 people
right out of high school. Fear of78 / Your Erroneous Zonesfailure and doubt about his intellectual capacities scare Horace. He
looks at catalogs regularly, and with the help he receives in counsel-
ing he has taken the appropriate entrance examinations and arranged
an interview with an admissions official at a local community college. But he still uses his I’ms to skirt the actual doing process. He justifies
his inaction with, “I’m too old, I’m not smart enough, and I’m not
really interested.”
Horace uses his I’ms to avoid something he genuinely wants. A
colleague of mine employs them to get out of tasks he doesn’t enjoy. He avoids having to fix the doorbell, or the radio, or any unpleasant
handyman activity by simply reminding his wife, “Now you know,
dear, I’m just not mechanical.” These kinds of I’ms are adaptive be-
haviors, but they are nevertheless delusional excuses. Instead of
saying, “I find this kind of activity dull or uninteresting, and I choose
not to work at it in my present moments (which is perfectly logical
and healthy)” it becomes easier to simply haul out an I’m. In these cases, the individuals are saying something about them-
selves. They are stating, “I am a finished product in this area, and I
am never going to be any different.” If you are a finished product,
all tied up and put away, you have stopped growing, and while you
may very well want to hang onto some I’ms you may find that others
are simply limiting and self-destructive. Below is a listing of some labels that are relics of the past. If any
of them belong to you, you might like to change them. To stay exactly
the way you are in any area is to make one of those deathlike de-
cisions described in Chapter I. Keep in mind that this is not a discus-
sion of the things that you just plain don’t enjoy, but rather a look
at behavior that keeps you from activities from which you might
choose a great deal of pleasure and excitement.BREAKING FREE FROM THE PAST  / 79Ten Typical “I’m” Categories and Their Neurotic Dividends
1. I’m poor at math, spelling, reading, languages, etc. This I’m guarantees that you won’t put in the effort required
to change. The academic I’m is designed to keep you from
ever having to do the hard work involved in mastering sub-
ject matter that you have traditionally found difficult or
boring. As long as you label yourself inept, you have a built-
in reason to avoid tackling it. 2. 2. I’m lousy at some skill areas such as cooking, sports, crocheting,
drawing, acting, etc. This I’m assures that you won’t have to do any of these things
in the future and justifies any poor performance in the past. “I’ve always been that way; it’s just my nature.” This attitude
reinforces your inertia and, more important, it helps you to
hang onto the absurd notion that you shouldn’t do anything
if you don’t do it really well. Thus, unless you’re the world
champion, avoidance is better than doing. 3. I’m shy, reserved, temperamental, nervous, afraid, etc. The call is to genetics for these I’ms. Rather than challenging
them and the self-destructive thinking which supports them,
you simply accept them as a confirmation of the way you’ve
always been. Also, you can blame your parents, and use them
as the reason for your current I’m. You make them the cause
and don’t have to work at being different. You choose this
behavior as a way to avoid being assertive in situations which
have always been troublesome for you. This is a leftover I’m
from a childhood in which others had an inherent interest in
having you believe that you were incapable of thinking for
yourself. These are the personality I’ms. These self-definitions
help you to avoid the tough business of being different from
what you’ve always been. You simply define your personality
with a convenient I’m and you can now excuse all kinds of
self-forfeiting behav-80 / Your Erroneous Zonesiors as out of your control. You negate the notion that you
can choose your own personality, and rely instead on your
genetic misfortune to explain away all of those personality
traits that you would like to disown. 4. I’m clumsy, uncoordinated, etc. These I’ms that you learned as a child enable you to avoid
potential ridicule that might come your way because you
aren’t as physically skilled as others. Of course, your lack of
skill comes from a history of believing those I’ms and hence
avoiding physical activity, rather than from some inherent
defect. You get good at what you practice, not what you shun. Keep your I’m and stay on the sidelines watching and wish-
ing, but pretending that you really don’t like that sort of
thing. 5. I’m unattractive, ugly, big-boned, plain, too tall, etc. These physiological I’ms are helpful in keeping you from
taking risks with the opposite sex, and in justifying the poor
self-image and lack of love you’ve chosen for yourself. As
long as you describe yourself in this fashion, you have a
ready-made excuse for not putting yourself on the line in a
love relationship. And you don’t have to work at looking
attractive to yourself, as well. You use your mirror as justific-
ation for not taking a chance. There’s only one problem: we
see exactly what we choose to—even in mirrors. 6. I’m unorganized, meticulous, sloppy, etc. These behavioral I’ms are convenient for manipulating others
and in justifying why things have to be done a certain way. I’ve always done it that way. As if tradition were a reason to
do anything. And I’ll always do it that way is the unstated
message. By relying upon the way you’ve always done it,
you don’t ever have to entertain the risky notion of doing it
differently, and you can simultaneously ensure that everyone
around you will do it your way as well. This is the I’m that
calls upon “policy” as a substitute for thinking.BREAKING FREE FROM THE PAST  / 817. I’m forgetful, careless, irresponsible, apathetic, etc. These kinds of I’ms are especially useful to you when you
want to vindicate yourself for some ineffective behavior. The
I’m keeps you from ever going to work on your memory, or
your carelessness, and you simply excuse yourself with your
neat little, “That’s me.” As long as you can haul out this I’m
when you behave in any of the ways described above, you
will never have to work at changing. Just go on forgetting
and reminding yourself that you can’t really help it, and
you’ll always be forgetful. 8. I’m Italian, German, Jewish, Irish, Black, Chinese, etc. These are your ethnic I’ms, and they work very well when
you run out of other reasons to explain some behaviors that
you have, which don’t work for you, but are just too damned
difficult to tackle. Whenever you find yourself behaving in
stereotypical ways associated with your subculture, you
simply trot out your ethnic I’m as a justification. I once asked
a maître d’ why he seemed so excitable and reacted to the
slightest problem with outrageous outbursts. He responded,
“What do you expect from me? I’m Italian. I can’t help it.”
9. I’m bossy, pushy, authoritarian, etc. Here your I’m can allow you to continue hostile acts, rather
than work at developing self-discipline. You varnish the be-
havior with “I can’t help it, I’ve always been that way.”
10. I’m old, middle-aged, tired, etc. With this I’m you can use your age as a reason for not parti-
cipating in what might be risky or threatening activities. Whenever you find yourself faced with an activity such as a
sports event, dating after a divorce or the death of a spouse,
traveling, or the like you can just say “I’m too old” and you
will have eliminated any attendant risks that go with trying
something new and growth-producing. The implication of
an “age-I’m” is that you are absolutely finished in82 / Your Erroneous Zonesthis area, and since you will always get older, you are finished
growing and experiencing anything new. The “I’m” Circle
The rewards for hanging onto your past by trotting out your I’ms
can be neatly summed up in the one word: avoidance. Whenever
you want to dodge a certain kind of activity or to gloss over a per-
sonality defect, you can always justify yourself with an I’m. In fact,
after you use these labels enough, you begin to believe them yourself,
and at that present moment you are a finished product destined to
remain as you are for the rest of your days. Labels enable you to
avoid the hard work and the risk of trying to change. They perpetu-
ate the behavior which has given rise to them. Thus, if a young man
goes to a party with the belief that he is shy, he will behave as if he
is shy and his behavior will further support his self-image. It


 a tooth. The infection still may linger hidden, but to
effect a complete resolution of the infection would require herbs, diet, homeopathy and/or manual
therapies. Tooth Infection Topical Treatments
The odds of curing tooth infections greatly increase when using supplemental herbal treatments. 1
. Plantain
 – Place fresh, bruised plantain leaf directly on the infected and swollen area. Wild
plantain is the best choice. To use plantain, chew it up and then place it on the inflamed area. Plantain has the action of pulling out dead and diseased material. 2
. Echinacea Tincture
 – Place tincture of echinacea on the inflamed area. Echinacea has the
ability to help heal infections. Also, it can be taken internally as described on the bottle. 3
. Potato for Abscess –
Place a slice of plain, white raw potato against the abscess, and leave in
place for several hours.Focal Infections
The focal infection theory maintains that an infection in one place in the body can travel to and infect
a distant place in the body. It is the spread of toxins from one part of the body through the bloodstream
or by other means to another part. Focal infections have been proven to be connected with a large
variety of health problems including blood problems, digestive problems, back pain, infertility,
arthritis, abscess and infections throughout the body or on the skin, heart disease, allergies, kidney
damage, brain tumors, cancer, trigeminal neuralgia and even death. 23
Focal infections often times begin in the mouth. They are caused from inflamed gums, dead teeth
particularly under root canals, and decaying jaw bone known as a NICO lesion. Hidden mouth
infections can also reside in cavitations, which are holes in the bone often where a tooth—especially
a wisdom tooth—has been extracted. This is a hidden area of pus, toxins or rotting bone. What
happens is a part of the mouth is putrefying, or there are putrefied substances in places that the body
cannot clean up at the tooth extraction site. I mention this condition because even if you eat well, you
want to be sure that there is no rotting infectious material in your mouth causing disease in other parts
of your body. I do not want people to live with untreated infections. You can treat many infections
with nutrition. But some cases of infections will not heal properly just with nutrition particularly in
the cases were the tooth is already damaged by dentistry with a large filling, crown or root canal. In
these cases you will want good nutrition in combination with homeopathic injections or surgery to
clean up and protect the area against infection. Tooth Extractions Because of Infections
Extracting teeth destabilizes the bite, weakens the jaw, and can lead to scar tissue formation. 24
 Teeth
are often extracted because of tooth infections, but the bone under the infected tooth is many times not
cleaned up after the extraction. This can then become a source of a focal infection and lead to chronic
pain such as hip and back pain along with migraine headaches. 25
 In my opinion, because of the
