 a sugary breakfast cereal in the morning you feel
hungry again in an hour. That is hypoglycaemia. What do people usually
have at that time in the morning to satisfy their hunger? A biscuit, a choco
late bar, a coffee or something like that, and the whole cycle of hyper -
hypoglycaemia begins again. This up and down blood-glucose roller-
coaster is extremely harmful for anyone, let alone our GAPS children and
adults. It has been proven that a lot of hyperactivity, inability to concen
trate and learn, aggression and other behavioural abnormalities in school
children are a direct result of this glucose roller coaster. The hypergly-
caemic phase produces a feeling of a "high" with hyperactive and manic tendencies and self-stimulation in autistic children, whilst the hypogly-
caemic phase makes them feel unwell, often with a headache, bad mood,
tantrums, aggression and general fatigue with excessive sweating (FIG. 4}.
Another important point about processed carbohydrates is their detri
mental effect on the gut flora. We have talked in detail about the crucial
role of the normal gut flora in the health. Processed carbohydrates feed
pathogenic bacteria and fungi in the gut, promoting their growth and pro
liferation. Apart from that they make a wonderful glue-like environment in
the gut for various worms and parasites to take hold and develop. All these
micro-creatures produce toxic substances going into the bloodstream and
literally "poisoning" the person. The more processed carbohydrates with or
without gluten you give your GAPS child or adult, the more "toxic" he or
she will become and the more autistic, schizophrenic, hyperactive or other
symptoms you will see.
In the previous chapters we have looked in detail at the state of the
immune system in GAPS patients. Compromised immunity plays an
important role in GAPS development. By negatively altering the gut flora
processed carbohydrates will play an important part in damaging the
person's immune system. However, on top of that there is ample evidence
showing that processed foods, particularly processed carbohydrates and
sugar, directly weaken the functioning of macrophages, natural killer cells
and other white blood cells and undermine systemic resistance to all infec
tions. An immune-compromised person who has sugary drinks and crisps
daily, will worsen their immune system's condition by these food choices.
Let us have a look at some of the most common forms of those pro
cessed carbohydrates.
Breakfast cereals
They are supposed to be healthy, aren't they? That is what numerous TV
advertisements tell us. Unfortunately, the truth is just the opposite.
• Breakfast cereals are highly processed carbohydrates, full of sugar, salt
and other unhealthy substances. A bowl of breakfast cereal will start
your child's day with the first round of the blood-sugar roller coaster
with the all too familiar behaviours for you to deal with.
• Being a great source of processed carbohydrates, breakfast cereals
feed abnormal bacteria and fungi in the gut, allowing them to produce
a new portion of their toxins perpetuating the vicious cycle of GAPS. FIG. 4 Blood-glucose roller coaster. • What about fibre? The manufacturers claim that with a bowl of their
product you will get all the fibre you need. Unfortunately it is the
wrong kind of fibre for GAPS patients. The fibre in breakfast cereals
is full of phytates - substances that bind essential minerals and
take them out of the system, contributing to a patient's mineral
deficiencies.
• There has been an interesting experiment performed in one of the
food laboratories. They analysed the nutritional value of some brands
of breakfast cereals and the paper boxes in which these cereals were
packaged. The analysis showed that the box, made of wood pulp, had
more useful nutrients in it, than the cereal inside. Indeed, breakfast
cereals have got very low nutritional value. To compensate for that the
manufacturers fortify them with synthetic forms of vitamins, claiming
that by eating your morning bowl of this cereal you will get all your
daily requirements of those vitamins. Well, the human body is not that
simple, it has been designed to recognise and use natural vitamins,
coming in natural food form. That is why synthetic vitamins have a
very low absorption rate, which means that most of them go through
and out of your digestive tract without doing you any good. Then,
whatever amount of those vitamins does get absorbed is often not
recognised by the body as food and gets taken straight to the kidneys
and excreted in urine. We have a new syndrome in our modern pill-
popping society - a syndrome of expensive urine.
So, no matter what the advertisements say, there is nothing healthy in
breakfast cereals for the GAPS child or an adult.
Crisps and chips and other starchy snacks
Crisps, chips and popcorn, a backbone of children's diet nowadays, are
highly processed carbohydrates with a detrimental effect on the gut flora.
But that is not all: they are saturated with vegetable oil, which has been
heated to a very high temperature. Any oil that has been heated has got
substances called trans-fatty acids, which are unsaturated fatty acids with
altered chemical structure. What they do in the body is to replace the vital
omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in cellular structure, making the cells
dysfunctional. Consuming trans-fatty acids has a direct damaging effect on
the immune system. They are known to increase the activity of Th2 and
weaken Thi immunity. As you remember, the Thi immunity is already sup-pressed in many GAPS patients and Th2 overactive. Cancer, heart disease,
eczema, asthma, many neurological and psychiatric conditions have been
linked to trans-fatty acids in the diet. For a full story about fat processing
please look in the chapter: Fats: the good and the bad.
Recently another strong argument appeared against consuming crisps
and chips:
TheAcrylamides story
In the spring of 2002 the Swedish National Food Administration and
Stockholm University reported that they found highly neurotoxic and car
cinogenic substances in potato crisps, French fries, bread and other baked
and fried starchy foods. These substances are acrylamides. Scientists in
Norway, UK and Switzerland have confirmed this finding. They have also
found acrylamides in starchy foods, fried or baked at high temperatures.
Recently, instant coffee has been added to the list of foods containing these
highly dangerous substances. The World Health Organisation, United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and the US Food and Drug
Administration have set a plan to identify how acrylamides are formed in
foods and what can be done to eliminate them, since they can cause
cancer, neurological damage and infertility. Acrylamides are so harmful to
health, that there are certain maximum limits set for these substances in
food packaging materials. For years government agencies paid a lot of
attention to controlling the amount of acrylamides in the plastic food
packaging, but nobody looked at the food inside that packaging. Now it has
been discovered that some foods inside these plastic packets have incredi
bly high amounts of acrylamides, way above all allowed limits. The acry
lamides story provides another reason for the GAPS child or adult to avoid
crisps, chips and other starchy snack foods.
Wheat
Cutting out gluten is recommended for autism, schizophrenia and coeliac
disease, so gluten-free wheat products become a major part of their diet.
But let us have a look at wheat as a whole with gluten or without it. Virtually
nobody buys wheat as a grain and cooks it at home, we buy foods made of
wheat flour. The flour arrives at bakeries in pre-packaged mixes for differ
ent kinds of breads, biscuits and pastries. These mixtures are already pro
cessed with the best nutrients lost. Then they are "enriched" with preserva-tives, pesticides to keep the insects away, chemical substances to prevent it
absorbing moisture, colour and flavour improvers, softeners, just to men
tion a few. Then the bakerymakes breads, pastries, cakes, biscuits, etc., out
of these chemical cocktails for us to eat. The producer is quite happy to
take the gluten out of these mixtures and make gluten-free products. So,
you will get all the processed carbohydrate with all the chemical additives
in it, but this time without gluten. Once swallowed, a piece of white bread
turns into a glue-like mass, which feeds parasites and pathogenic bacteria
and fungi in the gut, contributing to the general toxic overload a GAPS
patient already has got Being a staple in the western world, wheat is also a
number one cause of food allergies and intolerances.
Sugar and anything made with it
Sugar was once called a "white death" It deserves 100% of this tide. The
consumption of sugar in the world has grown to enormous proportions in
the last century It is estimated that an average western person consumes
about 160-200 lb. of this highly processed substance per year. Sugar is
everywhere and it is hard to find any processed food without it Apart from
causing the blood-glucose roller coaster and having a detrimental effect on
the gut flora, it has been shown to have a direct damaging effect on the
immune system, which


