Wellness Is My Concern!

Book review: 90 Minutes In Heaven

2010-01-23T04:43:00.000-08:00

Book review: 90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey

Subtitle: A True Story of Death & Life

The author was killed in a devastating auto crash when his Ford Escort was run over by a careening 18-wheeler driven by an unlicensed prison inmate. But another pastor who had just left the same church conference prayed over his dead body for an hour and a half, finally to be joined by the dead man in singing a hymn.

This brief (205 page paperback) book is the story of the death, resuscitation, and eventual healing of Don Piper. He was not an ideal patient, obediently accepting every event as ordained by God. He had seen heaven and wanted to be there. He suffered continual pain and wanted to be free of it. He realized only later the depth of the series of miracles that had brought him back from death to a productive and fulfilling life.

The lesson that I see most clearly in the pages of 90 Minutes In Heaven is that despite our failings, God really does “causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.” [Romans 8:28, New American Standard Bible] Although I didn't understand as the author struggled with his pain and other trials, as later events unfolded, I could see that only because of his struggles and doubts could he most effectively minister to others who struggled and doubted. Don Piper now has a much different ministry than he had prior to the crash that killed him. I do not believe that God planned the accident, but rather than God used the events of the accident and the author's eventual recovery to prove that He still is God and is in charge of everything on earth and in heaven.

With my focus on wellness, I see another lesson as well. Don Piper can no longer kneel down to talk with children “on their level.” He has many physical limitations because of the injuries he suffered in the crash. But I believe that Don Piper is well, as I define wellness. As I stated on my website in 2006, “True wellness is more than just health; it is having a healthy, compassionate heart and mind in a healthy body.
I can imagine situations in which a person may be physically limited and still fit my definition of wellness.”

Glenda's Lessons on Gaining Wellness

2010-01-18T06:36:00.000-08:00

Set goals. While I was losing weight, I set repeated goals to lose ten more pounds. Now that I am at my target weight, I have other goals: I am going back to college now to get a degree in Fine Arts. I have started doing artwork again. I have learned to scuba dive and have went on several trips with my husband and I have learned how to canoe and have been on several canoe trips with my husband. I will have 2 hip replacements the first quarter of 2010 and because of the good physical shape I am in; I will be able to compete in a Triathalon with my doctors blessing in June of 2010.

Recognition is vital. Being recognized for my weight loss achievements at "TOPS State Recognition Day 2009" in Wichita Falls was a mountaintop experience in my life.

Help others. The official reason that I share my story with others is because we all need watershed moments and I am hoping that in some small way, my experience will touch something in you. My goal for is for us all to experience the "mountaintop," because it's a really nice place.

You first have to see it in the eyes of someone else. It takes too much time and effort to learn everything by your own experience; let others share their lessons-learned with you.

You have to feel it, long for it, need it. The goals you achieve will be the ones that you most strongly desire. People do what they really, really want to do. Figure out what makes you want to improve so much that you will do anything to achieve it.

Understand that success depends on achievement and achievement depends on effort. Webster's Dictionary defines achievement as "a result gained by effort" and success as "a favorable or desired outcome." But let me tell you what success means from the perspective of someone who learned it the hard way. Receiving praise is nice, but it's not nearly as important as knowing that I have worked hard and done the best that was inside of me to do. I joined TOPS on January 7, 2008, weighing in at 314. Through perseverance and determination I have reached my same 10 pound loss goal and reset and re-reached that goal over 17 times now. Webster is right – achievement is a result gained by effort and success is a desired outcome. But Webster just didn't have any idea that you have to put the two terms together because only effort will produce the desired success.

Do the little things. Don't wait for giant steps – start with baby steps. It's like Vitalis hair gel – a little dab'll do you. Or Lays potato chips – you can't eat just one; after one, you want another, and another and another.

Enlist the support of others. You don't know how strong another person is until you see them at their weakest moment. My TOPS and my church family saw me at my weakest moments and they reminded me of how truly strong I was. My difficult moments gave me opportunities to experience courage and learn more about myself and to grow in my faith.

Attitude is Everything! Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other. Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working twenty-four hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force. The other thing that's important here is how you choose to define courage. I read this quote somewhere, and I've relied upon it, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear". I made the judgment to put my weight loss program, my physical and emotional health at a level of more importance than my fears. As you can see – it worked.

You are in charge of the outcome. I like to think of success as a game of chance in which I have control over the odds. As I began to master concepts in personal achievement, I increased my odds of achieving more goals and experiencing success in not only physical, emotional and spiritual health but in so many other areas of my life. There is no personal achievement in being born beautiful. I used no gimmicks or quick fixes and I don't think that I possess any greater character than anyone else. What I do posses is the infinite power, wisdom and strength that only God can provide. That's the long way of saying: If I can do it, anyone can. But to truly understand what I'm trying to say here, you have to know where I came from. I forget who it was that called it "stinkin thinkin," but that's just where I had been.

Recognize your true worth. I had defined myself as a morbidly obese woman with a lot to offer the world if they would just look inside and then I lived within the boundaries of that definition. I hurt all the time but kept a smile on my face and kept my bubbly personality to make sure everyone liked me. And I WAS truly happy with the person that was inside me. But I was afraid of change because, miserable as I was, I was comforted by the normality of what I knew. I never pushed the envelope and didn't actually believe that I had it within myself to change. As spiritually solid as I thought I was in my faith, I didn't realize how much power I possessed and the amount of control that I, along with God, can actually have over my own fate. Within each of us is an untapped inner strength that can bring about miraculous changes with the power of prayer.

Get over it. Put behind you all the negatives of the past and live for the present and the future. Being called all the fat names in the book growing up I thought I had heard them all. I learned what I only thought happened in grade school also happens when you're an adult and then it hurts a lot more. The insults came in seemingly harmless disguises like "Oh, we don't carry your size in this store Ma'am", "Look at who you married son." "Maybe we could all fit in two cars, Glenda's going with so and so, right?" And I would get disgusted with my weight and I would try a diet for a few days but when I found out that it wasn't going to make me lose 90 pounds by the next morning I would give up. I gave all of the same old excuses you've heard. "I'm praying for God to make me loose weight but Gods just not listening!" "I'm doing everything right!" "I'm doing what they're telling me to do!" "I don't know what's wrong with me!" "I'm just going to be fat forever!"

Forgive yourself. You're allowed to "mess up" every now and again, so long as you don't make a habit out of consuming an excessive amount of food. Right the dining injustice immediately. You'll be okay. You'll be fine. Just don't do it again and again and again and again.

Start Over. Remember this quote. I don't know who said it so I can't take credit for it, but it goes like this, "You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call "failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down." It's worth repeating. It's not the falling down, but the staying down.

Live Actively. I go to the gym four times a week with a mixture of cardiovascular jazzercise as well as strength training.

If You Have Decided, It Is Done! You can't be wishy-washy. Make the commitment to achieve and you will. Find the right reason, make the firm commitment, then do the work that it takes to achieve. And you will!

If It Is To Be, It Is Up To Me! I prayed to God for the willingness to let Him help me and show me the way out of my prison that I built little by little over so many years. But, I had to get my car out of park in the first place and "do my part" so God could begin steering me out of the self imposed prison I created for myself. So you have to know that the goals aren't just about the physical aspects of losing the weight. I've lost a lot of weight several times before in my life. But I didn't understand the emotional and spiritual aspects that had to be addressed. And it is that understanding that allows me to say that with the help of GOD, my TOPS family, my son, my close friends and church family, I have learned that I had all of the tools right inside of me to lose this weight again, only the right way this time and for all the right reasons this very last time in my life.

Conquer Your Self. Aristotle says, "I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self." This is the third time in my life that I have lost roughly the same amount of weight. But this time is different. The first two times, I lost the weight so that I would look really good. I wanted physical admiration. I didn't concentrate on how I needed to get the weight off. I didn't think about what changes I needed to make regarding my relationship with food and exercise. I didn't plan for the long haul. I didn't make the necessary and lasting changes that I needed to do to reinvent myself into the person you see here today.

Rethink Food and exercise. Today I think of food as a way to survive – fuel for the body and the mind – so its important what kind of fuel I choose. And I think of exercise as a way to relieve stress, increase endorphins, get strong and live the long, happy life that God intended for me.

Accept the New You. Healthy lifestyle and exercise have changed me, body, mind, and attitude. There is more to each of us than we know. If we can just get a glimpse of it, maybe for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less.

Forget Dieting. You have the tools and directions to get there. All you need to do is watch what you eat, and expend more energy than you consume. It's really that simple. So toss out any books that say anything else. Expend more energy than you consume. Remove the word diet from your vocabulary. Diets do not work. Diets are temporary. When you change your dietary lifestyle, however, you're changing your habits - and you're putting yourself on track for long-term continued success and weight maintenance. Expend more energy than you consume. Permanently. The key is "don't stop" – believe in yourself! I have the power inside of me to change myself first. So do you. Then God will lead you, inspire you in so many ways you can't begin to imagine.

Read labels. If you don't know what you're putting in your mouth, you're flying blind. And if you think that this is boring – think again. You can't ingest crap and be healthy, and certain "health food" manufacturers are expert at marketing absolute crap in a way that sounds really healthy. Educate yourself and don't assume anything. Actually, there is one assumption that is safe – assume they want you to buy whatever it is that they are marketing. And then triple-check the ingredients list and serving sizes. You must rely on yourself for this; nobody else is going to be able to lose the weight or do the math for you. It's not that complicated a task, but it will require effort. If nothing else, just pay attention to the calorie count.

Find Your Inspiration. Without inspiration, our minds remain dormant. There is a fuel inside each and every one of us that needs to be ignited with sparks. The most powerful force we have within us is "our soul on fire with inspiration and motivation". And it's contagious. I get those things from my TOPS family and they get them from me. Helping each other find the tools inside of themselves to work hard and persevere and achieve every goal they have and yes – to be successful. You have to know that others are out there for moral support - they know things that you couldn't possibly know, and they've probably been "in your shoes" at some point in the past (or present). Share stories, laughter, tears, successes, and failures – share them.

Just Do It! Now we're back to that word effort. You remember – the one that comes before success and achievement. Being willing to do what it takes is not enough, we actually have to do and act and follow thru. Exercise is essential. Run, jog, dance your socks off. Find something that you enjoy and just do it! Otherwise, you won't stick to it. And remember why it's imperative. Muscle weighs more than fat, but the last thing you want to lose is muscle, and without exercise, your body is going to burn through muscle first - and you'll wind up more imbalanced than you were to begin with. You want your body to burn fat, not muscle. You want to lose weight, but you want to lose "fat" weight – not muscle mass.

Final thoughts.
– The harder you work at something, the harder it is to surrender, and that applies to individuals as well as groups.

– "To thine own self be true." So said Shakespeare, and the truth of the matter is this: when I was a child, people made fun of my weight. I dreaded shopping because none of the clothes that I wanted to wear would fit me. I learned at an early age to associate myself through my weight, so every experience and every thought was affected by how I believed that others saw me. Accurate or not, every relationship in my life was colored by my perception of my body, and my related sense of inadequacy.. But I've come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy. I now admire myself for what I have achieved and think of myself as a well rounded, successful, and healthy person who has learned to make better choices and decisions. And I hope and pray with all my heart that I have been and can continue to be an inspiration for change in others lives and as well as my own!

Hats off to each and every one of you here trying to lose weight, and my congratulations to anyone who has achieved it. It is the hardest thing you'll ever do. But is it worth it? Without a doubt, the answer is yes. The mountaintop is waiting, and to get there, think of me and tennis shoes and baby steps. And baby step by baby step, you can get there too. Thank you for letting me share my story with you.

Glenda

Glenda's Path to Wellness

2010-01-13T05:46:00.000-08:00

Hello again from Glenda. This time I'd like to review my steps from morbidly obese to vibrant good health.

I joined TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly, http://www.tops.org/) on January 7, 2008, weighing in at 314. Through perseverance and determination I have reached my same 10 pound loss goal and reset and re-reached that goal over 17 times now. I won't lie to you. The weight didn't come off magically or quickly. It took effort, but as it came off, I physically began feeling better and started simply MOVING MORE AS I WENT THROUGH EACH DAY. So every day I had a little effort, a little success. But remember, I was walking around with as much as 340 pounds burdening the bones and joints God gave me to carry a specific, clearly lesser, amount of weight on my small frame. And incremental change and incremental success is the only way that I've found to take the weight off, and keep the weight off. But that's only part of the story.
I still had in memory the past experiences that had led to the emotional eating in the first place, and I was still uncomfortable with my excessive weight. Hating my weight and knowing that I needed to lose it didn't change that I didn't want to do the work that was necessary. Knowing that there was no quick fix, and being entrenched in complacency is where TOPS came in.

I faced some hard truths with the help of my TOPS friends: because of my excess weight, merely moving and doing the things others take for granted taxed my body to its limits. I still had the problem that my legs would go to sleep if I sat too long and that my legs would buckle if I walked too far. My life was still too painful for me to bear alone. TOPS helped me to come to the realization that my excess weight was slowly killing me and robbing me of living.

It definitely was my time to change. TOPS taught me how to change my eating habits but they didn't stop there. These people wanted me to move more throughout my day. They actually wanted me to lug MY body around EVEN MORE THAN I ALREADY. WAS. THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANTED ME TO – GET THIS – INCREASE MY ACTIVITY GRADUALLY.

So I did. I took TEENY TINY baby steps and then I started to notice I could move farther and stand longer and bend over and then – OH, MY GOD! I COULD ACTUALLY REACH MY FEET AND TIE MY OWN SHOES! THIS MEANT I COULD ACTUALLY WEAR TENNIS SHOES NOW.

After being unable to reach my feet for 15 years, I remember what it felt like to look down at my feet with my brand spanking new little white tennis shoes on that I tied myself with pretty double bows like I used to do back when I was a little girl in school. I will never forget the feeling of walking around in my tennis shoes feeling like I could jump higher and run faster than anyone on earth! Now I knew that at 250 pounds and being over 40 years old, there was no way I could even jump or run at all, but, by the grace of God, I felt like I could, and the motivation that wearing my tennis shoes brought me was empowering, to say the least.

At this point I had lost 70 pounds, and I was so proud of myself for that. But the discipline I learned and character that I built from achieving this goal was more valuable to me than the achievement of the goal itself. I worked so hard to get there, and sometimes it seemed so impossible. But little by little, day by day, little success after little success – I could tie my own shoes again. Martin Luther King said it best on a completely unrelated subject, "Free at last, Free at last." And that's exactly what I felt. Free and proud and ME. And it was those feelings that gave me the motivation to increase the momentum. So let me tell you something else that Mr. Webster forgot to say about success. It's like Vitalis hair gel – a little dab'll do you. And it's like Lays potato chips – after one, you want another, and another and another.

I was unstoppable. I walked every day. I watched my pretty white tennis shoes in the reflection of each window I passed – there are 38 of them around my building where I work. But don't get the wrong idea – I was unstoppable, but I was slow at first. Incredibly slow. In fact, at first I could only walk one time around my building. It's ½ mile, and there are many people who regularly run ½ mile in less than two minutes. It took me my whole lunch hour because I had to rest twice before I could get completely around the building. But I got better and quicker at putting on my tennis shoes at work and tying them all cute with double bows to go on my walks. I'm telling you what – I was baby stepping with the best of them and every day that feeling of achievement kept me reaching for more baby steps.

Remember the times I would wake up the next day after eating fried chicken, French fries, fried okra and whatever else I could fit on my plate? I can tell you this. I haven't gone to this extreme in 15 months and I know that I won't do it today either. Now I'm not about to stand here without telling off on myself a little. Along the way, I have stumbled and have chowed down on chocolate and sweets and Christmas goodies and Easter goodies and only our good LORD knows what else because I certainly didn't want to write that crap down in my little food log! . You're allowed to "mess up" every now and again, so long as you don't make a habit out of consuming an excessive amount of food. Right the dining injustice immediately. You'll be okay. You'll be fine. Just don't do it again. And again. And again. And again.

Remember this quote. I don't know who said it so I can't take credit for it, but it goes like this, "You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down." It's worth repeating. “It's not the falling down, but the staying down.” I have eaten crap that I shouldn't have eaten at least once a week for the past 15 months but I chose to immediately start fresh at that moment – right after I finish it and sometimes in the middle of it. OH HECK – Who am I kidding? most times I finish it knowing DARNED WELL THAT I will give myself a "DO OVER" AFTER IT'S GONE.

But the bottom line is this: At the end of a year and 10 months, I have lost over a hundred and seventy pounds and am feeling great about myself. I am living my life and I have to be in charge of this body God loaned me. I go to the gym four times a week for a mixture of cardiovascular, jazzercise, and strength training. The body is composed of over six hundred muscles and the two I used the most upon losing my weight were my brain and my heart. I prayed to God for the willingness to let him help me and show me the way out of my prison that I built little by little over so many years. You see, I had to get my car out of park in the first place and "do my part" so God could begin steering me out of the self imposed prison I created for myself.

