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Health Basics Excerpts From the Booklet, Principles of Healthful Living, Author Noted at Beginning of Each Article Note, the above named booklet has been out of print for many years. Some parts that are not appropriate to this forum have been removed. We maintain the complete work in our archives for those who would like to request a copy via email. There are three parts of this booklet [out of 8] that we are using here, with a little editing. These three parts give a general background to healthful living. With this background, you will then be ready to advance to other concepts. The three parts below are: The Laws of Radiant Health Foods and Food Additives Stress and Health Original Introduction Immutable laws govern the universe, acting upon everything and everyone. Ignorance of them does not suspend or annul their effect. Health and happiness result when we are in harmony with them; painful penalties are reaped when we break them. Health is not an accident--nor is disease. There are causes for every effect! It is not the purpose of this booklet to give specific diet or therapeutic treatment for illness, but to give understanding and awareness of basic, living laws of radiant health. Part One LAWS OF RADIANT HEALTH By Roderick C. Meredith IN SPITE of improved methods of early detection and treatment, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, tuberculosis, and other plagues peculiar to modern "civilization" continue to exact a frightening toll. Few people in the world are free of disabilities or health problems of some kind. What is your condition? Are you bubbling over with energy and enthusiasm? Are you free from all aches, pains and sickness? Do you enjoy the kind of vigorous, dynamic health that makes it seem good to be alive? Or are you among the millions who are just half-well? There Is a CAUSE for Sickness People do not just happen to get sick. There is a CAUSE for every effect. And there is a definite cause for all the sickness, disease and physical suffering that is so common in this modern world. God does not intend for us to be sick. He inspired the apostle John to write: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health...." (III John 1-2). God wishes us to be in health! That is His will. Why, then, are so many sick today? In a nutshell it is because there are physical laws that regulate our bodies. If we break these laws or if they are accidentally broken, it is a transgression of law (I John 3:4)--and it automatically exacts a penalty. The penalty is pain, sickness--or possibly even death. The CAUSE of sickness is the breaking of physical laws set in motion to govern the operation of our human bodies. These laws are just as real as the law of gravity, and the penalty for breaking them is just as sure. God has been interested in the physical health of His people from the beginning. The Old Testament of the Bible is full of directions and laws concerned with maintaining health. And an honest and careful study of the New Testament will show that in apostolic times Christianity was a definite WAY OF LIFE (Acts 18:26; 19:23)--including an understanding and practice of basic health principles. The apostle Paul commanded the Christians at Corinth: "Glorify God in your body" (I Cor. 6:20). He said that we are "bought with a price"--our bodies belong to God. We should therefore glorify God in our physical bodies by using them as He intended, and by obeying the physical laws He has set in motion. Using the health principles revealed in the Bible, God's revelation to mankind, as a guide, and utilizing the results of man's observation and research into the subject, we can learn the definite laws that govern our physical health. By understanding and obeying these laws, we can begin to build or maintain the kind of radiant health that will enable us to live the full, active and joyful lives that God intended. There are reasons for feeling and being only half alive. The mounting rate of sickness, suffering and death clearly shows that this world has lost the way to health--the way to live. We need to learn how to really live. What, then, are the physical laws that affect our bodies--our lives--so much? 1) Food and Fasting We truly are what we eat. Yet the average person has very little knowledge of what he really ought to eat to build a strong, vigorous body. Many of the products commonly called foods are of little or no value in sustaining, nourishing or building the body. In fact, it has been proven by tests that they do actual harm to the body. They clog the digestive system, aggravate it and become a real burden for the body to eliminate. In many cases, they act as poisons--not foods! Two basic factors to remember in selecting foods are to avoid those foods which have been corrupted or perverted in man-made "food" factories, and to maintain a balanced diet containing all the elements the body requires to sustain and build health. We should take care that our food is properly prepared so as not to destroy the body-building elements. Starchy, greasy, sugary, and spiced-up concoctions may taste good at the moment, but they contain little nutritional value and will, in time, wreck a person's stomach. Remember the principle that your foods should be natural foods--as the