Monday, March 31, 2014

Day 63 The Diet for the Simple, Natural Life.

Diet is an important part of the simple, natural lifestyle.  Many of the Natural Hygienists that have gone before us have experimented with diet to find what is optimal for us.  Dr. Fielder, my mentor, uses some animal products including some raw goat's cheese and meat, but his diet is primarily raw vegan.  My own diet is mostly raw vegan with honey and raw milk cheese included.  The diet Dr. Fielder recommends is 50% fruit, 35% vegetables, 10% starches, and 5% concentrates.  Food should be eaten without a lot of seasonings or condiments so that we can enjoy the taste of the foods themselves.  Condiments mask the flavor of the food.  Once we give up the cooking and the seasonings our bodies will be able to tell us which foods they need.

Fruits and vegetables are superior to animal foods.  Developing better agriculture methods and building up the soil are noble vocations.  Raw foods are superior to cooked foods.  We will be better off if we only eat uncooked foods.  It's important to thoroughly chew the food, too.

We don't have to be concerned about counting vitamins and minerals and calories.  If we eat a diet of fresh, organic, if possible, fruits, salads, nuts and seeds along with a little olive oil, raw milk cheese, honey, etc., we should be fine.  This is the diet that conforms to the laws of life.  It will assure us of better health.

Condiments and seasonings paralyze the sense of taste so that we can't enjoy the flavors of the natural foods.  We get to the point where we complain about foods being bland if they are not spiced up with hot sauce, salt, pepper, alcohol, or other condiments.  Our tongues become so irritated with the stimulation of these spices that we miss the real pleasure of eating.

Here we are at the Florida Welcome Center where they served us fresh grapefruit or orange juice.
Today my lunch was papaya, avocado, coconut water, banana, watermelon, and goody balls.

My dinner was salad (lettuce, tomatoes, asparagus) with salad dressing (olive oil, lemon juice, honey), avocado, sauerkraut, pecans, and dates.

I had a cup of lemongrass tea this morning and after dinner.

For exercise today I trained for a 5k, walked the dog, and did house work.

We are headed to California to visit our family there.  My DIL is shopping for my food today at Trader Joe's so there should be no problem in staying raw while we are out there.  My grandson, Caleb, will be participating in a competition with his robotics team.  We look forward to seeing some of that.

To health and happiness.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Day 60 of All Raw Biogenic Living - Disease is the Cure.

I have lost my thermometer.  I hope the puppy didn't get it.  I like to take my temperature so that I will know when my body is ready to undertake a fast.  Elective fasting is not something we advocate.  It's best to continue with the normal routines of the simple, natural lifestyle until a fever develops.  That will be the time to fast, because the body will have built up enough vitality to start a cleanse.

There was no sunbath today.  Temperature was in the 60's, cloudy, rainy and stormy.  There should be some sunbaths in the near future, though, which is exciting.

The view on my walk this morning.  It was cloudy and wet, but nice!

The view on the mountain this morning.  Our back yard.


It's good to sleep with the window open.  Fresh air is one of the principles of the simple, natural lifestyle.  We are at the time of year now when the window should be able to be open most nights. 40 degrees is my cut-off point.  Colder than 40 - I shut the window.  

I am optimistic that the facial spasms are getting better.  It seems like there were longer periods of time yesterday when they were inactive.   

We went to the farmer's market today.  I bought a large bag of shelled pecans, a pint of raw honey, some fresh tomatoes, and a couple of desserts to take to a church meeting.  I won't be eating the desserts.  They are healthier than commercial desserts, but not up to my biogenic lifestyle standards.

Lunch:  Coconut Water; Papaya; Orange; Watermelon; Avocado; Goody Balls; Almonds

Dinner:  Salad (lettuces, cucumber, tomato); Sesame Ginger Dressing; Avocado; Sauerkraut; Almonds;    Goody Balls

Nature doesn't make mistakes, only we make mistakes.  Doctor Fielder has told me that many times.  When it comes right down to it, we are accountable for the consequences we cause.  We don't have to be afraid of disease, because the disease is there to correct the problem.  Instead, we should look for the cause and then make adjustments to our lifestyles.  

When we get sick, we don't have to use remedies that are harmful to us.  We just need to rest, fast when indicated, bathe, and follow the simple, natural lifestyle so that the causes of poor health will be removed and our health can be restored.

Disease is not our enemy.  There is no need to go to war with it.  Disease is our bodies making a valiant effort to remove toxins and encumbrances.  Our symptoms should not be suppressed.  Our job is to give our bodies every advantage with a healthy lifestyle and not suppress the symptoms with drugs and medicines.  Suppressing symptoms is not a cure.  The only real cure is to remove every enervating activity and substance from our lives so that we can recuperate as much energy as possible.  Drugs and medicines are enervating.

