 by lower ener gy fields
field which is calibrated for an individual
attractors), account for 72% of society's
Drug and alcohol addiction is a crucial
of anxiety, fear, anger, resentment, etc.at birth only increases, on the average, by
problems. social concern which feeds parallel Rarely does the average person get to
about five points. That an individual's
Nonetheless, it is possible for isolated
problems of crime, poverty and welfare. experience, for instance, love without
level of consciousness is already in ef fect
individuals to make sudden positive
Addiction has proved an intractable
fear, or pure joy, much less ecstasy. But
at birth is a sobering idea with profound
jumps, even of hundreds of points. If one
social and clinical problem, thus far not
these higher states are so powerful that
implications. Consciousness itself, in its
can truly escape the egocentric
understood beyond the most basic once experienced, they are never
expression as human civilization, evolves
entrainment of sub-200 attractor fields,
description. By the term "addiction" we
for gotten and are sought ever after.slowly indeed, through innumerable consciously choosing a friendly,
earnest, mean clinical addiction in the (84)
It is to this experience of higher states
generations. kind and for giving approach to life, and
classical sense of continued dependence
that people become addicted.1 A good
39
40
illustration is presented in the classic
them when they experience them,
balance of nature dictates that to between "haves" and multitudes of
movie, Lost Horizon. Shangri-La (the
because they identify with their lower
artificially acquire that state without
"have-nots." What working classes envy
movie's metaphor for unconditional love
ego states, with their own lowest
having earned it creates a debt, and the
in the lives of upper classes is,
and beauty) calibrates as a concept at
common denominator. A negative self-
negative imbalance results in negativeappropriately, their pleasures, from the
600. Once experienced, it reprograms the
image blots out the joyous brilliance that
consequences. The cost of such stolen
pleasures of the exercise of power in its
experiencer so that he is never (85) content
is the true essence of their identities,
pleasure is the desperation of addiction,
varied forms to the beautiful trophies of
with ordinary consciousness again. The
which therefore goes unrecognized. That
and finally both the addict and society
self-indulgence. The realization that the
hero of the movie discovers this fact
this joyous, peaceful, fulfilling state is
pay the price. pleasures denied oneself are being
when he is unable to find happiness again
really one's own essence has been a basic
Ours is a society which idealizes the
enjoyed by others begets the outrage of
in the ordinary world after returning fromtenet of every great spiritual teacher (e.g.,
pleasureless-hard work, stoicism, self
revolution or, sublimated, the repression
Shangri-La. He then gives up everything
"the kingdom of God is within you").2
sacrifice, restraint, etc.--and condemns
of restrictive laws against the pleasures
in order to seek out and return to that
A "high" is any state of consciousness
pleasure in most of its simpler forms,
of one's peers. state of consciousness, spending years in
above one's customary level of
frequently even declaring these illegal. The moral code thus functions as a
a struggle, which almost costs him his
awareness. Therefore, to a person who
(Politicians, whether secular or rationalized exploitation of the life life,
to find Shangri-La again. lives in (86) Fear, moving up to Courage is
ecclesiastic, understand this phenomenon
ener gy of the masses through a calculatedThis same reprogramming process occurs
a high. T o people who live in hopeless
well. Part of the standard repertoire of
distortion of values. The illusion
in people who have reached high states
Apathy, Anger is a high (for instance,
local politicians to gain headlines today
prof fered is that the more hellish one's
of consciousness by other means, such as
rioters in third-world ghettos). Fear feels
is the public announcement of intent to
life, the more heavenly will be one's
the experience of Samadhi through at least better than Despair, and Pride
prohibit Playboy Magazine in the reward. This distorted coupling of
meditation, or near death experiences. feels far better than Fear. Acceptance is
prisons, for instance, or deny the inmates
pleasure with suf fering has produced a
Such individuals are frequently observed
much more comfortable than Courage;
tobacco or TV. )3 In our society, morally perverse social milieu, in which
to have changed forever. It is not
Love makes any lower state seemunfulfilled promise and enticement are
pain becomes associated with pleasure. uncommon for them to leave all that the
comparatively unattractive, While joy
legiti- (87) mized, but satisfaction is
In this atmosphere the insane alternation
material world represents and become
surpasses all lesser human emotions,
denied. Commercialized sexual allure,
of suf fering and euphoria that typifies
seekers after truth. Many who had
ecstasy is a rarely-felt emotion in a class
for instance, is used to sell products
addiction becomes at least provisionally
transcendental experiences with LSD in
by itself. The most sublime experience of
endlessly, but the enjoyment of actual
tenable, in a deadly antisocial game of
the 1960s did the same thing. Such
all is the state of infinite Peace so
commercial sex is forbidden as immoral. winning and losing the forbidden high.higher states are also attained through the
exquisite that it belies all attempts at
Historically, alt ruling classes have From the same life-view arises
society's experiences of love or religion, classical
description. achieved status and wealth by controlling
current method of "treating the problem"
music or art, or through the practice of
The higher the attainment of each of
society through some form of puritanical
by playing the other half of the game:
spiritual disciplines. these states, the greater is its power to
ethic. The harder underlings work and
(88) denying the substance of abuse. By
The high state which people seek, by
reprogram the subject's entire life. Just
the more meager their pleasures, the
doing so, we have cr eated a
whatever means, is in fact the experience
one instant in a very high state can
richer will be the ruling system, whethermarketplace that is so highly lucrative
field of their own consciousness (Self). If
completely change a person's orientation
that be a theocracy, aristocracy, oligarchy
and easily enter ed that a whole
they are spiritually unsophisticated and
in life, his goals and values. It can be said
or corporate industrial barony. Such
criminal industry flourishes as a
lack a context with which to comprehend
that the individual who was, is no more,
power is built upon the forfeited pleasure
r esult, corrupting life on multiple
the experience, they believe it is created
and a new person is born out of the
of workers. Experientially, as we have
levels. The arrest of a drug kingpin, for
from something "out there" (i.e., a guru,
experience. Through hard-won progress
seen, pleasure is merely high ener gy. instance, has no ef fect at all on the drug
the music, the drug, the lover, etc.). Allon a dedicated spiritual path, this is the
The ener gies of the masses have been co-
problem; before he is even jailed he will
that has actually happened is that, under
very mechanism of spiritual evolution. opted over the centuries to produce for
have been replaced by a new incarnation. special circumstances, they have The permanent high-state experience
that the overclasses the very wealth of
In the recent demise of the South
experienced what is, in r eality, "in
may be legitimately attained only
pleasures denied the underclasses. American drug lord Escobar, he was
her e." The majority of people are so
through a lifetime of dedicated inner
In truth, the pleasure of the life ener gy is
instantly replaced by three new kingpins,
divorced from their own states of pure
work can, however, be reached
mankind's basic capital; robbing man of
so the hydra now had three heads insteadconsciousness that they do not recognize
temporarily by artificial means. But the
this has resulted in the wide division
of one. 41
42
illustration is presented in the classic
them when they experience them,
balance of nature dictates that to between "haves" and multitudes of
movie, Lost Horizon. Shangri-La (the
because they identify with their lower
artificially acquire that state without
"have-nots." What working classes envy
movie's metaphor for unconditional love
ego states, with their own lowest
having earned it creates a debt, and the
in the lives of upper classes is,
and beauty) calibrates as a concept at
common denominator. A negative self-
negative imbalance results in negative
appropriately, their pleasures


