 cancer of the breast and prostate), and other health issues. I believe that
properly
evaluating and treating iodine deficiency will not only help people improve the functioning of their immune systems, it will also play
an integral role to help people achieve their optimal health.
1
 Stadel, B. Dietary iodine and risk of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer. The Lancet. 4.24.1976
2
 DeLong, FR, et al. 1997 Effect on infant mortality of iodination of irrigation in water in a severely iodine-deficient area of
China. Lancet. 350:771-773
3
 Foster, H. The iodine-selenium connection: Its possible roles in intelligence, cretinism, sudden infant death syndrome, breast
cancer and multiple sclerosis. Medical Hypothesis. 40. 61-65. 1993
4
 WHO. IB1D 3/27. 12 Nov. 1998
5
 WHO IBID 12 Nov. 1998
6
 Hollowell, JE et al. Iodine nutrition in the United States. Trends and public health implications: Iodine excretion data from
National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys I and III (1971-74 and 1988-94). J Clin Endocrinol Metab 83:3401-3408.
1998.
7
 Venkatesh, M, et al. Salt iodization for the elimination of iodine deficiency. 1995
8
 Abraham, G. Orthoidosupplementation: Iodine Sufficiency of the Whole Human Body. The Original Internist. December,
2002
9
 Dietary Reference Intakes (2001). Institute of Medicine
10
 Hollowell, JE et al. IBID. 1998.
11
 Pitman, JA. Changing normal values for thyroidal radioiodine uptake. NEJM. 1969; 280:1431-34
12
 Abraham, G. The Concept of Orthoiodosupplementation and Its Clinical Implications. The Original Internist. June, 2004.
13
 Dunn, J. Editorial: What’s happening to our iodine? J. of Clinical Endocrin. And Metab. Vol. 83, No. 10. 1998
14
 Vobecky, M. Effect of enhanced bromide intake on the concentration ratio I/Br in the rat thyroid gland. Bio. Trace Element
Research, 43:509-513, 1994
15
 Abraham, G. Measurement of urinary iodide levels by ion-selective electrode: Improved sensitivity and specificity by
chromatography on an ion-exchange resin. Optimox Research Info. IOD-03. 1.6.03
16
 Personal communication with Dr. Flechas and Charles Hakala. 11.15.08Chapter 3
Different Forms of Iodine
CHAPTER 3: DIFFERENT FORMS OF IODINE
Iodine is not very soluble in water. Jean Lugol, a French physician, was interested in substances that could treat infections and
became very interested in iodine because it showed promise in this area. In 1829, Dr. Lugol found that potassium iodide added to
water increased the solubility of iodine. Dr. Lugol began using a solution termed “Lugol’s Iodine” that was a mixture of 5% iodine
and 10% potassium iodide in water (see
Figure 6
, next page). Two drops of 5% Lugol’s solution (0.1ml) contains 5mg of iodine
and 7.5mg of iodide. Iodide is the reduced form of iodine which contains an extra electron.
Dr. Lugol began treating many different infections with his solution and had great success. Dr. Lugol’s recommended dose for
a wide variety of problems was two drops per day of Lugol’s solution. This provided 12.5mg of iodine, which is very similar to
the physiologic dose of iodine for sufficiency of the entire body. Dr. Lugol’s solution was widely available at apothecaries and was
routinely prescribed for many different conditions.
Figure 6: Lugol’s Iodine Solution
10% Potassium Iodide
5% Iodine
85% Distilled Water
IODIDE AND IODINE
As mentioned above, it is very difficult to get iodine into a solution that uses water as a solvent. Therefore, as Dr. Lugol
discovered, using the reduced form of iodine (iodide) increased the solubility of iodine. In order to do this, iodine must first be
reduced to iodide. For the science majors, this means that the molecule of iodine has gained an electron, which allows it to form a
salt with certain elements like potassium and sodium. In the case of Lugol’s solution, it is in the form of potassium iodide (10% in
Lugol’s solution). When there is a full complement of electrons in the iodine molecule, it is referred to as iodide.
It was thought that the intestinal tract could easily convert iodine to iodide, but research has shown this is not true.
1
 Different
tissues of the body respond to the different forms of iodine. The thyroid gland primarily utilizes iodide while the breast tissue
concentrates iodine. To decrease the incidence of goiter, potassium iodide was added to table salt.
Donald, 49 years old, had Hashimoto’s disease for ten years. Donald was found to be hypothyroid and to have many
nutritional deficiencies. He was treated with Armour
®
 thyroid, vitamins and minerals, and diet changes–I asked him to
eliminate refined carbohydrates and trans-fatty acids. “I am definitely feeling much better with the thyroid hormone. I
felt like I was dying before. But, I still don’t feel like myself. I still have brain fog and some muscle aches,” he stated.
Iodine testing showed that Donald was iodine deficient. He excreted only 35% of a challenge test of iodine (normal levels
should be over 90%). Donald was initially treated with a form of iodide known as SSKI. He claimed, “I did not feel
worse with the SSKI, I just did not feel better. I still had the brain fog while on it.” Donald was switched to a mixture of
iodine and iodide (Iodoral
®
) and he noticed a definite change. Iodoral
®
 is a tablet form of Lugol’s solution. “Within one
week of starting the Iodoral
®
, my brain fog began to clear. I began sleeping better, my energy improved, and even my
libido picked up. I feel almost totally back to normal. Two months after taking

25mg of Iodoral
®
 per day, his iodine test
improved dramatically (94.4% excretion). Update on Donald: After eight years of taking Iodoral
®
, he reported, “I feel
fantastic. It still helps me feel better every day. I could not imagine being without it.”
The breasts, on the other hand, primarily utilize iodine. Studies have shown that iodine deficiency can alter the structure and
function of breast tissue.
2
 This can include dysplasia and atypia that is the forerunner for breast cancer. Animal studies have
shown that iodide (the form of iodine that is present in iodized salt) is ineffective at reversing the pre-cancerous lesions of animal
breast tissue, whereas iodine is much more effective.
3
 Research has also shown that iodine, not iodide, will decrease
lipoperoxidation of breast tissue.
4
Lipoperoxidation is a chemical reaction that can cause damage to the lipids of the cell membrane and mitochondria. This can
lead to many serious illnesses such as cancer and autoimmune disorders. Lipoperoxidation has been found to be elevated in
breast tumors and animal breast tissue exposed to agents that promote cancer. Iodine decreases lipoperoxidation in the body.
This will be more fully explored in
Chapter 5
.
Different body tissues concentrate different forms of iodine. As mentioned above, the breasts concentrate iodine. The
prostate gland concentrates iodine. The thyroid gland and the skin primarily concentrate iodide. Other tissues, including the
kidneys, spleen, liver, blood, salivary glands, and intestines can concentrate either form. With various body tissues responding to
different forms of iodine, it would make common sense that a greater therapeutic benefit from iodine will be achieved by using a
combination of iodine and iodide. My clinical experience has proven, beyond a doubt, that a combination of iodine/iodide (e.g.,
Lugol’s or tableted Lugol’s such as Iodoral
®
 or Iodozyme HP
®
) is much more effective than an iodide-only supplement (e.g.,
SSKI and most other liquid iodide formulations).Leslie, a 43-year-old nurse, suffers with fibrocystic breast disease. “My breasts always hurt and before my period, I
can’t even stand to have a shirt on. The rubbing of clothing is excruciating,” she said. Leslie had been to many doctors
and was told to change her diet. She said, “Eliminating caffeine and chocolate did help somewhat, but I am still
miserable.” When I saw Leslie, she not only had a severe case of fibroc


