Reader Q&A

Flesh-Eating Bacteria

Question:

What is flesh-eating bacteria and how do people get it?

Answer:

Flesh-eating bacteria is a myth of the medical industry based on their wrong foundational understanding of bacteria’s purpose in the body.

Bacteria only feed upon dead and dying cells and cell debris. It does not feed on healthy living cells.

When a person is diagnosed with “flesh-eating bacteria” what is really happening is the body is extremely toxic and an open wound has become a port for the expulsion of the toxic waste material. The wound is pushing out lots of acidic waste which is causing more and more cells to die in the area surrounding the wound. The bacteria is present to break down those dying cells for recycling or elimination. The bacteria is there in response to the conditions, it is not creating the conditions. When this happens under the care of the medical industry the patient will have many poisons applied to the wound directly or to their body generally. The initial wound or ulceration was caused by the chronic application of poisons and wrong foods to their body and then the medical treatment is to apply more poisons to the body. This means the body is going to have a continuous stream of material it needs to push out in order to survive. This leads to the wound area continuing to ulcerate, destroying more and more tissue in the area and causing more and more bacteria to be created to keep up with the workload.

If the patient was fasted and no more poisons were applied to the body then the body would stop having material to push out, it would be able to catch up on the backlog of waste, the ulceration would stop and the waste load would fall and as the waste load falls the bacteria populations would be reduced by the body in direct correlation to the reducing waste load.

Reader Q&A

Dry Fasting

Question

Are there benefits to extended dry fasting? It seems really quite dangerous to me, especially since I live in a hot climate and very quickly feel the effects of not drinking sufficient water. I would think it would put unnecessary strain on the kidneys/elimination organs to not be properly hydrated.

Answer

Dry fasting is an all-too-common practice in the natural health community.  Dry fasting and restricting water intake is not a health practice and goes against what we know is necessary to heal.   The conditions of disease in our body are largely due to chronic dehydration from eating cooked and processed foods.  One of the main goals of the natural species-appropriate diet is to rehydrate the body and rehydrate the lymph system so the body can eliminate old waste and toxins.   Dry fasting is not a part of natural hygiene and is not and should not be considered safe for any length of time.

Dry fasting and restricting water intake is not a health practice and goes against what we know is necessary to heal. Share on X

Dry fasting is extremely dangerous and can be damaging to the body. Acid wastes damage tissues and when we dry fast those acids become more and more concentrated. This means the waste will damage the kidneys and bladder on the way out if they are not diluted sufficiently. 

The body uses water to dilute the acids and protect the tissues as the acidic material is carried out of the body. When we dry fast we rob the body of that water that is necessary to facilitate the safe removal of acidic waste and toxins. 

The solution to pollution is dilution. Share on X

This, very sadly, seems to be why we have seen well-known dry-fasting raw food advocates die quite young in the last few years. For all of the positive changes they are making with eating the correct foods they are undermining their health by neglecting their water intake.

If you were fed only the natural human diet from birth the body still would not benefit from the extra work created by dry fasting. Water is the universal solvent. It dilutes acids and keeps our whole system flowing efficiently. Our lymph system is a thick fluid that becomes easily clogged and bogged down when we become dehydrated. But most people are already starting out in a state of chronic dehydration from years of eating cooked and processed foods. We are also living in unnatural environments with forced air heating and cooling that further dehydrates our bodies. Most people have anywhere from 10 to 25 pounds of old dried-out fecal matter impacted to the walls of their digestive tract. All of this requires water to move and expel.

People often confuse more with better and the same is true for dry fasting. People think that because they have more visible sediment after dry fasting that the body cleaned out more debris. The reality is the body didn’t clean more, the sediment is just more concentrated because the body is more dehydrated. There is less urine because there is less water, and the waste matter is more concentrated.  

Disease is predominantly the result of dehydration, so any practice which further dehydrates us pushes us further into disease and leads to a shorter lifespan and more damage to the organs.

Dehydration can also result in mental confusion and delirium which can further impair our ability to heal and maintain healthy habits.