 without a clear-cut solution to a single disease
problem. Accordingly, all treatments are palliative and none seems to be curative (except for bacterial infections and
the use of antibiotics). Hype rtension is not generally cured; it is treated during the lifetime of a person. Asthma is not
cured; inhalers are the constant companion of the afflicted. Peptic ulcer is not cured; antacids have to be nearby all
the time. Allergy is not cured; the victim is always dependent on medication. Arthritis is not cured, it eventually
cripples, and so on. Based on this preliminary assumption of the role of water, it has become a practice to regard the "dry mouth" as a
sign and sensation of body water needs, which is further assumed to be well-regulated if the sensation of "dry
mouth" is not present, possib ly because the substance water is abundant and free. This is an absur dly erroneo us
and confusion-generating view in medicine and entirely responsible for the lack of success in  finding perman ent
preventive solutions to disease emergence in the body, despite so much costly research. I have already published an account of my clin ical observations when I treated more than 3000 peptic ulcer
sufferers with water alone. I discovered for the first time in medicine that this "classical  disease" of the body
responds to water by itself. Clinically, it became obvious that this condition resembled a thirst "disease." Under the
same environmental and clinical settings, other "disease" conditions seemed to respond to water by itself. Extensive
research has proven my clinical observations that the body has a variety of most sophistica ted thirst signals—
integrated signal systems during regulation of the available water at times of dehydration. The com bination of my clinical and literature research has sh own that the paradigm that has until now g overned all
human applied research must be changed if we wish to conquer "disease." It has become clear that the practice of
clinical medicine is based on a false assumpti on and an inaccurate premise. Otherwise, how could a signal system
for water metabolism disturbance be missed or so blatantly ignored for such  a long time? At the moment, the "dry
mouth" is the only accepted sign of dehydration of the body. As I  have explained, this sig nal is the last outward sign
of extreme dehydratio n. The damage occurs at a level of persistent dehydration that does not necessarilydemonstrate a "dry mouth" signal. Earlier researchers sh ould have realized that, to facilitate the act of chewing and
swallowing food, saliva is produced even if the rest of the body is comparatively dehydrated. Naturally, ch ronic dehydration of the body means persistent water shortage that has become established for some
time. Like any other deficiency disorder such as vitamin C deficie ncy in scur vy, vitamin B deficie ncy in beri-beri, iron
deficiency in anemia, vitamin D deficiency in rickets, or you name it, the most efficient method of treatment of the
associated disorders is by supplementation of the missing ingredient. Accordingly, if we begin to recognize the
health complications of chronic dehydration, their prevention, and even early cure, becomes simple. Although my sc ientific views in medicine were peer reviewed, before I presented my paradigm change information
as a guest lecturer at an international cancer conference in 1987, Dr. Barry Kendler's letter on page 12 (printed by
his kind permission) further confirms the validity of my scientific views on chronic dehydration as a disease
producer. As you will see, he has even studied some of the important references that I have referred to to explain
that chronic dehydration is the root cause of most major degenerative diseases o f the human body; the diseases
whose cause was not clear until now. Refer ring to any medical text-book, you will see over a thousand pages of
verbiage, but when it comes to giving the reasons for the major diseases o f the human body, the statement in all
cases is uniform and very brief: "Etiology unknown! "THE NEW PARA DIGM
"A new scientific truth is not usually presented in a way to convince its opponents. Ra ther, they die off, and a rising
generation is familiarized with the truth from th e start." Max Planck
The new scientific truth and level of thinking abou t the human bod y that will empower p eople to become
practitioners of preventive medicine for themselves is as follows: It is the solvent— the water content—that
regulates all functions of the body, including the activity of all the solutes (the solids) that are dissolved in it. The
disturbances in water metabolism of the body (the solvent metabolism) produces a variety of sig nals, indicating a
"system" disturbance in the particular functions associated with the water supply and its rationed regulation. Let me repeat: every function of the body is m onitored and pegged to the efficient flow of water. 'Water distribution"
is the only way of making sure that not only an adequate amount of water, but its transported elements (hormones,
chemical messengers and nutrients) first reach the more vital organs. In turn, every organ that produces a
substance to be made available to the rest of the body will only monitor its own rate and standards of production and
release into the "flowing water," according to constantly changing quotas se t by th e brain. Once the water itself
reaches the "drier" areas, it also exercises its many other most vital and missing physical and chemical regulatory
actions. Within this view, water intake and its priority distribution achieve paramount importance. The regulating
neurotransmitter systems (histamine and its su bordinate agents) become increasingly active during the regulation of
water requirements of the body. Their action should not be continuously blocked by the use of medication. Their
purpose should be understood and satisfied by drinking more water. I have made exactly the same statements to a
body of scientists that had gathered from all over the world in Monte Carlo in 1989 for a conference on the topic of
inflammation, analgesics, and immune modulators. The new paradigm permits an incorporation of the "fourth dimen sion of time" into scientific research. It will facilitate
an understanding of the damaging effect of an establishing dehydration that persists a nd continues to increase
during any duration of time. It will make it possible to forecast the physiological events that will lead to disease
states at som e later years, including wha t at present appears as genetic disorders. It will transform the present
"shot-in-the-dark, symptoms-treating" approach to the practice of medicine into a scientifically accur ate medical art;
it will make preventive forecasting possib le. It will establish excellent health and reduce health care costs t o
individuals and to any society that foste rs its sp read. Since water shortage in different areas of the body will manifest varying symptoms, signals, and com plications now
labeled as diseases, people may think water could not be offered as a natural solution. Water cures so many
diseases? No way! Speaking thus, they shut their minds to the new possib ility of preventing and possibly even curing so many different
"diseases" that are dehydration produced. It does not occur to them that the only remedy for conditions that come
about whe n the body begins to get dehydrated is water and nothing else. A number of sample testimonials are
published in different sections of this book to open the eyes of skeptics to the fact that the greatest health discovery
of all times is that wat er is a natural medication for a variety of health conditions. Water Regulation at Different Stages of Life
There are basically three stages to water regulation of the body in the different phases of life. One, the stage of life
of a fetus in the uterus of the mother (left of B in Figure 1). Two, the phase of growth  until full height and width is
achieved (approximately betwee n the ages of 18 to 25). Three, the phase of life from fully grown to the demise of
the person. During the intrauterine stage of cell expansion, wat er for cell growth of the child has to be provided by
the mother. Howev er, the transmitter system for water intake seems to be produced by th e fetal tissue, but registers
its effect on the mother. The very first indicator for water needs of the fetus and the mother seems to be morning
sickn ess during'the early phase of pregnancy. Morni ng sickness of the mother is a th irst sig nal of both the f etus
and the mother.IT SHOUL D BE THOROUGHL Y UNDERSTOOD
It is now becoming obvious that because of a gradually failing thirst sensation, our body becomes chronically and
increasingly dehydrated, from an early adult age. With increase in age, the water content of the cells of the body
decreases, to the point that the ratio of the volume of body water that is inside the cells to that which is outside the
cells changes from a figure of 1.1 and becomes almost 0.8 (see Figure 2). This is a very drastic ch ange. Since the
"water" we drink provides for cell function and its volume requirements, the decrease in our daily water intake
affects t he efficiency of cell activity. It is the reason for the loss of water volume held inside the cells of the body. As
a result, chronic dehydration causes symptoms that equal disease when the variety of emergency signals of
dehydration are not understood—as they are until now not understood. You  see, these urgent


less caresses, while others prefer a teasing, repeated stop
and-go approach. As all these genital organs are made of tender, sensitive tissue,
genital caressing is best begun with slow, light touches; it may
then progress to more active, speedier, heavier caresses. Such a
gradual buildup prepares the participants not only emotionally
but also physically; among other things, it promotes genital lubri
cation, without which any heavy, passionate caress would be un
comfortable, even painful. Different techniques of caressing suit
different zones of the pubic area. Light strokes and soft kisses are
most arousing to the insides of the thighs and groin. The cinnabar
field and a woman's mons veneris respond favorably to the mas
saging palm. The fleshy derriere can v..'ithstand much heavier ca
resses, such as kneading, squeezing, and light smacking. Stroking
the buttocks with an occasional side excursion to the perineum is
.. qutte arousing. Oral-genital play ranges from lightly kissing a lover's genitals
to using the mouth and tongue as sexual organs in simulated cop
ulation. Some people find this thrilling, while others are repelled
by it. According to recent polls conducted by Redbook and other
magazines, a large majority of Americans in higher education and
income groups experiment with or regularly practice cunnilin
gus, fellatio, and such play. One of the most erotically sensitive zones, and often one of
the most neglected, is the perineum, the site of a cluster of sexual
nerve endings. It corresponds to the hui-yin acupoint, which stim
ulates male erection as well as female desire. Caressing the per
ineum lightly with the fingers or the tip of the tongue is very
stimulating. Many think of the anus as solely an excretory organ. Actually,
it is connected with sexual nerves, some of which are highly
aroused when the anus-washed very clean-is caressed. The French usc the tenn postillon aJ!t' to describe pressing and poking it
with a finger, andfeuillede rose (rose leaf) to describe licking it and
probing into it with the tip of the tongue. Anal caressing is a nut
ter of personal preference. GENITAL SECRETIONS
The caressing and the kissing of the genitals inevitably involve
genital secretions, nature's ingenious preparation for coitus. By lu
bricating the sexual organs, these secretions facilitate intercourse. As a pheron1one, they also act as a sexual attractant, arousing part
ners greatly. The ancient Taoists consider ed ample lubrication of
paramount importance for pleasurable sex. So do modern sexolo
gists, who suggest substitutes such as saliva or artificial lubricants
in case of emergency. As with food, natural ingredients are always
the best. From a scientific point of view, genital secretions are similar
to saliva. The gen itals, if carefully cleaned, have a lower bacterial
count than the mouth. Genital secretion from an aroused male comes as a clear, slip
pery liquid oozing fr om the mouth of the penis. It originates in
two pea-size glands just beneath the prostate, and several smaller
ones in the urethra. This secretion is not semen, although if the
man becomes highly aroused it may contain a small amount. In
the woman, a similar liquid is emitted from four vestibular glands
around the vagina opening. Under sexual excitement, the wall
of the vagina also "sweats" out a liquid, which at times can be
COpiOUS. The semen ejaculated during male orgasm comes from the
testicles and the prostate. This sticky, milky fluid becomes more
liquid soon after exposure to air. As mentioned earlier, sexolo
gists report that some women ejaculate a fluid when they have a
deep uterine orgasm. This transparent liquid serves no biological
function and is believed by some sexologists to enhance sexual
pleasure. Warning: Unless a couple has had a strictly monogamous rela
tionship for years, and each partner knows of the other's sexual
history, and has tested negative for HIV, it is not safe to indulge in
any love-play or coitus that involves the exchange of bodily fluids. Tilt· Alcllt'my �fD£•sirc
197 ANCIENT SECR ETS FOR MODERN LOVE RS
CARESSING THE MooN GROTTO
Kissing and caressing by her lover normally arc sufficient to
arouse a woman so that her moon grotto is lubricated and her
clitoris is erect. Her partner can easily ascertain this by occasional
quick forays to the vaginal area when he is fondling her thighs and
buttocks. The clitoris is very sensitive to touch. Its shaft rather
than its sensitive tip should be caressed; in some women the tip
can stand only the lightest touch, and a heavy caress could be un
comfortable. Next are the labia minora, or inner lips, of the vulva. By alternately caressing the clitoris and the vulva, fust lightly,
then moderately, a man may intensify his partner's pleasure
rapidly. By stroking along the labia minora and then around
the rin1 of the vagina opening with his middle and index fin
gers, he can induce more lubrication to flow. If he scoops up these
secretions with his fingers, he can rub the shaft of the clitoris
with them. If the woman spreads her thighs wide, the classics
indicate, she is responding favorably to the manual love-play. When her partner gets this signal, his fingers can probe deeper
into her moon grotto. He can intensify her sensations by using
one or two fingers to go deep, touch her flower heart, and stroke
it lightly. If the love-play is aimed at the woman's orgasn1, the man
can bring her to climax by stimulating her clitoris. Son1e won1en
arc capable of multiple orgasn1s through clitoral stitnulation. A few passionate women can go fron1 orgasn1 to orgastn for a
considerable tin1e. The nun can bring her to a n1uch ntore in
tense uterine orgasnt by caressing her G spot; tnany won1en,
however, appreciate a deep orgasn1 better during coitus, if the
nun knows the right positions and dynatnics. He can find the
G spot by inserting his ntiddk and index tingers about two inches
inside the opening of the grotto. With his fingL'r pads facing
the front wall of the grotto canal, he tnassagcs exploringly. He
can tell fron1 the wornan's rl\Ktion \vhether he has found the
bean-size spot, which tnay prot rude slightly upon stintulation. l)nce thl·re, he can press the spot lightly and rhythntically. By
pushing down on her n1ons veneris with the paint of the other
hand at thl' sante tinH.'. the nun can increase the pressure on the
(;spot. CARESSING THE jADE STALK
Caressing the tnalc genitals can be tricky. depl'nding on whether
the man is to ljaculate or not. If he is not, eithl'r he should be con
versant with the techniques of orgasn1ic brinknunship. or there
should be prior agreen1cnt on what signals he should give the
wotnan to stop as soon as he senses the approach of his crisis. An
experienced wontan can sensl' when the n1an is ncar the brink
even without his signaling. and beat a hasty retreat. But since a
tnan's power to hold back n1ay vary fron1 tirnc to time, it is always
safer to prearrange son1e signals. Fondling the jade stalk is best done by first lightly stroking
the perineun 1 with the fingertips. The woman's fingers then move
softly to the back, bottom, and front of the scrotum with half
tickling, half-soothing caresses. As the scrotum is the most vul
nerable part of the man's body, the woman should stroke and
tickle the testicles delicately. Pinching, squeezing, or nipping them
is not love-play; it may cause excru ciating pain, injury, or dis
ability. After fondling the man's testicles, the woman's fingers
move to his erect stalk. By gripping firmly near the tip with her
palms and fingers, and moving her grasp toward the base, she
makes its skin more taut. This exposes and tightens the engorged
glans, or crown, which she can stimulate with the fingertips of
the other hand, with short, light to-and-f ro friction. The under
side of an erect stalk is more sensitive than the upper side, and the
glans and the ridge around its base are even more sensitive. The
most sensitive part of the male stalk is the triangular knot-shaped
frenulum at the underside of the ridge. If there has been lubrication of the glans, the woman can smear
the secretion with a fingertip in a rotary motion


