Health

Health – Cayenne, Healing Herb of Choice

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Hold it right there!! Don’t burn this magazine, (or this page of the magazine). Read the rest of the paragraph, and then the rest of the article. Cayenne (in the Solanaceae family) is not related to black pepper (Piper nigrum). Sometimes also referred to as chili peppers, cayenne and others in this family are closely related to tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants, which are also in the Solanaceae family.

Cayenne pepper is just one variety of Capsicum annuum, and though health food stores sell “cayenne” powder, most is from other varieties of small peppers. However, that fact should not be seen as misleading, as there is little difference in the chemical composition of the different varieties of Capsicum annuum. The potent burning in the pepper is caused by the alkaloid capsaicin. Other key constituents of cayenne include carotenoids, flavonoids, and volatile oil. However, capsicum is the constituent most responsible for the herbal benefits. Cayenne is also laden with vitamins A, C, and E, making it a natural anti-oxidant.

When speaking of cayenne as a “healing herb,” it is not being referred to in its cooked or raw fruit form, but typically in its dried, uncooked and usually powdered form. Used in its cooked or raw form, it can be a contributor to ulcers, as well as an irritant to the digestive tract. Other useful forms of cayenne include ointment, liniment and oil.

As you read the remaining part of the article, it is crucial to note that cayenne does not and should not take the place of expert knowledge, whether in the form of an ER visit, say, in the instance of a heart attack or venomous bite, or regular visits to your doctor, as in the case of diabetes. Nor are the suggestions meant as a “fix-all” for poor diet, exercise, or other health habits. The following information is to provide possible additions/alternatives to usual health care. Good health is a combination of caring for one’s body in numerous and balanced ways.

The most important role cayenne plays is in increasing circulation. Almost every other benefit we derive from cayenne stems from increased circulation.1 What are some of the benefits cayenne gives internally? First and foremost, of course, is the role cayenne plays in aiding healthy circulation. It has the ability to prevent internal blood clots, assist in easing varicose veins, and lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.1 For diabetics, cayenne is effective in lowering blood sugar levels,1 provides relief from the pain of diabetic neuropathy, and stimulates circulation in the limbs.2 For those of us whose issues are less severe, cayenne is recommended as a general “pick-me-up” herb,4 a powerful tonic for stomach upsets and colds,1, 2 , 3 and breaking a fever.2, 3 If you do not like the speed of your metabolism, apply some heat. It will increase not only your energy level, but boost your metabolism as well.2 Two other very important uses for cayenne occur in emergency situations. Cayenne under the tongue is beneficial for immediate treatment for heart attack1 and subduing the effects of shock.1 People who suffer from spider bites and bee stings can take cayenne powder to counter the effects of the poisons.1 The list could actually go on, but we must visit the benefits of, remarkably, external uses as well.

In talking of internal uses, we learned that cayenne can increase circulation. Well, it also increases circulation externally, being known as a rubefacient.3 Do you get cold hands or feet? Simply make a mixture of cayenne and cornstarch and sprinkle in shoes, socks or mittens,1, 2 being careful NOT to be too liberal. If you have sustained a sprain or bruise, or suffer from an “itis” such as arthritis, apply a cayenne liniment, oil, or ointment.1, 2 Diseases of the skin, as well as cuts, and scrapes, including ones with swelling and infection, often show remarkable response to cayenne treatments.2 A coating of cayenne stops bleeding on open wounds quickly.1, 2 Cayenne creams or ointments can also be applied topically to aid in the reduction of the pain associated with diabetic neuropathy.2 Fresh pepper juice or poultices can be applied immediately to all kinds of insect bites, and in some locales they are used to extract the venom of snake bites.2 Headaches are capable of being debilitating, especially migraines. Try placing a little powder on the end of a toothpick and inhaling. In addition, a little cayenne cream can be applied onto particularly painful areas around the head.2

In some ways, it seems incredible that one substance could be effective in so many different ways, yet when you consider the involvement of circulation in the health of the body, it should be no surprise that cayenne has such a broad application.

Though cayenne is not a drug, there are some counter indications and cautions involved with its use. The first caution, though not in any way dangerous, can prevent extreme discomfort. Do not breathe or inhale very hot or large quantities of cayenne pepper. It is also a wise idea to keep cayenne in any form away from the eyes, so care should be taken when applying creams, ointments, etc., and making sure hands are washed well after application. Hypoglycemics should not take cayenne internally because it can further lower blood sugar levels.1 When using cayenne externally, begin with small concentrations and build to higher or hotter concentrations, as sensitive skin can be burned with too strong a mixture. This is also true when taking it internally. Begin with small amounts and work up. Excessive ingestion of cayenne can cause gastroenteritis and liver damage. Remember, as with anything, balance is the key. During pregnancy or lactation, cayenne should be avoided. Capsules have been known to break before reaching the stomach, causing intense discomfort. At times, the burning sensation is noted in the stomach after ingesting cayenne; therefore, it is best to take it with food or drink of some kind. Most of all, remember, when it comes to cayenne, a little goes a long way.

Having explored the wonders of this plant, where can it or the fruits thereof be obtained? Farmers’ markets are a good resource, in addition to the local store. Health food stores are a good source for the ointment or capsule forms, but one other option worthy of consideration is growing your own. Cayenne loves hot climates, but also does very well in colder places during summer months and even indoors year round. Cayenne needs moist, well-fertilized soil, neutral to slightly acidic. If grown outside in cooler climates over summer months, it can tolerate a light frost in the fall. Once the fruit completely ripens, cut the peppers off the plant, but leave a minimum of ½ inch of the stem in place on the pepper. This fruit can then be placed right on screens to be dried, or hung up in a warm, dry place out of direct sunlight. Once dried, they can be stored whole or ground, using a blender or food processor. (Make sure you let the dust settle after grinding to avoid inhalation or contact with sensitive eye membranes.) There are around 20 to 30 species of Capsicum, five of which are domesticated, with many types within each species. So break out your spade and add some color and interest to your world.

Having covered some of the most common uses for cayenne, it is my hope that this article will “spice up” your interest in this wonderful, versatile veggie, and cause you to seek out your own unique applications and uses for this handy herb.

  1. Laurel Dewey, The Humorous Herbalist, Safe Goods Publishing, East Canaan, CT, 1996.
  2. Dave Dewitt, Melissa T. Stock, Kellye Hunter, The Healing Powers of Peppers, Three Rivers Press, New York, NY, 1998.
  3. Andrew Chevallier, The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants, DK Publishing, New York, NY, 1996.
  4. Jerry Baker, Jerry Baker’s Herbal Pharmacy, American Master Products, Inc., Pownal, VT, 2000.

Health – Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy

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This column has typically focused on prevention of illness and maintenance of optimal health. This time, however, deviates from that routine and covers a modality that may provide tremendous potential for healing in a number of medical situations. That modality is called Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, or HBOT.

Most of us are well aware that the pre-flood life span of humans and all other living things far exceeded that of all other time, since the flood. What caused that change? Were there differences in the atmosphere, air or other surroundings before and after the flood?

The Bible provides some answers to those questions. “And God said, ‘Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.’ And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which [were] under the firmament from the waters which [were] above the firmament: and it was so.” Genesis 1:6, 7. This text clearly states that there were waters both above and below the firmament. The record also indicates that through the third day of creation the waters were everywhere above, as well as below the firmament. That was the third day. On the fourth day, “God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry [land] appear: and it was so. And God called the dry [land] Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that [it was] good.” Genesis 1:9, 10. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that the layer of waters above the firmament were left spread out, or covering the heavens.

It is common knowledge that the complete layer of water in existence then is now non-existent. So, what might be the practical difference for us today without that layer of water? There actually seem to be quite a few ramifications affecting many different aspects of life. The ones listed here deal only with those which may affect our health. These include the lack of filtering harmful radiation which would reduce somatic mutations in living cells; the potential of increasing the atmospheric pressure on earth, thereby contributing to a less healthy environment; more drastic changes in weather temperatures; and a lower concentration of oxygen in the air, among others. Creation scientists were intrigued by these possibilities and the resultant questions. If you wish to do some research on your own into this question, here is one link with which you can begin. (www.genesispark.org/genpark/flood/flood.htm)

We do not have the space to cover those particular issues in this article, but suffice it to say that the evidence and correlation are strong enough about pre-flood conditions that some people began questioning what would happen if just one or two of the pre-flood conditions were changed and a pre-flood oxygen level/pressure could be recreated … hence one initiator for further study on the Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber.

