YOUR HEALTH,
AND THE NATURAL SYSTEM:
The Forgotten Keys to Natural Health Care!

Simple talk about a confusing subject! An easy reading, down to earth book which de-mystifies, simplifies and explains this confusing, yet vitally important aspect of your life. If you are at all interested in your health and have heard about "Natural" or Alternative" health care, THEN YOU NEED THIS BOOK.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pure Health Systems Wholistic health and Wellness Web E-Book!

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1 First things first

Chapter 2. The beginning of the story.

• ^Go Natural Law.
• ^Go Natural law and human physiology.
• ^Go Limitations of matter.
• ^Go The Great Factory.
• ^Go Natural Law, Genetics and Disease.
• ^Go The "Natural" Magic Bullet Game.

Chapter 3.Basic Anatomy and Physiology.

Chapter 4.The Food Trap.

• ^Go What is food?
• ^Go I'm getting away with it.

Chapter 5. Modern Medicine

• ^Go Medical Misunderstanding.
• ^Go Drugs to the rescue.
• ^Go Natural VS medical.
• ^Go Natural VS chemical medicines.
• ^Go Factors of biological activity.
• ^Go Are you breeding disease?

Chapter 6. Environment.

• ^Go Water
• ^Go Air
• ^Go Light
• ^Go Sound
• ^Go "Artificial" power sources
• ^Go The agricultural connection

Chapter 7. Health and our children.

• ^Go Children, diet and genetics.
• ^Go Children and Immunizations.
• ^Go Children and exercise.
• ^Go Potential problems.

Chapter 8. The 6 greatest health threats, and more.

• ^Go Threat One: Enzyme Depletion.
• ^Go Threat Two: Vitamin/mineral Deficiencies.
• ^Go Threat Three: Fat/sugar Consumption.
• ^Go Threat Four: Free Radical Damage.
• ^Go Threat Five: Intestinal Flora Derangement.
• ^Go Threat Six: Stress.
• ^Go Genetics.
• ^Go Colloidal minerals.

Chapter 9. Exercise.

• ^Go What is exercise?
• ^Go Personal Exercise program Tips
• ^Go For you serious muscle builders & Athletes

Chapter 10. Health disciplines defined.

• ^Go Health Professional List

Chapter 11. Chiropractic explained.

• ^Go Spinal vertebra.
• ^Go The Intervertebral Disc.
• ^Go The Nervous System.
• ^Go The "Bone out of place" myth.
• ^Go Degeneration and Human physiology.
• ^Go What does Chiropractic do?

Chapter 12. Stretching.

• ^Go Warm up.
• ^Go Massage.
• ^Go The stretch technique.

Chapter 13. Turnaround begins.

• ^Go Health food stores: To be or not to be.
• ^Go Reading labels.
• ^Go At home with the goods.

Chapter 14. Self-help techniques.

• ^Go The sprained ankle.
• ^Go Muscle pulls.
• ^Go Cuts/scrapes.
• ^Go Bloody Nose.
• ^Go Fever.
• ^Go Headaches.
• ^Go Cold/Flu.
• ^Go Hiatal hernia/stomach problems.
• ^Go Fasting.

Chapter 15. Everything I've always wanted to say.

Chapter 16. The Process

• ^Go What should I do First?
• ^Go I want to do more!
• ^Go Where to look!
• ^GoGo "Well, I'll think About all this and try it, when I'm ready!"

Chapter 17. Conclusion

Chapter 18.Health Questionnaire

My greatest desire with this book is to present 20 years of observation and experience to stimulate your thinking, and present concepts which could radically alter your perspective on health, nutrition, nature and perhaps, your future. This book is NOT a science book, nor is it a book about basic health knowledge. There are thousands of books with that information that you may reference. (1)

What IS desperately needed is a simple key to follow when reading health information that can help you decipher it and make a solid health decision. Other health professionals will disagree with me, even from my own profession. I'm not claiming to be the "be all and end all" in health care. I am simply sharing with you the sincere beliefs and understandings I have on the subject. This won't be a complete work on health. It is an "oasis" in my travels to understand and research the subject of health. Some of the ideas and "theories" may prove to be valid. Others may be overshadowed by new data and research.

In many respects, this country, and for that matter, the whole world is experiencing change like never before. It seems as though many people are reaching a saturation point when it comes to the extent of problems the world is facing. When we look back over the course of the past several years, we can see some very obvious examples of the direction we are headed. There is a sort of RENAISSANCE, if you will, in which people are becoming aware of the need for society to stop what it's doing, take a good hard look at world conditions and begin to take whatever little steps are possible to arrest, in many cases, LIFE THREATENING momentum.

At this very moment, the interest in natural food, organic produce, environment and alternative health care is at an unprecedented rate of growth. WHY? The rate of virtually every degenerative disease is continuing to increase, including cancer, heart disease and childhood diseases. Our environment is being threatened by various artificially introduced factors. That is why people are beginning to wake out of a seeming blindness to the natural world and the course of nature.

We have technology that is almost beyond comprehension these days yet the health of multiple millions of people is proof that there is a missing dimension we are failing to address. The environmental movement has struggled for years for their very existence and suddenly, there is occurring a grass roots awareness of the very things many of them were saying. Their awareness stemmed, in large part, from observation, scientific concerns and the health crisis. People began to look around at their environment and could see the affect humans were having on their planet.

As this became more rooted in the national consciousness, and with a little application of the same principles and powers of observation on a personal level, many people are beginning to question and investigate how such general behavior of society towards the earth, translates into a personal threat and personal responsibility. Therein lies the vital ingredient for any change to take place. It is not enough for warnings to be issued. That's obvious from the past. What has to occur is for there to be an INTERNALIZATION of what we hear to the point that we UNDERSTAND. Knowledge is useless unless it is acted upon. And action must be preceded by a change inside us which will motivate and sustain us. Without motivation, we simply listen, nod our heads in agreement, and promptly forget or cast aside the issue.

There are numerous warnings being given these days. Warnings about the environment, warnings about the health care system, warnings about being dependent in so many major areas of life. For too long we have cast aside restraint in virtually every area of life and are now beginning to reap what we have sown. Yet, it isn't too late to begin fundamental changes in our way of thinking.

Alternative health care is a subject which has recently been receiving considerable publicity. Because of the growing interest in nature and environment, people are logically looking to the natural world for possible clues and answers to their health problems. There are admittedly unscrupulous persons who take advantage of people having health problems. As I have mentioned before, the medical profession has been the dominating health care provider for many years. In spite of that, there has always been other "alternative" methods which have existed all along, yet suppressed. These methods are beginning to take a front row seat. Technology is available which is proving that much of what has been regarded as "quackery," (because it didn't comply with the established procedures and beliefs of standard medical procedures) is actually effective and valid.

If we honestly look back over the years, we will see that in most cases what was put down as unscientific and quackery by the medical profession has been vindicated. An example of this is nutrition. For years, various groups boldly stated that nutrition was vital to good health. That was just as boldly discredited for years. Today, all we hear is research findings which indicate how diet is vital to heart disease prevention, cancer prevention and a host of other disease processes. Another example is in the area of homeopathic medicine. Once strongly resisted, homeopathic health support is now being seriously looked into even by the medical profession. A third example is Chiropractic. Today, many studies are establishing what has been believed and practiced for almost a hundred years. Chiropractic works. Nutrition works. Homeopathic medicine works. There are more examples we could give.

As with any health care profession, not all health care providers are ethical or moral in their practices. There is too much fraud and abuse in any given profession, but especially where it comes to health. People want so badly to be healthy and are often victims of the leeches of our society who have no remorse in taking peoples money and providing little or no service. I am presently working with a company⁽²⁾ which is developing an entire health lifestyle series of programs geared to providing the best health care at the best price, and, in accordance with the latest research, the optimum amount of time, that is, not too little time as to allow permanent injury or residual symptoms, nor too much treatment which wastes money and time. These programs are being provided by doctors across the US and Canada who are willingly a part of the wholistic approach toward health. It will only be through this kind of health care that our $800 billion a year bill will be significantly reduced with a corresponding improvement in most peoples health. It is hoped that this book will help to convey some basic concepts and ideas about the world we live in and how we can very successfully achieve a harmonious relationship with the very forces which shape our existence.

