8 laws of health

Health Nugget – Rest

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“He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.”

Benjamin Franklin

The Cambridge Dictionary defines rest as “to (cause someone or something) to stop doing a particular activity or stop being active for a period of time in order to relax and get back your strength.”

Rest, composed of sleep, relaxation, reflection, and recreation, is as important to our health and wholeness as air, water, nutrition, and exercise. Proper rest can improve our physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health.

Relaxation can give us more energy, better sleep, enhanced immunity, increased concentration, better problem-solving skills, greater efficiency, decreased stress, emotional stability, and less headaches and pain.

Rest helps us recover from the work we have done, whether it is our vocation, avocation or training. A day off per week is required to allow bone, muscle, tendons, ligaments, brain, and organs time to recover and repair themselves.

Relaxation gives the heart a rest by slowing the heart rate. This reduces blood pressure and slows the rate of breathing, which reduces the need for oxygen, increases blood flow to the muscles, and decreases muscle tension. Sleep can also maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

Rest keeps us healthy by keeping our immune response functioning properly. Sleep produces molecules that help strengthen our ability to fight infection. These help our cells repair and mend our body when we have been exposed to infectious microorganisms and toxins.

Sleep and rest help our brain repair itself and develop new connections, which are useful when we are learning new skills or adaptations. Memory, focus, concentration, and cognitive function improve with proper sleep and rest. Sleep also reduces the occurrence of mood disorders.

Rest can improve hormone balance. It lowers stress by decreasing abnormal levels of cortisol (stress hormone), increasing alertness, productivity, and general health maintenance. Proper sleep regulates hormones that control appetite and can aid in achieving optimal weight. It also reduces the chances of diabetes.

Rest and relaxation promote restoration and rejuvenation. Proper rest and sleep are critical for overall health and energy. During the day, the chief work of the body is done, but during the night, the body is revived, the muscles are built up, the brain tissue is restored, and the nerves are recharged. For growth and health, a sufficient amount of leisure and rest is essential.

Sleep is essential to maintain a well-balanced mind and healthy body. It allows your body to renew itself and aids in healing. Rest strengthens the immune system and can add years to your life. For healing and cleansing to occur much rest and sleep is needed as these actions are done only while asleep.

If deprived of adequate sleep, great demands are made on your backup energy resources, rendering them unable to rebuild and recharge adequately. If you do this habitually, you can expect to have little resistance to disease and stress and an increase in irritability, while creativity, concentration, and efficiency suffer.

Sleep deprivation impairs judgment, causing values and priorities to change. Continued loss of sleep can result in exhaustion, depression, delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations. Losing as little as three hours of sleep in a single night can cut the effectiveness of your immune system in half.

Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to numerous serious medical conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, inflammation and pain, and even early mortality.

There are a variety of things we can do throughout the day to lay the groundwork for better sleep at night.

  • Engage in active exercise daily to best counteract mental and emotional fatigue.
  • Find an outdoor activity you enjoy and can do every day—sunshine, exercise, and fresh air promote sleep. The sweetest rest follows labor. “The sleep of a laboring man is sweet.” Ecclesiastes 5:12
  • Avoid caffeine, even during the day. It commonly causes insomnia. Avoid sleep aids that suppress REM sleep. Avoid alcohol. Skip TV viewing.
  • Maintain a regular schedule for going to bed and getting up, even on weekends.
  • An empty stomach promotes better sleep. Make evening meals light and eaten well before bedtime.
  • Sleep in a totally dark room. Turn off devices at least two hours before retiring.
  • Don’t rehearse the day’s problems at bedtime. Count your blessings and fill your mind with gratitude and thanksgiving. Take a warm bath. Drink herbal tea.
  • Seek a relationship with God who can bear your anxieties and refresh your spirit. Read the Scriptures. Pray.
  • Science has shown that “one day of rest per week” enhances work performance on the other six. Enjoy a Sabbath rest!

Try magnesium glycinate at the evening meal for physical and mental relaxation. Magnesium relaxes the muscles. Tension in the neck or shoulders and/or muscle twitches as well as leg and foot cramps could indicate a need for magnesium, which is depleted by chronic stress. Studies show that up to 80 percent of the population are low or deficient in magnesium.

Excerpts from drlesmoore.com; nutricoach.co.za; granitebaysda.org

“I know that from the testimonies given me from time to time, for brain workers, that sleep is worth far more before than after midnight. Two hours’ good sleep before twelve o’clock is worth more than four hours after twelve o’clock.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 7, 223

“Make it a habit not to sit up after nine o’clock. Every light should be extinguished. This turning night into day is a wretched, health-destroying habit.” Daughters of God, 177

“Give yourselves … give all that are under you the fullest amount of sleep they will take, by compelling them to go to bed at some regular hour, and to rise in the morning the moment they awake; and within a fortnight, nature, with almost the regularity of the rising sun, will unloose the bonds of sleep the moment enough repose has been secured for the wants of the system. This is the only safe and sufficient rule—and as to the question how much sleep one requires, each must be a rule to himself—great Nature will never fail to write it out to the observer under the regulations just given.—Dr. Spicer.” How to Live, 193

The Lord has encouraged us to work six days and rest the seventh. That is His plan for the proper balance between work and rest. “On the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” Genesis 2:2, 3

The ultimate rest is found in Jesus. Leave your burdens with the Lord and accept His peace and forgiveness. “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:29, 30

Restoring the Temple – The Laws of Health

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Our physical, mental, social, and spiritual health was a gift given to us at creation and should be greatly treasured by all. When man was created, he came from the Creator’s hand perfect in all four areas. At the end of the sixth day of creation, God said something He had not said on any other day: “And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31. Man continued in this perfect state until sin entered into the world through his own disobedience. Since that time man has deteriorated physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually, until death occurred as a result of sin. Just as God’s original design was for man’s complete perfection, so it is still God’s desire that we might obtain complete perfection. This He has commanded in His word, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48. Just as Adam and Eve’s continued perfection was based on their obedience, our perfection is based on our compliance to His Word.

