. Then I related one of Abraham Lincoln’s
favorite retorts: “If you counted a sheep’s tail as a leg, how many legs would it have?”  Invariably the answer was “five. ” To which Lincoln would respond: “Only four. Counting the tail as a leg doesn’t make it one. ”
I think you’ll agree that we are not equipped in any aspect of our being as carnivores. Are We Eaters of Fermented and Rotten Foods?Substantially all of Americans eat fermented and putrefied substances that are
called foods. When fats oxidize and decompose they become rancid and repulsive. Carbohydrates ferment when decomposed by fungi (yeast) and bacteria. And proteins putrefy (rot) when decomposed by bacteria and fungi. It is odd that we will discard fermented grapes, yet drink their fermentation end-product
called wine. Odder still, most Americans consume with relish something that never oc -
curred in nature: a pathogenic putrefactive product called cheese. Cheese represents about all the decomposition products in a single package: r
ancid fats, putrefactive prod -
ucts and fermentation products. Bacterial and fungal (y east) f
ermentation produce
alcohol, vinegar (acetic acid) and lactic acid with other byproducts of methane and carbon dioxide. Proteins, decomposed primarily by anaerobic bac -
teria but also by fungi and aerobic bacteria, have as dec omposition end-products pt omaines (putr
es-
cine, muscarine, neurine, cadaverine, ptomatropine
and y et other toxic c ompounds), indoles
, leukomaines, skatoles, mercaptans, ammonia,
methane, hydrogen sulfide and yet other toxic compounds. You need only to refer to a good dictionary to learn just how poisonous these products are. Yet, Americans eat bil -
lions upon billions of pounds of cheese annually. Cheese is made b y taking the casein portion of milk and r otting it with t
ypes of bacteria
that yield byproducts that many palates have come to treasure. That all these poisons
going into the system cause anything less than sicknesses, diseases and debility is mis -
representation. Tumors and cancer are often the result. 58
FruiticultureHumans consume many fermentation, rancid and putrefactive products. Most are de -
rived from milk. Some are derived from grains (especially the alcohols), fruits (wines and
certain vinegars), legumes (especially the soybean and its tr ain of putr
efactive prod -
ucts), and decomposed meats. As humans could not consume these dec omposed pr
oducts in nature without tools and
containerization, we may safely categorize them as unnatural. I dare say that you agree.Are We Sucklings of Animals?I doubt that humans ever directly suckled cattle, goats, mares, camels, sheep and other
animals. And, of course, the idea of doing this is obnoxious to our disposition. I refer,
facetiously, to milk drinkers as secondhand grass eaters although, to be sure, grass has all the nutr ients necessar y t
o support life. While we can live on milks (certain Africans, like the Masai, live substantially on milk and blood, thus reducing themselves to parasite status), these are by no means our natural foods. Milk-drinking as a regular part of our intake is only a few hun -
dred years old with the exception of certain Arabic and A frican peoples. M ilk
-drinking is pathogenic. If milk and milk products were discontinued today, millions of people would cease to suffer sicknesses and pathologies within a short pe -
riod. In fact, if this alone was discontinued, the hospitals would virtually empty out and physicians’  w
aiting rooms would be mostly vacated. Milk-drinking is also an act by proxy. If we had to get milk directly from the teats of ani -
mals by suction, I’m sure we’d skirt milk altogether. I would and I’m sure you would too. Are We F
rugivores? Are we a species of fruit eaters? Would you, in nature, relish ripe, vibrant grapes, peach -
es, melons, bananas, apples, plums, oranges, mangos, avocados, tomatoes, figs, berries
and the thousands of other fruits? Would fruits attr ac
t your eye, tantalize your sense of
smell, and be a gustatory delight in their raw natural ripe state? Would you prefer any -
thing that occurs in nature to a juicy sweet watermelon? 59
FruiticultureMan has always had a love affair going
with fruits. Even through all his perver -
sions, he has continued to relish fruits. Fruits are the natur al f
ood of humans
and the only food category ideally suit -
ed to all their faculties. This does not mean we should eat fruits totally and
e
xclusively in our present circumstances,
but it does mean that, in nature, that’s all we ate as attested to by anthropo -
logical evidence scientists have uncovered, notably Dr. Alan Walker of Johns Hopkins University. Of c
ourse, you go for fruits in their raw state regardless of what else your acculturization
and circumstances dispose you to eat. Your instincts are still alive and well despite per -
versions. Many myths have been built around and about fruits. As a fruitarian I can offer
a new dietary for those who say w e
’re not—their own words! Nutritionists, so-called, are the creatures of training dictated by the meat, grain and milk trusts. These trusts are part of the dominant commercial interests that dictate what will be taught in our educational institutions from universities down to kindergarten. Nutritionists are trained like seals to parrot the propaganda which will induce the popu -
lace to consume their masters’ products, with the basic five food groups being one of the primary propaganda w eapons put a
t their disposal to serve their masters. Of course,
there are renegade nutritionists and dietitians who have revolted against the basic four except for the fruit and vegetable category. Most nutritionists are ashamed of the fifth food category and don’t even mention it though it is on the books along with the basic four. The fifth category consists of what might broadly be termed “accessory foods” such as
oils, syrups, snack foods, sugars, wines, seasonings, jams, preserves, etc. Even though we are admonished to eat from all five food categories daily by the framers of this scheme to peddle commercial products, nutritionists and dietitians are not keen on mouthing this part of the propaganda even though they include it liberally in their recipes. 60
FruiticultureWhile some nutritionists and dietitians praise fruits and vegetables, they still charac -
terize those who point out our biologically correct foods as faddists and nutritional
quacks. Yet, ev
en in seminars, those who sharply question me must admit that, aestheti -
cally, they would eat little besides fruits in nature and that we humans are naturally fruitar ians. All the cr it
eria heretofore cited as the requirements of our natural foods are amply met
by fruits. In short, they are replete with our nutrient requirements in practically the pro -
portions that we need them. We are biological symbionts of fruit-bearing plants, and in nature would ea t v
ery little besides fruits. Despite all this, there’s no particular harm in
eating green leafy vegetables, stalks, stems and their fresh juices in the raw state. Even some steaming or conservative cooking of tu -
bers, stalks, stems, roots, corms and selected legumes and g rains (pref er
ably sprouted), are
not sufficiently deleterious to seriously harm our health. Of course, there are some toxic re -
sults from eating all this fare. We’re better off without them. Yet, I r epea
t, there is no great
harm in their consumption relative to what is suffered from conventional fare. Dr. Bruce Ames of the University of California, Berkeley, has created a catalog of poi -
sons in vegetables and published an extensive article in the September 23, 1983 issue
of Science magazine. No indic tmen
t of fruits as having toxic substances was made or
can be made. Virtually every vegetable was indicted. All were a part of the same study. Humans are biologically equipped to handle most fruits. When ripened, fruits accommodatingly convert their carbohydrate components into glu -
cose and fructose, simple sugars we can use without further digestion. Their enzymes
conver t their pr
oteins into amino acids and their fats into fatty acids and glycerols. Thus,
when we eat fruits, all we need do is savor their goodness. The fruit portions, that is, mesocarps, were specifically compounded to attract biological symbionts. Fruits meet their nutrient needs rather ideally with predigested nutrients. For humans, no other food compares with fruits in satisfying all needs including, of course, our requirement for deli -
61
Fruiticultureciously vibrant soul-exalting fare. I’m sure that you will agree through your own senses that fruits would be your primary
food in a state of nature. Are We Vegetarian?The average American understands the term vegetarian to mean an “eater of vegetables. ”
But, in reality a vegetarian is someone who eats only plant-derived foods. This may in -
clude a preponderance of fruits but,


