 upon theFIRST LOVE  / 43leftover responses of a child and therefore pleasing those “big-
people” that you learned to regard as superior to you. Your regres-
sion is safer than risk. • Be able to reinforce your leaning-on-others behavior by making
them more significant than you make yourself. A leaning post is a
dividend even though you’re hurt by it. • Be unable to take charge of your own life and live it the way
you choose, simply because you won’t feel that you are worth the
happiness you covet. These are the components of your self-scorn maintenance system. They are the reasons you choose to hang on to the old thinking and
behavior. It is just plain easier, that is, less risky, to put yourself
down than to try to get up. But remember, the only evidence for life
is growth, and so to refuse to grow into a self-loving person is a
deathlike choice. Armed with these insights into your own behavior,
you can begin to practice some mental and physical exercises to en-
courage the growth of your own self-love. Some Easy-to-Master Self-Love Exercises
The practice of self-love begins with your mind. You must learn
to control your thinking. This requires a lot of present-moment
awareness at the times when you are behaving in self-condemnatory
kinds of ways. If you can catch yourself as you are doing it, you can
then begin to challenge the thought in back of your behavior. You find that you have just said something like, “I’m really not
that smart, I guess I was just lucky to get an A on that paper. ” The
bell should go off in your head. “I just did it. I behaved in a self-
loathing way. But I’m aware of it now, and the next time I’ll stop
myself from saying those things I’ve been saying all of my life. ”
Your strategy is to correct yourself out44 / Your Erroneous Zonesloud with a statement such as, “I just said I was lucky, but luck really
had nothing to do with it. I got the grade because I deserved it. ” One
small step toward self-love, the step being a recognition of your
present-moment put-down and a decision to act differently. Before
you had a habit; now you have an awareness of wanting to be differ-
ent, and you have made a choice to make it happen. It’s just like
learning to drive a stick shift. Eventually you’ll have a new habit
which will not require constant awareness. You’ll soon be behaving
in all kinds of self-adoring ways naturally. With your mind now working for, rather than against you, exciting
self-love activities are on the horizon. Here is a brief list of such be-
haviors to which you can add as you achieve a sense of self-esteem
based upon your own worth. • Select new responses to others’ attempts to reach you with love
or acceptance. Rather than instantly being skeptical of a loving ges-
ture, accept them with a “thank-you” or “I’m happy that you feel
that way. ”
• If there is someone that you feel genuine love toward, say it
right out front “I love you” and while you check out the reactions
you receive in return, pat yourself on the back for taking the risk. • In a restaurant, order something you really enjoy no matter what
it costs. Give yourself a treat because you are worth it. Begin to select
items that you would prefer in all situations, including the grocery
store. Indulge yourself with a favorite product because you are worth
it. Outlaw self-denial unless it is absolutely necessary—and it rarely
is. • After a tiring day and a large meal take a brief nap or a jog in
the park even if you have too many things to do. It will help you to
feel one hundred percent better. • Join an organization, or sign up for an activity that you will en-
joy. Perhaps you’ve been putting this off because you have so many
responsibilities that you just don’t have the time. ByFIRST LOVE  / 45choosing to love yourself, and partaking of the slices of life that you
want, those others that you serve will begin to learn some self-reli-
ance of their own. And you will find yourself with an absence of
resentment toward them. You will be serving them out of choice,
rather than obligation. • Eliminate jealousy by recognizing it is a put-down of yourself. By comparing yourself to some other person and imagining you are
loved less, you make others more important than you. You are
measuring your own merit in comparison to another. Remind
yourself that (1) Someone can always choose another without having
it be a reflection on you, and (2) whether or not you are chosen by
any significant other is not the way you validate your own self-worth. If you make it that way, you are doomed to eternal self-doubt, be-
cause of the uncertainty of how a particular someone out there is
going to feel at any precise moment of any given day. Should he/she
choose another, that choice reflects only the other, not you. With
practice at self-love, any circumstances in which you’ve previously
found yourself to be jealous will be reversed. You’ll believe so much
in you that you won’t need the love or approval of others to give
you value. • Your self-love activity might also include new ways of treating
your body, such as selecting good nutritional foods, eliminating
excess weight (which can be a health risk as well as an indication of
self-rejection), taking regular walks or bicycle rides, choosing plenty
of healthy exercise, getting outdoors to enjoy fresh air because it
feels good, and in general keeping your body healthy and attractive. Provided you want to be healthy.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the main point of the passage about self-love and self-acceptance?,
A: The passage emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance and self-love, and encourages the reader to recognize that they have the power to choose their own self-image and self-worth.
Q: According to the author, can you choose to be intelligent?,
A: Yes, the author argues that intelligence is not something you inherit, but rather something you can choose to be by devoting time and effort to learning and personal growth.
Q: What is the difference between self-love and conceit?,
A: The passage distinguishes between self-love and conceit, stating that self-love is about accepting and loving oneself, while conceit is about trying to gain the approval of others.
Q: What are some examples of self-rejection behaviors?,
A: The passage lists several examples of self-rejection behaviors, including rejecting compliments, making excuses, giving credit to others, and refusing to treat oneself with kindness.
Q: According to the author, what is the main difference between self-love and self-acceptance?,
A: The author argues that self-acceptance is about recognizing that you are worthy and deserving of love, regardless of external validation or approval.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>• In a conversation, you can clock the amount of time thatYOU DON’T NEED THEIR APPROVAL  / 71you speak and compare it with the amount spoken by your partner
and acquaintances. You can work at not being the one who speaks
infrequently and only when asked to participate. • You can observe at your next get-together how many more times
you are interrupted, and whether you always condescend when you
speak simultaneously with another member of the group. Your ap-
proval-seeking may be taking the form of timidity. You can devise
strategies for speaking without being interrupted by labeling the
behavior as it crops up in your social milieu. • Chronicle how many declarative versus interrogative sentences
you make. Do you ask questions, seek permission and approval, as
opposed to making a statement? For example, the question, “Nice
day, isn’t it?” puts the other person into the problem-solving role,
and you into the approval-seeking position. A simple, “Nice day”
is a declaration, rather than an attempt to seek an answer. If you are
always asking questions of others you are into approval-seeking in
what may seem a petty area, but which is reflective of your lack of
confidence in your own ability to take charge. These are the beginning steps to eliminating approval-seeking as
a need in your life. While you are not striving to wipe out all approv-
al, you are working toward not being immobilized in any small way
because you don’t get the blandishments you covet. Applause is
pleasant and approval is a delightful experience. What you seek is
immunity from pain when you don’t get the cheers. Just as the dieter
does not test his mettle for losing weight on a full stomach, or the
individual who is quitting smoking doesn’t measure his resolve after
just putting out a cigarette, you won’t really test yourself in the ab-
sence of disapproval. You can vow until you’re orange in the face
that you can handle disfavor and that you are not going to demand
tribute from everyone, but until you are faced with the circumstances
of contention you won’t know how you are doing. If you can72 / Your Erroneous Zoneseliminate this troublesome erroneous zone from your life, the rest
will seem easy, because you have been conditioned to need approval
from your first breath on this earth. It will require a great deal of
practice, but it is worth every bit of effort you


