Getting Well

by Herbert M. Shelton

Getting Well is a book written by Herbert M. Shelton, which provides a comprehensive guide to natural healing and wellness. In this book, Shelton explores the principles and practices of natural hygiene, which is a holistic approach to health that emphasizes the importance of a healthy lifestyle, including proper nutrition, exercise, and rest.The book covers a wide range of topics related to natural health, including the benefits of fasting, the importance of proper digestion, and the role of exercise in maintaining good health. Shelton also discusses the dangers of modern medicine and the importance of avoiding drugs and other harmful substances.Throughout the book, Shelton emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for one's own health and well-being. He provides practical advice on how to make positive changes in one's life, including tips on how to choose healthy foods, how to get enough exercise, and how to manage stress.Overall, Getting Well is a comprehensive guide to natural health and wellness that provides readers with the knowledge and tools they need to take control of their own health and well-being. It is a must-read for anyone who is interested in natural healing and wants to live a healthy, vibrant What is Health; The Rationale of Disease; Compensation in Disease; Law Governs Disease; Physiology vs. Voodooism; The Story of Useless Organs; The Fun of Being Sick; How to get Well; Why Drugs; Quick Relief; Killing our Children; Curing Arthritis; Peptic Ulcers; What are Tumors; Curing Gallstones; Diabetes; Varicose Veins; Asthma; Warts; Influenza; Who's on a A Diet; Food cures; Vitamin Failures; When to Eat; Growing Old; Diseases of Middle Life; plus more.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Paperback

First published June 1, 1993

About the author

Herbert M. Shelton was an American naturopath, alternative medicine advocate, and prolific author best known for promoting natural hygiene, fasting, and raw veganism. Born in Texas in 1895, Shelton was deeply influenced by observing animal behavior during illness and early pioneers like Isaac Jennings and Sylvester Graham. He studied at several institutions devoted to chiropractic and naturopathy, eventually graduating from the American School of Naturopathy. Shelton believed that cooked food was harmful and that the human body could heal itself without medical intervention, primarily through fasting and a raw, plant-based diet.
In 1922, he self-published Fundamentals of Nature Cure, later retitled An Introduction to Natural Hygiene. He went on to write the influential seven-volume The Hygienic System and published The Hygienic Review for forty years. In 1948, he founded the American Natural Hygiene Society, which became the National Health Association. Despite facing frequent legal challenges for practicing medicine without a license, Shelton maintained a loyal following and left a lasting legacy on the raw food and fasting movements.
A pacifist, Shelton was jailed during World War I for opposing the draft. His career was marred by controversy, including patient deaths and lawsuits, one of which led to his financial ruin and the closure of his health school. Afflicted by a degenerative disease in later life, he remained active in his work until his death in 1985. His legacy remains polarizing, viewed by some as visionary and by others as dangerously unscientific.

Reviews

[P.J. Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This outspoken book is a denunciation of medicine and "the whole drug system." There is only one possible cure for any illness, says Shelton, and that is removing the cause. Drugs do not remove the cause. It is the body that cures, not inorganic drugs. Treating symptoms with drugs is "like applying an ointment to the foot in which a tack is sticking instead of removing the tack." Medicine is voodoo, not science. Symptoms should not be suppressed. They are "manifestations of an inherent principle of the organism to restore healthy function."

Shelton shows how to identify and remove causes. He believes in fasting. If he has a cure-all to offer, it is fasting. Fasting equals rest for the body. Fasting corrects the enervation and toxemia which are the root causes of disease.

This is more than a book; it is a plan for living. Read it and you will understand how far we have strayed from nature's path. The chapters are short, understandable, and packed with wisdom. He discusses many syndromes, including diabetes, influenza, cancer, and arthritis, but the same principles apply to all of them. Getting well is no different from prevention.

A good introduction to Shelton, this book covers a wide range of topics and provides a good overview of his Natural Hygiene philosophy. Highly recommended.