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Health Principles, Part 2: Practical Solutions you can apply!

In part one of this series on health, we discussed the basics about God and his creation. God designed the natural world into a system of interdependent processes, causes and effects. By understanding that there actually IS a system functioning in the natural world, a system which follows rules, we can bring ourselves into balance with this system and avoid unnecessary suffering.

Knowing there is such a system, though, isn't enough. Knowledge which isn't understood is useless. For decades, there have been voices warning of dire consequences for polluting our environment. We've heard warnings and pleading from health care practitioners of many disciplines throughout this century about various aspects of the human body and its relationship to the natural world. Knowledge was there and it has been vehemently resisted and crushed BECAUSE it was not understood and because Satan hates the truth and knows it sets people free.

Today, we are in the midst of a health revolution. Suddenly people are beginning to understand the knowledge. Why? Because the world around us, the environment, the natural system and ourselves are showing signs of serious interference. As our environment, the water, air, land, wilderness, animal diversity, etc., has become more involved, we've come to see and realize that we, too, are becoming involved. Man has assumed that he is above nature and independent of it. Now we realize and understand that we can't divorce ourselves from the natural world without a terrible price.

People are beginning to understand the physical world around them and realize the connection between environmental health and PERSONAL health. There's nothing like a dose of reality to get one's attention. Today, virtually every aspect of the natural health system which has been consistently fought against is gaining acceptance. It is unfortunate that much of this acceptance is through hindsight. Research and technology can be useful tools for deeper understanding, but to depend on research proof before we are willing to accept or understand what is self-evident has brought us to our present health crisis. The natural world is a wonderful example of principles which work on all living things. Let’s take a look at some of these principles, and apply some analogies which will explain in everyday experience how these principles work. These principles are not independent of each other. Rather, they are very dependent and interactive with each other as part of the natural system.

THE PRINCIPLE OF DEGENERATION

The natural world around us is in a constant state of decay. At any level you would care to look, you will see a certain rate of degenerative change occurring. This rate is different for different species, systems and even tissues, and is negatively or positively impacted by other forces, however, this degenerative process has never been stopped or defeated. Change comes to every system on earth, including humankind. There MUST be a constant maintenance or upkeep to minimize negative changes, or maximize positive changes.

Death occurs to every living thing at one point or another. The important concept to keep in mind concerning this principle is that, although there is no physical way to stop this process short of a resurrection, man has the ability by what he does and how he lives, to either speed up or slow down this degenerative process. Science is gaining more and more understanding of the aging process, and this knowledge is proving that nutrition and natural health processes MUST be understood and worked WITH and not against, or damage will result.

Physical life functions on somewhat of a "supply and demand" system. How much we eat, what we eat, the exercise we may or may not get, general maintenance we do. All of these examples are necessary for health, but what we do and how we do it will determine, to a large extent, the rate of degenerative change we go through.

Why do we brush our teeth daily? Why do we take a shower or bath once a day and not once a week? Why do we normally breath 12-15 times a minute? Because proper "maintenance" within a time framework requires it. We all know what happens when we don't take a shower or bath for a week. Natural processes create certain conditions which we have to correct. Eating when hungry, cleaning when dirty. Try breathing once a day or eating once a week. When the body is provided the proper elements, it can function at its fullest and minimize the natural degenerative processes inherent in nature. God designed His creation to function within certain parameters. It is designed to build, replace and defend on a continual basis as long as the required parameters are met.

Note: Science has been reaching into the very atoms and smaller particles of our physical world, and recent research is revealing that a mechanism that prevents rapid aging has apparently been discovered involving our genes. This mechanism involves the lack of an enzyme in most of our tissues which allows the gene (telomeres) to shorten with each replication. Some cells do NOT age because the enzyme "telomerace" prevents the telomere from shortening, thereby preventing the aging process... bringing us to a distinct possibility of slowing down considerably the aging process, and even reversing aging to some degree. You can read more about this discovery HERE

Degenerative forces can be minimized or maximized by how we work with the natural system. Symptoms we experience do NOT indicate the "start" of some health problem, but the final stages of a process. For example, when you experience a runny nose, sore throat, chest congestion, you are "getting a cold", you've already HAD it for a week or more. It just finally reached the "degenerative" point where the body exhibits the symptoms of losing the battle.

In the same way, when someone experiences ANY other symptom of ANY disease process, be it cancer, heart disease, stroke or wherever, the "disease" did NOT just BEGIN with that symptom... it is the far later stages of the process of degenerative changes that finally exhibit the ongoing disease process that hasn't been stopped or reversed. Symptoms are a horrible way to gage health levels... meaning the ABSENCE of symptoms DO NOT MEAN you are in "good" health. It merely means that unless you are applying the proper health laws to the body, to prevent degenerative changes that lead to disease (dis-ease), then you are likely NOT "healthy" as you should be.

