Greetings!
We missed you all! For the past several weeks we were in camp meeting mode and had to postpone some of our weekly posts. Hopefully, you were able to make it to our annual Upper Room Retreat. Did you come? If not, you truly missed out and if time allows, we urge you to prepare for next years holy convocation! Furthermore, in today’s class we are going to conclude our study in degenerative diseases.
Overweight
Overweight is often associated with high blood pressure. It is highly important for many reasons to keep the weight down to the average. It is safer to be underweight than overweight.
The mortality rate for people 50 lbs. underweight is 100, while for those who are 10 and 20 lbs. underweight it is 92; at average weight it is 94, and for 50 lbs overweight it is 153. The lowest death rate is found among those who are 10 and 20 lbs. under the average weight.
Blood Pressure
These tables are based upon the weight taken at a life insurance examination with indoor clothing. The height is taken with shoes on. If the weight is taken with shoes or clothing, the proper deduction should be made for height of the heels of the shoes and weight of the clothing. Instruction for reducing the weight will be found in a later class on overweight.
A Corrective Rejuvenating Program
Much of the matter on the last few pages is negative in character, but it seems necessary to give the information therein contained. Now it is appropriate to recall that the injurious foods and drinks are not included in a balanced ration – they are 
outside of it and unnecessary. Every hurtful indulgence should be abandoned. If one could start at the beginning of life and live according to the God’s plan, these degenerative diseases would rarely occur, if ever. If one is now suffering with these conditions, he should make some modifications from the diet of a normal person. He must more severely cut down his sugar and salt, must be extra careful to live above constipation, should remove all animal fats from the diet, and for a short time bring his protein consumption down to about twenty-five grams a day (come to next weeks class for this instruction), and should bring up his alkaline foods to constitute 90 percent of his daily ration. He should partake very freely of fruits and of vegetables; the coarse, leafy vegetables, both raw and cooked, are especially beneficial.
Conclusion
Danger Without Warning
The heart, arteries, kidneys, liver, pancreas and glands give no warning cry when they are hurt by poisons, Even “well defined symptoms do not appear until disease is far advanced. The earliest symptoms observable indicate, in fact, that the vital reserve has been consumed.” The first warning may mean that they are ready to fail, that they are about destroyed, that the end of their usefulness has come, that the end of their life and yours is at hand. Each organ has a large excess capacity as a safety margin, but it is impossible for one to know when the safety margins have disappeared or when the remainder has been so far destroyed that calamity is near.
It Is Not A Mystery
The prevalence and rapid increase of degenerative diseases is no mystery. In view of the manifold self-destroying habits daily practiced by mankind, the wonder is that the race still exists. The diseases are common because their causes are popular. But though a hundred million people daily practice life-destroying habits, they are still life-destroying habits.
A Change Of Attitude Needed
The great need is for an entire change of attitude The common attitude is, “A little won’t hurt me.” While it is true that a little won’t don’t very much harm, it is also true that the continuous accumulation of small injuries sooner or later bring great disaster. A sky-scraper is built of little stones. Rather than to plead for small indulgences, and whine because our best interest call us from them, why not change our attitude and take the opposite view and ask, What can I do to add the merest trifle to my mental and physical fitness, to my usefulness, to my length of days and the joys of living?
The Great Conquest
Many people know that they ought not to indulge their appetites with these hurtful things, but they are too weak to withstand the examples without and the cravings within, Man can save himself from bacteria by the aid of science, but when it comes to saving himself from himself, that is a different task; man needs to surrender to someone stronger than himself – to a Divine Being. For this reason, the teacher of religion must take on the duty of teaching physiology from the sacred standpoint and hold mankind amenable to the laws the Creator established within the body. But too man religionists have gone modernistic, and having made the theory of evolution their god, repudiated all accountability to a Creator, and so put out of their lives all connection with a power strong enough to give them victory over themselves. A reverse in this attitude is the great need of the hour, even for the sake of health, but even more for the sake of a high type of character, and the acceptance of genuine Christianity.
Object Lesson
At the recent Upper Room Camp meeting, one of the things that we learned is that we are slaves.Yes, slaves! Slaves to appetite, slaves to passions, and slaves to wanting our own way. What do we need? A radical change, a change of attitude. The common attitude, “a little won’t hurt me”, will not work in our religious experience. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much:” Luke 16:10.
“We are to surrender our hearts to God, that He may renew and sanctify us, and fit us for his heavenly courts. We are not to wait for some special time, but today we are to give ourselves to Him, refusing to be the servants of sin. Do you imagine you can leave off sin a little at a time? O, leave the accursed thing at once! Hate the thing that Christ hates, love the thing that Christ loves. Has He not by his death and suffering made provision for your cleansing from sin? When we begin to realize that we are sinners, when we fall on the Rock and are broken, the everlasting arms are placed about us, and we are brought close to the heart of Jesus. Then we shall be charmed with his loveliness and disgusted with our own righteousness.” –the Bible Echo April 1, 1893
Friends, is it your desire to be brought close to the heart of Jesus? Do you hear God’s voice addressing you? Isn’t it amazing, despite our wretched condition, that the great God of the universe wants to embrace us with His everlasting arms. Oh how Jesus loves us, because He loves us. Have you made errors? “Those who are most closely connected with God are the one’s who know His voice when He speaks to them…such will feel grateful that the Lord has pointed out their errors.” 5T 682 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” Rev. 3:19
“Is God permitting you to be brought to the same place where you have failed before? Will you now let unbelief take possession of your soul? Will you fail every time, as did the children of Israel? God help you to resist the devil and to come forth stronger from every trial of your faith.” 5T 572 By God’s grace, whatever our particular struggles may be, let us firmly resolve to past the next test! “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:37
Be of good cheer friends! There is much hope for us! “…every mistake, every difficulty conquered becomes a stepping-stone to better and higher things.” CG p. 131
Grab a friend and share the wealth, from what you’ve learned in the School of Health! In next week’s class, we shall enter into a new section entitled, Eating for Strength. Until then! God bless!
Previous Lessons: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7