The Ten Commandments are a testimony to His desire for our perfect spiritual health. As we obey the first four commands we obtain spiritual perfection in our relationship with Him. The last six testify to His desire that we live in peace and harmony with our fellow men. See Exodus 20:1-17. God spake these words that His people might not continue in sin. Exodus 20:20 says, “And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.” Also note verses 18–19. See also I John 2:1-5, especially noting the first part of verse 1 as follows, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.” With this background let us look at the Divine origin for our health.

In regard to health, God has certain expectations of us. First He expects us to learn the laws of health. Just as the natural world around us is governed by laws, there are laws central to and within our very being that we need to learn in order to be healthy. “God has placed it in our power to obtain a knowledge of the laws of health. He has made it a duty to preserve our physical powers in the best possible condition, that we may render to Him acceptable service. Those who refuse to improve the light and knowledge that have been mercifully placed within their reach are rejecting one of the means which God has granted them to promote spiritual, as well as physical life. They are placing themselves where they will be exposed to the delusions of Satan.” Counsels on Health, 454. Hosea 4:6 also makes it clear that God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou has rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.” Very clearly, God expects us to study the laws of our being and the laws of health.

Knowledge alone will not make us healthy. God also expects that we apply that knowledge in practice and obedience. “We have no right wantonly to violate a single principle of the laws of health.” HL,18. “Our first duty, one which we owe to God, to ourselves, and to our fellowmen, is to obey the laws of God, which include the laws of health.” HL, 24 The Bible also makes it very clear that we are to glorify God through our body: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” I Corinthians 6:19-20. So God’s second expectation of us is that we practice or obey the laws of health.

Thirdly, God expects us to teach the laws of health. “No teacher of truth should feel that his education is completed till he has studied the laws of health, and knows the bearing of right practices on the spiritual life. He should be qualified to speak to the people intelligently in regard to these things, and to set them an example that will give force to his words.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, 59. We must educate people in right principles of health if we ever expect people to have perfect physical, mental, social, and spiritual health.

When we comply with God’s expectations, then He can fulfill in us His desire for us to have perfect health. It is God’s desire that we have physical health equal to the prosperity of our soul. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 2. The Lord wants to restore health to us. “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 30:17. Isaiah 53:5 clarifies the role of Christ’s sufferings in our healing, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” All of us desire health, but none desire it more than God desires to give it to us!

If we comply with God’s expectations through obedience, then His word promises that He will give us health and vitality. “If thou wilt diligently harken to the voice of the Lord thy God and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26. We can go to Psalms 105:37 to see the fulfillment of this promise. Speaking of the Israelites who left Egypt, the Bible says, “He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.” It has been estimated by some historians that as many as one million people may have been part of the Exodus from Egypt. Is there anywhere before or since that we could find a million people in whom there was not one sign of feebleness? Daniel and the three Hebrew worthies are also examples of the results of obedience to God’s requirements concerning health. We have the faithful recording of what the results are when we refuse to defile ourselves with the meats and wines of the world. Daniel and his three companions were found to be fairer in countenance and ten times greater in knowledge and wisdom than all the wise men of Babylon. (See Daniel 1:1-21.)

We cannot ignore God’s expectations of us and violate the laws of our being and have good health. We must, through obedience, cooperate with God’s design if we ever hope to have the health that He wants to give us. As we learn, obey and teach God’s health laws, God will, as He has promised, bless us with good health and make us a shining light to reflect His glory. In future articles we shall look at these laws of health that can, if followed, result in our health, making us a shinning example of the power of God to the world around us.

Restoring the Temple – Water Foundation for Good Health

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“And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.” Exodus 23:25.

It is fortunate that one of the most important substances in the human body is also one of the most abundant on earth. Sixty percent of red blood cells, seventy-five percent of muscle tissue and ninety-two percent of blood plasma is water.1 It is essential for health for several reasons. Water’s power as a solvent keeps your lungs moist so oxygen can dissolve and move into your blood stream. It helps break down large nutrients so the body can use them more efficiently. It also serves as a lubricant to help the internal organs and joints slide over each other easily. Water is an amazing substance, and its uses in your body are almost limitless. You can live without food for several weeks, but without water you will die in only a few days. “In health and in sickness, pure water is one of Heaven’s choicest blessings. Its proper use promotes health. It is the beverage which God provided to quench the thirst of animals and man. Drunk freely, it helps to supply the necessities of the system, and assists nature to resist disease.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 419.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote, “Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.” Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. That may be the case for one stranded in the midst of the sea, but usually not a problem for most land-dwellers. Water is one of nature’s most abundant substances, yet from childhood on we are given practically every beverage but water. Tea, coffee, cow’s milk, carbonated beverages, alcoholic beverages—the list is endless. Many children learn to not like the taste of water and grow up to be adults who will drink almost anything but water. Yes, all those other fluids contain water. Some of them, like natural fruit juices and herbal teas, have value, but the body needs and craves pure water. Did you know that by the time you become thirsty you are already becoming dehydrated? Caffeinated beverages such as black tea, coffee and colas act as diuretics that actually pull more water out of your body, causing you to become more dehydrated. Many beverages contain an amazing amount of refined sugars that add empty calories to your diet and cause your blood sugar to soar and then drop. Milk contains saturated fat. Who wants to drink a glass of cholesterol? Milk also contains lactose, a sugar that the human body cannot digest, which may result in bloating and flatulence. The phosphorus that helps keep soda bubbly helps to break down your bone tissue and leads to osteoporosis; plus, it is scary to think of what laboratory compounds it takes to make your drinks those bright, happy colors!

