Health

Health – Healthy Bones

by

A healthy, active life is one in which you can participate in all the activities that make life worth living! Strong bones are without doubt a significant measure of overall health and vitality.

Bone loss and fractures have in recent years become an increasing concern for women over 65, and rightly so. But a couple of decades ago research indicated that bone loss speeds up in the years immediately after menopause, raising concerns about osteoporosis, a disease in which bones become fragile and break easily, among much younger women. Suddenly any woman over 40 felt she was at risk for osteoporosis. Strong bones help prevent osteoporosis; such prevention should begin at an early age and continue throughout your lifetime.

A Natural Process

Bone loss is a natural, in fact, vital process. Only bone loss (called resorption) can initiate healthy new bone formation (called deposition or formation). As with all things in nature, good bone health relies on a balance between this action and counter-action, like breathing out and breathing in.

New bone is strong and flexible with the ability to bear both compression (running, jumping) and tensile (flexing) pressure. Bones strengthen with use, just like muscle, all through your life. But at some point, bone loss gradually begins to outpace bone growth—when this begins happening is highly individual, but it can be as much as 20 years or more before menopause.

Bone health is influenced by many factors: family history, body frame size, diet, calcium intake, vitamin D levels, physical exercise, hormonal balance, stress, and lifestyle. And because bones are constantly regenerating, every step you take to support their function will make a big difference—whenever you take them.

Bone health depends on the give-and-take process described above, also called remodeling. During this process, bone cells called osteoclasts travel through bone tissue retrieving old bone and leaving small, jagged spaces behind. This triggers their counterparts, called osteoblasts, to come into these spaces and deposit new bone. About 5 to 10 percent of all your bone tissue is replaced—or turned over—in a year in this way. Osteoblasts cannot work properly without sufficient osteoclast activity, and new bone is stronger and—this is key—more flexible than old bone.

No matter how much bone you make, you will still experience bone loss with age, but bone health is important at every age. Building and maintaining strong bones depends on calcium, vitamin D, and physical activity.

Calcium

Calcium is an important nutrient for your body and for your health. Calcium helps your heart, muscles, and nerves function. It is also important for bone health. Ninety-nine percent of your body’s calcium is stored in your bones. Children and teenagers need adequate calcium in their diets so they can maximize the calcium storage in their bones. In later years, adequate dietary calcium helps minimize calcium loss from the bones.

Studies show that over half of Americans do not get the recommended calcium from their diets. Starting early with the right nutrition is important. Girls frequently do not obtain the needed amount of calcium during their teen years, which has great effect on their bone density in later life.

There are a variety of foods which could give you the needed nutrition in your diet. Collard and kale are two of the most concentrated sources of calcium for a vegan. Fortified calcium orange juice is also good for your skeleton, in addition to kiwis and figs. Grain products are excellent sources of calcium and should be part of your everyday diet from early childhood.

Although dairy products are considered to be the best source of calcium, in addition to those foods mentioned above, vegan vegetarians may obtain needed key nutrients from calcium-rich alternatives: dry beans, such as black-eyed peas, kidney beans, black beans; turnip greens and broccoli.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an integral role in nutrition and a healthy body. Vitamin D works alongside calcium to ensure the formation and maintenance of healthy bones. A deficiency of vitamin D can lead to rickets in children or osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults.

Vitamin D can be made from a non-food source: the sun! Fifteen minutes a day during peak hours (with skin exposed) should be enough for fair-skinned individuals, but those who have darker skin, are older, or live at more Northern latitudes might not get enough exposure, especially in the winter.

Sometimes vitamin D must be provided in the diet, but dietary sources of vitamin D are rare. Whole, fatty fish are a good source, but are obviously not vegetarian. Milk may be fortified with vitamin D, and egg yolks also contain some, but these are not desirable sources for vegan vegetarians. If a vegan diet does not include fortified soy milk, orange juice, or margarine, on a regular basis, a supplement can be taken.

Physical Activity

It may be hard to believe, but exercises do not just help your muscles; they help your bones. Scientific research has shown that athletes have higher bone density than people who are not active. There are two types of exercises that are important for having healthier and stronger bones: weight-bearing and resistance exercises.

Weight-bearing exercise helps keep bones strong and prevents calcium loss. Calcium loss can take place at any age, even during childhood. For example, astronauts (weightlessness in space) and sedentary people are at risk for losing calcium from their bones.

Weight-bearing exercises are the exercises that make your muscles work against gravity and make your bones handle your body weight. Exercises of this sort include jogging, walking, and tennis. Try a daily activity with your family, neighbors, or friends—walking at the mall, joining a fitness club, or doing a hobby. Aim for at least 30 minutes of activity on most days of the week. You can add up the minutes throughout the day. It does not need to be all at one time.

Resistance exercises are the ones which improve your muscle mass and that help fortify and strengthen your bones. Weight lifting is an example of a resistance exercise. Resistance exercises are very vital not only for your bone density, but also for your heart, lungs, and blood circulation in general.

There are many ways to keep your bones healthy and strong for longer time. Personal habits like proper diet and a good amount of exercise will increase your chances to keep your bones healthy and strong for a long time.

“The pure air, the glad sunshine, the flowers and trees, the orchards and vineyards, and outdoor exercise amid these surroundings, are health-giving, life-giving.” The Ministry of Healing, 263.

“The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones.” Isaiah 58:11.

Resources:

Health – Genetic Engineering

by

In the beginning God created each plant and each animal to reproduce according to its kind. (Genesis 1.) But sin entered the world from a desire to become like God—to be as gods. (Genesis 3.) This was also the motivation that led to Lucifer’s fall. (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28.) This desire to become like God has never ceased to agitate the sinful mind of man since the fall and will exist in those who have not been born again until the end of all things. This desire to be like God has manifested itself in the greatest crimes that have ever been perpetrated upon the human race.

In attempting to take the place of God the devil has been a genetic experimenter and manipulator for thousands of years: “All tares are sown by the evil one. Every noxious herb is of his sowing, and by his ingenious methods of amalgamation he has corrupted the earth with tares.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 288.

The devil inspired his subjects (the unconverted descendants of Cain) to also experiment with what God had made. “But if there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere. God purposed to destroy by a flood that powerful, long-lived race that had corrupted their ways before him.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 69.

We see in the above statement that before the flood men were performing genetic experiments in which they were producing creatures that were partly animal and partly human. This was one of the main crimes which resulted in God’s destruction of the earth by a flood. These amalgamations were destroyed by the flood.

“Every species of animals which God had created was preserved in the ark. The confused species which God did not create, which were the result of amalgamation, were destroyed by the flood. Since the flood, there has been amalgamation of man and beast, as may be seen in the almost endless varieties of species of animals, and in certain races of men.” Ibid., 78.

Since Jesus said that the last days would be like the days of Noah, we would expect that in the last days mankind would again be involved in genetic experimentation. That is exactly what has happened since 1798 A.D.