 for their time to diagnose your condition and to offer an opinion on what to do, but you are
clear that you do not need or expect a treatment. Consultations are a good way to meet with a dentist
and see how good they are based upon their diagnoses and suggestions for treatments. This can add up
cost wise if you consult several dentists. It is also a good time to ask your dentist questions and to get
educated while you are paying them for their time to talk. Consultations can be difficult to perform if
you have a serious condition and just want the dentist’s opinion. The dentist will want to follow their
legal and perhaps moral obligations to treat you. Cavities and X-rays
One of my readers was overjoyed to have healed his gum problems. He then went to his conventional
dentist for a check-up and was shocked when his dentist told him that one of his teeth needed a rootcanal. “How could this be?” he wondered, when the tooth felt fine. The dentist diagnosed the new
cavity using older x-ray technology which can produce shadows or fuzzy images; these images
showed a large black spot under one of his tooth fillings, which the dentist claimed was not in the
previous x-ray taken 6 months prior. I advised the reader to seek care with a trusted holistic dentist. The holistic dentist used a more modern digital x-ray, which resulted in a clearer picture. The new x-
ray showed no cavity at all. It turned out that the conventional dentist mistook a shadow from a tooth
filling in the x-ray for a severe tooth cavity. The conventional dentist was obviously happy to show
this reader his cavity, because he would make a nice profit for the week doing a root canal procedure. It is even possible his dentist knew that it was a shadow, but the potential for a large financial gain
bypassed the dentist’s reasoning process and had him see cavities that were not there. The conclusion
I draw from this story and others like it is that there are likely tens of thousands, if not millions, of
dental procedures being performed yearly that are totally unnecessary. Not only are they unnecessary
from the perspective that they could be healed via nutrition, but fully unnecessary in that no condition
exists that requires treatment. In the case of a wrong diagnosis, once the dentist drills into your tooth he is not likely to say,
“Whoops, I do not see any tooth decay; sorry to have drilled a huge hole in your tooth.” Instead, he
will keep on drilling, put that filling in, and pretend as though everything went as expected. As readers of this book, you are now privileged with dental knowledge that I hope you will share
with everyone: all of your relatives, friends, coworkers and second cousins. Then they too can learn
how to avoid unnecessary dental procedures. Getting additional copies of
Cure Tooth Decay
and
sharing is a good way to spread this knowledge. Sometimes dental procedures are a good idea, and
that’s when you want them; the rest of the time, you of course do not want them. A good dentist should confirm his diagnoses with a second perspective. This means that an x-ray
image should not be exclusively relied upon to make the decision to drill. Other testing methods
include probing with an examiner, visual inspection, or using electrical or ultrasound tools to test the
strength and health of the tooth. The Dental Code of Silence
The dental code of silence means that if a dentist sees bad dental work in a patient’s mouth he will
remain silent rather than enlighten his patient to his condition. The only time a dentist might comment
on previous dental work is if it is extremely poorly done, and perhaps was performed in another
country. The only thing we know from going to each dentist we visit is our experience of lying in the
dental chair with our heads buzzing with the dental drill, and opening and closing our mouths to
varying degrees. We have no idea if the dentist put in the most amazing and clean filling ever, or if he
drilled away forever healthy tooth, and then placed the filling ineptly. I heard of a dentist who
recently passed away. He would spend five hours working on one crown. He guaranteed his crowns
would last 40 or more years. Quality dental work takes time. The dentists’ code of silence allows the profession to stay at low standards of performance since
patients are not informed or educated about poor dental work versus good dental work. Bad dentists
do not get caught, and they continue performing bad dental work. Mercury fillings are just another
example of the dentists’ code of silence. When dentists decline to take a stand against the tyranny ofdental “ethics” boards that obfuscate the toxicity and harm caused by mercury fillings and toxic
metals in the mouth, they allow the system to continue with impunity.Root Canals
George Meinig, DDS, was one of the founders of the American Association of Endodontists (root
canal specialists). When he started in dentistry, everyone simply extracted decayed teeth. Dr. Meinig
and other dentists had a great idea to save teeth rather than remove them if they were infected. Endodontists used to be on the fringe of dentistry and they worked hard to become mainstream
specialists. Now, each year in the U.S. alone there are more than 30,000,000 root canals performed. That is a 30
billion dollar industry. Dr. Meinig, once a root canal advocate after a lifetime of performing root
canals as a dentist, changed his position after he read 1174 pages of detailed research by Dr. Weston
Price and his 60-man research team. Meinig discovered that,
A high percentage of chronic degenerative disease can originate from root filled teeth. The most
frequent were heart and circulatory diseases. The next most common diseases were those of the
joints, arthritis and rheumatism. 19
What Dr. Meinig urgently wanted to show people is that in many cases a root canal sets up the body
for chronic and degenerative disease. If you have a significant degenerative condition, heart disease,
severe headaches, arthritis and so forth, a root canal may be contributing to your condition or even to
blame for it. The reason that root canals can be toxic is because each tooth contains about three miles
of microscopic tubes. After a root canal procedure, the body’s natural dentinal fluid flow to clean out
the microscopic tubes is destroyed. A sick tooth can easily develop toxic substances within the
microscopic tubules. It could be food particles or simply the death and putrefaction of the cells within
the tiny tubes. This highly toxic substance can then drip down tiny fissures through the root of the tooth
and enter your bloodstream. Dr. Price found that when bacteria could be filtered out of toxins
extracted from root canals, that the toxin became more potent than when the bacteria were present. Bacteria from a root canalled tooth are not likely the cause of illness, but are simply feeding off and
trying to clean up the rotting material. The conclusion of Dr. George Meinig’s book
 Root Canal
Cover-Up
 is that root canals are a really bad idea, and that they can be a serious source of disease. Not all root canals become infected and not all root canals cause health problems. The most recent
studies of root canal success rates over five- and ten-year periods reveal a dismal 30-40%. During
the time of Dr. Price, the rate of root canals that definitely had no observable side effects was 25%. 20
Root canals present a catch-22 situation without any good choice. Root canals that are successful in
the long run are going to be the ones that are not very infected before the treatment. These non-
infected teeth are going to be the teeth that would have been the easiest to heal naturally and therefore
did not really need root canals. The very damaged and rotten teeth are the ones that are the most
difficult to heal and the most likely needing a root canal to save the tooth. These are cases where the
root canal procedure will many times fail. Basically root canals work the best for the teeth that do not
need them, and the worst for the teeth that do need them. Why People Have Tooth Infections
Your tooth became infected because it is weak and damaged. Material from your mouth environmententered deeply into the tooth, which is now inflamed. As a response to the foreign invader, the
interior of the tooth acts to protect itself. This protection is known as an abscess. The body swells
around the foreign material, and sends white blood cells to contain the material and dissolve it or to
latch onto it and release it by collecting it in pus and then ejecting it out of your gums. The protective
mechanism of your body is the swelling, which usually is accompanied by pain. The pain is an
additional protection mechanism. Pain prevents you from chewing food in that location, so it
minimizes the chances of more material entering into the weakened area. Pain also prevents you from
chewing on the tooth so that it can be free from the biting pressure. What a Root Canal Procedure Accomplishes
A root canal is the complete removal of the guts of your tooth. A large hole is drilled into the top of
your tooth, and the inner pulp of the tooth is removed. The inside of the tooth is then cleaned with
chemicals. Once the inside is clean, a synthetic material is placed within the tooth, which is now
partially dead, and a crown is placed on top of the tooth. If this crown has stainless steel or another
metal in it, then you can have the problem of dissimilar metals in


	ATP	(adenosine
triphosphate),	are	made	in	large	quantities	when	we	sleep,	which	is	one	reason
that	an	under-rested	person	functions	poorly	and	lacks	energy. Don’t	Blame	Your	Parents
Genes	are	the	blueprints	for	the	structure	and	function	of	every	cell	in	our
bodies. Although	we	inherit	genes	from	our	parents,	how	we	maintain	and	care
for	our	genes	determines	how	well	our	cells	work. Over	a	lifetime,	to	some
degree,	genes	deteriorate	and	mutate	naturally,	but	what	we	must	focus	on	are
man-made	free	radicals	that	accelerate	or	distort	this	natural	process. Minimizing
the	damage	is	crucial;	important	steps	are	to	avoid:	radiation	from	medical	X
rays	and	other	sources,	environmental	chemicals,	prescription	and	recreational
drugs,	alcohol,	tobacco	smoke	and	even	char-broiled	meat. Minimizing	the
damage	also	means	protecting	genes	with	good	nutrition—particularly	foods
containing	ample	antioxidant	nutrients	such	as	vitamins	A,	C,	E	and	the	mineral
selenium. Many	people	assume	that	“bad	genes”	or	a	family	history	of	disease
predestines	them	to	be	sick. In	truth,	while	genetic	predispositions	do	put	a
person	at	risk	for	disease,	what	a	person	chooses	to	do	to	protect	the	health	of
their	cells	and	genes	plays	a	more	important	role	in	whether	or	not	disease
develops. Choices,	rather	than	genetic	inheritance,	are	the	key. We	must	focus
on	how	we	play	the	game,	not	the	cards	we	were	dealt;	what	we	eat,	what	we	do
and	what	we	are	exposed	to	determines	how	healthy	we	will	be. Learning	a	New	Way
Unfortunately,	a	common	medical	response	to	a	diseased	organ	is	to	remove	it
surgically. Before	taking	such	a	drastic	action,	why	not	give	the	cells	that	makeup	that	organ	what	they	need,	keep	them	free	of	what	they	do	not	need	and
restore	the	organ	to	health? Modern	lifestyles—diets	and	toxins—create	the	formulas	for	cellular
malfunction	and	disease,	yet	traditional	medical	practices	ignore	them. How
often	have	you,	a	friend	or	a	relative	consulted	a	physician	and	been	given	a
diagnosis	or	treatment	but	were	not	asked	even	one	question	about	how	you	care
for	or	neglect	your	body? Not	asked	even	one	question	about	what	you	eat,	what
harmful	substances	invade	your	environment	or	how	you	live	your	life	in
general? More	commonly	you	are	asked	about	symptoms	alone. Traditional
medicine	does	not	make	us	healthy	and,	worse	yet,	can	make	us	sick	and
promote	our	death. Drugs,	surgeries	and	other	medical	procedures	that	disregard
the	causes	of	disease—not	fixing	the	problems	inside	the	cells	and	instead
addressing	symptoms—	can	never	cure	the	disease. Disease	is	not	about
“diseases,”	it	is	about	cells;	diagnoses	and	treatments	should	always	reflect	this
approach. The	battle	between	sickness	and	health	takes	place	within	every	cell	in	your
body. Choosing	healthy	cells	means	following	each	of	the	six	pathways	in	a
positive	direction;	let	us	move	on	to	the	first	of	the	six:	the	nutrition	pathway.5
T
HE
N
UTRITION
P
ATHWAY
“The	well-nourished	American	is	a	myth. Despite	the	high
level	of	education	and	the	abundance	of	available	food,
many	people	make	poor	food	choices	and	are	badly
nourished.... [T]he	average	human	diet,	nutritionally	unfit
for	rats,	must	be	equally	unsatisfactory	or	even	more	so	in
meeting	human	needs.”
Carl	Pfeiffer,	M.D.,	Ph.D. Mental	and	Elemental	Nutrients
M
eet	Elizabeth. For	eight	years	Elizabeth	has	waged	a	losing	battle	against
chronic	fatigue. She	suffers	from	painful	arthritis	(with	measurable	bone	loss	in
one	shoulder),	and	she	takes	powerful	pain	medications	daily. Overwhelming
exhaustion,	coupled	with	the	pain,	prevent	her	from	working	or	participating	in
meaningful	activity. She	has	seen	numerous	medical	doctors	and	alternative
practitioners,	but	she	is	not	improving. After	hearing	me	speak	at	a	chronic	fatigue	support	group,	Elizabeth	reached
out	for	my	help. Within	a	few	months	Elizabeth’s	pain	was	gone	and	her	energy
was	soaring. A	year	later,	she	returned	to	work,	at	a	six-figure	income. “Raymond	gave	me	back	my	life,”	she	tells	friends. In	reality,	I	simply	taught
her	how	to	give	her	cells	the	nutrients	they	were	desperately	missing. Even	more
simply,	I	taught	Elizabeth	how	to	shop	for	food,	prepare	meals	and	find	high-
quality	vitamin	supplements. Simple,	essential	and	life-saving. To	become	healthier,	Elizabeth	began	to	consume	more	nutritious	foods,	eat
more	raw	foods	and	fewer	cooked	ones. She	was	careful	about	which	foods	to
combine	together. She	cut	back	on	sugar,	white	flour,	hydrogenated	oils	and
milk	products,	as	well	as	coffee. These	choices	literally	made	Elizabeth	a
changed	woman;	her	whole	life	and	health	were	turned	around	by	improving	the
chemistry	inside	her	cells. Her	fatigue	and	arthritis	pain	gradually	disappeared,
and	she	actually	repaired	much	of	the	damaged	bone	tissue	in	her	arthritic
shoulder. In	various	forms,	Elizabeth’s	story	of	declining	health	is	played	out	millions
of	times	each	day	in	this	country. Few	Americans	go	to	bed	hungry,	but	almost
all	Americans	go	to	bed	malnourished,	some	severely	so. This	concept	may	be
difficult	to	accept	because	we	typically	envision	malnourished	third-worldpeople	with	distended	bellies	and	listless	eyes. In	truth,	“well-fed”	Americans,
including	those—or	perhaps	especially	those—who	are	overweight,	are
“starving”	for	the	kinds	of	food	needed	to	become	and	stay	healthy. Most	of	us	eat	the	wrong	foods. I	call	them	“make-believe”	foods	that	do	not
meet	the	needs	of	our	cells. In	fact,	90	percent	of	the	typical	American	food
budget	is	spent	on	make-believe	foods. Most	of	us	spend	lots	of	money	and	lots
of	time	shopping	for	and	preparing	meals	that	are,	in	small	and	large	ways,
killing	our	cells,	creating	disease	and	shortening	our	lives. We	shop	in	supermarkets	full	of	empty-calorie	foods. We	buy	foods	that	have
been	so	mishandled	that	they	no	longer	offer	the	nutrition	we	think	we	are
buying. We	prepare	and	cook	our	foods	in	ways	that	destroy	their	nutritional
value. Nearly	all	of	us—from	junk-food	junkies	to	“health-conscious”
consumers—are	being	misled	into	believing	that	low-fat	products	and	typical
supermarket	meat	and	produce	can	build	a	healthy	diet. Consider:
•	Too	much	of	our	diet	is	created	from	an	officially	approved	“Big	Four”
list	of	foods	that	fail	to	nurture	our	bodies	and	also	create	toxins	that	sicken
us. The


