The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1909-03-12
DIET AND
| HEALTH
By DIR. j. 7. ALLEN
Food Specialist
Author Of Eating for a
Purpose. 1.-THE Metz
Gospel of HEALTH.
Etc.
Fasting and Diet Cure.

SNSH lShSCl Cctllu6. LII. L oil
ner tasted 40 days, more than 2C
years age, and is living at an advanced
age, hale and hearty, an advocate OF
sane fasting. But some would die In
ten days If they didn't eat
Apples correct biliousness and let
tuce and strawberries are good in
aneniia, but they only supply what
nature needs. C.hy nature cures sick
ness. Nature will always cure, if we
do not force her to spend so much
time Tor Vitality house cleaning, that
she has none left for making repairs
We put into the stomach a mixture
of strange things that together form
very indigestible compound, requir
ing three times the vitality needed to
digest what we really need for the
bodys nourishment. And so nature is
constantly kept busy cleaning house
until one day a crisis comes and she
catches" cold or fever, starts big
fire and burns the accumulated rub
bish all up. She is very likely to dc
this in the spring when there is an
unusually large accumulation of waste
after the winters heavy feeding, lack
of air and exercise, and when there
are more germs around. We eat a lit.
tie lettuce or fresh fruit and nature
takes the hint that house cleaning
time has come. Grandmother's idea
of little spring medicine was not far
wrong, though sulphur is heroic
remedy. Proper eating makes all this
unnecessarily the thought is right
Fever is a means of publication, al
though the germs that help to produce
1T do harm, like the rats that cleared
away the garbage in certain tenement
districts in great cities before public
sanitation took care of 1t. The blood
if it has the necessary strength, will
destroy the germs, by the time the
waste matter is cleaned out, but to do
this, establishing immunity from at
tack by that particular kind of fever
again Tin some cases) requires the ex-
penditure of much vitality, and while
the net result of the fever may be
good, such system of house cleaning
is not recommended, unless there is
no other that nature can command
which there is. Whether it is wise to
prevent certain diseases when they
become necessary, by the use of anti
toxins, is an interesting question
which we cannot discuss here.
If when such crisis comes, there
is "a fair supply of all the elements
needed to carry on the life processes,
if the tissues are in the main sound,
the vital organs, especially heart,
lungs and kidneys, the patient will
recover, even though all is not done
that might be done to remove the
obstacles that hinder natures pro-
cess of cure, and to supply pure
air, water, light, right mental influence
and food that will furnish what the
system needs and yet call for the
least draft on vitality, when con-
valescence begins.
We begin life with a certain stock
of vitality determined, largely, by
heredity; and when that is expended
death follows. Stimulants, like alco-
hol, can only draw on this vitality and
expend it, diverting it from the use
of one organ to another (Which may
occasionally be beneficiaD, and there
is always the reaction, equal and op-
posite." Neither food nor drugs can
produce vitality. Food furnishes one
of the conditions necessary for the ex-
penditure of energy; it is necessary
for the discharge of the various ener-
gies which constitute life on the
physical plane. Now when food is not
taken for several days, the system
feeds on it's own tissues. This requires
the expenditure of very little energy,
for there is not digestion and there
fore little waste to eliminate, the sys-
tenn taking exactly what it needs di-
rectly from the tissues and hence in
fasting, there is wonderful elevation
of all the forces, physical and mental,
a great saving of vitality. Hence the
great value of fasting as cure, when
wisely directed.
But, If the organism is extremely
weak at some vital point, or if for a
long time the food has not furnished
the necessary elements of nutrition,
so that there is not a full stock on
hand Tor, to be literally correct, on
body normal nutrition cannot be long
maintained without food Death of
persons who try the fasting cure
without proper knowledge is frequent
ly reported in the newspapers. Slim
ulated by hearing of the wonderful
cures wrought by fasting, but with no
knowledge of it's physiology, Cor of it's
psychology, which is, if possible more
importantly many try it, with fatal re-
suits, although others are permanent
ly cured of chronic ills that nothing
else seemed to benefit. Competent
guidance is necessary, and it is re-
gretable that the average physician
gives fasting no place in his means of
cure-it surely cannot be too simple,
for it requires accurate knowledge of
nutrition, of physiology, and of psy-
chology, to conduct a fast safely and
profitably.
Protracted fasting Is most apprOpri-
ate as cure in cases Of men and
women past middle life, who are over
weight, not extremely excitable and
who have no organic weakness of the
heart, but with an evenly balanced
temperament and strong will power.
In most cases special monodiet is
better than a last, especially where
competent supervision is not con-
venient and when it is necessary to
continue the work.
Each case must be considered on
its own merits, but the following Jug-
gestions will be helpful. The best