worry about any statistics. People live a long time with
mysterious diseases.”
This ﬁnal twist absolutely delighted him. With
tremendous relief he shook my hand, and for the ﬁrst time
he agreed to come to the clinic to start Ayurveda. So far, I
have done nothing for this man except change the label on
his disease, but from that he changed his whole appraisal. Now we have a chance to witness the birth of a cure. EXPANDING THE TOPIC
It was hard enough thirty  years ago to ﬂoat the proposition
that every disease is personal. In medical school, docto rs
learn about the natural history of diseases, the course an
illness norma lly takes in the average patient. (As the hoary
medical student joke goes, “It takes seven days to get over
a cold, but if you really take care of yourself, you’ll get over
it in a week.” Imbedded in the punch line is the certainty
that hard medical facts come ﬁrst; personal diﬀerencescome second and are largely a nuisance, because they skew
the statistical sample.) Now there’s a new propo sition to ﬂoat that’s even harder
for doctors to swallow: All disease is personal. In fact, it
has to be. This isn’t blatant overcon ﬁdence on my part. The
reason that all disease is personal is that reality is
personal, and being sick or well is part of reality. The fact
that a cold virus interacts with your immune system on a
schedule that matches your neighbor when he has a cold is
just a rough approximation. Some colds linger for a month. Viruses constantly mutate, and when they do, your immune
system responds in kind—it learns what the virus has to
teach. Quantum Healing  was written before the microbiome was
explored, but I felt conﬁdent in saying that a bacterium or
virus traveling around the world is the play of DNA talking
to itself. DNA is sending messages constantly that pass in,
out, around, and throu gh the body. With present-day
knowledge, we know that the microbiome isn’t a camp of
squatters who have parked themselves in our bodies. These
microbes are the message, and it’s constantly in ﬂux. In
2014 a team headed by Dr. Patrick Schloss at the
University of Michigan analyzed microbes gathered from
three hundred people, in eighteen areas of their bodies. It
was found that these microbes varied greatly. They
changed, sometimes radically, for no known reaso n. There
could be total population shifts in the course of a single
day. In a sense the microbiome is the only bodily organ that
can be replaced without  surgery; in another sense it is a
portable ecology, duplicating Earth’s ecology
microscopically. Every atom in your body came from soil,
air, and water. Your microbiome retains the memory of this. Even with the present imperfect understanding, everyone
concedes that the trillions of microorganisms that interface
with the outside world are major players in how life evolvedand keeps evolving. No one has to catch a cold to
participate in the self-interaction of life with life. In
computer science (and rightly or wrongly), the brain itself
is just an information processor. So when you catch a cold
—or interact  with any microorganism—you and the world
are thinking as one. What’s your conversation like? You’ll never hear a cold
virus talking to you, but the exchange of messages isn’t
mysterious; it’s just very, very complicated. I’m constantly
astonished at how much meaning is contained in catching a
cold. To let you in on this astonishment, I’d like to use a
cold as the template for your entire life. So many ﬁle
headings are needed just for this one experience. Biology:  The newly mutated cold virus is a new biological
creation. Environment:  The new strain of cold was born at a
certain place and time somewhere in the world. Relationships:  The virus’s genes dema nd an interaction
with your genome. In return, your genetic material has
something to say about that. Society:  The cold hits a lot of people at nearly the same
time, creating social implications, like a rise in sick days
from work. Core beliefs:  When you catch a cold, your reaction to it
depends on how tough or fragile you think you are, how
dangerous or innocuous it is to get sick, and other personal
beliefs. Desires:  Catching a cold aﬀects what you wanted to do
that week if you hadn’t gotten sick. You may have to put
some desires on hold, such as going on a vacation. Memories:  In your immune system, the virus awakens the
memory of colds you’ve had in the past. Antibodies are
released coded by these past illnesses.Psychological conditioning:  You have personal memories
of catching a cold over the years, and your reaction this
time is likely to be almo st identical to your reaction last
winter. Microbiome:  The new arrival in the virus family interacts
with the massive colony of microorganisms that are already
present in and on our body. Gene expression:  Depending on everything listed above,
genes in your brain, immune system, and various organs
respond to all the changes occurring or threatening to
occur. It’s a little exhausting to contemplate this list, but that
doesn’t mean that the possible implications of catching a
cold have been exhausted. For that, you’d have to interview
trillions of cells, each of which has its own story. Yet if we
back away to a larger perspective, the point is simple: All
disease is personal because reality is personal. No one, not
even identical twins who begin life with the same genetic
scorecard, inhabits a reality that’s the same as another
person’s. How could they? The messages delivered by the
common cold are like one grain of sand on the beach, and
the tide never stops coming in, depositing new grains of
information. Colds take care of themselves, but what about cancer,
heart disease, diabetes, and other severe disorde rs? They
are inﬂuence d by everything on the list, too, and it seems
utterly blind to ignore them. A mate rialist can’t duck out of
the argument by reverting to medical school textbooks. A
liver enzyme may be a fact, but so are the recepto rs on the
outer membr ane of a liver cell, and these are responsive to
every single inﬂuence I’ve listed. There’s no such thing as
being halfway in the game; your total being is committed to
participating. How you see yourself is perhaps the most important
inﬂuence on your state of wellbeing, or its absence. Life onthis planet goes back about 3.5 billion years, and your body
retains all the evolutionary knowledge accumulated over
the eons. So you can justiﬁably see yourself as all life,
which means that every interaction with the world is
actually an interaction with yourself. What then? “Who am
I?” becomes a very diﬀerent question. In Quantum Healing  I oﬀered a better way to manage
personal reality. As much as I delighted in discovering
countless new facts, simplicity held the key. (I recall a guru
saying there are a thousa nd reasons to pick a pin up oﬀ the
ﬂoor and a thousand reasons not to—no one can live like
that.) At some point you simply have to accept the reality of
cosmic intelligence and surrender to it. Surrender connotes defea t to some people, who therefore
hate the idea. It connotes drifting through life carelessly to
other people, who there fore love the idea. But when it
comes to managing your personal reality, surrender
involves speciﬁc choices, and each must be tested to ﬁnd
out if it’s viable. 1.You relax and relinquish the desire to control. 2.You trust that you are cherished in creation, and you
act on this trust. 3.You accept your own being as a source of inﬁnite
intelligence. 4.You approach every problem as having a level of
solution that can be found. 5.You focus on personal growth, which is eternal, and
minimize personal setbacks, which are temporary. 6.You ask for and receive support from Nature. 7.You resist the endless demands and unceasing
insecurity of the ego.That’s the agenda, not just for the spiritually inclined or
the mystically gifted, but for anyone who grasps how
personal reality really is. A supreme intelligence is
responsible for creating order out of chaos, shaping every
waking mom ent into “my” life. The paradox  is that if you
really want reality to be entirely yours, a unique creation,
you must oﬀer it up as a gift from the cosmos. OceanofPDF.comWhen pressed for the ultimate truth, the Vedic seers
uttered two words that overturn all our accepted notions of
reality: Aham Brahmasmi. A free translation would be, “I
am everything, created and uncreated,” or more succinctly,
“I am the universe.”* To be everything, or even something
beyond the conﬁnes


). If you are just beginning an exercise program, first chec k with your
health provider to make certain there are no contraindications to  starting anunsupervised exercise program, such as heart disease, severe obesity, or
limiting arthritis. At the beginnin g of your progr am, aim to reach a tar get exercise heart
rate between 50 and 60 percent of your MHR. Choose 60 percent if you are
in reasonably good shape and 50 percent if you are not or if it’ s been a long
time since you’ve performed any cardiovascular activity. At a ge fifty, this  is calculated to be 85 to 102 beats per minute (50% of
170 = 85; 60% of 170 = 102). T ake your pulse before you sta rt and then begin exercising u ntil your
heart rate hits the tar get num ber. There are many high-quality heart
monitors availab le for under $1 00 in the marketplace, with som e as low as
$50. If you do not have a monit oring device, you can still check your pulse
every five to ten  minutes while exercising, but it is easier to determine your
exercise level if you can just glance at a wrist monitor. Optimal benefit is gained when you exercise between twenty and thirty
minutes, but if y ou are out of shape, begin with just ten or fifteen minutes. A wide range of  activities can p rovide an ef fective cardiovascular workout,
including joggi ng, bicycling, dancing, cycling, kickboxing, spinning,
treadmill, stair -climbing, rowing, hiking, and swimming. Find  something
you like to do that is easily acc essible to you. There is also proven benefit
to cross- training. This means finding a few dif ferent strength-training and
aerobic a ctivities that you can ro tate through on dif ferent days. O ne day you
might us e a treadmill for twenty  minutes, the next day you may ride a bike,
and anot her you may go to an aerobics dance class. Each activit y will work
a dif fere nt set of muscles while improving your cardiovascular fitness. Establish a regular time for your daily routine to maintain consistency. Once you are comfortable at yo ur current level of activity, try gradually
increasing your tar get heart rate from 65 to 75 percent of your MHR. At agefifty, this would mean a tar get heart between 110 and 128 beats per minute
(65% of 170 = 110; 75% of 170 = 128). For the first coupl e of weeks,
remain at 60 p ercent and then gradually increase your tar ge t rate by 5
percent every few weeks until you are at 70 to 75 percent of your MHR. Do not increase your tar get rate  if you are straining at your current level. Y ou should be a ble to speak wh ile you are exercising, although if you can
easily carry on a conversation, you are probably ready to increase your
intensity. For the most part, you should be able to breathe through your
nose. T ry thinking the “So Hum” mantra while you are exercising to keep
your atte ntion fu lly in your bod y, using “So” on inhalations and  “Hum” on
exhalations. A th in l ayer of perspiration tell s you that your body is burning calories,
but you should not be sweating profusely. If at any time y ou become
acutely short of breath or develop chest discomfort, stop your activity and
immediately contact your health care provider. Although you will feel that
you have definitely expended e ner gy during a good workout, you should
not feel complet ely exhausted or depleted. Some mild soreness is common
at first or when you increase your intensity, but you should not have severe
discomfort. Use  common sense and aim for the long-term balan ced benefits
of a regular exercise program. It will not tak e long to see improvements in both strength and
cardiovascular fitness with a consistent fitness program. In addition to an
improvement in your general sense of well-being, you will not ice that you
