Wonderfully Made

Physiology Of Health

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Lee Wellard & Dr. Scott Grivas

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Series Code: WM

Program Code: WM000425


00:01 The following program presents principles designed
00:03 to promote good health and is not intended
00:05 to take the place of
00:06 personalized professional care.
00:08 The opinions and ideas
00:09 expressed are those of the speaker.
00:11 Viewers are encouraged to draw their own
00:13 conclusions about the information presented.
00:35 Welcome to Wonderfully Made.
00:38 My name is Lee Wellard, a Lifestyle Educator
00:40 from Wildwood Lifestyle Center.
00:42 And today we have with us Dr. Scott Grivas,
00:45 welcome to the program Dr. Grivas.
00:47 Thank you, Lee. Today, we're looking at very
00:49 sensitive topic one that is foundational
00:53 to our understanding of being able to view
00:56 the treatment as well as the prevention of disease.
01:00 Today, we're gonna be looking
01:01 at the philosophy of health.
01:03 When we're talking about the philosophy of health,
01:06 what do we really talking about?
01:09 I think I would describe it as a belief system
01:13 that motivates the action.
01:16 We need to know what is truth and then we need
01:20 to practice the truth. And you know,
01:23 today Lee on every corner in the health arena
01:27 you hear a voice saying, this is the way come.
01:31 And you start to walk that path,
01:33 and then you begin to hear another voice
01:35 from another corner, no you're on the wrong way,
01:37 come this way, this is the truth.
01:40 And I think when we're dealing with such a
01:42 sacred topic as the health of human beings
01:46 that we have got to know what is truth?
01:49 So, we can then follow it.
01:51 That's interesting when you brought up
01:53 that there are many voices, How do we know
01:56 which voice, you know Jesus said you shall hear
02:01 My voice and those who, who are open to understand
02:05 and to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit?
02:07 How do people out there listening,
02:09 how would they know what is the correct philosophy
02:12 as we approach the understanding of disease,
02:15 its causes as well as its treatment.
02:17 Sure, well I would encourage our viewers
02:21 to begin to study the Bible as also a health book.
02:28 To the law and to the testimonies.
02:32 Here is the truth. And when we're dealing
02:37 with the variety of opinions, many speculations
02:43 and the various philosophies that you hear?
02:48 We can become so easily confused unless
02:51 we know what has God written for us that
02:56 we can look at and know and put all of our weight on
03:02 in regards to health patterns
03:04 for healthful living. Only God who made
03:07 these bodies possibly knows how for us
03:11 to live in them. Right.
03:12 And He has given us instruction.
03:14 Right, so speculation is an inspiration. Right.
03:18 And so, as a physician one who is approaching
03:22 the study of disease and treatment.
03:25 Your foundation is going to be inspiration,
03:29 it's the Bible, it's the Bible. Has to be.
03:31 And how has that changed your mindset,
03:33 you've had years of study understanding
03:37 difficult concepts, a lot of scientific background,
03:41 and how is that you know, adapted your mind has
03:47 it been a struggle as you've looked
03:49 at the word of God, and how is that change
03:52 your mindset now when you come to approaching disease?
03:56 Well, I was not trained in medicine in accordance
04:02 with all that is written. I had a very good
04:07 medical training for which I'm very grateful.
04:09 I learned a lot of the sciences,
04:12 the health sciences that physicians need
04:15 to know physiology, anatomy, bio-chemistry,
04:19 nutrition and so forth. But when it comes
04:23 to the discussion of treatment of disease,
04:27 then the word of God goes in one direction,
04:32 and secular medicine is headed in another.
04:35 And so, it sometimes difficult to try to get
04:40 these two together, and for me you ask me,
04:44 was it a challenge? Indeed, because when
04:48 I am confronted with another human being
04:52 who has a problem, naturally my reflex is
04:57 to use what I have learned.
05:00 But as I have studied more and more,
05:03 I now recognize that I am not able
05:06 to just rely on that. I must pray,
05:08 I must ask the Lord. What do you want me
05:11 to do in this particular situation?
