Biblical Health and Wellness: 2026

Tuesday, June 9, 2026

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This is a collection of articles on the topic of health and wellness from a Christian, biblical viewpoint.

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.” (Is 53:4)

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Pe 2:24)

"He heals all of my diseases." Ps 103:1-5

“He sent His Word and healed them.” (Ps 107:20)

"'But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord, (Jer 30:17a)

It is my prayer that these articles will lead you to pray earnestly and seek the Lord's face, regarding your own health and wellness, and that of those you love. If you are not well, I pray that the Lord would heal you, and if you are well, then I hope something you find here will help you stay that way.

The Bible is Our Guide	Checking Your Heart	All Foods are Clean
Eat What is Set Before You	Fasting	Eating Real Food
The Cause of Disease	The Role of Demons	The Power of God to Heal
When We Are Not Healed	Physical Exercise	White Poison
Some Foods Damage, Others Heal	Taking Care of Your Body	What Does the Bible Say About Vaccines?
Going from Cursed to Cured	Healing is in the Atonement	The Benefits of Eating Well
Is it a Sin to Take Medicine?	Maintaining Your Healing	Coronavirus Origin, Reason, and Remedy
Thoughts Directly Affect Your Destiny	Neurosurgeon Explains How to Break Addiction	Rewiring the Brain: Connecting Neuroscience, Faith, and Healing
Renewing the Mind: The Intersection Neuroscience and Scripture	How to Heal the Sick - Charles and Francis Hunter	The Dark Side of Dairy
The Perils of Dairy

Attribution notice: Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master.

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

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Monday, June 8, 2026

How to Find My Latest Content

Did you know that I have over thirty blogs containing over one thousand posts? You can find all that content on Writing for the Master. But the latest content will always be shown on my monthly e-magazine, the Old News That's Still Fresh. That's how I make you aware of new content that I've posted on one of my blogs. And there is typically a new edition published on the first of each month, unless I haven't posted anything new. But in case you've missed any past editions, you can find links to all my editions of the Old News That's Still Fresh at this link.

The Dark Side of Dairy

Introduction and Context

In my previous article called White Poisons, I identified milk as one of the four white poisons that are a fundamental part of the Standard American Diet (SAD). In this article, I want to provide a summary of the core points, key insights, and conclusions of a particular episode of Hard Copy that investigates the claims behind milk consumption, particularly challenging the long-standing belief that "milk does a body good." The segment introduces author Robert Cohen, who critically examines the ingredients and health implications of milk produced by American dairy farms.

Genetically Engineered Hormones in Milk Production

American farms inject cows with genetically engineered hormones to produce excess milk beyond natural needs. An estimated one in six cows is injected with this.
Though calcium content in milk is often cited as a health benefit, leafy green vegetables contain more calcium per serving than milk.

Food Item	Calcium Content (mg/100g)
Human breast milk	33
Potato chips	40
Beans	50
Chickpeas	150
Amarantha grain	267

Dairy products are criticized as a poor calcium source because milk's high protein content inhibits calcium absorption.

Contaminants and Health Risks in Milk

Milk is described as "liquid meat," loaded with protein that complicates calcium uptake.
Contaminant concerns: 60% of American cows carry leukemia virus; 80% carry paratuberculosis.
Health links: Potential connections to irritable bowel syndrome and elevated cardiovascular risks due to cholesterol.

Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH) and Hormones in Milk

In addition to the genetically engineered hormones injected into them by dairy farmers, cow milk also naturally contains bovine growth hormones.
Bovine growth hormone is identical between cows and humans. Consuming milk doubles the presence of this hormone, which Cohen claims stimulates breast cancer growth.
Milk actually contains 59 different bioactive hormones (including estrogen from pregnant cows) that may influence early puberty and other health factors in children, as well as early onset of menopause and some types of cancer (eg., prostate and endometrial).

Comprehensive Critique of Milk's Composition

Milk is described as a "dangerous brew" containing high levels of fat, cholesterol, viruses, bacteria, and growth hormones. Cohen’s book, Milk, the Deadly Poison, posits that milk contains chemical, biological, and bacterial agents harmful to human health.

International Comparisons and Dairy Industry Financials

Countries with high dairy consumption (Denmark, Norway, Holland, and Sweden) exhibit high rates of breast cancer and osteoporosis.
The dairy industry spends approximately $500 million annually on marketing campaigns to maintain its image of health.

Milk Protein Casein and Its Effects

Casein (80% of milk protein) is the main ingredient in a specific class of adhesives called casein glues. These glues are used to stick labels on glass bottles, to hold furniture together, and for book binding. Its consumption is linked to excessive mucus production, respiratory issues, and digestive problems.

It is no wonder cow's milk causes inflammation and, in some cases, obesity. Dairy, particularly from cows, can act as a trigger for inflammation and digestive distress. When systemic inflammation takes hold, it can attack multiple areas of the body. In the skin, it can manifest as acne, psoriasis, or eczema. In the brain, it can trigger anxiety, fatigue, confusion, and cognitive decline. In the gut, it can lead to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)—including Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. This inflammation can also target the respiratory system, joints and other critical body systems.

Dr. Sten Ekberg of Wellness for Life explains that proteins are very heat-sensitive and become denatured when heated (eg., during pasteurization). He explains that this process involves the protein's molecular structure changing—much like how an egg white turns solid when cooked—making the proteins more difficult for the body to break down and process.