 a somewhat low iron level in the patient’s blood and prescribed
an iron medication. The trouble is that iron supplements are toxic, which automatically rules them
out for Gerson patients. In time, with all the green juices, liver medication and Vitamin B-12, the
blood readings will return to normal without drugs. (see Chapter 26 )
 Drugs can be life saving in acute illnesses and emergencies, but when it comes to chronic
diseases, such as cancer, they only provide symptomatic relief at best, and can cause serious harm
at worst. Keep this in mind if and when you are told by a no doubt well-meaning doctor that
chemotherapy works faster and better than carrot juice. Keep your cool. And stick with the carrot
juice.
Flare-Ups and Mood Swings
 Healing reactions or so-called flare-ups are regular events on the Gerson Therapy  (see
Chapter 16, pg. 126.) These episodes can be frighteningly intense; at the same time the patient
may also suffer from depression and a black mood. If the family then panics, the patient may end
up in the Emergency Room of the nearest hospital, where the doctors are kind and concerned, and
give the patient a shot or a pill to stop the symptoms. Unfortunately they also stop the healing, and
that has caused serious problems in some cases. The fact is that the average allopathic doctor has
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 151Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comprobably never heard of a healing reaction, does not understand its symptoms and function, and
therefore can’t be expected to handle it correctly. The proper way to deal with a flare-up is clearly
set out in the relevant chapter, and should be followed closely.
 Psychological problems and mood swings are dealt with fully in Chapter 24. Here we only
want to acknowledge the power of occasional fits of negativity, when the patient not only feels
physically unwell, with nausea, sweating, headache, horror of food and juices, and possibly fever,
but is also mentally and emotionally crushed. The toxins cruising through the central nervous
system and the brain are to blame, but all the patient feels is an urgent wish to stop the therapy,
break out of all the restrictions and run away. This is a passing phase. It is wise to find out about
it in advance, so that when it arrives, the patient is more or less prepared, and snaps out of it
faster.
Water Warning
   Don’t underestimate the importance of ensuring the purity of all the water used in your
home. The worst offender is fluoride (see Chapter 5, pg. 37 ), so make sure that your water supply
is free from this harmful chemical. If it is not, you must take special precautions. Unlike chlorine,
fluoride is not eliminated by boiling the water! The only way to get rid of it is by distillation (see
Chapter 9, pg. 94 )
   However, fluoride is also present in the water used for the daily shower. And although a
shower needn’t take many minutes, even a brief exposure to warm water opens the pores, so that
any undesirable component in the water gets quickly absorbed. There are two solutions to this
problem. One is to take a sponge bath instead of a shower, in a gallon of warmed distilled water
poured into a basin or sink.
   The other solution is to install a camping shower in the bathroom and filling it with warmed
distilled water. Full description, various models and prices of this appliance are available on the
Internet.
Mind What You Read
 Knowledge is power, and it is the well-informed patient who is likely to make the right
choices. However, the big and growing range of so-called health books and diet bibles is a
dangerous area, full of contradictory theories and advice. Open-minded patients keen to learn
new things read as many health books as they can find and end up confused, because although
most nutritional methods are at least in part based on the Gerson Therapy, none is complete, or
free from its author’s prejudices and subjective ideas.
 The chances are that if you read ten health books, you are likely to get twelve different
opinions. Sadly, people who added to the Gerson protocol some ‘anti-cancer’ substances they
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 152Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comhad read about didn’t do well at all. So please wipe the slate clean. If you have decided to use the
Gerson Therapy, inform yourself about it as thoroughly as you can and stay with it. After all, it
has the longest and best track record.
Cutting Corners
No one can deny that the Gerson Therapy is labor-intensive; at times it can feel truly
overwhelming. When that happens, patients and/or their carers may feel tempted to ease things
a little bit by changing the routine—say by preparing all the day’s juices in one go and storing
them in the refrigerator, instead of making them fresh every hour on the hour as prescribed. But
to do this undermines the treatment and guarantees failure, since the all-important enzymes in the
freshly made juices have a short lifespan of some twenty minutes. After that time has elapsed, the
minerals, trace elements and most vitamins may survive in the juices, but the living enzymes and
their healing power will have been lost.
Another temptation occurs when some ingredient of the Gerson program becomes hard to
obtain, and the patient decides that something else will do just as well in the short term. But extreme
caution is needed in such a situation. For instance, if organic carrots are not available, under no
circumstances  should non-organic ones be used for juicing (or indeed eating). Commercially
grown carrots are saturated with agro-chemicals; scrubbing and peeling them will not remove the
poisons. As an emergency measure organic bottled carrot juice may be used, on its own or mixed
with organic bottled apple juices. But it should be understood that this substitution must only be
a short-term solution and not a matter of routine.
One of the worst examples of substitution concerned a woman patient suffering from a
collagen disease, who was doing well on the Gerson program until her supply of organic carrots
dried up completely. Rather than search for another source, she and her husband decided to
substitute orange juice for the elusive carrots, and so she began to drink up to eight glasses of
freshly pressed orange juice a day. This would have been harmful to any Gerson patient; in this
case it was disastrous, since citrus fruits are counter-indicated in all collagen diseases, and her
condition deteriorated drastically.
P.S.  Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” Well, the price
of getting well is the same: eternal vigilance to avoid pitfalls, resist temptations, and decline
unasked-for advice from well-meaning outsiders who don’t understand what you are doing.
However, you know what you are doing and why, and that is all that matters.
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 153Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comCHAPTER 22
Frequently Asked Questions
The Gerson Therapy is so fundamentally different from the usual pill-popping, symptom-
centered approach of orthodox medicine, that newcomers to this method of healing find some
of its details puzzling. So it is important to explain the reasons behind the rules; once understood,
they prove to be eminently logical.  What follows is a random selection of the most frequently
asked questions with the appropriate answers.
Q: Why not steam vegetables for a short while, then use the water at the bottom of the pan in
the soup, rather than cook all the life out of the vegetables over a long time?
A: Dr. Gerson was very specific about using the lowest possible heat for cooking vegetables.
High heat—steam is hotter than boiling water—changes the colloidal structure of the nutrients,
particularly the proteins but also the minerals, and makes them hard to absorb and assimilate. Dr.
Gerson even suggested putting a heat disperser under the pan to keep the heat just high enough to
simmer the food slowly, until well done.
This method does not “cook the life out of the food.” The only nutrients that are damaged
are the enzymes, which die in temperatures above 140o Fahrenheit. But patients get a huge supply
of enzymes in the fresh raw juices to make up for that loss. The lower heat preserves protein and
mineral structures and some vitamins.
Suggesting that the water remaining in the pan should be used acknowledges that the good
nutrients, especially the minerals, have been leached out into the water—leaving the cooked
vegetables without nutrients! This explains why steamed vegetables have very little taste.
Another reason for cooking food slowly at the lowest possible heat is to provide the patient’s
intestinal tract with ‘soft bulk,’ i.e., well done fiber, to cushion all the raw foods and juices the
patient has to consume.
Q: What about using a B-complex supplement


 ultrasound 18 months after starting the iodine-based therapy and the radiologist reported on
the ultrasound, “It would seem, therefore, that these malignancies have diminished considerably in size. The breast
cancer appears considerably diminished when compared to previous ultrasound. Interval improvement is definitely
seen.”
Update on Delores’ condition: It has now been nearly two years and Delores has been taking iodine as well as the
nutrient therapies described. Delores just had a follow-up mammogram and ultrasound which failed to show any
abnormality. Both were read by the radiologist as normal and she was recommended to have yearly mammogram
screening.
New 5
th
 Edition Update on Delores: Delores is still doing well with no signs of breast cancer. I see her twice per year
for routine follow-up. At our last visit she reported that she was
feeling well. “I am glad I followed a natural program.
Who knows what all those toxins would have done to me,” she said.
There is a wealth of research showing the connection between iodine deficiency and breast cancer. We should be searching
for underlying cause(s) of cancer and formulating a treatment program tailored to addressing the underlying cause(s). The “war”
on breast cancer began 35 years ago. The progress in treating breast cancer with chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation has been
dismal. Survival rates for breast cancer victims are virtually unchanged over the last 70 years
6
, even with the use of
mammograms, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.
Iodine deficiency as well as other toxicities (especially the toxic halides bromine and fluoride) must be investigated. Perhaps
rectifying iodine deficiency will be the missing piece of the puzzle to solving the riddle of breast cancer. Delores’ results have been
repeated over and over in my practice. I believe all women need to be evaluated for their iodine status before they reach the
stage of breast cancer.
ESTROGENS AND IODINE: THE CONNECTION
This section will deal with the relationship between iodine and estrogens. Estrogens are a class of steroid hormones produced
and secreted in both men and women. In men, most of the estrogen is produced in the adrenal glands, fat tissue, and
liver. The
amount of estrogen in men is ten times lower than it is in women.
In women, estrogens control female sexual development including promoting the growth and function of the female sexual
organs such as the ovaries, uterus, and breasts. The ovaries produce most of the estrogen in women, with smaller amounts
produced in the adrenal glands and the fat tissue.
DIFFERENT FORMS OF ESTROGEN
There are three major types of estrogen produced in the female body: estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3). Estriol is
a much weaker estrogen than either estrone or estradiol. Research has shown that estriol may be able to prevent breast cancer in
mice.
7
 Furthermore, estriol is less stimulating to breast tissue than either estradiol or estrone and may have a protective effect for
breast cancer. My colleague, Jonathan Wright, M.D., measured the estrogen levels in healthy twenty to forty-year-old womenand found that estriol was produced at much larger amounts than either estrone or estradiol.
8
 Estrogen replacement therapy has
been promoted to help women with menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, and other illnesses. Common sense would argue that
to achieve the greatest benefit from estrogen replacement therapy, we should try to mimic the body’s own production of estrogen.
In other words, we should use the same proportions of estrone, estradiol, and estriol normally produced in
the healthy body.
Estrogen production in the body can be monitored by measuring the amounts of estrone, estradiol, and estriol that are present in
biological fluid. When there are imbalances in estrogen production, such as lowered amounts of estriol and larger amounts of
estrone and estradiol, problems such as fibrocystic breasts, cancer, and weight gain may develop.
Dr. Wright has reported compelling data that iodine, in the form of Lugol’s solution (iodine and iodide) can help maintain the
correct balance of the three estrogens. Specifically, Dr. Wright has reported that Lugol’s solution will help the body metabolize the
estrogens to favor the safer form of estrogen—estriol. My experience has found the same results; the use of iodine helps to
maintain a balanced estrogen ratio in favor of estriol.
9
For women, a balance of estrogens is vitally important for numerous bodily functions including ensuring optimal function of the
brain, breast development, and lubrication of the skin. In addition, estrogen balance helps to ensure strong bones and may help to
prevent cardiovascular disease. Imbalances in estrogen production are associated with weight gain, mood swings, and disorders
such as diabetes as well as cancer of the breast, ovary, and uterus. Estrogen balance is impossible to maintain when there is
iodine deficiency present. For more information on the use of estrogens and other natural hormones, I refer the reader to my
book,
The Miracle of Natural Hormones, 3
rd
 Edition.
IODINE ALTERS GENE EXPRESSION IN THE BREASTS
Researchers have recently reported that the combination of iodine/iodide (e.g., Lugol’s solution) has been shown to alter gene
expression in estrogen-responsive breast cancer cells. They found that iodine down-regulated (lowered) several estrogen
responsive genes. They also reported that iodine increased BRCA1 activity. BRCA1 is a gene that modulates estrogen activity in
the breast. People with abnormalities in BRCA1 are at a markedly increased risk for breast cancer. Finally, the same researchers
reported that iodine/iodide therapy “…could enhance the efficacy of Tamoxifen therapy…thus preventing or slowing the
development of Tamoxifen resistance.”
10
This is a very important study showing that iodine can favorably influence the gene expression in breast cancer. Future
research will undoubtedly build on this concept.
IODINE DEFICIENCY AND THE BREASTS
Iodine deficiency has been shown to produce specific changes in the breast tissue of rats. Studies dating back nearly 40 years
ago show that iodine deficiency in rats produces the exact precancerous changes seen in humans—dysplasia and hyperplasia.
11
12
 Furthermore, with long-term iodine depletion, more atypical changes in rat breast tissue occur.
13
 This is the precursor to breast
cancer.
Dr. Bernard Eskin, one of the world’s foremost researchers on iodine and the breast, writes, “In all these studies, termination
of dietary iodine restriction…results in a variable modest return toward the normal {breast} structure.”
14
Dr. Eskin has studied the effects of estrogen and iodine in rats. He has found that rats need an adequate level of iodine in
order for estrogen to perform its normal function in breast tissue.
15
Researchers have demonstrated that rats given certain carcinogens will develop breast cancer. When iodine is given along
with the carcinogens, tumor formation is blocked.
16

