The human body is like a watch. It has a driving mechanism and a restraining mechanism. The restraining mechanism is very important because without it the driving force would be used up very quickly. The human nervous system has the sympathetic nerves for the driving power. They carry the vital energies and nerve impulses to the cells and organs. Since the human body can only release a certain amount of kinetic energy in a given time the expenditure of the vital energy must be regulated. This is the job of the inhibitory nervous system.
Stimulants cause our inhibitory nervous system to become temporarily paralyzed and numb. It's as if they have removed the brakes from the nervous system and let the driving mechanism run wild when nature is telling us to slow down or stop.
After we work hard all day our vitality runs low because during the day our system has filled up with metabolic wastes. This makes us tired and sleepy. If for some reason we need to work late or stay up late we can have a cup of coffee or some other stimulant which will make the tired feeling disappear so we can keep going.
Did the stimulant really give us energy? It could not have because there is nothing in the stimulant that could give us any vital force. So why do we feel like it has pepped us up?
The caffeine, alcohol or stimulate has actually precipitated its metabolic waste products from the blood and deposited them in the tissues and organs of the body. Furthermore, the stimulant has numbed the inhibitory nerves. The brakes are off and we are running wild. Now we will begin to draw upon our reserve supplies of vital energy which are intended to be saved to use in time of extraordinary demands upon our systems.
Using stimulants is not natural. We need to rest and sleep when we are tired in order to store up a new supply of vital force. Stimulants paralyze the inhibitory nerves so that we draw upon our reserve stores of vital energies.
If we stay up during the night, we can't store up a new supply of nerve energy for the next day. This compounds the problem because now we will need to draw from our reserves just to perform our regular days work.
Sleep is the only way we can replenish our reserve supply of vitality. We stop drawing upon our vital energy when we are asleep. Sleep is the sweet restorer, and nothing in the world can take its place. Eating healthy food, exercise, medicines, or stimulants will not make up for the loss of sleep. Sleep deprivation will make you physically and mentally sick.
Another problem with using stimulants is that the problem compounds. There is a law of nature that says, "Action and reaction are equal but opposite". The depression that follows the use of the stimulant is in proportion to the stimulation. The next time we use the stimulate the expenditure of vitality will be raised above normal again, but not quite as high as the last time, but the following depression will go lower. It is a downward spiral requiring more and more of the stimulate to get the same effect. The highs don't go as high and the lows continue to go lower.
If we use stimulants to keep up our strength or to increase it, we will never be normal. We will never be at our best. We will either be over stimulated or abnormally depressed. It is only a matter of time until our reserve supply of vital energy will be exhausted.
Poisons can never give life. Nature regulates our heartbeat and body function according to the amount of vital force we have in our account. The best way to conserve our precious life force is to avoid the use of stimulants and sleep and rest when we are tired.
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We had wonderful food at the raw foods potluck this week. Here are a few of the recipes for the food I made. The Cauliflower Crackers and Pumpkin Soup came from Tannyraw's YouTube channel.
Cauliflower Crackers
1 head of cauliflower ground fine in a food processor
3/4 cup chia seeds
4-1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp chili powder
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 lemon, juiced
Stir all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Pour mixture about 1" thick onto Teflex sheets on the dehydrator trays. Set dehydrator at about 105 degrees. Dehydrate overnight. The next morning, flip the crackers and peel off the Teflex sheets. Dehydrate until the crackers are crispy.
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| Cauliflower Crackers |
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| Dehydrated Okra with no seasonings. Very good. |
Pumpkin Soup
4 cups fresh pumpkin
1 cup red bell pepper
6 Tbsp hemp seeds
2 limes, juiced
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
Blend alll the ingredients in the Vitamix. Garnish with scallions and mushrooms.
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| Pumpkin Soup |
Onion Bread
3 large sweet onions
3/4 cup flax seeds ground in food processor
3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds, ground in food processor
1/2 cup of Bragg's Amino Acid
1/3 cup olive oil
Peel the onions and cut in half. Slice thin using the mandolin. Put the cut onions in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Spread this mixture onto two Teflex sheets on dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 100 degrees for 24 hours. Turn over and peel off the Teflex sheets. Then dehydrate for 12 more hours. Cut into squares.
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| Onion Bread |