Man is not content with the plants and animals that God has created but is ever attempting to design plants and animals to his own liking for supposedly superior benefit. God has given plain warning in His word against doing this but it is hard for man to learn that God means exactly what He says and that a penalty is attached to every transgression of God’s commandments.

Before getting more deeply into this subject it is necessary to clearly define the law of God—the Ten Commandments. Because of the frailty of man’s mind, God instructed Moses to specify in minute terms the breadth and meaning of the Ten Commandments in the Torah—the first five books of the Bible. “If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision. And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of which circumcision was a sign, they would never have been seduced into idolatry, nor would it have been necessary for them to suffer a life of bondage in Egypt; they would have kept God’s law in mind, and there would have been no necessity for it to be proclaimed from Sinai or engraved upon the tables of stone. And had the people practiced the principles of the Ten Commandments, there would have been no need of the additional directions given to Moses.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 364.

The above statement shows that the entire ceremonial system would have been unnecessary if man had kept the law of God. The bondage of the Israelites in Egypt would have been unnecessary. The giving of the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai would have been unnecessary, and additional directions explaining the principles of the Ten Commandments would have been unnecessary.

In addition to the explanations of the principles of the Ten Commandments in the Torah, the Lord gave to Moses a ceremonial system made up of symbols pointing to Christ, His sacrifice and priesthood. This ritual law with its ceremonies, sacrifices and ordinances was to continue until “the Seed should come” (Galatians 3:19), and then this ceremonial law was taken out of the way and nailed to the cross. (Colossians 2:14-17.)

Much of what Moses wrote was simply an explanation of the Ten Commandments and therefore is actually part of the moral law by which we will be judged. For example, in Leviticus 18 and 20, we have extended descriptions in regard to nakedness and modesty for which God even held the heathen nations responsible. These are explanations of the seventh commandment by which all the purveyors of pornography in any context will have to answer in the day of judgment.

In the same way, in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, God gave dietary restrictions to His people. These dietary restrictions had nothing to do with the ceremonial law but were given as explanations of the Ten Commandments, especially the sixth commandment.

The only laws in the writings of Moses that were temporary until the death of Christ on the cross were the instructions in regard to the ceremonies. These were types of the future incarnation, work and ministry of Christ. This typical or ceremonial law was taken away by Christ and nailed to the cross.

But the explanations of the moral principles of the Ten Commandments, being part of the moral law, defining right and wrong, are eternal. These are as unchangeable as the throne of God and these moral principles will maintain their claims upon all created intelligence’s through eternal ages. This is what the great controversy is about—is every precept and principle of the law of God as contained in the Torah binding upon all generations and in all ages?

When a person chooses to keep the Sabbath, he is telling the whole world that he believes that all the law is binding and that he is going to keep all of it. This law has very specific things to say about biological tinkering or genetic experimentation upon God’s creation, whether plant or animal.

Notice, “You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle, you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed.” Leviticus 19:19. This was not part of the ceremonial law; it was part of the moral law—an explanation of the principles of the Ten Commandments. It is repeated in Deuteronomy 22:9: “You shall not sow your vineyard with two kinds of seed, or all the produce of the seed which you have sown and the increase of the vineyard will become defiled [or polluted or unclean].” Some people have wondered why God placed this strict prohibition of genetic engineering or biological tinkering with either plants or animals. In a later article we will explain what happened in the twentieth century when human beings decided, as they had formerly decided before the flood, to re-engineer what God had made.

The flood brought a stop to most (but not all) of this biological tinkering with what God had created. Although in a lesser degree, genetic experimentation still continued. The reduction of the human race to eight individuals almost brought to an end the genetic experimentation that was widespread before the flood. But Jesus said that the last days of earth’s history would be like it was in the days of Noah. These genetic experiments or biological tinkering are promoted as being for the betterment of the human race, both individually and collectively. They are supposed to bring health and increased well-being. They were probably promoted in the same way before the flood. In a later article we will see what actually happens.

Health – Genetic Engineering Pt.2

by

In the 1930’s in Brush Mountain, Virginia, the county sheriff would raid the hill of families who had been separated from society and deemed “unfit.” The purpose for the raid was to sterilize these “unfit” individuals as was permitted under “The Racial Integrity Act of Virginia.” The law was repealed in 1963, but how did the United States government become involved in such atrocities in the first place?

In 1923, the American Eugenics Society was founded with support from many scientists and the social elite. One of their purposes was to influence legislation in favor of mandatory sterilizations, as they were fearful for the future of the human race. The paramount question is, of course, who gets to play god and decide who is required to undergo such an operation?

Physicians, lawyers, judges, the police, legislators, scientists, and the upper class were all involved. Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes upheld the constitutionality of the Virginia law on mandatory sterilization saying, “Three generations of imbeciles are enough.” Ironically, the weight of evidence is that none of the three generations of women in question were mentally retarded as the Supreme Court Justice thought. (See Oliver Wendell Holmes and Buck vs. Bell, 1927.)

Since mental deficiency was considered to be partially hereditary, it was decided that inmates at state institutions who were pronounced as hopeless cases by at least two physicians, were to be involuntarily sterilized. Of course, sterilizing the insane was simply a way by which to accustom society to the atrocious practice. Once the operations were seen as socially acceptable, what other individuals might be slated for involuntary sterilizations?

The theories of evolution and “survival of the fittest” were tools that influenced those involved in what became known as the U.S. Eugenics Movement. By their standards, the most superior of the human race were the Nordic, or Northern Europeans. Aside from the mentally defective, the physically deformed, the blacks, Jews, Indians, Hispanics, Eastern European Jews, and the poor were also subjected to involuntary sterilizations. In addition to sterilization, regulations were placed on marriages. Through these means, many believed the less desirable of the human race would disappear in one generation.

California became the epicenter of the United States Eugenics Movement. Nearly half of the more than 60,000 persons who were forcibly sterilized were in California. In Cold Springs, Long Island, millions of index cards on ordinary Americans were stockpiled for future use in removing whole bloodlines, or families.

Adolf Hitler made a careful study of the American Eugenics laws and their rationales, finding them to give him the scientific support he needed to develop his idea of a super race. The idea of a superman was already present in the philosophy of Nietzche. This advantage coupled with the theory of Eugenics supported Hitler in his design to improve the genetic stock of Germany. By establishing human breeding centers and eliminating those they deemed inferior, the Nazis sought to build this advanced race. Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest was to be carried out to a greater degree by Hitler’s social program. This was the scientific rationale which led to the murder of six million Jews during World War 11. The experiment to improve the health and well-being of the human race resulted in breaking the sixth and seventh commandments millions of times over.

