INTRODUCTION TO FASTING

Gregory L. Haag, M.D.

The first thing the first sick or wounded animal that ever existed did was to stop eating.  Animals as well as humans continued this practice for ages before the medical profession began teaching the false doctrine that “the sick must eat to keep up their strength.”  Fasting is not a new process. The unloading of toxic accumulation through fasting enables the body to repair and renew itself.  Begin learning about the ancient practice of fasting with Dr. Haag’s animated lectures on the subject of body repair and renewal through fasting.  Properly conducted, a period of fasting is one of the most powerful of nature’s remedial agencies! 

THE PHYSIOLOGY OF FASTING

Gregory L. Haag, M.D.

Learn the wonderful story of fasting.  You will be amazed at the marvelous things the body can do for itself while abstaining from an outside food source.  In this lecture are some of the most absorbingly interesting things you have ever heard, including an explanation of why fasting is not starving.    A patient is “fasting” even if they eat when they are sick because the body isn’t ready to receive and process food at that time.  Anything eaten only decomposes in the stomach and intestines, wasting precious nerve energy, causing more discomfort and self poisoning.  Patients don’t get the benefit of vitamins, minerals and proteins from foods eaten while they are sick.  Instead, many times they are worse off than if they didn’t eat.  When we deprive the system of food, the body gets busy looking around for something to feed upon, and the interesting thing about it is that the least valuable material is consumed first!  Learn some of the physiological evidence that proves that food should not be taken when ill in order to “keep up your strength.”  The recuperative powers of nature, given half a chance, are marvelous. 

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF HEALTH

Gregory L. Haag, M.D.

This lecture includes a discussion on stimulation & depression, the impact of proper exercise versus leisure exercise, the importance of the proper amounts of rest & sleep, and the significance of sunshine in your life.  Dr. Haag tells you how to care for your body and mind and acquaints you with the broad principles of mental and physical well-being.  Those things, the proper use of which will preserve health, will, if recovery is still possible, restore health.  If fresh air is good for the well, it is equally good for the sick; if food, and sleep, and exercise, and rest, and sunshine are good for the well person, they are also good for the sick.  The difference in the employment of these factor-elements of Hygiene in either health or disease lies in their application corresponding to the needs of the patient under the different conditions.

DRUGS, TOXINS & DISEASE

Gregory L. Haag, M.D.

Strange, is it not, that we accept the fact that when a person takes a certain drug with a view to killing himself, we accept the death as due to poisoning, but if he takes the same drug, not just once, but repeatedly, with a view to “curing” himself, we reason about the whole affair in a reverse manner?  It seems that it is time for us to begin to realize and understand that whether a poison is taken “remedially,” or taken with a view to commit suicide, it is not altered in its nature or in its effect.  It’s a well known fact that the United States is the most drug-indoctrinated and drug-oriented nation in the world.  From the day we are born practically and often prenatally, we are introduced to drugs.  As babies, children and adolescents we are continually immunized and medicated at the sound of a sneeze or cough.  Since parents set a precedent and children tend to emulate them, by the time we are teenagers it is well established in our minds that the medicine cabinet holds a veritable remedy for all ills or difficulties, never suspecting that every drug is a poison and causes disease when introduced into the body.  The terms “drug reactions,” “adverse reactions,” “side-effects,” “allergic reactions,” “iatrogenic disease,” etc., are terms intended to cover up the fact that the symptoms describe symptoms of poisoning.  Discover the relationship between drugs, toxins and disease!

PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL HYGIENE

Dr. Vivian Virginia Vetrano

Sickness has no pleasures.  In most cases sickness is avoidable.  Most illnesses are a direct outgrowth of violations of the Laws of Life, and are further, the cumulative effect of repeated violations.  Knowledge of the Laws of Life and their application to our current lifestyles is one of the most important departments of knowledge.  This lecture is a must to dispel the illusion that health and disease are haphazard entities, and to replace the prevailing ignorance with dependable knowledge.  No one is more forthright in attitude and no one more firmly attached to the principles which Dr. Shelton expounded for nearly 100 years than Dr. Virginia Vetrano.  She enunciates in a language which no one can misinterpret, the basic Laws of Life, to help bring order out of the present chaotic state of the medical world, with its ever-increasing number of drugs and treatments and the experimental methods which it is so ready to apply in the management of disease.    Dr. Vetrano sets forth the Principles of Natural Hygiene in this lecture, and the listener can be promised a stimulating and educational experience if he gives the lecture the time and study which it so richly deserves.

ACID – BASE ISSUE

Dr. Gregory L. Haag

There are two ways of approaching the subject of nutrition.  The first is the biological approach.  It consists in first determining human’s place in nature as far as his dietetic character is concerned.  Once we have determined this, we may safely eat those unadulterated foods from this normal source, without worrying about calories, proteins, vitamins, minerals or acids or bases.  Why should humans have to study the chemistry of foods in order to feed themselves any more than does the horse or the elephant?   The other approach to the subject of human nutrition is the chemical or biochemical approach.  This approach chemically analyses the human body and its excretions, chemically analyzes the many foods that humans eat, and seeks to make up food formulas like the chemist who devises chemical formulas, and then tries to feed humans according to formula.  Into the test tube the biochemist pours definite proportions of the various food factors that his fragmentation of foods has unearthed and makes up a formula that, theoretically, at least, meets the nutritive needs of the human species.  Into this formula goes definite proportions of the various needed amino acids, so much calcium, so much iron, so much phosphorus and so on with the various minerals, so much vitamin A, so much B1, so much B12, so much sugar, etc., until the theoretical needs of the body are provided for.  Scientific eating carried out this way takes all the joy out of eating and converts the victim of this frenzy into a diet bug who is forever fearful that he may spoil the formula by taking too much or too little juice, or the wrong juice, or the wrong salad, or the wrong protein.  The scientific eater has another tremendous source of continuous worry:  He is afraid of so many wholesome foods, especially fruits and nuts that mankind has eaten for thousands of years because these foods contain certain organic acids that are condemned by the “all-knowing” chemists.  Dr. Haag fully explains the rest of the story!

PARADISE DIET

Dr. Vivian Virginia Vetrano

According to an ancient tradition, when man first appeared, he lived in a beautiful orchard in which grew fruits of many kinds and all of which were pleasing to the eye and good for food.  Of course, there is strongly objected that tradition and legend constitute a flimsy base upon which to erect a philosophy of human diet.  The best way of approaching the subject of nutrition and the best diet for humans is to first determine man’s place in nature insofar as his dietetic character is concerned.  Is he carnivore, gramnivore, herbivore, omnivore, saprophyte, or frugivore?  Dr. Vetrano tells you the physiological reasons why the human species is a fruitarian species.  Once the proper classification for humans has been established, it’s possible to determine the best sources of human food.  Having done this, we may safely eat those unprocessed, unrefined, uncooked, unseasoned, unsalted and unadulterated foods from this normal source and we may be sure of adequate nutriments without worrying about calories, proteins, minerals or vitamins.  Let’s cease all the fuss and bother over amino acids, and vitamins and minerals.  Let’s abandon our fragmentary view of diet all together.  Let’s eat our foods whole, in their natural state and correctly combined.  Dr. Vetrano explains the physiological reasons why you should eat all your foods raw and as whole as your functioning capabilities allow. 

