We shall begin this lesson with a statement of the Testimonies for a text:
Perfect health depends upon perfect circulation.[1]
And perfect circulation depends upon perfect breathing more than upon anything else. Now, it is a perfectly fair proposition, that God has not given to any person more lung capacity than that person needs to keep him in such condition of health as God made him to have, and as God wants him to enjoy. I suppose this will not be disputed by anyone.
It follows, then, plainly enough, that if all the lung capacity which God has given to you is not used, you will not have the health which God made you to have. Just to the extent that you come short of using all the lung capacity which God has given you, in the same proportion you will come short of having the health that the Lord made you to have.
And I do not believe that it is to the glory of God to give anyone health by a miracle, and keep him in it by the miracle constantly maintained, when the cause of the ill health is the neglect of the very things within himself which are given to insure good health. It is not prayer but conformity to nature's laws, which are God's laws, that is needed in such cases. I can see no room for a prayer of faith to heal the sick, when that person has made himself or herself sick by wrong habits of eating, or by shutting off the life-giving air of heaven by tight lacing or wrong habits of breathing.
As perfect circulation depends so largely upon perfect breathing; as perfect breathing is only the use of the full lung capacity which God has given; and as the Lord has shown us both in our very makeup and in his Testimonies how to do this, there is certainly no excuse for any of us having imperfect health because of imperfect circulation.
The Circulation of the Blood
As perfect health depends upon perfect circulation let us study a little while--the circulation of the blood, that we may gather as far as possible what perfect circulation is.
The passages through which the circulation is carried on, are the arteries and the veins. The arteries are the passages along which the good blood is sent by the heart to all parts of the system to supply its wants. The veins are the passages along which the exhausted blood is carried back to the heart to be sent to the lungs to be purified.
The life-blood is sent out by the heart in two directions--toward the head and all the upper parts of the body, and toward the feet and all the lower parts of the body. Where the blood leaves the heart there are but two of these arteries and they, of course, are therefore very large. But as the blood goes farther and farther from the heart, these two large arteries are divided and subdivided and so become smaller and smaller until they become as small as the finest silken fibers and so numerous that you cannot penetrate the skin anywhere, even with the sharpest needle, without touching these and drawing blood.
These small, hair-like blood-vessels are called capillaries. Where the capillaries of the arteries end, there the capillaries of the veins begin. The capillaries of the veins take up the blood which has been exhausted here from the capillaries of the arteries, and carry it to the small veins; these carry it to the larger veins, and these to the largest, which empty it into the heart.
The heart sends it into the lungs, there to receive the life-giving property of the air, which purifies it and so makes life-blood of it, which is drawn back into the heart and is sent on its way again through the arteries, and so on around and around. This is the process of the circulation of the blood.
The Purpose of Circulation
Now let us look at it again and see the purpose of the circulation.
Every motion, voluntary or involuntary, within the human system, exhausts human tissue. The thinking of a single thought exhausts some tissues of the brain. And so with every part of the system, any motion of any part exhausts some of the tissues of which that part is composed. Therefore food must be taken to furnish material to supply good tissue to take the place of this constant waste. But how is this done?
Let us take our stand at the heart as it is laden with its supply of good life-giving blood. Every corpuscle, that is, every part of every drop of this blood is laden with material to supply good tissue in the place of that which has been exhausted by the motions of the different parts of the system.
As the heart throbs, this blood is dashed through the arteries into the capillaries all over the system in every part. Through the capillaries the corpuscles deposit their load wherever the material is needed, depositing most where most is needed--as where there is a cut, a bruise, or an abrasion. When the blood has thus deposited its load, its value is gone. In unloading its material to take the place of exhausted tissue, it has become exhausted blood.
Then it passes on from the capillaries of the arteries into the capillaries of the veins, and so through the veins back to the heart, receiving on the way the nutrient properties of the food, and all passing into the lungs where the impurities are thrown off, and the blood receives the vitalizing property of the air which makes it good life-blood again. This is taken up by the heart and again sent on its glad, life-giving way. Thus the circulation is carried on in its ceaseless round from birth to death.
The Purpose of the Lungs
Now let us look at this exhausted, this lifeless blood, as it is thrown into the lungs to be vitalized, that is, to be given life. Bear in mind that God has not given to any person more lung capacity than that person needs to keep the blood that is in him as pure as it must be in order that he may have the health that God made him to have.
If then, a part of the lungs is not used, if some of the air chambers cannot be reached by the blood or the air, then a portion of the blood will return to the heart impure as it came from the veins, to be sent out impure through the arteries and capillaries. This causes the blood to become sluggish; it will not pass easily through the capillaries, and the heart is not only compelled to work harder than it ought, but the sluggish, impure blood breeds boils, pimples, sores, and disease.