Today I think of food as a way to survive – fuel for the body and the mind – so its important what kind of fuel I choose. And I think of exercise as a way to relieve stress, increase endorphins, get strong and live the long, happy life that God intended for me. And guess what – it's working. My most recent blood work shows LDL cholesterol in the way below normal range, HDL in the above normal range, Total Blood Serum Cholesterol below normal, normal liver function, normal everything else. But the blood tests only confirmed what I already knew: I feel great, inside and outside.

I've learned that a healthy lifestyle and exercise has changed my body, mind, and attitude. But I'm still in the process of losing, becoming physically fit, growing and reinventing myself. There is more to each of us than we know. If we can just get a glimpse of it, maybe for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less. I'm still in the process of becoming the best ME that I have ever been in my life. I know where I'm going and I'm keeping my eye on the prize and I won't settle for less.

Next, lets look at the lessons I've learned and how they apply in many ways.

Hi! I'm Glenda!

2010-01-12T17:13:00.000-08:00

I share my story hoping that in some small way, my experience will touch something in you.

December, 2007

At my highest weight of over 340 pounds, I'm walking around with the bones and joints God gave me to carry a specific amount of weight to live a long and healthy life as a person 5'5" with a small frame. I didn't wake up one morning weighing over 340 pounds. My lifelong relationship with food, lifestyle choices and decisions dealing with life, heartache and disappointment has brought me to where I am. When I met my husband, I was not seriously overweight. But I have become complacent with the knowledge that my husband loves me no matter what, and through a several year period, I have gone back to my old habits of emotional eating that first surfaced in my childhood.

I hate myself for the past experiences that have led to the emotional eating in the first place, and I grow far more uncomfortable in my own skin with each pound I put on. I hate my weight and know I need to lose it. But the bottom line is that I don't want to do the work that will be necessary. There is no instant gratification "fix" and I know it, so I just become more entrenched in my thought process and my complacency regarding my emotional eating.

My excess weight taxes my body to its limits by merely moving and doing the things others take for granted. My legs go to sleep if I sit too long. If I walk too far from my car to the door of the building, the pain increases to the point that my legs will buckle on me. My life has become too painful for me to keep living the way I am. My excess weight is slowly killing me and robbing me of living.

It is my time to change.

Trapped in a body weighing in over 340 pounds makes me ashamed of the fact that I haven't been able to reach my feet for 15 years. I can't tie my own shoes like I used to do back when I was a little girl in school. I have defined myself as a morbidly obese woman with a lot to offer the world if they will just look inside and then I live within the boundaries of that definition. I hurt all the time but keep a smile on my face and keep my bubbly personality to make sure everyone likes me. And I AM truly happy with the person that is inside me. But I am afraid of change because, miserable as I am, I am comforted by the normality of what I know. I never push the envelope and don't actually believe that I have it within myself to change.

Being called all the fat names in the book as I was growing up, I thought I had heard them all. Now I'm learning that what I thought only happened in grade school also happens when you're an adult, and it hurts a lot more. The insults come in seemingly harmless disguises like, "Oh, we don't carry your size in this store, Ma'am", "Look at who you married, son", "Maybe we could all fit in two cars; Glenda's going with so and so, right" And I get disgusted with my weight and I try a diet for a few days but when I find out that it isn't going to make me lose 90 pounds by the next morning, I give up. I give all of the same old excuses you've heard. "I'm praying for God to make me lose weight, but God's just not listening!" "I'm doing everything right!" "I'm doing what they're telling me to do!" "I don't know what's wrong with me!" "I'm just going to be fat forever!"

Ummmm, yeah, except for the gallons of ice cream, and the candy, and the 16 ounce rib eye that I eat by myself for dinner at night. I even find myself hoping for a thyroid problem so that I can blame it on genetics and happily get back to my ice cream. No such luck. Who's heard the saying – " You are what you eat," or, "You get out of your body what you put into it"?

I cannot count the times I wake up the next day after eating fried chicken, French fries, fried okra and whatever else I can fit on my plate, to find greasy little pimples on my face and just feel sluggish, and I guess you could even go so far as to say, "hung over".

Wretched woman that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Romans 7:24, paraphrased from New American Standard Bible

Thank God, there is more to the story!

Today in Health Care "Reform"

2009-12-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

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.

Hoxsey Therapy

2009-12-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

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.

My Take on Health Care Reform

2009-12-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

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.

The Mammography Debate, Part II

2009-12-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

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

A Third Spoke in the Wheel of Wellness

2009-12-06T16:58:00.000-08:00

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

The Mammography Debate, Part I

2009-11-22T18:24:00.000-08:00

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.

The RELATIONSHIPS spoke of the Wheel of Wellness

2009-11-11T04:09:00.000-08:00

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.

A Miracle of Modern Medicine

2009-11-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

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.

A Ticking Time Bomb

2009-10-30T06:27:00.001-07:00

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.

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

This is a subject to watch. It has every appearance of being one in which patients will have to search far and wide to find a physician who is able and willing to treat their condition.

Love That Olive Oil!

2009-10-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

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.

Review: A Cancer Therapy – Results of Fifty Cases and The Cure of Advanced Cancer by Diet Therapy, by Max Gerson, M.D.

2009-10-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Review: Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease Without Drugs or Surgery

2009-10-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

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.

Book Review: Why Christians Get Sick, by Dr. George H. Malkmus

2009-10-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

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.

My View of Health Care Reform

2009-10-07T06:06:00.000-07:00

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!).

Book Review: The Cancer Conqueror, by Greg Anderson

2009-10-06T19:44:00.001-07:00

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.

Book Review: Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices by N. W. Walker D.Sc.

2009-10-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

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.

One Spoke in the Wheel of Wellness

2009-10-02T05:54:00.000-07:00

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

Healing Prayer

2009-10-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

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

Pathways to Wellness

2009-09-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

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

The Tree of Life

2009-09-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

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

Daniel's Meatless Wellness

2009-09-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

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

The Role of Faith in Wellness

2009-09-27T15:15:00.000-07:00

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

Worry and Wellness

2009-09-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

“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)

Purposeful Wellness

2009-09-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

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

The Next Generation

2009-09-24T15:04:00.000-07:00

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.

Rediscovering Community

2009-09-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

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

Wellness Beyond Bodily Health

2009-09-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

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

Wellness in Practice

2008-09-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

We have been looking at the theory and background of wellness. Now let’s take a look at some examples. This is somewhat like Jesus’ use of parables to teach – you can go only so far on theory before everything starts to run together. Illustrations clarify theory.

Gerson Therapy: In the middle of the 20th Century, Max Gerson, M.D., was healing disease that all other physicians had given up on. One such example is a small boy, “Baby R.S.” (Case No. 15 of 50 in reference) This 8-month-old baby had surgery twice to remove a recurring cancer on his left shoulder. The doctors recommended radical amputation; the parents refused and took the baby to Dr. Gerson. Under Dr. Gerson’s care 1950 - 1957, the baby steadily improved; the treatment was a lasting success with the boy growing up healthy and strong. Dr. Gerson died in 1959, but his therapy continues to heal “terminal” cases today. (Max Gerson, M.D, A Cancer Therapy, Gerson Institute, Bonita, CA: 1990, p 306ff)

Macrobiotics: This is a diet based on whole grains and traditional foods in harmony with the seasons. During WW I, imports of grain to Denmark were cut off by blockade,. The food advisor to the government ordered slaughter of 4/5 of the pigs and 1/5 of all cattle to free up grain for people to eat in the place of meat and dairy. He also limited production of alcohol from grain. The Danes ate more porridge, fresh vegetables, greens, beans, peas, and fruit and less milk, meat, and butter. In one year of this austere diet, approximating a macrobiotic diet, the cancer rate dropped by 60% and the death rate by 40%. After the war, with their former meat and dairy diet restored, the disease and death rates soon returned to their prewar levels. (Michio Kushi, The Macrobiotic Way, Avery Publishing, Garden City Park, NY: 1993, p 8)

Budwig Protocol: Johanna Budwig, MD., practiced in Europe during much of the 20th century, restoring wellness to thousands. One example was George Friedrich who had suffered three serious heart attacks between ages 60 and 63. Medication controlled his symptoms, but he became very weak and aged visibly. When introduced to Dr. Budwig’s Formula (cold-processed, unrefined raw flaxseed oil blended with low-fat cottage cheese), he immediately included that in his daily diet. Within three months, his breathing was easier and his angina was almost eliminated. A year later, the medical doctors who examined him were amazed at his full recovery. (William L. Fischer, How to Fight Cancer & Win, Agora Health Books, Baltimore: 2000)

The Hallelujah Diet: In 1976 at age 42, Rev. George Malkmus was told that he had colon cancer, a baseball-size tumor similar to the one his mother had recently been treated for – unsuccessfully; she died a horrible death. On the advice of a friend, Rev. Malkmus changed his diet to all raw fruits and vegetables and lots of fresh carrot juice. In less than a year with no medical treatment at all, the tumor had disappeared, along with hemorrhoids, hypoglycemia, severe allergies, sinus problems, high blood pressure, fatigue, pimples, cold, flu … even body odor and dandruff were gone. In the 32 years since, Hallelujah Acres has helped many thousands of people worldwide back to vibrant good health. (George H. Malkmus with Michael Dye, God’s Way to Ultimate Health, Hallelujah Acres Publishing, Shelby, NC: 1996, p 24ff)
These examples are just four of the many ways that people are finding wellness today. The common element among them is depending on the body to heal itself by supplying vital nutrition and eliminating the causes of disease. There is no medicine as powerful as the healing capability that the Creator designed into our bodies at the beginning. Genesis 1:31 “And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good!”

