We are rapidly approaching a critical point in the destruction of the United States of America. The democrat machine, led by the once popular Barack Obama, is steamrolling through congress an unpopular, destructive, unfathomably expensive "health care reform" -- that is their label for the democrat takeover of 1/6 of the economy of the USA.
They have progressed to the point that there is no obvious way for patriotic Americans to stop them. They appear to have the votes to stop debate and pass the bill. There are not enough known votes to block them.
What they have not counted on is the power of prayer. As Christian patriots unite in prayer to Almighty God to preserve this Union that was established by His mighty hand, He is able to block the traitors in their foul plans. At least one senator has ridiculed calls for prayer to stop the betrayal of our nation. He does not seem to know about the Tower of Babel when mankind chose to oppose God.
Although I can not say what God's plans for our once-great nation are, I am confident that He is ABLE to turn the vote any way He chooses. It is my fervent prayer that He will thwart the "unstoppable" plans of the majority and preserve and protect our nation.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Hoxsey Therapy
Following a recommendation by Andreas Moritz (more about him another time), I found information regarding Hoxsey Therapy. At first glance, it reminds me of Gerson Therapy -- both were very effective at curing many cancers until hounded out of the country by the medical industry and government regulators.
For a seven page report that balances both the accusations against Harry Hoxsey and the support his patients gave him, see that report on healthy.net. As I learn more, I'll offer updates.
For a seven page report that balances both the accusations against Harry Hoxsey and the support his patients gave him, see that report on healthy.net. As I learn more, I'll offer updates.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
My Take on Health Care Reform
WARNING: THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS BIASED! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
A dominant current news item is the attempt to “reform” health care, with focus on who controls payment. The Congress is spending weeks on end debating openly as well as plotting in formerly-smoke-filled rooms how to put together a bill that will pass both houses, regardless the low opinion of such action held by a majority of US voters. Though by no means certain, it is quite possible that they will succeed in establishing a new entitlement program that will bankrupt the nation and still not provide any improvement in health care in this once-great nation.
The potential for ruin of our health care only emphasizes the need for each of us to take personal responsibility for our individual wellness. The only sure way that I can see to avoid having the government determine what doctor I can see or what medications I will be provided or how long I have to wait for a joint replacement is not to need them.
I can only wish that I could guarantee wellness for everyone who practices the best possible wellness care. Although I have discovered countless reports of recovered wellness after severe illness or injury, each of us is different. What worked for someone else may not have the same result for me. When I look at the variety of diet books available, I imagine that for someone, each book is the right path. The road most traveled, also known as the Standard American Diet (SAD, isn't it?), has been clearly proven to be the path to unwellness.
What we can do with the greatest certainty of a good outcome is simple:
STUDY to learn what works for others.
ADOPT those habits that others have found beneficial.
AVOID those habits that have caused others to come to ruin.
Consistently doing those three actions has brought me to the point at age 69 that I am active and engaged, with no significant limitation on my activities. I still can do anything that I choose to do without giving a second thought, whether walking, running, digging, lifting, pushing, pulling, climbing, etc. Sure, I have aches and (minor) pains, but none that stop me from my active life. I began my self-healing journey at age 12 when I chose not to be a smoker, even though everyone around me was doing it. I chose not to participate when other 7th graders were learning to pass out by hyperventilating. I learned to avoid refined sugar and bleached flour at age 27. I quit coffee at age 32, not sure whether it was harmful or not. I quit meat at age 49 because of the example of a friend who had bypass surgery and the doctor prescribed no more than four ounces per week of red meat – if it is good for a cure, it must be even better as preventative. I learned about juicing and the power of raw foods in my latter 50s. More recently, I have discovered the need for supplements to replace nutritional value that is no longer available in our food supply. And, thanks to a few bold researchers and medical doctors, I have learned some of the underlying reasons why these changes are helpful.
What will it take for you to reach a state of wellness that will shield you from whatever changes are imposed on our health care system? The only way to find out is to start. Whether you choose to change in order to reduce your dependence on the government or simply to improve how you feel, I'll be glad to help you along the way. Just let me know.
A dominant current news item is the attempt to “reform” health care, with focus on who controls payment. The Congress is spending weeks on end debating openly as well as plotting in formerly-smoke-filled rooms how to put together a bill that will pass both houses, regardless the low opinion of such action held by a majority of US voters. Though by no means certain, it is quite possible that they will succeed in establishing a new entitlement program that will bankrupt the nation and still not provide any improvement in health care in this once-great nation.
The potential for ruin of our health care only emphasizes the need for each of us to take personal responsibility for our individual wellness. The only sure way that I can see to avoid having the government determine what doctor I can see or what medications I will be provided or how long I have to wait for a joint replacement is not to need them.
I can only wish that I could guarantee wellness for everyone who practices the best possible wellness care. Although I have discovered countless reports of recovered wellness after severe illness or injury, each of us is different. What worked for someone else may not have the same result for me. When I look at the variety of diet books available, I imagine that for someone, each book is the right path. The road most traveled, also known as the Standard American Diet (SAD, isn't it?), has been clearly proven to be the path to unwellness.
What we can do with the greatest certainty of a good outcome is simple:
STUDY to learn what works for others.
ADOPT those habits that others have found beneficial.
AVOID those habits that have caused others to come to ruin.
Consistently doing those three actions has brought me to the point at age 69 that I am active and engaged, with no significant limitation on my activities. I still can do anything that I choose to do without giving a second thought, whether walking, running, digging, lifting, pushing, pulling, climbing, etc. Sure, I have aches and (minor) pains, but none that stop me from my active life. I began my self-healing journey at age 12 when I chose not to be a smoker, even though everyone around me was doing it. I chose not to participate when other 7th graders were learning to pass out by hyperventilating. I learned to avoid refined sugar and bleached flour at age 27. I quit coffee at age 32, not sure whether it was harmful or not. I quit meat at age 49 because of the example of a friend who had bypass surgery and the doctor prescribed no more than four ounces per week of red meat – if it is good for a cure, it must be even better as preventative. I learned about juicing and the power of raw foods in my latter 50s. More recently, I have discovered the need for supplements to replace nutritional value that is no longer available in our food supply. And, thanks to a few bold researchers and medical doctors, I have learned some of the underlying reasons why these changes are helpful.
What will it take for you to reach a state of wellness that will shield you from whatever changes are imposed on our health care system? The only way to find out is to start. Whether you choose to change in order to reduce your dependence on the government or simply to improve how you feel, I'll be glad to help you along the way. Just let me know.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
The Mammography Debate, Part II
The Cancer Decisions Newsletter by Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D., Sunday, 29 November 2009
Last week we began a discussion of the new USPSTF recommendations on breast cancer screening. We conclude, with references, this week.
Barbara Brenner of the San Francisco-based group, Breast Cancer Action (BCA), is one of the rare leaders who has come out in support of the USPSTF recommendations. She says that the new recommendations would simply bring the US in line with most European countries, and hailed the USPSTF panel's results. A BCA spokesperson told me that they have been deluged with comments from their members, not all of them supportive. (Note: I am a scientific advisor to Breast Cancer Action.) A lot of people are really upset by the loss of security that mammography provides.
Brenner raises the point that some patients, who have been led to believe that mammography is a safe and effective way of reducing their risk of cancer, will see this as an attack on themselves, or at least a threatened reduction in their healthcare coverage. This is particularly so with women whose tumors were first discovered via mammograms or breast self-examination (BSE). Yet Brenner comments:
"Some people will be upset because their breast cancer was found on a mammogram that would not have happened under the new guidelines. Some people will be confused because they don't understand what the downsides could possibly be to the early detection of breast cancer. It's very difficult for people to ignore their personal situations in thinking about what should happen as a matter of policy. But emerging science tells us that we need to try to do that if we're going to get to the best place in terms of both reducing deaths from breast cancer and minimizing the harms that occur when we do mammography screening."
Patients - including those who may feel they have benefited from BSE or mammography-need to reflect that all medical procedures carry risks as well as benefits. So what is the potential harm of near-universal screening mammography? Brenner highlights four problem areas:
1. False negative results: These occur when a mammogram indicates that a woman is without cancer, yet it is actually present. (This is what happened to New York Times author Gail Collins, as she reported in a recent column on the controversy.)
2. False positives results: The mammogram indicates a problem, yet a subsequent biopsy (tissue sample) shows that there is no cancer present. A big relief-but the whole experience results in fear, stress, expense, and physical and emotional scarring.
3. Mammography involves x-rays and x-rays have been called the "complete carcinogen," because they can both initiate and promote cancer growth. A few years ago, researchers at Columbia University wrote: "There is evidence that low energy X rays as used in mammographic screening produce an increased biological risk per unit dose relative to higher energy photons. At low doses, the increased risk appears to be of a factor of 2….For older women, the benefit is still likely to outweigh the radiation risk. For women less than 50 years of age, however, this increase in the estimated radiation risk might indicate a somewhat later age than currently suggested, by about 5 to10 years, at which to recommend commencement of routine breast screening" (Brenner 2002).
4. Overdiagnosis of "pseudo-malignancies," i.e., the discovery of non-malignant abnormalities that would never progress to outright cancer. Finding pseudo-malignancies swells the ranks of "cancer survivors," swelling the ranks and coffers of various non-profit agencies. Adding pseudo-malignancies to real cancers also has the side effect of improving the alleged "cure rate" of the disease. That's because almost all of these people will be "cured" (albeit of a disease that they did not really have). But without mammograms these people would never have known they had a non-consequential slight abnormality. My favorite author on the topic is H. Gilbert Welch, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, and author of Should I Be Tested for Cancer? Maybe Not, and Here's Why
In the past, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American Cancer Society (ACS), and the American College of Radiology (ACR) all recommended annual mammography for all women over the age of 40. The statistic that was most commonly quoted is that by detecting breast cancer early, before it has become large enough to be clinically apparent as an obvious lump in the breast, mammography reduces the mortality rate from breast cancer by 20 to 30 percent. So fixed has this statistic become in the minds of women, the medical profession and the media that by repetition alone it has now attained the status of unimpeachable fact. A closer examination of the data yields a somewhat less certain picture. The benefits of mammography are much smaller than we've been led to believe.
Professor Samuel Epstein, MD, professor emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition has tirelessly drawn attention to the radiation risks of screening mammography, has pointed out that sobering fact that over a period of 10 years, a pre-menopausal woman undergoing annual mammograms receives almost half the dose of radiation that was measurable within a mile of the Hiroshima bomb epicenter. (Note: I am a board member of the CPC.)
I too have been a long-time skeptic on the benefits of routine mammography. In my book The Cancer Industry (published as the Cancer Syndrome in 1980) I wrote critically about this mass screening program. I thought it would do more harm than good. In particular, I wrote about the work of John Bailar, MD, editor of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and his early and vociferous opposition to the mammography program.
A few months ago I also published a Special Report on Mammography, Biopsy and the Detection of Breast Cancer. Here is what Joel Evans, MD, founder and director of The Center for Women's Health, Darien, CT, and assistant clinical professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York said about my report:
"Ralph Moss has written a scholarly and frightening treatise that is a 'must read' for both the general public and all health professionals. It has the capacity to transform our approach to breast cancer screening and diagnosis. It is a remarkable gift to the women of the world."
We are now offering this report for $9.95, half the usual price. To order our special mammography report, please click here.
--Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
References
I highly recommend Prof. Aronowitz's excellent op-ed in the New York Times, "Addicted to Mammograms," Nov. 20, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/opinion/20aronowitz.html
American Cancer Society statement on mammography: http://tinyurl.com/yk8q8fu
Barbara Brenner and Breast Cancer Action's statement: http://tinyurl.com/yhoqq68
Brenner DJ, Sawant SG, et al. Routine screening mammography: how important is the radiation-risk side of the benefit-risk equation? Int J Radiat Biol. 2002;78:1065-1067
National Cancer Institute newsletter:
http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/111709/page2
USPSTF position paper:
http://www.annals.org/content/151/10/716.full
HHS Secretary's statement:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/11/20091118a.html
Last week we began a discussion of the new USPSTF recommendations on breast cancer screening. We conclude, with references, this week.
