Eating Pork can be Hazardous to your Health
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Eating Pork can be Hazardous to your Health
When I was studying in England I used to live in a "dig" (rooming house) in Highgate, North London. There were Chinese students from Malaysia, Singapore, Sarawak, Hong Kong and Vietnam rooming in the two houses that faced each other. We were all good friends and we spent the weekends cooking and sharing our favorite dishes. One of our friends called Luk studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and he would spend his summer vacation in London with us. Luk's special contribution was "Charsiu" the Cantonese barbecued pork. The way he prepared it was just exquisite, much better than those of any Chinese restaurant I have ever tasted. He had been coming to Highgate every summer for three years, and we always looked forward to tasting his "Charsiu." The summer before his final year in the university Luk also came to stay with our group, but there was a radical change in him. He told us there would be no more "Charsiu" from that time onwards. The real shocker is that he vowed not to eat any more pork dishes and strongly advised all of us in the group not to do so either. He had such a strong conviction against pork that he would not eat with us if we insisted on having it.
Here is his explanation. Luk was with a team of medical students doing a research project on the effects of diet on stomach and intestinal diseases such as trichinosis. The research team's method was to go to the hospitals and dissect corpses for autopsies. They based their studies on the diets of the various ethnic communities in the region. Their research uncovered the finding of the ethnic community with the highest percentage of cases with the trichinella spiralis worm belonged to a race that had pork as its main staple diet. Their research data showed a remarkably low percentage of Jews and Moslems with the trichinella spiralis worm in their bodies. It is significant that these two ethnic communities exclude pork and other biblically unclean meats in their diet.
My friend had seen such clear evidence in the co-relationship between pork consumption and stomach and intestinal diseases that he could make a determination not to eat that meat again in all his life. That was the first time I had ever heard a negative report on pork, but it has a lasting impression on my mind ever since that summer in London, England.
Trichinosis Worm
Trichinosis
Pronounced As: trikinosis or trichiniasis trikinisis, parasitic disease caused by the roundworm Trichinella spiralis. It follows the eating of raw or inadequately cooked meat, especially pork. The larvae are released, reach maturity, and mate in the intestines, the females producing live larvae. The parasites are then carried from the gastrointestinal tract by the bloodstream to various muscles, where they become encysted. It is estimated that 10% to 20% of the adult population of the United States suffers from trichinosis at some time. In many people the disease exhibits no symptoms and is discovered only at autopsy. In others it causes diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms as the worms multiply in the digestive tract. When the larvae circulate through the bloodstream, the patient experiences edema, irregular fever, profuse sweating, muscle soreness and pain, and prostration. There may be involvement of the central nervous system, heart, and lungs; death occurs in about 5% of clinical cases. Once the larvae have imbedded themselves in the muscle tissue, the cysts usually become calcified; however, the infestation usually causes no further symptoms except fatigue and vague muscular pains. There is no specific treatment.
Bad Effects of Pork Consumption
Pig's bodies contain many toxins, worms and latent diseases. Although some of these infestations are harbored in other animals, modern veterinarians say that pigs are far more predisposed to these illnesses than other animals. This could be because pigs like to scavenge and will eat any kind of food, including dead insects, worms, rotting carcasses, excreta (including their own), garbage, and other pigs.
Influenza (flu) is one of the most famous illnesses which pigs share with humans. This illness is harbored in the lungs of pigs during the summer months and tends to affect pigs and humans in the cooler months. Sausage contains bits of pigs' lungs, so those who eat pork sausage tend to suffer more during epidemics of influenza.
Pig meat contains excessive quantities of histamine and imidazole compounds, which can lead to itching and inflammation; growth hormone, which promotes inflammation and growth; sulfur-containing mesenchymal mucus, which leads to swelling and deposits of mucus in tendons and cartilage, resulting in arthritis, rheumatism, etc. Sulfur helps cause firm human tendons and ligaments to be replaced by the pig's soft mesenchymal tissues, and degeneration of human cartilage.