There is not time nor space to go into detail here on all the approaches to wellness, but I welcome your inquiry on any specifics.

Wellness as Wisdom

2008-09-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 1:20-33 is a very strongly worded instruction to make wise choices. Of course, each of us does that to the best of our ability.

Sometimes we do not see an obvious “wise” choice, so we might decide based on preference. For example, should I choose a Chevrolet, Ford, or Dodge pickup? Just about anyone in the country can answer that question, but the answers won’t all agree. People can do whatever they want much of the time with little ill effect.

In Luke 11:12, Jesus asked whether a father will give his child a scorpion when he asked for an egg – that is a much clearer choice. The benefit of one and the harm of the other make it obvious which is the wise choice. Some wisdom is easy.

When it comes to decisions about wellness, there is a similar pattern. Some of the choices are matters of preference, while others are critical. The easy choice is to continue doing what we’ve always done – and we can expect to get what we’ve always gotten. Although we in the US spend far more per person than other leading nations, we rank only 37th in the world in health care system performance.1 The more difficult and critical path is to choose what works and to have the discipline to follow it. We can get some information from professionals and some from personal investigation. Especially with the availability of Internet research, hardly any knowledge is beyond our reach once we look for it.

From all that I’ve found, the choice among wellness plans is much like the choice of pickup. Different strokes for different folks, but all carry the same load. Next month, let’s look at some results of a few of the many effective ways to approach wellness.

The decision whether to adopt a wellness plan is more like the scorpion and egg situation. Every resource I have found concludes that the rich Western diet is one factor in much of the disease that we see now. It is very obvious in the Far East – as Japan and China move toward a Western-style diet and the frantic lifestyle of city life, the formerly rare Western diseases are becoming all too common. Let’s reverse the world-wide trend and choose wellness! (In case you wonder if I believe in salvation by diet, NO! I believe that in Christ we have the freedom to choose any food without sin; rather, our choices are a matter of stewardship of the resource of wellness.)

1. T Colin Campbell, Ph.D., The China Study, Benbella Books, Dallas: 2004, p 17

Wellness as Stewardship

2008-08-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

Remember the passage (1 Corinthians 6:19) that tells us “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” The context is condemnation of immorality – open sin. I suggest that it would not be out of place to consider that passage as pertaining to stewardship.

I have recently had opportunity to review the giving aspect of stewardship. Although I am not willing to say that failure to tithe is sinful, I sincerely believe that failure to give will deny me much of the joy of my Christian life. In Acts 20:35, Paul attributed to Jesus the well-known expression, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” So by receiving without giving, I may deny myself some of the blessing of God.

The parallel I see regarding wellness is this: It is more blessed to maintain my wellness so that I can give of myself (my time, my energy, my creativity, my love) than it is to be unwell and have to depend on others to give to me. Although I do not consider it sinful to be unwell (any condition less than perfect wellness), to be unwell will eventually result in my being limited in my ability to give of myself for others. I want to be ALIVE! as long as I live so that I can give freely and generously of my time, energy, and creativity.

I believe that the clear message of the Bible is that God desires our perfection (wholeness, completeness) of both salvation and wellness. Matthew 5:49 Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is … not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.Exodus 15:26 “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God … I will put none of the diseases on you … for I, the Lord, am your healer.”Gospels – many, if not most, of Jesus’ contacts with the people of Israel were healings.

I invite you to join me in mutual support of our wellness. It is an area that will require discipline and focus to see the best results.

Balancing Wellness

2008-08-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

Balance is extremely important when moving around. Try riding a bicycle – or even walking – without it. A young lady I know well lost access to half her balance apparatus when the tumor was removed from her right auditory nerve, and the nerve with the tumor. Now it is quite a challenge for her to walk, especially down steep stairs.

Balance is an important aspect of wellness as well. Wellness is not achieved by one factor alone, but by achieving balance among a number of factors. In previous reports, I have paid a lot of attention to the impact of diet on wellness because that is so often the most neglected factor. This month, let’s take a look at wellness from a broader perspective. For the dedicated student, more detail is available on my website, especially at “The Wheel of Wellness.”

Relationship with God is of the utmost importance to wellness – the first of the Ten Commandments is “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3) After a lifetime of searching for meaning, King Solomon finally concluded, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth,” (Ecclesiastes 12:1a) and, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13a)

Another very significant factor is relationships with other people. This factor is illustrated in the Lord’s Prayer, in the expression “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12) Another aspect of relationships is summarized in the word love; I John 4:7, among many others, tells us “Love one another.” Paul in I Corinthians 13 stresses the importance of love in our relationships.

Some of the other factors I have identified are attitude, rest, and activity, as well as intake (diet and other environment).

Meanwhile, I welcome your questions and comments. Having seen my wellness challenged by cancer in 1996 and continuing to see others suffering have convinced me that it takes some action on our part to achieve the wellness that God desires for us. I believe that the promise of Exodus 15:26 (“If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord Your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”) will often apply even today. And when it does not, then with the disease that God allows, He will provide the grace to bear it as He did for Paul (II Corinthians 12:9).

Wellness by Miracle Food

2008-08-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

A time when God intervened most directly in the lives of the most people is the escape from Egypt as recorded in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. What is recorded there gives us a special glimpse into the choices we can make about wellness that are most directly in tune with God’s plan for our wellness. This brief note will offer a beginning point, but the main effort is up to you – after all, it is your own wellness that you are the one most concerned about and steward of.

The most familiar aspect of wellness of the children of Israel during the exodus is manna. The Passover is important, but it recurred only once a year, while manna was the daily staple for the forty years they were in the wilderness. We do not have a chemical analysis of manna, but from the description provided in Scripture, I believe that manna was the perfect food, sufficient for nutrition and wellness. Exodus 16:31 “… it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey.” Numbers 11:7-8 “Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. … and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil.”

The Lord also provided quail for the people to eat, but that was in response to their grumbling about the manna. I firmly believe that manna was sufficient for everything except their greed. Numbers 11:4 “And the rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, ‘Who will give us meat to eat?’” My belief is reinforced by the results of their eating the quail that God provided: Numbers 11:33 “While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague.” Sometimes God will allow us to have something that is not good for us, just because we ask. That does not mean that He desires us to have it. Rather, imitating Jesus, let us ask that His will be done in our lives.

Recent research supports those who, through the centuries, chose to avoid consuming animal products. T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., spent decades analyzing the effect of diet on wellness and published his conclusions as The China Study. What he found, and it is affirmed by many physicians who have studied the effect of diet on wellness, is that the more animal products and processed food one consumes, the higher the probability of developing the common western diseases of aging (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.). My understanding of Scripture is that we have liberty to eat anything we choose. But our freedom does not eliminate the consequences of consuming food that leads to illness.

I encourage you to be a wise steward of whatever degree of wellness you have.

Some Detail of Biblical Wellness

2008-08-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. I am convinced that many clues to wellness are provided to us in Scripture, and as we earnestly seek godly wellness, the Holy Spirit will allow us to discover them.

Exodus 30-34 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense … .” That was the holy incense that God told Moses to present to Him. Although the specific recipe was sacred, never to be copied for personal use, the individual ingredients were highly sought after for other uses.

Stacte – resin from a tree in Israel, Storax – healing properties

Onycha – taken from a Red Sea mollusk, fixes and enhances the other ingredients

Galbanum – used for abscesses, acne, boils, bronchitis, cuts, lice, aging skin, muscle aches, poor circulation, rheumatism, scars, sores, wounds

Frankincense – antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, astringent, sedative, decongestant, anti-gas, digestive aid, trigger or increase menstrual flow. Used to treat syphilis, infections, skin disorders (bacterial and fungal), and boils. As used in aromatherapy, deepens breathing, aids relaxation, expands lungs, releases trahydrocannabinole (a psychoactive compound that seems to lift up the spirit). Used by ancient Egyptians as eye liner – also prevented eye infections. Used to anoint newborns and individuals in transition. Embalming agent.

