IconFOOD
AND YOUR VITALITY
HOW
DOES THE FOOD YOU EAT AFFECT YOUR VITALITY? WHAT IS LIVING FOOD? AND WHAT IS THE
LAW OF RETURN?
WILL
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE IMPLICATIONS IN THE TITLE AND SUBTITLE.
FIRST
THE TITLE IMPLIES THAT THERE MUST BE A CONNECTION BETWEEN FOOD, THAT IS
WHAT WE EAT, AND OUR VITALITY.
SECOND
THAT FOOD MIGHT ENABLE US TO EXPERIENCE A VITAL QUALITY OF LIFE,
INFLUENCE OUR SENSE OF WELL BEING, OUR HEALTH AND OUR ABILITY TO BE EFFECTIVE
PEOPLE
THIRD
IT COULD IMPLY THAT FOOD MIGHT HAVE A DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE VITALITY
AND HEALTH PASSED ON TO OUR OFFSPRING WHEN WE REPRODUCE.
WE
CAN SEE THAT THE TITLE COULD ENCOMPASS MUCH MORE THAN JUST THE COMMON MEANINGS
OF THE WORDS. MY APPROACH TO THE TITLE WILL BE A DIRECT REFERENCE TO THE NATURE
CURE PHILOSOPHY, A PHILOSOPHY WHICH IS AGELESS, COMPREHENSIVE AND ALL INCLUSIVE.
IT
IS A PHILOSOPHY OF WHOLENESS, LOOKING AT LIFE ENTIRELY, A WORD VERY WELL
DESCRIBED BY MY LATE COLLEAGUE MORRIS MUIRHEAD WHEN HE INTRODUCED OUR STUDENTS
TO THE SUBJECT OF THE “NATURE CURE PHILOSOPHY” AND FIRST DEMONSTRATE THIS
CONCEPT OF WHOLENESS BY SAYING SLOWLY:-
“W H O L E N E S S”
WHILE
CIRCLING HIS ARMS, TO IMPRESS UPON HIS STUDENTS THAT THE NATURE CURE PHILOSOPHY
IS ALL EMBRACING, A PHILOSOPHY THAT IS ALWAYS OPEN TO ALL, INCLUSIVE NEVER
EXCLUSIVE!
THE
TITLE ALSO CONNECTS THE WORDS “F O O D”
AND “V I T A L I T Y” WITH “Y O U R” I AM NOT GOING TO ATTEMPT A
DEFINITION OF “Y O U R” EXCEPT TO SAY THAT THE WORD “Y O U R” IN THE
TITLE EMBRACES US ALL.
THE
SUBHEADING ALSO SUGGESTS THAT I AM GOING TO INCLUDE A DEFINITION OR EXPLANATION
OF THE “LAW OF RETURN”. HOWEVER, WITH YOUR PERMISSION I WILL LEAVE THIS TO
THE END OF MY LECTURE. NOT THAT IT IS OF LESSER IMPORTANCE, BUT WHEN I INTRODUCE
THE SUBJECT AT THE END OF THE LECTURE YOU WILL BE MORE ABLE TO BRING TOGETHER
THE MANY ASPECTS OF THE ENTIRE LECTURE THAT I AM DEALING WITH.
THE
INTRODUCTION OF “THE LAW OF RETURN” AT THE END OF THE LECTURE WILL ALSO HELP
US TO APPRECIATE THAT ALL THINGS TO DO WITH LIFE ARE INTERCONNECTED AND
DEMONSTRATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE NATURE CURE PHILOSOPHY OF WHOLENESS.
SO
WE WILL FIRST ATTEMPT TO DEFINE THE WORD FOOD.
FOOD:-
A GENUINE FOOD IS A LIVING AND EDIBLE ITEM, THAT WILL SUPPLY NOURISHMENT TO
THE BODY AS A WHOLE AND WILL NOT CAUSE A SPECIFIC EFFECT.
TO
EXPLAIN If we eat
an item represented as a food, and after eating it we note that it is causing a
specific effect, say:
Stimulating
us and then later making us feel tired
Causes
us to have discomfort in the stomach
Or a
strange feeling in our head
Or
later to cause diarrhoea
Or
excessive passage of water
Or
stimulates our appetite causing us to eat excessively
Then
in nature cure terms we would state that such ‘food’ items ARE NOT FOODS for
you, no matter how accustomed to such a ‘food’ you may become by constant
use.
