During the years that I attended our denominational schools I was subjected to a number of lectures on "health reform," and almost without exception the speakers spent the hours detailing the woes that would surely attend the use of tobacco, alcohol, and flesh foods. Their remarks did not particularly impress me at the time. Later, as I learned how greatly they had stretched and distorted the few facts that they had presented, my attitude toward "our health program" became one of scorn and derision.
Fortunately, I have since learned that our principles of health reform are not limited to any such narrow programs of negativism. However, some of the discussions at a recent medical evangelistic program have led me to wonder how well these health principles are known even among our leaders. It may therefore be worth while to consider briefly just what our program entails.
The following two sentences from Ministry of Healing, page 127, seem to summarize the situation as concisely as possible: "The only hope for better things is in the education of the people in right principles. . . . Pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, trust in divine power, these are the true remedies." The context supports the idea that these "remedies" should be used prophylactically to avoid disease, and that illness is the ultimate result of disregarding these principles. While a detailed study of each of these eight points is beyond the scope of this paper, we can perhaps consider them briefly.
PURE AIR.—Though most of us recognize the need for oxygen, many are unaware of the rtant part that breathing plays in the proper circulation of blood and lymph. We complain of the stupefying effect of sedentary work in a poorly aired room, but rarely do we make more than occasional use of the tonic effect of vigorously breathing pure fresh air. This type of breathing automatically accompanies proper exercise, and it is unnecessary and unwise to try to make breathing a voluntary effort. It is important, however, that we provide a well-ventilated environment, and that we do not impair the respiratory mechanisms by poor posture and inactivity.
SUNSHINE.—Sunlight is one of nature's best disinfecting agents. If our homes and their contents, especially bedding and clothing, were regularly aired and sunned, they would be healthier places in which to live. Sunlight is also an aid to bodily growth, though the prolonged exposure that is currently popular is unnecessary and in some instances unwise.
ABSTEMIOUSNESS.—We usually feel a righteous glow when this topic is discussed, but there is little reason why we should. Not long ago a conference worker consulted me because he was no longer able to do his work. As he described the situation, it appeared that his living program consisted of committee meetings, sermons, and meals, with scant rest and 'almost no exercise. He was fat, flabby, and tired. I asked him what difference he saw between himself and a businessman who, though he smoked and had cocktails before dinner, kept himself trim by a sparing diet and regular exercise. His reply was, "I guess we're just intemperate in different things."
My observations of our workers has led me to believe that this is not an exceptional case. Many of us who boastfully eschew all' harmful habits" rather pride ourselves in being good trenchermen, or hearty eaters. Is this being abstemious?
REST.—The copybook maxim that "people don't wear out, they rust," contains some truth, and some of us try to use this bit of truth to cover our intemperance in work. I am convinced, however, that in our dealings with others, what we are is more important than what we know; and what one is when chronically tired is far different from the calm, resilient personality that the Christian ought to be. Chronic fatigue impairs all physiological reactions, and we cannot expect a healthy organism without regular and adequate rest.
EXERCISE.—Much of relaxation consists of the judicious combination of rest and exercise, and it is often in these two points that professional workers err most. Muscular exercise is a natural tonic, and, regularly employed, it is most important in maintaining the circulatory, respiratory, and nervous functions in an efficient state. In this connection we should contrast the healthful effect of regular activity with the occasional overdone "exercise" of the conscience-smitten sedentary worker. This latter is usually terminated by sore muscles or injury, and serves little or no useful purpose in maintaining health. It is pointless to list the many forms of exercise, except to disparage the use of gadgets. We need no elaborate plan for exercise. It is better that we get physical exercise in some regular activity that we can learn to enjoy.
PROPER DIET.—We are so keenly aware of what not to eat that I should like to emphasize two other points : what to eat and how much to eat. Available evidence suggests that human nutrition is so complex a problem that the only safe course is in a large variety of foodstuffs. This need not be eaten in one meal, but if we have two or three vegetables or fruits at one meal, we should have still others at the next. The same is true of our sources of protein—milk, eggs, cheese, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. No food is meant to be a complete or perfect food in itself, but rather one substance complements another, so that our needs are best met by a varied diet.
Obesity is a reliable indication that more food has been eaten than was needed. The excess is stored usually as fat. Though this concept may be unpleasant, it is an inescapable fact. A number of disturbances may alter the body's energy requirement, but fat is stored only when the energy requirement is exceeded. Unfortunately, an improper choice of foodstuffs may result in an excess of calories without enough of some of the essential elements. It is especially important, therefore, in weight-reduction programs, that the diet be well planned and balanced.
USE OF WATER.—About seventy per cent of the body's weight is composed of water, and it is an essential component of all our tissues. This tissue fluid is not a static thing. Water is constantly lost from the body, not only via sweat and excreta, but also in considerable amounts through insensible vaporization and through the exhaled air. This loss is normally replaced by the water contained in food and drink. Heat, activity, and disease usually increase water loss, and if this need is not met by increased intake, the body efficiency is impaired by the resulting dehydration. In addition to water's being vitally necessary for the maintenance of bodily function, it is the most generally useful agent for cleansing the surface of the body. The relaxing or tonic effect that can be obtained from various types of baths and sprays has been recognized from antiquity.
TRUST IN DIVINE POWER.—There are few illnesses indeed in which emotional problems play no part. In many they are the sole cause. There can be no denial of the fact that fear, anxiety, and a sense of guilt are potent causes of disease. Where can these problems be met with such assurance as—
"Fear thou not ; for I am with thee." Isa. 41:10.
"I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." Ps. 50:15.
"My God shall supply all your need." Phil. 4:19.
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.
SUMMARY.—We have been told that these "true remedies" will fill a general need—a need that is clearly apparent in our clinical work. We need not waste effort in debating which of the "remedies" is most important, for none is sufficient in itself, and our health work has been frequently discredited by efforts to make one or another predominate. Let us, therefore, practice and vigorously promulgate this program of healthful living, not in part, but in its useful and symmetrical entirety.
