 to reset the chemoreceptors and help them manage anxiety and panic disorders.
Q: What is the main issue with modern yoga and its focus on "vinyasa flow"?,
A: Modern yoga has deviated from its original purpose of focusing on breathing and has instead become an aerobic exercise, which is not beneficial for everyone, especially those with chronic anxiety.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>“What anxious patients could be experiencing is a completely natural
reaction—they’re reacting to an emer gency in their bodies,” said Feinstein. “It could be that anxiety, at its root, isn’ t a psychological problem at all.”
This approach is all very theoretical, Feinstein warned, and needs to be
rigorously tested, which is what he will do in the coming years. But if it’ s
true, it could explain why so many drugs don’ t work for panic, anxiety, and
other fear -based conditions, and how slow and steady breathing therapy
does. HOW WE BREA THE MA TTERS
I’ve chatted with Anders Olsson every few weeks since we paid through the
nose in the Stanford experiment. Our talks are never dull. “I have more
ener gy and focus than ever in my life!” he told me, right after celebrating
his 50th birthday. Olsson is a pulmonaut in the purest sense: self-taught and
driven by a sense that we are missing something right in front of us, a truth
basic and essential. Through all my travels and travails, there is one lesson, one equation,
that I believe is at the root of so much health, happiness, and longevity. I’m
a bit embarrassed to say it has taken me a decade to figure this out, and I
realize how insignificant it might look on this page. But lest we for get,
nature is simple but subtle. The perfect breath is this: Breathe in for about 5.5 seconds, then exhale
for 5.5 seconds. That’ s 5.5 breaths a minute for a total of about 5.5 liters ofair. Y ou can practice this perfect breathing for a few minutes, or a few
hours. There is no such thing as having too much peak ef ficiency in your
body. Olsson told me he’ s working on several more devices to help us breathe
at this rate—slowly and less. He’ s finishing production on his BreathIQ, a
portable device that measures nitric oxide, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and
other chemicals in exhaled breath. Then there are other skunkworks to
mimic the ef fects of perfect breathing: a carbon dioxide suit, a hat, and . . . Meanwhile, Google just released an app that pops up automatically
when the words “breathing exercise” are searched. It trains visitors to inhale
and exhale every 5.5 seconds. Down the street from my house is a startup
called Spire, which created a device that tracks breath rate and alerts users
every time respiration becomes too fast or disjointed. In the fitness industry,
resistance masks and mouthpieces with names like Expand-a-Lung are all
the rage. Before we know it, breathing slow, less, and through the nose with a big
exhale will be big business, like so much else. But be aware that the
stripped-down approach is as good as any. It requires no batteries, W i-Fi,
headgear, or smartphones. It costs nothing, takes little time and ef fort, and
you can do it wherever you are, whenever you need. It’ s a function our
distant ancestors practiced since they crawled out of the sludge two and a
half billion years ago, a technology our own species has been perfecting
with only our lips, noses, and lungs for hundreds of thousands of years. Most days, I treat it like a stretch, something I do after a long time
sitting or stressing to bring myself back to normal. When I need an extra
boost, I come here, to this old V ictorian house in the Haight-Ashbury, and
sit beside this rattling window with the other Sudarshan Kriya breathers I
first met ten years ago. •       •       •
The room is packed now, 20 of us sitting in a circle unkinking our necks
and pulling fleece blankets onto our laps. The instructor hits the switch on
the wall, the lights dim, and long shadows from the street cast across the
floor. In the darkness, he thanks us for coming, brushes his bangs aside,adjusts the old boom box and presses play. W e take the first breath in. Then
the second. The wave comes, washes over and runs up, then turns around and
recedes, back to the ocean.ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The human body is a complicated subject. And how that body ingests,
processes, and draws ener gy from air, and how that air af fects our brains,
bones, blood, bladders, and everything else . . . well, I learned over the last
few years that understanding—and writing about—all that is another beast
altogether. I am deeply indebted to the medical pulmonauts who of fered me their
time, wisdom, coaching, and repeated respiratory rectifications along this
wild and weird journey. Thank you, Dr. Jayakar Nayak, at the Stanford
University Otolaryngology Head & Neck Sur gery Center for slipping away
from a ten-hour brain sur gery to jam endoscopes up my nose and then
explain the subtleties of cilia and sphenoids and sebaceous glands over
salads at V ino Enoteca. (And a big thanks to Nayak’ s lab assistants, Nicole
Borchard and Sachi Dholakia, for managing the mucosal madness.) Thank
you, Dr. Marianna Evans, for schooling me in the ways of dysevolution and
driving me all around Philly in such a nice car. Dr. Theodore Belfor and Dr. Scott Simonetti shared countless meals over countless months to describe
the countless marvels of masticatory stress, nitric oxide, and Italian wines. Dr. Justin Feinstein at the Laureate Institute of Brain Research played
hooky from his NIH lab work to give me a hard lesson in brain science,
amygdalae, and the panicking power of carbon dioxide. I begged and borrowed (with annotations, mind you) from several dozen
elucidating books, interviews, and scientific articles penned by these
respiratory renegades: Dr. Michael Gelb; Dr. Mark Burhenne; Dr. Steven
Lin; Dr. Kevin Boyd; Dr. Ira Packman; Dr. John Feiner at the University of
California, San Francisco Hypoxia Research Laboratory; Dr. Steven Park at
the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Albert Einstein College of
Medicine; Dr. Amit Anand at the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, andSleep Medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Ann Kearney,
doctor of speech-language pathology at the Stanford V oice and Swallowing
Center; and, of course, the generous and garrulous Drs. John and Mike
Mew. A crew of DIY pulmonauts welcomed me into their lives and lungs and
showed me the transformative applications of breathing for real people
living in the real world. Thank you to Chuck McGee III at Iced V iking
Breathworks; L ynn Martin at MDH Breathing Coordination; Sasha
Y akovleva at The Breathing Center; Luis Sér gio Álvares DeRose, John
Cosway Chisenhall, and Heduan Pinheiro at DeRose Method; Zach Fletcher
at MindBodyClimb; and T ad Panther. Un grand mer ci  to the mysterious and
heretofore nameless clan of cataphiles for leading me deep below the
Cimetière du Montparnasse and staining my jeans with thousand-year -old
human bone dust. Thanks too to Mark Goettling at Bodimetrics for the suite
of sleep and fitness monitoring devices and to Elizabeth Asch for of fering
up her luxurious Parisian pied-à-terre for an entire month. W riting a paltry tack så jävla mycket  feels like thin gratitude for my
partner in nasal crime, Anders Olsson, a pulmonaut so dedicated to his craft
that he ditched the glory of the Swedish midsommar  to spend a month in
dewy San Francisco with silicone up his nose, a pulse oximeter clipped to
his finger, and tape on his lips. Thank you, Anders. But next time, can we
just plug our ears instead? My early attempts to leave no stone unturned in the lost art and science
of breathing left me with a pile of word rubble. This is a long way of saying
that this book, like most books, took a while and too often felt like
Sisyphean drudgery. Courtney Y oung, my virtuosic, adroit, and oft hilarious editor at
Riverhead, boiled down a 270,000-word quagmire of sesquipedalian
verbiage to the more digestible brick you now hold in your hands. Copilot/literary agent Danielle Svetcov at Levine Greenber g Rostan
Literary Agency not only immediately returned my whiny calls—unheard-
of in that line of work, trust me on this—but also worked side by side with
me to sculpt, hone,


a 1-inch (2.5 cm) headspace. Seal, label and freeze.G o o s e b e r r i e s
THRIVING IN  COOLER CLIMA TES,  gooseberries are an old favouri te
of gardeners and home preservers. Gooseberries are easy to grow, produce
abundant fruit and are a cinch to transform into fruity-floral jellies, jams
and other preserves. Some varieties are green when fully ripe. These are
usually very tart. Other varietie s ripen to translucent red (alm ost purple);
their flavour is sweeter, and they are full of juice. Good Pr eserving V arieties
There are basically two catego ries of gooseberry: the American (Ribes
hirtellum),  wh ich produces smaller fruit but is disease resistant, and th e
lar ger European gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa). Most gooseberries have
long spines that need to be snip ped of f at both ends of the berry, but there
are s ome varieties that are spin eless, making them less time-consuming to
prepare. A nip from a gooseberry thorn, shown above, can be quite painful, so it is no wonder that thornless
varieties have been developed. Hinnomaki Red:  A good variety to grow because it is disease resistant;
deep red berries that give preserves good colour. Invicta:  Good flavour; good for canning. Leveller:  A  traditional g ooseberry in shape; yellow to green colour andflavour t hat is sweet-tart with pineapple/strawberry overtones; v ery good in
jams and other preserves. This red gooseberry variety has been picked before all the berries are fully ripe. The smooth skin and
lack of stem spike make it an easy variety to clean. Pur chasing/Storing
• 1 lb (500 g) yields about 3-1/4 cups (800 mL) gooseberries. • Y ou will need 1 lb (500 g) for each quart (1 L) jar. Select fi rm, dry berries with a deep sheen. Use as soon as possi ble. Store in
a cool place or in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. W ash just before using. Good W ith
• Herbs such as sweet cicely, basil, bay, thyme, chervil; spices such as
cumin, coriander. • Sweet seasonings such as cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg. • Semi-soft cheeses such as havarti, Boursin; medium-age cheddars, colby. • Other fruit, such as apples, pineapples, peaches, nectarines, currants. • T oasted almonds, pecans and walnuts; raisins, currants. • Freshwater fish such as perch, whitefish, bass, trout. Pr eparation
Using scissors, snip of f spiny stems and tails. Fill a sink or basin with cool
water and add tr immed gooseberries. Swish and allow the leave s and other
debris to float to the top to be skimmed of f. Lift out berries using a sieve or
slotted spoon. Pick over and remove any remaining spines and stems. Canning GooseberriesSee detailed canning information, Methods. 1. Pr epar e Equipment:  W ash and heat pint (2-cup/500 mL) or quart (1 L)
jars, and  scald the lids, funnel, la dle and tongs ( Boiling W ater Method, Step
by Step ). 2. Make a Heavy Syrup:  In a lar ge saucepan, combine 3 cups (750 mL)
granulated suga r with 4 cups (1 L) water; stir until dissolved. Bring to a
gentle b oil over  high heat. Makes 6 cups (1.5 L) syrup, enough  for four or
five 1-quart (1 L) jars of gooseberries. Note:  Use  medium syrup (2 cups/500  mL sugar to 4 cups/1 L water)  if the
gooseberries are red and sweet. 3. Pack gooseberries into jars either hot or raw. Make a  Hot Pack:  Set  4 cups (1 L) gooseberries i nto a metal colander or
sieve. C arefully lower the colander into the gently boiling syrup and heat
for 3 0 seconds. Lift out of the s yrup and drain over an empty dish or pan. Using a slotted spoon, fill hot jar with hot gooseberries, shakin g the jar to
pack it. Cover gooseberries with hot syrup, leaving a 1/2-inch (1 cm)
headspace. Run a thin non-metallic utensil around the inside of the jar to
allow air to escape. Add more hot syrup, if necessary, to leave a 1/2-inch (1
cm) headspace. W ipe sealing edge of jars with a clean, damp, lint-free
cloth. Position flat lids over the tops of jars and hand-tighten screw bands. 4. P r ocess gooseberries in a  canner:  U se a Boilin g W ater Canner
according to the chart below. OR
Process gooseb erries in a Pr essure Canner following manufacturer ’ s
directions for steam pressure and time at your altitude. 5. Cool, Label and Stor e:  L ift jars from c anner and place on a clean towel
or rack. Do not re-tighten screw bands. Let the jars cool to room
temperature. This may take from 12 to 24 hours. Remove and store screw
bands. Check lid seals ( Boiling W ater Method, Step by  Step ). W ipe and
label sealed jars. Store in a cool, dark place. b e r r i e d  p a v l o v a
I kee p th is simple dessert in my r epertoir e for any season, but especially for
winter when berries ar e so appr eciated. Any pr eserved whole berry will be
spectacular; a combination of the gr een gooseberries and any r ed berry,
like currants or elderberries, makes this light dessert a fes tive end to
holiday meals. T o keep life very simple, make the meringue base up to 24
hours in advance and keep cool in a br eathable container (not plastic). Better still, pur chase individual meringues at a specialty food stor e.
