Also by Walter Last Heal Yourself Healing Foods The Self Help Cancer Cure Book The Heal Yourself Series of Self Help books
Copyright © 2010 by Walter Last Any part of this book may be freely reproduced for non-commercial use and healing activity. Editing, Artwork & Cover design by Leonie Ganivet ~ Austpac Productions
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…a division of Austpac Productions P. O. Box 842, Moss Vale 2577 NSW, Australia Phone: +61 2 4869 4285 Email:
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If you are unable to order this book from your local bookseller, you may order online from the publisher on CD Rom in PDF format. See: www.the-heal-yourself-series.com Heal Yourself - The Natural Way Overcome Diseases & Create Superior Health. By Walter Last.
Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Naturopathy. 2. Healing. I. Title.
ISBN 978-0-9803281-7-2
Disclaimer The aim of this book is to provide information on using natural healing methods to improve health and overcome illness. The author or publisher cannot accept any legal responsibility for any problem arising from experimenting with these methods. For any serious disease, or if you are unsure about a particular course of action, seek the help of a competent health professional. * * * * * * * * * * *
Contents
Introduction Part 1: Healing the Body
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Step 1: The Road Towards Disease Become aware of the factors that cause your illnesses……………………………………… 2 Step 2: The Road Towards Health Learn the principles of natural living to restore your health………………………………….. 7 Step 3: Intestinal Sanitation Clean out and sanitize your gastrointestinal tract……………………………………………... 12 Step 4: Fasting and Cleansing Become clean on the inside by removing accumulated wastes and toxins………………... 22 Step 5: Allergy Testing Discover and overcome your food allergies and chemical sensitivities…………………….. 30 Step 6: The Acid-Alkaline Balance Bring your body back into balance by testing for and correcting any overacid or over-alkaline condition……………………………………………………………… 36 Step 7: Living Water Living water has a great healing potential—learn how to use it……………………………... 41 Step 8: The Practice of Healthy Living Improve your environment—your house, clothes, even your teeth………………………..... 40 Step 9: Exercise Get into the habit of exercising regularly……………………………………………………..... 48 Step 10: The Healing Crisis Sooner or later you are bound to have a healing crisis, so use it to your advantage……... 55 Part 2: Natural Healing Methods……………………………………………………………… 60 Step 11: General Examination Examine yourself to assess your state of health………………………………………………. 61
Step 12: Iris Diagnosis Study your eyes to find out more about internal conditions of your body…………………... 65 Step 13: Muscle Testing Test your muscle strength to see whether a food or remedy is good or bad for you……… 69 Step 14: The Endocrine Pattern Simple arm and leg measurements can show the condition of your endocrine glands…... Step 15: Reflexology Press reflex points on your hands and feet to diagnose and treat conditions within your body………………………………………………………………… Step 16: Ear Acupuncture Try this easy method to improve the function of any diseased or unbalanced organ……... Step 17: Color Therapy Use colours to balance body conditions and your emotions…………………………………. Step 18: Magnet Therapy Take advantage of the fact that both poles of a magnet have useful biological effects…... Step 19: The Electronic Zapper and Magnetic Pulser Use electrotherapy to keep your body free of undesirable microbes and parasites………. Step 20: Spinal Therapy and Massage Improve the activity of all your organs and glands by massaging your spine and body….. Step 21: Hydrotherapy, Packs, and Colonics Use water to relax or alleviate painful conditions……………………………………………... Step 22: Urine and Urea Therapy It may not be your “cup of tea,” but many swear by this ancient therapy…………………… Part 3: Nutrients and Remedies………………………………………………………………. Step 23: Vitamins Find out what these essential nutrients do and if you have special requirements for any of them……………………………………………………………………. Step 24: Minerals Find out what minerals do and if you have increased requirements for them……………… Step 25: Amino Acids They’re the building blocks of all body proteins. Adequate levels are essential for good health………………………………………………… Step 26: Digestive Enzymes These vital substances are needed for digestion, but poor diet and cooking practices can deplete your supply…………………………………………………….. Step 27: Nutritional Supplements Concentrated nutrients in pill form can shore up nutritional deficiencies and build optimal health…………………………………………………………… Step 28: Herbs You may benefit from using herbal remedies instead of pharmaceutical drugs…………… Step 29: Homeopathy Homeopathic remedies are effective, and you can even make them yourself…………….. Step 30: Colloidal Silver, Copper, Zinc, and Gold Use these powerful remedies whenever you have an infection or inflammation…………...
Step 31: Oxygen Therapy Oxygen, therapeutically applied, helps you quickly overcome any infection……………..... Part 4: Healing Foods…………………………………………………………………………… Step 32: General Dietary Rules Understand the principles of healthy food selection, preparation, and combination………. Step 33: Food Groups Learn the health characteristics of the various food groups and apply them for healing…. Step 34: Health Diets Adopt a health diet suited to the specific requirements of your body……………………….. Step 35: Special Foods Take advantage of the health-giving properties of bee pollen, sprouted seeds, fermented foods, and purple foods……………………………………………………………… Step 36: Water and Juices Heal yourself with fresh vegetable and grass juices………………………………………….. Step 37: Healing Recipes Transform healthy foods into enjoyable meals………………………………………………… Part 5: Problem Foods and Food Problems………………………………………………… Step 38: Cow’s Milk Products and Lactose Have a closer look at cow’s milk products and lactose. In some forms they can be beneficial, but as commonly used they tend to create a lot of health problems…... Step 39: Wheat and Gluten Wheat may be the staff of life, but in many people it is actually unfavourable to health...... Step 40: Sweet Foods Your sweet tooth may be your undoing, so consider reducing your intake of sugars…….. Step 41: Meat and Fat Overconsumption of meat and fats can create serious health problems. Try cutting back on your intake………………………………………………………………….. Step 42: Chemicals in Your Foods Minimize your exposure to toxic chemicals, water additives, and yeasts and moulds—your body will thank you for it…………………………………………………… Step 43: Metabolic Types, Pathways, and Diets Know your individual metabolic type and your specific dietary requirements……………… Part 6: Specific Health Problems……………………………………………………………... Step 44: Self-Care Help for Health Problems—Practical Tips for Relief If you have a specific disease, this summary of typical treatment protocols can show you what to do…………………………………………………………………………. Step 45: Deficiency Symptoms Check out this list of deficiency symptoms to see if you are lacking in key nutrients—and start replacing them………………………………………………………... Step 46: Cancer If you have cancer, here are some useful suggestions………………………………………. Step 47: Emotional-Mental Shocks The secret to preventing illness is to undo shocks that unbalance the body……………….
Step 48: Candida Infections If you have an overgrowth of Candida, here is what to do about it………………………….. Step 49: Cardiovascular Disease Managing cholesterol and improving your heart health - some practical tips……………… Part 7: Energies - Dealing with Harmful and Helpful Ones……………………………… Step 50: Electromagnetic Energies Protect yourself from the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation and make sunlight your friend…………………………………………………………………… Step 51: Bioenergy Bioenergy is the true energy of healing, so for optimal health learn as much about it as you can………………………………………………………………………… Step 52: Cultivating the Energies Learn to sense subtle bio-energies and use them to energize your body………………….. Step 53: Energy Accumulators Use orgone accumulators, pyramids, cones, or water to concentrate bioenergy………….. Step 54: Energy Healing Give energy or remove excess energy to facilitate healing yourself and others…………... Step 55: Meridian and Acupressure Therapy Balance the flow of energies along your acupuncture meridians by tracing their circuits.... Step 56: Healthy Sexuality Channel your sexual energies into pleasure rather than frustration………………………… Part 8: Healing Your Emotions………………………………………………………………... Step 57: Understanding Emotions and Disease Learn how you came to be so out of touch with your feelings, what emotional problems and diseases this causes, and how this is expressed in your body…. Step 58: Healing Relationships Try out these tools to heal your personal, family, and social relationships……………….... Step 59: Heal in Groups Join a group of like-minded individuals with the goal of healing your feelings and helping others do the same………………………………………………………. Step 60: Learning to Feel Feel what your body and your soul tell you, and use your feelings to improve your health rather than destroy it……………………………………………………… Step 61: Take the Love Cure Lead a radiant life filled with love and joy, and practice the Love Cure…………………….. Part 9: Healing Your Mind……………………………………………………………………… Step 62: Harness the Power of Mind Appreciate the power of your subconscious mind. It is the real power behind the throne of the ego…………………………………………………………………….. Step 63: Helpful Mind Tools Use relaxation, regression, reprogramming, prayer, meditation, and inner communication for a more fulfilled life……………………………………………… Part 10: Spirituality and Health………………………………………………………………..
Step 64: The Spiritual Dimension Enter the spiritual dimension of life and make it your home…………………………………. Step 65: Life on the Path The spiritual path is the crowning glory of human endeavour, and by following the 65 steps you are already on it……………………………………………………. A Review of the 65 Steps………………………………………………………………………. Endnotes………………………………………………………………………………………….. Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………… About the Author………………………………………………………………………………...
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INTRODUCTION This book is for those who are searching for a way to live a healthy and fulfilled life. I have no doubt that we can do this, live a healthy and fulfilled life, regardless of age, and that this is actually our natural birthright. We just need to avoid or remove the artificial living conditions that prevent us from being as we really are. A modern problem for genuine health and spiritual seekers is the great flood of advice available in these areas. Much of it is contradictory or, alternatively, there are so many different methods to choose from that it seems almost hopeless to find the right one. I have sifted through much of this information and experimented with many different healing methods in my 30 years as a natural therapist, with the aim of finding out what works for whom and in which conditions. Even more important for me was my spiritual quest. Here I share the fruits of my experience as a lifelong health and spiritual seeker. While this book does not go into great detail about the treatment of specific diseases, by using the outlined methods and following the provided guidelines to rebuild your health, you are likely to improve anyway, whatever the name of the disease. Rather than fighting your disease, I recommend you focus all your resources on improving your health. Your disease may then disappear on its own. To show how simple, natural methods can be very effective in overcoming medically incurable diseases, I mention an example from The Food and Health of Western Man, by Dr. J. L. Mount. In five cases of bowel cancer, surgery revealed that the cancer had already metastasized all over the body. Therefore, these patients were just closed up again and sent home to die. But instead of doing that, these five people, independently of each other, became keen gardeners and from then on ate only home grown, organically raised food. When they finally did die, 21 to 30 years later, no traces of cancer could be found in post mortem examinations. Such cures without medical intervention are regarded as “spontaneous remissions.” It should be comforting for those with advanced cancer and other “incurable” diseases to know that spontaneous remissions can be induced with such simple natural methods. However, while not mentioned in Dr. Mount’s book, I suspect that there was another important factor at work: These five had made peace with themselves and the world. Similarly, you may use this book to improve your health or to lead a more happy and fulfilled life, more at peace with yourself and the world. Ideally, it is meant to provide guidance to heal not only your body, but also your emotions and mind as part of your spiritual growth. By following this path and the 65 steps I present, you will need less and less to rely on this book or any other “expert” advice. Instead you will realize that all the answers for your healing and spiritual growth are within you. You just need to ask and learn to listen. In order for you, the reader, to gain a better understanding of the purpose of this book and the principles on which it is based, I will share with you my basic philosophy on health and spirituality. My most basic assumption of existence is that it has purpose. I came to this conclusion gradually through observing, experiencing, and thinking. Countless people share this view, but for most it is just a belief, commonly adopted from parents
and society. In order to make it a knowing, our beliefs have to be consciously evaluated and tested. On the other side of the fence is the orthodoxy of the scientific community and its followers who assume that existence evolved according to inherent physical laws and does not have a purpose. This, too, is just an untested belief. In line with this belief about the nature of our existence, we regard our health problems and other problems in our life as accidental, coincidental, or just due to biological considerations and without a deeper meaning or purpose in our life. I believe that our health and social problems are part of the purpose of our existence. Therefore, in order to overcome any health problems and be able to lead a healthy, happy, and fulfilled life, we need to have a basic understanding of the purpose of our life. It has been my healing experience, especially in serious conditions such as cancer, that with apparently the same amount of effort and dedication some people get well while others do not. I believe that success or failure in healing depends only partly on doing the right thing on the biological level and to a larger degree on our emotional, mental, and spiritual constitution. This applies even more to the degree of happiness, fulfilment, and joy we have in our lives. Therefore, after starting out as a biochemist and nutritionist, I gradually moved towards a holistic perspective, which increasingly included the spiritual dimension. I came to the conclusion that important events in our lives, and especially life or death decisions, are never “accidental.” Not only do they follow the laws of cause and effect, but also the dictates of our higher guidance as to whether this body is still useful for the purpose for which it was created and inhabited. Here are two examples to illustrate this point. One of my early lung cancer patients recovered well with only biological therapies. Soon afterwards he had surgery for an unrelated problem. The tumour had disappeared but he died from the surgery. Another patient was in a wheelchair with permanent unbearable pain after a spinal accident. We found a way to stop the pain. So he went out drinking with a mate to celebrate and smashed his chin in a fall. This landed him back in the hospital with constant pain. These and similar cases are not scientific proof of anything, but for someone looking for an answer they are signposts to show the way. Also consider an experience related by the American psychic Edgar Cayce. He routinely saw auras around people. Once he entered a department store elevator but immediately backed out again because he sensed that something was very wrong. Soon after, the elevator crashed and all in it were killed. Cayce realized what was wrong. None of the occupants had an aura. (An aura is an energy field around a living body that can be seen by some individuals as a nebulous outline.) For those who know that auras exist, this can mean only one thing: It was no accident that these people died together. The guiding consciousness of every single occupant had decided beforehand to dispose of the body in this seemingly accidental way. In an odd sense, they were already dead. I am convinced that if Edgar Cayce had remained in the lift, he would have been the only miraculous survivor and without any serious injury.
If you can follow me to this conclusion, you may ask: How can we find the purpose of our lives and live accordingly? That is what spirituality is all about. We need spirituality, not only to overcome serious diseases, but also to lead a healthy and genuinely happy and fulfilled life. But what is spirituality? Different people have different ideas about it. I can only tell you my version. This may change somewhat over time, as my understanding is still growing. In addition to an individual, more narrowly defined purpose, we all have the same general and overall purpose to become more complete or perfect as human beings. Normally, this is a very slow evolution for the whole human race. However, if we do this consciously, then our snail-pace evolution becomes a personal revolution and we call it “the spiritual path.” As I see it, our higher guidance tries to lead us towards or along this spiritual path. There are two possibilities. We may be led gently if we ask and listen for this guidance as with prayer and meditation or just with our general attitude and conduct. The alternative is more common and painful. If we stray too far from the desired direction, we may run into a brick wall that forces us to change course. We may encounter a disease or calamity in our social or professional life that causes us to reevaluate our life. Many former cancer sufferers have said that cancer was the best thing that ever happened to them because it helped them to end a spiritually meaningless life and start a new, meaningful, and more fulfilling spiritual life. There are different levels of our existence, as for instance the biological, emotional, and mental levels. Following the spiritual path means that we consciously work on improving ourselves on all of these levels. This is the focus of the 65 steps in this book. On the biological level, this means that we cleanse the body of lifelong deposits of metabolic wastes and -toxins. We also improve our living conditions by minimizing harmful factors and maximizing beneficial factors. On the emotional level we do the same: We cleanse our emotional body of blocked and negative emotions and cultivate uplifting feelings and emotions. It is similar on the mental level: We cleanse ourselves of negative thoughts and belief systems and learn to generate positive and beneficial thoughts and beliefs. After achieving a certain level of control over our body, emotions, and mind, we are able to move along on the spiritual path. As a reward, our body will most likely be much healthier; we will generally be content, happy, and increasingly joyful; and we may even achieve a state of mental illumination with a flood of intuitive insights. By this time also our individual purpose for being in this body will have become clearer and we may act accordingly. The overall theme of this book is health and harmony - learning to live in harmony with our biological, social, and spiritual nature. This book will give you the tools to achieve this worthwhile goal. Do not be concerned that it seems far away. The most interesting part of life is the journey, so enjoy it, make it fulfilling and meaningful. It does not matter how fast you master the steps; it is more important that you enjoy doing them and in the process get to know your body and your mind and become friends with both. Learn to love yourself, and you will find it easier to love everyone else as well. If in doubt about any particular course of action, choose what on reflection appears to be more natural or will lead to greater harmony or balance.
In this book you will find a wide range of natural health improvement and healing methods with easy-to-follow, do-it-yourself instructions. I suggest that you experiment with as many of these as you can in this venture. On the biological level, these are intestinal sanitation, allergy testing, and cleansing. Some idealistic individuals may embrace these measures enthusiastically, while others will try a little here and there but generally wait until poor health launches them more determinedly into a program of health improvement. That is quite all right. Just keep this book handy until you are ready. For those who want to start right now, however, here is the “prescription.” The main purpose of this book is to serve as a practical instruction manual for creating and maintaining good health. To get a basic overview and understanding of the underlying principles of natural living and holistic healing, I recommend that you start by reading the book in a selective way. Read more carefully those steps that provide a basic understanding of healthy living, nutrition, emotions, and beliefs, but skim over the details of specific exercises and procedures, or diseases in which you are not currently interested. Then start working through the steps in a practical way. I regard all of the practical steps in Part 1 as essential for establishing a solid base for improving and maintaining health. Try to do them as thoroughly as possible. The steps in Part 2 are designed to help you identify and overcome specific health problems. Therefore, you may use these steps in a selective way; concentrate on those that you expect to be most suitable with your current problems. It is similar with Part 3. Use this information to select suitable supplements and remedies. Part 4 is another fundamental chapter. Adopting a natural diet - fresh, raw, and organic - may be the most difficult, but also the most rewarding part of the whole program. Do it gradually. Part 5 provides a deeper understanding of nutrition and helps you to fine-tune your diet for your individual requirements. In Part 6 you need only study the information that is relevant to a current health problem. The practical steps in Part 7 help you feel and direct your inner or life-force energies. This is a key requirement for improving health beyond what is possible with a healthy lifestyle. Continue practicing in this area for the rest of your life. In Parts 8 and 9, select and experiment with the methods that most appeal to you for healing your emotions and adopting an appropriate belief system. Part 10 helps you understand and reapply your health improvement efforts as part of your spiritual path. Do this review when you feel ready for it. Finally, use this book as a reference manual whenever you encounter a specific health problem. In Part 6, look for specific diets, remedies, and treatment modalities, and in addition use suitable therapies described in Part 2 and other parts. Here is a vision I have of our near future. I see health clubs and healing groups springing up all over the world, like mushrooms after a warm rain. Many people come forward, willing to accept self-responsibility for their health and eager to learn. Friends meet regularly, testing each other, experimenting with new healing methods, discussing results, exchanging recipes, sharing books, exercising and meditating together, and studying spiritual philosophy for healing.
Many become healers in their community, guided initially in workshops by experienced healers. City groups rent suitable buildings to establish healing and meditation centres. Communal farms produce organic food and are used as healing and spiritual retreat centres, where visitors can share the healthy life, learn to heal themselves, and find guidance on the spiritual path. I see the physical and spiritual rejuvenation of nations starting at the grassroots level in a worldwide movement for social and environmental responsibility. All you rejected and disillusioned individuals unite, to make the world a better place for everyone!
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Part 1 HEALING THE BODY
Initially, most health seekers are mainly concerned with overcoming a specific health problem, using the specific method or remedy promising the quickest result. However, in the long run and as we get older, more health problems or diseases pop up and become increasingly difficult or impossible to overcome just by using a “magic bullet.” This then makes the idea of serious lifestyle changes towards natural living and holistic healing more attractive, giving us a much better chance to become and remain healthy and fit into old age. I have no doubt that it is our natural birthright to be healthy and that it is unnatural to have a disease. A disease means that we (or possibly our parents) did not live according to our biological, social, or spiritual nature. At present most of humanity lives in unnatural conditions surrounded by a minefield of technological and chemical health hazards. Even worse is our ignorance about the nature of these hazards that are mainly hidden from our awareness. Therefore, in order to live more naturally we need to become aware of the main health hazards in our environment and learn to avoid them or minimize their effect on us. We can learn from our own experiences and from those of others and we can also develop our intuition or ask for guidance through prayer and meditation. If in doubt about a choice, try to imagine which course of action is more natural or more in harmony with your biological, social, and spiritual nature. The main biological influences on our health are nutrition, exercise or how we use our body, and environmental factors. In addition to improving these conditions, there are numerous natural healing methods to help us in our quest for good health. These include herbs and other natural remedies, working on muscle and bone structure, and using electrical, magnetic, and vibrational medicines and approaches.
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Step 1 THE ROAD TOWARDS DISEASE Become aware of the factors causing your illnesses.
People in Western society are rarely healthy. Real health - the perfect functioning of all parts of body and mind - is so rare that people mistake the temporary absence of disease symptoms for health. Formerly, people suffered mainly from violent but short-lived infectious diseases; now many are afflicted with chronic degenerative diseases for a lifetime. The main factors causing widespread health degeneration are as follows: 1. Unnatural nutrition: food refining; lack of “living food” and of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes; GM food, junk food, incorrect food combining, unsuitable diet for metabolic type. 2. Chemicalisation: pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, medical drugs, food additives, water and air pollution, plastics, and even contact with synthetic garments. 3. No exercise: lack of sufficient physical activity or exercise in natural, unpolluted surroundings. 4. Harmful negative feelings and emotions: resentment, fear, discontent, greed, envy, and lack of positive feelings and emotions, such as gratitude, devotion, contentment, joy, unselfish love. 5. Harmful mental attitudes: lack of spiritual or humanistic goals, lack of faith. 6. Emotional damage: sustained during birth, childhood, or adolescence; lack of positive role models. 7. Inherited genetic problems: genetic makeup of poor and deteriorating quality. The general sequence leading to the development of poor health and chronic diseases commonly is as follows: Emotional injuries received during birth and childhood, as well as negative attitudes and emotions experienced during later life, cause muscle tension which block the free flow of bioenergy within the body and especially within the acupuncture meridians. This weakens the blood circulation and the glandular system, as well as the functions of affected organs. Inherited metabolic weakness and poor nutrition as well as chemical pollution combine to cause an inefficient use of biochemical building blocks and poor cellular energy production. Disease is the result. Metabolic Residues: As a result of this metabolic weakness and the overuse of unsuitable food, toxics and metabolic residues accumulate in the body. Toxics (toxic waste products from our chemicalised food) accumulate mainly in the fat tissue. Metabolic residues consist of protein debris, mucus, fatty sludge, and organic acids. Here are some further complications: •
Protein Debris: This accumulates when we eat more protein than we metabolize. Small protein fragments clog up capillaries and lymph channels through which nutrients move into cells and waste is removed. Current research
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shows that virtually all chronic diseases are strongly associated with protein debris accumulating within cells. •
Mucus: This originates from lactose (milk sugar) in dairy products, gluten (in wheat products), refined carbohydrates, fat, moulds, and food allergens. Mucus has a special affinity to mucous membranes, causing catarrh, ear and sinus problems, respiratory diseases, and malabsorption of food. •
Fatty Sludge: Mainly formed from oxidized (rancid) fats and oils, fatty sludge leads to poor circulation and heart problems by clogging the blood vessels and congesting the lymph system.
•
Organic Acids: General overacidity contributes to the accumulation of organic acids in the tissues and induces inflammations and mineral deficiencies. Overacidity results from insufficient cellular oxidation and from the formation of lactic acid after eating sweet foods or foods to which we are sensitive or allergic.
Infections: Wastes accumulate wherever the blood circulation slows down, whether because of emotional blocks leading to permanently contracted muscles (called muscle armouring), injuries, or insufficient use of muscles. Up to 30 percent of the volume of cells in elderly people may be filled with waste material, usually in the form of old-age pigments (oxidized fats and proteins). This is comparable to 30 percent of a city or a household being filled with refuse dumps. Just as dumps become infested with rodents and insects, the waste accumulations in the body provide favourable breeding grounds for microbes and parasites. Infections are healing efforts of the body designed to destroy any foreign invaders and reduce the heavy load of toxic and obstructive residues (mucus) accumulated in the body. The use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs in fighting these infections prevents this cleansing action and reduces our vitality still further; the body’s immune system - its ability to defend itself against foreign invaders - is also damaged. If the body is still reasonably strong, it fights these invaders and simultaneously reduces the load of stored wastes. This is experienced as an acute (sudden and severe) infection, often in the form of a cold or fever. However, as the body becomes weaker and the amount of stored wastes increases, the body does not fight back anymore. It can then only limit the invasion to a certain part of the body, and chronic (low-key but long-lasting) infection results. Finally, the immune system becomes too weak to limit the chronic infiltration of toxic substances and its distress becomes more generalized as autoimmune diseases, cancer, and leukaemia. However, it should be understood that this invasion or infiltration does not necessarily occur from the outside. Especially in the case of cancer, it is more an “uprising of germs from within” created by the disintegration of diseased body cells. It is similar to a revolution spreading through a country with dissatisfied inhabitants. The German cancer researcher P. G. Seeger, M.D., D.S.c., demonstrated in thousands of experiments that the virulence of cancer cells depends on the nutritional status of the host. Another interesting study found that viruses breeding in hosts that are deficient in protective nutrients, such as selenium or vitamin E, tend to mutate and change from benign into very virulent and lethal forms. With sufficient levels of these nutrients, someone may be immune to the benign form of the virus but
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not to the mutated form that is produced within a deficient host. For example, most of the influenza epidemics with new virulent strains that periodically sweep the world originate in selenium-deficient parts of China1. Furthermore; the African HIV epidemic appears to have emerged in northern Zaire where many people are selenium deficient. The lesson from this is that poor nutrition breeds deadly viruses. Food Addictions and Allergies: Health deterioration, closely linked to the weakening of the immune system, also takes place with the development of addictions and allergies. These are extremely widespread in our society. Conventionally, an allergy is seen as an immunological reaction against a foreign protein. However, in most instances, and especially in the early stages, food allergies may be better described as food sensitivities. This means that the body is sensitive to a particular food and when confronted with it, enters a state of stress. The glandular system is induced to pour adrenal hormones into the bloodstream and dopamine into the brain, and this may be felt as an uplifting stimulation. Eventually, the body begins to crave this stimulation and this leads to an addiction to that particular food. In our society, these food cravings develop mainly for sweet and fried foods, bread, dairy products, and red meats, but also for other foods that we frequently eat. After many years of exposure to an addictive food, the glandular system is markedly weakened and stronger stimulants are required. You then become addicted and sensitive or allergic to alcohol, coffee, tea, tobacco, or various drugs. Eventually, even these will not achieve the desired effect or only for ever-shorter periods. The body then becomes chronically fatigued and disease symptoms begin to surface more forcefully. Some symptoms can be linked directly to incompletely digested foods that are absorbed through a weak intestinal wall and now cause strong immunological reactions; these symptoms are the result of a food allergy. Disease symptoms develop selectively in parts of the body with hereditary defects or in those weakened by misuse or injured by accidents. Problem Foods: Almost any food, if used to excess by susceptible people, can cause allergies. However, certain foods, such as rice and vegetables, rarely cause allergies, while others carry a high risk of causing them. These high-risk items are called “problem foods” because, in addition to allergies, they frequently cause health problems in people who are not susceptible to allergies. People who are prone to food allergies generally have hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) or diabetes, low blood pressure, a weak immune system, or a lack of digestive enzymes. People who have alkaline blood chemistry, as opposed to acidic, rarely have allergies. (For an explanation of the acid-alkaline balance, see Step 6.) Instead, they are insensitive to pain and skin irritants and may suffer from chronic degenerative diseases or become victims of an unexpected heart attack or stroke. However, the same problem foods are major contributing factors in the development of disease of both groups. The main problem foods are as follows: 1. Cow’s milk and its products; also lactose or milk sugar added to processed foods. 2. Wheat and to a lesser extent the other gluten grains oats, rye and barley (e.g. in beer).
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3. Sweet foods, especially sugar, fructose used as sweetener, and synthetic sweeteners. 4. Hydrogenated fats (for example, margarine) or heated oils and fats. 5. Overuse of alcohol, coffee, tea, tobacco, drugs, and other stimulants. These five groups should generally be used sparingly. Foods that are incompatible with our blood-type group often cause problems. In addition, any food that contains pesticide residues or added synthetic food chemicals is a potential health hazard. I do not believe in a “safe” limit for these chemicals, especially as limits are set for each item individually while ignoring the cumulative effect of multiple chemical residues and additions. Social and Economic Factors: With the present poor eating habits deeply ingrained in our society and the all-out chemicalisation of our lives, it is almost impossible to remain reasonably healthy - and very few people do. Almost everyone has obvious or hidden health problems. From attending to children, parents, and grandparents of the same family, I have seen how the level of health deteriorates in successive generations. This trend is also clear from statistics and general observations for anyone who wants to see it. Statistics showing increased life expectancy due to greatly reduced infant mortality are irrelevant for judging the health of a population. These figures simply mean that more babies survive the early childhood infections, that we have better plumbing, and that more elderly people are kept artificially alive by organ transplants or life-support machines. But this is not health. More relevant statistics show that most people in Western countries suffer from chronic diseases and that the percentage of chronically disabled people is increasing rapidly. Arthritis, cancer, and Parkinson’s disease used to be diseases of old people. Now they are affecting children and juveniles. Health authorities so far have ignored the claims of natural medicine that it is the superior form of treatment for chronic and medically incurable diseases. The very fact of a high rate of chronic disease in our society attests to the inability of the conventional medical profession to successfully treat these diseases. This is highlighted by the embarrassing phenomenon of the falling death rate during doctors’ strikes. Statistics show that with a strike by doctors, the death rate in the affected population fell dramatically. In 1976 during a doctors’ strike in Bogota, Colombia, the death rate fell by 35 percent. In Los Angeles County, California, it fell by 18 percent during a strike in the same year, while in Israel it fell by 50 percent during a strike in 1973. Only once before had there been a similar drop in the death rate in Israel and that was during another doctors’ strike 20 years earlier. After each strike, the death rate jumped again to its normal level. During these strikes, emergency care was provided. This means the patients who lived longer during the strikes were those with chronic diseases. They obviously benefited from a reduced exposure to medical drugs, operations, and other technological interventions. There is an abundance of statistics, estimates, and case reports of the great number of patients who are in the hospital or worse because of disease caused by medical drugs and medical technology.
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Selfish Motivation: Our medical and economic leaders do not want to face reality. They brainwash the public into believing that the present health situation is completely normal. Most importantly, the economic structure of Western civilization is largely based on the production and distribution of goods and services that are contributing to poor health. These include chemicalised agriculture and food processing, the pharmaceutical industry, technological medicine, and the petrochemical and plastics industries. The guiding motto for industry is profit, while for the consumer it is convenience. The price we all pay is the loss of our health. This situation is the natural outcome of a society based on selfish motivation. A change for the better can come only when more and more people realize that ultimately they harm themselves with selfish attitudes. Recognizing this is a first step towards improving your health. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 2 THE ROAD TOWARDS HEALTH Learn the principles of natural living to restore your health.
The first and most important step in reversing the deterioration of your health is to realize that you may have caused it yourself. Due to ignorance and habit, we select the wrong foods; out of laziness, we do not exercise; from lack of self-control, we create destructive emotions. Therefore, only the realization that poor health is the result of a lifetime of wrong living, which includes the living habits of our parents, can initiate a real change in us for the better. This understood, the next step is to find guidance on your road towards health. There is so much contradictory advice available today that it is confusing for the aspiring health seeker. Worldwide, medicine is in a state of chaos. The sterile monopoly of the conventional medical establishment is beginning to break down and multitudes of different healers are rapidly filling the gap. Find out by reading, listening, meditating, and experimenting which healing system is most appropriate for your needs. Then start a determined healing program using careful self-observation to monitor your progress. Measuring Health: It can be seen from the above discussion that disease is not something that happens suddenly, that one day you are healthy and the next day you are sick because cancer has been detected. Instead, your state of health has greatly deteriorated over many decades to only a fraction of what it might be in true health. Even suddenly appearing infections are possible only because of a gradual deterioration of your immune system. Health should be measured as vitality, as the body’s ability to regenerate itself. An indication of the inherent vitality of the body is given by the speed of wound healing or bone mending and possibly hair and nail growth; in a more scientific way, we could measure it by the electric potential of body cells. According to this yardstick, hardly anyone alive today is likely to be more than 90 percent healthy, while most people of “normal” health live at below 50 percent of their personally attainable health potential. When a chronic degenerative disease becomes manifest, the health potential drops to below 10 percent of optimal, and at death, of course, it is zero. It is meaningless to be elated about the success of conventional medicine in greatly reducing the number of people contracting certain infectious diseases. It is the overall number of unhealthy people that counts. If one disease is eliminated, unhealthy people will contract a different one. What is needed is a general health improvement that will effectively reduce the total number of people becoming sick and ultimately hinder the development of any disease. Eventually, with better genetic stock and improved living conditions, we should be able to live an active and enjoyable life until the age of about 120 years and then
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quietly withdraw from the body. This is the presently unknown “natural death.” My reason for taking this position is the fact that some individuals have managed to reach an age of between 110 and 120 years without even trying, just due to their genetics. I interpret this as meaning that we all can reach this age if our gene pool is sufficiently improved. I believe that we will be able to surpass this limit if, in addition, we also consciously adopt a healthy lifestyle. However, for me it is irrelevant how long I “live,” because I know that I live equally well without a biological body. The important part for me is how well I live and not how long. In regard to the postulated natural death, I know personally of some individuals who were active until a ripe old age and then just died in their sleep, sometimes even saying goodbye to their relatives beforehand. For most of us who have serious inherited weaknesses and have misused our body for many decades, this may not be possible to achieve. Nevertheless, better health and an enjoyable life are possible for almost everyone. The key to success is in your mind!
Table 1-1: Opposite Body Forces If the body is out of balance, then a condition may be improved by using a remedy from the same column. Condition
Condition
sympathetic nervous system tension, contraction aggression, extroversion anger, fear, activity rapid pulse and breathing pupil dilated, mouth dry good muscle tone, body rigid poor digestion overexcited, hyperactive high blood pressure farsighted overactive thyroid/adrenals inflammation, pain diabetes, schizophrenia
parasympathetic nervous system relaxation, expansion placidity, introversion resentment, rest slow pulse and breathing pupils narrow, mouth waters poor muscle tone, body soft good digestion low energy, depression low blood pressure nearsighted under active thyroid/adrenals debility, weakness hypoglycaemia, allergies, arthritis
Remedy
Remedy
blue, indigo, purple vegetarian diet more potassium, magnesium lecithin, choline, insulin sedation, releasing energy magnetic south-pointing pole deep, slow acupressure
red, orange, yellow animal protein calcium (sodium), iodine adrenaline, cholesterol stimulation, giving energy magnetic north-pointing pole rapid, light acupressure
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Basic Rules for Healthy Living Avoid or minimize your contact with: • Microwave cooking, frying; use of aluminium, non-stick and stainless steel cookware • Wheat, gluten, cow’s milk, sweetened foods • Meat from feedlots, or processed and seasoned meats such as sausages • Acid foods in contact with metal • Soy protein except if sprouted or traditionally fermented such as miso • Genetically modified foods • Margarine, cooking oils, trans-fatty acids • Chemical additives; artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (Nutra-sweet) • Soft drinks and processed fruit juices • Foods listed as inappropriate for your metabolic type or blood type (see part 5) • Starches mixed with food high in protein or acids • Smoking; overuse of coffee, tea, alcohol, drugs • Precooked or reheated meals • Chlorinated and fluoridated water • Metal beds; innerspring mattresses; sleeping near live electric wiring or appliances • Fluorescent lighting • Synthetic clothing, especially worn close to the skin (such as underwear) • Mercury amalgam tooth fillings; root-canalled or otherwise dead teeth; dental metals inside the mouth • Mobile/ cell phones, microwave stations for telephone and computers. • Vaccinations Maximize your contact with: • Fresh, raw, and organic food; purple foods (e.g., black grapes or red beets) • Sprouted seeds; fermented foods with acidophilus and bifidobacteria; sourdough baked goods • Seeds and nuts sprouted or soaked before eating or cooking • Cooking in glass or enamel utensils; eating food soon after it is cooked • Freshly ground linseed (flaxseed); extra virgin olive oil; coconut oil • Fresh vegetable and grass juice and blended green leaves. • Barley or wheat grass juice powder, spirulina, chlorella, pollen, lecithin, kelp • Neutralize fruit acids or vinegar with dolomite; have a high intake of magnesium and trace minerals • Bitter herb teas to improve digestion; hydrochloric acid as supplement if fingernails are soft • Energy devices: crystals, magnets, pyramids • Energized food and water • Sleep with the head towards north, northeast, or east; pull out electric plugs close to bed before sleeping • Sleep on latex, natural fibre, or air mattress; energize water in water beds • Increase outdoor activity and exposure to mild sunlight without sunglasses or sunscreen • Press tender points on feet and body; squat for bowel movements; exercise; meditate
A fundamental aim of all healing is to provide the body with more vitality or a A 9
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The Health Improvement Program: The basic requirements for real healing involve the reversal of the factors previously listed (Step 1) as the cause of health degeneration. Then add natural living, good nutrition, proper breathing, sufficient physical activity, improved emotional and mental attitudes, as well as specific procedures, uppermost of which is cleansing - the purification of body and mind. A fundamental aim of all healing is to provide the body with more vitality or a higher charge of freely circulating bioenergy. True healing is always a holistic process, involving all levels of the personality - physical, bio-energetic, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Using the types of self-testing described in this book and possibly with the help of a suitable health professional, you can work out an individualized health improvement program for yourself as well as for interested members of your family. This program may have to be changed and modified as you progress and gain experience. Preferably, it should include the following steps: 1. Improve your nutrition: discover and break addictions and allergies; avoid problem foods, chemicalised, and refined food; pay attention to food combinations; select foods suitable for your body type and condition; use suitable supplements. 2. Remove metabolic wastes and toxins: drink plenty of unpolluted water and use colonics and laxative foods; stimulate the skin; have repeated cleansing periods. 3. Eliminate harmful microbes and parasites from your body and repopulate your intestines with healthy lactobacteria. 4. Strengthen the body: use regular exercises such as yoga, tensing and stretching, or suitable outdoor activity. 5. Improve energy flows: work out specific problems with reflexology, acupressure, ear acupuncture, magnet and meridian therapy, massage, and homeopathy. 6. Create natural living conditions: minimize the use of synthetics and plastics; reduce your exposure to pollution and harmful radiation in your home; frequently be in fresh air with mild sun exposure; bathe in the sea or unpolluted streams; walk barefoot on the grass. 7. Learn meditation and mind control: learn to express your negative emotions appropriately; practice generating positive feelings and emotions; love yourself as well as your neighbour; adopt a positive or spiritual philosophy of life; find a worthy goal or ideal and strive to manifest it. 8. Form or join a health or healing group: support yourself, heal yourself, and support others in their healing. In addition to these self-help measures, it is advisable to seek expert professional help for specific problems. It is self-defeating, however, to view your health improvement efforts as a deadly serious matter, a “life-or-death” struggle. Like everything else in life, they are best conducted in a light and playful way, by exploring and enjoying yourself, even if it sometimes hurts. Remember: True healing means growing - learning and applying the laws of nature.
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Balancing: An important general principle in healing is to aim for an overall balanced condition. Generally, every condition in our body is the result of the interaction of two opposing forces; in Chinese medical philosophy these are called yin and yang. Yin is cool and receptive; yang is hot and active. In our Western thinking, we see body processes as an interplay between overactive (yang) and underactive (yin) conditions, between tension and relaxation, and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. However, yin can be overactive and yang underactive, depending on the individual. As part of our healing, we aim for balance not only on the biochemical level, but also in our emotions and thinking. If you are an extrovert, for instance, aim to go into yourself by meditating, learning to listen, feel, and understand. If you are an introvert, then try to become more outgoing and open in your relationships and social interactions. Table 1-1 shows some of the opposing forces that rule our body. Many natural therapists believe that most disease starts in the bowels or, more generally, in the gastrointestinal tract. This certainly is a common factor in many diseases and requires our initial attention. Allergy (food and substances) testing is most important for sensitive individuals and children with health problems. Fasting and cleansing are required to remove the heavy load of metabolic wastes and toxins that most of us have stored in the body. This cleansing process often leads to unpleasant symptoms - healing reactions, also called the healing crisis - which we frequently must endure before we can advance to a higher level of health. This is especially the case for those with a chronic degenerative disease. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 3 INTESTINAL SANITATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY Sanitize your intestines and rid your body of harmful microbes. Most diseases are caused or aided by microbes and parasites. Due to antibiotics, steroidal drugs and chemotherapy our natural intestinal bacteria commonly have been replaced with pathogenic microbes. Also microbes from childhood vaccinations may still be present, and there tend to be infection foci in rootcanal treated teeth and possibly in scars due to surgery. All of these greatly weaken our immune system and allow fungi, viruses, bacteria and parasites to invade the blood and internal organs. Now we become susceptible to frequent acute infections, or to chronic infections and immune disturbances such as autoimmune diseases, allergies, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. This antimicrobial therapy is designed to rid our body of pathogenic microbes and parasites, and at the same time regenerate our immune system. The necessary steps are intestinal sanitation or re-establishing a healthy intestinal flora, followed by a longer period of systemic antimicrobial therapy. For long-term healing also rootcanal filled teeth may need to be removed. INTESTINAL SANITATION One of the first and most important causes of our health deterioration at the biological level is an inability to digest all the food we eat. This may be because of habitual overeating; insufficient chewing; consumption of too much milk, bread, meat, and other problem foods; wrong food combinations; emotional problems; vitamin and mineral deficiencies; or inherited weakness of our digestive organs. However, presently the main cause of intestinal distress is the use of antibiotics and other drugs that damage our protective intestinal flora. This has two immediate effects: a proliferation of undesirable bacteria, fungi and other parasites as well as putrefaction in the large intestine. A major part of our immune system is located in the small intestine with an important centre in the appendix. For years before the onset of illness, there will be fierce fighting between our lymphatic cells and the proliferating intestinal microbes, resulting in chronic inflammation of parts of the intestinal wall. This may cause intestinal discomfort and various digestive disorders, and in children it can often result in appendicitis. This chronic inflammation weakens the intestinal wall and allows proteins that are only partly broken down, as well as bacterial toxins, to be absorbed and cause allergies. Apart from many unpleasant symptoms, this will greatly weaken the immune system and predispose us to rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, and it makes us susceptible to infections and cancer. While the intestines are often overactive during childhood due to high bacterial activity, with increasing age we tend to become more and more constipated. This is largely due to a lack of dietary fibre and a decrease in the bile flow, indicating a deficiency of lecithin and choline. The walls of the intestines become weak and
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deformed as with diverticulitis; hard crusts begin to cover the intestinal walls and restrict their flexibility. Eventually, putrefaction products may cross the weakened walls of the large intestine and enter the bloodstream. This can poison the whole body, though the liver, heart, and brain usually bear the brunt of the attack. Irregular heartbeat, headaches, and fuzzy thinking are frequent initial symptoms. Every part of the nervous system may be affected. In addition, the valve between the large and small intestines (called the ileocaecal valve) may become inefficient and allow bacteria from the large intestine to invade the small intestines and the bloodstream. When the sewerage in a city breaks down or is not working efficiently, refuse accumulates in streets and on properties and greatly contributes to the spread of diseases. It is similar in a body with inefficient intestinal elimination. Waste products accumulate in the bloodstream and tissues and cause or contribute to the development of most diseases as well as to the general deterioration of health. Colon cancer is the most obvious and direct result. A diet of predominantly raw foods will, in time, correct these intestinal problems by supplying plenty of high-quality fibre and strengthening the intestinal walls. I do not recommend the habitual addition of bran to meals, as this makes minerals unavailable; instead, I recommend freshly ground raw linseed (flaxseed). Add one tablespoon or more to meals to ensure at least one and preferably two or three bowel movements daily. Another consequence of microbial overgrowth, often in combination with food allergies, is inflammation of the pancreas. This leads not only to a deficiency of digestive enzymes and problems of malabsorption, but it is also a main cause of insulin-dependent diabetes. A first step in this process is the bottle-feeding of infants from birth. This deprives them of important protective factors that are normally transmitted in breast milk. To overcome these problems we must improve our eating habits, learn to chew well, eat less, combine foods correctly, eat more raw foods, especially vegetables, eliminate harmful microbes, and reintroduce beneficial bacteria. Garlic Flush: A key step in improving digestive function, the immune system, and overall health is the restoration of healthy intestinal flora. This is important for all health improvement but especially if chronic diseases are present, and in particular AIDS, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. For this we reduce the pathogenic microbes in the intestines with a suitable microbicide followed by probiotics or healthy lactobacteria. I prefer fresh, raw garlic which has powerful antimicrobial and especially fungicidal properties. To carry the garlic through the length of the intestinal tract and also to minimize unpleasant reactions, such as headaches, nausea and other discomfort due to microbial die-off, it is preferable (but not essential) initially to take the garlic together with a strong laxative. This is called a flush. An effective flush is with a tablespoon of Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) in a large glass of water. Drink some more water afterwards. If you are constipated or overweight you may take 2 tablespoons when using it for the first time to make sure that it quickly comes out at the other end. It tastes less bitter if you refrigerate the dissolved Epsom salts overnight. In the morning you crush a large clove of garlic, mix and drink it with a small amount of water, and follow this
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with the refrigerated drink and some more water. You may minimize the garlic odour by crushing cloves while they are submerged in lemon juice. During the following mornings you may use less Epsom salts or take a milder laxative instead, such as psyllium. If you dislike garlic you may put the crushed or chopped garlic into gelatine capsules. If you seem to be allergic to garlic, then use another antimicrobial, such as Lugol’s iodine solution, a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate, 1 or 2 teaspoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide, olive leaf extract, pau d’arco extract, or wormwood. Similar if you cannot use garlic because of social restraints. Nevertheless, I believe that initially garlic is best suited to disinfect the gastrointestinal tract. Other laxatives that may be used for a flush are Glauber Salz or sodium sulphate, castor oil, aloe vera, senna, or an isotonic flush: within about 5 minutes drink a litre of water in which is dissolved a heaped teaspoon of salt. You may need to experiment with your chosen laxative to find the right amount to take with the garlic so that it is effective within a few hours. Psyllium is excellent and strongly recommended for long-term use. It is especially effective for removing endotoxins from the intestines and reducing allergic and autoimmune reactions. It also helps to carry any added microbicide through the whole intestinal tract. To a large glass of water add a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate and a heaped teaspoon of psyllium hulls, stir and drink immediately followed by another glass of water. Until you start with the systemic antimicrobial therapy in the next step add chopped garlic or another antimicrobial to the psyllium drink but continue adding a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate as long as there are signs of pain, inflammation, Candida or overacidity. Probiotics and Ferments: This leads us to the next step: replacing the decimated pathogenic microbes with desirable or "friendly" lactobacilli. This must be done in a massive dose 30-60 minutes after each flush; otherwise the unwanted microbes may grow back to full strength after the next meal. Commonly probiotics contain acidophilus and bifido bacteria in addition to other lactobacteria. These bacterial cultures are available from health food shops as powders or capsules that should be refrigerated. Preferably buy milk-free cultures, especially with Type 1 diabetes and allergies. High-potency cultures should contain 10 Billion or preferably 25 Billion live bacteria per gram or per capsule (keep refrigerated). However, these dried cultures are dormant and relatively inactive as compared to bacteria in fresh or live ferments, and often have only a limited number of strains. Therefore experiment with making your own ferment as explained in Part 4. Alternatively obtain genuinely fermented sauerkraut or lactic acid fermented foods from health shops or the Internet. If you do not regularly use lactose-containing products then it is better to repopulate your intestines with bacteria grown on grains or vegetables. Kefir grains can be used to ferment not only milk but also vegetables. For an excellent information site see users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html. It has the advantage of containing a wide range of protective microbes and also to work at room temperature. I do not recommend using commercial yogurt to sanitise the intestinal tract because of the high content of mucus-forming lactose and limited strains of lactobacteria.
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Commonly these ferments are rather acidic and may cause digestive problems in sensitive individuals. Therefore it is preferable for sensitive individuals to partly neutralise this acidity by adding some alkalizer before ingestion, such as bicarbonate until it is only slightly sour, or you may let the ferment stand for a few hours with the addition of some dolomite powder and decant it shortly before use. Take a cupful of ferment about 30 to 60 minutes after each flush, and possibly use more before other meals. Continue taking either probiotic cultures or ferment several times daily during the intestinal cleanse and the following systemic antimicrobial therapy. Continue this Intestinal Sanitation for a minimum of two weeks but preferably use ferments on and off for the rest of your life. Raw Food; The type of microbes that will readily grow and possibly dominate in our intestines depends very much on the nutrients that they get, meaning it depends on the food that we eat. A negative example is the strong influence that sugar and grain products have on the growth of yeasts, and especially Candida albicans. The opposite effect can be found in fresh raw foods, they tend to suppress harmful microbes and encourage beneficial ones. Besides raw lactic acid fermented foods, the strongest beneficial effect have green leaves and sprouted seeds. In addition to their own range of good bacteria they also provide the fiber and other nutrients for them to thrive in our intestines. As an added bonus fresh raw foods and in particular green leaves are strongly anti-inflammatory. Therefore they are the best healing agent for inflammatory intestinal conditions and (I believe) in sufficient amounts will prevent and probably cure bowel cancer. In addition to raw vegetable salads, a relatively easy way to ingest more fresh green leaves is as a blended pulp: blend a handful of leaves at high speed with sufficient water or juice and drink without straining. For best results the leaves should be organically grown and used as fresh as possible. Even a handful of fresh grass (cut in short length) or garden weeds may be used. You may also add sprouted seeds to the blend but not much fruit or other sweet foods as the combination of raw vegetable fibre and sugar can produce strong bowel fermentation. To a degree that can be good for those who have problems with constipation but it needs to be properly regulated. Also fibrous fresh fruits on their own tend to stimulate bowel activity by providing food for bowel bacteria. Hydrochloric Acid: In the elderly and especially those with chronic degenerative diseases, or often even young asthmatics, the body frequently loses its ability to produce an adequate amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. This leads to incomplete digestion of proteins and poor absorption of vitamins B1 and B12 as well as minerals. The resulting mineral deficiency usually causes fingernails to be soft; also the hair may be unhealthy. Hydrochloric acid is also needed to activate pepsin (a protein-digesting enzyme in the stomach) and kill microbes in food. An inadequate amount of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach often results in overgrowth of the digestive tract with undesirable and pathogenic bacteria and fungi. This can cause or contribute to malabsorption, intestinal distress, and allergies to products resulting from bacterial and fungal breakdown, and in turn it will weaken the immune system.
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Symptoms associated with insufficient gastric acid are belching, discomfort after eating or food lying heavily in the stomach, and anaemia. Often the lymphatic fluid is either over-alkaline or overacid (too far above or below neutral) and the energy level is low. In mild cases it may be helpful to add some lemon juice or cider vinegar as well as a small amount of magnesium chloride to a protein meal or drink half a cup of a bitter herb tea before meals. However, with obvious mineral deficiencies and lack of hydrochloric acid, typical of most cases of chronic degenerative disease, it is beneficial to use hydrochloric acid supplements with cooked meals that include meat, fish, eggs, cheese, legumes, or nuts. You can easily buy hydrochloric acid tablets, commonly with added pepsin. Use one or two tablets depending on the amount of cooked protein. Alternatively you may also buy and dilute hydrochloric acid yourself. Commercial diluted hydrochloric acid is usually 20 percent HCl, while the concentrated acid (from a hardware store) is 35 percent. To make a two percent solution that is safe to use, mix one part of the 20 percent acid with nine parts of water, or one part of the 35 percent acid with 16 parts of water. You may then mix one to two teaspoons (use plastic) of two percent HCl with your meal. It may be mixed with the protein portion or used as part of the salad dressing. Alternatively, you may dilute the acid with half a cup of water or herb tea and drink it after the meal. You may protect your teeth by drinking this through a straw. However, habitually taking acids will soon make the body overacid. Further, those who do not produce enough stomach acid also do not make enough sodium bicarbonate to neutralize an increased amount of acid in the duodenum. While the stomach content needs to be acidic, the contents of the small intestines need to be alkaline, otherwise nutrients are not properly absorbed. Therefore, it is advisable to take half a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in some water about two hours after a small meal and three to four hours after a large meal (with flesh food or other proteins). SYSTEMIC ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY Systemic antimicrobial therapy involves cleaning the bloodstream, lymph fluid, and internal organs of pathogenic microbes. I believe the best and most powerful combination is a 3-week course of Lugol’s iodine solution followed by a gradually increasing dose of MMS. This may be followed by a longer period on Frequently, especially with Candidiasis, there is a die-off or Herxheimer reaction during intestinal sanitation or systemic therapy. You may feel weak and nauseous. In this case temporarily interrupt or reduce the intake of antimicrobials, but make special efforts to clean out your bowels. There is some anecdotal evidence that sipping a litre of water with the addition of half a teaspoon of salt may help eliminating headaches associated with a reaction. Lugol's Solution Compared to MMS, iodine is much better tolerated. Therefore you can use iodine to remove much of your microbial load in a relatively easy way, and with fewer side effects than with MMS. Furthermore, iodine has a special affinity for mucous membranes which are also an attractive hiding place for fungi. Iodine is an all-round antimicrobial and an excellent fungicide.
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It is commonly used as Lugol's solution with 10% of potassium iodide and 5% iodine, and may be called 5% iodine solution. Each drop contains about 6.5 mg of iodine/iodide. Other names for Lugol’s solution are Aqueous Iodine Oral Solution BP or Strong Iodine Solution USP (both of which contain 130 mg iodine/iodide per ml). Iodine. Topical Solution (USP) contains 2% iodine and 2.4% potassium iodide. Therefore if you use this 2% iodine solution take 2.5 times more than the amount recommended for Lugol’s solution. In the US you may also buy Iodoral tablets, each with the equivalent of 2 drops of Lugo’s solution. I do not recommend pharmaceutical types of iodine dissolved in alcohol or other solvents as they often cause side-effects. To test for allergy (which is very rare) take a drop of iodine in liquid other than just water. If there is no reaction, gradually increase to 6 to 8 drops 4 times daily or 10 drops 3 times daily in liquid or mixed with food. Do not take the iodine directly with antioxidants but it is fine to have antioxidants five or more minutes later during a meal. You may use more or less iodine according to body weight. I believe that a 3week course adjusted for body weight is generally safe for children. However, it may not be suitable if the thyroid is overactive or with goitre; with these conditions the amount of iodine may need to be increased much more gradually and adjusted according to symptoms. Continue for 3 weeks with the full dose, but interrupt or temporarily reduce the dose if you develop a serious reaction; if necessary repeat the course after several months. In the meantime continue with several drops daily for a much longer time. For more information on iodine see www.health-science-spirit.com/iodine.html. MMS – Sodium Chlorite Sodium chlorite is being used in many countries as an antimicrobial treatment in the food industry, as disinfectant, mouthwash, in toothpastes, and for water purification. As a 3.5% solution it was called ‘Stabilized Electrolytes of Oxygen’, and as a nominally 28% solution it is known as Miracle Mineral Supplement or MMS, or as water purification drops. In solution sodium chlorite (NaClO2) is very alkaline and stable but when acidified it forms the gas chlorine dioxide (ClO2) which is one of the strongest allround antimicrobial and parasite remedies. The only residue left in the body after treatment with MMS is a small amount of table salt or sodium chloride. After intestinal sanitation and a course of iodine you may start with MMS therapy. The original procedure involves starting with 1 or 2 drops of MMS and gradually increasing this up to 15 drops once or twice daily. However, this often causes nausea to develop at higher doses. In this case you may absorb the gas from the mouth or the rectum as this usually does not cause nausea. An alternative method for intensifying the antimicrobial program or for overcoming an acute or persistent infection is by taking 3 to 4 drops of acidified and diluted MMS every two waking hour for several days. Temporarily reduce the dose if any nausea should occur. In all cases mix the MMS with five times the number of drops of lemon or lime juice but preferably with a more effective 10% solution of citric acid in water. You can make this yourself by dissolving 1 part of citric acid crystals in 9 parts of water. Less recommended is white vinegar (but not cider vinegar which can sometimes aggravate fungal problems).
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Three to four minutes after adding the acids add half a glass of water or herb tea, or juice without added vitamin C, e.g. apple or grape juice but not orange juice. Do not take any antioxidant supplements close to MMS; generally keep them 3 or more hours apart. If it tastes too acid then you may wait 5 minutes longer and add some sodium bicarbonate shortly before drinking. Watch that it remains slightly acid because when the solution becomes alkaline chlorine dioxide converts back into sodium chlorite. Acidified MMS acts strongest on an empty stomach but that also easily causes nausea. Generally it is better to have some food in the stomach and be able to take a higher dose. If nausea occurs temporarily reduce the dose. Commonly nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may occur sooner or later and are beneficial for cleaning out but may be avoided or minimized with the preceding intestinal sanitation and iodine therapy. With an acute and serious infection, including malaria, influenza and urinary tract infection, you may immediately use a high dose, such as 10 or 15 drops, possibly followed an hour later by the same amount. You will vomit and be very uncomfortable for about a day but it may immediately overcome the infection. However, for chronic conditions and general health improvement it is best to increase by 1 drop each day until you feel some nausea. Then cut back by 2 drops and stay at this level for several days until increasing again by 1 drop a day. In this way you gradually work your way higher, reducing and then increasing again to keep nausea under control. You may reduce problems by dividing the daily dose into a morning and a bedtime portion, but after some time always try to edge higher until you start feeling the nausea. To quickly stop nausea you may take 1000 mg or more of vitamin C, but this also stops the antimicrobial activity. To avoid or minimize oxidative damage I recommend taking MMS only in the morning and evening or only once a day and use a combination of antioxidants, including vitamin C, at lunchtime or several hours away from the MMS. The oral absorption method is designed to avoid nausea and seems also effective with smaller doses then swallowing it. To 1 part of MMS add 5 parts of 10% citric acid and after 3 or 4 minutes dilute with about 30 ml or a big mouthful of water. Wait another 5 minutes and then add up to 8 parts of a 10% sodium bicarbonate solution to protect the teeth from acid attack. This will give a pH of about 5 to 6, and one can keep it in the mouth for 5 to 20 minutes before swallowing or spitting it out. It should not become neutral or alkaline or it will become much less effective. You make the 10% bicarb solution by dissolving one level spoonful of bicarb in 9 spoonfuls of water. Instead of water you may also use fruit juice as mentioned before, or herb tea, or sweeten with Xylitol or Stevia. I regard 6 drops of MMS as a good strong dose for oral absorption. For an acute infection you may follow up with a second dose As a general cleanse you may use this or a lower or higher dose for 2 to 3 weeks, best at bedtime. With a persistent infection continue on and off for a longer time, you may experiment with one week on a high dose of MMS alternated with several weeks on a high antioxidant intake.
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The rectal absorption method is good with problems in this area, such as rectal or prostate cancer, irritable bowel, and infections, cysts and cancers of the female organs. This is similar to using coffee enemas for cancer patients. Preferably have a bowel movement and a cleansing enema, and then try 2 acidified drops in 250 ml of water. Hold for several minutes, then expel, clean again with an enema and finally insert a larger number of drops, perhaps 4 to 8 activated drops in 250 ml water and hold for a longer time, up to 30 minutes. As with oral absorption you may also add some bicarbonate to make it less acid. Protect the anus with some fat or Vaseline. There tends to be no direct discomfort, but for several hours afterwards energy may be low, and several cleanout bowel movements may follow. You may try this once a week with gradually increasing doses. In case of vaginal thrush you may also try one activated drop suitably diluted and later followed by some probiotics. Also try the mouthwash solution. Mouthwash: You may make a mouthwash by diluting a teaspoon of MMS in 500 ml of water. This is only slightly alkaline and tends to release small amounts of chlorine dioxide in contact with acid-forming bacteria. It is also commercially promoted as the most effective method for removing bad breath or halitosis. It does this by oxidising smelly sulphur compounds in the mouth to non-odorous sulphates. Swish a mouthful around for a short time, gargle, and spit it out. You may also flavour the solution or make it weaker. Some people claim that regular use has protected them from ‘catching’ infections. Furthermore, occasional oral absorption of chlorine dioxide and regular use of MMS mouthwash tend to eliminate pathogenic microbes and inflammation in the mouth. These may originate from root canals, deep tooth pockets or gum inflammations and are strongly implicated in the causation of arteriosclerosis, heart attacks and other heart diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, prostate cancer and other cancers. To combine the stronger antimicrobial effect of oral absorption with the convenience of a mouthwash add a drop or two of lemon juice or citric acid to a teaspoonful of mouthwash solution and immediately start swishing this in the mouth for a minute or two before spitting it out. This has a relatively mild effect on the taste buds. One teaspoonful of mouthwash contains about one drop of MMS. A recent addition to the MMS arsenal is MMS2 or calcium hypochlorite. It is especially good for killing microbes and parasites in the intestinal tract. This is beneficial with Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory bowel conditions as well as cancer of the colon and prostate, and possibly of the pancreas and liver. For details see http://www.health-science-spirit.com/MMS2.htm. Preferably inform yourself further by reading my MMS Internet articles at www.health-science-spirit.com, and visit http://www.jimhumble.com and http://jimhumble.biz/; Jim Humble discovered and developed the MMS treatment. Other Antimicrobials Fungi can be controlled with alkalizers. Due to its alkalinity sodium bicarbonate is a strong fungicide, and potassium bicarbonate is even stronger. Half to one teaspoon of bicarbonate in a glass of water taken on an empty stomach or 2-3 hours after meals can be used several times daily to sanitize the intestinal tract and alkalize
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the lymphatic system. Bicarbonate solution is very effective in direct contact such as for rinsing out the mouth, sinuses or vagina or as packs over sites of fungal infection and tumours. Some additional remedies for systemic antimicrobial treatment are concentrated olive leaf extract, concentrated Pau d’arco extract, and wormwood. These may not be as strong as the combination of Lugo’s solution and MMS but are milder acting and easier to use for a longer period. The following herbal dosages are for average body weight, overweight individuals may take more and underweight individuals or children less. These remedies may not be suitable in high doses during pregnancy, in this case consult a health professional. Further supportive methods are oxygen therapy, coconut oil or caprylic acid (Capricin), an electronic blood purifier and magnetic pulser. Some other good antimicrobial remedies are propolis, extract of Neem leaves, and the oils of tea tree, Neem tree, cinnamon, eucalyptus, mustard, oregano, shark liver, and thyme. You may try using 1 to 2 drops of essential oil four times daily diluted and ingested or kept in the mouth. Colloidal silver is best for direct treatment of affected areas, such as douching or gargling, as after ingestion it may not be effective past the stomach. For asthma, lung infections and lung cancer I would also consider spraying colloidal silver into the mouth during deep inhalations. Even if systemic infestations with Candida and other microbes are successfully eliminated there may still remain problems in isolated areas, such as fungi or parasites in skin patches, vagina or under toenails. These should be intensively treated with local application using a wide range of the mentioned remedies. If you continue to have persistent long-term microbial or parasite problems use a combination of different antimicrobials and frequently vary the composition of the treatment as well as the dosage, also add alkalizing and possibly electronic zapper and pulser. Also read about the importance of the Basic Cleanse in Step 4. Olive leaf: Olive leaf is an effective anti-microbial. It can be used as tea or powder but commonly it is now used as an extract. The active ingredient is oleuropein. Preferably use up to 1000 mg of oleuropein daily as part of the antimicrobial rotation program. Dried olive leaf has about 30 mg of oleuropein/gram. As the tea is rather bitter it is now rarely used: simmer 30g of dried leaves in 1 litre of water for 1-2 hours, top up, strain and refrigerate, and drink 3-5 cups daily. In powder form olive leaf extract has 200mg to 220mg/g. Use up to 5 g of powdered extract daily. You may stir half a teaspoon in water or other non-protein liquid two or three times daily and take before meals (oleuropein may be inactivated by high amino acid levels). The normal retail form is as 500mg capsules of extract, and you may use up to 10 capsules daily. Commercial liquids commonly contain only 4 mg of oleuropein per ml. Pau d’arco; Pau d’arco (also called taheebo or lapacho) is a strong fungicide from the inner bark of a South American tree. It has the advantage of tasting reasonably pleasant. Either use extract or make tea: one tablespoon of bark or a heaped teaspoon of powder in a large cup of water. Bring to boil and let simmer or
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steep for 5 to 15 minutes; drink 3 cups a day. Powdered pau d’arco in capsules or cold water does not work but you may use the extract in capsules. Use 3 capsules of extract 3 times daily. For severe Candidiasis or other systemic fungus problems try to obtain 1 kg of extract powder and take several teaspoons daily. Wormwood: Wormwood is effective against most microbes and parasites. Commonly used for Candida is Artemisia absinthium, but also Artemisia annua or Sweet Annie can be used. Both herbs have different active ingredients, and it may even be good to use a mixture of both. They should not be used during pregnancy. To avoid the bitter taste of A. absinthium stir a rounded teaspoon of powder in some cold water or juice and drink immediately. Use a teaspoonful three times daily. However, the bitter qualities of wormwood tea stimulate the digestive system stomach, pancreas, liver and gall bladder. It has been used as a folk remedy to cure jaundice. Therefore, you may sometimes drink it as tea during or after a meal. Make the tea by adding a teaspoon of wormwood to a cup of boiling water and steep for ten to fifteen minutes. It is easiest to take by swallowing it quickly and, before breathing again, drinking something pleasant afterwards. For children you may also use wormwood powder in capsules (3 to 5 capsules 3 times daily), or use only Sweet Annie. Conclusion While orthodox medicine uses specific drugs for specific microbes, in natural medicine we use broad-based remedies that commonly cover viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites at the same time. Medical antibiotics tend to kill our friendly gut bacteria, which then allow Candida and other fungi to invade the body and cause numerous health problems. This can be easily prevented by also taking fungicides in the form of natural remedies while using antibiotics, and adding probiotics soon afterwards. Broad-based remedies are cheap and effective and ideally suited for selfhealing. But this does not mean that they are harmless. While damaging side-effects are much less common than with drug medicine, problems can occur, especially with high doses of MMS, and for those with overactive thyroids also when using Lugol’s solution. This means, you need to use common sense, observe how your body reacts, and cut back or use another remedy if indicated. This is an experimental approach in which you need to be flexible and take responsibility for your health and your actions instead of just following the orders of a doctor. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 4 FASTING & CLEANSING Become clean on the inside by removing accumulated wastes and toxins.
Fasting is a period of restricted food intake and cleansing is the removal of waste products from the body as a result of fasting. This combination of fasting and cleansing is the most effective general healing method. It is essential for overcoming chronic diseases and for rejuvenating an aging body. It is also excellent for ensuring continued health and minimizes the risk of a disabling disease later in life. In recent years a steady stream of research articles has pointed to the accumulation of metabolic waste products inside of cells as a main factor in the causation of practically all chronic diseases. In addition to weakening the cell and its energy metabolism, these waste products are also the breeding ground for internally evolving or endogenous microbes that are a basic cause of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Cellular Waste Products The body recycles millions of cells and their components every second, usually without a problem. However, if cells are unhealthy, then some of their proteins, especially nucleic acids from DNA and RNA, are abnormal and cannot be properly broken down and recycled. Instead they accumulate as cellular sludge. Various researchers have shown that out of this sludge can now arise primitive microbes. It appears that new viruses arise from RNA fragments surrounded by a cellwall, while mycoplasma are from DNA fragments without a proper cell-wall, and nanobacteria develop from damaged mitochondria, the cellular energy factories. These primitive life forms are pleomorphic which means that they can change into higher forms of bacteria and fungi which then are at the basis of cancer and autoimmune diseases. A large part of these cellular waste products are composed of oxidized and peroxidized or polymerized polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially trans-fatty acids, and combinations with degraded or wrongly folded proteins. Included are also metals, such as mercury, aluminium and iron. Residues with oxidized fats are commonly called age pigments, and more scientifically ‘lipofuscin’. In the aging skin it can be seen as yellow-brown or brown ‘age spots’ or ‘liver spots’. Another waste product associated with vitamin E deficiency is called ‘ceroid’, while ‘amyloids’ are protein residues that accumulate mainly in the brain and in nerve cells, causing. Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Up to 70% of the volume of nerve cells may consist of such waste until cells are finally killed, although they would have lost most of their normal functions much sooner. These waste products impair cellular functions and our overall health in many ways: they interfere with the movement of nutrients into the cell and metabolic wastes out of the cell, they poison the oxidative energy production or respiratory
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chain of the mitochondria and cause us to be low in energy, they interfere with the signalling capacity of nerve cells and the normal function of muscle cells, and they provide the raw material out of which the pleomorphic microbes arise that weaken our immune system and cause autoimmune attacks and cancer. If you now understand the devastating impact of cellular wastes on your longterm health you will also realize the importance of repeated fasting and cleansing periods in your health program. Even medical research can now show that removing protein debris from cells keeps aging organs young and healthy. The main causes leading to the accumulation of these wastes are: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
devitalized food due to processing, cooking, and long-term storage lack of enzymes due to cooking. processing and overeating eating highly heated proteins and oils antioxidant deficiencies exposure to unbiological chemicals in food, water, air and drugs. What to do
Just by fasting alone many chronic diseases can be healed. The only disadvantage is that it can be unpleasant, especially for beginners. Fasting is not indicated for anyone who is weak, fatigued, or underweight with difficulty gaining weight. We need a reasonably good energy level to fast and cleanse successfully. When we stop having normal meals our digestive enzymes become available to digest and remove the sludge in our cells. While it is essential to minimize the intake of food, it should be as high as possible in vitality and enzymes, meaning that it should be fresh and raw. Ideal would be freshly cut wheat or barley grass, or leaves freshly picked in a garden. Eat any food in small amounts or drink any juices in small sips spaced out over a longer period. This is especially important for fruits or any sweet juices as from carrots etc. Keep each bite or sip in the mouth for several minutes. Start with several one-day fasts, possibly once a week, before trying a threeday fast. Then have a three-day fast once a month; if you live according to normal working hours, have your first fast day on a Friday, as the second day often feels the worst, and this way you’ll be at home. Once or twice a year you may fast for seven days or longer. Instead of a series of strict fasts you may have longer periods on a raw food diet and use a strict fast only occasionally. With chronic diseases the need for cleansing is much greater than for general health improvement. After a year or two of good health, the number of cleansing periods may safely be reduced to twice a year, unless you use much processed food. With the onset of a cold, flu, or other infectious disease, start a fast immediately. The more often you have a fast, the less you normally are affected by it in a negative way; a sense of peace and well-being may develop instead. As long as you are still congested during a fast, your tongue will be strongly coated and your breath may have a strong odour when you get up in the morning. Conversely, if your breath and tongue are clear in the morning, your body is reasonably clean and no more
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fasting is needed. To freshen your breath, you can scrape or brush your tongue clean whenever it is heavily coated; use a sharp-edged spoon for scraping. For several days before a longer fast, start reducing your amount of food and preferably do not eat flesh or processed foods on the last day before a fast. Best have only raw fruit and vegetables on that last day. In the same way, increase the amount of food only gradually after a fast and have only raw food on the first day after a fast. The longer the fast, the less you should eat at the first meal and the longer it should take to return to the usual diet; an apple is a good food for breaking a juice or water fast. Drink plenty of fluids during the fast. It is important to keep the bowels moving during a fast, and you may use laxatives, enemas or colonics as required. With a juice fast it is advisable to use several glasses of psyllium in water. Keeping the bowels clean is not a problem if fasting on fresh raw salads, fruits, and blended green leaves. The effectiveness of the fast can be further increased by using a hot castor-oil pack for 3 or more days during the fast. Coat the liver area (the bottom of your right rib cage) and upper abdomen with castor oil, cover with a woollen cloth folded in four layers, and keep the area warm for an hour or two with a hot-water bottle. At bedtime drink two tablespoons of olive oil, possibly shaken in a jar with lecithin and fresh orange or lemon juice. The next morning take sufficient laxative to produce a good clean-out within a few hours. The topical castor oil stimulates the liver’s capacity to detoxify, while the olive oil induces the gallbladder to empty and expel fat-soluble toxins from the liver, and the laxative removes the poisons quickly from the bowels. This method of cleansing causes a minimum of discomfort as the fast might otherwise result in headaches, nausea, and weakness. Take it easy during fasts; rest whenever you feel weak, or just stay in bed if necessary. Skin brushing, deep-breathing exercises, mild sun exposure, and frequent showers are helpful. Learn to listen to your intuition and the language of your body, rather than just following expert advice or sticking to a pre-determined program. Sometimes it may be better to ease the program and have some cooked food, You also need to keep your 'inner child' reasonably happy. Ask it for cooperation, and in return promise and deliver some treats for any hardships that have to be endured. With chronic diseases cleansing may trigger healing reactions, lasting for days and sometimes weeks. During a reaction, pain or areas of discomfort may shift around to different body locations. During this time you may ease any strict program and do whatever is necessary to make yourself more comfortable. For a better understanding of this important subject see Step 10. The Basic Cleanse I recommend that you use this most effective cleanse from time to perhaps once or twice a year. It is designed to clean out and sanitize gastrointestinal tract, liver, and gallbladder. Eat organic apples only for the first days, as many as you like. Granny Smith or other tart apples are preferable,
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time, your three but if
you feel that they are too acidic for you, then use a sweeter variety. If organic apples are not available, then remove the skin and core of conventionally grown apples. In the evening place a hot castor-oil pack on your liver and upper abdomen and take a tablespoon of olive oil orally at bedtime. However, on the evening of the third day, drink half a cup of olive oil in this way. Then lie down immediately on your back or right side. After the first bowel movement the next morning, look in the toilet bowl for gallstones. There may be hundreds of little greenish wax balls of different sizes floating on top of the water. First thing in the morning on the second to fourth day, drink a glass of water mixed with a crushed clove of garlic and one tablespoon of Epsom salt (to cause a good bowel clean-out within a few hours). If you cannot take Epsom salt, then try another strong herbal laxative (e.g., senna) or use the isotonic flush. If you have trouble taking raw garlic, put it into empty gelatine capsules, or use hydrogen peroxide instead. About one hour after consuming the Epsom salt and garlic, take a large dose of acidophilus-bifido culture in the form of high-potency capsules, powder, or homemade yogurt, or some self-made ferment. If you do not have the time or energy for the full cleanse, then you can at this point return to your normal diet and do the rest at another time. Otherwise, from the fourth morning on stop using the apples, Epsom salt, and garlic, and for the next five days drink only freshly pressed vegetable juices, although these may be flavoured with apple or some other fruit. Every three hours (5 times daily) take a heaped teaspoon of psyllium hulls together with two to three teaspoons of ground linseed (flaxseed). Mix this in a glass of water and drink immediately, followed by more water. The linseed should be freshly ground in a blender or coffee grinder and stored frozen or refrigerated. The purpose is to fill the bowels, with a moist mass that will soften and dislodge any hard crusts and putrefying matter. This is essential and very effective with all inflammatory bowel conditions, diverticulitis, intestinal parasites, and cancer. Take a spoonful of lecithin granules and plenty of protein-digesting enzymes together with the juices. With every glassful of juice, you can take two or three tablets such as pancreatin, bromelain, or papain. Alternatively and even better, if available, use mature green papaya, when it turns yellow inside and the seeds are already black. You can make a Smoothie by blending it with some vegetable juice or yogurt; use up to half a medium-size papaya a day. You could also use the juice of papaya leaves or immature fruit, but this may need to be flavoured and well diluted, as it is bitter. On the morning after the last juice day (or possibly at bedtime the night before) take a tablespoon of Epsom salt in water or generally enough laxative to produce a strong bowel clean-out during the morning. Often long strings and parts of compacted faecal matter, which look like sections of bowel, are eliminated. It is advisable to increase the variety of food very gradually while doing allergy testing at the same time (see Step 5). There are many possible variations of this Basic Cleanse. For instance, if you do not have a juice extractor, you can either continue longer with apples or have a few small raw salads instead. If you cannot get organic apples but have plenty of wheat or barley grass and vegetables for juicing, then you can extend the juice
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schedule from five to eight days; have the castor-oil packs, olive oil, garlic, Epsom salt, and acidophilus during the first three or four days. Also highly recommended are fresh green leaves blended in water for part or all of the cleanse. Another possibility, especially good for those with high blood pressure, is to use freshly pressed lemon juice instead of the vegetable juice and possibly instead of the apples as well. Use psyllium hulls and ground linseed as for the last five days of the Basic Cleanse, but instead of vegetable juices drink the juice of five to eight lemons diluted in three or four quarts of pure water. You may do this for the full eight days or instead of the vegetable juice for the last five days. If doing this for the full eight days, then use castor-oil packs, olive oil, Epsom salt, garlic, and acidophilus (as described for the apple days). Another often recommended additive is Bentonite, a form of powdered or liquid absorbent clay. This helps to remove plaque or old coating from colon walls and also absorbs toxins. Each time you use the ground linseed and psyllium, add either one teaspoon of powdered or one tablespoon of liquid Bentonite, which you can consume orally. Lymphacising A good way to greatly increase the cleansing action during a fast is lymphacising - gently bouncing on a rebounder or mini-trampoline. This speeds up the lymph flow to many times its normal rate. Lymph is the blood fluid that filters through the walls of arteries and capillaries into the tissue, delivering oxygen and nutrients to individual cells and carrying away carbon dioxide and other waste products. However, if the cellular waste production is high and lymph flow is slow, cells begin to clog up and become inefficient, preparing the ground for the development of a disease. Increasing the lymph flow greatly helps to reduce this danger; bouncing on a rebounder can do this. Cleansing the body involves dislodging wastes and toxins from within and between cells and transporting them with the lymph fluid to the large veins near the neck; there they enter the bloodstream to be discharged through the liver and kidneys. A greatly reduced food intake is the main way to dislodge stored wastes and toxins. Muscle activity propels the lymph flow; castor-oil packs, fruit acids, olive oil, bitter herbs, and sulphur compounds stimulate liver detoxification of fat-soluble waste while a high fluid intake and herbs for the kidneys, such as dandelion, help remove water-soluble wastes. During fasting we usually do not have much energy for muscle activity, but lymphacising can come to the rescue as it does not consume much energy and one feels energized afterwards. With each bounce on the mini-trampoline the lymph is pushed towards the neck and prevented from falling back again because the valves through which it pushes are one-way (also see Step 9). Another way of speeding up your lymph circulation is by inverting your body. Special inversion equipment, on which you can hang upside down, is available, or you can use an inclined board, simply put your legs up against a wall while lying on the floor, do the leg motions of bicycling while in the inverted position, or do a shoulder stand or headstand as described in hatha yoga.
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THE LONG CLEANSE A Long Cleanse of about 6 weeks duration on either a small amount of vegetable juice or grapes has been used to shrink or dissolve tumours and normalize lymph and blood cancers in thousands of cancer victims. If the body is starving it digests its own non-essential tissues, and it starts with diseased parts and tumours. Famous examples of this kind of cleanse are the Breuss Cure on half a litre of fresh vegetable juice; the grape cure of Johanna Brandt; the wheat grass cure of Ann Wigmore; and even the urine fast of John Armstrong. It works even better with large than with small tumours as these are a source of protein, but it also eliminates the large amount of protein debris that is a main cause of cancer. This long cleanse is usually the best way to eliminate or greatly reduce tumours without strong and unpleasant side effects. It is especially suited for overweight individuals. On the Breuss Cure you drink half a litre of fresh organic juices daily, extracted in a non-centrifugal way. The usual composition is 3 parts of beetroot, 1 of carrot and 1 of grass juice or celery, and preferably a small amount of horseradish, radish or turnip or their leaves. As an alternative you may use 1-2 litres of juice consisting mainly of about equal parts of green juice as from grass and leaves, and beetroot-carrot juice flavoured with ginger and pollen, in addition to unstrained blended green leaves. Hot onion broth may be used in the evening, purple onions are best; cook the skins as well. This larger amount of juice is more suitable for maintaining energy without compromising the cleansing effect. The weight loss during a 6-week fast is usually between 5 and 15 kg, mainly due to losing water and from half to one kilogram of fat per week. With the grape cure eat black or purple grapes. Eat them with skins and pips. Preferably chew the pips to release their antioxidants. Soak the grapes best with the addition of some hydrogen peroxide to kill and remove any fungi. Eat about 1kg daily according to appetite. If a temporary aversion to grapes develops, have a few days of juices in between. Eat only a few grapes at a time to avoid a strong rise in the blood sugar level. Store grapes cool and dry, you may hang them over a washing line in a garage. If you feel that you definitely need something savoury to keep going, prepare and drink a warm strained vegetable broth in the evening, including plenty of purple onions. Also simmer the outer purple onion skins. Furthermore, you may make a tea from savoury herbs and spices or turmeric and ginger. Different Cleansing Methods Apples are good for the first three-day fast. Preferably obtain unsprayed apples, otherwise either peel or scrub them in warm soapy water and rinse well. Do not ingest waxed skins. Eat as many apples as you like, generally the more the better to keep the bowels moving. Apple fasts are usually well tolerated, and they are also good for children. Fasting on freshly pressed vegetable juices is somewhat more severe but generally well tolerated. Preferably use plenty of green juice made from wheat or
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barley grass, vegetable leaves, and celery, flavoured with sweet vegetables such as carrot, beet root, or pumpkin, and possibly an apple. This juice may be diluted with water for a total fluid intake of two to three litres daily. If you are sensitive to pain, cold, or skin irritants, minimize the amount of sweet juices you consume and possibly add some alkalizers. For sensitive, weak, or underweight individuals, a rice diet lasting ten or more days may initially be better. Eat only cooked brown rice, lightly flavoured with salt and olive oil and supplemented with preferably one to three tablespoons per meal of unheated ground linseed (flaxseed). Use sufficient linseed to have three easy, bulky bowel movements daily. You do not need to eat “proper” meals; just have a few spoonfuls whenever you feel hungry, and chew it very slowly. Preferably follow up the rice diet with a period of eating raw food only; or alternate periods on cooked rice and raw foods several times. However, if brown rice is not tolerated, try white rice. A rice diet helps to overcome allergy problems. For non-sensitive individuals, a three-day lemon-juice fast is excellent and especially good for improving liver functions; it is also recommended for those with high blood pressure and who are overweight. About ten times during the day drink a large glass of water to which is added the fresh juice of half a lemon. You may flavour this with a small amount of fresh grapefruit or orange juice. Later you can extend this fast to seven days or longer. This is especially helpful with diabetes. The “grape cure” is not only known as a cancer cure, but is also good for coronary artery disease and other chronic diseases. You eat about one kilogram of grapes spaced out in intervals during the day to avoid any strong rise in the blood sugar level. Continue for several weeks. Black grapes are best, otherwise use purple or red. Unfortunately, it is difficult to obtain unsprayed, organic grapes. If you have to use sprayed grapes, wash them thoroughly in warm soapy water and rinse well. If you are sensitive to moulds, soak the grapes in diluted hydrogen peroxide or expose them to sunlight before a last rinse and eating. For a longer cleansing period, use a mixed fast. You may, for instance, start with several days on a rice diet and follow this with a period of raw food only, with a time on apples or grapes and a further period on juices. Then repeat this sequence in reverse order with days of eating only fruit, raw food, and finally rice before returning to your normal diet. The cleansing period may last for several weeks, or even months, with repeated sequences. Unless you have an acute infectious disease, do not start a strict fast when you feel weak. In this case, you can alternate between a rice/vegetable diet and a raw food diet. Those with acute infections should have only fresh fruit, fresh salads or vegetable juice until health improves and good appetite returns. A urine fast has the advantage of providing vital nutrients and activating the immune system while ingesting a fluid that is already charged with your own life force, It is not as difficulty to do as it may sound because after a few days it is so diluted that it just tastes like water. For details see Step 22. If you suspect your body is overloaded with chemicals or that your liver’s ability to detoxify is reduced, do only mild fasts initially, such as the rice diet and raw food
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diet. Also supply yourself with plenty of sulphur in the form of MSM (see Part 3) or, alternatively, use onions, raw egg yolk, and possibly the amino acids cysteine and methionine, or even powdered sulphur. Regular cleansing is the more important the older and physically less active you are. Mucus problems are very common. This is obvious when we have a cold with a congested or runny nose, but at other times it may be noticed as congested or inflamed sinuses, ear or hearing problems, including tinnitus and “glue ear” in children, glaucoma, and throat and lung problems, especially asthma. To overcome these conditions, see Steps 38 and 44. An oil rinse can be helpful. Fat-soluble toxins can be removed from the system before they reach the liver. First thing in the morning take a large sip of a light oil, such as sunflower or grape seed (stored in glass bottles), and vigorously swish it around the mouth for 10 to 20 minutes; do not swallow it; spit it out (be careful: it may clog the sink). Rinse your mouth several times with warm water. Continue this daily for several months. This rinse is especially important if the lymph system is congested, as it commonly is with cancer and other chronic diseases, and it is very effective with health problems in the head and neck area, including dental problems. At other times, you can use distilled water to filter out water-soluble toxins. After rising in the morning and again at bedtime, use a cup of distilled water. Take a mouthful and hold it under the tongue for about two minutes. Then spit it out and repeat the process until the cup is empty. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 5 ALLERGY TESTING Discover and overcome your food allergies and chemical sensitivities.
Usually we are addicted to any daily-used food or substance to which we are also allergic. The reverse is also true, that we have allergies to addictive foods. Initially when we eat a sensitizing food (one that may produce an allergic reaction), we experience stimulation due to the release of adrenal stress hormones. However, eventually the adrenal glands become exhausted, and we develop a chronic degenerative disease and lack energy. In this book, I use the term “food allergy” in a general way to include not only genuine immunological reactions, but also food intolerances and chemical sensitivities. In 1936, Hans Selye, a Canadian professor of experimental medicine and surgery, discovered the allergy-stress mechanism. He was the first to describe this mechanism, which he did in his pioneering book The Stress of Life. So far the medical profession has not yet grasped the importance of his fundamental discovery for understanding the diseases of our society, I assume because it is not profitable to do so. However, in light of this stress model, we now know what we need to do to heal ourselves. Initially an environmental challenge such as an incompatible food or emotional stress causes an alarm reaction. The adrenal glands release inflammatory hormones, and the sympathetic nervous system is overstimulated. This may result in an acute allergic reaction or a general inflammatory condition, hyper-excitability, increased blood pressure, palpitation, aggressiveness, anxiety or anger, and poor digestion. This incidentally, is the basis for the connection between junk food consumption and criminality.2 If we continue eating the same problem food nearly every day or continue to be plagued by stressful memories or conditions, then the stress becomes permanent and the body adapts by releasing anti-inflammatory hormones. The symptoms of the alarm reaction with its inflammatory tendency subside. This is the resistance phase, a state of adaptation for a hidden or masked allergy. Commonly, the alarm reaction occurs in early childhood when we are first introduced to wheat, cow’s milk, maize, or soy milk and then settles down to several decades of hidden allergies with minimal outward symptoms. However, eventually the capacity of the adrenal glands to produce sufficient anti-inflammatory hormones becomes exhausted and we enter the exhaustion phase of the allergy. Now we have a maladaptation to allergens and other stressful conditions with chronic and generalized inflammations. These can manifest as arthritis, cancer, heart disease, and any of the other diseases typical in our society. Finally, even this chronic inflammatory condition subsides and we have the stage of advanced old age with senility, debility, and the final non-sensitive stages of degenerative diseases.
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This sequence of ill health shows us the requirements for genuine health improvement. By permanently removing the offending problem food or other chronic stressor and at the same time supporting the body with high-quality nutrition we slowly begin climbing back to health. We leave the exhaustion phase and re-enter the resistance phase with a period of quiet recovery, and finally we move back into the alarm phase with a series of acute but beneficial healing crises. At the end of this long healing process, we may have reacquired the adrenal function and disease resistance that we had as a small child before we started getting colds, allergic reactions, and digestive upsets due to consuming problem foods. Sometimes energetic individuals, often males with blue-white irises who cannot relax, experience a prolonged period of lethargy when avoiding wheat or gluten products. During this time, the adrenal glands have time to recover. Others who are already closer to adrenal exhaustion feel much stronger as soon as they avoid allergenic foods. The main allergenic foods tend to be the same as the most commonly eaten foods and include wheat, cow’s milk, eggs, soy, corn, peanuts, and synthetic food additives (for a compilation of possible food allergy symptoms, see Table 5-2). Addictions and allergies are part of the stress syndrome. Prolonged severe stress of any kind leads to adrenal exhaustion in the same way that an addictive allergy does. The only real solution lies in avoiding excessive stress factors such as allergenic foods, work pressures, and so forth. Discovering your allergies and addictions is an essential step in your healing process. You may do this by adopting a five-day water fast or rice diet as described in the following pages. After complete avoidance of an allergenic food (one you suspect or know produces allergy symptoms) and while reducing the overall allergenic load from other influences at the same time, one usually becomes hypersensitive to that food for a period lasting from a few weeks to several months. After this, the sensitivity to the offending food gradually declines. If during the hypersensitive period you are occasionally exposed to the allergenic food, then an immediate strong reaction can be triggered, resulting in pain, weakness, a rash, or whatever its characteristic effect is on your body. If this is done repeatedly but separated by at least four days between exposures, this may delay the complete recovery, but is not likely to result in serious internal damage. However, permanent damage will result if you use this food so frequently that you do not get an immediate reaction any more or only a much weaker reaction than initially. Generally, however, it is essential to avoid the offending food as much as possible for an extended period in order to heal yourself completely. Depending on the severity of your initial symptoms or degenerative disease this may be from a few months up to several years. How soon you can overcome your allergic tendencies depends mainly on the effort you put into adopting a comprehensive health improvement program. Types of Allergies: Depending on its severity and mode of manifestation, we may distinguish five types of allergy: addictive, cyclic, fixed, multiple, and trigger.
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An addictive allergy induces us to eat our favourite food every day or we are threatened with withdrawal symptoms. Therefore, we have a craving for a certain food and eating or drinking it makes us feel better. The person usually is not aware of the addiction and for this reason this type of allergy is also called a hidden or masked allergy, corresponding to the period of adaptation. In a cyclic allergy, we have a reaction to a specific food only if it is eaten in excess, either by eating large quantities of it at any one time or by eating it on several successive days. In addition, a reaction to a cyclic allergen can be triggered by other adverse factors, especially by stress as from emotional and mental problems or from environmental agents such as chemical fumes, tobacco smoke, and so on. Combining two different cyclic allergens in the same meal can also cause a reaction due to the effects of both. Poor food combining or a generally acidic body condition may be further contributing factors. If you realize that you have a cyclic allergy - the food agrees with you sometimes but not always - then eat it only on a rotation basis, not more often than once every four or five days. Fruits and the lactose content of dairy products often belong in this category. They may not cause immediate reactions, but eating fruits on successive days can cause an increasing degree of overacidity and skin problems in sensitive individuals, while an oversupply of lactose can lead to a build-up of mucus. Both, in turn, can trigger secondary symptoms such as arthritic pains. With a fixed allergy, one reacts every time the offending food is eaten, no matter how small the quantity. Fixed allergies, therefore, are non-adapted allergies and thus easy to recognize. One soon becomes efficient in avoiding offending items. Fortunately, only a small percentage of all allergies are of the fixed variety; most are addictive or cyclic in nature. With multiple allergies, we react to a wide range of foods and chemicals and quickly become allergic to any replacement foods. This has sometimes been called being allergic to the twentieth century. The main causes are deficiencies of zinc, digestive enzymes, and gastric acid, weak liver function, and bacterial overgrowth of the digestive tract, often with systemic Candida infestation. The solution is intestinal sanitation, a raw food diet, and a high intake of zinc and sulphur compounds. Before testing for allergies by elimination, sanitize the intestines and minimize any deficiencies by using vitamin and mineral supplements. We can also speak of a fifth type, trigger allergy. Attacks of asthma or hay fever are often triggered by inhaled substances such as pollen or house dust with residues from house mites. However, such reactions would not occur if one’s mucous membranes were not already hypersensitive because of underlying food allergies, mucus congestion, and various deficiencies. (A deficiency is a state of higher nutrient requirement than is available.) In a similar way, food chemicals can act as triggers for hyperactivity. A hypersensitive skin reacts very strongly to insect bites because of its high histamine levels due to underlying food allergy and overacidity. Removing the triggers will help to some degree, but the underlying health deterioration continues and a new trigger can readily be adopted. Elimination Testing: There are various forms of allergy testing, some technical, others a simple skin scratch method, and there is also muscle testing or
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pulse testing. None of these, however, is as reliable as proper elimination testing, called the elimination diet. Here’s how to do it: For five days or longer, abstain from all your commonly eaten foods, as well as alcohol, nicotine, or other drugs. During this time, try to minimize any other possible allergenic influences such as exposure to solvent or car exhaust fumes, house dust, moulds, gas, or cigarette smoke - basically anything with a strong or unusual smell. Starting on the second day, there may be more or less troublesome withdrawal symptoms, with cravings for the food or stimulant to which you are addicted. You may have headaches, dizziness, weakness, and other problems. On the fourth day, these symptoms usually subside and you begin to feel much better. Often symptoms of long-standing diseases such as arthritis, heart pain, or schizophrenia disappear as well. If you still do not feel right on the fifth day, it may be better to extend the program until you do feel well. Chemicals and drugs, be they medical or recreational, take much longer to clear from the body. It will greatly speed up the elimination and lessen your discomfort during the fast if you take a strong laxative on the first morning of the fast, using an isotonic flush, herbal laxative, or a tablespoon of Epsom salts in water; in addition, drink a lot of pure water. The most reliable fast is on pure water only, which means unchlorinated and unfluoridated, and not stored in plastic containers. In a less strict form, it should be all right to use a weak, unsweetened herb tea of a variety you do not habitually use. Non-sensitive (non-reactive) individuals can become more balanced by having a fast on diluted lemon juice, while sensitive individuals can use cooked white or brown rice only, preferably unflavoured; otherwise use a small amount of olive oil, herbs, and possibly salt with the rice. If rice has been habitually eaten before, then use cooked millet, sago, or arrow root instead. Eat as much as you like and drink about two litres of fluid daily. If you use a cleansing period as recommended in Step 4 then you may do elimination testing when gradually re-introducing different foods. If you fast on fluids, use another laxative on the last day of the fast, normally the fifth day. On the morning of the sixth day, eat cooked rice as the first test meal, possibly lightly salted but with no other additions. As explained in Part 2, check your pulse rate for a full minute before a meal, and 30 and 60 minutes after the meal. Always test sitting in the same position and when the pulse rate is not increased from previous physical activity. Before and after each test meal, make the pulse tests and any other relevant tests. If there is a reaction involving a combination of newly tested foods, repeat testing with the individual food components at a later date. If the pulse after a test meal is significantly higher than after the first test meal of rice, say more than 10 percent, then this indicates a possible allergy or incompatibility; the higher the pulse rises after the meal the more likely is it that a food is allergenic. Make other tests relevant for your condition. If you have weak eyesight, you can check your reading ability with a wall chart; schoolchildren can be tested for clarity of writing and speech. Check the range and pain level of impaired joints or muscles, and watch for any sign of bodily or emotional discomfort. Keep a detailed diary of the pulse rates, measurements, and any unusual happenings, feelings,
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discomforts, and so on. Those with diabetes should also test their blood sugar level, and those with hypertension preferably should check their blood pressure (you can easily buy a sphygmomanometer to do this). With each subsequent meal, expand the basic rice meal with one or more additions, such as oil and various vegetables. Test a sprout salad and then other basic foods. You can have four or five small meals a day. In the beginning, test mainly foods that you expect to be safe. Test suspected allergenic foods at the last meal of the day, so you can sleep off any prolonged reactions. Use suspect foods only individually or with previously tested foods. You can stop a strong food allergy reaction by taking one level teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) or, better, two parts baking soda with one part potassium bicarbonate. Also take one tablespoon of Epsom salt or milk of magnesia as a laxative if the reaction occurs soon after the meal. On a normal diet, however, reactions can be delayed and manifest up to two days later. Reactions can also be stopped using homeopathy. Liquefy a sample of the allergenic food, dilute one part of it with nine parts water, and shake in a bottle or jar about 40 times with a strong downward movement. Dilute one part of this with nine parts water and so forth until the dilution process has been done four times in all. Then place one teaspoon of the fourth dilution in your mouth and hold it there for a few minutes before swallowing. Then make two more dilutions and keep a teaspoon of each of these in your mouth in the same way. Take additional teaspoons of all or just the last dilution some time later if still required. Test offending foods again three to six months later. Commonly, small, infrequently consumed amounts can then be tolerated. Eat suspect or problem foods no more than once a week. If conditions deteriorate again after some time, return to testing or adopt a safe, low-allergen diet. The body can be made less sensitive to allergic reactions by making the body more alkaline, as in Step 6. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 6 THE ACID-ALKALINE BALANCE Bring your body back into balance by testing for and correcting any over-acid or over-alkaline condition.
Our blood is slightly alkaline, and the body makes every effort to maintain this alkalinity at a constant level. For this purpose, we normally have an ample reserve of alkalizing minerals. Most of our foods supply minerals. The total balance of minerals in a particular food can be either acid or alkaline. Mineral salts are composed of an acid group (anion), such as chloride, citrate, or phosphate, and of an alkaline group (cation), mainly metal ions such as sodium, calcium, or potassium. If one of these groups is stronger, then the salt is either acid or alkaline. In plants, metal ions such as potassium are combined with organic acids such as citric acid. In the body, the organic acids are converted to energy, while the metal ions remain to produce an alkaline reaction. Therefore, we say vegetables and fruits are alkalizing. Animal tissue, on the other hand, contains a high percentage of phosphoric acid bound to proteins. Some of the proteins are converted to energy and an acid remains. Accordingly, we can classify our food as either alkalizing or acid-forming. Here’s a rule of thumb: Alkalizing foods: vegetables, fruits, sprouted seeds, almonds, most legumes Acid-forming foods: meat, fish, eggs, cheese, most grains and nuts Neutral foods: refined starches and sugar, fats, oils In order to maintain an amply alkaline body reserve, eat approximately four times the weight of alkalizing food compared to acid-forming food, or 80 percent alkalizing to 20 acidifying food. There are food tables available to show the amount of acid or alkaline equivalents in different foods. However, I regard these as useless because some of the listed foods may change their values in the body due to specific, individual metabolic problems. Sugar and chemically neutral and normally alkalizing fruits become acidforming in sensitive individuals, while a high intake of meat and fat can lead to a lack of acids required for energy production. No matter how alkalizing a food is supposed to be, if you are sensitive or allergic to it, then it is acid-forming for you. Even the same food may change from alkalizing to acid-forming if it is incorrectly combined with other foods or if consumed when you are emotionally upset. All of this is contrary to what you would expect by using acid-alkaline food tables. The values in these tables reflect the typical mineral content of the food, but this varies greatly depending on soil and storage conditions, production methods, and cooking. Therefore, the only reliable and meaningful method is to observe your body: skin sensitivity, tendency towards inflammation, allergic reactions, and possibly to test your urine and saliva for acidity. The Regulation of Body Acidity: The body tries to keep the blood acidity constant within a very narrow band, between pH 7.35 and 7.45. This is actually a slightly alkaline condition. The pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity and indicates
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the hydrogen ion concentration in a fluid. These hydrogen ions are the originators of acidity. A pH of 1 indicates the highest hydrogen ion concentration and with this the highest acidity. At the other end of the scale is a pH of 14, with the lowest hydrogen ion concentration and the highest alkalinity. A pH of 7 is neutral. In our younger years, our metabolism often is too fast; too many acids are produced and the body becomes chronically overacid. Later in life, however, with decreasing muscle activity and vitality, not enough metabolic acids are produced, potassium is lost from the cells, and the metabolism becomes sluggish. With this, the body often becomes chronically over-alkaline and loses its ability to regenerate and heal infections or wounds. By excreting more acids or more alkalis through the urine, the body tries to maintain a normal pH level. The body also does so by changing the breathing rate: An increased volume of breathing makes the blood more alkaline by releasing additional carbon dioxide into the air; decreased breathing, on the other hand, increases the carbon dioxide level in the blood and makes it more acid. The balance in the blood between carbon dioxide and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is the main buffer system to keep the blood pH constant. With an efficient metabolism, the pH of the urine depends mainly on the acidalkaline balance of the diet. A diet high in acid-forming foods will naturally produce acid urine. This is not dangerous as such but it is an indicator that the diet is unbalanced and may in time lead to exhaustion of the body’s alkaline reserve. Similarly, on a diet high in alkalizing foods, the urine is always alkaline. This can lead to stone formation in the urinary tract, and it may show that the cells don’t have enough metabolic acids for efficient energy production. A normal mixed diet containing about 80 percent alkalizing foods and 20 percent acidifying foods should give a slightly acid morning urine, while urine formed after meals is naturally slightly alkaline as a result of the production of gastric acid. Test Your Body Acidity: To obtain an indication of the acid-alkaline balance of your body, test your first morning urine from time to time. In evaluating the results, take into account whether your present diet in general and the last meal in particular were balanced or acid or alkaline forming. If you test the urine during the day, the result may be much more variable because of the temporary alkaline tide after eating. Urine paper should have a range from pH 5.5 to 7.5. You can obtain it over the internet. For an approximate test, you can use litmus paper which turns red with an acid reaction and blue when it is alkaline. Instead of using pH strips you may use the yellow powder turmeric or possibly curry powder. Dissolve a teaspoon of powder in half a litre of methylated spirits, shake and let settle to produce a clear yellow solution. To make a test pour a teaspoon of the yellow solution into a small drinking glass. Add a teaspoon of urine or saliva, if it turns ruby red then what was added was alkaline with a pH greater than 6.8, if it stays yellow then it is still acid and less than pH 6.8. Also red cabbage juice can be used as pH indicator. The colour at pH 2 is red, at pH 4 purple, pH 6 violet, pH 8 blue, pH 10 blue-green, and pH 12 green-yellow. Finely chop some red cabbage, pour hot water over it and soak for 10 to 20 minutes, then filter through some gauze or tissue. In a small clear glass add a spoonful of filtered juice to a similar amount of a test liquid, stir gently and compare with the
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colour chart. Refrigerated the rest of the juice, use within a week or two, or keep frozen. Also other purple juices work in a similar way, just experiment. It is also valuable to check saliva acidity, especially if there are any digestive difficulties and if you do not seem to get sufficient value from your food. An allergic reaction makes the saliva too acid, so you can use this test as part of your allergy testing program. Before a meal, the normal acidity of the saliva is 6.4 to 6.7, while 30 to 60 minutes after the meal, it should be above 6.8. If test results remain too low you may be to acid or produce not enough stomach acid. For testing first clean your mouth with plain water, fill it with saliva, swallow, and then test the second lot of accumulating saliva. Acidity Problems: The main reasons people become overacid are: 1. Inefficient metabolism 2. Stress reactions due to food allergy, chemical sensitivity, emotional upset 3. Eating sweet foods when the blood sugar regulation is poor 4. Acids accumulating after eating fruit 5. Strenuous muscle activity 6. Candida albicans infestation Chronic overacidity has a serious effect on the body. It causes a continual loss of minerals needed to neutralize excess acid and the body becomes hypersensitive. The more acidic the body becomes, the more histamine (the allergy chemical) is released. This means acidity causes and greatly increases inflammations and allergies, and it makes the skin very sensitive to insect bites and other irritants. Remember that degenerative diseases are associated with chronic inflammation. Overacidity of the body is often felt as pain; it is most prominent in arthritis and rheumatism. If the alkaline reserve is insufficient to neutralize these acids, more calcium will be mobilized from the bones for this purpose, thereby causing the bones to become brittle and the tissues and joints to calcify. Further, tumours grow only if the surrounding tissue is too acid. Acidity around a tumour may be due to the lactic acid production of the tumour itself; however, sensitive individuals are generally too acid and this promotes rapid tumour growth and pain. Table 1-2: Symptoms of Calcium–Phosphorus Imbalance Calcium level too high
Phosphorus level too high
Colds and flu are rare Insensitive to pain and noise Insensitive skin Signs of magnesium deficiency Blood pressure raised Blood is too alkaline Caries of the crowns Tartar on teeth gingivitis Calcium kidney stones Stiffness, rigidity Fusion of vertebrae Arthritic deposits causing bone deformations Arteriosclerosis
Frequent colds and flu Sensitive to pain and noise Sensitive skin Signs of calcium deficiency Tendency to low blood pressure Blood is too acid Caries near the gum Gums very red and tender: pyorrhoea,
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Tendency to inflammations & swellings Red-rimmed eyes Headaches, nausea Acute arthritic attacks Allergies, palpitations Heal Yourself - The Natural Way
Alkalizing the Body: Fresh green vegetable juices and vegetable broth are strongly alkalizing foods, especially the broth of boiled potato peelings. While fresh fruits increase the acidity of sensitive individuals, they are usually beneficial for those with a normal carbohydrate metabolism, raised blood pressure, and insensitive skin. Habitually taking several grams of vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid can deplete mineral reserves or increase body acidity. This may lead to inflammation, increased pain, and other problems in sensitive people. Therefore, for such people it is advisable to use the neutral sodium or calcium ascorbate. The best alkalizing food cannot bring lasting improvement if you continue to eat food to which you are allergic or if you eat sweet foods and fruits when you are overly sensitive. Alkalizing with Sodium and Potassium: Sodium is the highest mineral in the blood, and sodium bicarbonate is well tolerated but should not be taken with meals as it then reduces our stomach acid. Potassium citrate can be mixed with meals and it as well as potassium carbonate and bicarbonate have the strongest alkalizing effect of any mineral supplements. Whether sodium or potassium is preferable for alkalizing depends on some additional factors. The following conditions favour the use of potassium: 1.
A high sodium and low potassium intake as in a conventional Western diet
2.
Raised and especially high blood pressure
3.
Kidney problems or water retention/edema. Sodium bicarbonate, on the other hand, is called for:
1.
With low blood pressure
2.
With a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in salted foods.
Those who do not fit into one of these categories may take both alkalizers. Commonly a ratio of 2 parts of sodium bicarbonate to 1 part of potassium citrate or bicarbonate is being used, but also 1 : 1 or an excess of potassium is alright. These may be mixed and taken together in the same drink, or they may be taken separately during the day. If you use more than 1 teaspoonful then space the intake out during the day. Do not take more than 3 level teaspoons of potassium salts in a day mixed with meals as this may cause irregular heart beat. Alkalizing with Calcium and Magnesium: A recommended way of obtaining more calcium and magnesium and at the same time alkalizing the body is to dissolve dolomite powder in vinegar or lemon juice. In the body, the organic acid tends to be broken down and converted to energy while the mineral remains to alkalize the body. Keep in a jar several tablespoons of finely powdered dolomite mixed in a glassful of vinegar. You can stir or shake the mixture occasionally to speed up the reaction. Drink about 50 ml of the decanted liquid daily, either before one meal or divided before two meals, best diluted with water or other liquid. This supplies approximately 500 mg of calcium and 300 mg of magnesium. The day before all the liquid is used up, start a fresh mixture of dolomite with vinegar. You can use apple cider vinegar, preferably organic, but white vinegar is adequate for this purpose as well. It is also possible to use lemon juice instead of vinegar.
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Table 1-3: Calcium/Phosphorus Ratio of Foods You can minimize inflammations by selecting foods with a high ratio of calcium to phosphorus
Bone Kelp, dry Molasses, blackstrap Sesame seeds Carob flour Turnip greens Kale Parsley Mustard greens Dandelion greens Endive Watercress Beet greens Leaf lettuce Green barley powder Grass juice Spinach Broccoli Cheese Goat’s milk Cow’s milk Cabbage Celery Pineapple, raw Turnips Grapes Butter Carrots Tofu Grapefruit, whole Cucumber Dates Lemon juice, apples Watermelon Pears Apricots, fresh Plums Orange juice Onions Peaches Sardines Eggplant Peas, fresh Parsnip Tomatoes
Ca/P ratio mg/100 g
Ca/P ratio mg/100 g
36,700/16,400 1200/300 684/84 1160/616 352/81 246/58 249/93 203/63 183/50 187/66 181/54 151/54 119/40 68/25 1100/590 150/75 93/51 103/78 750/480 129/106 118/93 67/54 39/28 17/8 39/30 16/12 20/16 37/36 128/126 16/16 25/27 59/63 7/10 7/10 8/11 17/23 12/18 11/17 27/36 9/19 430/575 11/21 62/90 50/77 13/27
Dried apricots Raisins Sweet potatoes Filberts Cottage cheese Salmon Beet root Cauliflower Almonds Soybeans, dry Pumpkin Capsicum Spirulina Buckwheat Bananas Beans, dry Jerusalem artichokes Potatoes Herring Eggs, whole Egg yolk Lentils, cooked Pecans Walnuts, English Coconut, dried Peas, dried, cooked Peanuts Brazil nuts Barley Mushrooms Sweet corn Corn, dried Rice, brown Cashew nuts Millet Sunflower seeds Rye, wheat Oats Torula yeast Brewer’s yeast Bran, rice/wheat Wheat germ Pumpkin seeds Meat average Liver average
67/108 62/101 31/52 209/337 90/165 188/328 16/33 25/56 234/504 226/554 21/44 12/28 396/1023 114/282 8/26 135/460 14/78 8/53 66/254 54/205 141/569 25/119 73/289 99/380 26/187 11/89 69/401 186/693 16/189 6/116 3/111 22/268 37/292 38/373 20/311 120/837 37/380 53/405 424/1713 210/1753 100/1300 72/1118 51/1144 10/200 15/540
Dolomite supplies calcium and magnesium in the generally desirable ratio of 2:1. However, if you are already routinely using magnesium chloride or only additional calcium is required, then you can use powdered eggshell, powdered shell grit, or commercial calcium carbonate for neutralizing. A 50 ml amount of neutralized vinegar carries about 800 mg of calcium into the body.
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If we took calcium carbonate or dolomite powder instead of dissolving it, we would use up our precious supply of gastric acid to neutralize and dissolve these carbonates. Many individuals have mineral deficiencies precisely because of a lack of gastric acid. If, on the other hand, we use an inorganic mineral supplement, such as calcium or magnesium chloride, then we can absorb the calcium or magnesium, but it will not reduce any overacid condition of the body. The Calcium-Phosphorus Ratio: In a person of good health, the ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the blood is 10:4. If there is a glandular imbalance, especially in regard to the parathyroid glands (in the neck), then this ratio will be maintained at a different level, causing long-term health deterioration. In particular, a high ratio of phosphorus to calcium sensitizes the body and increases acidity and inflammatory tendencies. In addition to this regulation by the parathyroid glands, the calcium-phosphorus ratio is affected by our food choices. If we consistently eat foods high in phosphorus and low in calcium, such as meat, oats, wheat, and corn, then this tends to make the body overacid, depletes it of calcium and other minerals, and increases the tendency towards inflammation. By selecting suitable foods, these effects can be minimized. You can judge from Table 1-2 whether you might have an imbalanced -calciumphosphorus ratio in your blood or your food selections. A low phosphorus intake is especially helpful with cancer and leukaemia. As you can see from the foods listed in Table 1-3, it is easy to obtain sufficient phosphorus. In fact, if the blood calcium level is high, more magnesium rather than phosphorus is generally required. You may wonder how the body can maintain the blood ratio in favour of calcium despite its relative scarcity in our foods. The reason is that normally about 1 g of phosphorus but only 150 mg of calcium are expelled daily with the urine. In metabolic imbalance, this excretion ratio is changed. In addition, using more phosphorus leads to the excretion of more calcium together with the excess phosphorus. An excess of up to three to one in favour of phosphorus might still be regarded as metabolically neutral. In addition to the ratio, the actual amount of the excessive mineral is important. Therefore, to an extent the generally recommended daily calcium allowance is meaningless if it is not geared to the levels of phosphorus and magnesium. With low blood pressure, your calcium intake should be about double the intake of magnesium. However, with high blood pressure it is better to have equal amounts of magnesium and calcium or sometimes even to have more magnesium. The higher the phosphorus intake, the higher your combined calcium and magnesium intake should be.
* * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 7 LIVING WATER Living water has a great healing potential - learn how to use it.
Water, air, and food are the three main essentials to sustain life. For remaining healthy, these should be as clean and life-enhancing as possible. All three are highly polluted in our present environment, and we need to make an extra effort to improve them. Food is the most difficult aspect and is explained in later chapters. Individually, we cannot do much to improve our air, besides living in the countryside or buying an air purifier and ionizer. This leaves water in need of our attention. Water has the ability to attract and accumulate bioenergy. Bioenergy or life-force energy is known in all traditional cultures under many different names, such as chi, ki, od, orgone, or prana. It can be seen or felt by many psychic or sensitive individuals. Water also stores an energy memory of harmful or helpful vibrations to which it was exposed in the past. This is the basis of homeopathy. Our chlorinated tap water is polluted with non-biological chemicals and negative energy imprints. It is also devoid of bioenergy and so may be regarded as being badly polluted as well as “dead.” Contaminated water can be filtered, distilled, or treated with reverse osmosis, but it remains dead unless it is energized to make it a “living” water again, one that can improve our health. While polluted and dead tap water can contribute to the deterioration of our health, living water is one of the greatest healers. Ideally, healthy, living water should have the following properties: •
Purity: free of unhealthy chemical and biological contamination as well as negative vibrations or frequencies
•
Minerals: well mineralized with calcium, magnesium, and trace minerals
•
Low surface tension: due to the small cluster size of water molecules, making it a microwater
•
Antioxidant activity: an abundance of negative hydrogen measurable as a negative oxidation-reduction potential (ORP)
•
Vibrations: carrying positive, health-promoting vibrations
•
Bioenergy: strongly charged with life force
All of these health-giving properties are naturally present in cascading, sunlit mountain streams. While it is easy to produce water meeting several of these requirements, there are some problems getting all of them in the same water. A main problem is the present lack of reliable measuring devices for bioenergy and the quality and strength of health-promoting vibrations.
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Purity: This is easiest to achieve with readily available filters, distillers, and reverse osmosis. I have no strong preference for any particular method as long as you feel assured that your purified water is free of chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals, pesticides, microbes, as well as agricultural, industrial and pharmaceutical chemicals. However, most of these methods take out, in addition to the nasties, the beneficial minerals, which I recommend to put back into the water afterwards. However, there are also filters available that remove only pollutants and leave beneficial minerals in the water. Normal water filters do not remove added fluoride but water ionizers, especially on high settings, channel fluoride into the acid water fraction so that the alkaline water becomes safe to drink. Also water high in calcium lowers the fluoride level by forming insoluble calcium fluoride. Minerals: The minerals in our drinking and cooking water should supply a sizable part of our overall mineral intake. In living water, minerals are largely present in an energized form such as colloids and stabilized within small clusters of water molecules. I know of individuals who became badly demineralised from drinking distilled water over a long period; reverse osmosis water and rainwater (except if stored in concrete tanks) are commonly very low in minerals. Using water low in minerals can be beneficial as a temporary measure for “calcified” individuals with high blood pressure, those who might otherwise use chelation therapy, but it is detrimental for anyone with low blood pressure. Overall, the most important bulk mineral commonly supplied with our drinking water is magnesium. Various studies show the beneficial effect of high magnesium levels on the rate of common diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease as well as bone and dental disorders. Therefore, remineralise your purified water and add a teaspoon of hydrated or half a teaspoon of desiccated magnesium chloride to about ten litres of water. Alternatively, you can add a spoonful of sea-mineral liquid or bitterns, which is the brine left over after salt has crystallized out of seawater. In addition to being very high in magnesium, it contains all trace minerals. Instead of or in addition to magnesium, you can add an appropriate amount of commercially available colloidal minerals. Low Surface Tension: This is a common by-product of energizing water. Water contains organized clusters of water molecules, also called liquid crystals, surrounded by large numbers of randomly moving single water molecules. In normal water, these clusters are larger and there are fewer of them. Energized or living water contains many more liquid crystals and of a smaller average size, forming cage-like structures of about six molecules. Due to this effect, energized water is also called “microwater.” The smaller clustering causes a lowering of the surface tension of the water. It makes the water “wetter” and more easily absorbed. It also becomes more like the water in fresh fruit and vegetables and within our cells. Colloidal minerals and fatsoluble nutrients can become suspended within the water cages and more easily absorbed during digestion. Also, various biochemicals, such as lecithin, detergents, soaps, and saponins, reduce surface tension, but this is not due to the formation of microwater.
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Antioxidant Activity: The principle of antioxidant activity is the availability of electrons to neutralize any so-called free radicals, which have oxidizing qualities that can damage biological systems. Living water tends to contain highly reactive loosely bound electrons that react much faster than organic antioxidants to neutralize free radicals. Most of this antioxidant activity is assumed to come from an abundance of negative hydrogen, which is also present in fresh fruits and vegetables. Such antioxidant-rich water is now commonly produced with water ionizers as electrolytic reduced water (ERW). Alternatively, you can buy capsules of Microhydrin. This is a commercial powder containing an abundance of negative hydrogen stabilized with colloidal silica; by dissolving a capsule in water, the water acquires a high antioxidant or reducing quality. As we age, our body structures lose elasticity; everything becomes more rigid. On a biochemical level, this increasing rigidity is due to cross-linking of structural biochemicals, which in turn is due to a loss of electrons. Providing the body with an abundance of highly reactive electrons can be expected to slow cross-linking reactions and, with this, the aging process. All biochemical energy in our body is produced by transferring electrons from food molecules onto inhaled oxygen. Thus, having more available electrons can help us to produce more energy. This may be the reason why some individuals feel more energetic on alkaline ionized or reduced water. A water ionizer basically consists of a cell or container with two electrodes, which are separated by a membrane to minimize mixing of the water. The electrodes commonly consist of titanium, usually plated with platinum for better resistance to corrosion. When a current is applied, one electrode becomes positive, the anode, while the cathode becomes negative and releases electrons. Positively charged ions, such as calcium and magnesium, accumulate on the side of the cathode. They form hydroxides and make this fraction of the water alkaline. Negative ions, such as chloride and fluoride, move to the anode and, in combination with positive hydrogen ions, make this part of the water more acid. At the same time, an abundance of electrons in the alkaline water leads to the formation of hydrogen gas and negative hydrogen ions, while oxygen and active oxidizing species are formed in the acid water. In through-flow ionizers, the amount of reducing activity in the alkaline water depends mainly on the mineral content of the water, the flow rate, and the current flow or ionizer setting. With batch ionizers, it depends on the voltage of the power source, the size of the electrodes and distance from each other, the mineral content of the water, and the duration of ionizing. Higher mineral concentrations are desirable as they require shorter ionizing times and produce greater pH and lower oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) changes. It is advisable to use water low in calcium, otherwise the cathode soon becomes coated with calcium deposits during long ionizing periods and loses its effectiveness or frequently needs to be cleaned. While the pH can be very high in alkalinity, it is in fact very weak, because the mineral density of ionized water is rather low and easily neutralized.
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The negative charge of the alkaline water declines quickly with exposure to light and air and in contact with blank metal and soft plastics. However, in closed brown glass bottles filled to the top or in a cupboard, the water can keep for days and sometimes weeks. Aim for a high ORP of between 500 and 800 mV, which can be measured with a commercially available ORP-meter. You can ask a distributor of water ionizers or a local water treatment or testing company to check the mineral level of your water and possibly the ORP of your alkaline water. Batch ionizers are more robust and easier to repair, but they are also more labour intensive; through-flow ionizers are more convenient. Vibrations: This is an informal term based on the observation that water seems to retain a memory of various influences to which it has been exposed. There is a close connection between vibrations and energy: we may regard vibrations as an energy imprint on the water. Retained vibrations may be due to chemical, mechanical, electrical, or magnetic influences or even to feelings, emotions, and possibly thoughts. These retained memories in turn may influence the user of the water. This is the basis of homeopathy, which double-blind studies have shown to be therapeutically valid. However, it seems that only natural ingredients can be used to make homeopathic remedies, and some scientific tests for the memory of water and the effectiveness of homeopathy failed because synthetic chemicals that cannot be energized were used. A method to assess the vibrational purity or degree of contamination of water was developed by researchers in biodynamics. If a drop of water is added to a concentrated mineral solution such as copper sulphate, it changes its crystallization pattern. The purer or more beneficial the water, the more harmonious is the crystallization pattern and vice versa. Polluted water causes a confused crystallization pattern. Consider the work of Masaru Emoto. In his The Message from Water and on his website (www.adhikara.com/water.html), he shows in countless pictures how the crystallization pattern of freezing water changes when exposed to human thoughts and feelings. Some of these he did by typing a positive word such as “love” or a negative one on a piece of paper and sticking it on a glass of water. The positive word induced a beautiful and symmetrical crystallization pattern, while the negative word resulted in a chaotic or confused crystallization. As our biological body contains large amounts of water (e.g., blood, lymph fluid, cells), you may now appreciate what negative thoughts and feelings are doing to your health. In a similar way, we can improve water before ingestion by blessing it with thoughts and feelings of love, joy, and peace. We may also hold it for a moment in front of the heart while doing this. For special healing effects, you can expose water to light in coloured glass containers or cover the container with coloured cellophane. For cancer therapy, green-treated water has an overall healing and balancing effect. Yellow and orange are energizing; blue is sedating and antiinflammatory. Another possibility is to expose water overnight to a strong magnet. Water exposed to the south-pointing pole is most suitable for pain, cancer, and infectious or inflammatory conditions. The north-pointing pole can be used to energize weak
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muscles and the digestive system, provided there is no inflammation or infection. You can also combine suitable magnet and color treatments. Various energized waters are commercially available. While I expect these to be a great improvement on dead tap water, the energies and vibrations of uncontaminated natural ground, bore, or spring water are no doubt even more beneficial for us. You can also keep water in a pyramid or immerse a suitable crystal or precious stone or pure gold or silver in it, possibly while the water is exposed to sunlight and/or moonlight. You can attach a magnet, crystal, or other energizing device to the water pipe to improve your shower or bath water or when filling a water bed. Some good water filtering and energizing systems impart natural rock vibrations in combination with a vortex formation. A device can be fitted to a tap, which then produces running energized water, although the water may need to be chemically decontaminated beforehand. Another energizing system is a spiralling copper device through which the water flows. A good way of energizing water is as follows: attach two magnets on opposite sides at the bottom of a funnel so that they face each other with unlike poles. Then pour water tangentially into the funnel so that it forms a vortex before running out into a collecting bottle. Finally, you can use homeopathic potentising. Water and any active substance dissolved in it becomes energized by shaking it with a strong downward thrust. Use any uncontaminated water and shake it in a half-filled bottle or jar about 40 times. If possible, do the shaking outdoors, preferably on a dry, sunny day. Instead of potentising only water with its naturally dissolved ingredients, you can add a small amount of a live (unheated) substance that you believe may be good for you. Commonly used are herbal remedies, colloidal minerals, natural vitamins, or fresh vegetable juice. Bioenergy: If we eat fresh raw food, we gain additional bioenergy. If we eat precooked or processed food and drink dead water, then our body loses bioenergy by charging the ingested food or drink from its own energy store. Rainwater is energized, especially during thunderstorms and if it comes as showers on sunny days. However, the maximum benefit is gained if the rainwater is collected and used without it touching metal. It appears that good quality rainwater has a beneficial negative electric charge (negative hydrogen ions), which is instantly neutralized by contact with metals. I recommend keeping energized water away from contact with blank metals, and I recommend the same for fresh raw food and especially fresh juices. The simplest method for energizing water is to expose uncontaminated water to sunshine for several hours. However, a stronger charge can be achieved more quickly if the water is exposed to a source of bioenergy, such as sunshine, while it is in turbulent motion leading to vortex formations. High mineral content, especially colloidal silica, helps in retaining a high charge. Another recommended way is to leave drinking water for a while in contact with some freshly cut grass or leaves before using it.
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The vortex principle is used in biodynamic agriculture for energizing liquid preparations. Use a large glass or ceramic container or a plastic bucket half-filled with uncontaminated water. Vortex energies can be absorbed into the water by first creating a deep vortex in one direction and then immediately reversing its direction until another deep vortex has formed. Stir for several minutes with a wooden handle or any suitable flat piece of wood or possibly plastic to create alternating vortexes. Electrical vortex machines are available from biodynamic sources for longer charging times. Charging the water with vortex energy will be more successful when the air is high in bioenergy or orgone energy, such as outside on a sunny afternoon in natural surroundings. The energy is low during the night, on rainy days, in wet surroundings, and inside modern, tightly-sealed buildings. You can also extract energy from volcanic rock dust or silica beach sand. Add a spoonful of rock dust to uncontaminated water and use the biodynamic vortex method before letting it settle overnight. Use the water while it is still milky from the suspended colloidal minerals. Most of the residue settles at the bottom and can eventually be used to fertilize plants. A stronger effect can be achieved by highly heating the rock dust or beach sand, preferably until it glows red, and then plunging it into water (in an enamel pot). Alternating several times of boiling the sand for 15 minutes (no microwave) and then freezing it is another method of liberating trapped orgone energy to energize water. Another possibility is the use of flow forms, manufactured rock, or cement shapes in a series that simulate the action of mountain streams. From a reservoir, the water cascades through several levels of spiral formations, preferably while exposed to the sun. A recently developed energizing device is “orgonite,” a mixture of about equal parts of metal particles and resin; for more information on orgonite and bioenergy see Part 7. Preferably do not store energized water near strong electric appliances. It also loses its beneficial energy if highly heated as in cooking. It is best to use energized water for drinking, to dilute juices, for enemas, or rubbing into the skin. Preferably avoid contact between energized water and metal. However, if you store drinking water for a longer time, you can add some colloidal silver or hydrogen peroxide to keep it free of moulds and other microbes or possibly put a piece of clean copper or a silver coin at the bottom of the container. Our most common source of energized water is the water content of fresh raw fruit and vegetables. I expect the bioenergy of organic produce to be much higher than that of commercial produce. This is one more reason to eat your fruit and vegetables fresh, raw, and organic as often as conveniently possible. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 8 THE PRACTICE OF HEALTHY LIVING Improve your environment—your house, clothes, even your teeth.
Healthy living is the solid base for any health improvement. It includes all the habits that should become part of our daily lives. Our future well-being or diseases will arise from how we think, feel, and live habitually, not from any occasional transgressions of the rules of healthy living. The most important general principle of healthy living is to live in harmony - with ourselves, our social interactions, and with the forces of nature. In regard to health and natural living, this concept encompasses our environment, housing, clothing, workplace, exercise and nutrition, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. In the following section, we will investigate various aspects of healthy living. It is important to realize that the concepts of healthy living often overlap with specific healing methods; for example, positive thinking, nutrition, reflexology, and physical exercises may all be used for normal healthy living as well as for healing yourself. Therefore, when reading this book, keep in mind that the separation between healthy living and healing methods is fluid, even somewhat artificial. At present, most of us live in such an artificial and unnatural environment that it is not possible to remain healthy by living in the -commonly accepted way. Instead, we must become aware of the multitude of negative influences in our environment created by modern technology and try to minimize their harmful effects on us. Improve the Physical Aspects of Your House: When building a new home, preferentially select building materials that do not shut out or distort the natural electric, magnetic, and life-force fields of the Earth. Therefore, minimize sheet metals and any steel or wire-mesh concrete reinforcements that form a cage-like structure (called a Faraday cage). Stone, brick, tiles, shingles, wood, plywood, and combinations of fibre and cement are acceptable for building. If you live permanently in a metal-clad dwelling, such as an aluminium caravan or mobile home, it is better to sleep in a non-metal annex. Here are some practical tips: •
New copper or plastic water pipes may leach undesirable concentrations of heavy metals into the water. This is another reason, in addition to avoiding chlorine and fluoride, to use a good filter for your drinking and cooking water.
•
Make your home a low-pollution sanctuary. Use natural materials for interior use whenever feasible, especially in the bedroom or wherever you spend most of your time. By far the best mattresses are those made of latex.
•
Avoid cooking and heating inside with gas or kerosene except if the combustion gases are being efficiently vented. Many people are allergic to these. Wood stoves or solar heating are preferable wherever feasible.
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•
If you live in a modern house, try to sanitize it by minimizing the use of synthetic items that release or outgas chemicals, such as formaldehyde from glued material (many carpets, chipboard, and plywood).
•
Avoid solvents and odorous household cleaners and disinfectants, tobacco smoke, mothballs, and insect sprays. If the outside air is reasonably clean, good ventilation helps to minimize the problem of indoor air pollution.
•
New synthetic materials have a tendency to accumulate static electricity that can reduce our well-being in addition to releasing toxic chemicals. Synthetic materials (as well as television sets) also lower the amount of beneficial negative ions in the indoor air. Negative ions are energetic molecules with additional electrons in the air. Generally, the more negative ions there are in the air, the better we feel. Commercial air ionizers are available to improve room air.
Consider the Health Aspects of Your Clothes: Clothes are our “second skin,” and their material and color have a direct influence on our emotions and wellbeing. This applies especially to garments worn directly on the skin. Except for occasional short-term use, avoid underwear, including pantyhose and stockings, made of nylon or other synthetic material. They do not absorb moisture or “breathe” as well as natural fibres and appear to encourage fungal growth; sensitive individuals may experience skin irritations. Nylon seems to be worse in this regard than polyester. Synthetic clothing can also cause discomfort by accumulating static electricity. A more acceptable human-made fibre is rayon, as it is based on cellulose. The best material for underwear and stockings is silk; otherwise, use cotton. Generally, select colours that balance your emotional state: wear bright colours when you are low in energy and blue when you are nervous and irritable. Avoid murky and dull gray colours and be extra careful with black; these can increase depressive tendencies in susceptible individuals. Commonly, the negative effect of black is balanced by combining it with red. You can use muscle testing as described in Part 2 to discover whether a certain material or color is suitable for you. Shoes ideally should be made of natural materials with a leather sole to allow static electricity to flow off the body and into the ground. This is prevented by rubber and synthetic soles and by nylon socks and stockings. Walking barefoot for at least several minutes each day on moist grass or wet sand will discharge static electricity into the ground and improve well-being. For women, it is advisable to reduce the time you wear a bra. A study reported by Singer and Grismaijer in Dressed to Kill found that women who wear a tight bra all the time had a 125 times higher rate of breast cancer than women not wearing a bra. Women who wore their bras 24 hours a day had a 75 percent chance of developing breast cancer. If they wore bras more than 12 hours daily but not to bed, the risk was one out of seven. Wearing a bra less than 12 hours per day improved the risk to one out of 152, a rate reasonably close to women who wear bras rarely or never; they have a one out of 168 chance of breast cancer. Women who never wear a bra have the same low breast cancer risk as men. While this study was not adjusted for other factors, the difference in cancer rate is certainly large enough to be significant. A tight bra blocks the lymph circulation in the breasts and is much worse than a loose-fitting bra. If you need to wear a bra in
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public, use a loose-fitting one without underwires and minimise using it at home. Also do some exercises to stimulate the lymph flow in the breasts, such as circling your arms or massaging the area around the breast while doing inversion exercises. Sanitize your Bedroom: Preferably use mattresses (futons) filled with natural fibres such as kapok, wool, horsehair or cotton; latex or natural rubber may be the best material. A cheap alternative is straw or hay from a pesticide-free source. Innerspring mattress may direct confused magnetic fields into the body, depending on how the spirals have been tempered. When moving a compass across the surface of the mattress the needle should not be deflected from its north-pointing position. Synthetic foam rubber mattresses are not good either. They emit toxic gases that may be a major factor in cot death. Wrap them in clear polythene with only a small opening at the bottom. Use natural blankets and sheets on top of the mattress. Even sheepskin is chemically treated and can cause problems. Frequently expose pillows and featherbeds to the sun to kill moulds and dust-mites. This can greatly reduce asthma problems. Alternatively, use an airtight pillowcase. Try not to use steel-framed beds or steel-spring frames that deflect the compass needle, move the bed if there are metal beams or live wires in the wall behind the bed. Featherbeds may contribute to arthritic problems due to static electricity between the feathers. Try to sleep with the head in a northerly direction or otherwise between north and east. Our brain waves are slowest when the head points towards magnetic north. Cover your head during cold nights to minimize heat loss. Sleep in total darkness or cover your eyes during sleep, as production of beneficial melatonin is interrupted by exposure to electric light, including street lights, although moonlight and red light are harmless. Avoid even short exposure to electric light in the first part of the night. Minimize Electromagnetic Pollution: Strong electromagnetic fields (EMF’s) of about 50 to 60 cycles per second (hertz, or Hz) and the related electromagnetic radiation (EMR) may be harmful to us. Long-term exposure can aggravate any existing health problems or diseases and may cause or intensify them; this is especially true of lack of energy or fatigue, irritability, aggression, hyperactivity, sleep disorders, and emotional instability. Increasing numbers of individuals are becoming hypersensitive to EMR; many can feel the electricity going through their body and may experience disabling symptoms such as convulsions, memory problems, and depression. I have encountered many of these problems with patients. Chronic exposure to high levels of EMR, especially while asleep, is a constant drain on our vitality. It creates chronic stress, which interferes with the regeneration and healing that normally take place during a good night’s sleep. You may compare it to always swimming against a strong current, and this may well make the difference between recovering from a serious disease and succumbing to it. For more information on health problems due to electricity and many case reports, see: www.emrsafety.8m.net. EMR exists around power lines, power tools, electric stoves, heaters, boilers, freezers, and television sets when in use, extending several feet or yards around the appliance. Stay away from them, if possible. Using an electric iron or an electric
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keyboard or working with handheld power tools can quickly drain our energies. When working with electrical equipment, we can reduce harmful effects by holding our hands under running water from time to time, in addition to having a shower in the evening or walking barefoot on grass. Try to minimize electromagnetic pollution, especially while sleeping, when the pineal gland is most susceptible. Also sleep in the dark or at least cover your eyes to produce the immune-stimulating hormone melatonin. Before going to sleep, preferably switch off all power points in the bedroom and unplug all electric leads with two-prong plugs, especially any power points or leads close to the bed. This applies also to water beds, which need to be switched off or unplugged overnight. Threeprong plugs may remain connected to power points because this allows stray electricity to flow off through the grounding connection. Increasingly governments insist that we get maximum exposure to harmful fluorescent lighting in the form of compact fluorescent light or CFL. The flickering, even if not perceptible, electromagnetic "noise", and the unnatural frequency distribution of CFL's frequently cause health problems for sensitive individuals. Most affected are those with vision problems, autism, migraines, traumatic brain injury, vestibular problems, multiple sclerosis, muscle spasms, epilepsy, tremors, cardiac arrhythmias, memory loss, diabetes, difficulty concentrating, and lupus. For details see www.cflimpact.com. Here are some more tips: •
If your head faces a wall with power points or other electric wiring inside the wall close to the bed, then move the bed towards the middle of the room so that you can walk around the bed. The best sleeping position is with the head towards north or otherwise somewhere between north and east.
•
When using an electric blanket, warm the bed beforehand and disconnect the power before you go to bed or better still, connect the blanket to a good earth. Do not habitually remain within a few meters of a working electric appliance, and minimize fluorescent lighting, watching television, using video games, computers, and even electric typewriters and handheld electric tools.
•
Stray currents and radiating fields can still be emitted from electric wires even if appliances are switched off. AC electric fields do not disappear when an appliance is switched off, only AC magnetic fields disappear. Keep live wires away from your body. Preferably do not live near high-voltage lines, microwave towers, or electric-train tracks. Alternatively, you may take extra precautions to shield your house from the effects of their energies.
•
Old fashioned TV sets and computer monitors emit harmful X-rays. Preferably sit as far away as conveniently possible. Flat or liquid crystal screens are much safer. An increasing hazard is microwave radiation from ovens, mobile phones, cordless phones and keyboards and other equipment. Most dangerous are longreaching microwave stations inside the house for phones and computers, or equipment such as a mouse or keyboard that are not connected by wires, but USB modems for wireless broadband are harmless.
Electro-Proofing Your House: The measures outlined so far will go some way towards reducing the harmful effects of EMR on your health. However, often they are
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not enough. There is a simple way to check whether your home and workplace are sufficiently safe. You can do this by measuring the electricity that is absorbed by your body. For this you need a digital voltmeter that can measure millivolts. Get some insulated electric wire that is long enough to reach from most rooms to the ground outside and attach an alligator clip to each end. Then get a ground stake or earth spike (a copper pipe is good for this) and drive it into moist soil. One end of the wire is clipped to a clamp at the top of the ground stake and the other to the black probe of the voltmeter. It will not work to attach the earth wire to a water pipe or to the main electricity ground stake of the house as they may carry high voltages. To close the circuit, hold the metal end of the red probe firmly in one hand. However, it is more convenient to hold a piece of copper pipe, which is connected through a clipped or soldered insulated wire to the red probe. Set the dial to 2 AC volt; if it shows less than 200 mV, that is good and you can switch the meter to the 200 mV setting. Preferably the reading should be below 100 mV in commonly used rooms, and on your bed, below 10 mV. In reality the readings will be much higher and you may get a reading between 2 and 80 V while lying on your bed. This is a constant drain on your vitality. By moving the bed away from any electrical wiring, you can perhaps get it to read between 500 mV and 2 V. A relatively easy way of reducing the voltage a lot further is by using a grounded electric blanket. The easiest way is to cut off the plug. Then you can easily solder or clip a ground wire onto all three wire strands. If you want to keep using the electric blanket for heating as well, then you can attach a plug to the ground wire. Lying on a wellearthed electric blanket can bring the body voltage down to between one-quarter and one-tenth of the previous measurement. If the bed has a steel frame or innerspring mattress, then these may also need to be grounded. Commonly all springs are internally connected and need to be grounded only at one point, but some mattresses have individual springs, which would need to be grounded individually. However, steel frames and inner-spring mattresses can still deflect the compass needle when it is moved across the bed and that is not good either. It is healthier if the earth’s magnetic field is not distorted where we sleep. The needle should continue pointing north everywhere over the bed. Metal beams in the wall or ceiling can cause the same problem, and the bed should be moved far enough away from magnetic field disturbances. Ground any metal parts, such as window frames, metal wall claddings, or roofing iron, that show an unacceptably high reading when touched with one hand while holding the grounded probe in the other. This is especially the case if there are high-voltage power lines, microwave towers, or transformers nearby or power lines that form a right angle at street corners. Occasionally, there may be so much ground electricity that it shows a higher reading when you’re lying on a grounded electric blanket than on one without a ground connection. In this case, move the ground stake as far away as possible from any power sources that can cause this problem and find or create a good grounding behind the house where you can reach moist soil with a long ground stake. With a
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short ground stake, try to keep the soil around it moist at all times. It is also possible to get a good ground by connecting the wire to a moist part of a tree or large outside plant. To get a true reading on a concrete floor or when outside the house, you should be insulated by wearing shoes; otherwise, the reading will be much too low. For sanitizing an apartment or office in a large building where you cannot get a good ground, a ground connection to the water pipe may be sufficient, or you could get expert help. An upper floor of a building commonly has much higher voltages than the ground floor, as there is wiring in the floor as well as in the ceiling. In this case, you may be able to reduce the EMR considerably by placing grounded wire netting under the carpet. If this is not possible with the entire floor, then ground a smaller area where you usually sit. In other cases, it may be advisable to shield and ground the wiring inside a wall. This is much more difficult, as wall panels need to be removed, but it may be relatively easy under the roof or if the wiring is under the house. You can simply wrap electric cables with grounded wire netting or aluminium foil or nail grounded metal strips over them. You can also disconnect the fuse or switch in the meter box for the bedroom (which commonly includes all power points in the house) overnight. Alternatively, have a separate fuse switch installed for the bedroom only or a demand switch that supplies power to the circuit only when needed. In addition, strategically placed copper coils can deflect radiation and may be used to de-stress the whole house. Such coils are offered on the Internet. To improve your well-being while driving, and avoid road-rage or fatigue earth the inside of your car by leading the electricity from metal frames of seats and large metal areas back to the negative pole of the battery. Beware of Earth Rays: Some dowsers claim to have discovered harmful earth rays from fault lines and underground streams under the beds of most cancer victims. Earth rays may also aggravate many other diseases. Find someone who is able to check the location of your bed for harmful underground radiation. This can be a problem even if you sleep on an upper floor. Commonly, dowsing or muscle testing (kinesiology) are used. Geopathic disturbances (another term for harmful earth rays) can also be detected with a scientific instrument that indicates the degree of distortion of the local geomagnetic field. If you cannot have your bed checked, then move it to a different location if you were sleeping there before a serious health problem developed. In addition, use a shielding device under the bed: place wire netting under the whole area of the bed and connect this to an electric ground. To protect against fault lines or ley lines, you can also cover the area under the bed with several centimetres of quartz sand and use additional copper coils; moving the bed is the safest option. You may be able to check the bed yourself with a shortwave radio, because over a fault line the reception deteriorates; especially dangerous are crossings of fault lines.
