On Depression, Stress, Disease

Give your life a new perspective

Objectives

1. To see what the Bible says about our everyday problems

3. To help give our lives a new perspective on issues that concern us

2. To build confidence in the Bible

The Bible gives a valuable perspective on…

… Depression, Stress and Disease

Outline

1. The 7 “basics” to fight disease

2. Coping with depression

3. Knowing and avoiding harmful stress

4. Reviewing our perspective

The Bible perspective on…

Disease

Medical advice lags behind Bible teaching …

…. in all of the 7 “basics” to fight disease

HYGIENE FOOD

DRINK WORK REST ATTITUDE RELATIONSHIPS

1. Hygiene

The Bible remains advanced in Prevention and Cure

Medical wisdom was to “breathe the vein”

Leviticus 17: 11 says “life is in the blood”

Bible Wisdom that Protects

“Whoever touches a dead body will be unclean [infectious] for seven days.”Numbers 19: 11

“A woman who gives birth will be ceremonially unclean for seven days.”Leviticus 12: 2

“Bodily discharges are unclean [infectious] … whoever touches the body of anyone with a discharge shall wash his clothes and bathe in water … if he has not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.” Leviticus 15: 10-11

Messrs Horror and Speechless

Neglected at peril

2. Food

CURRENT ADVICE

• Observe use-by dates, especially when outdoors or in hot climates

• Bacteria remain in porous clay vessels but wood is bactericidal and can be washed in water

• Avoid contamination of any storage containers or pots

BIBLE TEACHING

• “… anything left over until the third day must be burned up… …on the third day it is impure..” Leviticus 19: 5-7

• Suspect clay pots were to be broken and wooden articles rinsed[Leviticus 15: 12]

• In the tent of the deceased every container without a fastened lid was deemed infectious[Numbers 19: 14]

2. Food

CURRENT ADVICE

• Choose a healthy diet

• Reduce fat intake: especially the highly unsaturated abdominal fat of animals….

• ….. but not of fish “One fish meal/week halves risk of sudden cardiac death.” Jnl A Med Assoc 1998

BIBLE TEACHING

• “Wherever you live, you must not eat any fat.” Leviticus 3: 17

• “...the fat that covers the entrails, the two kidneys and the fat that is on them by the flanks, and the fatty lobe attached to the liver above the kidneys, he shall remove.”Leviticus 7: 3-5

• Jesus ate fish [John 21: 13]

2. Food

CURRENT ADVICE

• Avoid raw/uncooked pork that carries tapeworm and Echinococcus [that cause brain cysts]

• Most UK food poisoning was from pork meat and unfiltered shellfish, eg shrimps and lobsters

BIBLE TEACHING

• Eating of pork and shellfish prohibited in Leviticus 11

• Eating of meat, now known to be safe, was permitted

3. Drink

CURRENT ADVICE

• We are 70% water - the average person needs 2.5 litres a day

British Dietetic Association • “Actuarial data show that, in general,

those who are “teetotal” have shorter life expectancy.” Dr J Hellawell

• Moderate amounts of certain alcohols, eg red wine, actually enhance health Note: Avoid excess and “bingeing”

BIBLE TEACHING

• The wedding at Cana had much water but, until Jesus’ first miracle, no wine left

• “Wine makes glad the heart of man.” Psalm 104: 15

• Q: Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?A: Those who linger long at the wine, and who go in search of mixed wine. Proverbs 23: 29-30

4. Work

CURRENT ADVICE

• Enough to derive fulfillment; but not so much that it drains time and energy

• John Paul Getty and John Rockefeller were world’s richest yet couldn’t eat normal food in later life

BIBLE TEACHING

• “Laziness casts one into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” Proverbs 19: 15

• “What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” Luke 9: 25

• Solomon’s conclusion, having made and had it all, is recorded in Ecclesiastes 2: 4-6; 10-11

4. Work

CURRENT ADVICE

• If not doing a physical job, like hands-on farming, then vigorous exercise 3 times per week is necessary. [The Nuffield Group]

• According to Prof David Nieman, when moderate exercise is repeated on a near-daily basis there is a cumulative effect that leads to a long-term immune response. Those who walked at 75% of VO2 Max [ml of O2/Kg] for 40 minutes per day had half as many sick days due to colds or sore throats as those who don't exercise.

