Sometimes believers want to know if it is alright to visit a certain kind of doctor, or seek a certain kind of medical treatment. These are good and valid questions, but we have to qualify them, and place them in context.
When we are talking about human health, the first thing we need to know is that Yahweh says He is our healer, and that if we will diligently heed His voice, and obey all of His commandments, and keep all of His statutes, then he will not put any of the diseases of the Egyptians (i.e., of the world) on us.
Shemote (Exodus) 15:26
26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of Yahweh your Elohim and do what is right in His sight, shema [hear and obey] His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am Yahweh who heals you.”
This is an amazing promise, and we can rely on it, but if we truly do what He says. What do we mean by that?
What Yahweh truly wants is for us to love Him so much that we are eager to help His Son’s kingdom grow in every way we can. If we love Him so much that we are eager to organize, eager to support His Son’s Great Commission by tithing and good works, and re-purpose our lives in support of His Son’s kingdom, then He has no reason to discipline us. Therefore He will not put any of the diseases of the Egyptians (i.e., of the world) on us. However, if we are not truly eager to do all of those things, then He does have a reason to put the diseases of the Egyptians on us (to get us to repent, and turn back to Him).
Often you meet people who think of themselves as disciples, and yet they hate the thought of organizing, and tithing, and they don’t want to do anything to help the Great Commission—and yet they can’t understand why they are sick. They don’t understand that the reason Yahweh has put the diseases of the Egyptians on them is to get their attention, so they will seek His face.
Other times you meet people who are doing everything they know how to do. They are giving, and contributing, and supporting the organized mission, and yet still they suffer from a disease. This can happen for a variety of reasons. One of these is simply that it is Elohim’s will to reveal His works through them.
Yochanan (John) 9:1-3
1 Now as Yeshua passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.
2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Yeshua answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of Elohim should be revealed in him.”
In addition, there are those who try to walk as well as they can, but yet, like Job, there is still something that Elohim wants to teach them, so He allows Satan to bring a trial upon them (and indeed this is common).
Iyov (Job) 42:3
3 “You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”
No matter what the situation, the solution is to seek Yahweh first, and to draw closer to Yahweh. This is because He is perfectly in control of all things, and nothing can happen apart from His will.
Mattityahu (Matthew) 10:29-30
29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
(For more information, please see “About Predestination / Predetermination”, in Nazarene Scripture Studies, Volume 1.)
There are other passages which tell us that unless it is Yahweh’s will that we be healed, no amount of medicine will help.
Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 46:11
11″Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured.”
It is in this context that we can discuss medicine.
About Medicines
Clearly, if we have any ailment, the very first thing we should do is to seek Yahweh, and ask Him if He wants us to do anything differently (so that He will heal us). But what if we are already doing that, and Yahweh has not yet healed us? Is it wrong to use medicine? Or is it alright to use medicine, so long as we are seeking Him first, and give Him the credit for any healing?
To use an analogy, if our house is flooding because the bathtub drain is plugged, and the water is flowing over, first we need to shut off the water and pull the drain plug before we mop up the water, or try to repair any damage. If we try to mop up the water and repair the damage while the water is still flowing into the house, we won’t make any real progress. To apply this analogy to our health, it means we should always ask Yahweh what He wants us to learn, or change, before He will take away the diseases of Egypt.
But what if it takes a long time to get healed? What do we do then?
Three or Four Generations
As we saw earlier in the case of the man who was born blind (John 9:1-3), sometimes the person with a disease has not done anything wrong. Sometimes it is only that the works of Elohim should be revealed in him. Yet at other times, it is the sins of the fathers, for Yahweh tells us that He visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generations.
Shemote (Exodus) 20:5-6
5 “you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, Yahweh your Elohim, am a jealous Elohim, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
We don’t want to judge or condemn anyone, so while I don’t normally talk about myself, I will use myself as an example here.
