 fears
are groundless. Once the liver and the digestive system are fully restored, normal elimination
takes over, even in those who had previously suffered from constipation.
The Castor Oil Treatment
As we explained above, the toxins released from the liver by the all-important coffee enema
still have a long way to travel, down the 25-27 feet long small intestine, then through the 4-5 feet
of large intestine, before they can leave the body via the anus. In the course of this evacuation it is
unavoidable that some of the released toxins get re-absorbed. It takes time—sometimes too much
time—to expel from the body the accumulated residues of years of faulty eating, plus the toxic
breakdown products of tumors. Time being of the essence on the program, particularly in the case
of seriously ill patients, Dr. Gerson saw a real need to speed up the elimination process in order
to reduce the re-absorption to a minimum. To achieve this, and also to clear accumulations in the
small intestine, which the enema cannot reach, he added the castor oil treatment to the intensive
therapy.
This consists of taking castor oil by mouth as well as by enema, to speed up and reinforce the
release of toxic residues from the intestinal tract. The patient is awakened at about 5 a.m. to take
2 tablespoonfuls of castor oil, followed immediately by 1⁄2 to 2/3 cup of regular black coffee (not
enema coffee or concentrate), sweetened with 1⁄2 teaspoonful of Sucanat or other organic dried
cane sugar. (Diabetics do not take sugar in this coffee.) People who object to sweetened coffee
need to understand that the sugar is necessary to activate stomach peristalsis and counteract low
blood sugar.. Breakfast is taken as usual. Five hours after the oral administration of the oil, at 10
a.m., a castor oil enema is taken, instead of the normal coffee enema.
This is how the castor oil enema is prepared, using a second enema bucket  exclusively
reserved for this treatment:
Put 4 tablespoonfuls of castor oil into the enema bucket. Add 1⁄4 teaspoonful of ox bile powder
and stir well to mix thoroughly. Prepare the regular enema mixture of 8 ozs of coffee concentrate,
plus 24 ounces of purified or distilled water. Warm to body temperature. Get hold of a cake of
mild toilet soap (NOT detergent), e.g. Lux, Camay or similar, immerse it for a few moments in
the coffee and rub some of the soap, but no soap chips, into it. Next, mix the slightly soapy enema
coffee into the castor oil with the ox bile and stir well, to emulsify the solution as well as possible.
You may use an electric stirrer, but the somewhat emulsified oil will still rise to the top while you
are trying to take the enema. In fact, most patients find it impossible to stir the solution vigorously
enough to keep the oil mixed into the coffee on their own; they need a helper to do that.  When the
coffee plus castor oil is all infused, try to hold the solution for a little while, but you are unlikely
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 114Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comto succeed. It doesn’t matter, release when necessary. This enema does its work very fast.
The castor oil treatment is taken every other day for the first 4-5 months of the intensive
therapy, and then slowly reduced. Please Note: patients pre-treated with chemotherapy must
not use the castor oil treatment.
Patients react to the castor oil treatment in widely different ways. For many it is just a mild
inconvenience—due to the powerful cleansing effect of the oil, on castor oil days it is wise to
stay close to the bathroom. Others find the taste and weak smell of the oil off-putting. This can
be mitigated by eating a small piece of fruit before taking the oil, or having half an orange handy
and sucking it immediately afterwards. Some patients simply add the oil to the cup of coffee,
then use a straw or a glass tube, inserted into the oil, to get it into the back of the mouth, followed
immediately by the coffee to chase it down.
This is the only occasion in the Gerson program when patients are made to drink  coffee. It
is done in order to activate the stomach muscles and move the oil out as fast as possible, so that
the patient is not nauseated for hours while the oil remains in his or her stomach, but is able to
enjoy breakfast and the juices that follow. A few patients have tried to substitute peppermint or
some other herb tea for the coffee, but undoubtedly coffee works best and should be taken, even
by those who don’t normally drink it.
Cleaning the Equipment
Like all other tools of the Gerson program, the enema bucket has to be kept clean. But since
the anus, rectum and colon are  not sterile, the equipment need not be sterilized. After each use the
bucket has to be rinsed with hot soapy water, running it through the tube as well, and then rinsed
again thoroughly to remove the soap. Two or three times a week it is wise to put a cup of 3%
hydrogen peroxide (from the supermarket or drug store) into the bucket with the clamp closed,
and let it stand overnight to kill any germs or impurities. Rinse it out before the first use in the
morning.
CAUTION: If you keep the plastic tube attached to the bucket, it will eventually become
loose and even slip off, treating you to an unwanted coffee shower. Check the fit frequently and if
necessary, cut an inch or so from the loosened end of the tube and replace the tight part. You can
prevent accidents by removing the plastic tube every time before running hot water through the
bucket, so that it shrinks back to its original size and remains tightly in position.
The bucket reserved for the castor oil treatment is also cleaned as above, but with generous
use of hot soapy water, in order to get rid of any oily residues. Wipe the inside of the bucket with
a piece of absorbent paper to finish the cleaning.
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 115Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comPossible Problems
Many patients learn the enema routine without difficulty and get to enjoy the feeling of
lightness and added energy yielded by the practice. Others, however, experience difficulties,
which need to be eliminated. In the following we list some of the problems that may arise.
Patients may arrive at the hospital with a massive accumulation of stools in their colon, caused
by the use of heavy pain-killing drugs, including morphine. These tend to paralyze peristalsis (the
alternate contraction and relaxation of the intestine, by which the contents are propelled onward),
causing severe constipation. As a result, these patients are unable to take in a quart (32 ounces) of
the coffee solution, let alone hold it in. The answer for them is to take whatever amount they can
comfortably accommodate, stop, and hold this as long as possible, even if only for a few minutes;
then release, and take the remaining coffee solution. Again, hold it and release after 12-15
minutes. As a rule, after two or three days, when the colon has been cleared of old accumulations,
the enemas can be taken and held without difficulty.
Some patients may suffer from gas retention, which stops the enema from getting into the
colon. When that happens, a small amount—say 6-10 ounces—of the coffee can be infused, after
which the bucket is lowered to the patient’s level, allowing the coffee to flow back into the bucket.
This often releases the gas, causing some ‘bubbling’ in the bucket. Next the bucket is raised again,
and after the clearing of the gas the enema can continue more easily.
The patient is supposed to take the enema lying on his/her right side, in order to help the
coffee solution to get into the transverse colon from the descending colon. But as a result of
surgery, arthritis or tumors, the right side may be too painful to lie on. In such a case the patient
has to lie on his/her back, with the legs pulled up, and proceed from that position.
If a patient suffers from severe irritation of the colon, a small portion of the coffee concentrate,
say  2-4 ounces, can be diluted with chamomile tea instead of water. The smaller amount of coffee
will still help to detoxify the liver, while the chamomile tea soothes the colon. There is no time
limit for the use of chamomile tea. In case of severe diarrhea, an enema of chamomile tea only is
used for gentle cleansing morning and evening
To prepare chamomile tea, put 1 ounce of the dried flower heads into a glass dish, add 1
pint of boiling water, cover the dish and stand it in a warm place, letting


 he may be having an organification problem with the iodine. I
explained to him that his
cells were unable to effectively utilize iodine. After placing him on Vitamins B2 (100mg) and B3
(500mg) two times per day, John noticed an immediate improvement. “It was a miracle. With the second dose of the B-
vitamins, my head cleared and all my fatigue went away. I felt 20 years younger. I have never taken anything that works
that quickly,” he said. John has continued to take iodine (now 50mg/day) in addition to vitamins B2 (200mg/day) and B3
(1,000mg/day). His thyroid antibody levels gradually lowered to normal levels over the next six months. Most
importantly, John now feels well. “I can’t believe how much energy I have. Everybody has noticed the difference,” he
claims.

John’s story is not unique. Ensuring optimal oxidation and organification of iodine improves the immune system function and
energy production.

Figure 8
 (next page) shows what happens to iodide once it enters the thyroid gland. Once iodide is transported into the
thyroid cell, it undergoes oxidation. This is the process whereby iodide (the reduced form of iodine) is oxidized to iodine. What
this means is that iodide is relieved of one electron which results in the production of iodine, as illustrated in
Figure 8
.

The oxidation process occurs through the interaction of hydrogen peroxide (H
2
0
2
) with thyroperoxidase (TPO). This step is a
very important process in the body’s ability to utilize iodide.

Abnormalities of the oxidation of iodide can result in the production of anti-thyroperoxidase antibodies (anti-TPO). This leads
to a condition called Hashimoto’s disease. More about Hashimoto’s disease will be discussed near the end of this chapter.
 FIGURE 8: The Oxidation of Iodide

Hydrogen Peroxide: An Essential Element for Oxidation
Adequate hydrogen peroxide production is essential for facilitating the oxidation of iodide. Without adequate hydrogen
peroxide production, iodine will not be formed from iodide. Hydrogen peroxide is a potent oxidizing agent. In the thyroid cell, its
function is to oxidize iodide to iodine (
Figure 8
). Hydrogen peroxide along with TPO is essential for this step.

If the production and utilization of hydrogen peroxide is not closely maintained, it can damage tissue and cause autoimmune
thyroid disorders such as Hashimoto’s disease. The immune system has developed defense mechanisms to keep H
2
0
2

from
harming tissues. This is primarily done with the selenium-containing enzyme glutathione peroxidase which functions to keep
hydrogen peroxide reduced to H
2
O after it oxidizes iodide.
1

2
 A deficiency of selenium can impair this defense mechanism. More
about selenium can be found in
Chapter 7
.

If the oxidation process occurs correctly, the next step in the utilization of iodine is called organification.
THE ORGANIFICATION OF IODINE
Once iodine is formed, it undergoes organification and becomes part of cholesterol, lipids (fats), and proteins (
Figure 9
, next
page). Organification simply means being bound to an organic molecule. As can be seen from
Figure 9
, iodine in RDA amounts–
150μg/day–can be bound to thyroglobulin and make thyroid hormones—T1, T2, T3, and T4. However, it takes larger doses of
iodine–at least 100x the RDA for iodine–to produce the important iodo-lipids such as δ-iodolactone.

At 100x the RDA, iodine can be organified to lipids in order to produce δ-iodolactone and other iodo-lipids. δ-iodolactone,
as well as the other iodo-lipids will not be formed in any appreciable amounts when iodine is taken in RDA amounts. Simply put,
RDA
amounts of iodine barely give the cell enough iodine to make thyroid hormone and prevent goiter.

