THE SEVEN STAGES OF DISEASE

Have you ever heard someone commenting on the severe illness or death of some person by saying something like, "I can't believe it, he was so healthy?” Or, “I just saw her the other day. She looked so great, so healthy.”

Disease, especially cancer, never, ever just sneaks up on people and strikes then down.  It doesn't happen that way. It takes a long time and a great deal of neglect and abuse for cancer to finally occur. From the first stage of disease to the seventh, cancer, we can be talking about many years. At any step, you can stop its progress. By being aware of the seven stages and their warning signals, you can put yourself in the position of knowing where you stand in terms of your health so that you can take charge and take control of the situation. 

Stage One—Enervation

The word enervation comes from the word energy. Energy is the essence of all life. Your very existence is dependent upon how much energy is available at any given time, to carry out all of the functions of your body. Enervation is a condition in which the body is either not generating sufficient energy for the tasks it must perform, or the tasks the body must perform are greater that the normal energy supply can cope with. When this occurs, the body becomes impaired and generates even less energy. In fact, all of the body's functions are impaired and this includes the processes of elimination of the toxic by-products of both metabolism and the residue of foods taken into the body. A certain amount of toxins in the body is totally natural. It is when there are more being produced than are being eliminated that problems arise. This situation results not only in the further inability of the body to restore depleted energy, but it also allows the body to become overloaded with this toxic material. Since energy is restored when you sleep, the first warning sign you'll receive that you are becoming enervated is that you will become tired and sluggish or require naps and/or more sleep at night. Enervation leads directly to the second stage of disease. 

Stage Two--Toxemia

(Also referred to as Toxicosis) 

Toxemia or Toxicosis occurs when the uneliminated toxic material described above starts to saturate the blood, lymph and tissues of the body. The body, of course, recognizes this situation that must be corrected and in an attempt to cleanse itself and maintain its integrity, it initiates a flushing out of the toxins. Two results can be expected when this happens. First, warnings in the form of discomfort occur. For instance, you might come down with a "virus" or the "flu."  Second, this process puts an even greater burden on the body's energy supply. If a person is also overworked, or under stress or getting insufficient rest and sleep, (all energy sappers) the feelings of tiredness and sluggishness become more pronounced. At a certain level of toxemia when the toxins must be forced out, the next stage of disease develops. 

Stage Three—Irritation

Whereas with enervation the only recognizable warning sign is a feeling of tiredness or fatigue, toxemia and the resulting irritation brings forth other more recognizable warning symptoms. In fact, the entire purpose of this stage is designed to make you aware of the rising level of toxemia in your body in the hope you will pay heed to the warnings and take the appropriate steps to remove them.

Irritation is a condition where the body sets in motion its defensive mechanisms and speeds up its internal activities for the purpose of unloading toxins that have built up This can happen at various points in the body

A common warning signal of irritation due to toxemia within the body is itchiness. The skin is not only the body's largest organ; it is also an organ of elimination. The body freely and regularly uses the four billion or so pores that make up our skin to remove toxins from within the body, from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet and everywhere in between. If any part of your skin becomes itchy, that is a classic sign that toxins are being removed, and when they reach the surface of the skin, that area becomes irritated and itchy. It's not serious but it is bothersome, which is the body's way of getting your attention. If nothing is done to remove the cause of the problem, the itchiness will progress to something far more troublesome

Not everyone experiences itchy skin in a state of irritation, Others feel queasy or nauseous for no apparent reason and at all different times of day You may feel jumpy or uneasy or on edge, so that you "fly off the handle" for no apparent reason People feel irritated because their bodies art in a state of irritation.

Other warning signs include prolonged nervousness, depression, anxiety and worry. You may start to have more frequent headaches, or have minor aches and pains in other areas of your body. If you find it more difficult to fall asleep or sleep fitfully, that is another indication of irritation. So is putting on weight. Other classic indicators are coated tongue, bad breath, increased body odor and sallow complexion, especially dark circles under the eyes. Women may experience out of the ordinary menstrual problems or heavier menstrual flow.

Unfortunately, people live years in a state of irritation without ever knowing what's beating them up. But when the effects of enervation, toxemia and irritation are ignored long enough, and the toxic residue that started the whole thing in motion in the first place builds to a higher concentration, the fourth stage of disease results.