05:14 And how can I use those remedies which
05:17 you have pointed out in your word are foundational
05:21 to bring true healing to men and women
05:24 when they are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
05:27 So, that obviously wasn't part of your training
05:29 as a medical student, I'm expecting
05:32 you don't expect the sermon everyday
05:36 from your professor, but then must have been
05:39 at some point a time where you started
05:42 to see that the Bible and what it said specially
05:47 we got in our health had a critical part
05:50 to play in your understanding of
05:54 the treatment of disease.
05:57 When I was in training as a young man,
06:01 somewhere along that road,
06:03 I remember somebody gave me a book
06:06 and it was called "None of These Diseases."
06:09 And I looked at that book and there was a
06:12 picture of stethoscope, doctor's medical bag,
06:18 and a Bible. And I looked at that and I said
06:22 this is strange mix. What is this all about?
06:27 But as I began to look into this,
06:30 I begin to understand the wisdom
06:33 that book contained, because this author
06:38 who was a physician, was pointing the physician
06:41 bag to the great physician who said,
06:45 if you will follow my plan,
06:47 I will put none of these diseases upon you.
06:50 Now, when you came out of medical school,
06:52 and you start to get your feet wet,
06:55 you started to see patients.
06:56 Did you feel that you have
06:58 the answers to their problem? Of course.
07:01 You had a pill for everything.
07:02 If you have an ill, I have a pill.
07:04 Okay. And you get the bill. Right, correct.
07:09 And at one point did the Bible become more
07:13 important tool to understand about disease?
07:17 Well, it was certainly after I became a Christian,
07:20 then I studied the Bible more and more.
07:24 And then I could see the pattern of Christ ministry
07:29 of healing, right, which gave me a different model?
07:34 It wasn't as I had been trained that human beings
07:41 through their own wisdom are able
07:45 to bring healing to man. It was that no only
07:48 the Lord heals through His Spirit,
07:51 but if the human agent is in connection with Christ,
07:56 then God can use him as an instrument.
07:59 Was that a humbling experience at the time?
08:01 Ah! Very much because you know,
08:04 it's no longer I that does the healing.
08:06 Right, right. And pray, how important was
08:10 pray in your ministry as a physician,
08:13 as a new Christian and seeing Christ methods.
08:17 Was it little hard to start praying with patient?
08:21 Yes, and in fact, not only was it hard for me
08:26 to initiate that, but it was a little difficult
08:30 in the academic setting where I was
08:32 for others to even appreciate it.
08:35 Now, did the patients who you were praying for,
08:37 did they appreciate, there is praise
08:40 or did they feel you know, that they didn't want
08:45 that as part of their treatment,
08:47 how did they respond to that?
08:49 It wasn't the patients that were objecting,
08:52 it was the other medical arena. Right.
08:56 Because we just are trained that way,
09:00 that religion and medicine you know,
09:02 it's not an easy mix. And so, to lay aside
09:09 that gourmet of I am the healer, right,
09:14 and to get down on your knees and acknowledge,
09:17 I cannot bring healing or health to an individual.
09:20 But I can ask the Lord to bless my efforts,
09:24 and to show me what to do, and then He will be
09:28 the one who comes to that individual,
09:32 and begins that work of restoration.
09:34 And yes, it is a humbling experience,
09:37 but it is a beautiful experience
09:39 that the Lord gives us. Amen.
09:41 And did you find the other physicians around
09:44 you share the same understanding philosophy,
09:50 compassion, some of the things
09:52 that that you were adopting.
09:53 Well, there are, yes, there were some,
09:58 but in the regular practice of medicine
10:02 it's more difficult to bring those
10:07 concepts to the front. And so, I would have
10:13 to admit to that I'm sure that there are many,
10:18 many God fearing you know, men and women
10:21 in the medical field that are doing their best trying,
10:25 yes, to bring healing in the way that they know,
10:27 some are praying with their patients.
10:31 But honestly in the world's system
10:36 there isn't given a lot of space for the Christian
10:42 influence of looking only to Jesus as
10:47 the healer of disease. And I think that's what
10:49 we want to really impress individuals with
10:55 that while we can do some things as a physician
10:58 you know, I mean God uses even those
11:02 who don't yet have a knowledge of Him
11:05 as an instrument. But how much more
11:08 can He use an individual who is tune with his mind,
11:12 and who praise and ask for help to assist him
11:15 in things that he is doing. Amen.
11:17 That is a powerful ministry then.