 chemicals, etc. ), this ALWAYS caused a rise in the number of white cells in the blood. The researchers renamed this reaction “pathological leukocytosis”, since the body was reacting to highly altered food. They tested many different kinds of foods and found that if the foods were not overheat -
ed or refined, they caused no reaction. The body saw them as “friendly foods”. However, these same f oods, if heat ed a
t too high a temperature, caused a negative reaction in the
blood, a reaction that is found only when the body is invaded by a dangerous pathogen or trauma. The Worst OffendersThe worst offenders of all, whether heated or not, were processed foods that had been
refined (such as white flour or white rice), or homogenized (a process in which the fat in milk is subjected to artificial suspension), or pasteurized (also seen in milk, flash-heated to high temperatures to kill bacteria), or preserved (chemicals added to food to retard spoilage or to enhance taste or texture). in other words, foods that were changed from their original God-given state. Good examples of these harmful foods are: pasteurized milk, chocolate, margarine, sugar, candy, white flour, and regular salt. The researchers found that if these altered, chemical foods were chewed very thoroughly, the harm to the blood could be lessened. In addition, another amazing finding was that if some of the same food in its raw state was eaten with the cooked counterpart, the pathological reaction in the blood was minimized. However, avoid these unnatural, processed foods; replace them with delicious whole foods for optimal health. ReferencesInternational Agency for Research on Cancer (1993); “Some naturally occurring sub -
stances: Food items and constituents, heterocyclic aromatic amines and mycotoxins
(Interna
tional Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France). Gold, L. S., Slone, T. H., Stern, B. R., Manley, N. B. & Ames, B. N. (1992); Science 258, 34
Fruiticulture261-265. Gold, L. S., Slone, T. H., Manley, N. B. & Ames, B. N. (1994); Cancer Letter 83, 21-29.Kouchakoff, Paul, M.D. ; “The Influence of Cooking Food on the Blood Formula of Man”;
First International Congress of Microbiology; Paris, 1930.
http://www.igienenaturale.it/Post-Prandial%20Leucocytosis.pdf

f
The landmark 1982 report commissioned by the National Academy of Sciences
that revelated the carcinogenic effects of cooking
https://www.nap.edu/catalog/371/diet-nutrition-and-cancer35
FruiticultureHomo Sapiens the Frugivore
by Dr T. C. Fry & Dr. Douglas Graham &
David Klein, Ph.D. The Great Potential
by David Klein, Ph.D. It is the most magnificent of all creations, unsurpassed in its elegance; astonishing in
its physical capabilities; the perfect self-healer; a sensational masterpiece of Divine expression. I am talking about your body, healthy and fit, completely detoxified, all of its biological
needs being met, living in harmony with Nature with youthfulness and abundant vitality. Deep down, isn’t that what you have always longed for? Do you wonder what is holding you
back from having the joyous, high-en -
ergy-illness-free life you have always desir ed, from living up t o all of y
our
capabilities, fulfilling your potential and realizing your loftiest dreams? It could be that the vehicle that takes
you around in life is not able to per -
form well. Why? Most likely because you have not been oper a
ting it prop -
erly. If you’ve been eating a processed food diet with bread, meat and dairy, your body is har boring to xic w
astes; its fluids and tissues are polluted, bowels fouled, and organs
impaired or damaged. The toxins drag down your energy, rob your health, wreak your emotions, dull and poi -
son your mind, and age you rapidly on your way to a painful death. The toxins must
36
Fruiticulturecome out! The good news is that your body knows how to get all of the pollution out; it knows
how to detoxify; it is trying to do so right now! It simply needs to be cared for properly. This begins with eating like the frugivore that you truly are and adopting The Fruitarian Diet. There is no more powerful endeavor to improve your health. The rewards for living healthfully on the Fruitarian Diet are innumerable. Please continue reading...
f
37
FruiticultureSome Outstanding Facts for Y our Consideration
by Dr. T. C. Fry

1. While in a state of Nature, humans and as well other species developed natural equip -
ment and faculties for finding, taking, consuming, efficiently processing and utilizing
foods which they adapted to. 2. D
espite the many and varied diets consumed by humans over the globe, our instinc -
tual dietary nature and faculties have not evolved away from our pristine foods. 3. The foods upon which we dev
eloped in nature necessarily nourished us adequately to
bring us to our high state of development. The foods to which we adapted in Nature will
still sustain us adequately and amply by meeting all our varied nutrient requirements. 4. With our modern botanical and horticultural expertise, we are capable of producing
our natural foods of a quality that will continue to meet our nutrient needs and enable us to attain our highest potentials. 5. Symbiosis and cooperation exist in Nature to an extent most people do not realize. Educational texts and media do not teach our symbiotic role in Nature. Humans existed symbiotically in Nature, as did (and still now do) all undomesticated and unfarmed ani -
mals; humans ate fruits and dispersed the seeds, thereby perpetuating the fruit species and the human species, fulfilling our integ r
al roles in the Grand Web of Life. f
38
FruiticultureComparative Anatomy
by Dr. Douglas Graham
How does one determine the correct food for any given creature? Let us suppose that
you were given a baby animal and you had no idea what it was or what it was supposed to eat. Perhaps it was a gift from a foreign land. How would you know what to feed it? The answer is relatively simple. All you would have to do is offer the creature differ -
ent types of foods in their whole, natural state. That which it was designed for, it would
eat. It w ould likely ig
nore all the other items, not even considering them as food. I have
done this successfully with orphaned animals that I have saved. The same technique would work with a human child. Put the child in a room with a lamb
and a banana. Sit back and watch to see which he plays with and which he eats. We can be fairly sure of the outcome. Try again with fats versus fruits by offering a choice of (natural, raw, unsalted) nuts, seeds, avocados, or olives on the one hand and any fresh sweet fruit on the other. Again, we can safely predict that the child will choose the sweet fruit. Humans vs. CarnivoresThe following is an incomplete list of the major differences between humans and car -
nivorous creatures.Walking:  W
e have two hands and two feet, and we walk erect. All of the carnivores have
four feet and perform their locomotion using all fours.Tails:  Carnivores have tails.Tongues:  Only the truly carnivorous animals have rasping (rough) tongues. All other
creatures have smooth tongues. Claws :  Our lack of claws makes ripping skin or tough flesh extremely difficult. We pos -
sess much weaker, flat fingernails instead.Opposable T humbs
:  Our opposable thumbs make us extremely well equipped to col -
lect a meal of fruit in a matter of a few seconds. Most people find the process effortless. All we hav e t
o do is pick it. The claws of carnivores allow them to catch their prey in a 39
Fruiticulturematter of seconds as well. We could no more catch and rip the skin or tough flesh of a
deer or bear barehanded than a lion could pick mangos or bananas. Births:  Humans usually have children one at a time. Carnivores typically give birth to
litters. ColonFormation:  Our convoluted colons are quite different in design from the smooth
colons of carnivorous animals. Intestinal Length:  Our intestinal tracts measure roughly 12 times the length of our tor -
sos (about 30 feet). This allows for the slow absorption of sugars and other water-borne
nutrients from fruit. I
n contrast, the digestive tract of a carnivore is only 3 times the
length of its torso. This is necessary to avoid rotting or decomposition of flesh inside the animal. The carnivore depends upon highly acidic secretions to facilitate rapid digestion and absorption in its very short tube. Still, the putrefaction of proteins and the rancidity of fats is evident in their feces. 40
FruiticultureMammary Glands:  The multiple teats on the abdomens of carnivores do not coincide
with the pair of mammary glands on the chest of humans. Sleep:  Humans spend roughly two thirds of every 24-hour cycle actively awake. Carnivores typically sleep and rest from 18 to


