Feeling Good Friday: Hippocrates

Normally on Feeling Good Fridays I highlight a food or a product that can promote healing but today I am going to focus on a person. This person is not alive anymore and so he physically cannot promote healing but the principles he left behind are pretty astounding and are certainly relevant today. We Americans, who are becoming increasingly more unhealthy and sick, are s l o w l y coming full circle in understanding and applying the principles that Hippocrates believed in. (Warning there is a bit of a rant in this post.)

Since I have started on my journey of healing through education about God's gift to us in real, whole, clean food, the name Hippocrates has come up many times. I have read and heard he is the "Father of Medicine." Along with that I have seen the famous quote by him, "Let food be thy medicine and let thy medicine be food." I can attest to that in the fact that food (along with a few other pieces to my puzzle) have been powerful in healing my ailing body. I am sure that I learned about him during my schooling as well but really hadn't remembered a whole lot about him.

(picture of Hippocrates found on www.pbs.com)

Recently, while homeschooling my eight year old, we were doing history and our lesson for the day was about Hippocrates. What I read really peaked my interest in finding out more about Hippocrates as well as the Hippocratic oath that was based on his way of practicing medicine and written shortly after he died by Pythagoreans in Greece.

Hippocrates broke the mold in that he did not believe that the Greek God of Asclepius was his healer. Instead, he believed that diet, rest and exercise is what could heal. He looked for causes of disease rather than treating a symptom. When he did treat he used herbs, diet changes, and getting outside along with exercise. He believed that a doctor should be trustworthy and that the doctor should use his skills wisely for the BETTERMENT of mankind.

(some of the above paragraph is paraphrased from The Mystery of History Volume 1 by Linda Lacour Hobar)

These are all amazing principles that he practiced by. The major difference in my own views is that I DO believe my God (Jesus Christ) is my healer. If it weren't for Him then none of the foods or other things would have healed me. It is by God's grace and mercy on me that I am able to thrive and function in life.

As my son and I continued learning about Hippocrates we also found out some interesting info on the Hippocratic oath. Remember, I said this is the document that was written some time after the death of Hippocrates? The people who wrote it (the Pythagoreans) based it off of the way that Hippocrates practiced medicine and his beliefs therefore it reflects him. Oh how I wish this oath was truly adhered to in our day. Our medical system would be 100% different. I will get into that briefly in a bit.

(photo of the classic Hippocratic Oath from www.wikipedia.com)

Once this oath was written it was and has been used for thousands of years as a pledge for doctors who are graduating medical school.

What I thought was most interesting and very reflective of modern western medicine is how much this oath has changed over the last 2,500 years. In fact, only 1-3 schools use this classic oath today. The others use various watered down politically correct versions that virtually mean nothing. It has become more of a ritual rather than a true oath and promise.

Let me show you what the classic, original oath written after Hippocrates death said...

I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant:

To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to give him a share of mine, and to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art—if they desire to learn it—without fee and covenant; to give a share of precepts and oral instruction and all the other learning to my sons and to the sons of him who has instructed me and to pupils who have signed the covenant and have taken an oath according to the medical law, but no one else.

I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.

I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art.

I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work.

Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves.

What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself, holding such things shameful to be spoken about.

If I fulfill this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honored with fame among all men for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot.

—Translation from the Greek by Ludwig Edelstein. From The Hippocratic Oath: Text, Translation, and Interpretation, by Ludwig Edelstein. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1943.

The items that I bolded really stand out to me. Doctors would apply dietetic measures to treat a patient! That means food, herbs, things that God gave us on this green earth.
They will keep patients from harm and injustice. Wow, how integrous.
They will not even give a deadly drug to those who ask for it and they wont even offer it. No assisted suicide?
This next one is the one that caught my eye in the history book - they won't give a woman an abortive remedy. Pro-life even way back then!
Even though Hippocrates and most likely the Pythagoreans were not believers in Christ, and most likely did not know God the Creator they obviously valued human life. They will do their duty for the BENEFIT of the sick, not the benefit of themselves.
There will be no injustice or inappropriate relations with patients or anyone in the houses they visit. Lastly, if they adhere to this oath they will be praised and honored but adversely if they don't then they will be defamed, lose face, and probably lose their practice. Accountability what a novel concept. Yes, there is a bit of a sarcastic tone here...)

Not only was Hippocrates strong in holding to the ways he practiced medicine against many others who didn't see his viewpoint but others followed in his footsteps adhering to this amazing oath. Certainly, it is not perfect but it is a far cry from what oath(s) we have today. I wish we could go back to these principles.