importance of having a functional bite, teeth should only be extracted as an absolute last resort when
medically necessary and it should not be a standard treatment for any sort of tooth infection.Dental Implants
The post of a dental implant allows a space for toxins to enter into the gum because the periodontal
ligament and gum tissue do not attach to the implant sufficiently to seal off that space. There is hardly
any evidence available regarding the long-term effects of titanium implants.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        I am going to share with you the best of the best solutions that have rapidly induced healing in gum
tissues. There is no guarantee that these methods will work for you. And not all of this advice may be
suitable or accurate for someone with severe gum disease and concurrent loss of teeth. Gum disease is a disease of modern humans. Weston Price explains:
Many primitive peoples not only retain all of their teeth, many of them to an old age, but
also have a healthy flesh supporting these teeth. This has occurred in spite of the fact
that the primitives have not had dentists to remove the deposits and no means for doing
so for themselves. 3
Many ancient skulls found around the planet still have most or all of their teeth firmly rooted. So tooth
loss from gum disease was either rare or non-existent in our ancestors. Dental Plaque and Gum Disease
Plaque occurs when your body chemistry is out of balance. The plaque I am referring to is the buildup
of debris that sticks to your teeth in an unhealthy way. Particularly, cooked animal proteins that are
not fully digested seem to cause dental plaque. Calculus deposits are caused by a high level of blood calcium. 4
 The calcium level in your
bloodstream has to do with the type of calcium food sources you eat, as well as your body’s ability to
metabolize the calcium. Calculus appears when there is an excess of calcium in the blood compared
to the amount of phosphorus in the blood. 5
 Increased calculus deposits can be caused when the form
of calcium in your diet is not absorbable. Nonabsorbable calcium creates free calcium in your
bloodstream. What this means is that plaque is not the root cause of gum disease. Rather plaque appears on the teeth
when the body’s internal chemistry is out of synchronization. This is caused by a faulty diet, excess
sugar, incorrectly prepared whole grains and environmental stresses and toxins. Gum Disease, Bleeding, Swollen Gums and Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Pyorrhea is an advanced stage of gum disease in which ligaments and bones that support the teeth
become inflamed and infected. It is partially a result of the process whereby important nutrients are
not deposited into the gums because they are missing from the diet. When our body chemistry is out of
balance through the over consumption of sweet and processed foods, or the under consumption of
minerals, or a build-up of toxic material in the body, gum disease can result. Dr. Price explained:
Much of what we have thought of as so-called pyorrhea in which the bone is
progressively lost from around the teeth, thus allowing them to loosen, constitutes one of
the most common phases of the borrowing process. This tissue with its lowered defense
rapidly becomes infected and we think of the process largely in terms of that infection. A
part of the local process includes the deposit of so-called calculus and tartar about the
teeth. These contain toxic substances which greatly irritate the flesh, starting an
inflammatory reaction. Pyorrhea in the light of our newer knowledge is largely a
nutritional problem. 6
 (Emphasis added. ) According to Dr. Page, a calcium deficiency or excess phosphorus in the blood is the more specific
cause of gum disease. Pyorrhea, an inflamed condition of the gums, generally occurs when the glands are
malfunctioning, causing a high phosphorus level. By reducing the phosphorus to its
proper relation to calcium, inflammation can be eliminated. When the phosphorus level of the blood is too high in proportion to calcium, there will be free
phosphorus in the blood which can cause both the presence of calculus and irritated gums. When the
phosphorus level was reduced to be in balance with the level of calcium in the blood the irritation
(gingivitis) usually cleared up. 7
 Fat-soluble vitamin D has the effect of lowering blood phosphorous
and raising blood calcium. Vitamin D deficiency is responsible for problems with the hard areas
under the gums such as the alveolar bone which comprises the tooth socket. 8
Interestingly enough, Dr. Mellanby in his dog experiments found that fat-soluble vitamin A controlled
the process and development of gum tissues. If young dogs are fed diets deficient in vitamin A, gum
tissues can become swollen and overgrown. Once the gum tissue is swollen, microorganisms can be
found present. 9
 Vitamin A stimulates certain growth factors and perhaps this explains vitamin A’s
effect on gum tissues. A key strategy in your treatment of gum disease is to use both fat-soluble vitamin A for the soft tissues
and fat-soluble vitamin D for the harder tissues and bone. If you are leaning to the idea that fat-
soluble vitamin A is more important, then I would recommend eating liver. Gum disease is also connected with an overactive anterior pituitary gland. One of the roles of the
anterior pituitary gland is to produce growth hormones; this gland is balanced with testosterone or
estrogen. The lack of growth hormone production is therefore intimately connected with gum disease. Testosterone or estrogen can be increased by moderate exercise, making sure your weight is in yourideal range, a variety of herbal remedies, and avoiding alcohol. Gum Disease, Vitamin C, and Scurvy
Guinea pigs kept on a vitamin C-deficient diet which produces scurvy eventually show signs of gum
disease. Their teeth become elongated from the receding gums which become red and spongy. On the
same hand, successful reports of healing gum disease involve vitamin C supplementation such as with
camu camu berry. Other foods highly concentrated in vitamin C are amalaki berry, acerola cherry and
rose hips. Take as much as two teaspoons of powdered vitamin C-rich berries per day. Synthetic
vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid may still be effective in healing gum disease, but


	and	even	in	1900
the	average	person	ate	only	10	pounds	of	sugar	per	year. By	1985,	sugar
consumption	had	risen	to	124	pounds	per	year,	and	by	the	year	2000	the	average
American	ate	a	whopping	160	pounds	of	sugar	per	year! Most	of	us	cannot
comprehend	eating	this	much	sugar	because	we	fail	to	realize	that	it	is	in	almost
every	type	of	processed	food. The	average	American	now	consumes	about	one
quarter	of	his	or	her	calories	from	sugar,	and	many	children	receive	almost	half
of	their	calories	from	sugar. All	the	calories	from	sugar	are	empty	calories,	containing	virtually	none	of	the
nutrients	that	your	cells	need	so	desperately. Furthermore,	sugar	is	an
antinutrient;
eating	sugar	drains	nutrients	from	your	body. Certain	nutrients
(which	are	present	in	raw	sugarcane	but	not	in	refined	sugar)	are	needed	for	you
to	metabolize	the	sugar. Your	body	must	obtain	these	nutrients	from	somewhere,
and	because	they	are	not	in	the	sugar	they	are	robbed	from	your	own	tissues—
thereby	depleting	your	health. Sugar	consumption	contributes	not	only	to	the	more	obvious	health	problems
such	as	diabetes	and	tooth	decay,	but	also	to	heart	disease,	osteoporosis	and
immune	dysfunction. If	you	want	to	avoid	colds	or	if	someone	in	your	family	is
“coming	down	with	a	cold,”	eliminate	sugar. Our	society	constantly	worries	about	the	relationship	between	high-cholesterol
animal	products	and	heart	disease,	yet	sugar	is	a	more	serious	cause. A	study	by
A.	M.	Cohen,	M.D.,	published	in	a	1961	issue	of	the	medical	journal
Lancet,
reports	that	Jews	from	Yemen	were	noted	to	have	very	little	heart	disease,	even
though	the	diet	in	Yemen	is	typically	high	in	animal	fat. When	these	Jews
moved	to	Israel,	where	a	lot	of	sugar	is	common	in	the	diet,	rates	of	heart	disease
increased	dramatically. Being	an	antinutrient,	sugar	also	causes	calcium	to	be	lost	in	the	urine,	forcing
the	body	to	remove	calcium	from	the	bones	in	order	to	keep	the	blood	calcium
levels	within	normal	limits. By	taking	the	calcium	out	of	your	bones,	eating
sugar	contributes	to	osteoporosis. People	concerned	about	or	already	suffering
from	osteoporosis	should	eliminate	sugar	from	their	diet. Eating	sugar	causes	deficiencies	of	a	number	of	minerals,	including	calcium,
chromium,	magnesium	and	zinc. When	you	do	not	have	enough	minerals,	your
body	has	difficulty	producing	sufficient	digestive	enzymes	needed	for	good
digestion. Undigested	food	particles	can	enter	into	your	bloodstream,	creating
serious	problems	such	as	allergies	and	immune-deficiency	diseases. This	is	whyfoods	consumed	with	sugar	(such	as	wheat,	corn,	milk	and	eggs)	become	the
most	common	allergens. If	you	enjoy	your	foods	and	do	not	want	to	become
allergic	to	them,	learn	to	avoid	combining	them	with	sugar. In	this	modern	age	of	AIDS,	autoimmune	and	other	immune	system	diseases,
sugar	creates	special	problems. Sugar	damages	the	cells	of	our	immune	system,
creating	susceptibility	to	colds,	flu	and	other	immune-related	diseases. Sugar
also	plays	a	crucial	role	in	the	development	of	diabetes. The	mechanisms	for
controlling	blood	sugar	become	faulty	when	high	levels	of	sugar	are	present	in
the	diet. Sugar	also	causes	a	calcium/phosphorous	imbalance,	which	makes	the
body	less	capable	of	breaking	proteins	down	into	the	amino	acids	that	are
required	to	make	essential	body	chemicals. Even	traditional	doctors
acknowledge	that	sugar	causes	tooth	decay. Historically,	natives	who	had	little
exposure	to	the	civilized	world	and	refined	sugar	had	almost	no	tooth	decay. Sugar	is	bad	enough	by	itself,	but	also	it	is	a	dangerous	partner. You	should
especially	avoid	combining	sugar	with	protein	(such	as	a	sweet	dessert	after	a
steak	dinner,	or	orange	juice	with	eggs	in	the	morning). In	combination,	they
react	and	form	damaging	compounds	called	AGEs	(advanced	glycation	end
products). AGEs	may	even	form	within	your	foods	before	you	eat	them,	if	sugar
and	protein	are	cooked	together	(such	as	baked	goods	containing	eggs	and	sugar,
or	a	ham	baked	with	brown	sugar	on	top). These	AGEs	are	known	to	promote
heart	disease,	high	blood	pressure,	cataracts	and	arthritis. Eating	refined	sugar	is	destructive	to	human	health	because	it	causes	vitamins,
minerals	and	hormones	to	become	imbalanced,	which	throws	the	body	into
biochemical	chaos	for	several	hours. The	body,	desperately	scrambling	to	right
itself,	depletes	itself	of	vital	nutrients. The	most	important	and	universal	dietary
recommendation	I	can	make	to	everyone	is	to	cut	as	much	sugar	(and	foods
made	with	sugar)	from	their	diet	as	possible. Those	children	who	are	consuming
up	to	half	their	calories	as	sugar	become	sitting	ducks	for	infections	and	future
problems	such	as	diabetes,	osteoporosis,	cancer,	arthritis	and	heart	disease. Eating	sugar	is	death	by	installment. White	Flour:	Quick,	Inexpensive	and	Destructive
Almost	all	bread,	pasta	and	baked	goods	are	made	of	white	flour—an	easy-to-
use,	easy-to-store,	highly	processed	derivative	of	what	was	once	a	wheat	grain. Wheat	is	a	good	and	nutritious	food,	but	by	the	time	wheat	gets	ground	up	and
processed	into	white	flour,	it	bears	little	resemblance	(physically	or	nutritionally)
to	wheat. White	flour	contains	little	nutrition,	is	toxic	and	is	an	antinutrient	(likesugar). Yet	the	average	American	consumes	more	than	two	hundred	pounds	of