 does not merely coordinate sensory
data, but interprets it. Sensory data, being potentially end-
less, must be filtered and selected according to what is rel-
evant for the mind. We determine this by where we place
our attention. For example, if we are driving a car, we must
give our attention to the road and not let it wander or we
might get into an accident. Interpretation of sensory data is twofold — both objec-
tive and subjective. Objectively we organize sensory data,
gathering in the proper impressions to determine their
meaning. To identify an object, like a house, for example,
we must take in enough objective impressions to ascertain
its nature. This creates the factual part of the mind. The The Outer Mind: The Field of the Senses 113
outer mind governs factual information and data of all
types, much like a computer. This it transfers on to the
Buddhi for judgment. Subjectively, we must relate sensory data to our own
personal condition. For example, when we are crossing a
street and see that a car may hit us, we react quickly to
protect ourselves, getting scared and moving aside. This
creates the emotional part of the mind. Emotion allows us
to respond to sensory data in an immediate and personal
manner. Emotion is our personal reaction to sensory data,
giving us fear of what causes pain and desire for what
brings pleasure. The outer mind includes thought of an informational
nature and emotion based on sensation and functions
between the two. We need some degree of objectivity to
organize sensory data, but some degree of subjectivity to
relate it to ourselves. Of the mind's two functions, emo-
tion, which is subjective, has the greatest capacity for caus-
ing pain. Emotion can distort the informational capacity of
the mind and create misperception. The emotional side of
the mind connects more with the Pranas and the motor
organs, which serve mainly to fulfill various Pranic activi-
ties. The mental side connects more with the sensory
organs and intelligence. Emotion
Emotions are characterized by a sensory component —
the sights, sounds or other sensations that convey them. Sensation gives rise to emotion. If we contact something
pleasurable, it makes us happy. If we contact something
painful, we feel sad. This emotional vulnerability is built
into the mind. Temporary emotional reactions come through the outer 114 Ayurveda and the Mind
mind. Enduring emotional states, however, belong to our
deeper consciousness (Chitta). Repeated emotions move
from reactions of the outer mind into conditions of the
inner consciousness. For example, when we first meet an
attractive partner, our emotion is aroused. After we've
been in a long-term relationship, the person becomes part
of our deeper consciousness, and we take on aspects of his
or her personality. Specific emotions, tied to particular objects, belong to
the outer mind, but the essence of emotion belongs to our
deeper consciousness. There the moods or flavors (rasas) of
emotions dwell — like love, anger, fear, and joy— beyond
any association with particular sensations.35 For this rea-
son, both those who hold that emotions are more superfi-
cial than thought and those who hold they are deeper are
both correct. It depends upon the type of emotion. I pre-
fer to call these deeper emotions of our core consciousness
"feelings" and use the term emotion or emotional reactions
for the emotions of the outer mind. Outer Mind and Intelligence
The outer mind allows us to register information. Intel-
ligence allows us to process information. The mind
(Manas) is the instrument of thinking in which we enter-
tain doubts, while intelligence (Buddhi) is the instrument
of perception through which we resolve doubts and make
decisions. The outer mind includes all forms of speculation
and imagination. As long as we are on the outer level of
the mind, we must remain in doubt and susceptible to
emotional reactions. People who are good at gathering
information but poor at making decisions suffer from too
much activity of the mind. The mind working apart from
intelligence causes us to think aimlessly, without purpose, The Outer Mind: The Field of the Senses 115
as in daydreaming, idle speculation or idle calculation. It
causes us to go over ideas, generally useless, without com-
ing to any conclusion, which requires the action of intelli-
gence. The outer mind itself has no values, principles or goals,
which derive from intelligence. Its concern is expansion
and exploration of the external world, seeking pleasure and
avoiding pain. Its purpose is to afford us experience in the
realm of the senses, not to establish lasting values. As long
as we operate on its level, we are purely sensate creatures. We are victims of the emotions aroused by our senses —
the attraction to pleasurable sensations and the aversion to
painful ones. Our modem information-sensation culture is dominat-
ed by the outer mind and lacking in intelligence. We are
more concerned with gathering information through the
mind than with digesting it, which requires intelligence. We have developed many ways to expand the field of sen-
sory data, but not the wisdom to use it properly. Though the sense organs function through the mind,
which coordinates their activity, sensory perception, like
all forms of perception, occurs through intelligence (Bud-
dhi). The mind holds the images of objects but intelli-
gence definitively ascertains what they are. Only when
intelligence guides the senses can we use them objectively. For this reason, the sense organs are sometimes included in
the sphere of intelligence. Intelligence is the inner or subjective part of the mind
through which we make choices and decisions. The outer
mind is the screen on which we perceive the external world
and execute these choices and decisions. Intelligence there-
fore draws us within, while the mind draws us externally. The purpose of the outer mind is enjoyment (bhoga), 116 Ayurveda and the Mind
which is externally directed. Spiritual development (yoga),
whose movement is within, arises only through the power
of intelligence. While the mind leads us to worldly
involvement, intelligence leads us to spiritual develop-
ment. However, in the evolved state, the mind allows us to
respond creatively to external influences. It becomes the
basis of right action, without which we could not organize
our outer lives according to any higher principles. Mind, Intelligence and Consciousness
Consciousness (Chitta) feels internally and has its own
sense of knowing. The mind (Manas) senses things out-
wardly, requiring an external impression for it to function. Intelligence (Buddhi) perceives and recognizes both
inwardly and outwardly. For example, through the mind
one may sense a person is unhappy, an impression that
comes through putting together the information of the
senses. Through intelligence, one will perceive it as an
objective fact, by reasoning based upon what one sees. Through one's deeper consciousness, one will actually feel
the unhappiness of the other person. The outer mind, relying upon the senses, gives a sense
of something, which usually remains tinged with doubt. Intelligence perceives an object, depending upon some
rational process, in which there is no longer any doubt. Consciousness feels the object as one's own. Intelligence (Buddhi) and consciousness (Chitta) only
function in our ordinary awareness through the outer mind
and senses (Manas), in which we are usually engaged. Such
intelligence or intellect only serves to discriminate the
names and forms recognized by the outer mind. Such con-
sciousness only serves to heighten the sensations received
through the outer mind. The Outer Mind: The Field of the Senses
Cosmic Mind
Collective and cosmic counterparts of the mind exist as
well. Its collective side is the sensory activity of other crea-
tures on Earth. The sensory influences of creatures create
the psychic atmosphere in which we function. Sensory
impressions leave a residue or afterglow. The Earth's
atmosphere is filled with the residual sensory impressions
of creatures. The mass media is filling the psychic atmos-
phere with unwholesome impressions in the form of radio
waves, making it negative and destructive. The cosmic side of the mind is the sensory activity of
creatures in all worlds. It is dominated by visions of the
great Gods and Goddesses who, through the Cosmic
Mind, fashion the heavens of subtle impressions. Medita-
tion and ritual using form, color and sound help create a
positive psychic atmosphere and connect us to the Cosmic
Mind. Composition
The outer mind develops primarily from Rajas, the
active energy of consciousness (Chitta). '6 It is built up from
the absorbed sensory potentials of sound, touch, sight,
taste and smell, along with the emotions and ideas associ-
ated with them. As consciousness consists of the gunas, so
mind consists of impressions (Tanmatras). The main site of
the mind is the head or brain, where the senses predomi-
nate, particularly the soft palate which is the central point
of all the senses. Its emotional aspect functions through
the heart, not the spiritual heart but the physical and vital
heart. Manas constitutes the sheath of mind or Manomaya
Kosha. This makes up the subtle or astral body which is
the field of our impressions. The subtle body functions


