Lesson 62 - Healthy Eyes And Teeth

Introduction

“An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” You’ve heard this said many times, and no wonder. This old Biblical statement simply reflects the value we place on our teeth and eyes. The eyes and teeth may be the two most vital body parts we have for sensual appreciation. Good teeth allow us to savor and enjoy eating. Good vision allows us to participate more fully in the world.

Old age often has meant that the eyes and teeth rapidly fail us. Dentures and eyeglasses go hand in hand with Social Security checks. But does this mean that poor or missing teeth and weak, failing vision should be the norm for the elderly?

The young, too, have miserable dental health and vision problems. Younger and younger children are forced to wear glasses, and it is a very rare child indeed who does not have at least one dental cavity.

The truth is this: the overall health and well-being of the body is reflected through the health of the mouth and the clarity of one’s vision. Dental decay and failing eyesight are signs of a deteriorating body. Yet, it doesn’t have to be this way.

The teeth and eyes are built for long years of service—at least for 120 years. There have been stories of people who grow a third set of teeth in old age, and regained eyesight among the elderly is not impossible. So, poor teeth and eyes are never natural. Your teeth and eyes should be as sound at 50 as they were at 20—if you understand and follow the precepts of a healthy lifestyle.

The Teeth

Sinking Your Teeth into Good Health

Dental health indicates body health. A proper program of diet, exercise, freedom from stress, and sensible living habits will insure that your teeth will last for a lifetime. Outside of gum disease, the two most common dental problems are caries and malocclusion.

Caries are erosions of the teeth, and are usually called “cavities” by the layman. Malocclusion means that the teeth do not fit together properly, such as in “buck teeth” or other deformities of the jaw and mouth.

Both of these conditions will not occur if a person consumes an optimum diet. Not only the diet of the person involved must be superior, but also the diet of the person’s

mother as well. Good nutrition for the teeth must begin before birth, and the diet of the pregnant mother will shape the child’s dental health for the rest of his life. To understand the role of nutrition in dental health and well-being, you must be familiar with the chief causes of dental abnormalities and diseases.

What Is a Cavity?

A cavity is a hole, whether it is in your teeth or in the ground. Holes appear in your teeth when there is a mineral imbalance in the body. Chiefly, the calcium-phosphorus mineral relationship is the determining factor in cavity formation.

When the diet is excessively high in phosphorus, or in foods commonly known as “acid-forming,” a calcium deficiency may occur. This deficiency is usually not due to inadequate calcium in the diet (although it may be if the diet is especially poor), but due to such foods as white sugar, refined flour and grains, and other processed carbohydrates that deplete the body of vitamin and mineral reserves (including calcium).

Cavities are not created by the external action of bacteria on the surface of the teeth, as is commonly thought, but by the imbalances created in the body by improper foods. Consequently, thorough brushing and flossing of the teeth are ineffective in preventing cavities if a substandard diet is still followed. Healthy teeth can only be built by a healthy diet and lifestyle—not by fluoridated water or “whiter than white” toothpastes.

The Truth About Dental Health

For the truth about nutrition and tooth decay, read the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston Price, DDS. Dr. Price traveled throughout the world to study the effect of various diets on dental health.

He found, without exception, that the people who ate diets free of refined and processed foods were almost completely free of tooth decay. In addition, these people had excellent bone structure, jaw formation, and were well adapted for chewing, singing, and speaking. (In other words, not only were cavities not a concern, but a natural diet does not cause malocclusion, or deformity of the dental bite.)

He also discovered that within so short a time as a single generation, eating refined foodstuffs resulted in narrow dental arches, malocclusion, and rampant tooth decay. His book has pictures of families that show the older generation who ate unrefined and natural foods with perfect “choppers.” The younger members of the family who ate the “civilized” foods, like candy, soft drinks, canned foods, and refined grains, had teeth with holes, snags, and decay.

His conclusion: rough, unrefined, whole, unprocessed, and untampered foods promote the highest degree of dental health. Without exception, the eating of modern foods produced dental deterioration.

Although the medical establishment’s standard position is that tooth decay is caused by food particles stuck to the outside of the teeth, even the Journal of the American Medical Association recognized that tooth decay dropped when a more natural diet is followed. In an issue of this magazine, Dr. James H. Shaw reported on the improvement in dental health that occurred when certain countries during World War II had to revert back to a traditional, unrefined diet:

“Careful study of these countries indicates that the nutritional influences imposed on the teeth during development and calcification through the consumption of coarse, unrefined diets of natural foodstuffs resulted in teeth that were more decay-resistant than those teeth formed during the prewar years.”

Notice that emphasis is placed on the formation of the teeth and a good diet. Your mother’s diet during pregnancy and lactation provided the foundation of your dental health. Even if you now eat an excellent diet, your teeth may be suffering from poor eating habits of your younger years, or from your mother’s prenatal diet.

Still, a diet of chiefly raw fruits and vegetables can make your present teeth last longer. Besides diet, what else can prevent tooth decay? Exercise!

Most people would laugh if you suggest that they exercise their teeth. After all, with all the overweight people in this country, you might think that people need to keep their mouths shut more and exercise their teeth less. Like any other healthy part of your body, however, the teeth require regular exercise. It is a fact: if any part of the body is not exercised or used properly, it will deteriorate. The teeth are no different.

Exercise, Chew, Chomp, and Gnash!

So, how do you exercise your teeth—by flapping your gums? No, the best exercise for your teeth is to use them for the exact purpose that you have them: chewing food.

Look at the typical American meal: white bread, mashed potatoes, gravy, meatloaf, mushy peas, and a glass of tea. You don’t need teeth to eat that kind of food. You could almost swallow the slop in a few gulps with one or two chews. You need a meal you can sink your teeth into. You need to eat food that requires chewing and using your teeth.