Dairy Cholesterol Level vs Bacon Fat

Robert Cohen makes a comparison regarding cholesterol intake from dairy products relative to eating bacon.

Dr. Cohen states in his book, "The average American eats the equivalent cholesterol in 53 slices of bacon [daily]... just by drinking two glasses of milk."
He asserts that by consuming dairy products, a person is effectively consuming the same amount of cholesterol as if they were eating 19,000 slices of bacon per year.
He further contextualizes this by noting that by the age of 52, the accumulated lifetime amount of cholesterol consumed would equate to the cholesterol contained in 1 million slices of bacon.

Expert Qualifications and Public Perception

Robert Cohen, a researcher in psychoneuroendocrinology, claims the dairy industry actively suppresses damaging information. Despite marketing, widespread lactose intolerance (notably 95% of African-Americans) challenges the idea that milk is a universally suitable food.

Glossary of Terms

Term	Definition
Casein	The primary protein in milk, the main ingredient in casein industrial glue.
Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH)	A potent growth hormone identical in cows and humans, linked to cancer growth.
Paratuberculosis	A bacterial disease found in cows linked to irritable bowel syndrome in humans.
Psychoneuroendocrinology	Scientific field studying how hormones affect brain function and behavior.

The Hidden Truths About Milk: What You Should Know

There is a deeply ingrained belief that "milk does a body good," but mounting scientific evidence and expert insights suggest that this nutritional narrative may be more about marketing than health. Here is a breakdown of the concerns surrounding modern dairy consumption.

Core Points: Beyond the Marketing

Hormonal Concerns: Many milk brands contain powerful, artificially introduced synthetic growth hormones. These substances can have profound, unnatural effects on the human body.
Calcium Misconceptions: While dairy is pushed as a primary calcium source, many plant-based foods—such as chickpeas and amaranth grain—offer significantly higher calcium density than milk, which are more easily absorbed by the body.
Pathogens and Viruses: Research suggests that milk can act as a carrier for various viruses, including those linked to leukemia and paratuberculosis (the latter being associated with irritable bowel syndrome).
The Cancer Link: A unique growth hormone shared by cows and humans is present in milk. Studies suggest that consuming just one 12-ounce glass can significantly elevate levels of this hormone, which is potentially linked to the promotion of breast cancer.
Dairy Cholesterol Level vs Bacon Fat: Robert Cohen makes a comparison regarding cholesterol intake from dairy products relative to eating bacon. He asserts that by consuming dairy products (the average American consumes two glasses of milk per day), a person is effectively consuming the same amount of cholesterol as if they were eating 19,000 slices of bacon per year. He further contextualizes this by noting that by the age of 52, this amount would equate to the cholesterol contained in 1 million slices of bacon.
Industry Influence: The dairy industry spends roughly $500 million annually on advertising to maintain a positive public image, often overshadowing concerns about the 59 bioactive hormones found in dairy products.

Key Findings and Health Risks

Issue	Key Concern
Casein Protein	Known as the "glue" of dairy, it is linked to excessive mucus production and potential digestive/allergy issues.
Cholesterol Load	The lifetime cholesterol burden from dairy is alarmingly high, comparable to consuming hundreds of thousands of slices of bacon.
Global Data	Countries with the highest dairy consumption (e.g., Sweden, Denmark) also report the highest rates of osteoporosis and breast cancer.

Important Considerations

"Despite widespread belief, much of the public is influenced by highly funded marketing efforts rather than nutritional necessity, particularly when considering that 95% of African Americans are lactose intolerant."

It is Unnatural for Adults to Drink Milk

Science and reason prove that it is completely unnatural and abnormal, as well as unhealthy, for adults to drink milk. Milk is for infants, not adults. It is designed by God to make infants grow fast, whatever kind of mammal they are, but it was not intended to be consumed by adults. That is why in nature, you don't see adult animals drinking milk unless humans feed it to them, such as adult house cats.

Even the Scripture says, "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (Heb 5:13).

This passage is referring to spiritual milk (elementary truths of the faith), but it is based on the fact that anyone living on milk -- whether spiritual or natural milk -- is considered to still be an infant, since that is something only infants do, not adults. Adults live on solid food, not milk.

Conclusion

This summary presents a critical perspective on milk consumption as argued by Robert Cohen and the investigative program.

Further Research

Please see the following sites for further research:

The Truth About Milk (Rense.com article)

The Perils of Dairy (summary of a video).

John McDougall MD discusses what dairy products have going for them. They are a great source of nutrition -- for getting fat and growing tumors!

Is DAIRY Scary?? Inflammation & Obesity Concerns - 2026 (Dr. Ken Berry video)

Acne, dairy and cancer (PubMed article)

Milk consumption: aggravating factor of acne and promoter of chronic diseases of Western societies (PubMed article)

Dairy and prostate cancer (PubMed article)

Attribution notice: This article was created with the aid of AI to quickly summarize the content of the video, and was then revised by this author as necessary.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar, such as The Perils of Dairy, White Poisons, Some Foods Damage and Others Heal and The Benefits of Eating Well. You may also access my blog directory at "Writing for the Master." The views expressed in this blog are not intended as medical advice to treat any condition. Rather they are my personal opinions based on my own research, and do not necessarily represent the views of Doulos Missions International.

