At the age of fourteen a boy became increasingly fussy about things. He developed a number of fads, particularly about having proper exercise and special foods. If anything should happen to interfere with these matters he would fly into a terrible temper. He would become quite beside himself in rage. On many occasions he threw food on the floor, smashed crockery and did wilful damage to furniture and household articles. He frequently hit his mother. However, both parents were extraordinarily tolerant of these outbursts which continued with increasing severity. In spite of this grossly disturbed behaviour he did remarkably well at university entrance examinations, and obtained honours at the end of his first year. Nevertheless, the violence of his outbursts increased with greater damage to property and further assaults to his mother. So much so, that at the age of twenty he was certified to a mental asylum. After nine months in the asylum his parents were told by the authorities that nothing more could be done for him, and that he would probably spend the rest of his life in a mental asylum.

At this stage it was arranged that he should be transferred to a private hospital under my care. However, he had grown to rely on the security of the mental asylum, and he steadfastly refused to leave, and the authorities would not compel him to do so. This strange state of affairs

continued for several weeks. Then he suddenly decided to go to the private hospital.

It was all very difficult. He was edgy and unco-operative and for the most part refused any medication. His knowledge that at any time he could return to the mental asylum where he had felt secure did not help matters.

I eventually brought him to do the relaxing mental exercises. His tension was gradually reduced and he became more co-operative. In a couple of months he was well enough to leave the hospital and live in a flat of his own. A few months later he was able to resume at the university. The present indications are that he will finish his course with quite a brilliant scholastic record.

This has happened to a lad whose parents were told that he would have to remain in a mental asylum for the rest of his life. It became possible solely by the reduction of his general level of anxiety by the practice of the mental exercises.

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Patients afflicted with arthritis are usually in a condition of exhaustion and chronic fatigue. Studies also reveal that most persons with arthritis have been under severe stress for prolonged periods before onset of the disease.

In order to give an intelligent answer to the question: “Can injuries and stress cause arthritis?”, we must first agree on the definition of the word “stress.”

In a way, all diseases are caused by stress. That is, if we give the word “stress” a meaning which modern medical thinking has given to it in recent years. According to the greatest authority on stress, famous Dr. Hans Selye, of the University of Montreal, Canada, stress could be defined as anything that harms or damages the body. Stress is not only what the general public means when it talks about the “stresses of modern living.” Included also are such things as bacterial and viral infections, insufficient or unbalanced diet, inadequate sleep, lack of exercise, and nutritional deficiencies. Of course, anxiety, mental exhaustion, and constant worries and fears are more commonly understood forms of stress. But such things as x-ray, most drugs, constipation, polluted air, toxic residues in foods, fever, tissue damage (by sprain, blows, or cuts), pain, poor appetite, bad digestion, sweating, vomiting, etc. are all forms of stress

Now, when man is in perfect health, enjoys adequate nutrition, has a strong, healthy body and mind, possesses a clean bloodstream, and has all the vital organs and glands in tip-top working condition—most, if not all, injuries and stresses can be easily overcome, needed repairs can be made quickly, and no. serious deleterious aftereffects are left. In other words, if you are healthy you don’t get sick! But how many of us can qualify for the above description of perfect health?

Injuries and undue physical strains to the joints or other parts of the body can contribute to the development of arthritis if the body is already in a debilitated state, suffers from serious nutritional deficiencies, and/or is overloaded with accumulated toxins. In such a case, the damaged joints or muscle can become the focal point of the disease.

Thus, injuries and stresses, per se, do not cause arthritis, but they may contribute to its development when the body’s resistance is lowered.

Dr. Hans Selye refers to arthritis as one of the “stress diseases.” Adrenal exhaustion from prolonged stress is one of the major causes leading to the development of arthritis. The pituitary and/or adrenal glands, due to prolonged stress and consequent impaired metabolism, are no longer able to function normally and produce cortisone, desoxycortisone, aldosterone, and other hormones. Severe hormonal imbalance will be the result which leads to a further metabolic derangement and severely lowered resistance to further stress from infections, drugs, toxic substances in foods, etc.

To make sure that injuries and stresses do not cause permanent damage and lead to the development of serious chronic conditions, such as arthritis, you must see that your general health condition and resistance to disease is always at the optimal level.

“Meeting the demands of stress,” as famed nutritionist Adele Davis calls it, should be your first consideration. This could be best done by adopting a new way of life as outlined in this book. The well-balanced diet, which will supply the pituitary and adrenal glands with all the nutrients necessary for adequate hormone production, is an absolute necessity. A diet rich in unprocessed fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, seeds, milk, and milk products will supply your glands with all the needed nutritional elements and keep your body well prepared to meet the “demands of stress.”

Let me remind you again that vitamin C is known as an antistress vitamin. Vitamin C stimulates the adrenal glands and increases the production of cortisone. Be sure that you get ample amounts of this vitamin, perhaps the most important one of all. Take up to 1,000-1,500 milligrams a day or even more when under an unusual stress or subject to injuries. Fresh and/or desiccated liver, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, and wheat germ oil are other foods with antistress factors. They are rich in vitamin B-complex, including pantothenic acid, which is known to be an important antistress vitamin, especially in correcting the condition of adrenal exhaustion. Adele Davis recommends supplementing the diet with 400-500 milligrams of pantothenic acid daily, taken 100 mg. at a time, with three to four hour intervals, in times of stress.

Of course, many other vitamins and minerals could be considered as vital antistress factors, especially vitamins E, D, and A. Be sure that your diet is well supplied with all the necessary nutritional elements to keep you well prepared for the “stresses of life.”

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