FIGURE 9: THE ORGANIFICATION OF IODINE

Rick, a 52-year-old physician was very active in his daily life. He played tennis twice per week and exercised daily. “I
feel good most of the time, but I still have my ups and downs,” he said. Rick was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease 15
years ago. Since that time, his main problem was maintaining his concentration. He claims, “Although I can still do
everything, my brain has never felt the same after Hashimoto’s disease came along.” Rick was on a holistic treatment
regimen of vitamins, minerals, and eating a good diet for years. When Rick added in iodine (75-100mg/day), he
immediately noticed the difference. Rick stated that, “Ninety percent of my complaints melted away with the iodine. It
was
miraculous.” After two years of taking the iodine, Rick was tested via blood, urine, and saliva and we found that he
had an organification defect with iodine. That means his cells were not properly utilizing the iodine he was supplementing
with. Upon taking two doses of a supplement containing 100mg of Vitamin B2 and 500mg of Vitamin B3 (ATP
CoFactors
®
) he felt “fabulous”. “I have never felt that good with just starting a new supplement. This cleared up all my
nagging complaints. I now feel 100% healthy,” he said.
Rick is my partner, Dr. Richard Ng. His story is not an isolated story. If there is an inability to organify or oxidize iodine, the
body will not receive the true benefits of it. It is important to keep searching for answers if you are not receiving the best results
with iodine therapy. Rick was not satisfied until he felt 100% well.
AT THE RDA FOR IODINE: PRODUCTION OF THYROID HORMONE
When iodine is taken in amounts consistent with the RDA–approximately 150μg/day–iodine can be bound to thyroxine
molecules and become thyroid hormone. If there is insufficient iodine to accomplish this, it can lead to an inadequate production
of thyroid hormone and a hypothyroid state. The different thyroid hormones are shown in
Figure 9
.AT 100X THE RDA FOR IODINE: PROTECTION FROM CANCER
When iodine is taken in amounts at least 100x the RDA (>15mg/day), iodine can now also bind to other molecules including
lipids (i.e., fats) and proteins. The binding of iodine to the fat molecule lactone results in a fat-like substance known as δ-
iodolactone. δ-iodolactone is a key regulator of apoptosis and cellular proliferation of the thyroid gland.
3

4
 In other words, δ-
iodolactone is an anti-cancer substance. Apoptosis refers to the programmed cell death that all of our normal cells have.
IODINE AND APOPTOSIS: PROTECTION FROM CANCER
Apoptosis is a very important concept. All cells, like all living things, have a life cycle. All cell life cycles have a growth phase,
a division phase, and a death phase. After a cell dies, it is replaced by a new cell. We want our cells to undergo apoptosis or
programmed death. Without apoptosis, cells will continue to divide until they overwhelm the body. Cancer cells are examples of
cells that do not undergo apoptosis. One of the mysteries of cancer is why these cells do not undergo apoptosis. A potent
anticancer item would be one that would promote apoptosis of cancer cells, without toxicity to other cells.
Iodine is one of these nutrients. We know that iodinated lipids such as δ-iodolactone have been shown to regulate and
promote apoptosis. Common sense would lead one to conclude that it is important to ensure adequate iodine intake in order to
promote the production of iodinated lipids such as δ-iodolactone. These iodinated proteins are not detected in human tissue when
iodine deficiency is present. However, they are detectable when iodine is taken well in excess of the RDA for iodine.

It is important to emphasize that the apoptotic (i.e., anti-cancer) effect of iodine only occurs when iodine is ingested with
doses in excess–100x–of the RDA for iodine. Similar effects have also been shown to occur in animals (dogs) as well.
5
 I believe
one of the major reasons we are seeing a significant increase in cancer of the iodine dependent tissues (including the thyroid,
breasts, ovaries, and prostate) is due to a deficiency of iodine resulting in non-apoptotic cells as well as a suboptimal environment
for oxidation and organification.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: WHAT DOSE OF IODINE IS THE BEST FOR PROTECTING AGAINST
CANCER?
If we want to achieve the proper oxidation and organification of iodine, it becomes clear that the RDA for iodine
is woefully
inadequate to provide the apoptotic (i.e., anti-cancer) effect. In fact, I believe the RDA for iodine is not only inadequate for
providing the apoptotic effect of cells throughout the


	head.
Children	who	remember	past	lives	show	a	marked	similarity	in	behavior,
according	to	Carol	Bowman,	another	researcher	in	the	field.	They	speak	of
their	past	life	very	early	on,	sometimes	from	the	age	of	two,	and	typically
they	stop	around	age	seven.	The	children	speak	matter-of-factly	about	dying.
They	may	be	frightened	of	certain	things	associated	with	violent	death,	but
usually	their	affect	isn’t	emotional.	They	often	sound	like	small	adults	and
have	quite	detailed	memories.
They	can	make	startling	comments,	such	as	the
following	reported	to	Dr.	Stevenson	by	various	children:
“You’re	not	my	mommy/daddy.”
“I	have	another	mommy/daddy.”
“When	I	was	big,	I	…	[used	to	have	blue	eyes/had	a	car,	etc.].”
“That	happened	before	I	was	in	Mommy’s	tummy.”
“I	have	a	[wife/husband/children].”
“I	used	to	…	[drive	a	truck/live	in	another	town,	etc.]”
“I	died	…	[in	a	car	accident/after	I	fell,	etc.]”
“Remember	when	I	…	[lived	in	that	other	house/was	your	daddy,	etc.]”
Such	children	talk	just	as	matter-of-factly	about	the	afterlife.	About	half	of
the	220	studied	by	Stevenson	said	that	they	didn’t	go	directly	to	heaven	but
had	to	wait	in	another	place	first,	which	corresponds	to	the	“crossing	over”
phase.	They	report	making	decisions	about	their	next	lifetime	once	they	got	to
heaven,	choosing	a	new	family	and	new	challenges.	As	one	girl	put	it,
“Heaven	isn’t	easy.	You	have	to	work	there.”
Because	they	are	often	so	young,	children	who	report	past	lives	are	the
strongest	evidence	that	reincarnation	isn’t	just	a	cultural	artifact.	There	is	also
the	convincing	matter	of	convergence:	all	three	categories	of	witnesses—
children	who	remember	past	lives,	people	who	have	had	an	NDE,	and	people
who	have	experienced	being	out	of	their	bodies	generally—agree	on	how	the
afterlife	works.
Out-of-body	experiences	are	much	more	common	than	we	suppose,	and	a
few	people	have	mastered	them	to	the	point	that	they	become	“astral	tourists.”
F.	Holmes	Atwater	of	the	Monroe	Institute	is	one	of	several	researchers	in	thefield,	and	his	subjects	often	report	experiences	that	take	them	into	the	Akashic
field,	including	those	domains	we	associate	with	dying.	What	they	see	is
completely	consistent	with	NDEs	and	children	who	remember	a	past	life.	One
child	told	her	parents	that	God	doesn’t	speak	in	words	or	in	a	language	like
English	or	Spanish.	This	is	consistent	with	the	esoteric	belief	that
communication	takes	place	on	the	astral	planes	by	telepathy.	People	returning
from	near-death	also	say	that	what	they	heard	or	learned	came	to	them
without	speech,	often	through	instantaneous	insight	or	revelation.
Are	these	children	exceptional	because	they	remember	a	past	life,	or	are
the	rest	of	us	abnormal	in	not	remembering	who	we	once	were?	I	think
neither	answer	is	right,	exactly.	The	function	of	memory	is	closely	attached	to
strong	emotions.	Few	people	can	remember	what	they	had	for	dinner	on	a
Tuesday	last	month,	but	if	that	dinner	was	the	occasion	for	proposing
marriage	to	someone	you	loved,	it	can	be	recalled	for	years.	Similarly,	these
children	seem	to	remember	being	wrenched	from	their	old	life,	and	this
powerfully	negative	memory	carries	over	beyond	the	boundary	of	death.	Dr.
Stevenson	records	one	instance	where	a	child	was	born	with	a	pattern	of	red
dots	on	his	chest	and	had	memories	of	pain	from	a	fatal	shotgun	blast.
On	the	other	side,	however,	it	would	be	emotionally	barren	if	we
remembered	everything	that	ever	happened	to	us.	The	pioneering
Soviet
neurologist	Alexander	Luria	had	one	such	patient,	a	journalist	he	called	S.,
who	had	total	recall.	He	could	sit	in	a	crowded	press	conference	and
afterward	remember	every	word	spoken	by	each	person	in	the	room.	But	S.
was	an	emotional	blank	and	lacked	the	ability	to	understand	poetry,	symbols,
and	metaphors—for	him,	every	event	was	a	literal	fact	recorded	on	a	mental
tape.	(When	Luria	asked	him	if	sorrow	ever	sat	heavy	on	his	mind,	S.	replied
matter-of-factly	that	sorrow	doesn’t	weigh	anything.)
Memory	is	erased	in	many	ways,	one	of	the	most	typical	being	retrograde
amnesia.	We	see	this	phenomenon	in	victims	of	automobile	accidents	and
war.	A	person	who	loses	consciousness	after	being	hit	by	a	car	or	struck	down
by	a	bullet	can	remember	everything	up	to	the	moment	of	impact,	but	not
beyond.	After	waking	up	in	the	hospital	wondering
What	happened	to	me?
	the
patient	or	soldier	tries	to	fill	in	a	gap	in	time	based	on	guesswork.
If	I	am	in	a
hospital	and	my	arm	is	broken,	I	must	have	been	hit	by	a	car
.
Reincarnation	creates	a	similar	gap	in	memory,	except	for	those	few	who
carry	recollections	over	from	one	life	to	the	next.	In	the	space	between
lifetimes	identity	is	reshaped;	somehow	we	change	completely,	and	at	the
same	time	we	continue	as	who	we	are.	The	afterlife,	then,	is	a	kind	of
transformation	chamber.	On	a	cool	fall	day,	if	you	stroll	outside,	you	might
find	a	chrysalis	hanging	from	a	twig.	The	pupa	inside	was	once	a	caterpillar
and	in	time	it	will	reincarnate	as	a	butterfly.	To	do	so,	every	cell	in	the
caterpillar	must	be	transformed.	In	its	pupal	stage	the	insect	is	shapelessorganic	goo.	That	caterpillar	melts	and	reshapes	itself	at	the	same	time.	Its	old
physical	identity	is	erased	entirely.	All	insects	that	move	from	larvae	to	fully
grown	adults	do	something	similar,	and	just	as	caterpillars	bear	almost	no
resemblance	to	a	butterfly,	a	dragonfly	nymph	stalking	the	bottom	of	a	pond
for	minnows	bears	no	resemblance	to	its	final	stage,	nor	a	maggot	to	a
housefly.
For	insects,	reincarnation	is	a	creative	leap	that	doesn’t	involve
conscious
choices,	since	the	information	encoded	in	the	insect’s	genes	produces	the
same	transformation	generation	after	generation	without	variance.	Countless
monarch	butterflies	are	clones	of	the	original	butterfly	millions	of	years	ago.
Human	DNA,	however,	manufactures	new	people,	each	of	whom	feels
unique.	Uniqueness	in	physical	structure	is	only	the	beginning.	We	emerge
from	the	transformation	chamber	not	just	a	bit	unique,	the	way	one
chimpanzee	or	dachshund	might	differ	from	another,	but	totally	free	to	create
ourselves	from	the	inside,	using	desires,	hopes,	dreams,	beliefs,	and
aspirations,	all	the	tools	available	in	consciousness.
The	Vedic	rishis


