 white vinegar or fresh lemon juice
lU teaspoon dry mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste
a little honey to taste
Blend in your food processor for a few seconds: egg, lemon juice (or
vinegar), mustard, salt, pepper and honey. While the machine is running, add the oil in a fine stream. Do not add oil quickly; it should take at least 60
seconds. As mayonnaise thickens, the sound of the machine will deepen.
Suggestions:
Use to thicken gravy: add 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise to about 1 cup of
meat stock and heat gently for about 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Use as a base for tartar sauce by adding lk cup chopped dill pickles
(unsweetened) and lU cup of chopped onion.
Use as mock Hollandaise sauce by adding grated cheddar cheese (if well
tolerated). Spread over vegetables such as cooked cauliflower or broccoli.
Cover and heat in oven.
Mix with home-made yoghurt (1 part mayonnaise, 1 part yoghurt) and
use as salad dressing.
(Recipe courtesy of Elaine Gottschall)
Salsa
4 medium-size tomatoes
half a pepper (green, red, orange or yellow)
1 medium onion (white or red)
1-3 cloves of garlic
dill and parsley
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Put all ingredients into the food processor and chop coarsely. Can be served
with meats and vegetables. You can also use it for cookingmeats. To do that
bring salsa to simmer, add diced meat (beef, pork, lamb or chicken) and 3-4
tablespoons of butter (or goose/duckfat), cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Aubergine dip
2 aubergines (eggplants)
salt
3 medium-size tomatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic
7? cup olive oil
fresh dill or parsley
Cut the aubergines into 1 cm-thick slices, rub well with salt and duck fat. Place
on a baking tray and bake at i5O 0C for 30-40 minutes or until soft. Cool down. In the food processor blend together the baked aubergines, tomatoes,
garlic, herbs and olive oil. Serve with meats and fish and as a dip with
vegetables.
Basic liver pate
wog liver
1 large onion finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
Fry the liver, onion and garlic in ghee (butter, goose or duck fat) until well
cooked through. Blend in a food processor with mayonnaise.
To make variations you can add one of the following when blending:
• l raw tomato
• 4-5 cooked prunes (unsweetened and without stones)
• raw garlic
• greens (dill, parsley, basil)
• raw onion
• peeled, cored and grated apple
2. Salads
Salads should be served when diarrhoea is no longer present.
To increase the nutritional value of your salads it is good to sprinkle
coarsely chopped walnuts or seeds on top. Seeds: sunflower seeds, pump
kin and sesame should be soaked in water over night. It makes them more
nourishing and easier to digest.
Beetroot salad
8 small beetroots
'Is cup of shelled walnuts
2 cloves of garlic
8 dried prunes without stones
mayonnaise
7» teaspoon of salt
Wash the beetroots and cut all tops and ends off. Cook the beetroot by
steaming until a knife goes through easily. Alternatively you can buy*
already cooked beetroots (in water, not in vinegar!). Grate the beetroot through a coarse grater. In the food processor chop together the walnuts,
garlic and prunes. Mix well with the grated beetroot. Add salt, mayonnaise
and mix. Enjoy with meats and vegetables.
Tuna salad
200g canned tuna in its own juice or water
1 large  onion
2 large carrots
2 hard-boiled eggs
mayonnaise
Drain the tuna and mash with a fork. Chop the onion finely. Cook the car
rots. Peel and chop the hard-boiled eggs.
On a flat dish put a layer of tuna (use half the tuna) and top it up with
half of the chopped onion. Cover with mayonnaise. Grate one carrot on top
and cover with mayonnaise. Make a layer of one chopped hard-boiled egg
and cover with mayonnaise. Repeat with the same layers of tuna, onion,
carrot and egg. Decorate on the top with some dill or parsley. Make sure
that every layer is well covered with mayonnaise.
Salad with cabbage and apple
loog of white cabbage
i large apple
'h cup of home-made yoghurt or cremefraiche
1 teaspoon of honey
a pinch of salt
2 table-spoons of raisins
Grate the cabbage. Peel, core and grate the apple. Slightly fry the raisins in
butter to make them soft. Mix honey and salt with yoghurt. Mix all ingredi
ents together.
Salad with tomatoes and cucumber
2 tomatoes
% or a long cucumber
i stick of celery
spring onion
dill or parsley
salt Cut cucumbers into lU cm thick slices. Cut tomato into mouth-size pieces
and slice the celery into small pieces. Sprinkle with salt. Chop the spring
onions, dill and parsley. Mix all ingredients and dress with cold pressed
olive oil.
Russian salad
lh long cucumber
1 large carrot cooked (steamed)
loog cooked meat or sausages (leftovers are good)
1 onion
2 hard-boiled eggs
2 tablespoons of sauerkraut (optional)
fresh dill and/or parsley
'Is teaspoon salt
mayonnaise
yoghurt or cr&mefraiche
Cut cucumber and carrot into small cubes. Cut the meat and/or sausages
into small cubes. Finely chop the onion. Peel and cut the eggs into small
cubes. Finely chop dill and parsley. In a separate pot mix mayonnaise and
yoghurt in equal proportions and add salt Mix all ingredients together.
Carrot salad
i large carrot
i tablespoon of raisins
i tablespoon of coarsely chopped walnuts
yoghurt
Slightly fry the raisins in butter to make them soft. Finely grate the carrot.
Mix the carrot, raisins, walnuts and yoghurt.
3. Soups
I strongly recommend to making your soups based on a home-made meat \
stock. Meat stock aids digestion and has been known for centuries as a!J
healing folk remedy for the digestive tract. Also home-made meat stock is ;
extremely nourishing, it is full of minerals, vitamins, amino-acids andl various other nutrients in a very bio-available form. Do not use commer
cially available soup stock granules or bouillon cubes, they are highly
processed and are full of detrimental ingredients.
Once you have made your meat stock, it can be frozen or it will keep well
in a refrigerator for at least a week. You can make soups, gravies and stews
with this meat stock or warm up a cup of it to give your GAPS patient as a
drink with meals or between meals. If you make sure that you always have
some meat stock in your fridge, you will find that it is very easy and quick to
make nourishing meals for your GAPS child or adult and the rest of the
family.
You need meat and bones to make a good meat stock. Beef, lamb, pork,
game, poultry and fish are all highly suitable and will make stocks with dif
ferent flavours and different nutritional compositions. So, make sure that
you alternate between different meats to provide a whole spectrum of
nourishment. Bones and joints are particularly important as they enrich
the stock with the kind of nourishing substances which meat alone cannot
provide. In fact it can be very inexpensive to make a good quality meat
stock as you use the parts of the animal which butchers usually give away
almost free. The meat and bones can be fresh or frozen and there is no
need to defrost them prior to cooking. Apart from bones and meat all you
need is a large pot full of water and a bit of salt and pepper.
How to make a meat stock
Lamb, pork, beef or game
Put the joints, bones and meat into a large pot, add 5-10 pepper corns, add
salt to taste and fill it up with water. Heat up to a boiling point. Cover the
pan, reduce the heat to a minimum and simmer for 3 hours at least. The
longer you cook the meat and bones, the more they will "give out" to the
stock and the more nourishing the stock will be. Take the bones and meat
out and pour the stock through a sieve into a separate pan to remove any
small bones and pepper corns.
Chicken stock
Put a whole or half a chicken into a large pot, fill it up with water, add salt
and heat it up to boiling point. Simmer for 1V2-2 hours. Take the chicken out
and put the stock through a sieve. Keep in the refrigerator. The chicken,
cooked this way is delicious and can be served for dinner with vegetables


