Thanks For Not Smoking
Lesson 41 - Thanks For Not Smoking
History
American Indians smoked tobacco in pipes long before Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World in 1492. Columbus brought some tobacco seeds back to Europe, where farmers began to grow the plant for use as a medicine that supposedly helped people relax. In 1560, a French diplomat named Jean Nicot—from whom tobacco receives its botanical name, “Nicotiana”—introduced the use of tobacco in France.
Commercial production of tobacco began in North America in 1612, after an English colonist named John Rolfe brought some tobacco seeds from South Carolina to Virginia. The Virginia soil and climate were excellent for tobacco, and it became an important crop there and in other parts of the South.
Most of the tobacco grown in the American Colonies was exported to England until the Revolutionary War began in 1775. Manufacturers in the United States then began to produce smoking tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff for domestic use. Cigars were first manufactured in the United States in the early 1800s.
Spaniards and some other Europeans began to smoke hand-rolled cigarettes in the 1600s, but few people in the United States used them until the 1850s. Cigarette smok- ing became increasingly popular after the first practical cigarette-making machine was invented in the early 1880s.
Hand-rolled cigarettes achieved limited popularity in the United States between 1855 and 1885. They contained either straight Turkish tobacco, straight flue-cured to- bacco, or a blend of the two. The first practical cigarette-making machine was invented in the early 1880s. Cigarette companies introduced domestic blends about 30 years later.
The Tobacco Plant
Tobacco is a plant whose leaves are used chiefly in making cigarettes and cigars. Other tobacco products include smoking tobacco for pipes, chewing tobacco, and snuff.
Tobacco ranks as a major crop in more than 60 countries. During the late 1970s, the annual worldwide production of tobacco totaled about six-million tons. Farmers in the United States produce about 705 million cigarettes and about 3 1/2 million cigars yearly. About 160 million pounds of tobacco are manufactured annually for smoking tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff. The annual value of tobacco products amounts to about $19 billion. Most of this income comes from domestic sales of the products. As you can see, many people are getting rich at the expense of the nation’s health.
The government encourages and supports the growth and manufacture of tobacco and its products since it receives a large income through taxes on tobacco. Tobacco prod- ucts are also taxed by all the state governments and some local governments. Taxes on tobacco total about three times the amount that the growers receive for their crops. The officials of our government are well aware of the health dangers of tobacco, yet they continue to support this industry.
Once tobacco is harvested, it goes through a curing process. This process produces various chemical changes in the tobacco that supposedly improve its flavor and aroma. There are three methods of curing tobacco: (1) air curing, (2) fire curing, and (3) flue curing. Each type of tobacco responds differently to each of these methods.
Air curing uses natural weather conditions to dry tobacco. Air-curing barns have ventilators that can be opened and closed to control the temperatures and humidity. This process takes from four to eight weeks.
Fire curing dries tobacco with low-burning fires. The smoke gives fire-cured tobacco its distinctive taste and aroma. Farmers regulate the heat, humidity, and ventilation in the curing barns so the leaves will not be scalded. Fire curing takes from three days to six weeks. This smoking process adds more toxins to the already toxic tobacco. It has been proven that anything that has been smoked is carcinogenic when ingested (as in cigarette smoking when smoke enters the lungs).
Flue curing dries tobacco by heat from flues (pipes) connected to furnaces. The temperature is gradually raised from 90°F. to 160°F. until the leaves are completely dry. The flue-curing method takes about a week.
Freshly-cured tobacco has a sharp aroma and bitter taste as would any poison. There- fore, most tobacco is put into storage and allowed to age before being used in manufacturing tobacco products.
Prior to storage, most tobacco goes through a redrying process, during which it is completely dried and cooled. Manufacturers then restore some water throughout the leaves to ensure uniform moisture content. This practice prevents the leaves from break- ing.
Next, tobacco is stored for two or three years in barrel-like containers. During stor- age, it ages and undergoes a chemical change called fermentation (fermentation is de- composition of sugar and starch and their conversion by microorganisms to carbon diox- ide, alcohol and acetic acid—poisonous by-products). This fermentation is said to give tobacco a sweeter, milder flavor and aroma and reduce its nicotine content. They are, in effect, exchanging poison for poison. Tobacco also loses moisture and becomes darker during aging.
A somewhat different procedure is used to age cigar leaf tobacco, which does not require redrying. Bales of this tobacco are placed in heated rooms or are simply hung up to ferment before storage.
If you were to take any healthful food (which tobacco is not) like romaine lettuce, and submit it to the same processing as tobacco goes through, you would end up with a toxic poison. With tobacco, you begin with a poisonous plant and render it more poiso- nous through this manufacturing process.
Most tobacco grows best in a warm climate and in carefully drained and fertilized soil. Growers and consumers would greatly benefit by utilizing these ideal growing conditions for fruit and nut trees. Pecan trees, for example, produce abundantly, require little maintenance, and their produce is easily harvested. Pecans are in high demand for their superior flavor and nutrient value. They also bring a good price on the market. Tobacco is also heavily sprayed with expensive insecticides but this is not necessary (or desir- able) with pecan trees. Tobacco has no nutritional or other benefits and its only effects are bad ones. On the other hand, pecans are high in protein of the best biological order and contain oils that are easily digested and utilized, thus making them useful dietary items. In addition, there are no harmful toxins.
The Dangers Are Realized
The use of tobacco products has been controversial for many years. During the 1500s, European physicians declared that tobacco should be used only for medicinal purposes. The Puritans in America considered it a dangerous narcotic. During the 1960s, scientists established that smoking tobacco products—especially cigarettes—could result in lung cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses.
Some cigarette manufacturers reacted to the medical findings by reducing the tar and nicotine content of cigarettes. However, doctors state that these measures have not elim- inated the dangers of smoking.
Various federal laws have been passed in the United States regarding the sale of to- bacco products. Since 1966, manufacturers have been required to include a health warn- ing on all packages and cartons of cigarettes. Another law, which went into effect in 1971, banned radio and television commercials advertising cigarettes. In 1972, manufac- turers agreed to include a health warning in all cigarette advertising. Some states have laws that prohibit smoking in various public places. Yet the sale of cigarettes continues to increase.
In 1978, about 38 percent of the adult men and 30 percent of the adult women in the United States smoked cigarettes. Cigarette smoking had been increasing rapidly in the United States until 1964, when 52 percent of the men and 32 percent of the women 21 years old and older smoked. That year, the United States surgeon general first officially warned of the health hazards of smoking. In 1979, the surgeon general issued another re- port strongly linking cigarette smoking to heart disease, lung cancer, and other ailments. In spite of knowledge about the dangers, many young people became smokers. In the late 1970s, about 19 percent of the boys and 26 percent of the girls in the 17- to 18-year- old group smoked regularly.
Three quarters of adults who smoke took up the habit before age 21. One hundred thousand children under the age of 13 are smokers. A government survey for 1979 showed there are 1.7 million teenage girls and 1.6 million boys who are regular smokers. Many more women are smoking today than they did 20 years ago. Correspondingly, the lung cancer rate for women has increased 500 percent during the past 20 years. Women who smoke more than a pack and a half a day run a significantly higher risk of a heart attack than women who do not smoke. And women who smoke and use oral contra- ceptives containing estrogen have ten times the chance of having a heart attack and of damaging blood vessels, compared with women who do not smoke and do not use oral contraceptives.
Tobacco Toxins
Cigarette smoke contains more than 3,000 chemical substances, and several of them have been linked to the development pf diseases. The most dangerous substances are (1) carbon monoxide, (2) nicotine, (3) tars, and (4) smoke particles.
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that interferes with the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. It also contributes to heart disease and lung disorders and results in changes in the blood vessels that may lead to hardening of the arteries.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, vertigo, dyspnea, con- fusion, dilated pupils, convulsions and coma.
Carbon monoxide has long been recognized as a dangerous gas. It is present in con- centrations of 1 to 5 percent of the gaseous phase of cigarette smoke. The amount of carbon monoxide produced increases as the cigarette burns down. Carboxyhemoglobin (union of carbon monoxide with the hemoglobin of the blood) levels in smokers vary from 2 to 15 percent depending on the amount smoked, degree of inhalation, and the time elapsed since smoking the last cigarette.