Which foods exercise the teeth best? Raw, fibrous, wholesome fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Cooked foods are poorly chewed; raw foods must be thoroughly masticated. The chewing of the firm raw fruits and vegetables give the teeth exactly the kind of exercise they need. In fact, so effective is this exercising of the teeth in promoting good dental health that Dr. Shelton has this story to tell:

“A mother brought her young child to me. She was distressed that his jawbones and mouth were developing poorly. The boy had a terrible bite (referring to the way the teeth fit), and there did not appear to be any room in the crowded mouth for the new teeth to erupt. After discussing the child’s diet, I suggested that the mother give the child a raw carrot to chew on at his regular meal and as a replacement for his sweet snacks. Years later I saw the mother and child again. The child had beautiful straight teeth. The hard chewing that was required for the raw carrot allowed the teeth to straighten out as they performed the job for which they were originally intended.”

Not only are raw fruits and vegetables beneficial in exercising the teeth, they may be your best Toothbrush! Consider this report made by two British researchers in the Medical Press:

Two groups of children were chosen at random. One group ate a raw apple after their regular meal the other group did not. It was found that chewing an apple stimulated the gum tissues, increased the saliva flow to cleanse the teeth, and provided optimum exercise for the jaw muscles. The researchers discovered that the children who ate apples (or any other raw, fibrous fruit or vegetable) with their meals had significantly better gum health and fewer cavities than those children who simply followed a regular program of brushing and a conventional diet.

Dr. Maury Massler, a professor of children’s dentistry at the University of Illinois stated that the best way to clean the teeth and gums is not by harsh brushing or chemical toothpastes, but by eating foods which are “natural cleaning agents for the teeth, such as pulpy, fresh, raw fruit, nuts, and vegetables.”

Raw food particles do not produce decay or stench in the mouth as does food which has been processed, cooked, or refined. Once a food’s composition is altered by cooking or refining, the food particles decay rapidly when left in the mouth and between the teeth. By eating raw fruits and vegetables, your teeth will stay naturally clean and healthy without abrasive toothpaste or excessive brushing.

Here’s to Your Teeth—Drink Up!

“Studies have shown,” writes Dr. Arthur C. Guyton, “that teeth formed in children who drink water containing small amounts of fluorine develop enamel that is more resistant to caries than the enamel in children who drink water not containing fluorine.”

Can fluoridated water prevent decay? Actually, the real evidence proves otherwise. An engineer in Massachusetts has analyzed the official government figures on tooth decay and municipalities that use fluoridated water. His figures have conclusively shown that artificial fluoridation does not prevent tooth decay, but only postpones it for a few years.

Fluorine does not make the enamel of the tooth harder and more resistant to decay. Instead, the fluorine simply displaces certain chemical ions in the enamel which makes it less soluble. The fluorine which is now stored in the tooth’s enamel is said to be toxic to some of the bacteria in the mouth, which is the original rationale behind putting fluorine in our water in the first place. Bacteria causes cavities; fluorine kills bacteria; therefore, fluorine prevents tooth decay.

Such reasoning is both dangerous and faulty. Bacteria no more causes cavities than they cause any disease. It is true that fluorine will kill bacteria, and that in itself should make you wary and alert.

Remember, any substance that is capable of killing bacteria is an anti-life agent. If fluorine is poisonous to bacteria, you may be sure that it is poisonous to you as well. In many locales all over the world, the people have excellent teeth and there is not a trace of fluorine in the water supply.

Actually, fluorine in its organic and naturally occurring form as found in small amounts in some foods is a beneficial mineral for the teeth. The fluorine that is dumped into the water supply, however, is a harsh chemical byproduct from industrial manufacturing and fertilizer production. No wonder some people would like us to believe that fluoridated water is beneficial. This simply gives chemical and metal industries a profitable outlet for a hazardous waste. Fluoride toxins are dumped into public water supplies in the name of dental hygiene. In reality, fluoridation is rank pollution of our water supply.

Building Healthy Teeth

You cannot drink a chemical and expect to have healthy teeth. Good teeth are only built through good nutrition, and this means avoiding the harmful foods as well as including the natural fruits, vegetables, and so on.

Which foods are the tooth destroyers? Refined carbohydrates, in the form of sugars, sweets, breads, pastries, cakes, and cooked foods, are the worst foods for the teeth. The white sugar and white flour in these products are nutrient-robbers, and they set the stage for cavity formation. Other poor foods are those high in phosphorus and acid-forming elements such as soft drinks (the chief source of inorganic phosphorus in the American diet) and meat.

The most important person in tooth care today is not the dentist but the mother-to-be. A pregnant woman’s diet determines the quality of teeth that her child will have throughout the early years and the entire adult life. After birth, the child should be fed only the optimum foods. If this practice is continued through adulthood, perfect dental health will be a reality.

The Eyes

What causes a person to be near-sighted or far-sighted? Why do so many older people require glasses? What is astigmatism? What are cataracts and how are they caused? Poor eyesight and vision problems affect almost every person alive today. Most of these problems could be prevented or corrected if the causes of poor eyesight are understood. Let’s look at the most common complaints about the eyes and sight:

Is Failing Eyesight Natural?

Your vision often seems to deteriorate as you grow older. People that never wore glasses in their early years often succumb to using reading glasses around the age of fifty. Does the power of vision naturally falter with passing years? Yes and no.

Your eyes can focus on both faraway and closeby objects because the lens of the eye can be “stretched.” The lens itself is composed of a strong, elastic capsule of proteinaceous fibers. Ligaments attach to the lens which allow it to be contracted and relaxed. As the lens changes shape by the ligaments pulling on it, the eye adjusts so that it can look at both objects in the distance and those that are close up.

As a person grows older, the lens loses its elastic nature and becomes more and more solidified. This is probably because the protein composing the mass of the lens becomes denatured. As the lens loses its elasticity, it can no longer quickly adjust in its focusing.

Around 45 to 50 years, the lens can only move about one-eighth as much as it could at birth. Finally with advanced age, the tens of the eye loses all elasticity and remains permanently fixed and focused at one distance.

This condition is called presbyopia and it simply means that the person has reached a stage where each eye remains permanently focused at an almost constant distance. The distance that the eyes continually focus on depends upon the physical characteristics of the person’s eyes.

What this means is that a person may be able to see moderately well for objects that are three to thirty feet away, but cannot read or see distant objects without glasses. Although similar to “farsightedness” or “nearsightedness,” the condition known as presbyopia is strictly speaking not the same. This vision problem affects only the older segment of the population, and occurs as a result of gradual deterioration instead of any congenital defect.

