Raw News

Most folks go through life as though they truly believed the opening word of that old song: “I ain’t got nobody!” The average person has no idea of the location of the organs, glands vessels, nerves, arteries and other components of the body, to say nothing of a lack of knowledge of their function. And that internal ignorance is probably the best explanation for the kind of “food” most people shove into their bodies.

It is characteristic of the American dream for folks to work very hard to earn money or credit to surround themselves with pieces of machinery-a television set, a refrigerator, a dishwasher, a stereo, a clothes washer and dryer, and of course an automobile. But before they’ve earned a penny, Mother Nature has provided them with the finest mechanism imaginable-their own body. Yet most people appreciate this marvelous piece of equipment the least.

The tragic truth is that most folks treat their automobiles better than their own bodies. If it was definitely proved that smoking cigarettes in an automobile would instantly corrode the engine, every smoker would quit smoking in his car! No automobile owner would pour refined sugar into the gas tank, or stuff a steak in the carburetor, or shove wet, soggy white bread into the radiator. Automobile owners would refrain from such things because they know it would damage their precious machines.

Also automobile owners are constantly in search of the best possible fuel for their cars. They are careful to change the oil regularly and see that the car is periodically lubricated. They check the owner’s manual provided by the manufacturer of their car to see that they are treating their machine correctly. Yet the car owner will park his automobile, run into a restaurant and wreak havoc upon his personal machine!

This chapter is intended to serve as a brief Body Owner’s Manual for the care, keeping and understanding of that marvelous machine Mother Nature has given to us free of charge. Although everyone will one day have to face that “final recall” of the body machine, the length and quality of service depend upon how well the operational demands of the mechanism are understood and the care it is given.

The Filtering System

There are a number of glands in the body engaged in the filtering process, but the two major filters are the liver and the kidneys. In a car owner’s manual, you are advised to change the filter periodically. Medical doctors sometimes offer the same advice for the body machine, calling the process of changing filters “transplants.” While it is good, in fact essential, to cleanse them through proper diet, Mother Nature’s filters usually carry a lifetime guarantee if treated properly.

The Liver

Everything we eat or drink is broken down and carried by the blood to the liver. In the liver, the atoms and molecules of our food are reconstructed into material which the body uses to repair, replenish and rebuild cells and tissues.

Thus the liver is certainly one of the most important and amazing glandular organs in the entire body machine. It is the largest gland, making up about one-fortieth of a person’s total weight. And the liver has miraculous powers of regenerating and healing itself. Which, of course, is a blessing to most people, considering the punishment they inflict upon the liver through improper diet. If heart or brain cells are damaged and die, they cannot be replaced. But the liver, given the nourishment needed to heal itself, can remarkably “come back to life”. Most abused livers need only a decent opportunity for “personal resurrection.”

The liver performs a number of complex chemical functions in the body. Rearranged molecules and atoms are sent back into the bloodstream from the liver and are distributed to the other glands and parts of the body as they are needed. The by-products of the reconstruction work in the liver, along with used-up cells from other parts of the body system, are converted by the liver into bile. The bile is collected and stored in the gall bladder and is used as needed in the digestive process and other functions of the body.

The liver is burdened with the work load of undoing the damage inflicted upon the body by improper eating and drinking habits. Poisons and narcotics which would destroy the body if left alone are passed as quickly as possible to the liver. The liver cells neutralize the poisonous components and try to convert them into harmless chemical compounds. It’s as though the rest of the body were saying to the liver, “Dig baby, see what you can do about what this fool just ate and drank!”

When raw fruits and vegetables and their juices are consumed, the liver performs its functions normally. Only raw, live, vital organic food has the magnetism needed to aid in the bodily functions. So when cooked or processed foods are consumed, foods which have lost their vital natural magnetism through the application of heat, the liver has a big job on its hands. The liver has to try to reconstruct inorganic, lifeless atoms and molecules. Starches, grains, meat products and anything that has been cooked in fat give the liver a tremendous workout. Starch molecules, for example, when passing through the liver, can become lodged in the liver cells. When this happens often enough, a congestion develops which can result in cirrhosis or hardening of the liver. The liver becomes stiff as a board. The diet prepared in most kitchens may be responsible for that common phrase “room and board.”

It is interesting to note that most people think of cirrhosis of the liver as a disease peculiar to heavy drinkers. While it is true that heavy drinkers are inviting this disaster, it is also quite possible for a heavy starch consumer, or a big sandwich eater, to develop cirrhosis without having had a drink of alcohol during an entire lifetime. Concentrated protein, such as meat, is also difficult for the liver to handle, and eating it runs the danger of clogging liver cells and causing inflammation. The liver has to work double duty trying to deal with fat that has been cooked to as little as ninety-six degrees Fahrenheit. And no matter how “lean” meat is, there is always some fat.

Let me offer an example, suggested by N.W. Walker in his excellent book Become Younger, to illustrate what most folks do to their liver every day. If a person bought a truck, and the owner’s manual said the load capacity was a half ton, the new truck owner would be a fool to load up the truck with two of three tons and run it day in and day out. The truck would carry the load for a while. But one day it would break down and the owner would be running to the bank for a loan on a new truck. It’s the same with the load capacity of the liver. Most people overload its capacity every single day of their lives, three meals a day. And the liver handles its burdened load for a time. One day it is likely to break down.

Before the truck breaks down completely, it will slow up, the tires will give way, the springs will sag and the frame will be pushed out of shape. And the overloaded liver will bring about the same reaction in the human body. Consider the person suffering from a “sluggish” liver-slow, lifeless movements, feet lagging and frequently a bent frame!

Taken from:Dick Gregory’s Natural Diet for Folks who eat: Cookin’ with Mother Nature(chapter 4 )

I enjoyed this chapter so much that my mere words of explanation could not fully convey to you what Dick Gregory so eloquently transmitted himself. I decided to begin my blog session with exerts from his book. In this case I plan to write this whole chapter in parts. We can discuss each part as it is written. Next week I will begin with Part 2: The Kidneys

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