Build a New Body, A New and Improved Version!

​by Teri Tomlinson
     Years ago, when I was extremely ill, I began to realize that something was was just not right. I was suffering from severe allergies, asthma and a heart problem. In addition I had a number of accidents with major injuries, which included chipping my neck bone, injuring my sciatica and breaking my back. I was in so much pain, sneezing all the time, I had hives every day and was noticing my skin seemed very thin. I was taking many medications, but after a while, realized that I was not getting any better—in fact I was getting worse! One day I woke up and decided I needed a new plan.  I had to get my life back! I sought out an herbalist and began to research herbs and organic foods.  A journey that has proven to be the best choice I could have ever made! 
     One of the first things I learned, that really kept me motivated on my quest for better health, was that the human body is an incredible machine. Part of what makes it impressive is its ability to regenerate itself! Did you know that the human body, right down to the last atom, is replaced every 7 years?
In his book, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Deepak Chopra states, “The skin replaces itself once a month, the stomach lining every five days, the liver every six weeks, and the skelton every three months. By the end of the year, 98 percent of the atoms in your body will have been exchanged for new ones”. 1   Scientist have even discovered that parts of the brain are, in fact, capable of regeneration! Think about it, the way we think and act today will determine what kind of body we will have next year. 
     This information was so profound to me that it gave me great hope and conviction that I would be able to change my situation and I can honestly say, without a doubt, that it has! I look back on those years of suffering and realize that it is true, “you don’t know what you don’t know, until you know it”! 
I was so motivated to build a new body and I understood that the best way to make that happen, was to put in my body the highest quality raw materials I could find! If I was going to replace my dying cells with new and stronger cells I needed to pay attention to every calorie that went into my body. Obviously, what I was doing yesterday was not working.  It occurred to me that if I continued to ignore the fact that our food sources had changed so drastically over the years, I would surely never get well. (what with fast food restaurants and convenience foods that are highly processed and laced with all kinds of chemicals)  It was not easy, nor convenient, to make a change to whole raw and living foods from this great earth, but it was well worth it. I had to develop a new palate that did not include sodas, pastries and white bread and candy bars. I had to learn the names of many scary vegetables and how to prepare them. I had to constantly think, if there were no restaurants, grocery stores or refrigerators what would I eat? I had to learn that water is really the best hydrator and energy drinks are not necessary when the body is balanced. There are no short cuts to good health!

1. Chopra, Deepak. Agless Body, Timeless Mind. New York: Harmony Books, Crown Publishers, 1993.Pg 9.