Have you ever thought about what it takes to maintain healthy cells? All cells have a predetermined life cycle that we wish to support. A short support list could look like this:
1. Fertile environment: Nutrients + O2 + H2O
2. Unpolluted environment (internal)
3. Transport and Elimination system
4. Communication with the rest of the body
– Blood indirectly to the brain (molecular analysis)
– Nerves directly to the brain (Ph, temperature, foreign objects)
Looking at item #1 is where we most commonly start and stop when thinking about maintaining healthy cells. All we need is good food, oxygen and water, right? You are correct in as much that we need to provide good building blocks (nutrients) the body needs for function, regeneration and for energy production.
Cells cannot function properly if they live in a compromised environment. The reason people suffer diseases from unhealthy lifestyles is that cells are in a way contaminated by the toxins that invade the body from such activities. You know… too much alcohol, drugs, smoking by-products; too much food, etc. The cell wall is compromised by an unhealthy environment and causes an early demise or a malfunction at some level.
The body has an excellent circulatory system to bring goodies to the cells and take away some of the waste products. The second system that takes away waste products from cellular metabolism is the Lymphatic system; a channel type of inter-cellular transport. We best support these systems with proper body hydration; at least two liters of fluids per day.
The individual cells may have the characteristics of an island but depend on a timely communication with the rest of the body. The brain and its nerve networks that reach every part of the body is an essential aspect of cellular health. The central nervous system closely monitors thousands of different blood molecules that give it a real-time assessment of the body’s current status. The brain is so functionally powerful that is has built-in response systems to address the body’s needs at the cellular level.
Chiropractors have always looked to a healthy nervous system as the real power of healing; that is why the focus on the spine and nerves. Approaching health from a holistic perspective is a natural outcome when the nervous system is at the core of the Philosophy of Chiropractic. That assures the best opportunity for the body to respond in an appropriate and timely manner to minute by minute challenges and natural processes. In addition there is the realization that a person’s lifestyle has to be checked and corrected, just like the spine, if we expect natural healthy outcomes.
The cells are the functional working units of the body that work together to build systems and a regenerating body that support survival and a reliable vehicle to get us through life, hopefully a long and healthy one at that. Hope this brief discussion expands your appreciation of why we need to confess and respond to this statement:
“My problem is the result of doing too many of the
WRONG things and not enough of the RIGHT things.”
Yours in Health,
docMIKE
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