Vol. 3 No. 2Autoimmune Diseases and Oxygen

ideon Collinson, a Tsim- shian, was born Oct. 31, 1949 at Kitkatla, a 3½- hour boat trip from Prince Rupert, B.C.

“Mine was an alcoholic fam-ily with 10 children, resulting in a harsh, miserable child-hood. When I got home I often got in trouble for not chopping wood for the fam-ily, when I had been busy try-ing to help my elders. There were other family men sitting around who could have done it. I hated people for the way I was treated.

I was angry with the circum-stances I lived in.

“I ran away at the age of 12, right after my sister died, and hid in the hatch of a boat headed for Prince Rupert. The boatman found me before leaving dock, but allowed me to stay on board. Not knowing anyone in Prince Rupert, I slept wherever it was dry. I stayed in the bush near town, making tent-like shelters from whatever I could find—sometimes hav-ing to sleep in the snow. It was hard just staying alive!

“At age 17 I was with some other street kids

when they got in trouble, and we were picked up by the po-lice. They had me sign

papers. Not knowing how to read or write

anything other than my name, I didn’t

know why I was put in jail for

two years,

by Barbara Voorhees

and sent to Vancouver. While in jail I had the oppor-tunity to learn to read and write, for which I am grate-ful. After being released, I stayed in Vancouver for many years. No matter what I did, I was around people who drank. In 2000 I was given a Bible by a friend who was using drugs but wanting something better. I started reading it, and it changed my life! I learned to forgive those who had hurt and abused me, making amends. In 2007 while visiting in Gitsegukla I picked up a Radi-ant Native Health magazine, and sent in the request for Native New Day Bible stud-ies. While doing this cor-respondence, my family in Prince Rupert asked me to come back there to be closer to them. So, I moved back to be near my family.

“It feels good to be want-ed. Maybe I can help them to know the Lord, and a better way of life than alcohol and drugs.”

— Gideon Collinson“O Creator!” by Zanna Ove

C harcoal is all around us. It is a cleaning agent for our water, food, air, and environments.

Medically, it is just as versatile; medicinal activated charcoal is a simple, natural home remedy. The medicinal uses of charcoal are as ancient as the pyramids of Egypt, and as modern as the most sophisticated emergency room of the 21st century.

Why use a simple home remedy like charcoal instead of drugs and hospitals? According to the Jour-nal of the American Medical Associa-tion, the fourth-leading cause of death in America is from properly prescribed drugs in hospitals. Plus, many thousands of people die each year in hospitals from infections they contracted dur-ing a hospital stay. On the other hand, the FDA lists medicinal charcoal as “safe and effective.” Charcoal has no reported adverse side effects.

Charcoal was used in 1500 B.C. to control wound odor and intes-tinal gas. Cleopatra used charcoal as a beauty aid, while around A.D. 50, Hippocrates reported it being used to treat epilepsy, severe anemia, vertigo, and anthrax. Europeans in the 1500s discov-ered indigenous North Americans eating charcoal to relieve indiges-tion and gas. Charcoal has been used routinely in naval, military, and civilian hospitals since the mid-1800s.

Today, hospital emergency rooms worldwide depend on charcoal to treat accidental poisoning, drug overdose, and at-tempted suicide. Charcoal is also used in wound dressings, ostomy bags, dialysis units, as a marker in breast cancer, to treat anemia associated with cancer, to control wound odors—the list goes on and on.

Why is interest growing in charcoal as a medicine? Isn’t it just what’s left over after the campfire goes out?

Home uses of charcoal include treating indigestion, heartburn, acid reflux, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, insect bites, pinkeye, infections, pain, diabetic ulcers, poison ivy, infant colic, Candida, and the “sick house syndrome.”

Missionaries use charcoal to treat dysentery, cholera, tetanus, typhoid, infection, boils, diphthe-ria, snakebites, hepatitis, infec-tions, gangrene, and other ills.

Modern research has reported that charcoal used externally is able to draw toxins from deep tissues and deep organs, and re-duce cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Charcoal adsorbs Teta-nus and Diphtheria toxins, and those released by E.Coli and other bacteria. Studies are currently underway to confirm evidence that charcoal can benefit Crohn’s sufferers.

Isn’t it about time you tried charcoal for yourself?

Adapted from “CharcoalRemedies.com: The Complete Handbook of Medicinal Charcoal and Its Applications” © 2005 by John Dinsley

Make your ownMedicinal Charcoal

Making your own activated, medicinal charcoal is easy. You can use any type of wood—the harder the better. Old pallets work great, since they’re usually well seasoned, hard, free of paint, and can often be obtained at no cost. Break up a pallet and throw the boards into a burning fire pit. As soon as they

form coals, shovel them out onto a patch of sand. Cover the coals, (an old barbeque lid works perfectly,) pushing sand around the edges of the cover so it’s airtight. Wait until the heat is gone (this may take up to a day,) then remove the cover. Place the chunks of charcoal in a cloth bag, and smash them into pieces with a hammer. Use an old blender to chop these pieces into powder; (do this outside—it can be quite messy.) This powder is ac-tivated, medicinal charcoal, which you can use in your daily health regimen.