Unfortunately, within the natural foods community, there seems to be some confusion that is driving people to take on dry fasting or to believe it is a healthy practice. In nature, all frugivores drink from streams and ponds on a regular and consistent basis. Our anatomy is not set up to drink heavily, like a dog that can lap water easily, because our natural foods supply us with a lot of water. But we still find all the bonobos, chimps, and other apes drink from streams regularly and consistently. Sadly, many years ago we did not have this data and it was simply assumed that because it had not been witnessed, it did not occur. This is where the idea of frugivorous animals not drinking water came from. It was an erroneous and premature conclusion based on a lack of evidence.  

This then led to some in the natural health community declaring that we humans do not need to drink water. That we can get all of our water from our food.   The problem with this concept is that while watery fruits and salad greens are water-rich, the amount of excess water they provide beyond what is required for proper digestion and elimination is limited.   In order for a food to move unobstructed through the digestive tract it needs to be roughly 80% water.  This is water that must be retained with the food to ensure an easy exit at the other end.   This means fruit needs to be significantly higher than 80% water in order to provide us with excess water which our bodies can use to rehydrate chronic issues.  If we accept the contemporary figure that watermelon is about 92% water, then eating 10 pounds of watermelon only nets us about 1 pound of water, or about 16 ounces.  However, with a little practice, we can easily drink well over a gallon of water, which is just over 8 pounds of water, in a single day. 


We need water to help replenish our sweat, lubricate and move our lymphatic system, move out waste through our kidneys and bowels, digest and assimilate food, and move our blood, muscles, and nerves.  Demand for water within our bodies is high.  On a hot day working in the sun, you could easily sweat out a half gallon or a gallon of water over several hours. It would be impossible to replenish that on just fruits and salads even if you were eating only the highest water-content fruits.   The math simply does not add up.  

Based on my personal experience helping thousands of people heal over the years and healing myself I recommend drinking a minimum of 1 gallon (approximately 4 liters) of water per day if you are eating fully raw and drinking 2-3 gallons of water if you are eating cooked foods.   This is the amount where we see people consistently thriving.   

Water intake should also be adjusted upwards if you are exercising heavily, spending time out in the sun or in the heat, or any other activity that dehydrates the body.   Consuming dried fruits, nuts and seeds should also have us increasing our water intake to balance their low water content as needed.    

If you are not currently drinking enough water you can start increasing gradually by adding one quart of water to your current consumption and repeating this weekly until you reach 1-1.5 gallons.   My personal habit is to fill 4-quart jars each day.  I drink the first jar immediately upon rising, the second jar between 8 am and 10 am, the third right before my first meal which is typically around 12 noon to 2 pm, and then finish my 4th jar before dinner.    Others find it easier to use a gallon-sized water bottle that they carry with them throughout the day or a half-gallon bottle.   Either way, the larger the bottle, glass, or jar you keep in front of you, the more likely you will be to get in adequate water.   While it was initially a struggle to get in 1 gallon per day, I now find that I easily drink closer to 1.5 gallons and feel less optimal if I drink less than 1 gallon.  

One objection we commonly hear is, “I’m not thirsty.”   The issue with this is that when we become chronically dehydrated our thirst impulse can become unreliable and it can be difficult to tell whether we are thirsty or hungry.  Most people confuse thirst with hunger and eat instead of drinking.   Some people are so dehydrated that they can no longer get any real sense of thirst or they no longer recognize what thirst feels like.   In our support group, we consistently find that those who stick with the 1-gallon goal have their thirst impulse return within a few weeks and can easily drink 1-gallon after that point without having to put in much effort.   

Another common objection is that drinking more means urinating more, and while I can certainly understand the inconvenience this may pose in some working conditions we must keep in mind that urinating is one way we eliminate waste.  When we start to supply additional water the body will quickly start moving out excess waste so it is no longer damaging the cells internally.   This short-term inconvenience means long-term health, so while it can be annoying it is a small price to pay to return to better health.

Have more questions? Want to get answers about your specific health issues or concerns? I offer consultations, learn more about them here: https://www.therawkey.com/consultations/

Ready to make changes but not sure how to begin? Need some motivation or accountability? Why not join our 30-Day Terrain Model Diet Support and Education Group: New Groups start on the 1st of every month!  https://www.therawkey.com/terrain-diet-support-group/

Eat fruit and be well my friends. 