Barbara Brenner of the San Francisco-based group, Breast Cancer Action (BCA), is one of the rare leaders who has come out in support of the USPSTF recommendations. She says that the new recommendations would simply bring the US in line with most European countries, and hailed the USPSTF panel's results. A BCA spokesperson told me that they have been deluged with comments from their members, not all of them supportive. (Note: I am a scientific advisor to Breast Cancer Action.) A lot of people are really upset by the loss of security that mammography provides.
Brenner raises the point that some patients, who have been led to believe that mammography is a safe and effective way of reducing their risk of cancer, will see this as an attack on themselves, or at least a threatened reduction in their healthcare coverage. This is particularly so with women whose tumors were first discovered via mammograms or breast self-examination (BSE). Yet Brenner comments:
"Some people will be upset because their breast cancer was found on a mammogram that would not have happened under the new guidelines. Some people will be confused because they don't understand what the downsides could possibly be to the early detection of breast cancer. It's very difficult for people to ignore their personal situations in thinking about what should happen as a matter of policy. But emerging science tells us that we need to try to do that if we're going to get to the best place in terms of both reducing deaths from breast cancer and minimizing the harms that occur when we do mammography screening."
Patients - including those who may feel they have benefited from BSE or mammography-need to reflect that all medical procedures carry risks as well as benefits. So what is the potential harm of near-universal screening mammography? Brenner highlights four problem areas:
1. False negative results: These occur when a mammogram indicates that a woman is without cancer, yet it is actually present. (This is what happened to New York Times author Gail Collins, as she reported in a recent column on the controversy.)
2. False positives results: The mammogram indicates a problem, yet a subsequent biopsy (tissue sample) shows that there is no cancer present. A big relief-but the whole experience results in fear, stress, expense, and physical and emotional scarring.
3. Mammography involves x-rays and x-rays have been called the "complete carcinogen," because they can both initiate and promote cancer growth. A few years ago, researchers at Columbia University wrote: "There is evidence that low energy X rays as used in mammographic screening produce an increased biological risk per unit dose relative to higher energy photons. At low doses, the increased risk appears to be of a factor of 2….For older women, the benefit is still likely to outweigh the radiation risk. For women less than 50 years of age, however, this increase in the estimated radiation risk might indicate a somewhat later age than currently suggested, by about 5 to10 years, at which to recommend commencement of routine breast screening" (Brenner 2002).
4. Overdiagnosis of "pseudo-malignancies," i.e., the discovery of non-malignant abnormalities that would never progress to outright cancer. Finding pseudo-malignancies swells the ranks of "cancer survivors," swelling the ranks and coffers of various non-profit agencies. Adding pseudo-malignancies to real cancers also has the side effect of improving the alleged "cure rate" of the disease. That's because almost all of these people will be "cured" (albeit of a disease that they did not really have). But without mammograms these people would never have known they had a non-consequential slight abnormality. My favorite author on the topic is H. Gilbert Welch, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, and author of Should I Be Tested for Cancer? Maybe Not, and Here's Why
In the past, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American Cancer Society (ACS), and the American College of Radiology (ACR) all recommended annual mammography for all women over the age of 40. The statistic that was most commonly quoted is that by detecting breast cancer early, before it has become large enough to be clinically apparent as an obvious lump in the breast, mammography reduces the mortality rate from breast cancer by 20 to 30 percent. So fixed has this statistic become in the minds of women, the medical profession and the media that by repetition alone it has now attained the status of unimpeachable fact. A closer examination of the data yields a somewhat less certain picture. The benefits of mammography are much smaller than we've been led to believe.
Professor Samuel Epstein, MD, professor emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition has tirelessly drawn attention to the radiation risks of screening mammography, has pointed out that sobering fact that over a period of 10 years, a pre-menopausal woman undergoing annual mammograms receives almost half the dose of radiation that was measurable within a mile of the Hiroshima bomb epicenter. (Note: I am a board member of the CPC.)
I too have been a long-time skeptic on the benefits of routine mammography. In my book The Cancer Industry (published as the Cancer Syndrome in 1980) I wrote critically about this mass screening program. I thought it would do more harm than good. In particular, I wrote about the work of John Bailar, MD, editor of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and his early and vociferous opposition to the mammography program.
A few months ago I also published a Special Report on Mammography, Biopsy and the Detection of Breast Cancer. Here is what Joel Evans, MD, founder and director of The Center for Women's Health, Darien, CT, and assistant clinical professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York said about my report:
"Ralph Moss has written a scholarly and frightening treatise that is a 'must read' for both the general public and all health professionals. It has the capacity to transform our approach to breast cancer screening and diagnosis. It is a remarkable gift to the women of the world."
We are now offering this report for $9.95, half the usual price. To order our special mammography report, please click here.
--Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
References
I highly recommend Prof. Aronowitz's excellent op-ed in the New York Times, "Addicted to Mammograms," Nov. 20, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/opinion/20aronowitz.html
American Cancer Society statement on mammography: http://tinyurl.com/yk8q8fu
Barbara Brenner and Breast Cancer Action's statement: http://tinyurl.com/yhoqq68
Brenner DJ, Sawant SG, et al. Routine screening mammography: how important is the radiation-risk side of the benefit-risk equation? Int J Radiat Biol. 2002;78:1065-1067
National Cancer Institute newsletter:
http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/111709/page2
USPSTF position paper:
http://www.annals.org/content/151/10/716.full
HHS Secretary's statement:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2009pres/11/20091118a.html
A Third Spoke in the Wheel of Wellness -- Attitude
Let's consider a third spoke of the Wheel of Wellness – ATTITUDE – optimistic and able to cope when “life happens,” a positive outlook on life
Some of the concepts related to attitude are hope, patience, trust, behavior when caught in sin, and behavior under stress. Study these related passages of Scripture:
Psalm 31:24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 43:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
Psalm 130:7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption.
Psalm 146:5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.
Hebrews 6:11 – 19 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU." And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
King Saul was both impatient and disobedient in the events recorded in I Samuel 13:8 – 14 Samuel had told him to meet him on a certain day so Samuel could offer sacrifices for Saul. Saul grew tired of waiting and proceeded to offer the burnt offering himself, a priestly duty. Samuel explained the penalty for his error in verses 13-14: Samuel said to Saul, "You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. "But now your kingdom shall not endure The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."
Contrast the patience of David as he recorded in the Psalms:
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.
Psalm 37:34 Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
Contrast the response of Saul and David when each was discovered to have sinned:
1 Samuel 15 records Saul's disobedience. In verse 3, God told Saul to “...strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him, but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” But when (verse 9) Saul spared Agag, the king of Amalek, and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good, Samuel came to him again. At first Saul claimed that he had obeyed, then he blamed the soldiers, then finally admitted that he was also wrong. It seems to me that Saul was not sorry he had disobeyed, but was sorry that he got caught.
When David committed adultery with Bathsheba (II Samuel 11-12), David first tried to hide his sin by having her husband killed in battle. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, David acknowledged (12:13), "I have sinned against the LORD " And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.” David recorded his remorse in Psalm 51:2 – 4 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.
Contrast the response of Saul and David when they were each subjected to intense stress:
See I Samuel 28 – Saul became so distressed that he resorted to a medium for guidance; that is hardly representative of good health and balance. The next day he died in battle, far more concerned that the enemy might torture or mutilate him than whether he could win the battle.
See II Samuel 15-19 When his son Absalom declared himself king, David ran for his life (15:30). Then when he learned that Absalom had been killed in battle, he grieved bitterly (18:33). Finally, in response to the prodding of Joab, his army commander, David composed himself (19:8) so those who had rescued his kingdom and his life could see him.
A good attitude is very supportive of wellness; a bad attitude undermines wellness. The person who is hopeful, patient, trusting, aware of his own shortcomings, and is able to operate despite stress is generally more likely to be healthy than the impatient, suspicious pessimist who blames everyone else for his problems.
This, then, is a third spoke in the Wheel of Wellness. How well is your wheel turning so far?
Scripture from NASB
Some of the concepts related to attitude are hope, patience, trust, behavior when caught in sin, and behavior under stress. Study these related passages of Scripture:
Psalm 31:24 Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 43:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.
Psalm 130:7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption.
Psalm 146:5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.
Hebrews 6:11 – 19 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU." And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
King Saul was both impatient and disobedient in the events recorded in I Samuel 13:8 – 14 Samuel had told him to meet him on a certain day so Samuel could offer sacrifices for Saul. Saul grew tired of waiting and proceeded to offer the burnt offering himself, a priestly duty. Samuel explained the penalty for his error in verses 13-14: Samuel said to Saul, "You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. "But now your kingdom shall not endure The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you."
Contrast the patience of David as he recorded in the Psalms:
Psalm 27:14 Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.
Psalm 37:34 Wait for the LORD and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
Contrast the response of Saul and David when each was discovered to have sinned:
1 Samuel 15 records Saul's disobedience. In verse 3, God told Saul to “...strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him, but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.” But when (verse 9) Saul spared Agag, the king of Amalek, and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good, Samuel came to him again. At first Saul claimed that he had obeyed, then he blamed the soldiers, then finally admitted that he was also wrong. It seems to me that Saul was not sorry he had disobeyed, but was sorry that he got caught.
When David committed adultery with Bathsheba (II Samuel 11-12), David first tried to hide his sin by having her husband killed in battle. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, David acknowledged (12:13), "I have sinned against the LORD " And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.” David recorded his remorse in Psalm 51:2 – 4 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.
Contrast the response of Saul and David when they were each subjected to intense stress:
See I Samuel 28 – Saul became so distressed that he resorted to a medium for guidance; that is hardly representative of good health and balance. The next day he died in battle, far more concerned that the enemy might torture or mutilate him than whether he could win the battle.
See II Samuel 15-19 When his son Absalom declared himself king, David ran for his life (15:30). Then when he learned that Absalom had been killed in battle, he grieved bitterly (18:33). Finally, in response to the prodding of Joab, his army commander, David composed himself (19:8) so those who had rescued his kingdom and his life could see him.
A good attitude is very supportive of wellness; a bad attitude undermines wellness. The person who is hopeful, patient, trusting, aware of his own shortcomings, and is able to operate despite stress is generally more likely to be healthy than the impatient, suspicious pessimist who blames everyone else for his problems.
This, then, is a third spoke in the Wheel of Wellness. How well is your wheel turning so far?
Scripture from NASB
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Mammography Debate, Part I
This article was presented November 22, 2009, by Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. in issue #418 of his free weekly newsletter. For further information, including subscription to his reports, see his website.
On Monday, November 16, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) revised its previous position and came out against annual screening mammograms. The new recommendations included the following points:
Women age 40-49 do not need to get routine mammograms.
Postmenopausal women need only get mammograms once every two years, instead of every year, as presently recommended.
Women over the age of 74 do not need mammograms at all.
Physicians should stop teaching women to perform breast self-examinations.
These recommendations pertain to the routine screening of the general population and do not apply to the small percentage of women who are known to be at heightened risk of breast cancer.
When you consider how central mammography (and breast self-examination) have been to the "war on cancer" you realize how drastic a change this would be. The USPSTF is a very influential and prestigious group, made up of independent experts in prevention and primary care, appointed by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Yet, immediately, the report became a political football. Some Republicans attacked this as the first sign of healthcare rationing while most Democrats have backed away from the findings as if it were overripe Limburger cheese.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that the report (which her office had commissioned) had caused "a great deal of confusion and worry" among American women. "My message to women is simple. Mammograms have always been an important life-saving tool in the fight against breast cancer and they still are today. Keep doing what you have been doing for years – talk to your doctor about your individual history, ask questions, and make the decision that is right for you."
Another prominent Democratic politician, Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) went on the attack:
"I am very concerned that these guidelines conflict with many of the well-established recommendations from the American Medical Association, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the American Cancer Society, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This conflicting information will inevitably lead to confusion among providers and women, resulting in fewer women getting screened for breast cancer," she said in a statement.
So I doubt if these recommendations will be implemented anytime soon. Indeed, I think this controversy throws a light on the much-discussed topic of health-care reform. There appears to be no mass constituency in the US for cool-headed, rational science, when such findings conflict with the fundamental interests of a large portion of the medical establishment. Mammography is now as American as apple pie.
