The 8 Laws Of Health 1
God’s Prescription:
GOD’S PHYSICAL LAWS
We live in a very fast paced world. Most people live for fun and pleasure and few people stop to think what tomorrow will bring. When tomorrow does arrive, and mankind finds himself sick, he resorts to calling a physician.
Very few of us understand that 90% of our illnesses have been brought about by our own living habits.
God designed laws in this universe for everything that we do. If we do not obey these natural laws, we must suffer the consequences. There is always a penalty for breaking these natural laws. Sickness is CAUSE TO EFFECT! Below is a list of God’s eight natural laws and in this tract we will just be discussing the first four and in tract number 34 we will we will discuss the second set of the 8 natural laws of health.
1. Pure Air
2. Sunlight
3. Abstemiousness
4. Rest
5. Exercise
6. Proper Diet
7. Use Of Water
8. Trust In Divine Power
PURE AIR
The first essential for health, in fact for our very existence, is air. It is oxygen which makes all processes of life possible.
Oxygen is the chief element of the formation of the blood. Air is just as important as any of the best foods, yet very few people are very particular about the air they breath.
One of the main functions of oxygen in the body is the burning up of waste products that are constantly forming in the workings of the body. When this supply of oxygen is sufficient, then the waste matter is disposed of efficiently. Just as soon as the air supply is diminished, or in any way interfered with, the body is at once hindered in its normal function. Wastes and poisons at once begin to accumulate. Self-poisoning sets in and if the supply of air is not properly restored, sickness, disease, decay and death results. After a few minutes without any oxygen life is choked out. Today, much of mankind is a victim to air starvation.
Breathing from the diaphragm is essential to meet the needs of life, and it is for this reason that we should breathe deeply, dress properly and maintain good posture so we might enjoy life to the fullest. A few minutes a day of deep breathing will not compensate for inadequate breathing the rest of the day. It is what we habitually do all day that counts in the long run. Proper and sufficient breathing depends upon a number of factors, including health of nose, throat, chest, lungs and abdomen, proper body posture, lack of restrictive clothing, well-ventilated homes, bedrooms, etc., and plenty of exercise outdoors.
THE BENEFITS OF SUNSHINE
Sunlight is intimately related to the number of red cells and the amount of hemoglobin in the blood. An insufficiency of light can cause anemia. With sufficient sunlight, the oxygen-carrying power of the blood is increased; the circulation of the blood is improved; and, consequently, the bloods power to repair and build tissue is increased. Sunlight’s influence on the muscles helps to add to their size and quality. Sunshine also contributes to the health of the entire organism, and, therefore, one is subject to fewer diseases.
The sun’s rays are excellent for the sick. Sunshine also enables the body to most efficiently digest and assimilate food.
Sunlight is of great importance in proper bone development. When there is insufficient sunlight, the result is defective, mis-shapen, brittle and easily broken bones, a condition known as rickets.
Fruits and vegetables that receive the direct rays of the sun grow much better than those which are denied this most important essential. The sun unlocks the vitamins in food. Without the sun’s rays we could not get the full value from our food. The power that God has put into the sun’s rays gives plants power, a process known as photosynthesis to take carbon dioxide and oxygen from the air and combine these into the basic food substances by which all things live. This is done by chlorophyll, the green substance in the leaves of the plants. Man cannot duplicate or even fully understand, this process. Energy from the sun’s rays also acts on certain substances in the skin, changing them to vitamin D, one of the essential vitamins to the body.
Sunlight along with the other great doctors God has given us, keeps our blood warm and pure and supplies life-giving energy to every organ of our bodies. Our brains are fed by sunshine-enhanced blood; our body is strengthened by the sun’s energy.
It is very important to let the sunshine into our homes as well as on our bodies. Keep all the rooms fresh and purified by filling them with health-giving light and warmth.
ABSTEMIOUSNESS
Abstemiousness means to be moderate or sparing, using self-restraint, and self-control. Temperance has a similar meaning. So when we speak of abstemiousness we are speaking of self-control.
