NATURAL HYGIENE
The science of Natural Hygiene is about enhancing physical, emotional and mental well-being through education. It provides us with a simple, straightforward system for regaining and maintaining superb human health and beauty. Hygiene is personally empowering and liberating. It teaches independence and rational action. It banishes fear and ignorance regarding human health and how to keep it. Ultimately it is about freedom.
Hygiene is personally empowering and liberating. .. It banishes fear and ignorance regarding human health and how to keep it.
The principles of Natural Hygiene, to be universally true, must reflect and harmonize with Natural Law. Just what is natural law? Natural law is
"Law which so necessarily agrees with the nature and state of man, that without observing its maxims, the peace and happiness of a society can never be created or preserved. Knowledge of natural law may be attained merely by the light of reason; from the facts, and of their essential agreeableness with the constitution of human nature."(3)
These are profound words. Everyone wants peace and happiness in our society. And we each want to experience it in our lifetime. To create this reality, as an individual and as a society, we need to learn about natural law and how to observe its maxims. We need to somatically experience how to realistically apply it to our lives.
..we need to learn about natural law and how to observe its maxims.
NATURAL LAWS OF LIFE
In 1925, Shelton detailed what he considered basic physical laws that governed the orderly processes of life in his monumental work Human Life - Its Philosophy and Laws(4):
Life's Great Law: Every living cell of the organized body is endowed with an instinct of self-preservation, sustained by an inherent force in the organism called "vital force," "life force," or "nerve energy." The success of each living organism - whether it be simple or complex - is directly proportional to the amount of its life force and inversely proportional to the degree of its activity.
The Law Of Order: The living organism is self-constructing, self-maintaining, self-directing, self-repairing, self-defending and self-healing.
The Law Of Action: Whenever action occurs in the living organism, as the result of extraneous influences, the action must be ascribed to the living thing which has the power of action - not to the dead thing whose leading characteristic is inertia.
The Law Of Power: The power employed, and consequently expended, in any vital or medicinal action is vital power; that is, power from within - not from without.
The Law Of Distribution: The power of the body, whether that power is great or little, is distributed in a manner proportionate to the importance and needs of the various organs and tissues of the body.
The Law Of Autolysis or The Law Of Conservation: Whenever nutritive absence is affected, the living organism's reserves are conserved and economized: living structures are autolyzed (broken down) in the inverse order of their usefulness, while toxic substances are being eliminated. This Law refers to the state of fasting in humans.
The Law Of Limitation: Whenever and wherever the expenditure of vital power has advanced so far that a fatal exhaustion is imminent, a check is put upon the unnecessary expenditure of power; at that point the organism rebels against the further use of even an accustomed stimulant.
The Law Of Special Economy: The vital organism, under favorable conditions, stores up all excess of vital funds above the current expenditures as a "reserve fund" to be employed in time of special need.
The Law Of Vital Accommodation: The response of the organism to external stimuli is an instinctive one, based upon a self-preservative instinct which adapts or accommodates itself to whatever influence it cannot control or destroy.
The Law Of Stimulation or Dual Effect: Whenever a toxic or irritating agent is brought to bear upon the living organism, the body puts forth vital resistance - which manifests itself in an action at once accelerated, but also impaired. This resistance diminishes the bodily power precisely to the degree to which it accelerates action. The increased action is caused by the extra expenditure of vital power called out, not supplied, by the stimulatory process. In consequence, the available supply of power is diminished by this amount.
The Law Of Repose or The Law Of Compensation: Whenever action in the body has expended the substance and available energy of the body, rest is induced in order to replenish the body's substance and energy.
The Law Of Selective Elimination: All injurious substances which gain admittance by any means into the living organism are counteracted, neutralized and expelled as fully as the bodily nerve energy supplies allow by such means and through such channels as will produce the least amount of harm to living structure.
The Law Of Utilization: The normal elements and materials of life are all that the living organism is ever capable of constructively utilizing, whether it is well or sick: no substance or process that is not a normal factor/element in physiology can be of any value in the structure of the living organism. That which is unusable in a state of health is equally unusable in a state of illness.
The Law Of Quality Selection: When the quality of nutriment being received by the living organism is higher than that of the present living tissue, the organism will discard lower-grade cells to make room for appropriating the superior materials into new and healthy tissue.
