The Ultimate Medical Mistake
Chapter 1

The True Causes
of Disease – Part One

Having considered the true nature of disease, we are now in an excellent position to confidently consider the true causes of disease.

As regards the root cause of disease, the sure word of inspiration assures us that . . .

“Disease never comes without a cause. The way is prepared, and disease invited, by disregard of the laws of health.” (CD122.1)

 “Disease is the result of violating God's laws, both natural and spiritual. The great misery in the world would not exist did men but live in harmony with the Creator's plan.” (DA824.2)

Contrary to popular opinion, therefore, disease does not just happen - not ever. As such, we may rest assured that disease always has definite causes (most often more than one); and in the great majority of cases those causes will be traced back to some measure of unwise living.

While this hugely important fact is not generally taught in medical school, and while this rather conscience-pricking truth is not always too well accepted, it nevertheless lies at the very heart of our health message. This is why we have been told that:

“Thousands need to be educated patiently, kindly, tenderly, but decidedly, that nine tenths of their complaints are created by their own course of action.” (MM225.3)

According to Inspiration, therefore, the primary causes of disease may usually be traced back to our deliberate and/or unwitting “disregard of the laws of health.”

Yet this fact presents us with a puzzling thought:

If the primary causes of disease are somehow related to our “disregard of the laws of health,” and if nine tenths of our ailments are created by our “own wrong course of action,” that is, by factors over which we DO HAVE CONTROL, then why is it that orthodox medicine lays the blame for the vast majority of our ailments on factors over which we seemingly DO NOT HAVE CONTROL – factors such as germs, viruses, and genetics?

Before we seek to answer this question, let us first refer back to the two statements at the beginning of this chapter. Here we will notice that Ellen White draws our attention to a three step process that leads up to the onset of disease:

·      STEP 1: First there is the disregard of the laws of health, . . .

·     STEP 2: This give rise to a disease-inviting condition within the body, a condition that lays out the red carpet for disease, . . .

·     STEP 3: Only then does disease gain a foothold.

For the sake of emphasis, therefore, let us repeat:

·     STEP 1: Primarily, disease is caused by our disregard of the laws of health.

·    STEP 2: This is followed by what we might term the secondary or derivative causes of disease, these being the bodily conditions that come about as a result of our disregard of the laws of health.

·    STEP 3: These bodily conditions then “invite disease” and “prepare the way” for the onset of disease.

So while it may be comforting to believe that our ailments are caused by factors over which we have no control, the sure word of Inspiration assures us that at least 90% of our ailments are attributable to our own unwise choices.

`The human family have brought upon themselves diseases of various forms by their own wrong habits. They have not studied how to live healthfully, and their transgression of the laws of their being has produced a deplorable state of things. The people have seldom accredited their sufferings to the true cause - their own wrong course of action. They have indulged in intemperance in eating, and made a god of their appetite. In all their habits they have manifested a recklessness in regard to health and life; and when, as the result, sickness has come upon them they have made themselves believe that God was the author of it, when their own wrong course of action has brought the sure result.’ (CD121.3)

Clearly, therefore, disease is not the enemy that orthodox medicine has made it out to be. In simple terms, disease represents the way the body has been created to resolve underlying problems and/or imbalances. In this light, it will be understood that we ourselves are the “enemy” that is most to be feared, and we will continue to serve as our own worst enemy until such time as we come to terms with the fact that . . .

 ‘Sickness and disease is the sure consequence of disobedience to Nature’s laws, and neglect of the laws of life and health.” (KC45.4)

What a tragedy, therefore, that this vital truth has lain “hidden under a bushel” for more than a century. Thanks to our failing, orthodox medicine continues to teach the world that disease has little or nothing to do with our disregard of natural law and, as a direct result, the world’s people see little need for lifestyle and dietary reform – and the sure result can be seen all around us.

“Disease of every kind has been fearfully increasing upon the race. This has not been by God's especial providence, but directly contrary to His will. It has come by man's disregard of the very means which God has ordained to shield him from the terrible evils existing. Obedience to God's law in every respect would save men from intemperance, licentiousness, and disease of every type. No one can violate natural law without suffering the penalty.” (Con74.1)

Do we not owe it to the world, therefore, to do far more than we are doing to “educate, educate, educate,” and to help the unsuspecting masses to realize that . . .

“If we violate the laws of our being we must pay the penalty. Suffering, more or less, will follow every violation of Nature's laws.” (RH04‑16‑14.5)

Considering the epidemic of disease in our world today, along with the associated heartbreak and horror, surely it should be our highest priority to help the people of our planet to understand that . . .

