Thursday, January 31, 2013

Practicing Living

Natural Hygiene teaches us to live a simple, natural lifestyle.  The practice is a journey in which we learn wisdom.  The principles can't just be learned intellectually, but they have to be practiced.  The last thing Carol, from the market in Cairns, told me before I left Australia was, "Practice well".

Just because medical professionals have spent a lot of time studying disease and have built large elite universities does not mean they know about man and his health.  We really can't be satisfied with second-hand knowledge given to us by other people.  It's easy to get that kind of knowledge, and it doesn't require much from us personally.

The world can give us the statistics about sickness and health, but Natural Hygiene requires us to search out the causes for our illnesses for ourselves.  The "practice" involves us experiencing things for ourselves and experimenting on ourselves.

It is possible to intellectually learn from others that fasting, eating a raw food diet, and obeying the laws of life and health really do work, but wisdom...really knowing...only comes when we practice those things for ourselves.

Some people say that Natural Hygiene is radical, fanatical, and impractical, but when we put it into practice for ourselves and live it then we can see and prove that this is a valid way to live.

Many times people become interested in Natural Hygiene in rebellion against medical dogma.  I remember the day I walked away from the medical professionals.  I was in the emergency room at a hospital when I realized they had nothing to offer me.  Even though I felt like I was dying I got up and drove myself home.  I told my daughter, "They don't know".  I still feel that way.  Finding the way to Natural Hygiene was an answer to a prayer that I prayed prostrate on my floor in the middle of the night.

We need to be careful that as we embrace Natural Hygiene to find freedom from disease that we don't become trapped in another set of ideas.  The danger is that we trade one external authority for another external authority.  The only authentic authority is in us. The laws of nature are simple and they are universal.

Practicing Natural Hygiene is like sculpting.  We have to chip away at every thing that is not essential in order to reveal what is beautiful and wholesome.  We have to learn to exercise our intuition. This is the work of the alchemist.  It won't be finished in a year.  It is a long-term commitment.

"You can reflect what is another's; you can radiate only what is your own." - Chinese proverb

The more we live the simple, natural life the more we will radiate the light within us.

-Inspired by The Quintessence of Natural Living

To health and happiness.





Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Taking Responsibility for my Sickness

I finished my lesson about Professor Dr. Edmond Bordeaux Szekely, one of my mentor's mentors.  He was a philologist and could translate texts from Sanskrit, Pehlvi, Aramaic, Greek and Latin.  He translated texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Essene Gospel of Peace.

I own several books by Dr. Szekely including the Essene Gospel of Peace series and a large text called Medicine Tomorrow an Introduction to Cosmotherapy.

The story is that while Dr. Szekely was studying in a Catholic monastery school he spent several months in the Vatican library in Rome.  While there he discovered the ancient manuscripts about the Essenes of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  He translated part of them and published them as the Essene Gospel of Peace.

He wrote Cosmos, Man and Society while living in the South Seas and treating natives in a leper colony.  It's now out of print, but I found a copy on half.com for $15.00.  It's on its way!

Dr. Szekely spent the last thirty years of his life in Mexico at his retreat and school, Rancho La Puerta.  He and his wife followed a simple way of living.  He lived in an old horse stable when he first arrived at Rancho La Puerta, and his wife was willing to live there with him.  After WWII ended he was able to get his money out of Europe, and he used those resources to build his retreat.  They grew all the vegetables for the school on the property using organic methods.

Monday, I ate all raw foods with the exception of some herbal teas. Lunch was green smoothie, fresh coconut, avocado, and goody balls.  Dinner was salad, veggie cocktail, sauerkraut, almonds and goody balls.  I steamed some cabbage for Travis, but I didn't eat any of it.
Here I am grating coconut with my new coconut grater.

Grating coconut. 

Green Smoothie:  banana, canteloupe, orange, apple, kiwi, dates, kale and water
Salad:  romaine, mushroom, green onion, cucumber, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, lemon juice, flax seed oil
Veggie Cocktail:  beet, celery, carrots
Dinner!

With skillful conscious action in each moment there is no danger. -Unknown

I watched an Easy to be Raw video by Megan Elizabeth on how to make our own raw make-up using two ingredients.  She used an eyelash curler, a mascara brush, and a Q-Tip.  She put a frozen organic blackberry in a small bowl and some spiralina in another bowl.  She dipped the Q-tip in the blackberry then in the spiralina.  She used that to do her eyebrows and eyelashes.  She used the blackberry juice on her lips and cheeks.  Here is a link to the You Tube video .Raw Makeup Tutorial

I am still enjoying reading The Quintessence of Natural Living by Kiki Sidwha....

One of the main teachings of Natural Hygiene is that we are responsible for our own behavior.  We need to learn and teach our children that our behavior lies in our own hands.  We need goals and incentives to work for and to keep our behavior on track.  That is one of the requirements for mental health.

According to Kiki Sidwha happiness is the balance between the world that surrounds us and the world we carry in our heart.  We can see ourselves as hopeless and helpless or we can put in the hard work life demands from us by accepting responsibility for the world around us.