The Law Of Minimum: The development of living organisms is regulated by the supply of that element or factor which is least abundantly provided or utilized. The element or factor in shortest supply determines the amount of development.
The Law Of Development: The development of all or any parts of the living organism is measured in direct proportion to the amount of vital forces and nutritive materials which are directed to it and brought to bear upon it.
These Natural Laws of Life have been in operation since life on Earth began. The maximum expression of health proceeds from living in tune with these laws. We may debate the finer points; nevertheless, we are all subject to the causes and effects that have been elaborated.
If we agree that it is true that superb health springs naturally from obedience to Nature's Laws, and we then compare that truth to conventional wisdom sanctioned by the present legalized health care system in the United States and most of the world, we see that two distinct paradigms (points of view) exist:
Newtonian/Descartes Mind/body split; reductionistic; only 3rd person/objective view is valid; the body is at the mercy of simple physical laws; the body's inner intelligence frequently makes mistakes and must be "corrected" by employing external force, directly or indirectly, through the means of one of the thousands of therapies that exist.
Somatic/Quantum Physical Mind/Body/Spirit integrated and unified; wholistic; 1st and 3rd subjective and objective viewpoints together are valid (neither is complete without the other); the body works with and within physical laws; the body's inner intelligence is always right and acts appropriately for the context within which it must function. Once we intuitively realize that the body is always striving toward health, and that we sabotage this process by deleterious actions, emotions and environments/situations that we put ourselves in (context), we can then take rational steps to correct the context, instead of wasting precious time and energy on further abnormal "therapies".
.. and 10% of all deaths are physician-caused.
The disastrous results of "helpful therapeutic intervention" attempted strictly through the paradigm of 3rd person objective classical science are obvious all around us. Annual statistics on the health of the American people from 1990 show that 95% past the age of four have some degree of atherosclerosis, 95% cannot pass a minimum physical fitness test, 33% will have cancer - 75% of these will die of it, 31 million have arthritis, 81 million are obese, 80 million suffer allergies, at least 28 million have high blood pressure, 12 million asthmatics, 160 million backache and headache sufferers, 200 million frequent constipation and indigestion problems, 1000 million colds a year, 1250 million visits to physicians, emergency rooms and outpatient clinics, and 10% of all deaths are physician-caused.
The general concensus is that 80% of human disease cannot be cured by medicine, 10% can be cured by medicine, and the other 10% is caused by medical intervention! Mind-boggling numbers to say the least!
Is all this sickness inevitable? Is this much suffering normal? I dare say not!
Is all this sickness inevitable? Is this much suffering normal? I dare say not! Observing life within natural surroundings, we notice that all wild animals are born, live healthfully, and then die according to natural patterns and genetic capabilities.
Throughout their lives they remain healthy and agile. If they survive into "old age", they will die a natural death wherein all body organ systems more or less cease functioning together. I believe humans should live out our whole lives being just as agile, healthy and happy.
I will only deal with the application of natural law as it applies to our health. Keep in mind that Natural Laws fundamentally apply to all areas of our lives - government, money, economics, social tranquillity, agriculture, environment and so on. Once we grasp this natural order in all things, answers to most of society's and humanity's problems become clear.
I believe humans should live out our whole lives being just as agile, healthy and happy.
NATURAL HYGIENE PHILOSOPHY
The timeless philosophy and platform of Natural Hygiene is rock-steady; it does not rest on shifting sands; it does not change directions like the wind. As we progress in our understanding of the wonderful and intricate workings of Nature and as we slowly come full circle toward embracing and protecting this Earth which makes our lives possible, we will come to cherish these eternal truths.
Shelton assembled some of these planks of the Hygienic platform in Human Life - Its Philosophy and Laws(5) from various writings of previous hygienic visionaries through the years, including but not limited to such authors as Isaac Jennings, Sylvester Graham, Russell Trall, Harriet Austin, John Tilden, Edward Dewey, and Susanna Dodds.
The timeless philosophy and platform of Natural Hygiene is rock-steady .. it does not change directions like the wind.
T. C. Fry masterfully put them all together as follows:
Natural Hygiene holds that life should be meaningful and filled with beauty, goodness and happiness.
Natural Hygiene holds that humans are inherently good, righteous and virtuous, and that their exalted character will be realized under ideal life conditions.
Natural Hygiene holds that superlative well-being is normal to human existence and necessary to the realization of the highest human ideals.
Natural Hygiene holds that supreme human excellence can best be realized in those who embrace those precepts and practices which are productive of well-being.
Natural Hygiene, which encompasses all that bears upon human well-being, constitutes the best way to realize the highest possible order of human existence.
Natural Hygiene is in harmony with nature, in accordance with the principles of vital existence, correct in science, sound in philosophy and ethics, in agreement with common sense, successful in practice and a blessing to mankind.
Natural Hygiene recognizes that the human body is fully self-constructing, self-preserving and self-healing, and that it is capable of maintaining itself in superb functioning order, completely free of disease, if its needs are met.
Natural Hygiene recognizes that human anatomy and physiology dictate specific needs and conditions to function at peak genetic capability. Supplied with these needs and conditions, in a proper balance, humankind will realize abounding health and joyous well-being.
Natural Hygiene recognizes that diseases are caused by improper life practices, especially dietary indiscretions. Illness proceeds from reduced nerve energy and consequent toxicosis (general systemic poisoning). Insufficient nerve energy arises from stressful dissipation, overindul-gence or deficiency of the normal essentials of life, or pollution of the body with substances not normal to it. Accordingly, recovery from sickness can be achieved only by discontinuing its causes and supplying conditions favorable to healing.
Natural Hygiene recognizes that a thorough-going rest, which includes fasting, is the most favorable condition under which an ailing body can purify and repair itself.
Natural Hygiene, which teaches that exalted well-being can be attained and maintained only through biologically correct living practices, is not in any sense a healing art or curing cult. It regards as mistaken and productive of much grief the idea that diseases can be prevented or overcome by agencies abnormal to our natural being. Consequently,
Natural Hygiene emphatically rejects (except in life or death emergencies and other extraordinary situations which will be touched upon later) all drugs, medications, vaccinations, treatments and therapies because they undermine health by interfering with or destroying vital body processes, cells and tissues. Therefore,
Natural Hygiene regards the body and mind as the inviolable sanctuary of an individual's being.
Natural Hygiene holds that everyone has an inalienable right to have a pure and uncontaminated body, a pure and uncontaminated environment in which to live, to be free of abnormal compulsions and restraints, and to be free to meet his/her needs as a responsible member of society.
BASICS
The study and practice of natural hygiene manifests its wonderful results most obviously in our physical health. Its benefits are not as tangible, but just as profound, to our mental, emotional and spiritual health. This is clearly true when viewed through "somatic" eyes since there is no real internally-experienced distinction between mind/body/spirit.
The result is what might be called a "Master List of To-Do's" that need be practiced to realize ideal health.
Natural Hygiene concerns itself with the question: What are the ideal conditions upon which human life depends? It seeks to understand the relationship between action/non-action that is harmonious with natural law and the positive results therefrom.
On the flip side, the consequences that result from rejecting natural law are studied and explained. The result is what might be called a "Master List of To-Do's" that need be practiced to realize ideal health.
The funny thing is that living in this manner is, by and large, much easier than straining to live the many pathological practices promoted by approved higher authority - coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, thousands of medicines (poisons), etc.
T.C. Fry, in putting together his pamphlet entitled The Health Formula(6), has succinctly detailed the basic premises of a healthy life. An abbreviated version follows:
Above all, thou shalt not poison thyself! The fundamental principles that beget and maintain superlative health include:
Pure Air.
Pure Water - not mineralized/carbonated.
Comfortable temperature. Ideally a climate that allows many hours out-of-doors year-long
Cleanliness of body, both inside and out. Don't pollute it internally by taking in anything other than pure air, pure water, sunshine and foods of our biological adaptation. We can also strive to keep ourselves externally clean without continually stripping away our natural body oils.
Adequate sleep. Nerve energy, which we use while awake, is generated while asleep.