THE PRINCIPLE OF LIVING FOODS

The subject of living foods, in and of itself, could cover a dozen articles. It is one of the most important areas of human nutrition, yet is one of the biggest deficiencies known to date.

"Living" foods, of course, suggests that there are foods that are "dead." What makes a food "living"? The natural system consists of a growing medium called soil. Soil is the core structure for assuring that foods being grown in that soil have all the essential elements necessary to maximize the food "bank account" in any particular product. Of course, you can also utilize hydroponics (water medium) as a growth source, but the essential elements must be present for this food to be of any degree a "living" food.

This is a very basic reminder of how food grows, in case we've forgotten the miracle. Soil essentially should consists of raw materials such as minerals, organic vegetable matter, bacteria, worms, and water. (This is a very similar system as our intestinal track and its health, discussed below). A seed planted in such soil absorbs water and begins to sprout. That sprout drives down into the soil seeking more moisture as the seed's initial food supply is used up to produce the initial sprouts (one goes down as the root, and one goes up as the stem, seeking the sun, all based on the "law" of geotrophism). As the roots develop, the plant develops because of access to the waiting raw materials in the soil.

The soil moisture from rain or other sources creates a medium which the bacteria then harness in THEIR activity levels. Bacteria and worms are necessary in healthy soil because they act on the organic matter in the soil, breaking it down, (digesting it), releasing nutrients into the soil as well... their own "by-products" which help to keep the soil healthy. For example, the by-products of the various bacteria types are substances such as certain acids which act on the minerals (inorganic rocks), leaching the microscopic minerals into the soil, and making them available in the water for absorption by the roots of the plants.

Other elements can include vitamins, enzymes, and anti-microbial and anti-mold/fungal substances that prevent soil from growing unwanted and destructive neighbors. All these make for a healthy soil and thus, healthy plants. The problem, however, is in the archaic farming methods still being employed by the vast majority of farmers across America. The use of chemicals and artificial fertilizers is completely destroying the ecosystem of American farmlands. The bacteria and worms are destroyed by these toxic substances, and the soil is very far from healthy, and the plants being grown on them are essentially devoid of many microminerals and vitamins which we need to stay healthy.

Imagine a lifetime of eating depleted foods that are lacking major amounts of the necessary substances we need for good health? There is one particular substance in foods that research has proven to be vital to good health, and that substance is ENZYMES. Enzymes are elements in ALL raw and uncooked or unprocessed foods which support digestive and metabolic processes. Yet, one of the most common forms of food preparation destroys these enzymes. Cooking or processing food above 118 degrees (F) destroys these enzymes, thereby placing a huge demand on the body to supply what should normally be supplied in the food itself.

The body can't possibly keep up with the demand for large amounts of enzymes for a sustained period, usually three times a day, without "wearing out" over time the organ responsible for these enzymes... the Pancreas. Yes, our body has the ability to produce enzymes, (except cellulase, the enzyme for breaking down cell walls of plants) or else we would all be dead. However, the amounts needed by the body to handle enzyme deficient foods is far more than the body was designed for, or normally produces routinely throughout any given day. This process, if continued month after month, year after year, decade after decade, produces an enzyme deficiency within the body. This forcing of our body to produce enzymes eventually wears out our enzyme-producing capability, and aging speeds up.

The enzymes normally present in the tissues and organs of the body are responsible for EVERY process known in the body. There isn't one single process known that doesn't need enzymes to occur, directly or indirectly. Imagine what happens to the body when the enzymes levels gradually decrease. As enzymes decrease, degenerative changes, aging, etc., increase. Enzymes minimize these degenerative changes. They promote regeneration, healing, cellular defense and detoxification. They are anti-inflammatory, help with allergies, asthma, sports injuries, gout, etc. They can reverse heart disease caused by blocked arteries.

Over time, the lack of enzymes promote a cascade of events within the body involving multiple systems of the body. Much of what we call "aging" is affected by the premature degenerative changes brought on by our unhealthy lifestyle. Enzymes, as God created them in living foods, are vital for proper health and metabolic processes. It is a major player in preventive health care. We need them in our foods or we need to add them TO our foods that don't have them.

There is a domino affect that happens when we start down the wrong road of how we eat. For example, when foods are not properly digested in the stomach by enzymes which should be there, (hydrochloric acid does NOT "digest foods." It is responsible for helping to kill bad bacteria, and control the PH of the stomach for the various enzymes to function properly), these foods sit there and begin to breakdown abnormally. Imagine placing ground up food, in a warm, wet environment, say, in a pot, and just letting it sit there. How long would it take to begin to "spoil" from bacteria, oxygen, and other causes? Well, this principle is the same for our internal environment. This food should be actively digesting in the stomach, and then passing down into the small intestine to continue, where now the bacteria, protected from the hydrochloric acid environment, can begin working on the foods as well.

