Water
The body is composed of roughly 70% water, the same percentage of Earth that is covered by oceans. Brain and nerve tissue is as much as 85% water. Water has many functions, including temperature regulation, maintaining equilibrium, and carrying every nutrient, vitamin, protein, and other vital chemical in the body. Consuming sufficient water decreases fluid retention, improves gland function, and balances hormone levels. Water can only be absorbed by the body slowly, at roughly 3oz. per half hour. Excessive urination is a sigh that the water is being ingested too quickly. The amount of water that should be consumed each day is roughly equivalent to: (weight (lbs)/2) in oz.
Toxic Stress Cycle
The toxic stress cycle describes the order in which the body is most susceptible to conditions of weakness. The most important part of this cycle is the beginning, in that everything begins with digestive problems caused by poor diet and nutrition.
Order of the Toxic Stress Cycle:
1. The cycle begins with the Digestive system being stressed by the intake of:
deficient food, improper food combinations, toxins or pollutants in food, additives & preservatives, improper chewing, or an unhealthy attitude.
2. The Colon becomes affected by toxic, undigested food.
3. Colon toxicity then affects the Liver and Gallbladder.
4. Liver dysfunction then affects the Kidneys and Bladder.
5. The lungs become codified by the Kidney condition.
6. Circulation & Blood are affected by the impaired lungs.
7. Affected blood disturbs the Heart & Spleen.
8. The Circulation then impairs Muscles and Soft-tissues.
9. Afflicted Soft-tissue causes conditions in the Spine.
10. The spine affects the Brain & Central Nervous System.
11. The CNS then disturbs the Endocrine System.
In accordance with Herring's Law of Cure, the body can only heal itself in the reverse order of how these symptoms appear, beginning with the Endocrine and Nervous systems and working backwards through the cycle to the Digestive system.deficient food, improper food combinations, toxins or pollutants in food, additives & preservatives, improper chewing, or an unhealthy attitude.
2. The Colon becomes affected by toxic, undigested food.
3. Colon toxicity then affects the Liver and Gallbladder.
4. Liver dysfunction then affects the Kidneys and Bladder.
5. The lungs become codified by the Kidney condition.
6. Circulation & Blood are affected by the impaired lungs.
7. Affected blood disturbs the Heart & Spleen.
8. The Circulation then impairs Muscles and Soft-tissues.
9. Afflicted Soft-tissue causes conditions in the Spine.
10. The spine affects the Brain & Central Nervous System.
11. The CNS then disturbs the Endocrine System.
Healing Challenge vs. Dis-ease Challenge
Healing Challenge
- Occurs as the body is naturally cleansing, whether through fasting, semi-fasting, or by herbs.
- Occurs only when the body has sufficient vitality to withstand the trauma.
- Occurs when an individual feels healthy, but still has barriers to health.
- It usually takes a few months of cleansing to bring about a Healing Challenge.
- A Healing Challenge should only last 2-3 days. During the challenge, it is good to reduce food intake, focusing on easily digestible liquids, and only consuming the healthiest foods possible. Because the body focuses on healing at this time, it is not uncommon to have an instinct to fast at this time.
- It is possible, through correct eating and gradual cleansing, for the body to heal itself such that no Healing Challenge is required.
- A Healing Challenge occurs in the body to complete cleansing and bring the body into a prime state of health.
Dis-ease Challenge
- Occurs when the body is clogged with infectious and stagnant mucus, wherein germs multiply freely due to a weakened immune state.
- Occurs when the body is in a weakened state and is not prepared for detox.
- Occurs to save life. When a Disease Challenge occurs, it is because the levels of toxicity and infection in the body have risen to levels that are potentially fatal.
- Can often occur when the body becomes very cold, as a response intended to push the immune system into action due to the body having been weakened by the cold.
- Usually last for several weeks or until the toxin levels in the body have decreased to the non-critical level.
- A Dis-ease Challenge only cleanses the body to a non-critical state. This is why dis-ease will consistently re-occur if the body is not cleansed further.
Herring's Law of Cure
The body always heals in a specific order. The rules of this order are:
- Top first, working down.
- Inside first, working out.
- Reverse order of how the symptoms appeared.
Digestion Facts
Digestion should take no longer that 16-18 hours, but can sometimes take as long as three days, which can contribute greatly to toxicity in the body. It takes roughly 36 hours for parasites to establish themselves in the body, so healthy and hasty digestion is very important. The intestines can carry as much as fifty pounds of dead, rotting food waste, a breeding ground for parasites and bacteria. Bowel movements should occur as often as meals are taken, so that three meals per day imply three bowel movements per day.
What is a Calorie?
A calorie is defined as the amount of heat energy required to raise one liter of water by one degree Celsius. This translates into food as the amount of energy that is released as heat when the food is metabolized. For a moderately active individual, a good guide for calories per day is ideal weight (lbs) x 15. Various foods contain different amounts of calories. On average: Carbohydrates and proteins contain four calories per gram. Fats and oils contain nine calories per gram. Alcohol contains seven calories per gram.