Note:-
This is a specific guide for the individual, for we must realise that we are all
not the same, we have differing sensitivities in-built from past generations. It
is important that we are constantly aware of the fact that we are individuals,
WE ARE NOT CLONES!
We
must not be deceived by adverts which state that the analysis of a product makes
it a desirable food, for I am sure that we could look at the complete analysis
for deadly nightshade and find that there are components in Deadly Nightshade
that have good potential food values, but, at the same time there are in the
full analysis some components that are very toxic, even deadly.
This
leads us to the basic, and essential approach that we are wise to adopt to the
living foods best suited to man in the environment and climate which he lives.
The
most abundant foods grown in this climate are:-
Green
leafy vegetables, some of which are seasonal,
and, as a classification of food, are available all year round. Lettuce, rocket,
parsley, mint, ect in summer and autumn. Cabbage, sprouts, leeks, spinach,
seakale (swiss chard) ect almost the whole year round.
Root
vegetables which have a long season and offer a
good variety during the winter season and some into spring and summer: carrots,
Swedes, parsnips, beetroot, ect.
Grains
grow very well here and can be a good source of energy for
action and warmth: wheat, barley, oats, and rye.
Soft
fruits in the summer food which can, I believe,
stimulate the body cleansing process and help us discard the rubbish that
accumulates in tissues over the winter.
Tree
fruits, plums, damsons, apples,
pears, etc. Each of these have their own season and different keeping qualities,
they arte a limited source of food for us in this climate, and nowhere as
abundant as green leafy items.
If
we consider the above list of foods, it soon becomes apparent that if we are to
eat foods from our native soils, and according to seasonal availability, we
would eat mainly greens, roots and grains, the food of the collector gatherers.
Whilst
we require some protein in our foods, in this climate protein can best be
obtained from cereal, seeds and nuts. We must, however, remember that there is
protein in every living cell and thus, even though foods are classed as foods
low in protein they are still valuable to the reasonably healthy intestines
which have a healthy intestinal bacterial flora. The interesting fact often
little thought of is that cows and other grass eating animals build their
proteins from their green vegetable source. Note:- Cows are much healthier in
fields which have good mixed herbal hay, unlike many fields, these days, that
only have perennial rye-grass growing in them.
I
have not included proteins from dairy and poultry sources no matter how valuable
these can be to human nutrition they can be easily over eaten, and too great
an importance can be placed on them in
particular for adults. Children need and would be wise to eat more of these
protein foods.
And
with reference to the end products, the flesh of these farmed animals and birds,
they can be very toxic if conventional intensive farming practices are employed.
We only need to look back over the last four or so years and remember the BSE,
Scrapie, fowl pest, and swine fever. These problems have been some what tempered
by the agricultural industry and news vendors.
I
can, with gratitude to my parents who changed to a vegetarian way of life at
around twenty years of age, state that I have never knowingly eaten, fish, flesh
or fowl, my four children and most of my ten grandchildren like wise.
Nor have any of us been vaccinated or immunised and we all enjoy above
average health and well being.
A
clear way of looking at the nutritional needs of man is to compare our digestive
system to a production laboratory. If the raw materials are inadequate, the
production process can never operate at their optimum quality levels, the end
results will never be satisfactory nor produce fully saleable products.
Top
quality foods are required if we require top quality health enjoyment and
progeny!
No
other approach can be entertained if we require the best health for ourselves
and our families!
NEXT
WE NEED TO DEFINE THE WORDS LIVING AND EDIBLE.
Living
and Edible are
two very important words from the nature cure view point, for it is our
contention that man at the beginning of human existence, and for millions of
years to the present time, knew little about cooking other than that done by the
sun! He may have know about killing if he was a ‘hunter gatherer’, but, his
most easily obtained food source in this part of the world would have been the
sun cooked and gathered foods. Man’s gathering of vegetation, flowers, grains,
fruits, seeds and roots for his food selection would have been dependant upon
the season of the year, and his environment.
The
last two points, the season of the year and the location, are very important
aspects of human nutrition. We are convinced that the foods which easily grow
around us are the best and most desirable foods, such foods are also adapted to
the climate and environment in which we live. This is no accident of nature
but part of the natural adaptation and selection throughout nature.