The co-chair of the USPSTF said that the recommendations were aimed at reducing the harm caused by over-screening. But the very notion of "over-screening" gets short shrift from the cancer establishment, especially from the American Cancer Society (ACS). They have built their reputation on finding all "cancers" as early as possible, especially through mammography and BSE. This would be too radical a shift for their members.
But, as Robert Aronowitz, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania points out in an op-ed in the New York Times, such recommendations are nothing new. They are the same as most thoughtful experts have been making since the 1970s. "You need to screen 1,900 women in their 40s for 10 years in order to prevent one death from breast cancer," said Aronowitz, "and in the process you will have generated more than 1,000 false-positive screens and all the overtreatment they entail."
The backlash against the report began immediately. According to a statement by Otis Brawley, MD, chief medical officer of the ACS:
"The American Cancer Society continues to recommend annual screening using mammography and clinical breast examination for all women beginning at age 40." He claimed that ACS has examined the same data as the USPSTF, and had also looked at additional data that the panel did not consider. Generously, he said that "sensible people" could differ over their interpretation of the data.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) valiantly tried to defend the panel's decision. In its Cancer Bulletin, it soberly evaluated the new recommendations and commented:
"When compared with screening from ages 50 to 69, beginning screening every other year at age 40 produced a small additional reduction in mortality but increased the number of false-positive results by more than 50 percent" (Cancer Bulletin 2009).
Unless you have gone through one of these false positive scares you can hardly imagine what it entails. You are called by the doctor's office and told, usually in a very cryptic way, that there is something wrong with your mammogram and you urgently need to come back for further testing-a repeat mammogram, an MRI or a biopsy. This entails more visits to the doctor's office. Because you may need to arrange transportation and childcare, your friends and family members may get involved. The dreaded "C word" gets whispered abroad. Then comes a period of waiting for the results, which may seem endless. Figure on a few days of lost time and wages. The whole business, multiplied millions of times, puts an economic strain on the medical system.
If you are lucky, the needle biopsy proves negative and you are left to heal your emotional and physical wounds. But sometimes the biopsy detects an abnormality. In rare instances this will be breast cancer. Or it may be ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an amorphous category that sounds like cancer but may not be. What is the medical significance of DCIS? Will it surprise you to learn that, after decades of detecting and treating this condition, nobody seems to know? As the new USPSTF report states:
"Studies on overdiagnosis might also include long-term follow-up of women with probable missed cases of DCIS on the basis of microcalcifications that were missed in an earlier mammogram. Such studies could provide the percentage of these women who develop invasive breast cancer over the next 10 or more years" (Nelson 2009).
In other words, nobody knows how many of these DCIS lesions actually progress to invasive cancer. Since nobody really knows what DCIS means, nobody knows how best to treat it. Again, quoting the USPSTF report says:
"Although the standard treatments women receive for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) include surgical approaches as well as radiation and hormonal therapy, considerable debate exists about the optimal treatment strategy for this condition" (Nelson 2009).
According to breastcancer.org, DCIS is not cancer and isn't life-threatening. But DCIS is routinely treated as if it were full-blown cancer, possibly entailing a mastectomy (surgical removal of the breast). Meanwhile, thanks to mammography, DCIS's growth has been astonishing. In 1983, there were 4,900 US cases of DCIS. By 2008, that number had increased to 67,770 (Nelson 2009). The over-treatment of DCIS has also swollen the ranks of "breast cancer survivors" and mightily improved the cure rate from the disease-because doctors are now "curing" a non-cancerous condition that in all likelihood would not have progressed to cancer.
TO BE CONCLUDED, WITH REFERENCES, NEXT WEEK
--Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
On Monday, November 16, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) revised its previous position and came out against annual screening mammograms. The new recommendations included the following points:
Women age 40-49 do not need to get routine mammograms.
Postmenopausal women need only get mammograms once every two years, instead of every year, as presently recommended.
Women over the age of 74 do not need mammograms at all.
Physicians should stop teaching women to perform breast self-examinations.
These recommendations pertain to the routine screening of the general population and do not apply to the small percentage of women who are known to be at heightened risk of breast cancer.
When you consider how central mammography (and breast self-examination) have been to the "war on cancer" you realize how drastic a change this would be. The USPSTF is a very influential and prestigious group, made up of independent experts in prevention and primary care, appointed by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Yet, immediately, the report became a political football. Some Republicans attacked this as the first sign of healthcare rationing while most Democrats have backed away from the findings as if it were overripe Limburger cheese.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that the report (which her office had commissioned) had caused "a great deal of confusion and worry" among American women. "My message to women is simple. Mammograms have always been an important life-saving tool in the fight against breast cancer and they still are today. Keep doing what you have been doing for years – talk to your doctor about your individual history, ask questions, and make the decision that is right for you."
Another prominent Democratic politician, Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) went on the attack:
"I am very concerned that these guidelines conflict with many of the well-established recommendations from the American Medical Association, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the American Cancer Society, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This conflicting information will inevitably lead to confusion among providers and women, resulting in fewer women getting screened for breast cancer," she said in a statement.
So I doubt if these recommendations will be implemented anytime soon. Indeed, I think this controversy throws a light on the much-discussed topic of health-care reform. There appears to be no mass constituency in the US for cool-headed, rational science, when such findings conflict with the fundamental interests of a large portion of the medical establishment. Mammography is now as American as apple pie.
The co-chair of the USPSTF said that the recommendations were aimed at reducing the harm caused by over-screening. But the very notion of "over-screening" gets short shrift from the cancer establishment, especially from the American Cancer Society (ACS). They have built their reputation on finding all "cancers" as early as possible, especially through mammography and BSE. This would be too radical a shift for their members.
But, as Robert Aronowitz, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania points out in an op-ed in the New York Times, such recommendations are nothing new. They are the same as most thoughtful experts have been making since the 1970s. "You need to screen 1,900 women in their 40s for 10 years in order to prevent one death from breast cancer," said Aronowitz, "and in the process you will have generated more than 1,000 false-positive screens and all the overtreatment they entail."
The backlash against the report began immediately. According to a statement by Otis Brawley, MD, chief medical officer of the ACS:
"The American Cancer Society continues to recommend annual screening using mammography and clinical breast examination for all women beginning at age 40." He claimed that ACS has examined the same data as the USPSTF, and had also looked at additional data that the panel did not consider. Generously, he said that "sensible people" could differ over their interpretation of the data.
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) valiantly tried to defend the panel's decision. In its Cancer Bulletin, it soberly evaluated the new recommendations and commented:
"When compared with screening from ages 50 to 69, beginning screening every other year at age 40 produced a small additional reduction in mortality but increased the number of false-positive results by more than 50 percent" (Cancer Bulletin 2009).
Unless you have gone through one of these false positive scares you can hardly imagine what it entails. You are called by the doctor's office and told, usually in a very cryptic way, that there is something wrong with your mammogram and you urgently need to come back for further testing-a repeat mammogram, an MRI or a biopsy. This entails more visits to the doctor's office. Because you may need to arrange transportation and childcare, your friends and family members may get involved. The dreaded "C word" gets whispered abroad. Then comes a period of waiting for the results, which may seem endless. Figure on a few days of lost time and wages. The whole business, multiplied millions of times, puts an economic strain on the medical system.
If you are lucky, the needle biopsy proves negative and you are left to heal your emotional and physical wounds. But sometimes the biopsy detects an abnormality. In rare instances this will be breast cancer. Or it may be ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an amorphous category that sounds like cancer but may not be. What is the medical significance of DCIS? Will it surprise you to learn that, after decades of detecting and treating this condition, nobody seems to know? As the new USPSTF report states:
"Studies on overdiagnosis might also include long-term follow-up of women with probable missed cases of DCIS on the basis of microcalcifications that were missed in an earlier mammogram. Such studies could provide the percentage of these women who develop invasive breast cancer over the next 10 or more years" (Nelson 2009).
In other words, nobody knows how many of these DCIS lesions actually progress to invasive cancer. Since nobody really knows what DCIS means, nobody knows how best to treat it. Again, quoting the USPSTF report says:
"Although the standard treatments women receive for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) include surgical approaches as well as radiation and hormonal therapy, considerable debate exists about the optimal treatment strategy for this condition" (Nelson 2009).
According to breastcancer.org, DCIS is not cancer and isn't life-threatening. But DCIS is routinely treated as if it were full-blown cancer, possibly entailing a mastectomy (surgical removal of the breast). Meanwhile, thanks to mammography, DCIS's growth has been astonishing. In 1983, there were 4,900 US cases of DCIS. By 2008, that number had increased to 67,770 (Nelson 2009). The over-treatment of DCIS has also swollen the ranks of "breast cancer survivors" and mightily improved the cure rate from the disease-because doctors are now "curing" a non-cancerous condition that in all likelihood would not have progressed to cancer.
TO BE CONCLUDED, WITH REFERENCES, NEXT WEEK
--Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The RELATIONSHIPS spoke of the Wheel of Wellness
Let's consider another spoke of the Wheel of Wellness – RELATIONSHIPS (forgiving, compassionate, loving my neighbor as myself, at peace with others)
One of the most often repeated expressions in Scripture is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” References include Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19 and 22:39, Mark 12:31, Romans 13:0, Galatians 5:14, and James 2:8.
The foundational statement, Lev. 19:19, was included in God's instructions to the Children of Israel through Moses: “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, … 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.'” Also included in that teaching were the Ten Commandments, the “Kosher” laws, and other instructions for daily living. God's teachings were for the benefit and welfare (good health, or wellness) of the Chosen People.
When Jesus first quoted the Leviticus passage (Matthew 19:19), he was responding to a young man of property who had asked, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” Along with other instructions, (do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie, and honor your father and mother), Jesus told him to love his neighbor as himself. It seems to me that if those instructions are beneficial for eternal life, they are also worthwhile for present life. As I see it, eternal life is not a separate life from the present, but rather a continuation – a new chapter following at the end of the one we are writing now.
In the other gospel passages (Matthew 22:39 and Mark 12:31), Jesus was responding to the question of which is the greatest commandment. Jesus' response gave the first as “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, (Mark only: and with all your strength).” Then he added as the second greatest, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” That fits with our discussion here: last time we called the first spoke of wellness one's relationship with God, and now the second spoke is our relationships with one another.
The simple fact that this expression came from God through Moses and was repeated by Jesus three times, by Paul twice, and by James gives great weight to the concept. The only new twist I'm adding is that physical wellness is not really separable from spiritual wholeness. Just as separation from God can hamper one's wellness, so also estrangement from family or others can have an adverse effect on wellness. Unforgiveness, holding grudges, lack of compassion all can harm wellness. Remember 2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
This, then, is one more spoke in the Wheel of Wellness.
One of the most often repeated expressions in Scripture is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” References include Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19 and 22:39, Mark 12:31, Romans 13:0, Galatians 5:14, and James 2:8.
The foundational statement, Lev. 19:19, was included in God's instructions to the Children of Israel through Moses: “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, … 'You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.'” Also included in that teaching were the Ten Commandments, the “Kosher” laws, and other instructions for daily living. God's teachings were for the benefit and welfare (good health, or wellness) of the Chosen People.
When Jesus first quoted the Leviticus passage (Matthew 19:19), he was responding to a young man of property who had asked, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” Along with other instructions, (do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie, and honor your father and mother), Jesus told him to love his neighbor as himself. It seems to me that if those instructions are beneficial for eternal life, they are also worthwhile for present life. As I see it, eternal life is not a separate life from the present, but rather a continuation – a new chapter following at the end of the one we are writing now.
In the other gospel passages (Matthew 22:39 and Mark 12:31), Jesus was responding to the question of which is the greatest commandment. Jesus' response gave the first as “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, (Mark only: and with all your strength).” Then he added as the second greatest, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” That fits with our discussion here: last time we called the first spoke of wellness one's relationship with God, and now the second spoke is our relationships with one another.
The simple fact that this expression came from God through Moses and was repeated by Jesus three times, by Paul twice, and by James gives great weight to the concept. The only new twist I'm adding is that physical wellness is not really separable from spiritual wholeness. Just as separation from God can hamper one's wellness, so also estrangement from family or others can have an adverse effect on wellness. Unforgiveness, holding grudges, lack of compassion all can harm wellness. Remember 2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
This, then, is one more spoke in the Wheel of Wellness.