 an isolated sacred spot? My wife and four of our children spent several days walking, meditating,
observing, and breathing in the ener gy of this magnificent place. The days I
spent in Machu Picchu gave me some of the most blissful feelings of
sustained well-being that I have ever known in my life. I meditated in the
mountain shrine and felt the presence of God surrounding me. When I
lectured to the seventy or eighty people who accompanied us there, the
words did not seem to come from me. I was only a vehicle for the flowing
energy that seemed to come from elsewhere to the audience. I kept
repeating to my wife that I had never felt such a feeling of well-being in my
life. The pheromones of loving ener gy, untainted by the low ener gies of
intolerance and hatred, were distinctly present in this magnificent place
which stood unmolested over the centuries. Those lower ener gies, which
infected the surrounding territories and created fields of sorrow, will only
be eradicated with a new infusion of love, or a spiritual solution to a very
large collective problem. There you have four examples among many I could have related here in this
section. My visits to Dachau near Munich, Gettysbur g in Pennsylvania,
Alcatraz in San Francisco elicited similar feelings of low ener gy
atmospheres of suf fering. Similarly, entering the ener gy fields of the Great
Pyramids, the sacred hills of Sedona, Arizona, and the ancient holy shrines
on Bali evoked feelings of being in a higher and faster ener gy field. The
important thing here is not to give you an endless list of examples but toencourage you to awaken to the fact that ener gy is something radiated
outward that impacts for eons of time everyone who enters that space. Y ou
have the choice of making your ener gy field environment blissful by
sending out this kind of consciousness, or you can impact your environment
in nonblissful ways. When you feel that your family, social, and work environments are
poisoned in any way by the negativity and slowed down ener gy of others,
you can do something about it. I turn once again to Mother T eresa to of fer
you a way to improve those negative environment fields. The following
section represents a blueprint for a broader environmental ener gy field
permanently free of contamination. The eight points are from Mother
Teresa of Calcutta, followed by my comments on each of her suggestions. An Eight-Point Plan of Decontamination
People ar e often unr easonable, illogical, and self-center ed. For give them
anyway. Forgiveness in your heart is like a cleansing agent for your ener gy
field. When you notice the low ener gy conduct of others, rather than
allowing it to impact and infect your immediate surroundings, send them a
silent blessing and refuse to be seduced into joining them in their low
energy. When you forgive them you choose to not be impacted in a negative
manner. If you ar e kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind
anyway. Your field of ener gy is protected from contamination by kindness. Once you are independent of the accusations of others, you are unable to be
angry and hurt over what others accuse you of. Be kind because it is you,
not because of the reactions you want from others. Kindness that comes
from your heart will suf fice to keep you from being dragged down into an
energy field infected by false accusations. If you ar e successful, you will win some false friends and some true
enemies. Succeed anyway. The world is filled with people who are looking
for occasions to be of fended. Y our success at anything is enough to trigger
such a reaction in others. Keep your ener gy field pristine by focusing on
what you know to be your divine purpose, and by doing so, the universewill support and sustain you with what is labeled success. Others will be
offended, but if you persist in ignoring their reactions, you will not allow
the presence of false friends or true enemies to be a factor in your life. If you ar e honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank
anyway. Your ener gy field will remain uncontaminated as long as you know
that you are being honest and frank. This may attract others at the lower
energies of dishonesty and cheating to try to take advantage of you. But you
will not become their victim because you will have the sense of inner peace
that characterizes higher and faster spiritual ener gy. Those who attempt to
cheat you will respect and honor your position when you stay true to your
spiritual values. Behave toward others from your highest self and you will
eventually be free of the fear of being cheated. Ironically, when that fear
disappears, the problem of being cheated also disappears. What you spend years building, someone may destr oy overnight. Build
anyway. Do not build anything only for the purpose of having it completed. Build because it is your way of expressing your purpose. When you eat a
banana the goal is not to finish it, but to enjoy each bite while nourishing
yourself. Building something is a means of expressing yourself. If someone
took all the books I’ve published and destroyed them, I would continue to
write. If every tape recording of my lectures was destroyed, I would
continue to speak. Everything in the material world that is built will
ultimately be destroyed. Build not in fear of having it destroyed, but
because you are giving expression to the infinite spirit within. If you find ser enity and happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy
anyway. I always remind myself that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. If you seek the reactions of others as the basis of your
way of being then you have turned the source of your happiness over to
those whose reactions you covet. Happiness is an inside job. Y ou don’ t get
it from anyone or anything; you bring it to everyone and every event of
your life. Keep your ener gy field free of contamination by remembering
that you are the source of the cleansing. Others may be jealous, find fault
with you, and say terrible things about you, but you are free to choose
happiness for yourself anyway. The by-product of your response is that yougradually impact their jealous and mean-spirited ener gy fields with your
radiating happiness. The good you do today, people will often for get tomorr ow. Do good anyway. Like being happy, doing good is something that you do as an expression of
your invisible spiritual essence. Stop looking for the approval and gratitude
of others as your reason to do good. Even if no one ever says thank you, do
for others as your heart dictates from spirit, which is rooted in the faster
energy of love, kindness, and connectedness to all. Y our spirit ur ges you to
express heart ener gy. Ego, rooted in the material world, ur ges you to do
what you do so that you will be remembered and rewarded as if life were a
contest. Listen to your spirit. Remind yourself to give love and do good
because that is who you are, and for no other reasons. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the
world the best you’ve got anyway. “The best,” as used by Mother T eresa,
implies your highest, most sacred self. This is the fastest vibrational ener gy
and the source of all problem resolution. Others may attempt to contaminate
your ener gy field by demanding more of you, or by criticizing you
repeatedly, or even by ignoring your ef forts. When you return to your
highest self, you are independent of those opinions almost instantly, and
problems of feeling unappreciated are nonexistent. Give the world your
spirit, and detach from the outcome of your ef forts, and your ener gy field
becomes less and less contaminated. These are the eight suggestions that Mother T eresa of Calcutta of fered as a
plan for your life. Her conclusion is the truly profound essence of this
offering. “Y ou see, in the final analysis, it is all between you and God; / it
was never between you and them anyway.”
Recently I approached a traf fic light where a man stood in shabby clothes
with a three-legged dog by his side. As I waited for the light to change I
looked at this scene with compassion and felt an ur ge to contribute
something. The sign he was carrying indicated that he was homeless. The
people in my car commented that he was a strong young man, there were
plenty of employment opportunities, and why should anyone give to people
who are capable of working. They indicated a kind of mild contempt forthis man soliciting funds when he “should” be working like they worked
every day. My thoughts were on him and the fact that he cared for and fed
this crippled dog. I rolled down the window and gave him several dollars
for which he expressed enormous gratitude. As the companions in my car semi-scolded me for being a sucker and for
enabling him to continue to be a beggar I heard the words that Mother
Teresa said. T ruly this was not between me and my friends in the car, nor
was it between me and that homeless man. It was between me and God. And something inside of me ur ged me to extend love and a little cash as
well. The next time you see


 home-made yoghurt (if well tolerated). Russian Borsch
tit I of home-made meat stock
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 medium carrot finely sliced
'U of medium-size white cabbage finely sliced
2 medium-size beetroots or4 small beetroots raw or cooked
3 cloves of garlic
1 finely chopped tomato
If the beetroot is cooked (in water, not in vinegar):
Bring the meat stock to boil and add the onion, carrot and cabbage. Cover
and simmer for 20 minutes. In the meantime slice the cooked beetroots
into long thin strips. Add into the soup, mix well and simmer for another 5
minutes. Take off the heat. Crush the 3 cloves of garlic and add to the soup together with the chopped tomato. Serve with a large spoon of creme
fraiche or home-made yoghurt (if well tolerated) and some chopped pars
ley and/or a thick slice of hard-boiled egg. If the beetroot is raw:
Wash and peel the beetroot. Slice into long thin strips by hand or using
your food processor. Bring the meat stock to boil and add the beetroot. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, then add the rest of the vegetables (onion, carrot
and cabbage). Simmer for further 20 minutes or until the cabbage is
cooked.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the recommended method for cooking beetroot?,
A: Steaming until a knife goes through easily, or buying it already cooked in water, not vinegar.
Q: What are some examples of unsuitable soup stock granules or bouillon cubes?,
A: Commercially available soup stock granules or bouillon cubes, as they are highly processed and contain detrimental ingredients.
Q: How long should you cook the meat and bones in the oven for the meat stock?,
A: 3 hours at least.
Q: What are some alternatives to egg yolks as a binder in baking?,
A: Gelatine, pumpkin, butternut squash, and banana.
Q: What is a recommended method for making soups and stews?,
A: Use home-made meat stock, as it is more nutritious and has been known for centuries as a healing folk remedy for the digestive tract.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Ignore
tantrums, screaming, crying and all other misbehaviours. Do not give him
what he wants until he has had that one mouthful of the good food and do
not let him leave the table. When he has had only one mouthful of the good
food or literally just tasted it, give him the preferred food as a reward with
lavish praise, hugs, kisses, tickles (whatever your child would most appre
ciate) and let him go. In a few minutes repeat the whole procedure again. Only work on one mouthful at a time, reward and let him/her go. In a few
minutes repeat again. Give your child only a small amount of the reward
food: one or two crisps, a little piece of chocolate, etc. If he comes back for
more, get him to eat another mouthful before rewarding him with another
crisp, small piece of chocolate, eta These reward foods will have to be available only as rewards for eating the good foods, they must not be given
to your child at other times, otherwise your child will wait for that time
when he can get it without any effort. Keep the whole procedure positive
and as happy as possible. After your child starts to take one mouthful of a
particular food without any trouble, start demanding two mouthfuls of the
same food for the same reward. You may spend a few days, a week or even
more on the one mouthful stage, in different children it takes different
effort. After you have conquered the two mouthfuls, move to three mouth
fuls for the same reward. Slowly increase the number of mouthfuls until
your child eats the whole meal. The examples of reward foods, which I have given here (chocolate,
crisps) are foods which are not allowed on the GAPS nutritional pro
gramme. However, in the initial stages when you are trying to teach your
child the whole ABA concept use whatever works. Once your child has
understood the rules of the game move to rewards allowed on the diet. If
your autistic child can be motivated by any dessert ideas allowed on the
diet, then - hooray! - forget about chocolate and crisps. Apart from favourite foods you can use anything else your child likes as a
reward for getting him/her to eat the new food. For example, if your child
likes to watch a particular video: put that video on, let it play for 5 minutes,
then pause it. Offer your child a mouthful of the food you want to intro
duce into his diet. Do not switch the video back on again until that mouth
ful is eaten. Do not give in to tantrums, screaming, crying, etc. When your
child has the mouthful, give him/her a lavish enthusiastic praise with hugs
and kisses and switch the video back on. In a few minutes repeat the pro
cedure again. If your child is not particularly interested in videos, use
whatever he/she is interested in - toys, books, games. Obsessive
behaviours and self-stimulation generally should not be encouraged in
autistic children. However, if that is the only thing that would motivate
your child, use them as rewards for eating the right foods. It is important to work on one food at a time. Do not try to introduce
several foods at the same time. Decide for yourself what food is the most
important to introduce first into your child's nutrition and work on it. It is
sensible to start with foods which you think would be easiest for your child
to accept. As you have conquered one or two foods and your child's menu
starts growing you will find that introducing consecutive foods becomes
easier and easier. In no time at all your child will be having a very nourish
ing and varied diet. The important thing is not to get disheartened by the initial resistance from your child, but persevere. Hundreds of parents who have imple
mented the ABA programme with their children had to go through the
initial stage of tantrums to get their children to do anything, from simple
"Come here" to more complex things. Nobody can teach a child who would
not comply with anything you tell it to do. But once you have won that first
battle, you have gained your child's compliance, which means that now
you have a child whom you can teach! 1. Introducing new foods to GAPS children without language problems
With GAPS children who do not have problems with communication the
procedure is similar but much easier. The child has to eat the good food
first in order to get what he/she wants: a preferred food, a game, a toy, etc. In these children I would not use non-allowed foods, like chocolate or
crisps for rewards. You can use your home-made desserts, allowed on the
diet. I am sure that most parents are familiar with the timeless mother's
motto: Have your meal first, then you will get your pudding! Apart from
that, use more sophisticated rewards as games, toys, trips to cinema, etc. rather than food rewards. Just like with autistic children, with other GAPS children it is important
to start from small achievable targets, like one mouthful or a small piece of
the food. If you try to suddenly introduce a large plateful of food, which
your child hates, you are going to fail. Once your child will accept a small
piece for a reward, slowly move to larger and larger portions. Be patient
and consistent! Do not give in to whining, complaining or tantrums! If
he/she does not eat the good food - he/she does not get the pudding (or
any other reward)! As simple as that! You have to be firm. Once you have
asked your child to have the one mouthful of food you cannot back off or
allow any negotiations or manipulations. If you allow your child to win on
the food issue, you have lost on many other issues! If your child refused the one mouthful of the good food and does not
seem to care that he/she did not get the reward, it means that you have
chosen the wrong reward! Choose a reward which your child cares about
strongly enough that he/she would do anything to get it. However, no
matter how motivating the reward is never forget to add to it your lavish
enthusiastic praise with a hug! Your child has to feel that he/she has done
something really good when they had that mouthful of the good food! In the majority of cases once the children have had a good taste of a food
which they did not touch before they actually start liking it. As their bodily flora starts to improve, a lot of cravings go away and the normal sense of
taste returns, so your child will start developing a new liking for different
foods. But to start this process off your child needs your help. On his/her
own your child is not capable of braking the vicious cycle of cravings,
toxicity and abnormalities in taste. Once your child has a good balanced
diet, you can allow him/her not to eat a small number of foods which they
particularly dislike. We all have these likes and dislikes. However, make
sure that it is within normal proportions,
It is very important to keep the whole process positive! Talk to your child,
explain why you want him