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The Perils of Dairy

In my previous article called White Poisons, I identified milk as one of the four white poisons that are a fundamental part of the Standard American Diet (SAD). In this video called The Perils of Dairy, Dr. John McDougall MD discusses what dairy products have going for them. They are a great source of nutrition -- for getting fat and growing tumors!

Core Points

Human breast milk is invaluable and irreplaceable for human infants, providing essential nutrition and protection against multiple diseases. Bottled infant formula feeding leads to significantly increased infant mortality and long-term health issues worldwide, a severe public health and ethical concern. Breastfeeding should be promoted as the only acceptable infant nutrition, and formula a tightly controlled prescription product. NOTE: most standard baby formulas are based on cow’s milk.
Cow’s milk is biologically designed for calves, not humans. Its high protein and calcium content suit rapid growth in calves but are excessive and mismatched for humans. The dairy industry funds much research aimed at proving milk’s benefits, yet the scientific evidence shows mixed or negative results for bone health. Calcium absorption and bone strength depend largely on physiological regulation, not just dietary intake. Large calcium dosages could cause harmful calcification, but the body’s gut intelligently regulates calcium absorption to meet needs efficiently.
There is a growing consensus that dairy products negatively impact health, which contrasts with earlier thinking where dairy was considered an essential source of protein and calcium.
Despite widespread beliefs, increased calcium intake does not correlate with improved bone health; in fact, countries with higher calcium consumption often have higher rates of hip fractures. The root cause of osteoporosis is linked to the acid load from animal protein consumption, which causes the body to leach alkaline minerals from bones to neutralize acid, leading to bone loss. Animal protein intake correlates positively with fractures, while high vegetable diets correlate with low fracture rates.
The dairy industry attempts to counter negative findings with funded studies showing that protein promotes bone growth via insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a growth hormone stimulated by dairy consumption. However, IGF-1 also promotes cancer growth (breast, colon, prostate, lung) by stimulating cell proliferation and preventing cancer cell death.
Consumption of low-fat or skim milk reduces fat intake but proportionally increases dairy protein consumption, exacerbating negative effects on bones and kidneys, including increased kidney stone risk. The dairy industry targets children aggressively to cultivate lifetime consumption habits, often marketing milk with additives like chocolate and strawberry flavor to boost intake.
Milk contains high levels of pus (white blood cells) and bacteria because of industry standards and sanitary conditions. It is also a vector for viral infections like Bovine Immunodeficiency Virus (BIV) and Bovine Leukemia Virus (BLV), which infect a significant percentage of cattle herds and can cross species, potentially infecting humans. These viruses remain under-researched and represent an overlooked health risk.
Cow’s milk is associated with multiple childhood health issues including constipation, bloody stools, asthma, eczema, infections, and more. It is implicated in the development of type 1 diabetes through early exposure to cow’s milk protein. Avoiding dairy in infancy may prevent or delay this disease.
Dairy proteins have been linked with various diseases such as colitis, Crohn’s disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, autism, schizophrenia, bedwetting, nephrotic syndrome, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Removing dairy from the diet can lead to marked health improvements, as countless people can testify to.
The dairy industry actively promotes milk consumption in schools, replacing soda machines with milk vending machines, often using flavored milks to appeal to children. This strategy is highly effective in increasing childhood milk popularity despite health concerns.
Industry spokespeople (e.g., Dr. Greg Miller) promote dairy’s role in weight loss and obesity prevention, despite clinical studies showing minimal or no effect on weight loss, and some studies showing weight gain with increased dairy intake. The dairy industry also attempts to reverse decades of nutritional knowledge, making contradictory and unscientific claims about fat, cholesterol, salt, and fiber.
Psychological and physiological aspects affect how men and women respond to dairy —women often find it harder to give up dairy due to social and emotional factors.
The culmination of evidence suggests it is time to “put Elsie the cow” (a symbol of the dairy industry) to pasture, urging a dietary shift away from dairy to promote health and longevity.

Key Conclusions

The medical establishment is compromised by industry interests, leading to ineffective treatments; therefore, exploring alternative and natural dietary and lifestyle approaches offers greater potential for health improvements.
Nutritional therapy can effectively treat chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, which conventional medicine largely fails to cure.
Breastfeeding with human milk is crucial; alternatives seriously endanger infant health and survival, making breastfeeding promotion a public health priority.
The biological design of cow’s milk and its nutrient profile mismatch human needs, and despite massive industry-sponsored research, evidence does not support the claim that dairy strengthens human bones. The human body regulates calcium absorption efficiently without dairy.
Osteoporosis and bone fractures are more strongly linked to dietary acid load and animal protein intake than to calcium deficiency; diets rich in fruits and vegetables promote stronger bones and lower fracture rates.
The protein in dairy increases IGF-1 levels which may help bone growth but simultaneously increases cancer risk, presenting a serious tradeoff.
Low-fat and skim dairy products, while reducing fat intake, increase the relative protein proportion, potentially harming bones and kidneys, and the dairy industry aggressively targets children to ensure lifelong milk consumption.
Milk is contaminated by high levels of pus cells, bacteria, and zoonotic retroviruses, posing underrecognized health hazards. Pasteurization is not wholly effective against some viruses, raising further health concerns.
Dairy consumption is causally associated with several chronic and autoimmune diseases in children and adults; eliminating dairy from the diet can lead to significant clinical improvements.
The school milk program exemplifies how the dairy industry has embedded itself institutionally to promote and normalize dairy consumption.
Industry claims that dairy aids weight loss are contradicted by data; much of the public messaging is misleading or false.
Transitioning away from dairy diets is necessary for improved public health, longevity, and disease prevention.