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Table 1-4: Teeth–Organ Connections Teeth are numbered from 1 to 8 starting at the midline of the upper and lower jaw. 1 and 2 upper and lower jaw
kidney, bladder, pineal gland (upper), adrenals (lower), frontal sinus, sacrum, coccyx, foot
3 upper and lower jaw
liver, gallbladder, hip, eye, pituitary (upper), gonads (lower)
4, 5 upper and 6, 7 lower jaw
lung, large intestine, shoulder, elbow, thymus (upper), arteries, veins (lower)
4, 5 lower and 6, 7 upper jaw
pancreas, spleen, stomach, breast, thyroid (upper), lymph system (lower), jaws, front of knee
8 upper and lower
heart, small intestines, shoulder, elbow, ear, nervous system, pituitary (upper)
Dental Problems: Another aspect of our environment is our mouths - our teeth, specifically. A major factor causing or contributing to poor health and many diseases is our teeth. Frequently, there are mercury amalgam fillings or different types of metal in the mouth that act like an electric battery, and dead teeth with filled root canals or inflammation inside the jawbone (cavitations) even after removal of teeth are also a serious health problem. These problems may not cause any local pain and so are difficult to detect, but they can cause health problems in other parts of the body. Through acupuncture meridians as well as other mechanisms, each tooth is connected with a specific organ or other part of the body as shown in Table 1-4, so health consequences of problem teeth can occur throughout the body. Heart disease, for instance, is commonly connected with inflammations or infections in the wisdom tooth positions, while kidney problems are related to the front teeth. This has been known for a long time. A 4,000-year-old papyrus describes the dialog between the pharaoh and his physician. The pharaoh complains of severe arthritis, and his doctor replies that this is due to the bad condition of some teeth that need to be removed. Even orthodox medicine is now slowly catching up and realizing that heart disease is frequently associated with microbes originating from infected teeth, gums, or jaw bones. Root-canalled teeth appear to be a major contributing factor in many health problems, not only cancer but also heart disease, kidney disease, and autoimmune diseases. This is due to microbes that multiply in the multitude of tiny canals or tubuli in the dentine and gradually leach out into the lymph system. Even normally harmless microbes become very dangerous under the anaerobic conditions in dead teeth. Weston Price, a dentist and former director of research for the American Dental Association some years ago, observed that the removal of root-canalled teeth from
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patients with kidney or heart disease would in most cases lead to an improvement in those conditions. When he inserted a removed root-canalled tooth (human) under the skin of a rabbit, the animal would die within two days; when he implanted normal teeth, there was no adverse health effect. In some experiments, he implanted the same fragments of root-canalled teeth in succession under the skins of up to 100 rabbits and they all died within two weeks of the same disease that the human donor had! The safest solution with dead (root-canalled) teeth is immediate removal, but problems might still persist if an infection has spread to the jawbone. The microbes in dead teeth and infected jawbones apparently cannot be eliminated with pharmaceutical or natural antibiotics. Removal of dead teeth is especially urgent if they are already dead for several years and show signs of deterioration, and also in the case of cancer, autoimmune diseases, and other serious diseases. If you cannot immediately have all your dead teeth removed, have some, and for several weeks after their removal, use natural antimicrobial therapy. You do not need to fill single tooth gaps where they cannot be seen. To fill the gap of a missing front tooth, find a dentist who can cement an artificial tooth in this place without resorting to crowns or other metal support. A possibly safe way of keeping root-canalled teeth is to fill them with Calcium Hydroxide or Iodine instead of the commonly used Gutta Percha, but no long-term studies on health outcomes are yet available. For tooth implants Titanium is commonly used but this is a metal and can still sometimes cause problems. A safer alternative with good durability is Zirconia, the dioxide of zirconium. Try to have amalgam fillings replaced with plastic composite, preferably by a holistic dentist. A rubber dam and suction should be used when removing old fillings. If you cannot pay for proper replacements, just have them sealed with temporary filler and do not chew any hard items. However, with serious conditions and large fillings, extraction of amalgam-filled teeth can bring much better results than simple replacement. In a German study of multiple sclerosis patients, extraction of compromised teeth resulted in an 85 percent recovery rate versus only 16 percent for filling replacement alone. Other studies have found that recovery from serious autoimmune diseases, dementia, or cancer may require more aggressive mercury removal techniques than simple filling replacement, due to the body burden of mercury. This appears to be due to the migration of mercury not eliminated by simple filling replacement into the roots and gums. Mercury in the teeth and gums has direct routes to the brain and central nervous system.3 Try to find a dentist who is familiar with safe amalgam removal procedures as recommended by holistic dentistry associations. Remove mercury by using high doses of vitamin C, Alpha Lipoic Acid, L-cysteine, MSM and chlorella before and after amalgam removal. Preferably, also use homeopathic mercury 1M and higher potencies. Injections of the mercury chelator DMPS can be administered by qualified health professionals. However, this procedure has occasionally lead to complications and the oral DMSA is less expensive and apparently safer. Nevertheless, both of these chelators can activate very high mercury levels from the bones and cause serious
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problems, especially in sensitive individuals and neurological diseases. Therefore, I generally prefer the slower but safer method of using careful cleansing diets together with detoxifying natural supplements. The pink color of dentures may be due to heavy metals, possibly mercury or cadmium. If you cannot get a guarantee that the colouring is free of heavy metals, it is safer to ask for clear plastic dentures made of methyl methacrylate or flexite for partial dentures. Use plastic denture teeth rather than porcelain teeth that have a metal base. Bridges and metal partials should be changed to clear plastic partial dentures. Nickel, as in stainless steel, can suppress the immune system and is generally classified as carcinogenic. Even dental gold can be a problem because it is commonly blended with 20 percent of the more harmful palladium. A small amount of gold as for one crown may be acceptable, but as a general rule keep your mouth free of all metals and make sure only metal-free plastics are used as replacements. Nevertheless, any metal in the mouth can lead to allergies, and on average about 30 percent of individuals are allergic to the dental metal in their mouth. After removal of bad or dead teeth, health problems can still arise or continue from root or metal fragments or due to chronic infection and inflammation in the jawbone. An experienced dentist can discover this with panoramic X-rays. If you cannot do all of this to sanitize the inside of your mouth, just do the best you can and do not worry. Compensate for any shortcomings here with a better diet and positive thinking. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 9 EXERCISE Get into the habit of exercising regularly.
Adequate physical activity is one of the main requirements for achieving and maintaining good health. Deep breathing while exercising is essential: Lack of oxygen - becoming breathless - is harmful. You have probably heard of aerobics. Aerobic exercises are those that can be maintained for long periods because the heart and lungs can supply enough oxygen to the muscles. If insufficient oxygen reaches the muscles, the exercise becomes anaerobic and causes a harmful buildup of lactic acid in the tissues; this is commonly noticeable as sore muscles. Therefore, when exercising, breathe more vigorously than required for the activity at hand; increase the intensity of your exercises only gradually. Arm and leg muscles should be regularly exercised. Supplement cycling, walking, and jogging with push-ups; swimming in unchlorinated water is also good for this. When jogging without running shoes, touch down with the ball of the foot and use your ankle joints as cushions. By using these springs freely provided by nature you cause less damage to your joints. Everyday Physical Exercises: Depending on your body needs and inclinations, you can perform many different exercises. The more important ones are stretching, hanging from the hands or feet, using a rebounder, circling the pelvis, head-and--shoulder stand, isometric exercises, scalp and face exercises (pulling faces, tensing and relaxing scalp muscles), shaking to loosen the body, and slow graceful and rhythmic movements with (or without) music. Hatha yoga exercises are excellent for stretching and massaging the internal organs. During the day, frequently stretch, tense, circle, or shake your muscles. Select a time of the day or week for a more thorough workout. With advancing age, stretching your muscles becomes increasingly more important. Lie on a large bed or carpeted floor and move your limbs and spine in various positions to the limits of their range, and then stretch them a bit farther. Try to let your body move on its own without much mental direction. Do what feels good. Rejuvenation Exercises: The following five exercises were first presented in Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth by Peter Kelder. They are effective for strengthening glandular activities and may help to rejuvenate the body if practiced faithfully every day. Deep breathing during and between exercises is important. Inhale and exhale during the slow movements between the two end-positions as shown in Figure1-1. Hold your breath in each end-position and tense all your muscles with maximum effort. In one position, press the chin to the chest and pull the abdomen inwards and up; in the other position, drop the head back as far as possible. Pull your stomach in with your exhale in the lying position (Fig. 1a); in the forward bending position (Fig. 1b); while sitting (Fig. 1c); and with the pelvis raised
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(Fig. 1d). Start with a few exercises daily and gradually increase to 20 of each, but do not strain yourself.
Figure 1-1: Rejuvenation Exercises
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For a fifth rejuvenation exercise, spin or whirl 20 times with horizontally outstretched arms. In the Northern Hemisphere, the instructions are to spin clockwise; I have the impression that in the Southern Hemisphere anticlockwise spinning is preferable. However, you may choose to spin in whichever direction makes you feel better; use muscle testing to see what is best for you. Inversion Exercises: Hanging upside down by your feet strengthens the internal organs, drains lymph fluid from the lower part of the body, and flushes the brain and face with blood. This exercise is especially good to delay or reverse symptoms of aging. While in the inverted position, rhythmically tense and relax the muscles of the face and neck and then the whole body. You can use inversion equipment that lets you hang straight upside down, or a slant board that puts you at a 30 to 45 degree angle. If you are sufficiently athletic, you can also do a shoulder stand, headstand, or handstand against a wall. You can do bicycling movements while in the inverted position. Muscle Tensing: Tense and release one muscle after another, starting with one foot, then the other, working up towards the top of the head. Inhale deeply, each time gradually increasing the tension; hold for a few seconds, then slowly release the tension while exhaling. Finally, tense all your muscles, starting with the feet and moving up to your neck; simultaneously inhale deeply. Hold the whole body tightly tensed for several seconds; then gradually release the muscles, starting with the neck, and moving down to the feet, exhaling simultaneously. Caution: Do not invert yourself if your blood pressure is high and requires medical attention.
If a particular organ or limb is weak, focus on it with repeated cycles of tension and relaxation. Frequent tensing is especially important if you have to stay in bed for a prolonged period. Do this exercise repeatedly during the day, whenever you remember it. Tensing may be done in any position such as sitting, standing, or lying down. It is easy to do while sitting at a desk all day: just take a deep breath, hold it for a few seconds while tensing the whole body simultaneously, then relax during exhalation. Head and Neck Exercise: Slowly, but firmly, bend your head three times in each direction, forward, backward, and sideways; try to let the head drop to each side. Then move the head in circles, again slowly and firmly, three times in each direction. This is excellent for strengthening the neck and is helpful in cases of head congestion, eye and ear problems, and recurring headaches. In addition, you can circle the head up to 100 times in each direction. Body-Mind Exercise: Slowly move a stiff joint several times to the limit of its range. Then imagine the same movement but with an extended range; repeat this several times. Then move the actual limb again and see whether its range has improved. The actual movements are easier if performed during slow exhalation. Rebounding and Lymphacising: Rebounding may be better than jogging, especially for those low in energy. You could even bounce on top of one or two innerspring mattresses. While you may develop a routine with various bounces, you can also use a lymphacising program instead of this or in addition to it. This is designed to greatly
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speed up the lymph circulation while energizing your body at the same time. While lymphacising, remain with both feet firmly on the rebounder mat. Bounce gently up and down, starting with just a few minutes and gradually increasing up to 10 or 15 minutes, three or four times daily; it is best done before meals and bedtime, and the more often the better. Keep your hands touching body areas in need of healing, such as a tumour area, liver, kidneys, or wherever you feel discomfort. With each upward bounce, take a sniff until your lungs are filled after ten to 20 sniffs, and then exhale again in sniffs. Always try to fill and empty your lungs as completely as possible. If you do it right, you should feel energized after the exercise. Practicing “Good Use”: F. M. Alexander, the Australian formulator of the Alexander Technique, developed the principle of “good use.” It means using your body efficiently and with ease, maintaining maximum balance and coordination between all of its parts. Most of us use our body poorly most of the time. By learning good use, we can harmonize our posture and movements, and with this improve our spine, muscular structure, even the functioning of our internal organs and glands. To learn good use, we concentrate mainly on the way we sit, stand up, sit down, walk, and breathe. Start by exploring your present use in front of a mirror: Observe how you move your head from side to side, up and down, how the shoulders move, how you talk and breathe. Then try to practice the basic movements of good use: Move your head up and away from the torso, but at the same time let the whole body ease upwards in a movement that flattens and lengthens the spine. When turning the head, moving it up or down, standing, sitting, walking, or lying down, always let the head “float up,” which means away from the body and in line with the spine. This is not just a position to be maintained but part of a continuous process of easing the head up to lengthen the spine. When you look at yourself at eye level, the neck should be straight and the chin down. Watch that the back of your head is not dropped backward where it will produce a hollow where the head joins the neck. Except when intentionally tilting the head, there should be no hollow at this point. Watch that your head remain up and your neck straight while you talk, sit down, stand up, or move in any other way. Instead of directly moving your head upwards, think and feel it floating up. Let the move be manifested through this thought and feeling. Standing and Sitting: Another important aspect to watch is that your muscles be relaxed when at rest. When standing, feel that your eyes, jaw, shoulders, and abdomen are relaxed; when sitting, do the same for the thigh and calf muscles. Check repeatedly because these muscles have a tendency to tense when we do not watch them. Do the same when lying down: Check that all your muscles are relaxed. When sitting down or standing up, your back and neck should remain in a straight line. Only the joints at the ankles, knees, and hips should bend. When standing up, lean forward by having your body follow your head. In this way, bend at the hips, which creates a momentum that lifts you off the seat and brings you onto your feet without any effort. Now you only need to straighten the three lower joints and you can stand in front of the chair.
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Exactly the reverse procedure takes place when sitting down. The arms are not used in any way to push or swing when you’re standing up or sitting down. When sitting, keep your head moving upwards in order to counteract the tendency to slump. Check yourself frequently to be sure you sit straight but relaxed. When lifting something from the floor, keep your back and neck straight and bend only at the ankle, knee, and hip joints. Walking: When walking, touch down lightly with the full foot, not just with the heel. While the other foot is brought forward, the whole body weight now rests on the foot on the ground. Start rolling your weight off this foot by lifting your heel. In this way rise onto the ball of the foot and even onto the toes. This creates a strong momentum that propels you forward without any effort. Repeat the same process with the other foot. The important part of walking is rising onto the toes, which gives you a light, bouncing step, as if you’re walking on air. Your spine and neck remain in a straight line, your shoulders relaxed. The arms swing gently, as opposite arm and leg move at the same time. When climbing steps, rise onto your toes in the same way as for walking. (For more information, see “The Complete Guide to the Alexander Technique” and other information at www.alexandertechnique.com.) Correct Breathing: Generally, we breathe just enough for the activity at hand. However, to prepare for action it is beneficial to supercharge your body with oxygen by breathing more deeply than you need. This makes you more energetic, helps to cleanse the body, and neutralizes overacid conditions. Practice deep breathing in fresh air. Watch that during normal breathing your lower rib cage is moving. However, during sedentary activities it is preferable to breathe as slowly and deeply as possible. This helps to relax both body and mind. Therefore, by deliberately overbreathing we create useful tension, and by under-breathing we practice relaxation. Here are some tips on breathing exercises: Watching the Breath: This is a relaxing exercise to still the mind. Mentally follow the breath flowing in and out but without any attempt to control it. Full Breath: Inhale for several seconds, consciously filling first the lowest part of the lungs, causing the abdomen to lift. Then expand the middle part and finally the upper part of the chest. Hold the breath for several seconds then slowly release it, starting with the upper chest; end by contracting the abdomen. After about four seconds, start a new cycle. Abdominal Breathing: This is important for people with breathing problems. Place a hand on the abdomen and feel it rise and fall without your chest moving. Adopt abdominal breathing whenever an acute breathing problem develops. Long Exhaling: This is good for people with obvious or hidden anxieties and for those who need to establish a proper orgasm reflex. While standing, exhale for about ten seconds in one continuous sweep. Near the end, the shoulders move forward, the buttocks press together, and the pelvis moves forward and upward in an involuntary movement. A long, gentle exhalation also helps to relax body and mind and may be used to direct energies and relax specific muscles. Inhale quickly in about one or two seconds and then exhale slowly for about ten seconds. During exhalation, focus your attention on a specific part of the body and imagine the breath
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energy flowing into it, making it feel warm and expansive. Use this to reduce muscle tension and pain or to relax the whole body, starting with the feet and gradually working your way upwards to the head. Super-breathing (Hyperventilation): This is to quickly saturate the body with oxygen. Quickly and deeply—at the rate of about one or two cycles per second— inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Stop when you begin to feel dizzy. A slower, but more sustained form of super-breathing, done through the nose only, can be adopted during energy healing, or before and during heavy physical work or exercises. Hara Breathing: Sit or lie, relaxed, with the hands folded as in prayer or over the abdomen, left palm on the navel, right hand on top. Inhale gently through the nose, hold the breath, and exhale through the mouth; each period lasts five seconds. While inhaling, touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue. Accompany this with abdominal breathing. Envisage with each breath that life energy fills the abdomen; feel it as warm and tingling. Hara is a Japanese word for the centre and storehouse of vital energy located just below the navel. Alternate Nostril Breathing: This is helpful for balancing body polarities. Close the right nostril with a finger and inhale through the left nostril, then close the left nostril and exhale through the right nostril. Inhale through the right nostril, and exhale through the left one, and so on. Several rounds of this are good at the start of meditation. Eight–Two Breathing: This may be used for stilling the mind and emotions during meditation or spiritual healing. Inhale for a count of eight, hold for two, exhale for eight, hold for two, and so on. The flow of the breath should be smooth and harmonious. Skin and Organ Breathing: For improving a particular part of your body, imagine and feel your breath moving through this part during inhalation and exhalation. As an example, for improving the liver, feel the breath as a cool stream penetrating your liver. When holding the breath, feel a slight pressure in the liver area and an increasing warmth. Vocal Exercises: Sounds have a strong influence on us, and music particularly can have a profound effect on our emotions. Mantras (special words or sounds) are used in certain techniques of meditation to achieve particular effects. Much stronger is the impact of our own voice on our body. If properly pronounced, each vowel produces a vibration in a specific body part, mainly the large cavities. If you cannot feel a resonance vibration, just imagine it. Produce the sounds as clearly as possible. Take a full breath and sing each vowel forcefully in different intonations. If your voice is low and deep, try to produce the sounds in the front of the mouth; if you have a high-pitched voice, make the vowels vibrate deeper down the throat. Feel the resonance of each vowel in the indicated body cavity. The lower the body cavity in which you want to experience the sound, the deeper or lower you should try to make the sound. Initially, use each vowel in turn, then concentrate on the ones most appropriate to your condition. Select and use vowels according to resonance areas. A high-pitched “I” sound may be used to stimulate the brain as well
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as the pineal and pituitary glands. Imagine the sound vibrating from the centre of your brain. Vowel Resonance Areas This table shows the correct intonation of vowels and the body cavities, which they stimulate if properly performed. Try to grade the vowels with the highest note for “I” and the lowest for “U” I
Bee
Head
E
Fairy
Throat
A
Father
Upper Chest
O
Coma
Lower Chest, Upper Abdomen
U
Zulu
Lower Abdomen
If you make the sounds properly, you will feel the vibrations in your throat and mouth and possibly in your lips and cheeks as well. When you leave a tiny gap between your teeth, you should be able to feel them vibrating strongly. This effect is usually strongest with the “m” or “om” sound. Also try to vibrate your tongue with a rolling “r” sound. If correctly done, you can feel these vibrations energizing the whole structure of the head, bones as well as tissue. Instead of sounding “om,” you can intonate “a-u-m” or “a-o-u-m” in sequence with the same breath. Gradually lower the sound, and try to feel the vowels vibrating in the appropriate resonance areas. Feel the “m” sound moving up the spine with the pitch gradually rising higher, ending at the centre of the brain. Singing is an excellent vocal therapy, so try it often. Listen to stimulating, sedating, or uplifting music according to your needs. Lie down in a relaxed position and become fully immersed in the sounds. Feel something inside you moving, expanding, rising in resonance with the music. Try singing along. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step10 THE HEALING CRISIS Sooner or later you are bound to have a healing crisis, so use it to your advantage. Even on their first clinical visit, I routinely recommended that my patients adopt a high-quality, low-allergen diet. When they came back two or three weeks later, they often said they felt much better but that a week earlier they had had a cold. When asked about the symptoms, these turned out to be mainly a profuse mucus discharge or sometimes diarrhoea, but rarely were there signs of infection. These patients had experienced their first healing crisis on their path to better health. This shows us the general principles of a healing crisis. With each crisis or reaction, there is a temporary worsening of the condition, with either new symptoms appearing or existing ones getting worse. This is the result of toxins being mobilized for elimination by the body in what is clinically known as the Herxheimer effect. However, after the healing reaction, we reach a higher level of health than before. This concept of a healing crisis clearly shows the opposite perceptions in drugbased medicine and holistic medicine regarding health and the healing process. In drug medicine, it is assumed that a patient who is free of disease symptoms is more or less healthy, and the aim of drugs is to achieve this condition by removing disagreeable symptoms. Frequently, alternative medicine is used in the same way; instead of toxic drugs, benign natural remedies are used. This is what most patients want, and according to their beliefs, they use either drugs or natural remedies to eliminate symptoms. However, holistic medicine, following in the footsteps of the nineteenth-century Nature Cure movement, aims higher. Here, health is regarded not just as a temporary absence of disease symptoms, but as a state of profound physical, emotional, and mental well-being so that we cannot develop a disease. Animals living in an unspoiled natural habitat commonly display this kind of health. If we want to come close to such outstanding health, we have to work for it by consciously minimizing the multitude of negative influences on our health and by maximizing the positive factors instead. Experience shows we do not follow a straight line of health improvement or deterioration. Similar to the way periods of illness are interspersed amidst relative well-being on the long road to chronic degenerative diseases and death, we have ups and downs on the road to superior health. The main difference is that the road to deteriorating health slopes downhill while the road to superior health goes up. Travelling downhill is easy; we do not need to do anything about it, but improving our health requires consistent effort, and it can seem like an uphill climb. Contrary to the lengthy periods of ill health on the downhill road, the dips on the uphill road are usually short and sharp. Such a dip is called a “healing crisis,” although I prefer the less dramatic names “healing reaction,” “cleansing reaction,” or simply “reaction.”
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After each reaction, we advance to a higher level of health than we had before the reaction. Holistic therapists realize that the road to better health follows a definite pattern, once known as Hering’s Law of Cure (from homeopathy), which says: “All cure starts from within out, from the head down, and in reverse order as the symptoms have appeared.” The emotional side of our health problems is important as well. Each disease, accident, or surgical intervention contains a strong emotional component that needs to be re-experienced during a reaction. Otherwise, the healing will remain incomplete and the problem will present itself again at a later time for healing at a deeper level. This also means that the body selects the kind of healing crisis that is most appropriate at the time, taking into consideration its needs and abilities to have a certain area healed or improved. We can consciously influence this choice by working on a particular problem. I’ve noticed that the “body self” tries to select a timing that does not disable us during important upcoming events. No doubt we are guided on our healing path by our inner intelligence that has our best interests at heart. In the beginning, our healing reactions will be mainly on the physical or biological level, but increasingly we will experience the release of emotional blocks and changes in consciousness, preparing us for greater activity on the spiritual level. Patterns of Healing: In every healing, the sequence of our health deterioration will automatically be retraced. This means that old, long-forgotten disease symptoms may suddenly flare up again in the form of a healing crisis. The reason for this is based on the nature of disease. At first, when the body is still vital, it reacts forcefully against pathogenic invaders; the resulting battle causes fever and inflammation. If the body is not strong enough to win completely, the acute battle symptoms will eventually subside, with the remaining invaders leading a somewhat subdued existence in a weakened gland or organ. Repeated attacks will result in the degeneration of this body part, causing chronic disease. At some stage on the road towards health, the body will feel strong enough to start the fight again to heal the diseased organ; when it does, inflammation will result. Such healing reactions are usually short-lived but can be intense. If one supports the body during this period with rest and cleansing diets, then the organ will eventually acquire a much better level of health than before the flare-up. If, however, drugs are used to suppress the healing symptoms, then the inflamed organ will return to its subacute, chronic condition and wait for another opportunity to heal itself. The healing pattern of other health problems that are not related to immunological processes and infections follows a similar line to this. Healing takes place on many different levels: at the biochemical within cells; in the blood circulation; in the nervous system; and especially in the flow of bioenergies (such as chi, as described by acupuncture). Healing activity will be increased on all of these levels. At the bioenergetic level, the increased energy flow may cause congestion at various places, in the weak body part itself as well as in related acupuncture points and zone reflex areas. Excess energy in such places may be noticed as pain, heat, or tension - the common symptoms of inflammation. Eventually the body will clear the
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obstruction in the energy flow. We can support this process with specific healing methods or by healthy living practices in general. However, trying to suppress any acute inflammation may leave the body part permanently weak. Inflammation in itself is a healing energy release, and it is best overcome by removing the blockages in the energy flow. Frequently there will be periods of greatly increased bowel activity or diarrhea. This is due to the detoxifying action of the liver. These toxic waste products are very irritating to the intestinal wall and the body tries to flush them out as quickly as possible to avoid intestinal discomfort and headaches. Do not try to suppress this process but you may try to ease it with frequent drinks of psyllium which help to bind the toxins and solidify the bowel content. Skin Reactions: Another common form of healing reaction is the development of a rash or other skin problem, especially over a weak body part, such as, for instance, at a hip or shoulder. This skin reaction signifies that the energy that has been bound internally in this area in the form of muscle armouring, stiffness, and accumulated metabolic wastes is now surfacing and dissipating. Thus the affected joint or limb will become much freer and stronger. However, if the skin reaction is interfered with and made to go away prematurely, then the suppressed energy and metabolic wastes will remain in that body part, keeping it in a state of pain or weakness. Thus there usually is no need to interfere directly with skin reactions or other healing symptoms. On the contrary, that may only drive the problem “underground” to affect internal organs and body structures. Natural healers have noticed that by artificially producing a rash over an arthritic joint, the joint greatly improves, but when a rash over a joint is artificially suppressed, then arthritic symptoms may appear in that joint. This observation applies only to healing reactions, not to possibly infected or chronically inflamed skin areas which may be treated with antimicrobials and alkalizers in addition to nutritional therapy. You may learn much about yourself, your body, health problems, and emotional reactions by patiently observing the healing process instead of rushing to do something about it. What you should do, however, is live healthily, cleanse the body, helping the suppressed energy to come out and dissipate, and be optimistic about it all. Frequently, boils and increased mucus discharge, as in colds, arise during the initial stages of the healing process. Sometimes they start one or two weeks after you improve your diet and begin to take supplements. This indicates that your organs of elimination are congested. During such times, take little food, but instead consume generous amounts of herb teas, fresh vegetable juices, and pure water, and ideally go on a cleansing diet. Such healing crises may appear from time to time, separated by weeks, months, or even years, bringing you ever closer to your goal of superior health. Listen to Your Body: Some further problems may develop during your program of health improvement. Formerly, the body response may have been dulled - it did not even react to harmful foods or drugs - but now the reaction is often
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immediate and forceful. Foods that you may have eaten habitually before going on a cleansing diet can now suddenly cause a gastrointestinal upset, making you feel sick and miserable for days. However, such reactions do not need to happen if you take proper precautions: Find out to which foods you are allergic and try to avoid these. If you eat in restaurants and do not know what to expect, take plenty of digestive enzymes and lecithin during the meal, and try to eat foods in correct combination; if allergy symptoms appear, use alkalizers together with sodium ascorbate to mitigate their effects. Your body now trusts that you will not hurt it anymore in the old ways. But if you do, your body is very “offended” and lets you (your mind) know about it in no uncertain terms. This is the most effective language the body has. However, if you learn to listen, your body will first try to tell you about its requirements in a more subtle way such as in intestinal rumbling, an itch, a slight muscle weakness, a passing pain. There are numerous ways a body expresses its needs, and each body has its own language of symptoms. If you are honest and persistent in your desire to become a “friend” to your body, it will eventually let you know its needs, its likes, and dislikes; you will rediscover your lost body instincts. This is what we should aim for: to become independent of outside expert advice and do what our body tells us is right to do, not only in nutrition, but in everyday living. While one can usually gain relatively quick relief from distressing symptoms, rebuilding a strong and healthy body is a slow process. It requires a great deal of experimenting to find your optimal individual conditions for healing and it needs your solid determination to carry through with a program over the years. The Progress of Healing: Generally, recently acquired chronic weaknesses are the first to flare up and become healed, while our oldest and most persistent health problems are the last to yield. Thus there appears to be an orderly sequence to our health improvement. Healing proceeds in a wave pattern on an upward slope. On the peak of a wave we feel much improved, while in a trough we experience cleansing activity or a healing reaction and feel sick. The overall movement, however, is towards greater well-being. The body always tries to heal itself and an acute inflammation is an important tool for this purpose. An inflammation makes the walls of the blood vessels porous to allow an increased flow of lymph fluid to move immune cells in and move accumulated toxins out. At this stage it is just an acute inflammation and we can choose to turn it into a healing crisis by supporting the body mentally and nutritionally, or we can choose to suppress the acute condition and return ourselves to a chronic degenerative condition. Therefore, anything that suppresses an acute inflammation prevents healing of the affected area. This includes not only anti-inflammatory drugs and remedies, but also strong alkalizers that reduce the release of histamine. The pain and heat in the inflamed area are the price we have to pay for healing. However, anti-inflammatory agents and alkalizers have their role in easing the discomfort of a chronic inflammation until the body has been nutritionally and mentally prepared for a healing reaction. Further, the symptoms during a reaction
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may either be too severe or come at an inopportune time. You can lessen or temporarily stop them by adding cooked food to a raw food cleansing diet, by alkalizing the body, or by using anti-inflammatory remedies. Usually, we can select a suitable time for a healing crisis by starting a strict cleanse on raw food only, especially fresh vegetable juices, or fruit or vegetable salads. A fruit cleanse is more suitable for insensitive individuals (less allergy-prone), while vegetables are much better for an overacid and sensitive body. One of the main factors reducing the severity of any symptoms is a clean bowel, regardless of whether the reaction was triggered deliberately or involuntarily. The easiest way to achieve this is by taking a tablespoon of Epsom salt in water at bedtime or upon rising in the morning. If no solid food is used, then take a teaspoon of psyllium hulls several times daily in a glass of unchlorinated water; too little water can cause constipation (refer to Step 3 for more information). You can further support your body with light, enjoyable outdoors activity. Prayer and meditation or guided imagery are also recommended. As you can see, there is no simple path to completely avoiding health-related discomfort. We can only choose in which way we want to “suffer.” We can either deliberately and cheerfully endure unpleasant healing crises with the promise of better health to follow; or we can expect to suffer involuntarily and in an uncontrolled way from chronic degenerative diseases as we get older. The choice is yours. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Part 2 NATURAL HEALING METHODS This chapter contains a selection of natural healing methods, presented in a concise form suitable for do-it-yourself healing and experimentation. It is especially useful in the context of healing groups. You will find diagnostic methods followed by selected therapeutic methods. However, several of these overlap and can be used for both diagnosis and treatment. Experiment with those methods that appeal to you while disregarding others. In conventional medicine, diagnosis is extremely important because the predominant use of surgery and toxic drugs directed against specific disease symptoms leaves little room for error. Holistic healing, on the other hand, aims to improve the overall health of the patient, so diagnosis is less important. Healthy living, which includes correct nutrition and mind control, in combination with various nonspecific healing methods, will be enough in many cases to lift one’s health to such an extent that, even without diagnosis, diseases and their symptoms gradually disappear. However, improvement may be faster and easier, especially in serious conditions, if you concentrate additional healing efforts on specific glands or organs. Here, diagnosis is -useful in pinpointing the areas most in need. Generally, the aim of diagnosis in holistic healing is to assess whether an organ, gland, or other part is overactive or underactive; whether energy flows are too strong or too weak; or whether there are deficiencies or harmful outside influences, attitudes, or emotions. Worldwide, an emerging and especially active area of the healing arts is electro-medicine. This includes a multitude of diagnostic and therapeutic instruments from simple to very elaborate and computer-programmed. While some of these have a long track record, including mainstream medical use in Germany, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has either outlawed many of these products or actively discourages their use. In view of this, and also because of the evolving and constantly changing nature of this whole area, I recommend getting the newest information from the Internet. Look for key words such as Rife technology, BEFE (bio-electric field enhancer), electro-acupuncture, electrodermal screening, electronic blood purifier, zapper, and magnetic pulser. For the definitive publication in this area, see Bio-electromagnetic Medicine, with contributions by a wide range of scientists and medical researchers, and edited by Paul J. Rosch, clinical professor of Medicine and Psychiatry, New York Medical College, with Marko Markov of the Mount Sinai Medical School. Here then is a selection of practical methods you can use to improve your health and that of your family and friends. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 11 GENERAL EXAMINATION Examine yourself to assess your state of health.
Testing Body Fluids: Tests in this step are recommended as a way to get to know and monitor your body rather than to replace medical diagnosis. Urine dipstick tests, available at most pharmacies, give indications of pH (acid-alkaline balance), kidney function (protein status), diabetes (glucose), fat metabolism (ketones), urinary tract infections (blood, nitrites), liver and gallbladder function, and blood stability (bilirubin, urobilinogen). Cloudiness in a fresh urine sample, for example, may be due to urates, phosphates, pus, dead bacteria, or inadequate liquid intake. A dipstick test for vitamin C is available in some countries; otherwise you can test by adding ten drops of a five-percent silver-nitrate solution to ten drops of your urine in a test tube. Read it after two minutes. A white precipitate shows vitamin C deficiency; if beige, a small amount of vitamin C is present; if gray, your vitamin C status is good. During severe infections, sufficient vitamin C should be given to cause a charcoal-like appearance in the test fluid. From the colours of these dipsticks, you can clearly see whether the result is normal or whether there is a problem, in which case you can repeat the test from time to time or seek professional advice. (Caution: Silver nitrate badly stains skin and garments.) Low-cost instruments are now available for measuring the level of glucose in the blood. In a standard glucose-tolerance test, 100 g of glucose, or 2 g per kg body weight, are given in water to the fasting patient. Blood and urine samples are tested every 30 minutes. A test for diabetes can be terminated after two or three hours, while for hypoglycaemia, test for five hours. Diabetes is suspected when the glucose level peaks and remains higher than normal. Hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) is more difficult to evaluate and may be suspected if the blood sugar curve shows a high plateau or remains flat, if it shows a steep drop, or if it falls below the fasting level. In addition, test the soft-palate pH (in the mouth) before and after the test. Greatly increased acidity shows inefficient use of glucose. Frequently, the blood sugar reaction depends on the source of the glucose or carbohydrate; that is, an abnormal blood glucose level may be caused by an allergy response to a particular carbohydrate. Pulse and Blood Pressure: Take the pulse while sitting and standing. To find the pulse, lightly press with the pads of three fingers on the inside of the wrist of the other hand just below the pad of the thumb. Adrenal stress (predisposition to allergies) may be indicated if the rate is higher when standing than sitting. Statistically, the average pulse rate for men is 72 per minute and 80 for women. Physical activity, raised temperature, infections, an overactive thyroid gland, strong emotions, and allergies increase the pulse rate. An irregular pulse may indicate heart disease, potassium or magnesium deficiency in the heart muscle, or an allergy. Sometimes the pulse is irregular only under stress, for example, when standing or running. If there appears to be a problem, check again on subsequent days under different conditions.
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Blood pressure is measured with a sphygmomanometer and is important for body balancing and assessing nutritional requirements. The normal readings are 120/80 mm Hg (millimetres of mercury). The upper value is produced when the heart contracts (systolic pressure) and mainly indicates the rigidity or elasticity of the main arteries. The lower reading (diastolic pressure) occurs when the heart dilates and indicates the amount of tension or relaxation in the small peripheral blood vessels. The difference between both readings is the pulse pressure. The normal pulse pressure is about 40. To obtain an indication of the metabolic rate (how fast or how slow the body produces energy from food) multiply the pulse pressure by the resting pulse rate. The average value is 2800 plus or minus 500. A value higher than 3300 indicates an overactive thyroid, while a result lower than 2300 indicates an underactive thyroid. A fall in blood pressure when standing compared with sitting indicates adrenal stress. Sometimes a low blood pressure when sitting will rise when standing because of increased tension. The blood pressure of healthy adults does not rise with increasing age. The most common causes for high blood pressure are arterial hardening and congestion, kidney problems, and allergies. Examination of Organs: While the person to be examined lies relaxed on the back, exert direct pressure on the organs to be tested. Inflamed or infected conditions will usually be indicated by tenderness. Of special importance is the liver; to gauge liver health, press gently under the front of the right rib cage. Press into the stomach, at the lower end of the sternum, and all around the abdomen, to check the small and large intestines. If most of these intestinal areas are tender, you can suspect an overgrowth of Candida albicans in the gastrointestinal tract. Reflexes can be tested by striking with the edge of the hand just underneath the kneecap. Normally the leg will give a slight jerk. Absent or very strong jerks may indicate nervous system diseases and a need to seek professional help. Another test involves stroking the inside of the sole of the foot (called Babinski’s reflex). In a normal condition, the toes will contract and draw together. In cases of central nervous system disease (and in newborn infants), the toes will fan out and be drawn back. The thyroid gland is situated on both sides of the lower neck; if it is underactive, you may feel sluggish and have difficulty losing weight. To see whether your thyroid is underactive, measure the temperature under your tongue for ten minutes on three consecutive mornings before getting out of bed. Premenopausal women should do this on the second, third, and fourth day of the menses. The temperature should be
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97.8°F (36.5°C) or higher. If it is consistently below this, your thyroid is likely underactive. You should then consume foods high in iodine, such as seafood and kelp, and also take selenium to stimulate your thyroid functions. Dental problems, such as dead teeth and mercury amalgam fillings, are important causative factors of thyroid problems, so use metal-free dentistry (see Step 8). Other tests can be performed according to the skill and specialization of the examiner. The tongue, skin, hair, eyes, and nails can give valuable health information. Energy patterns can be assessed from Kirlian photography; measuring devices for acupuncture energies can reveal the meridian flows as well as the vitality of specific organs before and after treatment and at consecutive visits. Self-examination of organs can be difficult. If you are in doubt about what you have found, consult a professional. Low-cost diagnostic instruments such as a sphygmomanometer, stethoscope, and eye, ear, nose and throat instruments can often be obtained from Chinese importers of acupuncture equipment. Hair Analysis: For an assessment of your long-term mineral status, you can send a sample of your head hair to a specialized laboratory for analysis. (You can find an address for a laboratory on the Internet or in the advertisements of health magazines, or ask a naturo-path.) However, interpretation of the results is difficult, because mineral levels in hair are not directly related to the mineral levels in blood or cells. As the mineral content of the hair reflects the long-term mineral distribution inside the cells, it is often more useful than a serum mineral analysis. Generally, the ratio between key elements is more important than certain high or low values taken in isolation. An abnormal ratio indicates problems with the various systems or organs. Important ideal ratios (and the body systems affected) are as follows: •
Zinc:copper = 8:1. Needed for the cardiovascular system, female reproductive system, liver functions.
•
Zinc:manganese = 150:1. Muscles and skeletal system, collagen, cholesterol.
•
Calcium:zinc = 3:1. Cardiovascular and kidney functions, bones and joints.
•
Sodium:potassium = 2:1. Adrenal glands and glandular system.
•
Calcium:magnesium = 8:1. Cardiovascular system, bones and joints, dietary imbalance.
•
Iron:copper = 2.5:1. Indicates condition of blood and energy production through respiration.
•
Here are some clinically significant patterns:
•
Elevated levels of toxic minerals such as mercury, lead, or cadmium indicate you need to detoxify.
•
Low sodium, intolerance.
potassium,
chromium,
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manganese
indicate
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•
Elevated calcium and magnesium in the correct ratio indicate nutritionally induced hyperparathyroidism (overactive parathyroid glands) due to excess dietary phosphorus (for example, from meat and soft drinks).
•
Low levels of most polyvalent elements; including copper, iron, manganese, chromium, and selenium, indicate malabsorption, with possible lack of gastric acid.
There is an interesting nutritional pattern connected with criminal behaviour. Violent, imprisoned criminals generally have one of two mineral-correlated behaviour patterns. With a high copper-to-zinc ratio, low sodium, potassium, and manganese but high lead and cadmium levels, they have extreme mood swings, poor ability to handle stress, and occasional violent behaviour. They tend to feel remorse for their actions. With the other pattern of iron, calcium, potassium, and sodium high in addition to high cadmium and lead, with low copper and zinc, such people are often violent and cruel, fascinated by fire, and exhibit no conscience or remorse. (For further information, see Diagnostic Usefulness of Trace Elements in Human Hair, by Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D.) Face and Tongue: Face diagnosis is widely practiced in Chinese and Japanese medical traditions. Generally, the forehead corresponds to the nervous system, the middle part of the face to the circulation, and below the nose to the digestion. More specifically, the eyes are related to the liver and partly to the spleen; the nose to the lungs and heart; and the mouth and lips to the digestive functions. To give a few examples, fluid sacs under the eyes are generally attributed to poor kidney function, especially if they are dark purple or bluish in colour, while with a puffy brown appearance they implicate the liver. Heart and lung problems may be indicated by a red or purple, swollen or bulbous nose. Soft, hanging lower lips show a weak muscle tone of the intestines. If the mouth is kept open most of the time, this shows severe metabolic imbalances and weakness. The tongue is also a diagnostic tool. The tip of the tongue corresponds to the heart, the edges to the liver and gallbladder, the centre to the stomach and spleen; between the tip and the centre are the lungs; and at the root or back of the tongue are the kidneys, intestines, uterus, and bladder. The underside reflects the circulation in the corresponding areas. A white coating is related to congestion of the intestines; a red tongue may indicate B-vitamin deficiencies or inflammation; a bluish colour indicates coldness, underactivity, and poor circulation in the indicated areas. A yellow or brownish coating may indicate liver problems and cracks may be due to overacidity, allergies, and deficiencies.
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Step 12 IRIS DIAGNOSIS Study your eyes to find out more about internal conditions of your body.
The iris is like a map of the body - changes in certain organs are reflected in specific parts of the iris. The right iris shows the condition of the right side of the body, while the left iris reflects the left side. The exact relationship between iris and body parts can be seen from the iris chart below. Iris diagnosis is also known as iridology. In health, the iris is composed of densely structured fine, straight lines, radiating from the pupil to the outer rim. A close grain, similar to that of hardwood, indicates a strong inherited vitality and good recuperative powers in the case of temporary illness. If the fibres are loosely spread, as in softwood, the basic health is weak. In poor health these lines become separated and distorted, forming various patterns, called markings. Very weak organs often show elliptically formed grey markings - so-called closed lesions resembling knots in wood. In poor health many of these closed lesions may be found in the iris, indicating areas in which the circulation is stagnating. If these lesions are not 'walled in', but open at one end or both, this indicates that despite a weakness the circulation in this area is good. Colour Changes: Start by studying your own eyes in a mirror. Then look at the eyes of friends and relatives. Use a magnifying glass and a torch held at the side of the eye. Make a coloured copy of your own eyes or those of a friend, and compare it with the iris chart. Study the general colour pattern. Markings are much easier to detect in blue than in brown eyes. Often there will be brownish discolourations in blue or green eyes extending outward from the pupil. This area belongs to the intestines. The brown colour change indicates that there is a deterioration of the digestive system, usually associated with inherited liver and gall bladder weakness. Frequently, the eyes of babies change from blue to brownish within days or weeks of the baby's introduction to cows' milk. Often allergy symptoms are present simultaneously, for example, eczema, respiratory and digestive difficulties. These colour changes may also occur in breastfed babies if the mother uses cows' milk or its products. Presumably this change may already occur in the foetus. The brown colour of genuinely brown eyes comes from melanin pigments, while pathological brown colour changes originate from oxidised lipoproteins (for example, lipofuscin) and possibly from the breakdown products of blood colouring agents (for example, bilirubin). Additional discolouration may result from drug deposits. Sometimes there is so much brown it is difficult to detect the original colour. Organ areas that border the intestinal ring where it shows strong markings are likely to suffer from reflected weaknesses. White in the iris indicates overactivity, irritation, acidity, infection, inflammation or catarrh of the corresponding body part. In some eyes the whole iris shows much white; in others it is concentrated in certain areas only.
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Generally, a brown discolouration means that cows' milk products, saturated fats (all fats that are solid at room temperature), chemicals and stimulants should be avoided as much as possible. A very white discolouration indicates mucus congestion. Therefore, mucus-forming foods should be avoided - gluten, refined carbohydrates, wheat, lactose, oranges and anything mouldy. Gradually, an organ may change from an inflamed to a chronically weak condition. The white in the iris will simultaneously change to grey; the darker the grey, the weaker the organ. During health improvement you may watch the reverse process: the grey areas becoming lighter in colour, then white and finally restored to the original colour - a process that takes many years. Generally, white markings indicate a need for sedating, anti-inflammatory treatment of the associated organ, while grey or brown areas show a need for strengthening and stimulation.
IRIS CHARTS Abbreviations: ADREN = Adrenal Gland, AP. = Appendix, G.B. = Gall-bladder, P. = Pineal Gland, PA. =Pancreas, PIT. = Pituitary Gland, S.P. = Solar Plexus.
Common Conditions: PUPIL REFLEX: If a pupil does not contract when a bright light shines on to it, this indicates dulled nerve reflexes, weak adrenal glands or an overstimulated sympathetic nervous system, often from fear as a hidden, chronic condition. Adrenal stress is indicated if the pupils begin to expand and contract repeatedly when exposed to bright light for 30 seconds. NERVE WREATH: A strong, white and almost circular outline of the intestinal area - the nerve wreath - indicates a good Condition of the autonomic nervous system. If this outline is weak, jagged, discoloured, or extends far towards the periphery or the pupil, we may assume the autonomic nervous system is in a poor
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condition. The normal position of the nerve wreath is one-third the distance between the pupil and the periphery; if the nervous system is tense and overactive, the wreath is closer to the pupil, and if the nervous system is relaxed and under-active it is closer to the periphery. NERVE RINGS: White circles or arcs of circles in the outer part of the iris. They indicate a tense, over-reactive, irritated nervous system. The outermost iris zones represent the lymphatic and circulation system and, bordering the sclera, the skin. DISCOLOURED STOMACH AREA: In a normal condition the stomach area is not visible, but if the stomach is irritated the area bordering the pupil will be whitish and distinct from the intestinal area. A brownish discolouration of the stomach area indicates a chronic weakness. DISCOLOURED INTESTINAL AREA: A whitish intestinal area indicates inflammation, irritation or ulcers; avoid gluten products, lactose, spices and acid foods; use mucilaginous supplements (fenugreek, slippery elm, comfrey, linseed), brown rice, and the outer parts of potatoes. If there is a mucous congestion in the head, there is a whitish or brownish discolouration in the transverse colon area, radiating towards ear and brain. If chronically weak, this area will be dark. RADIAL BLACK LINES: When there is a serious deterioration of the intestines, strong black lines (radii solaris) will develop, starting from the pupil and radiating towards the periphery. Organs through which these radii pass will be very weak as well. UNUSUAL MARKINGS: Distinct markings may be coloured brown, red or yellow. Unusual colours indicate deposits of drugs or other chemicals that settle in weak organs. WHITE OUTER RING: A heavy white ring near the outer edge of the iris points to salt (sodium) and calcium deposits. Avoid salt, drink plenty of water, possibly use potassium and magnesium supplements, and natural vitamin D; improve kidney activities. BLUISH-WHITE FILM: A bluish-white film beginning to cover the iris from the outer rim indicates poor circulation to this area and an anaemic condition. Often this film appears in the brain area, indicating approaching senility (arcus senilis). DARK OUTER RING: A dark ring at the outer rim (scurf rim) shows the skin is inactive with accumulated wastes, and needs frequent stimulation, better circulation and improved kidney and lung activities. LYMPHATIC ROSARY: A series of white spots near the outer rim, the 'lymphatic rosary', indicates chronic infection and congestion of the lymphatic system. Avoid especially lactose and cows' milk products (except butter). It may require years to become an expert in iridology, but the basic rules given here will already enable you to form a well-founded judgement about the condition of your body. You may also be able to help other people if you have this knowledge. Experiment and you will soon find iridology a valuable and fascinating tool. The most extensive information in book form on iridology is available from Bernhard Jensen, mainly his book Iridology Volume 2.
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Sclerology: In sclera diagnosis or sclerology, the location and shape of the blood vessels visible in the sclera, the white of the eye, are interpreted. Generally only the problem areas are indicated, not the nature of the complaint. Sclerology may show that the function of an organ is disturbed, but not whether it is overactive or under-active. It helps if you have good light and a magnifying glass for examination. To inspect the lower part of the sclera, let the examinee look up while you pull down the lower eyelid; to look at the upper part, the examinee should look down while you gently roll up the upper lid; examine the outside while the examinee looks toward the other eye and the inner part of the sclera while looking away from the other eye. Generally a blood vessel pointing towards a certain organ reflex in the iris indicates that there is something wrong with that organ or part of the body. The stronger the blood vessel is visible and also the more of them are bunching together, the worse is the problem. A bluish colour of the sclera indicates under-activity.
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Step 13 MUSCLE TESTING Test your muscle strength to see whether a food or remedy is good or bad for you.
Our muscles respond to many external as well as internal influences by becoming stronger or weaker. In muscle testing, the change in muscle strength is assessed before and during contact with a test item. This may be, for example, a food sample, a colour or a piece of material. Internal influences are our thoughts and feelings, which may either strengthen or weaken us. The reason for the muscle changes can be explained by the influence the radiation of a tested sample has on the flow of bio-energies along the acupuncturemeridians. In the same way, our thoughts and emotions can change the flow of bioenergy. I have measured differences in muscle strength of up to 50 percent during testing. Most suitable methods for food testing are to place a sample in the mouth chewing it for about 10 seconds - and also to hold a sample in one hand near the navel. Most non-food items can be tested near the navel or simply by touching with a hand. How to Test: The simplest form of muscle testing requires a tester as well as the tested person. Almost any muscle can be used for testing, but I use the following method as the most convenient. The tested person sits with uncrossed legs, one arm held out to the side, elbow level with shoulder and bent at a right angle, place the free hand over the navel. The tester presses just above the elbow to push it down. Press the arm lightly into the shoulder as well as toward the hip. If the tested person is very strong, the pressure may be straight down, or the arm may be fully extended and the pressure applied at the wrist. Increase the pressure gradually and with measured strength; feel and remember exactly the amount 'of pressure required to force the arm down. If both arms are too weak, you may test the legs. During testing, the tester should keep the question in his or her mind 'Is the tested sample good or bad for the patient?' but should not expect a certain result. The preferences of the tested person seem to have little influence on the result. Now the tested person takes a sample and holds it with the free hand just above the navel. After about 10 seconds, the tester presses the arm down and carefully notes any difference in resistance. If the result is doubtful, repeat the test with and without holding the sample. Often a difference is easier to detect if the arm is pressed down three times in succession. Sometimes the tested person feels a pain or strain in the shoulder during a weakening test, even if the tester cannot notice a difference. This should be reported. Generally the quantity of food held is not critical; it may even remain in a container or plastic bag; however, avoid a coloured container or one of semi-rigid plastic.
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If the patient is difficult to test, you may strengthen the arm immediately before each test by tracing the acupuncture meridian of the lung or of the glands (triple warmer); alternatively, test a leg. Another strengthening method is to tap the thymus gland (underneath the upper end of the breastbone) several times lightly with your fingers. This strengthens the immune system and in doing so reduces allergic reactions. What to Test: In addition to foods, testing can be done on vitamins, herbs, drugs and even garments. You will find that synthetic fibres (especially nylon), many drugs, refined foods, chemical additives and incompatible colours are frequently weakening. Food combinations may be assessed by holding them jointly during a test. Individual items may even remain in their separate containers. Samples that are strengthening individually may test weakening if held together, and vice versa. The test results may be influenced by what you have eaten beforehand. Also, when you are tired, fatigued or sick, many foods are weakening that at other times may be strengthening. Therefore, important items should be retested from time to time under varying conditions. Use muscle testing frequently for all your food and supplement requirements. Supplements will test strengthening as long as they are required. Sometimes, muscle testing will indicate that an item should be omitted temporarily before it is used again, or that it should be taken in a lower dosage (for example, vitamin A). For assessing the amount to be taken per day, gradually increase the number of tablets or capsules held in the hand until the arm weakens. Take about 10-20 per cent less than this amount. You may also try to find out whether your usual sleeping location is safe. Perform a muscle test while lying in the usual sleeping position on the bed. If the arm is weaker than with a test in another part of the bed or the room then you may have to change your sleeping location. Even thoughts and feelings may be tested. A positive thought and a good feeling may be strengthening quite generally to all muscles, although the main strengthening effect may be on one particular muscle. Negative thoughts or unpleasant feelings, on the other hand, may produce a general weakening and also a particular muscle to become very weak when tested. Mental testing may be used to explore your subconscious beliefs, feelings and body reactions. Instead of testing the safety of your bed while actually lying on it, you may use mental testing to find out whether your bed is situated over underground radiation that is detrimental to your health. While your partner tests your muscle strength, imagine lying or sleeping in the bed. Then imagine an underground stream and harmful radiation underneath the bed. If the arm is stronger when imagining the usual sleeping arrangement but weaker with the imagined stream, then your bed is likely to be in a good spot, otherwise continue the test by imagining sleeping in a different location until the test becomes strong. Another possibility is surrogate testing. You may use this for a small child or anyone who cannot be tested directly. If you want to know whether a certain food is
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good for the child, place the food on the child’s abdomen; at the same time touch the child with one hand and extend the other arm for your partner to test. Finally, you may develop a method of self-testing. One possibility is as follows: press the tips of the thumb and one finger of the left or right hand together to form a loop. With the index finger of the other hand hook behind the joined fingertips, and with a quick move try to pull it through. Adjust the pressure of the joined fingers and the force of the pulling index finger so that you cannot pull it through when the answer is ‘yes’ or ‘good’; but when the answer is ‘no’ or ‘bad’ the joined fingers become weaker and can more easily be opened. When you can do this successfully with known answers, you can test food samples in your mouth or on your abdomen, and also try mental testing. Vitamin and Mineral Testing: M, Grimm and W. Fishman developed the following method to assess vitamin or mineral deficiencies by holding certain contact points on the body. The tested person applies a light pressure on the contact point with a pad formed by the first three fingers of the free hand, while the other arm is tested for muscle strength. Start by testing the muscle strength without touching the body with the free hand, and then repeat the test while touching the specified contact point. The contact points for the main vitamins and minerals are as follows. •
Vitamin A: right eyelid
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B vitamins: tip of tongue
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Vitamin C: just below left collarbone, 5 cm from mid-chest
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Vitamin D: midway point of left groin
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Vitamin F: just below right collarbone, 5 cm from mid-chest
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Calcium: just above left collarbone, 5 cm from mid-chest
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Iodine: just below Adam's apple
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lron: midway point of the right groin
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Magnesium: middle of the navel
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Phosphorus: midway between pubic bone and left hipbone
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Potassium: hollow of right cheek
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Zinc: midway between pubic bone and right hipbone
For more information see Muscle Response Test by M. Grimm and W. Fishman. Touch for Health: Some influences - nutrients, colours, thoughts and emotions - affect certain muscles more than others. In addition, organ functions can be tested with specific muscles. If the muscle is weak, it indicates a weak organ function. Meridian tracement may be used to strengthen a weak muscle or organ. Some useful organ and muscle tests, as used in Touch for Health by J. F. Thie and M. Marks, are given below.
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Adrenals: Lie face up, with one leg up and bent so that the foot is over the other leg just below the knee; the tester presses against the heel and the top of the knee to straighten the leg. Brain, Mental Stress: Hold an arm straight, about 15 degrees away from the body, slightly sideways; the tester presses the forearm towards the groin. Circulation/Sex: Lie on one side, with the upper leg straight, raised as high as possible; the tester presses the ankle down. Gall bladder: Lie face up, holding the arm straight 45 degrees above the leg, palm downward; the tester presses the forearm down. Heart: Hold the upper arm to the side, level with the shoulder, with the elbow bent at 90 degrees and the forearm down; the tester steadies the elbow and pulls against the wrist to pull the hand forward and upward. Kidneys: Lie face up, with one leg raised at 45 degrees, slightly towards the side, with the foot turned out; the tester presses the inside of the ankle down and inward. Large Intestine: As for the kidneys, but with the foot turned in; the tester presses the ankle down and inward. Liver: Hold the arm straight forward, level with the shoulder, slightly sideways, with the palm outward (thumb towards feet); the tester presses the forearm upward and outward. Lungs: Hold the arm to the side, elbow level with the shoulder and bent at 90 degrees, forearm horizontal; the tester presses the elbow down. Neck and Sinuses: Lie with the arms above the shoulders, head up, chin down; the tester presses against the forehead.' Pancreas: Hold the arm straight down touching the side, with the thumb towards the body, the tester pulls the forearm away from the side. This is a good test to perform while shopping, the tested person touching a questionable food item. Small Intestine: Sit on the floor with closed straight legs, hands on opposite shoulders, lean back slightly; pressure is against the crossed arms. Spleen: Lie face up, with the arm straight to the side, palm upward; the tester pushes the back of the wrist off the ground. Stomach: Hold the arm as for the liver; the tester presses downward and outward. Generally, the tester's free hand is used to stabilise the tested person's body so that only the tested limb moves, not the whole body. Both arms and legs may be tested.
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Step 14 THE ENDOCRINE PATTERN Simple arm and leg measurements can show the conditions.
The body has developed under the guidance of the endocrine glands. Therefore, glandular disturbances are reflected in abnormal proportions of various parts of the body. Certain measurements enable us to recognize our glandular pattern as a basis for corrective treatment. Our endocrine system is composed of two antagonistic groups of glands. The anabolic (build-up) glands are the adrenal cortex, the posterior pituitary (in the brain), the parathyroid, and the pancreas (Islets of Langerhans). The catabolic (breakdown) glands are the adrenal medulla, the anterior pituitary, and the thyroid gland. The anabolic glands control the calcium level of the blood, while the catabolic glands control the phosphorus level. Ingestion of sugar or sweet foods stimulates the anabolic glands, disturbs the calcium-phosphorus ratio, and leads to an excess of calcium in the blood and, consequently, to stone formation. Later, however, it leads to exhaustion of the anabolic glands.
Table 2-1: Normal Body Measurements Ratios
leg : arm
ankle : wrist one-fourth one-half three-fourths knee : elbow
Female
1.770
1.550
1.295
1.425
1.340
1.530
Male
1.740
1.475
1.220
1.350
1.265
1.455
Interpretation: One-fourth ratio higher than normal: underactive thyroid One-fourth ratio lower than normal: overactive thyroid One-half ratio higher than normal: posterior pituitary underactive One-half ratio lower than normal: posterior pituitary overactive Three-fourths ratio higher: anterior pituitary underactive Three-fourths ratio lower: anterior pituitary overactive
Measurements: The following measurements can reveal the basic functional pattern of the thyroid, pituitary, and sex glands. The results for the thyroid and pituitary glands are accurate to more than 95 percent; for the sex pattern, to about 80 percent. • Measure the length of the lower leg from the middle of the kneecap to the middle of the ankle, and the lower arm from the point of the elbow to the middle of the wrist bone.
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•
Divide each measurement by four and mark the quarter-points between knee and ankle, and between elbow and wrist. (This means one quarter of the distance from knee to ankle is the one-fourth point, half the distance between knee and ankle is the one-half point, and three quarters of the distance is the threefourths point. In the same way divide the distance from the elbow to the wrist.)
•
Measure the distance between the endpoints (knee to ankle, elbow to wrist) as well as between the three quarter-points in between.
•
Divide all leg measurements by the corresponding arm measurements.
The measuring tape should not be tight for the circumferential measurements; contact measurement only is wanted. The foot should be at right angles to the leg during measurement. All measurements are taken for both sides of the body. Compare your measurements with the normal values shown in Table 2-1. Table 2-2: Further Signs of Andricity or Gynicity Signs of Andricity
Signs of Gynicity
The back of the hands point forward
More of the palms show when
when the arms hang loosely at the sides
arms hang loosely at the sides
(person must be unaware of the test) A low voice if female
A high voice if male
Pubic-hair line is triangular with
Pubic-hair line is flat on top
apex upward Aggressiveness, independence,
Intuitive instead of critical thinking
critical thinking Body in general is hairy
The other signs are opposite to those listed for
Tendency to become bald
andricity
Space between thighs Tends to have too much gastric acid (ulcers) “Andric” means more male hormones are produced than is normal for the average male or female. “Gynic” means more female hormones are produced than is normal for the average male or female.
The anterior pituitary gland mainly produces growth and sex hormones, and it stimulates the thyroid and adrenal glands. The posterior pituitary regulates the amount of water lost in the urine; it can raise the blood pressure and stimulates labour contractions. Assessing Male-Female Balance: Both sexes produce male as well as female hormones in a gender-specific ratio. If there are more male hormones produced than normal, the condition is called “andric”; if more female hormones are produced, it is “gynic.” To give an example, a woman with a constitutionally high oestrogen-testosterone ratio is gynic, while with a low ratio she is andric.
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If the leg-arm ratio is higher than normal, add the difference between actual and normal measurement to the normal ankle-wrist ratio; if the leg-arm ratio is lower than normal, subtract the difference. If the actually measured ankle-wrist ratio is higher than the adjusted normal ratio, the person is gynic; if the actual ratio is lower, the person is andric. Gynic females may be more harmed by oestrogen birth control pills than andric females. Generally, andrics need more magnesium and gynics more calcium. For further signs of andricity or gynicity, see Table 2-2. If one or more of the gland measurements show abnormal functions (as they usually will), treat the corresponding glands with diet, ear acupuncture, acupressure, reflexology, and guided imagery. Minute amounts of gland extracts can be prescribed. (For further information, see Body Chemistry in Health and Disease, by M. E. Page.) * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 15 REFLEXOLOGY Press reflex points on your hands and feet to diagnose and treat conditions within your body.
Reflexology is excellent for self-treatment and even for diagnosis. Envisage the body divided into 10 vertical segments or zones, five on each side. Each finger and toe belongs to one of these zones. A diseased body part will show up as a sore spot in the same segment of the foot or hand. From this the alternative name 'zone therapy' is derived. Usually the feet are more sensitive and, therefore, more suitable for reflex diagnosis and treatment than the hands. In addition the ears, like the irises, contain a reflex map of the body. (We may even assume that every organ and every single cell contains a holistic reflex map of the whole organism.) In addition, there is a reflex connection between related parts of the legs and arms. A sore knee, for example, may be relieved by pressure on the corresponding location on the elbow on the same side of the body. In a similar way, corresponding locations on the wrist and ankle, and on the hip and shoulder, influence each other. This is especially useful to know when dealing with broken or otherwise injured limbs that do not permit direct treatment. Diagnosis: Press the soles, the toes and the sides of the feet with a knuckle, a thumb or - if the feet are not very sensitive - with a blunt probe. Overweight people and those with poor circulation usually need quite strong pressure, which must be exactly on the correct spot. However, if the lack of sensitivity is due to nerve damage, then it would be better to try and improve this condition first, as with strong sustained pressure under the back of the skull on both sides of the spine and providing any missing nerve vitamins (e.g. B1, B6, B12, folic acid). Press the selected area in a slow circular motion until you find the exact location. Generally, the pressure should be straight down, but for the thyroid area it should be applied from the side, trying to press underneath the ball of the big toe. Adjust the pressure to the general sensitivity of the foot. If the body is very sensitive, all foot reflexes will be extremely tender; therefore try with light pressure to locate only the most painful areas. You may mark the encountered tender spots on an examination chart, using different markings according to the extent of tenderness encountered. Concentrate later treatment on the most painful areas. The results will be better if you have someone other than yourself check your feet. Methods of Treatment: The easiest and most common form of treatment is to apply pressure on sore points with the pad of a finger, the thumb, with a knuckle or with a blunt instrument (for example, the blunt end of a pencil or a pen). If it is quite sore, press straight down, with only light pressure at first. Gradually increase the pressure as the pain lessens. Finally, when even strong pressure can be tolerated, you may apply the pressure in a slow circular motion in order to relax the deeper muscles and ligaments.
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For self-treatment underneath the feet, it will usually be more convenient to press or roll the sore points on a golf ball, a stone or another suitable object. To press reflex areas in the palms of the hands, it is usually more convenient to use a knuckle or a suitable blunt instrument than the pad of the thumb. Usually, the pain begins to subside after a few minutes of pressing. If this happens, increase the pressure for a while, but if the pain instead increases, stop the treatment. The effect on related body parts can be surprisingly quick: pain in the ears, shoulders or back often disappears within minutes. If there is a serious or acute problem, use reflexology several times a day. However, this treatment may stimulate a chronically weak organ to increased activity and it may become tender for a while together with its reflex areas. Generally, deep, strong and slow pressure is sedating and pain relieving, while light, quick tapping or circling is stimulating. Select whichever is appropriate. For some points a so-called C-clamp is effective: press with the thumb from underneath the foot and with the index finger from the top. This may be used for the liver, spleen and thymus.
Figure 2-5: Hand Reflexology Chart
Another method of applying pressure to fingers and toes is to put tight rubber bands around them or to use clothes pegs to clamp the digits. Rubber bands should never be left on for more than a few minutes at a time. In addition, you may firmly grasp a metal comb, pressing its teeth into the palm or the fingers. A metal comb or a brush may also be used to sweep the backs of the hands and lower arms up to the elbows in quick upward strokes. Five minutes of this will stimulate the circulation and invigorate the body. Further effective areas for treatment are the tongue, the inside wall of the mouth, especially the palate (top), under the tongue and the back of the mouth (pharynx). You may press with the pad of a finger or thumb or use a suitable instrument. Pressure on the tongue may be applied by biting or pressing with the
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handle of a spoon. This is effective for treating problems in other areas of the body belonging to the same zone. In addition, the tongue may be pulled out for several minutes by grasping it with a cloth and moving it around. Alternatively, you may poke it out as far as possible and hold it in place with your teeth. You may also work around the angles of the jaw and chin. Because of the sensitivity of the mouth, this treatment is often more effective than hand and foot reflexology, especially for all problems related to the head and throat. Important Areas to Treat: The foot and hand charts will give you a good Figure 2-6: Toe Reflexology Chart indication of where to find suitable points for treating specific complaints. For best results work on all the major reflex areas: hands, feet, ears and mouth. Always treat in the same zone in which the problem arises. Your left inner ear, for example is in zone 4. Therefore, to treat it you will manipulate the left ring finger the third toe including its root on the left side, the ear points of the left ear and the outer left side of the tongue and palate. Work frequently around the joints of fingers and toes, especially digging underneath the lowest joints of the thumbs and big toes. Rubber bands or clothes pegs may be placed for five to 10 minutes on the tips of the digits, or on or between the joints, depending on where there is more sensitivity. Lymph drainage can be improved by press-massaging the area of the upper chest on top of the feet just below the toes. Generally, treat a sensitive area for five to 10 minutes at a time. For an acute problem, you may treat it several times daily, while chronic problems may be treated once a day. For general health improvement you may select a different area each day until you return to the same area after one or two weeks. This process may continue for years, as formerly weak areas become activated and cause increased sensitivity in their corresponding reflex areas. Walking barefoot on rough ground provides a natural foot massage - make good use of it. The Brain: For general health improvement and regeneration work frequently on the brain, especially the pituitary gland, the pineal gland, the hypothalamus and the medulla (oblongata). The pituitary reflex often feels like a sharp bone protrusion; press it in the direction of the tip of the toe. The hypothalamus and medulla are pressed from the insides of the big toes. For general health improvement it is best to start with activating these parts of the brain and then continue with the other glands and organs. In the system of Body Electronics as developed by Dr John Whitman Ray it is recommended to work in a certain sequence for regenerating the body. Start with the
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so-called STO-point: press into the valley between the muscles from both sides of the spine and then up under the skull (occiput). This is to improve the nerve transmission to all parts of the body. Then start working on points in the following order: pineal gland, hypothalamus, pituitary, medulla, thyroid, thymus, heart, solar plexus, pancreas, adrenals, spleen, gonads (uterus, ovaries, prostate, and testicles), liver, kidneys, gall bladder, bladder, small intestine, large intestine.
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Step 16 EAR ACUPUNCTURE Try this easy method to improve the function of any diseased or unbalanced organ.
Ear acupuncture can be a very effective method for relieving acute pains and chronically stiff joints, sometimes these have been cured within minutes. For some problems it can be more effective than body acupuncture. Ear acupuncture is easy and safe for self-treatment and in healing groups. Organ diseases and glandular disturbances may respond less dramatically, but ear needling will always be very helpful as a supportive method with other forms of treatment. The main disadvantage of ear acupuncture is the requirement to find the most painful spot for it to be fully effective, and this is not pleasant for people who are very sensitive to pain. The best points are those that feel like an electric shock or like hitting a raw nerve! However, often the pain will be felt as being beneficial, especially because it usually decreases with continued needling. This pain may be considered as 'letting off steam' or congestive energy from a target organ through the 'safety valve' of an ear point. However, chronically weak organs may also benefit from ear needling if no pain is felt in the corresponding ear point. Generally, however, you may follow the rule 'the more sore the point, the more effective the treatment’. Acupuncture needles are available from some medical-equipment shops, acupuncturists or from acupuncture supply companies, see the Yellow Pages of major cities for addresses. For ear acupuncture use short and medium fine needles (e.g. 25 mm No. 30 gauge or the finer 12mm long 32 gauge. Usually you buy them in packs of 10. In addition press-needles are very effective and may also be ordered in packets of 10. Press-needles are like tiny drawing pins with a 2 mm long needle. They are retained in the ear for one to two weeks, covered with adhesive tape, and stimulated from time to time by pressing between thumb and a finger pad. If an acupuncture needle is not available, you may use a bead needle or even a fine sewing needle. The Needle Method: Some authorities suggest ear acupuncture does not work through the acupuncture meridians, but instead, like reflexology, through the presspoint therapy of hands and feet. In any event, Chinese medicine says the ear is the place where all the channels meet. The ear is relatively safe and easy to use for selftreatment. The following description of using needles for ear treatment is provided only to show how it is done in some other countries or by acupuncturists. For legal reasons, I do not formally recommend using needles on the ear. Instead, you can use commercially available electro-acupuncture instruments or laser lights to treat points, or you can use press-point therapy as described below. Exercise care and caution. For ear acupuncture, short and medium fine needles are being used in addition to press-needles. Press-needles are like tiny drawing pins. They are retained in the ear for one to two weeks, covered with adhesive tape, and stimulated from time to time by pressing between thumb and a finger pad. If an acupuncture needle is not available, a bead needle or even a fine sewing needle is sometimes used.
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Figure 2-7: Ear Acupuncture Chart. Helix points may be used to reduce inflammation, fever, and oedema. Sanjiao is used for circulatory, glandular, chest and abdominal problems. Shenmen is used for sedating, as with nervous problems, insomnia, mental disorders; it is the main point for pain relief, as in arthritis or inflammations; also for dry cough, bronchial asthma, epilepsy and hypertension.
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Sterilise a suitable needle in methylated spirits and rub the ear with a cotton bud soaked in methylated spirits (optional). Find the most tender spot in the appropriate reflex area of the ear by pressing with a toothpick or a similar probe. Insert the needle to about 2 mm deep. It must not pass through the ear. Gently move it around to find the correct depth and direction of the sorest spot. If it is very sore, do not move the needle. When the pain subsides, start to twirl it gently between thumb and forefinger. The less pain there is, the faster you may twirl the needle. If it is not sore any more, move the needle to a different angle and twirl, and in this way gradually work around in a circle. If all or most of the pain is worked out, withdraw the needle and select another point. If it was sorer in a particular direction, insert the needle at a point 1-2 mm away from the first point in that direction and repeat the twirling and probing in different directions. Often the pain shifts around over a reflex area and you must insert the needle and work out the pain in several points lying close together. When the ear point is sore and still in need of treatment, the needle will feel like 'sticking' when it is twirled, while it will move freely when the tension is worked out. For treating chronically weak body parts that do not have sore ear points, select the appropriate point or area from the ear chart and -twirl the needle rapidly. Press-point Therapy: Each ear contains a complete reflex map of the body, as shown in figure 2-7. Instead of using needles, you can more safely press the ear with the head of a dull pin, toothpick, matchstick, or fingernail. Be careful not to penetrate the inner ear. Treat the indicated organ points or wherever there is a tender spot; press for a minute or more each day or whenever convenient. In addition, it will be stimulating to the whole body to massage both ears thoroughly by rubbing them between thumb and index finger simultaneously. Massage daily. Pulling the ears at different angles is beneficial as well. You can also buy an electroacupuncture appliance, now available (and not too expensive) at many health food stores. Each ear contains a complete reflex map of the body as shown in the chart. Instead of using needles, you may press the ear with the head of a pin, a toothpick, a matchstick or a fingernail. Treat the indicated organ points or wherever there is a tender spot; press for a minute or more each day or whenever convenient. In addition, it will be very stimulating to the whole body to massage both ears thoroughly by rubbing them between thumb and index finger simultaneously. Massage daily. Pulling the ears at different angles is also beneficial. You may also buy an electro-acupuncture appliance. These are now available from many health food shops and not very expensive.
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Step 17 COLOUR THERAPY Use colours to balance body conditions and your emotions.
Colour has a powerful influence on our body chemistry. The strongest effect is through the eyes, but good results are also achieved by treating the skin areas over certain organs or the spine. Colour can be used in various ways: as direct coloured light, or indirect light from the colours of walls, curtains and clothes; in foods, and by treating drinking water with coloured lights; by visualising colours with closed eyes; or by visualising that the inhaled breath or directed energy is coloured. For treatment you should be careful to select bright, clear colours; murky colours usually have unpleasant effects. Coloured Lights: Light may be coloured by using coloured light bulbs, by filtering sunlight through coloured glass or cellophane, even by wrapping coloured cloth around a lamp. Drinking water may be treated by exposing it to sunlight in coloured-glass containers or in containers covered with coloured cellophane, or coloured light bulbs may be used. This water is beneficial for drinking, gargling in the case of throat infections, washing wounds or bathing the eyes. Preferably, stimulating colours should be used in the morning and sedating colours in the evening. If a sequence of coloured lights is used, start with stimulating colours, proceed to blue and finish with green. When treating internal organs, shine the light at close range on to the skin area covering the organ, possibly also on to the spinal reflex area. For general treatment and especially to improve eye conditions, you may look at a brilliant, reflecting surface of the desired colour, exposed to sunlight or a strong electric light. To treat specific parts of the body, you may cover them with a single or double layer of cellophane of the desired colour and expose them to mild sunlight or strong electric light. If using sunlight you should be careful not to over-expose as cellophane does not absorb the UV radiation. As a general tonic, you may cover the back with cellophane in the colours of the rainbow: red at the base, orange over the lower back, yellow in the middle, green at the shoulder blades, blue at the neck and violet over the head. These are also the regional chakra energy colours Green is the general healing colour, representing harmony and balanced body polarities. In disease, there may be over-stimulation, with too much red in the system - fever, inflammation, irritability, skin rash, red eyeballs, pink fingernails; or there may be under-stimulation with too much blue - pale skin, sluggishness, bluish eyeballs, bluish nails. The over-stimulated condition needs blue colour treatment, while the under-stimulated condition requires red or orange. The following list shows the conditions for which the different colours may be used. You may also use muscle testing or a pendulum for individual colour selection. Different parts of the body may need different colours. If you are in doubt about which area to treat, irradiate 'systemically' - over the whole body. When irradiating the back,
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lie on one side, not on the stomach. For best effects or professional treatments, use colour slides with a strong projector in a dark room, and irradiate for one hour or longer at a time. The Curative Properties of Colours: RED (BRIGHT RED): Warm and stimulating. Use in anaemia, or whenever you are feeling cold and pale, with chilled extremities; also useful for ultraviolet and X-ray burns and frostbite; red is a liver stimulant and counter-irritant (to bring internal inflammations to the surface). Nutrients: vitamin B12, acidity. ORANGE: A respiratory stimulant; useful for weak lungs, asthma, consumption, emphysema; also for overweight and under-active people with an under-active thyroid (energises thyroid, sedates parathyroids). Orange relieves spasms and cramps; increases milk secretion; corrects rickets and soft bones, osteoporosis; stimulates stomach and digestion, and relieves flatulence and distension; also stimulates the bladder, kidneys, liver and pancreas, try with epilepsy. It is valuable for chronic kidney disease and gallstones; arthritis, gout and rheumatism during nonpainful periods. Minerals: boron, calcium, copper, selenium, silicon. YELLOW: The most luminous colour. A strong stimulant and energiser for muscles and nerves: use in all cases of paralysis and muscle disorders, for nerve building, and in nervous exhaustion. Yellow energises the alimentary tract and stimulates digestion, flow of bile, gastric juices, pancreas activity, lymphatic system, heart, eyes and ears. It generally activates all bodily functions except those of the spleen, which is sedated; use for indigestion, constipation, diabetes, depression, for skin cleansing and to destroy intestinal worms. Minerals: magnesium, molybdenum, sodium. LEMON (YELLOW-GREEN): Stimulates brain activity and activates the thymus. It is a mild laxative and expectorant (expels mucus): use in respiratory problems involving phlegm, asthma, coughs. Lemon is useful for dry, scaly skin disorders and bone building. It neutralises overacidity, and is indicated for chronic disorders in general, including cancer (systemic), diabetes and dwarfism. Minerals: gold, iodine, iron, phosphorus, silver, sulphur. GREEN: Stimulates pituitary gland, encourages muscle and tissue building, and breaks up hardened cell masses and clots. It is anti-congestive, germicidal, disinfectant, purifying: use for heart problems, ulcers, cancer, wound healing, skin improvement, burn pains, glaucoma, headaches, neuralgia. Elements: chlorine, nitrogen. TURQUOISE (BLUE-GREEN): Normalising for acute disorders. It is calming, and therefore useful for headaches, for soothing inflammations, sunburn and itching. It improves, rebuilds and tones the skin: use for moist- or weeping-skin disorders. It is also valuable for acute childhood diseases and infections, acute venereal diseases, and hyperactivity. Minerals: chromium, zinc. BLUE: Cooling, strongly anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, stops bleeding; reduces fever, pain. Use to treat all conditions marked by redness, swelling and heat, and acute phases of arthritis, gout and rheumatism. Blue is relaxing and calming, slows the pulse, can reduce high blood pressure, and is valuable for underweight and overactive people. Use to treat itching, irritation, irritability, insomnia, throbbing
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headaches, speedy brain; sore throat, loss of voice, burns, bruises; diarrhoea, dysentery, colitis, neuralgia, sciatica, earache, biliousness and jaundice. Also good for treating tumour areas and red or infected skin disorders. Element: oxygen. INDIGO (BLUE-VIOLET): Sedative, pain relieving, arrests discharges and bleeding, astringent. Use for piles and varicose veins. Indigo improves the immune system during infections: use to irradiate swollen lymph glands; in whooping cough with fever and other acute lung disorders; for convulsions and nervous irritation. It stimulates the parathyroids and sedates the thyroid; use locally for goitre. VIOLET: Relaxing and soothing. It also stimulates the spleen and builds white blood cells. Violet sedates heart and muscle activity, and calms hyperactive people. It is useful for overactive kidneys and bladder; bed-wetting; nerve disorders and overactive mental disorders; epilepsy; insomnia. It also suppresses appetite. PURPLE (BLUE AND RED): Dilates blood vessels and reduces blood pressure: slows the pulse as with palpitations (irradiate heart area). Purple lowers body temperature, and is excellent for high fevers; it stimulates the activity of veins; is a good sleep inducer for insomnia; decreases sexual desire and pain; is anti-malarial; sedates the kidneys. MAGENTA (RED AND VIOLET): Energising; improves and normalises the emotions, the aura and the sexual system. Magenta energises the adrenal glands and the heart muscle, normalises the heart and blood pressure, and improves the circulation. It is diuretic; useful for kidney stones; complementary to green. Mineral: potassium. SCARLET (2 PARTS RED AND I PART VIOLET): Narrows the arteries and raises the blood pressure; energises kidneys (diuretic); use as a sexual stimulant or for frigidity, and for suppressed menstruation. Scarlet accelerates the birth process and expels the placenta. Photochromotherapy: Absent individuals may be treated (with their consent) by exposing their photographs or even a sample of hair or hand-writing to suitably coloured lights. Following is an arrangement that reportedly gave especially good results: line a box with crumpled and partly restraightened aluminium foil. Place the photo on the bottom, covered with a glass plate to prevent heat damage. Suspend from the top a small coloured light bulb, as used in Christmas decorations or similar ways. Cover the top with more aluminium foil treated in the same way. Another possibility is to cover the aluminium-foil-lined box with cellophane of the desired colour and expose the box to moderate sunlight. Exposure time may range from one hour to several hours, depending on the severity of the condition and the reaction of the patient. A pendulum may possibly be used for assessing colours and exposure times.
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Step 18 MAGNET THERAPY Take advantage of the fact that both poles of a magnet have useful biological effects.
Magnets are effective healing tools. The opposite poles of a magnet have different effects on the body, so it is essential to identify the poles correctly. According to physics, if a magnet is suspended on a thread, the pole pointing towards the north is called the north pole; the other pole is the south pole. So here, north pole means north-pointing pole. Another way of finding the polarity of a magnet is to move it slowly towards the north-pointing end of a compass needle. If the needle turns away, the north pole of the magnet has been used, and vice versa. Test the polarities of any acquired magnets, as you cannot rely on the pole designations of the manufacturer. How to Use Magnets: U-shaped magnets are not suitable for magnet therapy. Instead, flat ceramic or neodymium magnets are best; otherwise short, cylindrical, or bar magnets can be used. The north pole generally has strengthening, stimulating qualities; it gives energy. It can be used to improve weak organs (indicated by dark markings in the iris). The south pole withdraws energy; it is sedating and relaxing. It can be used for pain relief, to reduce unwanted growths (tumours) and swellings, soothe inflammation, and arrest infections (indicated by white iris markings). The magnet does not have to touch the skin to work but can be kept in a cotton bag pinned to the clothing, the specified pole facing the body. Most therapeutic magnets are composed of ferro-ceramic material (usually called ceramic magnets) and break easily when dropped. The therapeutic strength of a magnet is a product of its gauss rating and its size. In physics, gauss is the unit of magnetic strength. The magnetic field of the earth is about 0.5 gauss; a magnet with a weak rating has several hundred gauss and a strong magnet several thousand gauss. However, even a magnet with several thousand gauss can have a weak therapeutic effect if it is small. To give an example of commonly used magnets: A strong ceramic magnet can measure three by two by one inches, and a weak magnet two by one by one-half inches, both with 4,000 gauss at the surface. Very strong magnets are made with neodymium, a rare-earth element, and have 9,000 gauss or more. Neodymium magnets are relatively small, and their fields do not reach far into the body. Therefore, neodymium magnets are commonly used to treat areas near the surface, as in small disk or button magnets for acupuncture points. Ceramic magnets, on the other hand, can be large and heavy, their effects reaching far into the body. Therefore, with pain or a tumor deep inside, apply a strong ceramic magnet, three by two by one inches or bigger, while for near the skin use a neodymium block magnet of one by one by one-half inch. As a general rule, apply strong magnetic fields for acute problems and weak fields for chronic problems. In both cases, you can apply a magnet either continuously or intermittently during the day until the problem is resolved. For acute problems, this can be for days and with chronic problems for weeks or months. While
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it is more convenient just to leave the magnet in place all day long, the effect seems to be stronger if you frequently alternate applying and removing the magnet. If a magnet is used for too long or in the wrong place, you may feel uncomfortable or drained of energy. If this happens, remove the magnet immediately and apply the opposite pole for a while. Alternatively, place your hands on a large zinc plate or take homeopathic zinc 6X as an antidote to magnetic overexposure. Do not use strong magnets directly on the eyes or heart, or on the abdomen during pregnancy. Preferably attach or remove strong magnets slowly. Strong magnetic fields suppress nerve signals and, therefore, either pole of a powerful magnet can eliminate pain. However, farther away from the magnet, the field weakens, and then the effects of the opposite biological pole become noticeable. Therefore, I recommend always using the correct pole. If there is no contraindication due to pain, inflammation, or congested energies, then the preferred magnet placement for all individuals, male and female, appears to be the south pole towards the right front of the body and the north pole towards the left front. To a lesser degree, the back of the body has the opposite polarity to its front. This means that the energy of the left back is similar to that of the right front but not quite so strong. Therefore, if a north magnet is required on the right side of the body or a south magnet on the left, then it is best placed on the back. If there is pain or any sign of inflammation in an organ, apply the south pole; if there is an obvious weakness, use the north pole. In most other cases, experiment with muscle testing to find the beneficial pole for the condition at hand. If you are in doubt about which pole to use, try one pole for some time and later the other pole, then compare results. The length of a testing period, before reversing poles, can be only a few minutes for acute cases or several days for chronic conditions. While some people do not feel the magnet’s energy and show little response, others are hypersensitive to it. In the latter case, use only a weak magnet for a short exposure or try magnetized water instead. Do not use a magnet in a bed with an innerspring mattress, steel frame, or steel base. In this case, the steel parts can become strongly magnetized with the wrong polarity and cause deterioration of the disease condition when the treated person lies on the bed. Magnetized water is also beneficial for general use. Place one bottle on a strong south pole and another on a strong north pole for 24 hours, then drink the contents of each bottle separately. Alternatively, place a north pole and a south pole at both sides or at the top and bottom of a non-metallic container filled with water. For specific conditions, use either north-pole or south-pole treated water on its own, for drinking or external application (for example, as an eyewash). A strong balancing effect can also be achieved by drinking north-pole treated water and south-pole treated water on alternating days. Use muscle testing or a pendulum to decide, or experiment and observe the results. For general improvement of your well-being, place strong magnets at the hands and/or feet; select poles according to the general rules. For problems in the upper part of the body, place the right palm on one pole and the left palm on the other. For problems in the lower part of the body, place one pole under the right foot and the other under the left foot. If mainly one side is affected, the palm can rest on a south pole and the foot of the same side on a north pole. Finally, a good general placement
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is to have the right palm on one pole and the left foot on the other pole, or vice versa. Start using strong magnets in this way for five minutes and gradually increase to 30 minutes, or for as long as it feels beneficial. A strong magnetic flow is sometimes beneficial for conditions of mild pain associated with weakness, such as weak shoulders that are sore when moved. Magnetic energy is often strengthening to the sex organs and lower pelvis; apply a north pole slightly to the right on the lower abdomen and a south pole slightly to the left on the lower back. For these flows, strong magnets can be kept in place for up to an hour, or for as long as it feels beneficial. Using the Correct Pole: As pointed out, the south pole is placed towards a painful, inflamed, or infected part of the body, while the north pole is used if the body area is weak or underactive. However, there is a possibility that the weakness or underactivity is caused by a low-grade chronic infection or inflammation, which means it may still improve with the south pole and deteriorate with the north pole. Therefore, the south pole is generally safer to use. Commonly, one side of the body has more pain, inflammation, sensitivity, or contracted, tight, or tense muscles than the other. When placing magnets under the palms or feet, place the south pole here and the north pole on the other side. Another good possibility is to lie down with a strong north pole towards the soles of the feet and a strong south pole towards the top of the head; put both magnets about four to 12 inches away from the body. You can also experiment with sleeping this way. With caution, you can also sleep with a magnet placed directly at the crown of your head. You can move a strong magnet (e.g., 4,000 gauss, three by two by one inches) progressively closer during successive nights or sleep at first with a weak magnet (e.g., 4,000 gauss, two by one by one-half inches) and gradually increase its strength. This may be most beneficial for the elderly or those with neurological diseases. For this application, the body should lie in a north-south direction with the head pointing north. When using strong magnets on yourself while in your bed, make sure that your bed and mattress cannot be magnetized. William Philpott, M.D., a magnetic re-searcher in Oklahoma, has described cases of increased beneficial melatonin and growth hormone production in elderly individuals sleeping with a strong south pole directly at the crown of the head. Also, symptoms of confusion, psychosis, schizophrenia, and epileptic seizures disappeared with south poles placed at the temples, Dr. Philpott has reported. To find which pole to use, use muscle testing (see step 13). Sit down with one or both magnets placed in the questioned position. Raise a free arm and stretch it out horizontally in front of you with the palm down. Have a tester or helper gradually exert increasing pressure on the wrist of the outstretched arm to see whether it locks in position or gives way. Then reverse the poles of the magnets and test again. Either the tester or the tested person (or both) may notice that the arm is stronger with a particular placement of the magnets. This is the correct placement. The same test can be made while holding a jug with either north-pole or south-pole treated water pressed lightly against the abdomen. Removing Congested Energy: When the south pole of a magnet, especially a strong one, has been applied to a painful or congested area (including one with unwanted growths), an effective way to remove it is to place your left hand between
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the magnet and the body while slowly removing the magnet. Keep the hand close to the magnet. Then hold the south pole close to a water surface or near running water for about ten seconds; rinse your hands under running water. This process of energy removal from a painful area can be repeated several times. The south pole can be circled over the congested area, starting with a large circle close to the skin and gradually moving higher in spirals above the body. When the magnet is four to eight inches away from the skin, place your hand under it and withdraw the magnet from the body. Examples of Correct Use of Magnets: Remember the simple rule that the north pole gives energy while the south pole withdraws it. An inflammation, a tight muscle, or a swelling are energy congestions and need the south pole; an overly relaxed muscle needs more energy and consequently requires the north pole. Here are some practical tips: Shoulder: Frequently, one shoulder is dropped while the other shoulder is raised. The lower shoulder needs the strengthening north pole and the higher shoulder needs the relaxing south pole to balance the forces. The same rule applies to the middle part of the spine if there is any sideways distortion (as in scoliosis). Gallbladder: In the case of a gallbladder problem, the left leg is often shortened, pulled into the hip socket by tight muscles. The south pole applied to the hip can help correct this condition. After the magnet has been in place for some time, gently pull the leg at the ankle until both ankles are exactly side by side. The right leg can be stretched in the same way, if necessary. Tumor: Use a strong south pole over a tumor; apply for two hours twice daily or for one hour three times daily. Hold the south pole close to running water after removal. However, with pain from a tumor or cancer, you may keep the magnet in place as long as required, even for days on end. Wounds: Fresh wounds heal better with the south pole applied initially; later, use both poles in alternation; and in the final stages of healing, use the north pole for strengthening. Broken bones: For broken bones, the north pole should be applied above the fracture (towards the torso), while a south pole should be applied opposite the north pole and below the fracture. Alternatively, treat the same way as for wounds. Headaches: For headaches, use the south pole wherever the centre of the pain appears to be; but for general mental refreshment, attach the south pole to the forehead and the north pole to the base of the skull. This may also improve your psychic awareness. Stomach and duodenal pain: For stomach and duodenal pain, place the south pole over the pit of the stomach, but to strengthen the digestion after a meal, apply the north pole. Weak heart: To strengthen a weak heart, a small magnet may be carried in the left shirt pocket with the north pole near the breastbone. If there is pain, use the south pole instead. Check your pulse before and afterwards to see whether it becomes stronger and more regular. Even if the pulse does not improve, try using it the magnet for several days (during the daytime only) to see if you feel better.
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Sexual energy: To increase sexual energy, sit on the north pole of a strong magnet. This improves the energy centre at the base of the spine as well as the sex glands. However, with vaginal candidiasis, sit on a strong south pole. Lowering blood pressure: To lower the blood pressure, apply the south pole to the right side of the neck, over the carotid sinus. This gland is located above and to the side of the Adam’s apple and just below the jawbone where you feel the main artery into the head. To raise low blood pressure, apply the north pole to this spot. Overweight: If you are overweight and underactive, apply the north pole to the thyroid gland for stimulation; if overactive, use the south pole to slow the metabolism. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 19 THE ELECTRONIC ZAPPER & MAGNETIC PULSER Use electrotherapy to keep your body free of undesirable microbes and parasites.
Electrotherapies utilize low-voltage electricity to disable a wide range of microbes, including viruses, fungi, bacteria, and parasites, and have been shown to be helpful against a wide range of infections. Various patents have been issued for such devices and scientific papers published with the results. Tests conducted with the AIDS virus in the laboratory show that the ability of the virus to infect human T cells is reduced in direct proportion to the product of the magnitude of the current and the time that the virus is exposed. An oscillating magnetic field has been used with similar good results to kill microbes in food samples or living tissue. Numerous papers in the International Journal of Neuro-science show the positive effects of very weak pulsating magnetic fields applied directly to the top of the head on neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.4 Other researchers have used magnetic pulses on the brain to successfully treat depression.5 Even bites from poisonous snakes have been neutralized with electrotherapies without any negative aftereffects. Electronic Zapper and Blood Purifier: There are now many types of electronic antimicrobial devices available. These originated in the 1990s from the Hulda Clark “zapper” and the Robert Beck “blood purifier.” Hulda R. Clark, N.D., is a Canadian microbiologist, and the late Dr. Robert C. Beck (D.Sc.) was an American electroengineer. Both devices appear to eliminate parasites, bacteria, fungi, and viruses from the body with low-voltage, pulsed electric currents. The Clark zapper operates with 9 V at a very high pulse frequency of 30,000 Hz (Hz is the unit of electromagnetic wave frequency, equal to one cycle per second). The Beck blood purifier uses 27 to 36 V and a low frequency of 4 Hz. It appears that microbes are not killed outright by the mild electric current but are changed in such a way that they are prevented from replicating. Evidence suggests that most of us harbor hidden microbes, and electrotherapy is an easy way to reduce or eliminate these. Therefore, I recommend electrotherapy as a basic component of a health improvement program, in the same way as I recommend intestinal sanitation and allergy testing, regardless whether there is an obvious problem or not. In addition to other measures, I regard electrotherapy as valuable in treating infections and infectious diseases. With the Clark zapper, you hold an electrode in each hand through which a weak current flows. To establish firm contact, rub your palms with saltwater and hold the electrodes firmly. Alternatively, wrap the electrodes in absorbent paper or cloth moistened with saltwater. With weak hands, the best contact results from dipping each hand or foot in a bowl of saltwater along with a partly immersed electrode, but only if no electronics are in the handle. After the last treatment of the day, rinse your hands and/or feet under running water to remove static electricity.
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If you are treating a local infection or tumor, press one or both electrodes close to the problem area; for instance, for a sore throat, press an electrode against each side of the neck. The negative electrode, commonly attached to a black wire, tends to sting sensitive skin. As with magnets, it is important in which hand you hold a particular electrode; otherwise you may feel weaker after zapping. Hold the negative electrode on the side of the body where the tumor, pain, infection, or inflammation is located, and hold the positive electrode with the red wire in your other hand. Try muscle testing to find the best electrode placement. Have someone gently press down your raised, outstretched arm while holding the electrodes one way and then the other. Use the electrodes indicated by the stronger test. The normal treatment schedule is seven minutes, three times daily. The second zapping should follow 20 to 30 minutes after the first one, and the third one after a similar interval. (For more information, see Hulda Clark’s The Cure for All Diseases; www.drhuldaclark.org.) I have found the Clark zapper useful, but the Beck zapper works better in conditions where the blood is infested with microbes or parasites. It appears that with the Clark zapper the current travels mostly over the skin due to its high frequency, while the Beck zapper is specifically designed to electrify and purify the blood; therefore, it is sometimes called a blood purifier. With the Beck zapper, the small electrodes are fastened directly over the arteries, so you feel a pulse on one forearm or near the ankle on each foot. My recommendation is to use the blood purifier initially for two hours daily for about two months, and then for one month once a year. I am not aware of any dangers or contraindications, but if you are unusually electro-sensitive or a problem arises, then stop treatment. As with all natural therapies, electrotherapy may start a healing crisis; in that case, interrupt treatment until you feel normal again. Dr. Beck warned that cells may take up medical drugs and herbal medicines at a much higher rate during the zapping, due to a process called electroporation; this may cause drug overdosing. Originally, he recommended not using drugs and other potentially dangerous remedies, including raw garlic, during the weeks and months of treatment. However, in later interviews, he softened his stand and advised cautiously taking needed drugs or potentially dangerous remedies after the daily zapping rather than beforehand. There is no firm evidence that electroporation occurs with the electronic zapper, so I believe Dr. Beck may be exercising caution. Application of the Magnetic Pulser: Dr. Beck also designed a magnetic pulser to treat swollen lymph glands and other sites of infection and tumours and other parts of the body with poor blood supply. A strong but very brief magnetic pulse induces a tiny current in the cells and body fluids. In addition to helping eliminate microbes, parasites, and cancer cells, it also appears to recharge and rejuvenate weak body cells. This technology is based on U.S. patents in which laboratory test results were submitted showing inactivation of HIV and destruction of cancer cells. The most notable effect that I have observed in using the magnetic pulser is pain relief, be it from back or hip pain, toothache, or cancer, but it was less effective with headaches. Often the pain did not come back. Also, weak eyes and weak muscles often improved. Whether you have a disease or want to improve your health, I recommend you use the pulser frequently on any body area where you suspect an inflammation or infection. Use it on swollen lymph glands (tonsils) and
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any tooth or jawbone positions that are not completely healthy, e.g., where a tooth has been extracted or where there is a filling, a root pocket, or receding gums. Pulse all the lymph glands in the neck, armpits, and groin. Hold the pulser as close as possible to the treated problem area. Commonly, a pulse occurs every two to five seconds and treatment time ranges from ten to 30 minutes. After ten to 20 pulses, you can move to the next area, treating in turn lymph glands, tumours, tender joints, teeth, organs, or any area with an infection. However, remain much longer at major problem areas, up to 30 minutes if required, as for pain relief. A recent development is a magnetic pulser with up to ten or more pulses per second. It appears to work by creating a pulsing magnetic field rather than just single short pulses. I found this more effective than the slower pulsers. There are other types of weak magnetic pulsers available that may be helpful in stimulating cellular rejuvenation. For example, fields of 2 to 7 Hz are suitable to treat neurological disorders, but because of their much lower magnetic pulse intensity, they do not appear to inhibit microbes or parasites and may stimulate their growth. To avoid any damage to normal body cells, the Beck pulser is set at the lower end of magnetic strength to disable microbes and parasites. For this reason pulsing may have to be continued daily for weeks or months to overcome serious and longstanding health problems. Another important aspect is to be aware of the polarity of the coil. One side acts as a magnetic north pole and the other side as a south pole. It is important to use the correct pole as explained previously in Magnet Therapy. This may not be noticeable with strong magnetic pulses, as both sides can suppress nerve signals of pain and improve general health by recharging damaged electric cell potentials. However, there are other conditions that can get worse from using the wrong pole, while using the biologically correct pole can also give better results with pain, microbes, and general health improvement, especially farther inside the body where the pulse strength rapidly declines. When holding the back of the magnetic pulse unit, called the paddle, hold it with the hand that benefits from that particular polarity. To find out which side of the paddle is north and south, place a small flat magnet with known polarity on top of one side and watch what happens with the next pulse. Like poles repulse each other. Therefore, if the magnet jumps off, that side of the paddle has the same polarity as the side of the magnet placed on it face down. If you then turn the small magnet around, it should not jump off. Mark the polarities on the paddle. If you do not have a specific reason to use the other side, then use the south-pointing side of the paddle facing the body. However, if you do not get results within an appropriate period, then try the north-pointing pole instead. For further information on electro and magnetic medicine, including articles by Dr. Beck and plans to build the zapper and pulser, see www.quantumbalancing.com ; www.keelynet.com/biology.htm; and www.sotainstruments.com. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 20 SPINAL THERAPY & MASSAGE Improve the activity of all your organs and glands by massaging your spine and body.
Massage is an effective and usually enjoyable healing tool. It helps one to relax, loosens up tight muscles, and removes fluid accumulations and congestions. Massaging close to the spine is especially effective to stimulate the activity of internal organs and glands. This is due to the network of nerve connections emanating from the spine and the multitude of important acupuncture treatment points along the spine. There is a reflex connection between every organ system and the spine. The malfunction of an organ will produce tension in a specific part of the spine, while a misalignment of the spine will cause tension in a specific organ. Additionally, various acupuncture points along the inner branch of the Bladder meridian, close to the spine, are linked to specific organs, and on both sides of each vertebra (less than one inch from the midline) there are points not usually included in the standard meridian system diagrams but related to certain regions of the body. The Benefits of Massage: A spinal massage is best given as part of an overall body or back massage. For an initial general massage, you may (or may not) use massage oil. It is helpful to know special massage techniques, but not essential. Rub, stroke, and knead as it comes naturally. A caring attitude during massage is more important than technique. Glide slowly downward with your thumbs on each side of the spine (fingers or knuckles may be used as well). Press firmly for a moment into the muscle, then glide to the next vertebra. When you find a sore spot, ease up on the pressure, and press for several minutes with a slightly circular motion. Increase the pressure when the pain subsides. Repeat this several times, gliding down the spine, pausing at tender areas. Do not rub directly on the vertebrae. Other body points typically in need of special attention are the base of the skull, the neck and shoulders, the tops and centres of the shoulder blades, the buttocks, the hips and the sides, and the back of each knee. Another technique to treat tender muscle points along the spine is to apply constant but moderate finger pressure on each tender spot for about 90 seconds. Direct the pressure sideways against the spine, and try to relax the treated muscle to ease any pain caused by a strong pressure. When treating the upper part of the spine, lift the shoulder; when treating the lower part, raise the hip. For the neck, gently move the head against the finger pressure. Experiment to find the position in which the treated muscle is most relaxed. The patient should remain passive during the treatment and should not try to help move any body part. Give your partner a massage and pressure massage once a week; this is best after a bath or shower. This is an excellent exercise for developing a harmonious
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relationship with a friend or partner. When using long strokes during massaging, follow the flow directions of the acupuncture meridians (see Part 7). Massage Oils: Topical massage oils are commonly used to let the hands glide over the skin in long strokes. However, for pressure therapy, deep muscle work, and for sensing the energies, it is often better not to oil the skin. Massage oils can also be selected according to the specific needs of the massaged person. The American psychic Edgar Cayce offered the following recommendations: •
General Tonic Massage: Peanut oil, 6 parts; olive oil, 2 parts; dissolved lanolin, 1 part; rosewater, 2 parts; shake well before use.
• Peanut Oil and Olive Oil Mixture: 2 parts of each and 1 part dissolved lanolin; this is good for arthritis and rheumatism, the after-effects of anaesthesia, injuries from accidents, kidney disorders, menopausal complaints, multiple sclerosis, prostatitis, and toxaemia. •
Peanut Oil Alone: Good for apoplexy, arthritis, gallbladder inflammation, coronary occlusion, fatigue, glandular disturbances, low vitality, menopause, multiple sclerosis, palsy, paralysis, Parkinson’s disease, polio, poor circulation, and ulcerated stomach. Preferably, first heat the body with an infrared lamp or by exposing it to sunshine during and after the oil rub.
•
Castor Oil Alone: Good for arthritis, back pain, contractions and spasms, rheumatism, and all muscular and joint pains. Rub very warm castor oil into the affected parts, preferably using an infrared lamp or sunshine to heat the skin so as to help work it into the skin.
•
Removal of Scar Tissue: Combine 1 to 2 parts camphorated oil with 1 part peanut oil; massage into the scar tissue once daily for several months. Alternatively (or in addition), use vitamin E oil.
•
Cocoa Butter: This stimulates the circulation in massaged areas and strengthens the nervous system and eliminating functions. It is especially useful for massaging babies and young children gently along the spine. It helps body development and guards against head congestion. For increasing the size of underdeveloped breasts, massage around the glands under the arms and below the breasts. Direct massage of breasts with cocoa butter combined with alum water has been recommended by Edgar Cayce to decrease their size. You may use melted cocoa butter on its own or as part of a massage-oil mixture.
Add various aromatic oils for their fragrance or for any additional healing effect they offer. The olive oil should be extra-virgin, and the peanut oil cold-pressed; store both in a cool, dark place. Squeeze some vitamin E oil capsules into the massage oil. A small amount of massage oil can be lightly warmed before applying it to the body. I am not in favour of using polyunsaturated oils as massage oils as these easily become rancid. Treating Muscle Pain: Muscle pain is commonly due to a contracted or spastic muscle. This can generate pain from pressure on a nerve or from an inflammatory condition resulting from overacidity in the tissues. The original cause may be an injury or overuse of the muscle, but this causes lactic acid accumulation in the muscle, which prevents calcium from moving out of the muscle fibres to allow them to
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relax. The blood and lymph circulation through the contracted muscle is greatly diminished. Therefore, lactic acid is removed very slowly by the body and oxygen supply to the muscle is low. Hence the pain. In this condition, further use of this muscle generates more lactic acid and keeps it contracted and weak or painful. If this condition becomes permanent, the area tends gradually to calcify, such that two vertebrae may fuse or a joint may become immobile. The solution is to use suitable therapies to relax this muscle and increase the blood and lymph flow through the area, as with the following: Have a period of rest to allow the lactic acid to disperse. Heat, such as a hot pack, hot bath, or rubbing, greatly speeds up this process. Adding Epsom salt or magnesium chloride to the bath aids muscle relaxation by displacing some of the calcium in the muscle with magnesium. Adding baking soda to a bath or pack helps reduce the overacidity of the muscle. Magnesium and/or an alkalizer may be used internally; MSM, for example, taken internally as well as applied externally, generally speeds up these processes. A quick but painful way to relax a tense muscle is to press into it for several minutes. In addition to or instead of this, a deep muscle massage greatly speeds up lymph and blood flow through the muscle; press, knead, and rub the problem area. Other supportive measures include color therapy with blue light, the south pole of a magnet, a pulsed magnetic field, reflexology, and acupuncture and meridian therapy (see appropriate steps elsewhere in this book). Aiding Spinal Correction: Frequently, health problems are intensified by a misalignment of the spine. Hereditary factors, ingesting incompatible food, and negative or suppressed feelings can cause organ and gland functions to become overactive or underactive. This in turn weakens or tenses muscles in associated reflex areas of the back. The same may happen because of one-sided strenuous muscle activity. This causes an uneven pull of muscles on the spine, and an individual vertebra can easily become misaligned, causing pressure on nerves emerging from the spine and consequent pain or malfunction. Therefore, most people with health problems will benefit from an initial professional adjustment of the spine. However, if the muscles are not balanced simultaneously, the correction will not last and you may become a regular visitor to a chiropractor. This is not necessary. Try to see an osteopath or chiropractor who does muscle balancing as well as adjustments. Working with a friend, you can easily balance each other. Here are some tips: •
For backache, first find out, by pressing, which side of the back has more tenderness.
•
Trace the Bladder meridian energized fingers) from toe on the other side from head and hip problems, trace the the meridians, see Part 7).
•
Apply ear acupuncture, reflexology, or a strong south-pole magnet to the painful area.
of the tender side with a south-pole magnet (or the to head several times. Trace the Bladder meridian to toe with a north-pole magnet. For neck, shoulder, Gallbladder meridian in the same way (for charts of
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•
Press into the tender muscle until the pain eases, then press harder and circle the thumb, knuckle, or elbow that is applying the pressure.
•
Check for other tender points in the same area and work these out in the same way. Often misaligned vertebrae will then realign themselves during subsequent back-stretching exercises or with head-and-neck exercises.
As a general rule, neck and shoulders are affected by the organs and meridians of the gallbladder, upper back by the lungs and heart, the middle by the stomach and pancreas, the lower end of the rib cage by the kidneys, and the lower back by the intestines and sexual organs. Liver problems often manifest as a pain near the lower right shoulder blade. One of the best methods for back improvement is regularly hanging upside down, from special inversion equipment or a ladder. Traction on the neck improves the upper spine. How to Apply a Spinal Concussion: This is an effective method for stimulating and strengthening weak organs and body parts. The general principle is to stimulate the nerves emerging from the spine with rapid soft taps to certain vertebrae. Use the edge of your hand or the knuckles to tap the selected vertebra rapidly (but not very hard) for about 30 seconds. Then rest or treat another vertebra for 30 seconds and return to the first one. Repeat this process for five to eight minutes. For general health improvement, go the length of the spine and stimulate each vertebra in turn with this method. Tap firmly at the lower spine but only lightly at the neck. Let your patient or partner tell you how hard to tap so that it still feels invigorating and pleasant. This treatment can be repeated daily, weekly, or when feasible. If tapping produces pain, seek professional advice. If sedation rather than stimulation is required, try prolonged gentle pressure, gradually varying in intensity, on the appropriate vertebrae. Select suitable vertebrae from the following compilation. Selecting the Vertebra Based on Its Associated Health Condition: Here are some general guidelines for this. There are seven cervical vertebrae, 12 dorsal or thoracic vertebrae, and five lumbar, plus the sacrum and coccyx. Cervical vertebrae: 1:
head, brain, pituitary, sympathetic nervous system
2:
eyes, tongue; hearing problems, sinuses, allergies, fainting
2-3: for headaches, prolonged pressure between C2 and C3 3:
cheeks, teeth, outer ear; acne, eczema, neuralgia, neuritis
4:
nose, lips, mouth, Eustachian tube; catarrh, hayfever
5:
vocal cords, neck glands; throat problems, pharynx
6:
neck muscles, shoulders; tonsils, upper arm problems
7:
thyroid, goitre, shoulders, elbows, contracts inner organs, contracts dilated heart, normalizes blood pressure; bursitis, nose bleeding, fainting, angina, palpitation, tachycardia (fast pulse), lung and kidney diseases, diabetes. (C7 is
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the most prominent vertebra at the base of the neck. Use it as a landmark for counting the other vertebrae along the spine.) Dorsal or thoracic vertebrae: 1:
lower arms, hands, oesophagus, trachea; asthma, cough, breathing problems, thymus
2:
heart, coronary arteries, lungs; chest pain
2-3: for hiccough, press between D2 and D3 3:
lungs, breasts; increases milk flow, contracts gallbladder, oesophagus, and pylorus; dilates heart and peripheral vessels, reduces blood pressure
3-4: tap both for developing breasts 4:
contracts and empties gallbladder, increases secretions of pancreas; jaundice, hepatitis, shingles
5:
liver, solar plexus, opens pylorus and empties stomach; low blood pressure, poor circulation, anemia
6:
stomach; indigestion, heartburn, dyspepsia
6-7: tapping both dilates the kidneys; nephritis 7:
pancreas, duodenum; diabetes, ulcers, gastritis
8:
spleen, diaphragm; hiccoughs
9:
adrenal glands, dilates gallbladder; allergies, biliary colic
10: kidneys; dilates pancreas and blood vessels, reduces blood pressure; nephritis, ataxia, anemia 11: kidneys, urethra; dilates heart, stomach, liver, spleen, abdominal arteries, intestines, in-creases blood supply to lungs; spasms, nervous diarrhea, angina, skin problems 12: small intestines, Fallopian tubes; contracts kidneys; affects lymph circulation; associated with enlarged prostate Lumbar vertebrae: 1: large intestines; constipation, diarrhea, colitis, hernia 2: appendix, abdomen, upper leg; cramps, varicose veins 3: sex organs, ovaries, testicles; bladder, knee, menstrual problems, impotence, bed wetting/ incontinence 4: prostate, lower back muscles; sciatic nerve, lumbago, and backache; difficult, painful, or too frequent urination 5: lower legs, feet; contracts bladder; leg cramps, cold feet Sacrum: hipbones, buttocks; sacroiliac conditions Coccyx: rectum, anus; haemorrhoids, pruritus Lymph-Drainage Massage: Danish medical doctor E. Vodder developed a method of manual lymph-drainage massage in the early 1900’s. It is designed to
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improve lymph flow and accelerate the transport of waste products from the tissues into the bloodstream from which it can be eliminated through the kidneys. A congested and stagnating lymphatic system is a main cause of infections, inflammations, and degenerative diseases. The lymph flows upwards through the legs to the large lymph nodes at the groin and up the arms to the main lymph nodes at the armpits. From the groin and abdomen, the lymph collects in the thoracic duct, which flows along the midline of the body and, together with the lymph from the upper left side of the body, empties into a large vein under the left collarbone. The lymph from the upper right side of the body joins a vein under the right collarbone. Lymph massage should start and end with the chain of glands at the sides of the neck, running from below the ears to the hollows of the collarbones. For massaging the limbs, Vodder taught light, slow, circular movements with the four fingers of the hand, not the thumb. Movement can be clockwise or counter-clockwise (whichever feels better), but do not change direction during the massage. The skin should be moved lightly over the underlying tissue. Generally, five circles are made at any one place, one circle per second. Vary the finger pressure during the circling to achieve a pumping effect. Then move about two inches along the limb and repeat the circling. During massage, a limb should be raised, while well supported and relaxed, to help the backward flow of the lymph. When massaging an arm, start at the upper arm, near the armpit, and presscircle ten times. Then do the same at the insides of the elbow, and finally squeeze each section five times from the palm upward to the armpit. Do the same with each leg. Squeeze ten times near the groin, then the back of the knee, and finally from the foot upwards to the groin. Along the trunk, from the groin upwards, use long, firm upward strokes towards the left collarbone; do this also along the spine and the sides of the back. However, the main benefit for the trunk lymph drainage will be derived if the patient lies on his back and makes bicycling movements in the air. The movements must be either parallel to the floor or, better still, vertical while in the shoulder-stand position. Do this exercise for one minute before and after leg-drainage massage to make room in the trunk for lymph from the legs. Varicose veins, wounds, and tumours should not be massaged. Individuals with advanced diseases should activate the organs of elimination before using this method. If in doubt, consult your health professional. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 21 HYDROTHERAPY, PACKS & COLONICS Use water to relax or alleviate painful conditions.
Hydrotherapy, the use of water to treat disease, involves practices such as drinking large quantities of water to flush out toxins, taking hot and cold baths, saunas, packs, and colonics (enemas). Preferably, use non-chlorinated water if available, as it is less irritating to the skin. Hot Baths: Hot baths are useful for relieving aches, pains, and stiffness, for releasing toxins stored under the skin, and for cleansing the skin of fungal infections. Gradually increase the temperature of the bath water, as far as you can reasonably endure. Remain submerged, except for the face, for ten to 20 minutes. For conditions associated with magnesium deficiency, add from one to ten pounds of Epsom salt to the water; the greater the pain, nervous tension, or stiffness, the larger the amount you should use. Become accustomed to hot baths gradually by increasing the duration and maximum temperature of the bath on successive occasions. Have someone on call, especially if you have a heart problem. Do not use a hot bath or Epsom salt in the case of low blood pressure, fatigue, distended veins, or a weak heart, and be cautious if your blood pressure is high. The body should be completely immersed, but you can cool the forehead with a cold cloth. To improve dermatitis, place a sealed muslin bag filled with up to two pounds of bran in a hot bath; immerse yourself, as above. To relieve itching skin, add a spoonful of baking soda to the water. For arthritis, if a full hot bath is too severe for you, have a hot foot or hand bath with Epsom salt to get relief. After your bath, cover your body with a large towel and, without drying, cover yourself up in bed to induce sweating; rest for 30 minutes, or overnight. Afterwards, a massage or a quick rub with olive or peanut oil is recommended. Overheating Baths: The following method can be used for your general health improvement and to overcome chronic infections. However, I do not recommend it as a specific cancer treatment. It appears to work only when the blood sugar level during the overheating is low (i.e., you haven’t eaten for a while) and the water temperature is high; otherwise tumor growth can be stimulated. For those without cancer, it is good occasionally to have an overheating bath followed by sweating - in other words, a bath that will overheat you. Cancer cells and viruses are weakened and start dying in environments over 105º F (40-41º C), while normal cells can withstand higher temperatures. This explains the curative effect of high fever on cancer and infectious diseases. For home treatment, a therapeutic fever can be simulated with overheating baths. Start with a very warm bath and slowly add more hot water until the bath temperature reaches 108º F (42º C). Initially remain in the tub only up to ten minutes at the maximum temperature, but gradually extend this to 20 to 30 minutes. If you
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want to continue with a regular overheating treatment, then increase the temperature by 2º F (1º C) each week up to a maximum of 116º F (47º C). If the weekly temperature increase is too severe, increase it more gradually. If you cannot reach the maximum temperature, extend the bath duration at your highest possible temperature to one hour. During and after the bath, drink several glasses of pure water to make up for fluid losses. As a safety precaution, keep the bathroom door open and have a helper close by. You are safe while lying in the water; the danger arises when leaving the bath. • •
• •
Therefore, strictly observe the following rules: If you must leave the bath suddenly, immediately lie down again. Remain in the bathtub until all the water has drained. Alternatively, add cold water until the bathwater feels only warm; stay in the cooler water for 10 to 15 minutes. Dry yourself only while sitting, never standing; afterwards, cover with sheets and blankets and sweat for up to one hour. Do not use overheating baths when you do not feel well.
Warm Baths: These are excellent for relaxation; stay in a warm bath for ten to 20 minutes; fragrant oils can be added. Staying in a hot or warm bath for longer than 30 minutes can be exhausting. If stimulation is desired, a warm or hot bath should be followed by a cold bath, a cold sitz bath, or a cold shower. You can also use hot and cold alternating showers or cold-water sponge rubs. Cold-water stimulation is especially important for low blood pressure and distended veins. Sitz Bath: To improve intestinal elimination and the condition of the sexual glands and organs, a cold sitz bath is excellent. After warming the body by exercise or a hot bath or shower, sit for one minute in about eight inches of cold water. Gradually, the sitting time can be increased to three minutes. Keep your feet out of the water. Showers: For general stimulation and improving the circulation, use hot and cold showers, alternating three times between hot and cold, starting with hot and ending with cold. Foot Baths: To increase the circulation in burning or aching feet, mix some tannic acid or mustard powder into a hot foot bath. To keep your feet warm, some cayenne pepper can be added instead. Use alternating hot and cold foot baths for leg problems. Water Packs: To make a pack, fold a cotton or woollen cloth into several layers, dip it into hot or cold water, gently press to remove excess water, and place over the selected area. Hot packs (fomentations) can be used for the relief of muscle pains but are better in combination with Epsom salt. Cold packs are effective for insomnia, high temperature, nervous indigestion and wind, headaches, sore throat, edema, and sprains. For fever, the pack can be changed every five to ten minutes, while for relaxation, it can be left in place for a long time. For insomnia and nervous indigestion, place the cold pack on the abdomen. Castor-Oil Pack: This is excellent for improving intestinal functions and for stimulating the immune system, as well as in problems with the sexual glands and
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the bladder. Castor-oil packs on the abdomen should be used at the beginning of all serious attempts at health improvement, especially if there are any problems with the digestion, liver, gallbladder, or pancreas, or if you have arthritis, cancer, or any other degenerative disease. Hot castor-oil packs can be applied directly to weak, painful, or swollen parts of the body, for example, on weak eyes or eyes with cataracts or glaucoma, stiff neck, painful back, swollen knee, and on cysts and tumours. Persistent use of castor-oil packs frequently gives excellent results when other methods fail. To make the pack, carefully warm castor oil (it burns easily); soak a woollen cloth in the oil and fold it into three or four layers. Cover the abdomen from the pit of the stomach, and including the lower rib cage, down to the pubic bone. If the cloth is not big enough, shift it on successive days of treatment so all areas get covered; favour especially the liver area under the right lower rib cage and any part of the body that causes pain or problems. Place a plastic covering over the cloth with a hot-water bottle on top of that; finally, wrap a long towel around the torso and fasten it securely. If used in bed, place additional plastic underneath you or use old linen, as the pack might leak. Leave the pack in place for one to two hours, or overnight. Afterwards, sensitive skin can be wiped with warm water containing baking soda. Store the pack in a pot or tin for repeated use, adding more oil as required with each usage. Use the pack for three to five days, interrupt the cycle for several days, and repeat the series as often as necessary. During or after a period of applying a pack on the liver and abdomen, take several tablespoons of olive oil at bedtime to induce emptying of the gallbladder. Epsom Salt Pack: This is recommended for arthritis, neuritis, paralysis, back pain, muscle tension, gastritis, colitis, infections, and kidney problems. Dissolve Epsom salt in hot water to make a saturated solution; soak a cloth in it and apply it hot to the skin. Keep the pack warm with a hot-water bottle. Alternatively, Epsom salt can be spread liberally on a hot wet cloth and applied. Leave the pack on for one or two hours; repeat as required. Rock Salt Pack: A pack of hot, coarse rock salt is effective for the relief of muscle pains, especially backaches. Cover a hot-water bottle with a moist cloth, sprinkle on a thick layer of coarse rock salt and lie with the painful area on top of this; or place this (salt-side down) on the painful area if more appropriate. Keep it as hot as you can stand it for an hour or two. Renew the salt if it is necessary to repeat the pack. Honey Pack: The honey pack has an excellent reputation for healing infected wounds and ulcers, and it is used in alternative cancer therapy to destroy tumours and relieve pain. It is not only effective for problems close to the skin but can help problems such as pain as well. The honey must be raw and not previously heated. Smear a thick layer of honey over the affected area and cover it with linen. With longstanding problems, continue renewing the honey daily and keep the area covered all or most of the time for several weeks. It is even more effective if you mix a few drops of 35 percent hydrogen peroxide with the honey. Try to obtain honey that is not runny, as adding hydrogen peroxide makes it more liquid; crystallized honey works well.
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Onion Pack: Onion packs are good for asthma, bronchitis, colds, pneumonia, and for loosening phlegm in the airways. Wrap a large onion in aluminium foil and bake it until soft. Pulp the onion in its juice and spread it over the upper chest and throat area. Cover this with a plastic sheet or cloth and keep warm for an hour or two with a hot-water bottle. Repeat as required. Do not eat the onion, as aluminium should be avoided in cooking foods to eat. Potato Pack: Raw potato packs are excellent for irritated and weak eyes, as well as for blindness and cataracts. Grate a refrigerated potato; preferably, use the outer parts of old, organically grown potatoes. Cover the eyes for 30 to 60 minutes; you can put the potato pulp in some gauze if you like. Cabbage Leaf Pack: The fresh outer leaves of green cabbages have healing potential when applied over weak or inflamed parts of the body. Hold one or two leaves in place over your abdomen and liver with a towel wrapped around your waist. Do this frequently. You can cut out part of the stem and roll the leaf with a bottle to flatten the ribs, especially if it is to be applied over sensitive skin areas. If no more outer leaves are available, you can also use the paler green inner leaves; wilted leaves are useless for this pack. Cabbage leaves are especially good for mastitis. For serious conditions, apply cabbage leaves 24 hours a day, renewing every four to six hours. For cancer, apply a leaf over the tumor site as well as over the abdomen and liver. Green Leaf Pack: Other edible fresh green leaves can be applied over problem areas, either whole or as a pulp. To cover a fresh wound, for example, masticate some fresh wheat or barley grass and apply the juicy pulp. Blistering Agents: The application of blistering agents and skin irritants produces the quickest relief for arthritis and related inflammatory conditions. The principle is to draw out through the skin the toxins and congesting energies from inside the body. Liniments, compresses, and plasters can be used. Suitable agents for this are a paste of mustard or cayenne, garlic, oil of wintergreen, or the white sap of a papaya or fig. Initially, they may cause skin reddening, which can give some relief, but if applied for a long enough time in a concentrated form, they will produce blistering, which is a much more effective healing response. If the skin is non-sensitive, it is more effective to prick it in many places or to mechanically irritate it before applying the irritant. Cover the area with a cloth or plastic sheet until blistering has taken place. Large blisters can be drained first. Cover the blistered area with fresh cabbage leaves. For long-standing conditions, the blistering pack may have to be repeated several times. Escharotics: The most effective way to remove skin cancer, melanoma, and tumours close to the skin, possibly including breast tumours, is to apply an escharotic. These are caustic remedies, commonly with zinc chloride and the herb bloodroot as main ingredients. These are available from some health stores and naturopaths. Skin cancers can become inflamed for a few days, then form dry pus (an eschar), and then fall out after about ten days. To reach a tumor under the skin, such as a breast tumor, it may be necessary to leave the paste in place for two or three days and reapply fresh paste several times as soon as any developing pus has cleared. Keep covered with a Vaseline-
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coated pad that may require frequent changing. Commonly, this procedure causes a strong local inflammation with swelling of the breast, redness, and pain for several days. The bigger the breast and the deeper the tumor, the more difficult is it to create a “hole” deep enough for the escharotic to reach the tumor, so more applications are required. While this can be more uncomfortable and drawn-out than surgery, one advantage is that escharotics have a reputation of not creating secondary tumours in other organs. You can ease your discomfort during this time with painkillers and antiinflammatory measures. For more detailed information on escharotic cancer salves, see www.altcancer.com and www.cancersalves.com. Meat Pack: A folk remedy for drawing poisons from the body is to place fresh, raw, minced meat under the soles of the feet for several hours or overnight. Replace the meat several times if required. The meat is then poisonous, so do not touch it; best bury it. You can also try this (in addition to other measures) in the case of accidental poisoning or bites of poisonous snakes or insects. Raw meat can also be placed over malignant tumours for drawing; again, do not touch it when removing it from the skin. Infrared Heat Lamp: Instead of a hot pack, you can rub a remedy into the skin and expose the affected area to infrared heat. For arthritic pain in the knee or hip or for back pain, use peanut oil, castor oil, or a solution of Epsom salt or magnesium chloride; you can also add other helpful ingredients to the magnesium solution, such as glucosamine and MSM. Continue with the heat for 15 to 60 minutes, and rub more of the remedy into the skin whenever it becomes dry. Bowel Cleansing: Most failures in healing programs occur because bowel cleansing is neglected. Toxins are reabsorbed from the bowels and accumulate in the blood, causing or contributing to allergies, boils, cancer, colds, eczema, fatigue, inflammations, irritability, lack of concentration, menstrual problems, mental diseases, migraine, swellings, and general toxaemia. Furthermore, constipation is a main factor in gallstones, liver problems, and probably bowel cancer. Increasing bowel movements to two or three a day is only a first step. Even more important than the frequency of bowel movements is the speed (called transit time) with which food residues move through the intestines. To check this, eat a highly coloured food (for example, red beets or a cob of sweet corn) with an evening meal. A healthy intestine should eliminate all colouring matter before lunch the following day or at least before the next evening. If it takes longer, you are constipated. Use appropriate mineral and vitamin supplements, laxative foods, colonics, acupressure, and exercise to improve bowel conditions (see Steps 3 & 4). Ordinary toilets encourage a sitting rather than a squatting position. However, this posture is not conducive to the complete emptying of the large intestines. A squatting position is preferable. If you cannot squat on top of the toilet, support your feet with a footstool; additionally, bend forward to exert more pressure on the bowels (for further information, see www.naturesplatform. com). An alternative way of keeping the bowels empty is by taking laxative foods, such as ground linseed (flaxseed), and periodically having an isotonic flush (a teaspoon of salt in a quart of water) or Epsom salt flush (a teaspoon of Epsom salt in a glass of water), preferably with some crushed garlic added.
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Early in the twentieth century, a British surgeon became famous for “curing” all kinds of incurable diseases by surgically removing the lower part of the large intestines of his patients. We certainly can do better than that and cure or prevent many diseases simply by keeping our intestines clean and avoiding surgery. Most individuals are very particular in keeping clean on the outside, using much soap and having frequent showers, but they do not seem to mind being stuffed with stinking waste matter. While this does not apply to everyone, it is a problem for anyone with constipation and especially for meat eaters and those with fat malabsorption. Overweight individuals can easily carry more than 20 pounds of putrefying bowel content as part of their body mass. If you prefer to be clean on the inside as well as on the outside, develop the habit of “rinsing” your lower bowel once or twice after each bowel movement and possibly again before going to bed. You can do this by sitting on the toilet, with enema bucket or bag hanging from the wall near the toilet. After a bowel movement, insert a pint of lukewarm water and expel it immediately. To let the water penetrate more deeply you may for a short time bend forward with your bottom raised, but this is not essential. Finally, rinse the outside. Preferably use some gel or oil before inserting the tube or end-piece douche, and use a plastic glove. Habitual bowel cleansing like this not only prevents the accumulation of putrefying matter in the lower bowel, it also greatly speeds up the transit time of the bowel content. Among other benefits, this tends to increase the release of bile and toxins from the liver and gallbladder and prevents the formation and accumulation of gallstones. However, if you try it several times and find that the enema water comes out clean after bowel movements, then you do not need to do it. Colonics: Colonics - the name is short for colonic irrigation - is an effective therapy, bringing immediate relief for many health problems. The more serious the condition, the more often colonics should be used: once a week at first, but daily use may be required for a while. After several treatments, have a colonic once a month, and later, once or twice a year. Iris diagnosis (see step 12) can guide you as to the frequency necessary for your condition. If the intestinal area in your iris shows dark or brown discoloration, or if it is extended, colonics should be used more often; this is also true if foul-smelling wind is present, as this indicates putrefactive processes under way in the bowel pockets. The aim of colonics is to remove all putrefying matter from the bowels, clean out the bowel pockets, and remove the hard crust that often coats the walls. To achieve this, the bowels should be filled repeatedly with as much water as possible. It is best to have a thorough bowel movement before starting the colonic. To administer a colonic, add one heaping teaspoon of salt and one level teaspoon of baking soda to two to three quarts of moderately warm water. Use a bucket enema or enema bag; place it about two to three feet above the body on a table, chair, or the rim of the bath, or hang it from the wall. A good position is to kneel on the floor with your head down. More comfortably, you can lie in a warm bath with the rectum elevated, or you can lie in bed in a similar position, or on the right side; have a plastic sheet underneath you. Lubricate the rectal tube and insert it slowly to a depth of about eight or 12 inches. If there is any pain or discomfort, do not insert it any farther. Expel the first lot
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of water from your intestines when increasing pressure is felt. After that, you should be able to hold much more water. When renewed pressure is felt, stop the inflow of water and assume different positions, such as lying on your right side for a while so as to fill the ascending colon. Repeat the expulsion and intake of water until all of it has been used. You can introduce a pint of diluted fresh juice of wheat or barley grass if available or of edible green leaves, and retain that in the intestines for up to 30 minutes. This is the standard procedure for home colonics for people with normal or acid body conditions. The addition of baking soda neutralizes the often overacid bowel condition, while salt acts partly as a drawing agent and partly prevents demineralization of the blood plasma by osmosis, which could cause shock. This is important for people with low blood pressure and poor blood circulation. Those with high blood pressure or very weak kidneys should not add salt and baking soda to the colonic water, but use highly diluted lemon juice instead. If this causes soreness, or if the body is not too alkaline, use diluted fresh juice of green-vegetable leaves. If you cannot do a colonic at home, receive a series of professional colonics at a hydrotherapy centre. Everyone can benefit from some form of bowel cleansing from time to time. (Instead of a series of colonics, you can use the Basic Cleanse described in Step 3.) Coffee Enema: For stimulating and detoxifying the liver in the case of serious conditions, such as cancer, a series of coffee (preferably organic) enemas can be helpful, especially if there is pain and discomfort. Boil two tablespoons of ground coffee (not instant coffee) for three minutes in one quart of water; simmer for 15 minutes and strain; rinse the coffee grounds with more water. Use this as a retention enema after cleaning the bowels with a normal enema or colonic. If you can hold in only part of the coffee, use the rest with a second enema. Retention means to hold it inside for ten to 20 minutes. Do not use this if you are allergic or sensitive to coffee. Oxygenating Colonic: This can often improve the well-being of patients with ad-vanced diseases, such as cancer. Oxygenating colonics are available at some hydrotherapy centres. As an alternative for home treatment, add food-grade hydrogen peroxide to a retention enema after the colon has been cleaned with an ordinary colonic. Use one to two pints of lukewarm liquid in which one teaspoon of salt has been dissolved. Initially, include one tablespoon of six-percent or two tablespoons of three-percent hydrogen peroxide. Retain this mixture inside your intestines for about ten minutes. If this is well tolerated, double the amount of hydrogen peroxide with each successive treatment until it becomes too uncomfortable and you cannot hold it any more. Then cut back to the preceding level and continue at that rate. For cancer patients with a serious condition, under professional supervision you can start at higher dosage levels and include up to half a pint of three-percent hydrogen peroxide. This may induce the evacuation of much waste during the following days, and the patient may temporarily look and feel worse. After this, however, there should be considerable improvement. If available, lead ozone through a long tube into the rectum with an additional shorter tube as outlet and safety valve. For further information on this, see Step 31.
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Vomiting Therapy: Induced vomiting, often called an “upward purge,” can be helpful for a wide range of acute and chronic conditions, such as asthma, bronchial problems, catarrh, digestive disorders and indigestion, gastritis, hysteria, infections, liver and gallbladder problems, lumbago, migraine, poisoning including snakebites, and skin diseases including eczema, gangrene, and psoriasis. While vomiting clears out mucus and decomposing matter from the stomach, the main benefit is derived from relaxing the digestive organs and the diaphragm while stimulating the solar plexus. A need for this therapy is indicated especially by contracted intestinal reflex areas in the iris, by way of iris diagnosis (see Step 12), but also if these are whitish or brownish and especially if they have black lines. To induce vomiting, drink five or six cups of lukewarm water and touch or tickle the throat far down. Repeat until the water comes back clear. Instead of water, an emetic herb tea can be used: adder’s tongue, bayberry bark, black root, boneset, horehound, lobelia (large doses), mustard, ragwort, or vervain. After-wards, drink peppermint or mint tea to settle the stomach. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 22 URINE & UREA THERAPY It may not be your "cup of tea", but many swear by this ancient therapy.
The use of urine in the treatment of diseases has a long history. Many cultures have used urine for medicinal purposes: It was praised in ancient Egyptian papyri and used in ancient Rome, China, India, America, and European countries. An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that in “primitive medicine” there is scarcely a disease that has not been treated with the external or internal use of urine.6. Presently it is most widely used in India and Taiwan where the youthful appearance of many Buddhist monks is ascribed to their routine urine ingestion. Thousands of scientific articles have been written about the health benefits of urine and its ingredients. A good book to get acquainted with some of this research activity is Your Own Perfect Medicine, by Martha Christy; one of many websites on urine therapy is: www.uropathy.com. At the very least, all this past and present interest in the healing benefits of urine indicates that here is something worthwhile for the adventurous health seeker to explore. To start urine therapy the main problem we need to overcome is our social conditioning. You may also want to know how a substance expelled by the body as waste can possibly be beneficial. Beneficial Ingredients: Urine is not a waste product full of harmful substances as is commonly believed, but instead a treasure-trove of the right nutrients that we need for our health. It is full of hormones, enzymes, vitamins, trace minerals, and other valuable biochemicals. Basically, urine is just filtered blood, and in its composition close to blood serum. The main function of the kidneys is to regulate the concentration of all these biochemicals in our blood. Surplus can be as harmful as deficiency; however, any hormone or enzyme removed as surplus may be in short supply a few hours later. With advancing age, our hormone and enzyme production declines to suboptimal levels, while the kidneys become less and less efficient in retaining needed ingredients. Therefore, it greatly helps, especially with chronic degenerative diseases and advancing age, to recycle these valuable hormones and enzymes. This is what urine therapy does. Another important aspect is the presence in urine of antibodies and immunestimulating factors against viruses, harmful bacteria, or fungi we may harbour in our body. Even minute amounts of antibodies, sometimes at levels so low they cannot be detected with conventional methods, are effective in preventing and treating diseases. Curative effects of urine therapy have been shown on fungal and viral infections, such as hepatitis, poliomyelitis, and AIDS, and urine is especially effective against allergies, autoimmune diseases, and other disorders of the immune system. When drinking urine routinely, say a cupful every morning, allergic reactions may not occur at all, thus doing away with the need to identify to which substance one has been reacting.
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Benefits of Urea: Urea is an end product of protein metabolism and the main ingredient of urine. Only recently has it been discovered that the concentration of urea in the blood has a key role in regulating at least seven major pathways. Urea levels are low with cancer and many other diseases; in fact the frequency of cancer and especially of multiple tumours and metastases increases greatly if urea levels are low. The Greek physician Evangelos Danopoulos, M.D., pioneered the use of urea in cancer treatment. Urea was notably effective in regressing liver tumours, greatly increasing survival times, and preventing metastases or secondary tumours. Dr. Danopoulos used 45 g of urea daily in six divided doses for 40 days and then 20 g in three doses for two years (45 g correspond to six rounded teaspoons, and 20 g is about three teaspoons). He also experimented with injecting urea close to tumors.7 Urea may not just be a waste product or the final state of protein metabolism as commonly assumed. Apparently, it can also be used as raw material to synthesize amino acids and proteins, as has been shown in patients with kidney failure. These patients deteriorate quickly on a diet containing normal amounts of protein but do much better if the diet is extremely low in protein. They show progressive clinical improvement when receiving added urea, which then becomes an important source of nitrogen for protein synthesis.8 Urea is the best natural diuretic and is far better than synthetic diuretics. This is important for those with oedema or fluid retention (due to kidney or heart weakness) and especially for those with fluid pressure on the brain or spinal cord or in the eye, as with glaucoma. Additional urea is important with brain tumours, stroke, meningitis, and other inflammations of the brain and spinal cord. In one case of a massive brain oedema connected with a suspected brain tumour, the patient received 256 ml of 30% urea; after two hours, the oedema and suspected tumour had completely disappeared.9 When applied externally, urea has a beneficial effect on the healing of wounds, such as infected wounds, burns, and ulcerating tumours. Urea can be directly packed into the wound or a strong or saturated solution can be applied. In this way, urea removes the foul odour often associated with an ulcerating tumour or other dead or putrefying tissue. You can obtain urea from a pharmacy. Unfortunately, most of the research into the medical use of whole CAUTION: Do not ingest large urine and urea took place in the first part amounts of urine if you take medicinal of the last century, while in recent years drugs or other toxic substances, as the emphasis has been on researching these an be re-cycled and cause an individual components. overdose. While harmful substances How to Use Urine: There are various are not necessarily re-absorbed and ways to use urine, but generally it is may just cause diarrhea instead, you advisable to start with small amounts. do not know how much is safe. This is not only to get accustomed to the Therefore, either ask your health taste of it, but also to slow down any professional for advice, or use urine healing reactions. These occur homeopathically, or in small amounts commonly with methods that genuinely up to several spoonfuls daily. improve our health (see Step 10).
