"Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance." -Albert Einstein

It truly amazes me to see so many people have an opinion about something they have NOT studied and Natural Hygiene is a perfect example that we see on this website almost on a daily basis.

As Jeff N. once said...

"After 20 years of NH, I will have to ask you to explain and tell me exactly what are the principles of NH? Do you mean TC's principles, or Sheltons, Tilden, ANHS, Vetrano, Bidwell, etc., ?? Check out the history. NH and NH professionals have never had a consensus opinion on this. That’s why there are so many "splits". And have been many differences from day one. Just follow the posts and the lists today! Remember the days of raw cheese, and raw milk for all? Or how about the days of 4oz of nuts each and every day for all."

Anyway, for those with an open mind, here is a really good article that illustrates that most people who pooh pooh NH don’t know what they are talking about…

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Common Errors Of Natural Hygienists - 1

by Paul A. Goldberg, M.P.H., D.C. D.A.C.B.N.

Error #1: Viewing Natural Hygiene as a set of immutable practices applicable to all persons in an identical fashion.

Natural Hygiene is a way of approaching life and living. It is a way of discovering the truth in all things related to our relationship with the world, nature and other life on this planet. It is not a set of practices etched in stone for all times. Natural Hygiene is a tool...a realization that man, like all animals, is governed by nature and nature's laws. It is the goal of Natural Hygiene to discover what those laws are and to apply them appropriately to our lives. When we read of a practice that a Natural Hygienist has come up with based upon their interpretation of natural law as applied to human beings it is just that… their interpretation.

The most valuable contribution of Hygienic Pioneers such as Drs. Tilden and Shelton were not their specific ideas on fasting, diet, exercise, or any other specific aspect of Hygienic Living…rather it was the processes they used at arriving at their conclusions and their willingness to be proven wrong if they were mistaken. In other words their greatest contribution was in helping us learn how to reason and think rather than merely what to think.

Natural Hygiene is a practical philosophy that seeks to understand the workings of nature and apply these understandings beneficially to our lives. Natural Hygiene is not an immutable set of principles. As our comprehension of nature progresses, our application of hygienic principles may be modified both collectively and individually.

It is important to realize that while the laws that affect life on this planet are uniform, we as individuals are not. We differ in small, yet significant ways from each other in terms of our genetics and in large ways in terms of the climate and lifestyle each of us is subject to. Over the millions of years that man has developed on planet earth there have developed differences among us. This is seen most clearly in the types of diseases we are most prone to at birth.

A human egg cell represents one of eight million possibilities in terms of its genetic variability. When fertilized by a single sperm cell, which also represents one of eight million different possibilities a zygote with any of 64 trillion (eight million times eight million) diploid combinations results. It is therefore easy to appreciate that even brothers and sisters can be very different and subject to having different talents and the development of different problems. Each different set of parents generates another 64 trillion possibilities for each of their offspring. Every one of us is unique.

The uniqueness of each person does not, however, mean that the laws of life are different for each person, but rather the manner in which each person is affected may differ. Natural Hygiene needs therefore to be applied to each person and their circumstances rather than in some one size fits all package.

The great nutritional biochemist Roger Williams Ph.D. coined the term “Biochemical Individuality” referring to the many differences that exist between each person's biochemical make up. What is good for the goose is not always good for the gander. The same laws of life affect us all, but due to our own inherent differences the ways in which they will affect us will differ from person to person. We also change with age…the same laws apply at any age but the way in which we are affected by those laws differ in small yet significant ways from decade to decade as we age.

When I am asked apparently simple questions such as “Are bananas good for you?” “Is running a healthy form of exercise”? “Is it good to take regular nude sunbaths?”…even here I must answer cautiously…for if one is a severe diabetic, with knees damaged by rheumatoid disease living in the southernmost areas of South America the answer to all three questions is for the most part “no”. For advanced diabetes bananas are too sweet (although for those living in tropical or semi-tropical environments they are generally an excellent food in moderation). One who has had significant damage done to their cartilage should avoid running activities, rather choosing less stressful activities to the joints such as swimming. The O-zone layer has been particularly damaged and become very thin in the southernmost hemisphere and therefore nude sunbathing there must be done with an extra degree of caution, although for those in the United States sunbathing done appropriately is an essential of healthy living. The reader can undoubtedly come up with many more examples that demonstrate the need to apply individual considerations to all aspects of a Hygienic Lifestyle in ways that are simple such as the examples given or in more complex matters.

Natural Hygiene avoids dogmatism. It is a way of approaching life…a way of thinking. It is the judicious combined use of observation, science, innate intelligence, reason and experience all used together to most efficiently and wisely live in balance with nature and make our lives more pleasant, productive and harmonious. Natural Hygiene encourages us to continue to explore our ideas and concepts and improve on them as in the words of Dr. Herbert Shelton, “Seek the truth even though the heavens may fall.”

Paul

2-2-04
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Common Errors Of Natural Hygienists - 2

by Paul A. Goldberg, M.P.H., D.C. D.A.C.B.N.

Error #2: Viewing Natural Hygiene As A Panacea.

There is a natural tendency for us all to want a philosophy, a way of life, a set of behaviors or other tool that will provide the solutions to all our problems. It is little wonder that throughout human history organized religion has had such an influential role. It can be observed that the more promises of solving all the individual’s problems, (including those of morbidity, pain, and mortality), that a religion offers the more eagerly that religion is embraced by people. Those religious faiths that do not offer easy answers and whom do not offer rewards of heaven/paradise for their adherents are less popular and have fewer adherents.

This should not surprise us. Life is difficult. It has many uncertainties. Even for the most blessed, talented, and hardworking of us it entails some pain and suffering along the way. All of us age and with aging see our physical bodies deteriorate and the graces of youth fade away. Pain is a part of life and for some the pains can be great and start early in their lives.

In our society there is much illness with a wide variety of degenerative diseases. Many of these problems entail long term pain, and loss of enjoyment for the pleasures that life can afford us. It is natural that we would like someone to tell us how we can solve all these problems in the most efficient, effective and yes please, most easily implemented way possible!

The word “panacea” derives from Greek panakeia, from panakes, all-healing, from pan-, all + akos, cure. Who would not like a panacea to all of life's health problems? It seems that ever since Pandora opened that forbidden box and allowed all the ills of the universe to be unleashed among the world that we mortals have continued to seek a readily available solution to them.