17
 These studies would indicate that iodine has the ability to block cancer
progression in the breast tissue.
It is known that the ovaries concentrate a large amount of iodine. After the thyroid, the ovaries have the second largest
concentration of iodine in the body. Iodine deficiency produces changes in the ovarian production of estrogens as well as changes
in the estrogen receptors of the breasts. In an iodine-deficient state, research has shown that ovarian estrogen production
increases, while estrogen receptors in the breast increase their sensitivity to estrogens.
18

19
 Both of these conditions will increase
the risk of developing pathology of the breasts including breast cancer.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHOR: ESTROGEN AND IODINE AND THE CONNECTION TO CANCER
Iodine deficiency has many consequences. First, it causes estrogen production to increase. Iodine deficiency also leads to an
increased sensitivity of breast tissue to estrogen. All of the above conditions will increase the chances of developing disease(s) of
the breast including breast cancer. When you factor in our exposure to environmental estrogens, including xenoestrogens found in
plastics, and pesticides, as well as meat and dairy products, it is no wonder that hormone-sensitive cancers like breast (as well as
prostate, ovarian, and uterine) cancer have reached epidemic proportions. Research in animals has shown that the correction of
iodine deficiency results in abnormal breast tissue changing back to normal breast tissue. My clinical experience has shown the
same positive results occur with my human patients. This chapter will explore this concept in more detail.
FIBROCYSTIC BREAST DISEASE
Fibrocystic breast disease is a condition whereby the breasts have cysts that are usually painful to touch. Up to two-thirds of
American women suffer from fibrocystic breast disease. In fibrocystic breast disease, the texture of the cysts can vary from softto firm. Many times these cysts can change size and shape during the menstrual cycle, and they can cause discomfort
premenstrually. Although fibrocystic breast disease is generally thought of as a benign condition, there are many physicians who
feel that the abnormal breast architecture found in fibrocystic disease is a precursor for breast cancer, and this has been confirmed
in various studies.
20

21

22
Estrogens have been implicated as a caus


sciousness	is	unreal	at	another
.
If	you	want	to	make	an	angel,	you	must	project	it,	but	to	do	that,	you	must
be	in	a	state	of	consciousness	that	accepts	angels	as	real.	In	India	there’s	a
specific	region	called
Devaloka
,	where	angels	abide,	but	it’s	not	the	same	as
heaven.	Devaloka	is	often	portrayed	like	heaven—a	place	in	the	clouds	where
ethereal	beings	float—but	it’s	understood	that	all	Lokas,	or	other	worlds,	are
layers	of	consciousness.	Therefore	angels	are	part	of	the	whole	self	system.
The	rishis	tell	us	that	any	one	projection	affects	all	the	Koshas.	While	we
are	creating	in	the	material	world,	we	are	affecting	every	level	of
consciousness	and	therefore	every	level	of	creation.	Meaning	is	never
isolated.	Angels	exist	because	they	have	been	projected	in
consciousness
.	Just
as	a	movie	requires	an	image,	a	projector,	and	a	viewer,	so	do	angels.	In	terms
of	Vedanta	three	elements	are	involved:
The	seer	or	observer	is
rishi
.
The	process	of	projecting	is
devata
.
The	thing	projected	is
chhandas
.In	a	movie	house	the	audience	is	the	rishi,	the	machine	run	by	the
projectionist	is	the	devata,	and	the	images	on	the	screen	are	the	chhandas.	It’s
not	so	important	to	remember	these	terms,	but	ancient	sages	hit	upon	a
universal	rule	of	consciousness,	called	three-in-one.	If	you	occupy	any	of
these	roles—seer,	seen,	or	the	process	of	seeing—you	occupy	all	of	them.
These	modest-sounding	words	have	the	potential	to	revolutionize	the	world.
If	you	are	blankly	looking	at	the	world,	it	has	power	over	you,	because
you	are	passive	and	the	world	is	doing	everything	to	you.	If	you	engage	in	a
process—going	through	a	divorce,	driving	to	work,	cooking	a	meal—you	are
a	bit	closer	to	power,	but	the	process	has	its	own	momentum	and	can
overwhelm	you.	If	you	are	the	object	being	seen—a	rich	man,	a	beautiful
woman,	a	preacher,	a	criminal—those	objective	labels	give	you	status	and
meaning,	but	you	have	given	yourself	over	to	others,	the	ones	who	make
labels	and	stick	them	on	people.	Only	in	the	unity	of	all	three	roles	do	we
achieve	our	complete	power	as	creators.
At	the	soul	level	all	three	roles	are	enfolded	into	unity.	That’s	why,
paradoxically,	God	is	the	Creator	and	his	creation.	Once	he	projects	his
creation	outward,	unity	turns	into	diversity.	This	is	Vedanta’s	equivalent	of	the
Big	Bang.	When	the	creator	begins	to	look	at	himself,	instantly	there	is	a
three-in-one	state.	An	observer	(rishi)	beholds	an	object	(chhandas)	through
the	process	of	observation	(devata).	As	soon	as	the	three	emerge,	the	entire
universe	emerges	with	them;	the	matter	dispersed	by	the	Big	Bang	is	only	one
facet	of	an	invisible	mechanism	in
which
	the	creator	suddenly	sees	what’s
possible,	and	in	that	seeing	the	possible	comes	true	in	infinite	variety.	We
shouldn’t	be	surprised	that	the	entire	universe	contains	only	4%	visible	matter
and	energy,	the	remaining	96%	being	so-called	dark	matter	whose	function
seems	to	be	that	it	holds	the	visible	universe	together	in	some	mysterious	way.
The	“Creator”	doesn’t	have	to	be	a	person;	it	can	include	the	invisible	field
from	which	everything	visible	is	organized	and	upheld.
The	three-in-one	state	wouldn’t	matter	if	it	didn’t	affect	everyday	reality,
but	it	does.	Seeing	is	enough	to	create.	The	“observer	effect,”	as	it	is	called	in
physics,	literally	creates	matter:	It	takes	an	observer	to	turn	the	invisible
energy	state	of	an	electron	into	a	specific	particle	located	in	time	and	space.
Before	the	observer	effect	takes	place	there	is	no	electron;	there	is	only	the
possibility	of	one.	Our	eyes	cannot	detect	it,	but	we	are	immersed	in	a	sea	of
possibilities.	Every	possible	electron	that	could	ever	exist	is	here	right	now.
We	pluck	electrons	out	of	the	sea	of	possibilities	simply	by	looking.
Somehow	the	Vedic	rishis	understood	this	astonishing	fact.	How?	Because
they	watched	the	process	firsthand,	not	with	electrons,	but	with	the	rise	and
fall	of	events,	which	are	so	fluid	that	to	them	it	was	no	more	than	a	dream.
Is	this	really	believable?	The	spookiest	thing	about	the	observer	effect	is
that	when	you	see	a	single	electron,	all	other	electrons	are	affected.	Thismakes	sense	only	in	a	universe	where	there	are	no	single	electrons,	only	a
vast,	all-encompassing	web	of	charges,	positions,	spins,	and	points	in—which
is	exactly	the	view	on	which	theoretical	physics	is	converging.	The	Vedic
sages	called	themselves	rishis	(seers)	because	to	them	everything	comes	back
to	the	observer,	the	seer.	Seeing	is	the	ultimate	creative	act.
The	Devata	Effect
The	mystery	of	creation	lies	in	the	gap	between	the	observer	and	the
observed.	Angels	exist	in	this	gap;	they	are	the	processors	of
consciousness
,
and	thus,	to	use	a	biblical	term,	the	servants	of	God.	Devata,	the	Sanskrit
word	for	this	process,	has	its	root	in
deva
,	which	means	angel.	Devas	are
more	than	messengers;	they	are	agents	of	creation.	They	carry	out	the	bidding
of	the	creator,	and	since	the	creator	does	nothing	but	observe,	devas	stand	for
the	active	aspect	of	seeing,	which	is	hidden.	It	would	be	fair	to	say	that
everything	we’ve	ascribed	to	projection	belongs	instead	to	the	devata	effect,
the	ability	of	consciousness	to	turn	invisible	impulses	into	physical	reality.
The	devata	effect	regulates	every	level	of	reality,	and	angels	therefore	appear
in	all	the	Koshas.
In	the
physical	dimension
	angels	appear	as	visitors	and	guides.	They
deliver	messages	from	God	or	offer	help	in	times	of	crisis.
In	the
vital	dimension
	angels	sustain	Nature	by	breathing	life	into
creation.	They	serve	as	builders	of	form;	they	give	each	living	thing	an
essential	connection	to	Nature.
In	the
mental	dimension
	angels	appear	in	visions	and	dreams.	They
embody	the	mind	of	God	and	connect	it	to	our	thoughts.
In	the
ego	dimension
	angels	serve	as	personal	guides	and	guardians.
In	the
dimension	of	bliss
	angels	surround	God	and	praise	Him	constantly.
They	embody	joy	in	its	most	exalted	state.
All	five	levels	share	the	need	for	communication.	The	creative	impulse
must	cascade	from	one	level	to	the	next.	Angels	are	really	symbols	for	how
information	gets	passed	along	and	organized.	The	reality	beneath	the	symbol
is	the	devata	effect.	Let	me	offer	a	concrete	example	that	might	get	us	closer
to	understanding	this	hidden	reality.
I	know	a	woman	who	earns	her	living	from	angels.	Her	name	is	L


