Health

Health – Pain, Agony and Death for Moments of Beauty?

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How many people have damaged their bodies and their health so others would consider them to have beauty in one way or another? Many women have dyed, plucked or shaved the hair of their head, squeezed their feet into uncomfortable high heels or even surgically enhanced parts of their anatomy for moments of beauty.

The temporary fashion of five-inch pumps has returned and many women are not considering the long-term health risks, as long as it makes the wearer beautiful in the eye of the beholder. Wearing high heels can strain the knees, push the hips and spine out of alignment, shorten calf muscles, lead to joint pain and hammertoes, etc. But, in the name of beauty, many choose to endanger health for a moment’s gratification because somebody is looking. Would you still wear them if you knew the harm they may cause to the body temple that God has given to you?

Until the early 20th century, millions of Chinese women bound their feet to prevent them from growing longer than three and one-half inches. Many of these women paid the ultimate price for what was considered beauty and their feet were disfigured to guarantee their own future for an upper class marriage, etc., but the price was high and they suffered terribly with many unable to walk without agonizing pain.

The ancient practice of foot binding began in the Sung dynasty (960-976 B.C.), reportedly to imitate an imperial concubine who was required to dance with her feet bound. By the 12th century, the practice was widespread and more severe—girls’ feet were bound so tightly and early in life that they were unable to dance and had difficulty walking.

Young bones are soft and break easily and by the time a girl had turned three years old, all of her toes except the first were broken, and her feet were bound tightly with cloth strips to keep her feet from growing larger than about 3.9 inches. The practice caused the soles of the feet to bend in extreme concavity.

Many women today are not only disfiguring their feet, but also their whole bodies, inside and out, and are suffering terribly as a result of their desire to be noticed and considered beautiful.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made, unique and precious in God’s eyes. Oh, if only we could be contented and happy the way God has made each one of us, there would not be so much pain just to be noticed.

Dr. John H. Kellogg said, “We should not wear our clothing so tight as to press hard upon any part of the body. It will cause the muscles of that part of the body to become weak.

“If the clothing is worn tight about the waist, the lungs cannot expand properly, the stomach and liver are pressed out of shape and the internal organs are crowded out of their proper places.

“People are often made crippled from wearing tight shoes. Their muscles cannot act properly and their feet grow out of shape.

“In China, it was fashionable for rich ladies to have small feet, they tied them up in cloths so that they could not grow. The foot was squeezed out of shape. A woman who had such feet found it so difficult to walk that she had to be carried about much of the time. Do you not think it is very wrong and foolish to treat the feet so badly?” First Book in Physiology and Hygiene, 110, 111.

We have been warned about the dangers to our bodies when wearing clothing too tightly.

Women need to watch those undergarments. When you remove any of your undergarments and the skin around the area is itching, that is a good sign that they are too tight and that makes you a good candidate for breast cancer, etc. Many women are being stricken with breast cancer and other female problems because of the binding. That binding causes lack of blood circulation and affects the lymphatic system.

Some lymphatic diseases range from mild congestion to malignant lymphoma. The most common disorder is lymphatic insufficiency, or lymph edema, which is a swelling that occurs when damaged lymph vessels can’t drain fluid. The lymphatic system is important because it picks up fluid that is lost from the circulatory system and returns it. It is the first line of defense against disease and infection. Wearing tight clothing blocks this most important system of the body and can cause disease in many women.

“Woman’s dress should be arranged so loosely upon the person, about the waist, that she can breathe without the least obstruction. Her arms should be left perfectly free, that she may raise them above her head with ease. … The compression of the waist by tight lacing prevents the waste matter from being thrown off through its natural channels. The most important of these is the lungs. … If the lungs are cramped, they cannot develop; but their capacity will be diminished, making it impossible to take a sufficient inspiration of air. … The compression of the waist weakens the muscles of the respiratory organs. It hinders the process of digestion. The heart, liver, lungs, spleen, and stomach are crowded into a small compass, not allowing room for the healthful action of these organs.” Healthful Living, 122.

Some men seem to think that this does not apply to them and they can wear tight clothing with no injury. That thinking is all wrong, especially when you read the following: “Our Creator made no mistake in fashioning the human body. He gave appropriate space for the free action of every organ, and formed us in such a way that every muscle could come into play without trespassing upon the function of any other muscle.” Ibid.

Men and women have bodies that are fearfully and wonderfully made and need proper care to continue in good health. The health risks are growing for men and women who wear their clothing too tight. Many times clothing is bought too tight and people squeeze into them regardless of the pain it causes while wearing them. Men and women love to follow the fashion world rather than preserve health.

There have been some medical studies done on tight fitting clothing and its effects on women’s health. It was found that the body can develop a nerve condition called paresthesia, which is similar to carpal tunnel syndrome. This condition causes a burning sensation under the hip bone and can cause numbness and tingling in the legs.

Just as the Chinese women went through much suffering to be accepted, many people are following in their ways, only through other health damaging practices.

Apart from not looking good or healthful, too tight clothing puts the person who wears them at the risk of damaging his/her health. Some of the health problems resulting from wearing clothes that are too tight are:

Tingling Thigh Syndrome: Individuals who wear their jeans too tight can experience nerve problems called meralgia paresthetica in which the thigh tingles with no explanation.

Back Pain: When pants are too tight, and are low riding, it can cause nerve compression in the back (similar to the thigh problem above) and numbness and tingling in the legs and possible stress on the back.

Acid Reflux/Heartburn: Tight pressure against the stomach can increase abdominal pressure, causing acid to go back into the esophagus, resulting in heartburn and acid reflux. A burning sensation in the stomach, chest and throat and a bitter, acidic taste in the mouth may be experienced.

Abdominal Pain/Constipation: The digestive process can be slowed down by being bound tightly around the waist.

“The compression of the waist hinders the process of digestion. The heart, liver, lungs, spleen, and stomach are crowded into a small compass, not allowing room for the healthful action of these organs.” Healthful Living, 168.

“The compression of the waist by tight lacing prevents the waste matter from being thrown off through its natural channels. The most important of these is the lungs. In order for the lungs to do the work designed, they must be left free, without the slightest compression. If the lungs are cramped, they cannot develop; but their capacity will be diminished, making it impossible to take a sufficient inspiration of air. The abdominal muscles were designed to aid the lungs in their action. Where there is no compression of the lungs, the motion in full breathing will be observed to be mostly of the abdomen. … When tight lacing is practiced, the lower part of the chest has not sufficient room for action. The breathing, therefore, is confined to the upper portion of the lungs, where there is not sufficient room to carry on the work. But the lower part of the lungs should have the greatest freedom possible. The compression of the waist will not allow free action of the muscles of the respiratory organs.” Ibid, 171.

Headaches/Blurred Vision: Wearing button down shirts that are too tight in the collar or ties that are tied too tightly can decrease proper circulation to the brain and head.

Observe yourself as you dress. Take note if you are binding yourself so tight that it may cause itching now, but may turn into major health issues later on.

It would be advisable to prevent the pain and suffering and wear clothing that is well-fitting and comfortable, considering the internal organs that need space to work efficiently. Dressing properly provides protection and development of every part of the body.

“Many have become lifelong invalids through their compliance with the demands of fashion. Displacements and deformities, cancers and other terrible diseases, are among the evils resulting from fashionable dress.” Ibid., 123.

Our wise creator God has given much instruction on how to take care of this most wonderful piece of machinery—the human body. It would be well for each of us to heed that advice and live in good health. Is it really worth causing damage to your body just for a passing glance of approbation from another human being?

Health – Onions

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Onions are so widely known that they need no description. The long tubular leaves are characteristic of the entire Lily family.

Dr. John R. Christopher, the acclaimed naturopath, recommended the use of onions as an alternative to garlic when it was not available. Onions work in much the same way, but weaker in action. Suffering with a bad cough due to inhaling dust particles from the hardwood that blew up into his face from the sander he was using, a friend prepared Dr. Christopher a bowl of onion syrup. After just one spoonful of onion syrup, he experienced the first relief he had had in a long time.

Recipe for Onion Syrup

  • Dice any amount of onions
  • Place in stainless steel or glass pan (do notuse aluminum)
  • Pour liquid honey to about one-half inch above top of onions
  • Simmer on low heart, preferably less than 130 degrees, for several hours
  • Strain and press out liquid and use it as a cough syrup

Add nothing else to the recipe. The honey extracts the onion power, which is the greatest antihistamine known. The syrup can be taken from a teaspoon each fifteen minutes or half hour, as needed. Hold the syrup in the mouth and let it trickle down the throat slowly. This syrup is excellent for coughs and colds, bronchitis, croup, whooping cough and is said to provide miraculous relief for the sufferer of asthma.

Onions can be used to relieve an earache, no matter how painful or swollen. Roast a whole onion and when it is cool enough to touch, but still warm (being careful because of the heat that is kept in the layers of the roasted onion), peel off the skin, cut it in half, and bind on the ear. Allow the patient to sleep this way. The onion will clear up the infection, alleviating the pain. The use of roasted onion to help clear ear infection, has also been corroborated by many herbalists. It is important, however, to be sure that the onion is completely roasted, as the acids in the raw bulb are too strong for the delicate ear.

During the plagues of the Middle Ages, it was believed that hanging a bunch of onions outside the door would absorb the infection, thus saving the occupants from disease. It is recorded that in England during one of their plagues, all but one family in a neighborhood were said to be infected. The doctors demanded to know this household’s secret, and they pointed to the bags of onions hanging above the room, which they claimed had absorbed the infection. Those contaminated onions were not to be eaten for fear of contracting the illness. Scientific studies have also proven that onions do kill germs. This being the case, the folk practices of hanging onions in a room to prevent germs may not be as farfetched as it first seems.

Onions are said to help bring up the most stubborn, thick phlegm. They clear the sinuses and promote free breathing. Homeopaths claim that by cutting a slice from a raw onion and immersing it quickly in a glass of hot water for no longer than a second or so and taking little sips of the water throughout the day will soon stop a profusely running nose, relieving cold symptoms. Another method to relieve a common cold is to place half of a cut onion on the bedside table, enabling the patient to enhale the fumes while sleeping. An onion poultice bandaged around the neck is also said to work.