Today, except for those 1-3 schools I mentioned earlier, there is no one oath that is followed. There are several different versions. Medical students graduate now and do say AN oath but it is more a set of rote words that mean nothing to almost any of these students getting ready to start their own practices. Furthermore, some of the statements in the modern versions are not even adhered too (in my personal experience.)

For starters, there is no mention of treating patients dietetically. There is no mention about giving or not giving a deadly drug to a patient. There is no mention of not giving a woman an abortive remedy, rather it says, "I will not play God" but right before that statement it talks about the fact that the doctor has the power to take a human life. There is no mention of having any inappropriate relations either.

Here are some things the modern versions of the Hippocratic Oath does say....

"I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure."
"My professional judgement will be exercised as independently as possible and not be influenced by political pressure nor by factor such as social standing of the patient."
"I will not put personal profit or advancement above my duty to patients."
"If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help."
(taken from www.amednews.com and www.pbs.com)

They will try to prevent disease? Really? Does modern Western Medicine really prevent medical disease? My opinion is, NO. In fact, they create problems with the onset of new drugs and the money behind the drugs that are being pushed. Some diseases actually come or are greatly worsened from modern medicine and the pharmaceuticals! Is prevention really preferable? I don't think so. Prevention would mean that we Americans wont need to come back to get more medicine. It would mean we would not need to be seen again in the office which would mean less mula for the pharms and doctors.

Not influenced by political pressures, by the way a person looks are how much money they have? Ummm, Hmmmm, I don't think so. That is a whole new post in and of itself though.

Do most doctors put the welfare of their patients above their personal gain (paycheck, fame, etc.)? In my experience with many, many doctors over the years personal gain is first and foremost. They want to gain more patients because that equals more money and more payoffs from the big pharma. Patients to them are just a number not an actual person that needs true help and honest care. Are ALL doctors this way - no. However, a vast majority I can bet are in it for themselves, not the well being of the patient. When test results trump the way the patient is feeling, and symptoms that may be occurring from a cause being untreated continue without a doctor caring, this tells me that the tests, drugs, etc are more priority than a patient.

Lastly, what happened to the accountability? The statement in the modern oath(s) only talk about if they do NOT violate the oath. What about if they do? Sure there are lawsuits and various ways to find justice but not through the original "promise" that was made upon graduation. Scary.

I do not believe all doctors are in this sad and corrupt state but I do believe that we can see proof of this watered down oath due to the awful state of health that our nation is in. I know it is due in part to our S.A.D diet and sedentary lifestyles and do not solely blame this on doctors. However, if the majority of our modern day doctors were following the principles and ideas that Hippocrates practiced I do believe that our world would be in an entirely different state of health. Medicine would truly would be about treating the cause not the symptom. It would be about using remedies that actually helped the root cause and healed rather than caused new problems. Patients would not just bee looked at a number. It would be amazing!

I am grateful for Hippocrates' courage in a time that what he believed wasn't widely accepted. I am grateful that there is a movement happening now in our nation that people are returning to these healthy principles. I am also thankful that there are doctors springing up who may not say this Hippocratic oath exactly, but truly adhere to the principles laid in Hippocrates foundation. It is wonderful. I am also blessed because in the past year I have been able to find a few doctors who treat the cause and not the symptom and look at the body as a whole not in pieces. They also take lots and lots of time with me getting a good picture of my health history. They genuinely care for me. Praise God!

If you are discouraged about your health I would suggest seeking out a Functional and Integrative Medicine doctor or an Investigative medicine doctor. Even some chiropractors practice Holistic Medicine (the Hippocrates Way.) There are good ones out there but it takes some searching.

If you would like to learn more about the Classic Hippocratic Oath, I found this site to be a informative one:
Western Fictioneers

Even if our doctors wont help us or treat us with no genuine care, let's start applying the principles that Hippocrates believed in about letting our medicine be our food and our food be our medicine. God gave us a wonderful gift in the clean, unadulterated foods that he gave us here on earth. Let's educate ourselves and look at modern research and testimonials as proof of the healing power in the gifts God has given us.

~Blessings~

Feeling Good Friday: The Benefits of Raw Milk

Do you drink milk? You might say, "No, I am lactose intolerant." or "No, I can't have dairy."

Dairy is one of the biggest "allergens" in our country at the moment. There are many reasons for this, some of which I will get into in this post. First, is that the dairy products that are available to our society in the USA at the moment are actually dead. Yes, I really mean that, dead. When we purchase dairy (even organic) at our stores the end product has gone through a pasteurization process. Milk is pasteurized, cheese is pasteurized and butter is as well. Actually, there are many food and drink products that go through this process to make them "safe" to consume. Pasteurization is a process of heating up the dairy to over 145 degrees to kill off e.Coli or Salmonella bacteria. The problem is that when this is done is also kills everything else good in the product.