are losing accumulated weight, sleeping better, and experiencing better
digestion and elimination. Mos t important, you will look an d feel your
healthy Biostat age. No one can take this step toward improved physical
capacity but you. Start today a nd you will quickly see yours elf growing
younger. Exer cise on the RoadIf your life invol ves a good deal  of travel it will take some extra attention to
stay on your exercise routine. Most hotels have a workout room with basic
equipment. Ask  about the exercise facilities when you are making a
reservation. Eve n if equipment is not available, you can perform the basic
seven ex ercises in your hotel room using two-liter water bott les for your
weights. The other strength-training drills simply use your body. If a  treadmill is unavailable,  you can get in your cardiovascular
conditioning by doing Sun Salutations rapidly for fifteen to twenty minutes. Use the stairs in stead of the hote l elevator to get to your room floor. If your
business meeting  is within walk ing distance, leave enough time to get there
with a brisk stroll rather than taking a taxi. It is always easier to continue
exercising regul arly than it is to stop for a week or two and then restart. Make your fitness program a h igh priority. (For more information on the
Grow Y ounger, Live Longer F itness Program, see the appendix on page
271.) Staying Active
Seek ou t opport unities during the day to be physically active. If you live
half a mile from your fitness club, put on your running shoes and jog there
instead of driving and spending ten minutes looking for a parking place. If
you work on the twentieth story of a high-rise of fice building, take the
elevator to the sixteenth floor and walk up the remaining flights of stairs. If
you need to pick up a few items at the grocery store, ride your bike and save
some fossil fuel. Park your car a  few blocks from work and walk the rest of
the way to and from your of fice. Consciously make the choices to stay physically active. Y our body and
mind will respond with greater ener gy and vitality. Staying active will help
you grow younger and live longer. Every day in every way,
I am incr easing my mental and physical capacity.My Biostat is set at a healthy ____ years of age. I look and feel a healthy ____ years old. I am r eversing my biological age:
By changing my per ception of my body, its aging and time;
Thr ough two kinds of deep r est—r estful awar eness and  r estful sleep;
By nurturing my body thr ough healthy foods;
By using nutritional complements wisely;
By enhancing mind/body integration; and
Thr ough exer cise. 8
Y ou Can Reverse Y our
Biological Age by Eliminating
T oxins from Y our Life

ACTION STEP # 7
I a m r eversing my biological age by eliminating toxins fr om my  physical
and emotional bodies. I put this into practice by:
Eliminating all toxicity fr om my diet and drinking two to  thr ee liters of
water every day. Learning to handle emotional turbulence. Healing or eliminating toxic r elationships. The accumulation of toxins
in the body/mind system
accelerates aging. The elimination of toxinsawakens the capacity for r enewal. T oxins must be identified and
eliminated fr om your
body, mind, and soul. Y ou can  reverse your biological age by eliminating toxins from your life. Every impulse of life can be considered in terms of whether it brings
nourishment or toxicity. A nourishing experience brings you happiness,
expands your awareness, and helps you grow younger. A toxic experience
brings m isery, makes you feel stuck, and accelerates aging. This is true
whether you are talking about toxic substances, toxic food, toxic
relationships, or toxic emotions. An essential step to reverse the aging
process is to identify and release toxins from every level of your life. Aging and illness result from  the accumulation of toxic reactions. Scientists now understand that toxic damage to cells and tissues is the
consequence of free radicals that are formed whenever oxygen is
metabolized. A free radical mol ecule is an oxygen molecule that is missing
an e lectron. Also known as re active oxygen species (ROS), they go by
names such as h ydroxy radical, singlet oxygen, superoxide, an d hydrogen
peroxide. These hungry chemicals are indiscriminate about how they
replace their missing electron, a nd will strip one from any nearby source,including proteins, fats, or DNA molecules. Under controlled situations,
free rad icals are useful in met abolizing food and mounting an immune
response against invading bacte ria. However, the collateral damage of free
radical formation is responsible  for illness and aging. Many of the most
common illnesses of our society linked to free radical damage are:
Cancer
Heart disease
Stroke
Diabetes
Arthritis
Osteoporosis
Inflammatory bowel disease
Glaucoma
Retinal degeneration
Alzheimer ’ s disease
W rinkling skin, graying hair, and stif fening joints are also the  result of
free rad icals. There are things you


 to the author, what is the primary cause of aging and disease?,
A: Environmental factors, such as a poor diet, lack of proper nutrients, and exposure to toxins and radiation, are the primary cause of aging and disease, not genetic predisposition.
Q: What is the author's stance on the use of genetically modified foods?,
A: The author recommends avoiding the consumption of genetically modified foods due to concerns over their potential long-term effects and lack of sufficient research.
Q: According to the author, what is the primary focus of modern medicine?,
A: The author states that modern medicine is focused on treating symptoms, rather than addressing the root causes of disease, and that it is not designed to promote health and wellness.
Q: What is the author's view on the role of doctors in the healthcare system?,
A: The author criticizes the medical establishment, stating that doctors often prioritize their own interests over the well-being of their patients, and that they are not incentivized to consider alternative approaches or unconventional treatments.
Q: What is the author's stance on the use of X-rays and other medical testing procedures?,
A: The author advises avoiding medical testing procedures like X-rays and ultrasound, as they can cause harm and are not always necessary, and instead recommends a holistic approach to health and wellness.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>In another case, a hospital oversight committee reviewed surgically removed
tissues. In the year prior to the formation of the committee, the hospital performed
262 appendectomies—after the committee was formed, the number dropped to 62. The committee found that most of the tissues being removed were healthy! In March
1997, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine published a statement
saying that only 10 percent of hysterectomies are justified. In addition to being
almost entirely unnecessary, surgery is risky; possibilities exist for surgical error,
complications from anesthesia and infection, not to mention the physical, mentaland emotional shock to the body. Should You Take Medicine? All drugs have potentially damaging “side effects.” Because a malfunctioning cell
is the definition of disease, and drugs deliberately cause cells to malfunction, drugs
cause disease. Drugs are foreign to the body; the mechanism by which drugs work is
to alter the body’s biochemistry in order to suppress symptoms. Side effects often
are worse than the diseases the drugs are used to treat. Perhaps these hazards would
be justified if drugs cured disease, but they do not, they control and suppress
symptoms. Even with symptoms suppressed, the true cause of the problem may be
growing worse while the body’s natural healing mechanisms are being compromised
by the drugs. Billions of dollars are spent in the war against street drugs, but the number of
people killed and injured by street drugs is minor compared to prescription drugs. Prescription drugs kill a couple of hundred thousand people every year and are a
leading cause of disease and death. If your doctor prescribes a drug, consider that it
may cause your cells to malfunction, and that alternatives exist that are both safe
and effective. Even aspirin and other common over-the-counter drugs are dangerous, so find
alternatives that work for you. Books such as
Alternative Medicine: The Definitive
Guide,
edited by the Burton Goldberg Group, and
Finding the Right Treatment,
by
Jacqueline Krohn, M.D., and Francis Taylor, M.A., are excellent resources for those
wishing to find natural alternatives to toxic prescription drugs. Unfortunately, when drugs cause disease, we have all been trained not to call it
disease. Instead, we use the deceptive term “side effects.” In 1984, the drug industry
attempted to obtain a legal exemption from the liability laws that apply to virtually
all manufacturers. Why? Because even the people who make the drugs know they are
not safe; “all prescription drugs are unavoidably unsafe” argued the Pharmaceutical
Manufacturers Association. Of course, this wording is not used in drug
advertisements aimed at the public. A hospital patient receives, on average, twelve different drugs. Yet, often when as
few as three are prescribed, absolutely no one understands all the dangerous
interactions between the drugs. Bad enough taken one at a time, combinations of
drugs can be particularly toxic. Prescription drugs are notorious for causing many
adverse effects in the elderly, including memory loss, depression, confusion,
constipation, Parkinson’s disease, falls and urinary incontinence. All too often, a
second drug is prescribed to suppress the symptoms caused by the first, then another
to suppress the symptoms of the first two, and so forth. Many illnesses of the elderly
really are manifestations of adverse drug reactions. A 1991 study in the
Journal ofthe American Medical Association
showed that 14 percent of in-hospital cardiac
arrests followed a complication, usually because of a medication. Well-known
combinations of commonly prescribed drugs can kill, and alert pharmacists have
saved many lives. Up to 29 percent of all hospital admissions are caused by adverse reactions to
drugs, according to a 1995 study in the
Archives of Internal Medicine. Many
reactions result in liver damage, long hospital stays, permanent disability and even
death. In 1990, an estimated 659,000 Americans aged sixty years and older were
hospitalized due to adverse drug reactions. In addition to toxicity, drugs also can
cause deficiency by depleting the body of essential nutrients. Diuretics cause
excessive loss of potassium and other essential minerals. Anticonvulsants cause loss
of vitamin D. Antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and steroid
hormones can indirectly cause numerous vitamin and mineral deficiencies by
causing digestive damage. Because of the complexity of the human organism,
predicting the effects of drugs in each individual, especially with combinations of
drugs, is impossible. Other facts:
• A January 1997 study in the
Journal of the American Medical Association
stated that drug-related morbidity and mortality costs more than $136 billion a
year—more than the cost of cardiovascular disease, our leading cause of death. • In 1995, Duke University researchers showed that drugs commonly prescribed
for stroke patients actually hampered their recovery. Even after a single dose,
the negative effects could be long-lasting. • A 1994 study in the
Journal of the American Medical Association
concluded
that inappropriate and potentially dangerous drugs are prescribed for one in
four older Americans every year. • A 1994 study published in the
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
and
The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
warned that antihistamine and antidepressant drugs (including Prozac) contain
chemicals known to accelerate tumor growth. While these drugs do not cause
cancer directly, they can speed its growth. Three Classes of Common Drugs Are of Special Concern
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs):
NSAIDs include over-the-
counter drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen, and prescription drugs
