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Pure air, sunlight, abstemiousness, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water, trust in divine power--these are the true remedies. Every person should have a knowledge of nature's remedial agencies and how to apply them. It is essential both to understand the principles involved in the treatment of the sick and to have a practical training that will enable one rightly to use this knowledge.

The use of natural remedies requires an amount of care and effort that many are not willing to give. Nature's process of healing and upbuilding is gradual, and to the impatient it seems slow. The surrender of hurtful indulgences requires sacrifice. But in the end it will be found that nature, untrammeled, does her work wisely and well. Those who persevere in obedience to her laws will reap the reward in health of body and health of mind. Ministery of Healing 127

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Lets discuss these eight remedies natural rememdies, how we can use them, how they help us, how they can keep us in good health.
________________________
Even so come, Lord Jesus
Linda

[This message has been edited by Linda Sutton (edited August 01, 2000).]

Our lungs bring fresh oxygen into our bodies and remove carbon dioxide and other gaseous waste products. As we breathe air in, we use the muscles of our rib cage and especially the major muscle called the diaphragm to pull air into our lungs. As we breathe air in, the diaphragm contracts or tightens and flattens, allowing air to be sucked into the lungs.

The diaphragm and the rib cage muscles relax and air is expired passively (in other words, the muscles do no work when we breathe out.)

Air, containing the oxygen our bodies need, is inhaled through the mouth and the nose. The mucus membranes in our mouth and nose warm and moisten the air, as well as trap particles of foreign matter. The air passes through the throat into the trachea or windpipe.

The trachea divides into the left and right bronchi. Like a branch, each bronchus divides again and again, becoming narrower and narrower.

The smallest airways end in the alveoli, small, thin air sacs that are arranged in clusters like bunches of balloons. When you breathe in by enlarging the chest cage, the "balloons" expand as air rushes in to fill the vacuum. When you breathe out, the "balloons" relax and air moves out of the lungs.

Tiny blood vessels surround each of the 300 million alveoli in the lungs. Oxygen moves across the walls of the air sacs, is picked up by the blood and carried to the rest of the body. Carbon dioxide or waste gas passes into the air sacs from the blood and is breathed out.

DEFENSE MECHANISMS OF THE LUNGS

Healthy lungs have effective ways to keep clean. Mucus in the airways traps dirt and foreign particles. Little hairs called cilia beat back and forth in the airways to move the mucus and dirt up where it can be expelled by coughing.

There are also special cells in the airways called macrophages. Macrophages are mobile cells that eat up toxins in the airways and lungs.

There are two requirements for this system to work:

• a regular supply of air containing oxygen must be inhaled via open, clear airways in order to reach the air sacs
  
• the waste gas, carbon dioxide, must be exhaled through these same airways
  

Listed here are a few common irritants found in the home and some helpful tips for decreasing or eliminating them.

Tobacco smoke
Allow no smoking in your house. Place polite "no smoking" signs in areas readily noticed by family members and guests. If someone does want to smoke, kindly ask them to step outside to your front porch or patio. Be sure they don't smoke near and open window or door.

Fumes
Your kitchen, bathroom, and any work area--where fumes may accumulate--are good places to install exhaust fans. Remember to open a window whenever you are staying in these areas for any length of time. Clean the fans periodically.

If you use a gas water heater, get someone to inspect it regularly. Check the pilot lights on your gas stove, and make sure that gas flames are burning blue. If you use gas, consider investing in a carbon monoxide detector. They have saved lives.

Examine your furniture to determine whether it is made of plywood, fiberboard, or particleboard for evidence of a pungent gas such as formaldehyde. The fumes given off by manufactured materials is called outgasing. These fumes can build up and irritate the eyes and the respiratory passages. Also, check your carpet, upholstery, and draperies for evidence of pungent odors.

Dust and dirt
Appliances have many parts that collect dust and other indoor irritants, so give them a thorough cleaning as often as needed. Be sure to include these parts when cleaning: heat exchangers, dryer filters, coils on the refrigerator, water pans under the refrigerator, furnaces, and ducts. Also, clean or replace air conditioner and heater filters as often as needed. Many people are allergic to dust–actually it is the dust mites they are allergic too. Keeping the dust down keeps the dust mites down.

Aerosol products
Aerosol products can be irritating for some people with respiratory problems. Therefore, use roll-on deodorants and nonaerosol pump sprays. If an air freshener is needed, use a "solid"type product. Aerosols use a gas as a propellant to push the product out of the can. Those gases can be mildly toxic.

Dusting powder
Babies can inhale the talc from the powder, possibly causing respiratory problems, and the fragrance from the powder can be irritating in itself. Talc is a mineral, actually a very soft stone ground to make powder.

Household chemical cleaners
Use baking soda or vinegar and water as household cleaners. For a job that absolutely requires a harsh chemical, let someone else do the cleaning. Even mild chemicals should be used only in well ventilated rooms if they are used at all. Don't use pesticides indoors; assign this chore to others (such as a professional exterminator), and be sure to leave the house for the recommended period of time.

Poor air circulation
Keep the doors of all rooms open to allow for proper circulation. Open a window for a few minutes several times a day during the winter months, and leave a window slightly open during the summer (even when running the AC). Ceiling fans are a good way to increase circulation, but don't forget to clean them regularly.

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Many have been taught that night air is positively injurious to health, and therefore must be excluded from their rooms. One autumn evening I was traveling in a crowded car. The exhalations from so many lungs and bodies rendered the atmosphere very impure, and caused a sickening sensation to come over me. I raised my window, and was enjoying the fresh air, when a lady in earnest, imploring tones, cried out, "Do put down that window! You will take cold and be sick; the night air is so unhealthful!" I replied, "Madam, we have no other air than night air, in this car or out of it. If you refuse to breathe the night air, you must stop breathing." In the cool of the evening it may be necessary to guard against chilliness by extra clothing; but there should be a free circulation of pure air through the room during sleeping hours. The free air of heaven, by day or night, is one of the richest blessings we can enjoy. {CTBH 104.1}

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Humidity
Cooking and running water produce enough humidity in the home on a daily basis. If you feel you need additional humidity, have someone install a central heat humidifier; refrain from using room humidifiers or room ultrasonic humidifiers.

Fireplaces
Don't use your fireplace as the main source of heat in your home. Whenever using the fireplace, make sure the damper is open and that the chimney is cleaned periodically. Burn only firewood in your fireplace--not paper or charcoal.

Plants
Be aware of bushes and trees located next to the windows where you sleep or sit frequently. They encourage dampness and mold growth.

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If we would have our homes the abiding place of health and happiness, we must place them above the miasma and fog of the lowlands and give free entrance to heaven's life-giving agencies. Dispense with heavy curtains, open the windows and the blinds, allow no vines, however beautiful, to shade the windows, and permit no trees to stand so near the house as to shut out the sunshine. The sunlight may fade the drapery and the carpets and tarnish the picture frames, but it will bring a healthy glow to the cheeks of the children. {AH 149.2}

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Mold and mildew
If you have tiles in your bathroom, wash and replace grout frequently. Check anyplace that moisture accumulates. In cellars, basements, and garages, waterproof the cement floofs. In your kitchen and bathroom, use sheet vinyl instead of vinyl squares for the floor.

Asbestos and radon gas
Make sure your home is free of asbestos and radon gas by contacting your local health department for assistance.

________________________
Even so come, Lord Jesus
Linda

[This message has been edited by Linda Sutton (edited August 06, 2000).]