Seventh-day Adventists have been promoting the health message since 1860. We believe in a ministry of healing by which each person can be restored to wholeness. We are deeply committed to promoting healing in every aspect of life; physical, mental, social and spiritual.
Eight Natural Remedies
NUTRITION
The American Dietetic Association has finally conceded—a vegetarian diet can supply all the necessary dietary ingredients to maintain health. The prestigious Mayo Clinic endorses a plant-based diet. More and more researchers, physicians and nutritionists are beginning to echo the same “Go plant-based!” Eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts will prevent many diseases and cause others to disappear, largely through anti-inflammatory properties.
A plant-based diet assures one of getting the most antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals with the least amount of calories. Talk about eye-popping appeal to stimulate the appetite! Those brightly colored plant pigments of red, orange, yellow, blue, deep-green, have an added bonus – they fight disease! All of these beautiful pigments are abundant in health-giving phytochemicals!
Worried about Protein? Don’t be. It can be obtained from many sources other than risky, often disease-ridden meat. Peas and a variety of beans are excellent sources, especially when combined with a whole grain such as brown rice, whole wheat, oats or corn. Nuts are also rich in protein, but eat them sparingly. A cup of vegetarian baked beans has a whopping 12 grams of protein! Even vegetables such as broccoli and potatoes contain protein. A diet high in meat and cheese provides too much protein, which along with animal fat, stimulates atherosclerosis leading to heart disease. Large quantities of protein can also overwork the kidneys and produce kidney disease.
Carbohydrates contain the energy for every day optimum work performance. High carb foods are energy foods. However, eliminate the “bad carbs” – table sugar, refined grains like white rice and white flour, desserts, sweetened cereals, and pastries. Oust candies and soft drinks from the diet. Complex carbohydrates – “good carbs” – are the best. Good sources include potatoes, brown rice, whole grain breads and whole grain cereals.
Avoid bad fats. Lard, shortening, butter, fish, meat, poultry, margarine, fried foods, cream, mayonnaise and cheese are not needed and contain harmful fats. Avocado, olives, seeds, and nuts contain healthy fats. Omega 3 fats are very healthy – found in walnuts and ground flax seeds.
Fiber is like scrub brushes in our body to keep our digestive system clean and functioning well. Whole plant foods are high in fiber! Meats, milk products, and refined foods have no fiber and tend to clog the digestive system, leading to disease. Research has shown that a high fiber diet decreases the risk of many forms of cancer and heart attacks.
Sodium! Very salty foods such as meat products, pickles, canned foods, baked goods with baking soda or baking powder, and even many breakfast cereals promote high blood pressure and heart disease. Try to limit salt in your diet. A little salt is good.
What should I eat? Whole plant foods are bursting with nutrition! (Nutrient dense and calorie shy) Every day we should enjoy liberal portions of vegetables and fruit. Eat whole grains. Nothing is lost by refining and help prevent overeating and obesity as they are much more satisfying. Legumes and nuts replace meat and cheese.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! A good breakfast should contain the most calories of any meal. Choose foods high in protein and complex carbohydrates. Don’t forget the fruit. Try to eat a good lunch and a very light supper. This will give you energy for the day and a better night of rest.
EXERCISE
We are a sedentary nation of couch potatoes addicted to computer games, TV, and spectator sports. We need exercise! Children who once were off the charts in exercise demand, now sit; and way too much – 17 percent are overweight or obese, largely due to sitting. This makes them prone to adult type 2 diabetes, with its dire complications.
Pregnancy: Moms to-be, you need to get out and get going! Research shows that moderate exercise increases placental blood flow and decreases risks of pregnancy. When you exercise, so does your baby. It decreases baby’s resting heart rate and birth weight – important conditioning parameters.
Exercise may help:
• Control weight – the metabolic rate increases, burning more calories even at rest!
• Increase lung capacity and recharge oxygen supply
• Improve blood pressure, circulation, and strengthen your heart
• Lower cholesterol and improve blood flow in the arteries – it can even help reverse arteriosclerosis!
• Relieve stress, tension, depression, and improve sleep naturally – without a pill!
• Promote the body’s ability to get rid of toxic wastes.
• Improve metabolism – stabilizes blood sugar.
• Strengthen the bones and counteract osteoporosis
• Increase physical strength and tone of muscles by improving oxygen utilization.
• Improve posture and decrease back problems
• Prevent the big C word – CANCER
What kind of activity is best?
Walking is the ideal exercise. Other good activities include swimming, cycling, gardening, and yard work. One of the special benefits of exercising outside is that you can combine at least three of the health principles: sunlight, fresh air, and exercise.
A daily program of at least thirty to forty minutes is best for maximum benefit. The important thing is that you enjoy what you do and do it regularly.
Exercise Precautions
1 Start slowly and progress gradually.
2 It is better to exercise before a meal than right after a meal.
3 Allow time to warm up and cool down.
4 Discontinue your exercise and see your physician should you have any of the following symptoms:
1 Pain in the chest, teeth, jaw, neck, arms, bones, or joints.
2 Difficulty in breathing, light-headedness, or fainting
3 Irregular heart rate during exercise or recovery period
4 Excess fatigue
5 Recurrent nausea or vomiting occurring after exercise
A balanced and well-planned exercise program is one of the wisest investments you can make. Choose an activity that you enjoy and stick to it. Have fun and feel better every day!
WATER
“Anything but water, please!” We really don’t say it, but when we go to the drive-up window or sit down to order a meal, that is exactly what most Americans in essence say: coffee please, or Mountain Dew, Coke, a milk shake, a glass of wine, but rarely plain water! Hot days? We automatically reach for a soda. Your brain is about 80% water. Water keeps you thinking clearly. “Anything but water” is a bad tradition that puts an overwhelming osmotic load into the blood stream, making it sticky and flow poorly. Only water can create the proper environment for your blood to flow smoothly, help regulate your blood pressure, and promote vascular health. In one study, men who drank five or more glasses of water daily had a 54% less risk of a heart attack than those who drank two or less daily, or who used other beverages.
Weight Loss
People who drank two eight-ounce glasses of water 20 to 30 minutes before meals ate an average of 75 fewer calories at that meal. In another study two eight-ounce glasses of water before meals resulted in a 44% greater weight loss over 12 weeks than in a non-water control group. That is staggering! Reach for water, not coffee, or soda. That is a proven way to curb appetite and lose weight.
Caffeine
Avoid it entirely! Caffeine is a diuretic. Coffee and most soda pop contain a whopping amount of caffeine geared to dehydrate you. It can raise the blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood fats. It stimulates the nervous system and can cause irritability, anxiety, tremors, chronic fatigue, and insomnia. After time, the pick-me-up is only preventing a major let-down, produced by the habit itself. Eventually you hit bottom.
What happens if I don’t drink enough water?
The kidneys have to work much harder to excrete toxins, and may be damaged. Each cell in the body needs water to function well, so inadequate water intake can cause disease. Chronic lack of water is linked to bladder cancer. Fatigue and headaches are a common result of drinking too little water. In the summer months, increase intake and stay ahead of thirst. When you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. Water keeps the body cool. It brings the heat from the inner organs to the surface of the skin in the form of sweat, and also acts as an evaporative cooler. Drink eight cups per day. Also, enjoy hot and cold contrast showers. The cold stimulates the immune system, and hot baths open the pores and eliminates toxins.
Remember, water is of vital importance – use it abundantly for good health and vitality.
SUNLIGHT
When we think “sunshine” we often think of a luxury SUN-cruise on the Caribbean, with stops at enchanting island retreats like Jamaica or Barbados, or we think CANCER. Why these extremes? In reality, most people can get plenty of sunshine in their own backyards! Ten or 15 minutes in noontime summer sun leads to the production of 10,000 IU (International Units) of Vitamin D, which has proven to decrease the risk for many cancers.