Matthew 2:11 And [the magi] came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. The value of gold is apparent – we have common knowledge of the value of precious metals. But we may not as readily recognize the value of frankincense and myrrh. In the culture of Jesus’ time, there were no antibiotics, no antibacterial hand soaps, no sterilizing techniques to eliminate the common germ or virus. Now we can see how eminently practical the gifts were for the family facing an unplanned international journey.
As we apply similar study to the remaining books, chapters, and verses of Scripture, we can expect to find many more nudges toward the wellness that our Creator intended us to enjoy.

Wellness in Early Bible Times

2008-08-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

As early man multiplied and spread over the face of the earth, the Bible focused on the particular lineage that produced the Semitic people, the descendents of Shem, son of Noah. To my knowledge, everyone before the flood still ate the original vegetarian diet – there is no mention in Scripture of any meat being used as food. The transition away from that diet is expressed in two verses:
• Genesis 6:21 take for yourself [on the ark] some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for [all the birds and animals]
• Genesis 9:3 [After the flood] every living thing shall be food for you

Along with the expanded diet came a new prohibition: Don’t eat meat with the blood still in it. First expressed in Genesis 9:4, the “no blood” rule was reinforced during the Exodus (see Leviticus 3:17; 7:26; 17:10-14; 19:26, and Deuteronomy 12:16, 23, 24; 15:23). This is also one of the few, if not the only, Old Testament dietary law that was also required of the New Testament church (see Acts 15:20, 29; 21:25).

It is refreshing to be free of the burden of the Old Testament law. In Christ, we, the New Testament believers, have the liberty to eat whatever is set before us without guilt (Romans 14:13-23).

What was the price of the liberty to eat meat? I was not there – quite likely other factors affected wellness. One apparent consequence of the change was a dramatic decline in lifespan; after man began to eat meat, lifespan plummeted. Please check my data in Genesis 5 – 35: Adam lived 930 years; Jared, 962; Methuselah, 969; Lamech, 777; Noah, 950; Shem, 600; Shelah, 433; Peleg, 239; Nahor, 148; Terah, 205; Abraham, 175; Isaac, 180. Since then, with a few exceptions, a person has been considered old by age 80, and living to age 120 quite rare.

Some observations: Adam was still living when Lamech, Noah’s father, was born – 9 generations! Seth died only 14 years before the birth of Noah. Lamech was the first to die before his father. Methuselah died the year of the flood – wonder how long he would have lived if there had been no flood? Or was the flood held off until Methuselah died? Lifespans shortened so much that Peleg died 12 years before Noah. Shem outlived Abraham, and was still alive until Isaac was 100 years old. Shem died when Jacob was fifty years old –a span of twelve generations!

The Foundation of Wellness

2008-07-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

Let’s review wellness as presented in Scripture.
I encourage you to study these verses in context, and other verses as well, to discover the plan that God laid out for us for wellness. I firmly believe that He designed us and equipped us for perfect wellness, and any shortfall in our wellness is the result of the fall of Adam and Eve, followed by a general wandering away from the path that God had designated for men to follow.
In the Beginning…
Genesis 1:29 every plant yielding seed … shall be food for you
Genesis 1:30 to every beast, bird – every green plant for food
Genesis 2:9 God caused to grow every tree good for food
Genesis 2:16 from every tree you may eat freely
Genesis 2:17 but not from the tree of knowledge of good and evil
Genesis 3:1-7 desire for the forbidden (food/knowledge) led to sin
Genesis 3:17-19 eat of the plants of the field in toil, by sweat
Genesis 3:22-24 driven out of the garden lest he eat life fruit and live forever
My understanding of these verses (in context) is that we, man and animal alike, were created perfectly to consume a diet of plants. We (man) were created in the image of God, without sin, with free will to choose to obey. The rules were simple: every plant yielding seed was available to Adam for food, except that one tree was off limits.
Adam and his new bride were content with their choices until Satan tempted them. Unlike Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Eve and her husband yielded to the temptation – they wanted that knowledge that would make them like God and accepted Satan’s lie that they would not die. Perhaps Satan was aware that it would take almost a thousand years for them to die, but he knew he was lying anyway.
After the fall and before the flood, there was no change in the dietary instruction, (eat plants!) but now man would have to work for his food. Because there were still plants (the tree of life) that would enable them to live forever, Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden.
We can not undo the fall. We can not reverse history to go back before man wandered away from the way God had planned for him. But we can start from where we are and move closer to what will restore our wellness. The steps are simple: find out what paths lead to wellness; choose one; follow it. The only hard part is to have the internal motivation to choose and follow the path you have determined to be right for you.

Putting Wellness in Perspective

2008-07-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

My view of wellness is that it is just one aspect of total Stewardship. When man was created, he was assigned the steward or manager of all creation (Genesis 2:19-20).

Here are some of the Facets of Stewardship as I see it:

Time -- Each of us has the same amount of time, and responsibility for how we spend it. How well we use our time is a significant measure of our ability as stewards. Eph 5:15-16 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

Talent -- I am responsible to use wisely whatever ability I have. My talents are unique, and if I don't do what I am able to do well, there may be no one else available who can do it half as well as I could have.
Lu 12:48 … And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
I Pet 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Treasure -- Giving is one of the greatest blessings of life. I can enjoy the remnant far more after giving generously to others.
Mal 3:8-10 10 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed Thee?’ In tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

Temple -- This is where wellness comes in. If I neglect my wellness, I am allowing my temple to fall into disrepair. To make matters worse, neglecting my wellness also hampers my ability to use my talents effectively, and probably diminishes what I can give.
I Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Talk -- It seems obvious that I am responsible for what I say, yet many folks spend their lives saying things that get them into trouble.
Mt 15:11 “Not what enters into the mouth defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
Mk 7:20 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.”
James 1:26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.
James 3:2 … If any one does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.
I Pet 4:11 Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God … .

Thought -- This may take a little thought to work through, but the concept is that what I think sets the course for my life, so is a matter of significance. What I think about influences what I say, and my words influence what I do.
Pr 23:7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is.
I Pet 1:13 Therefore, gird your minds for action … .

Team -- Whatever team I join becomes my responsibility, at least in part. Each player on a sports team bears some responsibilty for winning. Each member of a family will contribute to its effective functionin
I Cor 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her believing husband; for otherwise your children are unclean, but now they are holy.
I Tim 5:8 But if any one does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has defiled his faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Although the practice of stewardship is not our ticket to enter heaven, it is clear in Scripture that the mature believer who truly loves the Lord will practice wise stewardship in all aspects of life.

Making Choices for Life

2008-07-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

In the Bible we learn that first Aaron (Numbers 20:23-29) and then Moses (Numbers 27:12-14, Deuteronomy 34:1-8) died at the time set by God. God curtailed the life of each of them because of an error they had made (Numbers 20:6-13). One lesson I see in that Scripture is that although Moses was 120 years old, “his eye was not dim, nor his vigor abated.” Moses was still in full strength to do the Lord’s will, but it was time for him to be “gathered to your people.”

As we follow Moses and Aaron through the exodus, we see two men who were focused on obedience to God, with only occasional exceptions. They lived according to the Word of the Lord day by day, without consideration of what amenities might be missing from their lives. I imagine that they had enjoyed the pleasures of Egypt when they had lived there, but gladly gave up all that without feeling any loss in order to walk in close fellowship with the Lord. To them, it was not a sacrifice to eat manna instead of meat – it had been provided by God for their nourishment and was fully sufficient for their needs.

I see the same kind of thing happening today. There are some people who have gladly given up whatever might interfere with their wellness in order to be wise stewards of the health that God has given them. They have studied and learned that many of the enjoyable foods available to us are actually slow poison, feeding disease rather than wellness. By guarding their health, they will be available to obey the Lord when many others will have fallen victim to the “diseases of affluence” that result from our rich diet.

I encourage each one who reads this to investigate the power of nutrition to support wellness, or, alternatively, the power of poor diet to destroy wellness. As many will testify, it is no loss to give up those parts of our lives that undermine our ability to serve the Lord. It is not a matter of longer life, but of availability to serve while living. I want to be ALIVE as long as I live!

Choose the Good!

2008-07-17T16:01:00.000-07:00

Psalm 103 (excerpt)

Of David.

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-

3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

-----------------------------------------

What a loving God we serve! His plan is to forgive all our sin and heal all our diseases! He satisfies our desires with good things so that we are continually renewed.

Why, then, are we surrounded by so much illness? Why are we seeing an epidemic of diabetes? Why is there so much cancer? Heart disease?

I believe the culprit is in our definition of the word Good in verse 5. What is “Good”?

My conclusion after decades of study is that Good has come to mean “tastes good”, in the sense, “If it feels good, do it.” We have bought into the concept of “get all the gusto” without considering the consequences.