Abstemiousness is especially meaningful and important to the Christian. The Christian is asked to exercise self-control and self-denial over all things that are harmful to him physically and spiritually. Abstemiousness does not deal just with what we eat and drink, but it also deals with our minds, and our morals.
Abstemiousness takes in all facts of our lives. It reaches into our homes, our businesses, our recreation and in every aspect of our lifestyles.
Obesity has become a run away problem in America—indeed even around the world. This extra fat is a burden to the body and often results in diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Cancer and diabetes are also more common in obese persons and statistics show that a person who is overweight has a definite decrease in his life expectancy—the number of years he probably will live. And this decrease is proportionate to the degree he is overweight. This is why abstemiousness is so important. We need to have firm self-control and self-denial over our appetites as well as over our minds. We must be very careful as to what enters our stomach.
Would you have HEALTH? Then gather, cherish and put into practice every virtue that the 8 natural laws offer. Take exercise—not spasmodically or excessively, but in moderation. Eat simple and healthful food—not too much, too little, too often, or too seldom, but in moderation. Take sleep—not fitfully, two or three hours one night and ten the next, but regularly, and in moderation. In other words, seek with equal ardor all the needful gems that make for good physical health.
THE ROLLS OF REST AND SLEEP IN SUPPLYING BODY NEEDS
The human body was constructed that it cannot function without rest.
Rest is a period of inactivity during which the faculties can restore expended nerve energy. Yet rest and sleep are two essentials of life that have an importance unrecognized by most people.
The cells of the body require rest but not necessarily sleep, but the brain and nervous system sleep. Cells require periodic rest so that they may cope with their eliminative and restorative functions.
Scientifically, it has been concluded that the primary purpose of sleep seems to be the generation of nerve energy. The vitality of the organism is restored under the condition of sleep. The benefits of sleep may be chronicled as follows:
(1) The regeneration of nerve energy;
(2) Refueling the liver and cells with glycogen;
(3) Destruction of old cells and replacement with new cells (multiplication of cell occurs during sleep at a rate of more that twice that during waking hours); and
(4) The body expels more debris and waste during sleep and rest than when active.
Sleep is absolutely necessary. And, of course, most people accept this statement without question. It is impossible for a healthy person to oversleep but under-sleeping is an evil of our times—a transgression most of us commit against ourselves.
When we under-sleep, not enough nerve energy is generated to meet needs. We use more nerve energy when we are awake longer and generate less with less sleep, other conditions being equal. When our nerve energy is squandered to meet excessive consciously-directed activities, then nerve energy for the unconscious body activities is not available. This may mean poorer digestion, impaired elimination and so on—the body must suffer generally.
One condition that interferes with sleep is eating at bedtime or eating your last meal too late in the day. If a person eats before sleeping, his/her body will direct much of its energies toward the digestion of the food. Since the brain is involved in digestion, less sound sleep will result.
Most sleep problems arise from violating the conditions favorable to sleep.
Insomnia is an inability to sleep. If an individual complains about the inability to sleep and that he or she is not well-rested, the person is suffering from insomnia.
Rather than immediately searching for methods to induce sleep, you should first look for the causes of the problem. Insomnia results when an individual is assaulted by too much stimuli. For example drugs and drug-like substances are foremost offenders. These include caffeine, condiments, chocolate, soft drinks, junk foods, over-the-counter and prescription drugs, etc. A good night’s sleep can be had by almost anyone who discontinues body-disturbing practices and institutes healthful practices.
Rest—external and internal—is a fundamental requisite for a healthy, normal life. The human protoplasm needs rest. We must have it. Nothing else can take its place. The human heart beats approximately 100,000 times every day—every twenty-four hours—and yet (if not abused) it can continue to function in this way for eighty or a hundred years. Why? Because, between each beat, your heart rests, it is a momentary rest, it is true, but enough to permit its recuperation. Activity and relaxation should alternate. This is the law of life given to each one of us. Obey the 8 natural laws, and health, harmony and happiness can be yours for many years to come.
We spend a third of our lives in sleep, and its remarkable recuperative effects are well-known.
“Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31
Katy Chamberlin