oil

Green Pastures and the Oil

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I thoroughly enjoy spending time in the green pastures that our Lord has provided for us. These pastures are so green and luscious that there are times I do not want to leave because it is so comforting. While I was lying down in these green pastures I was directed to read Matthew 25:1–4:

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five [were] foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.”

As a little girl, I went camping with my family quite often. In preparation for the campout we had to gather all of our clothing, food, snacks, etc. Of course I thought the best part of camping was gathering all of the food. But my mother was always concerned about having enough oil for the lanterns. She did not like being out of oil because she used it for cooking and lighting.

I remember one time we got everything packed into our station wagon and took off to the hills for camping. We arrived there in plenty of time and got all the tents set up and tables for the food. As it started to get dark, Mom got the matches out to light the lantern. She noticed there was only a little oil in the bottom of the lamp. She called for my dad and asked him to bring the oil so she could fill the lamp. He looked and looked and could not find any and then he realized he had forgotten to bring extra oil. So we tried to conserve on the little oil that we had, but soon our lamp went out. I remember Mom not being very happy with Dad because once the lamp was empty, we no longer had any light for inside of our tents.

So the scripture I read above had much meaning for me. I knew how it felt at the moment our lamp went out—it was dark. How do you suppose those virgins felt when their lamps went out? When the oil ran out?

All of the virgins, professed Christians, professed a pure faith and had their lamps with them, just like you and me. Our lamps are the Word of God, those green pastures. The oil that goes into those lamps is the Holy Spirit that makes those green pastures so luscious and meaningful.

All of these virgins, Christians, who professed a pure faith were carrying lamps (the Word of God), but only half of them had oil in their vessels—or only half of them had the Holy Spirit working in them. As I pondered this I prayed for extra oil.

For the longest time, no difference could be seen in the virgins. They all looked the same. Just amazing! All had lamps and vessels for oil. All had a knowledge of the scriptures. All had heard the message of Christ’s near approach. All had confidently expected His appearing at any time.

The wise had oil, the Holy Spirit had transformed their hearts that they bore the fruit of love, joy and peace that you can read of in Galatians 5.

Are these fruits transforming your heart while you are tarrying in the green pastures? Are others influenced by these fruits that are flowing from you? This oil is necessary for your light to shine. The wise had these fruits of the Holy Spirit. They had the character of Christ—Christ’s righteousness, the wedding garment. You see, character preparation begins while you are tarrying in the green pastures and continues with the added oil of the Holy Spirit.

If you do not have those fruits— love, joy, and peace—you need to quickly enter the green pastures and plead for the oil of the Holy Spirit to permeate your being and to flow forth to touch others that their hearts may be drawn heavenward to our God. Don’t be foolish. In the parable the foolish had no oil. They had no fruits of the Holy Spirit. In other words, they had no heavenly love, heavenly joy, heavenly peace. When they sat in the green pastures, they were not comforted. They did not think they needed any more oil. Their characters were not Christlike. The foolish thought they were okay, but it was their self-righteousness that they were reflecting. They had no wedding garment on, just their common citizen’s clothing. They had a form of godliness—but no fruits of the Holy Spirit. They were unaware of their spiritual condition.

They were foolish virgins. I do not want to be foolish. I do not believe you want to be foolish either. They evidently did not listen to the counsel of Jesus in Revelation 3, verse 18, where He says “to buy of me gold,” that faith and love, the fruits of the Holy Spirit; “buy of me white raiment,” the purity of character, the heavenly garment—Christ’s righteousness.

That is really a terrible thought to think that we may be foolish and unaware of it. Now is the time to pray for the Holy Spirit while spending time in those green pastures, and don’t quit praying until you see the fruits of the Holy Spirit working in your life.

Through the Holy Spirit, God’s Word is a light as it becomes a transforming power in the life of the receiver. The Holy Spirit implants into your hearts the principles of His Word. It develops in us the attributes of God, and then the light of His glory—His character is to shine forth in His followers.

Character is not transferable. No man can impart to another the character which is the fruit of the Spirit’s working.