However, being deficient in enzymes causes this food to begin to essentially rot. This continues in the small intestines, and this rotting allows toxins to be created and absorbed by the body, just as the nutrients we should be receiving are absorbed into the body. These toxins can cause a host of problems while they set up "housekeeping" which other damaging pathogens (bad bugs) can then take advantage of. It is not at all uncommon for most people to have one or more negative infective agents (bacteria, virus, mold, yeast or fungus) to live in the intestinal track and these then can migrate to other tissues via the blood and lymph systems.

Everything from simple bloating, indigestion, gas, abdominal extension, to constipation, diarrhea, weight gain and a host of intestinal and colon disease processes, cancer, leaky gut, and Crohns, being a few major ones. Imagine the cells of the colon (not to mention the cells of the body...) being "bathed" in toxic chemicals on a daily basis, for decades... you can see why cancer is so prevalent. A complete digestive enzyme should have all the enzymes for digesting all the types of foods such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, cellulose, etc., and allow a clean system. When the intestinal environment is overrun by the "bad guys," the good bacteria, friendly flora or "probiotics" as we call them, cannot survive well and this creates the second domino to fall...

  • FRIENDLY BACTERIA, OR PROBIOTICS

Friendly bacteria are living cells which we take in from our environment, just as we do the bad guys, but if our environment is healthy the bad guys are eliminated, and the good guys help with this. Every type of bacteria is like a fruit tree. All fruit trees look like trees, but they all produce a different type of fruit. An apple is way different than an orange, or an avocado. Each type of tree produces different fruit, just as every type of bacteria produces different substances or by-products as they do their job in the intestine. Like the bad guys giving off toxins, the good guys give off GOOD substances that we are missing in our intestinal environment.

These substances do different things. The bacteria can produce vitamins, enzymes, anti-infective substances and likely hundreds or thousands of other substances not yet truly identified, but are critical for good health. These substances work in the intestinal track, and are absorbed into the blood stream to have access to the entire system to do its work on. A complex probiotic is vital to maintaining good health. This should include 15-20 different, but very viable, bacteria so they can make it into the digestive track alive.

By maintaining a healthy gut, you minimize the degenerative changes there, and enhance food absorption, and overall health.

THE PRINCIPLE OF CAUSE AND EFFECT

One of the most deceptive aspects of the natural world is in how slow the processes are. Cumulative damage is what occurs over time in the cause and effect scenario. Nature functions along a time gradient. The laws and principles which God created in the natural world were designed in conjunction with the equally created element of time. The conception of an egg, and development, birth, growth and death all occur over time. Physical law demands that all physical processes occur over a time period. Because this is true, it can be a difficult thing to remember that there is indeed really such a thing as "law," or "cause and effect." There is a spiritual principle given in Ecclesiastes 8:11 which states that because a penalty against disobeying the law is not immediate, the attitude or intent of man is to continue in the disobedience. This principle holds true even in the physical realm.

Effects which occur in the physical world occur in a time framework. Disease processes never suddenly become full blown in a matter of minutes. SYMPTOMS, (as discussed above) on the other hand, CAN suddenly appear. The symptom is not the beginning of the problem, any more than the signs of pregnancy indicate the beginning of conception. Unfortunately, modern day practice focuses on treating symptoms in the same way we view sickness and disease. The mysterious heart attack, the gall bladder problem, stomach and liver problems, cancers... are dealt with in purely a crisis management framework.

The bottom line is this. We absolutely, positively can not depend on how we FEEL to be our guide to how healthy we are. Feelings are very limited in how much information they give us about our physical bodies. Feelings do not accurately function at all levels of our existence. Symptoms are effects of previous causes, which were wrong. For example, cancer symptoms can take 5-20 years to develop. Persistent conditions for allowing cancer to develop is what eventually leads to symptoms. They are the last things to show up in a developing health problem.

Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) doesn't produce a heart attack or high blood pressure the minute it began forming years back. Even symptoms of the flu present themselves long after the body temporarily lost the battle to the virus. Dealing with symptoms is crisis management. Going by feelings is ignoring cause and effect, laws and principles. They function no matter how we feel. The question isn't, "How do I feel," but rather, "Am I following the health principles and laws the natural system provides?" The answer to that question will tell you, right now, what you can expect in the way of health later in TIME.

One other point to make in this section. Our society has been conditioned to turn to a pill or potion for health. This concept is quite often, transferred to the natural system. By this, I mean many people trying to improve their health simply substitute a "natural" medicine for the previous drug or chemical they used before. You can use aspirin for your headache, or you can use willow bark, the natural source of aspirin. But the question is, "Is your headache an aspirin deficiency?" Herbs and other whole food medicines contain many good elements and substances that promote healing, but they are NOT a substitute for proper diet and lifestyle, nor will THEY minimize degenerative changes by themselves. We can't continue to break God's health laws, only to turn to even natural substances for forgiveness. We may find help, but the body is still paying a price of broken laws. Turning to medications for the standard remedy is no different than turning off the fire alarm in a burning house and feeling better about the warning being "gone".