still wasn’t getting an adequate amount of nutrition, his body
now had to produce even more adrenaline to raise his sugar
level, which created even more sleeping problems. Eventually,
the excess adrenaline may have stopped his heart—just three
weeks before the concerts were to begin. The medications he was receiving might have contributed, as well. MIXED TYPE ADHD
Some people manifest characteristics of both types of ADHD,
a condition I call mixed type ADHD. They seem to have excess
adrenaline in the brain plus increased adrenaline as a systemic
hormone. In my experience, people with mixed ADHD  have
more severe symptoms than people with either the typical
or the creative type. They have more problems with anxiety,
obsessive-compulsive behaviors, or depression, and sometimes
have the most difficulty focusing. Women with this condition
may have increased nausea throughout an entire pregnancy. These are the people who may have been diagnosed as
having dyslexia—the tendency to read letters or numbers backwards. They are both right-brained and left-brained. Often enough, they may also be the most successful people
in the world. THOUGHTS ON ADHD AND ADRENALINE
To summarize, I feel that ADHD  represents the good side of
excess adrenaline. People whose work requires brainpower can
often thank their high level of adrenaline for their intelligence. Professional athletes can attribute much of their skill and ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 32  |
strength to adrenaline. People in law enforcement and in
the military rely on adrenaline to do their work. However,
unless properly treated, people with ADHD  are likely to also
experience the down sides of adrenaline, which are discussed
in the following chapters. From my experience with thousands of patients, I can say
that treating ADHD  associated with excess adrenaline with
the proper meal plan and progesterone therapy addresses the
problem directly and surprisingly quickly. Yet the link between
ADHD  and adrenaline is not yet generally recognized. In the
last year alone, more than a thousand articles on ADHD were
published in medical journals. Not one of them mentioned
adrenaline. This is certain to change, eventually. I predict that about
20 years from now someone will receive the Nobel Prize in
Medicine for figuring out the cause of ADHD  and ADD. It
may take that long for the medical establishment to appreciate
the fact that a hormone imbalance involving excess adrenaline
is the root cause.33
CHAPTER 5EXCESS
ADRENALINE:
THE BAD
All of the conditions included in the three excess adrenaline
categories—the “good,” the “bad,” and the “ugly”—affect
the quality of life of the people who have them. The ones I have
placed in the “bad” category, in my view, may not impact the
patient as severely as those in the “ugly” category. However, the
distinction between “bad” and “ugly” is somewhat arbitrary. In fact, the same person can have symptoms relevant to all
three categories. The majority of the conditions caused by excessive amounts
of adrenaline, an extremely powerful hormone, are considered
incurable. Standard medical practice for these conditions is to
prescribe medications that often have adverse effects on the
body while failing to provide much relief; this is because the
medications primarily alleviate the conditions’ symptoms, not
their cause. I have seen this repeatedly in patients who have come to my office in desperation, their bodies burdened with
the effects of both excess adrenaline and their medications. The speed and magnitude of their relief when they begin a
treatment that targets excess adrenaline, along with weaning
themselves off the drugs, is rewarding to both patient and
practitioner.ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 34  |
It is my feeling that doctors are at a crossroads. They
can continue their present course of practice, which means
accepting the fact that their patients will rarely get better, or
they can challenge the status quo, remember the Hippocratic
Oath they took when getting their degree, and practice a kind
of medicine their patients will appreciate. The Oath says, in
part: “I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures that
are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.” This and other excerpts from the Oath are included in the chapter “Standard of Care.” “Therapeutic nihilism” refers to ignoring moral principles when practicing
medicine. For current examples we need look no further than
the 100,000 people who die from prescription drugs and the
400,000 people who wind up hospitalized because of drug
reactions every year. In my experience, patients, if given the
choice, have almost always elected to eliminate the underlying
cause of a problem rather than take a medication that can
cause unpleasant or even disastrous side effects. It is my feeling that doctors are at a crossroads. They can continue their present course of practice,
or they can challenge the status quo. In this and the next chapter my intention is not to explore all
the characteristics and ramifications of the diseases discussed. Rather, I explain the basics of each condition and how it is an
effect of excess adrenaline. All of these discussions, assessments,
and recommendations are based on my experience working
with and gathering feedback from thousands of patients over several decades. |   35 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  BAD
DEPRESSION
Depression is a fairly common mood disorder that affects
most people at one time or another. Characterized by loss of
interest or feeling sad or helpless, it may have other associated
symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, aches and pains, and loss
of appetite. Clinically significant depression affects 5 to 10 percent of
the population. To make this diagnosis, five of the following
nine major criteria, listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) must be present nearly
every day:
1. Depressed mood or irritability
2. Loss of interest or pleasure
3. Significant weight loss or gain
4. Insomnia or hypersomnia
5. Psychomotor agitation or retardation
6. Fatigue or loss of energy
7. Feelings of worthlessness, or excessive or
  inappropriate guilt
8. Diminished ability to think or concentrate
  or make decisions
9. Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
There are basically two types of depression: reactive and
endogenous. Reactive depression is related to some negative
event in the person’s life, such as loss of a job, financial
problems, or loss of a loved one (including a pet). Endogenous
depression comes from within—the person is depressed but
doesn’t know why. A third type of depression can manifest as
a combination of reactive and endogenous.ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 36  |
I believe that excess adrenaline is the number one cause
of endogenous depression. How is this so? I have observed
that a high adrenaline level is the most common cause of
anger problems. Anger is a very powerful emotion. While
some people let it out in various ways—hitting a wall, yelling,
fighting, etc.—others hold it inside. A tremendous amount of
negative energy can build up within them, even if they don’t
realize it. When anger is unconsciously suppressed, it can
show up as depression. Except in rare cases, I have been able to help hundreds
of patients successfully get rid of their depression as well as
wean themselves off their antidepressant medications just by
lowering their adrenaline levels.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Clancy Lane Publishing
72-785 Frank Sinatra Drive, Suite 100Rancho Mirage, California, 92270
© 2014 by Michael E. Platt, M. D. All rights reserved under International and Pan American copyright conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, by electronic,
mechanical, or other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher,
except for brief quotations embodied in literary articles or reviews. Glycemic index reproduced with the permission of Al Sears, M.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: Who does the author dedicate this book to?,
A: His wife, Victoria.
Q: What is the author's goal with this book?,
A: To provide a different approach to treating patients and to share his knowledge with healthcare practitioners.
Q: What is the author's opinion about the US healthcare system?,
A: He believes it is a "national disgrace" and that it prioritizes profit over wellness.
Q: What is the author's stance on the medical community's reliance on pharmaceutical companies?,
A: He is critical of the fact that doctors often rely on research funded by pharmaceutical companies, which may not be objective.
Q: What is the author's perspective on the connection between depression and adrenaline?,
A: He believes that excess adrenaline is the primary cause of endogenous depression, as it can lead to the buildup of negative energy that can manifest as depression when suppressed.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>ANXIETY
Anxiety disorder is the most common mental illness in the
United States, affecting over 40 million adults, or about 20
percent of the U.S. population. Anxiety is frequently associated
with a depressive disorder—people who are depressed are
nearly nine times more likely to develop an anxiety disorder than people who are not. The criteria in the DSM-IV  for generalized anxiety disorder
include:
1. At least six months of excessive anxiety or worry
2. Significant difficulty in controlling the anxiety
 or worry