Modern science has not neglected the study of Allium (onion bulbs) for the treatment of these problems. Scientists say that eating goodly amounts of garlic and onions can really stimulate the bile production, lower the blood sugar and blood lipids, reduce hypertension, accelerate wound healing and cure the common cold. Recent controlled studies in human beings showed that those persons on a garlic and onion-free diet had significantly higher serum triglycerides and beta lipo-proteins than those eating an adequate portion per week. The isolation of a potent prostaglandin from onion supports the speculation that it possesses considerable potential value as a therapeutic agent.

Researchers compared the blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in three groups of people: one group that regularly ate onions in liberal amounts, another that ate onions in small amounts, and a third that totally abstained from eating onions. The results indicated that routine onion consumption has a beneficial effect on maintaining blood fats at low or normal levels.

Results showed that onions and garlic contain chemically similar compounds. These compounds inhibit platelet aggregation by blocking the synthesis of a powerful clumping agent called thromboxane. In that study, platelet-rich plasma was prepared from the whole blood of healthy volunteers who had not taken aspirin or other drugs known to affect clotting. Results showed that the purified extracts of onion and garlic almost completely suppressed the synthesis of thromboxane. That is important, because when heart attacks occur, blood flowing to the heart may be cut off by tiny blood clots called thrombi.

Onions are said to keep blood sugar in check. When twenty diabetics ate the equivalent of one-third cup of raw, chopped onions daily for a week, their blood sugar levels were reduced to a statistically significant extent. Onions also contain a natural enzyme inhibitor that apparently slows down the growth of cancer cells.

For athlete’s foot, rub onion juice between the toes two or three times a day until the condition clears. Warts have been said to disappear when treated perseveringly with raw onion dipped in salt.

In China, the onion makes up a large portion of the diet, being eaten with rice, millet or bread, together with succulent and green vegetables. It is used to treat high blood pressure and circulatory problems.

During the First World War, researchers published papers on onions and the effects on specific diseases and found that the essential oils of the onion and garlic kill bacteria. They call this element phytoncide. The antiseptic properties lie in the smell, for when the onion is peeled and cut and the odor evaporates, so do the phytoncides. Soviet scientists ground onions and garlic into pulp, put them into open tubes and applied the ends to wounds and septic sores that refused to heal. Though none of this pulp was in contact with the wounds, this vapor treatment healed them after two or three applications of from two to ten minutes.

Onions are said to contain a therapeutic chemical, allyl aldehyde, which kills bacteria and fungi as well as worms.

Onion packs are applied to swellings in the lymphatic system to reduce infection and hasten cleansing.

Indians used the wild onion as an insect repellent by rubbing the whole plant on the skin.

God has provided much through the miracle of the little onion. Do not be afraid of those tears that often come while peeling and chopping onions. They actually have a beneficial effect by cleansing the eyes. The sinuses will also be cleansed and healed by inhaling deeply while peeling and chopping.

Bring onions back into your diet and enjoy the healing benefits of this versatile vegetable!

Excerpts from The school of Natural Healings 100 Herb Syllabus, Onion, Allium cepa.

Health – Slippery Elm

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Superior Demulcent

Dr. John R. Christopher, founder of The School of Natural Healing, classed Slippery Elm among the demulcent and emollient herbs, soothing substances with much mucilage that soothe tissues and help remove inflammation and mucous wherever they are used. Slippery Elm is particularly useful because its abundant mucilage soothes, disperses inflammation, draws out impurities, heals rapidly and greatly strengthens as it heals. It is especially good for irritated or inflamed surfaces. One of the foremost uses of the herb is for internal irritation, especially of the digestive tract.

Slippery Elm is usually retained and digested when no other food or liquid is tolerated. It normalizes bowel functions very quickly, either stopping diarrhea or helping bring about a bowel movement. It is one of the mildest of laxatives and can be taken by anyone, children or pregnant women alike, as it is absolutely harmless. If the mucous membrane of the stomach or intestines is irritated, Slippery Elm will speedily restore it to its proper function.

Many preparations of Slippery Elm are sold on the market as bland and nutritious foods. In some cases, the powdered bark is added to a base of barley malt and pre-cooked wheat flour. The malted barley helps convert cereal starches into digestible carbohydrates.

Because coughs are often associated with digestive disruption, particularly of the eliminative tract, Slippery Elm is wonderful in the correcting of coughs. It soothes the mucous membranes directly. Many people make lozenges of the herb, mixing it with maple syrup or honey until a stiff paste forms, and then chilling it until quite firm and then cutting it into pieces. It is a harmless confection to give children and will help roll down the mucous out of the system as it soothes the cough. It also reduces the inflammation of the surfaces.

Slippery Elm has often been used for external problems. Mixed with an herb tea appropriate to an external problem, it provides an excellent herbal poultice bandage for external use, put onto a clean linen or cotton bandage and bound upon the place. Dr. Christopher said it is excellent when applied to sores, wounds, gangrene, burns, tumors and infected areas.

He also says that for abscesses and boils and gangrenous wounds, nothing can surpass it used either with a mixture of Wormwood or very fine charcoal. Slippery Elm bark will also preserve fatty substances from becoming rancid. If a hollow tooth aches and it is not possible to see a dentist, a pinch of slippery elm powder will ease the pain and arrest decay temporarily, although it is in no sense a drug.

The powdered bark is often recommended for so many problems that it is hard to enumerate them all. In addition to what has been mentioned, it has been used for croup, pneumonia, internal ulcers, skin eruptions of many kinds, poison ivy, and tumors.

The doctrine of signatures (a doctrine that states that, by observation, one can determine from the color of the flowers or roots, the shape of the leaves, the place of growing, or other signatures, what the plant’s purpose was in God’s plan) states that the mucilaginous nature of the bark makes it good to treat all catarrhal (inflammation of the mucous membranes, especially the respiratory tract) disturbances and irritations of the bronchial and alimentary systems. It is especially indicated in cough remedies to facilitate the removal of phlegm. It is good to facilitate any kind of removal from the system, as some doctors say that an expectant mother should drink about a half pint of the tea in the last couple of months to facilitate the easy removal of the baby from her body.

Historical Uses

This herb has been used for bedsores, dehydration and malnutrition, vaginal problems, rectal problems, wounds, burns, gangrene, fevers, diarrhea, inflamed eyes, ulcers, swelling, consumption, rheumatism, dysentery, toothache, boils and carbuncles, sore throat, bleeding of lungs, chapped hands and face, nourishment for the sickly, poison ivy, broken bones, appendicitis, whooping cough, leprosy, suppressed urine, dropsy, hard tumors, bladder inflammation, to procure easy labor, to accelerate healing, as a laxative, to neutralize stomach acid, to absorb foul gases, for coughs, chest troubles, tuberculosis, the great white plague, dyspnea, urinary tract problems, hemorrhoids, baldness, sciatica, as a lubricant in labor, to provoke abortion, purulent opthalmia, chilblains, croup, pneumonia, calculi, burning urine, all catarrhal disturbances, bronchitis, and to remove phlegm.

Recipes

Slippery Elm Delight can be made by mixing a handful of agar-agar in about 3 cups of water, heating until melted. Add 2 tablespoons of Slippery Elm powder, 4 tablespoons of Chia seeds, 4 tablespoons of flax seeds, 1 mashed ripe banana, a handful of raisins, cinnamon (or substitute) and carob powder (to taste). Mix together well and let gel into a pudding in the refrigerator. This should tone up sluggish intestines.

In Ten Talents, (Rosalie Hurd, B.S., Frank J. Hurd, D.C., M.D., College Press, Collegedale, Tennessee, 2008), a superior vegan cookbook, it is suggested that Slippery Elm be added to ice cream recipes for smoothness and creaminess. Here is one of the excellent recipes:

In a blender, blend till smooth:

1 cup cashews

3 cups water

1 tsp. Slippery Elm powder

½ cup raw honey

1–2 Tbsp. soy milk powder

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

When smooth, add slowly 1/3 cup coconut or soy oil. Blend well and freeze. Whip again and return to freezer. Serve before it gets too hard. Carob powder or fresh fruit may be added.

You can make a healthy confection that is also good for the bowels by grinding dried fruits and nuts together, sweetening with honey and adding Slippery Elm to help bind it. Roll into balls and coat with equal amounts of carob powder and Slippery Elm mixture. Refrigerate if desired. This is delicious and a great substitute for other candies.

The inner bark, which has had the outer bark carefully scraped off, is the part commonly used. Most people do not grow Slippery Elm for their home use, as the ten-year-old trees are considered minimally mature for use. Elm trees do not flourish everywhere and grow only in certain parts of the United States of America. Large quantities of the bark are collected in spring from the bole and larger branches of trees, especially in the lower part of the state of Michigan, and are then dried. As the wood has no commercial value, the tree is fully stripped, consequently killing the whole tree. This is considered a shame, and it is wondered whether wild collectors might take less of each tree (usually the large roots can be collected) and preserve the tree above, as a small amount taken from each tree might not kill the entire specimen. The bark is allowed to air dry before packaging. Slippery Elm is very inexpensive and retains its quality well in storage.

Chemical Compositions

The principal constituent of the bark is the mucilage which is very similar to that found in flaxseed. Starch, calcium oxalate and acid sodium phosphate are also present.

Excerpts of this article are from www.schoolofnaturalhealing.com, October 2010.

Diet, As It Was In The Days Of Noah

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Disease is everywhere. America is filled with chronic invalids. Disease has caused the health-care cost in America to sky-rocket. Look at the mess we are in! Obesity affects 34 million Americans and puts them at serious medical risk. It increases the chances for heart-disease, cancer of all kinds, diabetes, arthritis, and gall-bladder disease. A recent survey found that 40 to 50 percent of Americans between 35 and 59 years old were ” diet -ing.”