Creator caused them to grow or be formed in nature. These will include genuine whole grain breads (without poisonous preservatives added) and whole grain cereals, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables--or vegetables cooked at low temperatures so as to preserve their nutritional value, lean meats cooked without grease or fat, and dairy products. Few people fully realize the detriment caused by such "refined" or "improved" products as white bread, when these are substituted in place of the natural products that were intended as food. Man's effort to improve upon God's creation has FAILED. The more you intelligently study the food question, the more you will realize this. These days it takes some effort to eat a balanced diet of natural foods that have not been perverted by the hand of man, and to learn how to prepare foods so as not to destroy their nutritional value. Under the heading of diet, we should also consider the health value of water. Drinking water--and plenty of it--is one of the greatest aids to eliminating body poisons and keeping the entire system clean. It is an aid in preventing or overcoming constipation--that source of so many bodily ills. Greatly restricting one's diet is known as fasting. An animal, when sick, will frequently refuse to eat. It loses all appetite. Governed by its instincts, it fasts until it is well. But what about humans? Doctors and dietitians agree that we often eat far more food than our bodies require. If food is eaten in excess of bodily needs, it can clog up the vital processes; becoming productive of causes that lead to sickness and disease. A great number of sicknesses are caused by the presence of poisons in the bloodstream. Greatly restricting one's diet enables the body to cleanse itself of the accumulation of the products of an imperfect diet. As food intake is retarded, elimination proceeds rapidly and the body is truly "housecleaning" itself. For many, many common sicknesses such as colds, headaches, fevers, and stomach distress, such a procedure is often effective. 2) Cleanliness and Dress It has been said that "cleanliness is next to Godliness," and, while this saying didn't come directly from the Bible, the principle is certainly correct. In order to teach ancient Israel the habit of cleanliness, God, through Moses, instituted many regulations commanding the people to bathe or wash their clothes after coming in contact with likely disease carriers. We should likewise keep our physical bodies clean. Regular care of the skin, hair, nails, and teeth and freedom from perspiration odor are essential to cleanliness and contribute to health. Waste products are eliminated through the pores of the skin, and regular bathing is always important. Keeping your person, your clothes, and your living quarters clean will not only aid in promoting vigorous health, but will tend to keep your thoughts on a higher level of productivity and accomplishment. Untold physical impairments are caused by the wearing of tight, ill-fitting, or unsuitable clothing. Clothing should afford proper protection from the weather, and should be loose-fitting and comfortable. The wearing of extremely tight girdles or corsets by women often results in the cramping of vital organs, and the weakening of muscles and tissues in the abdominal and pelvic areas--often causing physical distress in later life--and sometimes resulting in the inability to have children normally. Shoes that throw the whole body out of line can cause harm not only to the feet, but to the entire body. A common mistake is the wearing of unnecessarily tight-fitting shoes, which cause bunions, corns and ingrown nails. 3) Sunshine and Fresh Air Occasionally exposing a portion of the body to the sun's rays is beneficial. The sun's rays which provide the greatest benefit to health are the ultraviolet rays. Try to spend a sensible amount of time out of doors in the open air and sunshine. Remember, though, that there is danger in sunlight if the body is exposed too long before it is conditioned to the sun. In acquiring a tan, one should proceed cautiously. At every opportunity, take a deep breath of the purest, freshest air you can find. Breathe deeply to be healthy. We breathe to get oxygen into our systems, without which we would quickly die. Every vital process in the body depends on oxygen for its performance. The more you breathe pure, fresh air, the more pep you will have, the brighter will be your color, the more alert you will be, and the better posture you will have. Most of us take in enough air to sustain life, but not enough to live it vigorously. 