 It	does	nothing	to	help	you. Continuously	thinking	like	this	will	drive	you	into	depression. You	are	not	only	driving	yourself	insane,	you	are	missing	out	on	the	wonders
that	life	has	to	offer	you. Quietening	the	mind
R
egardless	of	the	extent	to	which	thoughts	have	taken	over,	everyone	has
the	capacity	to	take	back	control	of	his	or	her	mind. A	still	mind	is	just
covered	up	with	mental	noise;	therefore,	anything	that	helps	to	de-clutter	your
mind	will	allow	stillness	to	resurface. Your	choice	is	to	keep	running	the	thoughts	through	your	head	and	experience
the	consequences,	or	become	a	good	gardener	of	your	mind,	root	out	the
weeds	and	allow	only	the	flowers	to	grow. A	sleeping	gardener	is	not	attentive
and	will	soon	have	a	jungle	of	weeds. A	good	gardener	is	awake. He	knows
exactly	what	is	happening	and	will	guard	his	territory	with	a	keen	eye,
removing	the	weeds	as	soon	as	the	first	shoots	appear. Be	a	good	gardener	of	your	mind. A	mind	that	is	being	observed	is	an
unsuitable	environment	for	anxiety	and	depression	to	take	root. Both	require	a
lack	of	awareness	as	a	suitable	breeding	ground. A	still	mind	enables	us	to	relate	far	better	to	life	and	to	live	life	instead	of
paying	attention	to	useless	thinking. No	longer	is	so	much	of	our	energy
wasted	on	harmful	escapades	and	we	can	instead	focus	with	better
concentration	on	what	we	truly	choose. Although	learning	how	to	take	back
control	of	our	mind	is	very	simple,	just	like	the	good	gardener,	attention	is
required. Do	you	want	to	live	a	life	free	from	worry	and	unhappiness? The	next	section	lists	simple	self-help	breathing	and	awareness	practices	that
deal	with	the	physiological	and	psychological	aspects	of	depression,	anxiety
and	stress.Thinking	for	practical	situations	is	useful. Thinking	that	is
repetitive	and	unnecessary	is	a	hindrance.Chapter	2

	The	Buteyko	Method

T
he	Buteyko	Method	was	developed	in	the	1950s	by	Russian	doctor
Konstantin	Buteyko. His	method	has	been	practiced	by	hundreds	of	thousands
of	people	for	a	variety	of	conditions	including	asthma,	blood	pressure,
sleeping	difficulties,	anxiety,	stress,	panic	attacks	and	depression. As	a	young	doctor,	Buteyko	spent	many	months	sitting	at	sick	patients’
bedsides	observing	their	states	of	health. He	noticed	that	each	person’s
breathing	got	heavier	as	his	or	her	health	deteriorated. As	their	illnesses	advanced,	he	saw	that	his	patients	breathing	movements
from	their	chests	and	tummies	increased,	that	their	breathing	became	more
audible,	that	their	breaths	became	faster	and	that	they	sighed	more	and
breathed	through	their	mouths. In	time,	he	was	able	to	predict	the	onset	of
death	just	by	observing	their	breathing. This	raised	a	fundamental	question	for	Buteyko:	was	it	his	patients’	sickness
that	contributed	to	their	heavy	breathing	or	was	it	their	heavy	breathing	that
contributed	to	their	sickness? At	the	time,	Buteyko	suffered	from	severe	hypertension	that	was	going	from
bad	to	worse. He	began	experimenting	by	breathing	less	and	quietening	his
breathing. Within	a	short	while,	the	pains	that	he	had	experienced	for	months
went	away. Over	the	following	decades,	Buteyko	extensively	researched	this	subject	and
had	a	dedicated	laboratory	to	further	his	findings. His	method	was	brought	to
the	West	in	1990	and	is	now	taught	in	many	countries. Breathing,	such	a	vital	factor	for	life,	must	meet	certain	conditions. Severe
over	breathing	can	be	fatal	if	sustained	over	a	short	period. Therefore,	it	is
plausible	to	accept	that	negative	health	effects	will	result	from	less	severe	but
still	excessive	breathing	over	a	long	period.Normal	breathing	volume
T
he	number	of	breaths	per	minute	during	normal	breathing	is	about	10	to
12. Each	breath	is	approximately	500	ml. This	provides	a	healthy	volume,	as
described	in	any	university	medical	textbook,	of	five	to	six	litres	of	air	per
minute. Normal	breathing	is	quiet,	still,	calm,	relaxed	and	regular. Persons	suffering	from	anxiety	and	depression	breathe	a	volume	greater	than
normally	accepted	amounts. For	example,	an	average	sized	person	with
anxiety	might	breathe	15	to	20	breaths	per	minute;	with	each	breath	larger
than	the	normal	500	ml. Interspersed	with	this	is	a	number	of	sighs. Assuming
that	each	breath	is	700	ml,	the	average	breathing	volume	for	this	person	is	10
to	15	litres	of	air	per	minute. In	food	terms,	this	is	akin	to	eating	six	to	nine
meals	each	day! Chronic	over	breathing
C
hronic	over	breathing	basically	means	that	we	habitually	breathe	more	air
than	what	our	bodies	require. In	many	ways,	this	is	similar	to	a	person
developing	the	habit	of	overeating. Breathing	is	similar. If	we	breathe	more	than	what	our	bodies	require	over	a
24-hour	period,	the	habit	takes	hold. Dr	Stephen	Demeter	confirms	this	when
he	states,	“Prolonged	hyperventilation	(for	more	than	24	hours)	seems	to
sensitize	the	brain,	leading	to	a	more	prolonged	hyperventilation.”	(1)
	What	increases	breathing	volume? B
reathing	increases	as	a	result	of	modern	living. Factors	such	as	strong
emotions,	time	urgency,	tension,	anger,	stress,	anxiety,	overeating,	processed
foods,	a	belief	that	taking	big	breaths	is	good,	and	lack	of	exercise,	excessive
talking	and	high	temperatures	within	the	home	all	contribute	to	over
breathing. How	to	recognize	habitual	over	breathing
At	this	point,	you	might	think	that	you	don’t	over	breathe. For	most	people,
over	breathing	is	subtle. It	is	hidden,	which	is	why	it	often	goes	undetected. The	typical	characteristics	of	people	attending	my	clinics	include:

Breathing	through	the	mouth;
Audible	breathing	during	rest;
Regular	sighs;
Regular	sniffing;
Irregular	breathing;
Holding	of	the	breath	(apnoea);
Taking	large	breaths	prior	to	talking;
Yawning	with	big	breaths;
Upper	chest	movement;
Movement	of	shoulders	while	breathing;
Lot	of	visible	movement;
Effortful	breathing;
Heavy	breathing	at	night. How	many	apply	to	you? Do	you	sigh? Do	you	breathe	through	your	mouth? Do	you	wake	up	with	a	dry	mouth	in	the	morning? Does	your	breathing	get
faster	or	chaotic	when	you	are	stressed?Carbon	dioxide
C
arbon	dioxide	or	CO
2
	is	a	gas	created	from	our	metabolic	process	as	an
end	product. The	human	lungs	require	5%	CO
2
	or	40	mmHg. If	we	breathe
too	heavily,	CO