Then you have the problem of diabetes. There are an estimated 30 million diabetics in the world, and one-half of them are right here within the United States of America. This disease and its complications are responsible for 300,000 deaths a year. This disease is virtually non-existent in eighty percent of the world’s population because they cannot afford it! They cannot afford the steaks, the hamburgers; they cannot afford the hot dogs; they cannot afford the milk-shakes and the ice cream and all the fries and the pie.

Then we have a disease called hypertension or high blood-pressure that affects 35 million Americans within this country and another 25 million which are border-line hypertensive. Hypertension is the most important contributing factor in the 500,000 stroke cases reported each year.

Second only to cardiovascular disease, as the leading cause of death in the United States, is cancer. It accounts for twenty-three percent of all deaths with 514,000 fatalities each year. The latest survey just came out from the American Cancer Society showing how many new cases of cancer were seen each year. Do you know who leads the record across the nation? California! We can expect one in three to die with cancer within that state according to the records of 1994. It says that by the year 2000 one-third of all deaths in America will be caused by cancer.

And when there are no more answers or explanations for all the auto-immune diseases that are plaguing our country today, the specialists assign the name, syndrome, which actually means, we don’t know what is wrong. So we see Americans suffering from chronic-fatigue syndrome, irritable-bowl syndrome, sudden infant-death syndrome, and attention-deficit disorders.

Why all the disease? In July, 1988, a 712 page report was published by the Surgeon General of the United States of America, C. Everett Coop. The information that came out in this article dealt with diet and disease. The main conclusion was that Americans consume an excessive amount of food—specifically a diet that is too high in fat, calories, sugar, salt, and alcohol, and too low in fiber rich foods. His solution was to eat a high fiber starch-based diet filled with fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.

Today Americans are eating food that is filled with fat, filled with protein, filled with environmental contaminants, and this is responsible for many of the diseases and the deaths we see in the United States today. It is true, fatty foods are killing us! It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out the cause of the problem. How about one scripture?

“For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.” Matthew 24:38.

In verse 37 we read, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Do you believe Jesus Christ is coming soon? I do. Since He is coming soon, the prophecies of Christ should be real. And Christ said, if you would study your Bible, you would know what is happening in this world.

In Luke 21:31 it says Jesus says: “So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.” In other words, there are going to be certain signs within the world that will let you know He is ready to come.

And then He says, “Verily, I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.” Verse 32. And in verse 34 He tells us, “Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged [or filled up] with surfeiting, and drunkeness, and the cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” Surfeiting and drunkeness were the words that Christ used. What is surfeiting? It’s an overabundance of food; drunkenness is an overabundance of drink. He is trying to tell us is that in the days just prior to His coming, the world is going to be eating too much, drinking too much, and being too concerned about themselves.

Phillipians 3:19 says: “Whose God is their belly.” They are so concerned about their own desires that they are not going to be ready for His coming!

The problem Jesus was addressing was over-indulgence. Appetite was gaining the mastery over the people. He warns us, “For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” Luke 21:35. There is going to be a snare, and that snare is your appetite. Nobody escapes the temptation on appetite.

Christ urges us, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” According to the Word of God, there is going to be over-eating and over-drinking, and today we see obesity, heart disease, hypertension, cancer, and people dying from over-indulgence of appetite. Do these things have something to do with being prepared for the coming of Christ? What does He mean, “Stand before the Son of man?” Does my appetite have anything to do with that?

In Isaiah 22:12 we read: “And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth.” It was a time of afflicting their souls.

The Lord is calling His people right now to look at themselves. But notice what the state of the world is according to the prophecy of Isaiah. “And behold joy and gladness—” everything’s fine! —”slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die.” Verse 13. Leave me alone, man! I’m going to eat, I’m going to die someday, and I want to enjoy my life until I go. He is saying, The people should be preparing for My coming to stand in front of Me when I come. But yet they are eating flesh, drinking. It’s a party! We are eating like kings and queens everyday. We are slaves to our appetites.

Do you spend as much time studying your Bible as you do looking in the refrigerator? What is more important today? The Bible is! When is the last time you opened it?

I have not eaten meat in ten years, and the reason I don’t is because when my wife gave birth to our little baby girl, I began to do my home work—I began to study like never before. As I researched and looked for the best diet that I could possibly give to my child, I prayed and said, Lord, what is the best for my little girl? And He said, How about if I give it to you in one scripture? “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” Genesis 1:29. You mean to tell me that I need to become a vegetarian?

In Numbers 11 we find that God has led the children of Israel out of Egypt and He is trying to lead them into the promised land. It says in Numbers 11:1 that they complained and it displeased the Lord. In verse 4 it says that they “fell a-lusting.” The children of Israel were wandering in the desert for forty years and were complaining and lusting. What are they lusting for? Flesh! And what are they murmuring to God about? What didn’t they like? They did not like the manna, they did not like the diet that God had provided for His people.

It is interesting that as they ate manna-pizzas and the manna-cotti and manna-sandwiches and all these foods God made them—I do not read where they were sick! God was trying to march them into the promised land on a vegetarian diet—a very simple diet. But they complained. The Bible says that they lusted. They said, “But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” Numbers 11:6.

Exodus 16:31 says, “And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was coriander seed, white; and the taste thereof was like wafers made with honey.” So God provided the diet that was best for His people and out of His goodness and His care for them, said, Do not eat of the flesh-pots of Egypt, they are not good for you.

Again in Numbers 11 we find that Moses is very upset. He asks, how can I handle all these people myself? I am trying to lead them into the promised land and they want to eat the diet of Egypt. Is God trying to lead us into the heavenly land today and we are eating the diet of America? “And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow, and you shall eat flesh . . . Therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; but even a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils.” Verses 18–20. In other words, He knew that they were going to sit there and scarf the stuff up.

“And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought forth quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp . . . And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague” Verses 31–33.

The food they lusted for proved to be a curse. The story goes on in Psalms 78:26–29: “He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by His power He brought in the south wind. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea. And He let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. So they did eat, and were filled: for He gave them their own desire.”

God does not put a chain around your refrigerator; He does not put your tires flat when you want to go to McDonalds and get yourself a couple Big Macs—God does not do that. He lets you have your own desire, because He is a God of love and respects your choices.

But it says here, “They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, the wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.” Verses 30, 31. Isn’t it interesting that the Lord uses the words “fattest of them?” Perhaps He is saying, The one who had the greatest appetite, who was more of the glutton, the one that just ate, ate, ate, and ate—was the one that was smitten.

There is a point here. The scenario of what is going on is that God is trying to lead us into the Promised Land and we are murmuring for the diet of Egypt—for flesh. Yet God knows that the diet of Egypt, as with the standard American diet, is not the best for His people as He leads them into the Better Land.

Does your diet have anything to do with your state of mind? The children of Israel were lusting after the flesh. In other words, the flesh was controlling their reasoning to the extent that they would not follow God’s way. The Bible says, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Galatians 5:17. Have you ever had that problem? Knowing what is right, yet your body and flesh is pulling you in another direction and you cannot do what is right?

The apostle Paul knew this very well. He says in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself might be a cast-away.” In others words, I do not want my flesh pulling me in a way that is contrary to the Word of God. I want my reason sanctified by His divine will. That is what a Christian is.

“As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be . . . They were eating and drinking.” Matthew 24:37, 38. It is not only that the time is short for us, but somebody else knows that the time is very, very short too. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Revelation 12:12. Christ is coming soon! And we do not have much time. Do you want to stand ready before God? Is your flesh controlling your mind? That is the big question: Is your flesh controlling your mind?

The devil is working in a thousand ways and in a thousand places. His efforts are ten-fold greater today, knowing that his time is short, to destroy as many people as he can. He is using our food supply, he is using the environment, he is using the water, he is using the chemicals you put under your arm, on your lips, and on your face. He is doing it through your clothing, he is doing it every way he can to kill you! He uses flesh foods, alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, drugs, sugar, whatever he can to stimulate your fleshly desires and to cloud your mind.

“As the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be . . . They were eating and drinking.” Matthew 24:37, 38. They are not prepared!

Paul gave us some of the most precious counsel in the Word of God with regards to this. He said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice.” Romans 12:1. We are to present a living sacrifice—not a sick and diseased one!

There are things that we can be doing as a people. Do not make manure hamburgers, because there is more bacteria in the meat than there is in the manure of some of these animals today. Put away the coffee, put away the cigarettes, put away the high-fat diet, put away all the candy with the sugar that is rotting your teeth. Put it away! The next time you find that you cannot put away what you know is harmful to your body, watch out, because your stomach is controlling your head.

What did Paul say when he finished? He said, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2. Do you think that the Israelites, wandering in the wilderness, feeding on the quail until it came out of their nostrils, were giving glory to God?

Were they doing it His way? No they were not!

What do you want to do? It is your choice to make that decision. Do you want to serve God?
Our diet is killing us. I want you to think about this—the battle between the Spirit and the flesh. They are opposed.

I want you to think about this scripture that you have probably never looked at in this way. “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” This is what it says about His diet. “Butter and honey shall He eat.” Very simple—remember, Daniel had pulse and water, just two items. John the Baptist had locust and honey, just two items. Jesus had a very temperate diet here, “butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.” Isaiah 7:14, 15. There it is! A very temperate, simple diet is necessary. A temperate life is necessary for us to make right moral decisions.

As I look at that statement in the Bible, I go back to Galatians 5:17. It says, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” But notice verse 16: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Isn’t that beautiful?

Does your diet affect your spiritual life? Does your diet affect your moral decisions? If I am not exercising and I am eating a high-fat diet, I am going to be sluggish and tired, my blood is not going to be circulating right, I am not going to get the oxygen to my mind. How can I make a proper moral decision?

Can diet affect your spirituality? “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.” Ephesians 3:16. Where is He dwelling? In my arm? He is dwelling within the inner man, within my mind! He’s going to put His character and His life within me. It says “That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that you ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Verses 17–20.