Does this mean that you must have poor vision by the age of fifty? Absolutely not. Although the lens of the eye does gradually decrease in elasticity, it can be slowed down enough so that it is almost imperceptible.

The proteinaceous denaturement of the material that makes up the lens of the eye occurs because the body is focusing its healing and regenerative energies on the more vital body areas. There is no reason why the materials making up the lens cannot be rejuvenated or maintained at their present level.

If the body is unencumbered by toxins, stress, or disease, then it can rebuild its weakest parts—including the eyes. If, however, the individual is in the state of toxicosis or is leading an unhealthy lifestyle, then the body never has a chance to revitalize the eyes. Instead, all the body’s energies are directed simply toward keeping itself alive.

As long as the health of the body is in a critical state, then the type of rejuvenation that is required to correct failing vision cannot occur. Perfect eyesight is not an absolute requirement for the survival of the organism. Consequently, the body always tends to correct the most pressing problems first. For most people, this means that the eyes and eyesight are low on the body’s list of priorities for revitalization and healing. Until you can “get ahead” in rebuilding your health, your eyesight will remain at its current level.

The most effective method known for restoring failing eyesight is a prolonged and supervised fast. This allows the body to reverse the deterioration and denaturation of the eye lens because the fast provides the necessary physiological rest for this to occur.

Old age doesn’t mean poor vision. Perfect eyesight, along with perfect health, is your birthright and heritage. A failing of the senses is not “natural” any more than any illness or disease is natural. Most people believe that poor vision goes along with increased years. Fasting, an optimum diet, and freedom from stress are the only requirements for improving your eyes. No matter what your condition, these steps will give you some noticeable improvement in your vision.

Can You Throw Away Your Glasses?

A man or woman who lived a thousand years ago would find the twentieth century to be a very strange place. The first thing that such a time traveler would notice is that about one out of every two people walking around his pieces of glass tied together and strapped across the nose. We call these things “eyeglasses” and we take them for granted.

But are they natural? Going through life with a pair of glass lens perched atop your nose or stuck onto the eyeball itself (if contact lenses are used) is the same as using crutches or a cane to walk around with. Why are there so many ‘vision cripples?”

Most people who wear glasses do so usually for one of these three vision problems: near-sightedness, far-sightedness, and astigmatism. Are these conditions natural, and what can we do about them?

Seeing Near and Far

The most common eye problem is near-sightedness, or myopia. This means that the eyes cannot focus properly on anything beyond a certain distance, and can only see objects that are “near”—hence the term, near-sightedness.

Interestingly enough, near-sightedness most generally occurs in children and gradually worsens until around the age of 20 or so. Why is this? Some researchers have speculated that diet may be the clue in the myopic mystery.

In the Pennsylvania Medical Journal, Dr. Hunter J. Turner singles out soft drinks or carbonated soda water as the number one cause of near-sightedness in children. The carbonic acid in these drinks is one of the worst enemies of the eyes, and Dr. Turner believes he has discovered a strong link between soft drink consumption and the incidence of near-sightedness.

What will help a near-sighted person? Exercise. But not only general body conditioning, but a special set of exercises that are performed exclusively for strengthening the muscles of the lens of the eye.

For example, the Bates System of eye exercises has been used for years with moderate success. According to the International Record of Medicine, “a specific course in visual training may improve visual acuity, size of visual field, refractive errors, and even reading speed in selected individuals.” Additional references to these series of eye exercises are at the end of the lesson. The good news is this: near-sightedness can be overcome by proper exercise of the eyes. Among children, the results are especially impressive. You can throw those glasses away.

What about far-sightedness? Can it be corrected? Farsightedness is also known as hypermetropia. In this condition, the person cannot focus on objects close to them (such as a page of a book), but can see things in the distance as normal.

This is rarer than near-sightedness, but it is also caused by a weakened lens system. Both far-sightedness and near-sightedness are “corrected” by placing glasses or contacts over the lens so that the light is refracted in a different way.

Many far-sighted people have corrected their condition by not wearing glasses. In other words, they regularly exercise their eyes and try not to rely on any “crutches” or aids that might hinder their progress. Exercising the eyes and following an optimum diet (with periodic fasting) are effective and harmless ways to improve the vision.

If you wear glasses continuously, start off by removing them when it is not essential that you have clear vision. Gradually become used to not wearing glasses, and work your eyes. Focus on objects as far away as possible. Look at mountaintops, faraway trees, or signs. Then turn your eyes to objects less than three feet away. Practice regular rotation and exercise of the eyes for two to three periods a day. At the end of such exercising, press the palms over the eyes and keep them closed and relaxed. If you make a serious effort to exercise and relax your eyes in this manner (along with a regular program such as the Bates Vision System), you should quite literally see some improvement. Don’t forget that an excellent diet and fasting program should be used along with your eye exercise program in order to correct near and far-sightedness.

What is Astigmatism?

Like myopia (near-sightedness) and hypermetropia (far-sightedness), the eye condition known as astigmatism is due to a refractive error of the lens system. People with astigmatism have a “fuzzy vision”, and things often appear out of focus, whether near or far.

Due to the nature of this condition, it can never be completely corrected by eyeglasses or contact lenses because an astigmatic eye can never bring the light rays from all angles into focus at one time. The eye is said to be “lazy.”

What can you do with a “lazy” or astigmatic eye? Exercise it! Astigmatism responds best of all to a regular eye exercise program. In fact, one method of correcting a single astigmatic eye is to cover the other good eye with a patch for certain periods of the day. This forces the “lazy” eye to do its share of the work and so become gradually strengthened.

Cloudy Vision: Cataracts

Cataracts are a common abnormality among older people. A cataract is a cloudy or opaque area in the lens of the eye. In advanced cases, the lens may be completely covered by a milky-like coating. Eventually this coating becomes so heavy that light can barely enter the eye, and vision is seriously impaired.

The common medical solution to cataracts is to cut them out. When this is done, the entire lens of the eye is also removed. Needless to say, when the eyes lens is removed surgically, the eye loses a large part of its refractive power. To compensate, a convex lens is placed in front of the eye.

