 is already compromised in GAPS patients. On top
of that, to deal with the sugar onslaught, the body has to use available min
erals, vitamins and enzymes at an alarming rate, finishing up being
depleted of these vital substances. For example, to metabolise only one
molecule of sugar the body requires around 56 molecules of magnesium.
Consumption of sugar is a major reason for widespread magnesium defi
ciency in our modern society leading to high blood pressure, neurological,
immune and many other problems. A GAPS patient is already deficient in
magnesium and many other vital nutrients and should not have sugar in
any form. Cakes, sweets, and other confectioneries are made with sugar
and wheat, as the main ingredients, plus lots of chemicals like colours,
preservatives, flavourings, etc. It goes without saying that they should be
out of the diet (with or without gluten).
Soft drinks are a major source of sugar in our modern diets, not to men
tion all the chemical additives. A can of soda can contain from 5 to 10 tea
spoons of sugar. Fruit juices are full of processed fruit sugars and moulds.
Unless freshly pressed, they should not be in your diet either. Aspartame, a
sugar replacement in so-called "diet" drinks, has been found to be carcinogenic and neurotoxic and most definitely should be avoided by
GAPS children and adults.
Sugar and wheat are so insidious that it can be very hard to find any
processed food on the supermarket shelves without sugar and wheat.
To summarise, any GAPS patient, be it autistic, schizophrenic, hyper
active, dyslexic, asthmatic, etc., should have no processed foods at all in
his/her diet. All foods should be bought fresh, as close to the way Nature
made them as possible, and prepared at home. A digestive tract is a long
tube. What you fill that tube with has a direct effect on its well being. A
GAPS digestive system is damaged and very sensitive. You cannot trust any
food manufacturer to fill it in. You have to fill your GAPS child's (or GAPS
adult's in your care) digestive system yourself by freshly cooked nourishing
food, where you are in control and in charge of what the exact ingredients
are and how they are processed.
No Soya, please!
Soya is a very big business, particularly in the USA. A large percent of the
industry uses genetically modified soya. Soya is cheap to produce and fol
lowing some research showing that it can be beneficial for menopausal
women, the whole market has exploded with soya products. It can be
found in many processed foods, margarines, salad dressings and sauces,
breads, biscuits, pizza, baby food, children's snacks, sweets, cakes, vege
tarian products, dairy replacements, infant milk formulas, etc. Is there a
problem with that? Let us have a look at some facts.
1. The benefits to menopausal women, seen in Japan and other eastern
cultures are due to the form in which soy is traditionally used: as a
whole bean or fermented as a soy sauce, tofu, miso and tempeh. The
form in which soya is used in the west is called soy protein isolate.
How is it made? After removing the fibre with an alkaline solution the
soybeans are put into large aluminium tanks with an acid wash. Acid
makes the soybeans to absorb aluminium, which will remain in the
end product. Aluminium has been linked to dementia and Alzheimer's
disease and indeed there has been a lot of publicity recently linking
soy consumption with these mental disorders. After the aluminium-
acid wash the beans are treated with many other chemicals including
nitrates, which have been implicated in cancer development. The end
product is an almost tasteless powder, easy to use and add to any food. Up to 60% of processed foods including soya milk and soya infant
formulas contain this powder.
2. Soya is a natural goitrogen. What does it mean? It means that soya has
an ability to impair iodine absorption and reduce thyroid function.
Due to various toxins found in GAPS patients they are, almost without
exception, hypothyroid, which means that their thyroid function is
already impaired. Low thyroid function has very serious implications
for a growing child, including abnormalities in brain development
and maturation. Having soya in the diet will reduce the child's thyroid
function even further.
3. Soya beans have a very high concentration of phytates, These are sub
stances, found in all grains as well, particularly in their bran. Phytates
have a great ability to bind to minerals and not allow them to be
absorbed, particularly calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. We already
know that GAPS children and adults are deficient in these vital min
erals. Adding soy to their diet would make these deficiencies even
worse.
4. Great Plains Laboratory, which have performed allergy testing on a
large number of autistic children, found that almost every child had
extremely high allergies to soy. Based on their experience the head of
the laboratory Dr W. Shaw directly advises against the use of soy in
autistic children.
5. Soy has gained its popularity as a treatment for menopause because it
contains natural oestrogens or phytoestogens. These substances may
be useful for menopausal women, but not for small children. There is
a growing concern among health professionals on the amount of phy
toestogens infants and small children might be getting from soya milk
and infant formulas. Again, due to toxicity in their bodies the whole
hormonal balance is already upset in GAPS children. Adding another
interference in the form of phytoestogens does not seem like a good
idea.
What about soy in the natural traditional form as a soy sauce, tofu, tempeh,
etc.? It is very common among people with Candida overgrowth to be aller
gic to fermented foods. Traditional soy products are fermented. So,
whichever way you look at soya it is best to be avoided by GAPS patients. A letter from a parent (23 November 2003)
Walker was 3V 2 years old [when he] was diagnosed with moderate-severe autism and
dyspraxia. He was non-verbal and the specialists were telling us that he may never speak.
We followed the advice of researchers and put him on a strict gluten/casein (gf/cf) free
diet. We did have success with this, but felt there was more that could be done. It wasn't
until I consulted with you about a nutritional plan for Walker that I realised we had a long
way to go in terms of eating healthy and healing Walker's gut! The ironic thing was that
we always considered ourfamily as being relatively health-conscious. Upon analysing our
diet, I quickly realised that we had fallen into the trap of eating nothing but processed,
chemically-treated, convenience food. We began to follow your advice by eating foods in
their natural, raw state and saw almost immediate changes in Walker. Within a few
weeks, Walker spoke his first sentence and the rest is history!
The nutritional advice you gave us was invaluable to Walker's recovery.
I use the word "recovery" here because as of today, my son (who is now 5 years old)
is attending mainstream school and has many friends. In fact, he's a social butterfly! He
is learning at a normal rate and his autism and dyspraxia are almost undetectable!!
Anyone who knew Walker 2 years ago cannot believe the "transformation" which has
taken place. How could a boy who was completely emotionless and cut off from the
world be the same boy he is today? It's just amazing.
When I talk to people about "diet and nutrition" today, they don't quite understand
how food can affect a person in that way. After all, it is quite difficult for someone who
hasn't seen what we've seen to fully comprehend his miracle in its entirety!
Although there are many books written on special diets for children with autism, ADD,
ADHD, etc., (and I've read them all) I haven't come across one that is similar to the nutri
tional advice you suggested for Walker. In fact, I've found many of these books suggest
ing foods that I know would actually cause Walker great harm. The older research that
specifically talks about a strict gf/cf diet is just the tip of the iceberg... there is much
more to this story! I get very frustrated when I see many families following this advice
and buying "processed" gf/cf products that contain many other harmful ingredients.
These are often the same parents who are elated to discover that Diet Coke and potato
crisps are gf/cf and go out and buy them in bulk!! Ugh!
Holly Branch, mother of Walker
Surrey, UK 2. THE APPROPRIATE
DIET FOR GAP SYNDROME
We have concentrated on some diet aspects in the previous chapter. Now,
let us discuss, what is the right diet for GAPS people.
GAP Syndrome essentially is a digestive disorder and should be treated
as such. There is no need to re-invent the wheel when it comes to designing
a diet for digestive disorders. There is a diet already invented, a


 the purpose of the coffee enema is not to promote evacuation, but it does that
anyway, especially on the 5-a-day routine. So why must I also take that ghastly castor oil?
A: Seriously ill cancer patients usually carry a huge toxic load of tumor tissue. As this load
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 157Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comis attacked by the recovering immune system and gets excreted, lar ge amounts of toxins are
released into the blood stream, collected by the liver, and released into the small intestine for
eventual evacuation. Most people don’t realize that the transit from the release by the liver/bile
system to the anus can take many hours, even with the regular five daily enemas. During that
time it is unavoidable for the body to re-absorb some of those toxins.
 Castor oil is needed to remedy that situation. The oil rapidly clears the entire intestinal tract,
not just the colon, and especially the small intestine, where the re-absorption would take place.
The same cleansing effect would also benefit non-cancer patients who, due to so-called civilized
living, are carriers of large amounts of not just the colon, and especially the small intestine, where
the re-absorption would take place. The same cleansing effect would also benefit non-cancer
patients who, due to so-called civilized living, are carriers of large amounts of toxic substances
other than tumor tissue. They may well recover without the castor oil enemas, but using the
additional detoxifying by orally taken castor oil speeds up healing.
Q: Can I do this therapy at the same time as receiving chemotherapy treatment?
A: It seems a contradiction to poison the body on the one hand with chemotherapy drugs,
and on the other to detoxify it at the same time with coffee enemas, juices, etc. So sharp is
the contrast between the two approaches that patients who come to the Gerson Therapy after
chemotherapy has failed to help them, have to go on a reduced form of the Gerson programme
for at least six months, to allow for the gradual detoxification of the body. You may, however,
support your body during chemotherapy by switching to the Gerson diet and having no more
than 3 glasses of freshly made juice and one enema a day, as long as you realize that you are not
doing the Gerson Therapy.
Q: If this therapy is so effective, why isn’t it recognized by the medical authorities?
A:  As is well known, the present orthodox medical system is dominated by the huge and
powerful pharmaceutical companies. They even control, via substantial donations to medical
schools, what is being taught to medical students: drugs, drugs and more drugs to suppress
symptoms. But drugs never heal, with the result that chronic degenerative diseases are termed
“incurable.”
The Gerson Therapy cuts totally into drug use, and therefore drug sales, by healing the
body of its true underlying problems—the disturbances in the entire metabolism, the diminished
immune system and the damaged essential organs.
Thus the whole body can be healed, “cured” of the underlying problems, and health is restored.
The problem is that the big pharmaceutical companies cannot make money out of natural organic
food, such as a sack of carrots. So they fight the nutrition-based therapy as long as they can. They
know that the public is beginning to understand what is going on.
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 158Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comQ: There are so many different kinds of cancer. How can the same therapy be right for all of
them? What about specialization?
A: It is true that when the body is severely damaged by toxins, steady irritation, genetic causes
or any other reason, normally it is the weakest part that breaks down and allows the wild cell
growth, which equals cancer. Hence the wide variety of malignant disease. However, the Gerson
Therapy works on the entire organism; it restores the body’s defenses, so that it becomes able
to attack and destroy malignant tissue, which is actually foreign to it. The healthy immune
response kills and removes this “foreign” tissue, no matter what its name, origin or location!
This doesn’t mean, of course, that precise minor adjustments are not made in the program,
according to individual needs. But beyond that, specialization is a mistake, since the bottom line
remains the need to heal ALL the body systems along with the immune system, including the
mineral balances, the hormone system, the essential organs—everything. Only that ensures true
healing.
Q: Can the Gerson Therapy be used on small children, and how is it scaled down to suit
them?
A: Yes, small children respond extremely well. (see Case No.15 in “A Cancer Therapy—Results
of 50 Cases,”  where the patient was an 8-months-old boy. Of course since then we’ve had many
successes, with patients ranging from toddlers to teens.) Medication is scaled down more or less
according to their weight, but they are well able to take juices, even from a nursing bottle, and
generally don’t need coffee enemas before the age of 2-3.
Q: What’s the earliest age a baby can be given carrot juice?
A: There are some babies that are allergic to EVERY type of milk: mother’s milk, when the
mother is ill, goat’s milk, soy milk, formula, everything. Such babies have been raised on
NOTHING but organic carrot juice, starting at a few weeks of age. The juice gives them all the
nutrients they need and they grow up totally well and healthy.
Q: Some people are terrified of needles. Why can’t they take the liver extract with B12 by
mouth?
A: People who are afraid of needles are surprisingly not afraid of putting every kind of poison
into their bodies, including nicotine, alcohol and all sortsof toxic painkillers and other drugs.
The problem is that when they are terminally ill, the body is so severely depleted that oral
administration is insufficient to make up for the deficiency to stop cancer growth. The other
problem is that we already use liver powder, which is not enough, and B12 (which is needed to
enhance the production of healthy red blood cells) is poorly absorbed in almost all people. For
proper absorption of B12 orally, the body needs the so-called ‘intrinsic factor,’ which very few
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007.  All rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 159Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.compeople have. So they must get B12 faster and more efficiently by intramuscular injection.
By the way, if the injection is correctly delivered into the ‘gluteus medius’ (as Dr. Gerson
instructed), not into the ‘gluteus maximus,’ as most doctors and nurses wrongly do, it is entirely
painless.
Q:  Beet is generally considered a very healthy vegetable. Why is it not used in the juices?
A:  Beet IS a healthy vegetable and it is all right to use it as such. Dr. Gerson avoided it for
juicing, probably because it is very sweet (beets are used in sugar production). Also, it is a
powerful cleanser, and patients already undergoing systematic detoxification should not be
given any extra cleansing substance. However, small amounts used occasionally as vegetable
will not do any harm.
Q: Since these days even organic produce is lower in nutrients than it used to be, shouldn’ t
patients be given extra vitamins and minerals?
A: It’s true that organic produce is not as rich as it used to be. However, synthetic vitamins and
minerals, which the pharmaceutical industry uses in its supplements, are almost always poorly
absorbed. Moreover, some are outright damaging (see Appendix II in “A Cancer Therapy ”),
such as Vitamins A and E and several of the B vitamins. A & E are found in fish oils and soy
oil. These have to be avoided, since the fatty substances stimulate tumor growth. The only B
vitamins that are important to use are B3 (niacin) and B12. The others disturb the metabolism; Dr.
Gerson found that they cause damage to the patient.
Even if organic foods are lower in nutrients, with 13 glasses of freshly made juice a day
the patient’s body is thoroughly flooded with vitamins and minerals in their living, active form,
that even the sick body is able to assimilate—and they are being  given in truly huge amounts,
to replenish the sick, damaged organs. Pharmaceutical vitamins and minerals, even so-called
‘organic’ ones from plant sources, are usually not, or only poorly absorbed, so that some go into
the system and others do not. This causes new imbalances.
Q: Why can’t a cured patient after a year or two start eating a normal diet?
A: In theory a ‘cured’ patient could start to eat a ‘normal’ diet.   But what is normal? Canned,
tinned, preserved with chemicals, artificially flavored and colored, frozen food? Most patients