Hitler followed the same initial steps as the Eugenics movement in the United States. In fact, his sterilization laws in 1933 were patterned after the proposed law by an American eugenicist. This was followed by a series of laws passed to ensure the preservation of the perfect race. In 1935, Nuremburg’s racial laws restricted marriages between Germans and non Aryans. In 1936 all medical students were required to take racial hygiene courses and to study euthanasia laws, and finally in 1942 an attempt was made to exterminate the Jews. Many Jewish scientists had originally supported the Eugenic movement’s ideas never dreaming, one day, that they themselves would be considered amongst the “unfit.” All these facts are documented in the book, The War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America’s Campaign to Create a Master Race, by Edwin Black.

In the same way many people are supporting movements that will subject them either to abject servitude or destruction.

After World War 11 eugenics became unpopular with the whole of the world having witnessed the results of such thinking in Germany. However, the philosophy of Eugenics did not die. It was simply disguised in other names such as “genetic research,” and later “genetic engineering.” In Hitler’s time all that the eugenics movement could do was to breed selectively. The increase of breeding among the desired genetic lines also increased fornication and adultery, and the decrease of breeding by the undesirable lines resulted in forced sterilization and genocide.

But in the post World War 11 world, research proceeded in earnest to find out how man could actually manipulate and control the heredity of plants and animals, thereby, to some degree, controlling the future and destiny of the human race. Such manipulation is expressly addressed in Leviticus 19:19. It has been proclaimed by some Christians that are involved in this work that sin has caused defective genes. They state that if the defective genes were replaced with genes that were not defective, a myriad of ailments might be cured. It is true that sin has created havoc on the human gene pool. Perhaps if all that was being done was to replace a defective gene with a non-defective gene, the world could rest in peace. But, as we will see, this is not all that is being developed. Genetic engineering is conducted according to worldview and philosophy, a view which finds its base in humanism and evolution; a philosophical backdrop which influences what types of genetic experiments are attempted.

In the year 1990, America became the first country to allow new genes to be introduced to human beings. As these techniques are refined, what can we expect to happen? It is believed that we will eventually have “designer babies.” The fact is we have already started. You may have read advertising in the New York Times asking if you want to choose the gender of your next baby. This is presently being done in clinical trials. If the procedure is scientific, many people do not consider the fact that scientific fornication is still fornication, using what is called scientifically based sperm-sorting procedures. Can we then consider ourselves to be self-made men and women? One question is: if this process persists, and such experiments become perfected and extensively practiced, what will these new beings be like? We already have some evidence that these experiments can produce not just “supermen,” but monsters as well and nobody can predict or imagine what the final outcome of such experiments could be.

Why is God going to destroy the earth when Jesus returns? Because it will have become the same as it was in the days of Noah: “If there was one sin above another which called for the destruction of the race by the flood, it was the base crime of amalgamation of man and beast which defaced the image of God, and caused confusion everywhere. God purposed to destroy by a flood that powerful, long-lived race that had corrupted their ways before him. He would not suffer them to live out the days of their natural life, which would be hundreds of years.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 1, 69.

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Health – Cardiac Health

by

The relation that exists between the mind and the body is very intimate. When one is affected, the other sympathizes.

The Ministry of  Healing, 241

Heart protection begins in the kitchen. As it is with most chronic conditions, your fork is your best defense against heart attacks, strokes and other forms of cardiovascular disease. But while a basic produce-heavy, clean-protein diet is a must, some foods really shine when it comes to heart health.

Avocados

  • Cardiovascular health powerhouse
  • Can lower levels of total cholesterol
  • Contains more than twice the amount of potassium than bananas
  • High in fiber and extremely low in sugar
  • The only fruit that contains a significant amount of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats
  • Not necessary to purchase organic as the thick outer skin protects the inner flesh from pesticide residues

Tomatoes

  • Heart-healthy, thanks in large part to lycopene
  • Eating lycopene-rich foods regularly is linked to a lower risk of heart disease
  • The richest source of lycopene
  • Becoming healthier when you cook them; cooked tomatoes contain up to 2.5 times as much lycopene as raw tomatoes

Berries

  • Nature’s healthy equivalent of a candy bowl
  • Packed with anthocyanins, which have antioxidants
  • Good source of fiber, which is known to help decrease cholesterol
  • Anthocyanins in blueberries protect against hypertension, or high blood pressure

Broccoli

  • Most heart-healthy among greens
  • Prevents plaque from clogging up arteries
  • Improves the body’s ability to detoxify itself
  • Reduction in cancer risk

Walnuts

  • Rich in vitamin E
  • Great source for omega-3 fatty acids, which help ease inflammation, and just ¼ cup fulfills most people’s daily need
  • Raw, unsalted walnuts will garner you the most heart health benefits

Edamame

  • Rich in isoflavones, which are phytonutrients that can boost functioning of your arteries and veins
  • Replacing animal protein with plant protein such as edamame is linked to better health and even a longer life
  • The fiber can help lower LDL cholesterol levels and help manage your weight to lower heart disease risk

 

5 Ways to Protect Your Heart

See your dentist regularly
Oral health translates to heart health. A study from Taiwan of more than 100,000 people showed that those who had their teeth professionally cleaned and scaled by a dentist or dental hygienist lowered their risk of heart attack by 24% (13% for stroke) compared with those who never had a dental cleaning.

Quit smoking
Even one or two cigarettes a day can dramatically increase the risk of heart attack, stroke or other serious conditions, says Jason Freeman, MD, director of Interventional Cardiology at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, New York. A major risk factor on its own, the risk of heart disease increases further when smoking is combined with high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity, according to the National Heart Blood and Lung Institute. (And avoid secondhand smoke, which can also increase cardiac risk.)

Monitor your blood pressure
The American Heart Association says normal blood pressure should be below 120/80 mm/Hg. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke; if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, aim to lower your blood pressure to less than 140/80 mm/Hg. Check with your practitioner regarding what blood pressure level is right for you.

Take the stairs
As an easy on-the-go exercise, take the stairs instead of an escalator or elevator whenever you can. It is also a great way to monitor your cardiac health. If you can’t make it up the same amount of stairs you did a week ago without stopping, see your physician for a checkup.

Control your emotions
 Strong emotions, such as anger, sadness, frustration or anxiety, can increase blood pressure and put stress on the heart. A 2004 Canadian study reported that heart attack risk for people with high levels of psychosocial distress nearly matched the risk seen in smokers.

Excerpts from www.energytimes.com/pages/features/0317/foods.html

 

Health – Deadly Meats

by

Adventism is a faith known for health reform. A particular way which this is exhibited is in the vegetarian diet that is practiced. This is not an arbitrary decision; rather a conscious and informed practice based on results of scientific research, daily evidence, and a desire to best maintain the most amazing and efficient machines God created, our bodies.

“Beef; it’s what’s for dinner!” Every American has heard this line. And most Americans salivate at the thought. Yet, at the same time we see headlines like, “Meat Consumption Linked to Cancer,” “Mad Cow Killer,” and “Is your Steak at Stake?” proclaiming the dangers of meat-eating. Headlines such as these have been seen everywhere from the New York Times to Science Daily to the Health Journal, and first began appearing in the New York Times in the mid-1800s. In contrast, if you were to Google “vegetables and cancer” the results speak only of the preventative properties of vegetables toward cancer and other health issues, and of the healthfulness of vegetarianism. What is it about these two different classes of diet that makes one potentially deadly and the other a possible agent in reversing the effects of the former?

