A text-book on hygiene and pediatrics from a chiropractic standpoint

by J. H. Craven

It is quite necessary that we make a distinction between appetite and hunger. Hunger is Innate calling for food. It is the expression through the educated brain of the vibratory interpretations which are received from the tissue cells that are in need of nutrition. These vibrations are interpreted by Innate Intelligence and Innate becomes aware of the need of the tissue cell. Thereupon she expresses this interpretation through the educated brain and we become aware, educationally, of this condition which is interpreted as hunger.

Hunger is an Innate interpretation while appetite is an educated interpretation. Hunger is a desire for food while appetite is a desire for a certain kind of food. The appetite decides what kind of food we will eat to satisfy the hunger. Appetite may be perverted.

When there is a condition which interferes with the process of digestion Innate Intelligence takes away the desire for food. When this is true there should be no effort on the part of the educated man to tempt the appetite. If the appetite is tempted in such a case, the food will not be properly digested, or if it is, it will be necessary for Innate to employ force that should be used for some other purpose.

If the processes of digestion are normal the individual may eat any article of food and it will be properly digested and he will not be conscious of this process. But if the process of digestion is abnormal he may not be able to digest even the most scientific diet. The severity of the indigestion will depend upon the degree of interference with function. In such event appetite is not reliable because it may call for something that can not be digested. Innate knows nothing of the different foods. She calls for nutrition, but the educated mind says beefsteak and eggs. Now if we become sick after eating beefsteak and eggs this is Innate trying to let us know that the food is not being digested and should not be taken into the stomach.

On the other hand we may find that Innate will revolt when we try to eat food which can not be digested. Innate will cause us to lose our desire to eat such food, the very thoughts of it being repulsive.

Chiropractic philosophy maintains that a patient should eat anything that agrees with him and that Innate is the best judge. A food is anything that can be used in the metabolism of the body. A poison is anything that can not be used in the metabolism of the body and if allowed to remain in the body will injure the tissues. That which is food for one may therefore be poison for another.

If there was no interference with the transmission preventing the normal expression of Innate Intelligence through the educated brain, we would eat only those things which could be digested. It might be said that Innate is a great dietitian and one that would never make a mistake if there could always be a perfect expression. The trouble is that we substitute educated for Innate and therefore make mistakes and eat those things which can not be digested because of interference with transmission of mental impulses.

The amount of food and the kind required by man will be governed largely by the character of the work he does. The state of health, the climate and season, occupation, clothing, exercise, body weight, sex and age all have an influence on the quantity of food required to maintain bodily health.

The appetite could be relied upon to determine just the quantity and quality of our diet were it not for the fact that, in this day of civilization when cooking is a fine art and the appetite is so stimulated, we eat beyond the normal requirements of the body. As a result the stomach is overloaded with food that is not required for the normal health and vigor of the individual. The digestive organs are overworked. There is an engorgement of the liver, and degenerative changes, such as fatty heart, take place.

The symptoms of overeating are: headache, feeling of lassitude, drowsiness, mental stupor, the liver becomes congested, the intestines are engorged, the secretions of the body are altered in their composition, the urine is heavily loaded with salts, there is constipation, maybe biliousness, and the tongue is heavily coated. There may also be obesity and gout.