 the senses becomes "intel-
lect," the concrete or informational side of intelligence. Functioning inwardly through our deeper consciousness, it
becomes what could be better called "true intelligence. " The distinction between intellect and true intelligence is
crucial for understanding the condition of the world today Intelligence: The Power of Perception
and essential for establishing any real depth psychology. Intellect refers to an intelligence that uses reason, based
upon the senses, to determine truth. It extends the range
of the senses through various instruments, like telescopes
and microscopes, and increases its calculating capacity
through various machines, like computers. It invents dif-
ferent systems of ideas, temporal and spatial measure-
ments, to understand the world. Intellect constructs the idea of an external world as real-
ity, noting the names and forms of things in the world and
placing them into various categories and hierarchies. The
notion of an outer world of enjoyment as our place of ful-
fillment derives from it. From it comes a materialistic view
of life and a mechanistic view of the universe. Intellect
directs us to outer goals in life: enjoyment, wealth, power
or mundane knowledge. It creates a bodily idea of exis-
tence, in which we become trapped in time and space, sor-
row and death. Intellect emphasizes outer distinctions,
roles, and identities. Through it we get caught in surface
information, status and possessions. Intellect functions
under the control of ego and emotion rather than guiding
them. It can inhibit our spiritual evolution, making us
prefer solid worldly realities over inner experiences. True intelligence is a power of inner or direct percep-
tion quite different from the secondhand or mediated
knowledge of the intellect. It reveals to us the nature of
things, transcending their sensory appearances, the con-
tent behind the often misleading package. True intelli-
gence takes the eternal to be the real, and perceives tran-
sient names and forms as unreal. Through it we go beyond
all beliefs, preconceptions, and concepts and leam to see
things as they are. True intelligence is keenly aware of the impennanence Ayurveda and the Mind
of all external reality and does not attach us to any fixed
names and forms. Through it we learn to perceive the con-
sciousness behind the shifting movements of matter and
energy in the external world. We free ourselves from outer
belief structures, authorities and institutions, transcending
time and space into the reality of our True Nature. The intellect possesses only an indirect knowledge or
mediated knowledge of names, numbers and appearances. For this reason, the intellect cannot solve our human prob-
lems or bring peace to the psyche. It is not enough to
know what our problems are conceptually. We must
understand their origin in our own hearts and souls. With-
out an awakening of true intelligence, our society must
remain emotionally unstable and spiritually naive. West-
em psychology, with some exceptions, shares the limita-
tions of an intellectual view of life that the West has gen-
erally glorified in its philosophy and science. Ayurveda,
based on Yogic philosophy, regards the intellect as a lower
or inferior intelligence. It helps us cultivate our deeper
intelligence, which takes us beyond the senses to the tmth
within our hearts. Conscience
Each of us possesses an inherent ethical sense, which we
call "conscience" — a feeling that certain things are right
and others are wrong. Our conscience causes us not to wish
harm to any creature and to feel the pain of others as our
own. Conscience is a major part of intelligence, which
establishes how we value and treat other people. The more
intelligent we are, the stronger a conscience we have and
the less we seek to interfere with others or impose our will
upon them. Directly outwardly, intelligence creates morality, which Intelligence: The Power of Perception
may be little more than the arbitrary customs of a partic-
ular society. Directed inwardly, intelligence creates univer-
sal ethics like non-violence, which transcend all cultural
prejudices. Through our inner intelligence, we act ethical-
ly and humanely, not for material or social gain, or even for
heavenly reward, but for the good of all. Organized religion, with its dogmas and institutions, is
another product of the outward-oriented intelligence. It
results in the clash of beliefs and their exclusive claims. It
ties us to a particular church, book or savior as truth. On
the other hand, directed inwardly, true intelligence creates
spirituality or the quest for eternal truth beyond name and
form. It leads to the truth of our own inner Being, our
higher Self in which the insistence upon a belief, savior or
institution appears naive. Intelligence and Awareness
True intelligence is the aspect of consciousness that is
awake, cognizant, and developed, while consciousness
(Chitta) itself is the mental field as a whole, particularly its
undeveloped core. Consciousness, as it evolves, turns into
intelligence that articulates and clarifies it. Consciousness,
when directed toward a particular principle, value, or
higher good, becomes intelligence. In its highest function,
intelligence becomes spiritual discrimination, through
which we discern the inner reality from outer forms, which
releases our consciousness from its negative conditioning. Consciousness contains everything in the mental field
in a potential or seed form. Intelligence allows us to
become aware of the contents of consciousness, which oth-
erwise lie hidden and unperceived. I he cultivation of
awareness, which is meditation, is necessary to develop
true intelligence. However, the mind's intelligence (Bud- Ayurveda and the Mind
dhi) is always an awareness of something and remains con-
ditioned by its object. We must eventually step beyond it
to discover our true Self (Atman) beyond the mind. The
Self is the origin of intelligence. The reflection of its
unconditioned intelligence endows the mental field with a
conditioned intelligence. Our conditioned intelligence is
an instrument for the unconditioned intelligence of the
Self. From conditioned consciousness and intelligence
(Chitta and Buddhi), we must move to unconditioned con-
scious and intelligence (Chit and Jnana). Cosmic Intelligence
Intelligence has a cosmic as well as individual reality. 2'
Cosmic Intelligence is the evolved or sattvic portion of
Cosmic Consciousness. It is the mind of God at the sum-
mit of creation, through which God functions as the Cre-
ator-Preserver-Destroyer of the universe. 24 Cosmic Intelli-
gence is the field of God's action, the manifestation of His
laws. It is the Divine Word, the Logos, through which the
universe is created. From it comes the first or ideal cre-
ation, of which this material world is an imperfect reflec-
tion. Cosmic Intelligence is responsible for the structure and
order of the cosmos, while Cosmic Consciousness governs
the world process and being. A portion of Cosmic Intelli-
gence descends into matter and becomes the Divine flame
that constructs the worlds. 2' Our individual intelligence is
our particular portion of Cosmic Intelligence or the Divine
Word. This Divine flame is ever awake at the deepest level
of our consciousness as our inner guide. 26 It directs our evo-
lutionary process from matter to spirit, from the uncon-
scious to the superconscious, from ignorance to enlighten-
ment. Cosmic Intelligence is the inner guru who works to
awaken our internal wisdom. Intelligence: The Power of Perception
Cosmic Intelligence contains all cosmic laws (Dhar-
mas), from those that govern the physical world to the eth-
ical principles that govern our karma. It is the field of nat-
ural law, in which all the laws of life are held. Our
individual intelligence naturally strives to learn the laws of
Cosmic Intelligence, through which the entire universe
can be comprehended. Cosmic Intelligence establishes
what is dhannic, or in harmony with cosmic law, as
opposed to what is adhannic, or contrary to it. Individual
intelligence grows through aligning itself with Cosmic
Intelligence that is its source. This happens not by mere
study of books, but by studying nature and, above all, by
observing oneself. Composition
True intelligence develops from sattvic or finer matters
of consciousness (Chitta). However, directed outwardly,
intelligence becomes contaminated with rajas, or emotion-
al impurities, which cloud its perception,27 and by tamas,
which causes wrong judgment. The seat of true intelligence, like that of consciousness,
resides in the heart. However, the seat of intellect, or outer
intelligence, is the brain, which is connected with the
senses. Intelligence mediates between the outer mind that
works through the brain and the inner mind located in the
heart. 28 To merge intelligence into the heart is the way to
transcend the outer world and return to the inner Self. This is the basis of all true meditation. The field of intelligence makes up the sheath of intelli-
gence or wisdom, Vijnanamaya Kosha. This sheath medi-
ates between the causal (karmic) body and the astral or
subtle body of impressions. Without the proper develop-
ment of the intelligence sheath, the potentials of the deep- Ayurveda and the Mind
er


that thought which is acted upon. But it is all an error. “God is too pure to
behold iniquity.” If it’ s not good, it’ s not of God, and if it’ s not of God, it
can’t exist, since everything is of the one power we call God. Y ou can
correct all the errors of your belief in separation from God by bringing that
higher loving ener gy to those areas of your life that are plagued with
problems. They are not punishments. Rather think of them as errors to be
corrected. They will disappear as surely as two plus two equals seven
disappears when you bring the substance of truth to the error. God does not condemn, God for gives. God does not punish, God is love. You end the error of evil which is a non-God thought by bringing a God-
thought to it. Y ou raise your spiritual ener gy by recognizing the lower
energies as being the result of having separated yourself from spirit in the
first place. Y ou rid yourself of the idea that any evil person has a grip on
you, because there is only one power in the universe that holds everything
together, and that power is good. All else that is not good is your mind at
work creating the illusions of problems. Nothing of an evil nature has ever
touched God. Anything that you believe God punished you for is because
you lived in the mind of man rather than the mind of God. When the mindof man becomes illuminated, he becomes a part of God, and this is the
solution to your fear of punishment. God Is Not an Overcoming Power
There is no reason for you to sit around and wait to be favored with a
spiritual experience, because most likely it is not going to happen that way. What you must do to raise and maintain higher spiritual ener gy is to learn
these principles and then put them into action. The simple truth is that by
thinking good, healing, loving thoughts you can produce the good, healing,
loving results. And conversely, by thinking evil thoughts you can produce
evil results. So, how do we overcome our mental inertia? By changing our
fundamental belief system. When you believe in two powers you must
constantly upgrade your fighting because stronger defeats weaker. A greater
force defeats a lesser force. Thus we have two forces or powers always in
conflict with each other. I’d like you to try a dif ferent idea here, which will eliminate the barrier of
your mental inertia. There are not good powers and bad powers, good
forces and bad forces. There is only one power and that is the power of God
or spirit. This power does not overcome evil, disease, disharmony, or
problems. The power of God is not an overcoming power. It does not defeat
or engage in conflict since it is the only power there is. There is no
secondary power for it to subdue. The two-power idea is a mental and
material creation of man wherein we fight lesser forces with greater forces
to emer ge as winners, or we think loving thoughts to overcome evil
thoughts—to be happier. God power doesn’ t overcome. The power of God is a creative, sustaining power. When you embrace this
idea of one power, all other forms of power whether material or mental
dissolve. Once you know this you stop fighting evil thoughts and instead
embrace the oneness of God. “Resist not evil,” means do not give any
credence to evil as a power in the first place. Evil has no power except to
those who subscribe to there being two powers. Once you embrace the idea of one power, you commune with that power
and let go of the illusion that a power other than that of God created your
problems. That is the two-power mind-set that I’ve called low/slowfrequencies of vibration. It is there because you live in the duality that there
is non-God and God existing simultaneously. Moreover, God is in this
never -ending eternal conflict with non-God and never has, or ever will, win
—this is all absurd. By leaving behind this duality thinking, and embracing
the idea of one power, you leave behind conflict. Y ou go to that one source,
needing nothing to struggle against, and you bring this truth to those
problem areas and observe as they evaporate in the presence of this one
power the power that is the one that you cannot seek after, attain, influence,
or coerce, because you already are connected to it right here, right now. Right where you stand. It is the meaning of “the Kingdom of God is within
you.” Again, as Saint Paul put it, “Y ou are the temple of the living God.”
Divine Love W ill Meet Every Human Need
Mary Baker Eddy is responsible for these words being printed on the wall
of every Christian Science Church: “Divine love will meet every human
need.” How is it possible to believe this is true? People continue to have
many unmet needs in the presence of divine love. They feel divine love and
still their problems and sicknesses persist. This statement does not imply, as
many who wish for the resolutions to their problems assume, that divine
love is out there doing it for or to you. Divine love is something that you
must express and when you do, your every problem or need will be met. Divine love is not floating around in the air or sitting in a fluf fy cloud
waiting to rain down on you and wash away all your problems. Divine love
is what you radiate outward and it is not what you think of as human love. In divine love there are no conditions, no rules, no need to be thanked or
reciprocated. Divine love is spiritual love that embraces the seven
components of spirituality elaborated in chapter one. Y ou must let these
blessings pour out from you rather than going to God for your blessings,
because you are the instrument through which this grace flows. If you are to
raise and maintain your spiritual ener gy, you must keep uppermost in mind
that you (not a God from whom you are separated) are willing to allow
divine love to solve the problem. Rudolf Steiner observed “If we do not develop within ourselves this deeply
rooted feeling that there is something higher than ourselves, we shall neverfind the strength to evolve to something higher.” Divine love is not truly
higher than yourself, but it is higher than the physical or ego-self you’ve
come to believe is you. Y ou already are this divine love and you can radiate
it outward and aim it at your unmet needs once you begin acknowledging
that it does exist. You Cannot Have God and Have Fear T oo
Generally speaking, most people fear their highest possibility and they are
afraid to become that which they can envision in their most glorious and
perfect moments. Consequently fear becomes an accustomed state of being,
and avoiding our own divinity becomes commonplace. I suggest that your highest possibility is to come to a knowing of your own
divinity. Yet your conditioning has led you to believe that it is almost
sacrilegious to assume that you are divine. Divinity, you have been told, is
for God and perhaps his chosen saints, but not for you. Thus, a fear of your
highest possibility keeps you from knowing God and living a life in which
you can access spiritual solutions. Essentially there are two overriding emotions—love and fear. And those
two emotional states cannot be experienced simultaneously. If you have fear
you’ve eliminated love, and vice versa. The scriptures remind us that
“Perfect love casteth out all fear.” They also inform us over and over that
“God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (I
John 4:16). So, obviously the solution is to rid yourself of all fear and the
only way to do so is to stop yourself in a moment of fear and see if you can
replace the fear with love in that very moment. Right in that moment of
replacing fear with love you have introduced a spiritual solution to the
problem surrounding the fear. Always remind yourself in moments of fear
that God cannot reside where fear exists. I am sure you are familiar with the saying that our greatest fear is fear of the
unknown. If that is true, how can we remedy it? By becoming acquainted
with the thing you do not know and that you fear. Then it will disappear. And what is it that we maintain is unknown? God, spirit, higher awareness,
and ultimately love. Any and all fears that you harbor make you the
landlord to a ghost. Face it, and feel the fear. Replace fear by simplyallowing a feeling of love or the presence of God to reside right in that same
ghostly spot where the fear was. I have found in my own life that I seldom encounter fears anymore. The old
fears of failing, or enduring the disapproval of others, or not knowing how
things might work out, simply don’ t crop up in my inner world any longer. It’s not because I’ve achieved a certain level of success or material
possessions (it is my experience that people who rise to a high level of
material success have a great fear of losing it), but because I have a strong
feeling of love where fear used to be, and because I know that I am never
ever alone or separate from God. If you find out that what you fear the most
is an illusion of your mind only, then you have identified where you will
develop next. The eradication of that fear, when all is said