ing	its	“mechanism	of	action.”	And	knowing	its	mechanism	of	action
strengthens	the	evidence. Another	way	of	saying	this	is	that	the	two	correlated
factors	are	related	in	a	“biologically	plausible”	way. If	a	relationship	is
biologically	plausible,	it	is	considered	much	more	reliable.METANALYSIS
Finally,	we	should	understand	the	concept	of	a	metanalysis. A	metanalysis
tabulates	the	combined	data	from	multiple	studies	and	analyzes	them	as	one
data	set. By	accumulating	and	analyzing	a	large	body	of	combined	data,	the
result	can	have	considerably	more	weight. Metanalysis	findings	are	therefore
more	substantial	than	the	findings	of	single	research	studies,	although,	as	with
everything	else,	there	may	be	exceptions. After	obtaining	the	results	from	a	variety	of	studies,	we	can	then	begin	to
use	these	tools	and	concepts	to	assess	the	weight	of	the	evidence. Through
this	effort,	we	can	begin	to	understand	what	is	most	likely	to	be	true,	and	we
can	behave	accordingly. Alternative	hypotheses	no	longer	seem	plausible,	and
we	can	be	very	confident	in	the	result. Absolute	proof,	in	the	technical	sense,
is	unattainable	and	unimportant. But	common	sense	proof	(99%	certainty)	is
attainable	and	critical. For	example,	it	was	through	this	process	of	interpreting
research	that	we	formed	our	beliefs	regarding	smoking	and	health. Smoking
has	never	been	“100%”	proven	to	cause	lung	cancer,	but	the	odds	that
smoking	is	unrelated	to	lung	cancer	are	so	astronomically	low	that	the	matter
has	long	been	considered	settled.3
Turning	Off	Cancer
A
MERICANS	DREAD	CANCER
	more	than	any	other	disease. Slowly	and	painfully
being	consumed	by	cancer	for	months,	even	years,	before	passing	away	is	a
terrifying	prospect. This	is	why	cancer	is	perhaps	the	most	feared	of	the	major
diseases. So	when	the	media	reports	a	newly	found	chemical	carcinogen,	the	public
takes	notice	and	reacts	quickly. Some	carcinogens	cause	outright	panic. Such
was	the	case	a	few	years	ago	with	Alar,	a	chemical	that	was	routinely	sprayed
on	apples	as	a	growth	regulator. Shortly	after	a	report	from	the	Natural
Resources	Defense	Council	(NRDC)	titled	“Intolerable	Risk:	Pesticides	in
Our	Children’s	Food,”
1
	the	television	program
60	Minutes
	aired	a	segment	on
Alar. In	February	1989	a	representative	of	NRDC	said	on	CBS’s
60	Minutes
that	the	apple	industry	chemical	was	“the	most	potent	carcinogen	in	the	food
supply.”
2,	3
The	public	reaction	was	swift. One	woman	called	state	police	to	chase
down	a	school	bus	to	confiscate	her	child’s	apple. 4
	School	systems	across	the
country,	in	New	York,	Los	Angeles,	Atlanta	and	Chicago,	among	others,
stopped	serving	apples	and	apple	products. According	to	John	Rice,	former
chairman	of	the	U.S.	Apple	Association,	the	apple	industry	took	an	economic
walloping,	losing	over	$250	million. 5
	Finally,	in	response	to	the	public	outcry,
the	production	and	use	of	Alar	came	to	a	halt	in	June	of	1989. 3
The	Alar	story	is	not	uncommon. Over	the	past	several	decades,	several
chemicals	have	been	identified	in	the	popular	press	as	cancer-causing	agents. You	may	have	heard	of	some:
Aminotriazole	(herbicide	used	on	cranberry	crops,	causing	the“cranberry	scare’”	of	1959)
DDT	(widely	known	after	Rachel	Carson’s	book,
Silent	Spring)
Nitrites	(a	meat	preservative	and	color	and	flavor	enhancer	used	in	hot
dogs	and	bacon)
Red	Dye	Number	2
Artificial	sweeteners	(including	cyclamates	and	saccharin)
Dioxin	(a	contaminant	of	industrial	processes	and	of	Agent	Orange,	a
defoliant	used	during	the	Vietnam	War)
Aflatoxin	(a	fungal	toxin	found	on	moldy	peanuts	and	corn)
I	know	these	unsavory	chemicals	quite	well. I	was	a	member	of	the
National	Academy	of	Sciences	Expert	Panel	on	Saccharin	and	Food	Safety
Policy	(1978–79),	which	was	charged	with	evaluating	the	potential	danger	of
saccharin	at	a	time	when	the	public	was	up	in	arms	after	the	FDA	proposed
banning	the	artificial	sweetener. I	was	one	of	the	first	scientists	to	isolate
dioxin;	I	have	firsthand	knowledge	of	the	MIT	lab	that	did	the	key	work	on
nitrites,	and	I	spent	many	years	researching	and	publishing	on	aflatoxin,	one
of	the	most	carcinogenic	chemicals	ever	discovered—at	least	for	rats. But	while	these	chemicals	are	significantly	different	in	their	properties,
they	all	have	a	similar	story	with	regard	to	cancer. In	each	and	every	case,
research	has	demonstrated	that	these	chemicals	may	increase	cancer	rates	in
experimental	animals. The	case	of	nitrites	serves	as	an	excellent	example.THE	HOT	DOG	MISSILE
If	you	hazard	to	call	yourself	“middle-aged”	or	older,	when	I	say,	“Nitrites,
hot	dogs	and	cancer,”	you	might	rock	back	in	your	chair,	nod	your	head,	and
say,	“Oh	yeah,	I	remember	something	about	that.”	For	the	younger	folks—
well,	listen	up,	because	history	has	a	funny	way	of	repeating	itself. The	time:	the	early	1970s. The	scene:	the	Vietnam	War	was	beginning	to
wind	down,	Richard	Nixon	was	about	to	be	forever	linked	to	Watergate,	the
energy	crisis	was	about	to	create	lines	at	gas	stations	and	nitrite	was	becoming
a	headline	word. Sodium	Nitrite:
	A	meat	preservative	used	since	the	1920s. 6
	It	kills
bacteria	and	adds	a	happy	pink	color	and	desirable	taste	to	hot	dogs,
bacon	and	canned	meat. In	1970,	the	journal
Nature
	reported	that	the	nitrite	we	consume	may	be
reacting	in	our	bodies	to	form	nitrosamines. 7
Nitrosamines:
	A	scary	family	of	chemicals. No	fewer	than	seventeen
nitrosamines	are	“reasonably	anticipated	to	be	human	carcinogens”	by
the	U.S.	National	Toxicology	Program. 8
Hold	on	a	second. Why	are	these	scary	nitrosamines	“anticipated	to	be
human	carcinogens”? The	short	answer:	animal	experiments	have	shown	that
as	chemical	exposure	increases,	incidence	of	cancer	also	increases. But	that’s
not	adequate. We	need	a	more	complete	answer. Let’s	look	at	one	nitrosamine,	NSAR	(N-nitrososarcosine). In	one	study,
twenty	rats	were	divided	into	two	groups,	each	exposed	to	a	different	level	of
NSAR. The	high-dose	rats	were	given	twice	the	amount	that	the	low-dose	rats
received. Of	rats	given	the	lower	level	of	NSAR,	just	over	35%	of	them	died
from	throat	cancer. Of	rats	given	the	higher	levels,	100%	died	of	cancer
during	the	second	year	of	the	experiment. 9–11
How


isk	of	ischemic	stroke	in	men”
34
“data	suggest	that	consumption	of	fish	at	least	once	per	week	may	reduce
the	risk	of	sudden	cardiac	death	in	men	[but	not	reduce	the]	risk	of	total
myocardial	infarction,	non-sudden	cardiac	death	or	total	cardiovascularmortality”
33
	(In	other	words,	fish	may	prevent	some	aspects	of	heart
disease	but	ultimately	has	no	effect	on	mortality	from	heart	disease,	or
even	heart	attack	risk.) Is	this	yet	another	question	of	deciding	which	disease	you	fear	the	least? Or	is	this	another	man	versus	woman	difference? Here’s	an	even	older	story:	We	have	been	warned	for	a	long	time	to	cut
down	on	our	cholesterol	intake,	and	it	was	largely	for	this	reason	that
consumption	of	eggs	was	brought	into	question. One	egg	has	a	whopping	200
mg	or	more	of	cholesterol,
36
	which	takes	up	a	large	proportion	of	our	300	mg
recommended	daily	limit. So,	what	do	the	Harvard	studies	tell	us	on	this
timeworn	issue? …	consumption	of	up	to	one	egg	per	day	is	unlikely	to	have
substantial	overall	impact	on	the	risk	of	CHD	or	stroke	among
healthy	men	and	women
37
But,	for	breast	cancer,
Our	findings	[representing	eight	prospective	studies]	suggest	a
possible	modest	increase	in	[breast	cancer]	risk	with	egg
consumption…. breast	cancer	risk	was	found	to	increase	by	22%
with	every	100-g	per	day	increment	of	egg	consumption	[about	2
eggs]
26
	[There	was	a	67%	increase	in	risk	for	the	Nurses’	Health
Study.] 26
But	earlier,	the	Harvard	researchers	took	a	slightly	different
position:
…	among	healthy	men	and	women,	moderate	egg	consumption	can
be	part	of	a	nutritious	and	balanced	diet
38
Most	recently,	the	Nurses’	Health	Study	is	cited	as	having	come	up	with	an
even	more	powerful	endorsement	for	eggs. A	recent	news	item	stated:
Eating	eggs	during	adolescence	could	protect	women	against	breast
cancer…. 39
The	article	goes	on	to	quote	a	Harvard	researcher	as	saying:
Women	who	had,	during	adolescence,	a	higher	consumption	of	eggs…had	a	lower	risk	of	breast	cancer…. 39
Most	people	who	read	this	news	article	will	likely	say	that	eggs	are	back
in	favor—even	when	they	don’t	know	how	many	eggs	per	day	are	okay	or
whether	there	are	exceptions	to	this	generalization. Eggs	will	only	seem	to	be
more	healthful	when	the	henhouse	industry	adds	their	words	of	wisdom. But
wait	a	minute—evidence	says	egg	consumption	for	teenage	girls	is	okay,
maybe	even	good,	but	evidence	also	says	more	egg	consumption	overall
increases	breast	cancer	risk. By	the	way,	here’s	something	else	to	think	about. Multiple	studies	have	rather	consistently	shown	that	egg	consumption	can
increase	colon	cancer	risk,	more	so	for	women	than	for	men. 40
What	are	we	to	believe? One	minute	alcohol	intake	can	reduce	our	disease
risks,	the	next	minute	it	can	increase	them. One	minute	fish	consumption	can
help	to	reduce	our	disease	risks,	the	next	minute	it	can	hurt. One	minute	eggs
are	bad,	the	next	minute	they	can	be	healthy. It	seems	to	me	that	what	is
missing	here	is	the	larger	context. What	you	have	without	that	context	is	just	a
lot	of	confusion.UNRAVELING	DIET	AND	CANCER
In	addition	to	stating	that	diet	and	exercise	are	unrelated	to	breast	cancer,	the
Harvard	researchers	have	been	chipping	away	at	other	popular	notions
regarding	diet	and	cancer. For	example,	the	Harvard	studies	have	not	been
able	to	detect	any	association	between	colorectal	cancer	and	fiber	or	fruit	and
vegetable	intake. 4,	41,	42
Dietary	fiber,	of	course,	only	comes	from	plant-based	foods,	thus	these
findings	put	a	dent	in	the	idea	that	fiber	or	fruits,	vegetables	and	cereals
prevent	large	bowel	cancer. Keep	in	mind	that	the	Harvard	studies	are	dealing
with	uniformly	carnivorous	populations,	almost	none	of	which	are	using	a
whole	foods,	plant-based	diet	that	is	naturally	low	in	fat	and	high	in	fiber. It	is
likely	that	the	potential	protective	effect	of
fiber	or	fruits	and	vegetables	does
not	kick	in	against	colorectal	cancer	until	there	is	a	complete	dietary	shift
away	from	an	animal-based	diet. Between	the	colon	cancer	and	breast	cancer	findings,	the	Nurses’	Health
Study	has	done	much	to	confuse,	if	not	discredit,	the	idea	that	diet	is	related	to
cancer. After	these	decades	of	work,	Professor	Walt	Willett	says:
…	increasing	fruits	and	vegetables	overall	appears	to	be	less	promising
as	a	way	to	substantially	reduce	cancer	risk.…	the	benefits	[of	these
foods]	appear	greater	for	cardiovascular	disease	than	for	cancer
4
This	statement	sounds	a	bit	ominous. Colon	cancer,	historically	one	of	the
first	cancers	said	to	be	prevented	by	a	plant-based	diet,
43–45
	now	is	being	said
to	be	unrelated	to	diet? And	low-fat	diets	don’t	prevent	breast	cancer? With
results	like	these,	it’s	only	a	matter	of	time	before	the	hypothesis	of	a	dietary
connection	to	cancer	starts	falling	apart. In	fact,	I	have	already	heard	people
within	the	scientific	community	beginning	to	say	that	diet	may	have	no	effect
on	cancer. These	are	the	reasons	that	I	believe	that	the	Nurses’	Health	Study	has	done
considerable	damage	to	the	nutrition	landscape. It	has	virtually	nullified	many
of	the	advances	that	have	been	made	over	the	past	fifty	years	without	actually
posing	a	scientifically	reliable	challenge	to	earlier	findings	regarding	diet	and
cancer. This	problem	of	studying	a	population	that	uniformly	consumes	a	high-
risk	diet	and	looking	at	the	differences	in	consumption	of	one	nutrient	at	a
time	is	not	unique	to	the	Nurses’	Health	Study. It	is	common	to	virtually	all
studies	using	Western	subjects. Furthermore,	there	is	little	or	no	value	to
pooling	the	results	of	many	large	studies	for	analysis	in	order	to	get	a	morereliable	result	if	all	the	studies	have	the	same	flaw. A	pooling	strategy	is	often
used	for	identifying	cause-and-effect	associations	that	are	more	subtle	and
uncertain	within	single	studies. This	is	a	reliable	assumption	when	each	study
is	properly	done,	but	obviously	it	is	not	when	all	the	studies	are	similarly
flawed. The	combined	results	only	give	a	more	reliable	picture	of	the	flaw. The	Harvard	researchers	have	done	several	of	these	multi-study	pooled
analyses. One	such	pooled	analysis	concerned	the	question	of	whether	meat
and	dairy	foods	had	any	effect	on	breast	cancer. 26
	A	previous	1993	pooling	of
nineteen	studies
46
	had	shown	a	modest,	statistically	significant	18%	increase