On the other hand, many people have chosen to forego taste, as our culture defines it, in exchange for true Good. By avoiding food and activities that are harmful, they achieve greater satisfaction, truly enjoying what is most beneficial, and enhanced wellness. I believe that Good is what enables us to be wise stewards of the wellness God entrusted to us. As we practice the Good, we develop taste for true Good and do not miss the cultural “good” that has trapped so many in ill health.

For a more detailed view of this concept, pull out your Bible and read Exodus and Numbers, focusing on what the people of Israel ate and how they thought about it. Given the perfect food, Manna, they grumbled and complained until God gave them quail – and died with the meat still in their teeth (Numbers 11). Choose the Good!

In Search of Healthy Bones

2008-03-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

No one wants to have brittle bones. As my mother aged, her bones were so fragile that for her to reach into the cupboard to get a piece of china put her at risk of fracturing a vertebra. My sister-in-law has bones so weakened that her medical provider is injecting something like superglue to hold her spine together. It is terrible to lose bone strength that severely! How can we prevent it?

It is common knowledge that we don’t get enough calcium. Every health food supplier has a special form of calcium supplement that provides the form of calcium and associated ingredients that are sure to maintain healthy bones forever; we just have to take these calcium supplements in ever-increasing quantities as we age. The dairy industry continually stresses the urgent need to drink lots of milk so we can keep our bones strong. The “got milk?” campaign has sold a lot of milk, but has it really strengthened anyone’s bones?

What is not so widely known is that the people who consume the most calcium also have the worst record of bone fractures. Whether we consider groups of people or select individuals, those who drink the most milk have the weakest bones (my mother drank no coffee nor tea, but lots of milk). Another little noted correlation is how closely the ratio of animal to plant protein in the diet tracks how weak the bones are. This is not something discovered just yesterday – it was suggested -as long ago as the 1880s and documented as early as 1920, and studied in detail since the 1970s. But it does not fit the advertising program of the dairy council or the meat lobby, so it is conveniently ignored.

Another disturbing factor weighing against drinking milk or taking calcium supplements is that excess calcium consumption may impair the body’s ability to control its use of calcium. The body has a finely tuned mechanism for maintaining balance of calcium and other minerals. When in good health, the body can regulate how much of the calcium it needs from food and discard the rest. But too much calcium over too long a period of time may inhibit the ability of the body to maintain that balance, and may lead to osteoporosis.

The primary culprit that supports bone loss is not mineral, but animal. The consumption of excess animal protein results in excess acidity in the body, and the body reacts to maintain a healthy pH by neutralizing the acidity; it does that by extracting calcium from the bones. Those who choose to forego animal protein, or who are forced by scarcity to do without, and substitute plant protein, are the people who have the strongest bones, without the need for calcium supplements. The calcium we require for wellness is present in a balanced diet of plant-based foods. Both the quantity of calcium and its bio-availability are thoroughly adequate for wellness.

Here is the list suggested by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., in The China Study:

· Stay physically active. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, go for walks, jogs, bicycle rides. Swim, do yoga or aerobics every couple of days and don’t be afraid to buy barbells to use once in a while. Play a sport or join a social group that incorporates exercise. The possibilities are endless, and they can be fun. You’ll feel better, and your bones will be much healthier for the effort.

· Eat a variety of whole plant foods, and avoid animal foods, including dairy. Plenty of calcium is available in a wide range of plant foods, including beans and leafy vegetables. As long as you stay away from refined carbohydrates, like sugary cereals, candies, plain pastas and white breads, you should have no problem with calcium deficiency.

· Keep your salt intake to a minimum. Avoid highly processed and packaged foods, which contain excess salt. There is some evidence that excessive salt intake can be a problem.

Alzheimer’s Disease

2007-12-14T18:24:00.000-08:00

Alzheimer’s. A dreaded word in every family. Who doesn’t know of someone affected by this terrible affliction? Over four million Americans are affected, and twice that number worldwide.

What is the cause of Alzheimer’s disease? Is it inevitable for some unfortunate souls? Has it always been this way? Is there anything we can do to prevent or avoid it? Let’s consider what the “experts” say, then see what else may be helpful.

Some of the common risk factors listed by representative authorities are Age, Gender, Family history, and Cardiovascular disease. Although some genetically-linked occurrences begin at younger age, the typical age at onset is 65 years or older. By age 85, as many as half the population may be afflicted. More women than men are affected, although it is not clear how that compares with the greater longevity of women. Some families have a number of members affected, but it has not been well defined how many are the result of genetics and how many occur because they live in the same environment. The cardiovascular factor is the focal point for a number of environmentally related items: smoking, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, diabetes, high homocysteine levels; all of these can be influenced by appropriate attention.

Some lesser factors mentioned are head injury, small head size, low economic level, low education, alcohol use, hormones, stress, and depression. Living in a rural area and having less than six years education has also been mentioned.

I need to do more research on the history of Alzheimer’s. I have the impression that this is a growing problem in the same sense that autism is – relatively unknown some time ago, but growing worse now. If you have a reference that answers that, please let me know; I would appreciate the support.

Are we doomed to Alzheimer’s? Are certain individuals destined to be affected as they grow older and others sure to be kept free? I doubt that anyone can answer that question now; certainly I can not. But I can share my opinion that Alzheimer’s is a form of unwellness. Although I can not diagnose nor treat – much less heal – disease, I can do much to maintain my personal wellness.

One of my sources, The Alzheimer's Association, lists a number of actions that one can take to minimize the risk factors for the disease. Details are available at http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_causes_risk_factors.asp,
with specific steps to support Brain Health at http://www.alz.org/we_can_help_brain_health_maintain_your_brain.asp

I consider prevention of Alzheimer’s to fall within the general heading of maintenance of wellness. If I do all that I know to do to guard against diabetes, obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, and other bodily ailments, I believe that I am also doing much to guard against Alzheimer’s disease as well. Wellness is wellness; if I am truly well, then I do not have disease of any type, whether brain, bone, or blood. Some basics of my approach to wellness are listed in The Wheel of Wellness. (available at http://www.hopeunlimitedinc.com ) I welcome inquiries as to the details of my personal wellness plan, from recovery from cancer to successful aging.

Some helpful references:

http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/alzheimers-disease/risk-factors.html

http://alzheimers.about.com/od/diagnosisissues/a/alz_risk_factor.htm

http://www.alzinfo.org/alzheimers-research-causes.asp

Wellness is more than the absence of symptoms

2007-12-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

Some guidelines toward wellness

Following are some of the conclusions I have formed from the variety of sources I have discovered. Although they do not all agree with medical industry practice, there are many medical doctors who concur – they are my primary source of information.

I welcome your challenge to these observations. But rather than just disagree, please provide evidence to support the challenge. I am still learning and intend to do so as long as the Lord gives me breath.

POSITIVES:

First and foremost, nourish your body as it was designed to be fed. As Hippocrates said, “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine your food”

Learn to eat for wellness rather than for taste.

Unless you have found a garden plot that is fully supplied with all the vital trace minerals (I haven’t), supplement your diet to be sure that you have all the essentials that you need for wellness. Some commonly missing nutrients are vitamin A (mixed carotenoids), vitamin E (mixed tocopherols), Vitamin D (sunshine is the best natural source), and omega 3 oils (such as DHA). Among the minerals depleted from our farmland is selenium, and it is critical to wellness.

Include generous servings of fresh, raw, preferably organic produce in your daily diet.

Buy local when possible. It will be more nutritious because there is less need for green harvest.

Include variety in your diet. The combination of a variety of plant sources will supply all the nutrition you need for wellness.

Prepare meals from pure ingredients, using organic when possible. Processing and preservatives do not support wellness.

Drink water as your most common beverage, preferably Wellness Water. (Ask me.)

If you can’t get Wellness Water, at least use purified water. Distilled or reverse osmosis water is OK for short term use (cleansing), but leaches minerals over the long term.

Feed infants as they were designed to be fed – mother’s milk is their primary food. Cow’s milk has been linked to ear infections, excess mucus production, and much more. Other infant formula is no better; only mother’s milk is properly suited to the needs of an infant.

Take beta glucan to boost your immune system. Ask me for a specific product.

Remove the heavy metals from your body – mercury from old fillings and a lifetime of immunizations; aluminum from food (baking powder!) and a lifetime of deodorants. Ask me for a product to accomplish that.

NEGATIVES:

Avoid, or at least minimize, all consumption of animal products, especially those considered “unclean” in the Old Testament dietary rules. They are all hazardous to your health.

Avoid prepared meals, sauces, soups, canned food, and the like. The processing destroys food value, and most have poisonous additives.

Avoid chlorinated or fluoridated water. Those are poisons to you as well as to microbes.