If we try to cure a disease, then we are trying to cure the cure.  The disease is the cure.  We take care of ourselves when we are sick by doing everything we can to help our body in its healing process.

Natural Hygiene is NOT a substitute for medicine.

"The great error in regard to our Hygienic Therapeutic System is that it is a substitute for drug treatment; that water, food, air, exercise, etc. are substitutes for calomel, ipecac, lobelite, and cod-liver oil.  Never was there a greater delusion.  They are totally dissimilar and in no sense interchangeable; under no possible circumstances of health or disease can hygienic agencies be regarded as substitutes for drug poisons.  These are good; those are bad; and that is the whole philosophy of the matter." - Dr. R. T. Trall

To health and happiness


Thursday, March 27, 2014

Day 59 - The Laws of Life

I have toyed with the idea of trying some alternative healing methods regarding the facial spasms, even as late as last night.  But this morning I woke with a new resolve to trust the process of the natural lifestyle as being enough.  Anything more than enough is too much!  I just want to do my simple, natural lifestyle without any alternatives.

Last night we had dinner with two other sweet couples at Park Island Market and Cafe...one of my favorite places!  They offer local, organic food in a friendly atmosphere.  I had the salad with greens and fruit.  So good.  Here is a link to their Facebook page..
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Park-Island-Market-and-Cafe/486350848079140

Molly and me at our roadside picnic.
I am studying about The Laws of Life in my Lifestyle Consultant's Course in Natural Living....

The principles and practices of Natural Hygiene harmonize with the laws of Nature.  The things that preserve our health are the same things that restore our health when we have lost it.

Natural Hygiene rejects the use of all poisons.  If something is not conducive to life in a healthy person or if it destroys living tissue, it is a poison. The only remedies we use are ones that support the living organism. If they are unable to maintain health, they are unable to restore health.

Natural Hygiene is not a treatment plan, it is a lifestyle.  It's purpose is not to "cure" disease but to build health.  Some people think Natural Hygiene is okay for a healthy person, but surely a sick person would need something different.  The fact is, though, that this way of living removes the causes of disease.  Sick people don't need anything more than what healthy people need.

Everyone knows that poisonous drugs are bad for healthy people, so isn't it logical that they are not good for sick people either?  Everything that is beneficial for us will also be beneficial for us when we are healthy.  It should have a positive effect on our health.

The questions we should ask when we are considering any remedy include:
1.  Is this necessary for my life or is it something I will only use when I am sick?
2. Do I need this when I am healthy as well as when I am sick?
3. Does it affect me in a positive way when I am healthy?
4. Should I use this regularly when I am healthy?

If my healthy body rejects the remedy, it is a poison.  The body can not use drugs.  They don't nourish the tissues in any way.  They are not invigorating, so they have to be expelled.  They are anti-biotic and in opposition to life.

The truths of Natural Hygiene are self-evident:
1.  Action is of the living organism.
2.  Disease is a remedial effort.
3.  Medicine does not act on the body, but the body acts on the medicine.
4.  Disease and the healing power of Nature are identical.
5.  Nature has not provided remedies and there is no law of cure.

Natural Hygiene does not use drugs in caring for the sick.  Living the simple, natural lifestyle is safe and sufficient.  It is all the remedy we need.  It is enough.



To health and happiness


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Day 57 on All Raw Biogenic Living:

Day 57 on All Raw Biogenic Living:

We arrived home shortly after midnight after driving all day from Cocoa Beach, FL to Hot Springs Village, AR.  We had a few days of spring break vacation with our daughter, grand-daughter, and her friend.  I was able to eat all raw foods, but I wouldn't call the trip biogenic living.  Even though Disney World was too noisy, I got sunburned, and we stayed up past midnight, it was worth it to experience this trip with these precious ones.   At Cocoa Beach we shopped until we dropped, and I got sunburned even more, but again it was worth it  We decided to drive straight through coming home rather than spend the night in another motel,  so we drove about 17 hours and arrived at home shortly after midnight.  Maybe I won't ever travel again.  At least until we leave for California next Wednesday.  Our little dog, Lucy, made the trip with us.  She is exhausted today, too.

We ate our picnic lunch at a rest area on the way to Florida.   Lucy and the girls are in the background.


After talking with Dr. Fielder last week I am making some changes in my diet.  I am eliminating the smoothies and blended salads and switching to eating the foods in their whole state.  The tendency with smoothies and blended salads is to eat too much food.  My typical diet now is:

Lunch:  Papaya; coconut water; orange or some other fruit(s); avocado; almonds; goody balls

Dinner:  Salad made with lettuces, cucumbers, and tomatoes; a simple salad dressing; avocado; sauerkraut; almonds; and goody balls.