	reach	as	deep	as	the	level	of	ecstasy.	But	bliss
itself	is	far	from	the	feeling	of	happiness	or	even	joy,	though	in	diluted	form	it
can	be	experienced	as	both.	It	is	the	vibratory	connection	that	allows	pure
consciousness	to	enter	into	creation.
This	Kosha
reveals	wholeness	so	entirely
—through	love,	joy,	and	ecstasy
—that	separation	no	longer	holds	any	attraction.	One	could	say	that
Anandamaya	Kosha	is	pure	Being	mixed	with	just	a	touch	of	individuality,
just	enough	to	allow	someone	to	live	in	physical	form,	and	whatever	form	the
afterlife	takes.	Without	this	gossamer	sheath	you	would	dissolve	into	Being
and	become	bliss	itself,	without	an	experiencer.
It’s	not	difficult	to	see	yourself	in	multidimensions	once	the	Koshas	are
described.
The
physical	dimension
	contains	action.	You	live	here	whenever	you	see
yourself	as	a	body	separate	in	time	and	space.
The
Pranic	dimension
	connects	you	to	other	living	things.	You	live	here
when	you	see	yourself	as	part	of	the	web	of	life,	a	creature	of	Nature.
The
mental	dimension
	organizes	reality	through	thought.	You	live	here
when	you	see	yourself	as	the	sum	of	your	thoughts,	desires,	wishes,	dreams,
and	fears.
The
ego	dimension
	defines	your	unique	identity.	You	live	here	when	you
see	yourself	in	terms	of	“I,	me,	and	mine.”
The
dimension	of	bliss
	holds	out	ultimate	fulfillment	through	love	and
joy.	You	live	here	when	you	see	yourself	blending	into	everything	through	the
power	of	love,	or	when	you	have	no	other	sensation	than	ecstasy.
Making	these	dimensions	more	familiar	doesn’t	automatically	bring	them
together,	however.	Each	Kosha,	as	we	saw,	can	pull	you	closer	to	wholeness
or	increase	your	tendency	to	remain	separate	and	isolated.	The	rishis
considered	wholeness	to	be	the	only	reality,	compared	to	which	every
experience	in	separation	is	a	dream.	The	goal	of	life	is	to	find	unity,	or	Yoga,
and	this	can	be	accomplished,	they	said,	by	focusing	on	each	Kosha.
Physical	body:
	Yoga	uses	physical	postures	(called
Asanas
)	that	combinebalance,	strength,	and	body	awareness	to	bring	us	to	physical	consciousness.
Pranic	body:
	Yoga	uses	exercises	in	soft,	self-aware	breathing
(
Pranayama
)	to	bring	us	to	consciousness	of	the	flow	of	Prana.
Mental	body:
	Yoga	uses	the	whole	field	of	discrimination	(
Viveka
)	to
bring	us	to	consciousness	of	how	the	mind	works.	Manomaya	Kosha	is
therefore	the	level	of	evolution	in	consciousness,	both	for	you	and	me	and	for
human	beings	as	a	whole.	We	carve	out	individual	niches	in	collective
consciousness,	and	as	a	wave	of	evolution	passes	through	humanity,	each	of
us	can	decide	to	catch	the	wave	or	ignore	it,	to	embrace	it	or	defend	against	it.
Ego:
	Yoga	uses	mindfulness	in	all	its	various	forms,	such	as
contemplation	and	meditation	(
Dhyana
),	to	bring	a	person	to	consciousness	of
the	“I	am”	that	underlies	all	experience.
Body	of	bliss:
	Yoga	uses	sustained	periods	in	a	deep	state	of	silence
(
Samadhi
)	to	bring	the	subtle	vibration	of	bliss	to	the	surface	of	the	mind,
making	a	person	conscious	that	the	“hum”	of	the	universe	is	present	in	every
experience.
I’ve	outlined	very	briefly	the	contours	of	yoga	as	a	way	of	life,	but	a
typical	modern	person	cannot	be	expected	to	suddenly	shift	his	or	her
allegiance	so	drastically.	This	makes	the	“after”	in	the	afterlife	too	far	away	to
work	with;	we	must	create	more	unity	in	the	“now.”	Yoga	was	not	meant	to	be
specifically	Indian	or	to	belong	primarily	to	ancient	times,	but,	unfortunately,
this	is	how	things	transpired,	leaving	us	with	a	new	challenge.	How	do	we
take	the	fact	that	we	live	in	five	worlds	and	use	it	to	redefine	life	as	a	whole?
At	Home	in	Consciousness
You	and	I	may	seem	to	live	primarily	in	the	physical	world,	yet	our	awareness
began	in	pure	consciousness,	and	as	we	traveled	into	this	life	layer	by	layer
through	different	dimensions,	each	one	gave	us	a	new	sense	of	self.	We
possess	an	entire	self	system.	The	rishis	studied	this	system	and	came	to
various	conclusions:
Pure	consciousness	is	always	present	in	everything,	no	matter	what
world	it	occupies	or	form	it	takes.
The	physical	world	has	the	least	amount	of	pure	consciousness
because	it	is	dominated	by	physical	things	and	the	illusion	of
separateness.
The	closer	you	get	to	pure	consciousness,	the	more	powerful	it
becomes.
Changing	one’s	consciousness	on	subtle	levels	brings	change	to	all
the	Koshas	at	once.If	we	follow	these	principles,	we	can	gain	the	same	mastery	enjoyed	by
the	sages,	or	at	least	a	fair	share	of	it.
I	posted	opinions	on	the	Internet	to	this	effect,	saying	that	basing	one’s
life	on	consciousness	is	the	best	route	to	mastering	the	physical	world.
Responders	were	quite	skeptical,	however.	Many	said,	in
effect
,	“Talk	about
consciousness	all	you	want,	but	we	have	to	get	people	to	stop	destroying	the
planet.”	Or	“Consciousness	is	all	well	and	good,	but	it	won’t	end	war	and
terrorism.”	Or	“Good	luck	using	consciousness	to	stop	a	bullet.”	In	other
words,	they	were	putting	the	physical	Kosha	first,	assuming	that	material
things	can	only	be	influenced	through	direct	action.
How	can	one	prove	that	the	best	way	to	change	reality	is	through
consciousness?	On	the	physical	level	action	seems	separate	from
consciousness.	The	Buddhist	concept	of	nondoing	seems	quite	mystical	until
you	realize	that	it	means	“action	in	consciousness.”	Action	in	consciousness
takes	many	forms.	The	passive	resistance	of	Gandhi	was	an	outward	form	of
nondoing	that	had	a	huge	effect	on	consciousness;	it	brought	an	entire
historical	era	to	an	end.	Powerful	ideas	are	also	in	consciousness,	and	there	is
no	doubt	that	have	changed	the	world,	from	the	Greek	invention	of
democracy	to	modern	theories	of	relativity.	As	we	move	to	subtler	Koshas,
all
action	takes	place	in	consciousness
.
Let	me	simplify	things	by	making	some	suggestions	about	action	in	each
of	the	five	Koshas:
Annamaya	Kosha
,
	the	physical	body:	Nourish	and	respect	your	body.
Appreciate	its	incredible	inner	intelligence.	Do	not	fear	it	or	taint	it	with
toxins.	Take	time	to	really	be	in	your	body.	Take	it	outside	and	let	it	play.
Pranamaya	Kosha
,
	the	vital	body:	Go	out	into	Nature	and	sink	into	the
feeling	that	this	is	your	home.	Respect	and	nourish	the	ecosystem.	Do	not
harm	other	living	things.	See	Nature	without	fear	or	hostility.	Reverence	for
life	is	the	key	here.


 There are beautiful relationships, and they can last forever. In
fact, they can get more and more beautiful all the time. But they are not
samskara relationships—they are not based on the world outside matching
your inner patterns. They are based on unconditional love. Once love is
always flowing freely inside of you, you will be pleased to share it with
another person. Such love is not based on needs or expectations—it’ s based
on pure love wishing to express itself, unconditionally.
How do you reach such a state of unconditional love and well-being?
Instead of trying to get the world to match your blockages, you work on
letting go of the blockages. That’ s the secret of real spiritual growth. That is
the real paradig m shift. If you don’t have the samskaras, nothing will be
blocking your inner energy flow. You will feel love, joy, and inspiration all
the time. If you are willing to experience the moment unfolding in front of
you, you will have the opportunity to be inspired by everything. The simple
fact that things exist will be suf ficient to move you.
You only have two choices: either you devot e your life to getting the
world to match your samskaras,  or you devote your life to letting go of your
samskaras. If you choose the latter, you don’t end up with both a worldly
life and a spiritual life—you end up with one life. Work, meditation retreats,
taking out the garbage, sweeping the floor, driving, showering, they’re all
the same. The same thing is going on in all your activities—you are letting
go of your blockages. It’s equally beneficial to be letting go of your
blockages at work, when you’re  driving the kids to soccer, picking up the
groceries, or doing whatever you’re doing. Every single moment of your
life, you are either naturally enjoying what is or letting go of what’ s keeping
you from  enjoying what is. If you let go of the wants and fears that are
limiting you, you’ll always be okay. Letting go of yourself, instead of
serving yourself, is the real paradigm shift.Chapter 28.
Working with the Heart
We interact with life every wakin g moment of our time on Earth.  If we are
committed to growing spiritually, we must learn to use that interaction to
clear out our blockages. This inevitably returns us to the heart since we store
blockages there. As we’ve discussed, your heart experiences myriad
different emotions and feelin gs based on the sam skaras you have
accumulated. Your inability to handle the breadth of these emotions keeps
you locked in the human predicament of controlling life in order to be okay.
If you wish to break free and live unconditionally, you must learn to clear
out your heart.
The purification  of your heart begins with being grateful that you have
one. Your heart is like an orches tra. Have you ever watched a movie without
the score? It’ s dead. It doesn’ t have any juice to it. When something happens
in your life, the orchestra of your heart begins to play. It adds richness to
your life by playing high notes and low notes that are generally  appropriate
to the events unfolding before you. Your heart is not an obstacle or a
punishment. Your heart is a beautiful gift. Would you rather not have one
and live your life without feelings?
Just as the human mind is something extraordinary that can take you
beyond the limit of your senses, so the human heart is even more
extraordinary. It can play notes  from one end of the spectrum to another.
Your heart can go from absolute  ecstasy to deep pain and sorrow in a matter
of secon ds. It can raise you to heights where you feel like angel wings are
carrying you to heaven, and it can bring you down to your darkest hour.
Your heart is capable of doing all of that, without any effort of your own.
What an amazin g instrument you carry inside of you. The trouble is you’re
not okay with the full range of your heart. You want to control your heart so
it only plays the notes you can handle.Spirituality is about learning to thank your heart for the beautiful
expressions it is creating within you. Unfortunately, you’re going to find out
that you can’t do that all the time. There are vibrations your heart is capable
of making that you’re not willin g to experience. It’s as though you are not
evolved enough to handle the fullness of your heart, so you resist it. Just like
you resist the world when it is not how you want, you resist your heart when
you’re not comfortable with its expressions.
As you expand and grow spirit ually, your range of comfort with the
outside world will become wider and wider, allowing you to handle more of
the moments passing before you. The same is true with your heart. As you
grow spiritually, through honoring your day-to-day experiences, you will
learn to become more comfortab le with your heart. As a child, the first time
you experienced fear or jealousy you might have been overwhelmed and
had difficulty holding yourself together. Over time, you became more
accustomed to these emotions and at least tried to deal with them. Perhaps
the best you could do at first was control your emotions and put on the
outward appeara nce of being okay. Though that’s not necessarily so healthy,
it is better than losing yourself completely and letting emotions overcome
you. If you let an unbridled emotion act out externally, it has the power to
change the course of your life—not usually for the better.
Little by little, as you learn to accept that emotions are a reality  of life,
they will come and go if you let them. This is spiritual evolution. Just as our
bodies have evolved through eons of challenging outer experiences, so our
souls evolve through the fires of inner experiences. It is not that a great
being does not have emotions; it is that they are at peace  with their
emotions. They can handle the various changes their heart goes through. If
somebody you know dies, it’s natural to feel a sense of loss. You’re going to
feel a certain amount of sadness if you cared about the person. That is your
heart expressing itself in harmony with what’ s happenin g. Like an
instrument playing something beautiful, your heart is composing a song of
sadness for you. The trouble is you’re not okay with that. Eventually you
will realize that the emotion itself is not the problem—the problem is you’re
not able to hand le the emotion. We come back to the same place again and
again: Do you want to devote your life to controlling the world so your heart
never feels emotions you can’t handle? Or do you want to devote yourself to
the evolutionary work of becoming comfortable with your heart?Just as we found  with the mind, if you want to work with your heart,
understand why it is the way it is. You may have noticed it can be sensitive,
volatile, and difficult to live with. The heart is this way because you didn’ t
handle the natur al emotions it created, you resisted them, which stored their
energy inside you. Now you’re in trouble. It’s bad enough that you pushed
away thought patterns, but you’ve also pushed away the vibrat ions of your
heart. These blocked energy patterns are making a complete mess of your
heart. The heart has become out of balance, and it has stopped opening
when it needs to express healthy emotions. Let’s say someone does
something that makes you feel fear. There are times when fear is a normal,
healthy reaction to outer events. But you aren’ t able to handle the emotion,
so you suppress it to get it out of your consciousness. Later, you hear
something bad happened to that person. Instead of feeling comp assion, you
feel relieved. Your emotions are no longer in harmony with outer situations,
instead they are releasing the blocked ener gies from your past experiences.
Spiritual growth is about fixing the heart and returning it to a state of
well-being. It should be clear by now that the problem is not outside in the
world; the probl em is your inabi lity to handle your heart’ s full expression of
the world. Learning to handle these expressions is the solution, and it is the
essence of spiritual growth. Feelings of loss or fear or anger in your heart
are just objects of consciousness that Self is experiencing. They cannot
harm you, unless you resist them. They actually make you richer because
you experienced them. Every experien ce makes you a greater person if you
don’t resist it.
Come to peace with the expressions of your heart. It may seem
impossible to be comfortable with emotions that are uncomfortable, but the
truth is you already have experience doing that. Take Shakespeare’ s play
Romeo and Juliet. As a tragedy, it certainly is not fun. Let’s say a
Shakespeare troupe comes through town and performs Romeo and Juliet.
They do such a good job that you cry with a level of relief you’ve hardly
ever felt before. The performance was completely heart-wrenching. What do
you do? You tell all your friends to go see it. You say, “I cried for three days
afterwards. It was unbelievable. It touched my heart so deeply. I’ve never
felt such pure sadness. I want to see it again, and you all should come with
me.” Well, if a tragedy even close to that happened in