The make-up of our bodies is primarily protein; hair skin, blood, muscle, and organs are all protein. The protein in our bodies is made up of 20 different amino acids which are essential to the maintenance of our systems. Of these 20, we naturally produce only 9, the rest of which must be obtained through adequate nutrition. When we partake of one serving of animal protein, we are getting more than seven times the amount of protein we need; whereas, in plant protein the concentration in a serving is the recommended amount for the needs of the human body to be fulfilled. What does the body do with the excess protein? It is processed through the kidneys and returned to the body in stored energy that we know as “fat.” It is quite understandable, then, why America is the obese capital of the world!

Obesity carries with it serious health problems. The first and foremost issue is the likelihood of an obese person to develop diabetes. Someone with such a surplus of weight is three times more likely to develop this disease, which also raises the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), strokes, osteoarthritis, gallstones, and sleep apnea.

When we eat protein, our bodies break down the protein and convert it into a form that is constructive: amino acids. These amino acids then are specialized and sent to the different parts of the body where they are needed. Yet, when there is an excess of amino acids, the body is forced to excrete the extra through the kidneys. Each amino acid strain must be neutralized before the kidneys can do this. The neutralization is done by calcium. Once the calcium is processed through the kidneys, our bodies get rid of both the extra amino acids and the calcium through urination. The calcium for this process comes from the bloodstream forcing the body to then tap into the bone’s stores of calcium, thus depleting the bone density. This is especially dangerous for women. It has been found that women who partake regularly of meat have lost 35% of their bone density by the age of 65.

In addition to the issue of high protein concentration, the meat the average American consumes in a day contains over 75% of the daily caloric recommendation, most of which are calories from fat! Meat also consists of high levels of saturated fat and low-density lipoproteins (LDL), also known as “bad cholesterol”. Saturated fat by itself contains cholesterol, but there is additional cholesterol in meat that is not a part of the strains of saturated fat. Our bodies naturally produce cholesterol in the very limited quantities that we need. Additional amounts, however, are responsible for the clogging and hardening of the arteries. This often leads to issues with heart disease, obesity, strokes, heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, and more. A diet consisting of raw vegetation lacks the necessary properties to induce these physiological issues. Cholesterol is found only in animal products. The Journal for the American Medical Association (JAMA) has stated that a vegetarian diet can prevent 97% of coronary occlusions, or blocked arteries.

In the book The China Study, T. Colin Campbell compares the diet, health statistics (i.e. cholesterol level, blood pressure, mortality rate, etc.), and diseases of China and the United States. The results of this study were astounding! Blood cholesterol levels have been thought by traditional medicine to be dangerously low at 150mg/dl. This was being proclaimed in a country ranked as one of the highest in cancer and heart disease mortality rates. China, on the other hand has an average cholesterol level of 127 mg/dl (America’s average is 215!), and the mortality rate due to the “western diseases” dropped by nearly 70%. What made these findings far more provocative was another study conducted by W. Haenszel and M. Kurihara that tracked the Japanese immigrants to America. This study found that those immigrants who adopted the dietary patterns of the Americans also assumed the health risks of their new geographical area. The implication here is quite strong that these diseases are not caused primarily by genetics, which the western world likes to think, but rather a result of diet and lifestyle. Congress summarized a compilation of these studies and found that only 2–3% of these diseases, particularly cancer, are attributed to genes.

There are ample studies that have proven over and over again that meat consumption is linked with heart disease and cancer. Some of these “studies” have been unintentional. During World War I, Denmark’s supply of meat was cut off. In seeing that one pound of meat is equal to 15 pounds of grain, the government decided to open their grain stores to the people. Not only did the people survive just fine on this diet, they thrived! The death rate dropped 34% from all causes. These results have been repeated throughout history. Whenever there has been a shortage of meat supply, the health of those affected has increased and the disease rate has fallen dramatically. And to drive the point home a little harder, the rate of death and disease rose once again once the supply of meat was restored.

The controlled studies have come to the same conclusion. Caldwell B. Esselstyn M.D. conducted a study of 18 patients who had experienced 48 cardiac events collectively. He placed them on a vegetarian diet low in cholesterol and reviewed the results over a 12 year period. Among those who were placed on this diet, only one patient, who was non-cooperative with the diet, suffered another cardiac event. In those patients who followed the diet, Esselstyn found that the more closely a patient followed the prescribed program, the better off they were.

According to the JAMA, acidity levels in the body causes 97% of the health issues that we encounter, cancer being a leading disease. A meat based diet is a main cause for the high acidity level in the human body. One of the body’s highest priorities is to maintain a healthy pH balance in the blood. The pH range is very narrow; between 7.35 and 7.45. If the pH level in the body goes below 7.355, the body begins to lose its proper function. Cell production is slowed, energy production in the cells lessens, and the body’s ability to absorb nutrients and minerals is hindered. The effects of this may be somewhat subtle at first and easy to blame on other causes; however, left unattended, the consequences could turn severe. Fatigue, depression, headaches, sleep depravation, lack of energy, lack of concentration, achiness, and increased illness are just some of the short-term effects. If the body’s pH remains acidic over a period of time, Crohn’s Disease, colitis, arthritis, kidney stones, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer, and a myriad of other diseases come into play.

Here is where we see the link between cancer and the consumption of flesh meat. Meat has a natural pH ranging from 4.0 to 5.0, although, to help tenderize the flesh, a lower pH is artificially induced, bringing the acidity level as low as 2.5. Dieticians recommend four parts alkali to one part acid in our diet. An appropriate acidic level for consumption is not below 6.0! When our bodies ingest this amount of acidity, the cell production is slowed down significantly and the new cells often are mutated. In addition to this, the reparation of cells is dangerously inhibited. Cancer occurs when there is an interruption in the cell’s natural process. If a newly developing cell splits before it has all the information required to function properly, these cells may not die when they are supposed to and duplicate when they should not. They also may not have received the information that dictates with what part of the body they belong, which allows them to travel to places where they are not needed and can be harmful. This is what forms tumors.

The fact of the matter is that cancerous cells are anaerobic, meaning that they survive without oxygen, and they are acidic, which means that they thrive in a low pH. This means that cancer cells cannot survive in an alkaline environment! Different parts of our body, out of necessity, vary in their pH balance. Yet, every part is affected by what we put into our bodies. The nutrients that we ingest, along with the toxins and acids, are transported through our bloodstream. So the entire body is fed through our blood. Whatever is in the bloodstream is carried to every portion of the body and distributed, toxins and all. If the blood is acidic, the entire body will be also. By maintaining a diet that is primarily alkaline, we can take our health into our own hands.