Other things I took away from my conversation with Dr. Fielder:
-My eyes itch and water because my body is expelling toxins through the tear ducts.
-I need to be consistent in wearing the cold compress for a few hours each night because the effects are cumulative.
- I do not need to drink minerals. If I apply the Sea-90 fertilizer on my garden, I will get all the minerals and trace elements in my food in the form in which my body can utilize them.
- Kale is hard to digest.  It is also high in oxalic acid.  Kale is being promoted so strongly in the health food world, so I was surprised to learn that kale is not the healthiest choice for my diet.  Kale and other foods high in oxalic acid, such as spinach, are especially undesirable for anyone prone to arthritis.


Our raw foods group met last Wednesday at our house. My contributions to the feast were goody balls, jam pie,  pickle salad, peach salad with nut cream, and tabouli.  We had a good group and the food was exceptionally good.  I think I say that every month!

The girls at the raw food potluck.

We had the guys outnumbered this time.


Here are the recipes:

TABOULI
1 cup cracked wheat (bulgur)
1 cup water
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tbsp. scallions, minced
2 tbsp. fresh mint
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 small tomato

Soak the wheat in the water for about one hour.
Add the rest of the ingredients, except the tomato, and mix well.
Add the tomato last and mix gently.
Tabouli

PEACH SALAD
1 cup peaches, sliced (I used frozen peaches that we picked at the orchard and froze last summer.)
1 cup bananas
Serve with Nut Cream.

NUT CREAM
1 orange, peeled and cut up.  Put in blender.
1 apple, cut up and put in blender.
50 grams of almonds chopped in a food processor and added to the blender.
Blend together to make a lovely nut cream.
Peach Salad
Almond Cream

JAM PIE (This recipe came from the Clohesy River Health Farm Recipe Book)
Crust:
1 cup sesame seeds, ground
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, ground
(I used what I had on hand so used pumpkin seeds, almonds and coconut flakes.  You can use any nut, seed or coconut to make the crust.)
3 tbsp honey
Squeeze of lemon
Mix all the ingredients together.  Press into pie pan and dry in the hot sun or dehydrator for 1-2 hours.

Jam for pie filling:
100 grams of any dried fruit (I used papaya)
Honey
Water
Soak the fruit for 5-6 hours.  Blend until smooth.  Add honey to taste then pour into pie shell.
Jam Pie

PICKLE SALAD (This is a Dan McDonald recipe)
Slice 2 cucumbers on the mandolin or food processor.  Place in large bowl.

Make a dressing in the Nutri-Bullet or blender:
1/4 cup lemon juice or Bragg's Apple Cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 bunch of fresh dill
1/2 tsp. of dried dill.
Pour the dressing over the sliced cucumbers.  Let marinate for a couple of hours if possible.
Pickle Salad


Our friend, Karl, told us one day that we are not here to try and get to heaven, but we are here to make our surroundings beautiful!  Now that should keep us busy enough.  We can include our physical bodies in that equation, and do what we can to clean them up and make them beautiful, too.

We can talk to the God of the Universe in specifics.  Being grateful is part of a biogenic lifestyle.  We must not despise the true riches God has given us...sun, water, air, fruits, vegetables, earth, all of nature.  God is love!  God's goodness leads us to repent....which is a total change in the way we think.  It's not too late for us to change the way we think.  Living in harmony with God and the laws of the universe will enrich our lives beyond measure.

To health and happiness.

   




Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The Techniques of a Healthy Life


When you receive messages from two different sources within five minutes of each other do you stop and listen?  That happened to me recently. The message was, "The Lord will provide".  It is true.  Our job is to stay in harmony so we can hear what's being given to us.  Be still and KNOW.  That's what the biogenic lifestyle is all about.  It meshes perfectly with my faith.  It separates us from what is false and brings us face to face with what is real and lasting.  I am happy that this is my path.  I love my life...twitches and all.  The truth is comforting.  Anything that causes fear to rise up in you is FALSE, no matter who says it.

It is important that we learn the techniques of a healthy life and the practices that prevent illness.  90% of the population is sick and having their lives shortened. We can help ourselves by taking charge of our own well-being by doing a few simple things.  Here is a partial list.
1.  Recognize that symptoms are not diseases.
2.  Address the real disease rather than treating symptoms.
3.  Educate ourselves about natural law and the forces of nature.
4.  Know that drugs do more harm than good.
5.  Don't be one-sided.  Always consider the whole person...the whole lifestyle.

The more we can educate ourselves the better off we will be.  The best cure is prevention because prevention is easier, quicker, and less painful than trying to cure an illness.  We can learn how to detoxify our bodies with simple, natural methods so that we will enjoy greater health.  Healthy living and knowledge of the natural healing forces is the true medicine.