ulses
and chemical reactions are without free will. They behave the
same in a brain cell as they would in a flashlight battery or
household current. How, then, did this fixed, deterministic setup
lead to freedom of thought?
One answer, which seems pec uliar but is widely held, note s that
we don’t have freedom of th ought. We only think we do (which
would constitu te a free thoug ht, but let it pass). The churning of
brain a ctivity is so complex, the theory goes, that we cannot find
out where any particular tho ught comes from. But since it must
come from brain activity, a thought is just as predetermine d as the
electrochemical reactions that produce it. This hypothesis neatly
skips ov er the total unpredictability of our thoughts and feelings.
If yo u d on’t have an all-seeing eye that can peer into the firing of
100 bi llion brain cells, of course your thoughts will seem
unpredictable. Only a sup ercomputer could process such a
mountain of information, and if computer technology continues to
expand at an exponential ra te, such an all-seeing eye w ill soon
exist.
In this view, artificial intelligence (AI) is superior to the human
brain, not only because it pro cesses more information but because
it is  free of glitches like depression, anxiety, low IQ, w ayward
emotions, and forgetfulness. We must never sell technology short,
or so the thin king goes. Anticipating the rise of AI to  godlike
status, Anthony Levandowski, known in Silicon Valley for his
contribution to  driverless cars and as a pioneering visionary in AI,
gained media attention in 2017 by founding the first AI church,
which he named the Way of the Future. Levandowski is searching
for adherents, and foresees an AI godhead as not ridiculous but
inevitable.
As he told an interviewer from Wired  magazine, “It’s not a god
in the sense th at it makes lightning or causes hurricane s. But if
there is something a billion  times smarter than the s martest
human, what else are you goi ng to call it?” What saves the Way of
the Future from being a lamp oon is the enormous impact that AI
is goin g to have everywhe re. The Wired  interviewer writes,
“Levandowski believes that a change is coming—a change that will
transform every aspect of human existence, disruptingemployment, l eisure, religion, the economy, and possibly decide
our very survival as a species.”
Everyone is free to worry about a hollow, dehumanized AI
future, populated by false gods, but other doomsday scenarios
might befall us first. A supe rcomputer with global reach almost
certainly will be weaponized (or will weaponize itself) into a super-
hacker, capable of doing immense harm, from disabling security
defenses to wrecking the  banking system. Such attacks,
unfortunately, are under way every day already.
Be that  as it m ay, the artificial  in AI keeps computers from
being alive and conscious—increased speed, memory, and
complexity only improve the imitation of thought. The imitation
isn’t th ought itself. A computer will never have a sense  of self,
which i s a primary trait of consciousness. After all, it was our
sense of self that led to computers in the first place. “I can think” is
part of being self-aware. Once you say to yourself, “I can think,”
you have a reason to build a machine that imitates thought.
The sense of se lf tells you tha t you are you. It tells you that you
are aliv e, thinking, feeling, wishing, dreaming, and so on. No
physical proce ss created your sense of self. You possess it as a
built-in trait. Imagine that y ou are sitting in the dark at a movie
that totally captivates you. Your eyes are glued to a chase scene,
perhaps; your ears are overwhelmed by gunfire, screeching tires,
and police sirens. At that moment, you don’t feel the weight of
your body or th e sensation of the seat you’re occupying. Y ou don’t
sense your breathing; the temperature in the theater isn’t
something you’re likely to notice. Engrossed in the movie, you’ve
surrendered to its spell. But with your body and your
surroundings out of mind, and probably with no thoughts running
through your mind, are you so captivated that you  disappear? No.
You are present no matter ho w exciting a movie becomes, and
the sam e is true of the ever yday movie you walk through like a
lucid dream. You can subtract everything from your experience
except your sense of self. In  a typical day, the experiences you
notice a re a tiny fraction of th e sensory input you receive. You will
remember a few things or not hing, but surely not everything. Most
experiences fli cker past and vanish, escaping all notice. But you
cannot abando n the sense of self. Putting it out of mind doesn’talter, d istort, o r destroy it. L ike a cork bobbing to the surface, it
will always return.
Unexpectedly, we are plopped back onto the direct path. Your
sense o f self is the thing that makes you whole already. Ev erything
that exi sts “out  there” or “in here” is glued together by your sense
of self, because  it is the common denominator in every exp erience.
Once yo u see this, you can identify with your sense of s elf, and
then the direct path has reached its goal.
P a s s i n g  t h e  “ S o  W h a t? ”  T e s t
As intriguing as this discus sion has been, “so what?” Why
should you and I go to the trouble of following the direct path?
Looking at their lives, most people feel happy, more or less, with
the cho ices they’ve already made. Or so they tell pollsters, who
find dec ade after decade that more than 70 percent of responders,
when a sked the simple question “Are you happy?” say yes. News
stories appear naming the happiest countries in the world—the
latest c andidate is Denma rk—and correspondingly there are
unhappy count ries, which turn out to be those that are ve ry poor,
afflicted with war and strife,  and where people must str uggle to
acquire the basic necessities of life.
The direct path and everything else we’ve been discussing—
waking up, enlightenment, wholeness, the true self, meta reality—
confronts the “So what?” test. We make choices based on whether
they ma tter enough in our liv es. This isn’t a trustworthy measure
of what is actually beneficial, however. Cosmetics and fashion
matter enough  to millions of people, just as fantasy foot ball and
adding more guns to their co llection matter enough to millions of
others. “So what?” is highly personal and unpredictable, but it is
also ruthless. Until something matters enough, we won’t change
our accustomed way of life.
Here’s m y answ er to “So wha t?” as it applies to the direct path.
In a very real  way, becoming metahuman is about elim inating
everything that is unnecessa ry for our species. Such a process isalready under way by bits and pieces. The modern world has
eradicated—or is in the process of eradicating—many things that
Homo sapiens  can do without. It would have seemed impossible
once to  do without religion, j udging by how a belief in God or the
gods lay at the heart of every ancient culture. But th ere are
millions of people who have adopted a secular worldview, placed
their faith in science, and live without a sense of loss in the
absence of religion.
We can  argue forever over whether religion is good or bad for
society, and over every other thing that is in flux. From the
viewpoint of metahuman, however, stripping away all the things
that Homo sapiens  d oesn’t need a nymore is essential. The illusion
is g etting thinner, so to spe ak. Mental constructs like war and
poverty are no longer cons idered facts of life humanity must
accept. Why not get rid of th e whole illusion, then? Why not do it
simply, completely, and with the least discomfort possible?
Once yo u elim inate everythin g that isn’t real, what’s left must
be r eal. The dir ect path accords with this notion. It holds t hat only
one thi ng is real if everything unreal is taken away: the sense of
self. Ev ery life has its own priorities. One person’s suffer ing may
be r ooted in po verty, while another person’s suffering is rooted in
sickness, a bad relationship, or lonely old age.
Nothing is more tangled and chaotic than virtual reality. The
process of dismantling every  cause of suffering is too complex to
figure o ut in advance. The only realistic answer is to allow the
illusion to dissolve as effortlessly as it developed in the first place.
This is what the direct path is all about; this is what sets  it apart
from every other scheme


he	should	have	her	own
bedroom,	and	they	refurbished	a	room.	Knowing	that	brand-new	room
furnishings	can	be	quite	toxic,	I	focused	on	environmental	toxins	as	the	probable
cause	of	the	little	girl’s	problems.	I	learned	that	before	the	onset	of	the	seizures,
Anne’s	new	bedroom	had	been	given	a	fresh	coat	of	paint	and	was	furnished
with	new	wall-to-wall	carpeting,	a	new	television	set	and	new	furniture,
including	a	new	bed	and	mattress.	In	fact,	that	new	bedroom	had	just	about	every
amenity	that	any	set	of	loving	parents	could	give	to	their	beloved	daughter,	but	it
was	also	a	poison	gas	chamber!	The	new	paint,	carpet,	mattress,	television	and
furniture	(constructed	of	particleboard,	which	contains	formaldehyde)	were	all
giving	off	toxic	gases.	You	recognize	the	typical	“new	paint	smell,”	that	“new
carpet	smell”	and	that	“new	furniture	smell.”	They	are	all	toxic,	especially	when
they	are	brand-new,	at	which	time	they	emit	higher	concentrations	of	chemicals.
Shut	anybody	inside	a	bedroom	like	little	Anne’s	for	eight	or	ten	hours	a	night,
and	the	person	is	exposed	to	a	lot	of	toxins.
Anne	was	in	toxic	overload,	and	her	seizures	were	the	result.	Often,	in	a	case
like	this,	when	you	remove	the	source	of	the	toxins,	you	cure	the	disease.
Instead,	Anne’s	physicians	had	prescribed	antiseizure	medications,	which	added
to	her	toxic	overload,	making	her	sicker.	I	suggested	an	experiment	to	Anne’s
parents:	Close	off	the	toxic	bedroom	and	allow	Anne	to	sleep	in	another	room
for	a	few	weeks.	The	result:	The	seizures	stopped,	and	Anne	returned	to	being	a
normal	and	healthy	child.
Fight	Back	with	FoodsWhy	isn’t	our	society	taking	more	action	to	protect	us	from	toxins?	Why	don’t
our	physicians	routinely	warn	us	about	toxins	and	check	for	them?	One
explanation	lies	in	a	1988	report	issued	by	the	National	Academy	of	Sciences
titled,
Role	of	the	Primary	Care	Physician	in	Occupational	Environmental
Medicine,
which	concluded	that	while	toxic	environmental	chemicals	play	an
increasingly	important	role	in	modern	chronic	diseases,	almost	all	physicians	are
ignorant	about	the	degree	to	which	low-level	toxins	affect	health.
One	of	the	most	direct	sources	of	our	toxic	exposures	is	the	foods	we	eat.	A
meal	that	looks,	smells	and	tastes	good	is	a	wonderful	thing,	but	you	owe	your
body	more.	You	need	to	make	sure	your	food	is	free	of	toxins	and	filled	with
nutrients	that	support	your	body’s	natural	ability	to	detoxify.
You	need	to	find
out	what	is	in	your	food,	where	your	food	came	from	and	how	your	food	has
been	altered	from	the	way	nature	provided.
One	of	the	best	ways	to	minimize	the	toxins	is	to	buy	organic	foods.	Organic
is	a	method	of	growing	and	producing	food	free	from	chemical	fertilizers	and
pesticides,	artificial	ripening	agents,	preservatives,	genetic	modification	and
radiation.	The	term	“organic”	applies	to	more	than	fruits,	vegetables	and	grains;
organically	grown	animals	are	fed	organic	feed	and	are	produced	without	the
customary	use	of	antibiotics,	hormones	or	other	supplemental	medications.
Organic	foods	may	be	more	expensive	and	somewhat	more	difficult	to	obtain,
but	they	almost	always	contain	fewer	toxins	and	better	nutrition.	Read	labels;	the
U.S.	Department	of	Agriculture	has	approved	organic	certification	and	the	label
should	bear	the	logo.	Unless	a	product	clearly	says	that	it	is	organic,	it	almost
certainly	is	not.	If	you	live	in	an	urban	area,	organic	foods	purchased	at	local
farmers’	markets	are	most	likely	the	freshest,	most	nutritious,	least	toxic	foods
you	can	obtain.	Despite	that,	almost	90	percent	of	the	food	dollars	spent	in
America	today	are	spent	on	toxic,	processed	foods	that	are	not	organic.	To	make
matters	worse,	we	eat	almost	no	fresh	food,	limiting	the	nutrients	available	to
help	us	detoxify	all	the	bad	stuff	we	constantly	take	in.
Feeding	into	Behavior	Problems
Several	years	ago,	a	grandmother	came	up	to	me	at	a	break	in	one	of	my
workshops	and	asked	what	to	do	about	her	psychotic	four-year-old	grandson,
Gerald.	She	described	the	boy’s	fits	of	uncontrollable	anger	and	said	that	he
would	strike	out	at	everyone	and	everything	in	his	path.	Gerald	had	been	taken
to	a	number	of	medical	centers	and	examined	by	numerous	physicians,	who	only
offered	powerful	tranquilizers	to	calm	the	psychotic	behavior.	As	is	often	the
case,	the	prescribed	drugs	did	not	solve	the	problem;	they	just	compounded	it.The	drugs	made	Gerald	sick	and	lethargic,	but	did	not	eliminate	his	terrifying
behavior.
The	boy	faced	an	uncertain	future.	That	Gerald	could	ever	be	able	to	attend	a
regular	school	or	hold	a	regular	job	seemed	unlikely.	I	asked	Gerald’s
grandmother	many	questions	but	was	unable	to	find	any	obvious	explanation	for
his	psychotic	behavior.	One	thing	I	learned	about	Gerald	was	that	he	drank	a	lot
of	milk	and	apple	juice.	Walking	back	to	the	podium	to	continue	my
presentation,	I	told	the	grandmother	that	while	I	honestly	did	not	know	what	was
wrong	with	her	grandson,	I	did	know	that	both	milk	and	apple	juice	contain	a	lot
of	toxic	chemical	residues.	Regardless	of	what	was	wrong,	feeding	him	toxins
was	certainly	not	going	to	help	him	improve.	I	recommended	a	simple
experiment:	Stop	feeding	Gerald	milk	and	apple	juice.
About	six	months	later,	I	was	speaking	at	a	meeting	and,	out	of	the	corner	of
my	eye,	I	spied	Gerald’s	grandmother	running	toward	me	with	an	enthusiasm
and	a	rate	of	speed	that	was	almost	alarming.	She	breathlessly	exclaimed	great
news	about	the	health	of	her	grandson.	Milk	and	apple	juice	were	completely
eliminated	from	the	boy’s	diet,	and	he	made	a	miraculous	recovery.	The
psychotic	behavior	disappeared,	and	Gerald	has	been	well	ever	since.
How	the	removal	of	milk	and	apple	juice	(two	presumably	healthful	foods)
from	a	boy’s	diet	could	make	such	a	difference	is	hard	to	imagine.	We	have	no
way,	however,	to	know	exactly	how	much	damage	the	toxins	in	our	food	are
causing.	Too	many	factors	are	involved,	and	each	person’s	biochemistry	is
unique.	Some	people,	like	this	little	boy,	can	be	more	sensitive	to	certain	toxins,
such	as	the	ad	exec	David	may	have	been	to	mercury.	The	solution,	regardless	of
individual	biochemistry,	is	to	choose	a	diet	that	is	low	in	toxins.	A