The works of the Natural Hygiene Masters including Tilden and Shelton never presented Natural Hygiene as being a Panacea…yet that is the way it is viewed by many Natural Hygiene Students. Natural Hygiene is the ongoing study of natural laws as applied to human existence and the wise study and application of the laws of life so as to make our existence here as comfortable as possible. To help us make the very best that we can of our earthly existence, which by its very nature, presents us with many difficult challenges.

The application of Natural Hygiene as we understand it today cannot completely resolve all health difficulties. There have been many Natural Hygienists over the years who have believed that virtually any health problem could find its solution by the application of natural hygiene elements including fasting, diet, sunlight, rest and sleep, etc…if only they were applied long enough in a conscientious manner. In fact, many health problems do improve or resolve through the application of these natural /practices if applied long enough in a conscientious manner. It is important to realize, however, that not everyone has the same potential for health. Some of us are born with more limited capacities. Some of us have genetic weaknesses that prevent the same high level of health and well being as found in others. This does not make the application of Hygienic Behaviors irrelevant. On the contrary living in a Hygienic Fashion allows us to maximize our health potential…but we must accept that the potential in one will differ from that of another. A Chihuahua will never be a Great Dane no matter how hard it tries…but it can work to be the darn best Chihuahua possible!

In three decades of practice I have frequently run into people who are having great anxiety and frustration over their impaired health despite what they thought to be the correct application of Hygiene. Often they were overlooking important factors that were specific to them that it took an outsider like myself to identify. Once an individualized program was set up for them their health did greatly improve. For others, their expectations were unrealistic within the framework of their genetics.

Yes, ladies your breasts will sag as you grow older and yes gentlemen your sexual vitality will not be the same at 65 as when you were 18 years of age…that is life. More importantly, however, is that some individuals will encounter diseases such as rheumatoid problems, cancer, parkinsons and alzheimers disease, etc., despite living lives that they believed to be hygienically based, due to strong genetic influences. The correct application of Natural Hygiene to the individual can prevent many problems and minimise many others but it cannot prevent all disease - it can only help to make us the best that our genetic potential allows us to be.

When we meet others whose health is not up to par, including those with serious illnesses who have tried to live Hygienically, do not be quick too judge them…each of us is given a different set of cards at birth and the test of the individual is not the set of cards they were given but how well they play them. Many people with impaired health, including many Hygienists have skillfully played their hand of cards and thus enabled themselves to live far more productive lives than they otherwise would have.

Today I am one of a number of practitioners studying and learning more about not only how to identify genetic weaknesses in the individual that make them more prone to heart disease, cancer, autoimmune conditions, osteoporosis, and other degenerative diseases, but also how to apply specific nutritional/biochemical measures to keep genetic problems from surfacing or turning them down/off once they do surface. This does go beyond the scope of Natural Hygiene as it is commonly understood but in no way replaces it.

Our genetic predispositions (our genotypes) do not have to result in those genes expressing themselves in illness (our phenotypes). Constructive preventive and rehabilitative steps can be taken to alter our genetic expression of disease. The advancements we are making in altering genetic expression, by identifying and modifying genetically based illnesses by modifying environmental influences are giving us “new” tools to help people with. I put the word new in italics as some of the new tools have their basis in Natural Hygiene. Natural Hygienic Principles remain the basics for good health.

In summary, let us keep three things in mind:
1. Natural Hygiene, tailored to the individual's genetic predisposition (their diasthesis) should form the foundation of every person's health program.
2. Natural Hygiene is not a panacea. Each person's genetic potential for disease will differ widely from the next person's and therefore their capacity for health will differ also.
3. Natural Hygiene is a constantly evolving science. The Laws of Life do not change, but our correct understanding of them does.

Paul

3-14-04
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Common Errors Of Natural Hygienists - 3

by Paul A. Goldberg, M.P.H., D.C. D.A.C.B.N.

Error #3: Placing Excessive Emphasis On Diet / Fasting and Ignoring The Other Essentials of Health.

"Life is not simply a matter of filling up and emptying out".
This is one of my favorite quotes by Dr. Shelton. It is notable that he made this comment in light of the fact that Dr. Shelton spoke and wrote extensively on dietary issues, fasting and ran a Hygienic/Fasting Institute for many years.

Life and health are best addressed in a comprehensive manner. The beauty of the Philosophy and Practice of Natural Hygiene is that it encompasses all aspects of living and does not approach health and disease in a piecemeal fashion.

Unfortunately, many devotees of Natural Hygiene tend to focus on dietary issues and fasting, while minimizing the importance of the other essentials of health. Hygienists are not alone in this regard. In thirty years of practice I have witnessed much the same in other health seekers as well.

The earnest health seeker tries diet after diet in their search for good health. My experience has been that the more diet books a patient has read (and there is always a new one around the corner waiting to hit the bookstands) the more confused, frustrated and often times the more sick the person is.

Few people will solve their health problems by diet alone, particularly because diet is only one aspect of nutrition. Nutrition properly understood involves not only what we ingest (the diet) but also:
1. Digestion
2. Absorption
3. Assimilation
4. Cellular Excretion
5. Elimination
All these processes must be working efficiently for good nutrition to take place and without all of them functioning well, the very best of diets may be no better than the very worst of diets. These physiological processes are dependent on many aspects including proper rest, sleep, peace of mind, air, water, avoidance of excessive stress, genetics, etc., etc.

Fasting has an important place in Hygienic Practice, but it too has often times been over-relied upon as a panacea. Fasting is simply a resting of the body, an opportunity for it to catch up on its housework, regain its balance and recover its energy. It is basically a long duration between meals. When used appropriately it can be helpful in the process of recovery and the restoration of the nutritional processes of the body. It will fail, however, to be of benefit if used inappropriately and/or excessively. Not every sick person needs to fast nor should they. Fasting also will be of short-term benefit if the reasons the individual got sick in the first place are not addressed and frequently they are not.

