 others, whatever
you think is being withheld from you. This applies to all of the following:
Love;
Recognition;
Assistance;
Appreciation, and so on.
If you don’t think that you can give it because you don’t have it, just
pretend. Soon after you start giving, you will start receiving.
29. If you don’t have a good relationship with the now, then you can’t
have a good relationship with life, because life takes place in the now.
30. Worry is repetitive, negative thought patterns. There are three
methods you can use in order to step out of the stream of negative
thinking:
First, move into the present moment by taking a few deep breaths.
Second, you can step out of the stream of negative thinking by placing
your attention on the feeling of aliveness in your body: in your hands,
your arms, your legs, and so on.
A third method you can use is to place all of your attention on anobject in your environment.
Source: “30 Pearls of Wisdom from Eckhart Tolle,”
from daringtolivefully.com <|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Pottenger’s Cats – A Study in Nutrition

By: Martha C. Lindsay, DVM, MS,  CVH, CNE & R. David Lindsay, DVM, CVA
      Alternative Veterinary Services, LLC

Between the years of 1932 and 1942, Dr. Francis M. Pottenger, Jr. conducted a feeding experiment to
determine the effects of heat -processed food on cats. His ten -year cat study was prompted by the high
rate of mortality he as experiencing among his laboratory cats undergoing adrenalectomies for the use
in standardizing the hormone content of the adrenal extract he was making. Because there was no
existent chemical procedure for standardizing biological extrac ts, manufacturers of such extracts
necessarily had to use animals to determine their potency. As cats die without their adrenal glands, the
dose of extract required to support their lives calibrated the level of the extract’s potency.

In his effort to max imize the preoperative health of his laboratory animals, Pottenger fed them a diet of
market grade raw milk, cod liver oil, and cooked meat scraps. These scraps included the liver, tripe,
entrails, brains, heart and muscles. This diet was considered to be rich in all the important nutritive
substances by the experts of the day, and the surgical technique used for the adrenalectomies was the
most exacting known. Therefore, Pottenger was perplexed as to why his cats were poor operative risks.
In seeking an ex planation, he began noticing that the cats showed signs of deficiency. All showed a
decrease in their reproductive capacity and many of the kittens born in the laboratory had skeletal
deformities and organ malfunctions.

As his neighbors kept donating an i ncreasing number of cats to his laboratory, the demand for cooked
meat scraps exceeded supply and he placed an order at the local meat packing plant for raw meat
scraps, again including the viscera, muscle and bone. These raw meat scraps were fed to a segr egated
group of cats each day and within a few months this group appeared in better health than the animals
being fed cooked meat scraps. Their kittens appeared more vigorous, and most interestingly, their
operative mortality decreased markedly. The contra st in the apparent health of the cats fed raw meat
and those fed cooked meat was so startling, it prompted Francis to undertake a controlled experiment.
What he had observed by chance, he wanted to repeat by design. He wanted to find answers to such
questi ons as: Why did the cats eating raw meat survive their operations more readily than those eating
cooked meat? Why did the kittens of the raw meat fed cats appear more vigorous? Why did a diet
based on cooked meat scraps apparently fail to provide the neces sary nutritional elements for good
health? He felt the findings of a controlled feeding experiment might illuminate new facts about optimal
human nutrition.

The Cat Study of Francis M. Pottenger, Jr., MD is unique. There is no similar experiment in the m edical
literature. The pathological and chemical findings were supervised by Pottenger in consultation with
Alvin G. Foord, MD, professor of pathology at the University of Southern California and pathologist at
the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.  Accordingly, the studies met the most rigorous scientific
standards of the day and their protocol was observed consistently. Since the Cat Study is unique, its
findings are frequently quoted and misquoted in order to justify the ideas of others. For examp le, one
author states that the 200 cats dies of arthritis; this did not happen. Another author states that the cats
were fed sprouts and survived in full health for four continuous generations. Again, no such experiment
took place, and yet this misinformat ion has been traced over a dozen or more articles and books.

A frequent criticism of The Pottenger Cat Study is that it was not properly controlled. Here it is
necessary to ask “By what standards?” Every one of the studies followed strictly defined proto col. All
variables in the stock of the animals were reported and explained. Because some of the test
procedures may seem crude forty years later, this in no way invalidates the facts that the procedures
were meticulously controlled and that the results of the experiments were reported as observed.

For more information about The Pottenger Cat Study as well as a clearinghouse of information on
healthful lifestyles, ecology, sound nutrition, alternative medicine, humane farming and organic
gardening go to:   www.pricepottenger.org  Pottenger's Cats: Early Epigenetics And Implications For Your Health
By Stephanie Cold / Nov 13, 2014

The 10 -Year Pottenger Cat Study
In 1903, Dr. Francis Marion Pottenger, Jr., a physician in Monrovia, California, opened the Pott enger Sanatorium
Clinic with his two brothers, specializing in tuberculosis (TB). He hypothesized that tuberculosis was caused by
deficiencies in the adrenal gland and, to test the hypothesis, he experimented with cats. Pottenger fed cats both
cooked and r aw meat. To his astonishment, he observed very different health outcomes. Out of curiosity,
Pottenger began a ten -year study focused on variations in the diets of cats. The variables in his experiments
included either raw milk versus cooked or raw meat ver sus cooked. Throughout the entire study and four
generations of cats, Pottenger diligently recorded his observations of the health, weight, calcium and phosphorus
levels, skeletal structures, and dispositions of the cats. The differences were quite strikin g. (Pottenger)

In short, the cats subsisting on the raw products (in the first experiment raw meat and in the second experiment
raw milk), maintained excellent health. Mother cats carried their babies to full -term, birthed approximately five
kittens to a litter, and experienced no difficulty in nursing. The kittens had consistent skeletal structure and no
dental issues or infections. Conversely, the health of cats fed cooked meat and cooked milk quickly declined.
Even within three months of a transition fr om a raw to cooked diet, dental infections often arose. Mother cats had
difficulty carrying offspring full -term, and suffered from increased miscarriages and raised infant mortality rates.
Mother cats were often too weak to nurse, and some died in labor. K ittens were born with varying skeletal
structures and weaker bones, and were prone to infections, allergies, and respiratory illnesses.

The degenerative health of the cats on cooked meat/cooked milk diets continued and appeared to be passed from
generatio n to generation. After several generations of degeneration, Pottenger attempted to test the potential
“regeneration” of health by means of replacing a cooked diet with a raw one. He found that this was indeed
possible, though minor health problems did pers ist even into the third generation. (Pottenger)

What is Epigenetics?
The implications of these observations are vast. The experiment showed that distinct changes occur when food is
cooked that affect its nutritional quality for the cat. It proved that th e physical degeneration associated with a
mother’s poor (cooked) diet could be inherited by offspring and was, in a way, remembered by the genes through
multiple generations. The opposite was also found to be true in that the influence of a nutritious (raw ) diet is
passed on through generations.

POTTENGER OBSERVED THAT DEGENERATION OF HEALTH OCCURRED RATHER SWIFTLY AND THAT
REGENERATION, WHILE POSSIBLE, TOOK TIME.

Most important, perhaps, was that Pottenger’s experiments revealed the power that environmen tal factors,
including diet, have on our health and the health of future generations. This leads to an idea of even greater
significance —that by controlling our environment, we control our health. Biologically, this occurs in the body
through the interacti on of our epigenome with the environment. (Graham, Kesten, and Scherwitz)

Today epigenetics is more concisely defined as temporary changes in how ge nes are expressed or turned on or
off due to our interactions with the environment, and how those changes affect our health and the health of future
generations. These interactions and changes occur without any permanent changes to the DNA sequence. The
book, The Language of Genetics: An Introduction, offers a particularly useful metaphor to support our
understanding of this definition. It states that “if the DNA sequence is the musical score