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Reactions may manifest as diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, or a temporary flare-up of old health problems. Start with a few drops or a spoonful. Swallow immediately; you can wash it down with some water or juice, or eat a piece of fruit. With allergies and immune disorders, it is more effective to leave diluted urine under the tongue for a few minutes. An allergic reaction can best be stopped or neutralized by collecting the urine when the symptoms are worst; however, in practice, try to use it as soon as you notice the first symptoms. Some researchers suggest that the proper dose can be found by slowly putting single drops under the tongue until the taste and temperature of a drop can no longer be distinguished. This is then the neutralizing dose for an allergy. Each subsequent day you can double the previous dose or the number of times you take them per day until you reach your target amount or the dose with which you are comfortable. A suggested amount for general health improvement and rejuvenation is two or three cups daily. More is advisable temporarily to overcome serious diseases, especially AIDS and other viral, bacterial, or fungal infections, as well as cancer and kidney diseases. In these cases, ingest about one quart daily, but the more the better, while for a limited period of several weeks try to drink all or most of your urine, except in the evening, so that you do not have to get up at night. However, this may only be suitable during a cleansing period, as drinking urine after a meal may cause digestive upset. A good way to flush the kidneys is to drink one to two quarts (litres) of diluted urine before breakfast; use one or two cups of urine per quart of water. Start drinking all the urine when you first wake up, ideally at 5 a.m. Then urinate again and drink another dose 90 minutes later, then 90 minutes later again. Either drink sufficient liquids in the evening so that the first morning urine is not too concentrated, or dilute strong urine with sufficient water; about one cup to a quart of urine. Do not use urine that is cloudy, as it often is during a healing reaction. If the body is reasonably clean, then the urine will not taste offensive or reflect the aromas of the last meal. The second morning urine, especially when drinking a fair amount of liquids after rising, is usually very mild; it is better for getting accustomed to than the first morning urine. To catch a cleaner sample, collect urine midstream. The Urine Fast: The most powerful form of urine therapy is urine fasting, a method routinely used by John Armstrong and described in The Water of Life. Armstrong had good results with this, and I also have found it very effective, especially in cases of kidney failure. While it sounds contradictory to drink urine when one has kidney failure, the idea is to flush the kidneys with a large volume of stimulating fluid. I see this as the only logical way to rehabilitate failing kidneys; reducing the flow of fluid through will only make it worse. Diluted or weak urine appears to be most suitable, at a rate of one gallon or more daily. However, adjust intake to output; whenever there is increasing fluid retention, reduce the intake. This intake also helps to increase lymph flow as explained under lymph-drainage massage in Step 20. A main advantage of urine fasting over water fasting is the greatly increased amount of energy produced, so that the urine fast can be continued for a much longer period than a fast consisting only of water.
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During the urine fast, drink all of your freshly voided urine (and initially some added water) to bring the daily intake volume to about five quarts. Gradually increase the ingested amount to this full intake before starting the fast while gradually reducing your food intake to just a few pieces of fruit or salad and fresh vegetable juices. End the fast by taking only a small amount of fresh raw fruit or vegetables for another week or two, gradually increasing the amount and variety of fresh As with other fasts or cleanses, it is important to keep your bowels moving daily. I suggest initially taking a tablespoon of Epsom salt with a crushed clove of garlic for several mornings or evenings when starting with a greatly restricted food intake. This will help to avoid or minimize unpleasant cleansing symptoms, such as weakness, pain, or nausea. However, in many cases the ingested urine will already be overstimulating the bowels, with liquid discharges, in which case no further action is needed. Ingest only your own freshly voided urine. Normally, urine is light yellow, clear, and sterile, especially if collected midstream, but during healing reactions it may become offensive and cloudy. In this case, use it only strongly diluted, if at all. When ingesting a large volume of your urine, check that it is not too acid. The morning urine normally is slightly acid, but during the day it should be slightly alkaline. To check your urine, use litmus or pH paper from a drugstore. Litmus paper is red when dipped into an acidic solution and blue when alkaline; neutral or pH 7 is in between both colours. With pH paper, you get a colour chart to compare. If the urine is mostly acid, take a half-teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate in water once or several times daily, but not within three hours after meals; do this until the urine remains alkaline during the day. Those with cancer, high blood pressure, or fluid retention should use potassium bicarbonate (from a pharmacist) instead of sodium bicarbonate. If your body is too acidic, sometimes the emotions become overly sensitive, along with a physical tendency to inflammations, mouth ulcers, and strong skin reactions. The effectiveness of urine therapy with cancer, oedema, and infectious diseases can be increased by taking daily one to six teaspoons of urea (e.g., mixed in water or juices) in divided doses. Take three to six teaspoons when only a small amount of urine is ingested, then progressively less with larger urine intake; stop completely when nearly half or more of your daily urine is ingested. Homeopathic Urine: It is possible to use urine ultra-diluted in homeopathic form. The simplest way to prepare it is as follows: To one teaspoon of unchlorinated water add one drop of your own fresh urine. Shake it vigorously in a small bottle about 50 times with a sharp downward stroke. Add one drop of this mixture to another teaspoon of water, shake again; and then repeat the whole procedure a third time. Place three drops of the resulting fluid under your tongue several times daily. When it is used up, wait a few days, then prepare a new homeopathic remedy. An alternative method is even simpler and recommended as an introduction to urine therapy or for times when cupfuls of urine are not tolerated or not wanted. Dilute one or two spoonfuls of morning urine with five to ten times the same amount of unchlorinated water. Shake 50 times with a sharp downward stroke, and drink
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immediately or take a spoonful several times during the day. Keep it in the mouth for a minute before swallowing. Homoeopathically energized remedies should not be exposed to strong magnetic or electromagnetic fields and should be taken with a non-metal spoon. Keep any homeopathic urine remedy only lightly covered in a cool place but not in an electric refrigerator; make it up fresh daily. External Applications: A urine pack, with the addition of some urea, is often effective with skin problems, such as burns, wounds, gangrene, psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, fungal problems, and aging skin. It can also be helpful for internal tumours, inflammations, and diseased organs. Keep the affected area covered with a folded cloth that is well moistened with urine or concentrated urea solution. Put another cloth or plastic sheet on top and renew several times daily. Urine becomes more alkaline when it stands for a few hours. Armstrong regarded it as more effective than fresh urine for external applications. However, it also smells more, and anyway, fresh urine seems to be adequate in my experience. With gangrene, dead flesh, skin infections, and open cancer and ulcer sores, it is more effective to saturate the applied urine with urea; this approach also removes offensive odours. With weeping or suppurating wounds, especially if associated with foul odour, it is beneficial to cover the area with dry urea. Urine can be concentrated by leaving it for several hours in a flat dish in the sun or in a warm place. This has been recommended by Armstrong for application in friction rubs to rejuvenate aging skin. Armstrong also recommended urine packs placed over tumour sites or diseased organs in addition to rubbing the body daily for two hours with small amounts of urine. As you might guess, the primary problem with urine packs is the offensive odour. You could try to prevent this by sealing the pack with duct tape; completely seal it and keep the pack moist by injecting fresh urine into it several times a day with a syringe. Social Considerations: As noted, the main problem when starting urine therapy is social conditioning. You can overcome that by reading about and contemplating the expected health benefits. The taste of fresh urine is not normally offensive, except if the body is polluted or when fasting or if the urine is strongly concentrated. Therefore, dilute strong urine, start with a small amount, and gradually increase it or have a day on fruit before starting to ingest urine. Minimize salt and strong spices in your diet when on urine therapy. An easy way to drink urine or any other unpleasant fluid is by breathing only through the mouth; you can pinch the nose until your mouth has been rinsed with water or juice, or you can eat a piece of fruit. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Part 3 NUTRIENT & REMEDIES
This chapter provides information about vital nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes, as well as basic remedies including herbs and homeopathic remedies. The more we adopt a high-quality diet, the less we need to know about individual nutrients, and vice versa. Unfortunately, most individuals presently have a less than ideal diet, and some knowledge about nutrients can help to avoid or correct imbalances and deficiencies. Furthermore, many nutrients are now used in very high doses, essentially as remedies, to treat various diseases. When used in this way, detailed knowledge is important to achieve the desired effect without exposing yourself to unnecessary danger. While there are dangers with what I call “self-healing” and health authorities call “self-medication,” these are infinitely smaller than those posed by prescription drugs. I believe there is less long-term harm in using a nutrient incorrectly than a prescription drug correctly. It is rare to encounter serious health damage from using nutrients, even in very high doses, while medical drugs are stated to be the third leading cause of death in the United States. Nevertheless, I do not endorse the use of high-potency nutrients without a proper understanding of any benefits and dangers, and I do not endorse highpotency supplements as a substitute for a healthy lifestyle, which is the way that they are commonly used. The main emphasis of this book is on a healthy lifestyle, which in most cases will remove the need for high-potency supplements, but if you feel that you do need some, then you will find suitable information in this part. Generally, it is best to obtain all your necessary vitamins from natural foods and the activities of intestinal bacteria. Under present conditions, however, it is rarely possible to achieve and maintain good health without resorting to special vitamin-rich foods and nutritional supplements. In the case of poor health, absorption of vitamins and minerals is impaired, while your requirements for them are simultaneously raised. This phenomenon underlies the widespread vitamin and mineral deficiencies in our society, which result in a multitude of diseases. Well-chosen supplements can correct deficiencies, but in a good maintenance diet, the daily vitamin intake proposed by government agencies should be at least doubled. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 23 VITAMINS Find out what these essential nutrients do and if you have special requirements for any of them.
Vitamins are water soluble or fat soluble. Water-soluble vitamins are vitamin C and the B-group vitamins. Except for vitamin B12, they are easily absorbed, and deficiency is due to a deficient diet or to increased requirements. Due to genetic factors or diseases, some individuals may require up to a hundred times the usual amounts to function normally. One common problem is a thickened or hardened cell membrane, preventing nutrients from entering some organs, especially the eyes. Being water soluble, a surplus of these vitamins is easily expelled through the kidneys, and any problem from overdosing is rare. The fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K, are more difficult to absorb. Deficiencies can easily arise even with an adequate diet, although most “balanced” diets are deficient due to the cooking methods and use of refined foods. The most difficult problem is fat malabsorption, which is relatively common and mainly due to a reaction of the intestinal wall to gluten. In this case, even a diet plentiful in fat-soluble vitamins can still lead to deficiency symptoms and may not be corrected by highpotency supplements. While symptoms can mirror individual deficiencies, a common feature of fat malabsorption is dry skin and difficulty gaining weight. This absorption difficulty can be overcome by using water-soluble vitamin E tablets, emulsions for vitamin A, and sunshine for vitamin D. In addition, rub vitamin A and E oil (from opened capsules) into your skin and squeeze the contents of a halibut oil capsule under the tongue for slow absorption overnight. Do not use synthetic versions of oil-soluble vitamins. While these are easily absorbed, they are known to cause side effects, such as liver toxicity or interference with pregnancy. The bacteria among our intestinal flora supply a considerable part of our B vitamins. Unfortunately, antibiotics destroy these essential bacteria and can cause vitamin deficiencies. For this reason, use fermented foods or cultures containing acidophilus and bifidobacteria and take B-vitamin supplements whenever you take antibiotics. Other widespread conditions -causing persistent vitamin deficiencies and dependencies are deprivations during foetal develop-ment and, in later life, acute and chronic infections, parasites, and inefficient metabolism. In general, vitamin and mineral supplements may not be required for the maintenance of health or even the cure of most degenerative diseases provided the diet consists predominantly of fresh and raw foods, featuring sprouted seeds, grass and vegetable juices, as well as high-quality nutrients such as bee pollen, spirulina, and kelp. Bowel-Tolerance Vitamin C: This means taking enough of the vitamin to produce a bout of diarrhoea to identify your specific bowel tolerance for vitamin C. This can be a successful treatment for infectious diseases, including viral infections, which do not respond to antibiotics. The dose of vitamin C is increased until the patient develops transient diarrhoea, usually one episode. Then the rate is cut back
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slightly until the bowel tolerates the high vitamin C intake. During serious infections, the bowel tolerance is much greater than it is in a healthy state. In normal health, for example, the bowel tolerance is about 4-15g per day; with a light cold, it might be 2030g; with a serious cold, 60-100g. Typically, mononucleosis or viral hepatitis requires 40-60 g; gastroenteritis 60-150g; and viral pneumonia more than 150g. Other infections, including herpes simplex and herpes zoster, respond favourably to this treatment, but fungal infections do not. When you are taking these massive amounts, it is important to select the correct form of vitamin C. If mainly unneutralized ascorbic acid is used, the body becomes too acid, while sodium ascorbate introduces too much sodium, and calcium ascorbate too much calcium. If your blood pressure is approximately normal, take a mixture of ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, and calcium ascorbate. With low blood pressure, use mainly sodium ascorbate with some calcium ascorbate. With high blood pressure, potassium and magnesium ascorbate combined with ascorbic acid is best. You can neutralize some of the ascorbic acid with potassium bicarbonate or magnesium carbonate at the ratio of three to one, or two parts ascorbic acid to two parts magnesium oxide. The solution should taste slightly acidic. You can dissolve the vitamin C in water, herb tea, or juices, if you like. Depending on the severity of your condition, take vitamin C at one- or two-hour intervals. Do not continue self-treatment at bowel-tolerance level for more than a few weeks, and in serious cases you should be under professional medical supervision. The high vitamin-C intake should be reduced gradually to a daily maintenance dose of 3-10g. A sudden withdrawal of all vitamin C can cause the return of colds, allergies, or fatigue, so try to avoid this. Bowel tolerance as a treatment is not suitable with kidney disease. Initially, treatment of life-threatening diseases or emergencies can be supported with daily or weekly injections of sodium ascorbate given intravenously in a three-percent solution. Many degenerative diseases associated with a weak immune system, for example, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and multiple sclerosis, can benefit from intermittent periods of bowel-tolerance vitamin-C treatment. This method should also be used for accidental poisoning and bites of poisonous snakes and insects. Now let’s review all the vitamins. In the following compilation, RDA means recommended daily allowance for males as determined by the Food and Nutrition Board of the U.S. National Research Council. A second RDA value is for females. “IU” means international units. Not all of the listed deficiency symptoms are always manifested. Symptoms appear first in the weakest organs. As for measurements, 1 g = 1000 mg; 1 mg = 1000 mcg. Fat-Soluble Vitamins: The oil-soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K. They are soluble in oils and fats, which is where we get them in our diet. Vitamin A: The chemical name is retinol; two molecules of retinol can be formed from one molecule of beta-carotene. The RDA is 5000/4000 IU; therapeutically 25,000 to 100,000 IU are commonly used, and sometimes up to 1,000,000 IU, especially in cancer treatment and for eye diseases. Long-term oversupply can lead to bone erosion due to a relative deficiency of vitamin D. Therefore, supply vitamins A and D together, preferably as cod liver oil, otherwise halibut liver oil. One halibut-oil capsule provides 4000 to 5000 IU. Vitamin A is toxic in
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very high doses over long periods and is destroyed by light and oxygen. Symptoms of vitamin A toxicity are similar to those of vitamin A deficiency. Do not take very high doses without professional supervision. Deficiency Symptoms: Eyes are dry, infected, and sensitive to bright light; night blindness, poor dark adjustment, colour blindness, and glaucoma are other symptoms. Skin is dry, rough, horny, and scaly; there are pimples, acne, and psoriasis. Hair is dry, falling out, or dull. Nails have longitudinal ridges and are peeling and brittle. Sense of smell and taste are poor or distorted. Respiratory infections and other lung problems, ear problems, deafness, hearing noises, and cancer; thyroid is overactive and the person is underweight. Best Sources: Fish-liver oils, liver, butter, and egg yolk. Yellow-orange vegetables and green juice are high in beta-carotene, which some individuals can efficiently convert into vitamin A. Vitamin D: The common natural form is vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol. Vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol is synthetic and can be toxic in high doses over long periods; I do not recommend it. The RDA is 200 IU; therapeutically up to 4000 IU are used. Deficiency Symptoms: Rickets, teeth and gum problems, muscular weakness, convulsions, cramps, tetany, nervous instability, underactive thyroid, depression, multiple sclerosis, overweight, eye problems, and weak, deformed, and porous bones and other symptoms of calcium deficiency. Best Sources: Sun exposure, fish-liver oils, and egg yolk. Vitamin E: The chemical name of this group is tocopherols; mainly d-alpha tocopherol is used, preferably in addition to mixed tocopherols. The RDA is 15/12 IU or mg; therapeutically, up to 3000 IU or mg can be used. Patients with heart problems or high blood pressure should increase the dose slowly. This vitamin is destroyed by oxygen, chlorinated water, inorganic iron supplements, and estrogen drugs. Deficiency Symptoms: These can include disorders of the reproductive and circulatory systems, stroke, heart disease, leg pains, cramps, poor wound healing, pronounced scar tissue, muscle weakness, chronic fatigue, tender breasts, arthritis, cancer, eye and ear problems, gangrene, infections, hot flushes, malabsorption, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, phlebitis, skin problems, and varicose veins. Best Sources: Cold-pressed oils (wheat germ oil), rice polishings, sprouted seeds, nuts, egg yolk, green leaves, and grass juice. Vitamin K: The RDA is 80/60 mcg; therapeutically, 5–15 mg are used. It is destroyed by light, alkaline conditions, and strong acids. This vitamin is essential for normal blood clotting to prevent haemorrhaging. A deficiency causes frequent, prolonged, or severe bleeding, easy bruising, and menstrual clots, as well as nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. It is also needed for bone formation, or to prevent osteoporosis, tooth decay, calcium deposits, and hardening of tissues and arteries. Injections of vitamin K derived from plant sources have been effective in the control of strong pain. This vitamin can be obtained from intestinal bacteria (in other words, made in the gut), green and especially dark-green vegetables, liver, and egg
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yolk. Vitamin K1 from plants is more effective than K2 from intestinal bacteria; the synthetic form (K3) can have toxic effects. Water-Soluble Vitamins: These vitamins easily dissolve in water; with this they are easily absorbed, but also easily lost in cooking and, except vitamin B12, not stored in the body. Most of the B-group vitamins are essential components of enzyme systems. Vitamin B1: The chemical name is thiamine. The RDA is 1.5/1.1 mg; the therapeutic dose is 50–3000 mg. It is destroyed or used up by heat, sugar, alcohol, and smoking. Despite vitamin B1 supplements, deficiency can arise from a lack of gastric acid. Deficiency Symptoms: These include poor circulation with cold hands and feet, oedema (fluid retention), furrowed tongue, underactive thyroid, fatigue, depression, insomnia, anxiety, oversensitivity to pain and noise, nausea, poor memory, apathy, debility, weight loss, and weak and painful muscles, especially in the legs, starting with numb, burning feet, later affecting calves and thighs, and sometimes resulting in paralysis. Other conditions include severe gastrointestinal disturbances, tachycardia (fast pulse) and dyspnoea (breathlessness) on exertion, brachycardia (slow pulse) at rest, enlarged and weak heart, mental illness, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, hypoglycaemia, allergies, and addictions (to drugs, alcohol). A severe deficiency is known as beriberi. Best Sources: Food yeast, rice bran, sunflower and sesame seeds, peanuts, millet, and grains. Vitamin B2: Vitamin B2 is chemically known as riboflavin. The RDA is 1.7/1.3 mg, the therapeutic dose 50–1500 mg. It is destroyed by light and makes urine bright yellow. Deficiency Symptoms: Eyes are sensitive, burning, and bloodshot (blood vessels become visible in the white of the eye) and there is blurred vision or cataracts. Skin is oily and itching; there can be eczema (especially around the nose, forehead, ears, scrotum, and vagina), redness of part of the face (rosacea), acne, bedsores, and purplish skin parts. Hair is dull and oily, with dandruff. Nails are split and the tongue is sore, burning, and purplish magenta in color. There are cracks on the lips and corners of the mouth (cheilosis), as well as allergies, anaemia, arthritis, cancer, or diabetes. Best Sources: Food yeast, liver, kidney, almonds, sprouted seeds, and grass juice. Niacin and Nicotinamide: Niacin is also called nicotinic acid, and niacinamide is the same as nicotinamide. As the name suggests, these are closely related to nicotine and, therefore, useful when trying to give up smoking. The name vitamin B3 is also used. The RDA is 19/15 mg; therapeutically, up to 30 g have been used in schizophrenia. The acid form (niacin or nicotinic acid) causes flushing of the face and it is prescribed to dilate blood vessels, decrease blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, or increase circulation to the head in cases of acne or migraine. The non-acid nicotinamide or niacinamide does not have these effects. In contrast to niacin, high
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amounts of this vitamin can cause depression. Niacin or nicotinamide improves the oxidative energy metabolism and can be used to treat many symptoms. Deficiency Symptoms: Schizophrenia, hyperthyroidism, protruding eyes, depression, irritability, overactivity, crying spells, suspicion, loss of humour, delusions, anxiety, insomnia, confusion, and changed sense perceptions. Tongue is strawberry-tipped or bright red and shiny, with a “raw beef” appearance; the mouth displays sores, cankers, and ulcerated corners. The skin is rough and red, with brown, often symmetrical discoloration on the cheeks, neck, and back of hands. There is dermatitis with ulcerations and pellagra (cracking of skin), which is aggravated by exposure to sun. Other symptoms and conditions include headache, backache, fatigue, anaemia, lack of gastric acid, loss of weight and appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, painful and stiff joints, arthritis, and cancer. Best Sources: Food yeast, peanuts, rice bran, liver. Pantothenic Acid: This is commonly used as calcium pantothenate, also called vitamin B5. The RDA is 7/4 mg; the therapeutic amount 50–1500 mg. Deficiency Symptoms: Tongue is beefy, enlarged, and furrowed; there is fatigue, depression, insomnia, greying hair, burning feet, arthritis, alcoholism, asthma, cancer, cataracts, epilepsy, psoriasis, stress, diseases of the digestive and nervous systems, and adrenal weakness. Best Sources: Food yeast, rice bran and polishings, liver. Vitamin B6: The chemical name is pyridoxine. The RDA is 2.0/1.6 mg; therapeutically, it is used from 50 to 3,000 mg. It works closely with zinc and is easily oxidized. Deficiency Symptoms: These include an inability to recall dreams, insomnia, depression, irritability, tremors, convulsions (epilepsy), migraine, or schizophrenia. The skin is oily, with eczema and urticaria (nettle rash or hives); there is oedema (fluid retention), vomiting, halitosis, lack of gastric acid, muscle weakness, anaemia, and kidney stones. Also possible are pain, stiffness, and swellings of fingers and joints; fingers and toes become white (Raynaud’s disease); autism; caries (tooth or bone decay); diabetes; Parkinsonism; and diseases of the digestive and nervous systems. Best Sources: Food yeast, molasses, bran, sunflower seeds, rice, liver, egg yolk, nuts, beans, and bananas. Biotin: The RDA is 0.3 mg or 300 mcg. Biotin is necessary for protein and fat metabolism as well as for healthy hair. Deficiency Symptoms: Digestive, nervous, and skin and hair problems; anaemia, fatigue, depression, and hallucinations. Best Sources: Food yeast, rice bran. Usually from intestinal bacteria, except after antibiotics. Folic Acid: The RDA is 200/180 mcg, but it is recommended to ingest at least 400 mcg, and 800 mcg when pregnant. The therapeutic dose is 5–20 mg. Folic acid is easily destroyed by light, heat, storage, oxygen, and the contraceptive pill.
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Deficiency Symptoms: These are widespread; most pregnant women are deficient. Symptoms include anaemia, corners of mouth cracked, red tongue, greying hair, greyish-brown skin pigmentation, irritability, depression, fatigue, forgetfulness, lack of con-centration, insomnia, dizziness, depressed reflexes, and headaches. Also present are muscle weakness, pain, numbness in legs, difficulty in walking, cramps, digestive problems such as constipation and diarrhea, sexual and circulation problems, cervical cancer, hypoglycaemia, birth defects, gout, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Best Sources: Grass juice, yeast, sprouts, dark-green leaves, and liver. Vitamin B12: The chemical name is cobalamin, the RDA is 2 mcg, and the therapeutic dose 1000 mcg. It is essential after part of the stomach has been removed. Most patients with a lack of energy respond extremely well to vitamin B12 injections, even if laboratory tests show a normal vitamin-B12 blood level. In poor health, vitamin B12 is not well absorbed; calcium and hydrochloric acid improve absorption. Commonly, B12 tablets are absorbed under the tongue. However, recent studies show that the best absorption takes place by putting vitamin B12 into the nostrils as drops, cream, or a crushed tablet combined with a little water to make a paste. Deficiency Symptoms: Pernicious anaemia, chronic fatigue, debility, poor circulation, numbness and stiffness, a very red and sore tongue, emotional disturbances, mental illness, cancer, liver and nervous system diseases, nerve inflammations, and paralysis. Best Sources: Liver, kidney, fish, egg yolk, and spirulina. Vitamin C: The chemical name is ascorbic acid; it is commonly used as sodium or calcium ascorbate. The RDA is 60 mg; 500 to 3000 mg are recommended for good health (and may be supplied by a good diet); the therapeutic daily amount is up to 100 g (in neutralized form). This vitamin is easily destroyed by air, storage, smoking, cooking, or stress. It is useful to counteract the bites or stings of poisonous snakes, insects, spiders, and others. Deficiency Symptoms: First signs include lassitude, weakness, irritability, and vague muscle and joint pains. Later symptoms and conditions include scurvy, starting in the limbs most used, muscle pain (especially during infections), bleeding of gums and skin, capillary weakness, fatigue, poor wound healing, and acute and chronic infections. Also possible are liver and kidney problems, senility, aging skin, thrombosis (strokes, heart infarctions), crib death, eye problems, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, schizophrenia, anaemia, bedsores, stone formation, cancer, backache, anxiety, and allergies (manifested in reaction to bee stings, headaches, rashes, asthma, hay fever, and epilepsy). Best Sources: Fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, rosehips, and grass juice. Vitamin-like Substances: These are necessary biochemical substances that have not yet been awarded full vitamin status, partly because some can be synthesized within the body, and partly because their usefulness is still disputed.
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Bioflavonoids: Bioflavonoids are part of the naturally occurring vitamin-C complex. A deficiency causes capillary fragility with purplish or blue skin marks, inflammation, gum bleeding, and inner ear pain. Bioflavonoids are necessary for the proper functioning of vitamin C. Best sources: Sprouted seeds, fresh (especially colourful) vegetables and fruits, and the residue of juiced citrus fruits; bioflavonoids are also found in flower petals. The best known members of this group are quercetin and rutin; rutin is found in concentrated form in dried buckwheat leaves and flowers. Choline and Inositol: These two are important for the absorption and metabolism of fats and cholesterol, for the synthesis of lecithin, for proper liver and gallbladder function, and for the formation and function of the brain and nerves (transmission of nerve impulses). They are helpful in the treatment of arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis, asthma, diabetes (inositol), glaucoma, hair problems and baldness, high blood pressure, insomnia (inositol), liver diseases, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, neuritis, and tardive dyskinesia (choline especially). Best sources: Choline is best supplied by lecithin, while other good sources are egg yolk, liver, brain, and food yeast. Inositol is best supplied by sprouted seeds (in unsprouted seeds it remains unavailable in the form of phytic acid). Other good sources are heart, brain, liver, food yeast, cabbage, and citrus fruits. PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid): It is a growth-promoting factor, and a deficiency contributes to white skin patches, eczema, greying hair, and fatigue. In lotion, it is excellent for protecting the skin against ultraviolet radiation. It is obtained from food yeast, liver, egg yolk, and is also synthesized by intestinal bacteria. As a supplement, the soluble potassium salt of PABA is preferable to the almost insoluble acid itself. Vitamin B15 (Pangamic Acid): This bioflavonoid occurs in seeds, grains, and nuts, and it protects against oxygen deficiencies in a way similar to vitamin E. It has been successfully used in the treatment of alcoholism, allergies, arthritis, autism, breathing problems (asthma and emphysema), diabetes, hypoglycaemia, heart problems (cardiovascular diseases), and premature aging. Vitamin B17 (Amygdalin or Nitrilosides): This nutrient contains a cyanide ingredient that is harmful to cancer cells. It is most effective for preventing cancer if taken regularly by eating a few bitter seeds of stone fruits (for example, apricot, bitter almond, apple). Other good sources are sprouted seeds, alfalfa, mung beans, millet, and lentils. Professionally, a purified product known as laetrile (now illegal in the U.S.) is used orally or as injections for cancer treatment. To be effective, laetrile must be used in conjunction with cleansing, supplements, and correct diet. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 24 MINERALS Find out what minerals do and if you have increased requirements for them.
Minerals are inorganic substances composed of a metal and a non-metal, both in ionic form. Metals most important for our health are calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium as bulk elements, and boron, chromium, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc as trace elements. Essential non-metals are chloride, phosphorus, and sulphur. Harmful are aluminium and the heavy metals cadmium, lead, and mercury. While imbalanced intakes of bulk metals can cause health problems, trace elements easily become toxic in excessive doses. Minerals are not well absorbed from grains, seeds, and nuts,10 unless these are sprouted or fermented. This fact is especially important for vegetarians who may rely on these foods. The addition of gelatine or chicken or fish broth to cooked grains improves the absorption of minerals, while cereal fibre (bran) decreases their availability. When grains and seeds are indicated as good sources of specific minerals in the following compilation, this applies only to their sprouted form or as fermented products. In case of mineral deficiencies, take mineral supplements with meals containing gelatine (for example, fish or poultry) or, alternatively, with fresh vegetable juice or vegetables salads. Also make sure that you have sufficient gastric acid. Minerals are more easily absorbed as chelates or orotates; orotates deliver minerals directly into the cells. Calcium (Ca): The RDA is 800 mg, but the recommended intake is 0.6 - 1.2 g daily. A deficiency is frequently due to overacidity, lack of vitamin D, magnesium, or boron, underactive thyroid and parathyroids, or an oversupply of phosphorus. The normal calcium-phosphorus ratio in blood is 10:4; if the calcium level is too high, calcifications result, such as stone formation, tartar, arthritic deposits, cataracts, and muscle tension. Deficiency Symptoms: These include fragile and deformed bones; muscle cramps, twitching, and weakness; irritability; headaches; depression; menstrual problems such as excessive and painful menstruation; poor circulation; and tender breasts. Also likely are undue sensitivity to pain, insomnia, allergies, inflammations, low blood pressure, varicose veins, piles, distended veins and abdomen, swellings, slow wound healing, pyorrhoea, gingivitis, and eye problems (nearsightedness). Best Sources: Bone broth, eggshells, dolomite, sardines, leaf vegetables, goat’s-milk products, sesame seeds, and kelp. Chromium (Cr): This mineral is active as trivalent chromium, and its biological value differs greatly in various foods. Aim for an RDA of 100 mcg of high bio-value supplements, such as glucose-tolerance factor or chelated chromium. Deficiency Symptoms: Poor blood sugar regulation (diabetes, hypoglycaemia), disturbed fat/protein meta-b-olism, alcohol intolerance, impaired growth, high blood
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pressure, arteriosclerosis, weight loss, fatigue, and eye problems (opaque cornea, nearsightedness, glaucoma). Best Sources: Brewer’s yeast, molasses, mushrooms, seafood, and grains. Calcium EAP for Healthy Cells The health of our cells depends to a large degree on their ability to keep toxic materials out. This includes toxic chemicals, such as endotoxins produced by microbes inside the body, and also harmful concentrations of otherwise useful biological chemicals. Such toxic matter tends to weaken and disrupt the energy production within cells and is a major factor in disease processes such as cancer and chronic degenerative diseases. Toxic chemicals, together with useful ones, can enter the cells only through special pores in the cell wall. In healthy cells, these entrance points are protected by special gatekeeper chemicals, mainly the calcium salt of 2-aminoethanol phosphate, also called colamine phosphate, or EAP. EAP is heavily concentrated at these entrance points and is attached to the cell wall where it keeps the calcium in a fixed position. In addition to keeping unwanted chemicals from entering, EAP is also effective in transporting essential minerals through the cell wall and into the cell. In addition, it helps to maintain and restore a normal electric potential between both sides of the membrane. Because of its vital functions in maintaining the health of cell membranes, EAP has been called the “membrane integrity factor.” With increasing age and disease-related health deterioration, we do not produce enough EAP to protect our cells. This leaves them open to attack by undesirable chemicals and toxins, an event that can cause or contribute to a wide range of diseases. EAP salts were developed in the 1960s in Germany by Hans Nieper, M.D. Initially, calcium EAP was used in the successful treatment of multiple sclerosis, but the damaging aftereffects of viral infections (e.g., chronic fatigue) could also be greatly reduced with EAP. Other diseases that responded well were ALS, allergies, asthma, blood pressure and circulation problems, capillary bleeding, cancer, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Varicose veins stopped deteriorating and aging skin was improved with EAP treatment. Dr. Nieper mentioned that his patients on long-term EAP therapy hardly aged. He found that a mixed formulation of calcium, magnesium, and potassium EAP was calming and harmonizing for the nerves and, with this, suitable for neurological conditions, including hyperactivity and anxiety disorders. After evaluating the treatment of several thousand patients with multiple sclerosis over many years, Dr. Nieper found that hardly any of these patients had developed cancer. Also, in a six-year study of eight patients with repeated surgery for colon cancer, there were no further recurrences of cancer after calcium EAP therapy. The usual dose is one to three tablets three times daily, before meals. For information and orders, contact: Koehler Company, P.O. Box 11510, Prescott, AZ 86304.
Copper (Cu): The RDA is 1.5 to 3 mg, but the recommended intake is 3 to 5 mg daily. A dietary deficiency of copper is rare; inorganic copper, for example, may be oversupplied from copper water pipes. Internal copper deficiency can result from insufficient binding capacity within cells.
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Deficiency Symptoms: These include anaemia, especially in infants; bone disorders; defective spinal cord, multiple sclerosis; hair greying, hair becoming fine and straight, and losing its curl; infertility; weak connective tissue, as evidenced by heart problems such as enlarged heart, weak aorta (holes, ruptures), aneurism, and varicose veins; hernias; cancer; leukaemia; arthritis; inflammations; parasites; and underactive thyroid. Signs of Toxicity: Liver cirrhosis, jaundice, and symptoms of zinc deficiency. Best Sources: Liver, food yeast, nuts, and oily seeds. Use supplements only in organic form, such as chelated or salicylate complexes. However, colloids and copper armbands are acceptable. Iodine (I): The RDA and recommended intake for iodine is 150 mcg daily. Iodine is needed for the production of thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism. Deficiency Symptoms: These include goitre, cretinism, fatigue, overweight, mental retardation, debility, and cancer. Best Sources: Kelp, seafood, and iodized salt. Iron (Fe): The RDA is 10/15 mg, so the recommended intake is the RDA, but it should be less for the elderly. An iron deficiency causes anaemia and fatigue, while an oversupply in the inorganic form (tablets, bread additives) is a contributing factor in degenerative diseases, especially arthritis. Best Sources: Kelp, liver, yeast, molasses, sesame seeds, and eggs. Magnesium (Mg): The RDA is 350/280 mg; the recommended intake 500 1000 mg daily. This mineral activates many enzymes (see the section on magnesium chloride to follow). Deficiency Symptoms: Here you find apathy, confusion, depression, disorientation, hallucinations, irritability, paranoia, and poor memory. Also typical are angina, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, sweating, tachycardia (fast pulse), strokes, thrombosis, or infarctions. You can also encounter convulsions, cramps, eclampsia, epilepsy, muscle twitching, numbness, nystagmus (rapid eye movements), tingling, and tremors. Further deficiency symptoms are physical and mental rigidity, stiffness, stone formation in kidney and gallbladder (but not renal failure), tartar, alcoholism, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, acute infections, intestinal malabsorption, liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), prostate problems, strong body odour, overactive thyroid, colic, and premenstrual tension. Best Sources: Kelp, dolomite, seafood, sea minerals, grass juice, green leaves, nuts, oily seeds, molasses, and sprouted grains. Manganese (Mn): The recommended intake is 5 to 10 mg daily; the therapeutic dose is 20 - 100 mg. Deficiency Symptoms: These typically are muscle weakness, myasthenia gravis, drooping eyelids, poor memory, dark-red skin spots, -diabetes, hypoglycaemia, atherosclerosis, schizophrenia, epileptic convulsions, bone deformities, mucus problems, impotence and/or sterility, ataxia (muscle incoordination), poor equilibrium, abnormal inner ear, and retraction of head.
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Best Sources: Grass juice, spinach, parsley, spices (cloves, cardamom, ginger), nuts, pea-nuts, and sprouted and fermented seeds. Molybdenum (Mo): Molybdenum is an integral part of several enzymes involved in cell oxidation and carbohydrate metabolism. Daily requirements are not known, though we do know it is an antagonist to copper. Deficiency Symptoms: These can be cancer of the oesophagus, dental decay, impotence in elderly males, asthma, and sensitivity to sulphites, MSM (see the section on MSM to follow), and other sulphur-rich foods. Best Sources: Buckwheat, beans, fermented soy products, liver, and barley. Potassium (K): The RDA is 2000 mg, but the recommended intake is 3 g daily. A deficiency may originate from an oversupply of sodium (salt), the use of diuretics, or adrenal weakness. Deficiency Symptoms: Typical here are anxiety, nervousness, fatigue, diabetes, hypoglycaemia, heart strain, high blood pressure, liver problems, lower back pain, muscle weakness, multiple sclerosis, and overweight. Best Sources: Kelp, fruits, and vegetables. Selenium (Se): The RDA is 70/55 mg, while the recommended intake is 100 200 mcg daily; the therapeutic dose is up to 500 mcg taken in organic form. Selenium acts as an antioxidant together with vitamin E. It is lost in cooking and very toxic when taken at 2000 mcg or more. A deficiency causes viruses to become very virulent. Deficiency Symptoms: These include fatigue, cancer, liver damage, pancreatic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, weak immune system, reproductive disorders, cataracts, haemorrhaging, haemolytic anaemia, and underactive thyroid. Best Sources: Kidney, liver, seafood, brewer’s yeast, and kelp. Zinc (Zn): The RDA is 15 mg; the recommended intake is 20 to 30 mg daily; and the therapeutic dose is up to 300 mg. This mineral is best taken together with vitamin B6. Diets low in protein and high in fibre, phytates, calcium, fat, and copper can decease the absorption of zinc. Increased zinc is needed with calcium or magnesium supplements, and during chronic infections, convalescence, and stress. Deficiency Symptoms: These affect skin (acne, boils, burns, leg ulcers, parakeratosis [horny red skin], poor wound healing, psoriasis, stretch marks); hair (brittle, coarse, dandruff, falling out, lacking pigment); nails (white spots and bands); eyes (keratitis [inflammations or lesions of the cornea], night blindness, retinal detachment); taste and smell (lost or distorted); sexual function (male sex organs underdeveloped, prostate enlarged, delayed sexual maturity, sterility, menstruation retarded or irregular); and maturation (poor growth, dwarfism). Other symptoms and conditions include body and breath odour, mouth cankers, nausea (pregnancy), poor circulation, cold extremities, fainting, heart infarction, sickle-cell anaemia, cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, gastric and duodenal ulcers, inflammation of the intestines (Crohn’s disease), joint pains (especially knee and hip), liver cirrhosis/alcoholism, toxaemia, mental problems, increased emotionalism, hyperactivity, learning disorders, autism, schizo-phrenia, loss of appetite, anorexia nervosa, and multiple allergies.
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Best Sources: Oysters, herrings, sardines, kelp, seafood, oatmeal, liver, pumpkin seeds, and sprouted seeds. Now let’s look in depth at two minerals - magnesium chloride and MSM, a form of organic sulphur. Magnesium Chloride for Health and Rejuvenation: Magnesium is nothing short of a miracle mineral in its healing effect on a wide range of diseases as well as its ability to rejuvenate the aging body. It is essential for many enzyme reactions, especially in regard to cellular energy production; it is essential too for the health of the brain and nervous system and for healthy teeth and bones. It may come as a surprise that in the form of magnesium chloride it is also an effective infection fighter. On the basis of its numerous beneficial effects, I recommend magnesium chloride as part of a healthy living program. The first prominent researcher to investigate and promote the antibiotic effects of magnesium chloride was French surgeon and professor Pierre Delbet, M.D. In 1915, he was looking for a solution to cleanse the wounds of soldiers; traditionally used antiseptics actually damaged tissues and encouraged infections instead of preventing them. In all his tests, magnesium chloride solution was by far the best; not only was it harmless for tissues, but it also greatly increased white blood cell activity and phagocytosis (the destruction of harmful microbes). Dr. Delbet performed experiments on the internal applications of magnesium chloride and found it to be a powerful immune stimulant. In his experiments, phagocytosis increased by up to 333 percent. This means that after magnesium chloride intake the same number of white blood cells destroyed up to three times more microbes than beforehand. Gradually, Dr. Delbet found magnesium chloride to be beneficial in a wide range of diseases. These included diseases of the digestive tract such as colitis and gallbladder problems, Parkinson’s disease, tremors and muscle cramps, acne, eczema, psoriasis, warts and itching skin, impotence, prostatic hypertrophy, cerebral and circulatory problems, asthma, hay fever, urticaria, and anaphylactic reactions. Hair and nails became stronger and healthier and patients had more energy. He also found a preventative effect on cancer and used magnesium chloride to reverse precancerous conditions such as leukoplasia, as well as hyperkeratosis and chronic mastitis. Epidemio-logical studies confirmed that topographical regions with magnesium-rich soil had a lower incidence of cancer in their population than regions with low magnesium levels. Here is a review of other benefits of magnesium: Magnesium for Nerves: Magnesium has a calming effect on the nervous system and is frequently used to promote good sleep. But more importantly, it can be used to calm irritated and overexcited nerves. This is especially useful with epileptic seizures, convulsions in pregnant women, and the “shakes” in alcoholism. Magnesium levels are generally low in alcoholics, contributing to or causing many of their health problems. If magnesium levels are low, the nerves lose control over muscle activity, respiration, and mental processes. Due to its strong relaxing effect, magnesium helps not only with better sleep but is also useful in overcoming headaches and migraines. Nervous fatigue, tics and
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twitches, tremors, irritability, hypersensitivity, muscle spasms, restlessness, anxiety, confusion, disorientation, and irregular heartbeat - all these conditions respond to increased magnesium levels. A common phenomenon of magnesium deficiency is a sharp muscle reaction to an unexpected loud noise. Many of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can be overcome with high magnesium supplementation; shaking, for example, can be prevented, and rigidity can be eased. With pre-eclampsia, pregnant women can develop convulsions, nausea, dizziness, and headaches; in hospitals, this is treated with magnesium infusions. Magnesium for the Heart: Adequate levels of magnesium are essential for the heart muscle. Those who die from heart attacks usually have very low magnesium but high calcium levels in their heart muscles. Patients with coronary heart disease who had been treated with large amounts of magnesium had a better survival rate than patients who had received drugs. This might be due to the fact that magnesium dilates the arteries of the heart and lowers cholesterol and fat levels. Diabetics who are prone to atherosclerosis, fatty degeneration of the liver, and heart disease often have low magnesium tissue levels. They often develop eye problems, such as retinopathy; diabetics with the lowest magnesium levels have the most severe retinopathy. The lower the magnesium content of their drinking water, the higher is the death rate of diabetics from cardiovascular disease. In an American study, the death rate due to coronary heart disease was double and diabetes was four times higher in areas with low magnesium water levels as compared to areas with high magnesium levels.11 Magnesium for Healthy Bones and Teeth: Medical authorities claim that the widespread incidence of osteoporosis and tooth decay in Western countries can be prevented with a high calcium intake. However, published evidence reveals that the opposite is true. Asian and African populations with a very low intake (about 300 mg of calcium daily) have very little osteoporosis; Bantu women with an intake of 200 to 300 mg of calcium daily have the lowest incidence of osteoporosis in the world. In Western countries with a high intake of dairy products, the average calcium intake is about 1000 mg. Strangely, the higher the calcium intake, especially in the form of cow’s milk products (except butter), the higher the incidence of osteoporosis.12 The average concentration of magnesium phosphate in bones is about one percent; in teeth about 1.5 percent; in elephant tusks two percent; and in the teeth of carnivorous animals made to crush bones, it is five percent. In regard to the strength of bones and teeth, think of calcium as chalk and of magnesium as superglue; the magnesium superglue binds and transforms the chalk into superior bones and teeth. Magnesium, Cancer, and Aging: Many studies have shown an increased cancer rate in regions with low magnesium levels in soil and drinking water. In Egypt, the cancer rate was only about ten percent of that in Europe and America, and in the rural areas it was practically nonexistent. The main factor at play was an extremely high magnesium intake of 2.5 to 3 g in these cancer-free populations - ten times more than in most Western countries. Let’s see how calcium and magnesium are further linked to aging. We use our muscles by selectively contracting them; on the biochemical level, muscle contraction
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is triggered by calcium ions flowing into muscle cells. To relax the muscle, calcium is pumped out again. However, as we age, more calcium remains trapped in the muscles, and these muscles become more or less permanently contracted, leading to increasing muscle tension and spasms. Together with calcification of the joints, this is the typical rigidity and inflexibility we see in old age. The higher our intake of calcium relative to magnesium, the faster we calcify and age. Further, most of the excess calcium in our diet ends up in our soft tissues and around joints, leading to calcification and potentially arthritic deformations, arteriosclerosis, cataracts, kidney stones, and senility. Biochemical stress can lead to the pathological calcification of almost any organ, which means the more stress, the more calcification, and the more rapid the aging. The Rejuvenation Mineral: Magnesium and chloride have other important functions in keeping us young and healthy. Chloride is required to produce a large quantity of gastric acid each day, and it is also needed to stimulate starch-digesting enzymes. Magnesium is the mineral of rejuvenation and prevents the calcification of our organs and tissues that is characteristic of the aging-related degeneration of the body. Using other magnesium salts (other than the chloride one) is less advantageous because these have to be converted into chlorides in the body anyway. We can use magnesium as oxide or carbonate, but then we need to produce additional hydrochloric acid to form chlorides so it can be absorbed. Many aging individuals, especially those with chronic diseases, who desperately need more magnesium cannot produce sufficient hydrochloric acid and thus cannot absorb the oxide or carbonate. Among the other salts, Epsom salt is magnesium sulphate; it is soluble but not well absorbed and acts mainly as a laxative. Chelated magnesium is well absorbed but expensive and lacks the beneficial contribution of the chloride ions. Orotates are good but expensive for their content of magnesium; and both orotates and chelates lack the infection-fighting potential of magnesium chloride. As suggested above, calcium and magnesium are opposites in their effects on our body structure. As a general rule, young women and children with a soft body structure need more calcium, while the more rigid and inflexible we become, the less calcium and the more magnesium we need. Magnesium can reverse the age-related degenerative calcification of our body structure and rejuvenate us. How Much Magnesium to Take: Hydrated magnesium chloride contains about 120 mg of magnesium per gram or 600 mg per rounded teaspoon. It has a mild laxative effect. As a good maintenance intake to remain healthy, you can take up to one teaspoon daily in divided doses mixed with meals; it is best to use it instead of table salt as it has a somewhat salty taste. Individuals with very sensitive taste buds can start using magnesium in tiny amounts mixed with strongly flavoured food, then gradually increase the doses. With acute infections, dissolve eight slightly rounded teaspoons in one quart of water. With children, a small glassful or four ounces can be used effectively every six hours. Adults can double this dose by drinking this amount every three hours, or
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even more frequently until diarrhea develops; then cut back to a maintenance intake just below the level of diarrhea, until the infection has cleared. For daily use, it is more convenient to dissolve the magnesium chloride in water. Fill a bottle or jar halfway with the crystals and then to the top with water. Mix one teaspoon of this solution with food or drink three times daily for a daily intake of about 600 mg of magnesium. This or a more concentrated solution can also be used as a pack over tumours and infected, inflamed, painful, stiff, or calcified joints, muscles, adhesions, or scar tissue. It is also excellent as a back rub, to relax tense muscles anywhere on the body, and to rejuvenate aging skin. For sensitive skin, use it in a very diluted form. On wounds it can be used topically in a four-percent solution, that is, a level teaspoon in a small glass of water. Non-hydrated or desiccated magnesium chloride contains twice as much magnesium as the hydrated product. If using this, use half the amounts indicated above. Magnesium chloride is produced from seawater. Instead of magnesium chloride, you can use the brine from the production of sea salt. It has the advantage of having more trace minerals than the technical magnesium chloride, but due to its high content of magnesium sulphate it is rather bitter. CAUTION: While a higher magnesium intake is beneficial for most individuals, those with low blood pressure usually re-quire more calcium. Normal blood pressure is about 120/80, so the lower yours is the higher your daily intake of calcium should be. While those with high blood pressure benefit from ingesting twice as much magnesium as calcium, those with low blood pressure can take twice as much calcium as magnesium; both minerals are taken in relatively high amounts. Those with low blood pressure and a tendency towards inflammations should also greatly reduce their intake of phosphorus. A high level of phosphorus in the blood tends to cause magnesium as well as calcium levels to be low.
MSM - Organic Sulphur As a Versatile Healer: MSM (methyl-sulfonylmethane) occurs naturally in many fresh foods but is lost during processing. Its main use in the body is for collagen synthesis and forming skin, blood vessels, hair, and nails; it keeps cells, skin, and blood vessels elastic, which is the attribute of youth. That is why organic sulphur is often regarded as the “beauty mineral.” Cell walls remain permeable so that nutrients can freely flow into the cells and wastes and toxins can easily be removed.
Amino acid chains are usually linked with each other through flexible sulphur bridges. Also the oxidative energy production of cells requires Magnesium and calcium supplementation reactive sulphur compounds. Thus, should be avoided by people with severe without sufficient organic sulphur as in kidney problems (severe renal the form of MSM, cells and body insufficiency); extra magnesium may be structures lose their elasticity and weakening to those with myasthenia flexibility. What results are the wellgravis. Too much magnesium can cause known signs of aging: inelastic skin with muscle weakness or cramps; if this happens stop using magnesium and use increasing wrinkles, scar tissue, more calcium. hardening arteries, varicose veins, and “hardened” lungs, causing emphysema. Sufficient intake of MSM is able to reverse these conditions to a significant degree, including emphysema. It is believed that the MSM in aloe vera is the active ingredient responsible for repairing damaged skin, a quality attributed to this plant.
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Athletes use MSM to increase stamina and minimize sore muscles. Its use for this purpose is even more widespread with racehorses and greyhounds. This effect may be mainly due to the ability of MSM to increase greatly the body’s ability to eliminate metabolic residues, wastes, and toxins from the cells. In a similar way, MSM appears to help those with chronic fatigue. And it helps us recuperate from severe physical and mental exhaustion; further, MSM reduces the effects of stress and the incidence of stress-related deaths in animals. MSM tends to reduce or eliminate allergic reactions to foods, chemicals, and inhaled allergens. It also reduces reactions to the bites of mosquitoes, bees, and poisonous spiders and snakes. It lessens inflammation, pain, stiffness, and swellings due to arthritis or from other musculoskeletal system disorders, and it helps to normalize the blood chemistry in these conditions; it also reduces inflammations of the skin and mucous membranes. MSM relieves leg and back cramps and muscle spasms, be it after periods of inactivity (night cramps) or during athletic activities. Other conditions that often benefit from MSM supplementation are hot flashes as well as discomfort due to the monthly cycle, acne, asthma, back pain, candidiasis, constipation, diabetes, diarrhea, diverticulitis, gastrointestinal ulcers, hypertension, inflammations of all kinds, itching skin, migraines, nausea, pain, stress, sunburn, and wound healing. It is believed to be helpful with other chronic degenerative or inflammatory conditions, especially Alzheimer’s, cancer, Crohn’s disease, myasthenia gravis, and Parkinson’s. Fingernails and hair have a high sulphur content and their condition generally improves with MSM supplementation. It also reduces parasite infections in the intestinal and urogenital tracts. MSM also appears to normalize our mental state. Individuals on MSM tend to report increased alertness, reduced mood swings, and less depression. It seems to improve the immune system and the senses of taste and smell. In addition, it neutralizes the toxicity of anticholinesterase, thereby providing protection against insecticide exposure or ingestion; it also aids the liver in the detoxification of chemicals and, because of this, it is useful in easing drug withdrawal symptoms. In summary, MSM: •
inhibits pain impulses along nerve fibres (analgesia)
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lessens inflammation
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increases blood supply
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reduces muscle spasm
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softens scar tissue.
How to Use MSM: Unlike the related DMSO, MSM is a natural food ingredient and is free of unpleasant taste and odour. It is reported to be completely safe even in very high amounts. Because of its inert composition, it does not cause allergies or undesirable pharmacological effects; it can even be safely used to dilute blood. The body will use what it needs and remove any excess through the kidneys. The watersoluble MSM is easily absorbed and provides a therapeutically important source of organically bound sulphur.
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The daily maintenance intake commonly ranges from 1 to 10 g taken in two or more divided doses. Adjust the dose according to your well-being or observed effects; initially I suggest you start with about 1 g and increase the dosage gradually. You can also use MSM externally to carry other nutrients or remedies into the skin. With arthritis or connective tissue problems, for instance, you can dissolve glucosamine, copper salicylate, and MSM in a small amount of warm water and rub it into the affected area. For bulk lots of MSM in the United States, see www.bulkmsm.com where you can also find more information on MSM. If your diet is already high in sulphur, as from plenty of onions and eggs, then you might not notice any benefit from taking MSM.
CAUTION: Individuals who are sensitive to sulphites, often used as preservatives, tend also to be sensitive to MSM due to a deficiency of molybdenum, which is required for liver enzymes to convert sulphur compounds into sulphates. In this case, supplement with 200 to 1000 mcg of molybdenum and avoid a high copper intake.
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Step 25 AMINO ACIDS They’re the building blocks of all body proteins. Adequate levels are essential for good health.
There are eight essential amino acids for adults that must be supplied with the diet: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenyl-alanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Two others, arginine and histidine, are essential in the first year of life. Some may be useful as supplements to enhance the functions described below, but commonly this is necessary only in cases of malabsorption of nutrients, with specific diseases, or with bodybuilding and sports nutrition. The specific amounts to use are usually not critical and may vary widely with practitioners. If not otherwise recommended by your health professional, you can use the amounts indicated on the product container. However, in most instances, instead of taking single amino acids, I recommend taking spirulina or chlorella instead; these are high in protein (up to 70 percent) and easily digestible. Amino acids, like many vitamins, exist in two forms that are chemically identical but differently folded. These are named either D-amino acid or L-amino acid. Amino acids in our body have the L-form. Therefore, it is not advisable to use the synthetic D,L-amino acids, but rather the more expensive L-amino acids produced with enzymes. One exception to this is D,L-phenylalanine if used for pain relief. If the label of a supplement does not specify that it is the L-form, you can assume that it is the cheaper D,L-form, and I would not use it. Furthermore, two simple amino acids, glycine and taurine, exist only in one form and are not marked D or L. Arginine: Arginine is the precursor of the neurotransmitter nitric oxide, which helps to relax and dilate blood vessels. It is in an antago-nistic balance with lysine. Arginine helps to channel nutrients into tissues and promotes regeneration. •
Aids in liver detoxification
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May retard growth of tumours and cancer cells
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Assists in the release of growth hormones
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Helps maintain a healthy immune system
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Important for scar tissue formation and collagen production
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Promotes muscle growth and fat utilization
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Helpful with malaria
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May help with male impotence
Note: avoid supplementation during pregnancy and lactation, and with herpes infections. Carnitine: Carnitine is produced in a healthy liver from lysine, vitamins B1 and B6, and iron. Vegetarian diets can be deficient in carnitine, as it is found mainly in meat. D--carnitine is harmful. Acetyl-L-carnitine is the form best suited to treat neurological conditions.
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•
Aids transport of long-chain fatty acids to mitochondria for energy production
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Helps in weight loss
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Improves athletic ability through increased energy production
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Enhances effectiveness of the antioxidant vitamins E and C
Creatine: It is formed in the liver from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine, or available from meat. Commonly 5 g are supplemented daily as creatine-monohydrate, mainly used by athletes and bodybuilders. •
Improves energy production in muscles and heart
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Helpful with muscle diseases, such as motor neurone disease
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Protects against brain injuries, and can improve memory
Cysteine: This is a high sulphur-content amino acid formed in the liver from methionine; it needs vitamin B6 to work well. It acts as a brain neurotransmitter; highdose supplements of cysteine can interfere with brain functions in susceptible individuals. •
Aids in detoxifying the body
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Precursor to glutathione, a strong antioxidant
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Removes excess heavy metals, helps to burn fat
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Increases muscle growth
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Breaks down mucus in the respiratory tract
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Useful for burn and wound healing
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Assists in the supply of insulin
Glutamic Acid: Glutamic acid is a major neurotransmitter in the brain, so it must be avoided as a supplement as it can cause imbalances in susceptible people. Monosodium glutamate or MSG (the sodium salt of glutamic acid) is a main ingredient of food flavouring added to processed food and is variously labelled as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy protein extract, yeast extract, beef stock, caseinate, or natural flavouring. Evidence shows that it can kill brain cells in susceptible individuals. •
Important for neurotransmission
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Metabolism of sugars and fats
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Detoxifies ammonia (when used with glutamine)
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Together with glucose, is the brain’s principal fuel
Glutamine: As mentioned, glutamine is a principle source of energy, especially for the brain, and helps to regenerate the intestinal wall. With lack of energy and difficulty gaining weight (as in advanced cancer), 10 g or more can be used daily in divided doses. •
Provides about 80 percent of the body’s pool of free nitrogen
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Reduces cravings for sugar, alcohol, and other drugs
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•
Improves absorption of other nutrients, important with inability to gain weight (cachexia)
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Useful with impotence, allergies, senility, fatigue, and peptic ulcers
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Converted in the brain to glutamic acid and to GABA, both of which act as neurotransmitters
Glycine: This is the simplest amino acid. It has a sweet taste and acts as a nitrogen pool for the synthesis of other amino compounds. •
Prevents or slows muscle degeneration
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Needed for a healthy prostate
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Aids central nervous system functions
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Useful in epilepsy and depression
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Important for immune system, building block for nonessential amino acids
Histidine: Histidine dilates blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, and chelates minerals. It is an amino acid of special importance to the developing infant. •
Helpful for tissue growth and repair
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Important for digestion and ulcer healing
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Controls gastric acidity
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Important for production of red and white blood cells
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Possible benefits in rheumatoid arthritis
Isoleucine: An essential amino acid and one of three branch-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which form an essential part of muscle tissue protein. •
Needed for haemoglobin production
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Stabilizes blood sugar and energy levels
Note: Use in combination with leucine and valine; deficiency of isoleucine can produce hypoglycaemia-like symptoms. Leucine: An essential branch-chain amino acid (BCAA) important in muscle protein. •
Lowers elevated blood sugar levels
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Promotes healing of bone, skin, and muscle tissue
Note: Use with correct balance of isoleucine and valine; excessive amounts can produce hypoglycaemia. Lysine: An essential amino acid that must be derived from the diet. •
Essential building block for all protein
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Needed for proper growth and bone development in children
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Helps calcium absorption
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Maintains nitrogen balance
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•
Effective against cold sores and herpes viruses, possibly also beneficial with other viruses
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Increases antibody production
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Needed for collagen production
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Helps to build muscle
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Lowers serum triglycerides
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Deficiency results in loss of energy, inability to concentrate, irritability, retarded growth, and hair los
Methionine: This is an essential sulphur amino acid that must be obtained from the diet. Supplementation can be harmful with an existing vitamin B6 deficiency, so therefore use both at the same time. •
Needed for the metabolism of fat
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Aids in liver detoxification
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Involved in the synthesis of the amino acids cysteine and taurine
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Helps to reduce effects of chemical sensitivities
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Aids digestive processes
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Involved in production of choline
Ornithine: Ornithine is helpful with insomnia, possibly by removing ammonia from the brain. •
Helps release growth hormone
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Needed for immune system function
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Promotes healing
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Detoxifies ammonia
Phenylalanine: An essential amino acid, D- or D,L-phenylalanine can be used for long-acting pain relief. Do not use during pregnancy or with anxiety attacks, high blood pressure, or phenylketonuria (PKU). •
Used in treatment of depression
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Essential for the production of neurotransmitters
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Involved in the formation of the skin pigment melanin
Taurine: Taurine is a sulphur amino acid and a main component of bile salts, essential for fat absorption. •
Promotes emulsifying and absorbing fats
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Helps regulate rhythm and mineral concentrations in the heart
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An inhibitory (sedating) neurotransmitter, helps with epilepsy Threonine: This is one of the essential amino acids.
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Maintains protein balance
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•
Needed for the formation of collagen and elastine
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Aids the liver and fat metabolism
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Helps control epilepsy Tryptophan: This is another essential amino acid.
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Important for the production of the vitamin niacin or niacinamide
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Helps prevent insomnia and elevates mood
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Controls hyperactivity in children
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Needed for production of serotonin and melatonin
Tyrosine: Tyrosine is the precursor of stimulating neurotransmitters and hormones, in particular adrenaline, dopamine, and thyroxin. •
Involved in the production of melanin pigment of skin and hair
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Important for adrenal, thyroid, and pituitary gland function
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Helps control appetite and body fat levels; is an antidepressant
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May assist during withdrawal from addictive drugs
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Provides raw material for the synthesis of epinephrine (adrenaline) and dopamine Valine: This is an essential amino acid in muscle protein.
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Important for muscle tissue maintenance and muscle coordination
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Stimulates and promotes mental vigor
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Step 26 DIGESTIVE ENZYMES These vital substances are needed for digestion, but poor diet and cooking practices can deplete your supply.
Digestive enzymes are released from our digestive organs in order to break down food into molecules small enough for it to be absorbed. Deficiencies of digestive enzymes are widespread and are caused mainly by overeating, eating too much cooked food, food allergies, and incorrect food combining. Virtually all elderly people and those with chronic degenerative diseases and allergies have digestive enzyme deficiencies. The enzymes in raw and fermented foods help in the digestive process but are destroyed by temperatures over 120° F. Further, many heated proteins become difficult to digest and you may need more digestive enzymes to handle them. Some raw seeds, soybeans, broad beans, wheatgerm, and nuts contain enzyme inhibitors, but sprouting and cooking inactivates these. In light of this, make a deliberate effort to improve the enzyme content and digestibility of your food. If you are in a state of chronically lowered health, it will be very helpful to use enzyme supplements. This is essential in the case of cancer and other advanced degenerative diseases and also if you have allergies, unless you are already on a predominantly raw food diet. Most important are the pancreatic enzymes, known collectively as pancreatin and available as a supplement under various brand names. For serious diseases, take 4000 to 5000 mg of pancreatin in divided doses in the course of each meal. One tablet may contain 1200 or 1600 mg of pancreatin; this is sometimes also described as pancreatin 4NF and if so take 300 or 400 mg of it. In addition, you can take one or two tablets of an enzyme combination containing papain, bromelain, pepsin, or bile. Pepsin is indicated for protein foods if the stomach is weak, while bile is helpful if there is a problem with fat absorption. Papain and bromelain help protein digestion. In the case of degenerative diseases and advancing age, gastric acid is often deficient. If so, you can take hydrochloric acid–pepsin tablets, especially when eating cooked protein meals. Alternatively, dilute one part commercial diluted hydrochloric acid (usually 20 percent) with nine parts water. Mix one teaspoon (use plastic) of this with meals or drink with fluids after a meal. As a rule, additional enzymes are not needed with uncooked meals. However, digestive enzyme supplements are not required if protein-digesting enzymes can be obtained from food, such as bromelain from pineapples or papain from unheated leaves or flowers or unripe fruit of papaya. Ripe kiwi fruit is a good source of enzymes. Use any of these with protein meals. You can also predigest meat, fish, or other protein food by refrigerating it overnight wrapped or mixed with papaya leaf.
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Step 27 NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS Concentrated nutrients in pill form can shore up nutritional deficiencies and build optimal health.
Most individuals on conventional diets with much refined and processed foods have either outright nutrient deficiencies or shortages of various vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and hormones. Generally, our intake of essential nutrients is less than optimal, making us susceptible to disease. Deficiencies are even more widespread in those who already suffer an acute or chronic disease. Sometimes individuals have had to suffer for years and have had high medical expenses for conventional treatments when a few nutritional supplements could likely have corrected the problems. Supplements are most important for individuals with nutrient malabsorption and for those who still use processed and refined foods as part of their diet or who cannot regularly obtain vegetables and fruit grown organically in good soil. The more serious the disease or health deterioration, the more supplements are likely to be beneficial and the greater should be the dosages and range of supplements taken. Calcium supplements are commonly used with conventional diets and yet many people are apprehensive of obtaining sufficient calcium when abstaining from milk products. This concern is unfounded. Calcium is not well absorbed from cow’s milk, as can be seen in the high incidence of osteoporosis developing in people on conventional Western diets and the fact this is not a problem in milk-free Asian countries. Vegetables and sprouted and fermented seeds are high in usable calcium; the calcium content in juice from cereal grasses is higher than in milk as, after all, cows obtain their calcium from grasses in the first place. Similar considerations apply to iron, which can easily become harmful as an inorganic supplement. Much more widespread and detrimental than calcium and iron deficiencies are deficiencies in chromium, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc. Many supplements are actually concentrated health foods, but taking these is not the same as the “pill-popping” of medical drugs. While I believe that supplements are unnecessary if one is healthy and lives on a high quality diet in an unpolluted environment, I know that it is difficult to remain healthy in present times and even more difficult to heal an “incurable” disease. Carefully selected supplements can make a great difference in these endeavours, especially for those who are just starting to improve their diet. I am not in favour of using multivitamin tablets as they often contain synthetic forms of vitamins A, D, and E and beta-carotene. Instead, if required, it is better to use a low-potency B-complex in addition to vitamin C and cod-liver oil or halibut-liver oil capsules. Mineral supplements are often more important than vitamins and can contain approximately 15 mg zinc, 5 mg manganese, 100 to 200 mcg selenium, 200 mcg chromium, 500 mg magnesium, and up to twice this amount of calcium if one’s
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blood pressure is low. Much higher doses, especially of selected vitamins, can be used where indicated for therapeutic effects. In addition, you can use general supplements to increase your overall wellbeing and vitality. Of special benefit for those lacking energy are ginseng, coenzyme Q10, royal jelly, and freeze-dried liver. Bee pollen and spirulina or chlorella are my favourites. As mentioned earlier, digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid supplements can help those with weak digestion. For those in conditions of debility, amino acid and nucleic acid supplements can help, the most helpful amino acids being lysine, tyrosine, methionine, and glutamine. Many supplements such as royal jelly, vitamin B12, and the freeze-dried animal glands are much more effective if partly absorbed under the tongue, chewed lightly, and kept in the mouth for as long as possible. Lecithin is beneficial for most individuals, and you can mix a teaspoonful with meals or with ground linseed (flaxseed). Omega-3 essential fatty acids are universally indicated for which linseed oil or cod-liver oil and other fish oils can be taken; if malabsorption is a problem, the oil can be rubbed into the skin. These oils help to reduce inflammation, pain, and allergic swellings. On a diet low in iodized salt and seafood, we can become iodine deficient; kelp tablets or granules are excellent for supplying iodine as well as many other minerals. With infections, use high levels of vitamins C, A, and E, zinc, bee propolis, and echinacea. Sulphur compounds, as mentioned earlier, detoxify and remove from the body heavy metals, harmful chemicals, and drugs; MSM is especially good for this. Sulphur is also a main component of connective tissue, so supplementation is beneficial with all connective tissue diseases (for example, arthritis). Even simply taking powdered sulphur has been shown to increase the formation of useful sulphur compounds. You can take a gelatine capsule filled with sulphur once a day or mix a pinch of it into each meal. The main sulphur amino acids are taurine, L-cysteine, and L-methionine; the main sulphur foods are egg and onion. Generally, gradually increase and decrease high levels of supplements, especially vitamins, and interrupt or greatly reduce supplement intake during fasting or cleansing periods. Most vitamin-mineral supplements are best absorbed and cause less gastrointestinal irritation if mixed with the meal as powders, crushed tablets, or opened capsules. The next best way is to take tablets near the middle of the meal and avoid slow-release tablets. However, take amino acids before the meal; this applies also to calcium as it is not well absorbed and tends to form insoluble combinations (soaps) with fatty acids during digestion. Organic or Natural Versus Inorganic or Synthetic: There is some confusion about the importance and meaning of natural or organic versus synthetic or inorganic minerals. In food production, “organic” means that food has been grown, produced, stored, and processed without the use of synthetic chemicals. However, in chemistry “organic” means that a chemical is based on carbon and has covalent bonds; “inorganic” means that a chemical is not based on carbon and has ionic bonds. Some inorganic chemicals, such as sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, and calcium chloride, are ingredients of natural and organic foods and are also essential
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components of our body. Calcium in our blood plasma, for instance, is about half in ionized form while the other half is bound to proteins. In this way, taking some minerals in inorganic form can rectify ionic deficiencies of these minerals. Further, a healthy intestinal flora can transform inorganic into organic minerals, while inorganic minerals taken with gelatine or fresh green vegetable juice can easily be incorporated into organic structures. This is of special importance with some of the trace minerals. Even so, it is safer to use these directly in organic form, best obtained from fresh, organic vegetable and grass juice, mineral-rich food or plant concentrates, or, alternatively, safely bound to amino acids or as stable complexes such as copper and zinc salicylate. However, there is a downside to routinely adding inorganic minerals, such as table salt, to our food. We may use concentrations that are too high and irritate the intestinal wall, and we may also cause mineral imbalances. Therefore, use not only the right concentrations but the right combinations of ingredients in your supplements. It is much easier to get this right by using natural foods. Of course, the main reason we use supplements is because commercial food has inadequate mineral content; even in much of organically raised food, the mineral content is not as high as it might be. Another way of making minerals safer and more effective is by using them in colloidal form. In this way, even tiny clusters of metal atoms can be safely and beneficially ingested. Colloidal mineral products are commercially available, made from ancient decomposed plant material. Also beneficial is the intake of minerals present in energized water. After sufficient health improvement, you may feel that you no longer need most nutritional supplements. With a good maintenance diet, I recommend continuing indefinitely to use the following health foods, or equivalent ones: several teaspoons each of bee pollen, ground linseed, and spirulina or chlorella; half a teaspoon of kelp; and one tablespoon of cod-liver oil (emulsified with lecithin and fresh juice); also some lecithin and magnesium chloride with meals will be helpful. Selection of Vitamin Supplements: Commercial growing and processing and traditional Western cooking methods usually reduce the vitamin and mineral content of foods to only a fraction of that found in fresh, raw, organically grown foods. As an example, methyl bromide, a widely used fumigant for grains, destroys all the pantothenic acid (a B vitamin) in cereal grains. Unfortunately, these days many vitamins (especially vitamin C and the B vitamins) are not available in sufficient amounts in foods or natural supplements, and synthetic supplements are often necessary in order to improve or maintain our health. Vitamins available as natural concentrates (A, D, and E) should be avoided in synthetic form. Natural vitamin E is d-alpha tocopherol; the synthetic form is dl-alpha tocopherol. Highly recommended is vitamin E complex as mixed tocopherols. Store vitamin supplements in a dry, cool, and dark place. Oil-filled capsules should be taken during a meal containing oily or fatty foods and lecithin. However, many individuals most in need of these vitamins have absorption problems and for them oil-filled capsules are not suitable. Therefore, I generally recommend using tablets of natural vitamin E rather than oil-filled capsules. If in doubt about your
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digestive abilities, take a halibut oil or other fish oil as a capsule at bedtime and keep it in the mouth to be slowly absorbed overnight. Other-wise, take all supplements during meals or mixed with food. Small amounts with several meals are better absorbed than a large amount in a single dose. Some tablets have beta-carotene substituted for vitamin A. However, many individuals have difficulty in absorbing beta-carotene and converting it into vitamin A. Therefore, use tablets that contain real vitamin A and not -vitamin-A equivalents of beta-carotene. Chewing vitamin and mineral supplements together with food produces much better results than just swallowing them. Appreciable amounts of vitamin B12 can be absorbed by keeping a tablet under the tongue, even if it cannot be absorbed in the stomach because of a lack of “intrinsic factor” (a substance usually present in the stomach that is involved in the absorption of vitamin B12). If there are signs of increased requirements for individual nutrients, use these together with a B-complex supplement. In most conditions involving lack of energy, debility, anemia, low blood pressure, and chronic degenerative diseases, initial injections and later mouth-absorbed tablets of vitamin B12 (1000 mcg daily) are very helpful. The acid form of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can be taken with protein meals, especially if your system is too alkaline or lacking in gastric acid. If regularly taking more than 3 to 5 g per day of vitamin C, those with high blood pressure can partly neutralize the ascorbic acid with an equal amount of milk of magnesia, or with onethird the amount of potassium bicarbonate or magnesium carbonate. With low blood pressure and possible overacidity, take calcium ascorbate instead. Antioxidants are of greatest importance for minimizing oxidative tissue damage and, with this, for avoiding diseases and delaying aging. In a more recent development, a high intake of antioxidants has also been found to be crucial in preventing and overcoming viral infections. The major antioxidants include the vitamins A, C, and E, the minerals selenium and zinc as components of antioxidant enzyme systems, the plant pigments beta-carotene, bioflavo-noids, and anthocyanins, as well as phenols and catechols in grape seed extract, green tea, and generally in coloured fruit and vegetables. Other powerful antioxidants are alphalipoic acid and negative hydrogen as in Microhydrin or electrolytic reduced water (ERW) produced with water ionizers. Whether you take antioxidants as supplements or as part of a high-quality diet, make sure you get plenty. Are Nutritional Supplements Dangerous?: Generally, health authorities promote pharmaceutical drugs as beneficial and natural remedies as harmful. They tend to call natural remedies “drugs,” and the view has been put forward that synthetic nutrients are the same as natural ones. Research results using synthetic products, such as vitamins A, D, E, or beta-carotene, with negative or harmful outcomes are then used as “scientific proof” that natural remedies are either useless or dangerous. While numerous trials have shown significant health benefits for individuals with higher levels of beta-carotene in their blood, clinical trials with synthetic betacarotene and synthetic vitamin E have shown increased rates of death due to cancer.
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Vitamin A has been portrayed as the most “dangerous” supplement, largely based on studies with synthetic vitamin A. There are dire warnings that it can cause death in amounts higher than the RDA (5000 IU). However, many people take 25,000 IU or more daily without problems, and as far as I can ascertain, there has never been a death recorded due to vitamin A supplements in the U.S. in the 60 years that these have been in use. There appears to be only one recorded death in all the scientific literature, that of a chemist in England in the 1950s who ingested two million IU daily of retinyl acetate for three months and died of liver cirrhosis.13 I am not aware of any pharmaceutical drug having such a good safety record as that. Even one of the safest drugs, aspirin, has been stated to cause about 100 deaths a year, and many more cases than that of toxicity.14 In comparison the reported cases of (usually easily reversible) vitamin A toxicity in the U.S. are typically five per year.15 Similar unfounded attacks have been made against vitamins C and E. For more detailed information on this subject, see the website of the Life Extension Foundation (www.lef.org); for articles on megavitamin therapy; also see www.doctoryourself.com. Imagine the mass media frenzy if there were actually some fatalities due to vitamin A. Yet there is no concern at all about thousands of patients dying, in my view unnecessarily, due to prescription drugs. In the public, the perception has been generated that fatalities due to prescription drugs are a small price to pay for their overall benefit. This benefit has never been shown in the long term. Drug approval is based on short-term trials, and only by accident does the truth of long-term harm occasionally emerge, as in the case of hormone-replacement therapy. I believe that in the long term all drugs become a burden on the liver or kidneys by increasing our load of toxic chemicals and may accelerate our health deterioration. Therefore, with any health problem, inform yourself about all available options. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 28 HERBS You may benefit from using herbal remedies instead of pharmaceutical drugs.
Herbs are not completely harmless, but damage due to commonly used herbs is extremely rare, while the benefits are usually genuine and lasting. In contrast to culinary herbs, medicinal herbs should be used on a long-term basis only if there is a clinical reason and not just in case they might do some good. (Herbs for a wide range of health problems are discussed in part 6.) Here I will discuss a few herbs for some common conditions and show how the application can be particularly important on your road to better health. General Herbal Remedies: A good combination to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract is a mixture of chillies and ginger root. Blend or crush both in lemon juice and olive oil and refrigerate, then use this as a salad dressing or for flavouring meals. Use an amount that is hot but not uncomfortable. Gradually increase your intake to just below your tolerance level for several weeks; then you can continue to use it in normal amounts for flavouring your food. With serious infections, inflammations, or cancer of the gastrointestinal tract, you can also add fresh garlic to this until the problem is overcome. Peppermint tea is especially good to stimulate the digestion and uplift the spirit, while slippery elm powder soothes the digestive tract. Sage is highly esteemed. An ancient saying goes: “Why die [of a disease] when sage grows in your garden?” It can be prepared by adding two teaspoons of dried sage to one pint of boiling water; after three minutes, remove it from the heat and let it draw for another ten minutes. Sage can be combined with other herbs. Fragrant or leaf herbs such as peppermint or St. John’s Wort can be added while the herbs steep. St. John’s Wort is effective against depression. The immune system can be strengthened with echinacea, propolis, European mistletoe (Viscum album), Easter lily, and reishi and other Asian mushrooms. Echinacea can be added to all other herb combinations. However, there are some research findings that echinacea can cause problems if taken uninterruptedly for several months, so it may be advisable to interrupt its use after a month and then to take it again a few weeks later. Wormwood and garlic are excellent against all kinds of parasites as well as the yeast Candida albicans. A combination of goldenseal, ginger, and slippery elm powder is good for gastrointestinal inflammations and multiple sclerosis. Ginger is also good against motion sickness. In addition to being an excellent wound healer, comfrey is a good detoxifier; you can drink a cupful of comfrey tea two or three times a week. To aid digestion, it is generally beneficial to drink half a cup of bitter herb tea after a large or cooked meal. Suitable herbs here are centaury, dandelion (not roasted), devil’s claw, and gentian; these also help to restore liver function. With any lung conditions, including lung cancer, have a daily steam inhalation (with a towel
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over the head) of hot chamomile tea, possibly with the addition of eucalyptus or tea tree oil or crushed onion. Maca is a root vegetable from the Peruvian Andes, and I regard it as the best remedy for balancing the endocrine glands and hormone system. It appears to act directly on the hypothalamus and pituitary systems to regulate the thyroid, adrenals, and sex glands. It is often effective with underactive thyroid, as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy and hysterectomy, for age-related decline in the production of sex hormones, and with general lack of energy. An average daily intake is about 10 g, but start with less. Licorice, too, has some effect on sex hormones but is most useful as a stimulant of adrenal function. With this, it can raise low blood pressure and energy levels and is useful for chronic fatigue syndrome, peptic ulcers, skin inflammations, and HIV/AIDS; it also increases pancreatic secretions. However, it causes retention of sodium and low potassium levels and should not be used with high blood pressure or kidney disease, or during pregnancy. The normal therapeutic range is from 2 - 6g daily. Anticancer Herbs: Many herbs are useful in cancer treatment, mostly in a supportive role but sometimes as a main therapy. Frequently used are aloe vera (as juice or gel), chaparral, pau d’arco, red clover, and violet leaves. Wormwood and pau d’arco in sufficiently large amounts are especially beneficial by eliminating the fungal forms of the cancer microbe. Vinca rosea, a periwinkle, has an active ingredient that has been used in chemotherapy against leukaemia. Milk thistle and bitter herbs, such as burdock, greater celandine, centaury, dandelion leaves and root, devil’s claw, and gentian, help stimulate the liver and release bile. Celandine or greater celandine inhibits division of cancer cells and stimulates the immune system; an extract for injection is available as Ukrain. Also useful are leaves of the tropical grariola tree, commonly known as soursop. Root herbs, such as the bitter liver herbs, need to be simmered for about half an hour, while leaves or flowers need to simmer or steep for only five minutes. For the after-effects of radiation, wild crane’s bill (Geranium robertianum) is helpful. With lung cancer use also horehound, lobelia, mullein, and St. John’s Wort. Pimpernel is used partly to gargle and partly to drink in spoonful amounts for cancer of the mouth, throat, and neck glands. Mistletoe is especially good for leukaemia and is often used as the Anthroposophic medicine Iscador or Plenosol for injection near tumours and swollen lymph glands. With prostate cancer, use also saw palmetto and/or willow herb (Epilobium, mainly parviflorum). With leukaemia, especially use herbs to strengthen the immune system. Licorice root, taken in typical doses of 500 to 1000 mg, is strongly recommended instead of Tamoxifen with all estrogen-related cancers, as it blocks the growth-stimulating properties of estrogen. It also promotes anti-inflammatory adrenal hormones. However, it tends to keep sodium in the body while potassium is expelled. Therefore, minimize sodium and maximize potassium intake by consuming plenty of vegetable juices; do not use licorice root if your blood pressure is dangerously high or with obvious water retention.
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You can select a range of these herbs that are suitable for your condition or that are locally available and use them as your special herb mixture. Alternatively or in addition, you can use a commercially available anticancer herb mixture. Best known are the Jason Winter’s mixture, Hoxsey herbs, and Ojibway Indian Tea or Essiac (sheep sorrel, burdock root, slippery elm, and rhubarb root). The Hoxsey mixture must generally be made up individually, but a local herbalist should be able to do it. The exact quantities are kept secret and may vary, but an independent analysis revealed the following quantities in 5 ml of the Hoxsey tonic: potassium iodide (150 mg), Stillingia root (10 mg), burdock root (10 mg), red clover (20 mg), buckthorn bark (20 mg), berberis root (10 mg), pokeroot (10 mg), prickly ash bark (5 mg), liquorice (20 mg), and Cascara amarga (5 mg). Cascara amarga is difficult to obtain, and the mixture can be made without it. It belongs to the buckthorn family and is also known as Honduras bark or Picramnia antidesma. This tonic is sold by the Hoxsey Clinic,16 while individual preparations commonly consist of a dried herb mixture, which is used as a tea. CAUTION: Use herbs for cancer treatment only in consultation with a credentialed health practitioner.
Aloe Vera: Aloe vera is excellent for all skin conditions and beneficial in the treatment of cancer, AIDS, and other infectious diseases. It is also good for gastrointestinal irritation, inflammation, and ulcers. However, not all commercial brands of aloe on the market are effective. If nothing seems to be happening with the aloe you’re using,
try another brand. Preferably use fresh aloe vera gel straight from the plant, as much as you can take without getting diarrhea. Slice off the green skin and ingest just the gel, but you can also blend a small whole leaf with fruit juice or other flavouring. For wounds, it is usually better to slice part of a leaf in half and leave the skin on top. Normally avoid the base of the leaf with its yellow sap, as this is a strong irritant and laxative. Aloe vera is most beneficial for those with blood group A; for those with other blood groups, check for compatibility or observe effects. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 29 HOMEOPATHY Homeopathic remedies are effective, and you can even make them yourself.
Homeopathy is a system of medicine based on the principle that “like cures like.” A substance that produces disease-like symptoms in healthy people will in properly diluted and potentized form cure a sick person with similar symptoms. For example, straight onion juice will cause watering, irritated eyes and sneezing, but in the highly diluted and potentized homeopathic form of onion (Allium cepa), it is useful in relieving symptoms of eye and nose irritation, as in hay fever. Clinical trials and the empirical evidence of two centuries of daily use show that homeopathy is effective, even though conventional scientists are at a loss to understand how this is possible. This is because homeopathy cannot be understood as a substance-based method, such as pharmaceutical medicine or herbalism, in which healing effects appear to be due to chemical actions and reactions. A simple calculation shows that in the higher potencies not a single molecule of the original substance is present. But these high potencies are often more effective than low potencies. Therefore, homeopathy can only be understood as a system that works with energy remedies. The explanation is that every natural substance has an etheric or subtle energy field around its molecular structure. The special shaking action or potentising used in homeopathy separates the etheric fields from their material substance. The latter is then discarded and the former concentrated. These concentrated etheric fields are much more potent in this way than when they were combined with matter. Similar etheric concentrates can be produced with radionics instruments. The healing effect of such concentrates depends on their vibrational frequency; due to this the term “vibrational medicine” has been coined for these methods. A homeopathic medicine’s sphere of curative action is originally found by administering it in high doses to healthy human volunteers and recording their emotional, pathological, and physiological reactions to the medicine. This test is called a proving, and hundreds of substances have been proved or tested in this way. Consequently, homeopathic remedies are effective over the whole range of mental and physical disorders. Most homeopathic medicines are made from plants, minerals, animals, or chemicals; remedies from human disease microbes are called nosodes. Sometimes a product of a disease is used in potentized form for treating the same disease; this method is called isopathy. Homeopaths may use the classical approach or practice clinical homeopathy. The classical approach is to use only one dose of one remedy at a time and another dose or remedy later only if effects of the previous remedy have worn off. More commonly used, clinical homeopathy prescribes several remedies in combination to be taken several times daily. Use Your Own Body Fluids: While for general treatment of common symptoms it is more convenient to use established homeopathic remedies, to
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overcome obstinate individual problems it is frequently more effective to prepare remedies from your own body fluids. This a form of isopathy known as auto-therapy. Urine, for example, contains traces of almost all body chemicals, such as enzymes and hormones, as well as foreign and toxic substances and viruses. A properly diluted sample of your urine can initiate the correction of all unbalanced, unnatural body chemistry. This, then, is an excellent way to improve the balance of your glandular system, which is difficult to influence directly by any other method. Other body fluids that can be used are a drop of diluted blood to treat blood disorders; diluted pus if there is an infected wound or a boil; sputum for mouth and throat disorders; tears for eye problems; faeces for intestinal diseases; ear discharge for ear diseases; and so on. Apart from balancing gland activities and general body chemistry, this method is known to be very effective in stimulating the body’s immune system, which is essential in combating cancer and other degenerative diseases. How to Prepare Your Own Remedies: To prepare remedies from your own body fluids, dilute a small sample of the selected fluid 1:100 with pure water. This means one part sample and 99 parts water, for instance, one teaspoon of sample and 99 teaspoons of water. The water should be purified, that is, distilled or filtered. Shake the mixture vigorously 40 or 50 times in a sealed bottle or jar, accentuating the downward stroke. Alternatively, strike the mixing bottle (not glass) 40 to 50 times on a resilient surface. This sample is now in the first potency, described as 1C. Take one part of this, dilute it again with 99 parts water, shake as previously, and you have a potency of 2C. This process is repeated until the desired potency is reached. If dilution proceeds in steps of 1:10 instead of 1:100, the first potency is 1X, the second 2X, and so on. A potency of 12X corresponds in dilution strength to 6C. However, the number of potencies as well as the overall dilution are important for the quality of a remedy. Start using your own diseased body fluids at a potency of 12C. If this does not bring an improvement after some time, experiment with higher and lower potencies. However, use urine in 6X potency and start foods to which you may be allergic at 4X before increasing in steps to 5X and 6X. Important: Use remedies made of your own body products only for yourself, not for anyone else. To produce your own remedies from herbs, make a “mother tincture” by soaking a fresh or dried sample in high-grade alcohol, vodka, or brandy. After a week or two, dilute part of the mother tincture as previously described, but for the first 1:10 dilution use half alcohol and half water. With this technique, you need to buy a specific commercial tincture only once. If the bottle is almost empty, dilute its contents with either 9 parts or 99 parts water-alcohol mixture and shake for some time. You might also try a combination of homeopathy and herbalism. Herbs often seem to be more effective when used as low-potency homeo-pathic remedies. In this way any undesirable side effects of concentrated herbs are lessened, while specific healing effects, especially cleansing actions, are greatly strengthened. You can experiment by potentising one part of an unheated herbal extract or tincture with four or nine parts water.
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If you use a strong mother tincture of a potent herb, start by taking only one or two drops several times daily; keep them in the mouth for a while, and increase the dose gradually over time. If the extract is weak or of a harmless herb, then take spoonfuls or even a cupful at a time. You can make a watery extract of fresh or dried herbs in a blender, or better, by shaking the powdered or pureed herb in water. Alternatively, you can make a tincture by keeping the herbs covered with alcohol or glycerine in a jar for several days. If the remedy is to be stored for more than a few days, use a mixture of half vodka or brandy and half water for the last step. This gives the solution an alcohol content of about 30 percent and will prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi. Alternatively, keep the remedy cold, but not in an electric refrigerator as the remedy can lose its effectiveness due to exposure to the strong electromagnetic field of the refrigerator. How to Take Your Remedies: Take homeopathic remedies with a clean mouth, meaning free of food; the best times are before meals (about 30 minutes) and at bedtime. The usual dose is three to five drops in a little water (about two ounces) sipped slowly over five minutes. Alternatively, you can place three drops in a little water under the tongue. Generally, take one dose four times daily; for chronic conditions, twice daily; for severe or acute conditions, every ten minutes until some improvement is noted, then reduce the frequency. If the patient cannot swallow, moisten the inside of the lips and the tongue with the remedy. Try not to have the remedy come in contact with metal, use a plastic rather than metal spoon, and avoid strongly scented or aromatic drinks and toothpastes, as these may cancel out the remedy. If a reaction to the remedy is noted (sometimes as a temporary aggravation of symptoms), this is a sign that the correct remedy was selected, but wait until the reaction has subsided before giving the next dose. Any overdose of homeopathic remedies is usually harmless, although in sensitive individuals, there is the risk of proving the remedy—getting the symptoms it is supposed to relieve. Store homeopathic remedies protected from heat and light, as well as away from magnets and strong electromagnetic fields. For best results, you should not change remedies too frequently. If pellets are used, do not touch them, but shake a tablet into the bottle cap and from there directly into the mouth; keep it under the tongue until it dissolves. Generally, however, it is not recommended to use homeopathic remedies in tablet form (usually as sugar pills) because of the possibility of intolerance to lactose or sucrose. This is accentuated by keeping the tablets in the mouth, which provokes stronger allergic reactions than swallowing them does; however, swallowing is not desirable for homeopathic remedies as they are primarily absorbed in the mouth. For detailed descriptions of homeopathic remedies and their range of action, see the Pocket Manual of Homeopathic Materia Medica with Repertory by William Boericke. Which Potency to Use: The most commonly used potencies are 6X, 12X, 12C, 30C, 200C, l000C (M), l00M (CM), 500M (DM), and 1000M (MM). Sometimes the letter C is omitted, and 30 and 200 are used instead of 30C and 200C. In Europe, D is used instead of X. After selecting the correct remedy according to your
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symptoms, it is important to choose the correct potency as well. A general rule is that the lower potencies affect mainly physical symptoms while the high potencies work at the mental and emotional energy levels. The high-potency remedies can be used only once a day or once a week or after any reaction has subsided. For a long-standing problem, you can start using a low-potency remedy, say 12X; after a week or two, use 30C, then 200C, and afterwards M at intervals. If you wish to use potencies closer in strength, try 12X and 30C. You may also be able to find the correct potency by using muscle testing or a pendulum. Draw a half-circle on which the various potencies are marked and see to which one the pendulum points. The M to MM potencies have been used to remove heavy metals from the body either after an acute poisoning or from chronic exposure, as in the case of chronic mercury poisoning from teeth filled with mercury amalgam. In addition to producing low-potency remedies from allergenic foods, you can also buy M to MM remedies of foods to which you are allergic. If you have had much X-ray treatment, buy and use an X-ray remedy (see www.gdr.org/drrita.html); if you are sensitive to electricity, fluorescent lighting, or house dust, use the corresponding commercial remedy. However, you can also make these remedies yourself: Expose pure water to strong electromagnetic fields or prolonged fluorescent lighting and then potentize it, or potentize the contents of the vacuum cleaner. Meanwhile, there are commercial remedies for various cancers (for example, bowel, lung, stomach) and for bacilli and other infectious agents; there are also extracts of glands, such as adrenals and thymus, which can be used to normalize glandular functions. Combinations of remedies are available for the treatment of a wide range of diseases and common complaints. If someone has been bitten by a poisonous snake, spider, or other creature, try to obtain some of the poison by crushing the head of the insect in water or by sucking some of the poison out of the wound; or use some blood from the wound. Make and use a 30C potency. A healing centre might establish a collection of potentized remedies of the common poisonous creatures of the area. Homeopathic Cell Salts: In the late nineteenth century, the German physician W. H. Schuessler originated a therapeutic system he called biochemic medicine, based on 12 essential cell salts or tissue salts. These are homeopathic preparations of mineral salts usually present in the body and commonly used as 6X tablets. The main drawback of the tablets is that they are based on lactose, to which many individuals are allergic or react to weakly in muscle testing. This weakening factor is accentuated by the common practice of keeping the tablets in the mouth until dissolved. However, for those who should best avoid lactose, the benefits of cell salts can be obtained by using cell salts as normal homeopathic tinctures. The 12 Schuessler cell salts and their main indications are: •
Calc. flour: over-relaxed abdominal wall, piles, varicose veins
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Calc. phos.: anemia, poor circulation, cramps, rheumatism
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Calc. sulf.: boils, catarrh, yellow pus, and scabs
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Your Own Home-Remedies Kit The following is a list of 15 basic remedies for home use and as a travel kit. ACONITE 30C: Controls feverish symptoms that come on suddenly. Any acute condition in the early stages. Aconite is indicated when the patient is frightened and/or worse after dark. A.G.E. 30C (ARS. IOD., GELSEMIUM, EUPATOR): A combination remedy for colds and influenza. Contains a mineral remedy and two herbal preparations to cover all stages of a cold from early onset to fully developed influenza and lingering final stages that will not clear away. One dose fortnightly will reduce the incidence of simple colds and influenza. This combination remedy is also useful for apprehensive or fearful states. Use also for stomach and bowel upset as well as aching in the bones and headaches that are better after sweating. ARNICA 30C: This is the remedy for accidents and shock. It reduces the effects of injury, fatigue, and shock, both mental and physical. It is indicated for bruising, broken bones, and blood blisters, also for stroke and heart attack, and in cases where the patient fears being approached or touched. BELLADONNA 30C: Covers feverish conditions that are more violent than those treated by aconite: red, dry, hot painful head and throat symptoms; also indicated for angry outbursts, and for patients whose condition is aggravated by light, noise, or jarring. CHAMOMILLA 30C: For children during teething or in cases when the patient is irritable. Suitable for stomach upsets; indicated for children who improve on being carried. COCCULUS 30C: Useful for nausea, vomiting, travel sickness, morning sickness, stomach upsets, and exhaustion. HYPERICUM 30C: For injuries to nerves and any injury that is more painful than would be expected. Good for blows to the head and coccyx, crushed fingers and toes, injuries to lips, ears, or genitals; intolerable violent shooting pains along nerves; or lingering pains after injury or surgery. HYPERICUM/CALENDULA MOTHER TINCTURE (HYPER-CAL): An antiseptic, use topically (five drops in a cup of tepid water) for all external wounds, cuts, and eruptions. This mixture can be used to rinse out the mouth after extraction of teeth. Apply to burns and press a pad soaked in this mixture to injuries requiring bandaging; use one drop in an eyebath of water for eye irritation. IGNATIA 30C: An herbal stress reliever for the effects of bereavement, grief, tension, worry, and fright. It is suitable for hypochondria and for real illness when the patient is excessively worried about the condition; it promotes sleep when the patient is suffering from sadness or worry. LEDUM 30C: Used for puncture wounds, cuts, and stings of insects. Follows arnica for bad bruising, especially around the eye; anti-tetanus. Think of ledum for pain of fractures and joints. NUX VOMICA 3OC: For stomach upsets caused by overeating or indulgence in rich foods, and for the effects of too much alcoholic drink, tobacco, or drugs. Indicated for irritability and bad temper and for sleeplessness when the mind is crowded with thoughts. Useful in cases when the patient is easily chilled and cannot be uncovered. Also for stuffy head colds extending to throat or chest; and sour eructation, sweat, vomit, and bowel movements. PULSATILLA 30C: For the effects of rich foods, earache from water in the ear, and measles. Useful for the patient who is changeable and weepy, whose pains shift, or who needs open air when the heat of the room or a car is unbearable. Indicated for many children’s illnesses when aconite has given limited relief; also for menstrual problems. RHUS TOX 30C: For simple rheumatism and for strains, sprains, and the effects of overexertion. Useful when the patient has been exposed to cold, wet conditions; also when restless and pains are better if the affected part is kept in motion. Suitable for influenza not covered by A.G.E. RUTA GRAV 30C: Ruta is the best remedy for twisted ankles and sprained wrists. It is excellent for blows to the muscles and for injuries to the bones and accidents in which the bone sheath is damaged; it brings relief from eyestrain, neuralgia, burning eyes, dim vision, and runny eyes. URTICA URENS 30C: For burns, rashes, stings, allergies, and any condition in which burning, stinging pains persist. Use for scalds and burns internally when using Hypercal externally. Use urtica for bladder complaints, bedwetting, hives, and swollen, painful breasts and genitals.
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•
Ferr. phos.: inflammations, low fever, anemia, circulation, wounds
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Kali. mur.: croup, catarrh, and skin diseases with white discharge
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Kali. phos: high fever, paralysis, sepsis, neuralgia, debility
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Kali. sulf.: catarrh, skin diseases with watery discharge
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Mag. phos.: shooting pains, neuralgia, spasms, itching
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Nat. mur.: constipation or diarrhea, cold hands or feet, drowsiness
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Nat. phos.: gout and rheumatism, overacidity, blackheads
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Nat. sulf.: liver and gallbladder diseases, dropsy, migraine
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Silicea: boils, skin ulcers, nasal catarrh, night sweats, gout They may be used individually or in combination.
Flower Remedies: Flower remedies represent a combination of herbalism and homeo-pathy. Their main therapeutic effects are on the emotional level. Best known are the Bach flower remedies originated in the 1930s by Dr. Edward Bach, an English physician. In recent times, Australian wildflower remedies and Californian flower essences have also become available; these are sold mainly in health food stores and by various practitioners. Flower remedies are best used together with appropriate affirmations. In clinical situations, it is recommended to use a standard questionnaire to assess a client’s emotional problems to allow a more speedy and accurate selection of the appropriate remedies. This information can then be used for other -emotion-directed therapies. Of special significance is the Bach Rescue Remedy, which should be part of every first-aid kit. Individual flower remedies can be combined for treatment according to symptoms. In selecting Bach flower remedies, it is recommended to combine no more than six different remedies at one time; however, the composite Rescue Remedy can be counted as a single remedy. The usual dosage is two to four drops of the composite preparation in a teaspoonful (plastic) of water at least four times daily, taken before meals and especially as the first and last thing daily. Hold this solution in your mouth and under the tongue for some time; store remedies in a cool place. In some cases, flower remedies can be taken for long periods for the treatment of chronic illnesses, while those for acute (short-term) problems are used only when the problem is noticed. These short-term remedies can be changed frequently, according to changing moods. While the flower remedies are usually selected according to the problems you wish to overcome, you can also look at what you wish to achieve, how you wish to become. For this, you can use the opposite to the descriptions given for the various remedies. The keywords for the positive attributes we wish to acquire (the negative aspects we wish to overcome are in parentheses) and some of the flower remedies indicated are as follows: •
Attentiveness (being dreamy): Clematis
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Reference Guide for the Selection of Bach Flower Remedies •
Agrimony: suffering or worry hidden by smiling face
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Aspen: apprehension, vague fears of unknown origin
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Beech: intolerance, arrogance, tendency to be overcritical
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Centaury: susceptibility to influence and exploitation, weak will, timidity
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Cerato: lack of confidence, doubt, constant requests for advice
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Cherry Plum: uncontrolled temper, desperation, fear of loss of mind
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Chestnut Bud: slowness to learn, lack of observation, repetition of mistakes
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Chicory: possessiveness, self-love, self-pity, attention seeking
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Clematis: indifference, dreaminess, lack of interest
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Crab Apple: feeling of being unclean, shame, self-dislike; the cleanser
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Elm: occasional feelings of inadequacy, too much responsibility
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Gentian: discouragement, self-doubt, negative attitudes, depression
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Gorse: hopelessness, despair, despondency
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Heather: self-centeredness, love of talking, inability to listen
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Holly: envy, suspicion, revenge, hatred, jealousy
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Honeysuckle: living too much in the past, homesickness
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Hornbeam: mental and physical weariness
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Impatiens: impatience, irritability, mental tension
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Larch: lack of confidence, expectation of failure, feeling of inferiority
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Mimulus: fear of known things, shyness, timidity
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Mustard: deep gloom or depression of unknown cause
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Oak: onward struggle despite despondency/ despair
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Olive: mental and physical exhaustion or weariness
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Pine: self-blame, self-reproach, guilt, false humility
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Red Chestnut: fear and anxiety for others
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Rock Rose: terror, panic, extreme fear
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Rock Water: self-criticism, rigidity, self-denial
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Scleranthus: uncertainty, indecision, hesitation, lack of balance
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Star of Bethlehem: after-effects of shock and trauma
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Sweet Chestnut: extreme anguish, hopeless despair, loss of faith
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Vervain: over-enthusiasm, fanaticism, nervous tension, strain
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Vine: dominance, leadership, craving for power, ambition, inflexibility
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Walnut: helps in changes, link breaking, protects
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Water Violet: aloofness, reserve, pride
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White Chestnut: unwanted persistent thoughts, worry, inner mental arguments
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Wild Oat: dissatisfaction at not having found goal, uncertainty
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Wild Rose: resignation, lack of interest, apathy
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Willow: resentment, bitterness, “not-fair” attitude
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Rescue Remedy (a composite of Cherry Plum, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose, and Star of Bethlehem): use for shock, terror, upsets, fright, accidents; give frequently in all emergencies; apply externally on wounds.
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•
Certainty (indecision): Scleranthus
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Courage (terror): Rock Rose
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Faith (doubt): Gentian
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Humility (pride): Water Violet
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Patience (impatience): Impatiens
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Peace (torment): Agrimony
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Service (self-love): Chicory
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Strength (weakness): Centaury
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Sympathy (fear): Mimulus
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Understanding (fanaticism): Vervain
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Wisdom (foolishness): Cerato * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 30 COLLOIDAL SILVER, COPPER, ZINC & GOLD Use these powerful remedies whenever you have an infection or inflammation.
In contrast to medical antibiotics that can be used only against specific microbes, colloidal silver has a wide range of effectiveness, eliminating bacteria as well as viruses and fungi. Unlike medical antibiotics, colloidal silver is not known to cause undesirable side effects. Colloidal zinc can be especially effective against viruses. The colloids of copper and gold, on the other hand, are strong antiinflammatory agents; in addition, copper and zinc can be used chelated (bound) with salicylic acid for similar benefits. At the start of your health improvement program, you can use colloidal silver to cleanse your body of undesirable microbes. With chronic or acute inflammatory conditions, experiment with copper and gold. Most diseases and painful conditions are associated with inflammations and benefit from anti-inflammatory remedies. A zinc-boron-salicylate complex is known as the Schweitzer Formula (see page 165) and is not only an anti-inflammatory, but it also generally supports and speeds up healing processes. Colloidal Silver: Colloidal silver has a long history in medicine as a natural antibiotic. It is very effective in killing bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and the cancer microbe, and no serious side effects from overdosing have been reported. Colloidal silver is commercially available with a common solution strength of five silver atoms per million molecules of water, or 5 ppm, but it may be up to 50 ppm in very concentrated remedies. However, the size of the colloids may be more important than the strength in parts per million. Colloid particles can have from ten to 5,000 atoms, and each particle is a fighting unit. Therefore, a colloid with the smallest size of particles is 500 times more effective than one with the largest size. Further, large colloids are not stable and easily fall out and settle at the bottom of the container; they are also not well absorbed by the body and not effective against viruses. Therefore, when choosing a commercial product or making your own, always aim for CAUTION: the smallest particle size. There is no research yet on proper dosage, but it will vary according to concentration and particle size. You can use about one teaspoon three to five times daily; try this with any infectious disease or local infections; continue until symptoms of the infection subside and then continue for a few weeks longer with one teaspoon a day. It is best to keep it in the mouth before swallowing. During the height of the infection, you can double or triple the above amounts for a few days. At the beginning of your health improvement efforts and several times each year, you can take a
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Do not use colloidal gold, silver, copper or zinc if you suspect that you are sensitive to them or if any unfamiliar symptoms arise. If in doubt, seek professional advice. I recommend using these remedies only for a specific purpose and a limited period, generally not more that a few months at a time.
remedial course of colloidal silver for several weeks to keep down any undesirable microbes that have arisen in your body. Have a sip or tablespoonful three times daily. Preferably, store colloidal silver in a dark glass bottle in a dark and cool place. It is difficult to assess which of the many commercial remedies available work best or even which ones work and which do not. Therefore I recommend building your own colloidal silver generator (see sidebar). Colloids of gold, copper, and zinc are being used experimentally with apparently good health results. They all have strong anti-inflammatory properties in addition to varying degrees of antimicrobial effects. Furthermore, zinc and copper colloids can be expected to help overcome any deficiency symptoms or conditions with increased nutrient requirements. Gold, on the other hand, has supposedly beneficial effects on the blood circulation and the glandular system. The medical psychic Edgar Cayce said that gold and silver, properly used, could almost double our present life span. It is not clear what he meant by properly used, but I assume it may involve the safe use of either colloids or vibrational medicines. If you want to experiment, then you can produce these other colloids in the same way as described for silver colloids; use electrodes of copper, zinc, or gold instead of silver. The easiest way will be to use some gold coins or strips of copper or zinc. No recommendations are available for effective dosages and you will have to experiment, starting with small amounts and going long intervals without any colloids. Use careful self-observation and preferably muscle testing to assess your body reactions; remember you have to take responsibility for these experiments yourself. How to Make Your Own Colloidal Silver Generator: Commonly three 9-volt batteries are connected in series (positive to negative pole) and an insulated wire soldered to each end terminal. To each of the other ends of the wires, solder an alligator clip. Use ten inches of pure silver wire, preferably .999 fine, about 14 gauge or 1.64 mm; sterling silver is only .9275 fine. Cut the silver wire in half and attach to the alligator clips. Immerse the electrodes about four inches deep in a glass of water. Commonly, colloidal silver is made from normal drinking water, often with the addition of a drop of saline solution. A white mist can be seen to develop almost immediately. This is mainly ineffective silver chloride. In this approach, the individual colloidal particles are quite large and not very effective. A better way is to use distilled water without the addition of any saline drops, as this produces a very fine and much more effective colloid, though it takes a long time to start. A white mist may become visible after about 20 minutes. If you do see this fine mist near one of the electrodes, continue for five minutes longer. If you cannot see a slight mist after 20 minutes, then next time add a small amount of impure water (such as tap water) to speed up the colloid formation. The concentration will be about 5 ppm. After each use, scrub the oxidized positive electrode until it is shiny. When making or storing the silver water, keep it protected from light, which will otherwise precipitate the silver and make it ineffective. Make your colloidal silver fresh each day or at least once a week. For more information on making and using colloidal silver, see the website: www.quantumbalancing.com.
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Copper - The Inflammation Fighter: Copper is somewhat of a problem mineral. Sometimes there is too much of the inorganic form of copper in drinking water, as is produced by acid water flowing through copper pipes. It can then gradually accumulate in the body and lead to toxicity symptoms with signs of overstimulation, psychosis, and liver damage. However, copper is excellent for reducing inflammations, strengthening connective tissue, restoring hair color, fighting parasites, and preventing cancer. Copper should not be used with existing cancers (except topically for skin cancers), as it promotes the formation of new blood vessels in tumours (angiogenesis). Copper serum levels are elevated with inflammations and many diseases, apparently because the body mobilizes all tissue stores of copper to fight the condition. If you give animals a choice between drinking normal water and water in which a copper pipe has been immersed, reportedly they will prefer the copper water as this helps keep them free of -parasites. The most effective anti-inflammatory agents are copper complexes, and commonly these are relatives of salicylic acid which is present in many fruits and vegetables. In addition, copper ascorbate has strong antiviral properties while copper salicylate has a better anti--inflammatory effect than cortisone and without the side effects. It also has good anticancer, anti-tremor, and anticonvulsive properties, suitable for treatment in epilepsy and possibly Parkinson’s disease; even certain brain and liver functions can improve with copper salicylate. It has inhibited tumour promotion and malignancy with animal tumors,17 and with skin tumours a single application resulted in a 55-percent tumour reduction in 20 weeks.18 Even short-term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis resulted in long-term remissions or improvements.19 The therapeutic potency and safety of the copper complexes of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) and salicylic acid are much better than for aspirin itself or for inorganic copper. This means that these copper complexes are safer and more effective than either aspirin or inorganic copper. These complexes are five to eight times more effective than aspirin but less toxic, and their therapeutic index (the margin between effectiveness and toxic effects) has been stated to be significantly greater than for other anti-inflammatory drugs. While aspirin causes or aggravates peptic ulcers and bleeding, the copper complexes have a better ulcer-healing effect than commonly used anti-inflammatory ulcer drugs. Harmful effects of aspirin and similar drugs apparently arise because they bind copper in the body and cause a localized copper deficiency in the tissues. Unfortunately, copper salicylate or other effective copper complexes are not normally available or can be had only in very low doses, presumably because they cannot be patented. However, they are relatively easy to make for someone who wants to experiment. Buy salicylic acid at a drug store and dissolve 2 g or about half a teaspoon in a pint of hot water. Use covered glassware and distilled or deionised water with several pieces of copper with a large surface area immersed in it. Keep it warm, between 140º F and 180º F, for about ten hours or sometimes longer. Add more water as required and adjust the final volume to be one pint. When ready, it develops a green color; store the solution in a brown bottle in a cool, dark place. During storage and sometimes near the end of the heating process, a black copper oxide starts forming and accumulates at the bottom. This is due to copper being converted from the original one-valence copper (I) salicylate to two-valence
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copper (II) salicylate; here the salicylic acid binds only half of the dissolved copper and the rest becomes copper oxide. The effectiveness of the solution does not seem to be affected by this and the amount of copper in the complex is not related to its potency. Either decant the solution from any settled copper oxide or filter it through tissue paper. Copper (I) salicylate is a strong antioxidant excellent for external use in packs or rubs on sites of inflammation, or as rubbed on skin prone to skin cancer. For internal use with generalized inflammations or other indications, 60 mg of copper salicylate has been used in clinical trials, taken once or twice a day and up to four times daily. Try a teaspoonful (approximately 25 mg of copper salicylate) three times daily in liquids with meals, but preferably under professional medical supervision. For short-term use, you can also double this amount. When it produces the desired effect, cut back to a maintenance dose of one teaspoon a day or interrupt the intake after two weeks to see what happens. There is a possibility that you may be able to obtain copper (II) salicylate from a supplier of laboratory or fine chemicals. In this case, divide a rounded teaspoonful into 100 equal parts; each part will be approximately 50 mg. However, I want to stress that all this is only experimental and no one but yourself can take any responsibility for what you are doing, so proceed carefully. For a potent antiviral remedy, you can produce copper ascorbate. The only problem is that ascorbic acid may become oxidized in contact with metal. Therefore, all air must be excluded. Bring some distilled or deionised water to a boil and fill a small glass or hard plastic container (holding about 4 ounces) to the top with this. Immerse a piece of copper in it and add about 2 g or half a teaspoon of ascorbic acid powder. Keep the container tightly closed and immersed in warm water for a day before you start taking a teaspoonful several times a day; keep refrigerated when not in use. Zinc and the Schweitzer Formula: Zinc has strong anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties but can become deficient with a high copper intake. Therefore, it is usually best to increase the intake of both minerals together. With a high copper intake, use a high zinc supplementation. This can be in the form of the Schweitzer Formula, a complex formed by zinc (oxide or carbonate), boron (boric acid), and salicylic acid. This is an excellent antibiotic, disinfectant, fungicide, anti-inflammatory, and healing remedy. The Schweitzer Formula20 was developed in 1915 in Germany and has been sold worldwide since 1920. In addition to treating any kind of infection or inflammation, it has been used in cancer treatment to improve the immune response and blood oxygenation. Applied externally, it helps to heal injuries and skin diseases, including acne, scarring, varicose veins, and varicose ulcers. You can easily make the Schweitzer Formula yourself. Dissolve 9.2 g of salicylic acid, 2.1 g of boric acid, and 2.7 g of zinc oxide (or 4 g of zinc carbonate) in two quarts of hot water. You can get these ingredients from a pharmacist and have the exact quantities weighed out. However, it is sufficient to use approximate amounts. Use two level teaspoons of salicylic acid and half a teaspoon each of boric acid and zinc oxide or one level teaspoon of zinc carbonate.
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Use distilled or deionised water and a non-metallic container. Heat the mixture for about an hour and stir occasionally with a non-metal spoon until no more of the zinc oxide or zinc carbonate at the bottom of the container seems to dissolve. Then decant or filter into a glass container and store in a cool, dark place. Any surplus of zinc oxide or carbonate that remains undissolved shows that all the boric acid and salicylic acid have been used up. However, any surplus of boric acid would be beneficial and supply you with additional boron. In commercial preparations, the resulting solution is very slowly evaporated to let the active ingredients form crystals; these are then dissolved before use in the appropriate amount of water. As with copper salicylate, there are no exact guidelines on how much to take. In studies, a tablespoonful has been taken three times daily with liquid or meals for extended periods; for shorter periods, this dose has been doubled. It is also good to rub onto the skin, especially where there are any problems. You can take a ratio of one tablespoon of Schweitzer Formula to one teaspoon of copper salicylate. For long-term use, I suggest one tablespoon of each daily. I believe that long-term use of copper or zinc should be balanced by taking the other mineral as well, be it as salicylate complex, colloid, or conventional remedy. My experience suggests that copper and zinc as complexes or colloids are safer and more effective than the long-term use of aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs. After a period of use, it is advisable to interrupt using these remedies for a while and observe any effects. Remember, the use of these remedies over long periods is experimental and you must be prepared to take responsibility for any unexpected side effects. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 31 OXYGEN THERAPY Oxygen, therapeutically applied, helps you quickly overcome any infection.
As an infection fighter, oxygen therapy is mainly used as ozone or hydrogen peroxide. It is beneficial for general health improvement and also for a wide range of diseases, mainly involving infectious agents. Ozone infusions are widely used in German and Mexican cancer clinics but are illegal in the United States, and hydrogen peroxide infusions have been used instead. Therefore, most cancer victims try to help themselves with hydrogen peroxide or so-called stabilized oxygen. The latter is an unstable oxygenated chlorine compound that easily gives off oxygen. The typical amount used is ten drops in juice several times daily, but start with much less and increase gradually. You can combine taking hydrogen peroxide on rising and at bedtime with taking stabilized oxygen before meals. This is suitable for those who have difficulty digesting much hydrogen peroxide; otherwise, I regard hydrogen peroxide not only as the least expensive, but also the most suitable product for home oxygen therapy. Another possibility is to use an ozone generator. Generators for medical or internal quality ozone can be expensive. Note that common ozone generators ozonate room air and produce potentially toxic nitrogen oxides; a suitable water ozonator (Beck type) is available for internal use. If ozone comes into contact with water, then it forms hydrogen peroxide. As this formation takes some time (about 20 minutes for all the ozone dissolved in water to be converted to hydrogen peroxide), you get a mixture of both if you drink it immediately after finishing the process. Ozone reportedly has the advantage of releasing active oxygen without requiring enzymes in biological systems, as is required for hydrogen peroxide. Both ozone and hydrogen peroxide have an unstable single oxygen molecule that tends to attach to and oxidize or peroxidise any suitable molecule. The beneficial effect appears to be mainly the peroxidation of unsaturated fatty acids, which can then destroy microbes and malignant cells, provided these are not protected by accumulated vitamin E. A healthy immune system routinely produces hydrogen peroxide to kill microbes. Therefore, I see no advantage in using ozone at home and would rather use the simpler hydrogen peroxide. Unheated honey has traditionally been used to treat infected wounds and chronic skin or leg ulcers. Recent research showed that the most effective honey for medicinal purposes is honey that is very high in hydrogen peroxide. Therefore, you can mix a few drops of 35-percent hydrogen peroxide with honey to improve its healing qualities. For topical packs, it is more convenient to use crystallized honey rather than honey that is runny. Preferably, use 35-percent food-grade hydrogen peroxide, available from some natural therapists and health stores. Otherwise, use any other 35-percent product or the three-percent (ten volume) or six-percent (20 volume) peroxide from a supermarket or pharmacy. It is best to dilute the peroxide for daily use to about three
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percent; add one part of the 35-percent peroxide to ten parts of water. Start taking a few drops in a glass of water, then gradually increase to one teaspoon or more four times daily, before meals and at bedtime. If you develop an aversion to it, decrease the dose again to a more comfortable level. Swallow quickly instead of sipping slowly. To disguise the strong aftertaste, add to the mixture aloe vera gel, fruit flavours, herb tea, or water flavoured with cinnamon. You can continue this program for many months, and when the specific health problem is under control, gradually reduce the intake to only once daily before breakfast. In addition, you can use hydrogen peroxide to rinse your mouth and gargle morning and evening. It helps to prevent colds, infections, and tooth decay, and it is arguably better than toothpaste. You can also use 35-percent hydrogen peroxide with a dropper; a teaspoon of three-percent peroxide is equivalent to about 12 drops of 35-percent peroxide. Be careful handling 35-percent hydrogen peroxide; in the event of accidental spills on clothes or skin, flush immediately with water or immerse in water. It is helpful to bathe the site of an infection or external tumour daily in threepercent hydrogen peroxide or, better, cover it with a cloth soaked in it. This is especially good for problems close to the skin, and the hydrogen peroxide is preferably combined with a honey pack. Renew the pack several times daily. A pack can remain on the skin for most of the time or until the skin becomes red or sore and blisters. This will be good, as it draws out toxins. When this happens, cover the skin with a cabbage leaf instead and wash only with peroxide. You can also have a daily body rub with three-percent hydrogen peroxide, which is best done after a bath or shower. With cervical cancer or bowel cancer, douche the cervix or the bowel twice daily with suitably diluted hydrogen peroxide, retaining it inside for some time. In the case of cancer it is advisable to use the practice of oxidative tumour destruction only initially and with a minimum of antioxidants. Activated oxygen oxidizes and peroxidizes reactive biomolecules, especially alpha- and gammalinolenic acids in linseed (flaxseed), evening primrose, and borage oils; these in turn oxidize and destroy cancer cells. However, as mentioned, this killing effect may be inhibited by high levels of antioxidants, especially vitamins E and A, which, paradoxically, accumulate in tumours and protect them. Therefore, avoid vitamin E and high doses of vitamin A for one or two weeks before your oxygen therapy and minimize your intake of all antioxidants during the several weeks of intensive oxygen therapy. Afterwards, return to a long-term intake of high amounts of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory remedies (see step 46). Magnesium peroxide has become available as a powder, in capsules, or as a branded product called Oxy-Mag, a powdered magnesium ozonite. The peroxide produces highly reactive oxygen radicals that are more aggressive than the oxygen molecules released by the ozonite, but I cannot say at present if either one of these is more effective. Use according to instructions on the container or enclosed literature. Sometimes simple magnesium oxide is recommended to oxidize the colon; while it may be good as a mild laxative, it does not liberate oxygen for oxygen therapy. Of great benefit are peroxide retention enemas. After a normal enema to clean the bowels, insert into the colon a pint of water containing a teaspoon of salt and one
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tablespoon of three-percent hydrogen peroxide; try to hold it inside the large intestine for ten minutes or longer. The next day add two tablespoons to this mixture; continue increasing the amount of peroxide on subsequent days until you find the highest concentration that you can hold for about ten minutes. You can also try to increase the volume of water that you can retain. If you have an ozone maker, you can use ozone in a similar way as hydrogen peroxide. You can lead it with a tube into water to produce hydrogen peroxide; insert the tube into the rectum (with another shorter tube as outlet); irradiate the skin over the diseased areas with a funnel; or put the body (but not the head) into a bag into which you introduce ozone. For information on how to obtain, construct and use a medical-grade ozone generator that does not oxidize nitrogen, see: www.quantumbalancing.com. For more information on oxygen therapies, see: www.oxytherapy.com or the books Oxygen Therapies and Flood Your Body with Oxygen, by Ed McCabe. New Ways of Using Hydrogen Peroxide: In 1928, Dr. Richard Simmons believed to have discovered that colds and flu enter through the ear canal and start the infection process in the middle ear. More recently, it has been claimed that colds and flu can be cured within hours by putting hydrogen peroxide into the ears at the first indication of any infection. You first put a few drops of three-percent hydrogen peroxide in one ear, and when the bubbling stops, do the same in the other ear. Repeat this a few times at about two-hour intervals. In addition, gargle frequently with hydrogen peroxide for infections in the head and chest area. My understanding is that the cold virus enters through the nose but then multiplies in mucus accumulated in the head spaces before the outbreak of symptoms. For this reason, colds can be stopped by introducing hydrogen peroxide into head spaces, but also simply by removing the mucus congestions. A three-percent hydrogen peroxide solution can be sprayed directly into the throat several times a day and inhaled deeply into the lungs with good results. Besides breathing problems and aching muscles, this has also reportedly relieved other old-age symptoms. I assume that beneficial results with this method are largely due to the elimination of fungi and other microbes in the breathing passages.
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Part 4 HEALING FOODS
Nutrition is the main tool I have used to help patients overcome a wide range of diseases claimed to be medically incurable. Unnatural nutrition is one of the major causes of most of our diseases, while natural nutrition is an equally powerful agent in helping to undo these diseases and rejuvenate the body. My training and work experience as research chemist, biochemist, toxicologist, practicing nutritionist, and natural therapist have given me insight that would not have been possible if I had worked only as a conventional scientist or natural therapist. One of these insights is the importance of nutrition. There is presently a trend in conventional medicine to acknowledge the importance of nutrition in causing and treating diseases. Health authorities conduct public awareness campaigns about nutrition through the mass media. While this newly found official interest is itself a positive development, the information conveyed is not likely to reduce the overall rate of chronic diseases.21 The information I present has grown out of practical experience in the prevention and reversal of most of our chronic and medically incurable diseases, and it is likely to be more useful. Most of our commonly eaten foods contribute to our gradual health deterioration and the development of many chronic diseases. This is a main reason why there is such a high incidence of chronic degenerative disease in our society. I will explain in detail why and how our everyday problem foods help cause our diseases and how potent healthy foods can be used to undo these diseases and rejuvenate our body. Depending on your health goals and present health problems, you can either make some gradual adjustment to your present diet or go all the way and experiment with powerful health diets designed to reverse incurable diseases and rejuvenate body and mind. The reward in terms of improved health is generally proportional to your effort. Diet rules are designed to guide us towards healthier eating habits. There are different schools of nutrition, which do not always agree on the same principles and sometimes even contradict each other. The diet “rules” I present are based on the principles of the nineteenth-century Nature Cure movement, but modified according to the findings of modern nutrition research and my clinical experiences in overcoming diseases. For the successful elimination of diseases, I have found that the less ideal the patient’s overall diet is, the more specific the remedies, supplements, or other therapies need to be. Conversely, on an ideal diet, specific interventions can be kept to a minimum. I have also observed that the differences in nutritional requirements between individuals begin to disappear when an ideal natural diet is adopted. Changing our diet to an ideal natural one requires a considerable shift in eating habits and a re-education of our taste buds. It often also requires more time for food preparation. For most of us this is not easy. While some take to it enthusiastically,
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others need to be driven by the hope of overcoming a debilitating disease; most people are content to make minor dietary adjustments or gradual improvements as a preventive measure or to overcome an existing health problem. Therefore, I use a graded approach, with a high-quality diet for gradual health improvement and maintenance of good health and a raw food diet for maximum healing, rejuvenation, and maintenance of optimal health into old age. I present each diet in its pure form. Most individuals probably will not be able to adopt fully one or another diet, but will move gradually towards their dietary goal in months or even years. You can modify the diet according to your special requirements, and for this, see the section on Metabolic Types and Blood Groups (Step 43) in Part 5. Ultimately, it is best to learn to trust your body to tell you what it needs. If you are not addicted to a certain food but crave it, then it is probably good for you. The natural function of our taste buds is to guide us in the choice and quantity of our food intake. As a general rule, food that is good for us tastes good, but if we have enough of it, then it does not taste as good toward the end of the meal. If we overeat, then it may not taste good for several days or weeks. If we had too much heavy or spicy food, then fruits will taste attractive, but if we had too much fruit, then a spicy protein-fat meal suddenly tastes good. If we eat food that the body has difficulty in handling, then it causes a stress reaction with the release of adrenal-stimulating hormones. For individuals with weak adrenal glands, this acts as a stimulation of their body functions, and they become addicted to this food as well as other stimulants. Now the taste buds are no longer a reliable guide, as other body needs are sacrificed to satisfy this need for adrenal stimulation. As some foods frequently cause health problems - “problem” foods - so other foods generally improve our health - “health” foods. The foods with the greatest potential for healing and rejuvenation, according to my experience, are bee pollen, sprouted seeds, purple foods, freshly pressed juices of vegetables (especially of young grasses), and lactic-acid fermented foods. These form the base of my recommended diets and will be explained in this chapter. We need to realize that we can choose to a considerable degree how healthy we will be and how long we want to live in good health or, alternatively, which diseases we are willing to accept for the comfort of satisfying our present taste preferences and maintaining potentially harmful living habits. Of course, other factors have a strong influence as well, such as our mental and emotional condition, the environment, and how we use our body (these are covered in later parts).
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Step 32 GENERAL DIETARY RULES Understand the principles of healthy food selection, preparation, and combination.
In a nutshell, the most important dietary rule is, as much as possible, to eat your food when it’s whole, alive, organic, and free of added chemicals. Other important rules are to chew it well, enjoy what you eat, combine the foods correctly, and deliberately under-eat rather than overeat. Whole food means that there has been as little refining of it as possible. To give an example, natural whole grain brown rice is the preferred whole food. White rice has the bran and germ removed, together with most of its vitamins and minerals. The level of vitamin B1, for instance, is about 450 percent higher in brown rice than in white rice. This means that the body may not use the deficient food efficiently, and this can lead to overweight or underweight conditions and to poor blood sugar regulation; the lack of fibre in refined rice also contributes to constipation. In varying degrees, the effect of refining also applies to other commonly eaten foods. Over thousands of years, our metabolic and enzyme structures have evolved based on whole foods and have relied on certain combinations of ingredients being supplied together. Protective or synergistic (cooperative) factors are present in whole foods. For example, vitamin C is much better absorbed and retained if taken together with bioflavonoids. Both nutrients naturally occur in the same foods. The sensitive polyunsaturated oils are protected from oxidation and structural damage as long as they remain in the whole seed. They also occur naturally with protective vitamin E. When extracted and refined, these oils are partly oxidized and harmful trans-fatty acids are formed. Carnivorous animals do not eat just the meat but also the bones. They would quickly become mineral deficient and diseased if they did not eat the bones. The same applies to us if we eat only flesh high in phosphorus or low-mineral-content food. We then need to use mineral supplements or become deficient and prone to diseases. As relates to root vegetables, whole means using the vitamin- and mineralrich outer parts, usually discarded as peel, as well as the inner parts, and even the cooking water. Pouring out the cooking water pours vitamins and minerals down the drain. A story, presumably true, has been published about the crew of one of the early submarines. After a long crossing, they were fatigued and disease-prone; they had lived on tinned and dried foods. The health authorities were at a loss about the cause as there had been sufficient amounts of the known vitamins in the foods. A Nature Cure practitioner offered his advice, which, when taken, quickly corrected the problem. He told them to peel a lot of potatoes, discard the potatoes, and cook the peels; strain, discard the peels, and drink the broth. How many of us do it the other way around? There is a downside to this with some whole foods and seeds. Seeds contain reactive proteins, called lectins, which are mainly in the outer hull or bran; individuals
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with certain blood types tend to react to specific lectins. Other food allergies develop mainly to the outer parts of seeds removed in refining. If seeds are not sprouted or fermented, then minerals tend to remain bound by chemicals in these outer parts and cannot be absorbed. Therefore, if you have a sensitive digestion and eat food that is not suited for you, then, ironically, refined foods will tend to cause you less immediate problems than whole foods. Live and Organic Foods: Live food is basically the same as raw or uncooked food. Live means that the food is still high in vitality and naturally occurring enzymes. These are damaged when food is heated above 104° F and destroyed above 120° F. While milk can be heated initially in making yogurt, adding lactic-acid bacteria to it provides a new complement of enzymes to revive the food, although I prefer to make yogurt from unheated milk. Food has different stages of “aliveness” or vitality. A dry viable seed is alive but dormant, the enzymes inactivated by inhibitors. During soaking and sprouting, the seed awakens to full life with an abundance of enzyme activity. Like an embryo, it is at the height of its vital and restorative functions. A young, growing leaf or plant still has a high level of growth hormones and enzyme activity, but in a mature plant or fully grown leaf there is little growth hormone and reduced enzyme activity. Whole grain flour that has not been unduly heated during milling has some residual life, but inhibitors block the enzymes; enzyme activity will be enhanced and starch pre-digested when the wheat is made into sourdough. There is a saying in naturopathy: “Eat food that easily spoils, but eat it before it spoils.” The term organic is generally understood to mean that such food also has not been irradiated and is free of genetically engineered components and any added chemicals that are normally used during growing, storing, or processing. Organically grown food means that it is certifiably free of toxic agricultural chemicals and has been grown in healthy soil without the use of water-soluble fertilizers. Very harmful are nitrogen fertilizers, especially nitrates. In one scientific experiment, hens were fed blueberries that were either unfertilized or fertilized with nitrate. Hens fed large amounts of nitrate-fertilized berries died within three days; those that received only small amounts of fertilized berries laid eggs with defective missing shells. Hens fed unfertilized berries in any quantity maintained normal health and eggs. What will a low-dose long-term intake of such fertilized foods do to us? It is well known to organic growers that their plants and the animals fed these plants are much more resistant to pests and diseases than chemically fertilized plants and the animals fed them. It has been shown that cattle on an organic farm remained disease-free while cattle on surrounding properties were badly affected with foot-and-mouth disease. Most damaging are pesticide residues on foods or the interaction between different chemicals. Many natural therapists contend that organically grown food is an important part in the successful treatment of degenerative diseases. Cooking Foods: Food ideally suited for human nutrition does not require cooking, such as sprouted seeds and fresh shoots, ripening seeds (sweet corn, green peas), oily seeds and nuts, sweet root vegetables, and fruits. Cooking
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damages many proteins; they coagulate and harden and their complement of digestive enzymes is destroyed, and this makes them more difficult to digest. However, cooking also makes some foods more easily digestible by breaking down the cellulose in plant food and connective tissue in meat. This enables our digestive juices to get more easily to the nutrients and is especially important for people with weak digestive organs. Further advantages of cooking are the preservation of food, easier chewing, and enhanced flavours. All this means that cooked food generally is more convenient and tastes better, and for most of us that is more important than any long-term health concerns. In this chapter I show how harmful effects of cooking can be minimized by combining the least damaging use of cooking with the more acceptable forms of raw foods consumption. Steaming is the recommended method of cooking. Add sufficient water to cover the bottom of the pot, even without special steaming equipment. This way most of the vegetables will be steamed, and if you use the remaining water, nothing will be lost. By adding vegetables after the water has started to boil fewer vitamins are destroyed. However, I do not see a problem with simmering vegetables submersed in water as long as you also ingest this water, preferably soon after cooking. Pressure cookers are acceptable, their main disadvantage being that they are usually made of aluminium. Microwave ovens are suspected of emitting harmful radiation while in use. In addition, they may contribute to health deterioration by scrambling the delicate structures of sensitive food molecules in unnatural ways. Therefore, avoid or minimize microwaved food. It is also safer to discard any outer part of meat or fish after grilling or broiling. When cooking grains or legumes, always soak the seeds overnight beforehand and discard the soaking water. In this way, you will likely ingest fewer potentially harmful anti-nutrients, such as phytates which make minerals unavailable, protease inhibitors that interfere with the digestion of proteins, or lectins that cause unpleasant symptoms with some blood types. If beans cause wind, change the water once or twice during cooking. As mentioned, the main disadvantage of all cooking is that it destroys food enzymes and some vitamins. This significantly contributes to more rapid aging and the development of degenerative diseases if the diet consists predominantly of cooked food. Therefore, try to eat only a minimum of cooked food. Most harmed by cooking are animal products and polyunsaturated oils; least harmed are starches. Eat your food, especially vegetables, as soon as possible after a short cooking time; try to minimize steam or fumes escaping from cooking food. Except for baked grains, avoid food leftover from a previous meal. A large amount of aluminium dissolves in the water during cooking in aluminium cookware; the more acid the cooking water, the more this happens. This is also a problem with stainless steel pots. While steel is more resistant to acids, it can still release harmful amounts of nickel, and nickel is implicated in weakening the immune system and promoting cancer. Enamel cookware is generally safe, except that low-cost Asian imports reportedly may contain high levels of lead; this is also a problem with ceramic pots. Glass cookware is the safest.
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Here are some important cooking rules: •
Avoid baking soda in cooking or baking as it destroys B-vitamins
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Add salt or minerals after cooking to preserve vitamins.
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Save and use the cooking water; it is rich in minerals.
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Cook for the shortest time possible.
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Do not keep food warm for extended periods; cool quickly for storage.
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Avoid aluminium and stainless steel cooking utensils; use enamel or glassware instead.
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Do not leave acid food in contact with metal surfaces.
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Do not cook what can conveniently be eaten raw.
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Do not fry or heat oils or fats.
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Do not cook with a microwave.
Chewing and Enjoying the Meal: Good chewing is of vital importance. It is necessary to break down food particles to a fine pulp and at the same time to insalivate them sufficiently for proper enzyme activity. Trace elements and vitamins are already partly absorbed through the mouth tissue, while the stomach needs adequate advance warning of the expected composition and quantity of the food. So, even if the food is already a liquid (soups, broth), chewing is important. Keep and move around such liquid food in the mouth for several seconds. Solid food needs chewing until it is thoroughly liquefied. Teach your children early in their life to chew thoroughly; possibly check their stools to see if they contain large pieces and whole seeds, a sign of inadequate chewing. You should not only chew thoroughly, but also eat slowly and in a leisurely fashion. This improves digestion and helps prevent overeating. A certain amount of time is needed for the body to form the message that it has had enough. Therefore, if you stuff yourself within a short period, your body has no time to prevent you from overeating. Overeating can also occur if you do not pay attention to the eating itself but to a conversation, to a book, or the television. Then you cannot “hear” when your body says “enough.” It is also important to have a peaceful mind at mealtime. Before the meal, completely relax for a minute or more with eyes closed; if able to meditate, raise your awareness to a joyful meditative state. During the meal, pay attention to the process of chewing and enjoy the various flavours as they develop. It is beneficial to enjoy what you eat. Unpalatable food is not well digested. Neither is it good to continue eating poor food just because one has acquired a preference for it. For many, this is the most difficult problem to overcome during health improvement. The goal is to acquire a liking for what is nutritionally good. There is no doubt that taste buds are adaptable and can be re-educated, but this comes gradually, so introduce unfamiliar foods and supplements to your diet in very small amounts only, interspersed with familiar foods. Be imaginative and experiment with new ways to prepare food. Do not eat if you are not hungry, if you
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are agitated or emotionally upset, if you are unwell with a fever or comparable condition, or if you are still full from the previous meal. Always prepare food lovingly. Food Combining: Many years of experience with patients have shown me the importance of correct food combining. The fundamental biochemical considerations with regard to food combining are as follows: •
Typical protein foods (usually containing oil or fat) require strongly acidic gastric juices.
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Different types of protein foods may need differently composed gastric juices for digestion.
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Starches need B vitamins, chlorides, calcium, and magnesium for enzyme activation.
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Sweeteners or sugars as well as acids inhibit the digestion of starches.
Disregarding these facts by mixing foods indiscriminately may contribute to infections and degenerative diseases, especially allergies, arthritis, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. Initially, most people have a reasonably strong digestive system and do not feel any ill effects, no matter what they eat or combine. This is also true if bodily responses have become dulled by being ignored for many years. However, sooner or later, the unpleasant effects and degenerative symptoms will appear. There are three main groups of food to consider when working out correct food combinations: 1. Proteins, sweet and acid foods, sweet vegetables, fruits 2. Neutral foods such as fats and oils, non-sweet vegetables, avocados, olives, and cream cheese 3. Starches such as cereals, potatoes, and dry legumes The neutral foods can be combined with either one of the other groups while the two extreme groups (numbers 1 and 3) should be kept apart. Observing this simple rule may prevent the more serious consequences of incorrect food combining. In poor health and during a health improvement program, however, it is advisable to be even more careful. With few exceptions, most foods are best digested as a moderated mono-diet, which means only closely related foods are eaten together, for example, different kinds of grains. With severe digestive problems, one can temporarily adopt a strict mono-diet, eating one kind of food only at a meal, and observe its effects. The next best possibility is to eat foods correctly combined, but still separated during the meal. This is most important with meat, fish, or nuts. These are best eaten at the beginning of the meal for proteins to receive the strong gastric juices in the pit of the stomach. The rest of the meal, if not too liquid, will remain in distinct layers on top of this. Remember this if you have proteins and starches in the same meal. You can mix a small amount of flavouring vegetables with meat or fish, or eat a fruit together with some nuts. Generally it is preferable to have either some fresh vegetable juice or a small amount of raw vegetables before a cooked meal.
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For those with a sluggish metabolism, a small amount of sweet food or fruits as dessert after a protein meal will provide energy for the digestion of slow-burning, protein-fat combinations. This is not advisable after a starch meal or for those with blood sugar problems. Glucose and maltose (as in barley sugar) do not contain fructose and therefore cause less of a problem if combined with starches. If your digestion is sluggish, a small amount of fruit acids, such as lemon juice sprinkled over meat or fish, or ascorbic acid with or after protein meals can be beneficial, as can half a cup of a bitter herb tea afterwards. Cooked subacid fruit that is low in fructose, such as apples, does not react in the same way as sweet fruit that is high in fructose. Therefore, most individuals will be fine using this as a flavouring with cereals or starches, for example, apple puree with rice. Some factors that make precision food combining less necessary are: a strong digestive system; being physically active; chewing extremely well; and only eating small meals. The opposite factors will, of course, increase the need for correct food combining. Being able to eat just about anything, however, is not a guarantee of strong digestive powers; your system may be too weak to react to the foods. If you are in good health, you can forget about food combining and omit just one group of foods from a mixed meal - the cooked starches; most others combine reasonably well with each other. However, it is generally acceptable to eat starches at the end of a meal, separated from the protein part by a vegetable or sprout salad or by some cooked vegetables. If you are sensitive, then this middle part of the meal can consist of neutral vegetables rather than sweet ones. Food yeast with a 50 percent protein content and also the non-oily legumes are grouped with the starches because their fat-free proteins are relatively easy to digest and require only slight acidity. For a graphic illustration of the basic food-combining rules, see Figure 4-1. Foods are classified as hard proteins, soft proteins, or starches according to the amount of gastric acid and pepsin that is needed for their digestion. The actual percentage of protein in a food is less important in this respect than the amount of fat, oil, and fibre surrounding the protein. Meat, nuts, and cooked soybeans, for instance, are difficult to break down. They need the full strength of gastric acid and pepsin and, therefore, are called “hard proteins.” Eggs, uncooked dairy proteins, broth of meat and fish, fermented soy products, soy milk, and fine nut butters, on the other hand, need less acidity and can be called “soft proteins.” Proteins in processed cheese, in cow’s milk used as a drink, but especially in milk added to coffee or tea, are very difficult to digest and thus become hard proteins. Non-fatty fish, especially if marinated, is easy to digest and is almost a soft protein, while fatty fish is closer to meat in its gastric requirements. Intestinal Fermentation: Combining food high in fibre with sweet food is likely to cause intestinal gas. This perception gave rise to the frequently quoted rule not to combine vegetables with fruit. In this case some of the sugar from the fruit may not be absorbed and then may overstimulate bacterial activity in the large intestine, causing excessive wind, flatulence, or bloating. Some intestinal fermentation is desirable in order to keep our beneficial bacteria happy, and this is best produced with a moderate amount of fibre in the diet. It breaks down at a slow rate and greatly helps to maintain regular soft bowel motion.
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Fig. 4-1: Food Combining Chart. Direct connections between groups indicate good combinations (e.g. starches & neutral foods). Connections between groups with one interception are fair (e.g. starches & subacid fruits). Connections groups with two interceptions are poor (e.g. starches & sweet foods).
FOOD GROUPS “Hard” proteins: meat, fish, nuts, oily seeds, soybeans. “Soft” proteins: eggs, milk proteins, meat/fish broth, tofu, soy milk, nut butters, fermented soy or nuts. Acid fruit: lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, acid berries. Sub-acid fruits: apricots, peaches, pears, bananas, cooked apples. Sweet food: sweeteners, foods with added sugar, molasses, honey, dried fruits, oranges, figs and other sweet fruits and berries, juices of sweet vegetables. Sweet vegetables: sweet potatoes, pumpkin, onion, carrot, turnip, beetroot, tomatoes, green peas. Neutral foods: fats and oils, non-sweet vegetables (mainly greens), sprouted seeds, avocados, olives. Starches: grain products, potatoes, dry legumes, food yeast, sago and taro.
