 g of DNA as an unchanging
blueprint, albeit “the blueprint of life.” DNA is nowhere
near so static. I was sitting quietly two days ago when I had
a glimpse of DNA in my mind’s eye. I saw DNA speeded up
so that one human lifetime, from the moment of inception
to the moment of death, ﬁt into the space of a few minutes. What I saw wasn’t a chem ical but a process of incredible
richness and dynamism. Everything in life pours  out of
DNA—ﬂesh, bones, blood, heart, and nervous system; a
baby’s ﬁrst word and a toddler’s ﬁrst step; the maturing of
reason in the brain’s cortex; the play of emotions, thoughts,
and desires that ﬂicker like summer lightning  through
every cell. All of this is DNA. To call it a blueprint is to take
the husk and miss the fruit. Imagine yourself going to a
Mercedes dealer, paying thirty thousand dollars, and
having him hand over a car’s blueprint instead of a car. Now imagine the blueprint actually turning into the car—
not only that, but starting  itself, driving down the road, andreplacing its own spare parts. Then the blueprint would be
equal to DNA. (It would also need another quite amazing
talent: any part—the carburetor, the tires, even a chip of
paint on the door—would  have to know how to turn into a
whole car.) Whatever it is that make s DNA so dynamic is not visible
in its material makeup; molecules themselves are passive
participants in time. They can change, as oxygen and
hydrogen change when they combine to form water, but
DNA actively  shapes the course of time. This is such an
important feature that I need to explain it at length;
otherwise, the real miracle of DNA will be lost on us. In the past few years, researchers have been intrigued by
one particular gene, called the per gene, in the DNA of a
fruit ﬂy. As part of their inherited behavior, fruit ﬂies sing
in the evening to call their mates. Normally, they repeat
their call quite rhythmically, once every 60 seconds. Ronald Konopka, a research professor at Clarkson
University, ﬁrst linked the rhythm of the fruit ﬂy’s song to
the per (for “periodic”) gene. He also found that the rhythm
could change. When the per gene mutates, it produces
faster or slower intervals  between calls: one ﬂy sings every
40 seconds, another every 80 seconds. What is so fascinating about this discovery is that each
kind of ﬂy times its existence to a diﬀerent length of day. The normal, 60-second ﬂy follows a 24-hour day; the faster,
40-second ﬂy a shorter day of 18 to 20 hours;  and the
slower, 80-se cond ﬂy a long day of 28 to 30 hours. The
conventional interpretation is that the per gene establishes
the insect’s daily rhythm. A similar eﬀect is seen in us; if
conﬁned to a cave where  he cannot see the sun and is not
allowed to look at a clock, a man will sleep and wake up on
a regular cycle, not of 24 hours but generally of 25 hours—
this seems to be the daily, or circadian, rhythm that our
DNA has built into us. Similarly, the fruit ﬂy does not carewhen the sun rises or sets; when its song changes, the day
changes. That means that its sense of time comes from
within, activated by the per gene. This is a far more stunning conclusion than the
conventional one. The convent ional one says that DNA is
controlling a rhythm inside the cell, but I am saying that it
controls time itself. The per gene is the link between time
“out there” and DNA “in here”; it literally creates time as
the fruit ﬂy knows it. In physics, Einstein demonstrated
that there is no ﬁxed yardstick for time in the relative
world; a space traveler would think that the clock on his
spaceship is ticking norm ally, just as it does on Earth. But if
he attained a velocity near the speed of light, the clock
would in fact be going slower than Earth-bound clocks. This
would not be an illusion; every biological process, including
how fast the space traveler ages, would also slow down. Aren’t these fruit ﬂies the insect equivalent of Einstein’s
space travelers? They are experiencing time as either slow
or fast, not from travel ing near the speed of light but
simply from their own internal signals. A fast-singing fruit ﬂy would have no way of knowing that
it is living in “fast time” (assuming that it is isolated from
the other kinds of ﬂies). It emits the same number of calls
per “day” as either the normal or the slow singers, without
realizing that its day (18 to 20 hours) is entirely determined
inside itself. But what is the per gene actually doing? Another investigator, Michael Young of Rockefeller
University, joined Konop ka and discovered that the per
gene works by coding certain proteins in the cell that
regulate rhythm. It is these proteins, coming and going in
cycles, that make the day seem long or short to the ﬂy. Similar genes and coded  proteins have also been found in
mice, chickens, and human beings. This brings us
remarkably close to seeing how the DNA is creating all of
reality. It is manipu lating the molecules into rhythms, orvibrations, that we decode into time. Other vibrations are
decoded into light, sound, texture, smells, et cetera. Sir
Arthur Eddin gton calls all of these “fancies of the mind,”
for essentiall y none of our sensory input is anything but a
signal transmitted to us via DNA—pure, abstract vibrations
that we turn into “real” events in time and space. If a gene
can regulate  time, then it is only a step away from
regulating space, too. There is nothing to time and space,
from a subjective point of view, except one’s own
participation in it. Like the fruit ﬂy, we measure an hour by
the clock, and the clock is in us. Here we come to a fork in the road. Biologists realize that
if the protei ns in a cell regulate the cell’s rhyth ms, then
something must regulate them. What is it? One road leads
to a materialistic explanation. Naturally, this is the one
science prefers. Some biolog ists believe that the cell wall
lets chemicals through only at a certain rate, and this rate
is our yardstick for time, our molecular clock. Others say
that the clock is actually a chemical code imprinted on the
DNA, which  is read in sequence from the moment of
conception until death. Neither explanation has been
worked out in satisfactory detail. If the rishis are right, they
never will be—no answe r exists on the level of molecules
alone. As is obvious by now, the rishis would take a diﬀerent
road and say that the clock inside us is intelligence. The
per gene is just a mechanical part, a wire or tube in DNA’s
radio. Through it, time expresses itself, just as an emotion
expresses itself through a neuropeptide. Time is riding on a
molecule, and once again we mustn’t mistake the rider for
the horse. The signals for time, space, motion, texture,
smells, sights, and all the rest of the world come  from the
level of silent intelligence. That is wher e we really live, and
the miracle of DNA is that it can turn so many totally
abstract messages into life itself.If you go walking through the woods on a warm autumn
day, feeling the fallen oak leaves under your feet, smelling
the ripe, dank earth, and watching the October light as it
plays in the branches overhead, you are experiencing the
world through your DNA. It impo ses a deﬁnite selection on
things. You are not smelling the argon and xenon gases in
the air or seeing the sun’s ultraviolet emissions. You can
walk through leaves but not through the wood of the trees. The incredible complexity of green moss registers on your
mind as a patch of fuzz; and of the pollen, spores,  bacteria,
viruses, and other microb es that ﬁll the air by the hundreds
in every cubic centimeter, you register nothing. The reason
for this special focus resides in you. Those are humanized
leaves, trees, smells, and light. If your sense s were reﬁned enough, you would go even
further and realize that you are the woods. It is not just
sending signals to you from “out there”; rather, you are
blending your own signals with its. None of your sense
organs is separated from nature’s continuum. Your eye is a
specialized light receptor that merges into the light it
perceives. If the light failed, your eye would atrophy as
surely as the blind cave-ﬁsh’s eye; if your eye’s structure
changed—for example, if each eye swiveled independently,
like a chame leon’s—every object would acquire completely


 to a
new understanding of the issue. Incubation
The fourth step is incubation. In incubation, you allow your awareness to
settle in to a more expanded state of consciousness through meditation. Incubation is the stage of surren der. Having formed your intention, gathered
and resh uf fled t he information you obtained, the next step is to go beyond
the r ational mind and access a deeper domain of awareness to  orchestrate
the fulfillment of your intentio n. Use the So Hum meditatio n technique
described in Chapter 3 to quiet and expand your mind. Review your
intention for a few moments before you begin meditation and then let go. Letting go allows for something entirely new to arise in your awareness—
something that you had not conceived of before.Insight
When th e condit ions are right, y ou will experience the fifth step, which is
insight. Insight results from the rearranging of the previous relationships
and meanings into an entirely  new context, which then allows for an
entirely new interpretation. Insight is the creative leap— your perception
and interpretation of the issue c ompletely shifts. This new inner vision is
the esse nce of the creative re sponse. It precipitates from a domain of
awareness that is nonlocal. The  process of meditation allows y ou to enter
into this nonlocal domain that exists for eternity in the gaps between your
thoughts. When  you are able to go beyond your ideas about how things
should be, gaining access to thi s deeper domain, something unprecedented
emer ges. This is insight. Inspiration
When th e insight occurs, it spontaneously generates inspiration. The
level of enthusia sm that wells u p when insight dawns is a good barometer
that the insight is a real creative leap. When you really see things in a new
light, yo ur entire mind/body becomes ener gized. Y ou know in your mind
that your insight is true and you  feel in your body that the insi ght is right. Passion, exhilaration, excitement, joy, and enthusiasm are all si gns that the
insight that arose while you were incubating will solve your problem and
fulfill your intention. Implementation, Integration, Incarnation
It is now  your task to translate th e insight into action. Now that you know
what is necessar y to fulfill your intention, do it. Make the change, take the
step, and implement the a ction to actualize the creat ive response. Integrate
the c hange into your life. As yo u integrate and implement the insight into
your thin king and behavior, you incarnate it in your body. It becomes a par t
of you, and as a result you are a new person. Y ou have taken a creative leap
and have become a new body/mind.Ar chimedes, the Ar chetypal Cr eative Response
Archimedes was the greatest mathematician of his time. A third-century
B.C. native of S yracuse, Sicily, he was asked by King Hiero to determine if
the crow n that was made for him was of pure gold (Intention). Archimedes
knew th at if he c ould calculate the density of the crown he would be able to
determine if any other metals had been added (Information gathering). He
knew that density was weight ( mass) divided by volume. He could weigh
the crown on a scale, but due to its irregular shape, he did not know how to
find its precise volume. After considering this problem conti nuously for
days (Information r eshuffling), he was convinced by his servant to let the
puzzle g o for a little while and take a warm bath (Incubation). As he was
lowering himsel f into the tub, he noticed that his body displaced an amount
of water  equal to his volume. This led to the idea (Insight) that he could
calculate the density of the cr own by determining how much water it
displaced. He was so exuberant about his discovery (Inspiration) that
legend has it he ran through the streets of Syracuse shouting  “Eureka!,”
which in Greek means “I’ve fou nd it!” As it turned out, the metalsmith had
diluted the gold with silver. As a n e xample of how this might work on a personal level, consider a
woman who is in constant turmoil because her spouse is not meeting her
expectations. In  her mind, he spends too much time alone or on the phone