 were designed to secrete smallamounts of mucus for lubrication. The lungs eliminate used air and the tissues are
lubricated with mucus-like secretions too. These secretions are types of
eliminations, but are not intended for the elimination of toxins. When toxins aredischarged in mucus through tissues not designed to handle them, the tissuesthemselves become irritated, inflamed, weakened and thus much more subject tobacterial or viral infection. Despite this danger, not eliminating surplus toxinscarries with it the greater penalty of serious disability or death. So the body, in itswisdom, initially chooses secondary elimination routes as far from vital tissues andorgans as possible. Almost inevitably the skin or skin-like mucus membranes suchas the sinuses, or lung tissues become the first line of defense.
 Thus the average person’s disease history begins with colds, flu, sinusitis,
bronchitis, chronic cough, asthma, rashes, acne, eczema, psoriasis. If thesesecondary eliminations are suppressed with drugs (either from the medical doctoror with over the counter remedies), if the eating or lifestyle habits that created thetoxemia are not changed, or if the toxic load increases beyond the limits of thistechnique, the body then begins to store toxins in fat or muscle tissues or the jointcavities, overburdens the kidneys, creates cysts, fibroids, and benign tumors tostore those toxins. If toxic overload continues over a longer time the body willeventually have to permit damages to vital tissues, and life-threatening conditionsdevelop.
Hygienic doctors always stress that disease is remedial effort. Illness comes
from the body’s best attempt to lighten its toxic load without immediatelythreatening its survival. The body always does the very best it can to remedytoxemia given its circumstances, and it should be commended for these effortsregardless of how uncomfortable they might be to the person inhabiting the body.Symptoms of secondary elimination are actually a positive thing because they arethe body’s efforts to lessen a dangerously toxic condition. Secondary eliminationsshouldn’t be treated immediately with a drug to suppress the process. If yousquelch the bodies best and least-life-threatening method to eliminate toxins, thebody will ultimately have to resort to another more dangerous though probablyless immediately uncomfortable channel.
The conventional medical model does not view disease this way and sees the
symptoms of secondary elimination as the disease itself. So the conventionaldoctor takes steps to halt the body’s remedial efforts, thus stopping theundesirable symptom and then, the symptom gone, proclaims the patient cured.Actually, the disease is the cure.
A common pattern of symptom suppression under the contemporary medical
model is this progression: treat colds with antihistamines until the body getsinfluenza; suppress a flu repeatedly with antibiotics and eventually you getpneumonia. Or, suppress eczema with cortisone ointment repeatedly, andeventually you develop kidney disease. Or, suppress asthma with bronkiodialatorsand eventually you need cortisone to suppress it. Continue treating asthma withsteroids and you destroy the adrenals; now the body has become allergic tovirtually everything.
The presence of toxins in an organ of secondary elimination is frequently the
cause of infection. Sinuses and lungs, inflamed by secondary eliminations, areattacked by viruses or bacteria; infectious diseases of the skin result from pushingtoxins out of the skin. More generalized infections also result from toxemia; in thiscase the immune system has become compromised and the body is overwhelmedby an organism that it normally should be able to resist easily. The wise cure ofinfections is not to use antibiotics to suppress the bacteria while simultaneouslywhipping the immune system; most people, including most medical doctors, donot realize that antibiotics also goose the immune system into super efforts. Butwhen one chooses to whip a tired horse, eventually the exhausted animalcollapses and cannot rise again no matter how vigorously it is beaten. The wisecure is to detoxify the body, a step that simultaneously eliminates secondaryeliminations and rebuilds the immune system.
The wise way to deal with the body’s eliminative efforts is to accept that
disease is an opportunity to pay the piper for past indiscretions. You should go tobed, rest, and drink nothing but water or dilute juice until the condition has
passed. This allows the body to conserve its vital energy, direct this energy
toward healing the disordered body part, and catch up on its waste disposal. Inthis way you can help your body, be in harmony with its efforts instead of workingagainst it which is what most people do.
Please forgive another semi-political polemic here, but in my practice I have
often been amazed to hear my clients complain that they have not the time nor theability to be patient with their body, to rest it through an illness because they havea job they can’t afford to miss or responsibilities they can’t put down. This is asad commentary on the supposed wealth and prosperity of the United States. Inour country most people are enslaved by their debts, incurred because they hadbeen enthralled by the illusion of happiness secured by the possession of materialthings. Debt slaves believe they cannot miss a week of work. People who feelthey can’t afford to be sick think they can afford to live on pills. So people pushthrough their symptoms by sheer grit for years on end, and keep that up until theirexhausted horse of a body breaks down totally and they find themselves in thehospital running up bills to the tune of several thousand dollars a day. But thesevery same people do not think they can afford the loss of a few hundred dollars ofcurrent income undertaking some virtually harmless preventative maintenance ontheir bodies.
Given half a chance the body will throw off toxic overburdens and cleanse
itself. And once the body has been cleansed of toxemia, disagreeable symptomsusually cease. This means that to make relatively mild but unwanted symptomslessen and ultimately stop it is merely necessary to temporarily cut back foodintake, eating only what does not cause toxemia. These foods I classify ascleansing, such as raw fruits and vegetables and their juices. If the symptoms areextreme, are perceived as overwhelming or are actually life-threatening,detoxification can be speeded up by dropping back to only dilute raw juices orvegetable broth made only from greens, without eating the solids. In the most
extreme cases hygienists use their most powerful medicine: a long fast on herb
teas, or just water. I will have a lot to say about fasting, later.
When acutely ill, the most important thing to do is to just get out of the body’s
way, and let it heal itself. In our ignorance we are usually our own worst enemy inthis regard. We have been very successfully conditioned to think that allsymptoms are bad. But I know from experience that people can and do learn anew way of viewing the body, an understanding that puts them at cause over theirown body. It allows you to be empowered in one more area of life instead ofbeing dependent and at the mercy of other peoples decisions about your body.
Finally, and this is why natural medicine is doubly unpopular, to prevent the
recurrence of toxemia and acute disease states, person must discover what theyare doing wrong and change their life. Often as not this means elimination of theperson’s favorite (indigestible) foods and/or (stress-producing) bad habits.Naturally, I will have a lot more to say about this later, too.
Chapter Three
Fasting
From The Hygienic Dictionary
Cure.  [1] There is no “cure” for disease; fasting is not a cure. Fasting facilitates natural healing
processes. Foods do not cure. Until we have discarded our faith in cures, there can be no intelligentapproach to the problems presented by suffering and no proper use of foods by those who are ill.Herbert Shelton, The Hygienic System, v. 3, Fasting and Sunbathing.  [2] All cure starts from within
out and from the head down and in reverse order as the symptoms have appeared. Hering”s Law ofCure. [3] Life is made up of crises. The individual establishes a standard of health peculiarly his own,which must vary from all other standards as greatly as his personality varies from others. Theindividual standard may be such as to favor the development of indigestion, catarrh, gout, rheumaticand glandular inflammations, tubercular developments, congestions, sluggish secretions and excretions,or inhibitions of various functions, both mental and physical, wherever the environmental or habitstrain is greater than usual. The standard of resistance may be opposed so strenuously by habits andunusual physical agencies—that the body breaks down under the strain. This is a crisis. Appetitefails, discomfort or pain forces rest, and, as a result of physiological rest (fasting) and physical rest(rest from daily work and habits), a readjustment takes place, and the patient is “cured.” This is whatthe profession and the people call a cure, and it is for the time being—until an unusual enervation isbrought on from accident or dissipation; then another crisis. These crises are the ordinary sickness ofall communities—all catalogued diseases. When the cold is gone or the hay-fever fully relieved, it doesnot mean the patient is cured. Indeed, he is as much diseased as before he suffered the attack—thecrisis—and he never will be cured until the habits of life that keep up toxin poisoning are corrected. Torecover from a crisis is not a cure; the tendency is back to the individual standard; hence all crises areself-limited, unless nature


ering. For example, having money doesn’ t directly cause suf fering,but it ties you to the illusion by hiding from sight the fact that there’ s
another way to live that’ s actually real. Money, like possessions and status,
creates a treadmill that brings one desire after another.

So enlightenment is the same as having no desir es?
You have to understand “no desires” in a positive sense, as fulfillment.
At the moment a musician is performing, there’ s a state of no-desire
because he feels fulfilled. At the moment you’re eating a wonderful meal,
hunger is fulfilled. Buddha taught that there is a state, known as Nirvana,
where desire is irrelevant. Everything desire is trying to achieve exists in
Nirvana already. You don’ t have to pursue one desire after another in a
futile quest to end suf fering. Instead, you go right to the source of Being,
which is neither full nor empty. It just is.

Do you still want to live after that?
Nirvana is no longer about life and death, which are opposites. Buddha
wanted to free people from all opposites. If you are following his teachings
the second way, through morality and ethics, then being good, truthful,
nonviolent, and compassionate is important. Y ou don’ t want to practice the
opposite behavior. But if you follow Buddha the third way, the mystical
way of non-doing, duality is the very thing you try to dissolve. Y ou go
beyond good and evil, which is scary to many people.

What is the non-self?
It’s who you are when there are no personal attachments. This sounds
mystical, but we shouldn’ t be distracted by semantics. The non-self is
natural; it’ s rooted in everyday experience. When you wake up in the
morning there’ s a moment before your mind gets filled with all the things
you have to do today. In that moment you exist without a self. Y ou don’ t
think about your name or your bank account; you don’ t even think aboutyour spouse and children. Y ou just are. Enlightenment extends that state and
deepens it. Y ou aren’ t burdened by having to remember who you are, ever
again.

When I wake up in the morning I r emember who I am almost immediately.
How does that change?
By gradually shifting your allegiance. Consider how you relate to your
body. You mostly for get about it. Heartbeat, metabolism, body temperature,
electrolyte balance—literally dozens of processes go on automatically, and
your nervous system coordinates them perfectly without interference from
the conscious mind. Buddha suggests that you can let go of many things
that you’re certain you must control. Instead of devoting so much ef fort and
struggle to thinking, planning, running after pleasure, and avoiding pain,
you can surrender and put those functions on automatic, also. This is
accomplished gradually by a practice called mindfulness.

You mean, I simply stop thinking?
You stop investing yourself in thinking, because Buddha teaches that
you haven’ t been in control of your mind anyway. The mind is a series of
fleeting, impermanent events, and trying to ground yourself in
impermanence is an illusion. T ime is exactly the same, a sequence of
fleeting events that has no solid basis. Once you hear this teaching, you put
it into practice through mindfulness. Whenever you are tempted by the
illusion, you remind yourself that it’ s not real. In a way, a better term might
be re-mindfulness.
The process of shifting your consciousness takes time. This is an
evolution, not a revolution. W e’re all pulled in by the temptation to choose
between A and B. Duality makes us believe that making good decisions and
avoiding bad ones is all-important. Buddha disagrees—he says that getting
out of duality is all-important, and you’ll never escape as long as you keep
burying yourself deeper into the game of “A-or -B?” Reality isn’ t A or B.
It’s both and it’ s neither. Mindfulness keeps you aware of that fact.
How am I to understand “both and neither”?
You can’ t, not with the mind. The mind is basically a machine that
processes the world only in terms of “I want this” and “I don’ t want that.”
Buddha taught that you can step outside the machinery and simply watch it
working. Y ou witness the whole fantastic jumble of desires, fears, wishes,
and memories that is the mind. When you gain practice doing that in
meditation, things change. Y ou begin to be aware of yourself in a simpler
way, without so much mental jumble. In time your allegiance shifts, and the
space between thoughts—the silent gap—dominates instead of thoughts.

Is that Nirvana?
No, it’ s just a sign that you are successfully practicing mindfulness. The
silent gap between thoughts goes by too fast for anyone to live there. Y ou
have to give the gap a chance to expand, and at the same time silence
deepens. It may sound strange, but your mind can be silent the whole time
it’s also thinking. Ordinarily, silence and thought are considered opposites,
but when you go beyond opposites, they mer ge. Y ou identify with the
timeless source of thought rather than the thoughts emer ging from it.