. This has been characterized by a lack of
development forward of the muzzle or face, with a narrowing of the nose and dental arches. He
found that by the addition of extracts made from the pituitary glands, which he had removed
surgically, he entirely prevented the development of these defects, thereby establishing the relation
of the injury to deficiencies of the hormones developed by that organ. Another approach to the
problem on which he has expended much fruitful effort, has been in connection with the study of
the skulls of individuals who are known to have disturbances in the functioning of the pituitary gland
through the interference caused by tumors. Common illustrations are the cases of acromegaly or
giantism. By associating these physical changes in bodily form with each x-ray, data obtained from
skiagraphs, together with the history and the nature of the tumor, considerable information has
been developed. Another important series of studies has included the correlation, by means of the
x-rays, of the skulls of individuals suffering from certain types of physical and mental disturbances,
with certain abnormalities in the skull as shown by the x-rays. By these various means Dr.
Mortimer has been able to divide the various types of skull defects and developmental and growth
defects into distinct classifications. With this yardstick he is able to classify individuals from their
Roentgenograms. It is of interest that in his work, in association with Dr. G. Levine, Dr. A. W.
Rowe and others at the Evans Memorial for Clinical Research and Neuro-Endocrine Research in
Boston, important relationships have been established through the examination of over three
thousand case histories. X-ray records of the skull are included in the studies. They report that
independent and previous physiological investigations gave evidence at the time of the examination
of disturbed pituitary function. Dr. Mortimer's excellent investigations seem to indicate clearly that
facial and dental arch form are directly related to and controlled by the functioning of the pituitary
body in the base of the brain. Dr. Barrie (3)  reports that partial deficiency of vitamin E, as shown in
the case of the female rat, results in the prolongation of gestation which may be continued as long
as ten days beyond the normal period. The offspring under these conditions are abnormal. Further,
animals deficient in vitamin E, occasionally give birth to a litter, but fail to lactate.
    When we realize that one of the best sources of vitamin E is wheat germ, most of which is
removed from white flour, usually along with four-fifths of the mineral, we see one cause of the
tragedy that is overwhelming so many individuals in our modern civilization. In many individuals it
may be wise to reinforce our modern white bread and starchy dietary with wheat germ, which can
be obtained in package form from the manufacturers of flour. As this is put up in cans, all air is
displaced with an inert gas when the cans are sealed. While in this way oxidation of the embryo
which is very fragile, is prevented, as soon as the seal is broken, oxidation sets in and progresses7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 219/250rapidly, producing a product that is not comparable to the wheat embryo of freshly cracked whole
wheat. My investigations indicate that Nature has put just the right amount of embryo in each grain
of wheat to accompany that quantity of food. If the whole wheat is prepared and eaten promptly
after grinding and exposing the embryo to oxidation, the effect desired by Nature is adequately
provided.
    It is important to emphasize in connection with the development of the deformities of the face
that other skeletal deficiencies or abnormalities result from the same disturbing factors. One of
these is the narrowing of the entire body, with a tendency to increase in height. This is shown in
many of the family groups of modernized primitives. The effect of this narrowing of the body,
which in girls results in the boyish type of figure due to the narrowing of the hips, introduces an
entirely new and serious problem in the experience of our modern civilization when confronted with
the problems of childbirth.
    Among primitive races living in a primitive state childbirth was a very simple and rapid process,
accompanied by little fear or apprehension; whereas, in the modernized descendants, even in the
first and second generations of those individuals born to parents after they had adopted the foods
of modern white civilizations, serious trouble was often experienced.
    We have been considering the changes which take place in the skeletal growth as a result of the
disturbances in the functioning of the pituitary body of the individual after birth, or of the mother
during the prenatal period. We are also concerned with changes in the soft tissues, particularly the
brain. I have presented data indicating that a very large percentage of mentally backward children
have disturbances in facial development. The available data also indicate that a large percentage of
those who are seriously injured in facial form have some disturbance in their mental or moral
character. Whether there is relationship between the processes which develop these physical
abnormalities in brain growth and mental efficiency, including emotional states and character traits
is now to be considered.
    An important contribution has been made to this phase of the problem by Dr. James Papez,
Professor of Anatomy at Cornell University, (4)  who concludes his report:
    Is emotion a magic product, or is it a physiologic process which depends on an anatomic
mechanism?... The evidence presented is... suggestive of such a mechanism as a unit within
the larger architectural mosaic of the brain.
    Research data have been presented which deal with the anatomical defects of the brain of
individuals suffering from the typical mental and physical patterns of the so-called Mongolian idiot.
In these cases the gyrus cinguli of the brain were found to be absent, which indicates the
impossibility that these individuals function normally either physically or mentally.
    Modern civilization has provided a large group of the defectives known as Mongolian idiots.
They have very definite characteristics both physical and mental. Among the former, one of the
most universal expressions is a vacant stare associated with a face that is markedly
underdeveloped in the middle third, usually accompanied by narrow nostrils and a narrow upper
dental arch.
    One of the outstanding characteristics of the group is their inability to develop mentally beyond
three to eight years of age. Because of the difficulty of building a character and intelligence level
beyond infancy, these unfortunates are housed largely in state institutions for feebleminded. Since
the physical picture is similar to that which occurs in a much less severe form in a large number of
individuals in our modern civilization, it is important that we study this group in the light of the
information that is available with regard to their physical, mental and moral characteristics, and in
the light of such information as is available regarding their origin.
    The surveys that have been made reveal the fact that nearly all of them are born to mothers
more than forty years of age, and apparently at a period of very low efficiency in reproductive
capacity. While most of the discussion and literature stress the importance of the age of the7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 220/250mother, some data are now available which throw responsibility also on the paternal side.
    Korosi, as reported by Tredgold in Mental Deficiency, came to the conclusion as a result of the
investigation of 24,000 unselected individuals that the children of fathers below twenty or above
forty years of age are weaker than the children of fathers between these ages. Also, the children of
mothers over forty years of age are weaker than those born to mothers below this age. Tredgold
presents data connecting defective structures in the brain with certain phases of physical behavior
and mental deficiencies. He quotes many authors whose data correspond with his own. Much of
this material relates to accounts of incomplete prenatal development of nerve structures in the
brain.
    We are particularly interested in the origin and the nature of the brain lesions. Penrose, (5) in
analyzing the relative etiologic importance of birth order and maternal age in Mongolism presents
data obtained from an examination of 224 defectives in which the total number of children in all the
families involved was 1,013. Accordingly, in these families approximately 20 per cent were so
affected. The average number of children per family was five and one-half. He states:
    Mongolian imbeciles are very often born last in a long family. This fact, which was pointed
out many years ago by Shuttleworth, has led clinicians to believe that Mongolism is to some
extent a product of the exhaustion of maternal reproductive powers due to frequent child
bearing.... The conclusion is widely accepted with the reservation that the affected child is not
necessarily born at the end of the family. Several cases are first-born, in fact, and it is sometimes
stated that the conditions occur more frequently in first and last children than in other ordinal
positions. There is, however, ample evidence that Mongolian imbeciles have a significantly later
birth rank than normal children.
    G. Ordahl (6)  has reported on a study of ninety-one cases in which he found that fifty-six or 60
per cent were the last born. The families averaged five children. He states that "uterine exhaustion
is the most commonly advanced reason for Mongolism." Madge T. Macklin (7) says, "It is usually
stated that it (Mongolism) occurs more frequently