4) Exercise Someone once observed that most human progress from the Stone Age to the Space Age has sprung from man's earnest desire to avoid work. Certainly for the past two hundred years, we have hailed as "progress" ideas or inventions that reduced the need for human effort. Our definition of a "developed nation" implies one where muscle power has been largely replaced by machine power. We measure the "quality of life" in terms of how easy our work is, how abundant our leisure time, and how many labor-saving gadgets we have at our disposal. Before the advent of the Industrial Revolution, most people got plenty of exercise whether they wanted to or not. But today it can be all too easily avoided. Millions have adopted the philosophy of Robert Hutchin in Christopher Hale's Exit Screaming: "When I feel a desire to exercise, I lie down until it goes away." Consequently, muscles weaken and atrophy for lack of use. Bodies bulge with fat as the metabolic processes hoard excess calories in anticipation of activity that never comes. Perhaps future anthropologists will look back at twentieth-century man and classify us as "sitters," because that is the dominant posture of our age. We sit in a car or bus on our way to work, where we sit at our desk for eight hours a day. Then we sit down again to travel home, where after sitting for dinner, we sit in front of the TV set for several hours. On weekends, for recreation, we sit in front of stages or movie screens to be entertained, or pay for the pleasure of sitting in the bleachers to watch paid professionals get the exercise we so desperately need ourselves. Millions of people are only a fraction of the physical specimens they ought to be--because of a lack of exercise. Notice a crowd of people some time. Observe the various sizes and shapes--the fat people, the overfed businessmen, and then others who have no more meat on their bones than a scarecrow. This is not to say everybody needs to develop huge, bulging muscles. But nearly everyone does need an intelligently planned program of exercise. Exercise stimulates deep breathing and increases blood circulation. It aids in the expelling of poisons from the system, and tends to produce "normalcy" in all bodily functions. While work leaves one tired and sometimes enervated, proper exercise is of remarkable assistance in building up energy. The body is often recharged after systematic calisthenics, and this form of exercise can include all of the muscle groups of the body--whereas regular work or games often neglect many of these, while overtaxing others. Walking and hiking are excellent forms of exercise for people of all ages and occupations. But vigorous young people stand to benefit by supplementing even these with some form of activity which directly utilizes the arms, shoulders, and torso. Medical and physical education authorities now realize more than ever the importance of running, swimming, cycling, brisk walking and other similar forms of exercise that condition the heart, lungs and blood vessels of the body. It is important, of course, not to overdo it. If there is any question at all, seek the guidance of a reputable physical trainer or physician. But most "non-walking" people in our Western world--clear up into their forties and fifties--stand to benefit immeasurably by a controlled program of cycling, swimming or other physical activity. This type of "conditioning" is not something new at all. It has been the basis--or at least part of the basis--of the training and conditioning program for most sports. Football, basketball, baseball and track coaches have had their players "take their laps." Boxers have done their "roadwork." Swimmers also "take their laps." It has now been scientifically and medically demonstrated that this type of training increases the efficiency of the heart, the lungs and the number and size of the blood vessels that carry the blood to the body tissues, saturating the tissue throughout the body with energy-producing oxygen. The training effect from this type of exercise will tend to relax the individual, help banish many of his tensions and emotional traumas. It will enable him to tolerate the stress of daily living better. It will even help him sleep better, and get more work done, with less fatigue. And it will definitely help prevent heart disease. Few of us in this degenerate age are inclined to get too much exercise. Yet we do need a proper amount to build the kind of abundant, radiant health we should all enjoy. Building a strong, supple, graceful body does require effort. But it is eminently worthwhile. 5) Sleep and Rest Many people, especially students, are inclined to delude themselves with the idea they can drive themselves on in work or play, then "catch up on sleep" later on--and be none the worse for it. Nothing will take the place of regular sleep and rest in its recuperative effects on the human body. Man can go much longer without food than he can without sleep. Sleep becomes even critically necessary after long periods of sleeplessness. Sufficient, regular sleep for most adults ranges from seven to nine hours each night. This is definitely not wasted time. It will enable one to be fully alive during his work and play, and to live a longer and fuller life in the end. However, too much sleep is not a benefit. Rather, it is depressing and causes sluggishness and a state of lethargy. We are warned in Proverbs against oversleeping and laziness (Prov. 24:33, 34). In addition to regular sleep, many physical education and health authorities recommend one or more short periods of rest throughout the day to recharge our worn nerve batteries. When the Creator said, "Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work," He was giving a law of health--as well as a spiritual principle--which will never grow old. Both physically and mentally, we need to rest every seventh day--and so God gave the Sabbath rest as a great blessing. Thousands of years ago, God knew and enunciated what many men still haven't found