WHAT IS HEALTH REFORM? by Dr

E 514 U ti1014 NEERENCE OF SEVENTWDAY ADVENTIST5 ,, WHAT IS HEALTH REFORM? By Dr. A. H. Williams STATED in simple language, health reform as we physical exercise involved promotes the strengthen- understand it means seeking to secure and maintain ing and the maintenance in health of the mind and the best possible health of body and mind to the body. It stimulates the appetite so that simply-pre- glory of God. pared food is eaten with true relish and enjoyment. Discussing social reform such as has marked the Spend a day exercising reasonably in the open air, past two centuries, a recent writer points out that and a bread and cheese type of picnic lunch seems "in each instance of reform they began by getting "just the thing." the facts." Health reform, to be sound and sane, Many kinds of employment on which men's liveli- must similarly be based on facts. The urge toward hood depends are intrinsically unhealthy; perhaps that social reform was "derived from a quickened too sedentary; perhaps in atmospheres overheated, sense of responsibility to God;" so also must be or befouled by fumes. Modern industrial legislation the true spirit of health reform. seeks to correct these evils as much as possible; but A few years ago a would-be health reformer an- a small back garden or allotment worked with a nounced that henceforth he would restrict himself fork and spade can go far toward ensuring the to a diet of lawn grass mowings. It is true that necessary component in life of simple toil in the cows and other ruminants flourish on such a diet; open air. so also do rabbits. But ruminants have specialized digestive organs, including a cud, and rabbits' eat- DIET FOR THE MIND ing habits are such that they pass their food Men often speak of ours as being a wonderful through the alimentary tract twice. Neither of these age, because we have cinemas, radio, and tele- features is present in human beings, and so even vision; but these things can be a curse and not though ruminants and certain rodents thrive on grass, a blessing for those who succumb to the allure- it does not follow that men will also. They can- ment of endless hours watching the antics, often not digest cellulose. This particular would-be health senseless and immoral, of so-called "stars." Children, reformer soon died; his proposed dietary change was who hours earlier should have been asleep in bed, not related to facts. Incidentally rabbits derive some are allowed to sit up far into the night, entering of their protein needs from a certain mushroom into mentally unhealthful and debasing programmes. (amonita phalloides) which is very poisonous to Parents must discipline themselves in these matters human beings. This the rabbit can do because it "for their own good, and so that they may in turn secretes an enzyme which digests the poison satis- exercise discipline over their children. Let the chil- factorily. It is dangerous to argue loosely from dren romp and frolic in a reasonable way, and as animal eating and other habits as to what is proper circumstances permit, and they will be ready to for human beings. go to bed at a. proper time and enjoy a healthy sleep. While children should be trained to be not IMPORTANCE OF ADEQUATE EXERCISE unduly boisterous, parents on their part should not Very early in human history God ordained that be selfish in their insistence on the old saying, "in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." "Little children should be seen and not heard." A curse was placed upon the ground; but it was Physicians recognize clearly the interdependence a blessing for mankind. To win food from the earth of mind and body in the maintenance of the health man must work. It is a blessing because the of both; and any balanced programme of health Please give generously MEDICAL AID OFFERING, SABBATH, DECEMBER 5111 reform must include due care of the mind. The against which the truly alarming increase in cancer art of printing has advanced enormously, and the or the lung and related organ's has developed. It modern world is deluged with its products. The also impairs the appetite and digestion, and it in- children have their "comics;" there are magazines jures the heart and other circulatory organs. Why for teen-age boys and for teen-age girls. The grown- smoke anyway? It fouls the air, it wastes a very ups' papers have their "strips" for children. Every high proportion of the nation's hard-won wealth. conceivable sub-division and group of the population Alcohol, so often introduced by friends, not in- seems to be specially catered for by the publishing frequently enslaves its users. Is anyone more pitiable trade. Some of it is helpful; some is not. The total than the alcoholic, struggling to be free, yet so expenditure in this field is stupendous; but of vastly often falling in the gutter? The impoverished greater importance is the net effect on the public families, the maimed and those bereft of loved ones mind. Merely because a publication is "glossy" and by accidents due to "one for the road;" these superbly printed and illustrated does not make it and countless other endless miseries cry out against "good." Too often the material printed is salacious the folly of those who presume to ignore the simple and debasing; the illustrations are suggestive of counsel, "Touch not; taste not" of this soul-enslaving folly and immorality; even the advertisements often menace. engender an unhealthy disregard of the body's well- Purposely we have left the matter of diet to the being for the sake of mere appearances and social end of this study, in the hope that we can correct conformity, however harmful. The picture of a the impression which sometimes seems to prevail, girl, pure of face,and fair of form, toying daintily that health reform 'is almost entirely, if not alto- with a cigarette before the admiring gaze of the gether a matter of one kind of food rather than man of her choice; the well-groomed man, with an another. This is not in any degree to belittle the air of easy sophistication, viewing with discriminat- true importance of this phase; but here also let ing eye the glass of sparkling wine; who has not seen us relate reform to facts. them? Not infrequently the artificial situations por- trayed in "thrillers" and other fiction excite the DANGERS OF OVERWEIGHT mind, breeding thoughts the reader would at first Overweight is one of the most serious effects blush to own,. but which often later express them- of unwise eating. The average physician in this selves in perverted actions. The constant deliberate country may not see more than one case of tape- exposure of the mind to the imaginings of diseased worm (commonly caused by eating raw or in- mentalities, slowly but surely breeds contempt for adequately cooked meat) in ten or twenty years; the pure and right. but hardly a day goes by, but there is need to Here then is health reform indeed; to be scru- counsel someone who is grossly overweight (com- pulously careful as to the reading matter, radio, and monly caused by over-eating of bread, potatoes, or television admitted to the home, and to steer the sugar; all vegetarian products). So, choosing a young, with their growing minds, away from the healthful diet is very much more than being vege- dross that is made to glitter by the exquisite out- tarian as against eating meat. turn of the press, and the marvel of modern tele- Food is needed by the body to maintain its communications. structure (and in pre-adult days to provide for its growth); to keep it warm and to provide energy NEED FOR RECUPERATION for its activities; and finally to provide for the We live in days of great activity and general body's cleansing. A diet which is deficient in any stress of life and there is constant pressure on the of these components is not a healthful diet, what- individual to "do a little more." In an emergency, ever other features it may have. So also if any of course, when life is at stake, every exertion up component is noticeably in excess. to the limit of endurance is called for. "Greater In the main it is an excess of the fuel (energy) love hath no man than this, that a man lay down foods which causes overweight; for that excess is his life for his friends." This, though, is very stored as fat. This impedes movement, overloads different from the routine over-working of the body. the heart, and accelerates degeneration of vital For one, as an exponent of health reform to pro- organs and, in fact, of the whole body structure. claim, shall we say, a selective diet, while at the So, health reformer, watch your weight and keep same time showing an utter ignorance of or disre- it within reasonable limits. If overweight, aim by gard for the working limitg of the human body, diet control to reduce it, slowly but surely. whether for himself or for those whom he seeks to lead; this is to make confusion, even foolish- HEALTH REFORM IS PLANNED REFORM ness, of the whole message of health reform. That The material necessary for body building and programme must be balanced, and must show. regard repair is more complicated than the fuel foods. for all its varied aspects. Seeking to secure and Collectively it is referred to as protein; and con- maintain the best possible health of body and mind, tinuing the idea of its being a building material, to the glory of God, demands among other things, it may be compared to a mosaic, comprising numer- reasonable relaxation and recuperation of both.

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