Avoid omega 6 oils – they suppress your immune system. Examples: corn, safflower, sunflower, peanut, canola, and soy oils.

Minimize consumption of sugar – it suppresses your immune system.

Skip your flu shot; instead, work on boosting your immune system.

Absolutely avoid aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal). Besides the well documented link to cancer (esp. brain cancer), headaches, seizures, depression, obesity – it also has been demonstrated in lab animals to shrink testicles.

Avoid all forms of glutamate (e.g., MSG). Studies dating back to 1969 have demonstrated that it destroys the part of the brain that limits development of fat cells, so leads to gross obesity. Most glutamate is disguised or not even listed on food ingredients. Examples: most food bars and many “health” supplements have soy protein isolate as the first ingredient; that is glutamate.

Don’t eat commercial turkey – use only organic or range fed. The commercially available fowl has been soaked or injected with some form of glutamate.

Mothers-to-be: especially avoid MSG. The effect on the baby is disastrous; the effect is magnified in the small developing body.

Avoid childhood immunizations, but rather, provide the nutrition that makes such injections unnecessary. Too many studies have linked immunizations to autism and other similar conditions.

If you can’t find a way to avoid immunizations, at least space them out so the child has time to recover fully between them. Multiple injections or too-closely-spaced injections do not allow the immune system to respond as it should.

We won the war!!! Why are we still fighting??

2007-11-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

Any of us but the youngest are aware of the War on Cancer. But were we aware of this early battle?

CANCER RESEARCH

HEARINGS

Before a

Subcommittee of the

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS

UNITED STATES SENATE

SEVENTY-NINTH CONGRESS

Second Session

S. 1875

A Bill to authorize and request the President to undertake to mobilize at some convenient place in the United States an adequate number of the World’s Outstanding Experts, and coordinate and utilize their services in a Supreme Effort to Discover Means of Curing and Preventing Cancer.

July 1, 2, and 3, 1946

The early post-war hearings brought to light the work of Max Gerson, MD. Beginning with himself and continuing with his patients, Dr. Gerson treated primarily the untreatable, and very often brought about healing where none was thought (by the medical establishment) possible.

As a young medical student in Germany, Gerson suffered from severe migraine headaches. Others told him they were untreatable and that he should learn to live with them. But Gerson found that by modifying his diet to avoid salt, fat, and pickled and smoked foods and including fresh fruits and vegetables, he could control his migraines. Soon he was sharing his “migraine diet” with his patients.

One of Dr. Gerson’s patients insisted that the migraine diet had cured his skin tuberculosis. Under the sponsorship of a world famous thoracic surgeon and tuberculosis authority, Dr. Ferdinand Sauerbruch, Dr. Gerson validated the value of his diet. In clinical trials, 446 of 450 TB patients achieved lasting cures. World War II forced Dr. Gerson to leave Germany in 1933.

Among Dr. Gerson’s better known patients were the wife (lung cancer) of Albert Schweitzer, M.D., and later Dr. Schweitzer himself (diabetes). Dr. Gerson demonstrated fifty recovered (terminal!) cancer patients before the Senate Subcommittee hearings on cancer and continued to publish the results of his work.

Of course, Dr. Gerson was hailed as a hero by the US medical establishment, right? Not on your life! Dr. Gerson said it much more politely than I would have:

“The history of medicine reveals that reformers who bring new ideas into the general thinking and practice of physicians have a difficult time. Very few physicians like to change their medical approaches. The majority practice what they have learned and apply the treatment of the textbooks more or less automatically. Right from the beginning, the physician wants most of all to help the patient. He hesitates to take risks for his patients by applying a not-recognized treatment. The history of science, art and technology shows that each new idea has been fought bitterly; most of the reformers did not live to see the realization of their ideas.

“This is one of the reasons why developments in culture made very slow progress all through the centuries; they were restrained forcefully.

“I was in a more favorable position. Ninety to ninety-five per cent of my patients were far advanced (terminal) cases without any risk to take; either all recognized treatments had failed or the patients were inoperable from the beginning. It takes some time to acquire enough experience to see progress, results or failures.”¹

Sixty years ago, Dr. Gerson had recognized that we faced the choice to die of cancer or make fundamental changes of life and nutrition. His counsel was

“We will again need real housewives, not eager to save kitchen time, but homemakers who will devote their lives to the benefit of all, especially the task of developing and maintaining a healthy family. Babies would no longer be fed by a formula but would have the natural mother’s milk; they would grow up without being afflicted with a fatal disease such as leukemia, and without being mentally retarded, both conditions which are increasing rapidly at present.

“For the future of coming generations, I think it is high time that we change our agriculture and food preservation methods. Otherwise, we will have to increase our institutions for mental patients yearly, and we will see the hospitals overcrowded with degenerative diseases even more rapidly and in greater number than the hospitals themselves can be enlarged. Seventy years ago, leukemia was unknown in the United States. Fifty years ago, lung cancer was so seldom observed in clinics and autopsies that every case was worthy of publication. But today – what a change for the worse.”²

How has history treated the contributions of Dr. Gerson to our wellness? Sixty-one years after presenting his results to the US Senate (and the world), and forty-seven years after his death, he is ignored by the medical establishment. Although his successors at The Gerson Institute continue to deal effectively with terminal cancer (unless the liver has ceased to function), their greatest enemies are the US society of physicians and the apathetic response of patients – the treatment is rigorous enough that too many give up and die rather than endure and live. We continue to throw billions of dollars at cancer with negligible change in mortality rate – for example the recently voter-approved three billion dollar boondoggle in Texas to set up yet another government bureaucracy to soak up resources that have far better uses enriching our lives. The cure for cancer is staring us in the mouth; all we have to do is live the way our bodies were designed for us to live and most of the “diseases of affluence” will go away. But a typical response to this wonderfully liberating news is that of a widow I had met: when she overheard me to suggest that a change of diet could help prevent disease such as cancer, I was perceived as accusing her of murdering her late husband, who had died of cancer.

---------------------------------------------

1. Max Gerson, M.D., A Cancer Therapy, The Gerson Institute, Bonita, CA: 1958, p xiv

2. Ibid., p4

Natural Healing – a personal episode

2007-11-14T14:19:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a family accustomed to conventional medical care. When I had pneumonia, I was the recipient of an interminable series of penicillin injections. Later when I discovered allergies that led to recurrent bronchitis, I knew to see the doctor and get antibiotics to enable me to get rid of the cough. When I discovered cancer, it was my immediate response to schedule surgery. Traditional, all-American medical care at its finest.

But over the past ten years, I’ve discovered a totally different world of healing. Attention in advance to wellness minimizes the likelihood of illness. Prompt application of time-proven herbal tonics enables my body to fight off the illness without the adverse effect of many pharmaceuticals.

The past couple of weeks is a good illustration of what can happen – at least it did for me; I don’t know if anyone else would have had the same experience.

The adventure began with a three-week stay in a humid part of the country, near the Gulf coast. After a couple weeks of working daily in a room which had been used as a storage facility until converted overnight to office space, I developed a steadily worsening cough. It progressed to the point that I had difficulty getting to sleep, and even woke up with my chest aching.

Seeking advice of one I know to be familiar with herbal remedies, I obtained a one-ounce bottle of Herbs, etc. “Lung Tonic.” As suggested, I took a dropperful every three or four hours for about four days, then as my cough let up, reduced the frequency to a couple times a day and finally once a day. One week after beginning the Lung Tonic, my cough was gone. I had used one-half ounce of the tonic.

Not feeling quite right yet in spite of sleeping far more than I normally do, I followed a suggestion to try bioAllers “Mold, Yeast & Dust” allergy treatment. Following package directions, I took 15 drops under my tongue every 3 to 4 hours. Within four days, I felt no need to continue. Although I still can sleep a little longer than I usually do, my symptoms are otherwise completely gone.

This is not even remotely a suggestion that you should copy what I did. I am not an herbalist, much less an MD. My point is that my body and yours are naturally equipped to heal without pharmaceuticals from many of the common maladies that affect us. There are times when the only reasonable course of action is to seek medical treatment. The distinction is that I have assumed responsibility for my own wellness, and choose whenever possible to treat my body with respect for its innate ability to heal. Rather than treat symptoms, I want to treat causes. Rather than submit to risky pharmaceuticals, I choose natural cures if available. My wellness is my concern, and I suggest that each of us should take charge of his own wellness.

Paradigm Shift Underway!

2007-11-05T07:08:00.000-08:00

What goes around comes around.

Hippocrates’ opinion was that wellness comes from what we eat: “Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.”

Then we discovered the magic of medicine, and learned to neglect nutrition. We also seemed to ignore the writings of Paracelsus, sometimes called the father of toxicology, in the early 1500’s, in this description of pharmacology: "All things are poison and nothing is without poison, only the dose permits something not to be poisonous."