Monday, November 9, 2009
A Miracle of Modern Medicine
As you may have noticed, my primary focus is wellness by treating my body as it was designed to be treated. But occasionally, I learn of ways that physicians have assisted a patient to wellness using such techniques as surgery.
One current such example is found on a National Public Radio report of November 9, 2009. The report begins, "Trigeminal neuralgia is a rare condition that causes pain so intense it used to be known as the suicide disease." In at least one instance, the unbearable pain was relieved by surgically pulling out and away from the nerve a blood vessel that had become trapped in a loop behind the nerve.
See the report and included video of the patient and the surgery (not for the squeamish) at this link.
One current such example is found on a National Public Radio report of November 9, 2009. The report begins, "Trigeminal neuralgia is a rare condition that causes pain so intense it used to be known as the suicide disease." In at least one instance, the unbearable pain was relieved by surgically pulling out and away from the nerve a blood vessel that had become trapped in a loop behind the nerve.
See the report and included video of the patient and the surgery (not for the squeamish) at this link.
Friday, October 30, 2009
A Ticking Time Bomb
I recently had an opportunity to view the film “Under Our Skin.” If you have even the slightest interest in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, arthritis, Chronic Fatigue, ALS (Lou Gehrig), MS, or other difficult-to-diagnose disease, you will not want to miss this challenging and provoking film.
I'm sure that I didn't catch everything, and quite likely I misunderstood parts, but following are some of my observations.
I'm sure that I didn't catch everything, and quite likely I misunderstood parts, but following are some of my observations.
- The most effective treatment for Lyme Disease is that administered immediately and aggressively.
- For severe cases, the greatest improvement comes after about three years of treatment.
- Research has found Lyme DNA connections to many chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Chronic Fatigue, ALS, and MS.
- "Chronic lyme disease" is not recognized by medical authorities as a treatable condition.
- Treatment recommended by medical authorities, as reported at http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/508667?cookieSet=1, is very restrictive. “A single dose of doxycycline may be offered to adult patients (200 mg dose) and to children 8 years of age (4 mg/kg up to a maximum dose of 200 mg) (B‐I) when all of the following circumstances exist: (a) the attached tick can be reliably identified as an adult or nymphal I. scapularis tick that is estimated to have been attached for 36 h on the basis of the degree of engorgement of the tick with blood or of certainty about the time of exposure to the tick; (b) prophylaxis can be started within 72 h of the time that the tick was removed; (c) ecologic information indicates that the local rate of infection of these ticks with B. burgdorferi is 20%; and (d) doxycycline treatment is not contraindicated.”
- The treatment that has been found most effective by treating physicians includes several years of care, using antibiotics. Physicians in several states have been hounded out of practice by aggressive regulators following the recommended guidelines. For example, see http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/the-state-of-connecticut-vs-dr/ or http://www.casewatch.org/board/med/jemsek/charges.shtml
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Love That Olive Oil!
This research report fits right in with my emphasis on wholesome, natural foods such as extra virgin olive oil. Other than my daily flax oil and an omega 3 capsule, about the only fat I consume is extra virgin olive oil.
September 30, 2009 | Research
Another Reason to Love Olive Oil
Compound found in extra-virgin olive oil may help prevent Alzheimer’s
By Megan Fellman
This may help explain some of the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet.
September 30, 2009 | Research
Another Reason to Love Olive Oil
Compound found in extra-virgin olive oil may help prevent Alzheimer’s
By Megan Fellman
This may help explain some of the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Review: A Cancer Therapy – Results of Fifty Cases and The Cure of Advanced Cancer by Diet Therapy, by Max Gerson, M.D.
This handy (434 page) book reports on one of the landmark discoveries of modern medicine. When Dr. Gerson had presented testimony on his success before the subcommittee headed by Senator Claude Pepper, he prepared this book to report to the general public on the possibility of healing cancer without conventional medical treatment (surgery, radiation, and chemo). Even today, half a century later, the US medical community has not accepted this work as valid – Senator Pepper was unable to get funding for further research, so Gerson Therapy is still not recognized in the US. A cancer patient wanting the best possible outcome has three choices: self care, or travel to Mexico or Germany where Gerson clinics are available.
Dr. Gerson developed his therapy the hard way – he lived it. Attending medical school with severe migraine headaches, he was advised that he would just have to live with them; they are incurable. He proceeded to cure his own migraines, then went on to find cures for tuberculosis and eventually cancer. The technique he developed was to provide sufficient nutrition to the cells and to remove toxins from the body. That simple approach enabled him to accept patients who had been released as incurable by other physicians. Having nothing to lose, they were willing to accept the severe discipline that Dr. Gerson imposed as the means to effect the cure. Not every patient recovered, but remember that his pool of patients was limited to only the hopeless.
Included in the book are Dr. Gerson's Theory to guide physicians to apply the treatment properly, a few similar cancer theories, some preliminary thought by Paracelsus, and a survey of other authors' attempts to use diet to treat cancer.
One topic which became central to Gerson Therapy is understanding of the liver and its function in wellness and disease. Building on the results of others' research, Dr. Gerson identified the relation of liver function to mineral balance in the body, especially the loss of potassium and potassium-group minerals. Not unrelated is the role of salt in the diet, especially sodium.
Along the way, Dr. Gerson recognizes the impact of insecticides and soil depletion on declining wellness. Modern nutritionists have developed many supplements to offset the declining nutritional value of soil as it is depleted by continuous cultivation. Some physicians have finally recognized that supplementation is vital to wellness.
The diet used in Gerson Therapy is limited primarily to fresh juices of fruits, leaves, and vegetables, large quantities of raw fruit and vegetables, vegetables stewed in their own juice, oatmeal, special soups, and salt-free rye bread. As treatment progresses, some selected animal protein may be included (salt-free and fat-free cottage cheese and yogurt, and buttermilk). The diet is sodium-free and high in potassium to speed up restoration of the mineral balance of the body that is essential for wellness. Along with provision of adequate nutrition, it also is vital to remove toxins rapidly. The main tool for that purpose is enemas, especially coffee enemas. Such treatment has been found very effective for eliminating pain that would be suffered from the toxins that accumulate as proper nutrition forces them out of the cells, as well as stimulating the liver to release the accumulated toxins.
The latter half of the book is primarily devoted to details of fifty of the case histories of patients that Dr. Gerson treated. Considering the advanced state of disease in each of them, the results achieved by Dr. Gerson are astounding, especially at a time when medical practice had few effective treatments to apply. Here are some sample cases:
1) Pituitary tumor, patient unconscious – returned to work in eight months.
11) Testicular cancer metastasized to both lungs and periaortic glands, prognosis hopeless; released to die – within 18 months on Gerson Therapy, feeling fine and working.
15) 8 month-old boy with active neurogenic fibrosarcoma; physician wanted to amputate left arm and shoulder – recovered and grew up normally.
16) Breast cancer with brain metastases – totally recovered with Gerson Therapy.
Dr. Gerson developed his therapy the hard way – he lived it. Attending medical school with severe migraine headaches, he was advised that he would just have to live with them; they are incurable. He proceeded to cure his own migraines, then went on to find cures for tuberculosis and eventually cancer. The technique he developed was to provide sufficient nutrition to the cells and to remove toxins from the body. That simple approach enabled him to accept patients who had been released as incurable by other physicians. Having nothing to lose, they were willing to accept the severe discipline that Dr. Gerson imposed as the means to effect the cure. Not every patient recovered, but remember that his pool of patients was limited to only the hopeless.
Included in the book are Dr. Gerson's Theory to guide physicians to apply the treatment properly, a few similar cancer theories, some preliminary thought by Paracelsus, and a survey of other authors' attempts to use diet to treat cancer.
One topic which became central to Gerson Therapy is understanding of the liver and its function in wellness and disease. Building on the results of others' research, Dr. Gerson identified the relation of liver function to mineral balance in the body, especially the loss of potassium and potassium-group minerals. Not unrelated is the role of salt in the diet, especially sodium.
Along the way, Dr. Gerson recognizes the impact of insecticides and soil depletion on declining wellness. Modern nutritionists have developed many supplements to offset the declining nutritional value of soil as it is depleted by continuous cultivation. Some physicians have finally recognized that supplementation is vital to wellness.
The diet used in Gerson Therapy is limited primarily to fresh juices of fruits, leaves, and vegetables, large quantities of raw fruit and vegetables, vegetables stewed in their own juice, oatmeal, special soups, and salt-free rye bread. As treatment progresses, some selected animal protein may be included (salt-free and fat-free cottage cheese and yogurt, and buttermilk). The diet is sodium-free and high in potassium to speed up restoration of the mineral balance of the body that is essential for wellness. Along with provision of adequate nutrition, it also is vital to remove toxins rapidly. The main tool for that purpose is enemas, especially coffee enemas. Such treatment has been found very effective for eliminating pain that would be suffered from the toxins that accumulate as proper nutrition forces them out of the cells, as well as stimulating the liver to release the accumulated toxins.
The latter half of the book is primarily devoted to details of fifty of the case histories of patients that Dr. Gerson treated. Considering the advanced state of disease in each of them, the results achieved by Dr. Gerson are astounding, especially at a time when medical practice had few effective treatments to apply. Here are some sample cases:
1) Pituitary tumor, patient unconscious – returned to work in eight months.
11) Testicular cancer metastasized to both lungs and periaortic glands, prognosis hopeless; released to die – within 18 months on Gerson Therapy, feeling fine and working.
15) 8 month-old boy with active neurogenic fibrosarcoma; physician wanted to amputate left arm and shoulder – recovered and grew up normally.
16) Breast cancer with brain metastases – totally recovered with Gerson Therapy.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Review: Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease Without Drugs or Surgery
This book is neither small nor new, but it is worth its weight in gold. With copyright date 1990, the book reports on the rigorous research conducted by Dr. Ornish and his staff at Presbyterian Medical Center and the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine beginning 1984. Research findings were published in The Lancet in Summer 1990.
The research approach, “Opening Your Heart”, combined dietary modifications, stress reduction, avoidance of smoking, and regular exercise. Preceding studies had considered individual components, but no one had combined them all in the same study. By the end of one year, 82% of the participants who followed the directions (made the comprehensive lifestyle changes described in the book) demonstrated some measurable average reversal of their coronary artery blockage. Overall the average blockage reversed from 61.1 to 55.8 percent; more severely blocked arteries showed even greater improvement. Improvement was measured by a cardiac PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan; there was nothing subjective about it. That measured improvement was in spite of the universal belief of the time that heart disease could not be reversed.
The components of the Opening Your Heart program are
1.Techniques for increasing intimacy and managing stress more effectively,
2.A diet very low in fat and cholesterol,
3.A system to help the participant stop smoking and let go of other addictions, and
4.A program of moderate exercise.
Details of each of the components are included in separate chapters in great detail.
Part Three, a major portion of the book is devoted to recipes used in the program. The diet supplies vibrant colors, rich flavors and textures, variety of fresh vegetables, tangy herbs, pungent spices, wholesome grains, savory beans, elegant pastas, and sweet, enticing fruit dishes. Vegetables, grains, and dried beans are the backbone of the diet.
I can not do justice to a 631 page book of this magnitude and value in a single page. To realize the full worth, you need to study it for yourself. If you will approach the book with an open mind and a willingness to learn, you will come away in better health than you began.
The research approach, “Opening Your Heart”, combined dietary modifications, stress reduction, avoidance of smoking, and regular exercise. Preceding studies had considered individual components, but no one had combined them all in the same study. By the end of one year, 82% of the participants who followed the directions (made the comprehensive lifestyle changes described in the book) demonstrated some measurable average reversal of their coronary artery blockage. Overall the average blockage reversed from 61.1 to 55.8 percent; more severely blocked arteries showed even greater improvement. Improvement was measured by a cardiac PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan; there was nothing subjective about it. That measured improvement was in spite of the universal belief of the time that heart disease could not be reversed.
The components of the Opening Your Heart program are
1.Techniques for increasing intimacy and managing stress more effectively,
2.A diet very low in fat and cholesterol,
3.A system to help the participant stop smoking and let go of other addictions, and
4.A program of moderate exercise.
Details of each of the components are included in separate chapters in great detail.