What advantage does this bring? Assuming I take the time and effort to
achieve such a state.
One can speak of the advantages in glowing terms that sound very
alluring. Y ou gain peace; you no longer suf fer. Death no longer holds any
fear. You stand unshakably on your own Being. In reality the gains are
highly individual and proceed at their own pace. Everyone is in a dif ferent
state of unreality that’ s highly personal. I may be obsessive, while the
person next to me may be anxious and the person next to him depressed. In
meditation these knots of discord and conflict begin to unravel of their own
accord. Y et there’ s always an evolutionary unfolding. In your own way youwalk the path to peace, non-suf fering, fearlessness, and everything else
Buddha exemplified.
From the outside this third way of following Buddha looks mystical, but
over time it becomes as natural as breathing. Buddhism survives today and
thrives all around the world because it is so open-ended. Y ou don’ t have to
obey a set of rules or worship God or the gods. Y ou don’ t even have to be
spiritual. All you have to do is look into yourself and yearn to become clear,
to wake up and be complete. Buddhism counts on the fact that everyone
possesses at least a bit of these motivations. Mindfulness and meditation
form the basis of Buddhist practice—although every sect and teacher has a
particular slant on them. Za-zen, the style of Buddhist meditation practiced
in Japan, isn’ t the same as V ipasana meditation in South Asia. In the end,
however, Buddhism is a do-it-yourself project, and that’ s the secret of its
appeal in the modern world. Don’ t we all ultimately concentrate on personal
suffering and what our individual fate will be? Buddha asked for nothing
else as a starting point, and yet he promised that the end point would be
eternity.
OceanofPDF.comA c k n o w l e d g m e n t s
First and foremost I must thank a friend whose imagination sparked this
project, film director Shekhar Kapur. We spent long, fascinating sessions
together trying to imagine Buddha’ s life. W ithout his contributions, the best
parts of this book would never have appeared.
Thanks to Gideon W eil, my editor, who made invaluable suggestions
every step of the way and intervened at just the right moments.
As always, my family and everyone at the Chopra Center provided their
support and love. I am deeply grateful and hope that this book makes you
proud.
OceanofPDF.comAbout the Author
DEEP AK CHOPRA, the founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, is the preeminent teacher of
Eastern philosophy to the Western World. He has been a bestselling author for decades, and his
writings have sold millions of copies. V isit the author online at www.chopra.com.
Visit www.AuthorT racker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
OceanofPDF.comC r e d i t s
Jacket design: LeV an Fisher Design
Jacket image: Shutter Stock/Andy Lim
OceanofPDF.comC o p y r i g h t
BUDDHA. Copyright © 2007 by Deepak Chopra. All rights reserved under International and Pan-
American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-
exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this
text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or
introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether
electronic or mechani cal, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission
of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © APRIL 2007 ISBN: 9780061807138
10 9 8 7


 even the
world’s calamities and disasters are, at some level, created by us so  that we can
“experience the opposite of Who We Are”?
And, if so, isn’t there some less  painful
way—less painful to ourselves and
others —to create opportunities for us to
experience ourselves?
You’ve asked several questions, and they
are all good ones. Let ’s take them one at  a
time.
No, not all the things which you call bad
which happen to you are of your own
choosing. Not in the conscious sense —
which you mean. They are all of your own
creation.
You are always in the process of creating.
Every moment. Every  minute. Every day.
How you can create we’ll go into later. For
now, just take my word for it —you are a  big creation machine, and you are turning out
a new manifestation literally as fast as  you
can think.
Events, occurrences, happenings,
conditions, circu mstances —all are created
out of  consciousness. Individual
consciousness is powerful enough. You
can imagine what  kind of creative energy is
unleashed whenever two or more are
gathered in My  name. And mass
consciousness? Why, that is so powerful it
can crea te events and  circumstances of
worldwide import and planetary
consequences.
It would not be accurate to say —not in the
way you mean it —that you are choosing
these consequences. You are not choosing
them anymore than I am choosing them.  Like Me, you are obs erving them. And
deciding Who You Are with regard to them.
Yet there are no victims in the world, and
no villains. And neither are you a victim of
the choices of others. At some level you
have all created that which you say you
detest —and, having created i t, you have
chosen it.
This is an advanced level of thinking, and it
is one which all Masters reach sooner or
later. For it is only when they can accept
responsibility for all of it that they can
achieve the power to change part of it.
So long as you enter tain the notion that
there is something or someone else out
there “doing it” to you, you disempower
yourself to do anything about it. Only when  you say “I did this” can you find the power
to change it.
It is much easier to change what you are
doing than to change what another is
doing.
The first step in changing anything is to
know and accept that you have chosen it to
be what it is. If you can’t accept this on a
personal level, agree to it through your
understanding that. We are all One. Seek
then t o create change not because a thing
is wrong, but because it no longer makes
an accurate statement of Who You Are.
There is only one reason to do anything: as
a statement to the universe of Who You
Are.
Used in this way, life becomes Self
creative. You use  life to create your Self as Who You Are, and Who You’ve Always
Wanted to Be. There is also only one
reason to  un-do anything: because it is no
longer a statement of Who You Want to Be.
It does  not reflect you. It does not represent
you. (That is, it does not re -present you...).
If you wish to be accurately re -presented,
you must work to change anything in your
life which does not fit into the picture of you
that you wish to project into eternity.
In the largest sense, all the “bad” things
that happen are of your choosing. The
mistake is not in choosing them, but in
calling them bad. For in calling them bad,
you call your Self bad, since you created
them.
This label you cannot accept, so rather
than label your Self bad, you disown your  own creations. It  is this intellectual and
spiritual dishonesty which lets you accept a
world in which conditions are as they are. If
you had to accept —or even felt a deep
inner sense of —personal responsibility for
the world, it would be a far different  place.
This would c ertainly be true if everyone felt
responsible. That this is so  patently
obvious is what makes it so utterly painful,
and so poignantly ironic.
The world’s natural calamities and
disasters —its tornados and hurricanes,
volcanoes and floods —its physical
turmo ils—are not created by you
specifically.  What is created by you is the
degree to which these events touch your
life. Events occur in the universe which no
stretch of the imagination could claim you
instigated or created.
These events are created by the com bined
consciousness of man. All of the world,
cocreating together, produces these
experiences. What each of you do,
individually, is move through them,
deciding what, if anything, they mean to
you, and  Who and What You Are in
relationship to them.
Thus, yo u create collectively, and
individually, the life and times you are
experiencing, for the soul purpose of
evolving.
You’ve asked if there is a less painful way
to undergo this process —and the answer  is
yes—yet nothing in your outward experience will have c hanged. The way to
reduce the pain which you associate with
earthly experiences and events —both
yours and those of others —is to change the
way you behold them.
You cannot change the outer event (for that
has been created by the lot of you, and  you
are not grown enough in your
consciousness to alter individually that
which has  been created collectively), so
you must change the inner experience.
This is the  road to mastery in living.
Nothing is painful in and of itself. Pain is a
result of wrong thought. It i s an error in
thinking.
A Master can disappear the most grievous
pain. In this way, the Master heals.  Pain results from a judgment you have
made about a thing. Remove the judgment
and the pain disappears.
Judgment is often based upon previous
experience. Y our idea about a thing derives
from a prior idea about that thing. Your prior
idea results from a still prior idea —and that
idea from another, and so forth, like
building blocks, until you get all the way
back in the hall of mirrors to what I call first
thought.
All thought is creative, and no thought is
more powerful than original thought. That is
why this is sometimes also called original
sin. Original sin is when your first thought
about a thing is in error. That error is
compounded many times over when you
have  a second or third thought about a
thing. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to inspire you to new understandings, which can free
you from your mistakes.
Are you saying that I shouldn’t feel bad
about the starving children of Africa, the
violence and  injustice in America, the
earthquake that kills hundreds in Brazil?
There are no “shoulds” or “shouldn’ts” in
God’s world. Do what you want to do. Do
what reflects you, what re -presents you as
a grander version of your Self. If you  want
to feel bad, feel bad.
But judge not, and neither condemn, for
you know not why a thing occurs, nor to
what end.
And remember you this: that which you
condemn will condemn you, and that which
you judge, you will one day become.  Rather, seek to change those things —or
support  others who are changing those
things —which no longer reflect your
highest sense of Who You Are.
Yet, bless all —for all is the creation of God,
through life living, and that is the highest
creation.
Could we just stop here for a moment and
let me catch my breath? Did I hear you say
there  are no “shoulds” or “should nots” in
God’s world?
That is correct.
How can that be? If there are none in Your
world, where would they be?
Indeed —where...?  I repeat the question. Where else would
“shoulds” and “should nots” appear, if not in
Your world?
In your imagination.
But those who have taught me all about the
rights and wrongs, the dos and don’ts, the
shoulds and shouldn’ts, told me all those
rules were laid down by You —by God.
Then those who taught you were wron g. I
have never set down a “right” or “wrong,”  a
“do” or a “don’t.” To do so would be to strip
you completely of your greatest gift —the
opportunity to do as you please, and
experience the results of that; the chance
to create yourself anew in the image and
likeness of Who You Really Are; the space
to produce a reality of a higher and higher you, based on your grandest idea of what  it
is of which you are capable.
To say that something —a thought, a word,