Actually, people have, for more than 300 years, been breathing pressurized air for its therapeutic benefits. 1, 2 Henshaw, believed to have been the first to promote breathing compressed air, created a specially designed room called a domicilium in A.D. 1664. HBOT, as we now know it, was first developed in response to the issues divers experienced related to increased pressure on the body underwater. It wasn’t until 1935 that commercial and military operations began using pressurized oxygen to treat compromised divers. This is where the scientific study of HBOT really began. However, it is only now beginning to get wider attention and use by the medical community for reasons we will discuss later in this article.

What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT? “HBOT is a method of administering pure oxygen at greater than atmospheric pressure to a patient in order to improve or correct certain conditions.”3 The treatment consists of entering a sealed chamber, either built for a single person, or a room equipped for HBOT, for a period of time, usually from one to two hours of treatment. During a session of HBOT, because of the added pressure, oxygen dissolves into all the body’s fluids “including the plasma, the lymph, [and] the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.” 1 These fluids then carry this extra oxygen to other areas of the body, even when the usual circulation routes are poor or blocked.

HBOT aids in so many different medical situations simply because of the way our bodies operate and the fact that the processes of health and healing revolve around the use of oxygen—oxygen is important, first and foremost because all of the body’s major components, including water, protein, carbohydrate and fat, contain oxygen. Oxygen also aids in causing chemical reactions in the body that result in energy production. Think of what would happen if we had no energy to fuel various functions such as circulation, respiration, digestion and maintaining body temperature. We know that with a total deprivation of oxygen death occurs within minutes. When there is a compromised supply of oxygen damage also occurs, though at a slower rate than with complete deprivation. This deprived state is called hypoxia. In this state all body functions become reduced, sometimes causing damage to certain parts of the body, thereby compromising basic functions such as circulation.

For years it has been common knowledge that HBOT is a treatment of choice for decompression sickness. However, more recently it is coming more to the front as a treatment for a myriad of other medical applications. This makes sense medically when you consider that oxygen is vital to all the most basic functions of life.

There are a number of specific scenarios for which HBOT is applicable as a primary treatment. HBOT would be an appropriate treatment in any situation where breathing of oxygen has been compromised, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, near drowning, tunnel collapses, mining accidents, diving accidents, smoke inhalation, high altitude sickness, etc. It is also the treatment of choice for gas gangrene. (Gas gangrene is a bacterial infection that produces gas within tissues and is caused by a bacterium.)

The uses of HBOT in conjunction with other forms of treatment are numerous. There is evidence that it is beneficial for treatment of stroke, for brain and spinal cord injuries, cerebral edema, multiple sclerosis, peripheral neuropathy, frostbite, chronic fatigue, migraine headaches, wounds that won’t heal or heal with difficulty, burns, bone issues such as infections, inflammations, and fractures that won’t heal, and complications which arise from radiation treatments or surgeries,3, 6 to name a few. In each case we can readily see the relationship to circulation, and the resulting benefit that may be the result of oxygenation under pressure.

The beneficial effects of HBOT for quicker injury recovery as well as for general well-being are now well enough known in certain circles that a number of professional sports teams now own or lease their own HBOT chambers, while a number of other professional athletes also use this form of therapy.7, 8

HBOT is not only useful as a medical device, but is also used in promoting general health through detoxing the body. We live in an age where it is near impossible to be in an environment that is free from toxins. Since oxygen exchange is a major contributor to cleansing, HBOT is being used to remove toxins retained in everyday living. “HBOT has been shown to have detoxification effects and suppresses inflammation.6, 9 Most of our chronic diseases are now recognized to result from chronic inflammation. When you begin to add up all of these beneficial effects of hyperbaric oxygen and combine them with the many other documented effects of HBOT on disease processes that are catalogued in The Oxygen Revolution, it is apparent that hyperbaric oxygen may in fact have anti-aging effects.” 4

HBOT is quite safe, and provides extra oxygen with few side effects when used properly as recommended. Safe guidelines indicate that the chamber should be below 3.0 atmospheres absolute, with virtually no issues reported at pressures below 2.0 atmospheres absolute. Given the inherent nature of oxygen, being highly explosive, the chambers are carefully designed to prevent fire as well as other dangers.

Some of the more common side effects include minor ear or sinus pressure, claustrophobia, fatigue or headache. Some longer-term effects may include myopia (short sightedness) that can last for weeks or months, sinus damage, ruptured middle ear, and lung damage. When administered improperly, oxygen toxicity can also result. However, the reported number of any of these side effects is very small.

There are a few situations where HBOT should be used with caution or not used at all. Caution should be exercised when treating people with severe congestive heart failure, those who are prone to oxygen toxicity, patients with certain lung conditions, and pregnant women.5 If possible in these situations, other forms of treatment are advisable as a first choice.

Since HBOT is well recognized as a safe, highly-effective form of therapy, why is it not more widely used? Why is it that many doctors are not even aware that it exists? Well, there are several reasons. As of yet, most doctors are still not familiar with this form of treatment, in part, because many medical schools do not yet teach hyperbarics or even own an HBOT chamber. In addition, the chambers are costly in themselves, not to speak of the requirement for trained staff to operate them. Also, insurance carriers may and do choose at times not to pay for this treatment. Furthermore, “it is characteristic of the medical establishment, as with any establishment, to be disposed toward preserving the existing order.”3 Another reason has to do with the fact that in the medical community the HBOT is used as a “last resort,” resulting in an unsatisfactory outcome, hence compromising interest in this modality. “Unfortunately, hyperbaric medicine’s critics will often point at these failures and say, ‘we knew it wouldn’t work.’ It is important for both doctors and patients to understand that, as with all treatments, HBOT is more effective when used in a timely manner.”3 Nevertheless, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is gaining a foothold, and calls for research in many different medical situations.

In addition to the references listed at the end of this article, another all around link for HBOT therapy is www.ihausa.org/faq.html

It is my hope that in presenting this article you will be inspired to do your own research and possibly find an ally in healing that is safer and has less side effects than the typical “drug” route, or maybe even in preventing illness in the first place.

  1. Hamblin, D.L. Hyperbaric oxygen: its effect on experimental staphylococcal osteomyelitis in rats. J Bone Joint Surg 50:1129–1131, 1968.
  2. Davis, J.C. and Hunt, T.K. Refractory osteomyelitis of the extremities and the axial skeleton. In Davis J.C. and Hunt T.K. (eds): Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Bethesda, Maryland: Undersea Medical Society, 1977, pp. 217–227.
  3. Neubauer, R.A., MD and Walker, Morton, MD: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Avery Publishing Group, Garden City Park, NY., 1998.
  4. www.altmd.com/Articles/Hyperbaric-Oxygen-Therapy-HBOT-for-Anti-Aging
  5. www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3x_Hyperbaric_oxygen_therapy.asp?sitearea=ETO
  6. www.o2plus.ca
  7. www.hbotreatment.com/sportsinjury.htm
  8. www.hyperbaric-oxygen-ca.com/Athletes.htm
  9. www.altmd.com/Articles/Hyperbaric-Oxygen-Therapy-HBOT-for-Anti-Aging

Health – Skin: Dam, Filter, or Sponge

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There is most assuredly a creative power behind all we see. The human mind has not yet, in the six thousand years of its existence, scratched the surface of the mysteries of life and nature. And what knowledge has been unfolded to us we have been unable to duplicate. The human body is the only thing in all of creation that God did not speak into existence. Rather, He molded the first humans and made their bodies come alive with His own hands. Humans cannot even create perpetual motion, not to mention life, both of which we see everywhere in creation. Every organ is a miracle of operation, created to be perpetual. Though, since Adam and Eve’s fall, the perpetuation has been limited, the body does operate independent of our aid—repairing, replenishing, and supporting; just as God designed.