At the first sound of the word "change," many of us cringe. Change can be extremely uncomfortable for most people, especially if it involves our comfort zones. When we say lifestyle, we mean exactly that. The usual, routine, day in and day out activities which affect our health and life. This includes work, home life, play, socializing activities, sports activities, etc. Every one of these areas need to be included in any kind of lifestyle change in order for you to really benefit. To simply change one aspect of your job isn't going to impact your health or life nearly as much as if you make the changes across the board. Changing your diet needs to be something you do at home AND at work. It becomes a way of living. Like anything else, including the bad health habits you might now have that are slowly killing you, habits can be learned that will support your life within the confines of natural law. If you can learn bad habits, you can also learn good habits.

Please take the time to read and reread this book or portions of this book. As you do, you will begin to see the thread which ties it all together. Like any study of something new, you will get out of it exactly what you put into it. And remember, what you read will seem familiar in ways and seem "natural," forgive the pun, to your logical and rational mind. It WON'T fit the "you" that has been affected by, and become comfortable with, the present day paradigm, or model which has molded all of us in some respects. When we are comfortable, we don't want to change unless we can SEE that change is GOOD and necessary. That is why I write this book.

So, with that said, I wish to invite the reader to continue reading with an open mind and go over this material with the common sense and logic all of us have, and to be cautious of the emotional element that often propels us into making a decision based on feelings rather that facts.

1 Suggested reading material is listed on the Articles Page! In all your researching, it doesn't take long to discover which groups have similar things to say about health and the natural system. 2 Infinity is a company based on the premise that lifestyle change is absolutely necessary for lasting changes in the health care system. They work with health professionals in developing programs involving education, fitness and nutrition, based on the latest research in the area of Immunoenzymology. Professional sports teams and many others interested in lasting health are also working to improve their own health.

That pattern or foundation for existence as we know it can be summed up in two words, "NATURAL LAW." Obviously, from a religious standpoint, that same NATURAL LAW was simply designed and implemented by an incredibly powerful and knowledgeable unseen life force for specific purposes. Again, the pattern which governs a created universe is still NATURAL LAW.⁽³⁾

Index NATURAL LAW!

The concept of "nature" or "natural law" has had some bad publicity over the years, either by some over-zealous, good intentioned people, or by some unfortunate jealousies and anger due to misunderstanding and ignorance in some within the health care arena.

When we look around, we see a world of incredible complexity, beauty and precision. We see a world that works, and as far as scientific evidence has shown us, has been working for billions of years. And like it or not, mankind is directly influenced and controlled by the same forces. It would be the height of arrogance and pride for us to imagine that we are somehow distinct and separate from the very forces which hold the universe together. Yet that is the way in which we have been acting.

What is a law? Simplified, it is a uniform "code of conduct." Whether it is natural or manmade law, it supplies the boundaries which are intended to support and protect that for which it was made. All matter is subject to NATURAL LAW in such a way as to provide for harmonious and precise functioning. Without it, the world would be nothing but chaos and confusion.

Take, for example, the law of gravity. Most people know of the affects of jumping off a hundred story building, a plane crash or dropping a plate on the floor. There is an affect which is produced when we inadvertently interact in a wrong way with the law of gravity. The results are usually immediate. So we usually do a very good job of following the bounds which gravity places on us. That is an easy "cause and affect" relationship.

Another example of natural law at work is in respect to motion of objects. Every time we use the brakes of our car, alter our bowling form, swing a golf club or send the space shuttle into orbit, we are interacting with the laws which govern the motion which each respective examples will take. In the case of bowling or golf, a miscalculation on our part may mean a frustrating result, whereas in the case of the space shuttle, a miscalculation could result in disaster. Science is well aware of the laws which dictate to them what is and isn't possible. They have to follow those laws very carefully in order to successfully maneuver in the physical realm of science.

Law then is the foundation which we work from in order to properly function in the natural realm. So how does law affect the more personal areas of our life like what we eat or how we function in relation to our environment? Keeping in mind that, unless there were a law or foundational process which governed ALL aspects of existence, even the mundane and seemingly irrelevant areas like sleep, nutrition, digestion, proper bowel habits and the like would not occur with any degree of regularity. In fact we couldn't exist without such factors constantly on duty throughout the universe.

Index NATURAL LAW AND HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY

From birth to death, the human body is undergoing physiological change. All living things have a predetermined physiological rate of degeneration, that is, if left to itself without OUTSIDE intervention, will, in a SHORTER amount of time, reach a degenerative climax called disease or death. The incredible aspect of this process is that it CAN be worked with, (although NOT stopped) to MAXIMIZE the physiological potential that exists within each person and MINIMIZE the degenerative rate of change.

An example of this is a fruit tree. Two trees, one left to itself with no outside intervention or care, the other tree watered, fertilized, pruned, etc. Which tree will produce a better crop and live longer? It is well known that the second tree would fair much better. The same analogy applies to crops. Without intervention, the plants will be smaller, produce less, and live shorter lives.

In affect, nature functions best WITH intervention by man, but it has to be BY NATURE'S RULES. There is no other way. As an example, we discuss food additives and chemicals being added to food in another area of the book. A major consideration which is now being backed up by significant research⁽³²⁾ is involving the bodies detoxification process and the interference of introduced chemicals.

The body has a very efficient detoxification system which is necessary for effectively dealing with chemical substances which are NORMAL AND NATURAL byproducts of food digestion and cellular activity. Any toxins released by natural foods we eat are chemically "tied", by our physiology, to other substances for elimination from the body. The interaction between this normal physiological process and introduced chemicals creates interference, and in many cases, promotes abnormal cellular physiology, quite often leading to cancer.

The major problem occurs when this detoxification system becomes overloaded by the continued introduction of chemicals beyond the breakdown chemicals of normal physiology. The system literally becomes overworked and therefore, the additional chemicals NOT tied up for elimination are free to do their damage to the surround tissues. As you are learning, it isn't a day or week of this process which gives us cancer and degenerative disease. It is a lifestyle which creates the conditions ripe for cancers and even our own predisposition to family inherited diseases.

Remember, this is just one aspect of the whole health picture, but it is one of the biggest.

32 Dr. Jeffrey Bland, Applied Clinical Detoxification: HealthComm, Inc. Gig Harbor, WA 206-851-3943; Evidence reveals that the body has a detoxification process which combines the toxins with other substances and eliminates them from the body. The problem stems from the overwhelming amount of detoxification the body is having to do. The system is becoming overloaded and many of the essential nutrients needed for the chemical combining process are not available in the diet. This leads to a buildup of toxins in body tissues and they begin to interfere with normal physiology, thus leading to various disease conditions.

Index LIMITATIONS OF MATTER

As we go about our daily living, we are constantly reminded that there are certain limitations which physical things are confined by. Our bodies striking a Mac truck traveling at 60mph would definitely exceed our bodies limitations of matter with negative results. You are generally aware of many examples of limitations there are on our interaction in the world.

Natural law sets up some of those limitations, as does the very nature of physical elements. Too much electricity traveling through too small a wire will melt the wire or blow the fuse and end the transmission. If you look around you will see countless areas we are limited in and yet we take it all for granted. We've accepted it. That is life in the natural world.

A step closer to "home" will help us to see that some of those same limitations of matter are potential problems within our own bodies. We discussed the idea of the adaptation our bodies can do in response to various circumstances we encounter. But there is a limit to what matter can experience and still remain asymptomatic, or in its sphere of activity or function.

This limit is the point at which I call "subclinical adaptation," (that is adaptation which has taken place without symptoms). The body has reached the limit of its ability to continue to function without affecting one or more other systems of the body, such as our "symptomatic" sense. Once the subclinical adaptation phase has ended, the final phase of adaptation where symptoms begin, proceeds, sometimes for years, either to the point of death or eventually back to the subclinical phase. Most people are currently, in one respect or another in a subclinical phase of health degeneration.

Subclinical adaptation is simply the bodies way of working around the changes going on, adapting to the changes in an effort to continue to function as designed. The whole premise of medicine works to suppress or manipulate symptoms or affects back into the subclinical phase so we are not aware of them. We have subsequently been made ignorant of natural law and processes, and have, as I've mentioned before, equated the lack of symptoms as being "healed" and being in good health.