Important Details

Breast milk provides protection from infectious diseases, improves IQ, reduces risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diabetes, asthma, eczema, autoimmune diseases, and various cancers; bottle-feeding substantially increases risks.
Cow’s milk protein concentrations correlate inversely with human growth rates; cow’s milk calcium is about four times higher than that in human milk; this is supercharged for rapid calf growth, not human needs.
The gut actively controls calcium absorption preventing toxic overload or deficiency. No documented cases exist of calcium deficiency due to low intake in humans worldwide, even in populations avoiding dairy.
A 1985 randomized controlled trial on postmenopausal women showed that three 8-ounce glasses of skim milk daily led to negative calcium balance and increased bone loss compared to controls; the study was funded by the dairy industry, which tried to downplay these findings.
Global data show higher animal protein intake corresponds with more hip fractures.
Dairy industry-funded studies show positive bone effects only when dietary acid is neutralized (e.g., via calcium citrate), masking acid's deleterious effects. They also focus on IGF-1 as the growth mediator, ignoring its cancer-promoting risks.
When fat is removed from milk, protein and carbohydrate percentages rise. Increased protein worsens calcium loss and kidney stone risk; increased carbohydrates contribute further health issues. This is why 2% and skim milk are even worse for you than whole milk.
Industry milk quality standards permit up to 750,000 pus cells per cc; milk often contains tens of thousands of bacteria per cc. Milk and dairy were the most recalled FDA food category due to contamination with pathogens like salmonella, listeria, E. coli.
Bovine Immunodeficiency Virus (BIV) and Bovine Leukemia Virus (BLV) infect large proportions of cattle herds worldwide. These retroviruses can cross species and have viral genetic material integrated into host DNA. Pasteurization doesn’t guarantee complete virus elimination, and potential human infections are under-investigated.
Cow’s milk causes or worsens childhood constipation, bloody stools, migraines, arthritis, acne, recurrent infections, asthma, eczema, and gastrointestinal disorders. Removing milk resolves symptoms in many children.
Early cow’s milk exposure is linked to the autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells causing type 1 diabetes; the American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledges this risk and recommends avoiding cow’s milk protein early in life to prevent or delay onset.
Dairy proteins are implicated in a broad range of immune, neurological, dermatological, and renal diseases; many can dramatically improve on dairy-free diets. Bedwetting in children is caused by bladder wall inflammation from dairy proteins and resolves with dairy elimination.
Proteins are very heat-sensitive and become denatured when heated (eg., during pasteurization). This process involves the protein structure changing—much like how an egg white turns solid when cooked—making the proteins more difficult for the body to break down and process. -- Dr. Sten Ekberg of Wellness for Life in Georgia.
USDA and industry programs promote milk consumption in schools, substituting soda with flavored milk, fueling lifelong dairy habits.
Dairy industry PR examples include emotional appeals with family photos rather than scientific arguments, showing the limited defense against detailed critiques of dairy’s harms.
Meta-analyses show very limited or no support for dairy or calcium supplementation reducing body fat; some studies even indicate weight gain from increased milk intake.
Milk and cheese have similarly high fat, protein, and cholesterol as beef, functioning as “liquid meat,” debunking the idea of milk as a uniquely healthy food.
Cheese has an even more concentrated level of fat per ounce than milk.

It is Unnatural for Adults to Drink Milk

May I also add that science and reason prove that it is completely unnatural and abnormal, as well as unhealthy, for adults to drink milk. Milk is for infants, not adults. It is designed by God to make infants grow fast, whatever kind of mammal they are, but it was not intended to be consumed by adults. That is why in nature, you don't see adult animals drinking milk unless humans feed it to them, such as adult house cats.

This passage is referring to spiritual milk, but it is based on the fact that anyone living on milk -- whether spiritual or natural milk -- is considered to still be an infant, since that is something only infants do, not adults. Adults live on solid food, not milk.

Conclusion

This summary presents a critical perspective on milk consumption as argued by Dr. John McDougall MD in this video.

Further Research

Please see the following sites for further research:

The Truth About Milk (Rense.com article)

Is DAIRY Scary?? Inflammation & Obesity Concerns - 2026 (Dr. Ken Berry video)

The Dark Side of Dairy (summary of a video).

John McDougall MD discusses what dairy products have going for them. They are a great source of nutrition -- for getting fat and growing tumors!

Acne, dairy and cancer (PubMed article)

Milk consumption: aggravating factor of acne and promoter of chronic diseases of Western societies (PubMed article)

Dairy and prostate cancer (PubMed article)

Attribution notice: This article was created with the aid of AI to quickly summarize the content of the video, and was then revised by this author as necessary.

