Modern Medicine Proves White Wrong

In the past Adventist leaders claimed Mrs. White received her health teachings directly from heaven. In more recent times, after Dr. Ronald Numbers and Elder Walter Rea exposed the extent of Mrs. White's plagiarism of other health reformers, many Adventists are beginning to admit, at least privately, that she copied most of her health "visions" from others. However, they insist that God guided her in what materials to copy into her books and what materials to leave out. Is this true? Are her health writings inspired? Let's find out...

Is the Vegan Diet the Best for Christians?

Today Ellen White followers are making fantastic claims about the vegetarian diet promoted by Ellen White. Some say that this diet, supposedly given to Ellen White in a "health reform" vision by none other than God Himself, has directly resulted in the Adventist people living longer, healthier lives than the sinful meat eaters. Is this the truth? Do scientific studies, such as the Adventist Lifestyle Study, confirm this?

Despite the fact that Mrs. White ate meat most of her life, she forbade her followers from eating meat and advocated a vegan diet:

"Meat should not be placed before our children. Its influence is to excite and strengthen the lower passions, and has a tendency to deaden the moral powers. Grains and fruits prepared free from grease, and in as natural a condition as possible, should be the food for the tables of all who claim to be preparing for translation to heaven."¹

Here is a quote where Mrs. White advocates a vegan diet to her followers:

"Among those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord, meat eating will eventually be done away; flesh will cease to form a part of their diet. We should ever keep this end in view, and endeavor to work steadily toward it. I cannot think that in the practice of flesh eating we are in harmony with the light which God has been pleased to give us. All who are connected with our health institutions especially should be educating themselves to subsist on fruits, grains, and vegetables.³

Is a diet of "fruits, grains, and vegetables" the healthiest for Christians? Will it reduce disease and lead to a healthier, longer life?

Cancer - Some Adventists have claimed that studies on Seventh-day Adventists prove that eating meat causes cancer. However, there are many other factors involved besides diet. For example, Adventists do not smoke or drink coffee. Dr. Stephen Byrnes writes:

"The Mormons are a religious group often overlooked in vegetarian studies. Although their Church urges moderation, Mormons do not abstain from meat. As with the Adventists, Mormons also avoid tobacco, alcohol and caffeine. Despite being meat-eaters, Utah Mormons showed in a study that they had a 22% lower rate for cancer in general and a 34% lower mortality rate for colon cancer than the US average. A study of Puerto Ricans, who eat large amounts of fatty pork, nevertheless revealed very low rates of colon and breast cancer. Similar results can be adduced to demonstrate that meat and animal fat consumption does not correlate with cancer. Obviously, other factors are at work.

"It is usually claimed that vegetarians have lower cancer rates than meat-eaters, but a 1994 study of vegetarian California Seventh Day Adventists showed that, while they did have lower rates for some cancers (e.g., breast and lung), they had higher rates for several others (Hodgkin's disease, malignant melanoma, brain, skin, uterine, prostate, endometrial, cervical and ovarian), some quite significantly. In that study, the authors actually admitted that 'Meat consumption, however, was not associated with a higher [cancer] risk' and that 'No significant association between breast cancer and a high consumption of animal fats or animal products in general was noted'."⁶

Heart Disease - The relationship between meat eating and heart disease is also questionable. Dr. Byrnes writes:

"It also does not appear that vegetarian diets protect against heart disease. A study on vegans in 1970 showed that female vegans had higher rates of death from heart disease than non-vegan females. A recent study showed that Indians, despite being vegetarians, have very high rates of coronary artery disease. High-carbohydrate/low-fat diets (which is what vegetarian diets are) can also place one at a greater risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer due to their hyperinsulemic effects on the body. Recent studies have also shown that vegetarians have higher homocysteine levels in their blood. Homocysteine is a known cause of heart disease.

"... Although it is commonly believed that saturated fats and dietary cholesterol "clog" arteries and cause heart disease, such ideas have been shown to be false by such scientists as Linus Pauling, Russell Smith, George Mann, John Yudkin, Abram Hoffer, Mary Enig, Uffe Ravnskov and other prominent researchers. On the contrary, studies have shown that arterial plaque is primarily composed of unsaturated fats, particularly polyunsaturated ones, and not the saturated fat of animals, palm or coconut.

