Why Did God Make Ticks? Let No One Say He Is Tempted. DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood.

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Why Did God Make Ticks?.

“Kids ask some of the most interesting questions. Sometimes they aren’t the easiest questions to answer either! Have you ever wondered why God made ticks?

I was sitting in the urgent care waiting room trying not to touch anything that might have germs on it when a lady and several young boys came in. I didn’t think it would be polite to stare, so I really don’t know if there were three or four boys in constant motion around the waiting room.

One young voice told another to stop scratching.

Poison ivy, I thought.  Then another young boy asked the harried mother, “Who made ticks?”

Who made ticks?

That question threw me in a couple of ways. Maybe my “diagnosis” had been wrong—or maybe one boy had poison ivy and another had been bitten by a tick. No wonder the mother seemed harried!

And, more importantly, I wondered how I would answer that question.

The boy asked again, “Who made ticks?”

The mom answered distractedly, “God did. God made everything.”

That’s a very good answer, I thought. But I suspect it didn’t answer the real question in the boy’s mind: Why did God make ticks? Why would a good God make a mean creature like a tick that hurts little boys and can carry terrible diseases?

It’s not a light question, since around 50,000 tickborne diseases are reported each year just in the United States. And the CDC lists at least 16 pathogens carried by ticks, including those that cause Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

So, why would God create ticks? How would I answer that?

God made everything “very good”

The mother was absolutely right. The Bible records God’s claim that He created everything through Jesus Christ:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:1, 3). (See more about this in our articles “Proof of God” and “Creation vs. Evolution” and related articles.)

But the Bible also tells us that the things God made were good: “Then God saw everything that He had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).

But things didn’t stay good

Many scriptures point out that not everything stayed good. Starting with Lucifer who sinned and became “corrupted” (Ezekiel 28:13-17; Isaiah 14:12-15), the whole earth has become “subjected to futility” and in “bondage of corruption” (Romans 8:20-21).

God made ticks. But He didn’t make them to torment us or make us sick.

After Adam and Eve sinned, God told Adam that his sin would result in the ground being cursed and bringing forth thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:17-18).

What exactly did this corruption and curse mean? Did thorns and thistles become more prevalent and more of a problem? Could the same thing apply to mosquitoes, fleas—and ticks? What about the dangerous wild animals? Adam named all the animals with no fear. But later mankind had to fear the wild animals.

I don’t know exactly what ticks were like before the curse or how they might have changed. But I am confident that they were a good part of God’s creation and that the current problems they cause were not God’s original intent.

God made ticks. But He didn’t make them to torment us or make us sick.

Restoration: the curse will be reversed

When the apostle Paul wrote about the creation being in “bondage to corruption,” he also added this hope: “The creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” (Romans 8:21-22).

When those birth pains of the end times are complete, Jesus Christ will return and bring “times of refreshing” and the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:19-21).

The curse will be reversed, and dangerous wild animals like wolves, leopards, lions and cobras will no longer be dangerous (Isaiah 11:6-8). “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,” God said (verse 9).

Could this also apply to mosquitoes, fleas—and ticks?    I sure hope so.”  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/god/blog/why-did-god-make-ticks/?

For more about the promised restoration when Jesus Christ establishes the Kingdom of God on earth, download our booklet The World to Come: What It Will Be Like. 

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Let No One Say He Is Tempted 

James 1:13-15

“(13) Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. (14) But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (15) Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

Exodus 20:17

(17) "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."

Every problem, individual or national, has its root embedded in sin. But what causes sin? Wrong desires brought to fruition, and everyone—from peasant to king—is subject to wrong desires. From the beginning of time, sinners have blamed their sins on others. Satan blamed God, Eve blamed Satan, and Adam blamed Eve. James sternly rebukes this.

God does not cause sin, nor do things. Sin would be helpless if it did not appeal to something in man. Sin appeals to man's human nature through his desires. If a man desires long enough, the consequence is virtually inevitable. Desire becomes action.

Desire can be nourished, stifled or—by the grace of God—eliminated altogether. If we humbly, thoughtfully, and wholly give of ourselves to Christ and involve ourselves in good activities and thoughts, we will have precious little time or place for evil desires. The tenth commandment pierces through surface Christianity, really showing whether we have surrendered our will to God.

The spiritual requirements for keeping it are in some ways more rigid than any other because it pierces directly into our thoughts. II Corinthians 10:4-5 sets a very high standard for us to shoot for:

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

These verses, revealing God's authority over even our thoughts, also sets what may be our ultimate goal in this life. The tenth commandment shows the depth of God's concern about the state of our inner character as well as our apparent character. If our thoughts are right, our actions will be too. Changing our thinking strikes right at the heart of character, emphasizing why spending time with God, in studying His Word and in prayer, is so important.”  From: https://www.theberean.org/index.cfm/main/default/id/961/ver/NKJV/james-1-13-15.htm

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DDT in Umbilical Cord Blood

Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the video.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/mIBoW4cHQyQ

“Are pregnant women who eat fish, other meat, and dairy still passing along the pesticide DDT—even decades after it was banned?

Just because mothers have a certain level of industrial pollutants in their fat tissue or bloodstream doesn’t necessarily reflect what they’re passing on to their child. So, researchers last year decided to measure pesticide levels right out of umbilical cord blood—at delivery, as soon as you cut the cord. They squirt a little in a vial before they tie it off.

318 mothers studied, and even now, decades after it was banned, “…almost all [umbilical cord blood] samples (95%) showed detectable DDT residues.” Not exactly the first thing we want to be passing along to our newborns.

The most common DDT residue found was a derivative called DDE, which was found most closely associated with the mother’s consumption of three types of foods. Because organochlorine pesticides are attracted to fat, they accumulate in foods of animal origin. “[M]eat, fish, and dairy products were associated with… [the presence of] DDE in umbilical cord serum.” From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/ddt-in-umbilical-cord-blood/

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How to Prepare for the End Times. God Will Wipe Away Every Tear. Meat Industry Reaction to New Cancer Guidelines.

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How to Prepare for the End Times

“The Bible prophesies many destructive events in the end times. Is there anything we can do to prepare? As Christians, what should our priorities be?

 There is nothing you can physically do to prepare for the end times.

Nothing. Not one single thing.

Here’s a prophecy from the Bible about what the world will look like shortly before the return of Christ. As you read through it, try thinking about what you’d need in order to survive it:

“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.

“And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.

“Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’” (Revelation 6:12-17).

Even if you’ve stockpiled enough survival rations to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool, built a bunker that could withstand a nuclear holocaust and hoarded enough guns and ammo to fend off the standing army of a small country, it won’t be enough.

When “the great day of His wrath has come”—when the earth shakes the mountains and the islands out of place, when stars fall from heaven and the sky recedes like a scroll, when kings and slaves alike cower in fear at the judgment God is raining down on a corrupt earth—all the physical preparation in the world won’t make an ounce of difference.

A quick note about emergency preparedness

Before we go any further, let me clarify something. Even though there’s nothing you can do to physically prepare for the end of the world as we know it, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea to prepare for other, less catastrophic emergencies.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recommends keeping a disaster supply kit on hand for your family in the event of an emergency that requires you to “survive on your own for several days.” They even offer a checklist you can use as you build your own kit.

Taking steps to make sure your family has what it needs in the wake of a disaster is a good idea. Taking steps to make sure your family can survive the collapse of civilization? Maybe not so much.

Spiritual preparation is what really matters

That said, God does expect us to prepare for the end times—but that’s a spiritual endeavor, not a physical one.

To prepare for the end times, we need to understand what the end times are.

Technically speaking, we’ve been in the “end times” for the last 2,000 years. Peter wrote that Jesus Christ was made manifest “in these last times” (1 Peter 1:20). Paul explained that biblical examples were recorded “for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

The end times are the final phase of God’s plan before the return of Jesus Christ. They’re the era we’re living in right now—the same era that the early Church existed in as well. (See more in our blog post “Are We Living in the End Times?”)

But, generally, when people talk about the end times, they’re thinking of specific end-time events—the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. The Tribulation is a period of 3½ years immediately preceding the return of Jesus Christ to the earth, and the Day of the Lord often refers to a short but intense period when the world is directly punished by God for its sins, leading into the eternal reign of God.

These are the apocalyptic, cataclysmic events of the end time that we cannot physically prepare for—but that we must spiritually prepare for.

