seen as the following: 1. Adjustment: Minor symptoms, such as fevers and headaches, that can easily disappear without treatment or with simple natural remedies; they are the system’ s efforts to keep itself in homeostatic balance. 2. Discharge: This is the system’ s attempt to rid itself of useless or noxious matter through other than normal channels. These include sneezing, coughing, skin eruptions, mucus discharges. Most of these symptoms can and should be treated with diet and natural home remedies. 3. Accumulation: This stage ensues if the discharge is suppressed or is not adequate. It includes cysts, benign growths, excess weight, fatty deposits, stones. From here on, professional attention may be required. 4. Malfunction: When the accumulation gets in the way, or when the body’ s electric( energy) system goes awry, the organs and the immune system work less and less efficiently, as in diabetes, appendicitis, early cancer, heart attacks or fibrillation, hepatitis, kidney failure. 5. Structural Change: Eventually, the very shape of the organs or other body structures changes, sometimes irreversibly. Included here would be arthritis, cirrhosis, cataracts, enlargement of the heart, ruptured appendix, late cancer, advanced arteriosclerosis. These five stages are handy for us to keep in mind, especially to delineate the limits of this book. In the following chapters, we are going to be examining how food can promote or assist in the healing of minor problems, of adjustments and discharges. On the basis of twenty years of practice, I am convinced that if these initial stages of imbalance are allowed or helped to heal gently and naturally, rather than being fought and suppressed with chemical medications, there is no need for the body to progress into more serious problems. In short, the prevention of illness lies both in healthy diet, AND in the natural( nondrug) management of minor health imbalances. *“ It is assumed that we are ill and are made well,” wrote British physician Thomas McKeown,“ but it is nearer the truth to say that we are well and are made ill.” 2