 a group of fatty
acids, which our bodies cannot make. These are the essential fatty acids. Essential fats
Essential means - we cannot live without them. Essential fats contain fatty
acids, which our human bodies cannot make, so we have to get them from
food. These are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Every cell in the body
depends on them for proper function and survival. These oils take part in a
myriad of functions in the body on the most basic level. Our bodies, the
brain in particular, are to a degree made up of them. Hundreds of clinical
studies have been performed with the use of omega-3 and omega-6 oils,
where they were shown to be effective in treating every health condition
under the sun, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, diabetes,
depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, infections,
cancer and so on. Due to food processing most of us don't get enough
essential fats in our diets. Because of impaired digestion, there is no doubt
that GAPS people are deficient in essential fatty acids and absolutely must
have them added to their diet. Let us have a look at this subject in detail. There are two essential fatty acids, from which the body can make all
others:
omega-3: Alpha-LinolenicAcid or LNAfor short and
omega-6: LinoleicAcid or LA for short. Both these fatty acids come from seeds and nuts. The richest sources of LNA (omega-3} are flaxseed oil (linseed oil), hemp
oil and some exotic oils from kukui (candlenut) and chia. In smaller
amounts this fatty acid is present in walnuts, soybeans, pumpkin seeds,
canola/rape, rice bran, dark green leafy vegetables, egg yolk, animal fats
(particularly wild), animal milk and, of course, in human breast milk. The richest sources of LA (omega-6) are evening primrose oil, safflower,
sunflower, walnut, hemp oil and pretty much all seeds and nuts. In smaller
amounts it is found in egg yolks, milk and human breast milk. LNA and IA are called "the parent fatty acids". From these two fatty acids
the body can make other fats to be used in pretty much every function in
every cell (FIG. 5). IOMEGA-3 i
EPA
fc)CoS«pent«cnoic Acid ":
FIG. 5 Conversion of parent omega fatty acids (LNA and LA) into various
derivatives in the body. Omega-3 fats
From LNA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid) two very important omega-3 fatty acids
are formed: EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic
Acid). EPA and DHA are absolutely vital for normal brain and eye develop
ment. They are found in abundance in brain cells, nerve synapses, visual
receptors, adrenal and sex glands. However, to make them from LNA the
body needs a good supply of certain nutrients: vitamins C, B3 and B6, mag
nesium, zinc and some enzymes. GAPS patients are almost routinely defi
cient in these nutrients, so it is not difficult to predict that their bodies will
not be able to convert parent omega-3 (LNA), from flax oil for example,
into EPA and DHA, so much needed by their brains. Some researchers in
the field believe that this inability to convert the parent omega-3 LNA to
brain-building omega-3 EPA and DFIA in GAPS children and adults plays a
big part in their problems (FIG. 6). So, just supplementing LNA as a flax
seed oil is not enough for these patients, they need EPA and DHA ready-
made. The best sources of these two oils are cold water fish: salmon, sar
dines, mackerel, trout and eel. The oil from these fish can be found as sup
plements. Sea and freshwater algae and phytoplankton are very rich in
these oils as well, that is where the cold water fish get their supply of
omega-3 fats. Supplementing algae would have been a good way of getting
these fats, however, the unpleasant taste of algae is a big problem, particu
larly with children. Smaller amounts of EPA and DHA are found in seal fat,
whale blubber, pike, carp, herring and haddock. Cod liver oil is a good
source of DHA and EPA and one of the oldest ways of supplementing these
essential fats. But apart from that it is a good source of natural vitamins A
and D. Despite concerns about water pollution and quality control in dif
ferent brands of cod liver oil again and again it has been shown to be most
beneficial for GAPS children and adults. What about just eating fish? Eating
fresh fish a few times a week is the best way of getting EPA and DHA for
healthy individuals. However, for GAPS children and adults that is not
enough due to their inability to digest foods properly and an overload of
toxins, coming from the gut, which reduce amounts of essential fatty acids
in the brain. GAPS people do need supplementing with EPA and DHA in
the form of cod liver oil and other fish oils. Most fish oils, including cod liver oil, contain roughly equal amounts of
EPA and DHA. However, there is evidence to show that GAPS children and
adults need more EPA than DHA In the body DHA can be made from EPA. A British psychiatrist Dr Basant Puri has described a patient with severe drug resistant depression who completely recovered after supplementa
tion with EPA rich fish oil. But the most astonishing result was seen on this
patient's MRI scans of the brain. Before treatment with EPA this patient
showed a typical for depression reduction in the thickness of the grey
matter in the brain. After nine months on EPA his grey matter was restored
to normal thickness. David Horrobin describes a similar example with a
schizophrenic patient where, apart from dramatic clinical improvement,
restoration of the brain tissue was seen on MRI scans. There are supple
ments on the market now with a higher ratio of EPA to DHA and many
patients report good effect from these oils. DHA is considered to be essen
tial for building the brain structure, where EPA is considered more impor
tant for the functioning of the brain. Both need supplementing in order to
help GAPS patients. Omega - 6 fats
LA (Linoleic acid) is a parent fatty acid for GLA (Gamma-Linolenic Acid),
DGLA (Dihomogamma-Linolenic Acid) and AA (Arachidonic Acid). These
fatty acids are essential for the immune system, hormone metabolism,
inflammation, blood clotting and many other functions in the body. Many
seeds and nuts contain these oils. lust as with omega-3 oils, to convert LA
into GLA and DGLA the body needs magnesium, zinc, vitamins B3, B6 and
C, so this conversion will also be a problem for GAPS patients, which
means that GLA has to be supplemented as well as LA. GLA is found in
evening primrose oil (9%), borage oil (24%), blackcurrant seed oil (18%)
and hemp oil (2%). Many omega-6 oils can be very efficiently supplied
through regular consumption of nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine,
Brazil nuts, etc.) and seeds (sunflower, sesame and pumpkin). Hemp oil,
evening primrose oil, unrefined sunflower oil, borage oil and safflower oil
are concentrated sources of omega-6 fatty acids, available on the market. One omega-6 fatty acid deserves particular attention as far as the GAPS
conditions are concerned, Arachidonic Acid (AA), which makes up 12% of
all brain fat. It is by far the most abundant fatty acid in the brain. Research
shows that patients with autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and
depression have low levels of AA in their bodies. What is happening in
these patients is that AA and other fatty acids leak out of the cell mem
branes, where they are naturally located. This deficiency in AA means that
any function, no matter how small or large cannot be accomplished effi
ciently between the brain cells, immune cells and other cells in the body. Why are GAPS patients loosing AA and other fatty acids from their cell
membranes? The reason is not yet clear. However, a lot of research points
in the direction of an enzyme, called Phospholipase A2 or PLA2, whose
function is to release AA from the cell membranes. In GAPS patients this
enzyme is overactive, leaching AA from brain cells leaving them deficient
in this vital fatty acid. There are a number of things which can cause PIA2
overactivity. Bio-toxins coming from bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites
in the gut are usually the major cause. Chronic inflammation in the body
activates PLA2 and we know that GAPS patients have chronic inflamma
tion in their digestive systems. Exposure to heavy metals, pesticides and
other chemicals is known to cause PLA2 overactivity. High levels of insulin,
caused by the consumption of processed carbohydrates


