DEFINICIONES.
Salud
Enfermedad
Higiene
Limpieza
QUE DICE LA BIBLIA SOBRE LA SALUD
The first book of public hygiene
First published:Creation 26(1):52–55
December 2003
On 28 September 1976, the following telegram was received at the World Health Organization Headquarters in Geneva:
A SERIOUS EPIDEMIC OF NATURE STILL UNKNOWN IS GOING ON IN THE REGION OF TWO OF OUR PLANTATIONS IN BUMBA ZONE, YAMBUKU COLLECTIVITY. WE THINK IT POSSIBLE FULMINATING TYPHOID OR YELLOW FEVER. SAMPLES HAVE … BEEN SENT TO I.T.M. [Institute of Tropical Medicine] IN ANTWERP TO BE ANALYZED. WE WOULD BE INTERESTED TO KNOW THE DIAGNOSIS BY TELEX AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. IN THIS WAY, WE WILL BE ABLE TO ORGANIZE A CAMPAIGN OF VACCINATION FOR OUR EMPLOYEES.
SIGNED /
DR. BUSQUET, KINSHASA1
This was the first information to come out of Zaïre (now Republic of the Congo) regarding the Ebola viral epidemic that killed hundreds of infected Africans living in and around the Yambuku hospital, near the headwaters of the Ebola River.2
The deadly African Ebola virus Among the more deadly and incurable of viruses is the Ebola virus, named after the Ebola River region in the African Congo, where it was first identified. It has since been found elsewhere in Africa with the same deadly effects. The onset of infection is accompanied by non-specific symptoms such as severe abdominal pains and diarrhoea. Soon the victim is bleeding from many orifices as internal organs liquefy. Doctors suspect that the virus, which equally affects all primates, may have originated in rats. Strangely, some people are totally unaffected by the virus. Outbreaks come in waves and then seem to subside completely. While research continues, little is known for certain of the virus’s origin and mechanisms of infection. |
The nuns at the Yambuku mission hospital were using five unsterilized needles to give injections to hundreds of people each day. Epidemiologists have concluded that this caused the outbreak that occurred simultaneously in 55 villages surrounding the hospital.
The first to die were those who received the injections. Then the disease moved through families, killing mainly those who had prepared the dead for burial. It also swept through the hospital’s staff, killing nurses and midwives who had contact with patient blood and vomit. It is believed that the Ebola disease may have been transmitted through sexual contact as well.
Ebola is only one of a number of newly-emerging killer pathogens that are gaining a foothold throughout the world. Viral diseases such as Lassa fever, Rift Valley fever, hantavirus and dengue are also striking panic and alarm worldwide. Old diseases that had been considered to be no longer health problems are re-emerging in importance. The jet plane and increasing international travel have created the situation in which someone with one of these diseases can travel around the world spreading it even before noticing any symptoms.3 What is worse, there is no cure or vaccine for many of these deadly diseases.
On the positive side, the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch, provide tremendous insight and relief concerning disease prevention. Remarkably, the Pentateuch is regarded as the earliest evidence we have of sound public health and sanitary practices.4 These ancient writings, when used in conjunction with modern medicine, can break the mode of transmission of virtually every scourge known to humanity.
What follows is a brief summary of the biblical instructions pertaining to public health and sanitation. Bear in mind that these regulations were practised some 3,500 years before the germ concept of disease was discovered (mainly by the creationist Louis Pasteur5)!
Wound, skin and discharge precautions
The instructions recorded in Leviticus 15 are strikingly similar to modern disease-prevention techniques.
For example, anyone touching a person with a ‘running issue’ (that is, a bodily discharge), or anything upon which that person sat or lay, became ‘unclean’. In addition, should the ‘toucher’ touch someone without first having washed his hands, uncleanness would be transferred to the person he touched as well.
Just a little more than 100 years ago, these precautions were instituted in modern medical facilities to prevent diseases from spreading. ‘No touch’ surgical and dressing techniques are now used.6 Gloves are necessary for persons touching infected areas and careful hand washing is observed before and after patient care. In addition, ‘universal precautions’ require that all bodily secretions be treated as potentially infectious agents.
