They had heard about his sermons. But they hadn't actually seen and heard for themselves just what people were saying about the preacher. "Oh, he's the best preacher!" they'd been warned. And, "He gets results." Still, they were very eager to see for themselves, and so they all showed up that scheduled Sunday with bated breath. He was good. So good. They were suitably impressed, and after the sermon gave the preacher many thanks and congratulations. "See you next week," he said.

Well they could barely wait until the following Sunday, and they turned out in greater numbers after word had spread about the fine sermon that the preacher had given the previous Sunday. After this second sermon, some who had been absent the previous week said, ``I see what you mean about the new preacher," and went up to give the customary thanks to the preacher. But others were a little puzzled, looked at one another in bewilderment, but didn't dare to approach the preacher about their concerns.

And so it was that they all gathered again the following Sunday, and in even greater numbers. They were all very excited, but as the sermon began, they were more than a little perplexed by what the preacher was saying. It all sounded very familiar, a little bit too familiar. So, after the sermon concluded, they approached the preacher gingerly. ``Excuse us, but we were wondering... are you aware that some... that is... most of what you said today in your sermon was... pretty much identical to what you said in your sermon last week?"

The preacher smiled. "Actually, yes," he exclaimed, and he added, ``and I'm going to keep on saying it until you people start applying it!"

Achieving good health is a little bit like that sermon. When you find something that works, you've got to keep on doing it. But it's not easy, nor is it even (necessarily) so popular. But perhaps the biggest problem is getting two people to agree on what is the way to good health. Some people say high protein, others high fibre, and still others say to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Which is correct? The answer, realistically, is that it depends. It depends on the circumstances of the person who is seeking health. And it depends on the ability of the body of that person to tolerate the foods or lifestyle changes recommended. When I was sick, I know that I could not eat even one apple without stomach pain, whereas now I can eat several of the same apples on an empty stomach without complaint, enjoying every last morsel. More than a few apples fill my stomach beyond capacity, so there is little point in continuing the experiment beyond a few apples. The point is, there has been a big change in my physiology during the course of my recovery, and while there has been a very large number of noticeable changes in me, all of which are very thrilling to me, and which I believe to be documentable proof of my revitalization, none is as simple or as repeatable as the apple test. About the time of my stomach upset, I discovered the use of tums. Antacid tablets like tums, or equivalent, worked well as a way to buffer the acid of the apple, but more than that, a couple of tums was all that was required to completely nullify the painful effects of the apple on my stomach. I no longer require antacid as a general rule, but when I feel it's needed (maybe a few times per year) now I use Maalox, the melt-in-your-mouth variety. I think it is important to recognize this as the start of my journey to good health. I discovered, quite an epiphany at the time, that antacid eradicated my disease. The way I did it was that I suddenly had the thought that perhaps the indigestion, as I had come to call it, was a common ailment for which there was a common remedy. The remedy, Tums, were commonly available at most any corner store, and came with but a single warning regarding excessive use and the consultation of a physician. Without exceeding the recommendations on the label, I found tums to be quite an effective, even brilliant solution to my stomach discomfort problem. Much more importantly, I had come to the conclusion on my own. It was a confidence builder.

Unfortunately for me, it wasn't the last problem I would discover. Over the course of problems and discoveries, I have compiled a list of all the factors I can currently remember about how to achieve good health. I don't remember them all in the course of a single day, and I present them not for analysis but for education and learning. One need not apply all of these factors at once to see improvement, nor is any one factor recommended in a particular case as having therapeutic value. Rather, they may be seen to be a goal, a recipe for survival and for the attainment of vigourous health in general.

Factors for Good Health

Avoid processing & additives

Natural is better

Small Meals

Calcium, Magnesium & Vitamin D.