 iodine has
really helped me out. I am thankful for how good I feel.”
IODINE DEFICIENCY AND PROSTATE CANCER
Although the research is not as complete as it is for breast cancer, I believe the cause of prostate cancer in men is similar to
the cause of breast cancer in women. Japanese men have much lower rates of prostate cancer than American men. Japanese men
that move to the United States have a higher rate of prostate cancer than mainland Japanese. This analogy is similar to the
increased incidence of breast cancer in Japanese women who move to the United States. I believe iodine deficiency is the link (or
at least one of the links) and is responsible for the increased risk of prostate cancer. Mainland Japanese men have a much lower
prostate cancer mortality rate than American men because of their higher iodine intake. When iodine levels fall, the rates of
prostate cancer will begin to increase. I believe future research needs to be directed in this area.
ANIMALS IN AN IODINE-DEFICIENT STATE WILL DEVELOP BREAST CANCER
Animal research has shown that in an iodine-deficient state, whether by diet or drug therapy, animal breast tissue will show
signs of developing breast cancer. The longer the animals are maintained in an iodine-deficient state, the more likely their breast
tissue will become cancerous.
46

47
 Researchers have concluded, “It thus appears that maintenance of the optimum structure and
function of the breasts requires the presence of continuous and specific amounts of iodine.”
48
 The use of estrogens causes
worsening changes in the breast tissue, with additional signs of cancer being present upon examination of tissue.
49
 In fact, iodine
deficiency is found to enhance the response of animal breast tissue to estrogen injections.
50
 The
epidemic of breast cancer we are
currently facing could be explained by the combination of iodine deficiency coupled with the increasing exposure to
xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens are estrogen-like substances that can disrupt our own estrogen receptors. Examples of
xenoestrogens include environmental toxins such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates from plastics. We are exposed to
increasing amounts of synthetic hormones from estrogen-like hormones (i.e., xenoestrogens) fed to conventionally-raised animals.
These synthetic hormones make their way into our food products. With one in seven women suffering with breast cancer and one
in three men having prostate cancer, things may look bleak.
However, there is hope. Eating an organic diet free of food contaminated with synthetic hormones is a good start. The next
step is to reverse an iodine-deficient condition and maintain iodine sufficiency.
Iodine deficiency disorders can easily be corrected with the addition of iodine to the diet. The correction of iodine deficiency
in animals results in changing their breast tissue to assume a more normal architecture. I have observed similar results in many of
my patients.
Many other tissues in the body utilize iodine besides the thyroid gland and the breasts. The prostate gland, gastrointestinal
tract, salivary glands, bones, connective tissues,
and the fluids of almost the entire body utilize iodine. These different tissues of the
body all have developed iodine-trapping mechanisms to effectively extract iodine from dietary sources. The breasts have anefficient method of acquiring iodine from the diet.
51
 The thyroid gland’s need for iodine will ensure that it has the “first pick” of
iodine which, in a deficient state, may mean that other tissues of the body can show signs of severe deficiencies.
The iodization of salt was introduced solely to decrease the rate of goiter and mental retardation. It has decreased the
prevalence of goiter, but it has not been enough to affect the rate of breast disease. In fact, areas of the world with the lowest
iodine intakes have been found to have very high rates of breast cancer.
In the United States, the area known as the “goiter belt”, which borders the Great Lakes, not only has one of the highest
mortality rates from breast cancer, it also has extremely low iodine levels in the soil. This would point to a direct relationship
between iodine levels and development of and mortality from breast cancer.
When iodine is ingested or injected, there are two major areas of the body that take up iodine: the thyroid gland and the
extra-thyroidal tissue. Researchers have estimated that approximately 8mg of iodine is taken up by the extra-thyroidal tissue
(while 6mg is taken up by the thyroid).
52

53
 The breasts are
one of the largest consumers of extra-thyroidal iodine. Estimates are
that the breasts need approximately 5mg of iodine per day in a 50kg (110lb) woman.
54

55

56
 A larger woman (or a woman with
larger breasts) would have a greater amount of iodine concentrated in the breasts. Since men have smaller breasts than women,
their iodine needs are lower.
In a state of iodine deficiency, the body’s major storage of iodine occurs in the thyroid gland. When the body becomes iodine
sufficient, the thyroid gland will contain 50mg of iodine out of total body iodine of 1,500mg-2,000mg.
57

58
 At iodine sufficiency,
the largest amounts of iodine are found in fat tissue and muscle (striated) tissue. If obesity is present, the body’s need for iodine
increases as the fat cells of the body would require more iodine.
As previously mentioned, women’s breasts are major sites for iodine storage. Maintaining adequate iodine levels are
necessary to ensure an adequately functioning thyroid gland and normal breast architecture. I believe it will also lower the
incidence of breast cancer and help women overcome breast cancer.
It is well known that thyroid illnesses, including goiter and autoimmune thyroid disorders, strike women at much larger
percentages than they strike men. One reason may be that a woman, having more breast tissue than a man, requires a higher
iodine intake than a man. In an iodine-deficient state, a woman will show earlier signs and more severe signs of iodine deficiency
than a man in a similar deficient state.
OTHER TISSUE REQUIREMENTS FOR IODINE
All of the glands of the body depend on adequate iodine levels to function optimally. Animal studies have shown problems
with the adrenal glands
59
, the thymus gland
60
, the ovaries
61
, the hypothalamus and pituitary axis
62
, as well as the entire endocrine
system, when there is an iodine-deficient state. In fact, the ovaries have the second highest concentration of iodine in the body
next to the thyroid gland. An iodine-deficient state will lead to an imbalanced hormonal system. It is impossible to have a
balanced hormonal system without ensuring an adequate iodine intake.
Dr. Guy Abraham, one of the world’s leading researchers on iodine, has shown that the required daily intake of iodine
necessary for maintaining iodine sufficiency for the whole body is at least 13mg per day.
63
At sufficiency, the thyroid gland holds a total of approximately 50mg of iodine. The thyroid gland needs approximately
6mg/day of iodine for sufficiency. The breasts need at least 5mg of iodine; that leaves 2mg (13mg-11mg) of iodine for the rest of
the body. This 2mg is still well above–14x–the RDA of 150μg/day of iodine. Either way, this would explain
why the RDA for
iodine is inadequate. To achieve and maintain your optimal health, it is necessary to get your iodine levels evaluated and to
supplement with the correct amount and form of iodine.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The connection between iodine deficiency and breast cancer as well as fibrocystic breast disease is strong and recent
research is making this connection stronger. Breast cancer (like prostate cancer) is occurring at epidemic rates—currently one in
seven women are afflicted. Prostate cancer affects one in three men. Although there are numerous reasons for the development of
cancer, the research is clear; iodine deficiency is a major piece of the puzzle. Iodine deficiency has also been associated with
other cancers including ovarian, uterine, and thyroid cancer. Perhaps the reason we have made so little progress in our treatment
of nearly all of the hormone-sensitive cancers is that the underlying cause has been overlooked. This underlying cause could very
well be iodine deficiency. It is imperative to have your iodine level checked and supplemented with the correct form of iodine
when there is iodine deficiency identified. I feel iodine status should be investigated in all cancer patients. The best results with
iodine therapy occur when iodine supplementation is given as part of an anti-cancer program.
1
 Bretthauer, E. Milk transfer comparisons of different chemical forms of radioiodine. Health Physics. 1972.22:257
2
 Vitale, M. Iodide excess induces apoptosis in thyroid cells through a p53-independent mechanism involving oxidative stress.
Endocrin. 141. 2000.
3
 Smyth, P. Role of iodine in antioxidant defense in thyroid and breast disease. Biofactors. 19. 2003
4
 Tseng, Y.L. Iodothyronines: Oxidative deiodination by hemoglobin and inhibition of lipid peroxidation. Lipds. 19. 1984
5
 Winkler, R. Effects of iodide on