In my case, I was born with Rett’s Syndrome, which is a mix of scoliosis and autism. Because I was born with it, I am not sure how it could be my fault. Yet at a certain point it does not really matter whether it is my fault, or if it is a result of my parents having been raised in (false) Christianity. It may simply have been that this is what Elohim knew I needed to get me to the place where He wants me to be, so I can serve Him in the way He wants me to serve Him. But whatever the case, the main thing at this point is simply to do my best to diligently heed the voice of Yahweh my Elohim, and do what is right in His sight, and to hear and obey all His commandments, and keep all of the statutes and judgments I can keep in the dispersion. And, the longer I do that, the better my health becomes. And yet, there are still some medical issues I was born with, which are improved by medicines. Should I not use them, even though I am doing all I can to obey Yahweh? Some people might argue yes, but I am not convinced.
Allopathy: Standard Western Medicine
Before we talk about any alternative medicines, first we should talk about the so-called “standard” medicine, against which they are compared.
Standard western chemical medicine is called allopathy. According to allopathy, foods can be classified by their caloric content, and also by their amount of proteins, carbohydrates, and sugars (and in reality, carbohydrates are just complex sugars).
Sometimes people think allopathic chemical western medicine is supported by Scripture, because it was developed in the Judeo-Christian west. However, if we take a closer look, we find that allopathic medicine is actually based on secular Cartesian rationalism and reductionism, which denies the existence a Creator. And in fact, this kind of medicine was only developed after the Enlightenment (the Luciferism). It was not known prior to the Enlightenment.
Some people want to defend allopathy because it has developed modern surgical and other advanced medical techniques (such as chemotherapy, and x-rays, etc.), and these can be used to treat the diseases of Egypt. However, what we need to realize is that if we were living the right way, we would not have to treat the diseases of Egypt. Rather, over 3 or 4 generations, the diseases of Egypt would disappear from society.
One sure sign that allopathy is wrong is that it denies there are any energetic or healing properties to foods. However, if all foods could be reduced to nothing more than their protein, carbohydrate, and sugar values, then herbs would not have any effect on health—and yet they clearly do have an effect on health, which proves that the fundamental basis of allopathy is mistaken.
Now let’s ask a hard question: is it wrong for believers to use allopathic treatments to cure certain diseases? If we are willing to receive it, most western pharmaceutical chemical medicines are the sorcery or witchcraft of Revelation 21:8
Hitgalut (Revelation) 21:7-8
7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his Elohim and he shall be My son.
8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Although we believe Revelation was originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic, we no longer have the original texts. However, when we look up the word sorcerers in Greek, it is Strong’s NT:5332, “pharmakeus” (φαρμακευ’ς).
NT:5332 pharmakeus (far-mak-yoos’); from pharmakon (a drug, i.e. spell-giving potion); a druggist (“pharmacist”) or poisoner, i.e. (by extension) a magician:
KJV – sorcerer.
A pharmakeus is essentially a druggist, or a “poisoner.” For example, chemotherapy attempts to poison cancers without killing the rest of the body, and sometimes it works. However, research also suggests that unless the underlying cause of the cancer is addressed, there may be a relapse—and that the relapse will probably be worse than the original disease, because the poisons take a terrible toll on the immune system.
This word pharmakeus is also related to the Greek word for medication, pharmakeia (φαρμακει’α), often called pharmacy. Pharmakeia is defined as magic, and in the King James Version (KJV) it translates as sorcery, or witchcraft.
NT:5331 pharmakeia (far-mak-i’-ah); from NT:5332; medication (“pharmacy”), i.e. (by extension) magic (literally or figuratively):
KJV – sorcery, witchcraft.
But to ask the hard question again, suppose a believer is doing his best to draw close to Yahweh, hear His voice, and keep all His commandments and statutes, and still he has some medical issues. Is it wrong to use chemical medicines until such time as Yahweh heals him? Some would say that it shows a lack of faith. However, my feeling (and I say this, not Yahweh) is that it is a thing best taken into prayer. For example, I have a persistent foot fungus, which I received in the army in the jungles of Panama. Although I have prayed about it, and tried many different natural remedies, periodically I need to treat the foot fungus with western chemical poison creams. I feel bad about it each time, and I wish it were not so, but I have been told that to not treat it could lead to a lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system), which is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. So while I know that if my faith were stronger, I would not have the fungus, until Yahweh decides to heal me of it, I pray, and listen for what to improve, and then I use the cream. And I continue to pray that Yahweh will heal it.