Fresh, sun-ripened, uncooked foods (preferably organically grown and non-irradiated) of our biological adaptation. By this I mean foods that are most effectively and efficiently processed by our digestive systems. As humans are naturally frugivores, fruits should make up a major part of our diet. Vegetables, nuts and seeds that are palatable should complement it. Cooked foods should be considered of secondary and relatively inferior quality to uncooked foods; any food obtained from animals should be considered tertiary and of even more inferior quality.
Vigorous activity. Optimum health demands exercise and activity. Start out slowly and build to an energetic workout that revitalizes all your body's systems.
Sunshine and natural light. Artificial light robs our bodies of much of the visible and non-visible spectrum that is crucial to high level functioning of our eyes and endocrine system.
Rest and relaxation. The siesta is a good example of allowing ourselves time to rejuvenate during the day.
Play and recreation. This should be both physical and mental in nature.
Emotional poise. Our feelings are born of the conditions of our lives. If we make our conditions right and maintain a positive attitude, our feelings will be euphoric and outgoing.
Security of life and its means. Insecurity leads to emotional stresses that rob us of well-being.
Pleasant environment. This applies to all our surroundings, including the people and animals that comprise them. Create and care for a garden. Invite birds and other wildlife into your surroundings. Beautify your home. Include a special place for meditation, music, etc.
Creative, useful work. Humans feel right only when they can fend for themselves and supply their needs by their own efforts. We should strive to make a living at those endeavors which come naturally to us; that we do well and with ease; that give us a sense of pride and self-esteem.
Self-mastery. When we know what makes us and the world tick, this knowledge will liberate our minds. The truth will set us free.
Belonging to a group or social circle. As gregarious creatures, humans thrive within a context of peers on some level, and friends. We need to interact with others about feelings, matters of intellectual moment, and life's affairs and problems.
Inspiration, motivation, purpose and commitment.
Love, appreciation and esteem.
Personal growth in spiritual realms. Striving to know, understand and fulfill one's purpose in life begets joy, wisdom and serenity.
Expression of sexual desires.
Satisfaction of the aesthetic senses. We must have harmony, beauty and goodness in our lives.
A sense of self-reliance and self-worth. Trusting our own inherent powers and our ability to do things is essential to well-being.
This is by no means a complete listing of all of life's needs, but it covers the most basic ones. By reflecting on this list of life's essentials, we can take the necessary steps to improve our lives.
As I work with my clients, I try to teach them about the normal needs of life
As I work with my clients, I try to teach them about the normal needs of life and how they can best change and improve their present lifestyle. It is an individual matter; each of us has our own hurdles to jump over.
We may have various physiological habits to conquer - smoking, alcohol and coffee drinking, various over and under the counter drug habits. We may have various psychological habits to overcome - negative/self-destructive thinking patterns, failure mentality, abandonment or abuse issues, relationship problems with family or friends.
As these harmful patterns are reversed, the patient must be taught how to live in tune with natural laws as best as they are able.
I have found that there are two areas of correct living that we most frequently misunderstand. These two are the realms of nutrition / elimination and body use (exercise/posture/gait). I will address each of these separately.
NUTRITION IN A NUTSHELL
Nutrition is the process of ingesting substances that build and maintain tissues. Nutritive substances include air, water, sunshine and food. Each of these is essential for superior health in human beings. Sunshine, in proper amounts, is required for proper eye, pituitary and pineal gland functioning. There are probably countless other benefits from natural light; we just don't know about them yet. The importance of pure water and pure air is obvious. Food, however, is the big question mark. For every nutritionist and dietician out there, we will likely get exactly that many different opinions about our ideal food requirements. I'd like to break it down and make it simple.
The perfect foods for humans are fruits, complemented by various palatable vegetables, nuts and seeds.
All living things, from amoebas to humans, have genetically-determined foods of their biological adaptation - foods which look good, smell good, and taste good in their raw state as nature delivers them to us - foods that are easily and efficiently digested, assimilated, utilized and the waste products quickly eliminated by our bodies. For example:
Cows and Horses = Herbivores = Vegetation
Frogs and Lizards = Insectivores = Insects
Squirrels and Birds = Graminivores = Seeds/nut
Dogs and Cats = Carnivores = Animal Flesh
Pigs and Goats = Omnivores = Nearly Anything
Humans and Primates = Frugivores / Herbivores = Fruits and Vegetables
As one studies human anatomy and physiology, he/she arrives at the inescapable conclusion that we are constituted to be primarily vegetarians. The perfect foods for humans are fruits, complemented by various palatable vegetables, nuts and seeds. There is some evidence for the historic inclusion of a very small amount of animal products into our diet - maybe 1-2%. But the evidence for the use of any animal products is either speculative or inconclusive however, so everyone must experiment to see what works best for them.
