new moderator

Well, your not totally unreasonable then.

"maintain that the body has the wisdom to heal itself, and that herbs are not the actual agent of healing."

Sometimes the body is incapable of successfully fighting an infection on its own, and sometimes the external medicine makes the difference between life and death. Some pranic healers might have amazing mind body healing skills, but there is no doubt that there are people who lived because of chemicals extracted from plants who who would have died if left to their own bodies healing ability in its weakened state. With fire I can make a much wider variety of medicines, though I can sometimes make cold extracts or use fermentation and allow the alcohols to extract instead of heat.

"All manner of infections, even malarial, could well be overcome by the body's own defenses for a person fully enlivened by living foods diet."

Raw foods diets can be very healthy and very invigorating. I can feel the difference when I eat nothing but sprouted grains and nuts vs eating cooked foods. My awareness is enhanced by the living foods even after only a few days of raw dieting....However, you are exaggerating. You are making unrealistic claims.

People who eat raw foods still die from malaria, still get staph infections that potentially turn deadly, and still end up with chronic health problems. Sometimes raw foods is not the cure for every ailment. Sometimes you need some medicine, and sometimes that medicine makes the difference between life and death even in a spiritually aware health conscious individual on a raw foods diet.

"When you eat fired foods, you eat chemical ashes that can keep you living, even effecting stimulation and growth, much as steroids and artificial fertilizers can have some narrow and short-lived benefits, but at a dramatically reduced state of overall potential health."

I dont eat burnt food ever. Foods fried to the point of being crispy are certainly toxic. I agree with you. In fact, I would go so far as to say there is no conceivable health benefits to deep frying ever. Deep fried food will lead to an early death. The effects of boiling is a bit different, as no ash is produced, but it does produce starch which can as you pointed out become an endorphine addiction. These chemicals can in fact negatively affect your glycemic index and impact your consciousness like a mild opiate.

Sometimes I will eat breads that are made from whole sprouted grains and cooked at low heat rather than high temperature, and I dont get the same "food grog" or endorphine fatigue that you are speaking of when I eat these foods in moderation along with fruit and sprouts.

Thanks for the nomination, but I would prefer somebody who is a little stricter in their raw diet than I am, but who is more open and tolerant than Leslie. I do respect Leslie in that he has experience in the subject, but dont agree with how he might moderate the tribe.

If nobody else more suitable steps up, I suppose I could do it, but I would encourage another nomination from the regulars, or else maybe I would pass the torch if another member wanted to become more active.