with friends and colleagues. As a result of her distress and anxiety she has
been eating more, gaining weight, and losing her self-esteem. She dec ides to apply this nine-s tep creative process by first formulating
her i ntention, which is to feel se cure, appreciated, and loved. She makes the
commitment to read several pop ular books on relationships and is exposed
to a num ber of new perspectives. She learns meditation, which  she begins
practicing regularly. During a particularly deep sitting, she has the insight
that she has really been m issing her friends, and her resentment stems fr om
her husband’ s experiencing som ething that she would like for herself. She
becomes inspire d by the idea and makes plans to visit an old college
roommate in another town. Sh e so enjoys the few days that her entireattitude about her life complete ly shifts. She begins exercising and eating
better and all her relationships, including her marriage, improve. By s etting up the conditions th at allowed her to experience a  creative
quantum leap, she was able to access life ener gy that was  previously
unavailable to her. This ability to experience new creative solu tions to old
problems is the essence of flexibility and a key component of re versing the
aging process. OPPOR TUNITIES FOR CREA TIVITY
Use the nine-step process every  time you perceive a problem or challenge
in yo ur l ife. See  every challenge as an opportunity for creativity. When you
see ever y problem as an opportunity to practice the creative responses, you
will look forward to and be excited by the challenges in your life. Help ot hers to solve their pr oblems by teaching them the creative
response. T each and use the creative response at work and in your home
life. T ea ch your children how to  perceive their challenges as opportunities
for crea tivity. Flexibility and creativity are the keys to e volutionary
progress. Even in Darwinian te rms, those who are able to adapt survive. Adaptation first requires flexi bility, then creativity. Every evolutionary
jump is a quantum leap in creativity. When you cultivate fle xibility and
practice the creative response you will notice how much younger, more
flexible, and more adaptable you become. Every day in every way,
I am incr easing my mental and physical capacity. My Biostat is set at a healthy ____ years of age. I look and feel a healthy ____ years old. I am r eversing my biological age:By changing my per ception of my body, its aging and time;
Thr ough two kinds of deep r est—r estful awar eness and  r estful sleep;
By nurturing my body thr ough healthy foods;
By using nutritional complements wisely;
By enhancing mind/body integration;
Thr ough exer cise;
By eliminating toxins fr om my life; and
By cultivating flexibility and cr eativity in consciousness. 1 0
Y ou Can Reverse Y our Biological
Age Through Love

ACTION STEP # 9
I am r eversing my biological age by making love the most  important thing
in my life. I put this into practice by:
Listening attentively and without interruption. Expr essing my appr eciation to at least one person every day in an
honest and sincer e manner. Consciously engaging in loving touch with those close to me, and
becoming awar e of my sexual ener gy in all its differ ent  expr essions. Love heals. Love r enews. Love makes you feel safe. Love brings you closer to God. Love conquers all fear.Love makes you young. Love r everses the aging pr ocess. Y ou can reverse your biological age through love. Love is the essence of
life. For human beings, love is as essential as food and water, and without
it, we cannot su rvive. Love is not just a psychological experience; love
transforms biology. Mammalian babies from bunnies to chimpa nzees fail to
develop normally if they are de prived of their mother ’ s love. A lthough we
are not usually accustomed to considering love in scientific terms, over the
past twenty-fiv e years, scientific studies have provided indisputable
evidence that the experience of love has profound life-supporting ef fects on
our physiology. Scientific studie s show that by  merely observing acts of com passion,
your immunity is enhanced. David McClelland of Harvard University found
that college students increase their production of salivary antibodies when
watching a film of Mother T eresa comforting a child, whereas their
antibody levels are depressed when watching war scenes. David Spiegel’ s
studies from Stanford University have taught us that women facing
metastatic cance r who participate in caring support groups live, on average,
twice as long a s those who d o not. W e know that men suf fering heart
attacks w ho bel ieve that their w ives love them


which are indeed matters for trained professionals, maintaining your health is a
matter of preventing deficiency and toxicity and requires little or no outside
assistance. We like to think of ourselves as so technologically advanced, so smart, so
sophisticated... able to invent computers, land on the moon and build space
stations. Yet people we consider primitive lived much longer and healthier lives than
we do. By optimizing their six pathways and minimizing the two causes of disease,
these populations showed us that the potential for human health is extraordinary. These people did not suffer from the chronic and degenerative diseases that are the
norm in our society; in fact they rarely, if ever, suffered from the common cold. A massive misconception in America is that most of us are healthy. In reality,
most of us are sick. You don’t have to look sick to be sick. We are living proof that
it is entirely possible to achieve normal growth rates and have a healthy appearance
while being undernourished and in a state of compromised health. Our
unprecedented epidemic of chronic and degenerative disease is clearly the result ofeating a diet consisting of adulterated and devitalized foods; exposure to the lethal
effects of polluted air, water and food; and exposure to manmade electromagnetic
radiation. Yet, as a society, we have failed to come to grips with this reality,
partially because we are still stuck in the obsolete medical paradigm of the “germs
and genes theory” of disease, and partially because powerful economic incentives
exist to maintain the status quo. Do we think we can continue to eat nutritionally deficient diets, diets rich in
make-believe foods made from sugar, white flour and processed oils, diets that will
not even sustain healthy life in rats, and still be healthy? Can we continue to live
sedentary lifestyles when we know that physical activity is absolutely essential to
health? Can we continue to use products that poison us with toxins that
bioaccumulate in our tissues and cause cellular malfunction? Can we support
wellness without learning stress-management techniques? Can we continue to live
and work in ways that deprive us of healthy, full-spectrum light and adequate sleep? Chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis,
asthma, allergies and osteoporosis are entirely preventable. By learning and
universally applying the concepts of one disease, two causes and six pathways, our
society could eliminate today’s epidemic of chronic disease. We must teach
everyone, including our schoolchildren, how to understand and take personal
responsibility for the two causes of disease and how to form the positive habits that
will result in lifelong good health. Health is a choice. Disease is the result of poor
choices, and almost all diseases are preventable. Throughout this book, you have learned the keys to a long and healthy life:
perspective, power and perseverance. Understanding my theory of disease brings you
a new perspective on health and modern medicine. Using that knowledge creates the
power to choose your destiny. Persevere with the right choices along all six
pathways toward health, and you will never be sick again!R
EFERENCES
Appleton, Nancy. Kick The Sugar Habit. (Garden City Park, NY: Avery Publishing
Group), 1996. Balfour, E.
The Living Soil. (New York: Universe Books), 1976. Beasley, J. D., and Swift, J. J. The Kellogg Report. (Annandale-on-Hudson, NY: The
Institute of Health Policy and Practice/Bard College Center), 1989. Becker, R. O. The Body Electric. (New York: Quill/William Morrow), 1985. Brekhman, I. I. and Nesterenko, I. F.
Brown Sugar and Health. (
New York: The
Pergamon Press), 1983. Casdorph, Richard and Walker, Morton. Toxic Metal Syndrome. (Garden City Park,
NY: Avery Publishing Group), 1995. Cheraskin, E., Ringsdorf, W. M., Jr., and Sisley, E. L.
The Vitamin C Connection. (New York: Bantam Books), 1983. Chopra, Deepak. Ageless Body Timeless Mind. (New York: Harmony Books), 1993. Chopra, Deepak. Creating Health. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin), 1987. Chopra, Deepak. Quantum Healing. (New York: Bantam Books), 1989. Cohen, A. M.; Bavly, S.; Poznanski, R. “Change of Diet of Yemenite Jews in
Relation to Diabetes and Ischaemic Heart Disease.”
The Lancet
(1961) 2:1399-
1401. Cohen, Robert. Milk The Deadly Poison. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Argus Publishing),
1997. Coulter, Harris. Vaccination, Social Violence and Criminality:The Medical Assault
on the American Brain. (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books), 1990. Cousins, Norman. Anatomy of an Illness. (New York: Bantam Books), 1979. Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. (Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press), 2001. Cummins, Ronnie and Lilliston, Ben. Genetically Engineered Food. (New York:
Marlowe & Company), 2000. Dadd, Debra Lynn. Nontoxic & Natural. (Los Angeles, CA: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.),
1984. Diamond, Harvey. Fit For Life: A New Beginning. (New York: Kensington Books),
2000.Ensminger, Aubrey, et al. Food and Nutrition Enclycopedia. (Clovis, CA: Pegus
Press), 1983. Erasmus, Udo. Fats and Oils. (Vancouver, Canada: Alive Books), 1986. Erasmus, Udo. Fats That Heal Fats That Kill. (Burnaby, Canada: Alive Books),
1993. Ershoff, B. H. “Synergistic Toxicity of Food Additives in Rats Fed a Diet Low in
Fiber.”
Journal of Food Science
(1976) 41:949-51. Foster, Harold. “Lifestyle Changes and the Spontaneous Regression of Cancer: An
Initial Computer Analysis.”
International Journal of Biosocial Research,
vol. 10, no.1, p.17, (1988). Goldberg, Burton et al. Alternative Medicine: the Definitive Guide. (Tiburon, CA:
Future Medicine Publishing), 1993. Gofman, John. “Radiation from Medical Procedures in the Pathogenesis of Cancer
and Ischemic Heart Disease: Dose Response Studies with Physicians Per 100,000
Population.”
(San Francisco, CA: Committee for Nuclear Responsibility Books),
1999. Gunderson, E.
“FDA Total Diet Study, April 1982–April 1986: Dietary Intakes of
Pesticides, Selected Elements, and Other Chemicals.”
(Arlington, VA: Association
of Official Analytical Chemists), 1986. Haley, Daniel. Politics in Healing. (Washington, D.C.: Potomac Valley Press), 2000. Hoffman, Jay. HUNZA: Secrets of the World’s Healthiest and Oldest Living People. (Clinton, NJ: New Win Publishing), 1997. Internal Medicine News & Cardiology News,
Consultatus Interruptus, December 1,
1993, page 9. Jensen, Bernard. Food for Healing Man. (Escondito, CA: Bernard Jensen, Publisher),
1983. Kaslow, A. L., and Miles, R. B. Freedom from Chronic Disease. (Los Angeles, CA:
Tarcher), 1979. Krohn, Jacueline and Francis Taylor. Finding the Right Treatment. (Point Roberts,
WA: Hartley & Marks), 1999. Lark, Susan, and Richards, James. The Chemistry of Success. (San Francisco, CA:
Bay Books), 2000. Lee, John R.
Optimal Health Guidelines. (Sebastopol, CA: BLL Publishing), 1993. Lee, John R.
Natural Progesterone. (Sebastopol, CA: BLL Publishing), 1993.Lewontin, Richard. Human Diversity. (New York: W. H. Freeman & Co.), 1982. Lipski, Elizabeth. Digestive Wellness. (New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing), 1996. Lopez, D. A., M.D., Williams, R. M., M.D., and Miehlke, K.,
M.D. Enzymes The Fountain of Life. (Charleston, SC: The Neville Press), 1994. McGee, C. T.
How to Survive Modern Technology. (New Canaan, CT: Keats
Publishers), 1979. McTaggert, Lynne. What Doctor’s Don’t Tell You. (San Francisco, CA:
Thorsons/Harper Collins), 1996. Mead, Nathaniel. “Don’t Drink Your Milk,” Natural Health, July/August, 1994, 70. Mendelsohn, R. S.