“And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30.

The End

Health – Watercress

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“The true method for healing the sick is to tell them of the herbs that grow for the benefit of man.”  Pamphlet 144, 13

Watercress is an herb that has long been prized by the Muslims in India. In relatively recent times it has been used in Europe and England, being greatly valued for its health giving properties, but in the United States it is quite underrated and rarely used.

As food, the herb reaches back into history. During the seventh century B.C., Spartan athletes, who were famous for their dedication to superb health and sports, relaxed each day after they had completed their exercises in the outdoor arenas, which were the very first gymnasiums. Their coaches gave them heavily buttered, open-faced yogurt sandwiches topped with a bunch of watercress to enable the athletes to remain in top condition. In the days of Marco Polo (1254–1324), when only the very wealthy could afford the new seasonings that he brought from China, the peasants, who were never ill, seasoned most of their food with the pungent watercress. In England today, watercress soup and sandwiches are considered important to good health.

In Mexico, the raw herb was crushed, added to water and then sweetened. It was steeped for a few hours, strained, and given, when thirsty, to people with weak lungs or tuberculosis.

Spanish speaking New Mexicans use it as a treatment for kidney and heart problems. Native Mexicans drink the crushed leaves with water for an inflamed liver, mouth or larynx. The cooked leaves are mashed with olive oil and bound as a poultice over any painful place. The fresh plant is used in the treatment of constipation.

Watercress, like other plants that have a pungent taste, is celebrated as a blood purifier and has been used in the springtime to eliminate the toxins accumulated during the winter. It increases the appetite, frees up the bowels, and causes a freer flow of urine. It is strongly alkaline and therefore treats acidity of the blood, relieving symptoms related to over acidity. It is said to help clear up acne, as it cleanses the blood and relieves arthritis and rheumatism. It is relatively high in vitamin C and was extensively used to prevent scurvy during the last century. If you do not have a source of vitamin C in your diet or vitamin pills, watercress could be a valuable supply.

Used with carrots and spinach, it is said to be very helpful in treating low blood pressure and anemia. It is used as a diuretic, causing an increased flow of urine, thus helping to cleanse the system. Watercress nourishes the pituitary gland and strengthens the heart. Because it is rich in iron and iodine, it stimulates glandular activity. Having high sulphur content, it is often prescribed for eczema, while its unusual vitamin A content makes it particularly good for night blindness.

With its high potency in vitamins and minerals, and cleansing effect on the system, it is a good disease preventative taken daily. One should “eat as much watercress as can be obtained, raw, in the daily salad. There is no better salad herb available to man. An old name for watercress was poor man’s bread. When wheat bread could not be afforded there was always watercress.” It contains three times the amount of vitamin E as lettuce and therefore has been considered good to improve stamina.

The herb can be grown in pots as long as the soil mixture is kept wet. Therefore, the pots must be set in a tray of water. You can also plant it outdoors, in a miniature sunken garden; for example, in pots placed in a sunken bird bath or some other container sunk in the ground (the water stays cooler that way). The water should be changed often. Plants can be obtained by rooting sprigs from a bunch. Sprigs will sprout in a glass of water, provided the water is changed daily.

When collecting the watercress be sure that you gather only the cress, since the poisonous water hemlocks, which somewhat resemble the carrot plant, often grow nearby. The watercress usually sways and floats on top of the water and is quite easily distinguishable from plants. When harvesting, do not pull up the whole plant, but pinch or snip off the greens at the water’s surface. In this way, there will be plenty for future use.

You can gather and dry the leaves for sprinkling on winter fare, but by far the best way of using the herb is raw and in a salad. The dried leaves can be made into an infusion (tea) in the wintertime. It can be minced and added to soups or vegetables just prior to serving. Thinly slice whole grain bread and spread it thickly with watercress leaves for the classic sandwich. It is by far more nutritious when eaten raw.

Watercress can be cooked exactly as you do spinach. To make cream of watercress soup, add a pound of minced watercress to creamed potato soup. Cook until done.

Watercress is a superior source of many vitamins including C, K, E, Iron, Calcium—which strengthens bones and teeth, Magnesium, Manganese, Zinc, and Potassium, even more so than apples, broccoli and tomatoes. Adding it to cooked food, salads, stews, and even to stir fries, just before serving, is a great idea.

Watercress is considered to be a most wonderful plant by many herbalists. A member of the cabbage family, it is very nutritious. Besides containing carotenoids and lutein, memory and mental functions are improved by eating it. Digestion is improved, and the flow of bile is regulated. Because watercress is a blood cleanser, it is very valuable in improving the complexion.

Chopping the leaves and steeping in boiling water, or soaking them in honey overnight and then straining, can make a cough syrup. This mixture can then be used when needed to alleviate a cough.

When purchasing watercress, make sure the leaves are nice and green and not wilted or yellowing. They can be kept in the refrigerator for about three days in a sealed plastic bag.

If you are suffering from a bladder infection, it is wise to avoid watercress until the infection is cleared up.

Because of its high content of iodine, people who cannot tolerate iodine should avoid using it.

Excerpts of this article are from www.schoolofnaturalhealing.com October 2010.

Health – How Important is Calcium?

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No element is less understood and more ignorantly applied than calcium and its compounds. Calcium is the great builder of the structural parts of the body, not only of the bones and ligaments, but the walls of the arteries, the heart, the walls of the veins, the teeth, the epithelial, and connective tissue. It is also an integral and necessary element in both blood and lymph. We know that many malnutrition diseases are usually the results of a deficiency of calcium.

At the same time, an excess of calcium is responsible for arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries); also for scleroma (sclerosis of tissue, liver, skin, eyes and so forth). In fact, old age itself is brought about by a gradual hardening of the whole structural system through deposition of calcium compounds that are insoluble and inorganic.

While the young growing organism can use relatively large amounts of calcium, a fully matured and solidified body requires less. For middle age, comparatively less than half the amount is necessary. The older age requires a very small amount, above which calcium becomes a very dangerous thing to use, often bringing about most disastrous results, and yet never being thought of as the cause of the chronic suffering, and sometimes death of the patient.

The type of calcium that causes the trouble is inorganic. Inorganic calcium cannot be used in the life process of the cell, but forms instead the greatest number of obstructions to the normal life processes of the human organism.

Organic calcium, as found in some foods and herbs, is distinctly alkaline in reaction, such as lemons, limes, oranges, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, string beans and onions. Others have an acid reaction upon certain fluids and tissues such as milk, cheese, peas, beans, lentils, cucumbers, radishes, fish, meat, and potatoes.

Green and leafy vegetables contain calcium chloride, as do many berries and herbs. Organic calcium chloride is found in red clover, wheat bran, rhubarb, yellow dock, watercress, blue vervain, motherwort, cactus, hawthorn berries, comfrey root, marshmallow, and many others.

When we see how important calcium is in body action, we should never use something that will counteract its power. When using refined sugar, we are using a substance that is known as a calcium destroyer.

Dr. Bernard Jensen, D.C., N.D., in his book, You Can Master Diseases, (Bernard Jensen Publishing Division, California, 1984), states: “White sugar has been called a leacher of calcium.”

As soon as sugar enters the body, it goes directly into the bloodstream and commences removing the calcium it comes into contact with and robs the cells of the calcium, from the arteries, veins, capillaries, tissue, muscles, and bones.

It is crucial for a woman carrying a fetus to have adequate calcium for both herself and also the baby. The baby, by nature, will draw from the mother’s body any calcium it can get for its own survival, drawing from the veins, arteries, muscles, teeth and bones of the mother. This is the reason for so much varicosity and loss of teeth during pregnancy.

The more sugars and starches (which turn to sugar) the mother consumes, the faster the drainage of calcium from her body, and trouble from weakened areas.

Forearm and Hip Fractures Most Common

“The principal clinical manifestation of osteoporosis is fracture,” Dr. B. E. C. Nordin, professor of mineral metabolism at the University of Luds, points out, “and three osteoporotic fracture syndromes can be defined: the lower forearm fracture, which predominantly affects women between the ages of 50 and 65; the fracture of the proximal femur (the hip), which affects both sexes over the age of seventy; and the relatively rare vertebral crush fracture syndrome, which may be present at any age, but is most common in elderly women.” (British Medical Journal, March 13, 1971).

Osteoporosis characteristically occurs in women after menopause and is presumably related to low estrogen output—the female hormone that dwindles when ovulation and the monthly periods cease. In men, fragile porous bones typically develop considerably later in life and disorder is less severe. However, although the disease is associated with late middle age and old age, the process probably begins many decades earlier.

“I would advise women to start calcium and vitamin D supplements at age 30, or perhaps 25,” says Dr. Jennifer Jowsey of the Mayo Clinic. With the average American diet, there’s apparently a long-term gradual loss of bone mineral exceeding the rate of mineral uptake and bone formation. In later years, when hormonal changes increase the susceptibility to osteoporosis, the skeleton has already lost a good deal of its substance. By then, because of previous loss, the rate of bone formation must not only equal the rate of bone demineralization (the normal condition) but must exceed it if bone strength is to be restored.

It is far more difficult, Dr. Jowsey warns, to induce new, compensatory bone formation than it is simply to slow down bone demineralization. Adequate calcium and vitamin D in the diet will go far to accomplish the latter. But preliminary finds, the Mayo scientist says, indicate that lost bone will not be automatically restored by such dietary correction.

Osteoporisis, Puff by Puff

We can believe from what Dr. Jowsey says that long-term marginal deficiency in calcium and vitamin D is the principle villain in the tragedy of osteoporosis. However, other factors, too, influence bone health. We now know, for example, that cigarettes contribute to bone demineralization and that we should swear off smoking, supposing we are still hooked on this altogether harmful habit.

