Happy new body! Try a cellular makeover for 2004.

Stress, processed foods and chemicals in our environment do more than cause short-term fatigue or skin breakouts--they can actually cause our cells to slowly rebel, giving rise to a multitude of weight issues, "skindromes" and other health problems.

According to Sherry Rogers, MD, a specialist in environmental and nutritional medicine, the combination of nutritional deficiencies, undiscovered infections and the accumulation of heaD, metals or harmful chemicals in our bodies are responsible for myriad chronic ills.

"Common autoimmune and inflammatory issues often arise once fire gut becomes a target for allergic reactions. This causes the spaces between cells to enlarge, allowing unrecognized antigens to pass through and enter the bloodstream and be h-eared by the immune system as 'foreign invaders,'" says Rogers. The resulting maladies nut the gamut from food allergies to migraines, fibromyalgia, lupus, arthritis and so on.

Another contributor to inflammation is the overabundance of omega6 polyunsaturated fairy acids in the American diet. Hydrogenated oils, or trans fats, can cause inflammation and hormonal problems. "Trans fats call occupy, cellular sites ordinarily occupied by beneficial fats, but they fail to perform their functions," according to Dallas Clouatre, PhD. He advises consumption of expeller-pressed seed oils such as flax and borage oils, as well as coconut oil, rather than corn oil or margarine.

"Inflammation itself generates free radicals and activates enzymes that tear down proteins such as collagen," Clouatre says. "Long-lived animals, such as humans, all have enzyme systems to produce large stores of antioxidants such as super-oxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione to deal with these constant oxidative bursts." For people fighting autoimmune challenges stemming from the intestines, he recommends digestive enzymes, glutamine, and herbs such as horse chestnut seed, grape seed extract and butcher's broom. These, Ire says, increase the integrity of vascular tissues.

Finally, stress and the cortisol it produces are also destructive to our cells, our skin and our body shape. According to Clouatre, chronically elevated cortisol levels lead to inflammation, lean tissue breakdown and countless other problems, including insulin resistance, which can cause the body to store more fat from carbs.

Deep-wave sleep is one of the most important ways to control cortisol levels since it produces human growth hormone (HGH), which ...