"By placing responsibility for sickness upon the sick person, we at least make him free to do something about it.  He can then, if he so chooses, accept help to help himself in finding a happier and more constructive way of living his life."  - K. Sidwha

Many times doctors and hospitals keep sick people sick.  Instead, we could look at mental and physical sicknesses as irresponsible behavior.  It is always irresponsible to decide to forsake the requirements of a normal healthy life.  Ignorance is no excuse.  It is an irresponsible society that does not teach healthy living.

People sometimes use their sicknesses to get something from other people...such as attention, love, power, or money.  They use it as an excuse for failure and as a way to avoid accepting responsibility.  The welfare state encourages this thinking.

We really should expect more from the handicapped and the ill.  Our diet and way of life contribute to physical and mental illness.  Many, many people have recovered on a very strict hygienic diet.  During the war in Greece a great number of the mentally ill became healthy while the country was being starved by the Nazis.

Instead of putting the ill in a hospital, we could put them to work on farms and in gardens!  There they would find dignity and freedom as well as a healthy, hygienic diet.  They could live free from restraints and chemicals.  They could fast to cleanse the blood and lymph.  They could sleep after a hard days work, and enjoy fresh air, community, a belief in themselves, and a reason to live.

-Adapted from The Quintessence of Natural Living.

Even though it may seem cruel to expect sick people to take responsibility for their conditions, it really is the kindest most loving way to live.  It is the way that gives hope to the hopeless.  I remember well the day I slammed my hand on my desk at work and said, "I've had enough of this".  At that point I knew that either God was going to heal me or I was going to die.  


 To health and happiness.


Tuesday, January 29, 2013

We Need to be Careful

We had a wonderful Skype consultation last Saturday with Dr. John Fielder...direct from the Clohesy River Health Farm in Kuranda, Queensland, Australia.  We wanted his opinion regarding Travis' higher blood pressure reading.  The blood pressure is not dangerously high, but that along with some numbness and vision problems are all warnings.  It's a reminder that we haven't been as careful as we should have been.

It's not a time to panic, but we must use it for what it is trying to tell us.  It is telling us to be more careful in what we have been doing and not to be so blase about falling off the wagon.

As for my sore tongue, sore nose, and painful hand, that too is a reminder to be more diligent.  I have been toying around using some commercial foods in order to try and cover all our bases regarding nutritional needs, but we can't trust any of these companies to tell the truth about their ingredients.  Many ingredients are not even required to be listed on the packaging.  You can't trust them!

I have eaten some wild salmon a few times in order to provide Omega 3's, but Dr. Fielder reminded me that we don't need very much and a light sprinkle of flax seed oil on our salad will be sufficient.

Remember this rule....Don't put it in your mouth, if you would not want to put it in your eye.  Our digestive tracts are just as sensitive as our eyes.  Thus, we don't need to be eating ginger, cayenne pepper, garlic, and other strong spices.

We had a good week-end with grandchildren and church company.  We always take them out to eat, because I don't think they will eat what we eat.  At the Great Wall I had sushi, salad from the salad bar, and some of the veggies.  Not too bad, but certainly not a way to increase health.

Lunch on Saturday was green smoothie, 1/2 avocado, and some fresh coconut.  I served them pizza also.  One of these days perhaps I will refuse to serve anyone else something I would not eat myself.

The following evening we took them to the Mexican restaurant.  This time I ate before we left.  I had a veggie cocktail, salad, 1/2 avocado, and some sauerkraut.  At the restaurant I ordered the guacomole salad.

I enjoy sharing what I know about raw foods and natural hygiene when people ask.  Most of us know deep down that the standard American diet is not a very healthy diet.

A raw food guy from Australia that calls himself Durianrider says that he has seen every sunrise this year thus far.  That is awesome.  Several years back Travis and I went through a time of getting up every morning and taking our blanket and coffee down to the bench beside Lake DeSota to watch the sunrise before we got ready to go to work.  It was a very special time.  I would like to get back into that habit.  We don't live by the lake anymore, but I suppose we could see the sun rise from our driveway.

I looked up Geoff Lawton on the internet because he is an expert in permaculture design.  He lives in New South Wales, Australia, but he has been involved in designing permaculture systems all over the world.  There is a video on his web-site on How to Survive the Coming Crises with Permaculture.  You have to register in order to see the video.  Here's the link:  How to Survive the Coming Crises with Permaculture .

To health and happiness.


Monday, January 28, 2013

What About Chlorine?

I think we need a wood burning stove.  We are all electric here at our house, and a wood burning stove would be a good source of heat when the power goes out.  We have two kerosene heaters and a few gallons of kerosene, but what if we were not able to get to Walmart for more kerosene?  A wood burner would be nice.  I found one I like on Craigslist for about $800.  I think it will cost a lot more than that, though, to get someone to install it.  I have a place picked out for the new stove to go even though I don't know for sure yet when I will get to buy one.

I had a good day with my sister last Thursday.  We are planning a trip to Europe next June.  It should be a good trip to London, Chateauroux, Paris, and Berlin.  We are working with a $3000 budget per person, so we are doing a lot of shopping around trying to find the best values.  It would be a big help if airline flights would come down.  I had lunch at Sheila's house....two bananas, some sunflower seed butter of Sheila's (not raw), four goody balls, and 1/2 an avocado.