Let me start by telling you about the living parts of raw (unpasteurized) milk. Yes, raw milk is actually a living food! God made it this way because he made humans and he knows how our bodies work and what we need to properly function and digest.

• Milk, in its raw state, is a perfectly balanced food. This is the way God made it. A WHOLE food. 
• It has a high nutritional content. It is naturally higher in vitamins (A and D to name a few) and minerals (calcium, phosphorus and more) than its pasteurized counterpart. Raw milk also has a higher level of Omega 3's and Essential Fatty Acids.
• It also has high levels of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which helps with metabolism, abdominal fat, muscle growth, insulin resistance and more.
• Raw milk has many beneficial bacteria in it that helps us in a plethora of functions in our body. **Side note: did you know that you have literally trillions of beneficial (and not so beneficial) bacteria in your intestines that thrive everyday making up between 70-90% of your immune system? One of the beneficial bacteria present in raw milk is called Lactobaccili. This particular bacteria helps to digest (or eat) lactose. Do you think with all the "lactose intolerance" in our country that we need help digesting lactose? I do. Lactobaccili is good for this. This good bacteria is killed through pasteurization.  A lot of the other beneficial bacteria in the raw milk actually help kill off any bad bacteria that may be present in the milk and they perform dozens and dozens of other functions that are helpful to our bodies. I want to write more on this but it is really a whole new post topic in and of itself.
• There are also over sixty live enzymes present in raw, unpasteurized milk. These enzymes are necessary to remain alive because they aid our body in digesting the milk. Without them our bodies are incapable of properly processing the proteins, vitamins and minerals that are in milk. These live enzymes can also help protect our bodies against asthma, allergies and immune diseases.

Raw Milk is truly a health promoting food.

Pasteurization kills all the enzymes, lowers the vitamin and mineral levels and actually changes the molecular make-up of the milk. When humans come in and alter something that was created perfect generally the result isn't so wonderful. That is the case with pasteurizing milk.

One of the reason why there is so much intolerance to dairy in our country is because most people drink (or try to drink) dead milk. It doesn't have the necessary components in it to properly digest in our bodies so therefore an intolerance presents itself or a reaction happens. I do believe there are true dairy "allergies" but I am talking about "intolerance" not true dairy allergies in this post. There is a significant difference. Milk is fragile and the living properties can be destroyed very easily. This is why I believe only raw milk should be consumed for those who have dairy as a part of their diets.

It can be more expensive and hard to find but I venture to say that the benefits far outweigh the inconvenience. Not to mention, when you actually get your milk from a farmer your kiddos will know that milk actually comes form a cow (or goat or other mammal) not from a factory or a store!) Also, if you get it straight from a farmer you will pay less money than if buying raw milk from a store front.

My youngest son was born with lots of rashes, pretty bad eczema and would physically swell sometimes when he would have milk. This was before we were drinking raw milk. I hesitated to give it to him because it was clear it caused a reaction. It wasn't an anaphylactic type reaction but it was a reaction nonetheless. After a couple of years of giving him milk that was pasteurized I started giving him organic thinking that would help. I really did not notice a difference in him so I started to just have him stay away from milk as much as possible. Then I discovered raw milk though the GAPS diet because of my own health problems. I found a farmer and now we purchase our milk once a week through him. I love getting the milk and being able to skim off the cream and do what I want with it. I have tried my youngest son on the raw milk and I have not seen a reaction in him at all after drinking it. I believe this is because this raw milk has the proper balance of enzymes and beneficial bacteria in it so that my son can properly process it. Both of my boys love milk!

If you do decide to find a farmer who owns milk cows or goats for milk I would recommend going to see the farm and meet the animals. Check out how they milk the animals and their sanitary practices. Make sure that they take some precautions in how they do their milking process. Our farmer actually gets inspected every month to ensure that they are safely obtaining and storing their milk.

Here are some links if you want to read more on the benefits of raw milk.:
From my doctor, Chris Kresser: Click here
Raw Milk Testimonials: Click here
An Excellent and thorough overview of raw milk (some of where I got my info from): Click here
An interesting article by Dr. Mercola on Raw Milk: Click here

Feel good this Friday and try some Raw milk!

~Blessings~

Feeling Good Fridays

Today we are going to talk about what we eat and how we should eat it.

