Should Christians Use Alternative Medicine?

I'm feeling philosophical! Watch out....

There are a lot of people in the natural health field who do not believe in God. But they are also a lot of Christians who see the goodness of God's creation and wonder why we need to do things with chemicals when herbs used properly (such as in pure and concentrated form) can do the same things. Some herbs or natural remedies are ineffective b/c they are not in the proper form--they may lose potency when heated, for example. And so people try a home remedy and give up on it. But I have seen things that work amazingly and think about how God gave that property to that plant. I believe God provided for us when I see we don't need to fight the body to help it fight illness (such as meds for every fever). If a treatment is not based in something God created but rather in something mystic/spiritual, I would have nothing to do with it as it contradicts my personal convictions. My experience with natural remedies is that most of them are more science/nature based than it is spiritual. Of course, it could be that I find that b/c that's what I'm looking for!

But I see the glory of God in his provision for our ailing bodies. And I see a lot of our suffering caused by our cultures decision to eat man-made things instead of the natural food God provided. (see this post) God truly is a good provider. And at times when we do suffer, we have the opportunity to find greater pleasure in God, not in our circumstance.

I haven't had as many practical thoughts to share here lately (I have so much already on the blog), but would love to answer questions, so feel free to ask. :)

Healthy Perspectives--How eating healthy can change your worldview

I never expected that healing my body could result in so many shifts in perspective. Let me share a few of them with you:

Waste not, Want not...I think I should join the clean plate club. Not that I make anyone eat all of their food, I just don't throw it out. Why? B/c we actually are investing in good food--and it costs time, energy, and money--enough that we can't afford to waste it. So I want to sop up the sauce with my bread or scrap the bits of food out of the pan or save the 2 bites of food that no one is hungry for. Not out of food, but b/c I'm really liking my food! I have always been a bit of a saver in that I don't like to see things get thrown in the trash, but the shift has been in the value and importance of my food.

Fear Chemicals, Not Dirt... Cleanliness is important. I'm not about to drip juice from raw meat and leave it on my counter. But I'm not going to be cleaning with bleach either! I now worry more about antibacterial hand soap than the bacteria themselves. In the Bible times people simply used water--so I why do I need chemicals? I think it's b/c our bodies are weakened, so we don't fight off the germs well, but the chemicals only make them weaker.

We've gotten most chemicals in our home replaced, but you know it seems you can always find more! Like last week, I realized that that green strip on a razor is some sorta aftershave--when it gets wet--it has a soap-like texture. Who knows what it is since it doesn't seem to have a label. But it we can take medicine through a patch, why do we not worry about what we put on our skin???? So, I soaked my razor and scraped it off and plan to look for cheap razors that don't have that! Sounds crazy, I know, but after I go to the trouble to filter the chlorine out of my bath water and add Epsom salts and make the water very hot to help me detox, I can't stand the thought of adding who know what chemical in to the mix. Again, when it costs me something (time and money), I value it and protect it!

Have your perspectives changed any?

Why did God make Pigs if we are not supposed to Eat them?

A friend ask me if I had thoughts on this the other day. And yes I surely do, but first let's talk again about catfish.

Why do people buy catfish for their fish tanks? Because somebody has to keep the tank clean. And God created a fish to do it. And he created shellfish to be a natural water filter. Pretty cool, huh? I call catfish "the janitor fish."

So, my idea is that God also created pigs to be the clean-up crew on land--or maybe the barn-yard. After all, they do eat "slops". But no way I'm going to be choosing to eat the barnyard janitor or the janitor fish! Would you eat a rat?

I think one reason we don't get this is our Bible translation. "Unclean" is not a word. "Dirty" or "filthy" would be the correct English translation for the foods like pork. I mean would your old English teacher except a paper that said "My socks were unclean b/c I stepped in the mud."

But instead, someone choose/created a word that we don't use and so it sound like some deep spiritual concept, when I think God really meant--"hey these foods are dirty--don't eat them. Oh, and wash your hands if they are dirty and don't go touching dead things--and then you won't get all the sicknesses the other guys have." I'm not a Bible scholar and don't speak Hebrew, but this is just my personal lose translation of parts of Levitcus. Why do we make it so complex and then throw it out as not relevant? Then we eat what ever diet some expert tells us to eat, usually based on a study funded to promote a product or industry.

Now, to take it a step further, why do we have bad bacteria, viruses, and germs? Well, I believe these bacteria are to mini janitors. They decompose waste and dead things. Unfortunately, when part of our insides get a little "dead" these critters start decomposing us before our time. If we had strong bodies, we would be left alone by most bacteria. One purpose of good bacteria (like acidophilus) is to protect us from bad bacteria. But we live in an imperfect world and unhealthy culture, so few of us are strong enough to keep bad bacteria away. But I have hope that my children and grandchildren will have stronger bodies than me!

