Why Fasting is Needed - Part Two
Your body needs a way to rid itself of toxic build up
Fasting is necessary for the elimination of toxic wastes, which continually build up through an unhealthy diet and other external factors.
It is estimated that 90% of adults have enough toxins in them to produce various symptoms of an illness or disease that is growing within them.
At this point, we need to examine more clearly how our cells are cleansed and how healthy blood is maintained.
Blood Cleansing
There are several important questions that need to be asked:
Where do toxins in our body come from?
How does our body develop toxins?
How does our body normally eliminate the wastes?
How do we properly detoxify the body?
As we answer these questions, some of the information will be review; but it is necessary and helpful to remember these fundamental principles.
Where do toxins in our body come from and how are they developed?
Toxins come from two sources. First, the body itself develops toxins called metabolic toxins. The second source of toxins, environmental toxins, enter the body from the outside. We briefly discussed this type of toxin in Healthy Blood Through Cleanliness.
At this point in our biblical health study, we need to focus on how metabolic toxins are developed within us.
Metabolic toxins are far more dangerous to our health than what comes at us from outside the body.
One of the reasons metabolic toxins are so dangerous is that they are very difficult to diagnose. In addition, the diseases that come to our bodies as a result of these stored toxins are extremely debilitating and even deadly.
How are toxins developed in the body?
For an analogy, let's consider how the engine of a car works.
For an engine to run, it needs oxygen and fuel. As the engine works, burning oxygen and fuel, waste products are created in the form of exhaust. The exhaust needs to be eliminated properly or else the engine will cease to function and the car will not move.
Similarly, every second, continuously, our cells and tissues are burning oxygen and fuel, creating waste products, which need to be eliminated from our bodies. If the wastes are not properly eliminated, over time, our bodies will store the wastes, causing them to burden our bodies, which in turn, causes our bodies to start slowing down and eventually stop.
In the process between slowing down and stopping, varying degrees of diseases develop, bringing misery and suffering as a result of the toxins.
It is important to understand that it is normal for the cells and tissues to produce these waste products (lactic acid, uric acid, acetic acid, ammonia, carbonic acid, etc.) and for them to be eliminated in a timely fashion. It is when they are not eliminated and are then stored in the tissues that they become toxins.
There are usually early signs that toxins are not being eliminated.
When the oil light comes on in a car, it is well past time to take a car in for an oil change. So too, when our bodies develop disease, it is past time to start developing a healthy regime. It is never too late to begin a healthy regime, but if addressed early in life, chance of disease is decreased.
We must be good stewards of the bodies God has given us and pay attention to these signs as soon as they appear.
How does the body normally eliminate the wastes?
Under normal conditions cellular wastes are carried away by the lymphatic capillaries and then back into the blood; or they are carried away directly by the blood capillaries. At this point the blood carries the wastes to the four systems of elimination – the lungs, the skin, the kidneys, and the colon.
The greatest detoxifier of the four elimination stations is the lungs.
The lungs eliminate more wastes than the skin, kidneys, and colon combined. The lungs exhale more than 7 gallons of carbon dioxide or carbonic acid daily.
The second most important detoxifier is the skin, which is the largest organ of the body. Perspiration removes about 3 quarts of wastes daily which is more than the kidneys and colon combined.
[At this point, we should begin thinking about our breathing habits. What activities increase our breathing? Exercise, singing, purposeful breathing. What about our sweating habits? Environment and exercise will affect these greatly. In our society, many people are afraid to sweat.]
Next is the kidneys, which remove more wastes daily than the colon.
When our health habits are less than what they should be our blood quality, circulation, and cleansing over months and years will suffer. Our blood and lymphatic capillaries will become restricted not allowing cellular wastes to be properly carried away by our bloodstream. Also the four systems of elimination will not work efficiently to discharge the wastes from the blood to outside the body.
As the wastes buildup in the blood, the oxygen content of the blood decreases, and when this imbalance occurs, the hormones and nutrients in the blood are affected bringing our blood quality totally out of balance.
Warning Signs of Impaired Elimination.
Sluggishness. The first symptoms of toxic overload are usually sluggishness or fatigue, tiredness, or a lack of energy. Toxic waste buildup in the body is the primary cause of chronic fatigue.
Lack of Sleep. The next warning sign of toxic pollution in the body is lack of a good, restful, deep and satisfying sleep during the night.
Weight Gain. As the wastes buildup in the blood, the body is forced to remove them into the various tissues throughout the body such as the bones, ligaments, nerves, blood vessels, brain, all internal organs, etc. However, the body prefers to store toxins in fat tissue as a mechanism to protect the vital organs. As the toxins continue to build in the blood, the body will produce more fat to store the toxins. This is a major cause of weight gain or the inability to loose excess weight.
Difficulty Losing/Keeping off Weight. If people do lose weight on a weight loss program, it will typically be regained quickly due to the excess toxins that the body wants to store there. Most people who eliminate their toxins can reduce their weight and keep it off.
So, let us summarize what has been said.
Our poor health habits – lack of moderate exercise and improper eating habits, lead to
Poor blood cleansing – constricted lymphatic and blood capillaries and weak waste removal from the four systems of elimination – which leads to
Buildup of wastes in the bloodstream – fatigue and poor sleep – which leads to
Storage of wastes in tissues – now called toxins – which leads to
Tissues starting to malfunction – illness and disease symptoms arise – which leads to
Less desire for exercise – when disease or illness or fatigue or lack of sleep is a part of our lives then their will be no desire for exercise.
And the cycle continues...We will find ourselves in a cycle that leads us ever downward.
The next post is an illustration for the purpose of demonstrating how blood acts as a cleansing agent.
Next: Principle #2: Healthy Blood Through Fasting: The Blood As A Cleansing Agent
Return To: Biblical Health Study