life. That discomfort drives people to seek all sorts of distractions, which
just creates more turmoil. We all know about this cycle of disturbance and
temporary relief. Now you know there is a much higher way to live. If you
are willing to release the blocka ges, over time the energy will find its way
up. It will push the samskaras out of the way, and the next thing you know,you won’t even be able to relate to how you used to be. This is especially
true about how you used to deal with some people around you. You’ll wish
you could go back and say, “I am so sorry. I was so lost.” You will see how
relationships used to be about finding a way to be more comf ortable with
yourself. Once the blockages begin to clear, the energy will find its way into
your heart, and that will comfort and sustain you. Relationships will
naturally be about love and caring—all of them will be about serving others.
They will no longer be about control or getting something you need. This is
what happens as the ener gy is free to rise within you.
If you release the blockages, the energy will naturally rise higher. You
will not have to fight with it—the energy wants to come up. Always
remember, the energy wants to go up. You do not have to force it. It is best
for long-term spiritual growth if the energy is allowed to rise naturally.
When you get blockages out of the way, you will feel a steady upward flow
of energy. Eventually, you will realize that the shakti wishes to express
something so beautiful, it will leave you breathless. You will begin to know
a peace that “passeth all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). You won’ t need
anything. Your natural state is so beautiful; you are whole and complete
within yourself. It simply depends on your willingness to work with the
energies. If you do, shakti will go higher and higher until eventually it
moves as fountains of joy flowi ng out the higher energy centers. As it does,
your entire relationship with this world will transform into something very
beautiful. What you were trying  to get from the outside will now naturally
be going  on inside. You will become filled with love and ecstasy. Again,
Christ described this as: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). You will have a
perpetual flow of ener gy feeding you from within.
The transmutation of the inner energy flow is the answer to all the
world’ s woes. If people felt whole inside and were fed by the constant flow
of love and deep peace, they wouldn’ t be fighting with each other. Why
would you kill, rob, or harm someone if you were content within yourself?
It is only because people are struggling inside that they are driven to
struggle outside. That’ s the only reason we need so many rules and laws.
People left to their own create great trouble struggling with their inner
disturbances. There is something much higher within us, and it happens to
be our natural state. You’re a beautiful being; a truly awe-inspiring being.
But you can’t reflect that beauty if you’re not okay. No matter how beautifulyou are, if you are trying not to drown, you’re not going to seem so
beautiful. To stop struggling once and for all, work on letting go of the
blockages.
A spiritual being views life as follows: “I came down to the planet
Earth for a short time, and these are the experiences I got to have. They
were challenging, but I handled them and am better off because of them.”
You don’t suppress your issues, and you don’t allow them to become the
foundation of your life. A past issue is just one of the many things that
happened to help you grow. You don’t need to know why it happened. You
don’t need to analyze its cause and effect, from a karmic point of view. All
sorts of things happen every day, and you don’t understand why they
happen. Yet you are comfortable handling them. You only insist on
understanding the events that you can’t comfortably handle. Understanding
becomes a crutch, a source of rationalization. If the mind can’t fit an event
into its conceptu al model, it insists on knowing why it happene d. Better to
accept reality first, then work with it in a constructive manner.
You are the Self. You are the conscious witness of all that passes  before
you. You dwell deep inside, and nothing in there is more powerful than you.
You have free will; use it to accept what has already happened rather than
letting past events mess up the rest of your life. Free yourself  from these
samskaras. Transmute your blocked energy flow into a powerful spiritual
force.Chapter 37.
The Power of Intent
You are capable  of letting go at a very deep level if you really want to. It is
not a question of ability; it depends on intensity of intent. Inner work is
different from outer work. In the outside world, there are things you may not
be able to accom plish because of physical limitations. Try as you will, you
cannot pick up a mountain or run at the speed of light. You have physical
limitations. But inside you have no such limitations because there is no
physical aspect to Self. You are pure consciousness, and your will has
complete dominion over mind and emotions.
As we have seen, most of your thoughts and emotions are created by
the blockages you have stored inside. These blockages are yours, and you
can let them go anytime you want. Once again, the problem is that since
they were stored with pain, they are going to release with pain. That is
where the depth of commitment comes in. Do you want to be free to live a
deep, beautiful life more than you want to avoid discomfort? Plenty of drug
addicts have gone through the pain of withdrawal to get their lives back. It
comes down to the old adage: where there’ s a will, there’ s a way. You can
let your blockag es go—if you really want to. What would you be willing to
go through for the most fulfilling love relationship, a constant state of well-
being, and the ability to feel the presence of God flowing throug h you at all
times? How would you answer?  Would you say, “I’m too busy and I don’t
like any discomfort”? Or would you meet the challenge and say, “Anything.
I would be willing to go throu gh anything to permanently live in such a
state”? Fortunately, you have the ability; that is not the problem. But do you
have the strength of intent to take the deep spiritual journey to liberation?
Will is like a muscle—you build it by exercising it. Practice saying,
“I’m the boss in here. This is my house. I’m the only one living in here, and
I have the right to make it a nice place to live.” It’s not about becoming acontrol freak in there—it’ s about learning to surrender. Surrender is not
about suppression, and it’ s not about control. Surrender is about letting go of
weakness and being committed enough to carry out your intent. Surrender is
handling anythi ng that needs to be released inside and letting it pass
through. Remember, it was you who willfully resisted past events, which
caused samskaras to be stored. Why not learn to willfully relax and release
as the blockages cleanse so you can experience the beautiful inner energy
flow as it is meant to be?
If you practice letting go of your blockages, not only will you get to
live in an elevated inner state, you will also become a blessing on the Earth.
Anyplace you go, anything you do, will carry a blessing for others. If you
stay with this process every day, you will get there. Put time aside to remind
yourself who you are and to recall your commitment to cleaning up inside.
Morning and evening practices will help you do this. It doesn’ t have to be
much time; just enough to relax and release, come back to center, and
remember to use every moment  of your life to let go of your blockages. If
you do that, the rest will happe n by itself. It is a natural process that will
take place.
Always remember, it is spirit’ s job to liberate you from yourself. Shakti
wants to be free, but you’re in the way. When shakti starts to push the
blockages up, you’re going to have the tendency to push them back down
because it’s not comfortable to live in that fire. You stored past disturbances
in there, and it doesn’ t feel good when they are stirred up. Imagine that
somebody’ s talking to you, and you’re feeling strong and confident about
the conversation. Suddenly, they say something that hits your blockages,
and you start to feel your strength drop out from under you. If you are
sincere, you use the situation for your growth. It’s not the time to argue with
the person; it’s the time to grow spiritually. Calm and centered, you
inwardly ask, “What’ s happenin g inside of me? What blockage  got hit that
caused this shift in energy to take place?” Then, to


it is more than quietude. By itself, a silent mind is no better, as far
as nego tiating the demands of daily life, than a car would be if the
engine dies. There has to be something attractive within the
experience of silence.This so mething exists in the form of a faint presence, which
we’ve already encountered as the sense of self. We are most
natural, relaxed, free, and present when the sense of self  is upon
us. Sustaining this feeling of presence eludes us, however. I think
it’s fair to say  that the glim pses of the true self that generate
experiences of love, joy, peac e, safety, and self-worth are the only
thing that has brought light into the condition of being human.
There i s a natural desire to  expand upon such experiences. In
return, the true self has the p ower of attraction (known in Sanskrit
as Swarupa, the pull of the Self).
Being silent and largely unnoticed, the sense of self cannot get
us unstuck by itself. If you  have practiced mantra meditation,
mindfulness practices, or one-pointed awareness, which  are all
valuable techniques for bringing the sense of self to the fore, you
know how stubbornly your m ind returns to business as us ual. You
can tra in your self with effort to display any spiritual att ribute—
loving-kindness, forgiveness, steady attention to God—but the
sense of self cannot be trained. It simply is. Effort is not only
useless but damaging. This concept was voiced by the ve nerable
spiritual teacher J. Krishnamurti, when he said, “Can you
discipline your  mind to be free?” There’s the rub. No matter how
well we train o ur minds, including all kinds of spiritual t raining,
freedom is a state where discipline is totally foreign.
I h ad that in the back of my  mind when I said that the direct
path must be easy, efficient, and spontaneous. If you wa nt to be
here now, which is the state of metahuman, you first have to stop
trying. Meditation gives the experience of not trying, which
surprises almost everyone when they first begin to meditate. The
sense o f self is brought into our awareness, and its presence can,
in fact, be quite strong. It ca n turn into a state of ecstasy, a love
affair with the Divine, as in this passionate outcry from Rumi:
Oh God, I have discovered love!
How marvelous, how good, how beautiful it is!…
I offer my salutation
To the spirit of passion that aroused and excited this
whole universeAnd all it contains.
The usual experience of pres ence is pleasant and far sho rt of
passionate. We  get a clue from Rumi, however, when he points to
the pow er of desire. In his case, desire is an intoxicati on with
divine love. Everyone has d esires, and it is due to the force of
desire t hat we wake up every morning with a will to see what the
day is going to bring. If the day brings moments of aw akening,
then desire has served us in getting unstuck.
Since the sense of self simply is, you can’t desire it directly.
That would be like saying, “I wish I existed.” What happens
instead is that you trick desire into going where you want to go.
(You spirituall y hack into materialism, as a friend put it.) In
Buddhism this comes under the heading of “Use a thorn to remove
a th orn, then throw both tho rns away.” That teaching is famous
and has aroused much commentary. It sounds simple enough to
remove a splinter from your finger by pricking it out with a  needle.
The mental equivalent runs into difficulties. Since we are going to
use desire to go beyond desire, these difficulties need a little
explaining.
Originally, the Buddha seem s to refer to thorns as deep pain
that can not be healed. One of the deepest sources of pain i s fear of
violence, which Buddha spea ks of with personal candor. “Fear is
born fro m arm ing oneself. Just see how many people fight! I’ll tell
you about the dreadful fear  that caused me to shake all over.
Seeing creatures thrashing lik e fish in shallow water, so hostile to
one another! Seeing this, I became afraid” (Sutta Nipata).
We lean forward to hear wha t Buddha’s escape from fear was,
which conjure s up the imag e of the thorn. He goes on, “Seeing
people locked in conflict, I became completely distraught. But
then I discerne d a thorn, diff icult to see, lodged deep in the heart.
It is only when pierced by th is thorn that one runs wild ly in all
directions. So if the thorn is taken out, one no longer r uns but
settles down.”
In pure form, experiencing the thorn of pain in the heart spurs
a person to find inner peace. The teaching is beautiful, but, like the
New Testamen t teachings, it contradicts human nature. Whenpeople are locked in conflict, they are motivated to ramp  up the
conflict, ignori ng the pain in their hearts, or, more likely, taking it
to b e a messag e that they mu st fight on. (To the credit of Buddhist
cultures in Asia, the teaching of peace has brought fewer bloody
conflicts over time, a record o ther faiths might envy. The Buddhist
violence against Muslims in Burma proves that no religion is
immune to violence, however.)
“A thor n to remove a thorn” can be used more psycholog ically
as a tactic for  healing. The goal is to substitute negative, self-
defeating thou ghts with positive, self-enhancing ones. Un der the
name o f cognitive therapy, this approach relies on rationality to
overcome emotion. For example, a patient might complain that
nothing ever works out, th at no matter how hard sh e tries,
everything ends in defeat and disappointment. There’s obviously a
strong emotional charge be hind defeatist thinking. Wh en this
becomes a habit, the first thought that comes to mi nd in a
challenging situation is automatically “Nothing is going to work
out. I know it.”
The usual result is that, inde ed, nothing good happens. There
could hardly be a more p erfect example of a self-fulfilling
prophecy. A cognitive therapist would use a new tho ught to
remove the old one (the thorn that removes the thorn) by pointing
out that good things have h appened to the patient. Life hasn’t
been a string o f endless defeats. Therefore, the rational course is
to think, “This situation may turn out well or badly. No one knows,
so I have a chance to do my best to get a good outcome.”  It’s not
easy to replace pessimism with optimism, since emotions lie
deeper than reason, and telling yourself that something good
might  h appen gives pessimism a ll the opening it needs. With
practice and guidance, habitual negativity can be softened, but
human nature hasn’t been m ade peaceful and fulfilled by the use
of reason.
Finally, there is the second part of the teaching to contend with.
“Use a thorn to  remove a thor n, then throw both thorns away.” In
the pro cess of getting over an illness, you take medicine as long as
it’s needed, then you throw the pills away. But the same thing is
more mysterio us when it com es to the mind. If you use positive
thoughts, for example, to rep lace negative thoughts, you still windup as a posit ive thinker, just as embedded in your story as
someone who is gloomy. It’s better to live in sunshine than in
shade, no doubt. Escaping the illusion is another matter.
Throwing both  thorns away means that the whole scena rio of
pain and pleasure, good and evil, light and darkness, is di scarded.
This is taken t o be Buddha’s essential message. The diagnosis is
accurate, and the picture of being healed—living beyond the grip
of th e drama—is inspiring. The challenge presented to the direct
path is how to make inspiration a living reality.
C l e a r i n g  t h e  W a y  f o r  t h e  S e l f
The answer, as I conceive it, is to use desire as the thorn,
because we all have experienced its double nature. Desire
demands to be fulfilled. If the desire is strong enough, as in
passionate sexual attraction, it is enough to drive people mad. The
thorn causes pain, because it is never enough to have one moment
of f ulfillment— the next desire arrives with a new demand to be
fulfilled. What ’s the other thorn, the one that will end the pain?
Fulfillment itse lf. Moralists who preach against desire, who call it
the work of the Devil or, in Freudian terms, the work of the id, see
with on ly one eye. Desire is as  beautiful as it is treacherous. Sexual
attraction leads to lasting, loving relationships and not just sexual
assault.
I do n’t think anyone would d eny this truism, and