Carbon monoxide, which has 230 times the affinity of oxygen for hemoglobin, im- pairs oxygen transportation in at least two ways. First, it competes with oxygen for he- moglobin binding sites. Second, it increases the affinity of the remaining hemoglobin for oxygen, therefore requiring a larger amount of potential oxygen between the blood and tissues to deliver a given amount of oxygen. This situation usually results in a low- er amount of oxygen in the tissues. It should be understood that oxygen is essential for most cellular activities and even a slight decrease can impair all bodily functions.
Carbon monoxide also binds to other iron-containing pigments, most notably myo- globin (a protein molecule found in muscle tissue), for which it has even a greater affin- ity than for hemoglobin under conditions of low oxygen. Researchers have not yet de- termined the exact significance of this binding but they do know that it is important in tissues such as the heart muscle, that has both high oxygen requirements and requires large amounts of myoglobin.
Carbon monoxide, at levels of exposure commonly reached by cigarette smokers, has been shown to decrease cardiac contractibility in persons with coronary heart dis- ease. It has also been shown to produce changes like those of early atherosclerosis in the aortas of rabbits.
Nicotine
Nicotine results in stimulation of the nervous system and the heart and other internal organs. The effect on the nervous system is one of the reasons why people have such a hard time giving up smoking. Nicotine is poisonous. When any poison enters an organ- ism, the body is stimulated to eliminate that poison. This condition soon leads to exhaus- tion and depression of all bodily organs. Nicotine may be a factor behind the many heart attacks and other conditions, including stomach and intestinal ulcers, that are related to smoking.
Nicotine is a colorless, oily, transparent vegetable chemical compound of the type called an alkaloid. It has a hot and bitter taste. It is found in small quantities in the leaves, roots, and seeds of the tobacco plant. It can also be made synthetically.
The quantity of nicotine in most tobacco ranges from 2 to 7 percent. It is most abun- dant in cheaper and domestic varieties. Nicotine, as mentioned, is exceedingly poiso- nous. In a pure state, even a small quantity will result in vomiting, great weakness, rapid but weak pulse, and possibly collapse or even death.
Nicotine indirectly affects circulation by provoking catecholamine release. Cate- cholamide refers to active hormones, epinephrine and norepinephrine which are derived from the amino acid tryosine.
They have a marked effect on the nervous system, cardiovascular system, metabolic rate, temperature, and smooth muscle. The ingestion of nicotine induces a bodily re- sponse to rid itself of this poison. Thus, the body is stimulated and more catecholamines are released than would normally be the case. Heart rate increases and blood flow through the heart is also increased. The blood vessels going to the heart are constricted (due to the catecholamines) and this increases blood pressure. The presence of nicotine in the blood also results in an increase of serum fatty acids and creates the tendency for blood platelets to stick together. Nicotine also inhibits pancreatic bicarbonate secretions, resulting in a more acid condition in the body. This situation produces adverse systemic consequences.
Tars
Tars contain small quantities of carcinogenic substances. They are believed to be one of the major factors that lead to lung cancer and other types of cancer among smokers.
The tar from cigarette smoke has been found to result in malignant changes in the skin and respiratory tract of experimental animals, and a number of specific chemical compounds contained in cigarette smoke were established as potent carcinogens or co- carcinogens. Malignant changes including carcinoma are found in the larynx.
Smoke Particles
Smoke particles are as small as 1/70,000 inch. A smoker exhales most of the parti- cles, but as many as 25 percent of them may be trapped on the lining of the lungs. The particles are later absorbed by cells in the lining. This absorption may cause the cells to function improperly and damage the lining of the lung. The particles can also cause excessive scar tissue within the walls of the lungs. Smoke particles probably help cause progressive destruction of the walls of the air sacs in the lungs of long-term smokers.
These, irritants cause immediate coughing and broncho-constriction after smoke in- halation; inhibit cilial action of the bronchial epithelium; stimulate bronchial mucous se- cretion; suppress protease inhibition; and impair alveolar macrophage function.
Cigarette Smoking And Chronic Disease
Lung Cancer
Studies have shown that men who smoke more than one pack per day are about 20 times more at risk Of developing lung cancer than are nonsmokers. Laboratory experi- ments show that tobacco smoke condensate can produce skin cancer in animals and that animals inhaling cigarette smoke may develop cancer of the larynx or lung.
Based on evaluations of detailed clinical and experimental data accumulated over the last 30 years, cigarette smoking has been clearly identified as a causative factor in lung cancer. The risk of developing lung cancer increases directly with increasing cigarette smoke exposure as measured by the number of cigarettes smoked per day, total lifetime number of cigarettes smoked, number of years of smoking, age at initiation of smok- ing, and depth of inhalation. Lung cancer death rates for women are lower than for men but have increased dramatically over the last 15 years, coinciding with the increasing number of women smokers. This increase has occurred in spite of the fact that women smokers use fewer cigarettes per day, more frequently choose cigarettes with filter tips and low tar and nicotine delivery, and tend to inhale less than men.
A person who stops smoking has a decreased risk of developing lung cancer com- pared to the continuing smoker, but the risk remains greater than the nonsmokers for as long as 10 to 15 years after the person stops smoking. The toxic residues from the cigarette smoke remain in the lungs for a long time but the body will eliminate them as quickly as possible. This depends upon the amount of vital energy that a person has. Elimination can be speeded up if the individual adopts a generally more healthful lifestyle in regard to diet, exercise, sleep and rest, etc. Also of great benefit would be a
long fast. This speeds up elimination of toxins most of all, because energy is conserved during this physiological rest and redirected from digestion to healing.
Pipe and cigar smokers experience mortality rates from cancer of the oral cavity, larynx, pharynx, and esophagus approximately equal to those of cigarette smokers. The risk of developing cancer of the lung is lower than the risk of cigarette smokers, but it is significantly above that of nonsmokers. This is probably due to the fact that pipe, cigar, and cigarette smokers experience similar smoke exposure of the upper respiratory tract, while cigarette smokers (due to their greater tendency to inhale) have a greater exposure of their lungs to smoke than pipe or cigar smokers.
Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema
Chronic bronchitis and emphysema deaths are also about 20 times more frequent in people who smoke heavily. Both diseases can be produced in animals exposed to ciga- rette smoke. Pulmonary function tests often show airflow obstruction in the small air- ways even before chronic expectoration develops.
Toxins accumulate up to a saturation or “tolerance” point and then the body initiates a “housecleaning.” At this point expectoration is seen. This is a sign of bodily healing and should not be suppressed. If you discontinue smoking at this point, the body will heal.
The adverse effect of smoking on mucociliary (hairlike processes on the mucous membrane that function to move excess mucus out of the lungs) clearance and on the normal balance between lung proteases (protein-splitting enzymes) and their inhibitors predisposes smokers to bronchopulmonary disorders and emphysema. As you can see, toxins from cigarette smoke interfere with many physiological activities. This situation always leads to acute, and finally chronic, illnesses.
Cardiovascular Diseases
Cigarette smoking accelerates atherosclerosis and may double the risk of myocardial infarction. Smoking may precipitate a heart attack. The risk of developing cerebrovascu- lar disease, peripheral vascular disease, or aortic blood clots is also increased in smok- ers.
Coronary heart disease is the most frequent cause of death in the United States and is the most important single cause of excess mortality among cigarette smokers.
Cigarette smoking and hypertension and elevated serum cholesterol are the major risk factors for myocardial infarction and death from coronary heart disease. The cause behind hypertension and elevated serum cholesterol would include accumulated toxins due to wrong diet and enervating habits along with cigarette smoking. Cigarette smoking acts both independently as a risk factor and synergistically with the other coronary heart disease factors. The magnitude of the risk increases directly with the amount smoked.
The formation of carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke with hemoglobin in the blood to carboxyhemoglobin; release of catecholamines—epinephrine and norepineph- rine; creation of an imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply and demand; and in- creased platelet adhesiveness leading to blood clot formation have all been demonstrated in smokers and are proposed as explanations for the excess coronary heart disease mor- tality and morbidity among smokers.