“Thousands have died for want of pure water and pure air, who might have lived. . . . These blessings they need in order to become well. If they would become enlightened, and let medicine alone, and accustom themselves to outdoor exercise, and to air in their houses, summer and winter, and use soft water for drinking and bathing purposes, they would be comparatively well and happy instead of dragging out a miserable existence.” Ibid., 419.

Now, doesn’t a glass of clean, pure water sound great? Adults should drink a minimum of 2.5 quarts per day,2 more during and after exertion, since sweating can cause you to lose more than 1.5 quarts per hour.3 Our water input must equal or exceed our water output. How much do we lose each day? See the table for the approximate amount you need to replace daily. Not surprisingly, the average American consumes nowhere near that amount. When dehydrated you may see and feel the results; including thirst, dry skin, constipation, headaches, congestion, and dark, concentrated urine. That is just the tip of the iceberg in comparison to what is going on inside your organs during a water shortage. Each cell produces waste which now has no where to go. Toxins build up and your liver and kidneys work overtime trying to deal with these poisons. Those same toxins, with an adequate amount of pure water each day, would normally be flushed harmlessly out of the body.

What are the best sources of drinking water? Water purified by distillation is inexpensive and is the most pure, followed by filtered water, if an adequate filter has been used. You can find out what is in your tap water by contacting your water supplier and asking for their annual water quality report, or you can have an independent laboratory test a sample of your water. Private wells should be tested annually. Bottled water is not necessarily safer than tap water since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses the same water quality standards on both.4

Water’s natural cleansing properties, both internal and external, are well documented. Throughout the Scriptures these same cleansing and purification properties are identified in the spiritual sense. God commanded the priests to wash with water before entering the Tabernacle “that they die not.” Exodus 30:21. The spiritual purification is also a blessing, as seen in Psalms 1:3: “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Baptism is, of course, a lesson in the spiritual symbolism of water, representing both death to self and purification from sin. Jesus speaks of this symbolism by describing Living Water, which comes from Him, a substance that, after having partaken, should cause us never to thirst again. (See John 4:7-14.) Doesn’t that sound wonderful? “The channel of communication between earth and heaven must be kept free from all obstruction, that the soul may receive from Christ a supply of living water.” Manuscript 50, June 9, 1901, untitled manuscript.

Your body requires more water than dictated by your thirst. Water is necessary for life, health and vibrancy. You have seen a plant wilt and wither without water. How much more destruction occurs in the human body with a chronic water shortage? Keeping yourself well hydrated and cleansed with plenty of pure water and Living Water each day will make you both physically and spiritually blessed.

Water Output (loss per day)

Lungs (breathing) 350 ml
Skin (diffusion and sweat) 450 – 650 ml
Kidneys (urine) 900 – 1400 ml
Bowel Movements 150 ml
Total water loss 2600 ml or 2.6, quarts approximately

Restoring the Temple – Sunlight: Another Perspective

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Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun. Ecclesiastes 11:7.

With all the bad press sunshine has received in recent years, you would think the healthiest of all creatures would be moles, cave-dwelling bats, and coal miners. Indeed, certain cultures have spent an inordinate amount of time seeking a deep tan, that, coupled with other poor health practices, leads to premature aging of the skin and certain cancers.

Life is as dependent on sunlight as it is on water. There are multiple reasons why it is so necessary for life. All warmth on earth comes from the sun’s heat-producing rays, without which all life would quickly freeze and die. The sun is a mega-powerhouse of energy, a portion of which is transferred to energy in the human body. Earth receives ten times more energy from sunlight than from our planet’s entire supply of fossil fuels each year.1 Plants require specific segments of the color spectrum, or they will fail and die. A portion of the same ultraviolet (UV) light that causes tanning and sunburning is also responsible for producing vitamin D in the body. Incidentally, UV light does not produce vitamin D through glass, so sitting in a bright spot in your home will not help you get your daily dose.

UV rays from the sun change a chemical in your skin into an inactive form of vitamin D, which is then converted in the liver and kidneys to an active form of vitamin D.2 You need it, because it is an essential nutrient that helps your body absorb calcium from the food you eat. In this way, the vitamin aids in maintaining healthy bones and muscles. The vitamin is also available through supplementation, but as with other nutrients, vitamin D is best when received from the most natural of sources, the sun.

Sunlight is also an effective bactericide. Ellen White alludes to this when she recommends that even our bedding should be “exposed to the sunlight.” Child Guidance, 124.