 relating,
creating? What is blocking their expression? What do you need to fulfill yourself? Above all,
what do YOU want to do with your life?” Once these basics have been clarified, it is time to point
out the enormous potential open to the patient, if only he or she will ACT, NOT JUST REACT,
and start making personal decisions. Much can be achieved in a short time. The main tool of the
therapist is his or her personality and calm, reliable presence. Often this is the only solid support
in the patient’s confused, chaotic world. Other tools, such as teaching relaxation techniques,
simple meditation, and creative visualization focused on self-healing, should also be used by
trained counselors or therapists. (see Chapter 25 )
Clearing the First Hurdle
Many patients come to the Gerson therapy as a last resort, after the failure of conventional
medical treatments, which has left them with deep disappointment, loss of trust, and a lot of
severe after-effects. To embark on the Gerson program is for them a final gamble, an end-of-
the-line decision. Others choose the Gerson path at an earlier, less serious stage of their disease,
with fewer irreversible changes in their bodies, but with a poor prognosis. Either way—and this
is the first hurdle to be taken into account—they embark on an unfamiliar treatment, much of
which sounds bizarre at first. Moreover, they are aware of having stepped outside the limits of
orthodox medicine, leaving behind the network of doctors, consultant, hospitals, referrals—an
entire system which has been unable to heal them, yet still carries an aura of great power. Some
may have been rudely dismissed by their physicians, simply for daring to consider an “unproven”
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 170Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comalternative therapy. Others face pressure and doubts from family members and friends who refuse
to accept that a weird-sounding therapy may possibly succeed where modern hi-tech medicine
has failed.
This kind of pressure can be debilitating for the patient, who probably also suffers from some
niggling doubts, and so the next urgent task is to make clear how and why the Gerson Therapy
works. Most people are familiar with the workings of allopathic medicine, where there is a pill for
every ill and you either recover or die, but at least things happen fast. Here, however, the patient
faces two years of unremitting effort, strict discipline and a total change from a so-called normal
lifestyle, all of which sounds pretty scary, especially because there is no guarantee of success at
the other end. This is when the cognitive approach works best. It needs no medical background to
understand why rebuilding the immune system is a better idea than knocking it out with radiation
and a cocktail of poisons, and once the simple but powerful logic of the Gerson program is
grasped, the patient is reassured and willing to proceed as an equal partner and ally of the doctor
or counselor
Help Comes from the Body
One of the most striking results of the Gerson program is the immediate improvement in
the new patient’s general condition. Pain diminishes, appetite begins to return, sleep improves
within the first few days on the program. This in itself boosts the mood of the patient, who over
the preceding months, if not years, had only experienced deterioration in his or her condition
and a fading of hope. Now the opposite has begun to happen, and it immediately changes the
atmosphere. (Visitors to a Gerson clinic are astonished by its relaxed atmosphere and the patients’
good mood—mealtimes are usually loud with laughter—as opposed to the heavy, sad air of the
average cancer hospital). Needless to say, this changed mood and the accompanying sense of
relief also begin to have a helpful effect on the immune system.
However, the healing journey has only just begun, while the need for psychological support
is far from over. The patient is faced with a total change of lifestyle, diet, and daily routine for a
minimum of two years (less in the case of non-malignant conditions). Inevitably it takes a lot of
determination and discipline to stick to the schedule. Equally inevitably after a while boredom
and monotony take their toll: the patient feels restricted and deprived of most social pleasures,
and at times gets sufficiently fed up to want to quit the therapy. When that happens, it is best not
to contradict the patient’s grumbles but, on the contrary, agree that the process is demanding,
restricting and monotonous—and then point out the good results so far, ask tactless questions
such as, “Would you rather have chemotherapy?” or “All right, you quit—and then what?” and
wait for the answer. Above all, remember: this, too, will pass.
Boredom can be relieved by providing relevant reading material, tapes and DVDs. Once
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 171Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comindividuals have got a taste of natural medicine, they are keen to find out more about it. Networking
with other Gerson patients or choosing a fresh hobby or study that can be fitted in between juices,
enemas and meals also works well.
Interim goal-setting is another good way to break up the monotony: what would the patient
want to achieve in one week, one month and three months? The goals have to be realistic and
modest, and celebrated when they are achieved. The ones that did not work out can be re-phrased
or postponed, but not written off as failures.
Problems on the Path
Food can be a tricky issue for some. Many people take to Gerson food at once and enjoy it.
Others do not. When they express their dislike vigorously, or even refuse to eat certain essential
foods, they are driven by their deep emotional attachment to certain kinds of food, however
unhealthy. Normally these are the foods their mother gave them in childhood, when food equaled
love, even if it was low-grade junk. Now, at a fraught time even though these people accept the
rightness of the Gerson diet, on a deep non-rational level they reject it. The answer is to remind
the patient that the food on offer is—literally—medicine, that the diet is not for ever, and that
accepting it now is an essential investment in the future. I have found it helpful to make a contract
with the patient, who undertook to stick to the diet meticulously for two weeks and explore its
varied flavors. As a rule quick improvement followed and extending the contract was easy.
Firmness is needed when patients wish to bend the dietary rules by committing small lapses
or having occasional “treats.” The only answer is no, for what exactly is small, and how often
does an occasional exception occur? Once the rules are broken, the safe boundaries of the therapy
are damaged; the consequences can be serious. Even so, the rules must be enforced with tact and
affection, otherwise we as carers or therapists end up in the role of the over-strict parent, with
“Thou shalt not” written all over us.
Then there is the problem of flare-ups or healing reactions, which can be extremely unpleasant
yet must be welcomed, since they mean that the body is responding to the treatment. The practical
measures for dealing with flare-ups are fully set out elsewhere in this book (see Chapter 16 ). By
way of psychological support the likely symptoms of flare-ups must be explained in advance, so
that the patient doesn’t panic when they set in. Here, too, our calm, reassuring presence is the
best we can offer, especially when physical symptoms are accompanied by behavioral changes.
The body can’t detoxify without causing psychological detoxification as well. Toxins passing
through the central nervous system cause strange reactions and out-of-character behavior—anger,
irritability, violent mood swings, aggression and unfair accusations. The patient’s usual civilized
behavior is swept aside by drives and emotions that have been repressed probably since childhood.
The adult self is temporarily pushed aside by a raging inner child, until it takes over again amid
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 172Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comprofuse apologies. (A client of mine called such incidents “the Gerson Rage,” and as she could
sense when a flare-up was in the offing, she told the family that whatever she would do or say in
the next few hours or days, she still loved them dearly.)
This, too, has to be prepared for and not taken personally. It is part of the process. In whatever
capacity we work with the patient, we remain calm, caring, and unchanged, waiting for the inner
upheaval to pass.
By the time the patient has been restored in body and mind and it comes to the winding down
of the Gerson therapy, the final task is to ensure that the process runs smoothly. Some patients
who used to ask, “Is there life after Gerson?” are now reluctant to let go of the


ine, has the ability to bind to iodine receptors in the body.
However, bromine should be considered a toxic element to the body and needs to be avoided. When bromine binds to iodine
receptors in the thyroid gland, it disrupts normal thyroid functioning. Iodine is utilized by the thyroid to make thyroid hormone.
When bromine replaces iodine, the thyroid hormone produced by the thyroid gland can be brominated rather than iodinated. My
experience has clearly shown that bromine toxicity leads to a plethora of thyroid problems, including autoimmune thyroid illnesses
such as Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s disease as well as hypothyroidism. Since iodine and bromine compete with one another
for absorption and receptor binding, the body can only eliminate bromine if there is sufficient iodine available.
Bromine intoxication (i.e., bromism) has been shown to cause delirium, psychomotor retardation, schizophrenia, and
hallucination.
1
 Subjects who ingest enough bromide feel dull and apathetic and have difficulty concentrating.
2
 Bromide can also
cause severe depression, headaches, and irritability. It is unclear
how much bromide must be absorbed before symptoms of
bromism become apparent. The symptoms of bromide toxicity can be present even with low levels of bromide in the diet.
3
 Keep
in mind, that when the body has insufficient iodine, the toxicity of bromine is accelerated.
Bromine (or its reduced form—bromide) is used as an antibacterial agent for pools and hot tubs. It is still used as a fumigant
for agriculture. Crops sprayed with bromide have been found to have elevated bromide levels.
4
 Bromide is also used as a
fumigant for termites and other pests. In 1981, 6.3 million pounds of bromide were used in California. By 1991, 18.7 million
pounds were used in California.
5
 Toxicity of bromine has been reported from the ingestion of some carbonated drinks (e.g.,
Mountain Dew, AMP Energy Drink, some Gatorade products), which contain brominated vegetable oils.
6
Bromine used to be present in many common over-the-counter medications. It is still used today in many prescription
medicines. Over 150 years ago, bromine was used extensively in medicine as a sedative as well as a remedy for seizures. Due to
the toxicity of bromine, it has been phased out of many medicines. However, bromine still can be found in some medicines
including those that treat asthma, and bowel and bladder dysfunction (see
Table 8
 on next page).
I believe all medicines, as well as foods, that contain bromide need to be avoided. It is lunacy to use bromine in any
form
(either bromine or bromide) as a medicine. Animal studies have shown that bromide intake can adversely affect the accumulation
of iodide in the thyroid and the skin.
7
 Research has also shown that a high bromide intake results in iodide being eliminated from
the thyroid gland and being replaced by bromide.
8
 In addition, animal studies have shown that the ingestion of bromide can cause
hypothyroidism.
9
 When there is iodine deficiency present, the toxicity of bromide is accelerated. Therefore, maintaining adequate
iodine levels is essential when you live in an environment that provides exposure to bromide.

Table 8: Currently Used Bromide-Containing Medications

HOW COMMON IS BROMIDE TOXICITY?
Unfortunately, bromide toxicity is very common. In fact, every patient (over 1,000) that I have tested for bromide levels has
tested in a high range. My clinical experience has continually shown that that there is a direct correlation between how ill a patient
is and how high their bromide levels are. A small study comparing the bromide levels of breast cancer patients with a
control
group without breast cancer showed bromide levels were nearly 2x higher in the breast cancer group (see
page 232
).I checked 32 new patients for their urinary bromide excretion as seen below. These patients were all new to my practice. I
asked them to collect their urine for 24 hours before taking iodine and then repeating the collection the next day after taking a
50mg iodine/iodide load. The figure below shows the average results. Bromide was found to be elevated in every patient tested.

Figure 19: Average Bromide Levels Pre/Post Iodine

There is no known therapeutic value for bromide. Therefore, any level of bromide could possibly cause problems. You can
see, from
Figure 19
, even before the patients took iodine, they were excreting too much bromide. After taking 50mg of
iodine/iodide their bromide excretion increased nearly 50% from the baseline. Ingesting iodine caused the body to excrete larger
amounts of bromide. This small study illustrates the detoxifying effects of iodine. Why are bromide levels so high in so many
people? The next sections will answer this question in more detail.
BROMINE ADDED TO BAKERY PRODUCTS
Bromine is a toxic element and has no place for ingestion in man. Bromine is considered a goitrogen, which is a chemical that
causes a goiter of the thyroid gland. Bromine interferes with iodide uptake and utilization in the thyroid gland.
10

11
 There is no
reason to use bromine in a medication and certainly no reason to use bromine in a common food source.
In the early 1960’s, iodine was used in the manufacturing process of bakery products, including bread, as an anti-caking
agent. One slice of bread contained up to 150μg of iodine, which was the RDA for iodine. In 1965, The National Institute of
Health reported that the average iodine intake from bakery products was 726μg of iodine per day.
12
 Some researchers felt that
this amount of iodine could cause problems with the thyroid gland. Due to the erroneous concern of getting too much iodine from
bakery products, iodine was replaced with bromine in the 1980’s.
13
This was a tremendous mistake. As can be seen from previous chapters, the amount of iodine in the bakery products was not
even close to approaching a toxic level. The replacement of iodine by bromine not only increased the incidence of iodine
deficiency, it also increased the levels of bromine in the
population. This single act of replacing an essential element–iodine–with a
goitrogen–bromine–might be responsible for the rapid decline in iodine levels we have experienced over the last 40 years.
The substitution of bromine for iodine in bakery products is certainly a large part of the declining iodine levels in the United
States. From 1971 until 2000, the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) showed iodine levels have declined 50% in
the United States.
14
 The authors of this study claim, “This reduction may be due, in part, to changes in food production.”
15
 No
doubt, these authors must be referring to the substitution of bromine for iodine.
The effects of iodine on the body have been reviewed in previous chapters. The thyroid gland, the breasts, the salivary
glands, etc., all have iodine receptor sites. The consequence of bromine binding to the iodine receptors in these tissues is
disastrous. In the case of the thyroid gland, thyroid hormone production will be inhibited. The ingestion of bromine in an iodine-
deficient state will further exacerbate thyroid illness.
FLUORIDE
Fluoride, like bromide, is in the family of halogens. For over 50 years, the American Dental Association has advocated the
addition of fluoride to drinking water as a preventative measure against dental caries.
However, there is much evidence to suggest that fluoride added to the water supply is ineffective at preventing caries. A study
in New Zealand found that there was no difference in tooth decay rates between the fluoridated and the non-fluoridated areas.
16
This study has been repeated elsewhere. Many European countries have recognized the fallacy of adding fluoride to the water
supply and have stopped the practice. The fluoridation of the water supply has been based on terrible science and is causing
much more harm than good.
Fluoridation has been linked to dental fluorosis (discoloration of the teeth), hip fractures, bone cancer, lowered intelligence,
kidney toxicity, and other negative effects. There have been no studies which prove that long-term ingested fluoride has any
positive effect.
Fluoride is known to be a toxic agent. Fluoride has been shown to inhibit the ability of the thyroid gland to concentrate iodine.
17
 Fluoride was first reported to cause thyroid problems in 1854 when fluoride was found to be a cause of goiter in dogs.
18Research has shown that fluoride is much more toxic to the body when there is iodine deficiency present.
This concept was illustrated in a study of 288 mice where the mice were fed a diet with varying amounts of iodine and
fluoride. The researchers found that the incidence of goiter (swelling of the thyroid) rose with the increasing intake of fluoride in a
low iodine diet. Furthermore, the scientists found that
fluoride exposure correlated directly to lower iodine uptake by the thyroid
gland in both iodine-sufficient and iodine-deficient diets.
19
 The