There is some evidence for the historic inclusion of a very small amount of animal products into our diet - maybe 1-2%
These are the foods of our biological adaptation. They give us the most complete nourishment with the least amount of toxic by-products. The more we eat relatively harmful foods (grains < dairy products < dead animals, etc.), the tougher it is for our bodies to physiologically handle them and the more we poison ourselves.
ELIMINATION
This process of self-poisoning is crucial to understand. Just as the process of nutrition is vitally important, the process of elimination is just as important .
This process of self-poisoning is crucial to understand.
Billions of cells are turned over daily. The non-recyclable parts of these spent cells and the toxins in the air we breathe and the water we drink must be eliminated. The non-digestible fiber and non-usable parts of food we eat must also be eliminated.
If we eat biologically correct foods, and if the stress levels in our lives is manageable, our eliminative faculties (liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, colon, etc.) are usually up to the task of maintaining an acceptably "clean" internal soma. But if stress is high, and/or we consume foods that are not suited to our digestive capabilities, the internal waste products pile up past the toleration point.
On the outside, we call these elimination processes colds, pneumonia, diarrhea, vomiting, appendicitis, herpes, acne, sinusitis, allergies, asthma, etc., etc.
The integrity of the whole organism is now threatened and the wisdom of the body begins a stepped-up process of elimination. It uses any and all outlets to rid itself of excess toxic materials. The channel it chooses is an individual matter - your body picks what is most appropriate for the toxin to be eliminated and your particular genetic make-up (See XII - The Law of Selective Elimination). On the outside, we call these elimination processes colds, pneumonia, diarrhea, vomiting, appendicitis, herpes, acne, sinusitis, allergies, asthma, etc., etc. The name doesn't much matter, all are elimination processes.
When we think about what is going on, we realize that these things we call diseases are really not diseases at all. They are really the cure for a condition of the body called toxicosis (general bodily saturation with toxic waste products). As such, these eliminative processes should be cooperated with as much as possible. Instead, we are unaware of what is going on and we take even more poisons into our bodies in the form of drugs and medicines.
The body basically treats all incoming substances as nutritive or toxic. All medicines, drugs, potions, etc. are poisons. They are not usable in building or maintaining healthy cells or tissues. Therefore, the body must expend energy, vitamins, minerals and other important substances to eliminate them.
Think about it. How can a drug, which makes a healthy person sick (note the many "side effects" inherent in any drug), magically turn around and make a sick person well?
Think about it. How can a drug, which makes a healthy person sick .. magically turn around and make a sick person well?
What about "wholistic" therapies and treatments? First we should establish a good working definition of the word therapy. Dr. Ralph Cinque has defined therapy thusly:
Therapy - The treatment of disease by the application of some kind of force (whether mechanical, chemical, thermal, electrical or other) to the body to alter its structure or function. The key word in the definition of therapy is force. Therapy forces change upon the body. The force applied may be harsh or gentle; it may be pleasant or painful; it may be applied internally or externally; but without force there is no therapy. With therapy, there is always the possibility of producing adverse effects, and sometimes this is a certainty. This is because the essence of therapy is often not merely force, but outright violence against the body's structure or function.(7)
I believe that the best way to illustrate the proper place for these treatments and therapies is to ask a few basic questions. Let us say that we are experiencing a pounding headache. Is it due to a lack of aspirin in the system? Is it caused by a deficiency of neck vertebral manipulations? Is it due to the absence of needles at certain acupuncture points? Are we missing specific herbal remedies, homeopathic remedies or crystal stones? Is our bloodstream and brain low on EDTA or other chelating (binding) agents? None of these therapies or substances provide anything that is usable by the body to build or maintain its cells and tissues. Most serve to further weaken our bodies by forcing them to waste energy on the effects of these toxic materials and therapies.
