Sunday, August 19, 2007

STOP EATING PORK!


Paul Wong

When I was studying in England I used to live in a “dig” (rooming house) in Highgate, North London. There were Chinese students from Malaysia, Singapore, Sarawak, Hong Kong and Vietnam rooming in the two houses that faced each other. We were all good friends and we spent the weekends cooking and sharing our favorite dishes. One of our friends called Luk studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and he would spend his summer vacation in London with us. Luk's special contribution was “Charsiu” the Cantonese barbecued pork. The way he prepared it was just exquisite, much better than those of any Chinese restaurant I have ever tasted. He had been coming to Highgate every summer for three years, and we always looked forward to tasting his “Charsiu.” The summer before his final year in the university Luk also came to stay with our group, but there was a radical change in him. He told us there would be no more “Charsiu” from that time onwards. The real shocker is that he vowed not to eat any more pork dishes and strongly advised all of us in the group not to do so either. He had such a strong conviction against pork that he would not eat with us if we insisted on having it.

Here is his explanation. Luk was with a team of medical students doing a research project on the effects of diet on stomach and intestinal diseases such as trichinosis. The research team’s method was to go to the hospitals and dissect corpses for autopsies. They based their studies on the diets of the various ethnic communities in the region. Their research uncovered the finding of the ethnic community with the highest percentage of cases with the trichinella spiralis worm belonged to a race that had pork as its main staple diet. Their research data showed a remarkably low percentage of Jews and Moslems with the trichinella spiralis worm in their bodies. It is significant that these two ethnic communities exclude pork and other biblically unclean meats in their diet.

My friend had seen such clear evidence in the co-relationship between pork consumption and stomach and intestinal diseases that he could make a determination not to eat that meat again in all his life. That was the first time I had ever heard a negative report on pork, but it has a lasting impression on my mind ever since that summer in London, England.

Trichinosis – from Encarta Encyclopaedia


Pronounced As: trikinosis or trichiniasis trikinisis, parasitic disease caused by the roundworm Trichinella spiralis. It follows the eating of raw or inadequately cooked meat, especially pork. The larvae are released, reach maturity, and mate in the intestines, the females producing live larvae. The parasites are then carried from the gastrointestinal tract by the bloodstream to various muscles, where they become encysted. It is estimated that 10% to 20% of the adult population of the United States suffers from trichinosis at some time. In many people the disease exhibits no symptoms and is discovered only at autopsy. In others it causes diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms as the worms multiply in the digestive tract. When the larvae circulate through the bloodstream, the patient experiences edema, irregular fever, profuse sweating, muscle soreness and pain, and prostration. There may be involvement of the central nervous system, heart, and lungs; death occurs in about 5% of clinical cases. Once the larvae have imbedded themselves in the muscle tissue, the cysts usually become calcified; however, the infestation usually causes no further symptoms except fatigue and vague muscular pains. There is no specific treatment.

Bad Effects of Pork Consumption


Pig's bodies contain many toxins, worms and latent diseases. Although some of these infestations are harbored in other animals, modern veterinarians say that pigs are far more predisposed to these illnesses than other animals. This could be because pigs like to scavenge and will eat any kind of food, including dead insects, worms, rotting carcasses, excreta (including their own), garbage, and other pigs.

Influenza (flu) is one of the most famous illnesses which pigs share with humans. This illness is harbored in the lungs of pigs during the summer months and tends to affect pigs and humans in the cooler months. Sausage contains bits of pigs' lungs, so those who eat pork sausage tend to suffer more during epidemics of influenza.

Pig meat contains excessive quantities of histamine and imidazole compounds, which can lead to itching and inflammation; growth hormone, which promotes inflammation and growth; sulfur-containing mesenchymal mucus, which leads to swelling and deposits of mucus in tendons and cartilage, resulting in arthritis, rheumatism, etc. Sulfur helps cause firm human tendons and ligaments to be replaced by the pig's soft mesenchymal tissues, and degeneration of human cartilage.

Eating pork can also lead to gallstones and obesity, probably due to its high cholesterol and saturated fat content. The pig is the main carrier of the taenia solium worm, which is found it its flesh. These tapeworms are found in human intestines with greater frequency in nations where pigs are eaten. This type of tapeworm can pass through the intestines and affect many other organs, and is incurable once it reaches beyond a certain stage.

One in six people in the US and Canada has trichinosis from eating trichina worms, which are found in pork. Many people have no symptoms to warn them of this, and when they do, they resemble symptoms of many other illnesses. These worms are not noticed during meat inspections, nor does salting or smoking kill them. Few people cook the meat long enough to kill the trichinae. The rat (another scavenger) also harbors this disease. There are dozens of other worms, germs, diseases and bacteria which are commonly found in pigs, many of which are specific to the pig, or found in greater frequency in pigs.

Pigs are biologically similar to humans, and their meat is said to taste similar to human flesh. Pigs have been used for dissection in biology labs due to the similarity between their organs and human organs. People with insulin-dependent diabetes usually inject themselves with pig insulin.





Medical and Scientific Reasons for not Eating Pork

This is a direct quote from "What the Bible Says About Healthy Eating" by Dr. Rex Russell. He attended Baylor School of Medicine in Houston, Texas and did his residency at the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, Minnesota.

"One reason for God's rule forbidding pork is that the digestive system of a pig is completely different from that of a cow. It is similar to ours, in that the stomach is very acidic. Pigs are gluttonous, never knowing when to stop eating. Their stomach acids become diluted because of the volume of food, allowing all kinds of vermin to pass through this protective barrier. Parasites, bacteria, viruses, and toxins can pass into the pigs flesh because of overeating. These toxins and infectious agents can be passed on to humans when they eat a pig’s flesh.