 There are beautiful relationships, and they can last forever. In
fact, they can get more and more beautiful all the time. But they are not
samskara relationships—they are not based on the world outside matching
your inner patterns. They are based on unconditional love. Once love is
always flowing freely inside of you, you will be pleased to share it with
another person. Such love is not based on needs or expectations—it’ s based
on pure love wishing to express itself, unconditionally.
How do you reach such a state of unconditional love and well-being?
Instead of trying to get the world to match your blockages, you work on
letting go of the blockages. That’ s the secret of real spiritual growth. That is
the real paradig m shift. If you don’t have the samskaras, nothing will be
blocking your inner energy flow. You will feel love, joy, and inspiration all
the time. If you are willing to experience the moment unfolding in front of
you, you will have the opportunity to be inspired by everything. The simple
fact that things exist will be suf ficient to move you.
You only have two choices: either you devot e your life to getting the
world to match your samskaras,  or you devote your life to letting go of your
samskaras. If you choose the latter, you don’t end up with both a worldly
life and a spiritual life—you end up with one life. Work, meditation retreats,
taking out the garbage, sweeping the floor, driving, showering, they’re all
the same. The same thing is going on in all your activities—you are letting
go of your blockages. It’s equally beneficial to be letting go of your
blockages at work, when you’re  driving the kids to soccer, picking up the
groceries, or doing whatever you’re doing. Every single moment of your
life, you are either naturally enjoying what is or letting go of what’ s keeping
you from  enjoying what is. If you let go of the wants and fears that are
limiting you, you’ll always be okay. Letting go of yourself, instead of
serving yourself, is the real paradigm shift.Chapter 28.
Working with the Heart
We interact with life every wakin g moment of our time on Earth.  If we are
committed to growing spiritually, we must learn to use that interaction to
clear out our blockages. This inevitably returns us to the heart since we store
blockages there. As we’ve discussed, your heart experiences myriad
different emotions and feelin gs based on the sam skaras you have
accumulated. Your inability to handle the breadth of these emotions keeps
you locked in the human predicament of controlling life in order to be okay.
If you wish to break free and live unconditionally, you must learn to clear
out your heart.
The purification  of your heart begins with being grateful that you have
one. Your heart is like an orches tra. Have you ever watched a movie without
the score? It’ s dead. It doesn’ t have any juice to it. When something happens
in your life, the orchestra of your heart begins to play. It adds richness to
your life by playing high notes and low notes that are generally  appropriate
to the events unfolding before you. Your heart is not an obstacle or a
punishment. Your heart is a beautiful gift. Would you rather not have one
and live your life without feelings?
Just as the human mind is something extraordinary that can take you
beyond the limit of your senses, so the human heart is even more
extraordinary. It can play notes  from one end of the spectrum to another.
Your heart can go from absolute  ecstasy to deep pain and sorrow in a matter
of secon ds. It can raise you to heights where you feel like angel wings are
carrying you to heaven, and it can bring you down to your darkest hour.
Your heart is capable of doing all of that, without any effort of your own.
What an amazin g instrument you carry inside of you. The trouble is you’re
not okay with the full range of your heart. You want to control your heart so
it only plays the notes you can handle.Spirituality is about learning to thank your heart for the beautiful
expressions it is creating within you. Unfortunately, you’re going to find out
that you can’t do that all the time. There are vibrations your heart is capable
of making that you’re not willin g to experience. It’s as though you are not
evolved enough to handle the fullness of your heart, so you resist it. Just like
you resist the world when it is not how you want, you resist your heart when
you’re not comfortable with its expressions.
As you expand and grow spirit ually, your range of comfort with the
outside world will become wider and wider, allowing you to handle more of
the moments passing before you. The same is true with your heart. As you
grow spiritually, through honoring your day-to-day experiences, you will
learn to become more comfortab le with your heart. As a child, the first time
you experienced fear or jealousy you might have been overwhelmed and
had difficulty holding yourself together. Over time, you became more
accustomed to these emotions and at least tried to deal with them. Perhaps
the best you could do at first was control your emotions and put on the
outward appeara nce of being okay. Though that’s not necessarily so healthy,
it is better than losing yourself completely and letting emotions overcome
you. If you let an unbridled emotion act out externally, it has the power to
change the course of your life—not usually for the better.
Little by little, as you learn to accept that emotions are a reality  of life,
they will come and go if you let them. This is spiritual evolution. Just as our
bodies have evolved through eons of challenging outer experiences, so our
souls evolve through the fires of inner experiences. It is not that a great
being does not have emotions; it is that they are at peace  with their
emotions. They can handle the various changes their heart goes through. If
somebody you know dies, it’s natural to feel a sense of loss. You’re going to
feel a certain amount of sadness if you cared about the person. That is your
heart expressing itself in harmony with what’ s happenin g. Like an
instrument playing something beautiful, your heart is composing a song of
sadness for you. The trouble is you’re not okay with that. Eventually you
will realize that the emotion itself is not the problem—the problem is you’re
not able to hand le the emotion. We come back to the same place again and
again: Do you want to devote your life to controlling the world so your heart
never feels emotions you can’t handle? Or do you want to devote yourself to
the evolutionary work of becoming comfortable with your heart?Just as we found  with the mind, if you want to work with your heart,
understand why it is the way it is. You may have noticed it can be sensitive,
volatile, and difficult to live with. The heart is this way because you didn’ t
handle the natur al emotions it created, you resisted them, which stored their
energy inside you. Now you’re in trouble. It’s bad enough that you pushed
away thought patterns, but you’ve also pushed away the vibrat ions of your
heart. These blocked energy patterns are making a complete mess of your
heart. The heart has become out of balance, and it has stopped opening
when it needs to express healthy emotions. Let’s say someone does
something that makes you feel fear. There are times when fear is a normal,
healthy reaction to outer events. But you aren’ t able to handle the emotion,
so you suppress it to get it out of your consciousness. Later, you hear
something bad happened to that person. Instead of feeling comp assion, you
feel relieved. Your emotions are no longer in harmony with outer situations,
instead they are releasing the blocked ener gies from your past experiences.
Spiritual growth is about fixing the heart and returning it to a state of
well-being. It should be clear by now that the problem is not outside in the
world; the probl em is your inabi lity to handle your heart’ s full expression of
the world. Learning to handle these expressions is the solution, and it is the
essence of spiritual growth. Feelings of loss or fear or anger in your heart
are just objects of consciousness that Self is experiencing. They cannot
harm you, unless you resist them. They actually make you richer because
you experienced them. Every experien ce makes you a greater person if you
don’t resist it.
Come to peace with the expressions of your heart. It may seem
impossible to be comfortable with emotions that are uncomfortable, but the
truth is you already have experience doing that. Take Shakespeare’ s play
Romeo and Juliet. As a tragedy, it certainly is not fun. Let’s say a
Shakespeare troupe comes through town and performs Romeo and Juliet.
They do such a good job that you cry with a level of relief you’ve hardly
ever felt before. The performance was completely heart-wrenching. What do
you do? You tell all your friends to go see it. You say, “I cried for three days
afterwards. It was unbelievable. It touched my heart so deeply. I’ve never
felt such pure sadness. I want to see it again, and you all should come with
me.” Well, if a tragedy even close to that happened in


 14 percent in Martin’s
surveys who awoke spontaneously. One day, without w arning,they found themselves fully se lf-aware or they eased into th at state
over time but without effort.  We’ve already touched on a  similar
phenomenon i n sudden genius syndrome (see this page ), and
there are rare c ases where people discover suddenly that they have
total recall of everything t hat has happened in their life (a
phenomenon known as “su perior autobiographical memory”).
Such people can get together and chat about things like “W hat was
the best Tuesday in your life?” or recall the theme song to a TV
series that aired only a few times in the seventies.
In all these cas es, a person’s awareness doesn’t accept imp osed
limitations as normal. Under hypnosis, ordinary people can
uncover detailed memories they can’t otherwise retrieve, such as
knowing the number of roseb ushes in a garden from child hood or
how many stairs led to the basement in their parents’ home. Is it
normal to remember or forget? Both, of course. Unfiltered raw
data bombards  us in waves too overwhelming to absorb, so we
selectively forg et and remember. The point of waking up is to
remove some barriers created by memory and other barriers
created by forgetting. Happiness is blocked if you keep
remembering and rehashing old hurts, but just as effective ly if you
forget how happy you once w ere—it’s a matter of perspective. You
can even say th at virtual reality makes us forget to remember who
we really are.
At its most universal, enlightenment is simply expanded self-
awareness. W e go beyond stories, beyond fixed bou ndaries,
beyond the rickety construct  of “I,” and, in doing so, awareness
effortlessly expands. It expands naturally, of its own accord,
because storie s, boundaries, and limitations were artificial to
begin with.T9

