Alcoholic Cirrhosis and the Word of Wisdom

Internal medicine is full of many different kinds of patients. It ranges from things like Diabetes Mellitus to pancreatitis to high blood pressure to abstract diseases like hereditary spherocytosis and Sjogren's disease. The hardest diseases for me are ones in which I know are completely avoidable and yet still occur. When I was on my sub-internship in internal medicine I ran across a patient which, upon first walking into his room, was evident what was going on. I looked at him and noticed that his skin was completely orangish-yellow in color. Upon further examination, he had all the typical signs and symptoms of someone in liver failure. He had abnormal bleeding problems because his liver was not producing the factors needed to stop bleeding; he had large, visible abdominal blood vessels evident on his skin because the blood flow through the liver was obstructed resulting in backflow through other vessels. He also had mild confusion because of the inability to clear the ammonia in the blood, which was going to his brain causing confusion. When asked, he stated he had been drinking alcohol for many years and even though he had been warned of the risks of this habit, he had continued until it had reached this point where he now needed a liver transplant in order to survive.

I thought to myself how sad this was! This man had the potential the rest of us had to succeed in life, but had squandered in the habit and addiction of alcoholism. As I pondered this situation, I became more and more grateful for the Word of Wisdom revealed to us by the prophet Joseph Smith. Because of this wonderful revelation, we know how the Lord wants us to take care of our body. He tells us what things we are to take into our body and what things to avoid in order to take the best care of our bodies, thereby having good health.

Before I delve into how the Word of Wisdom blesses our lives, it is important to understand a little bit about our body. This wonderful gift was given to us by our Heavenly Father in order to let us come to earth to become as He is. In Genesis 1: 26-27 we read, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." God created us in His image in order that we may become like Him and have the joy that He has. In the Pearl of Great Price, we find the record of Abraham. In it we find just a snippet of the purpose of this when he says, "And they who keep their first estate (meaning their spiritual life and the pre-mortal life) shall be added upon...and they who keep their second estate (meaning our mortal life, or the life we now live) shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever" (Abraham 3:22-26). President Spencer W. Kimball expounded this scripture by saying, "God has taken these...spirit bodies, and given them instructions and training. Then he proceeded to create a world for them and sent them as spirits to obtain a mortal body, for which he made preparation. And when they were upon the earth, he gave them instructions on how to go about developing and conducting their lives to make them perfect, so they could return to their Father in heaven after their transitions."1 Having a knowledge that we are here on this earth and are given a mortal body in order to become like our Heavenly Father and then return to live with Him again in the fullness of joy makes the purpose of our life very different. It also adds new meaning to the purpose of the physical body we are given.

Paul states regarding the sacredness of our mortal body, "Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19). So Paul is telling us a number of things here. First of all he states, "...your body...which ye have of God...". So God gave us our body, it is a gift that He has given to us. Second of all, he tells us that it is a temple, a sacred place where the Holy Ghost can dwell. When we think of our body as a holy place, why would we want to put things into or do things to our body that will hurt our ability to have the Holy Ghost dwell within us? Since it is a gift from God, it is our responsibility to treat it well and live so we can have the Holy Ghost with us to guide us in our lives. Sister Diane Spangler has stated:

The body is not merely a mobile unit for the head nor a carnal vexation for the spirit, as some believe. Rather, it is an integral, powerful component of the soul, for 'the spirit and the body are the soul of man' (D&C 88:15). Being privileged to know about the literal embodiment of God and the progressive nature of the body gives us a rare vantage point from which to comprehend and enjoy its tremendous capabilities.2

Knowing that we are capable of this type of progression should help us understand the tremendous magnitude of this gift. As such, Heavenly Father wants us to use it in the way that is best for us, so He has given us special insight into the best ways to take care of our bodies in order for it to function at its best. This instruction came by way of Joseph Smith in 1833 called the Word of Wisdom. This came as a revelation that, as I stated earlier, gives promises of blessings if we take certain things into our bodies and avoid others. We are taught in D&C 89:10-17 about what things will give us better health. It states, "...all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man - Every herb in the season thereof and every fruit in the season thereof...yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air...for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly...all grain is...to be the staff of life...all grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine..." (D&C 89:10-17). We are taught here that eating things like whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and eating meat sparingly will give us good health. Is this something new? If you look at the majority of the research out there, this is true!

