When
I was a child growing up, our family was considered poor because we
didn't have a lot of worldly possessions, but we really weren't. I
had brothers and sisters to play with and lots of cousins, aunts,
and uncles to visit. We all lived on farms and had plenty of fresh
farm produce to eat. We were all healthy and happy.
As
a young adult, however, I started eating junk foods instead of at
my mother's table, and my good health began to fade. The worst problems
were related to my sinuses. My nose got stuffy and the tissues swelled
up so that I sometimes couldn't breath through my nose for a week.
The sinuses drained constantly, and I seemed always to have a sore
throat. Sinus pressure and headaches were a common occurrence that
caused me to miss work often.
When
I was 19, I went to work on the railroad, which carried full medical
coverage on employees. For two years, I worked with the company doctors
to solve my sinus problems. Finally, the third doctor told me there
wasn't much medical science could do for sinus problems and suggested
I move to Arizona. I was beginning to believe that I was condemned
to the miseries of sinus problems for the rest of my life.
When
I got married at 21, my sinus problem was getting worse, and it not
only affected my job, but it was hard to be cheerful around my new
bride. I decided to check with one more doctor.
He
held my tongue down with a stick, looked down my throat, and said
"Ah huh."
When
he took the stick out, I said, "Ah huh, what?"
The
doctor said, "I think your tonsils need to come out. They may
be causing an allergy that gives you sinus problems."
Although
I couldn't ever remember having problems with my tonsils, I was desperate.
I agreed to check into the doctor's private hospital for the operation.
When
it was time for the operation, the doctor gave me some shots in the
throat to deaden the area, then had me strip naked and put on a small
white apron. To my great embarrassment, the doctor called in a beautiful
nurse to assist him.
They
strapped me onto an ice-cold stainless steel chair and started cutting
in my deadened throat. Although my throat was numb, the doctor kept
pinching my lips with his tools, and it was hurting. I tried to tell
him, but I couldn't talk. All I could do was spit blood all over him
and the pretty nurse. After the operation was over, I felt so bad,
I was sure I would die. I didn't die, but I didn't get any better
either. After my throat healed, my sinus problem was as bad as ever.
I went back to that doctor, and he told me he was still sure the sinus
problems were caused by allergies. He wanted me to come back at a
later date for allergy tests. I asked what the test consisted of,
and he said he would prick me with a bunch of needles. That was enough
for me. I left and never went back.
A
month or so went by, then one day when I was visiting a co-worker,
he asked me to go with him to a natural food store. While he shopped,
I was sitting on a stool at the juice bar, about half-bored, and was
spinning a pamphlet rack to keep myself entertained. All of a sudden,
a little gray pamphlet with the title SINUS stopped right
in front of me. I grabbed it and read. It stated that most sinus troubles
are caused by eating refined carbohydrates.
I
asked the store owner what a "carbohydrate" was. Then I
asked her what a "refined carbohydrate" was. She said the
worst ones were white flour, white sugar, and alcohol. That described
my diet.
After
telling my sinus problems to the store owner, I left with a bag of
groceries containing whole wheat bread, whole-wheat flour, honey,
and a bunch of other natural goodies.
It
didn't take much explaining to my new wife. She agreed to go with
me on the natural diet and change her cooking and baking, using only
natural ingredients. It took less than two weeks on this natural diet
for my sinus problems to disappear. And it wasn't long before my wife
and I both noticed our health and energy improving.
For
the first six to eight years, I had to adhere strictly to the natural
diet or the sinus problems would quickly come back, but as years went
by and my general health kept getting better, I found I could indulge
in some alcohol and other refined carbohydrates without too much trouble.
Back
on the farm, we always hauled the manure out to the fields and fertilized
with the missing minerals when needed. We could readily see the improvements
in the crops. I was taught from early on about good and balanced nutrition,
especially with the farm animals, because you could easily see their
response and contentment when they were put on a good diet. Somehow
I didn't make the connection between these lessons and my own health.
Why
is it that we have to learn or relearn things the hard way, especially
when we are young and in the know-it-all stage? I am sure the Good
Lord put this vanity in human nature for a good reason. Could it be
that a lesson learned the hard way is one learned forever and easier
taught to others?
The
Garden-Ville Method - Lessons in Nature