In a letter appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (July 31, 1972), Dr. Harry W. Daniell reports his findings that heavy cigarette smoking appears to be a prominent factor in inducing osteoporosis. Dr. Daniell, who practices in Redding, California, was prompted to undertake his study when he realized that most of his under 65 patients suffering from osteoporosis were habitual heavy smokers. (When it occurs before 65, osteoporosis is considered “premature.”) The west coast physician and his associates then studied records from the three small hospitals in the area, coming up with the cases of 17 women who have had at least one characteristic osteoporotic bone fracture prior to age 65. Follow-up interviews with the patients of surviving relatives revealed that of the 17, only one was a nonsmoker; one smoked less than 20 cigarettes a day; and 15 of the 17 had smoked 20 or more cigarettes daily for many years. An 88 percent correlation between heavy smoking and early incidence of osteoporosis is “statistically significant!”

As to how cigarette smoking could so affect the bones, Dr. Daniell points out that bone minerals (mostly calcium and phosphorus, responsible for the bone’s hardness) are “known to be strikingly more soluble in acid solutions,” and cigarette smoking is known to increase the acidity of bone tissue. Thus the bone minerals could be expected to dissolve and be absorbed into the bloodstream at a much faster rate when smoking provides the acid environment.

Studies have shown, Dr. Daniell says, that three consecutive cigarettes cause a prompt transient hypercalcemia—or high content of calcium in the blood. This finding, he explains, suggests that the act of smoking is associated with rapid calcium loss from bone structures.

Still other factors can influence the onset of osteoporosis. Writing in the British Medical Journal (June 2, 1973), Dr. P. E. Belchotz and colleagues suggest that taking your calcium supplement just before going to bed might make a difference in preventing excess mineral loss.

Here’s the rationale: regular meals during the day constantly provide at least some calcium to the bloodstream. But calcium absorption from the gut continues only three to five hours after eating, and therefore from about midnight on, the lack of incoming calcium from the intestinal tract triggers the action of the parathyroid hormone (parathormone), which stimulates bone demineralization or “resportion.” The female hormone, estrogen, the authors note, to some extent, desensitizes bones to the action of parathormone. But in postmenopausal women, this protection has been reduced.

Initial clinical studies by the investigators tend to confirm their hypotheses.

Another factor that triggers the action of parathormone, according to Dr. Jowsey and her associates at the Mayo Clinic, is a mineral imbalance, with phosphorus intake grossly exceeding calcium intake. (Postgraduate Medicine, October 1972.) Heavy meat eaters are at risk of this condition because meat, while very poor in calcium, has a high phosphorus content. It is meat eater’s unbalanced high phosphorus intake, in Dr. Jowsey’s opinion, that accounts for the now established fact that longtime vegetarians are less susceptible to osteoporosis than are omnivores.

Bones that are osteoporotic are like beams in a frame house that have been eaten away for years by termites. But instead of termites, what’s eating away the calcium from the bones of an osteoporotic person is their own blood. That happens because every nerve in the body—including those that cause the heart to beat and the brain to function—needs a precise amount of calcium to carry out its job. Our bodies are strictly programmed to keep this calcium at the required level. If there is not enough of this mineral coming in from dietary sources, complex metabolic machinery immediately removes the required amount from the legs, hips, spine, ribs and arms.

Ordinarily this is a slow but relentless undermining process, but with cortisone administrations, it is swift and relentless. There are usually no symptoms produced until the patient discovers that a minor bump or fall results in a broken arm, leg, or worse still, a hip.

Increased Risk of Fractures

An article on the subject of calcium was published in the newsletter (February, 1974) of the Jewish Hospital of St. Louis, Missouri. It began by pointing out that cortisone and its derivatives are being administered to several million patients in the United States who suffer from a number of chronic disorders, rheumatoid arthritis being just one of them. It warns that however useful these compounds may be in alleviating these disorders, they result in a number of serious side effects, including the production of often severe bone loss with an increasing risk of bone fractures.

It is not unusual for patients to have a loss of 30–50 percent of their bone mass after several years of high-dose cortisone treatment.

Dr. Theodore Hahn, a spokesman for a bone research team at the Jewish Hospital, says it appears that cortisone directly blocks the activity of the bone forming cells and at the same time decreases intestinal absorption of calcium. As if these two effects weren’t bad enough, the calcium deficiency in turn can produce “secondary hormonal changes which increases bone breakdown.”

But Dr. Hahn and his coworkers have some good news for people who have been taking cortisone drugs. Large but carefully controlled doses of vitamin D, along with calcium supplements, can reverse this severe degeneration of the skeleton. The article, “Preliminary Results from a Group of 30 Patients Treated with this Regimen”, states indirectly that bone mass can be increased by as much as 25–30 percent over a six-month period, thereby greatly decreasing the risk of bone fracture in cortisone treated patients.

Activity Fortifies the Bones

In 1970, at the annual meeting of the Swedish Medical Society held in Stockholm, Drs. Nils Westlin and Bo Nilsson of Malmo, Sweden, reported that when they measured bone densities in young men they found that 64 athletes had significantly higher bone density than 39 nonathletes of the same age. Density was found to rise with increases in physical activity. (Medical Tribune, February 6, 1970.)

Dr. Carlton Fredericks said that women with bones weakened by osteoporosis should, if they are capable of doing it, skip rope as a means of therapeutic exercise. The impact on the spine, vertically exerted, generates the electrical forces that drive calcium to the bone areas requiring reinforcement. (The Carlton Fredericks Newsletter of Nutrition, July 1, 1972.)

Obviously, an elderly man or woman is not likely to take up jumping rope after having not exercised for several years. But much the same effect could be gained from walking. A brisk walk at least, for those unable to perform more vigorous exercise, is essential if bones are to stay healthy.

Dr. John R. Christopher, Excerpts from School of Natural Healing Newsletter, Volume 1, Issue Eleven.

Health – Rest, What is it?

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Very few people know what the word rest means. Webster’s Dictionary describes it this way:

1) the quiet or repose of sleep;

2) ease or inactivity after the exertion of labor;

3) relief or freedom especially from trouble;

4) cessation or absence from motion.

Are you familiar with any of these descriptions? Vicki Griffin, PhD, makes the following comments on rest:

Sleepier Than Ever! Americans are suffering from daytime sleepiness so pervasive that it interferes with their daily activities, according to the experts at the National Sleep Foundation. According to their surveys, 40% of adults say that they are so sleepy during the day that it interferes with their daily activities.

Burning on Both Ends? Is getting to bed on time on your list of important things to do each day? “Burning the midnight oil” may be burning you out—in more ways than one!

Michael Irwin, a psychiatrist at the San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and his team studied 23 healthy men, age 22 to 61, who spent four nights in a sleep laboratory. He found that even modest levels of sleep deprivation resulted in a 30 percent drop in immune function. Returning to normal sleep patterns restored immunities. God made the beasts to go out after dark—not man! “Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth” (Psalm 104:20).

Early to Bed, Early to Rise … . Is it true that early-to-bed, early-to-rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise? Even though this saying is not in the Bible, there is a similar truth laid out by our Creator:

“The sun ariseth, (the wild beasts) gather themselves together, and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening” (Psalm 104:22, 23).

Science confirms this simple truth about man’s proper bedtime being soon after sunset.

Dr. Thomas Weir, head of the clinical psychobiology branch of the National Institute of Mental Health, is conducting some interesting studies to see if people who follow the “early-to-bed, early-to-rise” maxim are actually gaining health benefits. So far, his studies have shown that sleeping in a “dusk-to-dawn” pattern, as opposed to late bedtime and late rising, actually causes an increase in the brain’s production of melatonin. Melatonin insufficiency may be involved in such disorders as chronic fatigue, insomnia and jet lag, lethargy and fatigue in night workers, depression, and even suicide.

Research suggests that the majority of memory storage takes place in the brain when sleep is deep and uninterrupted. In a study published in Science, researchers reported that deep sleep is critically important to the learning process, and that people tend to absorb knowledge about new skills while sleeping.

In the words of the researchers, “We and others have found that an improvement in perceptual performance occurs neither during or immediately after practice of a procedure, but rather eight to 10 hours after a training session has ended.”

Sleep Time – Valued Time! Many people not only go to bed late, they also get up early, catching naps in order to “keep going.” But according to some researchers, fragmented sleep may be worse than a bout of no sleep at all, in terms of the affect on motor skills, mood, and cognitive ability.

Remember the Fabulous Four? Don’t cheat yourself out of sleep. There are four essentials to establishing good sleep habits.

Quantity. The average person needs eight to nine hours of sleep daily. This is essential for proper immune function, tissue repair, and nervous system and hormone balance. Children and teenagers need more.

Regularity. Having a set bedtime and rising, as well as set times for eating, exercise, study and work, help your body to establish regular biorhythms, which reduces cancer risk and normalizes hormone metabolism.

Timing. As mentioned before, an early-to-bed pattern of sleeping enhances learning, mood, overall health, and childhood development.

Quality. Ever sleep a long time and wake up tired? There are a number of factors that can interfere with quality sleep. Eating late, sugary foods, lack of regular exercise, smoking, and the use of caffeinated beverages or drugs can seriously impair the quality of sleep. Certain prescription drugs, including sleeping pills and anti-depressants, can cause sleep problems.

Stress, television, harsh music and bright lights at night can also reset the body’s inner clock to late-night wakefulness and diminish quality sleep. Anger and guilt can destroy peaceful sleep.

Someone once said, “A clear conscience makes a soft pillow.” Hanging onto grudges and anger robs us of inner peace that is essential to sound sleep. Perhaps that is why the Bible tells us not to let the sun go down on our wrath, but as far as possible “be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thessalonians 5:13).

Sleep: It Should Be a Top Priority! Your Creator and Savior understands your need to sleep, and He will help you plan it into your lifestyle. Indeed, we now know from science that if you do not make proper sleep a top priority, you will pay a price!

In this troubled and perplexing world, our Savior is interested in our sleep habits: “It is vain for you to … sit up late, … He giveth His beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2).

It was Jesus who, pressed with cares and an urgent mission, told His weary disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart … and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31). …

Extracted from The Guilt-free Gourmet, by Vicki B. Griffin, PhD, MACN and Gina M. Griffin, pages 317–321. (Remnant Publications, 1999).