GERMS, VIRUSES, PARASITES AND DISEASE

Dr. Vivian Virginia Vetrano

Humans against microbes.  Disease is dominated by the germ fallacy and as long as people continue to believe that disease is unavoidable and its cause outside the range of their control, they will remain victims of their own ignorance and mis-information.  Bacterio-phobia is far from dead.  People are taught that there are microbes against which the body is unable to protect itself.  Germs are ubiquitous. They are normal parts of the living world of both plant and animal existence.  It was once estimated that an average of 14,000 “germs” pass into the nose in an hour’s breathing.  On a subway or a crowded building we probably get this many into our noses in a few minutes.  How is it that we are able to maintain such a degree of health and vigor in a world swarming with germs of all kinds?  If “germs” are the enemies of life, isn’t it obvious that the body of the living possesses some very adequate defenses against their encroachment?  Seeing that we can’t destroy all the bacteria, viruses or parasites on the earth, doesn’t it appear that nature’s own defenses are adequate as long as they are maintained at their normal levels by proper living?  If they depart from their regular duties in the organic scheme of things, this is because their habitat has caused them to do so.  In the human body this metamorphosis is made possible by a fouling of the body’s fluids and tissues.  They may then complicate the disease that grows out of the foulness, but they do not cause the disease.

NATURAL HYGIENE – WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT.

Dr. Gregory L. Haag

Natural Hygiene is a science based on certain biological laws -- Cosmic principles that apply to living matter for our specific interest.  We know that if man can seek out and abide by these laws that the ultimate results will be desirable, good, and rewarding.  We know that if man doesn’t know the laws and violates them, the results will be bad, causing suffering, and will eventually destroy him without his ever having known why he suffered or why he was destroyed.  Natural Hygiene is a type of recipe book that offers the ingredients for optimum health.  Dr. Virginia Vetrano, who worked with Dr. Shelton for many, many years, and has made it her lifetime work to keep Hygiene pure and disentangled from all other systems, gives a brilliant introduction to the concept of Natural Hygiene.

FATIGUE

Dr. Gregory L. Haag

Fatigue is such a common problem that many of us have encountered it at some time or other in our lives.  Fatigue of the mind after we’ve spent a day using the brain is normal.  Fatigue of the muscles after a day spent in chopping wood or wielding a hammer is normal and good.  Fatigue of the muscles after an hour spent in any physical work-out is also normal and good.  Physical and mental exercises are essential factor-elements of a total pattern of life.  All parts of the complex human organism must function properly or the whole body suffers.  If some organ of the body fails to function properly, every other organ of the body is hurt by this failure.   If some part of the body is neglected or abused it is weakened and to the extent that it is weakened, the body’s power to live and function properly is damaged.  In order to control the entire bodily processes the blood and lymph must be clean of accumulated metabolic waste.  When elimination is inhibited, toxic body wastes are retained and accumulate in sufficient amounts to interfere with cellular function.  These residues of the metabolic process have an irritating effect on the tissues and ultimately upon the whole body, causing fatigue.  If enough physiological rest is secured from day to day to allow the cells to rid themselves of the toxic residues causing the fatigue, then everything is fine.  On the other hand, when this waste accumulates beyond the normal toleration point the toxic state is characterized by a multitudinous array of symptom complexes which are the “expressions of objection” of the various organs and tissues involved.  Find out more about the difference between normal fatigue and chronic fatigue in this eye opening lecture by Dr. Haag.

CHRONIC FATIGUE

Dr. Gregory L. Haag

Do you feel “overdone?”  Do you feel that every day you need to “brace yourself up” or that maybe you are ready for the scrap heap?  Today, the words “chronic fatigue” holds almost as negative a connotation as the word “cancer.”   In dealing with women the term “chronic fatigue” defines several dozen states of mind and body.  For example, the childless housewife who says she’s tired all the time, or the middle-aged woman who has headaches; or the business woman who wakes up every morning more tired than when she went to bed.  In fact, the current CDC reports that “The 1988 chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) working case definition (Holmes, et al) did not effectively distinguish CFS from other types of unexplained fatigue. For this reason, it was decided during a 1993 meeting of CFS investigators to develop a logical revision of that definition. Controversy exists about the duration of fatigue in CFS and exactly which symptoms should be included to make the definition more specific.” Analyses of self-reported data from a population-based study of fatigue and symptoms in San Francisco, California showed three groups of symptoms including difficulty thinking or concentrating, depression, general weakness, forgetfulness, unusual fatigue after exertion and difficulty sleeping; flu-like symptoms of feverishness, chills, sore throat, tender lymph nodes and night sweats.  The third group included visual disturbances, seeing spots, and light sensitivity.  These findings suggest that symptoms might only cluster around fatigue of a duration of more than six months, but not fatigue of shorter duration.  In this one hour lecture, Dr. Haag is able to lay out the roots of chronic fatigue in the most easy to understand fashion.  He points out why it is important to understand that the weaker and more nearly exhausted you are, the greater is the need for rest and the less able you are to bear the brunt of stimulation and other measures that force your body and brain into activity.  Natural Hygiene can truly provide an answer for Chronic Fatigue sufferers if they are willing enough to search for the cause and root it out once and for all.

THE EYES AND HOW THEY FUNCTION

Dr. Gregory L. Haag

There is no one hundred percent sight.  The “normal” vision of 20/20 vision is merely an accepted standard of vision.  Perhaps perfect sight does not exist because perfection doesn’t exist.  The words “perfect” and “perfection denote a vague idea without real dimensions or meanings.  A more in-depth discussion of the eyes lends a better understanding of the importance of diet and fasting to good eyesight.  The eyes have fine capillaries and blood vessels in all but the various fluids and the lenses.  It is as important for the circulation to flow correctly in the eyes as in any other part of the body.  In those parts of the eyes that do not have blood or lymph vessels or any recognized channel of that type, there is undoubtedly movement of the fluids by absorption, directly or indirectly, from and to blood vessels, so that the flow of the blood can have an effect on these parts even though it is greatly modified.  The kind of blood reaching the eyes has a great effect on the health of the eye and ultimately sight.  Most books on eye sight never seem to mention the major ways that sight can be improved, especially through diet and fasting.  Dr. Haag will help you understand the eyes, their function, and how to take care of them to best last you for the Rest Of Your Life!

STIMULATION AND DEPRESSION

Dr. Gregory L. Haag

One of the greatest delusions of all time is that of mistaking stimulation for renewed power.  We are brought up to believe that stimulation is a synonym for restoration.  Stimulation makes us feel stronger only because it is a process of expenditure.  He who takes out of his body more than he puts in reduces himself to helplessness, depression and even premature death.  The human body is forced to rely on the regular workings of ordinary recuperative processes, and these are not adequate to the task imposed on it by habitual stimulation.  Find out more about the relationship of stimulation to depression with this lecture by Dr. Gregory Haag.

RADIATION

Dr. Vivian Virginia Vetrano

As terrifying as the idea of radiation exposure from nuclear explosions may be, it is not nearly as insidious as peacetime uses of it.  Peacetime uses of fusion and fission are condoned and exalted in spite of their destructive effects.  The insidiousness of radiation damage lies in the fact that we have no sense organs to detect radiation when our cells are being damaged, unless of course the dose is overwhelmingly great.  Find out more about the types of radiation you are receiving in your life today, and how to avoid as much as possible without becoming a recluse in the mountains.  Dr. Vetrano is the only Natural Hygienist who has ever discussed the effects of ionizing radiation and electromagnetic fields.  Great discussion at ROYL Health Retreat!

THE PHASES OF OUR LIVES

Dr. Vivian Virginia Vetrano

Incredible as it may seem, the climacterium and the menopause have long been thought of as a disease process rather than as a beautiful, physiological involution, like flourishing plants which bud, flower, and then drop their petals.  Plants form buds, which evolve into beautiful flowers that make seeds.  The flower involutes, and other flowers grow.  The new plants continue to live to make more seeds that make more beautiful flowers.  Likewise, babies grow into women who make eggs that become beautiful babies which do the same.  After the woman has finished her reproductive period, she continues to flourish like the plant, except that her reproductive stage is over.  Both women and men go through this type of change, but it is not generally recognized in men, nor does it seem to have as strong an effect on men as on women.  Women going through the change of life are encouraged to blame all their aches and pains on their change.  But this life process doesn’t mean the death of the woman, any more than it means the death of the plant after the flower falls off the stem.  Woman is merely in another state – another stage, when in health, engenders freedom, greater sensuality and sometimes evens a better sex life!  Now it’s her time to live – just for the sheer joy of living!  She need not be depressed or sad; and if she is, it’s because people have always made her feel as if she were no good because she was “degenerating” rather than merely passing through a normal phase in her life, which, like the phase of the prepubertal girl, can be ... A WHOLE LOT OF FUN!