 tripling and more in quantity within
two to three days. It should not seem surprising, therefore, that raw sprouted
grains are of extraordinary va lue in animal nutrition. Dr.
Francis Pottenger, Jr., has reported that sprouted grain sets up great activity in the cells, increases adrenalin formation and
metabolism, and brings about more calcification throughout
the body. Dr. Oscar Erf tested sprouted grain at Ohio State University, and he found that it tended to make animals less susceptible to tuberculosis, mastitis, and undulant fever. In experiments with cows, Dr. Erf found that a diet of sprouted
grain would increase the productive life span by almost one-
fourth of the total life. Tests conducted by the Dept. of
Husbandry of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture in Beltville,
Maryland showed that cows which had apparently lost or out
grown their abilit y to re produce became fertile a gain and gave birth to fine healthy calves after they had been fed on a
diet of sprouted oats. Likewise, younger cows, apparently
sterile, which had failed to reproduce even though they had
been sired several times, quickly became fertile when given sprouted grain. With bulls that had become sterile, the use of
sprouted grain restored fertility in all cases tested. The
independent scientist, Dr. Eherenfried Pfeiffer, also has
reported that without exception he has been able to restore the
fertility of bulls through the use of sprouted oats plus green alfalfa. If sprouted grains are th is important in animal health,
we have good reason to believe they are also important for
human health. Sprouted wheat, sprouted rye, and other
sprouted grains thus have their place in good nutrition, and
they may be used as liberally as desired for both their good
flavor and high nutritive values. E
DIBLE WILD PLANTS
   Modern man has tapped only a small part of the vast
reservoir of nature for his food supply. Prior to the sixteenth
century, meat and bread were the staple foods of most
Europeans, and very few vege table foods were considered
satisfactory for nourishment. When the Europeans invaded
lands of the Western Hemisphere, they found the Indians growing many seed plants and vegetables they had never seen
before. Many of these were sent back to Europe and were
widely cultivated. It is estimated that at least half of the
garden vegetables in use today originated with the American
Indian. Yet these vegetables comprise only a very small fraction of the total variety of plants used at one time or
another by various Indian groups. The white man took only
the Indians' cultivated plants. He ignored the vast number of wild fruits, wild herbs, wild seeds, and wild roots which
formed a part of the Indian dietary fare. The U. S.
Department of Agriculture has listed 444 genera and 1,112
different species of plant life as having been eaten by the
Indian, and the greater number of  thesewere edible in their
wild state. Yet, even the Indian may not have utilized all the
wild plants which were available. The truth is that nature is
abounding in an extremely wide variety of fruits, seeds, seed
pods, tubers, stems, buds, flowers, leaves, barks, roots, tree
saps, gums, mushrooms, flavoring herbs, and lichens, which are edible and healthful for human use. These only await
gathering by man, and their re-seeding and cultivation under scientific care, to be put to valuable use. The flavors of wild plant foods often differ markedly from
those of their domestic relatives. This may be objected to by
those who are accustomed to the more flat-tastin
g domestic foods, but after nibbling at wild foods for a while, the
powerful flavors are usually appreciated. Many, in fact, enjoy
them at their first trial. This particularly applies to the use of
wild fruits, which usually have delightful flavors far
surpassing those of domestic varieties. It should not be supposed that all edible wild plants can be
used in their raw state, but it is true that we may best restrict
our use to those plants which can be eaten raw. Some plants
are bitter and poisonous when raw, but the poisonous
principle is dissipated by heat, and the food thus becomes
edible when cooked or washed in several applications of boiling water. Fortunately, most wild plant foods do not fall
within this class, and the majority may be taken with complete safety and enjoyment in their raw state. The kinds of edible wild plants found in nature are of such
infinite variety that no attempt will be made to list all of them
here. However, a limited number of some of the best known
varieties will be given, and this will be confined to those
which are considered edible in their raw state. For wild fruits, the following species have been highly
recommended: Juneberries, barberries, hackberries,
snowberries, strawberries, nanny berries, black huckleberries,
dangleberries, partridgeberri es, red mulberries, black
mulberries, white mulberries, prickly pears, choke pears, tomatillos, ground cherries, May apples, crab apples, goose plums, beach plums, Canada plums, pin cherries, choke
cherries, black cherries, sand cherries, gooseberries, fetid
currants, red currants, garden currants, mountain blackberries,
tall blackberries, purple raspberries, black raspberries, red
raspberries, dwarf raspberries, elderberries, blueberries,
cranberries, deerberries, huckleberries, cowberries,
bunchberries, pimbinas, grapes, red haws, sugar pears, and pawpaws. Edible salad-plants growing in their wild state include:
canary-grass, sweet flag, spiderwort, corn-lily, mountain-sorrel, purslane, water-shiel d, penny-cress, peppergrass,
shepherd's purse, scurvy grass, sea-rocket, yellow-cress,
watercress, winter-cress, spri ng-cress, alpine-cress, wild
mignonette, live-forever, roseroot, lettuce-saxifrage, swamp
saxifrage, golden saxifrage, burnet, clover, wood-sorrel, storksbill, false mermaid, deergrass, caraway, pimpernel,
brooklime, seaside plantain, corn-salad, ox-eye daisy, costmary, nipplewort, and cat-brier. In addition to the afore-mentioned plants, which are useful
for their leaves
, there are others, such as Indian cucumber, crinkle-root, wild licorice, eel-grass, alpine bistort, water-
parsnip, and woundwort, which are useful for their roots. Other plants, including cat-tail, cat-brier, and bamboo-vine,
have delicious sprouts. Bubleweed, deergrass, chufa, Jerusalem artichoke, purple-bellflower, brooklime, and
woundwort have edible tubers. Some plants, including a
number already listed, are also valuable for their stems,
petals, or leaf-stalks. Delicio us beverages may be made from
spicebush, blackbirch, yellowbirch, paper birch, New Jersey tea, American wild mint, peppermint, spearmint, ground ivy,
black spruce, fragrant sumac, squaw bush, and horse gentian. A delicious gum, suitable for chewing, is obtained from
spruce, sweet gum, bird-cherry, milkweed, sugar pine, fir
tree, skeleton weed, and pilotweed. Edible tree saps are available from the sugar maple, black sugar maple, red
maple, silver maple, and box elder. There are hundreds of
species of edible fungi in nature, and even some of the wild
lichens may be used as food. No one should use wild plants without care in selection and
gathering. We know that some wild plants come in both
poisonous and non-poisonous varieties. Others may contain both poisonous and non-poisonous parts. For instance, there
are three species of the sumac plant which yield delicious and
healthful fruit, but there is another species which is
poisonous, even to touch. The only non-poisonous part of the
May-apple plant is the fruit, which is eaten. These are not criticisms of wild plants, as such, for domestic species can
have some of these same characteristics. Certain domestic
plants may come in both poisonous and non-poisonous varieties; a number, such as apples and peaches, possess
seeds containing poisonous prussic acid, and the rhubarb
plant has poison leaves, but edible leafstalks. Whether
dealing with wild or domestic plants we must use discretion
and care in our full utilization of the food. If the primitive Indians were able to accomplish this without difficulty,
certainly civilized man can do so. For those undertaking the use of wild plant life in its edible
forms, an adequate knowledge of the location, growth, and
characteristics of such life is of course essential. This subject
has been described as a lost chapter in the history of botany. During the past twenty years, however, this vacuum has been partly filled. Probably the best all-around publications on this
subject in the English language are Edible Wild Plants


it will soon fail and produce some of the conditions I will discuss in the next chapter. The only stimulation that the body s hould
have is through exercise. Any time we artificially stimulate the bowel, there is an opposite effe ct that manifests in which there is a
lack of tone in the muscle producing a weakness in that muscle structure. It is becoming increasingly clear that bowel troubl es
have a reflex effect upon specific organs in the body. For example, Sir Arbuthnot Lane, who was a surgeon for the King of England, spent many years specializing in bowel problems. He was an expert at removing sections of the bowel and stitching it back together. He taught this work to other doctors and g ained
an international reputation for h is efficiency. During the years of this work, he began to notice a peculiar phenomenon. During the
course of recovery from colonic surgery, some of his patients experienced remarkable cures of diseases that had no apparent
connection with his surgery. For instance, a young boy who had arthritis for many years was in a wheel chair at the time of
surgery. Six months later, this boy had recovered entirely from the disease. Another case involved a woman with a goiter. Whe n a
specific section of the bowel was re moved in surgery, there ensued a definite remission of the goiter within six months. These and
similar experiences impressed him so much because he saw the relationship between the toxic bowel and the functioning of
various organs in the body. After much t hought about this relationship, he became very interested in changing the bowel through
dietetic methods and spent the last 25 years of his life teaching people how to care for the bowel through nutrition and not surgery. Sir Lane has said, “All maladies a re due to the tack of certain food principles, such as mineral salts or vitamins, or to the absence
of the normal defenses of the body, such as the natural protective flora. When this occurs, toxic bacteria invade the lower
alimentary canal, and the poison s thus generated pollute the bloodstream and gradually deteriorate and destroy every tissue, gland
and organ of the body. ”