Rest is really a gift from God. Don’t lose out! Enjoy!

Health – Infection, The Killer

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The human body need never know sickness if proper health laws are observed. However, when they are not followed, the toxic condition of the system increases, causing infection to begin. Over 90 percent of all diseases, according to some of the most prominent physicians, are caused by constipation. One of these many diseases is infection. This could never be if there was a good, clean bowel and an uncontaminated bloodstream.

A free running mountain stream clears itself of pollution quickly and does not suffer with the problems of stagnation.

The same principle is demonstrated in the human body. A free flowing bloodstream, an uncongested bowel, and easy elimination of urine are all three examples of free flowing streams in the body of man. If we encourage this condition we will assure ourselves of no stagnation (infection disease) of any kind with the resulting sluggish life.

By keeping our bodies in a clean free flowing automatic cleaning condition, the stagnation problem will be no worry to us. The sluggish, poor circulating system leaves the stagnant condition in the lymph system with toxic poisons accumulating and plugging the flow toward the liver. If the liver is allowed to do its job properly, it can save our lives. It is the largest gland in the body, acting like a magnet, drawing toxins and poisons to it, neutralizing them as they are turned into beneficial bile, which in turn acts as a laxative. As the liver draws toxins and poisons to it, it must have the help of the lymphatic system to speed the delivery of these materials to the liver and gallbladder area.

Following are some interesting points brought to light by the staff of Prevention magazine in The Encyclopedia of Common Disease (Rodale Press, 1976):

Lymphoid tissue, which appears in the appendix, is also present in the thymus, the spleen and the tonsils. These tissues are recognized as interceptors of infectious organisms. Lymphoid tissues collect in the appendix where the number of lymph follicles reaches a peak in people between the ages of 10 and 20. After 30 there is an abrupt reduction to less than half the number of follicles, and it tapers off to only a trace after age 60. This phenomenon is also repeated in the tonsils, presumably because the body’s major threats from infectious diseases occur early in life.

The tonsils, and often the adenoids, have fallen victim to unnecessary surgery. For years swollen tonsils, and often healthy ones, have been removed for the mistaken purpose of preventing future throat infections and even colds. The operation is usually of no value.

The body’s lymphatic system, of which these organs are a part, is relatively unknown. One thing that is known about it, however, is that it plays a decisive role in the body’s defense against invading organisms.

When infection attacks the lymph system—whether the lymph glands, tonsils, adenoids, and/or appendix—this is evidence that the body has a high toxic level, and infection in these parts is our control sign to clean up the body or later face more severe conditions.

When the lymph system is showing signs of being overloaded with toxic wastes, the intelligent thing to do is to start cleaning up this condition immediately. Beat this criminal to the draw by eliminating mucus-making materials (oft times it’s hard to label some of the merchandise we eat as “food”), and use fresh fruit and vegetables, juices, and plenty of distilled water. During the cleaning up period, it is good to use a special herbal food for the cleansing and feeding of the lymph system—a combination of mullein herb and a small part of lobelia herb (such as three parts mullein and one part lobelia). For instance, the adult dose for tonsillitis is a cup of the tea three or more times in a day; for younger people twelve years and older it is a full adult dose, one half dose eight to twelve years, one fourth dose four to eight years, and under age four in careful proportion.

In addition to the oral use of the tea (infusion of one ounce of the combined herbs to a pint of boiling water, poured over the herbs, covered, and allowed to steep approximately 20 minutes), it is also to be used externally. After straining the herbal tea, soak flannel cloth (never man-made synthetic cloth) in the remaining tea and apply over the swollen gland areas. Cover the fomentation cloth with plastic to keep the moisture in. It is good to do this procedure in the evening, leaving the fomentation on all night. Some cases take more than one application, but many see the finest results with the overnight program.

One time, after coming home from a lecture series, it was good to see the grandchildren from the family of one of our daughters, who were visiting with us (Dr. Christopher and his wife). That evening one of the little granddaughters, then about seven years old, came to me crying because the glands in her throat area and behind the ears had swollen up and it was very difficult for her to swallow. I mixed up three parts of mullein and one part of lobelia, made a fomentation, and pinned it around her throat. The next morning she came downstairs, all smiles and no pain, and paid me well for my services with a big kiss.

This formula is excellent, not only in aiding the healing in a glandular area, but also to counterattack infection in the glandular system.

Infection does not need any encouragement, especially when there is a sluggish unclean lymphatic system. Dr. Christopher noted: A man came to my office in Olympia, Washington, with an arm that was held away from the body proper because he could not bear to drop the arm down to his side. The reason for this was a painful lump in the armpit, the lump being the size of a baseball. A red streak was also running up the length of the arm starting at the point of infection in the hand. A few days prior to this, the man had cut the palm of his hand with a chisel. He felt he could not take off time to go to the doctor, so he wrapped a rag around the wound to stop the bleeding and went on with his work. In a day or two he noticed swelling and fever in his damaged hand and, naturally, became concerned because a friend of his had had a similar experience and because the infection had gotten so bad his friend’s arm had been amputated. The patient informed me he didn’t want to lose his arm and was willing to try some other unorthodox procedure to clear the condition, so he came to me to see if herbs could save the arm.

I took him out onto the lawn in front of my office and showed him some plantain growing there. He was familiar with the plant, as he had been trying to dig it up at his home to keep this weed from taking over. I instructed him to have his wife or someone get a number of the plants, rinse off the dirt, and bruise the plants with a mortar and pestle, a hammer, a blender, a food or meat grinder, or something else, and put the bruised plantain herb, root, leaves, seed, stem and all right over the cut area. The plantain was then to be covered with gauze and bandaged to hold it in place. He was also told that as the plantain would start to dry he should continue adding more fresh bruised herb to it. The gentleman asked what else to do besides the bandaging, and we instructed him to drink some of the plantain tea, three or more cups a day. He asked if he should come to see us the next day. He was told that the procedure he had just been given, as simple as it was, was a do-it-yourself kit and he would heal if he followed instructions. The man left the office but was back in several days. He had come in to pay for the office call and to gratefully show me a hand that was healing rapidly, with no evidence of scarring. He also said that right after using the poultice, things started to happen rapidly. He said the excruciatingly painful and throbbing hand and arm was eased of pain within one-half hour and the red streak faded away, and the lump in the armpit started getting smaller within hours. By the time of his visit, the streak and lump were entirely gone, and he had full use of the hand and arm again at work—good as ever, he concluded.

Over the years we have had many cases of infection that have been cleared up quickly, as in this case. Some infections come on feet, legs, and various parts of the body, but all can be handled if you act as quickly as possible.

Plantain is an herb that cannot be gathered all year in areas where cold winter kills vegetation. It is good to have concentrates, tinctures and/or ointments to use in emergencies.

I remember early one morning a lady was on the phone and asked me to make a house call, as her son, age about ten, had been stung by a wasp. His hand was swollen, and he had passed out from the pain.

Before getting my bag ready to go, I stepped out onto the lawn to get some fresh plantain leaves to poultice the sting with, but it was too early in the year and the plantain had not yet “leafed out.” With no fresh herb to take, I went into the office and got a small jar of plantain ointment and put it into the bag and left.

When I arrived, the boy was unconscious on the floor; his hand was swollen to nearly twice its normal size. The wasp had stung him on the top of the hand. Using a spatula, I put right over the sting area enough plantain ointment to cover the size of about a silver dollar and about a quarter to half inch thick, placed a gauze patch over the ointment, and then with additional gauze put a bandage on the hand to hold the ointment in place.

The boy had regained consciousness and was sitting up, by the time I was ready to leave. The mother said, “Is that all you are going to do?” I told her yes; it would take care of the sting and give relief from the pain in a short time. Within the half hour, after applying the ointment, the boy said the pain was not as severe as it had been.

The next day I was told that the boy was out playing baseball that afternoon, with no discomfort; the swelling was gone, and the hand was its normal size.

One of the finest teachers Dr. Christopher said he had ever known was a man by the name of Dr. H. Nowell, the founder of Dominion Herbal College, Ltd., of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In the lesson manual from his school is the following story:

Dr. H. Nowell’s baby, two years of age, was severely stung by a hornet on the neck while away on holiday. The neck swelled so much that it caused real alarm, as no help of a professional nature was within 20 miles. The doctor’s daughter, aged 16, remembered hearing of the healing power of plantain, gathered four leaves growing near the camp and bound them on the baby’s neck. Upon removing the bandage one hour later no trace of the trouble could be found.

When individuals get infection from a small cut, a sliver, or most any little injury, it means the bloodstream and body as a whole is loaded with mucus and waste materials. This is the open door to invite the germs of infection into the system. Germs cannot live on healthy tissue, because germs are scavengers and can only live on filth and waste materials.

It would be better for each of us to work on the cause by keeping the waste out of the body. This is far better than working on the effect after trouble has been established.

An ounce of prevention is far better than a pound of cure.

Excerpts from Dr. John R. Christopher, Newsletters, Volume One, Issue 9.

Lifestyle – Air-Sweet Blessing

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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. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.” Genesis 1:6–8. The area immediately above the planet, known as the atmosphere, was created on the second day, and it is made up of approximately 78 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen and 1 percent other gasses. It is within this atmosphere that we live and breathe. Above the atmosphere are the planets, stars, and unnumbered galaxies, and somewhere within this great expanse of God’s creation is heaven.

God continued to speak the rest of our world into existence, and His crowning act was the creation of man. Man was not spoken into existence as was the rest of creation, but God formed him of the dust of the ground. It was with His very hands that He lovingly made man. After this act of love, God Himself initiated the first breath by breathing into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). Man can survive for weeks without food and days without water, but only minutes without breathing the oxygen which surrounds the world.

Every body function that is carried on is directly related to the life of the cells, which are the basic units of every part of the body. Without oxygen, cells die within three to four minutes. Not only will cells die when there is no oxygen, but they do not perform well, are damaged, and disease can result. It is critical to make sure there is plenty of fresh air in the work place, in the home and in the bedroom while sleeping at night.