	a	vividness	and	clarity
that	shows	you	exactly	what	each	one	meant.	Right	and	wrong	are	also	clearly
revealed,	with	no	excuses	or	rationalizations.	You	become	responsible	for
everything	you	did.As	these	judgments	are	made—they	are	all	self-judgments,	not	divine
edicts—you	find	yourself	in	various	Lokas,	worlds	that	reflect	the	kind	of
reward	or	punishment	that	your	actions	deserve.	A	single	soul	is	not	assigned
to	one	Loka	forever	but	stays	only	as	long	as	Karma	dictates.	During	this
passage,	which	encompasses	worlds	of	pleasure	and	pain,	you	will	learn	about
yourself	and	come	to	your	own	conclusions.	No	external	force	tells	you	what
your	life	meant	or	how	to	proceed	to	the	next	step.	You	may	suffer	in	a	hellish
Loka	for	what	seems	like	eternity,	or	you	could	leave	immediately.	Time	is
purely	subjective,	and	what	you’re	actually	experiencing	is	your	own
awareness	working	out	its	dilemmas	and	conflicts.
Why	am	I	here?	What
makes	me	suffer?	Do	I	deserve	to	suffer?	Is	there	a	way	out?
People	who	are	disconnected	from	themselves	will	be	as	baffled	by	the
afterlife	as	they	are	by	the	present.	For	them,	cause	and	effect	aren’t	clear.
Feelings	of	being	alienated,	alone,	victimized,	tossed	around	by	fate,	out	of
control,	or	abused	by	authority	clash	with	one	another.	In	this	fog	of
confusion	they	cannot	take	responsibility	for	their	own	motivations	and
desires,	and	the	afterlife	may	frighten	or	baffle	them.
Being	disconnected	is	an	illusion	from	the	soul’s	perspective,	and
however	long	it	may	take,	the	person	eventually	prepares	to	leave	the	region
of	Lokas.	Understanding,	symbolized	by	light,	begins	to	dawn.	In	clarity	you
realize	that	“I	am”	is	your	basis,	not	the	things	you	did.	You	no	longer
identify	with	being	a	certain	person;	you	now	identify	with	being	conscious,
and	what	fills	your	mind	is	fresh	possibilities.	The	karma	you	brought	into	the
last	lifetime	has	been	exhausted,	and	fresh	seeds	of	karma	are	ready	to	sprout.
Being	reborn	enters	your	mind	gradually.	For	a	long	period	(speaking
subjectively)	you	experience	bliss,	or	Ananda;	you	have	gained	pure	being,
which	brings	its	own	fulfillment	regardless	of	any	karma,	good	or	bad.	You
find	yourself	in	the	same	gap	as	the	one	between	two	thoughts,	only	this	time
you	are	aware	of	uncountable	possibilities	from	which	to	choose.	How	do	you
choose	the	next	life?	Through	the	same	process	as	choosing	the	next	thought.
We	do	this	all	the	time,	yet	we	don’t	know	how	we	do	it;	the	next	thought
emerges	from	the	gap,	the	purely	unknown.
You	will	witness	as	the	dream	of	a	new	identity	begins	to	clothe	you,	and
you	will	fall	into	your	next	life	in	complete	surrender	to	past	actions	that	you
still	know	almost	nothing	about.	But	all	of	us	can	take	a	more	active	role	in
how	we	reincarnate.	In	the	gap,	when	every	possibility	confronts	us,	choice
lies	among	those	possibilities.	The	elaborate	rituals	in	the	Tibetan	Book	of	the
Dead	aren’t	designed	to	get	a	kind	person	to	a	nice	heaven	and	a	better	next
lifetime.	They	are	designed	to	make	freedom	of	choice	real,	to	bring	the
person	fully	aware	into	the	gap	so	that	karma	can	be	shaped,	controlled,	or
even	fully	resolved.Freeing	Yourself
What	will	it	be	like	to	find	yourself	in	the	gap?	I’d	like	to	answer	that	from
personal	experience.	A	year	ago	I	was	sitting	on	an	airplane	in	a	bewildered
state	of	mind.	During	a	short	layover	in	the	Midwest	I	found	myself	without
something	to	read.	I’d	looked	over	the	airport	newsstand,	but	nothing	on	the
racks	appealed	to	me.	When	I	boarded	my	next	flight,	intending	to	pass	the
time	by	writing,	I	discovered	that	my	notebook	and	handheld	computer	had
been	packed	away	in	a	suitcase.	Something—fate,	circumstance,	a	clumsy
oversight—had	placed	me	alone	for	four	hours.
Without	notice	or	permission,	a	subtle	mental	voice	started	to	guide	me.	It
gave	me	a	glimpse	into	how	my	mind	works	when	it	has	no	distractions
around.	What	I	saw	was	very	basic.	There	is	a	thought	in	the	mind	and	then
another,	and	then	another	and	another.	Thoughts	can	be	gripping	or	pass	by
unnoticed;	they	can	be	strong	or	weak,	momentous	or	casual,	frivolous	or
serious.	The	guiding	voice	pointed	all	this	out	in	a	few	seconds.
Now,	what	is	the	proper	way	to	relate	to	your	mind?
	the	voice	asked.
Should	you	always	do	what	it	says?	Clearly	not,	for	we	have	all	kinds	of
thoughts	that	are	irrelevant	or	fantastic.	Should	we	ignore	what	it	says?	No
again,	because	the	mind	gives	us	all	the	desires	upon	which	we	build	our
lives.
There	is	no	single	way	to	relate	to	the	mind
.	You	can’t	take	a	stance	that
will	always	work.	When	people	decide	arbitrarily	to	be	optimists,	they	may
miscalculate	when	it	comes	to	serious	crises,	evildoing,	wars,	personal
conflicts,	etc.	If	they	decide	arbitrarily	to	be	pessimists,	they	will	miss	many
opportunities	for	joy,	fulfillment,	hope,	and	faith.
My	mental	guide	showed	me	this,	and	I	was	intrigued.	It	would	appear
that	being	spiritual	is	one	stance	that	works,	yet	there	are	situations	where
even	being	spiritual—tolerant,	loving,	accepting,	and	detached	from
materialism—won’t	work	at	all.	A	parent	can’t	simply	accept	and	love	a	child
addicted	to	cocaine,	for	example;	active	intervention	is	called	for.	A	thousand
other	examples	come	to	mind.	Love	won’t	defeat	torturers;	tolerance	won’t
stop	the	excesses	of	fanatics.	A	person	must	find	an	infinitely	flexible	way	to
relate	to	the	mind;	otherwise	something	gets	lost.	The	most	precious	gift	of
the	mind—its	total	freedom—is	the	source	of	our	creativity.
Now,	my	mental	guide	said,	look	at	the	world.	Isn’t	it	the	same	as	the
mind?	The	same	unpredictability	prevails,	and	therefore	you	cannot	take	a
fixed	attitude	toward	the	world	that	works.	People	who	are	congenitally
optimistic	about	the	future	are	as	shortsighted	as	people
who
	are	congenitally
pessimistic.	Go	one	step	further.	Karma	is	also	unpredictable,	and	it	too
cannot	be	approached	single-mindedly.	To	fight	your	karma	is	just	as
frustrating	as	accepting	your	karma.
At	this	point	the	sun	had	set	and	the	plane	cabin	was	empty	and	dark.	Icould	see	the	last	band	of	blue-orange