Trouble brews if we ingest a large amount of sugar in any form. This is like adding gasoline to a slow, controlled burn-off of bush land that then gets out of control and becomes a raging wildfire. It is very similar in our intestines. Fibre remains in the large intestine for a long time, so excessive fermentation can happen if we have sweet food several hours after a raw salad. How much sweetness we can tolerate with fibre is individualized. The more efficiently we absorb our food, the larger the amount of sweetness we can handle without getting into digestive trouble. For individuals with a weak sugar metabolism, it is not good to have much sweetness on an empty stomach, as that drives the blood sugar level too high, followed by symptoms of hypoglycaemia. In this case it is best to completely separate food high in fibre from sweet food and have the fibre meal after the sweet meal. Therefore, breakfast is safest as a moderately sweet meal, for instance, by flavouring cooked rice or sago with banana or apple puree. The evening meal is then
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safe as a fibre meal, such as combining potatoes and other cooked non-sweet vegetables with a vegetable salad. Lunch can be a protein food with sweet vegetables such as pumpkin. It may also be acceptable to have a piece of fruit or a fresh juice of sweet vegetables (e.g., carrots) some time before a meal that also has a vegetable salad or other high-fibre food at the end. Fresh juice does not have much indigestible fibre, so there should be no fermentation problem in combining vegetable and fruit in the same juice. However, if fruit high in fructose is combined with vegetables, then the juice is high in glucose as well as fructose and can cause a strong insulin response and hypoglycaemia in susceptible individuals. The main rule in all this is to have the fast-digesting food first and the slowdigesting fibre afterwards. Experiment to see how strictly you have to apply this rule to avoid intestinal distress. When eating cooked beans, you may encounter a similar fermentation problem. Beans do not need any added sugar to start a strong fermentation. They are high in long chains of carbohydrates (oligosaccharides) that are not absorbed in the small intestine, but are easily broken down by the bacteria in the large intestine. To avoid problems with beans, these can be sprouted or fermented before eating or the water in which they have been cooked can be renewed and discarded several times. Planning Meals: Our digestive powers are strongest in the morning and weakest in the evening. Therefore, it is advisable to eat difficult foods such as meat, nuts, sweet food, and large vegetable salads during the daytime and have a light, early evening meal. This will also improve your sleep, while a heavy, late dinner often results in a restless or “drugged” sleep, with a feeling of tiredness in the morning. If you are not normally hungry in the morning, just omit the evening meal for several nights and have 30 minutes of vigorous physical activity before breakfast. If you do not need to leave home for work, you can also spend an hour in the garden or engage in other outdoor activity before breakfast. Together with the time required to drink your juice, herb tea, or water, it will be one to two hours before you finally sit down for breakfast. It is definitely not advisable, especially with a sluggish digestion, to eat a heavy breakfast without sufficient stimulation to your circulation beforehand. With a sluggish thyroid and weak adrenal glands, of course, it is more difficult to get going in the morning, but it is not too hard if you are determined to make the effort. Immediately after awakening, start with some positive autosuggestion. Then mentally look forward to something that you would like to do during the day. If necessary, promise yourself a treat. Lack of enthusiasm can be a main factor in suppressing your metabolic rate. Therefore, try to become enthusiastic about something - anything! Do some deep breathing, stretching, and muscle-tensing while still in bed. Then jump out and immediately start some lively activity such as circling the arms or gently pummelling the body all over. Also stimulating are arousing music, skin brushing with rapid strokes, and cold-water applications. Do not rush your breakfast. For many people, it is the most important meal of the day. Make it a habit to rise sufficiently early so that you have at least two hours
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before needing to leave the house. You can also divide the food and use a portion of your breakfast as a mid-morning snack. A certain amount of food eaten in the morning can produce weight loss, while the same food in the evening is more likely to convert to body fat and cause weight gain. Therefore, if you want to keep your weight down, eat all your high-calorie food during the day and have only some non-starchy vegetables or a few apples in the evening. If you want to gain weight, on the other hand, then have a starch meal in the evening. There will be some, however, for whom these recommendations are not suited; you must find out under which conditions you feel best and can cope most efficiently with your daily activities. Carbohydrates cause a greater weight gain than a protein-fat diet of equal calories. Also, the higher the amount of roughage (for example, rice bran, linseed meal, raw vegetables), the greater is the weight loss on any slimming diet. These factors should be taken into account in your meal planning. It is desirable to have about 30 minutes of rest or light, relaxing activity after a meal before starting more heavy manual work or a more stressful activity. I agree with the advice of Edgar Cayce: “After breakfast work a while, after lunch rest some time, and after dinner walk a mile.” Try to fit in at least 15 minutes of rest in the horizontal position after lunch; relax, or try to meditate or contemplate. If you are in poor health, a sleep after lunch is highly desirable. If you wake up tired from this, next time give yourself positive autosuggestions before falling asleep. Even after breakfast, you should not immediately start rushing around. Some kind of steady physical activity, such as walking or gardening, is advisable after the meal. But what is harmful is stress - the feeling of being late for school or at the office - so avoid that. Food Balancing: The concept of food balancing arises from the fact that the various food groups have different effects on our metabolism and hormonal and nervous systems, as well as on our emotions. Food balancing is different from what is described as eating balanced meals - proteins, carbohydrates, and fats as recommended by conventional dieticians. To give some examples: Meat stimulates the adrenal glands and the sympathetic nervous system, thus increasing tension and readiness for action. Fruits have the opposite effect. They stimulate the release of insulin, which counteracts the effect of adrenal hormones. While vegetables, especially those high in chlorophyll, make us more relaxed, fruits make us physically, emotionally, and psychically more sensitive. Both fruits and vegetables increase our intuition. Meat, on the other hand, makes us more insensitive and possibly materialistic, and less emotional and intuitive. Red meat especially has a strong “grounding” effect and is therefore balancing for those who are
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Between meat on one end of the scale and fruits on the other, we can arrange our basic foods in the following order according to their sensitizing effect on body and emotions: red meat fowl and fish eggs & dairy products oily seeds legumes grains green vegetables sweet vegetables sub-acid fruit berries, sweet & acid fruit
oversensitive, overemotional, and open to negative psychic or occult influences. It is, however, unsuitable for those who are already too tense or insensitive either physically or emotionally or who are aggressive or overly materialistic. Acid and acid-sweet fruits have the strongest sensitizing effect, while subacid fruits are less sensitizing and avocados are neutral. In this way, lemons and grapefruit are more sensitizing than oranges, while oranges sensitize more strongly than do mandarins. Flesh foods are more suitable for those who cannot efficiently use glucose, such as fast oxidizers or hypoglycemics, while fruit and sweet vegetables are best for those with a slow metabolism. This means that those with an unbalanced metabolism generally should not eat a conventionally balanced diet; they become balanced by selecting foods that are either more slowly or more rapidly digested. However, it is not necessary for sensitive individuals to eat flesh foods to be in balance. They can do very well on oily seeds, legumes, grains, green vegetables, and raw sweet vegetables, but less well on cooked sweet vegetables. Grains and legumes are neutral in their effects on our metabolism and the glandular and nervous systems. In this respect, they may be grouped in the middle between meat and fruits. They are balanced in themselves, and this shows why one can be balanced on a macrobiotic rice diet with few additions of other foods. Someone with a normal metabolism can eat in a balanced way by having mainly the neutral grains and legumes, and balancing eggs and dairy products with vegetables. However, it is also possible to balance meat, fowl, and fish with sweet vegetables and fruits, eating very little of the in-between foods. Another possibility is to eat a greater quantity of a food group that is closer to the neutral position and replace a smaller amount of a more unbalanced food. For instance, instead of balancing meat with fruits, you can use an increased amount of sweet vegetables. However, you do not need to worry about accurately balancing and measuring quantities. This is not an exact science but more a rule of thumb. Its main importance is to show you in which direction to move in your food selection if you feel that your health or emotions are out of balance. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 33 FOOD GROUPS Learn the health characteristics of the various food groups and apply them for healing.
Let’s start with carbohydrates. There are three groups of carbohydrates: starches, dextrines, and sugars. Sugars consist either of simple sugar molecules, the monosaccharides, or two of these linked together as disaccharides. Household sugar (sucrose) consists of one molecule each of glucose and fructose, while milk sugar or lactose contains glucose and galactose. In dextrines, up to 50 glucose molecules are linked, and in starches, several thousand are. Starches: Starches are broken down into water-soluble dextrines by cooking, sprouting, or fermenting. Dextrines occur naturally in sweet vegetables, and in seeds during germination and ripening; examples are green peas and sweet corn. The basic starch foods are cereal grains, potatoes, sago, taro, tapioca, and to some degree the non-oily legumes. On the one hand, starches are excellent slow-digesting food, but on the other hand, our digestive systems have not yet well adapted to a diet high in grains, especially in those people with blood group O. In our society, wheat is predominantly used. However, gluten, the protein in wheat, often acts like sandpaper on the absorption villi in the small intestine, and this is a main cause of malabsorption, intestinal inflammation, and allergies. All of us are to some extent affected by gluten and in this context wholemeal products are no better and usually worse than refined flour. Therefore, it is generally recommended that you use only a minimum of wheat products and that you also be careful with the other gluten grains, mainly rye, oats, and barley. Oats are very high in gluten and in this way not much better than wheat. Rye crispbread and rye sourdough bread are usually better tolerated than wheat products. Rice and millet can be used as staple grains. Maize and potatoes are valuable additions, especially for those allergic to wheat. Buckwheat is generally good but causes problems in some gluten-allergic people. Potatoes should not be peeled, or the skin should be removed only after cooking. Small potatoes and the mineral-rich outer parts of potatoes are preferable to the acid-forming inner parts. Legumes are best sprouted, as cooked dried beans often cause wind. This can be reduced if you discard the soaking water and possibly replace the cooking water after 20 to 30 minutes of cooking. Sago and tapioca are especially suited for individuals who are not doing well on grains. They are commonly available as white starch granules, in some specialty food sections of supermarkets. Sweet Food: The term “sweet food,” as used in this book, includes sugars, sweetened food, dried fruit, sweet fresh fruit, and the juices of sweet vegetables. It does not include the sweet vegetables themselves such as carrot, onion, sweet pepper, turnip, or red beet, as their sweetness comes mainly from dextrines and they release sugars slowly. Most commonly used sugars quickly enter the bloodstream and cause a serious strain on blood sugar regulation. It is important for our well-being to keep the daily fluctuations in our blood sugar level as small as possible. For
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people with a poor sugar metabolism, this means restricting the intake of sweet foods to the barest minimum. A poor blood sugar metabolism is not restricted to an inappropriate rise in the blood sugar level. An equally dangerous component is a high insulin level, especially after ingesting sucrose and, to a somewhat lesser extent, when combining glucose with fructose. A high insulin level either leads to a strong fall in the blood sugar level sometime later (hypoglycaemia) or to conversion of sugar into fat, which leads to overacidity or overweight. A third outcome is increasing insensitivity to insulin and the development of Type II diabetes. However, maltose or barley sugar, made from sprouted barley, should have a less harmful effect if used to sweeten starches. It consists of two joined glucose molecules and does not induce a strong insulin response, but it could still cause a stronger rise in the blood sugar level than unsweetened starches. Some of the symptoms associated with a poor sugar metabolism are overweight and underweight, high or low blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes and hypoglycaemia, dental caries, colds, allergies, weak eyes, cold hands and feet, lack of energy, oversensitivity, and overacidity. For most individuals, sweet food is harmful because sugar is released into the system too quickly. Therefore, a sweet dessert or sweetener eaten with protein or fatty food is less harmful than sweet food such as fruit juice taken on an empty stomach or as sweetened starches (for example: sweet porridge, bread with honey, cake). Most affected are individuals with low blood pressure, sensitivity to cold and skin irritants, or those who are emotionally unstable; sugar-insensitive individuals usually benefit from naturally sweet foods. I regard artificial sweeteners such as aspartame as much worse than any natural sweeteners and suggest you avoid them completely. One natural sugar that appears to be relatively harmless and possibly even beneficial if used in small amounts is xylitol. It occurs naturally in fruits such as plums and strawberries and tastes like normal sugar; it also helps to prevent tooth decay and possibly ear infections and is acceptable for diabetics. However, it may cause diarrhea in larger quantities, so you need to experiment to see how much is acceptable for you. The Glycemic Index (G.I.): The G.I. lists foods according to the increase in blood glucose levels caused by their carbohydrate content two to three hours after eating. A high G.I. means a rapid increase in blood glucose levels and vice versa. It is preferable to eat mainly low G.I. foods that produce a small or slow rise in blood sugar. Here are a few key examples, with white bread as the standard with a G.I. of 100: glucose and maltodextrin, 137; sucrose (common or household sugar) and rye bread, 92; honey, 83; and fructose, 32. Legumes and nuts generally have a low G.I. From this short list, you can easily see why I have no faith in the G.I.: rye bread and sugar have the same G.I.! The reason for this is the low G.I. of fructose. Sucrose consists of one molecule of glucose and one of fructose. Fructose produces a strong insulin response that keeps the blood sugar level low partly by converting sugar into fat and partly by channelling glucose rapidly into muscle cells. Depending on the individual metabolism, the combination of fructose and glucose in
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large amounts either produces overweight or overacidity. In addition, it increasingly leads to insulin resistance and Type II diabetes. Nevertheless, conventional nutritionists argue that sugar is not harmful because its G.I. is as low as or even lower than bread. I would not be surprised if it eventually turned out that the G.I. was developed on the instigation of the sugar industry. Most foods listed in the G.I. are processed carbohydrates that I do not advise you to eat anyway. If you select your carbohydrates according to the following rules, then you do not need to be concerned with the G.I.: •
Eat mainly legumes and vegetables
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Eat (fresh) fruits on their own and not with or after meals
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Minimize sweetened food, grains, and cereals
Proteins: Proteins from animal sources are oversupplied in traditional Western diets. Initially, this causes stimulation—you feel energetic and even aggressive—but later in life it leads to enzyme exhaustion, putrefaction of bowel contents, toxaemia, breakdown of the immune system, gout, and cancer. These problems are not due to proteins per se, but rather to the cooking of proteins, which destroys their enzymes and denatures their structure. Protein deficiency, on the other hand, causes slow growth, fatigue, and debility. Good sources of protein are grass juice (fresh or dried), pollen, spirulina, chlorella, almonds, lentils and other legumes, traditionally fermented soy products, sunflower and sesame seeds (tahini), raw egg yolk, naturally fermented and unpasteurized goat cheese and yogurt, fish, and (organic) liver and other organ meats. The less these are heated, the less digestive problems they will cause. Use red meat from organic or grass-fed sources and avoid predatory species of fish. Nuts are generally difficult to digest, except if soaked or sprouted. Soybeans and broad beans should not be eaten raw except if sprouted or fermented. Cooked soybeans can cause indigestion, except if you discard the soaking and cooking water; processed soy foods are not recommended because of their high content of anti-nutrients and the likelihood of genetic engineering in the beans themselves, although traditionally fermented soy foods are fine. Individual protein requirements differ, and more is needed during pregnancy, in childhood, and during convalescence. With advancing age and with degenerative diseases, use any flesh food in an easily digestible form, such as broth of fish, liver, or meat. It is good to combine legumes with starches, as, for example, lentils with brown rice. However, mixing different proteins to obtain improved amino acid composition is generally not required. Preferably, have your flesh foods no more than once a day and avoid products from feedlots or that contain growth promoters. Vegetarianism: Most individuals can remain healthy on a diet with moderate amounts of flesh food or as vegetarians without eating any flesh food. However, a strict vegan diet without any animal products is advisable only if there are no obscure health problems, because some people require certain nutrients to be supplied from animal sources (such as taurine, carnitine, or vitamin B12). Generally, sensitive people have weak adrenal glands and feel more energetic and emotionally balanced by using flesh foods. If these foods are excluded, such
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people should have a high intake of legumes and complex carbohydrates (slowdigesting food) in their diet. People with alkaline and insensitive conditions, on the other hand, benefit from a partially vegetarian diet, possibly with some seafood and poultry. A fruitarian diet, based on tree fruits, nuts, and berries, is suitable as a temporary or extended cleansing diet for alkaline, insensitive individuals. Many vegetarian diets are not conducive to good health because of their high intake of sweet foods, milk products, wheat, oats, and inhibitors of protein-digesting enzymes in a soy-based diet. Further, minerals are better absorbed if the meal includes flesh food or gelatine. A diet high in nuts, oily seeds, and cereals can cause a deficiency in lysine (an essential amino acid) and predispose you to herpes and other viral infections; this usually can be rectified by using more legumes. Individuals with blood group O are basically meat-eater types and have great difficulty with a grain-based diet. However, on balance, vegetarians tend to be somewhat healthier than meat eaters. Fats and Oils: I recommend using foods with a wide range of fats and oils, provided that most of them are unheated. Oils are best supplied by eating products in which they naturally occur. Most recommended is extra-virgin olive oil; otherwise use cold-pressed oil stored in brown glass bottles. Avoid “lite” oils because they are more highly refined and also oils sold in plastic bottles, as oils can leach chemicals out of plastic. Store oils in a cool, dark place and in full containers; refrigerate oil in daily use, except varieties that easily solidify. Preferably, use only small amounts of heated saturated fats that are hard at room temperature, such as fat in hard cheese, beef, and mutton. Unpasteurized butter, like other unheated fats, is a healthy food. Avoid all chemically hardened (hydrogenated) fats, including margarine. Use mainly oils high in oleic acid, such as olive oil, almond oil, and, to a lesser extent, peanut oil. Peanut oil helps against arthritis but is not suitable for non-sensitive, alkaline people in whom it can contribute to the formation of fatty deposits in the arteries. Unheated coconut oil is beneficial for most individuals, despite being saturated and hard at room temperature. Its high content of short-chain fatty acids enables it to be easily metabolized to energy without causing undue weight gain. Use bottled polyunsaturated oils (high in linoleic acid) sparingly; it is preferable to obtain these oils directly from ingesting oily seeds. Such oils easily oxidize if the vitamin E intake is low and can contribute to the development of cancer. However, it is recommended to use more fish oils or linolenic acid, as in linseed (flaxseed), together with adequate vitamin E. People who are insensitive and alkaline, with cardiovascular disease, obesity, or skin and liver diseases, should be especially careful and avoid saturated and hydrogenated fats. Lecithin and vitamin A and E supplements will be especially good for them and cod-liver oil rubs are beneficial if you suspect fat malabsorption. Fruits and Vegetables: While vegetables are good for everyone and the more the better (except if sprayed with pesticides), fruits must be treated with caution by those with overacidity and poor blood sugar regulation. Use mainly fruits and vegetables in season that are grown in your region. Include plenty of green leafy vegetables and gradually increase your intake of fresh raw vegetables as in salads.
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Cook or grate root vegetables with their skins left on and use the cooking water. Among the root vegetables, red beets are highly recommended for their positive effect on cell respiration and energy production. Fruits, especially acid fruits and berries, are excellent for those with alkaline and insensitive body conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes. On the other hand, those who are overacid (usually with low blood pressure, allergy problems, lack of energy, and tendency to colds) easily become even more acidic on fruit. They should minimize their fruit intake and mainly use subacid varieties or, better still, neutralize acid fruit (as explained in Step 6 under “Alkalizing with Calcium and Magnesium”). Also they may better tolerate fruits that are not fully ripe; oily fruit such as avocados are usually well tolerated. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 34 HEALTH DIETS Adopt a health diet suited to the specific requirements of your body.
Diets for health improvement are different from slimming diets that do not always improve the health of the dieter. However, on a health diet, weight loss can be expected if you are overweight, in addition to an improvement in health. As a general rule, the more you follow a diet that is ideally suited for you, the better will be your health. The diets recommended in this chapter have been shown to be effective, but you may need to experiment to find individual variations that best suit your constitution and health problems. Your long-term diet together with your mental attitude and lifestyle will decide your health in future years; therefore, choose wisely. If you are on a conventional diet at present, you can change gradually to the high-quality diet (see below), a process that could take years, especially if you have to take along a reluctant family. Others can rapidly adopt a raw food diet, especially if confronted with an advanced degenerative disease. Nearly anyone can live temporarily on raw food as a cleansing measure. If you are unusually sensitive to raw food diets and develop digestive problems, you can eat cooked brown rice exclusively for several days or weeks as a mild cleansing diet. If even brown rice causes problems, try basmati or white rice. Use only olive oil and possibly a small amount of salt, herbs, spices, or vegetables for flavouring. Strictly observe how you feel as you reintroduce other foods. You need not be afraid that you can never eat your favourite foods again. The long-term impact on our health comes from what we eat daily, not from occasional transgressions. When you eat out, you can eat what is available; if it does not agree with you, you will know better the next time. Often our body becomes temporarily hypersensitive to foods that we have habitually eaten before. Then our reflexes were dulled, but now the body lets us know what is good or bad for us. Try to listen to it and become friends with your body. The High-Quality Diet: This is a low-allergy, semi-vegetarian diet based on freshly pressed vegetable juices, sprouted seeds, fermented and purple food, legumes, non-gluten grains, and a high intake of raw food. In this diet, cooked food is used more as a flavouring or to put on weight; the main part of a typical meal is a vegetable salad mixed with sprouted seeds. Use mainly grated, coloured root vegetables. If you cannot chew well, grate them finely or puree them. Examples of suitable roots are red beet, carrot, turnip, sweet potato, and pumpkin; tomato, cucumber, and celery can be added as flavouring. As a salad dressing, you can use olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and spices. For example, shake equal parts of olive oil and lemon juice in a jar; then add one teaspoon of lecithin, a pinch of cayenne, and some marjoram or mixed herbs. You can also blend in some unsprayed lemon or orange skin or a whole lemon. Keep refrigerated and shake before using. A small amount of cider vinegar can be used if lemon juice is not available.
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Use only a minimum of commercially grown leafy vegetables and cabbage as they may have a high exposure to toxic sprays. Instead of greens, you can use sunflower and buckwheat lettuce grown in seed boxes; you might also try a small amount of very young wheat grass cut finely into a salad. If you have chewing difficulties or vegetable salads do not agree with you, have plenty of fresh vegetable juices produced with a non-centrifugal juicer. Before cooking legumes or whole grains, soak them overnight or even longer to start the germination process. Then the enzyme phytase can start converting phytates into inositol and liberate minerals that are otherwise not available when you cook these without prior soaking. Soaking and vigorously rinsing the seeds before cooking also reduce levels of any pesticide residues and mycotoxins from fungal contamination. Use mainly non-gluten grains, such as rice, millet, and buckwheat, also sago and tapioca. Corn is fine if you’ve passed allergy testing for it. For individuals with blood group O, I recommend that you use mainly vegetables rather than grains as the cooked part of the diet. Presoaked legumes need cooking only for a few minutes as they are already soft; the exception is soybeans, which are better if cooked for two hours. If cooked legumes cause wind, next time replace the water used for soaking as well as the cooking water. The cooking water for soybeans can be changed several times during cooking to avoid or reduce wind. Lentils are recommended as a cooked addition to a meal and can be combined with rice. For sugar-sensitive individuals, it is good to have legumes with breakfast to slow the absorption of glucose from the same and even from the following meal. Fenugreek is even more effective in this regard; preferably, also use the water in which it has been soaked. It is not necessary to cook legumes in order to slow the absorption of glucose, and even more effective are partly sprouted legumes. A breakfast based on ground linseed, yogurt, and bananas is suitable for most individuals; for details, see “Linseed Yogurt” under the recipes in step 37. For individuals with blood sugar problems it is preferable to eat sweet vegetables (e.g., carrot, pumpkin, turnip, and sweet potato) raw instead of cooked. If you cook them, do so cautiously, together with legumes or flesh food. Flesh foods should be eaten with restriction. The best flesh foods are (organic) liver and deep-sea fish of non-predatory species or seafood from uncontaminated coastal regions. Farmed fish commonly have high levels of pollution and low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, so are not generally recommended. (For fish species with acceptable mercury levels, check: www.ewg.org). Chicken or other fowl should preferably be organically raised or otherwise free of chemicals. Eggs in your diet should be genuinely free-range or organic and not from chickens fed any commercial pellets. Fresh, raw egg yolk is a health food that improves vitality and immune function; it can be used as part of a salad dressing. It does not increase but helps prevent the risk of heart disease. Alternatively, eat eggs soft-boiled or coddled. In view of the high incidence of egg allergy, if you are a regular egg eater, I recommend that you test yourself for egg allergy once a year after a period of one or more weeks of abstention from eggs.
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The best milk products are yogurt, cottage cheese, and cheese made from goat’s milk. Raw goat’s milk can also be used as sour milk or clabber milk. If you are not sensitive to cow’s milk, these products can be acceptable if made from fresh, raw, organic cow’s milk. However, avoid milk products if you have catarrh or other mucus problems. Almonds are excellent, but nuts in general are more difficult to digest than other foods and should be used with caution. All oily seeds are easier to digest if soaked overnight; peanuts should be vigorously washed and rinsed to reduce any fungal contamination. Nuts and other oily seeds can be used as pastes or nut butters; tahini or sesame seed paste is good, and tahini can be diluted with olive oil for food flavouring. Unfortunately, the seeds are commonly roasted before grinding, and this also applies to commercial peanut butter. Highly heating fats or oils, as is done in frying or roasting, tends to oxidize oils, making them rancid, and this contributes to clogging of arteries and so-called free radical damage. However, sesame oil is more resistant to oxidation damage than other oils. I regard extra virgin olive oil as the best oil or fat for everyday use. Sesame and almond oils are also good, but generally expensive. Select oils with a dark color and strong flavour. “Fine, lite” oil has usually been heated during refining and lacks valuable cofactors; even cold-pressed oils may have been heated during refining, the more so the lighter they are. High-quality linseed oil is beneficial for many conditions, but as it needs extra care to keep it from getting rancid, you can store it in the freezer. Coconut oil, on the other hand, is least prone to rancidity and appears to provide good energy and body heat without causing undue weight gain. If you have access to fresh coconuts, you may find that ingesting the flesh often causes stinking wind, with or without additional indigestion. Pieces of coconut flesh are difficult to digest and are then fermented in the large intestines; this releases smelly short-chain fatty acids. You can avoid this by blending the coconut flesh for a minute or two with a cupful of hot water and then pressing it through a strainer. Refrigerate the liquid and residue and add them in small to moderate amounts to meals, use with other foods, or use on their own. Fruits need to be used with care. Conventionally grown fruits and tomatoes are exposed to more toxic sprays than most other foods, and their high sugar and acid contents often cause digestive problems for sensitive individuals. Minimize the use of sprayed fruit that is eaten with its skin, such as berries. You can reduce spray residues somewhat by soaking fruit in warm soapy water and by scrubbing hardskinned fruit such as apples; afterwards, rinse well. Fruit such as apples or pears can also be peeled. Note that the core of sprayed apples and pears tends to have a higher pesticide content than the flesh. Individuals with sensitive skin or low blood pressure are better off using only a minimum of fruit or, alternatively, neutralizing any fruit acids ingested. Some types of fruit, such as bananas, papayas, or pears, are best eaten when they just start to ripen and are less sweet. Overripe fruit is usually not well tolerated, though apples generally cause less problems and avocados are usually fine. Individuals with insensitive skin and raised blood pressure, on the other hand, do well with fruit and may often have fruit alone instead of a regular meal, especially
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for breakfast. Most beneficial for them are acid fruits, such as acid berries, grapefruit, acidic oranges, and pineapples. Individuals in a very weak or debilitated condition may not be able to eat raw vegetables. In such instances, use mainly cooked rice or other non-gluten grains with steamed vegetables and as much freshly pressed vegetable juice as can comfortably be consumed. This diet can also be used for those who temporarily become oversensitive to a wide range of food items or who want to maintain a stable basic diet while testing for food allergies or other negative reactions. If brown rice causes reactions, then try white rice or sago. Restricted Foods: Restrict foods that have a negative influence on your health and especially if you are already in poor health. You must decide for yourself how strict you want to be and how much willpower you can muster to remain on the highquality diet. If you have cravings for a restricted food, it is better to give yourself a reward from time to time and eat some of it at set and well-spaced occasions rather than to snack on it daily or give up the whole diet because it is too difficult. Generally, the more severe your condition, the more strict you should try to be. Some restricted food may be harmless or even beneficial after you have sufficiently recovered. Intake of the following foods should be initially avoided and later minimized: •
Wheat products and gluten-enriched items, commercial breakfast cereals
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Cow’s milk products (except butter and non-pasteurized cheese) and foods with added lactose
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Margarine, shortenings, and polyunsaturated oils, especially canola oil
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Sugar and other sweeteners; all artificial sweeteners, as in “diet foods”
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Pickled and smoked food and generally highly processed food with added ‘ chemicals
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Food that has been irradiated or genetically engineered
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Food cooked in a microwave oven or otherwise heated to higher than boiling temperature
However, even in this strongly restricted group, items can vary greatly in their effect on your health. Wheat grass does not in this sense count as a wheat product, and wheat-germ oil is generally beneficial except to those who are allergic to wheat. Wheat germ itself has some positive aspects, but its disadvantages are its high gluten content, strong enzyme inhibition, and the frequent rancidity of commercial products stored without refrigeration. Sprouted wheat is a more beneficial product than cooked whole wheat, and flour products are less beneficial than whole wheat. Whole-meal sourdough bread can be beneficial for those not allergic to wheat, while white bread and cakes are devoid of vitamins and minerals and commonly contain added chemicals. However, whole grain products sometimes can cause sensitivity reactions, while the corresponding refined foods may be tolerated.
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The least harmful cow’s milk products are sour cream, cottage cheese, and cheese made by natural fermentation; clabber milk or sour milk made from fresh raw milk; acidophilus milk and unflavoured yogurt made from whole milk only; and butter, especially if made from sour cream. These should all remain unheated after production and before ingestion and be made from organic or otherwise unchemicalised milk. Some of these products have various beneficial aspects while their negative aspects include the tendency to create cow’s milk allergy; their contents of lactose, casein, and saturated fat are also problematic. However, even butter is better than processed cheese, pasteurized milk, and the many low-fat products with their high content of mucus-forming lactose. The most harmful milk products are generally skim-milk powder and long-life milk. Another potentially harmful aspect of fatty milk products is their high estrogen content, which can act as a growth promoter for some female cancers. Cautionary Foods In regard to fat, butter is preferable to hydrogenated and chemicalised margarine and In general the following foods vegetable shortening. Avoid canola oil as it may should be used with caution: have potentially harmful ingredients. Cold-pressed • non-wheat gluten grains oils are preferable to conventional polyunsaturated (barley, oats & rye) oils, and those in plastic bottles should be avoided. • peanut products Sensitive oils such as food-grade linseed oil should • yeast products be extracted under nitrogen and kept in cold storage without exposure to light, for otherwise they • flesh foods are likely to be harmful. The only healthy way of • salted food obtaining polyunsaturated oils is by eating oil• frozen vegetables containing seeds. • dried fruit & fruit juices
The least harmful sweeteners are barley • soy products, except if they sugar or maltose, raw honey, and soaked and have been traditionally ground dates. In terms of health there is not much fermented. difference between white, brown, or raw sugar, and even honey can cause health problems. Therefore, use sweeteners only on rare, special occasions and in small amounts. Avoid artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame (Nutrasweet). With children or adults with cravings for sweets, a compromise agreement can be reached to abstain from sweets on all but one day of the week, when they can eat as many sweets as they like. Then they can gradually be steered away from commercial sweets to eat unsulfured dried fruit, and later fresh fruit. The only acceptable breakfast cereals, from a health viewpoint, are those without added sugar and preferably low in gluten. Bran can have some benefit as a laxative but it reduces the absorption of minerals and I do not recommend it. Ground linseed (flaxseed) is preferable. Pickled and smoked foods contain protein breakdown products that can trigger migraines, allergies, and neurological problems. Smoked food also contains carcinogens. Read the labels and avoid food with added chemicals unless these are vitamins, minerals, or carotenes. Beware, for some products, such as bread, are not required to have all chemical ingredients listed. Canned food is unhealthy because it
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is precooked and may also contain lead from the soldering and other metals from the container, especially if the contents are slightly acidic. Excitotoxins are taste or flavour enhancers that release glutamate and other brain-active amino acids such as aspartate and cysteine. The best known example is MSG (monosodium glutamate). High blood levels can cross the normally protective blood-brain barrier and can cause brain cells to die. Excitatory amino acids cause problems, mainly when they are used either in high concentrations or in free form. In most natural foods, they are slowly released and therefore harmless. Most processed foods contain excitotoxins, notably any kind of commercial taste or flavour enhancers, such as caseinate, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy protein extract, yeast extract, or beef stock. These may be labelled as natural flavouring and are especially prevalent in soups, sauces, and gravies. There are many anti-nutrients in soy products, especially inhibitors of proteindigesting enzymes, phytates, and substances that agglutinate or clump the blood. Commercial soy milk either has been highly heated to produce soy-protein extract with denatured proteins or it is made of whole soybeans and then is full of these antinutrients. Increasingly, the soybeans may also have been genetically modified, with unknown consequences. The non-wheat gluten grains (especially oats with a high gluten content) can cause problems to those allergic to wheat or gluten. Rye sourdough bread is generally good, however, but many varieties of rye bread have added wheat disguised as bread-making flour. Yeasted products, such as bread, wine, and beer, can aggravate fungal problems, such as Candida infestations, which are frequently chronic with degenerative diseases. Yeast-baked bread has a lower availability of minerals than sourdough bread, while modern fast-baking processes are even worse and keep the minerals tightly bound to phytic acid and unavailable for absorption. Peanuts contain a long-chain fatty acid that is beneficial for arthritis but can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. Poorly stored peanuts can develop a toxic mould that may also infest peanut butter. Any such mould is generally eliminated by removing the skin and thoroughly washing or soaking the peanuts before eating. Roasted peanuts contain harmful oxidized oil, which is also present in peanut butter; therefore minimize your use. Peanut butter without oil on top is worse and usually hydrogenated - avoid it. Some health stores can make a healthy peanut butter from raw peanuts. Flesh foods should be used sparingly. Eating meat requires that an individual have strong digestive powers, good muscle activity to properly metabolize it, healthy kidneys to discharge the high level of residues, and good bowel activity to avoid harmful putrefaction. It is often difficult to obtain chemical-free meat, depending on where you live, and it is not good to eat meat from unhealthy animals. Animals raised in feedlots and battery hens are in this category. Processed meat is even more chemically contaminated and best avoided as is meat with a deep red color due to added nitrates and nitrites. However, you may be able to remove most of the nitrates and nitrites by soaking the meat, including diced or minced meat, in warm water for a short time and then discarding the water. Individuals with blood group O are best suited to include some meat in their diet; those with blood group A are often better on a vegetarian diet.
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Predatory fish such as tuna and shellfish are often high in accumulated pesticides and mercury and are not recommended for habitual eating. While sardines are safer, they have the disadvantage of being tinned. The best choice is fresh or frozen non-predatory deep-sea fish or other seafood from unpolluted coastal areas. For more advice on pollutants in fish of different species and from various locations, see the website of the Environmental Working Group: www.ewg.org. For most degenerative diseases and especially cancer and raised blood pressure, a high-potassium and low-sodium diet is required; therefore, food should not be salted. The absence of iodized salt in the diet may cause thyroid problems, which can be avoided by using additional kelp. However, in some conditions, when the adrenal glands are near exhaustion, such as with cystic fibrosis, glaucoma, and low blood pressure, additional salt is advisable; this is also true for individuals with dehydration, diarrhea, or excessive sweating. By far the best source of salt is seawater. You can evaporate seawater in flat trays exposed to sunlight to make sea salt. This typically has about ten times more magnesium and trace minerals than commercial sea salt. Commercial unrefined sea salt is salt that has been crystallized in fractions, and it contains very little of the trace minerals originally in seawater. Highest in magnesium and trace minerals is the brine out of which the sea salt has been crystallized. It is sometimes available in liquid form as “sea-minerals” and is highly recommended as a mineral supplement. However, magnesium chloride, commonly derived from seawater, can be used instead. Commercially frozen vegetables are precooked and contain sulphites or other preservatives, as do most fruit juices and dried fruit, which also tend to upset the blood sugar regulation. Dried fruit without added preservatives tends to have moulds. Preferably soak dried fruit or frozen vegetables and discard the water to minimize preservatives or moulds. Potatoes contain the toxic alkaloid solanine in any green parts, and arthritis often improves when avoiding nightshade vegetables including potatoes. Healthiest are non-greened potato peels and fresh, raw potato juice. Also avoid any green tomato pulp or skin, and preferably use red instead of green capsicum (although the latter is not as harmful as green potatoes or tomatoes). Tea and coffee have some benefits but become a problem if used in an addictive way. The same applies to alcohol. It can be beneficial as red wine, except for wines that contain the commonly added sulphur preservatives, which can trigger breathing problems in susceptible individuals. In this case, try to obtain wine without preservatives. Some traditionally brewed beers as well as some herbal liquors can be beneficial to stimulate the digestion. However, in general it is better to minimize alcohol intake and to test yourself against any preferred brands for food sensitivity. An allergy is commonly to a raw material or additive rather than to the alcohol itself. Raw Food Diet: From my experiences of healing as well as from reading many published reports, it is clear that a raw food diet is not only the most natural but also the most effective nutritional measure for healing and rejuvenation. While only few will be strong enough to adopt a complete raw food diet for life, it will be good for everyone to have occasional periods on raw foods only. Here are the main biochemical and nutritional advantages of raw food as compared to cooked food:
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•
higher vitamin and mineral content
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minerals are largely present as biologically active colloids
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an abundance of helpful enzymes and bioenergy or life force
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proteins remain in their natural condition instead of being denatured
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there is no increase in white blood cells in the digestive tract (digestive leukocytosis) as after eating cooked foods; leukocytosis is an immune response against toxic or microbial invaders
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their polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol do not become oxidized and carcinogenic nor contribute to heart disease, unlike cooked food
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glucose is absorbed slowly, protecting the blood sugar regulation
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no overweight or obesity produced
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much less food is required as counted in calories
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cleansing, rejuvenating, and anticancer properties
However, there are some risks to a raw food diet. Some raw food contains enzyme inhibitors, goitrogens (causing goitre), vitamin inhibitors, toxic substances (in some exotic plants), parasites, and bacteria (in raw meat). In addition, some people starting on a raw food diet will have strong initial reactions due to the cleansing process the foods stimulate. There have been cases reported of severe digestive disturbances from eating large quantities of raw soybeans, broad beans, nuts, and wheat germ over long periods. This problem is due to the high content of inhibitors of protein-digesting enzymes that protect these seeds from self-destruction. Basically, all seeds have inhibitors of enzymes for the ingredients of which they are composed, but most do not have such a surplus of inhibitors as to cause digestive problems. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and egg white also contain enzyme inhibitors. To obtain the maximum benefit from a raw food diet, it is necessary to free most of the enzymes from their inhibitors. Cooking destroys the inhibitors, but also the enzymes. The better solution is to sprout the seeds or at least soak them to initiate the germination process; discard the water used for soaking. Trypsin, the main protein-digesting enzyme of the pancreas, occurs in seeds. In one reported scientific experiment, the trypsin activity during germination of seeds increased from 7.5 units to 60 units after 24 hours, to 257 units after two days, and to 333 units after three days. The inhibitor activity decreased from 100 percent in dry seeds to zero percent after 24 hours of germination. Fermentation with lactic acid bacteria also enhances the enzyme activity in seeds. This process is similar to making yogurt or sourdough. Even soaking nuts for a day before eating will greatly help. Their digestive enzymes are freed from their inhibitors to a certain degree when their tissue is damaged, and we see this when grated potatoes turn brown or mashed raw plants or fruit deteriorate within hours unless refrigerated. Similarly, raw egg white is easier to digest when it is well beaten. Goitrogens, which are in some raw foods, interfere with the body’s use of iodine and therefore may contribute to the formation of goitre or to an underactive thyroid.
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Goitro-gens are mainly found in the cabbage family, also in soybeans and the skins of red-skinned peanuts. Cooking these or adding kelp to the diet can overcome this problem. Nevertheless, with an underactive thyroid, it is better not to eat much goitrogenic food in its raw state. Thiaminase is an enzyme in raw fish that destroys vitamin B1, but that is not a problem if food is correctly combined. Avidin in raw egg white makes biotin unavailable; this leads to a deficiency only if a large percentage of the daily diet consists of raw egg white. Furthermore, egg yolk is very high in biotin, so using whole eggs may not diminish your biotin intake. Those who have lived all their lives on conventional food are likely to have a fair amount of metabolic wastes and toxins stored in the body. These will be released by a raw food diet and can temporarily overload the organs of elimination and cause skin problems, headaches, weakness, and other discomfort. Therefore, it is advisable to move only very gradually towards a raw food diet or to have short cleansing periods on raw foods while also stimulating the organs of elimination. The basis of the recommended raw food diet is fresh vegetable juice as well as sprouted and fermented foods. Sprouted seeds can serve as the main part of a vegetable salad. Red beet is excellent and can be finely grated into the salad together with carrot, turnip, sweet potato, or pumpkin. Tomato and grated cucumber can be used for flavouring, with a salad dressing of extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, herbs, and spices. Instead of lemon juice, you can use cider vinegar, ascorbic acid, or rose-hip powder. Add lecithin as an emulsifier; shake well in a jar and keep refrigerated. Almonds, nuts, and sunflower seeds improve through starting the sprouting process; otherwise, eat them soaked and possibly blended or, better still, fermented as nut and seed cheese (see Step 37). While I do not recommend eating commercial eggs from hens in battery cages, even if well cooked (to kill salmonella, which is common in factory farming), eggs should only be ingested raw if they are free-range or organic. Swallowing an egg with yolk and white intact can cause indigestion in individuals with a weak digestive system. A raw egg is much easier to digest if it is well mixed with other food or drink. Alternatively, you can beat the white and then mix the yolk back into it. You can easily detect how fresh an egg is by immersing it in water. If it lies flat on the bottom, it is fresh. The older it is, the more the blunt end will rise. If it stands on its tip, it is rather old and may be better cooked; if it floats up, then it is rotten. If you eat flesh food, you can marinate fish or other seafood and even liver and other meat, which are best minced (see the recipes). This destroys parasites and makes raw flesh food safe to eat. You can also use raw minced meat, suitably flavoured with grated or chopped onion, tomato, or radish, and with lime or lemon juice. Use only organic or otherwise safe meat from a reliable source. Never use meat from a feedlot; also, pork is generally not safe. The safest conventional red meat appears to be lamb. (For genuinely free-range, grass-fed beef, bison, and ostrich, see: www.mercola.com). As a further precaution, periodically use an herbal anti-parasite program (see Step 44) and possibly an electronic blood purifier (Step
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19). With these precautions, raw meat should be safe and healthy, while I regard all cooked meat as more or less unhealthy, partly because of its lack of enzymes, and also because of the formation of carcinogenic chemicals when heated above the boiling point. (For further ideas on eating meat raw and links to related sites, see: www.rawpaleodiet.org ) You can also mix a free-range egg yolk with the salad; if you eat the egg white raw, it is best beaten or blended. If you have no problems with mucus, such as occasional colds, a blocked or running nose, or respiratory problems, you can use fermented goat’s milk or raw cow’s milk as yogurt, sour milk, cheese, or cottage cheese. However, be careful with commercial fermented foods, such as yogurt, sauerkraut, or marinated fish. Rice bread or flat bread, preferably made from sprouted rice or otherwise made by soaking and blending the grains and possibly adding a sourdough starter, is suitable as a staple food. It solidifies to crunchy flat bread at low oven temperatures or by exposure to the sun. Sprouted rice can be blended with water, fermented milk, and possibly banana as the basis of a meal. The most problematic food group is fruit, as I’ve suggested throughout this section. While meat is grounding, fruit is sensitizing. For insensitive individuals, especially with raised blood pressure, it is beneficial to have plenty of fruit, often as a meal. Especially good are acidic fruits, such as oranges or pineapple. Sensitive individuals, however, feel best with either neutralized fruit or only a small amount of subacid fruit between meals. Insensitive individuals can use fruit as their main source of energy, while those more sensitive can use rice baked at a low temperature and sprouted seeds. Bananas are a good bulk food for most individuals on a raw food diet. Sensitive individuals can eat them in the early stages of ripening or use mainly small or nonsweet varieties. They do well in breakfast as part of the Linseed Yogurt recipe (see Step 37). On this raw food diet there is no need to be concerned with variety or trying to have different foods for successive meals. A sprout salad contains all the required nutrients for health and healing; most individuals are happy to have the same basic salad for all meals with only minor variations depending on what is available. The only precondition seems to be that you overcome the addiction to cooked food by learning to make tasty raw salads. In cold weather, you can flavour a fresh vegetable juice with spices; carefully heat it to just below 120º F and drink as a broth. Most raw foodists will be content to have about 90 percent of their food raw and be free to have some cooked food when eating out and at parties. Even tahini (ground, roasted sesame seed paste) and kelp powder (commonly used with raw food diets) are in fact cooked or heated. Except for food to which you may have been addicted, try to let your body or intuition decide your food selection and meal composition. Slimming: The high-quality diet and even more so the raw food diet will normally ensure gradual weight loss for overweight individuals, while at the same time maximizing health improvement. I always put the main emphasis on the health aspects of the diet rather than its slimming potential. As we become healthier, we
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automatically find the right weight for our constitution. However, no diet will help if your eating problems are emotionally based, so you have to heal your emotions first. Generally, the most important dietary aspect of slimming is to avoid all cereal or grain products, as well as sweetened food. Try experimenting with these possibilities: •
Have an appetite-reducing protein drink 30 minutes before meals with any combination of the following ingredients and in any amount that suits you: green barley juice powder, spirulina powder, food yeast, ground linseed, linseed (flaxseed) oil, or olive oil. Use this as a warm or cold drink to keep hunger away for hours.
•
About 30 minutes before meals, stir one teaspoon of psyllium hulls in a glass of water and drink immediately. If necessary double the amount to two teaspoons in a large glass of water. Psyllium swells up 40-fold to fill the stomach with a soft gel, so don’t overuse.
•
Eat only lentils or other legumes, green vegetables, and sprouted seeds in addition to the above.
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For cooking, use mainly legumes, non-sweet, non-starchy vegetables and flesh foods; for starches choose high-fibre varieties (e.g., brown rice, rolled oats) and add ground linseed.
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Adopt a mono-diet: one day eat protein foods only, the next day fruits, and the third day sprouted seeds, vegetable salads, and vegetable juices. Repeat as often as required.
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Adopt a cleansing raw food diet with mainly vegetables and green juice, sprouts and fruits, nuts and oily seeds, possibly raw beaten egg, and marinated fish. Sensitive individuals should neutralize fruit acids (see Step 6).
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For two weeks, eat only protein and fat foods and green vegetables with less than 40 g of carbohydrates per day; ground linseed is the best protein/fat food.
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Repeat times when you rely on vegetable and grass juices in addition to vegetable salads.
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Avoid all sweet food, as it stimulates the appetite and the synthesis of fat. In particular, do not eat fructose-containing foods with starches and eat fresh fruit on its own.
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Avoid all grain products; especially helpful for people with blood group O.
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Avoid all fats and oils except fresh, unheated linseed oil, which will not put weight on you; experiment with coconut oil in your diet.
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Preferably skip the evening meal or have only a small salad or apple.
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Get some light daily exercise, such as a brisk 15-minute walk or jogging; use a rebounder or do some other aerobic exercise. The metabolic rate is speeded up for a long time after exercise. Take 1 or 2 g of carnitine before exercising to burn up more fat.
•
Use a low-allergy diet combined with the correct foods for your blood group (see Step 43).
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•
Use mind therapy, such as guided imagery and affirmations; look at your belief systems; release negative emotions; and express your emotional needs.
•
Eat very slowly; peacefully chew every mouthful until it is liquefied; savour the flavours as they develop during chewing; make every mouthful last about two minutes.
Hypoglycaemia Diet: Most people who are sensitive, are overacid, have allergies, or have a low energy level are usually hypoglycaemic to some extent and will benefit from this diet. Hypoglycaemia means low blood sugar: when a hypoglycaemic person eats sweet foods, the blood sugar level often soars too high at first, but later falls to below normal. During this fall and while the level is below normal, a variety of distressing symptoms can affect the breathing, circulation, digestion, or the emotional and mental condition. When the blood sugar level rises after sweet food intake, the pancreas reacts by releasing insulin, a hormone that regulates the blood sugar level. In a hypoglycaemic person, the pancreas releases too much insulin, especially in response to ingesting sucrose or a combination of glucose and fructose. The excess of insulin causes glucose to enter the cells too quickly. This then creates oxygen deficiency within the cells and instead of energy, lactic acid is produced in an anaerobic process. All this makes the body tissues overly acidic and deprives them of minerals and energy. The mainstays of the hypoglycaemia diet are: •
Gluten-free grains: rice, millet, maize, buckwheat, sago, tapioca
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High-protein seeds: chickpeas, lentils, fenugreek, peas, beans, almonds, sunflower seeds
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Animal protein: white, red, and organ meat, fish (especially sardines and salmon), eggs, goat cheese
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Sprouted seeds and vegetables: cooked, raw, and juiced; avocados, coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil
Eat grains whole in preference to flour or meal products. However, coarsely ground grains can be beneficial if eaten raw: Immerse them in water or seed milk and let soak overnight. Rye sourdough bread and rye crispbread can be eaten after allergy testing (see Step 5). Raw egg yolk from eggs from free-range chickens can be used as a salad dressing. Other important additions are spirulina, bee pollen, ground linseed, kelp, lecithin, gelatine with vegetables, and fresh green-vegetable juices, especially grass juice or dried grass juice powder and possibly food yeast. Try coconut oil and freeze-dried liver to increase your energy level. Most of the vitamins and minerals are just under the skin of the produce, so do not discard the peel of suitable fruits and root vegetables. Nuts should be used sparingly, except if sprouted or made into seed cheese (see Step 37). Eat cooked sweet vegetables only with a protein meal; raw carrots, on the other hand, are good any time. Reintroduce fruits to your diet cautiously and with self-observation. Use sweet fruits only in the early stages of ripening, before they become too sweet. This applies, for example, to bananas and papaya, but do not use fruits that are sour before
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ripening. Subacid fruits, such as apples, cause less problems than sweet-acid fruits, such as oranges. Preferably eat fruits only sparingly and as a snack between meals, and neutralize any fruit acids (see Step 6). However, under-ripe or non-sweet varieties of bananas may also be suitable. As a general rule, try to avoid: •
Sweet food, initially including all sweet and acid fruits and sweet vegetable juices
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Food containing lactose, especially milk products, though butter can be used
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Vinegar or other fruit acids, unless they are neutralized
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Initially no wheat, later only sparingly after allergy testing
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Tobacco, alcohol, drugs, artificial sweeteners, highly processed foods or those with added chemicals
Coffee and tea can be used in moderation, but only if you are not allergic or addicted to them. Lightly salted food may be beneficial. If possible, eat a protein breakfast and a light evening meal, and take a rest after lunch. The best protein is sprouted legumes as the main part of a salad. According to the severity of the symptoms, this diet may be followed strictly or in a more relaxed form and generally as part of the high quality diet. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 35 SPECIAL FOODS Take advantage of the health-giving properties of bee pollen, sprouted seeds, fermented foods, and purple foods.
Bee Pollen and Special Foods: Various foods have general healing qualities or help to overcome specific health problems. For example, foods high in enzymes and growth hormones improve our overall health. Sprouted seeds, bee pollen, spirulina, grass juice, and unheated lactic-acid fermented foods are in this category, as are fresh edible flowers such as nasturtium, impatiens, and pumpkin. While the stamen of pumpkin flowers that bears the pollen is somewhat bitter, flower petals from the male plants are especially high in bioflavonoids, which help fight against and prevent allergies and inflammations. Bee pollen is one of the best foods or supplements available. It is a raw food rich in enzymes, hormones, vitamins, and minerals. You can take one to three teaspoons of bee pollen several times daily or use it to flavour your freshly pressed vegetable or grass juice. To make it easier to digest, soak the pollen in liquid for some time before ingestion. It is also a good addition to yogurt or other food to be fermented. A highly recommended protein combination is bee pollen with spirulina and ground linseed. Taking one or more teaspoons of each three times daily mixed in a juice or other suitable liquid before meals can provide up to half of your daily protein needs. The average protein content of spirulina is 65 percent; pollen has 25 percent, and linseed (flaxseed) 22 percent. Spirulina provides a link between animal and vegetable protein, and it is high enough in vitamin B12 that vegans (vegetarians who do not ingest any animal products) can live on it. The protein in this combination (bee pollen, spirulina, and linseed) is uncooked, so it is easily digested and good as replacement for a part of the usually eaten animal protein. Another advantage is a favourable calcium-to-phosphorus ratio and a high mineral content, making it alkalizing rather than acid-forming in the body. Add to this a handful of sprouted seeds once or twice a day, and you have the basis of a healthy diet, which you can supplement with meat rather than using meat as a staple. Foods high in sulphur can be increased to improve detoxification. Such foods include raw egg yolk, onion, horseradish, watercress, turnip, and other raw foods of the cabbage family. Most of these are also helpful in treating digestive ulcers; horseradish can be used to help treat mucous complaints. A supplement high in organic sulphur is called MSM, available in many health food stores. Bananas are good energy providers for those with a weak digestion. However, overripe Cavendish bananas (this is the most common variety) often cause digestive discomfort or allergies in sensitive individuals. This problem is commonly caused by over gassing the green bananas with ethylene gas shortly before sale to make them ripen quickly. Ladyfinger bananas or other small varieties do not normally cause digestive problems. Sensitive individuals generally should avoid overripe fruit. Acid
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citrus fruits are excellent for improving liver functions and lowering high blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and fat levels in insensitive individuals. Jerusalem artichokes consumed in frequent small quantities are beneficial for kidney function and for diabetes. Eat one the size of an egg every other day, and store Jerusalem artichokes in soil, not in the refrigerator. Also eating (organic) liver often helps those with diabetes, as does eating avocados and green beans. Sprouted Seeds: Sprouted seeds and young shoots such as wheat grass provide a higher degree of vitality and rejuvenation than other foods. I recommend sprouted seeds as a mainstay of a good diet. Most commonly used for sprouting are legumes such as lentils, peas, mung beans, fenugreek, and chickpeas, but almonds, peanuts, and sunflower kernels can also be sprouted. Sunflower and buckwheat seeds make a tasty salad when grown in seed boxes and cut close to the soil when the sprouts are two to four inches high. Alfalfa sprouts are high in a detergent-like saponin that can damage the intestinal wall in sensitive individuals. They have been shown to aggravate autoimmune diseases and possibly cancer. For others, they may be a good food to eat after allergy testing has confirmed you do not have allergies to them. Alfalfa sprouts should be exposed to light after the leaves emerge, while other sprouts usually taste better before their leaves develop. Alfalfa seeds easily rot in wet conditions and are best sprouted in an upturned jar covered with muslin held in place with a rubber band. It is important to use seeds with a high germination rate. Buy a small quantity for testing, and if they sprout well, buy a larger quantity from the same source and keep them in an airtight container. Lentils and mung beans are easy to sprout. Soak the seeds overnight and then rinse several times a day, drain well, spread out lightly, and keep covered. Wash well again just before eating to remove any bacteria and fungi. If seeds are of poor quality and start rotting easily, use them when the sprouts just start to appear, otherwise wait until they are up to one inch long, which is usually within three days. Mung beans may retain hard shell pieces after soaking that can damage your teeth. This can be avoided by pouring some boiling water over the seeds initially and letting them soak in the cooling water. Peas and lentils, on the other hand, like it cool and sprouts easily deteriorate in hot conditions. Sprouted seeds can be refrigerated in a closed container after they have reached the desired length. Individuals sensitive to fungi and microbes can wash sprouted seeds in diluted hydrogen peroxide shortly before use. If you have difficulty chewing or if sprouted seeds cause much wind, try using them as part of your fresh juice. If seeds do not sprout well, the cause may be as follows: •
Seeds may not be viable, may be too old, or have been stored incorrectly.
•
Temperature during sprouting is too high or too low.
•
Seeds were kept too dry or too wet during sprouting; experiment and adjust conditions.
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Fermented Foods: The use of fermented foods was widespread in former centuries. Well-known examples are yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, beer, cider and cider vinegar, pickles, miso, sauerkraut, and sourdough bread. The advantages of fermenting foods are several: •
Makes minerals more easily available for the body to absorb
•
Eliminates enzyme inhibitors and other anti-nutrients
•
Increases the amount of vitamins in the food and creates an abundance of enzymes
•
Preserves the food and introduces delicious flavours
•
Makes food much more easily digestible, making it essentially predigested and suitable for those with a debilitating condition and weak digestive system
Today most of these traditional fermented foods such as vinegar, pickles, cheese, cottage cheese, and baking products are commercially made by chemical means. This disuse of the fermentation process in preparing our staple foods may well be a major contributing factor in chronic diseases. It is most important in the fermentation process that a desirable strain of bacteria develop. This depends on the bacteria already present or introduced, as well as on the temperature during fermentation. Basically, we want lactic acid bacteria that convert glucose into lactic acid. In order to ensure the development of pure bacterial cultures, the food is often heat-treated and then inoculated with the desired strain. However, I contend the product is nutritionally superior if it has not been heattreated. Grains such as rye, oats, millet, wheat, and brown rice and vegetables such as cabbage are best fermented at a warm room temperature, while cultures containing yogurt or acidophilus bacteria do better between 85° and 105° F. There is a distinction between the fermentation of yeast and that of lactic acid bacteria. Yeast fermentation is used in traditionally made beer, wine, and bread. Due to the overuse of antibiotics in recent decades, many individuals are now allergic or sensitive to yeast. Therefore it is advisable for sensitive individuals to restrict intake of yeast products and for others to abstain periodically or after antibiotic treatment and to test for incompatibility. When fermentation is uncontrolled, as it is when making sauerkraut or with water in which grains have been soaked for several days, a mixture of lactic-acid bacteria and yeast usually develops. This mixture is not a problem for many, but sensitive individuals need to watch out and may have to avoid this. In making yogurt, sour milk, sour cream, and cheeses, lactic-acid fermentation is the preferred natural method and still widely used in cottage industries. However, due to the mucus-forming potential of lactose, these products should be used with caution, especially if made from cow’s milk. The curd causes less of a problem than the whey (the whey contains most of the lactose), and goat’s milk less than cow’s milk. Most commercial fermented milk products are heat-treated and often very high in lactose, and it is best to avoid them. A health food seed cheese or seed yogurt can be used. This is commonly made from oily seeds such as nuts, almonds, or sunflower kernels by adding
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acidophilus culture to the soaked and blended seeds. Contamination of the seed cheese with yeast can be minimized by washing the seeds in diluted hydrogen peroxide before blending, adding a large amount of starter, and letting it ferment for only a short period. The same applies to sourdough bread, which is also recommended. Do not use strongly fermenting products that have become very sour. You can discard the whey and wash the curd to make it acceptable. Nevertheless, do not use any fermented food that has a foul smell or taste. The water used for fermentation should be free of chlorine and fluoride, as these will poison the enzymes released in the fermenting process. Fermenting or fermented products should not be kept in metal containers nor should a metal spoon be left immersed in the food as this increases your exposure to toxic metals. Plastic containers are not so good either; use ceramic or glass containers instead. Fermented foods can be refrigerated for a week or two; part of the former batch can be used as a starter for a new lot, but beware of contamination with yeast. It is especially important to eat fermented foods during and after a course of antibiotics and if you have cancer or another degenerative disease. Purple Foods: The term purple foods as used here includes all foods that yield purple juice when cooked or pressed with their skin. The color pigment in purple foods belongs to the large group of bioactive natural chemicals called bioflavo-noids. We find them as red, blue, and purple pigments in a wide range of flowers, fruits, and vegetables, but also in the pulp of citrus fruit. Two well-known bioflavonoids are rutin and quercetin. Another important nutrient group is the carotenoids that form the yellow, orange, and red colours in flowers and fruits. Best known among these is betacarotene. Even more important for healthy eyes and especially to protect the retina to prevent blindness from macular degeneration are lutein and zeaxanthin. These two are found in spinach, lettuce, broccoli, peas, and corn. Lycopene appears to protect the health of the prostate gland; studies have found it protective against exerciseinduced asthma. You can find it in red-hued fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, pink grapefruit, guavas, papaya, and watermelon. If you have the opportunity, frequently snack on flower petals or put them through the juicer. Suitable are the big petals of male pumpkin flowers or the whole flowers of impatiens or nasturtium; nearly all flowers of edible vegetables can be used. However, if you do not know whether a flower is edible, avoid using it in this way. The pigments of purple foods are highly unsaturated and therefore are strong antioxidants. One important group of purple pigments is the proanthocyanidins (PAC’s); when many individual anthocyanin molecules are linked together they are also called oligo-proanthocyanins (OPC’s). One such compound that is commercially extracted from pine bark is sold as pycnogenol; a variant with similar qualities is sold as grape seed extract. The OPC’s have lost their purple color, but this may be restored when they are broken down in the body into their individual components. In nature, anthocyanidins are bound to different sugars, and during digestion, the sugars are split off to release them for absorption.
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The color of black, purple, or red grapes, blackberries, blueberries, red wine, and red cabbage consists of anthocyanins, the individual molecules and active form of PAC’s. The pigment of red beet belongs to a subgroup of anthocyanins, the betacyanins. Both groups have strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and improve the elasticity of blood vessels and skin. PAC’s, anthocyanins, and betacyanins also help to restore normal oxidative metabolism or cell respiration. They are important not only for normalizing cancer cells, but also for conditions of chronic fatigue and general lack of energy, as they assume the role of oxygen as electron acceptors. Purple foods ingested in sufficient amounts can improve the elasticity of skin and blood vessels. In combination with other bioflavonoids, they are beneficial with various diseases such as allergies, inflammation, infections, parasites, cancer, liver disease, vascular diseases, thrombosis (blood clotting), chemical toxicity, and coronary artery disease. Purple foods should generally be eaten with the skin on as this is usually the most strongly coloured part of the plant. However, with purple onions the outer skins are not edible, but you can utilize them as a tea. Grapes should be well rinsed before eating to remove fungi or moulds. Sensitive individuals and especially those with Candida may find it preferable to soak the grapes for a while in hydrogen peroxide. When fresh grapes are not in season, the juice of black grapes has reportedly been used with good success in the treatment of cancer. For this, a 24-ounce bottle of dark grape juice can be sipped at intervals during the morning, taking no other food before lunch. See “The Grape Cancer Cure” on website: www.quantumbalancing/grape.htm. Red beet is the best purple vegetable. The purple pigment in beets has been shown to increase and normalize cell respiration, the oxygen-based energy production within cells. Red beet is one of the key foods in preventing as well as curing cancer; it is equally important in the treatment of other degenerative diseases, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, characterized by reduced cell respiration. When cellular energy is produced through the oxidation of nutrients, electrons and hydrogen ions are transferred onto the inhaled oxygen to produce water and energy. In cancer cells and in conditions of chronic fatigue, the respiratory enzymes that accomplish this transfer have been diminished or destroyed. The color pigment in beet root (and other purple food) strongly binds electrons and hydrogen and can reactivate the production of cellular oxidative energy. Researchers have shown that the energy production of cancer cells can be normalized by a combination of red beet, raw fermented food, and vitamin C.22 The multiplication of cancer cells will thus stop, and tumours become non-virulent. Clinical tests using red beet with cancer patients revealed that often tumours regressed and disappeared. In the cancer therapy with red beet, two pounds were used daily. However, if used together with other purple foods, much less beet may be needed. For instance, combine one pound of red beet with one pound of dark grapes or one pint of dark grape juice. Use plenty of red beets grated in salads, juiced, and cooked, and remember, the residue from the juicing can be cooked. Occasionally, a small beet may leave an acrid aftertaste. Taste suspect beets before making salads or juice; cooking them is fine, and beet tops can also be cooked. Tinned beet has lost most of its pigment and is of little nutritional value.
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A Checklist of Laxative Foods For the improvement or maintenance of good health, it is desirable to have two or three bowel movements daily. A general lifestyle improvement will do much to achieve this goal, but initially it may be necessary to include some laxative foods as well. Here are some practical suggestions: Bran: A mild laxative, however, it accentuates mineral deficiencies and weight loss. Wheat bran is not suitable for anyone who is sensitive to wheat. I do not recommend wheat bran, but you can experiment with rice bran, provided you take trace mineral supplements with bran-free meals. Freshly fermented foods: These often have a strong laxative action. Isotonic flush: Add 9g of salt (approx. one heaped teaspoon) to one litre of water, or use one cup of seawater diluted with 3 cups of fresh water. Drink this within a few minutes on an empty stomach and take no other food or drink for the following 30 minutes. This is excellent for cleaning the whole of the gastro-intestinal tract, but it should not be used if a severely restricted intake of sodium is indicated for other conditions. Linseed (flaxseed): Mildly laxative and soothing for irritated bowels. Preferably use ground linseed, otherwise one tablespoon of dry seeds with water some time before meals and at bedtime; swallow whole. If the intestines are irritated, use fenugreek or slippery elm powder with the linseed. Magnesium salts: Take one tablespoon of Epsom Salts with water; milk of magnesia is excellent if neutralised with ascorbic acid; alternatively, try increasing amounts of magnesium chloride. Molasses: Use on its own or with yeast in warm water. Mustard seeds: Take half a teaspoon of whole dry seeds with water twice daily, some time before a meal; do not chew. This helps to strengthen bowel function and overcome gas formation. Continue for two months or as required. Do not use mustard seeds if the intestines are irritated. Prunes: May be eaten raw, soaked or cooked. Psyllium hulls: These are preferable to bran. Stir a teaspoonful in a large glass of water and drink immediately about 30 minutes before meals as often as required for either laxative action or weight reduction. Senna: Pods, powder, or leaves can be added to herb teas. Urine: drinking a cupful of your diluted morning urine has a good laxative effect. Water: Drinking a large quantity of pure water within a short period will cause part of it to rinse the bowels. Take two pints or more of warm water before breakfast (see Step 36).
Red beet may be available only seasonally, but you can store a large quantity in moist sand. Keep the tops exposed in a cool, shaded place with just enough moisture to prevent drying out. After a good root system has developed, you can also let them continue to grow in a sandy and well-drained soil, neither too wet nor too dry to avoid rotting or mould development, but check them frequently.
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Raw Egg: Fresh raw eggs, genuinely free-range from hens fed on greens and grains, have health-giving and healing properties. However, egg allergy is widespread so if you habitually consume them, test yourself for egg allergies. Raw egg yolk does not raise the cholesterol level, and it is high in sulphur compounds that strengthen connective tissue and detoxify the liver. Fresh raw egg yolk has long been known to enhance or rejuvenate sexual energies required for having sex, but more importantly for creative activity in general and for physical fitness. Very fresh raw, beaten egg white has germicidal properties. The cell walls of lymphocytes (white blood cells) become more rigid with aging, AIDS, and viral infections, mainly due to increased cholesterol levels in cell walls. Lipids extracted from raw egg yolk have been reported to normalize rigid cell walls and fully restore immune functions. This has led to great improvements in AIDS patients treated with egg-yolk lipids. Linseed and Sulphur-Rich Foods: Together with fish oils, linseed or flaxseed oil is our best source of the omega-3 essential fatty acids. These polyunsaturated fatty acids are important for brain and nerve functions, for the fluidity of cell membranes, and for oxidative cellular energy production. Of great importance for this energy production are lipoproteins formed from essential fatty acids and sulphurproteins (cysteine, methionine). These are concentrated in active tissue such as glands, liver, brain, muscles, and skin and are needed for oxidative energy production or cellular respiration. Key enzymes formed from cysteine and essential fatty acids are typically deficient in individuals with degenerative diseases such as cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, and many skin diseases as well as heart, liver, and kidney degeneration. These and other diseases have reportedly been reversed with high intakes of high-quality linseed oil and sulphur-rich foods. Linseed oil is very sensitive to oxidation (spoilage) and special precautions are needed to obtain and retain a non-rancid product. The linseed or flaxseed oil must be fresh when purchased, not more than a few months old and produced below 120° F without light and oxygen; store it in a cool, dark place and refrigerate before and after opening. It should never be heated. As high-quality linseed oil is expensive, usually it will be sufficient to use freshly ground whole linseed instead of or in addition to the oil. Linseed contains 35 percent linseed oil and you can use several tablespoonfuls of ground linseed a day. This also has a mildly laxative effect. Grind it fresh in a coffee grinder or, alternatively, use a blender, screen it through a strainer, and add the coarse residue to the blender again with the next lot. Ground linseed can be refrigerated for a few days but is better stored in the freezer. For individuals with malabsorption problems and for those wanting to improve their skin, linseed oil can also be rubbed on skin normally protected from the sun. In addition, I recommend unheated extra-virgin olive oil internally as well as on the skin. This is a good source of squalene, a strong antioxidant that is also important for energy production; it is also a key ingredient in the healing properties of shark liver oil.
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Regarding the sulphur foods, the main sulphur amino acids are L-cysteine and L-methionine. Eggs are a good source of these, but they can easily be produced from other sulphur-rich foods such as onions. As mentioned, the best supplement form of organic sulphur is MSM. In her cancer therapy, Dr. Johanna Budwig, a fats researcher, recommends cottage cheese (“quark” in German) made from raw fermented skim milk as the main source of sulphur amino acids. However, according to the blood group diet theory (explained later in the book), this may only be suitable for individuals in blood groups B or AB, and not with hormone-related cancer. Do not use D,L-cysteine or methionine, but use only the natural L-forms. While cysteine is very important for detoxification and energy production, new research shows that it may also act as a neurotransmitter in the brain and that high doses can create an imbalance in the brain of susceptible individuals. Therefore, it is generally best to obtain it or synthesize it from sulphur-rich foods. High doses of methionine, on the other hand, can cause a problem in individuals who are deficient in vitamin B6; problems can be avoided by supplementing it together with vitamin B6. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 36 WATER AND JUICES Heal yourself with fresh vegetable and grass juices.
Let’s start by the discussing water in your diet. It is important that we take in sufficient water for the smooth functioning of our metabolic processes, and especially to flush away their end products. In normal health and on a diet that includes fresh fruits and vegetables, an additional fluid intake of about a quart daily is usually adequate. However, in the following conditions, drinking close to two quarts of fluids daily is desirable, and more than that if you are overweight: •
If mainly concentrated foods are used in the diet
•
If you’re on a diet high in protein
•
If the urine is cloudy, has a strong smell, or is dark in color
•
In hot conditions
•
While breast-feeding
•
During the initial stages of health improvement and in cleansing periods
The Benefits of Water: Your fluid intake can consist of water, diluted juices, and herb teas. Concentrated drinks such as coffee, milk, and strong tea do not count, as their water content is needed to wash out their own residues. Occasionally check that you produce about three quarts of inoffensive (in terms of odour) urine per day. In hot climates, there is a high incidence of kidney disease because many people do not drink enough water. For instance, a high incidence of oxalate kidney stones among British troops in India during World War II has been blamed on excessive tea drinking If using large amounts of fluids, you must ingest adequate amounts of watersoluble vitamins and minerals; otherwise deficiency symptoms can develop as you’re likely to flush these nutrients out of your system. The time of drinking, too, is very important. One should be careful not to dilute the digestive juices during and after meals, although some liquid, such as in the form of herb teas, can be used after dry meals. Generally, however, it is better to drink before meals and to have the bulk of the fluid intake before breakfast. This is especially important if the digestive system is weak. I regard it as highly beneficial for the kidneys to flush them regularly with a high-volume fluid intake, such as a quart of water or diluted juice before breakfast. After drinking water, wait for about 20 minutes before starting a meal, and after drinking juices, wait for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the quantity. It is good to drink a glass of warm water or herb tea first thing in the morning to wash down mucus and debris. Chlorine and added fluoride in drinking water are always harmful. However, if the water is high in calcium, then fluoride is less harmful, because calcium fluoride is nearly insoluble and not well absorbed. On the other hand, if the water is soft or rich
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in magnesium, iron, or sulphur, then fluoride can be harmful. Avoid chlorinated or fluoridated water for drinking or cooking; however, most of the chlorine can be removed by bringing the water to a boil and letting it cool before drinking. As a strong enzyme poison, fluoride is especially harmful for individuals with chronic degenerative diseases. In countries where water fluoridation is common, we can suspect that all commercial liquids with added water contain fluorides. Commonly, these include all soft drinks, soy milk, and even 100 percent fruit juice, which is usually reconstituted by adding water to concentrates. However, municipal tap water also contains other added chemicals and a good water filter is recommended. Our magnesium intake has greatly declined since the 1940s because calcium fertilizers have been overused. The death rate from arteriosclerotic and degenerative heart disease is highest in countries with the lowest levels of magnesium in the drinking water; this is notably the case in Australia. Within Australia, the death rate is lowest in Perth, which has the highest magnesium-to-calcium ratio in drinking water, while the death rate is highest in Sydney, which has the lowest magnesium-tocalcium water ratio of Australian capital cities.23 In the U.S., in six Missouri counties with low magnesium levels in the water, the death rate from diabetes was more than four times higher than in six other counties with high magnesium levels in the water. Water high in calcium is acceptable if it is also high in magnesium; otherwise, you can use magnesium supplements. Rainwater can be used in unpolluted rural areas. Unfortunately, galvanized iron now commonly has added aluminium with its zinc coating, and this may increase the aluminium level of water collected from modern galvanized roofs and water stored in galvanized tanks. I do not know whether the amounts of aluminium that might be dissolved are significant, but it’s best to be prudent. Public water supplies are routinely purified with aluminium compounds; a study in England found that when aluminium levels in public drinking water were high, there was a correspondingly high incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. Water rich in inorganic iron, which leaves brownish residues, is harmful if used over long periods. Lead and sometimes copper accumulating in the body contributes to chronic diseases. Therefore, if you are in poor health, avoid drinking the water from lead plumbing systems and be careful with new copper pipes. Older copper pipes are coated with more resistant copper oxide. Plastic pipes can give off toxic substances as well. The best metal for drinking water systems is zinc, as in galvanized iron pipes; otherwise, ceramic can be used. Public water supplies are usually heavily contaminated with chemicals, and I do not recommend them as a direct source for drinking or cooking. Tap water is commonly low in energy or life force. Instead use one of the great variety of filters and distillation units on the market. Bore or spring water in densely populated or farming areas can be used safely only if a chemical analysis shows it to be uncontaminated. It should not have high amounts of calcium, copper, or iron; otherwise, a filter may have to be used or the water boiled to remove excess calcium. The very best water is fresh from a clear,
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uncontaminated, sunlit, shallow, and cascading stream. Preferably try to energize your drinking water by exposing it to sunlight or other sources of bioenergy (see Step 7). I do not recommend drinking much fruit juice, except dark grape juice (as explained earlier) or neutralized acidic juices. The basic disadvantage of drinking fruit juices is the rapid assimilation of sugars, which stresses the blood sugar regulation. However, some fruit juice can be used to flavour drinking water, if so desired. I do not recommend drinking milk, except possibly fresh raw goat’s milk or cow’s milk when it is still warm after milking. Use coffee and tea in moderation. While they have some benefits, they can cause problems if one becomes addicted to them. Alcohol too is best used only occasionally in small amounts. Beer drinking encourages the formation of mucus. Dry red wine is generally the least harmful and most beneficial alcoholic beverage. It can assist in the digestive process and give some protection against heart disease; grape juice offers similar protection, but has a lower concentration of protective antioxidants; the deeper the color, the better the protection. Avoid any kind of soft drinks. Vegetable and Grass Juices: Fresh, raw vegetables are high in life force, enzymes, and other ingredients that keep us healthy. Therefore, use plenty—two pounds or more a day if possible. For many, especially the elderly, it will be difficult eating raw vegetables in -sufficient quantities or chewing well enough to extract all the nutrient goodness. That is where juicing comes to the rescue. In this way, everyone, including children and those with dentures, can have a high intake of raw vegetables. If possible, include some fresh young grasses, leaves, and shoots grown organically in mineral-rich soil, as they are especially high in life force and enzymes. I highly recommend drinking a glass of freshly pressed vegetable juice before most meals or whenever conveniently possible. Try using a mixed juice including grasses or leaves as well as root vegetables, such as carrot and red beet, and possibly an apple for flavouring. The chlorophyll and proteins of the leaves, while beneficial in their own right, slow down the absorption of sugars from the sweet vegetables and help to stabilize the blood sugar level. You can also include sprouted seeds, edible (vegetable) flowers, the rind of watermelons, the tops of beet root, and other unusual items in your mixed juice. Be imaginative and experiment to find out what is acceptable to your taste buds. If unsprayed vegetables are not available, avoid sprayed green-leaf vegetables and use the less contaminated sweet vegetables. Squashes and watermelons are not normally sprayed. For individuals with a weak sugar metabolism (diabetes, hypoglycaemia, or a tendency to these conditions), it is preferable to use mainly green juice of leaves and grasses and only a smaller amount of sweet juice for flavouring. Alterna-tively, slow down the absorption of sugars from the juice of sweet vegetables by adding some olive oil and lecithin or ground linseed; then drink slowly and at intervals. Often children and some adults can be persuaded to drink the juice only if it is flavoured with apple or pineapple. I recommend adding ginger to the juice: either use fresh ginger or ginger juice already frozen in ice cube trays. For flavouring, it is
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excellent to stir a few spoonfuls of bee pollen into the juice. Start drinking the juice immediately after you have made it, but slowly, and in sips. If your stomach is sensitive to juice, drink it with some food. If you make several juices during the day, you may need to thoroughly clean the juicer only after the last juicing, but keep the extraction unit detached and cool in the refrigerator between juicing. Alternatively, you can freeze surplus juice for later use. If you are unhealthy when beginning such a regimen, nausea or skin reactions may temporarily occur from the release of stored toxins. In such cases, reduce the amount of juice for a while and drink lots of water and take laxative foods. Start with small amounts of grass and weed juice, possibly diluted and blended with other juices. When you get used to it, the green juice may taste fine on its own, but avoid or minimize strongly flavoured leaves such as from radish. Gradually increase to a glassful one to three times daily before meals - the more the better. While fresh juice is best, if you do not have the time to make several juices daily, you can refrigerate or freeze some of the juice for later drinking; also cool it and take it to work in a thermos. If you have a problem absorbing fats, add some lecithin to the juice to improve absorption of beta-carotene. Sometimes, when juicing sprouted seeds, the centre of a squash, or some mucilaginous leaves, the residue seems to retain much of the goodness even after putting it repeatedly through the juicer. In this case, just add water to the residue to make it sloppy before pressing it through again. As an alternative, you can get more nutrients out of the residue by making a hot broth: Cover the residue with water, simmer for ten minutes, strain, and add some herbs and spices or other flavouring. What Types of Juicers Are Most Suitable?: Centrifugal juicers, which are commonly available, are not suitable for grass or leaves, and even for other vegetables they are inferior. Static electricity builds up on the outside wall and discharges or inactivates enzymes and colloidal suspensions of proteins and minerals. Non-centrifugal juicers reportedly give much better healing results. A blender can be used, and grass and other leaf vegetables liquefied with water and then pressed by hand through a strainer. Unfortunately, air beaten into the liquid leads to oxidation. You can minimize this by adding some ascorbic acid. Blend handfuls of grass repeatedly in the same water to concentrate the juice; alternatively, run the grass once or twice through a mincer or a grain mill and then press the pulp by hand through a strainer or cheesecloth. Grass juicers, either manual or electric, are commercially available and may be sold as fruit and vegetable presses. (You can easily find information and retailers on the Internet.) This type of unit commonly has a slow-turning spiral press. Manual wheat-grass juicers are efficient and good for training the biceps, but not so good for people who do not have the energy to use them daily. Also, I do not like the juice to be in contact with so much metal; cast-iron juicers are much cheaper than the stainless-steel types. As a general rule, the slower the speed, expressed as revolutions per minute (rpm), the better the quality of the juice. Slow-turning juicers are available as single auger or twin-gear machines. Both handle grasses and leaves very well with an rpm
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commonly between 70 and 120 ppm. In comparison, a medium-fast juicer has about 2,000 rpm and the common centrifugal juicers 8,000 rpm. While low-rpm juicers produce the highest quality of juice, they are also slowest in pressing a given quantity; bigger twin-gear juicers may be twice as fast as smaller single-auger juicers. (For a comparison of different brands, see www.buyjuicers.com.) When using a juicer that easily processes grasses and leaves, there are considerable savings in having to buy fewer vegetables. You can use lots of grasses, green weeds, parsley, tops of carrots, and other leaves that cannot be easily used with other juicers. This can not only bring considerable savings, but it also provides juice of much higher quality than can be obtained from commercial vegetables. However, there is also a drawback with low-rpm juicers and growing your own wheat or barley grass: It is very time-consuming. Juice from Grasses and Weeds: While not so pleasant to the taste buds, fresh young grasses and green edible weeds have a much greater healing potential than the vegetables commonly used for juicing. In particular, they are very much higher in their content of life force and enzymes. Instead of working hard to maintain a big vegetable garden, I believe it to be easier and healthier to let a large part of the garden overgrow with suitable grasses and edible weeds. An additional advantage of young grasses is the short time and minimal care required to grow them as compared to growing vegetables. You can harvest grasses in two to three weeks compared to several months for vegetables. To find out which weeds are edible, ask a knowledgeable friend or neighbour, or observe what goats or poultry are eating, or chew a bit of a leaf yourself. If it is not bitter, it is not likely to be poisonous, and anyway, there are no poisonous grasses. For a very healthy juice, use grasses, green weeds, and the petals of squash flowers; flavour it with an apple, beet root, and carrot. Juice made from young and fresh blades of cereal grass is most beneficial. These young blades have the highest vitality and are rich in enzymes and growth hormones that are missing or at low levels in mature leaves or plants, as well as in elderly humans. Kirlian photography reveals that the vitality of leaves starts to diminish soon after cutting and that most of it is lost within hours, though if refrigerated in a closed plastic bag it may keep for a day. Most nutrients will still be available from commercially dried and powdered grass, such as green barley grass (commercially available), but young fresh grass juice has a much higher vitality. Best known is wheat grass, but I contend that all fresh, young grass grown in good soil has similar healing and rejuvenating qualities, though the flavour and toughness may differ greatly. Barley grass grows more vigorously than wheat grass and tastes good. Young ryegrass (not the cereal rye grain), grown by farmers as pasture, has a pleasant flavour and can give you several months of repeated cutting from one planting. Experiment with different varieties of grasses to see which grow best in your climate and soil conditions, and find one you like. When using lawn grass, the main requirement is that it be grown in good soil without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers; preferably fence off part of the lawn for this purpose. Often there is some
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foam on top of the juice, especially with grass juice. This foam is high in chlorophyll and beneficial, so ingest it or rub it into your skin. I find wheat grass juice somewhat too sweet on its own and prefer it blended with other grass. As barley grass does not taste sweet, it may be better than wheat grass for individuals with blood sugar problems. Normally, however, it is good to mix the seeds of wheat and barley and grow them together in the same garden bed or tray. How to Grow Grasses Indoors 1. Soak the wheat or barley for planting overnight and sow very densely. 2. Cover lightly with a sandy soil or just with wet newspaper. 3. Keep moist and expose to light after leaves emerge. 4. When the grass is about two inches high, you can start using it for cutting into a salad or you can chew the grass and spit out the pulp. You can begin to juice the grass when it is about four inches high. Sometimes you can get a good regrowth after the first cutting. 5. The maximum yield of juice is available when the grass is between six and eight inches tall. 6. The higher you intend to let it grow, the less dense you should sow the seeds. 7. Compost the stubble and other organic matter for reuse in seed boxes or outside planting. 8. Add rock dust, kelp, or seaweed to mineralize the soil. Exposure of the trays to moderate sunshine is preferable but not essential. Protect the trays from prolonged strong sun exposure and from overheating behind a window. If the trays are on a balcony, you can move them inside during cold nights or cover them with newspaper. The best growing condition is at room temperature. When the shoots are about an inch high, it is preferable to stop watering, or water along the sides but keep the centre dry to minimize problems with moulds and rotting.
In cool climates, it may be difficult growing grass outside in winter, while in the tropics it is sometimes difficult in summer because it is either too hot or too wet and cereal grasses easily start rotting at the stem. In the city, it may not be possible anyway. In these circumstances, wheat grass or barley grass can be grown indoors behind a window or on a balcony or veranda in seed boxes (see sidebar) Wheat produces about four times its weight as wheat grass and this in turn yields up to 80 percent juice. Tougher perennial grasses yield about 60 percent juice. The vitamin and mineral content of grasses and their juices differs greatly between different varieties, but especially with diverse soil conditions. Table 4-1, compiled from various publications, gives an estimate of the average nutrient content of the juice from grass grown in good, mineralrich soil.
The protein content of young annual grasses is usually around four percent and of established perennial grasses about two percent. Vitamin and mineral concentrations can vary greatly and are highest in young grasses grown in soils rich in minerals and organic matter. While grass juice provides a high amount of easily digestible protein, as well as vitamins and minerals of superior quality, even more important are the enzymes,
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growth hormones, and other vital factors, Table 4-1: Nutrients in Grass Juice including coenzyme Q10 Protein 2–5% Fibre 3–6% and superoxide Lipids 0.5–1% Kilojoules 250/100 ml dismutase (SOD). In Carbohydrates 6–11% animal experiments, old rats were rejuvenated Vitamins/100 ml Minerals/100 ml and chickens grew 15 carotene 10,000 IU calcium 70-200 mg percent faster with fresh vitamin C 60 mg magnesium 50 mg grass, but not with other vitamin E 6 mg phosphorous 50-100 mg supplements. Many vitamin B1 0.2 mg potassium 400-1,600 mg patients attribute their cure from “incurable” vitamin B2 0.4 mg sodium 40-150 mg diseases to the generous vitamin B6 0.2 mg iron 3 mg intake of grass juice. vitamin B12 1 mcg zinc 0.5-2.5 mg Grass juice has also pantothenic acid 0.4 mg manganese 1-10 mg been successfully used nicotinamide 1.5 mg copper 0.3-1 mg as a retention enema with cancer and other folic acid 150 mcg molybdenum 0.03 mg debilitating conditions, as biotin 15 mcg sulphur 100 mg a vaginal douche, or topical rub for the skin. Juicy grass pulp is excellent on wounds and speeds up healing. Grass juice has been shown to inhibit mutagenic and carcinogenic activity. This inhibition was stronger with wheat grass juice than with carrot or parsley juice; it has also been reported with barley grass juice. We need growth hormones not only for growing taller, but also for cell division, skin and tissue replacement, and wound healing. In growing older, we become deficient in growth hormones, and those found in grass juice can help us rejuvenate. Most animals live on grass either directly or indirectly. It is the perfect food, not only for grazing animals, but also for humans. The juicer replaces the complicated cellulose digestion of grass-eating animals. I regard grass juice as the food with the greatest healing and rejuvenating potential; it could even sustain us during a famine. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 37 HEALING RECIPES Transform healthy foods into enjoyable meals.
I am not fond of using recipes. Most recipes seem to be designed to tickle our palate by harming the nutrients in the food. The healthiest recipe for carrots, for instance, is to pull one out of the ground, clean it, and chew it well. Any additional processing renders it less nutritious. Also, I favour experimenting, mixing this and that within the framework of the food-combining rules, and seeing how it turns out. In this spirit I offer the following recipes and cooking tips as starting points for finding ways to make healthy food tasty. If you are willing, you can gradually change your taste preferences and come to like this new diet of healthier meals. If your life is in no immediate danger from an advanced disease, change slowly, making a gradual transition over a period of years from your present diet to the high-quality diet, and possibly to the raw food diet after that. Baking Breads: The best method for baking is one in which enzymes in the food remain alive. This means heating bread dough to less than 120° F. It is preferable to start with whole, soaked, or sprouted seeds that are rich in enzymes rather than with commercial flours that may have had their enzymes destroyed during the milling process and may be contaminated with mycotoxins. The only practical solution I have found so far is baking with rice. After blending soaked or sprouted rice, the dough continues to absorb water and so becomes firm almost without any heat. I have not found this property in any other grain. You may have to experiment with different varieties of rice to find a good sprouting one. Soak brown rice overnight, then rinse for two or three days until sprouts appear; otherwise use after soaking. If you are sensitive to fungi, keep for several minutes in water with added hydrogen peroxide, then wash well and blend with a minimum of water. If the blended rice does not have the consistency of a paste, add rice flour or strain off excess water. Lightly cover a tray with some rice flour or baking paper and spread the paste out flat. Preferably leave in the sun or a warm place, such as a warm oven with the heat turned off, until the dough has solidified, usually after a few hours. You can experiment with additions, such as kelp powder, occasionally carob powder and dried fruit for children, and acidophilus culture or a sourdough starter if you want to try baking a more conventionally shaped loaf. The addition of any other kind of soaked or sprouted seed will make it more difficult for the dough to harden. You can bake flat bread in an oven at low temperatures from a mixture of various flours or meals, such as from peas, lentils, chickpeas, rice, and rye. You may add buckwheat flour to any baking mix to improve its binding qualities. If you use sprouted seeds, it is not necessary to add acidophilus or sourdough starter to improve the nutritional quality, but only to lighten the bake. However, if you only soak the seeds and, more important still, if your main ingredient is flour, then
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lactic-acid fermentation will greatly improve the nutritional value as well as lighten the texture. Any other soaked, sprouted, and blended seeds can be used for making flat bread by baking at 160° to 180° F with or without a starter. Again, it is advisable to spread the dough over a layer of flour to absorb excess moisture. You can also add other flavouring ingredients, such as banana or carrot pulp. It may take five hours or more of baking for the bread to solidify. At this temperature, the enzymes are destroyed and, unlike sun-baked rice, it is not a raw food any more. However, the protein structures generally are not damaged and there is no digestive leukocytosis (increased white blood cells in the intestinal wall) when eating this bread. You can refrigerate part of the sourdough as starter for the next bake, but if you are yeastsensitive, it is preferable to use fresh acidophilus culture each time. For more conventional bread, I recommend rye sourdough; the more acidophilus you add and the slower the dough solidifies, the more acid it becomes, and vice versa. Mix 1 cup of acidophilus starter with rye flour, water, flavourings (for example, caraway seeds), and 1 tablespoon of honey or molasses as food for the bacteria. Leave covered overnight in a warm place. Before adding salt, reserve and refrigerate 1 cup of this as a starter for the next baking. Add more flour, knead, shape, and cover the loaves and let them rise in a lightly warmed oven for several more hours. Then bake at a moderate heat for 90 minutes; place a pan with hot water on the bottom rack to develop steam. Bone Broth: Use the soft bones of fowl or the bones and heads of fish. Add 1 or several tablespoons of vinegar, depending on the amount of bones you have. Simmer with sufficient water in a covered, non-metal container for at least 3 hours, or until the bones become brittle and the liquid is nearly neutral. With larger quantities and longer cooking time, you can repeatedly add more water and vinegar. Alternatively, use a pressure cooker for 30 minutes, but without adding vinegar. When the bones have become soft, blend it all, strain (optional), and freeze in ice cube trays. Use some of the broth frequently with meals; add it to vegetable salads, as it is an excellent source of gelatine, calcium, and other minerals. Beef Juice, Liver Broth, Liver Juice: To make liver broth, simmer pieces of (organic) liver for 2 hours; strain and mix with sweet vegetables, cooked or raw. To make beef juice, dice a pound of lean beef. Put in a jar without water, cover well, and set the jar on a piece of cloth in a pot filled with water. Boil for 3 hours. Press juice accumulated in the jar through a strainer and refrigerate or freeze it. Sip a teaspoonful 5 to 10 times daily and keep it in the mouth for some time. Make this juice fresh weekly. Occasionally, the juice can be made of liver instead of beef. Beef juice is indicated in cases of serious muscle weakness. Butter Spread: In order to cut down on your butter consumption, lightly warm some butter and mix it with an equal amount of extra-virgin olive oil. Add lecithin, chopped onion, kelp, herbs, and spices to taste. Alternatively, or in addition to using oil, butter can be mixed with an equal amount of hot gelatine; flavour to taste and keep the butter spread refrigerated. Marinated Fish: Dice the fish and cover with lemon juice or diluted cider vinegar or a mixture of both. Refrigerate overnight; add cooked or raw onion or herbs and spices, and possibly some juice, leaf, or green skin of papaya. Eat with
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vegetables or sprout salad. You can also marinate liver, minced meat, or soft cuts of meat. Fruit Balls: These are for festive occasions. Mince any of the following: nuts, sesame, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds, fresh coconut, dried fruits such as apricots, dates, mixed peel, papaya, and pineapple. Mix well, add lemon juice to taste and also lecithin; bind with oil. Make into small balls and roll in desiccated coconut. For different flavours, add carob powder or spices to the mixture. Hommus: This can be used as bread spread or as an addition to meals. Soak chickpeas (garbanzo beans) overnight. If seeds are viable, sprout them; otherwise, use them soaked raw or soaked and cooked for a few minutes only. Discard the soaking water to reduce intestinal gas. Puree the prepared chickpeas in a blender and mix with any combination of the following: olive oil, tahini, lecithin, cayenne, kelp, herbs, and spices. Keep refrigerated. Hot Vegetable Juice: Normally, you drink fresh vegetable juice cold. However, in cold weather you may enjoy drinking it hot, flavoured like a broth. Use a handful of fresh green leaves, add cabbage, celery, tomato, cucumber, whatever is available, and some sliced carrot, pumpkin, or beet root. Mix this in an electric blender, together with a suitable hot liquid, for instance, herb tea, bone broth, or water. Strain and press the residue. Try to keep the temperature of the broth below 120° F. A juice extractor can be used instead of the blender or you can mix the hot liquid with some freshly pressed juice. Flavour the drink to taste; you can use herbs, spices, miso, kelp, oil, lecithin, egg yolk, food yeast, or molasses in any combination you like. Drink the juice immediately, taking sips. Another possibility is to simmer the residue left over from juicing in water for ten minutes, strain, add some flavouring, and drink hot. Jellies: Dissolve 4 teaspoons of white, unflavoured gelatine in 1 pint of hot water. Pour it over diced fruits or over sprouted seeds and diced or grated vegetables (for example, cucumber, tomato, carrot, or chopped onion). You can add herbs, spices, kelp, and salt. Alternatively, the gelatine can be dissolved in a smaller amount of hot water and mixed with an appropriate amount of fruit juice or fresh vegetable juice. Refrigerate for setting. Instead of commercial gelatine, a gelatinous bone or fish broth is preferable. Gelatine aids in the absorption of vitamins and minerals. Linseed Yogurt: The following combination can be used as a snack before or between meals or instead of any meal. It is especially good as a breakfast. Mix half a cup of ground linseed with 1 or 2 tablespoons of linseed oil or olive oil or melted coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of bee pollen, 1 teaspoon of spirulina, sliced or blended bananas, lecithin granules, and enough yogurt, seed cheese, or seed milk for a smooth consistency. You can also add some chopped fruit or berries. As a liquid component, try fresh vegetable juice, grape juice, apple juice, or any other liquid. Papaya (Pawpaw) Smoothie: This can be used as a special health food to aid the digestion, as well as in dissolving tumours or other unwanted growths. In a blender, mix mature green papaya (when it just starts turning yellow and the seeds are already black) with skin, seeds, and flesh, banana and any other fruit in season, and a sufficient amount of a suitable liquid such as a juice or yogurt. Eat on its own or as part of a meal.
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Grated Potatoes: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, keep the heat on high, add coarsely grated potato, and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. This leaves the potato semi-raw with a quite distinct flavour; add kelp, oil, and so on, and eat with vegetables or sprouts. Protein Drink: This is good as a general energy booster, especially if you have blood sugar problems or lack of energy, and it is also excellent when consumed 30 minutes before a meal to reduce appetite if you want to lose weight. Mix in a blender 1 or more spoonfuls each of bee pollen, green barley powder, ground linseed, spirulina, and chlorella, or any combination of these in a suitable liquid. This can be seed milk or any other kind of milk or juice such as grape or apple juice. Rejuvelac (fermented seed drink): Wash 1 cup of whole grain (preferably organically grown) and cover with 2 cups of warm water. Suitable are rice, millet, rye, and other grains. Keep in a glass or porcelain container in a warm place. Pour off the liquid the next day or when it tastes slightly sour. Use as a refreshing drink on its own, but not with or after meals. The grains can then be cooked or sprouted. Use the grain ferment only if it has a pleasant taste and smell, otherwise discard it. Rejuvelac may not be suitable for sensitive and yeast-allergic individuals. Rice Dishes: Cook the rice until almost soft and most of the water has evaporated. Add a small quantity of apples, cover, cook until the apples are soft, and then mash them. Add cinnamon, oil, lecithin, and kelp. Eat cold as a dessert. As an alternative, add apple puree to the cooked rice. You can also try rice with a sauce based on blended raw carrots and other sweet vegetables or bananas. Healthier than cooked rice is sprouted and blended rice. Wash and soak overnight a sprouting variety of brown rice. After sprouting, blend the rice and add other flavouring ingredients, such as banana, olive oil, kelp, carob, lecithin, or pitted dates, for a sweet meal. Blend again and eat this instead of a breakfast cereal. If too gritty, strain the rice puree after the first blending or cook it. Sauerkraut: Use a wooden barrel or earthenware pot of any size. Place a layer of shredded cabbage 4 to 6 inches deep in the container. Sprinkle over it a small amount of salt and some herb seeds, such as caraway, fennel, or cumin; other shredded vegetables can be added for flavouring. Press the first layer down, then add another layer of cabbage and herbs, and so on. The cabbage must be completely saturated with its juice and no air pockets left. Cover the contents with cheesecloth, place a wooden cover over it, and weight it down with a heavy stone. Leave at room temperature. From time to time, after several days, lift the cover and remove foam and mildew from the top of the mash; wash the cheesecloth, board, and stone with warm water and then put them back in place. After about 2 weeks the sauerkraut should be ready for eating. Store the container in a cool place, or put the sauerkraut in jars and refrigerate. Eat it raw and drink the juice. Raw sauerkraut may not be suitable for sensitive individuals, but it should be fine if cooked. This recipe may occasionally fail if the barrel is contaminated. To avoid this, thoroughly clean the barrel with steam or boiling water before use. To make it easier for beneficial bacteria to develop, sprinkle organic cider vinegar into the different layers or add acidophilus culture.
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Seed Cheese/Seed Yogurt: Soak oily seeds (almonds, nuts, sesame, pumpkin, or sunflower) for 8 to 12 hours. Puree in an electric blender and add acidophilus culture. If you are not yeast sensitive, experiment with adding Rejuvelac instead. Keep in a warm place for several hours until the desired degree of sourness develops. Refrigerate and use within 3 days. If it is too sour or if curd and whey have separated, strain and discard the whey; rinse the curd if necessary. Use seed yogurt as part of a salad dressing, for flavouring meals, or as a bread spread. The more sensitive you are, the less sour it should be when you use it. If it smells or tastes bad, discard it. Seed Milk: Soak almonds, rice, or sunflower kernels overnight or for about 12 hours. The simplest way to make this milk is to change the water, blend the soaked seeds in an electric blender, and press them through a strainer. You can either drink the liquid immediately or refrigerate. You can cook the residue of the rice and add the residue of the oily seeds to any breakfast mix (possibly remove almond skins before blending). However, a much better way is to wait until the seeds start sprouting. This removes any enzyme inhibitors and provides natural sweetness and enzymes to the milk. Alternatively, use unhulled sunflower or pumpkin seeds for making milk. Sprout Salad: Mix a variety of freshly rinsed sprouted seeds with a combination of fresh, raw vegetables, basically using whatever is available. Most suitable are sprouts of mung beans, lentils, sunflower seeds, and fenugreek, together with finely grated beet root, carrot, and turnip or radish. Tomato and cucumber (try it grated) are good for flavouring. If you have difficulty chewing, you can put all of it through a mincer, or if very weak and debilitated, you could liquefy and drink it. The key to enjoying a sprout salad is to find a delicious dressing. Experiment. I recommend extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, whole blended lemon, cider vinegar, or rose-hip powder, any fresh or dried herbs or spices, and a dash of cayenne. These may be added individually or mixed beforehand and refrigerated in a jar. Flavour olive oil by mixing in a jar 1 part tahini with 3 to 10 parts oil, lemon juice, and lecithin. For a health enhancer, add ground linseed and kelp to the salad. Start by adding very small amounts of kelp until you come to like it. Raw egg yolk is a good addition to the dressing, as is seed cheese or sour milk; you can also flavour this salad with tofu or yogurt. Sweet Vegetables: Use any combination of the following: sliced pumpkin or squash, sweet potato, onion, turnip, beet, carrot, and tomato. Add only a minimum of water so that finally most of it has evaporated. Vegetables with short cooking times (tomato, pumpkin) can be added later to preserve their flavour. Salt, kelp, oil, curry, cayenne, herbs, and spices are best stirred in at the end of cooking. Yogurt, Clabber Milk, Cottage Cheese: It is essential to repopulate your intestines with beneficial lactobacilli, especially L. acidophilus in the small intestines and bifidobacteria in the large intestines. Instead of or in addition to using highpotency acidophilus/bifido capsules or powders, you can use a self-made fermented product or yogurt. This can be made from fresh unpasteurized cow’s milk, goat’s milk, rice milk, homemade soy milk, or a mixture of ingredients based on bee pollen and honey. Commercial cow’s milk acidophilus/ bifido yogurt (preferably organic or biodynamic) can be used as a starter.
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The commonly used yogurt based on cow’s milk has some problems in that many individuals are allergic or sensitive to some ingredients of cow’s milk. It often is mucus-forming and is also high in estrogen, which is not good for various female cancers. According to the blood group diet, cow’s milk is acceptable only for those with blood group B and possibly AB. However, if you are not sensitive to it, then yogurt made from fresh raw cow’s milk can be beneficial, used in moderation. You can use rice as a base for making yogurt. Cook soaked (organic) brown rice in plenty of water. After cooling, blend and strain; add starter culture and 2 teaspoons of raw honey to the strained rice water. Rice yogurt does not set, so drink it when it turns slightly sour or smells slightly fermented. You can make rice milk by blending and straining sprouted brown rice. This is sweet enough by itself, so that no added sweetener is required. A fermented drink can be made based on bee pollen and honey. Add to 1 quart of water and starter 5 to 10 teaspoons of pollen, 2 or 3 teaspoons of raw honey, 1 or 2 teaspoons of kelp powder, and, if you like, several teaspoons of spirulina, chlorella, or cereal grass powder. Experiment and use more or less of the indicated amounts and also different ingredients. As with rice milk, this does not set and is best used when it starts frothing and tastes somewhat acid. As an initial starter, use 1 teaspoon each of powdered acidophilus and bifido cultures, a mixed culture of these, high-potency capsules, or a commercial yogurt containing these. Do not use commercial yogurt or starter with only bulgaricus and thermophilus bacteria. Subsequently, use up to 1 cup of the previous batch as starter. Preferably, use the liquid or whey as the starter because it contains the most bacteria. The more of the starter you use and the warmer it is, the sooner the yogurt will be ready. If you do not have a yogurt maker, mix 2 to 3 cups of any type of milk or pollenhoney liquid with 1 cup of starter and keep it in a jar standing in a container with hot tap water. It usually takes only a few hours to set, though with powdered cultures it may take 6 to 10 hours. In cold weather, renew the hot water every hour or keep the jar in a warm place. Alternatively, the milk can be kept warm by putting it in a box or some other small, enclosed space, together with an electric bulb or other source of heat. Refrigerate the yogurt when it just starts setting, as it continues to become firmer and more acid during storage. If it becomes too sour, use less of the whey as starter and eat only the strained curd or neutralize the acid. To make sour milk (clabber milk), leave raw, unheated milk in a flat bowl in a warm place for 1 to 2 days until the milk sours and coagulates, then add a yogurt or acidophilus starter. For making cottage cheese or quark, wait until curd and whey have separated and strain or press the curdled milk through cheesecloth. Veggie Burgers: Soak overnight 1 cup of chickpeas or lentils; next morning replace the water and put them in a blender. Soak 2 cups of rice overnight and cook. Combine the blended legumes with the cooked rice and add some buckwheat flour or an egg to bind the mixture. Flavour with any combination of the following: miso, soy sauce, fresh parsley, coriander, cumin, fresh ginger, onion, and any other herbs or spices. Form flat burgers and bake crisp in a grill or a non-stick pan. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Part 5 PROBLEM FOODS & FOOD PROBLEMS This part explains in more detail the reasons for the dietary recommendations in Part 4. Most problem foods are widely used basic foods that lead to health problems in many people. So-called junk foods and heavily processed and chemicalised foods belong in this category; many foods treasured by natural health enthusiasts, such as honey, dried fruits, yogurt, and whole-meal bread, also belong to this list of problem foods. What chiefly makes a particular food a problem is the presence of one or several components that can cause metabolic or digestive problems if used indiscriminately. We use and have used problem foods in excess, so our metabolism has been weakened to such an extent that it cannot safely process even small amounts of certain foods without becoming distressed. This can be demonstrated with food muscle-testing. However, for individuals with a suitable metabolism, most problem foods can be acceptable and sometimes even beneficial in moderation; this does not apply to heavily chemicalised food. It is advisable for nearly everyone to minimize their intake of problem foods. It is also best to more strictly avoid the problem foods described in this chapter and that you know from personal experience are a cause of your health problems. Some problem foods frequently cause food allergies and can be the primary allergens or Lactose and cow’s milk products causative agents that sensitize us to a range Gluten and wheat products of other allergens. This applies especially to Sugar and sweet foods the gluten in wheat and to proteins in cow’s milk. When the body is still young or overacid Red meat and fats and sensitive, it tends to respond strongly to Chemicalised food, stimulants, and these foods. However, problem foods cause yeast or moulds even more serious problems when the body is older, alkaline, and insensitive, but then there are no alarm reactions such as food allergies to warn us. This leads to the development of chronic degenerative diseases such as autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. The main problem foods are:
In addition to specific health problems being caused by specific foods, the overall impact on the adrenal glands of habitually consuming problem foods can raise our basic stress level to such a high degree that a relatively small additional stress from emotional or social problems can trigger severe reactions. These can include asthma, epilepsy, migraine, depression, irritability, hyperactivity, phobias, nervous breakdown, and mental disease. In addition, the fact that we cook too many of our foods and hence have insufficient enzymes in our diet greatly contributes to the development of chronic degenerative diseases and premature aging. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 38 COW’S MILK PRODUCTS & LACTOSE Have a closer look at cow’s milk products and lactose. In some forms they can be beneficial, but as commonly used they tend to create a lot of health problems.
The three problematic ingredients in dairy products are lactose (milk sugar), butterfat, and casein (and other proteins). While lactose can be a problem in all animal milk, including goat’s milk, difficulties with protein and butterfat are specific to cow’s milk. Bottle-feeding infants with cow’s milk has far-reaching effects. The earlier it is substituted for human breast milk, the more damage is usually caused. The baby’s digestive system is still immature and relies on enzymes provided in mother’s milk. It cannot properly digest cow’s milk, especially if the milk has been pasteurized and is without enzymes. In addition, in the first few weeks or months of life, the wall of the infant’s small intestine is not yet fully developed and allows only partly digested proteins to pass through; this causes allergies. In a clinical study, all infants and most older children evaluated had antibodies against cow’s milk in their blood.24 This means they were allergic to it, even in the absence of obvious symptoms. However, usually “unspecific” symptoms were present, such as restlessness and crying at night, dermatitis, tender abdomen, tantrums, weak eyes, low energy, hyperactivity, indigestion, and a high incidence of colds and ear and respiratory infections. A contributing factor that makes many babies prone to infections is the absence of immuno-protective agents in bottled milk that are present in human breast milk, especially in the colostrum. Formula-fed babies usually suffer from zinc deficiency. Zinc is essential for activating the immune system. The zinc content in cow’s milk is actually higher than that in mother’s milk, but in cow’s milk zinc is bound to a protein from which the baby’s immature digestive system cannot release it. Other trace minerals are also difficult for the baby to absorb from cow’s milk; iron is especially problematic. A resulting iron deficiency in babies contributes to the development of anemia, a weakening of the immune system, and retarded mental and cognitive development. An allergy to cow’s milk and subsequent mucus congestion of the lungs, combined with zinc and iron deficiencies of the immune system, cause frequent colds and respiratory infections in babies. This, in turn, depletes babies of vitamin C. The effect of all this is a high incidence of crib deaths in bottle-fed babies, which sometimes occur shortly after immunizations. Vaccinations can further drain the already dangerously low levels of vitamin C. Archie Kalokerinos, M.D., in Every Second Child, relates that in some Aboriginal communities of Australia every second child given a vaccination died of crib death, but when fed high doses of vitamin C before and after vaccinations, not a single child died. Is it a coincidence that New Zealand has the highest rates of asthma and crib deaths in the world, but also the highest consumption of cow’s milk?
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Crib deaths are uncommon in breast-fed babies. However, even breast-fed babies can develop allergies if the mother has a high intake of cow’s milk products or is allergic to it herself. Full-term babies in the first two weeks and premature babies in the first one or two months can become allergic to almost any substitute for mother’s milk. If breast-feeding by the mother is not possible during this time and a wet nurse is not available, then fresh raw goat’s or sheep’s milk is the least harmful alternative. Problems Associated with Lactose: Most adults, except for Caucasians, cannot split lactose into its two components, glucose and galactose. After the age of three, a deficiency in the lactose-splitting enzyme lactase develops, and this can cause severe indigestion and diarrhea if the diet contains appreciable amounts of lactose. This condition is known as lactose intolerance. Lactose-intolerant people can tolerate lactose better if fermented milk is used, as in the form of yogurt or kefir, where the lactose is partially pre-split by lactic-acid bacteria. Alterna-tively, lactose-splitting enzymes are now commercially available and can be added to milk. However, lactose intolerance is only a minor problem compared to the much more serious health problems caused by galactose. Lactose intolerance appears to be a wise precaution of nature rather than a regrettable accident because it protects us from the great danger of galactose overload. We both need and don’t need galactose. Most European adults and older children who can digest lactose are unable to use galactose efficiently. Babies need galactose as an important building component of the brain, the central nervous system, and of many proteins. Thus, mother’s milk is even higher in galactose than animal milk to ensure that the baby obtains sufficient galactose. In later life, very little galactose is needed and this can easily be synthesized from other sugars. Therefore, most of the ingested galactose is converted in the liver to glucose and used as body fuel, but the amount that can be converted is rather limited, even with a healthy liver. This conversion is a slow and complex process requiring four different enzymes. One of these is sometimes missing from birth, giving rise to a condition known as galactosaemia. Continued milk-feeding leads to a buildup of galactose in the baby and can cause cataracts, cirrhosis of the liver and spleen, and mental retardation. If the liver is not healthy, it becomes less able to convert galactose. This fact is sometimes used as a criterion for a clinical liver-function test. If galactose is injected into someone with a defective liver, most of the galactose will later appear in the urine, confirming the diagnosis of liver dysfunction. Mucic Acid and Mucus: Under normal conditions, only part of the galactose is expelled with the urine. If there is a deficiency of protective antioxidants, then the rest is mainly oxidized to galactaric acid, commonly known as mucic acid. The great health danger of mucic acid is that it is insoluble. The body cannot let it pile up in vital areas and block organ functions or blood circulation. Therefore, it forms the mucic acid into a sticky suspension in water called mucus. Thus, mucic acid is a main component of pathogenic -(disease-producing) mucus. It is the function of the lymphatic system to remove dangerous substances, such as mucus, from areas of vital importance and transport them to the organs of elimination. Mucus is too dangerous to dispose of through the kidneys or (with bile) through the liver, but it has a special affinity to the mucous membranes that line the insides of our body openings. Of prime importance here are the lungs, the respiratory
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tract, the hollow head spaces, the sinuses, and the Eustachian tube (a passage between the mouth and the inner ear). The mucus accumulates in these hollow spaces until external factors help to sensitize the mucous membranes sufficiently to allow the mucus to pass through. This is relatively easy in young individuals and those with a poor sugar metabolism, as they have high levels of histamine and inflammatory adrenal hormones. Even minor irritations of the mucous membranes, be they from cold air, dust, air pollution, pollen, or germs, will sensitize these to let some of the mucus flow out, such as through sneezing. Such mucus cleansing may be experienced periodically as a cold, hay fever, wet cough, or running nose. In others, the accumulation of mucus, which provides a favourable breeding ground for germs, causes chronic infections in specific areas such as the sinuses, the middle ear, the respiratory tract, and the lungs. This may allow a permanent trickle of mucus through the affected mucous membrane. In addition, a dead (commonly root-canalled) front tooth may be responsible for chronic sinus problems. With a high lactose intake, the lymph channels and lymph glands are usually congested with mucus as well. This allows influenza and other infections to spread from the sensitized mucous membranes through the mucus-filled hollow spaces into the lymphatic system, causing lymph gland swellings and inflammations. I have found that in many people the number of influenza bouts, colds, and other respiratory infections can be varied at will from none to several per year just by varying the lactose intake. Mucus congestion is also the main cause of ear infections and hearing problems, especially in children. In most cases it is not a lactose allergy, but a galactose overload that is responsible for this excessive mucus. While in the case of those suffering from cow’s milk allergy, somewhat more lactose may be tolerated when it comes from goat’s milk, in most individuals the lactose in goat’s milk or in tablets will be as mucusforming as that from cow’s milk. Milk Products and Asthma: When more mucus accumulates in the lungs than can be expelled, asthma is likely to develop. Often lung congestion is combined with a strong subconscious fear element that can, for instance, result from insecurity or lack of love in early childhood. Another contributing factor is hypoglycaemia coupled with weak adrenal glands. Many cases seem to be predominantly mucus-induced. I treated a patient who was fond of yogurt and, for health reasons, prepared it from skim-milk powder. This produces yogurt with a much higher lactose content than yogurt from full-fat milk (see table 5-1). When I persuaded her to use somewhat less yogurt and prepare it only from whole milk without additional skim-milk powder, her asthma disappeared for good. The asthma-causing skim-milk yogurt provided approximately 50 g of lactose per day, while she was asthma-free on whole-milk yogurt with about 5 g of lactose daily. The lung irritation caused by accumulated mucus also means that the lungs are more prone to be affected by food allergies and chemicals. This could result in inflammatory swellings of the bronchial tubes. Mucus accumulating in the lungs
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allows bacteria to infiltrate. Some strains of these bacteria convert sugars into alginic acid, another sticky mucus. Often there is Candida albicans or fungal infestation as well, which sensitizes the mucous membranes to airborne moulds. Mucus--releasing colds in this setting can be a blessing in disguise, provided they are not treated with antibiotics. Also dead teeth can induce copious mucus due to chronic root and jawbone infections, as explained in step 8. The mucous membranes of asthmatics, which are highly sensitized by mucic acid, react strongly to air pollutants such as smoke, pollen, and sulphur dioxide. The adrenal glands are typically weak and histamine levels are high because of a sweet diet and allergies. To overcome asthma, we need to reverse these negative conditions by using a low-allergy diet with a minimum of sweet or mucus-forming food, while the respiratory tract should periodically be cleared of mucus. Breathing exercises also help this condition. Milk Products and Chronic Degenera-tive Diseases: A serious consequence of a congested lymphatic system full of mucus is the development of leukaemia. This happens when the immune system has been sufficiently damaged by frequent mucus-related infections combined with other factors such as toxic chemicals, a sweet diet, allergies, and -vitamin--mineral deficiencies. It may not be a coincidence that Nathan Pritikin, famous for his much-publicized diet to cure cardiovascular diseases, developed leukaemia. The original Pritikin diet is high in skim-milk products and, therefore, imposes a severe galactose overload on the body. Leukaemia or another galactose-related degenerative disease is more likely to develop as a long-term effect of a high intake of skimmilk products. It is important to note that cardiovascular diseases can be prevented or cured nutritionally without causing other health problems such as leukaemia.
Table 5-1: Lactose Content of Dairy Products butter
0.5%
cheese, cottage cheese
2-4%
goat’s milk
4.3%
cow’s milk
4.9%
yogurt and ice cream (with skim milk powder)
5-25%
skim-milk powder
52%
whey powder
70%
Leukaemia stands in between the acute mucus-related infections of childhood and the usual chronic degenerative diseases that develop with advancing age. When our metabolism slows down as we become older or if we are on an unsuitably heavy meat diet, the body gradually becomes too alkaline and the mucous membranes become more insensitive. In this condition, the release of mucus through colds and other respiratory infections becomes rare and most of the mucic acid is stored in the body. A lactose intolerance, and thus an enforced avoidance of foods containing lactose, can also protect us from another disease: cataracts of the eyes. Even infants can develop cataracts when they cannot convert galactose to glucose, and galactose overload is an important cause of cataracts in adults. In addition, high blood glucose and fructose levels may contribute. These simple sugars are reduced to sugar alcohols that cause cloudiness in the lens. Another form of cataract is mainly caused by a chronic deficiency of vitamins A, B2, C, D, and E, and the minerals chromium and selenium. Radiation exposure or drugs can also cause cataracts.
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Besides cataracts, there are other diseases that are usually considered to be typical for the aging body, but that occur in infants with galactosaemia. These include liver degeneration, oedema, and reduced memory or senility (the latter being equivalent to mental retardation in infants with galactosaemia). Cancer (carcinoma) reportedly can result from galactosaemia. A clinical study shows that women who consumed yogurt had a higher rate of ovarian cancer than controls who consumed the same amount of lactose from other milk products.25 Because of the activity of the lactic-acid bacteria, yogurt contains more readily available galactose than other milk products. A frequent complaint is increasing deafness with subsequent infection and inflammation because of mucus congestion of the Eustachian tube and the middle ear. In children, this condition is sometimes called “glue ear.” This is especially a problem with children of non-European background because they can still absorb lactose, but cannot easily convert galactose, especially from cow’s milk, into energy. One Scandinavian study showed that no purely breast-fed baby developed early middle ear infection and that such babies were protected against it in later life. In contrast, early introduction of cow’s milk predisposed children to this and it was exclusively found in children who received cow’s milk before the age of six months.26 With lactose-induced mucus congestion, degenerative lung diseases such as emphysema can also develop. While smoking is generally considered to be the greatest hazard for lung cancer, it may actually rank equal with galactose overload; most at risk are heavy smokers with mucus-congested lungs. Sometimes the lungs fill up with mucus. A patient I know died because his lungs and breathing passage were filled with sticky mucus. He literally drowned in it. With each of his breaths, I could hear the air bubbling up through the mucus. A combination of mucus accumulation in the lungs and the digestive system is seen in cystic fibrosis. This disease is mainly due to an overproduction of an abnormal mucopolysaccharide, a long-chain carbohydrate that normally supplies the mucus physiologically required by the body. Cystic fibrosis sufferers also may be unable to convert galactose and, as they are usually deficient in protective antioxidants, they may also produce large amounts of mucic acid. Like galactose overload, cystic fibrosis is typically a disease of Caucasians. In part, excessive mucus formation stems from an infestation of the lungs with bacteria, which produces an abnormal amount of sticky alginic acid. The important point here is that alginic acid is synthesized from a simple sugar (mannose) that these bacteria can convert from an excess of any other sugar, such as galactose, fructose, or glucose. Therefore, mucus-forming as well as sweet foods must be avoided. Lactose in Food: Preventing excessive mucus accumulation in the body is much easier than trying to remove it afterwards. If you are concerned about your future well-being, it is a wise precaution to reduce your intake of lactose to a minimum, starting today. Review table 5-1 for the lactose content of some common dairy products, and see which ones you can avoid. With skim-milk powder having a lactose content of 52 percent, you may now realize how dangerous is the current fad for using low-fat ice cream, yogurt, cottage
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cheese, and so forth, instead of full-fat products. Such low-fat foods are made from skim-milk powder and contain three to five times as much lactose as the equivalent full-fat foods. Sometimes skim-milk powder is even added to butter. Therefore, read the product labels and avoid butter that lists “non-fat milk solids” as one of the ingredients. Skim-milk powder is also a favourite additive to many other commercial foods, such as bread and other baked products, sausages, and margarine. The health-food industry is fond of adding lactose to many products such as soy milk and dandelion coffee. Lactose is often used as filler in white tablets; cell salts are almost pure lactose. Try to avoid white tablets if the label does not state that they are free of lactose or are low-allergy tablets. I suspect that the average daily amount of lactose that healthy adults can handle without the danger of long-term galactose overload is less than 10 g, the equivalent of one glass of milk. However, those who have occasional mucus problems or are afflicted with a -galactose-related disease do well to have a much lower lactose intake than 10 g per day. With a lactose allergy, it is often necessary to avoid lactose completely for several months or years. Casein, Milk Protein, and Fat: Casein is the main protein in cow’s milk and constitutes about three percent of it. Mother’s milk, on the other hand, has only 0.5 percent casein content. The high casein content of cow’s milk causes it to form a very tough, rubbery curd in the stomach; the casein then binds the calcium in milk as an insoluble salt. Thus it is extremely difficult to digest and is a frequent source of indigestion. Mother’s milk and goat’s milk, on the other hand, form finely dispersed soft curds that infants can easily digest. Thus the protein in cow’s milk frequently is only partly digested and becomes a major source of intestinal putrefaction and toxaemia. Incompletely digested protein can pass through the wall of the small intestine and cause allergies. Symptoms of worms in children are often due to intestinal putrefaction from undigested cow’s milk. Breast milk, which contains high levels of fat-digesting lipase and other enzymes, is nearly self-digesting in the baby’s gut in contrast with pasteurized cow’s milk, which is very difficult to digest. In a double-blind study, 24 out of 27 babies with colic became free of symptoms when put on a diet free of cow’s milk protein. The babies, when given cow’s milk protein, cried on average 3.2 hours daily and when taken off cow’s milk, cried for only one hour.27 However, I believe that breast-fed babies who have all their needs met hardly cry at all. Allergy-prone mothers pass allergens to their babies with their breast milk. This allergenicity is often caused by beta-lactoglobulin, which is in the cow’s milk. When such mothers avoided cow’s milk (and thus its proteins), the babies’ colic disappeared. Colic is due to an inflammation of the intestinal wall, which in turn is triggered by an allergic reaction against the protein in cow’s milk. This chronic inflammation erodes the intestines’ microvilli through which the food is absorbed, thus resulting in malabsorption. Incompletely digested proteins can also pass through the damaged intestinal wall into the bloodstream and produce various allergic reactions, such as dermatitis or brain irritation.
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A general consequence of such cow’s milk allergy is a weakening of the immune system, which in babies is further aggravated by a lack of protective immune factors that are normally transmitted through breast milk. This is why infants on cow’s milk have frequent colds and respiratory infections; this immune weakening can also lead to sudden infant death or immune deficiency diseases in later life. Cow’s milk appears to disturb calcium metabolism. Calcium becomes trapped in undigested casein, while the long-chain saturated fatty acids form insoluble soaps with calcium. In addition, cow’s milk has an unfavourable ratio of phosphorus to calcium as compared to breast milk. Several studies show that cancer patients tend to consume more cow’s milk than do matched controls. Professor Jane Plant, author of Your Life in Your Hands, may have discovered the connection between cow’s milk and cancer. Her breast cancer had spread throughout her body and she had been given up to die. At that stage, she found out that the rate of death from breast cancer in China is one in 10,000 compared to about one in ten in most Western countries, and also that Chinese do not use animal milk or related products. Putting the two together, she avoided all milk products; her tumours eventually disappeared, and for 13 years now she has been free of cancer. As Chinese have “normal” rates of other cancers, there must be a special factor that causes their low breast cancer rates. Also the largely milk-free Japanese have low breast cancer rates, but when Chinese or Japanese women adopt a Western lifestyle, their breast cancer rates start to climb, approaching the level in Western countries. Studies now link milk consumption to breast and prostate cancer. The problem appears to be a special protein called insulin-like growth factor, IGF-1. This stimulates hormone-related division of cells and especially stimulates breast tissue to grow during puberty and pregnancy; it also affects the prostate gland. Clinical studies showed that higher levels of circulating IGF-1 in the blood were not only a strong risk factor for women to develop breast cancer, but also for men to develop prostate cancer. However, IGF-1 levels were not elevated with benign conditions.28 The crucial factor is that cow’s milk is very high in IGF-1, and it is also present in the meat of dairy cows. High-yield milk production, as commonly induced with synthetic hormones, increases the IGF-1 levels in the milk. Another protein or protein fragment is connected with juvenile diabetes (Type I). It appears that this is only a problem with milk from Frisian cows (called A1 milk), but not with milk from other, lower-yielding breeds that produce A2 milk. Most of presently consumed milk is A1 milk. Juvenile diabetes is much higher in those who have been bottle-fed rather than breast-fed and it is lower in communities that consume less cow’s milk products. Studies of newly diagnosed diabetic children revealed an immune response to this protein fragment of cow’s milk protein in all of them, and found that it has the same composition as one called P69 on the beta cells. P69 is usually protected inside the pancreatic beta cells and comes to the surface only during microbial and viral infections. At those times, the immune system can mistake it for cow’s milk protein and attack it and destroy the beta cells in the process. Bottle-fed infants are very susceptible to colds and respiratory and gastrointestinal infections; it is regarded as
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“normal” for them to have six and more infections a year, even though these are rare with breast-fed infants. Therefore, bottle-fed infants frequently receive antibiotics that then encourage overgrowth of the intestines with undesirable microbes and a tendency towards chronic pancreatitis. One type of E. coli bacteria, though harmless in the large intestine, has the potential for causing great damage in the small intestine. That is because it produces a molecule very similar to insulin. When the immune system becomes activated against this molecule, it can then also direct its attack against related features at the beta cells. This shows that a combination of two factors can trigger an attack on the insulin producing beta cells: one factor that brings P69 to the surface of the beta cells, and another that activates the immune system to attack them. From the first factor we have the frequent colds of bottle-fed babies, and if antibiotics are used, then this also promotes overgrowth of the small intestines with pathogenic microbes, including E. coli, as the second factor. This is reinforced with feeding cow’s milk, which intensifies the attack on the beta cells and eventually leads to juvenile diabetes. Fermented cow’s milk products in the form of natural yogurt, kefir, and natural cheeses produce a fine curd and cause fewer health problems than unfermented milk. However, even these should be used with care and only if they do not cause allergies or mucus problems. Generally, the corresponding goat’s or sheep’s milk products are far more preferable. The least harmful milk product is cottage cheese made from fermented goat’s or sheep’s milk. The most damaging aspect of commercial milk products, apart from oversupplying the body with growth promoters, lactose, and casein, is the destruction of natural enzymes by pasteurizing the milk. Raw butter, for instance, was formerly used to cure psoriasis, but pasteurized butter causes or aggravates it. The healing effect of raw butter is due to its high content of the fat-digesting enzyme lipase. The same is true for heart and liver problems, which are caused in part or aggravated by processed cheese and butter fat. Such health problems did not occur to the inhabitants of the Caucasus and Bulgaria with their high intake of raw milk products. Cholesterol did not harm anyone in former times when mainly unheated milk products were used; cardiovascular diseases were almost unknown. Raw milk was formerly used to cure tuberculosis, but pasteurized milk is more likely to cause it. In general, raw butter and cream are far healthier foods than refined polyunsaturated oils or margarine. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 39 WHEAT & GLUTEN Wheat may be the staff of life, but in many people it is actually unfavourable to health. Gluten is a mixture of two groups of proteins, gliadins and glutelins. Wheat has the highest content of gluten, especially hard wheat, which makes it possible to bake leavened bread and cakes. Under the conditions of baking, gluten forms a network of molecules, similar to a wire mesh. This molecule mesh traps small bubbles of carbon dioxide gas and prevents them from escaping. This makes the baked product light and easy to chew. However, in this way we create a problem for our digestion because the gluten network is more difficult to break down. The gluten network is only partly digested, especially if the food is not very well chewed; this is a main cause of intestinal inflammation and wheat allergy. Malabsorption Problems with Wheat: Gluten seriously weakens the intestinal wall. Its effect on the tiny absorption villi in the small intestine can be compared to the action of sandpaper on wood. Animal experiments have shown that the intestinal absorption villi are long and slender before they come into repeated contact with wheat protein. Afterwards, they become blunt and broad, with a much-reduced ability to absorb nutrients. Therefore, people on wheat diets absorb nutrients less well than those reared on wheat-free diets. The former greatly contributes to the widespread incidence of malabsorption and nutrient deficiencies. In such people, not only are the absorption villi blunted, but the irritation caused by the sandpaper effect of gluten produces a protective mucous coating over the intestinal wall. This makes it still more difficult for nutrients to pass through the intestinal wall to be absorbed. Thus we find gluten, and especially wheat gluten, implicated as a cause of typical malabsorption diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, and sprue, but frequently also associated with autoimmune diseases, diabetes, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and schizophrenia. The irritation caused by gluten is a main factor in causing appendicitis, colitis, and inflammation of the small intestines (e.g., Crohn’s disease) as well as gastric and duodenal ulcers. It has been estimated that about 90 million Americans suffer from gluten sensitivity, while celiac disease, a severe form of malabsorption caused by gluten, has been found to be 50 times more prevalent than previously suspected and about 1.5 million Americans are thought to suffer from it. Celiac disease occurs frequently not only in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms, but also in relatives and others with numerous common disorders even in the absence of gastrointestinal symptoms.29 For further information, contact University of Maryland Centre for Celiac Research: see websites: www.celiaccenter.org and www.celiac.com. The degree of damage to the intestinal wall is proportional to the amount of gluten consumed. But even so-called normal and healthy volunteers on high-gluten test diets showed a deterioration of their intestinal walls and that their ability to absorb nutrients had been reduced.
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Nutrient malabsorption is even more of a problem if white bread is used because it has lost about 80 percent of its vitamin and mineral content compared to that of whole-meal bread. What makes it even worse is the modern fast-baking method; instead of fermenting the bread for four to seven hours, it is now whipped with chemicals for two minutes. Thus the few remaining minerals stay tightly bound to phytic acid and cannot be absorbed by the body. Gluten Allergy: When the intestinal wall deteriorates, it becomes permeable and molecules larger than normal can pass through. This allows partly digested proteins and bacterial toxins to enter the bloodstream, causing allergies and a deterioration of the immune system. Thus, gluten is actually the main agent causing allergies. Without a weakening of the intestinal wall, other potential food allergens would be prevented from reaching the bloodstream, except in the case of babies with intestinal walls that are still immature. Young babies are also unable to digest starches. Feeding them wheat products, which is very common, almost automatically leads to the development of a wheat allergy. Therefore, cow’s milk and wheat are two of the primary food allergies in our society. Not only do they precede the development of other allergies, but their initial appearance makes it much easier for secondary allergies to develop. All these problems caused by gluten are greatly intensified by the tough network of gluten molecules formed in baking with gluten-rich flour. In former centuries only low-gluten wheat was available; high-gluten wheat is a modern innovation. In addition, the amount of wheat-baking, especially with high-gluten wheat, has greatly increased in our society compared to former centuries, while at the same time our digestive powers have declined. As this trend has existed already for several generations, most of us are by now sensitized to some degree against wheat gluten, and baked wheat products have become problem foods for most individuals. This includes whole-meal wheat bread and not just the white variety. Our ancestors used mainly millet, rye, and oats as staple grains in addition to low-gluten wheat and spelt; they also used grains more in the form of porridge or wafers than as leavened bread. However, when leavened bread was used, it was mainly as sourdough bread, except in the cities where yeastbaking gradually dominated. Rye and barley contain less gluten than wheat, and the protein composition is slightly different in these grains; thus, even if you have a wheat allergy, you may still be able to eat these grains. However, this is often not the case, and it is preferable that you avoid these for an extended period if you have a wheat allergy, and instead use gluten-free grains such as rice, millet, and maize. Buckwheat is not a cereal grain - it belongs to the rhubarb family - but it contains a gluten-like protein that requires allergy testing before being used by individuals allergic to gluten. Processed food, including tablets and soy sauce, often contain added wheat starch or gluten. If you have a wheat allergy and use processed food, then read the labels carefully. Wheat grass, however, is safe to use, but wheat-germ oil needs to be tested for possible allergic reactions. Iris Diagnosis to Detect Wheat Susceptibility: Blue-eyed individuals with wheat or gluten intolerance usually have a whitish color in the area of the iris
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denoting the intestines (refer to Step 12). This reflex zone that surrounds the pupil indicates the irritation and mucus covering of the intestinal wall. Frequently, the white fans out to other parts of the iris, but especially to the head and brain reflex areas that are in the upper part of the iris (between the ten and two o’clock positions). This indicates gluten-induced mucus congestion of the head and irritation of the brain tissues. Such people are vulnerable to emotional irritability, bursts of temper, and, in the case of brain allergy, to epilepsy and mental disease. They cannot relax easily, and attending emotional workshops or seeking psychiatric help will do little permanent good if the nutritional cause of the problem is not corrected. These individuals often have oversensitive sense organs and tend towards farsightedness. As long as there is no serious mucus congestion in the head, the sharpened senses provide good eyesight and excellent hearing. The disadvantages are oversensitive taste buds, an oversensitive sense of smell, and distress caused by loud noise. Magnesium supplements will help but will not remove the basic cause. In later life, mucus congestion may lead to deafness and eye diseases. If, in addition to wheat or gluten intolerance, there is difficulty in digesting fats, the white iris areas will become increasingly yellow. Baked wheat products, especially in combination with sugars, are the most fattening foods for susceptible individuals. The metabolism of such individuals becomes inefficient and the wheat starch is mainly converted into body fat instead of energy. Frequently, individuals allergic to wheat, gluten, and beer have a distended abdomen (potbelly). For many individuals, gluten products, especially wheat and beer, are strongly mucus forming. Generally, the whiter the iris, the more mucus-forming is the gluten consumed. Wheat and gluten are often a problem for those with asthma and hay fever. If you have a problem with mucus, avoid all gluten products and all foods containing lactose. After sufficient improvement, you can reintroduce small amounts of rye and oats into your diet and explore how much of these your body tolerates. Most commercial health breads contain added gluten, skim-milk powder, or dried whole grain and are worse than plain whole-meal bread. I recommend rye sourdough bread and rye crispbread; however, rye sourdough bread often contains added wheat described as whole-meal or bread-making flour, so be careful. Oats are high in proteins and nucleic acids, while the fibre (oat bran) is useful for binding and expelling surplus cholesterol from the intestines. Barley has an even higher cholesterol-reducing effect, and both oats and barley are superior to wheat. However, oats are also high in gluten and easily cause the same problems as wheat in gluten-sensitive individuals. It may be no coincidence that Scotland has the highest rate of multiple sclerosis, with a diet traditionally high in oats and low in vitamin D due to a lack of sunshine. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 40 SWEET FOODS Your sweet tooth may be your undoing, so consider reducing your intake of sugars. The main problem with sweet foods is that sugars are absorbed too quickly. The body tries to maintain a fairly constant blood sugar level close to 100 mg of glucose per 100 ml of blood, but this becomes difficult with the habitual consumption of sweet foods. When we have a starch meal, it takes several hours until all the starch is converted into glucose. The absorption through the intestinal wall is gradual and the liver can easily regulate the blood glucose level by forming glycogen or fat from surplus glucose. It is equally safe to eat raw cabbage or raw carrots, which can naturally contain amounts of sugar equal to a spoonful of honey. Again, it takes hours for the glucose from raw vegetables to enter the bloodstream, while with that from honey or fruit juices, it can take less than 30 minutes. However, when sweet food is eaten during or after a protein meal, the sugar is absorbed considerably more slowly. The same applies when sweet food is combined with fat. On the other hand, sweetened starches, such as sweet porridge, cookies, or cakes, cause digestive and metabolic problems and are not recommended for habitual use. This means, in effect, that chocolate may be safer to eat occasionally than chocolate cake. In former centuries, only limited amounts of sweet foods were commonly available in middle and northern Europe. More sweet food was used in Mediterranean countries, and descendents from these populations generally have a stronger sugar metabolism. In addition, formerly it was much more common to work hard physically and in this way burn up the glucose as quickly as it entered the bloodstream after a sweet snack. Food was largely unprocessed and rich in those vitamins and minerals that are needed to maintain the blood sugar regulation and sugar metabolism. Three minerals required for metabolizing sugars are zinc (a component of insulin and of several enzymes), chromium (part of the glucose tolerance factor that allows glucose to enter the cells), and manganese (an important enzyme factor). In addition to these trace minerals, we need sufficient potassium and magnesium to produce energy from sugar. The vitamins most important for producing this energy from glucose are B1 and B2. In contrast to former centuries, many people now suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies that make good blood sugar regulation nearly impossible and severely weaken the energy metabolism. On top of this, large amounts of sweet food are consumed almost daily, and the only “work” that many modern people do after a sweet snack is to raise a cup or stare at the television. The combined effect of all these negative factors is an erratic blood sugar level. It rises higher and higher after the ingestion of sweet food and falls more steeply and lower shortly afterwards.