	need	to	speculate	about	“extended
mind,”	the	notion	that	thinking	can	occur	outside	the	brain.	Fortunately	or	not,
we	find	ourselves	with	a	rich	store	of	enigmas	that	provide	room	for	the	Vedic
rishis	and	their	deep	understanding	of	consciousness.	On	the	frontier	of	many
mysteries	lies	the	answer	to	one	mystery.13
I
S
	A
KASHA
	R
EAL
?
THE	USE	OF
	the	word	“Akasha”	has	lingered	around	the	fringes	of	physics	for
at	least	a	century.	The	reason	for	this	is	that	an	ancient	and	supposedly
outmoded	belief	refuses	to	die—the	belief	that	empty	space	is	not	empty	at
all.	Akasha,	the	Sanskrit	word	for	space,	has	an	English	equivalent:	the	ether.
Up	until	a	few	generations	ago,	if	you	had	gone	to	school	and	asked	what
filled	the	infinite	void	between	the	stars,	you	would	have	been	told,	whether
in	ancient	Greece	or	medieval	France	or	Harvard	at	the	time	of	Abraham
Lincoln,	that	pure	emptiness	isn’t	possible.	An	invisible	ether	that	can’t	be
seen	or	measured	allows	light	to	travel	from	the	stars,	as	water	allows	ripples
to	spread	when	a	rock	is	thrown	into	a	pond.	Without	a	medium	to	pass
through,	light	waves	have	no	way	to	move	from	point	A	to	point	B.
The	ether	suffered	a	decisive	setback	in	the	1880s	when	two	American
scientists,	Albert	Michelson	and	Edward	Morley,	proved	that	light	traveled	at
the	same	speed	no	matter	what	direction	it	moved	in.	This	was	important
because	the	so-called	“ether	wind”	that	was	thought	to	sweep	energy	through
the	universe	should	have	made	light	travel	slower	going	upstream	than
downstream.	When	Michelson	and	Morley	proved	that	this	wasn’t	true,	even
Einstein	became	convinced	that	space	was	a	void	without	activity,	a	belief
that	was	also
wrong
,	as	it	turns	out.	Physicists	now	believe	that	space	is	full	of
activity	in	the	form	of	invisible	fluctuations	in	the	quantum	field.	These	so-
called	virtual	fluctuations	account	for	matter	and	energy	and	also	for
distortions	in	time	and	space.	Thus,	in	a	curious	way	the	disproved	notion	of
the	ether	has	been	revived	indirectly.
To	find	out	where	matter	and	energy	come	from,	physics	wound	up
positing	a	universal	field	that	envelops	not	just	what	we	observe	but
everything	that	could	possibly	exist.	Modern	physics	finds	it	easy	to	make	the
material	world	disappear	into	nothingness,	but	that	is	deeply	disturbing,
almost	as	disturbing	as	the	disappearance	of	a	dying	person.	Here	is	how	the
disappearing	act	of	a	rock,	tree,	planet,	or	galaxy	works:
First,	the	rock,	tree,	or	planet	disappeared	from	sight	when	scientists
realized	that	solid	matter	is	made	up	of	atoms	that	cannot	be	detected	by	the
naked	eye.
Second,	atoms	disappeared	when	it	was	discovered	that	they	are	made	upof	energy,	mere	vibrations	in	the	void.
Finally,	energy	disappeared	when	it	was	found	that	vibrations	are
temporary	excitations	in	a	field,	and	that	the	field	itself	doesn’t	vibrate	but
maintains	a	flat,	constant	“zero	point.”
Theoretically,	to	reach	the	zero	point	in	Nature	one	could	cool	empty
space	down	to	absolute	zero,	and	instantly	everything	would	cease	to	vibrate.
Yet	the	zero	point	also	exists	here	and	now—it	provides	the	starting	point
from	which	everything	in	the	universe	springs.	Since	matter	and	energy	are
constantly	emerging	and	then	vanishing	back	into	the	void,	the	zero	point
serves	as	the	switching	station	between	existence	and	nothingness.	Newton
had	established	that	matter	and	energy	cannot	be	destroyed,	but	they	can
oscillate	in	this	shadowy	way	at	the	subatomic	level,	as	long	as	the	sum	total
of	matter	and	energy	isn’t	altered.
The	Zero	Point	Field
It	wouldn’t	be	so	disturbing	if	this	vanishing	act	was	due	to	occur	only	when
the	cosmos	dies	billions	of	years	from	now	by	cooling	down	to	absolute	zero.
Nor	would	it	be	so	disturbing	if	matter	only	collapsed	into	the	void
theoretically.	Such	isn’t	the	case,	however.	Matter	and	energy
have
	to
disappear.	If	they	remained	stable,	which	is	how	rocks,	trees,	and	planets	look
to	the	eye,	chaos	would	break	loose.	Matter	would	exist	only	as	randomly
floating	particles	in	interstellar	space.	Exploded	bits	of	the	Big	Bang	would	be
flying	apart	at	millions	of	miles	an	hour	without	any	relationship	to	one
another.	There	would	be	no	forms,	no	evolution,	no	organization—in	other
words,	no	universe	as	we	know	it.	At	best,	gravity	could	possibly	pull
together	larger	clumps	of	matter,	but	gravity	is	also	a	wave	function	that
fluctuates	around	the	zero	point.
The	fact	that	chaos	doesn’t	totally	dominate	remains	a	huge	mystery,
which	may	only	be	solved	by	Akasha.	Here	the	needs	of	physics	and	the
Vedic	rishis	begin	to	converge	in	startling	ways.	The	rishis	were	focused	on
consciousness	as	a	universal	principle.	But	to	have	a	thinking	universe,	they
needed	to	explain	how	the	cosmic	mind	works,	how	it	holds	itself	together
and	organizes	itself	into	thoughts.	If	the	“mind	field”	was	totally	stable,	it
would	be	a	dead	zone,	or	at	best	filled	with	a	constant,	meaningless	buzz.
Physics	also	needs	to	know	how	the	universe	holds	itself	together	and
organizes	into	coherent	forms.	Otherwise,	the	inconceivable	fireball	that
appeared	at	the	instant	of	the	Big	Bang	would	have	blown	itself	apart,	the	way
dynamite	blows	itself	apart,	without	bothering	to	create	forms	along	the	way.
Physics	was	drawn,	step-by-step,	into	the	void	because	nothing	in	the
visible	world	was	adequate	to	explain	what	had	to	be	explained.	The	zero
point	became	an	all-inclusive	“field	of	fields”	that	encompasses	every	unseen,or	virtual,	particle	in	the	universe.	It	was	calculated	that	the	zero	point
contained	10	to	the	40th	power	more
energy
	than	the	visible	universe—that	is,
a	one	followed	by	forty	zeros.	The	void	turned	out	to	be	a	seething	exchange
of	energy,	not	just	between	photons	and	electrons	but	in	every	conceivable
quantum	event.	Suddenly	the	unseen	has	become	incredibly	more	powerful
than	the	seen.	But	in	what	way	is	the	“field	of	fields”	like	a	mind,	the	thing
the	rishis	were	looking	for?
Thinking,	the	basic	operation	of	the	mind,	organizes	reality	to	make	sense.
The	universe	does	this	physically.	It	forms	complex	systems.	DNA	is	one
example,	but	genes	didn’t	create	life	simply	by	stringing	simple	molecules
along	a	double	helix.	There	are	spaces	between	each	genetic	bit,	and	this
sequencing	is	all-important.	An	amoeba	differs	from	a	human	being	in	the
sequence	of	carbon,	oxygen,	hydrogen,	and	nitrogen	along


