 egg yolks if carefully separated
from the whites.
If a GAPS child or adult has a true allergy to eggs and must avoid them,
you will find a lot of delicious egg-free recipes in the recipe section of the
book. If there is no allergy eggs should be a regular part of your GAPS
patient's diet.
Non-starch fresh vegetables
French artichoke, beets, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage,
cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, celery, marrow, courgette (zucchini),
aubergine (eggplant), garlic, onions, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, parsley
green peas, peppers of all colours, pumpkin, squash, spinach, tomatoes,
turnips, watercress. Frozen vegetables can be used, as long as they are not coated with
starch, sugar or anything else. All vegetables should be peeled, de-seeded
and cooked until diarrhoea has completely cleared. After that raw vege
tables can be slowly introduced with meals or as snacks.
There is a plethora of publications on the virtues of eating vegetables, so
we will not concentrate on this subject here. However, one point is impor
tant: organic vegetables are better than non-organic. I had patients who
were getting persistent diarrhoea from eating particular vegetables until
they switched to organic ones. A GAPS patient's sensitive digestive system
would undoubtedly react to pesticides and other chemicals in non-organic
vegetables.
All fruit, including berries
Fruit can be fresh, cooked or raw, dried (no sorbates, no sulphites, sugar,
starch or anything else added), and frozen (providing there is nothing
added to the fruit). If the patient has diarrhoea, avoid fruit initially. As the
diarrhoea settles, start introducing cooked fruit (peeled and de-seeded
prior to cooking). When the stool becomes consistently normal then you
can slowly introduce raw fruit as a snack between meals. It is not a good
idea to have raw fruit with the meals as the fruit may interfere with the
digestion of meats.
Fruit should be ripe as unripe fruit has too much starch. For example,
bananas have to have brown spots on their skins.
Avocado is a wonderfully nutritious fruit and the only fruit which com
bines with meats well. It is easy to digest and is particularly rich in nourish
ing oils. Make sure it is ripe and serve it with meats, fish, shellfish and
salads. Great drinking smoothies for children can be made with avocado
(lookin the recipe section).
Berries are wonderful powerhouses of nutrition. They are very rich in
vitamins, minerals and a whole host of anti-cancer and detoxifying sub
stances. All sorts of edible berries are allowed on the diet: strawberries,
blueberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, whitecurrants, black
berries, elderberries, etc. However, do not give them to a person with diar
rhoea. When the diarrhoea has cleared completely introduce berries grad
ually starting from cooking them or baking in pies and muffins. If cooked
berries are well tolerated then go ahead with raw berries. In some cases
when the digestive tract is too sensitive you have to remove the seeds by
putting your cooked berries through a sieve. Nuts and seeds
Walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashew nuts, chestnuts,
peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Nuts and
seeds should be bought in their shells or freshly shelled. They should not
be roasted, salted, coated or processed in any other way. Peanut butter
with just peanuts and salt is allowed providing the person is not allergic to
peanuts. A lot of peanut allergy is due to contamination with moulds and
their toxins, so make sure to get good quality peanuts. Blanched ground
almonds (nut flour) can be purchased for baking in health food shops.
Nuts and seeds are highly nourishing. They are very rich sources of some
vital minerals, amino acids and fats: magnesium, selenium, zinc, omega-6
and omega-3 oils. Epidemiological studies show that people who regularly
consume nuts and seeds have lower rates of heard disease, cancer and
many other degenerative diseases.
This diet uses nuts and seeds extensively. However, they are fibrous and
should not be introduced until the diarrhoea is settled. After the diarrhoea
is cleared baking with ground nuts can be introduced. When baked
products with ground nuts (nut flour) are well tolerated then raw nuts can
be gradually and slowly introduced as snacks between meals. If for any
reason ground almonds are not well tolerated you can try to bake with
ground pecans, cashews or walnuts, which you will have to grind yourself.
Seeds also should not be used until the diarrhoea has settled. Sunflower
seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds are best soaked in water for about
12 hours or slightly sprouted. This way they are much easier to "digest and
are more nourishing. Sprinkle your soaked or sprouted seeds on salads and
ready-made dishes. You can add them to your baking mixtures and grind to
use as flour. You can use tahini (creamed sesame seeds) and pumpkin seed
butter in your baking providing they are pure without any additives.
Beans and pulses
Dried white (navy) beans, lima beans (dried and fresh), string beans as well
as lentils and split peas. Apart from the ones mentioned, all other beans are
too starchy to give to GAPS patients and should be avoided. With dried
beans, lentils and peas it is very important so soak them in water for at
least 12 hours, drain and rinse well under running water to remove some
harmful substances (lectins and some starches) before cooking. Do not use
commercially available bean flours, as the beans are not usually pre-soaked before grinding them into flour. In cases of nut allergy cooked
and mashed white (navy) beans can be used instead of nuts in baking.
Beans, lentils and peas should be avoided until the diarrhoea has cleared
completely.
Honey
All natural honey is allowed. Cold-expressed honey is preferable because
many honey producers heat it in order to speed up the process of extrac
tion from the honeycomb, which damages some micro-elements in the
honey. Try to buy your honey as unprocessed as possible. Honey is sweeter
than table sugar and contains two monosaccharides: fructose and glucose,
which the GAPS digestive system can handle. Use honey as a sweetener. In
the initial stages of the diet try to limit all sweet things, including honey,
because they may encourage growth of Candida albicansin the gut.
Before the introduction of sugar in the 17th Century honey was the only
sweetener which humans used in their diet. At the end of the 17th Century
sugar, being cheaper and more available, replaced honey in people's diet
starting an era of sugar-related health problems.
Honey is far more natural for our bodies and far from damaging health
has a lot of health-giving properties. It has been used as food and medicine
for thousands of years. In Greek mythology honey was considered a "food
fit for the gods". There are dozens of books written about health-giving
properties of natural honey It works as an antiseptic and provides vita
mins, minerals, amino acids and many other bio-active substances.
Depending on the variety of flowers, which a particular honey has been
collected from, different flavour and composition of nutrients and bio-
active substances can be found in the honey. Traditionally it has been used
to treat digestive disorders, chest and throat infections, arthritis, anaemia,
insomnia, headaches, debility and cancer. It can be applied therapeutically
to open wounds, eczema patches, skin rashes, skin and mouth ulcers and
erosions.
Beverages
A GAPS child or adult should drink water, freshly pressed juices and
meat/fish stock.
For an adult weak tea and coffee without milk is allowed. Tea and coffee
must be freshly made, not instant. A slice of lemon in tea is beneficial. Herbal teas are allowed as long as they are made from fresh single herbs
and not from commercially available herbal tea bags. Freshly made ginger
tea is a good digestive.
Some milk replacements are allowed; home-made almond milk and
home-made coconut milk. Please look in the recipe section on how to
make them.
Drinking water is a very healthy habit. Children should be encouraged to
develop this habit. An adult on average should drink 1.5-2 litres of water a
day It is not advisable to drink tap water unless it is filtered. Tap water is
chlorinated and damages the gut flora balance. It is best to drink bottled
mineral water or filtered water. A GAPS person's day should always start
with a glass of still mineral or filtered water cold or warm to personal pref
erence. A slice of lemon in the water is beneficial. The same should be
drunk between meals. Drinking a lot of water with meals is not advisable,
as it may interfere with digestion. It is better to drink warm home-made
meat stock with meals, which stimulates production of digestive juices in
the stomach.
Freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juices are