Confessions of a Medical Heretic. (Chicago, IL: Contempoary
Books), 1979. Murphy, Suzanne et al. “Demographic and economic factors associated with dietary
quality for adults in the 1987–88 Nationwide Food Consumption


 — so their  potla  makes full
use of plants grown on site. Leaves f rom the  castor oil plan t (Ricinus communis ), rich in
oil, are combined with  Datura alba  leaves (this plant is widely
used by A yurvedic and Siddha practitioners in oil-based
preparations for  dressings on w ounds), skin tonifying  nirgundi  or
Vitex nigundo  leaves, and leaves from the  moringo  or drumstick
tree. The se latter leaves are a well-known natural antibiotic. In fact,
all thes e leave s contain anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing
properties, so are useful in arthritic conditions. T o prepare the  potla,
they are washed, torn up and m ixed with crushed garlic, lime and
shredded coconut flesh, then fried with medicated oil in a w ok,
before being knotted up into small pouches. Sand, like clay and mud, has the ability to retain heat or cold, so is an ideal filler
for a heated compress. When dipped in warm, medicated oil, these bundle s of
goodness spread warmth and healing deep into tense or knotted muscles. At the
tranquil Spa Village  in the Pangkor Island Resort in Malaysia, pretty batik cottons
are used to further the pouch’ s appeal. At Soukya, patients who have been prescribed this therapy are
on a  course of seven to 21 day s, and the pouch is combined with
other th erapies. It may be gi ven to people with sciatica, disc
prolapse or lower back pain, and  is usually applied after an external
massage with medicated oil. T w o therapists administer the  potla :
one war ms two of the pouches  in medicated oil, while the other
massages the other two on to af fected areas. Movements include
gentle thudding and rubbing away from the heart. Navara Kizhi
Definitely worth a try is the intriguingly named Navara  kizhi, a
Keralan treatment of fered at many spas and clinics throughout
India. A t Oberoi Spa at Udaivilas, Navara rice (a type of dehus ked,red rice)  is mixed with milk a nd a decoction of  bala  root (Sida
cordifolia ) and  boiled for half an hour until it achieves a gruel-like
consistency. It is then wrapped into a loosely spun cotton cloth that
allows t he mixture to come through easily, and applied on to the
body. The excess liquid is kept i n a reserve pan on a warmer, so that
the pouches may be periodically re-warmed. Bala  root is a powerful cell nourishing and regenerating herb,
and is used in m any A yurvedic  treatments to maintain youth and
vitality. It means “youth” in Sanskrit, and is considered analge sic,
diuretic and stimulating as well. When mixed with Navara rice and
milk, the  proper ties “go quite de ep”, according to A yurvedic doctor,
Dr Y oge sh, who recommends the treatment to develop muscles and
improve muscle tone. “The pouch nourishes the skin, alleviates
vata  problems, improves blood circulation, reduces stif fness and
strengthens both the quantity and quality of the muscles,” he says. V ariations on the Navara  kizhi  include  podi kizhi (podi  means
“powder”;  triphala  or  dashmool  are often used);  dhanya kizhi
(dhanyam  translates as “grains”, so a combination of processed
grains is  used here;  naranga kizhi  using a cloth pouch filled with
lemon and herbs dipped in medicated oils; and  elakizhi (ela  means
“leaves”. All are designed to ac t as a potent anti-rheumatic, so are
helpful for stif fness in the joints. The spa at Amanbagh uses  dashmool  powder (das  means ten,
mool  translates as roots) in its specialized  kizhi  treatment. T ied
securely in immaculate linen pouches, the pretty little bundles are
dipped into warmed, medicated sesame first boiled with handpicked
aak  leaves (Calotropis gigantea ) before application. Aak  is a
plant in the milk weed family that grows profusely in the immediate
locality; known as swallow-wort,  aak  is useful in the treatment of
paralysis, swellings and fever, and it is anti-inflammatory when
applied externally. The Sand Bundle
At the spa at R ajvilas and Spa V illage spas in South East Asia,
fomentation with  small linen pouches filled with sand are the norm. The sand bundle is classified un der  ushema swedanam  therapies,
which translates as “to warm up (bundles) to sweat”. At Rajvilas, sulphur sand from Simla (it can hold its
temperature for a long time) is tied in small linen pouches, w hichare then  dipped in warm medic ated oil chosen according to one’ s
dosha  and pounded on the body. Accompanied by massage, the
therapy is soothing for inflammatory conditions, stif fness of joints
and aching muscles; it also pro motes general wellbeing. The heat
speeds up blood circulation and promotes sweating, which in turn
helps to eliminate toxins from the body. Plucked from the organic garden, Soukya’ s leaves are washed and chopped, then
mixed with lime, coconut and garlic and fried in a wok with medicated oil chosen
according to a patie nt’s health status and  dosha  imbalance. After frying for 10 to
15 minute s, the ingredients are transferred into soft cotton pouches, before being
administered, wonderfully warmed in oil, on problem areas. The gorge ous property in Udaipur known as Udaivilas not only boasts tranquil
surrounds on Lake Pichola, it offers numerous sites for therapy. Built to resemble
a Mewari palace, scallop-edged arches,  jaali  windows, cool sandstone and marble
decorations, as well as abundant gardens, offer a delightful backdrop to a spa
suite.beauty
Ancient beauty  -enhancing rituals are
experiencing a renaissance globally, as
people look towards “natural” rather than
“chemical” solutions to the symptoms of
aging. India is well placed to cater to
such needs, as it is home to a rich
selection of hair, skin and body
treatments, all of which work both
internally and externally to create a
glowing complexion, soft skin andlustrous locks. In addition, we consider
some wonderful de-toxing and
beautifying baths and some inspiring
therapies that employ gems, crystals,
metals and minerals for healing.ayurvedic facial care
Indian women have been harnessing herbs and plants for
skin care for centuries. Nu merous Sanskrit texts outline
facial and other beauty treatments, and evidence of natural
cosmetics dates back to at least 3,000  BC  in excavations of
the In dus V alley civilizat ion in present-day Pakis tan. Instructions for extracts of flowers, leaves, barks and herbs
for both medicinal and cosmetic purposes are plentiful in the
V edas — and the flawlessn ess of Indian women’ s skin is
captured in countless paintings from the past. Some of  the more common Indi an beauty products that have found
a w orldwide market include  kajal  or kohl eyeliner and  mehndi
(henna), as well as various per fumes and oils. Kajal  found fame
with the  Moghul Empress Nur Jehan; it is traditionally made from
triphala, alm ond, camphor and cabbage, all burnt in the oil of rose,
and has been exported for decades. Oils of sandalwood, musk and
rose hav e been traded along w ith India’ s cotton and spices for
centuries, and the Rajput combination of rose and milk for facial
scenting and cleansing is well documented. More recently, as
people h ave become aware of th e potential pitfalls of chemical and
synthetic skin, hair and beauty products, Indian herbal recipes have
become increasingly popular in global markets. In addition to formulating, manufacturing and selling facial
products, India is starting to capitalize on some of its ancient be auty
treatments too. Threading, the ancient art of facial hair extraction, is
finding favor in London and New Y ork day spas, and henna hairtreatments are increasingly pr omoted in high-end hair salons. Marma  massage on the vital ener gy poi nts of the face is a therapy
of fered in many South East Asian spas and the Indian head mass age
is widely used as a “filler” whilst a client is resting with a face
mask, fo r example. These, along with some of the more medicinal
A yurvedic treatments, are ones to watch out for. Many spas, salons and Ayurvedic centers in India are now manufacturing their
own herbal products for sale both domestically and overseas. The ingredients for
the Ananda facial are artfully arrang ed here


  element in  the
Taoist practice  of trans mitting  the energ y generat ed from the  sexual
organs  into a  higher  ener gy form. Thorax Diaphragm
Abdomen
Uterus
Pelvic Brim
Pelvic Diaphragm
Urogenital Di aphra gm
Bladder
Fig.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        The Taoists  identify  two kinds  of pleasur e:
“losing- energ y pleasure ” and “gainin g-energy  pleasur e. ” Most  of
us are  well experie nced  in losing- energy pleasur e. We have  describe d the brief,  intense  pleasure  that drugs,  such
as ma rijuana,  heroin,  cocaine,  or ampheta mines,  introduce  into
the system as they  quickly  draw and burn  up life-force  from  a
person’s  orga ns, brain,  and glands. This is like a  bonfire  started
with gasoline;  it burns  very intensely  and is ver y gratif ying, but the
fuel is gone  and the fire beco mes extinguish ed all too  soon. The
increased  desire  to experience  that intense  excitem ent, follow ed
by the increased  use of drugs,  draws out the vital  energy  from the
organs  as we ll as from the brain  and bone  marrow. Som e of the entert ainment  we seek  is also losing- energy
pleasure. When we  are entertai ned in excess  with activities  such
as watching television,  energy  from our  organs  is required  to pa y
attention,  and so our  life-force  energ y is dra wn out toward the event
we are watching and heari ng. We imagine ourselves  to feel good
because  we perceive  ourselv es as relaxing,  thereb y decreasin g
our stress. We do feel the  release,  but our vital organs  are being
drained  of their  life-force  by this excessive  energy  expenditur e. This
stress  to our  organs  creates  a negative  energy : and if they  do not
have  the means to  transform it back  into positive  energy, we will
accu mulate  too much and  eventuall y our negative  emotions w ill
burst  out. Even  though  something  such as  quiet  music can help  us relax
and create  a sense  of harmony  in the  body, too much attention  to it
will make our eyes, ears and nervous  system lose  energ y to the
outside. After wards, we continuall y seek ne w songs,  movies and
show s becaus e these  things  are never  satisfy ing our needs,  but
are further  arousing  and increasing  our need  for stim ulation. The
more w e try to satisfy  one or two of the senses  by an outside  means,
the greater  the need  for satisfaction  we create  for all the  senses. When yo u try to satisf y the mouth and  tongu e, the eyes, ears  and
nose  need  som ething  to stimulate them. It is a never -ending,
- 32 -Chapter I
increasing  requirement  of the  senses. Multi billion- dollar  businesses
have  arisen  to satisfy  our senses. They make tre mendous  profits
because  ultimately  they  do not reall y satisf y us or  bring  us true joy
and true happiness. If these  companies  created  entert ainment  that
would satisfy  us for a long  time, they  would go out of business. The Taoists rega rd our organs  as the body ’s parents  and the
senses  as the  children. When they  separ ate there  is no  harmony,
but rather  disharmon y and need. People  try to search  for happiness,
satisfaction  and love  outside  of themselves  rather  than  within. They
listen to  the desires  of their  bodies  rather  than  their  minds and
spirits. The more the y search,  the mo re they  create  a need  and will
never  reall y find what they are looking  force  Instead  they create  a
deterior ation  within themselves. True  happiness,  true joy and true
satisfaction  com e with inner  peace. By  turning  inward we will not lose the  energ y outw ard, and so
can gain energy  for ourselves. For exam ple, if we  eat a tast y food
but do not  have  an inner  harmony  in our  organs  and senses,  our
eyes will want more, like  children  in a toy store. We might decide  to
see a movie, and  then  the ears  want to be  stim ulated  as w ell. We
then might decide  to go to a nightclub  or a bar  In the  end we might
feel the need  to get  drunk,  to sm oke, or  take  drugs. Turning  sexual
energy  and the resulta nt orgasm in ward is the  first step to  gaining-
energy  pleasure  and to a control  of the  senses. Once  you have
more sexual  energ y inside,  the organs  will become stronge r and
will then  be able  to control,  satisf y: and balance  the senses. 4. Beyond Orgas m
    The normal out ward-pouring  orgasm is a form  of losing- energ y
pleasure,  i. e., w e release  life-force  energ y out and we experienc e
pleasure. In the  Taoist vie w of arousal,  how ever it is the  fusion  of all
the energy  contrib uted by the organs  and glands  with the highl y
refined  sexual ener gy that creates  orgas mic energ y. Rather  than
releasing  orgas ms outw ard, as in the  normal sexual act,  we learn
to turn  this energ y inward to rec ycle, increase  and highl y refine  it. Through  the practice  of the  life-force  meditation  know n as the
Microcosmic Orbit  meditation,  we begin  to learn  how  to recy cle the
ovaries’  energ y. In the  beginni ng it is difficult and  you must practice
to retain  the energy  within yourself, but once  you feel and gain
control  of your own ener gy: you will experience  new  pleasur es
which are indescrib able. This sensation  is called  “Beyond Orgas m”
or “Valley  Orgasm. ”
- 33 -Taoist View  of Wom an’s
    The concept  of an  orgasm that  is “Bey ond Orgasm” is difficult
to explain  becaus e we do not have  a word in Western languag es
or a cultural  concept  to express  it. It is a ne w idea  to us. Remember
however that when the automobile w as invented,  few people
thought  it could  replace  the horse. Later  people  realized  the benefits