Why do Natural Hygienists Drink Distilled Water?

and how much water should we be drinking?

The distillation process removes chemicals, toxins, and inorganic minerals.   Most people understand that we don’t want to be drinking toxic chemicals but few understand the importance of not overloading the body with inorganic minerals.   Inorganic minerals are minerals that are in rock form, this is contrasted to organic minerals which are found in fruits and vegetables and which are utilized by the body.  Our bodies require organic minerals and are injured by inorganic minerals.   I recently wrote an article on the effects of inorganic minerals on the body and how they lead to a slow petrifaction (turning to stone) of the body. You can read that article here:  https://www.therawkey.com/the-slow-petrifaction-of-the-body-from-inorganic-mineral-consumption/   

“What we as scientists and the public have never realized is that minerals collected in the body from water are all inorganic minerals, which cannot be assimilated (digested) by the body. The only minerals that the body can utilize are the organic minerals (from fruits and vegetables). All other types of minerals are foreign substances to the body and must be disposed of or eliminated.” “Distilled water then is water of the purest kind. It is odorless, colorless and tasteless. The divine purpose of water is to act as a solvent. In nature, water in evaporation is so fine that your eye cannot perceive it as it is drawn up into the clouds. Then it falls as rain, keeping the earth from being parched and burned. As a solvent, it dissolves rocks and soil. It figures in the transport of nutrients into plant life. In the human body, water fills similar functions. …Distilled water acts as a solvent in the body. It dissolves food substances so they can be assimilated and taken into every cell. It dissolves inorganic mineral substances lodged in tissues of the body so that such substances can be eliminated in the process of purifying the body. Distilled water is the greatest solvent on earth —the only one that can be taken into the body without damage to the tissues.” 

The less inorganic minerals we can put into our bodies, the less burden our bodies are under, but there is an added benefit to distilled water that most people don’t think about.  An early proponent of the science of Natural Hygiene, C.W. Delacy Evans explains why distilled water is superior to all other waters for humans as follows: 

“Used as a drink, distilled water is absorbed directly into the blood, the solvent properties of which it increases to such an extent that it will keep in solution salts already existing in the blood, prevent their undue deposit in various organs and structures, favor their elimination by the various excreta, and tend to remove these earthy compounds which have already accumulated in the body… There is no doubt as to the high value of distilled water used freely as a retarder of the ossifying conditions which appear to constitute the conditions of old age.” 

If you have ever put sugar into a glass of water you know that water can only hold so much material before some settle out.   If we keep adding sugar eventually the water becomes saturated and no matter how much we stir there will still be sugar in the bottom of the glass.  Minerals in water take up space in the water and the water reaches a point of saturation.   Distilled water, being free from any minerals is then free to pick up inorganic minerals as it travels through the body.  Since it is not already saturated in minerals it is free to absorb these harmful substances.  It is also not going to be depositing any inorganic minerals in our tissues if it doesn’t contain any to start with.  This means distilled water is the only water clean enough to remove the inorganic harmful minerals which make us age faster and become stiff over time.  

Water is used in every elimination process, from our kidneys and bowels to our skin and lungs.  Chronic dehydration limits the expulsion of waste, slowing down our healing processes and keeping us backed up with waste. 

“It may safely be taught that THE ONLY ABSOLUTELY PURE WATER IS THAT PURIFIED BY DISTILLATION. Instruct the public how distillation can readily and cheaply be done. It furnishes a fruitful yield for the genius that will devise a small distilling apparatus for the use of every family. It would be safe to teach that the GENEROUS USE OF PURE WATER both within and without the body has never yet done any harm; that the functional ailments that affect the great host of mankind, are in a great part due to the fact of the imperfect elimination of waste matter, and that GENEROUS LIBATIONS OF PURE DISTILLED WATER is a most potent agent TO FLUSH THEM FROM THE BODY, through the skin, the lungs, the kidneys and the bowels. The diseases caused by impure water are numerous and fatal.” —Dr. Arthur R. Reynolds, M.D., Health Commissioner of Chicago