We Americans tend to race through everything, not necessarily sitting back to enjoy the food or the company or even God's magnificent creation.  It is easy to rush through life.  I do it but am making a point to be aware of my impatience and improve in that area of my life.  God did call us to "rest."  We can eat slower, drive slower, take the time to invite a person over for a cup of tea or coffee and just chat with no agenda. There are many ways to slow down.  So let's talk about food in regards to these thoughts on slowing our pace....

• Instead of rushing through a meal try to chew each bite you take at least 15-30 times.  Sounds funny and you will find it very hard to do.  However, when you do you will notice first that you are not rushing through the meal and you are actually enjoying your food. Second you will eat less because you will be full on one portion in about 20 minutes instead of having two helpings in 20 minutes because you were able to scarf down that much in that time frame.  The third thing that happens is something you can't see.  When you chew your food that long your stomach starts preparing to digest that food.  If you chew quickly and swallow quickly your stomach does not have enough time to produce the stomach acid and enzymes it needs to properly digest the food your are eating.  The result, undigested food going  through your intestine and coming out the other side.  The result of that, inflammation. It could result in inflammation in your gut or in your skin or many other places causing a vast array of symptoms. Interesting huh?  This is just the tip of the iceberg because inflammation can be caused by many, many factors but this is just one small thing you can do to relax and enable your body to work in the way God designed it. So next time you sit down to eat a meal or even a snack take the time to savor it, taste it and properly digest it to help your body out.

The other item I wanted to touch on today is what we eat.  I said "touch" on for a reason.  What we eat is a HUGE topic.  I am just going to suggest one thing for this post. 

• When you eat, always be sure that the first thing that goes in your mouth is protein.  If you have potatoes, meat and veggies on your plate eat more bites of meat first before you eat the potato and veggies.  Why you ask?  The reason is that protein takes the longest to digest and primes the stomach to start doing its work properly.  Protein also helps to absorb the foods more slowly that turn into glucose.  In return you don't get a spike in your insulin levels and your blood sugar stays stable.  The result is less stress (and inflammation) in your body. So next time you sit down to have an apple because an apple a day keeps the doctor away.  Add a tablespoon or two of a nut butter (almond, walnut, cashew) along with it.  Not only is it very tasty but will allow your digestive system to properly digest your food to make you feel at optimal levels! 

1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?...

~Blessings~
Please note - I am not a medical doctor.  What I say on this blog is based on my own research along with my own personal experiences.  I assume no liability and my advice, ideas or suggestions should not replace those of your own practitioner.

Feeling Good Fridays

Occasionally I am going to use Fridays to post an idea, fact or suggestion regarding health, eating and our bodies. I am going to call them "Feeling Good Fridays." Through my health journey over the past 7 years I have certainly gained a lot of knowledge and would love to share the things I have learned.  Someday I plan to write a series on my whole health journey but that has to wait until I am completely healed (Lord willing.)

Today's Feeling Good Fridays post is about nightshade foods.

Do you know what nightshade foods are?

Nightshade are tomatoes, potatoes, sweet and hot peppers (and all derivatives - like cayenne pepper and paprika), eggplant, tomatillos, tamarillos, pepinos, & pimentos.

Nightshades can also be found in drugs (if the manufacturers use a derivative of any of the above.) We won't get into that now though.

Nightshade foods are rich in antioxidents and phenols.  These are substances that can greatly improve our immunity and help our bodies to detox from harmful things that reside in us.

There are many people who cannot eat nightshade foods because when they eat them the get a myriad of effects from achiness to not sleeping and more.  The reason these symptoms happen is because as I stated before these foods are FULL of antioxidants and phenols. Seems kind of backwards but it is true. They are so good for us that when we consume them our bodies go into a detox mode. Due to many cellular reactions our bodies start trying to rid themselves of toxins that have accumulated in our gut (or digestive system) when presented with large amounts of antioxidents and phenols.

When you eat a nightshade food do you get any side effects?  I do. With some of them I get achy or headaches.  Sometimes I even get arthritis symptoms in my fingers. 

If you do have a problem eatting these foods then it is a sign that your body is overloaded with toxins and you need to get rid of those toxins.  One you do you will more than likely be able to handle eating nightshades again.

This could be a whole new post but in order to "detox," your intestines need to be free of yeasts, parasites and any pathogen that might wreak havoc. There are many, many ways to detox and at another time I will get into that.

It was an "aha moment" when I learned this about nightshade foods and their power in our bodies.  

1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?...

~Blessings~ 

Please note - I am not a medical doctor.  What I say on this blog is based on my own research along with my own personal experiences.  I assume no liability and my advice, ideas or suggestions should not replace those of your own practitioner.