The myth is busted! Sunshine protects against a very deadly form of skin cancer called melanoma. A new study published in the March 2011 European Journal of Cancer discovered that those people who spent four to five hours in the sun each day over weekends were less likely to develop melanoma than those who did not. This is exciting for those who love the sun. (A word of caution here: those who burn easily were at higher risk regardless of the amount of time spent in the sun. So avoid sunburn.) Another piece of good news for sun lovers is that women with high sun exposure had half the risk of developing advanced breast cancer. Also, reduced risk of other cancers by sunshine include prostate, colon, lung, ovary, bladder, uterus, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, multiple myeloma, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Sunlight Increases Immunity
Immunity is increased by exposure to sunlight and your body’s resistance to infection is strengthened. White blood cells are increased. Antibodies are increased too. These effects can last up to three weeks. Even 10 minutes of sun twice a week can greatly reduce the incidence of colds.
Sunlight Strengthens Bones
Bones are strengthened by sunlight. It allows the body to make Vitamin D, which helps calcium absorption from the intestines and calcium deposit in building healthy bones. Sunlight prevents rickets and helps prevent and reverse osteoporosis. There is also a connection with lowered incidence of dental cavities.
Sunlight Promotes Sense of Well-being
Sense of well-being is promoted by sunlight and the mood is elevated. Daily exposure to natural sunlight will boost melatonin output, which also improves sleep. For most people, sunlight is an important therapy, especially if combined with exercise, in preventing and treating acute and chronic depression. Sunlight helps produce serotonin to lift the mood.
Other Benefits of Sunlight
Other benefits of sunshine include alleviating pain from swollen arthritic joints and even relieving some symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS). It also helps ward off heart disease, hypertension, and autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Juvenile Diabetes, MS, as well as obesity.
Remember – it’s not all that bad. Enjoy the sun moderately and it will increase your vitality and good health.
TEMPERENCE
Balance has lost its true meaning: Modern society has become a society of excesses! We try to take something bad and make it good. For example, cigarette filters were added to cigarettes in the 1950s, in response to the first reports that tar in cigarettes was associated with the increased risk of lung cancer. Still, tobacco is a major cause of death in the United States, killing 1200 Americans every day.
Alcohol
We have found a way to say this is a health benefit – drinking only one or two drinks per day is going to benefit our hearts. Yet, 5000 youth per year lose their lives to binge drinking. In reality, the bad effects to the whole body and on the heart itself counter any benefits it may have to the heart. Alcohol increases the risk of stroke, heart failure, stomach ulcers, and cancer, and causes high blood pressure – a very dangerous condition for the cardiovascular system. One or two drinks can produce spasm of the coronary arteries, decreasing the oxygen supply to the heart. So, the reports of the health benefits of alcohol are really misleading to the public. Unfortunately, millions of people have become alcoholics, ruining body, mind, and soul, and destroying families in the process. Perhaps the saddest statistics are those of damaged babies who are permanently retarded due to their parents’ alcohol use.
Coffee and Caffeine
Coffee is being highly praised for its anticancer phytochemicals and antioxidants. On the other hand, caffeine is addictive, stresses the nervous system by overworking it, can lead to depression and anxiety with the jitters, and in pregnant mothers increases the risk of miscarriage. A new study shows that 5% of all heart attacks are attributed to caffeine use alone.
Drugs
Despite all the education about illegal drugs, we continue to see an increase in their use and abuse. Many begin using drugs out of curiosity, to please friends, to provide an escape from reality, or to avoid dealing with problems. Because drugs don’t solve problems, users often find that instead of escaping from their problems, they end up creating something worse – drug addiction. The need for the drug often becomes so strong that users will resort to dangerous and illegal activities to obtain a continuing supply. Up to 70% of prison inmates are incarcerated for drug-related crimes. If you or someone you know is addicted to drugs, get help!
We need to rethink “moderation” and “balance.” The goal of temperate living is peak physical, mental and emotional well being. Temperance really means to “abstain” from anything that is harmful and use in moderation things that are good. Temperance does not just involve alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. It refers to all aspects of our lifestyle, whether it be overeating, overworking, too much play, or too little/much of anything. Such unbalanced living robs men and women of a rich, healthy, and satisfying life.
Common-sense changes in your lifestyle can add years, perhaps decades, to your life. What’s more, your quality of life can vastly improve. Plan right now to enjoy filling the years ahead with a balanced high quality life!