This is not an excuse to throw caution to the wind, however. Doctors Dail and Thomas3 recommend a daily sunbath of no more than 30 minutes, which is sufficient for production of vitamin D. Healthy sun exposure takes into account time of day (never during midday), temperature, weather, altitude, time of year and your skin’s sensitivity to being burnt. Use common sense. It is always a good idea to discuss your plans with your doctor, especially if you are taking medications. If you are not accustomed to sun exposure, and particularly if you are light-skinned, it is a good idea to start slowly, as little as three minutes a day, until you are able to increase to the thirty minute maximum. Always keep the above factors in mind and keep your eyes closed during the sunbath.

In her writings, Ellen White repeatedly reinforces the necessity of sunlight as part of our God-given plan of health. She wrote a pledge, shown here only in part, that includes this valuable healing gift. “I must eat those things which will be for my very best good physically, and I must take special care to have my clothing such as will conduce to a healthful circulation of the blood. I must not deprive myself of exercise and air. I must get all the sunlight that it is possible for me to obtain. I must have wisdom to be a faithful guardian of my body. . . . And when I violate the laws God has established in my being, I am to repent and reform, and place myself in the most favorable condition under the doctors God has provided—pure air, pure water, and the healing, precious sunlight.” Ibid., 367. [Emphasis supplied.] Would it not be beneficial if we were to say this pledge to ourselves regularly?

The messenger tells us that sunlight is also an essential part of raising healthy children. “The little children should come especially close to nature. Instead of putting fashion’s shackles upon them, let them be free like the lambs, to play in the sweet, fresh sunlight. Point them to shrubs and flowers, the lowly grass and the lofty trees, and let them become familiar with their beautiful, varied, and delicate forms. Teach them to see the wisdom and love of God in His created works; and as their hearts swell with joy and grateful love, let them join the birds in their songs of praise.” Ibid., 48.

Astronaut John Glenn once said, “I don’t know what you could say about a day in which you have seen four beautiful sunsets.” Not many of us will get to have such an experience in this finite life, but in the meantime, we can enjoy a bit of sunlight every day, knowing that, with a little caution, we are doing good things for our bodies. We need to take advantage of the healing gift of sunlight, until “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.” Isaiah 60:19.

Food For Life – Exercise to the Glory of God

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Here it is the middle of summer! Can you believe time goes this quickly? What are you doing for exercise? Did you realize that exercise in God’s open air is one of the eight laws of health? And that you cannot have perfect health without it? So, let’s go to the Word of God and see just what He says about this fundamental rule of health.

In the book Counsels on Health, page 52, we read: “Another precious blessing is proper exercise. There are many indolent, inactive ones who are disinclined to physical labor or exercise because it wearies them. What if it does weary them? The reason why they become weary is that they do not strengthen their muscles by exercise, therefore they feel the least exertion. Invalid women and girls are better pleased to busy themselves with light employment, as crocheting, embroidering, or making tatting, than to engage in physical labor. If invalids would recover health, they should not discontinue physical exercise; for they will thus increase muscular weakness and general debility. Bind up the arm and permit it to remain useless, even for a few weeks, then free it from its bondage, and you will discover that it is weaker than the one you have been using moderately during the same time. Inactivity produces the same effect upon the whole muscular system. The blood is not enabled to expel the impurities as it would if active circulation were induced by exercise.

“When weather will permit, all who can possibly do so ought to walk in the open air every day, summer and winter. But the clothing should be suitable for the exercise, and the feet should be well protected. A walk, even in winter, would be more beneficial to the health than all the medicine doctors may prescribe. For those who can walk, walking is preferable to riding. The muscles and veins are enabled better to perform their work. There will be increased vitality, which is so necessary to health. The lungs will have needful action; for it is impossible to go out in the bracing air of a winter’s morning without inflating the lungs.

“Those who are always busy, and go cheerfully about the performance of their daily tasks, are the most happy and healthy. The rest and composure of night brings to their wearied frames unbroken slumber…

“Exercise will aid the work of digestion. To walk out after a meal, hold the head erect, put back the shoulders, and exercise moderately, will be a great benefit. The mind will be diverted from self to the beauties of nature. The less the attention is called to the stomach after a meal, the better. If you are in constant fear that your food will hurt you, it most assuredly will. Forget self, and think of something cheerful.

“Many labor under the mistaken idea that if they have taken cold, they must carefully exclude the outside air, and increase the temperature of their room until it is excessively hot. The system may be deranged, the pores closed by waste matter, and the internal organs suffering more or less inflammation, because the blood has been chilled back from the surface and thrown upon them. At this time, of all others, the lungs should not be deprived of pure, fresh air. If pure fresh air was ever necessary, it is when any part of the system, as the lungs or stomach is diseased.” Counsels on Health, 52, 53.

Bible Study Guides – The Blessing of Physical Health

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January 29, 2006 – February 4, 2006

Key Text

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31.

Study Help: The Ministry of Healing, 277–286, 295–310, 237–240.

Introduction

“Health is a blessing of which few appreciate the value; yet upon it the efficiency of our mental and physical powers largely depends. Our impulses and passions have their seat in the body, and it must be kept in the best condition physically and under the most spiritual influences in order that our talents may be put to the highest use.

“Anything that lessens physical strength enfeebles the mind and makes it less capable of discriminating between right and wrong. We become less capable of choosing the good and have less strength of will to do that which we know to be right.