The filling can also be made in advance and stor ed in an airtigh t container
in the r efrigerat or, but keep it separate fr om the meringue ba se until just
befor e serving. If you have acc ess to fr esh mint, any of the lime, orange,
lemon or fruit varieties ar e particularly nice in the syllabublike filling. As an added bonus for an even q uicker dessert, you can use the berry filling
without making the meringue base. I call that combination Gooseberry Fool
and serv e it ar ound April 1, for  April Fool’ s Day. Of course, you can use
whipped cr eam in place of the drained yogurt for a richer filling. Rimmed baking sheet, lined with par chment
Pr eheat oven to 250°C (120°C)
MAKES 8 SER VINGS4 large egg whites, at r oom temperatur e
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cr eam of tartar
1 cup (250 mL) superfine sugar

1. U sing a pencil, draw a 6-inch (15 cm) circle in the ce ntre of the
parchment paper. 2. In the bowl of an electric mix er, using the whisk attachment, beat the egg
whites on medium-high speed until they hold moist but fairly  stif f peaks. Sprinkle cream of tartar over the whites. Continue beating and add the
sugar, 1  tbsp (15 mL) at a time, until the meringue holds very  stif f peaks. The pea ks shou ld be glossy, no t dry, and they should stand upright when
pulled by the back of a wooden spoon or spatula. If the peaks s tand up but
fall over, you need to add a bit more sugar. Y ou may not need to use all of
the sugar. 3. Using  a rubber spatula, spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on
the p archment paper. Pile the meringue around the perimeter of the circle so
that you have a slight dip on the inside. This will keep the filling from
running down the sides when it is mounded on top later. 4. Bake in preheated oven for 1  hour and 15 minutes or until th e meringue
is dry and firm t o the touch. The meringue should be a creamy pale colour,
not brow n. T urn of f the oven, open the door and let the me ringue cool
completely in the oven. W rap loosely with waxed paper and keep cool in a
breathable container (not plastic). b e r r y  f i l l i n g
1 cup (250 mL) canned or fr ozen (thawed) gooseberries, drained
1 cup (250 mL) canned or fr ozen (thawed) r ed berries (such as
raspberries, cherries


’s a vi-
cious circle. There you have it. Rather than intervening between point 3 and
4 on the circle, he simply exonerates his behavior with an I’m, and
the attendant risk-taking that is necessary to get out of his trap is
adroitly avoided. There may be many reasons for theBREAKING FREE FROM THE PAST  / 83young man’s shyness, some of which probably go back to his
childhood. Whatever the reasons for his fear he has decided not to
go to work on his social-wariness, but to explain it away with a
simple I’m. His fear of failing is strong enough to prevent him from
trying. Were he to believe in the present moment and his ability to
make a choice, his sentence would change from, “I’m shy,” to “Up
until now, I’ve behaved in a shy manner.”
The vicious circle of shyness can be applied to virtually all I’ms
that are self-diminishing. Consider the circle of a student who be-
lieves he’s poor in math as he tackles his algebra homework. Rather than stop between 3 and 4, and put in the extra time, con-
sult a tutor, or struggle with it he simply stops. When asked why he
flunked algebra class, he’ll say “I’ve always been lousy in mathem-
atics.” Those infernal I’ms are the things that you call upon to exon-
erate yourself and to explain to others why you persist in a self-de-
feating pattern. You can look at your own circle of neurotic logic and begin to
challenge any aspect of your life in which you’ve chosen to be a
finished product. The number one payoff for hanging onto your
past and resting on your I’ms is avoidance of change. Every time
you use an I’m to explain a behavior that you don’t84 / Your Erroneous Zoneslike, think of yourself in that gaily decorated box, all wrapped up
as a finished package. Certainly it is easier to describe yourself than to change. Perhaps
you ascribe the reasons for your labels to your parents, or to other
significant adults in your childhood such as your teachers, neighbors,
grandparents and the like. By giving them responsibility for your
present-day I’m you’ve given them a measure of control over your
life today, elevated them to a higher position than you and ingeni-
ously created an alibi for staying in your ineffective condition. A
neat little payoff indeed, and one that provides you with a warranty
against any risk-taking. If it’s the “culture’s” fault that you have this
I’m, you can’t do anything about it. Some Strategies for Freeing Yourself from the Past and Eliminating
Your Vexing I’ms
Leaving the past behind involves taking risks. You have become
accustomed to your self-definitions. In many cases they function as
a support system in your daily life. Some specific strategies for
eliminating those I’ms include:
• Eliminating I’m wherever you can. Substitute with such sen-
tences as, “Until today I’ve chose to be that way,” or “I used to label
myself…”
• Announce to those close to you that you are going to work at
eliminating some of your I’ms. Decide which are most important to
eliminate and ask them to remind you whenever you haul them out. • Set behavioral goals to act differently than you’ve ever done
before. For example, if you consider yourself shy, introduce yourself
to one person who you might otherwise have avoided.BREAKING FREE FROM THE PAST  / 85• Talk with a trusted confidant who will help you combat the
powers of the past. Ask him to signal you silently with a tug to his
ear each time he notices you falling back into your I’m. • Keep a journal on your self-destructive I’m behavior, and record
your action as well as how you were feeling about yourself while
you were behaving that way. For one week record in a notebook the
exact time, date and occasion when you used any of the self-destruct-
ive I’ms, and work at diminishing the entries. Use the list provided
earlier in this chapter as a guide to your journal-keeping. • Watch out for the four neurotic sentences and whenever you
fall into using them, correct yourself out loud  in the following way. Change
“That’s me.”…to…“That was me.”
“I can’t help it.”…to…“I can change that if I work on it.”
“I’ve always been that way.”…to…“I’m going to be different.”
“That’s my nature.”…to…“That’s what I used to believe was my
nature.”
• Try to work each day on eliminating one I’m just for that day. If you’ve used I’m forgetful as a self-descriptor, devote Monday to
working specifically at being aware of this tendency, and see if you
can alter one or two forgetful behaviors. Similarly, if you don’t like
your stubbornness I’m, give yourself one day to be tolerant of con-
trary opinions, and see if you can rid yourself of I’ms one day at a
time. • You can interrupt your own “I’m-Circle” between point 3 and
4, and resolve to toss out those ancient excuses for avoidance. • Find something you’ve never done and set aside an afternoon
for that activity. After your three-hour immersion in a totally new
activity, one that you’ve always avoided in the past, see if you can
still use the same I’m that you applied that morning.86 / Your Erroneous ZonesAll of your I’ms are learned avoidance patterns, and you can learn
to be almost anything if you make the choice to do so. Some Final Thoughts
There is no such thing as human nature. The phrase itself is de-
signed to pigeonhole people and to create excuses. You are the sum
product of your choices, and every I’m you treasure could be re-
labeled, “I’ve chosen to be.” Go back to the opening questions in
this chapter, Who are you? and How do you describe yourself? Think
about some delicious new labels that are in no way connected to the
choices that others have made for you, or those that you’ve made
until now. Those old tiresome labels may be keeping you from living
your life as fully as you might. Remember what Merlin said about learning:
“The best thing for being sad,” replied Merlin, beginning to
puff and blow, “is to learn something. That is the only thing
that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your ana-
tomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of
your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the
world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your
honor trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one
thing for it then—to learn. Learn why the world wags and what
wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never ex-
haust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or dis-
trust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the thing for
you. Look at what a lot of things there are to learn—pure sci-
ence, the only purity there is. You can learn astronomy in a
lifetime, natural history in three, literature in six. And then,
after you have exhausted a million lifetimes in biology and
medicine and theocriticism and geography and history and
eco-BREAKING FREE FROM THE PAST  / 87nomics, why, you can start to make a cartwheel out of the ap-
propriate wood, or spend fifty years learning to begin to learn
to beat your adversary at fencing. After that you can start again
on mathematics until it is time to learn to plough.”*
Any I’m that keeps you from growing is a demon to be exorcised. If you must have an I’m, try this one on for size. “I’m an ‘I’m’ exor-
cist—and I like it.”