T H E  D I R E C T  P A T H
he g uides of humanity who urge us to undergo radical
change use many tactics, including the religious promise of eternal
peace and unbounded happi ness, either here or in the afterlife.
The carrots lure us on, but there’s also the stick—the persistence of
present suffering and fear of more suffering to come. The stick
doesn’t work in getting people to change, because even the
ultimate threat, unending suffering in hellfire and brimstone, can’t
compete with the urges of d esire and the reckless behavior that
follows. The carrot isn’t muc h better. Why should we be lieve in
divine rewards? Anyone can  see that virtue very often is not
rewarded whil e sin is. Soldie rs are told that God is on th eir side,
which gives divine vindicatio n for going to war. But, at the same
time, urging soldiers to wi pe out the enemy contradicts the
teaching that God forbids killing.
When G od is used to justify k illing and condemn it at the same
time, w e are almost too dee p in the spell/dream/illusion to be
rescued. Every religion has tried to make the rewards of salvation,
redemption, enlightenment, waking up, or whatever you want to
call it more e xtravagant. Consider the Parable of the Burning
House, which appears in an a ncient Buddhist scripture, the Lotus
Sutra.A rich man’s house is on fire  and, to his dismay, his children
refuse to leave. They are so absorbed in playing with th eir toys
that the y ignore the flames a ll around them. Frantically, the rich
man gropes for a solution, and one occurs to him. He tells his
children that waiting outside  the house are even better toys. Their
fondest wish was for a pretty goat-drawn cart, and one  is right
outside the door. Enticed by their father’s promise, the children
run out of the burning house, and what they find isn’t an ordinary
goat-drawn cart, which would have made them happy, but a far
more splendid reward, a jewe l-encrusted cart pulled by two snow-
white bullocks.
This carrot, like the promise of a heavenly feast prepared by
God with Christ sitting at the head of the table, demonstrates how
far relig ions wi ll go to win adherents. But, for many, these  inflated
promises have  lost their power to inspire devotion. I don ’t think
modern secular people are less faithful—they’ve simply shifted
their faith from religion to science. The spell/dream/illusion keeps
changing. In prosperous societies, most people live in an u pgraded
illusion filled with the wonders of technology. Why should they
give tha t up? In sheer exasp eration, the great Persian poet Rumi
looks at humanity and pleads, “Why do you stay in prison when
the doo r is wide open!” The honest answer is that we like it  here. It
took enormous creativity t o devise the current state of our
collective dream. But the key isn’t wealth and comfort. At a very
deep level, humans agreed to a life of high drama. The drama is
driven by the warring opposites of pain and pleasure, desire and
repulsion, good and evil, light and darkness, us versus them, my
God against your God, and so on.
There’s no sign that the drama will ever end. The direst threats,
like global climate change, only exacerbate it. As for new carrots, I
doubt t hat waking up can compete with going to Heaven or
finding a jewel-encrusted ca rt. There has to be a way t o reach
metahuman th at isn’t either c arrot or stick. Such a way does exist;
it’s known as the “direct pat h.” It offers no punishment and no
reward. What else is there? W holeness. This answer doesn’t seem
very enticing at first. We’re too used to the system of rewards and
punishments meted out by the war of opposites. But wholeness is
healing—it overcomes the wounds of separation and the dividedself. Wholenes s is unshakable and eternal. It is the only th ing that
no one and nothing can take away from you, not even death.
I don’t want to make these things seem like another set of
rewards. The direct path isn’t a sneaky tactic for dressing up
Heaven in a new costume. Reality is whole already, needing no
human beings to validate it. Wholeness is totally real. The direct
path ex ists to show the way t o the same reality. If it succeeds, the
outcome will be unpredictable. Reality is confronted here and
now, in  the midst of constant change. The here and now can’t be
pictured or described. But  by ending the war of opposites,
wholeness erases a false reality—no reward we can possibly
imagine compares with this.
The dir ect path, also known as the direct method, aims to shift
a perso n’s sense of self. Inst ead of “I am X,” which forces us to
identify with bits and pieces  of experience, we become content
with “I am.” Th is is more than a semantic twist. “I am” means that
you identify with existence, and because existence contains the
infinite potential of consciousness, so do you. The shift to  “I am”
involves every aspect of life, and this poses a potential problem.
Which aspect should we confront first—the body, the mind, the
brain, psychology, relationships, beliefs, or habits a nd old
conditioning? It’s not clear that any of these should be given top
priority, or confronted at all.
The direct path doesn’t ask us to think about our prob lems
intellectually o r to analyze the prospects for inner change. In fact,
the direct path bypasses all o rdinary ways of seeing and thinking
about ourselve s. These are w hat got us into trouble to begin with.
Ordinary ways of seeing and t hinking are totally adapted to virtual
reality. A different way must be found.
In m y e xperience, direct  is a tricky wor d. It implies s omething
that happens immediately, but going to college for four years is the
direct way to get a bachelor’s degree, and four years isn’t
immediate. Direct  a lso implies something easy, efficient, without
obstacles. This  applies, for example, when a package is delivered
directly  to your house. You don’t h ave to go to the trouble and
expense of driving to the ma nufacturer to get whatever is inside
the pac kage. B ut a Sherpa leading a trek to the top of Mt. Everestis exact ly the opposite—the path might be direct, but it is arduous
and full of obstacles.
The origins of the direct path can be traced back to Vedic India
and ancient Greece, where the issue of waking up was fully
discussed. Many answers an d many ways to reach the goal were
devised. A detailed survey of  all these paths would lead to more
confusion than ever, becaus e disagreements among the  various
approaches abound. There ha ve been dreams of shortcuts, such as
accepting Christ as the Son of God, a single decision that rede


	by	selecting	organically	produced	meat,	poultry,
eggs	and	wild	fish	from	relatively	nonpolluted	deep-water	ocean	areas	rather
than	those	harvested	from	polluted	coastal	areas	or	farmed.
Selecting	organically	produced	animal	products	almost	certainly	requires	a
trip	to	a	well-stocked,	reputable	health	food	store.	The	foods	are	more	expensive,
but	the	extra	money	buys	protection	from	toxins,	as	well	as	contributes	to	better
nutrition	and	a	more	environmentally	responsible	method	of	farming.
Health	is	a	choice.	You	can	pay	now	for	good	food,	or	pay	later	for	doctors
and	hospitals.	If	you	cannot	find	ideal	foods,	however,	often	you	can	make	better
choices;	if	you	cannot	find	high-quality	(organic)	animal	products,	then
minimize	your	consumption.	Remember	that	the	overwhelming	majority	of	our
toxic	pesticide	exposure	is	from	nonorganic	animal	products	such	as	poultry,
meat,	eggs	and	milk	products.
I	do	not	recommend	a	totally	vegetarian	or	vegan	diet,	because	both	lack
essential	nutrients;	however,	a	primarily	vegetarian	diet	is	desirable.	An	organic
vegetarian	diet	is	the	simplest	and	easiest	way	to	minimize	toxins	and	maximize
your	nutrient	intake.	When	you	eat	animal	products,	select	free-ranging,	organic
animal	products	whenever	possible.
Anticipating	Food	Invaders
Toward	the	end	of	our	shopping	trip,	I	shared	a	fundamental	yet	largely
unrecognized	food	shopping	concept.
Selecting	nontoxic	foods	means	selecting
foods	that	are	not	contaminated	with	bacteria	and	molds,
which	produce	toxins.
When	bacteria	and	molds	contaminate	our	foods,	they	damage	our	health.	As
part	of	their	normal	metabolism,	bacteria	produce	toxins	that	place	a	burden	on
the	immune	system	and	contribute	to	toxic	overload,	disease	and	even	death.	The
most	serious	cases	of	bacterial	food	poisoning	can	result	in	death,	such	as	the
toxins	produced	by	the
Clostridium	botulinum,
the	botulism	bacteria	(foundmainly	in	improperly	canned	foods),	the
E.	coli
bacterium	(found	in	improperly
handled	meat	and	a	variety	of	other	foods)	and	others,	including	the	most
common	contaminations	from	staphylococcal	and	salmonella.	Death	from	these
infective	pathogens	is	rare,	but	quite	common	is	the	exposure	to	low	levels	of
bacterial	toxins	present	in	foods,	particularly	animal	products.	Always	smell
meat,	fish	and	poultry.	A	rank,	fishy	or	rotten	scent	means	that	the	product	is	too
old	or	has	not	been	properly	stored;	bacteria	are	growing	and	producing	toxins,
and	the	oils	are	rancid	and	toxic.	Never	eat	such	foods.
Commercial	milk	products	are	contaminated	with	bacteria.	Government
regulations	state	that	after	pasteurization	milk	should	contain	no	more	than
20,000	bacteria	per	milliliter.	Out	of	twenty-five	milk	samples	analyzed	by
Consumer	Reports,
seven	samples	had	in	excess	of	130,000	bacteria	per
milliliter;	one	sample	had	almost	3,000,000;	and	other	samples	had	too	many
bacteria	to	count!	When	you	consider	the	toxins	produced	by	these	bacteria,
combined	with	the	toxins	already	present	from	agricultural	and	industrial
sources,	why	would	anyone	still	believe	cow	milk	is	good	for	infants	and
children?
Cynthia	and	Tom	were	familiar	with	the	problems	of	bacterial	contamination,
but	they,	like	most	people,	had	almost	no	knowledge	of	the	problems	with	mold.
Not	that	mold	problems	are	new:	Stories	from	the	Middle	Ages	tell	of	whole
villages	racing	around	in	hallucinogenic	madness	after	being	poisoned	by	a	type
of	mold,	ergot,	that	grows	on	rye.	Ergot	produces	a	neurotoxin	that	poisons	the
brain	and	central	nervous	system.	These	sick	people	would	sometimes	go	to	a
local	monastery	where	the	monks	would	take	them	in	and	pray	for	them—and
they	would	be	cured!	How?	The	monasteries	were	built	on	better	land	at	the	tops
of	hills,	whereas	the	farmers	lived	in	the	lowlands.	When	the	monks	harvested
their	grain	on	the	hills,	it	was	drier	than	the	farmers’	grain	in	the	wet	lowlands,
hence	less	moldy.	When	the	sick	farmers	ate	uncontaminated	grains,	they
became	well.	The	bizarre	behavior	of	children	in	Salem,	thought	to	be
witchcraft,	now	is	thought	to	have	been	cause	by	ergotism.	Although	we	do	not
run	around	in	hallucinogenic	madness	today,	at	least	not	from	food	mold,	the
problem	of	mold	in	the	food	supply	persists.
Molds	can	develop	if	crops	are	moist	when	harvested	or	stored.	Food	often
spends	weeks	in	the	distribution	process	and	becomes	moldy	by	the	time	it
reaches	the	store,	even	if	it	was	not	contaminated	when	harvested.	Food	has
further	opportunity	to	mold	in	your	kitchen.	Fresh,	living	plants	protect
themselves	from	mold	growth	(just	as	we	humans	have	an	immune	system	to
protect	ourselves	from	disease),	but	as	food	ages	and	dies,	molds	grow.	Peopleeat	these	moldy	foods	(especially	when	the	mold	is	not	visible),	unaware	of	the
toxic	loads	they	put	on	their	bodies.	Worse,	many	people	have	become	allergic
to	molds,	causing	not	only	a	toxic	exposure	but	also	a	toxic	allergic	reaction.	In
fact,	people	allergic	to	molds	are	often	fine	when	they	eat	a	freshly	harvested
berry	or	grape	but	suffer	an	allergic	reaction	when	eating	the	same	foods
purchased	in	a	grocery	store.	If	you	believe	that	a	food	is	moldy,	do	not	smell	it.
Inhaled	mold	causes	serious	health	problems.	Wrap	the	suspect	food	and	dispose
of	it	carefully.
Mycotoxins	(toxins	produced	by	molds)	can	injure	and	kill	cells,	and	they	are
known	causes	of	cancer,	especially	liver	cancer.	Because	knowing	the	level	of
mold	contamination	in	a	particular	food	is	difficult,	the	best	approach	is	to	avoid
or	minimize	consumption	of	foods	prone	to	becoming	moldy,	such	as	corn,	nuts,
grapes,	raisins	and	all	dried	fruits,	berries,	beer	and	other	fermented	foods,	and
cheeses.	Bottled	apple	juice	frequently	is	moldy.	Apple	juice	drinkers	are	so
accustomed	to	its	taste	that	they	fail	to	recognize	the	presence	of	this	toxin.
If	you	bite	into	a	nut	and	it	tastes	bad,	spit	it	out.	It	is	toxic.	If	there	is	any
visible	mold	on	any	part	of	a	food,	throw	the	entire	food	away.	Don’t	just	cut	off
the	mold.	When	a	mold	infection	takes	place,	foods	naturally	protect	themselves
by	producing	antimold	toxins	that	are	also	toxic	to	you.	Antimold	toxins	are
produced