	poison	that	fundamentally	damages	cell
function,	thereby	causing	disease	and	death.	Mortality	rates	are	higher	in
fluoridated	communities.	A	1978	study	in	the
New	England	Journal	of	Medicine
found	that:	“This	pattern	of	a	higher	crude	death	rate	in	the	cities	with
fluoridated	water	supplies	was	apparent	for	all	categories	of	death	except	for
those	by	accidental	means	and	suicide.”	According	to	Dr.	William	Marcus,	a
senior	scientist	at	the	EPA,	fluoride	is	the	only	substance	known	to	cause	bone
cancer,	and	bone	cancer	rates	are	80	to	600	percent	higher	in	communities	with
fluoridated	water.	Similarly,	new	research	connects	fluoride	intake	to
Alzheimer’s	disease	by	implicating	a	reaction	that	happens	between	aluminum
and	low-dose	fluoride.	Most	home	water	filters	do	not	remove	this	toxin.	You
need	to	use	reverse	osmosis	or	buy	bottled	water	that	does	not	contain	fluoride.
Another	toxin	in	our	drinking	water	is	arsenic.	Arsenic,	a	contaminant	in	the
chemicals	used	to	fluoridate	water,	is	known	to	cause	cancer	and	to	damage	the
digestive,	cardiovascular,	neurological,	reproductive	and	immune	systems.
Aluminum	salt	(alum)	is	added	to	water	to	“purify”	it	by	helping	to	settle	and
remove	particulate	and	organic	matter.	A	study	in	the
Journal	of	Epidemiology
found	that	the	risk	of	developing	Alzheimer’s	is	increased	in	individuals	who
drink	water	with	high	aluminum	concentrations.
Foods	That	Tamper	with	Destiny
No	discussion	of	food	toxins	would	be	complete	without	mention	of	the
potential	for	poisoning	the	entire	population	with	genetically	modified	foods.
Genetic	engineering	is	the	process	of	disrupting	the	genetic	blueprints	of	living
organisms	by	inserting	genetic	information	from	other	organisms	to	obtain	some
“desirable	characteristic,”	such	as	resistance	to	herbicides	or	insects.	These	foods
are	novel	and	totally	unnatural,	and	we	have	no	idea	what	the	future	health
consequences	may	be,	yet	avoiding	genetically	modified	foods	is	difficult.Insertion	of	genes	into	genetic	material	is	not	a	precise	process.	It	is	all	too
easy	to	obtain	unintended	results	that	lower	nutritional	content,	create	harmful
allergens	or	lead	to	the	creation	of	unique	toxins.	The	effects	of	these	toxins	may
not	become	known	for	years,	while	irreparable	harm	is	being	done.	The	best	way
to	avoid	these	foods	is	to	eat	organically	produced	foods.	(More	on	this	subject
in	chapter	9,	on	the	genetic	pathway.)
Beware	of	the	Air	in	Your	Home
We	have	already	discussed	how	toxic	your	food	pantry	and	cupboards	may	be,
but	your	home—while	it	may	be	your	castle—may	be	more	like	a	toxic	waste
dump.	In	fact,	our	greatest	exposure	to	volatile	organic	compounds	occurs	in	the
home.	Toxicity	from	indoor	air	pollution	affects	most	Americans’	health	to	some
degree	and	produces	a	wide	variety	of	symptoms,	including	anxiety,	depression,
fatigue,	headaches,	poor	concentration	and	mental	acuity,	and	bodily	aches	and
pains.	When	people	complain	of	these	symptoms	to	their	doctor,	however,
indoor	pollutants	are	almost	never	suggested	as	a	probable	(or	even	possible)
cause.
Learn	to	recognize	toxins	in	your	home.
Seemingly	benign	items	can	produce
dangerous	toxins	that	pollute	your	indoor	air,
such	as	the	off-gasses	of
mattresses,	pillows,	televisions,	clothes,	furniture,	carpets	and	tap	water.	Toxins
from	these	sources	expose	us	to	even	higher	concentrations	than	outdoor	air
pollution.	In	fact,	the	level	of	indoor	pollutants	in	your	home	may	be	hundreds	of
times	greater	than	outside	air.	Because	most	Americans	spend	about	90	percent
of	their	time	indoors,	this	toxic	load	can	substantially	contribute	to	toxic
overload,	resulting	in	disease.
As	mentioned	earlier,	I	used	to	suffer	from	an	extreme	case	of	multiple
chemical	sensitivities,	and	I	was	easily	incapacitated	by	exposure	to	even	minute
quantities	of	toxins	in	my	own	home.	I	was	able	to	restore	my	health	only	after
years	of	minimizing	toxins	and	improving	my	nutrition.	One	of	the	most
profound	things	I	learned	from	my	illness	is	that	all	of	us	are	chemically
sensitive	in	varying	degrees.	This	experience	led	me	to	research	how	the	fumes
from	cleansing	agents,	air	fresheners,	fragrances	and	body	care	products	injure
our	delicate	detoxification	mechanisms	and	use	up	the	body’s	nutrient	reserves
that	are	required	to	operate	these	systems	and	prevent	toxic	damage.
There	are	multiple	sources	of	indoor	pollutants:	new	carpets,	new	paint,
household	cleansers,	furniture,	mattresses,	copy	machines,	printers,	electronic
equipment,	dry	cleaning,	newspapers	and	magazines.	Anything	you	can	smellthat	is	not	a	natural	smell	is	probably	toxic.	The	longer	you	breathe	it,	and	the
more	concentrated	it	is,	the	more	damage	it	inflicts.	Indoor	air	is	a	health	risk
because	of	the	combined	effects	of	multiple	toxic	sources	concentrated	in	a
confined	space.
Few	people	know	better	the	incredible	amount	of	damage	that	can	be	done	by
indoor	air	pollution	than	Sally,	a	young	newlywed.	Sally	was	truly	“brought”	to
my	office.	Her	husband	had	to	carry	her	from	their	car.	She	did	not	have	enough
energy	to	walk	or	even	to	hold	her	head	up	straight	while	seated.	Sally	was
suffering	from	acute	chronic	fatigue,	a	condition	that	physicians	are	not	trained
to	recognize	or	understand.	She	and	her	husband	had	already	spent	many
thousands	of	dollars	on	consultations	with	physicians	and	diagnostic	tests.
Unable	to	find	anything	“physically	wrong,”	Sally’s	doctors	referred	her	to	a
psychiatrist.
Of	course,	Sally	was	not	crazy,	but	she	was	very	sick.	Her	cells	were
malfunctioning	so	badly	that	she	had	become	totally	disabled.	The	couple’s
responses	to	my	questions,	in	addition	to	my	own	experience	with	chemical
sensitivity,	allowed	me	to	understand	what	was	wrong.	First	(like	most	of	us),
Sally	had	frequently	been	given	antibiotics	throughout	her	life.	(Antibiotics
cause	fundamental	and	damaging	changes	to	human	physiology.)	This	intake
resulted	in	a	heightened	susceptibility	to	environmental	toxins.	I	asked	many
questions	about	Sally’s	medical	history,	diet,	lifestyle	and	environment	before
focusing	on	the	toxin	pathway	as	the	most	important	factor.
Sally	was	a	writer,	and	her	husband	had	converted	their	oversize	laundry	room
into	an	office	for	her.	Also	in	that	room	was	a	gas-fired	water	heater.	Natural	gas
appliances	release	toxic	gases,	including	nitrogen	dioxide,	c