In the "Biblical Archeological Review", Jane Cahill examined the toilets of a Jewish household in Jerusalem, finding no parasites or infectious agents, but only pollen from the many fruits, vegetables, and herbs they had eaten. A similar study done about Egyptians revealed eggs from Schistosoma, Trichinella, wire worm and tapeworms, all found in pork. All of these organisms cause significant chronic diseases. [ this is footnoted Jane Cahill and Peter Warnock, "It had to happen, Scientist Examines Ancient Bathrooms of Romans 586B.C." BAR May/June 1991]

In what is probably a strong illustration of the perils of pork, at one time no cases of trichinosis had been reported in the country of Bolivia for several years. [this is footnoted from "Veterinary Parasitology" May 1993] However, 25% of pigs tested were infested with trichinosis. People working on these farms and the population eating the pigs were also found to be positive for infestation with this parasite. The primary symptoms of this infection include muscle pain, headaches, fever and swelling in the extremities.[foot noted Baker, Bryant, Urban, and Lumney, "Swine Immunity to Selected Parasites", "Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology" October 1994] These are all nonspecific symptoms that do not necessarily indicate any one disease. Although this may explain why the trichinosis had not been diagnosed in Bolivia for several years, it is strong circumstantial evidence that many people became ill because of pork.

Dr. W.J. Zimmerman reviewed the diaphragm muscle from multiple autopsies done in the U.S. in the late 1960"s, and reported that trichinosis was not an unusual finding. [footnoted Zimmerman, Steele, And Kagan, "Trichiniases in the U.S. Population, 1966-70: Prevalence and Epidemiologic Factors", Health Services Reports 88:7 Aug/Sept 1973] It is well accepted that illnesses caused by parasites have a significant economic effect worldwide.

In the U.S., three of the six most common food-borne parasitic diseases of humans are associated with pork consumption. These include toxoplasmosis, taeniases or cysticercosis [caused by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium] and trichinellosis.

In Japan, the source of these infections was traced to the flesh of pigs, bears, horses, racoons and foxes. All of these animals are listed in Scripture as putrid or unclean.

Swine are also good incubators of toxic parasites and viruses- although the animal doesn't appear to be ill while carrying these diseases. A scientist at the University of Giessen's Institute for Virology in Germany showed in a study of worldwide influenza epidemics that pigs are the one animal that can serve as a mixing vessel for new influenza viruses that may seriously threaten world health.

If a pig is exposed to a human's DNA virus and then a bird's virus, the pig mixes the two viruses - developing a new DNA virus that is often extremely lethal for humans. These viruses have already caused worldwide epidemics and destruction. Virologists have concluded that if we do not find a way to separate humans from pigs, the whole earth's population may be at risk. [footnoted Scholtissek,M.D., "Cultivating a Killer Virus" National History Jan. 1992]

The 1942 Yearbook of Agriculture reported that 50 diseases were found in pigs, and many of these were passed on to humans by eating the pig's flesh.

Additionally, just the handling of swine has an element of risk. A large hog-raising facility in the area where I live wisely requires its employees to wear gloves, masks and protective clothing while working in the pig barns. The workers are required to shower each day before going home.

Little wonder that GOD would inspire His prophet to include eating pork among the disobedient acts of stubborn people in addition to idolatry and conjuring spirits of the dead, "a people who continually provoke Me to My face,...who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of unclean meat" [Isa. 65:3,4]"

"JUST SAY NO TO SWINES’ FLESH"


by Jim Bramlett


(Our note: This gentleman is not a Messianic believer and therefore most likely doesn't understand the spiritual, as well as physical concepts, of following the Kosher laws, but nevertheless this is an interesting article. We believe he may be avoiding pork, right now, mainly out of fear, but that doesn't mean that G-d isn't bringing him to a fuller understanding at a later point. After all you have to start somewhere!)


Dear friends:

(This will make you think!)

On March 15, 2000 I posted a news item saying that "cloned pigs could provide organs for transplants into humans on the NHS within six years, it emerged yesterday.." I commented: "If pigs were an abomination in the ancient Jewish temple, how much more will they be an abomination being made a part of G-d's New covenant temple--our bodies! six years away? For this and many other reasons, I suspect G-d will pull down the curtain before then and say, 'No more.'"


Combining swine flesh with human flesh will not just be a spiritual abomination, there are also extreme concerns physically, no doubt why G-d did not (DOES NOT) allow eating of swine. I used to think that G-d had this restriction about pigs, only to protect those poor, primitive Israelites, from the deadly trichinella worms found in swine. But we modern, sophisticated humans are so smart that we do not have this problem. Yeah, right!



Not true, according to Dr. Gordon S. Tessler, in his excellent book, "The Genesis Diet," He says:


"Obviously, the indiscriminate eating patterns of omnivores like pigs, make them disease carriers. Pigs are known to carry up to 200 diseases and 18 different parasites and worms, including the deadly worm called trichinella spiralis. This worm is commonly called trichinosis and there is no known cure for these spiral worms. The trichinae worms are so small and transparent that only trained inspectors using high-powered microscopes can detect their existence. Trichinosis can cripple or even kill anyone that eats as little as a forkful of contaminated food! Trichinosis can mimic other diseases such as arthritis, rheumatism, or typhoid fever. (NOTE: On his video, Dr. Tessler says that even cooking does not kill the trichinae worm!)