The Hygienic Conferences I have attended in the past were notorious for their undue emphasis on diet and fasting...both in the presentations that were made, and in the conversations held among the members in attendance. As one esteemed Nature Cure Doctor from England remarked to me, "it seems as if everyone here is engaged in a contest as to who can report that they have fasted the longest!"
Do we want to focus all our attentions on life on what we eat or for how long we can go without eating? On our bowel movements and our food combinations? On the advantages of one diet vs. another? All topics worthy of attention but not to the exclusion of many other important aspects of life and living!

Appropriate fasting can produce significant advantages, yet many health problems can be resolved without it. Most important is to identify and address the reasons illness developed and address those causes in a persistent fashion. On the other hand, many Hygienists think that if only they could just fast longer or take yet another fast, their problems would be resolved.

Sadly, many fast themselves into a frenzy and weaken their systems in doing so. I have seen many over the years, (including during the period when I worked at a Hygienic Institute in the 1970's and many since in my clinical practice), whose repeated fasts had weakened their digestive powers, depleted their reserves and left them nervous and frustrated. Other times patients could have solved their problems simply by eating less on a regular basis and by addressing the real problem areas in their lives such as dissatisfaction with jobs, marriages, children, etc. I am in agreement with my friend and colleague Dr. John Fielder that it is appropriate (in general) to fast when we are acutely ill, when we have no desire to eat, and during periods of significant acute pain and/or fever.
• Everything in perspective.
• Each person taking the individualized route determined to be correct for them.
• Understanding the many aspects of the nutritional process.
• Taking a comprehensive view of life.

These are important keys to the successful construction of a Hygienic Life.

Paul

5-14-04
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Common Errors Of Natural Hygienists (And Other Health Seekers) - 4

by Paul A. Goldberg, M.P.H., D.C. D.A.C.B.N.

Error #4: Delaying Implementation Of Needed Change

An excellent saying which I have imprinted indelibly on my brain is that “The Future Is Now”.

Humans like other animals are creatures of habit. We get used to doing, whatever it is that we have been doing! Making changes is generally hard and the longer we have been doing something another way, the harder the change usually is to make.

Habits regarding food, sleep patterns, poison habits such as tobacco and alcohol, exercise protocols, etc., can be difficult to alter, particularly when they are long standing. Sometimes habits we find to be hurtful to us were adapted initially, thinking that they were beneficial. I have had patients for example, who had engaged in exercise routines for many years, that were far in excess of what was physiologically sound. These well intending individuals pushed themselves to extremes day after day. Later they would find that they were breaking down their tissues far faster than their tissues could repair and causing themselves to age prematurely (just the opposite of what they had intended). After years of doing this, however, the exercise patterns had become an addiction and were difficult to abandon even after the damage they were doing to themselves became evident.

Negative eating habits seen in patients may also have been undertaken with notions of health giving properties, (e.g. strict vegan diets, high starch diets, etc) and implemented with great vigor and good intent. Later, even after realizing some of their negative potential, altering them can be a daunting proposition.

Faced with difficult changes there is a natural tendency to procrastinate. “I'll make the changes...tomorrow” is the rationale too many of us have used too often. “Just one more day of this and then it will be the last time”. “Starting next week I will implement it”. “My birthday is next month...that will be a good time to start”. “I'll give this up just as soon as my cousin's party is over...I would not want to offend her by not eating the pastries and the double jellied, honey plastered, molasses ingrained, Karo Syrup basted ham she is going to have there.”

And so it goes... one excuse after another, until we find ourselves many years later still not having made the changes we know need to be made and having continued to acquire the damages our faulty habits have incurred.

Yes, we often do “get old too soon and smart too late”. I would add, however, that we often get smart in plenty of time but choose to stay stupid anyways! I think it would be correct to say that wisdom lies in actually doing what we know is the right thing to do i.e. not simply knowing it but also bringing it into reality.

In my thirty years of practice I have frequently and tragically seen people who knew better, who “planned on making changes” but never did, only to present themselves years after knowing better, with damages that had become partially or sometimes even fully irreversible.

“No time like the present.” “The Future Is Now.” Good to keep in mind and apply today so we don't have regrets tomorrow

Paul

6-14-04
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Common Errors Of Natural Hygienists - 5

by Paul A. Goldberg, M.P.H., D.C. D.A.C.B.N.

Error #5: Misusing Statistics to Support Our Beliefs: Using Facts to Fit Our Fancy

Example: Vaccinations

It is critical to make sure that we interpret and present information accurately. It is always easy to manipulate the facts to fit our fancy and our beliefs. This is always wrong no matter how fervent and sincere our beliefs may be.

For 23 years while teaching at Life Chiropractic College I heard an endless tirade against vaccinations and I do mean endless. I heard so many gross exaggerations from the administration and faculty, so much made up propaganda, so many half truths, so many unsubstantiated claims as to make me nauseated. This was not an issue of whether vaccinations were "good" or "bad" this was simply a case of people (including teachers ) presenting one sided views using unsubstantiated data and then grossly distorting it... never presenting the other side in an objective manner. One Chiropractor there even went so far as to say, before a large audience of students, that he "had searched the entire medical field and that there was not one study that showed any evidence that any vaccine had ever worked". Well that is certainly a crock as any thinking person knows. (Both sides in the debate, by the way, throw around associations as if they were causal links)

Bottom line: We want to encourage people how to think rather than what to think. We do not want to present issues in a black and white way i.e. something is all good or all bad. The vaccination issue is a perfect example of where people arrive at the conclusions they want to believe and then look for and manipulate data to support their conclusions. THIS IS DONE BY BOTH "SIDES".

Let us be very careful about this for we want the figures to support the facts and the facts to support the figures. No spurious conclusions...no half baked truths...no presenting of associations as causal relationships. Even handedness. We don't want to be guilty of the very things we so often accuse medicine and establishment science of doing.

By the way, most of the issues about vaccines have been about poor quality vaccines, i.e. sub-standard materials formulated in sub-standard ways given in sub-standard fashion. There is plenty to support this. It should not, however, be confused with the concept of vaccines as an entity. The other major flaw is that public health advances in water and food purity accompanied the drop in many of the major diseases that vaccinations were given credit for. The extent to which these played a role in the dramatic drop of polio for example is still a question.

I got to the point where I refused to tell students what to do about taking vaccines. Rather I told them to study all sides of the issues carefully and come to their own conclusions and not allow anyone from any side to tell them what they had to do. It was a personal decision. It (like most issues) is also one that involves a number of components including where one lives, the public health in the area, ones state of resistance and which particular vaccine(s) we are talking about.