BIBLE TEACHING

• “bodily exercise profits [a] little”1Timothy 4: 8

5. Resting

CURRENT ADVICE

• Our minds and bodies need time out to reflect and to sleep on good bed for 7-9 hrs

• reduce caffeine intake• 5/55 rest:work • relaxation & breathing techniques• massage

BIBLE TEACHING

• “Observe the Sabbath day…. on it you shall do no work.” Deuteronomy 5: 12-15

• “The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: riches kept for their owner to his hurt.” Ecclesiastes 5: 12-13

“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late.” Psalm 127: 2

5. Resting

CURRENT ADVICE

• Prep for sleepCalming thoughts prior to sleeping enhances well being: a proposed activity for your Zzzzzz.A clear conscience aids sleep:“Not so sick my lord, as she is troubled with thick-coming fancies that keep her from her rest.” WS

• “Just say No!”Avoid destructive measures, especially tobacco and narcotic drugs

BIBLE TEACHING

• Prep for sleep “When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.”Psalm 63: 6-7

• “Just say No!”“.. they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts ... by sorceries were all nations deceived” Gk: pharmakeia: [mind altering] drugs Revelation 9: 21; 18: 23

6. Attitude

CURRENT ADVICE

• “Develop a positive and optimistic approach to life in all its variations”Dr D Goleman

• “Religious people enjoy higher levels of life satisfaction than non-religious.”

• “Religious people are even happier the more often they attend church and the more often they pray.”

Royal Economic Society Conference 2008. www.resconference.org.uk/images/stories/clark-lelkes.pdf

BIBLE TEACHING

• “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, if there is any virtue, if anything praiseworthy -- meditate on these things.”Philippians 4: 8

• “ …. consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…”Hebrews 10: 24

6. Attitude

CURRENT ADVICE

Endorphin brain chemicals, created by laugher and exercise, help lift mood

Prof P Martin

BIBLE TEACHING

“A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” Proverbs 17: 22

“Go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.” Ecclesiastes 9: 7

“A feast is made for laughter” Ecclesiastes 10: 19

”

“

6. Attitude

CURRENT ADVICE

Dr J Holman, Cardiologist• Avoid competitiveness by refusing to

compare yourself with other people• Cure selfish use of others by giving

with no expectation• Train your brain to keep flexible:

read, study, share your knowledge with others

• Do voluntary work, a random act of gratuitous kindness every day….

BIBLE TEACHING

• “Let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.” Galatians 6: 4

• Jesus said: “I have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.” John 13: 14

• “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding….your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.“ Psalm 119: 97, 102-105

• “A certain Samaritan came… and had compassion.” Luke 10: 33

Visiting the sick

7. Relationships

CURRENT ADVICE

• “Without thoughtful and keen consideration of others, we are more vulnerable to diseases of mind and body.” Dr Alfred Adler

• “Devotion to kindness and love is unsurpassed liberation.” Dr S I McMillan

• Be more empathetic; listen to perceive

• “IBS is often caused by a disordered reaction to resentment and anger.” Robbins & Coltran

• “Animosity activates adrenal and thyroid, releasing more harmful hormones”Dr S I McMillan

BIBLE TEACHING

• “We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3: 16

• “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked.”1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

• “Do unto others ….” Luke 6: 31

• “If it is possible live peaceably with all men … do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink.”Romans 12: 18-20

How not to go about it

Outline

1. The 7 “basics” to fight disease

2. Coping with depression

3. Managing harmful stress

4. Reviewing our perspective

The Bible perspective on…

Depression

Depression

CURRENT ADVICE

• Symptoms of gross self-limitation, inconsolable and desperate despair

• Avoid denial: seek help to manage Churchill’s “black dog” better

• “Growing worldwide: 1 in 4 affected and now the most common cause of premature death and disability”World Health Organisation [2008]

• Do not ignore medication, even if the “wings are clipped.”