 a bladder problem, women
with this condition are often given drugs to relax the bladder,
such as Detrol or Ditropan, which are ineffective and have
anticholinergic side effects (such as dry mouth, constipation,
and glaucoma). Or they receive surgical treatment, such
as placement of a vaginal mesh, which has been known to
cause severe complications. The latest approach is to inject
Botox into the bladder muscles. However, incontinence is not
caused by a Botox deficiency. Moreover, Botox is so effective
at preventing incontinence that women can wind up with the
opposite problem and require catheter placement for three
months until the drug wears off. However, stress incontinence can be completely eliminated,
usually in three to six days, using intravaginal bio-identical
testosterone cream in conjunction with doing Kegel exercises. I discuss this in more detail in my books The Miracle of
Bio-Identical Hormones and The Platt Protocol for Hormone
Balancing. The release of adrenaline at night to raise the sugar
level to fuel the brain is very often the cause of
nighttime urination. Many people have problems with nocturia (nighttime
urination); some have to get up three or four times a night. This condition is often blamed on drinking too many fluids,
prostate problems, heart problems, or having a “small bladder.”
However, the release of adrenaline at night to raise the sugar
level to fuel the brain is very often the cause.ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 60   |
A child who has problems with enuresis (bed-wetting)
almost always has ADHD. In fact, a pediatric urologist shared
with me that the correlation between bed-wetting and ADHD
is widely acknowledged in his field. I have observed that
bed-wetting seems to occur almost exclusively in children
who have a creative type (right-brained) component to their
ADHD. This is not surprising, since the right brain is more
active, even at night, so more adrenaline is released during the
night, creating the urge to urinate. Bed-wetting seems to occur almost exclusively in
children who have a creative type (right-brained)
component to their ADHD. The pediatric urologist also told me that the primary
treatment for bed-wetting in children was Vasopressin, a
powerful antidiuretic hormone. I expressed surprise at the
time that the FDA would allow this. To their credit, the FDA
did wake up to the dangers of using this drug in children and
has since disallowed it. However, this raises the question: what
drugs might these doctors be prescribing now? Again, to my way of thinking, the urinary issues just
discussed are all about adrenaline. Children with excess
adrenaline can have a problem with bed-wetting, and adults
with excess adrenaline will get up at night to urinate. Lowering
the adrenaline level in both children and adults can bring
dramatic improvement in this condition. |   61 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  BAD
HOW ADRENALINE DOMINANCE PRESENTS:
PATIENT OBSERVATIONS
Excess adrenaline rarely causes a single condition. It is more
likely to manifest as several conditions. The particular array of
conditions tends to be unique to each patient, and in general,
the number and severity of the conditions may increase as
the years go by. Thus the following key points can be made:
1. The effects of excess adrenaline frequently start in
  childhood and progress throughout adulthood. 2. A person often has a combination of the “good,” “bad,” and “ugly” effects of adrenaline. 3. Everyone is different in terms of how they react to excess adrenaline. 4. Everyone is the same in terms of the dramatic  relief they experience from reducing adrenaline. These points are illustrated in two letters from patients
that follow. I have found that excess adrenaline is almost always
associated with a low progesterone level. Low progesterone
would account for the history of severe menstrual cramps
described in the first letter. I suspect that this woman’s severe constipation was a manifestation of irritable bowel syndrome exacerbated by low thyroid function. The almost miraculous
change in her demeanor and feelings she describes can only
be attributed to a decrease in her adrenaline.ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 62  |
Patient K.B. November 3, 2009Good morning everyone,
This past week has been like moving from living in
black and white to waking up each day [to living] in color
….The shades of grey are slipping away more and more each day and are being replaced equally by a brilliance of colors. That is the best description I can share. Today is the last day that I will be taking both Lamictal
and Seroquel. Good riddance! I woke up today realizing
something BIG is happening and I’d best keep a record of it! I am now convinced that the better cause of my
turbulent childhood was my imbalance of hormones. What
I can remember of my childhood (and that is not much) that directly contributes to my areas of concern today are, but are not limited to, the following:
Constant constipation with periods between bowel
movements of 7–10 days and sometimes longer, throughout
my entire life. Horrible menstrual cramps with clotting. Inability to concentrate; an inability to relax and “be
myself” at any time, even when alone. Nervous, self-doubt,
and on and on…. I thought that I would share my journal entry for
today, which prompted this e-mail:
Today is Monday Nov. 3, 2009. I woke up today,
after an extremely restful night, in no pain, energized,
alert, clear headed, light spirited, calm, no pressure in
my head, clear eyes, excited (and I am sure there are more
adjectives that apply here) for the very first time that I can
recall in my entire life. I know that Dr. Platt said that
this would happen, but I walked out scared shitless that |   63 ExCESS  ADRENALINE: THE  BAD
“I” would be right and that “Dr. Platt” would be wrong
in my case. (After all, I sat through that meeting in my
numbed, lethargic, toxic state, hearing the words as they
“bounced” off of my head.) I was sure that it would not
happen to me. I didn’t even know what good “ feelings”
to expect or how to recognize them if they “popped up”! I
actually asked myself, “How will I know that I am feeling
better?” I didn’t know how horrible I felt. I just didn’t
know …and the journaling goes on. These are my good reasons to journal. I always want
to reference how bad I felt so I would never forget again. Our minds are designed to eliminate bad pain, but this
bad pain always needs to be remembered at a safe distance
and in a safe place, in the way of a reference point. I initially came to you for severe constipation and
incontinence as well as rapid hair loss, just as my mother had. My remarkable improvement in one short week, in
all of these areas and more, additionally gives me hope
that my hair will hang in there (no pun intended) for a few more years than my mother’s did.With great appreciation,K.B. The patient who wrote the following letter consulted with
doctors in five specialties at the Mayo Clinic, who put her
through an extensive workup. Even though they eliminated
lupus as one of her diagnoses, not one of them suggested
that she taper off any of her nine medications, even the ones prescribed for lupus. In general, doctors hesitate to eliminate a drug that another
doctor has prescribed. This is one reason why traditional
medicine so often fails at getting patients well.ADRENALINE DOMINANCE 64  |
Patient C.R. November 16, 2009Dear Dr. Platt,
I am writing to express my deep gratitude and
appreciation for all that you have done for me in assisting me to basically turn my life around. When I first came to
you as a new patient for treatment approximately 3 months
ago, I had just been to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ,
for an extensive series of evaluations by five doctors, who
ordered a comprehensive workup of diagnostic tests for
fibromyalgia, systemic lupus, and multiple health issues:
interstitial cystitis; irritable bowel syndrome; fibromyalgia;
peripheral neuropathy; sleep disorder; anxiety; depression;
and chronic fatigue. I was a mess! Fortunately, I found out at Mayo that I did not have
lupus, which had been misdiagnosed by my rheumatologist
in Hawaii, who had prescribed Lyrica, Prednisone, and
hydroxychloroquine for my pain and inflammation and to
suppress my immune system. When I came to you last August,
I was not only taking these medications, but also Lexapro,
Wellbutrin, Ambien, Sonata, Detrol, and Vicodin—all
prescribed by different MDs in Hawaii as well. I was so
exhausted all of the time. I could barely get out of bed! I
felt like my health was spiraling downwards and that I had
no recourse but to seek an alternative approach from one
of the most highly respected medical professionals in your