As you can now see, that is very far from the actual truth of the situation. Now, remember, it isn't medicines fault, per se, that we are in this situation. They have simply been following the same path everyone else is. It is simply a lack of understanding of how closely we are tied with the world around us. There has been the perfect health plan for us all along. It is nature's health plan. It is real and it works.

Today, there is very little emphasis placed on subclinical testing. With the concerns for health care costs and unnecessary testing procedures, there is unlikely to be an increase UNLESS there is an emphasis on the specific concerns one might have about such things as an inherited weakness. Subclinical health problems do not have to be an area of over concern. If we embark on the right "Health Plan" we can have a significant impact on any potential health problem. We would be working with the bodies own health plan by providing the right criteria for making corrections.

In making a decision as to what kind of a specialist you might want to see, it would be good for you to be aware of just what is available and what exactly they do. I will list below the types of doctors or health care specialists available. Unless you are well versed in the principles outlined in this book, and even if you are, it would be good to maintain contact at intervals for several reasons.

First, it never hurts to do a systems check once in a while. There are enough manmade environmental influences around us which are largely without research which could be having a negative influence on us. Secondly, if you are one who practices good health habits and principles, don't be a recluse and hide the results of your efforts and beliefs. And don't think you are immune to any health problems. A part of good health practices is to routinely do an exam or test. By this your influence and convictions will be noticed. Let it shine as an example to others, especially those who may be skeptical.

Index THE GREAT FACTORY

The body is not something which has to be forced into some sort of action in fighting disease. It simply needs to be left alone and given the proper raw materials with which to do its job. Again, I don't think it needs to be repeated beyond this, but there is a place for crisis intervention, but not as a way of life. Drugs, surgery and other helps are useful tools. My focus is on the WELLNESS concept of working with the bodies natural processes as a way of life, not just as a means of removing symptoms.

The human body is a remarkable machine which is capable of endless feats of dazzling complexity. The processes sometimes use a millionth of a gram of, say thyroxin, produced by our thyroid gland. This substance is essential for life to continue. So are thousands of other substances which the body depends on to properly carry out its physiology. Imagine such small amounts of a natural body chemical having to circulate throughout the body and interact with other chemicals normally in the body, and avoid creating problems with the other chemical processes taking place.

Now imagine adding an outside source of foreign chemicals to this system of chemical reactions. Remember the 10,000 chemical substances in use today? Remember the 1000+ chemicals added each day? Remember the 50,000 chemical reactions going on in the body regularly? What are the odds that NO interference takes place when you combine even a fraction of the numbers of foreign chemicals? Almost astronomical.

Let's go a step further. Add the factors of air and water pollution, the affects of stress from various sources, lack of exercise or some component of spinal and nervous system (system control board--more will be said on these two subjects in another chapter) degenerative changes. What are the odds NOW? Is it beginning to hit home? Can you see the implications or are you still comfortably resting, feeling no pain or symptoms and confident that this really could only happen to other people?

You are as much a part of this natural system as anyone else. There is no place to hide from the affects of natural law. We have only one confident way to be sure that we are doing all we can to work WITH the system. That is to understand the system and then to act on what you know in order to apply the right forces so the internal system can work. Are you aware that fever is a FRIEND? Did you know that the body raises the temperature for two basic reasons. The first, at higher temperatures, invading organisms are severely limited or unable to reproduce. For obvious reasons this is good for us. The second reason is, our body goes into high gear with antibody production. These antibodies fight the invading organisms. You've heard about swollen glands? Those are swollen due to antibodies being produced. Tonsils are swollen in response to an invasion. Better known as tonsillitis. Chronic tonsillitis means a weak immune system. Cutting the tonsils out isn't going to strengthen the immune system. It can only be further weakened by such a practice. To this day, I have a weakness in my immune system in the area of the throat, sinuses and lungs because my tonsils were removed as a child. Removing the tonsils certainly takes care of the symptoms of swollen tonsils, doesn't it?

Today most of us consider a fever as an enemy and we try to attack our own system response with various fever reducing drugs or methods. We are simply interfering with normal physiology. Trying to reduce fever with alcohol baths or cold showers is another mistake except for the extreme emergency. The internal temperature regulating "thermometer" simply counters the cooling by turning up the heat. Any intervention to curb the fever should be with aspirin or similar drug and only when extreme temperatures--perhaps 104-105 in adults and 103-104 in children--have been reached and sustained for a number of hours to days.

Index NATURAL LAW, GENETICS AND DISEASE

In this section, I would like to present some food for thought on the subject of disease and HOW disease-causing organisms develop. Yes, I say develop because I am not convinced that every disease causing organism which exists today, has always existed. Let me explain.

Keeping in mind all we have discussed so far, let view the natural system from the perspective of a disease causing organism. After all, they are a part of the system as much as anything else. They are subject to the same laws, causes and affects the rest of the environment is subject to. Microscopic organisms abound in the natural world and as long as the natural system is in balance, things will work as the natural system is designed to work. Enter humans into the natural system equation and you have the potential for major problems. Mankind has the ability to choose. We can manipulate our environment, exert force against the natural system to make it do what WE choose. In making these choices, especially without long term vision, we set up a series of events which can only come back to haunt us. This is the case with the presence of disease. It is impossible to know exactly where the first actual disease organism came from but you can be sure it happened because of mankind's lack of understanding of the natural system, some basic health principle. However it occurred, the pattern is the same today, and will continue until we come to grips with the reality of our own existence.

If we view the natural world as a combination of causes and affects. A delicate balance, in many cases, exists which must be maintained to stabilize the system. Once destabilizing forces are present, their force will affect other aspects of the system. In the world of microscopic organisms, these destabilizing forces create an artificial stimulus which can act upon the very genetic makeup of any particular organism. If the normal "pressures" of the natural world, pressures which the organism is genetically structured for, are tampered with, there is a "natural" response by the organism. This "natural" response involves the specific, well realized fact of genetic mutations.

In order for any organism to flourish, it has to have a WAY to flourish. That is, there has to be some kind of support system which enables the organism to continue to reproduce itself. Without such a support system, there can be no reproduction. Enter, a large population of "organisms" which play right into the "hands" of these microscopic organism's need for a "host." In other words, WE have unwittingly served as a reservoir through which disease causing organisms could reproduce, mutate, adapt and CONTINUE to exist. When you combine a disrespect for the natural world, poor decisions and choices along with continued avoidance of the problem, you have the perfect medium in which disease organisms can exist.

Combine this with the natural degeneration of the human immune system, and you have the scenario which is all too common in our world. Poor sanitation, little food or poor quality food, and environmental degeneration all result in the persistence of disease degeneration in the world. As with anything in the natural world, this didn't occur immediately. It is the result of time and circumstances. Time we can't do anything about, but circumstances are well within our control. It has taken a persistent "pressure" in the wrong way to bring us to where we are today. It will take a persistent restructuring of the way we view our world and ourselves to restore the natural system to one which is largely devoid of disease and degeneration.

Index THE "NATURAL" MAGIC BULLET GAME

Is There a Natural "Magic Bullet?"

Discussion of this topic has been long overdue. It might seem odd, but many of us can take our previous "magic bullet' concept we inherited from the medical profession and transfer it to our "natural" approach to health. How does this work? Let me explain.

We have all heard about such things as homeopathic medicine, herbs, and other natural-system "medicine," but are we making the same mistake with natural "medicine" as we have in the past with conventional medicine? Definitely, YES.

You see, when you really think about it, you will have to agree that to counter colds, sicknesses, etc., with even natural remedies is STILL treating the symptoms. This may irritate some people but the truth is that many of us have been making the same mistake of believing that our sickness or problem will be corrected by applying some magic "natural" potent or taking a magic "natural" elixir.

Herbal preparations, like their counterparts, drugs, do similar kinds of things to the body. That is, they cause a reaction of some kind in the body that is hopefully related to helping the body deal with the health problem. This type of natural support can be very good, AS LONG AS YOU ADDRESS THE CAUSE AS BEST AS YOU CAN.