"Pigs have more incidences of arthritis than any other known animals in the world. Arthritis may be a virus or a parasite that is transmitted from pigs to humans as a direct result of eating the flesh and blood of hogs and pigs. Perhaps many other diseases are misdiagnosed and their real cause is roundworms, gullet worms, hookworms, thorn-headed worms, trichina worms, stomach worms, nodular worms, tapeworms, as well as many other parasites found in the flesh of the unclean swine. A person may be committing slow suicide when he or she eats bacon, ham, sausage, or pork chops.



"Even hog farmers who insist that corn fed hogs are safe won't give you a guarantee that their indoor hogs haven't eaten any rats, mice, fecal waste, or maggots within the past few days. The metal doorknobs in pig nurseries, become corroded after a year or so, due to the gases produced by the pigs urine and feces. The same gas and pig dander that eat away metal doorknobs are harming the respiratory tracts of hog farmers. Their unusually high incidences of respiratory ailments, from coughing and sniffles to lung scarring and pneumonia can no longer be attributed to weather and allergies alone. The hog waste spills from hog farms are contaminating our land, our rivers, and our water supply. Pork should be considered a homotoxin (human poison) and the probable cause of many common sicknesses and degenerative diseases.



"The Great Physician, the Creator of all life, admonishes us to separate the clean animals from the unclean ,for physical health and well being. Many faithful church people who would never defile G-d's temple with cigarettes, even though smoking is not mentioned in the Bible, continue to ingest bacon, ham and pork chops which are disease-carrying, parasite-infested unclean foods which G-d commands His children not to eat! It would be futile and absurd to ask G-d to bless the smoking of cigarettes, yet we pray that He bless a pork chop on our dinner plate! Can we expect our Creator to disregard His word to us so we can indulge our appetites?"



Dr. Tessler's book, "The Genesis Diet" and his video, "Eating G-d's Way" are highly recommended.......

Read about the Pig Virus Outbreak in Malaysia on the Next Page


May God bless you.


Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the President of ARK International.
His ministry also serves as an architectural service company in Houston.
The ARK Forum on the Internet is international and non-denominational.


TIME (Asia Edition)

Asia - Apil 5, 1999 - Vol. 153 No. 13

HOG HELL IN MALAYSIA

Malaysia resorts to mass slaughter in a struggle to contain an outbreak of a deadly virus that is plaguing its pigs, worrying its people and threatening its tourism and export industries. Workers kick pigs into a huge grave. Over one million pigs have been killed since the pig virus outbreak. --AP Photo--Andy Wong




Malaysian Virus Mystifies Doctors

By Alvin Ung
Associated Press Writer
Thursday, April 8, 1999; 2:18 p.m. EDT


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- A tropical virus that has killed dozens of people in Malaysia is the first of its kind and virologists are stumped as to how it spreads, an American health official said today. Nine scientists from the United States and other experts from Australia, Taiwan and Japan arrived in Malaysia several weeks ago to help the Southeast Asian country determine the nature of the virus believed to be spreading from pigs to humans. The CDC said Thursday that 229 people are believed to have been sickened in the last six months in Malaysia. At least 111 have died.

"This is a new, previously unrecognized virus found in humans," Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta told The Associated Press by telephone. "This virus has never been seen before."

The scientists have been tramping through pig pens and farming communities where the deadly virus first appeared, wearing gloves, gowns and battery-operated respirators while visiting the worst-hit areas. "We don't know if it's highly infectious. We don't know how people are being infected," Skinner said. "It doesn't appear, right now, that this is being transmitted from person to person, but we're still not going to rule that out."

Government health experts initially said the outbreak began with the deaths of 15 people last October who succumbed to the Japanese encephalitis virus, which is transmitted by the Culex mosquito. These findings were confirmed by World Health Organization officials from Japan who came to help investigate. But in late February, the number of deaths among villagers and farmers in the hog-rearing district of Bukit Pelandok in central Negeri Sembilan jumped dramatically, prompting health officials to seek further help.

Malaysian virologists flew to the United States on March 17 with samples. Lab analyses quickly proved that the virus wasn't Japanese encephalitis. Instead, it resembled a very rare Hendra virus, first detected in Australia in 1994. Symptoms are the same for both viruses -- high fever, aches, eventual coma and death.

A similar illness afflicted 11 slaughterhouse workers in Singapore last month after they handled imported pigs from Malaysia, the CDC said. One of the workers died. It's not clear what proportion of the illnesses were caused by infections with the new Hendra-like virus or how many were due to Japanese encephalitis, the CDC said. But some of the dead had been vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis. The CDC finding plunged Malaysia into further confusion. Pig farmers deserted their homes after police cordoned off their villages. To curb the outbreak, soldiers dressed like astronauts swept through a half-dozen pig-farming districts in an attempt to slaughter 1 million pigs.

Malaysians have been left wondering which virus is which. A 24-hour government hot line set up Wednesday provides detailed information on the Hendra virus. It encourages all workers on pig farms -- the only victims of the virus so far -- to wash their hands with soap and water after handling pigs. But it's not Hendra," CDC spokesman Skinner said Thursday. "It's a Hendra-like virus, and it has a high mortality rate."

© Copyright 1999 The Associated Press






Malaysian Hog Virus Resurfaces


Wednesday, July 05, 2000, updated at 15:05 (GMT +8)



Health authorities put eight hog farms in eastern Malaysia under quarantine after tests showed some pigs could be infected with a virus that killed more than 100 people last year, news reports said Wednesday.


The discovery in Sarawak state on Borneo island came during routine blood tests on pigs, agricultural official David Teng Lung Chi told The Sun daily.

Such tests were ordered after last year's outbreak of Nipah virus that destroyed pig farms across Malaysia, the region's largest pork producer. Nearly 1 million pigs had to be killed to contain the deadly new strain of viral encephalitis.


