If you’ve missed Simone’s article on this
topic in the Spring 2013 issue of The
Open Road, the magazine of Edgar
Cayce Canada, you can read it below, slightly expanded. If you did read the article, you can skip
to the nutrition news briefs that follow.
For those of us
looking to improve our health and keep ourselves in good shape to meet
life’s ongoing challenges, there is no shortage of information. Books and
magazines brimming with helpful advice abound. New research is published
daily, in both print and electronic format.
In my years of studying and working with
nutrition and alternative health research, I became convinced long ago that
almost everything modern researchers discovered,
the Cayce readings had already covered
more than half a century ago. When the flood of new health information
becomes overwhelming, confusing, and sometimes contradictory, I find it
helpful to return to basics and the essential points from the Cayce health
material. I’ve compiled a list of seven points that I feel are manageable,
free or inexpensive, and that, with some discipline, can be incorporated
into most lifestyles. If we do as many of these things as we can fit into
our schedule, we will surely finish the year on a healthier note!
1.
Eat an
alkaline-forming whole foods diet.
Medical research continuously affirms the persistent advice from the
Cayce readings to increase alkaline-producing vegetables and fruit in our
diet and to ensure that all foods we eat are unprocessed, unrefined,
uncontaminated, and as close to their fresh, natural state as possible. The
body will not be fooled and sooner or later will let us feel its
displeasure and “dis-ease” if we choose to ignore
this principle. Be sure to include raw foods on a regular basis, as well as
dark-green, yellow/orange, and red/purplish veggies and fruit. In addition,
all protein and fats consumed should be natural and unrefined.
2.
Get
adequate, restful sleep. An abundance of
recent sleep studies have confirmed from many scientific angles what the
Cayce readings emphasized long ago: sleep is vitally important to physical,
mental, and emotional health and is a fundamental form of self-regulation
for the body. Our nervous, immune, and endocrine systems cannot function
properly if we don’t give our body the sleep that it needs. A recent study
showed that sleep deprivation can even alter genes in the body,
specifically damaging those genes responsible for repairing tissues and
cells.
These findings
show without a doubt that we must learn to make sleep a priority. First, we
need to establish and adhere to a regular sleep routine, reserving seven to
eight hours for sleep each night. Second, we need to do all we can to
enable the body to sleep if we have trouble: ensure digestive health and
adequate nutrient intake to help us relax; give the body adequate amounts
of exercise and rest; and use herbal and aromatherapy sleep aids as
required.
3.
Move and keep
moving. Our modern and
predominantly sedentary lifestyles require too little physical activity of
us, so we need to make a deliberate effort to increase that activity
through exercise. One of the best ways to achieve this without spending a
fortune on exercise equipment or gym membership fees is walking. Cayce’s
advice that “Walking is the best
exercise!” (715-1), repeated in several readings, is substantiated by a
flurry of modern research showing the beneficial effects of walking. The
lungs and the circulatory, endocrine, lymphatic, skeletal, and nervous
systems all benefit from walking, so make it part of your daily
routine—walk for at least half an hour each day, briskly if you can.
4.
Spend time in the
sun. After advising us
for years to avoid sunlight, researchers are now realizing the obvious:
that we cannot live without it. Numerous vitamin D studies have confirmed
the message of Cayce reading 566-2, which says, “It would be well for the
body to be in the sunshine and air as much as possible through the seasons when the body may take a great deal of the
ultraviolet from the sun’s rays.”
A comprehensive
30-year study conducted at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark,
published in the journal Arteriosclerosis,
Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology,
demonstrated that low vitamin D levels are directly linked to early
death from heart disease and other causes. In other research, a team at
Newcastle University, UK, found a link between low levels of vitamin D and
symptoms of muscle fatigue. The study showed that supplementation with
vitamin D for several weeks significantly improved muscle efficiency and
relieved fatigue in those with low levels of the vitamin.
Although vitamin
D is available in supplement form, which is often helpful during the winter
months, it is not nearly as effective as vitamin D produced in the skin
through the sun’s rays. So, make hay while the sun shines and stock up on
the sunshine vitamin whenever it is available free of charge from nature’s
pharmacy!
5.
Keep stress at
bay. For most of us,
stress has become a household word. A tight schedule of constant,
overlapping activities and responsibilities is a common reality. Wireless
Internet technology that makes us accessible 24 hours a day and gives us
access to the world in the same way can be as stressful as it is helpful.
Research confirms that constant, uncontrolled stress is harmful and may be
deadly. It is absolutely vital for us to find ways to curb stressful
influences and set aside time for relaxation. Let’s remember to heed
Cayce’s simple advice: “Do not fail
to play as well as work. Do not fail to relax mentally and physically.” (257-50)
6.
Meditate and
pray. The Cayce
readings emphasize the importance of meditation and prayer for healing self
and others, and modern research has confirmed the many benefits of both
practices. It is exceedingly important that we make time for them amidst
all our busyness. Cayce reading 1223-7 states, “Have regular periods of rest, and use these as the periods of
meditation; and we will find all of the activities, physical, mental and
spiritual, will be much better coordinated.” Give it a try! Chances are
that over time, not only will your health improve, but the rest of your
life will, too!
7.
Keep
a hopeful attitude. Studies have
shown that optimists live longer, healthier, and more successful lives than
pessimists. Whatever happens in the world around us, the one thing we have
control over is our attitude. Nothing says it better than Cayce reading
1074-1: “Keep the mental attitude in
a constructive manner. Know within self that the physical elements may be builded; that the Mind is the Builder; that the manner
in which the spiritual influences and forces may act upon the system builds
that which is held in the deeper mental force. Keep it, then constructive!
Do not think negatively!”
Let’s hold this in mind as we move on
through the remaining months of 2013!