out--that in depriving yourself of sufficient sleep and rest, you will accomplish not more, but less in the end. 6) Avoid Bodily Injury Think of the tens of billions of dollars lost in doctor and hospital bills, and of the countless work hours which are forfeited each year because of bodily injury. This is entirely unnecessary! Too many reckless, careless people defile and destroy their bodies not only with perverted foods, drinks, cigarettes, drugs and the like--but by injuring them in mishaps and accidents. There is abundant information available regarding the prevention of accidents. It is important that you realize how seriously you should take this problem--and resolve to quit taking physical risks in your work or play. One such careless moment can easily undo and wreck the physical well-being you may have nourished for years. Carelessness just doesn't pay; develop the habit of thinking ahead. Consider the end results of your actions. 7) Build a POSITIVE Mental Attitude One of the least-understood factors governing health is the profound effect that the mind has on the body. It is becoming increasingly recognized that a large part of the common ailments of mankind are caused--not so much by the body--as by the mind. Ulcers, indigestion, headaches, eye-strain, nervousness, and a host of other ailments are often found to be caused by the mind--not the body. Some medical authorities now believe that over 50 percent of all those seeking medical aid are sick or disturbed because of mental problems. And what is startling is that emotionally induced illness apparently becomes more prevalent as one goes up the ladder of human responsibility, mental alertness and capacity. Perhaps an alert mind can think of more to be worried about than an ordinary mind can! Strife, fear, tension and anxiety all take a terrible toll in the physical impairments which they either directly cause or aggravate in our bodies. Haven't you known families who engaged in a "free-for-all battle" during every meal? Perhaps they were ignorant of the fact that nagging and quarreling at the table is almost certain to cause nervous indigestion and other ailments. Few people today have the sense of contentment and genuine peace of mind upon which good health is predicated. And physical nourishment, exercise and care are not enough. For, as the writer of Proverbs stated: "Better is a dinner of herbs where LOVE is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith" (Prov. 15:17). But the strife, tension, resentments and bitterness which our present competitive society fosters create the exact opposite conditions in the body and nervous system from those which would guarantee good health and mental well-being. Hundreds of years before modern psychiatry "discovered" that carnal emotions help cause many of our bodily ills, the Bible condemned these emotions and provided a cure for them. Sexual immorality, hatred, quarreling, jealousy, bad temper, rivalry, factions, party-spirit, envy and drunkenness, for example, are among the harmful practices and traits listed in Galatians 5:19-21. Obedience to the laws of God is the KEY to mental health. "Great peace have they which love thy law," David wrote in the Psalms (Ps. 119:165). God's Law is the way to a long life, happiness and peace (Prov. 3:1-2). God's Law, summarized, is the law of LOVE--outgoing concern for others (Matt. 22:36-40). Love is the fulfilling of God's Law (I John 5:3; Rom.13:10). Perfect, mature love casts out fear, worry, anxiety, depression, and the negative emotions that can wreck mental health. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love" (I John 4:18). This kind of love is outgoing concern for the welfare of other people, as opposed to self-centered, selfish concern for one's own self. It is the attitude of Giving service to others, helpfulness. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). This kind of love is the essential key to mental health and emotional well-being. It conquers negative emotions such as jealousy, fear, hatred, vanity, worry and inferiority. Action Remember these basic health laws. Strive to apply them in your life. It will take some effort, but the reward of a strong, graceful, vigorously healthful body will more than repay your efforts. Of course, if you have already broken these laws most of your life, you will not attain as great benefits as if you had started early. And in all honesty, we must realize one factor that we have nothing to do with--our heredity, and the fact that some of us have inherited certain weaknesses which may never be fully overcome. But nearly any physical condition can be greatly improved if the right steps are taken. The renewed zest, enthusiasm and sense of well-being will more than repay your efforts in making the laws of radiant health a veritable way of life. Part Two FOODS AND FOOD ADDITIVES By Michael A. Snyder IMAGINE you have been able to buy a new automobile. When you picked it up from the dealer, it had everything you needed; power steering, air conditioning, a medium-sized engine, comfortable seats, radial tires. The first thing you do with your new car is drive it to a scrap yard, where you have it crushed into a metal block. Then you take the crushed remains of your new car and have it pulled apart and painted until it resembles