 higher states are. The higher states are
about love. They are about being really enthusiastic about your job and
anything else you’re doing. The higher energies are beautiful. They’re much
more beautiful than the expression of the lower energies. As you open up,
life is no longer about seeking nonnegative states; it becomes about
allowing ever-increasing, positive states. Growth used to be about not
feeling anger or anxiety anymore. Now it’s about feeling so much
overwhelming love when you wake up that you have trouble getting out of
bed. Then the feeling of enthusia sm to go to work gets so strong that it pulls
you out of bed and propels you through your day. This is what  it feels like
when the ener gy is flowing.
Most people don’ t believe life can be like this. They feel they must find
the perfe ct job in order to be enthused to go to work. How are you defining
“the perfect job”? You define it as the one that opens you. In other words,
the one that fits your blockages just right so your energy can flow. Problem
is, if the same job ever hits your blockages the wrong way, you will close.
You are still letting your samskaras run your life. It’s not a matter of finding
the right job; it’s a matter of releasing the blockages so you can be enthused
about the job you have.
No matter how high you get, you can always get much higher. Don’ t
believe those who say you can’t enjoy happiness unless you also know
sadness. That is not true. That’ s what life is like if you are still blocked.
Once you’re unblocked, you will notice the energy is always beautiful. It is
an ever-new rush of uplifting joy that raises your heart, your mind, andeverything insid e you. You’ll be more aware than you used to be and have
the enthusiasm of a child about everything you get to do.
You might wonder why you would be motivated to do anything if
you’re already that content. Why bother having a job, or even a relationship,
if you’re  alread y filled with so much love and happiness? The answer is
simple: love wants to express itself and enthusiasm wants to create. Once
the energy is no longer blocked and is flowing freely, personal needs are no
longer your motivation. Your actions are the expression of love and
gratitude for life. Y our whole life becomes an act of service.
Even your relationships become  acts of service to other human beings.
You don’t need anything from a relationship, but love loves to express itself.
If you have tremendous love going on inside you, people will be attracted to
you. You don’t have to worry about attracting somebody or keeping them
interested in you. People are attracted to light. It’s very natura l. If there is
someone special, you shower them with love day and night, expecting
nothing in return. Love is a very unique gift—it is just as beaut iful for both
the giver and the receiver.
Life is so simple once you are okay inside. Y ou don’ t do things because
of the fruits they bear; each moment is whole and complete within itself.
You reach the point where there is nothing more sacred than the spirit
flowing inside you. There can be moments of disturbance, but you don’t
have to do anything about them. They come and they go, and they don’t
affect your energy flow, unless you let them. You will come to realize that
this energy inside you knows what it’s doing. It is not only beautiful, it is
intelligent. If you let it, it will fix everything. The uprising energy will do all
the inner work for you. Y our only job is to not interfere—to surrender.
Let’s go even deeper to explore what happens next. The ener gy flowing
inside you is so beautiful that your consciousness is naturally attracted to it.
What you are experiencing is everything you ever hoped to feel from the
outside but could only taste for a moment. You fall completely in love with
the spiritual energy flow. Once you’re being fed by the inner flow, your
outer life will be fine. Before you cleared the blockages, you needed the
world to be a certain way for you to be okay. This created a struggle with
life on a daily basis. When you let go enough to clear the inner energy flow,
the struggling ceases. You realiz e through direct experience that everything
you ever wanted  is flowing inside you, and the battle will pretty much be
over.Attraction to the unconditional flow of inner ener gy is a wonderful love
affair. In fact, the Bible says, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deut. 6:5). Now,
you do. That is the ultimate commandment in the Old Testament, and Jesus
repeated it many times. You no longer have to worry about how to “love
God” because what’s flowing inside of you is spirit, and you naturally love
it with all your heart. You like being high, and spirit is the ultimate high. It’s
higher than any drug could ever take you. It’s higher than any relationship
you could ever have. The love and joy it brings will never stop unless you
stop it. That river will flow every moment of your life unless you dam it up.
But now you know better. Once the energy starts spontaneously flowing,
you won’t touch it. You just respect it, honor it, and appreciate it. You
inwardly say, “Thank you,” and keep letting go. That becomes your only
prayer— thank you, thank you so much.
Now that this energy is flowing  inside you, it will clean up the rest of
your blockages. This will not happen immediately; you must be willing to
let them go naturally. The shakti will push the samskaras out if you let her.
Your entire life becomes spiritual—about spirit. You rest into the beautiful
flow of the energy, and it gives you the strength to let go of what needs to be
cleansed. In time, you learn to enjoy every moment of this journey. It is
freeing you, taking you to God.
When you are settling into the upward flow of energy, that is a state of
true contentmen t. Contentment doesn’ t mean you’re lazy. It means you are
not being disturbed inside. What is going on inside you is so beautiful that,
for the first time in your life, you feel completely at peace.  You’re not
looking for anything. If you look out into the world, you see what’ s there—
not what you want or don’t want to be there. The experience of the outside
doesn’ t stimulat e any preferences inside of you. It just comes in, passes
through, and leaves you as it found you—in a state of ecstatic well-being.Chapter 39.
In the World but Not of It
Once you have reached a deep level of inner clarity, you will notice that just
because you are content with reality doesn’ t mean you don’t interact with it.
The world continues to appear  before you, but there’ s nothi ng personal
about it anymore. It is just the part of creation passing before you at that
moment. Reality  doesn’ t bother you because you don’t need anything from
it. It simply exists and you simply exist—in perfect harmony. Every moment
unfolding in front of you is there for you to serve. It can be as simple as
appreciating it, or you may be able to raise the energy of the moment
passing before you. A smile, a kind word, a helping hand—these are all
ways of raising the energy as it passes by. Doing your job to the best of your
ability, taking care of your family, serving your community—these simple
acts are just as much service to the universe as anything else.
Imagine you’re taking a walk and there’ s a piece of paper on the side of
the road. You feel the disharmony, and you pick it up. It’s not a “have to” or
a “supposed to”; you’re simply an artist making the world more beautiful.
Your mind doesn’ t say, “I’ll pick this one up, but I’m not going to pick up
every single piece of litter.” Nor does your mind say, “What idiot threw this
piece of paper down here? This is the kind of person who ruins the world.”
No. You are simply a spontaneous being who is in harmony with life. You
expect nothing back from your actions because they were not done for
approval or recognition. You can’t help but share the beautiful energy going
on insid e of you with the mome nt in front of you. The highest life you can
live is when every single moment that passes befor e you is better  off because
it did.  Serve the present moment with all your heart and soul. Imagine what
the world would be like if everyone did that.
Start by raising what appears before you. If you can’t even serve what
is put in front of you, how are you going to change the world? If you aregetting so upset about conditions in the world that you’re  edgy with
everyone around you, you’re not helping anyone. If you can’t create
harmony in your own household, what right do you have to complain that
countries are shooting missiles at each other? You have to live a life that, if
everyone lived it,


 on already,  the present moment is always
elusive because  the instant you register it as either a sensation, an
image, a feeling, or a thought, it’s gone. So let’s boil these  insights
down. The now, the place where we all live, can be described as:
the junction point where the timeless is converted into
time
the only “real” time we know in the waking state
a totally unpredictable phenomenon
a totally elusive phenomenon
Now, if  all these characteristi cs are being correctly described, it
turns o ut that we have been fooling ourselves to believe that time
is a  simple ma tter of tick-tock on the clock. In some my sterious
way, ea ch of us occupies a tim eless domain, and to produce a four-dimensional w orld for the purpose of living in it, we mentally
construct it. That is, we create the world in consciousness first and
foremost. Reality, including ordinary clock time, is constructed in
consciousness as well.
We mu st not fall into the tra p of saying that the mind creates
reality. The mind is a vehicle for active thinking experience, and,
like tim e and space, it has to  have a source beyond some thing as
transient and elusive as thou ghts. If we trusted our min ds, we’d
equate going to sleep with death. In sleep the conscious mind
gives up the w orld of solid physical objects and clock time. Yet
when w e wake up in the morning, there is a return of solid objects
and clock time. They were held in waiting, so to speak, by
consciousness, even during the eight hours a day that the thinking
mind was out of commission.
If th e d irect pa th aims to tak e us beyond the illusion we accept
as r eal, it must deliver the experience of being timeless. In its
fullest state, the timeless experience is simple, natural, and
effortless—it is  the sense of self, which quietly lies insid e every
other experience. We are only partially there. The exercise in this
chapter, which  allows you to experience your body in awareness,
thaws o ut one aspect of the  illusion. The present discussion of
being t imeless thaws out another aspect. In both cases, as
physicality and  clock time sta rt to lose their grip, you realize that
there is another way to live: being metahuman.
When you start being metahuman, you exist at the timeless
source of the self. It’s a huge step to know that the timeless is with
us, bey ond any belief in birth and death, age and decay. Things
appear and disappear in our dreams when we’re sleeping. Yet we
don’t m ourn them, because we know that dreams are an illusion.
What matters isn’t the things  that appear and disappear, o nly that
you don’t mistake the dream for reality.
Discovering that the same is true about our waking dream sets
us f ree from t he fear of death. Metahuman is about mo re than
this. Liberated  from illusion, we can be free of all fear. In the end,
waking up leads to absolut e freedom. We don’t just l ead our
everyday lives. We navigate the field of infinite possibilities.I11

R E C O V E R I N G  T H E
W H O L E  M I N D
magine that you’ve gone to a cabin in the woods that sits by a
small lake. The sun wakes you up very early, and when you walk
down to  the lake in the pale light of dawn, it is perfectly still. The
surface is mirror-like and undisturbed. You have the urge to pick
up a pebble and toss it into the lake. The pebble lands with a plop,
ripples spread  out across the water, and, as the ring of ripples
widens, they fade away until nothing remains but the still surface
of the lake. It h as returned to what it was before you came along to
disturb it.
In this modes t experience is reflected the whole story of the
human mind. All that’s needed is to see the scene in reverse, like
running a film backward. The surface of the lake is perfectly still.
A faint ring of ripples distur bs the water, at first in a way that’s
barely d iscernible. The ripple s grow bigger and the ring starts to
shrink. All at once a pebble pops out of the water and f lies into
your hand.
This is how the human mind looks from the perspective of
metareality. Th ere is pure c onsciousness, still and undisturbed.
Faint activity begins to stir, s o faint that you have to be quiet andvery alert to notice it. But this activity—call it a vibr ation in
consciousness—becomes mo re urgent until something fully
formed pops into existence: a sensation, image, feeling, or
thought.
In d aily life a myriad of mental events pop into existence, and
they are so con stant and compelling we never experience  the still
surface of the lake, which is pure consciousness. The direct path
aims to recover this experien ce, because a still, undisturbed state
of a wareness is whole mind. Whole mind contains the infinite
potential that is unique to Homo sapiens. A s with so ma ny things
in meta reality, whole mind is already here and now. You  have to
have a lake before you can throw a pebble into it, and you have to
have a lake for the pebble to pop out of it, too. Both p rocesses
occur in the co smos as every subatomic particle emerges from the
quantum vacuum and fades back into it. Likewise, your thoughts
arise from silence, poise in midair only as long as it takes to be
noticed, and then fade back where they came from.
If w hole mind is already here and now, why do we ne ed to
recover it? The answer offered in this book is that metareality lies
beyond the illusions of virtual reality, which bamboozles us by
seeming to be real. Whole m ind is indisputably real, as th e direct
path aims to prove. But I feel that something more is needed. If
mental activity were exactly like pebbles popping out of a lake,
each thought would naturally die away, and the mind  would
effortlessly ret urn to its und isturbed state. In other words, there
would be no i nterruptions, no clinging or blurring or storms to
whip the lake up.
Unfortunately, our minds are not smoothly connected to pure
consciousness. Our minds are a confused, chaotic jumble, vividly
described in some Eastern traditions as a monkey. Every thought
joins the storm of other thoughts without returning to a still,
undisturbed st ate. To be hu man is to ride the storm. Once you
learned as a small child to speak and put thoughts into words,
your mind was off and running. Fueled by the agenda of the ego,
“I” started the endless task of accepting A and rejecting B. Even
two- or three-year-olds want  what they want: toys to call “mine,”
attention from  their mother, their favorite foods, stories th ey want
to h ear over and over again. Rejection is a vital part of the ego’sagenda as well. A two- or three-year-old throws some toys on the
floor, re jects hugs and kisses, refuses to eat certain foods, and so
on.
There is a fam ous cartoon by Carl Rose and E. B. W hite
showing a mother and child at the dinner table. The caption goes:
M OTHER:  “It’s broccoli, dear.”
D AUGHTER:  “I say it’s spinach and I say the hell with it.”
If kids spoke in adult voices, that’s exactly how they’d talk!
From the perspective of metahuman, none of the ego’s agenda
is a necessity. Why go to the  trouble of constructing a se lf when
you already are  the self? The o nly real necessity is to be here now
and allow life to unfold.
But bec ause our thoughts don’t fade away into pure, quiet
calmness, an obstacle arises. Thoughts interfere with our ability to
be here now. Every thought generates a new thought, every
sensation a new sensation. This endless mental activity is so
distracting that we cannot see our source or touch it or sense its
presence. Getting rid of mental interference has become hard
work. T he years spent in Zen  Buddhist monasteries or sitting in
lotus pose in a Himalayan cave are images in popular culture that
represent just how arduous it  is to quiet the mind. The dir ect path
cuts thr ough th e hard work i n a simple way, as illustrate d in the
following exercise.
E x e r c i s e :  E y e s  O p e n,  N o  T h o u g h t s
This exercise is reserved for  the moment you wake up in the
morning. When you open your eyes and before you get out of bed,
your mind begins its day. You are preset to jump in to your
customary rou tine. You start to think about what you have to do
that da y, and very