*Terence H. White, The Once and Future King  (New York: C. P. Putnam’s Sons,
1958).88 / Your Erroneous ZonesV
THE USELESS EMOTIONS—
GUILT AND WORRY
If you believe that feeling bad or worrying long enough will change
a past or future event, then you are residing on another planet with
a different reality system. Throughout life, the two most futile emotions are guilt for what
has been done and worry about what might be done. There they
are! The great wastes—Worry and Guilt—Guilt and Worry. As you
examine these two erroneous zones, you will begin to see how con-
nected they are; in fact they can be viewed as opposite ends of the
same zone. There you have it. Guilt  means that you use up your present mo-
ments being immobilized as a result of past behavior, while worry  is
the contrivance that keeps you immobilized in the now
89about something in the future —frequently something over which
you have no control. You can see this clearly if you try to think of
yourself as feeling guilty about an event that has yet to occur, or to
worry about something that has happened. Although one response
is to the future and the other to the past, they both serve the
identical purpose of keeping you upset or immobile in your present
moment. Robert Jones Burd


 it is unclear
as to how effective it will be. Two teaspoons of vitamin C-rich berries provides about 225
milligrams of vitamin C. For maintenance of gum health a much smaller dose should work. It is also
possible that a much smaller dose of natural vitamin C will work if there are not too many whole
grains in your diet. An early treatment for infantile scurvy was raw milk and raw meat. Both foods contain highly
digestible forms of phosphorous. These foods will also help heal gum disease. You do not have to eat
raw meat. Another option is meat cooked in bone broth stews. A highly concentrated form of herbal based vitamin C can be purchased at
holisticdentalstore. comThe Amazing Blotting Technique and Healing Gum Disease Naturally
Forget about expensive gum disease surgery. The late dentist Joseph Phillips discovered a highly
effective treatment method for gum disease. He also has some remarkable comments on the causes of
gum disease. Instead of believing that gum disease results from buildup of tartar, Dr. Phillips was
convinced it was the other way around: tartar is actually the result of gum disease. 10
 Dr. Phillips went
as far as stating that, “The truth of the matter is that brushing and flossing causes periodontal disease. ”
As time goes on, Dr. Phillips believed that more brushing and flossing causes more gum disease. This
is because the normal motion of tooth brushing concentrates the tooth tartar at the gum line where it is
left to fester. The gum line area known as the gingival sulcus is always the dirtiest after brushing. 11
The irritating substances constantly contacting the gum tissues usually causes the gums to recede or
become inflamed over time. When this area is not cleaned carefully after brushing with blotting, or an
oral irrigator, then brushing will contribute to gum disease. How to Blot at Home
The blotting technique is so effective you can expect to see noticeable results within three weeks in a
high proportion of cases. Part of the blotting technique is to clean all of the soft tissue surfaces in your
mouth with a gum toothbrush. The complete technique is rather difficult to explain accurately in the
text without showing you a video, so I have created a free online resource with a video to show you
how to blot at home. If you want to learn how to blot at home, then please go to this website. www. curetoothdecay. com/blottingSea Salt for Your Gums
Dentist Robert Nara discovered that when treating gum disease in the military, rather than resort to
time-consuming gum surgery, if he just had his patients brush their teeth and rinse their mouths with a
sea salt solution, then their gum problems typically improved and were even cured. This work
eventually led him to write
How to Become Dentally Self Sufficient. The premise of the book is that
good oral hygiene, including the use of oral irrigation and sea salt, will prevent or significantly
reduce most tooth and gum problems. The use of oral irrigating devices such as a Waterpik® is highly effective in treating gum disease. In
case it is not clear, an oral irrigator is a device that shoots a pressurized stream of water out of a
small nozzle that can clean around the teeth below the gum lines. Flossing does not reach these same
places. Irrigators are available in most drug stores. The most effective method for healing gum problems is to rinse your mouth with warm salt water
using an oral irrigator. Sea salt or equivalent high quality salt would be ideal for this; do not use
commercial table salt. Warm sea salt water used in an irrigating device is one of the best protections
against gum disease. I have heard claims that sea salt in the oral irrigator may shorten its life span. This could be true, but the benefits surely outweigh the cost. Alternatively a teaspoon or two of apple
cider vinegar diluted in the oral irrigator water can also help with gum health. Herbal liquids for gum
disease can also be used in the oral irrigator and injected deep into inflamed gum tissues. No More Bad Breath
Bad breath is many times caused by decaying food trapped below the gum line. Oral irrigating with
warm salt water or blotting will relieve or improve many cases of bad breath by removing the rotting
food particles. Use an oral irrigator according to the instructions provided. The nozzle tip of the irrigator is pointed
at the base of the tooth, and then the irrigator is run around the tooth. If there is pain or bleeding gums,
decrease the pressure. As your gums heal and strengthen this should go away quickly. The results from this process are gradual. Many people report healing of their gum tissues over a
period of a few weeks to a few months. Even though it takes time, the results are very satisfying. Herbal Treatments for Gum Disease
People have written that herbal treatments have done wonders for their gum problems. These
treatments may also help strengthen your teeth and the ligaments that hold the teeth in their sockets. Herbs that are excellent for healing teeth include:
White oak bark powder
—prevents the need for gum surgery and heals bleeding and infected gums. Myrrh gum powder
—heals gum infections. Herbal Tooth & Gum Powder

(the recipe is in chapter 8). This powder can be purchased at the
Holistic Dental Store (
www. holisticdentalstore. com
)
There are many other herbs that can help heal teeth and gums that are not mentioned here. Alternative
treatments like trigger point massage and acupressure can also help. Oil Pulling for your Teeth and Gums
Oil pulling is the simple but ancient technique of swishing oil in your mouth as a mouthwash. Use
about one tablespoon of organic oil. Coconut and sesame seed oil work well, and olive oil is another
option. Swish the oil around as long as you can. 10-20 minutes is ideal but it can be difficult to go that
long. Spit the oil out when you are done (not in your sink) and rinse your mouth well. The oil pulls out
toxins from your gum tissues and helps remove deeply embedded debris. This is a great treatment for
gum problems, bad breath, or to increase your overall oral health. Mercury and Your Gums
A common symptom of mercury toxicity is bleeding gums and loose teeth. 12Healing Gum Disease Program
Since scurvy and a vitamin C deficiency are easily caused by a diet heavy in whole grains, I
recommend being extremely careful with the use of grain bran and grain germ in your healing gum
disease diet. In addition to being alert to the toxic factors in whole grains, avoiding the toxic foods
mentioned in the previous chapters will help fight gum disease. If any of the supplemental foods
mentioned here are already in your diet, then you do not need to take them twice. When your gum
disease is gone, then pick and choose aspects of this program to your liking. 1-2 teaspoons of food-based vitamin C from concentrated sources such as camu camu berry,
acerola cherry, amalaki or rose hips for vitamin C. (concentrated vitamin c is available at:
holisticdentalstore. com
 ) 2 teaspoons of camu camu berry provides about 225 milligrams of
natural vitamin C. ¼ - ½ teaspoon 2-3 times per day for a teens and adults for a total of ½ – 1½ teaspoons per day
Blue Ice™ fermented cod liver oil (available at
codliveroilshop. com
). This is to restore fat-
soluble vitamins A and D to the diet for gum health. Raw milk and/or raw meat (meat in stews is a second-best option). Avoid whole grains unless freshly ground, soured, and appropriately sifted to remove the bran
and germ. Use the blotting technique and/or an oral irrigator with warm water and sea salt at least twice
per day. (
www.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the main cause of gum disease, according to the text?,
A: The text does not explicitly state a single main cause of gum disease, but it suggests that it is caused by an imbalance in the body's chemistry, possibly due to a faulty diet, excessive sugar consumption, or a buildup of toxic materials in the body.
Q: What is the purpose of the "blotting" technique?,
A: The blotting technique is a method for cleaning the gum line and removing debris, and it is recommended to use it in combination with other treatments for gum disease.
Q: What is the recommended treatment for a tooth infection?,
A: The text recommends using herbal treatments, nutritional support, and homeopathic injections to treat tooth infections, and in severe cases, surgery may be necessary.
Q: What is the recommended treatment for a tooth infection?,
A: The text recommends using herbal treatments, nutritional support, and homeopathic injections to treat tooth infections, and in severe cases, surgery may be necessary.
