Neurasthenia - Nervous Exhaustion

Neurasthenia, nervous exhaustion, nervousness, and worry are all of the same cult. When it is remembered that neurasthenia is a condition of nerve tire or exhaustion, and that it may affect any one or more organs of the body, it may well be expected to have a legion of symptoms. So it has. There is nothing organically wrong with these individuals, but they are nearly always weak or tired, perpetually tired, but not sick. That tired feeling about which so much has been said and written, is nothing more nor less than nerve tire. Let the imagination of the nervous individual come into play, and there will be nothing missing from the entire category of disease which the sufferer may not experience, or think he experiences.

The nerves are distributed to over five hundred, odd, muscles alone, as well as to countless other structures. The symptoms of neurasthenia are as numerous as the nerves themselves. They may be palpitation of the heart, general weakness with poor circulation, cold hands and feet, eye disturbances, indigestion, dyspepsia, flashes of heat, mental irritability, lack of concentration and will power, marked defects of sensibility, numbness, tingling, itching and burning of the skin, sleeplessness, catarrh (especially of the nose and throat from irregular circulation), nervous diarrhoea, nervous deafness, nervous dyspepsia, brain fag, dizziness, the "blues," muscular pains simulating rheumatism, sciatica and neuralgia, uterine disorders, headaches, backaches, with the list of ailments but one half told.

The object of directing special attention to nerve-tire symptoms is that sufferers may not be terrorized by certain advertisements - "A wink is as good as a nod to a blind horse."

Peter's Vision

THIS book is intended to be a presentation of facts, and is not in any sense to be taken as an exploitation of any particular theory or food fad. The diet platform is a very broad one, and there is no more burning dietary question under discussion at the present time than the propriety or impropriety of eating the flesh of animals. This is a question that can be decided upon grounds entirely outside of the Bible. This of itself should be sufficient. However, there are so many who insist upon bringing the Biblical view of flesh eating into the discussion, that it may be well to refer to this phase of it here. On pages 3 and 4 of this book a brief reference is made, in which we find that in Genesis, ninth chapter, man is given permission to eat flesh meat under certain restrictions. This would also include permission to eat fish, provided it do not contain blood. The restriction made respecting the use of flesh was that "The blood thereof shall ye not eat." It will be remembered that fish, as commonly eaten, contains blood, strangulation being the cause of death. This objection is overcome by making deep incisions in the fish, then covering the fish with salt, and finally thoroughly washing; otherwise no Christian can eat fish if the Biblical injunction be followed (see Lev. xvii, 10-16). The orthodox Jews of ancient times separated the blood from flesh meats and even from fish, in many instances, before partaking of them. The objections to the use of blood was based upon physiological grounds, the blood of a dead animal being more or less poisonous from effete matter. While it is quite true that the Bible undoubtedly permits the use of flesh-meats, it will be noticed it was entirely in a tentative way, that is, when man was unable to provide himself with his natural food, then he was permitted, but only under stress of circumstances to eat flesh-meats only on condition, however, of the removal of every particle of blood which it might contain. Certainly the Bible nowhere encourages the use of flesh-meats. It will be remembered the Jews were a stiff-necked and perverse race, and did not always do as commanded. Their innumerable violations of the dietary laws set down for them would in no wise affect the laws appointed for them, so that we must not be led astray when we read of repeated instances of their flesh-eating, into thinking they were following out the original commands in this respect.

Two questions are repeatedly asked or thought of in this connection : First, was not Peter commanded when the great sheet or sail was let down from Heaven containing all manners and sorts of animals, to "Arise, slay and eat"? Acts 10 : 9. Secondly : Did not Christ eat meat?

In reply to the first question it may surprise the reader to be told that this allegorical dream of Peter's has absolutely nothing whatever to do with flesh-eating, or in fact with eating of any other kind. Not only this but if there be any argument whatever, it is distinctly against the use, rather than in favor of. the advocacy of meat eating.