of the  horseless  carriage. Cultivation  of “Bey ond Orgasm” can  be compared  to climbing a
10,000- foot mountain. In normal orgasm w e run up 1,000  feet and
run back  dow n and try again  tomorrow  to get  past  1,000  feet. Most
people  climb the  mountain  this way, perhaps  reaching  2,000  feet
on a good  day The sensations  may  be limited to the  genitals  or
rhythmic pulsations,  and relaxation  may be experienced  throug hout
the entire  body, but the energ y itself is lost to  the universe  and can
no longer  be develope d inside  the body. “Beyond Orgas m” goes
further  and further  each  time. W hen you climb this 10,00 0-foot
mountain,  you climb to 1,000  feet,  rest,  set up camp and  spend  the
night. The next  day you climb further,  rest and camp, and  you
continue  in this ma nner until  you reach  the peak. There  you enter
another  realm of pleasure. F. What is Ovarian  Kung  Fu. Originall y the Taoist sexual  exercises  were called  “Ovarian  Kung
Fu”. Som e students  feel this  sounds  too violent  or too much like
martial arts. The term  “kung  fu,” how ever means discipline  or
intensive  work, referrin g to one who puts  time into  practice. Ovarian
Kung  Fu im plies an  expression  of po wer and control,  of the ability
to take  com mand of  one’s  body  and sexual  life. In the Universal


 about how you’re doing inside. Most
people can relate to a response similar to: “There are moments that are so
beautiful I wouldn’ t trade them  for anything. But there are also moments I
don’t want to last for another second. In general, I work hard to keep it okay
in here. ” Such is the human predicament. For most, that is a fair description of what it’s like to live in there. So
far our discussions have laid the groundwork for understanding why it is
that way. Throughout our lives we’ve stored patterns inside ourselves,
samskaras, based upon past experiences we resisted. We then used these
stored patterns to build a self-co ncept consisting of what we like and don’t
like and how to get events in the world to unfold accordingly. If we succeed
in our ef forts, it’ s generally nice inside; if we don’ t, it’s not. It is important to understand that every external event is the expression
of all the energies that have come together to create that event. When this
flow of the event’ s energy comes into you, it must make its way through
your mind and heart, and then ultimately merge into your consciousness. When you use your will to block an experience from passing through, the
flow of energy has to find a way to keep moving. Energy can’t stand still. Energy is power, and when it hits the resistance of your will it is forced to
circle around itself. That’ s the only way energy can stay in one place. The
circle is such a powerful form in creation. It allows something to keep
moving yet stay stationary. This is how samskaras are formed. These stored
patterns from the past keep trying to release, but you keep pushing them
back down, either consciously or subconsciously. By now, you can see how these samskaras are running your life. To
begin with, they keep coming  up by themselves, and that alone causessuffering. To avoid this, you have to commit a major part of your life to
creating situations that make it comfortable to live inside yourself. You end
up relying on your brilliant analytical mind to figure out how to be okay. Your mind does this by imagin ing what would work for you. It just starts
making up things, playing make -believe. As these imagined thoughts arise,
you can feel how they affect your blockages. You’re trying to see how the
world needs to be to fit you the best. “What if this person was a certain
way. ” “What if that person hadn’t said what they said to me. ” “What if I
change jobs to become the boss so people would have to listen to me instead
of me listening to them. ” Everything going on in your personal mind is
because you’re either trying to match the stored patterns that will make you
feel better or avoid the patterns  that will make you feel worse. Both ways,
the store d patter ns are running your life. Don’ t feel bad about it; it’s that
way for pretty much everyone and always has been. You now have a deeper understanding of what we’ll call the
predicament: you’r e in there, you’r e not okay in there, and you have
developed concepts of how everything needs to be for you to be okay in
there. If you are not careful, you will struggle to satisfy these needs  for the
rest of your life. A perfect example of this burden is the all-too-common
practice of worrying. Why do you worry. There are only two reasons for
worrying: you either worry that you’re not going to get what you want, or
you worry that you’re going to get what you don’t want. This drives you to
work outside in the world to satisfy your needs. But the root of discomfort is
your stored patterns from the past. You are deciding you need to do things
outside in order to appease these patterns that are inside. This does not get
rid of the stored patterns—it actually reinforces your commitment to them. Over time, they will continue to bother you. Let’s say you feel lonely becau se you don’t have someone special in
your life. This sounds perfectly normal, but the truth is having someone
special in your life is your attempt to solve your loneliness. It does not
address the cause of it. It’s just like if you eat poorly and have a
stomachache; you may start looking for the Pepto Bismol. If someone then
asks you why you have a stomachache, please don’t say it’s because you
can’t find the Pepto Bismol. Finding the Pepto Bismol is an attempt to
compensate for your stomachache—it is not related to the cause of it. The
Pepto Bismol may make you feel better temporarily, but unless  you changeyour eating habits, the stomacha che will return. You will find this is true for
many things you do to compensate for your discomforts. Eventually, we wake up and realize that compensating for what’ s
wrong is not good enough—we must solve the root cause of why we are not
okay. There is a state within you that is always filled with love and a sense
of happiness. Yogananda called  it ever-new joy. It’s not a joy you get tired
of; it’s a constan tly upward-flowing, new experience of beauty. This is the
solution to every problem you’re having inside—make it beautiful in there. Instead of thinking that the new job will do it, the new relationship will do
it, or more money and popularity will do it, do the necessary inner work to
make it beautifu l inside. Notice that your problems all start with, “I’m not
okay in here. ” If you were  okay, you wouldn’ t be worrying and
complaining. You’d be in there enjoying the beauty of the experience you’re
having. Enjoying your inner state doesn’ t mean nothing will happen outside. Nobody is saying you don’t interact with the world. You just don’t interact
with the world in an attempt to solve your inner problems. The outside
cannot solve your inner blockages. All the outside world can do is
temporarily allow the energy to go around a blockage or not hit it as much. This creates some relief, but it’ s not going to get rid of the blockage. Working on releasing inner blockages, instead of struggling with life to
get what  you want, can seem like something is being taken away from you. But if what is being taken away from you is causing suffering, this should
not be a proble m. If you’re eating something that makes you sick, and
someone wants to give you food that makes you healthy, you must first stop
eating what makes you sick. This is not an act of renunciation; it’s simple
wisdom. Taking on this inner work does not mean you don’t get married,
have a job, or fully put your heart into whatever you’re doing. You can do
all of that, but not for the purpos e of solving your inner problems. If you are
letting the avoidance of your inner problems define what you’r e doing, all
you’r e doing is expressing your inner problems outside. Say a psychologist
held up a Rorschach inkblot and you got upset about what you saw in it. Is
the solution to tell them to stop holding up that piece of paper. That would
be ridiculous. You would not solve anything. Yet trying to solve inner
problems by rearranging the outside is exactly what everybody is doing. Chapter 27. The Paradigm Shift
Everyone wants to improve  their experience of life. People are always
looking for more joy, love, inspiration, and meaning—the question is how to
achieve this. Let’s do an expe riment. Imagine an all-powerful force has
asked you to write down some things that need to happen for you to totally
enjoy your life. If you’re like most people, you will write down things like a
new house, a special relationship, a higher paying job, and perhaps a
yearlong vacation to your favorite spots around the world. When you’re
done, you will be so excited to turn in that list and get your wishes granted. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait a moment because we’re going to go
deeper with this experiment. If you examine your list more closely, you will see that it’s not what
you really want. Let’s say you wrote down that you want to get married to
the person you love, and you want a wedding in Maui with birds-of-paradise
surrounding the ceremony. After the wedding, you want to live in a
beautiful, mortgage-free house overlooking the ocean with two fancy cars in
the driveway. It’s the dream you’ve had since childhood. The problem is
that’s not what you really want. Your mind has played a trick on you. Say
you have the wedding, the house, and the cars, just like you wanted them,
but your new spouse turns out to be a real jerk. You are treated terribly, and
it’s obvious right from the start that this is going to be the worst marriage in
human history. On top of that, you’re Catholic, so you can’t get divorced. Do you still want that wedding. Unlikely. So, it wasn’ t really the marriage
you wanted. You wanted the beautiful experience that you thought the
marriage was going to give you. So why didn’ t you ask for that. The same thing holds true for the new job,


string put back in. I asked, “Why wouldyou want to do that?” She replied that two gynecologists hadtold her that it’s safe. I was dumbfounded. “You’ve already donated both breasts;
you want to give them your uterus as well?” Her husbandcouldn’t believe her, either. But women have been brainwashedregarding the purported benefits of estrogen. Provera is just as harmful as estrogen. It is a synthetic prog-
estin, and although its chemical name is medroxyprogesterone, ithas no relationship to natural bio-identical progesterone. Many188 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  doctors unfortunately think Provera is the same as progesterone. Provera is damaging to blood vessels (like estrogen), is lipogenic(it creates fat just like estrogen), and also increases a woman’schance of getting breast cancer (just like estrogen). However, inmost cases it does prevent uterine cancer, which is why it is givento women taking Premarin who still have a uterus. HORMONE RECEPTOR SITES
Hormones travel through the bloodstream in minute quantities. When they reach a receptor site that fits them, they attach to itand are able to influence the cell they have attached to. Onewoman who is estrogen dominant (i.e., has high estrogen andlow progesterone) may have completely different symptoms fromanother woman who is also estrogen dominant because theirreceptor sites differ. Shirley developed asthma in her teenage years, a common
problem induced by estrogen not only in women but in menas well. Her asthma got worse as she got older, for severalreasons. Her progesterone levels were falling, and very likelyher estrogen levels were going up as she got fatter. Fat cellsproduce estrogen. As we have already seen, this may explain, atleast in part, why obese women are more prone to breastcancer than women of normal weight. Shirley apparently also has estrogen receptor sites in her
temporal arteries, which explains her migraine headaches. Manywomen have excess receptor sites in the uterus and breasts,prompting severe menstrual cramps and breast tendernessduring their periods. Later on, this intense stimulation leads touterine fibroids or endometriosis, fibrocystic disease of thebreasts or ovaries, and can result in uterine, ovarian, or breastcancer. None of these conditions occur when the body has189 DOCT ORS DON’T ALWAYS LISTEN enough natural progesterone to protect these organs. Shirley describes herself as having a pear-shaped figure. This is the case when the body is producing an over-abundance of two different hormones—insulin and estrogen.Insulin puts fat on around the waist, and estrogen puts fat onaround the hips, buttocks, and thighs. This is true for bothmen and women. People with excesses of insulin and estrogenoften have gallbladder problems as well. TAKING THE TIME TO LISTEN
T o this day Shirley remains angry about how she was treated by
the medical establishment. This is not unusual. Many patientstell me horror stories about being treated in a patronizingmanner and not listened to. Until there is a change in doctors’attitudes, patients will continue to be misdiagnosed, with theirsymptoms being addressed instead of the underlying cause.Doctors have to go back to listening to patients. There is nosubstitute for it. Shirley was obviously hormonally challenged. A basic
familiarity with natural bio-identical hormones on the part ofher earlier doctors would have allowed her to eliminate herasthma, which would have delighted her, to eliminate herheadaches, which would have amazed her, and to get rid of herfat, which would have pleased her. Needless to say, for Shirley, using bio-identical hormones
was nothing short of miraculous.190 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  BATTLING THE MEDICAL
ESTABLISHMENT —
MARGARET O.’S STORY
chapter TWENTY–THREE
Margaret O. is a well-educated woman, an accomplished musi-