What happens when we spend time in the green pastures the Lord has provided for us and we receive the oil of the Holy Spirit? Look at Isaiah 60:1: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” Now is the time to arise and shine for thy light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. That is the character of the Lord. Read the following carefully and prayerfully:

“The two classes of watchers [in the parable of the ten virgins] represent the two classes who profess to be waiting for their Lord. They are called virgins because they profess a pure faith. The lamps represent the Word of God. … The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. …

“In the parable, all the ten virgins went out to meet the bridegroom. All had lamps and vessels for oil. For a time there was seen no difference between them. So with the church that lives just before Christ’s second coming. All have a knowledge of the Scriptures. All have heard the message of Christ’s near approach, and confidently expect His appearing. But as in the parable, so it is now. A time of waiting intervenes, faith is tried; and when the cry is heard, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him,’ [Matthew 25:6.] many are unready. … They are destitute of the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit of God a knowledge of His Word is of no avail. The theory of truth, unaccompanied by the Holy Spirit, cannot quicken the soul or sanctify the heart. … Without the enlightenment of the Spirit, men will not be able to distinguish truth from error, and they will fall under the masterful temptations of Satan. …

“We cannot be ready to meet the Lord by waking when the cry is heard, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom!’ and then gathering up our empty lamps to have them replenished. … In the parable the wise virgins had oil in their vessels with their lamps. Their light burned with undimmed flame through the night of watching. … So the followers of Christ are to shed light into the darkness of the world. Through the Holy Spirit, God’s word is a light as it becomes a transforming power in the life of the receiver. By implanting in their hearts the principles of His word, the Holy Spirit develops in men the attributes of God. The light of His glory—His character—is to shine forth in His followers.

“Ask God to give you much of the oil of His grace.” God’s Amazing Grace, 214.

While you are in the green pastures, ask Him for much more oil. Jesus is coming soon and we need much, much more. Each day as you return to the green pastures, make that your most important request. Our character is the only thing we will be taking with us and we are to cultivate daily our character attributes.

“Day by day we are to seek the enlightenment of the Spirit of God, that it may do its office work upon the soul and character.” The Review and Herald, March 29, 1892.

“Many receive the truth readily, but they fail to assimilate truth, and its influence is not abiding. They are like the foolish virgins, who had no oil in their vessels with their lamps. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, which is brought into the soul through faith in Jesus Christ. Those who earnestly search the Scriptures with much prayer, who rely upon God with firm faith, who obey his commandments, will be among those who are represented as wise virgins.” The Review and Herald, September 17, 1895.

“They [foolish virgins] had lamps,—a knowledge of the truth,—but no living connection with God. They were not vitalized by the Holy Spirit. They went out as those who were wise, but they were wise only in their own conceit; for they had no saving faith in Christ as their personal Saviour. They had not been growing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” The Youth’s Instructor, January 4, 1894.

“They cannot obtain a character from the wise virgins, and they have no oil of grace to discern the clear light or to accept it. They cannot light their lamps and join the procession that goes in to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Special Testimonies for Ministers and Workers, 55.

Remember the green pastures where I started? That is where I was fed all of the above. In Jeremiah 15:16, it says: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.” Where else are you able to find such nourishing and satisfying food? The only place I have found it is in the Lord’s green pastures where you can ask for oil and it will be given to you in abundance. Truly in His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures forever more. (Psalm 16:11.) I invite you to spend time in these green pastures—the feast is fantastic and pleasant to the taste.

Our God has promised to supply all our need (Philippians 4:19) if we will come to Him. It is easy to forget that we are His sheep. We also tend to forget that the Lord is our Shepherd. Come to Him right now. Walk into that green pasture and lie down. Say with all your heart, “The Lord [is] my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1. They that seek the Lord shall not want or lack any good thing. Tarry there, because He will lead you beside the still waters. He will restore your soul. He will lead you in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. (Verses 2, 3.) He will supply you with all of the oil that you can handle. Don’t be foolish. Don’t let your lamps go out because you did not take the time to settle into the green pastures and ask for that extra oil.

Our Shepherd is waiting for you. By the way, when you lie down in those green pastures, He will lead you beside the still waters. Did you know that sheep drink only from still waters? A turbulent movement of the water frightens them. Some of the waters in our life are not still and some of those pastures in our life are not green. We as Christians need a quiet time each day for meditation. “In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15, last part. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10. Are you being still? It takes a quiet time and place for our characters to grow like our Lord’s. “When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ Psalm 46:10. … He who is thus refreshed will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. He will receive a new endowment of both physical and mental strength. His life will breathe out a fragrance, and will reveal a divine power that will reach men’s hearts.” The Ministry of Healing, 58.

