Health Secrets of the Ancient Hebrews

Diseases today affect millions, despite knowledge about health being widely available. Too many eat unhealthy foods, don’t rest enough, and neglect exercise. To offset this, they rely on modern medicine, which often treats symptoms rather than causes.

Numerous ancient peoples also suffered the same diseases that plague humanity today. But did you know that many modern health discoveries were already in practice thousands of years ago by the ancient Hebrews?

I’m not promoting a biblical stance here, as my audience is extremely varied. But I do want to emphasize that ancient health principles clearly tell us how to avoid epidemics, contagious diseases, hygiene issues, and a host of chronic ills man falls prey to every year. Let’s examine ancient versus modern health practices and consider their effectiveness.

Diseases—Then and Now

Professor René Dubos, in his book Mirage of Health, explains that ancient bones found in Denmark and Norway show that arthritic diseases were among the most crippling afflictions then as now. Malignant tumors of the bone have been found in human remains from France, North America and Peru.

The diseases found in ancient mummies are also surprisingly similar to the ones we face today. Why is that? The answer is simple: they made the same mistakes and ignored the same basic health rules that we often overlook.

For example, it’s well-known that being overweight can shorten a person’s life. Dubos points out that this was true even in ancient Rome 2000 years ago, especially during times of wealth and abundance. Just like them, many people in the modern Western world are harming their health by eating too many unhealthy foods. (pp. 155-156).

Diet was also a key factor in ancient Egypt. Wealthy Egyptians, who ate more refined foods, had increased dental issues compared to poorer people who ate simpler, unprocessed diets.

Similar findings have been observed in modern studies. For example, children from African tribes who eat traditional foods have fewer cavities than those who consume processed foods. Australian aboriginals, who eat tough kangaroo meat, also have very healthy teeth and gums, much stronger than those of people in more developed societies.

This shows that despite thousands of years of experience, humans have made little progress in preventing diseases.

Dietary Health Laws

Modern research identifies key causes of heart disease: poor diet, obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, and stress. Again, the scriptures offer wisdom on these issues, promoting a balanced and moderate lifestyle (Philippians 4:5), warning against overeating and gluttony (Proverbs 23:20-21) and encouraging regular, moderate exercise (1 Timothy 4:8). It also advises avoiding stress and anxiety, which can trigger heart attacks. The same principles apply to other diseases.

The dietary laws in Leviticus 11 also prohibit the consumption of pork, rabbit, and shellfish. While modern practices claim pork is safe when properly cooked, pigs are scavengers that eat garbage, rodents, and even feces, making them carriers of diseases and parasites like trichinosis. Cooking doesn’t remove toxins absorbed in their tissues, and their rapid digestion and lack of sweat glands further concentrate these toxins. In contrast, clean animals like cows efficiently process toxins, making them safer for consumption.

Shellfish, catfish, and shrimp are bottom feeders that consume decaying matter, accumulating dangerous toxins from algae, such as those causing paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). These toxins remain in shellfish for weeks or even years and are unaffected by cooking, making them unpredictable and unsafe.

“Unclean” animals like pigs, vultures, and shellfish serve ecological roles processing garbage or dead matter, but these diets make them unsafe for human consumption. In contrast, clean animals eat plant-based diets and avoid dead or decaying matter.

Sanitation

During the 14th century, the bubonic plague—called the "Black Death"—struck many countries. Perhaps one third of the world’s population died in that epidemic—an estimated 60 million lives.

Balavignus was a distinguished Jewish physician who lived during the first part of the 14th century in Europe, when London and Paris were reeking with garbage and filth—when refuse was simply thrown in the gutter and left to stink. He was also a student of the Old Testament and knew the ancient Israelites had been instructed on proper waste disposal, emphasizing the importance of burying excrement.

He started a cleanup campaign in the Jewish community, ordering all waste to be burned. This forced rats, which carried the plague, to leave the Jewish areas and move into other parts of the city. As a result, the death rate from the plague among Jews was only 5% of what it was among their non-Jewish neighbors.

These practices not only stopped the plague from spreading as a major threat for the first time in history but also led to laws for controlling infectious diseases.

Yet generally, the world didn’t wake up to the importance of hygiene and cleanliness until about the end of the 18th century. Then principles of isolation and quarantine emerged, laying the groundwork for modern hygiene practices.

Hospital Contamination

Hospitals had to learn the same lesson through painful experience. During the first part of the 19th century, these institutions seldom had running water. Surgeons wiped their tools on their trousers. There was little regard for sanitation and cleanliness. Infections were rampant, and as many as one third of all pregnant women in hospitals died of puerperal fever, a form of blood poisoning.

Ignaz Semmelweis of Vienna noticed that in a ward run by midwives, the death rate was much lower. He ordered medical staff to wash their hands before treating patients, and the death rate dropped to zero the following year. Sadly, medical authorities dismissed his findings, and Semmelweis lost his job.

Despite being ahead of his time in the 1800s, the man was still thousands of years behind the knowledge found in scripture. Numbers 19:11-22 gives detailed instructions on cleansing after handling the dead, including washing with running water and repeating the process over several days. These laws ensured thorough sanitation by using uncontaminated water, allowing sunlight to kill bacteria, and washing clothing to prevent infection.

Though hospitals effectively practice hygiene today, much of modern society is losing sight of the importance of sanitation. Cities are becoming polluted, air is contaminated, and water is fouled with industrial waste. As sanitation declines, could this be contributing to the rise of some modern diseases?

There are more laws to be discussed, such as quarantine, sexual diseases, mental health and so on. But I don’t want to make this article too long, so I’ll conclude by stating that ancient health laws were far ahead of modern medical understanding. Today, we spend billions to find a "magic cure" for chronic diseases, blatantly ignoring efforts of prevention. Yet by adhering to ancient—yet powerful and effective—guidelines on diet, hygiene, and lifestyle, we can experience greatly improved health outcomes and a superior overall vitality.

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