cian and a teacher. She came to me at the age of 67, havingspent the previous 37 years seeking the solution to a seriousweight problem. She had been a size 22 for most of her adultlife, even though she was physically active and ate healthy foodsin reasonable quantities. But she had a hormonal profile thatmade her body store fat. I want you to hear her story because I see so many women
like her: well-educated, inquisitive, avid readers who studyhealth and medicine in an attempt to understand their ownbodies. Their weight problem isn’t their fault, but the medicalestablishment thwarts their honest efforts to break throughtheir difficulties. When I started gaining weight in my 30s I wanted to find out
why. I wasn’t eating any more than I had been before the weightgain, and my level of physical activity was the same. InstinctivelyI knew some other variable was at work here. At first I went to thedoctors at Kaiser Hospital, where I have my medical plan. Ithought they could help me. 191They did a series of tests on me and declared that I had an
under-active thyroid. That made sense to me and I was hopefulthat with thyroid medication my metabolism could be ratchetedup and my weight would start to go down. They prescribed thethyroid hormone Synthroid. I took it, but nothing happened. So I went back to Kaiser and told them I was still gaining
weight. They gave me the same tests over again, and they gave meanother prescription for Synthroid. It seems this was the only thingthey knew. When I went back a third time and told them Iwasn’t getting any results, they just looked at me strangely and toldme to eat less. From this experience I learned to harbor a healthy skepticism
about the medical profession. T oday I seek my own conclusions andI don’t take things at face value any more. Being an educatedperson, I began reading everything I could about how the bodymetabolizes food. Meanwhile, I tried every diet that came downthe pike. I tried Optifast, Shaklee, and many other diets. I wouldlose weight on each of these, but I never lost fat—always muscle.I would look at myself in the mirror after each of these diets andsee flesh just hanging on me. The diets were hard to stay on, andthey made me weak. I remember one time about six years ago: I wason a vacation in Hawaii after completing a diet that consisted ofeating nothing but protein drinks four times a day. There I was,hiking along this trail, and when our group came to a smallfissure on the trail everyone leaped across it. But I couldn’t get mybody to do it. I was that weak. Every time I came off one of thosediets, I gained back more than I had weighed before. This went onfor my entire adulthood. I got up to 240 pounds, and I am only5’1” tall. It became hard to move around and hard to go shopping.Clothes were a problem, so I either sewed or bought them from theNordstrom catalog. I was a size 22. One doesn’t find beautifulclothing in those sizes. The simple act of getting up from a chair192 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  or a sofa was hard for me. So was going to a restaurant and
sitting in a booth. I never knew whether I could fit into the booth. I went on like this for 37 years, seeking answers, talking to
people, trying diets, and joining support groups. Many times I gottired of searching and just let myself go. But even when I’d givenup and gotten sloppy again, there was always part of my mind sortof passively available, listening, waiting to find out aboutsomething that might make permanent weight loss possible. My first break came during menopause, when I read Dr. John
R. Lee’s
What Your Doctor May Not T ell You about Menopause. This book had a lot of inside-track information about hormone
replacement therapy. It gave me information about hormones thatI had been seeking all my life. Dr. Lee was the first doctor to comeout saying that Premarin and all the synthetic estrogen hormonesbeing given to women at menopause were actually hurting them.He talked about how estrogen made the body store fat. I thought:At last! A clue! I began to believe that I had a hormone problem,one that went beyond my under-active thyroid. But I needed more specific information, and I needed a
doctor who could help me balance my hormones. I went to theendocrinologists at Kaiser, but that was a lost cause. They wantedto get me on Premarin as fast as they could! They are part of thatmedical establishment Dr. Lee writes about that is brainwashedabout Premarin. They certainly were not about to help me. I knew I needed to find an endocrinologist outside the Kaiser
system who agreed with Dr. Lee’s ideas and was ready to buck thewhole system regarding Premarin. But where do you find someonelike that? My entire life’s experience had taught me that doctorswere, for the most part, like Stepford wives; they were cheerleadersfor a system that reduced reality to a few simple clichés. I was alsoleery of exposing myself to more insults from doctors. Whenever Iwould go in for these consultations about my weight, I could seeexactly what these doctors were thinking. Whether they said it or193 BATTLING THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT not, they gave me the feeling that they thought I was some


 uncertainty and insecurity. When you are under the influ ence of Vata, you will naturally seek
warmth; keeping  warm in winte r and sunbathing at other times  of the year
soothes this dosha. Your diet should emphasize well-cooked, nourishing
foods; Ayurveda considers even heavy, oily food to be good for Vata (which
is why long-cooked stews and soups seem so appealing in winter). A voiding
cold salads, iced drinks, alcohol, and dry or uncooked food in cold weather
will also correct the body’ s tendency to develop aggravated Vata at those
times. In general, stimulants of any kind, including coffee, tobacco, and
alcohol, create V ata imbalance. When out of balance, Vata leads to light, interrupted sleep; this is best
countered by going to bed early and avoiding late-night reading and
television. The body also wants some periods of calmness, relaxation, and
peace during each day. Meditation is ideal, since exposing the nervous
system to deep silence allows it to harmonize all the synchronized bodily
rhythms that Vata regulates. Peaceful, loving family life is an ideal many
people feel has slipped away in recent decades, but from the viewpoint of
Vata dosha, it is vital. Vata has a special affinity with warm oils; daily massage with warm
sesame oil on the feet, head, and lower abdomen is one of the best measures
for relieving deep stresses in the nervous system. The oil should be applied
gently and slowly before the morning bath and again before bedtime. Special attentio n to balancing Vata should be paid whenever you are
recuperating from illness or under emotional stress; suffering from jet leg;
displaying depression, chronic fatigue, and exhaustion; or have been
physically wounded—all of these conditions cause severe V ata disturbance. If you detect chronic symptoms of Vata imbalance,  the follo wing specific
measures should help:
• Include sweet, sour, and salty tastes in your meals; these are
balancing for Vata. This dosha  calls for more sour and salty foods
than does any other. • Avoid bitter, astringent, and pungent (spicy) tastes. Astringent is
counted as a taste in Ayurveda; it is found in dry-tasting foods that
pucker the mouth (beans, lentils, pomegranates, tea). • If you feel uncomfortable living in a dry, cold, windy climate,
consider moving  to a warm one, which is more conducive to Vata
balance. Everyone who lives in a cold climate would do well,
according to Ayurveda, to make sure that their home and workplace
has warm, humidified air. Avoid drafts and prolonged outdoor
exercise in winter. Warm, heart y food eaten at regular interval s is a
good anti-V ata measure in cold climates. • If possible, eat all meals sittin g down in a peaceful, quiet, friendly
setting. Food eaten on the run disturbs Vata. Avoid any kind of
dieting, fasting,  or spending any length of time with an empty
stomach. • If you have an irregular appetite—a common problem when Vata is
imbalanced—try eating several small meals throughout the day (the
last one should be at sundown, or at least a couple of hours before
bedtime). • Avoid prolonged travel without rest in between flights or long
drives. In cases of jet lag, take adequate time to rest and/or sleep as
soon as you have reached your destination. Drink plenty of fluids enroute; herb tea or plain hot water is helpful on jets; liquor and cold
drinks tend to aggravate the jarring ef fect on V ata dosha. • Aroma  therapy or warm baths  with a few drops of fragrant oil help
soothe Vata. Choose scents that are warm, grounding, and soothing,
such as winter green, sandalwoo d, camphor, cinnamon, basil, orange,
rose geranium, and clove. • In cooking, herbs and spices should be sweet and/or heating in
quality: ginger, black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, mustard, mint,
cayenne, horser adish, cumin, nutmeg, cardamom, green coria nder,
fennel, basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme. * Pranayama forms an important part of the traditional Ayurvedic procedures I emplo y in medical
practice. The interested reader may refer to my earlier book, Perfect Health  (New York: Harmony
Books, 1990), which details the complete  program of Maharishi Ayurveda, a revival of the most
powerful knowledge from India’ s ancient “science of life. ”
OceanofPDF. comPART
FIVE
Breaking the Spell of Mortality
By your art, Spirit, you defeat
the withering of death. RIG VEDA
OceanofPDF. comTHE UL TIMA TE BOUNDAR Y to human life is death, and for thousands of years
we have tried to travel beyond that boundary. Despite the obvio us mortality
of our bodies, moments arise when the clear perception of immortality
shines through. The poet Tennyson wrote of experiences he had in his youth
when his individual self “seemed to dissolve and melt away into boundless
being. ” This radical shift out of ordinary experience “was not a confused
state,” he recalled, “but the clearest of the clear, the surest of the sure,
utterly beyond words—when death was an almost laughable impossibility. ”
Because they are totally subjective, such immortal feelings do not fit in to
the worldview of science, and therefore we tend to label them religious. But
thousands of people have been privileged to catch glimpses of the reality
that encloses space and time like a vast multidimensional bubble. Some
people seem to have contacted this timeless realm through near-death
experiences, but it is also accessible in everyday life. Peeking through the
mask of matter “we have a certain feeling, a certain longing that we can’t
quite put into words. It’s a strivi ng…a wish for something greater or higher
in ourselves. ” With these words  the philosopher Jacob Needleman pointed
to what he called “our second world,” which anyone can access under
special conditions. Our first world, Needleman wrote, is “the world we live in every  day, this
world of action and activity and doing,” ruled by everyday thoughts and
emotions. But like flashes of spiritual lightning, there are moments when
the second world makes itself known, full of peace and joy and a clear,
unfor gettable sense of who we really are—“vivid moments of being present
in oneself,” Needleman called them. If the second world is inside us, so is
the first, because ultimately there is nothing verifiably “out there. ”
Everything to be seen, felt, and touched in the world is knowable only as
firings of neuronal signals inside our brains. It all happens in here. Who you are depends on what world you see yourself living in. Because
it is ruled by change, the first world contains sickness, aging, and death as
inevitable parts of the scenery;  in the second world, where there is only
pure being, these are totally absent. Therefore, finding this world withinourselves and experiencing it, even for a moment, could have  a profound
effect on the process of sickness and aging, if not death itself. This possibility has always been accepted as fact in the East. In India and
China, some spiritual masters are believed to have lived hundre ds of years
as a result of achieving a state of timeless awareness. This is considered one
of the options open to a spirit who has attained Moksha,  or liberation,
although not every master takes  the option of extending his life span. In the
West, such powers are viewed with extreme skepticism. But the new
paradigm assures us that there is a level of Nature where time dissolves, or,
to turn it around, where time is created. This level is extremely enigmatic, even by quantum standards, since it
existed before the creation of space and time. The rational mind can’t
conceive of such a state, because to say that something existed before time
began is a contradiction in logic. Yet the ancient sages believed that direct
knowledge of timeless reality is possible. Every generation has affirmed
that assertion. Einstein himself experienced episodes of complete liberation
from space-time  boundaries: “At such moments one imagines that one
stands on some spot of a small planet gazing in amazement at the cold and
yet profoundly moving beauty of the eternal, the unfathomable. Life and
death flow into one, and there is neither evolution nor eternity, only Being. ”
It has taken three generations for the new paradigm to show us that Being
is a very real state, existing beyond change and death, a place where the
laws of Nature that govern change are overturned. Death is ultimately just
another transformation, from one configuration of matter and energy to
another. But unless you can stand outside the arena of change, death
represents an end point, an extinction. To escape death ultimately means
escaping the worldview that gives death its terrible sense of closure and
finality. “I’m very afraid  of death,” an Indian disciple once confessed to his guru. “It’s haunted me since I was a child. Why was I born. What will happen to
me when I


?,
A: Silica (Sil.)