Through diet and a healthy life style we can take a responsible stance with our health and prevent the top five leading causes of death in our country: heart disease, cancer, medical care, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases (in order from greatest to least). God has blessed us through His provision of the means to maintain the health of our bodies, and the necessary remedies to heal them. While we are just now figuring this out, Ellen White wrote on this very matter: “While He [Christ] did not give countenance to drug medication, He sanctioned the use of simple and natural remedies.” Counsels on Health, 30. “By the use of poisonous drugs, many bring upon themselves lifelong illness, and many lives are lost that might be saved by the use of natural methods of healing. The poisons contained in many so-called remedies create habits and appetites that mean ruin to both soul and body. … The use of natural remedies requires an amount of care and effort that many are not willing to give. Nature’s process of healing and upbuilding is gradual, and to the impatient it seems slow. The surrender of hurtful indulgences requires sacrifice. But in the end it will be found that nature, untrammeled, does her work wisely and well. Those who persevere in obedience to her laws will reap the reward in health of body and health of mind.” The Ministry of Healing, 127, 128. “Our Saviour is the restorer of the moral image of God in man. He has supplied in the natural world remedies for the ills of man, that His followers may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. We can with safety discard the concoctions which man has used in the past. The Lord has provided antidotes for disease in simple plants, and these can be used by faith, with no denial of faith; for by using the blessings provided by God for our benefit we are cooperating with Him. We can use water and sunshine and the herbs which He has caused to grow for healing maladies brought on by indiscretion or accident.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 289.

Alicia Freedman works at Steps to Life as a part of the LandMarks team. She can be reached by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Health – Process This

by

The Bible talks about the refining process whereby God prepares His people for everlasting life. (See Malachi 3.) This refining process is necessary and good because it removes impurities from the character just as impurities must be removed from gold or silver by a refining process. However, not all refining is necessarily good. Ecclesiastes 3:14 says that when God does something, nothing can be added to it and nothing can be taken from it; in other words, when we try to add something to it or take something from it we end up getting ourselves into trouble, and this trouble becomes worse the more that we attempt to add or the more that we attempt to take away from what God has made. In no other area is this fact more evident than in the food that we eat. God made certain foods for His children to eat (Genesis 1:29), and when we attempt to add to these foods or take away from them by refining, we can get ourselves into trouble when this becomes a significant part of our diet.

This does not mean that refining of our food is wrong—just that we need to understand exactly what we are doing and not allow this refined food to become a major part of our diet. The fact that refined food is all right in moderation is shown by the communion supper. At the communion supper we do not eat grapes or raisins but a refined product of the grape, the juice of the grape which, of course, is a refined product of the grape. However, this was never intended to become a major part of our diet (See I Corinthians 11:21, 22). Not only do we drink a refined product at the communion supper, but we also eat a refined product—the unleavened bread used at the Passover season was made with oil, which is also a refined product from the olive (or sesame seed in ancient times).

Just as there is nothing wrong with using grape syrup or sugar, in the same way there is nothing wrong with using oil from the olive, even though both are refined products, but we should understand exactly what we are doing and not allow these refined foods to become a major part of our diet.

There has been a great amount of confusion about fat intake and the relation of this fat intake to serious diseases such as heart disease and cancer. A most revealing observation is made by Dr. T. Colin Campbell in The China Study, pages 82 and 83, about this confusion: “The unanswered questions on fat remain unanswered, as they have for the past forty years. … The details that underlie these questions, when considered in isolation, are very misleading. … The correlation between fat intake and animal protein intake is more than 90%. This means that fat intake increases in parallel with animal protein intake; in other words, dietary fat is an indicator of how much animal-based food is in the diet. It is almost a perfect match.”

As Christians we should know what we are eating. With this in mind, we are now going to explain to you briefly how refined oils are processed so that you will have information to evaluate what you are seeing on food labels in the grocery store.

There are three methods of extracting oils from nuts or grains or beans or seeds or fruits such as the olive. Probably the most ancient method is by the use of a press. Today we use hydraulic presses to do this. This method yields a good quality of oil. It can be used only on sesame seeds and olives. These are the only two oils that can truthfully be called “cold-pressed.”

A second method of extracting oils is with a screw or press that has a constantly rotating worm shaft (called an expeller). Cooked material goes into one end and at the other end is discharged with the oil squeezed out. Although this oil is sometimes referred to as cold-pressed, normal temperatures for this process are from 200 to 250 degrees.

The third method of extracting oil from these same plant sources is called solvent extraction. The products containing the oils are ground up and then cooked and then mixed with a petroleum-based solvent which dissolves out of the oils, leaving a dry residue. The solvent is separated from the oils. Naptha solvents are used such as pentane, heptane, hexane or octane, the one most commonly used in the past has been hexane. (Synthetic Trichlorethylene has also been used.) These oils are not processed by a press, but are extracted by the solvent.

Sodium hydroxide and temperatures over 400 degrees are commonly used, but the oil generally undergoes further processing to make it more palatable. These processes include filtration, deodorization and bleaching. Even after considerable refining, it has been acknowledged that traces of solvent (usually hexane) remain in the oil.

Natural oils from plant products contain many nutrients, including pro-Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and a variety of fatty acids. Some of the natural nutrients are either altered, removed or destroyed by the refining processes.

Our ancestors did not eat these oils because they were not available to them, they only had access to what we call cold-pressed oils. Refining of corn began in about 1844, and the first commercial production of corn oil was in 1889.

In the 1950s as a result of conclusions made from the Framingham study (on heart disease), polyunsaturated fat was promoted to the American consumer. The idea was that if we increased our intake of polyunsaturated fat, we would decrease our risk of heart disease. (Study carefully the quotation from Dr. Campbell above in this regard.) Intake of polyunsaturated fat has increased a great deal since the 1950s and many are now asking the question, “Is there any danger in this high intake of polyunsaturated fat?” The answer to this question is sobering. We know now that large amounts of polyunsaturated fats are associated with numerous health problems, including cancer. Excessive use of vegetable oils are damaging to the lungs and the reproductive organs and huge increases in cancer at these sites have occurred during the last few decades.

A new controversial question about oil has emerged in the last 20 years. A hybridized rapeseed oil (given the commercial name “canola,” the actual name is “Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed” or LEAR oil) was developed and was given GRAS status (generally recognized as safe) by the US FDA in 1985. Use of this oil has soared all over the world. It is commonly used in spreads such as margarines, baked goods, snack foods, and use of hydrogenated canola oil for frying is increasing in restaurants.