Waste disposal
The Israelites were instructed to bury their waste material away from the camp (Deuteronomy 23:12–14). Intestinal diseases such as cholera, amebic dysentery and E. coli enteritis continue even today to take a heavy toll on lives where similar sanitary practices are not observed.
The Israelites were also admonished to burn used dressings. Garments that contained a growth (perhaps a fungus) were to be washed. If the fungus/growth was removed, the garment was to be rewashed before using again. If not, it was to be burned (Leviticus 13:47–58). Note that a first wash could germinate hardy spores. The new growth could then be removed by rewashing. Objects that were touched by an infected person were to be washed. If the object was pottery, however, washing was insufficient (perhaps due to its porous nature). It was to be destroyed (Leviticus 11:33, 15:12).
Today’s health practices are quite similar. Objects and dressings contaminated with bodily discharges are removed for incineration. Whenever possible, disposable needles, syringes, eating utensils, dishes and other items are used. Non-disposable items are washed, bagged and sterilized.
Isolation
The Israelites took great care before diagnosing a person as having leprosy or a similar condition. If there was any doubt as to the certainty of a diagnosis, the person was to be isolated for observation (Leviticus 13:1–14:57). Once a person was diagnosed with a contagious condition, he was to be quarantined outside of the camp ‘all the days wherein the plague shall be in him.’ He was also required to wear a covering over his mouth, and to warn others by shouting, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ (Numbers 5:2–4 and Leviticus 13:45–46).
Modern hospitals also follow special isolation procedures for persons who have, or are suspected of having, contagious infections. For example, ‘strict isolation’ requires a private room with an independent air supply. The door to this room must be kept closed. Gowns, gloves and masks must be worn by all who enter the room. In addition, a sign must be placed on the patient’s door to warn others of his condition.
Burial precautions
Direct contact with the dead (human or animal) brought defilement and required the washing of body and garments (Numbers 19:11, 19, 22 and Leviticus 11:24–28, 40). Contact with objects that had come in direct contact with the dead (such as garments, swords, pots and graves) also resulted in ‘defilement’ and required cleansing or destruction.
Furthermore, when someone died in a tent, all who came into the tent, and all that was in the tent (including every ‘open vessel’) was declared unclean (Leviticus 11 and Numbers 19:14–16).
Until the late 1800s, it was common practice for physicians and medical students to examine their living patients immediately after participating in autopsies.7
Of course, the pathogens that were present in the bodies of those in the morgue were spread to the hospital wards. When doctors began practising procedures similar to those found in the first five books of the Bible, mortality rates were drastically reduced.8
Food and drinking water safety
If the carcass of an animal was found in drinking water, use of the water was forbidden as ‘unclean’. If, however, the water source had a continual supply of fresh water, such as a spring, it would remain ‘clean’ because of the tendency of such water to renew itself (Leviticus 11:34–36). In addition, all food and water within a vessel that came in contact with a dead animal or an infected person was declared unclean (Leviticus 11:34, 15:12).
Today, we know that failure to heed any one of these precautions could result in the transmission of infectious microorganisms.
Unlawful lifestyles and disease
The Israelites were clearly forbidden to have any sexual relationships outside of marriage (Leviticus 18:22, 20:10–16 and Exodus 20:14). The biblical plan of husband and wife constituting an exclusive married unit (Genesis 1:27, 2:23–25; Matthew 19:3–6) certainly prevented the spread of venereal diseases.
Because of man’s failure to heed this admonition, sexually transmitted diseases continue to be the world’s leading contagious diseases.9
God’s prescription
 The author, David Wise, on duty in Africa checking a covered water supply. |
The biblical record clearly indicates that diseases are communicable and that the best protection against them is to prevent their spread. It is noteworthy that these ancient records do not contain a single medical misconception! I don’t claim that Moses understood the basis of modern medicine, but that God, who inspired Moses’ writings (including the outline of the world’s true history given in Genesis), certainly did.
More importantly, the Bible deals with the most deadly disease ever to plague mankind—sin (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23). Like every good physician, God offers the prescription for this killer disease as well: a personal saving relationship, through faith, with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
‘But He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was on Him; and with His stripes we ourselves are healed … Yet it pleased the LORD to … put forth His soul as a guilt-offering’ (Isaiah 53:5, 10a).
