Caring for the "Whole" Man

Your brain is much more highly developed than that of animals. You have the ability to use your mind to think, make decisions, and practice self-control. Simply stated this means that your body runs by a set of rules built in by its Designer. Observing the laws of health is not a question of sacrifice, it is just a good, common sense route to feeling better and living longer. The rules of health say, "That which strengthens and builds up health and happiness is right. That which weakens and destroys life and health is wrong."

Your minds and the body are very closely related. You are what you think. Fear, worry, anger, depression all interfere with good health, and may even produce disease. Likewise, happiness, pleasure in a job well done, and enjoyment react together to help your body function as it should.

But body and mind do not make up the total of your life experiences. You are in contact with people. Your social life would not be complete without your family, your friends, your relatives, and neighbors. Man was not meant to live alone. We were meant to share our experiences of life with others-to be concerned about our neighbor. We are all of one blood on this planet earth. Our feelings toward others are important to our own well being.

The Voice of Prophecy

Water, Water, Water...

Hey guys, do you drink water only when you feel thirsty? Thirst is not always an accurate indication of when water is needed by your body. Adequate intake of water is necessary for good health. Did you know that about 60% of your body is water? Your muscles are 75% water, and even your bones are 20% water. Every one of your 100 trillion cells required fluid. Temperature control, removal of wastes, carrying of oxygen to cells, healing, and many other body functions require a daily supply of water. Next to air, water is the most abundant and essential substance in the world for life.

The body has a remarkable recycling process for its water. Your kidneys have a great deal to do with water regulation. Although the weigh only 100 grams, they process all of the five to six liters of blood in your body every 1 and a half hours. A million tiny filters in the kidneys remove the waste from the blood circulating through them. In a 24-hour period the kidney filters 180 liters of water from the blood, but 99% of this water is reabsorbed back into the system, so that we only produce about 1 and a half liters of urine a day normally. Insufficient water puts a strain on the kidneys. The wastes become concentrated, and constipation, backache, and headache may result.

When working hard physically or exercising vigorously, you should drink water frequently during the activity. If you merely drink when you are thirsty, or drink the water you desire, you will only drink one-third to one-half of the water that is being lost. So this should be replaced by forced drinking if necessary. One of the main reasons Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay succeeded in climbing Mount Everest was that they forced themselves to drink 12 glasses of water a day, while other teams that failed, because of numbing exhaustion, drank only two glasses of water a day.

The body loses about ten glasses of water every day. the equivalent of four glasses are taken into our bodies as food each day. This leaves a deficit of six glasses that has to be made up daily to balance the output. Thus we should all drink at least six glasses of water a day, and eight would be better. Drink two glasses when you rise in the morning, two more in the mid-morning, and two in mid-afternoon. The best time to drink water is at least 15 minutes before a meal, or two hours after a meal. Avoid drinking anything with your meals for it diminishes the flow of saliva, dilutes the stomach acids, and slow digestion.
Here in the tropics almost everyone bathes daily. You know the glowing feeling you receive from regular bathing. Whether for internal or external use, water is one of your most priceless possessions.

The Voice of Prophecy

Cause of Disease

I can almost hear you say, "If my body is so beautifully designed, then why do I have a toothache on Monday, a dizzy spell on Wednesday, and a headache on Friday? Why am I so often tired? What's wrong?"

Maybe your faulty habits have caused over production on one hand, or a deficiency on the other. Your problem may be physiological, such as night without much sleep. It may be emotional if you live with fear, anger, or worry. It may be pathological, if you were exposed to disease germs. Any one or combination of causes may overwhelm your body defenses and result in sickness.

The amount of stress you can stand without having your body functions thrown out of balance is an index of your health. The stress may be climbing ten flights of stairs, or warding off a cold. When a "flu" epidemic sweeps the country, many people get sick, but others who equally exposed, do not. Those who do not get sick have a stronger resistance. In other words, their support systems are in good working order and their defenses are strong.

Many years ago disease was considered a curse of God or of the devil. About 100 years ago germs were discovered to produce illness. Accumulating evidence indicates that environmental factors today are also involved in the cause of disease. Relatively recently the way one lives, or his life style, has been shown to greatly influence the state of wellness or illness.

Health is concerned with your total environment-both your internal environment and your external environment-all of you. That relationship determines whether you will be sick or well. To have every functional unit working effectively, adequately supported and appropriately guided, requires a way of life where complete harmony exists between your physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual environments within and around your entire person. Disharmony will result in a breakdown somewhere along the line and produce illness sooner or later. The factors which make up this lifestyle are so simple that most of us overlook them. Let's consider one of these physical factors for enjoying good health.

The Voice of Prophecy

How Your Body Functions

You are a living organism made up of thousands of millions of cells. Every activity, no matter how small, is the end product of complex bio-chemical reactions started and carried out by enzyme systems.

An enzyme is a chemical which starts or promotes another chemical reaction. A single cell may have several thousand enzymes, which are similar to minute chemical factories, carrying out the life processes. Each enzyme has its work to do to bring about a specific chemical reaction necessary to life. Each step of this series of reaction must be correct if the end is to contribute to the health of the whole.

We might compare our body and its functions to a motor car factory with its main assembly line and many tributaries. One tributary brings the car body into place, and another the engine, the fuel pump, or wheels. All are different, and yet all are essential for the beautiful smooth-running motor car that glides off the end of the line.

If, however, there is a fault in the assembly line, the car will be defective. If a wheel is left off or the fuel pump is not functioning properly, it will be less than a perfect car.

Workmen watch these assembly lines to prevent any irregularities, and to keep each operation moving at the right speed. Each product must arrive at the right place at the right time, andin the right amount.

Your body, too, must coordinate its functions. To maintain the smooth running of your health assembly line requires that no part be permitted to rust out through disuse or idleness, or be worn out through excessive demands. Every functional unit requires support and guidance (your brain and your nervous system), provision of materials (your food), and opportunity for maintenance and repair (rest and exercise). Therefore, another reasonable definition of health might be, "Health is every functional unit working efficiently, adequately supported and appropriately guided."

The Voice of Prophercy

What Is Health?

Health is consider mostly as wealth for mankind. The World Health Organization defines health as a "state of complete physical, mental and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." In past few years, medical scientists and leaders of many countries also recognize that the fourth dimension of have a better health is the spiritual aspect.

Are you living life to the fullest? Maybe you don't even know what you are missing. Most of us feel that if we don't need to see the doctor, then we must be in good health. However, health is not only the absence of disease. Good health enables you to do what is necessary efficiently and quickly, with enough reserve and energy left to do many of the extra, enjoyable activities in life, such as futsal game, badminton, or a slow jog with a friend.

But, you ask, why do I feel so dragged out, only half alive? Is my body so poorly designed that it can't cope with the rigors of life? No, your body is designed to function smoothly, to keep you feeling comfortable, if you will cooperate with it.

Health does not happen by chance. It is not a gift, but a reward for good health habits. A long and happy life results from good planned living, designed in harmony with principles which not only prevent illness, but also provide the right conditions for recovery from disease.

Next post will guide you toward this higher level of happier living.

The Voice of Prophecy