THE PRINCIPLE OF MAINTENANCE AND USE

The physical world around us requires an active hand to produce our needs. From farming and gardening, to building and replacing, man must exert a certain amount of time and effort within the natural system to reap the best results. The spiritual principle of, "As you sow, so shall you reap," applies here as well. If we do too little, we pay the price of cheap products, poor roads, lousy service, lost business and productivity. The world won't provide us a living without right effort. Neither will nature or our bodies provide us with good health without our good effort. Right effort will enhance the natural principles and provide optimum health.

There is, of course, the principle of genetic weakness which will be discussed later in the article. The human body requires constant maintenance. There isn't a moment in our lifetimes when there aren't thousands of processes taking place within the human body. These processes require specific nutrients and specific physical actions on a consistent basis in order to properly occur. Maintenance simply means working with these processes in response to the responsibility God gave each of us. He has a specific purpose for our lives and he is accomplishing the greatest feat He can using physical flesh. There are profound spiritual reasons as to why He chose physical flesh rather than using spirit.

Our responsibility is to look at this creation, use the mind God gave us, and work with, rather than against, His system. We are to provide the human body with the necessary substances that are in line with His created design. Anything short of that becomes a "foreign" element to the body. Food taken out of its natural state and altered is contrary to what God designed our bodies to function with. We routinely take such substances and expect this human design to function normally.

ANY element which the natural world comes into contact with that falls outside the designed and created laws will, at some point along time, produce physical manifestations God did not intend. Any molecule of chemical or other substance which the natural world does not recognize which enters our body is regarded as a poison and a foreign substance. The body immediately must take steps to remove these substances. With multiple thousands of biological processes occurring, the body can't allow foreign substances to interfere.

Maintenance is simply the continual supply of necessary food, activity, rest, or other factors which fit the natural systems design. Activity is an example. Activity is necessary to maintain a stimulus on certain cells and tissues of the body to remain strong. If you have had a broken arm or leg, you can better understand this principle. In a short 6 weeks, an arm or leg in a cast goes through a process of degenerative change which results in shrunken muscles, weakened bones and stiff joints. The process is a natural one when the activity required to minimize these changes is lessened or removed. It takes some time and increased use to regain strength and size of muscles and to loosen the joint affected. Sometimes it can take weeks just to regain pre-injury status. All because of not using it.

That principle applies to every aspect of the human body, especially from a muscular, joint and skeletal point of view. The classic phrase, "use it or lose it" is very accurate in this regard. The less we regularly use our limbs, joints and muscles, the more we enhance the degenerative process in this area. Combine poor nutrition, food additives and preservatives and other negative environmental factors and you can readily see how the body's systems can be overwhelmed and how that leads to premature degenerative changes which allow disease and sickness a foothold.

Exercise, when viewed from today's perspective usually brings up negative images in most people's minds. If we replaced the word "exercise" with the word "use," it could help us to understand what is really required for good health. Activity which utilizes the human frame and physiology in all of its designed aspects is all that God intended for optimum maintenance of health.

The simple act of muscular contraction and relaxation helps the heart to circulate blood throughout the body. When there is no regular muscular activity, the blood, which carries nutrients and oxygen, and carries away metabolic poisons and waste products is unable to adequately do its job. Without adequate circulation, muscular activity is impaired. Without adequate muscular activity, circulation is impaired. Cellular metabolism is impaired, cellular rebuilding, healing, etc., are all impaired. Over many years, this leads to premature degenerative changes within the tissues. It's only a matter of time before one or more areas begin to show symptoms of this degeneration.

Can you imagine Moses, Abraham or the others seeing someone jogging, pumping iron, etc? They would undoubtedly think we lost our minds. They didn't have to do such things to remain healthy and live long. Their daily chores and activities were enough to maintain adequate activity. The point is, we don't need to make a religion out of the activity we engage in. Simple regular activity can go a long way, like walking, or simple range of motion/aerobics.

PRINCIPLE OF RESISTANCE

The body has a built-in resistance to the natural disease-causing organisms all around us. We have bacteria on our skin that, given the right circumstances and opportunity, would kill us if we didn't have our immune system. This immune system is fighting battles 24 hours a day. This immune system is a complex combination of processes which the body uses to defend itself. As was mentioned earlier, "germs" are a part of the natural system. Because God doesn't tell us specifically about this aspect of His creation, all we can do is speculate based on what we do see. When an animal is killed or dies of its own, the bacteria and other microbes present are able to do their work of decomposition because of a simple fact: The animal no longer has ANY resistance to these microbes. They can then do what God intended them to do... decompose the animal back into the elements of the earth from which it came. For that same reason, we harvest the animals and freeze the meet to prevent this same process.

This process effects us as well. Alive, we all have varying degrees of resistance to outside forces. When our body has what it needs, and is protected and maintained, it will destroy abnormal or foreign elements it discovers. This includes cancer and other abnormal cells. It is well known by medical authorities that everyone at one time or another has cancerous cells. The body spots these and destroys them regularly. It is when our resistance is down and our internal biological terrain is wrong that our immune system can no longer carry on the battle, and these cells can grow and develop into major abnormal tissues which eventually destroy other systems in the body.