I am absolutely sure that what Dr. Lane discovered through his surgical explorations is in -deed an accurate description of how the
bowel functions in relation to the other organs in the body. We know that every organ and tissue is dependent upon the healthy
well-being of every other organ and tissue in order for there to be a total well -being. When one tissue or organ fails, it affects  the
whole body. If there is faulty functioning in the bowel, this deficiency is passed along to the rest of the body. We could ca ll this the
intestinal domino effect. The frequency or quantity of fecal elimination is not an indication of the lack of cons tipation in the bowel. I know of cases that had
three and four movements a day and yet the bowel was quite encrusted and very constipated. Most people don’t know the
condition of their bowel. Unfortunately those who are not aware of their bowel function or  condition are sometimes the ones who
are developing the worst cases of bowel troubles. I find that constipation is usually going along with those bowels that have
diverticulosis. Very few people eat in an organized way, and for this reason, they have loos e bowels one day, stiff bowels the next
day, a smelly bowel one day, and so on. When regularity is absent in the diet, there is chaos in the bowel. In most cases, si mply
changing the diet and eating habits will alleviate many bowel problems without surgery. WHAT GOES IN DOESN’T ALWAYS COME OUT
I am convinced that the bowel holds onto waste materials longer than anyone realizes. When we clean out the bowel and release  all
this old, rotting material, there will be a lessening of the gas, pain and autointoxic ation taking place. I believe that this toxic
material decaying away in the sigmoid colon is a good place for degenerative diseases to get started. Starches that haven’t b een
digested properly by the pancreatic secretions are not readily taken up by the bo dy and made into good tissue. These, in turn, can
come back to the colon and keep the body from having the proper colonic tone because of a lack of proper chemical development. In addition, drugs can settle in the tissues of the body and it is the colon th at catches a good deal of these. By way of the mucus
membrane, the colon is used as an eliminative channel. When the membrane does not function properly, these drug deposits
accumulate in the bowel indefinitely and can produce a time -bomb effect; irritatio ns, inflammations and ulcerations. Here again,
food is very, very important to recognize because this is the one thing that brings back a chemical reserve and gives the pow er and
chemical structure to have good healthy tissue. The dietary program that I h ave developed is probably one of the most important things I can give to you. It has proven itself well
in 30 years of sanitarium experience and has helped many people to regain their health. It takes care of the bulk, it takes c are of the
fiber, it takes care of the natural mucus membrane through proper chemical replacements. This program, coupled with an exercise
routine, will produce very good results for those afflicted with bowel disturbances. THE FUNCTIONING OF THE BOWEL
We have to stop and think tha t when we eat there is peristaltic action in the bowel which moves the food down to the last part of
our elimination system, the large colon. Whenever we have three meals a day and a bowel movement once in five days, we’re
fifteen meals behind. Normally it  takes eighteen hours for food to go through the body and be eliminated. What is required to
move it along on time. Good bowel tone gives the power to the intestinal tract to move waste materials properly through the
system. If we don’t have good bowel ton e, we have to have an inciting measure, and one way of doing this is by using laxatives. But we find that 95% of all laxatives are irritating to the bowel, and this is what forces the peristaltic action. It is caus ed by
irritation. Wouldn’t it be better to  have a bowel that could move along because you have the right power and bowel tone. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bowel wall that has all the potassium and all the right chemical elements to work normally. We find there are other factors involved here, s uch as the liver activity. We have to have enough bile coming from the gall bladder
and the liver to give the bowel its natural incentive to produce bowel movements. The bowel is dependent upon other organs to o. There is also the thyroid gland which is imp ortant to the body’s metabolism. The thyroid regulates a number of organ functions
and keeps them normal by releasing thyroxin into the body. The adrenal glands may be underactive. A person can feel so tired and
fatigued that he won’t exercise. You have to  feel lively to move and get going. An underactive thyroid can bring on low blood
pressure and anemia can keep us from a healthy level of physical activity. If the blood is anemic, the body tissue is anemic and
cannot do its job. We are tired “all over,” s o to speak. CLEANING UP THE PAST
Above all, we now have to make amends for some of the things that happened in the past. I think accumulations in the bowel ha ve
to be looked after. The bowel is underactive. It hasn’t been fed properly. The bowel itself is  probably the most abused organ in the
human body. The reason I say this is if you ever go through a cleansing program, you will see things you’ll find hard to beli eve. You don’t realize what can come out of the bowel. After just one cleansing treatment, I ’ve seen as much as three gallons of hard
toxic material come from a person. How is it possible. I know, for instance, of one woman who said she had five bowel
movements a day; but after she passed away, it was found that there was only room enough for a p encil to pass through
parts of her bowel. Her bowel was 9 inches across. We found that it had an extreme accumulation of hard toxic material encrus ted
on the bowel lining. Constipation is a serious menace to health and vitality as I have discussed with yo u. The consequences of this
common but subtle malady are becoming more and more prevalent in our society. It is a root cause for many troubles in the bod y. It is also a symptom of a larger picture that many doctors haven’t taken into consideration as yet. The following illustrations show
how food moves through the gastrointestinal tract in a 24 -hour period and what happens when the bowel doesn’t eliminate on time:

CHAPTER 5
IMBALANCES OF THE LARGE INTESTINE
Structural, functional and metabolic imbalances of the colon are manifested in various forms. We will mention a few of the more
common abnormalities of the colon to illustrate the effects of autointoxication and constipation. These are: adhesions, ballo oning,
colitis, diverticulitis, mucosal dysfunction, spastic bowel, strictures and ulceration. Adhesions in the colon are caused by
inflammations and irritations to the bowel wall. When the mucus membrane breaks down, tissue becomes exposed, open and
irritated. The raw surfaces begin to stick to gether as the result of glue -like substance secreted from the tissue. This is a serious


, that is over again Jericho. And the Lord showed him
all the land of Gilead, unto Dan.”
You read that verse and say, “So what?” But take a concordance and look
up the words. The first word, Moses, means to draw out, to rescue, to lift
More Free Books Law of Attraction Havenout, to fetch. In other words, Moses is the personification of the power in
man that can draw out of man that which he seeks, for everything comes
from within, not from without. You draw from within yourself that which
you now want to express as something objective to yourself. You are Moses coming out of the plains of Moab. The word Moab is a con -
traction of two Hebraic words, Mem and Ab, meaning mother-father. Your
consciousness is the mother-father, there is no other cause in the world. Your I Amness, your awareness, is this Moab or mother-father. You are al -
ways drawing something out of it. The next word is Nebo. In your concordance Nebo is defined as a prophe -
cy. A prophecy is something subjective. If I say, “So-and-so will be,” it is
an image in the mind; it is not yet a fact. We must wait and either prove
or disprove this prophecy. In our language Nebo is your wish, your desire. It is called a mountain
because it is something that appears difficult to ascend and is therefore
seemingly impossible of realization. A mountain is something bigger than
you are, it towers over you. Nebo personifies that which you want to be in
contrast to that which you are. The word Pisgah, by definition, is to contemplate. Jericho is a fragrant
odor. And Gilead means the hills of witnesses. The last word is Dan the
Prophet. Now put them all together in a practical sense and see what the ancients
tried to tell us. As I stand here, having discovered that my consciousness
is God, and that I can, by simply feeling that I am what I want to be,
transform myself into the likeness of that which I am assuming I am; I
know now that I am all that it takes to scale this mountain. I define my objective. I do not call it Nebo. I call it my desire. Whatever I
want, that is my Nebo, that is my great mountain that I am going to
scale. I now begin to contemplate it, for I shall climb to the peak of Pis -
gah. I must contemplate my objective in such a manner that I get the reaction
that satisfies. If I do not get the reaction that pleases then Jericho is not
seen, for Jericho is a fragrant odor. When I feel that I am what I want to be I cannot suppress the joy that
comes with that feeling. I must always contemplate my objective until I get the feeling of satisfac -
tion personified as Jericho. Then I do nothing to make it visible in my
world; for the hills of Gilead, meaning men, women, children, the whole
More Free Books Law of Attraction Havenvast world round about me, come bearing witness. They come to testify
that I am what I have assumed myself to be, and am sustaining within
myself. When my world conforms to my assumption the prophecy is ful -
filled. If I now know what I want to be, and assume that I am it, and walk as
though I were, I become it and becoming it I so completely die to my for -
mer concept of self that I cannot point to any place in this world and say:
that is where my former self is buried. I so completely died that I defy
posterity to ever find where I buried my old self. There must be someone in this room who will so completely transform
himself in this world that his close immediate circle of friends will not rec -
ognize him. For ten years I was a dancer, dancing in Broadway shows, in vaudeville,
night clubs and in Europe. There was a time in my life when I thought I
could not live without certain friends in my world. I would spread a table
every night after the theater and we would all dine well. I thought I could
never live without them. Now I confess I could not live with them. We
have nothing in common today. When we meet we do not purposely walk
on the opposite side of the street, but it is almost a cold meeting because
we have nothing to discuss. I so died to that life that as I meet these peo -
ple they cannot even talk of the old times. But there are people living today who are still living in that state, getting
poorer and poorer. They always like to talk about the old times. They nev -
er buried that man at all, he is very much alive within their world. Moses was 120 years, a full, wonderful age as 120 indicates. One plus two
plus zero equals three, the numerical symbol of expression. I am fully
conscious of my expression. My eyes are undimmed and the natural func -
tions of my body are not abated. I am fully conscious of being what I do
not want to be. But knowing this law by which a man transforms himself, I assume that I
am what I want to be and walk in the assumption that it is done. In be -
coming it, the old man dies and all that was related to that former con -
cept of self dies with it. You cannot take any part of the old man into the
new man. You cannot put new wine in old bottles or new patches on old
garments. You must be a new being completely. As you assume that you are what you want to be, you do not need the as -
sistance of another to make it so. Neither do you need the assistance of
anyone to bury the old man for you. Let the dead bury the dead. Do not
even look back, for no man having put his hand to the plow and then
looking back is fit for the kingdom of heaven. More Free Books Law of Attraction HavenDo not ask yourself how this thing is going to be. It does not matter if
your reason denies it. It does not matter if all the world round about you
denies it. You do not have to bury the old. “Let the dead bury the dead.”
You will so bury the past by remaining faithful to your new concept of self
that you will defy the whole vast future to find where you buried it. To this
day no man in all of Israel has discovered the sepulchre of Moses. *****
These are the four stories I promised you tonight. You must apply them
every day of your life. Even though the chair on which you are now seated
seems hard and does not lend itself to meditation you can in imagination
make it the most comfortable chair in the world. Let me now define the technique as I want you to employ it. I trust each
one of you came here tonight with a clear picture of your desire. Do not
say it is impossible. Do you want it? You do not have to use your moral
code to realize it. It is altogether outside the reach of your code. Consciousness is the one and only reality. Therefore, we must form the
object of our desire out of our own consciousness. People have a habit of slighting the importance of simple things, and the
suggestion to create a state akin to sleep in order to aid you in assuming
that which reason and your senses deny is one of the simple things you
might slight. However, this simple formula for changing the future, which was discov -
ered by the ancient teachers and given to us in the Bible, can be proved
by all. The first step in changing the future is Desire, that is, define your objec -
tive – know definitely what you want. Second: construct an event which you believe would encounter FOLLOW -
ING the fulfillment of your desire – an event which implies fulfillment of
your desire – something which will have the action of self predominant. The third step is to immobilize the physical body and induce a state akin
to sleep. Then mentally feel yourself right into the proposed action, imag -
ine all the while that you are actually performing the action HERE AND
NOW. You must participate in the imaginary action, not merely stand back
and look on, but FEEL that you are actually performing the action, so that
the imaginary sensation is real to you. It is important always to remember that the proposed action must be one
More Free Books Law of Attraction Havenwhich FOLLOWS the fulfillment of your desire, one which implies fulfill -
ment. For example, suppose you desired a promotion in office. Then being
congratulated would be an event you would encounter following the fulfill -
ment of your desire. Having selected this action as the one you will experience in imagination
to imply promotion in the office, immobilize your physical body and induce
a state bordering on sleep, a drowsy state, but one in which you are still
able to control the direction of your thoughts, a state in which you are at -
tentive without effort. Then visualize a friend standing before you. Put
your imaginary hand into his. Feel it to be solid and real, and carry on an
imaginary conversation with him in harmony with the FEELING OF HAV -
ING BEEN PROMOTED. You do not visualize yourself at a distance in point of space and at a dis -
tance in point of time being congratulated on your good fortune. Instead,
you MAKE elsewhere HERE and the future