The energy required for the body to function comes from the breakdown and utilization of the food we eat, and that food is not properly utilized when there is inadequate oxygen. When food is broken down, glucose is formed and stored for quick utilization by the body. In an oxygen rich environment, each molecule of glucose will produce approximately 36 molecules of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the molecule used by the body for energy. When the body is working to produce energy in the absence of adequate oxygen, only two molecules of ATP are created from glucose. Is it any wonder that we feel tired if we are lacking in oxygen?

In order to have adequate oxygen available for cellular health and use, there must be good circulation. “Perfect health requires perfect circulation.” The Ministry of Healing, 293. “The life of the flesh is in the blood.” Leviticus 17:11. Without oxygen-rich blood circulating freely to every cell in the body, perfect health is just a fleeting dream and cannot be attained.

Heath – Is Soy Dangerous?

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We have heard people say, “Watch out for soy.” “Soy will cause this, that, and the other thing,” and “If you are eating soy, you will have some very bad things happen to you.” There are some websites that give information that sounds very good, causing people to wonder about soy and soy products.

Most of the negative allegations ultimately come from one or two sources, and are written by four people who are very anti-soy. At least two of these people have PhD degrees, which lends credibility to their claims. But let’s look at some of their allegations.

  1. Accusation: Soy causes infertility.

Soy has been used for centuries in the East. However, neither China nor Japan has a fertility problem and are very well populated though they have used soy for centuries.

Experiments were performed on female cheetahs. When they were fed high concentrations of genistein and daidzein, they had problems conceiving. One must note that cheetahs are cats that have different digestive systems than humans and they are also sensitive to these substances. We need to be cautious of studies that are based on high concentrations of a substance, which more than likely exceeds the amount that a person would normally eat.

In another experiment, one to five-day-old rats were injected with genistein. Later in life they had fewer pregnancies and some became infertile. There is a danger of using animal studies for determining what is good or bad for humans. Humans do not inject their food but ingest it, making these experiments to show doubtful similarities in outcome.

Let’s look at some examples of this, particularly in drug testing, because animals are used extensively.

Many drugs which tested safe in animals, later had to be recalled because of the dangerous results in humans.

  • Vioxx is a pain killer and it was safely tested on animals—rats, mice, monkeys and dogs. It tested safe and was even heart protective. But in humans it causes congestive heart failure, strokes and heart attacks.
  • Rezulin is a diabetes drug, which tested safe on animals but in humans it can cause liver failure.
  • Zomax is another pain medicine that tested safe on animals but had a deadly effect on humans.
  • Fen-phen was a weight loss drug, and it tested safe on animals, but in humans, caused thickening of the heart valves.
  • Thalidomide was widely tested on animals with total safety but with horrendous birth defects in children whose mothers took it for morning sickness.
  • Opren tested good on monkeys but killed 61 people.
  • Cylert was fine for animals but caused liver failure in hyperactive children.
  • Tobacco. For years animal tests were inconclusive, so the tobacco companies used that to their advantage and promoted their products. We now know, with very great clarity, that tobacco is one of the most potent detractors from health and a great promoter of cancer worldwide.

Other examples prove that animals are not necessarily the best for determining what is good or bad for humans. Ninety percent of the drugs that tested safe in animals failed human trial, and some are exactly opposite. An example of the opposite is penicillin. When it was first developed it was tried on rabbits and seen to be completely ineffective. It was a full decade later before it was used as an antibiotic in humans, because it failed the rabbit trials. Looking at animals to see what is good for humans is not necessarily the best thing, unless it can be backed up with real human trials and tests. Animal testing has proven to be quite unreliable and according to the soy testing, we are seeing one thing for people in populations using soy compared to cheetahs.

Eggs are considered the perfect source of protein because of rat studies. Young rats grew faster, but we were not told by the proponents of the egg industry that those were the rats that died sooner. Baby rats failed to thrive on soy; however, they also failed to thrive on human breast milk. Are we to say that baby rats are a good example for determining what is good for humans? Are we to say that human breast milk is bad for babies? Obviously not! Then we cannot take that same study and say soy should not be used on humans.

Animal biology is physiologically and anatomically different from humans; therefore animal studies can be very misleading. Human trials are much more reliable looking at the different populations that use soy versus those not using it. Those using soy typically have a better health status than western society and the diet often includes greater amounts of plant foods, especially leafy greens, and it has been found that the use of soy products did not detract from their overall health.

In reality, since virtually all of the accusations against soy are based upon animal studies and not humans, at best they can be meaningless and at worst they can be totally misleading and take you completely onto the wrong track and some wrong conclusions.

It is said that soy causes reproductive problems. One study reported that the declining male fertility in the last 60 years was blamed on estrogens, chemicals, plastics and tofu. The one thing they do not address is the estrogens that are fed to livestock for fattening. The phyto estrogens in tofu are very weak in estrogen activity, especially as compared to the potent estrogens that are fed to the livestock.

Soy has only become popular in the western world in the last twenty years or so. But here we have these studies going back 50 or 60 years before soy became popular.

We have also seen that when people, who have not been able to conceive, switch to a plant based diet, including tofu and soy products, they improve their chance of having children.

In one study men were administered doses of up to 30 times more than normal. First of all, 30 times more of what? It is not clear. Was it 30 times more of estrogen or tofu? Instead of eating one slice of tofu, was it 30 slices of tofu every day? Was it the isoflavones? The study is unclear. It would be unrealistic for anyone to eat 30 slices of tofu in a day, but that anti-soy conclusion was that the 30 times of whatever will lead to a drop in testosterone and then also it will cause some men to become demasculinized. Then the question is asked in a very calm, serious tone, “Do you want to become demasculinized”? No male would want that, but by the emotionally charged words they fail to realize that this is not a realistic situation and there is not a lot of real solid evidence behind the claim.

Another study seemed to indicate that there was an increased risk of infant male development. This was a small study in which they also failed to mention that mothers who had iron supplements during their pregnancies, or had the flu during their trimester, also had a heightened risk of that same abnormal male infant development. There is a lot of muddied water, and blame cannot be pinned only on soy.

Another claim is made that soy causes significant biological effects in women, and it is put in such a way that the significant biological effects are on the negative side. However, there are some that show that lengthening the cycle, which is what happens, actually ends up being protective against breast cancer—it correlates with a reduced risk of breast cancer.

We do not see the accusations of the anti-soy people playing out in real life. We do not see the infertility problems being a problem for humans. Whether or not it is in China, or people who are now switching to vegetarian from a meat diet, these things are based upon bad analysis and ridiculous dosages such as 30 times more than “what”; unreliable studies that are very small and isolated, as well as creating a negative slant on something that is positive. These are some of the problems with the accusations.

  1. Accusation: Soy raises the risk of cancer and other diseases.

There are isoflavones in the soy that are called genistein and daidzein. These are phyto estrogens. This is pretty much what this whole concept is based upon and that high estrogen levels will promote cancer. It is true that estrogen tells the cells to hurry up and multiply, and they fail to develop properly many times; that translates very easily into cancer. We looked at the fact that the meat industry feeds the animals estrogens to make them develop and to get fat quickly. The phyto estrogens in this are very weak in this action. In fact, some researchers believe that instead of their being a problem, they actually bind to the estrogen receptor sights and lock the receptor sites from the more potent estrogen. Therefore, they are actually being protected against breast cancer. They find this to be the case especially when the soy consumption has begun early in life as a young girl.

The anti-soy people use this as the basis for many accusations against soy and breast cancer when other studies do not indicate that soy increases breast cancer risk. Again, the focus is not on the fact that we get estrogens from the meat and dairy industry as well. Obviously, we do need some estrogen but we do not need a high or potent source physically.

We do not want to stop eating tofu because it is uncertain whether or not isolated substances may cause a harmful effect. We do not recommend mega doses of isoflavones. We want the full package as opposed to pulling out the isoflavones and giving that in concentrated or very large amounts.

It is claimed that protease inhibitors from soy increases risk of pancreatic cancer in rats and chicks. It is interesting that they look at rats and chicks and don’t seem to pay much attention to the fact that this does not happen in mice, dogs, pigs, monkeys or humans. So, apparently rats and chicks are extraordinarily sensitive to these inhibitors. When rats and chicks are fed nothing but soy, they do have an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. That is not the same with the other groups we have mentioned here.

It is also interesting that these protease inhibitors and other enzyme inhibitors are rendered basically irrelevant when the soy is made into tofu or soy milk, tempeh and so forth. Protease inhibitors inhibit the absorption of protein. They use that point also. But protein is so high in tofu and related products that it is really a non-issue.

The populations that use soy have a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer and other cancers.

The anti-soy people unfortunately have a difficult time accepting the fact that different species of creatures, including humans, act differently and process soy differently. It is also interesting that they ignore the fact the protease inhibitors have been shown in some studies to inhibit colon, prostate and breast cancer in humans. Some are constantly looking at a negative slant and not looking at the whole picture.

  1. Accusation: Soy shrinks brains and causes Alzheimer’s—Soy reduces cognitive function.

This accusation was based on one isolated study in Hawaii in which Japanese American men who ate tofu in their middle age had the greatest mental deterioration and dementia as seniors. This was based upon one study, and it is not a good idea to base our theories on one study. A physician found that the tofu these individuals were eating contained an extra-ordinary ordinary amount of aluminum. That gives us an idea of the real culprit as opposed to tofu. Again, we do not see this happening in the East or in other countries with men becoming demented or deteriorating mentally as they get older.

Other studies put children on a vegetarian diet with tofu and it boosted their grades and their energy. These were children who were having low grades and not performing well academically. After a vegan diet for a month that included tofu, they reported that the children showed improvement in both the classroom and on the basketball court. Some grade point averages (GPA) rose from 1.6 to 3.4. Others ranged from a 3.1 to a 3.9; that is from a B average to an A average. All scored at least an 85 percent on their final exam.