There are no research studies that would give strong proof that this oil is harmful to humans, but the problem with this statement is that no long-term studies on humans have been done—it has not been used long enough to do a long-term study. We are in unknown territory. We are using a food that has only been in existence for a few years, and we simply do not know what the long-term consequences might be. Some have stated that this oil has been used for thousands of years in China, but remember that it was not the new hybridized rapeseed, and also, just as importantly, it was crude oil processed by stone presses that pressed out the oil at low temperatures, whereas today it is solvent-extracted at high temperatures and with chemicals as explained in the explanations earlier. The standard deodorization process removes a large portion of the omega-3 fatty acids and turns them into trans fatty acids. The University of Florida found trans fatty acids as high as 4.6 percent in the commercial liquid oil. (If the oil is then hydrogenated, the level of trans fatty acids could be as high as over 40%.) You should always read the labels of the products you are buying to see if the oil or fat is hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated.

There are scientific studies using canola oil that point in the direction that this oil may not be healthy for the cardiovascular system. One of the apparent problems with the use of canola oil is lack of saturated fat that can occur if other fats containing saturated fatty acids, such as butter, lard, tallow, palm oil or coconut oil are not part of the diet. It now appears that high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and low levels of saturated fats could be dangerous. In other words, eating some coconut might not be at all as dangerous as you have read in the past.

In our technologically advanced age we might still profitably ponder and choose to adopt some of the dietary practices of our ancestors who chose mainly traditional whole foods which had been grown with biological rather than chemical methods and were processed only minimally, and did not have their fat content altered by chemical means or removed by processing.

Pastor John Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Health – Serving Portions for Optimum Health

by

With a growing [pun intended] population in the Western world, it may be well to consider what and how much people are eating that is causing an epidemic in obesity.

With such a variety of foods needed for optimal health, we need to know what constitutes a healthy serving. Many have come to the conclusion that whatever we put on our plates is a serving. But, if analyzed, our plates are often already overloaded before heading for second and third helpings. Self-control is often lacking and a large class of children are brought up to think that eating at any time and as much as they want is their prerogative. This is the cause of many modern health issues.

In my younger years I remember sitting at meal times with a serving of food on my plate and the plate was still visible beneath the food! After eating what was on my plate I was full and satisfied. Many of the processed, packaged foods freely available and used today are not all healthy or satisfying. The result? People eat more and more. Curiosity led me to research what constitutes serving portions for optimal health.

The following information is a guide to understanding what is considered a healthy daily serving allowance.

“The information in the table is presented as a general guide to serving sizes for moderately active adults. Additional servings may be needed for highly active individuals, and fewer servings may be needed for less active individuals. Our committee reviewed My Vegetarian Plate (General Conference Nutrition Council), Harvard School of Public Health Healthy Plate, and USDA MyPlate, to come up with these suggestions.”

May God give each one the courage and strength that “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV).

 

Foods What counts as a serving? Daily Servings
Fruits ½ cup fresh, canned, or frozen fruit

¼ cup dried fruit

 3–4
Vegetables ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw vegetables 4–6
Whole Grains 1 slice whole-grain bread

1 cup whole-grain cereal, ½ cup cooked brown rice, pasta, or other whole grains

 5–8
Beans, Peas, Lentils, Soy ½ cup cooked beans, peas or lentils

½ cup tofu

1 cup soy milk

 3–6
Nuts, Peanuts, Seeds, Peanut/Nut Butters ¼ cup nuts or seeds

2 tablespoons peanut or nut butter

 1–3
Herbs, Spices, Plant Oils Fresh or dried herbs and spices

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, or other plant oil

 Herbs/Spices: Use liberally

 

Plant Oils: Up to 5

https://oldwayspt.org/programs/oldways-vegetarian-network/recommended-daily-servings-each-level-pyramid

 

Health – A Natural Detox Reboot

by

Herbs for a New Year’s Cleanse

After a season of holiday excess, we naturally crave a fresh start in January. For many, this begins with a whole-body detox to reboot and reset for healthier habits, supporting the key eliminatory organs: the liver, kidneys, colon, lymph and skin.

Old-time herbal doctors used the term “alternatives” to refer to herbs that help the body return to a healthier state via the gentle stimulation of our eliminatory channels’ natural function. Liver and lymph “moving” herbs play a key role in this category, though many also stimulate healthy elimination via the colon. We’re not talking about harsh laxatives. Alternatives are herbs that could be taken long-term and encourage the body to resume healthy function on its own. Laxatives like senna, cascara, and aloe latex force the body to purge and quickly become habit-forming.

Liver Movers (Cholagogues)

Your liver filters toxins and waste from the blood, turning them into bile, which is excreted via the colon. Bile helps digest fats on its way out, and poor fat digestion and skin issues indicate that you might want to try cholagogues. Liver-moving alternatives include dandelion root, artichoke leaf, burdock root, and yellow dock root. Turmeric root, schisandra berry, and milk thistle help protect and heal the liver. You’ll find these ingredients in many cleanse kits, tinctures, and detox tea blends. They taste mildly to strongly bitter—a flavor associated with improved liver detoxification, increased digestive function, and stimulation of the wavelike muscle motion that moves food through the gastrointestinal tract (which indirectly encourages bowel movements). Turmeric, burdock, and dandelion also can be incorporated into your culinary repertoire.

Lymph Movers (Lymphagogues)

It’s easy to take your lymphatic system for granted. These tiny vessels closely align with your circulatory system, cleaning the fluid around your cells, outside the bloodstream. Lymph vessels also house many of your immune cells. Lymph hubs called nodes clean up debris before the lymph gets dumped into the bloodstream. Lymph has no pump and flows through the body via pressure from your moving body around the vessels; valves ensure the flow goes in the right direction. Signs of sluggish lymph include skin issues, mild edema (edema can signal more serious issues too), and a sluggish immune system. Regular movement, lymphatic massage, compression stockings, and skin brushing help move it along. You can also add lymphagogues that help thin the lymph and stimulate filtration. Favorites include red clover blossoms, burdock root, red root, schisandra, and calendula blossoms, which can be taken in tea, pills, and liquid extracts.

Colon Movers (Gentle, Indirect Laxatives)

Because the liver’s waste (bile) exits via the colon in your feces, it’s important to keep things moving along or the result of all your liver’s hard work gets reabsorbed into the body. If you tend toward constipation, slow digestion, and/or you have fewer than one bowel movement per day, give your colon some TLC. Many kits go for the blowout laxatives, but I prefer a gentler approach that encourages healthy, regular bowel movements. First steps include bitter-tasting herbs (the cholagogues), proper hydration, and gently increasing fiber via whole foods in the diet and supplements like ground flax, psyllium, or chia seeds. If you need a little more encouragement, both triphala and yellow dock root contain low doses of laxative constituents and also tone the colon. Magnesium encourages bowel movements by bringing water into the colon.

Kidney Movers (Diuretics)

Like the liver, your kidneys filter your blood. However, the kidneys remove different compounds and excrete them via your urine. If you void infrequently and have dark, strong-smelling urine, consider supporting your kidneys. The three best ways to do this are to drink more water and eat more green vegetables. The safest kidney tonic diuretics include parsley leaf, dandelion leaf, nettle leaf, burdock root, and corn silk. These are best delivered in a water medium like tea or broth, or in food, though they can be added to broader detox formulas in liquid extract or pill form.