AIR
Smog’s Contribution to Illness
You feel like someone’s choking you! Your chest feels tight—you may cough or wheeze—and you just can’t seem to catch your breath! You feel panicky! What do you do? You run for the freshest most oxygenated air around. Perhaps you grab an inhaler, maybe even take a whiff from an oxygen bottle, and you hope for miraculous relief. This scenario is not uncommon. About 20 million Americans suffer from asthma. In severe cases, asthma attacks can be deadly. They kill 5,000 people every year in the United States! Ask anyone with this condition how important air is. The culprit? Air pollution from cars, factories and power plants. More than 159 million Americans—over half the nation’s population—live in areas with bad air. A research study published in 2002 estimated that 30 percent of childhood asthma is due to environmental exposures, costing the nation $2 billion per year. And studies also suggest that air pollution may contribute to the development of asthma in previously healthy people. For children with asthma, hospitalizations occur up to 26 percent more frequent on high air pollution days compared to normal days. Air pollution has also been implicated in causing pneumonia, heart attacks, heart arrhythmias, cancer, and other diseases. So my advice is to move out of the cities and enjoy the air the way God created it – fresh, crisp, clean, and with the scent of evergreen trees and flowers. Trees, water, and wind help keep air fresh.
Indoor Air Pollution
The yellow-brown pall of smog hanging over a city is not the only breathing threat to humanity. Consider indoor air pollution, which can be a source of colds, flu, sore throats, headaches, asthma, and other respiratory problems. Formaldehyde is found in building materials, smoking, household products, and the use of gas stoves or kerosene space heaters. Formaldehyde may be used to add permanent-press qualities to clothing and draperies, as a component of glues and adhesives, as a preservative in some paints and coating products, and in pressed wood products like particleboard. While we may not get rid of it, it is important to open windows and keep the air circulating to cut down on high concentrations. Some people may find great relief in removing products with chemical adhesives. Other indoor pollutants include: pesticides, paints, varnishes, hobby products, tobacco smoke, and cleaning products; bacteria, mold, mildew, viruses, animal dander, dust mites, cockroaches, and pollen.
Fresh Air’s Importance to the Sick
An incredible story! During the 1919 flu epidemic, the hospital in Eureka, California, was overflowing with patients. The head doctor called the army, which gave them tents, cots, and blankets. The overflow patients were moved into the tents in which there was no heat, except hot water bottles that were used to keep the feet warm. It was found that no patients in the tents, with the fresh air they were getting, were dying. However, numbers of patients in the hospital were dying. When this was realized, the heat in the hospital was turned down and the windows were raised. The patients had to put on heavy underwear, but their death rate went down (Gunter B. Paulien PhD. The Divine Philosophy and Science of Health and Healing, p. 88).
REST
Today, as never before, “the pressure is on:” Pressure to beat out the other guy for the top spot. Pressure to get the highest grade in school, to advance to the next level. Pressure just to make ends meet in a teetering economy. Seems like no time to sleep, no time to meditate and rest! It is thought that working late into the night will accomplish much! So people pop pills, drink coffee, or use other energy boosting techniques to stay up late into the night, and into the wee hours of the morning in the hopes of getting the grade or finishing a task. Wait! Can we unravel the delicate fabric of life and really think we will win in the end?
A study was done where 44 college students put in an “all nighter” and then took a test in critical thinking. They performed worse on the test than an “eight-hour control group” but were more confident they had done better, and were more focused. Conclusion: College students are not aware of the extent to which sleep deprivation negatively affects their ability to complete cognitive tasks (Pilcher and Waters, 1997).
Mark Mahowald, a professor of neurology at the University of Minnesota Medical School says that any amount of sleep deprivation will diminish mental performance. “One complete night of sleep deprivation is as impairing in simulated driving tests as a legally intoxicating blood-alcohol level.” If missing a night of sleep can do that to your driving ability think what it would do to your performance to get ahead! The prestigious Lancet medical journal made this observation: Chronic sleep loss may not only increase the severity but also hasten the onset of age related diseases such as “diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and memory loss” (_Lancet_, October 23, 1999).