tempted by such foods, even if during the long treatment they did fantasize about some “forbidden
fruit” or other. Above all, they find anything salty quite distasteful. On the saltless Gerson regime
their taste buds have recovered from the paralysis caused by the highly salty foods of the past;
now they find anything salty unpleasant and even offensive. (Just like former smokers, who find
it impossible to stay in a smoky room, let alone start smoking again.)
Of course once a recovered patient is in a truly good condition, with all systems working
well, it is all right to attend a banquet, a wedding, or a birthday celebration and “binge” a little.
But afterwards digestive enzymes should be taken for a few days, accompanied by a daily enema,
to get rid of the mess and feel good again. Please don’t discard your enema bucket. An “upside
down coffee”, in Gerson parlance, helps if you have a headache, a toothache, even an incipient
cold or a general malaise. Also, hang on to your Norwalk or other juicer, instead of switching over
to bottled juices; they won’t help to keep you well.
Patients who had been very seriously ill must take extra precautions to preserve their new-
found health. We suggest that however long they have been off the therapy, they should go back
on the full intensive program for two weeks twice a year. (Spring and Fall, the times of seasonal
changes are best for the purpose.) During those two weeks they should drink10-13 juices a day,
eat only freshly prepared organic foods, avoid animal proteins and take 3 or more enemas daily.
If this return to the strict Gerson protocol produces a healing reaction, which these patients would
recognize at once, the body is obviously clearing up some fresh damage, and the strict program
should be extended for another two weeks. If, however, no new symptoms pop up, the patient is
doing well and can stop the “refresher course” after two weeks.
The Art of Maintenance
Originally Dr.Gerson suggested that recovered patients should maintain their good health
by ensuring that 75% of their diet consisted of “protective” foods, namely organic fruit and
vegetables high in nutrients, vitamins, minerals and enzymes, to keep the immune system in
prime condition. The remaining 25% of food was to be “at choice”. Unfortunately this division
is no longer applicable, since the freely chosen foods would be far too damaging. We therefore
have to urge former patients to stay with 90% of “protective” foods, and have at most 10% of their
intake consist of freely chosen items.
Even so, they should NEVER return to fast foods, junk foods containing pesticides, food
additives and other toxic stuff, and most certainly not touch items such as hot dogs, spiced
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 164Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.commeats and sausages laced with preservatives, or cheese—the very foods that contributed to the
breakdown of their health in the first place. However, if some serious dietary indiscretion occurs,
it is wise to go back on the full therapy for a few weeks and clear up the body, rather than risk
long-term damage. Needless to say, great care must be taken with alcohol; very occasionally a
little wine may be enjoyed, but only if it is organic. Commercially produced wines, made from
frequently sprayed grapes, are to be avoided.
If you know what to avoid and what to hang on to, maintenance quickly becomes an easy
and pleasant routine. And the answer to the question, “Is there life after Gerson?” is a clear and
resounding YES!
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 165Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comCHAPTER 24
Psychological Support for
the Gerson Patient
By Beata Bishop
Gerson patients and others interested in the therapy often wonder why, apart from one or two
passing references, the psychological aspect of healing does not figure in Dr. Gerson’s
epoch-making book.1  The reasons for this apparent omission are simple. For one thing, Dr. Gerson
wrote his book solely from the point of view of the physician-scientist, excluding all other
considerations. For another, psycho-oncology, a branch of psychology specializing in the care of
cancer patients, did not come into being until the early 1960’s, after Dr. Gerson’s death. However,
by now it has become an important specialty in its own right that needs to be included in any
healing protocol claiming to be holistic.
Holistic medicine is based on the insight that body and mind are two sides of one coin; they
sicken together and must be healed together. Whatever affects the one will affect the other. This
is particularly relevant to the Gerson Therapy, whose powerful effects extend beyond the body to
the patient’s non-physical self as well. While detoxifying the body, the combined impact of the
juices, the food and the coffee enemas reaches the brain and the central nervous system, causing
strong emotional reactions, mood swings and uncharacteristic behavior in the unsuspecting
patient. For that reason alone—and it is not the only one—the psychological side of the healing
journey must be properly understood and adequately handled. Neglecting it poses the risk of
some repressed psychological problem sabotaging the therapeutic process.
Since body and mind interact and influence each other every moment of our lives, it makes
sense to try to ensure that both are in good condition. The therapy works on the body—but what
about the psyche, the inner world of emotions and drives, and is it really important that they, too,
should be in good health? The answer is yes—and here is why:
There is now solid scientific evidence to prove that our moods, emotions and general outlook
have a direct and measurable impact on our immune system. The proof comes from psycho-
neuro-immunology (PNI), a new medical specialty, which has been rapidly developing since
the late 1970s, thanks to a better understanding of brain chemistry and of the subtle connections
that exist on the cellular level of the organism. Put briefly, the limbic system of the brain and the
central nervous system releases certain hormones that fit into receptor sites located throughout the
body, causing them to release other hormones. The quality of these hormones determines whether
the immune system is boosted or weakened, switched on or off; and that quality, in turn, depends
on our emotions, prevailing mood, beliefs and self-image.
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 166Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comA positive, hopeful, determined attitude strengthens immune competence, while despair,
negativity and fear weaken it. A traumatic event or lasting depression can overwhelm our cells
and disturb their normal functioning. In that light our every thought and feeling can be seen
as a biochemical happening.  According to neuroscientist Dr. Candace Pert 2, co-discoverer of
endorphins,  “Cells are conscious beings that communicate with each other, affecting our emotions
and choices.” It is equally true that our emotions and beliefs af fect the activity of our cells.
Fear Is The Enemy
As a recovered Gerson patient and practicing psychotherapist myself, I know the devastating
emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis. It is a major trauma, which evokes powerful emotions:
panic, shock, rage—or hopeless resignation and numbing despair. To make things worse, there
is also a sense of isolation, as if having cancer excluded one from the rest of humanity and from
normal everyday life. But the overriding and overwhelming feeling is fear. I know this profound
fear from my own experience, and that of the many patients I have worked with over the past 23
years. Although there are many other life-threatening diseases, probably none of them is able to
induce the same abject, debilitating fear as cancer.
 There are good reasons for this. One is the growing incidence of the disease. Most people
know someone who has died of cancer after much suffering, having endured drastic treatments
with horrendous side effects but no hope of a cure. To find oneself suddenly confronted with
the same fate is truly terrifying for all those who see a cancer diagnosis as an automatic death
sentence. Then there is a non-rational fear, too, that interprets cancer as an intruder, an evil alien
that has breached our defenses, is growing and spreading beyond our control and will eventually
kill us. Panic-stricken patients are in no state to realize that tumors don’t come from outer space
but from their own malfunctioning organisms, where ‘law and order’ on the cellular level has
broken down.
 The shock of the diagnosis is usually made worse by the average physician’s way of
announcing it. Doctors are not trained in the art of communication. They hate to give bad news
and protect themselves by becoming withdrawn, remote and cold, at the precise moment when
the sick person would most need human warmth and support. If the patient then


 total antioxidant status of human serum. Cell Biochem. Funct. 18. 2000.6
 Cancer statistics, 2004. Cancerj. Clin. 2004; 54:8-29
7
 Lemon, H. Reduced estriol excretion in patients with breast cancer prior to endocrine therapy. JAMA. 196; 1128-1136.
1966.
8
 Wright, Jonathan. Presented at ACAM. November, 2005. Anaheim, CA.
9
 Personal communication with Dr. Wright and presented at ACAM, Fall, 2006.
10
 Int. J. of Med. Sci. 2008 5($): 189-96
11
 Eskin, B. Mammary gland dysplasia. JAMA. 200. 1967

12
 Aquino, T. Arch. Pathology. 94, 270
13
 Krouse, T. Proc. Amer. Ass. Ca. Res. 18, 1977
14
 Eskin, B. Iodine and Mammary Cancer. Adv. In Exp. Medicine and Biology. Vol. 91. 1977
15
 Eskin, B. IBID. 1977
16
 Biol. Tr. Elem. Res. 1995, 49; 9-19
17
 MolCell Endo. 2005, 236:49-57
18
 Slebodzinski, A.B. Ovarian iodide uptake and triiodothyronine generation in follicular fluid. The enigma of the thyroid
ovary interaction. Domest. Anim. Endocrinol. 29(1):97-103, July 2005
19
 Siiteri, P. Increased availability of serum estrogens in breast cancer, a new hypothesis. In Hormones and Breast Cancer.
Banbury Report No. 8. Cold Spring Harbour Laboratories, 1981
20
 Eskin, B., et al. Iodine metabolism and breast cancer. Trans. New York, Acad. of Sciences. 32:911-947, 1970
21
 Wang, J., Effects of tamoxifen on benign breast disease in women at high risk for breast cancer. J. Natl. Cancer Inst., 95
(4):202-207, 2003
22
 Bartow, S.A., et. al. Fibrocystic disease: A continuing enigma. Pathol. Annu. 1982: 17:93-111
23
 Ghent, W., et al. Iodine Replacement in Fibrocystic Disease of the Breast. Can.J. Surg. 36: 453-460, 1993
24
 Stadel, VV. Dietary iodine and risk of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer. Lancet. 1976; 1:890-891.
25
 Talamini, R. Selected medical conditions and risk of breast cancer. British J. of Cancer. 1997; 75(11):1699-1703
26
 Venturi, S. Role of iodine in evolution and carcinogenesis of thyroid, breast and stomach. Adv. Clin. Path. 2000; 4:11-17
27
 Flechas, J. Orthoiodosupplementation in a primary care practice. The Original Internist. 12(2):89-96, 2005.
28
 Smyth, P.P.A. Thyroid disease and breast cancer. J. Endocr. Invest. 16:396. 1993
29
 Perry, M. Thyroid function in patients with breast cancer. Ann. Roy. Coll. Surg. Engl. 60, 1978
30
 Chandrakant, C. Breast cancer relationship to thyroid supplements for hypothyroidism. JAMA. Vol. 236, No. 10.
9.6.1976.
31
 JAMA. Vol. 236. N. 10. 1976
32
 IBID. JAMA. 1976
33
 Beatson, G. Adjuvant use of thyroid extract in breast cancer. Lancet 104: no. 2, pg. 162, 1896
34
 Finley, J.W., et all. Breast cancer and thyroid disease. Quart. Rev. Surg. Obstet. and Gyn. 1960 17: 139
35
 Eskin, B.A. Iodine and mammary cancer. Tans. N.Y. Acad. of Sciences. 1970
36
 Lancet. 1976, 2: 807-8
37
 BIol. Tr. Elem. Res. 1995, 49: 9-19
38
 J. Surg. Onc. 1996, 61:209-213
39
 Can. J. Surg. 1993, 36: 453-460
40
 Funaltashi, H. Suppressive effect of iodine on DM AA-induced breast cancer in rat. J. Surg. Oncol. 1996; 61
41
 Brown-Grant, K. The sites of iodide concentration in the oviduct and the uterus of the rat. J. Endocrin. 1972; 53.
42
 Abraham, G.E., et al. Orthoiodosupplementation: Iodine sufficiency of the whole human body. The Original Internist, 9:30-
41, 2002
43
 Stadel, B. Dietary iodine and risk of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer. Lancet. 4.24. 1976
44
 Bogardus, aG. Surgery. 1960, 49, 461.
45
 Finley, J. rev. Obstet. Gynec. 1960, 49, 17.
46
 Eskin, B.A. Iodine and mammary cancer. Tans. N.Y. Acad. of Sciences. 1970
47
 Drouse, T. Age-related changes in iodine-blocked. Proc. Amer. Ass. Ca. res. 18. 197748
 Eskin, B.A. Iodine and mammary cancer. Tans. N.Y. Acad. of Sciences. 1970
49
 Eskin, B.A. Mammary gland dysplasia in iodine deficiency. JAMA. 5.22.1967
50
 Eskin, B.A. IBID. 1967
51
 Eskin, B.A., et al. Human Breast Uptake of Radioactive Iodine. OB-GYN, 44:398-402, 1974
52
 Berson, S.A., et al. Quantitative aspects of iodine metabolism. The exchangeable organic iodine pool and the rates of
thyroidal secretion, peripheral degradation and fecal excretion of endogenously synthesized organically bound iodine. J. Clin.
Invest, 33:1533-1552. 1954
53
 Abraham, G., et al. IBID. 2002
54
 Eskin, B., et al. Mammary Gland Dysplasia in Iodine Deficiency, JAMA, 200: 115-119, 1967.
55
 Eskin, B., etal. Iodine metabolism and Breast cancer. Tans. New York. Acad. Of sciences, 32: 911-947, 1970
56
 Abraham, G. IBID. 20025
57
 Koutras, D.A., et al. Effect of small iodine supplement on thyroid function in normal individuals. J. Clin. Endocr. 24:857-
862, 1964
58
 Abraham, G., et al. Orthoiodosupplementation: Iodine sufficiency of the whole human body. Original Internist. December,
2002.
59
 Nolan, L.A., et al. Chronic Iodine deprivation attenuates stress-induced and diurnal variation in corticosterone secretion in
female Wistar rats. J. Neuroend. 2000. Dec; 12(12); 1149-59
60
 Rodzaevskaia, E.B., et al. Age-dependent thymus involution in experimental iodine deficiency. Arkh. Patol. 2002 Mar-
Apr; 64(2):13-6
61
 Rodzaevskaia, E.B. Morphological impairment of oogenesis in experimental iodinedependent thyroid transformation. Arkh.
Patol. 2002. Mar-Apr; 64(2):10-3
62
 Nolan, et al. IBID. 2000
63
 Abraham, G. IBID. 2002Chapter 9
The Importance of Iodine Before Pregnancy
CHAPTER 9: THE IMPORTANCE OF IODINE BEFORE PREGNANCY
For nearly 100 years, it has been known that iodine deficiency is associated with a lowered intelligence quotient (IQ). In fact,
the research has been clear: iodine deficiency can result in mildly to severely lowered IQ levels. Cretinism, the most severe form
of iodine deficiency, was first described in the late 18
th
 century. Cretinism is associated with severe mental deterioration and
significantly lowered IQ levels, swelling of the skin, hair loss, and short stature. Neurological impairment with reduced muscle
tone and slowed reflexes are also present in cretinism.
Unfortunately, cretinism is still present in remote areas of the world.
With the advent of iodized salt, cretin