"Trans fatty acids, as opposed to saturated fats, have been shown by researchers such as Enig, Mann and Fred Kummerow to be causative factors in accelerated atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, cancer and other ailments. Trans fatty acids are found in such modern foods as margarine and vegetable shortening and foods made with them. Dr Enig and her colleagues have also shown that excessive omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake from refined vegetable oils is also a major culprit behind cancer and heart disease, not animal fats.

"... The French have one of the highest per-capita consumptions of meat, yet have low rates of heart disease; in Greece, meat consumption is higher than average, but rates of heart disease are low there as well; and in Spain, an increase in meat-eating (in conjunction with a reduction in sugar and high-carbohydrate intake) was found to lead to a decrease in heart disease.

"... The body needs saturated fats in order to properly utilise essential fatty acids. Saturated fats also lower the blood levels of the artery-damaging lipoprotein (a); are needed for proper calcium utilisation in the bones; stimulate the immune system; are the preferred food for the heart and other vital organs; and, along with cholesterol, add structural stability to the cell and intestinal wall. They are excellent for cooking, as they are chemically stable and do not break down under heat, unlike polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Omitting them from one's diet, then, is ill-advised."⁷

It sounds like a great way to sell a religion: Become a Seventy-day Adventist and live a decade longer! But wait! Are the health teachings of the Adventists unique in some way that makes them live longer than anyone else?

If you examine the evidence closely, you will find that the bulk of Adventist longevity is due to factors that many other Christians are also practicing. For example, recent studies have suggested that having a religious belief and praying could increase the life span:

"20-year old Americans can expect to live 6.6 years longer if they attend religious services at least once a week."⁹

A University of Texas study found that life expectancy rose when the number of church services attended increased. Those who attended every week had a life expectancy of 82 years. This dropped to 79 years for those who attended less than once a week, and for non-attenders it dropped to about 75 years.¹¹

This scientific evidence proves that merely going to church and praying could extend your life span nearly seven years. If you combine that with abstinence from tobacco and moderation in drinking alcohol, as nearly all Christian denominations advise, then this significantly closes the gap between Seventh-day Adventists and Christians of other denominations. If you are a practicing Christian who abstains from tobacco, drinks in moderation, and exercises regularly, then do not expect to live any longer by adopting the Seventh-day Adventist lifestyle.

Dr. Byrnes informs us:

"There is no proof that a healthy vegetarian diet, when compared to a healthy omnivorous diet, will result in a longer life. Additionally, people who choose a vegetarian lifestyle typically also choose not to smoke; they choose to exercise; in short, they choose to live a healthier lifestyle. These things also are factors in one's longevity. ... Russell Smith, PhD, in his massive review study on heart disease, showed that as animal product consumption increased among some study groups, death rates actually decreased! Such results were not obtained among vegetarian subjects. For example, in a study published by Burr and Sweetnam in 1982, analysis of mortality data revealed that, although vegetarians had a slightly (0.11%) lower rate of heart disease than non-vegetarians, the all-cause death rate was much higher for vegetarians.

"... It is usually claimed that meat-eating peoples have a short lifespan, but the Aborigines of Australia, who traditionally eat a diet rich in animal products, are known for their longevity (at least before colonisation by Europeans). ... In his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Dr Price has numerous photographs of elderly native peoples from around the world. Explorers such as Vilhjalmur Stefansson reported great longevity among the Innuit (again, before colonisation). Similarly, the people of the Caucasus Mountains live to great ages on a diet of fatty pork and whole raw milk products. The Hunzas, also known for their robust health and longevity, drink substantial portions of goat's milk, which has a higher saturated fat content than cow's milk. In contrast, the largely vegetarian Hindus of southern India have the shortest lifespans in the world, partly because of a lack of food but also because of a distinct lack of animal protein in their diets.

"H. Leon Abrams's comments are instructive here:

Vegetarians often maintain that a diet of meat and animal fat leads to a premature death. Anthropological data from primitive societies do not support such contentions.

"Dr Price traveled around the world in the 1920s and 1930s, investigating native diets with regard to endurance and energy levels. Without exception, he found a strong correlation between diets rich in animal fats and robust health and athletic ability. Special foods for Swiss athletes, for example, included bowls of fresh, raw cream. In Africa, Dr Price discovered that groups whose diets were rich in fatty meats and fish, and organ meats like liver, consistently carried off the prizes in athletic contests, and that meat-eating tribes always dominated tribes whose diets were largely vegetarian."¹²

Digestive Track Designed for Vegetarian Eating - The claim is often put forward by Adventists that the human digestive track is not designed for meat eating. Dr. Bryce writes:

"Some vegetarian groups claim that since humans possess grinding teeth, like herbivorous animals, and longer intestines than carnivorous animals, this proves the human body is better suited for vegetarianism. This argument fails to note several human physiological features which clearly indicate a design for animal product consumption.