 be
reviewed here. Although there is extensive literature on the pain mechanisms exerted by DMSO in animal models, its physiological and pharmacological properties are incompletely understood.
It should be pointed out that there is considerable difficulty in using methods
that can accurately characterize pain sensibility more so in animals than humans with respect to its quality, intensity, and duration, and this fact makes it challenging to discover treatments that truly improve the outlook of patients with pain. A case in point is the thousands of papers written on brain endorphins in the past three decades where great hope for controlling pain was overshadowed by the fact that not one effective treatment emerged from this vast field of research.
In experimental pain research, there are two common techniques used in
rodent models to evaluate potential analgesic agents, the tail flick test and the hot plate test. The tail flick test measures a rodent’s pain response to a light beam focused on the animal’s tail and the time for the tail to flick that is recorded as the pain threshold.
21 In the hot plate test, the rodent is placed on a warm plate,
and temperature is increased until a thermal nociceptive response is observed, indicated by the animal rapidly licking or flicking its hind paws.
22 In these tests,
a baseline latency response without the analgesic agent is first obtained and com -
pared to the latency following administration of the agent to be tested.19 DMSO in Basic Pharmacology
Following clinical reports on the action of DMSO to relieve pain in humans,20,23–28
animal research was begun to answer multiple questions regarding whether DMSO
was an analgesic agent and, if so, how it worked.
One early study to address some of these questions was reported by Haigler and
Spring.29
Using the tail flick and hot plate tests, these investigators applied two criteria to
determine (1) if DMSO had analgesic properties and, if so, (2) whether the analgesic effect observed with DMSO was related to opiate receptors.
It was found that animals given DMSO IV and IP at high doses (5.5 g/kg), and
administered topically on the tail, produced a profound analgesia on both the hot plate and tail flick tests.
29
The analgesic effect obtained with DMSO was apparently not due to a general
anesthetic effect because the rats were not ataxic and did not lose their righting reflex. By contrast, morphine given 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally produced an anal -
gesic effect as frequently as DMSO on the hot plate, but the duration of morphine analgesia was typically less than 2 h both on the hot plate and on tail flick. The anal -
gesic time course for DMSO was longer than that for morphine and, in several rats, lasted over 24 h. Additionally, the analgesic effect by morphine, but not by DMSO, was blocked with the opioid antagonist naloxone indicating that the analgesic action on pain receptors by DMSO and morphine differed significantly.
29
If the analgesic action of DMSO was not achieved by blocking morphine recep -
tors, how was pain relieved in animals or humans?
The answer remained unsettled until 1993, when Evans et  al.30 reported
their findings in a study where 2%, 9%, and 15% DMSO was applied directly to exposed cat sural nerves. These unmyelinated sural nerves mediate somatic pain from C-fibers that terminate on the skin, muscle, and joint capsules.
31 It was
found that C-fiber conduction velocity was slowed by 5% DMSO and was con -
centration dependent. At 9% concentration, DMSO completely blocked C-fiber conduction, and at 15% concentration, the onset of nerve block was virtually immediate
30 (Figure 2.1). The study by the Evans et  al.30 was an extension of
previous findings by Sawada and Sato,32 who had reported that the mechanism
involved in the nerve conduction block induced by DMSO appeared to be due to potassium channel blockade. These investigators observed that DMSO caused a rapid membrane depolarization and decrease in membrane conductance of Aplysia  neurons, a finding consistent with the blockade of potassium leak chan -
nels.
32 These leak potassium channels function to set the negative membrane
potential of neurons. They differ from voltage-gated channels because they are always open to the passage of sodium and potassium ions across the membrane whereas voltage-gated channels open and close in response to specific changes in the membrane potential.
How DMSO specifically affects potassium channel depolarization has not been made
clear, but Davis et al.
33 found that 50% DMSO was necessary to block muscle twitch
in a frog sciatic nerve-gastrocnemius muscle preparation. Interestingly, Becker et al.34
found that 75% DMSO blocked both myelinated A-delta and unmyelinated C-nerve fibers (Figure 2.1). In a study of small fiber afterdischarge in spinal cord, medulla, and tegmentum following stimulation of the superficial radial and sural nerves, Shealey
35 20 Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease
also found blocking of pain impulses by exposing the peripheral nerve to 5%–10%
DMSO, a result that they concluded might be due to blockade of C-fibers.
The effects of DMSO and a DMSO-containing saline solution were used on
 thermal- and chemical-induced nociception and inflammation, and the locomotor
activity after treatment was evaluated in CD1 mice.36 This mouse type is a multi -
purpose research animal model that can be used in such fields as toxicology to test safety and efficacy of drug products, and on in vivo  nerve preparations.
Centrally or orally administered DMSO was shown to display anti-  n ociception
to thermal (hot plate and tail flick test) and chemical (formalin test) stimuli.36
Additionally, oral and central, but not local, administrations of DMSO were seen to improve locomotor activity in the CD1 mice.
36
Thus, the collective evidence on the analgesic effects of DMSO in reducing pain
sensation differs from that of complete anesthesia since it appears to involve block -
ade or partial blockade of A-delta fibers that mediate acute sharp pain as well as C-fibers that mediate somatic signals involving temperature, sensual touch, and muscle and joint pain. This evidence implies that DMSO could be useful in mus -
culoskeletal aching pain and sharp arthritic pain impulses, which are conveyed by lightly myelinated A-delta fibers, and somatic pain mediated by C-fibers. The merit of this conclusion will be further examined in Chapter 3. The effects of DMSO on these experimental pain-related conditions offer the potential by DMSO to reduce or abolish pain by mechanisms ostensibly distinct from the opioids and the dangers posed by narcotic prescriptive agents.
Another possible mechanism exerted by DMSO on pain receptors may be its
effect on the excitotoxic expression of voltage-gated sodium channels and glutamate, NMDA ( N-methyl- d-aspartate), and AMPA ( α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-
4-propionate)
37 as suggested by Hoang et al.38
Sodium channels are located in all sensory neurons, and some sodium chan -
nels that are sensitive to tetrodotoxin are found only on nociceptive-related sensory
DMSO action in pain relief
DMSO bl ocks conduction
Spinothalamic
Anterior spinothalamic
tractC-fiberA-delt a
fiber
Lateral
spinothalamic trac tFree nerve
ending: 1° afferent
terminals in skin
FIGURE 2.1  (See color insert. ) DMSO topical application can block both myelinated
A-delta and unmyelinated C-pain fibers.30,34 See text for details.21 DMSO in Basic Pharmacology
neurons implicated in pathological pain states.38 Lidocaine, for example, is a widely
used local anesthetic that functions through the blockade of sodium channels, a
mechanism distinct from the opioids.39
Since DMSO is reported to have an effect on blocking sodium and calcium ion entry
into cells40,41 and several research groups have shown that cancer-related neuropathic
pain42,43 has an underlying mechanism involving membrane hyperexcitability due to
overexpression of sodium channels and glutamate buildup stemming from the upregula -
tion of NMDA/AMPA pathways, it has been suggested that DMSO could be used as a primary or adjuvant analgesic agent in controlling pain in advanced cancer patients.
38
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
Inflammation is a localized and complex protective reaction by the organism to remove damaging stimuli by removing offending factors and mobilizing molecules responsible for the healing process. The damaging stimuli can involve, but are not limited to, adhesion molecules, neutrophils, complement, IgG, irritants, dying cells, or pathogens. Inflammation is implicated in the pathogeneses of arthritis, cancer, and stroke, as well as in neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. The acute phase of inflammation is characterized by the rapid influx of blood granulocytes, typically neutrophils, followed swiftly by monocytes that mature into inflammatory macrophages that can subsequently proliferate and cause tissue damage. When the inflammation occurs


active
substances have been proven beneficial in the treatment of senility or dementia and
other forms of psycho-organic decay. Gustavo Munizaga, M.D., Professor ofNeurology at Chile University, conducted an experiment in July 1970 using these
two types of DMSO compounds. Merinex and the vasoactive DMSO, called
“Ipran,” which is also not approved by the FDA for use in the United States, were
given to 104 elderly people suffering from PSO decay. These people were divided
into five groups, according to their dominant pathology:
1
.
PSO decay caused by cerebral vascular arteriosclerosis.
2
.
PSO decay caused by senility.
3
.
PSO decay after a stroke.
4
.
PSO decay as a consequence of a head injury.
5
.
PSO decay due to a degenerative disease such as parkinsonism,
hyperthyroidism, epilepsy, and others.
The patients with mental decay in the last stage of advanced age treated by Dr.
Munizaga received Merinex and Ipran, both orally and by injection. As a general
rule, treatment began with intramuscular injections, alternating Merinex one day
and Ipran the next, or administering one ampoule of each simultaneously, mixed in
the syringe, until a cycle of twenty injections was completed. On the days when
the patients received no injections, they took two capsules of Merinex and one
capsule of Ipran.
The DMSO aminoacid therapy and DMSO combined with vasoactive
substances were of remarkable efficacy in the recovery of patients with PSO
decay, the neurologist reported. He established that the therapeutic response was
quicker when both medicines were administered simultaneously by injection and
by mouth. Munizaga said, “The DMSO aminoacid therapy is undoubtedly valuable
in the treatment of numerous organic cerebral diseases. At the same time, thanks to
the improved cerebral blood irrigation achieved by DMSO used in combination
with vasoactive substances, a highly favorable effect on the psychic and somatic
functions of senile dementia patients was achieved.”
Another study was performed in Chile on 100 patients of both sexes suffering
from cerebrovascular diseases such as infarct, cerebral embolism, hardening of the
arteries of the brain, and other conditions. Jorge Grismali, M.D., Chief of the
Clinic of the Department and Extraordinary Professor of Neurology, Salvador
Hospital, and Luis Varela Barrios, M.D.,
Neurologist in that same department,
employed a therapeutic method using Ipran ampoules and capsules. The patients
were senile as well as victims of one of the cerebrovascular diseases (CVD). In 70
percent of the cases, CVD was accompanied by high blood pressure, demonstrablein the accessible arteries.
The DMSO therapy was given both orally and intramuscularly. The dose was
one intramuscular injection—administered slowly—each day, until twenty
ampoules had been given. At the same time, one capsule was dispensed in the
morning and another in the afternoon so that the patient could swallow a divided
double dose. After the first twenty injections, the ampoules were administered
every other day until another total of thirty injections was completed. In this
second series, two Ipran capsules were swallowed daily, and no more than two
injections were given each week.
Drs. Grismali and Barrios summed up their therapeutic results for the DMSO
treatment of CVD with atherosclerosis and high blood pressure in the following
manner:
Good
74.35 percent
Fair
21.77 percent
Zero
3.88 percent
The two neurologists reported that “recovery from the general symptoms was
positive; there were favorable changes which were reflected in a feeling of well
being, the recovery of agility, changes of mood from depressed to gay,
improvement of sleeping, and clearer speech. As regards the ‘focal’ results,
accelerated recovery from hemiplegia and hemiparesia was registered. A speedier
recovery of speech in cases of defined or indicated aphasia took place.”CHAPTER 11
The DMSO-Cancer Connection
In April, 1974, a fifty-six-year-old Exxon Oil Corporate Executive, Joe B. Floyd,
now of Spring, Texas, found himself hemorrhaging from the rectum. Realizing that
this was an unhealthy sign, Mr. Floyd consulted with his company’s industrial
physician, C. Hunter Montgomery, M.D. Dr. Montgomery’s physical examination
revealed that his patient was suffering from a deadly form of cancer of the colon—
adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma is among the most malignant of cancers. Each year, it kills
approximately 9,500 Americans. The cancer occurs in all age groups, but the
incidence increases with age. While it usually involves the duodenum portion of
the small intestine and sometimes the ileum, producing early obstruction, pain,
bleeding, and rapid weight loss, Mr. Floyd’s adenocarcinoma had infiltrated the
rectosigmoid of the large intestine.
The prediction as to the duration, course, and outcome of the disease depends
on the degree of bowel wall involvement and the presence of regional lymph node
involvement and distant metastases. Unluckily for Mr. Floyd, his adenocarcinoma
had spread to the lymph nodes. They had turned rubbery. It had also metastasized
rapidly to the liver. Pressure symptoms developed from the expansion of the
lymph nodes in the abdominal cavity so that gastric upset occurred. Weight loss,
fever, night sweats, and debilitation were weakening the patient, indicating that his
cancer was spreading.
Dr. Montgomery referred Joe Floyd to colon surgeon Wade Harris, M.D., of
Houston, who removed thirteen inches of the patient’s large colon and the lymph
nodes in his peritoneum where the cancer had spread. Dr. Harris advised Mr.
Floyd to take chemotherapy, for it was certain that in a matter of only a few
months, the adenocarcinoma would occur somewhere else. The surgeon also
mentioned that his own wife had the identical condition. Mrs. Harris suffered with
adenocarcinoma
and was then taking chemotherapy at the M.D. Anderson Cancer
Institute, a giant hospital complex in Houston.
Dr. Harris had wanted Mr. Floyd to go through the same chemotherapy
program as Mrs. Harris, but the man agonized over this decision and finallyrefused. He went home after his colon surgery on a Saturday morning. He had
viewed a television documentary two years before, presented by newsman Ron
Stone of KHOU-TV Houston, depicting cancer cures by another Houston
physician, E.J. Tucker, M.D. (now deceased). Mr. Floyd was keen to investigate
this alternative treatment.
“Then the next Monday morning my wife and I called on Dr. Tucker and after
a lot of hard persuasion, he agreed to give me his treatment on an experimental
basis,” explained Mr. Floyd. “A dying man can make a pretty good argument to
keep on living. Within six weeks, Dr. Harris’s wife was dead from taking
chemotherapy. But I was back at work in downtown Houston at the Exxon Building
and taking treatments every other day at the doctor’s office. I had no nausea or any
of the symptoms usually accompanying chemotherapy. After approximately
eighteen months, my CEA tests were far below normal and Dr. Tucker dismissed
me as cured. I was to come by for a checkup every thirty days. Now we make a
check every three or four months and my CEA is always below normal.” CEA
stands for
c
arcinogenic
e
mbyronic
a
ntigen, a blood test for cancer cell activity in a
person with a malignancy. Mr. Floyd’s CEA has dropped from a high of eighteen
to zero (normal) today.
When we last spoke together, on May 16, 1989, J.B. Floyd at seventy-one was
retired from Exxon and was the wealthy owner of twelve Texas oil wells. He
received gratification as a retailer in his small health food store, bringing good
nutrition to his tiny Texas town. Being a health food entrepeneur was his hobby
and source of complete satisfaction; being alive and well was the answer to his
prayers, which he attributed to the research of Dr. E.J. Tucker.
Mr. Floyd received his treatment as a result of a discovery made by Tucker in
1966, which until now has been ignored by the cancer medical establishment. M.D.
Anderson Hospital, among the largest cancer therapeutic research centers in the
world, situated just down the street from Tucker’s office, doesn’t even experiment
with this treatment because half of its components include DMSO as part of the
therapeutic compound.
The decision to ignore Tucker’s compound is mostly based on politics and
economics. Administrators of M.D. Anderson Hospital are aware of where the
bulk of the hospital’s money comes from. It operates on large government grants
and some private contributions. The administrators
are likely worried that if the
medical staff went against the policy of the Food and Drug Administration by
using DMSO for an unapproved purpose, the hospital’s grants would be in
jeopardy.Indeed, the FDA knows very well about this treatment’s success for certain
forms of cancer. FDA officials personally met with Tucker and Floyd to study the
doctor’s DMSO