11:20 I remember one of the first times I came to Wildwood,
11:22 and I was sitting behind the desk and you ask me,
11:25 if I would come with you and visit a patient.
11:28 I remember you getting on your knees before
11:32 you even went in to see the patient,
11:35 and then praying in that room with the patient
11:38 in the beginning and also the end,
11:40 and that really impressed me, and you could just
11:43 sense the influence of the Holy Spirit.
11:46 Praise God. And you could just tow it brought a
11:50 sacred atmosphere into the room.
11:53 And then maybe some who're listening
11:55 who have this desire to pray,
11:57 but they feel certain constraints and limitations,
12:01 how could we encourage these people?
12:03 Well, who we have to be respectful of
12:06 another's ideas. We don't wan to force
12:09 any spiritual influence on those who are not
12:16 ready for that, but we can often just simply
12:20 make a statement, would you object,
12:22 if I offered a prayer, right, for your healing
12:25 to the God of heaven? Some little way of putting
12:33 in that patient's mind the knowledge that listen,
12:36 I cannot bring healing, I will be your assistant
12:42 in this, I'll be the helper that the Lord uses,
12:48 but my efforts can go only so far.
12:52 There is a work that must be done in this body
12:55 that a pill can't do, right, a drug is not gonna
12:59 be able to do. And then humanly speaking
13:02 it would be impossible for us to do without
13:05 that divine influence. And so, working together
13:08 humanity with divinity just as it was
13:12 pictured in Jesus, the human and the divine,
13:15 then we see a power in this world that will be a
13:19 restoring power, a revitalizing power
13:23 to help man become altogether whole again,
13:27 and that's what we want in a healing ministry.
13:29 Amen. And getting back to the philosophy of health
13:35 when you were in school studying about
13:38 the cause of disease, did you find that was a
13:41 different emphasis than when you read the Bible.
13:46 Did you find there was a little conflicting
13:48 perspective on the cause of disease?
13:51 How is the Bible shaped your
13:53 understanding of the cause of disease?
13:55 We looked at some things like for instance,
14:00 lung cancer we do that that was related
14:02 to cigarette smoking, I mean everyone
14:04 recognize that, but for many, many diseases
14:09 we had not a clue as to you know, what was
14:13 the cause the etiology, why this occurred?
14:16 And especially as it relates to individual
14:20 choice you see, my impression was as a
14:25 young physician, if you got sickly
14:27 you were just an unlucky person,
14:30 you were just unfortunate,
14:32 but I had the answer you see. Right.
14:36 And it wasn't until I myself became very ill
14:40 as a young person, as a physician because of
14:46 in attention to the laws of life and health that
14:51 I began to wrestle with this question,
14:54 why am I sick? And you know,
14:57 the adage physician heal yourself and I tried that,
15:01 and I found that it did not work,
15:04 nor could my colleagues really bring
15:06 the healing that I needed. They could offer me a pill,
15:09 but it never would bring that ultimate healing
15:13 that I was so needful of. And that is one of
15:17 the steps in my conversion experience
15:21 where I learned that the medical profession,
15:24 the medical arts can only go so far. Right.
15:27 And then there is that divine intervention
15:31 that people need and God did that for me. Amen.
15:37 He took me the next step when the physician says,
15:40 Scott I'm sorry, this is all we can do.
15:43 I said, Lord help me! Amen. So, we're not saying
15:50 that physicians don't have a very important place
15:54 and the understanding in treatment. Right.
15:57 And in surgery and many of the blessings
16:00 that we have today, but what we're saying
16:02 on addition to that is there's a spiritual
16:05 component that it lies at the foundation of
16:09 many diseases that we also need to address.
16:12 Exactly, in fact you know, even the envelope of
16:16 the medical profession you know, the staff with
16:18 the serpents is Biblical. Yes, that's right.
16:21 Look and live. Amen. And so, if we can take
16:26 the scientific knowledge that God has given us,
16:29 and then combine that with that divine intervention
16:34 that only Jesus can bring, then we will see the results
16:39 that will be a blessing to humanity. Amen.
16:43 Let's take a look now to some of the causes from
16:46 the Biblical's perspective. We address that a little bit
16:51 about the spiritual component, but we also see
16:53 in the Bible that there are lifestyle practices
16:58 as well that make a tremendous difference
17:00 in the recovery of one's disease.