Vitamins and Minerals

Fruit

Honey

Tea

Spinach, Greens

Sunshine

Fresh Juice

Fresh Air

Organic Fruit, Vegetables

Blueberries, Berries

Raw Food; No cooked food

Calcium-rich foods

Absorbable calcium

Water from food & juice & tea

$800-900/mo food, 2 people

Tea several (4) cups a day

No refined sugars, just honey

Sea salt, no refined salt

Positive thoughts, no negative

Love, touching

No bottled juices, canned food

No pasteurizing of milk or cheese

No animal products except cheese

No meat or fish, cooked or otherwise

Green tea only

Pineapple, grapefruit, orange, lemon lime fresh juice

Tea as morning starter for stomach

Apples to help digestion

Pumpkin & sunflower seeds in salad

Garlic, 2-3 cloves a day in salad

Olive oil 2T a day in salad

No white or wine vinegar, just apple cidar vinegar

Fresh produce

Sealed romaine lettuce in fridge

Spinach in fridge not totally sealed

Garlic not sealed

Exercise only when energetic

Exercise only by doing work

Sleep without pillow when lying face down

Use only one pillow maximum under head when sleeping

Pillow under lumbar when sleeping

Magnetic pinky rings, AlexChiu.com

Naps for drowsiness

Rest when tired

Back support when seated, or good posture

Up to 10,000 RDA's vitamins

Up to 100 times RDA minerals

Prayer, Bible study every day

Vitamin and Mineral supplements

Breathing, relaxation

Laughter

Shopping for food like warfare, concentrate on quality

Fruit in season

Fruit & greens, tea & honey

Cheese & nuts, seeds and berries

cautious not careful

caution in diet decisions

slow to change, quick to learn

low-fiber juice

slow juicer, Green Power Juicer

No fibre with calcium

No soft drinks

No ice cream

No steak, or other meat

copy example Okinawans, Hunzakuts

belief in creation, not evolution

avoid low-freq RF

avoid carcinogens

absorbable calcium in fresh produce, spinach, grapes

do not cook spinach

Natural Factors

cal mag citrate

coral calcium, cal-mg ratio 2:1 ionic

microbes in coral

wheatgrass

electrons

oxygen

avoid false teachings

keep written record

don't waste energy trying to convince establishment

chew food well

chew juice

focus on what works

dental hygiene

general hygiene

juice cleansing

no additives

no artificial sweeteners

eat calcium with no fibre

water-based foods

avoid oxygen contact with food

separate fibre from juice

bacteria for digestion in raw food

if it works, keep doing it

eat low on food chain

avoid food processing

high calcium with high protein

liquid calcium-magnesium to relieve occasional fatigue

vitamin C to relieve daily stress

vitamin D to relieve stiff muscles

no drugs

organic chocolate

organic food only, no preservatives or hormones

homemade bread only, no other baked goods

small piece of raw brocoli for breakfast as first food of the day

apple instead antacid tablets to overcome indigestion

go south in the winter

travel several times a year

get direct sunlight every sunny day

NU-Eyes eyedrops for non-surgical cataract removal, nutritional support of vision

continued attention to health and energy levels

Another problem related to my recovery itself. When I was still sick with what I had come to know as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, my physician at the time had at one point mentioned the possiblity that ``it was all in my head." As I later discovered, calcium is required for all nerve function! I came to understand that to say ``it's all in your head" is to say ``your brain is not functioning properly." Brains are made of nerves, lots and lots of nerves, and the brain depends on the proper functioning of just those nerves in order to function. Without the brain, the body doesn't receive proper healing signals, hormonal trigger signals, or the like, and furthermore without nerves the brain can't perform effectively as the command centre for the entire body.

So, having begun our journey into learning more about good health and how to obtain and maintain it, here are a few recipes to help nourish the body so that it may heal itself and continue to become more perfect as our Creator intended. I hope you enjoy these in the best way possible, and that you achieve your own culinary goals, experiencing the greatest satisfaction that a person can feel. May we all praise Jehovah for his marvelous creations and for his gift of life.

Ward Green