 is low in calories, but it is fully consistent
physiological needs of the organism. Hunza rarely eat meat
and very little drink of milk. Proteins, they are mainly produced from
bread that is baked from wheat and barley, always with an admixture
bran. These grains and their husks apart proteins contain calcium
and mineral salts. Hunza eat brown rice, the husk is
contains vitamin. and in mineral salts, as well as potatoes directly
with the skin - it is especially a lot of protein and mineral salts.
a large number of Hunza consume beans and all sorts of
herbs, including common grass. But the main thing in their diet
- Fresh and dried fruits. Apples and apricots that they are eating
together with bones, more important to them bread. Due to such rigid
diet, these people are extremely hardy. For example, pass 100 -
200 km in a few days for them is the same as that for us the evening
walk... Hunza is always in a good mood, never get angry
and do not quarrel among themselves, quietly endure physical pain
and any adversity. "In the Hunza nerves strong as ropes, and the heart
gentle and compassionate, "- says the scientist. As a result, Mack did Kerison
concluded that it was the food has a definite impact on both our
255
255physical health, and on the state of mind. No malnutrition
and the lack of calories causes the disease... and quality - of
what we eat. So, if the diet lacks certain
nutrients that are found only in natural
plant foods can be seriously damaged in the first place
our psyche... Most people eat too much is not so much
to satisfy hunger, but for the gastronomic pleasures. Hunza is
work hard, but eat little and not get sick. Hence, what
man eats less and is easier than its food, the more chances he has
closer to the ideal of health and happiness.
The experience of Mac Kerisona, which in science is known as
Experiment Kennels "- the location of his laboratory.
The researcher shared thousands of experimental rats into three groups
according to three groups: "Whitechapel" (District
London), "Hunza" and "Indians." All of them were kept in the same
conditions, but a group of "Whitechapel" received food that
Londoners consume (ie, one that Europeans eat) - white
bread products made with white flour, jam, meat, salt, canned food, eggs,
sweets, cooked vegetables, etc., Rat-"Hunza" received the same food,
that the people of this tribe. Rat "Indians" food, typical
Hindus and people of the East. Mack Kerison investigate the state
health of a generation who received three different diets, and opened
interesting pattern.
Animals from "Whitechapel" ill with all diseases,
that affect the residents of London, ranging from childhood diseases
and ending chronic and senile illnesses. This group was
rather nervous and belligerent, rat bite each other and even
bite to death "compatriots" to death.
Rat "Indians" for health and overall behavior
were similar to people who embody
in this experiment. A rat "Hunza" remained healthy
and cheerful, spent time in games and relaxing holiday.
What can be learned from these observations?
1. First of all: neither the climate nor religion, nor customs, nor the race is not
appreciable effect on health - is important only
food.
2. Food, and not something else can turn healthy people
in patients: it is enough to remove from the diet of some substances
considered, according to most people, unimportant,
ie, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, fatty
acids, which are only in the plant world, and which
benefit only when they are used in its natural form.
3. The amount of food and its high energy value, ie,
calories, do not have any relation to health. Important
composition of food.
4. Even the morale of the individual may suffer if
in a diet lacking certain nutrients.
256
256Rats that lived in peace and friendship among themselves, became
aggressive and devouring each other when they are denied full
food needed for health. This indicates that any
social unrest, revolution and war depend on the incorrect
human nutrition.
Does not correspond to the nature of human food, not its weakness
as claimed by politicians, to blame for the bad state of society.
Thus, the quality of food, its composition, quantity, method
use and combination of influence on the preservation of health, safeguard
from diseases, maintain youthfulness.
Depend on the quality of nutrition and mental health, mental
balance, lack of neuroses and mental disorders.
To get a good quality therapeutic effect of
dry fasting, for it should ideally be prepared. Good
preconditioning is carried out for 2-3 months before
starvation and is designed to release the body against endotoxin.
It consists in carrying out various cleaning procedures
and changes in diet.
Good, quality food will allow the body to store up
necessary during the fasting vitality, create
conditions for full, high-quality purification. Edit
nutrition, clean the intestines and liver. If you do not,
that during a famine in the crude as a result of the large intestine
enzymatic processes of decomposition of faeces produced mass
poisonous gases (indole, skatole, hydrogen sulfide and others), which
Imbibing in the blood, pass around the body, causing severe
intoxication, and then as a bad breath and the smell of output
through the lungs and skin. Spending so hungry person feels only
pain and weakness. There is no feeling better in time
Hunger is not observed. After preconditioning, the output
endotoxins on hunger will not be so powerful and you can easily
spend a few wet training starvation. And only then
can be conducted dry starvation.
How did need to eat to be healthy? Reply
quite simple: when choosing foods should take an example
with longevity.
To determine the "longevity diet, researchers detail
studied and described the food of different regions of our centenarians
planet. However, to recommend on the basis of information obtained
a universal diet has proved impossible.
The fact that the power of longevity associated with the region of residence
and national traditions. For example, in Bulgaria's dominant
vegetable and dairy foods, and in Yakutia - animal products.
Whom should I take the example and what foods to choose: vegetable or
animals? The answer is simple enough: we must eat of the food that
most available in vivo. in cold
climate (north and winter in the mid-latitudes) is better to use
257
257warms the body fat vegetarian diet, in the heat (tropical
and summer) - a cooling plant. So naturally,
that the northern peoples for centuries eat venison, Eskimos -
meat of whales and walruses by adding seal fat, and the residents
Located near the equator of the village Vilkabamba animal fats
constitute only two percent of total calories consumed
food, while life expectancy in this village
more than a hundred years! a famous Abkhaz centenarians observed
required at mid-latitudes climatic seasons supply:
in autumn and especially in the winter is dominated by meat products from
Dairy - cheese and yoghurt, spring and summer - flour products,
vegetables and dairy products.
Based on the foregoing, we can formulate the first
rule of natural power: the choice of food a person should
take into account the climatic conditions (ambient temperature
environment) in which it is located.
Indigenous peoples have genetically adapted to the natural
Natural Nutrition and resettlement in other climatic
conditions need to be familiar to a food. Why?
The researchers found that the muscles of any person consist of
muscle fibers of two types - red and white (hence - the name
opposing sides in a civil war? "), which
differ significantly among themselves.
In muscle indigenous tropical countries is dominated by white
fibers are used as "fuel" glucose from the blood.
The number of such fibers in the muscles of the individual reaches
90%. Since the body can not store glucose
in significant numbers, then those people need regular
(Not less than three times a day) consumption of plant foods, which
rapidly digested and replenishes the blood necessary for the operation
muscle glucose.
If you stay for people with muscles in the mid-latitudes
efficiency is markedly reduced in the winter, since they have
warming them to eat animal products, significantly
reducing the amount of natural plant foods for themselves. But
regular users of fats used for muscle
only in very small quantities, and eventually in humans
there obesity, atherosclerosis, diabetes (obese), ulcers and other
disease due to increased acidity of the body.
In muscle korennh of people living in cold climates
the number of red fibers, which are used for work not
glucose and fats, reaches up to 96%! The main part of the daily diet
power required (even in hot summer!) includes a sufficient
amount of animal fats, such people useful to use
evening as night fats in large numbers
stored in the muscle fibers and then slowly used
during the day.
258
258When eating in hot climates mainly plant
food such people there is an obvious weight loss, fast
fatigue and reluctance to move, as well as nervous exhaustion due to
lack of fat, and (as a consequence) of excess alk