Peptic Ulceration
Peptic ulceration occurs more frequently and has a higher mortality rate in cigarette smokers than in non-smokers. In addition, the rate of ulcer healing is slowed.
When an organism is enervated due to bombardment of toxins from cigarette smoke, it is less capable of healing. Vital energy is so depleted that normal functions slow or are
halted completely. Adverse effects will be seen throughout the entire body as all poisons induce systemic responses.
Premature Deaths From Conditions Caused By Smoking
| Number of Immediate Cause of Death Deaths |
| 80,000 Lung Cancer |
| 22,000 Other cancers (oral, larynx, esophagus, urinary, bladder, kidney, pancreas) |
| 225,000 Cardiovascular disease |
| 19,000 Chronic pulmonary disease |
Added Industrial Pollutants
It has been estimated that every year 15.5 million people risk exposure to pollutants at the workplace and 400,000 people develop illnesses induced by the job. Tobacco smoke may transform workplace chemicals into much more harmful agents.
There are 15,000 toxic chemicals in U.S. industry today; each year about 400 new substances are introduced. But safety levels have been established for only a small frac- tion of the chemicals. The results of the interactions among these substances are incal- culable. Some of the many toxic agents identified that can contaminate tobacco products are lead, inorganic mercury, inorganic fluorides, boron trifluorides, formaldehyde and cabaryl.
Some toxic agents in tobacco smoke may also occur in the workplace, thus increas- ing the smoker’s exposure to that substance. For example, over 20,000 workers in 75 dif- ferent occupational groups have potential occupational exposure to cyanide, which can form a complex that results in the disruption of the function of the thyroid. Hydrogen cyanide is one of the toxic compounds in tobacco smoke. In a study of workers in elec- troplating exposed to cyanide, the majority complained of fatigue, headache, tremors of the hands and feet, pain, and nausea.
Studies with other toxic agents, such as carbon monoxide, have shown similar re- sults. Among blast furnace workers, it has been found that the levels of carbon monoxide in the blood of smokers is double that found in smokers not similarly exposed. Levels of carbon monoxide were 7.5 percent; levels in excess of 5 percent can result in cardiovas- cular alterations.
Among other chemical agents found in tobacco smoke as well as the workplace are acetone, acrolein, aldehydes, arsenic, cadmium, ketones, lead, polycyclic compounds. Workers in such places who smoke are twice exposed to toxic substances: textiles, coal mining, uranium and gold mining, paint spraying, welding, firefighting, cooking kitchens and rubber. Workers exposed to radioactive gas, chlorine and coke ovens face similar dangers.
Tobacco Subsidies
At the same time HEW had increased its budget to $29.8 million for 1979 efforts to com- bat smoking, the Department of Agriculture ran a loan program to guarantee the tobacco farmer a fixed and high-support price. If the farmer’s tobacco crop cannot be sold on the market at the fixed price, a federally-supervised stabilization corporation buys the tobacco with funds borrowed from the government. The low-interest rate for the loan is, to an extent, subsidized by the taxpayer.
The corporation holds the tobacco crop and can sell it later when the price is better. In fiscal 1979, the government loaned $227 million for such programs and spent another
$9 million on tobacco research, grading, marketing news, and administration. More than half the loan monies were paid back within a few months.
In 1975 and again in 1979, the Surgeon General issued an official government docu- ment warning the U.S. citizens about the dangers of smoking. In these books (published by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare), extensive scientific evidence supports the fact that cigarette smoking is a life-threatening habit. Yet, the government continues to support this poison habit.
Effects On Fetus And Children
If a pregnant woman smokes, it has adverse effects upon her unborn baby. There is abun- dant evidence that maternal smoking directly retards the rate of fetal growth and increas- es the risk of spontaneous abortion, of fetal death, and of infant death in otherwise nor- mal babies. There is also some evidence that children of some smokers are more likely to have measurable deficiencies in physical growth and development.
When the mother smokes, some of the harmful gases and poisonous substances in the smoke actually pass from her blood through the placenta and into the fetal blood- stream. One of these gases is carbon monoxide, which forces oxygen out of the red blood cells. Another powerful poison, nicotine, adds to the damage by narrowing blood ves- sels, including those in the placenta itself. This decreases the amount of oxygen and food delivered to the unborn baby.
Although the fetus does not breathe before the moment of birth, it nevertheless prac- tices some motions of breathing by exercising certain chest muscles. These movements slow down after the mother inhales just two cigarettes. Even when women quit smoking before pregnancy, their earlier smoking may still result in damage to the fetus, according to one extensive study.
Several researchers have investigated the effects of parental smoking on the health of children. One group of researchers conducted two telephone surveys of Detroit families to determine the relationship between children’s respiratory illnesses and parental smok- ing habits. In both surveys, they found statistically significant relationships between the prevalence of children’s respiratory inflammation and parental smoking habits. The body must rid itself of the toxins accumulated from the cigarette smoke. Respiratory in- flammation, formation of mucus, etc., is one way of eliminating these toxins. This situ- ation would become chronic if the parents continued to smoke in the child’s presence.
Two researchers studied infant admissions to Hadassah Hospital in West Jerusalem and found a relationship between admissions for bronchitis and pneumonia in the first year of life and maternal smoking habits during pregnancy. A relationship between in- fant admissions and maternal smoking habits was demonstrable between the sixth and ninth months of infant life and was more pronounced during the winter months (when the effect of cigarette smoke on the indoor environment would be greatest).
The health of the fetus depends upon the health of the mother both during pregnancy and before conception. No one (not child or adult) can maintain health in a polluted en- vironment.
Involuntary Smoking
The effects of smoking on the smoker has been extensively studied, but the effects of tobacco smoke on nonsmokers has only recently received much attention. The chemi- cal constituents found in an atmosphere filled with tobacco smoke are derived from two sources—mainstream and sidestream smoke. Mainstream smoke emerges from the to- bacco product after being drawn through the tobacco during puffing. Sidestream smoke rises from the burning cone of tobacco. Mainstream and sidestream smoke contribute different concentrations of many substances to the atmosphere for several reasons. Dif- ferent amounts of tobacco are consumed in the production of mainstream and sidestream
smoke; the temperature of combustion differs for tobacco during puffing or while smoul- dering; and certain substances are partially absorbed from the mainstream smoke by the smoker.
A major concern about atmospheric contamination by cigarette smoke has been due to the production of significant levels of carbon monoxide. Cigarette smoking in poorly- ventilated, enclosed spaces may generate carbon monoxide levels above the acceptable 8-hour industrial exposure limits of 50 parts per million. Exposure to this level of carbon monoxide even for short periods of time has been shown to reduce significantly the ex- ercise tolerance of some persons with symptomatic cardiovascular disease. There is also some evidence that prolonged exposure to this level of carbon monoxide in combination with a high-cholesterol diet can enhance experimental atherosclerosis in animals.
Sitting next to a smoker, a nonsmoker can be exposed to carbon monoxide levels more than twice as high as the maximum set for industry exposure. When nonsmokers leave a smoky environment, it takes hours for the carbon monoxide to leave their bodies. Unlike oxygen, which is breathed in and then out again in minutes, carbon monoxide in the blood lasts for hours. After three or four hours, half of the excess carbon monoxide is still in the bloodstream. Not enough research has been done on other toxic substances inhaled by nonsmokers in the presence of smoke: formaldehyde, oxides of nitrogen, am- monia, cadmium, hydrogen cyanide, pyrene, and hundreds more.
In a room filled with tobacco smoke, people experience eye irritations and distress. Contamination and odors are immediately created by such elements in tobacco smoke as ammonia and pyridine. (Pyridine is a strong irritant produced when nicotine burns).
The contamination in smoky rooms is so intense that when someone lights a ciga- rette, cigar, or pipe in an air-conditioned place, the air-conditioning demands can jump as much as 600 percent. Another finding from air-conditioning research is that the hu- man body attracts tobacco smoke. Burning tobacco creates a high-electrical potential, whereas the water-filled body has a low one; so smoke in a room gravitates and clings to people.