The keys to spiritual preparation

Being prepared for the end times doesn’t require exactly predicting the end times. Paul warned that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2, English Standard Version).

We should certainly be aware that the Day of the Lord is coming, and its sudden arrival shouldn’t catch us off guard (1 Peter 5:1-5). But Jesus Himself told His disciples to stay alert, “for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42), and to “be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (verse 44).

Just like putting together a disaster supply kit, it’s important to prepare before things get bad. And just as you can refer to a checklist to assemble your own kit, you can also refer to the spiritual checklist God has provided in order to prepare for these big end-time events:

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

That’s a short checklist, but it takes a lot of time to tick those boxes. You can put a disaster supply kit together in an afternoon—but doing justly, loving mercy and walking humbly are character attributes that we can spend the rest of our lives refining and perfecting.

God doesn’t expect us to have perfected these attributes before the end-time events unfold. He just expects us to be diligently working on them. Every day gives us new opportunities to be doing just that.

(Read more in our three-part blog series “What Does God Require of You? Do Justly,” “Love Mercy” and “Walk Humbly.”)

What are we preparing for?

In preparing for a disaster, the goal is to survive—to make it safely to the other side of whatever calamity we might experience.

You might say that’s the goal of preparing for end times too—although “making it safely to the other side” looks a little different in this case.

The Bible makes mention of a place in the wilderness where at least some of God’s people will be protected during the events of the Tribulation (Revelation 12:14). Jesus even instructed us to pray for protection during this time: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

But the Bible also talks about martyrs who will be “slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held” (Revelation 6:9).

Though we should pray and hope we are “counted worthy” to escape the intense suffering of the Great Tribulation, physical survival isn’t the ultimate goal. Standing “before the Son of Man” at His return is. Jesus promised, “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40).

Even if we die before or during the final events of the end times, our hope is in a far greater kind of survival. Paul explained that Jesus Christ, at His return, will resurrect and transform His faithful followers as immortal members of the God family: “And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man” (1 Corinthians 15:49, see also verses 35-55).

If we do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God—if we live our lives in accordance with His Word and follow His commands—we can expect to make it safely to the other side of the end times, not as physical human beings, but as the spiritual sons and daughters of God Himself:

“‘They shall be Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him’” (Malachi 3:17).

God’s plan means hope for everyone

But the story doesn’t end there. When God the Father and Jesus Christ set Their plan in motion, They were “not willing that any should perish” (2 Peter 3:9). In the aftermath of the end-time events, the world’s survivors will need leadership, compassion and guidance.

We will have the privilege of providing all those things as we reign with Christ for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4), teaching the rest of humanity to build their own spiritual survival kits—to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God.

And one day, when “the dead, small and great” (verse 12) are returned to life and brought before God, we’ll be there too, offering a hope for survival that stretches on into eternity.

That’s why we prepare for the end times—not to survive it physically, but because of the incredible future waiting for us on the other side of it. And in that beautiful future, “there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

That’s something worth preparing for.”  From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/christian-living/christianity-in-progress/prepare-for-the-end-times/?

Suggestions welcome.   This article was written at a reader’s suggestion. If you’d like to suggest a topic for future editions of “Christianity in Progress,” you can do so anonymously at lifehopeandtruth.com/ideas. We look forward to hearing from you!

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God Will Wipe Away Every Tear

Revelation 21:4

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

“God clearly shows His love for us and His desire for the end of all suffering. The Bible is the story of mankind constantly choosing the way of sin that results in suffering, while our loving God offers forgiveness and a wonderful way of life that results in blessings.

The context of this passage is after the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-12), when every human being will understand the choice God has given, and hopefully the vast majority will accept Christ’s sacrifice and choose to live the way that leads to life. God wants everyone to choose life and to be saved (Deuteronomy 30:19; 1 Timothy 2:4).

After those (hopefully few) who choose death are thrown in the lake of fire, God promises to make all things new. Everyone alive at the time of the new heaven and new earth will have been changed to immortal, spiritual life.

And so at that time when death and pain have become a thing of the past, God will wipe away every tear from their eyes and reveal an eternity of joy to all His children.” From: https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/god-will-wipe-away-every-tear/?