Q: What is a symptom of Urtica urens (Urt-u) that may indicate the need for the remedy?,
A: Sweating: at night, particularly on the back of the head and neck.
Q: What is a common use of Sulphuric acid (Sul.) in industrial processes?,
A: It is used to make portland cement, concrete, mortar, and sandstone.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>transparent:Nat-m.,Phos. white:Lye,Nat-m.,Phos.,Sep. yellow:Calc-c,Calc-p.,Calc-s.,Heps.,Lye,
Phos.,Puis.,Sep.,Sil. yellow-green: Puis. Paininchest:Am.,Bell.,Bry.,Caust.,Dros.,Ign.,
Kali-b.,Kali-e,Phos.,Spo. burning:Phos.,Rumex.,Spo. cutting:Kali-e
mustholdchesttocough:Am.,Bry.,Dros. racking:Ign. raw:Caust. sharp:Bell. short:Ign. sore,bruised:Am.,Kali-b.,Rumex.,Spo. stitching:Bry.,Ign.,Kali-c,Rumex. Paininstomach:Bry. With:
bloodshoteyes:Am. blueface:Dros.,Ip. drythroat:Cocc-c.
lumpsensationinthethroat:Lach. nausea:Ip.,Kali-e,Puis. nosebleeds:Am.,Dros.,Ip. retching:Carb-v.,Cina,Dros.,Heps.,Ip.,
Puis. sleepiness:Ant-t.
splittingheadache:Bry. sweating:Ars.,Heps.,Phos. vomiting:Ant-t.,Bry.,Dros.,Heps.,Ip.,
Kali-c.
whenhawkingupmucus:Nux-v. vomitingofmucus:Dros.voicehoarse:Aco.,Bell.,Caust.,Dros.,
Heps.,Kali-b.,Spo. Better:
drinking/eating: Spo. freshair:Bry.,Cocc-c.,Puis. heat:Phos. hotdrinks:Ars.,Lye,Nux-v.,Rhus-t.,Sil. lyingdown:Euphr. lyingonpainfulside:Bry. pressure:Dros. forsipsofcoldwater:Caust.,Cupr. sittingup:Puis.,Sep. mustsitup:Ars.,Con.,Phos.,Puis.,Sep. mustsitupassoonascoughstarts,to
coughupmucusandthencanrest:
Con. walkingslowly:Ferr-m. Worse:
around11.30p.m.:Cocc-c. around3a.m.:Kali-c. gettingwarminbed:Caust.,Puis. bendingheadforward:Caust. breathingincoldair:Caust.,Rumex. changeoftemperature:Phos. fromwarmtocold:Phos.,Rumex. fromcoldtowarm:Phos. becomingcold:Ars.,Heps.,Kali-c,Nux-v.,
Phos.,Rhus-t.,Rumex.,Sil. coldair:All-e,Caust.,Nux-v.,Phos.,Rumex. singlepartsofthebodybecomingcold:
Heps.,Rhus-t.
colddrinks:Ars. coughing:lgn.,Sul. crying:Am. damp,wetweather:Dule,Nats. daytime:Spo. deepbreathing:Bell.,Bry.,Con.,Kali-c.
drinking:Dros. dry,cold:Aco.,Heps. eating:Kali-b.,Nux-v. evening:Ars.,Calc-c,Carb-v.,Heps.,lgn.,
Kali-c,Mercs.,Nit-ac,Puis. eveninginbed:Calc-c,Con.,Heps.,Ign.,
Lach.,Lye,Mercs.,Nat-m.,Sep.,Sul. eveningbeforemidnight:Heps.,Phos. excitement:Spo. duringfever:Aco.,Ars.,Calc-c,Con.,Ip.,
Kali-c,Nat-m.,Nux-v.,Phos. freshair:Ars.,Phos.,Rumex. heat:Kali-c,Kalis.,Puis. leftside:Rumex. lyingonleftside:Phos. lyingonrightside:Mercs. lyingdown:Ap.,Ars.,Caust.,Con.,Dros.,
Kali-c,Lye,Puis.,Rumex.,Sep.,Sul. mustsitup:<4rs.,Con.,Puis.,Sep. INTERNALREPERTORY Cystitis •173
morning:Calc<.,Euphr.,Kali<.,Nux-v.,
Phos.,Puis.,Rumex.,Sul. beforegettingup:Nux-v.
aftergettingup:Cina,Ferr-m.,Phos. movement:Ferr-m.
physicalexertion:Puis. movementofchest:Bry.,Chin.,Nux-v.
movingarms:Nat-m.
night:Aco.,Ars.,Bar-c,Bell.,Calc-c,
Carb-v.,Cham.,Kali-c,Kali-s.,Lach.,Lye
Merc-s.,Puis.,Sep.,Sul. ongoingtosleep:Lye. beforemidnight:Carb-v.,Hep-s.
aftermidnight:Ars.,Dros. playingthepiano:Calc-c.
readingaloud:Phos. rightlung:Bry. duringsleep:Op. fallingsleep:Op. stuffyroom:Ant<.,Cocc-c,Kali-s.,Puis. warmroom:Kali-s.
talking:Dros.,Kali-c,Rumex. teething:Calc-p.
touch:Lach. uncovering:Hep-s.,Rhus-t.,Rumex. hands:Hep-s.,Rhus-t.
feetorhead:Sil. walking:Ferr-m.
onwakinginthemorning:Kali-b.,Nux-v.,
Op.,Rumex.,Sil. warmthofbed:Op. Causes:
cold,drywind:Aco.,Hep-s.
gettingchilled:Bell.,Kali-c.
dampweather:Dulc. aftermeasles:Dros.,Puis. suppressedanger:Stap. swimmingincoldwater:Rhus-t.
Cracksatcornersofmouth/around nostrilsAnt-c.
CrampCalc-c,Calc-p.,Caust.,Coloc,Cupr.,Lye,
Mag-p.,Sul. Arm:Mag-p.
Calf:Calc-c,Calc-p.,Cham.,Coloc,Cupr.,Lye,
Sul. Foot:Caust.,Cupr. Fingersandhandwhenwriting:Mag-p.
Hand:Calc-c,Mag-p.
Leg:Coloc,Cupr.,Sul. Solesoffeet:Calc-c,Caust.,Sul. Thigh:Coloc,Sul. Toe:Calc-c,Caust. Wrist:Mag-p. Better:
heat:Mag-p. Worse:
atnight:Calc-c,Caust.,Lye,Sul.inbed:Calc<.,Sul. childbirth:Cupr. duringpregnancy:Calc-c.
stretchingleginbed:Calc-c.
whenwalking:Calc-p.,Sul. Causes:
childbirth:Cupr. prolongeduseofhands:Mag-p.
CravingsseeLikes
CriticalArs.,Sul. Croup(seeCoughforsymptoms)Aco.,Calc-s.,
Hep-s.,Kali-b.,Lach.,Phos.,Spo. Onlyonwaking:Calc-s.
Recurrent:Hep-s. Worse:
aftersleep:Lach. onwaking:Lach. CystitisAco.,Ap.,Ars.,Canth.,Caust.,Dulc,Lye,
Merc-c,Merc-s.,Nux-v.,Puis.,Sars.,Sep.,
Stap.,Sul. Desiretourinate:
constant:Ap.,Canth.,Merc-c,Merc-s.,Sul. withdraggingdownpaininpelvis:Sep. frequent:Ap.,Canth.,Caust.,Lye,Merc<.,
Merc-s.,Nux-v.,Puis.,Stap.,Sul. ineffectual:Ars.,Canth.,Caust.,Lye,
Merc-s.,Nux-v.,Puis.,Sars. painful:Merc-c
urgent:Canth.,Nux-v.,Puis.,Sep.,Sul. Pains:
aching:Lye
burning:Ap.,Ars.,Canth.,Caust.,Merc-c,
Merc-s.,Nux-v.,Sul. cutting:Canth.,Lye,Sars. pressing:Aco.,Ap.,Lye,Nux-v.,Sep. severe:Merc<. spasmodic:Puis. stinging:Ap. stitching:Lye
Urination:
burning:Caust. constant:Ap. difficult:Caust.,Merc-c.
dribbling:Merc-c.,Merc-s.,Sars. frequent:Ap.,Canth.,Caust.,Lye,Merc-c,
Merc-s.,Nux-v.,Puis.,Sars.,Sep.,Stap. ineffectual:Nux-v.
involuntary:Caust.,Dulc,Stap. slow:Sars. canonlypassurinewhilestanding:Sars. waitslongtimeforittostart:Caust.,Lye
Sep.
withunfinishedfeeling:Ars.,Caust. Urine:
brownlikebeer:Sul. burning:Nux-v.,Sul. J
174•Dazed INTERNALREPERTORY
cloudy:Sep.
copious:Puis.,Sul. dark:Merc-c,Mercs. darkbrown:Sep.