David Wise is a database software trainer and support technician for an IT firm. He serves part-time as a chaplain’s assistant in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, which has included extended assignments to Oman, Pakistan and Afghanistan.Fuente original
CUIDANDO DEL TEMPLO
¿Qué implica el comenzar a considerar los temas relacionados con nuestro cuerpo?
En primer lugar, somos enseñados a cuidar y amar nuestros cuerpos. De hecho, el apóstol Pablo usa esto a modo de ejemplo para ilustrar cómo los maridos deben amar a sus esposas, «porque nadie odia su propia carne, sino que la cuida…» (Eph.5.28). En segundo lugar, si el Espíritu Santo vive dentro de nosotros, como de hecho lo hace, entonces debemos cuidar este «templo» con el mismo respeto y reverencia que los israelitas tenían hacia el templo de Dios en Jerusalén.
¿Cómo debemos cuidarlo?
Evitar la tendencia a minimizar la atención. Creo que la preferencia de las iglesias evangélicas ha sido reducir este cuidado a dos simples instrucciones: no tomar bebidas alcohólicas y no fumar. Por supuesto que ambas son prácticas dañinas y deben ser evitadas. Pero el cuidado del cuerpo no debe, en ninguna manera, restringirse a esto.
Buscar información sobre nutrición. Actualmente estamos bien informados sobre cuestiones de nutrición: cuáles comidas nos hacen bien y cuáles nos hacen daño. Por eso, debemos buscar información apropiada sobre cuáles comidas evitar para el bien de nuestra salud, y cuáles ingerir (una dieta balanceada que incluya todos los nutrimentos necesarios).
Vigilar nuestro peso. Muchos líderes viven con un importante sobrepeso lo cual puede llevarlos a serios problemas de salud física. Proverbios dice que debemos «¡meter el cuchillo a la garganta para evitar comer demasiado!» (Pr.23.2). El sobrepeso trae complicaciones de colesterol, diabetes y otras enfermedades que perfectamente pueden evitarse si se tienen buenos hábitos alimenticios. Además, pone en riesgo la salud de quienes tienen mayor responsabilidad en la iglesia —muchos de ellos mueren prematuramente— por lo cual dejan de alcanzar su máximo potencial personal y ministerial—.
Comer sin control es un claro testimonio de que no hemos sujetado al Espíritu esa área de nuestra vida, pues el fruto del dominio propio y la templanza —mencionados por Pablo (Gal.5:22-23)— están ausentes. La disciplina en la comida también es el fruto de la obra del Espíritu Santo.
Por otro lado, no desconocemos los muchos casos de anorexia (las personas dejan de comer por cuestiones psicológicas) o bulimia (los que inducen el vómito cada vez que comen) presentes en la iglesia, especialmente entre mujeres, aunque a veces ocurre entre los hombres. La obsesión por la apariencia y la importancia de tener un «cuerpo de modelo» han hecho que esas dos enfermedades —de rara ocurrencia hace quince años en América Latina— hoy sean más frecuentes en los consultorios médicos de nuestros países.
La salud se encuentra siempre en procurar el equilibrio y la moderación. Busquemos tener un peso apropiado a nuestra contextura, lo que demanda que seamos responsables a la hora de comer. Debemos, además, animarnos unos a otros a ser buenos administradores de nuestros recursos alimenticios.
Practicar ejercicio físico. El ser humano en este siglo goza de muchos avances tecnológicos que le facilitan el trabajo y el quehacer cotidiano. Empero esos avances nos han hecho perder las oportunidades para ejercitarnos físicamente. Por eso, el pastor debe tomar tiempo semanalmente para hacer algún tipo de ejercicio físico. Muchos piensan que si el pastor se ejercita en alguna disciplina física en vez de realizar visitas pastorales no está cumpliendo con su deber. Pero esta mentalidad no toma en cuenta que una buena administración de nuestro cuerpo permite que llevemos adelante ministerios más eficaces, con un menor desgaste al habitual.
Realizar exámenes médicos periódicos. No permita que el temor y la ansiedad le impidan hacerse las pruebas médicas básicas. También en esto los líderes suelen ser negligentes, confiando en que su buena salud va a durar para siempre. La presencia de trastornos y enfermedades de riesgo pueden ser detectados a tiempo si se realizan los chequeos médicos necesarios. No debemos olvidar tampoco que después de cierta edad una cita anual con el médico es altamente aconsejable.