"First and foremost is our stomach's production of hydrochloric acid, something not found in herbivores. Hydrochloric acid activates protein-splitting enzymes. Further, the human pancreas manufactures a full range of digestive enzymes to handle a wide variety of foods, both animal and vegetable.

"Dr Walter Voegtlin's in-depth comparison of the human digestive system with that of the dog (a carnivore) and the sheep (a herbivore) clearly shows that we are closer in anatomy to the carnivorous dog than the herbivorous sheep. While humans may have longer intestines than animal carnivores, they are not as long as herbivores; nor do we possess multiple stomachs like many herbivores; nor do we chew cud. Our physiology definitely indicates a mixed feeder or an omnivore--much the same as our relatives the mountain gorilla and chimpanzee, who have all been observed eating small animals and in some cases other primates."¹³

"While lacto and lacto-ovo vegetarians have sources of vitamin B12 in their diets (from dairy products and eggs), vegans (total vegetarians) do not. Vegans who do not supplement their diet with vitamin B12 will eventually get anaemia (a fatal condition) as well as severe nervous and digestive system damage. Most, if not all, vegans have impaired B12 metabolism, and every study of vegan groups has demonstrated low vitamin B12 concentrations in the majority of individuals. Several studies have been done, documenting B12 deficiencies in vegan children--deficiencies which often have had dire consequences. Additionally, claims are made in vegan and vegetarian literature that B12 is present in certain algae, in tempeh (a fermented soy product) and in brewer's yeast. All of them are false, as vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods. Brewer's and nutritional yeasts do not contain B12 naturally; they are always fortified from an outside source."¹⁴

For further research please visit: The Myths of Vegetarianism

Is Tea bad for you?

Mrs. White was so opposed to tea that she went so far as to pronounce that God's people should refuse to help impoverished people who spend their money on tea:

"I saw that the stewards of the Lord have no duty to help those persons who persist in using tobacco, tea, and coffee."¹⁵

"I do not use tea, either green or black. Not a spoonful has passed my lips for many years, except when crossing the ocean, and once since on this side I took it as a medicine when I was sick and vomiting. In such circumstances it may prove a present relief."¹⁶

Research continues in a wide variety of studies involving tea's participation in cancer risk reduction and other health aspects. Here are the latest findings on black tea:¹⁷

• Participants in a study at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston who drank a cup or more of black tea each day had a 44 percent lower chance of heart attack than those who did not.

• In the Netherlands, researchers found that people who drank two or more cups a day were less likely to have severe atherosclerosis, a buildup of cholesterol in the arteries.

• In England a comparison was made of women ages 65 to 76 who drink tea with those who do not. Researchers found the tea drinkers had significantly greater bone density (less osteoporosis).

• Numerous studies have shown that the antioxidants in both black and green teas may inhibit the growth of cancer and destroy cancerous cells. This includes cancers of the digestive and urinary tracts, prostate, and pancreas.

• A Harvard Study found "people who drank 5 cups a day of black tea had 10 times more virus-fighting interferon in their blood.

Here are the latest findings on green tea:

• Columbia University and Shanghai Cancer Institute with participation of the U.S. National Cancer Institute: The "Shanghai study" shows that "people who drink green tea once a week for six months or more have a reduced risk for rectal, colon and pancreative cancers, and that this reduced risk may be stronger for women than men."

• Monash University, Australia: Study reported that Chinese and Japanese green tea "prevents the oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) better than Vitamin C. Oxidation of LDL plays a critical role in the development of arteriosclerosis and heart disease."

• Japan: Research indicated that green tea may protect against cardiovascular disease and liver disorders, based on daily consumption of green tea by 1,371 men.

• University of Kansas: Reports assert that "green tea is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E at protecting cells from damage linked to cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. They also found that EGCg is twice as powerful as resveratrol, another powerful antioxidant, which is found in red wine, grapes and other foods."

• London: Study reported that both black and green tea "killed a wide range of bacteria, including the antibiotic-resistant and potentially deadly Staphlyococcus aureus, at 'well below cup of tea' concentrations." Green tea properties were also shown to "possess antimicrobial activity, including defense against a bacteria (Bacterium acne) that can lead to acne."