17:03 God has placed in condition upon our healing,
17:11 and that is best exemplified
17:14 in the scripture Exodus 15:26,
17:17 "If you will diligently listen to the voice of
17:23 the LORD thy God." Do that which is right in His side.
17:26 Keep His commandments, His statues, and His judgments,
17:29 then I will bring none of these diseases upon you.
17:32 And so, here God is inviting humanity to work with Him,
17:37 to make the choice, to cooperate with Him to keep
17:42 this body temple which He made in perfect
17:46 operating order. And the God of heaven who made
17:52 this wonderful creation, establish it under
17:58 divine law and order, it works, it functions
18:03 under law. And as we understand those principles,
18:07 as we then follow what God has told us to do
18:12 in the matter of health, then we can reap
18:14 those benefits. If we are negligent,
18:17 if we abuse the body, if we do not pay attention
18:23 to the right things to put in the body whether
18:25 it's in eating or drinking, then we should anticipate
18:29 that sickness will come, it may take a while,
18:32 but it sure it will come. Amen.
18:35 How important do you see the role of educating
18:38 your patients toward the healthier lifestyle?
18:43 Again for a person to have an intelligent choice
18:48 they must know. And so, a lot of what we do in our
18:54 patient care is teaching them always
18:58 something better. I believe that's the watch
19:00 word of true education in showing people
19:03 how to have the abundant life that Jesus said,
19:07 I came to give you. And so, we have
19:10 to start from the bottom and work up,
19:13 and teach them how to eat, how to drink, how to rest,
19:18 how to labor you know, the importance of
19:21 outdoor living, and sunlight, and fresh air,
19:24 and all of these simple things
19:26 that were from the beginning, but have,
19:29 have been so covered over by centuries of
19:35 human tradition, and custom that it's
19:38 sometimes hard for people even to know what these
19:41 principles are unless we go back to the scriptures.
19:45 Right, right. And they're very simple.
19:47 So, in your practice as a physician you've often had
19:53 to look to the Bible for the answers,
19:55 I'm sure there would be many times
19:56 that you been stumped. Oh! Yes. In a condition,
19:59 and you've just cried out, amen,
20:03 to the Lord for guidance.
20:04 Not just many times, everyday, everyday,
20:07 every patient. Okay! Praise God.
20:11 How can we help you know, there will be some people
20:13 who are watching this, and they maybe feeling
20:17 that you know, they haven't had the benefits
20:21 of the training such as you've had.
20:24 How would you encourage them to look at the Bible
20:28 through the perspective of understanding
20:31 health from a lifestyle perspective,
20:34 a spiritual perspective? Well, I often point
20:40 people back to the Book of Beginnings, Genesis.
20:44 And I will refer them for the, to the first two
20:47 Chapters there in Genesis, Chapters 1 and Chapter 2
20:51 because here is God's health plan.
20:54 It was the plan that God had established
20:57 from eternity in order to provide an environment,
21:03 so that this human family, all human beings could
21:07 live on this earth be perfectly happy,
21:11 perfectly healthy, and holy.
21:14 In other words, in the image of God,
21:17 and that apparently has not changed.
21:20 God has said, I don't change something once I iterate,
21:24 it is forever. Amen. And if you look at headily
21:28 to the prophecies that deal with life on the new
21:31 earth after this experience of sin has done away with,
21:34 it's gonna be the same plan. Amen. Living the same way.
21:38 So, I tell people when you come to the Bible
21:42 and you begin to incorporate
21:43 in your lifestyle those principles that are found
21:46 in Genesis 1 and 2, what you're learning
21:50 is heaven's lifestyle today,
21:53 because you're not gonna be changing.
21:55 Amen. Dr. Grivas, what role do you see a drug
21:59 medication in God's plan of healing
22:02 or is there a place, how do you understand
22:04 that from a Biblical perspective?
22:06 Sure, drug medication has a place,
22:12 but I don't see it as the primary focus
22:15 as we have made it in the western world.
22:18 As I told you when I was training that was
22:24 the foundation for medical intervention
22:27 was pharmacology. If there is an illness
22:31 then we, we as physicians we learn what drugs
22:35 do we give to counteract that, that disease,
22:38 but from a Biblical perspective,
22:41 we see a different approach.