us the Sugar Inter-
ests. South. Calif. State Dent. Assoc. Jour., 16, 17-25, Nov.,
l949. LADD, E. F. and STALLINGS, R. F., Bleaching of Flour. North Dakota Agricultural College Experiment Station, Bul. 72, 1906. LEE, R., Sugar and Sugar Products - Their Use and Abuse. Jour. of the Acad. of Applied Nut., 3, 1, 1950. LEE, R., The Fallacy of "High Potency" in Vitamin Dosage. Milwaukee, Lee Foundation For Nutritional Research, Re-
print 25B. LEE, R. and STOLZOFF, J. S., The Special Nutritional Quali-
ties of Natural Foods. Milwaukee, Lee Foundation for Nutri-
tional Research, 1942. LORAND, A., Health and Longevity Through Rational Diet. Phila., F. A. Davis Co., 1912. MARVIN, H. M., The Therapy of Dropsy. J. Am. Med. Assoc.,
1147 97 757-7637 Mar. 27 1940. McCANN, A. W., This Famishing World. New York, George
H. Doran Co., 1918. McCARRISON, R., Studies in Deficiency Disease. London,
Oxford Medical Publications, 192 1. McCARRISON, R., Nutrition and National Health. London,
Faber and Faber, 1944. McCLURE, F. J., The Destructive Action in Vitro, of Dilute
Acids and Acid Drinks and Beverages on the Rats Molar Teeth. J. of Nutrition, 26, 251-57, 1943. [631 DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS BIBLIOGRAPHY
McCOLLUM, E. V. and SIMMONDS, N., The Newer Knowl-
edge of Nutrition. New York, Macmillan, 1929. McCOLLUM, E. V. and SIMMONDS, N., Food, Nutrition
and Health. Baltimore, 1933. McGRATH, G., Lax Food Laws Can Kill You. National Police
Gazette, May, 1958. McHENRY, E. W., Observations on the Nutritive Value of
Bread. Can. Pub. Health J., 428-432, Sept., 1940. MORGAN, A. F., The Effect of Imbalance in the Filtrate Frac-
tion of the Vitamin B Complex in Dogs. Science, 261, Mar. 14,
l941. MURNEEK, A. E., Vitamins in Our Food. Science, loo, 557-
562, Dec. 22, 1944. NATENBERG, M., The Legacy of Doctor Wiley. Chicago, Re-
gent House, 1957. NORMAN, N. P., Constructive Meal Planning. Passaic, N. J.,
Phototone qress, 1946. NORMAN, N. P. and RORTY, J., Tomorrow's Food. New
York, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1947. PRICE, W. A., Control of Dental Caries and Some Associated
Degenerative Processes Through Reinforcement of the Diet
with Special Activators. J. Am. Dent. A., 19, 1339, 1932. PRICE, W. A., Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. New York,
Paul B. Hoeber, Inc., 1939. QUIGLEY, D. T., The National MaInu trition. Milwaukee, Lee
Found. for Nut. Res., 1943. RICHARDS, M. B., Imbalance of the Vitamin B Factors. Brit. Med. Jour., 4395, Mar. 31, 1945. ROBERTS, J. A., Vitamin C in Citrus-Juice Beverages and
Canned Grapefruit Juice. Food Research, 2, 331-337, 1937. --
RORTY, J., Hidden Dangers in White Bread. National Police
Gazette, Oct. 1954. RUPP, E., What About Trace Minerals? Missouri Ruralist, April
97 I9490
SCHLINK, F. J. and KALLET, A., ioo,ooo,ooo Guinea Pigs. New York, Vanguard Press, 1933. SCHLINK, F. J., Eat, Drink and Be Wary. New York, Grosset
& Dunlap, 1935. SCHOUR, I. and MASSLER, M., Dental Caries Experience in
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H. M. Shelton, 1948. SHERMAN, H. C., The Science of Nutrition. New York, Co-
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WILEY, H. W., The History of a Crime Against the Food Law. Washington, D. C., H. W. Wiley, 1929. WRENCH, G. T., The Wheel of Health. London, C. W.
Daniel Co., 1938. [ 65 1 INDEX
....... Alcoholic beverages 45
........ Becks. Dr Herman 27........... Bright's disease 10
Caffeine................. 47
............ Canned foods 41
Cheese.................. 39
Chemicals in candy....... 55
...... Chemicals in cheese 39
........ Chemicals in meat 33
........ Chemicals in water 5l
.......... Chlorine dioxide 21
................... Cocoa 47
Coffee.................. 47
Colloidal salt............. 13
............. Condiments 43
History................ 43
....... Effect on humans 43
Experiments........... 44
Substitutes............ 44
Confections.............. 54
Dehydrated vegetable broth
powder................ l4
............. Dental caries 28
....... Diseases from sugar 3O
Drinking water........... 5l
.................. Edema lo
Effect of soft drinks on teeth 50
I............. Fish liver oil 35
........ Flour experiments l9
............. Fluoridation 52
........ Fluorine poisoning 52
Food and Drug
Administration......... 4
Gingivitis............... 29
Glucose................. 54 Graham. Sylvester......... l9
........... Healthy eating 60
History of sugar.......... 25
Home preparation of flour. 23
..... Home-made ice cream 57
Honey sweetening........ 3l
.............. Hypertension
............... Ice cream 1
Chemicals 56............. 57
Food and Drug
Administration
......... requirements 57
Ingredients in soft drinks.. 49
................ Insomnia lo
............. Jay. Dr Philip 27.......... Judd. Dr Edward 47
Ketosis in children........ 35
Kola nut 49................
......... Lithium chloride l4
Meat products........... 32
Milk.................... 37
Natural cheeses.......... 4O
....... Nitrogen trichloride 21
.... Nutrition requirements 59
Obesity................. 29
Penicillin in milk......... 37
................ Raw milk
Raw sugar cane........... 38
31.... Refined grain products 15
............ Refined sugar 25
......... Refining of sugar 26
1 67 1 DANGERS IN MODERN FOODS
......... Refining of wheat 16
........... Vitamin loss
Adulteration........... l7
......... Rice experiments 20
............ Roth and Ivy 47
..................... Salt 6
.............. Digestion
................ History 8
Needs................. 7
......... Salt. perspiration 13
........... Salt as laxative 12
Salt illnesses............. 11
......... Salt in pregnancy 12
....... Science of nutrition 3
..... Sex hormones in meat 32
........ Silbestrol injection 3
......... Sodium benzoate 42
............... Soft drinks 49............. Spring water 53
Tannin in tea............ 48
Tea..................... 47
........... Tea substitutes 48
Theobromine in cocoa..... 48
Theories of disease........ 5
...... Theories of nutrition 5
Tinned meats............ 34
Titanium dioxide......... 54


 grades with the cog system, at the town
of St. Nicholas, and climbed the mountain trail to an isolated settlement on the east bank of the
Mattervisp River, called Grachen, a five-hour journey. The settlement is on a shelf high above the
east side of the river where it is exposed to southern sunshine and enjoys a unique isolation
because of its physical inaccessibility. An examination made of the children in this community
showed that only 2.3 teeth out of every hundred had been attacked by tooth decay. The hardihood of the people was splendidly illustrated by a woman of 62 years who carried an
enormous load of rye on her back at an altitude of about 5,000 feet. We met her later and talked
to her, and found that she was extraordinarily well developed and well preserved. She showed us
her grandchildren who had fine physiques and facial developments.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 24/250    The rye is so precious that while being carried the heads are protected by wrapping them in
canvas so that not a kernel will be lost. The rye is thrashed by hand and ground in stone mills
which were formerly hand-turned like the one shown in Fig. 2. Recently water turbines have been
installed. Water power is abundant and the grinding is done for the people of the mountain side in
these water-driven mills. Only wholerye flour is available. Each household takes turns in using the
community bake-oven, which is shown in Fig. 2. A month's supply of whole-rye bread is baked at
one time for a given family. FIG. 2. For centuries the natives ground their rye in this type of hand
mill. This community bake-oven for whole rye bread is passing. Here again the cows were away in the midsummer, pasturing up near the glaciers. Grachen has
an altitude of about 5,000 feet. The church at Grachen was built several hundred years ago. We
were shown an embossed certificate of honor and privilege extended to a group of about 120
people who had originally built the edifice. We were given valued assistance by the local priest,
and were provided with facilities in his spacious and well-kept rooms for making our studies of the
children. From Grachen we returned to St. Nicholas and proceeded from there by train down the valley
and up another steep ascent, requiring several hours, to the hamlet of Visperterminen, on the east
side of the mountain above the Visp River, and below the junction of the Mattervisp and
Saaservisp. This community is made up of about 1,600 people living on a sheltered shelf high
above the river valley. The view from this position is indescribably beautiful. It is a little below the
timber line of this and the surrounding mountains. Majestic snow-clad peaks and precipitous
mountains dot the horizon and shade off into winding gorges which mark the course of wandering
streams several thousand feet below our vantage point. It is a place to stop and ponder. The gradations in climate range in the summer from a tropical temperature in protected nooks
during the daytime to sub-zero weather with raging blizzards at night on the high mountains. It is a
place where human stamina can be tempered to meet all the vicissitudes of life. The village consists of a group of characteristically designed Swiss chalets clustered on the
mountain side. The church stands out as a beacon visible from mountains in all directions. Visperterminen is unique in many respects. Notwithstanding its relative proximity to civilization--it
is only a few hours' journey to the thoroughfare of the Rhone Valley--it has enjoyed isolation and
opportunity for maintaining its characteristic primitive social and civil life. We were greeted here by
the president of the village who graciously opened the school house and sent messengers to have
the children of the community promptly come to the school building in order that we might make
such studies as we desired. This study included a physical examination of the teeth and of the
general development of the children, particularly of the faces and dental arches, the making of
photographic records, the obtaining of samples of saliva, as in other places, and also the making of
a detailed study of the nutrition. In addition, we obtained samples of foods for chemical analysis. The people of Visperterminen have the unique distinction of owning land in the lower part of the
mountain on which they maintain vineyards to supply wine for this country. They have the highest
vineyards of Europe. They are grown on banks that are often so steep that one wonders how the7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 25/250tillers of the soil or the gatherers of the fruit can maintain their hold on the precarious and shifting
footing. Each terrace has a trench near its lower retaining wall to catch the soil that is washed
down, and this soil must be carried back in baskets to the upper boundary of the plot. This is all
done by human labor. The vineyards afforded them the additional nutrition of wine and of fruit
minerals and vitamins which the two groups we studied at Loetschental and Grachen did not have. This additional nutrition was of importance because of the opportunity for obtaining through it
vitamin C. It is of particular interest in the study of the incidence of tooth decay in Visperterminen
that these additional factors had not created a higher immunity to tooth decay, nor a better
condition of health in gingival tissues than previously found. In each one hundred teeth examined
5.2 were found to have been attacked at some time by tooth decay. Here again the nutrition
consisted of rye, used almost exclusively as the cereal; of dairy products; of meat about once a
week; and also some potatoes. Limited green foods were eaten during the summer. The general
custom is to have a sheep dressed and distributed to a group of families, thus providing each family
with a ration of meat for one day a week, usually Sunday. The bones and scraps are utilized for
making soups to be served during the week. The children have goat's milk in the summer when the
cows are away in the higher pastures near the snow line. Certain members of the families go to the
higher pastures with the cows to make cheese for the coming winter's use. The problem of identifying goats or cattle for establishing individual ownership is a considerable
one where the stock of all are pastured in common herds. It was interesting to us to observe how
this problem was met. The president of the village has what is called a "tessel" which is a string of
manikins in imitation of goats or cattle made of wood and leather. Every stock owner must provide
a manikin to be left in the safekeeping of the president of the village with whom it is registered. It
carries on it the individual markings that this member of the colony agrees to put on every member
of his animal stock. The marking may be a hole punched in the left ear or a slit in the right ear, or
any combination of such markings as is desired. Thereafter all animals carrying that mark are the
property of the person who registered it; similarly, any animals that have not this individual symbol
of identification cannot be claimed by him. As one stands in profound admiration before the stalwart physical development and high moral
character of these sturdy mountaineers, he is impressed by the superior types of manhood,
womanhood, and childhood that Nature has been able to produce from a suitable diet and a
suitable environment. Surely, here is evidence enough to answer the question whether cereals
should be avoided because they produce acids in the system which if formed will be the cause of
tooth decay and many other ills including the acidity of the blood or saliva. Surely, the ultimate
control will be found in Nature's laboratory where man has not yet been able to meddle sufficiently
with Nature's nutritional program to blight humanity with abnormal and synthetic nutrition. When
one has watched for days the childlife in those high Alpine preserves of superior manhood; when
one has contrasted these people with the pinched and sallow, and even deformed, faces and
distorted bodies that are produced by our modern civilization and its diets; and when one has
contrasted the unsurpassed beauty of the faces of these children developed on Nature's primitive
foods with the varied assortment of modern civilization's children with their defective facial
development, he finds himself filled with an earnest desire to see that this betterment is made
available for modern civilization. Again and again we had the experience of examining a young man or young woman and finding
that at some period of his life tooth decay had been rampant and had suddenly ceased; but, during
the stress, some teeth had been lost. When we asked such people whether they had gone out of
the mountain and at what age, they generally replied that at eighteen or twenty years of age they
had gone to this or that city and had stayed a year or two. They stated that they had never had a
decayed tooth before they went or after they returned, but that they had lost some teeth in the
short period away from home. At this point of our studies Dr. Roos found it necessary to leave, but Dr. Gysi accompanied us
to the Anniviers Valley, which is also on the south side of the Rhone. The river of the valley, the
Navizenze, drains from the high Swiss and Italian boundary