Health...Public Health particularly, involves some complex issues. As Hygienists we want to learn the facts from reliable sources (including of course our own observations) and base our opinions and actions upon them and not the other way around.

Paul

6-28-04
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Common Errors Of Natural Hygienists (And Other Health Seekers) - 6

by Paul A. Goldberg, M.P.H., D.C. D.A.C.B.N.

Error # 6: Being Unforgiving With Ourselves

Natural Hygienists in general tend to be a fairly straight-laced crew. They take their health seriously...very seriously. In fact they take just about everything seriously including themselves. I am all for personal responsibility...we could use a whole lot more of it in today's world. For Natural Hygienists, however, sometimes their serious nature tends to get in their way of sucking some enjoyment out of life.

Natural Hygiene is a way of approaching life. It was never meant to be a set of rules etched in stone. For many health seekers, however, Hygiene becomes a Master they have created who watches over each person continuously and wants to extract a severe penalty from them should they commit any form of violation.

“ Dr. Goldberg I ate a tomato with my potato” the middle aged Natural Hygienist bemoans to me, “do you think I should go on a thirty day fast in order to detoxify because of that?” she continues.

“I had some berries with whipped cream on top” another relates and “then I found out the whipped cream had some sugar added to it! What should I do?” says another.

Frankly I haven't seen anyone suffer too much from eating potatoes with tomatoes or from having a bit of sugared whip cream once in a blue moon. I have, however, seen a lot of people over the past thirty years do themselves serious damage from anguishing over such minor matters, whether it be regarding food, exercise, sleep, or any other related health issue.

Let's get one thing straight. Life ain't perfect. We are all going to age and suffer physical deterioration in the process. In the end we are all going to die. And...for all I know we might even have to do the whole thing over again! So lighten up. Have a tomato with a potato. Have a bit of white sugar with some whipped cream on some blueberries every decade or so. Quit feeling so damn guilty about every little “infraction” (many of which are not really infractions anyway). Be kind to others and be kind to yourself. Do the best you can and then don't worry or stew about it. Whether your life ends up being a long one or a short one, you'll enjoy it a whole lot more that way.

Paul

7-17-04
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Common Errors Of Natural Hygienists (And Other Health Seekers) - 7

by Paul A. Goldberg, M.P.H., D.C. D.A.C.B.N.

Error # 7: Relying Excessively On Authority

Sheep are herd animals. We mock them for blindly following each other, yet people act in similar ways. People generally feel safest when doing what everyone else does. Humans value independent thinking but few willingly stray far from the herd. One of my college students remarked to me years ago, “I don't mind being different as long as everyone else is different in the same way that I am”.

We are followers. Observe the mobs in their devotion to crazed leaders such as Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Saddem Hussein, Osama Bin Ladin, Ayatollah Kholmeni, Jim Jones, and a host of others who depended on the sheep like nature of people i.e. “sheeple.” Many choose to follow others no better equipped to understand life's truths than they are.

Despite the sheepleness, however, is a desire to both survive and to have control over our lives. Most of those things we fear most e.g. torture, imprisonment, etc., involve threats to our survival and loss of personal power. Virtually everyone wants to survive and be in control of their destiny. This seems to be biologically inherent to being human.

To become a Natural Hygienist means to depart from conventional thinking at some juncture. To put aside some of what many refer to as “common wisdom” and as Thoreau said “march to the beat of different drummer”. I think this is true of many Natural Hygienists. Nonetheless, there is within the ranks a general tendency to be different in terms perhaps in what we may choose to eat, the manner in which we regard conventional health care, the manner in which we address illness, and our interest in doing things in accordance with natural law….yet one thing remains somewhat the same…a desire to put trust in authority and follow that authority. This can mean therefore that rather than put ones faith in the American Medical Association, the American Dairy Council and the American Dietetic Association and their spokespeople, that the faith is re-directed to one or more Hygienic or other Natural “Professionals”.

How often one will hear at a gathering of Hygienists comments such as …but Dr. Hygienist C said this….Dr. S said that….Dr. F believed such and such or Dr. Hygienist G proved that Dr. Hygienist W is not really a Hygienist because he saw him drink a Sprite! The problem in putting total faith in believing what someone says (even a “Doctor”!) not only is that:
1. No one is always correct.
2. Some people are never correct.
3. Whoever your authority is will not be around always to lead you by the nose.
4. Eventually something will happen that will make you lose your trust in your authority figure and where will you be then?
In my life I have studied, in depth, the works of many Natural Hygienists. I was a student and worked under R.J. Cheatham and Dr. William Esser who were dear friends and mentors of mine. Dr. John Fielder who has long pursued a natural life in accordance with the laws of nature/Natural Hygiene (more than any person of my acquaintance) remains a close personal friend of mine to this day. I have learned a great deal from all three of these men as well as many brilliant and dedicated men and women outside of the Hygienic Movement…yet I realize they are all human and all had/have their own strengths and weaknesses (and because all three of them were/are quick to admit it is one reason I admire them!)

We all put on our pants one leg at a time. The most brilliant men and women are those who in the final analysis realize how little they actually know and strive to continue to learn…but always to think on their own.

Learning from the wisdom and experience of others is a part of what makes a civilization a civilization. Modeling ourselves entirely after any single person and accepting every work they say as the gospel is what makes a fool a fool. I am quick to point out to my patients the need to listen to what I have to say and to run it through their own filter, separating what is relevant to them from that which is not.

The single greatest lesson of natural Hygiene is not about diet, fasting, or any single aspect of health. It is about developing an inquiring mind and learning to think for ourselves. That is what impressed me most about the pioneering natural hygienists…their independence of thought and character… as Dr. Shelton so appropriately said…”to seek the truth even though the heavens might fall.”

So…we share ideas and thoughts. We make suggestions to one another and learn from each other. At all times, however, we use that wonderful tool our creator gave us that lies between our ears and process information carefully, always working to keep ourselves in a position to be the final authority on those decisions that affect our health and well being. To make the final responsibility for our actions our own.