 transportation of minerals from the soil an exceedingly small proportion
gets back to the tillable land in this country. Orr (2)  states that "Consumption in the United Kingdom
of live stock products mostly derived from grass lands has been estimated at about four hundred
million pounds sterling per annum (nearly two billion dollars)." This includes dairy products,
meats and hides. Never in the history of the world has there been such a large scale depletion of
the soil by transportation away from the tilled and pasturage areas. Sickness in the United States
has been calculated to cost nearly half as much as food, and is increasing.
    An important discovery has been made with regard to the feeding of dairy cattle and other live
stock: the nutritive value of young grass, when in a state of rapid growth, carries not only a very
large quantity of minerals, but also digestible proteins in amounts that are approximately equivalent
to those provided by the concentrated cereal cattle foods, such as linseed cake. It is observed also
that not only do the milk products of such cows remain at a high level while the cows are on the
rapidly growing young grass, particularly a rapidly growing young wheat grass or young rye grass,
but the animals themselves are in better physical condition than when on grain concentrates.
Further, that calves fed on the milk of those cows grow much more rapidly than they do when the
cows are on other fodder and have a much higher resistance to disease. Grass, to provide these
nutritional factors, must be grown on a very rich, well-balanced soil. A young plant, of necessity,
produces a rapid depletion of soil. Minerals and other chemicals are removed and therefore there
is need for adequate replacement.
    In Chapter 18 I have reported investigations made by Professors Meigs and Converse at the
Beltsville Experimental Station, in which they have shown that feeding cattle on a grade of dried
hay that was low in chlorophyll resulted in the development of dead or blind calves, and further
that when the milk of these cows was fed to three normal calves they died in fifty-seven, sixty-two
and seventy-one days respectively. These calves had been fed on whole milk until twenty days of
age. They show that the main deficiency in this ration was vitamin A.
    Since mammals require milk in infancy and since it is the most efficient single food known, I have
made a special study of milk and its products. The role of the vitamins and other activating
substances in foods is quite as important and essential as that of minerals. These activating
substances, in general, can be divided into two groups, those that are water-soluble and those that
are fat-soluble, the former being much more readily obtained in most communities, than the latter.
Since the fat-soluble and also the water-soluble vitamins are essential for mineral utilization and
particularly since the fat-soluble activators are so frequently found to be inadequately supplied in
diet and are usually more difficult to obtain, a special effort has been made to determine the level of
these in dairy products in many different places for different seasons of the year. To accomplish
this, I have obtained each year since 1927 samples of cream and butter, mostly butter, for analysis
for their activator content. The work has rapidly extended so that for the eleventh year we are
receiving now (1939) samples from several hundred places distributed throughout the world,
usually once or twice a month throughout the year. Methods used for these studies are both
biologic and chemical. These data are used in connection with morbidity and mortality statistics for
the same districts.
    The progressive changing of the levels of life is shown by the morbidity and mortality statistics of
the various areas of the United States and Canada. The American Heart Association publishes,
from time to time, very important data relative to the number of deaths from heart disease in the
various states of the Union. It is of interest to note that the highest mortality levels that are obtained
are found in those states, in general, that have been longest occupied by modern civilizations,7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 231/250namely, the Atlantic States, the New England States, the Great Lakes States and the Pacific
States. Their data published in their booklet ~tHeart Disease Mortality Statistics" and based on the
United States Registration area reveal that the death rate per 100,000 population was 123 in
1900. The data sent me in November 1937 from the United States Census Bureau, Department of
Commerce, in Washington, report the death rate from heart per 100,000 for 1934 as 239.9, in
other words an increase of 86.9 per cent in thirty-four years. Figures provided by the Bureau of
Census for England and Wales show the death rate per 100,000 to be 269.3; and for Scotland,
232. While the average figure for the United States Registration area of 224 deaths per 100,000
seems very high, it is exceedingly important to note that the New England States were much
higher, leading the entire country. Massachusetts reported 307.3; New Hampshire, 323.1;
Vermont, 310.8; New York, 302.1; Maine, 297.5. The rate of increase in the decade of 1921 to
1930 was 51.3 per cent for Delaware; 52 per cent for Connecticut, 51 per cent for Pennsylvania,
59.4 per cent for Missouri, 60.0 per cent for Washington; 55 per cent for Wisconsin; 64 per cent
for Louisiana; 71 per cent for Florida; 63 per cent for South Carolina; 81 per cent for Montana;
61 per cent for Kentucky; and 51.9 per cent for North Carolina. Such rates of increase as these
are cause for alarm.
    Sir Arnold Theiler, who spent a quarter of a decade studying the problems of nutritional
deficiency diseases among pasture animals in South Africa, has discussed at length the reduction of
phosphorus in available quantities for plant development as constituting, by far, the most important
mineral deficiency. He reported data obtained from many countries through the world, indicating
that the deterioration of cattle and sheep can be directly traced to an inadequate amount of
phosphorus in the soil. He states, in discussing the relation of this problem to the conditions as they
obtain in Australia, that: (3)
   Amongst the Australian data the figures showing depletion of phosphorus as a result of sale
of products off the farm without adequate replacement by manuring, are interesting. Thus
Richardson estimates that it would take two million tons of superphosphate to replace the
phosphorus removed in the form of milk, mutton and wool. In the "ranching stage" of the
development of a country the fact is often forgotten that the balance of Nature is frequently
disturbed to the detriment of generations to come.
    It is important to keep in mind that morbidity and mortality data for many diseases follow a
relatively regular course from year to year, with large increases in the late winter and spring and a
marked decrease in summer and early autumn. The rise and fall of the level of morbidity with the
changing season produces curves that are exceedingly regular for the same place from year to
year. The distribution, however, is distinctly different for different latitudes and altitudes. It is further
of special importance to note that the curves for the Southern Hemisphere, with its opposite
seasons, are in reverse of those of the Northern Hemisphere, and have very similar levels for the
same seasonal periods. I have obtained the figures for the levels of morbidity for several diseases
in several countries, including the United States and Canada. I find that the distribution of the rise
and fall in morbidity and mortality does not follow the sunshine curve but does follow the curve of
vegetable growth. Accordingly, I have made studies by dividing the United States and Canada into
sixteen districts, four from East to West and four from North to South. I have plotted by months
the levels of mortality for heart disease and pneumonia in these various districts, from figures
obtained from the governments of these two countries. Similarly, I have plotted curves for the
vitamin content found in butter and cream samples obtained from these sixteen districts. When
these are arranged in accordance with the levels by months they are found, in each case, to be
opposite to the mortality from heart disease and pneumonia. It is also important to note that while
these curves show a higher midsummer level of vitamins in dairy products in the northern tier of
districts, the period of high level is shorter than in the more southern division. Two peaks tend to
appear in the summer cycle of curves for the vitamins, one representing the spring period of active
growth and the other, the fall period. These peaks are closer together in the north than in the south.
    A particularly important phase of this study is the finding of a lower level of vitamins throughout
the year in those districts which correspond with the areas of the United States and Canada that
have been longest settled, and consequently most depleted by agriculture. A similar study has been
made based on the data published in a report by Tisdall, Brown and Kelley, (4) of Toronto. Their7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 232/250figures for children's diseases which included chicken pox, measles, nephritis, scarlet fever,
hemorrhage of newborn, tetany and retropharyngeal


 would rather have you do a
short massage than none at all. The most important parts of the body to
cover are the head and feet. They can be worked while you sit on the edge
of the tub for a minute in the morning. This mini-massage takes  only about
two tablespoons of oil.
Take one tablespoon of warm oil and rub it into your scalp, using the
same small, circular motions described above. Use the flat of your hand,
and your fingertips.
Massage the forehead from side to side with your palm.
Gently massage your temples, using circular motions, then gently rub the
outside of the ears.
Massage the back and front of your neck.
Taking the second tablespoon of oil, massage both feet using the flat of
your hand. Work oil around your toes with your fingertips. Vigorously
massage the soles of the feet with brisk back-and-forth motions of your
palms. Sit quietly for a few seconds to relax and soak in the oil, then bathe
normally.
LUNCH: NOON–1 P.M.To catch  the Pitta time of day at its height, it is best to eat lunch early, at
noon or just before. Pitta stokes agni, the digestive fire, to its bright est at
this hour; therefore, Ayurveda recommends that lunch be the biggest meal
of the day. Since most people do not perform heavy physical labor, lunch
does not have to be huge and hearty. Simply eat what you norm ally would
for dinner.
To avoid becoming drowsy in the afternoon, do not drink alcohol at
noon; warm water is the beverag e that best promotes good diges tion. In any
event, minimize  iced tea, ice water, or very cold soft drinks. All of these put
out agni and make it harder to digest the meal.
Two other steps  will remind the body of its daily rhythm. The first is to
sit quietly for five minutes at the table after you finish eating, preferably in
silence. The second is to take a short walk outside or to lie down for five
minutes after the meal. Both stabilize the system and help start the process
of digestion.
DINNER: 6–7 P.M.
Just after you come home from work is the time for afternoon meditation.
You can prepare for it with a set of yoga positions and five minutes of
balanced breathing, just as in the morning. Lying down for a few minutes
beforehand also removes the jagged edge of a long workday and makes the
meditation much deeper.
As with lunch, dinner comes early in order to catch a good time in the
daily cycle. In this case, six o’clock is the beginning of a Kapha period,
when the body wants to settle down. It is not a good idea to put too much
fuel into your system at this time, since Pitta will not be along to digest
your dinner until ten at night, when you are in bed. Your greatest digestive
power is in the afternoon, which also allows ample time for complete
digestion. Ayurveda is very strong on making sure that digestion is
complete, since half-digested food is what creates ama.Dinner should be a smaller meal than lunch. For many people, a bowl of
hot soup  with toast, herb tea, and fresh fruit are adequate. You are probably
not used to eatin g lighter at dinner than lunch, but try it for a change. You’ll
be pleasantly surprised at how settled and comfortable your body feels
when it doesn’ t have to diges t full rations at night. Ayurveda cautions
against fermented foods such as cheese, sour cream, and yogurt at night; red
meat is best avoided since it is harder to digest.
Warm water or herb tea is the beverage of choice at dinner. Ayurveda
makes no bones about considering alcohol a toxin that has no place in a
healthy life, but I recognize that many people drink liquor after work. The
basic rule is not to drink alcohol by itself, and don’t have it ice cold. It is
best to eliminate the cocktail hour altogether and eat an earlier dinner.
Alcohol consum ption with your meal should be light—a glass of wine, for
example, or one beer.
A short walk after dinner helps promote digestion and prepares the
system for a quiet evening spent reading, listening to music, or talking with
friends and family. Avoid action-packed movies and TV late at night, since
you don’ t want too much stimulation before bedtime.
BEDTIME: 9:30–10:30 P.M.
In order to get up at dawn, your bedtime has to be early. Attuned to the
Kapha cycle that ends the eveni ng, Kapha types already favor going to bed
around ten; this is the Ayurved ic ideal for everyone. It allows  the body’ s
rhythms to slow down naturally, gives a deeper, more relaxing sleep, and
provides time for the body to generate new tissue, which happens mostly at
night. (I have already mentioned that getting a full night’ s sleep has been
correlated with longevity.)
If you wait much  past ten o’cloc k, the ensuing Pitta period will make you
want to be active again—that  is why people feel drowsy early in the
evening, only to get a surge of energy around midnight, the absolute height
of the Pitta period. Going to bed early is basically an all-or -nothingproposition, as far as your body rhythms are concerned. Therefore, I
encourage you to try to get to bed at the Ayurvedic time. A week of self-
discipline can be a revelation in terms of how good you feel the next day.
To experience a day in perfect rhythm, you need a night of perfect sleep.
OceanofPDF.comCHAPTER 12
DIET—EA TING FOR PERFECT  BALANCE
In Ayurveda, a balanced diet does not revolve around fats, carbohydrates,
and proteins. Nor are calories, vitamins, and minerals given direct attention.
We know these nutrients intellectually, not through direct experience. You
cannot detect the vitamin C in your orange juice, much less the difference
between it and vitamin A. For the most part, Western nutrition comes out of
laboratory analysis. Ayurvedic nutrition comes directly from nature. When
your taste buds greet a bite of food, an enormous amount of useful
information is delivered to the doshas. Working solely with this information,
Ayurveda allow s us to eat a balanced diet naturally, guided by our own
instincts, without turning nutrition into an intellectual headache.
When food talks  to your doshas,  it says many things, because the different
gunas—heavy and light, dry and oily, hot and cold—are present in it. But the
primary information is containe d in its taste. Ayurveda recognizes six tastes,
or rasas: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter are the four we already know, plus two
others, pungent and astringent. All spicy food is pungent. Astringent is the
taste that puckers your mouth. The tannin in tea is astringent, as is the dry,
mealy taste of beans.
In Ayurveda a balanced diet must contain all six rasas at every meal. The
following dinner menu would be balanced:
Bibb lettuce salad (Bitter, Astringent)
Barbecued chicken with steamed rice (Salty, Sour, Pungent, Sweet)
Vanilla ice cr eam (Sweet)
Even if you eliminate the ice cream for dessert, this meal will remain in
balance, since it still has all six tastes. If the barbecued chicken was replacedby bake d chick en, the rasas of pungent and sour would be missing; they
could be made up by adding a few slices of tomato (sweet and sour) and
radish (pungent) to the salad.
It is not necessary to overload a meal with each taste. Just a hint of herbs
and spices will add pungent and bitter to a meal. Nor is it good to let the
same tastes dominate day after day. The basic rule is simply to give the body
all six rasas at each meal so that it can respond to food completely.
SATISFYING THE DOSHAS
Taste can also be used to balance an aggravated dosha, since each dosha is
on the lookout for the tastes that bring it into balance.
Vata is balanced by salt, sour, and sweet.
Pitta is balanced by bitter, sweet, and astringent.
Kapha is balanced by pungent, bitter, and astringent.
(The italicized taste has the strongest ef fect in decreasing a dosha.)
This basic information opens the door for a wealth of knowledge about
what your body  type should eat. In the following sections, we will expand
upon this immense field. Our discussion covers the following subjects:BODY -TYPE DIETS
The most basic guide to what you should eat is your body type. If you are
a Vata, this dosh a wants to be balanced with tastes different from those of
either a Pitta or a Kapha. Let’s say that two people are eating lunch at an
outdoor cafe and both order a chef salad, iced tea, and lemon sherbet. If one
person is a Pitta, this is an excellent lunch, for the sweet tastes and coolness
of the food help balance Pitta dosha. But if the other person is a Vata, this
meal is not good at all. Raw greens, particularly if