Part Three, a major portion of the book is devoted to recipes used in the program. The diet supplies vibrant colors, rich flavors and textures, variety of fresh vegetables, tangy herbs, pungent spices, wholesome grains, savory beans, elegant pastas, and sweet, enticing fruit dishes. Vegetables, grains, and dried beans are the backbone of the diet.
I can not do justice to a 631 page book of this magnitude and value in a single page. To realize the full worth, you need to study it for yourself. If you will approach the book with an open mind and a willingness to learn, you will come away in better health than you began.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Book Review: Why Christians Get Sick, by Dr. George H. Malkmus
This little (128 page) book helped steer me toward lifetime wellness – or as I've learned to call it, The Stewardship of Wellness. A friend who cared very much about me gave me a copy with his endorsement, and I ran with it.
George Malkmus is a preacher, not a medical doctor, but his teaching has brought new life and extended wellness to many thousands of people who suffered with any number of diseases and didn't know where to turn. Why Christians Get Sick helped them see a way to eliminate the poison that they were putting into their bodies, and to replace it with wholesome, nutritious live food.
Dr. Malkmus faced the same question as many, if not most, Christians: What is the role of sin in illness? Really, why do Christians get sick? I can remember when my sister had some serious health challenges and some do-gooders challenged her, saying that she was sick because of sin. “Better 'fess up and be cleansed of the sin and the disease will go away.” But that view doesn't seem to fit with all the apparently godly Christians that we see getting sick or dying.
Without going through the book point by point, I can see a lot of overlap between the book and my “Wheel of Wellness”. There are a number of factors that can contribute to or undermine our good health. Some are obvious, such as diet and exercise. Others are less obvious but still key contributors, such as stress and negative emotions. No matter how highly you score in some areas, a low score in others may leave you open to serious disease or death. Balance is essential to genuine wellness.
Although many have read Why Christians Get Sick and responded quite positively, others might be put off by the “preachy” style. There are several reasons for that: First, Dr. Malkmus is a preacher. Second, he is passionate about bringing wellness to those who suffer. Third, he wrote this book fairly early in his wellness crusade, so it preceded some of his growth in ability to relate to others. If you read with an understanding of why Dr. Malkmus is so forceful, it may enable you to accept his teaching without having to like his style. If you want to meet the “new” Dr. Malkmus, go to his current website, http://hacres.com.
George Malkmus is a preacher, not a medical doctor, but his teaching has brought new life and extended wellness to many thousands of people who suffered with any number of diseases and didn't know where to turn. Why Christians Get Sick helped them see a way to eliminate the poison that they were putting into their bodies, and to replace it with wholesome, nutritious live food.
Dr. Malkmus faced the same question as many, if not most, Christians: What is the role of sin in illness? Really, why do Christians get sick? I can remember when my sister had some serious health challenges and some do-gooders challenged her, saying that she was sick because of sin. “Better 'fess up and be cleansed of the sin and the disease will go away.” But that view doesn't seem to fit with all the apparently godly Christians that we see getting sick or dying.
Without going through the book point by point, I can see a lot of overlap between the book and my “Wheel of Wellness”. There are a number of factors that can contribute to or undermine our good health. Some are obvious, such as diet and exercise. Others are less obvious but still key contributors, such as stress and negative emotions. No matter how highly you score in some areas, a low score in others may leave you open to serious disease or death. Balance is essential to genuine wellness.
Although many have read Why Christians Get Sick and responded quite positively, others might be put off by the “preachy” style. There are several reasons for that: First, Dr. Malkmus is a preacher. Second, he is passionate about bringing wellness to those who suffer. Third, he wrote this book fairly early in his wellness crusade, so it preceded some of his growth in ability to relate to others. If you read with an understanding of why Dr. Malkmus is so forceful, it may enable you to accept his teaching without having to like his style. If you want to meet the “new” Dr. Malkmus, go to his current website, http://hacres.com.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
My View of Health Care Reform
The ongoing debate – no, really it is a squabble – is an exercise in futility. I have yet to hear a serious proposal that will actually improve the state of the health of the American people. The “Safeway Plan” is a big step in the right direction, but it is not included in any of the active proposals.
The problem is one of responsibility. As one of the most personal aspects of life, health care is one of the most personal responsibilities of life. My wellness is MY responsibility. Our national constitution makes no provision for health care, so it is clearly not a federal issue. I don't want my employer snooping in my medical history, so it is not an employment issue. It is my responsibility and I must be willing and ready to take charge of my own wellness.
In my mind, the ideal solution for our future health care is to remove both government and business from any involvement. Let insurers offer their services to all who can afford them. Then the funds currently going into charitable health care might be adequate for those who can not afford to buy insurance, once we individually take responsibility for our individual wellness.
The other key element is education. Especially those in the worst health, the poor, simply do not know how to treat their bodies to enhance wellness. As they learn how to live for better physical health, they may also learn how to improve their financial and emotional health as well. It will take a massive effort – not at the national or even state level, but at the personal level. Change will happen only when there is enough individual involvement to train and equip them to live better. We have proven that giving everything to the poor just keeps them poor; now let's try helping them be responsible for themselves and see what the result is. Because eating is such an integral part of culture, it is a daunting challenge to change the way people eat in order to get them to adopt healthier habits. But we must try.
Is it worth it? Let's count the cost and benefit. In the twenty years I have lived without meat, I have seen my health improve from good to great. I can not imagine that my vegetables have cost nearly as much as the meat I avoided. In the nearly ten years that I have followed my current dietary plan, I have lost my superficial body fat and have gained both energy and alertness. Some of my supplements are expensive, but I continue to save the additional amount that conventional eating would cost. Although I feel some effects of aging, especially in some joints, the effects are the result of activity, not of idleness. I heard yesterday of an 86-year-old man who fell and injured himself – while he was cutting a tree on a steep slope, his safety rope broke. I admire that man and have plans to emulate him (but with a better rope!).
The problem is one of responsibility. As one of the most personal aspects of life, health care is one of the most personal responsibilities of life. My wellness is MY responsibility. Our national constitution makes no provision for health care, so it is clearly not a federal issue. I don't want my employer snooping in my medical history, so it is not an employment issue. It is my responsibility and I must be willing and ready to take charge of my own wellness.
In my mind, the ideal solution for our future health care is to remove both government and business from any involvement. Let insurers offer their services to all who can afford them. Then the funds currently going into charitable health care might be adequate for those who can not afford to buy insurance, once we individually take responsibility for our individual wellness.
The other key element is education. Especially those in the worst health, the poor, simply do not know how to treat their bodies to enhance wellness. As they learn how to live for better physical health, they may also learn how to improve their financial and emotional health as well. It will take a massive effort – not at the national or even state level, but at the personal level. Change will happen only when there is enough individual involvement to train and equip them to live better. We have proven that giving everything to the poor just keeps them poor; now let's try helping them be responsible for themselves and see what the result is. Because eating is such an integral part of culture, it is a daunting challenge to change the way people eat in order to get them to adopt healthier habits. But we must try.
Is it worth it? Let's count the cost and benefit. In the twenty years I have lived without meat, I have seen my health improve from good to great. I can not imagine that my vegetables have cost nearly as much as the meat I avoided. In the nearly ten years that I have followed my current dietary plan, I have lost my superficial body fat and have gained both energy and alertness. Some of my supplements are expensive, but I continue to save the additional amount that conventional eating would cost. Although I feel some effects of aging, especially in some joints, the effects are the result of activity, not of idleness. I heard yesterday of an 86-year-old man who fell and injured himself – while he was cutting a tree on a steep slope, his safety rope broke. I admire that man and have plans to emulate him (but with a better rope!).
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Book Review: The Cancer Conqueror, by Greg Anderson
This is the first book to hand to someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer. Recognizing that “attitude is everything”, Greg Anderson has presented a positive approach to cancer. Where there is life, there is hope, and Anderson helps the cancer patient see that the brutally frank medical diagnosis of “thirty days to live” (whatever the time period) must not be allowed to become a death sentence or a self-fulfilling prophecy. He helps the reader see that the time period he has been given is a statistical expectation, not a certainty. For every statistic, there are exceptions, and they generally favor the person with a positive attitude. The closing paragraph of the introduction sums up the concept: “Apply the principles you find in The Cancer Conqueror. What you believe about getting well, how you handle emotional conflicts, plus the decision to choose joyful living do make a huge difference. Keep your hope alive. You can conquer cancer and perhaps even cure it.”
Section 1, The Search for Solutions, is intended to help the reader get past the “why me?” stage. It is vital to seek input from someone who has faced a similar challenge and has overcome it.
Section 2, The Perspective of Personal Responsibility, helps one recognize the importance of attitude: “I am in charge of my cancer. My cancer is not in charge of me.” (and more)
Section 3, The Cancer Conqueror Believes, gets to the heart of the matter. Many of us grew up believing that cancer means death, treatment has no value, and the victim is helpless. Anderson helps the reader understand that we can choose our beliefs – though I may have cancer, I am not cancer and I am not a victim of cancer. Cancer is a message to change.
Section 4, The Cancer Conqueror Resolves, teaches that we can change our perceptions of ourselves and our problems. Since hopelessness is a choice, why not choose hope? Cancer comes and goes – it is a reversible disease. Once I recognize that emotionally disruptive events and emotional needs may be factors in the development of cancer, I may be able to choose healthy options that will reduce my support for the cancer. Cancer going into remission is not an accident, but the result of my becoming a new person.
Section 5, The Cancer Conqueror Lives, teaches the power of nonjudgmental, unconditional love to heal. Accepting others as they are removes the great barrier to wholeness and wellness that is formed from our judgments of others. They are not required to change for me to love them, but I may need to change to be able to love them unconditionally. The true goal is not just to cure cancer, but to have peace of mind that is not related to our physical condition. “To LIVE means to move our lives toward our own unique experience of love, joy, and peace.”
Section 6, The Cancer Conqueror Explains, deals with the possibility of recurrence. There are many influences in life that may distract us from the path to wellness., but recurrence does not mean imminent death. I still can influence my destiny; I can choose to live fully as long as I live. I can have peace no matter what.
Section 7, The Cancer Conqueror Benefits, explained to me what happened in my life following my own cancer in 1996. Although my cancer was removed by surgery, I knew that there had to be a better way than what I endured. From 1996 until now, I have been searching for and sharing with others the better way as I find it. I can not promise that all cancer will be eliminated, but I can say with confidence that if you do all that you can find to do to enhance your wellness of body, soul, and spirit, the effect of any cancer will be the least possible. You are in charge of your own wellness, and this little (155 page) book is one of the tools you can use to preserve and protect your wellness.
Section 1, The Search for Solutions, is intended to help the reader get past the “why me?” stage. It is vital to seek input from someone who has faced a similar challenge and has overcome it.
Section 2, The Perspective of Personal Responsibility, helps one recognize the importance of attitude: “I am in charge of my cancer. My cancer is not in charge of me.” (and more)
Section 3, The Cancer Conqueror Believes, gets to the heart of the matter. Many of us grew up believing that cancer means death, treatment has no value, and the victim is helpless. Anderson helps the reader understand that we can choose our beliefs – though I may have cancer, I am not cancer and I am not a victim of cancer. Cancer is a message to change.
Section 4, The Cancer Conqueror Resolves, teaches that we can change our perceptions of ourselves and our problems. Since hopelessness is a choice, why not choose hope? Cancer comes and goes – it is a reversible disease. Once I recognize that emotionally disruptive events and emotional needs may be factors in the development of cancer, I may be able to choose healthy options that will reduce my support for the cancer. Cancer going into remission is not an accident, but the result of my becoming a new person.
Section 5, The Cancer Conqueror Lives, teaches the power of nonjudgmental, unconditional love to heal. Accepting others as they are removes the great barrier to wholeness and wellness that is formed from our judgments of others. They are not required to change for me to love them, but I may need to change to be able to love them unconditionally. The true goal is not just to cure cancer, but to have peace of mind that is not related to our physical condition. “To LIVE means to move our lives toward our own unique experience of love, joy, and peace.”
Section 6, The Cancer Conqueror Explains, deals with the possibility of recurrence. There are many influences in life that may distract us from the path to wellness., but recurrence does not mean imminent death. I still can influence my destiny; I can choose to live fully as long as I live. I can have peace no matter what.