 also in other temperate regions.
The flowers are harvested as they open in summer.
Parts Used  Flowers, essential oil.
Constituents  Roman chamomile contains up
to 1.75% essential oil (including tiglic and angelic
acid esters, chamazulene and other sesquiterpene
lactones), flavonoids, coumarins,
and phenolic acids.
History & Folklore
Though called Roman
chamomile, this herb was
not cultivated in Rome
until the 16th century,
probably arriving there
from Britain.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  A remedy for
the digestive system, Roman chamomile is often
used interchangeably with German chamomile
(Chamomilla recutita, p. 77). However, an infusion
of Roman chamomile has a more pronounced bitter
action than its German namesake. It is an excellent
treatment for nausea, vomiting, indigestion, and
loss of appetite. It is also sedative, antispasmodic,
and mildly analgesic, and will relieve colic, cramps,
and other cramping pains. By stimulating digestive
secretions and relaxing the muscles of the gut,
it helps normalize digestive function. Roman
chamomile may also be taken for headaches
and migraine, even by children. Its marked anti-
inflammatory and antiallergenic properties make
it helpful when applied to irritated skin.
Cautions  Do not use the essential oil
internally except under professional supervision.
The essential oil is subject to legal restrictions in
some countries.Habitat & Cultivation  Native to southern
Europe, wallflower is now found throughout the
continent. It grows on cliffs and old walls, and is
a common garden plant.
Parts Used  Leaves, flowers.
Constituents  The herb contains cheiranthin and
other cardioactive glycosides.
History & Folklore  In 1735, the Irish herbalist
K’Eogh described wallflower thus: “It provokes
urination and menstruation and expels a stillborn
child, and the afterbirth if a decoction of the dried
flowers or a little seed is drunk in wine.”
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Although
wallflower was formerly used as a diuretic, there
was no understanding of its powerful effect on
the heart. In small doses it is cardiotonic, supporting
a failing heart in a manner similar to foxglove
(Digitalis purpurea, p. 202). In more than small
doses it is toxic, and is therefore rarely used in
herbal medicine.
 RQ Cautions  Use only under professional
supervision. Do not take during pregnancy.
The Greek physician Dioscorides (1st century ce) used
wallflower roots to treat gout. Chamaenerion angustifolia
syn. epilobium angustifolium
(Onagraceae)
Rosebay Willowherb
Description  Perennial growing to 61⁄2 ft (2 m).
Has an erect stem, narrow leaves, and long spikes
of pink-purple flowers.
Habitat & Cultivation  This herb is found in
Europe and western Asia, and grows in clearings,
along roads, and in open areas. It is picked
when in flower in late summer.
Parts Used  Aerial parts.
Constituents  Rosebay willowherb contains
flavones and tannins.
History & Folklore  In Siberia, an alcoholic
drink has been made from this herb and the fly
agaric mushroom ( Amanita muscaria ).
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Demulcent and
astringent, rosebay willowherb treats diarrhea,
mucous colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. It has
also been made into an ointment to soothe skin
problems in children. Rosebay willowherb is used
to treat prostate problems.
Cheiranthus cheiri (Brassicaceae)
Wallflower
Description  Evergreen perennial growing
to 18 in (45 cm). Has lance-shaped leaves and
yellow-orange flowers appearing in spring.
Dried flower headsChelidonium majus
(Papaveraceae)
Greater Celandine
Description  Thin-stemmed perennial herb
growing to a height of 3 ft (90 cm). Has indented
yellow-green leaflets and 4-petaled flowers, which
appear in clusters in late spring.
Habitat & Cultivation  Native to Europe,
western Asia, and North Africa, greater celandine
flourishes close to human habitation, preferring
open areas, the banks of roadsides, and damp
places. The aerial parts of the herb are collected
in late spring or early summer.
Parts Used  Aerial parts, latex.
Constituents  Greater celandine contains
isoquinoline alkaloids, including allocryptopine,
berberine, chelidonine and sparteine. Several
of these alkaloids are analgesic. Chelidonine is
antispasmodic and also lowers blood pressure.
Sparteine, by contrast, raises it.
History & Folklore  In folk medicine, greater
celandine has often been viewed as a cure-all. It
has also been used for thousands of years to treat
and clear the eyesight, especially cataracts. According
to Pliny and Dioscorides (both writing in the
1st century ce), swallows used the latex that
flows from cuts in the stems or leaves as a
means to sharpen their eyesight. In 1598, Gerard
recommended the herb for eye disorders “for it
clenseth and consumeth awaie slimie things that
cleave about the ball of the eie.”
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Greater celandine
acts as a mild sedative, relaxing the muscles of the
bronchial tubes, intestines, and other organs.
US_180-201_Brassica_dictamnus.indd   187 26/02/16   12:47 pm
188Chelone glabraother medicinal plantsHabitat & Cultivation  Balmony is native
to eastern North America, balmony thrives in
habitats such as marshland, wet woodland, and riverbanks. It is harvested when in flower during summer or autumn.
Parts Used  Aerial parts.
Constituents  Contains resins and bitters.
History & Folklore  Balmony’s genus name,
Chelone, means “tortoise” in Greek, referring to the flower head’s supposed resemblance to the head of the tortoise.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  A strongly bitter
remedy, balmony is principally used to treat gallstones and other gallbladder problems. It stimulates bile flow and has a mildly laxative action. It can be taken to relieve nausea, vomiting, and intestinal colic, and to expel worms. It may also
be antidepressant. Balmony is a suitable remedy  for children.henricus), a species that is native to Europe, is  both eaten as a vegetable and used medicinally  to treat anemia.
 RQ Cautions  Use only under professional
supervision. Wormseed is toxic when taken in overdose. Do not take during pregnancy. The herb is subject to legal restrictions in some countries.
Chimaphila umbellata (Pyrolaceae)
Pipsissewa
Description  Evergreen plant with several stems,
growing to 8 in (20 cm). Has shiny wedge-shaped leaves and small flat-topped clusters of white flowers tinged with red.
Habitat & Cultivation  Native to North
America, Europe, and Asia, pipsissewa grows in woods and shady places, in sandy soils. The leaves are gathered in summer.
Parts Used  Leaves.
Constituents  Pipsissewa contains hydroquinones
(including arbutin), flavonoids, triterpenes, methyl salicylate, and tannins. The hydroquinones have
a pronounced disinfectant effect within the urinary tract.
History & Folklore  Pipsissewa was much used
by Native North Americans to induce sweating and treat fevers, including typhus. European settlers used the herb for rheumatism and for urinary and kidney problems. It was listed in the Pharmacopoeia of the United States from 1820 to 1916.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Astringent, tonic,
and diuretic, pipsissewa is mainly used in an infusion for urinary tract problems such as cystitis and urethritis. It has also been prescribed for more serious conditions such as gonorrhea and kidney stones. By increasing urine flow, it stimulates the removal of waste products from the body, and is therefore of benefit in the treatment of rheumatism and gout. The fresh leaves of pipsissewa may be applied externally to rheumatic joints or muscles, as well as to blisters, sores, and swellings.
Research  In tests on animals, pipsissewa leaves
appear to lower blood-sugar levels.
Balmony’s bile-inducing
property makes it useful
for gallbladder problems.In both Western and Chinese herbal traditions, it has been used to treat bronchitis, whooping cough, and asthma. The herb’s antispasmodic effect extends to the gallbladder, where it helps to improve bile flow. This would partly account for its use in treating jaundice, gallstones, and gallbladder pain, as well as its