Natural Medicines
While allopathic medicine can be very helpful when there is acute trauma (such as a gunshot wound, or a car accident, etc.), many people believe that when there are chronic conditions, plant-based natural medicines are far better. This idea is supported by verses such as Revelation 22:2, which tells us that the leaves of the Tree of Life are for the healing of the nations.
Hitgalut (Revelation) 22:2
2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
However, even with plants which Yahweh made for our benefit, we need to be humble enough to realize that while Yahweh told the Levites how to diagnose various diseases, He never tells them how to treat them. Rather, the treatment was always to draw closer to Yahweh. But what do we do with this information?
If the treatment is to draw closer to Yahweh, are we forbidden to do anything else in the meantime, until such time as we have drawn sufficiently close to Yahweh, so that we can be healed, even though it might take 3 or 4 generations to get healed?
I would argue not. I would argue only that we should be humble enough to realize that something is wrong, and that is why Yahweh has not healed us yet. But while we pursue the relationship with Yahweh in earnest, that we are also allowed to take care of our health (and that in fact, it is wrong not to do so).
Aromatherapy and Herbs
Aromatic herbs and spices are mentioned all throughout Scripture, and it seems clear that ancient Hebrews were familiar with these aromatic herbs and spices. Many people this to support both aromatherapy and herbal therapy.
In my experience, aromatherapy and herbal therapy work. However, many of the sources are originally pagan, and because of this, sometimes people reject aroma and herbal therapies altogether. I feel this is a mistake.
Before western allopathic medicine, there was Christian natural medicine. However, much of Christian natural medical therapies were originally discovered by pagans. This is because witches and other pagans don’t draw close to Yahweh for their healing, but instead they rely solely on plants and herbs. Because of their reliance on plants and herbs, they pay much closer attention to their energetic and medicinal properties. Because of this, they developed a large knowledge base, and much of this knowledge base was later absorbed by Christian natural medicine, just as some native American herbs have been absorbed into modern natural medical practices.
Some people feel we cannot use any natural or herbal remedies that may have originally been discovered by pagan sources, but this disregards the fact that it is Yahweh who made the plants. Just because the pagans originally discovered the use, does that mean we cannot benefit from the plants Yahweh created for our benefit? That would be like saying that we cannot use Euclidean Geometry or the Pythagorean Theorem, just because these things were first noticed by the Greeks. It does not matter that they were originally discovered by Greek sources, because Yahweh is the One who wrote the laws.
Another example of this would be Shaul’s writings. Many believers do not realize that Shaul copied extensively from pagan sources. Sometimes when people learn that Shaul plagiarized pagan sources a lot, they want to reject Shaul’s writings outright. However, that is simply how things were done for the majority of human history. Up until modern copyright laws were invented, it was expected of a wise and learned man to copy and paste from the accepted body of knowledge, to reveal some new insight. This is precisely what Shaul did. And in the same way, gleaning from pagan medical sources should not be prohibited, since the plants themselves come from Yahweh.
Asian Medicine and Energy Medicine
Indian Ayurveda, Tibetan medicine, and Chinese medicine were all developed by pagans. Their medical systems do not credit Yahweh, and yet they have identified certain relationships in the body which were clearly designed by Yahweh.
Einstein and Energy Healing
Einstein’s famous theorem E=mc2 tells us that energy is equal to mass multiplied by the speed of light squared. If we will think about this conceptually, it tells us that energy is equal to matter moving at a certain speed. That is to say that at a certain speed, energy is equal to matter. Or, forgetting about the speed element, energy is matter, and matter is energy. This principle works, because prayer is a matter of spiritual energy, and prayer has been proven to improve health.
Chinese Medicine and Energy Meridians
Chinese medicine focuses on the existence of twelve energy channels (or meridians) which channel bio-electrical energy (or “chi”) throughout the body. Chinese medicine tells us that these bio-electric energy channels can get blocked, and that the blockage obstructs the normal flow of the body’s energy, which they say can cause the body to manifest dysfunction. Science has verified that these energy meridians are real, and they have been able to photography this energy since the 1970s. (Those interested can do an internet search on Kirlian Photography.) Since the 1990s they have been able to measure and quantify the energy levels and blockages with machines. Recently they began to sell inexpensive devices which can detect where the energy is blocked, and unblock it, so that anyone with an interest in learning can perform his own acupuncture treatments at home.