The human body, the final touch of God’s creation, is an amazing piece of work. In addition to being called as caretakers of God’s creation, we must also care for the incredible machines that we live in. Unfortunately, the human race has done a very poor job of taking care of the earth, and the ensuing pollution has caused our bodies to be exposed to innumerable toxins—some inhaled, some ingested, but almost all are seeped into our bodies through the largest organ: the skin. Prior to the mid-19th century, the skin was seen as an impenetrable barrier. It is now well established, however, that the same construction of proteins and lipids that make the skin waterproof also make it vulnerable to certain agents, both non-toxic and toxic.

The skin is made up of three different layers: the epidermis, the dermis, and the subcutis. Each of these layers is further categorized by their respective layers. The epidermis is the outermost layer and consists of three sub-layers: the stratum corneum, keratinocytes, and the basal layer. The stratum corneum is the skin that meets the eye and the environment. It consists of dead keratinocytes, or keratin, which protects the skin from our environment. Keratinocytes are a layer of squamous cells which provide the skin with what it needs to keep pathogens out and water in. The dermis is the middle layer of the skin, and consists of blood vessels, lymph vessels, hair follicles, and sweat glands. This layer is held together by a protein called collagen. It is also the locale for pain and touch receptors. The subcutis, or subcutaneous layer, is the innermost layer of the skin, and consists of collagen and fat cells that help to conserve body heat while protecting other organs from injury by acting as a shock absorber.

Because of its permeability and the proximity of the bloodstream, the skin has been found by the medical world to be an ideal portal for drug administration. Transdermally administered drugs are becoming choice in many instances due to the almost immediate bioavailability which the numerous blood vessels in the skin makes possible. Unfortunately, many, many other things are becoming far too available through the skin. Some of these things we apply in hopes of reaping some benefit; other things we are exposed to without choice and are completely unaware of.

In her book, Silent Spring, which spawned the environmental movement in the early 1960s, Rachel Carson wrote: “For the first time in earth’s history, every human being is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of conception until death. In less than two decades, toxins have been so thoroughly distributed throughout the animate and inanimate world that they occur virtually everywhere.” She goes on to elaborate on the harmful effects of the DDT sprayings on farmland, farm animals, streams and their ecosystems.

Since the environmental craze began, we have become progressively more concerned with what we ingest. We wash our fruits and vegetables before consumption, we buy “organically grown” produce, and bottled water has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Of course, being conscious of what we put into our bodies is important, but given the knowledge of the skin’s ability to absorb its environment, it makes sense that we would be just as concerned with what we expose our bodies to externally. Though it is impossible to evade poisons altogether, eliminating what we are able of these toxins has become more and more imperative.

What are these toxins? Where do they come from? What are they found in? What effect do they have on our bodies? The list is far too long to go over each (they number in the thousands), but some key poisons which have been targeted specifically in the last 50 years are DDT, arsenic, soot (which has been under scrutiny for over two centuries), 24-D (an herbicide), maelic hydrozid (proven as a powerful mutagen), phelon, urethane, and mustard gas. These toxins are related primarily to environmental control, and used or emitted by industrial plants. Now, in mentioning these toxins, it is not through inhalation only that they find their way into the blood stream. Simply taking a walk in the “great outdoors” brings your external body into contact with these hazardous chemicals, which then enter the blood stream immediately through pores in the skin. When people who live in cities wear surgical masks outdoors to protect themselves from the pollution of the area in which they live, unbeknown to them, they are preventing little; the portal of entry that is by far more effective is still quite exposed to harm.

These chemicals—alias toxins, alias carcinogens, alias mutagens, alias poisons—are precisely what their many names imply. No matter which chemical is in the spotlight, the effect on the body is damaging, and, in many cases, severely so. Each one, in addition to thousands more not mentioned, interfere with the body’s natural cell cycles, which creates mutant cells, in turn increasing the potential for cancer. Port Neches, Texas, is one example of many. The high school in this town was turning out alarming rates of leukemia, so many incidences, in fact, that the school was nicknamed “Leukemia High.” The town was founded around the production of rubber and synthetic rubber during World War II. These plants exposed the residents of the town to high levels of butadiene. Depending on the chemical, our cells are targeted in different ways, and thus different ailments are resulting; among those ailments are a wide range of cancers, birth defects, mental illnesses (again a wide range) and diabetes.

We do not expose ourselves only indirectly through our environment, but also directly in the products we use in personal and household hygiene. Most of the products that we use, from the shower to the kitchen sink, contain harmful chemicals, all of which have more direct contact with our bodies and in greater quantities. Too many of the toiletries and cosmetics we use are carcinogenic cocktails of hazardous waste. Most of the chemicals which go into our toiletries are no different from the harsh toxic chemicals used in industry. Far from enhancing health, they pose a daily threat to it. For example, propylene glycol (PG) is a wetting agent and solvent used in makeup, hair care products, deodorants, and aftershave. It is also the main ingredient in antifreeze and brake fluid. Similarly, polyethylene glycol (PEG), a related agent found in most skin cleansers, is a caustic used to dissolve grease … the same substance you find in oven cleaners. Isopropyl, an alcohol used in hair rinses, hand lotions and fragrances, is also a solvent found in shellac.

The methods employed by the body by which to eliminate toxins are few. When the liver, kidneys, and lungs have been exhausted by chronic exposure and cannot keep up with the intake, the remaining toxins lodge in fat and muscle tissue and become what is called “toxic” or “chemical body burden.” (Today, studies show that most of us have between 400 and 800 chemical residues stored in the fat cells of our bodies. See JAMA, AMA, ACS for reference.) Fortunately for us, the dermis is an excellent warrior on our behalf; though it may not be able to prevent all harmful materials from entry, it does manage to do some damage control through perspiration—yes, sweat. Perspiration is recognized in the medical field worldwide as perhaps the most effective method of removing heavy metals and toxins from our bodies. Most of the time we are completely unaware that we are perspiring because of evaporation, but we are actually losing an average of 1.5 liters per day! (Depending on temperature. In higher temperatures the rate of expulsion can reach 3.5 liters.) It is estimated that the body eliminates about 30% of bodily waste through perspiration. Because of this, it is sometimes referred to as the “third kidney.”

Because of the decline in the quality of our environment, it is more imperative than ever that we are aware of what we are exposed to and the consequences of this exposure. The Bible refers to our bodies as temples for Christ, and as a temple we want to do our utmost to maintain our health. Exposure to toxins cannot be avoided completely; however, consciousness of the products that we use daily, our geologic environment, and even our career choices can improve the wellness of our bodies and greatly decrease the probability of serious illnesses. God was aware of the damage that the human race would cause to the earth, and, in His mercy, created our bodies to battle against what we ourselves have created.

Health – Liquid Life

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When God created Adam, He made him from the dirt of the earth; and Eve He formed from a bone of her husband’s body. Miraculously, somewhere along the way, though, 75% of their bodies turned into water. (That’s right! 75%; only 25% of the human body is solid matter.) The largest component of the body is H2O, which makes up 45–75% of the body’s weight. It is common knowledge that water is good for the body, but it is little recognized just how essential it is to our well-being. Neither are the consequences of dehydration recognized for what they truly are.

Every part of the body has a role to play in our functionality. Given the fact that we are ¾ water, it is obvious that this element is very important to our livelihood. Furthermore, it is found in every single body system—skeletal: 22%, muscular: 70%, blood: 90%, internal organs: 80%, brain: 80%—meaning that if we are deficient of water, every part of our being is affected.

The body has a system to regulate the distribution of water to ensure that the vital organs have first dibs on the water supply when there is a shortage. Each organ, or system, in turn, has its own alarm signals that sound off to alert the rest of the body of its water shortage. Most people regard a dry mouth as the body’s first sign of thirst, and do not drink water unless this symptom is present. The truth is, however, that by the time a person suffers from cottonmouth, the rest of the body is screaming for lack of water. It is the last cry given by our bodies to draw our attention to thirst.

The body manifests the drought in four consecutive stages. If the first doesn’t grab our attention, the second is implemented; and so on down the line. The first of these signals is perceptive feelings. Fatigue which cannot be attributed to excessive physical activity or other stressors, ranks highest among these. Also, anxiety, anger, depression, sleeplessness, cravings for soda, caffeine, alcohol, and introversion are early expressions of onsetting dehydration. If this does not grab our attention, the body moves to stage two. If we still do not recognize our need for water, the regulatory system in the body takes measures to conserve and distribute what water it does have in an attempt to function as capably as possible without its main ingredient. Some of the signs of this phase are constipation, allergies, autoimmune diseases, asthma, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.1

At this point, if there is still no correction of the issue—that is, if the body still remains in a state of dehydration—other, more localized signs begin to appear. Just like a car cannot go for long with insufficient oil before there is damage, the body cannot run without damage with a lack of sufficient water before it manifests the damage. These crisis signs are heartburn, rheumatoid joint pain, back pain, migraines, colitis pains, fibromyalgic pains, and angina pains. Here, the body has not yet deteriorated into a diseased state; however, the early onset signals of disease are quite apparent.

Why exactly is water so very important, and what does it do in the body that its absence would prompt disease? It is the body’s water supply that regulates every single function of the body. When we are not adequately hydrated, the body cannot function properly. From vital organs right on down to the molecular level, function is impaired. Nothing in creation can operate without energy. Just like a car runs on gas, our bodies run on water—through a chemical reaction known as hydrolysis. The flow of water through the body and its cells generates hydroelectricity, actual voltage, which empowers the body in immediate function and also spawns the creation of ATP and GTP—the chemical energy sources in the body. Water, believe it or not, has the amazing ability to serve as “glue” for the cell’s many structures and, at the same time, is used as a “waterway,” starting in the brain, that is used to transport the many signals of the brain and other parts of the body so that every material can be delivered to its respective “address.” It is a mode of transportation for nutrients, neurotransmitters, and cells. It is necessary for the reproduction of cells and the livelihood of existing ones.

What happens when a car runs low on oil? A light appears as an indicator that warns you that you had better replenish the vehicle’s oil. And what happens if you ignore the light? The car components that make your car run are severely damaged. The same applies to the body and water. The “indicator” is the experience of physical discomfort in the area that has been severely rationed due to drought, and the body’s system of self-preservation. And, in an attempt to remedy the pain, rather than giving the body what it is asking for—what it needs—we give it painkillers and other medications that only exacerbate the issue through negligence. This is kind of like turning off the car’s indicator light and giving it sand instead of oil. The body, over time, then begins to deteriorate. Nutrients that are consumed cannot process properly, thus depriving it of needed minerals, vitamins, sugars, and calories necessary for basic function. This in turn is obviously an open door to numerous body malfunctions; cells cannot reproduce properly, creating mutant cells. Cholesterol is allowed to build, blocking blood paths. The blood itself becomes thick, and issues with blood pressure arise. Bones are tapped for energy and are then depleted. When water is not abundant enough to produce the needed energy, the bones become the backup energy supply. Here, cells can be drawn upon to produce the chemical energy necessary for the basic functionality. However, in tapping the skeletal system of its resources, other diseases are spawned, namely osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, as well as the overwork of the body to supplement the energy source we are supposed to be giving it. This results in fatigue; untreated, this turns to severe chronic fatigue and other sleep disorders. Body organs are in need of fuel to function; the lack of this fuel can cause ulcers, angina, high blood pressure and its resulting issues, high cholesterol and its resulting issues, asthma, diabetes and arthritis. But the issues with dehydration span to the cells also. In order to carry out their duties, they also need the energy source provided by H2O. If this does not happen, the cells miscommunicate and create other cells that are mutant and unable to function normally. This can lead to numerous forms of cancer if the issue goes unattended for an extended period of time.

If “feeling” thirsty is not a reliable indicator of when to drink, what is the best way to make sure that the body is adequately hydrated? As a rule of thumb, a person divides their weight in pounds in half and drinks that amount in ounces. When this is done, the body will become more sensitive to monitoring, and you will actually begin to feel thirsty more frequently. Always respond to this prompt, but never wait for it to drink. If a person is physically active or lives in a warmer climate, an additional 8 ounces of water should be consumed for every hour of hard physical labor or each day in warmer climates.

The optimal time to drink water is one-half hour before eating, and an hour after. This prevents the blood from becoming too concentrated from the intake of nutrients. When blood becomes too concentrated, it robs surrounding cells of their water supply to make up for the lack so that nutrients can be distributed more efficiently.

Just as any vehicle will operate efficiently for an extended period of time when it is serviced regularly, so will the body with adequate care. That care is not found in traditional medicine after disease has already taken its toll; rather it is found in the natural basics such as proper rest, nutrition, and, of course, water. It is up to us to take responsibility for our own well-being. The information and understanding that is now available on the body and its operation allows the public that is interested to take their health and quality of life in their own hands, and practice what is not always practiced in modern medicine—preventative medicine. And the cost is most frequently as cheap as the water you drink.

This article is based on scientific findings of the past two decades. Additional information can be found in the works of 1F. Batmanghelidj, M.D.

Health – Detoxification

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It is well-known today that we are all exposed to harmful chemicals and toxins. It is impossible to completely escape being exposed to harmful chemicals. Our bodies are magnificently designed with a very sophisticated system for the removal of harmful substances. When during a period of time the body is contaminated with more toxic substances than it can remove, some of the toxins are retained in body tissues and fluids.

Our bodies are always attempting to maintain a balance. There are many ways that a state of homeostasis is maintained. Everyone who took biology in high school has had the structural system of the body memorized: cells make tissues, tissues make organs, organs make systems, and systems make an organism—in this case the human body. With the understanding of the structural makeup, it is easy to see that the health of our individual cells comprises our overall health. And the toxic body burden acquired over a lifetime of intake inhibits the cell’s ability to function properly, in turn affecting the body’s ability to operate as a whole.

This was demonstrated in a study conducted by Dr. Alexis Carrell in 1912. In his experiment, he confirmed the power of proper nourishment and detoxification. Dr. Carrell, in collaboration with Rockefeller Institute, took healthy, living tissue from a chicken and immersed it in a solution that provided optimal nutrition and no harmful chemicals. The solution was changed regularly to eliminate toxic waste produced for a time by the cell. Carrell’s objective was to prove that cells could live for a long period of time when provided with optimal nutrition free of harmful substances. Under these conditions, the cultivated cells lived for 34 years! The tissue finally died only when a lab assistant forgot one day to change the solution. Under the best of conditions, the cell’s life was extended not just days but decades beyond expectancy! In fact, it was 21 years past the life expectancy of the organism from which it came!

God designed the human body with systems to eliminate harmful substances from our bodies. The process of toxic waste elimination begins at the cellular level. The cells carry out their duties related to detoxification in several ways. One way this is done is by the cell’s ability to engulf, devour, and destroy a toxin. In other cases, the body releases free radicals (a molecule with one unpaired electron) to rid the body of toxic material. Another method that is employed primarily by the liver, but occurs also in the cells, neutralizes toxic chemical compounds in a two-phase process. The first phase is a biochemical transformation of a toxin into a secondary substance. Phase two neutralizes the altered substance and transforms it to an element the body can easily eliminate.

In addition to this, practically every system of the body is involved in detoxification. The organs designed for this are, of course, the liver, kidneys, and the systems particularly pertaining to the lymphatic system, the respiratory system, the skin or the alimentary tract and the circulatory system, including the lymphatic system.

Yet, even with the entire body working as a unit to keep a healthy balance, the intake of harmful substances can be greater than the body can keep up with. Because of the intensity of the pollution in air, water and food, it is needful for optimal health to evaluate a person’s home environment, diet, workplace and hygienic practices. Some helpful questions are, Am I drinking pure soft water, and am I breathing pure air, and am I eating food that has not been chemically manipulated? Because of air pollution some people living in large cities have been able to obtain relief from various maladies by installing an air purification system in their home.

“The medicine of the future will be found in food.” (Oliver Wendell Holmes.) God created in nature everything that we would need to keep our bodies healthy, and it has long been recognized, although not generally accepted, that nutrition is a key component to healthy lives. Hippocrates, 460 to 370 B.C. understood this principle well. “Let thy medicine be thy food and thy food thy medicine.” Certain herbs contain properties useful for detoxification.