Therefore that the blood may be kept pure and full of life, all the lung capacity must be used in breathing. And in order that all the lung capacity may be brought into use there must be full, deep breathing, and this can be accomplished only by the use of the abdominal muscles, as shown in the previous lessons. And thus it is that, as perfect health depends upon perfect circulation, perfect circulation depends upon perfect breathing.
There are other elements, it is true, which enter into the keeping up of perfect circulation. These are:
1. Keeping the extremities--the hands and feet, wrists and ankles--properly clothed that the blood may not be driven back upon itself, and chilled by the cold;
2. Eating good food, etc.
For, even though you breathe properly, if you eat pork, overfed turkey, "high" meats, and such impure and gross things, it is impossible for any amount of air to make pure and good the blood which comes from such victuals.
Yet on the other hand, even though you eat only the very best of food, which will make the purest and best of blood, it is impossible to keep even this blood pure and good without using all the lung capacity which the Lord has given you, which can be done only by the deep breathing caused by the free and full use of the abdominal muscles.
So that it remains true that, taken all around, perfect circulation depends first and most of all, upon perfect breathing.
The Effects of Improper Breathing
Now let us go a little farther in this. You will remember that in one of these lessons[2] we read the statement from the Testimonies, that:
... stomach, liver, lungs, and brain suffer for want of deep, full inspirations of air, ...
Let us read that again and study how this is. Here is the passage:
He breathes only from the top of his lungs. It is seldom that he exercises the abdominal muscles in the act of breathing. Stomach, liver, lungs, and brain, are suffering for the want of deep, full inspirations of air, which would electrify the blood and impart to it a bright, lively color, and which alone can keep it pure, and give tone and vigor to every part of the living machinery.[3]
Let us take the lungs first. They are made to suffer from this kind of breathing, thus: Breathing only from the top of the lungs, all the lower part lies wholly unused. The air-chambers of this unused part of the lungs fill up with a sort of serum and finally harden. And the longer the parts remain thus unused the worse they get, and there goes on that process as before expressed of "slowly committing suicide."
Next, the brain. This is made to suffer thus: As only a part of the lungs is used in breathing, part of the blood that is thrown into the lungs to be purified and vitalized returns as impure and dull as it was sent up. It is then so sluggish that it will not pass easily through the extremely delicate capillaries of the brain. The brain thus robbed of the full life-current becomes wearied by a little exertion, there is dullness of mind, depression of spirit, and if an attempt it made to force the brain to do work, there will be sleepiness or headache.
The stomach is made to suffer in more ways than one:
1. Like the brain, being robbed of a good quality of blood, it is in a measure robbed of the strength which it needs in order to do the work which it must do, and thus a weak stomach, and from that, indigestion will result.
2. There being no motion of the abdominal muscles, the stomach is held tightly in place, tucked up under the diaphragm, and when filled with food is distended and thus more tightly held, and as the consequence it is deprived of that free movement which is essential to easy and good digestion.
The liver is made to suffer in the same way. Lying close alongside the stomach, it, too, by there being no motion of the abdominal muscles, is held closely in place, tucked up under the diaphragm, and being thus deprived of any free action, not only cannot perform its normal function, but torpid liver is induced.
In addition to all this the heart by being compelled constantly to drive impure and sluggish blood through the course of circulation, is overworked and thus weakened, and then, with a little unusual exertion, there is irregularity and palpitation of the heart.
Oh! with the human system compelled to endure the abuses that it is, it is a standing proof of the mercy of the beneficent Creator that so many people live as long as they do.
The Effects of Proper Breathing
Look, however, at the other side of the picture. Let the abdominal muscles be always exercised in deep breathing. Then every part of the lung capacity is used; every air chamber is opened to the free entrance of the life-giving air of heaven.
The impure blood which is thrown up to these chambers is at once purified and vivified by the life property of the oxygen which enters its corpuscles "as free as air." It being thus "electrified," the heart takes it up gladly, and cheerily sends it fairly dancing to the farthest extremity of every capillary in the system.
The brain, receiving about one fifth of all the blood of the body, is clear, ready, and vigorous, and capable of any task.
The abdominal muscles, moving fully and regularly, give to the stomach and liver and all the digestive apparatus and intestines that easy, free, regular, and full motion that is the most efficient aid to the performance of all their functions.
Thus "tone and vigor" are given to every part of the "living machinery." This is health. Thank the Lord. Take it, take it, and enjoy it to the glory and praise of Him who wishes. ...
... above all things that you may prosper and be in health. (3 John 1:2)--Home Missionary, February 1894[4]
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