Next, the Lord then teaches us in D&C 89:5-9 about the things we are to avoid to obtain optimal health, which is where my patient went wrong. "That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father...and, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies. And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle...and again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly." There is a lot of doctrine in here. First of all, it states that wine or strong drink is not good for us. This means wine as well as "strong drinks", meaning beer, vodka, rum, tequila, anything of that sort. This is a highly debated topic in the research literature these days. It seems every other day some new article will come out telling us the benefits of alcohol on the heart or other aspect of the human body. So some wonder, how can this be that God has instructed us not to use this when it has health benefits? If you look at some of the main articles citing the health benefits, it states that it is never okay during pregnancy because of the risks alcohol has on the fetus. Furthermore, the studies are usually dealing with a specific type of patient. For example, one study3 used elderly males as their only group and found those that drank between 3-7 glasses of a certain form of alcohol per week had less heart attacks than those who drank only one glass per week. The media then proceeded to go wild about the fact that alcohol is good for the body! When in reality, this study is not able to prove that. They did not have a control group of individuals who did not drink alcohol at all. Who is to say that not drinking had greater benefits than anyone who drinks alcohol, yet it was untested? Also, this study was performed on male health professionals, so it is impossible to know if this is good for the general public, or just this select group of individuals who had a higher likelihood of being healthy by their mere knowledge of the health as a health professional. Lastly, the number of conflicting variables that could have occurred during this study is high. They kept track of how much alcohol and the number of heart attacks without measuring the amount of exercise, the stress levels, type of diet, etc. So other variables likely played into the equation yet were untested. So we can see that we really don't know from these types of studies.

Beyond that though, who wants to take the risk of having these select benefits when the opposite statistics4 include such things as over 17 million alcoholics in the US (which brings on spousal and child abuse as well as alcohol-related deaths), over 15,000 alcoholic liver disease deaths, and over 24,000 deaths from alcohol, not including accidents? Finally, the CDC5 states a total of over 75,000 alcohol-related deaths including accidents and over 2.3 million years of potential life lost had those deaths not occured. Are these benefits really worth all this?

Next the Lord tells us that tobacco is not for the body, and as stated, "is not good for man." To put this into context, this revelation was given to us in 1833. At the time period, the thought was that tobacco was good for the body and there were benefits of tobacco use. Only later on have we since learned of the extreme harm that it does have. It can cause high blood pressure, heart disease, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, cervical cancer, kidney cancer, stomach ulcers, COPD, asthma, stroke, infertility, preterm labor, SIDS, need I go on? The point I am trying to make here is that even back in 1830's when the popular idea was that it had benefits, the Lord knew it was harmful and told us to abstain from such use. Look at what He was trying to prevent for us? This type of logic may be needed for some regarding alcohol. Some still think it has health benefits, but when we realize God must have a reason, who knows what we may find out someday like we have found out about tobacco.

Lastly D&C 89 tells us that "hot drinks are not for the body or the belly." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has come out to say this means tea and coffee. These substances are stimulants which have a powerful effect upon the mind and body to increase your thinking and metabolism for a short period of time before leaving you tired afterward. They also have a powerful ability to addict the body to their use. Any type of addiction that keeps us from truly using the agency the Lord has given to us is to be avoided. This is, I'm sure, one of the reasons these are to be avoided.

The blessings that come from the Word of Wisdom are innumerable. D&C 89: 18-21 tells us such blessings include "...health in their navel and marrow in their bones; and [they] shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint...and...that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them." I don't know anyone who does not want to have greater wisdom and knowledge, let alone the ability to run and not be weary. These blessings are more powerful than any of the so-called benefits of any of the substances discussed above.

I feel so bad for my patient who had alcoholic liver disease knowing that had he known and observed the law of the Word of Wisdom, this was completely avoidable. Many of the deaths of this world would be avertible if only this law would be obeyed. I am grateful for my knowledge of these truths and the blessings I have received from them.

1. http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1977/04/our-great-potential?lang=eng&query=%22become+like+god%22
2. http://www.lds.org/ensign/2005/07/the-body-a-sacred-gift?lang=eng

3. Mukamal KJ, COnigrave KM, Mittleman MA, Comargo CA Jr, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, Rimm EB. N Engl J Med. 2003 Jan 9; 348(2): 109-18.

4. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/alcohol.htm

5. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5337a2.htm

The Impact of Righteous Parents

On my psychiatry rotation, I was able to meet with many different people from all walks of life. I did notice one thing that really fascinated me. Many of the people who I saw on the psychiatric wards had the commonality of either having a poor or tragic childhood, or at least having an emotionally challenging time period when they were growing up. Whether it was being abused in any form as a child, watching their parent be abused, having an alcoholic parent, being neglected, etc., these created problems in these patients lives that they were dealing with as grown adults 20, 30, 40, or even 50 years later. How sad is it that parents do not understand the impact they have on their children. Do we truly understand the responsibility that rests upon us as parents to raise our children in happy, safe, loving, righteous homes? Are we able to see the consequences that may occur to our children if we expose them to harmful, degrading, or neglecting attitudes? No one is perfect and we all will make mistakes as parents, but what are we doing to ensure the success of the future generation?