It is pretty much considered "normal" by most people to get the flu once or twice a year. But is this "normal?" Did God intend people to get sick as part of His designed system? Colds and flu are an indication (not the only indication) of an immune system which is being negatively affected in some way. When a group of people are exposed to someone with a cold, not all of them come down with the same cold or flu, right? That is because some have a higher level of resistance and are able to defeat the organism before it can take hold. The immune system is being implicated in many of the disease processes today. AIDS being just one example to date. Wouldn't it be wise to strengthen and maintain the immune system on a regular basis?

The body's metabolism resists negative changes, but supports positive changes. That is why people can respond to proper health habits so quickly compared to how long it might have taken to develop a particular problem. The body will do all it can to maintain a normal functioning system. It stores toxins, or hides them if it can't dispose of them. On the other hand, the body will reverse this process when the conditions are corrected and the body can properly rid itself of unwanted material. This principle is important to understand in the process of improving your health habits.

PRINCIPLE OF LIMITATIONS OF MATTER

In natural law, there eventually comes a time at which the processes within the body reach a point where they can no longer be affected by the basic application of the natural system, as in the case sometimes with malignant cancers which have spread. The body is so involved adversely, and so much time has passed outside the protective bounds of natural laws, that it can't overcome the odds, and applying even natural principles won't change the final outcome of the damage. This doesn't mean the natural system God designed doesn't work, but that we have moved so far outside the protective bounds of His health laws, that natural processes can no longer do the job. The physical limits of that tissue or system has been reached.

The point of this article is to provide you with information and understanding so you don't reach this stage. But if you do, applying true health principles won't HURT you and will help prevent greater damage from the more drastic measures sometimes taken. Remember, though, that many of the so-called "treatments" for diseases is man's idea of health care, swayed by Satan, and in truth, often does more damage than any good. No one wants to die prematurely, but to what extent should we cling to life when we have God as our Father, and HE has a plan for us and is in charge of our lives?

In our world today, no one can argue that there is a lot going against achieving and maintaining good health. From the pollution of our air, water, soil and food, to the conditions many live in. Crowded cities, noise, stress...the list goes on. One important principle we can apply has to do with the degree to which we apply the natural system toward our health. IF the world were pure and natural, and our food was untainted, we could simply eat wisely what God has provided and expect the system and our bodies to work well.

Unfortunately today, that is not the way it is. So what can we do? That is what we need to focus on, what we CAN do rather than what is out of our hands or how bad it is. There is still plenty we can do. For instance, utilizing the natural system while living in a noisy, polluted and stressful city is not enough to maintain a minimal degenerative process. So the solution is to provide additional substances which are a part of the natural system, which will provide the necessary nutrients which are lost more quickly due to environmental or nutritional circumstances.

The stresses of city living are known to deplete levels of vitamin A, C and B, micro-minerals, and weakens the immune system. The constant assault from stress and poor quality food depletes the bodies ability to detoxify itself. This process requires minute amounts of micro minerals and substances which, in far too many cases, are not provided by what we eat. We simply apply natural substances in what could be termed an "unnatural way," that is, by way of NATURAL, "whole food" vitamins, minerals and other substances, in their natural state. Plain, mostly "fractionated" vitamins or minerals are not very beneficial to the body in that they have been removed from their natural state and are missing necessary co-factors, and in many cases are causing health problems in the body. Remember, the natural system God designed KNOWS what is natural and what isn't. It was created that way, and even most so called "natural" vitamins are simply partial elements of the real thing and cause the body to either reject them, or force the body to supply the missing elements to make use of it, if possible.

An example of this is "vitamin C". Many forms of vitamin C come as "ascorbic acid." Research shows that ascorbic acid leeches elements out of our collagen, our connective tissue, in order to try to form the whole vitamin C complex. This weakens our body in many ways. This can and does make a big difference to the bodies ability to function in adverse conditions.

One other point which should be mentioned under this heading is this. There is a point which the natural system and the human body have, which, if we go beyond this point, produce considerably diminishing returns for the amount of effort given to it. For instance, Olympic athletes regularly push their bodies past this point of diminishing returns in an effort to reach their ultimate level of performance. It takes a tremendous amount of effort and time to support what is achieved beyond what would be a healthy maintenance level. That is simply the price for being a professional athlete.

For the rest of us though, a simple and balanced activity program is more than enough. Keeping in mind the "use" idea, any program which incorporates a stimulus to the circulatory/respiratory, muscular, skeletal and joint systems of the body will provide a good level of maintenance activity. A twenty to thirty minute swim, and a 15-20 minute stretching and range of motion (ROM) regimen would bring profound benefits to most people. A 30 minute walking program, followed by a stretching/ROM regimen would do the same. In some cases, even our daily work could be providing a level of maintenance stimulus to the body. But by adding the stretching and ROM regimen, you cover all the bases so to speak. There are a wide variety of adequate activities which can be helpful AND enjoyable. Find one you like and do it 3-4 times a week. Then add a regular stretching/mobilizing regimen to support such activity. Without it, you will only gain a portion of the benefits of exercise.