ARETTES
In the case of cigarette smok ing, coaxing your body to give up its
addiction makes  much more sense than forcing it to. People do manage to
quit by going “cold turkey,” but the sudden withdrawal of nicotine
precipitates a lot of stress. The story is told that Sigmund Freud smoked
twenty cigars a day for many years, until he began to suffer heart
palpitations as a result. He tried to quit smoking, on his doctor ’s advice, but
the palpitations returned with doubled force as soon as he stopped, driving
him back to his habit. Freud told his biographer that trying not to smoke
was “torture beyond human power to bear.”
In Ayurveda, we tell smokers to keep sending signals to the quantum
mechanical body telling it that they want to quit. These signals can be of
various kinds. Laying off cigare ttes for a day at a time is one way—many if
not most of the people who successfully quit do so by temporarily stopping
a dozen  or more times. A more powerful message is sent to the quantum
mechanical body with meditation. Even if you are a heavy smoker, this may
be all you need. One retrospecti ve study based on five thousand  meditators
showed that only 1 percent of the men and 4 percent of the women weresmokers, even though before starting meditators, a whopping  34 percent
said that they smoked at least occasionally.
There are additional ways to help you quit. When patients come to
Ayurveda clinics and ask how they can stop smoking as painlessly as
possible, here is what we tell them. Three ground rules are laid down in
advance:
Do not try to give up smoking—hard-minded determination just sets
you up for failure. Nicotine is addictive, as is the habit of reaching for
a cigarette. To end these habits you have to retrain yourself as
unconsciously as you started.
Keep your cigarettes with you—the strategy of throwing cigarettes
away seems to make sense, but it only leads to panicked trips for more
and the embarrassment of begging them from friends and strangers.
Notice the automatic cues that make you reach for a cigarette and
dissociate yourself from them.
The third point is the key one and requires explanation. All smokers light
up autom atically on cue. For some the cue is picking up the phone, for
others it is turning on the TV, starting a conversation, or ending a meal. You
probably know your own cues;  if not, take a day to observe them. These
cues are the signals to Vata that make you act on impulse. You do not notice
that you are lighting up because in fact your mind has gone blank for that
instant. Vata has taken over.
You need to switch off this automatic pilot. The way to do that is
surprisingly simple: smoke consciously and pay attention to the act of
smoking. The best method, whic h has helped many of our patients to quit in
a short period of time, is as follows:
When you catch yourself lighting up, stop for a second and ask if you
really want this cigarette.If so, go outside and sit quietly by yourself. Smoke the cigarette
without distractions.
As you are smoking, pay attention to your body. Feel the smoke in
your lungs; feel any sensations in your mouth, nose, throat, stomach,
or anywhere else.
Take out a piece of paper or a small diary and immediately record what
you felt and the time you smoked the cigarette. Keep a record of each
cigarette, whether it was conscious or automatic, and how it felt.
Do not worry about how much you are smoking; just record each
cigarette, even if you find that at the end of a phone call you don’t know
how those three butts in the ashtray got there. If you follow this procedure
faithfully, you will become a conscious smoker instead of a smoking
machine. We have found that many patients cut down their daily intake
from two packs to four or five cigarettes—this reflects how much they
actually want to smoke. Cutting  back is almost as important as stopping; it
prepares the way for quitting and also reduces the direct health risk of your
habit.
CURING AN ADDICTION AT HOME
In the past, many addicted people have preferred to live with their
problem, no matter how tormenting, than to reveal it to outsiders. This
feeling is entirely understandab le, and I always feel it should be respected
as long as you are also taking productive steps to quit. A comple te course of
home treatment would include:
Learning to meditate
Detoxifying the system, either at home or under a doctor ’s care
Body-type diet (beginning with Vata-pacifying foods until the signs of
Vata imbalance are gone)Regular Ayurvedic exercise
Daily routine with oil massage (abhyanga) to settle disturbed Vata
At the outset, I recommend that you begin by learning to medita te at your
local center, then visiting an Ayurvedic physician for a complete physical
examination and diagnosis of imbalances. Tell him of your desire to quit,
frankly and honestly. He will indicate how to detoxify your body and
balance your doshas through diet and daily routine. Visiting him once a
week thereafter is advisable at the outset, since the initial period is the most
stressful for the body. But this is essentially a self-cure. Nobody coerces
you into followi ng the program; there is no confrontation or pressure of any
kind.
Also be sure to take time every morning for a full-body abhyanga; a
second, shorter massage at night, moving slowly and gently as you cover
head, shoulders, and feet, is also recommended. And remember, the rule
when you are quitting any habit is regularity. The more regular you can be
about everything in your day, the better and quicker you will train Vata back
to norm al. You should not try to force Vata back into balance, since that is
impossible; you want to coax and soothe it back. The gentlest time in your
life should be the period when you are rebalancing your body.
In addition, a few other treatments enter into the picture as supplements:
Music therapy
Aromatherapy
Herbal food supplements (known in Ayurveda as rasayanas— see page
221)
Listening to music is extremely settling to the nervous system while you
are purifying your body. A fifteen-minute session in the morning is
recommended, followed by another session at night before you go to bed.
Filling your room with the appropriate dosha-pacifying aroma s also helps
relax you at bedtime. The use of rejuvenative herbal food supplementsbegins to repair the mind body connection at the level of your cells and
strengthens tissues damaged by drugs.
We feel that no addiction treatment can succeed in the long run without
compassion and understanding. If you decide to seek counseling, look for
these qualities in a psychologist, pastor, doctor, or just a good friend. One
crippling drawback of conventional rehabilitation is that constant vigilance
means constant stress. The monkey never does get off your back. We feel
instead that addicted people have to learn to trust themselves and be
comfortable with their lifestyles. Any increase in fear and anxie ty is totally
unproductive, even if the stress is supposed to help end a habit. The
rationale behind our hands-of f approach is that nature can be trusted. An
addict’ s body will return to balance if it is treated correctly.
If you are seriou sly addicted to alcohol or drugs, you may feel that you
have ruined your whole life; most addicts have inflicted pain on their
families and themselves. The vital thing for you to realize is that this
negativity is not you. It is the result  of physical and mental ama that has
been built up over time. You should take the same attitude toward it that
you would to dirt on your skin—wash it off and forget about it. If others
want to remind you of how destructive you have been in the past, take their
criticism as calmly as you can. The past is the past. You cannot  live it over
again, and you should not remind yourself of it.
It is extremely important that you associate with healthy, normal people
as much as possible. You will have to choose whether to enroll in group
rehabilitation—many addicted people feel that it is an important part of
their return to normal life—but do everything you can to find a
compassionate, positive counselor. Anyone who has a confrontational or
fanatical approach to addictions should be avoided for your own good.
Finally, it is norm al to have relapses as you are recovering. Of course you
will be disappoi nted, but try to see that this is not a personal failure. It takes
time for the body to normalize itself. If you have to have another drink,
cigarette, or pill, it is the habituated doshas that are forcing you. Doshas are
powerful, but you are much more powerful than they can ever be. Youressential self is untouched by addiction. It is happy, free, above all
problems, and at peace. Once you begin to touch this true self of yours,
everything will work out. Be patient and allow yourself to emer ge in
freedom.
The measure of your success is not how many days you go without a
relapse. Rather, you should look for signs of self-acceptance


Beauty?
Sodium,	found	in	salt,	is	an	element	our	bodies	need	to	function	properly.	It
helps	to	control	our	blood	pressure	and	blood	volume,	as	well	as	ensuring
proper	muscle	and	nerve	function.	The	best	beauty	forms	of	salt	to	use	are
small	amounts	of	high-quality	sea	salt,	such	as	Celtic	or	Himalayan	sea	salt.
These	sea	salts	also	have	trace	minerals	and	elements.	Sea	salts	are	obtained
from	the	evaporation	of	saltwater	bodies,	rather	than	the	heavy	processing	that
produces	table	salt;	this	includes	bleaching	and	diluting	the	salt	after	harvesting
with	anticaking	agents	and	other	chemicals.	For	these	reasons,	stick	to	sea	salt
in	your	cooking.
But	too	much	salt	is	definitely	a	beauty	and	health	no-no.	Excessive	salt
intake	can	increase	the	risk	for
heart	disease,	hypertension,	high	blood	pressure,
and	kidney	disease.	It	can	also	make	your	skin	look	dehydrated.
Excessive	sodium	can	also	create	“false	fat,”	making	you	look	bloated	and
pounds	heavier	than	you	truly	weigh.
An	average	daily	guideline	is	1,000	to	1,500	milligrams	(mg)	of	sodium	per
day	or	less.	If	you	are	at	risk	for	a	medical	condition,	such	as	those	listed	above,
you	can	certainly	omit	salt	from	your	cooking	altogether.	Most	of	us,
accustomed	to	so	many	processed	and	restaurant
foods	that	contain	loads	of
sodium,	are	used	to	a	very	salty	flavor.	Shifting	into	eating	more	natural	foods
and	preparing	simpler	food	will	help	you	become	more	sensitive	to	the	taste	of
salt.	It’s	also	a	good	idea	to	add	sea	salt	to	your	food	right	before	you	eat	it,	so	it
tastes	more	salty	without	using	more	actual	salt!PILLAR	2:
External	Nourishment
Now	that	you	know	how	to	lay	the	foundation	for	your	beauty	with	your	diet,
we	are	going	to	talk	about	the	best	forms	for	the	outer	care	of	your	skin.	This
includes	the	safest	and	most	effective	skin-care	products	and	ingredients	as	well
as	self-care	practices	that	will	help	you	grow	strong	nails;	healthy,	shiny	hair;
and	clear,	glowing	skin.	Incorporating	superior	inner	and	outer	care	will
nourish	your	whole	body	from	the	outside	in	and	let	your	natural	beauty	shine
through	to	the	highest	degree	possible.	In	this	pillar	we’ll	cover	the	best—as	well
as	the	worst—ingredients	and	practices	so	you	can	allow	your	most	beautiful	self
to	be	authentically	reflected.SHIFT	6:
Incorporate
Natural	Skin-Care
Ingredients
Your	Amazing	Skin
Our	largest	organ,	the	skin,	is	a	fascinating	one.	It	is	an	elimination	organ,
meaning	it	helps	dispel	wastes	from	your	body	through	sweat.	Your	skin
receives	roughly	a	third	of	all	the	blood	that	is	circulated	throughout	the	body.
It	makes	sense	that	if	the	blood	is	congested,	this	is	reflected	in	your	skin.	Your
skin	is	the	last	organ	to	receive	nutrition	in	the	body,	yet	is	among	the	first
organs	to	show	signs	of	an	imbalance	or	deficiency.
But	skin	does	also	work	in	the	opposite	way,	absorbing	what	is	applied	to	it
on	the	outside.	It	is	therefore	critical	to	be	strategic	about	putting	the	best
ingredients	on	the	surface	of	your	skin	to	help	repair	and	support	its	health
from	the	outside	in.	This	seems	obvious,	but	there	is	a	great	deal	of	marketing
hype	to	weed	through	to	determine	what	works	and	what	is	merely	an	empty
claim.	It’s	also	critical	to	avoid	the	numerous	toxic	ingredients	that	can	be
absorbed	and	not	only	tax	your	skin	but	also	enter	your	bloodstream	and
burden	your
liver.
Your	skin	is	also	influenced	by	your	emotions	and	mental	state.	Research
shows	that	stress	can	cause	visible	aging	at	the	cellular	level,	including	a	study
published	in	the
Proceedings	of	the	National	Academy	of	Sciences
.
1