So
man, by trail and error, found foods that were edible and if not in the state of
active life, he found them living yet dormant, for example, seeds that were
waiting for the right conditions to reactivate life again, and thus continue
their life cycle.
Life
can then be seen as a vital progression from one phase of life to another,
perpetuating the species for the benefit of all. Unlike man’s present
civilisation where monetary greed has corrupted our society.
Might
I digress for a moment and ask you to examine yourself when I pose the following
questions.
Can
you move your jaws from side to side?
How do
you lose heat from your body?
Can
you roll an item between your finger and your thumb?
Do
your canine teeth protrude outside and lower than your lip?
And
what action do you use to get fluids into your mouth?
Man
is the only animal to which all these features apply, they are basic anatomical
factors in common with the vegetable, grain and fruit eating species. And may
have some connection with the first chapter of the bible!
This
would suggest that: no matter how we have been reared by our parents, our
blueprint, over the millions of years, has developed into the gathere and
collector, rather than the hunter style of existence. The most critical
examination of man can only class us as “omnivorous” never
“carnivorous”. So different from the flying, swimming, and crawling hunters
of this world.
Unless
of course we were Eskimos!
Living
foods
A
living food is a food substance that is still in the state of active life when
we eat it. A lettuce, even though cut from its roots will still continue to grow
a little, more so if it can take up water. An apple is living, though in a less
active state, and waiting to be eaten to disperse its seeds. A grain of wheat,
hazel nut or carrot though they look dormant are actively living and waitng for
the right conditions in which to demonstrate the very active state of life that
is waiting to erupt. The ‘life-force’, that lies dormant within them, just
awaiting the conditions of renewed growth!
Nature
cure has maintained, for hundreds of years, that we require to eat living foods
if we wish to have the best living experience of life. Most important if we
wish to recover from a dis-ease state. Living foods have a vibrant quality
that, when eaten, pass on vibrant quality to the eater.
And
more importantly, living foods carry this living value which is an essential
part of their nutritional value. The vitamins, minerals and trace elements are
actively taking part in the living process within their cells which makes life
possible. In a packet of vitamin pills etc. the vitamins, minerals, and trace
elements, in such pills, are dead, divorced from life. They are separated from
the other vibrant living processes of the cells with which they should be
associated.
We
can all or should be able too detect the inedible from the edible. This is a
natural and in-built instinctive guide. You only have to look at a baby left to
crawl in a garden, or the young of any species, sampling items and rejecting the
undesirable. This is a factor that should be available to us throughout life, it
is therefore understandable that some people find some foods unacceptable. Some
food items, for example modern wheat varieties, are specifically unacceptable to
some people, and their physiological make up quickly lets them know. It is
very interesting that one of the oldest varieties of wheat, spelt wheat for
example, is often found to be acceptable to people with a wheat sensitivity. Another
common example is the peanut.
In
February I had ten days with Dr John Fielder, and his wife and students, at
their health farm and naturopathic school situated in the depth of the north
Queensland rainforest, Australia. John Fielder, a naturopath and chiropractor,
has over thirty years replaced forest trees with fruit trees, mangoes, bananas,
paw paws, and avocadoes and many fruits I had not come across before. They live
on those fruits with some raw salad foods as well, the foods around them supply
them with the major food and fluid requirements. And, if extra fluid was
required rain water was available collected from the roof of the practice block.
The
temperature was H.O.T. - hot, the fruits grown were able to supply me with
almost all the fluid required, This was a very good example of eating the foods
that grow in the environment you find yourself in. Dr Fielder has had nothing
but sun cooked, raw foods, for thirty years or more. Again, a n nutritional
practice suited to the environment of the tropics.
The
se foods were grown organically without the use of herbicides, pesticides and
artificial fertilisers and when supplied to patients, good health can be
regained. As here in Britain, eating living foods suited to a colder climate can
assist patients to regain their health. So the British Naturopath encourages
patients to eat mainly raw organic foods, with some cooked. Foods suited to our
colder climate to improve the body’s health so that it can get down to the
serious activity of healing and returning to “high level health” Ref
James C. Thomson Registered Naturopath.