“Immutable laws govern the universe, acting upon everything and everyone. Ignorance of them does not suspend or annul their effect. Health and happiness result when we are in harmony with them; painful penalties are reaped when we break them. Health is not an accident - nor is disease. There are causes for every effect!” (R. C. Meredith, Principles of Healthful Living, p. III)

With these most challenging thoughts in mind, let us now consider the role that germs and viruses play in the development of disease.

Before doing so, however, we need to remind ourselves that there are millions of bacteria on normal, healthy skin, and that there are billions of bacteria at work in our colon. Recent research has also revealed that our appendix releases in the region of 300 different kinds of bacteria into the digestive tract. One of the great benefits of eating raw food is that nature always presents it along with the bacteria that are so vital to the digestive processes.  

[These are all our friendly bacteria, and every time we take antibiotics, a large proportion of these friendly bacteria are indiscriminately killed.]

Then there are the hostile microbes (germs and viruses) that play a very definite role in the development of disease.

In light of the above, let us now seek to answer the multi-million dollar question:

Are Germs and Viruses
A Primary Cause of Disease?

Before attempting to answer this question, let us first consider a few related principles.

According to Ellen White, . . .

“Every form of uncleanliness tends to disease. Death-producing germs abound in dark, neglected corners, in decaying refuse, in dampness and mold and must.” (CG108.1)

Then, in the very same paragraph, while still speaking of “death-producing germs,” she continues:

“Perfect cleanliness, plenty of sunlight, careful attention to sanitation in every detail of the home life, are essential to freedom from disease and to the cheerfulness and vigor of the inmates of the home.”  (CG108.1)

Clearly, therefore, filth and/or impure matter will always invite germs to take up residence – and it makes no difference whatsoever whether that filth or impure matter is within the body or without.

Some have even suggested that germs are scavengers and that they will do their scavenging work wherever the need arises.

“Germs are everywhere. They are as widespread as air and moisture. They are as important as oxygen and carbon-dioxide. All are parts of a beneficial scheme of Nature. Germs reduce dead and dying organic matter back to its organic constituents suitable again as nourishment for plant life.” (George Teasdale, Nature Heals!, p. 38)

Realizing, therefore, that germs are attracted to dead and decaying matter, we will appreciate that we can prevent germ infection by boosting our immunity, and by keeping our bodies clean and healthy within and without.

“If a person is absolutely clean and wholesome inside, then no germ disease of any kind can arise within the system. It is only in those whose systems are unwholesome inside that such diseases can develop. Whether the disease originates spontaneously or through contact with others does not matter in the least.” (Dr Harry Benjamin, Everybody’s Guide to Nature Cure, p.404)

“Germs will thrive and multiply only in organs and tissues that are degenerated through malnutrition, or that are highly saturated with systemic poisons. Rid the house of their food and the pests that infest it will disappear.” (George Teasdale, Nature Heals!, pp.38-40)

While there is no question that germs and viruses can and do wreak havoc in the body, people need to be taught that, as a rule, germs and viruses are not the primary cause of disease but the result of a disease-causing condition within the system. The enlightened physician would assure us that . . .

“A disease does not exist of itself. It is not an entity but a condition existing in an individual. It is not brought about by germs any more than garbage is brought about by flies. Where there is something that attracts flies, they will swarm there. When there is a physical condition that invites germs to multiply, then like the flies, they go there to multiply.” (A. C. Sass, Plants and Health, p.84)

“The common belief is that colds are created through catching a cold germ. It is so much easier to look for the cause in a germ than in our wrong living habits. But the primary cause of colds is not the cold germ but the state of the chemistry of the body [the condition] that provides a suitable soil for the proliferation of this type of germ.” (Grant & Joyce, Food Combining for Health, pp.56-57)

`The objection may be made that many illnesses are caused by germs or bacteria, and that we cannot avoid inhaling these micro‑organisms which then multiply within the body and produce disease, but this objection is not valid, because bacteria must have a fertile soil in order to grow and multiply. So long as the body is maintained in excellent condition, and the blood is pure and balanced, these harmful bacteria cannot flourish within the body.’ (Peter Lief, Health for All, July 1971, p.95)

Our highest priority, therefore, is not to fight germs, but to counteract whatever it is that is creating the germ-attracting condition within the body.