THE PRINCIPLE OF GENETIC WEAKNESS

Most likely this subject came to your mind as this article progressed. The subject of a genetic basis for disease and sickness is a touchy one for several reasons. We view genetics as something which is out of our hands and therefore we can't do anything to change the situation. It can be tempting to use that as a crutch and an excuse for not taking responsibility for our health. We can also possibly look at genetic manipulation as the "magic bullet" which will save us from disease. We even view it, through gene splicing and manipulation, as a possible cure for the common cold. Today, in fact, virtually every disease is thought to be genetic and the hunt is on for THAT cause of health problems. This is simply a blatant disregard for God or health laws in general and ignoring any personal responsibility. It is also a way to distract people from their personal responsibility and offer up a "magic bullet."

We are getting into the same sinking boat with this focus of thinking. Granted, there are some diseases which are definitely genetically based. Most of us can also point to our fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, and see where we "got the bad heart, knee or back, cancer," etc. If we are not careful, we can easily slip into the "its no use, I inherited it" mentality. There is most likely much we don't understand about genetics and health. What we do know is that God didn't create the human gene pool with deformed or distorted genes. So where did they come from?

One source is certain. Broken health laws and principles over hundreds and thousands of years. Over time, these defects become compounded, especially when the same laws and principles are STILL being broken through habits learned, further supporting the genetic degeneration. Genetic research has shown that a bad gene, if left to itself and not adversely affected by unnatural events will simply cease to exist. That is, abnormal genes are NOT prone to survive without some degree of support. We all have cells that have genetic mutations occurring but these cells usually die. The gene pool is being influenced to produce deformities, and these same influences are occurring in the people who inherit the defective genes simply because they are breaking the same or more health laws. However, if genetics can be "negatively" affected, they can also be "positively" affected.

There is also a genetic basis behind the development of disease causing organisms. We hear of mutations, adaptations, supergerms and the like on a regular basis. Do we realize what we have been doing? As long as man continues to destroy his environment and break health laws and principles, he will have new and bigger diseases and sicknesses to deal with. As man has continued to do this, and sickness and disease remain, he has unwittingly provided such things as bacteria, virus and other microbes a steady host for growth, dispersion AND mutation. That host is US. It is well known that the more generations a specific disease organism can go through, the more chances it has to adapt and mutate to survive. When you add the drive to adapt caused from such prevalent use of drugs to suppress and kill these organisms, along with poor eating habits and quality of food, you have man, by his own hand, promoting and sustaining the very thing he longs to destroy. An impossible scenario and one which has the seeds for the biblical prophecy of famine, disease and death well planted. The question is at what point will we have gone too far to have any hope of reversing our health care crisis?

The responsibility to known personal genetic weaknesses we have is this: We must educate ourselves about this weakness and then take steps to change our lifestyle so we do not place undue stress on, or added support FOR, this weakness. We may have to be extra careful in specific areas of our daily living. In diabetes, for example, which, by the way, is diet related (and possibly infective agent related) in most cases, even natural sweeteners and desserts should be avoided until your system has stabilized. Even then, you may be so sensitive because of limitations of matter that you will have to simply accept your position and act accordingly. The longer we go on in this world, the more there will be to deal with. The sooner we wake up to these things, the sooner we can begin to turn it around.

THE PRINCIPLE OF FITNESS

The subject of fitness is quite often confused as being synonymous with health. Fitness is fitness and health is health. They are two different things, related but not the SAME. They affect each other, but it is a mistake to presume that because you are "physically fit", you are also "healthy." How many professional athletes have dropped dead on the court? How many people do we know or have heard of who suddenly dropped dead or began showing symptoms of cancer? You can't be healthy and drop dead of a heart attack. That is physically impossible. You are either healthy or NOT healthy. The body is either in a maintenance state or in a degenerative state. Unless there is some degree of regeneration, you automatically have degeneration. There is no such thing a neutral with nothing happening.

Fitness is important to health but it isn't health by itself. Health involves what we eat, what we are exposed to, activity, frame of mind... it involves a lifestyle. It is possible to have relatively good health without having a great deal of fitness. It is also possible to have great fitness, and NOT have very good health. Being physically fit doesn't nullify the affects of a poor diet. We become what we eat and drink.

Fitness is also NOT developing muscle, being an Olympic athlete, etc. Fitness is simply maintenance of the human body through enough activity to stimulate all the systems of the body to be in optimum health. Too much is actually worse than too little.