green:Merc-c,Sars


around other people. ” This goes for every single facet of your
personality and life circumstances. To be willing to accept total responsibility for yourself puts
you in a position of being worthy of receiving and attracting the
object of your desires. If someone else is responsible for your
perceived shortcomings, and you are blaming them for these
troubles, then you are also saying that in order to manifest your
heart’s desire you need to have the permission of those others. This act of abdicating responsibility destroys your ability to
empower yourself to higher levels of awareness. When you know that you are responsible for how you chose
to react to every life situation, and that you are essentially alone
within yourself at all moments, then you can very privately put
out into the universe that which you want to bring to yourself. However, blaming others for your life situations shifts the power
to those you believe are responsible for creating the circum-
stances. ] have a private inner dialogue with the universe about the cir-
cumstances that show up in my life. I come from the position
that there are absolutely no accidents and that everything that
occurs in my life has a lesson attached to it, and that I brought it
into my life. Regardless of how absurd or inconsequential it
might seem, I say to myself, “Why did I create this in this
moment. ”
77
78 WAYNE W. DYER
Thus, if I am having a negative thought and at the same
moment I bump my head on a cupboard door, I say, “What was I
thinking at that moment. ” and I take full responsibility for cor-
recting those negative thoughts and for the bump that reminded
me to correct that kind of thinking. I do the same when I am
writing. If I feel inclined to go to the mailbox before writing, I
follow that inner signal and often find an article in the mail that
clarifies a point that was fuzzy. I take responsibility for knowing
that what I needed was there and that my inner voices of intu-
ition were guiding me. This little game serves me in the sense of taking full responsi-
bility for my life and eradicating the inclination to blame other
people or circumstances. I trust in this inner knowledge. I rely
on seemingly coincidental happenings and I know that I am
responsible for all of it. As this sense of responsibility has grown,
I find it impossible to blame anyone for anything in my life, from
the most inconsequential things, such as bumping or cutting
myself, or others not showing up on time, to major life disap-
pointments and my relationships with my wife and the rest of my
family; for all of it I assume total responsibility. I trust in the divine wisdom that is particularized in me that
allows these things to transpire. I refuse to question the wisdom
or to blame bad luck or to credit good luck. I see it all as a part
of my own functioning in the universe, without complaint. The willingness to be responsible without complaining puts
you into the natural flow of all divine energy. It keeps you from
having to fight the world, allowing you to go with it. Everything
that you complain about puts you in a position of figuratively hav-
ing to take arms against it and fight. Everything that you need to
fight weakens you, while that which you are for empowers you. I am asking you to be for yourself. With an attitude of self-
responsibility, you will notice that the heavens are exceedingly
Manifest Your Destiny
cooperative. Getting the heavens to cooperate means getting
yourself out of a complaining mind-set and into one of total self-
responsibility. I do not choose to accept guilt into my life. This mind-set creates
thoughts such as: “I will not use up the precious currency of my
life, my present moments, immobilized with guilt over what hap-
pened in the past. ”
This statement requires you to know the difference between
a) genuine regret and learning from the past; and b) remaining in
a state of reproach or guilt today. Learning from one’s mistakes
and taking corrective action are spiritually and psychologically
sound practices. You did it, you didn’t like the way you felt after-
ward, so you decide not to repeat the behavior. That is not guilt. Guilt is when you continue to feel immobilized and depressed;
those feelings keep you from living effectively in the present. When you are filled with guilt, your energy is awash with
anguish and self-reproach. You are so down on yourself that you
feel unworthy of receiving blessings from the universe or anyone
in it. Persistent feelings of guilt will prevent you from manifest-
ing anything worthwhile because you are attracting the very same
things that you are putting out to the universe. More anguish,
more reasons to feel bad, and more evidence to prove that you
are not worth what you desire. When you put past behaviors into a context of learning from
them and moving on, regardless of how horrible they may seem
to you, you clear yourself of the negativity surrounding these
actions. Forgiving yourself means that you are able to extend love
to yourself even when your perceived shortcomings are painfully
evident to you. Once you learn this valuable lesson, you seek God’s forgive-
ness too. But if you continue to harbor the pain internally you
79
80 WAYNE W. DYER
will feel unworthy of God’s forgiveness and consequently will be
unable to accept any of your divine rights as a child of God. No matter what you do not particularly love about yourself,
including your behaviors and your appearance, to be successful
at manifesting, you need to love yourself in spite of your per-
ceived flaws. For example, if you are chronically overweight, or
addicted, your internal sentences of guilt sound something like
this: “I am really going to love myself when I am finally a normal
weight” or “I will truly value myself as a worthwhile human
being when I am finally over this addiction once and for all. ”
These are the sentences of guilt that reinforce an attitude of
unworthiness and inhibit the manifestation process. These inter-
nal sentences need to be shifted to: “I love myself while I am
overweight. I am not this weight in the first place and I refuse to
think of myself in self-degrading terms regardless of the condi-
tion of my body. I am love, and I extend this love to all of me. ”
The same kind of inner programming must take place for addic-
tions or anything else that you feel guilty about. There are 483,364 words in A Course in Miracles. The word
“beware” appears only once: “Beware of the temptation to see
yourself as unfairly treated. ” The warning speaks to removing
guilt and taking responsibility: for one’s life. By removing the
inclination to wallow in self-reproach, we also remove the idea
that by suffering in the present moment we will redeem our-
selves and can pay for our sins with guilt. Life doesn’t work this
way. Your suffering keeps you in a state of fear and immobiliza-
tion. That is not a solution to handling your life problems. There is a solution, and that solution is in loving yourself, and
in trusting in God that your “shortcomings” are nothing more
than lessons leading you to a new spiritual level. By refusing to
buy into the conditioned notion that guilt is good and you
deserve to feel guilty, and that guilt will help you pay for your
Manifest Your Destiny
sins, you reinforce the idea that you are worthy of any desires of
yours that you want to manifest in your life. By I understand the importance of having harmony between my thoughts, my
feelings and my behavior. To the extent that you remain incongruent
in any of these three areas of thinking, feeling or behaving, you
will impede the process of heightened awareness and the ability
to manifest your heart’s desire. This is the last of the five points that contribute to your feel-
ings of worthiness about receiving God’s munificence in your
life. It is also the most significant because it defines your level of
integrity. To have thoughts about how you would like to conduct
your life and to posit these thoughts as your essential way of
being, and then to feel guilty, fearful, anxious or anything else as
a result of not living up to these inner positions results in addic-
tive, manipulative and self-defeating behavior. To be congruent you must be honest about your own
thoughts. It is crucial to examine your thoughts and forthrightly
proclaim what it is that you choose to know internally. Even if
this is perceived as a shortcoming by everyone else, if you are
honest with yourself you will find that your emotional reactions
will be consistent with your inner world. You will feel peaceful and content, and this will be apparent in
your behavior. This is true for virtually everything about your
life. Your thoughts about health, relationships, prosperity, God,
work, recreation, whatever. If these thoughts are rooted in love
and you honestly know that you are here to express love, kind-
ness and forgiveness toward yourself, toward your work and co-
workers, toward the money you receive, toward your spiritual
beliefs, then you will be in harmony and you will welcome the
blessings that result from your personal conduct in these mat-
ters. 81
82 WAYNE W. DYER
However,


 qian zi
(P. asiatica ) is used in China as a
diuretic, for diarrhea, and for
bronchial congestion. The powdered
husk is given late in pregnancy to aid
normal presentation of the fetus
(head-down position in the uterus). Key Constituents
■ Mucilage (arabinoxylan)
■ Fixed oil (2. 5%)—mainly linoleic,
 oleic, and palmitic fatty acids
■ Starch
Key Actions
■ Demulcent
■ Bulk laxative
■ Antidiarrheal
Research
■ Regulating bowel function
Clinical trials in the U. S., Germany,  Psyllium
An annual, growing
to 16 in (40 cm) high,
with narrow leaves and
clusters of minute
white-brown flowers. and Scandinavia during the 1980s
have shown that psyllium has both a
laxative and an antidiarrheal action. ■ Diabetes  A 1998 clinical trial with
125 patients concluded that 5 g of
psyllium taken 3 times a day helped to
lower blood-fat and -glucose levels in
people with type 2 diabetes. Traditional &
Current Uses
■ Laxative  Psyllium is prescribed
in conventional as well as herbal
medicine for constipation, especially
when the condition results from an
over-tensed or over-relaxed bowel. Both husks and seeds contain high
levels of fiber (the mucilage) and
expand, becoming highly gelatinous
when soaked in water. By maintaining
a high water content within the large
intestine, they increase the bulk of
the stool, easing its passage. ■ Other bowel problems
Contrary to expectation, psyllium
is a useful remedy for diarrhea. It is also an effective treatment
for many other bowel problems,
including irritable bowel syndrome,
ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease. In India, psyllium is commonly used
to treat dysentery. ■ Hemorrhoid relief  Psyllium
is valuable for hemorrhoids, helping
to soften the stool and to reduce
irritation of the veins. Psyllium  is widely cultivated for its husks
and seeds, which are used as a remedy
for bowel problems. ■ Detoxifying herb  The jellylike
mucilage produced when psyllium
is soaked in water has the ability to
absorb toxins within the large
intestine. Psyllium is commonly taken
to reduce autotoxicity (the toxins are
expelled from the body with the
husks and seeds in the feces). ■ Digestive ailments  The
soothing, protective effect imparted
by the mucilage-rich husks and
seeds benefits the whole gastro-
intestinal tract. Psyllium is taken for
stomach and duodenal ulcers, and
for acid indigestion. ■ Urinary infections  The
demulcent action of psyllium
extends to the urinary tract. In
India, an infusion of the seeds
(the only time this preparation
is used) is given for urethritis. ■ External uses  When psyllium
husks are soaked in an infusion of
calendula ( Calendula officinalis, p. 73),
they make an effective poultice
for external use, drawing out
infection from boils, abscesses,
and whitlows (pus-filled swellings
on the fingertips). Self-help Uses
■ Chronic diarrhea & irritable
 bowel syndrome, p. 307. ■ Constipation, p. 317. ■ Difficult passage of the stool
 & hemorrhoids, p. 302. QCautions  Do not exceed the stated dose. Always take with plenty of water. Parts Used Key Preparations & Their Uses
Seeds  should be soaked in
water before they are used. Husks  are generally powdered for
use in a variety of preparations. Cold  maceration  For constipation, soak
20 g of seeds in 3⁄4 cup (200 ml) water for
10 hours. T ake the whole dose at night. Capsules of powdered husk (p. 292). For hemorrhoids, take a 200 mg
capsule 3 times a day. Seeds Powdered husk
US_122-123_Piper_Plantago. indd   123 07/04/16   4:37 pm
124Polygonum multiflorumKey Medicinal PlantsPolygonum multiflorum (Polygonaceae)
Fo Ti, He Shou Wu  (Chinese)Fo Ti
A perennial climber, growing to 33 ft (10 m), with red stems, light-green leaves, and white or pink flowers. Fo ti is one of the oldest Chinese tonic
herbs. It is used to help lower blood cholesterol levels. Habitat & Cultivation
Fo ti is native to central
and southern China, and is cultivated
throughout that region. It is propagated from seed or by root division in spring, or from cuttings
in summer. The plant requires  well-fertilized soil and plenty of protection from winter weather. The roots of 3- to 4-year-old fo ti
plants are unearthed and dried during the autumn. Older, larger roots are prized for their therapeutic properties, but
are generally not available to
obtain commercially. Related Species
Bistort (P. bistorta, p. 253), one of  the most strongly astringent of all herbs, and knotgrass (P. aviculare,  p. 253) are used in European herbal medicine. They do not have the  same tonic therapeutic properties
as P. multiflorum. In Chinese herbal
medicine, P. cuspidatum is used
to treat amenorrhea (absence
of periods). Key Constituents
■ Anthraquinone glycosides
■ Stilbene glycoside
■ Polyphenols
■ Phospholipids, including lecithin
Key Actions
■ Tonic
■ Antioxidant
■ Mild sedative
■ Lowers cholesterol levels
■ Neuroprotective
Research
■ Cholesterol levels In animal
experiments in China, fo ti was shown to significantly reduce raised blood cholesterol levels. Also,
in a clinical trial, over 80% of patients with high blood cholesterol who had been taking decoctions of the root showed an improvement. ■ Blood-sugar levels Chinese
research has revealed that fo ti
helps increase the levels of sugar  in the blood. ■ Neuroprotective Preclinical
research points to fo ti having a stabilizing effect on brain function, and that it might—as traditional
use would suggest—prove valuable in slowing aging processes within  the central nervous system. Traditional &
Current Uses
■ Popular tonic Although fo ti is
not the earliest tonic herb listed in
Chinese herbal medicine (it is first mentioned in 713 ce), it has
become one of the most widely used. It is taken regularly by  millions of people in the East
for its rejuvenating and toning properties, and to increase fertility
in both men and women. ■ Liver & kidney remedy
In Chinese herbal medicine, fo ti’s most important use is as a tonic  for the liver and kidneys. By strengthening liver and kidney function, it helps cleanse the blood, enabling the qi to circulate freely around the whole body. ■ Nerve & blood tonic Fo ti is
given in Chinese herbal medicine to people with symptoms, such as dizziness, weakness, numbness, and blurred vision, that indicate inefficient nerves and “blood deficiency. ”Parts Used
Key Preparations & Their UsesRoot is highly valued in Chinese
medicine for its tonic properties. It is unearthed in the autumn. Powder  may be added to food for its tonic effect. T ake 5 g a day. Decoction (to make,
p.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is kava used to treat?,
A: Anxiety, depression, insomnia, and pain relief.