Some cautions: Detox herbs to reset and reboot a sluggish system should not be expected to “cure” kidney or liver disease—these require medical attention. Seek professional guidance if you are pregnant, nursing, have heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, or diabetes. Doing a detox and using detoxifying herbs needs to be tailored to your needs. Detoxifying herbs work best with adequate sleep, hydration, a healthy whole foods diet rich in plant foods, regular activity, and avoidance (to the best of your ability) of toxins.

Remedies for Life, Maria Noël Groves, R.H. (AHG), January 2018, 16, 19.

 

Bitter Brew Detox Tea
This is a nice coffee substitute with broad detoxifying actions.
1 tsp. burdock root Simmer herbs in 8-16 ounces of water for 20 minutes; strain. If desired, sweeten with blackstrap molasses and add unsweetened almond or coconut milk.
1 tsp. dandelion root
1 tsp. roasted chicory root

 

Health – Hydrate for Health

by

Did you know the human brain is made up of 85 percent water, and our blood consists of nearly 80 percent? It’s no wonder that water is so critical to health. What’s more, water is also a natural cleansing agent. Drinking water is a great way to support the body’s internal, natural detoxification system, as well as enhance effective elimination.

Unfortunately, a study released in 2013 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly half of all Americans don’t drink enough water. As a result, they can become partially or fully dehydrated.

Partial dehydration can cause problems like fatigue, fuzzy thinking, dry mouth, and even weight gain. And chronic dehydration can increase the risk of many illnesses. When the body doesn’t have enough water, for example, the blood becomes thicker, which can increase the risk of heart problems. Not drinking enough water can also worsen digestive issues such as constipation, and increase the risk of bladder and colon cancer.

Cellular energy production, detoxification, and other metabolic processes are dependent upon water. This all makes sense because, on average, our bodies are made up of 75 percent water. Our skin, bones, muscles, blood, and immune system require water to function properly. Even our teeth are made up of about 10 percent water. That, plus all of the water contained in saliva, is why dehydration can increase risk of cavities and tooth decay.

The key is to stay hydrated long before you get thirsty—because by the time you feel parched, you’re already dehydrated.

How much water and how often?

To ensure you can keep dehydration at bay and support proper ongoing detoxification, drink water throughout your day rather than just a couple times a day. This keeps your cells, tissues, and organs consistently hydrated. Keep in mind, though, that you may want to limit your water intake during the last few hours of your day so you don’t have to wake up to use the restroom during the night.

The amount of water needed to stay hydrated is determined by consuming half of your body weight in ounces. For example, a 128-pound person needs to drink 64 ounces, or eight 8-ounce glasses of water each day. If you weigh 170 pounds, you will need 85 ounces or 10 and a half glasses a day. And if highly active, drink extra water during and after exercise.

Keep in mind that you can also get water from food. Focusing on these moisture-rich foods can definitely help boost your daily water intake and lessen the need to drink so much water.

90% or more water:

Watermelon (water is in its name!)

Strawberries                         Grapefruit

Cantaloupe                            Cucumber

Lettuce                                   Radish

Celery                                     Zucchini

Tomato                                  Broccoli

80% or more water:

Peaches                                  Pineapple

Cranberries                            Oranges

Raspberries                            Apricots

Blueberries                             Plums

Apples                                     Cherries

Grapes                                     Carrots

Does the container matter?

Almost as important as the quantity of water is the quality of the water you choose. Whenever possible, drink pure, filtered water. The container you drink from is also important. These containers are free of toxic chemicals:

  • Glass
  • Ceramic
  • Stainless steel
  • Waxed paper cup

Whenever possible, avoid drinking out of:

  • Plastic containers, which contain harmful chemicals
  • Styrofoam cups because they also contain hazardous chemicals

No matter which nontoxic container chosen, it’s a good idea to keep it filled throughout the day. That way, you’ll always remember it’s time to drink more water!

Signs of dehydration:

  • Fatigue
  • Foggy memory
  • Irritability
  • Joint pain
  • Mood swings
  • Weakened immunity

Even mild dehydration can be problematic, so it’s important to continually replenish those water stores.

Excerpts from Inside Health, Dr. Alschuler and Karolyn A. Gazella, 18, 19.

Inspiration says, “In health and in sickness, pure water is one of Heaven’s choicest blessings. Its proper use promotes health. It is the beverage which God provided to quench the thirst of animals and man. Drunk freely, it helps to supply the necessities of the system, and assists nature to resist disease.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 416.

Health – Charcoal

by

Charcoal

What images come to your mind with this one simple word? Burned toast? Roasting vegetables over the Bar-B-Q? Smoldering remains of a building or forest? Artistic drawings? Hmmm, how about pencil lead or diamonds, both of which are derived from carbon, another word for charcoal? How can our wonderful Creator use one simple lowly carbonaceous material to make things as diverse as pencil lead and diamonds? Yet beyond these things we find a material whose properties science has not been able to explain. One realm in which charcoal is highly beneficial to us is that of health and well-being.

Aside from the many ways charcoal exists naturally, there are a number of benefits that can be derived from the use of charcoal in its activated form. What is activated charcoal? Activated charcoal is charcoal whose adsorptive, (not absorptive) properties are greatly enhanced by doing a controlled burn of wood, bone or other natural substances which is then further treated by steam or air at elevated temperatures. Adsorption is “attaching onto” rather than “taking into” as in the case of absorption. In fact, “following activation of charcoal with pressurized steam or strong acid, the surface area of one cubic centimeter is 1000 square meters!”1 Activated charcoal can attract and hold 80 quarts of ammonia gas per one quart of pulverized charcoal!2

Activated charcoal can safely be used internally as well as externally. Because of its remarkable adsorptive properties it is often used internally as a treatment for counteracting drug overdose, ingestion of toxic substances, and mushroom poisoning.3 It is also a treatment of choice for digestive ailments such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, as well as adsorption of cancer-producing agents such as methylcholanthrine and benzpyrene.4 Intestinal gas and other intestinal disorders can also be relieved by the ingestion of activated charcoal. Activated charcoal is an effective agent against many different bacteria and viruses, including the E. coli bacteria heard of more and more frequently.5 For those who suffer from peanut allergies, activated charcoal binds within seconds to the allergens, preventing the proteins from causing allergic reactions. It was even able to neutralize peanut protein in combination with other foods such as chocolate and ice cream.6

Do you or someone you know suffer from bad breath? Well, welcome the lowly charcoal, and freshen up! Swish charcoal water around the mouth and bad breath vanishes.4 How about yellowing teeth? Well, simply brush gently with a soft toothbrush and your favorite charcoal powder, followed by flossing or brushing again with a little toothpaste to remove charcoal particles and … say “cheese!”