Last month, authorities ordered the killing of 1,700 pigs in northern Penang state to prevent a recurrence of the disease.


Any hog farm found with even one infected pig must destroy its entire stock. Owners of the farms in Sarawak were barred Tuesday from transporting pigs anywhere until investigations were completed.




PUBLIC HEALTH


The Virus That Wouldn't Die

The deadly Nipah virus has resurfaced on Malaysian pig farms.
Scientists say urgent measures and regional coordination
are needed to avert another outbreak


By Simon Elegant/KUALA LUMPUR

Issue cover-dated August 17, 2000


NIPAH IS BACK. The virus that killed more than 100 people last year and led to the slaughter of over a million pigs has reappeared on pig farms both in peninsular Malaysia and--much more worryingly--650 kilometres across the South China Sea, in the Borneo state of Sarawak.

What's more, antibodies to Nipah have been found in previously uninfected human subjects in Sarawak, indicating exposure where the disease has never been detected before. Malaysia's Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine will convene on August 12 to review the country's state of preparedness for the return of Nipah and other such viral outbreaks.

Nipah does not pose an immediate threat to humans, and for the moment the controls put in place by Malaysia's government seem to be keeping the threat to pigs under control as well. But scientists are concerned by two discoveries: Indications that bats with a huge geographical range are a probable source of the disease, and confirmation from the virus's appearance in Borneo that pig smuggling could spread Nipah outside peninsular Malaysia.

Even within the Malaysian government there are people who believe greater vigilance is warranted. "The situation, if not controlled, could develop into a full-blown outbreak in a few years," says Aziz Jamaluddin, who heads the government-run Veterinary Research Institute of Malaysia; he says, though, that his comments are made in a private capacity, not as a government official.

While there is still confusion about the exact nature and extent of the virus's re-emergence, the chief threat of Nipah is to Malaysia's 1.4 million pigs, to Malaysia's pork industry, which earns roughly one billion ringgit ($265 million) annually, and to the pig population in the rest of the region.

Nordin Mohamad Noor, director-general of the government's Veterinary Department, assumed before his department began recent tests that the virus had been eradicated. "We thought we had a clean slate," he says. In "a routine surveillance programme" mounted to test that supposition, Nordin says he was shocked to find a significant concentration of the virus in a peninsular-Malaysia pig farm as well as antibodies in humans on Sarawak.

"It's like putting out a fire," says Aziz, the veterinary-research chief. "When you come back the next day it's still smouldering and you find it's burning underground."

In the last few months, Nordin's Veterinary Department has culled some 9,000 pigs and quarantined 37 farms in both peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak; four remain sealed off. Aziz says the rediscovery is cause for major concern: "That it seems to be re-emerging in several parts of the country should be a wake-up call to the government."

In late 1998, the previously unknown virus began killing livestock on Malaysian pig farms, and spread with deadly speed. By March last year, when the outbreak peaked, farms and villages were being abandoned wholesale, tens of thousands of pigs were being slaughtered daily, and patients were flooding into hospitals. By the time the crisis ended, the government had shut down hundreds of farms and culled more than a million pigs. About 100 of the 240 infected people died--including one abattoir worker in Singapore--and another 80 were permanently disabled.

Despite calls by some Malaysian scientists in the last months of 1998 for an investigation into the possibility that a new virus had emerged, the Health Ministry classified and treated the disease as Japanese encephalitis, which is well known, until March 1999, when a research team at the University of Malaya led by microbiologist Lam Sai Kit identified the new virus. The apparent bureaucratic inflexibility demonstrated by that delay, and the concurrent delay in putting in place the relatively simple precautions that prevent infection of humans, is of deep concern to a number of scientists working on Nipah.

"The Ministry of Health still doesn't have a grasp of what this is about," says Charles Calisher, coordinator of the most important on-line site for the exchange of information on Nipah. "There are still people going around talking about Japanese encephalitis instead of Nipah. To me that is very frightening. The fact is, it's a very bad disease and the people in charge still don't seem to understand exactly what it is." Health Ministry officials declined to be interviewed for this article.

So far, there's virtually no evidence of human-to-human spreading of Nipah, which is believed to be transmitted to humans through exposure to bodily fluids of infected animals. Armed with knowledge gained from last year's outbreak--most importantly that Nipah can be destroyed by ordinary detergents--scientists say the likelihood of Nipah becoming a threat to humans again in the near future is relatively low. But the fact that livestock smuggling can spread the disease puts an added burden on the governments of Malaysia and its neighbours, particularly Thailand, which is the primary recipient of smuggled Malaysian pigs.

Both Thailand and Singapore banned the import of Malaysian pigs and pork at the height of the Nipah crisis. Those bans remain in place, as does a ban on any inter-farm movement of pigs even within Malaysia itself. Scientists and government officials agree that smugglers must have carried Nipah-infected livestock to Borneo. Smuggling increases when the price of pork rises, as it has done in recent months, according to Aziz. But Nordin says the government doesn't believe the current level of pig smuggling between Malaysia and Thailand is extensive enough to be a health problem.

One bright spot in this picture is the recent discovery by a team of Malaysian scientists of what they say is the original source of the virus: a species of fruit bat called the Island Flying Fox. Other fruit bats may also carry Nipah, though that remains to be proved.

Research points strongly to a combination of environmental destruction and intensive pig breeding as the root causes of the outbreak of Nipah last year. That makes Nipah a forceful reminder of the way scientists say other viruses--possibly much more virulent and contagious--can be expected to emerge in coming years (see Ground Zero, above). Chillingly, in the course of their research the Malaysian scientists also discovered two previously unknown, so-far dormant viruses that are very similar to Nipah.