THE PRINCIPLE OF THE NATURAL SYSTEM

There has been a great deal of frustration for many people regarding health over the years. When you have, on the one hand, professionals stating "this," and other professionals who counter "this" with "that." If the professionals can't agree, how in the world can most of the rest of us know what is true or not true, and what to do? The single biggest key to good health is this. God is the designer of all we know and see. He did so with US in mind. He designed it to all work together, even if there are many things occurring now in the natural world that will be changed when Christ returns.

The simplest way to know what to do when you have a question about health is to ask yourself this. "Is this food, vitamin, or whatever choice you are wanting to make... a direct reflection of the created natural order? Is it in the same state that nature provides it, or as close as possible to this state? How far has it been removed from this normal, natural state, and altered to be something else? Satan masquerades as an angel of light. Is it surprising that He pawns off foods that appears to be genuine and good, but in fact is slowly destroying health? That is his goal, and we have bought into it wholesale. We supply the body with building blocks through our diet. Do you think it is possible to build good health with processed foods, chemicals, artificial preservatives and additives? In other words, FAKE foods. Deceptive foods. Lying foods. Foods that support taste and looks, and we've been conditioned to act on those two criteria.

One point to make clear here is this. Human physiology is "generally" identical, since it all functions within the natural laws God set up. However, within this general physiology, there are, oftentimes, differences in how someone might respond to certain helps. Diet and nutrition is the most basic. Health "helps," such as herbs, homeopathic substances, Reflexology, Chiropractic, massage, etc., even though all within the natural system, won't "necessarily" work the same for everyone, although for the most part, they will. There is a lot of duplication within the natural system, and various herbs, for instance, do similar things. The point is because one thing helps YOU, doesn't necessarily mean it is THE "magic bullet" for everyone else. "Magic Bullet?" You know, that single magic substance that we have all looked for to take care of our health problem. We read about a substance in a health magazine, or hear about it on the TV or radio, and we get excited because all the symptoms they describe as being caused by a "deficiency" of this element, "WE" have. So we go out and buy this one "miracle" substance in the hope that "IT" is the answer we have been looking for.

We WANT easy answers. We WANT an easy way to be healthy. We have been conditioned to believe that a pill is what we need to be healthy. Next month, there is another "miracle" substance that is promoted, and millions go out for THAT. On and on it goes till we have spent a fortune on useless concoctions that make many companies money, but don't do a thing for health. Fads are big business and anyone can develop and promote something, playing on the magic bullet belief system so many of us have. Yes, there are SOME good health products out there, but even in the natural arena, Satan still rules, and we need to exercise wisdom and caution. God is the creator. Remember that and you'll know what is real and what isn't.

To help with how to tackle the label and "what's in it" questions, Read the How to Read Labels PDF document.

THE PRINCIPLE OF BALANCE

Balance has been a buzz word for decades in God's church. We use this word to essentially say, "Not to much and not to little." It is a good principle to go by in all aspects of our lives, however, it is also misused and mis-applied all too often. Balance has come to mean this: It is OK to eat junk as long as we are "balanced" about it. It is OK to eat or drink anything, as long as we are balanced about it. Balance meaning, we shouldn't eat junk too often. 50% of the food we eat can be junk as long as the other 50% is "good" food, which is naturally subject to personal preference. Is this what balance really means? That would be the same as saying, "It is OK to sin 50% of the time as long as we are NOT sinning the other 50% of the time. Breaking God's laws, physical or spiritual, is OK as long as we are balanced about it. Is this realistic? Is it TRUE? We can't have double standards.

Are we going to do things perfectly? No! Are we going to always be able to avoid ALL bad things in our diet? No! Are we to never go out to eat, never eat anything that might be unhealthy of itself in some respects, not knowing exactly "what" may be in it? Will we make some choices that may not be as well as we "could" be doing, but can't do better, or simply don't have the drive to do? Yes!

We live in a sick, dying world, and we have to deal with those facts. However, we ARE to be a light to the world. Our example should be setting the pace for others in the world. We are called to show that God's way works, even in this world. It is far too easy to make excuses as to why we can't do this or that. We are creating our own future health RIGHT NOW. We are involved with our own spiritual future health RIGHT NOW. Do we believe that? Do we LIVE that?

Proper balance isn't juggling the good with the bad. It is working with the good in a balanced way. Do we study 10 hours a day, work 10 hours, and sleep 4? Do we drink 6 glasses of wine a night? Do we eat so much that we hurt? Do we take 5 showers a day? Balance means exercising our choices WITHIN the framework of truth, in a way that supports all aspects of our life. If we aren't working with truth, then we lose. Would you rather have one drop of cyanide in your water jug, or none? What would be better for your health, one drop or no drop? What is better for your health, one artificial chemical preservative or additive, or none? How about 20,000 chemicals, or 3? There are well over 100,000 chemicals in our food chain as supplied by traditional sources. Could there possibly be a correlation between that fact and our health problems? Knowing who designed THIS world's food and health system, what do you think?

For example, testing is often done on any specific chemical being considered for food or in other products either consumed or placed on our body. This testing is allegedly proving the chemical to be "safe", (which is highly questionable), however, testing is NEVER done on any combination of chemicals acting together in the body. I use the example of taking three harmless "chemicals" found in nature... charcoal, sulfur and salt peter. These are actually beneficial to the body in various ways, but when you combine the three together, you get "gunpowder". This is a very simple example of what is happening inside our biology. Out of 100,000 chemicals we are subjected to in our food supplies daily, do you really believe we don't have thousands of these "reactions" taking place to damage our cells?

Brethren, time isn't standing still for us. It marches onward, and our personal choices day to day ARE affecting us, even if we don't "feel" it. Spiritually and physically, we are under assault with only one thing in mind... to keep us from achieving our full potential as children of God. Our reward is according to our works. Isn't it possible to limit our own reward by how we treat these "temples?" Is God pleased by our disregard for His creation and our not-so-serious approach to health and the lives He has given us? We reap what we sow. That is truth. Health isn't a mystery, and we don't have to suffer the way we are.

THE PRINCIPLE OF EMOTIONS

For the sake of completeness, we need to include our mental state as a factor in good health. Research and experience has proven, and many books have been written, concerning our state of mind and its affects on the functions of the body. From anger and the stomach, to stress and the immune system, there are very real correlation's between how we experience the world around us, how we react to it and the results in our health.

"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7 Our thinking and feeling processes directly affect our organs and tissues. We can enhance or degrade our performance, health and the length of our lives by the simple process of thinking. That is truly an amazing thing. There are many books which address these issues. For the sake of this article, we want to look at how health is affected. The Bible is full of warnings concerning wrong emotions and their destructiveness. Jealousy, envy, hate, wrong anger, over time can be destructive.

Stress, too much and too constant, forces the systems of the body to remain in a heightened state of "flight or flight". This places incredible demands on the hormonal system and utilizes vast amounts of nutrients. Over time, this can and will break any system down. High stress levels will reveal our personal physical weaknesses. Where our body is weak will be the first place high stress levels will hit. Stress is especially hard on our muscular, circulatory and gastrointestinal systems.

WHAT YOU CAN DO?

Take the time to analyze your present practices in light of the principles discussed and in regard to the creator God. The sooner you begin your part, the sooner the system can begin working for you. Trust that God knows what He is doing. Believe that His creation is for our best. Use His health system as the pattern for how to be healthy. Do your part and God will do His. We have wondered about the overwhelming number of cases of sickness in God's church. We remember how healing was so much more a part of our lives years ago. Do we ALSO remember that we were much more careful to observe God's health laws back then? Do we remember how we slowly gave up that belief and turned to this world's health system? We can get upset about about the truth about health. We can resist changing, and cling to our old habits. We can feel "judged" by not observing the health laws as we should. We even DO some judging of each other. It isn't the Big Mac once a year that causes the heart attack. It isn't the sweets once a week that adds the weight on. It isn't chance. If God didn't supply it, do we really need or want it? If we have a love for the truth, it will include ALL truth. If we want to be healthy, we have to do our part.

Perhaps then, God will see we are serious about health, expressing our belief, our faith, in Him through DOING, and will intervene where He chooses to in a more obvious way. If God has supplied us with the way to be healthy already, and we reject that way, WHY should He intervene and heal us? Yes, all things work together for good for God's people, but this doesn't negate law. There have been some healings. God is merciful, and realizes it is our own ignorance and foolishness that bring on most of the health problems we have, but what do we learn from breaking His laws, and will God simply heal us regardless of it?

We assume that in the Millennium or in the second resurrection, God will just heal everyone of all the health problems they have, but WILL He? How will people learn that health laws DO exist better than by seeing those laws at work in their own health improvement? God is allowing us to learn that lesson. He doesn't want us to be sick. That isn't His plan and goal. Yet, He is using it. He always uses our mistakes and sins to correct us and to train us, but are we learning?

We have the greatest human potential as our future. We have jobs to do now that affect that potential. Christ has warned us about the hard times to come. If we think we will do better in these hard times being sick and diseased, we are deceiving ourselves. If we think God will just blanket heal everyone, we are deceiving ourselves. If we think God will protect us completely from the end time diseases and related plagues, we are deceiving ourselves. Could He? Sure. Will He? Are you willing to take the chance? When we do what we should do, doesn't God always do what He should do?

He allowed the Israelites to experience some of the initial plagues on Egypt. Was that a pleasant experience for them? We have enough to deal with in the future to not bring on more potential suffering and problems because of our neglect. Our families, our children, all of us need to be as prepared as we can be, both spiritually and physically for the future. Let's not judge others on these issues because we ALL have been wrong, and suffer to varying degrees for it. Let's get back on track with our health, and mutually encourage each other, support each other and be patient with each other as we improve. Let's be about our Fathers business physically and spiritually!


Back to Health Introduction
Health Principles, Part 1
Clean and Unclean Foods.
Dietary Laws
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