The same basic physiology is occurring in the body whether you use a drug or use natural remedies. The body responds to the substances it receives, reacting in a particular way depending on the substance used. For instance, you can take aspirin for your headache, or you can take willow bark, or valerian root. Your headache is NOT the result of a deficiency of any of these three substances. However, all three can "make the headache go away."

The same goes for virtually any other health problem out there. Regardless of whether you use a "natural" remedy or a simple drug, you are STILL TREATING SYMPTOMS. This brings us to the main point of this article. Unless you are addressing the actual CAUSE of the health problem, you aren't fooling the body. In fact, you could be doing long-term damage by playing the same "make the symptoms go away" game we have been playing all our lives.

Except in the event of an actual, direct genetic cause, (which is STILL connected to diet), Nutrition is the #1 cause for health problems. You won't correct heart disease with an herb or homeopathic preparation. You can certainly facilitate the body's healing process with natural supports, but you have to focus on WHY the health problem is there in the first place, or you miss the whole point of the natural system.

I realize this won't be popular with some people but it is true nonetheless. We have to get away from the idea that we can simply apply a few basic preparations and correct a lifetimes worth of wrong living. Natural substances are definitely the best, secondary health care strategy, but the primary focus must be on direct bodily nutrition. That is where the system begins to break down and that is where we have to begin to build properly in order to get to the real cause of health degeneration.

Remember, your health is NOT nearly as complicated as it may seem. The knowledge of the use of herbs and homeopathic and other natural health care procedures is great, but you don't HAVE to be a health professional to understand your own personal health care requirements. Professionals are great for support and advice as to how you can facilitate your progress, but unless they help you focus on the best nutrition you can find, and help you to learn more to help yourself, you are really on your own.

Understandably, many health professionals might disagree with me on this, but then again, they make their living "practicing" on YOU. In my opinion, ANY HEALTH CARE PROVIDER THAT DOES NOT ADDRESS YOUR NUTRITIONAL STATE IS NEGLECTING HIS DUTY, PERIOD. If they have no knowledge of nutrition or the research behind it, then they should REFER you to someone who does this kind of work, or tell you how to obtain this kind of information for yourself.

The whole point of being healthy is to NOT be dependent on a lot of outside helps. Of course, there are aspects of human physiology that requires "maintenance" such as how the body continually benefits from what massage can do, but to be treating symptoms that should be eliminated by removing the cause is not healthy.

Remember the bottom line. Get to the root cause of your health problems. In 95% of the cases, nutritional support with the basic elements your body needs will make dramatic improvements in your health over time. This is something YOU can do without the need for complicated details. Give yourself some credit. Eating is second nature, and applying natural principles which the natural system outlines doesn't have to intimidate you. Just get the basic facts and the rest will follow!

3 You will hear me speak about natural law and the natural system many times throughout this book simply because I hope to impress upon you how fundamentally important that concept is in understanding the ideas and facts presented to you. All of these concepts are relatively easy to understand when put together, but, like a jigsaw puzzle, unless you SEE the whole picture, it may seem like a confusing collection of words and facts. The reality of the world around us is the basic foundation which we need to understand before we can reap the benefits from it.

Food, packaged by nature, and as close to its natural state as possible is the best for our own health.⁽⁴⁾ Science is now proving that. Even the natural process of GROWING food has to stay within the parameters of natural law in order to perform optimally. There are more and more ramifications being discovered, albeit the hard way, from approaching our land and food supply the same way we approach our own bodies. Here's a side thought. Have you ever thought about the correlation between the processing of food and a rather common health problem involving our teeth? Food in its natural state has substance to it. It requires diligent chewing. The teeth are suspended in the socket by ligament tissue, called the periodontal ligament, and not locked in bone as most people think. It is this ligament tissue which dentists work with in order to be able to move a person's teeth with braces. As we discuss elsewhere in this book, the only way ligaments can be strengthened and properly maintained is through physical exertion. The act of chewing could be stressing the ligaments which in turn maintains their strength and holding power, stimulating the gums, even helping to clean the teeth due to the fiber and coarseness of the food.

Now imagine the affect of processing food. It in most cases softens and breaks down the natural state. Between cooking, processing, adding to and taking from the food, we end up with a soft, easily chewed, and sometimes readily dissolving substance. Over the course of time there is less and less regular "exercise" placed upon the ligaments. Could there be a relationship between tooth and gum disease and the loosening and weakening of these tissues, not to mention the nutritional factors? The less sound or stable tissue and organs are, the more susceptible they

.

The idea that it is sugar, or other substances which create the cavities is erroneous. Tooth decay comes from bacteria acting on food particles on the tooth surface releasing acids and chemicals which etch the enamel. These same bacteria can also affect the gums and tooth roots if they are allowed to remain. They are also one reason for bad breath. The key to minimizing cavities, therefor is to minimize the bacteria in the mouth. Mouth washes which kill bacteria are helpful. Anything short of that is a waste of money because you are simply trying to hide the odors instead of removing the cause. Mouth wash with technical grade hydrogen peroxide ⁽⁵⁾ are excellent for all the above problems.

Back to our original train of thought. Vast amounts of evidence are accumulating concerning the interaction between manmade chemicals, additives, preservatives, etc., and the natural cellular processes in nature.⁽⁶⁾ How can we assume that by SUDDENLY-in relation to the history of the natural world-adding chemicals and rearranging "end products of nature," that we are somehow improving on nature? We are subjecting nature and natural processes to relative instant situations, and in many cases, to things which DO NOT occur in similar independent form ANYWHERE in the natural world. Over time, this places a strain on the natural system, and the results are becoming more and more evident.

How can we presume that we understand the complex interactions between the smallest of chemicals and the over 50,000 known chemical processes in the human body, let alone such interaction on the whole natural world? How can we expect good health when we deviate from the standard set by natural law? Our environmental and personal health problems are proving that we have opened a Pandora's box by disregarding the protective restraints built into nature.

It is argued that the many chemicals which are introduced into our food supply are simple compounds which are "harmless." There is often vigorous testing, and sometimes not so vigorous, on the chemicals used. To give such "authorities" the benefit of the doubt, lets say such individual substances ARE harmless. But think about it. Do you really believe they can say there is no reactive element between one "harmless" chemical and another "harmless" chemical? You can take simple, harmless and useful substances such as sulfur, salt peter and charcoal and you get gun powder. I know, I made some when I was a child. Not very "harmless" now is it?

Sure, we can do some remarkable things to the body or the land by applying this chemical or that chemical. We can have a dramatic influence on cells, tissues and organs. But, in the process, we are following the same path and therefore, trying to find solutions to the subsequent problems using the same faulty reasoning. This isn't to say there aren't some very GOOD aspects to the research, progress, practices and fund of knowledge we presently work with. The important, NO, the ABSOLUTELY VITAL consideration here is that we understand the foundational principles upon which health is based. Unless we can grasp this concept, we will continue to grope along seeking answers in the wrong place, through the wrong means. Natural law brought us this far without our help or influence. Why do we resist or fight with a system which affects every aspect of the world around us?

Do you see the thread that runs throughout these areas? As we can now look back on all this, we can see that we have come a far cry from what natural law would have shielded us from HAD we been wise enough to heed its system. There are now well over 10,000 chemicals in use within the food system. There are over 1000 new chemicals created and added every year. This Frankenstein monster has life of its own. The multi-million dollar chemical industry, the multi-million dollar food industry, the multi-million dollar farming industry, the multi-million dollar medical industry, all "special interest groups," along with large regulating government agencies, among others, are not about to lay down and die.

This isn't an attack on any one involved in any of those areas because we are ALL to blame. We, the public, have to be willing to support such groups in order for them to survive. Now, we have to be willing to take stock of the situation and make the changes necessary to avert disaster.

As we progress through the book, you will see that there is only one way for us to regain control of our lives. We can't instantly change the world but we CAN change ourselves and our habits. It is absolutely mandatory for these changes to occur and continue on a personal level. As our individual attitudes change, so too will the attitudes of our society as a whole change.

4 There needs to be some degree of preparation and processing of our food in order for us to be able to eat it. There will always be some loss of nutrients no matter how minimal the processing or preparation is. The key is remembering that the more we alter the natural state of the food we eat, the more we lose in nutritional value. 5 Obtain Technical grade hydrogen peroxide and view our usage chart!

