Health Ideas, Part V

by

John Stephen Mauldin, MLA (not AI assisted)

All right reserved, copyright © 2025

Cholesterol

The Harvard School of Medicine reports, “Oats are an easy first step to improving your cholesterol . . . having a bowl of oatmeal or cold oat-based cereal . . . for breakfast. It gives you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Add a banana or some strawberries for another half-gram. Current nutrition guidelines recommend getting 20 to 35 grams of fiber daily, with at least 5 to 10 grams of soluble fiber.

“Barley and other whole grains can help lower the risk of heart disease, mainly via the soluble fiber they deliver. Beans are especially rich in soluble fiber. They also take a while for the body to digest, meaning you feel full for longer after a meal. That’s one reason beans are a useful food for folks trying to lose weight. With so many choices—from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and beyond—and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food. Eggplant and okra are two low-calorie vegetables and good sources of soluble fiber.

“Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts are good for the heart. Eating 2 ounces of nuts a day can slightly lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by 5%. Nuts also have additional nutrients that protect the heart in other ways.”

Nuts are, indeed, a good source of healthy fat that helps lower cholesterol. Walnuts, in particular, are a superb choice since they contain omega-3 fatty acids that lower triglycerides and raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Be certain you eat only organic walnuts; otherwise, they are loaded with pesticides. The Journal of Nutrition reported that pistachios, which are also a source of monounsaturated fats, help lower LDL cholesterol, too.

Olive oil also contains monounsaturated fat that helps lower LDL cholesterol, whereas butter, for example, is higher in saturated fat which increases cholesterol. Like olive oil, avocado is rich in monounsaturated fats and should be included in a healthy diet. Both olive oil and avocados are excellent additions to a salad, as well.

The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry published the results of a study of apple cider vinegar’s effect on cholesterol, indicating lowered VLDL (very low-density lipoproteins) levels and lowered triglycerides when apple cider vinegar was a regular part of a diet.

There is some evidence that soluble fiber lowers LDL cholesterol by blocking the absorption of cholesterol and fats into the bloodstream. Apples, strawberries, grapes, and other citrus fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL. Yet, it is generally agreed upon by clinical lipidologists that any fruit or vegetable contains antioxidants, which normalize cholesterol levels. So, these should be the greater portion of a healthy diet.

Let’s enjoy the wonderful benefits of the above health-giving foods while eliminating these:

1. Anything that is fried.

2. Anything containing hydrogenated oil. We must read the labels of products before purchasing them at the grocery store and, if a product contains hydrogenated oil, do not buy it.

3. Meat and dairy products should be greatly lessened or eliminated.

Colds

All my life, I would become debilitated two to three times each year, unable to do little except lie in bed, suffering, waiting for my cold to take its course and leave. It was not uncommon to lose three weeks in this miserable condition, often with a throat so swollen I could barely swallow. Painful fever blisters would also break out on my lips, causing embarrassment in public.

Ironically, I felt as though I was eating a healthy diet. But the colds persisted, and so I was resigned to the regularity of this wretched annual agony, accepting it as part of life.

Yet, at this writing, I have not had a cold for nine years—a veritable miracle—which has freed me from weeks and weeks of miserable immobility.

The common cold occurs because of our compromised immune system. But while uncompromised, it can overcome virtually any conventional alien assault. It must be understood, however, that almost all of these assaults, rather than deriving from viruses or bacteria, come from things we place on our body or in our body.

The chief menace in my case was cologne. Inhaling cologne is nearly worse than second-hand smoke. It destroys the bio-mechanism needed to transfer oxygen to the bloodstream, as well as leaching through the skin to attack our immune system. I wore cologne every day for decades, but when I discovered the harmful effects of its many toxic chemicals, I threw it away.

In three weeks, I noticed that my ability to deeply inhale increased. This was rather startling because I had never assumed that I had a limited breathing ability since I was vigorously athletic.

This improvement convinced me to rid myself of any other contaminants that I put on my skin, for I learned they are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, in turn, crashing the immune system. I replaced deodorant, for example, with aluminum-free baking soda mixed with a few drops of water. I found a toothpaste free of the toxins typically found in conventional toothpaste. I discovered that the friction from scrubbing with water removes an equal number of bacteria and with equal effectiveness as scrubbing with soap or shampoo.

So, I quit using soap several years ago. I stopped using shampoo, also, since almost all shampoos contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate(SLS), which causes the bubbling, sudsing action. This is nothing less than poison and will clearly crash our immune systems. So, for the last nine years, I have simply scrubbed my skin and scalp vigorously with water. My skin and hair improved noticeably. My physician, with whom I have enjoyed a friendly doctor-patient relationship for fifteen years, tells me I have no body odor at all.

Proportionate to using wisdom about what I placed on my skin, although I was vegetarian and drank only water, I began to use greater judgment about what I ate. I had stopped eating fried foods and sweets years before. Then, a significant improvement began by eating only organic food.

This made a profound difference, poignantly illustrated by an occasion when I bought a fruit plate for lunch and returned home to enjoy it. It was then I realized it was not organic. At that time, I had eaten only organic food for three years and debated whether I should eat this delicious fruit. I decided it would be inconsequential.

Within fifteen minutes of eating it, however, I felt as though I had the flu. The effects lasted two hours, during which time I lay in bed, quite sick. This experience underscores the fact that toxins used in foods will crash our immune system, causing marked susceptibility to colds.

My triumph over colds, flu, sore throats, fever blisters, and hay fever changed my life. This triumph didn’t come from drugs, dear cousins, but from everyday common sense.

Conscious Awareness

“Arthur, looking downward as he past,

Felt the light of her eyes into his life Smite on the sudden, . . .”[1]

You have probably felt the light of another’s eyes or soul touch you, even inexplicably knowing the source and direction of that subtle radiance. Light emanating from another’s soul, indeed, recently entered my being; for I sensed this instantly, and even knew the direction of that esoteric light, for I turned to see the lost daydream of an admirer amongst a crowded room. It seems we possess this sensitivity to light because we are, in fact, light.

Some of those who apparently understand quantum physics feel that all matter, including matter comprising the human body, is composed of light waves. Interestingly, the foremost inventor in world history believed that all our life episodes are light recordings, which become permanent physical characteristics unperceived save by the unconscious or, more probably, the soul:

“Everything that we once saw, heard, read, and learned, accompanies us in the form of light particles,” said Nicola Tesla. Our unvarnished autobiography in a mosaic of metallic glistenings all about us and for all to see, at least to see unconsciously or spiritually, is a supposition that might inspire us to live responsibly.

Rather than studying quantum physics, I went to my dog for lessons about conscious awareness, he being an accomplished guru of the higher virtues. I learned more from him about the fruits of the spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control—than all the priests and prophets of this terrestrial dimension could ever hope to teach me. And, whereas all these swamis I have met wanted money, he wanted nothing but water, food, and love.

Other than my dog’s teachings, eating organic fruits and vegetables and drinking mostly purified water seems to have increased my awareness. But, in this life, I shall never attain the consciousness of my blessed Blackjack.

[1]From Idylls of the King by Lord Tennyson.