Every created thing has a place. But not all of them belong in our body!

If it's all about me, then I won't be the "one".

(Beware--it's time for some philosophical rambling.)

This morning, I heard (again) the story of the 10 lepers that Jesus healed and how only 1 (not even a Jew) returned praising God, falling at Jesus' feet, and expressing thanks. As I thought about the story, I realized that it seems the difference in the 1 vs. the 9 is simply focus. Stay with me and I'll explain.

I mean I can vividly imagine a dramatic healing and the amazing freedom it would mean. Imagine every action is restricted. You'd feel like a prisoner and suddenly your free--you can do all the things you've missed for years and years. What would you do first? See, that depends on your focus. If it's "all about me", then you have probably dwelt on what YOU couldn't do for all the time and how unfair, so now it's time to catch up on the lost years.

BUT if it's all about God, then you wouldn't be focused on yourself, but on the awesomeness of the God that healed you. And then you would have had the chance to be the one. Think about it--the nine got healed, but the one got healed AND got to praise the living God in person on earth. It seems to me, that the others missed God in the process of enjoying His gift of health.

So, now where I get convicted. What about my sickness? Is it all about me? What I miss out on? What I can't do? How this affects me? By the way there is a good "me" question to ask: Did I do something to cause or allow this? (My answer would be "yes-carelessness with my health.")

Or is God the center of the universe? Maybe I should be asking: How is He using this for good? Am I allowing Him to use this for good? Does my suffering give me a closer connection to the Savior who suffered? (But not why did God cause this?)

If I'm looking for the healing and hoping that I will be one who praises God for it. But I think I need to start now, making God the center, so I'll be focusing on Him when the healing comes.

In fact, our emotions play such a part in our health. Keeping your heart free is just another good thing you can do for your health. But let's not forget, it's not all about "me" and my health and suffering. There is a bigger picture and best of all, our suffering is only "momentary", as is our time on earth.

Food--Created or still evolving?

Today, I feel like philosophizing. I'm not a dietitian, a theologian, or a philosopher, but these are my musings. If you don't have time to read ramblings, skip to another post!

The Apostle Paul taught that God's power and divine nature are clearly evident in what he made. (That's in Romans 1:20 in your Bible.) So, my question for those of you who believe in a creator is: why do we think we can improve on what God has already done?

Now, I'm not as committed as my raw food friends to making NO changes, but I'm talking nutrition here. Why do we think that "low fat", "reduced calorie", and "Dr. Joe-Blow's diet" food could really be better for us than what God created? I see an alarming trend of declining health in our country, especially when I look at the health of the babies in my community. I could say much on this, but I would rather stick to the point.

If we look at the world as evolving, we will naturally try to help the evolution along with "brilliant" ideas like gene modification or creating sweeteners with no calories and all nutrients removed or heating the milk to high temperatures to kill bacteria that would not exist in a clean environment.

For me trusting that God's creation is good, means trusting that it is designed to be what my body needs. He doesn't need our help to create a more perfect food. Think of every time you eat a God-made food it's like a deposit in the "Health Saving Account" of your body and every time you eat something that is altered by man it's a withdrawal. My standard of altered by man is could I create it at home or even better, could ancient people do this? So, high fructose corn syrup may comes from corn, but it doesn't qualify as natural in my book. Scrambled eggs=deposit. White flour=withdrawal.

So, my encouragement for the day--make sure your body's "Health Savings Account" is in the positive--in fact keep it ready for the high expenses that come with flu seasons, an electronic world, and stress. And you'll be surprised at how many little problems can go away and how you don't have to catch every bug that comes around! Even with Lyme Disease, I rarely worry about catching a cold even when "everyone" is sick. It's one time it's nice to be different. Health isn't luck--it's a lifestyle choice. If you've enjoyed better health than the average, thank your parents and grandparents and keep it that way.

Musings on suffering

You know I used to think the big bad diseases people got were just sorta bad luck. But what is luck? For the Christian, is it just an indirect way to say, "God's will". Or is it based on some sorta unseen lottery system? As in God didn't will it, but he didn't stop it either--is God a hands off God? Well, the correct Biblical answer is suffering is b/c of sin. Did sin somehow create the disease bacteria? So, now you just wait around and how you don't get hit?