them.	(See	appendix	C	for	my	personal	choices.)
Toxic	Cleaning	Products
The	home	can	be	a	toxic	place	already—do	not	make	it	more	so	with	toxic
cleaning	products,	solvents	and	workplace	chemicals.	Household	cleaning
products	rank	among	the	most	toxic	everyday	substances	to	which	people	are
exposed.	Unfortunately,	the	manufacturer	of	household	products	is	seldom	the
best	source	of	accurate	information	about	safety.	As	a	practical	matter,	do	not	let
any	chemical	come	in	contact	with	your	skin	unless	you	know	it	is	safe.	Most
commercial	brands	are	not	safe,	although	safe	household	products	are	available
at	health	food	and	specialty	stores.	(See	appendix	C	for	my	choices.)
Some	especially	toxic	household	cleaners	include	ammonia,	chlorine	bleach,
aerosol	propellants,	detergents,	petroleum	distillates	and	toluene.	Many	of	these
substances	not	only	harm	the	skin;	they	also	give	off	toxic	fumes	that	affect	the
person	using	the	product	and	everyone	else	in	the	household.	If	you	cannot	avoid
toxic	household	products,	at	least	use	them	sparingly	and	in	well-ventilated
areas.
Symptoms	from	“the	flu”	to	headaches	have	been	associated	with	products	we
use	to	clean	our	furniture,	bathrooms	and	clothes,	as	well	as	air	fresheners	to
keep	our	bathrooms	smelling	pleasant.	Debra	Lynn	Dadd,	in
Nontoxic	and
Natural,
wrote	about	a	fifteen-year	study	of	housewives	in	Oregon.
Women	whostayed	home	all	day	had	a	54	percent	higher	death	rate	from	cancer	than	women
who	worked	away	from	home.
The	study	concluded	that	the	higher	rate	likely
was	a	consequence	of	exposure	to	the	chemicals	in	household	products.	Dadd’s
book,	along	with	many	others,	contains	formulas	for	making	your	own
environmentally	safe	household	products.
A	Prescription	for	Toxic	Overload
Often,	toxic	exposure	comes	from	medical	and	dental	offices,	from	the	very
professions	that	you	expect	would	keep	you	healthy.	Whether	it	is	antibiotics	in
your	food,	the	drug	in	your	inhaler,	steroids	on	your	skin,	mercury	in	your
mouth,	medicines	in	your	stomach	or	fluoride	in	your	water,	the	medical	and
dental	industries	are	significant	sources	of	toxins.	In	fact,
medical	journals
acknowledge	that	prescription	drugs	are	the	third	leading	cause	of	death	in
America	(after	heart	disease	and	cancer).
As	you	recall,	prescription	and	over-the-counter	drugs	“work”	by	interfering
with	normal	chemical	processes	in	cells.	They	are	designed	to	suppress
symptoms,	but	do	not	cure	disease.	In	fact,	by	interfering	with	normal	cell
function,	prescription	drugs	can	cause	cellular	malfunction,	which	is	the	same	as
causing	disease.	Decisions	about	which	procedures	and	medicines	to	choose
should	be	based	on	knowledge	of	the	toxicity	involved.	Every	molecule	you	put
into	your	body	is	going	to	have	an	effect,	for	better	or	worse.	Almost	always,
prescription	and	over-the-counter	drugs	are	for	the	worse.
Furthermore,	physicians	label	many	of	today’s	chronic	diseases	as	being	of
“unknown	etiology,”	a	fancy	way	of	saying	“we	are	clueless	about	the	cause.”
Actually,	many	new	disease	conditions	can	be	traced	back	(either	directly	or
indirectly)	to	environmental	toxins	that	bioaccumulate	in	tissues,	contribute	to
toxic	overload,	disrupt	cell	chemistry	and	cause	disease.
The	Toxic	Truths	Inside	Your	Body
Although	we	are	accustomed	to	thinking	about	toxins	in	the	outside	world,
often	we	forget	about	the	powerful	toxins	produced	within	our	bodies.	The	body
must	eliminate	internal	toxins	to	stay	healthy.
Under	normal,	healthy	conditions,	the	body	is	designed	to	control	those	toxins
and	protect	us	against	harm.	Under	other	circumstances,	however,	the	toxins
produced	internally	can	be	a	serious	problem,	worse	than	anything	from	theoutside	world.	When	these	internal	toxins	are	produced	excessively	or	cannot	be
properly	detoxified,	they	build	up	in	the	body	and	cause	disease.	In	almost	any
chronically	ill	person,	internally	generated	toxins	play	a	major	role.
When	toxins	are	generated	in	the	digestive	system	(intestinal	toxemia),	they
enter	our	bloodstream,	and	if	these	toxins	are	present	in	excess	of	the	liver’s
ability	to	detoxify	them,	they	damage	cells	all	over	the	body.	Intestinal	toxemia
has	been	associated	with	AIDS,	allergies,	asthma,	cancer,	cardiac	arrhythmias,
arthritis,	eye	problems,	high	blood	pressure,	mental	problems,	headaches,
various	gastrointestinal	conditions,	senility,	skin	problems	and	other	diseases.	In
my	own	disease	process,	the	internal	toxins	I	was	producing	were,	indeed,	a
major	contributor	to	my	own	physical	and	mental	debilitation.
Intestinal	toxemia	was	the	“mysterious”	ailment	plaguing	Michael,	who	had
just	completed	his	junior	year	at	Harvard	and	had	gone	off	to	Europe	for	the
summer	with	friends.	As	he	was	traveling	around,	he	began	to	feel	ill,	dizzy	and
fatigued.	He	went	to	see	a	physician	in	London	who	prescribed	a	drug	that	did
not	help.	Michael	saw	other	physicians	in	Germany	and	Switzerland,	but	he
finally	returned	home—too	sick	to	remain	abroad.
A	strapping	twenty-one-year-old	college	student	should	be	at	the	peak	of
health.	Instead,	Michael	was	suffering	from	debilitating	fatigue,	he	was
lightheaded	and	dizzy,	and	he	had	visual	disturbances,	not	to	mention	various
aches	and	pains.	After	many	thousands	of	dollars	worth	of	testing	(including	a
brain	scan	to	check	for	a	brain	tumor),	Michael’s	physicians	were	at	a	loss	to
explain	his	condition	and	referred	him	to	a	psychiatrist.	Desperately	concerned
for	her	son’s	future	and	furious	with	a	medical	system	that	was	obviously	not
working,	Michael’s	mother	looked	for	other	options;	at	that	point,	she	called	me.
As	with	any	sick	person,	I	knew	exactly	what	was	wrong	with	Michael:	his
cells	were	malfunctioning	because	of	a	combination	of	deficiency	and	toxicity.
The	question,	as	always:	How	to	restore	his	cells	to	healthy	function?	I	used	the
six	pathways	as	a	guide	and	eventually	discovered	that	digestive	toxins—a
critical	aspect	of	the	toxin	pathway—were	the	source	of	Michael’s	problems.
Digestive	toxins	are	produced	in	a	couple	of	ways,	notably	by	an	abnormal
growth	of	bacteria	or	yeast	in	the	intestines	and	by	improperly	digested	food,
which	putrefies	in	the	digestive	system.	Intestinal	toxemia	creates	highly
poisonous	toxins	as	well	as	nutritional	deficiency.	When	bad	bacteria	and	yeasts
overgrow,	they	displace	the	friendly	bacteria	necessary	for	producing	nutrients
such	as	the	B-complex	vitamins,	vitamin	B


 section. Fortunately, seriously deformed specimens are seldom born alive and usually do
not continue to term. Williams states that Loje has observed ten grossly deformed calves of a
particular type that were traced to the same sire; also a series of five with this deformity reported
by Hutt were traced to one sire. Among the deformities in domestic animals cleft palate or absence
of palate is very common. These studies on domestic animals strongly emphasize two facts; first,
that deformities among these animals are very similar to those that develop in humans, and second,
that the defects are largely related to the original germ cells and that the male may provide the
defect quite as well as the female. Several of the primitive races have understood and provided
against these mishaps.
    Moench and Holt of the Cornell Medical School and New York Hospital (17) have made
important studies on humans and have found a very high incidence of sterility when abnormal forms
of spermatozoa reached 25 per cent. Among the abnormal forms they found one particular family
with a particular type of abnormal sperm reaching 12 per cent. Their breeding record was
decidedly bad and fetal malformations repeatedly occurred. In their group, in 63 sterile matings the
men were normal 21 times and abnormal 37 times. They listed over 40 different abnormal or
deformed types of sperm. They conclude:
1. In a normal semen the abnormal sperm heads do not exceed 19 to 20 per cent.
2. When the sperm head abnormalities reach 20 to 23 per cent, impaired fertility can be
assumed.
3. When the sperm head abnormalities are above 25 per cent, clinical sterility is usually
present.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 209/250    An important contribution to the question of the relation of the germ cells of the father to the
type of defects that are prevalent in his family history has been made in recent studies conducted in
Germany. (18)
   Two German surgeons concerned with enforcing the sterilization law in Berlin have taken
advantage of their opportunities to make an important contribution to the study of fecundity.
    Several studies have been published previously, of the spermatozoa of normal men. This book
offers a study of the spermatozoa of men who had been diagnosed as hereditarily defective. At
the time of the operation, the upper part of the vas deferens was washed out, and the sperm
thus obtained were studied in great detail, 20 different types of abnormality being distinguished.
    In their control studied, the normal man is found to produce 19 per cent of morphologically
defective sperm. By contrast, the chronic alcoholic patient produces 75 per cent of defective
sperm.
    Previously it has been assumed that as much as 25 per cent or 30 per cent of abnormal sperm
were a good evidence of lowered fertility if not of sterility. But the fertility of these chronic
alcoholics was not diminished, the authors claim.
    In cases of inherited mental defect, 62 per cent of abnormal sperm were produced,
accompanied by low fecundity,--as is the case generally with the mentally defective male. On the
other hand, in hereditary deafness, 62 per cent and in hereditary blindness 75 per cent of
defective sperm appeared.
    Epilepsy and schizophrenia (dementia praecox) both supposed to be constitutional in origin,
show less abnormality of spermatozoa (58 per cent and 54 per cent respectively) than blindness
and deafness.
    The fact that in the past almost the entire emphasis of change in physical, mental and moral
qualities has been assigned to the forces of heredity, strongly emphasizes the lack of information
regarding the nature of the forces at work and the points at which their influence constitute the
determining factors. The data previously presented in this chapter dealing with the role of vitamins
A and E throw valuable new light on this phase. It is important, however, that new data are
available dealing with the factors which injure the germ cells and which Tredgold has spoken of as
"poisoned germ cells."
   In a personal communication received from Professor T. S. Sutton of the College of Agriculture,
Ohio State University, he makes the following observation:
    For several years we have been interested in the study of the effects of vitamin A deficiency.
Right now our main consideration is the effect of this deficiency on reproduction. We find that a
diet low in vitamin A will cause reproductive failure, which seems to be caused chiefly by a
degeneration of the germinal epithelium of the gonad. This is particularly true in the case of the
male. I think we have rather convincing evidence that this is a direct dietary damage to the
gonad (ovary or testis), rather than a disruption of the endocrine balance which might result in
sterility as appears to be the case in vitamin B deficiency.
The degenerative processes which occur in nerve tissues due to vitamin A deficiency have been
studied by Professor Sutton and his associates. (19) They have been able to show detailed
progressive degeneration within nerve fibers as a result of vitamin A deficiency.
    In the light of the newer information it is quite clear why we may have anyone of the following
distinct expressions in the reproductive process, namely, physical excellence of succeeding
generations (such as obtains among many of the primitive races as I have shown); complete
reproductive failure or sterility or partial failure resulting in defectives of various types at the
borderline between these two phases. It is the rapid and progressive increase in this last group
which constitutes the progressive degeneration of our modern civilization.
    One of the main problems in this study has to do with the relation of nutrition to the modification
of the growth of the child, both in its formative period and in the stage of adolescence. I have
shown that in many of these primitive racial stocks there occurs in the first generation after the
displacement of native foods by imported foods a marked change in facial and dental arch forms.
These changes happen most frequently in the later children in the families and come about7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 210/250notwithstanding the impact of heredity through all the previous generations of excellent physical
development. Clinically, the evidence is abundant, that this change occurs in these primitive racial
stocks regardless of color, geographic location, temperature, and climate. We are apparently
dealing here with a factor which, while it may be related to the germ plasm and to the prenatal
growth period, clearly involves other forces than those that are at work in the case of hereditary
defectives. Since these changes have to do directly with disturbances in growth of the head,
particularly of the face and of the dental arches, we are concerned with such evidence as may be
available as to the nature of the forces that readily affect the anatomy of the skull.
    The general architecture of the body is apparently determined primarily by the health of the two
germ cells at the time of their union. This architectural design may not be completely fulfilled due to
interference with nutritive processes both before and after birth. In this large problem of the
relationship between physical design of the body and resistance or susceptibility to disease, we
may have determining factors operating at different periods in prenatal and postnatal growth. The
accumulating evidence strongly emphasizes that disease susceptibility is a widely variable factor
and associated with certain types of developmental disturbances.
    In a discussion of tuberculosis susceptibility before a meeting of specialists in that field, emphasis
was placed upon the fact that other factors than the bacteria played controlling roles in the matter
of susceptibility to tuberculosis.
    Weisman has recently made an important contribution to the problem of physical development
and susceptibility to tuberculosis. He has presented (20) statistical data indicating the type of chest
deformity which predisposes an individual to tuberculosis. He states:
    In a study previously made on the shape of the normal and of the tuberculosis chest, it was
found that the average normal chest was flat and wide and that the average tuberculous chest
was deep and narrow. It was also shown that the deep chest was an underdeveloped, primitive
type of chest, resembling an infant's chest in shape. Later studies on the shape of the chest and
on environment showed that children from the poorer socio-economic environments had on the
average a deeper chest, weighed less and were shorter than the children from the higher socio-
economic levels. An investigation recently made on the incidence of tuberculosis in the various
school districts in Minneapolis revealed that there is a very high incidence of tuberculosis
among the children from the slums where the deep chest prevails. Ten times as many cases of
tuberculosis were reported from a school district which is perhaps the poorest in the city as
were reported from the best school districts.
    This study, which shows that there is a definite correlation between the deep chest and the
positive reaction to tuberculin adds one more link to the chain of evidence supporting the
contention that the deep chest is more or less associated with tuberculosis. It also helps to
explain why there is such a high incidence of tuberculosis among the poor in the slum districts.
The children in the slums are physically underdeveloped. They are not only shorter and lighter
but they have on the average a deep, primitive, infantile type of chest, one that has not gone
through the normal process of development. Even the new-born and infants are shorter and
lighter and have a deeper chest than the average infant from a better environment.
    It is important to note that Dr


