The number of problems that can occur from toxicity are many and the number of ways that the problems start are also great. A myriad of issues from fatigue to gallstones to nervous system disorders can result from body toxicity.

While there are many cells in our body that perform different functions and have different internal structures they all have some basic similarities. All our cells need water to survive and work and they all have 3 basic components (excluding red blood cells that eject their nucleus). These components are the Nucleus, the Internal Structure and the Plasma Membrane.

Each of these components when combined performs specific functions. Even though they may perform different specific functions they all take in water, metabolize it and eject a waste product called nucleic acid. This waste product is then dealt with by the body’s main cleaning systems – the liver and the kidneys. This flow through system is very important and when something goes wrong – like the cell becoming clogged with toxins – problems begin to occur.

When the cell is functioning correctly it has a good flow of liquid (water) going through it. The liquid has two ways to enter and leave the cell structure. The outer membrane or plasma membrane is a selectively permeable barrier, meaning that it allows some substances to pass while excluding others.

When a substance can penetrate the plasma membrane without any energy input from the cell, it is called passive transport. When the cell must provide metabolic energy, the process is called active transport. The movement of water into the cell is an example of passive transport while movement of amino acids and most ions across the membrane is active transport.

The Plasma Membrane

The plasma membrane, as well as being selectively permeable, has another very important function. It maintains a potential voltage difference between the internal structure of the cell and the intercellular fluid. Scientists are just now starting to realize the importance of the voltage that exists on the membrane itself. Its electrical value plays a part in helping the membrane be selectively permeable. If this voltage drops too low it contributes to loss of cell integrity. What is important here is that it has been scientifically proven that an unhealthy cell has a very poor membrane voltage.

There are a lot of things that can start to go wrong when we exert an outside influence on the cell, such as a toxin. Our bodies are more than capable of withstanding low levels of toxins but when these levels rise too high, a chain of events starts to take place and the integrity of the cell is compromised. The integrity of the cell can be affected from both the outside or the inside and the toxins that cause the problem do not need to come from an external source, because the cell itself produces a waste product that could be considered a toxin.

As we have already said the body has a natural defense mechanism for removing toxins from the system. In the average individual, these systems are functioning correctly but under load the system can break down and result in a toxin build up. For most people the threat of toxin build up comes not only from having the cleaning system operating incorrectly, but from the type of toxins we are now exposed too. Some toxins do not remain in the intercellular fluid and become attached to the cell membrane, and if the body is operating below 100% problems can occur.

Body Detoxification In Detail

The number of problems that can occur from Toxification are many and the number of ways that the problems start are also great. There are however a few basic causes that we can address to understand how the body becomes toxic and how we can resolve the problem by helping the body cope using its natural processes.

We are going to examine two basic ways the body becomes toxic in relation to the effect it has on the cell. It should be noted that although these processes are explained individually they can and do all occur simultaneously.

1. Toxification by Natural Waste Products
Toxification by natural waste products is where the body accumulates a build up of natural waste products from the cell, called nucleic waste. This can occur two ways.

A. Liver and Kidney function are low and are not extracting all of the waste out of the intercellular fluid (blood).
B. Toxin build-up on the plasma membrane, restricting all of the waste products from leaving the interior of the cell.

The basic function of the cell goes like this: water enters the cell via passive transport, and water then reacts with the Internal Cell Structure and the Nucleus. The product of the reaction between water, Internal Cell Structure and the Nucleus is Nucleic Waste. The cell is very efficient when functioning fully and reacts with all the water on a 1:1 basis meaning all of the water is used with an equal amount of nucleic waste being produced.

A. LOW LIVER & KIDNEY FUNCTION
When liver and kidney function is low the intercellular fluid becomes contaminated with waste products. What happens then is instead of just water entering the cell, the water becomes a combination of water and nucleic waste. This causes changes in the reaction inside the cell. Now there is a water, internal cell structure and nucleus reaction, which is not how the cell is supposed to work. The cell is no longer operating efficiently and the metabolic energy being used is wasteful.

B. EXTERNAL TOXIC BUILD UP
External toxin build up is when toxins begin to accumulate on the outside of the cell. One of the causes of this is when the membrane voltage is poor; the toxins can stick to the membrane. This deprives the cell of the natural flow of water into it and also restricts the exit of the nucleic waste. Once again cell function is compromised so the cell can no longer function correctly. The process is cyclical, the more the toxins build up the less efficient the cell becomes and therefore the longer this goes on, the harder it is to reverse the process.

There are two processes the body uses to solve this problem.
i. Receiving from external sources what is required to raise the membrane voltage.
ii. The white blood cells.

2. Toxification by low level artificial toxins
Toxification by low level artificial toxins is where a toxin has managed to penetrate the cell membrane and enter into the internal structure. Toxins can achieve this in times of low cell integrity. White blood cells play a part in this operation.

One of the things white blood cells do is clean the toxins off of the plasma membrane of the cells. White blood cells damage the membrane during the process of removal leaving it temporarily vulnerable. Once a toxin has entered into the internal structure of the cell it causes problems. To eject the toxin the cell requires metabolic energy to perform active transport; that is, the cell needs to use its own energy to eject the invader. If the cell does not have the spare energy to do this a build up can start.

The white blood cells clean the cells in the body. When a white blood cell removes a toxin from the outer surface of the cell it causes some damage. If the cell can not repair in time, it is vulnerable and toxins can enter into the cell.

3. Toxification by external influences
This is the most unfortunate method to accumulate toxins into the body. Because we cannot control the amount of toxins we ingest each day, we sometimes do not realize we even have a toxic body. Using methods such as water and air purification will help decrease the toxins coming into our body, but this is merely a band aid.