Q: What is the recommended treatment for a tooth infection?,
A: The text recommends using herbal treatments, nutritional support, and homeopathic injections to treat tooth infections, and in severe cases, surgery may be necessary.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Placing metal directly
into the jaw bone poses a high risk of triggering a negative immune system reaction in the patient. 26
The body reacts poorly to any implanted metal. Studies at the Karlinska Institute in Sweden, show that
most humans become rapidly allergic to virtually any metal placed inside the human body including
mercury, titanium and gold. One not commonly considered problem with titanium implants is the
battery effect of combining titanium with other metals from dental restorations in your mouth. Zircon


	we	started	making	white
flour. We	made	it	because	it	does	not	spoil;	it	keeps	practically	forever,	which
makes	white	flour	an	ideal	food	to	feed	people	in	big	cities. However,	the
malnutrition	problem	with	flour	is	serious—our	bellies	are	filled	in	the	form	of
“hearty”	pastas	and	breads,	but	all	those	empty	calories	do	not	even	come	close
to	fulfilling	our	needs	for	nutrients,	thus	contributing	to	deficiency. Worse,	flour	also	contributes	to	the	other	cause	of	disease,	toxicity. White
flour	contains	almost	no	fiber,	which	is	essential	for	proper	bowel	movements
and	toxin	removal. Eating	too	much	flour	(and	not	enough	fiber)	is	associated
with	constipation,	hemorrhoids,	colitis	and	rectal	cancer. Avoiding	white	flour	is	not	easy	because	it	is	in	virtually	all	breads,	pastas,
cakes,	cookies,	crackers,	breakfast	cereals,	pizzas	and	pastries. But	when	you
realize	that	flour	causes	disease,	cutting	down	on	the	refined	flour	products	you
consume	is	worth	the	effort. A	plate	of	pasta	with	vegetables	can	no	longer	be
considered	a	good	meal. The	vegetables	are	good,	but	the	pasta	is	not;	choose
whole	grains	or	beans	instead. The	real	health	threat	from	white	flour	comes	not	from	any	single	meal,	but
because	we	eat	so	much	of	it—one	or	more	meals	a	day,	every	day. We	also
need	to	keep	in	mind	that	many	other	grains	frequently	are	refined	(such	as	those
in	“multi-grain”	breads	and	cereals)	and	are	reduced	to	little	more	than	empty
calories. Any	grain	that	is	finely	ground	and	“stripped”	of	fiber	and	other
nutrients	is	a	poor	nutritional	choice	because	essential	nutrients	have	been	lost,
which	most	people	do	not	realize. I	cannot	tell	you	how	many	times	I	havetalked	to	people	who	proudly	describe	their	“healthy,	whole-grain	diets”—diets
made	of	whole-wheat	bread,	rolled	oats,	granola,	multigrain	cereals. All	of	these
are	processed,	make-believe	foods. Eating	processed	foods	of	any	kind	is
fundamentally	different	from	and	nutritionally	inferior	to	eating	whole,
unprocessed	foods. On	the	subject	of	food	processing,	one	type	of	grain	processing	is	of	special
concern:	puffed	grains. The	high	heat	and	pressure	used	in	the	puffing	process
alters	the	molecular	structure	of	proteins	in	the	grains,	making	them	toxic
enough	to	kill	laboratory	animals. Absolutely	avoid	puffed	wheat,	puffed	millet
and	puffed	rice	(including	rice	cakes),	and	any	other	puffed	grains. This	warning
does	not	include	popcorn,	which	is	not	subjected	to	such	high	temperatures	and
pressures. In	his	book,
Fighting	the	Food	Giants,
Paul	Stitt	reported	an
experiment	in	which	rats	were	fed	either	whole	wheat	or	puffed	wheat. The	rats
eating	the	whole	wheat	lived	over	a	year	while	the	rats	eating	puffed	wheat	died
within	two	weeks. To	avoid	health	problems	created	by	processed	grains,	choose	whole	grains
such	as	millet,	oats,	quinoa,	spelt,	barley,	amaranth,	teff,	kamut	and	brown	rice. Many	people	do	not	realize	that	white	rice	is	also	a	processed	grain	and,
therefore,	a	poor	food	choice. Buckwheat,	not	strictly	a	grain,	can	be	cooked	like
whole	grains. Organic	whole	grains	are	readily	available	at	health	food	stores. Cook	grains	in	a	pot	of	water	as	you	would	cook	rice. A	rice-cooker	will	also
work. In	the	real	world,	often	we	are	forced	to	make	less	than	ideal	choices. At
the	very	least,	choose	minimally	processed	whole	grains	(such	as	whole-wheat
flour	or	oatmeal)	instead	of	highly	refined	and	stripped	grains,	such	as	white
flour,	white	rice	and	pasta	made	from	white	flour. Misleading	Choices
When	I	told	Elizabeth,	the	woman	I	introduced	you	to	at	the	start	of	this
chapter,	that	if	she	wanted	to	get	well	and	stay	well	she	would	have	to	eliminate
sugar	from	her	diet,	she	replied,	“I	don’t	eat	any	sugar,”	going	on	to	explain	that
she	rarely
added
sugar	to	anything. What	she	meant	was,	she	rarely	took	white
sugar	out	of	the	sugar	bowl	and	added	it	to	her	foods	and	beverages. She	was	not
considering	the	massive	amounts	of	sugar	already	present	in	her	diet	from	foods
as	mundane	as	ketchup,	breakfast	cereal,	dinner	rolls,	soup,	salad	dressing,
bottled	fruit	juices	and	soft	drinks,	not	to	mention	chocolates,	ice	cream,	cookies,
pies,	cakes,	snack	foods	and	pancake	syrup. Elizabeth	was	quite	surprised	when
I	added	up	all	the	sugar	she	was	consuming. Elizabeth	and	I	also	talked	about	white	flour. She	did	not	realize	that	most	ofthe	starches	she	was	eating	(including	pastas,	breads	and	breakfast	cereals)	were
made	from	white	flour	and	other	processed	grains. Thinking	about	what	she
should	perhaps	be	eating	instead,	she	made	another	mistake:	Elizabeth	proudly
showed	me	a	package	of	the	“healthy”	multigrain	bread	she	had	purchased. I
shook	my	head	as	I	read	the	ingredient	list	and	explained	to	her	that	such	bread
is	not	healthy. First,	bread	is	a	highly	processed	food,	and	this	bread’s	number-
one	ingredient	was	unbleached	flour,	a	highly	processed	flour	that	is	only
marginally	better	than	white	flour	(it	has	not	undergone	the	final	bleaching
process). This	supposedly	“healthy”	bread	also	contained	a	health-damaging
sugar	(corn	syrup),	hydrogenated	oils	and	toxic	preservatives. Elizabeth	had	been	misled	into	believing	this	bread	was	a	healthy	food—
perhaps	because	of	the	false	advertising	on	the	package,	claiming	it	to	be
“healthy,”	and	the	fact	that	she	had	purchased	it	in	a	health	food	store. Many
people	have	a	difficult	time	learning	how	to	discern	good	foods	from	bad	ones. The	simplest	explanation	is	to	think	of	the	concepts	of
real	foods
and
make-
believe	foods. The	more	a	food	is	changed	from	the	way	nature	would	normally
provide	it,	the	more	make-believe	it	becomes. Some	Truths	about	Processed	Fats	and	Oils
A	widespread	misperception	in	America	today	is	that	to	be	healthy	we	must
eat	a	low-cholesterol,	low-fat	or	nonfat	diet. Rather,	you	need	fats	and	oils,	but
they	must	be	the	right	kinds	of	fats	and	oils,	not	the	processed	fats	and	oils	so
prevalent	in	our	diets	today. Despite	our	society’s	obsession	with	and	fears	about
fats	and	oils,	these	nutrients	are	an	incredibly	important	part	of	a	healthy	diet. Each	of	the	trillions	of	cells	in	your	body	is	surrounded	by	a	permeable	cell


 served us correctly to start with, inasmuch as we thrived and attained our high station in its midst; that what was right for us then is still right for us in view that we’re still structurally and physiologically the same as we were during most of our sojourn as humans in Nature; that we can still, within our modern context, supply ourselves with natural foods substantially and significantly; and that we can also observe, meaningfully, the other requisites of life in our modern context. Pertinent Questions—the Answers to Which Determine Our Natural DietAre we herbivores?Are we graminivores?Are we root grubbers?Are we insectivores?Are we carnivores?Are we eaters of fermented and rotten foods?Are we sucklings of animals?Are we frugivores?Are we vegetarians?Are we nut and seed eaters?Are we fat eaters?Are we protein eaters?Are we starch eaters?Are we all the foregoing, that is, omnivores?Are We Herbivores?Herbivores are natural consumers of herbage such as grass, weeds, leaves, stalks and
stems. Does foraging in nature for grass, weeds and leaves appeal to you? Do grass and weeds attract your eye, tantalize your sense of smell and excite your palate?53
FruiticultureOf course it is repulsive to you for
the very simple reason that it can-not satisfy your needs. You do not secr ete cellulase or other enz ymes

that break down these plants as herbivores do. Therefore you can -
not derive your foremost need from them, namely simple sugars
which is your body ’
s primary fuel. Rather, the processing and prob -
lems caused by their ingestion oc -
casion a net loss of energies. Of course, humans do c onsume some her
bage such as lettuce, celery, cabbage family
members (kale, cabbage, collards, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, bok choy, etc. ), spinach and yet other leafy greens. Plain, as they occur in nature, these vegetables real -
ly do not appeal to us though we can cultivate a taste for much of it. At least cauliflower and broccoli do yield some calor ies and all yield
, to the extent when digested, proteins,
some essential fatty acids, mineral matter and vitamins. But, if we get enough of these nutrients from our natural foods, then these are not needed from plants that we do not eat raw with keen relish. If we had to rely on herbage exclusively for our foods, we’d adjust somewhat but, in all
likelihood, slowly starve as the calorie yield is negative or very low. While cooking de -
stroys most of the abundant nutrients, it also converts the cellulose, fibers and other components int o usable calor
ic values. Let’s face it: although we will include vegetables in our dietary, we’re not primarily veg -
etable eaters by nature. Obviously we’re not herbivores. Are We G
raminivores? Being graminivorous means we live from grasses and grass seeds though grass eaters
are really called herbivores. Strict grain eaters are called graminivores. Many birds in nature live on grass and weed seeds. Gramnivorous land mammals, such as horses, have large, flat teeth for grinding hard grain kernels and tough grasses. Grass seeds include
54
Fruiticulturewheat, oats, rye, barley and rice which were de -
veloped by human mastery of nature only with-
in the last 10,000 years. There are thousands of other g rass seeds that oc cur thr
oughout nature. Of course, we’d all reject grass seeds as items of diet in nature. First, they are in a condition we can neither masticate nor digest. Being heavy on starches, we would gag on the equivalent of a spoonful or two. You might try a mouthful of
wheat berries without husks removed as you must eat them in nature. Won’t work for us. Furthermore, if you ate a tablespoon of raw flour made from grass seeds (cereal grains), you’d gag. As grass seeds neither attract, tantalize nor arouse us in their raw natural state, we can
reject them as natural human fare even though most of the human race presently con -
sumes grains. Thus, we are not natural graminivores. Are W e Na
tural Root Grubbers? Animals that naturally grub for roots have snouts. As most roots are starchy, root grub -
bers secrete a plethora of starch-splitting enzymes whereas humans secrete only one
such enz yme, amylase, in v
ery limited quantities. Humans abhor dirt, are quite fastidi -
ous and refuse to eat anything dirt-covered or even dirt-tinged. Grubbers such as hogs and boars pass lots of dir t through their bodies. W
ithout tools, humans are very poor
diggers. They have no motivation to do so for there are no foods below ground that, in their natural state, please the palate. Humans can handle very little that comes out of the ground in its raw natural state. Some roots, notably turnips, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, yams, ground nuts, beets, carrots, parsnips and salsify can be eaten raw. In Nature we would be obligated to do without tools and would have to eat them raw or not at all. In our natural habitat of plenitude, we can be
55
Fruiticulturesure that roots which man could handle without tools received precious little attention
as food. In view of the considerations, you can write off humans as natural root grubbers and I’m
sure you’ll concur. Are We Insectivores? There are humans who eat insects, especially
grasshoppers and ants. But, by and large, hu -
mans would give insects a big “yuk” when it comes to eating them, especially in the r a
w
state. For the gourmands who eat them, they must fry them in batter or chocolate-coat them,
a way of saying they are not delicious fare in themselves. There are many birds that live exclusively on insects when and where they are plentiful. There are bats which live on insects. But I know of no humans who do. The average person is repulsed by insects rather than attracted to them as yummy
foods. I don’t relish them raw or cooked and I don’t think you do either. Are We Carnivores?A carnivore is an eater of carnage or flesh. This does not accurately portray animals