“The misuse of our physical powers shortens the period of time in which our lives can be used for the glory of God. And it unfits us to accomplish the work God has given us to do. By allowing ourselves to form wrong habits, by keeping late hours, by gratifying appetite at the expense of health, we lay the foundation for feebleness. By neglecting physical exercise, by overworking mind or body, we unbalance the nervous system. Those who thus shorten their lives and unfit themselves for service by disregarding nature’s laws, are guilty of robbery toward God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 346.

1 What wish concerning our health did the Saviour express through His servant John? 111 John 2.

note: “The Saviour in His miracles revealed the power that is continually at work in man’s behalf, to sustain and to heal him. Through the agencies of nature, God is working, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, to keep us alive, to build up and restore us. When any part of the body sustains injury, a healing process is at once begun; nature’s agencies are set at work to restore soundness. But the power working through these agencies is the power of God. All life-giving power is from Him. When one recovers from disease, it is God who restores him.” The Ministry of Healing, 112, 113.

2 What did God promise to do for Israel if they served Him faithfully? Exodus 23:25; 15:26. Compare Matthew 8:17.

note: “Had they [the children of Israel] been willing to deny appetite in obedience to His [God’s] restrictions, feebleness and disease would have been unknown among them. Their descendants would have possessed physical and mental strength. They would have had clear perceptions of truth and duty, keen discrimination, and sound judgment. But they were unwilling to submit to God’s requirements, and they failed to reach the standard He had set for them, and to receive the blessings that might have been theirs. They murmured at God’s restrictions, and lusted after the fleshpots of Egypt. God let them have flesh, but it proved a curse to them.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 378.

3 To make it possible for Israel to enjoy the best of health, and to insure them against the physical evils of surrounding nations, what provision did God make for them? Leviticus 20:22, 23; Deuteronomy 23:14. (See Leviticus 11–15, 17.)

note: “Their [the children of Israel] obedience to the laws of God would make them marvels of prosperity before the nations of the world. He who could give them wisdom and skill in all cunning work would continue to be their teacher and would ennoble and elevate them through obedience to His laws. If obedient, they would be preserved from the diseases that afflicted other nations and would be blessed with vigor of intellect. The glory of God, His majesty and power, were to be revealed in all their prosperity. They were to be a kingdom of priests and princes. God furnished them with every facility for becoming the greatest nation on the earth.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 222.

4 What resulted when Israel did obey God? Psalm 105:37, last half.

note: “Christ had been the guide and teacher of ancient Israel, and He taught them that health is the reward of obedience to the laws of God. The Great Physician who healed the sick in Palestine had spoken to His people from the pillar of cloud, telling them what they must do, and what God would do for them. ‘If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God,’ He said, ‘and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.’ Exodus 15:26. Christ gave to Israel definite instruction in regard to their habits of life, and He assured them, ‘The Lord will take away from thee all sickness.’ Deuteronomy 7:15. When they fulfilled the conditions, the promise was verified to them.” The Desire of Ages, 824.

5 What does the psalmist say the Lord does for His people? Psalm 103:2, 3. While upon earth, what similar work did our Lord do for the people? Matthew 4:23.

note: “Jesus came to ‘destroy the works of the devil.’ ‘In Him was life,’ and He says, ‘I am come that they

might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ He is ‘a quickening spirit.’ 1 John 3:8; John 1:4; 10:10; 1 Corinthians 15:45. And He still has the same life-giving power as when on earth He healed the sick, and spoke forgiveness to the sinner. He ‘forgiveth all thine iniquities,’ He ‘healeth all thy diseases.’ Psalm 103:3.” The Desire of Ages, 270.

6 What are our bodies said to be? What are we urged to do? 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.

note: “God requires all men to render their bodies to Him a living sacrifice, not a dead or a dying sacrifice, a sacrifice which their own course of action is debilitating, filling with impurities and disease. God calls for a living sacrifice. The body, He tells us, is the temple of the Holy Ghost, the habitation of His Spirit, and He requires all who bear His image to take care of their bodies for the purpose of His service and His glory.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 70.

7 What will be the result of defiling God’s temple? 1 Corinthians 3:17.

note: “Israel’s sin at Beth-peor brought the judgments of God upon the nation, and though the same sins may not now be punished as speedily, they will as surely meet retribution. [1 Corinthians 3:17, first half, quoted.] Nature has affixed terrible penalties to these crimes—penalties which, sooner or later, will be inflicted upon every transgressor. It is these sins more than any other that have caused the fearful degeneracy of our race, and the weight of disease and misery with which the world is cursed. Men may succeed in concealing their transgression from their fellow men, but they will no less surely reap the result, in suffering, disease, imbecility, or death. And beyond this life stands the tribunal of the judgment, with its award of eternal penalties.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 461.

8 Whose life and example illustrate the stand every loyal Christian should take relative to physical health? Daniel 1:8–16.

note: “When Daniel was required to partake of the luxuries of the king’s table, he did not fly into a passion, neither did he express a determination to eat and drink as he pleased. Without speaking one word of defiance, he took the matter to God. He and his companions sought wisdom from the Lord, and when they came forth from earnest prayer their decision was made. With true courage and Christian courtesy, Daniel presented the case to the officer who had them in charge, asking that they might be granted a simple diet. These youth felt that their religious principles were at stake, and they relied upon God, whom they loved and served. Their request was granted, for they had obtained favor with God and with men.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 263.

