Why do we get ill? (Part One)

Danielle Harris is a fervent believer that by eating a correctly balanced diet and having a positive mindset we have the power to withstand many of the diseases of the modern age. In this, the first article of a two part series she explains what she believes are the root causes of many illness.

As I mentioned last month, I believe that certain human character traits may make us more prone to certain diseases. There are many factors involved when physical disease afflicts someone. I cannot categorically say that a particular thought pattern is always responsible but here are some examples of what I mean.

Our lungs represent our capacity to take in life and let life flow out again. Lung problems will often manifest in people who have a fear of life and an unconscious belief that they do not have the right to live fully. In my practice, I have often noticed that patients suffering from chronic asthma had often been unable to express grief. They often had feelings of repressed anger.

Skin eruptions can represent repressed rage, inner agitation or irritation by someone or something, consciously or not.

Stiffness in the body can be created by a rigid mind, stubborn attitudes, a need to control everything and everyone. It often shows inflexibility of thought, an inability to let go, and an excessive need for order and organisation.

Diseases causing inflammation can have their roots in repressed anger which burns up inside. And so on.

These are examples of what might be happening in the mind. Medical science is beginning to understand the degree to which the nature of our thoughts and emotions actually determines the physical substances, structure and functions of our bodies. Before physical disease manifests in the body, however, certain conditions have already taken place on the physical level.

There are five main reasons for diseases: dehydration, acidosis, lack of essential fatty acids, wrong balance of minerals at cell level and overload of toxins in the body. This month we will look at the first two.

Dehydration
This, in my opinion, might be the initial cause for disease as every function in our body is monitored by the flow of water, including the transport of nutrients to the organs. I have not met many patients who were not dehydrated. Most people don’t drink enough water, and the quality of the water is very important.

When I started practising, I had the tap water in our house analysed and it contained chemical residues, hormones, nitrates, pesticides, detergents - to name a few.

Most people consume large quantities of coffee, tea, alcohol. These are all dehydrating. Any challenge to the body can also dehydrate: central heating, stress, eating food which has grown on the other side of the world, and certain drugs too.
Unfortunately, we do not get many signs that we are dehydrated. We often think that we are hungry instead. When we eventually get a frequently dry mouth, it is a sign that dehydration has been present for many years already.

Our body, however, knows that we are dehydrated. And because it is such an intelligent system, it will get into action to protect us from this dangerous situation by producing a form of cholesterol and placing it around every single cell in our body. This will have the effect of hardening the cell membrane; preventing fluid from escaping. But because of this hardening, the exchange of minerals at cell levels cannot take place properly and toxicity will not get out of the cell as it should; we will slowly become overloaded with poisons. We will later look at the dangers of these two situations.

During my years of practice I have sent patients home with only the task of drinking water. Half of their symptoms had disappeared after a few weeks.

The average person needs to drink between three and four pints of water a day. More if they drink coffee, tea and alcohol. And for the water to be properly absorbed, the right intake of minerals (in the form of vegetables) is absolutely essential.

Dehydration can be the reason for recurrent headaches, chronic pains in the body, back and neck pain, heartburns, excess body weight, fluid retention, rheumatoid pain, constantly bloated abdomen.

Acidosis
Acidosis is a condition in which the acidity of the body fluids and tissues is abnormally high. This arises because of a failure of the mechanism responsible for maintaining a balance between acids and alkalis in the blood.

The letters Ph are used in chemistry to measure whether a substance is acid or alkaline. The scale goes from 1 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Anything below 7 is acid, anything above is alkaline. The Ph balance is one of the most basic and important aspects of a balanced and healthy body. The cells in our body are alkaline and they must remain so if they are to produce acids that give us energy. But these acids must not be allowed to build up. The body must neutralise and detoxify them constantly.

If the body fluids are acid, they will seek alkaline minerals to react with, such as calcium, sodium, zinc, potassium. These minerals are extremely important for many functions in the body to take place. If they are constantly used to buffer the acids and they are not provided in adequate amounts from the diet, they become deficient. A mineral deficiency will lead to disease. In acidosis, all the buffers have been exhausted.

There can be various reasons why acidosis takes place: bad nutrition, faulty digestion, poor assimilation and elimination, injuries, infections, bad posture, excessive travel, stress. As a general rule, a diet guaranteed to maintain a perfect Ph balance would be made of 75% vegetables and fruit, 25% grain, meat, fish, poultry, nuts and seeds.

The main culprits that produce acidosis are: coffee and tea, salt and spices, ice cream, white flour and sugar, fried foods, milk, carbonated drinks, margarine, refined and processed foods.

I hope I haven’t frightened you. Don’t worry, all these deficiencies can be corrected when you know how. You are learning now! And you can start as gently and slowly as you want.

If you have an existing medical condition always seek advice from your doctor before embarking on a radical change of diet or lifestyle.