Do you know what the fragrance is? It is the fragrance of the Holy Spirit transforming your heart. It is the oil being poured out upon you. You and I are to be lights in this world. We must come to the green pastures to be nourished. We must yield ourselves to be led by the still waters so He can restore our souls; so He can lead us in those wonderful paths of righteousness.

Don’t be foolish. Come while the gate is open to those green pastures and still waters. Come now while the oil is still flowing. It is time that you and I “arise and shine.” (Isaiah 60:1.) It is time for the glory of the Lord, the character of the Lord to be risen upon us. Come, sit and be refreshed just now. Plead for the outpouring of His Holy Spirit—the oil that feeds the light. “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and given them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.” Zechariah 10:1. What a feast is provided right now for you and me in those green pastures.

Judy Hallingstad has recently joined our LandMarks team. She can be contacted by email at: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

Health – That Hungry Brain

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In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Every known thing today had its origin in the six days of creation week. On the sixth day man was formed of the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7), from the very same elements from which the earth was created. God blessed our first parents, Adam and Eve, instructing them to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth, giving them dominion or rulership of all of creation. In order to have dominion over the earth that is around you, you must have dominion over the earth from which you are made.

God gave the human race every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it would be theirs for food (Genesis 1:29).

The nutrition, the elements from the ground in the foods that we eat, and our lifestyle, has a direct reflection on our general health and also brain functions and thoughts. We know that the physical structure of the brain is the medium through which the mind works to receive spiritual messages and enable a relationship with God.

If you build a house, it must be built from the basement up and not from the attic down. The body is the physical foundation, the basement is the structure of your life and the brain is the centerpiece of our interface with God. Without a sound physical structure, there will be impairments in our relationship with God. Nutrition influences memory so that the brain, the capacity to learn, and the ability to have self-control over behavior and moods are affected by the food eaten.

Each day we ingest any number of compounds that we know influence mental function. We do not want to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol but under the influence of the Holy Spirit. That is the influence that convicts us to eat according to the will and word of God. We are in a battle for the brain, the operating mechanism of the mind. God does not talk to your finger or your toe; He communicates with your mind.

If a person decides not to eat vegetables, they may very well become one! Repeated poor food choices and eating habits can set fundamental patterns in the production of the brain chemicals that regulate appetite and mood so that they become a victim of mood swings, food cravings, poor sleeping habits, and other emotional problems.

Diseases That Dull The Brain

We know that the enemy seeks to destroy, and his ultimate purpose is to separate all whom he can from God. The brain is continually stressed if the body does not get enough rest or exercise, and is continually being eroded, making it impossible to make intelligent decisions to stand for truth.

An experiment was carried out on 1,800 people who were tested on their learning and memory ability. They were poor performers because of the presence of diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and smoking, all of which negatively affect brain function.

It was discovered that one risk factor caused a 23% decline in performance. If another risk factor was added, there was a further 23% decline. The more risk factors a person had, the greater the risk of developing memory and learning impairments. One risk factor is 23% decline. Two risk factors, 46%. Three risk factors, 69%. Four risk factors, 91%. If there are five risk factors the person is in big trouble! What did Jesus say? If the good man is not at home, the thief will come to crush, kill, and destroy. The enemy wants to get in there and decapitate you through lifestyle measures while you are sitting there eating food.

Elevated LDL cholesterol is linked to a four-fold increase of dementia. Dementia is senior moments that stay. You just can’t remember what you were going to say and you just hope the person you are standing in front of will have mercy, and say he/she has senior moments too!

Elevated total cholesterol is linked to a three-fold increased risk of dementia. Dementia means mental, thinking, inability to think, because the enemy has been stealing his way into the brain through our foods. God would have us eat according to His purposes and His design so that we may function with optimal performance.

The Purpose of Eating

The purpose of eating is to receive nourishment. We are admonished in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” We should be more mindful of eating only that which is nourishing, according to God’s purpose.

The heart feeds blood to the brain. Foods that are eaten are processed through the digestive system; then through the liver before entering into the bloodstream and circling around the body and then feed the mind. It has been found that older diabetic women have a 74% increased risk of inability to think because of diabetes. The brain cells which fire electrical messages have pathways where nerve transmission moves along by various codes and circuits. These brain circuits are made up of brain cells which are nourished by what is put into the body.