white	flour	every	year. Almost	all	of	the	nutrients	once	contained	in	wheat	are	lost	in	the	process	of
creating	white	flour	(including	60	percent	of	the	calcium,	77	percent	of	the
magnesium,	78	percent	of	the	zinc,	89	percent	of	the	cobalt,	98	percent	of	the
vitamin	E,	80	percent	of	vitamins	B
1
and	B
3
,	and	75	percent	of	the	folic	acid). Also	lost	are	the	essential	fatty	acids	and	fiber. Worse	still,	many	nutrients	are
needed	in	order	for	your	body	to	metabolize	the	flour	for	energy. Because	the
flour	does	not	contain	those	nutrients,	your	body	is	robbed	of	the	nutrients,
similar	to	what	happens	when	you	eat	sugar. In	1941,	severe	nutritional	problems	prompted	our	government	to	pass
legislation	requiring	that	certain	nutrients	be	added	back	to	the	flour. “Enriched
flour”	was	born. White	flour	has	lost	more	than	twenty-five	known	nutrients,	a
handful	are	added	back,	yet	we	still	call	flour	“enriched”	(instead	of,	perhaps,
“impoverished”). We	did	not	have	nutritional	deficiency	in	mind	when


 natural food is ease of discovery and acquisition with our natural fac -
ulties. With our eyes, sense of smell, physical faculties, especially our legs, feet, arms and hands, we must be able to ac quir
e quantities sufficient to meet our needs within our di -
urnal time frame. Our Natural F o
ods Must be Easily Consumed in Their Natural State as Modified By
Our Natural Faculties OnlyFoods of our biological and symbiotic nature are not always ready to consume. After ac -
quisition they usually require some external processing in order that their nutrients be
easily bitten off, chewed and sw allo
wed. Humans are the most fastidious of all eaters on
earth, rivaled perhaps only by other primates such as the chimp, orangutan and gorilla. External food processing for humans means we must prepare the food for mouth by
peeling off skins, cracking of shells, and otherwise exposing the food portion to the teeth such that bite-sized morsels may be facilitated. Our Natural Foods Must Be a Gustatory Delight in Their Natural StateHumans lived for millennia in nature before they became tool users and mastered fire. Tools do not occasion evolvement, but rather the fixation of existing faculties. Therefore
45
Fruiticultureany food, to be natural, must excite our palate and be delightful in the natural unfired
state. The eating of a natural food must be a cherished and palate-ravishing experience, as all acts necessary to our well-being are blissful. Endogenous Requirements of Our Natural FoodsOur natural foods are the raw materials the body’s internal faculties use to meet its
requirements. Our natural foods must be replete with our nutrient needs and contain no components
which devitalize or poison the body. Our Natural Foods Will Not Intoxicate or Poison Us!The first commandment of eating is: “Thou shalt not poison thyself. ”  The average
American commits from 10 to 80 poisonings acts daily. Our natural foods contain only components which have inherent enzymes that break them down into their basic nutri -
ents or simplest forms. Our natural foods require almost no enzyme secretion from our secr etory faculties f or basic digestion. I
f a food has components or compounds for which
we secrete no digestive enzymes, that component is toxic to our bodies and occasions considerable distress to most. Such components or compounds are often referred to as “allergens. ”  A natural food has no “allergens” at all though some of us may be abnormally sensitive to biologically correct foods. The foremost “allergens” are really proper body objection to toxic substances or substances that its faculties cannot digest. Poisons the average American consumes consist not only of recreational drugs, but of foods in -
gested with toxic components or which, in the course of intestinal transit, are bacterially and/or fungally transformed in t
o toxic putrefactive and/or fermentative products. Our Natural Foods Must Be Easily and Efficiently Digested and Utilized
Animals in nature are equipped to easily and efficiently handle their natural foods. This
is true of humans as well. What other animals may easily digest and assimilate may be impossible for us. We must recognize that many foods are predigested, that is, the en -
zymes of the foods break themselves down into simple nutrients as needed by their biological symbionts. Pr
edigestion is, of course, the ultimate accommodation between
symbionts. The less efficiently the food is digested, the worse it is for you. The more ef -
ficiently the food is digested, the better it is for you. Perhaps it can better be expressed 46
Fruiticulturethis way: More strain, more drain. Less strain, more gain. Our Natural Foods Must Have Nutrient Adequacy That Proportionately Supplies Our
Various Needs
Editor David Klein’s note: I have updated Dr. Fry’s dietary reference figures, replacing the
Nutritional Research Council RDAs (Recommended Daily Allowances) with modern-day DRIs (Daily Reference Intakes) per the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB), which operates under the US’s Institute of Medicine (IOM), within the National Academies (http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Nutrition/DRI-Tables/1_%20EARs.pdf?la=en). Estimated calorie needs per age, gender and physical activity level were tabulated by the US’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, operating under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/sites/default/files/usda_food_patterns/EstimatedCalorieNeedsPerDayTable.pdf). Food symbiotic to a species amply supplies every nutrient need. This means that it does
not undersupply or oversupply any of our nutrient requirements to a burdensome or pathological extent. For instance, grass is a complete food for cattle. If foods are not symbiotic with the consuming species, certain nutrient needs must necessarily be met. Failure to meet nutrient needs results in deficiencies. Deficiencies give rise to many problems other than the obvious deficiency. The Daily Reference Intakes (DRIs) established by the US’s Food and Nutrition Board
(FNB) is deemed the most authoritative there is in this country, even though it is partially askew. The parameters and criteria they observed in the setting of the DRIs are relevant only to conventional-living Americans and quite out of line for a healthy person’s re -
quirements living on natural foods. Nevertheless, knowing FNB’s guidelines and meth -
odologies gives us ballpark proportions of our nutrient needs. The DRI for an activ e 50 y
ear-old man is 2,800 calories per day for conventional eaters. If 35% of those calories are from fat, which is the maximum the FNB recommends, that
means there are roughly 980 fat calories or roughly 109 grams of pure fat or fats in the solid state, thus leaving 1,820 calories to be supplied by proteins and carbohydrates. As the RDI is 56 grams of protein, 224 calories worth (which we really do not use for fuel), this leaves 1,594 calories to come from carbohydrates. That figures to be about 399 grams of pure carbohydrate. The DRI for the aggregate amount of mineral matter and 47
Fruiticulturevitamins figure out to about 7 grams of solids of the 583 grams of food solids computed
above. The RDAs have us consuming, in practice, the following as a percentage or pro -
portion of our diet:
 •  Carbohydr
ates: 62% by weight of solids, 57% of calories
 •  Proteins: 8% by w
eight of solids, 10% by calories
 •  Fats: 19% by weigh
t of solids, 35% by calories
 •  Mineral matter
: 1% by weight but as a part of the primary nutrients
It should be noted that mineral matter is actually a part of the protein, carbohydrate and fat portions and has no separate consideration in the DRIs by weight. Vitamins consti -
tute such a small part, 1%, as to have neither weight nor caloric considerations. As the calories of prot eins ar
e for measurement only, there being a greater expenditure
of calories in humans in their digestion, deamination and use than is obtained from
them, we may not take them into account in the consideration of caloric requirements. Our Natural Foods Must Adequately Supply Our Caloric NeedsThe DRI for our caloric needs is about 50% too high, considering that our natural foods
in their natural state yield more usable calories than cooked foods. Let’s look at a study by Drs. Alexander Leaf and Mark Hegstead of Harvard University: the
caloric need of an active 154-pound man per day is actually about 1,800 calories. Our essential fatty acid needs are really only about 1% to 2% of our net nutrient needs
by weight according to RDIs, and about 2.25% to 4.5% of our caloric needs. Thus, for nutrient considerations, carbohydrate food solids from which we derive calories can be, and perhaps should be, weight-wise, near 90%. As fiber is a neutral factor, being virtually unused in its passage through the intestinal
tract, we need not consider it as a nutrient even though its caloric values are included in conventional figures because it is a firebox calorie. For convenience sake we’ll leave our caloric requirements as being weight-wise and calorie-wise about 90% of our utile diet. It is perhaps an accurate figure for natural food eaters. Our foremost fuel is glucose and fructose. The body can use these as is. If we eat starch -
es we must heat them to dextrinize them, thus facilitating their breakdown into glucose. 48
FruiticultureOur starch-eating capability is very limited, which indicates it is not a natural food. As
glucose and fructose are our natural sugars, there is about 95% energy gain if we get these directly from our foods, whereas an equal amount of energy in raw starches yields perhaps 40% of its potential (humans secrete no enzymes needed to break down the cellular membranes that protect starch globules—all breakdown is due to crushing and chewing), as long as our limited secretion of the starch-splitting enzyme amylase holds out. When heated to the point of dextrinization of the starch, the cellular membranes burst by expansion. Even so, because of the problems involved with cooked fare, the body can realize only 65% to 70% of the energy potential of starchy foods. Our Natural Foods Must Adequately Supply Our Amino Acid NeedsNote that I have said amino acids because our actual needs are for amino acids, not pro -
te


 sorrows. We are all seeking to return to the peaceful
core of consciousness, which is to return to the heart. As
we move into our deeper consciousness, our heart opens
and our awareness expands into the Infinite. The calm and
clear heart reflects the Absolute and gives liberation from
the cycle of rebirth. Our deeper consciousness is the level at which traumas Conditioned Consciousness 83
most affect us and where they get deposited deep inside us,
particularly the sufferings of birth and death. There we
hold our deeper sorrows, attachments, fears and anxieties. We must get to this level to remove deep-seated hurts,
habits and addictions. This is very difficult because reach-
ing the core of consciousness requires peeling off the layers
of the mind, which are numerous and complex. Once our deeper consciousness is disturbed, which
is a trauma to the heart, it is very difficult to regain psy-
chological equilibrium. We must nurture our conscious-
ness with higher impulses, not expose it to negative influ-
ences from the external world. Our core consciousness is
the mind of the child that takes in everything and must be
protected. Composition
Conditioned consciousness (Chitta) is primarily Sattvic
in nature but contains all three gunas in their seed forms. The essence of the three gunas within us determines the