such as Indocin, Feldene, Naprosyn and others. Use of NSAIDs is a significant
national health problem, causing long-term damage to large numbers of people,
particularly the elderly, who are the largest users of these drugs. According to data
published in
Hospital Practice
in December 1996, up to two hundred thousand
Americans are hospitalized every year for problems caused by NSAIDs, and as many
as twenty thousand people a year die from the damage.NSAIDs usually are prescribed for a noble purpose, to relieve pain, and they are
among the most commonly pres-cribed pharmaceuticals in the world. About 60
million NSAID prescriptions are written every year in America, and an estimated 14
million people take these drugs for symptomatic relief of arthritis alone. These
drugs relieve pain, but at a cost. About one third of chronic NSAID users experience
noticeable gastrointestinal discomfort, which is only the tip of the iceberg,
indicating that digestive damage is occurring. In most people, NSAID-inflicted
damage to the digestive system is asymptomatic (no obvious symptoms to warn of
the damage being done). By the time the stomach or gut is in pain from NSAIDs,
massive damage has already occurred. Most physicians think it is acceptable for people to take NSAIDs, believing that
they cause minimal and acceptable damage. Virtually everyone who takes these
dangerous drugs has their health damaged, and the longer they are taken, the worse it
becomes. People who take NSAIDs for arthritis for years suffer worse joint damage
than those who take nothing. NSAIDs have been linked to kidney failure, cognitive
dysfunction, hearing loss, ringing in the ears, macular degeneration and hormone
disruption. Examples include:
• In a 1992 study published in the
Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology,
long-
term NSAID users were hospitalized six times more often than nonusers. Deaths from gastrointestinal causes occurred twice as often, and half of all
patients who died of ulcer-related complications had reported recent use of
NSAIDs. • A 1996 study in the
Archives of Internal Medicine
found that patients taking
NSAIDs were four to seventeen times more likely to suffer acute kidney failure. • A 1996 study in
Physiological Behavior
showed NSAIDs interfere with
melatonin production, with a 75 percent nighttime reduction. Decreased
melatonin production has been associated with sleep disorders as well as
promotion of cancer. • A 1996 study in
Lancet
showed that aspirin, in any form, such as buffered or
coated, causes gastrointestinal bleeding. As few as one aspirin can cause
bleeding. NSAIDs cause


 ce, whereas in the short-term, imbalances may be
caused b y time, temperature and season, the influence of spi rits,
improper diet and improper behavior. After diagnosis, T ibetan doctors of fer four types of prescription:
behavioral suggestions, a med ical prescription, diet advice, or
sur gery. As with other holistic systems of medicine, physical
therapies are only part of a d octor ’ s prescription. Based on  the
centuries-old Buddhist study of the mind, T ibetan medicine givespriority to factors of psychological and spiritual development as
well. T oday, a  limited number of spa s of fer a few T ibetan physical
therapies that have been formulated over the centuries. A case in
point is  CHI  spas at Shangri-La hotels found all over Asia: There,
spa personnel have formulated some Himalayan therapies that are
probably the closest you will ge t to an authentic T ibetan treatment
outside a T ibetan clinic. Healing Stone Massage
Described in T ibet’ s medical bible, the  Gui Shi, massage with
stones has all bu t died out in T ibet, only being practiced in the m ost
remote and wild borderlands of the T ibetan plateau. As T ibetans are
traditionally nomads, their therapies contain influences from many
dif ferent sources, this profound practice being no exception. It was
probably introduced to T ibet from Mongols that settled in the Hor
region a round L ake Kokonor; in its pure form, it uses heated stones
that have been “cooked” in the bellies of sheep. In the spa, the therapy combines the Mongolian concept of
healing through stones; principles and techniques of A yurveda that
traveled up the I ndian trade routes over Himalayan passes; pres sure
point techniques from T radition al Chinese Medicine; and T ibetan
healing intent (imbuing the stones with awareness thro ugh
visualization). T he application  of water -heated Himalayan river
stones t o key points on the body relaxes muscles, allow ing
manipulation of a greater intensity than regular massage. Blood
vessels expand, pushing blood and waste materials through the
body. This has a strengthening and sedative ef fect on the nerv ous
system, and relieves anxiety and stress. On a physical level, it
provides relief to sore muscles and fosters deep muscle
manipulation, a ll the time im proving circulation and removing
toxins from the body. On a mental level, it is nurturing and
comforting.In Mongolia, stones and minerals are commonly used both internally and
externally for various ailments. It is believed that when hot stones are applied to
specific points on the body they help dispel blockages, enabling the smooth flow
of  chi  or life force energy through the body. These stones have been carved with
Sanskrit symbols by Buddhist monks and are used in the  CHI  spa hot stone
massage at Shangri-La hotels.Mountain T sampa Rub
The second  CHI  treatment we focus on combines  tsampa  with
ancient T ibetan massage techniques and transforms them into a
powerful detoxifying and cleansing treatment. Tsampa  is roast
flour, most commonly of barl ey, and is the staple foodstuf f of
T ibetans. Most T ibetans used to live (and many still do) on the high
T ibetan plateau,  where harsh conditions, thin air and a definite lack
of resources result in a scarcity of food. Tsampa  mixed with butter
tea ( tea flavored with salty yak  butter) has historically been a  life
saver, giving ener gy and susten ance year round. Here, the flou r is
used as the postscript to the treatment. Tibetan singing bowls, often used in monasteries as aids for meditation, are rung
before a treatment at  CHI  spas.A  thangka  painting, one of a set of 79 illustrations  of the Tibetan medical system,
demonstrating diagnosis, treatments and cures. Unlike Indian texts,  this old Tibetan medical text has colorful illustrations depicting
both healing and illness. Unlike acupressure or the Chinese style of massage, T ibetan
massage works on the “wind” channels of the body — those that
deal with the circulation of ener gy, blood and lymph. Generally,
massage techniques include stro king (long, longitudinal stroke s or
effleurage), rubbin g with vigorous circular motions to create
friction, and kneading. The aim is to increase lymphatic drainage
and blood circulation in orde r to aid muscle nutrition, reduce
stif fness in joints, improve flexibility and heighten body awareness. The initial part of this treatment comprises an invigorating
massage combined with powerful lymph draining herbal oils to
drain th e lymph system; this he lps to refresh and uplift the client,
restoring ener gy and  chi. As in A yurveda, the herbs infused into the
oils are just as  important as t he techniques used in applicat ion.Particular focus is given to specific ener gy points on the body to
help the oils penetrate into the skin and awaken  chi. The second part of the treatm ent is considerably gentler and
more relaxing. A blend of  tsampa  flour and powerful lymph
draining herbs is  applied all over the body to abs orb excess oil and
toxins th at have  come up to the surface of the skin. Rubbing the
tsampa  herb blend into the skin leaves the skin soft, gently
exfoliated and free of inner toxins. A  tsampa  mix applied to the back is massaged in to drain toxins out from the
lymphatic system.panchakarma
Ayurvedic Revitalization
T raditionally u ndertaken du ring the monsoon season when
herbs h ave been newly harvested and skin is most recep tive
to oil, the pur ging  panchakarma  treatment is an annual
event in many Indians’ live s. According to the  Ashtanga
Hridaya,  it “lead s to clarity of intellect, power to the or gans,
elemental stability and glow to digestive fire” and it del ays
aging if it is properly carried out. Of fered at many A yurvedic hos pitals, homestays and retreats as a
stand-alone rejuvenation and detoxification treatment,
panchakarma  is re ally one par t of a group of therapies belonging
to a  class of cleansing procedu res called  shodhana. Clients are
given an  individual program of medication, diet and treatments a fter
an intensive consultation with a physician, and are monitored
throughout the two to six week p rogram. However, regardless of  the
panchakarma  prescription, there are always three basic
procedures:  Purvakarma  or preparation,  pradhanakarma  or
treatments and  paschatkarma, post-treatment care. At Kala ri Kovilakom, an A yurvedic retreat situated in a palace
estate in the Annamalai foothills in Kerala, the preparatory
procedures take  from three days to a week: They are designed to
help the body discard toxins present in the stomach and tissues and
help fac ilitate their movement to the alimentary canal. “This s tage
often includes special internal m edicines and  snehanan  or oleation
therapy and  swedanam  or sw eat therapy,” explains Dr Jayan.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        AYUR VEDA
Asian  Secrets  of  Wellness,  Beauty
and  Balance
AUTHOR  KIM INGLIS
PHOTOGRAPHER  LUCA INVERNIZZI
TETTONIT U T T L E  P U B L I S H I N G
T o k y o  •  R u t l a n d,  V e r m o n t  •  S i n g a p o r ePublished by T uttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., with editorial
of fices at 364 Innova tion Drive, North Cla rendon, V ermont 05759, USA and 61 T ai Seng
A venue, #02-12, Singapore 534167
T ext © 2009 Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd
Photos © 2009 Luca Invernizzi T ettoni
All rights reserved. N o part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any  form
or by  any means, ele ctronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or b y any
information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the
publisher. ISBN: 978-1-4629-0701-4 (ebook)
Distributed by
North America, Latin America & Europe
T uttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive
North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436, USA
T el: 1 (802) 773-8930
Fax: 1 (802) 773-6993
info@tuttlepublishing. com
www. tuttlepublishing. com
Japan
T uttle Publishing


 cultivating  good  virtue  increases
sexual  creative  energ y. By using  the Orgas mic Up ward Draw
method  taught  in this book,  instead  of losing  sexual  energ y through
outw ard-leaking  orgasms, we  bring  the highl y charge d sexual
creative  energ y up to w rap, pack  and energ y the organs  and glands. In the  Tao S ystem it is w ithin the orga ns that our emotions,  or virtues,
are stored. Once  an organ  is restored  to its original  health y conditio n,
good  virtue  will emerge  and can be cultivated  to produce  more
positive  energy  to nurtur e each  of the other  organs  and the glands. As we ak, sick organs  begin  to produce  good  ener gy they will
graduall y affect  other  organs,  making them healthy  as well. 2. Go od Virtue- the Heart of the Universal Tao
    Practicing  good  virtue  is the heart  of the Universal  Tao. The entire
system depends  upon  the energ y of love,  joy, kindness,  gentleness,
respect,  and honest y In the  Universal  Tao we believe  that good
nature  is basic to  humans,  not because  we are afraid  of going  to
hell and  burni ng etern ally, of returnin g as a low er animal form, or of
suffering  in our  next  life, but  because  we believe  that doing  good
for other  is equall y and immediately  beneficial  to ourselves. It is a
simple concept. When you are kind  to others,  you are kind to  your
liver, the  organ  associated  with kindness. Your liver  beco mes
stronger  as y ou give  it more Chi. The idea  is that  you do good  to
others  as you do to yourself, but not out of fear  of being  punishe d.