WE
NOW DEFINE EDIBLE
This
has brought us to another very important issue. Many items put up in packets and
sold in supermarkets could be defined as “edible”. They can be eaten without
causing any immediate specific or detrimental effect, they are called
“convenience foods”. They do not require washing, some not even cooking,
many already in containers that will withstand the “Ordeal” of microwave
cooking. They are flavoured, seasoned, coloured, (more often by chemical
additives), finely divided so they need no chewing -- They are absolutely
lifeless --and that word, for me, gives the ultimate importance to such
products. They have no part to play in the life of people who are wishing to
regain or preserve their health, and more important, nor for the young wishing
to improve the health of their present or future offspring. This is a bold
statement and I will stand by it.
For
me an edible food means food items that are preferably alive at the time
of eating, have been grown on good organic living soil, or foods from well fed
organically reared livestock free from pesticides, herbicides, anti-biotics, and
other toxic medications. In other words, foods fit to eat, living, healthy,
and edible in every sense of the word food!
Food items, therefore that will give life to life, and health to health.
Foods that have maintained life for thousands, even millions of years, on this
earth.
THIS
LEADS ME TO THE NEXT AND THOUGHT PROVOKING ASPECT OF OUR PRESENT DAY HUMAN
SOCIETY, IN BOTH THE DEVELOPED, AND THE UNDEVELOPED WORLD.
Many
claims have been made that we must have:-
Artificial
fertilisers;
Pesticides;
Herbicides;
Antibiotics
for intensive livestock rearing;
Medications
to make this intensive system workable so they can be sold before they die!
And
the latest GMO’s or biotechnological progress artificially moving genes across
species barriers, bacteria to sheep, human to mice, human to pigs. (For the
development of human transplants) etc etc. Why?
IN
ORDER TO FEED THE EVER INCREASING WORLD POPULATION!
I
BELIEVE THERE IS A BIG MISCONCEPTION AT WORK HERE!
In
the study of living creatures, bacteria, fungus, and that also includes plants
and animals, it has been found on many occasions that when life is made
difficult for any species the tendency is to, first attempt adaptation to the
problem, and then increase its procreative functions. Simple examples could be
the pruning of trees, poor low level accommodation, at first the effective use
of antibiotics on bacteria etc, which then adapt and create even bigger problems
for the drug houses!
We
must accept that the world population has increased by leaps and bounds in the
last century. Yet the drug houses, the chemical fertiliser organisations, and
now the GMO weed controlling and pest controlling agencies, all claim that their
efforts and production processes are justified in order to maintain a food
supply for the ever increasing world population!
I
ASK THE VERY SERIOUS QUESTION. ARE THE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE WORLD OF SCIENCE, IN
THE ARES THAT I HAVE JUST OUTLINED, IN FACT, THE VERY CAUSE OF THE INCREASING
WORLD POPULATION?
Have
some of the pioneers of the past had a glimpse of
this factor:-
Rachial
Carson, author of “silent Spring”
Lady
Eve Balfour, author of “The Living Soil”
Sir
Albert Howard, Author of “The agricultural Testament”
To
name but a few visionaries.
I
REALISE THAT THIS IS A VERY CONTROVERSIAL ISSUE, SO I PRESENT IT TO YOU AS
’FOOD’ FOR SERIOUS THOUGHT.
I
would remind you that when real food qualities are at their highest, breeding in
most species is of a lesser importance, for the perpetuation of the species is
in less doubt.
SO
FAR I HAVE COVERED, NO MATTER HOW INADEQUATELY, THE VITAL ISSUES OF TRUE,
LIVIING, EDIBLE AND LIFE SUPPORTING FOODS. IT IS NOW TIME WE TURNED OUR
ATTTENTION TO THE NEXT IMPORTANT WORD, VITALITY.
How
can I define the word VITALITY and its connection to human life and health. We
might best follow the Nature Cure line of defining vitality if we start with
some non living examples.
For
York, and indeed Yorkshire folk, you may well have heard of Thompson, the high
quality furniture craftsmen, referred to worldwide as “The Mouse Man” of
Kiburn. (So called as he carved a mouse on all items made by him and his
associates). Thompson and his successors and associates, first choose with great
care the best quality Oak or other quality English Woods. They looked for the
best and used the best. IF you visit The village of Kilburn you will see, in
various areas of the village, stacks of naturally seasoning timbers. Note, not
the more modern approach- kiln dried!
The
Thompson family have built their name on good quality furniture that has the vitality
(enduring quality) enabling their quality furniture to function for hundreds
of years.
Rolls
Royce got a name for quality, (we will have to see what the present take over
will do with the name and quality!) Rolls Royce did not use any old metal for
his springs or engine blocks etc, nor would he allow anything but the best in
workmanship from start to finish. Rolls Royce cars were of the best quality and,
lasting “vitality”.