Q: What is the recommended dosage for kava?,
A: Not specified, but it is cautioned to not exceed the recommended dosage or take for more than 2 months at a time.
Q: What is the traditional use of rosemary?,
A: It is used to treat digestive issues, such as constipation, and as a circulatory stimulant.
Q: What is the primary use of rhodiola?,
A: It is used as an adaptogen to improve mental and physical performance, and to reduce stress and anxiety.
Q: What is the primary use of saw palmetto?,
A: It is used to treat urinary tract problems, such as an enlarged prostate gland, and to reduce the risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Recent research has confirmed
traditional herbal knowledge, proving that the herb has
a remarkable ability to protect the liver from damage
resulting from alcoholic and other types of poisoning. Today, milk thistle is widely used in the West for the
treatment of a range of liver conditions. Tablets  are prescribed for long-term treatment of liver disorders.Spiny, thistle-
like leaves are
gray-green
Seeds contain silymarin,
which protects the liver. They are the main part
used in remedies. Flower heads  are eaten as a tonic
food and can be used in remedies. Fresh flower
head
Dried flower
head
Seeds
US_136-137_Serenoa_Silybum.indd   137 26/02/16   4:00 pm
138Symphytum officinaleKey


etic. Research Iranian researchers investigated the
use of two drops of sweet violet essential oil applied to the nostrils as a remedy for insomnia. The study, which lasted a month, found positive improvements in sleep measurements in those using the oil. A 2015 study of children with asthma concluded that sweet violet syrup helped to reduce symptoms of dry irritable cough. Related Species The related dog violet
(V. canina) has approximately the same uses as sweet violet. The Chinese V. yedoens is prescribed
US_266-283_Sanguinaria_Ziziphus_jujuba.indd   282 26/02/16   12:48 pm283 other medicinal plantsZiZiphus jujuba
Viscum album (Loranthaceae)
European Mistletoe
Description Parasitic evergreen shrub that forms
bunches up to 10 ft (3 m) across on host trees. Has
narrow leathery leaves, yellowish flowers in clusters
of 3, and sticky, round, white berries. Mistletoe was the “golden” bough that saved the legendary
Aeneas from the underworld. Grapes are highly
nutritious, and together
with the leaves are used
to treat varicose veins.Vitis vinifera  (Vitaceae)
Grape
Description Deciduous climber with erect
stems, tendrils, palm-shaped leaves, clusters of
small, pale green flowers, and bunches of fruit
(grapes) that vary in color from green to black. Habitat & Cultivation Native to southern
Europe and western Asia, grapes are cultivated in
warm temperate regions throughout the world for
their fruit and to produce wine. The leaves are
collected in summer, the fruit in autumn. Parts Used Leaves, fruit, seeds, sap. Constituents Grapes contain flavonoids,
tannins, tartrates, inositol, carotenes, choline, and
sugars. The fruit contains tartaric and malic acids,
sugars, pectin, tannin, flavone glycosides,
anthocyanins (in red leaves and red grapes),
vitamins A, B1, B2, and C, and minerals. The
anthocyanins reduce capillary permeability. History & Folklore Nicholas Culpepper in
1652 extolled the virtues of the grape vine,
describing it as “a most gallant tree of the sun very
sympathetical to the body of man, and that’s the
reason spirit of wine is the greatest cordial
amongst all vegetables.”
Medicinal Actions & Uses Grape
leaves, especially the red leaves, are astringent and
anti-inflammatory. They are taken as an infusion
to treat diarrhea, heavy menstrual bleeding, and
uterine hemorrhage, as a wash for mouth ulcers,
and as a douche for vaginal discharge. Red leaves
and grapes are helpful in the treatment of varicose
veins, hemorrhoids, and capillary fragility. The sap
from the branches is used as an eyewash. Grapes
are nourishing and mildly laxative and they support
the body through illness, especially of the
gastrointestinal tract and liver. Because the nutrient
content of grapes is close to that of blood plasma,
grape fasts are recommended for detoxification. Habitat & Cultivation Native to Europe
and northern Asia, European mistletoe grows on
host trees, especially apple trees ( Malus  species). It is harvested in autumn. Parts Used Leaves, branches, berries. Constituents  Mistletoe contains glycoproteins,
polypeptides (viscotoxins), lectins, flavonoids,
caffeic and other acids, lignans, acetylcholine, and,
in the berries, polysaccharides. Viscotoxins inhibit
tumors and stimulate immune resistance. History & Folklore  In Norse mythology,
a mistletoe bough was used to slay Balder, the
god of peace. The plant was subsequently
entrusted to the goddess of love, and kissing
under it became obligatory. Medicinal Actions & Uses  European
mistletoe is chiefly used to lower blood pressure
and heart rate, ease anxiety, and promote sleep. In
low doses it also relieves panic attacks and
headaches, and improves the ability to concentrate. The plant is also prescribed for tinnitus and
epilepsy. It may be used to treat hyperactivity in
children. In anthroposophical medicine, extracts of
the berries are injected to treat cancer. Research  European mistletoe’s efficacy as an
anticancer treatment has been subject to significant
research. There is no doubt that certain
constituents, especially the viscotoxins, exhibit
an anticancer activity, but the value of the whole
plant in cancer treatment is not yet fully accepted. QCaution European mistletoe, and especially
the berries, is highly toxic. T ake only under
professional supervision.The dried fruit (raisins or currants) is mildly
expectorant and emollient, with a slight effect
in easing coughs. Wine vinegar is astringent,
cooling, and soothing to the skin. Research  Grape-seed extract has potent
antioxidant and circulatory-protective activity. It appears to normalize blood pressure and
heart rate, working best as a preventative, antiaging
remedy that supports healthy circulation. One
study found grape-seed extract reduced leg
swelling in healthy women required to sit for
long periods of time at work. Recent studies
also indicate that grape-seed extract can be
useful in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and
type 2 diabetes. Ziziphus jujuba (Rhamnaceae)
Jujube,
Da Zao (Chinese)
Description Spiny deciduous tree growing to
approximately 26 ft (8 m). Has oblong, bluntly
toothed leaves, clusters of small greenish-yellow
flowers, and reddish-brown or black oval fruit. Habitat & Cultivation Native to China, Japan
and Southeast Asia, the jujube is widely cultivated
in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and the
Mediterranean. The fruit is collected in early autumn. Part Used Fruit. Constituents Jujube contains saponins,
bioflavonoids, polyphenols, polysaccharides, volatile
oil, mucilage, vitamins A, B2, and C, in addition to
calcium, phosphorus, and iron. It contains 20 times
more vitamin C than citrus fruit. History & Folklore Used in Chinese herbal
medicine for at least 2,500 years, jujube has a
pleasant, sweet taste and high nutritional value. It is
mentioned in the Classic of Odes, a 6th-century bce
anthology of Chinese poetry. Medicinal Actions & Uses Jujube is both a
delicious fruit and an effective herbal remedy. It
aids weight gain, improves muscular strength, and
increases stamina. In Chinese medicine, jujube is
prescribed as a qi tonic to strengthen liver function. Mildly sedative and antiallergenic, it is given to
reduce irritability and restlessness. It is also used
to improve the taste of unpalatable prescriptions. Research In Japan, jujube has been shown to
increase immune-system resistance. In China,
laboratory animals fed a jujube decoction gained
weight and showed improved endurance. In one
clinical study, 12 patients with liver ailments were
given jujube, peanuts, and brown sugar nightly. In
4 weeks, their liver function had improved. Related Species  The sedative Z. spinosa  is used
in Chinese medicine to “nourish the heart and
quieten the spirit.”
US_266-283_Sanguinaria_Ziziphus_jujuba.indd   283 26/02/16   12:48 pm
US_284_285_Herbal_Remedies_for_Home_Use.indd   284 26/02/16   4:43 pmHerbal medicines have been used since the earliest times. They are a vital
part of our natural and medical heritage, and there is immense satisfaction
to be had in growing, harvesting, and processing herbs for home use. T aken sensibly, and with the respect due to medicines of all kinds, medicinal
plants can greatly improve health. This section provides practical cultivation
advice and step-by-step instructions on how to make and use safe and
effective herbal remedies for a range of common ailments, from allergies
and digestive complaints to skin conditions and stress-related disorders.herbal
remedies for
home use
 “a man may esteem
himself happy when
that which is his food
 is also his medicine.”
Henry David Thoreau
US_284_285_Herbal_Remedies_for_Home_Use.indd   285 26/02/16   4:43 pm
286
herbal remedies for home usehanging baskets, or window boxes. Care must
be taken to prevent them from drying out or becoming pot-bound (when the plant becomes too large for the container). Less hardy plants should be moved to sheltered sites or indoors during winter. Growing Plants Under Cover
Sheltered gardening offers the opportunity to
grow more unusual plants. Use the greenhouse  to cultivate exotic plants, such as lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus, p. 198), for medicinal and culinary use