uilt
The next “heavy” area of negativity is guilt. Here the underlying purpose is
to placate, to assuage, to escape punishment by self-punishment, and to
elicit for giveness. The most important of these is the wish to elicit
punishment from another person, combined with self-punishment. This is
not a conscious wish; nevertheless, it is the unconscious purpose of guilt. W ith a little investigation, this can easily be verified. The next time we are
feeling guilty about something particular regarding another person, watch
what happens in the next encounter. Almost inevitably, they will bring up
the very thing we are holding in mind. For instance, if we are feeling guilty
because of lateness to an appointment, that guilt will frequently elicit acritical response from the other person. By the holding of guilt, we bring on
to ourselves all the criticalness of others and their belittlement of us; our
low self-esteem is channeled back to us through others in the form of their
invalidation of our life. If we hold in mind that we are small and unworthy, we elicit those
kinds of responses from others, whose remarks tend to indicate that we are
small and unworthy. If we think we are only worth a crust of bread, then
that is what we will get. This is what the scriptures mean by the statement,
“The poor get poorer and the rich get richer.” Poverty on any level, not just
financial, comes from inner poverty, just as outer wealth comes from inner
wealth. If we want others to stop being critical of us and attacking us, the
answer is to begin letting go of guilt and all the feelings that have brought it
about. T o help clarify the role of emotions in interpersonal relationships, a
very quick way of learning is to presume that the other person is conscious
and aware of our inner thoughts and feelings. By doing this, we will not be
far from wrong, for they are indeed intuitively aware of our thoughts and
feelings, even if they are not consciously aware at a given moment. They
will respond to us as if they knew our inner feelings. The overall
r elationship will behave as though the other person wer e awar e of our inner
feelings. If we are still holding the fantasy that other people do not know
our thoughts and feelings, just notice that dogs quickly do! Do we really
think that the human psyche is inferior to that of a dog? If a dog can quickly
read our total inner attitude, we can be sure that the intuition of people
around us is picking up the same vibration. Apathy and Grief
The feelings of apathy, grief, depression, sorrow, self-pity, the blues,
hopelessness, and helplessness come from the inner program of “I can’ t.”
Their purpose is to elicit sympathy, to win back, to gain support, to make
others sorry, and to summon help. What is the ef fect of these feelings on
another person? Although there may be an initial attempt to help, eventually
this is replaced by pity and finally avoidance. Why avoidance? The
avoidance is because of the huge ener gy demand that we are making on the
other person. It is an attempt to drain them by throwing ourselves on their
doorstep. This results in the common saying, which sounds hard-hearted butis unfortunately so often true: “When you laugh, the world laughs with you;
but when you cry, you cry alone.”
Constant grief will drive others away. They begin to resent it unless
they are in a very high place themselves and capable of ef fortless
compassion. Chronic grief brings premature aging, a tiredness and
weariness about the person, and it can only be overcome when we have the
courage to allow it to come up under appropriate conditions and have the
willingness to surrender to it and let it go. Fear
The feelings of fear—whether tension and anxiety, shyness, self-
consciousness, caution, holding back, or distrust—have the purpose of
escape from the imagined threat, and to put psychological distance from the
feared situation or person. Paradoxically, as we have pointed out before,
because the fear is powerful, the very process of holding it in mind can
make that which is feared come into our life. It is like a self-fulfilling
prophecy. The ener gy of fear generates an inner focus on all the negative
things that could happen, and that focus can coalesce the appearance of the
very events that we fear the most. Fear in relationships, therefore, is giving away our power to another
person and enabling them to do the very thing that is feared. The way out is
to look at the worst possible scenario and look at the feelings they arouse
and begin to relinquish them. Like other emotions, fear can be unraveled to
its component parts, and the parts are then easily relinquished. For instance,
let’ s say that there is fear of critical attack. W e ask ourselves, “What is the
worst possible scenario?” W ith this question, we see that the basis of the
fear is pride. When the pride is recognized and relinquished, the fear
automatically dissolves. Again, in a relationship in which we are
experiencing fear, if we unravel the fear, we may find that it is really a fear
of discovery of our inner anger; the fear is that the other person will
retaliate against the anger. Again, when we relinquish the anger, the fear
will automatically disappear. The insecure person is fearful and prone to jealousy, clinging,
possessiveness, and attachment in relationships, an approach that always
brings frustration. The purpose of these feelings is to bind and tightly
possess the other, to achieve security by preventing loss and, at times, to
punish the other for our own fear of loss. Again, these attitudes tend tobring into manifestation the very thing that we are holding in mind. The
other person, now feeling pressured by our ener gy of dependency and
possessiveness, has an inner impulse to run for freedom, to withdraw, to
detach and do the very thing that we fear the most. These attitudes lead to
constantly wanting to influence others. Because people intuitively pick up
our wish to control them, their response is to resist. So the only way to
bring about relinquishment of their resisting us is to let go of wanting to
influence them in the first place. This means letting go of the inner fears as
they come up. Pride
Feelings of pride are often condoned in our society and take the form of
perfectionism, neatness, punctuality, dependability, “good personhood,”
excessive cleanliness, workaholism, excessive ambition, success, moral
superiority, and politeness. In its exacerbated forms, we see arrogance,
boastfulness, vanity, smugness, and prejudice; on the spiritual level, there is
the righteous killing of “nonbelievers.” The underlying emotional purpose
of these feelings toward others is to win their admiration, avoid criticism or
rejection, gain acceptance, be important, and thereby overcome our own
inner feelings of worthlessness. Unfortunately, the feelings that are aroused
in the other person are often those of envy, competitiveness, or even hatred
and easy exploitation. If we look at pride, we see that it’ s often a substitute
for genuine self-esteem. It is also of considerable interest to realize that the major relationship to
which many people apply these phenomena is the relationship to God. There is the belief, often unconscious, that we can elicit a certain response
from God: “God will feel sorry for me”; “God will retaliate against me”;
“God will punish me”; “God will be pleased with me”; “God will favor
me.”
When we have adequate self-esteem, we are motivated by inner
humility and gratitude and, therefore, we have no need for the constant
eliciting of strokes and pats from others (or God). When we stop wanting to
be liked, we find that we are. When we stop catering to others and trying to
manipulate their approval, we find that they do respect us. Self-denigration
in the forms of placating, flattering, deference, self-ef facement, and
passivity are all attempts to influence others by catering to their ego, so as
to get favorable treatment and get our own way. False humility merely saysto the other person, “I am a small person; please treat me that way” and, of
course, they promptly do. As is quite apparent, all of the above emotions are manipulative of the
other person and destructive of real relationship. They all diminish our self-
esteem for they are all positions of vulnerability. Thus, although we may
think that we feel well and secure at the level of pride, that pride is always
accompanied by defensiveness due to its basic vulnerability. W e puf f up
with pride whenever we feel insecure. The inflation of pride is easily
susceptible to the puncture of a passing remark or raised eyebrow. The Human Condition
All of the negative feelings are essentially forms of fear: fear of loss of
esteem by ourselves or others, or fear of not surviving and a loss of security. Because most of the negative feelings are accompanied by a negative value
judgment, they are suppressed, repressed, or projected.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Understanding the process involved here is very
important,


 When you feel good about the success of another person, the happiness
of an other person, or all the goo d things anyone else has, you are choosing
those things from the catalogue of life, and you are bringing them to
yourself. If you meet someone who has qualities you wish you had, love those
qualities and feel good about those qualities in that person, and you are
bringing those qualities to you rself. If someone is smart, b eautiful, or
talented, love those qualities and you choose those things for you. If you want to become a parent and you've been trying for a long time, then
give love and feel good every single time you see a parent with a child! If
you feel depressed when you see children because you don't have a child,
then you are repelling and pushing children away from you. Life is
presenting children to you each time you see them, so you can choose. When you're playing a sport and another person wins, wh en a work
colleague tells you they got  a pay raise, when someone wins the lottery,
when a friend t ells you that th eir spouse gave them a surprise gift of a
weekend away, or that they boug ht a beautiful new house, or that their childwon a scholarsh ip, you should b e as excited as they are. Y ou should be as
excited and happy as though it has happened to you, because then you are
saying yes to it, then you are giving love to it, and you are bringing it to
you! When you see your dream car, a happy couple, the perfect body, children,
great qu alities in  a p erson, or whatever it is you want, it means you are on
the same frequency as those thi ngs! Be  excited, because your excitement is
choosing it. Everything in life is presenting  itself to you so you can choose what you
love and  what you don't love, b ut only love brings what you want to you. Life's catalogue contains many things you don't love, so don't c hoose them
by giving bad feelings. Judge another person and think they're bad, and you
bring ne gativity to you. Feel envious or jealous of something another
person h as, and  you bring nega tivity to you while pushing aw ay the very
thing yo u want with a mighty force. Only love brings what you want to
you! "This is the miracle that happens every time to those who r ea lly love: the
mor e they give, the mor e they possess. " (Rainer Maria Rifke 1875-1926)
The Law of One - Y ou! There is a simple formula you can use for the law of attraction that will
stand you in good stead w ith every person, situation, and circumstance. A s
far a s the law of attraction is concerned, there is only one person in the
world - you! There is no other perso n, and nothing else as far as the law of
attraction is concerned. There is  only you, because the law of attraction is
responding to your feelings! It's only what you give that counts. And it's the
same for every  other person. And so i n truth the law of attraction is th e law
of you. There is only you , and there is no other person. For the law of
attraction the other person is you, and  that other person is you, and those
other pe ople are you, because w hatever you feel about anyone else, you are
bringing to you. What you feel abo ut another person, what you think or say about another
person, what you do to another person - you do to you. Give ju dgment and
criticism and you give it to you rself. Give love and appreciation to another
person or anything, and you give it to yourself. There is no other for the law
of attrac tion, so it makes no dif ference if someone else has what you want,
when yo u feel love for it yo u're including it in your life! And with anything
you don't love, simply turn away from it without judgment, and you won't
include it in your life. Ther e Is Only Y es for the Law of
Attraction
T urn away from the things you don't love and don't give them any feeling. Don't say no to  the  things you don't love, because saying no brings them to
you. Wh en you say no to the thi ngs you don't love, you're feelin g bad aboutthem, you're giving bad feelings, and you will receive those feelings back as
negative circumstances in your life. Y ou can't say no  to anything, because when you say, "No I don't want that,"
you are saying yes to th e law of attraction. When you say, "The traf fic is
terrible," "The service is really bad," "They're always late," "It's so noisy in
here," "That driver is a lunatic," "I've been on hold for so long," you are
saying yes.'. to th ese thing s and you are including more of all of them in
your life. T ur n aw ay from the things you don't love and don't give them any feeling,
because they are fine as they are but they have no place in your life. "See no evil -  hear no evil -  speak no evil.” (17th Century maxim)

