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| Does Natural Hygiene require 100% raw? |
How to define "natural" with respect to humans? First of all, we would remark that there is no good definition of "natural" for humans, since they have been doing "unnatural" things since--
Weighing naturalism and pragmatism in the balance. Secondly, more important than trying to be more natural, the concept of Natural Hygiene should be a practical, not absolute, guide for our actions, instead of encouraging us to be slaves of a doctrine. Some unnatural practices may be useful (wearing clothes in northern Canada, surfing on the Web and exploring sites related to health), while others may well not be. (An example would be taking antibiotics except in any but the most serious circumstances, as even traditional doctors now acknowledge the vast majority of acute illnesses are self-
What do real-world results among practicing Natural Hygienists and raw-
The best we can do here is to quote a couple of paragraphs from a recent article published in the ANHS (American Natural Hygiene Society) publication Health Science. From the article on
ANHS does not recommend a totally raw-In the article quoted from just above, Lennon also cites Dr. Alan Goldhamer of the Center for Conservative Therapy, a fasting facility. Goldhamer's comments echo the message of the site article, The Calorie Paradox of Raw Veganism, i.e., that diets based on low-food diet [i.e., 100% raw]. Experience has shown that people typically fare poorly over a long period of time on such a diet, and as a practical matter, it is extremely hard to implement. No one claims that eating a totally raw-
food diet is absolutely impossible. But there is no credible evidence to show that a whole- food, plant- based diet that is entirely uncooked is more healthy than one that includes conservatively cooked vegetables and starches. By contrast, the diet that is recommended by most raw- food advocates is excessively high in fat and sugar, two factors that have been associated with a variety of health problems.
| And what about Living Foods? |
Results on the Ann Wigmore program in retrospect. The following comments come from the article "Contributions to the Evolution of Live Food Trend," by Elliot Rosen (L.O.V.E. publications), part of a mailing circular packet that Viktoras Kulvsinkas, a prominent and pioneering figure in the Live Foods movement (and involved in the management of Ann Wigmore's program in its earlier years), distributed widely in early 1998 as a promotional mailing.
Very few folks stuck to the cleansing program [at the Rising Sun Christianity of Rev. Ann Wigmore], with poor consequence, usually return of the disease. Those who stuck to it, ran into problems, eventually low energy with underweight. Some who went excessively on the buckwheat and sunflower greens developed the "tingles"--Recent changes to Hippocrates program implicitly acknowledge past problems. In another article from the above circular, Kulvinskas discussed changes that have been made to the regimen followed at Hippocrates Health Institute, one of the most well-known Live Food health retreats. By implication, his observations acknowledged the difficulties people had had with the program. From the article "Anecdotal healing experience with Super Blue Green Algae":which was associated with supersensitivity to heat as well as a low red blood cell count. There were others, who, due to poor knowledge of food preparation, ended up eating foods that were more suitable for compost, many developed over- acidity due to excess consumption of the "rejuvilac" and other live sour foods. They were pioneers and exploring a new potential.
Hippocrates Institute has initiated the use of the Super Blue Green Enzymes and the Algae (...) about three years ago, and the healing speed improved on their live food program. Also, when HHI clients and folks had dietary backslides, they were not wiped out for days because of the radical change; hence, they stuck to the good diet at least 80% of the time, and made consistent progress in their healing. Eventually, they also lost all the cravings for low vibrational foods, and never felt deprived on the HippocratesReport from Viktoras Kulvinskas about his own problematic history. Viktoras Kulvinskas himself had a long history of eating disorders (bulimia), due, he says, to a dysfunctional childhood. Regardless of how the eating disorder may have originally begun, however, it was only after he relinquished his all-meal plan.
Even when I was eating only live food, I would eat huge meals that would leave me feeling bloated and fatigued. I found from experience that if all this food stayed in my stomach, it would ferment and bring on headaches and sciatic pain. So, for relief, I made myself vomit.Viktoras reports that the Super Blue Green Algae helped him overcome his eating disorder. His diet is currently at least 90+% raw, but he notes [Kulvinskas and Lahiri 1997, pp. 119-120]:Eventually, vomiting became a daily practice. I fell into eating more and more cooked and junk food. The problem became more disabling, both physically and psychologically, for I was living a dual life. In public, I would give health talks and lifestyle consultations. In private, I was a junk food eater and bulimic. The hypocrisy of it all was destroying me from the
inside out.
However, I do not have an addictive relationship with food in order to maintain this diet nor do I feel deprived on this very functional nutritional program. I feel comfortable, as I see fit, to enjoy cooked sweet potatoes and sprouted bread. I occasionally eat beans, rice or millet and take extra enzymes when I eat these cooked foods.GO TO NEXT PART OF ARTICLE
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