Eating pork can also lead to gallstones and obesity, probably due to its high cholesterol and saturated fat content. The pig is the main carrier of the taenia solium worm, which is found it its flesh. These tapeworms are found in human intestines with greater frequency in nations where pigs are eaten. This type of tapeworm can pass through the intestines and affect many other organs, and is incurable once it reaches beyond a certain stage.
One in six people in the US and Canada has trichinosis from eating trichina worms, which are found in pork. Many people have no symptoms to warn them of this, and when they do, they resemble symptoms of many other illnesses. These worms are not noticed during meat inspections, nor does salting or smoking kill them. Few people cook the meat long enough to kill the trichinae. The rat (another scavenger) also harbors this disease. There are dozens of other worms, germs, diseases and bacteria which are commonly found in pigs, many of which are specific to the pig, or found in greater frequency in pigs.
Pigs are biologically similar to humans, and their meat is said to taste similar to human flesh. Pigs have been used for dissection in biology labs due to the similarity between their organs and human organs. People with insulin-dependent diabetes usually inject themselves with pig insulin.
Pigs eating dung
Medical and Scientific Reasons for not Eating Pork
This is a direct quote from "What the Bible Says About Healthy Eating" by Dr. Rex Russell. He attended Baylor School of Medicine in Houston, Texas and did his residency at the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, Minnesota.
"One reason for God's rule forbidding pork is that the digestive system of a pig is completely different from that of a cow. It is similar to ours, in that the stomach is very acidic. Pigs are gluttonous, never knowing when to stop eating. Their stomach acids become diluted because of the volume of food, allowing all kinds of vermin to pass through this protective barrier. Parasites, bacteria, viruses, and toxins can pass into the pigs flesh because of overeating. These toxins and infectious agents can be passed on to humans when they eat a pig's flesh.
In the "Biblical Archeological Review", Jane Cahill examined the toilets of a Jewish household in Jerusalem, finding no parasites or infectious agents, but only pollen from the many fruits, vegetables, and herbs they had eaten. A similar study done about Egyptians revealed eggs from Schistosoma, Trichinella, wire worm and tapeworms, all found in pork. All of these organisms cause significant chronic diseases. [ this is footnoted Jane Cahill and Peter Warnock, "It had to happen, Scientist Examines Ancient Bathrooms of Romans 586B.C." BAR May/June 1991]
In what is probably a strong illustration of the perils of pork, at one time no cases of trichinosis had been reported in the country of Bolivia for several years. [this is footnoted from "Veterinary Parasitology" May 1993] However, 25% of pigs tested were infested with trichinosis. People working on these farms and the population eating the pigs were also found to be positive for infestation with this parasite. The primary symptoms of this infection include muscle pain, headaches, fever and swelling in the extremities.[foot noted Baker, Bryant, Urban, and Lumney, "Swine Immunity to Selected Parasites", "Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology" October 1994] These are all nonspecific symptoms that do not necessarily indicate any one disease. Although this may explain why the trichinosis had not been diagnosed in Bolivia for several years, it is strong circumstantial evidence that many people became ill because of pork.
Dr. W.J. Zimmerman reviewed the diaphragm muscle from multiple autopsies done in the U.S. in the late 1960"s, and reported that trichinosis was not an unusual finding. [footnoted Zimmerman, Steele, And Kagan, "Trichiniases in the U.S. Population, 1966-70: Prevalence and Epidemiologic Factors", Health Services Reports 88:7 Aug/Sept 1973] It is well accepted that illnesses caused by parasites have a significant economic effect worldwide.
In the U.S., three of the six most common food-borne parasitic diseases of humans are associated with pork consumption. These include toxoplasmosis, taeniases or cysticercosis [caused by the pork tapeworm Taenia solium] and trichinellosis.
In Japan, the source of these infections was traced to the flesh of pigs, bears, horses, racoons and foxes. All of these animals are listed in Scripture as putrid or unclean.
