There have been several comments over the last few weeks which have prompted me to dig up this old Post of mine. I have fine-tuned my views on Biochemical Individuality over the years as some of y’all may have noticed, but this old Post of mine still addresses this concept well enough to help us understand that even though we are all basically the same we are also very unique in our own individual way.

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Biochemical Individuality...Human needs vary under different conditions and circumstances of life.
John Rose (---.244.116.249.Dial1.Houston1.Level3.net)
Date: 10-07-02 23:52

One of the biggest mistakes that most people make when it comes to health is that most of us think that we are all so different. In a way we are, but not like most people think. To help us all have a better understanding of our differences, I have rearranged 14 of my favorite quotes from Herbert Shelton in a more logical sequence and here they are:

1) All men are subject to the laws of Nature.
2) No man can break a law of Nature.
3) Everything we do or fail to do either conforms to law or runs counter to it.
4) If all men are subject to the law of gravity, then all men are subject to all other natural laws.
5) The same law that preserves a stick of dynamite under one set of conditions, explodes it under another set of conditions.
6) The same laws of life that give us health under one set of conditions, give us disease under another set of conditions.
7) In both of these cases, there is no change in the law, only changes in the conditions under which the law operates.
8) So, if we know the conditions for health and the conditions for disease, then we may produce health or disease just as certainly as we may preserve or explode a stick of dynamite.
9) Man’s constitution differs from that of the horse or the wolf, but not from that of another man.
10) Every organ and every function in the body of one man is subject to the same laws as are the organs and functions of the body of any other man.
11) The laws of nature do not require one kind of practice in one man and another and opposite kind of practice in another man.
12) What is best for one is best for all and what is injurious for one is injurious for all.
13) Human needs vary under different conditions and circumstances of life.
14) This is not due to any change in the law, but to a change in conditions.

Once again, I rearranged these quotes from Shelton to help people realize that we are not quit as unique as some of us might think, however, there is an interesting philosophy introduced by Dr. Roger Williams that Dr. Gabriel Cousens mentions in his latest edition in "Conscious Eating" called Biochemical Individuality, which means that different people do indeed have different needs and responses to foods. Dr. Shelton summed it up perfectly in the last two of the 14 quotes that I listed above and are worth repeating:

13) Human needs vary under different conditions and circumstances of life.
14) This is not due to any change in the law, but to a change in conditions.

So, what does this mean and how do we deal with our own bio-individuality, especially when it comes to detox?

This means that even though we all have the same basic physiology, we are all at different levels of toxicity and deficiency. The two most important organs that are toxic and that affect our well-being are our colon and our liver, and it is those people with these toxic organs that have the most severe detox symptoms. So as we change our diets to a more simple natural diet, it is imperative that our colon is moving frequently, and if our colon is not moving frequently, that is our body's way of telling us that it wants a solid food vacation. [We also need a solid food vacation anytime we are not digesting or assimilating our food.] Now the question is...should we do a water fast or a juice fast? To answer this question, we need to know more about how our liver functions.

One of the many functions of the liver is to transform fat-soluble toxins into water-soluble molecules so they can be released through the kidneys and bowels by way of a complex system of enzymes that are made in liver cells. This process of detoxification occurs in two phases that work together and these two detoxification pathways of the liver are used for breaking down, eliminating and neutralizing toxins.

Phase I Bioactivation enzymes called cytochrome P450 mixed function oxidases convert toxins into new substances called reactive intermediaries, which are many times more toxic than the original substances. Therefore, it is very important that these new substances are converted as quickly as possible to a non-toxic, water-soluble molecule, which takes place in Phase II.

Phase II Conjugation reactions not only require a constant replenishable source of cofactors, including glutathione, glutamate, glycine, taurine, sulfate reserves, methylation cofactors, and healthy glucose levels, but also requires large amounts of energy (ATP). If these processes are not functioning in the liver, then these toxins are not broken down, eliminated and neutralized, so they build up in the body and the more toxins we have in our bodies, the more our bodies will warn us with more pain and more discomfort.

Now that we have a better understanding of how our liver functions, we can see how water fasting can actually be detrimental to our body's ability to breakdown, eliminate and neutralize toxins because of the decreased intake of Phase II cofactors, especially the decreased levels of glutathione. In contrast, juice fasting is just as nourishing as it is cleansing and will support our body's efforts in eliminateing toxins from our system.

As you can see, one of the biggest problems that many of us have when it comes to transitioning to our natural diet of raw plant foods is the condition of our livers, especially the quality of the bile. If our livers are clean and healthy, they can easily break down 99% of most toxins. However, when our livers are overloaded, it sends toxins on to the gallbladder or duodenum before they are fully neutralized, which results in Irritations and Inflammations. If the bile is lacking nutrients, if it is congested or if the bile ducts are clogged, then the bile cannot do its job either. Indeed, it is the quality of our bile and the condition of our livers that determine whether or not we experience symptoms when we are exposed to these toxins, especially during the transition period.

So if we are experiencing any detox symptoms, then there is a good chance that our colon needs a solid food vacation and our liver needs support. Juice fasting is the best way to give our colons a solid food vacation and at the same time give our livers the nutrients to ensure a successful conversion of toxins so they can be eliminated. Coffee enemas, chanca piedra and liver/gallbladder flushes are also beneficial in supporting our liver so that the liver and the bile are doing their jobs.
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Peace and Love..........John

What kinds of juices are the most beneficial so you don't develop nutritional deficiencies while on the fast?