The Foreword to The Health Seekers' YearBook
"You could get yourself shot for what you wrote in this book!" I warned Victoria when she called me to inquire how far along I was with the editing. The truths she had revealed about "The Disease Industrialists" and "The Great American Health Revolution" shocked even me! In equating "The American Health Revolution of the 1990s" with The American Social and Political Revolution of 1776, Victoria writes "The Declaration of Health Independence" for "The Suffering Class of America" and for "Health Seekers Everywhere." It is strong stuff. I am used to the captious criticism of the exploits of big business and of the medical profession's practices by Dr. Herbert M. Shelton but Victoria's exposé seemed as strong, if not stronger! When she called me to ask how the editing was going, I could not help but blurt out my thoughts.
and water. Nurtured with these essentials, the plant will flourish. So it is with Natural Hygiene. That is, Natural Hygiene is a system of mind/body care: it is a way of life based on physiological needs. We can be healthy or sick simply by the way we choose to live. It is our choice.
I first met Victoria BidWell in 1976 when she came to fast under my care for weight loss. The fast helped a beautiful woman slip out of a fat body. She was enthralled with the power of Hygiene to save others from senseless suffering. She soon entered chiropractic college with the idea of becoming an Hygienic doctor, teacher, and promoter. After that, we lost contact with each other for years. Recently, I had heard about what Victoria was doing but never saw much of her until one day she called me, asking for an appointment to see me about "a book." She wanted help over some rough spots in its technical phases. As we spent the afternoon together, taking sentences apart, deleting some and adding some for clarification, and correcting errors, she suddenly asked, "Would you be so kind as to write 'The Foreword' when I get the book ready? Only if it meets with your approval, of course." I thought about it or awhile and answered, "Well, when you finish the book, bring it to me. We will see."
A year later, Victoria returned. We read parts of the book together, parts she thought were in need of revision. I was immediately impressed with the inclusion of a long chapter called "The Year in Ideal Food for Thought," which was made up of pertinent quotes by prominent Hygienists, to be read daily with the daily menus for the entire year! Truly, this was a "yearbook" in every sense of the term! Victoria has provided us with food for the body and food for the mind. No Hygienic writers had ever thought of doing that before! Her handbook appeared during these few hours of casual viewing to be a great idea! It excited me to think that such a handbook would soon be available to help guide people as they become Genuine Hygienists!
If a book becomes very special to a reader, he or she always wants to know how the book was born and how it grew to completion. I am sure that after reading this handbook for Natural Hygiene, those who always skip openings will want to go back to the front and read this "Foreword." Subtitled "A Revolutionist's HandBook for Getting Well & Staying Well without The Medicine Men," Victoria's new book is so valuable because it has the power to inflame in the mind and heart of the reader a desire to seek Superlative Health in American Society today. She teaches you exactly what "The Medical Mentality" is and how to "declare your own Health Independence." Once you learn of the evils of "The Medical Mentality," Victoria makes it clear exactly what you must do to take up "self-responsibility" for your health. In doing so, you will ultimately reach a level of health greater than you ever thought possible! The book explains all the "why's" and "wherefore's" of Natural Hygiene, and it is presented in such a clear and concise and colorful format that Hygiene can only be hailed today as "The Superlative, Alternative Health Care System Whose Time Has Finally Come!"
Just what is this thing or system called "Natural Hygiene"? Natural Hygiene is a branch of biology which studies the needs of the human organism. If one supplies these needs be they physical, physiological, or emotional then vibrant health (barring accidents) is the natural outcome. By supplying all The Conditions of Health, one may be healthy. On the other hand, if one supplies the conditions for disease, one will become diseased. If you have ever grown plants, you realize that they require more or less sunshine, according to the type of plant, and a special type of soil, along with air