Just as we clean our houses, our cars, and our outer bodies, the inner body too needs to be clean. Often times it is best done once a year to restore our bodies to a natural state, void of built-up poisons.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80% of the world uses herbs as the basis of their medical practices. These herbs are used for preventative medicine and cleansing, as well as for healing. This practice has allowed other cultures to aid their bodies in combating illnesses and terminal diseases that would otherwise be more prevalent and maintain a more ideal environment for the basic units of life—cells.

There are many cleansing programs that are available now, but not all are effective.

Children and pregnant women should not attempt any detoxification program without medical advice. Some people believe that nobody should attempt any type of bodily cleansing program without a physician’s advice, but at the present time in most c0untries herbal cleansing programs are available in health food stores and have been used by millions of people on their own. But if you have a chronic disease of any kind or have any hesitation because of any physical problem, it would certainly be wise for you to consult a physician prior to beginning a cleansing program. A cleansing program should be for a limited time only (a few days) and not repeated over and over again without medical advice. Once you are through with a cleansing regimen, it is important to maintain your body’s cleanliness to experience the greatest results. A diet rich in fresh, unprocessed foods reduces the amount of toxins ingested; it also boosts the body’s ability to eliminate what toxins are unavoidable in the environment. A diet derived from fresh foods provides nutrients that we do not get from foods that are processed. “Between the mind and the body there is a mysterious and wonderful relation. They react upon each other. To keep the body in a healthy condition to develop its strength, that every part of the living machinery may act harmoniously, should be the first study of our life. To neglect the body is to neglect the mind.” Counsels on Health, 122.

Health Nugget – The Pathway of Smell

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Do you appreciate your little nose?

“The nose is the smelling room of the body. It is more than a room—it is in reality a wonderful little house. It is three stories high and is made up of many curious rooms and winding stairs. Two doors, the nostrils, admit the air laden with odors to the waiting room or vestibule. Most of the air passes back through the hall on the first floor, some of it goes up stairs to the second floor and visits the various chambers, but the odors one and all make haste to reach the rooms on the third floor. In the walls of these upper rooms are thousands of delicate hair-like projections ready to be touched.

“These projections are like electric buttons in a house or a hotel. … The very gentlest touch of an odor on one of these hairs or “smell bodies” in the smell chamber of the nose, rings a bell in your office in the brain and tells you that a rose is waiting to be enjoyed or that you are in disagreeable or dangerous air … these little smell bodies, which are called olfactory cells, send different messages to the brain for different odors. …

“Every fragrant odor is healthful or full of health. It makes us breathe more deeply and thus brings more life into the blood, more vigor to the brain.

“Bad odors have just the opposite effect. They warn us of danger in the air and keep us from breathing gases and fumes that would poison us. How often in passing a factory or some other place where there is a bad smell you hold your nose shut to keep out the odor. At the same time you are keeping out bad air.

“You cannot smell any one odor very long at a time. If you do not heed the warning of a bad smell soon the warning will no longer be given. If you bury your nose in a fragrant bouquet or hold it close to the top of a bottle of perfume almost at once you cease to smell anything at all. If you keep smelling and smelling of some sweet flower your very eagerness destroys your pleasure. The odor cannot be constantly smelled. In three minutes or in a shorter time it will be gone. This is because the power of the smell cells is limited. You have been trying to make them work too hard. They are so built that they cannot overdo. If you wait a few moments and let them rest they will go to work again and you can again smell the flower, the perfume, the gas.

“In this the smell cells are like the taste buds. After one has been eating for half an hour the food does not taste as it did at first. The taste buds as well as the smell cells become tired and need a rest. The first mouthful has the keenest taste. The first whiff of an odor has the keenest smell.

“Just as the taste buds in the mouth stand, like sentinels, at the beginning of the food passage to see that nothing dangerous enters, so the smell cells stand, like sentinels, at the beginning of the breathing passage, guarding all the air we breathe.

“The air often carries other enemies besides bad odors. Just inside the doors of the nose, in the nostrils, are several little stiff hairs, that are placed there to keep out these enemies. They keep out flies and other insects as well as the dust. If dust or dirt or insect passes these guards it is caught by the moist walls of the nose.

“In many places, especially in some large cities the air is so full of dust that it forces its way past these sentinels through the nose into the throat and lungs where it often causes disease.

“If the air is very cold or very hot the front doors of the nose are partly closed by certain little muscles whose duty it is to keep watch and not let in any more cold air or hot air than it is safe to breathe. When these little muscles are holding the door shut it makes our noses look thin and ‘pinched.’ Notice this on a cold frosty morning. It is not Jack Frost that is pinching your nose but the little muscles in the tip of your nose that are shutting the doors to keep out Jack Frost. …

“Smell and Taste are good friends and work together. One helps the other. But smell helps taste more than taste helps smell.

“Sometimes you get up in the morning to find that you have a cold in the head. You try to breathe through your nose but cannot. You cannot smell. You sit down to breakfast but you cannot eat. The food does not taste good. You push back your plate and give up trying to eat. This is just what smell and taste were working for. Your cold will disappear sooner if you do not eat much, so they make eating uncomfortable and disagreeable. Every part of the body is all the time helping every other part to keep the living temple growing healthy and strong and beautiful.” Excerpts from The Story of a Living Temple, Frederick M. Rossiter, published by Forgotten Books 2012—originally published in 1902, 43–49.

Praise the Lord for the gift of a nose!

Health – Too Much of a Good Thing

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“Satan well knows the material with which he has to deal in the human heart. He knows—for he has studied with fiendish intensity for thousands of years—the points most easily assailed in every character; and through successive generations he has wrought to overthrow the strongest men.” The Adventist Home, 326.

So how will Satan attempt to overthrow God’s people in the very last days? There are a multitude of methods that he is using: “Satan sees that his time is short. He has set all his agencies at work that men may be deceived, deluded, occupied and entranced, until the day of probation shall be ended, and the door of mercy be forever shut.” The Desire of Ages, 636. “As the time draws near for Christ to be revealed in the clouds of Heaven, Satan’s temptations will be brought to bear with greater power upon those who keep God’s commandments, for he knows that his time is short.” The Review and Herald, January 28, 1875. [Emphasis added.]

What are these agencies? One of them is appetite: “The victims of a depraved appetite, goaded on by Satan’s continual temptations, will seek indulgence at the expense of health and even life, and will go to the bar of God as self-murderers. Many have so long allowed habit to master them that they have become slaves to appetite.” Confrontation, 77. “Appetite and passion, the love of the world, and presumptuous sins were the great branches of evil out of which every species of crime, violence, and corruption grew.” Ibid., 47.

“The controlling power of appetite will prove the ruin of thousands, who, if they had conquered on this point, would have had the moral power to gain the victory over every other temptation. But those who are slaves to appetite will fail of perfecting Christian character. The continual transgression of man for over six thousand years has brought sickness, pain, and death as its fruit. And as we draw near the close of time, Satan’s temptations to indulge appetite will be more powerful, and more difficult to resist.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 154.

“The gratification of unnatural appetite led to the sins that caused the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. God ascribes the fall of Babylon to her gluttony and drunkenness. Indulgence of appetite and passion was the foundation of all their sins.” Ibid., 43.

In this article we will only look at one small aspect of the appetite temptation. Satan cannot force you to sin. God has not given him that power. Satan could not force Eve or Adam to sin; he had to entice them, to persuade them to do it. In the same way, Satan cannot force you to eat anything. He has to entice you to do it. In order for Satan to destroy you through your appetite, he has to persuade you to eat in a way that will destroy you. How can he do this? By making the food that is going to destroy your brain and body taste good. As we will see, it is possible to get too much of a good thing.

The Human Brain

Small molecules contained in the food that we eat are utilized by the brain as neurotransmitters. There is a delicate balance in the brain between excitatory transmitters and inhibitory transmitters. If this balance is upset, serious disorders of the nervous system can result. Today we are using tons of substances in our food that act as excitatory transmitters in the brain. These substances were completely unknown and therefore did not generally exist in their purified form 100 years ago.