Calisher, who teaches microbiology at Colorado State University in the United States, notes that the virus could already be present in other bat populations outside Malaysia. Fruit bats are widespread, their habitat stretching all the way to Africa and China.

"What if some fruit bat in northern Burma already is carrying the virus? The real danger is if it gets into a country where pork is a much greater part of the population's diet," says Calisher. In Thailand, pork is the primary source of meat, as it is in Taiwan and China, which has nearly one billion pigs on its farms.

Scientists like Calisher advocate greater international cooperation to monitor emerging diseases like Nipah, particularly in what Lam at the University of Malaya calls the epicentre of the phenomenon, the Asia-Pacific region. Lam points out that help from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control was critical in helping identify the Nipah virus.

Aziz believes that the research efforts being conducted at his institute and at the country's universities need an infusion of between 10 and 15 million ringgit in government funding. "The lackadaisical attitude of the authorities and scientists is wrong," he says.

Malaysian government officials like Nordin retort that the lack of qualified scientists to do the research is the main problem, not funding. They also say that the Health Ministry is now considering a proposal to build a "Level 4," or high-security, lab to do research into Nipah that now must be conducted in Australia or the United States.

As to what can be done in Malaysia itself, the country needs to set up a "completely nonpolitical" mechanism for immediate reaction to crises like the Nipah outbreak, says C.P. Ramachandran, a professor of medicine at the University Putra Malaysia and president of the Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine.

"So far it's all been very ad-hoc, fire-brigade sort of activity," Ramachandran says. Rather than a purely government-controlled response, he advocates the establishment of a group composed of scientists, doctors and other experts who could help to speed the reaction in the critical first stages of an outbreak.

It isn't a question of whether there will be outbreaks, Ramachandran says, but when. "We're living out of ecological balance, and from time to time you are simply going to have outbreaks like this."




May God bless you.








Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the President of ARK International.
His ministry also serves as an architectural service company in Houston.
The ARK Forum on the Internet is international and non-denominational.















Food and other aspects of health.

by Dr. Rex Russell


Dr. Rex Russell is not connected to New Life Church. He is a board-certified invasive radiologist who practices in Fort Smith, Arkansas. A former Academic All-American in football at Oklahoma State, Dr. Russell attended medical school at Baylor University College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He has practiced at two of the nation's outstanding hospitals, St. Luke's Hospital in Houston and the Regional Medical Centre in Fort Smith, the town in which he and his wife, Judy, make their home.


Based on your present view of health, you might enjoy taking the quiz about foods and other aspects of health. If you enjoy treasure hunting, you will want to order the book, "What the Bible Says About Healthy Living," by Rex Russell, M.D.

Mark items that are good for your health with a +.
Mark items that are bad for your health with a –.
Mark 0 if it doesn't matter.
Mark the worst eight items for your health with an * (eight points).
Each correct answer = 1 point.
The test is out of 44.

1. __ fiber
2. __ nuts
3. __ whole-grain cereals
4. __ sunlight
5. __ swordfish
6. __ marriage
7. __ "Type A" personality
8. __ "Type B" personality
9. __ bitterness
10. __ olive oil
11. __ butter
12. __ margarine
13. __ safe sex (condom)
14. __wine
15. __ rest
16. __ same-gender sex
17. __ live fruits
18. __ avocados
19. __ sweating from labour
20. __ sprouts
21. __ live vegetables
22. __ beef

23. __ pork
24. __ homogenized milk
25. __ soft drinks
26. __ same-spouse sex
27. __ juice
28. __ smoking
29. __ cover fat on meat
30. __ anger
31. __ blond hair
32. __ sunglasses
33. __ shellfish
34. __ prayer
35. __ alcohol
36. __ fasting
37. __ forgiveness
38. __ breast feeding
39. __ large-mouth bass
40. __ catfish
41. __ smiling
42. __ promiscuity
43. __ hot dogs
44. __ divorce

Results: Your Score:____ / 44 = ____ %


Answers to "CHECK YOUR HEALTH IQ"

1. Fiber = +. Fiber is good for your health. The fiber we get naturally in vegetables, fruits and seeds is always covered with great nutrients that protect us from many harmful substances and diseases. Fiber is also necessary because it "sweeps" the digestive tract clean.

2. Nuts = +. Nuts contain wonderful oils and fats that are essential for your health. In addition, they have the ideal amino acids for building protein and enzymes. Nuts contain only a small amount of complex carbohydrates and essentially no simple carbohydrates. Processing (adding animal fat and/or too much salt) is about the only thing that would make nuts less healthful.

3. Whole-grain cereals = +. Whole-grain cereals are good, but some may contain too much sugar. Some whole-grain cereals such as granola have a sugar content as high as 60 percent. Watch for this. If you have to add sweeteners to your cereal, use a small amount of juice.

4. Sunlight = +. Sunlight is good. Sunlight activates many ingredients in our cells that come from whole foods. Vitamin D, anticancer, antiviral, antiarthritic and insect repellent components are formed from sunlight. Without whole food, sunshine's ultraviolet light has a greater chance of damaging the skin.

5. Swordfish = +. Biblically, this fish is good for your health in that it does have scales and fins. It also has a good supply of the healthy 3-omega fatty acids.

6. Marriage = +. Studies have shown that marriage is beneficial to a person's longevity. In the marriage relationship, the husband seems to gain the most as far as longevity is concerned. Except in unusual circumstances, staying married is definitely the healthiest thing you can do for yourself. Often you can do nothing about being widowed or separated. This is not the end of the world. Many things can improve your longevity and joy of living in both the widowed and separated circumstance. Probably the most important thing to remember is that God promises through the Holy Spirit to be your Counselor and Companion. Many have rested in this relationship and flourished.