We
hope that Rolls Royce aircraft engines will continue to be built to the highest
standard; for we might be in the air and dependant for our life upon their vital
and reliable quality!
Neither
of these examples just happened, they were the result of real care and design,
materials and craftsmanship which resulted from years of experience, and great
human pride in the end product. A determination to produce only the best.
These
two examples will suffice and help to explain what I mean by vitality.
Vitality
in human beings can also be related to:- the quality of our general up-bringing,
thee love, care, protection and devotion of our parents; the quality of
nutrition from well before conception and through birth to maturity. Sadly
human beings are not encouraged to look at these essential requirements for a
healthy human race.
‘Handed
down tissue vitality’ of both father and mother have a very important part to
play in the vitality of the offspring. We humans are just like racehorses, you
can only get the best stamina by matching the best mare and stallion; the best
will depend upon their lifetimes feeding and previous breeding qualities.
Vitality
is similar to a dowry, we can spend it and then have little to pass on to the
next generation or, be frugal with it; or work hard to maintain our dowry, or
even try to increase it, so we can pass it on enhanced for the next generation.
So,
now, do you just sit back and say that there is nothing you can do about the
state you find yourself in?
I
would like to draw your attention, again, to my late colleague Morris Muirhead
who I have already referred too. He was born to parents who had grave problems
during the first world war. Morris suffered from the effects of malnutrition,
his sternum went inward not outward as is normal, in fact, there was little
space if any between his spine and his sternum giving very little room for his
heart and lungs to work. His breathing capacity was very restricted, his heart
and lungs were handicapped. All this through no fault of his own, or his
parents, but circumstances of conscience, war and unavoidable malnutrition.
Morris
was born with poor vitality!
I
know that he would not have minded me using him as an example of a person with
poor vitality, for in doing so he will serve the very good purpose of
illustrating the very important Nature Cure explanation of vitality.
“It
is not a case of what you’ve got, but, what you do with what you,ve got!”
By
Now I can almost forecast what some of you will be thinking; I am what my
parents gave me, I can do nothing about it, it is a situation of ‘fait
accompli’, I can never be really well.
In
the case of my late colleague and friend, I will long remember a conversation
with his younger brother at Morris’s funeral. His Brother stated:-
“With
Morris’s most careful lifestyle I was sure that I would be the first to go!”
To
which I replied,
“you
may not realise, but with Morris’s physical problems he would, normally, not
have lived much longer than 40 years, if that. But, due to his careful Nature
Cure lifestyle, he adapted to his physical problems and lived a very full, yet
measured life, he knew his limits and he knew how to live within them:- possibly
at times seeing a little self centered. He lived to care for others and in his
retirement, for the students, who will long remember his ‘philosophy of nature
cure’ lectures for their insight into the problems that many experience.
The
lesson we can learn from this is it’s never too late to start living a more
positive lifestyle, and, if still in the procreative years, pass on something
better than you had passed on to you. But, not just before you start procreating
or you could cause the baby to be your healing crisis, making mother feel better
but at baby’s expense!
To
understand this point read “The Healing Crisis” by C . Leslie Thompson
THERE
ARE, IN A WAY, TWO TYPES OF VITALITY.
We
have covered one aspect, that which is passed on to us by our forebears, our
dowry. Sadly if people smoke or drink alcohol, tea, coffee, their ability to
pass on good vitality is limited, for it is well known that they can adversely
effect the process of embryonic development; the growth of the baby in the
mothers womb. Sadly though it is widely known, even in medical circles, most
people, conditioned by civilisation, just don’t want to know:-
“Please
don’t disturb my pleasures”!
The
logical fact is that;- potential parents have to earn vitality for the next
generation!
The
second type of vitality can be described as a quality of health which has to be
a direct outcome of our mode of living. This includes our quality of food,
exercise, sleep, rest, recuperative activity, and social habits.
We
can see this by the comparison with two makes of car: The reliant Robin three
wheeler is of a lower quality or vitality of the Rolls Royce. If however the
owner of the Reliant Robin uses his car with care, services his car with care,
applies the best quality oils and fuels, he will get good long and reliable
service from it.