It is paramount that we understand the basic law of cause and effect. The aforementioned headache is an effect, and it has a definite cause (usually multiple). The cause is not a lack of therapies, drugs, manipulations, etc. If this were the case, we would need daily, constant intravenous drips into our arms full of aspirin, EDTA, herbal potions, and homeopathic preparations in order to prevent the headaches. At the same time, we would need to be careful not to dislodge the multitude of acupuncture needles strategically placed in our ears, head, hands, neck and other body parts, especially while the chiropractor is contorting our body in order to deliver his adjustments.
Pain is our warning alarm. .. It is there to teach us that something is definitely wrong and that changes must be made.
It is clear that all these approaches are palliative (to alleviate pain without removing the cause) and temporary, as long as natural laws continue to be violated. Pain is our warning alarm. Pain is a potent motivator. It is there to teach us that something is definitely wrong and that changes must be made. Otherwise, disease and pain will intensify. Sometimes it is better to relieve pain by whatever means available, especially when the suffering is causing unacceptable emotional turmoil. However, compassion in the form of "tough love" has a powerful role to play as well. Anyone familiar with the pain of addiction knows that the turning point back toward health and sanity comes when "the bottom" is reached. And each of us must experience our own "bottom". This understanding also highlights the insidious nature of pain-killing therapies. They allow us to postpone true corrective action while we rely on false cures.
Dr. Anne Wilson Schaef makes this observation:
Medicine can help relieve some of the physical effects of the addictive process, and I question strongly the role of medicine in enabling the addictive process. For example, medicine often heroically rushes in to try to save people from the consequences of their indulging in their addiction (smoking, drinking, overworking or overeating) while steadfastly refusing to confront the addictive process as the root cause of the disease.....Yet, one way of looking at much of medicine (as it is now practiced) is as the systematic enabling of addictions; as what allows and supports addicts to continue to use until their deterioration is so far progressed that their is no hope of physical recovery.....they have taken the edge off just enough so that the society can indulge in and play with its addictive process. The field of psychotherapy has been especially guilty in this respect.(8)
If we do use a pain reliever of some sort, I believe the responsible and honest thing to do is to let the sufferer know that the treatment and/or therapy employed is in fact only palliative, and that the true cause has not been addressed. As such, the same or worse symptoms will reappear later.
Dr. Keki Sidhwa poetically describes the greater psychological damage inherent in the promotion of therapies and cures:
So what price this remedy mentality? Patients undergoing treatments and therapies are at a great disadvantage. The patient blindly assumes that the therapy he is receiving will 'cure' him and hence makes no effort to self-recovering from his disability.
This sort of remedy mentality perpetuates from one generation to another the wrong idea that disease is due to chance and that the only recourse is how to drastically reduce the signs and symptoms (warning alarms) of diseases as soon as possible. Such a mentality is a breeding ground for physical, intellectual, moral, emotional and spiritual decadence.
Instead of being made aware of his own immediate responsibilities, he is lulled into a comforting assumption of childlike innocence and ineffectuality. He is lulled into a false sense of security. He is not in any way to blame for the unwholesome state he finds himself; he cannot be expected to face the tasks of self-repair and readjustment. These burdens he hands over to the remedy.
With them go at least part of his most valuable assets - self-respect and self-reliance. Man cannot live imprudently with impunity.(9)
Nature is extremely fair in that she metes out disease and suffering in direct proportion to the degree that her laws are violated.
Nature is extremely fair in that she metes out disease and suffering in direct proportion to the degree that her laws are violated. Some call it karma, others realize that we are reaping what we have sown. Better that we grow in the understanding and practice of Natural Hygiene so that we may eliminate the causes of our diseases.
This, in a nutshell, is what goes on with most sickness and disease. The more we intuitively understand these simple processes of nutrition and elimination, the quicker we can rid ourselves of nearly all common diseases, permanently. Period.
With this understanding, we see that many mysterious and incurable conditions, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, asthma, ulcers and many others are likely just more exotic manifestations of a condition of toxicosis. The most natural, quick and efficient way to deal with this intolerable state is to employ a pure water fast.
Click here for part 3
Dr. Robert Sniadach
robertsniadach@netscape.net
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