7. "Type A" personality = 0 (neutral). Longevity studies on heart and cancer patients fail to demonstrate any difference between "type A" and "type B" personalities. Caregivers had generally thought that "type A" personalities were more apt to have heart disease, ulcers and other diseases. This has not been proven to be true. Often the "type A" personality will do better in recovery because the personality lends to following the doctor's orders explicitly.

8. "Type B" personality = 0 (neutral; see number 7).

*9. Bitterness = -. The only personality trait that proves to be harmful for our health is bitterness. The origin of bitterness and hostility is usually a lack of forgiveness.

Peter asked Jesus how often we should forgive someone who offends us. "Is seven times enough?" he asked, in effect. Jesus' response was, "seventy-seven times" (Matt. 18:21,22). In other words, we are to forgive indefinitely. It is healthful to forgive, and it is harmful to hold a grudge. Remember the Scripture, "Vengeance is mine;...saith the Lord" (Rom. 12:19, KJV). Dr. Dean Ornish, famous for his methods of reversing vascular disease, agrees that the "most toxic" personality traits to the heart are hostility and cynicism.

10. Olive oil = +. Years ago, when olive oil was considered bad for health, a study of seven countries showed that the citizens of Sicily had more fat in their diets than all the other countries studied. Yet the Sicilians had less vascular heart disease and other health problems. The primary source of fat they were eating was olive oil. More studies have shown many benefits of olive oil.

11. Butter = +. Butter is a saturated fatty acid and contains cholesterol, a fact that has resulted in butter's being condemned by most nutritionists. However, butter is a good food, when eaten in moderation. Butter does not raise the levels of cholesterol or harmful fats in the blood. Both olive oil and butter are digested by humans in a way similar to the way complex carbohydrates are digested. Complex carbohydrates are also healthful.

12. Margarine = -. The processing (hydrogenation of oils) of margarine forms trans fatty acids. This form of fatty acids represent a big problem for our cells. It increases vascular disease and cancers. It also elevates the bad cholesterol and triglycerides in our blood. Considering all the negative aspects of margarine, butter would be a better choice.

*13. Safe sex with a condom = -. It is not good for your health. The chondyloma virus, which is one of about 30 known venereal disease, is passed in 100 percent of sexual contacts when one partner is infected even when a condom is used.

14. Wine = -. In general, I would rate wine as a negative. Wine has at least two unhealthful ingredients: sulfites and alcohol. The University of Wisconsin recently reported that bioflavins in wine are good for the vessels and for the heart. That is true; but the wine industry and its advertisers make their reports sound as though bioflavins are found only in wine. The fact is they are found in higher concentrations in juices, fruit and vegetables than in wines.

Also, alcohol damages all cells. Even a small amount of alcohol weakens the heart muscle. Abstinence from alcohol strengthens the heart's contraction ability unless permanent damage has already been done. The alcohol concentrations in wine are increased by adding sugar to juice before fermenting.

15. Rest = +. Scripture commands one day of rest a week. You probably will get more done in six days of hard work preceded by a day off than you can possibly get done on a nonstop schedule. Efficiency at work is more valuable than time spent at work. Don't think that because God commanded one day of rest a week that you need more time off. It may be nice if you can get it. Sleep is also positively related to physical and mental health. Again, however, be warned: balance is important:

How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man (Prov. 6:9-11).

*16. Same-gender sex = -. Same-gender sex is devastating to your health. See chapter 4.

17. Live fruits = +. "Live" (or fresh) fruits are those whose seeds are still viable or able to reproduce. Chemicals, radiation and other processing destroy the seed's ability to reproduce. In general, fruits are excellent for your health, but they are best for you when eaten "live." I still would heartily recommended "raw" fruit, even though now fruits can be radiated and chemicalized to increase storage life, and this is detrimental to their bio-usefulness.

18. Avocados = +. Surprise! In my opinion avocados are good for your health. It is true they do contain fat, but these are fats that heal rather than fats that kill. Avocados contain fiber and nutrients. They are a well-designed food, when eaten in moderation. Enjoy!

19. Sweating from labor = +. This is not referring to the delivery of a baby. In this case, "sweating" refers to physical labor such as working as a roofer or furniture mover. Physical exercise and eating good nutrients go hand in hand.

20. Sprouts = +. Because sprouts are growing and alive, many people think they are especially good for you. Alfalfa seeds, mung beans and so on can be grown in a glass jar for three or four days and used in salads or on sandwiches. Sprouts can be bought in the produce section of your grocery store, and are an easy and painless way to get good nutrients.

21. Live vegetables = +. Live vegetables are much like sprouts or seeds. They are either growing or have the potential to grow. Buying green beans in the produce section is better than buying canned beans. Be aware that some vegetables may be radiated or chemically altered.

22. Beef =+. Surprise again! Beef is healthy if you eat only the flesh and not the cover fat or blood. Overfeeding and overmedicating with hormones and antibiotics can change the product. The healthy 3-omega fatty acids are altered, causing the beef to be unhealthy. Chemicals in the animal's flesh may have other detrimental effects. I will admit that it's hard to tell which cows have been overmedicated when you are strolling through the meat department of your local grocery store! If possible, find chemical-free, grass-fed beef. Many caregivers classify beef and pork together because they are both red meat. Actually, they are as different as night from day. The Bible describes beef as clean and pork as unclean (see number 23). Other King James words for "cow" are "ox," "oxen," "heifer," "bullock" and "cow."