 “You should DRINK AT LEAST ONE GALLON of distilled water a day. Most of us drink only at mealtime and when we’re noticeably thirsty. Wrong. You can develop a habit of NOT drinking water and walk around being 66 or 67 percent water, instead of 74 percent, which is what your body needs. When you don’t have the water in you, you won’t ever have the energy you need. The very first thing I do to get people’s energy up is to increase the amount of water in their diet. Immediately, their energy goes up. When someone has dementia, the first thing I do is give them lots of cold water all day, every day. About three weeks later, I start to see their dementia dissipate because they have rehydrated their brains. Unfortunately, your brain actually shrinks as you dehydrate. By DRINKING LOTS OF PURE DISTILLED WATER, you get better neuron activity and better cellular chemistry, and you’re able to detoxify the cells with water. Water has to be pure, free from fluoride, chlorine, and chemicals, which is why I recommend DISTILLED water. To achieve optimum health, I recommend that you DRINK A HALF GALLON TO ONE FULL GALLON PER DAY.” — Dr. Gary Null, Ph.D., from, “Gary Null’s Ultimate Anti-Aging Program,” 

” …it is important that we GIVE TO THE BODY A SUFFICIENT QUANTITY OF DISTILLED WATER in order that the blood may be kept in its normal fluid condition, and the disease-producing effete matter eliminated. THERE IS NO CLEANSING AGENT AS IMPORTANT AS WATER, not only for the exterior of the body, but for the interior from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet. It is a simple matter to drink a glass of water, yet the results of the act are marvelous. A very small portion of it enters the intestines, but by far the larger quantity is absorbed into the blood and enters immediately into the circulation of this life-giving fluid.” “ONE IS ALMOST DRIVEN, if he be particular as to his water supply, TO THE USE OF DISTILLED WATER.” — Bernarr Macfadden, from Macfadden’s Encyclopedia of Physical Culture, 1911. 

Quantity and quality are both of the utmost importance in keeping our bodies young, lean, and flexible and to avoid us slowly turning to stone.  Water in fruits is distilled by the plant.  The plant pulls the inorganic minerals from the soil and converts them into organic minerals in the fruit and leaves.  The only source of minerals we should be consuming is those supplied by the plants we eat.   Cooking plants changes the structure of the minerals again, causing them to be unusable by the body and contributing to the slow turning to stone of our bodies.  

“By using succulent fruits and vegetables in scurvy, or acidosis, MUCH DISTILLED WATER IS FURNISHED THE BODY WITH WHICH TO FLUSH OUT THE ACCUMULATED PUTRESCENCE. Fruit and vegetables contain over ninety percent water.” — Dr. J. H. Tilden, M.D., from IMPAIRED HEALTH, ITS CAUSE AND CURE: A Repudiation of the Conventional Treatment of Disease

As most humans on earth have been assaulting their bodies with salt, an inorganic mineral and many of us have been duped into taking in supplements filled with inorganic minerals and we all eat cooked foods there is no doubt that we all have an abundance of inorganic minerals that our bodies would love to eliminate.   The more distilled water we provide, the more the body can eliminate these and eliminate any calcifications or mineralization of the tissues.  

REVERSE OSMOSIS FILTER OR COUNTERTOP DISTILLER?

Distillation is a process where water is boiled and then condensed leaving the minerals behind in the original container and only clean pure water in the new container. The process mimics nature, the sun evaporates, and clean water condenses in the clouds, and then it rains back down.  Unfortunately, today we have so much debris from air pollution in the air that rain catches all of that on its way down, so rainwater is not clean.   In our homes, this can be accomplished manually by boiling water on the stove and then using something to catch the steam and direct it into a sealable glass container for storage.  The far easier option is to have a countertop distiller (like this https://amzn.to/3JENZO4)  which produces 4 liters of distilled water in a few hours just by flipping a switch.   The important things to look for in a countertop distiller is stainless steel and glass containers to hold the water and the finished water vessel should be sealable to keep out any airborne impurities that can be deposited into the water. 

Reverse osmosis filters get the same end result as a distiller but using a different process.   In reverse osmosis filtration, we are pushing water through multiple filters.  Each progressive filter has a smaller, microscopic mesh that the water alone can push through and the larger minerals get left on the other side of the mesh.   Reverse osmosis systems (like this one: https://amzn.to/3jsm5dh )  can be installed on your kitchen sink as a convenient way to have fresh, clean, distilled water at all times.   