The effect of involuntary smoking on an individual is determined not only by the quantity and toxicity of the smoke-filled environment, but also largely by the character- istics of the individual. This does not mean that all are not poisoned by this smoke but the more toxic that an individual is, the more pronounced his symptoms will be upon being exposed to this smoke. The severity of possible effects range from minor eye and throat irritations experienced by most people in smoke-filled rooms, to the anginal at- tacks of some persons with cardiovascular disease.
A substantial proportion of the U.S. population suffers from chronic cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases due to generally unhealthful diet and other poor living habits. It is this segment of the population most seriously jeopardized by conditions found in involuntary smoking situations. It may be “the last straw that broke the camel’s back.” The body could not tolerate the extra toxins that were being imposed upon it.
Persons with chronic bronchitis and emphysema nave considerable excess mortality under conditions of severe air pollution. In smoke-filled environments, levels of carbon monoxide and several other pollutants may be as high or higher than occur during air pollution emergencies. The effects of short-term exposure of persons with chronic ob- structive bronchopulmonary disease to these conditions have not been evaluated.
Live Healthfully
It is best to avoid smoke-filled rooms but it is not always possible. If you do occasionally find yourself in a situation where you must spend some time in smoky rooms, your body will be better able to eliminate the poisons encountered when you have been living healthfully. A vital, healthy body can deal with these situations as they arise as long as they are not on a daily basis. When you do not follow the laws of life and eat wrong food, get insufficient exercise and sleep, etc., the organism will be in a toxic and there-
fore weakened condition. It will be less able to eliminate added toxins and these new poisons will be added to those already present. Ill health will quickly follow.
A pure and healthy body is also quicker to detect unhealthful environments, and you will be much sooner aware of a dangerous situation. Electronic air purifiers are useful as they help eliminate the pollution from the air and therefore maintain a purer environ- ment.
Eliminating The Smoking Habit
The safest, quickest, and surest way to eliminate the cigarette habit is through a fast. Many people have had great success through this method. A fast will enable your body to purify itself of much of the accumulated toxins from smoking and your health will greatly improve overall. This will be noticeable physically and mentally.
After the fast, your body will be so pure that the sight, smell, and taste of cigarettes will be repulsive to you. The next step is to begin a more healthful eating program. After you quit smoking, all your food will taste wonderful. When you break your fast on a nice juicy piece of watermelon or a delicious sweet orange, it will be the best food you have ever tasted! Now continue on a diet of mostly fruits with some vegetables and a small amount of nuts or seeds. Ideally, all of these foods should be eaten raw. You will feel so great that you will never want to smoke again!
Questions & Answers
Does a filter on the tip of a cigarette make them safer?
No, there are no safe cigarettes. One study suggests that a smoker who switches from nonfilter to filter cigarettes may actually face an increased risk of coronary heart disease, primarily because of the higher carbon monoxide levels in smoke in- haled through filters. The paper surrounding the filter is relatively nonporous, and thus more carbon monoxide is passed on to the smoker than if no filter were pre- sent.
Have cigarettes with reduced tar and nicotine made any impact on the deleteri- ous effects of smoking?
Before the 1960s, many cigarettes contained 42 milligrams (mg.) of tar and 3 mg. of nicotine. By 1977, the average cigarette produced 16.6 mg. of tar and 1.09 mg. of nicotine. In a study of more than a million men and women, total death rates for those smoking cigarettes with reduced levels of tar and nicotine were lower than for those smoking brands with higher levels. However, death rates for those who smoked lower levels were still 30 to 75 percent above the rates for nonsmokers.
Do the harmful effects from cigarette smoking disappear immediately after quitting this habit?
Many toxic substances from smoking accumulate in the blood and tissues. It lakes a long time for the body to eliminate all of these harmful residues and much vital energy is required for this eliminative process. You can greatly assist this process, however, by going on a fast. Energy normally diverted into the digestive process can then be used for healing and repair.
What country produces the most tobacco?
China is the leading tobacco-growing country producing 1,064,000 tons annu- ally. The United States is second with 788,200 tons. It is sad to think that so much
good land and energy is going into such a worthless crop. This same land could produce enough fruits and nuts to feed millions of people and the results would be beneficial, not harmful as they are with the tobacco industry.
Article #1: “A Small Fire at One End and a Big Fool at the Other” by Dr.
Keki R. Sidhwa, N.D., D.O.
The title of this article, a quotation by G. B. Shaw, is an apt one for those who are slaves to smoking, for there is not a single thing about smoking in itself that is attractive, and many smokers actually dislike tobacco.
The man or woman who takes it up for one or the other reason, mainly psycholog- ical, soon acquires a mental habit which, in time, becomes a purely physical addiction. To say that the body craves the tobacco in any form is a gross insult to the inherent in- telligence of the body cells. Tobacco contains 19 poisons, each one of them more dam- aging than the others, to the living cells. The body repels and abhors tobacco, as it does all poisons. The first puff of a cigarette by a nonsmoker shows how alert the body is in its defensive capacity. An all-out defensive action is started at the first contact of these poisons with the living organism and continues throughout the life of the smoker.
With each succeeding smoke, the defensive action of the living cells gets less and less until all vital activity of the ells concerned is reduced, and the organism is prostrated with exhaustion in deep stupor. The so-called “tolerance” of the smoker to his particular brand, like the pet sedative of the drug addict is but a mask hiding the true state of the living organism—complete enervation and exhaustion.
The natural resistance of the body is lowered and the body compensates by not react- ing violently as when it was vital and vigorous. In other words, in precisely the propor- tion to which one becomes accustomed to the use of any poison, is his system depraved and his defensive powers reduced. The ability to smoke like a “man” without being sick is an evidence of cell weakness and physiological depravity. Hence the reason why a stronger and stronger dose is required before an addict actually gets acutely ill. To de- prive him of his smoking means resting his system which as it gets stronger and stronger asserts its power in the form of active symptoms, in resistance against the cumulation of the drug, and this being disturbing and distressing like the usual fever or running nose, the smoker seems to crave his smoke, this hubby-bubby so that he can silence the wak- ing sentinel again. The real effect of the next smoke is to renarcotize his nerves which can only cry out and reveal his true condition when they are no longer under the influ- ence of the drug.
Some of the 19 poisons are the deadliest in their toxic effect, e.g. pyridine, nicotine, prussic acid, and carbon monoxide. Here is a short list of some of the most poisonous matter present in your particular manna from heaven.
Each one vies with another to be the first to show you the portals of the post-mortem existence somewhere beyond the clouds:
- Carbon monoxide - prevents oxidation of blood.
- Nicotine - half a drop is fatal.
- Formic aldehyde - a strong irritant.
- Carbolic acid - burns your throat.
- Pyridine.
- Furfural - responsible for “short windedness” and tremors.
- Acrolein - degenerates the brain cells.
- Saltpetre in the paper keeps the cigarette burning. One cigarette causes a rise of 10-15 points in your blood pressure, i.e., increasing the work of your heart by 10%. Let alone its connection with lung cancers and hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis) smoking destroys inclination for marital embrace and the
ability to copulate and to reproduce. Children of habitual smokers die early, are prema- turely born, are stillborn, or are miscarriages.
Dr. Lucas, physician at Guy’s Hospital, London, observed that testes dried up, atro- phied, and shrunk to the size of a pea and sometimes also the sex organ. Tobacco impo- tence is steadily rising in the middle ages and 30% of women are frigid due to the tobac- co habit. Women working in tobacco factories seldom have children. Yes, don’t believe it now, but every smoke is a tiny drop of old age creeping on you unnoticed.
Fully three quarters of the cigarette smokers begin with the resolution of controlling their indulgence. But how many succeed? The answer is practically none of them, be- cause poison demands more poison. Compromise plans won’t work. All sorts are tried. A friend of mine conceived the idea of smoking so much a day and no more. It didn’t work a week with him. Another wanted to smoke only in the evening after dinner and work. He stuck to it for a month and then gave it up as he was smoking more per evening than in the whole day previous to his embarking on this new compromise.
Yes, dear reader, they all fail, these so-called half measures. A few that succeed in rationing themselves thus, are relatively few and mostly those who “smoke” in order not to offend the boss or the company director—as if he really cared. And even if you are one of them, the difference between you and the smoker who goes the whole hog is only a matter of degree—the effect is still harmful and never beneficial, and it always will be.