*23. Pork = -. Scripture mentions pork many times and always having a negative connotation. The pig's flesh is described as "putrid," "filthy" or "unclean." Humans classify pork as a red meat, but the Bible groups pork with blood, bowel movements, road kill, buzzards, snakes, rats and roaches. In my opinion, eating pork may be the most damaging item on this list. Give yourself five points for getting this one right.

24. Homogenized milk = -. The main reason milk is homogenized is so its butterfat does not float to the top. This cosmetic effect is costly for health reasons. The large fat globules are broken down into tiny globules. When broken down (homogenized), these smaller globules can enter the arteries and cause ulcers and plaques. Scripture mentions milk as an item intended for food. The milk mentioned in the Bible did not derive from animals that were given hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals. Sources of raw, clean, chemical-free milk are available, but they are difficult to find.

25. Soft drinks = -. Americans consume huge amounts of soft drinks. The phosphorus in cola blocks the absorption of valuable nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and manganese. Drinking soft drinks would be okay occasionally, but not daily. Diet drinks are no improvement.

26. Same-spouse sex = +. Same-spouse sex is designed and approved of by God for pleasure and procreation. In today's society, sex should be considered a high risk. The only people who can enjoy "safe sex" are those in a lifelong, monogamous relationship. Enjoy.

27. Juice = +. All juices are good, but freshly squeezed juices have many additional benefits compared to those made from concentrate. Try diluting the juice to keep from absorbing such a high concentration of simple sugar. Sparkling water may be added to the juices to make them more attractive. "Smoothie" recipes are easy to find. Blend juices, honey, frozen fruits, cinnamon and ice for a healthful and tasty treat.

*28. Smoking = -. If you are a smoker, your best protection is to eat large amounts of fresh vegetables, fruits and grains. Another protection might be periodic abstinence. For those who cannot or will not quit using tobacco, a better choice would be chemical-free, organic tobacco. Tobacco plants are heavily sprayed and many chemicals are added during processing. Your best choice remains to quit!

29. Cover fat on meat = -. Scripture states that we should not eat the fat of the ox, sheep or goat. This is the layer of fat between the muscle and the skin. Fat that covers the internal organs should be avoided as well. Caregivers have learned that cancer, hardening of the arteries and other health problems are present in people who eat this kind of fat. Remember that although oxen, sheep and goats are clearly declared to be clean, certain tissues in these animals, such as blood and fat, Scripture declares unclean. This fat is often added to ground beef and other products, including wieners and sausage.

30. Anger = 0 (neutral). This is one of our designed emotions. Certainly we have examples of anger demonstrated by both our Creator and by Jesus. Anger, to be healthy, must be controlled. Some evil in this world needs our wrath poured out on it. Anger can serve to control evil. "Be...angry, and sin not" (Eph. 4:26, KJV).

31. Blond hair = 0 (neutral). The color of your hair doesn't have any affect on your health. This item was a "gimme" in the quiz for those who have not scored well so far.

32. Sunglasses = -. Sunglasses are good news/bad news. Sunglasses that block ultraviolet rays can protect the eyes, but others do not. They can actually inhibit the normal contraction of the pupil when exposed to light. That just allows more of the harmful rays into the eye. Also, some research shows that glasses advertised as blocking ultraviolet rays still allow a rays to enter the eye (see question 4, appendix 2).

*33. Shellfish = -. The Creator defines shellfish as putrid and foul. Shellfish are designed to clean lakes, ponds, oceans and rivers of harmful chemical and bacterial pollution. Many deaths and epidemics can be traced to contaminated shellfish. See also pork, number 23 in this quiz, and chapter 8 about meats.

34. Prayer = +. Prayer is amazing. Even secular researchers agree that prayer has a beneficial effect on your health.

*35. Alcohol = -. Research and experience have proven overwhelmingly that alcohol is harmful for your health. Many in this world worship alcohol. It is their god. Don't be fooled by isolated reports touting supposed benefits. (See also number 14.)

36. Fasting = +. Scripture tells us that fasting is a "wellspring of health." See chapter 5.

37. Forgiveness - +. Many psychiatrists who have studied the effect of forgiveness on our spirits, minds and bodies are impressed by its remarkable healing effects. The cornerstone of good mental health is based on forgiveness.

38. Breast feeding = +. In spite of the multitude of known benefits, it is amazing how few mothers breast-feed their babies. It is a valuable investment.

39. Large-mouth bass = +. This fish has both scales and fins, so it is good.

40. Catfish = -. This fish was designed with no scales; therefore it is unclean. The decision not to eat catfish and other scavengers should be an easy one. My motive is to encourage you to enjoy the good things God has created for food. He wrote the Book, and He does command you to avoid certain specific animals. See chapter 8.

41. Smiling = +. Both the giver and the receiver of a smile benefit through the release of prostoglandins. These substances help balance the hormonal functions of the body. An employee in my hospital whose nickname is "Smiley" encourages us with her happy spirit. I have noticed that many technicians who have winning smiles can change a cantankerous patient into a compliant one.

*42. Promiscuity = -. Promiscuity promotes almost as many health hazards as do other sexual defilements of the body. It is devastating spiritually, mentally and physically.

43. Hot dogs = -. My one-time favorite now ranks at the bottom of the list. Hot dogs are composed of unclean flesh, and contain a saturated fat content of up to 70 percent. They can be composed of lots of things you really don't want to know about – animal skin, hair and so on.

44. Divorce = -. Many studies have shown that divorce is bad for your health. (Sometimes it also indicates bad theology, or none at all, because God said, "I hate divorce" [Mal. 2:16]. This of course doesn't mean that divorce is the unforgivable sin, or that it isn't sometimes a tragic necessity; and in any case our focus here is on physical health.)