The Purpose of Drinking

The body needs hydration and also cleansing. It is God’s purpose that we keep the body that He gave us healthy, eating that which is nourishing, and drinking according to that which is cleansing. Some beverages, e.g., soda pop, alcohol, coffee, to mention a few, which are consumed in extremely large amounts, are not beneficial for either hydration or cleansing. Some nutritious beverages like juices consumed appropriately meet another purpose. These should be consumed in moderation. Drinking pure clean water not only hydrates the body, but refreshes and also cleanses. There are also a number of herb teas that are cleansing or nourishing, or both.

We transgress the law when we “knoweth to do good, and doeth it not” (James 4:17); by killing ourselves slowly on the installment plan or by neglecting the laws of health, it is still murder. The enemy wants to destabilize the physical foundation so that the attic comes tumbling down. And the enemy wants to destroy your body so that your mind cannot know God. We have been told that God will say to some, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23), because you were not able to know Him.

Studies have been done on the effect of insulin resistance on the pancreas, the retina, and other organs. What about the effect on the brain? No one seems to consider the brain. For every Alzheimer’s patient, there are eight older people who suffer enough memory loss to significantly harm their quality of life, yet have no dementia-causing disease. This is because the physical body is being so stressed that the mind is being drained. Diets high in saturated fats, refined foods, and refined sugars cause brain drain.

Drinking beverages that are not cleansing to the body causes the body to rebel. The body begins to marshal water from the muscles and other parts of the body in an attempt to dilute whatever has been put into the stomach before passing into the intestines, and then into the bloodstream, and liver. The body gets all the water it can and tries to rush it over to the kidneys demanding them to “do your job; get rid of that stuff, because this guy doesn’t know what he’s doing!” These stimulating, dehydrating drinks are destroying us as a people.

If the brain is not sufficiently hydrated, it may lead to impairment with respect to reasoning. The thing that separates man from the animal kingdom is the ability to reason. Man has been so equipped with the power of choice but, if the right electricity is not supplied, the equipment will not function and learning, reaction time, alertness, among other things, are affected. When found in a difficult spiritual situation, it is imperative to be able to reason correctly, and be able to react in a quick fashion. Some of the ways the brain is tested with mental status examinations are to check if the attention span is impaired, concentration, the working memory, dialing a phone number, and picture recognition.

A person who is always making lists, and never completing any of them, may be suffering from poor eating habits. Word recall, abstract reasoning, and being able to conceptualize the message require understanding concepts and intellectual performance. All of these things are affected: short-term memory; long-term memory; spatial memory, like a rat in a maze; logical memory.

High fat and sugar cause problems with the structure of the brain, affecting its function. High fat and sugar alter blood sugar metabolism, promoting high insulin levels and hinder the oxygen-nutrient access causing free-radical damage.

Twenty years ago anti-oxidants and free radicals were unheard of, but now this is common language in the medical field. These things cause damage to the body when not eating healthfully, impeding circulation and intensifying nutrient deficiencies and hormones in the brain so that the nerve cells are damaged.

Time For an Oil Change

The body needs oil and the body needs cholesterol, but the stomach does not need cholesterol. Cholesterol does not need to be ingested. The body makes cholesterol from the fats that you eat, from the right fats, so we need an oil change. Taking out that old, dirty oil and replacing it with good oil may improve the attention and cognitive function, and in the elderly, lower the LDL cholesterol and elevate the HDL. LDL is the bad type just because we generally have it too high. The HDL is supposed to be high because it functions to help keep things in balance.

Exercise is the main thing that helps HDL, and proper diet lowers the LDL.

Plant foods provide phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, superior fats, and superior proteins. Plant foods promote lower dementia risk. Remember your veggies. If you don’t eat your vegetables, you might become one! If you don’t eat your vegetables, your brain is going to be drained and will not be able to function properly. Low fruit and vegetable intake is linked to higher levels of damage to nerve tissue, resulting in shrinkage of vital memory centers.

Antioxidants have a beneficial effect on almost any degenerative human disease. Eat smart to be smart!

May God give us a desire to want to serve Him fully and to be loyal to Him so that we will not be slowly impressed with the enemy’s character and paralyzed from the neck up, but that we will have His liberating influence and receive His seal.