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Depending on one’s metabolic constitution, this has different effects on different people. Table 5-2: Symptoms of Allergy and Blood Sugar Problems Allergies and blood sugar problems reinforce each other and can cause the same symptoms or contribute to the same chronic diseases. abdominal pains addictions adrenal exhaustion aggressiveness alcoholism anemia angina anxiety arthritis asthma autoimmune disease backache bloating blurred vision burning eyes cancer caries chest pain chronic coughs chronic indigestion cold hands and feet colds colitis confusion conjunctivitis constipation convulsions crying spells depression
diabetes diarrhea digestive problems distended veins dizziness eczema edema emotional instability epilepsy exhaustion eye weakness fainting fatigue forgetfulness gallbladder pain gastric pain/ulcer glaucoma hay fever headache heart attacks heartburn haemorrhoids hyperactivity hypertension immune deficiency indigestion infections inflammations insomnia
irritability joint pains low blood pressure migraine mouth ulcers mucus congestion muscle cramps muscle pains myopia nervousness neuralgia neuroses nose bleeding numbness obesity palpitations phobia poor circulation rashes respiratory problems schizophrenia sinusitis skin problems sweating tachycardia underweight varicose veins vomiting weakness
If you look at Table 5-2, you may be surprised at the variety of symptoms that can occur and the number of chronic diseases to which a weak sugar metabolism contributes. The reason that sugar can cause such a range of problems is that glucose has a central position in producing our daily energy requirement. If our cells cannot efficiently produce energy, all our organs and body functions are affected. How Diabetes Comes into the Picture: The disease most widely associated with a breakdown of blood sugar regulation is diabetes. When diabetes develops during childhood or in young adults (Type I), the main problem is usually a deficiency of the hormone insulin. Produced in the pancreas, insulin is required to channel the
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blood glucose into the cells. Therefore, a deficiency of insulin leads to a rise in the blood glucose level. Currently, accepted medical opinion does not see a connection between the overconsumption of sweet food and the development of diabetes. However, experiments have shown that the insulin sensitivity decreases with frequent use of sweet food. Starting with a raw food diet that excluded all sweet food as well as other problem foods, I have been able to help diabetics of both types to improve their blood sugar regulation so that insulin injections or drugs were no longer needed. In adult-onset diabetes (Type II), there is usually sufficient insulin available, but its effectiveness is greatly reduced. The main reason for this is the “disaccharide effect” as well as a deficiency in chromium, which is part of the glucose tolerance factor. Insulin and the glucose tolerance factor work together like key and keyhole to let glucose into the cells, but a deficiency of chromium prevents glucose from entering the cells. The reason for a chromium deficiency is the habitual consumption of refined and sweet foods. Refined food is deficient in chromium, while eating sweet food raises not only the blood sugar level, but also the blood chromium level; this causes more chromium to be excreted with the urine. Another effect of chromium deficiency in diabetics and others is the excessive formation of cholesterol after eating sweet food and the subsequent development of arteriosclerosis. These same factors also lead to the formation of cataracts. A diet high in fructose is especially implicated in causing eye diseases in diabetics. Fructose and glucose are the two components of sucrose - the normal household sugar - and also of honey. Fructose (best if obtained from fruits only) can enter the cells without requiring insulin and thereby can help to normalize the diabetic metabolism, but this is risky if mineral deficiencies are not corrected at the same time, especially deficiencies in magnesium, zinc, and chromium. In animal experiments, an excessive intake of sugar resulted in a greatly enlarged pancreas and pituitary glands, both of which are involved in blood sugar regulation. A group of Aboriginal diabetics in Australia who lived for several weeks on “bush food” all quickly returned to a normal blood sugar regulation. Similarly, Indians living in Natal (South Africa) have a high sugar consumption and high levels of diabetes and heart disease compared to Indians living in India who use very little sugar and have very low rates of these diseases. Type II diabetics are generally treated with tablets to lower blood glucose levels. As with insulin, these hypoglycaemic drugs do not protect the patients against the various harmful complications of long-term diabetes, such as degenerative eye changes, especially involving the retina, degeneration of the peripheral nervous system, and atherosclerosis, especially affecting the legs and heart. On the contrary, studies seem to indicate that these drugs accelerate such degenerative changes. Doctors W. H. Philpott and D. K. Kalita point out in Victory over Diabetes that the overwhelming evidence of recent studies shows a shortened life expectancy and more serious complications from using diabetic drugs. In fact, the death rate actually doubled in those taking oral diabetic drugs. Most of these same drugs are still in use today. From a biochemical point of view, this is only logical and to be expected
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because if sugar levels are lowered without converting them into energy, then they have to be converted into fat and cholesterol (collectively called lipids) that then cause many of these problems. When the liver and bloodstream are already loaded with lipids, it is difficult to convert excess glucose into more lipids. Therefore, obese or overweight individuals have greatly decreased insulin sensitivity, but insulin becomes much more effective if they lose weight. Other studies show that blood sugar regulation is best maintained with a diet high in vegetable fibre, especially from legumes, and that a high intake of simple carbohydrates or sugars tends to make insulin less sensitive (active). Sugar added to the diet of research animals or increased in the diet of healthy volunteers has been reported to disturb the glucose metabolism and cause diseases of the eyes, kidneys, and blood vessels. Even if combined with a high-fibre, low-fat diet, added sugar still adversely affects the glucose tolerance. However, short-term studies may not show the harmful long-term effects of sugar in the development of Type II diabetes. This is because household sugar or sucrose consists of one molecule of glucose and fructose. Only glucose elevates the sugar level in the normal way, while fructose affects it only slightly. Therefore, in the glycaemic index, discussed earlier, which measures the immediate effect of different foods on the blood glucose level, sucrose is listed as a good food. Instead, the danger of fructose is in causing an exaggerated insulin response, mainly when it is together with glucose in the same meal, be it from sucrose, honey, or even starches; to some degree, this happens even when ingested on its own as a sweetener. However, fructose in whole fruits is generally fine, provided it is not ingested close to a meal containing starches. Let’s look now at the common habit of eating sweetened starches, as in bread with jam, marmalade, or honey, cakes, cookies, muesli, or breakfast cereals. The fructose contained in the meal causes a strong rise in the blood insulin level. At the same time, a large amount of glucose from the breakdown of starches enters the bloodstream. The excess of insulin quickly channels the glucose inside muscle cells, which are now overloaded with glucose. Only a small amount is needed for energy production; the rest can be converted to lactic acid, causing overacidity, or to body fat. Gradually, cells learn to protect themselves by becoming less responsive to insulin and making it harder for glucose to enter. Until 1980, the rate of obesity and Type II diabetes was fairly stable. However, when the health authorities in the U.S. started vilifying foods containing fats and cholesterol and recommended eating carbohydrates instead, obesity increased from 13 to 14 percent of the adult U.S. population to 25 percent within one decade and continues to rise. Type II diabetes became an epidemic as well. In addition, for the first time in history, a large number of obese children developed Type II diabetes. As a result, it is now not usually called adult-onset diabetes.30 While exaggerated insulin response and resulting loss of insulin sensitivity are most pronounced in obese individuals, they gradually develop also in others after prolonged use of sucrose. The damage is greater the more sucrose is eaten in a gorging pattern instead of in small meals at intervals.
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Surprisingly, sucrose has a worse effect than eating its two components, glucose and fructose, at the same meal. This is called the disaccharide effect and applies also to other sugars with two components, such as maltose with two glucose molecules. A hormone in the duodenum releases more insulin after ingestion of disaccharides than after monosaccharides such as glucose or fructose. While increased insulin levels are desirable for Type I diabetics, with Type II diabetes it just means that more glucose is being converted into fat and cholesterol. However, there is a way to increase the insulin sensitivity of muscle cells naturally, such as with regular aerobic exercise. This allows glucose to enter muscle cells without the aid of insulin. In addition, the five-carbon sugar alcohol xylitol can be used by both types of diabetics without increasing blood glucose levels, although large amounts may cause diarrhea. Hyperactivity and ADD: Much more widespread than diabetes or hyperglycaemia is the opposite condition of low blood sugar or hypoglycaemia. The most common milder form is reactive hypoglycaemia, in which the blood sugar response after eating non-sweet foods is normal. However, when sweet food is eaten, including sweet fruits, too much insulin is released and glucose floods the cells. Glucose cannot be stored in cells and has to be metabolized. How this happens depends on the condition of your metabolism. The first stages are easy and result in the glucose molecule being split in half; this process is anaerobic and does not require oxygen. However, oxidizing enzymes are necessary for the next stage and these are usually deficient in adults with this condition. Children, on the other hand, often still have a reasonable supply of enzymes and are able to convert most of the glucose to energy. This creates an energy burst, whether it is needed or not, that has to be used. The result is extreme restlessness: The muscles must move to use the surplus energy, and the brain races as well. When the “straw fire” of excess energy is used up, insufficient glucose remains to sustain normal activity and attention. Mental and physical exhaustion follows, until a sweet snack lights another straw fire of hyperactivity. This temporary speeding up of the energy cycle is exaggerated, and in other cases triggered, by various factors that cause stress on the nervous and hormonal systems. The most frequent cause of such stress is a hidden allergy to food additives and to common foods such as wheat and cow’s milk products. Usually a child’s favourite foods are also to blame. Additional triggers can be fluorescent lighting, television viewing, strong electromagnetic radiation, petrochemical fumes, tobacco smoke, Candida albicans, and emotional stress. In adolescents and adults such energy bursts, especially when combined with exposure to dietary allergens or stimulants, can lead to periods of uncontrolled violence. Many studies, involving thousands of institutionalized male juvenile delinquents, have shown a large drop in the incidence of antisocial behaviour in those on diets low in sugar and allergens. While the average improvement rate was almost 50 percent, repeat offenders improved by more than 80 percent, and their suicide rate fell 100 percent.
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Females, because of their lower adrenaline levels, tend less towards violent behaviour. Instead, the effects of the strong blood sugar fluctuations after ingesting sweet food are more internalized. In sensitive individuals, emotions closely follow the blood sugar levels, often going up and down in quick succession, alternating between elation and depression. Problems of Hypoglycaemia: The speedy metabolism that results in hyperactivity and violent behaviour explains why the term “fast oxidizer” has been coined for those who burn sugar too quickly. “Fast oxidizer” and “hypoglycaemic” mean basically the same thing: someone who has a speeded-up glycolysis (the breakdown of glucose inside the cells), which results in a lower than normal blood sugar level. As opposed to hyperactive children, most adult hypoglycemics have a shortage of oxidizing enzymes, and this interrupts the energy produced at the end of glycolysis. Instead of energy, lactic acid is produced in a final anaerobic stage. Thus, only 20 percent of the total energy that would be available if glucose were completely oxidized to carbon dioxide and water is produced. This results in overacidity and a chronic lack of energy, which is typical of hypoglycemics who are on sweet diets. Additional energy is required to remove the lactic acid via the kidneys. Lactic acid must be partly neutralized and this depletes the body of positive ions, especially calcium. A further result of overacidity is a high histamine level, which makes us susceptible to strong allergic reactions and frequent inflammations, while the skin becomes oversensitive to stings and all forms of irritation. High histamine levels together with a calcium deficiency cause low blood pressure, which contributes further to a lack of energy and poor circulation, typified by cold hands and feet. Calcium is withdrawn from the blood vessels, resulting in varicose veins. Calcium deficiency also creates menstrual problems and weakens the eyes, making us nearsighted. Nearsightedness or myopia actually results from a deficiency of two minerals, calcium and chromium, and both are induced mainly by a high consumption of sugar. Chromium deficiency arises from eating too much refined food that lacks this mineral (which means we never get to absorb it) and also from increased excretion of chromium in the urine, which occurs after eating sweet food when the blood levels are raised in response to high levels of insulin. The ciliary muscles in the eyes need chromium to focus the lens for near vision. If the ciliary muscles become fatigued from a combination of chromium deficiency and prolonged close-focus activity, then the eye relieves this muscle strain by increasing the intraocular pressure; this pressure in turn leads to an elongation of the eyeball and thus to myopia. Increased intraocular pressure, however, leads to an elongation of the eyeball only in those of younger years, when the body has a high requirement for calcium. With increasing age, the tissues become more calcified and rigid. In this situation, the eyeball cannot expand with increased intraocular pressure and glaucoma may result. Scientific studies have shown that the excretion of calcium in urine increases up to fourfold in those with a strong insulin response when given large amounts of
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sugar; this is because plasma calcium levels are increased after eating sugar. The most common sources of the calcium excreted are the bones and teeth; this contributes to osteoporosis and dental caries. In elderly individuals, high plasma calcium levels also accelerate irreversible bonding with collagen and elastic protein structures, leading to increased rigidity and bone deformations, as evidenced in arteriosclerosis and arthritis. A high calcium concentration in the urine leads to an increased risk of kidney stones as well as kidney damage from the calcification of the filtration mechanism. Lactic-acid formation that occurs after eating sugar contributes to strong inflammations such as in rheumatoid arthritis and gingivitis (inflammation of the gums). Normally, the saliva is nearly neutral in pH, which is less favourable for the growth of plaque bacteria than the acidic saliva of hypoglycemics. Sugars are the only energy source for these bacteria. When we are strictly on non-sweet diets, plaque bacteria are denied energy and they cannot multiply, and this effectively prevents caries. Giving up sweet food, however, is extremely difficult for children and many adults because they are addicted to it. This addiction is in principle the same as later addictions to stimulants and drugs. Another effect of general overacidity is an inability to alkalize the gastric content when it enters the duodenum. This makes the pancreatic enzymes, which require an alkaline medium, inefficient and in time can lead to deficiencies and digestive problems (refer to acid-alkaline problems in Step 6). Fructose and the Disaccharide Effect: It has been estimated that about half of all carbohydrates ingested in the U.S. are in the form of sucrose, common household sugar, which typically supplies about 15 to 20 percent of the total calories of the diet. One half of the sucrose molecule consists of fructose and the other half of glucose. Fructose is metabolized more slowly than glucose and also induces a much stronger insulin response in susceptible people, especially in the presence of glucose. This means that reactive hypoglycaemia occurs mainly when fructose is part of a meal. Another effect of habitually high insulin levels is a gradual decrease in the sensitivity of blood glucose levels to insulin. Higher insulin levels also cause an increased loss of chromium in the urine. The result is the gradual onset of Type II diabetes. The higher the insulin levels, the more are sugars converted into fat and cholesterol. Biopsy samples of the human liver showed that fructose was converted into fatty acids at rates three to 24 times faster than glucose. Fat levels after fructose consumption rise especially high in those who have a tendency towards atherosclerosis; this can lead to diabetic complications and cardiovascular diseases. These negative effects of a high fructose intake also occur after eating sucrose. Other health problems arising from the fructose component in sucrose are raised blood pressure, caries, elevated uric-acid levels, and obesity. Regarding sugar in general, controlled experiments with various species of animals as well as with human volunteers revealed significant rises in blood pressure not only after long-term ingestion of sugar, but even after a single dose. If taken on an empty stomach, the blood pressure rose 9 to 10 mm Hg for one to two hours. After sucrose ingestion, there is also an increase in uric acid levels. Uric acid is produced in the liver from breakdown products of fructose. A raised uric acid level in
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the blood is a feature of gout, some forms of arthritis, and heart disease. Men generally produce more uric acid after eating than women do. Experimental studies on animals and humans have shown that sucrose is possibly the most caries-producing substance in our diet. Plaque bacteria convert sucrose to polymers that stick to the teeth. Some individuals have inherited fructose intolerance and must avoid all fructose and sucrose; it’s interesting that they have been found to have substantially less tooth decay than the general population does. Various animal and human studies have also shown that a diet high in sucrose can lead to a greater accumulation of fat deposits in susceptible individuals, generally those with a strong insulin response. Monkeys fed a diet high in sucrose produced three times as much deposited fat than those fed an equal amount of glucose. Surprisingly, eating a certain amount of sucrose produces a stronger insulin response than eating the same amount of mixed fructose and glucose. The same is true for maltose, which consists of two molecules of glucose and other disaccharides (disaccharides are composed of two simple sugars). The increased insulin effect of disaccharides compared to that of their component simple sugars is called the disaccharide effect, as noted previously. The reason for this effect seems to be that disaccharides liberate about twice the amount of a gastric hormone called GIP (gastric inhibitory polypeptide) that simple sugars do. In practical terms, this means that it is harmful for most of us to have fructose and glucose at the same meal. Examples of this combination are: muesli or honey, dried fruit, or fresh fruit to sweeten cereals or starches; dessert or sweetened coffee or tea after meals. Most harmful are the sweetened starches, such as cakes, sweet cookies, or crackers, and sweetened breakfast cereals. Beware especially of mixing fructose with starches if you want to lose weight. Problems with Natural Sweet Foods: Unfortunately, natural sweet foods such as honey, dried fruits, or fruit juices are no better for diabetics or hypoglycemics than food sweetened with white sugar. What seems to matter is how much sweet food is used and how quickly it enters the bloodstream. Fruits that are acidic as well as sweet may be even worse, especially for hypoglycemics, than plain sugar because the fruit acids reinforce the existing overacidity. However, by neutralizing fruit acids they can become beneficial, and eating the whole fruit is better than drinking the fruit juice only. Raw honey has a high concentration of the beneficial starch-digesting enzyme amylase, which is lacking in heated commercial honey; sun-dried fruit is healthier than commercial heat-dried fruit. While fructose from fruits can be helpful for Type I diabetics, with hypoglycemics it only increases the lactic acid overload. Lactic acid overproduction from the combined effect of strong muscle activity and sweet food ingestion is also responsible for reported cases of allergic reactions after jogging. The resulting overacidity simply brings already existing hidden allergies into the open. Apart from the loss of calcium, another side effect of lactic-acid buildup is a tendency to anxiety neuroses, phobias, and panic attacks. From a health viewpoint, it is preferable to have sweet food only occasionally and with a protein snack or meal. Removing the sweet taste from the tongue as quickly as possible helps minimize the insulin overreaction. Alternative sweeteners
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such as the sugar alcohols manitol, sorbitol, and xylitol should only be used in small amounts. In larger amounts, they can cause diarrhea or keep the craving for sweetness alive, which in time leads to another binge on sweet food. The leaves of the herb stevia have long been used in traditional cultures as a sweetener. They are 15 to 30 times as sweet as sugar and an extract can be 300 times as sweet. It is not known if large amounts of stevia ingested over long periods of time cause unacceptable side effects, but I regard it as safer than aspartame or other artificial sweeteners. It is acceptable to use in small amounts but do not use it instead of sugar in an addictive way. Other sweeteners, such as saccharine and aspartame (Nutrasweet), may cause allergies or worse. Fructose is the sweetest sugar, followed by sucrose. Glucose and maltose are less sweet but somewhat safer for most people, especially combined with starches. Maltose is available as barley sugar. Preferably, use maltose instead of sucrose for sweetening starches. As a general rule, for most individuals it is best to reserve sweet food as a rare treat for special occasions rather than to use it as an everyday food. However, if you do not have a craving for sweet food, then it is not likely to be a problem for you. Those who have a low fasting blood sugar level (feeling weak or dizzy on an empty stomach) must be more strict than reactive hypoglycemics and are advised to avoid all sweet food for several years so that the sugar metabolism has time to recover. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 41 MEAT & FAT Overconsumption of meat and fats can create serious health problems. Try cutting back on your intake.
Those who eat a lot of red meat tend to develop the opposite characteristics and health problems to those on a sweet diet. Red meat has a stimulating effect on the sympathetic nervous system and adrenal hormones. This improves the ability to “push through” and provides “drive” such that heavy meat eaters may become powerfully assertive and even aggressive. Another important effect of eating red meat is a tendency for the blood pressure to rise because of meat’s effects on the adrenal hormones and the nervous system. Among the meats, beef has the strongest influence on blood pressure. All this can be beneficial for hypoglycemics with low blood pressure, lack of drive, and weak adrenaline glands, but for others, especially stressed males, it may mean hypertension and kidney problems. Health problems associated with eating meat fall into three categories: those common to all meat, those associated with cooked meat, and those with meat produced by factory farming. Common to all meat is a high phosphorus content with an unfavourable phosphorus-to-calcium ratio. The high phosphorus content of meat stimulates the parathyroid glands (associated with the thyroid in the neck) and raises the calcium blood level, in some cases by activating and freeing calcium from the bones. In combination with a prevailing over-alkalinity, this leads to stone formation (such as kidney stones), kidney damage, arteriosclerosis, stiff joints, ankylosis, and arthritic bone deformations. Heavy meat eaters have been found to excrete in the urine up to four times more calcium than normal; this is a cause of kidney stones and other kidney damage. It is even worse when high meat consumption is combined with a high sugar intake. This can increase the loss of calcium and corresponding kidney damage up to tenfold above normal, while at the same time greatly accelerating osteoporosis and tissue calcifications, such as arteriosclerosis.31 Carnivorous animals in the wild do not have this problem caused by an excessive intake of phosphorus because they also eat the calcium-rich bones. We, too, can avoid this problem by using bone broth or other foods and supplements high in calcium. Meat, because of its high phosphoric acid content, is regarded as an acidforming food. However, in habitual heavy meat eaters or in those with a weak digestive system, the metabolic and hormonal stimulation resulting from red meat consumption gradually declines and eventually leads to a sluggish metabolism. These individuals are called “slow oxidizers.” With a slow metabolism, a deficiency in metabolic acids develops and this makes the whole body too alkaline. With overalkalinity, histamine remains tightly bound to tissue proteins and the skin. In such people, even the emotions are sluggish and they often appear unresponsive, with little outward expression.
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With low histamine levels, inflammatory responses, which are required for many self-healing actions of the body, are suppressed. Allergens entering the bloodstream will not cause a warning allergic reaction; instead, autoimmune diseases may develop from a continued invasion of allergens. Histamine dilates the blood vessels, causing the blood pressure to drop, a problem of hypoglycemics. However, lack of histamine in slow oxidizers greatly contributes to the development of high blood pressure. A diet high in meat, together with weak kidneys, often leads to the accumulation of uric acid in the muscles, causing gout and rheumatism. General over-alkalinity leads to a lack of gastric acid in later life, resulting in poor absorption of minerals and an incomplete digestion of proteins. Intestinal putrefaction and eventually cancer may follow, aided by chronic constipation and a depletion of pancreatic enzymes. One problem of a diet high in meat and actually of all high-protein diets is the accumulation of protein fragments in the spaces between tissue cells. This causes or contributes to water retention or oedema. In addition, capillaries become clogged, preventing efficient nutrient supply to the tissues; lymph glands congested with protein fragments are breeding grounds for bacteria and weaken the immune system. All these complications aid the development of degenerative diseases and cancer. The indicated problems, metabolic sluggishness resulting in over-alkalinity, and accumulation of uric acid and protein fragments can happen with any diet that is too high in protein and are more prevalent with a sedentary rather than an active lifestyle. They can be eased or prevented with an increased intake of fruit acids and digestive enzyme supplements, in addition to fasting or cleansing periods with a high intake of fluids. However, in large measure these problems are not due to eating meat, but to eating cooked meat. Raw meat contains a high level of protein-digesting enzymes (cathepsin). Left to its own devices, meat tends to digest itself. Eskimos and other traditional cultures remained healthy on a diet high in flesh foods as long as they ate it mainly uncooked. On a diet of cooked food generally, and especially with meat eating, the weight of the pancreas has been shown to increase. The pancreas of animals on cooked diets is about 300 percent heavier than it is for those on a raw-meat diet. I take this to mean that the pancreas becomes enlarged because on a cooked diet it needs to produce 300 percent more digestive enzymes than on a raw diet. Cooked meat is difficult to digest and needs particularly strong digestive juices. An aging body or one in poor health will not be able to keep up with this excessive enzyme production and enzyme depletion and deteriorating health will be the expected consequences. While animals on raw meat remain healthy, those on cooked diets tend to develop a variety of degenerative diseases typical of human conditions. To remain healthy, dogs and cats need a raw-meat diet that includes offal and bones. Freeliving carnivores not only eat their meat raw, they also eat bones and offal, have a very active lifestyle, and efficiently eliminate metabolic residues. If we want to remain healthy on a diet high in meat, then we have to adopt similar practices.
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Health problems caused by cooking and enzyme depletion are aggravated by an accumulation of toxic chemicals and hormones. This is due to the common practice of factory farming. Chemical contamination is much worse in grain-fed beef from feedlots than in grazing animals. There are numerous studies showing the harmful effects of residues from pesticides, antibiotics, and growth promoters. If we cannot obtain the meat of healthy, chemical-free animals and eat it predominantly raw (for instance minced or marinated), or use digestive enzymes and appropriate cleansing periods, then it is better for our health to eat meat only sparingly. Fats and Oils: Fat is an important source of energy and some of its components, the polyunsaturated fatty acids and lipotrophic factors, are essential for our health. Fats and oils are composed of fatty acids, chemically linked with glycerol (a three-carbon sugar alcohol). While in a sense all fats and oils are often grouped together as fats or lipids, commonly we speak of fats when they are solid at room temperature and of oils when they are liquid at room temperature. Fatty acids are long carbon chains (containing from four to 26 carbon atoms) with hydrogen attached to each carbon and an organic acid group at the end. In saturated fatty acids, every carbon position is filled with hydrogen, while unsaturated fatty acids have a reactive double bond between two carbon atoms. If there are two or three such double bonds, then we call it polyunsaturated. Naturally occurring polyunsaturated fatty acids are folded in a specific way and called cis-fatty acids; during heating their structure changes to the more stable transfatty acids. Cis-fatty acids are important as structural ingredients of cell membrane and to facilitate oxidative energy production, but trans-fatty acids can interfere with these functions. Animal fats consist mainly of long-chain saturated fatty acids with a high melting point. Beef and mutton have the hardest animal fats with the highest melting points; butter is marginally softer, due to its lower melting point. A high consumption of these hard fats poses two problems. If no attempt is made to use sufficient polyunsaturated oils that provide the necessary essential fatty acids (EFA) and lipotrophic factors (e.g., lecithin and vitamin E), then a deficiency of these is likely to develop. The other problem is that the liver may not be able to metabolize an excess of long-chain saturated fatty acids. The EFA’s and lipotrophic factors are important in forming cell walls, for the immune system, and for platelet aggregation in blood clotting to prevent bleeding and unnecessary clotting. They also form tissue hormones called prostaglandins and other important biochemicals. Deficiencies in these nutrients can cause the following: a weak immune system; blood vessel and cardiovascular diseases; blood clots causing heart infarctions, paralysis, and strokes; skin problems, often starting with scaliness and including eczema, acne, and psoriasis; poor growth; impaired reproduction; and bronchial diseases. Many degenerative diseases have been linked to an excess of saturated fats and a subsequent deficiency in EFA’s; these include atherosclerosis, nerve and brain disorders, schizophrenia, psychoses and neuroses, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. However, an oversupply of polyunsaturated oils can have its dangers as
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well, especially if you are deficient in vitamin E. Polyunsaturated oils easily oxidize in contact with air to form oxides and peroxides that have a high potential for causing cancer and liver damage. This danger is greatest when these oils are refined and heated, as in frying. The Problems with Saturated Fats: The liver has only a limited potential for handling fats. When the liver is flooded with a consistently high supply of saturated fats, it cannot metabolize them. Fats, by the way, do not come only from fatty foods; a surplus of carbohydrates can be converted into saturated fat. Only a small amount of carbohydrate can be stored as glycogen, so all the surplus energy from a carbohydrate meal is stored as fat. Normally, fats are broken down into keto acids in the liver and transported by the bloodstream to other cells where they combine with products from sugar metabolism to create energy. When fats are oversupplied, there may not be enough glucose to produce energy efficiently, either because the carbohydrate intake is insufficient or because the effectiveness of insulin is reduced. A surplus of keto acids can then be resynthesised to saturated fatty acids and cholesterol (see Figure 5-2 in Step 43). Another difficulty is that not all the fat is convertible into keto acids, and a high percentage of fatty acids and fat molecules are thus released directly into the bloodstream. The body may reduce these surplus fats by storing them in adipose tissue, forming fat deposits; this happens especially with heavy meat eaters who have become slow oxidizers, as explained earlier. Some portion of the fatty acids and cholesterol may then react with the usually elevated calcium levels of slow oxidizers to form fatty plaques, also called sludge, in the blood vessels. Fatty deposits are called atheromas and consist mainly of smooth muscle cells filled with sludge, similar to fatty tumours. Such deposits can help cause arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Not only animal fats, but also peanuts and peanut oil have properties that cause atherosclerosis: peanut oil contains some saturated fatty acids with unusually long chains, namely arachidic and behemic acid. However, these fatty acids seem to be beneficial for arthritic joints. In those with sensitive skin, or especially during adolescence, the body tries to cleanse itself by removing fatty sludge through the sebaceous glands, causing acne and an unclean skin. Eating sweet food is as much to blame for this as is fat intake. Fats in the feet, for instance, have a melting point of 33° F, while fats of the inner organs melt at 114° F. If the diet contains too much saturated fat and sweet food, then the melting point of the outer fats will be raised. In cold parts of the skin, those that are exposed or with poor blood circulation, the fats will harden within the sebaceous glands and block the outflow of sludge or normal skin oils. This causes inflammation of these glands, as in acne and other skin problems. Even worse than natural hard fats are those that are chemically hardened, such as margarine. During the hydrogenation process, non-biological fatty acids are formed called trans-fatty acids, which the body cannot properly metabolize and which interfere with the utilization of essential fatty acids. Cardiovascular diseases and an increased incidence of cancer can be a frequent outcome of a diet habitually high in red meat and saturated fats, but so is
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fatty degeneration of the liver. The blood becomes more viscous or sluggish after a fatty meal. This causes a reduction in tissue oxygenation and an increased susceptibility to arthritic pain, heart pain, or shortness of breath; blood flow to the brain is reduced, producing tiredness and decreased mental alertness. Some of the adverse effects of fatty foods result from a deficiency of lecithin in the diet. Lecithin is a natural emulsifier of fats; it can be synthesized in the liver but often a deficiency develops because naturally occurring lecithin or choline is lacking in refined food. This is a main cause of fatty degeneration of the liver, which can be reversed, however, with organ cleansing practices, lemon juice, and lecithin supplements. Another problem with a high-fat diet is the destruction of naturally occurring lipase in cooked food. Lipase is important as our main fat-digesting enzyme, and we rely to a significant degree on lipase in natural foods to supplement our pancreatic lipase. With the destruction of food lipase by heating, on a high-fat diet we gradually develop a lipase deficiency, and this leads to the development of fat-related diseases. Formerly, inhabitants of Bulgaria and the Caucasus lived on high-fat diets without developing fat-related diseases. They even consumed an abundance of fullfat milk products, yet were famous for their health and longevity. They generally used unheated fats, which seems to make the difference. Here is another example of the significance of natural lipase in our diet. The skin disease psoriasis is generally aggravated by fatty foods, and fats must be avoided to cure it. However, in the early twentieth century, an American doctor reportedly cured psoriasis routinely with an intake of two pounds of raw butter per week for six weeks and with reduced amounts afterwards. Modern pasteurized butter definitely aggravates psoriasis but raw butter cures it - what is the difference? Raw butter from free-ranging cows is very high in lipase and pasteurized butter is devoid of it, so the difference may be lipase. The healthiest saturated fat may actually be unheated coconut oil. This is due to its high content of short-chain fatty acids that can easily move into cells to be converted to energy. The long fatty acids of other fats, in contrast, require L-carnitine for this process. Individuals who have added coconut oil to their diet generally seem to have more energy without putting on extra weight. Cholesterol: Cholesterol is now portrayed as the great medical villain causing cardiovascular disease and heart attacks by clogging the arteries, especially the coronary arteries of the heart muscle, with fatty sludge. However, cholesterol is an extremely valuable biochemical. It forms the base of steroid hormones and vitamin D and it is highly concentrated in the brain, liver, adrenal glands, and nerves. Hypo-glycemics or fast oxidizers usually have low levels of this important nutrient, and recent studies link low cholesterol levels with an increased risk of cancer. Excess cholesterol is normally excreted with the bile but may form gallstones if there is a lack of lecithin and the amino acid taurine needed to form bile salts. The cholesterol content of food is not normally a problem in itself. Most cholesterol in the body is formed in the liver from breakdown products of saturated fats, and the more cholesterol that is ingested with food, the less is synthesized. Thus the body’s overall cholesterol level normally remains stable.
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You may read about HDL and LDL in connection with cholesterol and heart disease. HDL is short for high-density lipoproteins and LDL for low-density lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are biomolecules composed of proteins and lipids; they can be used to transport cholesterol between the liver and tissue cells. Those that carry cholesterol from the cells to the liver are the high-density lipoproteins, regarded as beneficial. Their cholesterol is called HDL cholesterol. Low-density lipoproteins carry LDL cholesterol from the liver to tissue cells; a low level of these is preferable. The aim of medical intervention is to increase the level of HDL cholesterol and lower the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood. However, I am not convinced of the value of the medical strategies being used in reducing or curing cardiovascular disease. Therefore, I tend to disregard measurements of HDL, LDL, and cholesterol and specific interventions to normalize levels; instead, I focus on a natural lifestyle to improve health. Cholesterol overproduction arises mainly from an excess of saturated fats and a deficiency of chromium. The body tries desperately to lower the keto acid and fatty levels in blood and liver, and cholesterol overproduction provides a temporary solution. Even elevated glucose and fructose levels can be reduced by their conversion into cholesterol. In this way, sweet foods contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases. Sugar ingestion raises the insulin level, and a key enzyme that synthesizes cholesterol is actually regulated by insulin. The higher the sugar intake, the higher the insulin level, and thus the more cholesterol synthesized in the liver. A higher intake of polyunsaturated oils in males can lead to some decrease in cholesterol levels. However, in women it has led to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. In animal experiments, it was found that high-sugar diets were less damaging in the presence of saturated fats such as beef tallow or coconut oil. Despite huge efforts, medical research so far has not conclusively shown that a high cholesterol diet or high cholesterol blood levels cause heart disease. As we can see from the published scientific facts, it is often the contrary: •
Medically supervised trials with low-cholesterol diets were unsuccessful in significantly lowering blood cholesterol levels or reducing the risk of heart disease.
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Low blood cholesterol does not mean freedom from heart disease. Some drug treatments to lower cholesterol have resulted in increased rates of heart disease.
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About 50 percent of men under the age of 55 who die of heart attack do not have elevated cholesterol levels or any of the other risk factors such as hypertension, smoking, obesity, or diabetes.
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Some cultural groups have a low risk of heart disease despite a high intake of cholesterol; Western populations also had this before the compulsory pasteurization of milk products and the chlorination of water supplies.
Recently an evaluation was published of six major trials that lowered cholesterol in the blood in tens of thousands of individuals over many years. There was on average a cholesterol reduction of about ten percent and only a small reduction of 14 percent from death of coronary heart disease. However, the total number of deaths was significantly higher among those patients who had their
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cholesterol lowered compared to the control group. This included not only higher mortality from cancer but on average a 67 percent higher mortality rate from violent death, such as accidents, homicides, and suicides. This high rate of death from violent causes was found in every one of these trials. In looking for an explanation for this increased violence, in another study researchers found that monkeys on a diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat became more aggressive. Studies on humans found lower cholesterol levels among criminals and individuals with aggressive or violent behaviour or limited self-control. This is probably due to a more erratic sugar metabolism that results if cholesterol and fats are curtailed in an inappropriate way. Erratic blood sugar fluctuations tend to induce uncontrollable mood swings, including aggressive behaviour. Criminal and aggressive individuals have been frequently shown to have an erratic or hypoglycaemic-type sugar metabolism. After decades of habitual sugar and meat consumption, the insulin level rises permanently because of a reduced efficiency in controlling glucose levels. Then cholesterol levels also remain chronically high. Reducing cholesterol in this situation with drugs means that less sugar is converted into cholesterol. Therefore, blood sugar levels become more erratic and behaviour is more aggressive. Thus, low cholesterol diets are appropriate only if the diet is also low in sweet food. There is a connection between cholesterol intake and atherosclerosis and heart disease. If cholesterol in food is heated in the presence of oxygen, then cholesterol is oxidized to oxy-cholesterol and this damages the blood vessels and causes atherosclerotic lesions. Once such lesions exist, normal cholesterol in combination with high calcium levels can also contribute to a further buildup of plaque. In experiments using animals, it was found that with high intakes of either cholesterol or oxy-cholesterol, atherosclerotic degeneration occurred only with oxy-cholesterol, not with cholesterol. Oxy-cholesterol is carcinogenic. The high incidence of cardiovascular disease and atherosclerotic aging processes may be traced in part to the heating (especially frying) of meat, eggs, and milk products, which liberates oxy-cholesterol. Avoiding this and chlorinated water and using high levels of antioxidants could also ensure that cholesterol does not become oxidized inside the body. In conclusion, to avoid cholesterol-related health problems: •
Minimize the use of sweetened food, heated fats and oils, and chlorinated water.
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Maximize the intake of unheated fats and oils, antioxidants, and fresh raw foods.
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Lower your high cholesterol levels with cleansing periods and plenty of lemon juice.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: There are two groups of essential fatty acids, or EFA’s. The common oils from warm climate seeds (sunflower, safflower) contain mainly the omega-6 series of EFA’s, based on linoleic acid with two unsaturated or double bonds. Cold climate plants and fish oils, on the other hand, contain mainly omega-3 fatty acids. Linolenic acid in linseed (flaxseed) with three double bonds has the
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shortest carbon chain in this group. In fish oils, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) predominate. The omega-3 fatty acids have generally been neglected in modern nutrition. This has led to widespread deficiency symptoms and chronic disease. Their fundamental importance can be seen in the fact that DHA is the main unsaturated fatty acid in the retina and the brain and is exceptionally high in the thymus and reproductive glands, especially the testes. DHA is obviously most needed during pregnancy and early infancy for brain and gland development. It is up to 30 times higher in breast milk than in cow’s milk or formula. This may bear some relation to epilepsy and eye weakness in infants, and its deficiency has also been linked to colic; inflammation of the lungs, digestive tract, joints, and kidneys; crib death (SIDS); skin diseases; and a predisposition to frequent infections. A recent scientific study reported an eight-point higher intelligence quotient in preterm babies fed breast milk as compared to those on cow’s milk formula. As explanation, the deficiency of DHA in cow’s milk was cited. Fish oils are now commonly used to prevent heart disease, while linseed oil with its 45 percent alpha-linolenic acid has been successfully used to help treat various mental diseases. Even severe cases of schizophrenia and manic-depressive illness have reportedly been overcome or even controlled with ingestion of linseed oil. One or two tablespoons of linseed oil daily can help overcome depression, but twice that amount can cause a manic episode with racing thoughts, so too much has its downside. Generally, however, this dosage can be increased about tenfold before negative symptoms develop. Mood swings, irritability, and anxiety can be relieved, and premenstrual tension and other menstrual problems and vaginal dryness after menopause are improved; prostate enlargement, arthritis, eye problems, immune deficiency, hair loss (alopecia areata), obesity, and skin problems are also often relieved. EFA’s and especially the omega-3 fatty acids (such as DHA and EPA) regulate the fluidity or softness of the cell membranes. A deficiency is noticeable as a hardening of the skin, as with dry, scaling, and flaking skin, patchy eczema, acne, and skin sensitive to the sun. Most common is phrynoderma, with rough, hard skin on the buttocks, thighs, and arms. The colder the climate, the more omega-3 fatty acids are needed for membrane fluidity. The omega-6 series predominantly form prostaglandins that increase inflammation and with this the pain experienced in many diseases. The omega-3 series form anti--inflammatory prostaglandins. Thus, omega-6 fatty acids aggravate allergic reactions, including asthma and rheumatoid arthritis, while omega-3 fatty acids reduce these. Another important function of both groups of EFA’s is in the production of oxidative energy. Also, the “brown fat” that produces and regulates our body heat is mainly stimulated by omega-3 fatty acids. This is especially important for overweight individuals who want to convert body fat into body heat and for those who habitually have cold hands and feet. While individuals with deficiency symptoms related to omega-3 EFA's require a higher intake for some time, it is generally estimated that a normal diet should provide two to three percent of calories from omega-3 and five to ten percent from
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omega-6 fatty acids. In contrast, the average modern diet provides about 0.4 percent of calories from omega-3 and ten percent from omega-6 fatty acids. You can clearly see the imbalance. While using polyunsaturated oils instead of saturated fats has been found to reduce the cholesterol level and incidence of cardiovascular diseases, the rate of cancer has risen, presumably due to the combination of an inflammatory effect, antioxidant deficiency, and rancidity of refined oils. Biological damage can result from the peroxides and free radicals (highly reactive molecule fragments) formed from polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the common seed oils also have a strong inflammatory influence as they tend to form pro-inflammatory tissue hormones. This not only increases allergic reactions and arthritic inflammations, but also supports the growth of tumors.32 In addition, it has been reported that melanoma sufferers had a higher rate of polyunsaturated fatty acids in their skin than non-affected individuals. A high intake of polyunsaturated oils also requires a greatly increased intake of antioxidants, especially of vitamin E. However, refined oils as well as our normal diet are usually very low in vitamin E. This, in addition to a low intake of bioflavonoids and carotenoids, is probably a main factor in the present high incidence of skin cancer. Health problems are further caused by the improper production of polyunsaturated oils. These oils are very delicate substances that should be produced and stored at cool temperatures and in conditions that exclude oxygen and strong light. Instead, they are typically extracted with chemical solvents or cooked and pressed hot and then refined with bleaching and deodorizing at very high temperatures. Even many cold-pressed oils are refined in this way. This causes oxidative damage to the oils and a structural change by which a high percentage of the natural cis-fatty acids form unnatural trans-fatty acids. Packaging oils in clear plastic bottles instead of brown glass bottles means they are exposed to light and can dissolve chemicals from out of the plastic, thereby contaminating the oil. One oil, though reasonably high in omega-3 fatty acids, should be avoided. This is canola or rapeseed oil. There are medical warnings that an ingredient called erucic acid apparently can agglutinate (clump together) red blood cells and reportedly contribute to loss of vision or blindness, emphysema and other respiratory problems, anemia, and problems with the central and peripheral nervous system. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 42 CHEMICALS IN YOUR FOOS Minimize your exposure to toxic chemicals, water additives, and yeasts and moulds - your body will thank you for it.
Almost all our foods contain non-biological chemicals to some degree. It starts with water-soluble fertilizers that are overused in agriculture and cause mineral imbalances and trace mineral deficiencies in our crop plants; it continues with the liberal use of herbicides, pesticides, and fumigants. Many of these leave residues on foods we ingest. Growing our food crops using common water-soluble fertilizers causes a similar disturbance to the plant metabolism as a high-sugar diet does to a human hypoglycaemic metabolism. The cells are flooded with some nutrients, while others go lacking. While there are now high amounts of non-biological chemicals in our food, essential nutrients in these foods are becoming rare. John D. Hamaker in The Survival of Civilization gives the following example of trace mineral deficiency induced by using fertilizers. In 1948, the highest iron concentration in cabbage was found to be 94 ppm (parts per million) and the lowest was 20 ppm. By 1963, the average value had dropped to four ppm. The story was similar for other vegetables. The general conclusion is that the average trace mineral content of vegetables in 1963 was close to or even lower than the lowest concentrations in 1948. The latest results show that vitamin and mineral concentrations are much lower now. The food tables of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the year 2000 show that the typical vitamin C content of broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach is only about half of what it was in 1963. Also vitamins A, B1, and B2 have declined sharply since then, and the calcium in corn has decreased by 78 percent. The content of trace minerals can vary in the same type of vegetable by more than 100 times, depending on the quality of the soil in which it is grown. The selenium content in wheat was found to vary from 0.6 mcg/100 g in parts of New Zealand to 130 mcg/100 g in parts of Canada. The vitamin content can fluctuate to a similar degree. The vitamin and trace mineral values listed in food tables are therefore often completely meaningless, especially when the original values are decades old. The trace mineral content of our arable land is now extremely low and rapidly declining even further because of heavy cropping without replacing what has been taken out. Trace minerals in the soil originate from disintegrating rocks. In order to remineralise the soil, crushed rock would need to be distributed over our cropland. Improved agricultural conditions must be maintained by returning to the soil whatever has been taken out, using composting and organic farming methods. Heavy use of water-soluble fertilizers allows cropping in poor soils, but plants become deficient and offer little resistance to disease and insect attacks. This then justifies the liberal use of highly toxic agricultural chemicals, part of which remain in the plants and fruits and are eventually ingested by us. The most commonly affected
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are commercially produced fruits. Agricultural chemicals can then accumulate in the body, especially in fat tissue, and they can also damage the liver. Organo-phosphate insecticides, for instance, can cause weakness, muscular trembling, cold sweats (an early sign of liver damage), irritability, tightness of the chest (asthma), nausea, and abdominal pain. Organo-chlorine insecticides, which include DDT, lindane, 2.4-D and 2.4.5-T, are even more toxic to humans. They affect mainly the nervous system and can cause a wide variety of symptoms including convulsions, numbness of extremities, uncontrollable excitement, apprehensions, allergies, and birth defects. More recently, pesticides and herbicides used on farms and in households have been increasingly linked to neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Develop-ment of symptoms due to low-level chronic exposure is gradual, but it has been suggested by researchers that long-term exposure to sub toxic levels of chemicals is much more likely to lead to neurological disorders than to physically based diseases. In animal experiments, chronic systemic pesticide exposure reproduced the features of Parkinson’s disease. People who use pesticides in their homes are twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s disease as people not exposed to domestic pesticides. Also, a combination of different pesticides is more likely to cause greater toxicity problems than exposure to individual chemicals. Paraquat, a common herbicide, and maneb, a common fungicide, did not affect mice that were exposed to either one of them. However, when the chemicals were used together, dopamine neurons (brain cells needed to regulate voluntary muscle movements) began to die at low exposure levels or at only a fraction of what is normally regarded as toxic. Ongoing exposure leads to progressive neurotoxicity. There are many combinations of low-level toxic residues in our food and water, and no one knows what health effects they can produce. However, one can speculate. Only 100 years ago, cancer and Parkinson’s disease were relatively rare and affected only old people. Now they are epidemic and even children and juveniles develop these degenerative diseases. Cancer and especially breast cancer have been strongly linked to pesticide accumulations in the body. Some widely used fumigants can pose an additional hazard to our health. Organic bromides, especially methyl-bromide, destroy the pantothenic acid (an important B-vitamin) in fumigated grain and can cause serious deficiency disorders. Later on, the fumigant may not be detectable in the grain, which is then regarded as completely “safe.” However, the germination power of such grains can be very poor, which shows they have been damaged. Our unsound farming, refining, processing, and cooking methods ensure that we receive only a fraction of the vitamins and trace minerals that we would get from unprocessed raw food grown in good soil. However, these extremely low values are now regarded as “normal” by health authorities because the classical acute symptoms of serious deficiencies are still absent in most people. Apparently, no thought is given to the long-term effects of multiple subclinical deficiencies. Meat, poultry, and eggs can contain residues of antibiotics, pesticides, and synthetic hormones acting as growth promoters. Hormones are supposed to be destroyed during digestion and therefore are regarded as harmless. However, this
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may not be so with synthetic hormones or when the digestive system is weak. In addition, a surprising number of nutrients can be absorbed through the mouth tissue, including giant molecules such as vitamin B12; this type of absorption may also include hormones otherwise not absorbed. For example, secondary sex changes have been reported due to the habitual consumption of hormone-treated chicken. Besides liver degeneration, various forms of allergies, and leukaemia, chemical overload has been linked to chronic fatigue syndrome, ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), and motor-neuron disease. Individuals with these diseases seem to have a liver that is less able to detoxify non-biological chemicals. Chemicals Added to Foods: An even greater health hazard is the multitude of chemicals directly added to food products. These include preservatives, colours, flavours, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and so forth. Such chemicals need to be detoxified in the liver, but the volume typically ingested can contribute to liver damage. Many of these chemicals are fat-soluble and get stored in our fatty tissues. During prolonged fasting or disease resulting in weight loss, these chemicals may be released into the bloodstream in excessive amounts and cause distressing symptoms. Nitrates and nitrites are added to most processed meat products. They can damage the blood and the thyroid gland, and in pregnant women, the foetus; they can also cause severe vitamin-mineral deficiencies and may be transformed into cancer-causing nitrosamines in the intestines. Sulphites (e.g., sulphur dioxide and metabisulphite) are widely used in processed foods, such as frozen foods, dried fruits, fruit juices, wine, beer, and prepared restaurant foods. In susceptible individuals, they can cause a swelling of hands, feet, and larynx, dermatitis, abdominal distress, and respiratory problems that especially affect asthmatics. Food chemicals frequently cause allergies and trigger hyperactivity. This applies especially to synthetic colours. Artificial sweeteners, and especially aspartame, have been linked to a high rate of brain tumours, serious metabolic and neurological complication in diabetics, epilepsy, toxicity in the thyroid, and emotional disorders. While most of these chemicals are added only for the manufacturer’s convenience, the food industry could easily use vitamins C and E as well as lecithin and other biological chemicals as antioxidants, preservatives, and emulsifiers. Another group of food additives called excitotoxins act like neurotransmitters (brain chemicals that transmit nerve signals) and overstimulate the brain in susceptible people. Excitotoxins are taste or flavour enhancers that release glutamic acid or glutamate. Aspartic acid and cysteine are also brain-active amino acids or excitotoxins. The best known example of an excitotoxins is MSG or monosodium glutamate, a salt of glutamic acid. High blood levels of this can cross the normally protective blood-brain barrier. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that is present in the extracellular fluid only in very low concentration. If levels are inappropriately raised through food ingestion then neurons fire abnormally, and at higher levels of contamination brain cells begin to die. Oxygen deficiency and lack of fuel (hypoglycaemia) interfere with the energy production of brain cells and make them susceptible to damage by excitotoxins. This may be an important factor in the development of neurological diseases.
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Excitatory amino acids cause problems mainly when they are used either in high concentrations or in free form; while bound, as they are in most natural foods, they are only slowly released and therefore harmless. Most processed foods, however, contain excitotoxins, especially if any kind of commercial taste or flavour enhancer has been added, such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy protein extract, yeast extract, beef stock, or caseinate; commercial soups, sauces, and gravies are usually most implicated. Beware, because on the label any of these products may be called “natural flavouring.” Aged proteins, processed meat, cheeses, and tomato purees have higher levels of free glutamate as well, but fresh tomatoes are fine. All of these products containing excitotoxins should be avoided by sensitive individuals and their use minimized by others. Water Chlorination: Chlorination of our drinking water is yet another instance of an added substance (chlorine) that is detrimental to our health. Besides microorganisms in the water, all other organic matter present will be chlorinated. This produces a wide range of chlorinated chemicals with carcinogenic and other diseasecausing properties. Reluctantly, even health authorities now admit that there is a health problem, but they play it down by focusing only on trihalomethanes (THM’s). These are very small compounds, consisting of one carbon atom with several attached chlorine or bromine atoms. The most prevalent of these is chloroform (trichloromethane), a THM that is carcinogenic to rats and mice. You cannot protect yourself against THM’s, as they are absorbed through the skin if you swim in a chlorinated swimming pool or have a hot bath or shower with chlorinated water. A hot shower can raise the level of THM’s in the blood ten times higher than drinking a quart of chlorinated water. While a large number of studies found an association between chlorinated water and secondary chlorination products with an increased risk of cancer, especially cancer of the bladder, I regard this only as the tip of the iceberg. The association of THM’s with bladder cancer shows that they are relatively harmless, because they are being excreted. I contend that the main health damage is caused by long-chain chlorination products that remain in the body. The level of chlorine in treated water is about 100 times higher than the level of THM’s. There is no doubt that chlorine reacts with all organic matter, but especially with sensitive biochemicals, such as unsaturated oils, cholesterol, and vitamins. This reaction occurs when food is washed or cooked, when bread is baked, and when commercial fruit juices or soy milk are made, and it occurs within your body if you drink chlorinated water. These chlorination products have long carbon chains and remain stored in the body, just like chlorinated insecticides (e.g., DDT), to which they are closely related. In the same way that health authorities did not believe that ingesting pesticides would cause health problems, so they now believe that these long-chain chlorination products do not cause health problems. I regard this as being complacent and incompetent in protecting public health. All or most chlorinated organic compounds that have been tested have been found to damage our health. It is also a fact that our liver is not equipped to detoxify chlorinated chemicals. Putting all of these facts together leads to the inescapable conclusion that chlorinated water damages our health to a considerable, although
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unknown, degree. In the next chapter, I provide more information on the connection between chlorinated water and cardiovascular disease. Focusing only on THM’s, health authorities maintain that the antimicrobial benefits of water chlorination outweigh its health dangers, and that there is no reasonable alternative to keep water supplies safe. I strongly disagree. I do not regard as “safe” water that causes cancer and very likely contributes to most other chronic and age-related diseases. There are thousands of water treatment plants in Europe that provide safe water without chlorine, using ozone, ultraviolet light, membrane filters, and slow sand filters instead. While this may be initially somewhat more expensive than using chlorine, in terms of preventing chronic diseases it will be immeasurably cheaper for individuals as well as the public purse. In the meantime, you need to protect yourself from the dangers of chlorinated water. If you live in the country, you may have access to rainwater or bore water; otherwise use filters or reverse osmosis to purify water used for drinking and cooking, and install a shower filter. Distilled water needs an additional carbon filter to remove chlorine and THM’s. For temporary use, when these are not available, you can remove most of the chlorine and THM’s by briefly boiling the water and using it after it has cooled. Also, a bath can be filled with hot water and the room ventilated before getting into the bath. Skin contact with chlorinated water not only allows the absorption of THM’s, it also ages the skin. You can counteract this by rubbing the skin afterwards with reduced ionized water or with a diluted vitamin C solution. Water Fluoridation: Equally short-sighted is the official campaign to fluoridate our water supply. Modern dentistry tries to retard the growth of plaque bacteria that causes cavities by mechanical means and by poisoning the bacteria with fluoride. Fluoride is a strong enzyme poison. When present in sufficient concentration during development of the teeth, it is incorporated mainly as insoluble calcium fluoride. The lactic acid produced by plaque bacteria after the ingestion of sweet food dissolves traces of calcium fluoride from the teeth and this poisons their enzyme systems, retarding the development of caries. However, the fluoridation of our water supply and the liberal use of fluoride toothpaste introduce dangerously high concentrations of fluoride in a very active and toxic form. This endangers our enzyme systems and greatly -contributes to a weakened metabolism in many people, and thus to the development of allergies, arthritis, cancer, and hypoglycaemia. Excessive fluoride exposure has also been linked to hip fractures, hypothyroidism, Alzheimer’s disease, and reduced IQ. The bulk of scientific research shows that added fluoride does not protect the teeth of adults or children. In natural groundwater, such as bore or spring water, fluoride sufficient for tooth protection (up to one ppm) occurs mainly in the form of calcium fluoride. While this is insoluble in high concentrations, it is sufficiently soluble in the minute amounts required for tooth protection. In this form, and also when the blood level of calcium is high, fluoride is less toxic. Fluoride causes the most damage in calcium-deficient bodies, usually children and hypoglycemics or fast oxidizers. Seafood and especially kelp are high in a safe form of fluoride. However, using these in addition to fluoridated water and toothpaste might exceed safe fluoride
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intake levels. Caries, and the health problems due to artificial fluoridation, can be avoided by using kelp and restricting the use of sweet foods. The United States is one of a very few countries that still promote water fluoridation. Most of Western Europe has outlawed it; even most of U.S. communities, when allowed to vote, have rejected fluoridation; this has happened in more than 50 communities since 1999. (For further information on the health dangers of fluoride and a good bibliography of the scientific literature on fluoride, see: www.fluoridealert.org.) Aluminium: Another mineral harmful to our health that is added to our drinking water to precipitate impurities is aluminium. This is not a so-called heavy metal, but it causes health problems nevertheless. We can also ingest it with some brands of baking powder, free-flowing salt, or aluminium hydroxide antacids, but most commonly we absorb it through using aluminium cookware and utensils. Most dangerous to our health are acidic foods that are left in contact with aluminium surfaces. Aluminium easily dissolves in weak acids, which are present in fruits, tomatoes, cucumber, rhubarb, and beets. Even heating tap water in an aluminium pot was shown to add 1600 mcg of aluminium per litre of water, which is 3200 percent over the recommendation of the World Health Organization, which sets a limit of 50 mcg per liter.33 In the body, aluminium acts as a neurotoxin, causing brain disorders, though symptoms develop slowly. They may include senile dementia (Alzheimer’s disease), Parkinson’s disease, reduced memory, slow learning, motor neuron disease, overactive parathyroid glands, and fatigue. Aluminium lowers the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to other harmful chemicals and increases the incidence of epileptic seizures. You can protect yourself from aluminium ingestion by using filtered water and glass, ceramic, or enamelled cookware. I do not recommend stainless steel, as nickel can leach out during cooking, especially with acidic water or food, and nickel is known to be carcinogenic. Mercury: Chronic mercury poisoning can originate from certain pesticides and fungicides, calomel laxatives, predatory fish, and especially amalgam tooth fillings. Such fillings release mercury from broken-off pieces that dissolve in the stomach and also from evaporation in the mouth that is caused by pressure on the fillings during chewing. Old fillings are thus much lighter than new fillings because they have lost most of their mercury. Acidic foods increase the rate at which mercury fillings disintegrate. The mercury loss from several amalgam fillings over ten years has been calculated at about 560 mg, or 150 mcg per day, and almost all of this is absorbed and stored in body fat, especially in the brain. Symptoms of mercury poisoning include: fatigue, lethargy, depression, irritability, shyness, loss of short-term memory, allergies, respiratory infections, decreased immune response, increased salivation, gingivitis, loose teeth, mouth ulcers, nervous heart problems, digestive problems, and dermatitis, as well as changes in hearing, vision, speech, and writing. Most prominent are nervous system disorders with serious mental disturbances. Many symptoms are actually the same as in multiple sclerosis. The present epidemic of autism has been linked by some researchers to a high level of organic mercury compounds used as preservatives in some childhood vaccines.
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Case reports for patients after removal of all their amalgam fillings include cure of leukaemia and Hodgkin’s disease, regaining vision after 23 years of blindness, cure of moderate to severe headaches that had persisted for 50 years, cure of arthritis, and a reversal of general malaise with fatigue and depression. Minimize amalgam-related health problems by refusing any new fillings containing mercury, and contemplate replacing any old amalgam fillings; for this, see a holistic dentist.34 For more details on dental health, review Step 8. For practical advice and support, contact: www.amalgam.org; for wide-ranging scientific information on the negative health effects of amalgam fillings and heavy metals: www.melisa.org. An independent researcher, Bernie Windham, has assembled hundreds of clinical studies on the problems caused by amalgam fillings and harmful metals at: www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/. Mercury exposure from eating fish has greatly increased in recent decades. Even health authorities acknowledge that there is now a problem and advise avoiding large predatory fish, especially for pregnant women. Some studies show that on average more mercury is accumulated from fish than from amalgam fillings. The same health problems caused by dental mercury are caused by mercury from fish. Only non-predatory fish or small predatory fish are reasonably safe to eat on a regular basis. You can check the safety of commonly used fish species at: www.ewg.org. The Pros and Cons of Cooking: Cooked food has been a hallmark of civilization. Cooking breaks down cellulose in vegetables and connective tissue in meat and thus makes these foods easier to chew and more palatable. Bacteria are destroyed at the same time, making these foods safer to eat, but only if eaten immediately after cooking. During storage, raw food remains much more resistant to microbial contamination than cooked food. The price we pay for this convenience is a loss of vitamins and minerals, the destruction of enzymes and plant hormones, denaturing of proteins, oxidation of lipids, loss of vitality or life force, and formation of harmful chemicals at temperatures above the boiling point. Vitamins are destroyed by the combined action of oxygen and heat; minerals react to heat in ways that make them less easily absorbed; and both vitamins and minerals are lost if cooking water is discarded. When food is heated above 180° F, protein becomes denatured or unbiological; it changes its internal structure (the way it is folded), and the immune system reacts as if it were attacked by foreign invaders. The digestive system is flooded with white blood cells after eating this food. This is called digestive leukocytosis: The white blood cells or leukocytes try to prevent food toxins from reaching the bloodstream. The higher the food is heated or the more refined it is, the stronger is the resulting leukocytosis. This defence reaction against toxic food does not take place after eating raw food. Leukocytosis is a continued strain on our immune system and is an aggravating factor in leukaemia and immune deficiency. Animals and humans evolved on raw food only; cooked food is a recent invention in evolutionary terms. When food is heated above the boiling point, chemical reactions take place that create toxic chemicals in the food. For a long time it has been known that carcinogenic substances are produced in highly heated meat, but the more recent discovery of similar chemicals in heated cereal or grain products has come as a
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shock to the food industry. When foods are heated to above the boiling point, advanced glycation end products (AGE’s) are formed, some known as acrylamides. These toxic products result from a reaction of carbohydrates with proteins. They are produced at a slow rate at low temperatures, but in high amounts when food is highly heated, as in frying and baking. Acrylamides are known to be cancer-causing in animals and to cause DNA damage with gene mutations. Another scientific finding is that acrylamides are pro-inflammatory and the more these chemicals are in the diet, the more inflammation they cause. Almost all diseases are associated with inflammation, including arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. The more inflammation, the worse are the disease and associated pain. This may be a main reason why most diseases greatly improve and chronic pain tends to disappear on raw food diets. AGE’s are yellow-brown, like another group of chemicals related to heat and oxidation, the lipofuscins, which are composed of oxidized fats and proteins. Together, these chemicals accumulate as waste material in nerve and skin cells and impede their functions. Sometimes they can be seen as age spots or liver spots. Equally damaging is the total destruction of all the enzymes in cooked food. Raw food contains a complement of enzymes specifically designed to digest it. Starchy foods contain large amounts of the starch-digesting enzyme amylase; fatty and oily foods are provided with the fat-digesting enzyme lipase, while protein foods contain the protein-digesting enzyme cathepsin. According to the food composition, there may be mixtures of these and other enzymes. If food enzymes are destroyed, we must produce considerably more digestive enzymes, and our overall enzyme capacity declines much more rapidly with advancing years than it would on raw food. Thus we age much sooner and develop degenerative diseases that can otherwise be avoided. Food enzymes and digestive enzymes not only break down and absorb food, but also keep the body free of inappropriate accumulations of fats and proteins and help us avoid or reverse atherosclerosis and cancer. High-dose supplements of protein-digesting enzymes are frequently used in natural cancer therapy to break down tumours. Animal experiments show the profuse development of degenerative diseases from a diet of cooked foods and that good health and longer life result with a raw diet. There are also numerous reports of human cures from all kinds of degenerative diseases - including advanced cancer - on a raw diet of organically grown food. My own successes in healing patients in advanced and difficult conditions have often been due to raw food diets. Modern processed foods generally combine the negative health effects of cooked, refined, and chemicalised food. Tinned food, for instance, causes even more leukocytosis than normal cooked food, indicating that it is more toxic. Equally harmful is microwaved food, as this process violently shakes and twists the delicate molecular structures. In studies, abnormal changes in the blood and immune system were noticed after ingesting microwaved food. Fortunately, it is easy to protect yourself from the dangers associated with cooking: avoid or minimize the use of processed food; heat food only to the boiling point; and maximize your intake of raw, fresh, and organic food. Shortly before eating
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heated food, have some fresh, raw food, and more with the cooked meal. In this way, digestive leukocytosis can be reduced or even eliminated. I have noticed that for many people cereals are especially difficult to give up. These cause problems for many individuals, contributing to overweight, diabetes, and hypoglycaemia. How-ever, some individuals and therapists report that raw grains do not seem to cause these problems. Therefore, if you are so inclined, you can experiment with soaked non-gluten grains as an addition to breakfast or a salad. Harmful Eating Habits: The way we eat our food can also negatively affect our health. Commonly, food is not sufficiently chewed as our mind is busy with other matters. Thus, the food is not properly broken down and mixed with the starchdigesting amylase in the saliva. This adds to the burden of an already overworked pancreas. The composition of the required digestive juices is already signalled to the pancreas from the mouth, but if food is eaten too fast, especially cooked food, the signals are inaccurate, and we also do not receive the signal when we have had enough, so we tend to overeat. Overeating is unhealthy because we become overweight, but also excessive amounts of metabolic waste products are formed that stress the enzyme systems and the organs of elimination. In addition, food remains partly undigested in the intestines, which encourages putrefaction and an overgrowth of harmful microbes. The overall effect can be not only a shortened life span but also early onset of degenerative disease. Many animal experiments have confirmed that life span as well as health can be greatly enhanced if the quantity of food consumed is restricted. Rats, for instance, doubled their life span on half their normal diet and earthworms lived 16 times longer on a starvation diet, according to studies. A famous example of a long and healthy life through restricted eating is the Italian nobleman Luigi Cornaro, who lived about 400 years ago. He was born with fragile health and by the time he was 40, he had severe arthritis and many other afflictions and was close to dying. He cured himself within one year by restricting his food intake to about 12 ounces daily, consisting of bread, meat, egg yolk, and soup. He continued with this in good health until his 78th year when he gave in to the persuasions of his family and increased his food intake by two ounces. Within days, he became very sick. Again he escaped death by returning to his frugal eating habits. From then on he lived in good health, with excellent mental faculties and without fatigue until his 99th year. In his last years, he wrote a comedy and treatises on longevity and health. Eating meat or a large meal in the evening is especially unhealthy because then our digestive powers are much weaker than in the morning. What we eat during the daytime is usually converted into energy for the activities at hand, but the evening meal is mainly converted into fat deposits and an increase in the accumulation of wastes. Equally harmful is indiscriminate food combining. High-protein foods such as meat require different digestive juices from those needed to process a starch meal. The digestion of starch initiated by the salivary amylase is prematurely stopped if the starch is mixed with meat in a meal. Amylase is also inhibited when starches are mixed with acids and the release of salivary amylase is suppressed when eating
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sweetened starches. Mixing incompatible foods overloads the pancreas and our health suffers. The Mixed Benefits and Deficits of Stimulants: Stimulants such as coffee, tea, cocoa, tobacco, alcohol, and various recreational drugs are widely used and often overused. I do not suggest that stimulants should be completely avoided but, similar to sweet foods, I contend it is much better for our health if we restrict their use. Whether stimulants are harmful to you and to what extent depends greatly on your state of health and how frequently you use them. Someone who habitually takes a specific stimulant several times daily will be most affected by it and is likely even to be allergic and addicted to it. This applies to coffee and tea as much as to alcohol, tobacco, and other stimulating drugs. While the health dangers of alcohol and tobacco are well publicized and generally appreciated, the prevalence of allergies to coffee and tea is often underestimated. The most common symptoms are headaches, migraines, irritability, and menstrual problems. However, coffee and tea can also make positive contributions to our health, provided that we are not addicted and/or allergic to them. Tea, especially green tea, is high in antioxidants and useful in the prevention of cancer. Black and green teas stimulate the respiratory system and are helpful with breathing problems, such as asthma. Coffee, on the other hand, acts mainly on the brain, not only to keep us awake, but it can also prevent a threatening migraine attack. Coffee drinkers appear to have a lower incidence of Parkinson’s disease. A dry red wine taken with a meal can be beneficial, and beer in moderation is fine (provided you have no gluten or yeast sensitivity). Unfortunately, modern beer and many wines are chemicalised and not beneficial. Marijuana is probably no worse than other recreational drugs and has some useful medicinal properties along with its strongly relaxing and pain-relieving effect on the body and its stimulation of specific parts of the brain. Habitual use is most harmful for those who are already too relaxed and without much drive or enthusiasm. Generally such people have weak blood sugar regulation, lack of energy, and low blood pressure. Prolonged use of marijuana can cause genetic changes and infertility in offspring. Signs of addiction to stimulants are a craving during periods of abstention or bingeing when a tempting opportunity arises. In order to improve your health, avoid the addictive stimulant for a very long time, preferably for several years. People in poor health, especially if their system is acid and they have a disturbed sugar metabolism, easily become addicted and allergic to any stimulant that is used for a prolonged period. If your health is reasonably good, it will not be too damaging to use stimulants in moderation. Someone in good health rarely becomes addicted. The main thing to watch out for is that it not become a habit or a craving, and also that alcohol not be used to excess. However, smoking is almost always an addiction and has no redeeming health features at all. If you use a stimulant regularly, more than once or twice a week, I recommend that you stop using it for one week every few months and carefully observe yourself
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during abstention and when it is reintroduced for signs of craving, discomfort, or allergy. This advice to interrupt stimulant use occasionally does not apply, however, to regular smoking, hard drugs, or binge drinking. For these, permanent abstention is the only solution. Pregnant and nursing women are best advised to abstain completely from alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Yeasts and Moulds: Yeasts, moulds, and mushrooms are all fungi. Yeasts are widely used in baking and brewing and also as concentrated yeast extracts and food yeasts. Moulds are used in some cheeses and to produce antibiotics. We all have some yeast cells resident in our intestines. Normally, these are harmless, as the intestinal bacteria keep them subdued. However, in many people the fungi have taken over, and the overuse of prescription drugs and improper dietary changes have contributed to this condition. Yeast proliferation is stimulated by birth-control pills and consumption of sweet food, as sugars are the only energy source for yeasts, but the main reason that it has become a widespread health problem at present is the general use of antibiotics and prescription drugs that suppress the immune system. Antibiotics decimate the normal intestinal bacteria but leave the yeast cells unaffected, allowing them to proliferate and take over the space normally occupied by intestinal bacteria. From the intestinal tract, the yeast cells can invade other mucous membranes, especially those of the vagina, mouth, and lungs; they can also penetrate the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream. The most common form of intestinal yeast is Candida albicans, an overgrowth of which can cause gastritis, colitis, cystitis, bloating, oral (thrush) or vaginal infestation, menstrual problems, and asthma. Allergies with a wide variety of symptoms result when this yeast penetrates the intestinal wall. In addition to skin and breathing problems, severe mental and emotional reactions, especially depression, are common. Autism, neuroses, and mental diseases, including schizophrenia, have reportedly been cured with antifungal therapy. Usually in such cases, the patient has a history of Candida problems and antibiotic use. The toxicity of Candida to the nervous system is largely due to an excessive production of acetaldehyde. This substance is formed when yeast cells metabolize sugars and there is a deficiency of oxygen. Another important aspect of systemic fungal infestation is severe damage to the immune system, leading to autoimmune diseases and immune deficiency states, including lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and, most likely, AIDS. After the immune system has been severely damaged by this fungus, it is easy for bacteria and viruses to invade the body and cause serious and even lethal diseases. Dietary yeasts and moulds greatly increase the difficulties of susceptible individuals, frequently causing allergic reactions and flare-ups of Candida infections. Some moulds can damage the liver, such as aflatoxins, from a mould that frequently grows on peanuts and is present in peanut butter. Moulds commonly grow on dried fruits, on poorly stored grains and nuts, on the outer leaves of cabbage, and on the skins of various fresh fruits. A study in the U.K. in 1977 found that moulds and their poisonous mycotoxins (fungal toxins) were present in all 318 samples of flour tested. This mould contamination was believed due to insufficient drying in the process of combine-
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harvesting of grain. Whole-meal flour, bran, and wheat germ are even more affected by mould than is white flour; rice is also frequently contaminated. Even if the fungi are killed during cooking, the products of their decomposition can still cause allergies. Washing whole grains, nuts, and susceptible fruits and vegetables before cooking or eating helps to remove moulds; drying them in the sun destroys fungi and prevents their development. Preferably also remove environmental moulds, such as those on walls and bathroom tiles, because they can be inhaled and cause lung and breathing problems in susceptible individuals (asthmatics). Frequently, antibiotics are routinely added to animal feed for meat production; this applies especially to poultry and pigs. Antibiotic residues can impair the intestinal flora of the consumer of such products and thereby encourage the spread of Candida. In addition, the meat itself can be infested with Candida or other fungi because of the prolonged use of antibiotics in the animals; resistant strains of harmful bacteria may also be present. I do not recommend habitually eating such meat. As a general rule, I recommend you avoid meat from commercial animal feedlots. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 43 METABOLIC TYPES, PATHWAYS, & DIETS Know your individual metabolic type and your specific dietary requirements.
Some foods, such as meat or sweet and acidic foods, are good for certain people, and for these people they are not problem foods, while with other people their effects are adverse. To gain a better understanding of this phenomenon and insight into the food-related causes of diseases, let’s look at metabolism. Our metabolism is the total of all the millions of biochemical and enzymatic reactions that take place in our body at any given time. Some reactions use energy to build (anabolism) more complex structures from assimilated nutrients, while others release energy by breaking down (catabolism) more complex molecules. While there are additional factors and overlapping influences, we can say generally that our metabolic pathways are most strongly influenced by our nutrition, that our glandular system is mainly affected by our emotions, and that our nervous system responds primarily to brain and mental activity. All three factors together nutrition, glandular system, and nervous system - regulate our metabolism. Inherited or acquired variations of these regulating factors produce a unique blend for each individual and call for different specific requirements for optimal health. However, there are some common key factors and we can distinguish several groups with similar characteristics: Each group represents a metabolic type, which I explain below. But first, two concepts must be explained: the autonomic nervous system and the tension-relaxation cycle. The Autonomic Nervous System: The autonomic nervous system (ANS) has a great influence on our metabolism. It regulates those body processes that usually function automatically without our conscious control, such as heartbeat, digestive processes, nerve reflexes, and so forth. It has two branches with opposite characteristics: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The main function of the SNS is to prepare the body for action: epinephrine pours into the bloodstream; the muscles tense; blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rate increase as well as the rate of catabolic processes in general. The digestion, however, is slowed or interrupted. The SNS is activated by emotions such as anger and fear, by the intention to take some action, but also by certain foods, and most strongly by red meat. The PNS relaxes the muscles, improves the digestion, and lowers blood pressure, pulse, and breathing. The PNS is dominant during sleep and with relaxed body and mind conditions. The endings of the PNS nerves release acetylcholine when stimulated, while SNS nerves release norepinephrine, an epinephrine-like hormone with opposite effects to those of acetylcholine. SNS dominance leads to elevated blood levels of glucose and fatty acids (diabetes, coronary heart disease), while with PNS dominance these levels are lowered (hypoglycaemia).
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The Tension-Relaxation Cycle: Overall, each body function should be in balance between the opposite forces of the SNS and PNS. However, at any given moment, one force will usually prevail; during action the SNS dominates and during rest the PNS. A healthy body is not static but in a dynamic balance, like a swinging pendulum. Problems arise when the tension-relaxation cycle is not balanced but is onesided. During work there may be too much tension, while the following rest period does not result in complete relaxation. If this condition becomes chronic, other tension-related symptoms can develop, such as high blood pressure or restlessness. To bring the body back into balance, remedies with a PNS influence can be applied, such as relaxation exercises, a vegetarian diet, or magnesium supplements. On the other hand, if the body generally is too relaxed, too weak, and too soft for the daily tasks, and mind and emotions cannot be aroused, then tension-producing SNS influences can be applied, such as consuming flesh foods or calcium supplements. Basic Metabolic Types: From these considerations about our ANS, we can describe three metabolic types: the P-type in which the PNS dominates; the S-type with a dominating SNS; and a balanced type. Population groups over thousands of years developed predominantly into one of these types, depending on climate and available food. These inherited ancestral metabolic characteristics remain fairly stable during our lifetime and form our basic metabolic blueprint on which acquired metabolic traits are superimposed. The fundamental difference between the P-type and the S-type can be illustrated if we compare the mental picture or stereotype we have of the Native American with that of a desert Arab. The Native American is deliberate and measured in movement and speech, stoic, and rarely displays emotions. He or she has a powerful body and a broad face, is a hunter, and eats relatively few carbohydrates. This is a typical representation of the positive aspects of the P-type. We find the same characterization, only adjusted to a colder climate, in the Eskimo. The typical desert Arab, on the other hand, is agile, lively, energetic, and quick to act on feelings and emotions. He or she is lean, with a narrow face, and can (or reportedly could in former times) exist for long periods on nothing but dates and still maintain remarkable endurance. This portrait shows the positive aspects of the metabolic S-type. The apparently unbalanced ANS of each type is actually balanced through the opposite influence of the traditional diet. Thus, the high-meat diet of the Native American stimulates the SNS and epinephrine production, while the predominantly vegetarian diet of the Arab sedates the SNS and epinephrine response. If the Native American and the desert Arab were to interchange their diets, they would become unbalanced, their energy metabolism would eventually become inefficient, and their health would decline. They would then display the negative characteristics of their metabolic types. Other races and nations that are predominantly of the P-type are the North Europeans, Dutch, Russians, Polynesians, and New Zealand Maoris, the latter being a traditional hunter society in a warm climate. The S-type, on the other hand, is mainly grouped around the Mediterranean and the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. Generally, the P-type originated in cold climates that offered a continuous
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supply of animal products but a lack of plant food in winter, while the S-type evolved with a continuous, plentiful supply of plant food. There are, however, no original populations that live entirely on animal or plant food. Most of those with middle-European ancestors are of the balanced metabolic type, readily utilizing all three metabolic pathways: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. However, sweet foods were relatively rare and reserved for special occasions in those metabolically formative societies. Table 5-3: Characteristics of Metabolic Types S-Type
P-Type
tendency to raised blood pressure, fast pulse and breathing
tendency to low blood pressure, slow pulse and breathing
slender, slight body frame, narrow face, flat chest
strong bone structure, broad face, rounded chest
dry mouth; ears and gums pale; skin dry, yellowish
much saliva, ears and gums pink, ruddy complexion, flushes
weak dreaming activity
much dreaming activity
sprinter type, not much endurance, fitness fanatic
long-distance runner, steady worker, good endurance
appetite diminished, digestion slow and weak
appetite above normal, digestion fast and strong
enjoys fruits and vegetables, dislikes fatty food
likes meat, starches, and fatty food
emotionally unstable, freely shows emotions
emotionally stable,
quick to make decisions
slow to make decisions, cautious
seldom sad, depressed, melancholic, or withdrawn
tendency to being sad, depressed, withdrawn, melancholic
extroverted, easily angered or irritated
introverted, rarely angered or irritated
tense, lively, overactive, jumpy
relaxed, quiet, slow or sluggish
strongly assertive, aggressive
non-assertive, nonaggressive
hate, envy, verbal abuse
resentment, guilt, worry, doubt
Slow Oxidizers
Fast Oxidizers
blood pressure raised or high
blood pressure low
often heavy body and hard manual worker
often overweight or underweight and low in energy
often too alkaline, insensitive to cold and skin irritants
overacid, cold hands and feet, skin very sensitive
enjoys meat and heavy food but also fruit and sour food
craves sweet food but feels better craves sweet food but feels better after protein and salty food
emotionally unresponsive, undemonstrative
emotionally unstable, irritable, outbursts, shy, resentful
rarely has colds, infections, allergies, or inflammations, susceptible to chronic infections, liver and kidney problems, cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke
susceptible to colds, allergies, inflammations, acute infections, rheumatoid arthritis, anemia, lymph gland diseases, mucus problems, leukaemia
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Table 5-3 lists the characteristics of the P-type and S-type. Those of balanced type are generally between these opposites. The positive characteristics of the P-type are described as being relaxed, dependable, quiet, cautious, and emotionally stable, with good skin circulation, a ruddy complexion, and good endurance. Pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure tend towards the low side. The basic traits of the S-type are that individuals have plenty of drive, freely show their emotions, and are lively, assertive, and quick to make decisions. The body tends to be lean; pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure may be elevated. Converted Metabolic Types: Inherited weaknesses and deteriorating health can cause far-reaching changes in our metabolic characteristics, sometimes requiring a diet that is similar to that of our opposite basic type. The actual cause of such changes can be an overstimulation or weakening of the SNS or the endocrine glands; it can also be a partial blockage of a metabolic pathway because of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Most frequently, however, our metabolism has deteriorated because we overuse problem foods. Slow Oxidizers: Few individuals in our society still display all the positive characteristics of their basic metabolic type. Many of us live in a stimulating social environment and use stimulating foods at the same time, such as red meat, spices, alcohol, coffee, tea, tobacco, or drugs. All these factors stimulate the SNS and our endocrine glands. We become nervous, restless, sleepless, quick-tempered, and overaggressive, with raised blood pressure and permanent muscle tension. Such individuals are now negatively SNS-dominant and can be classified as negative S-types, even if they originally had a balanced or even PNS-dominated metabolism. Other negative characteristics can develop, such as being underweight, having a dry mouth or yellowish skin, poor appetite with a weak, slow digestion, emotional instability, or an uncontrolled temper. Deteriorating liver and kidney function in combination with a high-meat diet can lead to a buildup of uric acid and cause gout and rheumatism. Irritation or ulcers of the digestive tract may be present, and sometimes migraines can develop as well. If such overstimulation persists for a long time, especially in combination with a diet high in red meat and fat, then the liver and glandular system gradually become weak and the metabolism slows down. This is the condition of a slow oxidizer. The main characteristics of slow oxidizers are raised blood pressure and alkaline body fluids. Together with a raised calcium blood level, this frequently leads to kidney stone formations. Often, slow oxidizers originate from the P-type and are manual workers, such as farmers and builders, people with a heavy body and bone structure and who usually eat large amounts of meat. The skin of slow oxidizers is usually insensitive to cold and irritants. Emotionally they are stable and even unresponsive and undemonstrative; they do not show or experience much in the way of strong feelings and emotions. They are slow, dependable, and reliable. If they originate from the basic S-type, they are lean and show more emotional response. Common health problems are hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, chronic infections, degenerative liver and kidney diseases, stroke, and cancer.
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Figure 5-1: Relationships between Metabolic Types
Fast Oxidizers: The opposite metabolic path is exhibited by those of the balanced type and the P-type who live on a low-protein vegetarian diet or who are protein deficient because of malabsorption or liver problems. They become negative P-types, displaying the traits of negative PNS dominance. They lose their normal aggressiveness, enthusiasm, and self-assertiveness, and they become sluggish, listless, and underpowered. They may become unemotional and lose interest in the happenings around them; marijuana use makes this condition worse. This metabolic type is widespread in many underdeveloped countries, but also in alternative lifestyle groups in Western society. Women are more prone to this condition than men as they naturally have lower epinephrine levels. Other negative features that can develop are low blood pressure with a lack of energy; the weight becomes too low or too high; the individual easily becomes sad, melancholic, or depressed and has difficulties making decisions. Anemia may be present. While S-type individuals can become diabetic on a diet high in sweet foods, P-type individuals tend to become hypoglycaemic. Glycolysis (the breakdown of glucose inside the cells) is sped up and this is why an individual is called a fast oxidizer.
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Fast oxidizers usually have low blood pressure with low energy levels, especially after eating sweet foods and fruits. Often there is a craving for sweet food though they feel much better after eating proteins. Allergies, addictions, and overacidity are common, as well as susceptibility to acute infections and inflammations. The circulation tends to be poor with cold hands and feet. Respiratory tract infections and other mucous diseases are common, as are rheumatoid arthritis and a tendency to leukaemia. The fluctuating blood sugar level in combination with allergies causes emotional instability. Individuals may be irritable with occasional bouts of temper and even violence, but more often they are resentful and shy, and frequently worry or feel guilty. Sub-Oxidizers: With advancing age or deteriorating health, both branches of the ANS tend to become weak and all aspects of the metabolism become inefficient. This is the condition of a sub-oxidizer, and is common to all metabolic types whose health has degenerated. It appears to be rare for our health to degenerate in a straight line from a positive balanced type to the negative balance of the sub-oxidizer. It usually includes the condition of the fast or slow oxidizer and sometimes conditions of both, first as fast oxidizer and then as slow oxidizer. Sub-oxidizers represent the typical condition of old age in our society. The endocrine system is nearly exhausted, the immune system is weak, and digestion is inefficient, with malabsorption and lack of gastric acid and digestive enzymes. The metabolism is inefficient, so the body usually is too alkaline. The blood pressure may be too high or too low. The circulation is extremely poor and there is a pronounced lack of energy and even debility. There are many chronic health problems and frequently a serious degenerative disease, such as the deformative stage of arthritis, senility, or cancer. See figure 5-1 for a diagram of the relationship between the various metabolic types. The opposite directions to those indicated in the diagram are typically travelled during a program of health improvement. For the purpose of selecting your metabolic type, you can regard a blood pressure of 120/80 and a pulse of about 70 per minute while sitting as normal for an adult; children usually have a lower blood pressure and a higher pulse rate. Biochemistry and nutrition are commonly taught as if the basic metabolic pathways for energy production are used in the same way by all people, except perhaps for some uncommon hormone and enzyme deficiencies. This, however, is an oversimplification that leaves the health practitioner as well as the patient without clear guidance as to how to use nutrition to overcome disease and maintain health. A more relevant study of our energy metabolism (the way in which our cells produce energy from food) provides some fascinating insights into the reasons why certain diets and nutrients are beneficial or harmful for various diseases and for different metabolic types. While part of this study may seem technical and difficult to understand, it is worth the effort because here we have the basis of all the disease-producing and healing effects of nutrition. Glycolysis and Citric Acid Cycle: The main energy-generating mechanism in our cells is the Krebs cycle or citric acid cycle. This is a series of enzymatic steps through which a two-carbon molecule (acetyl or acetate) is oxidized to yield carbon
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dioxide and water. All three main food components - glucose, amino acids, and fatty acids - can be utilized in this way. Glucose is normally the most important fuel molecule. Through several reactions along the glycolytic pathway, it is split in half to form pyruvic acid. Niacinamide and vitamin B1, as coenzymes, are the necessary vitamins at this stage; magnesium is also required. Glycolysis proceeds anaerobically, that is, without oxygen. See figure 5-2 for a diagram of cellular energy metabolism. The next step may be in one of two directions, and it is here that most intracellular energy problems develop. Pyruvic acid can combine with carbon dioxide and become oxaloacetic acid, or it can lose carbon dioxide and form acetyl coenzyme A. Combining with carbon dioxide requires a high amount of energy as well as biotin, nicotinamide, and manganese. The step in the other direction needs oxygen and magnesium, as well as the vitamins B1, niacinamide, and pantothenic acid. If the metabolism is in good condition, then both reactions take place in such proportions that there are always equal amounts of oxaloacetic acid and acetyl coenzyme A available. Both molecules will then combine to form citric acid as the first step in the citric acid cycle. During several more steps in this cycle, together with reactions that follow up the cycle, the acetyl component is completely oxidized into two molecules of carbon dioxide and water, while the oxaloacetate is reformed, ready for a fresh turn of the cycle. However, in practice, usually a deficit of oxaloacetic acid will develop, because this is a very useful molecule that is required for many other reactions, such as to form amino acids or nucleic acids. The body covers this deficit by converting an appropriate amount of pyruvic acid into oxaloacetic acid. Important for the operation of this cycle are the vitamins B1, B2, and niacinamide, in addition to magnesium and oxygen. In this way, someone of the S-type (“desert Arab”) can obtain all his energy by burning carbohydrates. The P-type (“Native American”), on the other hand, will create very little of her energy in this way. She produces energy mainly by forming acetyl coenzyme A directly from fats (requiring vitamin B2, niacinamide, and biotin) and from amino acids (requiring vitamin B6). Most of the small intake of carbohydrates will be converted to oxaloacetate. The balanced type is able to use both main pathways efficiently and best gains energy from a mixture of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The third path, the conversion of pyruvic acid into lactic acid, is an emergency measure that can be used by all metabolic types. This is an anaerobic step, which in most instances is triggered by a shortfall of oxygenating enzymes, either because of strenuous muscle activity or resulting from an allergic reaction. In fast oxidizers, the buildup of lactic acid can also be caused by an accumulation of metabolic acids (e.g., citric acid or malic acid) in the cells. Lactic acid is partly neutralized and expelled with the urine and partly reconverted in the liver to pyruvic acid in the presence of sufficient nicotinamide. Abnormal Glucose Metabolism: The P-type and the balanced type tend to become fast oxidizers and hypoglycemics on a diet high in sugars and low in proteins and fat. Most of the dietary protein is used as building blocks and little is available for energy production. The ability to convert pyruvic acid into acetyl coenzyme A is poorly developed in P-type individuals. Therefore, oxaloacetic acid is produced in excess, while lack of acetyl coenzyme A prevents the citric acid cycle from fully operating. The blockage of
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the citric acid cycle leads to a lack of energy and overacidity from accumulating metabolic acids and lactic acid.
Figure 5-2: Cellular Energy Metabolism
Consuming more proteins and fats (best here is olive oil) is the solution, as fats are the most efficient source of acetyl coenzyme A. However, this will be problematic if there is malabsorption of fat. Polyunsaturated oils, on the other hand, require additional
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metabolic steps and are not well suited for energy production. In addition, linoleic acid may contribute to the frequent oversensitivity of fast oxidizers by forming certain prostaglandins that increase inflammatory activity. In the negative S-type where the diet is high in meat and fat, we have the opposite problem. Initially, this provides useful additional fuel, and in combination with a raised epinephrine level makes the personality energetic. However, there is an inverse relationship between the epinephrine level and the effectiveness of insulin such that when the epinephrine level is high in response to this diet, the effectiveness of insulin is reduced. Diabetes: Insulin regulates the speed with which glucose enters the cells. With a low insulin level, cells can be starved of glucose. The insufficient oxaloacetic acid is formed to combine with an abundance of acetyl coenzyme A, which is produced internally or by a high-fat diet. In those who are strongly SNS-dominant, this can lead to the development of diabetes. Glucose builds up in the bloodstream, raising the blood sugar level, and is spilled into the urine. Figure 5-2 shows the nutritional solution to this problem. We must provide more oxaloacetic acid to the citric acid cycle. As a first step, we reduce all stimulating influences from the environment or from red meat, alcohol, coffee, tea, tobacco, or drugs. This will help reduce the epinephrine level and increase the effectiveness of insulin. Then we supply an abundance of zinc, which is needed to manufacture insulin, and chromium, which is part of the glucose tolerance factor that helps insulin to channel glucose through the cell wall. Oxaloacetic acid is an unstable compound that cannot be ingested as such, but we can supply malic acid (the acid present in tart apples), which is easily converted into oxaloacetic acid. We can also supply citric acid from acid citrus fruits. This, too, can be converted into oxaloacetic acid through the citric acid cycle and it provides valuable energy. Another food group that readily converts into oxaloacetic acid is the proteins. Most amino acids can either be transformed via pyruvic acid or directly enter the citric acid cycle. Most easily converted is aspartic acid. Only few amino acids are ketogenic (related to the fat metabolism) and yield acetyl coenzyme A: leucine, isoleucine, lysine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine. Incidentally, an excellent energy protein for diabetics, with almost 90 percent useful amino acids, is gelatine. Fructose from fruits can enter muscle cells without insulin to form pyruvic acid. However, it must enter the bloodstream slowly (such as from raw food and small meals); otherwise fatty acids, cholesterol, and cataract-forming sugar alcohols may be produced. However, Type II diabetics have to be careful not to mix fructose with glucose, as pointed out in step 40 in regard to the disaccharide effect. Sometimes glucose cannot be used and builds up in the bloodstream because the conversion of pyruvic acid into oxaloacetic acid is blocked or too slow. This conversion requires manganese, biotin, and nicotinamide. These and other vitamins and minerals required for the energy metabolism should be supplied in generous amounts as supplements. The large buildup of acetyl coenzyme A is reduced in the liver by conversion into saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, both of which contribute to the development of
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atherosclerosis. In uncontrolled diabetes, a surplus of fat leads to the production of ketones and keto acids from acetyl coenzyme A (ketones are organic chemicals with an oxygen atom attached with two bonds to a carbon atom; keto acids have, in addition, an organic acid group). Ketones, such as acetone, can to some degree be used by the muscles to form oxaloacetic acid via pyruvic acid and thus keep the citric acid cycle going. However, this conversion is slow and a large amount of the acetoacetic acid accumulates and makes uncontrolled diabetics extremely acidic. The liver can metabolize glucose without the help of insulin, and high levels of glucose flooding the liver can cause a large buildup of lactic acid. Thus, an intake of sweet food contributes to general overacidity. Intestinal sanitation, avoidance of sucrose, allergy testing, and/or a low-allergy diet are the main features in normalizing insulin production in insulin-dependent diabetes. A proper nutritional program is a second line of defence and can give good results even in resistant cases such as tumour of the pancreas. Abnormal Fat Metabolism: The metabolic problems of slow oxidizers are similar to those described for diabetics. However, the glucose deficiency inside the cells is far less severe and, therefore, we do not have the overacidity resulting from an overproduction of keto acids. Instead, the surplus of acetyl coenzyme A is mainly converted into saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, causing atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, fatty degeneration of the liver, and overweight. In the slow oxidizers, overweight is mainly a result of eating too much fat, while in the fast oxidizer, overweight results mainly from eating sweet food and wheat. In both cases, the thyroid gland tends to be underactive. The answer to these problems is to speed up glycolysis and produce more oxaloacetic acid. This can be done by supplying plenty of fruit acids as well as all the vitamins and minerals required for their sugar metabolism. Minimizing intake of fats and sugars will stop the oversupply of acetyl coenzyme A, while epinephrine levels will fall and insulin activity will rise in the absence of meat consumption and stress. This is also the key to cleaning out atherosclerotic arteries. Sub-Oxidizers and Cancer: The sub--oxidizer has an inefficient metabolism and, in a way, combines the problems of the fast and the slow oxidizer. Many sub-oxidizers have cancer or precancerous conditions. In cancer the metabolism of all nutrients is greatly impaired. The main energy production of cancer cells is similar to that present in uncontrolled hypoglycemics: Both produce mainly lactic acid instead of energy. While this makes the tumour itself overacid, the rest of the body may be too alkaline due to a very sluggish metabolism. Figure 5-2 on the citric acid cycle also reveals how we can starve a tumour: We must reduce all nutrients except fruit acids to the bare minimum. In this way the tumor is completely deprived of energy, while normal body cells can still derive energy from metabolizing acids together with fatty acids from the fat deposits of the body. The time-tested method used in natural medicine for those with sufficient fat reserves is a fast, lasting several weeks, on fruits only, mainly tart varieties. The “grape cure” has become famous in this regard; tart apples and acid citrus fruits can also be used. During this time it is essential to flush the intestines daily (using Epsom salt and colonics, for example); otherwise the poisons generated by a large, disintegrating tumor can cause great distress and even death. At other times, use plenty of red beets, raw,
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juiced, or cooked. The red beet pigments greatly increase the oxygenating ability of the cells and normalize metabolism. Diet Types: Understanding how your body produces energy, and how to overcome some common nutritional problems, can guide you in selecting an appropriate diet for your individual requirements. Slow oxidizers have similar dietary requirements to those of the metabolic S-type, that is, a vegetarian or semi-vegetarian diet. Fast oxidizers and P-type individuals, on the other hand, do best on a non-vegetarian diet or a high legume vegetarian diet, which at the same time should be low in sugars. The balanced type can use a mixed diet that is neither high in protein and fat nor in sweet food. Here are some dietary guidelines: Diet for S-Type and Slow Oxidizers: Proteins should be supplied mainly from legumes, spirulina, almonds, and other oily seeds, ideally as seed cheese (as explained earlier), but the consumption of peanuts should be restricted. Fish and other seafood, eggs (not hard-boiled or fried), and some poultry and raw milk products are usually acceptable. Have plenty of fruits, especially tart varieties, frequent fruit meals, and allfruit days. Sweet varieties of vegetables are beneficial, particularly red beets, as are sprouted seeds. Polyunsaturated oils are mainly supplied from seafood, fermented soybeans, sunflower kernels, and freshly ground linseed. Meats, fats, and processed oils should be eaten sparingly. The evening meal should be light. Helpful supplements are lecithin, digestive enzymes, cod-liver oil or other fish oils, kelp, B vitamins, vitamin E, ascorbic acid, magnesium, potassium, chromium, copper, selenium, and zinc. The idea is to eat fast-digesting food. Diet for P-Type and Fast Oxidizers: This diet, high in legumes, is often combined with brown rice and other grains such as millet and buckwheat (also sago, taro, arrowroot, and tapioca if available from a health food store). Have a hearty breakfast. Flesh foods are generally well tolerated. This metabolic type should use whole grains sprouted, cooked, or baked, in preference to flour products; also use plenty of sprouted seeds. Starchy and green vegetables are best for cooking; use sweet varieties, mainly raw, with plenty of red beets, raw, cooked, or juiced. Use salted food if your blood pressure is low. Oils low in linoleic acid should be used. Best here are olive and almond oils, but also try coconut oil. The intake of sweet food, sweet and acid fruits, and lactose products should be minimized. Neutralize fruit acids with dolomite. Useful supplements are spirulina, halibut-liver oil capsules, calcium ascorbate, low-level B vitamins, MSM, chromium, copper, selenium, and zinc. The idea is to eat slow-digesting food. Diet for Sub-Oxidizers: People of this metabolic type may use a mixed diet of easily digestible food. Thus meat may be used as broth or stew, not fried or roasted. Nuts and oily seeds should be soaked, sprouted, or used as seed cheese. Sub-oxidizers can consume sprouted seeds and plenty of grass juice; they can also eat beef juice, freeze-dried liver, and plenty of spirulina and bee pollen. Use digestive enzymes, a hydrochloric acid supplement, or ascorbic acid with protein meals. All vitamins and minerals, especially trace minerals, should be supplemented; mix lecithin with all meals; rubbing the skin with cod-liver oil may be helpful. The idea is to eat easily digested food. Diet for Sensitivity Regulation: Certain nutrients make the skin and sometimes the brain more sensitive and should be minimized if the skin easily reacts to irritants and
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Table 5-4: Food List for Blood Type Groups Type
Type
Type
Type
Type
Type
Type
Type
A
AB
B
O
A
AB
B
O
Almond
OK
OK
OK
OK
Millet
OK
OK
OK
OK
Apple
OK
OK
OK
OK
Mung beans
OK
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Avocado
OK
Avoid
Avoid
Avoid
Mussels
Avoid
OK
Avoid
OK
Bacon/ham/pork Avoid
Avoid
Avoid
Avoid
Navy beans
Avoid
OK
OK
Avoid
Banana
Avoid
Avoid
OK
OK
Oats
OK
OK
OK
OK
Barley
OK
OK
Avoid
OK
Octopus
Avoid
Avoid
Avoid
Avoid
Beef
Avoid
Avoid
OK
OK
Olive oil
OK
OK
OK
OK
Beer
Avoid
OK
OK
OK
Onion
OK
OK
OK
OK
Orange
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Avoid
OK
OK
OK
OK
Oyster
Avoid
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Brazil nut
Avoid
OK
OK
Avoid
Papaw
Avoid
OK
OK
OK
Broccoli
OK
OK
OK
OK
Pea
OK
OK
OK
OK
Brussels sprouts OK
OK
OK
Avoid
Peach/pear
OK
OK
OK
OK
Buckwheat
OK
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Peanut
OK
OK
Avoid
Avoid
Cabbage
Avoid
OK
OK
Avoid
Pineapple
OK
OK
OK
OK
Carrot
OK
OK
OK
OK
Plum
OK
OK
OK
OK
Cashew
Avoid
OK
Avoid
Avoid
Potato, sweet
Avoid
OK
OK
OK
Cauliflower
OK
OK
OK
Avoid
Potato, white, red
Avoid
OK.
OK
Avoid
Celery
OK
OK
OK
OK
Pumpkin
OK
OK
Avoid
OK
Rabbit
Avoid
OK
OK
OK
Beet root/ red beet
Cheese (most types)
Avoid
OK
OK
Avoid
Rice
OK
OK
OK
OK
Corn/maize
OK
Avoid
Avoid
Avoid
Rye
OK
OK
Avoid
OK
Cottage cheese
Avoid
OK
OK
Avoid
Salmon
OK
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Cucumber
OK
OK
OK
OK
Sardine
OK
OK
OK
OK
Duck
Avoid
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Sesame seed/tahini OK
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Egg
Avoid
OK
OK
OK
Soybean
OK
OK
OK
OK.
Flaxseed
OK
OK
OK
OK
Spelt
OK
OK
OK
OK
Spinach
OK.
OK
OK
OK
Garbanzo beans or chickpeas
Avoid
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Strawberry
OK
OK
OK
Avoid
Grapes
OK
OK
OK
OK
String bean
OK
OK
OK
OK
Herring (fresh)
Avoid
OK
OK
OK
Sunflower seed
OK
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Kidney beans
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Avoid
Tapioca
OK
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Lamb/mutton
Avoid
OK
OK
OK
Tofu/tempeh
OK
OK
Avoid
OK
Lemon
OK
OK
OK
OK
Tuna
OK
OK
OK
OK
Lentils
OK
OK
Avoid
Avoid
Turkey
OK
OK.
OK.
OK
Lima beans
Avoid
Avoid
OK
OK
Turnip
OK
OK
OK
OK
Liver (calf)
Avoid
OK
OK
OK
Walnut, English
OK
OK
OK
OK
Lobster
Avoid
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Wheat
Avoid
OK
Avoid
Avoid
Mackerel
OK
OK
OK
OK
Milk, cow
Avoid
Avoid
OK
Avoid
Yam
Avoid
OK
OK
OK
Milk, goat
OK
OK
OK
Avoid
Yogurt
OK
OK
OK
Avoid
Zucchini
OK
OK
OK
OK
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if there is emotional and mental instability. Sensitizing nutrients and factors include: acidic and sweet foods and fruits, allergens, and a diet high in phosphorus and low in calcium and magnesium. Proteins, fats, and oils, complex carbohydrates, calcium, and magnesium help to protect susceptible individuals from undue sensitivity. Insensitive individuals, on the other hand, benefit from a high intake of acidic foods and fruits, lecithin, folic acid, and a diet low in -calcium but high in magnesium. Common polyunsaturated oils and lecithin (high in phosphorus) increase sensitivity; linolenic acid (linseed), and fish oils normalize it. Metabolic Types and Blood Groups: The naturopathic physician Peter D’Adamo, N.D., has written a series of popular books about the relationship between diet, health, and blood type, notably Eat Right for Your Type, Live Right 4 Your Type, and “The Eat Right for Your Type Complete Blood Type Encyclopaedia”. He shows that individuals of different blood groups have different optimal food requirements. Special proteins called lectins found in foods not traditionally eaten frequently cause immune reactions in the intestinal wall and may eventually lead to a wide variety of diseases, he says. The relationship between the three basic metabolic types and blood groups is straightforward. Blood group O is the oldest blood group. It originated in the huntergatherer area and corresponds to the P-type or non-vegetarian type. Group A resembles most closely the S-type or grain-eating vegetarian type, while B is the lacto-vegetarian type and closest to the balanced metabolic type. Blood group AB has the characteristics of A as well as B. It is my clinical opinion that it is beneficial to know which foods are supposedly good or bad for your blood type, but it is not necessary to stick strictly to the corresponding rules. Some of the foods listed to be avoided do not actually damage our blood and have been selected for other reasons that may not apply to everyone. On the other hand, anyone not in good health should take food allergy tests and then combine the recommendations of the blood type diet with the results of the allergy testing. If symptoms of food sensitivity show up, then I would not use a food that is supposed to be beneficial for your blood group. However, if you are in reasonably good health, allergy tests show no negative effect, and muscle testing gives a strong reaction, then you can cautiously use an “avoid” food, especially if there are other good reasons for using it. An example of this is coconut and its products, which Dr. D’Adamo advises all blood groups to avoid. However, I find coconut milk and oil beneficial for myself, and many others find it beneficial as well. While we can expect most allergies to occur with food that is wrong for our blood type, this is not always so. What happens in our body depends mainly on the quality of our digestive system and on the quantity and digestibility of the questionable food and its interaction with other food ingredients. It may be that we react differently to cooked foods and raw foods. Sprouted seeds appear to be more acceptable and possibly beneficial even if the same seeds should be avoided in cooked form. If all is well, then the potentially harmful lectins are broken down to amino acids and are harmless; if not, then we must improve conditions or avoid these foods. Try to develop your inner food sense and learn to
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listen to your body. It will then let you know by your inner urgings and taste preferences which foods to eat. Table 5-4 is a list of some common foods in relationships to the blood groups. Basically, there are only two food classifications: foods that give a reaction and should be avoided and those that do not and may be eaten. Dr. D’Adamo also classified the “allowed” foods as either neutral/avoid, neutral, neutral/beneficial, or beneficial. Neutral means that the food does not cause any blood group related problems, but it has no other specific advantages to recommend it. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Part 6 SPECIFIC HEALTH PROBLEMS
This chapter offers guidelines for overcoming some specific health problems. However, it is essential to incorporate these specific recommendations into a holistic program for improving your overall well-being. Start with the basics: Do the earlier steps in chapter 1 as thoroughly as possible. Your disease or health problem may disappear without any further therapies being required. In some cases, where one of these basic steps is especially important, it may be mentioned for a specific disease, but all other steps need to be done as well. In addition to any supplements specifically mentioned for your problem in this chapter, take antioxidants, spirulina, bee pollen, cod-liver oil, lecithin, kelp, or colloidal minerals, and other helpful nutrients. Also use other methods described throughout this book, even if not specifically mentioned, such as reflexology, meridian therapy, magnet therapy, color therapy, and guided imagery. The more effort you make to apply as many supportive methods as possible, the better will be the health result. An important concept, especially with inflammatory conditions (which are present in most diseases), is chronic stress. This may be due to several individual factors, such as food allergies and chemical sensitivities, chronic infection from a dead tooth, electro-pollution, and emotional stress. Each of these factors stimulates the adrenal glands to release inflammatory hormones. Removing one or several of these inflammation promoters sometimes does not help much; when all of them are removed, you may suddenly see great improvement. If your condition is not specifically mentioned, or is rather severe, in addition to any of the recommended measures, adopt a temporary raw food diet, combined with suitable mind therapy. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 44 SELF-CARE HELP FOR HEALTH PROBLEMS Practical Tips for Relief If you have a specific disease, this summary of typical treatment protocols can show you what to do.
I am not a doctor licensed to prescribe medications or ensure cures, but a nutritionist and natural therapist well versed in natural healing methods. This information is derived from sound nutritional and clinical research. Readers should always consult a qualified health practitioner when dealing with serious illness. I do not promise or guarantee any cures, and the reader should regard the following as general guidelines that have been shown to help improve some people with these conditions. For updates and further information, see my websites: www.healthscience-spirit.com, www.healing-yourself.com and www.heal-yourself.com.au. For disease treatment protocols using nutritional therapies, see: www.lef.org and www.doctoryourself.com. Addictions: Use Basic Cleanse (Step 4) followed by food allergy testing, and practice a diet based on grass and vegetable juice with added water for a total fluid intake of about a gallon daily. Prepare a homeopathic remedy made of the addictive substance. Use intestinal sanitation; alkalize the body; take high-potency vitamin B complex and glutamine; practice guided imagery and affirmations; have outdoor activity and group support. Do detoxification using frequent saunas or hot baths. AIDS: Helpful is a predominantly raw food diet with plenty of sprouted seeds and fresh vegetable juices, mainly from cereal grasses and purple foods. Also try oxygen therapies alternating with high antioxidant intake, intestinal sanitation, and herbal parasite cure, and continue longer with wormwood. Colloidal silver, copper salicylate or colloidal copper, echinacea, MSM, propolis, and other natural antibiotics can be beneficial, along with a Beck-type electronic zapper and magnetic pulser, Basic Cleanse, and emotional and mind therapies. (See Infections and Inflammations and Candidiasis below.) Allergies: Test yourself against individual foods and chemicals with an elimination diet after a five-day water fast, or after Basic Cleanse or a rice diet with only salt and olive oil for flavouring. Possibly use a rotation diet and use the same food only once every five days; eat small meals and chew well. Use digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid, vitamin B complex, bio-flavo-noids and carotenoids, high vitamin C, glutamine, and MSM. Alkalize the body with sodium and potassium bicarbonate; neutralize fruit acids with dolomite. Avoid or minimize intake of sweet and acid food and food additives. Make a homeopathic remedy from the offending allergens. Anemia: Consume juice or powder of cereal grasses, organic liver (underdone or freeze-dried), and sprouted seeds. Take hydrochloric acid and ascorbic acid with proteins and cooked food; minimize intake of sweet food. Vitamins B6, B12, folic acid, E, and bioflavonoids are helpful as are chelated or organic forms of iron,
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copper, zinc, manganese, chromium, and selenium. Do a parasite cure with wormwood, cloves, and tincture of walnut, and electronic zapper. Practice red color therapy (Step 17); get mild sun exposure and outdoor activity. Treat any excessive menstrual bleeding and avoid long-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs, especially aspirin. Arthritis: DIET: Use the Basic Cleanse followed by allergy testing and follow a predominantly raw food diet. Use ground linseed, fish oils, cold-pressed peanut oil, olive oil, and plenty of grass juice and sprouted seeds. If your fingernails are soft, take hydrochloric acid with meals, then sodium bicarbonate three hours after hydrochloric acid. Avoid or minimize sweet and acid food intake as well as wheat products, gluten, milk, cheese, commercial cooking oils, citrus fruit, processed food, and food of the nightshade family (potato, tomato, capsicum, and eggplant). SUPPLEMENTS:
Take vitamin B6 (especially with problems of the hands) and nicotinamide in addition to multivitamins. Take 500 mg or more of magnesium, boron, zinc, and MSM; try copper salicylate for pain and inflammation, or, alternatively, copper colloids or copper bracelet. Also recommended are acidophilus, digestive enzymes, celery seeds, and yucca. Most helpful are glucosamine, chondroitin, mussel extract, or liquid bovine or shark cartilage, and broth of fish heads. (See “Alkalizing with Calcium and Magnesium” and “The Calcium-Phosphorus Ratio” in Step 6.) ADDITIONAL THERAPIES: Use warm peanut oil rubs on affected joints; also try blistering agents, or hot Epsom salt packs and baths, or use magnesium chloride instead, followed by sweating wrapped in blankets. Dissolve MSM and glucosamine in a solution of copper salicylate and rub it into affected joints. Try blue light therapy over painful areas and orange light on stiff, calcified joints (Step 17). Try deep muscle massage; remove dead teeth and mercury amalgam fillings; do the herbal parasite cure with the electronic zapper. Asthma: Avoid or minimize sweet and acid food, wheat, gluten, and lactose as in milk products (except butter); also avoid vaccinations, aspirin, processed foods, and the sulphites used in many foods and medications as preservatives. Practice intestinal sanitation and allergy testing. Use ground linseed, fish oils, and olive oil, and avoid other commercial oils. Halibut-oil capsules or other source of vitamin A (not beta-carotene instead), vitamins E, C, B1, B6, L-lysine, molybdenum, magnesium, manganese, MSM, selenium, and zinc are helpful. (See Alkalizing with Calcium and Magnesium and The Calcium-Phosphorus Ratio in Step 6.) Take hydrochloric acid with protein meals if your fingernails are weak, then sodium bicarbonate three hours later. Use foods high in antioxidants, bioflavonoids, and carotenoids, including green tea, grape seed extract, and purple foods. Practice breathing exercises: inhale into the abdomen and exhale as slowly as possible; do this routinely during sedentary activities. After normal exhalation, hold your breath for as long as possible; inflate balloons as a further exercise; have a spinal adjustment. Preferably live in a dry, warm climate or higher elevation; avoid damp places, moulds, and fungi in air and food. Use natural fibre mattresses or wrap foam mattresses in polyethylene sheeting with only a small opening at the bottom. Eliminate systemic parasites and microbes with wormwood, cloves, black walnut tincture, and use of the electronic zapper; try colloidal silver, copper, or
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copper salicylate. Vomiting therapy can help: Try to cough up mucus after placing hot onion packs on the chest. Make children emotionally secure; try emotional release therapy for adults with asthma. Use the Emotional Freedom Technique (see Step 63). Some asthmatics claim to have been cured by regularly inhaling three-percent hydrogen peroxide sprayed directly into the mouth from a spray bottle, while others had success with inhaling high concentrations of negative ions from a medical-type air ionizer or with spray-inhaling a ten-percent sodium ascorbate solution. Hydrogen peroxide is probably best against fungal infestations, and antioxidant spray against inflammations and oxidative damage. Try both but generally use antioxidants as the main approach. Autoimmune Diseases: In autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks faulty body cells, probably due to infestation with microbes or their toxins. Common causes are dead teeth and resulting jawbone infections, overgrowth of the intestinal tract with pathogenic microbes, and some researchers suspect vaccines. Autoimmune diseases include Type I diabetes, lupus, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, and thyroiditis. The main aspects of treating autoimmune diseases are to avoid gluten products and substances to which you are allergic or sensitive, sweetened food, genetically modified or microwaved food, and processed food in general. By far, the best option is to adopt temporarily a raw food diet. Use high amounts of antioxidants, in particular vitamin C, L-lysine, zinc, and other nutrients listed under viral infections in the section on Infections and Inflammations below; also use the electronic zapper and other measures listed in that section under Addi-tional Therapies. See any entries for your specific autoimmune disease. Back Problems: Practice a low allergy diet; take vitamins C, E, and B complex, and high doses of manganese, zinc, and magnesium. Reflexology is very effective, as are Epsom salt packs. For shrunken disks, stretch the spine and have it rubbed with hypericum oil; get deep muscle massage or pressure applied at tight muscles; have a spinal adjustment. Hang upside down (inversion swing) for problems in the lower back. Try stretching exercises; sleep on a firm bed, and women should avoid wearing high heels. Improve digestive system function and any diseased organ, as back pain often results from problems in inner organs. Try other recommendations in Arthritis and see Step 20: Spinal Therapy and Massage. Broken Bones: Fresh vegetable juices, broth of fish heads, and bone meal can be helpful as well as vitamin C, halibut-oil capsules, manganese, boron, zinc, magnesium, and comfrey root. Place the north pole of a magnet above the fracture (towards the trunk) and the south pole opposite and below the fracture (towards fingers or toes); also try a pulsating magnetic field at the site of the injury. See Osteoporosis below. Cancer: The main aspects of a holistic cancer therapy are strengthening the immune system, controlling the cancer microbe, removing accumulated toxins and waste products, and dissolving tumours.
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DIET:
Start with the Basic Cleanse followed by a juice diet, grape cure, or lowprotein diet; use additional spirulina and bee pollen for high-quality protein. Maximize purple foods (red beets or their juice, black or purple grapes, dark grape juice, blueberries, blackberries) with any diet. Eat at intervals during the morning one or two pounds of purple foods, or sip one bottle of dark grape juice or red beet juice; take no other food until noon. If the body is sensitive, keep the urine slightly alkaline (see Step 6). If the body is insensitive or has soft fingernails, take hydrochloric acid with meals. Structure the diet according to your metabolic type and blood group (see Step 43). Cancer-related pain tends to disappear on a raw food diet. SUPPLEMENTS:
The most important vitamins are C, 10 g or more, mainly neutralized and in five divided doses; A, best as shark-liver oil and cod-liver oil (if you have malabsorption, use A-emulsion); niacinamide, folic acid, B2, and B6; with generalized weakness, inject B12 or dissolve it under the tongue. The most important minerals are magnesium, selenium, and zinc. Use high amounts of all antioxidants, including alpha-lipoic acid and grape seed extract. You can alternate short periods of several weeks of oxygen therapies with several months on high antioxidant supplements. With tumours, use high amounts of the following to inhibit their formation of new blood vessels: shark or bovine cartilage (both best as liquid), zinc (30 mg, three times daily), vitamin B2, turmeric, and green tea; minimize any copper intake. Other useful remedies are proteolytic enzymes, MSM or sulphur-amino acids (L-cysteine and L-methionine), propolis, ground linseed, aloe vera, kelp, Lactoferrin, lecithin, and freeze-dried liver. Some effective herbs are the Hoxsey herb mixture, Essiac, pau d’arco, papaw leaves, echinacea, greater celandine, red clover blossoms, and wormwood and other herbal parasite remedies. Urea helps to prevent metastases; hydrazine sulphate helps you regain weight and strength. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES: Minimize electromagnetic pollution, and sanitize your teeth (see Step 8). Experiment with ways to increase your life force as shown in Part 7. Use an electronic blood purifier, and directly over the tumor place a magnetic pulser, strong south pole magnet, and blue light therapy for pain and tumor control. Try various types of packs over the tumor area, such as pulped grass or dark grapes, cabbage leaf, or honey (see Step 21). Avoid surgery near the full moon (increased chance of haemorrhage); premenopausal females may have a reduced rate of metastasis after surgery near ovulation time (mid-cycle) as compared to surgery near the start of the period.
Improve your mind with several hours of daily relaxation, affirmation, prayer, guided imagery, and meditation. Practice positive thinking and develop faith and a joyful mind. Nothing will cure you if you do not believe in it. Learn to feel and express your needs as well as negative emotions and become assertive. Resolve any emotional conflict - see: “Emotional-Mental Shocks” later in this part. Do not focus on fighting cancer, but rather on improving your health and enjoyment of life. Choose to live life to the fullest, have a goal for the future, and become enthusiastic about your life. Your attitude is the key to your success. Candidiasis: This is a fungal infection caused by Candida albicans. The most common symptoms are thrush (oral) and vaginal and skin infections. However, Candida often invades the body itself, starting with the digestive tract and then
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entering the bloodstream, overwhelming the immune system. In this way, Candida has been found to cause or aggravate food allergies, chronic fatigue, digestive-tract diseases, all kinds of autoimmune diseases, lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, but also schizophrenia, mental depression and anxiety, impaired memory, hyperactivity, menstrual problems, and miscarriage. Basically, any part of the body can become impaired. Antifungal remedies include garlic, golden-seal, pau d’arco, propolis, wormwood, and the oils of tea tree, cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, mustard, and thyme. Use Intestinal Sanitation (see Step 3) combined with the hypoglycaemia diet, and avoid sweet foods, yeast, moulds, and initially fruit. For severe fungal infestation of inner organs, an internal iodine solution, commonly called Lugol’s solution, can be taken for three weeks. Also try oxygen therapy, colloidal silver and copper, and an electronic blood purifier, also anti-inflammatory remedies as required. LUGOL’S SOLUTION: This is an iodine solution taken internally, designed to eliminate Candida and other microbes, viruses, and mycoplasmas from the bloodstream. Obtain Lugol’s solution, also labelled Aqueous Iodine Oral Solution, from a pharmacist. Take a test drop in juice. If no allergic reaction results, continue to take six drops four times daily in liquid or mixed with food. Iodine is an oxidant, so do not take it with antioxidants. Continue Lugol’s for three weeks, but interrupt if you have a strong reaction. Be careful, for high amounts of iodine taken for more than three weeks may depress thyroid functions. You may make Lugol’s solution yourself by dissolving 44 g (1.5 ounces) of iodine and 88 g (3 ounces) of potassium iodide in one quart (litre) of water. First dissolve the potassium iodide in a pint of water, then add the iodine and fill up to one quart. Shake from time to time until dissolved after about a day. Cardiovascular Disease: Recommended is the Basic Cleanse followed by periods on fruits only, or the grape cure or juice diet. Avoid or minimize sweeteners and especially sucrose, salt, chlorinated water, smoking, peanut products, red meat, caffeine, and all commercial fats and oils except extra-virgin olive oil. Do not heat any flesh food or eggs above boiling temperature. Separate fruit and other fructosecontaining foods from starches or foods releasing glucose. Use only cow’s milk products that have not been pasteurized or otherwise heated. Use plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables; seafood (if not vegetarian); some (organic) poultry; one to two tablespoons of freshly ground or frozen linseed (flaxseed) and one to three capsules or teaspoons of lecithin with most meals; fish oil capsules; oily seeds and nuts (not roasted or rancid), best as seed cheese. Papaya and pineapple are good. If your blood pressure is high, acidify your body with ascorbic acid and take hydrochloric acid supplements with meals. With acid body conditions, more histamine is released, which in turn dilates blood vessels. SUPPLEMENTS:
Take high doses of natural vitamin E (tablets), vitamin C (5 to 10g daily, in three to five divided doses, mostly as ascorbic acid), vitamin B6, folic acid, and niacin before meals to induce flushing. Take close to 1000 mg of magnesium daily as magnesium chloride or with neutralized ascorbic acid. Other helpful minerals are zinc, selenium, chromium, manganese, and copper salicylate; but males should minimize calcium. Seriously ill patients can take 5 to 6 g of lysine and 2 g of carnitine daily in four divided doses. For herbs, consider bromelain, ginger
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(with most meals), ginkgo biloba, and green tea; also helpful are digestive enzymes high in lipase. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES: Remove any dead teeth and make sure there is no chronic jawbone infection in the wisdom tooth positions. Get regular exercise; have alternating hot and cold showers; and do skin brushing. Frequently press into the fleshy pad below the left thumb; pressing strongly here during a heart attack can allegedly stop the attack. A small magnet with the south pole placed over the heart can ease pain or slow the heartbeat, while the north pole placement strengthens the beat (do not use with a pacemaker). Also try the herbal parasite cure, electronic zapper, and colloidal silver. Practice the Love Cure (Step 61).
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: In this condition, the cellular oxidative energy production is blocked by non-biological chemicals or endotoxins from a chronic microbial infection, often due to Candida present in the blood after antibiotic therapy. Techniques to try include allergy testing and a low allergy diet; consuming plenty of purple foods (beet root, red cabbage, purple onions, black/purple grapes, black currants, blackberries, blueberries, or juices of any of these), and green juice or, alternatively, barley green powder, spirulina, or chlorella. With low blood pressure, eat salty and spicy food; select foods with a favourable calcium/phosphorus ratio; and alkalize fruit acids with dolomite. SUPPLEMENTS:
Use high levels of antioxidants with 10 g or more of sodium ascorbate in divided doses, vitamin A emulsion, natural vitamin E complex as tablets, alpha-lipoic acid, grape seed extract, and Microhydrin or strong electrolytic reduced water (ERW). Also useful are vitamin B-complex, calcium orotate, magnesium, selenium, zinc, coenzyme Q10, L--glutamine, L-lysine, aged garlic, freeze-dried liver, propolis, echinacea, maca, and either L--cysteine and L-methionine or MSM. Initially try weekly vitamin B12 injections or daily vitamin B12 tablets dissolved under the tongue. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES: Try Candida treatment, herbal parasite cure, electronic blood purifier, magnetic pulser, colloidal silver, and copper salicylate. Minimize electro-stress and sanitize the teeth (see Step 8).
Colds: Colds are beneficial clean-outs of mucus congestion, so to avoid colds, avoid mucus congestions and foods that produce them. These are mainly lactose and cow’s milk products (except butter), sweet foods, moulds and mouldy foods, and any foods or chemicals to which one is allergic or sensitive. Other factors are mercury amalgam fillings, root canals, and other foci of chronic infections, as well as Candida overgrowth and intestinal dysbiosis (pathogenic bacteria). Try to correct these conditions, and see Mucus Problems below for ways to ease mucus congestions. I have seen severe colds aborted within hours by using the Sugar Cure (see Mucus Problems). Other useful remedies are echinacea, fresh raw garlic, and very high doses, up to bowel tolerance, of vitamin C (sodium ascorbate). In addition, frequently dissolve a tablet with a small amount of zinc sulphate in the mouth. Another useful method is to dissolve one-third of a teaspoon of sodium ascorbate in two tablespoons of water and from time to time place 20 drops in each nostril. Colds can also be stopped if, at the first sign of a coming cold, a few drops of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide are placed in each ear. Lie on one side while putting the
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drops into the opposite ear, wait a few minutes, then change sides and put the drops in the other ear. In addition, gargle frequently with diluted hydrogen peroxide and also swallow some. See Infections and Inflammations below. Depression: Use a high-quality low-allergy diet. With sensitive skin and emotional instability, use mainly slow-digesting foods, and with insensitive conditions consume plenty of fruit. Avoid foods to which you may be addicted or on which you might binge, such as chocolate, coffee, tea, and alcohol. Give yourself a special treat from time to time, but without using sweet or junk food. Very important are fish oils (best as cod-liver oil) and linseed oil from ground linseed. The most important vitamins are B6, B12, C, niacin or nicotinamide, and folic acid, and the most important minerals are zinc, magnesium, calcium, and manganese. Initially take a high-potency B-complex and mineral tablet with most meals and additional amounts of vitamin B6 and zinc (up to 500 mg daily of vitamin B6). Try hypericum or St. John’s Wort and the Bach Flower Remedies Aspen, Gentian, Gorse, and Mustard. Correct constipation; take cultures of acidophilus and bifidobacteria. Have any dead teeth removed and preferably mercury amalgam fillings replaced. Avoid lead pollution. Kyolic (aged garlic), cooked garlic, and raw garlic assist in detoxification. Candida can go into the bloodstream and cause depression and other psychiatric symptoms. For treatment, see Candidiasis above. Try amino acids: up to 2 g of L- (or D,L) phenylalanine and tyrosine, each before meals, or alternatively, up to 2 g of tryptophan. You can also try taking phenylalanine and tyrosine before breakfast only and tryptophan at bedtime only. Glutamine can be used as an additional brain fuel. Epinephrine and dopamine in the brain are formed from phenylalanine and tyrosine, while serotonin is made from tryptophan. Depression often results from low thyroid and adrenal functions. To assess thyroid status, check your temperature under the armpit before rising in the morning; women check this in the first ten days of the menses or before ovulation. If it is below 97.8º F (36.5º C), try thyroid extract (absorb under the tongue) and iodine from kelp. In addition, selenium is required to activate thyroid hormone; take 200 mcg per day. Seasonal affective disorder is due to insufficient sunlight exposure. Expose yourself to one or two hours of very bright full-spectrum electric light each day, preferably in the morning; if possible, be outside in sunlight and without sunglasses. In addition, use yellow or orange color therapy for all forms of depression; also look into the light source (see Step 17). Wear bright-coloured clothing. Use deepbreathing exercises; dance to lively music and shake the whole body for a minute during fast breathing. Use prayer, affirmations, meditation, and guided imagery to uplift your feelings and solve your problems. Learn to trust in your inner or higher guidance and ask it to take care of your problems. Socialize and find a group with similar interests. Forgive yourself and others for any mistakes or misdeeds. Diabetes: Under professional medical supervision only, go for one week on a diet of only apples, mainly tart varieties (e.g. Granny Smith) with no or only a minimum of insulin or drugs. Undertake intestinal sanitation (Epsom salt - garlic flush followed by plenty of dairy-free acidophilus cultures). Then gradually introduce nonsweet raw foods, especially sprouted seeds, lentils and other legumes, seafood,
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onion, and cooked vegetables. Keep a diary of the blood sugar level after each test food (a food that you ingest to see how your blood sugar reacts to it). Continue using only low-response food (a food that does not strongly elevate the blood sugar level). Before each meal have plenty of fresh grass juice, spirulina, or chlorella, one tablespoon of freshly ground linseed, and one tablespoon of fenugreek seeds (soaked overnight; use the soaking water). Avoid all cow’s milk products, wheat and gluten, saturated and especially hydrogenated fats, processed foods, and food additives. Avoid all sweet or sweetened foods, including fruit juices, and in particular all sucrose; avoid fructose and glucose at the same meal, such as having fruit after a meal, although it is generally safe to have fruit an hour before a meal. You may, however, use xylitol, sorbitol, or the herb stevia as a sweetener. With Type I diabetes, avoid all glucose--producing foods, such as starches, grains, or cereals, sweet vegetables, and even legumes during a trial period. Use instead meat, fish, egg, goat’s milk products, cod-liver oil, spirulina (one to two ounces), lettuce, cabbage, and other leafy greens, in addition to green/tart apples, lemons, and limes. If you need more carbohydrate, add fructose to the lemon juice; try fenugreek and ground linseed. SUPPLEMENTS:
Take vitamins C, E, B-group, especially B1, B6, and B12; glucose tolerance factor or chromium; manganese and zinc (chelated); 500 mg or more daily of magnesium; vanadium, if available; also MSM, fish oils, lecithin, and freeze-dried liver; continue with dairy-free acidophilus. The herb Gymnema Sylvestre is effective with both types of diabetes; take either 200 mg of extract or 1 to 2 g of dried leaves shortly before meals that are likely to elevate blood glucose levels. Also useful are aloe vera, bilberry, ginseng, goat’s rue (may help to regenerate pancreatic beta cells), and various spices such as cinnamon (one teaspoon daily in divided doses), cloves, tarragon, and turmeric. Calcium arginate (calcium salt of the amino acid arginine) is effective with Type II diabetes. Also try castor-oil packs on the liver and abdomen; magnetic pulser on liver and pancreas; do the reflexology for these points on feet and hands; herbal parasite cure and colloidal silver. Digestive Disorders: Do allergy testing and have a low-allergy diet with small meals; chew slowly and well; practice correct food combining; follow a diet appropriate for your metabolic type and blood group; consider a rice or arrowroot mono-diet for a while, with only salt and olive oil for flavouring, or alternatively a water fast (purified water only). Use the Basic Cleanse and intestinal sanitation with acidophilus and bifido cultures. If you have soft fingernails, add hydrochloric acid to your meals, taking sodium bicarbonate three hours later. Take digestive enzymes or a papaya (pawpaw) Smoothie with meals (see the recipes in Part 4). Place castor-oil packs on the liver and abdomen; do reflexology or have acupuncture. Herbs to stimulate digestion are aniseed, caraway, fennel, fenugreek, mint, or peppermint; try half a cup of a bitter liver herb tea after the meal. With acute indigestion, induce vomiting; with diarrhea, try an alimentary canal flush with crushed garlic and a tablespoonful of Epsom salt. With ulcers and irritable bowel (Crohn’s disease), try slippery elm powder before meals; meals with arrowroot can be soothing; and use ginger root often with meals. Goldenseal and chamomile are useful as they are anti-inflammatory. Try glutamine and zinc sulphate with meals (200 mg/day); also copper salicylate, herbal
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parasite cure, oxygen therapy, and colloidal silver. Magnesium is best taken as magnesium chloride; take also high-quality aloe vera juice. Use the magnetic pulser and south pole of a strong magnet on sites of inflammation or discomfort. Include raw potato in the vegetable juice for stomach ulcers and cabbage juice with duodenal ulcer; stomach ulcers usually cause pain after a meal, duodenal ulcers between or before meals. Very effective are six drops of tea tree oil diluted in a glassful of liquid, then taken orally before breakfast for three days; initially take a test drop to see that you are not oversensitive to it. With constipation, use sufficient magnesium (as chloride or sulphate) to produce bowel movements and take one or more tablespoons of ground linseed with meals. Take long walks; have large vegetable salads; squat for bowel movements (see Step 21). For bloating or excess wind avoid any sweet food with or after vegetables or fibre-rich food; use correct food-combining with a low-allergy diet; use magnesium chloride and practice intestinal sanitation. With hiatal hernia (with symptoms of belching, heartburn, and indigestion), sit at one end of a massage table (or something similar), your legs outstretched on the table. A helper lies across your legs or holds them down while you lean back over the edge as far as possible. Tighten your abdominal muscles to pull yourself slowly back up to the sitting position. A second helper may assist. In most instances, this will pull the stomach back to its normal position. Epilepsy: A low-allergy diet is advisable. Initially avoid and later minimize consumption of sweet food, wheat, milk, cheese, and food additives, especially excitotoxins. Avoid contamination from copper (new water pipes), aluminium (cooking), mercury (amalgam fillings), and lead. Take vitamin B6, vitamin E tablets, and magnesium in high doses; alkalize your system with calcium and magnesium; frequently suck on a tablet of magnesium orotate; take lecithin, glutamine, MSM, taurine, black cohosh, and copper salicylate; try raw egg yolk, mussel, or oyster extract. Have a chiropractic neck adjustment; do head and neck exercises; do the herbal parasite cure; sanitize your bedroom. Minimize emotional stress; reduce your exposure to fluorescent or flickering lights, television, and computer games. Try south-pole magnets placed at the temples. Eye Problems: Helpful here is a low-allergy diet with plenty of fresh grass and vegetable juices. Avoid or minimize intake of dairy products, hydrogenated fats, commercial oils, and sweet foods. For all eye conditions, high-dose vitamins B2 and A (halibut-oil capsules; with suspected fat malabsorption, use vitamin A emulsion) in addition to B complex, C, and grape seed extract are advised; these also help with cataracts and macular degeneration. You need periods with no additional vitamin E intake as this can depress blood levels of vitamin A; however, with wet macular degeneration, try high-dose vitamin E tablets. Carotenoids, especially lutein and zeaxanthin, are important for the macula; they are found in deep-green, yellow, orange, and red fruits and vegetables, as in tomatoes, squash, corn, and spinach. Have a high intake of a wide range of bioflavonoids; use the herbs eyebright and bilberry internally and as topical eye rinse. Important minerals are magnesium, chromium, manganese, selenium, and zinc.
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Chromium, calcium, and a diet low in sweet food are important with myopia (near-sightedness), while magnesium is good for farsightedness. A salty diet is beneficial with glaucoma, as is sodium ascorbate up to 30 g daily (in five divided doses), to drain excess fluid from the eyes. Intensive cleansing combined with energizing or stimulating the eyes in order to unblock congested drainage channels is recommended. For red eyes or conjunctivitis, rinse the eyes with a weak solution of boric acid, possibly combined with strained eyebright and chamomile herbs as tea. For viral infections of the eyes, make up a solution of 2500 IU of vitamin A emulsion and 250 mg of sodium ascorbate per ml of water. Use one or two drops in each eye every three to four hours. If it stings too much, then dilute as needed. Keep refrigerated and make a fresh remedy every week. Combined with sufficient vitamin B2 (up to 100 mg three times daily); this also helps with allergy-induced eye problems. For clogged arteries in the back of the eyes, try potassium iodide as explained in Cardio-vascular Disease. Use a raw grated potato pack in gauze for irritated eyes and warm castor-oil packs for weak eyes. You can also put a drop of castor oil in each eye at bedtime for gradual strengthening. Be outside as much as possible without glasses or sunglasses; look at the blue sky, but avoid eyestrain. Minimize watching television, staring at computer screens, and reading by electric light. While reading, frequently interrupt your vision, look around, and cover eyes with palms. Preferably use natural daylight or full-spectrum bulbs; minimize use of fluorescent lights except if they are special daylight types. Press tender muscles in the back of the neck. Do eye exercises: look up, down, sideways, diagonally in quick succession, circle, alternate looking at a near and a far object. Do head and neck exercises, reflexology, or rapidly blink at the sun when it is low in the sky. Frequently alternate looking at an orange or red light bulb of 25 watts and a blue light of 40 watts in a darkened room; then look for several minutes at a green 40-watt light. Gynaecological Problems: Important here is a diet low in sweet food, fat, and salt, a vegetarian cleansing diet, especially in the case of heavy periods and difficult menopause. Also advisable are sprouted seeds, vegetable salads, grass juice, and a diet high in bioflavonoids and carotenoids as from coloured foods, especially yellow, orange, red, and purple. For heavy bleeding, black cherries are best; if not available, try black or purple grapes, juice of dark grapes or red beets, blackberries, and blueberries. SUPPLEMENTS: Take B-complex vitamins, especially B6 and folic acid, rutin and bioflavonoids, vitamin E tablets (1000 to 2000 IU daily), and selenium-methionine, especially if breasts are tender and for menopausal hot flushes. Neutralize fruit acids with dolomite for a high calcium and magnesium intake. Take additional calcium if there is excessive bleeding and fatigue; take more magnesium for tension and irritability. Also helpful are zinc, manganese, MSM, Royal Jelly, bee pollen, evening primrose oil, vitamins A and C, and organic iron. With menstrual clotting, more vitamin K is needed; use plenty of dark-green vegetables, possibly injections of 15 mg of vitamin K1 (derived from plants). Fibrocystic breast disease and ovarian cysts often disappear with six to eight drops of saturated solution of potassium iodide (SSKI) taken daily in some water for two to three months. Prolonged use can inhibit thyroid functions, so use with professional supervision; see Thyroid Problems.
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HERBS:
For menopause: chamomile, hawthorn, red clover, and sage. Excessive bleeding: bayberry bark, red raspberry, shepherd’s purse, and witch hazel. Suppressed menstruation: chamomile, catnip, fennel, pennyroyal, and peppermint. Generally try motherwort, dong quai, raspberry shoots, and chasteberry (Vitex agnus-castus); St John’s Wort for depression; and black cohosh for period pain. Maca is most helpful for all conditions, helps after hysterectomy, is safer than hormonal replacement therapy, and is also recommended for age-related decline of sexual function. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES: Take a hot sitz bath or sit on the north pole of a strong magnet for general strengthening. Press foot reflex areas on heels; use blue lighting to reduce bleeding, orange lighting to increase it. Place castor-oil packs on the lower abdomen and lower back, or Epsom-salt packs; apply pressure therapy and manipulation and adjustment of lower back; do spinal tapping of lumbar vertebrae or colonics. VAGINAL YEAST INFECTION:
This is caused by the yeast Candida albicans. Douche with either diluted hydrogen peroxide or garlic water to which may be added several drops of tea tree oil (shake well before use), tea of sage, and juniper berry, or pau d’arco. After douching, apply acidophilus in the vagina and around it; repeat as often as required and have intestinal fungicidal treatment (see Candidiasis). Headaches and Migraines: Do the Basic Cleanse followed by allergy testing and maintaining a low-allergy diet. Minimize intake of sweet food, dairy products, wheat and other gluten products, egg, oranges, tomatoes, food additives, fatty food, chocolate, Brazil nuts, dried coconut, aged cheese, mushrooms, pickled herrings, pork, excitotoxins such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), and tobacco smoke. Avoid environmental chemical and electromagnetic pollution; sanitize your teeth (see Step 8). Try taking magnesium if your blood pressure is elevated, or calcium and salty foods if it is low. Have a strong coffee at the onset of symptoms (if you’re not addicted to it). The herb feverfew may help. Correct any constipation or intestinal inflammation. Do head and neck exercises; pressure massage the neck and shoulder muscles and around the base of the big toes; have a neck adjustment and exercise your scalp muscles. Avoid stress; rest; get fresh air; walk; and do deep breathing. During a migraine attack, imagine your arms becoming warm, possibly soak them in warm water. Riboflavin (vitamin B2), up to 100 mg four times daily, has been found to prevent most migraines; use together with B-complex. High Blood Pressure: Most important are low-allergy diet or allergy testing, low sodium intake, and high intake of potassium and magnesium; for females also calcium. This also helps to prevent strokes. Improve kidney functions; follow tips for Cardiovascular Disease. Hyperactivity (ADD and ADHD): Allergy testing and a low-allergy diet are advisable. Minimize or avoid sweet food, especially chocolate, cow’s milk, cheese, egg, pork, citrus, soft drinks, artificial food colouring, flavouring, excitotoxins, preservatives, chemical sprays, petrochemical fumes, detergents, strong perfumes, smoke, stimulants, and aspirin. Avoid fluorescent and flickering lights and games, television, and stressful situations. Minimize electromagnetic pollution (see step 8). In
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regard to sweeteners, avoid sucrose or fructose in combination with glucose; see “Fructose and the Disaccharide Effect” under Step 40. In several clinical trials, avoiding food and chemical allergens resulted in a 100 percent cure rate among test subjects. Frequently, Candida overgrowth in the intestines (commonly following a course of antibiotics) is the original cause of multiple allergies, so treat for Candida. Zinc and magnesium supplements are helpful, as are vitamins C, B6, pantothenic acid, nicotinamide, folic acid, and B12. For attention deficit, try ginkgo biloba. Infections and Inflammations: Infections can be localized, for example, in the liver or throat, or generalized, as infectious diseases (including venereal diseases). They can be acute with sudden strong inflammations and fever, or they can be chronic and long lasting. Colds occur only if there is mucus congestion, and they are usually beneficial for removing excess mucus. Accelerate recovery by actively expelling mucus from your lungs and head spaces, including the sinuses. Colds can be avoided by using a diet that does not cause mucus congestion or by deliberately expelling mucus from the body (see Mucus Problems). DIET: During acute conditions, semi-fast with only fresh vegetable and grass juice, spirulina and bee pollen, vegetable broth, strained rice water, and fruits (neutralize acids if the body is sensitive). Later, also consume easily digestible, highquality food, such as sprouts, raw egg yolk, vegetable salads and cooked vegetables, rice, and bananas. Select foods with a favourable calcium-phosphorus ratio (see Step 6). Avoid gluten products, sweetened, processed, microwaved, and genetically modified food, and any food to which you are allergic or sensitive. With inflammations maximize omega-3 fatty acids (fish oils and ground linseed), and minimize omega-6 fatty acids (polyunsaturated seed oils). SUPPLEMENTS: In acute conditions, try bowel-tolerance doses of vitamin C with sodium ascorbate; otherwise use 1 to 10 g of vitamin C daily, magnesium chloride if available, propolis, copper salicylate, and Lactoferrin. Vitamin A is especially good with respiratory infections; zinc is best as zinc sulphate lozenges. Improve the immune system with pantothenic acid, folic acid, vitamin B6, manganese, selenium, chromium, acidophilus culture, and freeze-dried thymus.
With viral infections, use a high intake of antioxidants in addition to selenium and zinc. Take 2 g five times daily or bowel-tolerance level of sodium ascorbate; 15 to 20 mg of zinc three times daily; 200 mcg of selenium; up to 2 g of L-lysine three times daily; and up to 200 mg of alpha-lipoic acid three times daily (alpha-lipoic acid is also called thioctic acid; prolonged intake over 100 mg may require extra biotin). In addition, take one tablespoon of cod-liver oil, other antioxidants such as grape seed extract, and Microhydrin or strong electrolytic reduced water; with hepatitis, also take the herb silymarin. A saturated solution of potassium iodide (SSKI from a pharmacist) is an all-round antimicrobial. As a precaution when travelling, take about ten drops in a small glass of water, and more, temporarily, with an acute infection. Caution: High amounts for more than a few weeks can suppress thyroid function. With chest infections, in addition to the above, temporarily take 50,000 IU or more of vitamin A (under professional supervision). Try coughing up mucus after using a hot onion pack on the chest (see Step 21).
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HERBS:
These include echinacea, goldenseal, marigold, olive leaves, pau d’arco, prickly ash, and wormwood; also chamomile, elder flowers, and peppermint. With respiratory infections, try chamomile steam inhalation; gargle with diluted tea tree oil. Do the herbal parasite cure with wormwood, clove, and green hulls of black walnut. Use aromatic oils for infections: borneol, lemon, clove, eucalyptus, lavender, mint, or thyme. ANTIBIOTICS: The main reason for a destructive fungal infection is antibiotic therapy. Candida albicans is commonly present in almost everyone, but is usually kept under control by friendly bacteria. If these bacteria are killed by antibiotics, fungi have the opportunity to spread and will seriously weaken the immune system, thereby contributing greatly to the development of the various immune-deficiency diseases, including cancer.