 is sufficient to control wide-spread
tooth decay when used with a diet that is low in sugar and starches and high in foods providing the
minerals, particularly phosphorus. A teaspoonful a day divided between two or three meals is
usually adequate to prevent dental caries and maintain a high immunity; it will also maintain freedom
from colds and a high level of health in general. This reinforcement of the fat-soluble vitamins to a
menu that is low in starches and sugars, together with the use of bread and cereal grains freshly
ground to retain the full content of the embryo or germ, and with milk for growing children and for
many adults, and the liberal use of sea foods and organs of animals, produced the result described.
   I have previously reported (3) seventeen cases of extensive dental caries. In these patients there
were found 237 open cavities of apparently active caries. Most of the individuals were between
twelve and twenty years of age and accordingly had twenty-eight permanent teeth each, or a total
of 476. It will be noted that if one cavity is allowed per tooth, approximately half of the total
number of teeth were affected, or precisely 49.7 per cent of all the teeth had open cavities. This
group includes only persons of whom I have been making critical examination every six to twelve
months over a three-year period. In practically all cases, Roentgen-ray examinations were made in
addition to clinical examinations of the teeth. While these persons have been on the reinforced7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 178/250nutritional program during the winter and spring months of the past three years, only two new
cavities have developed in the group, or 0.4 per cent. The length of time during which the cavities
previously found had been developing is not known beyond the fact that all of the patients were
receiving frequent and thorough dental service, most of them twice a year and many of them more
frequently. It is accordingly probable that the cavities found had developed in less than a year. That
dental caries was not a new problem with these persons was indicated by the very extensive and
numerous dental restorations that had been made in their mouths. It is, therefore, apparent that 250
times as many cavities developed in the period preceding the starting of the nutritional program as
in the three years following its adoption. If these data were reduced to a yearly basis, the
comparison would show a much wider variation.
   In a group of fifty persons, including the above mentioned seventeen, who had been on the
special nutritional program for from one to six years, most of them three years or more, only two
new cavities developed. Allowing these persons to have an average of twenty-eight teeth per
person, or a total of 1,400 teeth, this would represent an incidence of dental caries in a period of
three years of 0.14 per cent. In this group of fifty, there are many instructive and striking cases.
   For example, H. F. did not have a single cavity from October, 1932, to June, 1933, while taking
additional vitamins and high mineral foods. From June, 1933, to May, 1934, while not taking the
special vitamins, she developed ten new cavities.
   S. K., prior to 1931 had rampant tooth decay with pulps nearly exposed in all first permanent
molars. The remaining deciduous teeth had been reduced to shells. She was on the special
nutritional program from December, 1931, to June, 1932, during which time caries was completely
arrested. She discontinued taking special oil in June, 1932, and did not take it again until October,
1933, during most of which time she was taking viosterol under a physician's prescription to
prevent dental caries. She came in October, 1933, with fourteen new cavities. She was
immediately placed again on the special program, from October, 1933, to May, 1934. During this
period, the dental caries was completely under control. During the time that she was not on the
special program, there developed on many of the surfaces of the permanent teeth white patches of
decalcifying enamel. Under the reinforced nutritional program, these largely disappeared, and those
that did not regain their translucency turned dark.
   Among the group of seventeen J. H., sent in from another city, had thirty-eight open cavities in
June, 193 1. In addition to active caries, he had quite disturbing heart symptoms, which curtailed
his activity, and he also had a marked sense of lassitude and weariness. He has been on the
reinforced nutritional program during the fall, winter and spring of each year since that time. During
this time, he has not developed a single new cavity. The density of all the teeth has progressively
improved as evidenced by Roentgen-ray records. His physical condition has been greatly
improved so that he is able to carry on his college activities and heavy outside work to earn money
to maintain his college expenses. He is not conscious of a heart limitation. When asked what the
principal change was that he had noticed, he said that in addition to not feeling tired, he was more
rested with six hours' sleep than formerly with ten hours'.
   A. W. had thirty-two new cavities in the two years previous to beginning the special nutritional
reinforcement. She continued this regularly during the winter and spring months for three years and
has not had a single new cavity since that time.
   In a group of children whose mothers had the special nutritional reinforcement during gestation
and lactation and who had been provided with the same dietary adjuncts during the winter and
spring months of infancy and early childhood, not a single carious cavity has developed. A number
of these children are now in public schools. Their physical development is distinctly above that of
the average children of their age, as is also their efficiency in school work.
   It is important that I emphasize here some dangers that are not usually recognized or properly
emphasized in the literature. When fish oils including cod liver oils are given in too large doses to
some patients they experience quite definite symptoms of depression. The available evidence7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 179/250indicates that fish oils that have been exposed to the air may develop toxic substances. My work
and that of others with experimental animals has demonstrated that paralysis can be produced
readily by over-dosing. Serious structural damage can be done to hearts and kidneys. I have
reported this in considerable detail. (4) My investigations have shown that when a high vitamin
natural cod liver oil is used in conjunction with a high vitamin butter oil the mixture is much more
efficient than either alone.4 This makes it possible to use very small doses. Except in the late stages
of pregnancy I do not prescribe more than half a teaspoonful with each of three meals a day. This
procedure appears to obviate completely the undesirable effects. As stated elsewhere fish oils
should be stored in small containers to avoid exposure to the air. Rancid fats and oils destroy
vitamins A and E, (5)  the former in the stomach. (6)
    I am frequently reminded that ancient skulls are often found with extensive dental caries thus
disproving that the primitive groups were more free from dental caries than the modern groups. It
must be kept in mind that the fundamental laws of Nature have been in operation as long as
animals and men have been on the earth. In my investigations among primitive races, I have been
concerned particularly with the study of changes that have taken place both in immunity to dental
caries and in the environment, including the foods used. It has been important that I find large
groups with relatively high immunity to dental caries to be used as controls. There is great need,
accordingly, that additional data be provided. Fortunately, this need is being met. There have just
come to my desk two interesting reports; one, from Dr. Arne Hoygaard (7)  and the other from Dr.
P. O. Pedersen. (8) These two distinguished scientists have spent a year in East Greenland among
the Eskimos in that very barren and isolated region. The percentage of teeth found attacked by
dental caries among the isolated Eskimos of East Greenland is exceedingly low, less than 1 per
cent. Where the Eskimos were in contact with modernized store foods at the port, tooth decay
was active. The conditions which they have found were apparently not quite so favorable as in the
groups I studied in Alaska. The Greenland Eskimos apparently are living in a more difficult
environment. The data provided by these investigations are in accord with the data I have obtained
among isolated Eskimos and other primitive racial stocks. Eastern Greenland, by international
agreement, is administered by the Danish Government and no one is permitted even to visit the
coast of Greenland without special permission. This permission is very difficult to obtain. Even
Danish citizens are not free to travel there. We are, accordingly, very grateful to Dr. Hoygaard and
Dr. Pedersen for their contribution from studies made in that protected field. We shall look
forward with interest to their detailed reports.
   Unfortunately, the public is very much at sea because of the extravagant claims that are made for
many of the products advertised over the radio, in journals