said to be carnivores. Animals that live on other animals usually consume most of the animal, not merely the flesh. True carnivores lap the flowing and oozing blood of their prey with relish. They delight in the guts and its partially digested contents. And they will consume the bones and gristle (collagen or cartilage). Dogs, for instance, require about 1,700% as much calcium as humans, for animal flesh is extremely acid-forming. Blood and bones are required to offset the acidic end materials. They also require about 1,200% more protein than humans. When you note the relish and gusto with which dogs go for whole animals, you can be sure that what carnivores need for their nourish -
ment is quite delicious to them. 56
FruiticultureDo you relish the idea of crushing the life of a rabbit with your bare hands and teeth? Can you lick its blood with gusto, getting it over your face, hands and body? Would you dig into its guts with pleasure? Would you love to chew on its bones and gristle? Would you love to swallow chunks of its flesh, not being fastidious about swallowing hair and vermin that might be involved? Would you like to do the same for any plant-eating ani -
mal that you could apprehend, kill and consume while still in its warm and fresh state? Of course, y ou and ev
ery unperverted person loves animals as fellow creatures on earth. Killing them is repulsive to you and eating them in the freshly-killed state is even more
disgusting to you. Yet, most of us do consume flesh and some organ meats while reject -
ing blood, bone, most fats and the entrails or offal. But we kill our animals by proxy. We denature and derange flesh and or gans with hea
t and camouflage it with condiments. Does this describe a carnivore to you? Would you, in a state of nature, relish chasing down animals and eating them? Again, this is alien to your natural disposition and actu -
ally sickening. True carnivor es also secr
ete an enzyme called uricase to metabolize the some 5% uric
acid in flesh. We secrete none and thusly must neutralize it with our alkaline minerals,
primarily calcium. The resulting calcium urate crystals are one of the many pathogens of meat eating, in this case giving rise to or contributing to gout, arthritis, rheumatism and bursitis. Are humans natural meat-
eaters? There are too many considerations in physiology, structure (miscalled anatomy), aesthetic disposition and psy -
chology that characterize us as non-flesh-eaters t o ev
en seri-
ously entertain such notions. I had a nutr itionist tell me in
fron
t of an audience that we
had canine teeth and that
proved our meat-eating character. I responded with: “You really mean dog teeth, don’t
57
Fruiticultureyou? Like fangs?”  This caused her to redden


 Ayurveda and the Mind
to develop memory is to memorize truth principles and
higher cosmic laws. 18
Sleep
In sleep, the outer world shuts off and we return to the
inner world of consciousness. Impressions arise as dreams
through the activity of the subtle mind. Generally, the
predominant impressions of daily activity get illumined,
but sometimes deeper samskaras arise. Consciousness in its
right function gives peaceful deep sleep. Disturbed by
Rajas and Tamas, it creates bad dreams and restless sleep. In sleep, our mind gets renewed by immersion in its
source, our core consciousness which contains the primal
Prana or life-force. Consciousness and Prana sustain the
involuntary functions of the body, while the mind and
senses rest. Death is a prolonged sleep. Like sleep, it is an immer-
sion in our inner consciousness in which we lose contact
with the outer world of the senses. In the sleep of death,
consciousness holds the causal Prana and the kannas from
which a new body will be created. In death, we dwell in
consciousness only and renew ourselves for another birth. In the after-death state, the impressions of our life-
experience arise from our inner consciousness, much like
dreams. This creates various subtle or astral worlds, like
the heavens and hells, which the subtle mind visualizes. These are good or bad according to our karma and life-
experience. Samadhi
Samadhi is a state of absorption in which our con-
sciousness becomes entirely concentrated in a single object
or experience and we forget all other things. Yogic practice Conditioned Consciousness
aims at developing absorption in Cosmic Consciousness
and in our true Self. Through it, consciousness is put to
rest in the higher sense, providing lasting peace and liber-
ation. The higher development of the consciousness occurs
only through Samadhi. Awareness of the deeper levels of
consciousness in Samadhi neutralizes our kannas and
releases us from the cycle of birth and death. However, Samadhi includes not only spiritual states
but any peak experience. Any experience in which we
become so immersed that we forget ourselves is a kind of
Samadhi. There are inferior Samadhis, or absorptions of
the disturbed or darkened consciousness in which Rajas
and Tamas prevail. When the mind becomes concentrated
in anything, including negative emotions like fear or
anger, we move to some degree into our deeper conscious-
ness. These negative absorptions, however, increase our
bondage to the external world and should be avoided. They increase Rajas and Tamas, while spiritual absorptions
increase Sattva. 19
Additional Functions
From these primary functions, different secondary func-
tions evolve. Intuition
Consciousness in its higher function becomes intuition,
which is the capacity to know things directly. Through
intuition, we feel within ourselves what we may have never
contacted through our senses. True intuition is a kind of
Samadhi. As the direct feeling of consciousness, it can be
more vivid than sensory knowledge. We should not con-
fuse it with imagination or psychic perception, however,
which are functions of the outer mind and subtle senses. Ayurveda and the Mind
Instinct
In its lower function, consciousness becomes instinct,
which sustains our organic functions and protects them
from interference from the ego. Instinct is a secret or hid-
den form of higher knowledge, or intuition inverted. Con-
sciousness governs all instinctual responses. On its level
deep, instinctual patterns abide, like survival or reproduc-
tion, which are therefore very hard to change. Changing
our core consciousness requires making the unconscious,
automatic or instinctual part of the mind conscious and
aware. Love
The basic urge of consciousness is to unite. It consists
of our efforts and energies to unite either outwardly with
the world or inwardly with our true nature. To "be" is to
be related through consciousness. Through consciousness,
we relate to the world and the world is related to us, not
merely superficially but at a heart level. Through love's
capacity of sympathy and rapport, consciousness creates
devotion and compassion, the guiding powers of the spir-
itual life. Consciousness is the basis of love, which is the essential
attitude and energy of the heart. In fact, consciousness is
love. On individual consciousness the Divine Conscious-
ness projects its power of eternal and unbounded love. Love derives from consciousness, which is its home. Con-
sciousness is the love at the core of our being. In its inter-
nal fount of love, we find complete and perfect happiness,
which arises through being able to be one with the object
of our love. Conditioned Consciousness
Faith
Our deeper consciousness is the basis of real faith
which, like intuition, is a direct inner sense of Reality that
lies beyond all appearances. This true faith of the heart
possesses an inherent knowledge of the Eternal and the
Infinite, and is quite apart from any dogma. When we give
our faith over to a particular dogma — restricting truth to
a person, book, or institution — the ability of conscious-
ness to reflect the truth becomes distorted. Whatever we
have faith in enters into the deeper levels of consciousness
(the heart). Our beliefs are our most deep-seated thoughts and
unquestioned preconceptions. They are our deepest ten-
dencies and samskaras. Our core beliefs adhere in our core
consciousness, coloring every mental activity. To really
change our consciousness requires giving up these unques-
tioned beliefs by changing how we feel in our hearts. Proper Development
The proper development of consciousness requires its
deconditioning. For this, we must release the deep-seated
desires, habits and tendencies stored within it. This is only
possible through Samadhi or absorption in truth. Yet, to
be able to decondition consciousness, first requires that we
put our outer lives into the proper order. Consciousness
must be brought to a purely sattvic state of peace and
openness. All factors that purify and calm the mind aid in this
development, including right diet, proper impressions,
right action and right relationship. Ayurvedic psychology
aims at the proper development of consciousness so that
we can go beyond the problems of the mind, which are all
caused by unconsciousness or lack of awareness. Then we 92 Ayurveda and the Mind
can complete our journey from conditioned consciousness
to pure awareness, in which nothing external can any
longer cause us sorrow. 7. Intelligence:
The Power of Perception
ntelligence is the flame of truth that illumines our
I lives; how we cultivate it determines the light by
which we live and grow, or the darkness by which
we become narrow and decay. We all wish to become more
aware and understanding, but what is true intelligence
and how can we develop it. Not only Ayurveda but all true
psychology revolves around this as its central point. If we have not developed our intelligence properly, we
misuse the body and senses. Dietary and lifestyle indiscre-
tions follow, which weaken our vitality and hasten the
aging process. Emotional disturbances and mental afflic-
tions increase. On the other hand, if we use our intelli-
gence properly, we respect our bodies and the world
around us and use things wisely and appropriately. We
develop a way of life that allows us to live better and
longer, not merely for our own sake but for the good of
others. We strive to control our thoughts and emotions. Hence we must strive to develop our intelligence, or like a
dim light it will lead us into error. 20
The Sanskrit term for intelligence is Buddhi, deriving
from the root "bud," which means "to perceive" or "to
become awake. " Buddhi is the aspect of consciousness that
is filled with light and reveals the truth. When ones Bud-
dhi becomes fully developed, one becomes a Buddha or
enlightened one. 21 The main action of intelligence is to Ayurveda and the Mind
discern the true and real from the false and unreal. It
enables us to discriminate the nature of things from mere
appearances or speculations. Through it we develop our
core perceptions of self and world: who we are, why we
exist, and what the world is. Intelligence: Abstract and Concrete
Intelligence is the objective part of the mind capable of
detached observation. Its concrete side allows us to grasp
external objects, while its abstract side enables us to com-
prehend ideas. Its concrete side tells us the particular
object that we see is a man, a horse, a house, or whatever
it may be. Through its abstract side, we recognize the
qualities and values an object may represent, its truth or
worth. The concrete side of intelligence produces science,
along with all forms of sensory-based knowledge and all
systems of measurement. Its abstract side creates philoso-
phy, through which we can perceive universals and know
the ideal form of things. Through its abstract side, intelli-
gence can conceive of the Divine or infinite and becomes
the basis of spirituality. Intelligence and Intellect
Intelligence has a dual capacity, according to whether
we direct it outwardly or inwardly. The nature of its ori-
entation is the key to evolution in humanity. Intelligence
functioning outwardly through


 the divine mind and your ener gy will go from slow to
fast, from material to spiritual, from problems to solutions. The next time
you are faced with a problem, look at your hand for a moment and remind
yourself that although it has intelligence, its substance is your mind that
directs it to be a hand. Then face the problem with your mind  and God’ s
mind  as one. Mortal Sense Needs to Y ield to Make Room for Spiritual A wareness
On Beethoven’ s writing table, framed under glass, were the following
words, copied in his handwriting. He had discovered them in an essay on
the spiritual practices of Ancient Egypt. “I am that which is, I am all, what
is, what was, what will be; no mortal man has lifted my veil. He is only and
solely of himself, and to this only one all things owe their existence.”