Used by permission by Vicki Griffin and produced by Hope Media Ministry. Visit the website at www.hopevideo.com. Hope Media Ministry, P.O. Box 752, Ada, Michigan 49301

Health – Olive Oil

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Olive oil is recommended for culinary as well as medicinal use—only the first-pressed, or virgin, unrefined olive oil, as the later pressings do not yield the same medicinal factors. Virgin olive oil is made by simple traditional processes, without heat, without refining, bleaching, degumming and deodorizing. If an olive oil is not labeled virgin, you can be sure that it is non-virgin and may have gone through any of these treatments. These refined oils negatively affect human health.

Olive oil contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid, in quantities from 3.5% to 20%, averaging 10%. It also contains the essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid from 0.1% to 0.6%. This makes olive oil not a significant source of the essential fatty acids which should be procured from other sources, notably flaxseed oil. Olive oil does contain some lecithin, which can help with liver functions.

The special health-enhancing functions of olive oil are found mainly in its minor constituents. These are only present in the unrefined or virgin oil. They include beta carotene, or pro-vitamin A, and tocopherols, or vitamin E. Also included are chlorophyll, squalene, which is heart-protective, and phytosterols, which protect against cholesterol absorption from foods.

Virgin olive oil improves brain maturity and function in animals deficient in essential fatty acids. These research results almost assuredly transfer to humans as well, because brain development and function are similar in both animals and humans.

Olive oil has other components with specific beneficial effects:

Beta-sitosterol lowers high cholesterol levels.

Triterpenic acids are anti-inflammatory.

Caffeic and gallic acids stimulate the flow of bile. Gallic acid also inhibits lactic dehydrogenase in the liver, a sign of liver malfunction.

Phenolic compounds protect against peroxidation of fatty acids and cholesterol. 2-phenylethanol stimulates the production of fat-digesting enzymes in the pancreas.

Triterpenic acids (only found in olive oil) stimulate pancreatic enzymes.

Cycloartenol, stored in the liver, lowers the amount of circulating cholesterol and increases bile secretion.

One of the most significant reasons for using virgin olive oil is that virtually every other oil on the market has been damaged by heat in its preparation. In practical terms, heat and chemically damaged oils are extremely dangerous to the health.

A Little History

Olives are said to have come into cultivation around the end of 4000 B.C. in the Near East and southeast Europe. In Israel and surrounding areas, olive trees grow everywhere, and in many areas it is the only tree that can be seen. Olive oil was used lavishly by the Egyptians for the hair and the skin, as well as in all sorts of ceremonies.

An even earlier reference to the tree comes in Genesis 8:11, where the dove brings back the plucked leaf of the olive tree to Noah as a signal that the land is drained and they can now leave the Ark. Some authorities say that this olive leaf was really a tamarisk, but most scholars believe that it was olive, which had to come from a tree so common that it could be identified from a single leaf. Both the olive tree and the dove are symbols of peace and friendship, probably originating from the Noah story. The olive leaf or branch is regarded almost universally as a symbol of peace. This is true in almost every land. Early navigators found that green olive branches carried in the hands or placed in the ground were everywhere used and understood as emblems of peace among all the islanders, including those in the South Seas. The Greeks prayed for prosperity and peace with green olive boughs held in their hands, garlands around their necks and crowns upon their heads. It was also the custom of the Greeks, especially of the Athenians, to carry an olive branch to the homes of their neighbors on the day of the new year as a symbol of peaceful intentions. Among the Chinese, disputes or quarrels were settled by sending the offended person an olive wrapped in red paper.

Olive oil has always been a symbol of prosperity and divine blessing, beauty, luxury, and strength. It was so abundantly cultivated in Bible times that the expression olive yards is quite often coupled with vineyards and grain fields in descriptions of the land. Almost every Middle Eastern village has its olive grove or orchards. Even though the tree is comparatively plentiful today, it used to be even more cultivated. There are many oil presses in archaeological sites throughout the Middle East which indicate that the olive was much more important than it is now.

The tree requires years of patient labor before reaching full fruitfulness, implying a certain degree of peace. A hostile army could, in a few days, destroy the work of two generations. Perhaps this may have something to do with its being an emblem of peace. Enemies of a village or of an individual today in the Middle East often carry out revenge by cutting away a ring of bark from the trunks of the olive trees, killing them in a few months.