 serious illness, there is a
sudden jump in the incidence of that illness. The unconscious grabs hold of
a disease and utilizes it to settle the score. W ith the constant surrender of
inner guilt, there is less and less of a score to be settled. Therefore, a person
who is free of negativity and guilt tends to be free of disease and suf fering. The healing can be dramatic. There was the case, for example, of a
magazine publisher who was in a hopeless state of advanced multiple
sclerosis. The medical profession had done what it could and had given her
up as a terminal, hopeless case. At that point, she came upon a technique of
relinquishing guilt by studying the “W orkbook” of A Course in Miracles. In
working with this home-study course, which consists of contemplating
exactly one short lesson a day for 365 days, she began to undo all of her
guilt and resentment through the mechanism of for giveness. By constantly
for giving and undoing the negative feelings, and therefore undoing her
inner guilt, the disease of multiple sclerosis reversed itself. As of thiswriting, she has been recovered for years and is in radiant glowing health,
happy with her life. Health and well-being, then, are generally the automatic consequence
of the letting go of guilt and other negativities, as well as the letting go of
our resistance to the positive states of health and wellbeing. Through the
surrender mechanism, the whole gamut of illnesses can be resolved into
wellness. As was said earlier, there may be uncommon cases in which illness or
infirmity continues unabated due to unknown factors, such as karmic
proclivities. Continual surrender brings healing at the level of inner being
so that, even while the body appears to suf fer limitation and others may see
it as “tragic,” the person is at peace and radiates an inner well-being that
uplifts others. Through surrender at great depth, such persons have let go of
self-pity, guilt, and resistance to life circumstances. They have transcended
the view that their illness is a barrier to personal happiness and see it as a
vehicle of blessing to others. In recent years, public examples of this
phenomenon have included the late Pope John Paul II, who approached his
unremitting Parkinson’ s disease as a spiritual opportunity to become one
with, and even to take on, the suf fering of others. W ealth
This is an important subject, not only because it has such a direct ef fect on
our life, but also because it so quickly and easily makes obvious our
feelings, thoughts, and attitudes about money. T o the mind that holds
limiting belief systems and negative thoughts and feelings, money is a
“problem. ” It is a source of endless worry and anxiety, hopelessness and
despair, or of vanity, pride, arrogance, intolerance of others, jealousy, and
envy. At its worst the end result of all the negativity is a feeling of financial
limitation, lack, and deprivation. In this area, the feeling “I can’ t” due to
fear and limitation is often skirted by simply avoiding the whole issue of
money and resigning oneself to a low social economic status as
“inevitable. ”
The unconscious brings to us what it thinks we deserve. If our view of
ourselves is small, limited, and miserly—due to accumulated guilt—then
the unconscious will bring those economic conditions into our life. Our
attitudes about money can be discovered when we look at the many things
that it means. For example, we see the degree to which it stands for security,power, glamour, sexual attraction, successful competition, self-worth, and
our value to others and the world. It is very useful to sit down with pencil and paper and, under the
heading “Money,” begin to delineate what its real meanings are in all the
various avenues of life. Then, write down the feelings that are associated
with each area and begin to surrender on each negative feeling and attitude. As we do this, we have the surprising discovery that money in and of itself
is not the most basic issue. More important than money itself are the
emotional gratifications that we hope will be ours with the use of that
money. Let’ s say that, behind the desire for money, we discover that one of our
goals is to be respected and valued. In that discovery, we have just found
out that it isn’ t money itself that we are interested in; rather, it is our self-
respect and a feeling of inner worth. W e see that money was just a tool to
achieve something else and that, as a matter of fact, it isn’ t money that we
want at all but the self-respect and esteem we thought it would bring us. It
will also dawn on us that the goals which we thought money would bring us
can be achieved dir ectly. The higher our inner self-esteem, the less we need
the approval of others. As we uncover these awarenesses, money takes on a
dif ferent meaning in each area of life. Money now becomes subservient to
higher goals rather than an end unto itself. W ithout being conscious of what money means to us emotionally, we
are at the ef fect of it. W e are being run by our unconscious beliefs about
money and all of its associated programs. It is like the millionaire who
keeps piling up more and more millions. There never seems to be enough. Why is that. It is because he has never stopped to look at what money
really means to him. If we obsessively chase after money or other symbols
of wealth, it is because our inner self-worth is so small that it takes a huge
amount of money to compensate for it. The inner insecurity is so extensive
that no amount of money can overcome it. It might be said that the smaller
we feel inside, the greater amount of power, money, and glamour must be
accumulated in order to try and compensate for the inner smallness. When we are in a surrendered state, we are free from that inner
smallness, insecurity, and low self-esteem. Then, money becomes merely a
tool to achieve our goals in the world. W e have an inner security, knowing
that there will always be suf ficient abundance. W e will always get what we
need when we need it, because we have an inner feeling of completion,fulfillment, and satisfaction. Money, then, becomes a source of pleasure
rather than a source of anxiety. On a certain level, we may even appear to be indif ferent to money. When we need it to complete a project, it just magically seems to appear
from somewhere. W e feel nonchalant about it because we are connected to
the source of our own power. When we re-own the power that we have
given to money and see that it is our own power, we are no longer
concerned about money, nor do we need to accumulate a great deal of it. Once we have the formula for gold, we don’ t need to carry a bag of it on
our shoulder with all of its attendant worries and anxieties. The problem with excessive accumulation of money, of course, is the
constant fear of losing it. It is tragi-comic to watch someone who is worth
50 million dollars practically have a nervous breakdown because, through a
business oversight, he lost 10 million dollars. The man was actually in a
panic. Emotionally, he was frightened that he would not be able to survive
on the planet with only 40 million dollars. The person who suf fers from
inner poverty is relentlessly driven to accumulate on the material level. W ith this inner poverty, there is the whole attitude of selfishness or its
correlates of vanity and false pride. It is very common for people who use the letting go technique suddenly
to come into abundance. Struggling actors now have starring roles in
Hollywood. A playwright on the edge of poverty becomes the producer of a
smash Broadway hit. Paradoxically, some people have grown so nonchalant
about money that they have chosen to get rid of a lot of money and live a
much simpler life. They are no longer interested in money; they have
mastery over it. The inner satisfactions that they had sought by means of
money are now satisfied directly, so that inner happiness is independent of
outer wealth. In this state of inner freedom, one is independent of the outer
world and no longer at the ef fect of it. This is because one transcends that
which one has mastered. Happiness
In the sections on Health and W ealth, we have already touched upon
important areas relating to overall happiness. Now we will focus more on
inner emotional life because that is where we all really live. The purpose of
health and wealth is, after all, merely because we presume, and to some
extent it is true, that they result in happiness. Happiness can be experienceddirectly, however, and on this level it is relatively independent of health or
wealth. Let’ s take an objective look at the average view of happiness. T o begin
with, the happiness is extremely vulnerable. A chance remark, a critical
comment, a raised eyebrow, or a car cutting into line ahead of us are all
suf ficient to blow the average person’ s happiness in an instant. The threat of
a job loss, a feeling of distrust in a relationship, a foreboding remark by a
doctor, or an


 to Albert Einstein? “A hundr ed times every day I r emind myself that my inner and o uter life
depend on the l abors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert
myself in or der to give in the sa me measur e as I have r eceived and am still
r eceiving." (Albert Einstein 1879-1955)

 Gratitude, the Gr eat Multiplier
When yo u're gra teful for the things you have, no  matter how small they
may be,  you will receive more  of those things. If you're grateful for the
money you have, however little, you will receive more money. If you're
grateful for a re lationship, even  if it's not perfect, the relationship will get
better. If you're grateful for the job that you have, even if it's not your dream
job, you will receive better oppo rtunities in your work. Because gratitude is
the great multiplier of life! "If the only prayer you say in your entir e life is -, 'thank you' - that is
enough. "(Meister Echart1260 1328)
Gratitude begins  with two simpl e words thank you -but you have to feel
grateful with all your heart. The more you start to say thank you, the more
you will feel it, and the more l ove you will give. There are three ways to
use the power of gratitude in your life, and everyone of them is giving love:
1. Be grateful for everything you have received in your life (past). 2. Be grateful for everything you are receiving in your life (present). 3. Be grate ful for what you want in  your life, as though you have r eceived it
(future). If you're not grateful for what you've received, and what you're receiving,
you're not giving love, and you don't have the power to change any of your
current circumstances. When you give thanks for what you've received and
what you're continuing to recei ve, it multiplies those things. At the same
time, gra titude brings what you w ant! Be grateful for what you want in your
life, as though you have received it,and the law of attraction says you must
receive it. Can you imagine that something so simp le as being gr ateful c an multiply
everything you love and completely change your life? A divorced man, lonely, depressed, and working in a job he hated, decided
to practi ce love and gratitude every day to change his life. He began by
being po sitive to  everyone he talked to during the day. When he called oldfriends a nd fam ily, he shocked them with how positive and happy he was. He bega n to be grateful for everything he had, right down to be ing grateful
for running water. This is what happened to his life within 120 days:
Everything he hated about his job miraculously changed, and h e now loves
his job. His job even takes him to places that he has always wa nted to see. He has the best relationships with all his family members, which he'd never
had befo re. He paid of f his car and he always has the money h e needs. He
has good  days no matter what is happening. And he is married a gain - to his
first love from tenth grade! "Gratitude for the abundance y ou have r eceived is the best insurance that
the abundance will continue." (Muhammad Founder of Islam 570-632)

If you use gratitude a little, your life will change a  little. If you use gratitude
a lot every day, your life wi ll change in ways you can hardly imagine now. Not only does g ratitude multipl y everything in your life, it also eliminates
the negative things. No matte r what negative situation you may find
yourself in, you can always find something to be grateful for, and as you do
, you harness the force of love that eliminates negativity. Gratitude Is the Bridge to Love

"If we will be quiet and r eady enough, we shall find compensation in every
disappointment." (Henry David Thor eau 1817-1862)

Gratitude took my mother from the d eepest grief into happiness. My mother
and father fell in  love with each  other virtually at first sight, and they had
the mos t beauti ful love af fair a nd marriage I have ever seen. When my
father died, my mother suf fered from enormous grief, because she missed
my f ather so much. But amidst her grief and pain, my mother began to look
for thin gs to be grateful for. Other than being grateful for all she had
received from the decades of lov e and happiness with my father, she looked
for things to be  grateful for in the future. The first thing she found to be
grateful for was that no w she could tra vel. T raveling was something my
mother had always wanted to d o but didn't do when my father was alive,
because he never wanted to travel. My mother did fulfill her dream; she
traveled, and she did many other things that she had always w anted to do. Gratitude was the bridge that too k my mother out of immense grief and into
building a new life of happiness. It's impossible to feel sad or have any negative feeling when you'r e grateful. If you're in th e midst of a dif ficult situation, look for something to be
grateful for. When you find one thing, then look for anoth er, and then
another, because every single thing you find to be grateful for changes the
situation. Gratit ude is the bridg e from negative feelings to harnessing the
force of love! "Gratitude is a vaccine, an antitoxin, and an a ntiseptic." (John Henry
Jowett 1864-1923)
 When anything good happens to you in your day, give thanks. It doesn 't
matter h ow sma ll it is, say thank you. When you get the perfect parking
space, hear your favorite song  on the radio, approach a light that turns
green, or find an empty seat on the bus or train, say thank you. These are
all good.things you're receiving from life. Give tha nks for your senses: your eyes that see, your ears tha t hear, your
mouth t hat tastes, your nose that smells, and your skin that le ts you feel. Give thanks for the legs you walk on, your hands that you use to do almost
everything, your voice that enables you to express yourself and
communicate with others. Give thanks for your amazing immune system
that keep s you well or heals you, and for all your or gans that m aintain your
body im maculately so that you can live. Giv e thanks for the magni ficence
of your human mind that no computer technology in the world can
duplicate. Y our entire body is the greatest laboratory on the planet, and
there's nothing that can come even close to replicating its magnificence. Y ou are a miracle! Give thanks for your home, you r family, your friends, yo ur work, and your
pets. Give thanks for the sun, the water that you drink, the food that you eat,
and the air that you breathe; without any of them you wouldn't be alive. Give tha nks for the trees, the animals, the oceans, the birds, the flowers, the
plants, blue skies, rain, the stars, the moon, and our beautiful planet. Give tha nks for the transportatio n you use every da y. Give thanks for all th e
companies that provide you with essential services so that you  can live a
comfortable life. So many human beings toiled and sweated so that you can
turn on a tap and  have fresh water. So m any human beings gave their Life's
work so that you can flick a Light switch and have electricity. Think about
the magnitude of human beings who slaved day after day, year after year, to
lay the train tracks across our planet. And it's almost impossible to imagine
the n umber of p eople who did t he backbreaking work of making the roads
we drive on that form a connecting network of life for the world. "In or dinary life we har dly r ealize that we r eceive a gr eat deal mor e than
we give,  and that it is only with  gratitude that life becomes rich." (Dietrich
Bonehoffer1906-1945)
T o use the power of gratitude, practice it. The more you feel gratitude, the
more love you give; and the more love you give, the more you receive. Are you  grateful  for your health when it's good? Or do you only notice  your
health when your body gets sick or hurts? Are you grateful when you have a good night's sleep' Or do you take those
nights for granted and only think of sleep when you've been deprived of it? Are you  grateful for your loved ones when everything is going well, or do
you only talk about your relationships when there are problems? Are you grateful for electricity when you use an appliance  or flick a switch? Or do you only think of electricity when there's a power blackout? Are you grateful to be alive each day? Every spare second is an opportunity to be grateful and multiply the things
you love. I used to think I was