 bitter, cool drinks, and the
lack of solid nourishment all throw Vata out of balance. When lunch is over,
the two people will walk away feeling different, even though  they ate the
same meal. The Pitta will feel buoyant and refreshed, the Vata will feel
unsatisfied and unener getic.
That is why it is important to match your prakruti, your natural makeup,
with the correct diet. Following  is a table of food qualities as they affect the
doshas.As you can see, each section contains three tastes and three gunas, or
qualities. The six tastes you already know: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent,
and astringent. The six gunas, which come in pairs, are:
Heavy or light—wheat is heavy, barley is light, beef is heavy, chicken
is light, cheese is heavy, skim milk is light
Oily or dry—milk is oily, honey is dry, soybeans are oily, lentils are dry,
coconut is oily, cabbage is dry
Hot or cold (heats or cools the body)—pepper is hot, mint is cold,
honey is hot, sugar is cold, eggs are hot, milk is cold
These qualities speak directly to the tongue and stomach. The operative
principle is “like speaks to like.” If you want to balance Pitta, avoid food that
shares its qualities. A chili pepper, being pungent, hot, and oily, will
naturally cause Pitta to become aggravated.It is not necessa ry to memorize these qualities. Although Ayurvedic texts
offer long lists of foods matched  to their tastes and gunas, this knowledge is
already built into your body. If you are in balance, you will want hot food
when you feel cold, light food when you feel heavy. The same is true of
taste. If you are a Kapha type, having a taste for green salads would tell you
that you are in balance, becaus e greens are generally bitter and astringent
(these are two tastes that are good for you).
In a nutshell, that is what living in tune with nature means—what you like
to eat is what your body needs for balance. On the other hand, if you are the
same Kapha person and exclus ively crave potato chips (salty), ice cream
(sweet), and cheese (sour), your instincts are not in balance, and neither will
be your Kapha dosha. The simple remedy is to start eating all six tastes
again, moving away from your cravings. This will start to bring you back
into balance, and as that happens, you will naturally regain your lost
instincts. You won’ t abandon ice cream and potato chips, but a green salad
will satisfy you just as much, because it satisfies your dominant dosha.
HOW  TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT  BODY -TYPE DIET
Now that you know the general principles behind a balanced Ayurvedic diet,
we can look at the specifics of each body type. Choosing which diet to
follow is quite easy.
Choose the diet that balances your dominant dosha. If you are a pure
Vata, for example, you will generally follow a Vata-pacifying diet. The
same is true if you are a Vata-Pitta, although you can lean in the
direction of the Pitta diet when you need to (during hot weather or if
you display signs of Pitta aggravation, for instance).
If you are undec ided about which of two doshas you should pacify, reflect
on what foods you naturally favor that make you feel healthy and balanced.
These will generally point you in the direction of the right diet. If you are
one of the rare three-dosha types, you can usually eat any kind of Ayurvedicdiet and remain in balance, but once again, let your instincts, the season of
the year, and the state of your health be your guide.
If an Ayurvedically trained doctor has told you to balance a specific
dosha, follow that diet.
Lean your diet in the direction indicated by the season of the year.
Changes of season require certain modifications in your basic diet (you
wouldn’ t drink iced tea in winter, for example, even if you are a strong
Pitta type). These seasonal changes are covered in chapter 14,
“Seasonal Routine.”
Vata-Pacifying Diet
Favor:
Warm food, moderately heavy textur es
Added butter and fat
Salt, sour, and sweet tastes
Soothing and satisfying foods

Vata is a cold, dry dosha, and the warm, nourishing foods we associate
with winter—he arty stews and soups, slow-cooked casseroles,  fresh-baked
bread and fruit pies—give a good diet that soothes this dosha. At the
opposite end of the spectrum, the foods we gravitate to in summer—cold
salads, iced drinks, raw vegetables and greens—are not very congenial to it.
Vata types tend to have erratic  digestion, so soft, thoroughly cooked food
that is easily digested helps them. Vata dosha is also very sensitive to the
atmosphere surrounding a meal.  The best food in the world will not be good
for you if tension at the table is curdling your stomach. Anythin g that makes
dining a calmer, more restful experience will help to pacify Vata dosha.
The Vata-pacifying diet given here is the first choice for all Vata types,
unless diagnosis by a Ayurvedically trained physician has indicated
something else. Within a few days of beginning this diet, you shoulddefinitely notice that your energy level is steady and that you feel more
balanced, calmer, and happier. If you suffer from mild symptoms of Vata
imbalance, such as insomnia, nervousness, or worry, this diet is also a
natural choice. Try it for two weeks and see if your symptoms are alleviated.
We find that the following points are helpful when you start a Vata-
pacifying diet.
All soothing foods are generally good for settling disturbed Vata: milk
(preferably warm), cream, butter, warm soups and long-cooked stews,
hot cereals, and fresh-baked bread. All contain sweet, the most soothing
taste to the body; most are also warm and heavy.
A nourishing breakfast, the more substantial the better, will improve
Vata throughout the day. Cream of rice or wheat is the best hot cereal
for Vata, but anything warm, milky, and sweet is beneficial.
Many Vata types experience a drastic ener gy slump in the late
afternoon. Having hot tea with cookies or some other sweet is a good
idea. Think of the four o’clock English teatime. Herb tea is more
soothing than regular tea, whose high caf feine content can disturb Vata
types. You can try brewing gotu kola tea. This Indian herb, which is
said to be excellent for calming the nerves, is available in health-food
stores. You can also order Ayurvedic tea in bags (page 377). If you take
five minutes for your tea break in a quiet spot before heading home
from work, you will find the end of the day much less tiring.
Pungent is not among the favored Vata tastes, but spicy food generally
turns out to be satisfying to Vata types, because most spicy Mexican or
Indian food is warm and has abundant oil in it. Ginger is the best
pungent spice for Vata and is often used to improve Vata digestion (see
page 301). Also, the use of sweet spices, such as cinnamon, fennel, and
cardamom, helps restore a dull appetite, from which Vatas tend to
suffer.
Warm, moist food is very settling for Vata. Cooked grains and cereals
are the best choices here. When you feel nervous, worried, or otherwiseunder pressure, a bowl of hot oatmeal or a cup of creamed vegetable
soup will make you feel much better than a candy bar or a drink.
Although sweet is good for Vata, sugar eaten by itself gives a quick
energy boost that can make Vatas feel too restless. Warm milk is a
sweet food in itself; it is very good for Vata, particularly with a little
sugar or honey. Sugary sweets should be eaten in combination with
nourishing ones like milk.
Dry, salty snacks are not as good for Vata as salted nuts, which are
heavier and oily, two qualities that pacify Vata. Almonds are the best
choice. Ayurveda always recommends that almonds be skinned before
they are eaten; standard advice is to soak a dozen whole almonds in
water overnight, then peel and eat them in the morning to balance Vata.
Since nuts and seeds are dif ficult to digest, Vatas need to eat them in
small quantities, preferably ground into butters. Tahini (sesame paste) is
an excellent source of sesame oil, one of the best foods for warming up
and balancing Vata.
All sweet fruits are good for Vata, and green grapes and mangoes are
the best. Astringent fruits such as apples and pears need to be cooked
before eating. Unripe fruit, being very astringent, is to be avoided,
especially unripe bananas.
Any cold, light, low-calorie food increases Vata and makes you feel
dissatisfied. If you are partial to salads, let them come to room
temperature and add oily dressing


