Healthful living in the 21st century has many challenges and rewards.
First of all living healthfully was part of the master planfor humans
when time began and the creation of man was accomplished. The dietary
of man preceded the actual creation of man. According to the Genesis
record man’s diet was the Creators choice, the food best suited for his
physical, and mental and spiritual needs. Man’s decent from the perfect
plan for healthful living involved being tempted through forbidden
fruit. This opened up a continued compromise of the natural laws of the
universe. Following down the stream of time, some 2,000 plus years to
Noah’s recorded flood experience, we find the human family eating and
drinking and being unaware of the impending doom that followed Noah’s
warnings. It really isn’t much different today, the human race the
world over makes eating or dining everything but a sensible and informed
practice as to the real bodily needs for optimal health. A few
practices that have survived time that were forbidden by our Creator
include not eating pork or mice. The Mohammedan people do not eat pork.
This affects over one billion people, who respect the forbidden dietary
of consuming pork. Pork, is one huge consumer product in our present
day eating habits for the world population in general, for a couple of
reasons: First, because of the high fat, it tastes good to those who
eat it. Second, there is gross ignorance of the negative effects to our
health such as contributing to high cholesterol, high blood pressure and
obesity, just to name a few.
Refined food products, especially
refined sugar is also a serious challenge to good health today. It not
only contributes to diabetes, but lessens the body’s immune response,
and white blood cell activity to overcome various bacteria and viruses
that are prevalent today. If one would trace the history of the
consumption of processed sugar a few centuries ago until now, we would
see how many of the major diseases we suffer with today (heart disease,
diabetes, stroke, obesity, cancers, rampant infections, depression,
arthritis, etc.) have increased due to the increased consumption of
refined sugar mostly hidden in the food chain. There are thousands of
packaged and preserved foods that contain various amounts and kinds of
sugars. For example, grains in the form of packaged ‘cold cereals’ often
list sugar as a main ingredient. Sugar, as refined as it is today, is
no longer a food, but a drug, and is a serious addictive entity. On the
contrary it would be difficult to name any natural food as being
addictive.
It is much easier to shift the responsibility for
our poor health habits on the various avenues having to do with our food
chain, especially fast-food establishments. In reality it is our
responsibility to be educated as to how our body functions, and that we
take responsibility for supplying our health needs. The habit of
taking various drugs to suppress the symptoms of our bad habits doesn’t
seem to make much sense. I was part of a family where someone in the
home was eating all day long. At the age of seven I decided that eating
three meals a day made more common sense. Admittedly, I didn’t have
that much knowledge concerning the benefits of this decision, but by the
time I was eight years old, I had read various texts on anatomy,
physiology, dietetics, and public health issues, and became
knowledgeable, only to discover that I was a lone wolf on healthful
eating issues. To further my choices, in following a healthy lifestyle,
I decided to become a vegetarian at the age of nine years old. I was
able to arrive at this decision by reading a series of books involving
the rise and fall of the British empire. Back at the turn of the 20th
century, the sun never set on the British empire and what she governed
or controlled. Here I learned that the Hunza people, in the Kashmir
area between Pakistan and India, lived to be 140-150 years old, and they
were vegetarians, with the exception of a few holidays, when they ate
goat meat.
To think of being 140-150 years old would be a better choice than our present life span.
Reforms have come along from many strong-minded people like Sylvester
Graham, father of the graham cracker. He gave us the whole grain wheat
flour for wholesome bread. Dr. Fletcher introduced the value of chewing
foods at least 30 times before swallowing to increase digestion and
absorption of foods. He was responsible for helping many T.B. victims
overcome the effects of tuberculosis at the beginning of the 20th
century. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, from the Battle Creek Sanitarium in
Battle Creek, Michigan started a hospital in the late 1800’s and early
1900’s that improved the health of patients by changing their dietary
habits and including exercises and various water treatments along with
promoting a practical and spiritual lifestyle with other wellness
activities for the patients.
Although life spans have increased
in our country over the past 200 years from 50 years old to
approximately 78 years, progress is slow.