There is a better way of dealing with cataracts, and that is to not cause them. To do this, you need to understand what causes cataracts.

Cataracts formation occurs as the protein fibers in the eye lens starts to coagulate with age. As the fibers harden, calcium deposits start to occur in the lens which gives the cataract its milky, opaque color. You can think of a cataract as almost like an “arthritis of the eyes” because inorganic calcium deposits play such an important role in both these degenerative conditions.

Inorganic calcium comes from mineralized waters, cooked foods, and of course, dairy products. Can such food items cause cataracts? There does seem to be an impressive connection. In areas of India where yogurt consumption is the highest, there are also more cases of cataracts than anywhere else. The galactose in the yogurt, along with inorganic calcium, appear to be the culprits in fostering cataract growth.

The solution to cataracts: a strict avoidance of dairy products and all other foods containing inorganic calcium. (Calcium becomes “inorganic” when the foods in which it is present are subjected to high heat. Inorganic calcium is also found in mineral water and in all calcium “supplements.”)

Your Keys To Better Eye Health

Healthy and responsive eyes have the same requirements as any other part of the body: good nutrition, rest, and exercise.

What types of foods build healthy eyes? Carrots? Cod-liver oil? The answer is: none of these. There is no one single food or one single nutrient that insures good eyesight. Nutrition for the eyes is basically the same as good nutrition for the body: an optimum diet of fresh, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts.

Your eyes do have a definite need for vitamin A, as well as vitamin C and the B vitamins. Your eyes need certain amino acids for their work. But all of these nutrient needs can be abundantly supplied in a Hygienic diet of primarily raw fruits and vegetables. You do not need to worry if you’re getting the proper nutrients for your eyes if you eat wholesome foods and scrupulously avoid destructive, denatured food products.

Which foods destroy the eyes? Here are, your eyes biggest enemies: dairy products, meat, sugar, alcohol, smoking of any type, white flour products, heated fats and oils and all processed and adulterated foods.

Besides optimum food, your eyes need exercise. Exercise does not mean using the eyes continuously for the same task, such as reading or sewing. People who read, write, or perform closeup tasks often think that they are giving their eyes adequate exercise. After all, they use them all the time. Eyes, however, require different types of exercises just as the body responds better to be a varied exercise routine.

As mentioned earlier, the Bates Eye Exercise system is helpful because it requires the eyes to move in certain patterns that are not duplicated by the common tasks of reading, writing, etc.

Eye exercises can be very simple, however. The prime requirement for an affective eye exercise is that the eye must alternately focus between close and far objects. For example, if you are reading outside, take a few minutes every now and then and look at the farthest object you can see. Stare at it for a few minutes and try to bring it into sharper and sharper focus. Now look back at your book and focus on the text. This alternation between close and far objects forces the eye to exercise.

If you now wear glasses, remove them occasionally and try to focus without them. It will be different at first, but if you make regular efforts to get by without your glasses, your vision will slowly improve (be patient!).

Along with exercise comes rest. Your eyes deserve the best lighting possible. Harsh and direct lights do not allow the eyes to rest to relax. Fluorescent lighting is particularly hard on the eyes and soon tires them. How else can you rest the eyes? Here is a method described by Dr. Herbert M. Shelton:

“The eyes may be refreshed by a simple process. Close the eyes and relax them, and then cup the palms of the hands over the eyes. Press the palms against the eyes, with no pressure on the eyeballs for a few minutes. Palming, as this is called, relaxes and refreshes tired eyes as few things will.”

The Eyes Have It!

Vision is one of our most precious senses. To keep your eyes at their peak throughout your life, follow the Life Science diet of chiefly raw fruits and vegetables, exercise the eyes, rest them, and stay free from stress and destructive habits. Your eyes will serve you well as long as you follow the teachings of healthful living.

Questions & Answers

I went to a doctor for a checkup and he said I had the start of two small cataracts in each eye. Later this doctor said he just thought so but wasn’t sure and said I should have an eye doctor check my eyes. Up to this point, I never had any problems with my eyes.

I was very worried about it, so I went to a health food store and they recommended Dr. Christopher’s Eyebright. I used it and wrote Dr. Christopher. I told him I started to get floaters and drew a picture of them for him. I received letters that kept telling me I was doing fine, even after ten weeks, and they recommended I continue the Eyebright. I kept telling them my eyes were getting worse and I kept getting the same answers (I have all the letters).

During December, I started to see flashes of blue and this scared me terribly. I could not watch a color TV anymore it was so bothersome.

I went to an ophthalmologist in early February of this year and another one in March. I found out that I had vitreous floaters and the last doctor said the flashes would get better and not to put anything in my eyes. I followed his advice but 1 still took the Eyebright internally. I know today I should not have done this since I have read your guidance in Healthful Living. But Eyebright was supposed to be good for the eyes.

Since I stopped taking Eyebright in March the blue flashes bother me less, even if I watch color TV. But the floaters got so bad they were all over my eyes. My right eye is worse than my left eye. So I took stronger doses in that eye. The right eye got even worse. But I was afraid of cataracts. Both eye doctors had told me I had no cataracts. Since I’ve seen these doctors I’ve been drinking carrot juice, celery juice, and some parsley. My floaters seem to be improving a little now.

Yours is a classic case of active “prevention” that causes disease. You are poisoning yourself wholesale! Almost everything you’re taking is synthetic and/or inorganic even if the prominent markings on the labels say natural. Your body is poisoned, not nurtured, by non-metabolizable synthetic vitamins and toxic minerals in supplements. The minerals are the same as in soil, rocks, and ores. Selenium, iodine, and chromium are trace minerals that are essential to the body but, in inorganic form, are very toxic. They bear the skull-and-crossbones on commercial preparations. But, as elaborated by plant life, we can readily use them.