Many people are over-medicated and would do better with simple natural foods and by taking advantage of the forces of nature...water, sun, air, etc.  The knowledge of healthy living is available to everyone, but it is amazing how many people still do not understand it.  Unlike the study of medicine which is taught only to a chosen few in expensive universities, the knowledge of healthy living is available to anyone with the desire to learn it.

There are many good things about living a simple, natural lifestyle.  We can practice the rules of a healthy, natural life all the time, whether we are sick or healthy.  We can learn to live in harmony with the laws of nature rather than going head to head with them.  It does not take much time or money to practice this lifestyle.  Money is not an obstacle.  The sun, air, and water are free.  The fruits and vegetables don't cost very much.  There is no need to go to an expensive resort.  We can practice at home and out in nature.  It is simple...anyone can do it.



******

I visited Gentle Dental in Amity, Arkansas last week.  It was my first visit with Dr. Chester Clark, a holistic dentist.  He is more conservative than most dentists and was willing to try the least invasive options first on my tooth that had a hole in it.  The enamel had broken away and there was also a little decay.  He used a slow speed drill on the tooth so no medication was needed, then he filled the tooth.  Dr. Clark does not use mercury fillings, nor does he do root canals because they are not healthy.  This procedure may last for a few months, or it may last for a few years.  Possibly sometime in the future this tooth will require a crown, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it.  If you are interested in a holistic dentist here is a link to his web-site.  http://www.mercuryfreedentist.com/

******

My diet on the All Raw Biogenic Lifestyle is simple but satisfying.

Typical lunch:  Green Smoothie, an orange, 1/2 an avocado, nuts, and some goody balls.

Typical dinner:  Veggie Cocktail, Salad or Blended Salad, 1/2 an avocado, nuts, and goody balls.

To health and happiness.

Monday, March 3, 2014

My Facial Spasms

I am living every day at my personal All Raw Biogenic Living Health Spa right here in my own home. It is going well, and it feels right to be settled into these simple practices and eating my simple foods.

Things seem to be coming together regarding my facial spasms.  For some reason, I had failed to make the connection between the spasms and a head injury I suffered back in June.  One morning last week, it suddenly dawned on me that the twitches started soon after the accident.  

Last June, I was in London with my grandson, my sister, and a friend.  As we were getting on the tube one afternoon, my friend got on in front of me and my grandson was behind me.  As I stepped onto the subway the door shut and hit me on both sides of my body and face.  This knocked me backwards and I fell flat on my back on the platform with my foot caught in the subway door.  I was screaming and trying to pull my foot free, but it was caught. Thank God, suddenly the door opened. The driver told me she saw me fall and assured me the train would not take off with someone's foot caught in the door.  I don't know whether to believe that or not. The kind gentleman that was seeing after me told me an ambulance had been called.  I said, "Please no.  I just want to sit here for a little while and see how I am."  After an hour of sitting in his office, I agreed to talk to the EMT.  He agreed with me that I was probably okay and gave my grandson instructions on who to call if I started having problems.  I had a knot on my head and was sore for a couple of days, but seemed to be okay. An eye twitch started shortly after this and gradually became facial spasms on the right side of my face.

 My friend, Rhonda Hall, is a massage therapist.  She checked out my face a few days ago.  The muscles around my eye and on the right side of my face are flat and attached to the bone.  It was painful as she applied pressure and moved the muscles around to break up some calcium deposits.  This is a characteristic of injury to the seventh or facial cranial nerve.

Nerves heal slowly, I'm told, but they can heal.  Rhonda says they heal about 1/8" per month.  My job now is to give my body every advantage so that it can heal the best it can.


I am working with Dr. Fielder on a regular basis again and also with Dr. Kurt Larsen, a chiropractor who specializes in cranial work and sacro-occipital technique.  My intention is to trust the process as well as to enjoy the process. 



We are due to have fluoride added to our water here in Hot Springs Village this year even though a large part of the population is opposed to it.  Some of the people that come to our raw foods group are active in working to educate the officials and citizens. I hope they get the desired results, but if they don't we will need to find a way to remove the fluoride from the water we drink. As a starting point, I would like to get two 10 cup Zero Water Pitchers.  They are $34.99 each on Amazon.  They are supposed to filter out the fluoride as well as most all other dissolved solids from the tap water.  Here’s a link to the web-site.




Dr. Fielder tells me that rainwater is the best water to drink, so I have been drinking rainwater since our last Skype visit.   A few months ago, Travis and I purchased two 1000 liter tanks from Joseph Sheridan and Armando Martinez at Park Island Market and Cafe for $80.00 each.  They even delivered them to us.  These tanks are full of water right now.  Here is a picture of our rain tanks.
Two 1000 liter rain tanks.
To health and happiness.