We
must remember that doctor’s back a couple of centuries ago were
anything but complimentary to improving health. The drugs being used
were dangerous and often wrongly prescribed. ‘Blood letting’ was a
common practice for most every and any condition. Our first president
George Washington, died from this process.
Following our
independence from England in 1776, homeopathic medicine from Europe,
became quite a common practice of medicine in our country. After World
War 1, the ‘sulfur drugs’ became popular in that it was noticed that
sulfur slowed down wound infections on the battlefield. Various drug
companies began to appear and of course, started making sulfur drugs and
other synthetic chemicals to be used as medicines in treating various
diseases. All of this seemed to replace the use of herbs, water
treatments, and dietary and lifestyle practices used by the homeopathic
physicians. The AMA was formed and became not only a doctor /member
organization, but a strong union that promoted and worked with the drug
companies to legally control what was practiced and taught in the
medical schools and private practice of the doctors.
Most of the
homeopathic hospitals, sanitariums, and schools were forced to close or
taken over by the AMA, thus limiting the availability of the use of
natural methods, the use of herbs, and dietary reforms to help the
people.
Dependency on drugs was encouraged along with a continued
lack of education in the school system, to inform the student of how we
function and we can maintain good health. I personally see this as a
great lack even today in our educational institutions. We are not
learning how to be informed about how to be healthy in our lifestyle
choices.
It has come to the place now that our adult population
expects the government and the insurance companies to take care of their
health problems with little or no restriction on their choice of
lifestyle habits.
In June of 2010, the government by executive
order created our National Prevention Council, charged with providing
coordination and leadership at the federal level and among all executive
departments and agencies with respect to prevention, wellness, and
health promotion practices, has released the National Prevention
strategy, America’s plan for better health and wellness. Integrated
health care describes a coordinated system in which health care
professionals are educated about each others work, and collaborates with
one another and with their patients to achieve optimal patient
well-being. Implementing effective care coordination models (for
example medical homes, community health teams, integrated work place,
health protection and health promotion programs) can result in delivery
of better quality care and lower costs. Evidence based complimentary
and alternative medicine focuses on individualizing treatments, treating
the whole person, promoting self-care and self-healing, and recognizing
the spiritual nature of each individual, according to individual
preferences.
This 122 page report offers comprehensive evidence
based recommendations for improving health and wellness, focusing on
seven priority areas. These areas include:Tobacco-free living,
preventing drug abuse and alcohol use, healthy eating, active living,
injury and violence-free living, reproductive and sexual health, mental
and emotional well-being. You can get the entire report at: www.healthcare.gov/center/councils/nphpphc.
“ The national prevention strategy encourages partnerships among the
federal, state, tribal, local, and territorial governments; business,
industry and other private sector partners, philanthropic organizations,
community and faith-based organizations and everyday Americans to
improve health through prevention” said U.S. surgeon general Regina
Benjamin, M.D. council chair. “For the first time in the history of our
nation, we have developed a cross-section, integrated national
strategy, that identifies priorities for improving the health of
Americans”. The above information was borrowed from the August 2011
Chiropractic News Source, however the same information is being promoted
by most media sources today.
In a simple “nutshell” gaining
back our health has to start with improving our choices of nutritious
food, proper rest, pure water, proper exercises, sunshine, fresh air,
and abstaining from all that is harmful to our mental, physical, and
spiritual well-being.
Remember there are no quick fixes when it
comes to regaining your health. All changes should result from being
focused on long-term benefits. Carefully guard your health…it is a
priceless possession. Meditate upon the great Creator of the universe,
and His gift of life to us. Be thankful and helpful to one and all…and
you will be a winner!
Frank J Hurd, D.C., M.D. 541-472-1113
Note:
Dr. Hurd is a physician who specializes in preventive medicine. He and
Rosalie, his wife, have authored the classic Ten Talents Cookbook. For
more information visit: www.tentalents.net
Without a plan, without priorities in living, it's difficult - perhaps impossible - to achieve traction in experiencing your progress in a fulfilling life. I do believe life is meant to be fun, working your plan by living your priorities keeps you up to speed with all you can be, do and have.
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