 the nursing mama’ s diet, the baby’ s symptoms improve. Common
foods that cause colic include wheat, dairy, soy, and peanuts—but really any
food that mama is unable to digest properly will af fect the quality of her
breast milk and thus disrupt her little one’ s tummy (hence the importance of
slowly rekindling mama’ s digestive fire with proper foods after giving birth,
as taught in the next chapter). Caf feine, chocolate, cruciferous vegetables,
onions, and raw garlic are among the other foods Ayurveda recommends
removing from mama’ s diet. In general, make sure mama’ s digestion is
balanced and that she is able to digest her food ef ficiently without feeling
gassy or bloated. (See the food guidelines in chapter 8 for supporting mamaand babe.) Once you put these changes in place, your babe may take a few
days to a week to show significant progress, but it will come. Most of the time, colic will disappear on its own as the baby’ s digestive
system matures (around four months old), though watching your little one
in extreme discomfort or pain can be heartbreaking, and trying to care for a
colicky newborn can be exhausting. Below are some other remedies that
may help. If symptoms persist, consult a lactation specialist or pediatrician. REMEDIES FOR COLIC
Empty one breast at a time when breastfeeding. Your baby may
be getting too much lactose in the foremilk and not enough fatty
hindmilk. Make sure the baby is nursing on one side until the breast
is fully empty before switching to the other side. Herbal teas for mama. Make a tea with any combination of
caraway, cumin seeds, chamomile, catnip, fennel, dill, or anise to sip
on while the baby is nursing. The herbal remedy will transfer to your
breast milk and ease your baby’ s digestive system. Herbal tea for babe. Fennel seed or dill seed tea is helpful for
relieving gas and intestinal cramping. This can be given directly to
the baby. Bring 1 teaspoon of seeds to boil in 1 cup of water; steep
and strain. A few drops may be all that is needed, but a small bottle
is fine if your baby wants more. The colic hold. Lay your baby with their belly across your forearm
and your hand supporting their head and chest. Keep the baby’ s
head slightly higher than their feet. This may relieve some of their
discomfort. Burping. Burp the baby with gentle pats on the back after every
feeding to reduce gas buildup in your little one’ s stomach. Take a warm herbal bath together. Make an infusion with
chamomile and lavender and add it to your bath water. Hold yourbaby to your chest for skin-to-skin contact while relaxing in the warm
water. Baby abhyanga. When your newborn is relaxed and calm but not
asleep, gently massage the baby and rub sesame oil in clockwise
circular motions around their belly using your first two fingers with
gentle pressure. Eliminate stimulating substances. When mamas smoke or
consume caf feine, the stimulant can pass through breast milk and
lead to colic. Add probiotics to your diet. Add yogurt, kefir, or lactobacillus
capsules to your diet. Essential oils. Put a few drops of chamomile, fennel, or lavender
essential oils in warm water, soak a washcloth in the water, squeeze
it out, and then wrap it gently around your baby’ s abdomen. Homeopathic treatment. Colic Calm is a homeopathic remedy
found in most pharmacies. I highly recommend having a bottle of this
at home just in case it is ever needed. It eases babies’  discomfort
almost immediately. CONSTIPATION
A breastfed newborn will generally poop daily, if not several times a day. According to Western medicine, it is normal for your baby to start going
several days without any bowel movements after six weeks of age, and as
long as there is no pain or cramping associated with the constipation, baby
will eventually have a soft bowel movement and all will be fine. However,
according to Ayurveda, everyone—including infants!—should have bowel
movements at least once per day and anything less than that is considered
constipation. Again, as long as your baby is not uncomfortable or in pain, mild
constipation is common and nothing to be concerned about, but if you wantto help get your baby’ s bowels moving, Ayurveda recommends changing
your diet to include more warm, oily, watery foods—specifically focusing
on stewed fruits (recipe on this page ) for breakfast each morning until baby
starts pooping daily. You can also drink warmed prune juice so that baby
receives those benefits while nursing or put a little bit of ghee on your
nipple for your baby to ingest while nursing. Another Ayurvedic folk
remedy is soaking a Q-tip in olive oil or ghee and gently inserting it a
quarter -inch into your baby’ s anus. They should have a bowel movement
shortly after! If you are concerned that your baby is in any discomfort or
pain from constipation, always consult with your pediatrician or midwives. SLEEP “SCHEDULES”
A newborn baby’ s sleep pattern does not seem to have much rhyme or
reason. Keep in mind that just about any schedule your baby has for
sleeping is probably normal: They can sleep all night and all day. They can
sleep all day and be awake all night. They can sleep all night and be awake
all day. They are adjusting to the rhythmic patterns of day and night, and
that takes time. Furthermore, they need a lot of sleep to continue growing. Remember that newborns will go through growth spurts every several days
for several weeks and then every several weeks for several months. All the
growing that their brains and bodies are doing is exhausting! As a general rule of thumb, a baby’ s “wake window” (the time that they
can tolerate being awake between naps or before bed) will start small and
gradually increase over time. After the first few months, you will likely start
to see a rhythm regarding what time baby wakes up for the day, when their
first nap is, how much time they can be awake before the next nap, and
what time they generally fall asleep for the night. As their wake windows
naturally increase, the number of naps they take each day will decrease. Rest when the baby sleeps so that you can care for them when they are
awake. If they are tired, let them sleep. If they are awake all night, try not to
get overwhelmed; their schedules are changing from day to day and it is
only temporary. If you are exhausted and need to rest, ask for help! You canonly care for your baby if you are in good health. If you are confused about
their sleep schedules and nap times, talk to other moms in your community;
they will all have advice for you. As you will learn, every baby is dif ferent,
and you will get to learn your own baby’ s patterns and schedules over time. That being said, if you are struggling with sleep deprivation, you do not
have to suf fer through it silently. In the early days, there is not much you
can do about adjusting a baby’ s schedule, but you can ask other adults for
support. Take turns with your support people, whether that would be your
partner, family members, friends, or doula, and ask them to care for your
baby while you rest. After your baby is a few months old, you can adjust
their sleep and feeding schedules to become more regular so that you (and
they!) can sleep for longer stretches of time. And of course, if you feel that
something is wrong, always follow your intuition and consult your care
providers. THINGS THA T SUPPORT RESTFUL  SLEEP
Drink your hot milk tonic each night! Diffuse lavender or roman chamomile essential oil. Use a sound machine in baby’ s room. Use a weighted blanket or weighted onesie that is appropriate to
your baby’ s weight. Swaddle your baby to help calm their dispersed energy if you notice
their hands are flailing and their breath is fast. Swaddling will also
keep them from waking themselves up. Give baby a massage and bath before bedtime. Make the baby’ s sleeping area as dark as possible, and during their
waking time, let it be light. This helps them to adjust to the time of
day.SPITTING UP (IN BREASTFED BABIES)
Spitting up—several times a day—is a common occurrence for a newborn
in the early days. Projectile vomiting, however, can be a cause for concern
and is a reason to call your pediatrician. One common reason for spitting up
is reflux—when the baby’ s stomach acid flows back up into the esophagus. Reflux is something that should be diagnosed by your pediatrician. Supplementing breast milk with formula or feeding your baby cereal mixed
with breast milk is often recommended by Western medical practitioners,
though studies have shown that neither of these treatments improve reflux;
in fact, they may even worsen it. In some cases, making changes to your
diet may help the baby’ s symptoms. Reducing dairy and following the other
Ayurvedic postpartum diet recommendations in chapter 8 is a good place to
start. Another common reason for spitting up is an oversupply of milk or a
fast


 BLADDER
Death by starvation:
    Invariably empty. Sometimes much atrophied. Death by fasting:
    In all cases contained some water. Pus as noted. No atrophy except in Case 7. Page 69 of  72 STOMACH
Death by starvation:
    Small, contracted; walls thin; mucosa corrugated and pale. Death by fasting:
    Several cases showed extreme dilation; two were in st ate of cirrhosis; none showed contractions except Case 3 (hour -glass), and
Cases 10 and 11 (cirrhosis). Other variations as noted. INTESTINES
Death by starvation:
    Show uniform contraction as to lumen and length; walls usually thin and transparent t o light; their atrophy in this connection is
characteristic. Sometimes empty; sometimes containing dark mucus; sometimes distended with gas. Death by fasting:
    The condition of the intestines is specifically noted in all cases. There were no general characteristics, but in no instance were
the walls unduly thin. KIDNEYS
Death by starvation:
    Do not seem to suffer. Death by fasting:
    Suffered as noted. SPLEEN
Death by starvation:
    Not noteworthy. Death by fasting:
    Normal in majority of eases. Disintegration noted in Case 4, atrophy in Cases 6 and 7. PANCREAS
Death by starvation:
    Always atrophied, sometimes to practical disappearance. Death by fasting:
    Atrophy noted in Cases 6 and 7; hypertrophy wi th cirrhosis in Case 4; incipient cirrhosis in Cases 10 and 11. Others normal. OMENTUM
Death by starvation:
    Transparent and destitute of fat. Death by fasting:
    In all cases some fat; in Case 4 excessive fat. Transparent in no case. LIVER
Death by starvation:
    Unaltered except in size, which is lessened. Death by fasting:
    Noted in all cased There were no general characteristics; the organ varied in size and structure with the individual. GALL BLADDER
Death by starvation:
    Usually full; contents staining adjacent tissues. Death by fasting:
    Case 8 was the only instance in which there was staining of adjacent tissues. Others were as noted or normal. Page 70 of  72     One fact of significance shown in the post mortem findings and in the comparison noted above is that, no matter how general
were the defects in other organs, nor how emaciated the body, unless they themselves were organically imperfect, the heart, t he
lungs, and the brain were normal in size and in functioning ability. It may be added that, although not always specifically s tated,
the brain in each instance in the cases cited was thoroughly dissected. Through the facts related the immediate cause of death in every case described may easily be traced to its origin. And
furthermore these facts virtually prove that organic deficiency, if not produced by drug dosage, is the direct result of dige stive
impairment. The scientific worth of this observation  is much enhanced for the reason that in these autopsies the entire organism in
each case was exhibited unaffected by recent drug paralysis. Observation also shows that the subjects in whom glands were
hardened or atrophied were invariably of an emaciated or wiry physique, while those in whom a softening of the organs had
occurred were inclined to obesity. It is also interesting to note that, where mental control was lacking at any stage of the fast, the
colon upon dissection showed displacement and distort ion, so much so that its evacuation was rendered most difficult even with
the aid of enemata. From the scientific viewpoint the observations included in the present chapter are of greatest import. By them the theory of
Fasting for the Cure of Disease  is fully substantiated, and proof of its efficacy as a therapeutic measure is rendered
incontrovertible. SUMMARY OF DEATHS IN THE FAST