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been anxiously engaged in teaching principles that will lead to a successful and happy family as well as how to provide stability for children. They have stated:

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. 'Children are an heritage of the Lord' (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live...and...will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.1

There is a lot of meaning held in this paragraph. The scriptures teach us that "children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalm 127:3); if you look up heritage, one of the meanings is valued object or quality. So children are what He values. Christ also taught us who children really are when He said, "...Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:14). Christ wants all children to come unto Him. When He visited the American continent after His resurrection, Christ spent a special amount of time just with the children, we read in the Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 17: 11-12: "And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought. So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him." He took the time to see every child that was there. What a special experience. Christ knew the impact this would have upon these children's lives, so He spent the time because He knew helping them see His love for them in their youth, would only have exponential dividends as they grew older. The same principle applies to us, showing our children that we love them when they are young is what will help them know of our love as they get older. So many times we may hear that it doesn't matter because the kids don't understand, but that is completely wrong. Just like a solid foundation is essential before building a house, so is teaching our children our love for them. Helping them understand they are loved and that God loves them when they are young is the firm foundation they must have before attempting to build their own character. Without that foundation they will fall, as so many of the patients I saw had.

One example from the Book of Mormon teaches us the impact a righteous parent can have upon children as they grow older. We learn in the book of Alma about an aggressive battle going on between the righteous Nephites and the wicked Lamanites. The battle was fierce, and the Nephites were in need of more soldiers. A group of young men came forward to battle in order to defend their families and their liberty, yet they had never fought in battle before. These young men, 2000 in number, were extremely courageous and faithful unto God. We learn from Alma 53:20-21 about the characteristics of these young men, "...and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all - they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him." When I read this I think to myself, wow! This is the type of young man I want to raise. I want my kids to be courageous, to be true at all times no matter the consequence, to be truthful, keep the commandments of God, and to walk uprightly before God. How is it that 2000 young men had such a firm grasp on the real important things of life, so much so that they were willing to give up their lives for the family and for their faith? The answer is told to us, "...yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it" (Alma 56:47-48). They had such incredible faith, they kept the commandments of God, and were truthful in all things because they had been taught these principles by their mothers. The impact of a righteous parent can never be underestimated. Because of their faith, all of these 2000 stripling warriors lived through the battles.

In our society today, how can we compete with the constant nagging of the world to forget God and pursue selfish desires over selfless service? How can we teach our children when there are so many influences pulling for their attention as well? The Family: A Proclamation to the World gives us a clear answer:

Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.1

There it is! In such plain language! First of all, children have the right to be born to parents who are legally and lawfully wedded and who treat their marital vows with complete fidelity. From there we read, if we teach our children the principles of Jesus Christ stated in the last sentence, we are likely to have a successful marriage and family! It seems so simple, yet I never hear the principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, or work taught on television, the radio, or the internet (unless diligently sought). In fact, we are bombarded by the opposite of those characteristics from these sources. These are to be taught in the home. When we spend the time practicing these principles ourselves in our home, and teach our children the importance of them, we have the promise that we will be successful and happy in our marriage and in our family.

If parents would only see the impact of their behavior on their children and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to them when they are young, the problems we face today would decrease drastically. The amount of violence, immorality, dishonesty, selfishness, and maybe even some mental disorders would virtually come to a halt; all because we realize the importance of raising our children in the way the Lord would have it done. I hope that through example and teaching, more people will change and put the principles of the gospel in the forefront of their lives. The damage I saw on my psychiatry rotation in adults and children was enough to break my heart; yet I know it doesn't need to be that way. If we only will live the gospel, teach the gospel, and embrace the principles it teaches we will all be happier. I am grateful for my knowledge of the gospel and the testimony I have that if I live by its precepts and teach them to my children, they and I will be happy. I am grateful to parents who also believed and taught the same principles to me. I hope that we all can help others see these blessings as well.

1. The Family: A Proclamation to the World, http://www.lds.org/family/proclamation/the-family-a-proclamation-to-the-world?lang=eng&query=proclamation+family.

Fetal Tissue and the Perfect Plan

When in pathology I had the opportunity to look at many specimens. These included everything from pancreas, colon, prostate, lung tissue and even fetal tissue. It was the fetal tissue in particular that stood out to me. As we looked at it, the pathologist pointed out the developing nervous system, he pointed out the heart, he pointed out the developing lungs, the liver which had been actively making red blood cells since only a few weeks after conception, and even the cartilage that had been developing. As I looked at all of this, it was evident that there were millions of cells, each with a specific program and purpose to fulfill in order to make the physical body develop and eventually perform. Even though for some reason this particular fetus didn't make it, the thought that I had, was "How could anyone not believe that God created this? How could anyone believe that this just randomly occurred?" Do they really understand what they are saying? Yes evolution occurs and is a principle set forth by God, but the way mankind has misconstrued it is baffling. The only way it occurred from a single celled organism is if that is how God decided to make it work.