nature of our deeper consciousness. It is composed of the
gunas that we most hold to in our hearts. Our relation-
ships at a heart level most affect our consciousness and
transmit their gunas to us. Consciousness becomes purely sattvic and fully devel-
oped as the result of spiritual practice. Otherwise its func-
tion is inhibited and distorted. Rajas and Tamas (aggres-
sion and ignorance) in consciousness cause pain and
delusion and are the source of all problems in life. These
are the main psychological impurities or toxins that we
must eliminate. Our deeper consciousness is the level at
which these mental toxins reside and the seat from which
they have to be removed. Tamas in the Chitta becomes the unconscious, which Ayurveda and the Mind
dominates us during sleep, dullness and depression. It is
the basis of the habits and tendencies that we know are
wrong but are unable to change with our surface mind. Rajas in the Chitta underlies our usual waking conscious-
ness, characterized by action and expression. It keeps our
consciousness ever moving, disturbed and distracted,
caught up in its own imaginings. Sattva in the Chitta pro-
vides the basis for our higher conscious and superconscious
functioning. Chitta constitutes the causal body, the reincarnating
vehicle of the individual soul that persists through the
entire cycle of rebirth. It contains the kannic residues set
in motion in various lives, only a few of which come to the
surface and manifest in any particular incarnation. As the
causal or creative venture, consciousness contains the
potential for all developments of body and mind. It is the
source of the five sensory potentials and the five gross ele-
ments, which create and sustain the subtle and gross bod-
ies. Chitta is desire predominant1' and is the basis of the
core desires that keep us in the cycle of rebirth. The field of consciousness (Chitta) makes up the Anan-
damaya kosha or bliss sheath in which we carry our deep-
est joys and sorrows. In its unawakened (Tamasic) condi-
tion the Anandamaya kosha is the repository of our
clinging to embodied existence. In its awakened (Sattvic)
state it reflects the bliss inherent in our Self that is one
with God. Relative to the five elements, Chitta most corresponds
to air and ether. Its substance is like ether, its motion like
air. Like air, it is ever changing and adjusting itself both
inwardly and outwardly, ever expansive and creative. Con-
sciousness, like air, is ever contacting things and making
sound. Consciousness is nothing but the inmost core of Conditioned Consciousness 85 A
sound vibrating within us. Chitta transcends the senses
but has a special connection with the sense of hearing, par-
ticularly non-verbalized sound and music. Sound influ-
ences and heals the Chitta, a point we will examine under
Mantra Therapy. Though Chitta is much more subtle than the biological
humors, Chitta generally relates to Vata, the most prima-
ry of these. Vata people live with an exposed consciousness
or vulnerable heart. Their consciousness is open and they
are less grounded in their bodies and senses. For this rea-
son, Vata-types are more easily hurt than others and should
be treated with care. Keeping Vata in balance protects and
aids in the proper unfoldment of our deeper consciousness. Similarly, Chitta corresponds to Prana among the three
vital essences. Energy/Will
Chitta governs the original Prana, the immortal life-
force of the soul through which we are animate or alive on
all levels. Just as it relates to the Gunas in general, so does
it relate to the Pranas, and also corresponds to Prana
among the three vital essences (Prana, Tejas and Ojas). This master Prana gives life to the mind and the body and
upholds all autonomic functions. Nothing is dearer to us
than life itself, which takes us to the bliss inherent within
us. Consciousness holds the original life-force that is the
reflection of the eternal and immortal life of the Supreme
Self. Because of its deep connection with the life-force, the
practice of Pranayama can help us enter into and purify the
Chitta. What alternative medicine calls the "intelligence
of the body" is the hidden aspect of Chitta working in the
body. When we give up ego control, it can function with- Ayurveda and the Mind
out obstruction to heal and rejuvenate us physically and
mentally. Consciousness holds the deepest level of will, which is
the will to live, the desire to exist forever. Our deeper con-
sciousness holds our most primal and ultimate motiva-
tions, our heart's desires and wishes, what we really want
in life. Consciousness is will in the general and potential
sense — pure will without a defined goal, the will to expe-
rience that is the basis of all other intentions. From it aris-
es all the desires that keep us bound to the world and to
the body. Only if we gain freedom from these core desires
can we perceive the truth. Consciousness and Individual Nature
The fabric of our consciousness consists of deep-seated
thought tendencies called Samskaras in Sanskrit. These are
deeper than what we ordinarily regard as thoughts. They
are the residues that we retain from our mental operations,
like the ruts a turning wheel makes in a road. These
residues support the behavioral patterns that motivate us
from within. What we call the nature or being of the individual is
the consciousness of the person. Our individual conscious-
ness is the field of the tendencies that we have made our
own, the ground of our repeated actions that have become
automatic or second nature. Our conditioning in life cre-
ates the state or condition of our consciousness. It is our
deepest level of programming. Our existence is our con-
sciousness which determines how we relate to life. The
state of the Chitta or core consciousness is the mental
natur (Manasika Prakrit) of the person and determines our
unique character and mentality. The nature of a person cannot be changed without Conditioned Consciousness 87 A
changing the deeper consciousness, which means to
change the heart. Unless an influence gets to the level of
the heart, it cannot have any deep or lasting effect. This is
why mere words or thoughts have such little value. They
do not go beyond the surface mind in their effects. Yet to
get to the core of the heart requires uncovering all our sor-
rows and regrets, which most of us are unwilling to face. Functions
All the functions of the mind are functions of the Chit-
ta, which constitutes the entire mental field. However,
Chitta has three general functions, which are three prima-
ry ways to access this deeper consciousness. To reach these
we must withdraw from the outer mind and senses which
keep our awareness on the surface of our being. These three
are: 1) memory; 2) sleep; and 3) samadhi. Memory
Consciousness is the ground of memory and consists
primarily of memories. It includes not only the ordinary
memory of information but what we really remember in
our hearts, those things that most deeply affect us for good
or ill. It holds our seed memories from life to life. Our
deeper consciousness governs memory on an organic level,
including the memory that exists in our cells, through
which the body functions. Our consciousness even has the
capacity to remember God and to remember that we are
God because, as consciousness, in its core is the soul which
reflects God. Our consciousness can remember the entire
universe, which after all is a formation of consciousness. Memory can give us either bondage or liberation. True
memory is self-remembrance, remembering our Divine
nature in consciousness. False memory is memory of per-
sonal joys and sorrows, the history of the ego. 1 he best way


 thankfulness for being able to
participate in such a miracle. This mind field exists and you are capable of not only keeping yours
uncontaminated, but of being a force for raising the frequency of others in
your presence. Raising those frequencies is the subject of the next chapter. For now, see if you can accept this idea of a mind field of ener gy composed
of your thoughts and the thoughts of those around you. The closer you
come to being in a dynamic state of grace in your thoughts, and refusing to
be in the fields of those who are projecting lower ener gy thoughts of fear,
stress, evil, anxiety, depression, and the like, the closer you come to being
in God’ s mind field. Here is how Meister Eckhart phrased it. Nature’ s intent is neither food, nor drink,
Nor clothing, nor comfort, nor anything
Else in which God is left out. Whether
You like it or not, whether you know it
Or not, secretly nature seeks, hunts,
Tries to ferret out the track on
Which God may be found. I love this idea, finding the track on which God may be found. This is the
energy field I am asking you to consider. It is devoid of the lower ener gies
that contaminate our lives and saddle us with illusions that we call
problems. Since I opened this chapter with an observation of W illiam Butler Y eats, let
me close with another one of his poetic observations.VACILLATION (IV)

My fiftieth year had come and gone,
I sat, a solitary man,
In a crowded London shop,
An open book and empty cup
On the marble table-top. While on the shop and street I gazed
My body of a sudden blazed;
And twenty minutes more or less
It seemed, so great my happiness,
That I was blessed and could bless. When you refuse to allow your ener gy fields to become contaminated, you
feel blessed, and you know you can bless others as well. That is what a field
of high ener gy truly is, one that exchanges feelings of being  blessed with
giving  blessings. I invite you to spend some time in your thoughts,
imagining having this for yourself. What follows in chapter six are some dynamic principles to internalize for
living in these faster ener gy frequencies. OceanofPDF.com6
RAISING AND
MAINT AINING YOUR
SPIRITUAL ENERGY
But I do not believe that man can perceive his “God-Like” qualities until his field reaches higher
and higher vibrations and attains a greater degree of coherency. No matter how hard we try to receive spiritual guidance, we cannot until our fields are attuned
to that vibrational system. —DR. VALERIE HUNT
Johann W olfgang von Goethe, a creative genius of the early nineteenth
century, made this observation: “If you treat man as he appears to be, you
make him more than he is. But if you treat man as if he already were what
he potentially could be, you make him what he should be.” His advice is
pertinent in today’ s world and specifically insightful about raising your
spiritual ener gy if you apply this wisdom to the way you treat yourself. First, who do you appear to be? Y our conditioning, your history, and your
senses provide you with a multitude of answers. Y ou appear to be a person
with a body, which has certain obvious limitations. Y ou appear to be of a
particular ethnicity, a certain age, with a background that has led you to this
point in your life. Go and look into a mirror to see what appears to be you.Now go beyond those appearances and look deeply into your eyes and see
yourself as a spiritual being having a human experience. Imagine what you
potentially could be, if you were unrestricted by all those appearances. Beneath or within what you appear to be is the image of magnificence and
unlimited joy that you truly are and that I ask you to consider as you read
about these principles. What you potentially can be is the basis for forming
a spiritual ener gy field. This is the foundation from which spiritual ener gy
arises for the resolution of problems. I enjoy Shakespeare’ s description:
“You are full of heavenly stuf f and bear the inventory of your best graces in
your mind.”