Other disadvantages of sustained antibiotic therapy are B-vitamin and vitaminK deficiencies and malabsorption, caused by the destruction of intestinal flora. In addition, allergic reactions to the antibiotics can occur or boils may develop as a cleansing reaction even weeks or months later. For these reasons, if possible, antibiotics should be used only when serious infections cannot be controlled by natural therapies. With any antibiotic therapy, use vitamin and mineral supplementation, a diet high in raw food, probiotic bacterial cultures, and a natural fungicide such as fresh garlic. FEVER: Fever is a great tool in fighting infections by killing heat intolerant germs and strengthening the immune response. Keep your body temperature up with hot baths, hot teas, and sweating. Body temperatures above 105º F can be reduced with cold packs placed around the calves, and white willow bark (aspirin). PROPOLIS:
This is an excellent natural antibiotic from the beehive. For best results, it should be applied directly to the site of the infection whenever possible. For a sore throat, keep some propolis powder constantly in the mouth (between the gum and cheek) and gargle with a propolis solution; or make it into a paste and apply it to a sore tooth. For sinus problems, sniff it up the nose; for earache, put it in the ear; for skin infections, apply it directly to the skin; for internal infections, of course, you have to swallow it. Note your reaction, as some people are allergic to propolis. You can make your own propolis tincture: Freeze-dry raw propolis (from a beehive), pulverize, and keep it in alcohol for one to two weeks exposed to the sun; shake frequently. THYMUS:
Located in the chest, the thymus is the key gland of our immune system. Most strengthening for the thymus gland are propolis, manganese, and freeze-dried thymus extract. To strengthen the thymus, frequently tap with the fingers at the upper end of the breastbone; maintain a good posture and walk with long strides and swinging arms. Apply lemon (yellow-green) color therapy on the upper breastbone (see Step 17). COPPER SULFATE (BLUESTONE): Available from gardening supply outfits, this has strong antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. Collect any discharge from an infected or inflamed organ or wound in a medium-strong solution of bluestone and keep it there for several days. This may be phlegm, pus, bloodstained bandage, vaginal or nasal discharge, or urine (in bladder or kidney infections). This can promote healing by way of secondary contact and can also be used with an extracted tooth or any severed part of the body. This method works on the same principle as
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radionics and telepathy with a two-way exchange of information energy between the body and any separated part. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES: Use colloidal silver or copper, oxygen therapy, and an electronic zapper, and possibly a magnetic pulser (see Step 19). You can also use a hot bath (with Epsom salt) followed by sweating; a hot foot bath with mustard powder or cayenne; cold packs placed on the abdomen and around the calves. For colds or flu, immerse hands and lower arms in hot water for 30 minutes; keep the water hot; in addition, you can chill the underside of the big toes with ice dipped in salt. Generally, blue light focused on the site of infection is helpful, as is blue-radiated water taken internally. Try also Epsom-salt purges, sweating, induced vomiting, colonics; packs of cabbage leaves or Epsom salt placed on localized infected or inflamed areas; autosuggestion and visualization or right-brain exercises: tell your immune system to produce plenty of efficient B cells and T cells.
Insomnia: DIET: Have early, light evening meals, using animal protein only sparingly; minimize sweet foods, salt, alcohol, caffeine, and other stimulants taken in the afternoon or evening; test for food allergies. SUPPLEMENTS: Advisable are vitamins B6 and C; nicotinamide (1 g at bedtime), especially if experiencing difficulty returning to sleep after awakening; inositol; lecithin; one teaspoon of milk of magnesia or magnesium chloride at bedtime. Keep a tablet of magnesium orotate in the mouth when sleepless, take L-tryptophan (an amino acid, 500 mg) or melatonin (1 to 3 mg) at bedtime. Vitamin B12 can help to establish a normal circadian rhythm. Try the herbs passiflora, valerian, or thyme, or hops in a muslin bag placed on the chest or pillow; it is not recommended to use valerian on a long-term basis. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES:
Try a hot relaxing bath, possibly with Epsom salt, before bedtime or a cold pack on the abdomen when trying to fall asleep. The body temperature needs to drop during sleep, therefore use relatively light covers and keep the bedroom cool (but not cold). Sleep with the head in a north or north-easterly direction; use blue sheets, bed covers, curtains, and pyjamas; blue, violet, or purple lighting at bedtime; sleep in complete darkness on a natural-fibre mattress; remove drugs and chemicals from the bedroom.; and minimize electro--pollutants (Step 8). Expose yourself to bright light soon after rising (best is sunshine), but minimize bright light (including bright TV and computer screens) exposure in the evening. To facilitate sleep, use autosuggestions when going to bed and/or relaxation exercises or visualize a peaceful scene. Do eight-two breathing (Step 9) or inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth. Repeatedly take three deep breaths, then hold the breath as long as possible; finally continue with slow, shallow breathing to retain more carbon dioxide. Most effective is plenty of outdoor activity, ideally done without wearing prescription glasses. Try a long slow walk in the late afternoon or early evening; alternatively, undertake other restful activities, such as listening to soft music or meditating. Do not read anything interesting; engage in no other absorbing mental activity or exciting movies; clear up any worries. Ask your lower self (the subconscious level) for cooperation: Tell it to stop thinking of a particular problem and that you will deal with it during the daytime, and then do that. Keep pen and paper beside the bed to write down any important thoughts to deal with the next day.
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If you like to experiment, try the Eeman screens: Place metal wire screens (approximately 16 inches by 10 inches, from a hardware store) under your head and the base of the spine. The screens can be enclosed in a pillowcase. With an electric wire, connect the head screen to a piece of metal pipe held in the left hand, and the buttock screen in the same way to the right hand. Use the screens for ten to 30 minutes at bedtime, lying on your back with the ankles crossed. This balances our internal bioelectric potentials and is conducive to increased tranquillity, meditation, and sleep. Basically, you can balance without screens by placing the right hand under the base of the spine with the palm facing up, and the left palm under the top of the spine. Because the arm muscles are partly contracted in this position, it is not as relaxing as with the screens. Kidney Problems: You need a diet low in protein, salt, food additives, and drugs, along with allergy testing and a low-allergy and blood group diet. Use predominantly raw foods with plenty of sprouted seeds and fresh (mainly green) vegetable juices, ground linseed, and fish oils; try a watermelon fast. Helpful are antioxidants, spirulina, and coenzyme Q10. For kidney stones, use lemon juice and grapefruit, ascorbic acid, vitamin B6, magnesium, and zinc, but restrict your calcium intake. Useful herbs are buchu, cornsilk, dandelion, and uva ursi; as diuretics, try juniper berries, elderberries, or peach leaves. Colonics with water low in minerals delay the need for dialysis. You need sufficiently high fluid intake to produce about one gallon of urine daily. Most effective in serious conditions is urine therapy (see Step 22). My favourite way to reactivate kidney function is drinking, slowly and at intervals, about three quarts (litres) of high-quality pure water (no chlorine or fluoride) before breakfast. To each quart, add up to a cup of fresh urine and, if available, the content of one capsule of Microhydrin or Microhydrin Plus. If already on dialysis, then use distilled or de-ionized water, but only with these additions, and increase the volume of drinking water gradually over successive days to match the output of urine. Instead of Microhydrin, you can also use strongly electrolytic reduced water (ERW). While the addition of Microhydrin or ERW is not essential, they provide strong antioxidant activity that helps to regenerate kidney function. Liver and Gallbladder Problems: Detoxify with the Basic Cleanse, then from time to time, possibly once a month, repeat the first part of it (see Step 4). Have three days on apples only; in the evening activate the liver with a castor-oil pack; at bedtime take half a cup of olive oil with lecithin and possibly orange juice, and next morning a glass of warm water with a tablespoon of Epsom salt. This helps remove gallstones and cholesterol deposits from the liver and gallbladder. Minimize your exposure to chemicals and drugs and sanitize your intestines. Helpful nutrients are lecithin, milk thistle or silymarin, antioxidants, B-vitamins, especially B6, B12 if you’re low in energy, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. MSM or L-cysteine and L-methionine help to detoxify. Stimulate the liver with bitter teas; use half a cup after meals; or take capsules of centaury, dandelion, devil’s claw, gentian, goldenseal, or rosemary. Also do the herbal parasite cure. With hepatitis, use the therapy for viral infection in Infections and Inflammations above. With persistent problems, continue with the castor-oil liver packs. Also effective are reflexology, ear acupuncture, and acupuncture meridian therapy. Jaundice can
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be caused by drugs and chemicals, liver infection, gall-duct blockage, and increased destruction of red blood cells (protect with high amounts of vitamin E), so try to discover the cause of the jaundice. Treat systemically with blue color therapy (see Step 17). Malabsorption: Malabsorption of food is frequently associated with chronic degenerative diseases, debility, and underweight or difficulty in gaining weight. This can result in floating, bulky, pale, and smelly stools and excessive wind. Common causes and solutions are as follows: •
Gluten allergy: Avoid gluten.
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Deficiency of gastric acid, pancreatin, bile, or sodium bicarbonate: Take appropriate supplements, reduce fats, use extra-virgin olive oil instead, and improve the corresponding organs.
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Inflammation of the intestinal tract: Individuals commonly have whitish inner irises as with gluten allergy; do intestinal sanitation (see Digestive Disorders).
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Overgrowth of bacteria or fungi in the small intestine: Use isotonic garlic flush followed by acidophilus and bifido cultures.
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High-fibre diet: Use white instead of brown rice.
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Worms or other parasites: Do a three-day raw food diet; take teas of chamomile, sage, or vervain, pumpkinseeds, or pumpkinseed oil. Most effective is an herbal parasite cure with wormwood, cloves, and walnut.
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Tapeworm: Use the herbal parasite cure; in addition, try a three-day water fast followed by castor oil.
GENERAL RULES: Eat small meals of easily digestible foods, for example, bone broth, meat broth or juice, vegetable and grass juices, rye sourdough bread instead of yeast-baked bread. Add pollen, spirulina, or chlorella, and possibly amino acid and nucleic acid supplements if you are debilitated. Add lecithin to all meals. The amino acid glutamine helps to improve the intestinal wall. Chew all your food extremely carefully and keep it in the mouth as long as possible, paying attention to the developing flavours of each mouthful. Frequently rub the body with cod-liver or halibut-liver oil, extra-virgin olive oil, and vitamin E oil. Emulsify oils for intended use (especially extra-virgin olive oil and cod-liver oil) by shaking in a jar with lecithin and juice.
Chew all suitable supplements and keep them under the tongue, such as freeze-dried liver, Royal Jelly, and halibut-liver oil; keep a hali-but-liver oil capsule in the mouth at bedtime. In this way, B12 can be absorbed in therapeutic quantities even if the usually necessary intrinsic factor is missing in the stomach. Most tablets can also be crushed, and capsules opened and mixed with meals. Use vitamin E in natural form as tablets, not as oil-filled capsules. In difficult situations, nutrients can be absorbed from grass juice enemas through the large intestine. Mucus Problems: These include most respiratory diseases, recurring colds, hay fever, coughs, sinusitis, running nose, throat infections, and many ear problems. However, there may also be a mucus covering in the small intestine, causing malabsorption and, the worst mucus-related disease, cystic fibrosis. Generally, pathological mucus results either from a -lactose/galactose overload or from irritated
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mucous membranes. Such irritation may be due to food, such as gluten, or to food allergy or chemical sensitivity; it can result from persistent inhalation of irritants or from chronic microbial or parasitic infestations. Try to find and eliminate the cause. DIET:
Fenugreek is good; minimize sweet and fatty food; fruit can be used according to your sensitivity; however, oranges frequently aggravate respiratory problems. The main mucus-forming foods are lactose (skim milk or whey powder); milk products in general according to their lactose content; beer; mainly wheat gluten, to a lesser extent also gluten in rye, oats, and barley; egg white; and moulds and fungi or any food to which you are allergic. Neutralize fruit acids with dolomite. Initially avoid all mucus-forming foods. After your mucus has cleared, introduce and observe the effect on your body of each of the mucus-forming foods or food groups separately for several weeks. Some foods are mucus forming even in small amounts while others can be tolerated up to a certain level. However, the mucusforming potential of different foods may be cumulative. HERBS: For inflamed or infected mucous membranes, use goldenseal, marshmallow, sarsaparilla, slippery elm powder, thyme, and yarrow (strengthening). To expel mucus, use coltsfoot, horehound, lungwort, mullein, nettles, vervain, and violet; most recommended is horseradish. AROMATIC OILS:
Inhale these for sinusitis: cinnamon, lemon, eucalyptus, lavender, pine, rosemary, or thyme. For inflammatory sinus and breathing problems: Inhale vapour of eucalyptus oil during the night (keep some in a flat container close to the bed). For sore throat, gargle with lemon, geranium, hyssop, sage, and thyme. As an internal antiseptic, use diluted tea tree oil. Add a few drops to a small jar or bottle half filled with water, shake vigorously for a few seconds, and then try a drop on the tongue. If this is not irritating or unpleasant, you can ingest the rest. Do not use other aromatic oils internally without competent advice that it is appropriate to do so. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES:
For nose and sinus problems or hay fever, frequently draw seawater, diluted with about three parts warm water, through the nostrils, one at a time, and spit the water out. If seawater is not available, dissolve a level teaspoon of sea salt in a pint of water; you can also add a small amount of Epsom salt. For acute conditions, sniff up a tea of the indicated herbs, preferably adding propolis solution; place castor-oil packs over the sinuses. Do head and neck exercises such as this one for clearing mucus from head spaces (e.g., sinuses): Kneel with the head to the floor and make loud snoring and snorting noises at the back of the nose. Spit out mucus; continue for ten minutes. Have any mercury amalgam fillings or dead teeth removed. For throat problems, gargle with the indicated herb teas, adding propolis in the case of infections; place castor-oil packs and blue lighting on throat; for chronic conditions, have plenty of singing and vocal therapy. Generally, strengthen the intestines, and do colonics. Edgar Cayce recommended wearing a piece of carbon steel, preferably in the groin pocket, to improve the mucous membranes of the nose and throat and to resist colds and congestion. Use systemic lemon (yellow-green) color therapy to loosen and expel phlegm, and concentrate it on the chest and upper back.
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THE SUGAR CURE:
Keep a teaspoon of fine (Caster) sugar in the mouth until it is dissolved, then spit it out and take another teaspoonful. Continue with this at intervals for one or two hours and repeat on subsequent days or weeks as required. The sugar draws mucus dissolved in lymph fluid from the lymph glands and so gradually clears the head spaces. It can stop a cold within hours. NETI:
This is a yoga method to rinse the sinuses. Use a coffee or teapot with a fine snout, a neti pot, or an enema bag filled with mildly warm and salty water. Bend over a sink with the head turned to the side, insert the enema hose or the snout of the pot into the upper nostril and let the water flow out. It will rinse out the sinuses and flow out from the lower nostril. After half the water is used up, turn the head and let the water flow into the other nostril. Finally, close one nostril at a time and strongly blow out air to expel any water remaining in the sinuses. Note: You can easily obtain neti pots from yoga and meditation supply sources in the U.S.; check the Internet. Multiple Sclerosis: DIET: Recommended are plenty of low-mercury seafood, broth of fish heads and bone broth, and possibly raw egg yolk (after allergy testing); sunflower kernels, almonds, and other oily seeds (best sprouted or as seed cheese); freshly ground linseed and possibly linseed oil; plenty of grass and vegetable juices as well as sprouted seeds (but no gluten grains). Try sprouted broad beans. Eat more vegetables that grow below than above the ground; eat raw vegetables often with added gelatine (broth of fish heads or bones). Sprout or soak lentils and beans before cooking; eat tomatoes, fresh fruits, cold-pressed sunflower oil, and cayenne. Test for allergies and follow your blood group diet. Try to obtain organically grown food and eat small meals. Sago, tapioca, taro, and arrowroot are fine, but minimize your intake of rice, millet, and maize and avoid saturated, hydrogenated, and animal fats; cow’s milk products; gluten products; egg white; smoked, cured, and processed meat; peanuts; sweet foods; tinned or frozen fruits and vegetables; salt; and food chemicals, especially colourings and aspartame. Use a strict low-fat diet. SUPPLEMENTS: High doses of all vitamins are good, especially C (10 to 20 g daily), E (2000 IU, daily, as tablets), B1, B6, nicotinamide, pantothenic acid, biotin, choline and inositol, and B12 (injections or sublingual), as well as grape seed extract. Take magnesium (best as chloride and orotate), zinc, copper salicylate, manganese, chromium, iodine, and selenium. Most important may be vitamin D from sunlight and fish oils, especially cod-liver oil; also try Calcium EAP 3 x 3 tablets. Take hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes with proteins or a main meal; also take lecithin, kelp, MSM, freeze-dried liver, pollen, spirulina or chlorella, and evening primrose or borage oil (chew the capsules). The amino acid glycine (10 g four times daily) is useful, but not needed if you use a gelatinous broth of fish heads. HERBS:
Especially strong with anti-inflammatory properties are goldenseal, slippery elm powder, and ginger, also devil’s claw, ginseng, gotu kola, pau d’arco, and sage. Try suitable Bach Flower Remedies; do the herbal parasite therapy and follow protocols in Intestinal Sanitation (see Step 3). ADDITIONAL THERAPIES: Try a strong antimicrobial therapy with electronic zapper, magnetic pulser, colloidal silver, and oxygen therapy. Also useful are spinal massage, tapping, and adjustment; deep muscle massage; frequent castor-oil packs on abdomen and lower back. Improve the liver, gallbladder, kidneys, and endocrine glands; press the foot reflex for the pineal gland.
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Get frequent rest periods, avoid stress, have frequent mild sunshine on your skin. Remove any dead teeth; replace mercury amalgam fillings; guard against inorganic copper and lead intake (for example, canned food, water pipes, and carexhaust fumes). Have frequent muscle tensing with deep breathing; do mind-body exercises; do lemon color therapy, visualization, and autosuggestion; release resentments; meditate on the feeling of love and being forceful (see Step 61). Myasthenia Gravis: DIET: Try a low-allergy diet, select food according to your blood group diet, and include some beef as stew, broth, or juice, or liver. Follow a diet low in sweet foods, fats, and polyunsaturated oils; use mainly extra-virgin olive oil; mainly below-ground vegetables, especially red beets, and salads with gelatine (broth of fish heads). Have allergy testing for foods; use no egg white; raw egg yolk, sprouted seeds, and grass juice are acceptable. SUPPLEMENTS:
Recommended are high doses of all vitamins, with 2000 IU vitamin E tablets, folic acid, rutin, and vitamin B12 injections. Most important is manganese; initially take 20 mg of chelated manganese with each meal, then reduce after improvement. Also take zinc, selenium, calcium ascorbate (5 to 10 g), and calcium orotate (800 mg); magnesium supplements may be weakening. Also helpful are thymus extract, octacosanol, lecithin, digestive enzymes (pancreatin) or green papaya, glycine or gelatine, and acidophilus and bifido cultures. HERBS:
For muscle strengthening, use Agrimony, juniper berries, and rosemary; also use devil’s claw and tonifying herbs such as ginseng; do the herbal parasite cure. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES:
Concentrate on the thymus gland, try cabbage leaf and castor-oil packs; tap the top of the breastbone with your fingers (see thymus under Infections and Inflammations). Tape a tablet of chelated manganese in the hollow at the top of the breastbone. Do spinal tapping, especially at the base of the neck (C7 and D1). Remove dead teeth and replace mercury amalgam fillings. Place castor-oil packs over the liver and abdomen, and over the eyes (from ear to ear) in cases of eye weakness. Practice intestinal sanitation, massage, frequent muscle tensing with deep breathing, mind-body exercises, and autosuggestion and visualization methods; meditate on being calm but forceful. Have frequent rest periods, avoid stress, keep cool, take no hot baths or hot showers, and eat no hot foods. Practice yellow color therapy systemically; use the electronic zapper, colloidal silver, and oxygen therapy. Obesity and Overweight: The main cause of excessive weight is a diet low in fat and high in processed carbohydrates, particular sweeteners, and cereal or grain products. Avoid these and experiment with the following approaches. •
Have an appetite-reducing protein drink, cold or warm, 30 minutes before meals, with any combination of the following ingredients and in any amount that suits you: spirulina or chlorella powder, green barley or wheat grass powder, food yeast, ground linseed, linseed oil or olive oil. You can also drink this repeatedly during the day to keep hunger away for hours.
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Thirty minutes before meals stir one teaspoon of psyllium hulls in a glass of water, drink immediately. If still too hungry at mealtime, double the amount to two
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teaspoons in a large glass of water. Drink some more water afterwards. Psyllium swells up to 40 times its dry bulk to fill the stomach with a soft gel. •
Eat only lentils, green vegetables, and sprouted seeds. Vegetarians can also experiment with combinations of different non-gluten whole grains and legumes.
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Adopt a mono-diet: One day eat protein foods only, the next day fruits, and the third day sprouted seeds and vegetable salads. Repeat this as often as required.
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Temporarily adopt a raw food diet (see Step 34).
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For two weeks, eat only protein/fat foods and green vegetables; ground linseed is a good protein/fat food.
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Repeat periods of consuming vegetable and grass juices and vegetable salads.
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Avoid all sweet food, as it stimulates the appetite and the synthesis of fat. In particular, keep fructose-containing foods away from starchy foods, and eat fresh fruits separately. The alternative sweeteners stevia and xylitol are acceptable; however if you have cravings for sweetness, it is preferable to overcome this by avoiding all sweeteners for some time.
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Avoid all cereal or grain products, especially if your blood group is O.
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Use a diet high in unheated fats and cold-pressed oils such as extra-virgin olive oil, linseed oil (or ground linseed), fish oils, and coconut oil; these do not normally cause weight gain. Avoid all heated fats and oils.
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Preferably skip the evening meal or have only a small salad or an apple.
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Get light daily exercise, such as a brisk 15-minute walk or jogging, or use a rebounder or other aerobic exercise. The metabolic rate is speeded up for a long time after exercise.
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Use a low-allergy diet combined with your blood group diet.
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Use mind therapy such as guided imagery and affirmation; look at your belief systems, release negative emotions, and express your emotional needs. Use the Emotional Freedom Technique in Step 63 to overcome food cravings.
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Eat very slowly and peacefully; chew every mouthful for about two minutes, until the food is liquefied; savour the food flavours as they develop during chewing.
Osteoporosis: Use allergy testing and a diet low in sucrose, acidity and phosphorus. Select foods with a high calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. Alkalize the body if overacid and neutralize fruit acids or vinegar with dolomite. Take a hydrochloric acid supplement if your fingernails are soft or if you have other indications of gastric acid deficiency. Frequently add broth of bones or fish heads to your meals; regularly drink grass and vegetable juices. The most important vitamins and minerals are vitamins C and D (cod-liver oil or halibut-oil capsules), manganese, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and boron. It’s helpful to know that 50 mg of borax contain 6 mg of boron; to measure this amount, dissolve one level teaspoon of borax in one quart (litre) of water and take a teaspoon twice daily with meals. Frequently expose your skin to mild sunlight without using sunscreen. Also, vitamin K is important and available from dark-green vegetables.
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Pain: Pain is a warning signal indicating that something is wrong. Therefore it is most important to search for and correct the basic cause. The following measures are secondary to this. (See Arthritis or Infections and Inflammations if the pain is due to these conditions.) DIET: Use a low-allergy or hypoglycaemia diet with light meals, plenty of raw vegetables and their juices, and omega-3 fatty acids, and have cleansing periods. Avoid sweet foods and dairy products (lactose); avoid or neutralize acids; do allergy testing. Pain tends to lessen or disappear while on a raw food diet; introduction of some cooked foods may increase pain again SUPPLEMENTS: Generally, a high calcium-magnesium level and increased blood alkalinity raise the pain threshold (the level at which pain is felt; this means you feel less pain), while acids, phosphorus, and potassium lower it. Therefore, alkalize the body. You can add some additional baking soda to acids neutralized with dolomite to bring the pH of the solution to 7. Vitamins A, B1, B6, C, and E can be helpful. Vitamin B12 injections work for nerve pains, as do manganese, MSM, and zinc. D,L-phenylalanine slows the breakdown of natural pain-relieving opiates in the brain and improves other pain-relieving measures. It is slow acting and used for long-term pain control. Topically apply propolis, cayenne ointment, and oils of clove or wintergreen. Take white willow bark, cloves, wintergreen, pansy, or feverfew for headaches. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES: With cancer, migraines, and other diseases, pain and discomfort are often the result of liver congestion. This is usually relieved by a coffee enema and other measures to cleanse the liver. Improve the lymph circulation in a painful area; see Part 1 for details.
Topically place the south pole of a magnet on the pain site and/or apply blue lighting on the painful area, along with cold or ice packs. Also make a pack of honey, cabbage leaves, or Epsom salt; add a handful of sodium bicarbonate to the bath water to alkalize the body. Practice rhythmic breathing, meditation and relaxation exercises, visualizing blue energy extinguishing the “red fireball” of pain. Concentrate on feeling the pain, its strength, extent, rhythm, and other characteristics. If you pay enough attention to your pain for a long period, it may simply disappear. Also ask the pain what message it has for you. Try to sense its message. Try this form of energy healing: Firmly but without pressure touch the flesh in the indicated places with the tips of the thumb and the first two fingers of the right hand. Hold for about three minutes or until the patient (or you) feels tingling in the fingertips. Concentrate your mind on the painful body area with the intention of relieving the condition. Here are a few variations: •
For pain in head or neck, hold fingertips just behind and beneath the left ear on a line with the mouth.
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For pains in chest, arms, or upper back, hold fingertips to the base of the neck on the left side of the spine.
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For pain in abdomen, back, sides, or hips, put fingertips to the left side of the spine between shoulder blades.
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For pain in legs or feet, hold the left side near the centre of the spine.
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Parasites: Parasite infestations combine with fungi, such as Candida, to greatly undermine your long-term health. Examples of common parasites are intestinal worms and protozoa (malaria and Giardia). Most of these parasites can be eliminated with wormwood (Artemesia absinthium), which is best combined with other herbs; wormwood also appears to be effective against Candida. Here’s how: For several weeks take up to one teaspoon of powdered wormwood once daily in juice before a meal. You may combine this with up to a quarter-teaspoon of ground cloves and chopped garlic. If any of these ingredients is too unpleasant to take, you can put it into one or more large gelatine capsules. Take a course of acidophilus and bifido cultures after finishing the course of parasite remedies. As a precaution, you can repeat a course of parasite remedies once or twice a year. In animal husbandry, high copper levels are successful in eliminating parasites and keeping animals free of parasites. While animals seem to be able to handle copper sulphate as part of a mineral supplement, this is not suitable for humans, and I recommend using either copper salicylate or colloidal copper. During any parasite or Candida cure, maintain a high intake of liquids to flush out toxic residues. In addition to copper and herbal remedies, use an electronic blood purifier and possibly a magnetic pulser on any swollen or infected lymph glands and organs. Parkinson’s Disease: DIET: Useful here are seafood, raw egg yolk, lactic-acidfermented food, purple food, sprouted seeds, raw vegetables (finely grated, often with gelatine) such as green beans, carrots, beet root and beet tops, cabbage, green peas (fresh, not canned or frozen), and spinach. If vegetables are cooked, use the cooking water. Preferably take fresh vegetable and grass juices before meals; have frequent interior cleanses on such juice, possibly also on fruits. Use food appropriate for your blood group and metabolic type. Sprouted broad beans are very high in levodopa, the precursor of the neurotransmitter dopamine, lacking in people with Parkinson’s. Try five to 15 sprouted beans with breakfast, and use raw or blended in juice; if cooked, also ingest the cooking water. Black currants also contain levodopa. Do allergy testing and intestinal cleansing; use organically grown foods if possible; avoid food additives, including preservatives, flavouring (excitotoxins), colouring, and aspartame. Avoid exposure to aluminium and heavy metals, especially lead, mercury, and iron. SUPPLEMENTS:
Take high doses of all vitamins, especially antioxidants and B1, B6 (but not with levodopa or sprouted broad beans), B12 injections, and natural E (1000 IU daily as tablets), and the minerals selenium, zinc, and chromium; also try copper salicylate. Take vitamin C as 5 to 10 g of ascorbic acid per day, partly neutralized with magnesium oxide or carbonate; take sufficient additional magnesium as chloride and orotate to stop any shaking and help relax muscles. Take digestive enzymes, pycnogenol or grape seed extract, lecithin, fish oil and ground linseed, evening primrose oil, kelp, MSM, royal jelly, and glutamine. Try tyrosine before breakfast and tryptophan before the evening meal. For herbs, try a combination of foti-tieng, gotu kola, licorice (but not with high blood pressure), pau d’arco, sage, and skullcap. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES:
Cleansing and strengthening of all organs and glands with all the methods described in this book are advised. Spinal tapping, spinal
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corrections, rejuvenation exercises, tensing and breathing exercises, and body-mind exercises are also helpful. Try regression to discover and release hidden fear. Imagine reacting appropriately in situations of panic; use emotional-release and mind-control methods. Improve and balance energy flows in acupuncture meridians, especially those of the stomach, gallbladder, and bladder and the governing meridian, by having an acupuncture treatment. Do intentional exaggerated shaking exercises with vigorous breathing. Remove dead teeth and replace mercury amalgam fillings. Before breakfast have strong coffee and tyrosine; with breakfast have bee pollen, spirulina or chlorella, ground linseed, sprouted broad beans, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and other stimulating measures; reintroduce levodopa drugs as late as possible in the day. If levodopa has become ineffective, have a “drug holiday” - stop using it for one or more weeks. Try breathing additional oxygen during this time (e.g., from an oxygen concentrator); however, additional oxygen is harmful while you’re on levodopa. See the Love Cure (Step 61) and learn to meditate and energize the brain. Prostate Problems: DIET: Advisable here is a mainly raw food diet based on sprouted legumes, vegetable salads, fresh fruit, and plenty of fresh vegetable and grass juice. Also good are raw egg yolk, tomatoes, seeds of sunflower and pumpkin (best as seed cheese), foods high in bioflavonoids and carotenoids, and purple foods. Have allergy testing and practice intestinal sanitation. Avoid gluten and milk proteins. SUPPLEMENTS:
Take Vitamins A (halibut-liver oil capsules and cod-liver oil), E (preferably including gamma tocopherol), C, and B6; magnesium (1000 mg daily) best as magnesium chloride and magnesium ascorbate, selenium, zinc (30 to 50 mg in divided doses), bioflavo-noids, quercetin, kelp, protein-digesting enzymes, spirulina, and bee pollen. Try Epilobium parviflorum (small-leafed willow), saw palmetto, Pygeum africanum, and stinging -nettle/nettle extract. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES: Useful are yoga exercises; frequent long walks, and mild sun exposure; sitting on south pole of a strong magnet. Try also: reflexology of prostate points on hands and feet, tapping of lower spine, and -castor-oil and Epsom salt packs on the lower abdomen and lower spine. Have satisfying sexual activity or be satisfied with having no activity; see also Step 56: Healthy Sexuality.
Schizophrenia: Many people classified as having a mental disease are actually emotionally unstable and open to psychic influences (extrasensory perception) and, most of all, need guidance and grounding. Sometimes schizophrenic symptoms disappear during water fasts. For all types of schizophrenia, follow a fast with allergy testing, a low-allergy diet, and intestinal sanitation. If allergy testing is not possible, adopt a low-allergy diet that excludes all gluten and cow’s milk protein. From a biochemical point of view, we can distinguish between three different types of schizophrenics: The low-histamine type are slow oxidizers, also called histapenics; the high-histamine type are fast oxidizers, also called histadelics; and there are balanced oxidizers with normal histamine levels. In addition, each of these may at times display symptoms of overactivity or underactivity. If in doubt about the histamine status, under supervision of a qualified health practitioner, take (or give) 50 mg of niacin with water on an empty stomach. If a strong facial flush develops,
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histamine levels are high; if there is no or only a weak flush, levels are probably normal or low. Then try 250 mg of niacin in the same way; if there is still no or only a weak flush, histamine levels are low. The Low-Histamine Type: The low-histamine type is the “typical” schizophrenic, insensitive to pain and outside influences; infections and skin reactions are rare; calcium levels are high; pH tends towards the alkaline side. Sometimes a cerebral allergy is present, causing a rapid pulse (90-100); thought processes are often overactive. DIET:
Adopt mainly a vegetarian raw food diet reasonably high in protein. Frequently use seed cheese and protein drink as described in the recipes in Part 4; use seafood, fish oils, linseed oil, ground linseed, and acid fruit, but avoid gluten and milk products. Take a long, supervised fast on fresh grass and vegetable juices. SUPPLEMENTS: Try high-potency B-complex vitamins, high dose folic acid with each meal, inositol, and vitamin B12 (as injections or absorbed under the tongue). Also take up to several grams of niacin and niacinamide daily; up to 10 g daily of ascorbic acid, partly neutralized with magnesium in divided doses; additional magnesium chloride, manganese, and zinc; high-dosage evening primrose oil and lecithin, glutamine, histidine, and tryptophan; hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes (pancreatin) with main meals; Bach Flower Remedies per your emotional conditions. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES:
Use blue lighting during overactive periods; at other times try orange or red. Induce the inflammation response: for example, blistering agents and overheating baths followed by sweating. Use plenty of acid fruit, such as citrus fruit. The High-Histamine Type: The high--histamine schizophrenic exhibits a hypoglycaemic personality and is very susceptible to allergic reactions. The main symptoms include suicidal depression, obsessive rumination, blank-mindedness, periods of over-arousal and thought disorders, frequent headaches, and dizziness; blood pressure tends to be low and the pH too acid; skin is sensitive and may show dilated blood vessels (rosy cheeks). Recommended is a strict hypoglycaemia diet that minimizes sweet and acid food intake. Have high doses of all vitamins and minerals; acid-neutralized dolomite or additional calcium, and calcium ascorbate. Copper may be beneficial, but best taken as salicylate. Also helpful are vitamin-B12 injections, nicotinamide (up to 10 g daily, no niacin), L-methionine, glutamine, folic acid, and lecithin. Alkalize the body (see Step 6). For chronic depression, use tryptophan or tyrosine; if one supplement does not help, try the other. Stress-Induced Schizophrenia: People with stress-induced schizophrenia tend to have a better insight into their condition and a better response to treatment. In addition to the classic symptoms of schizophrenia, in this form there are signs of zinc and vitamin-B6 deficiency; also white spots on fingernails, loss of dream memory, sweetish breath odour, stretch marks, inability to tan and sensitivity to sunlight, sometimes pain in the upper left abdomen, possibly tremors, spasms, amnesia, impotence, menstrual irregularity, and anemia.
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Usually a hypoglycaemia diet is helpful, along with vitamin B6 (up to 3 g daily in divided doses), zinc (10 mg) with each meal, vitamin-B12 injections, high intake of neutralized dolomite, additional magnesium, other vitamins and minerals as for the high--histamine type, and Bach Flower Remedies, as appropriate. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALL TYPES: Live with a caring group in a peaceful, natural environment; try regression therapy and emotional release therapy (see Step 63). Avoid heavy-metal contamination; sanitize your teeth; apply violet color therapy systemically; treat for parasites and Candida; use St. John’s Wort as an herbal tincture during depression.
Scleroderma: Antimicrobial therapy including colloidal silver and oxygen therapy are recommended, as is the herbal parasite cure with use of the electronic zapper and magnetic pulser. Make external applications to affected skin areas as rubs, packs, or immersions using tea tree oil, aloe vera gel, magnesium chloride, a solution of copper salicylate with MSM, and blue light. To eliminate the microbes causing the condition, keep the affected part in contact with tea tree oil until the skin becomes red, inflamed, and painful; then stop tea tree oil and expose it to blue light, copper salicylate, and other sedating or anti-inflammatory measures. Internal remedies include all antioxidants, bioflavonoids, copper salicylate, echinacea, magnesium chloride, pau d’arco, propolis, wormwood, and zinc. Also advised are the Basic Cleanse, allergy testing, and intestinal sanitation. Skin Problems: The three main causes of skin problems are accumulation of wastes and toxins, unrelieved allergies, and a deficiency of essential nutrients. DIET:
Use the hypoglycaemia diet, with freshly ground linseed, fish oils, apricot oil, almond oil, almonds, sunflower kernels, raw egg yolk (sulphur), raw cabbage, horseradish, sprouted seeds, grass and vegetable juice, raw onions, and broth of fish heads. Avoid saturated fats, margarine, peanut butter, all hydrogenated and fried foods, dairy products, gluten, and sweet foods. Do the Basic Cleanse, have allergy testing, and maintain intestinal sanitation. SUPPLEMENTS: Take vitamins A, C, and E (up to 2000 mg daily, as tablets), also B2, B6, B12, PABA, bioflavonoids, biotin, glucosamine, hydrochloric acid (if fingernails are soft), and one spoonful of lecithin with meals. Tyrosine and kelp or iodine help as skin activators: They are cleansing, but may cause temporary aggravation of symptoms, especially with acne. Take increased dosages of magnesium, evening primrose oil (especially in the case of psoriasis), zinc, manganese, sulphur (best as MSM), selenium, silicon as in horsetail, digestive enzymes, and gelatine (broth of fish heads), especially for psoriasis. HERBS:
For internal and external use: aloe vera, burdock (for psoriasis), calendula, chaparral, echinacea, goldenseal, horsetail, pau d’arco, sarsaparilla, sassafras, St. John’s Wort, and vervain. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES:
If B-vitamin deficiencies are suspected, use a paste of food yeast or bran on affected skin parts; concentrated B vitamins, especially B2 and B6, can be added to this as well. Have frequent cleansing periods; regulate bowel movements; use colonics. Drink plenty of water and green vegetable juices; use hot and cold showers; do skin brushing to activate the skin, but not on the affected areas. Include sweating after hot Epsom salt bath.
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Stimulate the kidneys, lungs, circulation, small intestine (especially for psoriasis), liver, gallbladder, and endocrine glands, especially the thyroid; do lymphdrainage massage. Use only a minimum (infrequently) of an old-fashioned brand of soap, based on olive or almond oil, preferably neutralized (most soaps are too alkaline). Avoid detergents and cosmetics. Apply yellow light and measured amounts of sunshine on affected skin parts; this is especially helpful for acne. Have frequent skin massage with peanut oil, almond oil, apricot oil, and cod-liver oil (in case of malabsorption), preferably with added vitamin E. Cod-liver oil rubs (with vitamin E) are especially helpful with dry, damaged, or inflamed skin, malabsorption, moles, warts, skin cancer, sunburn, and psoriasis. Rashes are usually caused by allergies, so use allergy testing. Chronic skin diseases, for example psoriasis, are often improved by inducing vomiting, which relaxes the digestive organs and stimulates the solar plexus. Accept your skin problems as a beneficial cleansing, removing harmful energies and impurities from inside. Send love to your skin blemishes and they are more likely to go away. Rejuvenate your skin by frequently bathing it in imaginary rose-colored energy. Dry skin: Especially if you have difficulty gaining weight, check for fat malabsorption, which is often due to gluten allergy; stools may be pale or claycoloured. For dry skin, frequently rub it with extra-virgin olive oil and added vitamin E and A. Take linseed oil or fish oils internally; with malabsorption, also apply it externally. Oily skin: Use a pack of brewer’s yeast (also called nutritional yeast) and bran, applied to the skin. Acne: A mixture of equal parts of camphorated oil, witch hazel, and vitamin E oil can be rubbed into pustular areas. For severe conditions, a 0.05 percent solution of vitamin A acid (retinoic acid) can be applied for about six weeks under professional supervision. It frequently causes redness and irritation at the beginning of the treatment. Ulcers and skin infections: Wash the area with warm diluted magnesium chloride or an Epsom salt solution and apply any of the following, alone or mixed with others: propolis as cream or solution, copper salicylate, garlic, or fresh cabbage-leaf or fresh green-vegetable juice. Aloe vera gel is excellent for sealing a wound; cover with unheated honey, mix with a few drops of hydrogen peroxide, and renew twice daily. When there is dead, proud flesh (granulation) and gangrene, apply proteindigesting enzymes (trypsin, pancreatin), but especially the inside of green papaya skin, white sap, juice of raw leaves, or urea (see also Step 22: Urine and Urea Therapy). Boils: To draw, cover with a mixture of honey and cod-liver oil; once they are broken, treat as for ulcers. Internal cleansing is the main therapy for this problem. Wet eczema: This is best kept dry, either exposed to air and sunshine or covered with a powder of slippery elm. For healing, after infections have cleared, apply vitamin E, fresh green juice or fresh leaves, especially cabbage. Scar tissue: To remove, frequently rub with camphorated oil, MSM solution, and vitamin E. In addition, scars can be treated with neural therapy. An anaesthetic (Xylocain) is injected into scar tissues that are thought to induce electrical
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interference fields in other areas of the body. Sometimes a health problem of long standing disappears instantaneously after an injection. Alternatively, you can prick the scar with a fine needle to release the tissue tension in the area. Prick long scars in several places and leave a needle inserted for ten to 20 minutes about 2 mm deep at each end of the scar. Before and after any needling, apply a suitable antiseptic to the skin, such as tea tree oil. Fungal infections of the skin: Use a concentrated magnesium chloride or propolis solution, tea tree oil, or other fungicidal herbs and oils. Most effective is a long-lasting pack of any of these fungicides; if one does not work, try another. With any skin-fungus problem, also use internal Candida therapy. Itchy skin: Apply a solution of baking soda or, alternatively, extracts of borage, buckthorn bark, juniper berries, chickweed, marjoram, pennyroyal, plantain, poke root, or witch hazel; also bathe the skin with oatmeal (cooked or soaked) or baking soda. Use blue color therapy; treat the liver and gallbladder if skin is jaundiced. Take a hot Epsom salt bath; rub skin with tea tree oil or witch hazel; alkalize the body; consume no sweets or acids; test for allergies. Warts and moles: To remove, gently rub on cod-liver oil or castor oil mornings and evenings. For stronger action, apply baking soda moistened with castor oil to the consistency of putty; leave overnight; repeat until it becomes sore. Then apply vitamin E oil, green juice, or honey for several days before continuing with castor oil. Be careful and gentle with moles. If a mole appears to turn malignant, cover with raw, crushed garlic, changing two or three times per day. When it becomes sore after several days, cover with honey instead for five days. Alternate between garlic and honey periods as long as required. Basically, moles indicate that the systems of elimination are not functioning well. A protruding mole may also be removed by tying a hair tightly around it, then every two or three days adding another hair tying it a fraction tighter. Active moles can also be removed with an escharotics cream. Skin cancer: If skin cancer is suspected, apply the milky juice from the stem of radiation weed, radium-weed, or milkweed (spurge, euphorbia, petty spurge). Repeat application as required; a strong skin reaction may result, followed by healing. Use this approach also for warts, moles, blemishes, and so on. For serious conditions, including melanoma and tumours close to the skin, escharotic creams based on zinc chloride and the herb bloodroot are available (see: www.altcancer.com or www.cancersalves.com ). On inflamed areas and skin cancer, you can also use the south pole of a magnet and blue lighting. Skin rejuvenation: Frequently and vigorously rub the skin with some or all of the following ingredients, dissolved in aloe vera gel or energized water: vitamin C powder, magnesium chloride, glucosamine, copper salicylate, Microhydrin, and MSM. The amounts of individual ingredients are not critical. Afterwards you can cover the area lightly with natural vitamin E oil, possibly with added vitamin A. At other times, you can make a facial mask with fresh residue from juicing vegetables or grass; moisten with some juice as required to make it stick. GENERAL RULES FOR COLOR THERAPY FOR SKIN PROBLEMS:
Initial treatment is with green; subsequent treatments for dry or scaly skin problems with lemon; for obstinate cases, use also yellow or orange. When scales drop and inner skin surface
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appears, treat with turquoise, as for moist or weeping skin disorders. For red, angry skin problems, use blue or indigo; for abscesses, boils, carbuncles, and furuncles, use systemic lemon and locally orange. When suppuration and throbbing begin, use yellow until the problem bursts open; then green until pus drains and a red cavity is left; finally, use turquoise and indigo. For acne and especially psoriasis, cover the area with blue cellophane (double layer) and expose to sunlight or ultraviolet light. Thyroid Problems: For an indication of your thyroid function, measure your temperature before getting up in the morning. Measure it in the armpit or under the tongue for three consecutive mornings. For women before menopause, measure in the first half of the cycle before ovulation in the first week after the start of a new period. The temperature should be 97.8º F (36.5º C) or higher; otherwise, the thyroid is likely to be underactive. However, be sure that you do not have a raised temperature due to an infection. If the thyroid is underactive, try the following measures: Take a supplement of the amino acid tyrosine, 500 mg three times daily before meals. Best take it together with a kelp or seaweed tablet as a source of iodine. Also helpful are freeze-dried thyroid and vitamin B complex. Selenium is needed to activate the thyroid hormone. The most helpful remedy for normalizing thyroid functions is maca, a Peruvian tuberous root, similar to wild yam but more effective. For sources, check the Internet. Other useful measures are pressing the thyroid foot reflexes (see Step 15), using the magnetic pulser on the thyroid gland (see Step 19), and sanitizing your teeth (see Step 8). The main causes of thyroid problems, except for iodine deficiency, are dead teeth (e.g., root-canalled teeth), jawbone infections, and mercury from amalgam fillings; these can also cause overactive or toxic thyroid conditions and need to be corrected. For autoimmune disease of the thyroid, see Autoimmune Diseases. Vaccination Damage: Despite the refusal of the conventional health establishment to investigate the long-term effects of childhood vaccinations, independent research reports have increasingly been made public. These link vaccination rates to the epidemic of childhood asthma, as well as to crib death, shaken baby syndrome, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, autism, and juvenile diabetes. Since the 1990’s, there has been a tenfold or 1000 percent increase in autism, an increase which has been linked by some researchers to the organic mercury preservative commonly found in baby-vaccines. A greatly increased incidence of juvenile diabetes has been correlated to specific vaccination sequences and to the number of vaccines given. In some Australian Aboriginal communities, every second child died shortly after vaccination. Also, the original explosive spread of AIDS across Africa correlates with a smallpox vaccination campaign there. Basically, most components of most vaccines are highly toxic, and these are introduced by an unbiological route directly into the bloodstream of babies, whose immune systems are immature. While the dangers of vaccinations are greatly understated by most health authorities, the advertised benefits are greatly exaggerated. For instance, incidence of the four leading childhood killer diseases - diphtheria, pertussis, scarlet fever, and measles - had already declined 90 to 97 percent before the introduction of vaccines, due to improved sanitation and hygiene.35
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Another controversy concerns the “shaken baby syndrome.” Independent researchers claim that vaccinations can cause spot bleeding in the brain and retina that resembles the injury caused by violently shaking a baby.36 Paralleling the increase in vaccinations, there is now an epidemic in shaken baby syndrome. A recent article in New Scientist cites a member of the U.S. child protection service as saying that there are three million abused children each year,37 and if it becomes known that other conditions cause shaken baby syndrome (including the rare blood disease hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis), then some child abusers might remain unpunished. I believe that for thousands of years most parents have on occasion lightly shaken their children without causing any harm, and only now does it cause serious brain damage. There may be countless innocent parents in jail, and it would be appropriate for health authorities to investigate the possibility that some vaccines may cause capillary fragility in some babies. The only complete protection against vaccination damage is strict avoidance of this procedure. Every state in the U.S. has a religious exemption clause; you can write a letter to exempt your child; for more details, see www.mercola.com, and go to the article page on vaccinations. If you cannot avoid vaccinations for your child, then give high doses of protective nutrients for several days before and several weeks after the event, in particular vitamin C and MSM, to aid in rapid detoxification. Wounds and Burns: DIET: Have a diet high in easily digestible proteins (such as a protein drink - see the recipes in Part 4), fresh green-vegetable juices, foods high in arginine (such as almonds and sunflower seeds, best as seed cheese), and lentils. SUPPLEMENTS:
Take high doses of vitamins C, A, B1, and E, bioflavonoids, manganese, MSM, zinc, glucosamine, copper salicylate, -protein-digesting enzymes, and comfrey root. Use homeopathic Arnica and/or Bach Rescue Remedy, internally and topically; also burdock, chamomile, comfrey, echinacea, and yarrow, as teas and topically. ADDITIONAL THERAPIES:
Cool burns with ice; spray wounds and burns with a one-percent ascorbic acid and propolis solution; alternatively, apply weak tannic acid. After drying the site, apply vitamin E oil and cover with aloe vera gel, honey of a heavy consistency, or ointments containing propolis, vitamin E, and zinc oxide. The principle is to seal the wound or burn airtight with an antiseptic preparation until it is healed. Therefore, reapply the gel or ointment to maintain an airtight seal; renew the honey twice daily; mix a few drops of hydrogen peroxide with the honey. If the wound needs washing or cleaning, a magnesium chloride solution is best. Later, apply camphorated oil and vitamin E oil to prevent scarring. As an alternative, wounds can be covered with crushed fresh green leaves (cabbage, juicy grass pulp). Place the south pole of a magnet on fresh wounds; later, opposite poles on both sides; and finally, north pole. Use green color therapy topically; turquoise if there are signs of infection or inflammation; later lemon or yellow. PRESSURE THERAPY:
Immediately after the injury, exert strong pressure with the thumb on any cut for at least seven minutes. Partially severed parts can be pressed and held together with hand pressure or firm bandages; this usually stops bleeding and accelerates healing. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 45 DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS Check out this list of deficiency symptoms to see if you are lacking in key nutrients - and start replacing them.
Eye, hair, nail, mouth, and skin symptoms are among the early outward warning signs of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The following compilations can help you in diagnosing and treating these deficiencies. However, increased metabolic requirements for indicated deficiencies may persist for a long time after the outward symptoms have disappeared. Many listed symptoms can also be caused or aggravated by allergies and problems with the blood sugar and fat metabolism. Study tables 6-1 to 6-4. The right-hand column gives the primary deficiencies first; additional treatment or the cause is given in parentheses. For each condition, only the more prominent nutrients are mentioned. However, all the typical nutrients should be supplied in increased amounts in the treatment of all conditions. Most skin conditions benefit from external as well as internal application of the indicated nutrients. EFA means essential fatty acids, mainly linoleic and linolenic acid; recommended are ground linseed (flaxseed), fish oils, and evening primrose oil. Mouth problems are often due to mercury amalgam fillings, allergies, or Candida (thrush) overgrowth.
* * * * * * * * * * Table 6-1: Eye Deficiency Symptoms Symptom
Deficiency/Treatment/Cause
Bitot’s spots (foamy patches on conjunctiva)
vitamin A
Bloodshot eyes
boric acid for fungus infection, blue light
Blurred vision
vitamins B2, B6, pantothenic acid
Bulging eyes
vitamin E, nicotinamide, iodine
Cataracts (lens becomes opaque)
vitamins B2, C, E, antioxidants (avoid lactose)
Color blindness
vitamin A
Conjunctivitis
vitamins A, B2, C (B6, zinc)
Cross-eyed
vitamins E, C, B1 (allergy testing)
Dark spots in front of the eyes
vitamins B2, B6, C, zinc (liver problems)
Dim vision (amblyopia)
vitamins B1, C, B12 (allergy testing)
Dry, hard eyeballs (xerophthalmia)
vitamin A
Farsightedness (hyperopia)
magnesium, potassium
Glaucoma
salt, high vitamin C (cleansing)
Haemorrhaging in the back of the eye
vitamins B6, E, C, B2, zinc, copper, magnesium,
(retinitis, also macular degeneration)
bioflavonoids, glucosamine, cartilage
Infected, ulcerating eyes (keratomalacia)
vitamin A (vitamins C, B2, B6, zinc, blue light)
Itching, burning, watery, sandy eyes
vitamin B2
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Symptom
Deficiency/Treatment/Cause
Nearsightedness (myopia)
vitamins C, E, D, calcium, proteins, chromium
Night blindness (nyctalopia)
vitamins A, (B2, B6, zinc)
Red blood vessels in the sclera
vitamin B2
Retinal detachment
zinc, vitamins B6, B2, C, E, A
Sensitive eyes, fear of strong light
vitamins B2, A
(photophobia) Tics of eyelids
vitamins B2, B6, zinc, magnesium
Table 6-2: Skin Deficiency Symptoms Symptom
Deficiency/Treatment/Cause
Acne Addison’s disease (adrenal exhaustion): increased tanning, especially on skinfolds, scars, elbows, knees; black freckles Arterial spiders (fine, branching arteries on face, neck, chest) Bedsores Blisters Brown discoloration around small joints Brown skin spots Dry skin Eczema, infantile Eczema, skin ulcers Edema Fingers white, numb, stiff, swellings (Raynaud’s disease) Fungal infections (e.g., athlete’s foot, ringworm)
vitamins A, B2, B6, C, niacin, biotin, zinc, cod-liver oil all B vitamins, especially pantothenic acid; vitamin C; all minerals, digestive enzymes (allergy testing, avoid stress) antioxidants, glucosamine, cartilage, purple food, bioflavonoids, copper, zinc (alkalize), cod-liver oil vitamins C, E vitamin E vitamin B12 vitamins C, E, antioxidants (liver problems) vitamins A, C, EFA (fat malabsorption) EFA, zinc, vitamin B6 vitamins C, B2, B6, niacin, PABA, EFA, zinc, magnesium vitamins B6, B1, magnesium (less salt/protein) vitamin B6, zinc, cod-liver oil (also vitamin C, magnesium, calcium, alkalize) B vitamins (tea tree oil pack, intestinal sanitation)
Gangrene
vitamins C, E, B1, magnesium chloride
Greasy dermatitis around eyes, nose
vitamin B6, zinc
Greasy skin eruptions (seborrhoea)
vitamin B2
Horny, goose-pimple-like skin
vitamin A (possibly fat malabsorption)
Horny red skin on pressure areas
zinc (B6)
(e.g., knees, elbows) Hot flushes
vitamin E, boron, maca, pollen (wild yam cream)
Ichthyosis (fish-like scales)
vitamin A, retinoic acid topically
Infant dermatitis with inflamed pustules
vitamin B6, zinc (allergy testing)
around body openings Infections of the skin (boils, cold sores,
vitamins C, A, B6, zinc, magnesium (hot Epsom salt and
impetigo, and so on)
tea tree oil packs, propolis)
Itching
vitamins B, C, EFA, alkalizers (allergy testing)
Jaundice
vitamins C, E, B6, B12, A, lecithin, magnesium, zinc (blue light therapy, liver cleansing)
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(continued)
Symptom
Deficiency/Treatment/Cause
Lemon-yellow skin
vitamin B12
Oily skin, whiteheads
vitamin B2
Oversensitivity to sunlight
vitamin B6, zinc, PABA, carotenes, bioflavonoids, antioxidants, alkalizers, purple food
Pale skin
biotin, folic acid, vitamin B6, B12 (anemia)
Prickly-heat rash
vitamin C
Psoriasis
see acne; also vitamin E, lecithin, blue light, sunlight (allergy testing, avoid gluten)
Purplish or blue-black skin areas
vitamin C, vitamin B2, bioflavonoids
Rash
allergy testing, alkalizers, vitamin C, calcium
Red-brown, often symmetrical discoloration niacin or nicotinamide (folic acid) of skin exposed to the sun, later ulceration Red-brown or dark-red spots
manganese
Rosacea (redness of part of face)
vitamin B2
Scaly dermatitis
biotin
Scaly eczema around nose, ears,
vitamin B2, B6, zinc
scrotum, vulva Scar tissue
vitamin E, MSM, camphorated oil
Scleroderma (hardening and swelling of skin) vitamins E, C, A, PABA, magnesium, MSM (zapper, parasite herbs, tea tree oil packs) Sensitivity to insect bites
vitamin C, calcium, alkalizers, vitamin B1
Shingles
B vitamins, vitamins B12, C, A, E, lysine
Skin cancer
vitamins A, C, E, B6, propolis, zinc, chlorophyll,
Skin-folds red, infected
niacin
bioflavonoids, blue light, escharotics) Stretch marks
vitamins E, B6, zinc
Subcutaneous bleeding (red or purplish
vitamin C, bioflavonoids and rutin, grape seed extract,
spots under the skin, bruises easily)
glucosamine, cartilage, alkalizer
Swellings (e.g., face)
zinc, magnesium, vitamins B6, B12
Vaginal itching
vitamins B2, E, C (Candida treatment, avoid synthetic underwear)
Warts, moles
vitamins C, A, E, bioflavonoids, antioxidants
Weals on the skin (urticaria)
vitamin B6, zinc, vitamin C (alkalizer, allergy)
White skin patches (vitiligo)
PABA, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, zinc
Wrinkles or aging skin
vitamins C, E, A, EFA , MSM (too much sun)
Table 6-3: Hair and Nail Deficiency Symptoms Symptom
Deficiency/Treatment/Cause
Coarse, brittle hair
zinc
Dandruff
vitamins B2, B6, zinc, magnesium, biotin
Dry hair
vitamin A, zinc
Greying hair
folic acid, pantothenic acid, biotin, minerals/copper (weak circulation/adrenals, avoid sweet food, food allergies)
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Symptom
Deficiency/Treatment/Cause
Hair loss
zinc, vitamin B6, sulphur/MSM, selenium, biotin
Hangnails
vitamin C, folic acid, proteins
Nails opaque, white spots/bands
zinc, vitamin B6
Oily hair
vitamin B2
Peeling nails
vitamins A, C, calcium
Ridges on nails, longitudinal
vitamin A, protein (anemia, poor circulation, glandular imbalance)
Ridges on nails, transverse
fever, infection, menstrual problems, period of protein -deficiency
Scaling of cuticle or lips
biotin, vitamin B2
Table 6-4: Tongue and Mouth Deficiency Symptoms Symptom
Deficiency/Treatment/Cause
Beefy, enlarged tongue
pantothenic acid
Burning, sore tongue
vitamins B2, B6, B12, niacin
Cracked lips and corners of the
vitamins B2, B6, folic acid
mouth (cheilosis) Distended, purplish-blue veins under
vitamin B2 (circulation poor, congested)
the tongue Edema or tooth-marks on tongue
niacin/nicotinamide
Furrowed tongue
vitamin B1, pantothenic acid
Gums receding, bleeding (gingivitis)
vitamin C, bioflavonoids, calcium, alkalizers
Halitosis (bad breath)
vitamin B6, zinc, magnesium, propolis (cleansing, intestinal sanitation)
Mouth ulcers, canker
folic acid, vitamin B6, zinc (overacidity, allergy)
Papillae prominent or erased
niacin/nicotinamide
Purplish or magenta tongue or lips
vitamin B2
Tongue red at tip or edges; with severe
niacin (vitamin B6)
deficiency whole tongue scarlet red, sore Tongue shiny, smooth, beefy; early sign:
vitamin B12, folic acid
strawberry-red tip/sides Tongue too small or too large
niacin, pantothenic acid
White-coated tongue
intestinal putrefaction
White patches on tongue
vitamin B12 and other B vitamins (allergy)
Yellowish-brown-coated tongue
liver or gallbladder problems
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Step 46 CANCER If you have cancer, here are some useful suggestions.
You may gain a better appreciation of natural cancer treatment if I first share with you some little-known facts about orthodox cancer treatment. In cancer research, success (expressed as a five-year survival rate) is established by comparing other forms and combinations of treatment with the results from surgery alone. However, the success rate of surgery has rarely been compared with the survival rates of untreated patients. Therefore, orthodox cancer treatment is basically unscientific because it doesn’t deal with all the data. The overall supposed “cure rate” is not higher than can be accounted for by removing precancerous conditions, dormant or calcified tumours, spontaneous remissions, and the placebo effect. In support of my position, I have assembled some key statements and conclusions from medical and scientific publications. Studies appear to show that early intervention is helpful, because precancerous lesions are included in early removals that frequently would not become cancerous if left untouched. It does not matter how much or how little of a breast is removed; the outcome is always the same.38 Researchers say it is complacent to continue subjecting at least 70 percent of women with breast cancer to surgery, a futile mutilating procedure.39 There is no evidence that early mastectomy affects survival; if patients knew this, they would most likely refuse surgery.40 The editor of the Lancet pointed out that despite various modifications of breast cancer treatment, death rates remained unchanged. He acknowledged that despite the almost weekly releases of “miracle breakthroughs,” the medical profession with its extraordinary capacity for self-delusion (his words, not mine) in all truth has lost its way. At the same time, he rejects the view of those who now believe that salvation will come from increasing chemotherapy after surgery to just below the rate where it kills the patient. Instead, he continues, “would it not be more scientific to ask why our approach has failed?” Not too soon to ask this question, after a century of mutilating women, I would say. The title of this editorial, appropriately, is “Breast cancer: have we lost our way?”41 Basically, all types and combinations of conventional breast cancer treatment appear to result in the same low long-term survival rates. The only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that conventional treatment does not improve long-term survival rates. Even worse, Michael Baum, M.D., a leading British breast cancer surgeon, found that breast cancer surgery tends to increase the risk of relapse or death within three years. He also linked surgery to the accelerated spread of cancer, which it does by forming metastases in other parts of the body.42 This conclusion confirms an earlier finding by Ernst Krokowski, a German professor of radiology. He demonstrated conclusively that metastasis is commonly triggered by medical intervention, including sometimes even by a biopsy or surgery unrelated to the cancer.43 Disturbance of a tumor causes a greatly increased number of cancer cells to enter the bloodstream, while most medical intervention, especially
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chemotherapy, suppresses the immune system. This combination is a recipe for disaster. It is metastases that kill, while primary tumours in general and those in the breast in particular are sometimes relatively harmless. This follows earlier reports that radical surgery for prostate cancer also tends to spread the disease. Actually, prostate cancer was investigated in the first randomized clinical trials for any type of cancer. After 23 years, there was no difference in the survival rates of those who had surgery and controls who did not; those with surgery suffered more problems such as impotence or incontinence.44 A recent epidemiological study confirmed the questionable value of conventional therapy by concluding that “medical interventions for cancer have had a negligible or no effect on survival.”45 Even the conservative New England Journal of Medicine had an article with the headline “Cancer Undefeated.”46 Common ways to make medical statistics look more favourable are as follows. Patients who die during prolonged treatment with chemo-therapy or radiotherapy are not counted in the statistics, because they did not receive the full treatment, while in the control group everyone who dies is counted. Further, success is judged by the percentage of shrinking tumours, regardless of survival time. If survival is measured, then it is only in terms of those dying from the treated disease. It is not normally shown how many of the patients die due to the treatment itself. The current trend is to pick up precancerous conditions very early and treat them as cancer. While this statistically increases the number of people with cancer, it also artificially prolongs survival times and lowers death rates, thereby making medical treatments appear to be more successful. However, there may also be a genuine component of improved survival, as increasing numbers of cancer patients opt for additional natural therapies. An investigation of the records of 1.2 million cancer patients revealed that the death rate attributed to non-cancer death shortly after treatment was 200 percent higher than would normally be expected. Two years after diagnosis and treatment, this excess death rate had fallen to 50 percent. The most common cause for the excess death was listed as heart and respiratory failure. This means instead of dying several years later of cancer, these patients died from the effects of the treatment and thereby helped greatly improve the cancer statistics because they did not die strictly of cancer.47 This misleading reporting of cancer deaths has led to demands for more honest statistics.48 After an analysis of several large -mammogram-screening studies found that it leads to more aggressive treatment with no survival benefits,49 even the editor of the Lancet had to admit that there is no reliable evidence from large randomized trials to support mammography screening programs.50 The significance of this statement goes far beyond the use of mammograms. It is openly acknowledged by the proponents of conventional medicine that they have no effective way of helping patients with advanced cancer. Until now the catch-cry always was “detect it early, then it can be cured.” These mammogram evaluation studies demonstrate that it does not matter when cancer is detected; they suggest to me that the conventional methods and the whole multibillion dollar cancer industry are useless. Here’s more supportive evidence: A 13-year Canadian study of 40,000 women compared physical breast examinations with examinations plus
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mammograms. The mammogram group had many more lumpectomies and surgeries, and the death rate was 107 deaths in the mammography group and 105 in the physical examination group.51 Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a common noninvasive form of breast cancer. Most cases of DCIS are detected through the use of mammography; in younger women, 92 percent of all cancers detected by mammography are of this type. Nevertheless, on average, 44 percent, and in some states 60 percent, of these are treated by mastectomy. As most of these tumours are harmless, this greatly improves the survival statistics.52 In contrast, while conventional diagnosis is invasive and may help to spread the cancer, a kind of electro-dermal screening, called the Biofield test, was developed by a team from eight European hospitals and universities. The Lancet reported it as being 99.1 percent accurate in diagnosing malignancy in breast tumors.53 A large meta-analysis of radiotherapy results for lung cancer showed that after two years there were 21 percent more deaths in the group that had radiotherapy in addition to surgery as compared to those who had surgery alone. Researchers contend the rationale is to kill any cancer cells remaining after surgery, but it is a shame that the facts do not agree with this theory.54 Chemotherapy for children with leukaemia and Hodgkin’s disease is the proud showpiece of the only apparent success of orthodox cancer therapy. Now a longterm follow-up study shows that such children develop 18 times more secondary malignant tumours later in life and that girls face a 75 times (7500 percent) higher risk of breast cancer by the time they are 40.55 A main problem appears to be the development of deep or systemic Candida albicans infections shortly after starting chemotherapy.56 If this is not appropriately treated (see entries on Candida in Step 48), then relapses or future health problems are likely to occur. Chemotherapy showed a clear dose dependency whereby the incidence of triggered leukaemia doubled between low-dose and -moderate-dose groups and then quadrupled between the moderate-dose and the high-dose groups. A study of ovarian cancer found that the risk of developing leukaemia after treatment with chemotherapy increased 21-fold, or 2100 percent. Other tumours commonly develop after treating malignancies with chemotherapy.57 In a trial for multiple myeloma, no advantage was found by using chemotherapy as compared to no treatment.58 Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D., in Questioning Chemotherapy, provides a detailed analysis of this subject; his overall conclusion is that there is no evidence that chemotherapy extends patient life with the majority of cancers. However, even if chemotherapy extends life by a few months, what about the quality of this life? Tom Nesi, a former director of public affairs at the pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb, wrote in the New York Times about the successful treatment of his wife, which extended her life for three months.59 Two weeks after the treatment, she scribbled on a notepad: “depressed - no more - please.” I am not surprised by reports that most oncologists would not use these treatments for their own families. Why are they doing this? By “they” I am referring to what is commonly called the cancer establishment. I believe the answer was given by the eminent medical commentator and former editor of New Scientist, Dr. Donald Gould, in his article “Cancer: A Conspiracy of Silence.” The subtitle summarizes his position: “The
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commonest cancers are as resistant to treatment today as they were 40 or 50 years ago. Nothing is to be gained by pretending that the battle against cancer is slowly but surely being won.”60 This truth has been deliberately concealed from the general public. According to Dr. Gould, the reason for this conspiracy of silence is money. The public must continue to see the cancer establishment as a winner to continue providing money. One of the quoted scientists said that, with tens of thousands of radiologists and millions of dollars in equipment, one still gives radiation treatment even if study after study shows that it does more harm than good. Dr. Gould says patients who could be comfortable without medical treatment until their inevitable death are made miserable with medical treatment in a pointless attempt to postpone death for a few unhappy weeks. Of course, that is when most of the money is being made. Dr. Gould says doctors poison their patients with drugs and rays and mutilate them with unnecessary surgery in a desperate attempt to treat the untreatable. Since the early 1970’s when President Nixon declared the War on Cancer, two trillion dollars have been spent on conventional cancer treatment and research, with the result that more Americans are dying of cancer than ever before.61 While there have been many studies to evaluate the effects of various nutrients on different cancers, none of this two trillion dollars has been available for natural therapists to test holistic cancer therapies, and natural therapists have had to face a century of denigration and persecution in the U.S. All alternative cancer clinics eventually had to relocate to Mexico. (For a list of such clinics worldwide, see: www.cancure.org) A holistic cancer approach includes superior nutrition, electro-medicine and vibrational or energy medicine, emotional healing, and mind therapy. One of the few studies that investigate a holistic approach involved the Gerson therapy in an evaluation of five-year survival rates of 153 melanoma patients. Here, 100 percent of Gerson therapy patients with Stage I and II cancers survived, but only 79 percent did so with conventional therapy. With Stage III (regional metastases), the figures, respectively, were 70 percent and 41 percent; with Stage IVa (distant metastases), 39 percent with Gerson and 6 percent with conventional therapy.62 Now there is actually proof that cancer surgery is the main cause of metastasis or secondary organ tumours. About 90% of patients die from metastases while primary tumours actively suppress metastasis. Stress as from fear or most medical procedures tends to promote metastasis and this is the reason that untreated patients generally live longer than medically treated ones. Regard a tumour as a mistreated part of your body, surround it with loving care and it will thank you by preventing metastasis and gradually melt away. For more information and references see www.health-science-spirit.com/cancersurgery.htm and www.health-sciencespirit.com/cancersolution.htm. People claim to have been cured of cancer by a variety of methods and remedies. Belief or faith in the chosen method may often have been more important than the method itself. However, fundamental factors that should be addressed for a more uniform successful outcome are: 1. Alkalize the body
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2. Controlling the cancer microbe 3. Normalizing metabolism 4. Cleansing the body 5. Improving the mind and emotions When these are corrected, any type of tumor can disappear on its own or become dormant. Natural cancer therapy has a fundamentally different view of what cancer is from that of orthodox medicine. The latter believes that the tumor is the cancer and only attacks the tumours. Natural therapy approaches address cancer as a condition of the whole body and person and treat the whole person. Alkalizing the body: If the body is sufficiently alkaline tumours do not grow. Use alkalizers, including sodium bicarbonate and potassium citrate, as shown in Step 6 to keep your urine above pH 7 most of the time. Controlling the Cancer Microbe: The cancer microbe is the key to successful natural cancer therapy. Various researchers such as Guenther Enderlein, Wilhelm Reich, Royal Ray Rife, Virginia Livingston-Wheeler, Alan Cant-well, and Gaston Naessens have found the same phenomenon in all cancers: a microbe that changes its shape and is thus pleomorphic, “of many shapes.” It is normally present as tiny protein units, but in various disease conditions, including all autoimmune diseases, it grows into a coccus and higher bacterial forms and then mycoplasmas and funguslike forms. This microbe does most of the cancer damage by devastating the immune system, releasing toxins that poison the energy-producing cellular enzymes; it also produces growth hormones that result in unchecked cell divisions. If the cancer microbe in its advanced stages is cultured and injected into animals, it causes tumor growth and the wasting and sickening odour that is characteristic of terminal cancer. All this makes it understandable that antimicrobial and especially fungicidal treatments have often been credited with having cured or reversed cancer. Kerosene, for instance, taken internally, is said to be widely used in Russia and other Eastern countries as a cancer cure, and it was even used in America a hundred years ago. A hospital in Brazil reported cancer cures with the fungicidal herb pau d’arco. The electronic zapper and the Rife machine have been used to destroy the cancer microbe electronically. Presently MMS and Lugol's iodine solution are widely used. Normalizing Metabolism: The main reason that body cells become cancerous is the destruction of the enzymes in their energy-producing respiratory chain. These enzymes can be poisoned either by accumulated toxic chemicals, especially pesticides, or by endotoxins produced by the cancer microbe. The German cancer researcher P. G. Seeger, M.D., D.Sc.,63 demonstrated that the virulence of cancer cells is proportional to their inability to use oxygen for energy production and that cancer cells can be transformed back into normal cells by restoring cellular respiration. This can be achieved with certain enzyme supplements and especially with the purple pigment of red beets and dark grapes. Furthermore, Dr J. Budwig, a German fat researcher, found that flaxseed oil and sulphur compounds, especially food high in cysteine (e.g. quark, a fermented
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cottage cheese) were most effective in restoring a normal energy metabolism. The importance of a good diet can also be seen from a study of 535 breast cancer patients. After ten years, those with the highest insulin levels were eight times more likely to die than were patients with the lowest levels. Insulin levels are strongly elevated when ingesting common household sugar and to a lesser degree when combining glucose, as for instance from eating starches with fructose from fruit. Cleansing the Body: Eliminating the cancer microbe and restoring cellular energy production is not always sufficient in an advanced condition because of the large amount of toxic waste produced by disintegrating tumours. Think of a dead tumor as a dead rat in your body. Patients have died after “successful” cancer cures because of congestion in their organs of elimination, especially the liver and kidneys. Cleansing is needed to remove metabolic wastes, pesticides and endotoxins that helped to cause the cancer in the first place. Improving the Mind and Emotions: Our mind and emotions are an additional factor that makes it much easier for cancer researchers to cure mice rather than people. The orthodox cancer approach generally causes patients to be fearful, but this paralyses the immune system and makes all other body systems inefficient. Cancer treatment is likely to fail and cancer tends to return after successful initial therapy if we live in fear, especially if this fear is subconscious. Enthusiasm, joy, positive expectations, and supportive relationships have the opposite effect, and clinical trials of mind and emotional therapies have shown superior results compared to orthodox cancer therapies. Putting It All Together: There are hundreds of supplements and remedies that might be beneficial to overcome cancer. The more effort you put into the basics, the less additional remedies you need. For some suggestions of additional supplements and remedies, see the entry on Cancer in Step 44. All the basic information that you need to reverse your cancer is in this book, for more detailed instructions see Overcoming Cancer at http://www.the-heal-yourself-series.com. •
From Step 34 use the low protein High-Quality Diet with its strong emphasis on purple foods, raw foods, and fresh vegetable and grass juices.
•
Keep your urine above pH 7 as shown in Step 6.
•
Do the Intestinal Sanitation and Antimicrobial Therapy as shown in Step 3.
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Do periodic fasting and cleansing as explained in Step 4, including the Basic Cleanse and if appropriate a Long Cleanse.
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Use a Beck-type electronic zapper and Reflexology as explained in Part 2.
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Release any resentment or other negative emotions and replace them with positive emotions (see Part 8).
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Practice the Love Cure (see Part 8).
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Make appropriate changes to your belief systems. Use the mind tools in Part 9, especially guided imagery.. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 47 EMOTIONAL – MENTAL SHOCKS The secret to preventing illness is to undo shocks that unbalance the body. The following information is controversial and not verified by independent scientific research, but I believe it is important for you to know. You can then make up your own mind about it. Dr. Ryke Geerd Hamer, M.D. (born 1935), a German medical researcher, has developed an emotion-based cancer therapy. His claimed success rate of about 95 percent is by far the highest of any cancer therapist. During one of his many trials, the public prosecutor (in Wiener Neustadt, Austria) had to admit that after four to five years, 6,000 out of 6,500 patients with mostly advanced cancer who had been treated by this approach were still alive. Dr. Hamer started his cancer research when he developed testicular cancer after the death of his son, who had been shot by the Prince of Savoy, son of the last King of Italy. He wondered if the shock caused by his son’s death was the cause of his cancer. Subse-quently, he investigated and documented more than 15,000 cases of cancer and always found the following characteristics to be present, which he termed “The Iron Rules of Cancer”: 1. Every cancer and related disease starts as a DHS or Dirk Hamer Syndrome (named after his son). This is a serious, acute-dramatic, and isolating conflictshock experience for which we are emotionally unprepared. It manifests simultaneously on three levels: psyche, brain, and organ. 2. The theme of the psychic conflict determines the location of the focus, or Hamer Herd, in the brain and the location of the cancer in the organ. 3. The course of the psychic conflict correlates with the development of the Hamer Herd in the brain, and the course of the cancer in the organ. At the moment of the conflict-shock, a short circuit occurs in a predetermined place in the brain. This can be demonstrated with a computed tomography (CT) scan and looks like concentric rings on a shooting target. Later on, if the conflict becomes resolved, the CT image changes to reflect the development of an oedema and finally of scar tissue. The following incident shows how specific and precisely located these brain lesions are. After a professional lecture, a doctor handed Dr. Hamer the CT brain scan of a patient and asked him to explain it. From this, Dr. Hamer correctly diagnosed the patient as having a bleeding bladder carcinoma in the healing phase, an old prostate carcinoma, diabetes, an old lung carcinoma, and sensory paralysis in a specific area, in addition to the corresponding emotional conflicts. Dr. Hamer demonstrated that at the same time as the concentric brain lesion appears, the target organ CT scan may also show such a concentric lesion. According to Dr. Hamer, this happens instantly when the psychic shock hits the subconscious level, and this same second is the start of cancer. Also, other diseases can be caused by the same mechanism. How severe a disease becomes depends
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on the duration and severity of the conflict-shock, while its nature and location are determined by the emotional content of the shock. Dr. Hamer believes that the correlation between key emotional shock events, the target brain areas, and the related organs has developed as an adaptation from similar programs in the animal world. When we unexpectedly experience emotional distress, an emergency repair program is set in motion, a biological conflict program with the aim of returning the individual to normal. Dr. Hamer gives the following example. A mother sees her child in a bad accident. As small children recover faster when they receive extra milk, the biological conflict program tries to stimulate milk production by increasing the number of breast cells. If the mother is right-handed, that will instantly cause the appearance of a Hamer Herd in a specific part of her right brain, which in turn relates to the left breast. When the child is well again, conflict resolution begins and extra milk is no longer needed. The mother gets a benign form of tuberculosis in the affected breast that breaks up the excess breast cells. However, if the mycobacteria required for this function are lacking, then the area may just calcify and remain as a dormant tumor. The same process also applies to animals. A sheep that loses its lamb to a wolf is prone to develop teat cancer; the side depends on whether it is right- or left-footed. Commonly, the sheep resolves this conflict by bearing another lamb. The next example illustrates the original survival value of this mechanism. Let’s assume a lion chases an antelope. The antelope must immediately mobilize all its resources to survive. The sympathetic nervous system takes over and, in addition, a specific brain centre that stimulates lung activity becomes active. After the successful escape, the animal rests, and the parasympathetic nervous system becomes dominant to normalize brain and body functions. If a human gets a cancer diagnosis, even if the diagnosis is wrong, the same biological program is set in motion by the same fear of death that helped the animal to escape. The stress level jumps and activates the brain-lung connection, but now there is nowhere to run. Until the conflict is resolved, which may take years, there will be constant stress and brain-induced stimulation to increase lung capacity by the incessant division of cells. This process can only be stopped by switching off the trigger in the brain through defusing the original conflict shock. This happens when the patient subsequently has surgery or natural therapy, which he or she fully believes will lead to a cure. However, the same procedure in a patient who has doubts about its effectiveness will leave the conflict unresolved and the disease to progress. Thanks to Dr. Hamer’s work, it is now possible to verify this hypothesis with a CT brain scan. The selection of the conflict focus occurs by subconscious association. For instance, biological conflicts involving water or other fluids, such as milk or oil, lead to kidney cancer; fear of death to lung cancer; and psychologically swallowing a bigger chunk than we can digest to stomach or intestinal cancer. In the animal world, it is literally a big chunk of food, but for us it may be a financial over-commitment or any other obligation that we are unable to fulfil. The target focus is not determined by the event itself, but rather by the psychological significance that it has for us at the time of the event. Dr. Hamer illustrates this with another example, a woman who finds her husband in bed with another female. As a
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sexual frustration conflict, it can cause uterine cancer. If she instead experiences it as a partner conflict, then in a right-handed woman it leads to cancer of the right breast. If the conflict feeling is fear and revulsion, then it causes hypoglycaemia, and with lack of self-worth, cancer may develop in the pubic bone. If the lack of self-worth had been due to a failure in sportsmanship, then the problem would have arisen in an arm or leg instead, or possibly in the fingers or shoulder required for the sporting activity. Other typical situations that can lead to biological conflicts are loss situations, of a loved one, a job, a valued possession, or a territory. Dr. Hamer believes that most metastases or secondary tumours are caused by the cancer-fear or death-fear resulting from the patient being given the cancer diagnosis or a negative prognosis. In this case, the resulting conflict shock may not be fear of death, but anger, resentment, or a separation conflict (from partner or children), and then tumours would appear in different places. A diagnosis of colon cancer commonly leads to liver metastases because of a subconscious fear of starvation. In regard to animal experiments, Dr. Hamer regards increased cancer rates due to exposure of carcinogens as being emotionally based. This happens when the skin is irritated with a toxic substance. He also cites early research with tobacco smoke that showed that hamsters exposed to it lived longer than non-exposed hamsters. He believes that hamsters, as burrowing animals, are not afraid of smoke and therefore are protected from its harmful effects. Mice, on the other hand, living in houses, are very fearful of smoke, which causes them to develop lung cancer when exposed to tobacco smoke. Generally, hopelessness, despair, and meaninglessness create chronic stress and hinder the healing of cancer and other diseases, but they are not the cause. According to Dr. Hamer, the real cause of cancer and other diseases is an unexpected traumatic shock for which we are emotionally unprepared. The emotional connections with some other diseases are as follows, according to Dr. Hamer: Angina Pectoris: Caused by fight for territory or its contents in the active phase, followed by heart infarction in the healing phase. Diabetes and Hypoglycaemia: A right-handed female develops hypoglycaemia from anxiety and revulsion; if left-handed, she develops insulin-dependent diabetes. A right-handed male develops insulin-dependent diabetes from a conflict of resisting or struggling against something; if left-handed, he develops hypoglycaemia. Facial Paralysis: Fear of losing face, having been made a laughingstock. Haemorrhoids: A right-handed woman with an identity conflict and a left-handed man with territorial anger in the healing phase may get haemorrhoids. Multiple Sclerosis and Paralysis: Inability to escape or continue on, or to hold on to, or not knowing what to do. Psoriasis: Separation conflict concerning mother, father, family, home, friends, or pets.
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Relationships between Conflicted Emotions and Target Organs Adrenal cortex: Wrong direction, gone astray Bladder: Ugly conflict, dirty tricks
Psychoses: One or more active Hamer Herds in each of the two parts of the brain. Rheumatism: A brutal and painful separation conflict.
Bone: Lack of self-worth, inferiority feeling Breast, left (right-handed): Conflict concerning child, home, or mother Breast, right (right-handed): Conflict with partner or others Breast milk duct: Separation conflict Breast milk gland: Involving care or disharmony Bronchials: Territorial conflict Cervix: Severe frustration Colon: Ugly indigestible conflict Gallbladder: Rivalry conflict Heart: Perpetual conflict Intestines: Indigestible chunk of anger Kidneys: Not wanting to live, water or fluid conflict Larynx: Conflict of fear and fright Liver: Fear of starvation Lung: Fear of dying or suffocation, including fear for someone else Lymph glands: Loss of self-worth associated with the location Melanoma: feeling dirty, soiled, defiled Middle ear: Not being able to get some vital information Mouth: Cannot chew or hold it Oesophagus: Cannot have it or swallow it Pancreas: Anxiety-anger conflict with family members, inheritance Prostate: Ugly conflict with sexual connections or connotations Rectum: Fear of being useless Skin: Loss of integrity Spleen: Shock of being physically or emotionally wounded Stomach: Indigestible anger, swallowed too much Testes and Ovaries: Loss conflict Thyroid: Feeling powerless Uterus: Sexual conflict
Vitiligo, Leukoderma: Ugly or brutal separation conflict. In regard to AIDS, Dr. Hamer observes that no one dies of AIDS without having previously been told that they are HIV-positive or believe that they are. The implication is that it is mainly the negative perception associated with AIDS that causes its devastating effect. Left-handed individuals develop problems on opposite sides to genuine right-handed individuals. Observing which hand is on top when clapping reveals handedness; right-handed individuals usually have the right hand on top. With righthandedness, all muscles on the right side of the body are involved with partners and other individuals, and all leftsided muscles, with children or one’s mother. These conditions may change with hormonal changes, the birth control pill, or menopause.
The Healing Phase: The start of Dirk Hamer Syndrome or conflict-shock experience is different from other conflicts that we experience in our daily lives, says Dr. Hamer. It causes a continuous stress, resulting in a tendency to develop cold hands and feet, lack of appetite and weight loss, sleeplessness, and a dwelling all the time on the conflict content. If the conflict is not resolved soon, it leads to specific disease symptoms. When the conflict resolves, the patient is no longer occupied with the conflict content, the appetite returns, hands are warm again, and also normal sleep returns, but there may be weakness, fatigue, and a need to rest. These effects show that the parasympathetic nervous system is now in control and the healing phase has started.
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During the first part of the healing phase there is water retention and inflammations, and the tumor stops growing. This eventually leads to a healing crisis, which Dr. Hamer calls an epileptic or epileptoid crisis, because it is caused by an oedema in the Hamer Herd brain lesion. It shows unique symptoms for each illness. After this, the body starts to expel the accumulated water, the patient gradually regains strength, and body functions become normal. Now the connective tissue in the brain, the neuroglia or glia, starts repairing the Hamer Herd. This may be interpreted by conventional radiologists as a fast-growing brain tumor and treated accordingly. Dr. Hamer estimates that 99 percent of brain events, such as strokes, bleeding into the brain, cysts, and tumours are due to healing events of Hamer Herds and are temporary and self-limiting, unless there is inappropriate medical intervention. The most important support in these situations is the reduction of any brain oedema. During the healing crisis, the patient may for a short time re-experience the original psychological conflict with cold hands and cold sweat. This serves to suppress and eliminate the oedema in the brain lesion, which then allows other body conditions to normalize. The main danger point is just before the end of the healing crisis when it will become apparent if the body is strong enough to eliminate the disease. In difficult cases, with long-standing or strong conflict, massive brain oedema can develop, for which Dr. Hamer uses cortisone injections. In natural therapy, we use diuretics, such as urea, and anti-inflammatory therapies instead. The epilepsy crisis may be experienced as a heart attack, lung embolism, hepatitis, or lung infection. Generally, during the healing phase, the patient will have more discomfort than when the tumor was actively growing. In the first part of the healing phase, most problems are due to water retention, inflammations, and swelling of tissues that cause a lot of pain. Nevertheless, Dr. Hamer regards oedema, whether in the brain or body, as a positive sign of healing. Tissue Repair: After the healing crisis, carcinomas are removed by fungi and mycobacteria, while the hepatitis virus may in addition help to regenerate the liver. Bacteria, viruses, and fungi that help to break down the tumours and repair damaged tissues also cause inflammation, pain, and fever. If you find it odd that Dr. Hamer regards microbes as essential friends and helpers in the healing of cancer, he has developed an even more surprising hypothesis. In his system of tumours and cancer-equivalent diseases, he distinguishes between two opposite processes during the active conflict phase. Depending on the location of the Hamer Herd in the brain, there may be either cell proliferation or cell destruction. The first group has cell proliferation and tumor growth during the conflict phase and then removes excess cells with the help of microbes during the healing phase. The other group shows cell destruction during the conflict phase, resulting in ulcers, necroses (dead tissues), and tissue holes, affecting, for instance, bones (osteoporosis), kidneys, spleen, or ovaries. During the healing phase, this second group tries to fill in the created holes through cell proliferation. Bacteria repair tissue necroses and osteolyses (dissolved bone) by first forming abscesses, which are then filled in with scar tissue and later with granulating tissue to form osteosarcoma, lymphoma, fibroma, and healing cysts.
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Leukaemia occurs during the healing phase after bone marrow damage from radiation, chemicals, or bone cancer. According to Dr. Hamer, these conditions are generally self-limiting and only get out of control when additional conflict shocks occur, or the body is too old or weak, or through the methods of conventional medicine. In contrast, natural healing methods aim to support body and mind during this trying time. Most healings proceed without major problems, but about ten percent need the full support of an experienced therapist, especially at the time of the healing crisis. Healing the Psychic Conflict: The main task in every case of cancer is to find the original emotional shock experience and make sure that it has been healed or is being healed. In many cases it will have corrected itself, and the patient suffers from an effect of the healing phase. For instance, someone may have lost a farm or business, but has now started another satisfying venture or hobby. As an after-effect, there may now be a tumor that gradually becomes dormant or eventually disintegrates. Dr. Hamer regards about 40 percent of tumours discovered during routine medical investigations as old and harmless, dormant and calcified. However, complications can still arise if medical intervention now causes a conflict shock, such as one involving fear of death; this induces the same or another tumor to grow. Nevertheless, in other cases the original conflict may still be active, or there may be a second active conflict. As we do not know, we have to probe in every case to find the original and any other conflicts. We need to think back, especially one to two years before our problem started, and analyse our emotional history during this time as well as before and after. Meditation or regression therapy may be useful to discover conflict-shocks. If we still have a strong emotional response when we discover the content of the conflict, then we can be sure that it is still unresolved. If at all possible, it is best to solve it in a natural way. For instance, if it was caused by losing a partner, find someone new; if you lost a child, become pregnant again, or adopt a child, or buy a pet; with a lost job, find a new one or a hobby. However, it is not the fact of having a new partner, child, hobby, or pet that solves the conflict, but rather that it allows us to dissolve the inner conflict and emotionally get on with our life if we so choose. If a natural solution is not possible, then use guided imagery, either on your own or with the help of a partner or a suitable therapist. In a relaxed and meditative state recreate and re-experience the conflict as intensely as you can, but then substitute a desirable or acceptable outcome. Create and experience this new outcome as vividly and in as much detail as possible; see it, feel it, and possibly even hear and smell it. The original experience may also have imprinted you with the memories of unrelated details of your ordeal (tracks) to which you may now react with allergies. You can overcome these in the same way with guided imagery If neither of these methods is possible because you feel that you have to continue your present duties or ordeal for whatever reason, then only increased spiritual understanding and acceptance may be able to help. In either case, be aware of your vulnerabilities and avoid any further conflict-shocks, but if one does happen, get it out of your system is soon as possible.
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I firmly believe that all active conflicts will be terminated and the healing phase begin when we are able to strongly feel love and forgiveness within ourselves and then radiate it to all others, but especially to anyone who we feel might have wronged us. We can further ease the healing phase by expecting it to be short and mild and lead to full recovery. According to Dr. Hamer, animals in the wild get cancer from the same shock programs as we do. However, 80 to 90 percent survive and do not notice it much, because the healing phase can take its natural course. Those that die are mainly old animals that cannot resolve a conflict, such as regaining their territory from a rival or replacing a lost cub. It is different in our society, as the natural healing process is routinely interfered with. It starts with getting tranquilizers or antidepressants during the active conflict phase, which prevent us from fighting back and regaining our territory. This may then lead to a cancer diagnosis that causes an additional active conflict and ends with morphine, which totally disables our healing responses. While Dr. Hamer does not believe that health foods, remedies, cleansing, or healthy living in general can cure cancer, he says these are important to surviving the ordeals of the healing phase. Actually, Dr. Hamer regards all diseases as consisting of two phases: initially an active conflict, followed (if possible) by a healing phase that reverses the conflict program. He does not call them “diseases” but “special biological programs.” He says he has worked with more than 31,000 patients and found his theories confirmed in every single case without exception. Dr. Hamer claims that overall this approach has a 95-percent success rate with cancer. Persecution for Therapeutic Success: Siemens, the manufacturer of CT equipment, has independently verified the existence of the Hamer Herds in the brain, which radiologists had claimed to be artefacts. Furthermore, their diagnostic significance was confirmed in 1998 at the University of Trnava in Slovakia. Nevertheless, Dr Hamer faced exceptional persecution. This included withdrawing his right to practice in Germany for not retracting his theories and swearing allegiance to the principles of orthodox medicine; assassination attempts; efforts to put him in a mental asylum; and numerous court appearances and even putting him in jail. While many individual doctors, including professors of medicine, are alleged to have verified the principles of Dr. Hamer’s “New Medicine,” so far no German university has agreed to test them. Doctors and natural therapists in Europe who practice according to the principles of the New Medicine now face persecution. Only Spanish courts took the enlightened position that it is not their role to decide between conflicting medical theories and therapies. Dr. Hamer now lives and practices in Spain. In 2001, a prominent neurologist, Dr. Therese von Schwarzenberg openly defended Dr. Hamer by publishing a book about the New Medicine, in which she demanded that his theories be officially tested. She declared that Dr. Hamer is right and deserves a Nobel Prize. Nevertheless, the response of prominent oncologists is still that it is absurd to assume emotions could be important in the cause and cure of cancer and, therefore, Dr. Hamer’s claims must not be tested. (For more information on Dr. Hamer and the New Medicine, see: www.newmedicine.ca.64)
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Reflections on the New Medicine: My own understanding and experience leave no doubt about the primary importance of our emotions and beliefs in the cause and cure of our diseases. The writings of Dr. Hamer give the impression of a serious and meticulous researcher whose findings apparently have been confirmed by various scientific institutions and medical practitioners, including professors of medicine. Therefore, I have no doubt about the validity of his basic premise that diseases, and in particular cancers, are associated with visible lesions in specific locations of the brain and also with specific psychological experiences. His postulated two-part disease process, in which the healing phase is a reversal of the original disease condition, is a basic concept of natural therapies. However, Dr. Hamer appears reluctant to extend or modify his theory and take other factors into account. Basically, Dr. Hamer postulates a one-way communication from psyche to organ via the brain. I suggest instead a two-way communication from psyche to organ, as well as from organ back to brain and psyche. Assuming that an organ is chronically stressed, be it from pesticide accumulations, inappropriate growth factors, or endotoxins due to microbes, then this causes constant low-level tissue irritation of the organ and its related brain area. There are now two possibilities: •
The sensitized brain area causes us to react more strongly to any emotional conflict; therefore it is easier to develop a Hamer Herd and the related disease.
•
An existing subacute conflict, combined with chronic tissue stress, may cause the gradual development of a Hamer Herd or, alternatively, its sudden appearance when a certain threshold is reached.
In this way, any environmental factors can be taken into account for creating Hamer Herds in combination with psychological conflicts. Conversely, appropriate therapy directed to a diseased organ may give a message to the associated brain area to heal the Hamer Herd and lead to a resolution of the emotional conflict. A confirmation of the suggested interconnectedness between emotions, nutrients, brain, and organs can be found in kinesiology. Research with muscle testing has revealed a relationship between different nutrients and emotions with specific muscles and organs, transmitted through the system of acupuncture meridians. A direct involvement of the brain has been shown by placing a labelled nutrient in the back of the mouth: Within seconds, the isotope was also detected in the brain. Recently another piece of evidence in support of the New Medicine has emerged: researchers found a tumor growth promoter (GDNF) that is produced by the glial cells in the brain. The theories of Dr. Hamer have not yet been tested by mainstream science, but neither have key components of conventional and natural medicine. If you find Dr. Hamer’s theories reasonable and do not want to wait another 10 or 20 years for them to be accepted, then I suggest that you incorporate them into your holistic healing program. What to Do: Be aware of your vulnerabilities and avoid any further conflictshocks, but if one does happen, get it out of your system as soon as possible. For
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example, if you just got a big shock, minimize or undo its potential to create an illness by using any or all of the following methods: •
Take appropriate remedies, such as Rescue Remedy or homeopathic arnica.
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Develop an inner reconciliation through prayer and meditation.
•
Apply the Emotional Freedom Technique (see Step 63).
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Use guided imagery to recreate the shock experience with an acceptable outcome.
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Try to find a natural solution for your shock experience; for example, after nearly drowning, swim again as soon as possible
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Step 48 CANDIDA INFECTIONS The secret to preventing illness is to undo shocks that unbalance the body.
Lack of energy, digestive disturbances, arthritic joint pains, skin disease, menstrual problems, emotional instability, and depression are all symptoms of what I call the antibiotic syndrome. This is a condition that has greatly increased in incidence in recent years and, on further examination, more symptoms of this syndrome may be discovered. In this condition, most of the gastrointestinal tract is tender when pressed on the body’s surface, especially the small intestine, liver, and gallbladder. There may have been a gallbladder operation that failed to improve the condition, sometimes worsening the symptoms. As part of this syndrome, there could be a history of thrush or oral, anal, or vaginal itching. When these are present, the diagnosis of Candida overgrowth is obvious, but it may also be present in the absence of these manifestations, and that can be confusing. The fungus Candida albicans thrives during antibiotic treatment and I regard it as reckless negligence to prescribe antibiotics without simultaneous fungicides and replacement therapy with lactobacilli afterwards. I believe that this practice has greatly added to the numbers in our chronically sick population. However, the antibiotic syndrome is not just due to Candida. I regard it more generally as a dysbiosis in which the wrong kind of microbes inhabit the intestinal tract; it’s not just Candida and other fungi, but many types of pathogenic bacteria including E. coli bacteria, which are normal in the colon but become disease-forming when they move into the small intestine. If the problem has existed for years, there is usually a lack of gastric acid, which then allows the stomach to be colonized by microbes, causing inflammation with pain and, later, ulcers. The toxins released by the microbial overpopulation cause chronic inflammation of the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and intestines. This can have other health repercussions. I regard it as likely that a chronic inflammation of the pancreas is a major contributing factor in the development of insulin-dependent diabetes. Bacterial Attack: Specific types of pathogenic bacteria appear to cause or contribute to specific autoimmune diseases. One variety of coliform bacteria, for instance, produces a molecule very similar to insulin. When the immune system becomes activated against this molecule, it may then also attack related features at the beta cells of the pancreas. Another type of bacteria, Yersinia enterocolitica, induces an immune response that attacks the thyroid gland and leads to Grave’s disease with a serious overproduction of thyroid hormones. Ulcerative colitis is linked to overgrowth of pathogenic microbes, as are Crohn’s disease and ankylosing spondylitis. In ankylosing spondylitis, the vertebrae of the spine fuse together, causing stiffness and pain. Other joints may in time become affected. Klebsiella, another type of pathogenic bacteria, produces a molecule that is similar to a tissue type found in people with this disease. When Klebsiella numbers in the gut decrease, related antibodies in the blood decrease and the condition improves.
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Rheumatoid arthritis is linked to a bacteria called Proteus. Proteus is also a common cause of urinary tract infections. Women suffer urinary tract infections as well as rheumatoid arthritis twice as often as men, while men usually have higher levels of Klebsiella and three times more ankylosing spondylitis than women have. In addition, microbial overgrowth damages the intestinal wall so that only partly digested food particles can pass into the bloodstream, causing allergies. In this way, it appears that all autoimmune diseases can be linked to dysfunctional intestines and food allergies. Other autoimmune diseases that have so far been linked to intestinal dysbiosis are psoriasis, lupus erythematosus, and pancreatitis. When remedies are given that bind bacterial endotoxins, these conditions usually improve. A further consequence of dysbiosis is susceptibility to food poisoning, as with Salmonella bacteria; in contrast, a healthy intestinal flora prevents these from multiplying and causing trouble. Staphylococcus aureus causes serious infections in hospital patients. It has been found that not only S. aureus but other infections are greatly potentized when they occur with a Candida overgrowth. As Candida overgrowth is a natural outcome of the standard hospital treatment, it is easy to see why staph is so deadly in hospitals. A similar picture emerges with AIDS. People do not die from the AIDS virus, but from bacterial infections potentized by Candida and related mycoplasmas. I regard the antibiotic-induced dysbiosis in babies and infants as the main cause of their frequent infections called glue ear, and as greatly contributing to crib death. While it used to be uncommon for children to have more than one or two infections a year, now more than six is the norm. In summary, in the 1940’s, Candida overgrowth was found in only three percent of bodies autopsied, but now the figure is nearer 30 percent. There are, of course, other factors that can cause dysbiosis - the contraceptive pill, steroids and other drugs, radiation treatment, chemotherapy - but the main culprit is without doubt antibiotics. Debilitations Caused by Candida: In an Alabama hospital in 1953, Orian Truss, M.D., discovered the devastating effects of antibiotics. During a hospital round, Dr. Truss was intrigued by a gaunt, old-looking man who was obviously dying. However, he was only in his 40’s and though he had been in the hospital for four months no specialist had been able to make a diagnosis. Out of curiosity, Truss asked the patient when he was last completely well. The man answered that he had been well until six months ago when he had cut his finger. He had received antibiotics for that. Shortly afterwards, he developed diarrhea and his health deteriorated. Dr. Truss had seen before how antibiotics cause diarrhea. It was known that Candida was opportunistic and thrived in debilitated patients, but now Dr. Truss wondered if it might not be the other way around, that Candida actually caused the debilitated condition. He had read that potassium iodide solution could be used to treat Candida infestation of the blood so he put the patient on six to eight drops of Lugol’s solution four times a day and soon the patient was again completely well.
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Not long afterwards, Dr. Truss had a female patient with a stuffy nose, a throbbing headache, vaginitis, and severe depression. To his amazement, all her problems immediately cleared with Candida treatment. Some time later, he saw a female patient who had been schizophrenic for six years with hundreds of electroshock treatments and massive drug dosages. He started treating the woman for sinus allergies with a Candida vaccine. Soon she had recovered mentally and physically and remained well. From then on, Dr. Truss treated his patients against Candida at the slightest indication of its presence. Many of his patients made remarkable recoveries from most unusual conditions, including menstrual problems, hyperactivity, learning disabilities, autism, multiple sclerosis, and autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease and lupus erythematosus. Every experienced naturopath can relate similar success stories. Ironically, antibiotics are usually not necessary in the first place. In the few percent of cases in which they are necessary, their serious after-effects could easily be avoided by using fungicides and lactobacilli. Many people doubt the effectiveness of natural therapies against apparently serious infections, but my clinical experience leads me to believe that, frequently, natural therapies are more effective, and without causing the repeated and chronic infections seen after antibiotics. I have seen patients whose long-term antibiotic treatment was unsuccessful recover within days or weeks with natural therapies. Overcoming the Antibiotic Syndrome: The main treatment for the antibiotic syndrome is sanitation of the gastrointestinal tract combined with a low-allergy diet. In this way, most acute problems can be overcome within weeks, while degenerated joints or organs can start a slower road to recovery. One unpleasant side effect of most methods used to reduce microbial overgrowth of the intestines is the Herxheimer effect, transient worsening of symptoms due to toxins released by the microbes. This is sometimes used as a diagnostic tool, especially for get the reaction, it means you had the infestation.
the pathogenic a sudden but dead or dying Candida: If you
I recommend intestinal flushes (orally taken) combined with antimicrobial remedies to avoid or minimize unpleasant side effects. An oral isotonic flush consists of nine grams or one heaping teaspoon of salt in one quart of water, and is suitable for sensitive individuals and generally for those with low to normal blood pressure. A solution is said to be isotonic if it contains a similar amount of salt as the blood. An Epsom salt flush can contain one tablespoon of Epsom salt, more or less according to need, in a large glass of water and is useful in cases of constipation and raised blood pressure. A crushed clove of garlic is added to the flush to reduce the microbial overgrowth. If garlic cannot be used, then up to two teaspoons of three-percent hydrogen peroxide (food-grade) or six drops of tea tree oil can be added instead. You can take another glass of water after the Epsom salt to wash down the bitter aftertaste, but not after the isotonic flush, as it would no longer be isotonic. The flush will carry most of the dead microbes and their toxins out of the body and minimize any unpleasant reactions. However, if the flush should not be sufficient to produce a strong bowel movement within two to three hours, then another flush,
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preferably with Epsom salt, should immediately follow or unpleasant reactions may occur. As a precaution after antibiotic therapy, for general body cleansing, or if there are only mild symptoms of microbial overgrowth, it will be sufficient to continue this for about three days. In severe and long-standing cases, the flush can be used for several weeks. If Candida overgrowth is suspected, any sexual partner should have at least a short flush period. If it is inconvenient to continue with a flush, as for instance with work commitments, then it may work to have a flush just once or twice and then continue for a long time with a high intake of acidophilus and bifido cultures. Acidophilus and Bifido Cultures: This leads us to the next step: replacing the decimated pathogenic microbes with desirable lactobacilli or “friendly” bacteria. This must be done in a massive dose 30 to 60 minutes after each flush, otherwise the unwanted microbes may grow back to full strength after your next meal. Acidophilus culture is used to repopulate the freed-up spaces in the walls of the small intestines, while bifidobacteria are the protective inhabitants of the large intestines. These bacterial cultures are available from health foods stores as high-potency capsules or powders in brown glass bottles that should be refrigerated before and after sale. You can buy a mixed culture and take several capsules or two teaspoons in water or vegetable juice or one teaspoon each of the separate cultures. If you suspect a cow’s milk allergy, which is frequent in this condition, then use milk-free cultures. After several months on the shelf of a store, cultures may have very few live bacteria present. Therefore, it is best to take powdered cultures in addition to fresh cultures found in good quality yogurt. You can test the quality of any powdered culture by using it as a starter to make your own yogurt (see Step 37). If it is of high quality, the yogurt will develop quickly. Alternatives to cow’s milk yogurt do not set creamy because of their lower protein content, but that does not matter, as the beneficial bacteria are in the liquid whey. Eat a cup of this yogurt in addition to the powdered culture after each flush, using more before or with other meals. Continue taking either the cultures or yogurt for several months after you have stopped taking a flush. Women should apply yogurt or acidophilus powder to the vagina for a few days or weeks. It is preferable initially for a few days to douche beforehand with a few drops of tea tree oil or diluted hydrogen peroxide solution at a strength of one teaspoon of three-percent peroxide to a glass of water, or more or less according to your sensitivity. For those who do not ingest acidophilus/ bifido products regularly, take a course of “friendly” bacteria once a year as a precaution, but especially with or after taking any drugs, medical or recreational, or if you’re leading a stressful life. The diet during this therapy should be free of sweeteners, sweet foods, yeast, alcohol, and initially also of fruits. Various supplements, such as caprylic acid, can be useful but are not necessary with this flush method. If the Candida problem is severe or has existed already for a long time, chances are that the fungus has already invaded the bloodstream and internal organs. In this case, it is best to take an herbal parasite cure and at another time a course of Lugol’s solution as explained under Candida and Parasites in Step 44.
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If your blood is contaminated, then you may initially experience a die-off reaction of the Candida, causing weakness and possibly headache or nausea. If this happens, cut back temporarily on the amount of Lugol’s solution and drink plenty of water and diluted teas or juices. Finally, as an addition or an alternative to Lugol’s solution, you can use a Becktype blood purifier or zapper to eliminate Candida and other fungi and infectious agents from the blood (see Step 19). The magnetic pulser can be used to sanitize pockets of Candida infestations inside the mouth, vagina, or underneath the skin.
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Step 49 CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE Managing cholesterol and improving your heart health - some practical tips.
For many years, we have been inundated with anti-cholesterol campaigns and suddenly now we hear or read of one scientific study after another telling us that cholesterol, after all, may be good for us. The first major shock for the cholesterol - heart disease theory came in 1990 with an article in the British Medical Journal.65 It was an analysis of six major intervention trials involving tens of thousands of people over several years. The result was unexpected. There was indeed a small reduction of about ten percent in cholesterol levels and a reduction of 14 percent in the rate of death from heart disease in the groups treated medically with drugs and low cholesterol diets. However, the total death rate of patients with medically lowered cholesterol was significantly higher as compared to controls. This included not only higher mortality from cancer, but surprisingly, on average, a 67 percent higher mortality from violent death, such as accidents, homicides, and suicides. This high rate of death from violent causes was found in every single one of these trials, so it was unlikely to be a coincidence. In looking for an explanation, researchers discovered that monkeys became more aggressive on a diet low in cholesterol and saturated fat, and human studies further found that criminals, on average, had lower cholesterol levels. This applied generally to individuals with aggressive or violent behaviour or limited self-control and also those involved in homicide and suicide. Another scientific publication voiced concern over evidence that about half of the men who die of sudden heart attack do not have any of the risk factors commonly associated with heart disease, such as elevated cholesterol or blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, or smoking. This would suggest that the main cause of heart attacks is still unknown to medicine. A Finnish study followed 1,222 Helsinki businessmen considered at high risk of heart attack for 15 years. Half were put on an intensive program of dietary regulation and other treatment while the other half served as controls. After 15 years, the lowcholesterol group had 67 deaths overall with 34 from heart disease. The control group had only half the overall death rate with 14 cardiac deaths. In light of this result, the medical director of the British Heart Foundation admitted that the existing advice to cut cholesterol was not based on “definitive research.” What, then, is it based on? Another recent medical study confirms the general harmlessness of elevated blood cholesterol levels. Of a large group of elderly patients with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, those with the highest cholesterol levels lived longest while those with less elevated levels had the highest mortality rate. Cholesterol news that hit the headlines in 2001 showed that for old men it is best to have a “normal” blood cholesterol level because both high as well as low levels lead to an increased rate of heart attacks.
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Why We Need Cholesterol: The cholesterol saga started several decades ago when researchers found that those dying from heart disease also frequently had elevated blood cholesterol levels as well as fatty plaque, called atheromas, which clog up the arteries of the heart muscle. These atheromas consist of wildly proliferating smooth muscle cells filled and surrounded by a fatty sludge containing a high level of cholesterol. Medical authorities believed that cutting down on our cholesterol intake would lower our cholesterol blood levels and thus reduce the risk of heart disease. Biochemists, however, were generally sceptical of this idea. After all, the liver itself produces most of our cholesterol requirements. Approximately one gram daily is synthesized from the breakdown products of saturated fats and sugars and less than half a gram is absorbed from our food. The more cholesterol we absorb, the less is produced in the liver. With this, our overall cholesterol level remains fairly stable and any surplus cholesterol is normally excreted with the bile. Cholesterol is a very valuable and useful substance. It provides the basic structure for the synthesis of steroid hormones and vitamin D and it is a major component of cell membranes; it is especially high in the brain and nervous system. In the liver it is converted into bile acids and bile salts needed for the digestion and absorption of all lipids (fats and fat-related substances). However, if we are deficient in the emulsifier lecithin or in sulphur amino acids, cholesterol can accumulate as gallstones. So you can see that it is very important for us to have enough cholesterol. In fact, some wasting diseases, such as cancer, are associated with a cholesterol deficiency, and hypoglycemics are commonly found to have low cholesterol levels. How We Overproduce Cholesterol: Why then do some people get raised blood cholesterol levels when the liver is supposed to keep cholesterol levels stable? Obviously, something must interfere with the regulating mechanism in the liver. One of these causes is a high intake of saturated fats. These are broken down in the liver to keto acids that are normally used for energy production in the muscle cells. For this, the keto acids need the breakdown products of the sugar metabolism (glycolysis). If you have a habitually raised insulin level or insensitivity to insulin (e.g., diabetes), these sugar metabolites are in short supply and this can cause keto acids to accumulate. In addition, a deficiency of chromium will also interfere with the fat metabolism. The liver now attempts to get rid of the keto acids by converting them into surplus cholesterol. There is another mechanism responsible for cholesterol overproduction involving sugar. When you ingest sugar, your blood insulin level is raised. A key enzyme of cholesterol synthesis is actually regulated by insulin and this means a higher sugar intake generates higher insulin levels and with this higher fat and cholesterol levels. The word sugar, however, does not simply mean sucrose, our common household sugar. There are different forms of sugar. Sucrose is a combination of glucose and fructose. In susceptible individuals, fructose has a much greater influence on insulin levels than glucose. Enzymes still present in human liver biopsy samples converted fructose into fatty acids and cholesterol at rates three to 24 times
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faster than glucose, with the highest rates occurring in those with a disposition to atherosclerosis. An even stronger insulin effect (stronger, that is, than by ingesting equal amounts of glucose and fructose) occurs when eating these simple sugars chemically combined as sucrose. This is called the disaccharide effect. In a study, monkeys produced three times more deposited lipids on a diet high in sucrose than with glucose. Oxidized Cholesterol: We can now see that a diet high in sugar and fat is the main cause of a raised cholesterol level, while the cholesterol content of our diet has been repeatedly shown to have little impact. Yet this still does not prove that there is a causal relationship between elevated cholesterol levels and heart disease. However, such a direct connection has been shown to exist with oxycholesterol. If cholesterol in food is heated, especially with access of air, then it is oxidized to oxy-cholesterol. Animal experiments with high intakes of either pure cholesterol or oxy-cholesterol have shown atherogenic degeneration only with the latter, not with cholesterol itself. This would imply that a main contributing factor to our high rate of heart disease is our habit of overly heating and frying meat, eggs, and milk products. However, once the arteries are damaged, then high cholesterol levels may or may not contribute to the deposits of fatty sludge. Further clues can be found in the history of heart disease. Heart attacks were extremely rare in earlier centuries and even at the beginning of the twentieth century. A medical textbook published in 1912 describes angina pectoris, a mild form of heart attack, as being very rare, and a famous American heart specialist did not see his first heart attack patient until 1920. Yet beginning in 1920, the explosive rise in the incidence of heart disease in Western countries was on. As China and other less developed countries remained free of heart disease, then we may ask: What fundamentally changed the lifestyle of Western populations at that time? Two important changes took place: the pasteurization of milk products and the chlorination of public water supplies. Pasteurization of Milk Products: Before pasteurization, some doctors recommended milk as a cure for many illnesses. Raw milk cures were famous at the beginning of the twentieth century. Formerly, people consumed plenty of cream and butter and rich meals prepared with them, and in Bulgaria and the Caucasus they set records in good health and longevity on full-fat milk products. An American doctor reportedly cured psoriasis by having his patients eat two pounds of butter a week. Despite all this fatty food, heart attacks were virtually unknown. Now milk is no longer a cure for any disease. On the contrary, natural therapists generally regard milk as disease-forming, butter is known to aggravate psoriasis, and heart disease is rampant. What is the difference? Enzymes plentiful in raw milk are destroyed by pasteurization. Some diseases that were formerly improved with raw milk can now be successfully treated with high-level enzyme supplements. Specifically, it is the fatdigesting enzyme lipase that works most of the healing miracles. With cardiovascular disease, there is a deficiency of lipase in the bloodstream. Lipase released by the
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pancreas helps to digest fats, while lipase in the bloodstream and cells helps to break down unwanted fatty deposits. There are, however, fats and oils that arguably are much worse than pasteurized butter. These are the oils with a high content of unnatural trans-fatty acids, such as margarine, shortenings, and hydrogenated oils and fats and, to some degree, even our common salad and cooking oils. Trans-fatty acids are produced not only by hydrogenation, but also by the heating of oils. Fats and cholesterol are transported in the blood in the form of lipoproteins, and trans-fatty acids produce a more unfavourable lipoprotein profile than any other fat. Recently I heard a cheese producer say that he submitted some of his selfproduced unpasteurized cheeses for testing. They were completely free of pathogenic bacteria, unlike pasteurized products that commonly contain diseasecausing microbes up to a legal limit. The reason for this superior safety of raw cheeses is their high content of lactobacilli. These kill harmful microbes, while in pasteurized products, any survivors or contaminants can multiply unchallenged. Therefore, milk products correctly fermented with lactic acid are not only healthy but also safe, unlike their pasteurized counterparts. Chlorination of Public Water Supplies: Experimental use of chlorine to kill bacteria in public water supplies began around 1900 and was generally accepted in Western countries by the l920’s. Part of the chlorine reacts with organic impurities to form organochlorines (DDT is an organochlorine), while the rest remains as residualfree chlorine in the water. It can then react with food chemicals or with parts of our digestive tract. From 1920 onwards, the explosive increase in the incidence of cardiovascular disease and fatal heart attacks began, but only in countries that chlorinated their water supplies. These diseases remained unknown, for instance, in China, Japan, Africa, and Asia. However, Japanese citizens who emigrated to Hawaii where water was chlorinated suffered the same rate of heart attacks as the Americans, and the African-American population in the U.S. has the average U.S. rate of heart attacks, but not that of their counterparts in Africa. In 1967 an American researcher, J. Price, M.D., performed a decisive experiment. With one group of 50 three-month-old chickens, he added one-third of a teaspoon of chlorine bleach to about one quart of water in their feed, while another group of 50 chicken served as controls. Seven months later, more than 95 percent of the chlorinated group had advanced atherosclerosis, yet none of the control group showed any such evidence. In the following years, Dr. Price repeated his experiment many times, always with the same results. Recently, researchers funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency confirmed atherosclerotic-type changes in other animals, including monkeys, when exposed to chlorinated water. Public health officials claim wrongly that water chlorination is essential to prevent microbial contamination. Public water supplies can be made safe with ozone or exposure to ultraviolet light at no greater expense than with chlorine. Even sunlight is very effective, with 99.9 percent of coliforms (pathogenic bacteria) killed within 90 minutes in one experiment. For sterilizing our individual water supply, we can simply add a teaspoon of three-percent hydrogen peroxide (food-grade) to a gallon of
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drinking water or expose it to sunlight in a shallow container or a clear glass bottle for several hours. Practical Recommendations: Other contributing factors in cardiovascular disease are vitamin B6 and magnesium deficiency, high ferritin or iron levels, and a low intake of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Kilmer S. McCully, M.D.,66 discovered in the 1960s that with vitamin B6 deficiency a toxic breakdown product of the amino acid methionine occurs. This chemical, homocysteine, causes free-radical damage to the arteries. Even young children with vitamin B6 deficiency were found to die of rapidly developing atherosclerosis. As a result of this discovery, Dr. McCully lost his professorship at Harvard Medical School in 1979 and was turned down in 51 job applications in the following two years. Now he has been vindicated and his discovery is mainstream medical theory. Moses M. Suzman, M.D., a neurologist in Johannesburg, South Africa, specialized in treating heart patients with 200 mg of vitamin B6 daily and B-complex tablets. He had remarkable success and extremely low re-infarction rates. Researchers have found that folic acid lowers homocysteine levels, especially in combination with vitamin B12; high iron levels have been strongly linked to freeradical damage in the arteries and subsequent plaque formation. Chronic inflammation has been shown to be strongly involved with the development of arterial plaques. Often this inflammation is due to chronic bacterial infections. A high intake of antioxidants, including the various bioflavo-noids and carotenoids, as well as omega-3 essential fatty acids in linseed oil (or ground linseed) and fish oils, protects the artery walls with their anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant properties. A good anti-inflammatory herb for everyday food flavouring is ginger root. For good heart health, avoid highly heated fatty and oily foods, especially if heated with access to air, as in frying. Not only are heated animal fats harmful when they form oxy--cholesterol, but so are oxidized and peroxidised polyunsaturated oils. Use vegetable oils that have not been heated to more than 120º F. Generally, I trust only high-quality linseed oil and extra-virgin olive oil to have retained their lipase. In addition, there are some good specialty oils, the labels of which state that the oils have been produced below 120º F. The cold-pressed oils in health food stores may or may not be completely trustworthy but are better than conventional supermarket oils. Cut down on sweet food, in particular on sucrose, and minimize the combination of starches with anything sweet, as that causes an exaggerated insulin response and all its harmful effects. Basically, this means eat fruits on their own before or instead of any meals. Fish oils and linseed oil are high in omega-3 essential fatty acids that are antiinflammatory and protect our arteries from clogging. Various specific nutrients have a protective effect, such as ginger, green tea, grape seed extract, vitamins C and B6, natural vitamin E, and magnesium, preferably as magnesium chloride. All foods with color are good and especially purple foods, including red wine. In addition to an anti-inflammatory effect, these nutrients have an anticoagulant effect and discourage the formation of damaging blood clots. With seriously ill patients, the “Pauling therapy” is helpful: In addition to other recommended nutrients, use 5 to 10 g of
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vitamin C, 5 to 6 g of the amino acid L-lysine, and 2 g of L-carnitine daily, all in four divided doses daily. Reflexology describes a connection between the heart and the soft pad at the base of the left thumb. If there is a heart problem, this part will be sensitive when pressed. Heart diseases and especially acute conditions often can be improved by repeatedly and for long periods pressing strongly into the base of the left thumb. Heart attacks reportedly have been stopped by doing this. In an emergency, press as hard as you can; at other times, only as much as you reasonably can stand the pain. Gradually, as the condition improves, the tenderness at the base of the left thumb will diminish. See also the entry on Cardiovascular Disease in Step 44. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Part 7 ENERGIES Dealing with Harmful & Helpful Ones
This chapter deals mainly with the nonphysical energies, variously called life force, bioenergy, prana, chi, od, orgone energy,67 and many other names. It is this energy level that we most easily see as the innermost aura around living objects or that we sometimes feel as various sensations such as heat or tingling in our body, especially when transferring energy, as with “laying on of hands” or Reiki. It is also the energy that fuels our sexuality and that we feel most strongly during orgasm. This energy circulates in our acupuncture system and its vortexes form our chakra system (non-physical energy centres). It is not only at the root of most paranormal or psychic phenomena, but is the healing agent of many natural therapies. Homeopathy can only be understood as a bioenergetic phenomenon; that is why it is so fiercely rejected by conventional science, in spite of scientific evidence that it works. While bioenergy is still unknown to orthodox science, it is an everyday experience of many healers and sensitive individuals. Just as electromagnetic energies have a wide range of wavelengths or frequencies, so also have the bioenergies. On one side of their spectrum, the bioenergies border on the electromagnetic spectrum while on the other side they merge into the emotional energies. In addition to food, water, and air, we need a balanced intake of electromagnetic energies. These include sunlight, color, the Earth’s magnetic field, and the electric field between the ionosphere and the ground. Sunlight actually is a combination of electromagnetic energy and bioenergy, and in this way we receive most of our bioenergy from the sun. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 50 ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGIES Protect yourself from the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation and make sunlight your friend. Strong electric fields of about 50 cycles per second (hertz, or Hz) are harmful to us. These fields exist around power lines, power tools, electric stoves, heaters, boilers, freezers, and television sets when in use and extend several feet or yards around the appliance. Stay away from them if possible. Using an electric iron or an electric keyboard or working with handheld power tools can easily drain your energies. We can reduce harmful effects of electricity on our body by holding our hands under running water from time to time when working with electrical equipment and also by having a shower in the evening. For a detailed discussion of this, review Step 8. The DC Field of the Earth: We live in a natural DC (direct current) field. The surface of the Earth has a negative electric charge and the ionosphere high above it a positive charge of about 50,000 volts. However, the electric currents involved there are extremely small. Near the surface of the Earth, the voltage differs greatly; it is highest on mountains and in dry conditions where it can reach 1,000 volts per meter, while in low-lying and moist conditions it falls to below 50 volts. This means that the voltage difference between a point close to the ground and one meter above it can be between 50 and 1,000 volts, but the current is so low that we do not feel it. Nevertheless, it has a noticeable effect on our well-being. Populations with exceptionally long life spans always seem to live in the mountains, such as in the Andes, Himalayas, and Caucasus. In buildings with roofs of metal, aluminium-coated insulation material, or steel reinforced concrete, the electrical field is near zero. It has been shown that this lowers our concentration span and well-being. There may even be counter-fields caused by the static electricity of plastic materials and synthetic carpets. Even worse are houses that have metal walls, whether they are of corrugated iron, coating or insulation material with aluminium, wire mesh, or reinforced concrete. Getting fresh air through open windows will improve the condition to some extent. In a high DC field, our well-being and mental abilities are increased, while in a low field we easily become fatigued and our concentration suffers. Electrodes that produce a field of 1,000 to 2,000 volts inside offices and houses have been used with good results in Germany. If you live in a conventional modern house, have at least the bedroom or sleeping place free of shielding metals, or sleep on the veranda in summer. This is especially important for someone with a serious chronic disease. Because as a species we lived so long in this natural DC field, the natural ion distribution and electrical fields in our bodies have adjusted to it. We feel better when we are exposed to this field. This is one of the reasons why walking on fresh grass feels refreshing, while habitually wearing shoes with rubber or plastic soles is more tiring. The magnetic field of the Earth is about 0.5 gauss, though it has been much higher in the past and is presently decreasing. Generally, life forms are bigger, more
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vital, and longer living in a stronger magnetic field. Most people will find it best to sleep with the head in a northerly direction, while an easterly direction is sometimes beneficial; facing towards the west, however, is often weakening. In the Southern Hemisphere, you can also try sleeping with the head to the south. Experiment to find your best direction. Sunlight: On the level of energies, sunlight is our primary source of life. Light to moderate sun exposure is beneficial. Except in winter, do not sunbathe during the hours around midday. Preferably expose your whole body as often as possible for a few minutes in the early morning or late afternoon sun. This may be in the garden, the veranda, or even inside a room with an open window. In addition, it is beneficial to sit lightly clothed in the half-shade, as for instance under a tree, as we can absorb the bioenergies of the sunlight through our clothing. While brief exposure to the sun is invigorating, long sunbathing, especially at the beach, is exhausting and ages the skin and can cause skin cancer. It can also cause an overactivity of the parathyroid glands. Vitamin supplements can protect us from these dangers: In addition to PABA and other B vitamins, we need plenty of antioxidants, bioflavonoids, and carotenoids for sun protection. Except for zinc cream or a solution of PABA, I am not in favour of using sunscreen lotions; instead, use suitable clothing for protection. Sunscreens contain unbiological chemicals, and it has been reported that most commercial sunscreens kill skin cells and so may inflict long-term skin damage. Research shows that there is a strong negative correlation between available sunlight and breast cancer death rates, that is, living in a sunny area is associated with lower cancer rates. Even skin cancer is inhibited by regular low-level sun exposure; only sunburn, or high-level sun exposure, is a strong skin cancer promoter. It has been stated that trends in the epidemiological literature suggest that approximately 30,000 U.S. cancer deaths could be averted yearly by the widespread public use of regular mild sun exposure. A study on electricity workers showed that those with the most sun exposure had the lowest rates of skin cancer and melanoma. Other studies show a strong link between long-term exposure to fluorescent lighting and melanoma; melanoma often occurs on areas of the skin that have not been exposed to sunlight. Sensitive individuals, especially with low blood pressure, lack of energy, and a tendency to have food allergies and chemical sensitivities, should expose themselves to the full sunlight for only very short periods; preferable is semi-shade, as under a tree. Insensitive individuals, on the other hand, with insensitive skin and often high blood pressure, benefit from a longer exposure that tends to sensitize them. The eyes are important entrance points for sun energy. John N. Ott, in his Health and Light, demonstrated with his research how important it is for us to get the full spectrum of the sunlight into our eyes. This does not happen if we sit behind windows or wear glasses; these filter out essential frequencies of the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. Deficiency of this ultraviolet radiation caused by our living behind glass is a contributing factor in the development of degenerative diseases such as arthritis, cancer and leukaemia, eye diseases, hyperactivity, and sexual problems. These harmful effects are reinforced if the glass is inappropriately tinted, in this way blocking out a part of the visible spectrum as well.
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Ott demonstrated that the primary effect of light entering our eyes is on the endocrine glands of the brain. He also showed that coloured lights have a strong influence on the ratio of male to female offspring when breeding animals. Especially unhealthy are most kinds of fluorescent lighting, more so if they have a pink hue. Even more harmful is light from the color screens of television sets and computer monitors; this effect is due to the artificial composition of these colours. However, if one has sensitive eyes, one should continue to wear sunglasses if the light is very strong and glaring and only gradually reduce their use when the eyes improve. The best sunglasses, if required, are of a special composition of gray so that they reduce the intensity of all colours to the same degree. Most plastics, by the way, do not screen out ultraviolet rays, so in this way one obtains full sunlight by living behind clear plastic windows. However, a disadvantage of this is that one can get sunburned behind these plastic windows. Lack of sunlight in winter or if one is bedridden makes us susceptible to depression. You can cure this seasonal affective disorder by looking into a bright light in the morning, preferably sunlight or lights with the full daylight spectrum. Sunlight is also required to convert cholesterol into vitamin D. Multiple sclerosis, for example, is inversely related to the amount of sunshine in the region, so that the closer to the equator, the lower the incidence of it. This is similar to the rate of cancer that also declines the closer we get to the equator. Another important aspect of sunlight is our indirect intake of it in the form of sun-drenched fruits and vegetables. Such foods absorb bioenergy as well as light frequencies from the sun, but these beneficial energies are gradually lost if these foods are stored in the dark. In this case, it is beneficial to expose them again to sunshine for a short period before eating. Coloured Light: Exposing ourselves to light of a certain colour has a definite effect on our emotions and body. The most balanced colour is green, and looking out over green meadows and at the green of trees has a balancing effect on body and mind. Blue and red, on the other hand, are the main opposites that help to adjust the body if it is out of balance. Red and especially orange are used for stimulation when we are fatigued and need strength. Too much of it, however, will make us nervous and irritable. Blue, of course, is sedating, even more so than green, not only for the mind, but also for the body if there is pain, fever, or inflammation. There are many different ways in which we can treat ourselves with colours. The most natural way is to look at distinctive colours in our surroundings. In addition to looking at meadows and trees for their balancing green, we can look for long periods at the blue sky to gain peace and quiet. For stimulation, on the other hand, we can focus on a red rose or any other red flower bathed in the sunshine. Another possibility is to paint or wallpaper a room in appropriate colours and to pay attention to the colours of our carpets and curtains. Then we can select suitable colours for our clothing. Usually we express through the colours of our dress our inner feeling at the time, for instance, dressing in black or gray if we are depressed, thereby reinforcing the negative mood. However, if we want to improve our emotional condition, select the opposite colour to our negative feeling. To ward off depression, for instance, wear pink or another bright and stimulating colour.
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We can use differently coloured light bulbs, coloured lampshades, or coloured cellophane. However, most one-sided colour exposure should be only temporary, for as long as it has a beneficial effect on our condition. Too much blue, for instance, can push a susceptible individual from being peaceful to becoming depressed, or blue. Generally, it is best to use a mixture of colours inside the house and for our clothing, with possibly one dominant colour that balances our basic condition. For further information, see Colour Therapy in Part 2.
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Step 51 BIOENERGY Bioenergy is the true energy of healing, so for optimal health learn as much about it as you can.
Bioenergy is the basis of all biological manifestations. It is also called prana, ki or chi, od, orgone, ether, bioplasma, or simply life force. Our main intake of this life energy is during deep sleep, through the chakra system, breathing, from raw food, as well as sunshine and energy transfer from other people. In the air, it is commonly called prana, while within our body we usually refer to it as bioenergy; for the Chinese, it is the chi that circulates in the acupuncture meridians throughout the body. Bioenergy generally appears as a bluish-gray haze; its movement is slow and wavelike; it can be accumulated and conducted by organic material and water; and it can be separated into two opposites with a bluish and a red-yellow color. The air is low in bioenergy on rainy days and at night. The planet is enveloped in a field of orgone energy and on most days this field can be observed moving from west to east. Our physical body is permeated with bioenergy. Part of this energy circulates through the acupuncture meridians while the surplus radiates out, forming an etheric field, or the inner aura, and protects us from harmful environmental radiation or microbes. For the body, bioenergy holds the blueprint that guides the growth and maintenance of all body structure; it is the “glue” that holds the cells together, the energy of organization. Acupuncture points are like transformers or inflow points of bioenergy from the meridians into the tissue structure. If this flow along a meridian and into the muscles is blocked, a limb becomes lifeless and paralysed, even if the blood circulation and nerve impulses are intact. We can direct and modify this stream of bioenergy with our mind to heal ourselves. Generally, we can increase our inner reservoir of bioenergy by living in an area with a high environmental potential of bioenergy. We can find this where there is plenty of sunshine, abundant vegetation, especially trees, and an elevated position - ideally a tree-clad hilltop or mountain plateau in the subtropics. Bioenergy in Healing: In 1973, researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles succeeded in replicating a Russian experiment in which part of a fresh leaf was cut off and Kirlian (high-frequency) photography revealed the faint outline of the whole leaf, including the missing part. This can be regarded as the first visible scientific proof of the existence of an aura around living objects. Before that, Professor Harold Saxton Burr of Yale University had made extensive measurements of the electric fields around living things and shown that these “L-fields” (Life-Fields) pre-exist as in a fertilized egg and guide the development of the related entity. I contend that prana, bioenergy, or life energy is a major factor in healing despite the denial of its existence by orthodox medicine. Chances of recovery are greatly increased by being regularly exposed to high concentrations of prana. For example, Wilhelm Reich in The Cancer Biopathy described his research into the effect of prana on cancer development and treatment. With a powerful
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microscope (4,000-times magnification), he could observe how cancer cells originated from body cells deficient in prana and how cancer cells were destroyed by red blood cells highly charged with prana. Healthy red blood cells have a strong, blue, and pulsating field, he said. His research led him to believe that cancer is basically due to chronic sexual starvation or, more precisely, to blockage of sexual energies due to emotionally induced muscle tension or armouring. This is just another way of saying that cancer is primarily caused by a lack of bioenergy or a blockage in the circulation of bioenergy in the body. Prana is high in green surroundings and especially tree-clad hilltops and mountains. It is high in the air on sunny days, but low on dull days or at night. It is exceptionally concentrated in rainwater collected after a heavy shower on a sunny day. Use such highly charged rainwater for washing and drinking. In polluted areas, purify it with a jug-type carbon filter before ingestion. In addition, fresh rainwater, and especially rain that fell during thunderstorms, has a beneficial negative electrical charge, but this is discharged and lost if the rainwater comes in contact with a metal. Prana is much enriched in cascading sunlit streams and even in artificial sunlit cascades. Water can also be improved by exposing it to sunlight before use. Fresh fruit and vegetables stored in the dark and especially in a refrigerator have a healthier benefit for us if they are exposed to sunlight before eating. Revitalizing may be the most important task with chronic diseases (and especially with cancer). As Reich suggested, healthy blood charged with bioenergy readily destroys cancer cells and disease germs. To vitalize, use fresh raw juices, walk barefoot on dewy grass, do deep breathing exercises, meditation, energy healing, and energy cultivation, and use devices such as magnets, cones, and pyramids. Freshly cut grass emits a strong radiation of bioenergy. In a similar way, a “hay cure” was formerly used with good results as a folk remedy for many diseases. The patient was immersed for hours in freshly cut hay or sometimes in fresh leaves. Kirlian photography shows that cut leaves and grasses lose most of their prana within a few hours. This outpouring energy can be used to radiate a tumor or a weak organ with a strong charge of prana by keeping a pack of freshly cut grass over the area in contact with the skin. The pack should be renewed every few hours. Morning dew on fresh grass is another source of highly concentrated prana. Walk on it barefoot for ten to 20 minutes; with your hands, rub the dew onto your bare skin all over the body; if it’s warm enough, roll with bare skin in the dewy grass. Psychics can see our aura expanding when we walk or stand on fresh grass. It is equally important to conserve our bioenergy by living in or visiting surroundings high in bioenergy. Generally, these are sunny locations with luxurious plant growth, but also mountains and the seashore. Some individuals claim to have lived on prana in the mountains but were not able to do this in the lowlands or a city. Males can lose much bioenergy through ejaculation and should minimize such loss when low in energy, as with cancer, AIDS, and other debilitating diseases. Instead, they can try Karezza-type (caressing with slow movements) lovemaking or other forms of spiritual sex as explained later in Part 7.
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Basically, we get bioenergy from: •
Recharging our etheric body during deep sleep
•
Ingesting fresh raw food, juices, and charged water
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Breathing prana-rich air
•
Meditation and guided imagery
•
Stepped-down energy entering directly through the chakra system
A high body charge of prana, visible to psychics as a strong and clear aura, is a main requirement for remaining healthy and overcoming chronic diseases. Therefore, protect and improve your health by exposing yourself to high concentrations of prana in any or several of these indicated ways. If you have the opportunity, visit known natural power spots or high-energy areas. There is also negative and potentially dangerous bioenergy. This is associated with diseased and polluted conditions and also with radioactivity. It appears that healthy bioenergy moves or spins at certain frequencies. When it stagnates, as with energy blocks in our body, it becomes more dense with a slower vibration. This negative energy not only acts to maintain a diseased state, it can also be absorbed by an unsuspecting healer and can then cause health problems in her body. Flowing water is a great cleanser for this and can be used in different ways to remove negative energy. Vivaxis Energies: Vivaxis is a term coined by Canadian researcher Frances Nixon in the 1960s for etheric energy beams that link us to specific locations. The most important one of these is our birth vivaxis, linking us to key energy points near the place of our birth in a two-way circuit. Perhaps migrating birds and insects find their distant destinations by being able to sense and follow these vivaxis beams. This would also explain how dogs sometimes cover hundreds of miles of unknown territory to turn up unexpectedly at their owner’s house or how turtles can return to their beach of birth after several decades to lay their eggs. In addition, there are Earth beams circling our planet, said Nixon. These contain the frequencies of all the elements necessary for life and are related to our individual energy fields by our vivaxis energies. Health problems may arise if our energy absorption from these essential energy beams is disturbed, Nixon proposed. This may happen as a general planetary condition after nuclear testing or, on a more individual scale, if we live in dwellings encased by metal (aluminium coating or insulation, steel-reinforced concrete, wire mesh). Further, our internal energy receptors may become disturbed after exposure to X-rays or other strong electromagnetic radiation, by wrongly applied strong magnets, prolonged mental stress, marijuana, vibrating tools, infrasonic waves, environmental imbalances, and pesticides as well as toxic chemicals in various drugs, foods, and cosmetics. Foreign vivaxes to which we may become linked can be created by hypnotism, strong magnets, electrical acupuncture treatment and pulse-wave machines, accidentally received electric shocks, and even contact healing, reflexology, and acupressure, especially if a therapist exerts strong pressure on bilateral points. Some of these foreign vivaxes can disturb our natural-force flows before they gradually
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disappear. On a certain energy level, we seem to remain linked to everyone we ever touched. You can reduce the possibility of health problems arising from disturbed or blocked flows of these subtle energies by living as naturally as possible. Especially minimize pollution from non-biological chemicals and strong electromagnetic fields; frequently cleanse and recharge yourself in natural surroundings, by walking barefoot on grass or swimming in the ocean or an unpolluted lake or river. Preferably sleep in a part of the house with a minimum of metal shielding (as from insulation material) in the walls and roof. For more information, see Judy Jacka’s “The Vivaxis Connection” (Hampton Roads, 2000). * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 52 CULTIVATING THE ENERGIES Learn to sense subtle bioenergies and use them to energize your body.
For increasing or maintaining our health and vitality, it is advisable to work directly with our life force, cultivating it, as the Chinese masters say. There are two main aspects to this energy cultivation. First we learn to accumulate bioenergy or prana and then use it by directing its flow. Intake through the Chakra System: Our main bioenergy intake and distribution system is the chakra network, subtle energy centres along the spine from groin to head. The seven main chakras are comparable to central power stations, while the acupuncture meridians can be seen as power transmission lines. Chakras are vortex-like energy centres. Commonly, seven major chakras are mentioned, six of which are rooted along the spine and one at the top of the head, as shown in figure 7-1. The chakra vortexes suck in energy from the universal energy field that is all around us. Each chakra modifies the vibration rate of the energy and that gives it a certain color. Further, each chakra energizes a specific region of the body and is related to a major nerve centre and endocrine gland. The energy then flows along a multitude of lines (called nadis) to form the etheric body. Major energy flows are along the acupuncture meridians that, in turn, nourish the internal organs and muscles. A health problem in a certain area of the body is usually associated with a disturbed function of the chakra governing this region. Normalizing and harmonizing our chakra functions is important for the healing of specific aspects as well as for increasing our available energy in general and for becoming whole and balanced. The characteristics of the seven main chakras can be seen in table 7-1. In addition, there are many more secondary chakras. Those in the palms of the hands
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are commonly used for energy transfer. Each of the higher or finer energy bodies, such as the emotional, astral, and mental body, has its own chakra system; different energy bodies have different chakra colours. The corresponding chakras in the different bodies are interconnected. The more we spiritually develop, the greater becomes the exchange of energy between the different bodies, with the energy generally flowing from the finer to the denser bodies. Excellent books on energy healing, energy bodies, and the chakra systems are “Hands of Light” and “Light Emerging”, by Barbara Ann Brennan. You can experiment with two complementary methods of increasing your energy reservoir. In one, imagine energy entering through the crown chakra; in the other, imagine you retain the prana inhaled with the air. With some practice, you can combine both exercises and do them at the same time. The main rule in all of this is that energy flow follows our awareness and intentions. Table 7-1: The Main Energy Centres or Chakras Location
Sanskrit name Gland
Color
Vertebra
Function
Root/Base
Muladhara
Adrenals
Red
Sacral 4
Will to live, vitality,
Pubic
Svadisthana
Gonads
Orange
Lumbar 1
Sexual energy, physical
Solar plexus Manipura
Pancreas
Gold-yellow Dorsal 8
Heart
Anahata
Thymus
Green
Dorsal 1
Throat
Vishudda
Thyroid
Blue
Cervical 3
Communication, creating
Brow
Ajna
Pituitary
Indigo
none
Higher mentality and
grounding creativity Emotional energy, feeling safe, protected, connected Spiritual feelings, love, compassion with words and sounds creativity, intuition, visualization Crown
Sahasrara
Pineal
Violet/white none
Spirituality, connection to Higher Self and divinity
Chakra Exercises: Sit or lie in a relaxed position and focus on one chakra at each session. Start with the crown chakra. Keep your awareness centred at the top of your head until you feel a light pressure, warmth, tingling, or other sensation developing in that area. Whatever you can feel, intensify it. However, it is preferable to replace any feeling of pressure with a feeling of warmth as soon as that can be done, in order to avoid an uncomfortable pressure from building up. You can also imagine a stream of white light entering the top of the head or visualize an energy vortex in this position. Let it spin clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Alternatively, imagine feeling it as a pulsating energy field. You can combine all or several of these imaginations and use whatever is most suitable for developing a feeling awareness of this chakra.
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Figure 7-2: The Stations of the Microcosmic Orbit, from “Bone Marrow Nei Kung”, by Mantak Chia.
Repeat, focusing on the same chakra in subsequent sessions until you can easily feel its presence. Then move to the forehead chakra. In addition to trying to feel a light pressure or warmth, it is helpful to close your eyes and focus them as if looking at the inside of the centre between your brows. You can also imagine the white light flowing into the top of your head becoming violet in the crown centre, then continuing to flow into the forehead centre and illuminating it with an indigo colour. With the throat chakra, you can use similar imagery but make it a blue colour. Feel the warmth of your outgoing breath first in your nose and then transfer this feeling to the throat. Intensify the warmth and combine it with the blue in a pulsating rhythm. For the heart chakra, imagine that your breath moves in and out of the chest through the middle of your chest bone. Also try this imaginary breathing through skin and bone with any of the other chakras, but it is easiest to learn it at the heart centre. In this way, learn to sense the lower chakras - the solar plexus, pubic, and base chakras. Imagine the base chakra as an energy vortex that points to the base of the
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spine. With this, the crown vortex and the base vortex are like an hourglass separated by the length of the spine, while all the other chakra vortexes are perpendicular to the spine. Storing Prana: To accumulate prana from the air and store it, imagine that the inhaled breath consists of two parts: physical air molecules and prana. During inhalation, the lungs automatically separate the prana from the air molecules. You exhale only the “empty” air while the prana flows to where you lead it with your conscious attention. The body uses the abdomen with its high water content as a storage reservoir of excess bioenergy. To energize the abdomen, feel the breath energy moving directly into the abdomen during inhalation. When exhaling, imagine pressing the energy down so that it becomes compressed at the bottom of the abdomen. With each successive breath, more compressed energy accumulates until the target area feels sufficiently energized. You may feel this as warmth, tingling, pressure, or any other sensation. If you can visualize colours, see energy being stored as a golden-yellow fluid that gradually fills the whole abdomen. Initially, you may also see it filling the whole abdomen like a gas with a very faint color that becomes more intense with each breath. However, it is not enough just to visualize it; it is essential also to feel the energy. Another important consideration is the actual prana content of the air you breathe. You gain the most energy when the air is high in prana, such as outdoors in natural surroundings on a sunny day. However, most of the time, you will be doing this exercise in far less than ideal conditions. Neverthe-less, persevere with it while trying to maximize the prana in your inhaled air by opening windows, exercising on a sunny day, and minimizing negative elements, such as electromagnetic forces and synthetics in your room. In contrast to accumulating prana through breathing, there is no such restriction when taking in energy through the top of the head, as this comes from another dimensional level. But as both energies have different frequencies and complement each other, it is beneficial to work with both methods. Circulating the Energy: A Chinese exercise to increase our energy and wellbeing involves circulating life-force energy in what is called the “microcosmic orbit.” Start by accumulating energy either through the crown centre or by condensing breath energy and lead it into the abdomen. When you have a good feeling sensation of the energy in the abdomen, imagine this sensation flowing into the pubic centre. Intensify the sensation until you can feel the pubic chakra, then let the energy flow into the perineum and the base of the spine. Feel the energy there in any way you can; you may envision it having a red color in this area. Now imagine a valve opening at the tailbone and, with each inhalation, lift part of the energy to a point in the spine behind the pubic centre. When you can feel it well, be it as pressure, warmth, tingling, or any other sensations, lift the energy with your breath to a point behind the solar plexus centre. If you find that you can lift the energy better during exhalations or by paying no attention to the breath at all, that is fine as well; experiment and use the method that works best for you.
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Chi travels up to the mid-point of the scapulae and divides into the arms
Down to the middle of the palm.
Up outside of the forearms, reaching the shoulder.
Descends to the tongue and to the navel.
Figure 7-3: The large heavenly cycle – the arm routes, from Awakening Healing Energy Through the Tao by Mantak Chia.
However, if you experience unusual heat or any discomfort while trying to lift the energy up the spine, then stop immediately or imagine that a cool energy flows downwards. The idea is to increase the flow of energies gradually, but not to open the floodgate of the Kundalini energy at the base of the spine. That might be likened to feeding high-voltage power into a system wired for low voltage. As you continue to lift the energy to the back of the heart centre and then to the back of the neck, imagine that your spine is a straight hollow tube through which the energy flows following your intentions. Next concentrate the energy at the back of the head and finally at the top of the head. Reinforce it with the energy entering the top of the head and then lead it down into the forehead centre. It helps during the whole exercise, but especially at this time, to touch the roof of the mouth with the tip of the tongue. This makes it easier for the energy to flow farther down into the blue throat centre and then into the heart centre. To complete the exercise, lead the energy farther down into the natural storage area for excess energy behind the navel. Imagine that it flows towards the centre of a spiral where it is condensed and stored as a ball of energy in the abdomen, ready for future use. When needed, this energy can be reactivated with your intention and used for healing yourself or others by directing it with your mind where you want it to go. It can also be used for tasks with high-energy requirements and is the same energy that masters of the martial arts aim to cultivate and use.
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In addition to circulating the energy in this “microcosmic orbit,” you can sometimes include the extremities in a “macrocosmic orbit” or “the large heavenly cycle.” After circulating several times in the microcosmic orbit, stop at the perineum and divert the energy down the back of the legs. Pause at the back of the knees and try to feel the two smaller energy vortexes there. Then continue guiding the energy down the back of the calves and around the outer ankles. Feel another set of minor chakras in the centre of the soles of your feet, and finally lead the energy up again along the insides of the legs. Circle around the knees and back to the perineum to continue the microcosmic orbit. At the top of the back, between the shoulder blades, divide the energy again and lead it under the armpits and down the inside of the arms. Focus for a moment on the inside of the elbows, then go to the middle of the palms and feel another pair of minor chakras there. Let some of the energy flow out the tips of the fingers and then move up the outside of the arms to reconnect with the microcosmic orbit where you left it. When you can readily feel the circulating energy and the various centres on its path, you can sometimes use a short form to energize and centre yourself quickly. Imagine the energy entering the top of the head and rapidly jumping down from one centre to the next to the base of the spine. Then with one inhalation lift the energy to the top of the head and with the next exhalation drop it again down the front to the base. Continue to circulate it in this way until you feel energized. You can, of course, switch the breathing cycle and lift the energy up the spine during exhalation if that suits you better. In a similar way, you can sometimes lead the energy very rapidly around the macrocosmic orbit with one long exhalation down the legs or arms and with the following slow inhalation back up again. In all this energy work. imagine and feel the energy moving below the surface of the skin. (For detailed instructions on exercises to accumulate prana and use it for healing, see: www.universal-tao.com and also books by Mantak Chia, such as “Awaken Healing Light of the Tao”.) Energizing the Body: In another method, imagine your spine to be a hollow tube. While inhaling, imagine the prana flowing up the tube to the top, and during the subsequent exhalation, let the energy again drop down the spinal tube to the base. Until you are well advanced in energy work, do not do more than ten such breathing cycles at any one time. With all energy exercises involving the spine, try to keep it straight, either sitting up straight (but relaxed) or lying stretched out on the back. However, you can practice these and other energy exercises anywhere, anytime, such as when driving, waiting somewhere, walking, or doing housework. Another recommended way of cultivating the inner energies is through slow movements while focusing on the sensations that the awakened energy flows may produce. This is done with exercises such as Tai Chi. However, you may not need to learn the structured Tai Chi sequence and can experiment with your own slow, improvised movements. Widespread, especially in China, is the practice of qigong. You draw energy into the body with a combination of breathing, movements, and guided imagery. This is especially effective if done in an energized outside area,
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such as standing barefoot on grass, in a park, at the beach, or in the mountains. There are many books and websites giving instructions in qigong A relatively easy way of learning to feel bioenergy is to shake your body, especially the arms and hands, rapidly for about a minute. At the same time, breathe deep and fast and then suddenly stop. Remain completely still with the arms slightly raised in front of your abdomen or chest as if holding a large beach ball. Concentrate on the sensation in your hands and arms. Then start slowly moving your arms and your body. Try to intensify whatever energy sensation you feel. When you can feel the energy strongly, you can mentally lead it to an area of the body where you have a particular health problem. Alternatively, you can radiate the energy out of the palms of your hands to where you want to energize yourself. It is good to do this as a regular daily exercise. Finally, you can directly energize a weak or diseased organ or part of the body by feeling or breathing into it. If you keep your attention focused on a particular area of your body, then you can feel it becoming warm and possibly tingling after some time. You can then use imagery to intensify the warmth or tingling. Also, imagine that your breath or the prana from your breath flows into this area and accelerates its healing. Even without a specific problem, you can focus on one organ after another and in this way energize the whole body. Once you can easily feel the warmth in a chosen target area, you can develop a sequence by energizing first the chakras, starting with the crown chakra, then circulate the energy a few times, and finally energize individual organs or areas of the body. Also, during your daily activities try to remain aware of the energies in various parts of your body. For further information on chakras and energy work, see the Love Cure (Step 61). The best and safest way to develop the chakra system is by living appropriately in all life situations with a strong flow of a variety of positive feelings. Most healthy individuals have their three lower chakras reasonably well developed. Therefore we need to concentrate mainly on developing the four higher chakras. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 53 ENERGY ACCUMULATORS Use orgone accumulators, pyramids, cones, or water to concentrate bioenergy.
Various shapes such as pyramids and cones have been shown to concentrate bioenergy or prana. Some healers have patients sit inside small-scale pyramids with good results. I have experimented clinically with Reichian orgone accumulators, small pyramids, and cones. Bioenergy can be generated not only by certain shapes, such as pyramids and cones, and materials such as crystals and precious metals, but also by metals and non-metals arranged in alternating layers. This is the principle of the orgone accumulator invented by Wilhelm Reich, M.D., in the 1940’s. He built large boxes for patients to sit in or smaller boxes, called shooters, from which the energy was directed through a flexible hollow pipe to the body of the patient. In one instance, I connected a wire screen placed over the tumor area of a patient to the top of a two-foot-high pyramid. After only one treatment, the patient developed a high fever during the night, which is excellent for destroying tumours. In another experiment, the energy radiated from a cone over a short distance produced a strong reddening of the skin as from sunburn, showing that these energies are real. Even water can be effective. On tumours and areas of infection and inflammation, you can use an energy suction tube to draw off excess energy. Place one end of a metal tube, about two to five feet long, in a bucket of cold water or another large volume of water. Lightly press the upper end against the area of overactivity and keep it in this position for ten to 30 minutes, without holding the tube with the hands. Do this daily until the condition is normalized. My understanding of the principle of energy accumulation is as follows. Our planet is enveloped in a deep layer of prana (bioenergy) generated by the sun. This prana envelope has been observed to move from west to east most of the time. When this prana flow encounters a suitable material shape, it forms a vortex around and within this obstruction, similar to flowing water or air forming vortexes under similar conditions. This increases the prana concentration within the structure. In Reichian orgone accumulators, the prana flow is being condensed by the specific arrangement of the materials. The Orgone Accumulator: Orgone is the term for bioenergy coined by Dr. Reich, and the accumulator he designed consists of alternating layers of metal and non-metal (e.g. natural fibre). Commonly, three alternating layers each of metal and non-metal are used; originally, sheet iron and plywood were used, but now more commonly, steel wool and sheep wool or other fibre are used. The outermost layer must be a non-metal and the innermost one a metal. The basic principle is that the organic or non-metal layer tends to attract and hold the bioenergy, while the metal layer radiates or reflects it. This causes the energy to drift from the outside of the box towards the centre, which is where you sit.
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As an objective measurement of the higher energy charge inside the accumulator, there is a measurably higher temperature inside the box as compared to the outside. But it does not even have to be a box. You can wrap alternating layers of a metal and a non-metal in what is called a “power pack.” The easiest and least expensive way is to wrap alternating layers of aluminium foil with paper or plastic foil. However, various healers came to the conclusion over time that the energy generated with aluminium is not beneficial for our health and that it is best to use iron as a metal, either as galvanized iron or steel wool. CAUTION: Orgone accumulators can be “poisoned” by radioactivity. Do not use if radioactive clouds from atomic tests are suspected. Do not take a wristwatch
inside.
Ground
the
accumulator with a steel pipe connected to a stream, underground water, or a bucket of water that can be renewed from
time
to
time.
Disconnect
the
grounding when using the accumulator. According to some orgone research sources, presently, the orgone energy in
If a person is to sit inside, the inside wall should be reasonably close to the body, but not touching it. A window and air vent can be put in the door. Treatment can last 30 to 60 minutes daily. Dr. Reich reported good success using this box with cancer patients. As with pyramids, the energy can be conducted out of the accumulator and used externally on a person or for experimenting. The charge within the accumulator varies according to the bioenergy content of the surroundings; it is high on sunny days and low at night and on rainy or cloudy days.
cities is so polluted that it is not safe or
You can also place large crystals or precious stones inside the accumulator and these locations. Preferably use it outside try to sense if that improves the quality of the city areas in a less polluted and natural energy coming out of a shooter. For more environment. information and interesting articles on orgone energy, see the writings of Wilhelm Reich or the Public Orgonomic Research Exchange (PORE) at http://orgone.org. advisable to use orgone accumulators in
Bion Packs: Dr. Reich experimented with other ways of generating orgone energy that are not susceptible to poisoning. He found that strong orgone energy could be liberated from beach sand. After heating sand to incandescence in a Bunsen burner, he plunged it into water. Within minutes, he could observe under the microscope the blue orgone “bions” (individualized units of bioenergy). When bionwater was kept in a culture medium for several weeks, the water and the darkroom became highly charged and filled with the characteristic bluish glow of orgone energy. While working in this room in winter and without being exposed to the sun, Dr. Reich developed a deep tan all over his body and felt “extremely vigorous,” as he commented. He also used bion solutions experimentally to treat various disease symptoms; when bion solutions were injected into experimental animals, they killed or immobilized pathogenic bacteria and cancer cells, he reported. Dr. Reich also made bion packs by boiling beach sand or clay for 15 minutes several times and then freezing it. Here’s how to do that: Fill some heavy fabric, such as a sock, with sand like a sausage, tie the open end, and boil it for 15 minutes (no microwave). Then wrap the “sausage” in additional waxed paper or plastic and freeze it solid. When using a pack for the first time, alternate the boiling and freezing several
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times. Before placing it over a diseased part of the body, let it sufficiently cool and drain off excess water. Use the pack when it is as warm as you can tolerate; use additional cloth insulation, which can gradually be removed as the pack cools. It continues radiating to some degree after cooling off. Therefore, there is no time limit for how long you can keep it on, although I assume that it is more beneficial when it is warm or hot. The pack can be reactivated on subsequent days simply by boiling it again. Let the pack dry out when not in use and preferably expose it to the sun for several hours between each application. Orgonite: This is a new and promising concept for generating bioenergy. It is a mixture of equal parts of metal particles and an organic component, such as polyester resin or beeswax. It is a development of Dr. Reich’s methods, which accumulates and regenerates orgone energy. Tests have shown that orgonite does not become poisoned, but has the ability to convert the “deadly orgone” or “Dor” as Reich called it, which is produced by radioactivity and nuclear plants, into healthy bluish orgone energy. While aluminium embedded in polyester or epoxy resin is more convenient to use for outdoor applications, for inside the house and bodywork I recommend other metals, such as copper and brass, with the metal particles preferably embedded in beeswax. It is also possible to make ceramic orgonite by mixing clay, especially polymer clay, with metal particles before firing. Crystals, precious stones, magnets, and various spirals are often added to enhance the power or healing vibrations of the orgonite. Copper pipes, crystals, magnets, spirals, and specific shapes, such as cones and pyramids, are used to point the outflow of the orgone energy in a specific direction. You can easily build an orgone generator yourself by following the instructions on www.cloud-busters.com. You can use different versions of it to improve the lifeforce energy inside your house, to charge your water with life force, or to treat the body directly. There are a variety of commercial Reichian-style energy devices available. Research the Internet using key words such as chi generators, purple plates, tachyon or tachion products, energy pyramids, and coils. Pyramid Energy: The pyramid shape concentrates bioenergy which can be used for healing or recharging by sitting or lying inside a pyramid. The strongest force is one-third up from the base. There appears to be an energy vortex spiralling upwards to the top (apex) and another from the apex downwards, but spiralling in the opposite direction. Both energy streams seem to have stimulating properties, but on different levels. A sedating energy field is created in an imaginary, inverted pyramid below the base of the physical pyramid. In the pyramid shape, the energy moves as a vortex, entering at the base and flowing out at the apex. Therefore, apex energy is used to charge and stimulate while an area below a pyramid (shaped as a mirror pyramid) sedates. Inside, the effect appears to be slightly sedating at the base and stimulating higher up. Therapeutic pyramids are commonly small-scale replicas of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. One of the four sides of the therapeutic pyramid should face
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magnetic north. The measurements are 1 unit (height), 1.5708 units (base), and 1.4945 units (sides), measured along the midline, not along the edges. The sides form an angle of 51º 51’ to the base. However, research indicates that many different pyramid-like and cone-like shapes such as a three-sided pyramid have the potential to accumulate energies. Avoid metal in the pyramid’s construction, especially sheet metal or wire mesh (except for copper or precious metal sheeting, especially at the apex). The walls do not appear to be essential, which means you need only construct a wooden or plastic frame. However, a pyramid-shaped capstone at the apex and a bottom plate will considerably increase the energy generation. The capstone can be in the form of copper sheeting of the top ten percent of the pyramid or a small copper pyramid as the apex. Keep unnecessary metal (e.g., watches) out of the pyramid when using it and place the pyramid away from strong electrical fields. One side of the pyramid should point towards magnetic north. For easy shifting and storage, you can build two sides of an open frame and hook them together at the base with two base-length pieces of timber, or you can build one or two small cardboard pyramids. You can then place one -pyramid under your bed or (wooden) chair, the apex pointing to the base of the spine or any part of the body that you want to strengthen. Then suspend the other pyramid from the ceiling with the base over a diseased area or over the head. The most effective way to use a pyramid shape therapeutically may be to have a pyramid outside in a dry, sunny location and to lead the energy inside the house through an insulated electric wire coming through the apex. At the end of this, attach a wire screen covered with a pillowcase and sit on it or keep your feet on it or place it where the body needs healing. The energy generated by the pyramid varies according to the strength of the prana field in the local environment. It is generally high in sunshine, elevated positions, and amidst green surroundings, and low at night, when it rains, and inside modern well-sealed houses. Generally, therapeutic work with pyramid energies is still in the experimental stage and you should approach these energies carefully and with self-observation. Start experimenting with small pyramids before building a big one. For treatment inside the pyramid, the direction in which the head points when lying down seems to be important, and the best position may differ for each person, time, and condition. Become sensitive, and experiment. Energy Cones: Cones seem to have properties similar to those of pyramids. You can experiment with a metal cone or a cardboard cone covered on both sides with aluminium foil. The cone can be one to two feet high, and the wide end is best sealed. The most important requirement is a right angle formed by the sides at the apex. If the angle is wider, the energy of the cone will be focused, as with a lens, while a more acute angle seems to disperse it. A beam of energy with apparently stimulating properties comes out of the tip of the cone and can be projected over a long distance. The energy can be led off the apex by a wire (as described above for the pyramid). A stronger force is generated if the cone is more than three feet above the ground. Covering the head with an open cone or a pyramid-shaped hat can be done to use the sedating force below these forms during meditation or to increase psychic
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awareness. Perhaps this is the reason why sorcerers and magicians are often depicted with cone-shaped hats. However, when trying to use cones for health improvement, it is preferable to use galvanized iron rather than aluminium, due to a possibly detrimental health effect of aluminium-conducted energies, as noted above. You can, for instance, just spray a cardboard cone with copper paint. Crystals, Gems, and Metals: Crystals and precious stones can be worn for their beneficial radiation. Crystals should be naturally grown, not manufactured, and their best effects are achieved if worn directly on the skin. To regenerate the healing power of a gem, keep it in a silk bag when it is not worn. Use muscle testing, a pendulum, or other psychic means to assess which crystal, stone, or metal suits you, where to wear it, and for how long. Alternatively, make your selection according to the rules of color therapy. Some helpful recommendations by Edgar Cayce are as follows: •
For attunement to healing: amethyst, bloodstone, chrysolite, or pearl
•
Attunement to infinity: diamond, lapis lazuli, or ruby
•
Greater stamina: agate and amethyst
•
Meditation and psychic abilities: lapis linguis
•
Strengthening mucous membranes: carbon steel worn close to groin
•
Strengthening the body: lapis lazuli, bloodstone, moonstone, pearl, and topaz
Gems have also been used for healing in the form of powders and irradiated solutions. Gem therapy, as this healing method is known, is still very much at an experimental stage. For experimentation with solutions, you can use the following guidelines. Select a suitable gem or precious metal by muscle testing while holding the investigated item or use psychic testing. Write the name of the gem to be tested on a slip of paper and hold it near your navel while simultaneously concentrating mentally on this name; then do a muscle test. Alternatively, if you can work reliably with a pendulum, use that. Try to obtain the gem or metal that is most strengthening. Immerse it in a shallow bowl of unpolluted water, cover with light, fine gauze as an insect and dust screen, and expose this to sun and moonlight for several days; then pour the solution into a bottle. Take a sip once a day for up to six months. Use close self-observation and/or muscle testing and stop if any unwanted symptoms arise. If in doubt, it may be safer to take a 3x or 6x homeopathic dilution of the irradiated water, especially in the case of precious metals. If you lack energy, experiment with a ruby. Edgar Cayce recommended alternating the radiation of gold and silver because gold improves the circulation and silver the nervous system. According to Cayce, they may together almost double the present life span. Use pure gold and silver (preferably at least 99 percent pure). * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 54 ENERGY HEALING Give energy or remove excess energy to facilitate healing yourself and others.
The term “energy healing” refers to the transfer of energy from a healer to a patient and to the removal of negative unhealthy energies from the patient. I imagine negative energy to be dense and stagnating, somewhat like cold, damp air. Its effect on an unprotected healer can be noticeable; she may develop the pains or other disease symptoms that have just been removed from the patient. Energy healing is also called pranic healing, magnetic healing, or laying on of hands; yet another form, using special symbols, is called Reiki. While almost anyone can practice energy healing from a distance, its use when actually touching the patient should be restricted to those practitioners who already feel in good health and have an abundant supply of energy. Here’s a technique: Slowly move your more sensitive hand, usually the left hand in right-handed individuals, a few inches from and over the patient’s body to try sensing unusual energy spots. This can be done on a fully-clothed person. Over a diseased area, your hand might suddenly feel warm or tingling. After completing the check, you can return to the area over which you felt the strongest sensation. Now you can either give energy to strengthen an organ or the whole person, or you can draw out energy from the body as in the case of pain and inflammation (described below). With all energy work where you touch a patient or remove energy, try to protect yourself with your intention or expectation of being immune. In addition, use guided imagery, such as visualizing a protective white light or shield around you, or with your imagination allow the patient’s energy to flow through your body and out again through your feet or through one of your hands. Giving Energy: Before and after any contact healing, such as just described, practice energy accumulation (with breathing exercises, meditation, or guided imagery) and preferably use a prayer or affirmation. Then direct the energy into your hands and feel them becoming warm and tingling. Place your hands on or over the patient where the body requires healing, especially strengthening, and feel the energy streaming out; or hold in your mind the intention of being a channel for giving healing energy, or focus your attention on your crown chakra on the top of your head. Continue for five to ten minutes and repeat as required. After each session, rinse your hands in cold water and do some deep breathing. If you feel drained the following day, do more energy-accumulation exercises and less energy-giving in future sessions, and especially avoid or minimize touching patients. For general strengthening, it is often beneficial to place the right hand on the patient’s navel and the left one on their forehead. For most people, the right hand has more energy-giving qualities and the left one has predominantly energy-withdrawing qualities. However some people, especially left-handed individuals and sometimes women, have the opposite polarity. You can practice energy-giving in a group situation such that each one in turn is the “patient.”
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Another method is to place the positive or energy-giving hand over the weak body area and hold the left hand over the person’s head with your palm facing upwards, the fingers lightly curved and the heel of the hand preferably pointing towards the north. You can be healer and patient at the same time by radiating energy from your hands into your own body. You can do this wherever you have a weakness or want to improve conditions; this is explained below under Beaming. Move your energized hands slowly from the top of your head over your face and down the sides and front of your body; smile inwardly while doing this. Removing Excess Energy: Excess energy can be associated with an overactive organ or a painful area of the body, but also with unreleased and densified emotions in the form of stagnating, depressed energy. This depressed energy is often stored around the shoulders, neck, and head. Commonly, drawing out excess energy is more helpful than giving energy. The reason for this is that energy needs to flow to be useful and drawing it out improves the energy circulation in a way that’s similar to walking barefoot on fresh moist grass. Energy can be directly removed from painful or overactive areas with cupped hands and then flicked into a corner. Afterwards, seal the person’s aura with smoothing, sweeping strokes downward along the body area from which the energy has been removed. At the arms or legs, make the sweeps towards the fingers or toes. For a general energy cleansing, the patient can be seated while the healer moves his cupped hands slowly upwards close to the person’s body, starting just below the level of the seat. This should be done from all sides, lifting the excess energy off the top of the person’s head and flicking it off into a corner, out of a window, or into a sink. At the end of the cleansing, seal the person’s aura. The healer must have the intention and expectation of removing excess energy. With enough sensitivity, you can actually feel depressed energy as a heaviness in your cupped hands. Try rapid or deep breathing during this work with the patient. These whole-body cleansings are especially effective if done by a group of healers at the same time, on one person. Another drawing-out method is as follows: Place your receptive or sensitive hand with the palm down a few inches above the painful or diseased area. Hold your positive or energy-giving hand, also with the palm down, over a bucket of fresh water. Treat for five to ten minutes, or less if pain disappears sooner. Then move to another part of the body if required and treat again for five to ten minutes. You may be able to increase the effectiveness of this procedure by having the fingers of the positive hand point south. Instead of using your hands, you can draw out excess energy with a suction tube: Solder approximately five feet of an insulated wire to one end of a one-to-twofoot iron tube. Remove the insulation from the free end of the wire and spread the strands of wire in a large container of cold water. With the free end of the tube, trace a meridian for sedation, or place it over a painful area. This implement produces a powerful suction for removing excess energy. Use it repeatedly for five to 15 minutes. However, avoid draining energy from the hand by
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holding the tube when in operation. Preferably fasten it to a stand in the desired position, otherwise wrap it well with a dry cloth before holding. An even stronger suction is achieved by using a three foot long galvanized-iron or stainless-steel pipe in a fixed position without attached wire; one end reaches into a water container, while the free end is directed against a treated area. Healing at a Distance: As a possibility for distant healing in which you do not touch the patient, start by audibly or silently saying a prayer in which you ask that your patient be healed. Then have the patient lie down or sit in a relaxed position with closed eyes while you enter a meditative state. It will be helpful to use eight-two breathing or a similar slow-breathing technique (see Step 9). Then mentally radiate love and healing energy to the patient, or visualize the patient as being healed. Very effective is feeling a strong flow of energy entering the top of your head and moving down your arms and out of your palms. Hold your palms a foot or two away from the patient. Alternatively, you can beam the energy out of your forehead or heart. Another possibility is to evaluate in which part of the body the source of the problem is located. Then energize your own chakra related to this part of the body and let this energy radiate into the corresponding chakra of the patient. Finish with a thanksgiving prayer and a blessing for the patient. Distant healing is much safer for the healer than that done through direct touch. With distant healing, the patient is in the same room, while with absent healing the patient can be anywhere in the world. For absent healing, use a similar procedure: Visualize the face of the patient or concentrate your healing energy on a photo of the patient. You can also pray together at a prearranged time. Beaming: Beaming is an excellent cooperative method for improving our health and speeding up our spiritual development. It helps us to release negative mental, emotional, and etheric energies while activating our energy centres and circuits at the same time. Beaming can be done alone but is more effective with a friend or partner or in a group setting. Before starting, ask your God Presence or Higher Self to make you a channel for the healing light. (In the channelled information revealed in the book I Will Arise, by Paola Hugh, it is suggested to “ask in the name of Jesus Christ to become a channel for the healing Light of the Father’s Love.”) Then imagine a spiritual white light entering the top of your head and flowing down your arms. You can use the chakras in the palms of your hands like lenses to focus this healing light in concentrated form onto areas of the body in need of healing and cleansing. Have the mental attitude that this light originates from a higher source. Generally, hold your hands eight to 12 inches from the body and point the palms towards the organ to be healed. If you feel warmth or tingling in your palms, this means that there is an obstruction in the person’s body; continue beaming until these disappear, then move to another area. Initially beam for ten to 20 minutes, but with growing experience go longer. The farther away from the body you hold your palms, the deeper the beamed light energy penetrates. For overall health improvement and spiritual cleansing, start with the person’s head. Beam from all sides, but mostly with one hand over the top and the other towards the base of the brain from the back. After several sessions of beaming the
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head, move to the kidneys and the intestines, one palm directed towards each kidney. At another session, treat the spleen with one hand and the liver with the other. Jointly, spleen and liver are responsible for the purification of the blood. Do the same with the heart and the throat or the thyroid. If helping others, beam their kidneys, spleen, liver, and heart from the back. On yourself, you can treat your front or back depending on your ability to beam your own back. To establish inner energy circuits, beam simultaneously on the heart and the back of the head, on both adrenal glands (located on top of the kidneys), on one adrenal and the thyroid, then on the other adrenal and the thyroid. Another practice is beaming light of different colours from the thumb pads into the open eyes. Use a distance of two inches and about one minute for each imaginary colour. Start by visualizing the cosmic violet colour of transmutation. See it streaming out of the thumb tips and through the eyes into the centre of intellect at the base of the brain. Then visualize other colours and body areas. Beam emerald green into the eyes for the adrenals, grass green for the heart, pale blue for the reproductive organs and for the thyroid, light electric-blue for the liver, indigo for the spleen, deep indigo-blue for the ears, and orange for the lymphatic system. Violet is for the teeth and gums, and you beam this into the open mouth. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 55 MERIDIAN & ACUPRESSURE THERAPY Balance the flow of energies along your acupuncture meridians by tracing their circuits.
The human body has a bioenergy circulation system similar to the blood circulation system, as shown in figure 7-4. The bioenergy flows along 12 main meridians, or channels. These are on each side of the body, each pair being related to a specific organ and its processes. In addition, there are two single meridians following the midline of the body, one at the front and the other along the spine. Many points are distributed along these 14 meridians. These points are essentially transformer stations through which bioenergy flows into the muscle structure to allow organized activity to take place; they are treatment points for acupuncture. In disease, energy imbalances develop in these channels, causing some of the points to become irritated or congested. This results in pain or weakness in the surrounding muscles. Try to find tender points by pressing with a thumb or finger in a circular motion around the area indicated for each point on the charts of the meridians (see figure 7-4). You do not need to know and find the exact location of a point. If there is a problem, all of a small muscle and much of a large muscle will be tender around the point so that it is easy to find. Press into the general area of the selected point and gradually work your way toward the centre of the pain. For treatment, concentrate on the most painful spots, pressing them frequently as explained for reflexology in Part 2. Generally, the pain decreases after some time of pressing, but should it increase instead, then interrupt the treatment for several days. Tender pressure points may stem from either a local condition or a problem in the main organ associated with that particular meridian; also, the pain may be referred from a more distant body part connected to the same meridian. There is, of course, an interaction between these different areas. When the main organ is inflamed, most points along its meridian will be tender. The points especially useful for diagnosing and treating the organ directly are located around the ankles and wrists. They are called source-points; further source-points are situated along the Bladder meridian close to the spine, and also as local-points on various meridians near the target organ. Rules for Selecting Treatment Points: The following general rules are useful for selecting points for treatment. 1. Points above the knees or elbows reflect mainly local conditions, while those below these joints reflect local as well as distant conditions at other parts of the meridian. 2. Generally, the closer the points are to the fingertips or toes, the closer to the other end of the meridian will be the related sphere of influence. 3. For painful, acute conditions, treat mainly -distant-points; for chronic conditions, add local-points.
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Figure 7-4: Chart of Acupuncture Meridians. Begin tracing the points marked “start”. Dots indicate acupuncture or pressure points. Apply finger pressure when tender. The Governing Meridian (not shown) starts at the tailbone and follows the spine in a straight line over the top of the head down the nose and ends between nose and upper lip.
This means, for example, that if you wish to treat an acute eye or ear pain, select points near the toes and fingers, while to treat shoulders and hips, move close to the elbows or knees. For a more chronic condition, you press in addition the tender spots around the ears and eyes, and hips and shoulders. You can also add points of other meridians that have a direct relationship to the problem. Eye problems, for example, are often associated with poor kidney and liver function. Therefore, some points on the meridian associated with these organs can be treated as well. Further, the points at the shoulders, the shoulder blades, and the base of the neck control the
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circulation to the arms and hands, while the points at the hips, the buttocks, and around the base of the spine control the circulation to the legs and feet. Therefore, treat poor circulation, numbness, and pain in the extremities by pressing the points in the indicated control areas. Frequently, the pressure points of a pair of meridians will be more sensitive on one side of the body than on the other side. This indicates an imbalance in the energy flows. The meridian with the more tender points requires sedation, relaxation, and withdrawal of energy, while its counterpart on the other side needs stimulation. Instead of pressing acupuncture points, you can place the north pole of a small magnet on a point for stimulation or the south pole for sedation. Meridian Therapy: A main problem in healing is the balancing of the energy flows. Usually, this balancing occurs unrecognized as a by-product of other successful treatments. However, healing can be initiated and accelerated by deliberately treating the meridians with the express purpose of balancing. A useful method for this is to follow the outline of a meridian with one finger or with several fingers held closely together. Following a meridian in the normal direction of flow is strengthening, while tracing in the opposite direction will weaken and sedate the meridian. The results of these tracings can be checked with muscle testing. Preferably energize your hands before a series of meridian tracements. Do this by vigorously shaking your hands for a few seconds or imagining energy streaming out of your fingers, or both. In order to perform a tracement, pause with your fingers for a moment at the starting point; then follow the meridian in a fluid motion. The fingers should be close to the body but do not need to touch the skin. It is enough to remain within about two inches of the actual course of the meridian. Related meridians on both sides of the body can be traced simultaneously. In repeated tracements, move the hands back to the starting point in a wide sweep to avoid following the meridian in the reverse direction. You can trace all the main meridians once or several times daily, or concentrate on the meridians most in need of improvement. Important meridians can be traced repeatedly during the day for 20 times or more. The strengthening effect may be increased if, after several tracements, you do a muscle-tensing exercise. Take a deep breath while tensing your whole body and then relax it during exhalation. The meridian system allows us to understand why many disease symptoms appear in certain body parts when the originating cause is a weak or inflamed organ in another location. The diagrams (see figure 7-4) show only the surface courses of the meridians; inside the body, each one is connected to its associated organ. In this way, the deranged energy pattern of an organ is easily transmitted to other body parts along the course of the meridian. Diseases of the ear, migraine, and hip problems can now be seen in terms of energy associated with the gallbladder. Arthritis of the hip, therefore, is often a gallbladder problem, while arthritis of the shoulders may have its cause in the intestines. Gout, affecting the big toes, stems from the liver, while swollen ankles are related to the kidneys. See table 7-2 for the relationship of different diseases or health problems to the meridian system.
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Table 7-2: Pathological Symptoms of the Meridians per 24-hour Cycle Meridian with time of maximum daily activity Liver, 1-3 a.m.
Associated symptoms
liver problems, lumbago, vomiting, hernia, urination problems, pain in the lower abdomen and along the course of the meridian
Lung, 3-5 a.m.
respiratory diseases, sore throat, cough, common cold, pain in the shoulder and along the meridian
Large Intestine, 5-7 a.m.
abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, sore throat, toothache in the lower gum, nasal discharge and bleeding, pain along the meridian
Stomach, 7-9 a.m.
stomach problems, abdominal pain and distension, edema, vomiting, facial paralysis, sore throat, toothache in the upper gum, nose bleeding, pain along the meridian
Spleen, 9-11 a.m.
problems of the spleen and pancreas, abdominal distension, jaundice, general weakness and sluggishness, tongue problems, vomiting, pain and swellings along the course of the meridian
Heart, 11 am-1 p.m.
-heart problems, dryness of the throat, jaundice, pain along the meridian
Small Intestine, 13 p.m.
pain in the lower abdomen, sore throat, swelling or paralysis of face, deafness, pain along the meridian
Bladder, 3-5 p.m.
bladder, neck, and back problems, headache, eye diseases, pain along the back of the leg
Kidney, 5-7 p.m.
kidney problems, lung problems, dry tongue, lumbago, edema, diarrhea, constipation, pain and weakness along the course of the meridian
Circulation, 7-9 p.m.
poor circulation, angina, palpitation, diseases of the sexual glands and organs, irritability, pain along the course of the meridian
Gland Meridian (Triple Warmer),
diseases of the thyroid and adrenal glands, ear
9-11p.m.
problems, sore throat, abdominal distension, edema, swelling of cheek, pain along the meridian
Conception Meridian
diseases of the urogenital system, hernia, cough, breathing difficulties, breast problems
Gallbladder, 11 p.m.-1 a.m.
gallbladder problems, ear diseases, migraine, hip problems, dizziness, pain along the meridian
Governing Meridian
spinal problems, mental disorders, fever, nose problems, headaches
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Each organ-meridian system, except for the conception and governing meridians, has a two-hour period of maximum activity and a period of minimum activity 12 hours later over the course of the day. An inflamed organ is often more painful during its active period, while a weak system should not be stressed during low periods. While pulse diagnosis (read at the wrist) is the expert way of determining the energy balance of the meridians, you often can judge this by the kind of diseases or symptoms present. Generally, overacidity, pain, and inflammation along the course of a meridian or in its target organ require sedation, while coldness and weakness call for stimulation. According to Chinese medicine, some interesting characteristics are associated with the meridians of the kidneys and liver. Weak kidneys are associated with a lack of will and sexual impulse, and with negativity, unease, timidity, and impatience. In the case of overactive kidneys, the energy level is abnormally high and you cannot stop working. It is similar with the liver. Weakness shows itself in dizziness, a clumsy walk, easily tired eyes, and a short temper, while an overactive liver causes excessive excitability, crying moods, and a compulsion to continue working. Chinese medicine says that the main organs and their meridians are also associated with different emotions. An excessive amount of these emotions can damage the associated organs, while a disease of these organs may, in time, lead to excessive displays of these emotions. Accordingly, anger is associated with the liver; excessive laughter and gayness, but also fright, with the heart; worry and emotional tension with the spleen and pancreas; grief, sorrow, and negativity with the lungs; and fear and timidity with the kidneys. Magnet Meridian Therapy: Magnets can be used for tracing meridians. Move the appropriate pole of a magnet close to the skin along a meridian. This can have a much stronger balancing effect than using the fingers. For strengthening use the north pole, for sedating the south pole. With muscle testing, you can often detect a strong preference of a meridian for one of the magnetic poles. This can be used to diagnose the condition of the associated organ (if weak or inflamed). If muscle testing is not possible or successful, use the south pole on the body side that shows more inflammation or more tender acupressure points; trace the opposite meridian with the north pole. Some individuals feel immediately which pole and direction of tracing is beneficial, while the opposite pole and direction may feel unpleasant. For a sedating and pain-relieving effect, it can be very effective to trace the south pole of a strong magnet against the meridian flow. Use a round magnet, one or more combined button magnets, or a small elongated ceramic magnet. If muscle testing shows that tracing the opposite flow direction of a meridian with the south pole towards the skin is strengthening, there may be an infection or inflammation somewhere along the course of the meridian or at its associated organ. Weak meridians or their related organs, on the other hand, test stronger when tracing is done with the north pole in the correct flow direction. If the tracing is stronger with the south pole in the correct flow direction, but weak when traced in the opposite direction, there is only a moderate amount of overactivity in the meridian or its related organ.
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The tracing of meridians associated with painful conditions 20 to 50 times with a strong magnet has sometimes provided almost immediate relief from pain, while similarly quick results have sometimes been achieved using the north pole for improving the mobility of impaired limbs. Instead of using magnets, meridian tracement can be done with energies from a small pyramid or orgone accumulator. Use a metal tube, preferably galvanized iron or stainless steel wrapped in dry cloth, for the actual tracement; this can be connected to a pyramid by an insulated wire. For sedation, try a metal tube (copper, galvanized iron, or steel) from which an insulated wire leads into a container of water. Mental Tracing of Energy Channels: Often, effective meridian therapy can be achieved simply by tracing a meridian mentally, moving your awareness along it. Try to feel a warm or orange energy stream moving in the normal flow direction for stimulation; for sedation, feel a cool or blue stream moving either in the normal direction or against it. If in doubt, move in the normal direction and imagine the meridian being traced with the correct pole of a strong magnet. You may not actually need to know which pole it is. Meridian therapy is especially important where scars cross a meridian line. Untreated scars tend to restrict the energy flow. With meridian therapy, I have seen on some occasions pain, persisting for days or weeks after an operation, disappear within minutes and stiff or painful shoulders became normal. Even scoliosis (sideways curvature of the spine) has been corrected in a short time in this way with the addition of dietary improvement and pressure applied to tense muscles. Scoliosis can also be successfully treated with color therapy and magnet therapy using stimulation (orange color or north pole) on the weak side of the back and sedation therapy (blue and south pole) on the tense side towards which the spine is being pulled. While prolonged pressure applied to a tense muscle is usually the quickest way to disperse pain or stiffness, it is also painful, so it helps greatly to trace the nearest meridian for several minutes with a magnetic south pole beforehand, possibly against the meridian flow. Refer to table 7-2, which shows the health problems that can be associated with the different organ meridians. Problems due to overactivity, such as inflammation, are commonly most pronounced during the time of maximum activity, while underactivity or weakness may become more normal at that time. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 56 SEXUALITY Channel your sexual energies into pleasure rather than frustration.
Strong emotions and energy flows are an integral part of sex, which is why sex has the potential to cause enormous problems if these emotions and energies are blocked or misdirected. Due to our social conditions, unimpeded sexuality is rare and sexual repression is the norm, so much so that most of us do not even realize that something is wrong. We do not know what natural, free-flowing sexuality is. I see two main factors that led to this situation in our society. One is our competitive, egocentred, and male-dominated social structure and value system; the other is the cumulative result of our restrictive religious teachings and social traditions. The Natural Development of Sexuality: Sexuality is much more than having sex. It involves a wide range of feelings and emotions at all ages. In the foetus, sexuality is experienced as total security, the reassuring heartbeat of the mother, the gentle rocking motion of its fluid bed, and the sucking of its thumb. For the baby, sexuality means lying against a warm, soft body, feeling its love and auric energies, gently touching and suckling at a nourishing nipple. The growing infant retains this need for loving touch and gentle body contact. Later, exploring one’s own genitals and using them to generate pleasurable feelings is as natural and important as exploring aspects of the environment. Of special importance is an intimate relationship, involving bodily contact with the parent of the opposite sex or with his or her substitute. With puberty, sexuality bursts into the open and produces powerful longings. The awakening sexual feelings need an outlet. This is provided for the girl through romantic ideals, hero adoration, and in a practical way involving religious and charitable service. Sports and nature activities provide an outlet for both sexes. Teenage boys long for adventure and need to develop and test their abilities by following or imitating a chosen hero or role model. These romanticized adventure activities channel the sexual energies into safe outlets conducive to inner and outer growth and social development without suppressing sexual feelings or activities. Ideally, the relationship of children and teenagers with their parents should be such that all sex-related subjects can be freely discussed and possibly even practical instructions given by the parent of the same sex. Romantic relationships with the opposite sex remain for many years just that, romantic. This is the flowering time of erotic love with ever-increasing levels of intimacy, but with penetrative sex ideally happening only in the later teens within the context of a loving relationship. The challenge now is to transform the straw fire of erotic love into mature lasting love for the partner. Erotic love is based on sexual attraction, while mature love is a communion in spirit. This transformation of love will allow the sexual relationship to mature more fully. To recapitulate, we can say that during pregnancy and birth the most important aspect for the foetus is being wanted. During babyhood, breastfeeding and body
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contact are central. The growing child needs to be immersed in a loving and harmonious relationship with the whole family unit with much touching and experiencing of feelings. Then comes the time of romantic idealism for the teenager and finally the challenge to transform Eros into mature love and sex. This is the ideal of our normal and natural sexual evolution. The sexual reality for most of us is so different from this ideal that it has left an important part of our sex-related emotional development greatly impaired. Instead of this gradual, guided growth into a sexual relationship, we are expected to be asexual, with severe repression of sex-related feelings and impulses, until we are grown up and then overnight, without a suitable role model, become responsible and accomplished sexual partners. That is just not possible. When Things Go Wrong: The importance of several of these factors for normal sexual development has been demonstrated in an interesting experiment with monkeys. Immedi-ately after birth they were separated from their mothers and raised with two substitute “mothers.” One “mother” was a wire structure containing a food bottle with nipple and the other had terry cloth over the wire and was heated by an electric bulb inside. The young monkeys adopted the cloth-covered structure as their mother substitute and were distressed when it was temporarily removed. The bottle structure was just a feeding machine to them. All these monkeys became disturbed emotionally as well as in their behaviour when growing up, and they were unable to perform the sexual act successfully on maturity. Touch was emotionally more important to them than food. Most of us became blocked in our sexual-emotional development at several stages of our upbringing. One of the worst aspects for a baby is the feeling of not being wanted and especially if it experiences hostility from one or both parents. Regression shows that a baby or even a foetus knows the attitude of its parents and that this remains a lifelong part of the subconscious programming of that individual. A difficult birth, especially with forceps and glaring lights, is traumatic for the infant; so is surgery and a negative attitude by those present at the birth. Even worse is the prolonged separation of the baby from the mother as practiced in most hospitals. More than anything else, babies need persistent contact with the mother or a suitable substitute for emotional security. It is so sad that many parents take great pride in a fanciful nursery room when the baby only longs for contact with its mother. This is perceived by the baby as a rejection, being left alone with feelings of insecurity for the rest of its life. Such insecurities surface again later, in a sexual relationship. The more secure infants feel, the sooner they will venture off on their own to explore the world around them and the more secure adults they will become. Further problems frequently arise in the “anal” phase of development, as Freud called it, with too early or too severe toilet training. Instead of acquiring voluntary control of the sphincter muscle, children permanently contract the gluteal muscles and those of the pelvic floor. In later life, this can lessen their sexual energies and feelings. Another conflict often arises between the ages of two and six, when parents typically suppress any manifestations of infantile sexuality. These can be in the form of touching, masturbating, or displaying the genitals, or erotic contact with the parent
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of the opposite sex. Such body contact is pleasurable for the child and necessary for identification with its body and development of pleasurable erotic feelings for the opposite sex. Problems arise when the parent either rejects close body contact or manipulates the child for his or her own sexual desires. Psychologists speak of an Oedipal situation at the age of five or six, when the child must choose between its sexual feelings and retaining the love of the parents by being a “good” child. Most children choose to be good and suppress their sexuality. This then leads to frustration with the opposite sex in later life. Sexual feelings, like other feelings, are suppressed by tensing the muscles, especially in the pelvic area, making the body rigid. During our school years, examination anxieties greatly contribute to our general insecurities and make us more nervous and neurotic. As teenagers, we often lack suitable outlets for our creative energies and romantic ideals. If our overflowing sexual energy is not transformed into creative energy in the form of sports, art, or adventure, then masturbation remains as the only outlet, aside from erotic and wet dreams. This may lead to premature penetrative sex as an experiment or because of peer pressure, without feelings of love and sharing, so necessary for maturing sex. Sexual Neurosis: The emotional problems of our parents led to most of us facing severe emotional stresses in our childhood, and now as adults we are neurotic to varying degrees. I use “neurotic” to mean that we have emotional disturbances and inhibitions that prevent us from finding fulfilment in life and specifically in our sexual relationships. Neurosis manifests in all aspects of our personality, feelings, emotions, character structure, body structure, and body functions. If we have sexual problems, we also have problems in our other social relationships. Our childhood experiences guide us in our choice of sexual and marriage partner, in the kind of sex that we like or dislike, and in what we feel and how satisfied we are in life. Symptoms of sexual neurosis are manifold, including shyness, stuttering, difficulty urinating if someone looks, fear of nudity, premature ejaculation, impotence, frigidity or generally failure to achieve full orgasm, lack of fulfilment, nymphomania, and a tendency to rape. Neurosis also contributes to many diseases and especially to those of the female sexual organs. As adults we usually are completely unaware that the emotional scars from our childhood are still subconsciously active and even dominating our behaviour and decision-making. Our lower self, however, remembers fully because that is what it is made of, for memories are the basis of our inner life. If we felt deprived of something important as an infant, we will continue to feel deprived as an adult. If we felt fearful of or hostile towards our mother or father, we later feel subconsciously hostile towards all men or women or are afraid of them. How can we have a normal, fulfilling sexual relationship or any other close relationship with someone we fear or hate subconsciously? It is said that we can only fully love a man or a woman if we basically love all men or women. If we are subconsciously fearful of the opposite sex, then we develop a fear of penetration, become impotent, or become susceptible to homosexuality. Strong hostility towards the mother can later lead to an inability for a man to have sex with a woman unless he humiliates her, possibly in the form of violent rape.
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Pornography is a fantasy outlet for many forms of sexual neurosis, but it is only a poor substitute for uninhibited sexual functions. Sexual Types: Body-oriented psychologists such as Alexander Lowen, John Pierrakos, and Barbara Brennan have devised various systems linking our childhood experiences with our sexual problems as adults. They distinguish the following sexual types: schizoid, oral, psychopathic, masochistic, and rigid. A normal type does not seem to be part of their experience. The schizoid type: This type experienced emotional trauma already around birth and, therefore, did not fully connect with the body. When things become difficult, schizoids just withdraw from reality and live in fantasy. The resulting lack of body feeling and identification with the “self” also leads to confused sexual identification, and schizoids easily become homosexuals or prostitutes. Many passive lesbians are of the schizoid type as, like deprived children, they crave warmth and human comfort; their orgasmic potency (the ability to reach a full orgasm) is usually rather low. The oral type: This kind is widespread because of the general abandonment of breast-feeding in our society. The baby felt abandoned and sex is sought mainly for closeness and contact, similar to the schizoid type. The breast is worshipped and oral sex enjoyed. Sexual relations as well as sexual functions remain immature. Anal sex is also related to the oral phase. Sensuality, superficial feelings that make us feel good, are used as a substitute for orgasmic sexuality, but cannot achieve a deep emotional energy release. The psychopathic type: This kind evolved from a child that felt it had to manipulate the parent of the opposite sex to get what it wanted. In later life, the need to be taken care of is achieved either through bullying or seduction. Sex is often hostile with much fantasy. Feelings of contempt for the partner cover suppressed feelings of inferiority. Sexuality is used to control, conquer, and dominate, while pleasure is secondary. Often the behaviour in a relationship is irresponsible. The masochistic type: This type evolved from domineering parents who crushed the child’s creativity and self-respect. This lack of self-worth is expressed in a sexual relationship as a need to be humiliated. Sexual excitement can be gained from inflicted pain. The masochistic male may have difficulties with ejaculation. The rigid type: While most neurotic individuals have various rigidities, these are especially prevalent in the rigid type. The child suppressed sexual and other tender feelings in response to a perceived rejection by the parent of the opposite sex. This was typically an emotionally cold parent who did not tenderly touch or cuddle the child. The child learned not to cry or show emotions. The rigid adult chooses sex over love and is a sex performer without deep feelings and with greatly decreased orgasmic potency. Sexual activity is compulsive and mechanical; performance provides ego satisfaction; emotional warmth and physical closeness are avoided. Commonly, we combine features of several types in our sexual makeup, but with one type being dominant. However we resolved the Oedipus complex as a child (the relationship with the parent of the opposite sex), we assume corresponding sexual roles as an adult. We may either act as a son or daughter, as a sister or brother, as hero, sweetheart, or romantic ideal, as a father or mother figure. However, if we resolved the problem in a natural way, we act as a mature adult, encompassing all roles and playing each one as appropriate.
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If the relationship of a girl with her father remains emotionally unresolved, then as an adult she tends to act mainly on the daughter level, looking for a father figure and easily becoming just a sex object in danger of drifting into prostitution. If the girl channelled her sexual feelings into sympathy for the father, she may play the role of sister and see herself as companion and helpmate of her man, wanting to share everything, but sexual contact remains relatively unimportant and unexciting. If the sexual feelings for the father have not been suppressed as with the sister type, but just held back, the romantic type emerges, emotionally the eternal virgin, teasing but not wanting to be possessed by a man. She likes flirting, as she needs romantic excitement, but has a problem combining love with sex. Because of resulting emotional conflicts, this type is psychologically also called the “hysterical type.” The girl who matures too early by replacing sexual feelings for her father with motherly instincts later becomes a mother type with little sexual interest. She becomes attracted to immature males of the son type whom she can mother. Each type has an unresolved conflict: the daughter type between accepting and rejecting herself; the sister type between passivity and aggression; the romantic type between surrender and resistance; and the mother type between submission and dominance. In the male, the conflict of the son type is between accepting and rejecting himself; he is the playboy type, immature and irresponsible. The brother type assumes the role of protector. Here the conflict is between his aggression to protect the woman and passivity or inability to satisfy his own needs. The conflict of the Casanova-like hero or knight type is between emotional surrender and resistance to the female, while the authoritative father type is torn between dominance and submission. Orgasm: There is a popular misconception that if a man ejaculates or a woman has pleasurable feelings at the height of the sexual act, that this is an orgasm. It is not necessarily so, at least in the view of bioenergetic psychology. Usually there is just a climax with more or less of an orgasmic component. A full orgasm can be described as follows: With climax approaching, the formerly voluntary body movements suddenly become involuntary with a strong increase in genital sensations. Just before the discharge, melting sensations are felt in the pelvis. Orgasm starts with a strong contraction around the base of the penis and the opening of the vagina. A flood of feelings rushes downwards while the whole body convulses in unison with each involuntary forward swing of the pelvis. Now the whole body is engulfed in melting and streaming sensations. Ejaculation takes place in pulsating squirts. There may be a sensation of flying or spinning or something similar at the height of the orgasm. Afterwards there is a full relaxation, with an inner glowing and a feeling of utter satisfaction and contentment. In order to achieve such a full orgasm, there must be a sufficient buildup of sexual energy beforehand. If the body is generally low in energy, if the energy flow is blocked through armouring, or if there is insufficient foreplay or feeling awareness, then there will be only a low charge of sexual energy in the pelvis and consequently a weak discharge of energy and feelings.
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A strong field of sexual energy in one partner will help the other to achieve a greater charge; if both are fully charged, they will greatly increase each other’s orgasm. Con-versely, with a weakly charged partner or with masturbation, our orgasmic feelings will be diminished, usually also with oral sex, as close contact of the fully charged genital areas is required for maximal potential. A strong sexual charge consists not only of sexual energies, but also of feeling energies. Normally, tender, loving feelings towards each other greatly help to increase our sexual charge. As an emergency measure when such tender feelings are blocked, some can achieve the necessary emotional excitement with sadistic or masochistic visual measures. Also various forms of pornography are used as a substitute, usually an inadequate one, for tender, loving feelings. With strong, loving feelings, on the other hand, an almost irresistible desire to melt into each other can build up. The sexual charge and physical union then follow as a natural consequence. This automatically leads to a true and full orgasm. For a woman who has difficulty coming to an orgasm, it may be made easier if her partner positions himself on top somewhat higher than usual so that their navels meet. With this, the shaft of the penis will rub or press on the clitoris during movement inside the vagina. A full orgasm is possible after overcoming bodily rigidities and emotional inhibitions, and it is a natural occurrence in societies living without sexual inhibitions. The most common and obvious signs of only a partial orgasm are: •
A clitoral rather than a deep vaginal climax
•
Feelings confined to the sexual organs rather than full body feelings of melting
•
Inhibition of movements, especially of the involuntary convulsive movements
•
Inhibition of spontaneous sound expressions
•
Ejaculation without pulsating squirts
•
Premature ejaculation or continuing sexual activity after ejaculation
•
Lack of complete relaxation and satisfaction after the climax
As a general rule, we can say that the less the climax is associated with pleasurable streamings and whole body feelings and the more it is confined to the sexual area only, the less it is a real orgasm but rather just a low-energy mechanical discharge. Wilhelm Reich, M.D., was the first to describe the negative consequences of blocked sexual energies and the true nature and purpose of the orgasm as a discharge of excess bioenergy with the additional liberation of feeling energy. Sexual Healing Exercises: Healing our sexuality means freeing up our blocked energy flows and overcoming subconscious negative conditioning by replacing it with positive feelings and attitudes about our sexuality. In order to remove the energy blockages, we need to relax our permanently tensed or contracted muscles, especially in the thighs and the pelvic area, but also in the neck and jaw. Bioenergetic exercises are excellent for this purpose. These include shaking and vibrating the legs, the pelvis, and the whole body; stretching exercises, circling the hips, pelvic thrusts, kicking and bicycling exercises, the teachings in the book Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth, and other yoga exercises (see Step 9).
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With moving exercises, such as circling, bicycling, and pelvic thrusts, the aim is not to train and strengthen these muscles, but rather to move them to the point of exhaustion, which will induce relaxation when stopping the exercise. During the exercise, we try to break through the pain threshold and may then be rewarded with previously unknown pleasurable sensations in the pelvic area. Exhale through the mouth during these exercises and express any spontaneously forming sounds, such as moaning, crying, or shouting. Other important measures are deep tissue massage and pressing into tense muscles; also reflexology and tracing acupuncture meridians can help. For some approaches, such as pressing into tight muscles, deep muscle massage, and emotional therapies, the cooperation of a friend may be required; alternatively, professional help can be used. A good exercise that can be done anytime, sitting, standing, or lying down, is rhythmically squeezing the buttocks. At other times, just squeeze the pelvic floor between anus and penis or vagina ever so lightly while concentrating your awareness on the developing pleasurable feeling. You can also do this during slow walking or while driving a car. Improving Your Feelings: Feelings are what a sexual relationship is all about. The more we are able to feel and express our feelings, the more vigorous is our sexual activity and our life in general. If we are fearful or shy about some aspects of sex, we will be fearful or shy in other aspects of our life as well. Our sexual feelings reflect our emotional health in general, and vice versa. Often our most basic subconscious feeling related to sex is fear. Out of this can arise anger, hate, and hostility. All of these negative feelings normally remain suppressed and subconscious. After all, it was not acceptable to feel this way as a child towards a parent and it is not acceptable now with a sexual partner. It would have been easy to have open feelings of fear or hostility towards a parent if we had been obviously mistreated. However, what is a young boy to do if his mother is loving and sacrificing, and he has sexual feelings for her? He wants to be cuddled and touched, but his mother is always too busy caring for the family. He has to suppress his longing for caressing tenderness. He may then come to fear these sexual feelings for his mother because they remain unfulfilled and make him unhappy. This can later translate into a subconscious fear of close emotional contact in a relationship. On the conscious level, we are kind and loving to our partner, as we were to our mother or father. However, subconsciously we may feel the opposite because a man’s lower self now equates the sexual memories concerning his mother with his feeling for all sexually attractive women. In the same way, a woman may equate the memory of the sexual feelings for her father with her feelings for all sexually attractive men. This deep emotional split between our conscious and our subconscious mind will result in an emotional or organic dysfunction. We can thus develop frigidity or fear of penetration, premature ejaculation, impotence, and any other form of sexual disorder. This split explains the observation that “nice men” are often poor lovers. In order to heal our split emotions and sexual feelings, we must break through the superficial layer of being “nice” and contact our suppressed core feelings. This is
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not easy but can be done with methods such as emotional release therapies involving intentional kicking, hitting, screaming, crying, or shouting. Even just pressing into tense muscles can produce strong emotional reactions. In addition, regression therapy or rebirthing can be helpful, as well as the services of an experienced psychic healer or bioenergetic therapist or attending body-mind workshops. However, the best way to heal our sexual self may be within a healing group as part of our overall healing and spiritual growth. After most of the suppressed emotional pain has been contacted and released, positive attitudes and feelings can be generated with guided imagery, meditation, creative refocusing, and other methods to heal the emotional wound. An understanding partner will greatly speed up this process. If, on the other hand, we use meditation and other methods to generate positive feelings without releasing the suppressed core, then we will just reinforce the superficial layer of “niceness.” This, in turn, can then intensify our inner emotional split and, along with that, our organic disabilities and sexual dysfunction. To raise our children without this emotional split we must be loving, honest, and open with our sexual feelings and fulfil the child’s emotional needs appropriate to its age. The baby needs plenty of body contact, including sleeping in contact with the mother. Breast-feeding should be extended more than six months and may continue more sporadically for a long time afterwards. Why not let infants watch the sexual act? That is child continues to need a lot of cuddling and touching. nothing dirty or shameful about a naked body or about also need to let the child know the difference between and in private.
how they learn. The growing Teach the child that there is sexual organs. However, we what is appropriate in public
Food for Sex: We cannot have a good sex life if we are malnourished. Certain nutrients improve our sexual well-being in general, while others are lost to the male in the seminal fluid. Therefore, good nutrition for good sex is usually more important for the male than for the female. High-quality proteins are part of the seminal fluid and a high-protein diet is sexually stimulating. In our culture meat is preferred, while in Asia chickpeas are used to improve sexual performance. Free-range raw egg yolk, especially fertilized and very fresh, supplies sulphur compounds needed for the semen. More of a shortterm effect is achieved with cooked onion, which is rich in sulphur compounds as well; alternatively, use MSM supplements. Bee pollen, spirulina, and chlorella are excellent strengthening foods for both sexes. Histamine is produced from histidine, an amino acid. Individuals with insensitive skin are low in histamine and may have difficulty achieving ejaculation (male) or orgasm (female), as the sexual organs are less sensitive than normal. High histamine levels have the opposite effect. They sensitize not only the skin, but also the sexual organs and may lead to sexual overstimulation, premature ejaculation, and vaginitis. Histamine levels can be elevated by making the body more acid, as well as by supplementation with folic acid and niacin, both B-group vitamins. Histamine levels can be reduced by making the body more alkaline, and also by avoiding foods and chemicals to which you are allergic. Therefore, you can acidify or alkalize your body according to your sexual requirements.
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The semenal fluid is also high in zinc and requires much vitamin B6 and omega-3 fatty acids which are found in fish oils and linseed oil. Deficiency of these is widespread, especially in teenage boys who typically have frequent loss of seminal fluid. Zinc deficiency leads to underdeveloped male sexual organs and, later in life, to enlargement of the prostate gland. By pointing out this connection, I do not condemn masturbation, but rather seek only to improve teenage nutritional awareness. In recent years, it has been discovered that the body forms nitric acid from the amino acid arginine as a signal for the blood vessels of the penis to relax. This is necessary so that the penis can fill with blood and have an erection. Also, magnesium supplements help us to relax. Stress, on the other hand, or being emotionally uptight, prevents this necessary relaxation. Dietary Aids for Female Sexuality: Women have their share of trouble with their sexual organs. Foremost of these are menstrual problems and pelvic infections. Both problems have much to do with food and especially constipation. The constipated colon and in particular the rectum are a cesspool of toxic de-com-position products with a high content of harmful microbes. Toxins and microbes can penetrate the wall of a weakened colon and because of the close proximity to the uterus and ovaries, these are in greatest danger of being contaminated. The main effect of toxic contamination is heavy menstrual bleeding with pain and other discomfort. Microbial contamination leads to infection and inflammation of the pelvic organs. Both conditions are not conducive to a healthy sex life. Meat consumption, combined with constipation, can produce toxic bowel conditions and heavy periods. The obvious solution is a clean colon, achieved by three easy methods. First have plenty of dietary fibre from whole grains and fresh, raw fruits and vegetables. Add sufficient ground linseed to meals or drink with fluid to achieve ideally one bowel movement for each meal. Second, take a course of cultures of acidophilus and bifidus bacteria as part of an intestinal sanitation; and third, squat or have a high footstool in front of the toilet in order to achieve an easier and more complete bowel evacuation. As I suggested earlier in the book, the typical menstrual bleeding can be caused by an impure bloodstream, which delays healing of the wound caused by discarding the lining of the uterus. The higher mammals do not have such obvious periodic bleeding nor do women who live habitually on a mainly raw food vegetarian diet; they just reabsorb the shed uterus lining. Typically, these women do not have any menstrual or menopausal discomfort, but ovulate and conceive normally. A clinical study found that consuming plenty of ground linseed, linseed oil, or fish oils helps postmenopausal women have better vaginal lubrication. Folic acid, in combination with antioxidants, is most important for preventing and reversing precancerous and cancerous conditions of the cervix and uterus. Selenium, the amino acid methionine (e.g., as selenium yeast), and vitamin E, taken in combination, are effective against periodic breast pain and swelling. Vitamin B6, zinc, and magnesium together are good against premenstrual tension, especially if salt, sugar, and fatty foods are also minimized or avoided and hidden food allergies corrected. Boron raises the estrogen level in postmenopausal women. Taking good care of our bodies will increase the pleasure that we derive from our sexuality.
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Another common problem is vaginal Candida infections, resulting in thrush and potentially painful intercourse. In this case, the woman as well as her partner need to go on a strict anti-Candida program (see Part 6). When making love while there is still some Candida problem in and around the vagina, lubricate liberally with oil, and if not using a condom, squirt some acidophilus yogurt into the vagina beforehand. Minimize strong movements and focus instead on feeling the energies with only gentle movements and pressure changes. Making Love: “Making love” is commonly just a polite expression for having sex without feeling love. One can have a loving sexual relationship for just one night or a lifelong sexual relationship without love. For maximal emotional satisfaction, try to feel and express love with each sexual encounter. It is said that the most important sexual organ of a woman is her brain, but I believe that the heart may be even more important. Loving foreplay is part of the romance, stimulating the heart as well as the right side of the brain. This is not only important for women, but increasingly also for men once they are no longer filled with youthful vigor. Not only women, but also many men enjoy and need to be played with to “get into the mood.” Increasingly, they come to resent the perception that they are expected to “perform.” They feel that they have to do all the work, first enticing a woman into bed, excitedly undressing her, then stimulating her to get her ready, then “hopping on,” and finally helping her climax. Women, on the other hand, resent being made to feel like sexual objects. There is often much hidden fear and misunderstanding on both sides. Therefore, take it easy, there is no need to hurry or perform. Talk to each other about what you like and how you like it. Make each other comfortable and dispel any notion that he has to perform or she has to have an orgasm. This is important even if you are already in a long-term relationship together. Not every time you have sexual play do you need to penetrate, and not every time you have penetrative sex do you need to aim for an orgasm. If you do want an orgasm, there is nothing wrong with having a clitoral orgasm, but at other times also try to aim for a vaginal orgasm. To increase the flow of energies and feelings, do not suppress pelvic movements but rather enhance them. If you are normally quiet, then intentionally make expressive sounds wherever this can be done in private. When approaching ejaculation, it helps for the male to be “grounded” by pressing the feet against a board or wall or pressing them into the mattress. While different positions can offer different experiences, they are less important than achieving a union of feelings. Do not try to increase your pleasure with fantasies, go for the real thing instead. Focus your full attention on your own feelings and on feeling united with your partner. To fantasize having sex with someone else is just another form of masturbation. For some men, it may be preferable to delay ejaculation to either extend the pleasure or give their partner time to build up towards the climax. This may be done by playful interruptions, by slowing the breath, or temporarily even holding the breath, by concentrating the feeling awareness on the heart or, with the penis fully inserted, keeping the pubic areas in close contact, increasing and decreasing pressure in unison while not moving the penis.
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A somewhat drastic but nevertheless very effective method of preventing ejaculation is to tense the whole body while also holding the breath. Alternatively, or in addition, strong finger pressure on the perineum just before ejaculation will keep the ejaculate inside the body. This may be advisable at times to avoid the generally weakening effect of ejaculation, especially on the elderly male, but it will require some practice, as will all of these techniques. However, if the climax is definitely approaching, do not try to suppress it but start moving vigorously for a full orgasm. Basically, I am not in favour of tensing the body, as this suppresses feelings and leads to increased muscle tension. The frequency of intercourse is, of course, a highly individual matter. Normally, I see no reason to restrict sexual play if it does not involve either ejaculation or suppression of sexual impulses. However, the orgasmic potential is usually much stronger after a period of total abstention or separation. From a bioenergetic point of view, females are much better able to have several lovers than males who would either have to neglect one or become worn out. However, I believe that even for females moderation leads to greater well-being. The difficulty of many women to achieve vaginal orgasm may have something to do with our habit of mating all year round just for pleasure. Female animals have days when they are in heat and strongly attract males for mating. The same may be natural for human Around ovulation time, a healthy woman who abstained for a month will have a strong orgasmic potential and her biochemistry and the whole body are geared to receive a male. If there are no strong emotional blockages, she may find it easier to have a vaginal orgasm, even after only short but vigorous penetration. Frequent intercourse can cause even more problems for men. While an occasional full orgasm can be strongly invigorating, frequent ejaculation is decidedly weakening. If a man is sexually overstimulated, he should better remove the nutritional and biochemical causes and find other creative outlets for his energy. It is possible that gluten allergy, often associated with a whitish inner iris, can sometimes cause overstimulation of the sex centre in the brain; synthetic food colourings and possibly other chemicals may do the same. Generally, it is much healthier to have fewer ejaculations with strong orgasms than frequent ejaculations with weak orgasms. In teenagers, frequent ejaculation may impair their mental and physical development, while in later life sexual overactivity makes us susceptible to diseases and premature aging. What is frequent depends on the individual’s constitution and commitments. What is normal or beneficial for a healthy and strong young man might be too much for someone older or with a weak constitution. Wilhelm Reich saw the proper function of the orgasm as the release of excess energy that might otherwise lead to irritability, tension, and energy blockages. Therefore, if you have excess energy, go for it, but if you lack in energy, be careful. In a long-term relationship, the ideal may be in having mainly sensuous and spiritual sex for most of the month and orgasmic intercourse close to ovulation, as often as desired. A female in touch with her body will feel when the time is right and let her partner know. However, the best time is always when both partners feel like it.
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Alternatives to Sex: Those without a permanent partner may find an occasional short-term partner or pay for sex. If all goes well, there is no problem with this. For those without even a temporary sexual partner, the obvious choices are masturbation or abstinence, although there are some less obvious alternatives, as shown below. For masturbation, the same principles apply as for making love. That is to aim for fewer climaxes but with stronger orgasmic releases. For both sexes, this means waiting with masturbation until one feels a strong charge of sexual energy and using pelvic movements, sound, and feeling awareness to ensure a strong orgasmic discharge. For celibates, an easy solution is a low-protein diet with few spices and condiments. This may be suitable if there is sexual overstimulation due to too much histamine from overacidity or food allergy, but otherwise I am not in favour of this low energy approach. Rather, I believe in making ourselves as energetic as possible, including having plenty of sexual energy, but then to learn to channel this sexual energy into creative outlets, such as sports, charity work, or the arts. An alternative is the following rejuvenation rite, which is from a Tibetan monastery in which, reportedly, rejuvenation of the body was successfully practiced (see Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth by Peter Kelder). This rite was used in combination with several other rites as shown in Step 9. Also a daily raw egg yolk is recommended for those of us who are no longer youthful in order to increase our sexual energies. When sexually excited, bend over with your hands on your knees and push all the air out of your lungs. Then straighten up and with the hands on the hips push up the shoulders. Pull the stomach in and up and hold this position for as long as possible. Then forcefully inhale through the nose and exhale immediately through the mouth. The arms may now hang to the sides while you take further deep breaths through the nose or the mouth. If you are still sexually excited, repeat this procedure as often as required. What many single people and especially women miss even more than sex is touching and hugging. Some try to satisfy this need with regular massage therapy. However, there may be a simple solution. If you feel deprived of touching and hugging, just form a local “hug club.” Either discreetly spread the word around or put a notice in a suitable place asking for interested individuals to contact you. You can then arrange a weekly meeting where you just hug for an hour or two. As a follow-up step, you might also give each other massages. You may be surprised by the amount of interest there is out there in hugging. Alternatively, you can form or join a healing group where hugging can be practiced together with massage, reflexology, and the multitude of other self-healing techniques available. Eventually, you may also want to experiment with some meditative forms of hugging as described later in this chapter. Sexual energy can be used in spiritual sex to energize the higher energy centres with guided imagery or meditation exercises, possibly leading to what is called “whole body orgasm” or “brain orgasm.” Getting to Know Your Partner: Sensitive individuals are often apprehensive about the first sexual encounter with a new partner. The man may have anxieties about erection, premature ejaculation, and satisfying his partner, while the woman
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may fear penetration, getting emotionally hurt, or not coming to an orgasm. This can make the encounter tense and inner fears may become self-fulfilling. Why not proceed slowly and be intimate without intercourse until you are fully relaxed with each other? This initial period of a relationship is precious, as it is commonly the most exciting and romantic time. Enjoy it as long as you can. Let your partner know that you feel this way. In a situation that might normally lead straight to sex, tell your partner beforehand that you enjoy becoming intimate gradually and do not intend having intercourse that night. You might be surprised by how relieved and agreeable your partner is to this. A whole mountain of tension is suddenly removed. A good way to start the intimate part of your relationship is to have a shower or bath together and then give each other a sensual massage. Continue exploring each other’s likes and dislikes and responses to touching and cuddling. You might even spend the night cuddled into each other. If, contrary to your original intentions, you should be comfortable enough with each other to proceed to full intercourse, nothing is lost, and it will probably be a better experience than it might have been in a tense atmosphere. Such intimacy together without penetrative sex can be quite satisfying for a considerable length of time, especially in special situations, such as with elderly couples or with physical or emotional handicaps or religious, spiritual, and adolescent celibates. A sexual relationship does not need to be an all-or--nothing proposition. The “macho” encounters commonly portrayed on TV and in the movies are not an everyday reality. A loving sexual encounter without expectations cannot result in dissatisfaction. It does not matter whether there was penetration or orgasm; it is the loving feelings that matter most. Sex Therapy: It is not generally realized that many health and emotional problems can result from unsatisfactory sexual relationships. These include migraine and tension head-aches, premenstrual tension and menopausal problems, depression, irritability, discontent, violence, anxiety, disturbances of digestive and sexual functions, psychotic symptoms, and high blood pressure, and even cancer has been linked to blocked sexual energies and tensions. All of these may, of course, have other causes and contributing factors as well. Problems arise mainly when sexual energies are stimulated without being appropriately used or released. This is the same as with other emotional energies. Commonly, this happens if the male ejaculates before his partner reaches orgasm, but it also happens if the orgasmic release is weak or the encounter too short. The signs of a full orgasm are strong involuntary movements, a blissful discharge followed by complete relaxation, and an afterglow of satisfaction and contentment. Ejaculation in itself or clitoral orgasm do not indicate a full release of sexual tension. There may then be the desire either for repeated or frequent sexual activity or avoidance of sexual activity in order to avoid the resulting tension and dissatisfaction. However, orgasm is only part of a successful sexual union; another important part is the exchange of bioenergy and emotional energy between the partners. Accumulation of sexual tension with its resulting health and emotional problems can be prevented even without orgasm, while orgasm alone may not always be sufficient. The key to a successful sexual union is the duration, because it takes time,
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usually about half an hour, for these energies to be exchanged by the partners. This kind of “sex therapy” is not only effective, but also highly pleasurable, especially for sensitive individuals. Sex therapy requires two willing partners. Preferably there should be an atmosphere of affection already well before the planned union. This should start with an extended foreplay of caressing with full skin contact, possibly including a sensual massage, but without any clitoral stimulation. However, if this kind of union is routinely practiced as a love meditation, then such elaborate preparation may not be required When both feel ready, they place themselves in such a position that the woman lies on her back with knees drawn to the chest, while the male lies on his left side crosswise to her, so that his penis touches the entrance of the vagina. She now drops her legs and he places his right leg between her legs. With this, her left leg is between his legs while her right calf rests on his torso. In this way, both can remain completely relaxed with freedom of movement which is essential for success. Sides can be reversed. Initially, and also if there is a problem with erection, natural lubrication, or premature ejaculation, both partners remain more or less motionless in this position for about half an hour. During this time, the tip of the penis, whether soft or hard, remains outside, just touching the inner entrance of the vagina. Both concentrate all their attention on the contact areas between them, but especially on the sensation in their sexual organs and the exchange of subtle energies between them. Often, after half an hour there is an increase in sexual arousal and the penis may now penetrate. However, this is not essential. If there should be no erection or the vagina still dry, just remain in this position for another half-hour while gently caressing each other with full attention on your feelings and exchanging energies. If penetration is desired, but an erection does not come on its own, then start gently rubbing the head of the penis between the lubricated entrance and the clitoris. If this is not sufficient, it is relatively easy in this position to insert a soft penis. This may be a solution for men with erection problems. If you firmly hold or squeeze the shaft of the soft penis, then any blood is pressed towards the head of the penis and insertion will be easier. Once inside, gentle movements by both partners increase the chance of a partial or full erection. Even without an erection, focusing the awareness on the contact within the vagina combined with slight pressure changes at the pubic areas can be sufficiently satisfying and may eventually lead to more. However, gently liberating and feeling your sexual energies and feeling at one with your partner does more for your wellbeing than chasing an elusive erection or orgasm. The main precondition for a successful outcome in resolving any difficulties is a freedom from any kind of expectations on both sides. Even after penetration, continue to move slowly and concentrate on the sensations in the sexual organs and the flow of energy and feelings between your bodies. If both partners are sufficiently aroused after a prolonged foreplay, the vagina is well lubricated, and the male able to delay ejaculation, then the half-hour waiting time outside the vagina is not necessary and immediate penetration is acceptable.
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Should ejaculation occur early, then just remain close together with the soft penis inside the vagina until about half an hour has passed from the time of penetration. With such a complete exchange of male and female energies, combined with a full orgasm, there is usually no desire for another sexual union for several days, and it is actually best to wait for about five days until the full potential of sexual energies is restored. The following union will be more pleasant and satisfying than with more frequent encounters. It is, however, relaxing to sleep together with bodily contact. The alternative to orgasm is a deliberate choice to use this union as a love meditation, also called spiritual sex or Karezza, from the Italian word carezza, signifying its caressing aspect. You can just continue moving slowly while caressing each other for hours, while concentrating on feeling the energies and radiating feelings of love onto each other. If this Karezza type of union is practiced routinely, then an elaborate foreplay to build up a strong sexual charge is not necessary, but may be used if so desired. Condoms inhibit the exchange of sexual energy, while lubricating oils or jellies may slow it down, but this is not a problem when remaining connected for a long time. It may take some time and require several attempts to master this method and achieve a maximum of enjoyment, but it is well worth the effort in terms of improved health and personal relationships. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Part 8 HEALING YOUR EMOTIONS
We all would like to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilled life, yet few seem to be able to do that. Why must we have so much suffering, failure, and disappointment? We want to be secure in a loving relationship and a satisfying job with a good income and enjoy ourselves. Instead, our relationships turn sour, we have a job that we do not like or we do not have one at all, there is never enough money, and generally there is not much joy to be found anywhere. As a result we feel resentment, hopelessness, and depression, perhaps also anger and hatred. Why did it go wrong? I believe that there is a way out of this depressing jungle of negativity and disappointments and that we can make a decision to have a happy, fulfilled life, and then do it. What I cannot promise is that it will be easy. It needs willpower and determination and the help of good friends. But you have nothing to lose by trying, and each step in the right direction is likely to bring you some reward. We can be happy, or at least accepting, in adversity, and unhappy when we seem to have it all. What determines how we react and feel? It is no secret to psychologists that we are programmed since earliest childhood by everything that went on around us, but especially by the way our parents talked to us and to each other, by the way they felt and reacted, and by our interactions with our siblings. We became programmed by obeying, observing, and imitating our role models. If we were lucky and grew up in a happy and loving family, we probably have an inner program that makes it easy for us to lead a happy life in a loving relationship. If, on the other hand, there was much worry, anger, resentment, and negativity in our childhood, chances are we have a hard time being happy and loving as adults. That probably applies to most of us, the products of negative programming during childhood. If we want to change, there is only one thing to do: change our subconscious programming from a negative outlook on life to a positive one. Unfortunately, we cannot simply decide that from now on we will be happy and loving. On their own, such conscious decisions have little influence on our subconscious programming. In fact, if there is a conflict between our subconscious programming and our conscious mind, the subconscious will always win. Therefore, we must be clever and beat the subconscious at its own game. We must throw the old program out and devise a new one that allows us to be as we want to be now. However, it is not sufficient just to work with our feelings and emotions because these do not arise out of a vacuum. Our emotions are conditioned by our beliefs. We react more to our beliefs than to facts or anything else, so we must adopt an appropriate belief system. Where do we find the beliefs we want? It is not sufficient to try to believe that we will be happy ever after. Our proposed new beliefs must be plausible to be acceptable to our conscious and subconscious minds. They must give meaning to our life and make sense of it all. Meaning is the opposite of the inner emptiness that
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many of us try to fill with pleasure seeking and power games, causing so much emotional trouble in the end and depression if we fail. My proposed solution is a spiritual philosophy of life that turns emptiness into meaning. There is also a strong influence of physical factors on our emotional life, such as nutrition and tense muscle structures. Therefore, in order to heal our emotions properly, we must work on all four levels of our being: the biological, emotional, mental, and spiritual. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 57 UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS AND DISEASE Learn how you came to be so out of touch with your feelings, what emotional problems and diseases this causes, and how this is expressed in your body.
We experience ourselves in the world with our feelings and emotions. They are the driving force, the power, and the motor of our life. Without feelings and emotions, we would be like robots, computers operating bodies with the help of electric signals. It is the feelings and emotions, our likes and dislikes, that give our life meaning, that make us fulfilled or dissatisfied, and to a large degree decide our course of action and health. Diseases make us feel unwell and negative, and suppressed emotions are a major contributing factor to these diseases. When we are young, we are full of feelings, experience them strongly, and are sensitive and react immediately and directly to our social and physical environment. When we are old, our emotions tend to be a distant memory and diminished, and pain is often the only feeling left. Many scientists at present are so divorced from their feelings that they believe these originate in the brain, like thoughts. They come to this conclusion because they do not feel the energy of anger in their body or the love in their heart. They just think anger or think love in the brain and act accordingly without feeling anything, or their feelings are only weak and diffuse. Of course, feelings are registered in the brain, but the feeling doesn’t originate there. Feelings provide us with the greatest pleasures in life, but also with the greatest suffering. Suffering is the key word to describe our loss of feeling with advancing age. We do not want to suffer, so we intentionally diminish our feelings in order to diminish the amount of emotional pain we feel. As an unintended side effect, this reduces the amount of pleasure we can feel. Hand in hand with our reduced overall feelings go a reduced enjoyment of life, reduced vitality, and an increased susceptibility to chronic degenerative diseases. This is a high price to pay for reducing the suffering that we might feel. In fact, we have exchanged bouts of intense short-term suffering for more low-key long-term suffering. Helpful Definitions of Emotions: You may be unsure about the difference between feelings and emotions, so I will define the terms commonly associated with the world of feelings as they are used in this book. I distinguish between three groups: sensations, emotions, and feelings. Sensations are body reactions due to physical or energetic causes: our awareness of hot and cold, touch or pain; during meditation or bodywork, we may feel warmth or tingling or a streaming sensation. Emotions are inner states of experience due to nonphysical causes such as expectations, beliefs, and memories; they affect the body through brain and hormonal changes. Emotions commonly have a positive or negative connotation about someone or something: we are angry with someone, afraid of something, in love with someone.
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Feelings in a wider sense are what we register as sensations or emotions. We say “I feel pain” or “I feel anger.” With this, we focus on the subjective inner experience regardless of the cause. We use the term “feelings” in a more specific way to describe inner states not caused by sensations or emotions, such as a feeling of well-being or a feeling of unconditional love during meditation. These feelings are emotionally neutral and not about someone or something. Another possibility is a dispassionate feeling about something as in an impartial judgment. At a crossroads, for instance, we may feel a preference for one road over the other. In most instances, however, this is not a proper feeling, but an intuition or hunch. Moods are generalized feelings usually beyond our conscious control, and often with a somewhat negative connotation. Sentiments are more tender feelings, but usually about something and can be grouped with the emotions; desires are about something and are emotions. Passions are generally regarded as strongly felt and expressed emotions. How We Lost Our Feelings: The widespread emotional misery in our society has much to do with our diminished capacity for feelings, especially for tender, loving feelings. If at all, we seem to experience these only for a short period in our life when we fall in love, and then yearn for them ever after. The repression of our feelings seems to come largely from the male-inspired cultural priority placed on the intellect in our society, with a corresponding contempt for soft and tender feelings that are regarded as feminine. It is easier to gain power, to dominate, and to build an empire if one is not hindered by sentimental feelings. With their present bid for equal power, even many women cannot afford any more to be vulnerable and they steel themselves against feminine softness. Self-control is highly valued, especially in the Anglo-Saxon cultures. We are not supposed to show anger or even displeasure, but rather be outwardly polite, though we may be boiling inside. Only in recent years has it become more acceptable to show tenderness in public, but even so, cuddling and touching, except in a ceremonial way, are still largely constricted to those who identify with the New Age movement. Conventional members of our society are as rigid and inhibited as ever. We can say that our emotional dilemma arises from two sources. One is the suppression of our feelings enforced by the standards of our society, and the other is the lack of role models for the development of tender feelings in our childhood. Suppression of our feeling starts as infants when we are trained not to cry when we are unhappy. We may be just left to cry without response until we realize it is useless to express our frustration. Especially suppressed are any expressions of childhood sexuality, such as playing with the genitals and even cuddling the parent of the opposite sex or generally adults of the opposite sex. Such contact is important to us later for developing mature emotional relationships and adult sexuality. Unfortunately, there is now a perception to regard such sexually open adults as potential child molesters; fearing this, they intentionally hold back, depriving themselves and the children of this essential expression of affection. Also at an early age, we are trained in the use of social lies and social conventions and are discouraged to express our true feelings. It is even worse at school and university where we are overwhelmed by intellectual activity, usually of an
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unimaginative kind. This inhibits our creativity and intuitive abilities. Many great inventors and innovative scientists did not make their discoveries by thinking but through intuition. For the rest of his life, Einstein reportedly tried to understand on the mental level what he had perceived in an intuitive flash. Creativity is the active outlet for the meaning we give our life, and intuition is an important link between both. This combination gives satisfaction, perpetual joy, and happiness to our life, but it is crushed by our educational system in order to prepare us for the later institutionalized conformity in our workplace. A more suitable alternative would be an educational system based on the model of Steiner, Waldorf, or Montessori schools. Emotional Role Models: The presence of positive role models for our emotional development is most important during infancy because then we are most impressionable and learn the fastest. At that age, we learn to feel by absorbing feelings from our surroundings like a sponge. This activates our feeling centres. If we are radiated with love, our capacity to feel love develops; if we are exposed to anger, then that is what we learn. I believe that because of their own love-deficient upbringings, most parents act lovingly towards their children from a mental level without actually feeling it. The most common exceptions are non-intellectual, soft, and “feminine” mothers, especially as personified by the typical Polynesian woman. In many third-world countries, it is common for whole families to sleep in the same room, where children may be aware of the sexual activity of their parents. This is natural, as it is in the animal kingdom, and provides role models for subconscious programming. But it is essential that the sexual interaction, like any other interaction of the parents, be a loving one. This imprinting is most important for infants and does not need to interfere with our more inhibited Western morals for older children who, unlike infants, prefer their own rooms anyway. The lack of tender feelings combined with an exposure to negative emotions from the parents in early life has much to do with the present culture of violence in our society. This is constantly reinforced by the bombardment of violence on television and movie screens. With their tender feelings undeveloped, many do not feel the suffering of others; they simply cannot feel compassion. That may start in children with cruelty to animals and lead to individualized or institutionalized cruelty and torture when adult. A national football coach is quoted as saying that to be successful in a contact sport you must build up hate for the opponent before the game. He is right in that hate releases stored negative energy and it may even be good that it does. Even the many onlookers can release some of their negative energy. But is this the kind of society we want, where our role models require hatred to perform? There must be a better way! Emotions and Disease: There are many reports that demonstrate the strong influence of our feelings and emotions on health and disease. One example is a study of the survival rate of women with breast cancer. After ten years, 70 percent of those who reacted to the diagnosis with a fighting spirit were still alive; those who reacted with denial had a 50 percent survival rate; those with stoic acceptance had a 25 percent survival rate; and of those who felt hopeless and helpless only 20 percent survived.
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Other findings show that cancer frequently is diagnosed about a year after a traumatic event, such as losing a spouse. The negative effect of mental depression on our immune system is well known, while we feel and to some degree are invincible when we are in love. When we are upset or stressed, our digestive juices are inhibited, and fear or apprehension can even trigger asthma attacks. Another problem is with suppressed negative emotions. There is always the possibility that under provocation these may be released explosively in an act of violence. This pattern is now very common in our society. On the other side of the fence are those sensitive souls who are full of bottled-up feelings and emotions, but unable to release and express them. This drains their vitality and they suffer from poor circulation with low blood pressure, cold hands and feet, and lack of energy. Generally, we can distinguish between acute or immediate influences of strong emotions and the long-term or chronic effects of unexpressed emotions. The immediate reaction is due to the direct influence of our feelings on the hormoneproducing endocrine glands and on the nervous system. More insidious, however, are the long-term effects of muscle tension caused by suppressed emotions. At the physical or body level, this leads to poor blood circulation and a reduced supply of nutrients to the affected area, while metabolic wastes and toxins tend to accumulate, similar to sediment in a slow-flowing part of a river. In addition, permanently contracted muscles generate a great strain on associated joints. A combination of these factors makes us susceptible to the development of arthritis. Constriction of the chest and diaphragm commonly leads to respiratory diseases. Muscle Armouring: Muscle armouring is a concept described by Wilhelm Reich, M.D., an eminent American psychiatrist and at one time the apparent intellectual heir to Sigmund Freud. Dr. Reich found that the emotional disorders of his patients were to a strong degree reflected in their body structure. In particular, patients with repressed feelings commonly had hard, rigid, and permanently contracted muscles in certain areas of the body. Different kinds of negative emotions seemed to be associated with specific muscles. Reich compared these rigid muscle structures to the armour of a medieval knight and called the process of their formation “armouring.” While the steel armour of the knight had the purpose of protecting him against physical aggression, the muscle armour protects us against emotional aggression. It may sound far-fetched that contracted muscles should have anything to do with how we feel. But we can easily observe that we become tense when we are apprehensive and that our muscles relax when we are at ease. When we expect someone to cause us pain, such as sticking a needle into us or hitting us, we tense our muscles and we may hold our breath by contracting the diaphragm. These are automatic body reflexes designed to diminish the expected feeling of pain. However, we can use the same mechanism if we want to diminish feelings for other reasons. As an infant, we may have been afraid of being separated from our mother, of being left alone in a strange surrounding, so we tensed up and held our breath. Eventually, we had to continue breathing, but we did it in a shallow way, with contracted diaphragm and chest muscles.
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What Body Language Tells Us About Our Emotions This summary is a condensation of ideas from Body-Mind, by Ken Dychtwald. Legs: How we move through life.
Wide, expanded: feeling of superiority, power, expressive – learn to experience tender feelings within, especially in pelvis, learn from others, abdominal breathing
Weak, underdeveloped: not well grounded, no firm stand in life Massive, overdeveloped: rigidly grounded, needs to explore, let go
Shoulders: How we carry our burdens in life
Fat, sluggish: to move through life needs enthusiasm, jogging
Bowed, rounded: feel overburdened – develop power, chest breathing, have faith
Thin, tight: moves energetically through life, but often erratically, not gracefully, needs to develop tranquillity
Raised: chronic fear – anxiety-releasing therapy, chest breathing
Pelvis: The condition of our sexuality
Forward hunched: fear of being hurt, self protection – develop power, chest breathing
Square: carries responsibility – relax
Front tipped downward causing hollow back (lordosis): usually string sexual energy, but full flow is blocked through constant self-control, not able to ‘let go’ – develop faith in higher guidance.
Pulled back, retracted: forceful control or suppression of unwanted emotions, especially anger – let go, express yourself in a suitable way
Front tipped upward causing flat low back: lessening of sexual focus, lack of tender feelings in the lower part of the body – learn to lower attention from chest to lower abdomen, develop tender emotions
Narrow: cannot shoulder responsibilities – become more powerful Right side lower: interacts in a predominantly masculine way Left side lower: interacts in a predominantly feminine way
Belly: The centre of emotions as they relate to oneself
Arms: How we express ourselves in physical actions
Enlarged in upper half: rugged, outgoing, masculine – develop more tender feelings
Weak, underdeveloped: lack of initiative and physical expression – learn to communicate with your arms
Enlarged in lower half: blocked energy flow to pelvis and legs especially if the abdominal wall is hard – let go
Massive, over muscled: insensitive, forceful interactions, lack of grace – learn to be gentle
Moderately enlarged: if belly is soft and back not very hollow, good contact with body vitality, possibly emotionally too soft
Thin, tight: inability to hold on to anything – become more peaceful, settled
Overall enlarged and obese: usually poor contact with vital energies
Fat, underdeveloped: sluggishness in expressing yourself – become stimulated, animated
Overall flat: too much mental control, no “gut feelings”, strong emotional blocks (fear, anxiety) – develop tender emotions, have faith, let go
Upper back: A channel for the expression of forceful or violent emotions Soreness, hump: repressed anger or hitting reflex – let go; hit a pillow or sandbag
Chest: Modifies our emotions as they relate to our intentions in reference to ourselves
Neck: Reflects tension between body emotions and mental control (continued)
Narrow, contracted: feeling of inferiority, lack of power, unexpressive – learn to communicate, to give, chest breathing
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Bent forward: explores the world first in a rational way, emotional exhaustion – develop your ‘gut feeling’
Changing expressions: show how we wish to appear to the world
Bent to the right: arrogance, defiance – become centred
Chronically tense muscles: show conflict between what we show and how we really feel
Bent to the left: playful attitude
Eyes: The “windows of the soul,” reflecting health and emotions
Face: An outside mirror of our emotions
Long, graceful: proud attitude
Throat: A channel for vocal expression of emotions
Large, round: warm, loving personality Protruding: reaching out forcefully (thyroid problems)
Tight, sore, weak: blocked verbal expressions of emotions and tears – let go, speak out, weep
Deep-set: critically observing, withholding expression
Jaw and Chin: A channel for verbal expression, biting
Wide-open baby eyes: tries to hold, to draw close, not fully matured
Receding: frozen, suppressed verbal emotions – learn to speak out
Nearsightedness: frozen fear (early childhood), focus on immediate problems, introspective, rational - release fear, look into the future
Heavy, short: forceful attitude
Protruding: determined
Farsightedness: suppressed anger; focused outward, extrovert - release anger, develop your inner self.
Strongly protruding: defiance, arrogance – relax Clenched: forceful, self-control, suppressed anger – let go, relax
With repeated fear responses, these muscle contractions can gradually become permanent. The child can grow to develop a narrow chest with weak lung functions, or if only the diaphragm remains contracted, a barrel chest can result. In both instances, breathing remains permanently shallow and the child is susceptible to lung infections and asthma. In babies, this may be a contributing factor in crib death or SIDS. The advantage of the armoured chest or permanently contracted diaphragm is that we now do not feel our fear anymore, as it remains subconscious. However, we gradually may develop substitute outlets for our fear, such as being afraid of heights or of public speaking, and so forth. Another example is the suppression of anger because we are told that it is not socially acceptable to show it openly. We may initially feel an angry emotion rushing upwards from the abdomen to the shoulder with the impulse to hit or to the throat with the impulse to shout. When we suppress these impulses, the emotional energy of the anger becomes stuck in the shoulder or in the throat and tenses the muscles there. If this tension is not released by other means, it may become permanent, and if we continue our suppressive behaviour pattern, these muscles become permanently contracted. In joints surrounded by contracted muscles, we easily develop arthritis, while contracted throat muscles give us a weak voice and possibly stuttering and other speech and throat problems. The muscle armouring becomes ever stronger with advancing age because we tend to repeat our set behaviour patterns. This then forms our distinctive facial features, body structures, and our increasing rigidity. There are, of course, other
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factors that contribute to shaping our body and making it more inflexible, such as heredity, nutrition, and occupational muscle use. Dr. Reich found that his cancer patients had severely inhibited sexual energies caused by strong armouring in the pelvic and abdominal areas. Those patients who could most successfully free their sexual energies had the best chances of recovering. He regarded cancer as a “shrinking biopathy” of the total energy field of the patient. This shrinking was seen as a forerunner and not as a consequence of the disease. Tumours are only the final stage of the shrinking process, Dr. Reich said. When he succeeded in shrinking the tumor or making it disappear without revitalizing the general energy flow, the patient would die anyway. Spontaneous remissions, on the other hand, were in some instances due to a revitalized energy flow, Dr. Reich said. Another aspect of armouring is the generation of pain. The resistance of a contracted muscle to the flow of energy produces pain similar to the heat produced by the resistance of a thin wire to the flow of electricity. Short-term muscle contraction uses energy; therefore, it causes no pain and can be used as a defence against expected emotional or physical pain. However, if a muscle remains permanently contracted, the reduced blood and energy flows cause pain from accumulating toxins, oxygen deficiency, pressure on nerves, energy congestion, and overactive acupuncture points. Such pain may be present all the time or felt only as tenderness when the muscle is pressed. It can be stopped immediately by pressing into tense muscles or relaxing them with other methods. In a permanently contracted muscle that has become like a rope or sheet, the energy flow to the area is so diminished that there is no pain, even when pressed. Repeated deep muscle massage can eventually restore energy flow and temporary pain to the muscle. Some individuals can clairvoyantly perceive these energy flows. Body Language: Our emotions have a strong influence not only on our glands and inner organs, but also on our body structure. Certain emotions are traditionally linked with problems in certain organ functions, as noted in part 7. Anger, for example, damages the liver and, conversely, irritability and quick temper are partly caused by liver problems. In a similar way, grief, negativity, and anxiety are linked to the lungs; fear to the kidneys and intestines; excessive laughter or lack of joy to the heart; and worry to the spleen. Emotions, if not released in outward action, “solidify” by causing muscle contractions. The stronger the energetic charge of the emotion, the stronger the muscle contraction. Other parts of the body may be more or less blocked off from the flow of emotional energies, and these parts will become weak and start degenerating. By examining our body, we can get a reasonably good idea of the kind of emotional problems that have helped to shape it and of the corrective measures to be taken in order to improve ourselves (see Table 7-3 above). * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 58 HEALING RELATIONSHIPS Try out these tools to heal your personal, family, and social relationships.
We live in three different forms of relationships - our higher relationships with God and the spiritual dimension; our relationships with our planet and its life forms; and our interpersonal relationships in society. In holistic living, we move towards greater harmony on all three levels. Meditation and following a spiritual path are our attempt to heal our relationship with our spiritual source, while an attitude of loving care towards our planet and its creatures will heal our relationship with our biological roots. Our social relationships, in a way, are the most difficult to heal, for they are the testing ground for what we have learned and how far we have spiritually advanced. With much effort and by using emotional release, reprogramming, and meditation, we may feel that we have made much progress in healing ourselves. But have we? We can only find out in our social interactions. Are we upset if someone makes a mistake? Do we suppress our annoyance, or do we speak out, and, if so, in a suitable way? Do we instead feel like pointing out what has been done wrong and how to correct it, or do we prefer to let the other discover this for himself? These are all different possibilities for responding to the same problem, and the way we respond can show us how much we are already healed and what we still have to do. To make it more complicated, there is no correct response that suits every situation. Sometimes one response is the best for a given situation and at other times another response would be more suitable. This means we need to become flexible and respond to each situation with an open mind and open heart, rather than rely on past patterns of responding. Further, no matter how well we fare in these tests of everyday life, can we be fully happy and satisfied if we encounter on the streets or on television the suffering of our underprivileged brothers and sisters? I do not think so. With our increasing sensitivity and compassion, this causes us to suffer ourselves and we feel drawn to help others. Again, there are different ways in which we can respond to ease our common suffering. Foremost may be to give hope and healing by our living example. We can also donate money, goods, and services to the needy. We can single out an individual for special support or we can work through an organization; we can use the political system or in other ways try to change our whole structure of social injustice. What will it be? Increasingly, we will be drawn to do something because we feel and know that we are all one. Whatever our choice, it is not a question of right or wrong, but of trying to live according to our highest ideals, using the opportunities as they arise. Intimate Relationships: Our intimate relationships, more than anything else, are a testing ground for our feelings and emotions. They can make us feel on top of the world or in the depths of depression. How do we cope with these strong feelings
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and emotions? Our intimate relationships are a mirror of our general level of consciousness; they show us how well we are able to manifest our ideals in everyday life. There are different kinds of intimate relationships. In the best sense, they all will be love relationships, lovingly relating to a partner, be it in marriage or without a legal status, short-term or long-term. Preferably, we try to find a partner with similar or compatible ideals or we try to improve our existing relationship by finding and harmonizing our ideals. Our common ideals, more than anything else, can help to ensure a happy and fulfilled long-term love relationship. A relationship based mainly on sexual attraction or a need for material or emotional security, on the other hand, does not have a solid foundation and is likely to fail. In our society, it is fashionable to make romantic love the deciding factor for marriage. However, this is the kind of love of which it is rightly said that love makes blind. With this, it combines the two worst factors for marriage: It does not last and it blinds us to the shortcomings of our partner. After a few years, the erotic appeal has been swept away and the relationship faces the test of reality. In many instances, the couple stays together only for the sake of the children; in others, it is the need for emotional and material security. A new romance is now sought outside of marriage. Sometimes this leads to a string of marriages and divorces based on erotic straw fires. The only hope for such a marriage to provide a happy and satisfying relationship is the transformation of erotic love into mature love. Sometimes this just happens on its own with compatible individuals, others have consciously to work towards this goal. While it is said that one cannot make oneself love someone, one can work, nevertheless, on diminishing one’s ego, which is the greatest obstacle to loving the other as a person. I see the greatest chance of successful transformation into mature love when both partners become interested in inner growth and self-responsibility and start walking the spiritual path hand in hand, healing themselves and each other. You could also join with other couples who have similar interests. Making a Relationship Work: One of the most destructive elements in many present relationships is the demanding of rights. Traditionally, males have had most of the rights, and a relationship can develop in this way today without any effort on anyone’s part. This commonly leads to the emotional deprivation of and increasing resentment by the female partner. The other side of the coin is the growing trend of Western and especially American females to be assertive and demanding in a relationship. This tends to push the male partner away and results in the male emotionally withdrawing; or the relationship becomes an arena for competition and fighting. The solution depends on a cooperative approach. This may start by one of the partners realizing that the competitive approach does not lead to happiness and makes the relationship unpleasant. The main thing that this individual needs to realize is that he cannot change his partner by demanding or expecting change; each can only change themselves. Depending on the nature of the relationship, the partners may talk over how to change track or the partner who realizes this may take the first steps alone.
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An example of this is the current movement in the U.S. of “surrendered wives,” which started as a counterbalance to the demanding of rights by “liberated” females.68 This certainly is a recipe for creating happier relationships, as long as it does not lead to resentment on the woman’s part. With this unconditional first step, many women will transform their partner; he will become much more considerate and pleasant to live with. However, it may not work in every case and occasionally leads to increased abuse and separation. Nevertheless, this is a spiritual solution to turning a difficult relationship around and trying to make it more rewarding for both partners. In most instances, females want a partner who embodies their ideal of masculinity, while males want their ideal of femininity. I am not referring here to physical appearance, but to emotional qualities. Therefore, try to find within yourself and offer to your partner the best male or female qualities that you are capable of. Do this with a loving heart and without demanding or expecting an instant reciprocal change from your partner. In most cases, your partner will begin to change for the better of your relationship. Things that your partner did not do or did only with resentment when you demanded them may now be offered as gifts. Instead of nagging or demanding what you want your partner to do, the right attitude is to think of what you can do to make your partner happy. However, if your partner is unwilling or unable to change in return, and repeated discussions do not lead to a satisfactory result, then separation appears to be the best solution. It is not a sign of spirituality to let yourself be emotionally abused and suffer in silence. If you believe that circumstances force you to remain with an uncooperative or abusive partner, then use this opportunity to learn and practice unconditional love and forgiveness. The keys to making a relationship work are goodwill and communication. We must learn to share our inner life with our partner. It is also important how we share. We let our partner know that we feel hurt by something he or she did or did not do, but we do not accuse. We speak of our own feelings and may say, “I feel hurt by what you did,” but we do not say in an accusing voice: “You did this to me.” Initially, it may be good to agree on set times for sharing. Ask your partner if something annoyed him or her and then let your partner speak without interruption. If this direct approach is too difficult in the beginning, keep diaries about your hurts and suggestions and exchange them from time to time for discussion. However, the same basic rules apply: Do not accuse or verbally attack your partner and give each other uninterrupted time to speak. Infidelity: Infidelity is possibly the most common cause of severe relationship problems. From a spiritual (not a religious) point of view, the real problem is not that our partner shared love or sex with an outsider, but that he or she broke the stated (or unstated) trust in the sexual exclusivity of our relationship. One partner then feels resentful and the other guilty. This is not a recipe for a happy relationship, and how soon and well it can be mended depends mainly on the spiritual quality of forgiveness on the part of the hurt partner. Looking at this from a spiritual point of view, it is quite natural for a sexual attraction between males and females to develop in suitable conditions, while on the other hand it is not good for our spiritual and emotional well-being to suppress strong longings or desires. This leads to a typical dilemma: We have a choice either to harm
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ourselves through emotional suppression or through feelings of guilt with a possible deterioration of our relationship. A spiritual way out of this is to learn to transmute our sexual feelings for an outsider into unconditional love and to beam this back onto this person. Another possibility is instead of sharing sex to restrict an intimate encounter to a (fully clothed) meditative cuddle. If your relationship is sufficiently open, you might also discuss if and under what conditions a sexual encounter with an outsider is acceptable. You may realize that the demand for exclusive mating rights is due mainly to a combination of our social conditioning and fear of losing our partner. This is not a solid foundation for a spiritual relationship. Instead, if sexual fidelity is important for your relationship, then it should be freely agreed to by both partners because that is how you feel about each other and that is what both really want. However, emotionally mature partners will not make this a relationship law because they realize that we are not perfect. If one partner is not able to keep this agreement, then the spiritual solution is to ask the other partner for forgiveness and to obtain it without any damage to the relationship. If both are secure in their love for and commitment to each other, then they may not even wish to emotionally restrict or deprive their partner. However you work it out in your relationship, try to find solutions that are based on openness, understanding, and forgiveness. An Example of a Caring Tribal Society: We may sometimes wonder what it would be like to live in a genuinely loving and caring society. Surprisingly, such societies have existed, even in modern times. In 1929, the anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski published an account of his two-year stay with the Trobriand Islanders near the east coast of New Guinea. All the people there were happy and caring, he reported. They shared with each other and liked to work. Children were always good-natured and conformed effortlessly to the rules of their society; and they had one freedom that appears unbelievable to us: There was not the slightest restriction on their sexual activities. There was no emotional suppression. Children watched their parents and others making love and when growing up started imitating them. Younger children would just tenderly play with each other, while teenagers had unrestricted penetrative sex. However, there was one important social convention: Pregnancies must only occur in marriage. These islanders actually did not know that sex had anything to do with getting babies. Everyone believed that babies were a gift of the gods given about nine months after the wedding, because it always happened that way. Without any other precautions or protection than this belief, babies out of wedlock were unknown. After loving experiences with many different partners, the youngsters eventually found their marriage partners. Marriage was desirable because it gave babies and status. The marriage lasted as long as the couple loved each other, usually for many years or a lifetime. While married, there was never any unfaithfulness or even a desire for it; they did not even have a word for it. Marriage breakup was no disaster for the children. The father always remained a good friend of the mother and the children. Furthermore, as they did not have the
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concept of a biological father, the maternal uncle always played the role of the father. This was a matriarchal society and all property rights went through the mother to the children. As these people could observe all varieties of loving sexual activity, they had no unhealthy fascination or obsession for them, as do many people in our society. Consequently, abuse of children, sexual perversion, rape, or other forms of violence were unknown to them. Sexual activity to them was as natural and open as eating is to us. No doubt, if eating were regarded as “dirty” and restricted in the same way as sexuality is, and children and others were not allowed to see us eat, most of us would have neuroses associated with eating disorders. This association of sexual freedom with a peaceful society can also be observed in the animal kingdom with the bonobos, smaller relatives of chimpanzees. Another Example - the Continuum Concept: In the 1970’s, the American Jean Liedloff lived for several years with the Yequana Indians in the jungles of Venezuela. She discovered that these Indians lived in a continuum of unbroken traditions in close harmony with their inner and outer nature. This appeared to be the reason for their unusually positive qualities. There was no trace of aggressiveness towards each other amongst the Yequana, Liedloff found, even if they were all drunk at an occasional party, and they never blamed anyone for anything. Even in difficult circumstances, they remained in a composed and happy state of mind. There was no competition in their interactions, only cooperation. They were completely fearless, surefooted, agile, and enduring. At rest, they were totally relaxed, but could be fully alert in an instant. To illustrate this in a funny way, Liedloff related that sometimes one of the men would wake in the middle of the night, remember a joke, and start telling it. Instantly, all the others were wide-awake, roared with laughter, then seconds later were sound asleep again. They loved to work, and for them it was a pleasure to use their bodies. They did not even have a word for work; they just did cheerfully whatever needed to be done. The children were always well behaved, obeyed happily and instantly, never fought among themselves, and were never punished. How they raised their children was, of course, the secret to their success as human beings and as a society. Until the babies indicated on their own that they wanted to start crawling, they were always carried, usually by the mother. During sleep, the baby remained in body contact with the mother. There was no danger of injuring the baby when rolling over, as subconsciously, the mother always remained aware of the position of the baby. After the baby started crawling and later creeping, the mother was always available when the baby desired body contact. However, the mother would not tell the baby what to do or not to do. There were sharp knives lying around, which the baby might pick up by the wrong end to play with. There were deep pits or dangerous drops near which it might play without an anxious glance from the mother. It might even pick up a burning branch from a fire and stumble around the thatched huts. There were no warning calls and no accidents. Neither were the children told when or what to eat or when to sleep or which role models to follow. Boys quite naturally picked up bows and arrows from other
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boys and started shooting with sharp arrows without being shown where or what to shoot or any safety precautions. They might start doing this at the age of 18 months. Girls at that age, on the other hand, might join a group of women and girls and practice grating roots. At the age of three or four, a girl might be in charge of an infant; play and work are the same to them. An adult might need something, give a short command or request, and the child would instantly comply. The parents trusted the innate protective instincts of their children. A baby might appear to be oblivious to danger when playing at the edge of a cliff, but its subconscious or body self protected the baby much more effectively than the mind could, just as it does a sleepwalker. If we warn an infant of a danger, its mind starts interfering with the body self and it loses its instinctive protection. If, on top of this, the parent is afraid that the child will fall, then it will try to fulfil this expectation and fall. Small children are psychic and always try to meet the expectations of their parents, especially of the mother. The Yequana children never fail because their parents have unwaveringly positive expectations. Children are neither blamed nor praised for anything, just confidently expected to do the right thing. Further, babies in that society are deliberately exposed to the widest possible range of sensory stimulation. From this and by observing adults and older children, they learn to judge unfailingly their ability to cope with each situation, and their parents completely trust their judgments. They know that if the child is not confident to judge a situation, it will ask a parent for help. While these men were much tougher than men in our society, if one genuinely felt strong pain, such as when cleaning out a deep wound, he would not hesitate to cry out loud, comforted without words by physical contact with his wife or mother. If either a child or an adult lost their natural family, they were adopted into another family. This was important even for adults for emotional and social support. To show that the amazing abilities and behaviour of these children were not inherited, but the result of their upbringing, Liedloff reported there was one problem child. This child belonged to a Yequana couple who had lived in contact with our Western civilization for some time; but this child also learned (belatedly) to fit in.69 Emotional Security in Children: We all are likely to benefit from increased levels of emotional security. Emotional security is a nebulous concept that includes how we feel about ourselves, how good we feel in relationships with other people who are important to us (e.g., family), and how confident we are that things will turn out well for us. Probably all of us feel some doubt in some of these areas, and especially children, if they are able to think in these terms. One of the main functions of a family unit is to foster feelings of emotional security in children, and often much of the irritating or negative behaviour seen in children can be removed through actively raising the child’s levels of emotional security. This is an easy claim to make but often a harder thing to achieve. Here are some techniques that I recommend to try to raise the level of emotional security in children: 1. Set aside three to five minutes every night for the child. After the child has gone to bed, Mom or Dad (take turns) goes in, turns off the light, and sits on the side
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of the child’s bed in the dark. The child is in the security of its own bed, with a little body contact with the parent, and no eye contact, because it is dark. Then the parent should just talk about their own day, share some of the things that happened; no questions asked nor asking the child to talk. When the child learns that this is a regular occurrence, he will initiate things and feel free to share, and topics involving emotional stress are likely to come out. 2. When the child makes a statement to you (e.g., “I hate school”), try not to block it or answer the comment; extend it instead. The child may not realize the feeling behind this statement, and you may never find out unless you can get the child to clarify it. Hand it back to the child in a questioning way: “You hate school?” To which the reply may be, “No, just the teachers.” So you say, “You hate all the teachers?” “Well, not all, mainly Mr. Jones.” 3. The question “Why?” rarely achieves anything when asked of little children. Seldom can they provide an adequate answer to such a question, and so, effectively, they are cornered. Try to avoid asking “why.” 4. Avoid the words “no” or “wrong,” especially when the child is attempting to do something (e.g., reading). “Almost right” or “not quite but getting better” are likely to keep the child interested and keen to try. The words “no” and “wrong” are likely to make a child give up as a failure. 5. Let your children know that they are good at things, that they are nice people, and that you like them. Generally, we tell our children when they fail, when they annoy us, or when we feel let down by them, but we don’t let them know the good things. Many children thus get the impression that they are failures and develop a poor self-image. 6. Right-handed children like to sleep on the right side or on the stomach with the head to the left shoulder. Left-handed children generally sleep facing the other way. Try to place your child’s bed so that in the natural sleeping position (according to handedness) she sleeps facing the wall. This tends to give the child added security and often has the effect of eliminating problems with light sleepers as well as nightmares and bed-wetting. Placing a child’s bed at right angles to a wall, extending out into the room, should be avoided with children who are light or restless sleepers, as it provides little or no security to the sleeping child. 7. If a child needs a night light, try a blue or green bulb rather than a normal white or red one. Blue and green are pacifying colours, whereas red is stimulating. Also position it so that the child’s face remains shaded, so as not to interfere with melatonin production during sleep. 8. Accept your child’s reality. If the child is upset or scared about something, irrespective of how irrelevant or trivial it may seem, accept that this is the real feeling of the child. Rather than dismissing the complaint or saying that it does not matter or not to be silly, ask what the child is feeling; then go through these feelings so that the child can either accept or work around the worrisome feeling.
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9. Set aside a short amount of time on a regular basis in which your children can have your undivided attention; this could be perhaps ten minutes in the evening, or while doing the dishes. This can help avoid the repetitious “in a minute” response that we constantly find ourselves giving to our children. 10. Read to your children. Younger children (two to six years old) enjoy and benefit from favourite books being read to them numerous times; they can learn the whole story by heart and can “read” it back to themselves just by looking at the book. Older children (seven to ten) benefit from having something interesting read to them by a parent, so that they feel they are sharing a common interest with the parent; suitable may be historic stories or children’s encyclopaedia stories. 11. Fool around with your children. Let them see that adults can laugh, play, and be silly. 12. Be consistent. Consistency on the part of adults is of prime importance. If you act consistently, the child will know where he stands. If not, the child will be confused and become unpredictable as well. Always do as you say. Do not threaten punishment unless you are willing to carry it out, otherwise you lose credibility. The same applies to offering rewards. Redoing Our Social Relationships: As compared to the Yequana, we live in a primitive society when it comes to our social relationships. I believe that future generations will see our society as severely unbalanced, as an overdeveloped technocracy built on a socially sick base. We can learn from the Yequana how to heal our society: It starts with our relationships with our children. For a long time to come, we will not be able to rely on authorities and experts in this endeavour; instead, idealistic individuals and groups must take the initiative. Parents, preferably within the framework of a support group, must start experimenting on how to raise their children according to continuum principles as explained above. This is not easy in our situation. It involves not only a child’s constant close body contact with the mother or other carers for the first six months and a trusting attitude with positive expectations, but also the presence of other children in a wide range of ages as positive role models. Two-year-olds learn best from three-year-olds and they in turn from four-year-old children. It can be done. I have known mothers who kept body contact with their babies until they wanted to start crawling. I have seen a three-year-old boy without close supervision or need for safety concerns use a sheath knife, hatchet, electric drill, and a blowtorch, then he immediately and happily ran home when his parents called. I believe that children, if they feel secure and loved during their early childhood, if they have a wide range of relevant sensory stimulation and positive role models, can be trusted even in our modern technological society. Obvious dangers, such as knives, staircases, or pools, should not be a problem. Babies easily learn to float. I see less of a chance of a secure child drowning in an unfenced pool than an insecure one drowning in a fenced pool. Make hidden dangers known to your children through your own behaviour. Children imitate; therefore, do not do in their presence what you do not want them to do.
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Antisocial behaviour is a sign of emotional deprivation, especially in early childhood. Give your existing children and especially those with antisocial or neurotic tendencies the opportunity to experience the missed phases of their emotional development. Explain to them in simple terms what you intend to do and why; invite your children, possibly one at a time, to sleep in your bed whenever they feel like it. Get them to do it even if they are initially reluctant; cuddle them a lot and possibly massage them, or bathe or shower together. For infants, all this will be natural and enjoyable, but with older children emotional barriers may need to be broken down gradually. While loving sexual activity in the presence of infants is desirable to provide a role model, for older children it might be upsetting to be exposed to it unprepared. Use your own judgment. Include the children in the tender relating of the whole family, but in a way that does not intentionally cause sexual stimulation. Healing Relationships to Produce Social Change: Emotionally deprived children grow into adults who have antisocial or asocial tendencies. On one side of the scale, this manifests as criminal and destructive behaviour and, on the other, as shyness, lack of confidence, and depression. A further result is the ego-centred individualism so prevalent in Western societies. It brings forth political, business, and community leaders who are more interested in personal power and wealth than in the overall good for society. In contrast to our present system, which I would describe as one of adversarial competition, a society of emotionally mature individuals would be based on benevolent cooperation. Elected representatives, for instance, would fully cooperate to find the best solutions for the common good, and the most suitable citizens would be chosen to be these representatives. Business ventures would operate according to cooperative principles, both in matters between different ventures and within each, and without a sharp division between capital and labour. This was the social structure of the Yequana Indians and the Trobriand Islanders. However, to be successful in modern society, such a system must be based on spiritually and emotionally mature individuals. A first step towards reforming the present business climate would be a legal and community expectation that the main duty of care for corporations is to the whole of society rather than to their shareholders. The reason for the existence of companies would be seen as service to society; a company would appreciate its duty of care to its employees, shareholders, and the environment. A further step could involve government incentives to form cooperative ventures. The judicial system would be based on conciliation and rehabilitation. The more emotionally mature the society, the less would conflict arise. The health care system would largely become redundant as people learned to live in harmony with their biological, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs. Any necessary therapy would be a combination of the best in modern and natural medicine. Agriculture, food processing, and energy production would be sustainable and in harmony with planetary requirements. A society of self-responsible citizens would be based on a maximum of individual freedom and a minimum of bureaucratic interference.
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No system of laws and law enforcement will keep a society of deprived and ego-centred individuals operating harmoniously, yet emotionally satisfied and responsible individuals will function well in any system with a minimum of rules. The main problem, therefore, is not to devise better political and social systems and improve our laws and wealth distribution, but to provide the opportunity for everyone to heal their emotions and start on the road to self-responsibility. A harmonious society will then evolve from this. Cooperative Solutions Based on Emotional Fulfilment: Here I offer a few examples to show how a caring society based on emotional fulfilment, as outlined in this step, might solve some contemporary issues. The most important aspect would be to raise all children in a caring and loving way, following for example, the principles of the Yequana continuum concept, to ensure a harmonious society in the future. The school and education system would concentrate on developing cooperation, creativity, intuition, and holistic concepts similar to Rudolf Steiner, Montessori, or Waldorf schools. There would be no political parties or electioneering. In one possible model, electors would write the name of a community member of their choice on the ballot. Leaders would be chosen for their experience, maturity, spiritual insights, and wisdom. The elected leaders from several neighbourhoods would form local councils of wisdom; these would then elect someone from their midst or possibly an outsider to represent them at the next higher level. In this way, it could continue upwards to create a world council of wisdom. Very suitable as community leaders will be women who have harmoniously raised a family because they will be skilled in facilitating just and harmonious social relationships. The legal system will be very simple, observed in spirit rather than letter. Together with other decisions affecting individuals, communities, and regions in their care, councils of wisdom on each level will also be responsible for any legal disputes and arbitrate in a spirit of cooperation. Initially, the unemployment problem could be solved with flexible working hours. This means, instead of an unemployment rate of ten percent, the standard hours of work per week would be reduced by ten percent. Conversely, if a shortage of workers developed, the standard working week would be lengthened. Standard hours might be different in different professions or ventures. The government might just provide a basic safety net. Present government regulations generally make it more convenient to extend overtime hours for existing workers rather than hire additional staff. This is simply a problem of community attitude and government competence. Eventually, work will become a desirable outlet for creativity. Based as it is on the adversary system, our society causes so much friction, conflict, waste, and incompetence that I estimate our present lifestyle could be maintained with less than a quarter of the present work input. However, this percentage would initially be higher in order to bring underdeveloped nations up to world standard and restore the planetary environment to an appropriate level. In a mature society, only a fraction of present resources would be required for the legal, law enforcement, and prison systems, for the defence and pharmaceutical industries, and for the hospital system. Most of these could eventually be phased out. On the other hand, much more would be channelled into sustainable agriculture and
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health-friendly food production, into education, training, and community facilities, including an appropriate public transportation system. In regard to health care, I see a unified system of holistic medicine in which surgery and drug medicine are branches, like nutrition, herbalism, or homeopathy. Extensive clinical trials would determine the best combination of procedures for specific diseases. However, in an increasingly enlightened society, diseases as we know them will become increasingly rare. Surgery, for instance, would only be required for accidents. Most of the healing work in such a society would be concerned with promoting inner and outer harmony and spiritual growth. Sexual Initiations: In regard to a more natural sexual development of children and teenagers, I see two possibilities. One is complete openness in sexual matters, letting children watch the loving sexual activity of adults without any restriction and imitate it as they feel ready to do so. This is nature’s way as practiced in the animal kingdom and in human societies that still live close to nature. It does not necessarily lead to unwanted pregnancies, as shown by the Trobriand Islanders; other methods of birth control might have to be taught. How it would work out in the end depends on the customs of society and the examples provided by its individual members. The other possibility is to transform juvenile sexuality into a striving for high ideals within the context of a loving and caring society. Infants, but not older children, would be exposed to lovemaking of the parents. At a certain age or level of development, girls would be ceremonially and lovingly initiated by experienced and spiritually evolved men, while boys would be taught by women with the same qualities. The teenagers might choose the initiators themselves or leave this selection to their parents. As a variation of this possibility, teenage couples could receive practical instructions before or during their first sexual encounter. This, too, could be done ceremonially. However, the main problem for teenagers is not to learn the mechanics of sexual union, but rather to become emotionally competent. My preferred solution in a society with strong spiritual values would be to teach teenagers graded forms of spiritual sex in a ceremonial way as an initiation, and also the art of sexually relating in a loving way, again graded according to age. Different solutions will be suitable for different societies, depending on their degree of spiritual evolution, but almost anything would be better than our present system. Of course, in our present situation all this sounds utopian. Unfortunately, I do not believe that a transformation into a more caring and mature society will take place gradually and in a coordinated way. I am afraid the present system will run into an acute crisis and more or less self-destruct. If and when this happens, it will be important to have mature leaders in all areas who then can pick up the pieces and show the survivors the way towards building a caring society. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 59 HEAL IN GROUPS Join a group of like-minded individuals with the goal of healing your feelings and helping others do the same.
The small nuclear family as the basis of our social structure is an expression of the ego-centred and individualizing nature of our society. It leads to social isolation, difficulty in relating and cooperating, and a disruption of the age-old continuum of traditions. Formerly, and presently still in underdeveloped countries, humans enjoyed a continuum of learning experiences. Step by step, through observation and imitation, children learned how to care for babies, do the various forms of housework, repairs, and other skills, make love and relate in a loving way, care for sick people, give birth, and deal with death and dying. Grandparents made themselves useful and passed on their experiences. Now most of these skills are only incompletely learned from books or left to experts, and the art of relating and cooperating in groups is at an alltime low. Recent explorations in communal living are an attempt to return to the security and emotional closeness of the extended family and a more traditional lifestyle. Activities in various clubs and special interest groups may lessen our social isolation, but this is only a bandaid. I suggest forming neighbourhood healing groups with the specific aim of healing ourselves, others, and our social relationships. A healing group can provide many functions not normally available in our society. In a way, it can act as an extended family with an unlimited variety of support facilities, such as baby-sitting, child-minding, kindergarten and preschool, and possibly even alternative schooling. Members can help each other in all stressful life situations, be it childbirth, sickness, bereavement, unemployment, or building activity. There can be common fruit and vegetable production, a food co-op, communal library, leisure facilities, and shared expensive working appliances. The main aspect of a healing group is healing activity on all levels. For healing the body, experiment with natural and holistic methods. Suitable communal healing modalities include massage, reflexology, acupressure, spinal therapy, meridian therapy, muscle testing, and allergy testing. Many different forms of massage can be used, such as stimulating massage, deep muscle massage, sensual massage, or energy distribution massage. Individuals can share their personal experiences with the group in areas such as nutrition, color therapy, packs, or flower remedies. A member of the group may participate in a healing workshop and then pass on the experience to the others. The group can also invite natural therapists and other health professionals and healers for demonstrations, lectures, and teaching of specific methods. There can be group evenings in which you exercise together, while on others you discuss interesting topics; someone may read a good book and report on it; or there can be meditation evenings, or all of these in varying combinations. You can
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use group therapy for emotional release, do rebirthing and other emotional growth work together, and do a lot of hugging. Buy some books about emotional therapies for the communal library, and experiment. A healing group can operate on two levels. On one level, it can be a neighbourhood support group with food co-op, shared child-minding, communal leisure activities, and so forth. On another level, individuals dedicated to healing can meet weekly for this purpose. A large garage could be converted into a group meeting place while smaller groups might meet in the living rooms of participants. Here are a few of many possible group activities for developing feelings and relationships. In group exercises, wherever possible, try to pair off with a partner of the opposite sex, or when forming a circle, alternate the genders. I SEE THE LOVE: The women sit in a circle, possibly on floor cushions or on the carpet. A man sits opposite each woman. If there is an excess of either gender, pair off with a member of the same sex. For a minute, look silently but tenderly into each other’s eyes, trying to express and radiate love. Then, with a signal from the group leader, the men move to the next partner and again both meet each other in a tender gaze. In this way, the men move around the circle until they sit again opposite their original partner.
Now, while again looking into each other’s eyes, the men say, “I see the love in your eyes.” They can either repeat this phrase from time to time or a variation on it, such as: “Your heart is filled with love and it shines out of your eyes” or “My heart is filled with love; it radiates from my eyes.” After a while, the men can in addition start tenderly touching and stroking the hair and the face of their partner. After about two minutes, on a given signal, roles are reversed and the women express tender feelings in words and by touching and stroking the hair and face of their man. Finally, on the signal, the men move to the next partner and repeat the same procedure and so forth until they are back with the original partner. Now, one after the other, participants can describe their feelings and how it felt different being either the active or the passive partner. THE SANDWICH:
This is to recreate the security, love, and warmth of the foetus in the womb or the baby in the mother’s arms and at her breast. Someone stands in the middle, front gently pressed to the front of a partner of the opposite sex, and with the front of another partner of the opposite sex against the back. The middle person has the arms over the shoulders of the front partner and the one at the back also stretches out around the middle person to the one in front. Stay like this for several minutes, possibly lightly swaying if that feels better. In addition, you can have two more people lightly press against the sides of the one in the middle. See if it feels better if these additional “huggers” are of the same or the opposite sex as the one in the middle. For a woman in the middle, it may also feel better to have another woman in front; just experiment with different combinations. You may, for instance, have four people of alternating sex standing as closely as possible with their fronts together, or the whole group can form a ring, each one standing pressed with the front against the back of the one in front. The ring may stand still or slowly move. Some of these formations can also be tried while lying down.
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LEARNING TO TRUST:
After pairing off, couples walk around slowly, intermingling with the others, but with one partner of each pair having their eyes tightly closed or blindfolded. After some time, you swap places. In another exercise, form a circle with seven people and one person in the middle with arms crossed in front of the chest. Those in the circle lightly touch the middle person with their hands. The one in the middle has the eyes closed and after a moment the body relaxes and starts swaying. It will lean towards one pair of hands and is then gently passed around the circle. After a while you can make the circle bigger by adding more participants or just spacing yourselves out so that the one in the middle is inclined at a greater and greater angle. His or her body should remain straight with the feet in the middle of the circle. Those forming the circle can put one foot back to be able to support a greater weight. In a variation of this exercise, one person stands with closed eyes and the back turned towards a mattress on the ground. Several helpers stand behind the person, with outstretched hands, and catch that person as he or she falls backwards with a stiff body. Gradually extend the range before catching. HEALING PARTNERSHIPS: If there is no healing group that you can join, or sometimes even in addition to it, you can find a healing partnership. Ideally, that is with your present partner in a long-term relationship. However, many are not so lucky and often prefer to live on their own rather than in a stressful relationship. In this situation, you can find someone with the same interest in health improvement and spiritual growth, but without either one of you wanting a love or sexual relationship. You can then meet at set times, and do all the things that might be done in a healing group. This will probably be more suitable for mature-age individuals. Eventually, others may join in and then you have your proper healing group.
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Step 60 LEARNING TO FEEL Feelings build the body; they are the glue that holds body and soul together.
Tender feelings make us open and vulnerable, but in order not to get hurt, typically we prefer to close up and not feel. This has the added advantage of making us stronger in our career because we do not need to take our feelings or the feelings of others into consideration. Each time we suppress a feeling or do not express it in a suitable way, the generated energy solidifies into muscle tensions and armouring, as we learned earlier through the work of Dr. Reich. Eventually, this leads to widespread muscle armouring, a permanent state of muscle contraction; this closes off the circulation of blood, lymph, bioenergy, and, equally important, the flow of feeling energies. Once we are in an armoured condition, we cannot feel anymore, even when we want to. This applies especially to our tender feelings and is a great loss. Our conscious control is then out of touch with the body - its needs, wisdom, and the pleasure it could give us. Thus we are equally out of touch with the requirements of others, with the forces of nature, and with our higher guidance. Everything is wrong if we are out of touch with ourselves and with everyone and everything else, and we have to rely exclusively on our ego-controlled mind. To heal our emotions, we need a fourfold approach: 1. We need to “let go” and release the accumulated negative emotions and associated tension. 2. We need to become aware again of how we feel and express our emotions appropriately. 3. We need to learn how to feel good about ourselves and others and to generate positive feelings. 4. We need to live in our daily lives what we have learned in our exercises. Let Go of Negative Emotions and Tension: Feelings that we have not expressed and often not allowed ourselves even to feel have accumulated within us in the form of repressed emotions. They choke our emotional body in the same way as accumulated metabolic residues obstruct our physical body. In our relationships and social interactions, we react emotionally mainly with reactivated hurts within us and only to a lesser degree with true feeling to the actual situation itself. This causes endless frustration, misunderstandings, and disappointments in our daily lives. In order to free ourselves of these emotional obstructions from the past, we need emotional cleansing periods in which we feel safe to release and express our suppressed emotions. This will already partly be achieved and made easier as a result of bioenergetic exercises, deep muscle massage, and other methods to relax our muscle armouring. Here are three helpful release techniques:
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Forgiveness: The cornerstone of emotional healing is forgiveness. As long as we cannot unconditionally forgive ourselves and others, we remain trapped in past negative emotions. This prevents us from fully loving ourselves and others. A good way to develop forgiveness is to make a list of everyone who has hurt you in the past or whom you may have hurt. Recall especially relationships with your parents, siblings, relatives, and partners. Think of incidents that may have caused anger, resentment, disappointment, sadness, fear, or insecurity. Then mentally go through each incident and note if there is still any trace of that hurt feeling in you. If there is, go deeply into it, reach the bottom of it, examine it from all sides; it may then evaporate. If there is still some hurt, decide to free yourself of this. Do deep breathing and, with each exhalation, imagine blowing the pain into a balloon. When you have transferred all the hurt into the balloon, close it up and let it float off into the blue sky for the universe to take care of. Imagine yourself in the presence of the one who hurt you. Formally and lovingly forgive this person. A very important person to forgive in this way is yourself. Forgive yourself for all the distress and hurt that you caused other people. If you are not ready to forgive everyone unconditionally, come back to this step after you have worked more on your belief systems and adopted a spiritual philosophy of life. Realize you are not doing a favour to others by forgiving them, but to yourself by freeing yourself from destructive emotional toxins. This is similar to cleansing your body of chemical toxins. An alternative is to write a letter to everyone against whom you still feel resentment and whom you are not able to forgive. Write exactly what the other one did and how it affected you. Then formally forgive them and express your love and appreciation. Give this letter to the recipient, or you can burn it and hand the matter over to the universe. Intentional Direct Release: A simple and efficient method of emotional cleansing is possible in a secure relationship with an understanding and cooperating partner. When you feel angry, sad, or upset, tell your partner there is something coming up that you want to release. It is often necessary to exaggerate our expressions in order to get to the old emotions. When you are angry during an intentional release, show that you are angry: Throw yourself on the bed or the floor, kick and punch a cushion, pillow, or mattress, wring a towel, scream, shout, or cry. Similarly with hatred, sadness, grief, or any kind of frustration, bring each out as forcefully as you can. Your partner can help you to deepen the feeling, telling you to get into it, to hit harder, cry louder. Even in more restricted situations with other people, try to experience and express your immediate feelings in an appropriate way. When you are angry, say so and possibly hit with the fist on the table; when you have tender feelings, acknowledge them with a loving smile and, if appropriate, with a loving touch. Re-enactment: In many instances an understanding partner may not be available for immediate release or the situation is inappropriate. Then it is best to reenact a recent hurtful or otherwise frustrating experience, as long as it is still fresh in the memory and the feelings are easily aroused.
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Do this at a convenient time in the privacy of your bedroom or in a car parked with closed windows near a busy highway (where nobody will hear you). Recall the details of the scene and your feelings; bring out these feelings as much as you are able to. A similar situation from the past may pop into your mind, a time when you felt hurt in the same way yet did not react to it. Relive and exaggerate the memories of this past experience to get to the old emotion behind your present feeling. Learn to do this habitually. Whenever you encounter an emotional situation to which you cannot react in an appropriate way because of inhibitions or conventions, re-enact it and respond to it later and elsewhere in an exaggerated form. Do this for anger and hurts and also gratitude and tender feelings you were unable to express at the time. EMOTIONAL THERAPY FOR CANCER: Many individuals and especially cancer sufferers are inhibited in their emotional expression. Often they are unselfish, quiet, and dependable, the caring and enduring partner in a relationship. However, they also tend to harbor resentments as they hold back in expressing their anger or their own needs. For them, family and partner come first, while they sacrifice their own desires and dreams. This then inhibits their life force, their inner drive, and vitality. In cancer lore, this type of behaviour has been called the Type C personality as compared to the Type A personality, which has the opposite character traits and a susceptibility to heart disease. Most cancer patients have a so-called Type C personality or behaviour. Type C personalities typically:
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Rarely or never feel or express anger or other negative emotions, such as fear or sadness
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Are patient, cooperative, appeasing, “nice” individuals, non-assertive and compliant with authorities
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Are extremely self-sacrificing and overly concerned with meeting the needs of others rather than their own
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Tend to hold resentments, instead of speaking out
Another emotional cause of cancer is an unexpected loss. This may be a partner or close relative, a job, business, financial security, or anything with which the individual has a strong emotional bond. In individuals with a Type C or cancer personality, such loss often causes a severe depression of the emotions as well as of the immune system, and any hitherto dormant or slow-growing tumours explode in a sudden growth spurt. These emotional cancer causes need to be rectified in order to give any additional therapies a chance to work. If you have the opportunity and financial resources, consult with someone who specializes in emotional therapies; otherwise work with your partner or a friend. Write in as much detail as possible about the worst experience of your life; share it with a trusted person. Search your mind and write and talk to someone about your other resentments, hurts, disappointments, losses, and shattered dreams. Practice expressing yourself forcefully, even exaggerating gestures and body movements. Remember incidents that you did not like and induce and release anger by kicking and punching something; cry or scream if possible, then afterwards forgive yourself as well as everyone else for past hurts and mistakes.
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Practice expressing emotions and feelings with your body. Read poetry aloud with feeling; express feelings through dancing, arm and hand movements, or pantomime. Find another dream, something worthwhile and exciting to do after you have recovered from your disease. Be assertive, especially with medical and other authorities; make sure that your emotional needs are met. Meet other cancer sufferers in weekly sessions for emotional group therapy and support; share information, meditate, and visualize together. Take control of your therapy program. I believe that your emotional transformation through learning to express your emotions is the key to winning the battle with cancer or any other disease. In summary: •
feel your negative emotions and express them appropriately
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feel your emotional needs and move towards fulfilling them
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uncover and release all resentments
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forgive yourself and others for anything you or they may have done
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speak out, become assertive
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trust your own knowledge and intuition
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find a dream that you would love to make come true in coming years
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become enthusiastic about your present life and future
Keep these points in mind and move towards changing your behaviour in small steps in your daily life whenever an opportunity presents itself. Use mind improvement methods, such as meditation, affirmations, and guided imagery or visualization, to shape yourself and your future as you want it to be. Overcome Fear: A disease such as cancer provides us with a great opportunity to learn to care for our body, to heal our mind and emotions, and to become spiritual. Some of the inner causes of cancer are long-standing resentments, habitual worries, inner hurts or grief, guilt, repressed sexuality, and a lack of joy and spontaneity. All of these are expressions of fear and we need to overcome them by developing unselfish love. One of the most basic fears to overcome is the fear of dying. This can best be done by seeing yourself as an immortal soul who temporarily inhabits and operates a biological body to gain certain experiences. Numerous near-death experiences show that death or shedding the biological form is generally a liberating and pleasant event for the soul; you may have similar experiences to this during meditation. Another fear is fear of pain and dependence on others, especially in an impersonal and technological hospital setting. By using holistic medicine, you can remain in charge. Even if you are too old or start holistic therapy too late, you can expect to spend your last days in a dignified way. Instead of trying to cling to the body or being drugged into a semi-conscious state, this should become the spiritual high point of your life, as you prepare in prayer and meditation for the liberation of your soul. After the shocking revelation that you have cancer, you must gradually progress to hope, belief, and faith, faith in your spiritual guidance and that all will be well. Do your best; the rest is in God’s hands, so there is nothing to be afraid about.