Paul

9-25-04
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Common Errors Of Natural Hygienists (And Other Health Seekers) - 8
Error # 8: The Loss of Our Earth Connections

Often as health enthusiasts we seek out ways to restore or promote our health through the use of specific measures.

The most common among health seekers is through dietary measures and/or the use of nutriceutical agents. Others are through fasting, positive thinking, etc.

Most of the health problems we develop are through our loss of connection with the earth from which we came. Most of the solutions, therefore, must come from re-establishing those same connections. This cannot be accomplished merely by purchasing natural foods at the marketplace, by taking pills and various nostrums, through positive thinking or through fasting alone.

Our ancestors spent the greater part of every day in direct contact with the earth. Outside with their feet on the dirt, walking the beaches, treks through the forests, immersing ourselves in the lakes and oceans. Here we connected with the planetary forces that support and create life. No amount of health food store materials, health books, workouts at the gym, fasting or even natural foods alone can substitute for these potent forces which once surrounded us.

Today we live in the surroundings of man amidst a plethora of synthetic materials. The powerful influences of the plant are muted in our lives. Disease is the outcome.

Reconnecting with the forests, the oceans, the sun and the other cosmic forces out of which man evolved is an essential part of regaining our health and our balance. Not just occasionally, but on a regular basis. We are as fish out of water and we need to allow ourselves to be placed back into an environment that sustains us.

Paul A. Goldberg, MPH,DC,DACBN
2008
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"Having recovered from "ulcerative colitis" ,"rheumatoid arthritis," ankylosing spondylitis, and "psoriasis", I believed (decades ago) that I had the answers to every other person's dilemma who had the same diagnosis. - I would soon learn very differently."

Common Errors Of Natural Hygienists (And Other Health Seekers)

Error # 9: Ignoring the Infinite Variety of Differences Among Us

Note: The following is an excerpt that Dr. Goldberg published in two professional journals which he has modified for publication on the INHS website

The Diagnosis Hazard

One of the most critical errors made in the pursuit of health is to fall into the trap of medical diagnosis, an error taken by many Natural Hygienists and those in the "alternative" field. In believing that we are our "diagnosis" whether that be ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, manic depression, etc., we corner ourselves into a narrow corner that we will have trouble escaping from.

Once diagnosed with a diagnosis by a medical physician, doctor of chiropractic, naturopath or any type of so called alternative practitioner, we are apt to seek some type of "cure" based upon that diagnostic category. We might seek any number of "natural, alternative" routes and read many books on the natural "treatment" of the "disease," not realizing that we are infinitely different from the next person with that same diagnosis.

One hazard is that there are many authors who write books about a certain "disease" claiming that they healed themselves and therefore can heal you with the same program as well. Having been ill is a good credential to help others (my own thirty five years as a practitioner began with personal illness) but it is not sufficient to base our care on others with.

Having recovered from "ulcerative colitis" ,"rheumatoid arthritis," ankylosing spondylitis, and "psoriasis" among other diagnoses I was assigned by medical physicians, I believed (decades ago) that I had the answers to every other person's dilemna who had the same diagnosis. I would soon learn very differently. Every person, even among those with the same medical diagnosis, is a world onto themselves. What will help one person with ulcerative colitis, or crohns or RA or AS or any other diagnosis will not only not necessarily help another patient with the same diagnosis, it may in fact worsen their condition.

Our Genetic Makeup

There are an infinite number of differences among us…literally trillions of differences as we will see.
Dr. Tilden referred to this as our individual diasthesis. Today we know it better as our genetic makeup.

As a practitioner who has worked with chronically ill patients for over 35 years addressing each patient as a separate entity, I know that addressing the unique characteristics of each person is essential to each individual's recovery.

With each new patient that walks into our clinic I ask myself:
• What makes this person different?
• What factors led to the development of their disease?
• What actions need to be taken specific to their individual nature to permit recovery?"
Unraveling these questions puts each patient with a chronic disease, regardless of their diagnosis, on the optimal path towards health renewal.

"Understanding each patient's biochemical uniqueness is essential to reversing chronic disease and restoring their health"


Each of Us is Unique

We all differ in countless ways as acknowledged by Hippocrates who said, "Different sorts of people have different types of maladies." Conventional medicine and most "alternative practices" base their care on the name given to a person's symptoms rather than to the person having those symptoms. By focusing on symptoms rather than employing care based on causal factors chronically ill people are doomed to lifetimes of suffering.
CONTINUED

Continued here with a long article: INFINITE VARIETY, in INHS magazine 1-2008

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BIOCHEMICAL INDIVIDUALITY

"Each of us has unique needs, and the program must meet those needs, not those of someone else,
simply because they received the same superficial diagnosis"

INFINITE VARIETY
by Dr. Paul A. Goldberg

Each of us is Unique

We all differ in countless ways as acknowledged by Hippocrates who said, “Different sorts of people have different types of maladies.” Conventional medicine and most “alternative practices” base their care on the name given to a person's symptoms rather than to the person having those symptoms. By focusing on symptoms rather than employing care based on causal factors chronically ill people are doomed to lifetimes of suffering.


Primary Causes of Chronic Disease

At conception we receive a genetic heritage from our parents known as our genome. How we express this outwardly is our phenotype, which is modified through environmental factors and our behaviors.

Our genome is found in the chromosomes of each of our trillions of cells. It is estimated that there are 100,000 genes on our 23 pairs of chromosomes making each of us highly unique. As the science of genetics developed it brought about a revolution in understanding as new genes and how they express themselves were discovered. Little practical application of this understanding, however, has filtered into conventional or alternative medicine.


Each one of us is extraordinarily unique

Our genetic variability is astounding. One egg cell has eight million possibilities in terms of its genetic potential, as does each sperm cell, therefore, any two parents produce a combined zygote with any of 64 trillion (eight million times eight million) diploid combinations. It is no wonder that even brothers and sisters can be so different. Looking beyond a single family, each different set of parents generates another 64 trillion possibilities. Each one of us is extraordinarily unique.

In order therefore to help patients reverse a chronic disease it is critical to understand their own makeup. The “disease name” is a title for a manifestation of symptoms and does not represent the complex factors involved in the patient having those symptoms.