Stand firm in an unqualified refusal to indulge in this bad habit! That is the only plan that will succeed. If you smoke to please, what about your nonsmoking friends! Keep your self-respect and your health at the same time.
Even the “tapering-off” plan when a smoker decides to quit, nearly always fails. There are two ways of getting into cold water for a swim—a headlong dive or a gradual wade in. Similarly, there are two ways of quitting tobacco— sudden stoppage and the tapering-off plan. If your heart is sound, the dive is your better course at the pool. The same applies for the tobacco—and especially if your heart is a bit wanky.
The wade-in system is an acceptance of failure, of self-doubt, and this attitude is re- ally what defeats the one who wants to quit tobacco. Decision, not doubt, is what you need most. Why prolong the misery and play with temptation. “DIVE IN.” It is the easi- er of the two in the long run. Your friends can’t get at you with “have you had your quota today?” “One more today, two less tomorrow,” etc.
Be firm and active—that’s the only plan with smoking. Burn the bridges behind you; solemnly declare to yourself and others that you have quit once and for all and see the strain lift from you. See the relief, both mental and physical, in your eyes. Stick to it and a time will come when you will be proud of such an achievement. If you don’t do it this way and now, you’ll never be really free from it with ( any other plans, because the de- sire to quit is not strong enough.
An uncompromising decision, as above, will establish self-confidence and self-re- spect. The inconvenience will be much briefer and maybe a little more keener than on the one-by-one plan.
So there you have it all. Health for all is there for you too. So light your match and burn the cigarette at both ends. Then the fire burns and the fool with it too. The wise one stands back and smiles.
Lesson 42 - Why Herbs Should Not Be Used
42.1. Introduction
42.2. Questions & Answers
Article #1: Why Herbs Are Harmful By Marti Fry
42.1. Introduction
42.1.1 The Myth Of Herbs
42.1.2 What Is an Herb?
42.1.3 Warning: Herbs May Be Dangerous To Your Health! 42.1.4 Are Herbs “Natural”?
42.1.5 The Origins of Herbal Drugging Practices
42.1.6 Why Herbs Can’t “Cure”
42.1.7 Can Herbs Help At All?
42.1.8 Are Herbs Good For Food Supplements?
42.1.9 Why Herbs Appear To Work
42.1.10 Living an Herb-Free Life
42.1.11 Herbs That Taste Good?
42.1.1 The Myth Of Herbs
The woman was proudly showing me the inside of her medicine cabinet:
“See? No pills, bottles of medicine, drugs or anything! I got rid of them all. I don’t trust doctors or prescription medicines. I take only natural things.”
She reached inside the cabinet and started pulling out capsules, tinctures, and pow- ders.
“This is peppermint oil,” she told me. “I use it instead of an antacid for stomach up- set. I’ve got these white willow bark pills for headaches so I won’t need aspirin. I used to take tranquilizers, but now I can use these valerian root extracts to make me relaxed. I just use herbs now when I’m sick. I don’t buy anything from a drugstore.”
“That’s too bad,” I said.
She looked shocked. “Why? Because I don’t buy drugs anymore?”
“No,” I replied, “it’s too bad you’re still poisoning yourself with drugs—that’s what
all these herbs are. They may grow wild and naturally, but they’re just as deadly as those pills with the unpronounceable names that the pharmacist sells you.”
Many people can be convinced about the danger of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. They, or people they know, have often suffered side effects from drugs sold as cures. Yet these same people are often amazed that herbs too are equally useless and dangerous in restoring health.
Herbs have an undeserved reputation as “natural,” “organic,” “powerful,” and “an- cient.” They grow out of the earth—they must be okay, these people reason. Such people may violently distrust bottles of medicines and pills sold by drugstores, but they will dutifully swallow capsule after capsule that contains the powdered remains of some un- familar plant.
This lesson is to help you explain to your friends and clients why herbs are not harm- less; why they are not safe; why they should not be used. So many myths surround herbs, herb taking, and herbalists that the air must be cleared.
42.1.2 What Is an Herb?
Most of us have a pretty good idea what an herb is. We generally think of some wild plant that tastes somewhat bad which is used in small amounts for some ailment or the other.
There may be some confusion, however, between herbs and vegetables, or other edi- ble plants. For example, lettuce and salad vegetables are sometimes called “herbs.” Pars- ley, which may be eaten occasionally with other vegetables, is classified as an herb. An- imals, such as horses and cows, which eat primarily grass and greens are called herbi- vores or herb eaters.
Even the dictionary is no help in distinguishing herbs from vegetables. One defini- tion of an herb is that it is a “seed plant which dies to the ground at the end of a season.” This would mean that lettuce, cabbage, and indeed, almost all garden vegetables, could be classified as herbs. Another definition of an herb is that it’s a “plant or plant part which is valued for its medicinal or savory properties.”
Now we can see the two sides of an herb. It can either be a food (like a salad veg- etable) or it can be a drug or a seasoning. For this lesson, an herb will not be considered as a food or as a salad vegetable. If it is safe to eat, a plant is classified as a food. If it has toxic, or “medicinal” properties, than it is classified as a drug.
This lesson is concerned chiefly with the herb as a drug. Mention will be made of herbs as foods, and whether they are proper nourishment for humans.
42.1.3 Warning: Herbs May Be Dangerous To Your Health!
Some people may not believe that herbs can have any effect in keeping us well and healthy, but few people actually consider herbs to be harmful. Herbs are plants and grow naturally, and it seems that only people like the FDA and AMA have anything “bad” to say about these substances. But herbs are not only ineffective in producing health, they poison the body and may create serious complications in the user of such plants.
All herbs contain poisonous volatile oils and alkaloids. All herbs are fatal when tak- en in large enough doses. Even moderate amounts of certain herbs can cause vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headaches, and spontaneous abortions.
Many people do not realize that the herbs they take are in fact poisoning them. The reason? Herbs are taken in small amounts—usually small enough not to occasion a seri- ous and painful reaction, but still enough to cause the body to react radically and expedi- tiously to eliminate them. These reactions by the body to eliminate the toxic substances found in herbs are taken as “proof” by herbalists that their potions are doing their job. A job is being done, all right, but the results are not always as advertised.
If herbs are not harmful, why must they be taken in such small amounts? Like pep- per, spices, and condiments, herbs cannot be ingested in amounts larger than a table- spoon or so. Even more telling is the taste of herbs themselves. Almost without excep- tion, herbs are bitter, strong, and foul tasting. This is a warning to the body not to eat such substances.
Very few people would chew and swallow a mouthful of an herb. They couldn’t choke such a strong and bad tasting substance down. Instead, they usually grind and powder the herb until it can be stuffed into a capsule and slipped past the sense of taste which is the body’s guardian against poisons and drugs.
If a food or substance cannot be enjoyed—if it does not have a pleasant taste—then it should never be eaten or ingested. Even a perverted sense of taste can protect a person from the foul poisons found in herbs. Yet with pills, capsules, and infusions, the herbal- ists have found ways to sneak a plant into the body that it would never relish or desire normally.
Still, people who are attracted to a natural way of life and diet defend herbs and their use. Maybe we should ask the question:
42.1.4 Are Herbs “Natural”?
Of course herbs are natural. They grow in every part of the world without cultivation. Unlike most fruits and vegetables, herbs have not been altered through selective planting or breeding. The herbs growing today are much the same as those that grew five thou- sand years ago. No one can argue that herbs are not natural plants. But, are they natural for man to eat and use?
The argument for herbs has been that since they grow everywhere, they must be good for something. We should be able to use these wild plants since they must be provided for us by nature or by a divine being.
One of the best known herbalists in America answers the question “why use herbs?” as follows:
“Herbs are nature’s remedies, and they have been put here by an all-wise Creator. There is an herb for every disease that a human body can be afflicted with. Herbs were mentioned in the Bible, and much has been written about them all through history.”
In the words of Dr. Herbert M. Shelton: “Such an argument is specious, false, un- scientific, and absurd. It is not sustained by theory nor by results, neither by logic, or analogy, nor by experiment or experience.”
Simply because a plant grows naturally does not mean that it was intended or or- dained by a divine being (or nature) for our use. A great many plants grow all around us that are rank poisons. The tobacco plant has large and lovely green leaves. It certainly looks as if it would make a wonderful salad food. If you ate a salad of tobacco leaves, you would not live to regret it.
