MUSCULAR SYSTEM & THE EIGHT LAWS OF HEALTH

GODLY TRUST
“Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? Or wilt thou leave thy labor to him?”
Job 39:11

Physiological effects of trust on muscles: As was discussed earlier, muscles are likened unto our
works and it takes a certain amount of trust in God before we can use our strength for him, and so too
physically, it takes fait just to move a voluntary muscle, because belief leads to action, and action can’t
exist without belief.

Jesus was teaching in Capernaum in a house one time and saw a marvelous demonstration of faith
when a man who had palsy was lowered down from the roof to be healed of his malady. Jesus said, “I
say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house, Mark 2:11. This man was
asked to use his muscles even though he hadn’t used them in a long time, and lying down for so long
they would have atrophied quite a deal. It was his trust in God that brought the strength of God to
human aid, giving his muscles a youthful vigor again.

Stress leads to
1. Muscular tension: Which can cause a headache, due to a build up of blood in the brain causing
pressure by the expansion of blood vessels.
2. Fatigue: Prolonged muscular tension consumes tremendous amounts of energy, leaving the body
weak and tired.
3. Impaired immune system response: Fatigue and tension greatly reduce the body’s ability to fight
infection leaving one more prone to illness.

Hormones such as adrenaline make our voluntary muscles bulge and get ready for action. The effect
on smooth muscle in the stomach and intestines is decreased activity. The heart rate and blood output
is increased, and blood pressure elevated. Blood sugar goes up, and new stores are mobilized from the
liver and muscles. Sensory perception increases, the mouth becomes dry and increased perspiration of
the forehead, mouth, palms, and feet occurs. The spleen squeezes more blood into the circulation, and
blood fats increase. We are ready for the combat!

In the second phase of distress these emergency physiological reaction are adjusted. We either adapt
or resist. Still ready for action, we now take more time to make intelligent decisions. In this stage we
suffer defeat because all our reserves have been used up. Psychosomatic manifestations may appear,
such as headaches, backaches, muscle twitching.

Muscles become tense under stress. This stress may be physical or emotional. Physical distress occurs
when you ask your muscles to perform work beyond their capacity, such as lifting a very heavy
weight. Emotional muscular distress occurs when your muscles are changed with feelings they cannot
handle, such as overwhelming sorrow, repeated frustrations, unexpressed anger, resentment, and guilt.
This will be the ultimate result of not trusting in our loving Creator. All such feelings produce tension
in various groups of muscles. Strong positive emotions can also produce muscle tension and emotional
fatigue. Emotional fatigue may follow episodes of great joy.

Muscular stress is responsible for headaches, backaches, certain types of Arthritis, and a hundred other
symptoms. When these symptoms are grouped together they make up more than 50% of all the
illnesses known to man. Muscle tension and stress can squeeze out the blood from small vessels and
capillaries, producing high blood pressure.

The solution: “Come unto me and I will give you rest.” (or no stress) Matthew 11:28.

OPEN AIR
“For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? For as for me, straightway there
remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.” Dan.10:17.

“In order for children and youth to have health, happiness, vivacity, and well developed muscle and
brain, they should be much in open air, and have well-regulated employment and amusement. CED.

For our muscles to produce energy they need oxygen. Glucose + oxygen + energy and when sufficient
oxygen is not available the muscles can accumulate a build up of lactic acid due to strenuous exercise
which causes muscle soreness.

Your car can have a tank full of high-octane gasoline and its motor may be in top condition, but if you
close off the air intake, it won’t run more than a few seconds. It too needs oxygen to run. Fuel and
oxygen react chemically in a process called oxidation. Oxidation produces heat and motion-energy.

Food is the fuel our bodies use. The oxygen that burns that fuel comes from the air we breath.
Without oxygen our muscles cannot carry on even minimal activity for survival.

DAILY EXERCISE
“What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? I have seen the travail, which God
hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.”
Eccl. 3:9,10.

Exercise has so many benefits to the muscles, like all the other laws, that is seems impossible to
exhaust them, but here are just a few on the effect of exercise on the muscular system.

When you exercise, your muscles act like an auxiliary heart that heart that aids in pumping blood
around the body supplying more oxygen to all the cells and speeding up waste elimination. It relaxes
tense muscles and strengthens muscle tissue and ligaments, as well as toning them providing attractive
body symmetry.