	would	argue	that	consciousness	governs	this	whole
machinery—reincarnation	is	just	a	variation	on	the	theme	of	time	and	place,
producing	new	talents	and	interests.	As	the	rishis	saw	it,	reincarnation	is	a
creative	leap	that	recombines	old	karma,	good	and	bad,	in	a	unique
combination.	The	new	lifetime	and	the	old	are	joined	inexorably	by	millions
of	karmic	links,	yet	for	the	most	part	the	person	being	reborn	feels	that	he	is
something	totally	new.
This	is	where	a	creative	leap	comes	in,	according	to	the	rishis.	Think	of	it
like	money	in	the	bank:	you	may	have	only	$500,	but	you	are	free	to	spend	it
any	way	you	choose.	In	karmic	terms	cause	leads	to	effect,	and	as	long	as	that
chain	holds,	event	A	is	forged	to	event	B.	A	universe	without	cause	and	effect
would	be	chaotic.	If	you	drop	a	ball,	gravity	makes	it	fall	downward	toward
the	earth,	and	this	result	is	so	reliable	that	it	can	be	reduced	nearly	to	a
certainty.	If	Karma	were	just	as	certain,	there	would	be	no	need	for
reincarnation,	because	the	karmic	balance	at	the	end	of	a	lifetime	would	be	as
reliable	as	the	cocoon	that	produces	monarch	butterflies	from	a	larva,	not
monarchs	one	spring	and	swallowtails	the	next.
Karma	isn’t	predictable,	however.	People	perform	all	kinds	of	actions	and
reap	completely	different	results	from	the	seeds	they	sow.	It’s	disillusioning
that	evil	deeds	go	unpunished	and	virtue	is	overlooked,
that
	bad	things	happen
to	good	people	all	the	time.	The	Vedic	rishis	did	not	mark	this	down	to	the
vagaries	of	a	whimsical	Providence.	Karma	is	unpredictable,	they	said,	for	the
same	reasons	that	consciousness	is	unpredictable:
Creativity	is	innate.
Uncertainty	allows	new	forms	to	emerge.The	unknown	contains	infinite	possibilities,	of	which	only	a	fraction	appear
in	the	known	world.
Nature	is	change	and	stability	at	the	same	time.
These	are	the	basic	tenets	of	Karma,	and	what’s	most	fascinating	is	that
we	are	held	together	not	by	inexorable	mechanics	but	by	a	deep	commitment
to	uncertainty	and	the	creative	leaps	that	result	from	that.
Reincarnation	is	how	consciousness	becomes	new	even	as	it	uses
materials	that	can	never	be	created	or	destroyed.	That	is	the	wonder	of	it.
Infinite	change	and	infinite	stability	coexist—this	is	also	the	mystery	we	have
to	solve	before	reincarnation	can	be	fully	understood.
Karma	on	the	Brain
Karma	may	turn	out	to	be	the	key	to	understanding	the	brain	itself.
Neurologists	are	puzzled	over	what	they	call	“the	binding	effect,”	a
mysterious	force	that	pulls	different	areas	of	the	brain	together.	Recent
advances	in	brain	imaging	show	that	it	takes	several	regions	of	the	brain	to
cooperate	in	any	thought,	feeling,	or	sensation.	Say	you	walk	into	a	room,
recognize	your	mother,	and	ask	her	if	she	remembers	the	recipe	for	the
birthday	cake	she	made	for	your	tenth	birthday.	Your	brain	isn’t	jumping	from
one	area	that	recognizes	who	she	is	to
another
	that	wants	to	ask	a	question	to
a	third	that	remembers	your	past	birthdays.	The	whole	brain	assigns	these
tasks	to	several	areas	all	at	once,	and	the	mystery	is	how	this	happens.
If	the	brain	had	a	high-speed	telephone	system	to	send	messages	whizzing
from	place	to	place,	the	binding	effect	would	be	explained	as	a	series	of
sequential	commands.	But	neurons	act	simultaneously.	Point	A	and	point	B
light	up	at	the	same	time,	leaving	no	interval	for	a	back-and-forth	signal.
Moreover,	the	brain	is	capable	of	infinite	combinations	that	have	little	or	no
relationship	with	one	another.
Every	thought,	then,	is	an	activity	of	the	whole	brain.	Even	though	a	CAT
scan	might	be	able	to	visualize	the	exact	clump	of	neurons	in	the	brain	where
a	murderous	thought	arises	in	a	criminal	mind	and	to	a	kindly	thought	in	a
saintly	mind,	it’s	the	whole	brain	that	differentiates	a	criminal	from	a	saint.	It
takes	an	entire	brain	to	oversee	all	the	traffic	that	coordinates	a	hundred
billion	independent	neurons,	making	sure	that	they	all	tie	in	to	an	infinite,
teeming	conversation.	If	I	want	to	perform	an	act	of	kindness,	my	brain	might
provide	me	with	a	simple	thought,	such	as,
I	should	donate	to	disaster	relief
.
This	single	thought	requires	the	following:
A	moral	sense	of	right	and	wrong
Memories	of	what	it’s	like	to	be	helpless	and	victimizedEmpathy	with	fellow	sufferers
A	feeling	of	compassion
A	sense	of	duty	to	society
These	interlocked	elements	reside	in	various	parts	of	the	brain	and
represent	unique	patterns	of	activity.	At	the	same	time,	at	a	deeper	level	my
brain	has	to	remain	aware	of	who	I	am,	my	history	of	kind	and	unkind	acts,
my	unconscious	guilt,	my	awareness	of	role	models	who	were	also	kind,	etc.
What’s	truly	amazing	is	that	the
brain
	knows	how	to	mesh	all	these
ingredients	instantly.	It	doesn’t	go	to	the	wrong	memory	or	feeling.	It	doesn’t
forget	who	I	am,	or	provide	me	with	bizarre	distractions,	unless	I	am	mentally
ill,	in	which	case	I	could	become	completely	untethered.	In	my	inability	to
recognize	that	my	thoughts	are	actually	my	own,	I	might	think	God	is
ordering	me	to	give	money	to	disaster	relief.
I	may	be	aware	only	of	a	single	thought,	yet	what	my	brain	does	in
support	of	that	thought	spans	a	much	larger	extent.	(Neurologists	estimate	that
a	person	is	aware	of	about	2,000	bits	of	information	per	minute	being
processed	by	the	brain.	This	sounds	impressive,	but	outside	our	awareness	the
brain	is	actually	processing	400	billion	bits	of	information	per	minute.
Miraculously,	it	remains	in	control	of	each	one	and	filters	out	all	but	the	tiny
fraction	that	we	require	to	be	in	the	world	and	follow	our	train	of	thought	and
desire.)
I’ve	gone	into	some	detail	here	because	if	it	takes	the	whole	brain	to
produce	one	thought,	it	also	takes	the	whole	universe	to	perform	a	single
action.	Like	a	neuron,	electrons	and	atoms	seem	to	be	independent,	yet	a
change	of	electron	spin	at	one	extreme	of	the	universe	will	be	mirrored,
instantly	and	without	sending	signals,	by	a	paired	electron	billions	of	light
years	away.	So	the	“binding	effect”	is	cosmic	as	well	as	personal;	it	exists	“in
here”	and	“out	there.”	The	net	result	is	that
you
	are	an	activity	of	the	whole
universe,	an	insight	that	sounds	abstract,	but	just	as	a	single	thought	requires
your	brain	to	perform	a	huge	number	of	unseen	calculations,	so	Karma
performs	unseen	calculations	to	produce	you.
As	we	now	can	prove,	change	and	stability	coexist	in	the	brain;	without
both	it	couldn’t	operate.	When	you	remember


 That is what’ s going to happen. You may not be able to sit there
for fifteen minutes and watch your breath. Good, that shows you how strong
your addiction is to the mind.
The reason you lose focus on your breath is that consciousness gets
distracted by what your mind is saying. In other words, you stopped
watching your breath, and you started watching your mind. The moment
you catch on that you’ve done that, don’t get down on yourse lf. Just start
watching your breath again. The entire purpose is to practice gaining control
of your attention  so that it becomes yours again. What you pay attention to
determines your experiences in life. You should have the right to
consciously decide what to pay attention to. Until you learn to back away
from the mind, you have no choice; you pay attention to whatever your
mind says.
There is one more element you can add to this simple meditation
technique we’ve been discussing. You’re not going to know right away that
you stopped watching your breath. You’re going to get lost in your mind,
and maybe fifteen minutes will go by. To help notice sooner, instead of just
watching your breath, count your breaths. Simply count a round of
inhale/exhale as one, then two, and so on. But don’t count to one hundred.
Count to twenty-five and start over. That way you will see sooner that you
drifted off the breath. In/out…one, in/out…two, in/out…three. Watch your
breath go in and out of your abdomen. Just sit there and watch  your breathwhile you count to twenty-five, and then go back to one. If you find that
you’re at forty-three, just start over at one. Not a thought about it, just
immediately start counting at one. You now have a job to do that requires
you to be present. You must be conscious enough while watching your
breath to know to go back to one after you reach twenty-five. This doesn’ t
require thought—it just requires awareness.
Some people turn mala beads during meditation, others do mantra.
These are just ways to help keep your consciousness on something other
than your wandering thoughts. So, meditation is easy—if you understand
that it’s not about having spiritual experiences. Please don’t worry about
that. Just practice being presen t. If you do this on a regular basis, you’re
going to find that you are consciously aware during the day when your
samskaras get hit. Now it’s just a question of your level of commitment.
Every single time you start to get disturbed, are you willing to relax and
release? Or do you still need to go through another round of expressing and
defending your blockages?Chapter 34.
Handling the Bigger Stuff
Real spiritual practice  entails devoting  every moment of your life to your
liberation. Life is your real guru. It’s challenging you to either move further
away from Self or come back to Self. Life is your friend. Everything that
happens in life is an opportunity to get better at freeing yourself from
yourself—dying to be reborn. If you sincerely work on releasing the low-
hanging fruit, and if you remain centered in the seat of Self as your past
samskaras are released, you will become a more conscious being. You will
no longer have to come back to center after a dif ficult conversation, you will
remain centered during the entire experience. At first, this is difficult. Just
keep working on it. Make this the most important thing in your life—
because it is. It really is the only rational way to live your life. It’s not a
religious techniq ue; it’s simply deciding to wake up and make something
great of yourself.
If you constantly let go, you will eventually achieve a state of perpetual
presence. You will be established in the seat of Self, and you will never
leave that seat again for the rest of your life. No matter what happens, no
matter who dies, no matter who leaves you, no matter what. All that stuff
can still come up, but you will have the power to decide what to do about it.
There will be time you never had before, between the event and your
reaction to it. Things start to unfold as if in slow motion—even reactive
thoughts and emotions. This gives you time to relax and let go.
We are now ready to address the bigger stuff. As you let go, and there
is less small stuff, the bigger things will come up all by them selves. You
may start having very intense dreams. You may be driving in the car and
begin feeling powerful emotion s for no apparent reason. Good, you don’t
need a reason. It is simply energy, the shakti, trying to push up because you
have given her the room to do so. She is your best friend. This energy flowinside is helping you, and it’ s always trying to push up. Y ou don’ t need to do
anything except  keep letting go. What if something happens that’s a really
bad situation? The house catches fire. Y ou lose your job. That’ s certainly not
low-hanging fruit. If you are sincere on this path, what do you do? First let
go. Always let go of your huma n reaction first. If you are upset and cannot
deal with the situation, what good are you? If you can’t handle the sight of
blood, you are of no use at the scene of an accident. First let go of your
personal reactio n so that you can serve the situation to the best of your
ability.
Let’s take a real-life example. You get a phone call informing you that
your sixteen-yea r-old son had drugs in his school locker. Difficult things
like this happen in the world. You may not like it, but you are going to have
to deal with it. Perhaps your mind starts up, “How could he do this to me?
Oh, my god, what did I do wrong? My husband’ s going to be so mad at me.
We’re having enough trouble in our relationship. This could be the end of
my marriage. Why do I deserve  this?” What on Earth has all that personal
melodrama got to do with your son’s problem? Those are your problems,
and you need to let them go. You’re not supposed to be interact ing with the
world outside based on your blockages inside. All that personal talk has
nothing to do with the problem at hand. It has to do with the fact that this
situation hit your blockages, and now you’re reacting to your issues instead
of your child’ s issue. If you allow that to happen, you’re going to make
every decision based on what makes you feel better, which is likely not what
is best for the situation at hand.
If you take things personally, you will try to protect yourself by
avoiding disturbing experiences. But difficult situations present an
opportunity to change that dynamic. The way to do that is to let go of your
entire personal reaction to the situation. You just let it go. You don’t let go
of the situation—you let go of your reaction to the situation. Go to the
principal’ s office, but not to protect yourself. Go because your son needs
help. Go because the principal needs help with the situation. Go because
you’re the parent, and your son is your responsibility. Do your best to raise
the energy in a constructive manner. You can’t do this if you’re focusing on
your embarrassment, fears, and other personal reactions.
Bottom line, you let go of the personal so you can interact properly
with what’ s in front of you. It’s the same thing in business. You’re in a
meeting, and they’re discussing a project. You have a bright idea that youwant to contribute. So you put it out there, but it gets shot down. That hurts.
Of course it does. You have an ego in there, and it’s going to get bothered.
Now for the rest of the meeting, either you don’t contribu te anything
because you’re sulking, or you keep bringing up proof that what you said
wasn’ t so dumb. You no longer  belong in that meeting. Your presence has
become about you, not about the project. You can’t work like that. Your
underlying motive can’t ever be about you. It has to be about serving what’ s
happening in front of you. To the absolute best of your ability, you always
serve life as it unfolds before you.
The process of letting go becomes how you work on yourself. Your
only decision is: Are you going to let go or not? It’s your choice. Either
you’re working on yourself on a regular basis or you’re not. The blockages
inside you that generate personal thoughts and emotions are nothing but
leftover samskar as. They are based on past issues you couldn’ t handle, and
they will tend to lead you in the wrong direction. Learn to express your
higher Self. Express the deeper part of your being that’s in harmony with
life.
Keep letting go. The entire spiritual path is letting go of yourself. What
will happen if you do this? That’ s what we’ll explore next. We’re going to
deal with what life is meant to be like for every single person. Regardless of
what has ever happened to you or what you’ve ever done—it really doesn’ t
matter. If you


 Zen Buddhism bring the body
under control through sheer focused awareness. When you felt
your he artbeat and breathing, for example, you took the first step
to co ntrolling both processes at once through the vagus nerve, one
of the ten cranial nerves that  extend from the brain to the rest of
the central nervous system.
The vag us nerve is a wanderer, tracing its course like the t runk
line of an old-fashioned tel ephone system from brain to neck,
down into the chest, past the heart, and extending into the
abdomen. It is the longest cranial nerve, and its fibers both send
and receive sensory information. Most of the sensations you
experienced in the exercise you just did were channeled through
the vagus nerve.
You can take advantage of t his knowledge in a practical way
through “vagal breathing,” which consists of inhaling to the count
of fo ur, holding the breath to the count of two, and exhaling to the
count o f four. This simple rhythm of 4-2-4 is easy for a  normal
healthy adult, and no one should try to force it to the point of
gasping or feeling uncomfort able. To the great surprise of medical
researchers, vagal breathing is the best way to reduce  stress,
particularly the immediate signs of ragged breath, increased heart
rate, and muscle tension.
It tu rns out tha t chronic, low-level stress is more important and
more pervasive  than acute stress. In modern life, being in a state
of chronic low-level stress is so common as to be accepted as
normal. But your body doesn’t experience it as normal at all; the
earliest beginn ings of heart disease, hypertension, sle ep and
digestive disorders, and probably some cancers can be traced to
chronic stress.It is  no accide nt that the location of these disorders par allels
the course of th e vagus nerve, which serves to communicate stress
to the heart, stomach, digestive tract, and then the rest of the body
as t he nervous system branches out. Vagal breathing brings the
state of  the body back into ba lance and relieves tension. So even if
you haven’t come to the real ization that everything physical and
mental happens in consc iousness—meaning that our body
happens in consciousness—here is an unmistakable clue.
We accept that a skill like walking and riding a bike is
permanent onc e it has been learned. But, at a more basic l evel, the
biorhythms th at sustain the bodymind as a whole were learned
and absorbed millions of ye ars ago by our hominid ancestors.
Modern life pushes us to unlearn them, as witnessed by the huge
number of people with digest ive and sleep disorders. Both of those
functions are controlled thro ugh built-in biorhythms. On ce your
body has forgotten how to express a biorhythm, the effec t is like
one trumpet or violin playing a different piece of music from the
rest of the orchestra—the whole symphony is ruined.
Vagal b reathing may wind up being very useful beyond its
ability t o norm alize heart rate, lower blood pressure, and make
breathing more regular. It’s  a good practice to use in bed just
before you fall asleep. Mild to moderate insomnia can often be
eased o r totally healed. General stress is eased, including stressful
thoughts and a racing mind, which countless people experience
when they try to go to sleep.
I’ve gone into a little detail (the whole topic is covered in depth
in The Healing Self, which I coauthored with Rudy Tanzi) to make
the point that a physical map  of the nervous system, the operation
of the vagus n erve, consciously intervening in its operation, and
sensing the results directly ar e all one thing. The direct path leads
us b ack to that  one thing, wh ich will, in time, completely end the
state of  separation and allow us to rest in wholeness, which is
reality.
Y o u r  B o d y,  Y o u r  S t o r yOnce you begin to experience your body in awareness,
transformation starts to oc cur. You are moving out of the
separation between mind and body toward wholeness. You need
to be whole to be who you truly are. The direct path is experiential.
It’s not theoretical, nor is it therapy or a spiritual journey.
As you experie nce your body in awareness, you have taken time
out from your story. This seems like a modest thing, a moment or
two spent in d oing nothing but being here. Yet there’s no other
way to disman tle your story that is this direct. Millions of people
benefit from therapy and walking the spiritual path. But
eventually we must all face the fact that everything  we do, even in
the name of h ealing and spirituality, is taking place inside our
story. As a res ult, we can get glimpses of wholeness—these are
often q uite beautiful and uplifting—yet they do not carry us to
metareality as our home.
At t he moment you are your story—it can’t be helped—and this
keeps you trapped in separation. The word separation  may not
come to mind; you might n ot even consider it a prob lem. To
illustrate, cons ider the following sentences, which all of us have
said or heard:
I hate my body.
You’re only as old as you think you are.
Youth is wasted on the young.
I used to have a perfect figure.
The statements express diffe rent sentiments, but each reflects
the sep aration of mind and body. “I hate my body” comes from
someone who feels trapped in physicality. The person is
bemoaning what she has done to her body, or what her body has
done to  her. The state of sep aration is obvious. “I” is pla ying the
part of the victim, and “body” is the culprit.
“You are only as old as yo u think you are” is much more
optimistic, asserting that the mind can overcome the deterioration
of aging. Yet, as we all know, this is in part wishful thinkin g. Aging
is an inexorable process. It is much better to have a positive
attitude toward it than a negative one—society is benefiting fromthe “new old age,” which env isions every stage of life as v igorous,
productive, and  healthy. But a thought or a belief isn’t the same as
a state of awareness. “You’r e only as old as you think y ou are”
cannot substitu te for the true self. When established in yo ur sense
of s elf as a permanent state, aging holds no threat beca use you
identify with the timeless (we will go into what the timeless state
means in the next section). A good attitude toward the aging
process still leaves you trapped in your story.
Oscar Wilde’s quip “Youth is wasted on the young” puts a witty
face on  a sad w ish that many people have: If only I could  go back
in t ime, I’d live my life so much better. Regret over the  past is
mingled into everyone’s story, and the basis for this regret  (and its
opposite, which  is nostalgia) is that the passage of time has power
over us. “I used to have a perfect figure” states this more directly
by c onnecting  the passing of the years with a loss of physical
attractiveness, while implying that “a perfect figure” is the  same as
self-worth and sexual desirability.
These example s of how the mind feels separate and different
from the body could be expan ded endlessly. The body is su bject to
all man ner of judgment, and yet the underlying process, whether
you lov e your body or hate it, hasn’t been examined closely. This
underlying process is the inescapable way your body has absorbed
every detail of your life story and now mirrors it. To be tra pped in
your story and trapped in y our body are the same thin g. Your
brain has been shaped every minute since you were born, and it
has communicated everything you experience to the body’s fifty
trillion cells, which in turn pass the messages on to your DNA.
Wholeness, then, isn’t just a mental shift. It’s a revolution in
the bodymind that undoes the past, beginning in the brain but
reaching out to liberate eve ry cell and influencing the genetic
activity in each cell. To see ho w this revolution occurs, let me go to
the heart of every story, which is time.
H o w  t o  B e  T i m e l e s sThere was a period in infancy when your experience was
original and authentic. You were too young to interpret the world
on your own. All your development was occupied with the basics
of walk ing, talking, exploring the world, and so on. Let’s call this
the pre story period of life. W illiam Blake divided one group of
poems i nto “so ngs of innocence” and “songs of experience,” which
were a nonbiblical narrative  of the Fall from Grace. Like the
romantics who were to follow, and who idolized him, Blake
believed


arbon	monoxide	and
small	amounts	of	the	natural	gas	itself.	With	insufficient	ventilation,	the	gases
became	concentrated,	and	poor	Sally	was	breathing	them	all	day	long.	She	began
to	suffer	from	sore	throats,	eye	irritations,	respiratory	problems,	headaches	and,
eventually,	chronic	fatigue.
I	recommended	they	install	an	electric	hot	water	heater.	Sally’s	worst
symptoms	immediately	were	alleviated,	although	significant	damage	had	already
been	done	(both	by	the	gases	and	the	antibiotics).	Her	health	was	restored
eventually	after	she	worked	to	reverse	the	damage	through	improved	diet	and
nutritional	supplementation.
One	of	the	great	joys	in	my	life	is	to	watch	someone	like	Sally	go	from	being
sick	and	disabled,	with	little	to	look	forward	to,	to	smiling	once	again	and
enjoying	life.	I	am	saddened	to	think	how	many	people	remain	sick	because	their
physicians	do	not	understand	the	toxin	pathway	and	have	no	idea	how	to	helpthem.	In	fact,	physicians	who	prescribe	antibiotics	and	other	medications	often
create	susceptibility	to	such	problems	in	the	first	place.
Gas-fired	appliances	(hot	water	heaters,	ovens,	stoves,	furnaces,	fireplaces	or
clothes	dryers)	diffuse	toxic	gases	into	the	surrounding	air.	If	you	have	such
appliances,	try	to	keep	them	out	of	your	living	space	and	put	furnaces,	clothes
dryers	and	water	heaters	in	a	garage,	shed	or	breezeway	along	with	stored
volatiles	such	as	paints	and	cleaning	fluids.	A	gas	stove,	because	it	is	in	your
living	space,	should	be	replaced	or	at	least	very	well	ventilated.	In	my	own
recovery	process,	I	had	to	convert	from	a	gas	to	an	electric	water	heater	because
I	had	become	so	sensitive	to	these	toxins.
Giving	off	toxic	gasses	is	an	especially	common	problem	with	products	when
they	are	new.	At	one	of	my	seminars,	a	woman	named	Diane	raised	her	hand	and
explained	that	she	was	suffering	from	splitting	headaches.	After	hearing	the
story	about	Sally,	Diane	realized	that	her	headaches	coincided	with	the	purchase
of	a	new	car;	she	suspected	a	connection.	Her	new	car	was	off-gassing	toxins,
producing	the	“new	car”	smell.	Diane’s	family	had	two	cars,	so	I	suggested	that
she	drive	the	older	car	until	the	odor	subsided.	Her	headaches	went	away.	Some
highly	sensitive	people	retrofit	their	cars	with	safer	materials.
Consider	the	risk	of	new	products:	a	new	carpet,	a	freshly	painted	room,	a	new
TV	set,	a	new	mattress.	New	products	give	off	high	levels	of	toxic	chemicals.
With	the	passage	of	time,	the	volume	of	toxic	chemicals	being	off-gassed	drops
dramatically.	Often	you	can	accelerate	the	off-gassing	process	simply	by
applying	heat.	For	example,	the	chemicals	contained	in	a	new	car’s	plastics,
adhesives	and	seating	materials	pollute	the	interior	air	of	the	car.	During	the	first
few	months,	try	to	leave	a	new	car	parked	in	the	hot	sun	with	the	windows	up	to
bake	out	the	toxins.	Air	it	out	regularly,	and	be	sure	to	air	it	out	before	and	while
you	drive.
The	risk	of	new	paint	is	something	my	friend	Jim	discovered	when	he	went
from	being	generally	in	good	spirits	to	suffering	the	worst	depression	of	his	life.
Actually,	he	felt	suicidal.	I	immediately	tried	to	isolate	the	cause	of	Jim’s
malfunctioning	cells.	I	discovered	that	Jim	just	had	the	interior	of	his	house
painted;	paint	off-gasses	neurotoxins	that	can	affect	moods	and	mental	function.
New	paint	takes	at	least	two	months	to	reach	reasonable	levels	of	safety	for	most
people	(depending	on	biochemical	individuality),	which	is	why	it	is	best	to	paint
only	one	room	at	a	time	and	to	close	freshly	painted	rooms	off	as	much	as
possible	while	they	are	off-gassing.
Absolutely	do	not	sleep	in	a	freshly	painted
room!
A	good	idea	is	to	schedule	painting	just	before	leaving	on	a	vacation.	Jim
stayed	at	his	son’s	house	for	several	weeks,	and	his	problem	was	solved.Another	example	of	toxic	off-gassing	was	brought	to	my	attention	when	a
woman	suffering	flulike	symptoms	came	to	me	for	help.	Ellen	Marie	had
“caught	the	flu”	around	Christmas	time	the	previous	year	and	still	was	not	well.
Her	physicians	were	dumbfounded,	as	anyone	would	be	if	they	focused	only	on
mitigating	her	symptoms.
I	discovered	that	Ellen	Marie	had	moved	into	a	newly	constructed	luxury
home	four	months	prior	to	coming	down	with	“the	flu.”	Her	new	home	was
constructed	with	particleboard,	which	off-gasses	formaldehyde—a	highly	toxic
and	carcinogenic	chemical.	Plywood	also	will	off-gas	formaldehyde,	but	far	less
of	it.	(Some	new	man-made	building	materials	no	longer	contain	formaldehyde,
but	the	substitutes	used,	such	as	iso-cyanates,	are	also	toxic.)	This	poor	woman
was	suffering	from	subtle	and	constant	formaldehyde	poisoning.	Her	symptoms
included	immune	suppression,	respiratory	problems,	coughing,	throat	irritation,
headaches,	insomnia,	nausea	and	fatigue.	I	suggested	to	Ellen	Marie	that	she	sell
her	new	home	and	move	to	a	safer	environment.	She	chose	not	to	move	and	she
remained	ill.
Always	select	building	materials	and	furniture	that	are	made	from
real	wood	or	at	least	plywood,	but	not	particleboard.
Inventory	Your	Home’s	Hazards
Do	you	have	carpets	in	your	home	and,	if	so,	from	what	are	those	carpets
made?	Carpets	made	from	synthetic	fibers	(plastics	such	as	nylon,	acrylic	or
polyester),	especially	when	new,	off-gas	large	amounts	of	toxins.	Carpets	are
among	the	most	significant	contributors	to	the	toxicity	of	indoor	air.	The	plastic
fibers	used	to	make	carpets	are	very	thin,	thus	creating	an	enormous	amount	of
surface	area	from	which	off-gassing	can	occur.	Chemicals	used	in	the	adhesive
backing	and	those	in	the	foam	padding	underlayer	also	off-gas.	Carpets	are
treated	with	toxic	soil	and	stain	repellents,	moisture	repellents,	mothproofing	and
other	finishes.	These	chemicals	are	effective	for	their	intended	purposes,	but
toxic—an	important	consideration	if	you	are	looking	for	new	floor	coverings	or
considering	a	move	into	a	newly	carpeted	space.
That	“new	carpet	smell”	is
toxic,	and	the	best	solution	is	to	use	carpets	made	only	of	natural	fibers
(wool	is
a	good	choice,	though	make	sure	it	is	not	treated	with	toxic	mothproofing
chemicals).	Hardwood	or	tile	floors	with	natural-fiber	area	rugs	are	good


 patients' troubles when these could not be classified with
precision played an important part in the successful warfare against disease in the period preceding
the advance in modern laboratory technique. For many of the old-time physicians, these
constitutional qualities were expressed as diathesis. An individual would be recognized as having a
phthisical diathesis (a susceptibility to tuberculosis). Similarly, the arthritis group had a rheumatic
diathesis. While modern science has undertaken to express its findings numerically, the problem of
reducing the diatheses to mathematical formulas has required so many overlappings, that it has
been impossible to establish definite limiting boundaries.
    In my investigations regarding the types of individuals who develop rheumatic group lesions as a
result of dental focal infections, (1)  I found that individuals could be divided into very definite groups
in which 15.05 per cent with severe lesions belonged to families in which similar disease symptoms
had occurred. Evidence was disclosed of a systemic factor that played a controlling role in
determining whether or not the individual would be seriously injured from dental focal infections. It
became very clear that the soil was quite as important a determining factor as was the type of
infection. This finding led me to broaden the scope of my investigations to include a search for
control cases that were free from the degenerative processes. I was not able to find these controls
in the clinical material afforded by our modern civilization, and therefore extended the search to
isolated primitive racial stocks.
    Associated with a fine physical condition the isolated primitive groups have a high level of
immunity to many of our modern degenerative processes, including tuberculosis, arthritis, heart
disease, and affections of the internal organs. When, however, these individuals have lost this high
level of physical excellence a definite lowering in their resistance to the modern degenerative
processes has taken place. To illustrate, the narrowing of the facial and dental arch forms of the
children of the modernized parents, after they had adopted the white man's food, was
accompanied by an increase in susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis.
    In Fig. 113 will be seen four young people, examined in the tuberculosis wards of the Juneau
(Alaska) Hospital for Indians and Eskimos. All exhibited marked evidence of prenatal injury. Note
the cuspids erupting outside the line of the arch. The teeth of the upper arch of the boy at the upper
left, pass inside the teeth of the lower arch. His upper arch is so narrow that even a finger could
not be passed between the lateral walls. These pictures had to be taken with short exposures in the
poor light of the wards. They reveal, however, the conditions.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 197/250FIG. 113. Eskimo children seriously ill in the tuberculosis
wards of the government hospital at Juneau, Alaska. They
were too ill to be moved to good light for photographing.
Every tubercular child in these wards had disturbed facial
development and deformed dental arches. The parents were
living on modern foods.
    In Figs. 114 and 115 are shown several individuals photographed in the tuberculosis hospital in
New Zealand. Note the lack of development of the middle third of the face and the narrowing and
lengthening of the face. In several individuals the teeth of the upper arch closed inside the teeth of
the lower arch, instead of outside, as in normal persons. Here again, 100 per cent of the young
people with tuberculosis gave evidence of injury in the formative period, and 91.2 per cent of the
total number of patients were found to have disturbed dental arches.
7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 198/250FIG. 114. These are patients in the Maori Hospital for
tuberculosis in New Zealand. Note the very marked
underdevelopment of the middle third of the face above and
of both middle and lower thirds of the face below. Every
patient under thirty years of age in these wards had
deformed dental arches and disturbed facial development.
FIG. 115. These girls are also in the tuberculosis ward of the
New Zealand Hospital for Maori. Note the marked
disturbance in development of the face and dental arches.
All have pinched nostrils.
    In Fig. 116 are shown four typical individuals in the tuberculosis hospitals in Hawaii; one in Hilo
and the other in Honolulu. In each of these hospitals 100 per cent of the individuals had abnormal
development of the face and dental arches.
FIG. 116. These are native Hawajians in tuberculosis
hospitals. Every child in the wards showed marked
disturbance of facial development and dental arch form.
7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 199/250disturbance of facial development and dental arch form.
    While we know many of the factors contributing to the nature of diatheses, I have found no data
dealing with the forces which determine diatheses, except the influence of heredity. The data I am
presenting in this volume, deal with forces other than heredity.
    An outstanding advance in organizing the data which relate the physical characteristics of
individuals to their disease susceptibilities has been made by the Constitutional Clinic of Columbia
University and the Presbyterian Hospital of New York, under the able direction of Dr. George
Draper. He has found it necessary in order to study man as a whole, to view him from four
different angles: "his form, his function, his immunity mechanism and his psychology." These four
attributes he has designated as the "four panels of personality." Dr. Draper has published several
communications including two textbooks, one entitled, "Human Constitution," (2) and the other,
"Disease and the Man." (3)  Dr. Draper has approached this problem from the data provided in the
medical clinics, and therefore, from the characteristics of affected individuals, whereas my
approach has been through a study of the primitive groups and the physical changes and disease
susceptibilities which occur as a result of their modernization. The similarity of our conclusions
greatly emphasizes the importance of the findings of each. Dr. Draper has emphasized the
importance of the face and of the dental arches in the general matter of susceptibility to disease. He
closes one of his chapters, entitled The Relation of Face, Jaws and Teeth to Human
Constitution and Its Bearing on Disease, as follows:
    The lessons which we have learned from these observations, however, is that the face and
jaws hold much information of value to the student of the human being. As clinicians in the field
of internal medicine we have been taught to observe the gums and teeth in order to detect
possible foci of infection. But for the student of clinical organismalism, the teeth and jaws hold
much valuable information about the total personality. For the worker in the dental branch of
medicine it would seem that an unusual opportunity is offered for extending such observations
and correlations. It may very well be that the dental student who becomes interested in the
relation of the mouth to the organism may form a most important link with the responsibilities of
internal medicine.
    The more we come to view man as a totality, as an organism which functions as a whole and
not as a collection of separate elements, the more do all the special branches of medicine
become fused with the general concept which forms the basis of this discussion, namely, the
relation of the human organism as a whole to those various reactions of maladjustment with
environment which we call disease.
    It is clear that a definite association of abnormal facial patterns with specific disease
susceptibilities exists. From my studies it is also clear that these abnormal facial patterns are
associated with influences resulting from a change in the nutrition of the parents of the individual.
We are at this point concerned with the forces that underlie these phenomena.
    In approaching this problem as it applies to human beings, much can be learned from a study of
domestic and wild animals. Until recent years it has been common knowledge among the
superintendents of large zoos of America and Europe that members of the cat family did not
reproduce efficiently in captivity, unless the mothers had been born in the jungle. Formerly, this
made it necessary to replenish lions, tigers, leopards and other felines from wild stock as fast as the
cages were emptied by death or as rapidly as new stock should be added by enlargement.
    The story is told of a trip to Africa made by a wild animal specialist from the London zoo for the
purpose of obtaining additional lions and studying this problem. While in the lion country, he
observed the lion kill a zebra. The lion proceeded then to tear open the abdomen of the zebra and
eat the entrails at the right flank. This took him directly to the liver. After spending some time
selecting different internal organs, the lion backed away and turned and pawed dirt over the
carcass which he abandoned to the jackals. The scientist hurried to the carcass and drove away
the jackals to study the dead zebra to note what tissues had been taken. This gave him the clue
which when put into practice has entirely changed the history of the reproduction of the cat family
in captivity. The addition of the organs to the foods of the captive animals born in the jungle
supplied them with foods needed to make reproduction possible. Their young, too, could7/29/13 Nutrition and


 (page 339)
Balanced breathing (Pranayama, page 360)
Meditate
Eat breakfast
Take a mid-morning walk (for one-half hour)
Lunch: Noon–1 P.M.
Eat lunch early (it should be lar gest meal of the day)
Sit quietly for five minutes after eating
Walk to aid your digestion (5 to 15 minutes)
Meditate in the late afternoon
Dinner: 6–7 P.M.
Eat a moderate dinnerSit quietly for five minutes after eating
Walk to aid your digestion (5 to 15 minutes)
Bedtime: 9:30–10:30 P.M.
Engage in light activity in the evening
Get to bed early, but at least three hours after dinner
Do not read, eat, or watch TV in bed
Naturally this is a very full schedule, but I hasten to say that hundreds of
our patie nts (and their families) observe the dinacharya and have abundant
time left over to pursue active lives. If you hesitate to modify your
schedule, rest assured that you can be as busy as a doctor if you know how
to ride nature’ s waves. The whole point of making the day orderly is that all
your activity becomes healthier, more enjoyable, and more efficient. You
gain more time than you lose, and it is quality time.
You will note that the main exercises are walking, plus gentle yoga poses
coupled with meditation. Most of the other points are self-explanatory. I
would just like to make a few additional points about each period of the
day.
RISING: 6–8 a.m.
Morning is a special time in Ayurveda, when nature sends out its most
delicate message s and you are most sensitive to them. Your nervous system
has been built so that the sight of dawn, the still air on your skin, the faint
sounds of birds and animals awakening, all set the stage for renewal. Alert
to the slightest influence, the whole body is silent and poised in a delicate
balance.When you wake up, you shou ld feel alert and clearheaded with no
worries lingering from the day before, indicating that your nervous system
is ready  to be renewed. It is harmful to disturb or ignore this one
opportunity to be naturally re-created. Writer Joan Mills has beautifully
expressed the specialness of early rising: “From dawn’ s simplicities arise
moments that are profound past explaining and powerful beyond sentiment.
There are mornings when some small, isolated joy carries more conviction
than a month of woe.”
Medically speaking, the body precisely calibrates the correct biochemical
balance for a full day’s activities. It also empties the system of wastes from
the previous day, which is why morning elimination is valuable before
starting the new day’s cycle. Having a bowel movement at this time is
something you can gently encourage by drinking a glass of warm water and
then allowing five minutes or so in the bathroom to see if your body wants
to have a bowel movement. If not, don’t worry about it. In time, if they
keep this practice up regularly, most people find that an instinct for morning
elimination will emer ge.
When you brush your teeth, Ayurveda says that you should clean the
white coating from the tongue if one has appeared overnight.  This is the
residue of ama, either from last night’ s meal or from a deeper  imbalance.
Not everyone wakes up with a coated tongue, so this step is optional. As
your diet impro ves and you get into better balance, the coati ng tends to
disappear.
The dinacharya asks you to do many different things in the early
morning. It takes discipline to do all of them. You will be extending your
routine by about an hour, which  is a big change. But the rewa rds are big,
too. When our patients stick to their morning routine in full, they report
exhilarating health, unmatched by those who are careless or haphazard
about it.
Try adding a few new elements to your present schedule and see how
comfortable you feel with them. In order, the most important things to add
are:Early rising (at dawn)
Meditation
Ayurvedic exercises: Sun Salutes, Yoga positions
Oil massage
Meditation has already been discussed, and Ayurvedic exercise s will be
covered later, in a separate section. That leaves the oil massage (abhyanga),
which is one of the most enjoy able parts of the dinacharya as well as a
prime way to balance Vata dosha.
Lightly massaging the entire body with a thin film of oil before you bathe
makes your skin feel warm and supple, a perfect balance for the cold
dryness of Vata. Our Vata-type patients report that they are less prone to feel
anxious or scattered during the day if they do their morning massage
regularly. In fact, everyone would benefit enormously from balancing their
Vata right at the start of the day. The skin contains thousands of cutaneous
nerves that are connected to every part of the body. Science also recognizes
that the skin is a major producer of endocrine hormones.
In scientific terms, your morning massage works by soothing the two
master systems of the body, the nervous system and the endoc rine system.
No wonder that in ancient times Charaka lavished praise on the practice of
abhyanga, holding that it rejuvenates the skin, tones the muscles, eliminates
impurities, and promotes youth fulness. Massaging yourself is also a good
way simply to start off the day relaxed, which Ayurved a considers
extremely important. People who approach the day as a race against time do
not have the best chance at perfect balance.
Here is how abhyanga is done.
HOW  TO DO AN OIL  MASSAGE
(ABHY ANGA)
 Since this is a very light massage, it requires no more than a scant quarter
cup of warm oil. Use a refined  nut or seed oil sold in health-food stores.
You can also order herbalized oils (page 378). Vata types do best with
sesame or almon d oil; Pittas respond to olive or coconut and Kaphas benefit
from light or warm oils such as sunflower or sesame.
To heat the oil: Put three to four tablespoons of oil in a clear plastic cup
or a squeeze bottle and set it in a bowl of very hot water. Wait a minute or
two until the oil reaches skin temperature. Or, you can put the oil in a glass
cup and heat it for ten to fifteen seconds in the microwave, being very
careful not to over heat it.
Technically, it is best to use cured oil that has been subjected to high heat
for only a brief period. You can carefully heat your oil to 212 degrees F,
making sure that you watch it the whole time to prevent a possible fire.
The best place to perform your massage is in the bathroom. As good as it
is for your body, there is no doubt that abhyanga is messy. No matter how
careful you are, some oil will get splashed around. To minimize this, use a
sheet of plastic (from a disposa ble trash bag) to cover the floor while you
do your massage. Or put a small plastic stool in your tub and do your
massage there. The mini-massag e given at the end of this section  is also less
messy.
FULL  BODY  MASSAGE (5–10 MINUTES)
Start with your head: Pour a tablespoon of warm oil on your scalp. Using
the flat of your hand and fingers, massage the oil in vigorously. Cover your
entire scalp with small circular strokes, as if you were shampooing. Move
to your face and ears, massag ing more gently. Gentle massage of the
temples and backs of the ears is especially good for settling Vata dosha.
Apply a little oil to your hands and massage your neck, front and back,
then your shoulders. Use the flat of your palm and fingers.
Vigorously mass age your arms, using a circular motion at the shoulders
and elbows and long, back-and-forth motions on the long parts.It is important not to be too vigorous when you get to your trunk. Using
large, gentle circular motions,  massage the chest, stomach, and lower
abdomen. (Ayurveda traditionally advises moving in a clockwise direction.)
A straight up-and-down motion is used over the breastbone.
Apply a bit of oil to your hand s and reach around without straining to
massage your back and spine—use up-and-down motions, or whatever you
can do.
Vigorously massage your legs as you did your arms— circular at the
ankles and knees, straight back-and-forth on the long parts.
Begin abhyanga with vigor ous scalp massage.With the remaining bit of oil, vigorously massage your feet and toes.
Washing off the oil: Keeping a thin, almost undetecta ble film of oil on the
body is consider ed very beneficial for toning the skin, balancin g Vata, and
keeping the muscles warm during the day. Therefore, you should wash
yourself with warm, not hot, water and mild soap. If you look good with
glossy hair, leave a bit of oil on your scalp, too, but most people will need
to use shampoo.
MINI-MASSAGE (1–2 MINUTES)
Doing a full-body abhyanga sometimes takes too long for everyone’ s
morning schedu le, but it is so beneficial that we


	disease	risks.	Furthermore,	as	mentioned	previously,	the	buildup	of
ketones	can	cause	an	imbalance	that	leads	to	excessive	acid	production,
46
	which
can	bring	about	acidosis	in	your	body	and	quicken	aging.
No	extreme	diet,	especially	one	that	excludes	an	entire	macronutrient,	is	part	ofRadical	Beauty.	While	these	diets	may	be	effective	in	helping	you	lose	weight,	at
least	in	the	short-term,	the	overall	effect	of	eating	steak	is	to	deposit	toxins	from
the	meat	itself—especially	if	it	was	raised	under	current	artificial,	antibiotic-laced,
hormone-enhanced	conditions—as	well	as	acidic	metabolic	by-products	into	your
body.	This	isn’t	the	direction	you	want	your	body,	or	your	diet,	to	go	in.
The	way	you	cook	your	meat	can	make	it	even	more	toxic.	Grilling	and	barbecuing
involve	converting	(burning)	animal	fats	into	worrisome	chemical	residues.	The
amount	of	benzo[a]pyrene,	a
cancer-stimulating	agent,	in	barbecued	meat	has
been	pinpointed	in	studies	to	be	around	4	nanograms	(ng)	per	gram	(g),
47
	while	the
content	of	the	benzo[a]pyrene	of
cigarettes	is	estimated	to	be	between	4	and	30
ng	per	gram.
48
	In	restaurants,	the	average	steak	size	is	8	ounces	(250	g).	This
means	that	eating	a	steak	could	be	the	carcinogenic	equivalent	of
smoking	33	to
250	cigarettes	(depending	on	the	exact	cigarette).
Research	reported	in	the
Proceedings	of	the	National	Academy	of	Sciences
shows	that	advanced	glycation	end	products,	or	AGEs	(what	a	fitting	acronym!),
occur	naturally	in	our	body	in	low	levels	but	are	present	in	high	levels	in	heated
animal	products,	such	as	grilled	or	broiled	meats.
49
	Such	AGEs	can	cause	damage
to	your	brain
50
	and	destroy	your	collagen	and	elastin,	which	is	needed	to	help	keep
your	skin	spongy	and	resilient.	When	your	skin	is	damaged	due	to	AGEs,	it	ages	and
wrinkles	faster.	Think	of	a	Thanksgiving	turkey	after	it’s	been	broiled	for	a	while	in
the	oven.	It’s	withered	to	a	crisp,	which	is	obviously
not
	the	kind	of	skin	you’d	like	to
have.
A	study	in	the	journal
Cell	Metabolism
	found	that	a	person	with	high	animal-
protein	consumption	(over	20	percent	of	calories	coming	from	meat)	is	four	times
more	likely	to	die	from
cancer,	which	is	a	similar	rate	as
cigarette
smoking.
51
	The
same	study	found	that	high	protein	consumption	led	to	an	increased	risk	of
diabetes	and	overall	mortality,	and	that	proteins	derived	from	plant
foods	were
associated	with	lower	mortality	levels	than	animal-derived	proteins.
52
	A
contributing	factor	might	be	the	heterocyclic	amines	(HCAs)	that	are	produced
during	the	cooking	of	meat,	which	might	be	carcinogenic,
53
	as	well	as	the
carcinogenic	compounds	nitrosamines,	which	are	present	in	processed	meats
54
(yes,	you	read	that	right,	carcinogenic	compounds	in	foods	you	might	find	at	your
local	deli	or	market).	Yet	cooking	meat	at	higher	temperatures,	even	if	the	meat	is
organic	or	nonpreserved,	can	still	increase	nitrosamine	formation.
55
You	don’t	have	to	become	a	vegan	if	you	choose	not	to	be	at	this	time	in	order	to
achieve	Radical	Beauty,	but	don’t	overdo	the	red	meat	and	steak	either.	Choose
more	beautifying,	whole-food,	plant-based	meals.	Limit	red	meat	eating	to	only
occasionally—a	few	times	a	month	at	the	very	most—and	choose	organic	meat	on
those	occasions	when	you	do	want	to	eat	it.SHIFT	4:
Feel	a	Connection	to	Your
Food
It’s	easy	for	all	of	us	just	to	stuff	food	into	our	mouths,	enjoy	the	temporary
taste,	and	not	really	think	about	what	goes	on	after	that.	Out	of	sight,	out	of
mind,	right?	But	this	approach	will	not	help	you	reach	your	goal	of	building
your	Radical	Beauty.	In	order	to	do	that,	you	need	to	be	able	to	connect	with
what	you	are	eating	and	become	conscious	of	how	what	you	are	eating	makes
you	feel,	both	in	the	short-	and	long-term.
A	good	place	to	start	is	by
connecting	visually	to	what	is	taking	place	when
you	eat,	beyond	what	you	can	see	with	your	eyes.	In	other	words,	try	visualizing
what	you	know	is	taking	place	without	literally	seeing	it	and	connecting	that	to
the	experience	in	your	body,	which	you	cannot	help	but	feel.	Try	this	now.
Think	of	your	last	food	binge—maybe	on	a	“cheat”	day,	while	on	vacation,	or
when	out	with	your	friends.	It	can	be	any	time	you	decided	to	just	let	loose	and
eat	that	pizza	or	ice	cream	or	french	fries	followed	by	a	cupcake	or	donut.
Maybe	it	was	on	that	hungover	Sunday	when	you	dug	into	the	third	serving	of
macaroni	and	cheese	that	you	knew	you	really	shouldn’t	have	but	were	craving
so	badly	(and	you	felt	so	crappy	you	didn’t	put	up	much	of	a	defense).	Imagine
how	the	particular	foods	you	indulged	in	tasted,	felt,	and	looked.
Now	try	taking	the
visualization	internally,	imagining	what	is	going	on	in
your	stomach	after	you	binged.	Picture	your	stomach	expanding	outward,
trying	to	contend	with	the	heavy	digestive	load	you	just	burdened	it	with.
Imagine	a	churning	volcano.	Now	create	the	image	of	congestive	toxicity	and
envision	it	building	up	on	the	insides	of	your	gut.
Next,	visualize	inflammation	striking	your	cells,	causing	friction	and
disharmonious	aggravation.	Think	about	diminished	circulation	throughout
your	body,	the	growth	of	the	toxins,	nutrients	passing	through	but	not	being
absorbed,	your	cells	suffering,	and	ultimately	your	skin	getting	duller	and
wrinkling	like	a	raisin.	Sit	with	that	for	a	moment,	and	internalize	these	images
and	imagined
feeling	of	your	digestive	distress.	Compare	these	feelings	to	the
physical	sensations	you’ve	felt	in	your	body	when	indulging	in	a	binge.The	purpose	of	this	exercise	is	not	to	make	you	feel	horrible	or	to	picture
disturbing	images	for	no	reason.	It	is	to	help	foster	a	deeper	mindfulness	of	just
how	much	the	food	you	are	eating	impacts	your	body,	your	energy,	and	your
beauty.
Now	visualize	eating	something	healthy.	Imagine	eating	a	delicious	all-
vegetable	ginger-squash	soup,	for	example.	The	food	feels	warming	as	it	goes	in,
and	it	feels	grounding	and	filling	in	your	stomach,	but	you	don’t	feel	overly
stuffed.	Think	of	this	food	going	into	your	gut	and	various	nutrients	flowing
into	your	bloodstream	and	circulating	all	around	your	body	in	a	clear


 the hygienic condition of the Bostonese, the ordinance was characterized by slack enforcement and was final ly
repealed, but not until 1862. The good doctors of that generation averred that bathing, especially in winter, led to phthisis,
rheumatic fevers, inflammation of the lungs, and to the whole category of zymotic disease. In the public prints bathing was
inveighed against as subversive of democratic simplicity and of pioneer hardihood. And even today the medical profession is c hary
of advice regarding the hot cleansing bath, as, they say, it is weakening in its effects.

It is said that the first bathtub to be built and used in the Republic was that of one Adam Thompson, a citizen of Cincinnati, who
installed his lead -lined, mahogany -covered receptacle in the year 1842. Water was supplied from the kitchen stove by way of the
tea-kettle. His temerity appeared as a gross misdemeanor in the eyes of the press, the public, the medical profession, and the
legislatures of those days. Later, i n 1851, President Fillmore braved public opinion and placed the first bathtub in the White House.

There is no doubt that today in the mechanical conveniences connected with the bath, America surpasses the bathing arrangemen ts
of other ages and other race s, but socially and sanitarily we have yet some distance to go before reaching the bathing standards and
facilities of ancient Persia, of Rome, and of present -day Japan. The ages -old warm bath habit of the Japanese causes them to look
with the scorn of the  elect upon those who are so uncivilized as to omit a daily hot cleansing bath. Yet it is this habit that is one of
the great factors in that over -crowded land that makes for the remarkable health and vigor of the Japanese as a race.

The skin is the natu ral clothing of the body. Its protection to the parts beneath is aided by sub -cutaneous deposits of fat, a non -
conductor of heat, distributed more or less uniformly over the body. When heated, evaporation of perspiration cools; when chi lled,
closed pores r etain the.body warmth. Like the lungs the skin permits of blood oxygenation through the walls of the capillaries,
those small veins that ramify its substance, and, as has been stated, it is an organ of elimination as well. In the conservat ion of
body heat,  the skin is thermostat of the organism. It regulates temperature, and acts as a governor of internal function. If its work
be interfered with by the interposition of substances between it and outer air, evaporation from its surface cannot take plac e freel y,
and elimination of the products of the pores is impeded if not arrested. In the latter case temperature is heightened artific ially and
abnormally, for prevention of skin activity causes retention of heat developed internally, and health suffers.

Page 43 of  72 A str iking exemplification of the close sympathy noted as existing between the functions of the skin and those of the other
eliminative organs is given in cases of cutaneous burns where large areas are affected. Respiration is increased to exhaustio n, and
kidne y discharges are heavily laden with waste that in the ordinary instance is eliminated through the pores. If an extreme
proportion of skin area is seared, virtual suffocation ensues. Fatal results accompanied with symptoms similar to those in
asphyxiation a lso follow when the body is covered with a substance, such as gold -leaf, that is impervious to air.

In this connection it is not generally known that burns or scalds upon the skin may be sucessfully treated by submergence of the
part affected in water. T he exquisite pain of such injury is at once relieved by this procedure, and continuing the latter for hours or
even days permits natural healing processes to act with despatch and surety. If the skin area seared is extensive, placing th e
sufferer in a full  bath and keeping him there for the time necessary will often serve to save life. The water in the tub should be at
constant temperature and must be frequently changed, while water in quantity should be given the patient to drink.