For more understanding of the pain and suffering of this current age, see our section on “Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering?”

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Meat Industry Reaction to New Cancer Guidelines

“What was the meat industry’s response to the recommendation by leading cancer charities to stop eating processed meats, such as bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and lunchmeat.” 

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the video below. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/k8SDN4QjEXI

“What was the meat industry’s response to the leading cancer charities’ recommendation to stop eating processed meat—like bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausage, and lunchmeat? They acknowledged that the most recent international cancer prevention guidelines now urge people to avoid processed meat.

It is evident that such a statement represents “a clear and present danger” for the meat industry, reads one response in the journal Meat Science. Processed meat, they say, is a social necessity. How could anyone live without bologna? The challenge for the meat industry is to find a way to maintain the consumption of these convenience products while somehow not damaging public health.

We’re still not sure what it is in processed meat that’s so carcinogenic, but the most probable educated guess for explaining the damaging effect of processed meats involves heme compounds, along with nitrosamine and free radical formation, resulting ultimately in carcinogenic DNA damage.

To reduce the nitrosamines, they could remove the nitrites—something that the industry has been considering for decades, because of the long known toxic effects they cause. The industry adds them to keep the meat pink. There are, evidently, other coloring additives available. Nevertheless, it’s going to be hard to get their industry to change, in view of the positive effects of these substances as preservatives, and desirable flavor and red color-developing ingredients. No one wants green eggs and ham.

It’s like salt reduction in meat products. They’d like to, but one of the biggest barriers to salt replacement within the meat industry is cost, as salt is one of the cheapest food ingredients available. Now, there are a number of taste enhancers they can inject into the meat that can help compensate for the salt reduction, but some leave a bitter aftertaste. So, they can also just inject a patented bitter-blocking chemical that can prevent taste nerve stimulation at the same time—the first of what may become a stream of products that are produced due to the convergence of food technology and biotech.

Or, they could always try adding non-meat materials to the meat. You could add fiber, or resistant starch from beans, that have protective effects against cancer. After all, in the United States, dietary fiber is under-consumed by most adults, indicating that fiber fortification in meat products could have health benefits—failing to note, of course, that their products are one of the reasons the American diet is so deficient in fiber in the first place.

The industry is all in favor of reformulating their products to cause less cancer, but obviously any such optimization has to achieve a healthier product without affecting the hedonic aspects. It is important to realize that nutritional and technological quality in the meat industry are inversely related. An improvement in one will lead to deterioration of the other. They know that consumption of lard is not the best thing in the world—heart disease, being our number one killer and all. However, those downsides are in sharp contrast to the technological qualities of saturated fat, which makes it indispensable in the manufacture of meat products. Otherwise, you just don’t get the same lard consistency. The pigs’ fat doesn’t get hard enough, and, as a result, a fatty smear upon cutting or slicing can be observed on the cutting surface of the knife.”  From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-industry-reaction-new-cancer-guidelines/

Note: The processed meats mentioned all seem to contain PORK.  (See Leviticus 11)

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Importance of Taking Responsibility. Crossing the Rubicon. The Actual Benefit of Diet vs. Drugs.

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The Importance of Taking Responsibility

“The Bible shows many examples of people refusing to take responsibility for their actions. Must Christians take responsibility for their actions?

Taking responsibility is the willingness to give an account for your actions—to willingly bear the burden of what you have, or have not, done. It is being willing to answer for your conduct and obligations.

However, human nature can lead us to refuse to take responsibility for our actions. In fact, when we’re confronted with our mistakes, we’ll often play the blame game and attempt to deflect our responsibility onto someone else.  

Are there examples of this in the Bible?

Examples of refusing to take responsibility

Here are three examples of individuals who deflected responsibility for their errors onto others:

Aaron

When ancient Israel left Egypt, God led the people to Mount Sinai, where they would receive His laws. Moses went up the mountain to receive the commandments from God Himself. Because Moses was away for so long, the people got weary.

They asked Aaron to make “gods that shall go before us.” Unfortunately, Aaron obliged and made a golden calf for them to worship. He even declared a “feast to the LORD” in honor of the idol (Exodus 32:1-6).