    In the Healing  Love  practice  we retur n the how of our  sexual
creative  energ y into our organs  and glands  to strengt hen the
- 31 -Taoist View  of Wom an’s
weakened body  and increase  the life- force. The development  of
more good  life-force  helps  in the transformation  of all  anger,  fear,
sadness  and depressi on. 3. Losing-Energy Pleasure and Gaining-Energy  Pleasure
    If a  woma n is not  intereste d in having  a bab y, her sexual  activit y
is for  pleasure  only.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        -1-Healing L ove
through  the Tao
Cultivating Female
Sexual Energy
Mant ak Chia
Edited by:
Felix Morrow
-2-Publisher  and Editor:  Felix  Morr ow
Design  and Production:  David Miller
Editor:  Valerie  Meszar os
Contributin g Writers: Helen  Stites, Mich ael Winn, Juan  Li
Illustrator:  Juan  Li
Revised  Design  and Production:  Doungpor n Chobpr adith
Revised  Editing: Jean  Chilton
Copy right © 1986  Mant ak and Maneewan Chia
Universal Tao Publications
274/1  Moo 7, Luang  Nua,
Doi Saket,  Chiang  Mai,  50220  Thailand
Fax (66)  (53) 495- 853
Email: universalt ao@u nivers al-tao. com
ISBN: 0- 93562 1-05-9
Library  of Congress  Catalog  Card  Number:
Manufactu red in Thailand
Tenth Printing,  2002
All rights  reserved. No part  of this book  may  be used  or
reprod uced  in an y manner  whatsoeve r without the express
written permission  from the  author  except  for brief quotations
embodied  in critical articles  and revie ws. -3-I have come upon Master Chia’s T aoist
practice in my  old age and find it the most
satisfying and enriching pra ctice of all
those I have encou ntered in a long life  of
seeking and pra cticing. Felix Morrow, Senior Publisher
-4-Healing Lo ve through t he Tao
-5-Contents
Contents
About  of Author. Acknow ledgments. A Word of Caution. Author’s  Note. 1. Taoist View of W omen’s Chi  Energy. A. How  Energy  is Used. B. Principal  Energy -”Jing”. C. Emotional  Expense.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: Who is the author of the book "Healing Love through the Tao"?,
A: The book is edited by Felix Morrow, and the foreword is written by Mantak Chia.
Q: What is the primary focus of the Taoist Masters on the use of energy?,
A: The Taoist Masters believe that the most abundant and easiest energy to transform is sexual energy.
Q: What is the purpose of the Ovarian Breathing and Orgasmic Draw practices?,
A: The purpose is to recycle and transform the sexual energy into life-force energy.
Q: What is the importance of cultivating good virtue in the Universal Tao system?,
A: Practicing good virtue is essential in the Universal Tao system, as it is believed to increase sexual creative energy and transform negative emotions into positive energy.
Q: What is the main difference between men and women's loss of energy?,
A: According to the text, men lose energy through ejaculation, while women lose energy through menstruation.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>The Taoists  identify  two kinds  of pleasur e:
“losing- energ y pleasure ” and “gainin g-energy  pleasur e.” Most  of
us are  well experie nced  in losing- energy pleasur e.
    We have  describe d the brief,  intense  pleasure  that drugs,  such
as ma rijuana,  heroin,  cocaine,  or ampheta mines,  introduce  into
the system as they  quickly  draw and burn  up life-force  from  a
person’s  orga ns, brain,  and glands. This is like a  bonfire  started
with gasoline;  it burns  very intensely  and is ver y gratif ying, but the
fuel is gone  and the fire beco mes extinguish ed all too  soon. The
increased  desire  to experience  that intense  excitem ent, follow ed
by the increased  use of drugs,  draws out the vital  energy  from the
organs  as we ll as from the brain  and bone  marrow. Som e of the entert ainment  we seek  is also losing- energy
pleasure. When we  are entertai ned in excess  with activities  such
as watching television,  energy  from our  organs  is required  to pa y
attention,  and so our  life-force  energ y is dra wn out toward the event
we are watching and heari ng. We imagine ourselves  to feel good
because  we perceive  ourselv es as relaxing,  thereb y decreasin g
our stress. We do feel the  release,  but our vital organs  are being
drained  of their  life-force  by this excessive  energy  expenditur e. This
stress  to our  organs  creates  a negative  energy : and if they  do not
have  the means to  transform it back  into positive  energy, we will
accu mulate  too much and  eventuall y our negative  emotions w ill
burst  out. Even  though  something  such as  quiet  music can help  us relax
and create  a sense  of harmony  in the  body, too much attention  to it
will make our eyes, ears and nervous  system lose  energ y to the
outside. After wards, we continuall y seek ne w songs,  movies and
show s becaus e these  things  are never  satisfy ing our needs,  but
are further  arousing  and increasing  our need  for stim ulation. The
more w e try to satisfy  one or two of the senses  by an outside  means,
the greater  the need  for satisfaction  we create  for all the  senses. When yo u try to satisf y the mouth and  tongu e, the eyes, ears  and
nose  need  som ething  to stimulate them. It is a never -ending,
- 32 -Chapter I
increasing  requirement  of the  senses. Multi billion- dollar  businesses
have  arisen  to satisfy  our senses. They make tre mendous  profits
because  ultimately  they  do not reall y satisf y us or  bring  us true joy
and true happiness. If these  companies  created  entert ainment  that
would satisfy  us for a long  time, they  would go out of business. The Taoists rega rd our organs  as the body


discussion, we will use the traditional yogic term shakti. Once you quiet down enough, you will realize this energy is constantly
flowing inside of you. You sometimes even make reference to it when your
energy level suddenly changes. You say things like, “When she told me she
loved me, I got so filled with energy I was floating on a cloud. I could feel it
rushing through  me for days. ” In other situations, you say, “When she told
me it was over, I hardly had the energy to drive home. It left me so drained I
couldn’ t go to work for a week. ” These statements are referring to the
surface level of the energy we’re discussing. There is a much deeper, core
flow that you will experience as you transcend your personal self. It is this
deeper energy flow passing through the open heart that you experience as
the sensation of love. Because the energy can only go as high as you let it,
this beautiful love experience does not happen that often for most people. Nonetheless, there is almost always some energy flowing through your heart
creating your normal emotional state. The reason the energy flowing through the heart fluctuates so much is
because of the samskaras you’ve stored inside. You inwardly shoved away
the experiences you didn’ t like having and clung to the ones you did. These
unfinished energy patterns are real, and they act as blockages to your inner
energy flow. When your energy tries to flow up, and it is always trying to
flow up, it cann ot because it hits these blockages. The energy of the shakti
flow is much subtler than that of the samskaras—so the shakti can go no
higher. Before we delve further into the shakti flow, let’s take a look at what
happens when a blockage gets hit, or activated, by a life expe rience. You
may never have thought about it, but you know all too well what happens. When any particular blockage gets hit, the energy held in that blockage
activates, and you start feeling the emotions and thinking the thoughts that
are associated with the past expe rience. Your inner state becomes dominated
by the unfinished energy pattern s stored inside, and you become totally lost
in them. In this state, you are not in charge of your thoughts or emotions. Nor are you in charge of the opening or closing of your heart. The activated
samskara has taken over your life. If you’re not careful, it will determine
your future by the choices you make in that unclear state. Here’ s an examp le of what the mind sounds like when a samskara has
been hit: “I can’t believe he said that. My father used to say stuff like that tome, and I hated it. That’ s why I left home so young. No way I’m going
through that again. I don’t need  to be in a relationship with someone who
reminds me of my father. ” As logical as that may sound—it’ s not. This
person you are interacting with is not your father, and if you didn’ t have
those samskaras  left from your relationship with your father, you would
probably be handling your current relationship much better. In the truest
sense, what was said didn’ t bother you—it hit the samskara, and the
activated samsk ara bothered you. Regardless, to protect yourself from the
disturbance, you closed your heart. Your samskaras  are what cause your
heart to open and close. Chapter 23:
Dance of the Energy Flow
There is a very important interaction between the energy flow and your
blockages. The energy is trying to come up, but it can’t because you stored
these unfinished patterns from the past. It is these past impressions that
determine your preferences in life. If someone manages to stimulate a
negative past impression, you will not like them. If they manage to stimulate
a positive past impression, it may be love at first sight. It is very dangerous
to live this way—you are not in charge of your life, your past impressions
are. If you work on yourself, there will come a time when you fully
understand your heart. When you have let go of enough blocked energy
patterns, you will begin to expe rience so much energy flowing inside that
you will understand firsthand what the Bible means by “…out of his heart
will flow rivers of living water”  (John 7:38 NKJV). There will be a constant
upward flow of energy coursing  through your entire system. When you get
really open, it will flow out various energy centers like your heart, the point
between your eyebrows, and the palms of your hands. You will become a
being of light, a being of energy. That is when the energy is free to flow—
when it is not obstructed by these personal blockages. We’re going to
discuss this in later chapters, but mentioning it now allows you to
understand why your heart opens and closes in certain situations. The reason
should be obvio us by now—the state of your heart is dependent upon what
samskaras are being activated at any given time. Whenever you shove an obstacl e into any energy flow, it will create a
disturbance in the flow. It is these disturbances that you experience as
emotions. Let’s say you were very open and feeling a clean flow of love
through your heart. Then your lover said something you took offense to, and
you resisted. Your heart will no longer feel love; instead it will feel anger,fear, or jealousy. These disturbing energy patterns are the direct result of
you shoving a blockage into your heart’ s energy flow. All these emotions
are the same energy manifesting differently depending upon the nature of
the blockage being hit. It is interesting that we choose to give names to
these disturbanc es. Just look at all the names we give to our different
emotions. So far we’ve discussed the energy flow hitting just one blockage at a
time. The more blockages there are, the more complicated the disturbances