Swine are also good incubators of toxic parasites and viruses- although the animal doesn't appear to be ill while carrying these diseases. A scientist at the University of Giessen's Institute for Virology in Germany showed in a study of worldwide influenza epidemics that pigs are the one animal that can serve as a mixing vessel for new influenza viruses that may seriously threaten world health.
If a pig is exposed to a human's DNA virus and then a bird's virus, the pig mixes the two viruses - developing a new DNA virus that is often extremely lethal for humans. These viruses have already caused worldwide epidemics and destruction. Virologists have concluded that if we do not find a way to separate humans from pigs, the whole earth's population may be at risk. [footnoted Scholtissek,M.D., "Cultivating a Killer Virus" National History Jan. 1992]
The 1942 Yearbook of Agriculture reported that 50 diseases were found in pigs, and many of these were passed on to humans by eating the pig's flesh.
Additionally, just the handling of swine has an element of risk. A large hog-raising facility in the area where I live wisely requires its employees to wear gloves, masks and protective clothing while working in the pig barns. The workers are required to shower each day before going home.
Little wonder that GOD would inspire His prophet to include eating pork among the disobedient acts of stubborn people in addition to idolatry and conjuring spirits of the dead, "a people who continually provoke Me to My face,...who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of unclean meat" [Isa. 65:3,4]"
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I have read both of your hubs today and I hope to read many more.
As counterpoint to the statistical information you provide about trichinellosis occurrence in Canada and the US, I would like to refer readers to the Center for Disease Control's current trichinellosis fact sheet, specifically, "Is trichinellosis common in the United States?" In the US, commercial and home freezing methods have drastically limited the occurrence of trichinellosis. Of the 12 cases per year reported between 1997 and 2001, most were the result of consuming under-cooked game meat.
You can find the fact sheet cdc.gov, or google CDC trichinosis.
Warmest regards, S.
WONDERFUL WORK. I NEVER KNEW IT DID THIS MUCH DAMMAGE
Pig is the most filthy animal on the face of earth. It often eats its own excreata and shit. Moreover its neck can not be slaughtered in a proper way so the septic blood that most contains uric acids that are also not released from its flesh. So it flesh is full of uric acid and septic elements due to higher blood contents as compare to other meat.
Acts 10:12~15 "It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
The Lord has clean the unclean animal.....
Acts 10:12~15 "It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
The meaning of the above text has nothing to do eating unclean animals. It is to show Peter it is OK to associate with and teach Gentiles.
ALL PEOPLE IN MY ISLAND ATE PORK SINCE 1200 YEARS AGO AND ALSO RAW BLOOD. UNTIL NOW. BUT OUR HEALTH ARE NOT MUCH DIFFERENT THAN OTHER ISLAND WHO DON'T. HOW DO WE EXPLAIN THIS????
IM GLAD THIS INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC, BECAUSE THIS IS DEFINETLY VALUABLE TO THE HUMAN LIFE. .I PERSONALLY AM ALREADY UP ON THIS INFO BECAUSE WHAT I EAT IS SOMETHING THAT WILL ALWAYS BE OF IMPORTANCE. .
To Tammy: Where are you getting your information? Are you in the medical field, or in a Govt office? If GOD SAID, then why argue with the Creator? Also, eating blood is eating the soul of the animal. My niece is a vet and she said that scientifically speaking, those who eat a lot of red meat are more prone to aggression, high blood pressure and arthritis. Go figure. Go kosher! I did!