Elissa	Epel,	one
of	the	researchers	for	this	study,	states,	“This	is	the	first	time	that	psychological
stress	has	been	linked	to	a	cellular	indicator	of	aging	in	healthy	people.”
2
Luckily,	many	of	the	techniques	in	this	pillar	will	help	relax	your	mind	and
body	while	nurturing	your	skin	from	the	outside	in.
Healthy,	smooth,	and	radiant	skin	is	considered	the	holy	grail	of	beauty.	If
you	survey	any	woman	(and	most	men,	even	though	they	might	not	discuss	it	as
openly!),	you	will	find	that	beautiful	skin	is	at	the	very	top	of	her	beauty	wish
list.	Well,	the	time	has	come	for	you	to	get	your	wish.	By	working	with	yourskin	and	incorporating	ingredients	into	your	routine	that	will	help	nourish
your	skin,	you’ll	create	an	optimal	environment	for	your	skin	to	grow,	repair,
and	heal	itself.	The	result	will	be	skin	that	glows,	reflecting	your	highest	beauty.
Natural	vs.	Chemical	Ingredients
Some	may	think	that	the	expensive,	scientifically	created,	cutting-edge	products
on	the	market	are	automatically	the	most	effective	choices	out	there,	but	this	is
not	necessarily	the	case.	The	antioxidants	found	in	natural	plant	ingredients	are
still	widely	considered	to	be	among	the	most	powerful	skin-care	ingredients,
and	this	is	consistently	proven	in	research.
As
Richard	Baxter,	MD,	of	the	University	of	Washington
School	of
Medicine,	states,	“There	is	enough	published	work	to	convince	me	that	the
antioxidant	botanicals	will	be	the	next	big	thing	in	skin	care.”
3
	They	may	be	the
“next	big	thing,”	but	they	have	also	been	around	for	thousands	of	years—much
like	ancient	practices	like	yoga	and	meditation	are	tagged	as	“new	age.”	(Ironic
and	illogical,	right?)	Synthetic	ingredients	may	have	properties	to	help	boost
your	skin,	but	some	may	tax	your	skin	and	even	be	toxic.
4
	That	toxicity	can	be
absorbed	right	from	your	skin	into	your	system.
5
As	with	your	diet,	the	best	approach	to	skin	care	is	to	understand	the	power
of	nature.	Nature’s	beauty	is	unparalleled,	and	if	you	live	closer	to	nature	in	all
aspects	of	your	lifestyle,	your	natural	beauty	will	increase.	Choose	nontoxic
products	that	contain	natural,	plant-based	ingredients.	As	long	as	they	aren’t
toxic,	scientifically	created	ingredients,	like	concentrated,	isolated	peptides,	that
are	aimed	at	a	specific	purpose	such	as	minimizing	the	appearance	of	fine	lines
and	wrinkles	can	work	together	with	natural	ingredients	to	create	powerful
combinations.	Nature	and	science	can	most	certainly	work	together	in	a
balanced	way.
Organic	ingredients	are,	by	definition,	pesticide-	and	GMO-free.	But	keep	in
mind	that	products	may	contain	some	organic	ingredients	but	may	not	be
100
percent
	organic	if	other	ingredients	are	processed	in	some	way	to	make	them
usable	or	if	they	are	actually	lab	created.	Natural	min


 not wear. It is only conscious work that requires for recuperation and muscle rebuilding non -use or physical rest.
This is permitted in that loss of consciousness regularly recurrent in animal life, whic h is called sleep.

    Physical growth and muscular development in man are never completely rounded out, and this may be attributed to a double
cause. Theoretically, every muscle of the body should be exercised impartially and should be nourished with th e exact amount of
cell pabulum that is needful for the replacement of its broken -down substance. These conditions are virtually never fulfilled. That
Page 55 of  72 they may be is a possibility to be contemplated with surety, since they are logical conclusions based on n atural law. To bring them
to consummation, reciprocal active relation must exist between intake and outgo, rebuilding and waste, labor and rest,
consciousness and sleep.

    The processes of nutrition are involuntary in character so long as material suit able for their accomplishment is furnished for
their use, but they may be directed in part by the individual to the extent of the preparation and of the selection in kind a nd quantity
of food required. When the function of digestion becomes impaired, disea se results. And functional disease is analogous to
muscular fatigue; hence, since nature includes in her law of recuperation both systemic purification and organic rest, it is
reasonable to assume what the text promulgates: organic rest through abeyance of  the processes of digestion and assimilation, with
consequent systemic cleansing and renewal of normal functional activity.

    The manner in which the digestive organs and those allied to them may be given needed rest is to the mass mind perhaps not at
once apparent. The mere thought of abstention from food carries with it repudiation of the long -taught doctrine that frequent
feeding both in health and in illness is needful for the maintenance of vitality and strength. Yet just this omission of food  is meant
when rest for overworked organs is suggested. The phenomena of fasting for the cure of disease include facts that prove that the
human body does not depend for strength or for vitality solely upon food ingested; the latter is in the main utilized for the repair of
the fabric of the body; by means of food the material framework is kept in condition to permit of the liberation of energy in  its
variety of manifestation. The body, then, is but a vehicle for the expression of the life principle. But the lif e principle itself is an
entity, operating through its vehicle only so long as its lines of transmission are unobstructed by the causes of disease.

    Diminution in weight, often excessive, always occurs in illness, even though food is ingested. (Except ions with obese or
dropsical symptoms noted.) In itself this shows that nature is proceeding with her process of purification, despite the obsta cles in
her path, and that she is protecting the body by inhibiting the function of assimilation. This she will continue to do until the
avenues for the passage of vital force are partially or wholly cleared, or until organic defect beyond repair is uncovered. I n the
former event, health will eventually be restored; in the latter, the death of the body is presaged.

    Also, when disease is present, under the more prevalent methods, feeding is continuous in accordance with the doctrine that
nourishment is at all times necessary to "keep up strength." If the stomach rebel, other organs are assailed with the idea of
conveying through them the nutriment considered necessary, and this in spite of very evident protests on the part of bodily
function. The question naturally suggests itself: why, if food is constantly supplied, does the body lose in weight! This que ry was
covered in a previous chapter, but its answer is found in the fact that in disease intake of food is not properly digested, is
consequently incapable of complete and healthful assimilation, and, far from acting as constructive material for tissue
regeneratio n, proves an added systemic burden and a source of toxication. Another cause of loss of weight, slighter in degree, is
discovered in that brain and nerve tissue, as instruments for the expression of thought, motion, and sensation, are protected  from
deteri oration in substance by that provision of nature which permits them to utilize nourishment stored in the interstices of tissu e.
This they consume in illness and in health, and, when in disease normal balance is disturbed, when body tissue is not rebuilt  as is
the case in health, nerve substance is still supported from the same source of supply.

    With slight differences the physiology of digestion in all mammals is markedly similar. In disease the lower mammalia abstain
from food until hunger returns, w hen health is rapidly recovered. To this they are impelled by instinct, by animal sagacity, a
faculty implanted by nature in the whole of animate creation. The fasts which animals instinctively undergo in disease are
phenomena which cannot help but be cons tantly observed, but which are not in general intelligently perceived. A common
expression in reference to illness in the horse embodies the phrase, "off his feed," and this negation on the part of the ani mal
confirms the existence an instinctive sense tha t impels it to fast when its physical well -being is overturned. And this natural
spontaneous impulse is not confined to mammals, for birds, reptiles, in fact the whole animal kingdom, abstain from food when
ailing. A python in captivity has been known to f ast for thirteen months, with great loss in weight, it is true, but with eventual
recuperation and recovery. And cats and canines often prolong abstention to skeleton condition, after which strength and vita lity
progressively increase until normal is again  attained. Instances such as these may be multiplied indefinitely.

    While not occasioned by the invasion of disease, it is interesting to note in this connection that condition of lethargy unde rgone
by certain animals during the winter months, known a s hibernation, a condition in which the functions of the body are in great
measure suspended. How a warm -blooded animal used to the most stirring activities during eight or nine months of the year can
retire to a den, and from an ordinary sleep, which it i s at first, pass into a condition of torpor in which all the organs that have to do
with digestion, assimilation, and waste, excepting the lungs, suspend their functions and remain quiescent for a period of se veral
months, is more or less a sealed book to science.

    In man and the non -hibernating animals the action of the body functions are continuous awake or asleep, but in the bear, the
marmot, the prairie dog, during the hibernating period, the functions of digestion, assimilation, and elimination ar e suspended until
the animal awakens in the spring.

Page 56 of  72     A bear, if sufficiently fat, begins to fast some weeks before he retires to winter quarters; but, if there has been lack of f ood, or, if
the animal is old, with poor teeth, it will eat to the very d ay of entering its den, and this last meal will be found in the stomach
when the revival from winter sleep takes place.

    The average bear at the beginning of hibernation is covered with a layer of fat that varies from two to six inches in thickne ss,
and, if the animal is killed at this time and the fat removed from the carcass, the latter is found plump and full -fleshed. But, killed
after some months in the den, a heavier layer of fat is discovered, with a diminution in lean flesh, which by this time h as become
lax and flabby in texture. The carcass, then stripped of its fat, will be noticeably smaller than that of a bear of similar s ize killed in
the fall or in the early winter.

    There is then evidently a continual process of change from nitrogeno us to carbonaceous tissue proceeding while the winter sleep
of the hibernating animal endures; and, in this transmutation of muscle into fat, lies perhaps the secret of the torpor in wh ich the
bear is wrapped. For, when a bear first goes into his den, his sleep is natural, and he is easily aroused. But, left undisturbed, sleep
develops into stupor; respiration and circulation are the only evidences of life, and they are both retarded in action. Carbo n
resulting from the change of protein into fat within the  system, is retained in the blood, because all of the organs of elimination,
excepting the lungs, are without function; and respiration is so slow that there is continuously an excess of carbonic acid g as in the
blood stream, and a consequent condition of toxication, of torpor.

    At times during hibernation the female bear will bring her young into the world, and then milk is elaborated in amount suffic ient
to maintain the cubs. The birth of young and the physiological chemistry of continued milk produc tion in the fasting, torpor -ridden
bear have particular interest here, analogous as these phenomena are to the related cases in the text of pregnant women proce eding
to confinement, but fasting for weeks the while.