The grand plan of nature is to leave the body alone. It is fully self-operating and self-sufficient if its needs are furnished. These needs basically, are pure air, pure water, adequate sleep and rest, vigorous activity, sunshine, recreation and play, emotional poise, security of life, and foods which we are biologically and physiologically equipped to utilize. This means we should put into our bodies only water, air, sunlight, and a diet of mostly fruits with a small amount of vegetables, nuts and seeds. Humans are frugivores (fruit-eaters), and in nature we ate fruits, only and exclusively (according to scientific research). Our anatomy has not changed from this in the few thousand years that we’ve been eating grains, animal products, and plant fare other than fruits.

Floaters are caused by toxic materials that destroy and coagulate the protein component of the eye’s lens. This causes their opacity. The toxic materials, together with coagulated or indurated protein tissue, move around in the vitreous fluids of the lens, thus giving the illusion of indistinct objects floating before the eyes.

The way to overcome this is to stop those practices that are causing it. Eyebright is a toxic herbal formula containing several virulent compounds. Capsicum is a highly toxic and irritating alkaloid found in cayenne peppers which is in Eyebright. This and other toxins as found in herbs can cause much harm but they have no possibility to help the body. They cannot troubleshoot body problems and correct them. Their only character with relation to the body is as a poison. The body rejects them and tries desperately to protect itself from their destructive factors. We humans have been deluded into believing that we will be helped by supplements,

drugs (medicines), and preparations, even if we continue to get worse under their administration.

There is only one way back to good health—healthful living. Living healthfully means observing our physiological needs. What you are dosing yourself with is contrary to everything we nourished ourselves with in nature. Instead, you are giving your body drug problems that only further intoxicate and ruin your health. Your eye problems are only a symptom of overall body conditions.

I suggest that you consider a fast of a week or more. Then put into your body only fruits as your primary dietary fare with occasional vegetable fruits such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, salads, eaten with nuts, seeds, or an avocado, etc.

Should I let my dentist take X rays? Isn’t the radiation worse then the decay itself?

Many times X rays can be avoided. A dentist can examine your teeth visually for signs of decay which may appear on the surface. Unfortunately, most dental decay occurs from the inside out of the tooth, so that by the time it appears on the surface, it may already be quite advanced. An X ray can detect early decay and it can be fixed before more serious problems develop.

Nobody likes X rays, and the medical profession overuses them. What you might consider is to have just one set of X rays done of all your teeth for one time only. This initial set will help your dentist evaluate the overall condition of your teeth and the supporting bone beneath them. This will allow correction of any old problems you might have. After these X rays, you should probably never need any more if you stay on a wholesome diet.

Should you have this one set of X rays taken, insist on having the X ray technician give you a “lead apron” to protect you from incidental radiation.

You don’t have to allow X rays at all; that is your right, and you should always refuse “routine” X rays done casually. Sometimes, however, you just might need that one set to get your past problems straightened out.

I’ve got some cavities and decay from before I started a good diet. Should I get these filled or can I fast or let my new diet take care of them?

While early small cavities may be arrested by proper diet, dental decay should probably be cleaned out and the cavity filled once it reaches a certain size. A cavity does not heal; it is a permanent injury done to the body. Although you can remineralize your teeth with a proper diet and prevent the pain from decay by fasting, you’re not going to be able to make that hole in your tooth go away. Sorry.

If you have these cavities filled, and you probably should, insist that your dentist does not use silver amalgam fillings. This is the most common type of filing (usually called “silver” filling). Actually, it should be called a “mercury filling” because it is 45% pure mercury which is a potent poison. The saliva in your mouth will interact with silver amalgam fillings and dissolve them so that the mercury enters your bloodstream. Even the FDA recognizes the dangers of “silver” fillings, and had they been developed recently, they probably would never have had a chance for approval.

You can have your dentist use gold as an alternative Jilting. While expensive, gold is the most compatible metal with the fluids of your mouth. You might also be able to use a quartz or porcelain filling for cavities in the front teeth or for small areas. Porcelain used to chip easily on large surfaces, but recently has been improved and is worth investigating as a substitute for the common silver filling.

What about novacaine shots and pain killers? Should I take them?

Although injections are objectionable, it may prove impossible to avoid them under some circumstances. With some dental work, you would jump around from the pains so much that the dentist could not do his or her work, unless the nerve is first deadened.

My own recommendations for “pain killers” is to first see if your dentist can use the services of an acupuncturist to deaden the nerve area. Acupuncture involves no drugs or injections, but it may be very difficult to find a dentist that can use this in his practice. The second choice is nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”). Nitrous oxide is taken in by the lungs, introduces no foreign substances to the bloodstream (except for extra nitrogen), and wears off in about five minutes. Some people find it mildly pleasurable and I’ve noticed no harmful after effects. Finally, if you do have to have a local anesthetic (such as for a root canal or an extraction), ask the dentist for something else besides novacaine. Novacaine has some undesirable after effects and there are other drugs that can be used instead.

Understand that we do not encourage the use of any pain killer or injection. Philosophically, all injections and drugs are a compromise in your Hygienic lifestyle; practically, you may have to compromise in this area unless you have an exceptionally high pain threshold. Afterall, you probably wouldn’t be getting these injections in the first place if you had followed the laws of Natural Hygiene all your life.

What toothpaste should I use?

Cleaning the teeth, like cleaning the body, is a mechanical not a chemical process. In other words, your primary concern in cleaning and brushing the teeth is to physically remove the plaque—not to apply some chemical to them that may be included in the toothpaste. In fact, toothpaste is not even necessary. A water-moistened brush is sufficient.

Many commercial toothpastes contain sugar (!), fluoride (harmful) and various abrasives. In fact, those glamour toothpastes that promise “whiter white” do their work with harsh abrasive compounds that may actually strip the enamel from the teeth. You’ll wonder where the yellow went, and you’ll also wonder where your teeth went after a few years of scraping them down.

Also be cautious of so-called organic toothpastes. Often they contain sea salt and various herbs which are absorbed through the mouth when you brush your teeth. In general, don’t use any toothpaste you wouldn’t feel comfortable eating because that’s actually what you are doing when you put it in your mouth.

One trick for whitening the teeth, is to brush your teeth with strawberries! Rubbing strawberries over the teeth and gums helps remove plaque and yellowing, and then you can eat the strawberries afterwards. Now that’s a “toothpaste” I can heartily recommend!