What did you not understand with the Scripture above:
Little wonder that GOD would inspire His prophet to include eating pork among the disobedient acts of stubborn people in addition to idolatry and conjuring spirits of the dead, "a people who continually provoke Me to My face,...who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of unclean meat" [Isa. 65:3,4]"
ATTN Loigel: Acts 10 is NOT speaking about animal consumption. It is saying not to treat any Gentile who has joined Israel as "unclean". Read further thru verse 17...."Kefa was still puzzling over the meaning of the vision he had seen, when the men Cornelius had sent....stood at the gate..." Also read Acts chapter 11:2-18..."You went into the homes of uncircumcised men and even ate with them"...and the Spirit told me to have no misgivings about going back with them"...etc. etc. Acts is speaking about entering into fellowship with NON-JEWISH believers in Messiah, it is NOT speaking about eating non-kosher animals. God often uses types and symbols in prophetic visions/dreams to make a point related to something else. For example, I might dream about pigs eating all my food...I would interpret this as greedy people who are using me to get to my finances. "throwing pearls before swine" is another example of trying to give wise advice to fools who will not listen to sound teaching.
God spoke to Peter saying, "Arise, Peter, kill and eat."
Jesus, in Mark 7:19, "(Thus He declared all foods clean.)"
Some wish to override what God HIMSELF spoke in Acts 10 (where He said, "Arise, Peter, kill and eat") and they want to say, in effect, "No, God, You did not mean 'kill and eat' but You only meant it was okay to spiritually mingle with Gentiles."
Some will say we are trying to say we are smarter than the church father (although scripture does not call Peter a church father. Men do that, and they disobey Christ when they do it, for Jesus commanded His disciples, "Do not call anyone on earth 'father' for one is your Father, Who is in heaven." Therefore addressing Peter in this fashion to make a point is to disobey a command from our Lord Jesus Christ, supposedly in order to make a point to obey Him.)
Nevertheless, there is another explanation as to why Peter was perplexed. He understood that God was saying, "Kill and eat." He ALSO understood God was making a broader revelation to Peter. It is not "Either/Or" but "And."
It is not okay to add to or subtract from what GOD HIMSELF said. He told Peter, "Arise, Peter, Kill and eat."
One does not kill and eat, when one only intends to enter into the home of an unbelieving Gentile.
As to Jesus declaring all foods clean. Some have said by "foods" Jesus could not have meant unclean foods, because (they said) the only thing "foods" could have referred to were those allowed by the Law (Torah.)
This would have us believe that Jesus declared as clean, foods that were already clean. That would be an idle word (having no effect) and thus is to accuse Jesus of speaking idle words. I would not presume to do so.
In Acts 15, after some dispute over what Gentile believers should be required to do or to abstain, it was decided by the elders and approved by the Holy Spirit to burden them not beyond, "you are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell." (Acts 15:29)
It is remarkable how clear and succinct this statement is.
There are those who have said that in Acts chapter 10, God told Peter to "Kill and eat" but that God really meant to say, "I meant, it is okay for you to fellowship with these Gentiles" and they have said that it had nothing to do with food. These same people turned around and quoted from Isaiah about eating swine's flesh, but in this instance they asserted it is not about fellowshipping with Gentiles but instead it is about eating. That seems inconsistent. Why does, in one case, God say, "Kill and eat" when He does not mean, "Kill and eat" but means "Fellowship with Gentiles" while in the other case He speaks against those who eat swine's flesh and is referring not to fellowship with unbelievers, but to actual eating of swine's flesh?
Rob goes on to say, "Also read Acts chapter 11:2-18..."You went into the homes of uncircumcised men and even ate with them"...and the Spirit told me to have no misgivings about going back with them"
Now, if Peter went into the home of uncircumcised men and even ate with them, then what do you suppose Peter ate? Did they serve kosher food? Is that in the text? Nowhere does the text say that "Arise, Peter, Kill and eat" meant only to enter the home of Cornelius. Peter also ate with them, and so we see that the text explicitly makes reference to the act of eating unclean foods.
Paul, in Romans 14:20, "Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense."
Reading in context reveals that Paul's point was that it is okay to eat whatever you want, unless it is going to defile your brother. Do we not see here that the point is to love one another? It is surprising how many today are making assertions about being obedient to God, while they disobey His command to love one another. This is straining out gnats and swallowing camels.
Again, in Galatians 6:2, "Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."
Here it is repeated, and may I ask, in these troubling times, need we who are believers be troubling one another rather than standing with one another, struggling as one for the hope of the gospel?