The indications for the external use of charcoal are equally numerous. Charcoal poultices are recommended for extracting poisons from bee stings, yellow jackets, venomous bites of all sorts, including snakes, fire ants, chiggers, spider bites (including the brown recluse, for which there is no other known antidote), and mosquitoes, among others. It is effective in the disinfecting and deodorizing of wounds, reducing the pain and swelling of cellulitis, treating poison ivy, and drawing out infection. Often pain can be relieved in a very short time for things such as sore throat, earache, sprains, arthritis, pleurisy, allergy headaches and much more. Even abdominal pain should be given the treatment of an external charcoal poultice.

The following charts present general guidelines for some of the most common ailments and their treatments.

Internal Use

ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF POISON OR MEDICINE TAKEN CHARCOAL TO BE USED IF PERSON HAS NOT EATEN IN THE LAST 2 HOURS CHARCOAL TO BE USED IF PERSON HAS EATEN IN THE LAST 2 HOURS
1 tsp.

1–2 tablets

1–2 capsules

 1–2 Tbsp. stirred in water

Drink this plus 2 more glasses of water

 4–10 Tbsp. stirred in water

Drink this plus 2 more glasses of water
1Tbsp.

3–5 tablets

2–5 capsules

 3–4 Tbsp. powder administered same

as above

 6-15 Tbsp. powder

administered same as above
Unknown 1–5 Tbsp. powder administered same

as above

 5-15 Tbsp. powder

administered same as above
Charcoal; Agatha Thrash, MD, and Calvin Thrash, MD; page 41

External Use

TYPE OF

PROBLEM

 ANT, MOSQUITO

CHIGGER BITE

 BEE STING MULTIPLE BEE

STINGS

 SPIDER BITE SNAKE BITE
INITIAL

TREATMENT

OF CHOICE

 Charcoal Band-aid Charcoal paste

applied to sting

 30 minute

charcoal bath

 Charcoal soak

followed by …

 1. Wash bite area

2. ½ hour cool

charcoal soak

3. Compress to entire area
ADDITIONAL

TREATMENTS

 Charcoal

compress

 Charcoal

compress

 Charcoal

compress

 4. Drink 2 Tbsp.

Charcoal every 2

hours for 6 hours

then 1 tsp. every 4

hours for 24 hours
DURATION OF

TREATMENTS

 Until irritation

ceases

Change when dry

 Change every 10 minutes for 1 hour then leave one on for at least 8 hours or until swelling and pain are gone Change every

10 minutes for 1

hour then leave

one on for at least

8 hours

 Change every

30 minutes for 8

hours then every 2

hours for 8 hours

then every 2–4

hours until heal-

ing is complete

 Change compress

every 10–15 minutes

until swelling and pain are gone, add

ice packs if pain and

swelling persist
Charcoal; Agatha Thrash, MD, and Calvin Thrash, MD; page 41

To make a charcoal compress:

Adequate amount of activated charcoal and enough water to make a paste. (Begin with a minimal amount of water)

Spread on one half of paper towel. Fold other half over to form pocket. (Sides may be taped to prevent spilling.)

Place over afflicted area and cover with plastic.

The plastic helps retain the moisture. If the problem is severe, change the poultice often. You may mix ground flax seed or corn starch to help retain the moisture. For small bites, a little charcoal paste placed on a band-aid adhered over the bite works well.4

With any given drug available it is well-known that secondary effects are an issue, often necessitating a second drug to control the side effects of the first, and so on. So it is reasonable to ask about the side effects of activated charcoal. Studies show that charcoal is harmless ingested, or when it comes in contact with the skin.7 Inhaling charcoal also seems to show no negative side effects, even over the long term.8 As with any drug, it is better, however, to ascertain the cause of the ailment and eliminate that rather than depend on a drug. In addition, “activated charcoal is rated in Category I (Safe and Effective) by the FDA for acute toxic poisoning. It is recognized as a universal antidote. (Science News 119:3, 1981). It is listed in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, and the Poison Control Center recommends activated charcoal for use in poisoning.”9

Charcoal comes in several different forms, and can even be made at home. The most common forms of medicinal charcoal are capsules, tablets, and powder. The finer the powder, the more surface area there is for the process of adsorption. In the case of poisoning, capsules and tablets should not be administered. Charcoal should be administered in its powdered form mixed with water.

If you wish to make your own charcoal, the best is made out of doors. Begin with untreated wood, preferably with the bark stripped off, and place in a hole in the ground. After the fire is burning bright, cover it with a piece of tin and pile dirt on top of the tin. This burns out the soft parts of the wood, leaving good charcoal behind. Take the remaining chunks and grind them into fine powder, remembering that the finer the powder, the more adsorptive it will be. The last part of the pulverizing process may even be done in the blender.

Is it advisable to simply “burn the toast” to get your charcoal? No. Charred food such as burned bread or other scorched foods are not charcoal, and in fact can be cancer producing.4 In addition, charcoal briquettes and other treated forms of charcoal are dangerous and should not be used internally or externally.

There are minimal cautions or concerns with the usage of charcoal. However, there are a few that bear mentioning. If you are taking any other medicines, take the charcoal at least two hours before or after taking other medicines, as the charcoal will in most cases adsorb the medication. Also, charcoal should be avoided if you have intestinal bleeding or blockage, or have had recent surgery.10 It is important to note that charcoal is not effective in treating corrosive products or petroleum products, nor is it useful in treating the following poisons: lithium, cyanide, iron, ethanol, or methanol. There is evidence that charcoal placed directly on a fresh open wound may cause a tattooing effect. In that case, simply place the charcoal paste in a poultice and apply.

One might well ask, with all these benefits, why is charcoal not more widely used? It seems there are several reasons. Though it had been used for centuries, when modern medicine hit the scene with its miracle drugs, charcoal was forgotten. Secondly, it is rather messy, and to many, is not as palatable as could be desired. The use of older, simpler remedies also comes with an art in their using—an art that takes time and energy. Charcoal use is no exception. However, given its safety and efficacy, it is wise to become familiar with this gift.

There are many other medical uses for charcoal, in addition to a multitude of non-medical ones. Suffice it to say that God has given us a remarkable resource for our health and well-being that is readily available, inexpensive, relatively easy to use and highly effective. Like many other things, the simplest ways are often the best.

  1. Charcoal; Agatha Thrash, MD, and Calvin Thrash, MD; page 7
  2. www.charcoalremedies.com/facts
  3. Family Pratice News, Feb 1, 2001; Joanne M. Berger
  4. Charcoal; Agatha Thrash, MD, and Calvin Thrash, MD; page 41
  5. Food & Drink Weekly, Oct 9, 2000
  6. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; July 2003
  7. Home Remedies; Agatha Thrash, MD; Calvin Thrash, MD; page 143
  8. Activated Charcoal, Cooney, David O., New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc. page 63, 1980
  9. www.amazinghealth.org/activated-charcoal; Dr. Walter Vieth
  10. Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine; Mai Tran

Brenda Douay works as a part of the LandMarks team. She can be reached by e-mail at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.