environment,	and	build	and	sustain	your	precious	beauty	and
health.
Reality	Check:	You	Eat	What	Your	Food	Eats
The	fact	that	you	ultimately	ingest	whatever	the
animals	you	eat	ingest	is	an
uncomfortable	reality	for	many	of	us,	but	getting	in	touch	with	your	foodmeans	really	understanding	what	it	is	composed	of	and	facing	the	good,	the
bad,	and	the	ugly.	The	harsh	truth	is	that	compounds	in	an	animal’s	diet
bio-
accumulate
,	meaning	they	become	concentrated	in	the	animal’s	tissues
2
	and	end
up	on	your	fork	whether	you’re	eating	a	piece	of	roast	chicken	or	digging	into	a
steak.	Upon	close	examination	of	what	commercially	raised	animals	are	fed,
this	fact	is	not	only	uncomfortable,	it’s	frightening	and	downright	ugly.
First	of	all,	if	you	eat	factory-farmed	animals,	which	means	pretty	much	any
animal	product	that	isn’t	labeled	organic	and	grass-fed,	you’re	most	likely
ingesting	genetically	modified	corn	and	soy	along	with	that	seemingly	innocent
grilled	chicken	or	hamburger	at	your	weekend	barbecue.	The	United	States
currently	provides	subsidies	to	farmers	who	grow	corn	and	soybeans,	and
currently	around	90	percent	of	these	crops	in	the	United	States	are	now
genetically	modified.	Livestock	producers	choose	to	use	corn	and	soy	as	the
basis	of	their	animal	feed	not	only	because	it’s	cheaper	but	also	because	these
foods	help	the	animals	gain	weight	faster.
3
Genetically	modified	crops	weren’t	released	until	1996	and	started	with	soy,
corn,	and	cotton	(cottonseed	oil	is	commonly	used	in	products	like	salad
dressings	and	mayonnaise)	before	spreading	into	other	foods.	There	hasn’t	been
enough	time	to	assess	the	full	health	ramifications	for	humans,	but	research	on
the	effects	of	genetically	modified	organism	(
GMO)	consumption	in	animals
(with	a	much	shorter	life	span	than	humans)	has	revealed	frightening	effects,
including	reproductive	issues,	liver	and	kidney	toxicity,	sperm	damage,	and
infant	mortality.
4
,
5
	Researchers	at
Baylor	College	of	Medicine	accidentally
discovered	that	rats	that	were	fed	GMO	corn	material	had	reproductive	issues,
and	tests	on	the	feed	revealed	two	compounds	that	“stopped	the	sexual	cycle	in
females	at	concentrations	approximately	two-hundredfold	lower	than	classical
phytoestrogens.”
6
	Both	of	these	substances	were	also	found	to	contribute	to	the
growth	of	breast	and	prostate	cancer	in	cell	cultures.
7
GMO	corn	and	soy	crops	rely	heavily	on	pesticides	and	herbicides	(such	as
Roundup,	an	herbicide	produced	by
Monsanto	that	is	designed	to	work	with
their	GMO	crop	seeds)	that	build	up	in	animals’	tissues	after	being	consumed,
and	the	meat	from	these	animals	therefore	contains	these	residues.
8
	Exposure	to
pesticides	has	been	shown	to	have	a	negative	impact	on	reproductive,	nervous,
and
immune	system	functions	and	increases	the	risk	of
cancer.
9
But	wait,	there’s	more—much,	much	more.
On	a	global	scale,	commercial	animal	feed	is	laced	with	a	cornucopia	of
toxins,	including	mycotoxins,	antibiotics,	prion	proteins,	pesticides,	heavy
metals,	and	bacterial	pathogens.
10
	These	toxins	can	cause	a	variety	of	problems,including	reproductive	dysfunction,	bacterial	infections,	imbalanced	gut	flora,
and	reduced	immunity.	You	obviously	want	to	avoid	consuming	these	toxins,
but	unfortunately	that’s	not	always	simple.	Comprehensive	legislation	is	already
in	place	to	restrict	several	of	the	chemical	compounds	and	pathogens	in	feed,
but	as	we’ve	seen	from	outbreaks	of	contaminated	meat	in	the	past,	complete
bacterial	monitoring	is	impossible	to	enforce.
Here	is	a	breakdown	of	some	of	the	most	harmful	toxins	found	in
commercial	animal	feed:
Dioxins	and
polychlorinated	biphenyls	(PCBs)
	are	industrial	pollutants	that
may	contaminate	feeds	and	have	been	detected	in	milk	and	dairy	products	in
particular.	Dioxins	are	highly	dangerous	toxins	that	are	linked	to	reproductive,
developmental,	and	hormonal	problems	as	well	as	cancer.
11
	According	to	the
World	Health	Organization,	“More	than	90	percent	of	human	exposure	to
dioxins	is	through	the	food	supply,	mainly	meat	and	dairy	products,	fish,	and
shellfish….Contaminated	animal	feed	is	often	the	root-cause	of	food
contamination.”
12
Mercury
	has	been	found	to	contaminate	the	fishmeal	that	is	used	to	feed
certain	animals.
13
	Mercury	is	a	heavy	metal	that	causes	slow	but	steady	damage
in	your	body	in	a	sneaky	way.	It	causes	your	cell	membranes	to	become	leaky,
inhibits	key	enzymes	your	body	needs	for	energy	production	and	toxin
removal,	and	creates	oxidation	in	your	tissues.	Oxidation	is	one	of	the	main
reasons	you	develop	disease,	as	well	as	the	primary	reason	you	age.
Some	feed	studied	revealed	samples	of
bacterial
E.	coli
	(short	for
Escherichia
coli
)	variations	(though	not	strain	0157:H7)
14
	as	well	as
Salmonella	enterica
bacteria.
15
	We
have
	seen
E.	coli
	O157:H7	rear	its	ugly	head	from	time	to	time	in
outbreaks,	which	have	unfortunately	caused	fatalities.	Not	only	potentially
deadly,	it	also	can	cause	bloody	diarrhea,	dehydration,	and	kidney	failure.	There
have	been	numerous	beef	recalls	in	recent	history,	including	one	of	over	50,000
pounds	of	meat	sold	by	the
National	Beef	Packing	Company	in	2013.
16
There	are	consistent	reports	of	worldwide	feed	contamination	with
fungi	and
their	spores.
17
,
18
	Mycotoxins	are	secondary	metabolites	of	fungi	that	have	the
capacity	to	impair	health
19
	and	lead	to	a	range	of	illnesses	and	diseases.	One
German	study	found	that	94	percent	of	feed	samples	analyzed	were
contaminated	by	two	to	six	different
Fusarium
	mycotoxins.
20
	Forms	of	the
extremely	dangerous	toxin	aflatoxin	have	also	been	identified	in	contaminated
feed.
21
	This	is	of	particularly	grave	concern,	as	chronic	aflatoxin	exposure	has
been	linked	to
cancer	in	humans.
22
Another	ugly	ingredient	in	animal	products	is…well,
other	animals.
	Theseinclude	members	of	the	same	species	that	have	died	in	the	factory	farm.	Some
commercial	feed	even	includes	meat	and	bonemeal,	containing	prion	proteins.
These	components	of	animal	tissue	have	the	capacity	to	transform	into	agents
that	cause	fatal	neurological	lesions	in	a	wide	range	of	species.
23
	Cows	were	not
meant	to	eat	other	cows.	Period.
Then	there	are	the	copious	amounts	of
antibiotics
	that	are	added	to
commercial	animal	feed	on	purpose


 a dietary r egimen as to prevent error in milk quality, and so to conserve
her mental forces as to prevent systemic poisoning through emotional tension, with their detrimental influences upon infant
digestion.

    When infantile disease is manifested, a medically tr eated child is still more hampered in its physical processes. Drugs are
poisons, and their introduction into the body of an infant suffering from food excess or from the results of erroneous diet o n the
part of the mother, works havoc with tender nerves an d tissue. Drugs aim at the suppression of symptom and not at removal of
cause, and many an adult organism is compelled to struggle through life handicapped by undeveloped, partially paralyzed
mechanism, the result of dosage in infancy.

    The disease sy mptoms of childhood frequently assume epidemic form. Contagion and infection actively affect the individual
only when his physical state is such as not to be able to repel the germ, either of the ever present variety or introduced fr om outside
sources. The  aim of the parent should be directed toward the preservation of health with its resistive qualities in the body of the
growing child, and if, through carelessness or ignorance, or accident, this condition may fail of conservation, toward the pr ompt
remova l of the soil in which the germ thrives and dies. To use a germicide in these instances is suicidal, for germicides merely
succeed in destroying the microbe, a process that adds decomposing material to an already fertile and expectant medium. And i t is
reasonable also to assume that a poison powerful enough to kill living organisms within the body is of strength sufficient to de al
destruction to the cells composing it.

    Referring to a former statement concerning feeding the body while high temperature prevails, the question may be asked: --Why
put food into the stomach of a feverish infant! A roaring fire is not ordinarily subdued by adding fuel to the flame. Fever i s in
actuality a salutary symptom indicating by its very existence an active internal str uggle by natural forces to rid the system through
rapid combustion of material that is most inimical to life. It is caused by absorption into the circulation of the products o f excess
food rotting in the alimentary canal, and, when additional material is f orced into this mass, the results are a further rise in
temperature and added distress. Should drugs be administered, they are either stimulants or narcotics, the former increasing the
Page 46 of  72 action of the heart and with it the temperature, the latter reducing ne rve sensibility and power. In the body of the child the effects
both of overfeeding and of drugs are long -lasting, and here, as in all disease, the method to be employed should be that which will
tend to remove the ferment, the rotting material, the cause of the condition.

    Hence, as in the adult when illness appears, prompt withholding of food permits of active elimination of the cause of
disturbance; an enema or several of them cleanses the bowels of toxic substances; fever is at once abated; diarrhe a and colic
vanish; and in two or three days at most the youngster is again whole and hearty, ready for normal functioning. For children
respond to the fasting treatment in marvelous manner; their natural forces have not been depleted by years of excess in  physical
indulgence, and are present in pristine vigor. And with them no argument is needed as to the efficacy of the means employed, for
their mental habit is not as yet sufficiently molded to prove combative.

    A fast until hunger makes its demand i s mandatory in even the slightest digestive ailments of the smallest of babes; and a
comparison of this method of treatment with that which requires the stomach to be dosed with drugs and the system to be
permeated with the products of disease developed in  the lower animals and introduced into human blood in the forms of virus and
of serum needs no commentary excepting that of extreme condemnation for the latter procedure.