its old shape. You have a new engine installed and some accessories put in. It costs a fortune, but you're just following an accepted style. Sound crazy? Of course! But this analogy is similar to the process that the refined foods you eat go through. Bread, for example, often is so commercially processed that it only vaguely resembles in some aspects the wheat bread great-grandmother used to make. Why Additives and Processing? The refined-foods trend grew out of food prepared for royalty. Food was milled and carefully sculptured to please those in high standing. As the economy became more diversified, use of refined foods spread to the middle and lower classes. Today, increased usage of food additives and processed foods have arisen as a result of basic and fundamental changes in our society. Over a period of decades, our Western society has become time and economically oriented. As one person characterized it, we have become an "instant pudding" society. Everything must happen now! This change is reflected in our foods. Where a century ago wives and small children would spend several hours a day baking, cooking and preparing foods, today's family may have as little as 15 minutes to prepare and eat an average meal. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) even sponsored a nationwide program that attempted to educate children in proper food habits. But the proper preparation and consumption of food takes time. And there's the key word in understanding the rising use of food additives! As the pace of our society accelerated, people began to demand ready-packaged foods. For example, businessmen saw that people often get out of bed at the last moment, occasionally missing breakfast because they didn't have time to eat it. The use of whole grains as a breakfast food was already wide-spread, so they simply took it one step further to cut down time in both preparation and consumption by the family. They refined the grains to make them more palatable and easier to prepare--then sweetened the product to make it more pleasant tasting. The result? Millions of people now will rise in the morning, hurry into the kitchen and gulp down a bowl of presweetened cereal. Unfortunately, many of the vital nutrients were ripped out of the whole grain when it was refined, so companies compensated by adding artificial vitamins and other additives. Again, we can see our crushed car analogy. This life-style continues in the evening, where the husband and wife both arrive home from work tired and hungry. Neither feels like expending more energy in preparing an elaborate meal, so one reaches into the freezer and takes out a couple of frozen entrees to stick in the oven. While that's heating up, a can of peas (with various chemicals added to preserve the color and flavor) is opened and heated on the stove. Both the husband and wife feel like relaxing with a cool drink, so one mixes up a couple of before-dinner drinks--using powdered mix available from a liquor store. After the hastily prepared meal is consumed, our family turns their interests and energies to other pursuits--perhaps one is attending classes or there's office work to do. At any rate, little planning or advance work for tomorrow's meal will be done. A well-stocked cupboard of processed spaghetti, frozen or canned vegetables and preserved meat products will provide ample sustenance. Is This What We Want? We can see then, the use of additives and food processing is the result of a change in society. Additives and refined foods provide a short cut to save time, and in many instances, money. Because of the advances in technology, most processed food is cheaper than its unprocessed or unaltered counterpart. Food with additives is easier to store and easier to handle in terms of mass production and distribution. Few people realize that vegetable farmers face a very critical period from the harvest of their crop and its distribution to market. In a matter of hours, thousands of dollars can be lost through wilting lettuce, shriveled tomatoes or overripe berries. So faced with the problem of providing food to millions of people, companies have resorted to artificial means of preserving and storing foods. Understanding the Reason To understand the use of additives, we must look for causes, not merely the effect. In any society, the smallest and most fundamental building block is the family. It is a well-recognized fact of political science that whatever families do or tolerate, so follows the collective society. It therefore follows that if families begin to develop new life-styles--ones that don't allow time for properly preparing food, cultivating a garden for fresh vegetables--then the society will follow suit. And there you have it! It's time to realize what the change of family in our Western culture is doing to us! Both internal and external pressures mount to alter our life-styles and relationships. For years, The Plain Truth has thundered the warning that the family institution is in danger of crumbling! Confusion of roles within the family, nonaligned goals, zero communication between partners or parents and children, create complex pressures and problems that leave precious little time for things like worrying about proper nutrition! Hence, enter additives and refined foods. The academic jury is