    A hibernating bear never soils his den with urine or ordure, for no waste is formed, consequently none is voided. But, after the
period of winter


, as was the fully uniformed deputy standing
by the car. In  all these years, I had never seen law
enforcement out here. The deputy called out to me, “Are
you in charge here?” The voice in my head was frantically
trying to figure out what was going on. Why is a deputy
here? I s some thing wrong? Did he look in the Temple
and see  all the strange religious icons? This is north-
central Florida; am I in trouble?
Despite all this internal noi se, I managed to utter a
fairly normal sounding, “Yes, sir, I am in charge. How
may I help you?” Pointing to the Temple, Deputy
Knowles asked me if I had built the building. When I told
him that I had, he asked if I would consider building an
addition onto his house. It seemed he loved the rustic
cedar lo ok of the Temple and was impressed with the
quality of the carpentry. H e had been looking for abuilder to enclose and remodel his garage into living
space.
I was dumbfou nded. I had never even thought of such
a th ing. Sure, I  had built a few buildings on my own land,
but I had neve r thought of building for someone else—
not to mention  someone official, like a sheriff’s deputy. I
stood there for a moment as two contrasting responses
went on inside my head. First, the voice was saying, No
way, I don’t want to do this. I’m busy. I have my job at
Santa Fe, and I’m not a build er, anyway.  Second, there
was a quiet, pe aceful sense of awareness that didn’t have
to say a word. It simply knew  that my vow of surrender
to life required me to see where this would lead. I took a
breath, looked up at the offic er, and said, “Yes, I would
be g lad to help  out with your project.” There—it was said,
just like the other times. No w I would get to see what
magical rabbit hole this new act of surrender would lead
me down.
Deputy Knowles was the perfect person for my first
construction jo b. He knew ju st what he wanted, and he
allowed me to do the job on a cost-plus basis. That was
essential since I was in no position to give him a firm bid
or pay for the materials myself. Given what I was
accustomed to earning in those days, I’m sure I did the
job for far les s than anyone else would have. I would
need an  assistant, and Radha, one of our new Temple
residents, volu nteered. She was on her Christmas break
from the university, and she assured me that she could
handle a hammer and carry  her load. We strapped on
aprons and drove into town to do some building.
That job, completely unasked for and unexpected,
became the start of my construction company, Built with
Love. Officer Knowles was so  pleased with the job that he
passed the word around. In no time at all, I was doing
numerous hom e improvement jobs for officers and staff
at the Alachua County Sheriff’s Department. I still had
my pon ytail, a nd always worked in sandals, but no oneseemed to mind. Radha coul d only help part-time, so I
did some of th e jobs by myself. I put in fireplaces, closed
in a few gara ges, and added a number of porches. I
treated each job as if the un iverse itself had given it to
me—because it had. Just as th e retreats had taught me to
serve, so doing home improvement work for all these
wonderful people became part of my spiritual practices. I
was given the opportunity to bring joy into the lives of
people I  didn’t even know. I really liked that aspect of the
work, a nd I would have gladly done the jobs for free. But
that wa s not what was happening. I was going to have to
learn to deal with accepting money and running a
business. Life was making m e let go of my spiritual self-
concept, and I was staying very conscious about not
replacing it with yet another one. I simply put my whole
heart in to wha tever I was doi ng. There was no difference
between teaching my classes at Santa Fe, meeting with
people for morning and evening services at the Temple,
running spiritual retreats, or doing a construction job.
All these tasks had one thin g in common: they had all
been given to me by surrendering to life’s
incomprehensible flow.2 8.
T h e  M a s t e r  B u i l d e r
W hen something is meant to be, it’s fascinating watching
it un fold, one event after the  other. To begin with, I had
to deal with th e money that was coming in. These were
all small home improvement jobs, but they were bringing
in m uch more money than I was used to dealing with. It
turned out that Radha had some experience in
bookkeeping. D uring summer vacations, she used to help
out in the bookkeeping department at the Florida Farm
Bureau, where her father was president. I’d never seen
anyone use an adding machine as fast as her fingers
could fly across the keys. I ha d minored in accounting in
college, so together we set up the company’s books. I
imagine my CPA brother-in-l aw, Harvey, must have been
surprised when I called him for advice on setting up a
business. He filed the pape rwork to incorporate Built
with Love and offered to look over the books and handle
the annual tax returns. This had to be the smallest
business in the world that had a CPA. As usual, it all
seemed like overkill to me, until the next unlikely event
took place.
Not long after the start of Built with Love, we were
meeting on the field one Sund ay after services. It was our
tradition to get together in a big circle for community
announcements before sharing tea and cookies. After
announcements, a man came  up to me and said he had
heard I  was doing some building. I concurred, and he
asked m e if I could use a b uilder license. Any permits
needed so far had been pulled by the home owner, but it
would be good to have a contractor license in case
anything bigger showed up. I told him I would beinterested, and  he informed me that he had a builder
license that I could use. He had the look of a devoted
hippie, and I hadn’t pictured him as a licensed
contractor. I asked him how he came about having a
license. He told me that a few years earlier there had
been a period of dispute bet ween the county and state
licensing agencies. During t hat time, anyone could fill
out the paperwork and be iss ued a contractor license. He
had don e just that, and now he had an active license. It
seemed too good to be true. I called the county the next
day and  asked about the license number he had given
me. I was informed that the license was active and in
good standing, and I was free to work out any
arrangement w hereby Built with Love could utilize the
license.
Just in case the flow of l ife hadn’t already been
impressive enough, I was now a licensed contractor. And
it w as a good thing, because  I soon had a very special
building project to do on Temple property. It seems
Donna’s twelve -by-sixteen-foot cabin was not going to be
big enough to house both her and the child she was
expecting. I would not have h ad the wherewithal to build
an addition onto her house just a few months earlier. The
perfection of the Universal Flow I had been surrendering
to had taken care of the pr oblem before I even knew
there was one. We hadn’t ch anged our lifestyle, so the
funds that Built with Love had been earning all got
plowed back into the Temple’s property. I knocked out
an entir e side of Donna’s cabi n and built an addition that
included room for a crib and a proper bathroom.
Our daughter, Durga Devi, was born in August 1977.
Amrit, Mataji, and many others sent her traditional gifts
of bless ings fo r health, prosperity, and spirituality. She
was born into what had become a spiritual community. It
was going to be very interesting to see how she would
grow up.You would think that it was time to settle in and digest
all the changes  that had taken place in our lives. I had
always lived within my means, even when earning $350
a m onth as a part-time teacher at Santa Fe. Now, Built
with Love was earning me a  few thousand a month on
top of my Santa Fe salary. There was certainly no need
for more income—at least that’s what I thought. It had
become a pattern of mine to think, or wish, that an
energy flow was complete when, in fact, it had just
begun. It’s a good thing I was following the energy and
not leading it, because the Universal Plan was always
much


ated.Expressionsleepy.Indifferentduringa
fever.Lively.Senses:dull;acute.Sensitivetonoise.
Stupor.
Inanacuteillnesslikeafever,Opiumpatientsaredull
andapathetic,dullerthananyotherremedy-tothe
pointofstupor.Theydon'tcomplainorevenaskfor
anythingandmaybeoverwhelmingly sleepy.Before
reachingthisstateofstupor,however,theymaybe-
comeexhilaratedanddeliriousandimaginetheysee
things,especiallyonclosingtheireyes.
Peoplewhohavebecomestuckintoastateoffear
afterabadfrightorshockmaybenefitfromOpium.
TheylooksimilartoAconite(thatis,enormously
shocked)buttheyarealsoinadream-likestatethat
theycannotsnapoutof.Thisiscommonafteran
operationandOpiumwillhelppeopleafterageneral
anaestheticwheretheyfeel'spacedout'anddrowsyto
128•Petroleum(Petr.) INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA
getbacktotheirnormalstates.TheOpiumpersonwill
recreatetheimageorsituationthatcausedtheshock,
butduringwakinghours;hewillnothavebad
dreams.Arnicatypes,ontheotherhand,willbefine
duringthedaybutwillhavebaddreamsrelatingtothe
fright.
Childrenwhohavebeenseverelytoldoffsome-
timesdevelopanOpium'acute'.
PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Constipation
SymptomsDesiretopassstoolabsent.Stools:
black;hard;smallballs;likesheep'sdung/droppings;
'shy'(recede).Withunfinishedfeeling.
Thestoolwilllieinthebowelandthepersonhasno
desiretopassit.Noristhereanypainthatwould
normallybeassociatedwithsuchconstipation.The
constipationmaybeacuteafteranoperation. Itmay
alternatewithdiarrhoea,whichmaycomeonafter
suddenjoyorafterfright.
Cough
SymptomsBreathingdifficult;slow;snoring.
Worseduringsleep;onfallingasleep;onwaking.
Thebreathingslowsdownduringsleepandwhenthe
feverisstrong;itbecomesirregularandlaboured,like
awakingsnoring.Thisaspectisverymarkedinthis
remedypictureandneedstobepresentforittowork
successfully.
Fever
SymptomsHeat:burning;intense.Withdeepsleep;
sweating(seeGeneralSymptoms).
Betterforuncovering.
Worseduringsleep;forsweating.
Apersonwiththisfeverwillexperienceoverpowering
sleepinessandyawning,willfallasleepandthen
breatheslowlyandloudlyasifsnoring.Heatcomeson
duringsleep,andsweatingwhichdoesnotrelievethe
symptoms. Ifwoken,thepersonwillbedazedand
confused,willwanttouncover,andiseitherdelirious
andexcitableorstupefiedandsemi-consciousduring
thefever.
Insomnia
SymptomsWithsleepiness.
Sleepslightlyandrestlesslyandhearseverysound.Is
sleepybutcannotfallasleep,andthebedmayfeelhot.
Retentionofurine
Causesshock.
Afterashockorfrightthepersonisunabletopass
urine.Petroleum (Petr.)
Othernames:petra-rock;oleumoil;coaloil;rockoil
Theword'petroleum'originatesfromtheLatinfor
'rock'(Petra)and'oil'(Oleum).Thetermcommonly
referstotheliquidcrudeoilwhichcomesfrombe-
neaththeearth'ssurface,althoughpetroleumalso
occursintheearthingaseousorsolidforms,andafew
petroleumlakesortarpitsareknownthroughoutthe
world.Itisformedovermillionsofyearsfromthe
remainsofmarineplantandanimallifedeposited
underthesea,wheretheydecomposewithout
oxygen;heat,pressureandtimeconvertthisinto
petroleum.
Petroleumwasknowntomanyancientpeoples,
whoreferredtoitas'burningwater'anduseditinthe
formofbitumentocaulkshipsandbuildroadsaswell
astogivelight.Morerecently, ithasprovideduswith
heatingandafuelforthiscentury'smachinery. Itis
refinedandprocessedintonumerousproducts,such
assolvents,paints,asphalt,plastics,cleansingagents,
waxesandjellies,medicines,explosivesandferti-
lisers.Thecrudeoilhasbeenusedforthetreatmentof
wounds.
Thehomeopathicpreparation ismadefrompurified
oilorfromcrudeoilfromwhichatinctureisprepared
andthendilutedandsuccussedinthenormalway.
GENERALSYMPTOMS
Dislikes:meat;fatty,richfood.Sweat:one-sided;
smelly.
Worseforfreshair;duringthemorning;travelling
(boat,car,train,bus,etc.)
ThisisasmallremedythatIhaveincludedbecause
ofitsusesintravelsicknessandnauseaduringpreg-
nancy.Thereisageneraldislikeoffreshairwhichalso
aggravatesthenausea.
EMOTIONAL/MENTALSYMPTOMS
Confusedinfreshair.Forgetful.Irritable.
Quarrelsome.
PeopleneedingPetroleumwillbegenerallyworsefor
andalsomentallyconfusedoutinthefreshair.They
maynotrecognisewell-knownstreetsandmaymake
mistakesinfindingtheirway.
PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Chilblains
SymptomsChilblains:onfeet,hands,toes;in-
flamed.
INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA Phosphoricacid(Pho-ac.) •129
Feetbecomecoldand'fallasleep'easily,andthe
handsbecomecoldandchapped.Thechilblainsare
painfulanditching,andoccurinthewinterduring
coldweather.
Diarrhoea
SymptomsDiarrhoeaduringthedayonly.Pains
pressing.Withravenousappetite.
Thisisaveryspecificdiarrhoeathatoccursonlydur-
ingthedayandisnotaccompaniedbyalossof
appetite.
Headache
SymptomsPains:inbackofhead;pressing.With
heaviness;nausea(seebelow).
Theheadacheusuallycomesonwhentravellingand
accompaniesthenausea.
Nausea
SymptomsWithdizziness.
Worseforfreshair.
Thisnauseaisusuallyaccompaniedbydizzinessand/
orheadache.
Travelsickness
SymptomsWithheadache(seeabove);nausea(see
above);vomiting.
Worseforfreshair.
Causestravelling.
Petroleumisoneofthemaintravelsicknessremedies
andisindicatedwherefreshairactuallyaggravates.
(ItistheoppositeofTabacum,whichhasnauseabut
isbetterforfreshair.)Thissymptomshouldhelp
todifferentiatebetweenthevarioustravelsickness
remedies.
PHOSPHORICACID(Pho-ac.)
Othername:glacialphosphoricacid
Phosphoricacidoccurseitherasaclear,colourless,
sparklingliquidorasatransparentcrystallinesolid-
dependingonitstemperature. Itisusedinthemanu-
factureoffertilisers,softdrinks(givingthemafruity,
acidicflavour),pharmaceuticals, gelatin,animal
feeds,waxes,polishes,dentalcementsanddeter-
gents.Itisalsousedintheprocessesofsugarrefining
andrustproofingmetals,andinotherindustrialuses.
Medicinally itisoccasionallytakenasatonicto
stimulatethesecretionofgastricjuices,incombi-
nationwithquinineandstrychnine(thatis,withour
friendsNuxvomicaandChinal).Thehomeopathicremedyismadefrompulverised
phosphaterockwhichisdissolvedinsulphuricacid
andthendilutedbysuccussion.
GENERALSYMPTOMS
Complaintsfrom:lossofbodyfluids.Eyesglassy.
Facepale.Likes:fruit;refreshingthings.Painsin
bones.Sweat:clammy;profuse.Symptoms
one-sided.Thirstless.
Befferaftersleep.
Worseforcold;forsweating;duringtheevening;
duringthemorning;ononesideofbody.
Phosphoricacidbenefitsthosewhohavebecomeweak
andtiredfromstudyingtoomuchorfromlosingalot
ofbodyfluids,forexampleafterdiarrhoea,aheavy
period,bleedingorvomiting.Thispictureoccursin
youngpeoplewithbonepainswhohavegrowntoo
fast,inpeoplewhoareacutelydepressedorthosewho
areconvalescingfromanillnesswheretheyhavelosta
lotofthei