22:43 In fact, the Lord tells us very emphatically
22:45 that drugs do not cure disease, take for instance
22:49 Jeremiah 46 verse 11. In vain shall you use
22:55 many medicines, but you will not be cured
22:57 and what we need to understand
23:00 is what are we doing, when we use a drug medication?
23:04 Drugs can be used to help let say,
23:08 stabilize a very unstable situation for a short time
23:13 in order to give that individual time to even
23:16 make lifestyle changes. Alright, okay.
23:19 And in the acute emergency situation
23:22 these can be life saving. And so, we need
23:25 to put the balance there, but we're not saying
23:29 we never use a drug, but often times drugs
23:32 are used when they wouldn't need to be used
23:35 at all, if we understood the simpler remedies
23:38 which God has pointed out to us in the scripture.
23:42 I think that's a really good point to bring out
23:45 because as we've said, we're not saying
23:47 that you shouldn't take medicines specially
23:50 in acute conditions or emergency settings.
23:53 However what we are saying is that,
23:56 if you have a poor lifestyle it may necessitate
24:00 the use of drug medication, which wouldn't be
24:03 the best approach because we've brought it about
24:06 through our own choice. Dr. Grivas, I would like
24:10 to ask you a question regarding God's plan
24:15 in you know, reeducating us in the medical perspective.
24:19 It's very hard sometimes to change orientation
24:22 specially when we use to it, and you've obviously
24:27 had some struggles yourself, sure,
24:29 coming into your understanding especially
24:31 from a Biblical perspective.
24:34 What was that enabled you to have a deeper
24:39 understanding and appreciation of these things?
24:42 Well, certainly we talked about the Bible itself,
24:45 but then you know, there is so much
24:48 today available to us even in the scientific area
24:53 for we call it lifestyle medicine where physicians
24:59 are beginning to understand the importance
25:02 in the value of nutrition of exercise of water,
25:07 of sleep and rest and all of these things.
25:11 So, the Lord in His graciousness has flooded
25:16 this world with light on these particular subjects
25:20 that are not just only found in the Bible,
25:24 but so much now in the, what is called alternative
25:30 medicine literature, we can find these
25:35 principles interwoven. And so, people can,
25:40 can look at these from these various health
25:45 book periodicals, books on such things
25:49 as hydrotherapy, the scientific use of water
25:52 in treating disease. The herbal medications
25:57 that are coming into such prominence now in medicine,
26:01 the botanical medicines. There are so many
26:04 books available, if people want
26:06 to avail themselves of this knowledge.
26:10 Amen. Now, something that often God gets
26:13 the blame for His disease, when something wonderful
26:17 happens in nature, we say,
26:19 Oh! Isn't Mother Nature wonderful?
26:20 But when something bad happens it's an act of God.
26:23 Right. And so, sometimes we see that God gets a
26:28 lot of the blame for things going wrong,
26:32 is God an author of disease or certain diseases
26:36 or sometimes He brings it upon us to allow us
26:39 to suffer that we may find him,
26:41 how is your perspective? How do you look at that?
26:44 God is not the author of disease;
26:47 He is the author of life and an abundant life,
26:50 and so, we don't want to get too confused.
26:53 God often allow certain things that take place
26:59 that are not His primary will for the individual.
27:03 The Book of Job for instance gives us a
27:05 complete picture when Job who was following
27:10 what he knew and God accounted him righteous,
27:14 it didn't keep him from getting sick
27:16 because there was an enemy.
27:17 And the Lord has told us that in this earth
27:21 at this time, it is not just us
27:23 and the Lord down here, we have an enemy.
27:26 And so, we need to put the blame where
27:30 it needs to be on an enemy, not upon God.
27:33 Amen. In closing, we hope this information
27:37 is being helpful to you at home from understanding
27:40 from a Biblical perspective, as well as a medical
27:43 perspective the cause of disease.
27:47 Sometimes, if we don't understand the cause,
27:49 we tend to look for temporary crutches
27:53 as long term solutions, and God has as plan
27:56 for us today. We'd like to thank you
27:58 for coming today, and joining us.
28:00 Please join us again next time on another program
28:03 of Wonderfully Made. My name is Lee Wellard
28:05 from Wildwood Lifestyle Center
28:07 and look forward to you seen you again next time.


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Revised 2014-12-17