Herbert M. Shelton (1895–1985)

As expected, this booklet is an outspoken condemnation of vaccination, which Shelton regarded as a “filthy practice” originating in religious superstition.

The first chapter presents vaccination as dangerous, based on testimonials and epidemiological records. He cites newspaper accounts of people harmed by vaccines, and cases from medical journals. Such anecdotal evidence doesn’t necessarily prove anything.

In chapter two he argues from logic and empirical evidence that vaccination is ineffective in conferring immunity. The whole vaccination practice is predicated on the belief that diseases such as smallpox and diphtheria confer immunity to themselves. Not true, says Shelton, citing many examples of recurrences. The answer to infectious diseases is “scrupulous hygiene,” not inoculations with septic matter.

In chapter three, Shelton urges readers not to contribute money to medically-controlled organizations like the Red Cross that promote vaccinations.

This booklet may be somewhat outdated, as vaccines may have changed a bit since its time. But its principles are still worthy of consideration.

Questions remain:

Vaccines consist of “septic matter (pus)” from infected animals, says Shelton. If we grant that all vaccinations are toxic, are they acceptable as lesser evils? Compulsory vaccination is still criminal, he says .

How do vaccines work? Shelton’s simple answer is that they don’t work. Then how does he explain the claims of progress against diseases such as smallpox and polio?

I wish the author had gone more into the science of immunology and less into mere anecdotes and testimonials, but this booklet is worth reading. Typos detract from its credibility, but not much from its readability.… (altro)

This book is brilliant! Its chapters are short, clear, and packed with wisdom. They cover all the obvious food angles, within the larger context of Shelton’s Hygienic program. Discussed are digestion, food combining, fasting, vitamins, food additives, superfoods, oxidation and fragmentation of foods, sulfured foods, amino acids, proteins, and many other issues pertaining to nutrition. The all-important difference between organic and inorganic minerals in the diet. No surprises here for Shelton followers. Consistent with his other books.

The theme is stated on page 168: “Want of nourishment results from lack of power to digest as often as from lack of food.” Because food is not nutrition. Nutrition is food plus digestion plus assimilation plus utilization. This book is about more than food.

Much like Shelton’s 1926 book, “Food and Feeding,” but this is a more mature work. More up-to-date; but not so up-to-date as to include mention of acrylamides, those toxins in cooked starches, which are more recent discoveries. One wonders what Shelton would have said about acrylamides. And why does he neglect to mention aflatoxins in nuts? His menu suggestions do include cooked starches, but rarely. Raw foods predominate. Vegan foods. His chapter on salt is better, in its unqualified denunciation of salt, than any book I have found on the subject. I wish he had included a separate chapter on the role of greens in the human diet.

The text is technical at times, but intelligent readers should have no difficulty following it. It makes good sense, and debunks many common misconceptions about food and nutrition. I wish the type fonts were larger, easier to read, but they are readable. Highly recommended to people who want to base their diets on the true needs of their bodies.… (altro)

Herbert M. Shelton wrote his best books during his mature years, after 1940. The second edition of this book dates from 1978, so the reader gets the benefit of his decades of experience supervising tens of thousands of fasters.

He covers all the obvious angles: why to fast, where and when to fast, what to expect during a fast, when and how to break a fast. The safety of fasting. Who should fast? Should children fast? Should underweight people fast? Should pregnant women fast? The difference between hunger and appetite. Then, in separate chapters, he discusses various acute and chronic conditions that can be resolved by fasting: from arthritis and asthma to gallstones and tumors. From hay fever to heart disease, and others.

There is no more reliable source of advice on fasting than Herbert M. Shelton. He makes sense, basing his arguments on logic and sound science, not on testimonials. Recommended.… (altro)