 ruinous to poise. Poise is also
disturbed by the practice of keeping the thought always in the faster’s mind that death is imminent.
To add to the prevailing confusion, an effort is being made to revive the old enema practices. To
this end there has been a repetition of the old fallacies about reabsorption of waste from the colon.
In all of the discussion of this subject, I have never seen one reference to the fact that the faster’s
bowels act when there is a need for action. There may actually develop a diarrhea.
Advocates of
the enema warn of serious complications that may arise out of the
autointoxications resulting from reabsorption of waste matter thrown into the colon. This is certain
evidence that the man uttering the warning has never observed a fast in which no enema was used,
else he would know how false are his warnings.
Finally, there are those who contend that a period on fruit or fruit juice or vegetable juice
produces the same or greater beneficial results than the fast. They call the period on fruit or juice a
fruit fast or a juice fast, whereas, in sober reality, the period on fruit or on juice is more likely to
be a fruit feast or a juice feast. For example, when on a grape diet one is urged to eat large
quantities of grapes. When on a carrot juice diet, one is urged to drink large quantities of carrot
juice. The promoter of wheat grass juice therapy is emphatic in her assertion that the “wheat grass
juice fast” is superior to abstinence from all food, or what they persist in designating a water fast.
This misuse of language is exceeded only by the physicians who use the phrase
therapeutic
starvation
. The word starvation means the process of dying because of lack of some essential of
life, such as warmth, water, or food. The process of dying would seem to be a very poor
therapeutic process.
The juice diets have their legitimate places in the life of the
Hygienist
. We would make a
serious mistake, however, should we rule out the total fast and rely heavily upon juice diets.
Fasting is a biological process and belongs to the world of life.
Herbert M. Shelton
San Antonio, Texas
June 1978
16Preface to the First Edition
Few subjects going back
in mankind’s history are so widely misunderstood, in our modern, high-
caloric civilization, as fasting. The important role it can play, and has played, is often distorted in
the public mind, or twisted out of shape by grotesque and groundless fears, based not on truth but
on prejudices, scientific misinformation or complete lack of information.
The purpose of this book, based upon my own experiences, studies and observations over a
period of forty-five years of conducting fasts as a
Hygienist
, is to put into focus the true role
fasting can play in promoting and maintaining good health, in eliminating pain, in weight reduction
and control, and in prolonging human life.
This role will be explained and discussed in detail, not as a
cure
, for fasting itself is not a
cure
,
but as a means of permitting the resources of the body itself to take over, to effect healing, or take
off pounds at a rate unmatched by any other method.
One of the primary purposes of this book is to answer the many questions about fasting which
have begun to flood the offices of those who write about weight problems for the newspapers and
magazines. Since overeating and overweight have become primary health problems in the United
States and some European countries, the quest for information about how to lose pounds safely is a
never-ending one on the modern scene.
At the same time a revival of interest in the means of mind-body care as developed by those
who believe in
Natural Hygiene
 has brought close attention to the theories and findings of
Hygienists
 developed over nearly a century and a half.
It is axiomatic that the medical profession has battled stoutly all these theories. Many of the
advances of recent decades have been achieved only after bitter warfare and denunciation by
entrenched medical opinions.
Progress has been made inch by inch—spoonful by spoonful—in the business of developing
proper eating and living habits. Yet fasting goes back over the centuries—not only in matters of
health, but also in religious ritual.
In recent years
investigators who have contributed greatly are Dr. Henry S. Tanner, Sylvester
Graham, Dr. Robert Walter, Dr. John H. Tilden and Dr. George S. Weger.
One could multiply these names many times over. These are the experienced men of the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries—scientists, investigators, scholars who dedicated themselves to
the study and practice of the basic truths of
Hygienic
 living with particular emphasis on the role of
the fast.
It must be understood that for the best results, it is unwise to departmentalize too much in our
thinking. The body is a complex organism in which all parts are interrelated. Good health therefore
is a single thing, encompassing and including every aspect of ourselves—physical, mental and
emotional. What we are considering here goes beyond any simple problems. It concerns the whole
individual.
These are general considerations presenting an approach to good living. Only the expert in
fasting is capable of directing the individual with his particular health problem, his special need
and goal. Our purpose here is to give the layman, the average reader, a broad perspective with
some details and occasionally technical background information and hope, in an area that has to do
with ways by which man can live better, feel better—last longer.
Because overeating has become one of the great physiological and psychological problems of
17our age here in America, I am placing particular importance on this aspect of the subject in the
early chapters of this book. Weight reduction alone is only one part of the picture. To maintain
proper weight and proper physical condition, many of us require a total renovation of our eating
habits, our working habits, our understanding of the real need for rest and relaxation. All of these
are a part of the broad philosophy embodied in the chapters of this book.
There is no necessity to be overweight, nor any need to be crippled with self-inflicted disease
brought on by the totality of destructive living habits which too many of us pursue.
I am not therefore presenting merely the Hygienic concepts of diet, exercise, rest, correct habits
and routines. For the present indeed, I will deal with a totally new way of life.
Herbert M. Shelton
181
Fasting and You!
Fasting is much more than
 simply not eating: it is both a science and an art. It has meaning in terms
of overall well-being and affects the psychological and emotional aspects of our lives.
Fasting, as we use the term here, means total abstinence from all food for a definite period of
time. The word comes from the old English word
faesten
, which means firm or fixed. In other
words, the fast is something we hold to on a firm basis under controlled and fixed conditions.
In religious terms it may mean abstinence from certain food on certain holy days. But this is
partial abstinence rather than total abstinence. I know persons who have “fasted” during Lent and
actually gained weight rather than lost, because they substituted for the dishes they gave up foods
which put on even more pounds.
Those who think that fasting is equivalent to starvation are entirely wrong. There are basically
two periods in the process of abstaining from food that should concern us here—the
fasting
 period
proper and the period of
starvation
.
As we study the phenomena of abstinence in greater detail, the distinction between these two
phases will become clear. From the outset however, it is essential to understand that the fasting
stage continues so long as the body supports itself on the stored reserves within its tissues.
Starvation begins when abstinence is carried beyond the time when these stored reserves are used
up or have dropped to a dangerously low level.
We must understand also that there is much loose terminology that adds to confusion on the
subject of fasting. For example: we hear people speak of going on a “water fast” which technically
would imply that they were giving up drinking water. What they mean, actually, is that they are
going on a fast in which they give up everything but water. The same illogicality exists in the
expression, “going on a fruit juice fast” or a “vegetable juice fast.” Again what is meant is that they
are giving up everything
except
 fruit or vegetable juice.
The term “partial fast” is used for any form of fasting where individuals put extremely limiting
conditions on what they eat. The misuse of the word “starving,” not only in
the vernacular, but
even in some scientific papers, has done vast harm. The word is derived from the Anglo-Saxon
stearfan
, which means to die, not only from lack of food but also from overall exposure to cold.
This is how the phrase “starving cold” developed.
Starvation is a process of dying, in effect. You cannot starve yourself into good health. You can
fast for proper and reasonable periods and thereby improve your physical condition and often
restore yourself to good health. It is possible to abstain from food for long periods of time with
beneficial effects. At the point where the experienced advisor who conducts the fast realizes that
the second phase of abstention from food is imminent, the fast is broken.
I have said the fast is part of a new way of life which I outline in this book


. Cover, return to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add cau
liflower, broccoli, and squash, cover, return to a boil, and simmer for 10
minutes.
Barbecued Onions for Tortilla Soup:
2 tablespoons safflower oil
1 large white onion, sliced
2 tablespoons Hain or Robbie's barbecue sauce
Prepare the Barbecued Onions,
In large skillet, heat oil. Add onion, and saute until it begins to soften.
Add barbecue sauce, and continue saut6ing, stirring frequently, until
onion is thoroughly wilted. If you are having the New York Goodwich
tomorrow, you can reserve lA cup onions, if desired.
1% • FIT FOR LIFE Complete the soup.
Add cabbage and zucchini to soup. Return to boil and add bouillon,
sea salt, pepper, and cumin. Stir in Barbecued Onions. Simmer for 5
minutes.
Heat tortillas in hot dry skillet. Cut into thick strips. Add to soup. Add
cilantro. Adjust seasonings. Any leftover soup can be saved for lunch on
the weekend. Serves 5 or 6.
GRANDMA'S COLESLAW 20 Min.
1 small head cabbage, grated or finely sliced
lA cup boiling water
Sea salt, seasoned salt, or salt-free seasoning
1 large carrot, peeled and finely grated
1 small green pepper, sliced very thin
Juice of 1 small lemon
lA cup fresh dill or 2 tablespoons dried dill
1-2 cups mayonnaise (Hain Saf-flower mayonnaise, if available)
Pour boiling water over cabbage. Add salt and knead well to soften cab
bage. Add carrot and green pepper. Add lemon juice, dill, and mayon
naise. Mix thoroughly. Refrigerate. This coleslaw ages well in the
refrigerator for days. If there is any left over, save and put it on a New
York Goodwich!
DAY EIGHTEEN—THURSDAY
BREAKFAST:
Same as Day One.
LUNCH:
Fresh fruit or carrot juice (optional)
New York Goodwich (see page 159) or Energy Salad (see page 149)
A FOUR-WEEK EXAMPLE OF THE FITNESS LIFE-STYLE • 197 DINNER:
Fresh Vegetable Juice Cocktail, if desired (see page 152)
Garlic Broiled Chicken, * or baked potato with raw butter
Perfect Sauteed Mushrooms *
Zucchini with Basil Vinaigrette*
GARLIC BROILED CHICKEN 25 Min.
Basting Sauce:
Vi teaspoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
V2 teaspoon sea salt, seasoned salt, or salt-free seasoning
Fresh ground black pepper
1 whole chicken breast, halved, skinned
Combine all ingredients for basting sauce in small bowl. Brush over
chicken. Broil for 10 minutes each side, 2 inches from heat, brushing
frequently with sauce. Serves 1-2.
PERFECT SAUTEED MUSHROOMS 10 Min.
Vi pound fresh mushrooms (For maximum freshness, select only those
whose caps are tightly closed around the stem.)
1 tablespoon butter
Sea salt, seasoned salt, or salt-free seasoning (optional)
1 scant tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Cut ends from stems of mushrooms. Slice mushrooms lengthwise into
!/s- to '/4-inch slices. Melt butter in large skillet. Add mushrooms, tossing
lightly in butter, until they just begin to soften. Add seasonings and
lemon juice. Serves 3.
198 • F7T FOR LIFE ZUCCHINI WITH BASIL VINAIGRETIY 15Min.
6 small zucchini
1 tablespoon red onion, finely slivered
1 green pepper, finely julienned (optional)
1 red pepper, finely julienned (optional)
Basil Vinaigrette:
lA cup fresh basil, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
lA teaspoon sea salt, seasoned salt, or salt-free seasoning
Fresh ground black pepper (optional)
Cut zucchini into '/4-inch diagonals, and place in vegetable steamer, cov
ered, over boiling water for 3 minutes or until just tender. Transfer to
serving dish. Add onion and peppers, if desired. Combine vinaigrette
ingredients in small bowl. Whisk and toss with vegetables, taking care not
to break zucchini. Serves 3.
MAIN-COURSE SALAD DA Y
DAY NINETEEN—FRIDAY
BREAKFAST:
Same as Day One.
LUNCH:
Continue on fruit and juice. You may also have raw vegetables and the
Vegetable-fruit Platter, if desired (see page 156).
DINNER:
1/2 cantaloupe, or 1/2 honeydew melon, or 1 whole grapefruit
Farmer's Chop Suey *
A FOUR-WEEK EXAMPLE OF THE FITNESS LIFE-STYLE • 199 FARMER'S CHOP SUEY 20 Min.
1 small iceberg or romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and coarsely
chopped
2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
6 radishes, sliced
1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 large tomato, cubed
1 green pepper, sliced
1 small sweet red pepper, sliced (optional)
1-4 tablespoons seal I ions, sliced, according to taste
Vi cup sour cream
1 cup creamed cottage cheese
1 teaspoon dried dill or 1 tablespoon fresh dill
'/s teaspoon dried tarragon
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Combine all vegetables in large bowl. Mix together sour cream and cot
tage cheese in small bowl. Add dill, tarragon, sea salt, and pepper to
taste. Pour over salad, and toss well. A perfect main-course salad for dairy
lovers! Serves 2.
Freeze J or 2 large bananas, peeled, for tomorrow's Smoothie before going to
bed.
DAY TWENTY—SATURDAY
BREAKFAST:
Same as Day One, or Berry Smoothie. *
LUNCH:
Fresh fruit or carrot juice (optional)
Avotillas,* or Energy Salad (see page 149)
200 • FIT FOR LIFE DINNER:
Couscous, * and French Peas and Lettuce, * or Baked Garden
Vegetables *
Salade Parisienne with Asparagus (see page 173)
BERRY SMOOTHIE 3 Min.
1 cup fresh orange, apple, or tangerine juice
1 cup fresh or frozen berries—strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries
1 or 2 large bananas, fresh or frozen
Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth and thick. Kids love
these!
NOTE: You can substitute any fruit you like for the berries.
AVOTILLAS 5 Min.
3 corn tortillas
Vi avocado, cut into 6 slices
Mayonnaise or mustard
Spike (optional)
Alfalfa sprouts
Heat tortillas in hot dry skillet. Spread with mayonnaise or mustard.
Place 2 slices avocado down center of each. Sprinkle with Spike. Add
layer of sprouts. Roll tightly. Serves I.
COUSCOUS 15Min.
Couscous recipes tend to vary slightly. This one is basic, but if the recipe
on your box of couscous is different, follow it. It will be correct for that
particular grade of couscous.
A FOUR-WEEK EXAMPLE OF THE FITNESS LIFE-STYLE • 207 2 cups water
1 cup couscous
2 tablespoons sweet butter
V*—Vi teaspoon sea salt
Bring water to a boil. Add couscous, butter, and sea salt, and simmer,
stirring continuously, for about 2 minutes or until most of water is ab
sorbed. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to stand for 10—15 minutes.
Serves 2-3.
FRENCH PEAS AND LETTUCE
2 tablespoons sweet butter
1 clove garlic, halved or minced
3 cups fresh or frozen peas (If you are using frozen, use petite peas.)
1 small romaine or butter lettuce, coarsely chopped
Vi teaspoon dried thyme
V* cup water
Sea salt, seasoned salt, or salt-free seasoning
Additional 1 tablespoon sweet butter (optional)
Fresh ground black pepper
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy saucepan. Add garlic, and saute 2-3
minutes to flavor butter. Remove garlic (if halved) and add peas. Saute to
coat with butter. Add lettuce, thyme, water, and sea salt. Simmer, cov
ered, over low heat for 5 minutes for frozen peas and for 10-15 minutes
for fresh peas, stirring frequently to make sure peas don't burn. If water is
absorbed before fresh peas are soft, add a little more. Toss with 1 table
spoon butter, if desired. Use as sauce for couscous, or combine with
couscous and mix well. Serves 2 or 3.
BAKED GARDEN VEGETABLES
This easy method