Section 7, The Cancer Conqueror Benefits, explained to me what happened in my life following my own cancer in 1996. Although my cancer was removed by surgery, I knew that there had to be a better way than what I endured. From 1996 until now, I have been searching for and sharing with others the better way as I find it. I can not promise that all cancer will be eliminated, but I can say with confidence that if you do all that you can find to do to enhance your wellness of body, soul, and spirit, the effect of any cancer will be the least possible. You are in charge of your own wellness, and this little (155 page) book is one of the tools you can use to preserve and protect your wellness.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Book Review: Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices by N. W. Walker D.Sc.
Originally published (annually since 1938) by Norwalk Press as Raw Vegetable Juices, the enlarged – revised edition covers more ground, but still is a pioneering book in the field of natural wellness.
Dr. Walker was truly an authority in the field. He began his contribution by healing himself of serious illness, eventually extending his potentially abbreviated life span to 99 years. Along with his extensive research into the benefits of juice consumption to attain and prolong wellness, he also developed a juicer that still sets the standard.
This little book of only 118 pages is chock full of vital information. The first part details what the body needs for wellness and why juice provides it better than just eating.
Then comes information on specific plants and their juices, from alfalfa to watercress, including the relative acidity and mineral content of each, as well as suggestions on which juices to combine for best effect.
Interspersed are terrific examples of natural wellness. My favorites are reports of natural childbirth and the healing of an older woman who was severely injured in an accident. Juicing is not just for “illnesses” as we normally think of them, but for every aspect of life.
Finally comes the heart of the book: “Raw Vegetable and Fruit Juices and Their Therapeutic Use in Specific Ailments.” Following a table of various formulas of juices (e.g., “62 Carrot 7 oz, Celery 4 oz, Parsley 2 oz, Spinach 3 oz”) is a list of “Ailments and Formulas” (e.g., “Tumors: in Brain, in Bones, In Liver, in Uterus 62, 61, 30, 40” ….).
Dr. Walker was not a Medical Doctor, nor am I. But each of us has the right to choose how to maintain wellness, and how to restore wellness when “life happens.” Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices is an excellent first step toward taking charge of one's own wellness.
Dr. Walker was truly an authority in the field. He began his contribution by healing himself of serious illness, eventually extending his potentially abbreviated life span to 99 years. Along with his extensive research into the benefits of juice consumption to attain and prolong wellness, he also developed a juicer that still sets the standard.
This little book of only 118 pages is chock full of vital information. The first part details what the body needs for wellness and why juice provides it better than just eating.
Then comes information on specific plants and their juices, from alfalfa to watercress, including the relative acidity and mineral content of each, as well as suggestions on which juices to combine for best effect.
Interspersed are terrific examples of natural wellness. My favorites are reports of natural childbirth and the healing of an older woman who was severely injured in an accident. Juicing is not just for “illnesses” as we normally think of them, but for every aspect of life.
Finally comes the heart of the book: “Raw Vegetable and Fruit Juices and Their Therapeutic Use in Specific Ailments.” Following a table of various formulas of juices (e.g., “62 Carrot 7 oz, Celery 4 oz, Parsley 2 oz, Spinach 3 oz”) is a list of “Ailments and Formulas” (e.g., “Tumors: in Brain, in Bones, In Liver, in Uterus 62, 61, 30, 40” ….).
Dr. Walker was not a Medical Doctor, nor am I. But each of us has the right to choose how to maintain wellness, and how to restore wellness when “life happens.” Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices is an excellent first step toward taking charge of one's own wellness.
Friday, October 2, 2009
SPIRITUAL LIFE Spoke in the Wheel of Wellness
I believe that these are some of the things we can do for ourselves that affect our wellness: (for details, see http://www.hopeunlimitedinc.com/wellnesswheel.html)
1.SPIRITUAL LIFE -- knowing God, saved by grace for good work, true to being created in His image
2.RELATIONSHIPS -- forgiving, compassionate, loving my neighbor as myself, at peace with others
3.ATTITUDE -- optimistic and able to cope when “life happens,” a positive outlook on life
4.REST -- sufficient sleep and relaxation, renewing my mind and my body as needed
5.INTAKE -- consuming just what my body needs for adequate nutrition; clean environment
6.ACTIVITY -- exercise, developing bone, muscle, endurance, and balance
Now let’s see how Scripture says it:
1. SPIRITUAL LIFE
God created man in perfection and gave him the blessings of long life and excellent health:
Genesis 1:27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him.
But man rejected God's perfection and chose to walk his own way. God gave His LAW so that man would have a guide and could know God:
Exodus 6:6-7 "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. ... I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God ....
Exodus 16:4-11, 35 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. ... 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.' "... The Israelites ate manna forty years … until they reached the border of Canaan.
Exodus 29:45-46 “Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46 They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.”
Deuteronomy 4:35-40 You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. ... Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.
Deuteronomy 7:12-15 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will ... love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, ... You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless. ... The LORD will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt.
But man would not obey the LAW and could not reach God any other way:
Romans 3:9- 18 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.
As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."[Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20]
"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." [Psalm 5:9]
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."[Psalm 140:3]
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."[Psalm 10:7]
"Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know."[Isaiah 59:7,8]
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."[Psalm 36:1]
God still did not give up on man, but provided yet another way:
John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Does that mean that if we believe, we won't get sick? No! But it means that if we believe in and trust the LORD God, He has taken away our guilt and has removed one burden from our lives. It means that we have one spoke in the Wheel of Wellness.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Scripture from NIV
1.SPIRITUAL LIFE -- knowing God, saved by grace for good work, true to being created in His image
2.RELATIONSHIPS -- forgiving, compassionate, loving my neighbor as myself, at peace with others
3.ATTITUDE -- optimistic and able to cope when “life happens,” a positive outlook on life
4.REST -- sufficient sleep and relaxation, renewing my mind and my body as needed
5.INTAKE -- consuming just what my body needs for adequate nutrition; clean environment
6.ACTIVITY -- exercise, developing bone, muscle, endurance, and balance
Now let’s see how Scripture says it:
1. SPIRITUAL LIFE
God created man in perfection and gave him the blessings of long life and excellent health:
Genesis 1:27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him.
But man rejected God's perfection and chose to walk his own way. God gave His LAW so that man would have a guide and could know God:
Exodus 6:6-7 "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. ... I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God ....
Exodus 16:4-11, 35 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. ... 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.' "... The Israelites ate manna forty years … until they reached the border of Canaan.
Exodus 29:45-46 “Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46 They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.”
Deuteronomy 4:35-40 You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. ... Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.
Deuteronomy 7:12-15 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will ... love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, ... You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless. ... The LORD will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt.
But man would not obey the LAW and could not reach God any other way:
Romans 3:9- 18 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.
As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."[Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20]
"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." [Psalm 5:9]
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."[Psalm 140:3]
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."[Psalm 10:7]
"Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know."[Isaiah 59:7,8]
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."[Psalm 36:1]
God still did not give up on man, but provided yet another way:
John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Does that mean that if we believe, we won't get sick? No! But it means that if we believe in and trust the LORD God, He has taken away our guilt and has removed one burden from our lives. It means that we have one spoke in the Wheel of Wellness.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Scripture from NIV
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Healing Prayer
Let’s consider again these two scriptures (quoted in the New American Standard translation):
Mark 5:25 – 29 A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse-- after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, "If I just touch His garments, I will get well." Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
I thank God for modern medicine and all the good that it does, but there are times when the physician does not have the answer. There are alternatives to the care of physicians that might be appropriate in some situations, and one of them is prayer.
The Bible promises answers to prayer (see next paragraph), and I have personally observed many in my time. I believe that God invariably answers prayer. However, He often will give us what we need rather than what we ask for. I learned to modify my “gimme a job” prayer, instead asking God to protect me from taking the wrong job. I have often prayed for healing, but on one occasion I was moved to pray instead for the Spirit to be with a lady, rather than to pray for her healing. Looking back, I could see God’s guidance – the lady died in surgery the following day. She was ready to go, and the Lord took her home. That event helped me understand that the purpose of prayer is not so much for us to beg favors from God as it is for us to seek the presence of God and “tune in” to His Spirit.
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
Matthew 18:19-20 Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.
Matthew 21:22 And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.
John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
I thank God for modern medicine and all the good that it does, but there are times when the physician does not have the answer. There are alternatives to the care of physicians that might be appropriate in some situations, and one of them is prayer.
The Bible promises answers to prayer (see next paragraph), and I have personally observed many in my time. I believe that God invariably answers prayer. However, He often will give us what we need rather than what we ask for. I learned to modify my “gimme a job” prayer, instead asking God to protect me from taking the wrong job. I have often prayed for healing, but on one occasion I was moved to pray instead for the Spirit to be with a lady, rather than to pray for her healing. Looking back, I could see God’s guidance – the lady died in surgery the following day. She was ready to go, and the Lord took her home. That event helped me understand that the purpose of prayer is not so much for us to beg favors from God as it is for us to seek the presence of God and “tune in” to His Spirit.
Matthew 18:19-20 Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.
Matthew 21:22 And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.
John 14:13-14 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Pathways to Wellness
Let’s consider these two scriptures (quoted in the New American Standard translation)
Mark 5:25 – 29 A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse-- after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, "If I just touch His garments, I will get well." Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
I believe that modern physicians do much good. When I broke my leg, I was very glad to have a physician on duty at the local hospital to be sure that I was treated properly and given the opportunity to heal fully. When my daughter developed a brain tumor, I was very glad that MD Anderson Cancer Center had the equipment and staff to diagnose and treat her and facilitate her recovery. I thank God for modern medicine and all the good that it does.
As the first scripture above relates, there are times when the physician does not have the answer. The attending physician did not help my cousin when he died as a young child. One man I know was so shocked at how his mother suffered and died at the hands of the physicians treating her colon cancer that, when he developed a similar tumor, he treated it himself. Within a year, his grapefruit-size tumor was gone! As I am reminded daily of the consequences of the surgery to remove my cancer, I envision the different outcome that I might have realized if I had known in advance what alternatives existed, but it was not my doctor’s privilege to tell me about any choices I had other than surgery, radiation, and “wait and see.” Now I know, so I gladly share with anyone who is interested that there are alternatives to the care of physicians that might be appropriate in some situations.
One of the alternatives is prayer. Scripture includes many passages that tell us of the power of prayer; we don’t have room here to review them, but you can do that on your own. As the second scripture passage above points out, sometimes God’s answer to prayer is “NO!” As our loving Father, He does not do that to punish us, but because He has something better planned for us. Perhaps if Paul had not had his “thorn in the flesh,” he would not have been able to reach many of the people who responded to his presentation of the gospel. For any one instance of our prayers being answered with a “NO,” there are many examples of how God has responded with a loving “YES!”
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
I believe that modern physicians do much good. When I broke my leg, I was very glad to have a physician on duty at the local hospital to be sure that I was treated properly and given the opportunity to heal fully. When my daughter developed a brain tumor, I was very glad that MD Anderson Cancer Center had the equipment and staff to diagnose and treat her and facilitate her recovery. I thank God for modern medicine and all the good that it does.
As the first scripture above relates, there are times when the physician does not have the answer. The attending physician did not help my cousin when he died as a young child. One man I know was so shocked at how his mother suffered and died at the hands of the physicians treating her colon cancer that, when he developed a similar tumor, he treated it himself. Within a year, his grapefruit-size tumor was gone! As I am reminded daily of the consequences of the surgery to remove my cancer, I envision the different outcome that I might have realized if I had known in advance what alternatives existed, but it was not my doctor’s privilege to tell me about any choices I had other than surgery, radiation, and “wait and see.” Now I know, so I gladly share with anyone who is interested that there are alternatives to the care of physicians that might be appropriate in some situations.
One of the alternatives is prayer. Scripture includes many passages that tell us of the power of prayer; we don’t have room here to review them, but you can do that on your own. As the second scripture passage above points out, sometimes God’s answer to prayer is “NO!” As our loving Father, He does not do that to punish us, but because He has something better planned for us. Perhaps if Paul had not had his “thorn in the flesh,” he would not have been able to reach many of the people who responded to his presentation of the gospel. For any one instance of our prayers being answered with a “NO,” there are many examples of how God has responded with a loving “YES!”