In 1908, a chemist in Tokyo isolated the chemical in Kombu (a seaweed that the Japanese had used for generations to enhance the flavor of their recipes). He found to his surprise that the mysterious flavor-enhancing substance in this food was a simple salt or ester of glutamic acid—an amino acid widely distributed in plant and animal protein. This was so exciting that by 1909 this chemist and a friend of his formed a company to manufacture this taste enhancer in the form of monosodium glutamate. By 1933 the Japanese were using over 10 million pounds of this taste enhancer every year. During World War 11 American soldiers obtained some food rations from Japanese soldier prisoners. They were surprised that the Japanese soldiers’ rations were so much more delicious than their own. The reason was that MSG (monosodium glutamate), the flavor enhancer, had been added to the Japanese rations, but the Americans did not have MSG added to their rations.

It did not take long for the American food industry to see the financial boom that could result from the use of this substance. It could also be used to enhance the flavor of some new cheap foods that we were developing which did not taste very good unless some type of flavor enhancer was added.

The Vegetable Protein Industry

Adventists have long known that meat was not the best food. Although this could be discovered easily by reading the first few chapters of the Bible, Ellen White is very specific about this subject:

“Flesh was never the best food; but its use is now doubly objectionable, since disease in animals is so rapidly increasing. Those who use flesh foods little know what they are eating. Often if they could see the animals when living and know the quality of the meat they eat, they would turn from it with loathing. People are continually eating flesh that is filled with tuberculous and cancerous germs. Tuberculosis, cancer, and other fatal diseases are thus communicated.” The Ministry of Healing, 313.

“Again and again I have been shown that God is trying to lead us back, step by step, to His original design,—that man should subsist upon the natural products of the earth. Among those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord, meat-eating will eventually be done away; flesh will cease to form a part of their diet. We should ever keep this end in view, and endeavor to work steadily toward it.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 119.

Because of this information, Adventists have long been interested in the vegetarian diet, but they were told up until the 1960s that they needed to be very careful to get enough protein if they adopted a vegetarian diet. We know today that this advice was wrong, but this type of thinking made Adventists very susceptible to the new foods being introduced by food technologists. We know today that many of the vegetarian foods introduced by the food industry during the last 100 years are just as dangerous and perhaps more dangerous than the more expensive animal foods that they replaced. (A good example of this would be margarine, but that is another subject.)

One of these new wonder foods adopted almost wholesale by the Adventist world was hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP). Here is a thumbnail sketch of how it is made. First, the vegetable products are boiled in sulfuric acid, and then it is neutralized in caustic soda, and then dried. It can be dried until a brown powder is all that remains. This powder does not have a good taste at all, so MSG is added to it, and we have a powder that we can add to all manner of protein dishes. If a person eats meat such as hamburger, the cost of the hamburger can be greatly decreased by adding some HVP—a true “extender.” However, we have discovered other flavor compounds today besides MSG (many of them). We can add other amino acids to this HVP that will make it taste like beef, and then it can be used in barbecue sauces and fast foods. We can add still other protein combinations that will make the HVP taste creamy, and then use it in soups and salad dressings and sauces.

When we chemically analyze these foods, we find out some alarming facts. First of all, we find some compounds that, when used in high concentrations, are powerful brain transmitters, so much so that they can accurately be called brain cell toxins. Examples of these would include glutamate, aspartate, and cysteic acid.

Over fifty years ago, in 1957, it was discovered in animal experiments that these substances can destroy the inner layer of the retina in the eye. This is part of the reason that the writer developed an interest in investigating this subject.

One segment of the population that is extremely susceptible to obtaining large amounts of these substances are the overweight. These people want to lose weight, but they want low calorie foods that taste good. Three of the main ingredients that give flavor to food are carbohydrate (sugar and starch), fat, and protein. If the food is a low calorie food (like lettuce and spinach), it does not taste all that scrumptious unless some type of food flavoring is added. Historically, the way that this is done is to add fat and sugar (think butter, cream, sugar or syrup, mayonnaise, sweet and sour sauce, etc.) But all these things add calories, so today we can make the food taste good with very little additional calories with our new flavor-enhancing compounds. Any time that you buy food, if you see one of the following ingredients on the label you can be almost certain that it contains one or more flavor-enhancing compounds: “hydrolyzed vegetable protein,” “vegetable protein,” “natural flavorings,” and/or “spices,” “glutamate,” “aspartate,” or “glutamine.”

Another segment of the population that we know today is extremely sensitive to these substances are infants, both born and unborn infants. The central nervous system of the infant (both born and unborn) is much more sensitive to these substances than an adult, and although it would be unethical to perform research experiments with these substances on human beings, extensive animal experiments with these substances have demonstrated a severe effect on the development of the brain in every species of animals tested. Many pregnant women are using large amounts of these substances with absolutely no awareness of what the possible results might be. Nobody actually knows what all the results of large use of these substances might be. Some scientists are afraid that these substances can lead to severe misdevelopment of the brain, resulting in learning disorders and serious psychological problems such as autism, hyperactive behavior, dyslexia, and uncontrollable anger. (Their fears are not based on armchair speculations, but on actual animal experiments.)

If we use large amounts of these substances in our diet, what could be the long term result? Nobody knows, but following are a list of disorders that some scientists are studying in relation to these flavor-enhancing compounds: Neural degenerative diseases such as Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, seizures, headaches, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Probably by now, if you are still reading this article, you are asking the question, How can I know which foods that I am eating are containing these flavor-enhancing compounds? Unfortunately, this is a difficult question to answer since these compounds are found extensively today in almost every type of processed food, but in the next paragraph an attempt will be made to list some of the most common foods where the health seeker will need to be careful.

Soy milk naturally contains much glutamate, but what could become too much of a good thing is if your soy milk has more glutamate added or if it has more hydrolyzed vegetable protein added. Kombu, miso, and soy sauce have MSG added. Sports supplements and weight loss products often contain Nutrasweet (which, of course, contains aspartate). So, one must not think that a product is harmless, just because he or she obtained it from a health food store, or because it is labeled as “organic.” Hopefully, the reader who is thinking analytically will conclude on his own that so-called health foods are not necessarily healthy and may be some of the most dangerous foods in his diet. The so-called “meat substitutes” or “meal analogs” commonly contain large amounts of these flavor-enhancing compounds. Any drink or diet food which has a sweet taste but contains little or no sugar—obviously there is something in the drink that gives it that sweet taste; if it is not sugar, it has to be a flavor enhancer of some type, (common ones are aspartamine or aspartate). For the person who is interested in health, a healthy skepticism of food flavoring agents in general, and especially food additives, is certainly in harmony with present scientific knowledge. Beef or chicken flavoring, extracts, “broth” and “stock” commonly contain MSG and often other flavor-enhancing compounds, and as stated at the beginning, the problem is not that the product itself is bad; many of these products occur naturally in nature and are essential for the body, but too much of a good thing can be dangerous, as hopefully you now understand. Any time the food that you are eating is described on the ingredient list as containing plant protein extracts or sodium caseinate or calcium caseinate or yeast extract or textured protein or autolyzed yeast or hydrolyzed oat flour or hydrolyzed plant protein, you should assume that it contains flavor enhancers. If you commonly eat in restaurants it is probably going to be impossible for you to avoid these things in your diet, and so it becomes even more important for you to see that your intake of these things is as close to zero as possible when you are preparing your own food.

For the reader who would like to study a more systematic and thorough approach to this subject, a book that the writer referred to for additional information for this article that the reader could purchase and study for himself is Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, by Russell L. Blaylock, M.D., published by Health Press, P.O. Drawer 1388, Santa Fe, NM 87504. ISBN 0-929173-14-7.

Mighty Minerals, Vital Vitamins

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Our bodies are built up from the food we eat. There is a constant breaking down of the tissues of the body; every movement of every organ involves waste, and this waste is repaired from our food. Each organ of the body requires its share of nutrition. The brain must be supplied with its portion; the bones, the muscles, and the nerves demand theirs. It is a wonderful process that transforms the food into blood and uses this blood to build up the varied parts of the body; but this process is going on continually, supplying with life and strength each nerve, muscle, and tissue.” Child Guidance, 378.

Our bodies were designed to operate without our conscious effort. We do not have to think through our body’s digestive process in order for it to happen, nor do we process out our blood’s circulation to get the life sustenance to our extremities. We do not usually pump our lungs manually to get air into them. We breathe without conscious effort. But in order to be able to do all these things, we need to provide our bodies with sufficient calories, vitamins, and minerals, which can best be done through a varied diet. Also, since the invention of dietary supplements, those who have a poor diet, or are compromised in their health condition, are able to use these aids to improve their overall health.