overactive,	restless	mind	as	it
recharges	and	rejuvenates	you.
On	a	physical	level,	according	to	Ayurvedic	texts,
abhyanga
	prevents	the
accumulation	of	physiological	toxins,	known	as
ama
,	and	lubricates	muscles,
tissues,	and	joints,	promoting	flexibility.	Ancient	Ayurvedic	texts	claim	that	it
also	improves	the	softness	and	luster	of	the	skin.	Exercising	or	taking	a	hot
shower	after	practicing
abhyanga
	helps	the	oil	penetrate	the	dermis,	which
further	nourishes	the	collagen	and	elastin.	The	penetration	of	the	oil	into	the
skin	can	also	help	to	remove	toxins	and	debris	while	improving	the	health	of
blood	vessels.
For	your	oil,	sesame	oil	is	best	to	use	in	the	winter	because	it	is	considered
warming,	while	coconut	oil	is	considered	cooling	and	therefore	recommended
for
the	warmer	summer	months.	You	can	also	try	special	Ayurvedic	herbal	oils
that	you	can	source	from	a	reputable	Ayurvedic	purveyor	or	find	online,	or
make	your	own	massage	oil.	Be	sure	any	oil	you	use	is	organic,	unrefined,	and
cold-pressed.
Ideally,	do	your
abhyanga
	practice	in	the	morning.	This	will	help	release	the
toxins	that	have	accumulated	during	the	night	and	rejuvenate	you	for	the	day.
To	avoid	slipping,	we	recommend	sitting	on	the	floor	or	a	chair	near	your
shower.	Start	by	warming	the	chosen	oil	slightly	by	holding	it	under	hot	water
for	a	few	minutes.	Then	apply	some	of	the	warmed	oil	to	your	hands	andmassage	your	entire	body	for	5	to	10	minutes,	applying	even	pressure	with	your
palm	and	fingers.	Apply	lighter	pressure	to	sensitive	areas	such	as	your	upper
torso,	breasts,	heart,	and	abdominal	area.	When	you	are	massaging	your
abdomen,	start	on	the	right	side	(from	your	perspective	when	looking	down)
and	then	make	a	circular	motion	up,	across,	and	down	the	left	side.	This
supports	the	natural	pathway	of	digestion.	Spend	a	few	moments	conducting
this	circular	pathway.
Next,	take	more	oil	and	spend	time	massaging	the	soles	of	your	feet,	the
palms	of	your	hands,	and	the	base	of	your	fingernails,	where	there	are	many
nerve	endings.	Don’t	forget	about	your	face,	ears,	and	neck.	Be	sure	to	give
them	some	love,	too!	Don’t	worry;	pure,	organic	oils	should	not	make	you
break	out.	(If	you	have	excessively	oily	skin	and	are	worried	about	breakouts,
you	can	always	avoid	your	face.)	On	days	when	you	are	going	to	wash	your	hair
(which	could	be	one	to	five	times	a	week,	depending	on	your	hair	type),	spend
some	time	massaging	your	entire	scalp.	Use	circular	motions	over	rounded
areas	such	as	your	feet	and	scalp	and	straight,	longer	strokes	on	your	limbs.	If
you	don’t	have	much	time,	focus	on	your	feet	and	scalp;	Ayurveda	teaches	that
these	are	the	most	important	areas	to	stimulate	with	touch.
When	you’re	done,	make	sure	you’ve	rubbed	the	oil	in	as	much	as	possible,
especially	on	your	feet;	be	very	careful	to	rub	in	all	oils	on	the	bottom	of	your
feet	before	attempting	walking	or	showering!	It’s	common	to	use	too	much	oil
at	first,	but	you	will	soon	reach	the	right	amount.	Towel	off	with	a	fresh	towel.
Then	you	can	choose	to	work	out	or	go	straight	into	a	hot	shower.	The	heat
from	your	workout	(or	the	shower)	will	help	the	oil	penetrate	transdermally.
This	will	strengthen	the	connective	skin	tissues	and	help	your	skin	stay	supple
and	healthily	beautiful.	In	the	shower,	only	use	soap	on	your	private	parts	and
underarms.	Excessive	use	of	soap	can	strip	your	skin	of	moisture,	and	coconut
and	other	oils	have	antibacterial,	cleansing	properties.	If	you	still	feel	oily	or
greasy,	use	a
natural	soap	sparingly.	After	you	towel	off,	you’ll	find	a	thin	film
of	oil	on	your	skin.	This	will	help	your	skin	stay	moisturized	and	protected,
while	keeping	your	muscles	warm	throughout	the	day.
BEAUTY	SECRET	IN	A	TINY	SEED:
SESAME	OIL
Coconut	oil	is	all	the	rage	right	now	(and	for	good	reason),	but	sesame	oil	is	another
great	natural,	nongreasy	moisturizing	oil.	Don’t	worry;	you	don’t	have	to	smell	like
your	neighborhood	Chinese	take-out	joint.	In	fact,	Asian	cooking	oils	are	not	the
right	kind.	Pure,	cold-pressed	sesame	oil	is	what	you	want;	it	has	a	mild,	pleasant
scent	and	is	absorbed	readily	into	your	skin.	If	you	purchase	sesame	oil	that	has	a
strong	odor,	it’s	probably	roasted	or	toasted	sesame	oil.	Unroasted,	cold-pressed
sesame	oil,	on	the	other	hand,	is	highly	lubricating	and	fantastic	for	both	your	skin
and	scalp,	promoting	vitality	and	healthy	hair	growth.	Keep	it	refrigerated	exceptfor	the	daily	amounts	you	set	aside	for	your	massage.
Sesame	oil	is	highly	nourishing	and	healing	and	contains	vitamin	E	and	B
vitamins,	amino	acids,	and	minerals	such	as	magnesium,	calcium,	and	phosphorus.
It	helps	soften	your	skin	and	hair,	keeping	them
hydrated	by	locking	moisture	in.
Sesame	oil	will	effectively	penetrate	deeper	into	the	epidermis	to	moisturize	and
repair	skin,	especially	if	heat	is	applied	after	sesame	oil	application	(as	from	a	hot
shower	after
abhyanga
).	Sesame	oil	is	particularly	protective	against	pollution	and
effective	at	revitalizing	damaged	hair	from	deep	within.
DRY	BRUSHING
Like
abhyanga
,	dry	brushing	is	a	manual	treatment	that	is	great	for	improving
circulation	and	rejuvenating	your	skin.	You	can	actually	integrate	dry	brushing
into	your
abhyanga
	routine	by	dry	brushing	for	just	a	few	minutes	right	before
applying	the	oil	and	starting	the	self-massage.	This	heightens	the	benefits	of
abhyanga
	even	more.
Like	other	forms	of	sloughing	the	skin	to	exfoliate,	dry	brushing	has	been
practiced	widely	around	the	world,	from
Japan	to
Sweden.	Manually	working
with	the	skin—our	largest	organ	of	sensory	perception	made	of	multiple	cell
layers,	glands,	and	densely	packed	nerve	cells—has	amazing	whole	body	benefits.
It	helps	remove	dead	skin	cells	and	clear	out	clogged	pores,	allowing	your	body
to	eliminate	wastes	and	toxins	more	efficiently.	This	also	activates	waste
removal	via	your	lymphatic	system,	draining	wastes	through	your	lymph	nodes
and	lymphatic	drainage.	Increasing	circulation	to	your	skin	allows	met


 in disease, but in this case and in the one that follows, this organic chang e was
present in forms that could scarcely have been more perfect examples of their kind. Continuing the post mo rtem findings, below
the dilated section of the small intestines the remainder of the tract including the entire colon was apparently normal in si ze and in
functional ability. The gall bladder was small, while the kidneys, the pancreas, and the spleen all exhibited signs of tissue
hardening.