Regardless if you use toothpaste or not, a gentle brushing of the teeth and gums is just good hygiene—just like removing the dirt and grime that collects on the skin of the body. Of course, if you eat a predominantly raw diet, less “dirt”’ will collect around the teeth anyway.

What causes cavities?

A common opinion is that cavities are caused by bacterial formations of acids in the mouth from sugars.

The only thing correct about this assumption is that sugars, more particularly, refined sugars, are the culprits.

Bacterial fermentation of sugars does result in acids. Milk sugar is fermented to form lactic acid. That is, the acids found in clabber milk, yogurts, buttermilk, scoured milk, cheese, etc. It will not crack enamel. Sucrose is converted to acetic acid and alcohol. Alcohol will not chip teeth. Should any acetic acid form in the mouth (acetic acid is vinegar) it is instantly neutralized by a constantly alkaline saliva.

We agree that sucrose is a cause of cavities in those who eat it, but not by the modus operandi popularly ascribed.

The eating of sucrose causes osteoporosis of every bone in the body including the teeth. This is so because the body must borrow from its bones the minerals, especially calcium, with which to metabolize the sugar. The sugar of commerce has no mineral or vitamin complement, that having been destroyed by heat and removed by several refining processes.

Other causes of cavities are the ingestion of acid-forming foods (such as grains, legumes, etc.) which also cause the body to draw from its alkaline teeth and bone materials as a recourse in neutralizing the acids and maintaining an alkaline pH.

Cavities are caused primarily from improper dietary habits. Eating our natural diet of raw foods consisting of mostly fruits with some vegetables, nuts and seeds will not cause cavities.

Article #1: The Eyes

The eyes are the principle organs of experience of the material world and should be cared for with great diligence. However, dietary abuses result in direct and indirect impairment of vision, and the eyes are often further abused by the placing in them of irritating substances which purportedly wash them and relieve them of being “bloodshot.”

The eyes are humankind’s main organ of life’s experiences. Vibrations are the source of vision as they are for all of the other senses. The light vibrations of a “perceived” object pass through the transparent cornea and an opening, the pupil. They are then transmitted through the crystalline lens and semi-fluid content of the inner eye chamber and onto the retina. The retina consists of a thin membrane constructed of optic nerve axons and optic neurons (cells), bipolar cells, and receptor cells (rods and cones) at the back of the retina. Light vibrations pass through the outer two cellular layers onto the rods and cones which convert the vibrations into electrical impulses. These impulses are then transmitted through the bipolar cells to the optic neurons and then to the brain where all of the impulses are consolidated, picked up by the astral brain and relayed to the mind for interpretation and “experience.”

Care of the eyes is most important to proper vision. The lacrimal (tear) glands “normally” secrete pure water to lubricate and cleanse the eyeball but in the modern human diet so many contaminants (particularly salt) are consumed and find their way into all body tissues, these glands and all other exocrine glands are forced to continually excrete salt and other contaminating wastes in their fluids. The salt in the tears produces a constant, never-ending irritation to the delicate eye membranes. This results in a perpetual state of some degree of inflammation of the eyeball (bloodshot) and the conjunctiva of the eyelids which grows chronic as people grow older. This weakens the membrane so that any additional irritant will produce severe inflammation.

A salt-free diet leads to clear (whites) bright eyes and improved vision.

In the event of dust or other external irritants entering the eyes, the only suitable eyewash solution is pure distilled water. All commercial eyedrops and eyewashes contain substances which are detrimental to tissue by forcing abnormal withdrawal and contraction of cells to “make the eyes clear” and “refresh” them by deadening nerve response to the irritation. These should always be carefully avoided in proper eye care.

Proper eye care also includes daily gentle massage of the eyeballs with the lids closed and exercises to stretch and relax the eye muscles (looking up, down, sideways, crosseyed, etc.).

Good vision is normal and natural. When body contamination and genetic defects combine to distort the vision, the only intelligent solution is to eliminate the cause and restore the vision to normal. The ridiculous practice of using glasses to “compensate” for poor vision is another of the unfortunate “advancements” of a primitive science. Good vision can be restored without glasses by simply observing the rules of proper eye care—proper diet, fasting, daily massage, and exercise.

Glasses for eyes provide the same disservice as perpetual use of crutches. In the case of the eyes, they atrophy and function (vision) becomes constantly progressively impaired. In the case of a weak leg, the muscles atrophy, and function becomes constantly progressively impaired until finally the limb is shriveled and useless.

Excerpt from “Goldot”

Article #2: Natural Hygiene - Your Key to Dental Health by Mike

Benton

The Whole Tooth and Nothing But. . .

Diet Does It!

The Important Mineral Balance By the Skin of Our Teeth

What Can You Do?

Over 98% of the U.S. population suffers from dental diseases.

By the age of sixty, nine out of ten people will not have any teeth of their own. Already more than 32 million Americans are toothless.

Over one billion cavities need filling in this country alone each year.

The total amount of money spent by Americans on dental problems is staggering. We have over 140,000 dentists in this country, pay them over six billion dollars a year, and yet 24 out of 25 American children suffer from dental diseases before they are six years old.

Is this normal? Is this natural?

In a region of the world known as Hunzaland, dental disease doesn’t exist. Not a single dentist lives there. The people there use no toothpaste, no toothbrushes, and receive no Fluoride treatments. The old folks keep their teeth all their life. Dentures are a curiosity. The children have perfect teeth and healthy gums. The babies suffer no pain or irritation when teething. Sweets, candy, ice cream, and soft drinks are not ingested. Their diet is chiefly fresh raw fruits and vegetables.

Is there a connection? What do you think?

The Whole Tooth and Nothing But. . .

“Teeth are vital parts of the human body,” wrote Dr. Fred D. Miller, a dentist of over fifty years, “and they are nourished by the same bloodstream that nourishes the rest of the body. Good dental health is dependent upon good bodily health and vice versa. The mouth is the barometer of the body’s general well-being.”

Degenerative diseases, poor living habits, improper diet—all are reflected in the health of the teeth and the gums.