Researchers Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a scale of "stressors" that typically set us up for emotional and/or physical illness. Divorce was second only to the death of a spouse in its damaging effect on the whole person.


Notes

1. R.B. Sheddelle, M.D., "Type-A Behavior Found Not Linked to Heart Disease," Medical World News (March 28, 1983): 23-27.
2. Dean Ornish, M.D., Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease Without Surgery or Drugs (New York: Ballantine Books, 1992), p. 86.
3. R. P. Mensink, "Effect of Dietary Cis and Trans Fatty Acids on Serum Lipoprotein Levels in Humans," Journal of Lipid Research 33:10 (October 1992): 1493-1501.
4. Kenneth R. Pelletier, Mind as Healer Mind as Slayer (New York: Dell Publishing Co., 1977), p.110.

Excerpt with permission from "What the Bible Says About Healthy Living" by Rex Russell, M.D., published by Regal Books, A Division of Gospel Light, Ventura, California, U.S.A., 1996.


Saturday, August 18, 2007

Check this link it is very informative.

http://www.new-life.net/healthiq.htm

If you pours Coke (yes, the soda) on a slab of pork, wait a little while, you will SEE WORMS crawl out of it.

A message from the Health Corporation of Singapore about the Bad effects of pork consumption. Pig's bodies contain MANY TOXINS, WORMS and LATENT DISEASES.

Although some of these infestations are harboured in other animals, modern veterinarians say that pigs are far MORE PREDISPOSED to these illnesses than other animals. This could be because PIGS like to SCAVENGE and will eat ANY kind of food, INCLUDING dead insects, worms, rotting carcasses, excreta including their own, garbage, and other pigs. INFLUENZA (flu) is one of the MOST famous illnesses which pigs share with humans. This illness is haboured in the LUNGS of pigs during the summer months and tends to affect pigs and human in the cooler months.

Sausage contains bits of pigs' lungs, so those who EAT pork sausage tend to SUFFER MORE during EPIDEMICS of INFLUENZA. Pig meat contains EXCESSIVE quantities of HISTAMINE and IMIDAZOLE compounds, which can lead to ITCHING and INFLAMMATION; GROWTH HORMONE which PROMOTES INFLAMMATION and growth; sulphur containing mesenchymal mucus which leads to SWELLING and deposits of MUCUS in tendons and cartilage, resulting in ARTHRITIS, RHEUMATISM, etc.

Sulphur helps cause FIRM human tendons and ligaments to be replaced by the pig's soft mesenchymal tissues, and degeneration of human cartilage.

Eating pork can also lead to GALLSTONES and OBESITY, probably due to its HIGH CHOLESTEROL and SATURATED FAT content. The pig is the MAIN CARRIER of the TAENIE SOLIUM WORM, which is found in its flesh. These tapeworms are found in human intestines with greater frequency in nations where pigs are eaten. This type of tapeworm can pass through the intestines and affect many other organs, and is incurable once it reaches beyond a certain stage. One in six people in the US and Canada has TRICHINOSIS from eating trichina worms, which are found in pork.

Many people have NO SYMPTOMS to warm them of this, and when they do, they resemble symptoms of many other illnesses. These worms are NOT noticed during meat inspections.



Physical harm caused by eating pork!

With regard to the physical harm caused by eating pork, modern science has proved a number of things, such as the following:

э Pork is regarded as one of the kinds of meat that contain the most cholesterol, an increase of which in the bloodstream leads to an increased likelihood of blocked arteries. The fatty acids in pork are also of an unusual formation, when compared with the fatty acids in other types of food, which makes them more easily absorbed by the body, thus increasing cholesterol levels.

э Pork meat and pork fat contribute to the spread of cancers of the colon, rectum, prostate and blood.

э Pork meat and pork fat contribute to obesity and related diseases that are difficult to treat.

э Eating pork leads to scabies, allergies and stomach ulcers.

э Eating pork causes lung infections which result from tapeworms, lungworms and microbial infections of the lungs.

The most serious danger of eating pork is that pork contains tapeworms which may grow to a length of 2-3 meters. The growth of the eggs of these worms in the human body may lead to insanity and hysteria if they grow in the area of the brain. If they grow in the region of the heart that may lead to high blood pressure and heart attacks. Another kind of worm that is to be found in pork is the trichinosis worm that cannot be killed by cooking, the growth of which in the body may lead to paralysis and skin rashes.

The doctors have confirmed that tapeworm disease is regarded as one of the serious diseases that may result from eating pork. It may develop in the small intestine and after several months may grow into a large worm whose body is composed of a thousand segments, with a length of 4-10 meters, which lives alone in the intestine of the infected person and part of it may appear when he defecates. When the pig swallows and ingests its eggs, they enter the tissues and muscles in the form of larvae sacs containing fluid and the head of the tapeworm. When a person eats infected pork, the larva turns into a complete worm in the intestine. These worms cause weakness and vitamin B12 deficiency, which leads to a specific type of anaemia, which may in turn cause nervous problems. In some cases the larvae may reach the brain, causing convulsions, increased pressure within the brain, epilepsy and even paralysis.

Eating pork that is not thoroughly cooked may also lead to trichinosis (infestation with a hairlike nematode worm). When these parasites reach the small intestine, three to five days later many larvae appear which enter the intestine and reach the blood, from which they reach most of the tissues of the body. The larvae move to the muscles and form cysts there, and the patient suffers intense muscle pains. The disease may develop into infection of the cerebral membrane and brain, and infections of the heart muscle, lungs, kidneys and nerves. It may be a fatal disease in rare cases.