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Introduction:
For our physical existence we depend on three types of food (fuel).

1. Air .. our ability to survive without it is measured in minutes.
2. Water .. our ability to survive without it is measured in days.
3. Other life forms .. our ability to survive without them is measured in weeks.

Those three substances form the bed rock of Classical Naturopathy. An ancient science known to most cultures. It is not necessary to be a scientifically trained nutritionist in order to grasp the fundamentals of healthy nutrition.

The Food we Eat.
There is no need to juggle calories or to worry about recommended daily allowances (RDA�s) of the essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, and if the food has not been denatured by its processing route then there should be no need to worry about the enzymes required to catalyze the ferments etc needed for the body to do the job for which it has been designed.

Since the time of Harry Benjamin N.D. there has been a radical shift in the manner in which the food arrives at our table from the grower. There has also been a radical change in the quality of the food supplied by the grower due to the agri-chemical manner by which it has been produced. It can be demonstrated that the nutritional quality of the food produced today is inferior to that produced 50 years ago.

It is currently being argued that this is not the case and that the methods of measuring nutrients has improved on those used some decades ago .. This may be the case, but it is irrefutable that the spectrum and burden of disease has grown in line with the increasing use of agricultural chemicals and medical drugs, this in despite of scientific medicine.

It can also be demonstrated that the meat and dairy products produced by veterinary farming are also heavily contaminated with antibiotics and hormones. We are plagued by animal and avian disease which is directly linked to the husbandry by which these creatures are bred and raised. The overflowing burden of virulent micro-organisms from these practices have escaped into the wild. Even the fish are contaminated with heavy metals and endocrine disrupters by the increasing flow of toxins poured into the oceans. The air we breathe and the water we drink has also been affected in a similar manner.

If we are to survive this assault upon our interior and exterior environment, then it is vitally important that we ensure that our interior environment is kept in a clean condition by removing the toxins of metabolic waste and also those toxins that accumulate from outside of ourselves in a timely manner. In this way we can ensure a modicum of health and a decrease in our medical spending.

The Air we Breathe.
The green plants produce that rather precise mixture of gasses upon which we depend, even quite small adjustments of that mixture is shown to produce some rather violent effects upon the climatic conditions upon which we rely. Our personal interior micro-climate is also effected in very short order by a disruption in that mixture. A brain deprived of Oxygen suffers catastrophic damage within minutes. Lungs subjected to too much pure oxygen are damaged. Lungs absorbing too much CO₂ cause a rapid shutdown of the body by affecting the blood. It is feasible that we may somehow adapt to small incremental changes in that vital mixture over time for example the concept that life forms first emerged from the oceans in stages. However, we do not know.

How our lungs, bronchial and nasal passages handle that mixture depends upon their condition. E.g. if the mucous membrane is heavily burdened with mucous and we are not able to dislodge it then problems ensue. The excessive mucous can arise from interior or exterior conditions. Many problems of the ears nose and throat are caused by the habit of mouth breathing which is usually due to Catarrhal obstructions and our need to process sufficient air to function. The golden rule .. breathe in through the nose and breathe out through the mouth. If that cannot be done, then one must undergo a cleanse to allow that to happen. The sooner that is done, the sooner many conditions will clear in a relatively short space of time. On a more esoteric level we may also change our consciousness (or lack of it) according to how we breathe. More information on such matters may be found here http://www.shout.net/~jmh/clinic/science_of_breath/  Daily breathing exercises will greatly enhance the oxygenation of the blood and enhance ones well being.

The Water we Drink.
Water is the pivot upon which all else depends. It is not the simple substance H₂O so often described in basic textbooks. The science of Alchemy describes it as the universal menstruum (solvent) and of course it has differing properties, which depends on the strata through which it rose. In the case of rain water also its time and season of collection.

It also has some rather miraculous properties which as yet science has been unable to fathom. For example its ability to retain the memory of a substance previously dissolved in it. According to Avogadro�s Law Homeopathy is an absurdity however despite the lack of an explanation that would satisfy science, it is a fact that can be demonstrated. The major problem with the acceptance of this peculiar property is that so many scientific theories revolve around Avogadro�s Law, and that a carefully constructed body of science would need to be reconstructed if the matter were to be thoroughly investigated

All biologic functions depend on the mediation of water. Regrettably it is doubtful if there are many sources of uncontaminated water left on the planet. Distilled water which is essential for medicinal preparations is virtually useless as a beverage due to its lack of mineral content. Hydrotherapy prior to the turn of the 20^th century was enormously popular and a main plank of Naturopathic treatment, this of course was due to the mineral content of the waters from the different Spa�s and Springs to be found around the world. For those who for various reasons were not able to �Take the Waters� then the manufactured or the so called factitious waters were available as a powders or beverage from the corner chemist or druggist. The following list gives the more popular waters and the conditions that they were used to treat. For those that actually attended these spa or spring establishments, then various types of hydrotherapy baths were also available. The hip or sitz bath may be conveniently handled from domestic resources by the addition of  Epsom salts http://www.herbdatanz.com/constipation.htm

For a further discussion on water and its types and properties see the Pharmageddon Herbal, sections 8.37 through 8.42. For urban populations who are plumbed into a water utility then it is highly probable that the water has been Chlorinated and also Fluoridated at a predetermined parts per million (ppm) which is generally considered to be safe. However no one knows what those levels are for they are being constantly revised downward as adverse effects are uncovered (The Homeopathic effect) Given that situation a trade off is required by the consumer. If you are in the process of the body cleanse then the minimum requirements should be boiled water which has been passed through a wood charcoal filter and then stored in a refrigerator. The water should not be boiled in plastic because the plastic contains phthalates which are endocrine system disrupters. A similar problem pertains to aluminum. Stainless steel or Pyrex would be the safest.

In Part 2 of this article we will deal with simple breathing exercises and the cleansing of the skin for the purpose of removing toxins deposited by the action of diet in the eradication of disease as outlined by Dr Harry Benjamin.

Part 2 here.

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