,
disasters, and looming threats.
Realize that worry isn’t productive.
Reject anxious thoughts that are habitual and recurring.
The key ingredient in self-reflection is detachment, a concept that grows
deeper and deeper with each limb of Yoga. Here detachment doesn’ t imply
indifference, passivity, or apathy. Instead, you distance yourse lf from the
pull of emotion.
Let’s say that you get word that someone you trust, such as a close
friend, uttered a harsh criticism about you that has gotten back to you. A
flush of anger rises in you. You may feel sad or angry and wond er why you
ever thought this person was a real friend. Perhaps the temptat ion to exact
revenge or to say damaging things about your friend enters the picture.
You have several opportunities to practice detachment here. First, at the
instant anger starts to rise, you can pause, take a deep breath, and hold up
your hand for time-out. Second, you can sit quietly until your immediate
reaction dies down and reason can prevail. Perhaps your friend didn’ t
actually say what was reported to you, or perhaps a slight has been blown
out of all proportion. Third, you can close your eyes, center yourself, and do
a simple  breathing meditation until your anger dissipates. Finally, you can
reflect on the fact that you have survived worse criticism and will seek a
way to understand and for give your friend.
What these four possibilities have in common is that you move closer to
your true self, which is never wounded, cares nothing about criticism, sees
everyone in the light of lovin g acceptance, and brings compassion and
forgiveness to any situation. The opposite of self-reflection is to nurse your
grievance against your friend, indulging in a combination of self-pity and
fantasies of getting even. Learning a better way to respond emotionally isthe whole purpose of the niyamas, and detachment is an important skill to
be learned.
Exercise
Consider the example of an angry response given above. Reflect on
how it applies to your own store of resentments, grudges, and old hurts
from other people. Go inside and reflect on moving these emotional
residues so that you bring a sense of light and lightness to your feelings. To
make your ability to self-reflect even more powerful, be on the lookout the
next time you have a strong impulse to be angry, envious, anxious, or
discouraged. In the moment of your reaction, pause and follow the four
opportunities mentioned in the anger example above. Genuinely try to adopt
detachment as your response, looking upon it as a skill based on emotional
intelligence. You can journal about how the experience allowed you to see
how self-reflection and detachment work, and how much you can benefit
from simply taking a step back and expanding your vision of who you
really are.
FRIDAY
Surrender to the Unknown
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
I give myself over to the great mystery.
I give myself over to the great mystery.
The fifth and final niyama  asks you to recognize your higher reality and
surrender to it. In daily life there is a constant push-pull between getting
what you want and giving in to what someone else wants. Giving in is a
form of surrende r, which is why most people do not like the connotation of
that word. It seems foreign to human nature when this niyama  calls for
complete surrender.The issue hasn’ t been cleared up by Yoga commentaries that use a mix-
and-match vocabulary, some calling for surrender to God, others making it
surrender to the Absolute, the divine mystery of existence or Brahman (the
Sanskrit word for “big” that implies the whole of creation, the One, the
All).
To gain clarity, first we must sweep away all this loaded vocabu lary. As
a famous Yogic saying affirms, “Those who speak of It know It not. Those
who know It speak of It not.” Here It refers to God/th e Absolute/the divine
mystery/Brahman, according to the terminology you favor. Names don’t
matter, because the “real” reality is beyond language.
With this understanding in mind, the fifth niyama  isn’t about ordinary
surrender, which involves givin g in to someone else and thus sacrificing
what you want. In Royal Y oga, surrender is simply the recognition of higher
reality. Once accepted, there is an end to seeking, frustration, and endless
speculation. Religious history is full of all three, so this isn’t religious
surrender, either. You acknowledge your place in the mystery of existence.
Then what? Once you accept that water is wet, there’ s not much more to
say. The fifth niyama  teaches that the contemplation of higher reality brings
endless rewards. The practices of contemplation will make this clearer.
THE PRACTICES OF CONTEMPLATION
Welcome the end of seeking.
Turn your attention to what life means.
Expose yourself to inspirational poetry and scripture.
Attune yourself to the beauty of Nature.
Follow your creative impulses.
Act from your ﬁnest feelings whenever you can.
Take time to offer gratitude.
Dwell on your version of a higher being or consciousness.
Nurture awe and wonder in the contemplation of creation.
See yourself as having a unique place in the divine or cosmic
plan.These practices are meant to have a direct personal effect. The effect is
to get you out of linear thinking—this isn’t a journey from A to B, but a
journey to show you who you have always been.
In that light, the practices of contemplation constantly expand our self-
awareness. We are all used to expanding our awareness, even if we don’t
label it as such. As an example, consider when we learned to read. The state
of literacy opens an entirely new way of being. When your contemplation
practice opens up even a moment of insight, joy, or inspiration, this signals
how total transformation will be. The process begins by surrend ering to the
reality that the source of creatio n exists and is identical to your source, the
true self.
Exercise
In detective fiction, a mystery is something that needs solving, and,
until it is solved, things haven’ t been set right. The guilty need to be
unmasked; right must prevail. But the mystery of the source is different.
The human mind exists in the relative world. But this doesn’ t present an
impenetrable barrier to the Absolute—quite the opposite. To use a
traditional image from Yoga, imagine that the Absolute is sending arrows of
light into the created world.
Consider that the highest values in life, including love, compassion,
creativity, empathy, beauty, truth, and spiritual inspiration, are what the
arrows carry to our world. This is a good start for practicing contemplation.
Sit quietly and let your mind go to an experience of one of those  values just
listed. Feel the lightness, vibrancy, joy, and fulfillment your experience
contained. Let these subtle feelings expand and settle in your awareness.
You are learning  the truth of the Yogic saying “This isn’t knowledge you
learn. This is knowledge you become.”
ADVANCED EXPLORATIONIf you want to go more deeply into classic Yoga, there are many  sources
of information about the niyamas, beginn ing with all the free information
online. Look under the Sanskrit names for the niyamas, which are given
below with their traditional translations.
Saucha: Clean body, mind, and spirit
Santosha: Contentment
Tapas: Austerities, self-discipline
Svadhyaya: Self-reﬂection
Ishvara pranidhana: Surrender to or contemplation of a
Supreme Being
OceanofPDF.comWEEK 3
BRINGING THE LIGHT TO YOUR BODY
(Limb of Yoga: Asana)THIS PART OF THE JOURNEY
The third limb of Yoga, known as asana, is about makin g a conscious
connection with your body. From there a union of equals—a spiritual
marriage—can be experienced. Without this connection, there is no true
knowledge of who you really are.
The term asana  has been adopte d for the postur es that Sarah deals with
in Part II of the book. Each posture is specifically aimed at changes in
biology and physiology that affect your mood and mental state. A precise
science underlie s this branch of Yoga. It is an inner science, despite the
physical image of a yogi sitting in lotus position that most peop le see when
they think of Y oga.
In Week 3, I will focus on the inner science, presenting the pure view of
Patanjali, which holds that the body is a disguised form of consciousness.
Remove the disguise—cells, tissues, organs, and systems—and you will
discover how to bring your body into the light. Perhaps it is fairer to say
that your body is going to bring you into the light.
MONDAY
The Conscious Body
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
I experience my body as a ﬂow of awareness.
I experience my body as a ﬂow of awareness.
Your body isn’ t a machine, even a miraculous machine, but a storehouse
of infini te know ledge. If we look at any process in the body, from a cell
dividing to reproduce itself to the immune system repelling an invader or


 up in itself is a totally  relaxed,
spontaneous state, open to whatever happens here and now.
YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 7

The stringing together of perceptual snapshots creates a
sense of continuity, the same way a movie is created from
the rapid sequence of still frames.
When the invention of motion pictures revealed that our eyes
can be fooled b y stringing together a series of snapshots at  twenty-
four frames per second, a d eeper truth about reality was also
revealed. The human brain w orks by the firing of neuron s. Each
firing is  a burst of energy, followed by a pause, then the ne xt burst.
The bursts slice reality into bits of information from the five
senses. When a train races past you, you are not seeing it in
motion. You are seeing bursts of information in your brain that
give the illusion of motion. Likewise, you don’t hear con tinuous
sounds.
The con tinuity of your life is  a necessary illusion. We have to
see the world in motion so that we can live in motion, no t frozen
bits of sensation. Right now you are experiencing pictures and
stories created in your mind through the same piecing-together
process. When you wake up, these pictures and stories will  be seen
for wha t they are: artificial constructs of the mind. You will live
from th e “real” reality that is beyond pictures and s tories—
consciousness itself.
For Today
Sit in front of a moving image on your TV or computer—this
can be anythin g, from people walking around to a news or sports
event. Focus on something m oving across the screen from left to
right. In reality there is no person moving across the screen; not a
single p hoton of light is movi ng across the screen. Instead, burstsof color are ha ppening, each one totally stationary. By s tringing
these bursts in a sequence, th e illusion of motion is creat ed. Now
notice how hard it is to see the actual process taking place before
your very eyes. Your mind m ust see motion because, since you
were bo rn, the world has been a series of pictures in moti on—this
is how conditioned you are to accept an illusion as reality.
YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 8

The physical body and the appearance of the physical
world are created in the mind as constructs from
sensations that are intermittent and ephemeral.
In daily life we do not investigate how the mind creates a three-
dimensional world out of random, meaningless bits of sensation.
Starting with the simple world a baby experiences, everything gets
more an d more complicated. A newborn cannot focus on its hand,
which l ooks like a pink blob floating in the air. In time the blob
becomes a hand attached to the body; it acquires a name; it
develops many  skills. Medicine studies it down to every tis sue and
cell.
This buildup of knowledge occurs in the mind and is created by
the min d. A naked hand has  no story to tell; it has no developed
skills. E verything a hand can become when it belongs to a skilled
painter, sculptor, circus performer, chef, or welder is mind-made.
The same goes for the whol e body and the physical world. We
construct virtual reality so that we can have the pictures and
stories that are necessary for being human.
For Today
Take a  sheet of ordinary 8 ½ × 11-inch paper and poke a
pinhole in the center. If you hold the paper close to your eye, you
can see the wh ole room through the pinhole—this is your mental
picture of the room. Now hold the paper one or two inch es from
your eye, until you see only p arts of familiar objects—just pieces of
lamps, chairs, windows, and so on. Try to walk around the room
seeing only these bits and pi eces. It is quite difficult. Deprived of
the picture your mind makes, the room is a disconnected  jumbleof fragmented images. Reflect on how you have used the mind to
construct the familiar three-dimensional world you accept at face
value.
YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 9

The appearance of the body and the world are activities in
consciousness—verbs, not nouns—constantly and rapidly
changing.
When you enter a room, go to work, or take a stroll outdoors,
the objects you see appear to be fixed and stable—but they aren’t.
Your b rain is constantly firing to keep the illusion of stability
going. Your five senses cooperate by turning photons into pictures
and air  vibrati ons into recognizable sounds. In other words, you
are constantly  making the world. An ever-changing, endless
process is taking place in your awareness. Therefore, the outer
world is an ever-changing, endless process wearing the disguise of
fixed, stable objects. By waking up, you see past the mask of
matter, reconnecting with the creative process that makes the
world.
For Today
Look at  a photo of a friend, family member, or celebrity. Now
turn it upside down. Notice  that you cannot recognize the face
anymore. A hitch has occurred in your brain, which is conditioned
to r ecognize faces only righ t side up. There was a process to
recognizing a face; the face itself is meaningless. Or imagine
placing a photo on a turntable and setting it spinning (you can try
this on a lazy Susan or a record player). Notice that you cannot
make sense of the photo wh ile it is revolving. The movin g world
has no reality until the min d constructs it into a human  world.
Constant change acquires the illusion of stability and nonchange.YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 10

The mental construct of the body and the world is the
product of centuries of conditioning.
In daily life we accept the world as a given. Trees, mountains,
clouds, and sky are simply th ere. But these are merely the scenery
of v irtual reality. Everything i n the world beyond raw sens ory data
is r ooted in mythology, history, religion, philosophy, culture,
economics, and language. Raw sensation is overlaid with this
complex conditioning. As a result, the body and the world we
perceive have been interpreted in advance. They exist as
extensions of the human drama. By waking up, you step out of the
drama to be who you really are. You see that virtual reality is a
kind of hand-me-down, which you no longer have to settle for.
For Today
Here is a simple exercise in perception. Contemplate the letter
A. When you set eyes on it, you saw a simple sign made with three
short strokes of a pen. Bu t those strokes have no i nherent
meaning, as you can instantly determine by turning A  on its side
or u pside down. The meani ng of A  is emb edded in it. It is an
ancient meanin g, going back to the Phoenician alphabet. M ixed in
is the Hebrew letter aleph, which stands for the beginning,
creation, and God. A  is syno nymous with one, which connotes
individuality a nd the start of  arithmetic. A  is  a de sirable grade in
school, and if you earn enough A s, y ou are like ly to be well -
educated and end up prosperous.
If a sing le lette r of the alphab et carries so much history a nd so
many implications, imagine how complex the fabric of the human
world i s. We inherit a weal th of meanings that hold the worldtogether but also become a burden. (Think of all the trouble
caused by another letter of the alphabet, I.)
YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 11