will become. Eventually, the disturbances will start to hit each other and
create very complex patterns of energy. This is what it’s like to live inside
ourselves. This is why emotion s are so powerful and often complex. You
can have  a love/hate relationship with something because you have patterns
inside that can generate different energy flows at different times. Whatever
samskara is most activated at any given time will determine what is
affecting your energy flow the most. We are very complex creatures to
predict, and this is why. Unfortunately, things can get even worse. At some point, enough
samskaras can be shoved into the heart so that you become totally blocked,
tired, and completely uninspired. Your naturally uplifting energy flow stops
supporting you. This is the power of these samskaras. They totally run our
lives. Remember that your energy is always trying to flow. The only reason it
can’t is because it’s blocked. Like in a dammed-up river, the flow tries to
find a way around the blockages. To the extent that some energy can
navigate around a blockage, you will feel some strength. But that energy
flow is condition ed by its ability  to continue flowing that way. If something
happens that stimulates yet another stored blockage, the energy flow will be
affected accordingly. This is why people have so many moods and why they
cannot be trusted to remain steady in their behavior. By the time the energy
flow manages to find a narrow pathway around all that stuff we have stored
inside, we becom e very narrow-minded about how the world needs to be to
support that flow. Our entire personality, with its very particul ar likes and
dislikes, is simply the expression of the pathway the energy managed to
find. Our ability  to feel love, joy, and inspiration is determin ed by how
much ener gy makes it through the blockages. Now you understand why your heart is so sensitive. Depending upon
how well the energy can navigate around the stored blockages, your heartwill open or close. Pay attention to this. Otherwise, you’re going to let the
opening and closing of your heart run your life. If you’re talking to someone
and they start discussing a subject that you have blockages about, your heart
may start to close. If your reaction is to walk away and avoid that person in
the futur e, the blockages are running your life. Similarly, if someone starts
talking to you about a subject that opens you up, all of a sudden they’re your
best buddy and you want to hang out with them more. Letting this opening and closing of your heart run your life is certainly
not spiritual. You’re not being true to yourself—you’re being true to your
blockages. That’ s all your psych e is. Your psyche is the net result of all your
blockages and how the energy manages to flow through them. As the
fluctuations in the energy flow cause your heart to change, your thoughts
will change. It’s actually very sad because you will end up lost in there. Those stored blockages will dominate your life, and that is no way to live. You won’ t go anywhere meanin gful; you’ll just go around in circles. There
is no actual purpose, intent, or direction to such a life—except to minimize
the suffering and get a periodic


 The ad was for apill that “causes the body to get rid of fat in three differentways.” You wouldn’t have to change anything in your lifestyle;you could still eat everything, you wouldn’t have to exercise,and the fat would just come right off. I’m sure you’ve seen such ads and scoffed at their disingen-
uousness. They all have little disclaimers way down at thebottom of the page, usually next to the before-and-afterphotos that are captioned “Results not typical.” Well, if thesearen’t the typical results, then why buy the pills? Theytypically don’t work! It says so right there in the ad! I’m being a bit facetious here, but it’s for a good reason. I’m
trying to drive home the point that as a society we tolerate allkinds of ridiculous misinformation about weight loss, while realinformation that could actually help people goes unheeded.158 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  It’s my hope that people suffering from morbid obesity will
take this book into their doctors’ offices and demand the sim-ple, inexpensive solutions to their plight that they deserve. A HAPPY ENDING
At the time Roger, at age 47, first walked into my office, he told
me he had never had a date in his life. He started on theprogram, lost weight, got down to a size 32 waist, eliminatedhis fibromyalgia, started dating, got engaged … and is nowhappily married. It is truly miraculous what a little natural hormone balanc-
ing can accomplish.159 MORBID OBESIT Y AND ROGER P. WEIGHT LOSS—
HOW MEDICATIONS
CAN PREVENT IT
chapter NINETEEN
Many of the medications commonly prescribed by doctors
today affect people’s ability to manage their weight. Some ofthese effects are publicized and some aren’t. For instance, mostpeople taking Prozac know that it causes weight gain, andthey make a conscious choice to sacrifice optimum weightmanagement in order to get an improvement in theiremotional outlook. But the lipogenic (fat-creating) effects of some other
medications aren’t well known. People who take thesemedications may be struggling with their weight, unawarethey’re fighting a losing battle against an unrecognized enemy.These people should at least know what they are up against. ANTI-DEPRESSANTS
Anti-depressants are a major source of weight gain. I suspect
this is the case in part because anti-depressants may elevateestrogen levels. 161SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) like Zoloft,
Paxil, Effexor, Celexa, Lexapro, and Prozac are particularlyprone to causing weight gain. Some doctors prescribe theseanti-depressants to help people lose weight by elevating theirserotonin levels—serotonin is the neurotransmitter in thebrain that takes away cravings. People who have a weightproblem only because they crave certain foods can sometimesfind benefit in taking anti-depressants. But for the most part,people on anti-depressants will gain weight. The tricyclic anti-depressants like Elavil, Desipramine, and
Norpramin also cause weight gain. A common phenomenon in our society is that people who
are depressed about their weight start taking anti-depressantsto help them manage their depression. But then the anti-depressants cause further weight gain, making these peoplefeel even worse about themselves. It’s a vicious cycle. In my experience, the only anti-depressant that possibly
doesn’t cause weight gain is Wellbutrin. BETA-BLOCKERS
People taking beta-blockers are almost guaranteed to gain
weight. Drugs like atenolol, Lopressor, Ziac, and Inderal blockadrenaline from entering the bloodstream. Adrenaline is whatthe body uses to stimulate the release of fat from the fat cells. Ifyou can’t get fat out of the fat cells, the muscles can’t burn it. Beta-blockers are also anti-thyroid drugs, as I mentioned
in chapter 3. One of the treatments for someone with anover-active thyroid is to give them a beta-blocker to quiet thethyroid down. It prevents the conversion of T4 into T3,something we also saw in chapter 3.162 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  Ironically, the biggest prescribers of beta-blockers are
cardiologists, who give it to patients because it decreases theworkload of the heart. I call this an irony because obesity is amajor risk factor for heart disease. What they are prescribing toreduce the heart’s work will ultimately give the heart morework—in the form of excess weight the patient will sooncarry around. Beta-blockers very quickly reach a point of diminishing
returns for patients at risk for heart disease. The weight thesepatients gain cancels out many of the benefits the beta-blockers might offer at the outset. ESTROGEN
Perhaps the biggest influence in the tendency to gain weight in
women comes from estrogen. I say this because estrogen is oneof the largest-selling drugs in the world, and it is prescribed towomen throughout their lives, whether in the form of birthcontrol pills in their youth or as part of hormone replacementtherapy after menopause. Estrogen is lipogenic—it encouragesthe accumulation of fat—and this is true of both natural andsynthetic estrogen. Women who still have their uterus are conventionally
prescribed a progestin along with any estrogen they are taking,since unopposed estrogen has been found to cause cancer ofthe uterus. The progestin most commonly prescribed isProvera, which helps protect the uterus from cancer. Butprogestins are also lipogenic and, like estrogen, producecellulite and fat and increase the risk of breast cancer. Women who take Depo-Provera shots for birth control are
practically guaranteed to gain as much as 20 pounds of weight.163 HOW MEDICATIONS PREVENT WEIGHT LOSS  DIURETICS
Many people take diuretics for high blood pressure, and these
medications can elevate blood sugar. Anything that elevatesblood sugar will increase insulin production, and as I’ve saidbefore, insulin is the fat-storing hormone. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS
Patients taking anti-inflammatory medications very often
report an immediate weight gain. This increase in weight isprobably a result of fluid retention. STATIN DRUGS
Statin drugs, like Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Mevacor, Lescol,
Vytorin, and Crestor, can also cause weight gain. This is becausethey lower coenzyme Q-10 levels, preventing the conversion ofT4 (thyroxine) into T3 (triiodothyronine), the active thyroidhormone. And people concerned with weight want theirthyroid to be functioning as well as possible. Interestingly, the most commonly prescribed drugs in this
country all tend to cause weight gain. Could this be contributingto the epidemic of obesity in this country? Could this be whypeople almost always put weight back on after they struggle tolose it, and why some people cannot lose weight, no matterwhat they do?164 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS
chapter TWENTY
From the beginning of my clinical career, my approach to
medicine has been preventive. It always made a lot more senseto me to prevent disease rather than to treat it. As an internist, I continuously deal with patients concerned
about their weight or trying to cope with obesity. Thiscondition is clearly wreaking havoc on many levels. If mypatients could manage their weight, the task of creating over-all wellness would be eased greatly. In other words, I havefound that weight management fits easily into a category ofpreventive medicine. From the outset I have been struck by these interesting
statistics:
• 98 percent of people who lose weight gain it all
back again within five years. • Obesity is the second leading preventable cause
of death (smoking is number one). What if there was a type of cancer that had a 98 percent
relapse rate after it was treated? Who would be happy with thattype of success rate for a cancer? Patients would demand an
165alternative approach. But for the last 50 years, Americans have
bought into the traditional, time-worn medical advice that“you have to diet, exercise, and watch your fat intake” in orderto manage your weight. Sound familiar? By now you should have an understanding of my point of
view about weight management, including my conviction thatembarking on a weight loss program entails more thandetermination and will power. Balancing one’s hormones,eliminating certain drugs, and acquiring fundamentalknowledge of certain nutritional guidelines set the stage for asuccessful approach to weight loss and wellness. In this chapter I lay out the logic of how to achieve
permanent weight loss. THE DISEASE CALLED OBESITY
I feel that a major cause of our current epidemic of obesity is
that most physicians have been reluctant to look at obesity as adisease and continue to see it as an eating problem. Doctorshave an absolutely clear understanding that conditions likehypertension and diabetes are real diseases that cannot bemanaged using will power. They are not reluctant abouthelping their patients manage these conditions, even if it meanstreating them over their entire life span. But obesity, they feel, can be treated with unsophisticated
advice and without addressing the underlying cause. If it’s nota disease, why look for a cause? This is like trying to treat acancer without treating the cause of the cancer. I prefer a more scientific method. Let’s


 and what you most dislike will
disappear. 7. Shed the burden of judgm ent—you will feel much lighter. Judgment impo ses right and wrong on situations that just are. Everything can be understood and forgiven, but when you judge, you
cut off understanding and shut down the process of learning to love.In judging others, you reflect your lack of self-acceptance. Remember
that every person you for give adds to your self-love. 8. Don’t contaminate your body with toxins, either through food,
drink, or toxic emotions. Your body is more than a life-su pport
system. It is the vehicle that will carry you on the journey of your
evolution. The health of every cell directly contributes to your state
of well-being, because every cell is a point of awareness within the
field of awareness that is you. 9. Replace fear-motivated behavior with love-motivated behavior. Fear is the product of memory, which dwells in the past. Remembering what hurt us before, we direct our energies toward
making certain that an old hurt will not repeat itself. But trying to
impose the past on the present will never wipe out the threat of being
hurt. That happens only when you find the security of your own
being, which is love. Motivated  by the truth inside you, you can face
any threat because your inner strength is invulnerable to fear. 10. Understand that the physical world is just a mirror of a deeper
intelligence. Intelligence is the invisible organizer of all matter and
energy, and since a portion of this intelligence resides in you, you
share in the organizing power of the cosmos. Because you are
inseparably linked to everything, you cannot afford to foul the
planet’ s air and water. But at a deeper level, you cannot afford to live
with a toxic mind, because every thought makes an impression on the
whole field of intelligence. Livin g in balance and purity is the highest
good for you and the Earth. Life is a creative enterprise. There are many levels of creation and therefore
many levels of possible mastery. To be completely loving, nonjudgmental,
and self-accepting is an exalted goal, but the important thing  is to work
from a concept of wholeness. Because society lacks a vision of the road’ s
end, the eminent psychiatrist Erik Erikson laments, “Our civilization does
not really harbor a concept of the whole of life.” The new paradigmprovides us with such a concept, knitting body, mind, and spirit into a unity. The later years should be a time when life becomes whole. The circle closes
and life’s purpose is fulfilled. In that regard, active mastery is not just a way
to survive to extreme old age—it is the road to freedom. OceanofPDF.comIN PRACTICE:
Breath of Life
In its most complete sense, active mastery means handling the whole of life. It is a process of integration, for ordinarily many aspects of the mind are
quite separate from and out of tune with the body, and both are separate
from spirit. Sitting quietly and being aware of yourself, you will notice that
your perception is taken up with mental “noise” (random thoughts,
emotions, memo ries) and occasional physical sensations that may or may
not have  anythi ng to do with what is going on in your mind. Usually the
perception of spirit is completel y lost or ignored; even in moments of silent
witnessing, those welcome pauses when one is detached from the common
turmoil of mental events, most of us do not recognize that we are contacting
our essential selves. Bringing all these ingredients back into unity isn’t possible on either the
mental level or the physical level alone. Paying attention to one
automatically tends to exclude the other. Unity can be accompli shed at very
deep levels of awareness through meditation, when the duality of mind and
body is transcended, but meditation is restricted to the special time set aside
for it. How do we integrate the remaining hours of our active daily lives? Thousands of years ago the ancient Indian sages gave an answer in the
form of Prana,  the subtlest form of biological energy. Prana is present in
every mental and physical event; it flows directly from spirit, or pure
awareness, to bring intelligence  and consciousness to every aspect of life. You sometimes see Prana defined as “life force” or “life energy,” but what
is more importa nt than a definition is to get experiential knowledge of it. If
you can experience Prana, you can begin to nurture and preserve it. The
critical importance of life energy has been recognized in many culturaltraditions; the Chinese know it as Chi and control its flow through
acupuncture, meditation, and specialized exercises such as tai chi. Other
names for the breath of life appear in Sufism, mystic Christianity, and the
teachings of ancient Egypt. What is universally agreed on is that the more
Prana you have, the more vital your mental and bodily processes. Balanced
Prana gives rise to the following qualities:
RESUL TS OF BALANCED PRANA
Mental alertness Proper formation of tissues
Responsive nervous system;
good motor coordinationSound sleep
Balanced bodily rhythms
(hunger, thirst, sleep,
digestion, elimination, etc. )Strong disease immunity
Enthusiasm Physical vitality
Spiritual realization Sense of exhilaration
These are the natural qualities of human life when it is balanced and
whole. Depleted Prana is directly linked to aging and death. Nothing can
remain alive when Prana is absent, because Prana is intelligence and
consciousness, the two vital ingredients that animate physical matter. The
experience of Prana can be had in many ways: When you are flushed with
sudden energy, feel the inrush of sudden alertness and clarity, or simply
perceive that you are “in the flow,” your attention has been draw n to Prana. Some people sense it as a streaming or buzzing energy in their bodies. These sensations tend to get passed of f as something else (ringing in the ear,
tingling nerves, increased circulation of blood), but that is only a reflection
of how we were taught to perceive our bodies. In India the body is perceived first as a product of consciousness and
only secondarily as a material object. Conserving Prana is considered
extremely impo rtant, and the ancient teachings give the following basic
rules to ensure balanced and vital Prana in the body at all ages:Diet. Eat fresh produ ce, preferably home grown. The highest Prana is in
food eaten straight from the garden. Stale food rapidly loses its Prana; in
fact, anything stale, musty, or moldly indicates the absence of life energy
and should be avoided. Processed food is also very low in Prana. Drinking
water should be pure; the best is spring water or mountain water from
melted snow. Polluted water is deficient in Prana. Exercise. Physical activity increases Prana by bringing energy into the
body, unless carried to the point of exhaustion. Exhaustion and fatigue are
critical signs that Prana has been depleted. (In Western medicine we
recognize this change as well; when exercise is carried beyond  the body’ s
oxygen reserves, it has to gain energy by metabolizing its own tissues. See
the discussion of catabolic and anabolic metabolism, this page –this page.) Breathing. The body’ s main source of Prana is through the breath, which on
a gross level brings in oxygen and on a subtle level brings in life energy. Prana is thus literally identified  with the breath of life. The ancient sages
considered the quality of a perso n’s life to be reflected in the quality of his
breathing. When  breathing is refined, slow, and regular, the circulation of
Prana is reaching all levels of body and mind, promoting a state of complete
balance. Behavior. Actions  can damage or nouris h the body’ s Prana. Harsh, tense,
conflicted behav ior (what we today call stressed behavior) disturbs the flow
of Prana. Refined behavior that comes from a sense of ease and self-
acceptance promotes balanced Prana. The attitude of nonviolence (Ahimsa ),
sometimes calle d reverence for life, is at the root of life-nourishing
behavior. Emotions. Four negative emotions—fear, anger, greed, and envy—throw
Prana out of balance and are to be avoided. Positive emotions, particularly
love, increase Prana. Love is considered the most basic emotion that human
awareness can feel; therefore, it is the closest to the source of life. The burst
of well-being you feel when you fall in love is due to the fact that you
unconsciously open the channe ls of awareness that allow more Prana to
flow. Emotions that are repres sed through shame and guilt cause thesechannels to constrict. When Prana is kept from flowing in this way, pockets
of inertia and stagnation develop, eventually promoting disease. Depression
is a state of almost complete nonflow and is associated with chronic illness,
premature aging, and early death. Thus, a healthy life, as measure d by the conservation of Prana, demands
the following:
•  Fresh food
•  Pure water and air
•  Sunlight
•  Moderate exercise
•  Balanced, refined breath
•  Nonviolent behavior and a reverence for life
•  Loving, positive emotions; free expression


forheat;forwrappingupwarmly;forwarmth
ofbed. Causesteething. Earache
SymptomsEar:feelsblocked;itchingintheears. Pains:behindtheear;tearing. TheEustachiantubeisitchyandfullofmucus.Ifthere
isadischarge itwillbebloody,smellyandthick. Exhaustion
SymptomsExhaustionnervous. Causesdiarrhoea.Eyeinflammation
SymptomsDischargeyellow.Eyesore. Worseforcoldair. Causesaforeignbodyintheeye. Thissorenessandinflammation iscausedbyaforeign
bodyintheeye.Iftheforeignbodyisstilllodgedinthe
eye,Silicatakeninternallywillhelptoexpelit. Fever
Worseformovement;forbeinguncovered;inthe
evening;atnight. Thepatientfeelsicycoldandshiveryallday,andthis
maybeone-sided.Thesweatisprofuseandsour
smelling,andifitissuppressedinanywaythiswill
exacerbatethegeneral(andspecific)condition. Fingernails
SymptomsNails:spliteasily;weak.Withwhite
SPOTS. Flatulence
SymptomsWind:smelly;obstructed(difficultto
expel). Gumboils
Simplegumboilswithnoothersymptomsrespond
verywelltoashortcourseofSilica. Headache
SymptomsPains:inbackofhead;inforehead;
spreadingtotopofhead/toeyes/torighteye;in
sinuses;burning;hammering;pressing;sore,bruised;
throbbing;violent. Betterforclosingeyes;forlyinginaquiet,darkroom;
forheat;forwrappinguphead. Worseforgettingchilled;forgettingfeet/headcold;for
