How Spiritual Health affects the Physical—R Fritz
Pam,
Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your qualifications and what you do for people?
I was born and raised in Wisconsin. In 1987, I graduated from a wonderful college in southern California, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree with my major in theology (Biblical studies). Also, while living in California, I had the opportunity to gain experience in many forms of natural health care, including therapeutic massage, herbology, and nutrition. When I returned to Wisconsin after college, I started my own natural health care business. I had worked for a couple of years in a chiropractic office while in California, so I felt I had plenty of experience at that point to start working independently. I’ve been self-employed ever since.
QUESTIONS
- Why did you start a natural health care business?
When I took business classes in college, being self-employed looked like a great way to have my independence plus design my own career path. I practice natural health care myself and I simply share this passion with my clients based on my personal experience.
- How does your faith affect what you do and how you approach every situation spiritually in your business?
I was baptized and became a believer that Scripture is the divinely inspired word of God at the age of 18 before I went to college. This influenced the choice of which college I attended, focusing on God’s word as the foundation of life. The research papers I did for classes all revolved around Biblical health principles, so I naturally was guided to learn as much as I could about how God’s ways are directly connected to physical health.
- Can you explain to people how the spirit affects our physical health?
One of the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit is peace (shalom). According to an article published online at PubMed entitled, Inflammation: The Common Pathway of Stress-Related Diseases, it states that stress is the common risk factor in 75%-90% of diseases. So, stress (a lack of peace) is scientifically proven to be a major root of disease. Also, Scripture states that a joyful heart does good like medicine in Proverbs 17:22. Peace and joy stimulate the production of endorphins, which are healing hormones of the body. It is amazing how God created us! God designed us to be able to discern good and evil, but it takes lots of practice to work on this skill. I help people discern the roots of their health issues if they haven’t practiced their own discernment skills. Then I encourage people to become able to feel the difference between doing right or wrong.
- How do we take care of ourselves and our immune system?
Besides our emotional health, physical health includes accepting that God created us to eat natural food that is not overly processed or refined of its nutrients. We need to eat fresh raw food with each meal since vitamins and enzyme cofactors are destroyed by heat. A wide variety of nutrients are essential in developing a strong immune system. These nutrients mainly come from vegetables and fruits along with whole grains and dry beans. A moderate amount of lean meat is healthy too. Avoid greasy fried food and sugary snack foods. These tend to cause the most problems for people. Eating in moderation and not being overweight is a key factor in keeping the immune system healthy along with a good activity level. We are designed to work and move, but too many people are very sedentary. Fresh air and plenty of natural sunlight enhance the immune system too. Each one of these separate components works together to create a healthy lifestyle.
- How does the Bible and God’s word affect us physically when we obey or disobey and keeping his word? How do our words (Blessing or cursing people or ourselves) affect spiritual health? In Deuteronomy 28, Scripture outlines the specific blessing of being healthy for a person obeying God’s ways, and on the contrary, disease when a person disobeys God. God created the distinct science of cause and effect as outlined in Ecclesiastes. We reap what we sow in life.
- Why it is important to know how God made us and how and why natural health is better than man made or drugs from the drug companies?
Since drugs are so strong and derived from chemicals, they always have side effects. Natural herbs and plant extracts are much safer in the long run for taking care of common ailments.
- How does fear, anxiety affect our bodies and the spiritual ways to defeat it?
Since God tells us to be anxious for nothing in Philippians 4:6, obeying this command keeps a person’s cortisol levels in balance. Cortisol is the number one stress hormone that contributes to pain and inflammation.
- How does cancer come about and how natural health can help you from getting some types of cancer the cures and the Bible?
Cancer tends to be a toxic state within the body. When the FDA states that a substance is carcinogenic, they are labeling it as a toxic substance in most cases. Regularly cleansing the body tissues with herbs and avoiding toxic substances is the best way of preventing cancer and other diseases stemming from pollution.
- What do you recommend for people to live a happy spiritual life where their spiritual and physical life are in alignment?
Keeping the ten commandments as found in Exodus 20 and again in Deuteronomy 5 is the foundation for a happy spiritual life. When we put God first in everything we do, we find the purpose for our personal existence, to love and serve God plus love our neighbor as ourselves. Historically, love has been said to be the highest achievable state of being. Extending compassion towards people in need creates an abundance of energy and youthful vitality in the body. While, on the other hand, envy rots the bones (Prov. 13:40) and life is in the blood (Lev. 17:14). Blood is manufactured in our bones. Our spiritual state and our bodily functions are all interconnected.
- How can we use “the Word” God’s word to get into that alignment and how to use that in our life?
God tells us to overcome evil with good in Romans 12:21. So, when we drift off the straight and narrow path that leads to righteousness, change the direction we are going. This is the definition of repentance, changing our direction. If a person is having a challenging time overcoming sadness, read Scriptures about joyful praise and worship. Or, if a person is holding on to resentment, release it from the mind with forgiveness. For every attitude, there is an opposite attitude. Simply switch the attitude to its opposite through prayer and meditation. When we line our thoughts up with God’s thoughts, our spirit grows and strengthens, and our body becomes healthier too.
Pam will be writing about the spiritual disease in more detail again in the weeks to come. I pray that through her words people are healed or become knowledgeable about how to change their health or change how they feel through God’s word. God Bless.–Rick