There are a few pros and cons to each system.  With a distiller most only process one gallon at a time.  If you live alone that might be fine, but if you forget to run it you will be waiting for water to drink.  It would be best to have a separate container to store the water in so you can have multiple gallons available.   If you live in a household with multiple people who are striving to stay hydrated at 1-2 gallons per day, the countertop distiller becomes problematic.  The distiller requires regular cleaning and wastes very little water. 

The reverse osmosis systems typically come with a 3-gallon or larger storage tank that continually refills.  If you use all 3 gallons at once it takes a few hours to refill but most people will be taking off a quart or a half gallon at a time and the tank will simply keep topping itself off.   The downside to reverse osmosis is the need to change the filters regularly – most are 3 months and 6 months.  Another downside to the reverse osmosis filter is that they waste water, on average they use 2 gallons to produce one gallon which is much improved over the older models that were 4 or 5 to 1.  There are also low-waste models that are a bit more expensive but that is an option if it is something you are concerned about. 

SIPPING, GULPING, HOW MUCH SHOULD WE DRINK IN AN HOUR?

Our kidneys can process roughly one quart of water per hour.  Drinking more than 1 quart in an hour can put a strain on the kidneys.    

Sipping or gulping?  We should drink to our own comfort.  Sometimes that means just sipping and other times that means gulping.   Often in the mornings when I first arise I will gulp down a full quart of water in a few minutes.   The rest of the day I will tend to drink more slowly.    If you are drinking too much too quickly your body will tell you by creating discomfort in the stomach and nausea.  If you feel nausea simply stop drinking and give your body a few hours to process the water you put in before you drink any more.  

When fasting we can often get an upset stomach or nauseous if we drink too much too quickly, so it’s often best to sip water when fasting or drink more slowly but consistently across the whole day. 

HOW TO GET IN 1 GALLON PER DAY EASILY

If you drink a 1-quart jar as soon as you wake up. Drink a second in the first 2-3 hours in the morning, drink a 3rd just before lunchtime, and a 4th before dinner you will have drank a gallon each day.

URINATION

Most people’s biggest concern with drinking more water is how many times they will have to pee in a day.    When we first start drinking more water there are two reasons that the body will start eliminating more frequently.  The first is that the more water we provide the more waste the body can eliminate.  The body wants to catch up on the backlog so when we first start drinking more the body has a greater urgency to eliminate frequently.  The wastes coming out are acidic and burn the cells of the kidneys and bladder so the body often wants to eliminate them urgently and we may find that we are running to the bathroom rather than walking.  

The second reason is the more dehydrated the body is, the more it rejects water at first.   If you have ever forgotten to water your plants you have seen this evidenced.  If you try to put water into very dry soil the water runs right out the bottom of the pot very quickly.  The soil remains dry and the water just keeps running through.  You have to keep repeatedly watering until it starts to absorb.  The same is true of our bodies.  We need to keep watering until we start to absorb.   

Setting realistic expectations, most people eating the natural diet will urinate more often throughout the day than when eating cooked foods.  This is how the body is supposed to function.  We are supposed to eliminate waste frequently so it is not stuck inside causing damage.   Some eating cooked foods are so chronically dehydrated that they might only urinate once or twice in a 24-hour period.   Normal should be somewhere between 7 and 12 times per day, and while we are detoxing heavily we might be closer to 15 or even 20 times if the body wants to eliminate urgently.   

If you are working a job that limits your access to a bathroom you may need to do a little planning when you first start increasing your water intake.  Drinking first thing in the morning before you start your morning routine will allow the water to be processed in the first hour of the day before you head off to work.  Typically we urinate within the hour of drinking, but each person is different so testing things out on the weekends is a good way to manage the work week.  Also, slowly increasing over several weeks will allow you to better manage when limited potty breaks are available.   

Making changes to our habits can always be tricky and require a bit of discipline or planning but increasing your water intake and drinking distilled water is well worth the trouble. The benefits to our health are innumerable. On that note, I shall leave you with a few more quotes about the benefits of distilled water to inspire you to push through and get rehydrated.

 “DISTILLED WATER IS ’empty’ water – a hungry water, A WATER CAPABLE OF ABSORBING BODY POISONS. You have had the experience of trying to use an old post office blotter on the desk. Everybody has used it and it is so full of ink that it will not suck up any more. So it is with a ‘full’ water, a water full of chlorine, aluminum, etc. Such water does not have the capacity of absorbing body impurities.” —Dr. Charles McFerrin, writing in the July 1955 issue of Nature’s Path 

“The late Dr. Lambe, of London, was so thoroughly convinced of the IMPORTANCE OF THE PUREST WATER in the treatment of Cancers, Scrofula, and Cachexias generally, that HE RESTRICTED HIS PATIENTS TO THE USE OF DISTILLED WATER. And his success was remarkable.” — from Herald of Health, Volume 2, in the article, “The Hygiean Home” by Russell T. Trall, M.D. 

 “The greatest damage done by inorganic minerals (hard)—plus waxy cholesterol and salt—is to the small arteries and other blood vessels of the brain (75% water). Hardening of the arteries and calcification of blood vessels starts on the day you start taking inorganic chemicals (and minerals from tap water) into our bodies.”

“WHEN DISTILLED WATER ENTERS THE BODY, IT LEAVES NO RESIDUE OF ANY KIND. It is free of salts and sodium. It is the most perfect water for the healthy functioning of the kidneys (83% water). It is the perfect liquid for the blood (83% water), the ideal liquid for the efficient functioning of the lungs (86% water), stomach, liver (85% water) and other vital organs. Why? Because it is free of all inorganic minerals. IT IS SO PURE THAT ALL LIQUID DRUG PRESCRIPTIONS ARE FORMULATED WITH DISTILLED WATER.” — Dr. Paul Bragg, N.D. Ph.T., from “The Shocking Truth About Water” 

“A frequent development while fasting is a dislike for water. This is particularly true if the water is “hard”. “HARD WATER” that, while one is eating, tastes pleasant enough, IS REJECTED BY THE SHARPENED SENSE OF TASTE. IN SUCH CASES WE FIND THE USE OF DISTILLED WATER, TO BE SATIFACTORY.” — Dr. Herbert M. Shelton, N.D., from The Science and Fine Art of Fasting, The Hygienic System: Vol. III

Assisting the Body in Fever

“When poisonous matter has accumulated in the system to the point where it becomes a menace to life, the body makes a violent effort to cast it out and we have pain, inflammations, fevers, and the whole train of acute diseases.”- Herbert Shelton

“A fever is a beautiful process, a fever is initiated and controlled by the body and is not dangerous to our health as we are taught. A fever CAN become dangerous when products are used to interfere/suppress the fever. It’s the exact opposite of helping the body when we apply products which poison the body further, while the body is initiating a fever to expel poisons in the first place!

A fever is a measure taken by the body to expel poisons. When we poison the body a second time, during the cleaning/fever, this is when the chances of death can increase, but it was never the fever itself that was the problem. The body wouldn’t initiate a cleaning event that it couldn’t handle, the body is intelligent, but when we add to its toxic load , that’s when the real issues arise.” – Mariah Mazza

Children run higher fevers because generally, children have a much higher level of vitality (more vital energy) which allows for more rapid and aggressive cleaning. This is also why young children tend to get a lot of colds and then as we move through the teen years and into adulthood the years of abuse and burden slowly wear down the body’s vitality until colds become infrequent.

When we encounter a fever we need to assist the body, but not in the way that most people think of assisting with herbs, pills or potions that stop the fever, all of which put life at risk.

Instead we need to assist the body by DOING NOTHING INTELLIGENTLY. What the body needs most is rest and the absence of digestion and the absence of poisons.

Stay in bed, sip water, aiming for 1-2 gallons throughout the day, sleep, rest, I repeat don’t get out of bed. What the body needs most is every single ounce of energy you can give it. If you drink adequately, sleep and avoid all food the fever will pass quickly. If you take fever reducers or pin medications or any other form of poison or any food during this time you are putting the body at risk.