Author's Note: The author of this blog, Len Lacroix, does not support Dr. McDougall's views of evolution, and hold firmly to the biblical Creationism view found in Genesis 1-2 and throughout the Bible (eg., Psalm 139 and Colossians 1). I also do not support his views of vegetarianism. Nor do I share the views of Rense.com about gas from cows causing global warming.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar, such as The Dark Side of Dairy, White Poisons, Some Foods Damage and Others Heal and The Benefits of Eating Well. You may also access my blog directory at "Writing for the Master." The views expressed in this blog are not intended as medical advice to treat any condition. Rather they are my personal opinions based on my own research, and do not necessarily represent the views of Doulos Missions International.

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Charles and Francis Hunter - How to Heal the Sick

This post provides links to all fourteen sessions of the Charles and Francis Hunter training seminar on How to Heal the Sick videos. Each of the articles below not only links to those videos, but also provides a summary of the key concepts, principles, and conclusions from each session. This can be used by those who either want to get a quick review of the training sessions that they have previously viewed already, so that they can refresh themselves, or by those who are now operating in healing and miracles, but would like to train others. The tools below will enable you to do either one.

However, if you have not seen these training videos yet or if it's been a very long time since you have done so, then I strongly recommend watching them again.

Click or tap on each of the links below to view the corresponding training session, and there will be a link at the bottom of each page to take you back to this overview page:

How to Heal the Sick (1st session)
How to Heal the Sick (2nd session)

How to Heal the Sick (3rd session)

How to Heal the Sick (4th session)

How to Heal the Sick (5th session)

How to Heal the Sick (6th session)

How to Heal the Sick (7th session)

How to Heal the Sick (8th session)
How to Heal the Sick (9th session)

How to Heal the Sick (10th session)

How to Heal the Sick (11th session)

How to Heal the Sick (12th session)

How to Heal the Sick (13th session)

How to Heal the Sick (14th session)

I hope this helps you!

Author's note: This post is part of a series. If you enjoyed it, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar, such as Power of God to Heal and Healing is in the Atonement. I also recommend The Name of Jesus and my daughter's poem, Faith Should Not Depend on Feeling, which she wrote the same day she received a divine healing in her body. You may also access my blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Monday, May 25, 2026

Thoughts Directly Affect Your Destiny

I want to encourage you today that everything begins with thoughts, so we need to be careful to have godly and uplifting thoughts. The apostle Paul wrote:

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Phil 4:8).

Everything you see in the natural realm began with a thought. Your smartphone began with someone having a thought to create such a device and now you have it in your hand. Your motorcycle or other form of transportation began with a thought, and so did the ideas of the internet and of email communications.

A thought becomes a word.

A word becomes an action.

An action becomes a habit.

A habit becomes a lifestyle.

A lifestyle becomes a destiny.

It all begins with a thought. Since there is a direct correlation between our thoughts and our destiny, let's train ourselves by the grace of God and the renewing of our minds through the power of the Holy Spirit to think thoughts that please the Lord, according to His Word.

Jesus said that from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of." (Lk 6:45). This teaches us that spoken words reveal whether a heart is filled with goodness or evil, as the mouth inevitably overflows with what is stored within. Therefore, whatever the heart is full of will directly determine your destiny, and whatever you fill your mind and thoughts with will ultimately become your future.

Closing Words

A practicing neurosurgeon named Dr. W. Lee Warren has written a book called The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery: Connecting Neuroscience and Faith to Radically Transform Your Life, which explains how it is possible for you to make structural changes to your own brain so it’s healthier and less prone to depression, anxiety, grief, worry, and other issues that make you unhappy and keep you stuck. It shows how modern neuroscience has now proven that what I have taught in this article is true, and gives you practical keys to doing what he calls self-brain surgery to change the way your brain is wired.

This is a life-changing truth that has been in Scripture for thousands of years. I would like to encourage you to check out the following two podcasts in which Dr. Warren was interviewed, one on 100 Huntley, and the other was on Dr. Ben Carson's Common Sense program. Or you can read a brief synopsis of those interviews in the following two articles of mine called Renewing the Mind: The Intersection Neuroscience and Scripture and Rewiring the Brain: Connecting Neuroscience, Faith, and Healing.

Attribution notice: Scripture take from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Neurosurgeon Explains How to Break Addiction, Renewing the Mind: The Intersection Neuroscience and Scripture, Rewiring the Brain: Connecting Neuroscience, Faith, and Healing, and the other posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Saturday, May 23, 2026

Neurosurgeon Explains How to Break Addiction

In another article of mine, I wrote about how Thoughts Directly Affect Your Destiny, and I would encourage you to read it. A practicing Christian neurosurgeon named Dr. W. Lee Warren teaches how you can break addictions in your life by changing the way you think, and how the science actually proves this to be true. Here is an excerpt from Dr. Warren's interview with Dr. Ben Carson, in which he spoke about addictions. He said:

"Addiction is a hijacking of the brain's reward system, right? It's this trick that we play on ourselves that says that we're going to get some helpful neurotransmitters if we engage in this act or ingest this substance. But what the truth is, it's never been about the delivery of joy. It's about the delivery of the reward mechanism that's been hijacked. Therefore, addiction turns into this seeking the release of a neurotransmitter that gets harder and harder to get with the same dose of the thing that we're after.