6 The Physicians source book for Applied Clinical Detoxification; Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D.

If you had to view that definition as an attorney would view a legal document, what kind of substance could LEGALLY be included as FOOD? Anything that sustains, nourishes and augments. Under legal definition, anything presented as food or included IN food would have to fit under the requirements of that which is sustaining, nourishing and which augments LIFE. If you had to judge the merits of the food you eat by this "hypothetical" legal definition, what would your intelligence dictate? Would food which is over processed and contaminated with many unnecessary and unnaturally foreign chemical substances be accepted in a court of law as fitting even Webster's definition? How much more demanding and exact do you think our bodies are?

The laws and penalties built into the natural system are as real, absolute and inescapable as trying to stop a speeding freight train by steeping in front of it. Any addition to or deletion from that which begins as food LEGALLY defined, you might say, by NATURAL LAW, for properly sustaining, nourishing and augmenting our bodies, will, in the course of TIME, bring with it a penalty.

Index "I'M GETTING AWAY WITH IT."

There is a very important element to understand and relate to in believing the above explanation. In describing the cause and affect mechanism built within natural law, it must be remembered that the human body is a dynamic, living, changing, adapting, yet extremely flexible machine. There are changes constantly going on in the body. The body is always trying to adapt to and stay in a relatively homeostatic state of existence. If this were not so, we would essentially be in pain and discomfort every minute of our lives, and could be on the knife edge of death at any given moment.

Thankfully, the body is able to adapt to a wide range of internal and external environmental changes. As the body comes into contact with aspects of the environment which disrupt any physiological process, it can only respond within the bounds of physiological law-that is, it can only respond as its own functions allow it to. Any change in the structure or function of the body occurs OVER TIME. Because the changes which DO take place are so minute and gradual, we, consciously and symptomatically are unaware of what is going on.

Remember the example of cancer or arthritis. The disease has progressed quite far, and destructive changes have occurred symptom free. The body has a "prime directive" to maximize efficiency in performing. If it were to respond to such changes instantly, as I mentioned, we would simply be incapable of functioning. I have seen incredibly degenerated spines in people who had little or no pain associated with it. Degeneration is a relatively asymptomatic--without symptoms--process IN THE BEGINNING. When pain and symptoms BEGIN, the degeneration is usually well established.

In other words, the body has reached the limitations of matter. There can only be a certain amount of adaptation that can take place with human physiology. After a certain point, the body can no longer function in an asymptomatic state. The demand placed on the body corresponds to the time between the start of the problem and when the symptoms begin. That's why it can be so important to listen to your body, but even more so, be aware of the underlying "rules" which are in affect and which daily dictate whether you are moving in the right health direction.

The presence of pain or symptoms makes it fairly easy to realize that something is wrong and drives us to do something about it. However, the ABSENCE of pain or symptoms does not mean we are doing the right thing to promote good health. Taking medication to get rid of the pain or symptoms isn't the main answer to most health conditions. It is vital to find the cause of the problems, address those, in addition to, seeking symptomatic relief. That is the only way your health will improve.

That is why I emphasize understanding the NATURAL LAW behind physiology. We can't depend on how we FEEL as the indicator of whether we are healthy or not. As I have indicated, that is a very dangerous way to diagnose our state of health. When you think about it, we have almost a superstitious belief in our concept of health. We are lulled into a false sense of confidence by our bodies ability to mask degenerative changes.

That is another major reason we have so nonchalantly and fearlessly proceeded down the road to where we stand today. Rather than using our heads, we allow our tastes and feelings to be our guide.

Look around again. Not only are WE beginning to experience more of a crisis level of health problems, but so is our environment. The natural processes of our environment is reaching ITS own "limitations of matter," and simply reflecting our personal attitude toward nature. Our environment was able to adapt to a degree, as our bodies do, but the infection it has, called human mismanagement, is threatening not only the planet, but as with all disease organisms, the infectious agent itself, that being US.

Index MEDICAL MISUNDERSTANDING

We live in a world which has as many ideas as it has people. We find many philosophy's and beliefs about health expounded in an infinite number of books and journals. As one might expect, it is at the very least, mind boggling to wade through all the material trying to find what is right. In order to really understand health, we have to have a grasp on the basic health principles that nature has set as LAW.

We live in a society which wants INSTANT results. Instant relief from pain, instant health when sick or diseased. We have come to expect it because of the misunderstanding of what health is and isn't. It is assumed by most of us that as long as we feel well, we ARE well. This concept comes, in part, from the way our bodies respond to disease or sickness. Take the common cold for instance. We believe that when we begin to sneeze, cough, run a fever and feel fatigue, this is the time when we "catch" the cold. The truth is, the virus or bacteria which may be affecting us took hold some days BEFORE the symptoms began.

A common accepted theory about disease is called the "germ theory of disease". It is based on the premise that it is a "germ" (bacteria, virus, etc.) which CAUSES our ill health. One minute we are in good health and the next minute, one of the little "critters" comes into contact with us and we get sick, or come down with a disease. We tend to believe the following equation: No pain = no problem; pain = problem. We look at sickness and disease as something that instantly happens. By believing this concept we are placing the blame for sickness and disease totally on an outside source such as bacteria and virus. Such things have always been here. They were designed to work within a system which followed the same natural laws. When we break those laws, the penalty is allowed to take effect because the protective bounds of the law were overstepped. The penalty is inherent within the system. It won't necessarily occur immediately, but it will occur. If "germs" were the CAUSE of sickness, then why do only a few, and not all, of those who come into contact with others having colds get sick? Why didn't everyone get sick even though all were exposed to the same "germs"?

We can take virtually any disease process, from arthritis and heart disease, to cancer and AIDS. They ALL begin years before any outward symptoms are FELT. Cancer can take up to 20 years to develop to the point of producing symptoms the patient can notice. Just because the symptoms were not evident was absolutely NO indication of good health. So regardless of HOW we may be feeling, that is no basis for which to declare our good health. What then are the facts behind sickness and disease? The body's ability to fight disease is known as RESISTANCE. Everyone has resistance. Some more, some less. Right now the room you are in has enough "germs" to kill you many times over. But you aren't dead. Why? If you brought a dead rabbit into the room and left it on the counter, what would happen to it after a few days? Would it simply stay there intact and in good shape? No, obviously you know it would begin to decay and decompose. Why? Because the rabbit, being dead has NO resistance to decomposition by the bacteria in the room. The naturally occurring organisms all around us have a prime breeding ground in the dead rabbit. There is a degree of truth to the "germ theory of disease" in that it depends on what organisms are present to multiply which determines what disease occurs.

Remember the story about "the Boy in the Glass Bubble"? He was born with a disease which provided him with NO resistance. If he were outside his protective bubble he would die very quickly. A persons resistance determines his state of health, and is related to the degree of being in sync with the health laws. NOW to qualify that last statement. Since we are physical beings and our make up is passed on through the genetic pool, we can inherit weakness from our parents who in turn inherited weakness from their parents, etc. More will be said later about the role genetics plays in our health.

Taking what we have already covered concerning the idea of natural law, we can now plug in the idea of resistance and its ability to function. Resistance is the natural ability of the body to maintain a state of health. Resistance is governed by how well we work within the bounds of natural law. Our bodies were meant to receive and utilize food in its most natural state, which supplies the countless vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins, micro-minerals and whatever else we are not yet aware of which our bodies MUST have in order to continue the process of life and maintain resistance.

The body must have specific substances provided only by elements form the natural world in order to be able to repair damage, replace cells and tissues and defend against foreign substances. Anywhere along the line, if one or more of these substances is in short supply, or nonexistent, then it is impossible for the body to continue performing anymore than your car can perform without gas.

Index DRUGS TO THE RESCUE

As a result of our wrong concepts toward health and disease, there naturally evolved a similar "solution" which we have been depending on in an attempt to free us from the consequence of disregarding many basic health principles. The development of chemical substances which could affect the body in remarkable ways was, at the time, regarded as the "ultimate" in health care. Penicillin, for example, was touted as the miracle drug, and indeed it appeared to be. It, unquestioningly, has saved countless thousands of lives since its development, but as has been proven over the years, the indiscriminate use of this "miracle drug" has introduced a pressure on the bacterial "family," leaving only the strongest survivors to continue the bacterial species. These stronger bacteria become resistant to the antibiotic, and today there are strains of bacteria which are unaffected by penicillin.