Imagine this great composer reading these words every day to remind
himself of the source of his creativity. You too can be inspired to decide to let go of your primary identification
with your mental, material self and yield to the one to whom all things owe
their existence. When confronted with a problem stop in the middle of itand remind yourself that God is on the field and that you can surrender to
that realization. When I do this, almost immediately the solution is obvious. I am always surprised that I didn’ t realize that I was attempting to resolve
my dif ficulty with my mortal self, feeling separated and anxious and facing
the issue all by myself. In the moments of yielding the mortal sense, the
energy field increases and you make room for the presence of spiritual
awareness. I received a letter from a woman who was diagnosed with cancer and given
only a few months to live. She decided to keep this information from
everyone she knew, including her husband and children. She rented a cabin
in the northern Minnesota woods and spent each day silently yielding her
mortal sense and opening herself to spiritual guidance. The days turned into
weeks, and the weeks into months, with every day devoted to communing
silently with God and releasing her attachment to her body and the cancer
that had invaded it. She began to feel stronger as she no longer identified
herself with her body. When she returned to her home she never again even
visited a medical facility. Today she thrives, some nine years after her
terminal illness diagnosis. The commitment to yield her mortal sense and
allow the calm, peaceful, serene, loving presence of God to handle the
cancer was what she intuitively felt was her pathway to healing. Any problem, I emphasize any, disassociates from your inner world when
you yield your material mortal self and allow the higher frequencies of
spirit to manifest in your life. Send Love to, and Pray for, Your Enemies
I use the word enemies  advisedly here. The poet Henry W. Longfellow
wrote, “If we could read the secret history of our enemies we shall find in
each man’ s sorrow and suf fering enough to disarm all hostility.”
Harboring anger and hatred toward anyone guarantees that you remain in
low ener gy fields where problems will continue to crop up repeatedly in
your life. I suggest that you examine every relationship in which you feel
judgmental thoughts of anger and hatred. Replace those thoughts with
energies of acceptance, kindness, cheerfulness, and love. Y ou will have to
make a personal commitment to, first of all, notice what you are feeling andthen exercise your ability to choose to send love. When your heart becomes
pure, your enemy becomes your friend, or even more significantly, your
teacher. Your worst enemies are your greatest teachers because they allow
you to examine the emotions of anger and revenge and then to transcend
them. They give you the exact tools you need to elevate yourself to the
spiritual ener gies that provide your solutions. When you send love in response to hate you accomplish one of the most
difficult things for anyone. As I look into my conscience I can now honestly
say, I have no one whom I can call an enemy, no one whom I could say I
hate. Over the course of my life I have been disappointed many times. Some have borrowed and never repaid. Some have for gotten their promises. Some have left me for others. Some have cursed me and spread rumors
about me. Some have stolen from me. I send love to them all, mindful of
the Buddha’ s words: “W e live happily indeed, not hating those who hate us. Among men who hate us we dwell free from hatred.” It has been this
transformation in my own thinking, perhaps more than anything else, that
has allowed me to move out of those low ener gy problem regions of my
life. It is a powerful strategy for raising your spiritual awareness. God Is Not W ithholding
Imagine, for a moment, that you know a person who has stored away
everything you want or need for your happiness, but refuses to let you have
them unless you do his bidding, ask properly, and behave as he wants you
to. Furthermore, this person can heal you of disease but allows you to suf fer
for now, and maybe  will consider healing you at some future date. This
would not be a very nice person, let alone a very nice God. Is this the kind
of withholding God that you imagine the spiritual ener gy to be? In the
scriptures it clearly says, “And everything I have is yours.” These six little
words may be the secret you’ve been looking for to raise your awareness to
a spiritual level. God is often perceived as an invisible being whom you pray to when you
find yourself experiencing some kind of shortage in your life. “Please God,
send me the money I need. Dear God, I want you to heal me of my disease. I beg you God, please bring back my spouse who left me for another man.”On and on, praying for the things that you perceive to be missing. In this
mind-set you believe God decides whether to provide those missing
bounties from your life based upon how you behave and whether you do the
proper penance and ask in the fashion that God demands. Moving your ener gy up to the level of spirit involves knowing that God is
not going to be doing anything dif ferent one hour from now than he is doing
right now. Moreover, God isn’ t doing anything dif ferent now, than he was
doing an hour ago or one hundred years ago. God is only here in the present
moment, in the eternal now. God is inextricably intertwined with your
ability to move your thoughts out of yesterday and tomorrow and to escape
into the now, wherein is located God’ s only residence. The now is a speck in the universe of abundance that has no boundaries. “Everything I have” means the unbounded prosperity of this universe. “Is
yours” means you can have whatever you place your attention on with love,
now, not at some future time, but now. God is not holding back your share
of this unbounded pie waiting for you to conduct yourself properly. Nor is
God gleefully watching you suf fer in scarcity and illness until he decides to
stop withholding. Whatever solution you seek for whatever problem you
may have is available to you in this moment. It is in you, not in some
mythical Santa Claus like being with a long flowing beard floating around in
the heavens, dispensing “goodies” to some and “baddies” to others. Y ou are
always connected to this universal source of present moment ener gy. As Saint Paul put it in his letter to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that
you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you” (I
Corinthians 3:16). When you know this truth, you stop asking God to give
you what you think he is withholding. Instead you can bring this spirit of
God that dwells in you to those missing or problem areas. And you will
have unlocked the secret for a spiritual solution to your problems. Once you realize that you cannot influence God, nor can you find God in
some place where he has hidden from you, you know that nothing is being
withheld from you and you can commune with this omnipresent source and
bring that love to bear on your personal problems. You Are Not Being PunishedJust as God does not withhold, God does not punish you by burdening you
with problems. As Joel Goldsmith, the founder of the Infinite W ay put it,
“All you have to do is to awaken from the belief in two powers of good and
evil and begin to honor God by respecting the first commandment... how
can you fear an evil power if there is only one power and that one power is
God?” The idea that God could be punitive is inconsistent with spiritual
awareness. Purely and simply put, God is love and he has made everything
beautiful in its time, including you and everyone else. Actions and thoughts, which you might call evil, are the result of the error
that is made when you believe you are separate from God. It is a mistake of
the ego, or the intellect, to believe there is evil for which God must punish
you. Y ou correct an error by bringing truth to it. Y ou then nullify the error. The idea that God will condemn you is not consistent with a God of
forgiveness. You believe either in one power or two. The power of one is the power of
love. Evil exists first as a thought of non-good or non-God, and then it is


day. A child from 2 to 4years of age can handle 4-8 billion of bacterial cells per
day. A child from 4 to 10 years of age can have 8-12 billion of bacterial cells per
day. From the age of 12 to 16 we can increase the dose to 12-15 billion per day. Once die patient has reached the therapeutic dose level it should be
maintained for around six months on average. It takes at least this length of
time to remove the pathogenic flora and start re-establishing normal gut
flora. Adhering to the diet is absolutely essential in this period. If you carry
on feeding your pathogens in the gut with sugar and processed carbohy
drates then the probiotic will not have much chance of helping you. After the therapeutic period is over the dose of the probiotic can be
reduced to a maintenance dose level, which the patient has to adhere to for
many years. It is important to reduce the dose as gradually as you have
been increasing it. Observe any reactions in this period. The maintenance
dose is very individual. Usually it is half of the therapeutic dose. In some
cases the patient's maintenance dose is the same as the therapeutic. A lot of patients ask: Why do we have to have the maintenance dose? In
other words why do we have to carry on taking the probiotic? this: we have been designed by Nature to have these bacteria every day
with every mouthful of food or drink. We have changed our environment,
water and food to such a degree that we are depriving our bodies of these
vital bacteria. For people who have good, healdiy resident gut flora it may
not present a big problem. However, for patients with GAP Syndrome it is a big problem. For GAPS people it is particularly vital to consume probiotic
bacteria every day of their lives, because they do not possess their own. Their gut got populated by pathogens instead of beneficial bacteria and
these pathogens are extremely difficult to drive out because they occupy
different niches in the gut. To get into any of those niches the beneficial
bacteria have to fight quite a battle. In fact probably the only time in our
lives we have to populate our gut with beneficial bacteria is at birth, when
the gut is sterile. Unfortunately most supplemental probiotics do not settle
or colonise on the gut wall. They do their work in the lumen of the gut and
then come out of the system. We have not yet found a way to replace the
pathogens on the gut wall with beneficial bacteria. So, patients with GAP
syndrome need to carry on taking probiotic indefinitely. To maintain the
probiotic you do not have to carry on taking commercial preparations. You
can supplement your diet with fermented foods in the form or home-made
yoghurt, keffir, sauerkraut and other home-made fermented foods. One of the concerns about probiotic bacteria is that many of them do
not survive the stomach acid. Patients with GAP Syndrome usually have
low stomach acidity, so this is not a big problem for them. But to make sure
that your probiotic survives the stomach acid the general rule is to take it
with food or after food, whenmost stomach acidis bound to foodparticles. Some manufacturers put an enteric coating on their probiotic capsules to
protect them from stomach acid. I do not support this practice for two rea
sons. First, the stomach needs probiotic bacteria just as much as any other
part of your..digestive system. In a stomach with low acidity all sorts of
pathogens grow on the stomach walls. We need probiotics to deal with
these pathogens. Second, patients with digestive abnormalities are often
not able to break down the enteric coating on capsules. These capsules go
in and out almost unchanged without doing any good. Perhaps not all bacterial species in your probiotic will survive the
stomach acid. But, an important point to make here is that even dead the