 sexual arousal, it can also
characterize these other expressions of excitement and passion.
Learn to get in touch with these sensations and recognize thei r various
expressions in your body. Right now, close your eyes an d recall an
experience when you were passionately aroused by something. It may have
been a beautiful piece of art, a breathtaking natural scene, or an emotionally
moving piece of music. Perhaps  it was when a brilliant business idea came
to you, or when you heard something that gave you amazing in sight into a
problem you were facing. It m ay have been an erotic, passio nate sexual
experience. Notice the sensations that your inspirational experience
generates in your body. This is the essence of sexual ene r gy, which
expresses itself in many dif ferent forms. Learn to recognize this powerful
life force in all its manifestations.
Even as  you go about your dail y life, pay attention to these experiences
of inten se alive ness. They may be evoked by someone to whom you are
intensely attract ed, by a spectac ular splash of color in the sky at sunset, or
by s eeing the be autiful, loving hands of your grand-mother. Be aware of the
empowering ene r gy that is ava ilable to you as a passionate lover of life.Nurture these sensations with your attention until you feel a bubbling
exuberance in every cell of your  body. The more you look for an d recognize
these sen sations in your body, th e more your sensory experience will be one
of h eightened awareness, and the more you will experienc e a simple,
unaf fected appreciation and gra titude for the whole of creation. This is the
essence of a spiritual life.
Despite what you may have been conditioned to believe, sexu al desire is
sacred a nd virtu ous. It is the suppression of sexual ener gy that is artificial,
unnatural, and contrived. For many people, the experience of sexual
intimacy is their first glimpse in to the experience of spirituality. When you
and you r beloved mer ge physically and emotionally, you go beyond the
boundaries of the ego. In this state of union you experience ti melessness,
naturalness, playfulness, and defenselessness. These are qualities of spirit
when it is not constrained by control, fear, or separation. Cultivating this
state of natural openness and self-assured vulnerability in all relationships is
the essence of a spiritual life.
SEXUAL VIT ALITY
Sexual e ner gy i s available to us at all ages. Being open to sexual ener gy
reverses aging. Although many people have the impression that sexual
ener gy d iminishes as we age, st udies have shown that the vast  majority of
both men and women are sexually active through their sixties, seventies,
and beyond. About 90 percent of married men and women in their sixties
and over 80 pe rcent of men a nd women in their seventies a re sexually
active and find it enjoyable. Sexuality is a feature of intimate loving
relationships throughout adult life.
There are physiological change s associated with aging that looked at
from on e angle can be viewed as a loss but from another perspe ctive can be
seen as an opportunity. Some men in their sixties and seventies take longer
to become physically aroused. Some women need help compensating fortissue dr yness that is associated with diminished estrogen production. These
issues c an be easily addressed. Investing the time and attentio n to create
physical, emotional, and spiritu al intimacy can often result in the most
fulfilling sexual experiences of a person’ s life.
T o improve your sexual experiences, you need to divest yourself of your
expectations. Expectations are usually in three areas: (1) performance, as
exemplified by  the question “How am I doing?”; (2) emotions, as
exemplified by the question “ How am I feeling?”; and (3) security, as
exemplified by the question “Do you really love me?” These are
understandable concerns when exploring intimacy with your partner. They
also pro vide a unique opportunity to express your vulnerabilities and create
more intimacy. Intimacy derives  from the willingness to be vulnerable. Ask
for what  you need and give to y our lover what he or she needs. Openness,
vulnerability, the willingness to give, and the readiness to receive are all
qualities of spirit.
Relinquish your expectations. When you relinquish your expectations,
you are able to release your resistance. Y our resistance keeps you from
enjoying what is happening. In sex, as in all areas of life, resistance is born
of fear. All resistance is mental a nd derives from a judgment against what is
being felt. Practice releasing your judgments and releasing your
expectations and you will experience the passion and surrender that sex
of fers. The concentrated passio n of sexual lovemaking then permeates all
other aspects of your life.
If you find that sex is mixed with hidden emotions such as sha me, guilt,
or a nger, commit to releasing these toxic and inhibiting feelings. Sexual
intimacy is one road to the experience of true freedom, becau se it is one
area of life in which you can become completely uninhibited and free.
Sexual fulfillment occurs when the experience comes from playfulness
instead of need. When sex is u sed to fulfill needs, it leads to addiction.
When sex comes from playfulness, the result is ecstasy.
Despite what you may have been conditioned to believe,
sexual desir e is sacr ed and virtuous.
FOR PLA Y
Sex is most enjoyable and creates the greatest amount of love and intimacy
when it is viewed as a process rather than as a goal. W ester n society is
dominated by a goal-oriented worldview. Both men and women are
conditioned to achieve whatever goal is established, as directly, quickly, and
ef ficiently as possible. This at titude plays itself out in our lovemaking
where w e’ve lea rned to prize s exual climax as the sole tar get of physical
intimacy. Althou gh every lover relishes the pleasure of or gasm, the ancient
wisdom traditions of India and China suggest that playing with sexual
ener gy a nd extending the process of lovemaking expands the heart, mind,
and spirit, while intensely enric hing physical delight. Known as T antra in
India and the T ao of Sex in traditional Chinese culture, the basic principles
for conscious lovemaking include ritual, communication, and finesse.
RITUAL
If yo u view sex as a sacred act, you will understand the value of  ritual. T ake
the t ime to prepare yourself for lovemaking as if you were jou rneying to a
realm of celestial pleasure. Bath e yourself and prepare your bod y and mind
for t he s haring o f your most pe rsonal gifts. Set the lovemaking scene with
attention to all t he senses. Read inspiring love poems to your p artner. Play
beautiful music  that arouses your passions and opens your heart. (See
appendix for our recommendations.) W ear sensual clothing, employ subtle
lighting with candles, and dif fuse pleasing aromas in the room. Look into
your lover ’ s eyes and silently o r aloud acknowledge the gift of engaging
intimately with your partner.
When y ou consider sexuality as simply another physiologica l need, it
only ser ves that  purpose. Recognizing that unlike your animal ancestors,you hav e the ability to channel creative sexual ener gy to expand your heart
and raise your consciousness, you can use rituals to focus your attention and
intention. T ransforming an exc hange between two people from an act of
pure biology to one of body, mind, and spirit generates passion, vitality, and
ecstasy.
COMMUNICA TION
Communicate your feelings and  needs to your partner, before, during, and
after sex. Expres s what brings you pleasure and what you need to feel safe,
adored, and aroused. Reorient y our intention from simply releasing sexual
pressure to celebrating the process. Prolonging the act of lovemaking has
ener gy-enhancing ef fects on mind and body. Inform your partner when you
are a bout to clim ax and slow d own the tempo to expand and prolong the
pleasure. Lovem aking is a danc e of body, mind, and soul that c an continue
twenty-four hours a day in physical, emotional, and spiritual domains.
Sexual ecstasy is nourished through your willingness to be vulnerable.
Asking for what you need to fulfill your deepest desires and fantasies
requires your willingness to be  vulnerable. Through this vulnerability the
boundaries betw een “I” and “thou” and between body and s oul become
blurred. This is the essence of a spiritual experience and the promise of
conscious lovemaking.
FINESSE
Like me ditation, lovemaking is  a domain where force, ef fort, and control
fail to result in s uccess and fulfillment. Subtlety, timing, and finesse are the
essence of rapturous lovemakin g. The blossoming of sexual bliss requires
total atte ntion in  the present mo ment and openness to creativity. Sex can be
a too l fo r person al transformatio n when you listen to the signals from your
body an d the body