Baked Apples — Su-Ga-Ta

Pick ripe apples. Cover the apples with hot ashes and live coals. Cook until as soft as you want them.

Photo: B

. Koch

Dried Apples — Oo-Ni-Ka-Ya

Peel and quarter ripe apples, or slice and dry in the sun. Cook the dried apples until done. (The dried apples are also good without cooking.) If cooked apples need to be thickened, add cornmeal and cook until done. These apples are also good as fried pies.

Recipes from Indian Cookin’ by Frances L. Whisler (Cherokee)

Apples

God often uses the most unconventional of His children in ways we could never have expected. His focus is the heart and motivation

of those who claim to love and follow him, not their education, self-confidence, or friendliness. Our ability to accept that God may act in surprising ways through surprising people—especially the young—is a measure of our spiritual maturity.

Today we are reminded that where man sees the ugly and weak, the Lord sees the beautiful and strong; and, where man sees the beautiful or handsome, the Lord sees the ugly and spiteful. We are also reminded that we can either judge ourselves and those around us by the world’s standards, or try to look at ourselves and those around us from the viewpoint of God.

Would you be a different person if you could change your life situa-tion? Would you love God more if you had a different job, a different home, a different schedule, fewer kids, or less homework? Chances are you wouldn’t. The fact is, if your heart does not hunger for God where you are right now, it will not hunger for God somewhere else either. If you find yourself drifting from fellowship with God, you don’t need a change of scene. You need a change of heart.

“Man looks at theoutward appearance

but the Lord looks at the heart.”

I Samuel 16:7

by Rob Parsons and Adrian Dieleman

A damaged immune system cannot deal with infections

and invaders in its normal, healthy way. Often, an im-paired immune system must resort to inflammation, which can include heat, redness, swelling, or pain. Tissue damage often occurs as the body attempts to rid itself of disease. It’s kind of like trying to use a sledgehammer to kill a fly: you may get the fly, but other things will probably become ruined.

Autoimmune inflammatory diseases typically arise when the immune system is not able to function efficiently. Inflammation can occur when the immune system is unhealthy, overworked, or under attack by other sources of inflammation.

Many autoimmune inflam-matory diseases can occur under these conditions. Examples include psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, ankylosing spondylitis, polyarteritis nodosa, scleroderma, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative

Health Concerns

colitis, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel disease, some cases of Type 1 diabetes, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, allergy, chronic fatigue, and asthma.

Why do some people suffer fromautoimmune inflammatory disease?

Attacks ofInflammationcan result inproblems suchas arthritis.

Here are a few ways you can restore a failing immune

system and maintain it in a condition that can help you avoid the complications and pain of inflammatory disease.

Fresh Air — take advantage of all the wonderful fresh air the Creator has provided, especially early in the morning. One of the most effective immune boosters is an early morning walk in the fresh air near a body of water as the sun is just coming up.

Sunshine — get outdoors and enjoy the benefits of the beauti-ful sunshine.

Drink plenty of water — stud-ies show that optimal intake of good, clean water intake can lower the risk of autoimmune in-flammatory diseases by as much as 60%.

Eat properly — choose foods high in naturally occurring anti-inflammatory benefits, such as fresh fruit and vegetables. Avoid alcohol, tea, coffee, tobacco, and overeating.

Exercise — keep at it. Even if it’s uncomfortable or painful at first, it will get better.

Mind/Body Connection — trust in Divine power. Turn your stress over to the Creator, the only one who can handle it. Spirituality is associated with less depression and increased feelings of health in patients with autoimmune inflammatory disease. Studies have indicated that intercessory prayer may increase immune function, im-prove rheumatoid arthritis, and reduce anxiety.

Restoring and Maintainingyour immune system

The Original Bible DietThe Creator said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food . . . and you will eat of the plants of the field” (Genesis 1:29; 3:18). It’s not sur-prising that the Maker of our marvelous immune system would know the best way to maintain it.

T he brain requires more oxy-gen than any other organ. If

it doesn’t get enough the result is mental sluggishness, negative thoughts and depression. Eventu-ally, your vision and hearing may decline. Older people whose ar-teries are clogged often become senile because their brains get less oxygen.

Poor oxygen supply affects all parts of the body. Heart attacks occur when a circulation blockage deprives the heart of oxygen. The result is a stroke if this occurs to the brain. Lack of oxygen is con-sidered a major cause of cancer. Research indicates that normal body cells could turn into cancer cells when oxygen is taken away. Similar research has been done with heart disease.

Lack of oxygen is a major cause of strokes, heart disease, and cancer. Thus, oxygen is essential for our well-being, and any effort to increase the supply of oxygen to our body—especially to the brain—will benefit your health. Breathing exercises are important for people who have sedentary lives or spend most of their day in an office. Their brains are oxy-

gen starved, and their bodies are barely getting by. These people often feel tired, nervous, irritable, and unproductive; they likely sleep poorly at night, so they get a poor start each day, which con-tinues the lack of oxygen cycle. These people have impaired im-mune systems, making them extra susceptible to getting sick.

We breathe automatically and naturally—even when we’re not aware of it. Yet one’s breathing can habitually become modified and restricted in various ways. Without being aware of it, we tend to sit or stand in slouched positions that diminish our lung capacity; this causes us to take short, shallow breaths. Negative effects of shallow breathing in-clude reduced energy and mental ability, and lowered immunity to disease. The more tense our muscles become, the shorter and more shallow we breathe. After a while we become tired because we’ve almost stopped breathing due to the decreased circulation and availability of oxygen for blood. Instead of shallow breath-ing, we need to breathe more slowly and deeply.

• Breathe deeply for 5-10 minutes daily.• Set a timer so you don’t think about

the minutes, just about breathing.• It doesn’t matter whether you’re sit-

ting or lying down. Just relax.• Wear loose clothes and remove your

shoes.• Concentrate on loosening your face;

drop your jaw so it stays relaxed.• Give your full attention to your breath-

ing; shut out everything else.• Close your eyes and focus on the

breathing. Breathe in slowly through your nose to the count of 10,

hold breath to the count of 10, and then slowly breathe out

through your mouth to the count of 10.

Oxygen is the most vital nutri-

ent for our bodies. We can survive without food for weeks and without water for days, but after just a few minutes without oxygen, we will die.

One way to sleep well and maintain energy is by purifying your blood with plenty of oxygen. This burns waste products (toxins) in the

body, and recharges the body’s batteries —the solar plexus. Most of the energy we need comes not from our food, but from the air we breathe.

The first rule for correct breathing is to breathe through the nose. This may seem obvious but many people breathe through their mouth and this has a complete negative affect but especially on the thyroid gland and mental development. Here are some tips to help your breathing.

Turn the page to discover the benefits of deep breathing...

Deep breaths im-prove the health of the nervous system. This

system commu-nicates with the entire body, boosting your overall health.

Breathing deeply benefits your health in a variety of ways.

With an increased workload, the lungs

become healthy and powerful, helping them combat respi-

ratory illness. Breathing exercises also increase the elasticity of the lungs and rib cage, permanently increasing your breathing capacity.

Breathing deeply assists the digestion of food. The stomach operates

more efficiently when it receives more oxygen.

Digestion is further enhanced by the additional oxygen in the food.

Increased oxygen re-juvenates your skin; it will become smoother

and have fewer facial wrinkles.

The movements of the diaphragm dur-

ing deep breathing exercises massage the

abdominal organs—the stomach, small intestine, liver, and pancreas. Upper movement of the diaphragm also massages the heart. This action stimulates blood circulation in all of these organs.

Deep, slow, breathing reduces your heart’s workload, making it more efficient and stronger. It also lowers

blood pressure, reducing your risk of heart disease.

Deep slow breath-ing assists in weight control. The extra oxy-

gen burns excess fat more efficiently.

Slow, deep, rhythmic breathing stimulates the brain, which

requires three times more oxygen than the

rest of the body. This helps you think better, reduces anxiety.

Deep breathing Improves blood quality by increas-ing the oxygen

in the lungs. This aids in the removal of

toxins from the system.

Deep breathing feeds the tissues and renews the

depleted glands, especially the pituitary and pineal.

Here are a few ways deep breathing will help your body.

by Gideon Collinson

Don’t play judge—God is the only true Judge.

by Gideon Collinson

Don’t play judge—God is the only true Judge.

W hat are those spots on your arm, Gram-Gram?”

eight year old Lily ques-tioned. She knew that her grandmother always took time to answer her questions truthfully. Lily wasn’t afraid to ask her grandmother anything, even if it might be impolite.

“When we get older, we sometimes get spots where the sun has damaged the cells,” her grandmother answered.

“Do they hurt?” Lily asked.

“No,” Gram-Gram answered. “It’s best to have the spots checked by a doctor because sometimes they can make you sick with cancer. The doctor checked these spots and they are okay. Now I need to put sunscreen lotion on my skin when I go out in the sun.”

“Mommy says that sunshine is good for you. Who is right, Mommy or you?”

“We both are...” she began.

Lily interrupted, “how is sun good and bad at the same time?”

The grandmother smiled at the child. “Sunlight gives your body Vitamin D. When your skin be-comes darker with a little sunlight in the morning and in the late

afternoon, it protects you from sunburn.”

Gram-Gram could see that Lily’s mind jumped to another thought.

“Gram-Gram, Rose has bumps on her face—

are those cancer?”The grandmoth-er thought

about the acne on her

teen-aged granddaughter.

“No, dear, Rose has skin blem-

ishes from the hormones

that come when you are a teen-

ager.”“Will I get them too?”

asked Lily.“Yes, but they go away

as you get older.” her grandmother answered. “But if you keep your

face and body clean with soap and water and eat healthy vegetables and fruit, it won’t be too bad. Fatty and sugary foods are bad for your skin.”

“So I need to get some sunlight, but not too much to burn me, right?” Lily asked. “You’re right,” Gram-Gram replied.

by Darlene Miller (Roving Pen)

PO Box 190 Kitwanga, BC V0J 2A0