Our appearances differ greatly… some are small, some tall, some fat, some thin. There are color variations of black, brown, white, red, and yellow, different facial features, etc. The outward appearances, however, are but a glimpse of the internal variations. Likewise, the differences between chronically ill patients even those with the same medical” diagnosis” are enormous.

In the 1960's, Dr. Roger J. Williams, professor of nutritional biochemistry at the University of Texas described “biochemical individuality”:
“From a practical standpoint we cannot neglect the facts of biochemical individuality. Of necessity, for reasons involving inheritance, every individual has nutritional needs, which differ quantitatively, with respect to each separate nutrient, from his neighbors. The list of nutrients in the nutritional chain of life is presumably the same for every individual. If we were to indicate the quantities of each nutrient needed daily, however, these amounts would be distinctively different for each of us. Some individuals, in the case of specific nutrients, may need from two to ten times as much as others. Each individual has a pattern of needs all his own.”


Biochemical Individuality - Nutritional/Metabolic Needs

One major area of variance between individuals is seen in our nutrient requirements and our ability to excrete waste products i.e. our detoxification potential. Dr. Williams observed significant differences among supposedly uniform animals in their nutrient requirements and their abilities to excrete wastes. Some inbred rats on identical diets excreted eleven times as much urinary phosphate as others Some inbred baby chicks required seven times as much alcohol to bring about intoxication as others Research into mercury toxicity has revealed sensitivities that vary as much as a million fold from one individual to another.

Nutrient requirements also vary widely. Even among healthy human subjects a 200-fold difference has been observed in relation just to calcium requirements alone.

We have vastly different nutrient requirements, different digestive and absorptive capacities, different hormonal outputs, different immune systems, different abilities to detoxify toxic materials, etc.

Consider your circumstances. Has your doctor simply named your symptoms and given you treatments or has he/she uncovered the foundational reasons for your illness? Is your doctor addressing the causes of your problems so your health might be restored or are you simply in a lockdown situation where new drugs and treatments are applied for each new symptom as it arises? Can your doctor tell you what makes you different from other cases with similar symptoms?

Even among twins, triplets, and quadruplets at birth, vast biological differences are noted. The adrenaline content of the adrenal glands varied within one set of quadruplet mammals by thirty-two fold. The repercussions of these many differences between patients in practice are enormous yet these differences are rarely considered let alone addressed.

For a physician to determine your care based on a “diagnosis” and not thoroughly investigate you as an individual puts the chances of recovering your health at great peril.


True for the Goose Not always True for the Gander

Many patients come to our clinic because of someone they knew with the same medical diagnosis who recovered their health under our care and they want us to do the same for them. They are often surprised after our investigation that the program laid out for them is very different than that given to the person they knew with the same diagnosis. Each of us has unique needs and the program must meet those needs, not those of someone else, simply because they received the same superficial diagnosis.

Genetics Does Not Doom Us

Our genetics sets the stage for our health potential but does not doom us to illness. Genes involved in chronic diseases generally have to be triggered. Likewise there are steps that can be taken to positively alter a patient's genetic expression so as to return that person to health. This is a challenge we meet head on in daily practice.

Diet is one factor in the expression of our genetics. What we eat in a single meal has minimal impact but long-term dietary choices and the efficiency of our digestive capacity significantly impacts genetic expression. Nutrition does not alter genes but can alter the way genes are expressed.

What is My Preferred Approach?

I am commonly asked by patients or students; “Dr. Goldberg, what would you do for a patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis or Multiple Sclerosis or Crohn's disease or chronic fatigue or diabetes” or (you name the disease).
My response is simple:

I would perform:
1. A comprehensive case history
2. A thorough physical examination
3. Appropriate laboratory studies based on the case history and physical examination.
4. Each done with the purpose of uncovering underlying causes.

What if it was heart disease, they ask. Again I respond,
1. A comprehensive case history
2. A thorough physical examination
3. Appropriate laboratory studies based on the case history and physical examination.
4. Each done with the purpose of uncovering underlying causes

But Dr. Goldberg they ask a bit frustrated, what if it was cancer? Again I reply:
1. A comprehensive case history
2. A thorough physical examination
3. Appropriate laboratory based on the case history and physical examination.
4. Each done with the purpose of uncovering underlying causes

We simply cannot ascertain what to do for the patient by the name of their symptoms alone! How foolish to write books claiming that one has the ultimate answer for any one specific medical diagnostic category when each of us is so different from the next!

The medical diagnostic model has limited utility. When we read about a medical disease and what its outcome is, we are informed what the natural history of the syndrome is under medical care, with the average patient. This is based on the observations of patients who have presented over the years with similar signs and symptoms and received similar treatments and reflects how patients with these signs and symptoms generally respond to medical care.

Reason warrants that we not accept these often-dismal natural histories as being the only possible outcome, but rather the outcomes under medical care and conventional living habits. The many medical disease diagnoses with dismal prognoses are evidence of modern medicine's failures. This need not be the case when the causes of ill health are identified and addressed.

Drawbacks of Diagnostic Categorizations Revealed Through Case Studies

The following case studies using patients diagnosed with rheumatoid diseases, exemplify the limitations of medical diagnosis.

Two Cases of Psoriatic Arthritis: Pat and Dianne

Pat

Pat, a twenty five year old male with psoriatic arthritis was referred to our office. Pat had undergone extensive medical drug therapy without improvement. A thorough case history was taken, a physical examination performed and functional laboratory tests ordered. He was covered with psoriatic scales over 75% of his body including the scalp, face, arms, legs, and trunk. Radiographs of his neck showed significant degenerative changes. Most distressing to Pat were his severe arthritic pains. The history and interview revealed that Pat used alcohol to excess, kept late hours, and had a diet that included many foods lab testing would reveal he was sensitive to. There was no family history of autoimmune disease.

After reviewing the results with Pat, it was determined he should undergo a supervised fast which lasted seven days. The patient rested, slept long hours, and took sunbaths. Initially the skin lesions increased but by the sixth day had begun to fade. At the end of seven days the fast was broken. The psoriatic lesions were more than 70% gone. This was followed by an appropriate diet plan along with extensive guidance regarding hygienic aspects of living specific for his circumstances.

The joint pains subsided over the next several weeks and the patient returned home largely cleared of psoriatic lesions and with vastly improved joint comfort. He was given a program based on his individual traits to allow him to continue to progress without ongoing reliance on physicians. Causes identified, causes addressed, health restored.