"And so what we have to do then if we want to break addiction is we have to get a different set of thoughts around the reward that we really want. So what I really want is that calm sense that I get from alcohol. But when I drink alcohol, I find instead of the calm sense lasting very long, the next day I'm hung over. I don't feel good. I've spent money. I've said things I shouldn't have said. I've done things I shouldn't have done. And the reward didn't pay off like I thought it would.

So, we have to interrupt the cycle and say, 'No, if I want the reward of feeling better, being calmer, not being as stressed, I need to change the way I'm getting that neurotransmitter release.' So, my brain learns that the way to get real joy is by engaging the system in the correct way. So, again, it comes down to the decision of what you're going to think about because what you think about turns into what you do.

"So there's this fascinating thing in Ephesians chapter 4 starting in verse 17 where Paul talks about what he calls the Gentiles, you know, the people that aren't saved, don't know God. And he says they do all these things, drunkenness and orgies and and all these terrible behaviors that they do. But then he says all of that stuff comes from the way they think. He says don't be like them. They're lost in the futility of their thinking. So all the behavior that gets us in trouble starts with the things we're thinking about.

"And then he says in Ephesians 4:23, he says, 'No, don't be like that. Be renewed. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.' So if you don't want to end up with behaviors that give you trouble, addictions or whatever, it starts with redeeming and changing what you're thinking about all the time, by choosing to get the reward in the right way. Andrew Hubberman said, 'Anything that gives you dopamine that you didn't have to work for will progressively control your life.' And that's a good way to sum it up. That's what I'm trying to say."

I would like to encourage you to check out the following two podcasts in which Dr. Warren was interviewed, one on 100 Huntley, and the other was on Dr. Ben Carson's Common Sense program. Or you can read a brief synopsis of those interviews in the following two articles of mine called Renewing the Mind: The Intersection of Neuroscience and Scripture and Rewiring the Brain: Connecting Neuroscience, Faith, and Healing.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like my posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

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Thursday, May 21, 2026

Rewiring the Brain: Connecting Neuroscience, Faith, and Healing

The following is an article I created with the aid of Generative AI (ChatGPT) using the transcript from an interview of Dr. W. Lee Warren on 100 Huntley.

Rewiring Hope: How Dr. Lee Warren Connects Neuroscience, Faith, and Healing

In a powerful conversation on the Christian television program 100 Huntley Street (video podcast), neurosurgeon Dr. Lee Warren shared how personal tragedy, trauma, and groundbreaking neuroscience transformed his understanding of the human mind — and ultimately, his faith.

Dr. Warren’s story is marked by extraordinary hardship. In 2005, he served in Iraq as a combat neurosurgeon with the United States Air Force, performing more than 200 brain surgeries in a tent hospital while surviving over 100 mortar and rocket attacks. Though he returned home physically safe, the psychological toll lingered.

“I came home internally shattered,” he explained. “The PTSD flashbacks and fear made me feel unsafe even when I was safe.”

Years later, an even deeper tragedy struck. Dr. Warren and his wife Lisa lost their 19-year-old son, Mitchell, who was stabbed to death. The unimaginable grief plunged the family into despair and forced Dr. Warren to confront difficult questions about suffering, healing, and the relationship between the brain and faith.

When Science and Faith Collided

The turning point came shortly after Dr. Warren returned to work. At the medical building where he practiced in Alabama, researchers were conducting functional MRI studies — scans that not only show the structure of the brain, but reveal which areas become active during certain thoughts and emotions.

During one demonstration, researchers asked a participant to recall the worst experience of her life. Immediately, the fear and anxiety centers of her brain became highly active. Her blood pressure and heart rate increased as her body physically reacted to the memory.

Then researchers asked her to think about the happiest moment she could remember. Within moments, the fear centers calmed, other regions of the brain lit up, and her body relaxed.

For Dr. Warren, the implications were profound.

“I realized mind and brain are not the same thing,” he said. “Thought changed brain, and brain changed body.”

As a Christian, he suddenly saw striking parallels between neuroscience and Scripture. His wife Lisa connected the experiment to Philippians 4, where believers are instructed not to dwell in anxiety but instead focus on what is true, noble, lovely, and praiseworthy.

That moment sparked a revelation that would shape Dr. Warren’s work for years to come: changing thoughts literally changes the brain.

The Power of Neuroplasticity

Modern neuroscience calls this process neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to reorganize and form new neural connections throughout life.

For decades, scientists believed the brain was largely fixed after childhood. Today, researchers understand that the brain is constantly changing based on repeated thoughts, behaviors, and experiences.

“The more you think about something,” Dr. Warren explained, “the more automatic it becomes.”

He referenced the well-known neuroscience principle often summarized as: neurons that fire together wire together.

Negative thought patterns, fear, trauma, and hopelessness can strengthen harmful neural pathways over time. But hope, gratitude, truth, and purposeful thinking can create healthier pathways instead.

Dr. Warren believes this discovery aligns remarkably with biblical teaching.

“The Bible said 2,000 years ago to take your thoughts captive,” he noted. “Now neuroscience is showing us why that matters.”

Healing Through “Self-Brain Surgery”

Dr. Warren describes this intentional rewiring process as “self-brain surgery.”

The concept is simple but powerful: every thought a person repeatedly entertains shapes the brain structurally. According to Dr. Warren, people are already performing “brain surgery” on themselves every day — either in ways that help or harm them.

He warns that many automatic thoughts are unreliable.