The mind itself is nothing other than conditioned
awareness.
Each of us was born into an interpreted world. Pre vious
generations spent their lives giving everything a human
meaning.  Every newbo rn grows up by learning the ropes, and
once you can navigate the world—walking, talking, making life
choices, forming relationships—you find your place in virtual
reality. At some point you w ould like to have your own unique
experiences. “I want to be me” is a powerful incentive.
But the  only way to have an e xperience is to use the mind, and
everyone’s mind is totally conditioned. It had no choice. By
learning the ropes, each of u s sacrificed “I want to be me” in the
name o f “I want to fit in.” Mo re than social pressure was at work.
The rules of v irtual reality require us to accept a shared set of
pictures, stories, beliefs, and  habits. By waking up, you get to be
yourself beyond the rules. The “real” reality is always new and
original.
For Today
Today the challenge is to ha ve a thought that is totally your
own. Su ch a thought cannot echo anything you’ve heard s omeone
else say  or anything you’ve re ad in a book. It can’t be couc hed in a
familiar phras e. It must not grow out of memory, becau se then
you would only be repeatin g the past. Faced with this  simple
challenge, you can see how ti ghtly the conditioned mind holds you
in its grip. The re are well-tried


	feeling	lasted	only	five	or	ten	minutes,
but	the	fact	that	it	happened	proved	that	I	was	on	the	right	path.	Soon,	thefeelings	of	strength	came	more	often	and	lasted	longer.	Later	in	my	studies,	I
learned	of	the	close	connection	between	the	mind	and	the	immune	system.	My
badly	damaged	immune	system	was	responding!
These	affirmations	had	a	profound	effect	on	me.	I	began	to	understand	that
health	and	disease	can	be	the	reactions	of	the	subconscious	mind	to	the	thoughts
of	the	conscious	mind;	the	subconscious	takes	orders	from	the	conscious	mind
and	implements	them.	Minds	do	what	they	are	programmed	to	do,	even	though
much	of	that	programming	is	unintended.	I	began	to	realize	my	power	to
influence	my	health	simply	by	choosing	the	daily	thoughts	I	was	putting	into	my
mind.	By	focusing	on	my	illness,	I	had	been	putting	thoughts	of	disease	into	my
mind,	thereby	creating	more	disease.	The	mind	is	always	working,	so	why	not
make	it	work	for	rather	than	against	you?	Keep	your	images	and	suggestions	as
positive,	simple,	clear	and	concise	as	possible.	Then	repeat	them	as	often	as
possible.	Allow	the	subconscious	to	accept	them	as	a	command	and	implement
them.
Over	the	past	sixteen	years,	of	all	of	the	people	I	have	known	with	“incurable”
and	“fatal”	diseases,	the	thrivers	and	survivors	have	been	those	individuals	who
used	the	power	of	their	minds	to	heal	their	bodies	consciously.	Take	the	case	of
Karl,	a	concert	violinist	who	became	paralyzed	by	a	stroke.	His	physicians	told
him	the	paralysis	was	permanent.	Confined	to	a	wheelchair,	Karl	was	unwilling
to	accept	such	a	fate.	He	decided	to	use	the	power	of	his	mind	to	establish	new
connections	in	his	brain.	He	started	by	focusing	intensely	on	just	one	finger.	He
commanded	it	to	move,	and	eventually	it	did!	Now	a	medical	curiosity,	in	2001
Karl	was	invited	to	give	a	concert	at	an	international	medical	conference	where
his	doctor	presented	his	story.	Brain	scans	show	that	Karl’s	miraculous	recovery
resulted	from	using	entirely	new	areas	of	his	brain	and	bypassing	the	damaged
areas.	Music	critics	claim	he	is	playing	better	than	ever!	How’s	that	for	the
power	of	the	mind?
Choosing	to	Stay	Sick
In	contrast	to	Karl,	other	people	in	my	experience	have	failed	to	strengthen
their	psychological	pathway	and	lost	the	health	benefits	of	positive	efforts.	Lisa
was	one.	She	had	suffered	from	extreme	chemical	sensitivity	for	twelve	years
before	coming	to	me	for	help.	I	was	confident	I	could	help	her,	based	on	my	own
experiences.	I	taught	Lisa	how	to	improve	her	health,	mostly	through	dietary	and
vitamin	supplement	suggestions,	and	she	made	some	striking	initial
improvements.	After	a	few	months,	Lisa	was	living	her	life	in	ways	that	she	hadnot	been	able	to	for	many	years;	she	had	started	dating,	going	out	dancing	and
even	going	on	sailing	trips.	Lisa’s	friends	commented	about	how	well	she	looked
and	her	good	progress.	After	twelve	years	of	sickness,	Lisa	seemed	to	be	on	a
path	to	a	more	meaningful	life.	She	learned	what	was	necessary	to	choose	health
and	seemed	to	have	developed	the	psychological	willingness	to	stick	with	it.
One	day,	I	received	a	frantic	call	from	Lisa.	Her	disability	caseworker	had
contacted	her	and	informed	Lisa	that	it	was	time	for	an	annual	review.	Lisa	had
been	receiving	disability	funds	from	social	security	and	state	welfare,	and	she
was	living	in	subsidized	housing.	For	many	years,	Lisa	had	been	too	sick	to
work	and	needed	this	financial	support.	Now,	her	health	having	taken	a	dramatic
turn	for	the	better,	Lisa	feared	that	her	caseworker	would	notice	the
improvement	and	revoke	financial	assistance.	Lisa	panicked.
She	had	been	unable	to	work	for	so	many	years	that	she	had	not	a	clue	about
how	she	could	support	herself	without	those	benefits.	Perhaps	her	desire	to	get
well	simply	could	not	compete	with	her	fear	of	losing	support.	Perhaps	twelve
years	of	“sickness	programming”	deprived	Lisa	of	the	self-confidence	she
needed	to	thrive.	Sadly,	the	last	time	I	heard	about	her,	Lisa	had	stopped
applying	what	she	had	learned	about	deficiency	and	toxicity,	and	her	health	had
regressed.	The	potential	to	get	well	(that	is,	her	new	diet,	supplements	and
workout	program)	was	lost	because	she	could	not	unlearn	her	programming	to	be
dependent	and	disabled.
Will	You	Care	for	Me	If	I	Am	Well?
Unhealthy	psychological	programming	derailed	the	health	efforts	of	another
client	named	Ruth,	who	suffered	from	chronic	fatigue	syndrome.	Although	she
followed	my	recommendations	regarding	diet	and	nutritional	supplements,	she
made	only	modest	improvement,	and	I	realized	that	Ruth	was	going	to	be	a
tough	case.	I	suspected	that	she	needed	a	great	deal	of	assistance	along	her
psychological	pathway.
I	learned	that	when	Ruth	was	a	small	child,	the	only	time	her	father	paid
attention	to	her	was	when	she	was	sick.	Then,	he	would	buy	her	toys,	sit	by	her
bed	and	read	her	stories.	Most	other	times,	he	either	ignored	her	or	related	to	her
superficially.	Subconsciously,	Ruth	learned,	“If	I	want	attention,	I	need	to	be
sick.”	No	doubt	she	did	not	intend	this,	but	her	behavior	was	programmed
nevertheless.	Years	later,	when	her	marriage	was	falling	apart	and	her	husband
was	giving	his	attention	to	someone	else,	Ruth’s	programmed	response	was	to
get	sick—this	time	in	order	to	regain	the	attention	and	affection	of	her	husband.In	the	long	run,	of	course,	this	kind	of	behavioral	pattern	inevitably	fails;	Ruth’s
husband	eventually	divorced	her,	leaving	her	alone	and	sick.
For	Lisa	and	Ruth,	certain	“rewards”	for	being	sick	superseded	their	desires	to
get	well	or	stay	well.	This	way	of	life	is	not	uncommon;	people	often	have
psychological	reasons	to	get	sick	or	stay	sick—usually	not	on	a	conscious	level.
People	often	learn	hopelessness	instead	of	hopefulness.
If	you	are	sick,	be	sure	to	ask	yourself,
What	is	my	reward	for	being	sick?	Am
I	willing	to	give	up	my	reward?	Do	I	truly	want	to	be	well?
These	questions	can
be	followed	with	affirmations	or	mantras,	such	as
I	am	well.	I	am	getting	better,
healthier	and	stronger	every	day.
Reprogramming	your	mind-set	or	approach	is
the	key,	whether	you	are	talking	about	the	thoughts	you	think	or	the


 different from those he had observed outside the institution in
his private practice. He stated that he had noted continually that there was a tendency for the
tongue to be too large for the mouth. This is a constant characteristic of another group of mentally
injured, namely, the Mongoloid. This institution has a population of approximately four thousand
individuals. A high percentage of them gave marked evidence of injury in the prenatal period as
expressed in disturbances of facial form and the shape of the dental arches. In observing over half
the population at work or exercise, I did not see one with a typically normal facial development. In
Fig. 122 will be seen typical examples of this group. These show front and side views (see
Hooton's recent book. 15a ).7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 215/250FIG. 122. Criminals. Were their unsocial traits related directly
to incomplete brain organization associated with prenatal
injury?
    Newspaper daily illustrated reports of crimes committed by young criminals show almost
continually these evidences of prenatal injury. Note the two characters Bird and Nixon, Fig. 123.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 216/250FIG. 123. Note the marked lack of normal facial development
of these notorious young criminals. Nixon is only 18. These
are typical samples seen frequently in the daily press.
    It is important to emphasize the fact that the disturbances in the development of the head, face
and brain may have a variety of expressions. In the more severe form characteristic of the
Mongoloid group, as seen in Fig. 124 the facial injury is typical and is associated with a mental
disturbance which, in turn, has been shown to be associated with typical brain lesions. The
individuals of that group, however, do not tend to be criminals. Indeed, their injury is too severe.
As a group they are apt to be docile, tractable and happy. Indeed, in the mentally backward and
criminal groups in their various stages, we find facial patterns typical of large numbers of individuals
we see on the streets, who are in school or in business, and entirely capable of maintaining a
respected and honorable position in society. Accordingly, it is not justified, and indeed would be
entirely unfair, to associate their disturbed facial and dental arch development with traits that would
be normally found in the grossly unsocial groups. We cannot by viewing the face evaluate the kind
or extent of brain injury that is associated with prenatal malnutrition of that individual. Indeed, these
various divergent facial patterns are accepted by our modern civilization as representative of the
many varieties or patterns constituting a normal population. It is not until we see primitive groups
living under a controlled natural environment that we see Nature's model and design of the human
physiognomy.
FIG. 124. This is a typical mongoloid defective. Note the
marked lack of development of the middle third of the face
7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 217/250and nose with the upper arch too small for the lower.
Individuals of this type look alike and act alike and all have
typical speech and behavior defects. These are now
associated with definite defects in the brain. Nearly all are
either a first or last child. A large percentage are born to
mothers over forty years of age.
    We are concerned to know the percentage in any typical colony of our modern civilization that
may be placed in the various classifications of normal, mildly backward mentally, severely
backward mentally, unsocial, delinquent, criminal, idiots, epileptic and insane. Tredgold (2) reports
two surveys in England and Wales which give figures on the proportion of the population that
could be identified with definite lesions. It would be fortunate if a survey could be made in the
United States that would indicate the extent of the increase in delinquents of various types,
including racketeers and criminals. It would be very helpful if these data could be related to the
degrees of prenatal injury. There are many phases of modern degeneration which lend themselves
to study from the standpoint of the probable role of progressive decline in the efficiency of nutrition
to the progressive increase in morbidity, mortality, mental deficiency and delinquency. This is
discussed in the next chapter on Soil Depletion, Plant and Animal Deterioration.
    From the point of view of this problem the differences between the modern white civilizations
and many of the primitive groups is interesting. Criminal tendencies in isolated primitives are so
slight that no prisons are required. I have referred to the Loetschental Valley in Switzerland, which,
until recently, has been physically isolated from the process of modernization. For the two
thousand inhabitants in that valley, there is no prison. In Uganda, Africa, the Ruanda tribes
estimated to number two and a half millions, had no prisons.
    Observation of Nature's normal facial patterns in the primitive racial stocks, establishes types
within the limits of normality. The readers of this text by observing the individuals in any given
families may see in how large a percentage of white families the progressive narrowing and
lengthening of the face in the younger members of the family as compared with the older occurs.
Further observations will enable one to recognize rapidly, even without experience and special
training in anatomy, these evidences of prenatal injury.
    I made a survey in the New England States, Quebec and Eastern Ontario, because the United
States death rate from heart disease as reported by the American Heart Association was shown to
be highest in Vermont and New Hampshire, followed closely by Massachusetts and New York. I
first visited the New York State Hospital for tuberculosis patients at Raybrook, near Saranac.
With the assistance of a member of the staff, I examined fifty young men and women in the wards.
In that group, only three were found with normal facial and dental arch development. These three
individuals were marble cutters who were suffering from silicosis. The forty-seven other individuals
examined (94 per cent) were found to have marked evidence of injury in the developmental
period. At the state fair at Rutland, Vermont, to which residents came from various communities
throughout the state, I was able to count, by observing and recording the individuals who passed,
that in each 100 people, three out of four gave evidence of injury in the developmental period.
Similar studies were made at the State Farm for delinquent boys and girls, almost all of whom had
been before the courts. 1 found that a very high percentage, approximating 100 per cent of those
observed, had received injuries in the prenatal period. I then went to Quebec and studied groups
of school children in the early teens. I observed groups in which a very high percentage gave
marked evidence of prenatal injury. This seemed aggravated in districts where the farms had been
abandoned, because the land was not producing as well as in the past. I studied Indians in two
Indian Reservations, also, and there again found marked evidence of injury typical of our
modernized communities. Similarly, a limestone district in Ontario was visited and critical
observations were made of the facial form of the new generation, in regions in which the fertility of
the soil had been definitely depleted through exhaustion. These again showed evidence of prenatal
injury through faulty nutrition. The prisoners in a jail were examined, and all of them except two
habitual drunkards showed marked evidence of prenatal injury.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 218/250    If space permitted, it would be interesting to include here a discussion and illustrations of the
physical characteristics of the racketeers and criminals whose pictures are shown in our
newspapers almost daily. It is rare that a normal face is depicted in this group.
    As an approach to more detailed study of the available information regarding the processes that
are involved in the production of facial deformities, it will be helpful to think of the face as
constituting the floor of the anterior part of the brain. The pituitary body is situated on the
underside of the brain just back of the eyes. It is the governing body for the activity of growth, and
largely controls the functioning of several of the other glands of internal secretion. It is, as it were,
the master of the ship. We are, accordingly, primarily concerned with the role that it plays, and the
forces which control its own development and function. Its dependence upon vitamin E has been
demonstrated by many workers. For example, Dr. M. M. O. Barrie (3) has reported that an
inadequate amount of vitamin E produces marked disturbance in the growth of the offspring of
rats. He states:
    The changes observed are similar in several ways to those produced by hypophysectomy
(removal of pituitary gland). Marked degranulation of the anterior pituitary is found in both the
abnormal young and the adult sterile animals. Lack of vitamin E therefore produces a virtual
nutritional hypophysectomy in the young rat.
    The work recently done in this field by Dr. Hector Mortimer and his associates in McGill
University, Montreal, has included studies of skull development of rats. He has shown that the
surgical removal of the pituitary body at the base of the brain in very young rats produces regularly
a certain type of defect in skull development