9 For what purpose do men enter into training for athletic contests? How definitely will the one who gives himself to God’s service consecrate his physical powers? What objective did the apostle have in mind in subjecting his body to rigid discipline? 1 Corinthians 9:24–27.

note: “Those who ran the earthly race only ran at a venture. They might do the very best they could, and yet after all not receive the token of honor; for another might be a little in advance of them, and take the prize. Only one received the prize. But in the heavenly race we can all run and all receive the prize. There is no uncertainty, no risk, in the matter. We must put on the heavenly graces, and, with the eye directed upward to the crown of immortality, keep the Pattern ever before us.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 358.

10 How much does true temperance include?

Diet: Ecclesiastes 10:17.

note: “Those foods should be chosen that best supply the elements needed for building up the body. In this choice, appetite is not a safe guide. Through wrong habits of eating, the appetite has become perverted. Often it demands food that impairs health and causes weakness instead of strength. We cannot safely be guided by the customs of society. The disease and suffering that everywhere prevail are largely due to popular errors in regard to diet.” The Ministry of Healing, 295.

Pure Water: Daniel 1:12.

note: “In health and in sickness, pure water is one of heaven’s choicest blessings. Its proper use promotes health. It is the beverage which God provided to quench the thirst of animals and man. Drunk freely, it helps to supply the necessities of the system and assists nature to resist disease.” Ibid., 237.

Fresh Air: Genesis 2:15. Adam and Eve were placed in a fresh air environment.

note: “Impure air does not afford the necessary supply of oxygen, and the blood passes to the brain and other organs without being vitalized. Hence the necessity of thorough ventilation.” Ibid., 274.

“Air is the free blessing of Heaven; it invigorates the whole system. Deprived of pure air, the body becomes diseased, torpid, and enfeebled.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 160.

Rest: Mark 6:31; Ecclesiastes 5:12, first half; Matthew 11:28.

note: “When the laborer has been under a pressure of work and care, and is overworked in mind and body, he should turn aside and rest awhile, not for selfish gratification, but that he may be better prepared for future duties.” Christian Service, 247.

Exercise: Ecclesiastes 9:10.

note: “Each faculty of the mind and each muscle has its distinctive office, and all must be equally exercised in order to become properly developed and to retain healthful vigor.” Gospel Workers, 238.

“Proper periods of sleep and rest and an abundance of physical exercise are essential to health of body and mind. To rob nature of her hours for rest and recuperation, by allowing one man to do the work of four, or of three, or even of two, will result in irreparable loss.” Ibid., 423.

Dress: 1 Peter 3:3, 4.

note: “Our clothing, while modest and simple, should be of good quality, of becoming colors, and suited for service. It should be chosen for durability rather than display. It should provide warmth and proper protection. . . .

“In all respects the dress should be healthful.” The Ministry of Healing, 288.

Mental Peace: Proverbs 17:22; John 14:27.

note: “Courage, hope, faith, sympathy, love, promote health and prolong life. A contented mind, a cheerful spirit, is health to the body and strength to the soul.” Ibid., 241.

“When the sunlight of God’s love illuminates the darkened chambers of the soul, restless weariness and dissatisfaction will cease, and satisfying joys will give vigor to the mind and health and energy to the body.” Ibid., 247.

11 What would have been the result had God’s people carefully followed His instructions? Deuteronomy 28:2–6.

note: “The Lord gave His word to ancient Israel, that if they would cleave strictly to Him and do all His requirements, He would keep them from all the diseases such as He had brought upon the Egyptians; but this promise was given on the condition of obedience. Had the Israelites obeyed the instruction they received, and profited by their advantages, they would have been the world’s object lesson of health and prosperity. . . . Like faithfulness today will produce like results.” Testimonies, vol. 9, 165.

12 What are we all admonished to do? 1 Corinthians 10:31; Romans 12:1.

note: “Only one lease of life is granted us; and the inquiry with everyone should be, How can I invest my life so that it will yield the greatest profit? How can I do most for the glory of God and the benefit of my fellow men? For life is valuable only as it is used for the attainment of these objects. . . .

“Hence that time is spent to good account which is directed to the establishment and preservation of sound physical and mental health. We cannot afford to dwarf or cripple a single function of mind or body by overwork or by abuse of any part of the living machinery. As surely as we do this, we must suffer the consequences.” Temperance, 137

Food for Life – Laws of Health

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God has three expectations of us in regard to our health. First, He expects us to learn the laws of health. Just as the natural world around us is governed by laws, there are laws central to and within our very being that we need to learn in order to be healthy.

“God has placed it in our power to obtain a knowledge of the laws of health. He has made it a duty to preserve our physical powers in the best possible condition, that we may render to Him acceptable service. Those who refuse to improve the light and knowledge that have been mercifully placed within their reach are rejecting one of the means which God has granted them to promote spiritual as well as physical life. They are placing themselves where they will be exposed to the delusions of Satan.” Counsels on Health, 454.

In Hosea 4:6 we are told that not only are God’s people destroyed for lack of knowledge, but “because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.” God expects us to study the laws of our being and the laws of health.

Knowledge alone will not make us healthy. God also expects us to apply that knowledge in practice and obedience. “We have no right wantonly to violate a single principle of the laws of health.” Healthful Living, 18. “Our first duty, one which we owe to God, to ourselves, and to our fellowmen, is to obey the laws of God. These include the laws of health.” Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 12.