Food Categories
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide energy for body function and activity by supplying immediate calories. The body transforms various carbohydrates into glucose-the main sugar in the blood and the body's main fuel. Carbohydrates are stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. The liver transforms this glycogen into glucose that is transported throughout the body as fuel via the blood. There are three groups or carbohydrates.
Complex Carbohydrates--unrefined sugars
Simple Carbohydrates--refined sugars
Sugars, both refined and unrefined, are very easily broken down by the body, but because they provide no nutrients to accompany the energy, the body must use its own reserves, thus making sugar energy very short-lived, and often followed by a state of exhaustion, or crash, afterwards.Simple Carbohydrates--refined sugars
Starches
Starches are much more complex than sugars, and thus are broken down more slowly to give a more even and sustained supply of energy. They also contain their own nutrients to be used along with their energy, so that the crash often following a sugar-rush can be avoided. These nutrients are easily destroyed, however, so many processed and cooked starches behave much like sugars in the draining effect that they have.
Fats & Oils
Fats and Oils provide nearly twice the calories and energy per gram as carbohydrates. Fats are found in both animal and vegetable foods, though more abundantly in animal products. Fats are not water-soluble, which has two important ramifications: Firstly, it allows many structures in the body, such as nerve casing, cell walls, and connective tissues, to retain their forms even in the constant presence of water. Secondly, it requires a special digestion process, called emulsification, to break down fats so that they can be absorbed and used by the body.
Fatty Acids
Fatty acids have chemical compositions that bear important features of both fats and acids. There are certain essential fatty acids that cannot be produced within the body, and for proper health these must be obtained in adequate amounts through foods.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a substance that reacts readily with fat to produce a sticky buildup that can clog blood vessels. 60-75% of the cholesterol in the body is produced within the body, and the cholesterol taken in through food makes up the remainder. Through the body needs both fats and cholesterol to function, it is excess of these together that is a dangerous combination. The average American diet is dangerously high in both fat and cholesterol, which is why these substances are both always cast in a negative light.
Proteins
Proteins are compounds that consist of amino acids. These include enzymes, keratin, collagen, and many other compounds. Enzymes perform specific chemical functions that further processes in the body, while other proteins are the building blocks for muscles, bones, nails, and more.
Amino Acids are the basic building blocks for proteins. The body is capable of manufacturing certain amino acids, but much like fatty acids, there are certain ones that cannot be produced within the body and must be obtained through diet.
Enzymes are simple proteins that are organic reaction catalysts. Some, such as pepsin and try sin, contol many different reactions, whereas others, such as urease, are extremely specific to only one reaction with one substance. Enzymes are responsible for the releasing of energy from stored sources; they are responsible for converting foods into the products required for cellular reproduction; they release the chemical energy that causes muscle movements. Enzymes are extremely efficient, so efficient that a miniscule quantity of a specialized enzyme can accomplish tasks that would require intense heat and volatile reagents via normal chemical processes. For example, only one single ounce of pure crystalline pepsin would be capable of digesting two metric tons of egg-white in only a few hours. Enzymes are prevented from digesting the body's own living cells by the cell wall, impermeable to enzymes. Some cells also have enzyme inhibitors for preventing enzyme action on substances the cell rquires for function.
Amino Acids
Amino Acids are the basic building blocks for proteins. The body is capable of manufacturing certain amino acids, but much like fatty acids, there are certain ones that cannot be produced within the body and must be obtained through diet.
Enzymes
Enzymes are simple proteins that are organic reaction catalysts. Some, such as pepsin and try sin, contol many different reactions, whereas others, such as urease, are extremely specific to only one reaction with one substance. Enzymes are responsible for the releasing of energy from stored sources; they are responsible for converting foods into the products required for cellular reproduction; they release the chemical energy that causes muscle movements. Enzymes are extremely efficient, so efficient that a miniscule quantity of a specialized enzyme can accomplish tasks that would require intense heat and volatile reagents via normal chemical processes. For example, only one single ounce of pure crystalline pepsin would be capable of digesting two metric tons of egg-white in only a few hours. Enzymes are prevented from digesting the body's own living cells by the cell wall, impermeable to enzymes. Some cells also have enzyme inhibitors for preventing enzyme action on substances the cell rquires for function.
Fat: Saturated vs. Unsaturated
Saturation in a fat refers to the basic chemical structure of the fat and the amount of hydrogen that is contained within the fat. Saturated fats are those that have many hydrogen atoms as possible. These harden at room temperature, come mostly from animal fats, and are useless to the body, causing clogging in arteries and other health problems. Unsaturated fats are those that have less than the full amount of hydrogen possible. These are the fats that the body needs, and they come in poly-and mono-unsaturated states. Olive oil has a better combination of fat content than any other oil, and as such, should be used in substitute for other oils whenever possible.