Jean-Louis Tu wrote:

> Naturally, in non-terminally ill patients, raw foods can and do
> help. However, I am still wondering how much of these benefits are
> indirect (psychological effects, suppression of processed foods,
> decreased grain intake, higher fiber content of diet, suppression of
> salt, etc.) and how much result from not cooking food.

Personally, from my experience of with switching my elderly dog to
a raw food diet -- with fantastic results -- I've concluded that the
psychological effects, though they certainly can be powerful in
humans, are not a necessary part of a raw-assisted healing.  To the
list given above, I would only add a decrease in pesticides and other
toxins, since most who switch to raw food probably also switch to
organic food, and a more favorable environment for friendly organisms
in the gut.  And as far as my doggie goes, I would remove or reverse
the fiber factor, since his diet actually has less fiber now.

Carol