Let me tell you my experience and how I've worked out this concept of "God's will", disease, and sin. I got Lyme disease while overseas, so I was in the midst of the adjustment period to a new country and language. And as usual, I was pushing my body without any regard to rest (what's a Sabbath?) to keep up with full-time language study, a 2 year old, and my part our company, which was more than usual at that time. So, that's where I missed the mark.

But also, I believe I was deceived. There is a lot of misinformation on health and diet in our world. I believe a lot of our health mistakes are because we idolize convenience. So, we "have" to eat fast food, b/c we cram our schedules so full we are too tired or too busy to cook. I definitely am guilty here. But a lot of the deception comes because of companies' greed for money. So, they mislead or downplay negatives in their advertisements and press releases. Just investigate into the pharmaceutical industry or pesticide companies a bit. Or read how margarine is made. So, our culture (here and in Europe) is as a whole mislead and their contribution to my disease. But I am responsible for not thinking for myself!

Lastly, I come to where was God. Well, he could see that he could use it for my good and to allow me to help others. So, I feel as if He said, OK, you left yourself vulnerable in this area and are getting attack. I will carry you through this path you chose and set you up on a high rock where you will be stronger than when you began.

So, now I feel as if I have a new mission to help other people see past the deceptions and make good choices without having to go through the hard path. While I have lamented the losses of several years, I look forward to seeing the restoration of the "years the locust have eaten". I want to be and feel fully alive well past the average age. And I want the full energy level God created me to have so I can run again.

I can tell you that you don't need to fear Lyme Disease. You won't get it unless your body is worn down and your in the midst of a hard emotional season. (In fact, the CDC says 85% of diseases have an emotional element.) Don't fear--prevent. Not with DEET, but with wisdom that builds a strong foundation.

Do you have a health philosophy?

When you enter the world of natural health, you can be overwhelmed by the claims and studies and people selling wonder products. So, I've realized I need a way to filter what to believe--my health philosophy. Some people's philosophy is to accept whatever is "standard" (do you really want the health of the average American?) or whatever is the lastest, greatest, and best marketed. But if you think about it, you probably want to take more ownership of your health than that. I'll share my philosophy, so whether you agree with it or not, it may help you determine your own. And it will help you decide whether you agree with the advice I offer or not.

I believe that we started out in the world with everything we needed to be healthy and that God-made food is incredible and the more man tampers with it, the worse it is. I also think that eating healthy should not be complex. It should be something that would have been possible before the advent of modern nutritional studies.

So, I'm never surprised by the lastest studies on how wonderful some new fruit is, nor am I surprised to hear that some juices made from the wonder fruits are not as helpful as the fruit itself. When I hear that coconut oil is incredible (anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and on and on) but that corn and soy oil are not at all healthy because it takes so much processing to make them--I can easily accept that. When I read about how natives foods also included raw animal products like raw milk, butter, or sometimes eggs or meat (yuck!) I agree we probably need raw animal products today (milk or butter please!) But not milk from a typical dairy, from cows or goats that are raised the old fashion way on pastures and hand milked, so it problems with the milk are immediately observed.

But sometimes I hear that we need to do food combining or need to eat for our metabolic type or cut out meat or cut out carbs or fats or whatever. But I don't think these things are truly necessary b/c they are too complex or unnatural. These are things usually based on science not readily apparent to the average native person. (By native I mean, not a part of our modern culture.) But eating more raw food IS a good thing and eating vegetarian can be good as a type of fasting to cleanse the body.

Let me give you an example of how easy God made things. Tomatoes are good for your heart (and what do they look like?) Carrots are good for your eyes (and when you cut them, what does the shape remind you of?) And a good way to get calcium is making a chicken broth out of chicken bones (though to get maximum benefit add raw Apple Cider Vinegar). So much of health is actually intuitive.

As a Christian, I also look at the Bible. During the Black Plague, the Jews had a relatively low death rate, and where persecuted as having purposely spread the disease. I think this is due to following a God-given health plan. (Jews and early Christians did not separate out the religious from health, psychology, education, etc as we do today.) The Bible adds lots of important ideas to my health philosophy such as hand-washing and sanitary practices and a list of unclean foods. These include things like pork, shellfish, and catfish. It makes sense b/c both catfish or raw shrimp actually look digustingly dirty. Hmmm... And what do you buy to clean your fish tank? A little catfish. Just b/c you can eat the food and "still go to heaven" doesn't mean it was created to be eaten, ya know.

Well, enough philosophizing for today. Take some time and figure out how you are filtering all the lastest health info coming your way. It's worth the time b/c it keeps your from getting overwhelmed and giving up. Hang in there! Your health is worth it.