It helps the muscles to lose fat stored inside muscle tissue, which is great for the obese person, and
actually produces more energy than it uses, and decreases muscular fatigue.

SUNSHINE
“But unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye
shall go forth, and grow up as calves in the stall.” Mal. 4:2

It is said that sunshine has the same effect upon the body as does exercise. They both decrease the
resting heart rate, also the respiratory rate, blood sugar and the amount of lactic acid accumulation in
the blood. They also increase strength, endurance, tolerance to stress, and the ability of the body to
absorb oxygen. Sunlight stimulates the thyroid gland to increase hormone production, which increases
the body’s basal metabolic rate, which in turn burns up more calories. It helps the absorption of
glucose into the cells which combined with oxygen gives to the muscles which in turn burns up
calories.

Sunlight is believed to be responsible for increasing the endorphins that you brain manufactures and
giving you a sense of well being. It relaxes you and tones your muscles.

PLENTY OF REST
“For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and Rest shall ye be saved; in
quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.” Isa. 30:15.

It is at rest when muscles are built up and strengthened, even the toughest muscle in your body, the
heart that pumps many thousands of tons of blood in your lifetime, needs rest in between beats, only
one tenth of a second, but without that spilt second of rest in would soon be worn out and death would
result.

Without proper rest the muscle tissue will be placed under stress, and building up of muscle tissue will
be impaired, due to the constant wear and tear of the muscles through physical or mental exhaustion.

LOTS OF WATER
“And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance
into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?
But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had
drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived:” Judg.15.18,19.

Without water the blood could not be moved through the muscles. Water is stored largely in the
muscles and skin and a deficiency will cause the body to rob it needed water from the cells to get its
essential supply. When the loss of water becomes severe then the blood thickens and the circulation
becomes sluggish, causing blood to be deposited in the muscle tissue.

As therapeutic as water is on the inside so it is also on the outside, with the prudent use of
hydrotherapy. Hydrotherapy can help greatly those who suffer from sore muscles, by aiding blood
circulation to the affected area and increasing the white blood cells. Hot and cold treatments such as
foot baths or fomentations are very effective in assisting the body’s muscles to relax as well as repair
and can be an immediate treatment for those who have sprained their ankle or ripped a muscle.

ALWAYS TEMPERATE
“And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and
answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” Acts.24.25.

“God has written His law upon every nerve and muscle, every fibre and function of the human body.”
BE.1899-09-18

“Every intemperate indulgence or lustful appetite is at war with natural instinct, and the healthful
condition of every nerve and muscle and organ of the wonderful human machinery which through the
Creator's power possesses organic life.” GCD.1897-03-02.019.

Intemperance in work: This habit will wear out the muscles and cause us to feel tired as a result of
constant abuse by starving the body of time to repair these overworked tissues.
Intemperance in eating: Affects the muscle tissue, loading up the stomach so much that the body can’t
digest food properly and what is not digested becomes a poison, depriving the muscles of the proper
nutrition that they need.

Intemperance in study: Makes the muscles atrophy through inactivity, tone and strength is decreased
resulting in poor circulation and blood.

NUTRITION
“Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a
morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.”
1Sam.28.22

Our bodies are built up from the food that we eat. There is a constant breaking down of the tissues of
the body; every movement of every organ involves waste, and this waste is repaired from our food.
Each organ of the body requires its share of nutrition. The brain must be supplied with its portion; the
bones, muscles, and nerves demand theirs. It is a wonderful process that transforms the food into
blood and uses this blood to build up the varied parts of the body; but this process is going on
continually, supplying with life and strength each nerves, muscle, and tissue. MH.295.

The contraction and relaxation of muscles (all muscular movements) depends upon the presence of
calcium, sodium, and potassium in correct proportions. As an example. With a deficiency of sodium
and potaasium and an excess of calcium, the heart muscle may “go into rigor”- remain contracted and
refuse to relax. Contrariwise, if there be an excess of sodium and potassium and a deficiency of
calcium, the muscle may relaxe and refuse to function. When these minerals are in correct balance
they interact upon the muscle cells in such a way to bring about “alternate contractions and relaxation.”
Therefore nutrition is vital to the development and maintenance of the muscular system.