Vitality means normal functioning. When the organs of the body are all
performing their duties satisfactorily, you can practically be sure of
a plentiful supply of vitality. So it can truly be said that proper
functioning is the secret of power.
The most important of all functional processes begins in the stomach.
There is where the blood-making process commences, and, since a man
is what the blood makes of him, you can realize the tremendous
importance of this particular function. If the digestion is carried on
properly, and the blood is made rich in those elements that add to life,
health and strength, then the functions of the stomach are being
properly performed. Strength of this organ, therefore, is absolutely
indispensable in vitality building.
This blood-making work is then continued by the small intestines, where
a large part of the elements of nourishment essential to life are
assimilated, taken up and carried to the portal circulation, thence to
the lungs and heart, and finally throughout the entire body. It
is absolutely impossible for one to enjoy the possession of a high
degree of vitality, or of the general good health upon which vitality
depends, unless the intestinal tract is in a healthy and vigorous
condition, so that the functions of this particular part of the body-
machine may be performed without a flaw. The entire digestive system
may be compared to a boiler supplying the energy by which the engine
does its work.
Then consider the heart itself. One cannot underestimate the functional
importance of this organ. It is commonly regarded as the most vital spot
in the body, the very center of life-indeed the poets have made it the
seat of love and the emotions in general. If anything, the brain and
nervous system should be regarded as the real center of life, but the
function of the heart, the marvelous muscle-pump, is so vital
and indispensable that the world is accustomed to thinking of it as the
organ of first importance. And so it is. Should it cease its efforts
for a few moments even, life becomes extinct, and you are no longer an
animate being. A strong heart, therefore, is if anything even more
important than a strong stomach. But you must remember that the strength
of the heart to a large extent depends upon the cooperation of a strong
stomach, or at least upon the proper digestion of food. For the muscles
and tissues of the heart, like those of all other organs of the body,
are fed by the blood, which depends for its life-giving and life-
sustaining qualities upon the food, which is first acted upon by the
stomach and thus made available for use by the cell structures in all
parts of the body. The heart is truly a wonderful organ, the one set of
muscles which apparently never rest, but work on night and day, year
after year, throughout our entire life.
Furthermore, the part played by the lungs in the maintenance of life and
health cannot be underestimated. Impaired functioning of the lungs has
an immediate and vital effect upon every other part of the body. It is
through this channel that we secure the oxygen, without which
the processes of life would terminate almost instantaneously. It is
through this channel also that the elimination of carbonic acid
gas is accomplished. Without the continuous and thorough elimination of
carbonic acid our tissues would become choked up and poisoned in such
a way that all cell activity and bodily function would come to an
abrupt end. If the lungs are sound and healthy in every respect the
supply of oxygen is abundant, and the elimination of carbonic acid,
which may be regarded as the "smoke" of the human system, is carried on
perfectly. Breathing is only one of the various functions that must be
continuously carried on, but it is of such importance as to require
special attention in building vitality.
In the work of eliminating impurities and keeping the system clean the
kidneys are to be classed with the lungs, although they have to do
with poisonous wastes of a different type. Insufficient functioning of
the kidneys is not so immediately fatal as the failure of the lungs
to do their work, but proper action of the kidneys is none the less
important. If the poisons which are normally eradicated from the system
in this way are allowed to remain or to accumulate, they poison the
body as truly as any external toxic element that could be introduced.
Insufficient activity of the kidneys leads to the accumulation of those
poisons, bringing on convulsions of the most serious nature, and unless
the condition is relieved there will be fatal results. The requirements
of health, therefore, demand that the kidneys should be strong and
active, and that their functional capacity should be maintained at the
highest degree of efficiency.
In supplementing the work of the kidneys and the lungs, the excretory
function of the skin is only secondary in importance. The skin has
various functions. It is one of our chief organs of sense, the sense of
touch being hardly second to those of sight and hearing. It is
likewise a wonderful protective structure, and at the same time is a
channel of elimination which cannot be ignored with impunity. To
interfere with the eliminative function of the skin by absolutely
clogging the pores for a period of several hours means death. One may
say that we really breathe through the skin.