The concept of manipulating energy meridians seems very strange to westerners, and to make matters worse, Chinese medicine is based on the I Ching (or Book of Changes), which is a pagan oracle. What gets so murky is that the energy fields Chinese medicine notices are very real (and it even works on animals). The main thing we need to understand here is that there is nothing in Scripture which specifically prohibits the practice of Chinese medicine (or any other medical system), so long as the medical practice is separated from the false theology. This becomes the issue, as some people feel it is not possible to separate the medical practice from the theology that led to its discovery, while others feel that the medical practice can be effectively separated from the theology that led to its discovery. Let us discuss this further.
Like the witches of Europe, the ancient Chinese did not know Yahweh, and so they relied on different means of observation and analysis to establish a medical system that could be used to benefit human health. It is a very complex and powerful medical system, but sadly, it also does not tell us that Elohim is separate (set apart) from us, and that He is greater than we are. Rather, the Chinese system tells us that the universe is governed by an energy field called “the Tao”, and that we are able to become one with this energy field, and move in perfect harmony with it, and thus attain relative perfection, or godhood (i.e., demigod status). This is of course false, as it denies Yeshua as being the only way to the Father.
Yochanan (John) 14:6
6 Yeshua said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
On the one hand, one can say that any medical system that was developed without Yeshua being at the center is forever tainted. An argument can be made for this, provided we also reject Western allopathic medicine (which also denies Yeshua, and Elohim). However, it is hypocritical to reject Chinese medicine as being tainted, while accepting Western allopathic medicine (which was only developed after the Enlightenment [the Luciferism]).
An alternate view is to try to separate the medical system from the theology of its discoverers, much in the same way as we accept Euclidian Geometry without accepting the theology of Euclid. Probably not everyone will agree, but at least from a certain standpoint, this seems to make more sense.
To analyze this further, there are two basic views we can take. One is to say that the benefits of Chinese medicine come from Taoist philosophy, because the Taoists were the first to discover the energy meridians and the herbs. However, a second view is to say that the first approach unwittingly gives Taoist philosophy too much credit, because if we say that we cannot use Chinese herbs or the energy meridian system because they were first discovered by those who did not know Yahweh, this unwittingly credits Taoism with more power than it actually has (which is none). This second perspective would argue that Yahweh created both the herbs and the body’s energy fields, and that therefore, what needs to be done is to find practitioners who can separate the medical benefits of the herbs and the energy meridians from the Taoist philosophy of the people who discovered them. Thus, just like European Christian medicine slowly absorbed the discoveries of the pagans, so too can believers in Yeshua separate the benefits of Chinese medicine from the philosophy of those who first saw their benefits. This also would seem to be similar to how Yahweh brought the children of Israel into the land of Canaan, and gave them the houses and fields and crops of those who did not believe on Him. Only, one has to be careful not to give any credit to the false theological systems.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:10-15
10 “So it shall be, when Yahweh your Elohim brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,
11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant — when you have eaten and are full —
12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
13 You shall fear Yahweh your Elohim and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.
14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you
15 (for Yahweh your Elohim is a jealous Elohim among you), lest the anger of Yahweh your Elohim be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth.”
Energy Healing Techniques: Reflexology, Reiki
The Chinese medical system has many branches, all of which seek to clear the body’s energy fields, and so maximize health. One of these branches is reflexology, which tells us that certain points on the hands and feet and ears can be rubbed or stimulated (with needles, heat, or electrical impulses), and that this stimulation will benefit the associated bodily organs. Some people are hesitant to use reflexology, again because it was first discovered by those who did not know Yahweh. Yet ironically, many of these same people have no qualms about visiting a Western allopathic doctor, even though allopathy denies the existence of Elohim. However, that makes no sense. Either it should be possible to glean the good from both, or it should be impossible to glean the good from either.
Reiki is like acupuncture, except that it does not use needles, or even physical touch. It is said that Reiki was first developed by a Buddhist monk who used his body’s own energy fields to clear obstructions from the energy meridians of his patients. Reiki tells us that these energy obstructions arise due to negative thoughts, feelings, or negative life events, and that these negatives are the fundamental cause of all illness. That particular thought is not unscriptural.