still out as to the long-term effect of these substances. It seems that consistent human opinion on nutrition is nonexistent. And if you look at the Babylon of confusion that surrounds academic and commercial disciplines of nutrition today, you have to admit that something is sorely lacking! Concerning practicing good nutrition (a term most nutritionists steer clear of because they recognize no final authority), let's look to a source we can regard as authoritative. That source is none other than the Bible! "Thy word is TRUTH reads John 17:17, so let's see what the Bible says. About 2,500 years ago, an unusually bright young man and his three companions were given the opportunity to attend a very prestigious school. This school was sponsored by the then most powerful man on the face of the earth. The young man Daniel and his three friends enjoyed a tremendous opportunity to partake of what was then considered to be the most advanced culture and literature of its day. Given the political climate of the time, one might think that it would be wise to "play ball" in whatever fashion the king desired--especially since Daniel was there as a Jewish captive, the entire nation of Judah then being slowly absorbed into the state of Babylon. But Daniel had strong principles. He knew the importance of proper diet and health. So he bucked the system. "Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank..." (Daniel 1:8). Pretty courageous for a teenager in the court of the then world-ruling king! Daniel spoke with the man who was in charge of him (Daniel 1:8-10) and talked him into changing his diet as an experiment. "Please test your servants for ten days," Daniel said to the man in charge of him and his friends. "Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men [who attended the royal school with Daniel and his friends] who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see" (Daniel 1:12-13, New International Version). The result? "At the end of the ten days they [Daniel and his friends] looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food"! (Daniel 1:15, NIV.) From the context, we can surmise that the king's food Daniel was referring to probably was of a refined nature--royalty was privy to gourmet-type foods, while servants and peasants had to eat coarse, whole-grain foods. (Today, this same stigma of food preference exists. Many older people who went through the great economic depression of the 1930s will not eat whole wheat bread because to them it, smacks of having to eat home-baked bread. Many were unable to afford anything else during this period.) The wisdom of Daniel's dietary practice was reconfirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture and a report by a U.S. Senate committee. They recommended that people eat less red meat and consume more vegetables and whole grain foods! The other possible inference gained from Daniel's refusal to eat the king's food is that it may have been unfit to eat by God's standards. According to God, certain meats are perfectly fine in moderation for human consumption. God wants you to enjoy food (Psalms 103:5; 104:14-15; Genesis 1:29-30), so He gave certain guidelines. In Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 you will find God's instructions on which meats to eat and not to eat. Building a Happy Family Tying everything together now, we see that certain elements of our personal lives must be changed before we can develop sound nutritional habits. Chiefly, time must be made available--so food can be both prepared and enjoyed. You should be able to know why you are eating certain things and not be the pawn of advertising. Don't allow others to make the decision for you by way of the electronic media--get the facts, understand them and make rational decisions. Long before it was "chic" to write or be knowledgeable about nutrition, the late editor in chief of the Plain Truth magazine Herbert W. Armstrong was exhorting people to practice many of the things asserted by nutritionists today. In one publication, he wrote almost a decade ago: "The Almighty God made the human body so that--even though composed of material substance from the ground (Genesis 2:7, 3:19)--its normal condition is one of robust, invigorating, radiant GOOD HEALTH! "Sickness and disease are ABNORMAL--they are the PENALTY OF VIOLATION OF NATURAL LAWS.' He continued, giving the following advice: "There is another area in which our English-speaking peoples ruin their own health. They take a good steak, or a mixed green salad of uncooked leafy green vegetables, and then RUIN them with sauces, gravies, or dressings that will wreck any stomach--at least in time! People think they must mix foods into conglomerations of meat with starch, sugars, condiments, artificial flavors, preservatives, sea-'foods,' and unhealthful mixtures--IN CONFUSION! The 'best' chefs are those who can concoct the most injurious sauces and conglomerations." God wants you to enjoy life (III John 2). But you can't enjoy anything unless you're healthy. There's nothing so precious as good health. Part Three STRESS AND HEALTH [author unknown] PSYCHOSOMATIC illness--the term conjures up visions of fleeting aches and pains the doctor can't diagnose, people who call in sick on work days and the hypochondriac whose tombstone was inscribed: "See, I told you I was sick." But contrary to this popular image, psychosomatic illness is not "all in your head." In fact, you can die from a psychosomatic illness as well as from any other kind. And in reality, the "other kind" of illness may be extremely rare. Psychosomatic (or as some term it, "emotionally induced") illness probably accounts for over 50% of all cases doctors see--and some estimate that as much as 90% of all illness is precipitated by unhealthy emotions. Far from being a figment of imagination, emotionally induced illness is something we all suffer from at one time or another. Thousands of years ago, King Solomon wrote that "a broken spirit dries up the bones" (Prov. 17:22). The Bible recognizes the link between what goes on in our heads and the condition of our bodies. But how can what we think make us sick or healthy? Doesn't a person get sick because he comes into contact with a germ when he is injured, or fatigued, or his resistance is low? Yes, in part. But what makes a person's resistance low? What weakens his body to such an extent that germs can mount a successful attack? Research scientists have discovered that stress (defined as wear and tear on the body) can be produced by feelings and emotions. Experiments have shown that every emotion automatically produces certain physical changes in our bodies. One dramatic example of this was a man who had a surgical opening made in his stomach following an accident. This made it possible for doctors to observe the changes that occurred under different circumstances. When he was upset, "His stomach became red and engorged, and soon the folds were thick and turgid. Acid production accelerated sharply and vigorous contractions began" (Effective Psychology for Managers, Mortimer Feinberg, p. 92). If the provocation is only minor--if it does not involve a fight, then the body undergoes this stress for no good reason. You don't confront your boss for criticizing your work, so you suffer quietly while your stomach ulcerates. After being battered by enough negative emotions, the body breaks down at its weakest point and illness results. The list of diseases directly brought on by emotions is seemingly endless. Everything from colds to cancer has been attributed to mentally induced stress. And in between in seriousness are such maladies as arthritis, asthma, fatigue, hay fever, headaches, high cholesterol, heart attacks and circulatory disorders, hypertension, hives, insomnia and ulcers. Your mind can make you ill. But the reverse is also true. As Solomon wrote: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine," and "A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh." Just as negative emotions can wear the body down, positive feelings can build it up. And we now know that people have a lot more control over the way their bodies function than was previously thought possible. The link between mind and body has been intensively explored in recent years. One resulting field of study is called biofeedback, which has given us new insights into how the human body functions. ------------------- Insert ----------------------------------------------- The Holmes Stress Scale Psychiatrist Thomas H. Holmes of the University of Washington School of Medicine has developed a scale to measure the, relative stress induced by various changes in a person's life. The amount of stress is measured on a point scale of 200 "life-change units." Studies by Dr. Holmes and his associates show that if you accumulate more than 200 units in a single year your life has probably been disrupted enough to make you vulnerable to illness. Event Scale of Impact Death of spouse ............................ 100 Divorce .................................... 73 Marital separation ......................... 65 Jail term ................................... 63 Death of close family member ............... 63 Personal injury or illness ................. 53 Marriage ................................... 50 Fired at work .............................. 47 Marital reconciliation ..................... 45 Retirement ................................. 45 Change in health of family member .......... 44 Pregnancy .................................. 40 Sex difficulties ........................... 39 Gain of new family member .................. 39 Business readjustment ...................... 39 Change in financial state .................. 38 Death of close friend ...................... 37 Change to different line Of work ........... 36 Change in number of arguments with spouse .. 35 Mortgage over $10,000 ...................... 31 Foreclosure of mortgage or loan ............ 30 Change in responsibilities at work ......... 29 Son or daughter leaving home ............... 29 Trouble with in-laws ....................... 29 Outstanding personal achievement ........... 28 Wife begins or stops work .................. 26 Begin or end school ........................ 28 Change in living conditions ................ 25 Revision of personal habits ................ 24 Trouble with boss .......................... 23 Change in work hours or conditions ......... 20 Change in residence ........................ 20 Change in schools .......................... 20 Change in recreation ....................... 19 Change in church activities ................ 19 Change in social activities ................ 18 Mortgage or loan less than $10,000.......... 17 Change in sleeping habits .................. 16 Change in number of family get-togethers ... 15 Change in eating habits .................... 15 Vacation ................................... 13 Christmas .................................. 12 Minor violation of the law ................. 11 ------------End of Insert ------------------------------------------------ Before biofeedback, it was believed that the autonomic nervous system (controlling breathing, heartbeat and other automatic functions) couldn't be consciously controlled. But research has proven this wrong. Patients have taught themselves to lower their blood pressure, increase poor circulation to their extremities, prevent migraine headaches and overcome insomnia through experimental training. In other words, they have improved various conditions formerly thought beyond their control. But such procedures are nothing really new--they have been around for years. Before modern pharmacology had developed to its present level, doctors relied heavily on placebos, or harmless sugar pills. These were dispensed to treat various ailments for which they had no specifically effective medicine. Repeatedly, patients got satisfactory relief of what was ailing them over 50% of the time. The placebo's beneficial effect was not due to some mystical faith in the doctor or even willpower. Rather the patients were exercising a certain amount of voluntary mental control over their health. Placebos seemed to reinforce a positive attitude in the patient that he will recover quickly. This emotion or feeling of well-being in turn stimulated the body to produce hormones conducive to repairing disease-caused damage. Establishing a right mental attitude can prevent and even alleviate certain physical maladies caused or aggravated by negative thinking. Speaking of right thinking, the book of Proverbs shows that what doctors and scientists refer to as a "positive mental attitude" can go a long way toward making one's life long and pleasant (see facing page). This isn't just one ancient philosopher's opinion, either. Dr. Hans Selye, director of the Institute of Experimental Medicine and Surgery at the University of Montreal, and author of a number of books on stress, said the following: "Many of the eminent among the hard workers in almost any field have lived a long life... well into their seventies, eighties or even late nineties. They lived... a life of constant leisure by always doing what they like to do" (Stress Without Distress, p. 96). ----------------------INSET----------------------------------------------- Proverbs and Psychosomatics The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the connection between emotions and health. Below are excerpts from Proverbs on this subject, quoted from the Revised Standard Version. "Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones" (3:7, 8). "A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself" (AV: "troubleth his own flesh") (11:17). "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (12:18). "Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad" (12:25). "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life" (13:12). "A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh, but passion [AV: "envy") makes the bones rot" (14:30). "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it" (15:17). "The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones" (15:30). "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body" (16:24). "Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife" (17:1). "A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones" (17:22). "A man's spirit will endure sickness; but a broken spirit who can bear?" (18: 14). "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls" (25:28). ------------------END OF INSET-------------------------------------------- Notice how Dr. Selye's words parallel the advice in the book of Ecclesiastes: "Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart... Let your garments be always white; let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life... because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might..." (Eccl. 9:7-10, RSV). But very few of us find ourselves doing something we really enjoy "with our might." Dr. Selye agrees and adds that "Few people belong to this group of the creative elite; admittedly, their success in meeting the challenge of stress cannot serve as a basis for a general code of behavior. But you can live long and happily by working hard along more modest lines if you have found the proper job and are reasonably successful at it" (ibid. pp.96-97). Health and Hope Scriptures such as Romans 8:28-31 ("We know that all things work together for good to them that love God.... If God be for us, who can be against us?") show it is unnecessary to become depressed or ill from the effects of hopelessness. The Bible is filled with information on how to maintain a hopeful, happy, tranquil mind. But one of the best summaries is found in Philippians 4:4-8 (RSV): "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice....Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Be sure to write for a free copy of the reprint article "You Can Conquer Your Fears."