Research suggests humans experience tens of thousands of thoughts each day, and many are biased toward negativity or fear. The brain’s job is often to scan for danger, which can distort reality and reinforce anxiety.

“Feelings aren’t facts,” Dr. Warren emphasized. “They’re chemical events in your brain.”

Learning to step back and evaluate thoughts — a process psychologists call metacognition — allows people to challenge destructive mental patterns rather than automatically believing them.

For Dr. Warren, this became deeply personal during grief.

After Mitchell’s death, thoughts like “I’ll never recover” or “This pain will define my life forever” constantly surfaced. Instead of surrendering to those thoughts, he began intentionally replacing them with truth rooted in Scripture and purpose.

He and his wife started focusing on how Mitchell’s life could continue impacting others through their story and ministry. Slowly, hope began to return.

“It felt like climbing a ladder out of a dark hole,” he recalled.

Thoughts Shape Reality

One of Dr. Warren’s most compelling insights involves the brain’s filtering system.

He explained that the brain constantly sorts incoming information based on what a person is focused on. If someone expects danger, disappointment, or failure, the brain begins highlighting evidence that confirms those beliefs. Conversely, focusing on gratitude, opportunity, and hope trains the brain to notice positive realities that were always present.

“Reality becomes what we tell our brains we’re looking for,” he said.

This perspective does not deny pain or suffering. Rather, it offers people agency in how they respond to hardship.

For trauma survivors, people struggling with anxiety, or anyone who feels trapped by a diagnosis or label, Dr. Warren insists there is hope.

“You are not stuck with the brain you have,” he said. “Your brain is waiting for better instructions.”

A Message of Renewal

Throughout the interview, Dr. Warren repeatedly returned to one central theme: transformation begins in the mind.

Drawing from Romans 12 and Ephesians 4, he emphasized the biblical call to renewal — not simply behavior modification, but a complete reshaping of thought patterns.

In his view, neuroscience is increasingly confirming truths Scripture has proclaimed for centuries: gratitude changes the brain, hope improves resilience, and intentional thinking affects emotional and physical health.

“Science bends toward truth over time,” he said. “Scripture has been pointing at truth all along.”

For viewers carrying grief, anxiety, trauma, or discouragement, Dr. Warren’s message was both scientific and spiritual: healing is possible, and change begins with what we choose to believe.

“Your brain will build the world you continually remind it is true,” he said. “You can change your life by changing what you think about.”

Attribution Notice: I created this article with the aid of Generative AI using the transcript from an interview of Dr. W. Lee Warren on 100 Huntley. The image was also created using Generative AI, as well.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, please check out the following podcast, in which Dr. Warren was interviewed on Dr. Ben Carson's Common Sense program. Or you can read a brief synopsis of that interview in the following article of mine called Renewing the Mind: The Intersection of Neuroscience and Scripture. You may also like my posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

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Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Renewing the Mind: The Intersection of Neuroscience and Scripture

The following is an article that I created with the aid of Generative AI using the transcript from an interview of Dr. W. Lee Warren on the program Common Sense with Dr. Ben Carson.

The Surrounding Landscape of Mental Health

In today's cultural discourse, a pervasive narrative suggests that the human mind is inherently fragile. Modern culture frequently implies that our brains are weak, frail, and in need of constant, specialized curation—shielded by "safe spaces" and managed through endless counseling.

However, 21st-century neuroscience is beginning to tell a vastly different story, one that aligns remarkably well with ancient spiritual wisdom.

On a recent episode of the podcast Common Sense, host Dr. Ben Carson, a renowned retired neurosurgeon, sat down with fellow neurosurgeon, veteran, and author Dr. Lee Warren to discuss a revolutionary paradigm: Your brain is not fragile. It is structurally designed to be rewired, transformed, and strengthened through the power of your thoughts and faith.

Neuroplasticity: The Science of a Renewed Mind

For decades, medical students were taught a rigid doctrine: the adult human brain is fixed. It was believed that you are born with a set number of neurons, and if you experience trauma, stress, or possess the "wrong" genes, you are simply left to manage a broken system.

"But 21st-century neuroscience is teaching us a different story," Dr. Warren explains. "We're learning, as Scripture has said all along, that you really can actively change what your brain is structurally, and the thing that drives that change is the stuff we think about."

This concept is known as neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life.

Taking Thoughts Captive

Dr. Warren bridges this cutting-edge science directly to biblical principles, noting that neuroplasticity is the physical manifestation of what Scripture calls "renewing the mind" (Romans 12:2) and "taking every thought captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5).

When an individual intentionally changes their thought patterns, they alter the neurochemical environment of their brain. This means that chronic anxiety, depression, and stress are not necessarily permanent identity markers; they can be systematically dismantled by directing our cognitive focus.

The Physical Power of Prayer

The intersection of faith and neuroscience isn't just theoretical—it is measurable. Dr. Warren highlights the groundbreaking neuroimaging research of Dr. Andrew Newberg at the University of Pennsylvania.

Newberg conducted functional MRI (fMRI) and spectroscopic scans on individuals before and after a six-week period of practicing prayer or meditation for just 10 minutes a day. The results were staggering:

Brain Structural Growth: The hippocampus—the region of the brain responsible for emotional regulation, resilience, and peace—increased in size by 22%.
Physiological Resilience: As the brain structurally changed, subjects demonstrated a heightened ability to efficiently process hardship and stress.