The obvious implications of this are that should a specific disease occur in an individual, the bacteria in question would not be killed, therefore stronger drugs are necessary. This has already happened with such diseases as syphilis and gonorrhea. Therefore, stronger antibiotics are developed. and the cycle continues. If you've ever heard about the super-germs in hospitals, this explains why such a thing can occur, ESPECIALLY in hospitals.

If we had simply held things in check then, and used it in serious conditions only, the many side affects we now know of from penicillin, and for that matter, other antibiotics, would have been prevented. A number of less serious side affects are as follows. 1. Immune system weakening. Antibiotics selectively inhibit cell wall production in bacteria, thus preventing them from duplicating. Unfortunately, the good bacteria in our intestinal tracks are also affected. The friendly bacteria actually help to digest our food and produce B vitamins as well as vitamin K which we need for clotting. 3. More recent evidence indicates chronic use of antibiotics can predispose certain people to Candida Albicans, a systemic yeast infection associated with a myriad of symptoms including fatigue, depression, rashes, infections, etc. Literally hundreds of "miracle drugs" have come and gone, some with devastating results. Medical literature is full of statistics regarding adverse drug reactions, including deformities and deaths. A simple look at any information on a particular drug will tell you that there are side affects.

The use of over-the-counter medications is another example. All of us are familiar with the countless "remedies" sold throughout the world for everything from a runny nose to hemorrhoids. Some of these items ARE helpful for symptomatic treatment of some health problems. However, in the case of the cold and flu remedies, there is an inherent problem. When we are in the midst of such miserable symptoms of the flu, it is evident that our immune system is deficient and not able to prevent the flu from going through its entire course. When we turn to substances to stop the runny nose or whatever, we are simply bypassing the bodies defense system. In affect, we override the natural immune processes. Doing this prevents our immune system from becoming stronger and better able to do its job. The body begins to be dependent on such remedies, much to the pleasure of the sellers.

Think about this. How often has your own doctor been sick? Can you remember a time when he has been out of the office sick? That has been a mystery to most people. It shouldn't be. A doctor, in the course of his or her work, comes into contact with hundreds of people a week. The doctor's immune system comes into steady contact with a vast variety of possible viral and bacterial infection from exposure to people who are themselves sick or almost sick. This acts as a continuous prod on their immune system, "exercising" it if you will. The point I want to make is this. The more we depend on outside help to bypass our own deficient immune systems, the more dependent we become and the weaker we become to further and worse sickness. In my opinion, the manifold increase in allergies is merely a worsening of immune system function. Many diseases are implicated in immune system dysfunction, the worst of which are cancer and AIDS.

Now, some might bring up the issue of "natural" remedies. The difference is that natural substances do not deactivate the immune system. On the contrary, they stimulate it and enhance it. They work with the body's natural immune function and don't interfere with natural processes. An important point to make here is this. The more our we use substances which interfere with our bodies system, the less affective natural remedies will be. That is most often the reason people fail to initially respond to such things as herbs and homeopathic medicines. Unless the system is functioning as it should, natural substances wont be very affective. It takes some time to regulate the system and to build it back up to the point where subtle helps are very affective. As I've mentioned before, the body needs time to heal itself and any change in lifestyle needs time to affect the body's internal systems.

I mention these things in order to emphasize again, our nearsighted perspective of health. When we view the world and all it contains as simply independent processes which are unrelated to each other, we will again "naturally" take a very focused approach in dealing with what is assumed to be the problem. The use of drugs to control, manipulate or change the function of our physiological processes does not take into consideration the complete interdependency of all the body's systems. There are affects upon affects, as chain reactions within the human body, which science can't begin to determine. As was mentioned before, I am not against the use of medications where necessary. What I am concerned with is the use of medication as an end in itself. Virtually all medication is used as THE answer to any given disease or sickness. Symptomatic treatment of a disease process rather than using the drug as a tool, where necessary, and when the body simply can't do its job. At the same time, we should be looking to the CAUSE of the symptom and making necessary changes.

Merely treating the symptoms of flu, high blood pressure, arthritis, etc., is only part of the necessary process. Disease is a NATURAL part of life on this planet, but only when it is given the chance to be that part. This country is experiencing a frightening amount of degenerative disease. Something is seriously wrong with our approach toward health. As long as we continue to ignore obvious natural facts around us, we will continue to battle in the wrong direction. The concept is simple and basic. Perhaps that is why we continue to ignore it. We've come to believe that the serious situations we face in health and environment must surely need very complicated and detailed intellectual answers to save us, all the while being oblivious to the simplicity which nature provides within its protective natural laws.

Index NATURAL VS MEDICAL

With the foundation we have previously laid, let's understand the issue. We've learned that nature designed the body to function under specific laws. That means certain causes will bring specific results. The body is designed to digest food, heal wounds, clean itself, fight disease, etc. all according to a specific set pattern. It works by itself without any aid from us. But because man has cut himself off from nature, it is inevitable that problems would result. Remember that the farther we drift away from proper health practices, and the longer we continue that way, the worse the problems become.

Today, we have more medical compounds than some species of animals. And, daily, more are being manufactured. Is there really any difference between using more "natural" means of health care and the more "chemical" means? Yes and no. There is no question that many lives have been saved through drugs and surgery. So is there really anything wrong with that approach? After all, aren't all the chemicals and drugs we have "natural", since they come from the earth in some way? Yes they did come from the earth. That is true, BUT where we have slipped the track is in believing that we can simply do what we want when it comes to rearranging what nature has created. What man is doing is taking natural substances and arranging them, or in some way altering them into a form NOT found in nature.

We're not talking about digitalis, or the many other truly NATURALLY OCCURRING elements which man has taken and concentrated, although even doing that can be just as dangerous as using a synthesized compound. We mean the "creation" of NEW substances which nature did not make in the beginning or nature could never combine by itself. Taking something already provided by nature and using it as a tool for our healing is one thing. But creating and using countless unnatural drugs and compounds simply overlooks the basics.

So does that mean medical means of health care is ALL wrong? No, obviously not. It is just important to understand WHY we need such means in the first place. Man has gone so far off track in his health habits, and hurt this planet so much with pollution and filth, that nature itself has been affected to the point that in many cases it literally takes drastic, "unnatural" steps to be able to save some lives. We have gone so far outside nature's protective health laws that sometimes even doing all that you possibly can to practice good health principles, the body has already gone beyond the limitations of matter and can only be saved by emergency procedures.

The problem is that we have come to accept this whole state of affairs as the normal way to deal with much less serious health problems. Yes there are some apparent benefits from drugs, and from some surgery performed. But ask yourself seriously, do you really believe that it is the lack of drugs or surgery which caused you to become sick in the first place? Are headaches an aspirin deficiency? Is sickness and disease a drug deficiency? Is treating the affect you feel and see really the answer to why you are sick in the first place?

Antibiotics revolutionized medicine and have saved many lives. Yet they are used on a casual, indiscriminate basis for many conditions. Sometimes the body needs the added help but it is usually when there are underlying factors contributing to the bodies inability to fight off the infection on its own. They weaken the bodies already weak resistance thereby making a future infection more likely. It's like a dog chasing his tail. The faster he chases his tail the faster the tail goes. The more we surrender to outside intervention, the more circles we go in. We are missing the point in treating symptoms only. It's a recipe for disaster.

When you work with natural elements in nature, you are treating the affect, yes, but ALSO THE CAUSE, at the same time. By working within nature's designed natural laws, you are simply providing the often times missing ingredient the body needs to repair, replace, and defend itself, or providing necessary care that all falls within nature's designed system. Chemicals produce definite affects on the human body and have done remarkable things. They ARE necessary in various aspects of health care but, in most cases, only because we have gotten so far off track. We can't try to be "all natural" and ignore the medical help that is available. What is emphasized is using "medicine" as a stepping stone, IF NEEDED, and begin putting to practice nature's health principles. Then and only then will you be on the road to real health recovery.