By the late 20^th century we had reached the point of creating food to satisfy taste more than nutrition, and turning over to the medical industry the challenge of keeping us alive and “healthy” (free of symptoms). With the growth of the “health care industry” and proliferation of pharmaceuticals, we turned over to professionals what had traditionally been a personal responsibility. A brief study of the status of our national health reveals the fallacy of that move – despite our spending the highest amount on health care, we recently ranked only 39^th in wellness among nations of the world.

The return to the original paradigm is underway. The efforts of such medical doctors as Dean Ornish (author of Dr Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease … The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease Without Drugs or Surgery, Random House 1990), the professional community is slowly realizing that slash, burn, and poison (a.k.a. surgery, radiation, and chemo) are not truly remedies for what ails us. The painstaking research of career professionals such as T. Colin Campbell, PhD (The China Study, Benbella Books, Dallas, TX: 2004) has documented in very clear terms the linkage between diet, lifestyle, and wellness. Even economists are catching on! Paul Zane Pilzer, in The Wellness Revolution … How to Make a Fortune in the Next Trillion Dollar Industry, John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2002, describes the transition from health care to wellness.

The saddest thing about paradigm shifts is also the greatest joy: When the paradigm shifts, everyone starts at zero! Just as buggy whip manufacturers were left out of the automobile industry, the medical industry will wake up one day soon and wonder where all the patients are. Meanwhile, those who join the growing Wellness Revolution will age without as much aging, will heal themselves of (or better yet, prevent) many of the common diseases of aging (a.k.a. diseases of affluence). Agribusiness will slump as wellness-conscious consumers move more and more to organics and heirloom foods.

As with any paradigm shift, some are pioneers, some go with the crowd, and some will hold out to the bitter end – they will die rather than switch (literally). Will you join me as a pioneer before it is too late and you get trampled by the crowd?

Nutrition

2007-11-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

Everything I have to say will be consistent with what I have learned from the Bible, and with my best understanding of current nutritional research. Although I am not a physician nor a certified nutritionist, I have greatly enhanced my wellness by following what I have learned by extensive study. A few selected references are listed on the Authorities page (below).

No matter what your wellness concern, it is likely to be improved by proper nutrition. For an overall perspective, see the Wheel of Wellness also (below).

From the consistent teaching of the Authorities, I strongly encourage everyone to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet. Dr. Colin Campbell found animal protein to be the switch that turns cancer on (and lack of it turns cancer off!). Further, in decades of research, he found that the less animal products one consumes, the better the prospect for wellness. Dr. Dean Ornish found that a diet low in meat and fat was very beneficial to those with heart disease. Also, the trend toward perpared food has adversely affected the wellness of western society; the less processing our food gets, the better its nutritive value. The typical western diet includes about 42% fat (mostly animal fat), far above the 30% in the "Recommended Dietary Goals for the U.S.", and even farther above the 12% fat in the macrobiotic diet. Which provides the best wellness? Without question, people on the macrobiotic or Hallelujah diet have wellness far better than the typical consumer of the western diet.

I personally have adapted the Hallelujah Diet as my guide for eating. If I had known about macrobiotics sooner, I might have tried it instead; they appear to be comparable in terms of effectiveness. I am not aware of any detailed comparisons, nor of anyone who switched from one to the other and found better wellness. There are countless witnesses to the wellness benefit of changing from the typical western diet to either Hallelujah Diet or macrobiotics.

I also strongly encourage the avoidance of manufactured beverages. Many contain sugar in quantities that are far in excess of what the body can deal with, contributing to our epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Diet beverages are even worse; not only is Aspartame (Nutrasweet), the most common sugar substitute, poison, but also the demonstrated effect of diet beverages is to induce the body to consume more sweets. The proven effect of diet beverages is continual weight gain; don't take my word for it -- research it for yourself.

The beverage of choice at my table (whether at home or away) is Wellness Water. It hydrates far better than other waters on the market: it has been filtered to remove objectionable materials, and it has been enhanced to provide the properties that hydrate better.

Wellness Authorities

2007-11-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

Each of us has found sources of information that we trust and rely on. Following are some of those on whom I depend for accurate, appropriate information regarding wellness.

The Holy Bible . Choose your translation and study it. This is the first and best reference for all matters of life and wellness.

The China Study, T. Colin Campbell, PhD, Benbella Books, Dallas, TX: 2004 Reading this book with an open mind can be a life-altering experience. Dr. Campbell spent decades as the foremost nutritional researcher in the US, then published his conclusions in clear and convincing explanation of the impact of diet and exercise on wellness.

Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease -- the only system scientifically proven to reverse heart disease without drugs or surgery, Dean Ornish, M.D., Random House, NY:1990.

Your Body's Many Cries for Water -- You are not sick, you are thirsty! Don't treat thirst with medications, F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. Global Health Solutions, Falls Church,VA: 1992 - 1997

For many years, the Hallelujah Diet has supported the return to wellness of many a person who was concerned for his health. Rev George Malkmus learned from others and put together this program to bring wellness to any who will listen. Study the Hallelujah Acres website to learn more, then call me (877 371-1524) or email me, myron@hopeunlimitedinc.com, to learn where I have suggested improvements to the Hallelujah Diet.

The Macrobiotic Way -- The complete macrobiotic diet & exercist book, Michio Kushi, Avery, Garden City Park, NY: 1985 - 1993. An excellent first book on the background and principles of the macrobiotic life. Includes numerous examples and testimonials.

Nutrition

2007-10-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

Everything I have to say will be consistent with what I have learned from the Bible, and with my best understanding of current nutritional research. Although I am not a physician nor a certified nutritionist, I have greatly enhanced my wellness by following what I have learned by extensive study. A few selected references are listed on the Authorities page.

No matter what your wellness concern, it is likely to be improved by proper nutrition. For an overall perspective, see the Wheel of Wellness also.

From the consistent teaching of the Authorities, I strongly encourage everyone to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet. Dr. Colin Campbell found animal protein to be the switch that turns cancer on (and lack of it turns cancer off!). Further, in decades of research, he found that the less animal products one consumes, the better the prospect for wellness. Dr. Dean Ornish found that a diet low in meat and fat was very beneficial to those with heart disease. Also, the trend toward perpared food has adversely affected the wellness of western society; the less processing our food gets, the better its nutritive value. The typical western diet includes about 42% fat (mostly animal fat), far above the 30% in the "Recommended Dietary Goals for the U.S.", and even farther above the 12% fat in the macrobiotic diet. Which provides the best wellness? Without question, people on the macrobiotic or Hallelujah diet have wellness far better than the typical consumer of the western diet.

I personally have adapted the Hallelujah Diet as my guide for eating. If I had known about macrobiotics sooner, I might have tried it instead; they appear to be comparable in terms of effectiveness. I am not aware of any detailed comparisons, nor of anyone who switched from one to the other and found better wellness. There are countless witnesses to the wellness benefit of changing from the typical western diet to either Hallelujah Diet or macrobiotics.

I also strongly encourage the avoidance of manufactured beverages. Many contain sugar in quantities that are far in excess of what the body can deal with, contributing to our epidemic of obesity and diabetes. Diet beverages are even worse; not only is Aspartame (Nutrasweet), the most common sugar substitute, poison, but also the demonstrated effect of diet beverages is to induce the body to consume more sweets. The proven effect of diet beverages is continual weight gain; don't take my word for it -- research it for yourself.

The beverage of choice at my table (whether at home or away) is Wellness Water. It hydrates far better than other waters on the market: it has been filtered to remove objectionable materials, and it has been enhanced to provide the properties that hydrate better.

The Wheel of Wellness

2007-10-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Picture a wheel, a simple wheel with six spokes.

The names of the spokes are:

SPIRITUAL LIFE
RELATIONSHIPS
ATTITUDE
REST
INTAKE
ACTIVITY

What they represent are:

SPIRITUAL LIFE -- knowing God, saved by grace for good work, true to being created in His image

RELATIONSHIPS -- forgiving, compassionate, loving my neighbor as myself, at peace with others

ATTITUDE -- optimistic and able to cope when “life happens,” a positive outlook on life

REST -- sufficient sleep and relaxation, renewing my mind and my body as needed

INTAKE -- consuming just what my body needs for adequate nutrition; clean environment

ACTIVITY -- exercise, developing bone, muscle, endurance, and balance

If your spokes are in balance, the wheel of your life rolls along smoothly.
If one or more spokes of your wheel are short or missing, you will have a bumpy ride!

True wellness is more than just health; it is having a healthy, compassionate heart and mind in a healthy body.
I can imagine situations in which a person may be physically limited and still fit my definition of wellness.