BIBLE TEACHING

• “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the LORD upholds him with His hand.” Psalm 37:23

• “Even in laughter the heart may sorrow and the end of mirth may be grief.” Proverbs 14: 13

• “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better.” Ecclesiastes 7: 3

• “It is better for you to enter into Life lame or maimed than be rejected” Matthew 18: 8

Depression

CURRENT ADVICE

• Look for positive opportunities

• Become involved - to point of total engrossment

• Hope and expect resumption of normality Source: Horne & Wootton

BIBLE TEACHING

• “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.” Corinthians 7: 10

• “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding…. your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.“ Psalm 119: 97, 102-105

• “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 30: 5

Medicine, Environment & The Bible

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the LORD!”

Psalm 27: 13 -14

Outline

1. The 7 “basics” to fight disease

2. Coping with depression

3. Managing harmful stress

4. Reviewing our perspective

The Bible perspective on….

Stress

What is “damaging” stress?

“When perceived demands exceed the perceived capacity to cope” Prof Paul Martin, Fellow at Stanford and Cambridge

• Stress is a relative thing

• Stress experiences are stored in memory

• Our brains look for and respond to stress signals

• Prevention of this cycle is best

Symptoms of prolonged stress

• Exhaustion• Anxiety• Insomnia• Headaches• Emotional instability• Irritability• Sound like you – or

someone you know?

Effects of stress

• Lowers immune system

efficiency• More vulnerable to

heart disease and cancers

• 6 x more likely to be infected by cold viruses

• Poorer relationships in work and home

When brain, conscious or not, feels “all is not

well”• Hypothalamus activates electrical + chemical responses• Adrenal glands release adrenaline + cortisol

Endorphins counter these damaging hormones• So, more dark chocolate, chilli peppers, hearty laughter

and regular exercise• Learn how to breathe, relax and sleep well

Source: Prof C Pert, Georgetown University USA

Physical effects of stress

Managing Stress

CURRENT ADVICE

• Do not deny its existence – it may indicate a serious illness or danger

• Focus on positive and manageable aspects

BIBLE TEACHING

• “Being in agony, He [Jesus] prayed more earnestly.”

• “If it be possible …..” Luke 22

• “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me..” Philippians 4: 13

• Cast thy burdens on the LORD and He will sustain you” Psalm 55: 22

• "Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.“ Matthew 11: 28-30

Managing Stress

CURRENT ADVICE

• Set realistic objectives

• Avoid perfectionism

• Develop your sense of humour Source: Prof P Martin, Fellow of Stanford

& Cambridge

BIBLE TEACHING

• “Do not set your mind on high things”Romans 12: 16

• “ Those Pharisees are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”Jesus in Matthew 15: 14

Turn over a new leaf

Explore the Book

Young people setting a good example

Outline

1. The 7 “basics” to fight disease

2. Coping with depression

3. Managing harmful stress

4. Reviewing our perspective

Objectives met?

• We can and should trust this book

• It is clearly a reliable authority about ourselves

• About what is best for us in every aspect of life

• It is worth exploring further at home and in a class

A greater dimension ……

• The Bible does not merely teach about coping with and reducing stress, disease and depression

• It is about total liberation from them - in time• A future existence - revealed to us in the Bible

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him - but God has revealed them to us.” 1 Corinthians 2: 9

Health WarningNeglecting this book can seriously harm you

and others around you

“Those of you who can read I must beg you toread the Bible, and whenever you can get time,

study the Bible, and if you can get no other time, spare some of your time from sleep, and learn

what the mind and will of God is.”

Quote: Jupiter Hammon, US slave, died 1806

The Bible is relevant and helpful

Open your copy of the Book of Life

…Depression, Stress, Disease

The Bible perspective on…..