    Case 11, an unmarried woman of thirty -three, had never passed a year during infancy and girlhood free from acute illness, and
had been a sufferer through all of her later life from nervous exhaustion that at frequ ent intervals was accompanied with morbid
craving for food, a desire which was satisfied without reason whenever it occurred. About five years before death the medical
adviser of the patient ordered that she take some sustenance every two hours during her waking moments, with a full meal just
before retiring. In addition to her other suffering, for many years at the menstrual period, the young woman was compelled to  lose
four or five days from her duties. She had sought the world over for relief, and about two years before consultation had turned to
natural agencies for health restoration undergoing then a fast of ten days. At the time the case was presented for examinatio n there
could be no doubt but that some aggravated form of organic disease existed, and  no encouragement was offered in prognosis, but it
was agreed that the treatment given should be aimed at the relief that a light diet, coupled with the essential eliminative
Page 67 of  72 accessories, would be certain to afford. This course was pursued for a period of eighty days, when death occurred. The case when
first seen showed a cyanosed condition of the skin; the cheeks were blue and veined, as was the nose, and the entire surface of the
body exhibited deplorable deficiency in venous circulation. This state impro ved to some extent after entering upon the dietary
regimen.

    Examination of the body after death revealed a liver and stomach cirrhosed, the stomach walls showing no evidence of recent
function, being approximately three -quarters of an inch in thickne ss. The small intestines, infantile in size, were of the consistency
of cartilage in sections, and adhesions were present at various points. The colon was no larger than an adult thumb throughou t its
length, and it also exhibited adhesions. The only organs  of the body that were in anything like a condition of functional capability
were the lungs and the heart. The kidneys, the spleen, and the pancreas, as in the previous case, were incipiently hardened.

    In several of the cases quoted it has been menti oned that the patient after the beginning of a fast, experienced a renewal of
vitality for which no solid physiological foundation existed. Nature, struggling to restore organic function, invariably make s the
effort commensurate with the gravity of the exi stent defect. By the removal of the labor of digestion at least one -half of the total
organic work of the body is lifted, and relief that simulates recuperation is manifested despite structural deficiency in the  machine.
In the presence of serious organic disease this seemingly favorable symptom is of short duration, and, as it passes, very evident
decline begins and progresses until nerve centers and brain no longer receive adequate support and the body dies. In Cases 3 and 4
the relief experienced after t he first fast was sufficient in each case, with organs still partially able to function, to enable the system
to maintain itself until accumulation again became too great to permit of continuance. Defects in organism, too serious to ha ve
been corrected in the earlier treatment or in the interim, now reached the stage either of degeneration or of atrophy, until finally
liberation of the life principle became no longer possible.

    When a case is first presented for examination the presence of serious orga nic defect cannot always be determined, but no doubt
is permitted shortly after entrance into a fast, for within a week or ten days symptoms are displayed that fix conditions. Th e third
week positively decides the outcome. In the two cases last described s igns of organic disease were such as not to be mistaken from
the very first. Soon or late the result in these and like instances must be death, and all that can be done towards possible recovery
must in the circumstances prove of no avail. Because of the h opeless outlook the cases described were placed upon restricted diet;
a diet that put no undue strain upon failing function, but that, nevertheless, did not ameliorate the distress of disease as would an
absolute fast. Family anxiety and outside criticism prevented the employment of the latter agency. In the circumstances life was
prolonged for several weeks, but it is virtually certain that, if food had been entirely excluded, relief would have been gre ater and
days would have been added to existence.

    Disease that is functional in character is self -limited. The amount of poison manufactured within the body is determined by the
intake of food or of drugs, and eradication of disease is fixed in limit of time by the ability of vital organs to resist and  east out
toxic products. The possibility always exists that these organs may prove unequal to their work, and this possibility becomes  a
certainty, with death as the outcome, in two situations --one, when the organs themselves are structurally defective, an d the other,
when, though fully capable of normal function, their powers are stimulated by food or by drugs, or by both, to the point of
exhaustion. But one of these conditions, that of irreparable organic defect, presents itself when disease is treated by  means of the
fast. Both are encountered in the therapeutics of medicine.

    In the majority of instances in medically treated cases the passing of life occurs under the influence of opiates that deaden  pain
and paralyze consciousness. Virtually from th e beginning of a fast pain ceases, consciousness is usually maintained with
exceptional mental clarity, and death, if it occurs, is like falling into gentle sleep.

    The results displayed in the post mortem findings cited, and the comparisons made in t he statement that follows, are tangible
assets in the claim that, in the absence of defects in the organs of the body, abstinence from food, together with the needfu l health -
giving and health preserving accompaniments elsewhere described in the text, is th e unfailing remedy for the correction of
functional ills. Both physician and patient from the outset of treatment possess the assurance of recovery; and confidenee th at rests
on infallible natural law is in itself of the greatest assistance in accomplishin g results.

    Comparative statement of post mortem findings is death by starvation (medical), and post mortem findings in death during the
fast as noted in the text.

EMACIATION
Death by starvation:
Marked.
Death by fasting:

    In cases where cirrhosed state of liver or stomach existed, emaciation was similar to that in chronic ailments, but in the ot her
instances it was not at all marked.
Page 68 of  72 SKIN
Death by starvation:
    Shrivelled and wrinkled; emits a fetid odor; sometimes  dark brown, varnishy coating; tightly adherent to parts beneath; rough,
scurvy surface.

Death by fasting:
    Smooth and pliable in all cases; free from odor; no coating; not adherent. Except in eases of cirrhosis of liver or stomach,
perfectly white. In the latter cyanosed condition as noted

SUB -CUTANEOUS FAT
Death by starvation:
    Absent.

Death by fasting:
    In all eases sub -cutaneous fat was present. This was especially so where disintegration of the liver is noted.

POST MORTEM RIGIDITY
Death by starvation:
    Pronounced.

Death by fasting:
    Very slight.

PUTREFACTION
Death by starvation:
    Sets in at once and progresses very rapidly.

Death by fasting:
    Very slow in progress. No preservatives were used on any body before holding the autopsy. In one instance post mortem was
held one month after death, and putrefaction was hardly noticeable. Slowness of decay is attributable to the constant employm ent
of both external and internal baths during treatment. Fasting is a process of elimination in immediate result, and the product s that
tend to swift decomposition are removed from the body as rapidly as formed.

HEART
Death by starvation:
    Usually contr acted, containing only a small amount of blood. Sometimes distinct atrophy.

Death by fasting:
    Normal in all cases.

LUNGS
Death by starvation:
    Normal but smaller.

Death by fasting:
    Normal except as noted.

BLOOD
Death by starvat ion:
    Lessened in amount, but thin and fluid from anemia.

Death by fasting:
    Abundance of blood. No apparent anemia.

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;


of our ability. I had never in my life been involved in
anything that demanded the level of perfection of that
program. It was like a polish ed diamond by the time it
was done. To me it was a  living entity, and I felt
tremendous respect every tim e I touched it. Just look at
the amazing flow of life’s events that created this
program. I felt like it had a life of its own, and we were
just here to serve it.
It was the beginning of 1982, and after two years of
intense development, we started installing the program
for my origina l two clients. Given that none of us had
ever written such a comprehensive program before, the
installations m oved along very smoothly. I never once
thought about what would happen after those sites were
installed. We were completely focused on writing and
delivering the absolutely bes t system we could because
that was the ta sk life had given us. The program’s destiny
after th e init ial installations would have to unfold
completely on its own—exactly as had happened every
step of the way so far.3 5.
P r e p a r i n g  f o r  L a u n c h
A long wi th the great strides the program was making, I
was pleased to see events unfolding that benefited those
around me, especially Barb, who was working really
hard. Around this time my neighbor Bob Tilchin decided
to move, and the Temple purchased his property. Barb
got to move into that house, and she also got a well-
deserved new office when Personalized Programming
relocated its five employees into a new building on
Temple grounds. I got a nic er office as well, and some
very important events were destined to take place there—
none more important than a destiny-filled phone call I
took while sitting at my computer one day.
We had just finished our first installation of The
Medical Manager, and I was finishing up the manual for
the pro gram w hen the phone rang. It was Systems Plus,
the distributo r of the acco unting program we were
selling. I was a very small dealer of theirs, and they didn’t
generally call me. I had placed a call a few days earlier to
report problems with a new piece of software they were
releasing.
The customer representative at Systems Plus
introduced herself as Lorelei. She was very apologetic for
the problems they were hav ing. At some point in her
apologies and assurances, she told me that I should
remain recepti ve to their new software releases because
they planned on being the leading company for small
business softw are. She said they were expanding beyond
general accounting and were currently looking for a topreal estate package, legal package, and medical billing
package.
When I heard her say medical billing package, she
caught me by surprise. At first I was too embarrassed to
say anything. Systems Plus was this big, Silicon Valley
computer com pany, and I was a guy in the woods who
had taught himself to program. Sure, I had spent the last
two years writing our medical billing program, but it had
only be en installed in one sm all doctor’s office for a few
weeks. Though the voice in my head was assuring me
that Systems Plus would ha ve no interest in my little
software program, I took a breath, surrendered to the
moment, and informed Lorel ei that I had just finished a
medical billing package. She started to say something
and the n stopped. After a br ief pause she said, “Wait a
minute, my boss just walk ed by; let me see if he’s
interested.” I had absolutely no idea what to think.
When Lorelei returned to the  call, she told me her boss
was very interested in reviewing any software that could
do a medical practice’s billing. She encouraged me to
send in the sy stem along with the manual I was just
completing. We got off the phone, and I was stunned.
What had just happened? I had never even thought
about finding a software distributor. Then one of the
industry’s top business software distributors calls me in
the mid dle of the woods in Alachua, Florida, and ends up
asking to see my system. I found out later that when
Lorelei mentioned her boss, she was referring to the
president of the company, Rick Mehrlich, who had just
happened to walk by her desk at that exact moment.
Perhaps now you can see why I have learned to so deeply
honor the flow of life.
It to ok me a week or two to pull everything together
and ship it off to Systems Plus headquarters. There was
something very surreal as I stood there offering the
finished package up to the universe. I had simply been
following the flow. I hadn’t had any expectations, hopes,or d reams about anything. For many years now, I had
just been putting one foot in front of the other serving
whatever was put before me to the best of my ability. To
me, I was not  a computer programmer; I was a yogi
living in  the middle of the wo ods. I had bought a tiny toy
computer for $600 some years earlier, and I had played
around with it. I got tricked into spending two years of
my life writing a medical bil ling package after my mind
had alre ady de cided that writing software was too time-
consuming. No w, without my making a single call, I was
about to send something I h ad programmed off to the
president of a successful software company out in
California. How does such a thing happen—even in a
fairy tale?
A few weeks later, I got a call from Systems Plus
informing me that the company president wanted to fly
out to Alachua  to meet me face-to-face. I agreed, and in
no t ime at all Rick Mehrlich was sitting on the couch in
my office telling me that h e wanted to distribute my
software. He said it was about the best he had ever seen,
and he  could do a great job representing it in the
marketplace. I enjoyed bo th his frankness and his
positive praise, and I immediately felt comfortable
working with him. It is impor tant to understand that the
way I viewed the unfolding events was that this man
sitting before me had been handpicked by the Universal
Force to take my child out into the world. Just as Barb
had sho wn up out of nowher e and turned out to be the
absolutely perf ect person to help me, so this man might
as well have m anifested out of thin air and told me he
had been sent to distribute the software package.
I n either contacted another d istributor nor viewed any
other options. I surrendered t o the perfection of the flow.
As R ick and I shook hands on our intent to enter into a
distribution arrangement, we couldn’t possibly have
known that for the next few  decades of our lives we
would be involved in a fantastic voyage together. Itshould come as no surprise that Rick and Systems Plus
turned out to be the absolutely perfect distributor for
The Medical Manager product. Life had worked its magic
once again.
Systems Plus informed me in September that the
company was going to launch The Medical Manager in
November at the upcoming 1982 Computer Dealers’
Exhibition (COMDEX). Held in Las Vegas each year,
COMDEX was the largest computer trade show in the
country and the second largest in the world. Systems
Plus was planning to featur e the product in its huge
booth, so the pressure was on to get the distribution
agreement sign ed and to ship the finished version of the
software out to California.
It turn s out that the Temple had a large retreat
scheduled for first of Octobe r that year for Ram Dass.
That wa s exact ly the deadline Systems Plus had given me
to s end them t he finished version. Since I didn’t get the
software shipped before lea ving for the retreat, Ram
Dass ended up with it on his  lap the entire drive down.
At one point he asked me in his very no-nonsense way of
speaking, “Is it any good?” I answered him by saying that
I h ad no idea; it could be worth nothing or it could be
worth a  million dollars. Turns out I was off by a few
zeros. I  always  had tremendous respect for Ram Dass, as
do all of us who grew up under his aura of absolute
honesty with one’s self. The perfection of circumstances
that had him h olding that piece of software just before it
launched into the world was amazing to me. Who knows
how these things work? I cer tainly don’t claim to know a
thing. I  watche d how this sof tware was conceived, and I
saw it attract exactly what it needed to not only get
written but to be a leader ri ght out of the gate. It then
magically attra cted its own first-rate distributor and was
now sitting on the lap of one  of the most-respected New
Age spi ritual teachers in the world. This program had a
destiny of its o wn, and it was about to take us all on ajourney, the likes of which we never could have
imagined.S e c t i o n  V I
The Forces of Natural
Growth3