 texts have specified which ragas are
appropriate for morning, noon, evening, and other times of day. When Vata
is arouse d to a peak by the busyness of work at four o’clock in the afternoon,
for exam ple, music can begin the transition toward the more relaxed
functioning of early evening. When properly played, certain melodies are
said to have universal effects. Our bodies are responding with changes that
mirror the varying rhythms of nature.
It is not just your pulse that calms down in the evening, after all; every
plant and animal reacts according to its own evening cycles, too. Vedic
music therapy embodies the fundamental vibrations that pulsate through
nature at every moment.
USING MUSIC THERAPY
Music therapy forms a standard part of the programs at our Center. For
home use, a set of tapes or comp act discs can be ordered on the Internet (see
p. 378) and played in segments throughout the day. If you are having
difficulty gettin g energized in the morning, invigorating music can beplayed. If you are having trouble turning down your mental activity at night,
soothing sounds can be helpful. We have found both classical
Indian music and contemporary  adaptations to be very helpful  in restoring
mind body balance.
Just as the turning point from season to season makes your doshas
especially vulnerable to imbalance (causing spring colds and late-summer
allergies), your body is also sensitive to different times of the day. Bodily
functions all have peaks at certain hours and troughs at others. Music
therapy balances these into one continuous stream of rising and falling
activity, elimina ting extreme swings and rough transitions. If you try to go to
sleep but can’t because your mind is still racing with unfinished business
from the day, you are witnessin g the absence of a smooth transition. This is
what music therapy can correct.You can benefit from ten minutes of music therapy:
As a gentle wakeup in the morning
After a meal to settle digestion
Just before bedtime as an aid to sleep
During the recovery period when you are sick
The best way to listen is by sitting still with your eyes closed. Let your
attention stay easily on the melody. If your mind wanders, bring it gently
back to the musi c. When you are ready to get up, turn off the tape and sit for
a minute or two in silence.
If you are tryin g to lose weig ht, listening to five minutes of Kapha
balancing music several times daily will help increase your metabolism. If
you are having trouble with irritability or heartburn, try listening to Pitta
calming music. Whenever you are feeling anxious or worried, allowing your
attention to stay easily and comfortably with Vata balancing music helps
settle this turbulent dosha.
Find music that resonates with your nature. It can be classical Western
music, traditio nal Indian ragas, Australian aboriginal rhythms, or
contemporary instrumentals. Find the vibrations that are most nourishing to
you and tune in to the effects the sounds have on your physiology. If you feel
pleasantly refreshed, light, and alert, the music is working.
OceanofPDF.comCHAPTER 8
FREEDOM FROM ADDICTIONS
Looked at starkly, our society is becoming more addicted every  year. High-
tech medicine, public campaigns  to “Just Say No,” and a multib illion-dollar
rehabilitation industry have not solved this crushing social problem. For
every encouraging trend, there seems to be a discouraging backlash. The
overall rate of cigarette smoking has declined by about 15 percent from its
height in 1960, but over 50 million Americans continue to smoke, and
selected groups, especially teenage girls and working-class males, are
smoking in record numbers. (As a result, female cases of lung cancer
continue to rise.) It is estimated that 70 percent of cigarette smokers who
begin as teenagers will continue smoking for forty years.
Alcohol consum ption has switched from hard liquor to beer and wine,
but alcoholism itself has filtere d down to shockingly young ages; many
junior high schools have been forced to run anti-alcohol campaigns.
Alcohol and drug treatment programs exert mighty efforts to keep their
participants free from addiction, but their success is limited. Hard drugs
have proliferated alarmingly, and the connection between drugs  and violent
crime is at an all-time high. Again, young people are becoming involved—
the sale of “crac k” (smokable, synthetic cocaine) by school-age children is
the latest, deeply troubling trend.
ROOTED IN MEMOR Y
The essence of quantum healing is that the memory of perfection cannot
be lost, only covered over. Looking at someone who is addicted to alcohol,
cigarettes, or drugs, it is appare nt that a serious loss of balance is present,
and that clear, healthy messages from the quantum mechanical body are
either extremely distorted or nonexistent. What can Ayurveda do to improvethis situation? First, we explain addictions in a new way, as a distortion of
intelligence existing at a very deep level in the addict.
Instead of arguing over whether  addiction is physical or mental,  acquired
or inher ited, we point out that at the quantum level, all of these influences
merge. What Ayurveda calls smriti, or memory, controls all the choices we
make as biological organisms. In order for a cell to change, it must consult
the blueprint inside itself where all its memories, functions, and tendencies
are stored. If this blueprint is distorted, then a distorted cell will result.
One of my most vivid memorie s is of Walter, a young black man who
was raised in the slums of South Boston, mostly in the streets. He dropped
out of school at 16 and joined the army the day he turned 18. Shipped to
Vietnam, he saw active combat and emer ged without being wounded, but
when he returne d home two years later, he was addicted to heroin, which
many soldiers had used to make the war less traumatic. Unlike most
soldiers, howeve r, Walter did not have a good reason to kick his habit when
he got home. Eventually the police caught up with him, and under court
orders he became a patient at the local Veterans Administration hospital.
At the outset, the doctors’  main concern with Walter was simply to
detoxify him. Normally, he would have received little extra attention
afterward. But while he was recovering, I began to visit him as a staff
doctor at the facility. It was clear to me that Walter was an unusual case.
Despite his desperate situatio n, Walter had retained hope and was
courageously willing to fight his habit. He progressed rapidly under
treatment, and a year after his detoxification he was holding down a steady
job and talking eagerly about his future dreams and plans.
This future never materialized. One day Walter’s car broke down, forcing
him to take the subway to work, which he hadn’ t done in several months.
He boarded a train to Dorch ester, an antiquated line with decrepit,
screeching equip ment. Walter was bothered by the loud noise and couldn’ t
manage to ignore it. It was a sweltering July day, and the fan was broken.
Within a few minutes of being shut up in the stifling car, he found the train
unbearable. In a matter of minutes he was extremely agitated,  and by thetime he got off, he was complet ely irrational. Nothing Walter did made his
agitation subside. The next day, when he was brought back to the hospital,
he was hooked on heroin worse  than before. This time, he had no will to
recover.
My notes read: “What happened to this man? A chemical explanation for
the train incident is not sufficient. I keep thinking of him wearing his
pinstriped business suit, confidently outfitted for a new life, but then having
to step onto the train that he rode when he was troubled and addicted. In
some treacherous twist of memory, the past came back, and with it came his
craving. Where did the craving hide out for a year before it returned? The
cells in everyone’ s body come and go, but their disappearance is not enough
to break  the spell that has the addict in its grip. In some way that medicine
is just beginning to unravel, a cell’s memory is able to outlive the cell
itself.”
If this is true, then one has to change the blueprint in memory to rid
oneself of the addiction. It is not enough just to remove the physical toxins
from the cells, to counsel the addicted person, or to try to teach him
different behavi or patterns. These steps are worth pursuing for their own
sake, but the addiction is ultimately rooted in memory, and there  is where it
must be uprooted.
A HANDS-OFF  CURE
As it stands now, typical programs for treating addicted people employ
highly confrontational tactics, emphasizing the need for constant vigilance
to guard  against the possible return of the all-powerful habit. “The monkey
is on your back,” the addict is told, “and he’ll be there for the rest of your
life.” The rationale for this insistence is that compulsive addicts will never
be cured until they are turned into compulsive abstainers.
In Ayurveda our emphasis is exactly the opposite. The cornerstone of our
addiction program is that the addict will give up his habit automatically
when offered a greater


	correct	energy	and	beauty	issues	that	have	plagued	you	for
years.	This	shift	in	your	overall	way	of	eating	can	provide	these	benefits:
•
Circulate	more	healing	oxygen	in	your	body
•
Increase	nutrient	absorption
•
Shift	from	sallow	to	radiant	skin
•
Transition	from	limp	to	thick	hair
•
Create	boundless	energy
Some	foods,	such	as	quinoa	and	almonds,	are	slightly	alkalizing	or	acid
forming	(depending	on	various	factors	such	as	whether	or	not	they’ve	been
soaked),	but	they	are	not	highly	acid	forming	like	other	foods,	so	even	in	their
most	acidic	form	it’s	okay	to	include	them	in	the	80	percent.	It’s	important	that
the	bulk	of	your	diet	be	made	of	the	most	alkalizing	foods,	namely	fruits	and
veggies.	The	other	20	percent	of	your	diet	can	be	made	up	of	acid-forming
foods.	Unfortunately,	the	typical	Western	diet	is	largely
acidogenic
,	meaning	it
has	an	overall	acidifying	effect	on	the	body	that	promotes	chronic	acidosis	and
results	in	the	loss	of	minerals	in	the	body,	which	are	used	to	buffer	against
metabolic	acids.Remember	that	your	body	has	complex	mechanisms	for	maintaining	the
correct	acid/alkaline	balance.	We	are	talking	about	potential	imbalances	that
diet	may	be	able	to	correct—you	alone	are	the	judge	of	the	benefits	you	see	when
moving	toward	a	more	alkaline	diet.	If	you	stick	to	about	20	percent	(or	less)
acid-forming	foods,	the	acids	will	be	balanced	by	the	alkaline	foods	in	your	diet.
So	the	great	news	is	that	you	don’t	have	to	feel	pressured	to	eat	“perfectly”;	you
can	still	allow	for	some	of	these	foods	in	your	diet.	The	problems	occur	when
the	ratio	creeps	out	of	balance,	and	more	than	20	percent	of	your	food	is	highly
acid	forming.	This	is	unfortunately	the	case	for	most	Westerners	or	anyone
consuming	a	modern	Western	diet.	Just	look	around.	Chronic	fatigue,	a	“tired”
face,	poor	skin	quality,	and	cloudy	eyes	all	indicate	that	a	person’s	body	is
overly	acidic.
Once	you	know	which	foods	are	alkaline	and	which	are	acidic,	it’s	easier	than
you	may	think	to	implement	this	ratio	(see	some	sample	meal	plans	in
Pillar	5
).
Remember,	this	doesn’t	mean	that	you	can	never	eat	any	acidic	foods	again	or
that	you	have	to	become	a	vegan	if	you	don’t	want	to	at	this	time.	However,
animal	protein	is	by	nature	highly	acidic,	so	if	and	when	you	choose	to	eat
it,
make	sure	it’s	a	smaller	portion	size	compared	with	the	alkaline	fruits	and
veggies	on	your	plate.
Strive	to	apply	this	important	Radical	Beauty	ratio	in	a	broad	sense	to	each
plate	of	food	you	eat,	and	to	your	overall	daily	and	weekly	food	consumption.
Also	try	to	avoid	eating	any	meals	or	snacks	that	are	composed	of	100	percent
acid-forming	foods;	seek	balance	every	time	you	eat.	It’s	not	quite	as	effective
for	balancing	your	pH	if	some	of	your	meals	are	very	alkaline	and	others	are
completely	acidic.	For	instance,	a	few	eggs	on	their	own	are	a	very	acid-forming
meal	that	has	a	very	different	impact	on	your	entire	system	than	one	egg	on	top
of	a	big	green	salad.	If	there	are	at	least	some	alkaline-forming	foods	present
each	time	you	eat,	your	body	will	be	able	to	more	efficiently	buffer	the	acids
that	are	produced	as	your	meals	are	digested	and	metabolized.	This	can	prevent
further	acidity	and	help	your	body	expel	any	acidic	toxins	that	have	already
accumulated.
Eighty	percent	of	the	foods	you	consume	should	be	of	varying	levels	of
alkalinity,	emphasizing	foods	from	this	list:
•
Green	vegetables
•
Root	vegetables	(winter	squash,	yams,	turnips,	sweet	potatoes,	etc.)
•
All	other	veggies
•
Fruit•
Gluten-free	grains	(quinoa,	brown	rice,	and	steel-cut	oats	from	a	gluten-free
facility	are	great	options),	soaked	overnight	(These	options	are	slightly	more
acidic	than	others	on	this	list,	but	compared	with	the	very	acidic	foods	listed
below,	they	are	great	grounding,	filling	options.)
•
Herbs	(parsley,	cilantro,	basil,	etc.)
•
Sprouts
•
Raw	apple-cider	vinegar
•
Seeds	(especially	chia)
•
Nuts,	especially	almonds	and	walnuts	(ideally	soaked	overnight)
•
Ginger,	turmeric,	and	other	roots	that	can	act	as	spices	in	food
•
Legumes,	such	as	lentils	(in	moderation	and	ideally	soaked	overnight)
•
Spices	(paprika,	cumin,	etc.)
Twenty	percent	(or	less)	of	the
foods	you	consume	should	come	from	these
highly	acid-forming	sources:
•
Red	meat
•
Poultry
•
Fish
•
Dairy	(in	all	forms,	including	yogurt)
•
Eggs
•
Coffee
•
Alcohol	(minimize	as	much	as	possible)
•
Processed	foods	(minimize	as	much	as	possible);	this	includes	anything
packaged,	from	protein	bars	to	chips.	You	can	occasionally	enjoy	such	foods,
but	remember	that	they	do	fall	in	the	20	percent	group.	Of	course,
junk
foods	like	candy	bars	and	Twinkies	should	be	avoided	altogether	(see	our	no
-
no	list	below).
An	easy	way	to	work	toward	this	balance	is	to	ensure	that	most	of	your	grocery
cart	is	filled	with	whole	foods,	mostly	from	the	outer	edges	of	the	grocery	store,
or	the	bulk	bins,	or	whole	plant	foods	from	the	farmer’s	market.	Whole	foods
are	largely	more	alkaline	by	definition	than	ones	that	have	been	processed	and
made	into	commercialized	products.Radical	Beauty	No-Nos
The	following	items	are	too	acid	forming	and	damaging	to	your	beauty	to	ever
consume.	If	you	currently	eat	any	of	these	items,	try	to	wean	yourself	off	them,
go	cold	turkey,	or	do	whatever	you	have	to	do	to	get	these	items	completely	out
of	your	diet	for	the	sake	of	your	beauty	and	health!
ARTIFICIAL	SWEETENERS
Man-made,	synthetic,	toxic,	and	acid	forming,	these	can	lead	to	neurotoxic
effects	in	your	brain	and	cause	headaches,	dizziness,	and	more	problems.	The
term
excitotoxicity
	means	that	such	products	have	the	ability	to	literally	excite
cells	to	death
16
	and	even	encourage	the	production	of	free	radicals	that	create
tissue	and	organ	damage—including	skin	that	ages	faster.
All	artificial
sweeteners	should	be	avoided,	as	well	as	any	products	that
contain	them.	This	includes	aspartame	(found	in
NutraSweet	and
Equal),
sucralose	(found	in
Splenda),	and	saccharin


 determining
systemic condition, tests of blood pressure are valuable, and they should frequently be made during treatment. One of the  salutary
consequences obtained by means of a fast is that blood pressure, like temperature and pulse, is uniformly brought to normal f or the
individual. This is an invariable result whether register be lower or higher than average when treatment begins. B ut the same
notation must again be made that was commented upon when temperature and pulse were under discussion: tabulated average
register cannot be regarded as fixed for differing organisms, since variations both above and below standard occur that cann ot be
attributed in every instance to disease. In this, as in other respects, each individual possesses a norm of his own. It may b e stated,
however, that, when systemic cleansing is accomplished, this norm is usually lower in register than the previous ta bulated
standard. In the matured body, with but little differences noted as age increases, a general normal in blood pressure ranges about
120 for the systolic, with about 80 as the diastolic register. This of course supposes the subject to be subsisting u pon non -
stimulative food material.

CHAPTER IX
DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED IN FASTING

DRUGS CAUSE ORGANIC TROUBLES:
SCIENTISTS QUOTED ON FASTING:
AUTO -INTOXICATION

ONE of the most serious obstacles to general acceptance of the fast as a therapeutic me asure by both the public and the medical
profession is the innate subconscious element of fear engendered by orthodox dicta that nourishment must be supplied lest vit ality
fail. Man must eat, sick or well, "to keep up strength." The degree to which this co nception is fallacious may be gathered from the
text; yet very recently medical science has "discovered" the efficacy of "short fasts" in the treatment of diabetes and in th e
reduction of obesity. Prediction is made that eventually all of the information g athered upon the therapeusis of the fast by those
who, like the author, have devoted years of service to the task, will be adopted and claimed as original by the dominant cult.

It is unfortunate that enthusiasm produced by the beneficial effects of perso nal trial of abstinence from food for the relief of
Page 31 of  72 disease has caused the recipients of these benefits to rush into print, detailing their experiences and advising other suffer ers to go
and do likewise. In greater part the articles and books referred to h ave been written by men incompetent of understanding more
than the mere results obtained in their own individual cases; and the consequences of such ill advised essays into unfamiliar  fields
are obvious. Regardless of the rationale of the method, and ignor ant of the physiological changes that the administration of a fast
involves, other inexperienced hands undertake the treatment without guidance, with the result that in many instances harm to the
patient succeeds, with consequent unmerited adverse criticis m of the method.

In the milder instances of functional illness no possible harm can result when food is omitted for one or for several days, p rovided
the needful aids to elimination are employed. But protracted fasting in the absence of skilful, scientif ic guidance is, as indicated,
fraught with the probability of injury to one who has the temerity to undertake the experience acting upon his own impulse.

If human bodies continued to exist from birth in the usually normal organic condition they then poss ess, the fast applied when
functional disturbance occurs in all probability would proceed to its logical end without difficulty. But, through constant w rong
living, through chronic abuse of the vital processes, through lowered muscular tone and consequent impedence of nerve force, and
through the effects of symptomatic suppression by drug dosage, the average adult acquires defects in organic structure.

In infancy, when functional disease develops, a drug is given for the suppression of the symptom, and vi rtually always
nourishment is supplied. Two errors in treatment are here noted --the administration of a substance reputed to possess properties
that will remedy, that is, suppress, the symptom leaving the cause of the disturbance to take care of itself; an d the ingestion of food
by an organism which, because of disease, is incapable of digesting the same. The results are that in many instances the chil dren
die; in others, functional paralysis of portions of the alimentary tract is caused; in still others, t he resistive powers of the infant are
such as to permit it to survive, despite both dosage and the administration of food. Yet in the latter event harm rather than  benefit
derives, and, since the evil is done during the growing period, retardation of organ ic development occurs, and in future years
disease symptoms arise at the points affected in infancy.

Careful observation of thousands of fasting subjects gives proof that a scientifically conducted fast will result in the corr ection of
all ailments that are functional in cause, but that it can never, either through the effects of itself or of its auxiliaries, wholly
overcome organic defects. However, the fast will do this --it will uncover the condition of the system, and, if defects or deficiencies
exist,  it will cause their nature to be clearly displayed. It is in effect an infallible diagnostic expedient.

One whose organs are functionally equal to the requirements of elimination undergoes a period of abstinence from food with no
severe distressing symp toms. And, when unusual manifestations occur, it is virtually certain that in some degree defects in
organism lie within the body. Post mortem examination of subjects who died while a fast was in progress has given convincing
evidence upon this point, and it has further demonstrated that in these cases death would have happened whether the patient were
fasting or feeding. To this may be added the observation that, because of lessened organic labor, life in the instances refer red to
was for a time prolonged.  But there are cases in whom distressing symptoms appear as results of organic deficiency which has not
yet progressed to an incurable state. These cases may, under proper guidance, hope for relief that may prove permanent.

A drug with regard to its effe cts upon the animal body may be said to be any substance that will influence metabolism --the
continuous process by which living cells undergo chemical change. Hence a drug also influences the functioning of the vital
organs. According to this definition fo ods, even though they be excellent in quality and reasonable in quantity, react as drugs upon
the organism. That is to say, food both influences metabolism and the functioning of the vital organs. But food is not necess arily
poisonous in its effects as are  all substances ordinarily classified as drugs; yet it is easily seen that, if taken in too great quantity, if
not properly combined, if ingested when hunger is absent or when emotion is aroused, or if it be unwholesome in quality, food  will
act as poison upon tissue and upon organic function. In like manner substances formed within the body from the process of tissue
waste may act as do drugs upon living cells. This occurs when elimination is inadequate, and hence arise the auto -toxins, through
the effects  of which systemic resistance, that is, immunity from disease, is reduced, and the way opened for the large group of so -
called infectious maladies.

It cannot be fairly assumed that, upon dissecting a body after death, lesions that are present in any orga n are due solely to previous
drugging. Where two such agencies as disease and drugs have been simultaneously acting upon a living organism, it is difficul t, in
the absence of a standard, to decide whether a specific result is due to one, or to the other, o r to both. But it is a significant fact
that, in every instance of death occurring during a fast as recorded in the writer's experience, each of the subjects, with b ut a single
exception, had been drugged in early life, and that the effects of this dosage upon vital organs and tissue, as shown in arrested
development and in structural change, were precisely such as could and would have been caused by an active poison.
Preponderance of evidence gathered from the findings of these autopsies makes for the pres ence at some period previous to death
of some toxic substance, some active noxious agent, that permanently and harmfully affected tissue structure.

The constant use of drugs to suppress the symptoms of disease in the growing child not only lowers physica l resistance but it also
retards the development of the vital organs, which in some instances suffer permanent deformation. Yet, despite this handicap, the
framework of the body eventually reaches normal adult dimension. The disparity presented by organs i n whole or in part nearly
Page 32 of  72 infantile in size functioning in a body adult in proportion necessarily causes forms of distress that will assuredly end in c hronic
disease, since the undersized organs are not equal to the demands made upon them. The process that  is predominant when a fast is
in progress is that of elimination, and it is easy to understand that, in a body in which, for instance, portions of the inte stinal tract
are under dimension, or in which one or other of the organs of special function is stru cturally imperfect, the labor of ridding the
system of accumulated waste is beyond the ability of the organism perfectly to accomplish. Therefore, to the degree in which
organic defects exist is determined the severity of the struggle with disease. In othe r words, the effort which is being made to east
out from the