Dinner was green smoothies (lettuce, bananas, apples, kiwi, dates and water); almonds; coconut; and orange juice.  I sliced a canteloupe for Travis to eat, but I didn't eat any of it.

We bought two kerosene lanterns at an estate sale for $4.00 a piece.

I learned something important from a John Kohler video the other day.  We have been watering our garden with city water that has chlorine added to it.  The chlorine is put into the water to kill bacteria.  That water also kills the much desired bacteria in our soil.  Perhaps that is the reason our garden has not produced as well as we had hoped.  We need to dechlorinate the water before watering our plants.  Here is an example of a garden hose dechlorinater available on Amazon.  Gard N Gro Garden Hose Dechlorinator.  Why didn't I already know this?

That raises the question of what is the chlorine doing to us.  I have been lax about keeping water on hand from the Hot Springs fountain and have been using the filtered refrigerator water and tap water.  No more.  And what about the water we shower in?  It would be nice to get some filters for the showers so we can take chlorine free showers.  Amazon sells those, too.  Shower Dechlorinator Filter.

Juicing is one of the best ways to add raw foods to our diets.  Most people have all kinds of attachments and addictions to foods that make them unwilling to totally forsake the cultural foods and eat a simple, natural diet.  Adding juices and smoothies to our diets is a good first step.  A fruit smoothie at lunch and a vegetable juice at dinner is a worthy goal.  That combined with giving up sodas and energy drinks will work wonders for building health. 

Mankind's problems are difficult.  The solutions are easy. The laws of nature are always simple.   The answer is already inside of you.  You know what it is.  If you ask, you will receive.  -From a Dan McDonald video.  

To health and happiness.




Friday, January 25, 2013

A Healthy Mind

We are trying to get with Dr. Fielder via Skype to discuss a few things with him.  I want to get his opinion on some of the things we have going on health-wise right now.  So far we have not been able to connect with him.  Maybe tomorrow.

I have simplified my diet so that it is similar to the one served at the Clohesy River Health Farm.  Lunch was Green smoothie, avocado, trail mix and goody balls.  Dinner was salad, sauerkraut, veggie cocktail, avocado, and goody balls.

We got a little sun on Wednesday by sitting in lawn chairs in the driveway.  It was in the 50's, but the heat from the sun was nice and toasty.

We went to the fitness center and worked out, too.  I hope I am getting fit.  I still look pretty dumpy when I see myself in the mirrors.  Hopefully, that will improve.

My Natural Living lesson was about Professor Dr. Edmond Bordaux Szekely.  He is originator of the term Biogenic Living.  He was one of Dr. Fielder's mentors....who is my mentor.  Dr. Szekely translated many ancient texts including The Essene Gospel of Peace.

I read an article by Keki R. Sidwha in his out of print book The Quintessence of Natural Living about psychiatry and mental health.  He claimed that psychiatry as it is practiced today is falling apart at the seams.  It is a branch of orthodox medicine which is based on magic.

It's fashionable now to take pills in order to sleep.  The body then becomes addicted to the sleeping pills.  They make people more anxious and depressed in the long run.

We are more competent when we are not taking barbituates.  The prescriptions are supposed to "cure" depression, insomnia, and anxiety, but they are not always very successful at that.  Sometimes they make the conditions worse.  Not only that, but they affect intelligence, especially in children.  People just assume that drugs prescribed by physicians are good.  Meanwhile, the damage is done.

It's easier to take a drug than to face up to the possibility that our mental or nervous problems could be caused by our own misbehavior and unnatural living habits.

"Bad nutrition, lack of exercise, polluted air, lack of sunshine, insufficient rest and sleep, enervating mental and emotional habits, the taking of drugs, medicines and social poisons like tea, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, and alchohol all lead to toxemic tissues resulting in break down of brain cells and nervous tissues" - Keki Sidwha

Alcohol is the cause of a lot of illness and death.  An alcoholic will miss about four times more work than normal, and they will die about 10 or 12 years sooner.  About 4% of Americans are alcoholics.  Sad thing is that doctors are not that successful in treating addiction. They are better at causing it.  People are lulled into a false sense of security by drug dependency.

Illness is very profitable for the pharmaceutical companies.  The most profitable drugs are those that cause dependency.  Drug companies, tobacco companies, and those that sell adult beverages all exploit our addictions.

The brain is just like our physical bodies in that it responds to the conditions it finds itself in...both inside and outside.  Chemicals, drugs, and toxins can interfere with the brain working normally.  How we are taught to behave and whether we have the interest and intelligence to learn the lessons life brings our way also affects the brain function. 

No disease has just a single cause.

"Medicines do most good when there is a tendency to recover without them."  - A witty physician

All healing is a biological process and all recovery is self-recovery.

The secret to happiness is to accept all that life brings, the good, the bad, and the indifferent.  When we are prepared to face whatever comes we can start truly living.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Raw Food and Enzymes

What is the difference between raw food and cooked food?  The only difference is the presence of the enzymes.  If you take a raw almond and a cooked or pasteurized almond to a lab to be compared, their nutritional value will be exactly the same.  The only difference is the enzymes or life force.