Instead say yes when you see something you love. Say yes when you hear
something you love. Say yes when you taste something you love. Say yes
when you smell something you love. Say yes when you touch something
you love. It doesn't matter if you have it or not, say yes to it, bec ause th en
you are choosing it by giving love. There are no limits, and everything is possible if you really want it, if you
really desi re it. There is no lack anywhere in the universe. When people see
a lack of anything, it's simply a  lack of love. There isn't a lack of health,
money, resources o r happiness. The supply is equal to the demand. Give
love, and you will receivel

Y our Life - Y our Story
Y ou are creating the story of your life, so w hat story ar e you telling about
yourself? Do you believe there are things you can and cannot do ) Is that the
story you are telling about yourself? Because that story is not true.Don't lis ten if someone says yo u are less than  anyone  else. Don't lis ten if
someone says you are limited in any way. Don't listen if someone says you
can't do what you love to do and earn a living from it. Don't listen if
someone says you are not as v aluable and worthy as the grea test human
beings w ho've li ved. Don't listen if someone says you are not g ood enough
now and you have to prove yo urself in life. Don't listen if someone says you
can't have wh at you love or do what  you love or be what you love. If you
believe it, you put limit s on yourself, b ut more importantly, it is not true! There is not a single thing that is too good for you, or too good to be true. The forc e of love says, "Whatever you give, you receive back." Does that
say you're not good enough) The force of love says, "Give love for
whatever you want to be, do, or have and you will receive it." Does that
say you're not g ood enough? Y ou are worthy and deserving just  as you are. Y ou ar e good en ough now. If you feel you have done something that wasn't
right, understand that your r ealization and acceptance of it is absolution for
the law of attraction. The Real W orld
"In the beginning ther e wer e only pr obabilities. The universe could only
come into existence if someon e observed it. It does not matter that the
observers turned up several billion years later. The universe exists because
we ar e awar e of it." (Matin Rees Astr o physicist B. 1942)

I want to take you behind the sc enes of the world you see, because much of
what you see is not as real as you may think it is. A few adventurous steps
into the invisible will change t he way you look at the world, and it will set
you free to receive an unlimited life. Most of  the things you may currently believe about the real world are not
true. Y ou are m uch more than you may realize. Life and the universe are
much more than you may rea lize. Y ou  may think the re is a limited amountof things in the world. Y ou may think there's a limited amount of money,
health, and resources, but it isn't true. There is no lack of anything. Quantum physi cs tell us t here are infinite planet E arths and infinite
universes that exist, and we mo ve from one reality of planet Earth and a
universe to another, every fraction of a second. This is the real world
emer ging through science. "In our universe we ar e tune d into the fr equency that corr esponds to
physical r eality. But ther e ar e an infinite number of parallel r ealities
coexisting with us in


Mother Earth for being the perfect example of how to love no matter what. The ancient Vedic scriptures guide us toward living a life where we
intentionally support each other, respect the world, and honor God as the
source of all that is. When we show up in our relationships, of fering our
gifts without selfish motives, without the need for validation or recognition,
we will feel a deep satisfaction and fulfillment that might otherwise feel
elusive. While this may be hard to conceptualize, the living example of
millions of mothers gives us an insight into what selflessness really is. Devotional service is love expressed. I remember when I was learning to love my little one: the kind of love
that is beyond what I could feel, but rather a love that stemmed from
learning what he needed and how I could serve him. I remember the depth
of experience I began to move into as I took full responsibility of caring for
him, and the realization that the experience of love is deeply enhanced
through service. When you really love someone, you will naturally go out
of your way to make them feel happy, content, and at peace. It will give you
the greatest joy to see them joyful, and the greatest satisfaction to know
they are satisfied.My first experience of loving him was a knowing that there was nothing
I would not do to protect him. There is nothing I would not give up or give
away if it meant that he would be safe. Through serving him, I began to
know a love that I had only heard about from others. My own needs
effortlessly became secondary, as the well-being of my little one moved to
become my top priority—a constant meditation and full absorption. The
way a mama serves her little one is unmotivated and uninterrupted, which
births a love consisting of those same qualities. un·mo·ti·vat·ed: without a reason or motive. un·in·ter·rupt·ed: without a break in continuity. You are here to love, and thus serve, your little one—to let them feel the
way that God loves them through the way that you care. When you can
remember who they really are, beyond the limited scope of “your” child,
you can see the pure spirit soul within their tiny little body; this eternal
spirit who has been traveling from one body into the next since time
immemorial searching for the lasting happiness that can only be found in
connection to their true Self and in relation with God. You can understand
that the greatest service, while caring for their basic needs and loving them
with attention and intention, is to raise them to know who they really are,
beyond their body, mind, and emotions. Instill within them, through your
own example, the real value of living a deeper life and the importance of
spiritual connection. Nama Karana Samskara: Name-Giving
Ceremony
In Vedic tradition, it is auspicious for the parents to have the
name-giving ceremony— nama karana —on the 10th day,
12th day, 101st day, or first year after the birth of their baby.After the father spends the morning bathing and worshipping
the Lord with certain of ferings and mantras, the V edic name-
giving ceremony is done with the father of fering ghee-
soaked wood into a fire while saying specific prayers. If you will be doing a baby-naming ceremony, you can
bring your own sacred intention into naming your baby. Start
the morning by cleaning your house and then taking a
shower. Make a small fire or light some candles, and
arrange some flowers, leaves, or fruits in a mandala shape
around the fire with the intention of creating a sacred space. Say the following prayer, or a prayer that you write
yourself with similar intention. I offer my respects to the earth. I offer my respects to the space between the heavens
and the earth. I offer my respects to the heavens. I offer my respects to the universe. With your family sitting around the fire, you can hold your
baby in a clean cloth and sit on the father ’s right side. Handing the baby to their father, mama walks behind papa
and comes to his left side. At this point you should be facing
east. The father touches the mouth, nostrils, eyes, and ears
of the baby with his right hand and says:
Your essence is spiritual, immortal like the Lord, O
[baby’ s name] enter in this solar month. May the Lord
consign you to the day. May the day consign you to the
night. May the night consign you to the day and night. May day and night consign you to half-months. May the
half-month consign you to the full months. May the
months consign you to the seasons. May the seasonsconsign you to the year. May the years consign you to
long life, O [baby’ s name]. The father then whispers the name of the baby into the
left ear of the mother, saying, “[baby’ s name] is your
son/daughter.”
The father then gives the baby back to the mother and
places more ghee-soaked wood into the fire. He can end the
ceremony by saying the same of fering of respects as in the
beginning. He cried a lot this week. And I bounced on the ball as I put him down for a nap
and cried too. I begged him, or God, to just tell me what he needed. I felt frustrated when he seemed to cry for no reason
and sometimes annoyed
by how much he needed me. I felt like I needed a moment. One breath. Two seconds
for me. The ability to shower without saying,
“I’m just showering, little angel! I’ll be right there!”
To eat a whole meal in peace,
or at least sitting in one place. And then he smiles
and my whole world melts. My whole world
melts.I am yours, little one. Completely taken. I feel like God must have given mamas super powers. Truly. To love like this is unreal. And the ability to serve like this…
what an opportunity. I need you too, little one. I’m learning what it means
to love. L. R. Knost, the author of Two Thousand Kisses a Day  and The Gentle
Parent, writes,
I discovered early in my parenting journey that raising my voice
might scare my children into compliance, but it taught them nothing
other than to be afraid of me, to hide their mistakes and problems
from me, and to raise their own voice when they were frustrated or
upset themselves. Speaking quietly, though, drew them in close,
quieted them down, built trust, and opened their little ears and minds
and hearts to my words and my thoughts and the life lessons I wanted
them to learn. Teaching and guiding and modeling positive
communication skills naturally took center stage once I’d made that
first discovery. Learning to control myself rather than try to control
my children, to show respect instead of demanding respect, to listen
instead of lecture, to communicate instead of command, to parent
instead of punish, to problem-solve instead of becoming part of the
problem myself, has been the journey of a lifetime. What a lifetime
it’s been. As mamas,
our job is to instill within them the knowingthat there is nothing they could do
that would make them undeserving of our love. That there is no emotional state
that we cannot hold space for with patience and attention. There is no need
that is too big of a burden. It’s a practice,
as there are moments when I’m tested. And I know that when I’m tested to step into something,
there lie my greatest opportunities for healing and growth. There are moments when I feel things or want to do things
that I would never do. There are moments when I want to shake you. There are moments when I want to leave you crying on the bed. There are moments when I want to avoid you or ignore you. There are moments when it takes everything in me
to take a deep breath. To pause. To ask myself,
“How can I love you more, little one?”
And I feel guilty even admitting these things,
because I feel that maybe I’m the only mama in the world that
ever feels like this. Though I know that I’m not,
because this is the work of a mama. There are moments
when I want to project onto you
what’ s happening inside of me
instead of taking responsibility.These are the moments
where healing can happen. When I don’t react out of frustration or anger;
When I don’t act based on how my parents may have acted;
When I choose not to act based on my patterns and conditioned
beliefs;
When I instead exercise my ability to
respond
with more awareness, more love, and more kindness. The real work of a mama is the inner work. Where are your actions coming from? A place of love? A place of frustration or anger? Because that’ s what they feel
and that’ s how they then learn
to respond to the world. Deep breath, mamas. It’s a huge responsibility. It’s the most important work. And I’m right here with you. Understanding Newborns
Your newborn babe has left the warm, watery, dark, quiet, and comforting
home of your womb and entered into a world that is cold, dry, bright, loud,
and startling in contrast. You will notice them adapting to these changes in
different ways. Their skin may become dry; their arms will reach out
looking for the distinct boundary