CW Post - Alternatives to "Wellville" Addictions

The Journey to Wellville, a historical fiction book and film about Harvey Kellogg, MD and his wellness institute in Battle Creek, provides some exaggeration in health best practices and fads of the time. it also illustrates some problems with the methods, equipment, and theories expoused at the Kellogg Institute. Further, it exposes snake oil salesmen and over-the-top scam advertising methods that we still have today.

My problems with the Kellogg empire is the history of the institute's programs that compulsively forced daily enemas on patients (I'll tell you how I know that below) and sat them in vats of water in which they were administered mild electrical shocks. Some treatments and programs enhanced clients' health and well-being, while others at best did no harm, and at worst, were torture.

A second problem is the sugar content of all Kellogg's cereals, even what people call the "plain" cornflakes, as opposed to Frosted Flakes®. The plain flakes contain too much sugar. The particular Kellogg cereals considered "health food" by the general population also contain too much sugar. My advice is to use skim milk with them in order to reduce calories and fat - and fresh fruit, but don't add any more sugar. Save the Pop Tarts® for an occasional special treat.

A third situation is the mental health conditions that may have emerged in the Kellogg lineage. Some of the physical and nutritional treatments devised by the Dr, Kellogg were wrong-headed and strange, not to mention unsuccessful - e.g., daily enemas, electrical shocking in water, and prevention of masturbation in boys by circumcision or sewing the foreskin shut, and in girls and women by the application of carbolic acid to the genitals [Plain Facts for Old and Young, 1888, by John Harvey Kellogg, MD], just to name a minority of treatments. A present day relative of the family in my city provided his own system of odd and even unethical mental and physical treatment to clients. I was among witnesses that testified to this, with the result that the individual accepted mental health treatment and follow-up and returned to work in a different career.

Considering this body of evidence, I am pleased to purchase CW Post cereals as healthy alternatives to Kellogg brands, but more often I use store brands containing less sugar, or Shredded Wheat® (now owned by Post), or oatmeal and add fruit and some 2% milk.

(CW Post became an early competitor of the Kellogg cereals after he spent time in the brothers' sanitarium, decided he could make better cereals, and left. )

Enema addiction is a real problem. Marilyn Monroe was addicted to frequent enemas as a way toward quick weight loss and abdominal flattening for her Hollywood career. One theory that persists around her 1962 death is that the barbiturates that killed her had been introduced into her enema bag on the evening of her death; drugs are absorbed quickly by this method.

The Kellogg Institute and its treatment methods were quite famous in my grandfather's lifetime and these methods were used in his home and passed down to my father. These methods became misapplied, because they became compulsive. Administering daily enemas without giving the human body an opportunity to evacuate itself is not healthy for a 4- or 5-year-old, not to mention their continuation for 9 years, along with forced consumption of daily prunes, prune juice, and laxatives. The result is that the "patient" becomes chronically constipated. (Note added - the condition lasted 4 years after the regimen stopped for me.)

In some patients, chronic constipation can require surgical removal of wastes. I was fortunate to have not required it.

Personal experience and working with health clients has taught me that if you or someone you know is using a daily enema regimen, this behavior may indicate an addiction to enemas and their process, or an eating disorder similar to bulimia, anorexia, or over-exercising that controls weight to an extreme degree and can result in death from heart failure and other complications. A qualified health professional should be consulted in these cases.

Colonics

Enemas and colon cleansing are not good alternatives to a health diet that contains fiber. See the link below for additional information.

The addition of a healthy amount of fiber to the diet can provide a numnber of benefits:

• Regularity of waste evacuation
• Reduction of colo-rectal cancer risk
• Prevention of colon diseases
• Help in the control of blood sugar levels
• Help in weight loss
• Help in reducing blood levels of cholesterol

Some good providers of dietary fiber:

• Fruits
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Grains
• Vegetables
• Legumes: Beans, peas, and others

If you are not eating these fiber foods, then consider adding some to your regular diet.