daylight;forgettingupfromlyingdown;forjarring;
forwalkingupstairs/heavily. Causescoldair;dampweather;draughts;eyestrain;
overwork;workinginartificiallight;travelling(car,
coach,train,etc.). Thisheadache isoftenaresultofsinuscatarrh;it
settlesovertheeyesandtheforeheadfeelsheavy.The
headandfeetwillfeelcold. Injuries
SymptomsCuts/wounds:slowtoheal;inflamed;
painful;withpus;withforeignbody;suppurate. Scars:becomelumpy;breakopen;painful. Causessplinter. Silicacutsandwoundsbecomeinfectedeasilyandheal
slowly;theskinlooksunhealthy. 152•Spongiatosta(Spo. INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA
Insomnia
SymptomsVividnightmares.Sleeprestless. Worseaftermidnight;afterwaking. Mumps
SymptomsGlands:painful;swollen. Betterforheat. Worseforcold. Sorethroat
SymptomsThroatdry.Glandsswollen.Pains
stitching.Tonsils:swolleninflamed.Withhair
sensationatbackoftongue. Worseforgettingcold;forswallowing;foruncovering
throat. Splinters
SymptomsWoundinflamed. Silicatakeninternallywillhelptopushoutforeign
bodiesfromtheskin,especially ifthewoundhas
becomeinflamed. Ithealswoundsoncethepushas
starteddischarging. Teething
SymptomsPainfulinchildren.Difficult.Slow. Withdiarrhoea(seeabove);toothache(seebelow). Silicachildrencantakeyearstoproduceteethandwill
getcoughs,coldsanddiarrhoeaduringthistime.Silica
willhelpwiththeinfectionsandwiththeteeth. Toothache
SymptomsSwelling:offace;ofglands. Betterforwrappinguphead. Worseinwinter. Causesteething;abscess;winter. Vomiting
SymptomsIsbreastfedbabies. Worseformilk. Thisvomitingoccursinbabieswhorefusetheir
mothers'milkand/orvomititup.Reconstitutedmilk
maybenobetter. Spongiatosta(Spo.) Familyname:Ceratospongiae
Othername:seasponge
Spongesareoneofthemostprimitiveformsoflife
knowntomanandarefoundinseasworldwide.Theyattachthemselvestorocksandwereregardedbyearly
naturalistsasplantsbecauseoftheirbranchingform
andlackofmovement,buttheyactuallycontainboth
DNAandRNAaswellasmanyothersubstances
commontoallanimallife.Spongeshaveremarkable
powersofregeneration:anypiececutorbrokenfrom
anadultspongewillattachtoasuitablesurfaceand
re-formintoanewplant. Acommercialspongeissimplythe'skeleton'that
surroundsthenumerouscellsoftheanimal.The
spongewasafamiliarhouseholditeminancient
GreeceandRome,wheretheywereusedasmopsand
toapplypaint,amongstotherthings.Duringthe
MiddleAgespowderedburntspongewasusedmed-
icinallyformanycomplaints. Topreparethehomeopathicpreparation,the
spongeisroastedbrown,coveredwithalcoholandleft
tostand,andthenstrainedandsuccussed. GENERALSYMPTOMS
Worseaftersleep;forcoldwind;formovement;for
wearingtightclothing;fortobacco. Spongiaisaspecificforcertaintypesofcough,croup
andsorethroat.Patientsfeelworsewhentheybecome
excitedorexertthemselves.Theywakefromsleep
withasenseofsuffocationandmuchanxiety,finding
difficultyincatchingtheirbreath.Theyareintolerant
oftightclothingbecauseoftheirdifficultyinbreath-
INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA Staphysagria(Stap.) •153
ing.SpongiaisoftenindicatedincaseswhereAconite
hasbeengivenbutfailedtohelp. EMOTIONAL/MENTALSYMPTOMS
Anxiousonwaking.Tearfulduringafever. Thisisasmallishremedywithfewstrongemotional
symptoms.Thepatientsfeelworseonwaking,and
willwakeupwithastartandbeanxiousandfearful,
andsometimesdepressed.Maywakeinthenightwith
thesamesymptoms. PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Cough
SymptomsCough:barking;constant;dry;hollow;in
fits;irritating;tickling.Breathing; difficult;rough. PainsinChest:burning;sore,bruised.Voicehoarse. Betterforeatinganddrinking. Worseduringtheday;forexcitement. Thecoughisworseforexcitementandmayevenhave
beencausedbytoomuchexcitement.Eatingsweets
mayaggravatethecoughbutitisgenerallybetterfor
eatinganddrinking,especiallywarmthings.The
chestissoreandbruisedfromcoughing.Breathingis
difficultandmaysoundloudbetweenboutsof
coughing.Thisdifficultyisworseafterasleepand
forexercise,andsometimestalkingcanaggravate
also.Thevoiceishoarse,crowingandhollow.The
bronchialtubesareinflamed(bronchitis). Croup
SymptomsWithcough(seeabove). Thisisoneofthemaincroupremedies. Itisusually
accompaniedbySpongiageneralsymptoms,thoughit
maybedifficulttodifferentiatebetweenanAconite
croupandaSpongiacroupastheybothhavetheacute
anxiety,andSpongiacroupisworseatnight,around
midnight,asisAconitecroup.IfAconiteisindicated
andfailstohelpthenSpongiawilldothetrick. Exhaustion
Worseforslightestexertion;formovement. Sorethroat
SymptomsThroatdry.Pains:burning;sore.Voice
hoarse. Worsetorcoughing;forsinging;forswallowing;for
sweetfood/drinks;fortalking;fortouch. Thelarynxissoreandsensitivetotouchandthevoice
ishoarseandhollowsounding.Throatfeelsraw,
roughandsore,especiallywhencoughing; itis
swollenandfeelsasifthereisapluginit.STAPHYSAGRIA (Stap.) Familyname:Ranunculaceae
Othernames:stavesacre;palmatedlarkspur;Del-
phiniumStaphysagria
Thisisabiennialplantthatflourishesinpoorsoilsin
southernEurope. Itgrowstoaheightofonetotwo
feet,haslargeleavesresemblingagrapevineand
producesblue-purpleflowersfromApriltoAugust. Staphysagria isanancientremedyemployedinmedi-
cineasearlyasthetimeofHippocrates. Itwasusedto
causevomitingandpurging,eventhoughitwas
knownthatitsinternalusewasdangerous.Externally,
itwasusedforwarts,liceandforitches.Itwasalso
usedfortooth


 the name of growth
and profits in our larger social living areas is one way of bringing
back the energy that will manifest love, happiness and prosperity. The Sufi poet Rumi wrote a poem, almost a millennium ago,
called “The Seed Market” that reflects this consciousness. 51
WAYNE W. DYER
The Seed Market
Can you find another market like this. Where,
with your one rose
you can buy hundreds of rose gardens. Where,
for one seed
you get a whole wilderness. For one weak breath,
the divine wind. You’ve been fearful
Of being absorbed in the ground,
or drawn up by the air. Now, your waterbead lets go
and drops into the ocean,
where it came from. It no longer has the form it had,
but it’s still water. The essence is the same. This giving up is nota repenting. :
It’s a deep honoring of yourself. When the ocean comes to you as a lover,
marry, at once, quickly,
for God’s sake. Don’t postpone it. Existence has no better gift. No amount of searching
will find this. 52
Manifest Your Destiny
A perfect falcon, for no reason,
has landed on your shoulder,
and become yours. —FROM The Essential Rumi
TRANSLATIONS BY COLEMAN BARKS WITH JOAN MOYNE
Become aware of how your judgments prevent you from connect-
ing to whatever you are judging. A judgment is a definition of your-
self as separate from that which you are judging. Remember that it
is possible to look out on the world and not condemn it, to have
absolutely no judgment or interpretation of it but to just allow it
to be. The ego is the part that keeps you attached to an idea of separa-
tion which, of course, inhibits your awareness of this third princi-
ple. Your ego analyzes, condemns, defines, evaluates, interprets and
judges almost everything. Work hard each day at just letting go and
seeing yourself as a part of all of those people and things that you
are judging. When the judgment disappears, it does so because you
have realized that you are really a part of that which you are judging. Your judgment is only a definition of yourself. As an environorganism you will find judgment almost impossible
and this will free you to use that energy in a far more productive
and loving way. That is, to manifest what you desire rather than to
judge others. Have fun with the idea of yourself as a hologram. If you remember
that you are a tiny piece of humanity, reflected in your own little
image and personality, then you have a green light to reflect the
humanity that you would like in your world. You are one tiny bit of
a six-billion-or-so-piece hologram, and you reflect all of those six
billion pieces at every given moment of your life. This is a difficult concept for your rational brain to grasp but, on
53
WAYNE W. DYER
the other hand, take a look at a three-dimensional hologram some-
time and try to figure out with your rational mind how one little
sliver can reflect the whole. This is not a knowing for your left
brain. It is for your heart. View yourself in this way, from your
heart, and you will create a scintillating experience of how powerful
you really are in this big hologram of a world. This is the third principle of spiritual manifestation. We are all simul- °
taneously our own beings and all that is outside us as well. We cannot
ever separate ourselves from our environment while we are in a phys-
ical body. Knowing this puts us in touch with the energy of attraction
that is the subject matter of the fourth principle. 54
YOU CAN ATTRACT TO YOURSELF WHAT YOU DESIRE
The Fourth Principle
he central notion of manifesting is the understanding that
you have within yourself the ability to attract the objects of your
desire. This idea may still seem to you to be out of your power. But,
if you have understood the previous three principles, then you are
beginning to know that this power is within you. Being able to attract
your desires may seem more likely when you consider how things are
created from the spirit world of the formless seemingly moving into
the material world. In one of the most intriguing sentences in the New Testament, St. Paul addresses this process of creation. He said it this way: “Things
which are seen are not made of things which do appear. ” St. Paul is
55
WAYNE W. DYER
telling us that the creative energy is neither solid nor restricted. The
physical world of form originates in something other than form itself,
even though we know it is all one world, when viewed from a holo-
grammatic perspective. St. Paul’s words form the basis for my writing about this principle
and for several of those to come in this book. I believe they suggest
how energy informs our ability to attract what we desire.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the cornerstone of the author's praying?,
A: Trust
Q: What is the result of trusting in the God force?,
A: An enormous sense of peace becomes available to you
Q: What is the author's perspective on the concept of God?,
A: God is not a boss or a tyrant, but rather a loving and infinite power that is always with you
Q: What is the author's advice for dealing with people who disturb your peace?,
A: Acknowledge them as teachers and respond with love and respect
Q: What is the author's view on the nature of the universe?,
A: The universe is a holistic, interconnected system, and everything is connected and part of the same energy.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>By
knowing the nature of this force and seeing yourself as a divine
expression of it, and by going within to the power that permits you
to picture a desire, and then tapping that power with a private, lov-
ing, cheerful knowing, you are on your way to using this vital force in
ways that were unavailable to you with your conditioned view of
yourself. Here are a few suggestions for putting these ideas into practice in
64
Manifest Your Destiny
your life as you begin mastering this fourth spiritual principle of
manifestation. SOME IDEAS FOR PUTTING THIS PRINCIPLE TO WORK
When first arising in the morning, take a few moments to be alone
and ask yourself, “How did the conditions of my life that I would
like to change first come about?” “How can I facilitate making con-
scious contact with my unlimited, invisible source of energy?”