 those of the people around you, have a
harmful ef fect on digestion.
Be grateful for nature’ s unending gift of food, and respect it as you do
yourself.
OceanofPDF.comCHAPTER 13
EXERCISE—THE MYTH OF “NO P AIN, NO GAIN”
From an Ayurvedic standpoint, much of the exercise recommended today
falls short of ideal. Why do we need physical activity in the first place?
Charaka, the greatest writer on Ayurveda, gave this answer: “From physical
exercise one gets lightness, a capacity for work, firmness, tolerance of
difficulties, elimination of impurities, and stimulation of digestion.”
Aerobics for your heart or weight training for your muscles achieve some of
these goals, but these are not comprehensive enough activities to fit
Charaka’ s description. The ideal is to balance the whole system, mind and
body. It is also vital that exercise give more energy than it takes, a
consideration that people tend to ignore.
One very simple exercise, walking, comes close to being ideal because it
is a natural activity that satisfies  all three doshas. Vata types find that taking
a long walk tranquilizes them. Pitta types react quite differently. They like
being slowed down from the driving pace that so often overtakes them
during their workday. Kaphas feel stimulated and lighter; a brisk walk
clears out any minor congestion  they might have built up and makes their
typically slow digestion more efficient. For these reasons, a brisk half-hour
walk every day is one of the prime recommendations we make to patients at
the Chopra Center.
Patients are also taught a new approach to exercise in which the aim is
not to strain or to pound their muscles into shape. They are shown that
exercise is meant to forge a closer link between themselves and their
quantum mecha nical bodies—it thus becomes a powerful tool for balance.
We call this approach “three-d osha exercise.” It is embodied in a set of
short, connected routines:The Sun Salute ( Surya Namaskara )—a morning exercise that
combines stretching, balance, and calisthenics (1 to 6 minutes)
Neuromuscular integration—a set of gentle yoga positions (10 to 15
minutes)
Balanced breathing—a simple form of Pranayama, a traditional yogic
breath exercise (5 minutes)
The description of these exercises begins on page 325. Performing them
in connection with meditation, for which they are ideally suited,  raises mind
body integration to a new level. To begin with, these exercises are natural
and comfortable forms of activity that the doshas welcome. They can also
be performed by all age groups and do not require you to be in shape.
From the very first session, people discover the intimacy that nature has
established between awareness and physiology. The body is not just a shell
or a walking life-support system. It is your self intimately clothed in matter.
Getting back in touch with this intimacy is very reassuring and delightful,
particularly for people who have given up on exercise and become virtual
strangers to their bodies.
SUCCESS WITHOUT  PAIN
Before explaini ng these points further, let’s consider conventional
exercise. Since life is generally meant to be comfortable and happy,
Ayurveda views exercise as a means to that end. It holds that exercise
should always leave you ready for work. Exercise shouldn’ t be work itself.
Yet, many Americans see it that way. They feel that without a grim and
determined attitude, they are not doing much good for themse lves. (Go to
the park early tomorrow mornin g and count how many frowns there are on
the faces of the runners you see.) If you get only one benefit from
Ayurveda’ s approach to exercise, it should be that “no pain, no gain” is a
myth.A good way to see this is in terms of Vata dosha. All physica l activity
increases Vata. A moderate increase makes you feel more vigorous, alert,
and clearheaded, as well as stronger physically. You are getting  mental and
physical benefits together, in a natural balance. But overstimulating Vata
destroys all these benefits. It makes you feel restless, fatigued, and shaky.
How much is enough, then? As a general rule, Ayurveda wants us to
exercise to 50 percent of maximum capacity. If you can bicycle ten miles,
go for five; if you can swim twenty laps, make it ten. These lower limits are
not detrimental to fitness; in fact they make exercise more efficient, because
you are not givin g your body so much repair work to do afterwa rd, and your
cardiovascular system will have an easier time returning to normal after
your workout. Another simple guideline has to do with exertion. Rather
than exerting yourself to the point where you are sweating heavily and
panting for breath, just go until you break out into a light sweat and start to
mouth breathe. Those are natural signals that you are at the right limit.
You are going too far if you begin to pant or sweat profusely, if you feel
your heart pounding violently, or if your knees feel rubbery. At the first sign
of overe xertion, stop exercising, give yourself a few minutes of walking
around to let the system cool down by stages, and then rest for another few
minutes until your pulse and breathing are back to normal. In the heat of
competitive sports such as tenni s and racquetball, you may not notice how
strenuously you are exerting yourself. If it is fun to play, then keep on. But
if you are pushi ng yourself to win the game or to prove that you can keep
up with someone else, your attitude is needlessly punishing your body.
Vata types especially should be careful not to overdo; their constitutions
generally have lower exercise thresholds than Pittas, and Pittas lower than
Kaphas. Exertio n also needs to be adjusted for age: over the age of 45 or 50,
everyone begins  to have increased Vata, which should be comp ensated for
by not exercising as hard as before. As in everything else, you need to
respect your doshas. Going the extra mile at any age is just another way of
inviting serious Vata problems. (Recent studies in sports medicine indicate
that 50 percent of serious women athletes have significant menstrual
disturbances, a symptom of highly aggravated Vata.)BODY -TYPE EXERCISE
Every time you move your body, you are talking to your doshas. Because
each dosha has its own emphasis, there are three kinds of benefits that all
balanced exercise brings:
Vata: poise, agility, limberness, coor dination, and inner exhilaration
Pitta: warming up the body, circulation of blood to all parts, increased
heart capacity
Kapha: increased strength and stability, steady ener gy
If you never get out of your armchair to exercise, obviously you will not
experience these benefits. But many active people with firm muscles and
sound hearts do not experience them either. Most exercise programs today
are dedicated to increasing the capacity of the cardiovascular system, which
puts a heavy emphasis on Pitta dosha. I would like to list balanced activities
that are broader in scope and more suited to the major body types.
VATA-TYPE EXERCISE
Vata types have bursts of energy but tire quickly. They excel at balancing
and stretching exercises. Being light and lithe, they like yoga and walking,
as long as these do not beco me too tiring. Because of their natural
enthusiasm, Vata types also feel good doing bouncy dance aerobics to
music. Any exercise that takes place indoors is good in winter, since Vatapeople are averse to the cold and do not have enough fat and muscle to
protect them from the elements.
Everyone dominated by Vata must always be careful not to get carried
away and push themselves too far. This is the primary caution for them,
since Vata dosha typically starts  with a bang but does not know its limits,
particularly when out of balance. Half an hour of mild exercise a day is
enough. If you are exhausted, trembling, dizzy, or on the verge of cramping,
you have gone much too far. These are all signs of Vata imbalance.
PITT A-TYPE EXERCISE
Pitta types tend to have more drive than endurance. They are good at all
exercise in moderation. Because they like a challenge above all, Pittas enjoy
skiing, hiking, mountain climbing, and other sports that bring a sense of
accomplishment at the end of the day.
Athletes in competitive sports must have a good deal of Pitta to give
them a fighting  spirit, but this is not the dosha for intense competition.
Pittas hate to lose; this motivates them more than the satisfaction of
winning. (Sports  studies have shown this among professional tennis players,
some of whom are notorious for Pitta-type anger.) Pittas will grimly make
themselves run, jog, or weight train but gain very little inner contentment
from their ef forts.
Probably you already know whether you are falling into this trap. If you
stew over every bad shot on the golf course or want to drill your tennis
opponent with the ball, give up these sports. If you chew yourself or anyone
else out in any sport, walk away from it. Anyone who needs to