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Tree of Life
A recurring theme in Scripture is the Tree of Life. In Genesis and Revelation, the words represent a physical tree that bears fruit and has leaves; in Proverbs, Tree of Life is used in a different sense representing Wisdom and goodness (see Proverbs 3:18, 11:30, 13:12, and 15:4). In Revelation, Tree of Life also represents eternal life in paradise with God. (See Revelation 2:7, 22:2, 22:14, and 22:19) For the sake of our discussion here, let’s consider the Genesis Tree of Life.
Man’s original food was derived entirely from plants.
Genesis 1:29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
Genesis 2:9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The Tree of Life appears to be a particular tree (or variety of tree) with special wellness properties such that, after the fall, it had to be put OFF LIMITS:
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."
Genesis 3:24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
As I examine wellness products that are available and the benefits coming from them, it gives me the impression that we have come very close to rediscovering the Tree of Life. Although no one fruit gives perfect health, the choice of a wholly natural diet that includes a predominance of fruits and vegetables can enable the body to protect itself against many of the diseases we see around us all the time. As we turn away from stuff that was not intended as human food and turn back to a simple, natural, balanced diet, together with a balanced life (remember the Wheel of Wellness?), we can avoid much of the disease that surrounds us.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Scripture from NIV
Man’s original food was derived entirely from plants.
Genesis 2:9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The Tree of Life appears to be a particular tree (or variety of tree) with special wellness properties such that, after the fall, it had to be put OFF LIMITS:
Genesis 3:24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
As I examine wellness products that are available and the benefits coming from them, it gives me the impression that we have come very close to rediscovering the Tree of Life. Although no one fruit gives perfect health, the choice of a wholly natural diet that includes a predominance of fruits and vegetables can enable the body to protect itself against many of the diseases we see around us all the time. As we turn away from stuff that was not intended as human food and turn back to a simple, natural, balanced diet, together with a balanced life (remember the Wheel of Wellness?), we can avoid much of the disease that surrounds us.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Scripture from NIV
Monday, September 28, 2009
Daniel's Meatless Wellness
Although we all know the Bible story from Daniel 1 about four young noblemen of Judah who were taken as captives to Babylon, this discussion will be more meaningful if you will re-read the chapter now and keep it open for reference. We will see that the four were enrolled in the royal university to learn the literature and language of the Chaldeans. Initially, they were provided choice food and fine wine from the king’s own select supply, but Daniel convinced his caretaker to let them have vegetables and water instead. The immediate results were so apparent that the caretaker consented to let them continue with vegetables and water instead of meat and wine through the entire course of study.
At the end of the three year program, the four Hebrew youths looked better and scored higher than any of their classmates. Later chapters of the book of Daniel tell of the long and fruitful service that Daniel provided to Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, continuing until the reign of Cyrus, a span of service of about 60 years. Daniel not only was first in his class, he also outlasted all the competition.
Let’s focus our attention on the results achieved by Daniel and his companions, and on the reason for those results. The facts are straightforward: the young men ate vegetables and drank water rather than eating the king’s choice food and drinking his fine wine. What is not as clear is why they proved superior to all the rest of the class when final exam time came. A couple of explanations are possible: it was miraculous, a gift from God to reward them for their single-minded faithfulness; and, it was the natural consequence of maintaining purity by avoiding the toxicity of rich food and alcohol. I can not solve that dilemma, but let us suppose that at least to some degree, the latter was a factor. That is that their choice of a vegetarian diet enabled them to perform at a higher level. As later events in the life of Daniel make very clear, divine power was at work in his life to enable him to interpret dreams and foretell coming events, so I will not assume that natural factors were the only influences at work here.
My conclusion is supported by the results of recent nutritional research. Just within the past few days, I learned of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study which showed that a single serving of particular plant-based dietary supplement significantly improved visual discrimination and working memory. The overwhelming body of evidence that I have reviewed over the past dozen years demonstrates that people who choose a diet consistent with that prior to the flood (in the days of Noah) tend to live longer and with far less disease. That is proof enough for me to give up what I don’t need so I can preserve my wellness and serve more of my remaining years as a good steward of the blessings the Lord has graciously given me. I invite you to join me.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
At the end of the three year program, the four Hebrew youths looked better and scored higher than any of their classmates. Later chapters of the book of Daniel tell of the long and fruitful service that Daniel provided to Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, continuing until the reign of Cyrus, a span of service of about 60 years. Daniel not only was first in his class, he also outlasted all the competition.
Let’s focus our attention on the results achieved by Daniel and his companions, and on the reason for those results. The facts are straightforward: the young men ate vegetables and drank water rather than eating the king’s choice food and drinking his fine wine. What is not as clear is why they proved superior to all the rest of the class when final exam time came. A couple of explanations are possible: it was miraculous, a gift from God to reward them for their single-minded faithfulness; and, it was the natural consequence of maintaining purity by avoiding the toxicity of rich food and alcohol. I can not solve that dilemma, but let us suppose that at least to some degree, the latter was a factor. That is that their choice of a vegetarian diet enabled them to perform at a higher level. As later events in the life of Daniel make very clear, divine power was at work in his life to enable him to interpret dreams and foretell coming events, so I will not assume that natural factors were the only influences at work here.
My conclusion is supported by the results of recent nutritional research. Just within the past few days, I learned of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study which showed that a single serving of particular plant-based dietary supplement significantly improved visual discrimination and working memory. The overwhelming body of evidence that I have reviewed over the past dozen years demonstrates that people who choose a diet consistent with that prior to the flood (in the days of Noah) tend to live longer and with far less disease. That is proof enough for me to give up what I don’t need so I can preserve my wellness and serve more of my remaining years as a good steward of the blessings the Lord has graciously given me. I invite you to join me.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Sunday, September 27, 2009
The Role of Faith in Wellness
Let’s take a brief detour on the way to wise stewardship of wellness. I have said before, but can not emphasize too strongly that wellness is not a means of salvation. I am neither saved by my diet nor condemned by my diet, whatever it may be. So let’s look today at a particular passage regarding that idea.
Romans 14 considers the case in which one with strong faith will eat anything (including meat) and one who has weak faith avoids meat (it brings to his mind that the meat may have been sacrificed to idols). Please read the entire chapter to put the thought in context.
A key verse is Romans 14:2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. Taken by itself, that verse would make it appear that my faith is weak, as shown by my avoiding meat, and that I am cautioned in the following verses not to judge those who eat meat. Romans 14:3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.
Now is the time to say it again: what I’m saying has nothing to do with faith or salvation, but only with the stewardship of the resources God has put in my care. I do not judge anyone or tell anyone what to do or how to eat. What I am doing is sharing what I have found to provide a wellness benefit to me and to many others. I have already had my cancer; I have modified my diet expecting to prevent recurrence. Some who have not had cancer also choose the path I’ve taken with the expectation of preventing cancer. Research1 has demonstrated that animal proteins in the diet can serve as a switch for development of cancer. Absence of those proteins tends to keep the switch OFF. Including animal proteins tends to turn the cancer ON. (Processed foods and high fat foods also contribute to the development of cancer and other diseases of aging.)
I would gladly share with you my faith. I would delight to point to the scripture that says that Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, and there is no other way to get to God but through Him (John 14:6). That is a matter of faith and salvation.
I would also gladly share with you what I’ve discovered about caring for this mortal body, keeping it healthy so that, as the years accumulate, I can be serving rather than be served. But that is a matter of stewardship, use of resources, not a matter of faith.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
(Scripture References from NASB)
1. T. Colin Campbell, PhD, The China Study, Benbella Books, Dallas: 2004, chapter 3
Romans 14 considers the case in which one with strong faith will eat anything (including meat) and one who has weak faith avoids meat (it brings to his mind that the meat may have been sacrificed to idols). Please read the entire chapter to put the thought in context.
A key verse is Romans 14:2 One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. Taken by itself, that verse would make it appear that my faith is weak, as shown by my avoiding meat, and that I am cautioned in the following verses not to judge those who eat meat. Romans 14:3 The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.
Now is the time to say it again: what I’m saying has nothing to do with faith or salvation, but only with the stewardship of the resources God has put in my care. I do not judge anyone or tell anyone what to do or how to eat. What I am doing is sharing what I have found to provide a wellness benefit to me and to many others. I have already had my cancer; I have modified my diet expecting to prevent recurrence. Some who have not had cancer also choose the path I’ve taken with the expectation of preventing cancer. Research1 has demonstrated that animal proteins in the diet can serve as a switch for development of cancer. Absence of those proteins tends to keep the switch OFF. Including animal proteins tends to turn the cancer ON. (Processed foods and high fat foods also contribute to the development of cancer and other diseases of aging.)
I would gladly share with you my faith. I would delight to point to the scripture that says that Jesus is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, and there is no other way to get to God but through Him (John 14:6). That is a matter of faith and salvation.
I would also gladly share with you what I’ve discovered about caring for this mortal body, keeping it healthy so that, as the years accumulate, I can be serving rather than be served. But that is a matter of stewardship, use of resources, not a matter of faith.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
(Scripture References from NASB)
1. T. Colin Campbell, PhD, The China Study, Benbella Books, Dallas: 2004, chapter 3
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Worry and Wellness
“For life is more than food, and the body than clothing.” -- Luke 12:23
How one understands and acts on that verse will have a strong influence in one’s approach to life.
One possible approach is to say, “It doesn’t matter what I eat or wear since life is so much more – I can eat anything I want; I can spend all I want on clothing.” I find a conflict between that and what other passages of Scripture tell us. Remember from Proverbs 23:1-3
When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully what is before you,
And put a knife to your throat
If you are a man of great appetite.
Do not desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.
And Matthew 6:28-29
"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.”
Sounds to me like it does matter!
Another approach is to recognize that what one eats and wears is a reflection of how he thinks – how disciplined he is and what his priorities are. Which is more important: to eat for enjoyment and pleasure, or to eat to sustain oneself for ministry? There is one big caveat in this distinction – the power of “should.” Everyone knows that there are things he “should” do, as implied duty. “I should not smoke. I should eat right. I should be more supportive of my spouse. I should be a better parent. I should visit sick neighbors.” “Should” can become an impatient taskmaster, stealing the joy from living and leaving only drudgery.
Don’t let “should” steal your joy. Instead, focus on living close to our Lord. Get to know Him as Lord, Savior, and Friend, and live the way that pleases Him. His word will guide you to the right path. (Ps 119:105).
As you walk with Him, He will guide you to the ministry that is His will for your life. He will help you make wise choices about clothing (sufficient but not extravagant), food (sustaining, not leading to diseases of affluence), entertainment (uplifting, purposeful), hobbies (that spend the time constructively, not in idleness), and most important, your call to ministry. We all are witnesses to something; may our lives be living letters from the Lord to our friends and neighbors! (2 Corinthians 3:2-4) Only a few are Clergy, but all of us are in full-time Christian service. WE are the Church!
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
(References from NASB)
How one understands and acts on that verse will have a strong influence in one’s approach to life.
One possible approach is to say, “It doesn’t matter what I eat or wear since life is so much more – I can eat anything I want; I can spend all I want on clothing.” I find a conflict between that and what other passages of Scripture tell us. Remember from Proverbs 23:1-3
When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Consider carefully what is before you,
And put a knife to your throat
If you are a man of great appetite.
Do not desire his delicacies,
For it is deceptive food.
And Matthew 6:28-29
"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.”
Sounds to me like it does matter!
Another approach is to recognize that what one eats and wears is a reflection of how he thinks – how disciplined he is and what his priorities are. Which is more important: to eat for enjoyment and pleasure, or to eat to sustain oneself for ministry? There is one big caveat in this distinction – the power of “should.” Everyone knows that there are things he “should” do, as implied duty. “I should not smoke. I should eat right. I should be more supportive of my spouse. I should be a better parent. I should visit sick neighbors.” “Should” can become an impatient taskmaster, stealing the joy from living and leaving only drudgery.
Don’t let “should” steal your joy. Instead, focus on living close to our Lord. Get to know Him as Lord, Savior, and Friend, and live the way that pleases Him. His word will guide you to the right path. (Ps 119:105).
As you walk with Him, He will guide you to the ministry that is His will for your life. He will help you make wise choices about clothing (sufficient but not extravagant), food (sustaining, not leading to diseases of affluence), entertainment (uplifting, purposeful), hobbies (that spend the time constructively, not in idleness), and most important, your call to ministry. We all are witnesses to something; may our lives be living letters from the Lord to our friends and neighbors! (2 Corinthians 3:2-4) Only a few are Clergy, but all of us are in full-time Christian service. WE are the Church!