When Moses finally came down and confronted his brother, Aaron refused to take responsibility. Instead, he blamed the people: “You know the people, that they are set on evil” (verse 22). Aaron downplayed his own involvement in the situation, saying, “I cast [the gold] into the fire, and this calf came out” (verse 24).

King Saul

Though Saul had the appearance of a king, he lacked the character to reign righteously. For example, before going into battle with the Philistines, Saul was instructed to wait for Samuel to come and offer sacrifices to God (1 Samuel 10:8).

But instead of waiting for the prophet, Saul got impatient and hastily performed the sacrifices himself. When confronted by Samuel, Saul offered a litany of excuses for why he did it his way instead of God’s way (1 Samuel 13:8-11).

A similar thing happened when Saul was instructed to completely destroy the Amalekites, yet refused to do it (1 Samuel 15:3, 8-9). Saul again blamed the people instead of taking responsibility for his failure (verse 15).

Pontius Pilate

Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judaea during Jesus’ arrest and trial. At the trial, Pilate desired to release Jesus because he knew Jesus was innocent. However, he relented to the demands of the mob to crucify Jesus. To deny any responsibility for executing an innocent Man, he washed his hands of guilt and placed the responsibility on the people (Matthew 27:22-25; Acts 3:13).

Blaming God

People often see God as being harsh, distant and disconnected from their lives. When things don’t go their way, it’s common for people to blame God.

When we fall short, we are to take responsibility, repent and make changes. Consider the following examples from the Bible:

• After being confronted for eating the forbidden fruit, Adam found a way to blame God for his sin: “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate” (Genesis 3:12).
• After killing his brother, Cain complained that God’s punishment was too harsh (Genesis 4:13).
• When they went into captivity for their sins, the ancient Israelites complained that God was unfair and that their punishment was unjustified (Ezekiel 18:25).
• Job’s wife blamed God for the calamity that fell on them and even tried to convince her husband to curse God (Job 2:9).

For more insight on this, read “Who Is to Blame?”

Christians must take responsibility

God expects Christians to be responsible and self-governing. God has given us His laws, which set boundaries on how we are to conduct ourselves. When we fall short, we are to take responsibility, repent and make changes.

A major part of the repentance process is confessing our sins to God, which essentially means we are taking responsibility for our sins before the God of the universe. To learn more about the importance of confessing our sins, read “What Does It Mean to Confess Your Sins?”

God expects us to take responsibility for our actions—instead of refusing to take responsibility and blaming God (or others) for our mistakes—and He aids those who do (Proverbs 28:13). Every human being will have to give an account for his or her life and actions

(Galatians 6:4-5; Hebrews 4:13).

A responsible person is one who is accountable, can be counted on, is trustworthy, upholds his or her word, and is reliable. Responsible people will even make sacrifices for the good of others.

A responsible person is what a spouse looks for, what a family needs, and what makes a strong society and nation.”  From:  https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/blog/the-importance-of-taking-responsibility/?

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Crossing the Rubicon

“Culturally our society has started "crossing the Rubicon." As Christians we must separate ourselves before the point of no return.

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/T3roKe8sfPM

[Steve Myers] “By law, no Roman general could lead his troops into Rome. 49 AD, Julius Caesar led his 13th Legion across the Rubicon River into Italy. Now, there was no going back. There was no turning around and it generated civil war for years until he finally became absolute ruler.

That idea of crossing the Rubicon is reaching the point of no return. There is no going back. It's become known for that very thought, point of no return.

And when you think about it, have we as a society crossed the Rubicon? Have we reached the point of no return? When you look at the values of the culture around us, there is a war that's going on and it is a war that is tearing us apart. And it's more than just political. It is relentless. It's all around us. And whether it's on the radio, when we listen to music or whether it's the news or whether it's any aspect of what we watch or listen, it is something that is bombarding us everywhere with values most oftentimes that are not godly.

Have we reached the point of no return? I mean, there's been a dramatic realignment of what is important to our society today, and we're caught in the middle as God's people.

I can't help but think of a passage that's back in the book of Lamentations. I don't often turn to the book of Lamentations, but in Lamentations 2:14, we find a warning to ancient Judah. They had ignored God and they had done it for so long. In this book of Lamentation, it really points to the fact that they had reached the point of no return. And, of course, there's connections for us today. And in 2:14, it says, "Your profits have seen you false and deceptive visions. They've not uncovered your iniquity to bring you back your captives, but have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions."