What about sleeping medications to induce sleep if you cannot get to sleep? During normal sleep, one has alternating periods of light and deep sleep. Dreaming seems to be a natural outlet, and takes place during the light sleep or REM sleep. Sleep medications often suppress this stage of sleep, and on awaking you may not feel as refreshed in spite of apparently sound sleep. If continued over time, sleep medications will contribute to chronic fatigue and may lessen mental performance!
To get a good night’s sleep, make sure you have a totally dark room. Don’t leave bright lights, computer screens, or TV sets on. Use a night-light if you have to get out of bed for the bathroom – a dim red or blue light is best.
The Best Sleep Inducers are Natural Means
• Engage in active exercise daily to best counteract mental and emotional fatigue.
• Find an outdoor activity you like and can do every day – sunshine, exercise, and fresh air promote sleep. Skip TV viewing.
• Avoid caffeine, even during the day. It commonly causes insomnia.
• Maintain a regular schedule for going to bed and getting up.
• An empty stomach promotes better sleep. Make evening meals light.
• Don’t rehearse the day’s problems at bedtime. Count your blessings and fill your mind with gratitude and thanksgiving. Take a warm bath.
• Seek a relationship with God who can bear your anxieties and refresh your spirit.
• Science has shown that the Judeo-Christian “one day of rest per week” enhances work performance on the other six. Try a Sabbath rest!
TRUST
By now, you may have come to realize that you need help to improve your health and live in harmony with the NEWSTART principles. Perhaps you have been trying to improve your lifestyle, but you realize that your efforts to change the habits that may have impaired your health have been fruitless. Have you considered that the power to change may need to come from without rather than within?
For some people, the changes that need to be made are only small ones, but for others the changes may seem insurmountable. Regardless of the changes that need to be made, achieving good health (and maintaining it!) may best be accomplished not by “trying” to make the changes, but by “trusting” that the changes can be made. Lasting change can only come when you realize how ineffective your own efforts have been to fight the disease or the habits that have brought on the disease. For example, if you are fighting obesity and have developed high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, then the first step to recovery is to realize the dire situation in which you find yourself – a situation of sickness that can lead to death. Maybe your doctor has already warned you of an impending stroke or heart attack. When this realization of the gravity of your situation sinks in, you are headed in the right direction. The next step is to develop trust. But trust in what? Some addiction recovery groups say to put your trust in a higher power. Here at NEWSTART, we believe the only Higher Power that is worthy of our complete trust is God, the Creator of the universe, our forever Friend.
Paul, the great writer in the Bible stated his trust in God like this: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24, 25 NKJV). Paul realized the battle was not his, but Christ’s. He realized his own helpless condition – his sickness, if you will. When you come to this point, then you are on the road to recovery – on the road to a NEWSTART! When you recognize that some of your past habits may have contributed to your sickness, then it’s time to “trust.” Trust in the deliverance offered by Jesus Christ. Trust in the power of a God who created you – a God who loves you, and who even died for you. When we feel we cannot change our bad habits, then trust that God can! Hand over control and trust in His power to give you the strength to make the right decisions. The result? Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).
Peter expresses his trust in God this way: “Casting all your anxiety upon Him for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). Anxiety (or worry) is a state of mistrust and has led to many dire and evil consequences from drug addiction to suicide. It can cause high blood pressure, heart disease and even cancer. Resentment, hate, and anger cause anxiety. Anxiety and resentment may indicate a lack of the necessary trust that leads to a peaceful and content existence (see Matthew 6:25-34). Anxiety is gripping our nation due to natural disasters, economic insecurity, broken families, and social deterioration. This is the time to cast your anxiety upon God and trust Him. Won’t you consider giving Him a chance to show you what He can do? He’s waiting to give you strength and comfort like you’ve never had before.
The Bible reveals the God of love who wants you to live a long, happy, and healthy life. If you’d like to learn more about Him and the connection between mind, body, and spirit, order your copy of Amazing Health Facts at www.AmazingHealthFacts.org or by writing to Amazing Facts, PO Box 1058, Roseville, CA 95678. And may God bless you!