probiotic bacteria will do a lot of good in your gut. Their cell walls contain
substances to stimulate immune response and they will also absorb toxins
removing them from the body. A lot of food manufacturers have picked up
on this fact and are planning to start adding dead probiotic bacteria into
various foods. In conclusion, probiotic supplementation is absolutely vital for treating
any of the GAPS conditions. Even in those cases, where the patient does
not present with severe digestive problems I find that with the use of diet
and probiotics a considerable improvement can be achieved. 2. FATS:
THE GOOD AND THE BAD
The human brain is about 60% fat (dry weight). Eveiy membrane of every
cell and every organelle inside of cells are made of fats. Many hormones,
neurotransmitters and other active substances in the body are made of
fats. Fats are extremely important in our diet. The question is - what fats? There has been a great deal of conflicting information and misinforma
tion about fats. In our modern society fats have been pronounced as evil and
the food industry has sprung up to produce an abundance of low-fat and no-
fat products. Saturated animal fats, including those in meat, butter and eggs
have been blamed for all sorts of ills, so the industry, again, has been quick to
provide us with synthetic substitutes, butter replacements and spreads. People heard that vegetable oils are better for you, so a variety of different
vegetable oils have become the cooking oils instead of traditionally used
lard, goose fat and pork dripping. What the public does not know is how all
these processed oils and fats are made and what exactly they contain. Hydrogenation and trans-fats
Margarines, butter replacements, "spreadable" vegetable oils, shortenings
and many other artificial fats are hydrogenated to increase their shelf-life
and to make them the right consistency. You can find hydrogenated oils in
most processed foods: chocolates, ice-cream, biscuits, cakes, breads and
pastries, pre-prepared meals, crisps, snacks, etc. Hydrogenation is a pro
cess of adding hydrogen molecules to the chemical structure of oils under
high pressure at a very high temperature (i2O-2io 0C or 248-4ioo°F) in the
presence of nickel, aluminium and sometimes other heavy metals. Remnants of these metals stay in the hydrogenated oils. Nickel and alu
minium are both heavy metals, adding to the general toxic load which the
body has to work hard to get rid of. Heavy metals, particularly aluminium,
have been linked to many degenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's
disease and dementia. But that is not the main problem with hydrogenated fats. Hydrogenation
changes the chemical structure of the natural oils producing a whole host
of very harmful fats. Many of these changed fats have not even been
studied yet and we don't know what havoc they can wreck in the body. But
a group, called trans-fats, have received a great deal of attention. These are
unsaturated fatty acid, very beneficial for us in a natural state, whose
chemical structure has been changed through processing. Trans-fatty
acids are very similar in their structure to their natural counterparts, but
they are somewhat "back to front". Because of their similarity they occupy
the place of essential fats in the body while being unable to do their job
making cells in a way disabled. All organs and tissues in the body get
affected. For example, trans-fats have great immune-suppressing ability
playing a detrimental role in many different functions of the immune
system. They have been implicated in diabetes, atherosclerosis, cancer,
neurological and psychiatric conditions. They interfere with pregnancy
and conception, normal production of hormones, the ability of insulin to
respond to glucose, the ability of enzymes and other active substances to
do their jobs and have damaging effects on liver and kidneys. A breast
feeding mother would have trans-fats in her milk fairly quickly after ingest
ing a helping of a "healthy" butter replacement. A baby's brain has a very
high percent of unsaturated fatty acids; trans-fats would replace them and
interfere with the brain development. It is estimated that an average intake
of trans-fatty acids in the western diet is 9-12 g a day, twice as much as our
consumption of the rest of unnatural substances in foods. Given their abil
ity to impair bodilyfunctions on the most basic biochemical levels, there is
no doubt that their role in our modern epidemics of degenerative disease
is greatly underestimated. Cooking oils have very high levels of trans-fatty acids, because in the
process of extracting these oils from seeds very high temperatures, pres
sure and various chemicals have been employed. Of course, anything
cooked with these oils will also contain plenty of trans-fatty acids: crisps,
snacks, chips, fish and chips and all fried foods. It goes without saying that
GAPS children and adults should not have hydrogenated oils or trans-fats
in any form or shape in their diet. On a chemical level all fats are made from a molecule of glycerine and
molecules of fatty acids. As glycerine is the same in every fat molecule, it is
the structure of fatty acids that is responsible for various functions of dif
ferent fats in the body: from building hormones, neurotransmitters, cell membranes and nervous tissue to being the best source of energy. Many
fatty acids our bodies can make themselves, but there is


 (restless
body syndrome), and they often awaken in the morning with
low back pain. Again, treatment involves preventing adrenaline from
spiking during the night by applying progesterone cream and
then eating a light low-glycemic snack before bed, and possibly
exercising during the day to burn up excess adrenaline. Direct
application of progesterone cream to the area of the feet or
calves that is cramping often brings relief in less than a minute. HEADACHES
People with excess adrenaline often suffer from frequent
headaches. Adrenaline can give rise to muscle tension in
different areas of the body. When the tension is localized to ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 54   |
the neck—not an uncommon place to feel tension—it can
cause traction headaches, also known as tension headaches. One type of traction headache, called occipital neuritis,
is often mistaken for a migraine headache because the pain
can be severe. However, a migraine is characterized by a
pulsating type of pain, while the pain of occipital neuritis is
piercing. It arises at the base of the skull on one side or the
other and shoots into the back of the eye on the affected side. The diagnosis can be confirmed by pressing the thumb into
the suspected area at the base of the skull, which should be
very painful. Applying moist heat to this area usually provides
relief; however, preventing muscle tension around the nerve
sheath by lowering the adrenaline level is the cure. I have recommended to patients with tinnitus that
they apply progesterone to the back of the neck, and
most of them have obtained significant relief. Muscle tension in the neck can also give rise to tinnitus,
which is a ringing in one or both ears. The two vertebral
arteries, which run up the back of the neck into the brain,  give
rise in the neck to the smaller vestibular arteries, one going to
each inner ear. It is my theory that tension in the neck muscles
can constrict these small blood vessels, causing impairment of
circulation to the inner ear and thus causing tinnitus. I have recommended to patients who have tinnitus that they apply progesterone to the back of the neck, and most of them have obtained significant relief. Another example of localized muscle tension is
temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ), a condition |   55 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  BAD
that may arise when people grind their teeth or clench their
jaw, especially at night. TMJ  can be treated with a dental
prosthesis or a retainer, or more simply by lowering adrenaline. Notably, a low progesterone level can cause a headache
in three ways. First, a low progesterone level is associated
with increased insulin, which can cause hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia can lead to a hunger headache, often between
3 and 4 p.m. Second, the hypoglycemia can prompt the release
of adrenaline, which can cause traction headaches. Third,
women with low progesterone levels can get estrogen-induced
migraine headaches when they have their periods. All of the kinds of headaches mentioned in this section
respond quickly, sometimes immediately, to transdermal
progesterone cream. The following story illustrates the power of this simple treatment:
I was asked to consult on a case of a 15-year-old boy who
had been suffering from a persistent, nonstop headache, along
with associated muscle tension in his neck, for 18 months. He was exceptionally intelligent and had classic symptoms
of mixed type ADHD. Putting these factors together, I was
confident that his headache was caused by excess adrenaline. I
placed a small amount of over-the-counter progesterone cream
on his forearm and on the back of his neck. In about five
minutes his headache was 90 percent gone; after 10 minutes, it was 100 percent gone. ADDICTIONS
As we have seen, a high level of adrenaline creates anxiety,
depression, or anger. In order to “chill out,” people with excess
adrenaline often turn to alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, or some
combination of them. Abusive use of these substances can lead ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 56   |
to addictions. Regular exercise to burn off excess adrenaline—
engaging in sports, going to the gym, jogging, doing hard
work outdoors—can help. However, when these people stop
the intense physical activity, the tendency to turn again to
addictive substances may reappear. Michael Phelps, the great Olympic swimmer, was on
Ritalin for ADHD  in his younger years and got into swimming
to eliminate the need for it. He burned up so much adrenaline
with his swimming that he was able to stop taking the medicine. However, when he cut back on his swimming after the 2008
Beijing Olympics, his adrenaline again built up, and he was
caught smoking marijuana—a disappointment to many of his
fans and commercial sponsors. However, when one appreciates
the power of adrenaline, it’s easy to understand that he may have needed something to relax. It makes sense that people who rely on adrenaline to do
their work—professional athletes, executives, law officers, and
construction workers, as well as highly creative people such
as artists and performers—would turn to drugs or alcohol in their downtime, again, just to relax. Similarly, I suspect that nearly everyone in Alcoholics Anonymous has had problems
with too much adrenaline. It is the same with people who
smoke two or three packs of cigarettes per day: they need to counteract the adrenaline in their systems. From a health standpoint, of course, smokers are setting
themselves up for a multitude of serious conditions, including
COPD, lung cancer, and heart disease. The huge number of
people who are on prescription psychoactive drugs or who
drink too much or use marijuana to relax all pose a significant
danger to others and to themselves if they drive while under the influence. The cost of excess adrenaline to the healthcare |   57 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  BAD
system and to society at large is incalculable. And what about
people in our prisons? An estimated 85 percent of people in
prison have had problems related to drugs and alcohol. Could
excess adrenaline be contributing to the fact that so many
former prisoners wind up back in prison? The cost of excess adrenaline to the healthcare
system and to society at large is incalculable. When it comes to standard methods for dealing with
addiction, the success rate of detox or rehab programs is not
impressive. Yet detox centers are thriving. Some of the most expensive detox facilities are located in Southern California,