ent;wakesfromthecoughatnight.Mucus:copious;
yellow;white;tastessalty.Betterforsittingup.
Worseatnight;duringtheeveninginbed;forlying
down.
Thepatientcoughsuplotsofsaltywhiteoryellow
mucus.Chestfeelsconstricted(tight)oroppressed
andtheribsmayhurtfromcoughing.Theairpassages
feelirritatedandthecoughseemstocomefromthe
stomachandisveryviolent,especiallyafterlying
downatnight.Patientsweatsaftercoughingandfeels
worseforit.
Cystitis
SymptomsDesiretourinate:constantdragging
downinpelvis;urgent.Painspressing.Urination
frequent;slow(hastowaitalongtimeforittostart).
Urine:cloudy;darkbrown;red;scanty;smelly;with
sediment.
Thiscystitisiscommonafterchildbirth.Thepatient
willhaveaconstantdragging-down sensationinthe
pelvis,andshewillhavetorushtopassurineoritwill
escapeinvoluntarily,becauseofsaggymusclesinthe
pelvicarea.Shemaythenhavetowaitforittostart
oncesittingonthetoilet.
Exhaustion
SymptomsExhaustion:nervous;sudden.
Worseongettingupinthemorning;duringamen-
strualperiod;forsweating;forwalking.
Causessweating.
Thelegsfeelstiffandweak.Thisoftenaccompanies
theSepiahotflushes,orpregnancy.
Eyeinflammation
SymptomsEyes:burning.Eyelids:gluedtogether;
swollen.
Worseafterawalk;duringtheevening;forreading.
Theevesfeelsore,asifthereweresandinthem.
Faintness
SymptomsHeatwithfaintness.Coldnessafterfaint.
Worseforexercise;duringafever;duringmenstrual
period;inastuffyroom.
Sepiatypescaneasilyfeelfaintandarealways
generallyworseforstandingforanylengthoftime.
Fever
SymptomsWithsweating(seeGeneralSymptoms).
Worseintheautumn;forsweating;forbeingcovered.
Causesanger.
Sepiamavbeneededinafluoranyotherinfection
wherethecharacteristicgeneralandemotionalsymp-
tomsarealsopresent.Theaccompanying feveris
oftenseverewithexternalheatandinternalchilliness.
INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA Silica(Sil.)•149
Thefeelingofheatisfollowedbychillswithshaking
andnothirst.Beingcoveredupwarmlymakes
patientsfeeluneasy(whichisanunusualandhelpful
symptom);theydonotwanttobecoveredevenwhen
chilled.
Hairloss
SymptomsHairfallsout.
Causesmenopause.
Headache
SymptomsExtremities icycold.Pains:inbones;
bursting;pressing;shooting;tearing;throbbing;in
waves.
Betteraftereating;forfreshair.
Worseforbendingdown;duringmenstrualperiod;
forgettingheadcold;fortravelling.
Causesartificiallight.
Painscanbealmostanywhereinthehead,although
theleftsidewilloftenbemoreaffectedthantheright.
Hotflushes
SymptomsFlushmovesupthebody.
Worseduringtheafternoon/evening; aftersweating.
Thehotflushfeelsasifwarmwaterwerebeingpoured
overthebody,and/ortheflushstartsinthebodyand
movesupwards.
Insomnia
SymptomsWakingafter3a.m.Withsleepiness.
Thepersonwakesinthenightandcan'tgetbackto
sleep,andmaylieawakethinkingdismalthoughts.In
themorningheorshefeelsexhausted.
Labourpains
SymptomsPains:distressing;severe.
Thepainsdragdownandaremuchbetterforvigorous
exercise.Sepiacharacteristicemotionalsymptomswill
bepresent.Periodproblems
SymptomsPeriodspainful.Pains:aching;dragging
down;dull;pressing;sore,bruised.
Betterforcrossingthelegs.
Worsebetween9a.m.and6p.m.;duringtheafter-
noon/morning;duringtheperiod;forstanding;for
walking.
Theinsidesofthepelvisfeelasiftheywillfallout.This
feelingisoftenworsewhenurinating.Theperiods
maybeveryshort.
Thrush(genital)
SymptomsDischarge:burning;copious;likecottage
cheese;likeeggwhite;smelly;yellow.Withdryness;
itching.
Worsebefore/between menstrualperiods;during
pregnancy.
Thesimplethrushthatoccursduringpregnancy,
wherethewomanfeelsexhaustedandworndown,
willrespondwelltoSepia.
Toothache
SymptomsPains:radiatetotheears;pulling;
stitching;tearing;throbbing.
Worseforbitingteethtogether;forcolddrinks/food;
duringmenstrualperiod;duringpregnancy;for
touch;forhotdrinks.
Travelsickness
SymptomsWithbiliousness;headache(seeabove);
nausea(seeabove).
Worseaftereating;duringthemorning.
Causespregnancy.
Vomiting
SymptomsVomit:bile;smelly.
Worseaftereating.
Causespregnancy.
Thepersonmayfeelbetterforeating,buttheimprove-
mentwillbetemporary.
Nausea
Belly/stomach feelempty.Pains
breakfast;duringtheSymptoms
gnawing.
Worseaftereating;before
morning;formilk;forpork.
Causespregnancy.
Thereisanempty,sinkingfeelinginthestomachthat
isonlytemporarilyrelievedwhileeating,isoften
accompaniedbyaheadacheandisworsewhen
thinkingaboutfoodoreating.Silica(sn.)
Othernames:rockcrystal;pureflint;silex
SilicaisthemostcommonmineralintheEarth'scrust.
Itisthemainconstituentofmostrocks,andcomesin
manyforms,forexamplesand,quartz,agateandopal.
Silicasandisusedindustriallytomakeportland
cement,concrete,mortarandsandstone. Itisalso
usedingrindingandpolishingglassandstone;in
NBSEEALSOPAGES203-26FORGENERALADVICE,DOSANDDON'TS.
150•Silica(Sil.) INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA
foundrymoulds;inthemanufactureofglass,cera-
mics,enamelwareandpaper.Silicaisanessential
elementofthesupportingstructuresofmanyplants
suchasthestalksofgrainorgrass.Normalbody
tissuescontainonlytracesoftheelement,butitisa
componentofteeth,nails,hairandconnectivetissues.
Itisalmostunknownasamedicineoutsidehomeo-
pathy,asitwasthoughttobeinert.Thehomeopathic
preparation ismadeinanumberofways:Hahne-
mann,whofirstprovedit,obtained itfrommountain
crystal;andaBritishmethoddilutessilicapowderwith
sodiumcarbonatebytrituration.
GENERALSYMPTOMS
Catchcoldseasily.Complaintsfrom:gettingfeet
wet;changeofweathertocold.Dislikesmeat.
Glandsswollen.Painsstinging.Sweat:atnight,
duringsleep;profuse;smelly;sour.Thirsty.Ankles
weak.
Betterforheat;forwrappinguphead.
Worseforchangeofweather;forcold;fordamp;for
draughts;forfreshair;forgettingfeetwet;fortouch;
forbeinguncovered;forwetweather.
Silicatypesfeelthecoldintenselyandhaveicy-cold
handsandfeet.Theyareeasilytiredandchilled;if
theygooutintothecoldafteraswim,oriftheyget
wetandchilledintheraintheybecomesick,witha
coldorcough.Theyarealsosensitivetodraughts
andchangesofweather,andarealways*betterfor
warmthandbeingwrappedupwell,especiallythe
head.
Silicaindividualssweatatnight,particularlyonthe
backoftheheadandneck(likeCalcareacarbomca,
thoughnotsoprofuse).Thesweatsmellssourand
theirfeetarecharacteristically sweatyandsmelly,to
thepointofeatingholesintheirsocks.Thefeetmay
smellevenwithoutsweating.
Theyhavetroubleassimilatingtheirfoodandthere-
foretheirbonesdonotformaswellasinotherchil-
dren.Theyhaveweakanklesandareslowinlearning
towalkandslowtoteethe.Theirfontanellesclose
slowly.Therearewhitespotsonthenails,andthe
nailsthemselvesdonotgrowstrongandhealthilybut
spliteasily.Theskinisoftendryandthemouthmay
crackatthecorners.
EMOTIONAL/MENTAL