Just let this idea rest in you: you were made to prosper and you are going to
choose to identify yourself from this potentiality, rather than as you appear
to be to others and to yourself. Recognizing yourself as a child of the most
high, as a divine presence, will facilitate raising and maintaining that
higher, faster spiritual ener gy field. And it is from this new ener gy field that
you will bring the sparks of the divinity that nullify and eradicate those
problems in your life. In the remainder of this chapter I will describe a
series of principles to help you implement this idea. RAISING YOUR ENERGY VIBRA TIONS
The following principles are not of fered in any particular order of
significance. They represent my personal view on how your mind and your
subsequent behavior can move you from the toxic ener gy levels of the
material world into the level of spirit, wherein lies the solution to any and
all problems. All these ideas are presented with the intention of inspiring
you to become conscious of your ability to shift from the lower/slower
energy patterns of the material world to the higher/faster vibrations of the
world of spirit. Practice the Presence of Spirit
Practice awareness of the impossibility of being outside the omnipresent
spirit. Some ways of doing this are to remind yourself when you first
awaken that this is a day that God will be with you at all times. Remind
yourself that everywhere you are is a holy place. Every meal you eat bemindful of what it took for that food to reach your plate. When you make a
phone call, drive in your car, or enter your workplace, begin to have this
God realization. As you practice being mindful of the presence of the divine
invisible spirit you will notice a greater sense of peace, a stronger feeling of
being safe and secure, a knowing that you are healthy and living from an
inner sense of integrity. These feelings result from simply silently
practicing, and I emphasize silently. No preaching and converting others to
think as you do. Simply realize the presence of your source from which you
are never truly separated except in your own mind. Just by being mindful of
the divine presence, you raise your ener gy field vibrations. This is what Dr. Hunt means in the display quote at the beginning of this chapter. You have
to attune to the vibrational ener gy field of God to be able to receive spiritual
guidance. When you find yourself feeling out of sorts, anxious, or afraid, exercise
your mind by inviting the realization of the omnipresence of spirit to be
known, now. Do this in the midst of your fear or anxiety and notice how it
seems to be much less troubling. Some teachers refer to this as practicing
mindfulness. It is a sure way to raise the ener gy field frequencies into
higher realms. Y ou literally provide yourself with a treatment when you
stop to remember and practice the presence of God within and around you. Your Mind Is the Substance of All Matter
Take a look at your hand right now. Would you describe it as intelligent? No, because intelligence is the mind that directs your hand to move to the
right, to grasp, to clutch, to make a fist or wave good-bye. Y our hand
responds to the directives of your mind. Y es, of course, the hand has
intelligence, as does every living cell have a center of intelligence, but that
cell responds to the directives of your mind. Thus your mind is the
substance of the matter that is called your hand. Now think about every
other or gan in your body. Your heart, liver, spleen, all of which were created
to act in accordance with the central divine intelligence within them. Y et,
your mind is still the substance. If you so elect, your entire body will respond to the directives of your mind. From your mind you can tell all your body parts that God gave themfunctions and direct them to perform them. As you use your mind in this
manner to direct your body, eventually it will do so on its own. At first, you
tell it to do the business of God as it was so created to do, and then you will
see it doing so on its own. But always, your mind, that fount of high
spiritual invisible ener gy, is the substance of and in control over your body. Now extend this principle to all that surrounds you as well. Mind is where
you experience all matter, and your mind is the substance of all that you
experience. When you raise your ener gy field to include yourself in the
mind of God, you have that God field at your disposal. Every person on
earth is governed by the mind of God, yet most don’ t recognize this fact. Thus, they encounter the problem of the illusion of separation which ego
brings about. Even though I have said over and over that the mind of God is
your mind, I do not mean that you have a monopoly on this, as if you were
some chosen favorite. This unifying force is not only the intelligence of
every person, it is the intelligence of every cell in the universe. And this is
the scope of your mind! Direct, insist, demand if you must, that your mind
be in harmony with


 about seven times more numer
ous than Lactobacilli and fulfil many useful functions. Apart from pro
ducing different antibiotic-like substances which protect the gut from
pathogens, engaging the immune system, maintaining gut integrity and
health, they act as a source of nourishment for the body. Bifidobacteria actively synthesise amino acids, proteins, organic acids, vitamin K, pan
tothenic acid, vitamin Bi (thiamin), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3
(niacin), folic acid, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B12 (cobalamin),
assist absorption of Ca, iron and vitamin D. Bifidobacteria are the
second most numerous family of bacteria in probiotic supplements
available on the market. 3. Saccharomyces boulardii  This is a yeast first discovered by a French
scientist H Boulard in 1920. He observed that people in China treated
diarrhoea with an extract from lychee fruit. He found the yeast in this
extract which was named Saccharomyces boulardii. Supplementing this
yeast has been found to be effective in treating various forms of diarrhoea
in children and adults. Recently there has been a lot of interest in using
S. boulardii as an antagonist to a pathogenic yeast - Candida albicans. 4. Escherichia coli  or E.  coli  E. coli is a large family of bacteria. Pathogenic
members of this family can cause serious infections. However, physio
logical strains of E. coli are normal and numerous inhabitants of healthy
human gut. They normally occupy particular areas of the digestive
system: the bowel and lower parts of the intestines and should not be
found anywhere else. If they are found in the mouth, stomach or duode
num that indicates an abnormality in gut ecology - gut dysbiosis. Physiological strains of E. coli fulfil a number of beneficial functions in
the body: they digest lactose, produce vitamins (vitamin K and group B)
and amino acids, produce antibiotic-like substances, called colicins and
have a powerful stimulating influence on local and systemic immunity. They are very active against various pathogenic microbes including
pathogenic members of their own family. Indeed having your gut popu
lated by physiological strains of E. coli is the best insurance not to suc
cumb to pathogenic strains of E. coli. That is what a German physician
Alfred Nissle found in 1917 when he was trying to find out why some sol
diers in the First World War did not fall prey to typhoid, when most of
their comrades were ill. He identified a particular strain of E. coliin the
stools ofthese soldiers, which was named the Nissle strain. He grew this
bacterium and sealed it in gelatine capsules. After trying this product on
himself he started manufacturing it under the name Mutaflor. Mutaflor
is still available on the market. Some other physiological strains of E. coli
have been studied and are used in some commercial probiotic formulas
around the world. 5. Enterococcus Faecium  or Streptococcus  faecalis As the name would
imply these bacteria, as with all other probiotics, were isolated from human stools. They normally live in the bowel where they control
pathogens by producing hydrogen peroxide and reducing pH to 5.5. They break down proteins and ferment carbohydrates. There are a
number of clinical studies showing that they are effective in treating
various forms of diarrhoea. These bacteria are quite common in probi
otic formulas on the market. 6. Bacillus subtilis or soil bacteria Bacillus Subtilis was first discovered by
German microbiologists during the Second World War, which led to the
use of this micro-organism in protecting German troops from dysentery
and typhoid. After the war Bacillus subtilis was extensively studied in
Germany, Russia, Italy, Finland, Eastern Europe, China and Vietnam. Number of subspecies were identified: B. licheniformis, B, cereus,
B. brevis, B. mesentericus, B, pumilis, etc., most of which were shown to
be therapeutic in animals and then humans. This led to the develop
ment of a range of products with B. subtilis for animal use. For humans
there are number of products with B. subtilis which have been used by
doctors in Russia, Germany, Italy, Eastern Europe, Japan, Vietnam and
China for decades. B. subtilis is a spore-forming microbe and is resistant
to stomach acid, most antibiotics, temperature changes and other influ
ences. It has strong immune-stimulating properties and is considered
particularly effective with allergies and autoimmune disorders. It pro
duces a whole host of digestive enzymes, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti
bacterial and other active substances. Soil bacteria are not indigenous
to humans, they are transitional microbes, which do not colonise the
gut but go through it doing a lot of work on the way. We humans used to
consume soil bacteria in large amounts when we were drinking water
from wells and streams. In the process of evolution the human gut has
developed a need for these transitional bacteria. One possible need is
keeping the gut clean. B. subtilis species are used in waste management
because they have a great ability to break down rotting matter and to
suppress putrefactive microbes. By clearing out old putrefaction in the
gut soil bacteria may lay the ground for re-establishment of normal gut
flora. In my experience probiotics, which contain soil bacteria are the
most effective probiotics on the market. The market offers a wide range of probiotic products from probiotic
drinks to powder, tablet and capsule forms. Unfortunately, many of
them are not strong enough or do not contain strong enough species of
bacteria to be of therapeutic benefit. There is also a problem of quality control. The last "Which" magazine report showed that many brands of
probiotics on the market do not have bacterial species listed on the label or
do not have claimed bacterial strength. So, how do we choose a good
probiotic? First of all it always makes sense to work with a qualified practitioner
with experience in using probiotics who will help you to chose good-
quality supplements. If you are trying to chose a probiotic yourself, then
there are some general guidelines to follow. 1. A good probiotic should have as many different species of beneficial
bacteria as possible. A human gut contains hundreds of known species
of different bacteria. We should try to get as close to that as we can. Different species of probiotic bacteria have different strengths and
weaknesses. If we have a mixture of them then we have a better chance
of deriving maximum benefit. 2. A mixture of strains from different groups of probiotic bacteria is more
beneficial than just one group. For example, many probiotics on the
market contain just Lactobacilli. A combination of representatives from
the three main groups: Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria and soil bacteria usu
ally works best. 3. A good probiotic should have a concentrated amount of bacteria: at
least 8 billion of bacterial cells per gram. You need to provide probiotic
bacteria in large enough doses to see an improvement. 4. The manufacturer of the probiotic should test every batch for strength
and bacterial composition and should be prepared to publish the
results of testing. Once you have found a good probiotic you need to know how to use it. A