If we accepted the natural order to things, then we will begin to better understand health and sickness. Because we do live in an unnatural environment of pollution, noise, stress, poor food quality, deficient exercise opportunities, unhealthy work environments, and more, we of necessity have to apply nature's health principles and provisions in an "unnatural" way. Because the affects we are experiencing from our environment are what they are, we HAVE to be not only diligent in following proper health principles, but we need to take more drastic steps in order to combat the unnatural forces that will sooner or later hurt our health.

For example, living in a city vs. living in the country. The more assaults the body must deal with, the more nutrients it needs to maintain things as they should be. The stress of noise, the affects of pollution on the immune system and other aspects of city living generate a greater need for such basic substances as vitamin A and C, zinc, etc. Living under those conditions warrants additional supplements to offset the greater losses.

In a natural environment, simple natural health principles are sufficient. But in an unnatural environment, it logically takes MORE of the same to maintain a specific degree of health. Even what some may consider a good health plan will in many cases be insufficient to remain healthy. When you add up all the abuses we receive by way of the air, water, food, soil, noise and stress, it is easy to see how the need for a wise and balanced health plan is essential. If you drive a car at 80 mph, it uses more gas than at 50 mph. With our bodies it is the same. If we give ourselves a "50 mph" food supply, and we naturally travel at "80 mph", you can see that there will be a problem sooner or later.

In all that you may read and hear regarding health principles, remember to check them against the foundation provided by natural law. Using drugs and surgery if absolutely necessary, as tools is one thing. They can be great HELPS when you use them in conjunction with a continuing natural health plan. Even those who are dependent upon certain drugs to live such as insulin, or dilation can still apply the natural health principles. But to depend upon an artificial system other than where it is a life and death issue will bring problems. We can't be affecting the human body with every manner of food, drug or medication and not be paying a price somewhere. Treating symptoms is the same as turning off a buzzing smoke detector. It's great to get rid of the noise, but it doesn't do anything to put out the fire. Cause and affect. We are making payments toward our future health account every day. Are you willing to live with your "health savings plan?"

A topic which is always hotly debated is whether there is any difference between synthesized vitamins or natural source vitamins. By now you are probably way ahead of me. Most synthetic vitamins are manufactured from oil. That's right, OIL. The same oil which is the precursor for thousands of other products we use every day, including gasoline for our cars. You might be wondering what oil could possibly have to do with nutrition and health. The answer is, of course, nothing. Well, actually there IS a relationship. MONEY! Synthesizing "vitamins" from oil is extremely cheap. As technology progressed, we were able to isolate various "vital amines" which is what we derive the word "vitamin" from. Because we were already off track with our thinking about nature, we logically concluded that conjuring up COPIES of these "vital amines" would be just as good but cheaper than using the real thing. This line of thinking fits into the mold of our adversarial relationship with the natural world.

Unfortunately, it too has proven to be an extremely poor, if not hazardous, practice. Synthesized vitamins, by their very nature, are only copies of what we, looking through the eyes of old technology and bias, could see. We assume that what we see is all there is to see. Beyond seeing is the understanding of how these vital amines work within the natural system. Once again, we overlook some extremely important facts.

7 Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, deluxe second edition.

Index NATURAL VS CHEMICAL MEDICINES

One last area for discussion along this topic is in regard to effectiveness of natural remedies vs. chemical affects. In working with patients over the years I have come to see a distinct pattern in how they respond to various medicines. There is a direct correlation in most cases between how often and to what extent the patient utilizes chemical intervention and their overall health condition vs. a patient who rarely uses any chemical substances for treatment and is closely tied to the natural system.

In some cases it is futile to try to affect the body with natural remedies such as herbs and homeopathic medicines when individuals continue to confound their bodies with medications, which cause dramatic reactions. An analogy will help. In a war situation, why use a nuclear bomb when a BB gun could do the trick? Once the bomb has been used, what good will use of the BB gun be? The affects of the BB would hardly be noticed.

The idea is the same with the human body. The body has been conditioned to "nuclear" tactics and responds to the dramatic and often instant affects of chemical substances. To instantly begin using a different tactic in approaching your health problem can seem very ineffective because the results aren't often dramatic and instantaneous, especially because of the conditioning our bodies, not to mention our minds, have received. It takes a period of healing and reconditioning, "re-sensitizing" your system to the more subtle and gentle system which nature uses.

Index FACTORS OF BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY

For some years, it has been well known in natural health circles that a rather remarkable difference exists between synthetic and natural substances. When comparing the two under polarized light, the natural vitamin reflects the light in one direction while the synthetic vitamin reflects it in the OPPOSITE direction. Essentially, what this means is that they are really two completely different substances when compared to the original from which the copies were made. In other words, the copies are really "forgeries" of the real thing. They may look similar, yet the biological availability of the synthetic version is low or nonexistent.

The following quote explains. "A very common but unique property of vitamins gives rise to an unusual problem with synthetic vitamins. The problem stems from the unique three dimensional structure that each vitamin possesses. This isn't a problem until the vitamin attempts to take part in your body's chemical reactions. A simple illustration will make it more clear."

"All of your body's chemical reactions and processes are dependent upon the work of vitamins and enzymes. These vital substances function by fitting themselves together into a very rigorously organized structure in the body. When all the components are perfectly oriented and arranged, the appropriate chemical reactions can take place. Unless they are perfectly arranged, none of these chemical reactions can occur. Herein lies the problem with many synthetic nutrients."

"The easiest way to look at the problem is to imagine the way a hand and glove interrelate. If a glove is the proper size and has the correct number of fingers, then it should fit. But it isn't that simple. The glove for your right hand will not fit your left hand and vice versa. Even though your left and right glove or hand are the exact same size and possess the same number of fingers, the glove will never be interchangeable. This is because even though your hands appear the same, technically, they are not. They are actually mirror images of each other and although they appear identical, they can't wear the same glove."

"It is precisely the same with vitamins. Synthetic vitamins are often the exact mirror image of their natural counterparts. Unfortunately, your body's biochemistry is either right handed or left handed, but never both. Your body is equipped to recognize and use only the naturally occurring form of the vitamin and not its synthetic mirror image counterpart. It would be like trying to put a left-handed glove on your right hand. It just won't work...In the final analysis, there is little reason to consume a synthetically produced supplement. With the ready availability of natural source nutrients, it would seem foolish to second guess mother nature."⁽⁸⁾ By the above explanation you can begin to understand how the scientific observation of oppositely reflected light relates to how our bodies can recognize and use nutritional supplements. Can you begin to see the connection?

Index WATER

We've all hear a lot about water these days. Lack of good quality water is rapidly becoming a serious problem for much of the world. Here in the United States, we are facing multiple problems involving water. Our ground stores of water are being depleted at alarming rates through lack of rain, irrigation and increasing population use. The vast amounts of agricultural chemicals being used for "technological" food production are reaching those underground stores and contaminating them. Today even well water in rural areas of the country are not escaping contamination.

Water contamination is perhaps THE most serious immediate threat to our health. If we consider all the sources of water contamination we have, you will begin to realize how this can be added to the list of health risks. Keep in mind the underlying relationship between mankind's attitude toward nature and the development of products used by most of us daily. Think for a minute about your own household. If you were to go through your closets and cupboards, what would you be able to list in the area of soaps, cleaners, disinfectants, drain and toilet chemicals, automobile oils, engine cleaners, paints. The list would contain 10's of thousands of chemical substances.

Eventually, some or all of every one of those chemicals end up in the sewer system either directly through being poured down drains and toilets or indirectly through rain washing them into the gutters. As we all know, the sewers lead to either a river, lake or ocean, or in some cases a land drain field. What most people may not know is that our waste treatment plants do nothing to remove the chemical contamination from the water. Millions of gallons of chemicals are released into our water systems every year.

In the beginning, the simple act of dispersion could dilute and disperse these chemicals and render them relatively harmless. But as populations grew and therefore product development and use, this dilute and disperse practice became the very avenue for the situation we face today. There is some natural breakdown of some of these chemicals due to their biodegradability, but a large portion remain in the system for years. If YOU owned the land, river, lake or ocean which received the contaminated waste water dumped by millions of other people, how eager would you be to drink water taken FROM it?