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This inner transformation can be achieved with the indicated mind tools. Preferably develop a daily routine that you start with prayer, affirmations, and relaxation, followed by guided imagery and meditation. Become Aware - Experience Body Sensations: Even without the goad of having cancer, we need to become aware of our feelings and emotions when they arise. An easy way is to start with simple body sensations. Try to increase your awareness of body sensations. Whenever a sensation arises naturally, be it warmth, cold, tingling, hunger, thirst, the tastes during chewing, or any other body sensation, focus your attention on it. Soon the sensation will intensify and gradually you will learn to pick up on even faint sensations that you normally would not have felt. Unpleasant sensations will usually recede after a while and may disappear completely. This is especially the case with hunger or pain. In order not to feel hungry during a fast, tell your body beforehand that you are doing a cleanse to make it feel better and that it will get food afterwards; then ask for its cooperation. If you forget to do this beforehand, you can still explain it when you feel hungry. Usually the craving for food disappears after this. It is similar with pain. By focusing your attention on it, the pain can tell its message, the reason why it is there, and then it can withdraw, helped by the muscle relaxation induced by your attention and non-resistance to it. One of our most frequent sensations, both important and pleasant, is our food taste. Use the excellent opportunity provided at each meal to savour the flavours that develop while placidly chewing. This increases and helps your digestion. For healing a specific problem, imagine that powerful nutrients in that food are now on their way to the problem area to improve it. At other times, try to feel the various parts of your body as you move, stand, sit, or lie down. Sense which muscles are tight and which ones relaxed; warmth may develop wherever you focus your attention, yet you can also feel a refreshing coolness if you concentrate on that. An easy way to do this is by mentally transferring the warmth of the breath felt during exhalation or its coolness during inhalation to a designated part of the body. Slightly move an arm, leg, or your head and experience how each move feels. Focus on the beating of your heart; feel the pulse at the sides of the neck. Put a hand on your chest to feel the movements caused by the heartbeat and the breathing activity. Shake your whole body or one part of it and feel the energy flow when you stop. Lightly touch various objects, your skin, that of others, tree bark, a stone, glass, and feel the differences. Slowly move your lightly cupped hands close together, but without touching, then move them apart. Repeat for a minute or two, moving them slowly towards each other and away again. Can you feel a resistance developing when the hands are brought closer together, something like an air cushion? Do the same exercise after shaking your arms and hands for a minute. Move the tips of your outstretched fingers close to those of another person. Try with the same hands and also with opposite hands. Can you feel an energy, a tingling? Allow Spontaneous Feelings: Focus your attention on any emotions or moods that arise. When you are angry, do not just remain angry in your head. Scan
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your body to detect if you can feel it there. It may be in the form of an energy rushing upward from the lower chakras. Is it activating your arm or leg muscles, so you want to hit or kick? Intensify any body feeling. Hit the table or a wall with the padded side of the fist; kick a cushion or the air. How does it feel now? If you are frustrated, where in your body do you feel it, apart from your head? Ask the same with other feelings, such as fear, anxiety, worry, jealousy, hatred, longing, compassion, love, devotion. With tender feelings, focus your attention on the heart. Do you feel a stirring there, something moving? When you feel an emotion in the body, try to stay with it and intensify the sensation, even if it is anger or another negative emotion. Try to express whatever you feel, but in a suitable way. Certain muscles may want to move; intensify the movement. If you feel fine, sense that well-being all over the body. If you are dissatisfied, unhappy, or discontented for no specific reason, relax and focus your attention on feeling dissatisfied, unhappy, or discontented. Feel it in the body: Where is its centre? What does it want to tell you? Some of our strongest feelings develop during sexual intercourse, so go into these feelings. Try to spread them out from the sex organs into the pelvic area and throughout the body. Radiate them out to your partner. Do not let yourself be distracted by fantasies; stay with the feelings. Sentic Exercises for Emotional Clarity: Manfred Clynes, author of Sentics: The Touch of Emotions, developed a set of “sentic exercises.” Clynes defines sentic as the brain state and its corresponding experience generally associated with the word “emotion.” He found that the same emotion in people all over the world produces the same kind of muscle response. He used the pressure of a finger on a measuring device to record the intensity and direction of the pressure generated by each emotion. Even more important for us, this process can be reversed: A certain finger pressure tends to generate its associated emotional feeling. At the same time, this feeling is expressed through the pressure in a way that is satisfying for the body. You can press with one or more fingers or even with the whole hand against the surface on which the fingers or hand rest. Negative feelings are best generated and expressed with the fingers pointing straight down to produce a kind of stabbing muscle response. Positive feelings are more effectively produced if the lightly cupped hand rests on the surface and the pressure is mainly expressed with the fingertips. Both hands may be used simultaneously. To do these exercises, keep the executing arm in a relaxed position. If you sit on a chair, the jabbing pressure can be produced on the seat of a second chair or even on your thigh. For the whole hand to rest on a surface, use a table, your thigh, your other arm, or your chest. Eyes can be open or closed. The pressure patterns of the seven key emotions are as follows: •
Anger: Make a jabbing movement away from the body, like hitting out. The duration is much less than a second and is accompanied by a sharp exhalation and a corresponding sound; the gaze is slightly downwards.
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•
Hate: The pressure is stronger than in anger, but develops more and is sustained somewhat longer; it ends abruptly, as in anger. The direction is away from the body and occurs during exhalation.
•
Grief: This can be expressed with the cupped hand. The finger pressure is straight down and increases slowly for half a second. There follows a period of passive weakness and immobility during which the pressure gradually eases. The head can be tilted forward and to the right (for right-handers). Breathing is slow and shallow, pausing after the exhalation. The whole action lasts three to five seconds.
•
Love: Pressure is gently towards the body, increasing and relaxing very slowly in a deep, smooth movement. Exhale slowly with a sensual sound; the head remains level.
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Sexual arousal: Push down and slightly away from the body; release quickly, but finish with a gentle pressure towards the body. Breathing is rapid, panting-like puffs during exhalation; the head is slightly down. The action is longer than for hate but shorter than for love.
•
Joy: A quick moderate pressure straight down, immediately followed by an upwards bounce with less finger pressure on the surface than before the action, resulting in a floating feeling until the pressure gradually increases again to normal. It is like jumping for joy and floating down. The action is best performed during inhalation, head and gaze slightly raised.
•
Reverence: Very gently increase pressure nearly vertical or slightly away from the body; very slowly return to normal pressure in a smooth movement without any body tensions. Breathing is extremely slow with pause after inhalation; head and gaze are slightly up.
To increase your ability to feel and express your emotions, practice these exercises for about 30 minutes daily. This will help release the emotional tension that has accumulated during a lifetime and enable you to respond in an appropriately feeling way to present and future emotional challenges. Preferably start with a non-emotional expression. While relaxed, repeatedly press straight down, with one or more fingers or the whole hand, in a mechanical way, like hitting a typewriter key. Then express each of the emotions just listed approximately 30 times. The emotion tends to build up gradually for several minutes and then reach a plateau before easing off again. Follow the order as listed, starting with anger and finishing with reverence. The emotional buildup is strongest if there is a certain time interval between individual actions. This interval is different for each emotion. For anger, Clynes found this to be 4.8 seconds; for hate, 5.3; grief, 8.2; love, 7.4; sex, 4.9; joy, 5.2; and reverence, 9.8 seconds. There may be timing tapes commercially available; otherwise, you can initially experiment with the timing and develop a feeling for it. Later, when you feel free of the desire to express negative emotions or you do not derive any more benefits from it, continue with those exercises you like. Sentic exercises can be combined with other feeling exercises. Such exercises can show you that it is not necessary to be a victim of unpleasant feelings. You do not need to wait for positive outside influences to produce pleasant feelings within you. Instead,
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with continued practice, you can choose how you want to feel at any given moment, how you want to respond emotionally in any situation. Exercises for Coming Alive: When we are conscious only in the head, without being permeated with our feelings, it is almost as if the body were not really alive. It is then more like a machine, a mechanical device operated by the brain. This has been the lifelong condition of most of us, so we do not know what we are missing until the body gradually awakens, vibrating with life-giving feelings and not just pain. We can grow even further, learning to choose our feelings, not just during an exercise, but during our daily activities. In order to feel good, to feel love or joy, we do not need to wait for the rare occasions when others or circumstances temporarily ignite such uplifting feelings within us. We are not our feelings and emotions; instead these are energies we can use and enjoy according to our needs and preferences. The three exercises described below can gradually be extended in a way that the generated feelings become habits in our daily lives instead of isolated instances of feeling good. If you do not already feel alive and vibrating before starting a feeling exercise, energize your body for a few minutes with deep breathing then shaking, especially of the arms and head. MIRROR: Sit or stand in front of a big mirror and smile at yourself. Look lovingly into your eyes and talk to your mirror image in a soft voice. You can say something endearing, such as: “I see love shining out of your eyes. It comes from your heart. Your heart is filled with love. It shines out of your eyes.”
Repeat this over and over again, slowly, with all the feeling you can express. Pause and smile at yourself; smile with your eyes, a gentle, loving smile. While continuing with the mirror exercise, you can also use sentic hand pressure to increase the feeling in your heart centre. Sense how it feels to make passes with your hands around your head and body, slowly moving downwards with palms facing the body. Instead of addressing the mirror image as another person, say “my” instead of “your” during your endearments. Experiment to see what feels best. As an extension of this, when you have the opportunity, practice with a partner or friend making eye contact and smiling at each other. Take turns lovingly praising each other. MUSIC:
Music is excellent for inducing feelings. For heart feelings, use soft music with an uplifting, melting quality. This can accompany any of the other feeling exercises. You can also use it during heart-feeling meditations while being quiet or during repetitive activities; at other times, select stirring or uplifting music according to the feeling you want to amplify. Jazz can be useful for raising the energies, especially in the morning and during shaking exercises. Some blues are good for inducing tender feelings. Rock music, on the other hand, is usually weakening to all muscle systems and should be avoided. This applies also to any music that conveys chaos and disharmony instead of harmony. There is now a wide range of New Age music available. Most of it is designed for relaxation with sounds of waves and brooks, and some is suitable to generate an atmosphere of reverence and emotional uplift. In most instances, however, it provides just a pleasant, unobtrusive background for meditation and feeling
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exercises. It would be excellent if a series of tapes could be obtained for inducing various defined states of feeling. DANCE: Dancing is a moving expression of our feelings. We can even dance without music if we want to express a feeling. However, in order to generate feelings, it is preferable to dance to suitable music. You do not need to move your legs when dancing; you can dance with your head and body, but mainly with your arms, even while sitting. Most expressive are the hands. Dance vigorously to lively rhythms in the morning to stimulate the energy flow. In the evening, as a prelude to meditation, dance softly to uplifting melodies. Dance often, simply to feel and express the joy of being alive. Try to express the various feelings through dancing, such as anger, sadness, compassion, joy, love, ecstasy, and so forth.
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Step 61 TAKE THE LOVE CURE Lead a radiant life filled with love and joy, and practice the Love Cure.
Love may be the missing factor for our emotional well-being and for overcoming disease. Love is the opposite of fear. With cancer, for instance, psychological therapy has been shown to have a far greater success rate than any other properly evaluated therapy, while fear has a major impact on cancer and AIDS patients. There is also a close relationship between fear, often present subconsciously, and breathing problems, as well as heart disease. Emotional and psychological factors may be why various therapies work with some patients but not with others. Releasing past emotional hurts and resentments is helpful with any kind of healing, but it may not be enough if positive feelings are missing. The ideal is a combination of appropriate therapies on other levels and emotional therapy. After many years of working and experimenting with a wide range of therapies, I conclude that some of the most important factors in restoring or improving our health and well-being are love and joy. For our emotional body, regular doses of these and other positive feelings are as essential as vitamins for the physical body; otherwise, we develop “emotional deficiency” symptoms, which can eventually disable biological functions and lead to illness. Most of us can remember a time when we were madly in love. Love, then, was not just a mental concept, but a bodily sensation and it made us feel invincible. I believe that we can become invincible like that in regard to disease by learning to feel this way again as a way of life. Love and joy can rejuvenate the body and can be more effective than even the best nutritional supplements. Learning to Love Again: Obviously it is not possible to fall in love with someone on a regular basis, but it is possible to experience the feeling of love as a conscious exercise. Love has traditionally been associated with the heart. Of course, it is not the heart muscle itself that makes us feel love, but the heart chakra centred at the middle of the breastbone. In order to feel love and increase our capacity to love, we need to stimulate this heart centre by focusing our attention on it. Diseases in the chest area should respond readily to this therapy and this applies especially to breast cancer, which has a strong emotional and relationship component. For most of us, learning to feel love as a way of life does not come easily and requires a commitment to an exercise program. It will be especially difficult for most males, while many women will take to it quite naturally. Below you will find some useful exercises for this. Experiment and continue to practice those that you find best to generate love or joy in your body. Feeling is energy and energy follows thought or consciousness. This means the most basic requirement for activating our heart centre is to keep our attention focused on it. Later, when it is easy for us to feel, we can just keep a small part of our
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attention there while going about our daily business. Before using these exercises, practice the chakra exercises earlier outlined in Step 52. 1. Breathing into the Heart: Becoming conscious of your breath is one of the easiest ways to generate a feeling sensation inside your body and to keep your attention focused. Sit or lie quietly and mentally follow your breath as it gently moves in and out. Breathe through the nose. Become aware that the out-flowing breath is somewhat warmer than the incoming breath. After a while, begin to pause for a second or two between inhalation and exhalation. Feel a light pressure in the middle of your chest during this pause. When you can distinctly feel it, focus again on feeling the warmth of the outgoing breath. Now combine this warmth with the light pressure felt in the middle of the chest. This is the location of the heart centre. Keep your attention focused on it and gradually intensify the feeling of warmth. Spread it all over the chest, but especially towards the location of any health problem, such as a breast tumor. When you feel the warmth, disregard the pressure. This warmth inside your chest is very pleasant and makes you feel cosy, cared for, and protected. Intensify any of these feelings if they arise. Try to create them deliberately by using your imagination and recalling other situations when you felt this way, possibly when relaxing in a warm bath while listening to soft music. You may find that you can perceive feeling sensations more easily and with greater intensity if you exhale very slowly and gently. When you can do this exercise successfully, you can also use it to keep your attention on the heart centre during your daily activities. You can quickly learn to keep part of your attention focused inside your chest while performing routine tasks, although you are likely to forget it during more demanding mental activities. That does not matter. If you ask your subconscious mind to remember doing the exercise whenever conveniently possible, it will eventually oblige and may tell you a hundred times a day to refocus. If you are somewhat tired, it may even be easier to generate a feeling sensation during activities rather than by lying down and closing your eyes, which may cause you to drift off to sleep. If it helps you to focus, imagine your incoming breath being rose-colored or bright green. You may see this color intensify in the chest area with each successive breath. Another possibility is to put one hand on the chest to feel a light pressure or to press lightly with one or several fingers at the middle of the breastbone. Experiment with a different breath imagination. Imagine your breath moving through the middle of the breastbone, and again, feel the slight pressure and then the developing warmth. For some, this exercise produces stronger sensations. When you are somewhat tired, it will be better to do these exercises with your eyes open and possibly even while walking slowly. 2. Feeling Love: After successfully practicing the breathing exercise for some time, experiment with the following suggestions to see which one suits you best. Eventually, you may use all of them at one time or another, depending on opportunities. It will be easier to feel a love sensation if you are already in a loving relationship, a mother with a baby, or an animal lover with puppies or kittens to care for. If that is the case, look lovingly at the chosen object while doing the breathing
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exercise, and you may find it easy to convert the warmth in your chest into a feeling sensation of love. If you are not so lucky, recall an incident when you felt love. Vividly imagine this time and then intensify the sensation of love when it arises; then forget the actual incident and only hold fast to that feeling inside your chest. Look lovingly at something grand or beautiful: a tree, flower, picture, clouds, the sky, or a person. Soak in the beauty and appreciate it. Then send that feeling of appreciation back to the adored object; all the time, keep focusing your attention on the breath in the chest centre and intensify any arising positive feeling. You can do the same by listening to some soul-stirring music. Eventually, you can start feeling and sending a silent appreciation of love to anyone you come in contact with and over a distance also to someone with whom you have a disagreement or a past problem. When you tend to plants, watering, transplanting, or sowing them, project onto them your feeling of love or appreciation. You can do this anytime in any activity; your only problem will be to remind yourself to do it. If you have difficulty generating a feeling sensation of love, then feel compassion in the heart chakra. Look at or imagine pictures of suffering individuals. When you can feel and radiate compassion, try to change it to a feeling of love or a combination of love and compassion. The feelings of love and compassion can be combined with a feeling of joy, which can also be experienced in the heart centre, as well as in the forehead centre. Or try this: Whenever you meet someone or think of someone, smile and silently say, “God bless you,” while feeling a wave of love or compassion radiating from your heart centre. Or think of someone and extend your arms with palms forward. Again, smile and feel the love or compassion in your heart. During the day, try to remember this feeling of love in your heart and centre on it. 3. Feeling Joy: Joy is the twin of love in helping us to live a healthy and fulfilled life. As with love, it is not easy to feel joy as a body sensation, especially if we do not have anything to be joyful about. There is an area of the body where we can more easily generate and feel joy and even bliss: the pituitary gland behind the middle of the forehead. Concentrating on it during meditation can generate a feeling of bliss; this can be felt as joy when focusing on the pituitary gland or forehead centre during a breathing exercise. As the breath does not flow into the brain, imagine the prana is separated from the inhaled air and flows upwards from the nose into the pituitary gland. If you can visualize colours, see the forehead centre as filled with indigo-coloured prana. First try to feel a light pressure partly due to the focus of your attention and partly to the accumulating prana. Again try to feel warmth or tingling during the slow and gentle exhalation. To focus on the correct point, it helps greatly if you close your eyes and turn them inwards and upwards as if looking into the brain at a 45 degree angle. When you can easily do this, you may even be able to just imagine looking upwards and inwards and feeling a light pressure in the pituitary area while you have your eyes open and are engaged in other activities. When you are able to feel the pressure or warmth, start smiling inwardly and direct this smile to the pituitary gland. As you keep smiling, you may gradually feel a sensation of joy and happiness spreading from your head into your body. If you have
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already learned to feel a love sensation in your heart centre, combine this love feeling with the joy spreading from your head into a unified feeling of elation. 4. Feeling Connected and Peaceful: We can learn to overcome the stresses of daily life and live instead in a condition of profound inner peace by frequently focusing our attention at the top of our head. This will be invaluable with all stressrelated diseases and conditions and also helps to energize the body in a pleasant way. Relax, close your eyes, and imagine a stream of white light entering the top of your head. Try to feel as well as see it. However, feeling it is more important than only seeing it. It may help at first to focus on feeling a light pressure and warmth at the top of the head, possibly aided by leading the breath prana to this point. Exhale very slowly and gently, and imagine feeling peaceful, a deep peace beginning to fill and surround your body and mind. Watch for a feeling of being energetically connected to your Higher Self, the Universe, God, or whatever you want to call it. If you can feel or imagine feeling something like this, try to intensify the sensation. When you have a feeling sensation at your crown centre, you can intensify it by generating a feeling of love in your heart centre and then sending it straight up through the top of your head to your Higher Self or God Self. Immediately feel this love offering coming back to you through the top of your head, greatly intensified. See and feel the incoming white light enlarging and intensifying to surround you now in a pillar of light. Feel how it energizes your whole body. You may also see the white light blending into other rainbow colours that are beneficial for you such as a goldenyellow energizing color, the rose color of love, or the violet flame of purification and transmutation. When you are able to feel the peace and connectedness to your God presence during the exercise, focus part of your attention on the top of your head and feel this connection during your daily activities. Feel at peace and connected. Keep part of your attention on the top of your head while you try to feel the joy behind the forehead and the love at the heart centre. Alternatively, focus in sequence on the top of the head, the forehead, and the heart. Eventually, you may be able to focus on all three simultaneously and feel peaceful and connected, joyful and loving at the same time. Living Your Feelings: If you have a disease or health problem in a specific organ or area of the body, you can now supply it with all the energy and emotional support that it needs for healing, in addition to the nutritional and other support that you may provide. On a regular basis, fill yourself with love and then mentally send it with an inner smile to the organ in need of healing. Breathe more energy into it or lead it there from the storage area or chakra behind the navel. Feel it getting warm or tingling or just feeling good. At the same time, see it filled with a brilliant white healing light. Intensify the vision and the feeling and hold it for a long time. Know that you are being healed. Tender feelings are a daily requirement for your body and soul. We need them as much as we need vitamins and minerals, so make sure you obtain plenty of “emotional nutrients” each day, as there is nothing better to rejuvenate an aging body-mind. Bathe all your cells and organs in tender, loving, or joyful feelings. Focus on each part of the body in turn and concentrate longer on those areas most in need
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of improvement. Try to feel the love everywhere, in your fingers as well as your toes. Let all your cells feel that you love them. The breath will help you stay in touch with your body. Make it a habit to breathe into your heart centre, and keep part of your attention there as often as possible. Alternatively, keep part of your attention focused on the crown or forehead centre. Better still, let the peace and connectedness of the crown centre fuse with the joy of the forehead centre and the love of the heart centre to a symphony of uplifting feelings. Do not let your mind drift idly to produce repetitive mental chatter. Whenever you notice that the internal chatter has started again, renew your focus on the heart centre. Daydreaming, however, can be restorative and creative and is often superior to mental chatter. When you are tired or exhausted, it is difficult to arouse feelings even if you try hard, but at other times gentle feelings may spontaneously arise and float through the body. This happens most easily when we are aware of something beautiful, something which uplifts the soul, a landscape, a painting, music, flowers, a smile. You can then magnify your feeling by radiating it back onto the landscape, the painting, and so forth. When you massage someone, greet someone with an embrace, whenever you touch someone - always remember to radiate loving feelings. It is much more difficult to maintain and radiate positive feelings during conversations, but this will gradually improve. You will find it a great help if you can remain relaxed and smile instead of becoming totally absorbed by the mental aspects of the conversation. However, it is most difficult to retain any kind of feeling awareness during intense mental activity. Usually, we completely forget the body. This will also gradually improve, especially if you can train your lower self to automatically switch back to the heart and crown awareness when the mental challenge has passed. Simplify your life and carry an inner smile with you wherever you are. See the beauty in everything. Gradually, on rare occasions at first, a feeling of deep inner peace may arise, clothed in a feeling of being loved and cared for. If you persist with your attempts to remain focused on the heart and crown centres, then this deep inner peace will intensify and begin to permeate your whole being. Out of this tangible feeling of inner peace will then arise the other feelings, thoughts, and activities as required and appropriate for each occasion. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Part 9 HEALING YOUR MIND We all would like to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilled life, yet few seem to be Our conscious decisions are made with our mind. All healing and improvement in our living conditions start at this level, and it is here that we must take the first step with a conscious decision that we want to improve conditions by following a suitable program. If we see the progression of our lives as a creative process, then we can see the mind as the architect. In our society, rational thinking and the intellect are worshipped, while feeling and intuition are neglected. The reason for this imbalance can be found in the distorted goals and ideals of our society, which has lost sight of inner values. Wisdom, devotion, patience, and compassion are replaced by material riches; inner purity is forsaken and traded in for excessive external cleanliness and hygiene; success is measured by monetary wealth and dominance instead of self-mastery. Thinking is the most important tool for achieving such external success, while tender feelings disadvantage us for success in our society. However, thinking is neutral and we can use it to our advantage in healing our body and emotions. Proper thinking is required to discard unsuitable beliefs and replace them with appropriate ones. If we accept that negative thoughts and beliefs are a cause of our illness and social problems, then our mind is in need of healing and we must replace diseaseforming negative beliefs with health-giving positive ones. I regard the Self as our total nonphysical entity. The Self and the body together are the whole entity. To better understand inner processes of consciousness, we can distinguish between different parts of our Self. I use a fourfold division: •
The higher Self or super-conscious level provides spiritual guidance as inner knowledge and intuition. It has further divisions, variously called soul, Christ Self, over-soul, or God Self.
•
The middle self represents our normal consciousness, that of which we are aware, mainly our mind and mental body, the thinker.
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The lower self or subconscious part is the master of our memories and emotions, including long-forgotten beliefs and a Pandora’s box of suppressed feelings and emotions; it is also called the “inner child.”
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The body self is an elemental (a life-force being) that looks after the biological functions of our body; this is the level of consciousness that is still active when we are in a deep coma.
We can say that the Higher Self operates at the spiritual level, the middle self at the mental level, the lower self at the astral or emotional level, and the body self at the etheric or life-force level. The middle self can to some degree become aware of the other levels, but its centre of consciousness is based at the mental level. Depending on our degree of spiritual understanding, this may be the concrete mind or lower mental level; it may be the higher mental level concerned with spiritual, creative, and intuitive thinking; or it may be somewhere in between. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 62 HARNESS THE POWER OF THE MIND Appreciate the power of your subconscious mind. It is the real power behind the throne of the ego.
Our mind has awesome powers. It makes us sick and unhappy or healthy and happy. It is a powerful tool and it is up to us in which way we want to use it. In clinical trials, mind therapies have been shown to be much more effective than conventional therapies in reversing many cancers. To illustrate the overriding importance of the mind, I relate an example. An elderly male with huge tumor masses all through his body had been given less than three months to live. At that time, trials with the alternative remedy Krebiozen were started. Despite not being eligible to participate because of his short life-expectancy, his enthusiasm about the remedy was so overwhelming to his doctor that he gave him the remedy outside the trial. A few days after his first injections, his tumours had already halved in size and continued to reduce until they had virtually disappeared and the man felt healthy and well. However, two months later, he read a report in a newspaper that the trial was a failure and Krebiozen was useless. Immediately, he fell ill and relapsed, with his tumours quickly regrowing to their previous size. His doctor was so astonished by these strong responses that he decided to make an experiment. He told the patient that the first trial had not worked because the remedy was too old. Now he was waiting for a fresh supply that would be doublestrength. A few days later the man was given the injection; this time the tumours disappeared even faster than the first time and again the patient was completely healthy and well. However, instead of any drug, the doctor had just injected water. Again, a few months passed and then the newspapers carried stories that the FDA had declared Krebiozen to be completely useless and a fraud. As rapidly as he had recovered, the patient deteriorated once more and this time his doctor let him die.70 One might think that such a strong mind effect must be very rare, but consider this: In a chemotherapy trial, one-third of the placebo patients lost their hair. In this rare trial, only half the participants had received chemotherapy and the other half a harmless substance, which they believed to be an active drug. This means that the hair loss in one-third of the placebo patients was entirely due to their belief. This finding is confirmed by one of those rare placebo trials in surgery. After “real” operations for cardiovascular disease, 32 percent of patients had satisfactory results. However, 43 percent of a control group that had only pretend surgery reported subjective and objective improvement! This means that basically all the improvement came from their belief, but the traumatic effect of real surgery reduced the belief-based success by 11 percent. One-third is a figure that corresponds with results from other trials as the approximate size of the placebo effect. I take this to mean that typically one-third of
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patients will either die or recover because of their strong belief. This applies equally to conventional medicine and natural therapy. Those who believe they will get well will do so regardless of the therapy used, and those who doubt or are fearful will receive little benefit from any therapy. I am convinced that this is the main reason why one patient is cured by cancer surgery, while another with the same condition dies afterwards. Therefore, perhaps the main concern for patients with “incurable” diseases should not be to find an effective therapy, but rather to find a way to harness the power of the mind and become a believer with an unshakable faith - in effect, to put the placebo effect to work. Before you decide to believe in eating a piece of cake every Sunday as your preferred cancer cure, there is another factor to take into account. Whatever you do must be totally convincing to your subconscious mind. Just believing something on the conscious mental level is not enough; if your subconscious mind is not convinced that something will cure you, then it will not. The subconscious mind is most easily impressed by something that inspires awe, by authority, ritual, the unusual, and especially enthusiasm. Whatever impresses you as a potential cure, embrace it enthusiastically. Anything that you just try to see if it works is not likely to work. Get to Know the Lower Self: In order to heal our mind and use it more efficiently, we need to have a basic understanding of our lower emotional self. This operates on a different level of consciousness from our normal consciousness (the middle self) and has many of the characteristics of a separate entity. When working with it, it is best to regard and treat it as a reliable servant. It is advisable to be on good terms with our lower self because it is the power broker of the body. The middle self is like the captain of a ship, the Higher Self is the shipping line and employer of the captain, and the lower self is like the union foreman. If the crew has any grievances, the boss may call a strike or otherwise make life difficult for the captain. The body self is comparable to the crew and cooperates very closely with the lower self. Here’s what we can say about the lower self and its body functions: 1. Influences the body self and the physical body (except for the voluntary muscles) 2. Is the seat of our emotions 3. Receives all sense information 4. Keeps a record of all sense information, thoughts, and feelings 5. Operates our memory bank 6. Operates our psychic abilities 7. Is the means of communication with our Higher Self The real power of the body rests with the lower self, but it has one shortcoming: It cannot think logically. It has only an elementary ability to think, similar to an intelligent domesticated animal or a small child. Therefore, it is dependent on the middle self to tell it what to do and, as the faithful servant that it normally is, it willingly obeys the middle self.
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However, because it is simpleminded, the lower self is dogmatic. It may take our early childhood programming, especially our religious and sex-related teachings, and anything someone in authority may have said, as gospel truth. It can be moralistic and regard itself as the keeper of any important commitments that the middle self may have made. To illustrate these characteristics of the lower self, here are a few examples from The Secret Science behind Miracles, by Max Freedom Long. A young man with a strong religious upbringing had the urge to enter the ministry. He took a job in a furniture factory instead. There the paint fumes made him sick. When transferred to the woodworking department, he developed asthma from the sawdust. He tried several other occupations, but each time he became sick from something connected with the job. In the end, a psychologist unearthed his earlier intention to become a minister. As nothing else seemed to help, he advised the man to enter the ministry. The man did and had no more illness. A religious Hawaiian man had an affair. His wife found out but forgave him. Within a year it happened again, but this time his wife did not find out. This seemed to make it even worse for the man who gradually lost his strength and will to live until he was very close to dying. A kahuna (native healer) was called and discovered the truth. He induced the wife to forgive her husband once more and the kahuna performed a ceremony in which all the man’s sins were washed away. The patient immediately started a quick recovery. A young woman had been brought up to regard dancing and drinking alcohol as sins. After her marriage she moved in different circles and gradually started dancing and having the occasional cocktail. Soon she twisted her ankle slightly during a dance. Normally, she would have been fine after a day or two, but instead the leg became gradually worse and a deep running sore developed below the ankle. A kahuna convinced her that she had not really sinned against God and in addition forgave her and washed away all guilt of any kind. The ankle quickly recovered to its full strength. However, the young woman neglected the kahuna’s instructions to continue affirming that if she had not hurt anyone, there was no sin. Again she danced and drank a little and eventually the ankle sore reappeared. However, this time the kahuna explained that he could not help, as the lower self had now become too much entrenched in its conviction of sin. The only permanent cure was to give up drinking and dancing for good. These examples show how our lower self holds on to childhood beliefs that as adults we have long forgotten. In contrast, the lower self never forgets. Therefore, if we suspect a conflict between the beliefs of these two selves, we have to convince the lower self that the old belief is no longer appropriate and patiently and in simple words explain the new situation instead. The Power of Beliefs: We see and interpret the world through the coloured glasses of our belief systems. We even create our personal world according to our beliefs. We project selected ideas, thoughts, and emotions into our surroundings and with these attract or repel people and events. Most notably, we manifest what we fear. Negative thoughts harm no one more than us. When a negative thought comes
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into our mind, we can either accept it or immediately block it and replace it with a positive thought. It is advisable to begin our healing and growth venture by looking closely at our basic beliefs to see if we still want them. Do they present a positive outlook and are they in harmony with our goals and our new philosophy of life? One way of finding out is to write down your beliefs about the basic questions and problems of your life. What do you believe about yourself, your friends, your work, your health problems, your body and your future, about death, Afterlife, and so forth. Then cross out whatever does not meet your new standards and rewrite in a more positive form what you would prefer to believe. As an example, you may believe that most people are selfish. As long as you believe this, you will attract mostly selfish people or interpret their motives as being selfish, which may not always be true. Therefore, start reprogramming yourself by writing: “I attract more and more unselfish people into my life.” Instead of believing “I will become infirm with advancing age,” you can now write: “My health and well-being are improving with every day in every way.” Yet just writing all this down is not enough, because by now the lower self will share many of the beliefs of the middle self, and the lower self is very stubborn. Most effective for influencing the lower self are autosuggestion methods, such as affirmation, selfhypnosis, and visualization, as well as studying and gradually accepting a truly spiritual philosophy of life. However, even if you are successful in changing your beliefs, that is not the end of the road. It is just a precondition to attracting the necessary knowledge or conditions that will make an improvement possible. You still have to do whatever is necessary on one of the other levels, be it a change in diet or asking for forgiveness and sending kind feelings to someone you have hurt. Be careful with psychic predictions about yourself. Some are amazingly true in minute details; however, others can be wide of the mark. Therefore, believe only in those predictions that you would like to come true and ignore the rest. Choose your beliefs carefully because they determine what will happen to you. Worry, Resentment, and Desire: Three of the most common obstacles to good health, inner peace, and happiness are worry, resentment, and desire. Worry is an outcrop of fear and is part of the price we pay for a lack of faith in our guidance. For someone who is in harmony, in tune with the Higher Self, there is nothing to worry about, neither from the past, nor in the present, nor in the future. Resentment is an expression of ego-centeredness and results from a lack of self-responsibility. We blame others for what happens to us and we try to make them pay for it by withholding our love and affection from them. A change of attitude towards self-responsibility will free us from the self-destructive effects of resentment and enable us to become tolerant and understanding of our own shortcomings as well as those of others. If someone does something that we do not like, then we should either speak out or accept and forget it. Resentment is the worst of our choices. Desire tends to rob us of our peace of mind and destroy our inner harmony. We must, of course, tend to the needs of our body. A desire for food when we are hungry, for rest when we are tired, for sunshine, fresh air, and so forth, are natural. It
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is also good to desire being creative. In addition to these natural desires, most of us have numerous desires related to pleasure and social achievements. Even such materialistic desires are no problem, provided we are happy to pay the price for their fulfilment, and usually they help us to learn or grow. Still, the more we improve our belief systems, the more the need for desire fulfilment and achievements will disappear and the easier it will be to feel peace and harmony. Actually, it is not so much the desire itself that causes us trouble, but our attachment to the outcome of our actions. It is excellent to have the desire to be creative, but if instead we focus our desire in the form of expectations on the result of our creativity, then we are heading for disappointment. Even our path towards better health, fulfilment, and happiness will be more successful if we do not have too great a desire to achieve this goal quickly. Instead, we can walk this path for the sake of the pleasure and satisfaction provided by the path itself, by being creative, playful, having realizations, and doing something meaningful. Generally, the fun is in doing, in action, rather than in the achieved result. When, for some reason, we are confronted with a difficult task, we must channel all our energies into this purpose and have a “one-track mind” in our desire to succeed. However, as long as we want something badly for mainly selfish reasons, we may not get it, or if we do, the price may be too high and we may not appreciate it any more. We can overcome this obstacle by doing what needs to be done or acting for the good of our family, community, nation, or for mankind, without desiring the fruit of our actions for ourselves. In this way, we can never be disappointed and always get our reward from the pleasure it gives to do well what needs to be done. Remain aware that we are just actors in a play, with Divine guidance as the director, and whatever the outcome of the play, all is well. Our world covers every view and every condition possible under the given circumstances. Due to our cultural, social, and personal programming, we select a few views and conditions out of all that is. We focus on these, identify with them, and move towards manifesting and even becoming them ourselves. What we call good and evil, happiness and suffering, love and hate, joy and despair, are part of this world. From these we select, usually subconsciously, that with which we resonate; we attract it and then manifest it in our lives. However, we can consciously influence this internal selection process and focus intentionally on what we want to manifest in our lives or how we want to become. We do this by maintaining a positive mental attitude or expectation. Develop an attitude that remains in all situations positive, playful, tolerant, kind, and humorous, laughing more about you and less about others. In no way, however, should we just pretend these attitudes when we feel differently inside; always express or acknowledge in a suitable manner whatever you feel. It is okay to feel angry, upset, or sad. Go into it. However, in the back of your mind, remain aware that you can change the situation and laugh any time you want. The more you learn to take yourself less seriously, the easier it will be to laugh about your own mistakes, until it simply becomes impossible to be angry or upset. Even
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annoyances created by others may eventually cause you amusement instead of ulcers. It is all a question of attitude. Fear of Death: The fear of death and dying is widespread in our society, due mainly to a materialistic belief system. Early childhood programming about eternal punishment in hell may still have an influence on some of us. Most of the time, this death fear is kept out of our conscious mind, unless the death of a close friend or relative brings it to the surface. At other times, it can manifest as an inner insecurity, a fear of disease, a general anxiety, or inner emptiness. Mourning, in this condition, is more or less an expression of self-pity, although very helpful and necessary with this belief system. We can free our lives from all these negative influences by changing our belief about death and the Afterlife. If you follow an established religion, you can actively program yourself to believe more strongly in the positive aspects of the Afterlife as taught by your religion. If you do not follow a specific religion, you can get acquainted with some books on near-death experiences or reincarnation, especially with studies using hypnotic regression. However, do not look for “proof.” There is no concrete proof available in spiritual matters that will convince everyone. To our normal consciousness, we accept the spiritual world on faith and belief. Of two people confronted with the same facts, one may believe in them and the other reject them. You can choose what you want to believe. After starting to believe in a spiritual truth, be it reincarnation, karma, divine guidance, or the Afterlife, you may find more evidence to reinforce your belief. With this, an inner knowledge will grow, which is the only true form of knowledge. Eventually, you will know from the experience of your own life and will not be interested anymore in the “proof” someone else may be able to offer. Nevertheless, it may help you to review the book “A Lawyer Presents the Case for the Afterlife“ (available at: www.victorzammit.com ). In it, Victor Zammit, a retired attorney of the High Court of Australia, has assembled all the known evidence of survival after death. He came to the conclusion that before a court of law, the evidence taken as a whole would constitute overwhelming evidence and irrefutable proof of the existence of the Afterlife. The acceptance of the Afterlife as a reality may remove the fear of death in our society and reduce the mourning, sadness, and loss that we feel at the passing of a loved one. Instead, it may become a celebration, in which we congratulate the departing ones on a job well done and in which we are happy that they can now receive their well-earned rest and reward and go on to greater things. We know that we will catch up with them sooner or later and that it will be a great reunion. I have in my mind the picture of a large group of deep-sea divers working under difficult conditions in heavy steel suits at the bottom of the ocean. Their technology is such that they can stay below for years. From time to time, one of the divers finishes his assignment and can come back to the surface. The other divers are envious and would like to accompany him. However, it is also important to them that they finish their own assignments, so they give a little party for their lucky colleague, congratulate him, wish him well, and arrange for another bigger party when they are all back together at the surface. When the successful diver finally reaches the
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surface, there is another big celebration with all his friends who had remained at the surface or had returned before him. What a relief getting out of that heavy diving gear after all those difficult years and seeing the sun again! This is how I imagine the soul must feel when it can finally discard the body after a hard life. It is understandable to feel sad at being left behind by a departing loved one, yet the anticipation of the eventual reunion should make it easier to bear. Even in the case of a young child dying apparently without purpose, the departed soul may soon try to incarnate again, perhaps even with the same mother. As we spiritually mature, we will come to know our time of departure in advance, and we will be able to depart without requiring a disease to free our soul. With this, we will also stop our efforts to prolong our life, to live as long as possible. We will be happy to leave when we have finished the job that we came to do or had the experiences we wanted. So with this in mind, reprogram yourself into believing that you are only an actor in a temporary role in your present life and that other roles in different lives and perhaps different worlds are part of your greater existence. Then it may be much easier to take it easy, to be playful about serious matters, enjoy your role in this life, and to look at your problems as opportunities to experiment and see what comes of them. Self-Responsibility: By aiming for health improvement on all levels of our existence as a conscious expression of our attitudes and beliefs, we show that we are prepared to take responsibility for our life. It is common to blame someone or something else for our problems, yet it rarely occurs to us to look to ourselves for the source of our difficulties. We eat unhealthy food, create harmful emotions, adopt negative attitudes, and when this makes us sick, we blame it on outside influences and want someone else to fix it. By accepting self-responsibility, we realize that there is never anyone or anything else responsible for our problems, only us. When we become sick or have an accident, we do not blame fate or germs, but understand that we have transgressed a law of nature or moved against our life blueprint. We try to discover what we did wrong and we correct the situation and guard against making this mistake again. If our disability is of a nature that it cannot be healed, then we accept it cheerfully as a test given to us for the good of our soul and we make the best of what we have. It is similar with social, marital, or financial problems. We assume that it is the essential purpose of our existence to learn the spiritual and biological laws, to direct our feelings and emotions into beneficial patterns, and to make the right decision at the right time in the right place. Every problem we encounter offers us the opportunity to learn. The way we learn most is by making mistakes and then becoming aware of them. This is how we explore our limits. When we have learned our lessons, we will be able to handle life’s problems without difficulty. By adopting this principle of self-responsibility, we also adopt a position of power. We are no longer victims of anyone or anything, but rather the masters of our destiny.
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We realize that we have to learn anyway, by the long, hard road of suffering caused by our ignorance or by an attitude of willing cooperation in our scheme of existence. The road of self-responsibility is so much more pleasant than the road of suffering. It is an exciting venture in self-realization. Every unpleasant happening or health problem not only mirrors what we have to learn but also shows us the solution - if and when we are able to see. Self-responsibility in regard to health care does not mean that we should rely entirely on ourselves without outside help. Helping each other and learning to cooperate are important parts of self-responsibility; we can seek the services of a competent healer whenever that feels right. Our attitude towards a health professional need not be passive submission to authority; it can be helpful and optimistic cooperation in a joint venture in healing in which we retain the overall responsibility. Expect your healer to help you, but not to do your work; you still need to bring about the necessary inner and outer changes. While the ultimate decision about our healing is made at or above our soul level, we have to accept self-responsibility to prepare the way and remove any obstacles for healing to become possible. I see the relationship between our Higher Self and our personality as that between parent and child. While the child cannot make the decision where to go on holiday, the parents will take the wishes of the child into consideration. If the parents are generally pleased with the child and there are no important obstacles, then the parents are likely to agree with the wishes of the child. In the case of a so-called terminal disease, the Higher Self may grant the wish of the person to be healed and retain the present body, especially if that may lead to further spiritual growth. Changing Our Attitude: Our attitude is the key to travelling the long road from suffering to happiness. Our attitude is our mental disposition towards persons and events as well as towards ourselves. It is greatly influenced by our belief system and our subconscious programming. It being close to the surface of our consciousness, we can easily observe our attitude and work on our shortcomings. This provides an excellent opportunity for inner change. Monitor your attitude and correct it instantly whenever it does not meet your new standards. For example, we may have the habit of evaluating passing strangers in a negative way. Looking at someone, we might think, “Her legs are much too fat,” or, “He has mean eyes.” Whenever you notice yourself doing this, think of something positive about this person or just send an inner greeting of love and peace. You do not deny that there are negative factors in others - as seen from your point of view - but you just ignore them. Everything has two sides, which we may call positive and negative. The positive side is in agreement with our own values and the negative side is in disagreement. We tend to manifest what we concentrate on. Therefore, it is best for us to concentrate on the positive factors whenever possible and take the negative aspects into account only when we are required to do so for specific reasons. The same applies to negative attitudes in an intimate relationship. You may think on occasions that your partner is unreasonable. When this happens, try to understand his or her position and, like a good defence lawyer, consider all the factors in your partner’s favour. He or she may not have received much love and
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security during childhood or had to fight hard for his or her rights, and so forth. Do this as a conscious mental exercise whenever you have negative thoughts about people or events. In our relationships, be it in the business world or with friends and relatives, the correct attitude for us is one that aims for a fair deal for all concerned. We may be elated about an agreement that appears rather advantageous for ourselves, but what good will it do us if the other party is not happy with it? We will have created a source of resentment and trouble. Sensitive individuals will be aware of this resentment against them and cannot be happy about a deal that the other party regards as unfair. When you have a mishap, breaking some crockery, dropping an open can of paint, or hurting yourself, pretend that you are an observer and try to see the funny side of it. When it is too serious to be funny, ask yourself why it happened, what it wants to teach you. Perhaps you simply need to be more attentive, perhaps it has deeper reasons; try to find out. By training your sense of humour in this way or by looking immediately for the reason of the accident, you may not even remember to feel upset about it; though if you do, do not suppress it. Afterwards, realize that it happened to teach you a lesson. Conscious Activity: In order to change undesirable habits and improve various activities, it is necessary to become conscious of these habits and activities. A good starting point is just to observe our mind, our thoughts, and feelings as they arise, without any value judgment in regard to right or wrong, good or bad. Have a part of your consciousness sitting in the back of your mind as an impartial observer, registering everything without a comment. If done consistently, this in itself can induce all the necessary changes to lead us towards a happy and fulfilled existence and draw us closer to full self-realization. For those who prefer a more active way of changing the mind, various additional possibilities exist. As an example, you may discover that your favourite food causes allergy or mucus congestion and you decide to avoid it. You can either be unhappy about giving up your favourite food or you can be happy about coming closer to good health. It is similar with accidents or any other problem. It could always be better or worse. Your attitude decides whether you look at the positive or the negative side of the happening, whether you make yourself happy or unhappy. You have the choice. We can program ourselves in such a way that something in us will call “Stop!” whenever we start performing in the old ways, and then we can consciously do it in the improved fashion. Another important aspect of mind improvement is to slow down or stop the constant silent chatter in our mind and replace it with an awareness of feelings arising in various body centres, especially in the heart centre. Aim to use the brain only when you want to think and switch off any idle and repetitive chatter at other times. Two bodily activities usually in need of improvement are our posture and our breathing. These can be monitored until we perform them automatically in the correct way. Something we should always do consciously is eating, keeping our attention on the food flavours that develop while placidly chewing.
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We cannot become aware of all of these activities at the same time. Therefore, we start with only one, for instance monitoring our attitude for several weeks until we are reasonably successful with it. Then we can concentrate on the posture changes and later on the breathing. It is different with the awareness of chewing and food flavours. As this is for a limited time span only, we can start it immediately and continue indefinitely. Concentrating on body sensations and feelings may be our final challenge. Initially, when we become aware of a new activity, we may remember it for only a few minutes at a time and then quickly forget it again. However, when we give ourselves the autosuggestion to remember watching a habit, we will again and again be reminded of it. A hundred times a day, we may slump and then instantly remember to assume the correct posture again. Do not give up. It will soon become a new habit; then you can relax your attention on it. Gradually, become more and more aware of your whole body and everything you do. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 63 HELPFUL MIND TOOLS Use relaxation, regression, reprogramming, prayer, meditation, and inner communication for a more fulfilled life.
Our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, beliefs, and emotions form the fabric of our inner world. They are the main factors that determine whether we are healthy or unhealthy, happy or unhappy. They have a direct influence on our body by changing or maintaining our inner blueprint and by directing, blocking, or enhancing energy flows and glandular activities. They also act in an indirect way by determining which foods we eat, which environmental factors we choose, which kind of knowledge we acquire and how we use it. So to improve our condition, whether on the social, mental, or emotional level or with reference to our health, we must first change our inner world. Here are some recommended steps: 1. Examine your present condition on all levels. Make a list of what you do not like and another one of how you would like to be instead. 2. Acknowledge and release emotional blocks and past negative or unwanted conditioning. This may be the most difficult step in your improvement program because most of these problems exist on the subconscious level. 3. Use mind-control methods to reprogram your subconscious mind; participate in workshops. 4. Adopt a holistic and spiritual philosophy of life. Mind-improvement therapy for acute emotional problems needs to be accompanied by nutritional improvements such as stabilizing the blood sugar level, avoiding allergens, and using appropriate supplements. In this way, the nutritional component of emotional problems is easily rectified and you can make much better progress with the remaining deep-seated problems. In this step, we’ll see how eight mind tools can help your health. 1. Relaxation as a Tool for Mental Well-Being: Deep relaxation is a precondition for being successful with most autosuggestion methods as well as with meditation and all other methods to contact the inner self. You can experiment with the methods listed below and see which one works best for you. Here are some general guidelines: •
Sit or lie comfortably and close your eyes. Focus your attention for ten to 20 seconds on your right foot. Feel it becoming warm and heavy. Then move to the left foot, the right calf, the left calf, and so on, moving upwards to the head. Include the chin, jaw, eyes, and the back and top of the head. When using this method regularly, the focusing time on each area can be gradually shortened, and related areas, such as a whole leg or a whole arm, can be relaxed at once.
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Imagine yourself in a red-coloured room on an upper level of a high-rise building. After a while, walk to an elevator and feel yourself going down and
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down until you reach an orange room; then go further down to a yellow room, a green one, then blue, indigo, and finally violet. •
Imagine yourself walking down a woodland path to the bottom of a waterfall; feel the peace there.
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With each slow exhalation, feel yourself drifting lower and lower down a long tunnel, or imagine diving towards the bottom of the sea.
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Slowly count backwards from 50 to one. With each count, imagine yourself sinking deeper and deeper into a black void.
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Inhale for a count of eight, hold for two, exhale for eight, hold for two, and so forth. Focus your attention on your breath; notice how it quietly flows in and out. You can also focus on your slow inhalations and exhalations without paying attention to the timing.
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Combine several of these methods in one exercise to achieve deeper levels of relaxation.
AUTOGENIC TRAINING: This body-and-mind relaxation technique was developed by J. H. Schultz.71 It requires diligent practice for several weeks or even months to master the technique, but it is worth the effort, especially for those who are tense or who have difficulty contacting their body.
Lie comfortably on your back, arms loosely alongside the body, palms down, or hands folded over the abdomen. Close your eyes and breathe slowly into the abdomen for a few minutes. At the same time, focus your mind on the formula: “I am peaceful.” Afterwards, repeat slowly in your mind: “My right arm feels very heavy.” Feel your arm becoming limp and heavy like a leaden weight. If you are left-handed, use the left arm. After a few minutes, bend and stretch the arm energetically and repeat mentally: “My arm moves firm and free.” When you can readily feel the heaviness after several days of practice, include the other arm, then the legs and torso. At the end of each session, give the suggestion that the whole body is now light and free. For the next step, add the focus: “My right arm is streaming warmth.” After you can easily feel the warmth in the arm, include also the other arm, the legs, and torso. The warmth does not need to be taken back at the end of a session, only the heaviness. For someone new to meditation and relaxation exercises, it may take about three weeks until the heaviness and warmth can be readily felt together. Now you can move to the next step. Support your right elbow with a pillow so that your right hand lies over your heart. Feel it beating and hold the mental focus: “My heart is peaceful and strong.” When you can experience your heart, you can later keep the right arm in a usual position, relaxed along your side or hands folded over your abdomen. Add the focus: “It breathes me.” Feel the breath flowing in and out without mental control. After a week or two, include the solar plexus (inside the upper abdomen) and say: “My solar plexus radiates warmth” or “My solar plexus is streaming warmth.”
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While exhaling, imagine the warmth of the breath accumulating in the stomach and abdomen and heating them up. Finally affirm: “My forehead is light and cool.” You can mentally transfer the coolness felt in the throat from the incoming breath onto the forehead. Each time, first go through all the previous steps, such as heaviness, warmth, and peaceful heart, and then focus on the next step you want to learn. Practice each new step for one or two weeks. After several months, it will be easy to relax the body completely in a very short time. Body and mind will be still and peaceful, with the body feeling warm and heavy and the head cool and light. You may be in an altered state of consciousness but should be inwardly alert and definitely not drowsy. This is an excellent preparation to do before any of the autosuggestion methods and other forms of communication with the inner self. 2. Regression Therapy: Regression therapy is a special technique of reenactment that can be employed professionally, in a group situation, or with a partner or friend. You go backwards in time until you remember an emotionally charged incident. Professionally, regression may be induced by hypnosis, but it also works well with self-hypnosis or simply by suggestions given by a friend. However, the person leading the regression should have some experience or at least common sense in guiding emotionally distressed individuals. Decide which emotional problem you want to work on. Even if you do not have a specific problem, you may have noticed that you have sometimes acted out of proportion in certain situations; this can be chosen as a theme. Lie down comfortably on your back, close your eyes, and relax in response to your own relaxation exercise or to given suggestions. Now your helper asks you to remember a recent emotional incident and to talk about it. He will encourage you to go deeper into your feelings in that situation while keeping verbal contact with you. Then the helper will suggest that you slide back in your memory until you encounter a similar situation or feeling in the past. After a short pause, you will be asked to describe what you now hear or see through your inner senses. You may be asked how old you are in the remembered situation, if anyone else is present, and what is happening. The questions should be formulated in the present tense. When you stop talking or reacting for a while, your helper will gently lead you back into your feelings. Release your feelings as much as possible while reliving the past incident. Finally, the helper will suggest that you relive the situation once again, but now change it in such a way that you are happy with the outcome. You invent your own version of a happy ending and try to feel it. Another starting point for a regression is to find an unusual phrase that you sometimes use or one that expresses an inappropriate belief about yourself, preferably in connection with an emotional problem. You may sometimes say or think, “I am too old (or too fat or too shy) to find a suitable lover,” or, “I am afraid of crowds (or cancer or confined spaces).” Then, after relaxation, repeat this phrase audibly over and over again and feel into it until a vision or memory develops, which you report to your helper. Prompting questions will be used, as with the other regression method, to lead you deeper into your emotions. Another method, my favourite, goes as follows: Assume that this time you are the helper or therapist to regress a friend or patient. Have the friend lie relaxed on
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their back while you give instructions in a soothing voice. The initial aim is to induce as deep a relaxation as possible. You can give the suggestions for a normal relaxation exercise or suggest deep and slow breathing. Then say: “Now you feel light and begin to float upwards. You rise higher and higher into the blue sky.” After reinforcing this suggestion for a while, you can say: “You look down but cannot see the Earth because of a dense cloud cover . . . You continue to fly over the clouds to look for a place and a time that hold an important clue for understanding your present condition . . . When you have found this spot, dive through the clouds and descend to Earth . . . After landing, look around and tell me what you see or hear or feel.” Pause after each suggestion, as indicated by the ellipses. If the friend remains quiet, after a while ask what is going on. If the friend describes a landscape, ask them to find a house or some people and observe or talk to them. Always keep verbal contact. Whatever the friend reports, try to deepen the experience. Some may report vivid scenes and others just vague feelings. The related incident may be an actual forgotten experience or it may symbolize the problem. Doing this exercise, a patient with cancer of the mouth and throat, for instance, related to me that he had landed on a beach. Some distance away he saw a group of people amicably gathered at another beach. I asked him to join the group to see what was going on, but he found it impossible to approach them. He then realized that he had felt an outsider all his life. He was a good talker, but he talked to or at people, not with them in an open and personal way, and he had felt separated and excluded from group activities. This caused the energies in his mouth and throat area to stagnate and allowed a tumor to develop specifically in that area. Another patient related an incident. He saw himself as a young man in a fishing boat with friends. They were drinking moderately. While all the others had fun, this patient became ill and vomited. He said that this usually happened when he drank alcohol. This shows that he had inherited a weak liver that he damaged still further by trying to keep up with his mates. In another regression, a woman in her 80’s recalled that as a baby she was nearly suffocated by a cat lying across her face. All her life she had been afraid of cats, even if only seen on television. After I suggested that she imagine herself as the baby jerking her body and throwing off the cat, she immediately lost her fear of cats. In many instances, memories and scenes come up that are obviously from a previous life, even if a person doesn’t believe in this. Most common is the experience of a violent death as a cause of serious present problems. Someone with Parkinson’s disease was so afraid of fire that she became rigid merely watching a fire in a movie. During regression, she relived the experience of being burned as a witch. After suggesting that she burst her ropes and run away, she was much improved. However, after some weeks, she started smelling smoke when there was none. Another regression saw her being burned to death in the great fire of London in 1666. After this, she was never again afraid of fire. Instead of inducing the regression as indicated here, you may find other suitable methods and invent your own. To end a regression session, give some
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positive suggestions for coming back into the here and now. If memories become too disturbing and emotional, the session can also be ended with positive suggestions and repeated another time. Repeated regressions can probe more deeply into subconscious problems or explore different situations. When investigating a panic-laden situation, such as a previous death experience, initially suggest the regressed person remain an impartial observer above the scene and describe it with detachment. In repeated regressions, you can then suggest becoming more and more closely involved and starting to identify emotionally with the experience. If a strong negative experience arises, always ask the friend or patient to reinvent that experience with a happy or emotionally satisfying ending. One can also continue to work on unearthed problem areas with affirmations and guided imagery. As with all of these methods, it is good to start with a prayer or affirmation, stating your goal for the session, and ask your higher guidance for protection and your inner self for cooperation. 3. Rebirthing: Rebirthing can be used to release emotional traumas that have accumulated since conception. Preferably have one or more initial sessions with a professional rebirther or with a rebirthing group. Find a helper with whom you feel emotionally secure and who has some experience or a good measure of common sense in emotional guidance. Lie on your back, lightly covered and without restricting clothing. The helper can initially sit at the head end and touch your head for reassurance. Breathe deeply in a fast, regular rhythm, without a pause between inhalation and exhalation. The helper watches that the lower as well as the upper rib cage moves strongly. During inhalation, press shoulders and buttocks into the mattress, while during exhalation, let both relax. Breathe through the mouth and with an open throat to make a sound during exhalation and preferably also during inhalation. Let go of any emotions that arise, with the helper assisting by pressing, stroking, cuddling, and giving verbal encouragement to bring them out. If no feelings well up, then try to remember an incident when you where irritated, angry, fearful, worried, or resentful and deepen that feeling. After first working on more recent problems, try to relive your birth experience and rectify any emotional upheavals associated with it. A surprising number of people can actually come to remember their own birth in amazing detail. Have plenty of big cushions or additional mattresses around so that you can throw yourself about. Keep your eyes closed. Preferably use powerful, stirring music with a strong, regular beat during the first part of the session, becoming quieter towards the end and finishing with harmonious, uplifting qualities. Let your feelings follow the music. The session may last for one to two hours. Try to find a room or open location where you can shout and scream without attracting undue attention. Before you start relating your experience, use crayons to draw a picture of it, the various feelings represented by appropriate colours. You can then change places and your friend can lie down for a session. Repeat from time to time as required to release emotional negativity.
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4. Reprogramming: Autosuggestion or reprogramming is one of the most effective tools for changing our belief systems and reprogramming our body and mind. It can be practiced in various forms. At the level of normal consciousness, we can use affirmations. However, suggestions given in an altered state of consciousness are much more effective; we then speak of it as self-hypnosis. We can also use suggestions during sleep. Suggestions can be given in the form of inner pictures and even motion pictures, and then we call it visualization, guided imagery, or reverie. Reprogram-ming is much more effective if we have a strong positive feeling or emotional outpouring at the same time. EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE (EFT): Before positive affirmations can become effective, we must first free ourselves from fears and the emotional content of negative memories. Otherwise, these continue to cause distress and block the free flow of energies. One of the best methods that I have found is the Emotional Freedom Technique. This method, mainly developed by therapist Gary Craig, is very effective in overcoming negative emotions and disturbing memories and their harmful effects on body and mind. You may be able to eliminate some disturbing problems within minutes.
The basic principle is to combine consciousness with energy flows. The fundamental discovery of this therapy is stated as: The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption of the body’s energy system. It is claimed that single aspect problems, such as fear of public speaking, of heights, of snakes or spiders, can often be overcome within minutes. Also, many physical problems seem to yield to the same formula. This is not entirely surprising as most physical problems have an emotional component. However, in addition, we can expect a direct beneficial effect on the physical body by balancing the energy system, especially if this is combined with conscious awareness. You can select a health problem or a memory that still evokes a negative emotion when you think of it or feel into it. Craig used the following formula: “Even though I have this [state the problem], I deeply and completely love and accept myself.” For instance, if you have been negatively affected by the diagnosis of cancer, then you may say: “Even though I have this fear of cancer, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.” You can also try variations, such as: “Despite my fear of cancer, I fully expect to overcome it.” Therefore, you first state the problem that you want to overcome and then your expected goal or solution. Preferably say the affirmation aloud, at least in the initial tapping sequence (explained below). In repeated tapping sequences, you can shorten the selected affirmation or say it just in your mind. The more specific you can be in selecting your affirmation statement, the more effective it will be. Your fear of cancer may be a composite of multiple aspects, such as the fear of dying, a fear of pain or suffering, a fear of having to leave your family behind, perhaps just fear of the unknown, the emotional impact of the original diagnosis, apprehension of financial hardship, of becoming incapacitated and a burden on your family, and many others. You need to address each of these different aspects separately and say, for instance, “In spite of my fear of dying . . .” or “Although I am shocked by my cancer diagnosis . . .” In order to make the selected affirmation effective, you tap on selected acupuncture points. This temporarily normalizes the energy flow of the tapped
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meridian. Each time, while saying your affirmation, tap each selected point about seven times in the order given in the list. Do this firmly with the tips of the index and middle fingers of either hand on one side of the body or better still, use all slightly curled fingers on both sides of the body. The meridian points to tap are: •
at the top of the head
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at the inner end of each eyebrow
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on the bony ridge at the outside of the eyes
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on the bone under the eyes
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between the bottom of the nose and the top of the upper lip
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midway between the point of the chin and the lower lip
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where the breastbone, collarbone, and first rib meet
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on the side of the body, level with the nipple of a man or the bra strap of a woman
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on the inside of each wrist
At the beginning of the procedure, and again after a series of tapping, assess the emotional intensity of the stressful memory or fear by imagining the corresponding situation. Assign to it a number from zero to ten, whereby you do not feel any emotional content at zero but it is overwhelming at ten. If the intensity has lessened but not returned to zero, repeat the series with an adjusted affirmation. Now you can say, for instance: “Although I still have some of this fear of cancer, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.” Later you can adjust this still further and say: “Even though I still have some of this remaining fear of cancer . . .” If your negative memory is not easily put into words, then you can just imagine it as a movie scene lasting for several seconds and rerun it when tapping each point. This may be suitable in an abuse situation with many different aspects to address. In addition to performing the tapping on yourself, you can also work on a friend or relative. If you do not get results, then you may need to reformulate your affirmation to address a different aspect of the problem, or make your affirmation more specific. With some problems, especially of a physical nature, it may help to repeat the procedure many times during the day for an extended period. To overcome a strong addiction, such as for drugs or smoking, it may need to be repeated every waking half-hour for several days. Some individuals may also be blocked by what have been called energy toxins. These may be due to electromagnetic pollution, chemical sensitivity, food allergy, and especially medical drugs. If no progress can be made with different affirmations, then try to perform the procedure in a different and preferably unpolluted place. If this does not help, clean yourself thoroughly in a bath or shower but without any soap and then test (using muscle testing, as explained earlier in the book) before putting clothes on. Try standing on a tile or hardwood floor instead of a carpet. If that does not help either, try an elimination diet, as described in part 1. The most common energy toxins are often the foods that we love most, in addition to perfume, herbs and spices, wheat, corn, sugar, coffee, tea, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and dairy products. Try muscle testing to find the source of your problem.
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For more information see: www.emofree.com and www.emotionalrelief.org . Dr. Mercola has a good EFT protocol for beginners at: www.mercola.com . As an extension of this method, I suggest that after freeing yourself of negative memories, you also experiment with positive affirmations, especially for improving body conditions. While you may start out formulating your phrase as given above and say: “Even though I still have some remaining weakness in my immune -system, I deeply and completely love and accept myself,” you may eventually rephrase it as: “Every day in every way my immune system is stronger and stronger.” You can augment any other positive affirmations in the same way. AFFIRMATIONS:
Look through your list of beliefs that you want to change and select one or two that have the most immediate importance. Often this will be a health problem or an emotional difficulty. Then work out a short statement to describe your goal. With breathing problems, for instance, you can state: “My breath flows freely and easily at all times.” Write it down at least ten times and then read it aloud as often as you wrote it. Do this several times daily. While making each statement, try to feel it at the same time; in our example, feel your breath flowing freely. Be aware of your inner reaction to the affirmation. Does it sound convincing or does it ring phony? Ask your inner self to participate in formulating the affirmation, so it leaves a good feeling when you use it. Initially, you may perhaps state, “I am happy, healthy, and fit,” but something inside you may suggest instead, “You are happy, healthy, and fit” or “We are happy, healthy, and fit,” the “we” referring to your different selves. Try out such variations and different formulations of the same problem and then select the one that feels best. Another good general affirmation was used extensively by Emile Coue, the originator of autosuggestion therapy: “With every day in every way I am better and better.” Note the rhythm and poetic sound of this suggestion. In this way, the right half of our brain, which requires artistic stimulation, can accept a verbal suggestion that it otherwise might ignore. The right brain is intimately linked to our subconscious mind. Making the message acceptable to the right brain is the key to successful reprogramming. I also like to say: “My days are filled with love and joy.” You can say this right after the Coue affirmation. Feel the joy and love while you say it. Another way in which this can be done is by singing our affirmation or saying it in rhythm or rhyme or with suitable music. Most effective appears to be baroque music with about 60 beats per minute, preferably featuring string instruments. You can also experiment by using different colours in writing down your affirmations, or incorporate the written affirmation in a painting, or even express your affirmation as a painting. Preferably work on only one important problem at a time, be it for days or weeks or months, until you have made sufficient progress. You can, however, use a general formula, like the one by Coue, in addition to an affirmation for a specific problem. Affirmations are statements of goals or intentions that you imprint on the mental level with the aim of getting them accepted by the inner self. When this is achieved,
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when the inner self believes your statement, it is as good as done. As with prayer, the key to success is your faith that your request has already been granted at the spiritual level and just takes some time to become manifest in your existence. In order to demonstrate this faith, it helps to stop using the specific affirmation after some time and live as if it has already come true. 5. Self-Hypnosis: Instead of clothing a suggestion in an artistic dress to make it acceptable to the right side of the brain, we can achieve a similar result by switching off the analytical left side of our brain. We can do this by entering a state of deep relaxation or meditation. We are naturally in this state just before falling asleep or upon awakening. In this condition, the alpha brain waves dominate. Experiment with the various relaxation and meditation methods already described in this book. When fully relaxed or in an altered state of consciousness, repeat mentally, or just slightly audibly, an affirmation which you have selected beforehand. Mentally wander through your body and give a positive suggestion to each organ and system, and send a strengthening flow of energy into each. Start with the head and say mentally or aloud: “Brain healthy and balanced, hair natural color, eyes strong, scalp relaxed, forehead relaxed, neck muscles relaxed,” and so forth, working your way down to the toes. Then mention the various systems and functions, such as “nervous system strong and balanced, glandular system healthy and balanced, digestive system strong and efficient.” Mention also the blood circulation, the immune system, reproductive organs, and the lymph circulation. Repeat each suggestion several times or for about half a minute. Concentrate for a longer period on problem areas. Tell your body to cleanse itself of toxins and metabolic residues. Feel the toxic energies leaving your body through the feet and with the breath. Do not think while giving these suggestions. Let them casually drift into your mind and hold them leisurely for a while. Keep your attention on feeling the various body parts or the effects of any other suggestions. You are in the correct state of mind if you startle at an unexpected outside noise. Before opening your eyes after awakening or when finishing your meditation or a relaxation exercise, give yourself a positive suggestion: “When I count to five, my eyes will open and I will feel refreshed, energized, and joyful.” Then count slowly and try to feel the sensation of being refreshed, energetic, and joyful. Give yourself helpful suggestions for a restful sleep or for solving specific problems just before falling asleep. Children, and adults with their consent, can be given helpful suggestions during their sleep. Start by telling them to continue sleeping, that all is well, and that you love them. Then repeat the special message ten times in simple words. With children, this may involve overcoming problems of bed-wetting, behaviour, or school activity. For yourself, you can also use tape-recorded messages that automatically switch on and off. 6. Guided Imagery: For many problems, visualization or mental imagery is the most powerful autosuggestion method. After entering a state of deep relaxation, visualize your goal or the desired solution to your problem, and hold the picture in a
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vivid form for as long as possible. Try to feel it at the same time. Alternatively, you can produce a “mental movie,” also called a guided reverie. Visualization is usually more effective if you do not try to hold on to a still picture, but make it in some way dynamic, with changes in color, size, and intensity of feeling. Picture various scenes eventually leading to the desired solution. See yourself as you would like to be, with natural hair color, smooth skin, ideal weight, joyfully dancing, overflowing with energy while running up a hill, and so forth. For improving and toning your body, visualize and feel each organ and gland in turn, see it in a healthy shape and color; you can refresh your memory from an anatomical atlas beforehand. In addition, picture streams of healing energies circulating through the body; use yellow or orange colours for toning, green for balancing, and blue for sedation. Visualize your health problem. For instance, if there is a tumor inside your body, visualize it as a black or gray mass. Then do breathing exercises: With each inhalation, see your body being flooded with a golden-yellow energy. See how this energy gradually dissolves and washes away the dark tumor mass; with each breath, see it become smaller. The dissolved mass is then expelled with the outgoing breath. Make this exercise last 15 minutes or longer until the tumor has completely disappeared before your inner eye. If you finish much sooner, then start again dissolving the full-sized tumor. Repeat this exercise daily or even twice daily in serious conditions, best in combination with prayer and meditation. As an additional exercise, see your immune cells charging into the growth and destroying the cancer cells. Invent a picture with a strong emotional impact. You may, for instance, see your immune cells as white mice nibbling away at a cheese that represents the tumor, or you may see them as star-wars spaceships shooting down ugly enemy spaceships that symbolize individual cancer cells. For different conditions, invent your own visualizations. For cataracts, see a gray film over your eyes slowly disappearing. If there is a severe pain, see it as a fireball that is gradually extinguished by a flood of deep-blue, water-like energy, drawn in with the breath. For a paralysed body part, see an orange or fiery red stream of energy enter the limb with each breath, causing it to become more and more hot, tingling, and gently moving with each renewed burst of energy. Use your imagination to create a mental picture suitable for your specific problems. There is no limit to what you can achieve. The following exercise may show you the power of imagination: •
Sit relaxed, then turn your head without moving the shoulders as far as possible to each side, and note how far you can see the wall behind your back from each side.
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Perform a short relaxation exercise and then imagine that your head turns effortlessly almost 180 degrees to each side so that you can see the whole wall at your back.
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Repeat this imaginary turning of the head several times to each side, but without moving the head physically.
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Open your eyes and turn your head to each side and note how far you can now see behind your back.
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BODY TALK: Guided imagery is even more effective if you combine it with talking to your body. Imagine that the body has many different levels of consciousness. Your mind usually works at the mental level while your subconscious mind is in charge of the emotional level. Below that is the life-force level, and that is where your body self operates. However, I believe that each organ in our body and even each cell has its own consciousness. You were already enlisting the cooperation of all these individual levels of consciousness with your guided imagery. Now imagine that you can talk to them as well and that they are willing and eager to comply with your wishes.
In a relaxed state, talk to any organ that you want to improve. Talk to the “body self” that is in charge of all the different organs and body parts. Give it a name, as for instance, your unused middle name, and talk to it as you would to a child with a problem. Tell it repeatedly what you want it to do, such as shrink a tumor, put on or lose weight, strengthen the immune system, remove toxins, and so forth. Give it enthusiastic encouragement and convince it that it is able to do it. If, for instance, you have a breast tumor, then ask it to heal the breast and to support the breast in its efforts to heal. Then in the same way talk to the affected breast. Tell it what you want it to do. Tell it that it is strong enough to heal the tumor and heal any lesions. Ask it to turn to the body self for help. Assure your breast that you love it and promise frequently to send it love energy and any other support that it may need. Then do not forget to do as you said. Tell your body self as well as your breast to let you know what you can do better to support them, and in a relaxed state listen for an answer. A helpful idea may unexpectedly cross your mind. Talk audibly and frequently to your body, at least once a day. After the initial contact, you do not always need to be in a relaxed state but can talk whenever you feel like it. You may find it very effective talking in front of a mirror. You can also directly talk to your army of immune cells, giving them a pep talk as their commander in chief, or ask the red blood cells to carry more oxygen or the lymph fluid to remove waste products more efficiently. CHANGING YOUR REALITY:
Let’s say your reality is that you have been diagnosed with cancer and that you have various physical signs and symptoms to prove it. However, the crucial point is that you cannot change your reality by focusing on what it is. This is so because we create our own reality by what we focus on. If we focus on having and fighting cancer, then we reinforce having cancer as our reality. The harder we fight it, the harder it fights back. Resist and it will persist. Therefore, to change your reality you need to change your focus. Focus on what you want instead of what you have. That is magic. Focus on what you want to be your reality and fill it with your energy. To do this, you can use various mind tools such as affirmation, visualization, guided imagery, prayer, and meditation. But most important, you must live in harmony with the new reality that you want to manifest. You must live as if - as if the healthier and more joyful reality has already started to manifest. It is not enough to expect tomorrow to be better or upon awakening in the morning to expect to have a better day. It is good to expect that, but expectation is not enough. During the day, you actually need to act according to your new reality by embracing life to the fullest.
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Do whatever you need to improve your health. You may occasionally have a cleansing period; you may take certain supplements; or make juices and eat certain foods. But do it with the focus of improving your health rather than fighting the cancer and, whatever you do, do it willingly and joyfully. Make your day as interesting and joyful as you can. The more you succeed in this, the more you will forget that you have cancer and the less you will have it and the less it will have you. Change your focus, deny your present reality your emotional and mental energy, and it will gradually vanish, allowing your new reality to manifest to the degree that you invest it with your energies. But in our physical reality, that takes time. You need to be persistent with your new focus. Any period of doubt or negativity may invalidate a long effort of positive refocusing and you may have to start all over again. Therefore, avoid people and situations, mainly of a medical nature, that tend to generate doubt and negativity. Train your mind to see only the good in everyone and everything. Even your life-threatening illness was good, by helping you to refocus on a new and better life. CAUTION: Some individuals may be a little unstable, but may not know it. This is often due to adverse nutritional or chemical factors. During meditation, this can open the door to undesirable
7. Prayer and Meditation: In prayer you ask for guidance, give thanks, or offer yourself for service, while in meditation you listen for the answer. The two methods can be combined in what we can call “inner communication.”
Prayer is a means of making our requirements known to a higher guidance. This may hear voices telling them to act in a may be a request for help for ourselves or manner that may harm others. others; it may be a request for advice; we may Therefore, be on your guard and follow express our gratitude; or we may offer any inner voices only if their advice is in ourselves as vehicles for greater service to harmony with your ideals and with the mankind. You can continue to address your signs of true spirituality. Especially do prayer in the accustomed way or however it not act on any advice that may be feels best. When you pray to God, Jesus, or a harmful to another person. saint, assume that the prayer passes from the lower self to the Higher Self and from there to any other “address” as may be required. influences. In this condition, people
PRAYER:
When you need help with an important problem, formulate your request in a short, precise form and preferably write it down. Then enlist the help of the lower self to pass on your prayer to the Higher Self. This can be done through devotion, invocation, chanting, or in any way that produces an emotional uplifting, a warm emotional tide coming from your heart or solar plexus. This creates a “carrier wave” that can now be modulated by clearly and precisely stating your request. Best say it aloud, in the same way as it is written and with the same words on successive days. In addition, create a mental picture or impression of the desired result. It is important that such prayers be performed with a deep inner conviction that the request will be granted. When you live in close contact with your Higher Self and readily receive guidance, you may proceed in a less formal way and communicate with your Higher Self in whatever way it deems appropriate. The most effective prayer is a
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thanksgiving for the granted request, knowing that it has already started to manifest on the spiritual level and will in due time appear in your reality. Here a summary of some requirements for a successful prayer: •
Contemplate and formulate your message.
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Relax or enter a meditative state.
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Create an emotional opening or outpouring.
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Say your message in simple words, preferably aloud.
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Include thanksgiving for what you are about to receive.
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Have complete faith that the prayer is successful.
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Repeat your prayer on successive days. MEDITATION:
During meditation, you still your mind and raise your awareness towards your guiding consciousness. Christian saints used to call meditation “silent prayer.” In meditation, you remain in a heightened state of consciousness without thinking. During meditation, we should be wide-awake. Therefore, if we feel somewhat tired, our meditation can be improved by raising our energies beforehand with a few minutes of deep breathing and whole-body shaking. Then proceed with a relaxation exercise and preferably an invocation or devotional service in which you state the goal of your meditation in a prayer or affirmation. Assume a physical position in which you can be comfortable for an extended period. Preferably keep the spine straight. You can sit erect, with both feet on the ground, in a chair with a straight back, or sit cross-legged in a lotus or semi-lotus position. For many, it may be more comfortable to sit on the heels with a cushion under the feet. You can also lie flat on your back if you are able to remain wideawake in that position. An easy method is to start with eight-two breathing (as explained in step 9) and then gradually let the breath move on its own. Focus your full attention on the breath; feel how it flows in and out smoothly and rhythmically. Do not try to regulate or guide the breath; just follow it mentally and feel it. When thoughts arise, let them drift past without paying any attention to them; the same with outside noises, just ignore them. At other times, you can concentrate on your heart area and feel it become warm and filled with love and compassion. Alternatively, focus on the middle of your forehead, feel it as a centre of happiness or even bliss. If the eyes are closed, it helps if you turn them up and inwards as if looking at the forehead centre. In addition, feel connected to your Higher Self through a beam of energy entering the top of your head. Hold these sensations as long as you can. If possible, unite the sensations of the head and the heart and expand them throughout the body. Do not be disappointed if you cannot feel the warmth and love radiation the very first time, just keep on practicing. Meditate for 30 minutes or longer, the longer the better. Preferably make meditation a regular habit at the same time and in the same location each day.
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A Healing and Love Meditation
• Sit or lie relaxed but with a straight spine. • Take some slow, full breaths; mentally follow each breath as your breath continues to flow quietly in and out on its own. • Feel how your body gradually becomes immersed in cosy warmth you can imagine being in a warm bath. • Concentrate on the idea that with each inhalation vital energy or prana begins to fill the body. Direct this energy into your abdomen and feel it becoming very warm. • Direct the pleasant-feeling energy stream to those areas of the body that are
especially in need of healing. • Concentrate on the middle of the chest where you create a feeling of intense love and compassion. • Initiate this feeling by remembering an actual situation or person that invoked such feelings in you. After a while, forget the actual memory and feel love and compassion in an abstract way. • Imagine that you radiate these feelings, like a sun, radiating love and compassion instead of light and warmth. Radiate these to all your body areas in need of healing as well as to the outside, filling the room, the house, and finally all the
world. Realize that you are not the originator of this powerful energy flow, but just a channel through which it emerges from higher dimensions and is transformed by you to the human qualities of love and compassion. • At other times, radiate joy and happiness instead. Hold on to the impression of being immersed in an ocean of beneficial healing energy and for the rest of the day feel an afterglow of the love and compassion or joy and happiness you experienced. • If an unpleasant condition develops during the day, try to recall mentally the ocean of warm contentment enjoyed during meditation.
CENTERING: During our daytime activities, especially on important occasions, it is beneficial to focus our feeling awareness on an inner energy centre. We may feel this as a deep inner peace, as love or compassion, depending on our focus and the requirements of the occasion. This allows us to gather our energies and gives us poise and serenity. This is called centering - moving through life in a meditative state.
There are various methods of centering. The Japanese, for instance, prefer to centre themselves in the hara, the storehouse of vital energies behind the navel. This helps one conduct daily activities in a more focused and powerful way. If we prefer to interact in our relationships and daily life with love and compassion, then we use the feeling awareness in the heart chakra as the method of centering. Focusing on the forehead chakra may be more appropriate during times of intense mental activity, such as discussions and meetings. If we aim to act from our level of spiritual consciousness and like to feel connected with and guided by our Higher Self, then we may centre on the crown chakra. Finally, with some practice, we may be able to fuse our awareness of all of these chakras and remain centred within this integrated feeling awareness. When we are centred, we are not only mentally and emotionally poised and balanced, but at the same time alert and intuitive. In this way, we can remain in touch with our spiritual guidance continuously during our waking activities. When we are
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active while being centred, both sides of our brain work in a balanced way and this is reflected in the balance of our whole personality. It is much easier to remain centred during manual activity than while thinking, reading, or writing, but gradually we can also learn to remain centred during mental tasks. Eventually, we may be able to remain indefinitely in a semi-meditative state by focusing part of our awareness on our inner centre while another part deals with our external problems. 8. Inner Communication: In order to receive direct guidance from your Higher Self, combine relaxation, visualization, prayer, and meditation. Start with a relaxation method that gives you the feeling of drifting lower and lower as to the bottom of a lake. Or imagine sinking down a long, black tunnel towards the core of your being. The farther you sink, drift, or swim downwards, the more you leave the noise and activity of the outer world behind. Regard any remaining noise as ripples on the surface of the lake while you remain at the bottom in peace and stillness. Instead of going down, you can mentally create a special room that you enter only when you want to meet your higher guidance, either by telepathic communication or seeing it as a wise and kind guide. Another possibility is mentally walking down a shaded path to a waterfall and meeting your guide there. Whether you see a guide or not, address your presumed guide with reverence and ask him to start guiding you on your spiritual path, in health matters, and with other problems, by communicating with you. Ask a question and listen for the answer. You may receive an immediate telepathic reply, such as an inner voice or a thought popping into your mind. Alternatively, you may develop a certain feeling in reply to a question rather than getting a mental response and this may indicate the direction in which to proceed. Maintain a blank mind after asking your question, otherwise you may not hear the answer or start thinking of an answer yourself. You can ask several questions and hear answers as in a dialogue. Prepare your questions in advance, before starting the relaxation, so that you do not need to think while in meditation. INTUITIVE MEDITATIVE THINKING: This is related to the traditional practice of contemplation. Suppose you want to find an answer to a problem. This can be a health problem, an invention, or a spiritual matter. Start by finding out relevant facts and information, and then examine it from different perspectives with your mind. In this way, you can identify the key question that needs to be answered in order to find the solution to your problem. Keep this key question in the back of your mind and enter a meditative state without specifically thinking about anything. Watch any thoughts drifting by. If you have thought hard enough about the problem before and now maintain a reasonably blank mind but with the question still in the background, then the answer may now drift into your consciousness as an intuition. FOCUSING:
Lie down or sit comfortably and induce a relaxed condition. If you have a pain, hurt, disease, or any problem in your body, focus your attention on it. Feel into it and ask it what it has to tell you, or visualize your problem in a simple, symbolic way, then mentally sit back and let the pictures or symbols change of their own accord. You can do the same thing with an uneasy feeling such as created by a social, financial, or other problem. Contact that uneasy feeling, possibly by feeling it as a
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pressure somewhere in your body. If you have a multitude of problems, ask yourself which one is the worst and try to feel this one first. After listening to your body and feeling the tension it creates somewhere, a certain impression may form within you as an answer to what it is all about or you may see a symbol as an answer. Then ask that tension or problem in your body whether this is the right answer and feel what it does. If your answer is correct or partly correct, the problem will shift; the tension or pain may lessen or you may feel relieved. If the answer is wrong, the feeling of unease will not change. Try again. This process may have to be repeated many times over several days or weeks to come to the bottom of deep-seated emotional problems. SLEEP OR DREAM SOLUTIONS: Before falling asleep, pray to be shown a solution to your problem overnight or tell your subconscious mind repeatedly in simple words that it will provide an answer to the problem at hand, either in a remembered dream or as an insight during the following day. Visualize your problem in a simple scene before you drift to sleep. If you are not already in contact with your subconscious mind, this procedure may have to be repeated several times. MAKING SACRIFICES AND AMENDS:
Sometimes it may not be possible to get to the deep-seated cause of a personal problem. Especially in cases associated with feelings of guilt or having done something wrong, it is often helpful to make a sacrifice in order to regain the cooperation of our subconscious mind or lower self. The sacrifice must be enough to hurt you to some extent, for example, selling the best part of your stamp, coin, or art collection and using the proceeds for a charitable purpose. Alternatively, give a free service or care for a stranger in need anything that will satisfy the subconscious. Make amends with reference to past faulty mental, emotional, or dietary habits. Promise improvements and definite actions to your lower as well as to your Higher Self. However, a broken promise will lead to further health problems, so be careful and persistent with your promises. Do not resent your sacrifice, but do it in a cheerful mood. MOVING WITH THE FLOW:
With or without inner communication, we can gradually adopt an attitude towards the events of our daily lives that may be described as “moving with the flow,” as in the flow of life. This means we flow through life instead of battling it when the going gets tough. We can assume that our Higher Self guides us in a certain direction. When we follow this direction, life will run more smoothly, events fall into place, we meet the people we need, we find information that helps us along, and we obtain the necessary resources to continue on our way. If we go too far in a wrong direction, however, things will become tough, we make mistakes, lose out, do not obtain what we want or need, and so forth. Therefore, when we adopt the basic attitude of moving with the flow and we run into difficulties, we realize that we may need to change direction. While we remain true to our spiritual goals and ideals, with the goals of daily life, and especially in the way we intend to achieve them, we try to be very flexible. Rigidity in daily life easily leads to pain and disappointment. We can compare our stream of life to a newly formed watercourse that seeks its way down a gentle mountain slope. Sometimes it winds its way steadily downhill, while at other times it encounters a barrier, a hollow or depression in the ground. Then it has to wait patiently for a while until the hollow is filled up. It may probe in
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various directions until finally, quite naturally, and without a problem, it finds the overflow, the lowest point in the wall of resistance, and happily it continues on its downhill way. This, then, shows us how we can follow our course of life in an easygoing, pleasurable way, without undue stress or hardship. When we encounter a resistance, we probe and wait patiently until we find a natural opening. All we need are flexibility, patience, and faith. Faith that we are being guided, that we meet the resistance for a purpose, and that we will learn and grow by overcoming it or finding a way around it. Faith that all will be well and that an interesting and pleasant future awaits us. ASK FOR HELP:
If problems seem to mount and you feel pulled down by it all, relax and ask your guidance for help. State your situation, that you do not know what to do or that there is apparently nothing that you can do. If appropriate, acknowledge that you made a mistake and got yourself into trouble because of a thoughtless or selfish action. Ask your guidance to take over your problems and provide a solution that is fair to all concerned. Then, whenever you notice your mind straying towards a worrying thought, affirm silently that now your guidance has taken over and is providing an equitable solution. EXPLORE POSSIBILITIES: Sometimes you have to make a choice between several possibilities without a clear preference for any one. Like water when it meets a resistance in its flow, so you can probe in various directions, exploring the different possibilities with your mind, while at the same time closely observing your feelings.
Let us assume you have several options for your future. All have advantages and disadvantages, and you do not know what to do. Doing nothing or changing nothing may have undesirable consequences that need to be evaluated. Start by imagining that you follow one course; visualize or mentally explore the possibilities arising from this and observe how you feel about it. Explore the second choice and then a third choice in the same way. Usually one of these mind-plays will generate a better feeling and this is the one to adopt. Whenever problems seem to mount and you start to worry, become aware of your spiritual philosophy and ideals and ask yourself: “Does it really matter?” Remain centred and all your problems will soon melt away in the warmth of your radiating love and a deeply felt inner peace. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Part 10 SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH In order to become more whole and healed on all levels of our being, we need to improve ourselves on these levels. Complete healing is not possible by working on just one level. As an example, assume that you are overweight. Mustering willpower, you start a diet and are successful in losing much weight. The problem is that after some months it slowly creeps back up again and after a year your weight is where it started. Eventually, you come across some emotional release workshops and find that these, together with a sensible diet, are more effective for losing weight and keeping it off. Nevertheless, you find it difficult to keep your emotions under control because you still continue to react in undesirable ways. Now you discover that you are influenced by negative beliefs that make life difficult for you. You realize that you need an appropriate belief system in order to manage your emotions in an appropriate way. You start looking for a philosophy of life that helps you to become and remain healthy, happy, and fit. This is where the spiritual dimension comes in. You will find that the more you adopt spiritual principles in your life, the more life will become an adventure and a pleasure rather than a struggle. Most of us have developed our belief systems haphazardly, drawing from parents, school, and social contacts as well as books and mass media. These beliefs are often irrational and detrimental to us. So to heal our emotions and other levels of our being, it is essential to adopt a suitable philosophy of life to guide us. I call this a spiritual philosophy. The various religions appear to have different spiritual philosophies. These differences are most pronounced at the mental level of dogmas and doctrines, while they tend to disappear at the level of the highest ideals of each religion. In all major religions, some followers have aimed for these highest ideals. They are the mystics who left us in their writings a spiritual philosophy that transcends and unites all religions. This last chapter offers an outline of the spiritual dimension, existing in a continuum with our physical world and not separate or in opposition to it. Out of this understanding, we can accept a spiritual philosophy of life as the basis for our beliefs, which determine our decisions and emotional reactions in life. Then I offer a sketch of a modern spiritual path that uses health and emotional problems to develop the spiritual master-ship that gives us the ability to lead a happy and fulfilled life.
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Step 64 THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION Enter the spiritual dimension of life and make it your home.
The concept of spirituality means different things to different people. In this book, it means deliberately manifesting or aspiring to manifest a higher, purer consciousness. We do this by developing the attributes of spirituality, such as compassion, discernment, faith, high ideals, harmony, joy, inner knowledge, intuition, kindness, openness, patience, self-responsibility, serenity, tolerance, wisdom, and a gentle love for All That Is. To be spiritual is not the same as to be religious, which involves following the creed of a proclaimed religion. Someone can be spiritual without being religious and vice versa. Those who are religious become spiritual by following the highest ideals of their religion, while those without a religion follow their own highest ideals and their higher guidance. On the higher levels of consciousness, religion and spirituality merge. In Christian terms, for instance, we are advised to “seek first the Kingdom of Heaven” and all else will be given us. In spiritual terms, this means to seek first and follow our higher guidance to manifest spirituality, then we can expect health and happiness to result as a natural by-product. Spiritual development should not be confused with psychic development. Psychic abilities are no measure of spirituality. However, psychic abilities will develop on their own and in a natural way during spiritual awakening, according to the need for their use. While neither good nor bad in themselves, psychic abilities without spirituality are like nuclear power without prudence; both can lead to disaster. Neither is spiritual development a quest for altered states of consciousness, though these may occur as natural by-products of deep relaxation and meditation. They can be useful and provide us with insights as well as beautiful and uplifting inner experiences. However, our main task is at the level of our normal consciousness, and such inner experiences at elevated levels need to be transformed into improved living habits. We become more spiritual by living according to our highest ideals, and by consciously improving our attitudes and feelings. Every moment in our day-to-day interactions provides an opportunity to become more spiritual. We are aided in this endeavour by asking for help from the highest guiding part of our consciousness, which we can call the Higher Self or, in Christian terms, the Holy Spirit. Our Spiritual Growth: Living spiritually is our day-to-day, minute-to-minute effort to live according to our beliefs. Our body with its problems is an important partner in this; it shows us where to start and what to do and helps us become more aware of all aspects of ourselves. Healing our body, mind, and emotions is part of our spiritual growth. Even if you do not otherwise intend to live spiritually, you do so anyway by healing yourself on these levels. I am convinced that by living in harmony with the biological, emotional, mental, and spiritual laws that govern us, we can be close to perfect; we might even personify the risen Christ. Therefore, all imperfections, usually manifesting as
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problems, show us what to do to become more spiritual and, with this, more happy and fulfilled. Starting at the biological level, we may have a health problem, possibly a specific disease. This disease has one or more causes, usually on several levels. Just trying to ease symptoms with palliative care is not a spiritual solution, although we can use the disease to practice cheerfulness in adversity. With our spiritual quest, we try to discover and overcome the causes for the disease. We experiment with nutrition, cleansing, and other natural healing methods; we improve our energy flows by softening armoured muscle structures; we release suppressed negative emotions; and we may use regression and reprogramming, guided imagery, and meditation. Chances are the disease will more or less disappear as, at the same time, we have progressed on the spiritual path. The same is true for any of our other imperfections and problems: a rigid and aging body, a lack of meaning, unsatisfactory relationships, worry, or resentments. Keep part of your mind in observer mode and be aware of what you are doing. If you catch yourself worrying about something, that is your problem to work on; worry is a negative attitude, and you need to change your approach. Do what you can to get the problem fixed and then leave it to faith; use prayer and meditation to strengthen your faith. If you catch yourself having an unkind thought about someone, immediately make an effort to send a kind thought to that person. If you believe someone has harmed you, realize that this person is a human who needs your help. Be angry if you feel that way, but let it out in a suitable manner, and when you have calmed down, forgive and send love. Learn to laugh about yourself when you make a mistake or break something. You would laugh if it happened to someone else, so try it for yourself; it makes life much easier. Taking ourselves too seriously shows that we are dominated by our ego. It is said that no one is an island, that we all are in it together. We interact all the time, and helping our fellows is the most important part of interacting. We cannot help by preaching or trying to convince somebody. The most effective way is to be an example of your spiritual beliefs. Be forgiving, be kind, try to do the right thing at the right time, but if you mess up, do not worry; you are not expected to be perfect, so try again. As your consciousness expands, you may realize that your job or your partner are no longer in harmony with your beliefs. Visualize and pray for a solution and watch. You do not need to go out of your way to look for opportunities to help others. Just be aware and do your best whenever you come across something; your guidance will arrange the opportunities for you to learn and help. Do not blame yourself or anyone else if something goes wrong; making mistakes is the best way to learn. We need to make mistakes and learn from them - that is the spiritual path. Specific ways of life have been devised through the ages to facilitate the growth of a spiritual body. Foremost in these are prayer and meditation, especially as part of monastic life. In a related form, we have the yoga of devotion and the yoga of action in which we dedicate our life to unselfish social work or healing. Rituals, such as performed by the Orthodox or Catholic church, metaphysical societies, and New Age
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groups, offer spiritual food. When we deliberately set out to awaken and build a body for the inner Christ, we are said to be on the spiritual path. The Structure of Manifestation: Here is a brief outline of a theoretical basis of spirituality as I see it. Starting at the fundamental level, I regard consciousness as the basic ingredient of everything in existence. We can compare consciousness to air, which can be compressed to varying degrees of density in containers of different shapes and sizes. In a similar way, consciousness becomes compressed and can then aggregate to form more complex structures. Different densities accumulate at separate levels to form an additional dimension based on density of consciousness. I call this the dimension of “spacedensity.” A certain density produces atomic and subatomic particles, while lesser degrees of density manifest as etheric energy, bioenergy, or prana, as feelings and emotional energy, as mental energy and thought forms, and finally as spiritual awareness. All of these represent different space--densities that can interpenetrate each other to occupy the same three-dimensional space. Therefore, there is no fundamental difference between the consciousness of an atom and a human; it is only a difference in complexity and range of densities. The universe is basically consciousness acting on itself. Less dense fields of consciousness build, change, discard, and rebuild forms from denser fields of consciousness in order to experience and express themselves. The main activity of consciousness is creativity; its highest manifestation on our planet is unconditional love. We can assume two streams of consciousness. The “stream of creation” leads towards greater density and less complexity to form atomic particles and the physical universe, while the “stream of evolution” flows from dense towards less dense structures with greater complexity towards the spiritual universe. As part of the stream of evolution, consciousness uses the various life forms, like water uses a riverbed to flow to the ocean. A life form, be it a species or an individual form, is useful only as long as it allows the consciousness to flow through freely and expand. If rigidity develops and consciousness becomes stagnant, then the form has reached old age and will soon disintegrate. Physics cannot adequately and logically answer the question how all the energy and mass of our universe could have been concentrated in a single point at the start of the Big Bang and what was before. A spiritual theory of creation would say that originally there was no energy at the physical level, that it emerged instead from the etheric level, not so much as an explosion, but rather like the crystallization of a supersaturated liquid starting from a seed point. A spiritual theory also answers the question of the origin of consciousness that biology cannot answer: Our physical universe is a condensation of a less dense etheric universe. Atomic particles are the centres of etheric vortexes, comparable to atmospheric high and low pressure areas. Planetary Evolution: I see the evolution of consciousness on our planet as a multidimensional cooperative venture. Consciousness in the form of the growth force is most active in the plant kingdom and works to transform the mineral kingdom. In the animal kingdom, consciousness becomes dominant at the level of feelings and emotions; it is at this level where most of the experimentation and creativity are present. The emotional level channels the growth force into more
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individualized forms than those in the plant kingdom. A price for this individualization is a more solidified growth force with less regenerative capacity. Insects are close to plants, with only rudimentary feelings, while primates and possibly dolphins are closest to the humans with highly evolved complex feelings. Similar to the evolution in the plant kingdom, which leads to the beginning of feelings in the highest plant species, so the higher animal species acquire a rudimentary capacity for thinking. By having its emotional energies guided with the help of the emerging mental level, the animal kingdom culminates with the primates channelling their life force into a nearly perfect form for our planetary conditions. With this, the planetary evolution of the growth force has been further completed and humanity works now on the perfection of the emotional level with the help of the mental level. We use beliefs to experiment with our emotions. The animal kingdom required a rudimentary mental level for the growth force to be channelled by the emotional level into a perfect form. In a similar way, humans need a level of consciousness beyond the mental to perfect our emotions. We call this next higher level “spiritual consciousness.” It evolves through the programming of our higher mentality by the incarnated soul. We can regard our different and evolving group belief systems as the human equivalent of different animal species. The Nature of God: God can be defined in two ways. We can equate God with consciousness and say God is everything. The consciousness manifested in the various universes - the physical, etheric, and so forth up to the spiritual universe - are the energy bodies of God, while the non-manifested part might be called the mind of God. Alternatively, we can only regard the non-manifested universal consciousness as God, and this may or may not be focused into what we can regard as a personified being at certain levels of consciousness. For the evolution of our own consciousness, the details of what we believe is God do not matter very much at this stage. As part of a spiritual philosophy, we can assume that the more consciousness becomes condensed, the less it is aware, especially of being a part of God or All That Is. The Oversoul is the creator of our soul, and as our personal God or God Self, it is our individualized representative of the universal aspect of God. Any communication from this divine level can reach our normal consciousness only by penetrating our mental and emotional levels. These, however, act as filters that distort and interpret any messages according to our beliefs and emotions. Therefore, a devout Catholic will receive messages clothed in Catholic symbols, while a Hindu will experience divine revelations according to his religious beliefs. The less strong and structured our beliefs are, the less will any higher communication be distorted. The more we expand our consciousness, the closer we are to this higher guidance and the easier it will be to communicate. Disbelief, on the other hand, will block any communication. A Spiritual Philosophy: A spiritual philosophy is our basic belief system about the nature of our existence, its purpose, and goal. From this we try to understand our role in society and our relationship with guiding forces, and it gives us the strength to follow the spiritual path. Everyone has a philosophy of life, even if they are not consciously aware of it. For some, this is just the notion to get as much pleasure as possible out of life while trying to avoid suffering. Others, like various Christian saints
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and yogis, have deliberately self-inflicted suffering and denied themselves pleasures as part of their philosophy and as a path to their God. To have a spiritual philosophy means to see ourselves as part of a higher purpose, of a universal blueprint, and we consciously try to cooperate with its unfolding and manifestation. A good spiritual philosophy needs to give us guidance and support on the spiritual path and in our daily interactions and relationships. In the same way that we can deliberately choose to believe in and follow a certain religion or political party, we can also deliberately adopt a spiritual philosophy that exactly suits our purpose. Normally, this adopted philosophy can be in harmony with our present religion or political views. Just look for the highest ideals and replace any negative aspects with positive beliefs. The centre point of any philosophy of life is the question of meaning or purpose. If we see no purpose in life and especially in our own life, then it is natural to live for the sake of sense and ego gratification, but we can become depressed by the apparent lack of meaning. In a spiritual philosophy, we believe in a higher purpose; we may not know the exact nature of this purpose and it may not even matter. We can say we just want to manifest our own life blueprint, or fulfil the purpose for which we incarnated, or do God’s will, or become one with God. The Middle Path: By now, you may be apprehensive. Basically, all you want is to be healthy, have a good life and some fun, and generally feel fulfilled and satisfied. You do not want to become a mystic or a saint to achieve this. You do not need to. I painted the big picture to show in which direction we have to move. How far or fast you move is up to you. The important part is to move in the right direction, however slowly. Suffering comes from moving in the wrong direction, no matter how far advanced we are spiritually. The saint will suffer if he moves in the wrong direction, and the sinner will feel good if he moves in the right direction. Indeed, this is a middle path between pleasure-seeking and intentional or unintentional self-inflicted suffering. In this, it is like the path of the Buddha. For a long time, the Buddha tried to reach enlightenment through asceticism. He meditated until he left a mark like the footprint of a camel where he had been sitting. Finally he realized that he was on the wrong path, that he needed his body as a partner and had to fulfil its needs, that he had to be firm but kind to it. He called this the middle path, and many seekers after him found it to be the right path for them. In the same way, our spiritual philosophy should help us to feel good in body, mind, and spirit. Suffering is only for the ego. If instead we identify with our Higher Self, then life will be easier and more fun. Our basic premise is that we attract or become what we believe in. Assuming that the universe contains all possibilities, all shades of good and bad, right and wrong, desirable and undesirable, it is more desirable to believe in a benevolent universe than in a vindictive one, in a God of love rather than fear. This spiritual philosophy of the middle path says that we can choose and have what we want, but we must firmly believe in it. * * * * * * * * * * *
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Step 65 LIFE ON THE PATH The spiritual path is the crowning glory of human endeavour, and by following the 65 steps you are already on it.
The concept of spirituality means different things to different people. In this Presently, travellers on the spiritual path have two advantages compared to those in former centuries. We now have published information on the nature and variety of spiritual paths, so we no longer need to find our way alone. Second, our capacity to understand and communicate has greatly increased. What formerly was incomprehensible mysticism, we can now understand and present in a rational way. There is now so much information available on yoga, working with energies, healing the emotions and the mind, and so forth, that your problem is not to find the information, but to discern what is right for you. You can do this by keeping your highest goals in mind and asking your inner guidance. Beware of getting sidetracked by psychic abilities or happenings. Developing psychic abilities can be fascinating but is no more spiritual than material, emotional, or mental activities. However, psychic activities can be more dangerous than other activities. Most psychic happenings take place on the astral level or open us to astral influences. Entities operating on this level are commonly less spiritually developed than someone on the spiritual path and often give misleading or mischievous information. They also love to imitate or pretend to be a high spiritual entity or even God. Awakenings: Do not worry about whether you have had a spiritual awakening or are on the spiritual path. Your interest shows that you are on the path. Just start or continue searching for spiritual information. You will be attracted to what is important and right for you. While in the beginning, it is helpful and necessary to read different sources to get a good overview, later it is better to read as little as possible. By continuing to read a lot, you remain at the intellectual level, and that hinders the development of intuitive abilities. If you do not control yourself, you could become “addicted” to reading about spiritual matters, instead of doing it. If you are a practicing member of a religious denomination, do not be concerned that the spiritual path may be incompatible with it. Instead, expect that it will increase your faith. The spiritual path does not have doctrines; writings about it are only opinions you do not need to accept. Walking the spiritual path means finding your own insights and relationship with God. Purification does not need to be a time of misery and suffering as it once was for mystics. Instead, it can be a time of adventure and discovery. By removing biological, emotional, and mental blockages, you become healthier and happier. Life will become more satisfying. The fun is not the arrival, but the journey. You do not need to make a sharp distinction between working on the biological, etheric, emotional, and mental levels. They are all related, though it is easier to talk about
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one level at a time. By concentrating on one level, you affect all the others. It is easier to start with the biological level and then focus upwards. The Biological Level: In former centuries, spiritual seekers ate only organically grown food and their water and air were free of chemical pollution. Today we have to work hard at purifying our body to the level where previous seekers started. Therefore, we start with sanitizing the biological body and for this I recommend: •
Basic Cleanse: This can be repeated from time to time, especially if you want to lose weight; also do any other cleanse you prefer; see Fasting and Cleansing in Part 1.
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Test for food allergies and chemical sensitivities at the end of the Basic Cleanse; see Allergy Testing in Part 1.
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Pay attention to the acid-alkaline balance of your body as explained in Part 1.
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Take measures to free your body of parasites and harmful microbes and use anti -inflammatory measures as required; see Parts 2, 3, and 6.
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Eat plenty of raw food, including fresh green and purple juices; see the HighQuality Diet in Part 4.
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Select food suited for your metabolic and blood type; see Metabolic Types, Pathways, and Diets in Part 5.
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Have regular physical exercise and outdoors activity, also yoga, stretching, shaking, walking, jogging, or swimming.
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Sanitize your teeth, bedroom, and workplace; see the Practice of Healthy Living in Part 1.
The Etheric Level: The main features here are the etheric body and the chakra and acupuncture systems (see Part 7). This level of subtle energy determines the health of our body and how energetic we are; this is the energy of life, of healing and manifestation. To manifest something, be it health or a physical or social condition, we use imagery. Hold a clear visualization of the desired situation, fill it with energy, and continue to expect it to manifest. An important part of our work at this level is to accumulate and direct etheric energy. In energy work, energy follows thought. However, mental and etheric energies exist on different density levels and do not affect each other directly. Therefore, they require the assistance of the emotional or feeling level, sandwiched between the two. For learning to accumulate and direct etheric energies, practice the energycirculation (Part 7) and the Love Cure exercises (Part 8). When you are able to feel the energy flows, use them in guided imagery for healing and other manifestations. An excellent book on this subject is The Laws of Manifestation, by David Spangler. By practicing the Love Cure, you can improve weaknesses and imbalances in your chakra system. This will have favourable effects on your health. If you are so inclined, use guided chakra meditations available on tape or CD from New Age outlets.
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For improving your acupuncture system, see Meridian and Acupressure Therapy in Part 7, and after you have learned to feel the energy flows, use mainly mental tracing of the channels. For further practical information on working at the etheric level, see books on kahuna; the modern kahuna teachings started with books by Max Freedom Long (The Secret Science behind Miracles and The Secret Science at Work). The Emotional Level: For most, this will be the most difficult and possibly most painful level to sanitize, but it will also be the most rewarding. I suggest that you read again and work through Part 8. The important steps in healing emotions are: 1. Emotional cleansing to remove blockages and traumatic memories. 2. Overcoming addictions and cravings. 3. Free-flowing emotions - learn to feel and express emotions freely without hurting others. 4. Generating positive feelings - use meditation and guided imagery to create positive and uplifting feelings. 5. Reacting positively - use appropriate beliefs and mental awareness to react positively to events. 1. EMOTIONAL CLEANSING: Experiment with some of the methods described in Part 9 under Mind Tools, especially with techniques for emotional release and regression; these are best practiced in healing groups (Part 8). An integrated way of healing the emotional level within a spiritual context is provided by the system of Body Electronics devised by Dr. John Whitman Ray (for more information, see: www.bodyelectronics.net). Similar to Reichian therapy and bioenergetics, Body Electronics works mainly on the body, using sustained pressure to release memories of emotional events that have been lodged in muscles. Practice Body Electronics as a group activity, possibly after an initial assessment by a practitioner; Reichian therapy and bioenergetics are mainly practitioner-based. However, you can also practice bioenergetic exercises at home or in a group; for instructions, see The Way to Vibrant Health, by Alexander Lowen, M.D. A simple way to contact and release emotional traumas is by using present emotional upsets. If something strongly affects you emotionally, try to feel into it, possibly combined with a relaxation or meditation exercise, to discover why it upsets you. If necessary, reinforce it so as to feel it even more strongly. Most likely, forgotten memories will come up about a similar incident in your younger years. Whatever the method, when you become conscious of an emotional event from the past, it ceases its detrimental effects or it can now be dealt with. Some of the destructive emotions that we need to uncover and release are fear, guilt, and resentment. These block the flow of life-force energy and make us susceptible to diseases and aging. The main remedies, after making a suppressed emotional memory conscious, are unconditional love, understanding, and forgiveness. On this level, you do not need to clean out all hidden negative emotional memories, as this would probably be impossible. Aim to uncover and remove all
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those factors that interfere with the flow of energies in your body, with your emotional health and enjoyment of life, and with your ability to make decisions. 2. OVERCOMING ADDICTIONS AND CRAVINGS: For many, overcoming addictions and cravings may seem to be the hardest task. Addictions to foods, drugs, and stimulants are best overcome with a combination of guided imagery, prayer, affirmation, and cleansing periods with a very high fluid intake. Homeopathic doses of the addictive agent can be helpful. We can also be addicted to or have cravings for certain activities or objects, such as sex, gambling, entertainment, expensive dresses, jewellery, or antiques. Again, the activity or object is not the problem, but rather the attachment to it, the desire for it that controls us rather than we controlling it. The most important step is in acknowledging that we have a problem. Apart from prayer, meditation, guided imagery, and affirmations, the most helpful approach would be to live for a sufficiently long period in a simple way in natural surroundings. 3. FREE-FLOWING EMOTIONS: For most of us, freely expressing our emotions is contrary to our social conditioning. A first step then is learning to feel our emotions when they arise instead of suppressing them; we can then decide to express them immediately in a harmless way or re-enact the situation later. In our imagination, we can relive the situation and kick or punch a pillow or do or say, possibly in front of a mirror, what we felt like doing at the earlier time. Nevertheless, it is preferable to develop the skills to react appropriately whenever the situation arises because then we can also be an example to others. Marriages and other close relationships are ideal opportunities for learning to communicate. If free expression is not always possible, then arrange a fixed time at the end of the day or once a week when you each can freely express your thoughts and feelings. It is important that one person speak without interruption until everything has been said, and then the other reply, also without interruption. 4. GENERATING POSITIVE FEELINGS: After emptying ourselves of negativity and learning to acknowledge and express our feelings and emotions, it is equally important to fill and surround ourselves with positive and uplifting feelings. Ideally, this will come as a natural by-product of habitual meditation and through daily activities that make us feel good. It is beneficial to practice feeling exercises as explained in the Love Cure in Part 8. Look at a beautiful object, a tree, flower, cloud, or landscape, and send it appreciation, admiration, joy, and love. Do the same in thinking of an individual. Send feelings of forgiveness, appreciation, and love to anyone you may have hurt or who hurt you. Learn to carry into your daily activities the loving feeling that you can now generate in special situations. Train yourself to carry this loving feeling in your heart wherever you go or whatever you do. Whenever you see or meet someone, embrace that individual with the warm feeling. This is especially effective for improving relationships with people who do not seem to like or appreciate you. Never again do you need to feel bored when having to wait in an office or anywhere else. Just start generating loving and joyful feelings and send them to anyone in sight or in your mind.
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Try changing one feeling into another. Start with any emotion you experience at the time or generate a warm feeling by breathing into the abdomen or by imagining an appropriate situation that would evoke it. Intensify the feeling, then imagine how another emotion might feel. In this way, you can experimentally convert love into anger and then back into love. This will show you that you do not need to be at the mercy of emotions arising as a reaction to outside events, but that you can make a decision as to how you will feel. 5. REACTING POSITIVELY: After learning to remain centred in self-generated positive feelings, we need to learn to react positively and appropriately to the many frustrations in our lives. This is possible when we are guided by spiritual beliefs. After adopting a spiritual philosophy, it is easier to see everything that happens to us as a test of our progress. Every day we have many little tests. It is all right to feel a burst of anger if we break a valuable item, but we can also just laugh about our clumsiness or look for a reason why it happened. It does not matter too much how we react, as long as it is appropriate. If we feel anger, then it is appropriate to feel it and not rationalize it. After having felt the anger, we should not remain stuck in it, but use our mind to get out of it, by seeing the funny side of it or by trying to learn from it. The basic idea is to feel whatever emotion comes up, but then to modify our expression according to our understanding of the situation from a spiritual point of view. Our emotional reactions are a reflection of our beliefs, and the more spiritual these become, the more positive will be our reactions. The ideal is to be able to express our feelings naturally in a way that has a positive influence on others. The Mental Level: Our mind is the most important level to heal because here we make the conscious decisions that affect all other levels. Our aim is to free ourselves of negativity and develop positive attitudes. In order to free yourself of negative beliefs and thoughts, you must first recognize them when they occur. Develop the habit of having a small part of your awareness in the background as an observer. Whenever you have a negative thought, your observer will ring an alarm bell so you can realize what you have done. Then, as a mental exercise, find the corresponding positive thought. As an example, you may watch someone passing by and observe that she is overweight. If you notice having a critical thought about her weight, mentally apologize to her and either send her a mental compliment about some other aspect of her appearance or just wish her well. It is all right to observe, just refrain from uninvited judgments, especially of a negative kind. The habit of critically evaluating others is the opposite of an invited critical and constructive assessment in order to help someone. Another important aspect in controlling our mind is to refrain from talking about other people, especially mutual friends, relatives, or acquaintances, except when exchanging some relevant factual information. Anything more is gossiping, judging, or criticizing and will delay progress on the spiritual path. Practice discernment as well as creative and intuitive thinking. Creative thinking means finding answers for spiritual or theoretical questions, or solutions for practical problems; intuitive thinking means we focus on a question or problem in a meditative state and then translate the realization into words.
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Helpful Tips: Any kind of worry is detrimental to your health. Worry is a form of fear and that is the opposite of positive expectation and faith. To a large degree, we shape our own future by what we expect. Our inner self tries to manifest what we expect. Our expectation acts like a magnet to attract and draw the expected event into our outer reality. If we worry about anything, then we expect a negative outcome and help to make it come true. Therefore, our key lesson to learn at the mental level is to know what we want and then, without wavering, expect it to manifest at the appropriate time. Except where timing is essential, it is best not to set a definite time limit. If we want to use “magic” to help our expectation to manifest, use energy imagery: Visualize the desired result and fill it with emotional energy. The critical factor then is your unwavering faith until the expected event appears. This brings us to the next important step, to know what to manifest. It is said that we should be very careful with our wishes because they might come true. That means that we are usually ignorant about the hidden implications of a fulfilled desire. Often there is a price to pay. We may delay our spiritual progress or even take on a burden of another individual whom we try to help. We may still have certain tests to pass in this lifetime, and it would be detrimental to our spiritual progress to delay or avoid them A good way of overcoming our weaknesses is by acting as if we have already done so. With every doubtful or important decision, we can ask ourselves what a spiritual master would do in this situation and then just do it. Remember the advice given to Jonathan Livingston Seagull by his teacher: To be instantly in another place, just imagine and know that you are already there! If you habitually act like a spiritual master, then you are a spiritual master. Your “Inner Master” is there all the time waiting to guide you. Never mind a few mistakes or wrong decisions; there is nothing better to learn from than our own mistakes. You still have many years ahead of you to practice doing the right thing most of the time. When you have reached a level where your motives are unselfish, you do not need to be too concerned about making the right decision. Just trust your intuition or inner guidance. Whatever you choose will usually be right. Remember the Mind Tools: Prayer, meditation, and studying scriptures were the original mind tools in the West, while in the East visualization, guided imagery, and mantras were commonly used. All of these are still useful. Develop a daily routine in which you combine several of these methods. This may, for instance, start with prayer and/or affirmations, followed by relaxation, then guided imagery, and finally meditation. During the activities of the day, practice centering. A good way to remain centred is to use a mantra. Another powerful exercise is to imagine being purified by a violet flame. Imagine that the violet flame burns up your remaining or hidden impurities, especially at the emotional and mental levels. You can also make an effort to become aware of your Christ Self or God Presence, at first in meditation and as guided imagery, but gradually in your daily life. Imagine your God Presence as an intense white spiritual light over your head, or feel or sense it as a protective and loving presence. Initially imagine sending an offering of love or devotion through the top of your head straight up to your God Presence or,
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if lying down, send it up through the forehead or from the heart centre. Then imagine a strong beam of white light together with an intensified feeling of love and protection entering your top centre and proceeding through the forehead and throat centres to the heart centre. At the same time, feel and see your whole body surrounded by a greatly expanded aura with beautiful rainbow colours. Frequently connect with your Christ or God Presence in this or a similar way, especially before any prayer or healing work. Cultivating a Healthy Outlook: We make progress on the spiritual path if in our daily life, and especially in difficult situations, we display spiritual qualities such as compassion, devotion, faith, forgiveness, harmony, high ideals, joy, kindness, oneness, openness, patience, self-responsibility, serenity, tolerance, unconditional love, understanding, wisdom, and a gentle love for All That Is. Another way of assessing our progress is by how well we are able to unite opposite characteristics within our personality and how well we manifest the appropriate one for the situation at hand. For example, are we able to be a good leader and follower, master and servant? Can we display the “male” characteristics of assertiveness, aggressiveness, and power as well as the “female” ones of gentleness, kindness, and yielding? Do we know how to be strong in our beliefs and open to change? After years of diligently working to purify and improve yourself, you may wonder when you will have your mind-blowing illumination. That expectation is counterproductive. The illumination experience is an act of grace, a gift of your spirit that will come when you least expect it. It may be during a meditation or in the middle of city traffic. Waiting for it is a sure way of postponing it, because patience is one of the early virtues we have to learn. When it finally does happen, enjoy it. You do not need to look actively for good deeds to do or for your future field of selfless service. Just continue doing whatever needs to be done at each moment, and especially continue purifying yourself at deeper and deeper levels and uplifting yourself to higher and higher levels. At the right time, your mission will be revealed to you. When you have become a master of yourself, you will be suitable to become a servant of humanity. Looking back on the path that you travelled so diligently, you may ask yourself “What path?” and wonder if there ever was a path or only a figment of your imagination. In reality, there was nowhere to go and nothing to do to get there. All you did was to change some of your perceptions and attitudes. There is a Buddhist saying: “Before enlightenment he gathered wood and carried water; after enlightenment he gathered wood and carried water.” * * * * * * * * * * *
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A Review of the 65 Steps
The concept of spirituality means different things to different people. In this If you decide to follow the steps outlined in this book, you will have months of interesting work and play ahead of you. Try to make it fun by involving relatives and friends. You may find it helpful to keep a diary to record your experiments, reactions, and insights. For a solid foundation of your health, get the basics right with Part 1. Start with sanitizing the intestinal tract, cleaning it out, replacing pathogenic microbes with healthy bacteria, and then keeping it all clean. Then you clean out the rest of the body in a series of fasts or cleansing periods. It will be good to continue with a cleanse once a year for the rest of your life. Then test your foods for allergy and sensitivity reactions. Use clean and preferably energized water, adjust your body acidity, and start improving your living conditions. Sanitize your house and minimize electromagnetic pollution. Get into the habit of doing exercises. These steps provide the basic physical foundation for your health. Take time to do them thoroughly. This can cause occasional healing reactions, but these are beneficial; just take it easy for a few days. Part 2 explains commonly used healing techniques. The diagnostic techniques show where your problems are and what to do to become more balanced. Muscle testing is easy to learn and very useful for determining whether a food or remedy is good or bad for you. Reflexology is one of my favourites; it is quick and effective for pains and problems in all parts of the body. Magnet therapy has the advantage of being a pain-free treatment. You will find various types of packs useful for many different conditions. Part 3 contains information on nutrients and remedies. If you sense you require additional nutrients and remedies, then you need a basic understanding of their functions and interactions and how to use them, which this chapter provides. Part 4 shows you what a good diet is like: Eat as much as conveniently possible of fresh, raw, and organic foods. Change gradually to give your body and taste buds time to adjust. Part 5 tells you why the foods you probably like are not good for you. Do your best; the prospect of improved well-being will make it easier to give up a favorite food. Finding out if you need a diet high or low in protein and fat is a key requirement for your health. Part 6 gives natural healing methods for a wide range of health problems; use any of these methods in addition to a healthy lifestyle. Part 7 introduces you to the subtle energies. Most of us can learn to feel energy, commonly as warmth and tingling. For our health, it is especially valuable to use breathing exercises to activate these energies in our body and direct them to organs in need of healing. Part 8 handles another key subject: healing emotions. The goal is to live life in a radiant way, filled with love and joy.
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Part 9 shows how to appreciate the power of your subconscious mind and make it your friend, how to combine a positive expectation with the help of your subconscious friend so you can heal almost anything. Here you will find many valuable mind tools that make it possible. Part 10 shows you how to use spiritual guidance to overcome health and emotional problems as part of a spiritual path that provides the framework for your healing venture and gives meaning to your life. * * * * * * * * * * *
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ENDNOTES 1. Nelson, H. K., et al. “Host nutritional selenium status as a driving force for influenza mutations.” FASEB J 15 (2001): 1481–83. 2. Schauss, A. G. “Nutrition and antisocial behaviour.” Int Clin Nutr Rev 4:4 (1984): 172–77. 3. For practical advice and support, contact www.amalgam.org; wide-ranging scientific information on the negative health effects of amalgam fillings and heavy metals is on www.melisa.org. Bernie Windham has assembled hundreds of clinical studies on the problems caused by amalgam fillings and harmful metals at www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/. 4. Sandyk, R. “Treatment of Parkinson’s disease with magnetic fields reduces the requirement for antiparkinsonian medications.” International Journal of Neuroscience 74:1–4 (January–February 1994): 191–201. George, M. S., et al. “Transcranial magnetic stimulation: a neuropsychiatric tool for the 21st century.” J of Neuropsychiatry Clin Neuroscience 8:4 (Fall 1996): 373–82. 5. Concar, D. “Happiness is a magnet.” New Scientist (August 5, 1995): 24–29. 6. Smith, H. “De Urina.” JAMA 155:10 (1954): 899–902. 7. Danopoulos, E. D. Letter: “Regression of liver cancer with oral urea.” Lancet 1:7848 (1974): 132. Danopoulos, E. D., and I. E. Danopoulos. “Eleven years experience of oral urea treatment in liver malignancies.” Clin Oncol 7:4 (December 1981): 281–89. 8. Giordano, C. “The use of exogenous and endogenous urea for protein synthesis in normal and uremic subjects.” Renal Laboratory, Naples University School of Medicine, 1963. 9. Javid, M., et al. “Effect of urea on cerebrospinal fluid pressure in human subjects.” JAMA 160:11 (1956): 943–49. 10. Navert, B., et al. “Reduction of the phytate content of bran by leavening in bread and its effect on zinc absorption in man.” Brit J Nutr 53 (1985): 47–53. Also see books on nutrition. 11. Doisy, R. J., et al., in Diabetes, Obesity and Vascular Disease: Advances in Modern Nutrition, vol. 2. New York: Holsted Press, 1978. 12. Fesknanich, D., et al. “Milk, dietary calcium and bone fractures in women: a 12year prospective study.” Am J Public Health 87 (1997): 992–97. 13. Davis, D. R. “Vitamin A toxicity: a medical erroneous zone.” Int College of Applied Nutrition Update (October 1983). 14. Buist, R. A. “Vitamin toxicities, side effects and contraindications.” Int Clin Nutr Review 4:4 (1984): 159–71. 15. Ibid. 16. Bio-Medical Center, P.O. Box 727, 615 General Ferreira, Colonia Juarez, Tijuana, B.C., Mexico; tel: 011-52-664-684-90-11, fax: 011-52-664-684-9744. 17. Walker, D. H. “Inhibition of tumor promotion by a biomimetic superoxide dismutase.” Science 220 (1983): 75. 18. Solanki, V., et al. “The reduction of tumor initiating activity and cell mediated mutagenicity of DMBA by a copper co-ordination compound.” Carcinogenesis 5 (1984): 129. 19. Sorenson, J. R. J. “Copper chelates as possible active metabolites of the
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antiarthritic and antiepileptic drugs.” J Appl Nutr 32:1–2 (1980): 4–25. Bland, J. “Copper salicylates and complexes in molecular medicine.” Int Clin Nutr Rev 4:3 (1984): 130–34. 20. For information on where to buy Schweitzer Formula, see: www.bodyelectronics.net. 21. Taubes, Gary. “What if it’s all been a big fat lie?” New York Times (July 7, 2002). 22. Buist, R. A. “Beetroot as cancer therapy.” Int Clin Nutr Review 6:3 (1986): 107– 12. 23. Regtop, H. “Is magnesium the grossly neglected mineral?” Int Clin Nutr Review 3:3 (1983): 10–20. 24. Savilahti, E., and M. Kuitunen. “Allergenicity of cow milk proteins.” J Pediatr 121 (1992): S12–S20. 25. Cramer, D. W., et al. “Galactose consumption and metabolism in relation to the risk of ovarian cancer.” Lancet 2 (1989): 66–71. 26. Saarinen, U. M. “Prolonged breastfeeding as prophylaxis for recurrent otitis media.” Nutrition Reviews 41 (1983): 241–42. 27. Lothe, L., and T. Lindbert. “Cow’s milk whey protein elicits symptoms of infantile colic.” Pediatrics 83:2 (1989): 262–66. 28. Mantzoros, C. S., et al. “Insulin-like growth factor 1 in relation to prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.” B J Cancer 76:9 (1997): 1115–18. 29. Fasano, A., et al. “Prevalence of celiac disease in at-risk and not-at-risk groups in the United States: a large multicenter study.” Archives of Internal Medicine 163:3 (February 10, 2003): 286–92. For further information, contact University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research: (800) 492-5538, websites: www.celiaccenter.org and www.celiac.com. 30. Taubes, Gary. “What if it’s all been a big fat lie?” New York Times (July 7, 2002). 31. Piesse, J. W. “Nutritional factors in calcium containing kidney stones with particular emphasis on vitamin C.” Int Clin Nutr Review 5:3 (1985): 110–29. 32. Kearney, R. “Promotion and prevention of tumour growth.” Int Clin Nutr Review 7:4 (1987): 157–68. 33. Jackson, J. A., H. D. Riordan, and C. M. Poling. “Aluminum from a coffee pot.” Lancet 1:(April 8, 1989): 781–82. 34. For practical advice and support, contact -www.amalgam.org; wide-ranging scientific information on the negative health effects of amalgam fillings and heavy metals is on www.melisa.org. Bernie Windham has assembled hundreds of clinical studies on the problems caused by amalgam fillings and harmful metals at www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/. 35. Miller, Neil Z. Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective? Santa Fe, NM: New Atlantean Press, 1993. 36. Scheibner, V. Vaccination: A Medical Assault on the Immune System. UK: Minerva Books, 1993. ———. “The shaken baby syndrome: the link to vaccination.” Nexus 5:5 (1998): 35– 38. ———. “Shaken baby syndrome diagnosis on shaky ground.” Journal of Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine 20:2 (August 2001). 37. Biever, Celeste. “Blood disease symptoms resemble child abuse.” New Scientist Newsletter (June 6, 2003). 38. Skrabanek, P. “False premises and false promises of breast cancer screening.” Lancet 2 (1985): 316–19.
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39. Baum, M. “The curability of breast cancer.” Br Med J 1 (1976): 439–42. 40. Cunningham, L. “Mastectomy for so-called lobular carcinoma in-situ.” Lancet 1 (1980): 306. 41. Editorial: “Breast cancer: have we lost our way?” Lancet 1:341 (1993): 343–44. 42. Baum, M. “Does surgery disseminate or accelerate cancer?” Lancet 347:8996 (January 27, 1996): 260. 43. Krokowski, E. H. “Is the current treatment of cancer self-limiting in the extent of its success?” J Int Acad Preventive Medicine 6:1 (1979): 23–39. 44. Iversen, P., et al. “Radical prostatectomy versus expectant treatment for early carcinoma of the prostate.” Scand J Urol Nephrol 172 (1995): 65–72. 45. McKinlay, J. B., et al. “A review of the evidence concerning the impact of medical measures on recent mortality and morbidity in the United States.” Int J Health Services 19:23 (1989): 181–208. 46. Bailar III, J. C., and H. L. Gornik. “Cancer undefeated.” New England Journal of Medicine 336 (1997): 1569–74. 47. Brown, B. W., C. Brauner, and M. C. Minnotte. “Noncancer deaths in white adult cancer patients.” J Natl Cancer Inst 85 (1993): 979–87. 48. Welch, H. G., and W. C. Black. “Are deaths within one month of cancer-directed surgery attributed to cancer? J Natl Cancer Inst 94 (2002): 1066–70. 49. Olsen, O., and P. C. Gotzsche. “Cochrane review on screening for breast cancer with mammography.” Lancet 358 (October 20, 2001): 1340–42. 50. Editorial. Lancet 358 (October 20, 2001): 1284–85. 51. Miller, A. B., et al. “Canadian national breast cancer screening study-2: 13-year results of a randomized trial in women aged 50–59 years.” J Natl Cancer Inst 92 (September 20, 2000): 1490–99. 52. Ernster, Virginia L., et al., “Incidence of and treatment for ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.” JAMA 275:12 (March 27, 1996): 913–18. Page, David L., and Roy A. Jensen. “Ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.” JAMA 275:12 (March 27, 1996): 948–49. 53. Cuzick, Jack, et al. “Electropotential measurements as a new diagnostic modality for breast cancer.” Lancet 352 (August 1, 1998): 359–63. 54. PORT Meta-analysis Trialists Group. “Postoperative radiotherapy in non-smallcell lung cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data from nine randomised controlled trials.” Lancet 352:9124 (July 25, 1998): 257–63, 250–51. 55. Bhatia, S., L. L. Robison, et al. “Breast cancer and other second neoplasms after childhood Hodgkin’s disease.” N Engl J Med 334:12 (Mar 21, 1996): 745–51. 56. Klingspor, L., G. Stintzing, and J. Tollemar. “Deep Candida infection in children with leukaemia.” Acta Paediatr 86:1 (1997): 30–36. 57. Klein-Szanto, A. J. P. “Carcinogenic effects of chemotherapeutic compounds.” Progress in Clinical and Biological Research 374 (1992): 167–74. 58. Riccardi, A., O. Mora, et al. “Long-term survival of stage I multiple myeloma given chemotherapy just after diagnosis or at progression of the disease. A multicentre randomized study.” Br J Cancer 82:7 (April 2000): 1254–60. 59. Nesi, Tom. Op-ed: “False hope in a bottle.” New York Times (June 5, 2003). 60. Gould, D. “Cancer: a conspiracy of silence.” New Scientist (February 12, 1976). 61. Begley, Sharon. “New statistics show increase in cancer rates, cancer rates go up, not down.” Wall Street Journal (October 16, 2002): B1. 62. Hildenbrand, G. L., et al. “Five-year survival rates of melanoma patients treated by diet therapy after the manner of Gerson: a retrospective review.” Alternative
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Therapies 1:4 (September 1995): 29–37. 63. Seeger, M.D., D.Sc., Paul Gerhard, born 1903, worked at Robert Koch Institute and Humboldt University, Berlin; 290 scientific cancer publications, twice nominated for Nobel Prize. 64. The official English-language website of Dr. Hamer is at: www.newmedicine.ca. However, much more information is on the German website: www.pilhar.com, which also has a limited English section. Dr. Hamer has written several books, of which one is available in English from his website under the title Summary of the New Medicine. 65. Muldoon, M. F., S. B. Manuck, and K. A. Mathews. “Lowering cholesterol concentrations and mortality: a quan titative review of primary prevention trials.” British Medical Journal 301:6747 (August 11, 1990): 309–14. 66. McCully, M.D., Kilmer S., until 1979 professor at Harvard Medical School, later at V.A. Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. 67. For an excellent site on the orgone energy research of Wilhelm Reich, as well as links to other bioenergy websites, see the Public Orgonomic Research Exchange (PORE) at: http://orgone.org/ or see the writings of Wilhelm Reich. 68. For further information, see The Surrendered Wife by Laura Doyle and www.surrenderedwife.com for support networks in many states and countries. 69. For further information, see The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff (Boulder, CO: Perseus Publishing, 1986 [reprint]) and www.continuum-concept.org for support network. 70. Klopfer, Bruno. “Psychological variables in human cancer.” Journal of Projective Techniques 21 (1957): 329–40. 71. J. H. Schultz (1884–1970), a German professor of psychiatry and neurology; in the 1920s, he developed the method for autogenic training. Information concerning training can be found on the Internet; this is mostly practiced in Europe and Japan.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Armstrong, John W. 1971. The Water of Life. Wellingborough, UK: Health Science Press. Becker, Robert O. 1990. Cross Currents: The Promise of Electromedicine. Los Angeles, CA: J. P. Tarcher. Bland, Jeffrey. 1981. Diagnostic Usefulness of Trace Elements in Human Hair. Bellevue, WA: Northwest Diagnostic Services. (Also other books by this author.) Boericke, William. 1996. Pocket Manual of Homeopathic Materia Medica with Repertory. Ottawa, ON: Laurier Books. Brennan, Barbara Ann. 1988. Hands of Light. New York: Bantam. ———. 1993. Light Emerging. New York: Bantam. Budwig, Johanna. 1992. Flax Oil as a True Aid against Arthritis, Heart Infarction, Cancer and Other Diseases. Vancouver: Apple Publishing. Burr, Harold S. 1972. The Fields of Life. New York: Ballantine Books. Cantwell, Alan. 1990. The Cancer Microbe. Los Angeles: Aries Rising. Chia, Mantak. 1993. Awaken Healing Light of the Tao. New York: Healing Tao Books. (Also other books by this author.) Christy, Martha M. 1994. Your Own Perfect Medicine. Scottsdale, AZ: Future Med. Clark, Hulda R. 1995. The Cure for all Diseases. San Diego: ProMotion. (Also other books by this author.) Clynes, Manfred. 1977. Sentics: The Touch of Emotions. New York: Doubleday. D’Adamo, Peter J., and Catherine Whitney. 1997. Eat Right for Your Type. New York: Putnam. (Also other books by this author.) Davis, Albert R., and Walter C. Rawls. 1993. Magnetism and Its Effects on the Living System. Kansas City: Acres. Diamond, John. 1985. Life Energy. New York: Dodd, Mead. Dychtwald, Ken. 1977. Body-Mind. New York: Pantheon Books. Erasmus, Udo. 1986. Fats and Oils. Vancouver: Alive Books. (Also other books by this author.) Fallon, Sally, and Mary G. Enig. 1999. Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. Winona Lake, IN: New Trends Publishing. Gendlin, Eugene T. 1978. Focusing. New York: Everest House. Gerber, Richard. 1988. Vibrational Medicine. Santa Fe, NM: Bear and Co. Gerson, Max. 1958. A Cancer Therapy. Del Mar, CA: Totality Books. Hamaker, John D., annotations by Donald A. Weaver. 1982. The Survival of Civilization. Woodside, CA: Hamaker-Weaver Publishers; also free Web edition at: wwW.remineralize-the-earth.org. Hay, Louise L. 1982. You Can Heal Your Life. Santa Monica, CA: Hay House. Hirshberg, Caryle, and Marc I. Barasch. 1995. Remarkable Recovery. New York: Riverhead. Howell, Edward. 1985. Enzyme Nutrition. Wayne, NJ: Avery. Hugh, Paola. 1972. I Will Arise. Eastsound, WA: Fleur de Lys Foundation. Jacka, Judy. 2000. The Vivaxis Connection. Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads. Jensen, Bernard. 1982. Iridology, vol. 2. Escondido, CA: Bernard Jensen, Publisher. Kalokerinos, Archie. 1981. Every Second Child. New Canaan, CT: Keats. Kelder, Peter. 1939/1975. The Eye of Revelation. Vista, CA: Borderland Sciences.
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———. 1985. Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth, Book 1. Gig Harbor, WA: Harbor Press. ———. 1998. Ancient Secret of the Fountain of Youth, Book 2. New York: Doubleday. King, Serge K. 1992. Earth Energies. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books. (Also other books by this author.) Liedloff, Jean. 1986. The Continuum Concept. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing. Long, Max F. 1948/1979. The Secret Science behind Miracles. Marina del Rey, CA: DeVorss. ———. 1953/1979. The Secret Science at Work. Marina del Rey, CA: DeVorss. Lowen, Alexander. 1971. The Language of the Body. New York: Collier. (Also other books by this author.) Lowen, Alexander, and Leslie Lowen. 1977. The Way to Vibrant Health: A Manual of Bioenergetic Exercises. New York: HarperCollins. McCabe, Ed. 1988. Oxygen Therapies: A New Way of Approaching Disease. Morrisville, NY: Energy Publications. ———. 2002. Flood Your Body with Oxygen. Morrisville, NY: Energy Publications. Mendelsohn, Robert S. 1979. Confessions of a Medical Heretic. Chicago: Contemporary Books. Mercola, Joseph, and Alison R. Levy. 2003. The No-Grain Diet: Conquer Carbohydrate Addiction and Stay Slim for Life. New York: Dutton. Moss, Ralph W. 1995. Questioning Chemotherapy: A Critique of the Use of Toxic Drugs in the Treatment of Cancer. New York: Equinox. (Also other books by this author.) Mount, J. Lambert. 1975. The Food and Health of Western Man. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Null, Gary. 1998. Healing with Magnets. New York: Carroll and Graf. (Also other books by this author.) Ott, John. 1983. Health and Light. New York: Pocket Books. Page, Melvin E. 2001. Body Chemistry in Health and Disease. St. Petersburg Beach, FL: Page Foundation. Pfeiffer, Carl C. 1976. Mental and Elemental Nutrients. New Canaan, CT: Keats. Philpott, William, and Saron Taplin. 1990. Biomagnetic Handbook. Choctaw, OK: Enviro-Tech Products. Philpott, William H., and Dwight K. Kalita. 1983. Victory over Diabetes. New Canaan, CT: Keats. Plant, Jane. 2000. Your Life in Your Hands. London: Virgin Books. Pottenger, Elaine, and Robert Pottenger, Jr., eds. 1983. Pottenger’s Cats: A Study in Nutrition. La Mesa, CA: Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation. Price, Joseph M. 1981. Coronaries/Cholesterol/Chlorine. New York: Jove Books. Price, Weston. 1954. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. La Mesa, CA: PricePottenger Nutrition Foundation. Reich, Wilhelm. 1973. The Cancer Biopathy. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux. Segala, Melanie, ed. 2003. Disease Prevention and Treatment. Hollywood, FL: Life Extension Foundation. Seyle, Hans. 1956/1978. The Stress of Life. New York: McGraw-Hill. Singer, Sydney R., and Soma Grismaijer. 1995. Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras. Pahoa, Hawaii: ISCD Press. Spangler, David. 1975. The Laws of Manifestation. Forres [Scotland]: Findhorn Foundation.
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Thie, John F., with Mary Marks. 1973. Touch for Health. Marina del Rey, CA: DeVorss. Vonderplanitz, Aajonus. 1997. We Want to Live. Santa Monica, CA: Carnelian Bay Castle Press. Werbach, Melvyn R. 1989. Nutritional Influences on Illness. New Canaan, CT: Keats. (For other books by this author, see: www.third-line.com.) Wolcott, William L., and Trish Fahey. 2002. The Metabolic Typing Diet: Customize Your Diet to Your Own Unique Body Chemistry. New York: Broadway Books. * * * * * * * * * *
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Walter Last combines the training and work experience of Research Chemist, Biochemist and Toxicologist with that of Practicing Nutritionist and Natural Therapist. He was born and grew up in Germany, and held positions in medical institutions at the Universities of Greifswald, Cologne and Munich, working in research, forensics and toxicological investigations. He also worked at Bio-science Laboratories in Los Angeles. In 1970 he settled in New Zealand and, dissatisfied with drug-based medicine, practiced as a Natural Therapist. Since 1981 he lives in Queensland/Australia and has investigated and experimented with a wide range of natural therapies to improve the effectiveness of natural medicine in treating serious and medically incurable diseases. Walter Last is the author of “Heal Yourself”, “Healing Foods” and “The Natural Way To Heal - 65 Ways to Create Superior Health” (now out of print). This E-book “ Heal Yourself the Natural Way” is a revised and progressively updated version of “The Natural Way to Heal”. He is the main contributor to the “Self Help Cancer Cure” book, and his articles appeared regularly in “Nexus” magazine and other journals. His “Heal Yourself” series of 7 books deal with particular diseases and health conditions, are sold worldwide, and are available at: www.the-heal-yourself-series.com. His websites are at: www.health-science-spirit.com, www.heal-yourself.com.au, and www.healing-yourself.com.
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To purchase any of the printed books in the “Heal Yourself” Series Email:
[email protected] Web: www.the-heal-yourself-series.com
Published by
...a division of Austpac Productions
Austpac Productions P.O. Box 842, Moss Vale 2577, NSW, Australia Web: www.austpac-productions.com E-mail:
[email protected]
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