Let me explain. One researcher has stated that if you were to put all the essential life building blocks into an ocean soup and let them sit, the probability of them becoming a simple functional cell would be greater than one in 340 million!1 If that is the likelihood of just a funcation cell generating, how much more unlikely is it to be joined by millions of other cells, all with a completely different function, coming together to work perfectly. Imagine it, say this one simple functional cell did occur as the one in 340 millionth chance, and it just happened to be a muscle cell. Great! That is fantastic that it works, now all it needs to be joined by to create a living human being is another brain cell, a heart muscle cell, a skin cell, a pancreatic cell, a thyroid cell, a hair cell, a retinal cell (eye), a bone marrow cell, etc. You get my point. So this one cell that did occur needs to have all these other cells necessary for the human body to function, numbering over 200 differing types, to all come together. Each cell with the same probability of 1 in 340 millionth chance, then combine all those chances occurring at the same time in the proper way. The chance is zero.

Elder Russell M. Nelson, a world-renounced cardiothoracic surgeon now called to be an apostle in the quorum of the 12 apostles, stated,

Through the ages, some without scriptural understanding have tried to explain our existence by pretentious words such as ex nihilo (out of nothing). Others have deduced that, because of certain similarities between different forms of life, there has been a natural selection of the species, or organic evolution from one form to another. Many of these people have concluded that the universe began as a “big bang” that eventually resulted in the creation of our planet and life upon it. To me, such theories are unbelievable! Could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary? It is unthinkable! Even if it could be argued to be within a remote realm of possibility, such a dictionary could certainly not heal its own torn pages or renew its own worn corners or reproduce its own subsequent editions!2

Unless it comes from divine design. If Heavenly Father were to say, be thou made, it is done. Genesis 1:26 and 27 tells us, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over...all the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." God came down to earth and created Adam and Eve in His image. All of this process took place because God came and organized man Himself. Without His help and guidance, this would not have occurred.

Elder Nelson put it very well when he states:

Each organ is an amazing creation. The eye has a self-focusing lens. Nerves and muscles allow two eyes to make a single three-dimensional image. The ear converts sound waves into audible tones perceived in the brain.

The heart has four delicate valves that control the direction of blood flow. They open and close more than 100,000 times a day—36 million times a year. Unless altered by disease, they are able to withstand this stress almost indefinitely. No man-made material can be flexed so frequently and so long without breaking. Each day, the adult heart pumps enough fluid to fill a 2,000-gallon (7,570-L) tank. At the crest of the heart is a source of electricity that transmits energy down special lines, causing myriads of muscle fibers to work together.

Think of the body’s backup systems. Each paired organ has instant backup available from the other of the pair. Single organs, such as the brain, the heart, and the liver, are nourished by two routes of blood supply. This protects the organ if blood flow should be impeded through one of those routes.

Think of the body’s capacity to defend itself. To protect it from harm, the body perceives pain. In response to infection, it generates antibodies. They not only help to combat an immediate problem, but they persist to bolster resistance to any future infection.

Think how the body repairs itself. Broken bones mend and become strong again. Skin lacerations heal themselves. A leak in the circulation can seal itself. The body renews its own outdated cells.

The body regulates its own vital ingredients. Levels of essential elements and constituents are adjusted continuously. And regardless of wide fluctuations in temperature of the environment, the temperature of the body is carefully controlled within narrow bounds.3

Isn't this amazing!!! God not only created a wonderful tabernacle for us to come to earth in, but He made it this perfect that it is able to perform all these functions without us even having to think about them! I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who gave us this opportunity. The divine nature we are given a mortal body is truly a testimony that God lives. The way He created us in His own image is a testimony that He truly loves us. I am so grateful for this knowledge and for my opportunity to have my mortal body to learn and grow.

1. H.J. Morowitz, Energy Flow in Biology (Academic Press, New York, 1968), p. 99.

2. R.M. Nelson. "Faith in Jesus Christ." Jesus Christ, The Son of God. 2010. http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/faith-in-jesus-christ/articles/faith-in-jesus-christ. 04 Feb. 2012.

3. R.M. Nelson. "The Magnificence of Man." Ensign. Jan. 1988. (see also http://www.lds.org/ensign/1988/01/the-magnificence-of-man?lang=eng&query=human+body for full article online.)