Crear momentos de recreación familiar. Los momentos que tomamos para disfrutar de paseos en familia y para dedicarlos a la recreación tienen claras repercusiones en nuestra salud física y emocional. El ministerio se nos presenta con permanentes desafíos. Somos llamados a invertir en la vida de los que están bajo nuestra responsabilidad, una tarea que trae un desgaste lógico muy normal. Además de esto, frecuentemente debemos intervenir en situaciones de crisis, acompañando y ministrando a los enfermos, los deprimidos, los desanimados y los quebrantados. Este ministerio deja sus secuelas en nuestra mente y nuestro corazón. Por tanto, los tiempos que los líderes puedan separar para disfrutar de la comunión con sus cónyuges e hijos restauran admirablemente las fuerzas para seguir adelante con la obra del ministerio.
Recientemente un pastor me comentó: «Después de haber asistido a su clase de consejería cristiana, me di cuenta de que yo podía poner límites a las demandas de mis ovejas. En otros tiempos, dejaba todo, hasta los paseos y momentos familiares, para atender a las personas. Ahora, soy cuidadoso en organizar mi tiempo para poder cuidar a mi esposa y familia.».
En conclusión…
Si logramos implementar estas modificaciones en nuestro estilo de vida, podremos asegurarnos de que nuestros ministerios estén construidos sobre un fundamento más sano y tengan una proyección que nos permita invertir nuestros recursos a largo plazo. Necesitamos líderes que muestren con su ejemplo cómo el cristiano lleva los valores del reino al plano de la expresión física de la vida.
The 7 Laws of Leanness
Why do some people seem naturally thin—able to torch cheeseburgers instantly and never gain a pound? And why do some of us—okay, most of us—sweat and diet and sweat and diet some more, and never lose enough to get the body we want?Because those “naturally thin” people actually live by a series of laws that keep them from ever gaining weight. And if you know their secrets, you can indulge and enjoy and never gain another pound as long as you live.
As the editor-in-chief of Men’s Health, I’ve spent the past two decades interviewing leading experts, poring over groundbreaking studies, and grilling top athletes, trainers, and celebrities for their health and fitness advice. And I’ve learned that what separates the fit from the fat, the slim from the sloppy, the toned from the torpid, is a set of rules. And what’s amazing is that none of them involves spending hours on a treadmill, eating nothing but grapefruit and tree bark, or having part of the small intestine replaced with fiberfill. Follow these simple rules and weight loss will be automatic.
LAW #1: Lean People Don’t Diet
What? Of course lean people diet! They’re just magically better at denying themselves than the rest of us are, right?
No. In reality, studies show that the number one predictor of future weight gain is being on a diet right now. Part of the reason is that restricting calories reduces strength, bone density, and muscle mass—and muscle is your body’s number-one calorie burner. So by dieting, you’re actually setting yourself up to gain more weight than ever. And a recent study in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine showed that tracking your diet in a food journal can actually boost your stress levels, which in turn increases your level of a hormone called cortisol, and cortisol is linked to—you guessed it—weight gain.
FAT-FIGHTING FIBER: Get 25 grams of fiber a day—the amount in about 3 servings of fruits and vegetables—and you can boost fat burn up to 30 percent. For more tips on fighting fat and toning your midsection, follow me right here on Twitter. Or try any of these 50 Ways to Lose 10 Pounds!
LAW #2: Lean People Don’t Go Fat-Free
A European study tracked nearly 90,000 people for several years and discovered that participants who tried to eat “low fat” had the same risk of being overweight as those who ate whatever they wanted.Fat doesn’t make you fat, period. Indeed, you need fat in your diet to help you process certain nutrients, like vitamins A, D, and E, for example. And many “fat-free” foods are loaded with sugar, and therefore have even more calories than their full-fat cousins. Even the American Heart Association says that fat-free labels lead to higher consumption of unhealthy sweets. Fat keeps you full and satisfied. Fat-free will send you running back to the fridge in an hour, hungry for more.