The substances that the body needs to develop and maintain properly are vitamins. There are 13 vitamins that are essential to our livelihood: A, C, D, E, K, and the B-family (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, B6, B12, and folate). To break things down a little further, a vitamin is an organic compound that an organism cannot create in sufficient amounts on its own and must be obtained via another source, mainly through diet. As the word “compound” implies, each vitamin consists of several vitamers. These collective vitamers work together to produce the vitamin and the effect each vitamin has on the body. For example, cyanocolabim, hydroxocolabim, methylocolabim, and 5-deoxadenosylcolabim are all vitamin B12 vitamers. Each unique combination of vitamers are what allow the 13 different vitamins to play their different roles in the body’s upkeep. These roles are as diverse as regulating tissue growth and hormones and aiding in vision.

Today, we have an abundant supply of vitamins that come in the form of pills. But before these were available, food was the only way to obtain these necessary nutrients. Hippocrates, who is known as the Father of Modern Medicine said, “Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine, thy food;” which is still the best health practice. His finding, among many others, was that feeding his patients liver which is packed with vitamin A, was a cure for night blindness. We now recognize vitamin A as necessary for night vision.

The Renaissance period spawned the growth of oceanic travel which led also to the rise in scurvy cases. Scurvy is a disease defined by the lack of collagen formation which prevents wounds from healing, bleeding from the gums, extreme fatigue, and severe joint and muscle pain. James Lind, a Scottish surgeon, found that citrus fruits prevented the onset of this terrible ailment. The ultimate finding was that scurvy was brought on by a vitamin C deficiency. Throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s, scientists were able to identify necessary components of the diet through deprivation studies. However, it was not until 1912 that the word “vitamine” was pronounced as a vitally necessary component to the human body and its functionality. Later, in 1920, the word was changed to vitamin.

Since then, vitamins have been classified into two groups: fat soluble and water soluble. Four of the thirteen human vitamins are fat soluble: A, D, E, and K. The eight B vitamins and vitamin C are water soluble. Water soluble vitamins are dissolvable in water and thus are eliminated through urination. Because of this, the water-soluble vitamins must be replenished on a daily basis.

Both groups of vitamins are absorbed through the intestinal tract with the aid of lipids, or fats. However, fat soluble vitamins are stored in the body’s fat for long periods of time and do not need to be replaced as frequently as the water-soluble vitamins. Replacing these vitamins too frequently leaves to a higher danger of toxicity (known as hypervitaminosis).

From the moment of conception, the human body develops through the use of vitamins and minerals. The nutrients play an integral role in the chemical reactions that are responsible for the creation of the body’s many intricate systems. When even one vitamin or mineral is lacking in an appropriate amount, the development can be seriously impaired. In order for the body to be properly maintained, these same nutrients must be available for use. They are necessary for everything from tissue repair to the support of chemical reactions that keep the body operational.

Minerals are the second of these two vital components. Unlike vitamins, which are carbon compounds, or derived from living matter, minerals are inorganic and make up about 4% of our body mass. There are two types of minerals: major or (macro) minerals, and trace minerals. Trace minerals are iron, zinc, copper, selenium, iodine, cobolt, fluorine, manganese, molybdenum, and chromium. The body requires less than 100 milligrams of trace minerals per day for optimum upkeep. The major, or macrominerals, are sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, sulfur (provided through adequate protein intake) and chlorine (amply provided through sodium). These minerals are needed by the body in quantities higher than 100 milligrams daily. Minerals serve three principle roles in the body. They provide structure in forming bones and teeth. Minerals maintain normal heart rhythm, muscle contractility, neural conductivity, and acid-based balance. Also in their realm is the regulation of cellular metabolism. Just like vitamins, minerals are obtained through our diet.

Vitamins and minerals interact with each other to produce the necessary effects in the body. For example, a combination of vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, fluoride, chloride, manganese, copper, and sulfur is necessary to keep bones healthy. And calcium, for instance, depends on the presence of certain vitamins such as vitamin D for its proper absorption. Because vitamins and minerals depend on the presence of one another to function optimally in the body , it is not enough to ensure that your body is just obtaining enough of one or the other; maintaining a proper balance of both is vital to optimum health.

“Health reformers, above all others, should be careful to shun extremes. The body must have sufficient nourishment. We cannot subsist upon air merely; neither can we retain health unless we have nourishing food.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 207.

“A diet lacking in the proper elements of nutrition brings reproach upon the cause of health reform. We are mortal and must supply ourselves with food that will give proper nourishment to the body.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 161.

1 Vitamins: Their role in the Human Body, by George F. M. Ball.

Restoring the Temple – Fruits, Cereals, Vegetables

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The Lord intends to bring His people back to live upon simple fruits, vegetables, and grains.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 322.

“The Lord desires those living in countries where fresh fruit can be obtained during a large part of the year, to awake to the blessing they have in this fruit. The more we depend upon the fresh fruit just as it is plucked from the tree, the greater will be the blessing.

“It would be well for us to do less cooking and to eat more fruit in its natural state. . . . Eat freely of the fresh grapes, apples, peaches, pears, berries, and all other kinds of fruit that can be obtained.” Ibid., 309.

An Adequate Diet

“Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables constitute the diet chosen for us by our Creator. These foods prepared in as simple and natural a manner as possible, are the most healthful and nourishing. They impart a strength, a power of endurance, and a vigor of intellect, that are not afforded by a more complex and stimulating diet.” Ibid., 310.

“Those who eat flesh are but eating grains and vegetables at second hand; for the animal receives from these things the nutrition that produces growth. The life that was in the grains and vegetables passes into the eater. We receive it by eating the flesh of the animal. How much better to get it direct, by eating the food that God provided for our use!” Ibid., 313.

“It is a mistake to suppose that muscular strength depends on the use of animal food. The needs of the system can be better supplied, and more vigorous health can be enjoyed, without its use. The grains, with fruits, nuts, and vegetables, contain all the nutritive properties necessary to make good blood.” Ibid.

“We are built up from that which we eat. Shall we strengthen the animal passions by eating animal food? In the place of educating the taste to love this gross diet, it is high time that we were educating ourselves to subsist upon fruits, grains, and vegetables. . . . A variety of simple dishes, perfectly healthful and nourishing, may be provided, aside from meat. Hearty men must have plenty of vegetables, fruits, and grains.” Ibid., 322.

Temporary Fruit Diet

“Intemperate eating is often the cause of sickness, and what nature most needs is to be relieved of the undue burden that has been placed upon her. In many cases of sickness, the very best remedy is for the patient to fast for a meal or two, that the overworked organs of digestion may have an opportunity to rest. A fruit diet for a few days has often brought great relief to brain workers. Many times a short period of entire abstinence from food, followed by simple, moderate eating, has led to recovery through nature’s own recuperative effort. An abstemious diet for a month or two would convince many sufferers that the path of self-denial is the path to health.” Ibid., 310.

Abundantly Supplied

“Nature’s abundant supply of fruits, nuts, and grains is ample, and year by year the products of all lands are more generally distributed to all, by the increased facilities for transportation. As a result, many articles of food which a few years ago were regarded as expensive luxuries, are now within the reach of all as foods for everyday use.

“If we plan wisely, that which is most conducive to health can be secured in almost every land. The various preparations of rice, wheat, corn, and oats are sent abroad everywhere, also beans, peas, and lentils. These, with native or imported fruits, and the variety of vegetables that grow in each locality, give an opportunity to select a dietary that is complete without the use of flesh meats.” Ibid., 313, 314.

Cereals

“Grains used for porridge or ‘mush’ should have several hours’ cooking. But soft or liquid foods are less wholesome than dry foods, which require thorough mastication.

“Some honestly think that a proper dietary consists chiefly of porridge. To eat largely of porridge would not ensure health to the digestive organs; for it is too much like liquid. Encourage the eating of fruit and vegetables and bread.” Ibid., 314, 315.

The Staff of Life

“Bread should be thoroughly baked, inside and out. The health of the stomach demands that it be light and dry. Bread is the real staff of life, and therefore every cook should excel in making it.