The Bible also makes it very clear that we are to glorify God through our bodies: “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20. (See also 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17.) God’s second expectation of us is that we practice or obey the laws of health.

Third, God expects us to teach the laws of health. “No teacher of truth should feel that his education is completed till he has studied the laws of health, and knows the bearing of right practices on the spiritual life. He should be qualified to speak to the people intelligently in regard to these things, and to set them an example that will give force to his words.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, 59. We must educate people in right principles of health if we expect them to have perfect physical, mental, social, and spiritual health.

Food – Laws of Health

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God expects us to learn the laws of health, to practice the laws of health, and to teach the laws of health. When we comply with God’s expectations, then He can fulfill in us His desire for us to have health. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” III John 2. Jeremiah 30:17 makes it very clear that the Lord wants to restore health to us: “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord.” All of us desire health, but none desire it more than God desires to give it to us.

If we comply with God’s expectations through obedience, then He can bless us with greater health than would be possible without our obedience and His blessing. This can mean a life that is healthy and filled with vitality. Exodus 15:26 says, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I [am] the Lord that healeth thee.” In Psalm 105:37 we see the fulfillment of this promise. Speaking of the Israelites that left Egypt, we read: “He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and [there was] not one feeble [person] among their tribes.” It has been estimated by some historians that as many as one million people may have been part of the exodus from Egypt. Where before or since could we find a million people on the planet earth in which there was not one feeble person among them?

Daniel and the three Hebrew worthies are also examples of the results of obedience to God’s requirements concerning health. In Daniel 1 is given the faithful recording of what the results are when we refuse to defile ourselves with the meats and wine of the world. Daniel and his three companions were found to be fairer in countenance and ten times greater in knowledge and wisdom than all the wise men of Babylon. (Daniel 1:1–21.)

We must, through obedience, cooperate with God’s design if we ever hope to have the health that He wants to give us. Regardless of our current health status, we can experience a greater blessing if we begin to faithfully obey God’s health laws. These laws are simple and available to everyone. An overview of these laws will be given in future LandMarks.

Food – NEW START

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NEW START™ is an acronym for eight laws of health.

These laws are:

Nutrition—one of the single most important factors in our overall health.

Exercise—a very important addition to our diet and benefits every body system.

Water—one of our greatest blessings and necessary for every cellular function.

Sunshine—required by all for the maintenance of life.

Temperance—moderation in things good and avoidance of all things hurtful.

Air—one of our vital necessities of life; we can live only minutes without it.

Rest—essential to the mental, physical, and social well-being of man.

Trust—trust in God brings health-imparting peace to every part of our body.

True health reformers need to know the eight laws of health and have an understanding of anatomy and physiology. Note the following groups of people that Ellen White says should know anatomy and physiology:

“It is well that physiology is introduced into the common schools as a branch of education. All children should study it.” Health Reformer, November 1, 1871.

“The plan upon which our brethren propose to work is to select some of the best and most substantial young men and women from Berrien Springs. … Thorough instruction will be given in Bible study, physiology, the history of our message; and special instruction will be given regarding the cultivation of the land. Letter 215, 1904.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 43, 44.

“The managers and teachers of schools should have been those who understood physiology, and who had an interest, not only to educate the youth in the sciences, but teach them how to preserve health, so that they might use their knowledge to the best account after they had obtained it.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 83.

“Our ministers should become intelligent on health reform. They need to become acquainted with physiology and hygiene; they should understand the laws that govern physical life, and their bearing upon the health of mind and soul.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 452.

“The science of education includes as full a knowledge of physiology as can be obtained. No one can properly understand his obligations to God unless he understands clearly his obligations to himself as God’s property. He who remains in sinful ignorance of the laws of life and health, or who willfully violates these laws, sins against God.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 295.

It is clear from the above statements that children, college age people, pastors, and everyone needs to learn anatomy and physiology. Next month we will look at the anatomy and physiology of digestion.

Acronym, NEW START, COPYRIGHTED BY Weimar Institute of Health & Education

www.newstart.com. Used by permission

Inspiration – Need of Education in Health Principles

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Education in health principles was never more needed than now. Notwithstanding the wonderful progress in so many lines relating to the comforts and conveniences of life, even to sanitary matters and to the treatment of disease, the decline in physical vigor and power of endurance is alarming. It demands the attention of all who have at heart the well-being of their fellow men.

Our artificial civilization is encouraging evils destructive of sound principles. Custom and fashion are at war with nature. The practices they enjoin, and the indulgences they foster, are steadily lessening both physical and mental strength, and bringing upon the race an intolerable burden. Intemperance and crime, disease and wretchedness, are everywhere.

Many transgress the laws of health through ignorance, and they need instruction. But the greater number know better than they do. They need to be impressed with the importance of making their knowledge a guide of life. The physician has many opportunities both of imparting a knowledge of health principles and of showing the importance of putting them in practice. By right instruction he can do much to correct evils that are working untold harm.

A practice that is laying the foundation of a vast amount of disease and of even more serious evils is the free use of poisonous drugs. When attacked by disease, many will not take the trouble to search out the cause of their illness. Their chief anxiety is to rid themselves of pain and inconvenience. So they resort to patent nostrums, of whose real properties they know little, or they apply to a physician for some remedy to counteract the result of their misdoing, but with no thought of making a change in their unhealthful habits. If immediate benefit is not realized, another medicine is tried, and then another. Thus the evil continues.