• United States: Study shows green tea extract may help dieters shed fat, according to researchers reporting in the December, 1999, issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

• Rutgers University, United States: Found that green tea blocked up to 87% of skin cancers, 58% of stomach cancers, and 56% of lung cancers in mice.

Moderate Alcohol Consumption

Mrs. White was a noted temperance speaker of her day and she warned people to abstain from all alcohol use. At some point in her lifelong crusade against alcohol someone must have pointed out to her that some people drinking alcohol were living to ripe old ages. Her admonition was:

"Those who use tea, coffee, opium, and alcohol, may sometimes live to old age, but this fact is no argument in favor of the use of these stimulants."¹⁹

Two thousand years ago the apostle Paul advised Timothy to use a "little wine" for his infirmities.²⁰ Paul was probably not aware that twentieth century scientists would be giving out the same advice for a "little wine." In recent years researchers were surprised to discover that wine drinkers in France had much lower cardiovascular disease than those who did not drink. Further research showed that all alcoholic beverages have this same effect. Researchers discovered that alcohol retards arterial aging and promotes the health of the endothelium, the layer of cells lining your arteries that promotes proper blood flow. More than two dozen studies have shown that drinking one or two drinks a day discourages heart disease.

Wine appears to be especially beneficial. Grapes and other fruits are loaded with phenolic chemical compounds called flavonoids, as well as other antioxidant compounds. These compounds have been shown to reduce the artery-clogging propensities of low-density lipids (LDL), the "bad" form of cholesterol, as well as inhibit the formation of blood clots. The grapes used to create red wine are rich in resveratrol, a component that increases HDL "good" cholesterol and limits the production of LDL cholesterol. Saponins, a plant protective agent found in the grapes’ waxy skin, which dissolves into the wine during its fermentation process, are believed to bind to and prevent the absorption of cholesterol and are also known to settle down inflammation pathways. Researchers think alcohol may make the saponins more soluble and thus more available in wine.²¹

One study also found that fruit consumption itself led to lower cardiovascular disease mortality--just drinking grape or other juice and eating fresh fruits may suffice to improve heart health. But wine presents these flavonoids and antioxidants to the body in a way that juices do not. During the course of processing ordinary juice, the phenolic compounds are largely degraded by their exposure to oxygen, dramatically lowering levels of the heart-helping chemical substances. Wine making, with its anaerobic process (that is, one not exposed to oxygen), preserves these. Juice is still "good for the heart," but perhaps not as good as wine.

Other recent findings:

Cardiovascular Health - In the Nurses Health Study, a study of the health habits of 90,000 nurses, researchers found that those who drank three or more drinks a week had a 40 percent lower rate of nonfatal heart attacks and arterial disease than those who did not. The study further found that women who drank one drink a day and men who drank one to two drinks a day did not have any higher risk of cancer or liver disease. However, those who drank more than this did increase their risk of cancer and liver disease. (For more research, see Michael F. Roizon, M.D., Real Age, 1999, p. 249-250). An Italian study found that women with moderate alcohol consumption cut their risk of heart attack by 30%. However, heavy drinkers increased their risk by 20%.²²

Liver Damage - An animal study shows that light alcohol consumption seems to speed the recovery of damaged livers in rats. Researcher Dr. Gerald Minuk of the University of Manitoba said, the results "cause us to revisit what we are advising our patients who are interested in having one to two drinks per day but who are concerned about what effects that might have on the liver." In the study, scientists divided 86 rats, who had a portion of their livers surgically removed, into four groups. The group receiving high concentrations of alcohol showed inhibition of liver repair, as expected. The moderate consumption group, and the control group, which got water, showed neither bad nor good effects on the liver. But interestingly, the light consumption group had a more rapid recovery and an increase in liver repair. Researchers speculate that small amounts of alcohol may activate some protective genes.²³

Sudden Cardiac Death - The Physicians' Health Study used data from 21,537 men over a 12-year period. Researchers found that men who had two to four drinks per week lessened their risk for sudden cardiac death by 60 percent. Those who had five to six drinks per week lowered their risk by 79 percent. Though some alcohol is good, more is not better. Rates of sudden cardiac death increased among people who had more than two drinks per day.²⁴