DISADVANTAGES OF DRUGS

Dr. Gregory L. Haag

Of the delusions of our age, the drug delusion stands pre-eminent.  There is no other form of cheating that can compare with it, either in proportion or in extent of the influence which it exercises over human kind.  The delusion is universal.  The antagonism of the living organism to the presence of poisons is absolute.  For nearly 200 years Hygienists have contended that the drug/medical system and the Hygienic system will not mix.  Hygienists have deplored all efforts to mix the two systems.  All drugs are poisons and their administration results in damage to the tissues and impairment of the functions of a patient.  All drugs rise to glory on the self-healing power of the body.  Unless we understand the true relations of poisonous substances to the living organism, we are likely to accept the prevailing thought that the drugs can heal.  As soon as a poison is taken and its presence is recognized by the body, efforts are initiated by the body to expel it.  The consistent failure of the drugging system has created the need to search for means to regain health that bear a normal life-giving relation to the living organism. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF EXERCISE

Dr. Gregory L. Haag

No!  Gossip is not sufficient exercise to keep the mind from rotting along with the body.  To the extent that the body is not used, all the normal reflexes and brain parts having to do with physical motion lie fallow.  Yes, physical and mental and moral actions breed courage, magnanimity, vision, idealism coupled with realism, a soundly based love-life and a spirit of overcoming.  Do you want health once and for all?  Do you want to rid yourself of fear that kills, and worry that wears you down in all your parts?  Break the spell of indolence!  A little consideration of the muscles of the body and their importance to the functions of life will make clear the vital importance of daily exercise.  Muscles enable you to walk, run, jump, and perform all of the movements and other activities that constitute daily living.  Inaction implies relative stagnation and results in a gradual diminution of functioning power.  We are built for action and if we don’t perform a proper amount of exercise, we pay the penalty. 

HOW TO MAINTAIN OPTIMUM WEIGHT

Dr. Vivian Virginia Vetrano

There are many factors that determine whether or not an individual will grow fat or stay thin on a particular diet.  On the one hand, it’s not always necessary to increase one’s eating to gain weight, while on the other hand, there are plenty of thin people who eat the same amount and kind of food that others eat and never gain an ounce.  Many conditions impair or retard the process of digestion and thus interfere with the work of preparing what may otherwise be wholesome foods for entrance into the body tissues and cells.  Dr. Vetrano explains how no nutritional problem can be solved within the framework of the same eating practices that give rise to them.  Fasting has always been thought of as the most efficient way of shedding extra pounds, but few realize its importance in helping the thin person re-establish proper digestion and absorption in order to put on weight.  Then, of course, exercise not only supports weight loss, it improves digestion and thereby distributes nutrients to the muscles in order to build muscle weight and a beautiful body!

FOOD COMBINING

Dr. Tosca Haag

Digestion is a physiological process in which the body varies its activities according to many factors and in keeping with the character of the viands it is engaged in reducing to suitable materials for cellular function.  A remarkable fact is noted concerning the work of the digestive glands:  namely, the digestive tract can vary its fluids and enzymes to suit these to the character of the food eaten.  It is important that we take into account the digestive troubles with which people suffer and the possible causes of these.  It is also important to think of the troubles that stem directly and indirectly from indigestion and to consider the possible relation of such indigestion to specific diseases.  The gastric distress, acidity, bloating with gas, foul stools and other results of a failure of the digestive function are evidences that our eating practices are not what they should be.  With these preliminaries out of the way, Dr. Haag addresses the reasons for the physiological rules of proper food combining.  The rules are based on the chemistry of digestion!