James repeats the admonition in James 2:8, "If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well."
And John, in 1 John 3:23, says, "This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us."
It seems that what once seemed good to the elders, and to the Holy Spirit, was not to trouble those in Christ by further burdening them about what foods to eat or not eat. All things should be done for edification and to build up one another in the body of Christ.
Swine have cloven hooves, but do not chew cud. We should not be as those who have an appearance of godliness (cloven hooves, as a divided or separated walk, the appearance of being set apart to God, the appearance of holiness) while yet ignoring the chewing of cud (having a rich inner life, filled with meditation of God and having hearts filled with God's love.)
We must be careful, also, not to eat (consume or bring into ourselves) the flesh of swine, or those who will outwardly try to prove themselves as being more holy because they set themselves apart on the basis of eating or not eating certain foods.
We really should fellowship with those who do walk circumspectly before the Lord, in reverent obedience to His command, which is to love one another and cover each other's faults, while looking to ourselves in complete humility. These will also have lives that are deeply rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, and so will offer themselves as servants to those who are weaker.
There are many who wish to set themselves apart based on outward and visible adherence to rules and practices. But we who are in Christ know that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Just as in the days of the apostles, there are many who cannot handle that freedom, being convinced it can only mean licentiousness. No amount of focusing on outward observances is going to produce the love of Christ within.
Let us therefore always point to Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. His flesh is true food, and His blood is true drink.
Leviticus 11:7 and the pig, for though it divides the hoof, thus making a split hoof, it does not chew cud, it is unclean to you.
American King James Version
Of their flesh shall you not eat, and their carcass shall you not touch; they are unclean to you.
Im never going to eat meat again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spiritualizing away explicit commands of God is dangerous business. Acts 10 interprets the vision Peter had in verses 28,34, 35. If we allow the Bible to interpret itself it will help us steer clear of outlandish rubbish. The laws of health were given by God as were the ten commandments. God means what He has said regarding the swine and other unclean animals. He is not capricious, teaching one thing in the Old Testament, and reversing Himself in the New Testament.
Malachi 3:6 says, "I am the Lord, I change not..."
The medical reasons for not eating swine products are in harmony with the warnings of Scripture. Man's disobedience of the laws of health has wreaked havoc with our bodies and disease is everywhere. The God who created us wrote the manual on how to care for our bodies. How foolish of us to throw the manual aside and go our own way. Truly, we reap what we sow.
Insert ignorant religious comment.
Bible this and Quran that, everyone focuses on the religious instead of the scientific because this is one of the few cases where religion was right.
No one is converting to your religion because your god found pigs to be dirty.
What a divine declaration, pigs are dirty!?
There are plenty of interesting religious declarations in the Bible. Some of them are highlighted in a piece I have long enjoyed, called "Why can't I own a Canadian?"
For more facts in support of this article visit:
SHABBAT Shalom to All!
First let me say, When ever someone, or people... they are talking or say the word BIBLE, it's about Religion... it's not! The word Bible means Book that's all, so we can say the amount of Bibles are so many! As a Yisraelite, The Holy Bible is Our History Book...! NOT A RELIGION! From BERESHITH (GENESIS) to DEBARIM (DEUTERONOMY) plus YEHOSHUA - JOSHUA unto MAL'AKI - MALACHI, TEHILLIM - PSALMS unto DIVE HAYYAMIN - CHRONICLES, The Books of The MACCABEES, plus some others books is and are about yOur History slowing Us who WE are, were WE came from, Who's Our POWER, plus were We stand at this time, and in times to come! What WE eat is also a Command for US. We on this Earth can accept or denied the Truth... Light will shine, and the people of the world will see YAHWAH Torah still is a part of Our Life in This Earth! SHALOM SHALOM... SHABBAT SHALOM!
In The Doghouse 4 years ago
Wow Arkwriter! This was a lot of information to digest. So much for our traditional "Ham" dinner at Easter! Yuck!