If you bury a pasteurized almond in the soil it will disintegrate in about three weeks.  If you plant a raw almond, however, it will not disintegrate but will remain through the winter and the spring rains can cause it to germinate to become a tree and bear many almonds.

Our bodies also contain enzymes.  When we eat raw foods full of enzymes we don't have to draw on our own finite supply of enzymes.  When we eat cooked and denatured food then we must draw on our own enzymes in order to utilize this food.  Once our enzymes are gone I'm told they are gone forever.  Thus people like me probably only have 25-30% of our enzymes left.

I want to be more protective of my precious store of enzymes and not squandor them unnecessarily.

Enzymes are large biological molecules.  They are responsible for thousands of chemical reactions that sustain life.  They act as catalyst in digesting our food.  Most enzymes are proteins.  Almost all the chemical reactions in our cells need enzymes in order to occur at speeds high enough for life.

Some things increase enzyme activity and some things decrease it.  Drugs and poisons are enzyme inhibitors.  Aspirin inhibits the enzymes that produce inflammation thus suppressing pain and inflammation.  In Nature Cure we consider inflammation to be a healing process and would not want to suppress it.

Enzymes are important to our bodies.  They regulate our cells and generate movement.  They are important in our digestive systems.  They break down starches and proteins so they can be absorbed by the intestines.  Different enzymes digest different foods.  Micro-organisms in the gut produce an enzyme to break down plant fiber.  Enzymes work together to create complex metabolic pathways and raise metabolism enough to take care of the cells.  A lack of enzymes leads to slow metabolism.

Enzymes are essential for balance (homeostasis).  Any malfunction of a critical enzyme can lead to a genetic disease.  A fatal illness can be caused by the malfunction of just one type of enzyme.

Raw food has a lot in common with our bodies.  Raw foods start to break down rapidly when exposed to high heat (over 118 degrees).  So would our bodies if we had a temperature that high.  Enzymes can no longer function after they are exposed to high heat.

Cooked foods are not optimal because their enzymes are damaged.  This requires us to use our own valuable enzymes to process the food.  The digestion of cooked food requires more energy than the digestion of raw food.  It passes through the digestive tract in half the time or less.

Eating dead food stresses and overworks the organs.  Sometimes they become unable to digest the food.

After eating cooked food the blood responds by increasing the number of white blood cells.  This is called digestive leukocytosis.  Researchers observed that this always occurs after meals are eaten, so it was considered to be normal.  No one knew why this happened so it was considered a stress reaction.

In 1930, researchers in Switzerland found that eating raw unprocessed food did not cause a reaction in the blood.  But if the food had been heated this always caused a rise in the number of white cells in the blood.

To health and happiness.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Pineal Gland

I am fascinated with the pineal gland.   I only know a little bit about it.  It synthesizes and secretes melatonin (a derivative of seratonin)  which regulates the sleep-wake cycle.  The gland is shaped like a pine cone.  It contributes to our feeling of well-being and happiness.  Melatonin also fights free radicals which can damage our cells.

The most interesting thing is that other than our eyes, the pineal gland is the only organ in the body that can detect light.  It has light sensitive cells like those in the retina.  That is why it is called the third eye.  Cutting bangs which cover the pineal gland impedes its function.  Genghis Khan forced the conquered Chinese women to cut their hair and wear bangs in order to make them easier to control.  Flouride also damages the ability of the pineal gland to function.

I read that it is good to rub the forehead where the pineal gland is located for a minute or so then face it toward the sun for fifteen or twenty minutes.  This is supposed to help the gland to wake up.  Meditation in the prayer closet is also a key to awakening the pineal gland.  Most of us are asleep, I think.  It's interesting that Jacob wrestled with God in a place called Piniel.

I am liking the diet.  The things John Fielder teaches are the best teachings out there regarding health and a good simple life.  What he teaches works, and it is sustainable.

I ordered a c-clamp style coconut grater from a place called Niwasa.  I think they are from Sri Lanka.  I hope this one is just like John's in Australia.  I want to start having coconut for lunch when I can get good coconuts. Here's the link:  Coconut Grater   Yesterday I ate some grated coconut from Nuts.com, but it was very dry and not very good.  Travis cracked open the coconut I bought at Walmart and it was a good one.

I finished the part four of my Periodicity lesson.  People who take drugs all their life can end up with constipation.  Medicines only give temporary relief.  In order to restore health, it is necessary to overcome constipation.  Nothing else will improve until the natural lifestyle corrects that problem.

Once we get on the right track and start to feel really good....get ready for the healing crisis.  Now the real fight begins!

In a healing crisis we will feel awful with nausea, coated tongue, headache, flu, and a host of other symptoms.  We'll feel worse than ever.  When that first happened to me I couldn't understand why I was  eating healthier than most people, yet I was the sickest one around.  Lots of changes have to take place in the body.  We feel bad because all our vitality is being used in healing.

This is not the time to quit.  Even though we feel worse, we are really getting better.  If we give up and take some medicine to relieve us, then we have stopped the healing.  That's why so many people are not cured and why they don't think the natural lifestyle works.

A lot of people start off to live a healthier lifestyle and they do good as long as they are feeling better, but when the crisis comes they lose faith and start doubting the natural regimen.  Well-meaning friends and relatives often destroy their confidence and so they give up.

This is the time when people become frightened (a tactic of the world system) and return to the ways of the world.  Then they tell everyone that Nature Cure didn't work.

It helps to have a practitioner or someone who has already been through the fire to reinforce us with guidance and encouragement.  I am thankful that I have Dr. Fielder.  The raw food group is an encouragement, too.  There are good You Tube videos, too, of people that have succeeded in this way.

Every crisis that is allowed to run its course in accordance with Nature's laws inspires us to do better. Our goal is to follow these laws more completely.

"Mother Nature remains a 'book sealed with seven seals' to those who mistrust, despise, and counteract her, who relay on man made wisdom and the ever-changing dogma of the schools" - Henry Lindlahr, MD




Tuesday, January 22, 2013

What is Truth?

I have toyed around with the natural diet for a little while, but a conversation with my brother the other night has brought me back on point that Dr. John Fielder's diet is the one that is sustainable for all of humanity.  You don't need to buy a bunch of books, a Vita-mix blender,  Excalibur dehydrator, juicer, refrigerator, or tractor.  All you need is a cutting board and a knife.  A $30.00 mandolin is also useful.

It encouraged me to think it all over again.  There is no breakfast.  That is the time the body is assimilating the food we ate yesterday.  This is a good time to do our work, exercise, and spend time outdoors if possible.

Lunch is all the fruit you care to eat, 1/2 an avocado, a little nut butter sometimes, and some grated coconut, goody balls, or other nuts.

Dinner is all the salad foods you care to eat such as lettuce, tomato, cucumber, parsley, celery, etc.  If a dressing is needed it can be made with lemon juice, honey and a little olive oil.   The meal also can include 1/2 avocado, two or three dates and a small bowl of pecans (or goody balls).

Acceptable modifications of this diet that require expensive equipment would be green fruit smoothies at lunch and veggie cocktails at dinner.

Dr. Fielder's diet has the ring of truth because:
1.  He has modeled it for 50 years with positive results.
2.  It's available to people at any economic level and in any country in the world.
3.  There is nothing to sell.
4.  It appeals to the bankrupt (in every sense of the word).

The truth is always available free of charge to those with the eyes to see it while it is hidden from the prideful.  Those things out in the world system that cost so much to purchase are false.  Truth is simple. It's not advertised in magazines or on television.  There is nothing about it that appeals to the ego.

Sometimes we do pay our mentors for education in the ways of living in harmony with truth, but the purpose of the education is to teach you to live independent of the teacher.  Teachers, preachers, doctors, and gurus that make you dependent on them and the products they sell are not teaching truth.

So what is truth?  We can go to God directly no matter where we live.  God finds us without a man-made evangelical empire.  God supplies all our needs outside the realm of the multi-national corporations and political powers.  He gives us sunshine, fresh air, pure water, simple fruits and leafy green herbs, opportunities to work and grow our food, and communities in which to learn and grow.

Money has a role to play in our lives, no doubt.  But life becomes richer when we realize what are the true riches.

I am still studying about Periodicity in my Natural Living course.  As we start to live a simple, natural life old disease conditions will reappear so that they can run their course without suppression.  Living in harmony with Nature's laws allows the body to cleanse and heal.  The old is torn down and then rebuilt from better materials.

Most people don't trust Nature to heal, but we believe that the wisdom that created us knows how to preserve us and repair us.  After a properly managed healing crisis the body is stronger and healthier.  These crises will continue to occur from time to time as long as there is something wrong with us.  Each crisis is another milestone on the road to health.

The first place that will have to be worked on is the digestive system. Until there is proper assimilation  and elimination there can be no further progress.  That's why we place so much emphasis on eating a simple, natural, and raw diet.  It puts us in harmony with the laws that govern health.

To health and happiness.





Monday, January 14, 2013

Personal Responsibility

Dr. H. Leslie Harrison was a Nature Cure pediatrician.  I am studying his writings in my Lifestyle Consultants Course on Natural Living.  I love the wisdom in his writings about personal responsibility and Nature Cure.  

People no longer accept responsibility for the health of their off-spring in favor of self-gratification.  What does this say about us?  It's not totally our fault, though, as we have been dumbed down and  weakened with junk foods, processed and genetically modified foods, sedentary lifestyle largely due to debt and taxation forcing people off the family farm, pharmaceuticals, vaccinations, etc. In order to step up and regain what has been lost will require an enormous stretch of will-power, intelligence, and grace.  And even the will-power and intelligence will be by grace.

Many people are concerned about the condition of our nation.  Our health affects us personally, but also collectively.  It affects our social behavior, economics, agriculture, and foreign policy.  An unfit nation is a liability in peace or in war.  These issues are our personal responsibility.

I am an optimist. A growing number of people seem to be aware that there is a better way, and that we need to get back to the basics of a simple natural life.  Our job is to do what we can and yearn for the grace to help us prevail.  As one of us succeeds, we will encourage those around us.  

Some of the young men that we are around seem especially interested in health and proper diet.  And some of the young mothers also are taking an interest in whole, unprocessed foods.  I love to see it.  

To health and happiness.


Sunday, January 13, 2013

The Sins of the Parents

Travis and I have joined the Fitness Center here in Hot Springs Village.  We have to do something!  While exercising in the gym is ten times less efficient than exercising in the open air, it is better than not exercising at all.  The hiking group and working in the garden will offer the necessary outdoor activity, but for times when more is needed the gym will be great.  The indoor track at the gym is perfect for getting in a couple of miles of walking.

We have appointments set up to meet with one of the trainers at the gym next Friday who will help us set up a routine to meet our goals.  There are two Saturday's coming up soon of little mini-classes of the different classes offered at the gym to help decide which classes will be most beneficial and enjoyable, too.

Sunshine is just as important as diet. Friday we were blessed with 60 degrees and sunshine in the afternoon.  We drove over to the boat to take advantage and soak up some rays on the lake.  60 degrees is going to be my lower limit on a sunbathing temperature.  The wind was cool, but the heat from the sun was nice and warm.  Yesterday was quite warm.  It got up to 70 degrees, but there was no sun.  It rained most of the day.  As of now, there is not a day on the forecast with warm temperatures and sun.
Sunshine and 60 degrees over Lake Desota.

I am studying a lesson in my Natural Living course by Dr. H. Leslie Harrison.  It is full of wisdom.

Nature Cure focuses on health while medicine focuses on disease.  This  lesson points out that a high level of health depends on the health of several generations.  The Bible says that children suffer for the sins of the parents for up to three or four generations. (Exodus 20:5)

While looking up that scripture reference, I saw the verses where God commanded his people not to eat fat or blood and not to drink wine or strong drink.  The laws of God and the laws of Nature are the same.  It amazes me the more I see it.

Because health is a generational thing, it would be good to start educating our young ones to start today to live in harmony with Nature's laws...for their own benefit, but also for the health and strength of their future children and grand-children.  If they step up and accept the responsibility it will pay huge dividends.  Health education is not the same as disease prevention.  Health education will teach obedience to the laws of Nature whereas disease prevention is the negative side of warring against healing symptoms.

Even if perfection in following a healthy lifestyle is considered impossible, encouraging those in our sphere of influence to reach out for the best, most positive lifestyle possible is the loving thing to do.  We can't lower the bar because it is difficult to reach it.  Don't be afraid to go for the ideal as much as possible.

Most people don't understand the purpose of the symptoms they experience.  They have a role in the recovery from sickness and also in the maintenance of good health.

The best way to teach our young people to follow the laws of Nature is to be the example...be the light. By living a fun, happy, joyful, intelligent lifestyle of faith in Nature and Nature's God we can inspire them to do the same.

Always think about the long-term, especially with children. Think twenty-five years ahead.  Anyone planning on conceiving children would be advised to start a healthy lifestyle long before that happens.  At least a year of healthy living is required before getting pregnant.  This applies equally to both parents.  Eating a healthy diet will make you into better parent material.  It's best to not eat meat so that the body tissue can develop without so many toxins.  The factory farmed meat sold today can have adverse effects.  Walking and outdoor exercise are also important.  Add to that the importance of mental and ethical development.  The long-term whole approach to health is what is necessary for regenerative health.

A perfect healthy lifestyle is what will bring about increased health, even if it is considered extreme in modern society.  Set the standard high even if compromises are made in some ways.  The aim is positive well-being through the enjoyment of life!  It's as simple and as difficult as choosing to serve God or the world system.

To health and happiness.


Monday, January 7, 2013

80/10/10 Fail and L. O. Bailey Conclusion


I have been about 75% 80/10/10 over the week-end as I spent the night away from home one night, hosted a party at my home the next night, and attended a potluck meal at church yesterday.  I prepared all my food according to the diet plan but was not successful in eating it all.  I ate some gluten free crackers, a potato soup which was cooked, and some organic vegan gummy bears at the events I attended.    I failed in eating enough calories of the low fat raw vegan food and in getting a sufficient amount of sleep.  I think the lack of sleep made it hard to stay on point with eating the calories required.

For breakfast yesterday I had three tangerines.  The recommended amount was seven tangerines.

For lunch I had gluten free crackers while waiting on lunch to be served because I was hungry.  I had a large plate of salad but that was only about a third of the recommended amount.  I ate a small bowl of a pineapple/lettuce/tomato soup which was much less than recommended.  The soup was good, but once I ate the crackers I wasn't able to eat the proper amount.
PLT Soup - pineapple and lettuce with chopped tomatoes.

For dinner I had more gluten free crackers because I was tired, under-slept, and under-carbed.  I ate a banana and tried to drink my papaya/lettuce/lime smoothie but did not want it.  So I just went to sleep.

Today will be better because I am rested.

***

More on Mr. Leslie Owen Bailey...


L. O. Bailey's health broke down completely by the time he was forty years old.  Up until then he had been a believer in medical procedures.  He always went to the doctors when he didn't feel well, and he followed their advice.  He took the prescribed drugs and shots and was a good patient.  He did not resist even drastic medical treatment.  His surgeries bear testimony to that.

When he was at his lowest ebb a friend suggested he read a book by Dr. Frank McCoy called The Fast Way to Health.  This book resonated with him.  The procedures were new to him, but they seemed logical.  He had already done everything the medical doctors had told him to do, and he had become progressively worse.  He didn't think he had long to live, so he decided to adopt the simple program outlined in the book.  First he fasted and then he adopted a diet of wholesome foods in their natural state.  The basis of this diet was fresh fruits, green salads, whole grains, and meat.  He learned about proper food combining.  The book also stressed the importance of  wholesome habits such as regular exercise, sufficient rest, exposure to sunshine, and a good mental attitude.

After changing his lifestyle habits, Mr. Bailey shortly regained the use of his right shoulder, the arthritic and sciatic pains disappeared, and he felt like a new man.

Awhile later he was influenced by the teachings of Dr. William Howard Hay who used only natural methods in his sanatorium in Pennsylvania.  And lastly and most notably by Dr. Allan Carroll whose natural methods were different from any other doctor practicing in Australia.  Dr. Carroll was his inspiration in setting up Hopewood House and Hopewood Health Centre.  Mr. Bailey began to adopt more and more the teachings of Natural Hygiene and Nature Cure.  He then formed the Natural Health Society in Australia.

My own teacher and mentor in Natural Hygiene and Nature Cure is Dr. John Fielder who operates the Clohesy River Health Farm in Australia.  Dr. Fielder responded to my lesson I submitted to him about Leslie Owen Bailey with his own story about this great man.  Dr. Fielder actually interned at the Hopewood Health Centre and knew Mr. Bailey before he died.  He was a friend with Madge Cockburn until her recent death.  Sometimes when Dr. Fielder goes to Sydney he visits the Hopewood Health Centre at Wallacia.  Even though the management and staff are different from when he interned there, they still always warmly welcome him.  Here is a link to Dr. John Fielder's website:  http://www.johnfielder.com.au/index.html


Another nugget I gleaned from Dr. Fielder:  The Greeks found over 2000 years ago that exercising in the fresh air and sunlight was at least ten times more beneficial than in a gymnasium.  I still plan to join the fitness center here in Hot Springs Village this year, but it seems the outdoor hiking and gardening will be much more beneficial.

To health and happiness.


Friday, January 4, 2013

First Day on 80/10/10 and more L.O. Bailey

Yesterday was our first day on The 80/10/10 Diet.  The book The 80/10/10 Diet by Dr. Douglas N. Graham has a chapter of sample menu plans.  There is a week of menus for each of the four seasons.

I went through the winter menu plan and made a grocery list for the entire week.  Travis and I went to Walmart and purchased enough for both of us to eat according to the plan.  Walmart did not have enough papayas or persimmons, so I'll have to check Kroger when I go to town.  We didn't get enough oranges and I totally forgot the fennel.  Other than that our grocery bill was $100.27.  Allowing for the things we failed to get the cost to eat this way is about $55-60 per adult person for a week.  I think that is awesome!
This is our cart full of one week's worth of groceries for two on 80/10/10.

The amount of food you eat is tremendous.  Travis resisted eating so much at first, but I think he will catch on.  The calories are important for energy.  Yesterday's menu totaled up to 2072 calories, 31 grams of protein, and 27 grams of fat.

The food was delicious and refreshing.  To make it even better, I weighed 1.6 lbs less this morning than I did yesterday morning.  My energy level is high this morning, too.

Travis and I have not eaten breakfast regularly for a long time, but 80/10/10 has breakfast in the plan.  Since I am going to follow the plan this year, I will have the breakfast.

Breakfast was Banana Milk.  I love this recipe.  Blend 2 lbs of bananas (that's a Vitamix container full...about 8 medium bananas) with water to make a shake.  That's a serving for one person.  It made a quart jar plus a tall glass full.

Lunch called for two lbs. of persimmons.  Walmart did not have any persimmons.  We already had two persimmons at the house that we picked up at Kroger, so we each had a persimmon and three apples for lunch.
Lunch - I could only eat three of the apples.

Dinner was a three-course meal.  We had a tall glass of Orange Papaya Smoothie, a bowl of Orange Verde Soup, and a large Orange-Walnut Salad.

The salad portion per person is huge.  Travis did a double-take when I handed him a large wooden salad bowl and told him that was all his.  I had my own large salad bowl to eat.
Dinner

Here are the recipes from the 80/10/10 Diet:

Orange-Papaya Smoothie:  1/2 medium papaya and 8 oz. fresh orange juice.  Blend.  Serves 1

Orange-Verde Soup:  8 oz. Romaine lettuce and 8 oz. of oranges (2 oranges).  Blend the lettuce and 3/4 of the oranges in the blender to make a soup.  Chop up the remaining orange segments and sprinkle on top of the soup.  Serves 1.

Orange-Walnut Salad:  8 oz. romaine lettuce, 4 oz. orange (1 orange), 1 oz. walnuts.  Chop the lettuce up into a bowl.  Peel the orange and cut into small pieces.  Place the orange in a separate bowl and mix with the chopped walnuts.  Stir and pour over the lettuce.  Serves 1.

Hunger will not be an issue with this way of eating.  I can hardly wait for breakfast to try the citrus salad coming up next.

*****

It's interesting how Leslie Owen Bailey became interested enough in Natural Hygiene that he made it the focus of his philanthropic work with the Hopewood children.

As a child he ate the standard children's diet which included white bread, boiled milk, sugar, jams, and meat.  His teeth and tonsils became infected.  He suffered from adenoids, earache, whooping cough, appendicitis, and the usual childhood diseases.

As he grew older he became chronically ill with respiratory and digestive problems.  By the time he was forty hears old his health had completely broken down.  He could not stand very long at a time.  He had sciatica and arthritis.  He completely lost the use of his left shoulder.  At this time he was still eating the conventional diet of foods such as cereal, steak, fried vegetables, white bread, fried fish, whipped potatoes, roasted meats, sweet puddings, scones, cakes and other desserts, tea, and coffee.

This diet was a burden on his digestive system.  He had surgery eight different times, including the removal of his appendix, tonsils, and adenoids.  He did not expect to live beyond the age of 50.  (He actually lived to be 74.)  To be cont'd.

To health and happiness.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Hiking on New Year's Day and L.O. Bailey

2013 is underway.  The year began with the First Day Hike at Lake Ouachita State Park.  There were four brave souls that showed up on this cold New Year's Day to hike four miles on the Caddo Bend Trail accompanied by the park interpreter (Susan)....three women and a nine year old boy.

The area of the park where we hiked was totally destroyed by the tornado that came through here two years ago. The trail only reopened last spring.  The landscape is still rough looking.  The park has done a great deal of controlled burning, too.  The positive side is that the view has been opened up to the lake, and birds and wildlife are more abundant now.  We were hoping to see a bald eagle, but could not be certain that we did.  We did see some deer, though.

I thought I would be cold and miserable, but I was plenty warm in my layers of Under Armour, cami, turtleneck, sweater, jacket, knit cap, gloves, hiking socks, and hiking boots.  The cap I knitted in Australia was perfect.  My toes were hurting by the end of the hike.  I have Vasque hiking boots, a good brand, but it would have been hard to hike much further in these boots.  Sandra, the park interpreter, said her government issue shoes were not comfortable either.  She likes Merrell brand for hiking.  My Vasque boots probably just need more breaking in.

At the end of the hike, I was tired.  Every layer of my clothes was wet when I took them off.  Can you sweat in 33 degree weather or did moisture just soak in from outside?  It only lightly sprinkled for a few minutes, and I had on a rain jacket.
Lake Ouachita as seen from the Caddo Bend Trail.

Hiking the Caddo Bend Trail on New Year's Day.

The results of the controlled burning of trees downed by the tornado.

I have been sleeping more.  Part of a healthy lifestyle is to sleep more in order to do more.

A most interesting person I have recently learned about is a gentleman named Leslie Owen Bailey.  He lived from 1890-1964 in Australia.  He was a great believer and promoter of Natural Living and Nature Cure.  He garnered a great deal of publicity when, after World War II, he adopted 86 war orphans and raised them along Natural Health lines at a place called Hopewood.

He mostly financed Hopewood himself from his business, Chic Salons, which made and sold women's lingerie through his own retail stores.

None of the Hopewood children were vaccinated or immunized.  No drugs were given to sick children.  When a child became sick, he was only given water or some fruit juice.  They were not given meat of any kind.  They were served fresh fruits and vegetables.  Anything that could be eaten raw was not cooked.  Mr. Bailey had his own dairy cows so he could feed the children unpasteurized milk.  Hopewood made its own whole wheat flour.

One time the government ordered that all the children be fed meat.  When the children began to eat meat they lost weight and developed colds.  Then they were allowed to go back to the healthy diets they had been eating.  (This reminds me of the story in the Bible where Daniel and the three Hebrew children begged their caretakers to allow them to eat vegetables instead of the kings meat.  They were given permission and were soon the healthiest of all the children in the king's school.)

The Hopewood children were much studied by the Australian authorities.  Their teeth were remarkable. 53% still had zero cavities at age 13.  Overall they had about one twentieth the number of cavities as the norm.


I received a new book in the mail yesterday...The 80/10/10 Diet - Balancing Your Health, Your Weight, and Your Life, One Luscious Bite at at Time by Dr. Douglas N. Graham.  This book is going to help me stay focused this year on my healthy lifestyle.

The back cover asks the question, What do you get with the 80/10/10 Diet?
- Peak performance for any athlete
- Perfect weight no matter what body type
- Off the charts wellness
- Success with a low fat vegan diet
- Simplicity in your lifestyle
- A healthy relationship with your food
- Enviable vitality.

Dr. Douglas Graham's philosophy is founded on the teachings of Natural Hygiene.  His web site is foodnsport.com .  He has been a raw foodie since 1978 and has advised world-class athletes from around the globe.

To health and happiness.