N
o. Sex Lengt
h of
Fast
Days  Age Height  Weight
at
Begin
ning of
Fast Weight
at Death  Pulse at
begi-
ning of
fast Pulse
at
mid
fast Pulse
before
death  Temp at
begin -
ning of ast  Temp at
mid fast  Temp before
death
1 F 40 38 5'5" 124 86 82 72 86 99 98 97
2 F 57 39 5'2" 110 68 74 72 68 96 98 94
3 F 60 24 5'7" 132 75 90 104 112 97 99 96
4 F 59 35 5'8" 144 90 78 84 108 100 100 96
5 M 19 24 5'7" 110 87 80 68 60 96 97 94
6 M 30 46 5'11"  145 112 88 92 96 98 99 97
7 M 38 56 5'5" 115 70 60 68 50 94 96 94
8 M 49 22 5'6" 128 100 90 86 102 97 98 97
9 M 21 27 5'10"  125 88 56 54 48 94 96 94
10 M 35
(Diet)  34 5'9" 146 120 54 52 50 94 94 94
11 F 80
(Diet)  33 5'2" 78 65 56 60 62 94 96 94

CHAPTER XXI
NATURAL THERAPY AND THE FAST

OSTEOPATHY AND CHIROPRACTIC:
THE TENDENCY OF OSTEOPATHY TO REVERT TO MEDICINE:
THE BROAD BASIS OF NATURAL THERAPY

    AS ELSEWHERE expressed the fast in itself is primarily an eliminative agency, a process of purification, and therefore it mus t
be regarded, not as the actual restorative, curative power, but as a means to this end. Ability to recover from disease, cure  itself,
resides within the individual organism, the fast, together with its accessories, permitting, and at times even compelling, ga thered
body impurity to be eliminated through the various natural, normal channels of evacuation. It prepares and furnishe s a restored and
renovated foundation upon which a new and healthy physical structure may be re -erected. The accessories utilized in fasting have been in greater part explained and elaborated. But one important auxiliary agency th at is
daily brought into play during the regimen imposed is that of body manipulation, including adjustment and correction of bony
lesions, be the latter located in the spinal column or elsewhere. In this connection two distinct schools of healing have ari sen
within comparati vely recent time, those of Osteopathy and of Chiropractic. Osteopathy, the theory of which was first propounded by Dr. A. T. Still in 1874, is defined as "that science or system of hea ling
which treats disease of the human body by manual therapeutics  for the stimulation of the remedial forces within the body itself, for
Page 71 of  72 the correction of misplaced tissue, and for the removal of obstructions or interferences with the fluids of the body, all wit hout the
internal administration of drugs or medicine." It may perhaps serve to make this definition more lucid if Dr. Still's own
interpretation of his discovery is added. It is this: -- "Osteopathy deals with the body as an intricate machine, which, if kept in
proper adjustment, nourished and cared for, will run smoothly into ripe old age. When every part of the machine is adjusted and in
perfect harmony, health will hold dominion over the human organism by laws as natural and immutable as are the laws of
gravitation. Every living organism has within it the power to manufacture and prepare all chemicals, materials, and forces needed
to build and rebuild itself, together with all of the machinery and apparatus required to do the work in the most perfect man ner,
producing the only substances that can be utilized in t he economy of the individual. No material other than food and water taken in
satisfaction of the demands of the appetite can be introduced without detriment." The name, Osteopathy, derived as it is from two Greek words, osteon, a bone, and pathos, su ffering, is not such a misnomer as
at first might appear. The osteopathic theory, it is seen, is based on the belief that disease is caused by some part of the human
mechanism being out of proper adjustment, as in the ease of misplaced bone, cartilage or l igament, adhesions or contractions of
muscle, any one of which results in unnatural pressure on, or obstruction to, nerve, blood, or lymph. Osteopathy, then, throu gh the
agency or use of the bones, especially the long ones which are employed as levers, see ks to adjust the misplaced parts. It pays
attention to all portions of the organism, but it devotes much of its work to the spinal column, which, owing to its complex
structure, is liable to several forms of


 by altering the givens, assuming control
over tendencie s and reactions that I had presumed came with my
territory. All of us established relationships between physical and emotional
patterns, connecting what had otherwise seemed unrelated. In
Western medicine, cold extremities, back pain, hearing loss, and
fatigue are not associated with each other or with the kidney. Troubled sleep, excitability, and laughter are not associated with the
heart. Menstru al problems are unrelated to the liver. But in Chinese
medicine, a weak Kidney  may mean not only having a backache,
poor hearing, and fatigue, but also being fearful, stingy, withdrawn,
and apathetic. The Organ Networks  of Chinese medicine were not
equivalent to the anatomical organs of Western medicine. Organ
Networks  were dened functionally, not structurally. As such, they
included emotional and mental function as well as physiological
performance, and even their physiology was dened dierently. Furthermore, within this logic, problems are not isolated from the
context in which they occur, so a single symptom is understood in
relation to the entire body environment. The strategy is to adjust the
eld, reorganizing the process out of which symptoms grow,
coercing them into retreat by eliminating the milieu in which they
thrive. Stimulated and unsettled, many of us underwent personal as well
as professional transformation. The sun still rose each morning andtraded places with the moon at night, but our perception of
ourselves and the world around us altered. After reading these chapters, you will also learn how to interpret
yourself within  the context of these concepts so that you can say, “I
am an Earth  type who has conict with Wood  and weakness in
Water. My primary therapeutic focus will be in these areas.” That is
a purpose of this book. THE CROSS-FERTILIZATION OF  MEDICINE:  EAST GOES WEST AND  WEST
GOES EAST
From the late Middle Ages on, traditional Chinese medicine trickled
into foreign lands. A compre hensive Chinese herbal text written in
1587 found its way into the hands of German physicians around
1605. In 1810 a French physician named Louis Berlioz reported
successfully treating neurogenic diseases with acupuncture. In 1929,
after serving as French consul in China, Dr. Soulie de Mourant
translated a Chinese text, furthering the practice of acupuncture in
France. During the mid-1800s Chinese immigrants building railro ads and
mining gold in the United States brought their medicine with them. For the most part it rema ined within the Chinese community. However, a few exceptions occurred in the Northwest, where local
settlers beneted from the care of Chinese doctors. Historical
records from the towns of John Day, Oregon, and Boise, Idaho,
indicate that Chinese doctors successfully treated respiratory,
digestive, and reproductive infections, as well as arthritis and
symptoms of cardiovascular disease. Pioneer women who were
unable to conceive were helped to bear healthy children. Meanwhile, European and American missionaries had been
exporting Western medicine to China. The Chinese were very
impressed with surgical technique, vaccinations, and the means of
hygiene and sanitation that helped reduce the spread of infectious
diseases, wound sepsis, and the mortality of women followingchildbirth. Western industrial and medical technology came to be
associated with progress. By the time penicillin was developed in
the 1940s, traditional medical institutions in China had been
signicantly replaced by the more highly prized Western medical
schools. In 1949, the year of the Chinese revolution, there were 10,000
Western-trained doctors for 400 million people. At this time the
550,000 traditional doctors recovered their stature within the
medical establ ishment because of the dire need for more doctors
and a fervent desire to reassert faith in China’s own cultural legacy. Since 1949 traditional medicine has been revived and incorporated
as a mandatory part of the training in many modern medical
schools. Resea rchers there now investigate the bioch emistry of
herbal constituents and the electrophysiology of acupuncture points
to trace their impact on the healing mechanisms of the body. Still, in many life-threatening situations, only Western medical
and surgical techniques are appropriate. Functional disorders
constitute a middle ground where either system may be elected. In
chronic degenerative illnesses for which Western medicine has little
to oer, traditional medicine is a welcome option. Some Chinese
hospitals accom modate alternate oors for Western and traditional
care, with doctors selecting what best suits their patients’ needs. In
some circumstances both systems work in concert. For instance,
Western surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy is used to control
cancer, while traditional Chinese medicine is used to strengthen the
body and enhance immunity, enabling the person to better tolerate
treatment. During the 1950s and 1960s when traditional medicine was being
reintegrated in its homeland, travel, commerce, and exchange
between the United States and China was highly restricted. In 1972,
the year when then-Presid ent Nixon unstrapped the political
restraints upon our relationship with the People’s Republic,
acupuncture needles passed from East to West. At this time our class
of Americans at the College  of Acupuncture was preparing to use
these needles on American bodies.While in China, New York Times  journa list James Reston had an
emergency appendectomy, and his postoperative abdominal pain
was relieved by an acupun cture needle in his leg. It appeared
particularly spectacular because it was so little understood. Realizing that Qi travers es the body through channels, it becomes
less enigmatic that toothache s can be relieved by the stimulation of
a point along a pathway that connects the mouth to the hand or
foot. Learning that white fungus reduces blood cholestero l levels, it
no longer seems a miracle that people who live in regions in China
where it is part of the diet have lower incidences of heart  attacks. It
is comm on knowledge among Chinese that pseudoginseng powder
stops hemorrhage, chrysanthemum ower tea will relieve a bilious
headache, and black mushrooms increase immunity. Since the dawn of this century the West has been exporting
medical techn ology and pharmaceuticals to the East. In the last
quarter of this century the medicinal treasures of the Orient have
been imported to the West. In 1976 Efrem and I were among the
rst two hund red and ten practitioners to receive an acupuncture
license from the California State Board of Medical Quality
Assurance. Nationally there are now between six and ten thousand
practitioners of Chinese medicine, and two dozen other states have
instituted licensure programs. Two decades ago there were no
colleges of Chinese medicine  in this country; now there  are more
than twenty. What began as a handful of books on the subject has
grown to a library of more than four hundred titles, many of which
are translations of Chinese texts. MIRACLES  EAST AND  WEST
The advantages of integrating Western and Chinese medicine were
dramatized for Efrem and me following the birth of our son in 1975. Born with two gaping holes  in a swollen heart, Bear’s life would
have been eclipsed without surgical intervention. After diagnosing
his problem by injecting a dye into his heart that projected an image
on a video screen, our cardiologist determined it was possible forthe holes to be closed with Dacron patches. If he had been born
twenty years earlier when open-heart surgery for infants had not yet
been develope d, his heart could not have been repaired. We were
grateful that miracles existed in the West. Following surgery, because of his fragile constitution, he was
subject to countless bouts of bronchitis and upper- respiratory
infection. In San Francisco we studied herbs with local Chinese
doctors. When  Bear was able to swallow herbal pills, they became
incorporated into his routine along with breakfast and lunch. We
used certain formulas for overcoming acute illness and others as a
tonic for strengthening him, improving his resistance. Eventually he
rebued the onslaught of winter colds even when his schoolmates
succumbed. Now as a teenager Bear radiates the health we had
hoped for from his birth. We were grateful for miracles of the East
as well. In 1980, after eight years of practicing acupuncture, Efrem went
to China to further study the use of herbs and experience Chinese
medicine in its native habitat. A Western-style dispensary stood
alongside the herbal pharmacy at the Kunming Railway Workers
Hospital. A special kitchen brewed individual herb teas, delivering
fresh medicine to both inpatients and out-patients. Efrem’s teache r, Dr. Zheng Wen Tao, was rst trained as a
Western physician. Later he was asked to return to schoo l to study
traditional medicine. He combined classical knowledge  with the
ndings of modern research,  producing herbal formulas particularly
eective for treating cardiovascular and immune disorders. Dr.
Zheng Wen Tao was partic ularly renowned for his treatment of
intractable diseases. Efrem witnessed the gradual remission of
scleroderma in a young woman after one year of herbal treatment. Scleroderma, an autoimmune disease, is marked by the progressive
hardening of connective tissue, considered both fatal and
untreatable by Western