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
(References from NASB)
Friday, September 25, 2009
Purposeful Wellness
The essence of chastity is not the suppression of lust, but the total orientation of one's life towards a goal. -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
This is the cure for any bad habit, whether a sexual addiction, smoking, or cursing. When your life is totally focused on a worthy goal, there is no room for distractions. It is when one has no purpose in life that there is so much slack that it is easy to fall into habits that are undesirable.
Consider a rope passing through pulleys. When there is a load at the end, the rope is taut and passes through each pulley without any tendency to bind. It is only when the rope is slack that it drifts off and becomes tangled in a pulley. Too much tension will break the rope, but too little tension allows the rope to go where it doesn’t belong. So it is with life. When I am guided by a sufficient purpose, I am willing and anxious to shed anything that hinders my progress. But when I wander aimlessly, it is not difficult at all to pick up habits that are offensive.
Some years ago, I spent a couple of years in Asia. Others around me found the distance from home liberating – although they had wives or fiancées back home, they felt free to set up housekeeping with a locally available “temporary wife”. With my focus on a lifetime marriage and my commitment to a life in Christ, I was never tempted to even think about such an action. Even when sent to the Korean equivalent to a geisha house and assigned a “hostess”, it was no struggle for me to keep my hands and my mind where they belonged – and it made an interesting story to tell my wife later. (It also earned a reprimand from my boss to the person who put me in that awkward situation.)
What does this have to do with wellness? Everything! Much of the unwellness around us derives from habits developed because of lack of purpose. There is adequate information available that reveals that our choice of food is a significant factor in the state of our health, but the pleasure of the taste and the force of social custom keep many folks trapped in unhealthy habits. For most folks, the awakening comes only when a disease becomes life-threatening, or at least serious enough to get attention, and then it may be too late.
That is why I focus on stewardship. Most Christians understand that all we have has been given to us by God, for us to use for His glory. In the same way that He has provided our treasure, our time, and our talent for us to use wisely and in ways that honor Him, He also has provided our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit. That temple is just as much an object of stewardship as our treasure. Any believer who truly wants to live a life pleasing to Christ will want to serve Him all life long. Many of those who neglect this aspect of stewardship will find themselves trapped in bodies that don’t work any more. Rather than being able to minister to others and share the wisdom gained over a lifetime of service, they become the object of ministry by others. Rather than having financial resources to use to support ministry, they have to use those resources to maintain their bodies in a functional state. No, wellness is not required for salvation. But it is a matter of good stewardship.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Myron62@juno.com
This is the cure for any bad habit, whether a sexual addiction, smoking, or cursing. When your life is totally focused on a worthy goal, there is no room for distractions. It is when one has no purpose in life that there is so much slack that it is easy to fall into habits that are undesirable.
Consider a rope passing through pulleys. When there is a load at the end, the rope is taut and passes through each pulley without any tendency to bind. It is only when the rope is slack that it drifts off and becomes tangled in a pulley. Too much tension will break the rope, but too little tension allows the rope to go where it doesn’t belong. So it is with life. When I am guided by a sufficient purpose, I am willing and anxious to shed anything that hinders my progress. But when I wander aimlessly, it is not difficult at all to pick up habits that are offensive.
Some years ago, I spent a couple of years in Asia. Others around me found the distance from home liberating – although they had wives or fiancées back home, they felt free to set up housekeeping with a locally available “temporary wife”. With my focus on a lifetime marriage and my commitment to a life in Christ, I was never tempted to even think about such an action. Even when sent to the Korean equivalent to a geisha house and assigned a “hostess”, it was no struggle for me to keep my hands and my mind where they belonged – and it made an interesting story to tell my wife later. (It also earned a reprimand from my boss to the person who put me in that awkward situation.)
What does this have to do with wellness? Everything! Much of the unwellness around us derives from habits developed because of lack of purpose. There is adequate information available that reveals that our choice of food is a significant factor in the state of our health, but the pleasure of the taste and the force of social custom keep many folks trapped in unhealthy habits. For most folks, the awakening comes only when a disease becomes life-threatening, or at least serious enough to get attention, and then it may be too late.
That is why I focus on stewardship. Most Christians understand that all we have has been given to us by God, for us to use for His glory. In the same way that He has provided our treasure, our time, and our talent for us to use wisely and in ways that honor Him, He also has provided our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit. That temple is just as much an object of stewardship as our treasure. Any believer who truly wants to live a life pleasing to Christ will want to serve Him all life long. Many of those who neglect this aspect of stewardship will find themselves trapped in bodies that don’t work any more. Rather than being able to minister to others and share the wisdom gained over a lifetime of service, they become the object of ministry by others. Rather than having financial resources to use to support ministry, they have to use those resources to maintain their bodies in a functional state. No, wellness is not required for salvation. But it is a matter of good stewardship.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Myron62@juno.com
Thursday, September 24, 2009
The Next Generation
First a disclaimer: I am NOT Dr. Dobson, nor any other authority on raising children. However, I have been through the process, with mistakes along the way, but hopefully some right moves as well.
Sitting in the disaster recovery center, I observed a young mother come in with her pre-school son and his grandmother. While mom is taking care of business, son discovers the Coke machine. I offer water to grandmother, and she asks grandson if he wants water. Of course not, he wants Coke, so she dutifully puts in her dollar bill and he grabs the Coke can that drops.
How many times a day is this scene repeated across this bountiful nation? Child wants, child gets, regardless how many grams of sugar are in the can. And without regard for all the studies showing adverse impact to wellness of sugar, without thinking of increasing the prospect for obesity or diabetes, parents and grandparents spoil the child and cripple his ability to make decisions that lead to wellness.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Texas Manager, Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (currently at Kountze, Hardin County)
Myron62@juno.com
PS – for current helpful health information, I suggest that you go to http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/alerts/ and subscribe to the health alerts that meet your need.
Sitting in the disaster recovery center, I observed a young mother come in with her pre-school son and his grandmother. While mom is taking care of business, son discovers the Coke machine. I offer water to grandmother, and she asks grandson if he wants water. Of course not, he wants Coke, so she dutifully puts in her dollar bill and he grabs the Coke can that drops.
How many times a day is this scene repeated across this bountiful nation? Child wants, child gets, regardless how many grams of sugar are in the can. And without regard for all the studies showing adverse impact to wellness of sugar, without thinking of increasing the prospect for obesity or diabetes, parents and grandparents spoil the child and cripple his ability to make decisions that lead to wellness.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Texas Manager, Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (currently at Kountze, Hardin County)
Myron62@juno.com
PS – for current helpful health information, I suggest that you go to http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/alerts/ and subscribe to the health alerts that meet your need.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Rediscovering Community
During my deployment in Kountze for Disaster Recovery, I was sleeping for some time at the local fire station. That gave me a special opportunity to observe a very close-knit community, in many ways like a church. The firemen (male and female) and their families thoroughly enjoy spending time together. They eat together, laugh together, cry together. When the challenge of serious fires comes, they band together in mutual support. They are of one mind, one heart – they are one, much as the church is one. I am reminded that, in combat, soldiers don’t die for their country or for their family. They die for their buddies. It is the bond among those united in community that is worth dying for.
Seeing their community challenges me to issue a call to a community of wellness. The primary obstacle to the habits that underlie wellness is the ingrained social custom of eating together foods that are customary rather than especially healthful. Secondary obstacles are cooking for taste rather than wellness benefit, and the time-saving convenience of processed foods.
I envision a community in which all members are aware of the harm to their wellness – and their stewardship – in their habits that do not support wellness. As Paul tells us, if my eating meat causes my brother to stumble, I’ll never eat meat again. Paul wrote in the context of meat sacrificed to idols; I suggest that in our time, there is no idol worshiped in eating meat, but one could say that pleasure has become the god of many people. At any rate, what I do influences those around me, for better or worse.
Dream with me for a moment of a community in which none of the benefits of togetherness are lost, but in which the impact on wellness is considered in all activities. Every member recognizes that the joy of wellness is not inconsistent with the joy of close fellowship. It is not necessary to give up anything to be well –- healthy habits are just as enjoyable as anything else that we could do.
Choosing to maintain wellness in order to serve others rather than have to depend on them does not violate any Biblical standards. As we encourage one another to make wise choices, we can grow together in wise stewardship of whatever wellness we have.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Texas Manager, Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (currently at Kountze, Hardin County)
Myron62@juno.com
Seeing their community challenges me to issue a call to a community of wellness. The primary obstacle to the habits that underlie wellness is the ingrained social custom of eating together foods that are customary rather than especially healthful. Secondary obstacles are cooking for taste rather than wellness benefit, and the time-saving convenience of processed foods.
I envision a community in which all members are aware of the harm to their wellness – and their stewardship – in their habits that do not support wellness. As Paul tells us, if my eating meat causes my brother to stumble, I’ll never eat meat again. Paul wrote in the context of meat sacrificed to idols; I suggest that in our time, there is no idol worshiped in eating meat, but one could say that pleasure has become the god of many people. At any rate, what I do influences those around me, for better or worse.
Dream with me for a moment of a community in which none of the benefits of togetherness are lost, but in which the impact on wellness is considered in all activities. Every member recognizes that the joy of wellness is not inconsistent with the joy of close fellowship. It is not necessary to give up anything to be well –- healthy habits are just as enjoyable as anything else that we could do.
Choosing to maintain wellness in order to serve others rather than have to depend on them does not violate any Biblical standards. As we encourage one another to make wise choices, we can grow together in wise stewardship of whatever wellness we have.
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Texas Manager, Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (currently at Kountze, Hardin County)
Myron62@juno.com
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Wellness Beyond Bodily Health
My train of thought from previous issues has been disrupted by the series of disasters that have struck Texas recently – I’ve deployed for hurricane Dolly and now hurricane Ike. Rather than struggle to pick up earlier threads, let me address some of what I’m observing now.
The need for wellness is no less during a time of calamity, but other much more pressing needs may overshadow it. I’ve heard that Ike is the fourth worst natural disaster ever to strike the US. The people I’m seeing now are desperate for a place to sleep, for food to eat, and for a word of encouragement. Even those who appear to be composed may really be simmering inside, just waiting for the slightest provocation, intentional or otherwise, to boil over.
As we have discussed earlier, stress such as I’m observing now is very detrimental to wellness. Those who have difficulty coping with recent events are putting themselves at greater risk of contracting serious, life-threatening disease. Those who have a strong faith and who can accept their trouble and, with Job, still praise their Redeemer, are much less likely to fall ill.
I invite your prayers
• for me and others who are engaged in response and recovery following hurricane Ike and other disasters. Wellness is crucial for us to endure the weeks or months of travel, long days, and stressful encounters.
• for those who have been displaced from their homes, many uncertain of the condition of their homes
• for those who have no home to return to
• for those who have relatives impacted by the disasters (when one hurts, all hurt)
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Texas Manager, Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (currently at Kountze, Hardin County)
Myron62@juno.com
The need for wellness is no less during a time of calamity, but other much more pressing needs may overshadow it. I’ve heard that Ike is the fourth worst natural disaster ever to strike the US. The people I’m seeing now are desperate for a place to sleep, for food to eat, and for a word of encouragement. Even those who appear to be composed may really be simmering inside, just waiting for the slightest provocation, intentional or otherwise, to boil over.
As we have discussed earlier, stress such as I’m observing now is very detrimental to wellness. Those who have difficulty coping with recent events are putting themselves at greater risk of contracting serious, life-threatening disease. Those who have a strong faith and who can accept their trouble and, with Job, still praise their Redeemer, are much less likely to fall ill.
I invite your prayers
• for me and others who are engaged in response and recovery following hurricane Ike and other disasters. Wellness is crucial for us to endure the weeks or months of travel, long days, and stressful encounters.
• for those who have been displaced from their homes, many uncertain of the condition of their homes
• for those who have no home to return to
• for those who have relatives impacted by the disasters (when one hurts, all hurt)
The Lord Provides!
Myron Remington
Texas Manager, Mobile Disaster Recovery Center (currently at Kountze, Hardin County)
Myron62@juno.com
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