good therapeutic strength probiotic will always produce a so-called "die-off
reaction". What is it? As you introduce probiotic bacteria into a digestive
system, they start destroying pathogenic bacteria, viruses and fungi. When
these pathogens die they release toxins. These are the toxins, which made
your patient autistic or schizophrenic or hyperactive. So, whatever charac
teristic symptoms the patient has may temporarily get worse. Your patient
may also feel more tired than usual, generally "off colour" or develop a skin
rash. It is a temporary reaction and usually lasts from a few days to a few
weeks in different individuals. To make this reaction as mild as possible,
build the dose of your probiotic slowly. Start from a very small amount. Observe the patient for any "die-off" symptoms. If there are none then increase the dose. When you see a reaction, let your patient settle on this
dose until the "die-off" symptoms disappear. Then increase the dose again
and let the patient settle on it. Keep on increasing the dose until a therapeu
tic level is reached. This period of building up the dose can take from a few
weeks to a few months in different patients. It is very individual and depends
on how much overgrowth of pathogenic microbes the person has in the gut. The therapeutic dose level of probiotic is individual and your health prac
titioner should be able to help you with that. Here are general guidelines;
An adult should have around 15-20 billion of bacterial cells per day. An infant up to 12 months of age can have 1-2 billion of bacterial cells per
day. A toddler from 1 to 2 years of age can have 2-4 billion of bacterial cells per


People who put out a lot of adrenaline at night
are often in the unique position of gaining weight
even while they are sleeping. I suspect there is an unrecognized epidemic of ADHD —in
particular, creative type ADHD —in which excess adrenaline
is significantly raising the incidence of obesity in people of
all ages. Addressing these people’s weight issues from the
standpoint of adrenaline could not only improve their weight
but also help them to focus better. Not only does excess adrenaline by itself contribute to
weight gain, it also stimulates the release of cortisol and possibly
also glucagon. So now there are two or three hormones raising
the sugar level, stimulating insulin release, and creating fat. On the other hand, excess adrenaline can also reduce a
person’s appetite. This is often what’s happening with people
who regularly skip breakfast: they release so much adrenaline
during the night that they don’t want to eat in the morning. They can end up essentially living on adrenaline through the persistent cyclical release of sugar and insulin it precipitates. Excess adrenaline can also create a craving to drink alcohol in
order to relax—another potential cause of weight gain. In addition, medications prescribed for medical conditions
caused by excess adrenaline can encourage increased weight. Both the antidepressants given to people with anger issues
or depression and the beta-blockers frequently prescribed for
people with hypertension or palpitations can cause weight
gain. The drugs that type II diabetics are frequently given to raise the insulin level also create fat.|   49 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  BAD
I would be remiss if I did not also mention how our
healthcare system contributes to the current epidemic of
obesity. Even though obesity is now considered a disease,
many doctors still consider it an eating problem and ignore the
possibility that there are underlying metabolic issues. I have seen
countless patients who had gone from doctor to doctor looking
for answers, and were given the same advice by them all: eat less. It is important for the healthcare practitioner to sit down
and talk to the obese patient. The practitioner needs to look
and listen for clues indicating hormones out of balance—excess
adrenaline, insulin, cortisol, or estrogen, or a low-functioning
thyroid. What drugs is the person taking? What are the person’s
eating and drinking habits and activity level? One of my patients—a classic if somewhat extreme case
of creative type ADHD —weighed 420 pounds when he first
came to see me. The amount of adrenaline required to cause
that amount of weight gain also provoked other problems, such
as alcoholism and fibromyalgia. This man’s previous doctors had accused him of eating too much, even though he assured
them he wasn’t. If they had been listening to him, the fact
that he was not a big eater would have been the first clue that he had a hormone problem, not an eating problem. This patient presented as a textbook case of imbalanced
hormones in terms of both his history and his appearance. Not only was his body pouring out insulin, cortisol, and adrenaline, his excess fat was producing a lot of estrogen,
which is a lipogenic (fat-creating) hormone, causing him to put
on fat around his hips, thighs, and buttocks. His high insulin
level put on weight around his middle. I was not surprised to
find that his thyroid level was low-normal, which contributed
to fat deposition everywhere.ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 50   |
After I started treating him with progesterone cream,
a meal plan designed to reduce adrenaline, and thyroid
supplementation, his adrenaline level dropped, his fibromyalgia
disappeared, and he reported feeling better than at any time
in his life. After losing 240 pounds, he got down to a waist
size of 32 inches. He had been suicidal when I first met him,
and at the age of 47 he had never had a single date in his life. After he lost weight and improved his well-being, he started dating, got engaged, and is now happily married. TELOMERES AND AGING
Could reducing excess adrenaline actually increase one’s life
span? It appears to be so. Currently a lot of research is examining
the relationship between the length of telomeres—nucleotide
sequences found on the tips of chromosomes—and aging. The
evidence suggests that people with shortened telomeres may
have a higher incidence of heart attacks and cancer. A biotech pharmaceutical company developed a drug that
could prevent the shortening of telomeres. To avoid the five to
ten years of FDA-required trials costing hundreds of millions
of dollars, the company sold the rights for this substance to
a nutraceutical company. The supplement, called TA-65,
originally sold for $24,000 for a year’s worth. This cost has
now been reduced to $2,400 to $8,000 per year, depending on dosage. Studies have shown that TA-65 increases the enzyme
telomerase, which protects telomeres from getting shorter. It
is most effective on rapidly dividing cells, such as the skin, the
immune system, and the GI tract. The concern, of course, is that cancer cells are also rapidly dividing cells, but as yet this has not been noted as a problem.|   51 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  BAD
The results so far are anecdotal. Moreover, the doctors
who are selling this substance are “anti-aging” specialists, so
most of their clients could be taking bio-identical hormones
as well, which may also be influencing the way the clients
look and feel. Allow me to present an alternative, less expensive approach. It has clearly been demonstrated that stress reduces telomere size, while reducing stress increases telomere size. (This may
be why people dealing with large amounts of stress have a
higher mortality rate.) Adrenaline is closely associated with stress, and reducing
adrenaline is known to lower stress levels. Exercise is one way
of burning up adrenaline, and exercise has also been shown
to increase telomere length in people who have elevated stress
levels. Meditation, another stress reducer, has similarly been found to increase telomere length. However, why not reduce stress just by lowering excess adrenaline? INSOMNIA
Insomnia refers to trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep,
or both. People can have difficulty achieving sound sleep for
a variety of reasons, including physical discomfort, emotional
issues, and financial problems. However, in my view, excess
adrenaline may be insomnia’s number one cause. As we have seen, adrenaline works as both a hormone,
affecting a number of bodily functions, and as a neurotransmitter
in the brain. People with a high level of  adrenaline functioning
as a hormone are generally the ones who have trouble falling
asleep. These are people with typical type ADHD  who as adults
might have type A personalities. The extra energy produced
by excess adrenaline may prevent them from feeling tired. ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 52   |
The approach to helping these people fall asleep is to prevent
the buildup of adrenaline during the day. A regular exercise regimen to burn off excess adrenaline may also be helpful. Those who awaken during the night are often people with
creative type ADHD. These are often the people who complain
that their mind does not shut off at night. From a survival
standpoint, the body always wants to ensure that the brain
has enough fuel to function properly. And the creative brain is
more active than a normal brain and therefore requires more fuel. If, during the night, the body detects that the brain has
used up its fuel, it will release adrenaline to raise the sugar level
and the person will wake up. This release of adrenaline most
often occurs between 2:30 and 3:00 a.m. and can continue
throughout the rest of the night, so the person may keep waking
up intermittently or even not be able to fall back to sleep. If, during the night, the body detects that the brain
has used up its fuel, it will release adrenaline to
raise the sugar level and the person will wake up. The release of adrenaline around 2:30 a.m. may cause
hot flashes in perimenopausal or menopausal women with
creative type ADHD, and may cause both men and women
to experience the urge to urinate starting around this time. The treatment to prevent adrenaline levels from rising
during the night is to eat a light low-glycemic snack shortly
before bedtime, preceded by the application of progesterone
cream. |   53 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  BAD
RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME
Excess adrenaline during the night can also cause restless leg
syndrome (RLS), an uncomfortable sensation in the lower
extremities coupled with an uncontrollable urge to move them. Some people actually get out of bed and walk around to get
relief. The same problem can be observed during the day in
people who persistently move one leg up and down while they
are sitting or feel the need to pace. Some people get cramps in their calves or their feet during
the night. This is due to adrenaline constricting arteries and
cutting off circulation to the muscles. Cold hands and cold feet
can similarly be caused by adrenaline constricting blood vessels
and impairing blood flow. This is often mistakenly attributed
to an underactive thyroid lowering the body temperature. People with restless leg syndrome very often have associated
symptoms also resulting from elevated adrenaline, such as teeth
grinding, the need to urinate, and tossing and turning


 of doubts, fears,
and inhibitions. W ith the removal of negativity, dynamic forces are
unloosed, so that what were once impossible dreams now become
actualized goals. Resolution of Psychological Pr oblems: Comparison with
Psychotherapy
In general, letting go is often more rapid than psychotherapy. It is often
more liberating and stimulating to the growth of consciousness and
awareness. Psychotherapy, however, is better designed to elucidate
underlying patterns. The two may work well together. The mechanism of
letting go facilitates and speeds up psychotherapy, and it elevates its goals. Psychotherapy may be more gratifying intellectually because of its verbalnature and its focus on the “whys” behind behavior. However, that is also
its limitation. T oo often intellectual insight is all that’ s really achieved, and
the emotional working through is slow, often painful, and ultimately
avoided. The mechanism of letting go, on the other hand, is concerned with
the emotional “what” from moment to moment, without involving the
intellect. The “why” becomes apparent of itself once the “what” has been