 past
and present to create the future. One must think of something before he can
experience or create it in this physical world. It is obvious that these two
“bodies” (mind and emotions) of yours are the main creators of your
experience. Without thought and emotions your physical body wouldn’t
know where to go or what to do.
But what about the physical body? What occurs at the physical level to
move, react, respond, grow, expand or decay something? The term we use in
chemistry is “catalyst.” A catalyst is a vehicle, a transporter and an igniter.
This is an element that changes elements, compounds or complexes into other
elements, compounds or complexes. You could say that parasites are a
catalyst as they take dying cells, putrid matter, and break these down into
basic elements or compounds. Again, other elemental catalysts include
enzymes (digestive, systemic, etc.), vitamins, minerals, oxygen and
hydrogen, to name a few.
Let’s look at hydrogen, which is simply one proton at the nucleus and
one orbiting electron. If this hydrogen atom comes into contact with another
atom that pulls its electron away, the result is a hydrogen atom without an
electron, which is now called a hydrogen ion. This creates more magnetic
potential (or activity), which creates an acid. An acid would give you a sour
taste in your mouth. Compounds that combine with protons are called alkalies
(or bases) and are, of course,
alkaline
. These atoms have an extra electron.
An alkali is sweet tasting. One could say that protons influence acids, and
electrons influence alkalies.
The result of this process of tearing down and coming together
(oxidation and ionization) should result in homeostasis—balance within the
system.
Homeostasis is achieved when the body is more alkaline than
acid
. When this balance (or homeostasis) is upset, from toxicity and
predominately acid food eating (acidosis), tissues (organs, glands, etc.) fail to
do their jobs properly. Thus, disease is the result.
OXIDATION AND IONIZATION

Knowing about oxidation and ionization will help you to further understandthe alkaline (cationic) and acid (anionic) processes in the body.
Alkalization
is the key to tissue regeneration
, so understanding these processes is
essential for you in the achievement of vibrant health.
Oxidation and ionization are just two of the ways that encourage the
breaking down and the building up, or changing, of matter from one form
into another. Your bones are a great example of this as they are always being
broken down and rebuilt to some degree. “Breakdown” and “buildup” keep
life ever renewing itself, allowing for creation to eternally expand.
Oxidation is the process whereby elements combine with oxygen. In this
combining, electrons get kicked out of the orbit of an atom’s nucleus, and
this increases the positive or proton valence. Oxidation can be either
beneficial to the body, assisting alkalization, or it can create free radicals,
causing destruction to cells. This is most evident in acidosis where
inflammation is present. A Superoxide radical is formed when oxygen
compounds have not been completely broken down or utilized properly
because of the inflammatory (acidosis) condition. This causes further cellular
damage or destruction.
These oxygen compounds are less likely to be broken down properly
when we are low on antioxidants or our immune system is underactive
(hypoactive). When this breakdown and utilization of oxygen compounds is
poorly functioning, free radicals are created, and without proper ionization or
neutralization these free radicals join
in creating more tissue damage. This is
why there is so much current interest in antioxidants—like vitamin E, vitamin
C, beta-carotene, pycnogenol, COQ10—and why they are such a hot
commodity in the health market today. Antioxidants are attracted to free
radicals —bond with them and neutralize their damaging effects.
Oxidation leads to ionization, or the transmutation of elements or
compounds into simple ions. Water is one of the greatest catalysts for
oxidation. You see this in action when water combines with metals to create
rust. In our blood serum this oxidation creates electrolytes, which are
conductors of energy.
Ionization creates both positive and negative ions. Ions are your catalysts,
like enzymes, which create action and reaction, or building and destroying.
Positive ions are sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium, which are
called cations. Negative ions include chloride, sulfates, phosphates and
carbonates, and are called anions. It can become confusing, understanding
how calcium, as we discussed earlier, can be alkaline at first, then charged orionized and become acidic. However, nature must take an element and
dispense it through the body, then make it useable. Calcium must first be
dispersible in blood serum. Then it has to combine with other elements and
become a building material. Too much ionized calcium will cause stone
formation, bone spurs, and the like. Excessive ionized calcium must be
converted back by alkalization/oxidation to its original electrolyte form, or be
converted into a salt for easy elimination.
ANABOLISM AND CATABOLISM

The body uses what you eat to create new tissue, or to break down (or
change) existing tissue. You can begin to see through ingestion and digestion
that the body takes more complex compounds and elements, and breaks them
down into their simplest forms. Cells have very small pores that only allow
simple structures to enter. Simple constituents become the catalysts of life,
creating action and reaction throughout your body and the universe. This is
true biological transmutation, or God changing itself, creating the new and
destroying the old.

Alkalies create
anabolism
—the building, rebuilding, growing and creating
aspects of life. (This cannot take place without catabolism).
Acids create
catabolism
—the tearing down, breaking apart, and the
destroying aspects of nature. (This cannot take place without anabolism).
Alkalinity disperses, moves and cleans the body; whereas acids
coagulate, form masses and stagnate the body
. As stated earlier,
alkalization is the key to regeneration. The more anionic you become, the
more acidic you become, causing acidosis. Acidosis causes malnutrition,
inflammation, stone formation, pain, electrolyte depletion (dehydration),
swelling, convulsions and death. On the other hand, most fruits, vegetables
and herbs are alkaline-forming.
Nature seems to favor alkaline (cationic)solutions
. If your diet consists of 80 percent raw fruits and vegetables, and
20 percent nuts, seeds and cooked vegetables, you will experience
tremendous health. If your diet consists of 100 percent raw fruits, vegetables,
nuts and seeds you will experience incredible vitality and robust health.
MODULE 3.9
The Energy of Food

People today tend to focus a great deal of attention on the chemistry (or
composition) of foods, especially vitamins and minerals, while mainly
ignoring other properties, like astringent properties, antioxidants, tissue salts
and the like. Even less do we think about the energy of a food, which is a
reflection of the food’s total chemistry.
Orthomolecular supplementation (vitamins and minerals) never cures.
The power (or energy) of individual constituents can never match that of a
whole food complex. In nature all things work together and with clockwork
precision.
When you separate the nutrition in food, and only give back
certain constituents, you miss the synergistic properties of the whole
. This
causes a loss of proper utilization. Calcium, for example, needs phosphorus,
magnesium, the flavinoid complexes, B complex, etc., to be properly utilized.
If you take calcium tablets alone, you can’t get this synergistic action. If you
get calcium from nature, from raw foods, you get the whole deal—
constituents and all. We just can’t compete with nature.
Separated constituents, like vitamins and minerals, can increase your
energy levels somewhat and in some cases make your symptoms disappear,
only to return when you stop using them. An example of this, again, is
calcium. Many people experience weak, brittle and/or ridged fingernails.
They start taking a calcium supplement or gelatin and their nails will become
hard again. However, as soon as they stop taking the calcium, their nails
return to the weakened state. Your fingernails will give you clues about the
condition of your bones or skeletal structure. You did not fix the “cause” of
the problem, which is, in nine out of ten cases, a
calcium utilization
problem
, not a deficiency problem. Calcium is very abundant even in our
S.A.D. (Standard American Diet). However, we are destroying its utilization
potential through cooking and processing. You must fix the utilizationproblem, and the bottom line of food utilization is energy and proper
endocrine gland function.
“Are the foods you are eating full of energy, or have you destroyed the
energy and nutrition in your food by cooking or altering it in some way?”
This is the number one question to ask yourself. The higher the energy a food
has, the greater healing ability it has. This is why fructose and glucose are
essential. These simple