Animals in the wild refuse to eat many of the plants growing around them. Toxins and poisons are to be found in plants, just as are vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and so on. As Dr. Shelton has observed, “Many of the products of nature are unfit for the entrance into the human body.”
If so many herbs taste so foul and have such detrimental effects on the body, then we might ask how the herbal practice ever got started in the first place.
42.1.5 The Origins of Herbal Drugging Practices
The herbalists and the medical profession which also derives many of its drugs from herbs have justified the use of such poisons by pointing to the practices of antiquity and primitive tribes.
“For thousands of years,” one herbalist writes in his correspondence course, “herbs have been used in the treatment of disease. From the time of King Solomon, who was reputed to be the wisest man of his time, on down to Hippocrates, Galen, and through the Middle Ages to the present time, there have always been great and famous herbolo- gists or botanical physicians.”
We could also add that there have also always been fools and unwitting dupes who have fallen prey to this mumbo-jumbo about the “glorious” history of herbs.
The romantic picture of remote and ancient men who searched the landscape for herbs to cure mankind is a popular, but false one. Always the herbalist is glorified as a wise magic man that could divine the true nature of the wild plants around him. Actual- ly, nothing could be farther from the truth.
The first herbalists were superstitious witch doctors and shamans who used these plants not for any healing virtues, but for magic rituals and ceremonies for sex and pow- er. The herbs were used right along with snake eyes and frog skins to make magic po- tions. They were not used as curative agents, but as magical talismans.
Medical historians and students of herbology, however, seek to justify their drugging practices by pointing to the past uses of herbs by primitives as an “instinctive” use of such plants. Neither man nor animals will “instinctively” eat a plant that is full of poi-
sons and toxins. It is very doubtful that any person living in nature would desire to eat a foul, bitter plant that causes the body to react vigorously to eliminate it.
The truth is that herbology, like circumcision, is a dark age ritual that has unjusti- fiably survived. The primitives had no more success when they used herbs for medical curing than they did when they performed circumcision on their youths to prevent mas- turbation, or whatever. Both herbs and circumcision are barbaric practices that are still with us in spite of an “enlightened” twentieth century.
The romanticizing of herbs and their effects as being “natural” or “primitive” and therefore established and accepted is a dangerous lie. Herbs are drugs and poisons. They cure nothing.
42.1.6 Why Herbs Can’t “Cure”
People who believe in the curative powers of herbs think that any disease or ailment can be relieved by the ingestion of the proper herbs in the correct amounts. Some herbs are to be boiled and steeped.
Others need grinding and powdering. Some herbs are to be taken in combination with other herbs.
Some herbs must be taken alone to “work” properly.
There are dozens and dozens of books that list herbal formulas for every conceivable illness. No matter what bothers us, the herbalists have a list of plants we can take to “cure” ourselves. So simple and so appealing.
Every herb has its own healing properties, its own virtues, its own potencies. Read- ing a book on herbs is like reading an encyclopedia of diseases and cures. No wonder herbology is so seductive. We need do nothing to change our living habits to regain our health; we only need to take this or that herb in some amount or combination.
There is no curing power in any herb. All healing power resides in the tissues of the individual. An herb can cure nothing. Herbs, like all drugs and poisons, are inert sub- stances. They perform no actions. They stimulate no healing. They remove no cause of illness. They cannot rebuild the body. They are inactive and incapable of initiating any constructive action within the body.
But herbs do “work” in a certain way. When they are introduced into the body, the vital organism attempts to expel these poisons as quickly as possible. The body protects itself from drugging and poisoning, whether these poisons come from a pharmacist’s shelf or from nature.
These protective efforts by the body are misinterpreted as beneficial actions of the herbs. For example, the herb called mandrake has long been used for liver ailments. When ingested, mandrake causes vomiting, purging, and griping. The herbalists view these reactions as beneficial; they say that the mandrake is causing the body to clean it- self out.
What is actually occurring is that the body is making a heroic effort to expel the mandrake by any avenue possible. The purging and griping are signs of a vital organism trying to eject a poisonous substance. It is not a “curing crisis” brought on by the herb.
Different herbs may occasion different bodily reactions. Fevers, sweating, diarrhea, increased or decreased circulation are all signs of a body trying to eliminate herbal toxins and are not indications that an herb is working some cure or the other.
42.1.7 Can Herbs Help At All?
The use of herbs is often defended because they are not as strong as chemically-de- rived medicines. In other words, they seem to do less harm than prescription drugs. But is this really true? Are herbs the lesser of two evils? And is there ever any reason they should be employed?
Even if herbs possessed no toxic or poisonous properties, they would still be dan- gerous. Why? Because the use of herbs, or any “curing” agent, simply perpetuates the ignorance that enslaves so many people.
Herbology promotes the idea of a “cure.” As such, it does nothing to remove the true causes of disease and illness. Herbs deceive people. Many people think that by swallow- ing some plant or the other, they can improve their health. Such thinking can be danger- ous.
For example, high-blood pressure is a very common ailment among Americans be- cause of the tremendous amounts of salt they eat in their heavy meat and processed food diet. A vegetable alkaloid found in certain herbs called reserpine has been used to re- duce blood pressure. Garlic, long touted as a wonder herb, is also a supposedly effective agent in reducing blood pressure.
What sometimes occurs is that people with high-blood pressure ingest garlic and oth- er herbs to correct this condition. At the same time, however, they continue with their old diet and eat large amounts of salt.
When this happens, the symptom of high-blood pressure is hidden by the symptoms of the herbal poisoning. At the same time, the old habits and diet that kept the blood pres- sure high are not modified. The high-blood pressure is simply a signal by the body that something is wrong—like diet or lifestyle. By taking an herb for this symptom, nothing positive is being done; indeed, a poison has just been added to the body which it now must eliminate.
Herb taking, then, is simply symptom masking. In other words, a symptom of a dis- eased or disordered body is hidden by the eliminative efforts of the body to rid itself of the herbal toxins. The causes of the initial symptom remain, and indeed, continue the destruction of the body.
Garlic and other herbs may mask one symptom of a high-salt diet, but they can do nothing about the kidney damage and cellular destruction that also accompanies salt eat- ing.
All pill and drug taking is dangerously deceptive, whether the drug comes from a plant or from a factory. The symptom-ridding approach to health is a short-ended one, and the bills for a disease-producing lifestyle always come due. Herbs and the symptom- repressing attitude toward health only deceive and delude the true health seeker.
42.1.8 Are Herbs Good For Food Supplements?
Not only are herbs promoted as cures and remedies, but they are often given as di- etary supplements. Herbs often have a high concentration of minerals (usually iron, cal- cium, and trace elements.) Some have a high vitamin C content as well.
Because of this concentration of nutrients, herbs are also used as nutritional supple- ments. For example, there are herbal formulas that are reputed to have the proper miner- al combination for building bones or increasing the red corpuscle content of the blood. Many people who dislike supplements made in a laboratory will use these herbal formu- las to “improve” their diet.
In this case, the herb is being used as a concentrated food instead of a “medicinal cure.” But can such a practice be justified?
The human body can only utilize a certain amount of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients during a given time period. Any excessive amounts of nutrients are eliminated by the body in the urine and feces. For example, brewer’s yeast is sometimes used in the diet for a high B-vitamin supplement. The body can only use a limited amount of these B-vitamins; the rest comes out in the urine.
The high and concentrated amounts of nutrients in most herbs cannot be totally used by the body. Only so much of a mineral or vitamin can be used, and the excess in the herbs must be eliminated. Taking in nutrients in excess of the body’s needs is not “insur- ance”; instead, the body is burdened by minerals which are in excess of its needs.
Fortunately, most natural foods suited to man’s physiology (like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds) are well-balanced nutritionally. Herbs, however, do not have a balanced array of nutrients for human needs because they are not properly a food for man to eat.
Our vitamin and mineral requirements can be more than met with a diet of natural and unprocessed fruits and vegetables. Herbs are not needed food supplements, and in- deed, they may serve as a dangerous substitute for a proper diet of fresh and wholesome foods.
Then, too, you must remember that along with any minerals or vitamins the herb may possess are also alkaloids and poisons that the body cannot healthily metabolize. Herbs are not a safe supplement. In fact, no supplement is safe because all such unbal- anced additions to the diet disrupt the body’s metabolism arid force it to eliminate the unneeded substances and excesses.
42.1.9 Why Herbs Appear To Work
Even after people have been told about the harmful effects of herb taking, they often persist in the practice because they insist that the herbs are working and helping them. An elderly man of about ninety has dutifully swallowed a capsule containing an herbal laxative every day for the past several years. “It keeps me regular,” is his only comment and justification for the herb-taking habit.
Herbs do have an effect on the human organism. There can be no question about that. When certain herbs are taken, headaches do disappear and constipation seems to vanish. Are the herbs “working” as the herbalists would have us believe?
In a discussion on herbs and their seeming ability to “cure,” Dr. Shelton has stated:
“Only poisonous herbs are thought td have medicinal qualities. If an herbal sub- stance does not occasion actions of expulsion and resistance when taken into the body or applied to it, it is not vested with any power to cure. If the body ejects the herb by vomiting, diarrhea, diuresis, or diaphoresis, and this is accompanied by some pain and discomfort, then the herb is regarded as beneficial and it is used to “work.” If the patient then recovers in spite of the herb taking, full credit for recovery is given to the poisonous plant, and the self-healing power of the body is completely ignored.
Shelton and other Hygienists have stated that for any substance to have a so-called medicinal effect, like herbs do, it must be a poison. This is because the alleged medicinal effects of a substance are nothing more than the efforts of the body to expel and resist poisons. Herbs and other drugs, instead of being digested and utilized by the body, are expelled.
What does all of this mean? Let’s take a simple case where an herb appears to do some work. Peppermint, a rather mild herb by most standards, is sometimes used to “cure” a headache by herbalists. Your head hurts, so you drink a cup of peppermint tea. Your head stops hurting. Did the peppermint work?
Yes and no. Most headaches are caused by swelling of the intracranial blood vessels around the scalp. These blood vessels swell because of toxic matter in the bloodstream and body, and they then press against sensitive nerves. When peppermint is taken, the body recognizes its oils as harmful. Circulation is rapidly increased by the body and the heart speeds up. At this point, the body is attempting to eliminate the peppermint toxins as quickly as possible by increasing circulation so elimination can proceed.
The increase in circulation, due to the toxic nature of the peppermint oils, has an ef- fect on the swollen blood vessels in the head. The vessels are dilated so that the circula- tion can proceed rapidly and the peppermint poison can be eliminated. As a side result, the headache disappears temporarily.
So is the headache cured, and did the peppermint work? No, the body did all the work. It worked to eliminate a poison, and these efforts also masked the symptom of a toxic body—in this case, the headache.
The cause of the headache—toxicosis—was not removed by the peppermint. The conditions that brought on the toxicosis—poor diet and lifestyle habits—were not im- proved by the herb. The headache may have disappeared, but the underlying cause re- mains. This is the case with all herbs—symptoms are depressed by the eliminative ac- tions of the body which are directed toward the herb.
42.1.10 Living an Herb-Free Life
Almost without exception, herbs have been used to treat the sick. They are rarely used as food, although occasionally herbs have been used as seasonings or condiments. A lifestyle without herbs is both easy and healthy.
First, you should realize that most people resort to herbs in an effort to cure them- selves of some illness. As a student of Life Science, you already know that there can be no “cure” for any disease. Poor health can only be improved by healthful living prac- tices—not through drugging, treatments, or cures. The proper response to an illness is a complete physiological rest—fasting, if possible. Following a complete or modified fasting regimen, the individual should adopt a healthy diet of primarily uncooked fruits and vegetables which are eaten in as whole a state as possible.
Herbs, and other drugging agents, are often used by people who desire a quick “fix” of their problems without any change in their lifestyle. Since it is an unhealthy lifestyle which created the disease in the first place, this approach always fails. The use of herbs may produce different symptoms or masked symptoms, but the herbs themselves cannot remove the underlying cause of the symptoms.
Therefore, to live a life without herbs, we must realize that their use in times of sick- ness is deceptive. We must understand that total health can only be regained by fasting, proper diet, and a healthy lifestyle. Herbs have no power and no capacity to effect these changes in our lives.
Swallowing herbs is like swallowing any other pill or drug. The fact that they grow naturally does not give them any extra or safe curative properties. Indeed, all curative properties reside within the human organism. No outside agent, including herbs, can in- stigate any healing capabilities of the body.
Besides medicine, then, what else are herbs used for? Some people use them as food supplements. But if you are following the biologically-correct diet of chiefly raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts, then there is never a need for herbal supplements or any type of nutritive additive. Many people are wont to blame their health problems on some deficiency or the other, which they then seek to correct by herbal or chemical supplements.
In reality, most illnesses are not caused by any deficiency, but rather by a sufficiency, or excess, of toxic materials in the body. Taking supplements merely adds to this toxic level, and no causes of the illness are removed.
Finally, herbs are sometimes part of a meal. The culinary herbs, such as garlic, onion, parsley, rosemary, cumin seed, caraway seed, and so on are probably the most common herbs used in most diets. Let’s look at these herbs and seasonings in closer detail to see how we can also live without them.
42.1.11 Herbs That Taste Good?
Herbs that are foul and bitter tasting, as are most of the medicinal herbs, can be easily explained as unsuitable for the human dietary. Who would want to eat them anyway? Other herbs, however, have enjoyed a reputation as seasonings and flavorings in cook- ing and food preparation. Since this is where herbs are often used in everyday living, we should understand their use better. First, almost every herb used as food in the diet is done so as a seasoning or flavoring for cooked food. Few people desire to eat rosemary
or caraway seeds with their raw vegetables. Most such herbs, then, are used to season cooked foods.
Why are seasonings or herbs used in cooked foods? Because the natural flavors and taste have been destroyed in the cooking process. The aromatic herbs are simply used to disguise the insipid taste of the cooked foods.
A predominantly raw food diet does not need aromatic or culinary herbs to “spark” up the flavors. Only in cooking have these herbs gained a foothold. But are they harm- less seasonings?
No, because many of the herbs used as seasonings have strong oils and alkaloids that disrupt digestion. Ginger, for example, causes the digestive system to hurry the food through before being completely digested. Thus, these seasoning herbs have gained an undeserved reputation as “digestive aids.” Instead of aiding digestion, their use occa- sions the body to rapidly expel them along with the food they seasoned.
What about some herbs that are relished in a raw state, such as garlic, onions, parsley, and so on? In general, these types of herbs are not needed and may prove harmful to the organism. Garlic and onions, two of the most popular flavoring herbs, are full of noxious toxins, like mustard oil and allicin. Parsley is also a strong herb whose use can overstim- ulate the kidneys. It is a very concentrated green herb which should probably not be a part of the regular diet.
The cooking and seasoning herbs are not harmless additions to the diet as is popu- larly believed. Their use disrupts digestion and places an added load on the eliminative system. They are used chiefly to flavor and spice up foods that are probably best not eaten anyway (that is, overcooked foods, meats, and so forth). A diet of fresh fruits and vegetables require no seasonings, herbal or otherwise.
42.2. Questions & Answers
Aren’t herbs still better than taking prescription drugs? I used to take digitalis for my weak heart, and now I use a plant called foxglove.
Many drugs sold by pharmaceutical companies are often nothing more than a laboratory extract from a plant or herb. The digitalis you used to take came from the foxglove plant you now use. What’s the difference? Both still have the same sort of toxin that occasions an increase in circulation and a rapid heartbeat.
Herbs are drugs. When you take an herb, it’s like swallowing a pill or spoonful of medicine. The only difference is in the package they come in. Herbs come in familar, “organic” looking packages—the plant itself. Medicine comes in plastic bottles. The contents, as far as the toxic effects, are about identical.
This is the most difficult point to get across to people that use herbs. Simply because something deadly comes in a form that looks organic and natural does not make it any less deadly.
Okay, you say herbs don’t work. But when I take some white willow bark cap- sules for a headache, my head stops hurting and I can go about with my work. Sor- ry, but pain relief is where it’s at as far as I’m concerned.