relinquished. It’ s one thing to analyze the causal basis of depression and
quite another to enter fully into the depth of hopelessness by letting go of
your resistance to the feeling. By allowing the full feeling of it and by
letting go of every sensation, every thought, and every little payof f you are
getting from it, you are free. It’ s not necessary to probe the “why” of
depression to become free from the “what” of it. The goals of letting go are far beyond those of psychotherapy. The
ultimate aim of letting go and surrendering is total freedom. The goal of
therapy is readjustment of the ego to a more healthy balance. The two
systems are based on dif ferent paradigms of reality. The objective of
psychotherapy is to replace unsatisfactory mental programs with more
satisfactory ones. In contrast, the objective of letting go is the elimination of
limiting mental and emotional programs. It is the attainment of an
unconditioned mind and, ultimately, transcendence of the mind itself to
higher states of consciousness of love and peace. In therapy, there is dependence on therapists and their training and
techniques, and there is also reliance on a psychological theory to which the
therapist and the patient both subscribe. Scientific research reveals that the
results of therapy are not related to the therapist’ s school of psychotherapy,
training or technique; instead, the results are related to the interaction
between them and the degree of the patient’ s desire to improve, as well as
the patient’ s faith and confidence in the therapist. Therefore, psychic factors
are operating of which psychotherapy is unaware. W ith the mechanism of letting go, there is no patient role and no
dependency on another person or theory. The very wellsprings of neurotic
patterns automatically unfold as they are acknowledged, relinquished, and
disappear. Their basis is often at depths untouched by psychotherapy. Except for the few holistic frameworks (e. g., Jungian analysis,
transpersonal psychology), therapy can be based on a limited understanding
of the total mind. It commonly addresses itself only to a portion of the ego. It ignores and does not comprehend the great forces that determine, drive,and control the mind. Since the purpose of most psychotherapy is a well-
adjusted ego, there is no conception of what is beyond the ego. The purpose of letting go, in contrast, is the elimination of the ego. The
ego is fearful and limited and, when it is surrendered, the inner Self stands
forth, and what was always more powerful is revealed. Many
psychotherapies have no real knowledge of the Self and are, therefore, blind
to Reality Itself. As for ef ficacy, psychotherapy is like a horse and buggy,
while the mechanism of surrender and letting go is like a space ship. In the
time it takes for therapy to slowly poke about a limited area, letting go has
already moved far beyond it into a whole new dimension. Letting go has a peculiar advantage in that the surrendering of one
negative feeling also relinquishes the ener gy behind many other negative
feelings, so there is a constant across-the-board ef fect. For instance, a
successful and well-educated man had a life-long terrible fear of heights, an
intense phobia. At the time that he learned how to utilize the mechanism of
surrender, he had many pressing problems in his life. After learning how to
surrender, he was busy with letting go of his feelings and fears about major
life problems and never got around to specifically working on his lifelong
fear of heights. When he was later in a situation involving standing on a
roof, he was amazed to discover that his fear had greatly lessened. He was
delighted and went to the edge of the roof where he sat dangling his feet. He was now able to get up on ladders and go on the roof for an hour with
no discomfort. This illustrates that, as one fear is relinquished, all fear is
diminished non-specifically. Psychotherapy aims at the amelioration of neurotic patterns. Letting go,
however, is designed to undo the underlying causes of all neurotic
formation. It undoes the basic structure of maladaptive feeling and
behavior. Psychotherapy seeks for an improvement in neurotic balance. Letting go, however, eliminates it all together. A limitation of most psychotherapeutic frameworks is that the therapist
is constricted to what the world calls a healthy, functioning ego with all its
restrictions. In this paradigm, a healthy patient is considered to be one who
shares the same illusions and limitations condoned by society and the
therapist. By contrast, the purpose of the mechanism of surrender is to
transcend the illusions of the world and reach the ultimate truth behind it—
which is Self-Realization—and to discover the very basis of the mind itself,
the source of all thought and feeling. The goal of letting go is the elimination of the very sour ce of all
suffering and pain. This sounds radical and startling and, in fact, it is. Ultimately, all negative feelings stem from the same source. When enough
negative feelings have been relinquished, that source reveals itself. When
that source itself is let go of and dis-identified with, the ego dissolves. The
source of suf fering, therefore, loses the very basis of its power. Each of us has a limit to the amount of negative feelings we have
stored up. When the pressure behind an emotion has been let go, that
emotion no longer occurs. For instance, if fear is constantly surrendered for
a period of time, eventually it runs out. It then becomes dif ficult or almost
impossible to feel further fear. It takes progressively more and more of a
stimulus to elicit it. Finally, the person who has surrendered a great deal of
fear actually has to search for it diligently. The ener gy of fear simply isn’ t
there anymore. Anger also progressively diminishes so that even a major
provocation fails to elicit it. A person with little fear or anger feels
primarily love all of the time and experiences a loving acceptance of events,
people, and the vicissitudes of life. The goal of surrender is transcendence. Psychotherapy accepts levels of
behavior as healthy that, from the viewpoint of total freedom, are
unacceptable. For instance, in psychotherapy, minimal fear, anger, and pride
might be considered necessary or acceptable levels of functioning and
perhaps even “healthy. ” But as we have seen, the innate destructiveness
behind those lower states is ultimately not acceptable—given the power of
surrender to transcend them totally. Beyond the “acceptable level of
functioning” awaits our greater destiny: total freedom. CHAPTER
17
T R A N S F O R M A T I O N
Although letting go seems simple and easy, its ultimate ef fects are
profoundly powerful. A quick little surrender done in an almost of f-handed
manner can sometimes bring about a major change in our life. W e can
picture it being similar to the wheel of a ship. If we make even a one-degree
change in the ship’ s compass, we will notice very little dif ference; but, as
the ship sails over the sea hour after hour, day after day, a one-degree
change in the compass will end up taking us to a very dif ferent place many
miles from where the original course would have taken us. In this chapter we want to look at the ef fect that the mechanism of
surrender has on those areas of life with which most people are concerned:
health, wealth, and happiness. W e will discuss these areas as they are
usually experienced by the majority of people, and make a contrast to the
changes that will occur as the practice of letting go progresses. These
changes are quite obvious when we watch the lives of others who use the
technique. They will become obvious in your own life as well. Sometimes
you will not be aware of them; therefore, it is suggested that you keep a list
of goals and check of f the gains as they occur, so that you remain conscious
and aware of the progress. This self-awareness step is to circumvent a
peculiarity of the mind. When we decide on a specific technique to improve
our life, and when improvement occurs, the mind has a peculiar tendency to
discount the very technique that brought about the change. It is as though


 immense power within
you. The Key of Love
T o use love as th e ultimate power in your life, you must love li ke you have
never lo ved before. Fall in love with life! However much you ha ve loved in
yo u r life, doubl e that feeling, m ultiply that feeling by ten times, multiply it
by a hundred times, a thousand  times, and a million times, because that is
the level of love you are capable of feeling! T here is no limit, no ceilin g,
to the amount of love you can feel and it is all inside you! Y ou are made of
love. It is the very substance and n ature of you, life, and the universe, and
you can love far more than you've ever loved before, and fa r more than you
have imagined. When y ou fall in love with life,  every limitation disappears. Y ou break the
limitations on money, health, happiness, and the limits of j oy in your
relationships. When you fall i n love with life,  you have no resistance, and whatever you
love a ppears in your life almost instantaneously. Y our presence will be felt when you walk into a room. O pportunities will
pour into your l i fe, and your slightest touch will dissol ve neg ativity. Y ou
will feel  better than you thought it was possible to fee l. Y ou w ill be filled
with unlimited ener gy, excitement, and an unquenchable zest for life. Y ou
will feel  as light as a feather, like you're fl oating on air, and eve rything you
love w ill just seem to fall at your feet. Fall in love with life, unleash the
power within you, and you will become unlimited and invincible! "Even af ter all this time, the sun  never says to the earth, 'Y ou owe  me.' Look
what happens with a  Love like that! It lights the whole sky." (Hafez Sufi
Poet 1315-1390)

So how do you fall in love with life? The same way you fall in love with
another person - you adore everything about them! Y ou fall in love with
another person by seeing only love, hearing only love, speaking only love,
and by feeling love with all your heart! And that is exactly h ow you  use the
ultimate power of love to fall in love with life.Whatever you're doing, wherever you are in your day, look for the things
you love. Y ou can look  for technology and inv entions you love. Look for
buildings you love, cars and ro ads you love, cafes and r estaurants you love,
stores you love. W a lk down  a street or through a store with the intention o f
finding as many th ings as you can that you love. Look for t hings you love
about ot her peo ple. Look for e verything you love in nature - birds, trees,
flowers, perfum es, and the colors of nature. See what you love. Hear what
you love. Speak about what you love. "Knowing that you have worki ng with you a for ce, which never yet has
failed in  anythi ng it has under taken, you can go ahead in the confident
knowledge that it will not fail in your case, either." (Robert Collier 1885-
1950)

Think about what you love. T alk about what you love. Do w hat you lov e to do. Becaus e when you're doing all of these things, you
are feeling love. T alk abo ut the things you love a bout your home, your family, y our spouse,
and children. T alk about the things you love about your friends. T ell them
what yo u love about them. T alk about the trungs you touch, sme ll, and taste
that you love. T ell the law of attraction what you love every day by singling out the things
you love  and feeling them. Just think about how much love you can g ive in
one day by feeling the things you love. When you walk down  the street,
look for  the things you love in o ther people. When you look in stores, look
for the things you love. Say, "I lo ve that outfit," "I love those shoes," "I love
the colo r of that person's eyes," "I love that person's hair," "I love that
person's smile,"  "I love those cosmetics," "I love that smell," "I love this
store," " I love that table, lamp, couch, rug, sound equipment, coat, gloves,
tie, hat, and jewe lry," "I love the  smell of summer," "I love the trees in fall,"
"I lo ve the flowe rs in spring," "I love that color," "I love this street," "I love
this city. "Look fo r the things you love in situations, events, and circumstances, and
feel those things. "I love getting phone calls like that." "I l ove getting