This leads us to the next disastrous step in the attitude toward the world around us. Once you have contaminated water, you have to do something to make it fit to drink. Toward that effort, our water companies add the common chemical chlorine into the public water supply. This chemical kills any bacterial contamination, but that's as far as it goes. There is very little that is being done to remove the accumulation of chemical contaminants in our water supply. The bottom line, as usual, is cost.

It is much cheaper to simply add chlorine to the water than to do what it would take to truly purify the water. Chlorine is an extremely poisonous substance. It also is a very potent free radical. A free radical is a very reactive substance which disrupts chemical bonds and causes cell damage. Free radicals are suspected in being contributory to such things as arthritis and atherosclerosis. Normally our body scavenges such free radicals because even natural food we eat can produce them. But when we overload the system with additional chemicals, polluted and processed foods, it becomes difficult or impossible for our detoxification system to work.

Credit must be given to the job people do to provide the water we have now. They are working to provide water within a system that makes it quite difficult to NOT have to do what is done to send water across many miles to where it is needed. How do you keep it pure all along the way? This is just another symptom of our trek away from nature.

There is mounting evidence indicating the vital importance of having enough water on a regular basis.⁽⁹⁾ Many health conditions can be improved with the increase intake of water and could even be brought on by the chronic lack of adequate amounts of water. Water is something most of us do not get enough of. We often believe that the coffee, tea, cola and other "watery" drinks is adequate, when it is FAR from adequate. It is well known that the consumption of these fluids, even though largely water, actually INCREASE our body's needs for water. Why? Simply because there are various other substances within the fluids which we drink that generate an osmotic affect within the body. Osmosis is the physical action taking place of water moving from a high concentration to a lower concentration. If you drink a soft drink which usually contains 12 or more teaspoons of sugar per can, water naturally tries to dilute this thick concentration to bring it into a water balance. Since there is not enough water within the soft drink itself, the body must make up the difference in order to properly metabolize it.

The same is true with ANY drink which isn't pure water. If we consider the research taking place today on the health affects of inadequate amounts of water in our bodies, and think about how little pure water most of us drink in any given day, it isn't hard to realize the potential damage being done on a regular basis. Of course, as explained in previous chapters, the damage isn't all at once. It takes the body time to degenerate and the affects of this degeneration to show up.

Obtaining quality water is vital to good health. Choosing a water filter is important, and depends on the type of water you have, the water pressure in your area and how much you want to spend. The more you know about the quality of your water, the better you can judge as to what kind of filter you need. It pays to do your homework on this. Many companies will tell you that THEIR filter is the best for your water.

Other types of filtration include a common carbon filter, reverse osmosis, ultra violet light, or a combination of some or all. Of course, you can also buy your water but in the long run, this costs much more than the investment in a filter for your home.

Index AIR

Wherever you may live, clean air is a vital "essential ingredient" which the body needs to carry out its functions properly. Air, like water and food, can be a carrier of contamination. Whatever contaminant is inhaled into the lungs is just as much a foreign invader as a virus or bacteria. Many of these contaminants are "filtered" out by cilia which are little hairs which trap particles entering the lungs. I say "filter" because the body still has to remove such particles entirely from the body or they remain an unnatural irritant to the lung tissues.

But there are hundreds of other elements in polluted air which enter the lungs and become a part of our circulation and thus the rest of our body. Such things as carbon monoxide, (CO) a deadly poison. Your body is much more effective in picking up CO than it is oxygen. CO actually binds to our red blood cells and renders them useless in carrying oxygen. Car exhaust is a major source of CO as is cigarette smoke. It must be remembered that oxygen is an absolutely essential "nutrient" which every cell in the body needs. If tissues are unable to receive a steady, adequate source of oxygen, they can't live very long and will die prematurely.

A major loss of oxygen, such as in suffocation, or CO poisoning from car exhaust leads to a quick death. On the other hand, a consistent, low level deprivation of oxygen, from whatever cause, causes a microscopic level of tissue dysfunction, degeneration and even death. I am convinced that there are many health conditions which are promoted or enhanced by the prolonged insufficiency of oxygen. Not only is clean air necessary, but it is also vital to maintain a regular supply throughout the body through some form of aerobic activity. Without regular deep breathing, even in good air, we fail to support an adequate supply of oxygen to ALL the tissues of the body. More will be said on that subject in the chapter on exercise.

There are some kinds of tissues which have poor blood supplies, or none at all. These tissues depend on fluids around them to supply their needs, both nutritionally and with oxygen. One good example is the intervertebral disc. If the blood has an already low level of oxygen, there is hardly an adequate supply left for the disc to use. Again, it is on a microscopic level, but there can only be the stages of degeneration occurring when the cells are starving for oxygen, or for that matter, proper nutrients to maintain itself.

I think you can see the point I am trying to make. As with any other necessary nutrient which the body needs, clean, fresh air must be supplied regularly or there has to be an inevitable breakdown in the system. This is just another piece of the whole picture.

As most people realize, city air is far worse than country or sometimes even suburbs. There isn't a lot we can do about the air we may be breathing except perhaps moving out of a smog filled city, if possible. The next best thing to do is to obtain a good air cleaner for your home, apartment or office space. A simple device such as that can go a long way toward minimizing the amount of personal pollution you may be breathing. Your employer may well be willing to have one or more installed in the office environment, that is, if he or she is aware of the relationship between an employee's health and motivation, and productivity.

An air cleaner, ideally, should consist of a filtering device along with negative ion production. What is a negative ion? A negative ion is a naturally occurring electrically charged particle, usually in high abundance after a rain storm, around water falls and in forests--natural settings. The ions actually attach to such things as dust, pollen, viruses and particulate matter, taking them out of the air. It is the opposite of a positive ion.

Positive ions are in high concentration in closed work spaces, around electrical devices such as computers, overhead lighting, and air conditioning units. Negative ion generators help to reverse that ratio. Besides particle removal, negative ions are in some way related to reducing fatigue and a general sense of well being. Again, being a natural element which is largely missing in our normal living environment, we can see how it, too, can fit into the total health picture. One drawback with negative ion generators is that, unless the device has a good oppositely charged filtering base, much of the dust and particulate matter will be deposited on tables, desks, walls, etc. There are many good filters on the market that will help to minimize this affect. Despite that drawback, you will readily admit that it is better to have such air pollution out of the air we breath and on the walls or tables, anywhere but our lungs.

Index LIGHT

Another area which we have some control is in the way of lighting. Home or office, we use artificial lights everyday of our lives. When you count up the hours we spend beyond the suns reach, you will see that, if much of our artificial lighting were bad for us, we could very well be supporting some of our own health problems.

Let's go back to the basics we discussed in the beginning. Remember, if we agree on the premise that natural law is the protective bounds which we should strive to stay within, then looking at man's substitute for sunlight, we will readily see that there is a vast difference in the physical makeup of most modern lighting. To make a long story short, the wavelength is much shorter and is only a fraction of what is considered normal, natural light.

Being under the influence of this type of light, especially for extended periods of time does affect our bodies. Research has shown that light affects hormone balance, affects sleep patterns and, subconsciously, the light flicker is a cause of stress in adults and hyperactivity in children.⁽¹⁰⁾ There has also been shown a relationship between our eyes and the importance of natural, outdoor light. Remember, we are tied to our relationship with our environment. Our society today spends most of its time inside, at desks, under artificial, poor quality lighting.

Natural, outdoor sunlight, even reflected sunlight, has antibacterial properties. It stimulates the production of vitamin D in our bodies, affects our hormone systems, tones our muscles. There are probably other attributes we aren't aware of. Of course, this should not give license to those who are interested in the cosmetic affects of sunlight. Tanning has been conclusively shown to greatly improve the chances for skin cancer. Ultraviolet radiation can damage the cells of your skin. It affects the collagen fibers which can be the cause of wrinkles and premature skin aging. Like everything else, it isn't the casual interaction with the sun that is the concern. It is the continuous, habitual tanning process which causes the damage.

Of course, when added to all the other areas discussed in this book, you can see how the body could be unable to minimize the damage and even repair or remove any cancerous cells. It is well established that all of us have cancerous cells which develop for one reason or another. It is when the bodies normal defense mechanisms are interfered with that these cells can get a hold wherever they may be. THEN the problem begins.

So what