“Some do not feel it is a religious duty to prepare food properly; hence they do not try to learn how. They let the bread sour before baking, and the saleratus added to remedy the cook’s carelessness makes it totally unfit for the human stomach. It requires thought and care to make good bread. But there is more religion in a good loaf of bread than many think.” Ibid., 315, 316.

“Bread should be light and sweet. Not the least taint of sourness should be tolerated. The loaves should be small, and so thoroughly baked that, as far as possible, the yeast germs shall be destroyed. When hot, or new, raised bread of any kind is difficult of digestion. It should never appear on the table. This rule does not, however, apply to unleavened bread. Fresh rolls made of wheaten meal, without yeast or leaven, and baked in a well-heated oven, are both wholesome and palatable. . . .

Zwieback

“Zwieback, or twice-baked bread, is one of the most easily digested and most palatable of foods. Let ordinary raised bread be cut in slices and dried in a warm oven till the last trace of moisture disappears. Then let it be browned slightly all the way through. In a dry place this bread can be kept much longer than ordinary bread, and if reheated before using, it will be as fresh as when new.

“Bread which is two or three days old is more healthful than new bread. Bread dried in the oven is one of the most wholesome articles of diet.” Ibid., 316, 317.

Dangers of Sour Bread

“The stomach has not power to convert poor, heavy, sour bread into good food; but this poor bread will convert a healthy stomach into a diseased one. Those who eat such food know that they are failing in strength. Is there not a cause? Some of these persons call themselves health reformers, but they are not. They do not know how to cook. They prepare cakes, potatoes, and graham bread, but there is the same round, with scarcely a variation, and the system is not strengthened. They seem to think the time wasted which is devoted to obtaining a thorough experience in the preparation of healthful, palatable food. . . .

“Many have been brought to their death by eating heavy, sour bread. An instance was related to me of a hired girl who made a batch of sour, heavy bread. In order to get rid of it and conceal the matter, she threw it to a couple of very large hogs. Next morning the man of the house found his swine dead, and upon examining the trough, found pieces of this heavy bread. He made inquiries, and the girl acknowledged what she had done. She had not a thought of the effect of such bread upon the swine. If heavy, sour bread will kill swine, which can devour rattlesnakes, and almost every detestable thing, what effect will it have upon that tender organ, the human stomach?” Ibid., 317, 318.

“We have been going back to Egypt rather than on to Canaan. Shall we not reverse the order of things? Shall we not have plain, wholesome food on our tables?” Ibid., 319.

Ellen G. White (1827–1915) wrote more than 5,000 periodical articles and 40 books during her lifetime. Today, including compilations from her 50,000 pages of manuscript, more than 100 titles are available in English. She is the most translated woman writer in the entire history of literature, and the most translated American author of either gender.

Restoring the Temple: Healthful Cookery, Part II

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The serving of a great variety of dishes absorbs time, money, and taxing labor, without accomplishing any good. It may be fashionable to have half a dozen courses at a meal, but the custom is ruinous to health. It is a fashion that sensible men and women should condemn, by both precept and example.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 258.

Choice and Preparation of Foods

“It is important that the food should be prepared with care, that the appetite, when not perverted, can relish it. Because we from principle discard the use of meat, butter, mince pies, spices, lard, and that which irritates the stomach and destroys health, the idea should never be given that it is of but little consequence what we eat.

“It is wrong to eat merely to gratify the appetite, but no indifference should be manifested regarding the quality of the food, or the manner of its preparation. If the food eaten is not relished, the body will not be so well nourished. The food should be carefully chosen and prepared with intelligence and skill.” Ibid., 259.

Study and Practice

“Many do not feel that this [cooking] is a matter of duty, hence they do not try to prepare food properly. This can be done in a simple, healthful, and easy manner, without the use of lard, butter, or flesh meats. Skill must be united with simplicity. To do this, women must read, and then patiently reduce what they read to practice. Many are suffering because they will not take the trouble to do this. I say to such, It is time for you to rouse your dormant energies and read up. Learn how to cook with simplicity, and yet in a manner to secure the most palatable and healthful food. . . .

“It is a religious duty for those who cook to learn how to prepare healthful food in different ways, so that it may be eaten with enjoyment. Mothers should teach their children how to cook. What branch of the education of a young lady can be so important as this? The eating has to do with the life. Scanty, impoverished, ill-cooked food is constantly depraving the blood, by weakening the blood-making organs. It is highly essential that the art of cookery be considered one of the most important branches of education. There are but few good cooks. Young ladies consider that it is stooping to a menial office to become a cook. This is not the case. They do not view the subject from a right stand-point. Knowledge of how to prepare food healthfully, especially bread, is no mean science. . . .” Ibid., 260.

Encourage the Learners

“Mothers should take their daughters into the kitchen with them when very young, and teach them the art of cooking. The mother cannot expect her daughters to understand the mysteries of housekeeping without education. She should instruct them patiently, lovingly, and make the work as agreeable as she can by her cheerful countenance and encouraging words of approval. If they fail once, twice, or thrice, censure not. Already discouragement is doing its work, and tempting them to say, ‘It is of no use; I can’t do it.’ This is not the time for censure. The will is becoming weakened. It needs the spur of encouraging, cheerful, hopeful words, as, ‘Never mind the mistakes you have made. You are but a learner, and must expect to make blunders. Try again. Put your mind on what you are doing. Be very careful, and you will certainly succeed.’

“Many mothers do not realize the importance of this branch of knowledge, and rather than have the trouble and care of instructing their children and bearing with their failings and errors while learning, they prefer to do all themselves. And when their daughters make a failure in their efforts, they send them away with, ‘It is no use, you can’t do this or that. You perplex and trouble me more than you help me.’

“Thus the first efforts of the learners are repulsed, and the first failure so cools their interest and ardor to learn that they dread another trial, and will propose to sew, knit, clean house, anything but cook. Here the mother was greatly at fault. She should have patiently instructed them, that they might, by practice, obtain an experience which would remove the awkwardness and remedy the unskillful movements of the inexperienced worker.” Ibid., 262, 263.

Like the Manna

“Animals are becoming more and more diseased, and it will not be long until animal food will be discarded by many besides Seventh-day Adventists. Foods that are healthful and life sustaining are to be prepared, so that men and women will not need to eat meat.

“The Lord will teach many in all parts of the world to combine fruits, grains, and vegetables into foods that will sustain life and will not bring disease. Those who have never seen the recipes for making the health foods now on the market, will work intelligently, experimenting with the food productions of the earth, and will be given light regarding the use of these productions. The Lord will show them what to do.

“He who gives skill and understanding to His people in one part of the world will give skill and understanding to His people in other parts of the world. It is His design that the food treasures of each country shall be so prepared that they can be used in the countries for which they are suited. As God gave manna from heaven to sustain the children of Israel, so He will now give His people in different places skill and wisdom to use the productions of these countries in preparing foods to take the place of meat. . . .

Knowledge Divinely Imparted

“The Lord would have a knowledge of diet reform imparted to the people of God. It is an essential part of the education to be given in our schools. As the truth is presented in new places, lessons should be given in hygienic cookery. Teach the people how they may live without the use of flesh meats. Teach them the simplicity of living.

“The Lord has been working, and is still working, to lead men to prepare from fruits and grains, foods more simple and less expensive than many of those that can now be obtained. Many cannot obtain these expensive food preparations, yet they need not necessarily live upon an impoverished diet. The same God who fed the thousands in the wilderness with bread from heaven will give to His people today a knowledge of how to provide food in a simple manner.” Ibid., 267, 268.

Simple, Easily Prepared, Healthful

“God is working in behalf of His people. He does not desire them to be without resources. He is bringing them back to the diet originally given to man. Their diet is to consist of the foods made from the materials He has provided. The materials principally used in these foods will be fruits and grains and nuts, but various roots will also be used.” Ibid., 270, 271.

“Wherever the truth is proclaimed, instruction should be given in the preparation of healthful foods. God desires that in every place the people should be taught to use wisely the products that can be easily obtained. Skillful teachers should show the people how to utilize to the very best advantage the products that they can raise or secure in their section of the country. Thus the poor, as well as those in better circumstances, can learn to live healthfully.” Ibid., 273.