160
Healthful Living
827. A calm, clear brain and steady nerve are dependent upon
a well-balanced circulation of the blood.—
The Health Reformer,
November 1, 1871
.
Examples of Nervous Control
828. When the minds of ministers, school-teachers, and students
are continually excited by study, and the body is allowed to be inac-
tive, the nerves of emotion are taxed, while the nerves of motion are
inactive.—
Testimonies for the Church 3:490
.
829. Immediately after eating there is a strong draught upon the
nervous energy.... Therefore, when the mind or body is taxed heavily
after eating, the process of digestion is hindered. The vitality of the
system, which is needed to carry on the work in one direction, is called
away and set to work in another.—
Testimonies for the Church 2:413
.
830. The very food they place before their children is such as to
irritate the tender coats of the stomach. This excitement is communi-
cated, through the nerves, to the brain, and the result is that the animal
passions are aroused, and control the moral powers. Reason is thus
[195]
made a servant to the lower qualities of the mind.—
Testimonies for
the Church 4:140
.
Opium
831. This drug poison, opium, gives temporary relief from pain,
but does not remove the cause of pain. It only stupefies the brain,
rendering it incapable of receiving impressions from the nerves. While
the brain is thus insensible, the hearing, the taste, and the sight are
affected. When the influence of opium wears off, and the mind arouses
from its state of paralysis, the nerves, which have been cut off from
communication with the brain, shriek out louder than ever ... because
of the additional outrage the system has sustained in receiving this
poison.—
How to Live, 56
.
Sympathetic Nervous Disturbances
832. God himself has formed us with distinctive organs and fac-
ulties. These he designs should act together in harmony. If we injure
one, all are affected.—
The Health Reformer, January 1, 1873
.