	flavor
rather	than	lots	of	salt.	Your	taste	for	salt	will	naturally	reduce	over	time.
•
As	your	skin	increases	in	oiliness,	try	the
Radically	Clear	Skin	Mask	(
this
page
)	or	other	clay-based	masks	to	help	ward	off	breakouts	and	congestion
in	your	complexion.
•
Unless	you	have	very	dry	skin,	try	switching	your	cleanser	from	a	creamy
one	to	a	gel-based	one,	which	is	lighter	and	can	help	clear	out	excess	sweat,dirt,	and	grime.
•
If	oil-based	creams	are	starting	to	feel	too	heavy,	switch	to	a	highly
absorbable,	lighter,	water-based	moisturizer	for	the	summer.
•
Aloe	is	a	fairly	sturdy	plant	to	try	growing	in	a	pot	indoors	or	outdoors
(depending	on	where	you	live).	You’ll	have	a	fresh	source	to	use	on	any
burns	from	excessive	sunlight.	(Let’s	really	hope	that	doesn’t	happen,	but
just	in	case,	be	prepared!)
•
Since	coconut	oil	is	said	to	have	cooling	properties,	switch	to	coconut	oil	for
your
abhyanga
	practice	(see
this	page
).
•
Wear	light-colored,	natural	fabrics	such	as	linen	and	cotton,	which	allow
your	skin	to	breathe.
•
Fill	a	spritzer	bottle	with	rose	water,	and	spray	it	across	your	face	and
décolleté	whenever	you	need	a	soothing	refresher.
•
Honor	changes	in	movement	this	time	of	year.	You	might	be	drawn	to	yoga
(especially	a	self-practice)	rather	than	super	intense	aerobic	activities	(unless
they	involve	beach	or	water	sports!),	which	might	feel	depleting.	This	is	not
necessarily	the	best	time	for	hot	yoga	in	an	enclosed,	artificially	heated
room.
•
You	might	feel	activated	and	excited	not	only	by	your	creative	or
professional	pursuits	but	also	to	explore	and	revel	in	being	outside	in
nature’s	raw	elements.	This	might	mean	beach	time	or	more	time	to	lounge
in	a	park.	Allow	yourself	to	have	this	outdoor	time	and	to	explore	feeling
stimulated	from	nature	as	well	as	your	personal	interests.	Your	energy	will
naturally	be	high,	so	get	outside	and	enjoy.	At	the	very	end	of	summer,
however,	depending	on	your	environment,	you	might	feel	overheated	and
the	need	to	chill	out	more,	and	it’s	important	to	honor	that	as	well.
Fall	Lifestyle	Beauty	Practices
The	beauty	of	fall	is	seen	in	the	full	range	of	colors	among	Mother	Nature’s
changing	leaves.	The	air	gets	crisper,	and	the	wind	can	pick	up,	making	it
important	to	protect	your	skin	and	body.	You	may	find	yourself	craving	less
coconut	water	and	more	hot	teas	and	elixirs	to	feel	balanced,	as	well	as	hot,
nourishing	meals	you	may	have	largely	avoided	in	the	summer.	From	an
energetic	standpoint,	it’s	important	to	take	measures	to	feel	grounded,	as
Vata
,
the	air-based
element,	dominates	the	fall	season.	When	imbalanced,	this	can
exacerbate	stress	and	anxiety,	which	is	particularly	true	if	activities	dramaticallyincrease	after	a	leisurely	summer.	Here	are	the	best	fall	beauty	practices:
•
It’s	the	natural	time	of	year	to	start	eating	more	grounding,	warm	cooked
meals	again,	so	be	sure	to	adjust	your	dietary	rotation	accordingly.
•
Brussels	sprouts,	turnips,	daikon	radish,	cauliflower,	and	mushrooms	are
some	of	the	vegetables	you’ll	find	in	season	in	the	fall,	so	be	sure	to	take
advantage	and	find	creative	and	simple	ways	to	cook	and	enjoy	these
fortifying	foods.
•
Quinoa,	brown	rice,	and	amaranth	are	great	gluten-free	grains	to	incorporate
this	time	of	year,	especially	if	eaten	with	lots	of	vegetables.
•
Sip	on	lemon	balm,	chamomile,	valerian	root,	ashwagandha	or	holy
basil/tulsi	teas,	which	are	fantastic	for	helping	you	destress	and	unwind.	You
can	source	these	teas,	which	can	often	be	found	combined	in	“anti-anxiety”
formulations,	at	health	stores.
•
The	drying	wind	and	drop	in	humidity	may	make	your	skin	feel	rougher.	Be
sure	to	spend	a	little	more	time	with	your
abhyanga
	practice	(see
this	page
),
which	is	also	good	for	pacifying	excess
Vata
,	which	can	lead	to	feeling
overwhelmed	and	anxious	when	imbalanced.
Abhyanga
	is	a	great	practice	to
help	alleviate	stress.
•
Since
Vata
,	or	the	air	element,	is	so	prevalent	in	the	fall,	you	may	experience
some
constipation.	This	is	a	symptom	of
Vata
	being	out	of	balance.	Be	sure
to	eat	lots	of	fibrous	foods,	take	some	magnesium-oxygen	supplements	(such
as	Detoxy	+)	as	needed	to	help	keep	things	moving,	and	eat	mindfully	and
slowly,	always	chewing	well.
•
Be	sure	to	protect	your	skin	from	the	quickening	changes	of	the	weather,
including	dry	wind.	Use	scarves	and	gloves	to	protect	your	hands,	neck,	and
face	during	walks	or	periods	outside,	keeping	out	drafts	that	can	lead	to
chapping	and	excessive	dryness.
•
Your	skin	may	need	extra	nourishment	with	the	change	of	seasons,	and	it
might	start	to	feel	drier.	The	Radically	Timeless	Beauty	Mask	(
this	page
)	is
particularly	excellent	at	this	time	of	year.
•
Be	sure	to	protect	your	delicate	lips,	which	may	become	increasingly
chapped.	Apply	lip	balms	regularly	that	contain	natural	ingredients	such	as
shea	butter,	olive	oil,	and	vitamin	E.	Avoid	lip	balms	that	contain
petroleum-based,	synthetic	ingredients	(which	you	don’t	want	to	continually
ingest,	an	inevitable	occurrence	with	anything	you	put	on	your	lips).•
Since	you	might	have	gotten	your	fair	share	(or	more!)	of	sun,	salt	water,	and
chlorine	over	the	summer,	your	skin	might	feel	a	bit	taxed.	Try	going	back
to	a	gentle	sugar	scrub	(see	Winter	tips	on
this	page
)	and	adding	more
coconut	oil	if	you	feel	that	your	skin	needs	extra	lubrication.
•
Avoid	using	stripping	soaps	on	your	skin	in	the	shower.	Choose	all-natural,
mild,	and	simple	cleansers	with	essential	oils	instead	of	potentially	irritating
artificial	fragrances.
•
With	the	cooler	temperatures	and	chilly	wind,	it’s	time	to	switch	back	to
thicker	moisturizers	with	an	oil	base,	which	can	feel	more
hydrating	and
protective.
•
Pay	extra	attention	to	your	hands.	They	have	the	long	winter	ahead	of	them
with	lots	of	potential	cold	and	wind	exposure.	Be	sure	to	keep	your	hands
moisturized	with	a	good	hand	cream	(shea	butter	or	other	natural	ingredient
based),	and	reapply	often,	especially	after	washing	your	hands.
•
After	the	leisure	of	summer,	you	m