"Literally when you pray, when you engage with God, He makes your brain better able to handle hardship and stress," Dr. Warren notes. "Faith and neuroscience intersect in the way that God has designed our brains to get better when we take Him seriously."

The Screen in the Scanner: A Personal Turning Point

The reality of this science became intensely personal for Dr. Warren following a catastrophic family tragedy: the murder of his 19-year-old son, Mitch. Devastated and battling a profound crisis of faith, Dr. Warren found himself questioning God.

A month after the tragedy, still deeply grieving, he and his wife, Lisa, attended an fMRI research session at Auburn University. What they witnessed on the scanner monitor permanently altered Dr. Warren's approach to trauma.

The Anatomy of Thought

A test subject was placed in the MRI machine and given two specific prompts:

[Prompt 1: Think of your worst memory]

│

▼

[Amygdala (Fear Center) lights up metabolically]

│

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[Physiological Spike: Heart rate & blood pressure rise]

[Prompt 2: Think of your happiest memory]

│

▼

[Amygdala calms down / Frontal lobes & cingulate gyrus activate]

│

▼

[Physiological Calm: Heart rate & blood pressure drop]

Watching this sequence play out in real-time, Lisa turned to Dr. Warren and referenced Philippians 4: If you don't want to be anxious, choose gratitude instead.

"God sort of revealed this idea to me at that moment," Dr. Warren recalls. "If you want to feel different than you feel right now... you're going to have to change the perspective of what you're looking at."

Suffering as an Engine for Hope

This realization completely shifted how Dr. Warren viewed human suffering. In the operating room, neurosurgeons intentionally make structural changes to a patient's brain to heal them. In daily life, individuals can use their thoughts to do the exact same thing.

This cognitive training relies heavily on the anterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain that often gets "stuck" during complex grief or emotional trauma. Neuroscience shows that this region strengthens when a person forces themselves to do hard things—like choosing to get out of bed, choosing to go for a run, or choosing to look for meaning amidst pain.

This biological reality perfectly maps onto Romans 5:3-5: Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

The Concept of "Anti-Fragility"

Humans are not fragile; we are anti-fragile. Unlike an object that breaks under stress, the human mind requires a certain degree of hardship to grow, adapt, and build robust resilience.

Dr. Carson contextualizes this using a physiological example: if a tiger walks into a room, your body instantly activates a massive, stressful fight-or-flight response. But if you are immediately told, "That's a friendly, trained tiger," your brain processes the new information, and the entire physical panic dissolves. We possess immense control over how we react to our environment, rather than letting the environment control us.

Breaking the Cycle of Addiction

This framework of rewiring the brain also offers profound hope for those battling addiction. Addiction fundamentally hijacks the brain's reward and dopamine systems, creating a loop where an individual seeks an automated neurotransmitter release from a substance or behavior.

To break an addiction, the cycle must be interrupted at the thought level. By intentionally changing the thoughts surrounding the desired reward, the brain can be retrained to find genuine joy and dopamine through healthy, constructive channels. Dr. Warren points to a powerful quote by neurobiologist Andrew Huberman to summarize the trap: "Anything that gives you dopamine that you didn't have to work for will progressively control your life."

When we rely on passive, cheap dopamine, we surrender control. When we actively discipline our thought life, we reclaim it. (For more on this see Neurosurgeon Explains How to Break Addiction).

Becoming Your Own "Brain Surgeon"

In a culture that overwhelmingly prioritizes comfort and external validation, Dr. Warren’s ultimate message—outlined in his book, The Lifechanging Art of Self-Brain Surgery—is one of personal agency and faith.

While seeking professional help from counselors, pastors, or psychologists is invaluable when navigating immense trauma, the ultimate responsibility for change remains internal. No therapist can change your mind for you.

Rather this is something you must do yourself through metacognition—thinking about your own thinking—to change your mindset.

By actively partnering with God, taking thoughts captive, renewing your mind through prayer, Bible reading, Scripture meditation, practicing the Word, and leaning into the anti-fragile design of the human nervous system, anyone can navigate catastrophic hardships and emerge with renewed purpose, deep resilience, and a completely rewired brain.

You can trust the Word of God to be true. Science continues to prove it, as technological advancements like functional MRI and spectroscopic scans update old theories that once contradicted Scripture. You can truly renew your mind.

Scriptural Meditation

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God –this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is –his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Rom 12:1-2)

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor 10:5)

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Rom 5:3-5)

"So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking." (Eph 4:17)

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Eph 4:22-24)

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:6)

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable –if anything is excellent or praiseworthy– think about such things." (Phil 4:8)

Attribution Notice: I created this article with the aid of Generative AI using the transcript from an interview of Dr. W. Lee Warren on the program Common Sense with Dr. Ben Carson. The image was created using Generative AI also. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, please check out the following podcast in which Dr. Warren was interviewed on Dr. Ben Carson's Common Sense program. Or you can read a brief synopsis of that interview in the following article of mine called Rewiring the Brain: Connecting Neuroscience, Faith, and Healing. You may also like Neurosurgeon Explains How to Break Addiction, The Bible is Our Guide, An Open Mind that Loves the Truth, and my posts available through the links on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

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