These two questions, when repeatedly considered, will begin to
create their own answers. Remind yourself that it is spirit that gives
life and movement to anything and everything, including you. It is
that which causes your very existence. Therefore, you are truly ask-
ing to join into the spirit of your life. You will soon realize that the conditions of your life have been
manifested by you, even though you were not conscious of bring-
ing them about. Your thoughts and mental pictures of lack,
scarcity, self-absorption, authoritarianism, illness, guilt, worry and
the like have been put into the universal spirit and have mani-
fested in your life. The second question will flow from your
answer to the first. You can hasten your conscious contact by radiating a totally new
kind of mental picture while applying this fourth principle. Explore the possibility that the reason you believe that life is limit-
ing is because you have assumed limitation to be in your life. In the world of nature, life, love and beauty are visibly repro-
duced. You, too, are a part of nature. Does your view of life include
the natural creative process reproducing within yourself? Or have
you assumed an engineering view of life with a mechanical cause-
and-effect conclusion? Perhaps you can shift this awareness to seeing cause and effect as
65
WAYNE W. DYER
a law, but not the law. The law of originating mind is beyond the
world of boundaries and measurement. You originated out of this
law, and your imagination is a perfect example of this. No rule, no
boundary, no form. Unlimited! The source of your imagination is the divine source. It is here
that you are now making contact with the eternally moving, always
alive source of light. Stay in this place within and you will know
conscious contact with the divine all-creating intelligence. Whatever picture you are able to create mentally will assist you in
knowing that the creative energy is flowing through you. Your pic-
ture also provides a direction for the flow of energy. And your pic-
ture gives substance to its eventual appearance in material form. You are not forcing anything with your picture. Strenuous effort
is counterproductive to manifesting because it sets up the idea of a
force that must be overcome. Get rid of the idea of forcing any-
thing or making demands. Instead, imagine the creative knowing
that allowed you to come into this world of form. It is a loving,
flowing, gentle, peaceful energy that is the source of creation. Any
effort to change that with demands or strenuous effort will inhibit
that flow. It is vital that you incorporate the concept of a beginning and end-
ing, or first and last with your mental picturing. When you apply
this alpha and omega thinking you substantiate that first is the
thought, the beginning, which creates the form


 flowers. Pelargonium is a potent medicine for coughs,
colds, and sore throats. Habitat and Cultivation
Pelargonium is still collected from
the wild in the eastern parts of South Africa where it is native, though demand for the root has led to increased commercial cultivation. The root is harvested at the end of the growing season, sliced, and then kiln dried. The plant is mostly propagated from seed. Related Species
Many other geranium species have medicinal activity, including another South African species, P. reniforme, which is often used for the same indications. The closely related American cranesbill and herb robert (Geranium maculatum and Geranium robertianum, both p. 216) are strongly astringent in action. Key Constituents
■ Polyphenols (including high levels
 of proanthocyanidins)
■ Coumarins
Key Actions
■ Antibacterial■ Antiviral
■ Immune enhancing
■ Expectorant
Research
■ Antimicrobial Pelargonium
extracts have been shown to have strong activity against a wide range of bacteria, notably those commonly responsible for ear, nose, throat, and chest infections. Extracts have also been shown to act against herpes viruses. The root exerts a tonic effect on the immune system. ■ Upper respiratory tract
problems German research over the last 15–20 years has established conclusively that pelargonium is a safe and effective treatment for problems affecting the upper respiratory tract and chest. Clinical trials have shown that it is an effective treatment for acute and chronic bronchitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, and the common cold, reducing  the intensity of symptoms and speeding recovery. ■ Children’s remedy Unusually,
several clinical trials have focused
on treating respiratory infections  in children, and the results of these indicate that pelargonium is a very safe and well-tolerated medicine  for children (from 1 year old) with coughs, colds, sore throats, and  sinus problems. Traditional &
Current Uses
■ Respiratory infections Now
commonly available in health stores
and pharmacies, pelargonium can
be considered a front-line home treatment for upper respiratory problems and chest infections. It combines well with elderberry extract, also easily found and very safe for children. ■ Traditional African remedy
Pelargonium has a much wider range of uses in South Africa, where the root has been used to treat not only Parts Used
Key Preparations & Their Uses
respiratory infections, including tuberculosis, but conditions as diverse as painful periods, liver disease,  and gastroenteritis. Self-help Uses
■ Colds & congestion in children,
p. 318. RootKnown as umckaloabo (thought to mean “heavy cough”
in Zulu), pelargonium has been used for centuries by
traditional South African healers as a key remedy for coughs and respiratory infections and for gastrointestinal disorders. The herb came to the attention of Europeans in the early 1900s after an Englishman named Charles Stevens was cured of his tuberculosis by a Basuto traditional healer who had given him large doses of pelargonium root. Cautions Give to children under 1 year of age only on professional advice. Fluid extract is best for children with upper respiratory tract infections.Tablets can be taken to
support and strengthen
immune function.Tincture (to make, p. 292) is a
valuable remedy for acute and
chronic bronchitis.Root is used for its strong
antimicrobial activity. Root is sliced
and dried before it is used
US_120-121_Pelargonium_Persea.indd   120 26/02/16   3:59 pm121 key medicinal plantsPersea americana
Mashed pulp  To help wounds
to heal, apply a little mashed
pulp 3 times a day. Oil from the seed. For skin blemishes, rub
a little oil on the area daily 3 times a day.Decoction  of leaves or
bark (to make, p. 291). For
diarrhea, take 1⁄3 cup
(75 ml) 3 times daily.Rind has
the ability to
expel worms
Seed
FruitPersea americana (Lauraceae)
Avocado
Many parts of the avocado tree have a use in herbal
medicine. The leaves and bark are effective remedies for
digestive problems and coughs. As well as being extremely
nutritious, the fruit has a wide range of medicinal uses. Native peoples of Guatemala, for example, use the pulp
to stimulate hair growth, the rind to expel worms, and the
seeds to treat diarrhea. The fruit pulp is used as a baby
food in West Africa. Habitat & Cultivation
Indigenous to Central America,
avocado is widely cultivated for its
fruit in tropical and subtropical areas,
including Israel, Spain, and South
Africa. It is propagated from seed. The
leaves are harvested as needed; the
unripe fruit is picked when fully grown. Related Species
Other Persea  species have similar fruits
to avocado and are used in a similar way. Key Constituents
Leaves & bark:
■ Volatile oil (methylchavicol,
 alpha-pinene)
■ Flavonoids
■ Tannins
Fruit pulp:
■ Unsaturated fats
■ Protein (about 25%)
■ Sesquiterpenes
■ Vitamins A, B1, and B2
Key Actions
Leaves & bark:
■ Astringent
■ Carminative■ Relieve coughs
■ Promote menstrual flow
Fruit pulp:
■ Emollient
■ Carminative
Rind:
■ Eliminates worms
Research
■ Cholesterol  Research
shows that the fruit helps lower
cholesterol levels. ■ Poisons  Livestock that have
grazed on avocado leaves, fruit, or
bark have been observed to suffer
less toxic effects from snake bite
and other poisons. ■ Herpes simplex  Laboratory
experiments have shown that
avocado leaf extracts strongly inhibit
the herpes simplex virus, responsible
for cold sores and genital herpes. Traditional &
Current Uses
■ Leaves & bark  Avocado
leaves and young bark stimulate
menstruation and can induce
abortion. The leaves are taken for
diarrhea, bloating, and gas and are
valuable for relieving coughs, for liver
obstructions, and for clearing high
uric acid levels, which cause gout. ■ Fruit  The rind is used to expel
worms. The fruit pulp is considered
to have aphrodisiac properties. Used
externally, it soothes the skin. It is
applied to suppurating wounds and
to the scalp to stimulate hair growth. ■ Oil The expressed oil of the
avocado seed nourishes the skin. It
softens rough, dry, or flaking skin and,
massaged into the scalp, it improves
hair growth. Avocado
An evergreen tree,
growing to 65 ft
(20 m), with dark
green, leathery leaves
and white flowers. Avocado  is very nutritious and makes an
excellent baby food.Parts Used
Key Preparations & Their UsesFresh
leaves
Dried leaves
 QCaution  The leaves and bark should not be used during pregnancy.Seed  contains good-quality oil. Fruit  is nutritious and is
used to “draw” wounds.Leaves are an astringent
remedy for diarrhea. Bark  is stripped from the
tree for use in treating
diarrhea and dysentery. US_120-121_Pelargonium_Persea.indd   121 26/02/16   3:59 pm
122PiP er methysticum
Tablets containing a water-based extract can be taken for anxiety.Key medicinal plantsPiper methysticum (Piperaceae)
Kava, Kava KavaKava
An evergreen shrub climbing to 10 ft (3 m), with fleshy stems and heart-shaped leaves. Kava has huge, tapering leaves, growing
to 10 in (25 cm) across. Its root is used medicinally to relieve pain. Habitat & Cultivation
Kava is an indigenous Polynesian vine
and grows throughout the Pacific Islands as far east as Hawaii. It is cultivated commercially in parts
of the U.S. and in Australia. Kava is propagated from runners in late winter or early spring and is usually grown on frames. It needs well-drained, stony soil and a shady position. The root is harvested at any time of year. Related Species
The closely related P. sanctum is native to Mexico. It is similar to kava in many ways; for example, it also contains
kava lactones and is traditionally taken as a stimulant. Other related species include matico, betel, cubeb, and pepper (P. angustifolia, P. betle,
P. cubeba and P. nigrum, pp. 249–250). Key Constituents
■ Resin containing kava
 lactones, including kawain
■ Piperidine alkaloid
 (pipermethysticine)
Key Actions
■ Tonic
■ Reduces anxiety
■ Urinary antiseptic
■ Analgesic
■ Induces sleepKava has major ritual and cultural significance among
the peoples of the Pacific Islands, where it is as much a part of daily social life as coffee is in the West. At
modest doses, kava is calming and tranquilizing. At large doses, it leads to intoxication