Self-Health Care cannot be reduced to a series of rules and regulations that involve absolute terms like “always” or “never.” Each day, however, all of us have to make decisions about how we will live in such a a way that we remain comfortable and relaxed with our lifestyle – and not uptight or fanatical.…

“Power comes by discipline to our natural mandate, and lack of it dissipates strength and life itself.”

Source: “Awakening our Self Healing Body: A Solution to the Health Care Crisis.” Arthur M. Baker