Reiki may sound strange to Western ears, but in my past experience, the practice of using the body’s energy fields to manipulate someone else’s energy fields is a real phenomenon, and it works. However, yet again, it is of the utmost importance to find a practitioner who knows how to separate the medical system from the false theology, because Reiki (like Buddhism) teaches that one can “merge with the Tao”, and effectively become a demigod (which is utterly false). Yet if one can understand that one is not a demigod because one can learn how to manipulate the body’s energy fields (which Yahweh established) and use one’s bio-electric energy to heal others, then one can make use of this knowledge.
Energy Healing: Christian Splankna Therapy
Splankna is a form of Christian energy healing that is related to Reiki. The Splankna website claims that it is “the first Christian protocol for energy psychology.” I have no personal experience with Splankna, and so I cannot comment on it in depth, except to say that it seems to be an effort to develop a system of clean energy healing that is not related to Taoist or New Age philosophy. However, it is not certain whether or not it is sufficiently separated from Taoism or New Age at this point, so I cannot recommend it at this time.
Massage
There are two kinds of massage: relaxation and medical. (One can argue that both are ultimately medical, but the distinction of intent exists.)
There are clear benefits to medical massage, especially in cases of medical trauma (such as whiplash and other spinal trauma), because when muscles seize, it pushes the blood out of the tissues. Until the muscles relax, they cannot receive more blood, and thus they cannot receive proper oxygenation. This can lead to ischemia and tissue death, which is extremely painful.
Seized musculature is a serious problem, because it does not allow for proper blood flow. This slows or stops tissue healing, as Yahweh tells us that the life of all flesh is in the blood.
Vayiqra (Leviticus) 17:11
11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”
However, with massage the issue is similar to Reiki (and even Spalankna Therapy), which is that the energy that exists in the practitioner can get imparted to the patient. Thus, it is extremely important to find a practitioner who is devout, and takes heed to his or her spirit. It can also be highly beneficial to get a therapist of the same gender as the client, to eliminate any gender issues.
Stretching and Breathing vs. Religious Yoga
While deep yoga-like stretching is very good for the body, we need to avoid any religious elements in yoga, such as prayers to Hindu gods. However, if there are no prayers to false gods, there are no difficulties doing the specific poses and stretches. For example, many yoga stretches were developed over centuries to stretch certain areas of the body which typically become tight over time. These poses and stretches are fine. However, if the teacher begins leading the group in praying or chanting to foreign deities, it is time to leave.
Applied Kinesiology or “Muscle Testing”
Applied Kinesiology is also called “muscle testing.” It was developed in 1964 for the purpose of diagnosing medical conditions, and it is common among natural medical practioners of all kinds. How it works is this:
Suppose a natural medical doctor can think of two herb formulas that might be good for you, but cannot decide which one would be better. The solution would be to put one bottle in your hand and test your muscle strength, and then put the second bottle in your hand, and test your muscle strength again. Whichever bottle yields the stronger test result is the bottle the practitioner will give you. The idea would be that matter also has energy, and just in the same way as a Reiki or Spalankna therapist’s or a masseur’s energy can be imparted to the client, so to the energy of the herbal formula can be imparted to the client, just by being in proximity.
Applied Kinesiology may seem intuitive, and it has many proponents, and there are many variations. However, unlike Chinese medicine, Applied Kinesiology has not fared well in laboratory studies. Test results have not shown it to provide a statistically significant benefit. One problem with muscle testing is that it seems entirely subjective. Both the practitioner and the client will often change their muscle response in the middle of the test (i.e., between the first and second bottle), depending on psychological factors which are wholly unrelated to the herbs.
My own feeling is that I would not refuse to see a natural medical practitioner who used applied kinesiology, but I don’t place any faith in it, because laboratory studies to not prove it out.
Conclusion
Again there are many different types of medicine, and as long as we are able to separate the medical practice from the theology that inspired it, it can provide medical benefit. However, we also need to remember that it is Yahweh who heals us (not the medicines), and that while Yahweh does not prohibit us seeking medical help in the natural, the main thing is to seek Him first, and to do everything that He says to do.
Shemote (Exodus) 15:26
26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of Yahweh your Elohim and do what is right in His sight, shema [hear and obey] His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am Yahweh who heals you.”