    When the enema is administered to children an amount of water should be used that is commensurate to the size of the immature
bowel. If the internal bath be thoroughly but judiciously employed, the colon of the child will be flushed of poisonous conte nt,
fever will subside, and disease will vanish. The enema may be given even to the day -old babe with beneficial results, for it serves
to cleanse the colon of its pre -natal secretion, always productive of harm if retained. The ease with which a fretful; co licky child
may be relieved by the careful use of the internal bath is a matter which every mother should understand, and the employment of
the enema at judicious intervals during infancy is of equal importance with its use in adult life.

    Whenever in  a young child the smallest indication of disease appears, whether it be in the form of nasal discharge, of
constipation, of diarrhea, or of internal pain, it should be considered as full warning of loss of balance between nutrition and
elimination. Food s hould at once be withheld, the enema administered, and this form of treatment continued until equilibrium is
restored. If the situation be handled thus, there will be no later development of acute disease; no adenoids, degenerated ton sils, nor
other morbid  organic structural defects will evolve. Care of this sort at this time precludes dependence upon the knife of the
surgeon in infancy, in adolescence, and in adult existence. In other words, prevention through systemic purification is the g reatest
hygienic  need at this age and at all ages, but it is the more essential in infancy, which is the physical and physiological formative
period of human life.

CHAPTER XV
SEXUAL DISEASE AND THE FAST

MENSTRUAL DIFFICULTIES:
THE MENOPAUSE:
THE ORTHODOX AND THE NA TURAL APPROACH TO GONORRHEA AND SYPHILIS:

    THE ULTIMATE of therapeutic fasting is accomplished by the restoration of all physiological function to normal, and, when
success attends upon abstinence, normality is the rule, not only with respect to the p rocesses of nutrition, but to those of the sex
functions as well. In fact, the organs of sex respond perhaps more readily than do other vital parts to the restorative agenc ies
invoked by reason of abstinence from food.

    In woman during a fast the mens es may or may not appear. If they do, usually before the period there is disturbance nervous in
character, and the flow, either scanty or profuse, may be viscid in consistency and perhaps offensive in odor. After feeding is
resumed the monthly discharge ma y miss one or several periods. Its absence should occasion no anxiety, for in a sense the
menstrual flow is at all times a waste product, and in a successfully conducted and completed fast systemic purification has been
achieved and but little refuse, if a ny, remains to be eliminated. Accumulation must again take place ore the periods may be
reestablished.

    With respect to the menstrual discharge the interesting facts are to be observed that it is of regular recurrence during the bearing
period in the females of all mammals; that it is barely perceptible in some; and that in none is it so profuse in quantity as in
woman. She is the only female in the animal kingdom who is compelled to undergo a monthly inconvenience of copious flow from
the organs of se x. Yet this evidence of function, as natural as is breathing, because of perversion in habit has become aggravated in
degree. Profuse discharge from the uterus is the penalty attached to the use of the organs of reproduction for purposes other  than
those t hat are legitimate --a perfect demonstration of the universal law of compensation.

    In treating disease of the reproductive system in woman, the fast tends both to cleanse and relax, both to relieve congestion  and
to restore tone. From one to three day s without food will serve, in conjunction with accompanying eliminative aids, to correct
excessive menstruation, and, when no structural organic defect is present, relief is apparent within twenty -four hours when the
Page 47 of  72 flow is attended with pain. In this con nection attention is directed to the use of the hot douche, the hot bath, and the enema at the
time of the monthly period. It is difficult to assign adequate reason to the strong objection generally made by medical pract itioners
to the cleansing douche at any time, and especially to its employment when the menstrual flow is on. Cleanliness of the organs of
sex is always imperative, and cleanliness with freedom from danger of infection cannot be attained during menstruation unless  the
parts are bathed both e xternally and internally. Medical opinion to the contrary, the hygienic accessories mentioned are at all times
helpful, and are doubly so when the menses appear.

    The menopause or change of life is dreaded by all women. There is never any certainty as  to the time of its occurrence, nor any
means of foretelling the character of its manifestations. As treatment by means of the fast demonstrates that the menses may be
regulated and that assurance of their normal recurrence is possible when natural law is followed, so similarly purification of the
system at the time of the menopause, or better, before its appearance, coupled with a correct dietary and judicious exercise,  will
permit any woman to pass through this experience without evil consequences.

    At the time of


 thoughts. It came
spontaneously, in total silence, with no effort or
commotion. N o matter how hard I might have tried, I
could n ever have written that paper based solely on the
efforts of my lo gical mind. I w ondered if there was a way
to tap into the  brilliance of t hat inspiration on a regular
basis. It would be years, but e ventually I would learn that
one can constantly live in that state of creative
inspiration.9.
T h e  P r o m i s e d  L a n d
I t had been months since my deep meditation experience
in the Ocala National Forest. The remnants of that
experience wer e a constant flow of energy to the point
between my eyebrows and a burning in my heart to go
even deeper within. Neither of these forces subsided over
time. In  fact, the yearning to go deeper kept increasing
on a  daily basis. It was like having fallen madly in love
and not being able to see your beloved. I began to
contemplate co mpletely drop ping out and entering a life
of solitude. My coursework was done, and nothing was
forcing me to take my qualifying exams right away. Plus,
by that time I was pretty cert ain that I would never take
those exams.
I determined that I needed a place away from
everything and everyone in order to become totally
focused on my practices. I knew I couldn’t just keep
camping by the lime pit for ever, but I wasn’t ready to
start loo king fo r a secluded p lace of my own. I decided to
just kee p my eyes open to see if something would show
up by itself.
Something did.
I wa s fi lling up  my van one day, when out of the blue
the gas  station attendant asked me where I lived. I told
him that I had  been living in my van for a while but was
hoping to find a piece of land  in the country. He said he
had come across a beautiful place northwest of
Gainesville that had five-acre lots for sale. I got
directions and went on my way.A few days later, I drove ou t to the place and found
April Gift Estates. It was in a heavily wooded area about
ten miles north of town, and  it consisted of twenty-one
five-acre lots and a couple of dirt roads. Very few lots had
been sold, and I didn’t see a single person the entire time
I toured. The place was so peaceful and natural that I
drove around almost in a trance. It was just perfect.
I soon came upon a couple of adjoining lots that were
part woods and part field. T his was exactly what I had
wanted. I parked my car and  walked through the woods
onto the interior field. The feeling of going from the
woods to sudden openness was unbelievable. There was
a rush of light and a feeling of expansiveness.
I wa lked up a rolling hill to th e fence on the north side
of the proper ty. The property bordered a beautiful
pasture that sloped down to a woods-lined stream. The
entire north side of the lot overlooked that breathtaking
view. It reminded me of how Homer described the
Elysian Fields. I meandered back into the woods and
found a  spot under a tree where I could see the interior
field op en in front of me and the beautiful pastureland to
my righ t. The woods were quiet and felt protecting. It
was like  being in a womb. Th e moment I sat down, I was
drawn i nto deep meditation. The moment I came back, I
knew I was home.
I ha d never bought a piece of land before, but I did
have some funds. When I graduated from college, my
father had given me what remained in my college
account. He wanted me to ta ke full responsibility for my
postgraduate education. Since I did both my master’s
degree and my doctorate work under full fellowship, I
had been able to save almos t all of the $15,000 he had
given me. It was now time to spend it.
I d ecide d to try to buy both of the lots that included
the inte rior fiel d. That would give me plenty of seclusion.
Before contac ting the owner, I picked a maximum
number that I was willing to  pay for the ten acres. Thenumber was significantly less  than the asking price, but I
told myself that if the seller wouldn’t come down to my
price, it  wasn’t meant to be.  I was completely at peace
with either outcome. As it tu rned out, that sense of
detachment gave me the edge I needed to successfully
negotiate for the lots. I succe eded in the purchase, but I
didn’t feel a s ense of joy. W hat I felt was a sense of
resolute determination. What lay ahead of me was not
going t o be easy. I had already committed so much of
myself to exploring what was beyond me—now I was
going to commit everything.1 0.
B u i l d i n g  a  S a c r e d  H u t
B ob G ould and I had been friends since my first days of
high school. We had both moved to Florida from up
north a nd wer e the new kid s entering tenth grade. We
bonded immediately and remained good friends all the
way through college. Bob was  the handy type, the kind of
kid who always excelled in sh op class. When it came time
to build a meditation hut on my land, he jumped at the
opportunity.
Neither Bob nor I had ever built anything like a hut to
actually live in. I was good with my hands and had been a
sports c ar mechanic while in high school. But to build a
small house, Bob and I were way out of our league. We
reached out to a college friend, Bobby Altman. Bobby’s
credentials we re not that he  had actually built a house
before, but that he had just f inished his master’s degree
in arch itecture. At least he had the theory of how to
design and build something. How hard could it be to
build a  small hut where I could go into solitude for a
while?
Apparently, Bobby Altman didn’t think it would be
hard at  all. He quickly design ed plans for the hut, which
included a balsa wood model. I remember the first time I
saw his design. I literally thought he was crazy. This was
not just a small, simple, one-person hut for meditation.
It was a wedged-shaped hou se with a stunning front of
glass that spanned sixteen fee t wide and rose twenty feet
high. To be perfectly honest, I had been envisioning
more of a box with a door and a few windows. How werethree college grads, who had never built anything before,
going to build this?
Bobby Altman insisted the ho use was going to be easy
to build. I wasn ’t so sure, but Bob Gould was all for it. He
thought it would be a fun cha llenge for the three of us to
live on the land in tents and build it. I remember that I
didn’t see it th at way. I already had a full-time challenge
—getting back to my beloved place of absolute stillness
and peace. But if I had to build this architecturally
designed masterpiece of a meditation hut to get there—
so be it.
We jumped right in with the abandonment of reason
that belongs only to young h ippies and crazy people. It
was an amazing experience. I had very little money left to
build Bobby Altman’s chalet. To keep costs to a
minimum, both Bobs agreed that we could use rough-
sawn lumber instead of the finished lumber you buy at a
lumberyard. A s fate would have it, there was a sawmill
just a few mile s down the hig hway from my land: Griffis
Lumber & Sawmill. James G riffis and his wife were real
southern country folk, not longhairs like the three of us.
We got sideways looks from pretty much everyone
whenever we went to pick up lumber. Aside from our
hair, we stood out because of what we were ordering. We
started with the eleven cypress columns that would form
the support structure of the house—at twenty-nine feet,
you mig ht as well call them trees. James Griffis allowed
us to hand s elect the straightest trees right off the
logging truck when it arrived. We got to watch workers
strap ea ch of the trees to the giant mill and cut them
down to  six inches per side, give or take half an inch. It
was a real bac k-to-the-earth feeling watching the actual
trees being turned into the backbone of your house.
In ti me, Mr. Gr iffis began to o pen up to us. One day he
invited the three of us to din ner at his house, which was
adjacent to the mill. This was a big deal since we had
been living in tents and cook ing what we could over anopen fir e. It was particularly s pecial for me because I had
been living out of my van or  in a tent for almost half a
year. It wasn’t just a matter of a home-cooked meal;