On
the other hand the Roll’s owner can abuse his vehicle and yet continue to get
good service and a high quality from his Roll’s. However with the same care
given to the Roll’s that I have suggested for the Reliant Robin, the Rolls
will give superb performance, and, it will also display that day to day vitality
and, quality performance away into the future. It will maintain its pristine
condition.
This
was so well put by a computer engineer:-
“Rubbish
in Rubbish out” Such a straight forward and profound statement!
No
matter what quality of “endowed vitality” we have been given, our day to day
experience of good health and vitality will be dependant on the same principle
of care that will be given the Reliant Robin owner his good returns from his
vehicle.
We
require to take in vital living foods to get the best:- vital returns of well
being; body self-cleansing processes (dis-ease), or healing crises (see above
ref) ; Maintenance and desirable level of good health.
We
must also realise that:-
“Good
health is rarely placid” As a rule it is a study in dynamics and every now and
then it can assume an aspect of pure violence. This exuberance makes for
misunderstanding. People mistake healthy reactions for disease and try to stop
them, particularly as healthy phenomena are not generally studied. Indeed except
by the Nature cure school, health as such is not investigated. The usual
acceptance is that health is a negative quality- a mere absence of symptoms of
disease. This conception is ludicrously false.”
Quotation-
from James c. Thomson’s “Appendicitis” revised version 1944.
CAN
WE GAIN THE TWO QUALITIES OF VITALITY FROM OUR FOOD INTAKE?
I
am confident that the answer to this is in the affirmative! It is just plain
common sense, that when ‘mousey’ Thompson makes the best furniture, by fine
craftsmanship and the best quality wood, he has put into his furniture a real
and lasting quality.
It
is only applying basic logic: that, human beings can also attain a similar high
quality, of health and vitality, if they eat the best living and nutritive foods
and use their bodies wisely. Then, and only then, can they pass on quality
health and reproductive vitality to their progeny,.
The
best quality food must have those, grown in your own garden by totally
“organic” methods, providing the opportunity to eat them ‘freshly
gathered, freshly prepared, eaten soon after gathering, and, if cooked done so
for the shortest possible time with the minimum of water.’
This
Is not possible for many who may not have a garden, so the next best must be
bought organically grown foods, grown to the standards of one of the Organic
Certifying organisation. The oldest of these associations is the soil
association founded 52 years ago by Lady Eve Balfour, Sir Albert Howard and many
others, an organisation formed to further the concept as stated in the first
memorandum of its association:-
“To
advance the education of the public by promoting a full understanding of the
importance of the vital relationship between the health of the living soil,
plants, animals, people and the environment.”
Living
food means:- A total living sequence and organisation in the chain of life, from
the seed, to maturity, to the seed. Including processes that enable life to
function fully, normally and in accordance with the positive and creative
principle of nature.
Crossing
species, breeding to enhance true qualities, and the use of methods that accord
with Nature eg. Natural selection and cross breeding, processes that have been a
natural part of life since life first emerged; I find Acceptable.
But,
I consider techniques - that can only happen in the laboratory by man’s
“scientific” yet mischievous use of mechanisms of man’s own development,
[GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS], as being contrary to Nature and thus to the
ling term health and life on this planet.
This
is a bold statement, but I will stand by it. Our modern industrial man, could in
a short period of time, be the creator of his own demise!
Other
civilisations must also have thought they had all the answers!
NOW
FOR “THE LAW OF RETURN”, THE PROCESS THAT HAS CONTINUED TO MAKE LIFE
POSSIBLE SINCE THE BEGINNING OF LIFE ON EARTH.
It
is very important that the Law of Return is a living process: returning life to
that which has come from life. It is a process that has been making life
possible from the beginning of life on earth. Nature never wastes her resources,
she always returns them to the life of the soil that which she has given to
life. The leaves fall from the trees, grasses and other plants, (not forgetting
the dead insects and animals) go to the ground, they are then processed by many
other forms of life into nourishment for the next seasons growth, whilst also
feeding those who do the processing. A wonderful and balanced economy!
Soil
is not the dead inert material that some seem to think it is, more so when foods
grow in sterile mediums, ie hydroponics. The life in the soil defies
comprehension; for instance:- there are more bacteria in a cubic centimeter of
living soil than there are human beings on earth,( and including men in space!).
A normal population of earthworms can turn over 25 tons of soil an acre per
year! ref. Darwins work on the earthworm. And so much more could be said
to underline the life in the soil.
Modern
scientific man seems to think that he knows more than nature when he adds
soluble chemical fertilisers, herbicides and pesticides onto farm and
horticultural land with the intention of growing more food to feed the ever
increasing world population. I would ask you to reflect on what I have
already said on the issue of the increasing world population!
The
application of the law of return should entail returning to the land the waste
materials of all living processes. This should now be applied to the return of
human waste which finds its way through our sewage system. However,
particularly today, sewage contains products which are far removed from those of
nature. I therefore strongly maintain that sewage sludge of the late 90’s,
as it stands, is not a safe product. Research into further biological treatments
of sewage, to remove contaminants of our ’scientific’ era, will be essential
before we can safely return human waste to the land.
The
present day return of sewage wastes to our agricultural and horticultural land
has become a very serious issue, (due to new EU. Regulations relating to the
cessation of disposing of sewage sludge in the sea by 1999). We must accept that
sewage has dramatically changed in the last fifty years, due to scientific
“advances” in all spheres of life. Many sophisticated and questionable
chemical products are applied:-
In
agricultural and horticultural processes of food production;
In
industrial processes,
In the
domestic cleansing operations,
In
many mechanical servicing industries etc.
A
high proportion of these sophisticated and largely toxic chemicals find their
way directly or indirectly, into our sewage system.
Added
to this, there are the many toxic and highly sophisticated developments in the
sphere of human and animal medication and contraception; of which 80-90% taken
by humans, and some for the domestic animal population, will also go directly
into our sewers!
(No
wonder that Sir William Ostler, 50 and more years ago said “most of the
medications given to human beings end up in the sea, the better for the humans
but the worse for the fish!”)
A
EUROPEAN HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY
It
is time that the European population encouraged serious research into finding
ways of treating sewage, dealing with this vast problem of our civilisation, in
a living and biological manner, not just killing pathogens by Gamma rays or
other life destructive measures. Instead dealing with the industrial and medical
wastes biologically, so that sewage sludge would then again be an acceptable
product, and safe in the long term, for returning to the land. By
’biologically’ I mean using living processes to remove or alter toxic
wastes which are an inevitable part of modern sewage sludge or Bio Waste.
WE
MUST END ON A VERY POSITIVE NOTE, WE MUST KEEP OUR FOCUS ON THE FUTURE, AND VERY
POSITIVE ASPECTS OF A HEALTHY LIFE-STYLE.
We
must be encouraged, and help others to see the positive qualities of life around
us.
To
take part in outdoor activities be it gardening, walking or cycling. Whilst out
and about looking at the good things in life, and avoid becoming depressed and
therefore ineffective by allowing our positive energies for a change to be
dissipated by anxiety.
We
should seek opportunities to walk through the hills and dales of Yorkshire or in
other parts of the world, looking at the natural beauty and appreciating it, and
renew our determination to do our little bit to salvage the positive aspects of
our society.
We
must also accept that, in nature, individual life does not go on forever, trees
must reach maturity, plants, animals, birds and insects likewise. We must
appreciate that nature has created her own undertakers who are constantly
applying the natural law of return for the good of us all.
THOUGH
I HAVE COME TO THE END OF MY LECTURE, WE HAVE ALL REACHED THE BEGINNING OF THE
REST OF OUR LIFE. I SINCERELY HOPE THAT I HAVE GIVEN YOU A LOT OF POSITIVE
AVENUES TO EXPLORE, LET ALONE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT, AND MAKE CHANGES TO
YOUR OWN LIFE.
MAY
WE IN SOME SMALL WAY HELP TO CHANGE THE PATTERN OF THE LAST 50 YEARS OF THE
NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE. ASSIST IT TO BECOME WHAT IT PURPORTS TO BE A “HEALTH
SERVICE” RATHER THAN A “DISEASE SERVICE”!
A SERVICE THAT HAS BEEN MORE TO DO WITH THE PROFITABLE STUDY AND
TREATMENT OF DISEASE, RATHER THAN UNDERSTANDING AND RESEARCH INTO THE TRUE
NATURE OF HEALTH AND TEACHING THE PROMOTION OF HEALTH.
Lecture
delivered at Atul Shah’s day seminar
Saturday
25th September 1998
By
Naturopathy / Nature Cure Atul Shah Bio Testimonies Seminars Retreats
Books and other
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Article - Published in Osteopathy Today July 02
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