An amazing study was done by Dr. Weston Price about fifty years ago. He was a dentist who traveled the world over to investigate the relationship between diet and dental health. What he discovered was that as long as people ate their natural diet of unprocessed and unrefined foods, they enjoyed sound teeth and healthy gums.

Whenever the modern foods of civilization—refined grains, sugars, junk foods, preserved foods, etc.—were introduced, the teeth of the people rotted, their gums became diseased and the actual shape of their mouths changed.

Diet Does It!

“I believe the ideal diet, guaranteed not to cause decay,” wrote Dr. Thomas McGuire, a dental researcher, “consists of raw vegetables and fruits.” Dental problems do not occur on such a diet for three reasons:

Whenfoodsareeatenraw,unprocessedandunrefined,foodparticlesthatmayremainin the mouth do not undergo fermentation. This fermentation, while not actually contributing to tooth decay, can lead to a buildup of harmful materials around the teeth and gums. Living foods—raw foods—do not ferment; dead foods—cooked foods—quickly decay when left in the mouth.
Raw foods are naturally fibrous. The fiber in raw foods require chewing and thereby give the teeth and gums beneficial exercise. Circulation is improved around the mouth area when naturally fibrous foods are chewed. The fiber also aids in the removal of food particles from the teeth and gums. After all, if the teeth and gums are not exercised by working on fibrous foods, the result is the same as when any part of the body is denied exercise. For a child, this loss of jaw exercise contributes to a crowded, underdeveloped mouth and crooked teeth.
Most importantly, minerals and other nutrients required by the body for healthy teeth (and health in general!) coexist in balanced amounts within natural, raw foods. Processed and refined foods, cooked foods, “junk” foods—all are minerally unbalanced and this is the principle reason for tooth decay: a mineral unbalance. The Important Mineral Balance Tooth decay does not occur if the calcium and phosphorus minerals are in proper balance in the body, along with other needed nutrients. The teeth are made primarily of calcium, and phosphorus is needed in specific amounts to help use this calcium. If too much phosphorus is present in the diet, or if the foods eaten are high in acidic residues, then a calcium loss can occur in the body and weaken the teeth. Some of the worst high phosphorus foods are meat and grains. People on a grainbased diet or a high-meat diet often exhibit a large amount of dental decay. Carnivores who eat both the organ meat and bone marrow of their prey get a correct balance of phosphorus and calcium since the bones are high in calcium. Humans, however, eat only the minerally-poor muscle meats which disrupt the calcium-phosphorus ratio. Grains, and especially refined grains, can lead to rapid dental decay. They are soft and sticky, are always cooked and remain on the teeth for bacteria to digest, unless supplemented by high-calcium fresh greens, grains lead to an excessive phosphorus and acid level in the body. Seeds and nuts, two foods commonly eaten by Hygienists, are also phosphorus-rich. Fortunately, these foods are usually somewhat balanced in calcium as well, but there is an inherent wisdom in eating these foods with leafy greens or citrus fruits—both good sources of calcium. When a diet high in acid-forming foods (such as meat, legumes, grains, refined foods, etc.) is eaten, the calcium ratio is also disturbed because the acid residue of these foods require the base mineral calcium to neutralize them. When this occurs, calcium is shunted from the body’s reconstruction and maintenance activities and is used instead to balance the harmful effects of the acid-forming foods. We can insure ourselves of the proper mineral balance by eating foods only in their whole, raw state. Once a food as been tampered with in any way, a nutrient loss occurs. An alkaline diet of fresh fruits and vegetables keeps the calcium in the teeth instead of having it used to neutralize harmful acid wastes that are created by processed foods, cooked foods and foods not suitable to the human dietary (meat, grains, legumes, etc.).

By the Skin of Our Teeth

Tooth decay is the most familiar dental disease, yet it is the degeneration of the gums that is the most serious problem. Most tooth loss in this country occurs not from decayed teeth, but from poor gum health and bone loss.

Bleeding from the gums after brushing or flossing is the first sign of potential gum trouble. Healthy gums do not bleed. They should be a healthy pink, not a bright red, and they should hold the teeth firmly in place with no signs of recession.

Bleeding occurs because the gums have become irritated by a buildup of a substance called plague. What is plaque? Well, if you look closely around the base of your teeth where they join the gum line, you might find a white chalky deposit or perhaps a yellow band. That is plaque and that is what causes most dental troubles in this country.

Plaque is the acid-waste products of bacterial colonies that live in your mouth. As these bacteria eat, they excrete an acid substance which forms the chalky plaque that coats your teeth.

When this plaque is fresh (about one to two days old), it can usually be removed by simply brushing or flossing. If the plaque is left on the teeth, it becomes mineralized into a rock-hard substance called calculus.

Calculus is a hardened mineral deposit that forms at the base of the tooth and under the gum line. Eventually it can cover the entire tooth. As it hardens and creeps beneath the gum line, it becomes razor-sharp. The calculus deposits irritate, injure and eventually destroy gum tissue. It’s quite simple, usually even quite painless and sometimes quite permanent.

The removal of plaque before it turns into calculus is the main reason for brushing and flossing the teeth. If the plaque has already turned to calculus, your only alternative is to have your teeth professionally cleaned and scraped (or scaled). This is usually painless, involves no drugs and is inexpensive ($20 to $30). If the tartar is already deep below the gums, it may be considerably more expensive, but is worth it if a careful and thorough job is done. It may just save all your teeth.

But why does this plaque occur in the first place? Is plaque buildup “natural?” What did man do before the invention of the toothbrush or of dental floss or of the dental hygienist?

Well, he rarely suffered from this plaque buildup because he ate foods that do not cause this condition. Raw foods do not decay in the mouth—they are still “alive.” Only when dead foods, such as cooked foods, are eaten does this decay occur. This is why we are always told to brush after every meal. And this is good advice, especially if our mouths have been turned into cesspools of decay by junk foods, meat, white sugar and so on.

On the occasions that I eat cooked foods, I can hardly wait to brush my teeth. You can almost feel the decay starting immediately. Cooked food particles left in the mouth cause bad breath and a pasty feeling to the teeth. When fruit fibers are left in the mouth, no decay occurs. You can remove a piece of pineapple that may have been lodged between the teeth for hours and it is still fresh. Try doing that with a piece of roast beef and you’ll see an obvious difference.

