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In a previous article I covered how oxidative stress is a cause for many chronic degenerative diseases.
I would like you now to imagine the following scenario; you are looking at a fire-place with a carpet in front of it. As the wood burns it pops and embers hit the carpet. Over time, these continuous embers create burned holes in the carpet. The only way to prevent the carpet from getting scorched is to put up a screen in front of the fireplace.
The carpet represents the cells in your body whereas the embers represent the free radicals that hit your healthy cells and damage them over time. The screen represents the anti-oxidant protection that you set-up to protect the healthy cells.
The same process that takes place when fire particles attack the "carpet" and slowly but steadily burn it, happens within your body. You cannot see the “holes” in the healthy cells or the damage that is undergoing in specific organs, the brain, tissues, etc. It starts as a low-grade inflammation which becomes chronic. Furthermore, you may start experiencing certain symptoms like fatigue, catching colds frequently that take longer to get rid off, allergies, digestive problems, insomnia, aches and pains.
Initially you may think it is normal, may be you over exerted yourself, however the symptoms get worse. In addition, you may experience a stressful situation, or get a vaccine and immediately the symptoms flair up and you have no idea what happened. A visit to your doctor reveals you may have a disease or something that cannot be put as yet under a specific illness category. Eventually, a test may show you have a degenerative disease like chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s, cancer, etc.
As Dr. Ray Strand, an expert in nutritional medicine writes, "there have been numerous studies especially as nutritional medicine becomes more mainstream, showing the relation between oxidative stress and diet including nutritional supplementation. There are over 180 epidemiologic studies (studies that involve a very large number of people) that all show the very same thing. Those individuals who have the highest levels of total antioxidants in their body compared with those who have the lowest levels have a 2- to 3-fold decrease risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s dementia. Obviously, those individuals who consume more of the fresh fruits and vegetables, which contain a large amount of these antioxidants, had the highest levels of antioxidants in their body. This only makes logical sense when you understand the concept of oxidative stress as being the root cause of over 70 of these chronic degenerative diseases."
Other articles you may enjoy on Healthy Lifestyle:
How to choose broadspectrum nutritional supplements
The case for nutritional supplementation
Six ways to strengthen your immune system
Natural Health 101:what is oxidative stress
Ten tips for managing daily stress
Select supplements could save $24 billion in health care costs
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