Dianne

Two months after seeing Pat we received a call from Dianne, a lady who had also been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. She knew Pat through an arthritis support group they both attended. Dianne related that she was impressed with Pat's vast improvements with a condition deemed “incurable” from which she had suffered with herself for many years.

She had questioned Pat as to what he did under my care. What foods he was told to eat, which to avoid, what supplements had been given, how long he fasted, etc. Dianne then followed the same plan with disappointing results. The unsupervised fast she took was disastrous leaving her weak and debilitated. The foods she ate gave her indigestion, and she found her joint pains, skin and general health worse off than before she had started.

I explained to Dianne that she was a different person and what had worked for Pat was based on his makeup, his history, his biochemistry, not hers. She emphatically replied that her case was the same since they both had been diagnosed with “psoriatic arthritis.”

Many doctors and patients believe if two people have the same medical diagnosis that they have the same problem and therefore what will benefit one will benefit another. This is a perilous error. I explained to Dianne that a program of care for her would need to be based on her specific traits, not on a medical title she had been tagged with.

Soon after Dianne traveled to our clinic for care. I found her debilitated by her attempts at fasting, which were inappropriate in her case. She suffered from exhaustion, very weak digestion and low body temperature. She had followed a raw food diet along with drinking fruit juices because she had read in a book on psoriasis that raw foods were “good for psoriasis” and that juices would “cleanse” the tissues. Dianne erroneously based her care on the name of her disease rather than understanding her own constitution.

We helped Dianne recover by developing a program based on her biochemical individuality, which turned out to be very different than Pat's. The roots of her problems leading to her psoriatic arthritis symptoms revolved around poor fat digestion which had been the case with her Mother, low thyroid and adrenal function, a troubled marriage, and a protozoa infestation that she had likely picked up traveling in Central America. Despite the same medical diagnosis the roots of her health problems were different from Pat's.

Patients with the same medical diagnosis have different reasons why they become ill. I am not indifferent to serious diagnoses e.g. lupus, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, etc., but since such titles represent only superficial information they do not cause me to panic either.



Three Cases of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Each of the following cases of medically diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis received similar medical treatments based upon the diagnosis and each was continuing to worsen when we first saw them. The causal factors behind their conditions differed and therefore the protocols we employed in helping each recover had distinct differences as well.

Mary

Mary, a 55-year-old female had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis three years previously after a stressful period in her life when she had lived mostly on pasta, pizza, bread and potatoes. Her hands were painful and she had poor grip strength. Multiple joints were inflamed and her sedimentation rate was over 100 (normal = 0 to 20). She was dismayed by the failure of the drugs prescribed to her (steroids followed by Embrel and later Remicaide) and equally discouraged by the failures of the many bottles of “natural remedies” she had tried that were supposedly “good for arthritis”. The drugs initially suppressed some of her symptoms but later she developed a serious lung infection due to the suppression of her immunity. Mary was also taking an assortment of herbs, homeopathic agents and “Flower Remedies” given to her by a Naturopath.

Mary's rheumatoid disease emanated from her gastrointestinal tract as revealed by the history, exam and functional laboratory testing. I required her to eliminate starches as (in her case) they were promoting specific bacterial growth contributing to her inflammation. The cause was straightforward.

Mary was cooperative. In four months improvements in both her blood chemistries and a reduction in the patient's pain and swelling were obvious. Today she is fully mobile, off all medications and enjoys good health. The causes were identified and addressed and led to a restoration of health.

Joan

Joan, a 42-year-old female from the mid-west arrived at our clinic with medically diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis. She could walk only slowly with considerable pain. The hands, knees, wrists, hands, and feet were markedly inflamed. She was receiving methotrexate and humera, all immune suppressant drugs. Her Aunt and a first cousin also had autoimmune disorders.

Joan had taken good general care of herself. She had, however, recently undergone an unexpected divorce from her husband of over twenty years whom she had put through school working long hours to do so. Putting salt on the wound the divorce was followed within three weeks by her husband marrying his young secretary.

Her blood work showed her to be anemic, have low serum protein levels and an elevated sedimentation rate and high C-reactive protein level. She had been a hard worker and had significantly shorted herself on sleep over the years. She had elevated levels of mercury in her tissues due to dental amalgams, an elevated indican level (a toxin resulting from bacterial breakdown of protein) in her gut, yeast overgrowth and imbalances in her trace mineral levels. An individual program of care was developed based on these factors.

Initially she made rapid progress. The sedimentation rate dropped rapidly within a few weeks and the patient felt much improved. She was required to obtain long hours of sleep, stay on a liquid diet for intervals ranging from three days to a week, take oral chelating agents and specific trace elements, undergo trigger point therapy in our office and take steps to address both the overgrowth of yeast and the high level of indican in her intestines. She returned home for several weeks to take care of business matters prior to returning to our office for further care. When she returned I found she had lost ground on the progress we had made and the inflammatory markers had risen again.

A lengthy discussion with Joan revealed that while home she had seen her former husband and his new wife in a convertible purchased shortly before the divorce. She experienced a surge of anger that was continuing to rage. I recommended counseling which she obtained, to address this issue. Within the next several months with counseling and continued attention to the areas previously mentioned, the patient improved again as her emotions settled. Her inflammatory index dropped and she returned home without carrying the emotional burden and with her biochemical issues addressed.

Mark

Mark, a twenty seven year old male, presented at our clinic with medically diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis. He had been seeing a rheumatologist for six months and was continuing to worsen. There was no significant family history. He had formerly been active with weight lifting, running, and motorcycling but now was stiff and weak with swollen joints. His rheumatologist told him that “rheumatoid arthritis” was “incurable” and that he would have to adapt to the reality that he would become crippled with time. Drugs including methotrexate and steroids had left him weak and nauseated. Switching to Enbrel had brought only partial relief of symptoms and left him frightened regarding the serious side effects he knew could occur including lymphoma and tuberculosis. An “alternative” medical physician had placed Mark on a number of glandular substances and advised him to take colonics, which he had reluctantly done.