Once we have succumbed to germ infection, it may sometimes be necessary to resort to antibiotics – especially in those cases where the patient’s vitality is at a low ebb. Yet such treatments demand far more than just a prescription. If we resort to antibiotics, and we do nothing to cleanse and to detoxify the system, and we do nothing to alter the lifestyle and dietary practices that filled the body with impurities in the first place, the antibiotics may destroy the disease-causing germs, but the “filthy” body will remain fully primed for re-infection.

Fighting germs and viruses, therefore, is tantamount to pouring water over volcanic lava. The volcano is the source of the problem; the lava is only the result or the effect of the problem. Thus it is with germ and/or viral infection: Other than in exceptional cases such as the smallpox virus, the real problem does not lie with germs and viruses, but with the dietary and lifestyle choices that create a “disease-inviting” condition within the body.

Hence the wise words of Dr Richard Bennet, Ph.D., an infectious disease immunologist:

"It is our ability to create a really healthy immune system that I think represents the greatest potential gains in health in the world."^[1]

For long years physicians have given the world reason to believe that germs and viruses are primary causes of disease, and for long years their patients have submitted themselves to all manner of costly medical intervention – which may or may not have been justified. But how many of these patients were left with a right understanding as to the true cause of their ailment? Few indeed!

In this light, therefore, we can better appreciate that our health message is not just an optional extra, but that it is our God-given key to a disease-free life. It is God’s gift to us that we may build a natural resistance to disease, and it is a key that God has asked us to share with the world:

“The object of the health reform is not to quiet the pains of today. No, indeed! Its great object is to teach the people how to live so as to give nature a chance to remove and resist disease.” (HL68.1)

“Let it ever be kept before the mind that the great object of hygienic reform is to secure the highest possible development of mind and soul and body.” (HL38.1)
 

Are Genetic Factors
A Primary Cause Of Disease?

If all of our diseases have definite causes, and if Inspiration assures us that the great majority of our ailments can be traced back to “our own wrong course of action,” then just how do we explain the fact that so many diseases today are blamed on genetic inheritance?

According to Ellen White, there are two main reasons why children suffer from the same diseases as their parents?

Nevertheless, in both of the above cases the cause of disease is the same - that being disregard of the laws of health. The only difference being that in the case of genetic inheritance, the disregard of the laws of health begins with the parents while, tragically, the consequences are reaped by both the parents and the children.

Bearing in mind that a child can inherit either the diseases of its parents and/or the disease-causing lifestyle and dietary habits of its parents, we now need to consider whether our modern-day doctors are justified in blaming so many illnesses on genetic inheritance?

It is an absolute fact that no doctor is able to accurately diagnose a genetic condition from within the confines of his or her surgery. Even the very best laboratories in the world experience great difficulty in attempting to diagnose a genetic condition, and even the very best of genetic tests is not 100% predictive.[4]

This being the case, we can assume, and this with a reasonable amount of confidence . . .

(1)  That the great majority of diagnoses of a genetic nature are little more than the fabric of guesswork, and

(2)  That a very large proportion of the illnesses that are blamed on genetic inheritance have far more to do with inherited dietary and lifestyle habits than they have to do with inherited disease.

We conclude, therefore, that regardless of whether we are considering germs, viruses, or genetics, the fact remains that . . .

“Disease never comes without a cause. The way is prepared, and disease invited, by disregard of the laws of health.” (CD122.1)

Is Genetic Inheritance a Life Sentence?

For the sake of those who are of the opinion that genetic inheritance is a life sentence, I am pleased to record that this is not the case.

According to Patrick Holford, . . .

“The popular view is that genes are immortal, unchanging strings of code that pass down the generations. We also, quite mistakenly, believe that there is an absolute quality to them – so if you’ve got the gene for some disease, that’s it. It’s a life sentence. However, because of the ability of genes to switch on and off, you can change the way genes behave. Even if you do have genes that predispose you to certain diseases, the good news is that you can re-programme your genes for health, by improving your nutrition.” (Patrick Holford & Jerome Burne, Food Is Better Medicine Than Drugs, pp.92-93)

Ellen White would agree with the above statement. She tells us that children can inherit tendencies, diseases, and even a sub-standard vitality from their parents, but she also gives us the assurance that if attention is given to natural law, and if wrong habits of living are rectified, “the converting power of God” can and will transform those tendencies and improve those conditions. (AH206.1; AH258.4; CD51.1)

______________________

TO BE CONTINUED

The forgoing concludes part one of this study.

Part two deals with The True Adventist Health Message

Until such time as this document is completed, my reader is invited to consider my free E-book at www.keepwell.com. This free E-book contains the information that is yet to be included in this document - but the book was written more for a secular than for an Adventist audience.