What Can You Do?

To have a healthy mouth, put healthy food into it. An optimum diet can prevent over 95% of all dental problems, and a regular cleansing program (brushing, flossing and scraping, if necessary) can just about solve the rest.

Unfortunately, many of us begin healthy practices and a good diet after dental problems have already started. It takes about 25 years or so to grow a healthy tooth. If we ate poor foods during that time period, it’s probably going to show up in our teen and gums at a later age.

So you see, even if you are now eating only the best foods and engaging in all sorts of health-promoting activity, you still might suffer from dental problems created by poor eating habits in your earlier years.

Such serious problems as missing teeth, severe gum disease, poor eruption of the teeth or large decayed areas are going to require some professional attention. Minor dental problems can definitely be arrested by a good Hygienic diet and may even be reversed. If you are already experiencing pain, however, it may indicate that the condition has progressed too far to be remedied by diet alone.

What you need to do is to correct all the old dental problems, stay on a good diet, and clean your teeth regularly and you’ll never have any pain or problems again.

If you are currently in pain, have tooth sensitivity, or have some sort of gum disease, find a good dentist who is sympathetic to your healthy lifestyle.

After you find a dentist you can trust, have the major repair work done that you need. A cavity won’t heal itself; a broken tooth won’t grow back—you just have to have these things repaired as best as possible and then make sure it never happens again. Also, insist on quality materials and quality workmanship from your dentist. Poorly and cheaply done dental work can cause more harm than the conditions they attempt to correct. One dentist said that most of his work comes from “fixing up” other dentists’ mistakes and shortcut attempts. Don’t compromise or “economize” when you’re having permanent corrective work done; after all, you want it to last a lifetime.

After you get your teeth back in shape, stay on a good diet and practice regular dental hygiene. Once these old dental problems are corrected and you eat only wholesome foods, you’ll never be bothered by tooth decay, gum disease, or mouth sensitivity again.

After all, good health should be something you can really sink your teeth into!

Article #3: How To Conduct A Dental Self-Examination

Startwhenrelaxedandyouhaveatleastonehouroffreetime.Sitatatablethatoffersa solid arm rest. If you can, purchase a small dental mirror at a drugstore, or use me smallest face mirror that you have. A flashlight or bright overhead light will help you in this examination.
Begin your examination with the last tooth on your left side on the lower jaw. Gently pull your cheek away from the back teeth, and with the other hand shine a light on your back teeth. Use the mirror to see the teeth reflected in it. Now starling with this lower left tooth, look for the following things:
Dental Checklist:

Is the tooth broken or does it have a filling?
Is there a noticeable hole, or a small black spot on the tooth? (This indicates a cavity.) Be sure and look on the back of the tooth as well as between the teeth.
Is the tooth stained?
Is there tartar or heavy yellow buildup on the teeth?
Is the tooth crooked?
Is the tooth chipped, cracked, or is there an old filling that is cracked or missing?

Go slowly all around the mouth, top and bottom, and look at each tooth individually—front, back and in between. For many people, this will be the first time in their lives that they have actually seen the inside of the mouth. Go slowly, and inspect each tooth carefully and critically.
Specifically, you should be able to determine the following from this self-examination:

Hewmanyteethdoyouhave?Withallfourwisdomteeth,youshouldhave32.People without wisdom teeth will have 28 teeth. If you have any missing teeth, see if the teeth to the side of the gap are slanted inward.
Lookatthespacesbetweentheteeth.Iftherearegapsorcrookedteeth,thenbesurethat you are careful about removing food panicles that can easily get wedged in these areas.

Seeifyourteetharestained.Teethdobecomemoreyellowwithagosimplybecausethe white enamel of the teeth is gradually worn away by age and abrasive toothpastes. Yellow teeth are not necessarily bad. but you may want to check with a dentist. You may see brown stains on the teeth. This usually indicates smoking. Other stains and colors may appear. If the color of a tooth has changed rapidly, then it may indicate a more serious dental problem.
Notice if there Is some son of sticky or hard build up around the teeth, particularly at the bottom. This pasty stuff is called tartar and it may eventually harden into a substance called calculus which is sharp and rough. You may want to have your teeth professionally cleaned to remove this buildup. After a cleaning, you should never need another one if you follow a raw diet.
Ifyouseeanyholesorblack“pinpoints”ontheteeth,thenyouhaveacavity.Ifthetooth is sensitive at all, you may want to have it filled with a harmless substance (do not use silver fillings!). To test for cavity sensitivity, hold ice-colt1 water in the mouth. If you feel any pain, you have a potential cavity, or perhaps an old or cracked filling.
The final report of your examination should be around the gums of the teeth themselves. Are the gums red, swollen, or puffy? They shouldn’t be. Do they bleed after brushing? They shouldn’t. Healthy gums are a pleasant pink, and they cover the base of the tooth without any receding.
Nowyourself-examinationisover.What’snext?Ifyouarecurrentlyexperiencingdental pain or discomfort, then you may need professional help. If your teeth appear fine and you are not suffering, then a healthy diet and lifestyle should keep your teeth fit for the rest of your life.

Article #4: Eye Exercises

To strengthen the eye muscles, do these exercises once or more every day:

Without moving your head at all, use your eyes to follow an imaginary diagonal line, from the upper left of your vision field and down to the lower right. Feel your eye muscles stretch as you look diagonally upward and then downward. Do this five times, and then repeat from the upper right to the lower left.
Now move the eyes to the top and then to the bottom as far as you can without moving the head. Make the eyeball muscles stretch! Do this up and down, down and up movement five times each way.
Now blink the eyes rapidly until tears form. Close the eyes in a relaxed manner, then squeeze them, then relax. Place the palms lightly over the eyes.
At first repeat these exercises only once. Later, do them twice, and finally three times. Do not strain, and at the end of each exercise part, relax and rest them. Combine these exercises with alternate focusing on far and near Objects. You may also wish to read other books on eye exercise. The best one is still Better Eyesight Without Glasses by Dr. W.H. Bates (Pyramid Books).