Waste of the Body. The waste of the body is eliminated through the lungs, skin, kidneys and bowels; and whenever it is not promptly removed from the system, disease results. The waste is made up of three elements:

1. The dead tissue of the body.

2. Indigestible particles of food.

3. Excess of food taken into the system over and above its needs.

If the mere smell of decaying tissue-foods, such as meat and eggs, makes one sick, does it not follow that it would have a worse effect when in the system? The effete tissue and excess of food, especially meat and eggs, are really poisonous. People know something about the necessity of food, but seem totally unconcerned whether the waste is removed or not, although it is of vital importance. Every one knows that human life cannot exist without air, but they do not realize that it could not long exist if every pore in the skin were closed. A large amount of impurities is thrown out through the lungs, and foul breath (except it come from mouth or nose) is one of the best evidences of how the system tries to cleanse itself. A wet sponge will not absorb as much water as a dry one; nor will air, laden with impurities, carry away as much waste from the system as pure air. An active skin is almost as essential as pure air, and if generally recognized, disease would be far less common. All intelligent people understand the necessity for keeping the skin clean, but lose sight of the fact that it must be kept warm. This explains why the changes of the weather make people sick. A chilly or damp day may close the pores of the skin; and if the other outlets be inactive, a cold is the result.

This is especially noticeable in those who eat more than their system needs. An excess or too little clothing (especially on the extremities), overheated rooms that dry the skin, are causes of cold and indigestion. The nitrogenous waste of the body is removed through the kidneys; but as they are mainly affected by errors in diet, nothing need be said about their action. Non-elimination of waste, on account of constipation, is so common that it demands separate treatment under diseases of intestines. No matter how we live, there will always be a certain amount of tissue that is being removed and entering the circulation. If the excretory outlets are insufficient, the poisonous matter is kept in the system, with results that vary from discomfort to death.

Lack Of Exercise

The necessity of labor for most people, gives sufficient exercise; but many women and business men take too little. Those who do heavy work need a great deal of food, because food is burned up in force-production. Besides this, great muscular activity shakes the dormant digestive organs into activity, and assists in the elimination of waste. The main difficulty is to provide the proper amount of food for a certain amount of exercise. People who lead an active life will eat as much or more on Sunday, when they do nothing, as when they are at hard labor. This brings us to the principal source of disease: Lack of Adaptation in Diet.

Under ordinary conditions every organ in the body is more than able to perform the functions for which it was intended, and there should be no disease; but so long as people utterly disregard the law of supply and demand, in the matter of feeding themselves, so long will the human family be cursed with it. The various organs of the body are dependent upon each other, and all are dependent upon good blood, which can only come from food adapted to the needs of each individual. It should be constantly borne in mind, that the ordinary diseases result either from poison or starvation; poison from dead tissue or decay of foods; starvation, because the foods did not furnish the essential elements of life, could not be digested, or was too small in quantity. It sounds paradoxical to say that one lacks nourishment, when already consuming twice as much food as needed, but such is frequently the case. It is not what we eat, but what we digest and assimilate that sustains life; and there is no fault that interferes with digestion more than an excess of food.

Overeating

Too much food unduly distends the stomach and weakens its contractile power, thus destroying, in a great measure, its activity - churning movements. This might be illustrated by trying the strength of your arm when stretched as far as you can reach. Besides this, there is a limit to the amount of digestive secretions, and if these be only sufficient to digest twenty ounces of food, it is manifest that twice that quantity could not be digested. Now, what results.? The food will most likely remain in the stomach too long and decay, which cannot be corrected after the food passes out of the stomach. The blood thus becomes filled with crude and often poisonous substances. This is what produces the languor, headache and general discomfort so frequently felt after eating a large meal, when there was no demand in the system for it. An overloaded stomach acts like a horse with a heavy load on a bad road - very slow. There is a chance that it won't get through; and if it does, it will be in a bad condition. The most common result of overeating is to throw a great bulk of gaseous, fermenting food into the intestines, unduly distending them and preventing their action, which is a common cause of constipation.

Under such conditions, digestion will be very imperfect, and the system poorly nourished and burdened or poisoned by the waste.