Does soy decrease cognizant function? Apparently not. Does soy cause cancer? Not that we can see. Does soy cause infertility? None of these symptoms have been proven in the practicalities of life.

  1. Accusation: Soy interferes with thyroid and causes goiter.

Soy contains goitrogens, which is considered another anti-nutrient that suppresses thyroid function. This only happens when iodine intake is low. It is very interesting that other foods that contain goitrogens are cruciferous vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables are noted for cancer prevention. These include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts; also sweet potatoes, lima beans and millet.

If we say that it is necessary to eliminate the foods that contain goitrogens, it will also be necessary to eliminate the cruciferous vegetables along with sweet potatoes, lima beans and millet. Of course, this is not recommended; the focus is only on soy.

The focus should not be on one particular substance in a food. In most common vegetables, you could find a potentially toxic or harmful nutrient that if isolated and concentrated and fed to humans, it would have some undesirable side effects.

  1. Accusation: Soy causes osteoporosis.

This is also totally unfounded. There is a strong correlation between the amount of animal foods in a diet and the strength of the bones. Studies show that the countries that use the animal products actually have a higher incidence of osteoporosis compared to cultures that use the plant food. This also includes the Chinese, Japanese and other Eastern people. The more plant food consumed, the stronger the bones.

Anti-soy people say that soy causes vitamin D deficiency and the high rate of osteoporosis is because of vitamin D depletion or because of it not being in the diet because of substituting soy oil instead of butter. So the butter people are using soy oil and they say that is a problem because they put vitamin D in butter. Actually sunshine is a better source of vitamin D than getting it through butter that has been supplemented. Our skin makes vitamin D from sunlight. Sunlight is one of the eight natural health laws.

Calcium from soy is nearly as bio-available as calcium from cow’s milk. Often the issue is how bio-available is a particular plant food when compared to meat—whether it is calcium, iron, or other nutrients. It is quite often not as straightforward as it is purported to be. It is actually good that the iron in the plant food is not as absorbable as it is in animal food, because it has been noted that high levels of iron for some people can increase their risk of heart disease. It is good to have checks and balances. Just because something is inhibited does not mean that the inhibition is bad; it may just put the brakes on something.

Calcium is usually a point of concern or controversy. Magnesium is just as important for body health and bones as calcium. Greens are an important source of calcium and magnesium. Other good sources of calcium are almonds, sesame seeds and tofu.

  1. Accusation: Soy causes zinc deficiency because of the phytates.

In large quantities phytates can block absorption, and they particularly focus on zinc. Phytates can block the absorption of several different minerals, and again the brakes are not necessarily a bad thing. The anti-soy people say that the safety feeling that vegetarians get is because of zinc deficiency, and they interpret that as being a high spiritual development. This is wrong. There is absolutely no proof that because of a zinc deficiency you enjoy spiritual things.

Soaking, roasting, sprouting, baking and leavening increased the bio-availability of minerals. Virtually any time you use soy, one of these things would have happened to it. Even if you are using just plain soybeans as a legume, you will have had to soak and boil them. If you are going to make tofu, you certainly would have soaked them at some point in time. Any time you use soybeans it will have included one of these processes. This applies to all of the phytates in the different vegetarian foods, including wheat. Wheat has been known to have phytates as well. We hear people say that vegetarians have to be careful that they do not have mineral deficiencies because of the phytates. Well, when you make bread, you are certainly baking, to make these minerals more bio-available. A healthy vegetarian diet is rich in nutrients by getting a good representation in of fruits, nuts, legumes, vegetables and whole grains.

Zinc deficiency is no more common in vegetarians compared to non-vegetarians and should not be singled out.

Some phytates act as potent antioxidants and favorably regulate cell growth. It is interesting that even though phytates have been promoted as being a problem, other studies show that they actually act as antioxidants. They are not necessarily a bad thing and they regulate cell growth. This could possibly put the brakes on the quick development of cancer cells and cells that are developing too quickly, slowing them down so they have time to mature and do what they need to do. Instead of being bad, phytates in the end could be very positive for us, particularly when we get them from the whole plant.

  1. Accusation: Soy contains toxins and anti nutrients.

We have already talked about phytates being antioxidants and actually helping to keep things in balance as far as cell development. We can also reference that to mineral absorption as well.

Many plant foods contain substances in concentration and isolation that would produce unwanted effects. All of the plant foods have some potential toxins in them. The following are some examples:

Broccoli, lentils and grapefruit contain naturally occurring pesticides, which could cause mutation. If we took certain substances in these plant foods, isolated them, concentrated them, made a very potent dosage out of them, we would have problems.

Peanuts and peanut butter contain aflotoxins that could cause cancer.

Celery contains toxins that could damage the immune system and cause photosensitivities. Are we telling people not to eat celery? No. Celery is very good and also contains organic sodium, which can be very good, especially in the hot summertime.

Spinach and chard contain oxalic acid that binds with calcium and diminishes absorption. Again, we are not telling people to stop eating spinach because of this.

In eating normal quantities of these foods, these things are not a problem. But the anti-soy people ignore that the isolated, compounded high levels of some of these things may cause problems.

A summary of what the anti-soy people do:

  • They rely upon animal studies that are not applicable to humans.
  • They use small or isolated studies that are not supported by the bulk of the studies.
  • They use examples of extreme intakes of soy.
  • They look at just certain components of soy that you would have to use in very high quantities isolated for it to be called a problem. This is not, in reality, how we use our soy.
  • They focus on naturally occurring substances that, in isolation, would cause undesirable side effects.

Some benefits of soy are as follows:

  • Various studies have shown that soy, in conjunction with a healthy diet, lowers risk of heart disease.
  • Soy has nine times less saturated fat as compared to cow’s milk.
  • Soy is cholesterol free, lowers total and LDL cholesterol. Interestingly, some anti-soy people say that lowering your cholesterol results in a greater number of deaths. Their proof is an article that they wrote themselves. This is totally unsupported by the scientific community.
  • Studies show that soy contributes to the reduction of cancer.
  • Soy contains many phyto chemicals, which protect against disease.
  • Soy may reduce insulin resistance, renal damage and fatty liver in diabetics. For people who are on insulin, switching from animal protein to plant protein can be very helpful. Part of that protein can be soy. Also, people who have renal failure need to bring down their protein, so switching them from animal protein to plant protein, including soy, can be very healthful.

Some guidelines for eating soy:

Eat a varied diet. Eat a plant-based diet, not a soy based diet. Eating soy at every meal is too much and goes against the principle of temperance. Some people believe they do not get enough protein; however, a plant-based diet will provide all of the protein needed from the different whole grains and legumes with some tofu or soy, and you will be just fine. You would virtually have to live on sweet potatoes and apples for the rest of your life in order to have a protein deficiency on a vegetarian diet. Eating a varied diet with enough calories to maintain proper body weight will give you enough protein. It is not essential to have soy in your diet, but the versatility of soy and the extra protein that it does provide are actually a benefit to the plant-based diet.

Minimize the intake of soy to two to three servings a day. Asians typically eat from one to three servings of soy per day. From looking at their population, they are doing quite well on that. Most vegetarian nutritionists will say to limit your consumption of soy to two to three servings a day.

Serving size. A serving is approximately three to four ounces of tofu, which is about one-fourth of a block of tofu, or one cup of soymilk. There are some days you might have a little extra, and some days you may not have any, but the average is no more than two or three servings per day.

Prefer whole soy foods such as tofu, soymilk, soy nuts rather than protein isolates. This goes back to the concept that whole foods are better than refined foods, just like we choose whole wheat bread instead of white bread. The whole food is better than the isolated part of it. You can look at the ingredient of the product and it will show whether it is a protein isolate or otherwise.

Soy supplements. Do not seek out soy supplements such as soy protein powders or isoflavones. At this point, these are not really supportive or necessary. Add some tofu to your diet and you will be just fine. Many of those anti-soy studies were based upon isolated components as opposed to the full package.

Follow a healthy diet and lifestyle. You need to follow a healthy lifestyle that includes the eight health laws.

Infants. Mother’s milk is still the best. As much as possible the infant should get the mother’s milk. Cow’s milk is not a better option. Soy infant formula has been used for over 50 years, and there is no evidence of it causing developmental problems or reproductive problems. Cow’s milk is highly allergenic, even though some people can be allergic to soy, which does not mean we write it off for everybody. Also, cow’s milk can be a factor in juvenile onset diabetes. Cow’s milk is not the better of the options; it is better to choose soy.

Selecting soy. Select non-GMO (genetically modified organism) tofu and soy products. There has been some preliminary exploration that the GMO can alter the protein component in the blood. It is the principle that the non-GMO is better.

All of the allegations or accusations are very shaky. A couple of the anti-soy people consider cholesterol to be their very best friend. That is also what the meat and dairy association said about 30 years ago. At that time they were advocating the necessity of dietary cholesterol. They did this to promote their product. They actually want you to eat saturated fat and not the plant oils. This, combined with the unreliable accusations made, sugguests that there is a particular agenda being promoted.

It is believed that the original humans were hunters, who ate meat, and that is the diet we need to go back to. We do not believe that. We believe that the original human beings were vegetarians. That is what we were created to be, and that is the diet to which we should return.

Be very careful about advocating anything with limited research on a few isolated studies or something that is not backed up by epidemiology studies—population studies—seeing what they are eating and not eating and seeing the results of the health status of that population. Stay balanced, temperate and in the middle of the road and do not get sidetracked on these various tangents.

Diane Herbert is a naturopath and lifestyle consultant. She received training from the NAD Lifestyle Consultant program, Thomas Edison State College, Clayton College of Natural Healing, and Bastyr University. Diane teaches health classes at the Gilead Institute located in Norcross, Georgia, gives health presentations, and contributes to the Institute’s literature and health flyer series. If you would like more information on water or other health topics, you may contact her at: The Gilead Institute of America, 6000 Live Oak Parkway, Suite 114, Norcross, Georgia 30093; telephone: 770-270-1087; Website: www.gileadinstitute.org.