Following a lengthy interview, lifestyle analysis and functional laboratory testing Mark was given a report of findings. A significant finding was his impaired glucose tolerance, which we traced to his heavy use of soft drinks. This had weakened his glucose regulating ability contributing to a pro-inflammatory state, further compounded by a significant imbalance in his fatty acids.

After restoring his glucose balance through dietary and improving his fatty acid profile both primarily through dietary intervention the patient recovered from his “rheumatoid arthritis” discomforts in less than eight weeks. Years later the patient continues to be well and engages in heavy physical activities without difficulty. All signs of the “rheumatoid arthritis” disappeared when specific factors addressing his biochemical traits were addressed.

All three of these patients, Mary, Joan and Mark, presented with an identical medical diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Their symptoms were similar yet the causal factors behind their illnesses were vastly different. Different biochemical factors and emotional backgrounds were at play. The times required for recovery and the strategies used in effecting a reversal of their condition also differed. The reasons behind their illness had been ignored by the Medical Rheumatologists each of whom simply applied toxic, symptom suppressive drugs and by “alternative practitioners” who had applied safer, yet ineffective measures that likewise ignored causal factors.

A Look At Mans Best Friend

A convincing way to appreciate our individuality is to consider different breeds of dogs, from the Chihuahua to the Great Dane.

All domestic dogs belong to a single species, Canis familiaris. The many breeds are descended from a small subspecies of wolf, Canis lupus pallipes.1 Selective breeding has produced a wide variation of different canine appearances, strengths, weaknesses and personalities. It is difficult to imagine, when one looks at different breeds that all share a common ancestry. All the breeds are dogs yet their health problems differ widely based on unique traits related to their breed and as an individual within that breed.

The dachshund is subject to inter-vertebral disc disease and diabetes, the Rhodesian Ridgeback to dermoid sinuses (cysts), the Scottish Deerhound to gastric torsion, the Chihuahua to incomplete closure of its skull, the Toy Poodle to early tooth loss, the Bulldog to heat stroke, the German Shepherd to hip dysplasia, etc. Life spans differ also. The Schipperke from Belgium commonly lives to 20 years of age, while the Irish Wolfhound averages only about five to six years. As with humans, environmental factors e.g. diet, exercise, etc., greatly affect the propensity of each breed to develop the genetic weaknesses it is subject to as well as determining how long the lifespan will be, within the boundaries of its genetic heritage.

Working With The Hand of Cards We Were Dealt

To understand each patient's uniqueness is to be able to maximize their health potential to a degree many thought not possible. Our patients have recovered from numerous so called “incurable” chronic conditions by understanding their makeup, the reasons they became ill and addressing the causal factors in each case while simultaneously creating the conditions for health to flourish. Part of the challenge is to help patients understand they need not accept the dismal outlook painted for them by so many doctors nor accept symptomatic treatments whether from standard or “alternative” doctors as their only solution.

I was born somewhat a runt and I had to learn to live within certain runt limitations. Yet as I round the corner on sixty I look back with satisfaction at what I have been able to achieve, at being able to reverse a chronic disease condition and enjoy my life as an adult. A Chihuahua cannot become a Great Dane…but the Chihuahua that I was born as, with right knowledge and effort overcame chronic disease and become like a Jack Russell Terrier. I am enormously thankful for having learned from doctors who were pioneers in Natural Hygiene, Clinical Nutrition and Clinical Epidemiology as well as from my own trials and errors how to understand my unique attributes and achieve my potential as one of six billion unique individuals on planet earth.

I have read the hand of cards nature dealt me and learned how to play them in a productive manner. I have also been blessed in having the opportunity to assist many patients who were once chronically ill do the same.


Paul A. Goldberg, MPH,DC,DACBN

Also read: Common Errors in Natural Hygiene

Website: www.goldbergclinic.com

"One major area of variance between individuals is seen in our nutrient requirements and our ability to excrete waste products i.e. our detoxification potential."
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Peace and Love..........John

There are so many splits in Natural Hygeine, really What are they..? Those Natural Hygeinist who grow eat their avocado peel and those that dont? I thought Raw Vegan Food had alot of splits and Natural Hygeine is one split of that.

I always thought Natural Hygiene meant just picking fruit off trees and eating without forks and knives. Your post is so so brainy, I couldnt not make sense..I try to read and I am is this really in depth! People really analyze this this much? Wow PHD raw vegans here! You could give classes like a professor.

My philosophy is not ALL about raw vegan food anymore, but LOVE. I just eat 100% raw vegan food. Its not my world. Love is and healing, psychic spiritual stuff.

Natural Hygeine is like a thing of the past, the 1970's. Noone goes around saying I am a natural hygienist...No, they say Raw foodist.

To me it was like giving yourself a wheatgrass implant @#$%& at Ann Wigmore Institute and waiting in line for the bathroom and seeing wheatgrass sprayed all over the walls of the bathrooms. THATS NATURAL HYGEINE in my world. lol





Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2014 01:49AM by coconutcream.

If you take these warnings, and replace Natural Hygiene with The Raw Food Diet, you get:

Error #1: Viewing The Raw Food Diet as a set of immutable practices applicable to all persons in an identical fashion.
Error #2: Viewing The Raw Food Diet As A Panacea.
Error #3: Placing Excessive Emphasis On Diet / Fasting and Ignoring The Other Essentials of Health.
Error #4: Delaying Implementation Of Needed Change
Error #5: Misusing Statistics to Support Our Beliefs: Using Facts to Fit Our Fancy
Error # 6: Being Unforgiving With Ourselves
Error # 7: Relying Excessively On Authority
Error # 8: The Loss of Our Earth Connections
Error # 9: Ignoring the Infinite Variety of Differences Among Us

These warnings seem to apply to The Raw Food Diet also!

The loss of earth connections...yes. I was a different person when I lived a fast life in Miami, to now, in the woods, in the woods up a mountain off a road thats off a road. I really can understand food, real food and real good food. Growing it, picking it, and what is ripe and what is organic...when I first went raw I had affinity to nature too.

Natural Hygeine reminds me of tree climbers naked raw foodist colony who live in sexy caves. Maybe I do not understand what it is. Or the antique books of guy with that Albert Einstein - Mark Twain hair who fasts on water. A bunch of old men giving themselves enemas. The 80's superhair power couple on the back of FIT FOR LIFE.





Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2014 10:39PM by coconutcream.