 which is below
the navel corresponds to Earth. Eight Guiding Principles. Four diagnostic sets of polar categories that
dene patterns of distress within the organism: Cold-Hot  (relating tothe nature of a disease process); decient-excess  (indicating the
strength of the organism relative to the virulence of the pathogenic
process); internal-external  (referring to the location of the disease
process relative to supercial and deep tissue and functions); Yin-
Yang (general categories that summarize the interaction of the other
six: a Yin condit ion is Cold, decient, and internal, whereas a Yang
condition is Hot, excess, and external. Mixed Yin and Yang syndromes
are more often the rule, such as Hot, excess, and internal  or Cold,
decient, and external ). Of the eight categories, four (excess-
deciency, Hot-Cold ) are the most critical in dierentiating one
pathogenic process from another. • Cold—lack of body heat locally or systemically, subjectively or
objectively
• Heat— excess body heat locally or systemically, subjectively or
objectively
• Decient— lack of basic constituents (Qi, Moisture, Blood );
organic hypofunction of any organ or physiological system
• Excess— surplus, congestion of basic constituents (Qi, Moisture,
Blood ); organic hyperfunction of any organ or physiologica l
system
• Internal— aecting the deeper levels of biological activity or
occurring in the visceral organs or areas such as body cavities,
bones, glands, major blood vessels, and nerves
• External —aecting or occurring in the supercial tissues or
organs such as the body hair, skin, subcutaneous tissue,
muscles, joints, and peripheral blood vessels, and nerves
• Yin-Yang— concepts that summarize the fundamental or
composite nature of any disease process Electroacupuncture. The
use of battery-powered instruments that generate alternating
current to stimulate acupunc ture points through metal needles,
rubber electrodes, or by direct contact with a metal probe.Energetic. A term loosel y and widely used to identify or describe the
intangible processes that underlie and govern the material bodily
events that are the tangible expression of the “energy” or “forces” of
life. Energetic s is often part of the vocabulary of alternative or
unorthodox healing systems that do not rely on the conventional
empirical scientic model that is the basis of modern Western
medical theory and practice. Essence  (Jing). That which is the material basis of an individual’s
life, which can be transmuted and transformed into a new and
separate indiv idual life through procreation. Essence  is the most
rened substance of the body, which forms the basis of all tissue,
especially male and female reproductive secretions, including sperm
and ova. Essence  also represents the reserve or stored Qi of the body,
some of which is derived from parents at conception (inherited or
prenatal Essence ) and some of which is derived continuously from
food and air (acquired or postnatal Essence ). It is the capacity to
generate, conserve, and preserve Essence  that determines a person’s
freedom from degenerative disease and potential life span. Essence
can be observed in the luster and texture of the skin, hair, and
tongue and in an individual’s fertility, creativity, and potency. Exaggerated. A subtype of the Five-Phase  types corresponding to Yang
categories of overconcentrat ion and accumulation of Qi. When a
Phase  is exaggerated, the Organ Network  or individual associated with
that Phase  shows signs of dominating and oppressing other Networks
or Phases. External Illness. Engendered by external climatic conditions; exists in
the exterior layer of the body. Feng Shui. Literally, wind-water; the ancient art of geomancy,
involving the design and placement of buildings, farmland, and
burial sites according to the movements of Qi in the environment,including things such as the shapes of the terrain, cycles of weather,
directional ows of winds and streams, patterns of sun and shade. Five Phases  (Wu Xing). Literally, the ve moveme nts or processions. The Five Phases  correspond to the ve points of reference of the
compass—north, south, east, west, center—and to Water, Fire, Wood,
Metal, and Earth  respectively. Because China has been a land-based
agrarian society, the earth has been central to its image of the world
and nature. The sun rises in the east, reaches its zenith in the south,
sets in the west, and barely shines in the north. Each Phase  acquires
its meaning from nature and in turn organizes and describes all
processes in nature. The Five Phases  dene ve stages of
transformation: birth, growth, maturity, decay, and death. Along
with Yin-Yang  theory, Five-Phase  constructs function as the logical
schema of correspondence thinking in Chinese traditiona l medicine
that explains the interaction between the organism and its
environment. There are two ways of depict ing these Five-Phase  relationships: with
Earth in the center and the other Phases  as points of the compass; or
in a continuum of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water  in patterns of
generation and restraint. The former describes the macrocosm, and
the latter describes functiona l relationships in the microcosm of the
human person. The Five Phases  corresp ond to the ve seasons, climates, directions,
sounds, colors, emotions, Organ Networks, and character types. Fu Zheng. Literally means “to strength en what is correct.” The term
is applied particularly to herbal and nutritional therapies whose
primary goal is to improve constitutional integrity and build
resistance to disease, promoting health and longevity. Harmony. The existence of balance, beauty, spontaneity, and
creativity in nature; as applied to human health, harmony describesthe sense of ease, congruence, and vitality that is experienced when
all functions of the soma and psyche are in accord with each other
and with the external environment. It is an idealized state of being,
and its existence is, on a human scale, transient. From the point of
view of medicine, it is a yardstick, a standard by which the
relatively healthy or distorted  function of the organism is evaluated. The implication is that by adhering to the principle of “living
according to Tao,” in other words, an appropriate respo nse to the
everchanging dynamic of Yin-Yang  and the Five Phases, one will
attain harmony within and without. In a more pedestrian sense, to
attain harmony  is to achieve a natural ease of living that mitigates
the destructive eects of stress, pain, and suering. Heat. Characterized by aversion to heat, desire for cold,
hyperactivity, inammation, dehydration, constipation, redness,
restlessness, confusion, insomnia, aggressiveness, scanty dark urine,
and thick malodorous discharges. Heaven. The immaterial realm, belon ging to Yang, including the sun,
moon, sky, and atmosphere that surround us, as well as the invisible
forces that inuence us. In the human body, that which is above the
diaphragm corresponds to heaven. Hedonic. Derived from a Greek word meaning pleasure; in our
context, referring to the sense of well-being that arises from a
harmonic process, that of being aligned with and acting from one’s
true nature. Herbal Properties. The potential of herbal substances to produce
particular eects within the body. Four basic herbal properties are
tonifying (to augment); consolidating (to gather); dispersing (to
distribute); purging (to eliminate). Holographic Paradigm. A modern  concept articulated by
contemporary physicists and philosophers that denes nature as anundierentiated continuum of interrelated events mutually aecting
each other. This view of the world as “one unbroken wholeness” is
similar to the syncretic, synchronistic theories of “systematic
correspondence” in Chinese traditional medicine. Human. Both the individual person and society that function as the
interface or nexus between the forces of Heaven and Earth, Yin and
Yang, the hinge or pivot around which the human universe turns. In
the human body, that which  is between the diaphragm and navel
corresponds to the realm of the “human.”
Inherited  (Prenatal ) Essence. The fundamental substan ce of life
acquired from the parents at conception and during gestation, stored
by the Kidney, and not replenishable. Internal Illness. Locate d within body cavities and aecting internal
organ systems and structures. Ke Sequence. The Five-Phase  interaction that describes the cycle
whereby one Phase  controls, regulates, inhibits, and oversees
another: Wood  restrains Earth, Earth  restrains Water, Water  restrains
Fire, Fire  restrains Metal, and Metal  restrains Wood. Ke Triad. The Phases  along the ke sequence that restrain or are
restrained by a given Phase. For Wood: Metal-Wood-Earth ; for Fire:
Water-Fire-Metal ; for Earth: Wood-Earth-Water, for Metal: