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WITH AN EYE TOWARD WHAT IT SAYS IN THE BIBLE, PRIEST LOOKS AT DIET AND OTHER FACTORS IN GOOD HEALTH

We have grown too reliant on doctors -- scientific health -- and not reliant enough on the way of naturalness that comes from the Holy Spirit. That's to say, we forge ahead in "busyness" with the modern way of living without halting to consider where we're headed and how we may be compromising our bodies. 

In so many cases, doctors and other medical personnel have remarkable knowledge. But we often ignore the fact that it was God Who created us, and no one approaches His knowing what ails or may ail us.

His Spirit formed our spirits and our spirits, which surround us, form, inform, and transmit to the physical.

Thus the best medicine is preventative: praying for the right way to eat and sleep and work and for protection against the "fruits" of modern living (high-blood pressure, heart disease, macular degeneration, Alzheimer's, arthritis, diabetes, and cancer). Pray before there are problems.

Be simple. Be natural.

On the Greek island of Ikaria, folks often live past one hundred years due largely to their consonance with the way God made nature. They drink good water, breathe clean air, have their own gardens, use only olive oil, eat more fish and far more vegetables and fruit than meat, take local honey every morning, have wine, follow no strict daily schedule, do not use alarm clocks, live in a tight-knit, caring community atmosphere, and (last but not least) adhere to Christianity (fasting on feast days). One man who developed lung cancer in his mid-sixties while he was in the United States moved back to Ikaria and at last count was 102 -- with not a single medical treatment (when he returned to the U.S. for to visit many years later, he went to consult his doctors on how that cancer could have disappeared but found that they were all now deceased).

"Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink... after ten days they looked healthier than any of the young men who ate from the Royal table" says Daniel, 1:12,15.

Pray especially, in these times of allergies, arthritis, and cancer, for how best to bolster your immune system.

"When I was in the seminary I got the flu, and it was really bad," writes a priest, Father Herbert Burke, in a new book. "I was determined to do my best not to suffer like that again, and I haven't. I started taking a multi-vitamin mineral supplement that gave me a hundred percent of most vitamins and minerals we need. I noticed several health benefits from this within a month. My teeth got whiter and my gums looked healthier. I stopped getting occasional cysts, and just felt healthier all around. One of the things that helped me was drinking a lot of water. The body is mostly water, and water is a symbol often used for grace."

What are the "fruits" of most chemicals? We err, it seems clear, when we synthesize products. Processed foods are constantly deemed unhealthy because most contain trans-fats. You can identify them by simply looking in the ingredients for "hydrogenated" oils.

Stay clear of them.

Father Burke also advises juicing fresh vegetables, in particular carrots and apples. "The carrot is the king of the vegetables," he opines. "It is loaded with vitamin A which helps your immune system." He also promotes broccoli and kale for the same reason. Few are those who realize that the immune system not only handles viruses and bacteria (as in the common cold), but everything from rheumatoid arthritis to cancer. Others strongly recommend doing away with as much refined sugar, white rice, pasta, pastry, and white bread as you can, for they can wreak havoc with your insulin. Important also is sunshine: once more scientists have reversed themselves and are now promoting exposure to the sun (in proper measure) instead of villainizing it (sunlight is a source of natural vitamin A, which fights cancer cells). 

Eggs? Go ahead. "One lady I met was 103 years old and she eats eggs everyday," points out Father Burke (his book is A Scriptural Guide to the Saints). "I did some research on eggs and found they are loaded with nutrients, and are one of the great foods given by God in nature. Recent research is redeeming the egg from the cholesterol heart killer reputation it once had.

"Fish and eggs are described by Jesus as 'good gifts.'

"In summary I have found that organic fruits and vegetables, milk, yogurt, oats, eggs, nuts, nutritional supplements, and regular exercise have helped me maintain fairly good health."

It also helps slow down aging.

Instead of racing for cold medications or anti-biotics, take a zinc supplement (an excellent product: Airborne) at the very first sign of such an illness.

Mainly, pray. Don't forget sleep. In Ikaria, they wake up naturally, work when they will, and take naps, between working in their gardens and doing whatever they must for a modest living and visiting relatives and friends.