Translation and free translation

UNDERSTANDING THE HOLISTIC APPROACH...

There are 11 major systems within the human body and all must balanced and working efficiently to obtain optimum health. We need to remember that no system works in isolation; they are all interdependent of each other.

Walter Cannon, an early twentieth century physiologist, spoke of the ‘wisdom of the body’ and used the word, homeostasis to describe the body’s ability to maintain relatively stable internal conditions despite outside changes. The term indicates a ‘dynamic state of equilibrium, or a balance, in which internal conditions vary, but always within relatively narrow limits. In general, the body is in homeostasis when its needs are adequately met and it is functioning smoothly.’ (Marieb, E (2001) Human Anatomy and Physiology, 5th ed. Benjamin Cummings, an imprint of Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.)

Homeostasis within our bodies is so important that most, if not all diseases are regarded as a result of its disturbance, a condition known as homeostatic imbalance. Although most academics agree with this fact, many are still not looking at the system that is being directly affected by this imbalance. Symptomatic treatment usually follows instead of looking for the root cause, and hence the patient is plagued by further problems, while under the illusion that the original complaint has been resolved. There appears to be an obvious neglect in addressing what can be done to assist the body in correcting the balance when it has become overwhelmed with too many outside changes or internal miscommunications and/or imbalances.

‘TREAT THE WHOLE BODY, NOT JUST IT’S PARTS’ – Mark Elliott
 

There are many challenges that may seem to prevent us from experiencing overall good health, but many of these challenges can be removed with a little effort on our part and the right motivation to want to overcome them. Mark explains the most common health challenges in his live seminars,  and also in his DVD,  so we will only briefly look at two challenges here,  HYDRATION and NUTRITION and possible solutions to overcome them.

HYDRATION

Firstly, what does hydration mean? To put it simply, having enough good quality water in our bodies to enable the cells to perform their various activities. Most of us are chronically dehydrated and do little to correct this even when symptoms such as headaches, tiredness etc remind us that  we may be needing to drink a glass or two of water!! Instead, we go to the cupboard and take a painkiller (medications such as panadeine, panadeine forte, codral forte, disprin forte are classified as narcotics (they are derived from opium) and very addictive), or we go to the doctor thinking something is seriously wrong with us. Consider purchasing Your Bodies Many Cries for Water by F.Batmanghelidj M.D. Consider two things when remembering to drink  water, quantity and quality of water. Generally, most agree that somewhere around 6-8 glasses of water/day is adequate for the average sized adult, but of course bodyweight should be taken into account here, so adjust a little either way for yourself. At first, it will seem like you are running to the toilet a lot more, but persist because as the body adjusts again to the higher levels, the kidneys will not feel overwhelmed and usually within a few days will tolerate the increased amount. The quality of the water is also extremely important. Without going into too much detail, we recommend oxygenated, filtered and energized water as the best quality. If you want further explanation, please feel free to contact Mark .

NUTRITION

As Mark discusses in great detail at his seminars, there is no such thing as 'healthy food' any longer, (even if it is organic) and we certainly cannot escape toxins in our environment, hence the need for supplementation to ensure adequate nutrition and protection from toxins. However, there is often much confusion about the type of supplementation and the effectiveness of it , we may feel we are wasting our money and literally flushing it down the toilet!! This is partially true as Mark explains below...

Supplements work best if we deal with these issues first...

The body can only absorb what you give it if there is no intestinal plaque interfering with absorption into the blood stream - clear it out.

There is somewhere between 2-9 kgs of this plaque in your body!!

Get rid of the parasites or they will consume nutrients and create toxins in your body.

Antibiotics (including those in your meat that were given to the animal when it was alive), The Contraceptive Pill, and a range of toxins from our food strip the intestinal villi of "good" bacteria. The "good" bacteria is necessary for nutritional assimilation.

So,  once we've cleaned out the intestinal plaque, gotten rid of the parasites and increased the 'healthy' intestinal flora and bacteria. What's next?

Well, there is really no such thing as 'healthy food' any longer.

Farmers put 3-20 minerals in the soil yet you need 60 different minerals every day to keep you healthy.

We now require supplements to obtain adequate nutrition for the body to function optimally.

And the body can only USE what minerals you give it IF they are presented in the RIGHT FORM. (SEE TABLE BELOW)

Lastly, eat no poison such as herbicides and pesticides used on the food in its growth cycle -eat organic food where possible and protect your body from what you cannot avoid using antioxidants. Some examples of antioxidants are listed below...

We now have learned the five basic steps to regain and maintain health from the nutritional angle.

As mentioned earlier there are many more health challenges, including mental and emotional health that are just as important, these are discussed in further detail on the mind page and Mark's DVDs.