emails like that." "I love hearing good news like that." "I love this song." "I
love seeing people happy." "I love laughing with other people." "I love
driving to work listening to music." "I love being able to relax on the train
or th e bus." "I love the festivals in my city." "I love celebratio ns." "I love
life." Look for the things you love on every subject that lights up your heart,
and feel the deepest love you can. If you're not feeling good and you want to change the way you feel, or if
you want to lift  good feelings higher, then take a minute or two and go
through a mental list of everything you love and adore. Y ou can do it while
getting dressed in the morning, walking, driving, or traveling anywhere. It's
such a simple thing to do, but the ef fect in your life will be amazing. Make a written list of everything you love, which I ur ge you to do every
month in the beginning, and then at least every three months. Include the
places you love, the cities, the countries, the people you love, colors you
love, sty les you love, qualities in people you love, companies you love,
services you love, sports you love, athletes you love, music  you love,
animals you love, flowers, plants, and trees you love. List all the material
things y ou love, from all the dif ferent types of clothes you love, homes,
furniture, books, magazines, newspapers, cars, appliances, to all the
dif ferent foods you love. Think about the things you love to do and list
them all, such as dancing, pla ying a sport, going to gallerie s, concerts,
parties, shoppin g, list the movies you love, vacations and rest aurants you
love. "When o ne has once fully enter ed the r ealm of love, the world - no matter
how imperfect - becomes rich and beauttful-it consists solely of
opportunities for love." (Sør en Aabye Kierkegaar d 1813-1855)
Y our job is to love as much as possible every day. If you can just love and
adore everything you possibly can today, look for and feel the things you
love, an d turn away from the t hings you don't love, your tom orrows will
overflow with the untold happiness of everything you want and love. "Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness." (Oliver W endell
Holmes 1809-1894) Love Is Being Alert
Y ou hav e to be alert to feel the love of everything around you. Y ou have to
be aware of everything that's around you to love, otherwise you will miss
things. Y ou have to be alert to see the things that you love. Y ou have to be
alert to hear the  sounds that yo u love. Y ou have to be alert to catch the
beautiful smells  of flowers as you walk past them. Y ou have to  be alert to
really ta ste the food you're eatin g and feel the fullness of the fla vors. If you
are w alking down the street listening to the thoughts in your hea d, you miss
it all. And that's what happens to people a lot of the time. They hypnotize
themselves by listening to the thoughts in their head, and so they're in a
kind of trance, and they're not aware of anything around them. Have yo u ever been walking down the street and suddenly a good friend
yelled o ut your name and you w ere startled because you hadn't seen him? Or mayb e you saw a friend, and you had to callout her name a couple of
times, and suddenly she jumpe d with a start when she saw you? Y our
calling her name woke her up because she was not aware of being on the
street, but was lost in a trance, listening to the thoughts in her head. I-lave
you ever been in a car traveli ng, and suddenly you looked around and
realized you were close to yo ur destination, but you didn't remember
traveling a big part of the distance? Y ou had hypnotized yourself by listening to your thoughts, an d you were
lost in a trance. The goo d news


middle. Haakaa breast pump. This pump attaches to your breasts easily
and lets you express milk naturally through suction. You can put it on
the breast that babe is not feeding from to catch the extra milk that
comes out. Muslin cotton swaddle blankets. Even if you do not swaddle your
babe, these light cotton blankets are cozy and are the perfect small
blanket for use in the house or while traveling (even if just in the
stroller or car seat!). Burp cloths. Keep these by your bed, near your nursing station, in
the diaper bag, and in any common area around your house. Burpcloths are great not only for catching spit-up but also to catch any
leaking breast milk while nursing! Soft, light, bamboo pajamas for baby. Organic cotton is lovely, but
there is something even lovelier about a newborn in buttery soft
bamboo footie pajamas! The light fabric feels nice on their skin and
can end up being what little babe wears for the first six to eight
weeks of their life, if they wear anything at all! Boppy nursing pillow. This will save your back while nursing! Even
when not nursing, I would use this for my baby to sleep on me
without having to use my arms to hold him. It can also be used to
prop your newborn up after nursing if they are spitting up quite a bit. And finally, these pillows are useful when baby starts to sit up on
their own but needs a little assistance not to fall over. Tip: Get an
extra cover for laundry day. Baby carriers and wraps. You will get great use out of hands-free
carriers once you start moving around the house more. Baby will
benefit from being close to mama’ s heartbeat for as long as possible
and as often as possible. Again, Ayurveda says a baby should not
leave the mother ’s auric field for at least the first six weeks, so this is
a great way to keep them close. Diaper changing pads. You will likely want some portable diaper
changing pads, a plastic foldable one, and some cloth washable
ones (three or four). Changing pads are great to keep next to your
bed or your baby’ s sleeping space during the first few weeks for
midnight diaper changes. And remember to store one in your diaper
bag for on-the-go changes for months to come! Baby lounger. Baby will feel so cozy napping in this little pillow
anywhere around the house in the first several months. It can also
be used as a cosleeper in your bed.Baby bathtub. This can be placed right in your bathtub or sink and
can be used from the first bath to the hundredth! Washable incontinence pads. Get two to four of these and put
them on your mattress under your sheets where you sleep. From
postpartum bleeding, baby poop explosions, leaky pee diapers, and
puddles of breast milk, these will save your mattress. Bedside basket. Get a nice basket and place it next to your bed so
that is easy to access without you having to get up when the baby is
with you. In the basket put everything you might need for you and
your little one—diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, waterproof
changing pads, a few onesies, and anything else that you will be
using frequently. IS THAT NORMAL? During the early days of motherhood, you will likely find yourself repeating
the phrase “Is that normal?” for just about everything. Of course, always go with your intuition, and when in doubt, ask for
guidance. Call your midwives, your doctors, your pediatrician, your doula,
your lactation consultant, your mom, your mom friends, or anyone you can
get advice from. It is always better to be safe than sorry and it eases worry
to hear “Y es, that is normal” when you are feeling nervous. Here is a list of questions that may come up, and I can assure you: “Y es,
that is normal.”
“Why is her heart beating so fast? Is that normal?”  Babies’  tiny
hearts beat faster than ours. They commonly beat around 120 beats
per minute, which will sound and feel very fast to you. It is normal. “He keeps forgetting to take a breath! Is that normal?”  After
being accustomed to life in the womb, babies need time to learn how
to breathe. They can sometimes forget to take a breath, for up to ten
seconds. If you are noticing this frequently, keep them close to youor even on you, so that hearing your breathing reminds them to take
a breath. If the suspension of breath is longer than ten seconds at a
time, call your pediatrician. Otherwise, it is likely to be normal. “Sometimes she snores in her sleep. Is that normal?”  Babies
have tiny noses. Sometimes they snore until they grow out of it a
month or so after birth. If the snoring seems concerning to you,
contact your pediatrician. If it is just due to their tiny nose, they will
grow out of it—it is normal. “My newborn’ s poop was black and sticky for several days and
now it’ s watery and yellow! It looks like diarrhea!”  The first few
poops after birth will be a black, sticky, tar-like substance called
meconium. This can pass within a few hours, days, or within the first
week or so. After that, the poop will gradually become a yellowish
waterier substance that may be a little mucousy. A breastfed baby
may have poop that looks like it could be diarrhea, but it is just the
normal consistency of baby poop. In fact, for a breastfed baby,
yellow liquidy poop is healthy! “She keeps throwing up all the time! Is that normal?”  Spitting up
and throwing up are two dif ferent things for babies. If your baby is
regurgitating milk or even what looks like curdled milk after eating,
this is spitting up and is likely to be normal. If they are projectile
vomiting (the milk comes out forcefully in a straight line out of their
mouth), call the pediatrician. See this page  on “Spitting up (in
Breastfed Babies)” for more info on this. “He is constantly drinking milk! I feel like I am nursing all day
long! Is that normal?”  Newborn breastfed babies will drink milk
every two or three hours—sometimes more, sometimes less. During
the typical growth spurts—at three days, five days, seven days, three
weeks, and five weeks of age—which can last anywhere from one
day to several days, they may do what is called cluster feeding. Cluster feeding means they nurse constantly on and of f for hours ata time. This is normal and natural, and if your baby wants to cluster
feed, cozy up with a good book to pass the time. They will benefit
from the nourishment of the extra milk, so best to allow them to eat
when they are hungry and stop when they are full. “His skin is peeling. Is that normal?”  Newborn babies’  skin goes
through a lot in the first few weeks. Peeling is a normal occurrence,
as their skin is used to the watery womb, and our world in
comparison is dry and cold. Starting with baby abhyangas after the
umbilical cord falls of f may help with peeling skin. However, it is
nothing to be concerned about and is totally normal. “Her poop is green!”  Yes, green poop is normal for babies! Their
digestion may simply be adjusting to changes in your diet or they
may be teething. In fact, almost all colors of poop can be normal for
newborns. In general, the only color to call your doctor about would
be white poop. “She has blood in her diaper! Is she okay?!”  Sometimes female
infants will get what looks like a mini period in their diaper. It will
probably only show up once or twice. This is normal spotting of blood
due to the hormones in mama’ s milk and not a cause for concern. If
it lasts more than a few days, call your doctor to be sure. BABY BATH TIME
When your baby is first born, you may notice a whitish, waxy coating on
their skin—a protective layer called vernix. In a hospital setting, the
standard practice is to wash this coating of f. Ayurveda advises to leave the
vernix rather than washing it, and instead to massage it gently into the
baby’ s skin until it is absorbed. This natural external barrier has many
benefits including protecting the baby from pathogens, regulating their
body temperature, keeping their skin moisturized, and balancing their pH. According to Ayurveda, a newborn baby can have an herbal bath any
time after birth. The herbs can be the same ones that mama uses for herherbal baths. Fill the bath with lukewarm water, or water just warmer than
body temperature. When you add the boiling water from the herbal
infusion, wait for the bath to cool before putting your baby in. Remember
that their skin is very sensitive and if it feels hot at all to you, it will feel
extra hot to them. The bath given immediately after birth is considered more of a ritual
than a wash to clean them of f. A bath can be calming for your baby and
allow them a smooth transition out of the watery womb and into the world. Once the bath is prepared with the herbal infusion