The customs entailed by  civilization are responsible for a number of physiological evils. While modesty is, in its origin,
independent of clothing, for nakedness of body by no means involves the absence of this quality, nevertheless in civilized
communities the world over modest y compels body concealment, and, because of conventional covering, the skin has for ages
been permitted but partial function. Since clothing is deemed essential to decency, in order to reduce its effects upon the s kin to a
minimum, it should be fashioned o f material as light and as pervious to air as is possible, while the skin itself should be cleansed
and cared for with constancy and diligence.

Because of clothing the two great mediums through which energy is delivered to the human organism, pure air an d sunshine, are in
large part denied contact with its outer covering Clothing prevents full elimination of perspiration and its products, the la tter
remaining to clog the pores. This condition may be relieved to a degree by daily exposing the naked body to  the air and to the light
of the sun, and air -baths and sunbaths will be found valuable agents in compelling the skin to functional activity. During a fast,
weather permitting, these baths should be taken with the subject upon the ground in open air.

In health a cold bath should never be undertaken immediately after a meal, but, with regard to a hot bath this caution is
unnecessary. When the menstrual flow in woman is in progress, medical dicta to the contrary, a hot body bath and vaginal douc he
are daily  essential for cleanliness and for relief and ease in function. The relaxing effect of a hot tub bath, together with resulting
equalization of circulation, alleviates congestion and pain, if present, and in conjunction with other natural agencies cited  herein,
leads ultimately to permanent relief.

During a fast or while on restricted diet, the patient frequently experiences a sensation of chilliness with or without chang e in pulse
and temperature. The source of this phenomenon, "fasters' chilliness," lies  in nervous reaction following the absence of food
stimulation, and, at times, in the absorption of liquid waste from the intestines. The enema will correct the latter conditio n, and a
therapeutic bath taken as soon as the sensation of chill occurs will se rve at once to equalize the circulation and to restore
temperature and pulse to normal, if the latter are in any degree deranged. Baths for this purpose may and should be repeated as
often as needful, if proper precaution is observed. In cases of greatly l owered vitality, when temperature is habitually below
register, hot therapeutic baths should frequently be given, three or four daily usually proving not too many. Cold therapeuti c baths
for assistance in reducing fever should be more cautiously used. In a ny contingency, the therapeutic bath, hot or cold, should be
administered only under competent direction.

SLEEP. --Sleep has its analogue in death; and it is an accepted scientific truth that the continuance of life in any living thing
depends upon death.  Through life to death; through death to life again. One manner of expressing this truth regards merely the
outward fact, as when we say that animal tissue is renewed through decay; another regards the action and reaction proper to l ife
itself, whereby it forever springs freshly from its source. And because of this inter -relation, this inter -dependency, between the two
states of life and death, we.apply to all manifest existence the term, Nature, which in derivation means "forever being born. "

In the regu larly recurring periods of unconsciousness, in the hours we spend in sleep, we find exemplification of the relation that
exists between our working, active moments, and those that are devoted to the renewal of our physical and mental equipment. I t is
durin g sleep that the human instrument of thought and of motive government, the brain, obtains its repose; it is then that the cel ls
of the human battery are recharged, that the working principle receives its potential for transformation during conscious int ervals.
It is then, too, that the greater portion of tissue impaired by wear in bodily activity is rebuilt and prepared for use in fu rther
exertion when consciousness recurs. Sleep is both a physiological and psychological necessity, and literal death will fo llow within
short time if it be denied.

In the fast inability to sleep sometimes occurs, due in instances to lessened wear upon body tissue because of diminished cal l on
muscles and organs, since muscular labor is more or less curtailed during abstinence  from food, and digestion is entirely in
abeyance. It may also happen that in the earlier stages of abstinence waste is excreted in amount incapable of being promptly  and
fully evacuated, and slight brain congestion with accompanying wakefulness results. T he hot bath and the enema here again find
their mission, and their use before retiring will go far towards remedying any tendency to insomnia.

Page 44 of  72 But no natural process may be compelled if conditions be such that its function in the organism is not at the m oment essential.
Demand dependent upon necessity governs every natural desire. Upon it wait hunger, thirst, and sleep; without it, these


 started back up, I was much
further behind them than I used to be. There was also
another majo r change: I was now experiencing a
constant flow of energy risin g up within me to the point
between my eyebrows. It formed a vortex of pressure
that forced my attention to t hat point. For example, if I
was looking at something, it felt like I was concentrating
my gaze  throu gh my brow ra ther than through my eyes.
This didn’t affect my ability to see; it just kept me closer
to th e meditative state at all t imes. Note that focusing on
the energy flow was not som ething I was doing; it was
something that was happening by itself. I was just aware
that the  flow had never been there before, and now it was
always there.
The pull of my attention to the point between my
eyebrows became both my teacher and my friend. Whenmy mental voice had something to say, I now had a
choice—pay attention to the voice or keep focusing on
the inn er flow of energy. I eventually realized that if I
didn’t w ant to listen to the m ental chatter, all I had to do
was slightly increase my concentration on the energy
flow to my bro w. The thoughts would then pass right by
without disturbing me. Letting the thoughts go became a
game to me. A ll of life was a lighter experience than
before. My personal melodrama would still come up, but
it co uld not pu ll me down in to it. I had been gifted with
this inner flow of energy to help me work my way out of
myself. More important, I now knew what it would be
like to get awa y from my personal self. My intention was
firm and resolute—no matter  what it took, or how long it
took—I was going to find my way back beyond.
It didn’t take long, however, before outer changes
began in my l ife that rivaled the inner changes I was
going th rough. It started with Shelly. One day she told
me that  it was time to move on. That really threw me for
a loop. Though  we had only been married a year and a
half, th e found ation of my p ersonal life had been built
around her for years. I tried in vain to hold on to her, but
at s ome point I saw somethi ng I had never been able to
see before: the sheer strength of my personality and
intellect had not given her the room she needed to
breathe. If I tr uly loved her, I had to let her go. Right at
that tim e, I had a friend who needed someone to house-
sit whil e he was away. I moved into that house and began
the process of nursing a broken heart.
The sud den change in my outer life had a profound
effect on my in ner work. I was already totally committed
to my regular meditations. Exploring the inner state of
deep peace had become the purpose of my life. Now I
had another very powerful source of inspiration: I was
watching a human being in almost unbearable pain. My
heart ex uded pain all the time, and my mind was literally
broken. It was as though the foundation of my self-concept had been removed, a nd my personal self was in
free fall. I didn ’t know how to put it together again, nor
did I even want to.
If I concentrated very deeply during meditation, all the
turmoil melted away. There was silence and peace. The
silence was not as thick as it had been before, but it
provided me a place of repos e. When I came back from
meditation, tur moil and pain was what I returned to. So
my dail y experience was now either heaven or hell. There
was nothing in between anymore. My “normal” way of
being was gone. In one fell sw oop, who I had been—was
no more.
More and more I chose med itation. It was not just a
way of escaping the pain; meditation gave meaning to my
life. I was committed to going beyond—permanently—
and the  change s in my life were helping me get rid of an
entire part of my being that was holding me back. The
personality exp ressing itself through that mental voice
was no longer so sure of him self. In fact, he no longer
knew which way was up. These outer changes had
humbled him. He had thought he had it all figured out—
well, he  was wrong. It was definitely easier to let go of
him when he was in pieces.
During that stage of my growth, I watched very closely
as the self-concept attempted to redefine itself. In place
of a married man with a defined career path, my
thoughts started to envision myself as a meditator who
was see king a deeper truth. But even in those early days I
didn’t want to regain strength based on another mental
concept of myself. Wheneve r I noticed thoughts being
stitched together to create a new “me,” I knocked the
chair out from under them. It  was very painful, but I was
willing to let it all go if it freed me to explore beyond.
My friend came back to his house, so I moved out. I
didn’t care where I lived; I just needed to be alone. My
life was pretty simple. I was meditating, doing some
yoga, and periodically I wo uld go to class. I had nopossessions ex cept my schoolbooks, some clothes, and
my VW van. I used to take lo ng drives in the countryside
surrounding Gainesville. I had once found a beautiful
spot in the wo ods near a neighboring town where there
was a small, ab andoned lime  pit. The pit was filled with
crystal-clear, b lue water and was surrounded by nothing
but a vast area of scrub oaks and pines. I drove out there,
and that is where I lived.
I w as becoming more and more of a hermit. It was not
so m uch that I was running away from something—I was
running into myself. My inte ntion was very clear at all
times: I wanted to go bac k deep inside myself. My
problem was that I had no  idea what to do with my
personal self—a.k.a. “Mickey.” His very existence was
holding me back from where I yearned to go. If I didn’t
work at it, the focus of my attention would keep getting
drawn into his personal melodrama. That was clearly the
opposite direction from where I wanted to go. “Mickey”
was down and out; I  wanted to go in and up. In those
days I was cert ain of one thing: he was the problem, and
he had to go. I had become dead serious about getting rid
of him. But I had no idea how.6.
S o u t h  o f  t h e  B o r d e r
T he sum mer of 1971 was approaching, and I would soon
be free from classes. I was in my second year of graduate
school, and though my attendance had not been that
regular, I still managed to maintain my high grades. I
was stu dying just enough to do really well on my final
exams and written papers. There was no question about
what I was going to do with my summer—more
meditation and yoga. The only question was, where
would I do it?
That w as probably the first time in my life that I
consciously began to notice a distinct, recurring theme in
the events unfolding outside of me. It began when, out of
the blue, a classmate asked me if I had ever been down to
Mexico. He said it was an interesting place to spend
some time. Shortly thereafte r, I was in a bookstore and
practically tripped over a book about touring Mexico that
someone had left on the floor. This started me thinking
that ma ybe I should get aw ay for a while, and maybe
Mexico would be a good idea.  The final straw was when I
went to  a gas station to fill up, and someone had left a
map of  Mexico on top of the pump I was using. Those
were enough signs for me. I decided to go off to Mexico.
I d idn’t  know where I was g oing—Mexico is a pretty
big plac e. But in my state of mind, it really made no
difference. I would just go an d let it unfold. My friends
and family were not all that e xcited about me going off to
Mexico alone with no agend a. I got a lot of warnings
about b anditos and cautions about avoiding strangers. I
spoke some classroom Spanish, just enough to get introuble. With little more th an that, I headed off to
Mexico.
My trip  took me along the Gulf Coast states and down
through Texas. While driving, I would focus on my
breath and utter Mu  in my belly. The last thing in the
world I wanted to do was listen to that voice in my head
chatter all day. Each night I  would find a place to pull
over in  the woods, meditate, and go to sleep. At that
pace