All pain, including mild headache, is the body’s signal that unhealthy living practices are being engaged in. For instance, in your case you get a headache at work, so you take some herb and go on with your work. That’s the danger in herbs.
Taking an herb may cause a painful symptom to disappear, but the cause of that symptom (perhaps in your case, your working conditions) will remain.
Agreed, pain relief is “where, it’s at,” but you should ask yourself, why am I feeling pain? Pain is never a natural condition. Using unnatural methods, such as dosing yourself with herbs, is a dangerous response to the pain signal.
I agree with you about most herbs, like goldenseal and so on that just taste ter- rible. But some herbs taste good, and I don’t see why we can eat them without food.
Anything you take into your body, with the exception of water, is either a food or a poison. Either your body can use it as healthy nourishment, or it must try to eliminate it as a toxin.
Herbs are often borderline cases between a food and a poison. The majority of herbs have so many harmful alkaloids that any nutritional benefit they might con- tain is negated.
True, some herbs such as basil, comfrey, spearmint, and so on may taste pleas- ant. But in what amounts? Even the most dedicated basil or parsley or rosemary lover would not want to chew up a whole mouthful of their favorite herb. Why? Be- cause even these “mild” herbs are extremely high in essential oils that can irritate the organism. While such herbs are not as dangerous as the stronger acting “medi- cinal” herbs, there is no need for them in the proper diet.
Article #1: Why Herbs Are Harmful By Marti Fry
The Second Definition of “Herb”
Herbs Are Dangerous What To Do
The term “herb” has two definitions. The first is simply a “seed-producing annual, biennial, or perennial that does not develop persistent woody tissue but dies down at the end of a growing season.” According to this definition, the various vegetables used in moderation on a healthful diet are herbs—celery, lettuce, bok choy, kale and other greens; broccoli; cauliflower; etc.
While relatively wholesome vegetables are herbs, the term “herb” really refers to a plant and not to a food. Let me clarify: when you eat a “vegetable,” you’re eating the stems, leaves, or flowers of a plant. Those stems, leaves and flowers that contain only very minute amounts of toxins are consumed as vegetables on the healthful (Hygien- ic) diet. But the poisonous (toxic) parts of plants are not consumed. For example we do not eat tomato plants or cucumber plants. Being of the deadly nightshade family, tomato plants are highly toxic. But we do eat the fruits of some plants, even though the leaves, stems, and flowers of the plant itself may be toxic.
One final comment about the eating of the herbs we call vegetables: These should definitely not comprise a major portion of a healthful diet, partly because of the minute amounts of toxins they do contain, and partly because they do not adequately meet our need for carbohydrates (for energy). Vegetables do contain carbohydrates, but they are mostly in the form of the carbohydrate cellulose, which humans, as frugivores, are un- able to digest. Herbivores, with their four stomachs and special enzymes for breaking down grasses and other herbs, are, of course, fully capable of obtaining ample energy (carbohydrates) from herbs. Horses and cows are two notable examples of herbivores.
Frugivores, such as humans, are equipped to obtain energy primarily from the sugars in fruits. Our physiology and anatomy is such that we are capable of picking fruits, as well as masticating, digesting, and appropriating them with ease and efficiency. They contain all the nutrients we need—from vitamins and minerals, to proteins, fats and, of course, carbohydrates.
But, like the other frugivores (monkeys, apes, orangutans, etc.) humans can add rel- atively small amounts of vegetables to their fruitarian diet with benefit. The indigestible cellulose is simply passed through in the same form as it was ingested, and nutrients are utilized from the fleshy portion that is extracted during the chewing process.
The cellulose from vegetables is not, however, essential for human health. If we eat a hygienic diet we do not need large amounts of fiber (roughage) to keep our colon
healthy. The important consideration for colon health is the same as the consideration for the health of every other organ and part of the body—freedom from toxins and tox- ic buildup. A pure (toxin-free) body is the result of healthful living and eating practices and not from the ingestion of any particular food, herb, or class of foods. Enemas, juices, roughage, and other substances or practices do not result in a pure (unpolluted) healthy body. Health is the normal state unless toxicosis and disease are caused by anti-vital practices and foods.
The Second Definition of “Herb”
The second definition of “herb” is: “a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, savory, or aromatic qualities.” This means that an “herb” is used either as a “medicine” (drug), or as a seasoning, perfume, or insect repellent, etc. Herbs are used, not for their nutritional values (their vitamin, mineral, protein, fat, or carbohydrate content), but for their toxic (“medicinal”) components. For example, onions and garlic are used for their mustard oil and allicin content. Both of these toxic substances are, indigestible and inca- pable of causing diseases to disappear or health to be restored. The toxic component of aloe vera is the glycoside aloin; in sassafras it’s safrole; and in the Indian snake root, it’s the alkaloid reserpine.
The poisonous substances in herbs are causes of body toxicity and diseases. Toxins or poisons are anti-health, no matter what their source. We cannot be drugged into health, whether the drug (toxin) is from herbs or from a pharmaceutical company—or even from cooked foods, processed foods, incompatible food combinations, or excess food, etc. Drugs, “medicines,” and herbs are alike in that they all cause disease and are incapable of “curing.” You may obtain a temporary feeling of well-being through their use, and disease symptoms may cease for a time. But appearances can be deceiving.
The human body is the only entity capable of healing, and no substance or procedure can speed up or assist healing in any way. There is no such thing as “curing” or “med- icines.” “Medical” interference in attempts at “curing” is just that—interference. The body heals itself, purifies itself, and repairs damages from injuries caused by toxins best under the condition of a fast, in which complete rest is obtained.
Rest is needed during healing because the body must recuperate as much nerve ener- gy as possible, thus increasing its vitality, in order to have the energy it needs to conduct the disease process. Disease is a body process of toxin elimination. It is not caused by “germs” or viruses, but is necessitated by the accumulation of toxins within the body.
The body institutes the disease process, and drugs and herbs sabotage the body’s ef- forts by posing another threat to the body besides the toxins it was eliminating through the disease process. Being capable of handling only a limited amount of toxic matters at a time, the body temporarily halts the disease process and devotes its energies to ejecting the new offending substance.
If the drug or herb is particularly toxic; if it’s given in a large dose relative to the subject’s vitality (supply of nerve energy); or if the subject is particularly low in vitality, the result of its administration may be almost complete cessation of the disease process. The body may be temporarily incapable of ejecting the toxins accumulated in the body or those in the drug or herb.
In this case, the body, though it may be showing no or few symptoms of disease, is more diseased than before the drug or herb was administered. That is, the body is more toxic—more diseased. When vitality is regained, in time, the organism will again insti- tute the disease process in an effort to expel its toxic burden. If herbs or drugs are again administered, the body begins to suffer more and more from the injuries inflicted by the irritating poisonous toxins within. Various diseases, including arthritis, ulcers, cancers, and others, ensue.
Herbs Are Dangerous
No matter how herbs are used or what they’re used as (expectorants, stimulants, as- tringents, etc.) they always, without exception, add to the body’s toxic load, which is the real disease. The disease process is simply a body activity for expelling toxins so they will not injure the body and thus impede its functions.
In addition, herbs, like other drugs, temporarily, at least, give the illusion of health in some cases. Thus a person is not inclined to institute correct living practices so as to not cause further disease or to remove the practices and habits that cause disease. The result? More disease and continued disease, which is the opposite of the herbologist’s intentions, if he is truly health-minded and not simply money-oriented.
What To Do
If you are an herb doctor, may I suggest you consider becoming a Natural Hygiene counselor instead. If you use herbs, I suggest you discontinue their use and, instead, institute healthful practices while simultaneously eliminating all unwholesome (drug) practices. My own experiences, as well as the experiences of many Natural Hygienists, verify the efficaciousness of this advice. If you are not yet willing to accept what I have said and what has been written elsewhere in the Life Science publications, study some more Hygienic literature.
And remember: health results only from healthful living. You cannot “make up for” any unhealthful practices by the use of herbs, or by the use of any other substances or practices. There are no magic potions and no shortcuts. And, after all, the path to health is not a hard road to follow anyway!