 again,
imposing an external electrical field on the primitive protoplasm. In every instance, the growing plasmodium could be made to turn
towards the negative side of an imposed electrical environment. In other words, in the slime mould, changing the electrical en
vironment can, under certain conditions, modify the direction in
which energy flows in the protoplasmic system. The third question-w hat is the electrical correlate of an ade
quate stimulus to the plasmodiu m-was studied using a
cathode-ray tube as recording instrument, with photographic re-
77 THE UBIQUITOUS FIELD
production. Here, again, it was demonstra ted that any change in
the physical environment of primitive protoplasm results in an
adeq uate stimulus to the protoplasm itself. For a single vein of the
slime mould, suspended between two silver-silver chloride elec
trodes, showed a remarkable electro-metric response to such a
stimulus as a tap on one of the electrodes. Unlike the nervous system, however, there seemed to be a
fairly close correlation between the strength of the tap and the
electro-metric response of the protoplasm. A weak tap produced a
relatively small change in voltage gradient, whereas a heavier
one increased the magnitude of the electrical response. There was,
however, obviously, a plateau of the response beyond which the
protoplasm showed no further increase in voltage output. This, of
course, is unlike the all-or-none phenomena to he found in neural
protoplasm. Records of this sort reinforce the concept that one of the
simpler forms of protoplasm exhibits properties very like that to
be found in the nervous system. This might be suspected, of
course, since both neurones and the slime mould are built of the
same basic stuff, protoplasm. Even the most primitive protoplasm,
in order to maintain its existence, must be capable of responding
to the changing physical and chemical environment, of transmit
ting the stimuli throughout its extent and after some kind of
correlation or coordinating or integration of all the stimuli, of
producing some kind of describable response. These basic prop
erties of protoplasm, after all, are to be found enhanced enorm
ously, specialized and increased in efficiency through the differ
entiation of the nervous system. No less important are changes in the chemical environment. For example, if a drop of 2 % procain is placed on a vein, the
immediate effect of the application of the drop-and this is true
also of water-is a stimulus response usually in the opposite
polarity to the tap stimulus. After a matter of a few minutes,
however, the tap will produce a much reduced and flattened re
sponse; the magnitude is lessened and a return to the baseline is
slow. If the: procain is washed off with a fine spray of tap water,
within another five minutes a reasonably characteristic response
78 THE UBIQUITOUS FIELD
is obtained, but much enhanced over the pre-test situation. It
should be noted that the vein hangs suspended in the air over a
moist chamber and the pro cain can be either adsorbed to the
surface of the protoplasm or pass through the phase boundary
into the protoplasm itself. The promptness of the recovery act of
washing and the enhancement uf the response would seem to in
dicate that the adsorbtion to the surface was the more probable. These experiments suggest that slime mould could become a
very valuable tool for the study of the elIect of changing chemi
cal environment on protoplasm. In general, the similarity in
electrical response of the slime mould to changes in the physical
and chemical environmen t shows a remarkable similarity to the
properties of neural tissue. * * *
With the experiments described in this chapter we had covered
a wide range of living forms and in all of them we had found
electro-dynamic fields. But our adventure was to lead us to still
further discoveries. 79 CHA PTER FIVE
The Field as a Sign post
1
We had reason to believe that the electro-dy namic field could
serve as a signpost for a variety of conditions because our ex
periments had confirmed our basic assumption. This was that
the organism possesses a field as a whole which embraces sub
sidiary or local fields, representing the organism's component
parts. We assumed, then, that variations in the subsidiary fields
would be reflected in variations in the flow of energy in the
whole system-as we had found in ovulation and malignancy. We decided, therefore, to look for further practical consequen ces
of the theory. Working with Dr. Sam uel Harvey and Dr. Max Taffe!, of
the Yale University School of Medicine, we initiated a study of
the relationship between the electro-metrics of the peripheral
nervous system and the physiological state of the system ex
amined. With the coopera tion of Dr. R. G. Grennel, we made a
special study of so-called surface potentials and peripheral nerve
injury. In the course of these experiments, it was demonstra ted that
in experimental animals and man-surface potential differences
do reflect peripheral nerve activities. These potentials are not
affected by pre-gang lionic sympathectomy and seem to be inde
pendent of vascular and sweating responses. We soon found a definite relationship between nerve and tissue
in the form of a potential difference, which can be used in quanti
tative tests of nerve function. These tests are simple enough for
routine clinical application. They show a dear-cut correlation be
tween the integrity of the peripheral somatic nervous system and
potential differences measured on the surface. 80 THE FIELD AS A SIGNPOST
Interference, pharmacological or traumatic, with normal func
tions of ulnar or sciatic nerve is reflected in an altered standing
potential between a reference electrode and a moving electrode in
contact with the area supplied by the nerve in question. The
mechanism by which this correlation is brought about is im
portant. Complicity of the vascular bed might exist but the lack
of any significant change in the pattern following sympathec
tomy makes this unlikely. However, the sympathectomies were
all pre-ganglionic and hence further work must be done in order
to clarify the matter. It has been found that rapidly shutting off the blood-flow in
the forearm and hand by means of a blood pressure cuff on the
arm, as well as a sudden return of flow on releasing the cup, does
not significantly alter the potential difference. In other words,
altering the normal functioning of the vascular bed does not
affect the standing potential. Furthermore, since the microvoltmet er is relatively unaffected
by changes in resistance in the system being measured,'skin re
sistance' and sweating, as reported by Richter and his associates,
are not involved in the potential changes. In the light of these
findings it would seem unlikely that the sympathetic nervous
system is the mediating factor. Nevertheless, the data show that
in unilateral sympathectomy there is a difference in the standing
potential on the operated and unoperated sides. These measure
ments, then, form the basis of a simple, quantitat ive test of
peripheral function, independent of sweating or of vascular re
action. These ventures into the unknown of the electro-metrics of
living organisms were often prompted by a search for answers to
practical questions. An example of this are the electro-m etrics
of wound healing. The late Dr. Samuel Harvey and Dr. Max Taffel had been
studying wound healing in experimental animals and in man;
and had called attention to the fact that the strength of a heal
ing wound is probably caused in large measure by prolifera tioilS
of fibroblast. This means, of course, that there is a great deal of
mitotic activity going on and, since an increase in the number
of cells is a vital biological propert y-and since other experiments
81 THE FIEL D AS A SIGNPOST
to be reported later show a close correlation with growth-these
studjes by Taffe! and Harvey showed an increase in tensile
strength correlated with the passage of time. This inCTcase varies, for the most part, during the first eight or
ten days following the incision. This tends to be modified in
vitamin C deficient animals. But the increase of tensile strength
must involve at least two processes : one of cell proliferation and
one of cell differentiation. In normal development, the two events
do not occur in the same cell simultaneou sly. Each cell takes
part in the generalized mitosis of a group of cells-probably
fibroblas ts-for a period of time, after which, with other cells, it
undergoes a period of differen tiation. As growth proceeds, new
cells go into mitosis and then into differentiation adding thereby
to the new structure. There are no known methods for differenti
ating these two processes except by microscopic examination. The elcctro-metric technique offers the possibility of discriminat
ing between the two. 2
It seemed advisable, therefore, to investiga te the nature of
bioelectric phenomena in wound healing and to discover any
possible relationship between bioelectrics and tensile strength and
also between bioelectrics and growth or differen tiation. The experimental animals used for the laboratory were guinea