Reduced Stroke Risk - A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, says alcohol consumption appears to protect against ischemic strokes, which occur when blood supply to the brain is blocked by a blood clot. Ischemic strokes account for 80 percent of all strokes. "Our study showed that having a drink a day or perhaps two drinks per day can reduce the risk of stroke perhaps by as much as 50 percent," said Dr. Mitchell Elkind of Columbia University. The study found those who drank up to two drinks a day had a 45 percent lower stroke risk.²⁵

Protects Against Lung Cancer - Researchers from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain found that each daily glass of red wine reduced the risk of lung cancer by 13 percent. The Spanish researchers attributed the beneficial effects of red wine to its tannins, which have antioxidant properties, and to resveratrol, a substance shown to hamper the development of tumor growth in other research.²⁶

Bone Loss in Women - Preliminary data shows that moderate drinking--no more than seven drinks a week--can increase estrogen levels, an effect that may prevent heart disease and stop bone loss in post-menopausal women. Heavier drinking, however, doesn't help and in some cases can be harmful.²⁷

Hypertension - In persons with high blood pressure, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease is much higher in northern Europe and the United States than in Mediterranean countries. French researchers found that in persons with hypertension, moderate regular wine drinking reduced the risk of death from all causes, not just coronary artery disease.²⁸

Gallstones - Half a glass of wine or beer a day reduced gallstone incidence about 40% in a Harvard study. Theoretically, a little alcohol increases the breakdown of cholesterol, making less of it available to form gallstones.²⁹

Cinnamon

Are you a parent who allows your child to eat cinnamon? If so, Mrs. White has a rebuke for you:

"Parents who have taught their children to eat unhealthful, stimulating food, all their lives, until the taste is perverted, and they crave clay, slate pencils, burned coffee, tea grounds, cinnamon, cloves, and spices, cannot claim that the appetite demands what the system requires."³⁰

Cinnamon has long been used by natural health advocates to stimulate the digestive system and relax the stomach, thereby supporting digestion. It is said to be effective in relieving nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Furthermore, cinnamon kills E. Coli bacteria. When added to apple juice contaminated with E. coli, cinnamon eliminated 99.5 percent of the bacteria. The spice is a potent antimicrobial agent.

Pepper and Mustard

Mrs. White was opposed to the use of spices, particularly spicy peppers:

"Mustard, pepper, spices, pickles, and other things of a like character, irritate the stomach and make the blood feverish and impure."³²

• Cayenne pepper - a natural pain killer triggers the release of endorphins, the body's "feel-good" chemicals. It regulates blood flow, strengthening the heart, arteries, capillaries and nerves. It is used by natural health care providers to treat a variety of ailments.
• Black pepper - Considered the foremost detoxifier and anti-aging herb in Asia. Increases the release of carcinogens thru the Liver, thereby reducing cancer likelihood. Increases circulation and lowers blood pressure. Protects against liver damage. Is an antioxidant.
• Mustard - Has been used by natural health care providers to treat fevers, colds, and influenza.

Sleep is better before midnight

Once it was believed that the Moon and stars favored pre-midnight sleep. "An hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours thereafter" goes an English proverb published in 1670. Health reformer Sylvester Graham taught that sleep was better before midnight, and Ellen White apparently believed this rule because she wrote the following:

"I know from the testimonies given me from time to time for brain workers, that sleep is worth far more before than after midnight. Two hours' good sleep before twelve o'clock is worth more than four hours after twelve o'clock. . . . "³³

Vision: No antidote for strychnine poisoning

As one final example of Mrs. White's misguided health teachings, in 1864, she had a "vision" regarding strychnine:

"A branch was presented before me bearing large flat seeds. Upon it was written, Nux vomica, strychnine. Beneath was written, No antidote."³⁵

Conclusion

Defenders of Mrs. White are quick to point out that much of her advice on health is beneficial for us today. This we do not argue. She advocated eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, drinking good pure water, and getting plenty of rest. All of this is good. However, mixed in with her good teachings are extremes that are either not beneficial or downright harmful. When one stops to consider that her health writings contain both truth and falsehood, then one must admit that these writings did not originate from visions of God, but were merely copied down from the best natural health teachers of her day. As such, her teachings are no better than the teachers she copied from, and represent the thoughts and practices of the medical professionals of her day. Science has advanced greatly since she wrote her books, and as we learn more and more about the human body and medicine, it is becoming increasingly obvious that Mrs. White's health teachings missed the mark a number of times. Today, anyone can clearly see that her books are not the product of divine inspiration as earlier generations had been led to believe. It seems that the more that science discovers, the more modern medicine proves White wrong.

For Further Study: Ellen White Defies Science