LAW #3: Lean People Sit Down to Eat
In fact, the more you sit down and enjoy your food, the leaner you’re going to be. Punishing yourself only makes you fat!Greek researchers recently reported that eating more slowly and savoring your meal can boost levels of two hormones that make you feel fuller. And researchers at Cornell University found that when people sat down at the table with already full plates of food, they consumed up to 35 percent less than they did when eating family-style—that is, by passing serving dishes around the table.
FIX IT WITH FOOD! Check out our list of the 40 Foods with Superpowers—foods that, even in moderation, can strengthen your heart, fortify your bones, and boost your metabolism so you can lose weight more quickly.
LAW #4: Lean People Know What They’re Going to Eat Next
Planning your responses to hunger may help you shed pounds faster, say Dutch researchers. They posed their subjects questions like “If you’re hungry at 4 p.m., then . . . what?” Those who had an answer (“I’ll snack on some almonds”) were more successful at losing weight than those who didn’t have an answer.
One of the best things about the brand-new Eat This, Not That! 2012 is that it helps you find fat-fighting food no matter where you are: movie theater, coffee shop, vending machine. It also includes this list of foods that should never see the inside of your belly: The NEW 20 Worst Foods in America.
LAW #5: Lean People Eat Protein
In a recent European study, people who ate moderately high levels of protein were twice as likely to lose weight and keep it off as those who didn’t eat much protein. A New England Journal of Medicine study looked at a variety of eating plans and discovered that eating a diet high in protein and low in refined starches (like white bread) was the most effective for weight loss. Protein works on two levels: First, you burn more calories to digest it. Second, because your body has to work harder to digest a Big Mac than, say, a Ho Ho, you stay fuller longer.
STEALTH HEALTH FOODS: Power up your diet by expanding your menu. Here are The 7 Healthiest Foods You're Not Eating.
LAW #6: Lean People Move Around
I don’t mean climbing Kilimanjaro, breaking the tape at the Boston Marathon, or spending 24 hours at 24 Hour Fitness. I mean going for a short bike ride (20 minutes burns 200 calories), taking a leisurely walk (145 calories every 51 minutes), wrestling with your kids (another 100 calories smoked in 22 minutes), or fishing (there’s 150 calories gone in an hour—even more if you actually catch something).Simply put, fit people stay fit by having fun. Scientists have a name for how you burn calories just enjoying yourself. It’s called NEAT: non-exercise activity thermogenesis. Sounds complicated, like something only policy wonks at a global warming summit are qualified to discuss. But it’s pretty simple: Pick a few activities that you enjoy, from tossing a stick for your dog to bowling with your best friend, and just do them more often. The average person makes 200 decisions every day that affect his or her weight. If you choose the fun option more often than not, you’ll see results.
LAW #7: Lean People Watch Less TV
Instead of calling it the boob tube, maybe we should call it the man-boob tube. About 18 percent of people who watch less than two hours of TV a day have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more—the cutoff line for obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But of those who watch more than four hours of TV a day, nearly 30 percent have a BMI that high, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Look, I like TV. But all things in moderation: In a study at the University of Vermont, overweight participants who cut their daily TV time in half (from an average of 5 hours to 2.5 hours) burned an extra 119 calories a day. And a recent study of people who successfully lost weight found that 63 percent of them watched less than 10 hours of TV a week. Want more? A study in the journal Annals of Behavioral Medicine reported that lean people have an average of 2.6 television sets in their homes. Overweight people have an average of 3.4. Finally, researchers in Australia recently discovered that every hour in front of the television trims 22 minutes from your life. Yikes!
Breaking any of these seven laws occasionally is fine. Just don't make a habit of it.
20 Habits That Make You Fat
#2: Not seeking nutrition advice
Good news here: By reading this, you’re already forming habits that can help you shed pounds. When Canadian researchers sent diet and exercise advice to more than 1,000 people, they found that the recipients began eating smarter and working more physical activity into their daily routines. Not surprisingly, the habits of the non-recipients didn’t budge. Don't lose your momentum:
#15: Not drinking enough water
Adequate water intake is essential for all your body’s functions, and the more you drink, the better your chances of staying thin. In one University of Utah study, dieting participants who were instructed to drink two cups of water before each meal lost 30 percent more weight than their thirsty peers. And you can magnify the effect by adding ice. German researchers found that six cups of cold water a day could prompt a metabolic boost that incinerates 50 daily calories. That’s enough to shed five pounds a year!