where I live. I have approached a number of these centers,
including the Betty Ford Center in my hometown, Rancho
Mirage, but found that none of them expressed interest in
utilizing an approach that addressed the underlying cause of their clients’ addictions. The Church of Scientology—whether or not one agrees
with their philosophy—deserves credit for advocating that
people get off psychoactive drugs. However, they rely on
outside “wellness” doctors to do this. I pointed out to some
Scientology executives that doctors will not take patients off a
psychoactive drug unless they are given a reasonable alternative
to help deal with the patient’s illness. I proposed that they set
up their own clinics and staff them with doctors trained to
lower adrenaline levels, and I offered to provide consulting
services. They, too, were not interested. The problem, of course, is that most doctors, including
wellness doctors, do not appreciate the causative role of
adrenaline in addiction. Reducing the adrenaline levels of ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 58   |
people with substance addictions actually takes away their
need to drink or do drugs. Using bio-identical progesterone
correctly, people can often gradually give up psychoactive drugs
with few or no withdrawal symptoms. But at present there is
not enough incentive for healthcare administrators to change
the status quo. The medical system is a multi-trillion-dollar-
a-year industry that thrives on disease and illness. Nothing in
healthcare is going to change until people get angry enough
to demand it. Reducing the adrenaline levels of people with
substance addictions actually takes away their
need to drink or do drugs. URINARY URGENCY AND BED-WETTING
Urinary urgency, or “overactive bladder,” that experience of
“when you have to go, you have to go,” is yet another condition
caused by adrenaline. Adrenaline increases perfusion through
the kidneys, which in turn increases urinary output. At the
same time, adrenaline gives people the urge to urinate. People who are releasing excess adrenaline all day and
all night often experience this kind of urinary urgency. They frequently experience dribbling on the way to the
bathroom—a condition called urgency incontinence. An
article in the September 16, 2010 issue of the New England
Journal of Medicine that reviewed the many pharmaceutical
and surgical approaches to incontinence, not surprisingly, said
nothing about adrenaline as a causative factor. Urgency incontinence is not to be confused with stress
incontinence, a condition found mostly in women whereby |   59 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  BAD
they lose muscle control around the urethra. Under stress,
such as coughing, sneezing, or laughing, urine leaks out. Even though incontinence is not


the mind’ s ego is so vain that it doesn’ t want to give credit where credit is
due. This proclivity of mind to discount inner progress is sometimes quite
comical. For instance, a man who had been stuck in the same job position
for 23 years began using the technique of letting go. W ithin a couple of
months, he suddenly jumped to the position of V ice President and, by the
end of the year, he was President of the company. When asked if he was
pleased with himself about what he had accomplished by using the inner
technique, his mind totally discounted it and ascribed his gains to “shifts in
business patterns. ” His marriage had also improved and the mind, again,
ascribed the improvements to external reasons: “My wife’ s attitudes finally
changed. ” The relationship with his son also improved, and the mind again
circumvented the inner transformation and said it was due to the fact that
his son was “getting older. ”
In the discussions that follow, it will be noted that the transitions from
one state to a higher state are not dif ficult to make. They may only seem
“dif ficult” to us because of current perceptions. It’ s important to keep in
mind that, as we surrender, our perceptions will change. Our goals will
automatically be elevated. What now seems impossible will become old hat
after we have been practicing the technique a while. W e will also notice that, as the mind contrasts the lower level of life
with the higher level, a peculiar resistance to the description of a higher
level of functioning will occur at times. The mind will get critical and try to
save face by ridiculing a higher state. This is a golden opportunity because
this is the very attitude that prevents a person from reaching that higher
state of life. The very process of reading this material is invaluable, for it
will reveal precisely what the blocks are and exactly why these goals are
impossible at the present time. As resistances, criticisms, and
disparagements come up, we can begin surrendering them and letting them
go right now in the process of reading about them. It is a great opportunity
to identify the inner blocks to fulfillment. As Pogo said, “W e have
identified the enemy, and it is us. ”
As a professional psychotherapist and psychiatrist with many decades
of clinical experience and training, these higher levels of functioning were
considered to be impossible for most people. However, learning how the
mechanism of surrender works on the practical level and watching hundreds
of families, friends, patients, and ex-patients transform their lives has totally
changed this view. Now, higher levels of functioning are seen to be
automatic, easy to achieve, and available to everyone, often in asurprisingly short period of time. As a matter of fact, some of these levels
of success and happiness will seem impossible, but the higher level will
already have occurred by the time you have finished reading this book. Y ou
can tell yourself right in the beginning that these high levels of functioning
are not only possible, but they are an inherent birthright. They are the
natural state of which you have been deprived by all the programming that
the mind has been subjected to since birth. Before reading on, it is advisable to sit quietly and make an inner
decision to let go resisting higher levels of functioning. This means to make
a decision to stop denying the higher levels to yourself, and to make a
decision to let go of all blocks to happiness, success, health, acceptance,
love, and peace. By doing this, the deed is already done, for you have set
the whole experience into a context that will automatically begin to unfold. Health
The average person is preoccupied with the body, its functioning,
performance, appearance, and survival. The average mind is beleaguered
with worries, fears of sickness, suf fering, disease, and death; therefore, the
mind sets about defending the body in a great variety of ways. This leads to
over -attention to diet, weight, exercise, and the health of the environment. W ith such inner tension, by the end of the day the average person frequently
feels like a victim: drained, empty, and exhausted. One consequence of this preoccupation with the body is self-
consciousness. W ithin the field of awareness, the body’ s presence is
prominent, and there is a mental fixation with what it is doing, its
whereabouts and movements, its survival, the attitudes and approval of
other persons toward the body, its appearance and behavior. Underlying all of this concern is the unconscious equation, “I am a
body. ” This is a very limited level of consciousness. In fact, in the spiritual
world this is called “being unconscious. ” Because it is a false identification
due to a marked narrowing of awareness, it is like wearing blinders. It is
like having a pimple on the nose and thinking that the whole world now
revolves around that pimple, and going through the day with that pimple
most prominent in our mind. Be aware of how much ener gy is drained by this constant
preoccupation with the body. Our mind has been continuously programmed
with a countless variety of belief systems about the body: what it needs,what will be good for it, and its infinite number of vulnerabilities. This
leads to constant preoccupations with all kinds of health preventive
measures, including health food fads, the endless reading of labels for
potentially poisonous ingredients, the fear of being near someone smoking a
cigarette, the fear of dusts and pollens and all of the supposed contaminants
of the environment. There is an obsession with of fsetting all of these
“dangers” by various countermeasures. As we have seen from previous discussions, these vulnerabilities are
merely the product of the mind, and the body will react to what is held in
mind. This was demonstrated in our discussion of multiple personalities
where the body reflected in each instant what that particular personality and
mind believed. As we begin letting go of all these fears, cancelling the belief systems
and reaf firming that our true Self is Infinite and not subject to limitations,
we move into a higher state of health, wellness, and vital ener gy. A helpful
way to phrase it to ourselves is, “I am an Infinite Being, not subject to
____________. ” W e put into the blank space whatever disease or substance
that the mind has been programmed to see as a possible “danger” for us. After letting go of the endless variety of bodily fears, concerns and
belief systems, physical illnesses begin to resolve automatically. There is an
increase in the feeling of aliveness and personal freedom. In the state of
total surrender, the body is barely perceived at all. It is only peripherally in
awareness, and there is no preoccupation with it. It functions ef fortlessly,
smoothly, and with very little attention. A surrendered person can eat anything or go anywhere and is no longer
subject to fears of contaminants, pollutants, drafts, germs, electromagnetic
frequencies, carpet, smoke, dust, animal dander, poison ivy, pollen, or food
dyes. Our perception of the body shifts, and it now seems to be like a
puppet or a pet. This shift of perception is from “I am  the body” to “I have  a
body. ”
It becomes progressively obvious that the body is not experiencing
itself at all. On the contrary, it is the mind that is experiencing the body. W ithout the mind, the body cannot be perceived at all. The arm cannot
experience its arm-ness. Only the mind can experience the arm-ness. This,
of course, is the very basis of anesthesia. When the mind is asleep, the body
has no sensation. It slowly dawns on us that, in fact, the body doesn’ t have
any sensation; only the mind is capable of that function. This is a very important shift of consciousness because now the
preoccupation is not with the body and defending it. The focus of attention
now shifts to the mind, which is where the greater power lies. As we shift
our thoughts, feelings and perceptions, we begin to notice that the body
follows suit. W e recognize that people are not really responding to our body
at all but to our inner attitudes, our ener gy state, and our level of awareness. One day it dawns on us that everyone and everything in the world are
responding to our level of consciousness, our intention, and to the inner
feeling we have about them. W e register the magnetism of saintly people
such as Mother T eresa, the Dalai Lama, and Mahatma Gandhi. W e see that
they are beloved not because of their physical appearance, but because of
the inner radiance of love and peace they emanate. The shift of focus from
the physical level to the level of consciousness begins to bring rapid results. The persistent surrender of negative feelings and attitudes means that
the associated guilt is also being constantly relinquished. A consciousness
that is not guilt-ridden tends no longer to attract disease. In the unconscious,
guilt requires punishment and sickness, with its attendant pain and
suf fering, as the mind’ s most frequent means of self-retaliation. This self-
retaliation may take the form of an accident, cold, attack of the flu, arthritis,
or any of the multiple diseases that the mind has invented. These diseases
take epidemic forms due to television and media publicity. When a
prominent figure shares with the public some