, you can strain your juice into a glass Ball
jar and consume within a few minutes. Fresh juice does not keep long.
Miche’s Healing Homemade V eggie Broth
Wash and cut up one potato, one onion, two carrots, two stalks of
celery, and one beet, and add chopped parsley. Fill your pot with
spring water (non-chlorinated), and bring it to a boil for ten minutes.
Reduce the heat so that it simmers for thirty minutes. Consume only
the broth—no solids. This is a nourishing experience for the body
after dry fasting.
Spring Green V eggie Broth
Wash and cut up three cups of kale, three cups of spinach, one cup of
peas (fresh or frozen) three tablespoons of fresh turmeric root, three
tablespoons of fresh ginger root, three tablespoons of parsley, and two
tablespoons of coconut oil. Add all ingredients to a large soup pot as
you chop them. Fill the soup pot with at least two to three quarts of
fresh spring water.ST ARVING TO HEAL IN SIBERIA | 22
Copyrighted Material
Keep the heat on a low setting so that the mixture simmers for
thirty to sixty minutes, depending on your time constraints in the
kitchen. Do not bring to a boil. With a ladle, put three cups of the
mixture into your Vitamix blender, and blend until everything is
smoothly combined. Your broth will have a spring green color. You
may consume the broth for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and you may
also consume the vegetables in the broth. Do not add any additional
seasonings or oil.
Miche’s Swamp Juice
In your Vitamix, put one teaspoon or more of spirulina powder, chlorella
powder, and raw cacao powder. Add one frozen banana. (I like to buy a
bunch or two of ripe bananas, peel them, break them into pieces, and put
them in a glass storage container to freeze them for smoothies.)
Add one cup of spinach or arugula, or even cilantro, which is one of
our household favorites.
Add at least one cup of nut milk or more if desired—enough to
create your desired consistency. Blend at high speed until the mixture is
smooth; consume it immediately.
Homemade Almond Milk
Soak one to two pounds of organic raw almonds overnight in a bowl full
of spring water. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the almonds.
Place them in the Vitamix blender with two cups of spring water per
pound of almonds. You may add one to two dates to the mixture, taking
care to de-pit them. Blend the mixture on high speed until it’s smooth.
(I blend them for at least two minutes.) Place your nut milk bag over
a wide-mouth container. Gradually pour the blended almond mixture ST ARVING TO HEAL IN SIBERIA | 23
Copyrighted Material
from the Vitamix into the nut milk bag. Squeeze the bag so that the
almond milk comes out cleanly into the wide-mouth container. I like to
use glass Ball jars. Add desired spices, such as cardamom, vanilla, cinna -
mon, or nutmeg. Drop in a few grains of Himalayan sea salt if desired.
Cover the wide-mouth container with a lid and shake the almond milk
with the added spices. Consume within a few days.
Dr. Filonov’s Russian Compote “Exit Juice”
The cooks at Dr. Filonov’s center in Altai don’t use measuring cups.
The best way to make compote is to size up your pot. I encourage
you to use a small pot the first time, and add two chopped apples,
or two chopped pears, and either a few dried apricots or a handful
of blueberries and raisins. These fruits work best. Then fill up your
pot with spring water. If you have two cups of cut fruit, perhaps aim
to add four cups of water. Cover the mixture, bring it to a boil, and
then turn the temperature down to let it simmer for thirty minutes
or longer. You can even let it simmer on very low heat for a couple of
hours, as they do in Siberia. Only consume the compote juice, and
make sure that it’s served hot. This nutritious liquid is essential for
rebuilding glycogen stores during exits from extended fasts. I find
that a little goes a long way, but the Russian patients say, “The more
Kompot, the better!”
Miche’s Chopped Broom Salad
In your hand-held vegetable chopper, add the following: one half cup
of coarsely chopped red cabbage, one half cup of coarsely chopped
fennel, one half cup of coarsely chopped greens (such as kale, spin -
ach, cilantro, arugula, etc.), one medium beet, three tablespoons of ST ARVING TO HEAL IN SIBERIA | 24
Copyrighted Material
parsley, and one half of a peeled and deseeded lemon. Optionally, you
can add one half of an avocado. Tightly close the cap on the vegetable
chopper, and pull the cord at least twenty times to chop the vegeta -
bles until they are very finely grated. Enjoy plain if you’re on the first
days of your exit from fasting. Take care to therapeutically chew even
though the salad is finely chopped. If you have passed the critical
early exit period, then you may add a few grains of Himalayan pink
sea salt, a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, or a tablespoon of tahini
to the chopper before you begin pulling the string. That way, they will
be nicely blended into your broom salad. Enjoy as often as you wish!
Variations: Include any vegetables from the sample grocery list to this
mixture that you may be craving. The body may have a certain request
that you may wish to honor.
Garnish: You may wish to chop half of an avocado to place on top
of your salad before you consume it.
Miche’s Million-Dollar Sunlight Foods Salad
During my lengthy raw vegan period, I invited my cousins for dinner
one night. They were used to dining in Michelin-starred establishments
throughout the globe, and they said, “Michelle, you could make a mil -
lion dollars with this salad!” This salad is the staple of my diet, along
with my broom salad, and it changes according to the seasonal organic
vegetables I find at my local farmers’ markets.
Chop:
3 tbsp. raw cabbage
1 head of fennel
1 cup of sprouts (broccoli sprouts are my favorite, but alfalfa
or any other sprouts will work)ST ARVING TO HEAL IN SIBERIA | 25
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½ cup dandelion greens (if available in the spring)
1 endive
1 cup lacinato kale
1–3 tbsp. of fresh herbs (preferably cilantro, since it has
potent chelation properties and helps expel heavy metals
from the body)
You may have to make this in batches in the chopper and then toss the
ingredients chopped into a large salad bowl. Mix all the ingredients
together in the salad bowl, then add the following ingredients, which
should be hand-cut, not chopped in the vegetable chopper:
1 avocado chopped in cubes
2 tbsp. sundried tomatoes
½ cup (or more if you like) of artichoke hearts (I prefer the
marinated buffalo artichokes from Whole Foods)
2 tbsp. Kalamata olives (raw if possible)
3 tbsp. raw, organic, non-GMO hemp seeds
T oss with Miche’s Salad Dressing, and top with Brad’s cheddar raw
veggie chips.
Miche’s Salad Dressing
Mix the following (which makes one serving; adjust quantities for more)
with a whisk:
2 tbsp. raw, organic tahini
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemonST ARVING TO HEAL IN SIBERIA | 26
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Dash of Himalayan sea salt
T ouch of cayenne pepper or turmeric powder (if desired)
Blend to your desired consistency, and toss with Miche’s salad.
Raw Carrot Avocado Ginger Soup
Chop one cup of carrots, and blend in the Vitamix with one avocado,
one clove of garlic, one tablespoon of ginger juice (juiced in juicer),
one tablespoon of lemon juice, and a dash of Himalayan pink sea salt.
If you are at least five days out of your dry fast, you may add a touch
of cayenne pepper or a touch of cumin and coriander powder to make
it curried soup. Blend with at least one cup of hot water, or add more
if you like a watery soup. This nutritious soup serves one person.
Fennel Gazpacho
In the Vitamix, blend one entire bulb of fennel with one clove of garlic,
one avocado, and half of a cucumber. You might also add one half cup
of cherry tomatoes if lectins and nightshade vegetables and fruits do
not aggravate your digestive system. Add one cup of water and lemon
juice, if desired. Blend until smooth, and garnish with fresh herbs—
cilantro or parsley would be nice choices.
Miche’s Garlic Broccoli Soup
This is a warm, cooked, nourishing soup for the


 to accept the
purification po wer of life’s flow, I kept coming out on the
other side a transformed person. How could I consider
this a bad experience when it created such beauty and
freedom within me? To the co ntrary, I stand in awe of all
that has happened since I started this amazing
experiment of acceptance and surrender.One thi ng is for certain: he who left on this journey—
never returned. The flow of life had served as sandpaper
that, to  a great extent, freed  me of myself. Unable to
unbind myself from the incessant pull of my psyche, in
an act of sheer  desperation, I had thrown myself into the
arms of life. F rom that point forward, all I did was my
very be st to serve what was put in front of me and let go
of what  it stirred up within me. Joy and pain, success
and failure, praise and blame—they all had pulled at
what was so de eply rooted within me. The more I let go,
the freer I bec ame. It was not my responsibility to find
what was binding me; that was life’s job. My
responsibility was to willingly let go of whatever was
brought up within me.
After seeing all I’d seen ove r the years, surrender to
the flow of life was all that wa s left of me. No longer busy
making other plans, I sett led into the quiet life of
increased solitude in which I once again found myself. It
soon became obvious that life had provided me the ideal
environment in  which to write this book. The moment I
sat down, the inspiration flowed in like a tidal wave. I
began writing what I always knew I would have to write
—what happened when I let go.
People often ask me how I look at things now that I’ve
gone through the life-changing experiences of these past
forty years. I te ll them to read  The Untethered Soul.  How
could I possibly explain the great freedom that comes
from realizing to the depth o f your being that life knows
what it’s doing? Only direct experience can take you
there. A t some  point there’s no more struggle, just the
deep peace that comes from surrendering to a perfection
that is beyond your comprehe nsion. Eventually, even the
mind stops resisting, and the heart loses the tendency to
close. The joy, excitement, and freedom are simply too
beautiful to give up. Once you are ready to let go of
yourself, life becomes your friend, your teacher, yoursecret l over. W hen life’s way becomes your way, all the
noise stops, and there is a great peace.
In eternal gratitude for all the experiences we call
Life…
MAS, March 2015ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M ICHAEL  A. S INGER  is the author of the #1 New
York Times  bestseller The Untethered Soul.  He
had a deep i nner awakeni ng in 1971 while
working on his doctorate in economics and
went in to sec lusion to focus on yoga and
meditation. In  1975, he foun ded Temple of the
Universe, a now long-esta blished yoga and
meditation cen ter where people of any religion
or set of beliefs can come together to experience
inner peace. He is also the cr eator of a leading-
edge software  package that transformed the
medical practice management industry, and
founding CEO of a billion-dollar public
company whose achievements are archived in
the Smithsoni an Institution. Along with his
more than four decades of spiritual teaching,
Michael has made major contributions in the
areas of business, education, health care, and
environmental protection.MORE BY THE AUTHOR
Audio Lectures:  A  number o f Michael A.
Singer’s talks on spiritual gr owth are available
in audio format. Visit www.untetheredsoul.com
for more information.
Books:  In addition to The Untethered Soul,
Michael A. Singer has previo usly authored two
books on the integration of Eastern and
Western philosophy: The Sea rch for  Truth  and
Three Essays on Universal Law: Karma, Will,
and Love.  Available on www.amazon.com.
Music:  Songs of the Untethered Soul.  Eight
inspiring song s, written by Michael A. Singer
and sung by musician Kathy Zavada, meant to
still the mind and open the heart. Visit www.
songsof theunte theredsoul. comALSO BY MICHAEL A. SINGER
The #1 New York Times  bestseller
T h e  U n t e t h e r e d  S o u l
The Journey Beyond Yourself
What would it be like to free yourself from
limitations and soar beyond  your boundaries?
What can you do each day to discover inner
peace a nd sere nity? The Untethered Soul  offers
simple yet profound answers to these questions.
By tapping into traditions of meditation and
mindfulness, M ichael A. Singer shows how the
development o f consciousnes s can enable us all
to dwel l in the present moment and let go of
painful though ts and memories that keep us
from achieving happiness and self-realization.
AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK, HARDCOVER, EBOOK, AND
ON AUDIO
 newharbingerpublications<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Soil and Health Library
This document is a reproduction of the book or other copyrighted material you
requested.  It was prepared on for the exclusive use of Oriana Galardi-Este, whose email
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This reproduction was made by the Soil and Health Library only for the purpose of
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whatsoever constitutes a violation of copyrights.

THE ELIXIR
OF LIFE

By ARNOLD  DE VRIES

CHANDLER BOOK COMPANY
333 NORTH MICHIGAN AVENUE / CHICAGO 1, ILLINOIS

COPYRIGHT 1952, 1958
BY
ARNOLD DE VRIES

All rights reserved.
This book,
or parts thereof,
must not be reproduced
in any form without permission.
SECOND EDITION

CONTENTS
Raw Food in Modern Nutrition
Raw Food in Chemical Composition
Raw Food in Physical Structure
Raw Food in Experimental Study
Raw Food in Nature
Raw Food in Human Experience
Raw Food in Limiting Circumstances
Raw Food in Selection
Raw Food in Preparation and Use
Bibliography

      1
RAW FOOD IN MODERN
NUTRITION
THE "ELIXIR OF LIFE" is defined as an aromatic, sweetened
substance containing great medical properties, embodying the quintessence or inmost principle of life, which will quell the
pains of disease, preserve the characteristics of youth, and
prolong life indefinitely. For ages sorcerers and alchemists dreamed of and searched for the elixir of life, and in more
recent history scientists and philosophers have speculated as
to its possible existence. There have been some diligent
scientific attempts to find some substance that would induce
rejuvenation in human glands and tissues and thereby restore or prolong youth. But failure has followed failure and the
hope for an elixir of life has dwindled into a tragic dream, as
each succeeding generation sees the constant and ever
increasing degeneration of man. As disease progresses, as
senility slowly but surely grinds away human happiness, as death approaches, so does the desire for a magic elixir persist,
but without any real expectation of fulfillment. Today we
have relegated the elixir to a superstitious world of the past—
a world of imagination—which can have no place in the reality of modern life.
   There is no magic medicine, no panacea nor cure-all for all
human ailments. There is no method of prolonging youth or life indefinitely. But in a limited sense there is an elixir of
life, embodying most of the qualities which an elixir is
expected to possess. Its physical properties are well known to science and it is within the reach  of everyone. It is aromatic
and sweet, contains definite medical properties, possesses the
vital principle of life, tends to prevent and remedy disease,
prolong youth, and increase the span of life. Its effects are
rapid in development, high in intensity, and widespread in area of influence. It is capable of producing a profound
biological change in human life within a single generation.
These statements are backed by  scientific evidence in the
fields of biochemistry, physiology, biology, and medicine,
and they are subject to direct verification through the
accepted methods of science.
   The elixir of life is so very common, so easily available,
that it has constantly been forgotten in the search for more
elusive and m
ysterious substances. Man is not prone to look into the simple nutritive substances of nature for the possible
solution to his physical troubles. Yet, that is precisely where
the elixir of life is to be found. In natural foods, unchanged
by the hand of man, are the life-giving factors which determine the state of human health. The raw