The importance of all these functions of elimination is vital. Pure
blood depends upon the perfect and continuous excretion of the wastes
formed in the body through the processes of life, and without keeping
the blood pure in this manner the body rapidly becomes poisoned by its
own waste products, with the result that health, vitality and even life
are lost. Health is entirely a question of pure blood, and, while
the blood depends first upon the building material supplied through the
digestive system, it also depends equally as much upon functional
activity in the matter of elimination.
The liver, which enjoys the distinction of being the largest organ in
the body, is designed for the performance of a multiplicity of
functions. It not only produces the bile, which has such an important
part to play in the work of digestion, but it has a very important
work in the changing of foods absorbed into such material as may be
assimilated or used by the cells of the various tissues throughout
the body. For instance, it is part of the function of the liver to
bring about chemical changes in albuminous foods which make it possible
for the tissues to assimilate these. It also has much to do with
bringing about certain chemical changes in sugar or dextrose.
Furthermore, the liver has an important function in connection with
the excretion of broken-down bodily tissue, converting this dead matter
into a form in which it can be filtered out of the blood by the
kidneys. Failure of the liver to perform its work satisfactorily will
upset the digestive and functional system, or may lead to an
accumulation of uric acid in the body, possibly resulting in rheumatism,
gout, neuralgia, disturbances of circulation and other evils. When your
liver "goes on strike" you may expect trouble in general. A normal
condition of the entire body depends upon perfect and continuous
functioning of the liver in cooperation with all the other vital organs.
The same may be said of the pancreas, spleen, the thyroid gland
and other organs which have a special function to perform. The body is
really a combination of all these various parts and functions,
and without strength and activity in all of them, simultaneous and
harmonious, not one of these interdependent parts could do its work,
and the body as a whole would be thrown into a state of disease.
Strength of the internal organs is infinitely more important than
mere muscular strength, if one could properly make a comparison.
How, therefore, shall we build this internal, functional strength? Can
our organs be made to function more satisfactorily? How may we
promote their greater activity?
It will be the purpose of the succeeding chapters in this volume to
point out how the vital organs may be strengthened and the sum total
of one's vitality thereby increased. It is true that internal strength
is more important than external muscular strength, but the fact is that
they go together. As a general thing, by building muscular strength one
is able at the same time to develop internal strength. The
influence of exercise in purifying the blood and in promoting activity
in all the internal organs really strengthens the "department of the
interior" at the same time that it develops the muscles concerned.
Muscular stagnation means organic stagnation, to a very large degree. To
be thoroughly alive and to enjoy the possession of unlimited vitality
it is necessary to be both muscularly and functionally active. The
requirements of Nature, or what are more commonly termed the "laws of
Nature," in reference to all these bodily functions must be strictly
observed, for it is only under such conditions that life and health
can be maintained at their best.
The body may be regarded as a machine. Why not make it a strong machine,
and as perfect as possible? Its efficiency means everything. If you had
an engine, a motorcycle, a sewing machine or a printing press that was a
very poor machine, you would like to exchange it for a better one,
would you not? You would even spend large sums of money to secure a
better machine to take the place of the poor one. But if your body
is imperfect, inefficient, weak, rusty and clogged up with grit, dirt
and all the waste products due to the "wear" in the bodily structures,
you seem nevertheless entirely satisfied. You go on from day to day and
from year to year without thinking of the possibility of getting a
better physical equipment. But why not consider the body in the same
light as any other machine that is of value to you. Your body is the
thing that keeps you alive. If it is a poor instrument, then it is more
important that you should get a better one than that you should buy a
new engine or new printing-press or new sewing-machine. The only
difference is, that it is within your power to get a better body machine
by building up the one that you have. You can repair it, you can add
to its vitality, you can strengthen the functional system, you can make
it more perfect and efficient. You can make it a high-power machine
that will be of real value in any undertaking that you may wish to carry
out. You can make it strong instead of weak, and you can thus enjoy
that superabundant vitality without which life is hardly worth the
living.