Stage Four—Inflammation

Inflammation is the body’s most intense effort to cleanse and restore itself. This is when you become keenly aware of a problem, for it involves pain. Pain is not something that occurs haphazardly. Pain has purpose. It’s the body's most effective warning signal. It is specifically designed to alert you to the fact that without corrective measures you are endangering yourself

The body is more desperately attempting to get rid of the ever-increasing level of toxemia before it causes devastating damage.

Few people realize that this is a cleansing, healing mode of the body as it tries to fix itself. Instead it is looked upon as an "attack" against your well being, so ft is off to the doctor in search of relief. And sure enough, the doctor will find signs of pathology, which, more often than not will be treated with drugs. The drugs do nothing to remove the cause of the problem. They serve only to lessen the pain of the problem. Ultimately, in doing so, they add to the level of toxemia while giving the false impression that the problem is being handled. 

With inflammation, the toxins in the system have usually been concentrated in a particular organ or a particular area of the body for a massive eliminative effort. The area becomes inflamed due to the constant irritation from toxic material. When inflammation exists, we are diagnosed with one or more of the "itises." "Itis" at the end of a word literally means "inflammation of." So tonsillitis means inflammation of the tonsils; appendicitis—inflammation of the appendix; hepatitis—inflammation of the liver; nephritis—inflammation of the kidneys; arthritis—inflammation of the joints; colitis—inflammation of the colon. The list goes on and on. When a lymph node becomes inflamed, it enlarges and becomes tender. It is called lymphadenitis. A swollen lymph node or gland is one of the body's most obvious warnings that a cleansing of built up toxins is long overdue It is very important at this point that corrective measures are taken (a change in eating habits, lifestyle, etc.).

Inflammation or fever is a body crisis response to a life-threatening situation. The body and the body alone create the fever. It is evidence of increased and intense body activities directed at cleansing and repair. The extraordinary energies employed for a fever are at the expense of energies normally involved in digestion, work or play, thinking, etc. Fever is a healing activity.

When these healing symptoms are suppressed with drugs the level of toxicity increases until other organs become affected as well—not only with the toxins already in the body but also with the added toxicity of the drugs that are given. If the condition of the body's general toxification is unceasing, it will result in the next stage of disease.

Stage Five—Ulceration

The fifth stage means that the body has been under assault for such a long time that rnassive amounts of cells and tissue are being destroyed. Where tissue is destroyed a hole is literally opened up. This condition is often intensely painful because there are exposed nerves. Ulcers can occur inside or outside of the body. While the body may use an ulcer as an outlet to rid itself of toxins, it will heal the ulcer if the level of toxemia is sufficiently lowered. Following ulceration is the process the body goes through to seal off these wounds.

Stage Six—Induration

Induration is a hardening of tissue. But this hardening has real direction and purpose. The toxic material that is threatening the well being of the body is encapsulated in a sack of hardened issue

This is a way of quarantining the toxic material and holding it in one place so it will not spread freely throughout the body. The sack is what is referred to as a tumor and is sometimes misdiagnosed as cancer.

Induration is the last stage during which the body is still in control of its cells.  Should the destructive practices discussed so far, which brought matters to this stage continue, cells and tissue systems would go crazy. They will become parasitic, living off of whatever nutrients they can obtain, but contributing nothing to the body in turn. The constant poisoning has finally altered their genetic encoding and they become wild and disorganized.  They are not capable of intelligent, normal organized action for the good of the body. When cells go wild in this manner, the condition is called cancer.

Stage Seven—Cancer

This is the end point in the long development of disease and if the causes that brought it about to begin with are continued it is usually fatal. Body vitality is at a very low level; cells are no longer under the control of the brain, but are multiplying wildly in an unorganized manner. Although in the best of circumstances, with a most healthy regimen, cancer can be arrested and reversed, it would take a diligent, concentrated effort.

All through the first six stages of disease, the body gives incessant warnings. If the warnings are understood and corrective measures are taken, the warnings stop. If they are not understood and the same habits continue, the warnings become progressively more acute. This built-in mechanism is as automatic as the eyes blinking when necessary, or blood flowing through the veins. This warning system is yet one more beautiful example of the magnificence of the human body. But all the body can do is warn us to make a change; it can't make the changes for us.

Have you ever been driving down the road and suddenly you notice a red light flashing on your dashboard indicating a problem? What do you do, ignore it in hopes that it will go away? Do you cover it with tape so you don't have to see it? Or do you take steps to correct the problem?