Olive oil is recommended for weak persons who cannot seem to gain weight. Dr. John Christopher tells of a young man who was unable to ingest food because his system would reject anything he took internally. Unwilling to undergo intravenous feeding, he was given olive oil massages daily. The olive oil fed into his system and nourished him until, with the use of other therapies, he was able to eat food again. Dr. John Christopher commented that, as far as his health was concerned, he might be better off with the olive oil nourishment than with some of the junk food he might be tempted to eat! Babies who are teething or whose digestive systems are otherwise upset can be nourished with olive oil massage in the same way. After a good, warm bath, the skin absorbs the oil very well.

Soldiers in World War 1 were treated with an emulsified olive oil to help with shell shock or nervous conditions. In Greece, where heart and artery problems are very low, olive oil is consumed freely. Blood cholesterol is said to be reduced with the use of olive oil. Studies in France indicated that the use of olive oil reduces blood cholesterol from 14 to 26 percent. Patients were given as much olive oil to drink as they wanted, but no other oil or fat.

Olive oil taken internally is also reported to protect against the bad effects of x-rays and irradiation. Laboratory studies conducted on mice, which were exposed to doses of irradiation, showed that the animals whose diets were fortified with olive oil received no damage to the liver, kidneys and lungs, as well as any adverse reactions with the skin and hair. Of course, Dr. John Christopher and his students deplore the use of animals in such experiments.

Olive oil is used as an important part of Dr. John Christopher’s treatment for gallstones and kidney stones. The oil causes strong healthy contractions of the gall bladder, greatly favoring complete emptying, which prevents the bile from backing up and clogging. Most treatments involve taking olive oil and lemon before bed, following up in the morning with hot water or apple juice.

Dr. H.C.A. Vogel, the famous herbalist of Switzerland, said that an Italian woman came to him with a case of gallstones which she was afraid of having removed surgically. As he knew that Italians can swallow oil easily, he recommended an olive oil cure. First, he said that the intestinal tract had to be thoroughly cleansed by soaked prunes or flaxseed. Then swallow 4 to 14 ounces of virgin olive oil. Lie down, turn over on the right side, and remain in that position for two hours. The lady followed these instructions and came back to him beaming; a lot of stones came away and the operation was unnecessary. The lady’s doctor could not believe it. Not everyone can take a pint of oil as that lady did, but smaller quantities taken over a few days can help remove small stones.

Olive oil taken internally will strengthen the gums and improve the hair. Italian hair was often preferred for wigs because the olive oil gave it such a marvelous healthy texture.

Olive oil can be applied to burns. It is used on skin inflammations, to protect an injured surface from air and from germs, and can be applied to any wounds, bruises, sores, stings, and so on.

Dr. John Christopher used olive oil exclusively for preparing herbal oils. Such a preparation made with St. Johns Wort is recommended for wounds, sores and abrasions. It can be used on the skin to remove crusts and scales and facilitate smooth skin. In Israel, it is used as a skin dressing and also on the hair, although most westerners prefer a less oily appearance. It can be rubbed into dry skin and cuticles to keep them soft. It can be used for massage for the feet, as an aid to reflexology. It is used with oil of rosemary to control dandruff. Many women apply the oil to the eyelashes and fingernails to strengthen them. You probably know of the familiar hot olive oil treatment to strengthen hair. Warmed olive oil is applied to hair and scalp and rubbed in well. The head is wrapped with a warm towel and the application is allowed to cool. The hair is shampooed and the resulting texture is wonderful.

Olive oil is sometimes used for engorged breasts during nursing. One part witch hazel and ten parts olive oil are mixed and applied to the breast frequently. This gives speedy relief to the pain and reduces the swelling. If you cannot bathe a bedridden person, you can dampen a cotton ball and moisten it with olive oil to clean the skin. This is soothing and cleansing at the same time.

Garlic oil is made by steeping peeled and cut garlic cloves in olive oil. Strain after a day or two and it is ready for use. This can be warmed and put into the ears for ear infections.

Knowing what we do about damaged commercial oils, we use olive oil in almost all of our food preparations. We put it in homemade salad dressing, sauté with it, and use it as a dressing on vegetables. In Israel, people dip their pita bread in olive oil. In Spain, people spread olive oil on their bread or toast, often adding minced garlic and salt.

A suggestion would be that you use either olive or flaxseed oil for all your food preparations.