People need to be taught that drugs do not cure disease. It is true that they sometimes afford present relief, and the patient appears to recover as the result of their use; this is because nature has sufficient vital force to expel the poison and to correct the conditions that caused the disease. Health is recovered in spite of the drug. But in most cases the drug only changes the form and location of the disease. Often the effect of the poison seems to be overcome for a time, but the results remain in the system and work great harm at some later period.

By the use of poisonous drugs, many bring upon themselves lifelong illness, and many lives are lost that might be saved by the use of natural methods of healing. The poisons contained in many so-called remedies create habits and appetites that mean ruin to both soul and body. Many of the popular nostrums called patent medicines, and even some of the drugs dispensed by physicians, act a part in laying the foundation of the liquor habit, the opium habit, the morphine habit, that are so terrible a curse to society.

The only hope of better things is in the education of the people in right principles. Let physicians teach the people that restorative power is not in drugs, but in nature. Disease is an effort of nature to free the system from conditions that result from a violation of the laws of health. In case of sickness, the cause should be ascertained. Unhealthful conditions should be changed, wrong habits corrected. Then nature is to be assisted in her effort to expel impurities and to re-establish right conditions in the system.

Natural Remedies

Pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, trust in divine power—these are the true remedies. Every person should have a knowledge of nature’s remedial agencies and how to apply them. It is essential both to understand the principles involved in the treatment of the sick and to have a practical training that will enable one rightly to use this knowledge.

The use of natural remedies requires an amount of care and effort that many are not willing to give. Nature’s process of healing and upbuilding is gradual, and to the impatient it seems slow. The surrender of hurtful indulgences requires sacrifice. But in the end it will be found that nature, untrammeled, does her work wisely and well. Those who persevere in obedience to her laws will reap the reward in health of body and health of mind.

Too little attention is generally given to the preservation of health. It is far better to prevent disease than to know how to treat it when contracted. It is the duty of every person, for his own sake, and for the sake of humanity, to inform himself in regard to the laws of life and conscientiously to obey them. All need to become acquainted with that most wonderful of all organisms, the human body. They should understand the functions of the various organs and the dependence of one upon another for the healthy action of all. They should study the influence of the mind upon the body, and of the body upon the mind, and the laws by which they are governed.

Training for Life’s Conflict

We cannot be too often reminded that health does not depend on chance. It is a result of obedience to law. This is recognized by the contestants in athletic games and trials of strength. These men make the most careful preparation. They submit to thorough training and strict discipline. Every physical habit is carefully regulated. They know that neglect, excess, or carelessness, which weakens or cripples any organ or function of the body, would ensure defeat.

How much more important is such carefulness to ensure success in the conflict of life. It is not mimic battles in which we are engaged. We are waging a warfare upon which hang eternal results. We have unseen enemies to meet. Evil angels are striving for the dominion of every human being. Whatever injures the health, not only lessens physical vigor, but tends to weaken the mental and moral powers. Indulgence in any unhealthful practice makes it more difficult for one to discriminate between right and wrong, and hence more difficult to resist evil. It increases the danger of failure and defeat.

“They which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize.” I Corinthians 9:24. In the warfare in which we are engaged, all may win who will discipline themselves by obedience to right principles. The practice of these principles in the details of life is too often looked upon as unimportant—a matter too trivial to demand attention. But in view of the issues at stake, nothing with which we have to do is small. Every act casts its weight into the scale that determines life’s victory or defeat. The scripture bids us, “So run, that ye may obtain.” Verse 24.

With our first parents, intemperate desire resulted in the loss of Eden. Temperance in all things has more to do with our restoration to Eden than men realize.

Pointing to the self-denial practiced by the contestants in the ancient Greek games, the apostle Paul writes: “Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” Verses 25–27.

The progress of reform depends upon a clear recognition of fundamental truth. While, on the one hand, danger lurks in a narrow philosophy and a hard, cold orthodoxy, on the other hand there is great danger in a careless liberalism. The foundation of all enduring reform is the law of God. We are to present in clear, distinct lines the need of obeying this law. Its principles must be kept before the people. They are as everlasting and inexorable as God Himself.

One of the most deplorable effects of the original apostasy was the loss of man’s power of self-control. Only as this power is regained can there be real progress.

The body is the only medium through which the mind and the soul are developed for the upbuilding of character. Hence it is that the adversary of souls directs his temptations to the enfeebling and degrading of the physical powers. His success here means the surrender to evil of the whole being. The tendencies of our physical nature, unless under the dominion of a higher power, will surely work ruin and death.

The body is to be brought into subjection. The higher powers of the being are to rule. The passions are to be controlled by the will, which is itself to be under the control of God. The kingly power of reason, sanctified by divine grace, is to bear sway in our lives.

The requirements of God must be brought home to the conscience. Men and women must be awakened to the duty of self-mastery, the need of purity, freedom from every depraving appetite and defiling habit. They need to be impressed with the fact that all their powers of mind and body are the gift of God, and are to be preserved in the best possible condition for His service.

In that ancient ritual which was the gospel in symbol, no blemished offering could be brought to God’s altar. The sacrifice that was to represent Christ must be spotless. The word of God points to this as an illustration of what His children are to be—“a living sacrifice,” “holy and without blemish,” “well-pleasing to God.” Romans 12:1, R.V., margin; Ephesians 5:27.

The Ministry of Healing, 125–130.