Yeah, our society talks a lot about how great this wonderful new perspective is, new values, new ways of doing things, but those are false prophecies. And what's happened to our world is we have reached the point of no return. And so, we as God's people have to make sure we separate ourselves. We can't fall captive to this world's values. And what's happened to Judah is just a type of what's prophesied to happen as we draw nearer to the time of the return of Christ.

So, it's a reminder. It's not too late for us. We don't have to cross the river. It's not the point of no return for us. Just make sure we don't ourselves to be caught into the values and the ways of thinking of this world. Don't get distracted. Don't allow that to happen. So, guard your heart, be on guard, and don't fall captive to those troops that have crossed the Rubicon.”  From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/beyond-today-daily/crossing-the-rubicon

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The Actual Benefit of Diet vs. Drugs

“The medical profession oversells the benefits of drugs for chronic disease since so few patients would apparently take them if doctors divulged the truth.”

Transcript of YouTube: https://youtu.be/P0y-lO2YpuQ

“One of the reasons people may undervalue diet and lifestyle changes is an overconfidence in the ability of pills and procedures to prevent disease. For example, people tend to wildly overestimate the power of things, like mammograms and colonoscopies, to prevent deaths from breast and bowel cancer, or the power of drugs, like Fosamax, to prevent hip fractures, or the power of cholesterol-lowering drugs to prevent fatal heart attacks. Patients believe statin drugs, like Lipitor, are about a hundred times more effective than they actually are in preventing heart attacks.

Most people wouldn’t take multiple blood pressure medications if they knew the truth, which raises a dilemma for doctors. Most patients want to be told the truth.  They want to be told what the chances are that the drugs will actually benefit them, but there is this tension between the patient’s right to know and the likely reduction in patients’ willingness to take the drug if they were so informed. If taking a cholesterol-lowering drug would reduce your risk of getting a heart attack over the next five years by 100%, then, of course, everyone would take it. Even if there were a 50% chance of benefiting, most would still want to take the drugs. But if the chance of benefit is just a few percent, hardly anyone would be willing to take the drugs every day for the rest of their lives. And that’s the actual benefit.

For most people the chance of benefit is normally less than 5% over five years for cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood-thinning drugs. It’s no wonder that doctors seldom share these figures with patients. So, even high risk patients have less than a 5% chance of benefit; whereas, patients don’t want to take drugs unless they have at least a 1 in 5 chance—even those who just had a heart attack. The study therefore suggests that informing patients of the percentage chance of benefit from preventive drug strategies will substantially reduce the uptake of such drugs. They recognize that for the individual, this is unlikely to be detrimental; after all there’s a 95% chance it won’t do anything for them, but for the population at large, it would make a difference; so, doctors and drug companies tend to oversell the benefits by conveniently not mentioning how tiny they actually are, knowing that most patients wouldn’t take them if doctors divulged the truth. To practice non-lifestyle medicine is to practice deceptive medicine.

The best cholesterol-lowering statin drugs can do here is an absolute risk reduction of 3.1% over six years. A whole foods plant-based diet has been shown to work twenty times better–an absolute risk reduction of 60% after less than four years. Overall, 99.4% of patients who stuck with the diet avoided major cardiac events, such as death from heart attack.

So, when we have to decide whether we want to go diet versus drugs, it’s not a choice between eating healthy to prevent a heart attack, or taking a pill to prevent a heart attack, because in 97% of cases the pills don’t do anything —we’re risking side effects for nothing, whereas if we treat the underlying root cause of the disease, by eating this healthy cholesterol-free diet, we may even reverse the progression of the disease.

Stop eating an artery-clogging diet and our bodies can start dissolving that plaque away, opening up arteries, in some cases, without drugs and without surgery. This wasn’t an Ornish study; so, no exercise requirement, no meditation, no stress management, no yoga; just a healthy whole food plant-based diet may work twenty times better than drugs to combat our #1 killer. Now, that’s something doctors may want to tell their patients.” From: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/The-Actual-Benefit-of-Diet-vs-Drugs/

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.

Most drugs have side effects which cause having to take another drug!

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