How to avoid getting sick using the advice of John Tilden

In the recent Success Magazine in Dr. Mehmet C. Oz and Dr. Michael F. Roizen’s column A Healthy You, a reader asked “how can I avoid getting sick?” Their response? Wishy-washy and mis-guided. There are no magic bullets, they say, but you should wash your hands and get a flu shot, and surround yourself with positive people (to prevent depression and therefore increase immunity).

That was the gist of his response. If you believe this bullshit, please stop reading now!

If you think that humanity, a species evolved over hundreds of thousands of years, surviving climatic extremes, wars, terrible hygiene, and still alive and thriving simply can’t throw off a cold or prevent getting sick, then you believe in the boogeyman—an imaginary foe lurking under your bed that can strike at any time. I pity you.

What Would John Tilden Say?

I’m referring to John Tilden again, someone who’s writing has changed my life and my approach to it. Tilden, to reiterate, said there is only one cause of sickness—toxemia, a toxic build-up of waste in your body from improper digestion. Improper digestion occurs due to enervation—things which check proper digestion. This makes you weak and susceptible to illness. Tilden identifies the magic bullet for those who are able to reform their habits and live correctly.

Enervation can occur through overeating, gossip, stress, laziness, improper living, lack of poise, improper food combining and more. Let’s not complicate things by listing causes, let’s identify a premise eloquently stated by William Muldoon, “We know pretty well what we ought to do, we just don’t do it.”

Improve your eating by simplifying your meals

The simplest advice I have on eating is from Tilden. Eat in combinations. Don’t overeat. Follow some rules. Be in control of your emotions. Poised.

  • Eat very few varieties of food at a meal.
  • Fruits should be eaten in a meal by themselves or they may be eaten with dairy products.
  • Bread or other decidedly starchy foods as another separate meal.
  • Meat (or fish, game, poultry, eggs, beans, peas, lentils or nuts) served with cooked and raw non-starchy vegetables for dinner meals.
  • Meat should be accompanied with raw vegetables or fruits (to minimize fermentation.)
John Tilden Eating Rule #1
Never eat unless comfortable in mind and body from the previous meal or meal time.
John Tilden Eating Rule #2
Never eat without desire and keen relish for the plainest, simple food; and not even then if to do so would break the first rule.
John Tilden Eating Rule #3
Avoid overeating. The best way to do this is by following the fourth rule.
John Tilden Eating Rule #4
Thoroughly masticate and insalivate, especially starchy foods.

Another way to look at this is the CAS-free diet. Caffeine, alcohol, and sugar. Tough ones there. But these are all stimulants. They tax the nervous system and it make it harder for the body to eliminate toxins.

Finally, fasting. It’s a good idea to fast once a week. Bernarr MacFadden did Mondays.

The more you can follow a moderate diet, the easier it will be to control your weight and improve your appearance.

The Sick Habit Explained

The sick habit is characterized by doing things we know we shouldn’t do like gossip about a co-worker, eat donuts and drink coffee in the morning, stay up too late, worry about work, and ignore our spouse and family while focuses on personal interests (to name a few). Add to this the stress that most people face in this “modern” life because of overcommitment, lack of clear focus, frenetic minds which can’t put down the smartphone, poor work habits (indicated by routine Monday complaints about returning to dreaded work and Friday alcohol celebrations to commence the end of the work week), and more.

Two Approaches to Health

There is no magic bullet? I can’t condemn the doctors because you know what? They are just telling people what they want to hear. “It’s not your fault. You’re just human and these things happen–here, take these pills.” This is what most people want to hear. Tilden says, even though people don’t want to hear it, it IS your fault–start living correctly and don’t get sick.

I simply cannot abide to hear another person lament of a bug bringing them down when in reality it is there compromised immune system—created by their own free will—which has let them down.

So, if you think your health is out of your control and the next sickness is lurking around the corner ready to strike—whenever it wants with impunity—and you are totally helpless…you are! Unless and until you understand that you build your own health and that starts with correct living as identified by John Tilden in his work Toxemia Explained: The True Interpretation of the Cause of Disease (Revised Edition).

So wash your hands with that antibiotic soap, sanitize your shopping cart, and get your flu shot and accept your pathetic weakness, or build real health with Tilden and live sanely.

Here is what the great George Carlin had to say about germs: