and a hot cup of your freshly made chicken stock. Fish stock
To make a good fish stock you need bones, fins, skins and heads of the fish,
not the meat. So buy your fish whole, cut the meat off to cook as a separate
meal and use the rest of the fish to make your fish stock. Your fishmonger
can do all the trimming for you. Put the heads, bones, fins and skin of the
fish into a large pan, add 8-10 pepper corns and fill the pan with water.
Bring up to boil, reduce the heat to a minimum and simmer for i-i7 2 hours.
Add salt to taste at the end of cooking. Take the fish out and sieve the stock.
Take the meat off the fish skeleton to use for soup making.
The basic soup recipe
To make a soup bring some of your home-made meat stock to the boil, add
chopped or sliced vegetables and simmer for another 20-25 minutes. You
can choose any combination of available vegetables: onion, cabbage,
carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, courgettes, marrow, squash, leeks,
etc. If you are planning to blend your soup, then you can cut vegetables
roughly into any size pieces. If you prefer to have your soup without blend
ing, then make sure that you cut or dice your vegetables into nice small
pieces before cooking. If your meat stock was made with lamb, pork or
beef you can add a handful of dried French or Italian mushrooms for a
wonderful flavour. It is customary to crush the dried mushrooms by
hand before adding to the soup. At the end of cooking add 1-2 table spoon
fuls of chopped garlic, bring to the boil and turn the heat off. Blend with
a soup blender until smooth unless you planned to have it without
blending.
You can serve your soup with any combination of the following:
• some chopped parsley, coriander or dill
• hard-boiled egg cut into pieces
• a spoonful of your home-made goat's yoghurt or creme fraiche
• cooked meat cut into small pieces
• red onion cut into very small pieces
• spring onion cut into small pieces
• a spoonful of cooked and ground liver
From this basic recipe you can improvise and develop your own recipes.
Here I will just provide a few ideas. A spring nettle soup
i'L I of home-made meat stock
large bunch of spring nettles
2 tablespoons of dried French of Italian mushrooms
1 medium onion
1 medium carrot
2 courgettes or 7, of a marrow or squash
4 eggs, hard boiled
Young shoots of stinging nettles appearing in spring are full of wonderful
nourishment. They are high in iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, vitamin C,
carotenoids and other useful substances. For this recipe collect a large
bunch of spring nettles. You will have to wear gloves and a long-sleeved
shirt to do this. Rinse the nettles and shake the excess water off. Using scis
sors cut the leaves and tender shoots of the nettles into small pieces dis
carding the hard stems. Reserve for the recipe.
Cut the marrow, squash or courgettes into small cubes, thinly slice the
carrot and chop the onion. Bring the home-made meat stock to a boil. Add
all the vegetables and the French or Italian dried mushrooms, crumbling
them with your hands before adding to the meat stock. Simmer under a
tight lid for 15-20 minutes. Add your prepared nettles, mix and immedi
ately take off the heat. Serve with 1-2 tablespoons of hard-boiled egg cut
into small pieces and a spoonful of home-made yoghurt (if well tolerated).
Russian Borsch
tit I of home-made meat stock
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 medium carrot finely sliced
'U of medium-size white cabbage finely sliced
2 medium-size beetroots or4 small beetroots raw or cooked
3 cloves of garlic
1 finely chopped tomato
If the beetroot is cooked (in water, not in vinegar):
Bring the meat stock to boil and add the onion, carrot and cabbage. Cover
and simmer for 20 minutes. In the meantime slice the cooked beetroots
into long thin strips. Add into the soup, mix well and simmer for another 5
minutes. Take off the heat. Crush the 3 cloves of garlic and add to the soup together with the chopped tomato. Serve with a large spoon of creme
fraiche or home-made yoghurt (if well tolerated) and some chopped pars
ley and/or a thick slice of hard-boiled egg.
If the beetroot is raw:
Wash and peel the beetroot. Slice into long thin strips by hand or using
your food processor. Bring the meat stock to boil and add the beetroot.
Simmer for 10-15 minutes, then add the rest of the vegetables (onion, carrot
and cabbage). Simmer for further 20 minutes or until the cabbage is
cooked. Take off the heat. Crush the 3 cloves of garlic and add to the soup
together with the chopped tomato. Serve with a large spoon of creme
fraiche or home-made yoghurt (if well tolerated), some chopped parsley
and/or a thick slice of hard-boiled egg.
Fish soup
11 of home-made fish stock
1 large onion finely chopped
1 carrot thinly sliced
1 courgette or an equivalent amount of marrow or squash, cut into small cubes
Bring the fish stock to boil and add the onion, carrot and squash, marrow
or courgettes. Simmer under a lid for 10-15 minutes and take off the heat.
Add the cooked fish meat which you took off the bones when you made the
fish stock. Serve with a spoonful of home-made yoghurt (if well tolerated)
and/or with a hard-boiled egg (sliced or chopped).
If there is no meat left on the bones you can use the meat (skinless and
boneless) of any available fish. Cut the meat into small cubes and add into
the boiling fish stock at the same time as vegetables.
Meatball soup
400 g of minced meat (mixture of pork and beef is best)
1 large onion finely chopped
1 large carrot thinly sliced
1 cup winter squash or courgette cut into small cubes
1 cup of finely chopped cabbage (optional)
2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
In a pan bring 2 litres of water up to boil. Add salt and cayenne pepper to
taste. With your hands shape meatballs about 2 cm in diameter and add them,
one at a time, into the boiling water. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30
minutes. Add all the vegetables apart from garlic, cover and simmer for
another 20 minutes. Add the garlic and switch the heat off. Let it sit for 5-10
minutes then add 2-3 tablespoons of sauerkraut. Serve with a spoonful of
home-made yoghurt and finely chopped dill.
lite beautiful winter squash soup
tiL I of home-made meat stock (turkey or chicken stock work
best for this recipe)
1 leak, washed and sliced
broccoli, 3-4 medium sized rosettes
1 medium-size carrot, sliced
Va of a medium size buttercup squash ora'h of butternut
squash or any winter squash with sweet orange flesh
3 garlic cloves peeled
Peel and de-seed the squash, cut it into chunks. Wash and cut into pieces
all the vegetables. Put them into your soup pan, add the meat stock and
bring to boil. Reduce the heat to a minimum, cover with the lid and simmer
for about 30 minutes. Blend with a soup blender. If your family is at the
stage of tolerating home-made goat's yoghurt, then add lh a cup into the
soup. Serve warm. It is particularly soothing if the child has a tummy ache
or diarrhoea.
Meat jelly
pig trotters (2-4)
1 large carrot
garlic
salt and black peppercorns
Put pig trotters into a large pan, fill it up with water, add salt and a tea
spoon of black peppercorns. Bring up to boil, reduce heat to a minimum,
cover with a lid and let it simmer for 3 hours.
In the meantime cook a large carrot by steaming, cool it down and cut
into thin slices. You can cut it into decorative slices if you have the tools for
doing that.
When the meat stock is ready take the pig trotters out and pour the stock through a sieve into a separate pan. Let the trotters cool down completely.
Take all the meats (including the skin and other soft tissues) from the pig
trotters, completely stripping the bones. Cut the meat into small pieces.
In a large deep tray lay the pieces of meat, the carrot pieces and thin slices
of garlic. You can add more or less garlic to your family's taste. Pour the meat
stock to fill the tray to 3L Place it in the refrigerator for the jelly to set. You can
also set this jelly in different jelly shapes and dishes as individual servings.
This dish is wonderful to have on a hot summer's day. It contains a lot of
nourishing substances, including gelatine, glucosamine, glycoproteins,
phospholipids and others and is


 routine. They need
a slow, patient “weaning.” Besides, there is the maintenance routine (see Chapter 23 ), which
they should stick with for the rest of their lives, to safeguard their restored health (At the time of
writing I’ve been happily doing that for 24 years and have no intention of stopping.)
There are others who have to be discouraged from rushing back into the disastrous eating
habits that had contributed so much to their disease. As a rule any such temptation is short-lived.
Their detoxified, cleared, optimally nourished organisms shrink away from the so-called normal
food they had been dreaming about during the therapy—food heavy with fat, painfully salty and
harsh with synthetic flavors. If their brains don’t object to junk food, their taste buds will.
In my experience, after recovery there is no way back into the pre-disease state. Living with
the holistic Gerson Therapy changes you, not only in your lifestyle and eating habits, but also in
your set of values, priorities and general outlook. You have been reborn without the need to die
first, and you may spontaneously decide to help others on the same path, by way of repaying a
debt to life.
References:
1) Gerson, M. A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 Cases. 6th edition. Bonita, Calif. The Gerson
Institute, 1999.
2) Pert, C. Molecules of Emotion. Simon & Schuster, New York, 1997.
3) Illich, I.  Medical Nemesis. 1976.
4) LeShan, L. Cancer as a Turning Point.  Plume, 1994.
5) Simonton, C., Matthews-Simonton, S., Creighton, J. Getting Well Again. Bantam, 1992.
6) Greer, S.  Mind-body research in psycho-oncology. Advances  15(4), 1999.
7) Spiegel, D. Effect of psychosocial treatment on survival of patients with metastasized
breast cancer. The Lancet, October 14 1989; 888-891.
8) Siegel, B. Love, Medicine & Miracles.  Harper Perennial, 1998.
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 173Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comCHAPTER 25
Overcoming Stress and Tension
In the chapter on the psychological support needed by Gerson patients (see Chapter 24 ) it was
explained how the mind and the body interact every moment of our lives; in other words, how
our moods, emotions and general outlook have a measurable and direct impact on our physical
processes and above all on the immune system, that all-important tool of the healing journey. A
hopeful, trusting, determined state of mind strengthens immune competence; fear, despair, anger
and negativity weaken it. There is also the harmful effect of stress, keeping the entire organism in
a state of high tension. Yet the body, that wonderful organism with its own intelligence, only
functions well when it is relaxed, free from tension and able to follow its inner rules and rhythms.
Obviously, the Gerson program will also work best for the relaxed, unstressed patient. After all,
it is not enough to eat the best possible food and drink the most health-giving juices—they also
have to be digested and absorbed properly, and it is no secret that anxiety and worry can wreak
havoc with the digestion.
Keeping mind and emotions on an even keel, banishing stress and fear must be part of the
Gerson patient’s daily routine. Fortunately there are some simple, enjoyable methods that make
this possible. In this chapter we present a full range. Please try them and see which suit you
best.
Minding the Body
Posture  can have a huge impact on how we feel, just as how we feel is often betrayed by our
posture. When we are happy, we walk on air. When miserable, head goes down, shoulders move
up, back curves forward and slumps, all of which compresses our innards and adds to the gloom.
And that will never do.
Learn to keep your spine straight, but not rigid, both standing and sitting. (Please freeze for
a moment and check what your spine is doing.)  Sit with both feet on the ground and don’t cross
your legs; doing so impedes the circulation and twists the spine. Walk from the hips and avoid
leaning forward, as if you were pushing a grocery cart– you can’t get ahead of yourself! Think of
your head as the hook of a coat hanger, with your body hanging from it loosely and comfortably.
The shoulders are a particularly tension-prone part of the body: they tend to move forward and
up, whenever we feel stressed, as if wanting to protect the chest. A side effect of this unconscious
move is that anxious people seem to have short necks. In the memorable words of a yoga teacher,
opening up your chest means saying yes to life.
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 174Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comMake sure your shoulders are where they belong. Stand up straight, draw both shoulders
up as far as they will go, right up to the earlobes—and then drop them, as if they had become
redundant. Where they land is their natural position. Please memorize it for future use. It is also
helpful to keep your neck supple and relaxed (and make it longer!) by regular exercise. Turn your
head slowly from left to right and back; drop your head gently forward and backward, keeping
your lower jaw loose; rotate your head first clockwise, then counter-clockwise, repeating each
movement five times. If at any time you feel you are tensing up and no one can see you, imagine
that you are a rag doll in a strong breeze, and move accordingly
Hands are also tension-prone. They tend to curl into fists as soon as we feel anxious or
angry. In old Westerners you could tell that things were getting dangerous when the hero’s
knuckles turned white. Actually anybody’s knuckles can turn white from fear, and this is what
needs to be avoided. Train yourself to keep your fingers splayed when your hands are at rest. That
prevents the tensing up of the arms, which would lead to further tension rushing through the body.
If at first you fail and all you have is fists, imagine that you have washed your hands and have no
towel, so that you need to shake both hands vigorously from the wrists. As you do that, feel the
tension dropping away from your fingertips.
Last but far from least, breathing deserves our full attention. Breath is the basic condition
of life. We can live for quite a while without food and for a much shorter time without water, but
life without breath ends in a few moments. Yet most of us neglect this vital function, until we
learn otherwise and switch from shallow to deep abdominal breathing. This way, routinely used
by singers, speakers, practitioners of yoga and athletes, boosts the body’s oxygen intake and has
a calming effect. The method is simplicity itself. With each in-breath push out your stomach, so
that the breath can fill your lungs to full capacity. With each out-breath, pull in your stomach hard,
squeezing out the stale air. Find your own rhythm and practice this method several times a day,
until it becomes your natural way of breathing. If at first it is a bit difficult, imagine that in your
abdomen there is a beautiful balloon, which you inflate with each in-breath and deflate by letting
out the air. You will be surprised what a difference better breathing makes to your well-being.
Matters of the Mind
Your mental attitude can be your best ally—or your worst enemy, and the same applies to
your imagination, depending on how you use it.  Positively used, your thoughts and ideas can help
you to re-program your entire outlook, your moods and feelings, so that they promote health and
healing, instead of dragging you down.. Energy follows thought!
There are several ways to achieve the best possible state of mind. All of them depend on your
ability to relax as fully as possible, so that no tension interferes with what you are trying to do.
The simplest way is to lie on your back on a comfortable but not too soft surface, with your hands
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 175Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comloosely resting by your sides. Close your eyes. Start breathing slowly, deeply, from the abdomen.
With each in-breath imagine drawing in brilliant light, which fills you with peace, strength and
energy. With each out-breath imagine releasing all tiredness, tension, pain or anxiety in the shape
of dirty dark smoke. Let your head and your body become very heavy, so that the floor carries
your weight. Check through your body, starting with your toes and working your way up to the


40 years, iodine levels have fallen over 50%. There are a number of reasons this has occurred including the
declining use of iodized salt.
If a lowered iodine intake was the only problem, it would be simple to rectify iodine deficiency with iodine supplementation.
However, there is more to the story.
Currently, our exposure to the toxic halides–fluoride, bromide, and perchlorate–are occurring at levels that humans have
never been exposed to. The consequence of this is a worsening of the already present iodine-deficiency problem.
We discussed the toxic halides in the previous chapter. These include bromine, fluoride, and chlorine derivatives. I have
presently tested over 1,000 patients for their bromine levels. I have found that 100% of them have tested for high bromine levels.
Fluoride in our water supply also adds to this problem.
Only through iodine supplementation and detoxification can you reverse
this problem. Detoxification will be covered at the end of this chapter.
WHY DO WE NEED MORE IODINE NOW THAN PEOPLE DID 100 YEARS AGO?
Invariably, I am asked, “Why do we need more iodine than our predecessors took?” There are a number of factors that have
led to the ‘perfect storm’ of iodine deficiency including:
1
.
Our food supply is remarkably deficient in iodine due, in part, to low salt intake.
2
.
The ingestion of brominated (instead of iodinated) bakery products leads to toxic levels of bromine
in the vast majority of our population. Furthermore, brominated flour worsens an iodine-deficient
condition.
3
.
Our continued exposure to brominated flame retardants in computers, furniture, clothing, bedding,
and other common consumer materials.
4
.
Fluoridation of our water supply. Fluoridation is bound to worsen an iodine deficient problem by
supplying a toxic halide on a continual basis.
5
.
The use of pesticides and insecticides for lawn care which contain toxic halides such as bromine
and chlorine derivatives.
6
.
The use of many medications that contain bromine or fluorine as part of their chemical structure. A
list of some of the brominated and fluoridated drugs is shown In
Chapter 11
.
When you take into account these six items, it is no wonder that we need larger iodine doses than past generations of
Americans. Unless our exposure to toxic halogens is decreased, we will continue to need and require larger amounts of iodine as
compared to our predecessors. We need the larger iodine doses to help the body detoxify from the toxic halogens.
HOW TO DETOXIFY FROM THE TOXIC HALIDES
Now that we have established that there is no use in our body for the toxic halides, I will show you four safe and simple steps
to help you detoxify from these toxic substances.
Step 1: Ensure Adequate Hydration
It is impossible to detoxify from any substance without maintaining adequate hydration. Water can not only bring nutrients to
the tissues of the body, it can help flush out toxins. My experience has shown that maintaining adequate hydration is the single
most important health factor in any detoxification program. How much water should you drink? A rough estimate is to take your
weight in pounds, divide by 2 and the resultant number is the amount of water you should drink in ounces per day. It is important
to drink clean water, free of fluoride and
chlorine derivatives. Reverse osmosis water is one such example. It is important toensure that you have adequate mineral intake when drinking reverse osmosis water. How can you ensure adequate mineral intake
when drinking reverse osmosis water? Simply add unrefined salt to the water—see Step 2.
Step 2: Ingest Unrefined Salt
As previously mentioned, unrefined salt helps to rid the body of the toxic halide bromine. How is this accomplished? Chloride
and bromide, part of the halogen family, are next to each other on the periodic table. Chloride is an effective competitive inhibiter
of bromide. I have found it impossible to lower bromine levels in my patients if they do not ingest unrefined salt. I suggest taking
approximately 1-1.5tsp/day of unrefined salt. For more information about unrefined salt, I refer the reader to my book,
Salt
Your Way To Health.
Step 3: Take Antioxidants
Vitamin C can act as a potent antioxidant for both the fat and water-soluble tissues. Vitamin C can also help stimulate the
detoxification pathways of the body. I suggest taking 3000-6,000mg of vitamin C/day. If you get diarrhea, lower the dose.
Selenium is a potent antioxidant. Our food supply is very deficient in selenium. Taking 100-200μg/day of selenium can help
the antioxidant status of the body and may improve thyroid functioning.
Step 4: Supplement With Iodine
Iodine will help the body release the toxic halides. My experience has shown that this effect only occurs with larger (mg)
doses of iodine. Generally, a dose from 12-50mg/day is effective for most people. Those with serious illnesses such as breast or
prostate cancer may need more. As the toxic halides are released, you may experience a detoxification reaction. This can include
headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, and palpitations. To minimize detoxification reactions, you can do Steps 1-3 for two weeks
before instituting iodine therapy.
Remember, the best results are achieved when you work with a health care practitioner knowledgeable about iodine and the
detoxification pathways. If you experience problems, please seek advice.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This chapter was written to answer the most common questions I am asked by both doctors and laypeople. The vast majority
of our population is being exposed to ever-increasing amounts of toxic halides and decreasing amounts of iodine. Is it any wonder
that iodine-deficient illnesses such as endocrine-related cancers (thyroid, breast, prostate, uterus, and ovary) as well as thyroid
problems (hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s, and Graves’ disease) are increasing at near epidemic rates? I believe the only solution to
these common problems is to ensure
adequate iodine intake in order to enable the body to competitively inhibit and detoxify the
toxic halides.
However, keep in mind, iodine is best used as part of a holistic treatment regimen that includes the use of unrefined salt and
antioxidants such as vitamin C.Chapter 13
Iodine Dosage Guidelines
CHAPTER 13: IODINE DOSAGE GUIDELINES
Now that we have established that the RDA for iodine (approximately 150μg/day) is inadequate, how much iodine should
you take? There is some concern in the conventional literature that too much iodine can harm the thyroid gland and cause other
problems in the body. This chapter will explore how to safely use iodine to achieve your optimal health.
The question of dosage cannot be answered without reviewing the iodine intake of the Japanese. It has been estimated that
the mainland Japanese ingest approximately 13.8mg of iodine per day, which is approximately 100 times the RDA.
1
 The
Japanese receive most of their iodine from seaweed, which is known to concentrate iodine.
What is the effect of ingesting this larger amount of iodine? The Japanese who consume these large amounts (by U.S. RDA
standards) of iodine have remarkably lower levels of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers. In addition, as compared to
American women, there is a significantly lower amount of fibrocystic breast disease in Japanese women. Mainland Japanese
men
have a significantly lower rate of prostate cancer as compared to the U.S. male population including Japanese males who have
migrated to the United States. The medical literature has pointed out a possible relationship between all of these cancers and
iodine deficiency.
SEVEN CONCERNS WITH USING HIGH LEVELS OF IODINE
There is some concern that the ingestion of iodine in excess of the RDA–150μg/day–will cause adverse effects. I will show
you that with the proper monitoring and dosing, iodine in milligram doses is safe and effective. There are seven major concerns
with using iodine in excess of the RDA. Many iodophobic individuals feel that milligram doses of iodine may cause:
1
.
Iodine allergy
2
.
Autoimmune thyroid disease
3
.
Detoxification reactions
4
.
Iodine-induced hypothyroidism and goiter
5
.
Iodine-induced hyperthyroidism
6
.
Iodism
7
.
Thyroid cancer
ALLERGY TO IODINE
In my experience, an allergy to inorganic iodine/iodide is a rare occurrence. An allergy to radioactive iodine dye, commonly
used in many medical imaging procedures, does not guarantee that there is an allergy to inorganic iodine/iodide–such as in Lugol’s
or tableted Lugol’s. In fact, my experience has shown that it is a rare occurrence to have an allergy to inorganic iodine/iodide.
During twenty years of practice, I have seen three patients with an allergy to inorganic, non-radioactive iodine.
An allergy can take any form, including a rash, fatigue, congestion, headache, and fever. NAET, an acupressure technique,
has


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


 there would be peace. If you can’t do that, you are part of
the problem, not the solution. It’s all about letting go of yourself. The world
is going to come in, and it’s going to hit what’ s left of your samskaras. What
you feel going on inside when that happens is reactive energy. Don’ t ever
act based on that. You will just be polluting the environment with your inner
blockages. No good can come from that.
A spiritual life is not about adhering to a given set of rules—it’ s about
never acting based on your personal energy. You won’ t be able to do that to
start with, so work on it. When the energy gets disturbed, just let it go. Your
initial reaction will generally be your personal stuff coming up. If you let it
go, you’ll be able to interact with the moment in front of you in a more
constructive manner. Simply ask yourself, “Is there something I can be
doing to serve the moment in front of me? Not for me; I already let go of
me. Now  that I’m clear and nonreactive, is there something I can do to raise
the moment as it passes by?”
Once you learn to let go of the reactionary noise of personal thoughts
and emotions, things will become clear. You will know how to work with
the situation in front of you. If you’re conscious, present, and paying
attention, you will know what to do. The moment in front of you is talking
to you. It doesn’ t have to be in words. The piece of paper on the ground, the
person who needs some help, whatever it is, your respon se becomes
obvious. The deepest truth is that it doesn’ t even matter what you do. What
matters is where you’re coming  from. What matters is your motive. If your
motive is to let go of yourself and serve the moment in front of you, you are
worthy of great respect. How would you like to meet some body whose
entire motive and purpose in life is to first let go of their personal blockages
and then do their best to serve what’s in front of them? They can’t do wrong
because their motive is pure. If the motive itself is pure and impersonal, in
the end, it will spread light.
Be sure your motive is pure, then don’t look back. If somebody
criticizes your actions, just apolo gize and let go. Always be willing to learn.
If you come from the highest place you can, there’ s no guilt, no shame. The
fruits of the best you can do are a very holy thing. If someth ing terriblecomes back from the best you can do, own it. It’s yours. Let it teach you.
Let it make you better, so you’ll do better next time. Please, don’t feel bad
about it. Don’ t judge anything. It’s only when you didn’ t do your best—you
got personally disturbed and gave in to it—that’ s when you build karma and
things become really complicated.
Practice letting go, and eventua lly you will find yourself in a seat of
awareness that can’t be disturbe d by anything you are experien cing. There
will always be a beautiful energy feeding you and raising you. At that point,
there are no more techniques; there are no more teachings. It all happens
naturally from then on. Intuitive ly, it dawns on you that this beau tiful energy
flow must be coming from somewhere. Yogananda wrote in Whispers from
Eternity (1949, 156), “O, what has become of me? Intoxication on
intoxication! Endless, indescribable throngs of divine intoxications
ceaselessly come to me!” Where is this energy coming from? You feel it as
a flow, just as if rushes of water were flowing upward within you. This is
not theoretical, it’s real. There is a constant experience of shakti, of spirit
flowing up inside you. It must be coming from somewhere. It has to have a
source. You are now ready for the next stage of your journey home—you
begin to seek the source.
You will very quickly realize the mind cannot help you on this journey.
Any focus on thoughts draws consciousness away from Self and diminishes
the energy flow. This is not an analytical or philosophical journe y. Only one
thing can seek the source of the energy flow: that which is exper iencing it—
your consciousness. To seek the source of a freshwater spring, you swim
toward the flow. You feel the current and go into it. It is the same when you
are seeking the source of the shakti flow. Your consciousness feels the flow
and melts into it. This becom es your entire spiritual practice. This is
surrender, real surrender.
Heretofore, you’ve practiced surrender by letting go of your lower self.
Now that you’ve learned to feel this higher energy flow inside, you
surrender to it. Until this final surrender, there is still a subject-object
experience: consciousness (subject) is experiencing the shakti flow (object).
If you want to truly know the flow, you must fall into it, become one with it.
To get closer to becoming one with flow, you must surrender your
entire sense of separation. It’s not enough to experience the energy, you
must release yourself into it. As you let go, the flow will pull you in. That’ s
where the great  masters went. In Sanskrit, the word yoga means “union.”Meher Baba said that when he first went into the highest state of
enlightenment, it was like a drop of water fell into the ocean. T ry to find that
drop. You can’t—it merged with the ocean. Christ said, “I and my Father are
one” (John 10:30). These teachings are the same. When you cease to
separate your sense of self from  this flow of the energy, it starts  to pull you
into it, and you become one with it. Yogananda called it a river of joy
flowing inside you. Your path is to find it, go there, get in, and drown. Now
we’re discussing the highest state, and everyone is capable of achieving this
state.
Remember how we got here. We got here by letting go of the
blockages to this flow. The higher states are totally natural, but you
shouldn’ t be seeking them. Don’t be blocked and then try to experience
what it’s like to not be blocked. Get unblocked and the deeper  meditations
will come completely naturally. You’ll be minding your own business
watching TV, and you’ll fall into states that you couldn’ t reach after hours of
meditation. You will become a being of shakti, and she will take you into
ecstasy over and over again.
There is nothing  more beautiful than the shakti flow. She is so fulfilling
that you would never block her again. If something happens and you feel
you want to defend yourself, don’t touch it. First let go of the part of you
that wants to close down, then deal with the outside. Use everything to let
go of what stands between you and the God-realized state.
Start with the low-hanging fruit throughout the day and then progress
to letting go of your past. That’s a perfect way to begin meaningful
transformation. Once you learn how to let go of self-generated disturbances,
inevitably something bigger will happen. Because of the work you have
done on yourself, it will be totally natural for you to let go during more
challenging times. Don’ t wait until a terrible bomb goes off in your life to
wonder what to do dif ferently. You need to do the work of releasing yourself
in your everyda y life. You will then be able to handle anything life brings
your way.
Like most things in life, these deeper spiritual states take time. Just do
the inner work, and the energy will start flowing. Once the floodgates open
within you, you’ll have all the help you need for the ascent. You are not
walking this path alone—all who walked before you are liftin g you. Just
keep letting go. No matter what happens, keep letting go. These states are
not going to happen all at once and then stay there. You’ll get rushes fromtime to time because something  opens up. It’s okay if it closes back down;
don’t worry. You still have work to do. Be diligent, but give it time.
Eventually, the upward flow will never leave you. You will become a
knower of your soul, a knower  of spirit. When you can relax and release
into the deeper states, you will finally awaken to full self-realization. That’ s
what true enlightenment is. Enlightenment is not a spiritual experience—it
is a permanent spiritual state.
No matter how deep you have gone, please do not say you’re
enlightened. Let that word be reserved for the great masters. Just be content.
Don’ t build a spiritual ego. Spirituality is not about hanging out a shingle
that says, “I’m a spiritual perso n.” It is about letting go of that too. It is
about perpetually letting go of yourself completely. If you never stop doing
this, the energy will take over. Where you used to see your personal self
expressing, you


 soon you have rebooted your persona l story—
your mind is tr ained to run automatically, like a computer whosesoftware is ready for instructions the minute the machine is
turned on.
Yet ther e is a s mall interval before your story reboots. For a few
seconds you are awake but not yet engaged with the world. At this
moment there is no interven ing thought to block pure aw areness.
You can expand these few s econds into a conscious experience.
Here’s how.
Go to bed wit h the intention that you are going to tak e the
following steps the instant you wake up the next morning:
Step 1:  When you first are aware of waking up, open your
eyes.
Step 2:  Stare at the ceiling without focusing on anything in
particular.
Step 3:  Try to keep your eyes open. Focus on this and
nothing else.
What t his exercise does is to set a trap for undisturbed
awareness. Each step is important in the sequence. As yo u go to
bed the night before, you set an intention; this puts the exercise at
the top of your  mental agenda in the morning. Opening y our eyes
and staring at the ceiling d istracts you from starting to think.
Focusing your attention on keeping your eyes open is the real
secret, howeve r. Your brain wakes up in the morning in  waves,
alternating sleep and wakefulness. As these waves increase, there
is st eadily more wakefulness  than sleepiness, and thus you wake
up, still feeling a bit sleepy.
By focusing your attention on keeping your eyes open, your
brain h as no choice but to blo ck thinking. The effort to sta y awake
occupies it entirely. (You can accomplish the same thing by
visually seeing a blue dot in your mind’s eye and keeping your
attention on it.)
Once th e steps  of this exerci se are mastered, you will be  in a
state of “eyes o pen, no thoughts.” As you lie there, simply notice
what this state feels like. Very few people have actually been
awake without thinking for more than a few seconds. With
practice, you can sustain thi s exercise for up to a minute. It’s asignificant thin g to be still, quiet, calm, and alert with no ego to
defend or story to construc t. The more you are aware of how
significant the  experience actually is, the more insight you will
have into your true self. The exercise isn’t an end unt o itself,
merely a starting point.
There a re varia nts of getting t o the same state of “eyes open, no
thoughts.” In meditation, for example, the mind settles down into
a r ested quiet s tate, and when you open your eyes at the end of the
meditation, this mental relaxation persists. Here the mind is
coordinating a  brain response, the natural tendency to return to
pure consciousness if given a chance. The purpose of a mantra, if
you pra ctice mantra medita tion, is to give the mind a sound
without meani ng to occupy it, which helps you stop focu sing on
what your thoughts are trying to tell you. As the mantra returns to
the min d, it becomes subtler and fainter, allowing an easy slide
into qu iet min d. At first, whe n you are coming out of meditation,
“eyes open, no thoughts” is  brief, because we are so used to
jumping back into our story. But over time there is an expansion,
and “eyes open, no thoughts”  turns into a steady state around the
clock.
At that point, a person is considered fully awake. In the
morning exercise just presented, “eyes open, no thoughts” is
blank. But the experience of being fully awake isn’t. Mental
activity arises—pebbles pop out of the lake—while the undisturbed
state remains. Silence and a ctivity are experienced as one thing:
awareness moving within itself. The experience of “eyes open, no
thoughts” is modest at first, yet it opens the way to transfo rm how
we use our minds.
I’ve made the point that m ost people don’t abandon their
stories, no matter how much pain and suffering those stories are
causing, because their natural instinct is to cling to those stories. If
you aren’t a b attered wife who refuses to leave her hus band, a
closeted gay man afraid to come out, an opioid addict unable to
end her  habit—or any other person stuck in deep pain—you can’t
grasp how horrible the consequences of clinging can be. Stories
can turn into a hopeless stat e, and that state challenges the best
that medicine and psychotherapy can do to help.Since w e all cling to our stori es, can the direct path really  offer
a wa y o ut? Let’s agree that you and I and everyone else are stuck
in our story. Stuck  is  convenient shorthand for  old conditioning
that kee ps us from creating the changes we want in our l ives. It’s
possible to learn a lot from the various ways to get unst uck that
have fai led. Consider the New Testament, where Jesus of N azareth
appears as one of the most compelling spiritual figures in recorded
history. The story of the Son of God who preaches peace to the
world and is crucified for it constitutes a drama that has transfixed
the West for two millennia.
It is striking, however, that what the New Testament teaches is
often impossib le to achieve. “Love thy neighbor as thyself” clearly
runs counter to how human n ature operates (and would have been
a fatal teaching to follow in the face of Nazism, at a tim e when
many J ews had neighbors who joined the Nazi Party, or in Bosnia
where mixed Muslim and Christian neighborhoods became
battlegrounds based on religion). “Turn the other cheek” seems
masochistic, except to a deeply confirmed Christian, asking for
bullies to victimize the helpless even more than they already do.
But this isn’t a criticism aimed at one faith—all spiritual traditions
have fo undered on the same obstacle. Human nature is in love
with its  own self-created drama, and the more stark the contrast
between good and evil, the more we cling to our story. If the
human race is waiting for the day when either good or evil is
triumphant, the only predictable outcome is that the drama is
designed to last an eternity.
Most people are clinging to  drama at a much milder level,
naturally. Except for those times when unconscious forces erupt
and a whole nation, or the world at large, is dragged to the edge of
catastrophe—sometimes plunging over into the abyss—da ily life is
stuck in  mund ane wants and desires, duties and demands. Like
being drowned in the bathtub or being drowned at sea, the result
is the same.
Yet, someone doesn’t have to experience misery to experience
being in  separa tion. Your quality of life may be good or ba d—a life
generally brings both—the situation comes down to the same
nitty-gritty: stuck is stuck. The drama is self-perpetuating. Even
our desire to escape the spell /dream/illusion becomes part of thestory. A passing experience like “eyes open, no thoughts ” or the
peaceful relaxa tion of meditation is like a peashooter a gainst a
tank. The momentum of our collective drama has proved
unstoppable.
If whol e mind didn’t exist, nobody could have invented it.
We’re a ll too stuck to see beyo nd the story we’re tangled up in. But
whole m ind do es exist; therefore, it must have a way of revealing
itself. It is said of Lord Shiva in the Vedas that he has as many
ways to  show himself as to disguise himself. This is worth
knowing. For every impulse of love, there is an impulse of fear. For
every moment of clarity, there is a moment of confusion. The trick
is not to favor the love and clarity over the fear and confusion,
because the pendulum will inevitably swing back again.
The tric k is to c all upon the so urce of love and clarity, grad ually
come closer to it, and finally make it your own. (T he New
Testament had  a better chance of being practical if Je sus had
taught “Try to love your neig hbor as yourself” and “See if  turning
the oth er cheek helps break the cycle of retaliation.”) The only
hope fo r escap ing the traps o f the conditioned mind is to  use its
better nature as a thread, following it day by day until your story
fades away. Then, living in wholeness becomes natural.
A  D e s i r e  t o  R e m o v e  D e s i r e
The endless cycle of good  and evil, pleasure and pain,
happiness and  misery is like a bonfire that fuels itself. Yet just as
the min d is riotously active on the surface and quiet in its  depths,
so is life. The d rama is everything, but only at its own leve l. When
you have a mo dest experience like “eyes open, no thoughts,” the
interference of mental activit y ceases temporarily. What replaces


12
and	vitamin	K.	Friendly	bacteria
also	help	to	obtain	the	nutrients	we	need	from	the	food	we	eat.	Intestinal	toxemia
causes	deficiency	and	toxicity	in	most	of	us,	to	some	degree,	because	of	damagefrom	antibiotics.
Michael	had	acne	as	a	teenager.	His	dermatologist	had	prescribed	an	antibiotic
(tetracycline),	and	Michael	had	taken	this	drug	every	day	for	years.	Antibiotics
were	developed	to	kill	bacteria.	The	problem	is	that	helpful	bacteria	in	your
intestines	(normal	intestinal	flora)	are	needed	for	good	health.	Years	of	taking
antibiotics	destroyed	these	helpful	bacteria	in	Michael’s	digestive	system.	(Even
one	course	of	antibiotics	can	have	this	effect.)	This	situation	allowed	the
overgrowth	of	abnormal	intestinal	flora	and	a	yeast	called
Candida	albicans.
A	yeast	infection	can	produce	toxic	chemicals	that	absorb	into	the
bloodstream;	also,	yeast	can	physically	invade	and	damage	the	intestinal	tissue
in	a	way	that	allows	other	inappropriate	materials	(undigested	food	particles,
toxic	wastes	and	yeast	byproducts)	to	pass	directly	into	the	bloodstream.	This
condition	floods	the	body	with	dangerous	toxins	and	allergens,	causing	food
allergies	and	disrupting	the	immune	system.	Some	of	these	toxins	are	neurotoxic
(causing	damage	to	the	brain	and	the	nervous	system)	and	may	produce
symptoms	such	as	fatigue,	headaches,	apathy,	depression,	anxiety,	mood	swings
and	memory	lapses.	Intestinal	yeast	infections	also	impair	the	absorption	of
nutrients,	which	is	a	separate	but	equally	serious	problem.	Disrupting	the	normal
ecology	of	the	gut	also	invites	infection	by	parasites,	which	further	disrupt	gut
tissue.
In	Michael’s	case,	I	suspected	problems	with	internally	generated	digestive
toxins,	but	to	know	for	certain	one	must	measure.	I	suggested	to	Michael	that	he
ask	his	physician	to	be	tested	for	candida.	(Convincing	the	physician	to	do	the
candida	test	was	not	easy.	Physicians	do	not	generally	look	for	such	infections,
and	his	mother	had	to	put	considerable	pressure	on	the	doctor.)	The	test	did
show	that	Michael	had	a	candida	infection,	which	he	was	able	to	get	rid	of
through	natural	methods	such	as	taking	high-quality	probiotics	and	grapefruit
seed	extract	and	by	reducing	dietary	sugar	(which	was	“feeding”	the	yeast
problem).	Michael,	who	had	been	completely	disabled	by	his	disease	throughout
the	summer,	was	able	to	go	back	to	Harvard	in	the	fall,	complete	his	senior	year
and	graduate.
Problems	such	as	Michael’s	are	common	in	America	because	of	the	excessive
antibiotics	that	our	physicians	prescribe.	While	the	use	of	antibiotics	is	prudent
and	necessary	in	very	select	cases,	for	the	most	part	antibiotics	unnecessarily
damage	the	digestive	system	and	contribute	to	intestinal	toxemia.	This	toxemia
often	subjects	us	to	far	more	toxicity	than	the	original	“germ”	that	the	antibiotic
was	supposed	to	kill.	Unfortunately,	almost	everybody	in	America	has	taken
antibiotics	at	some	point;	these	drugs	are	a	major	cause	of	health	problems,including	fatigue	and	allergies.	Intestinal	toxemia	can	be	provoked	in	other
ways,	by	medical	drugs	such	as	non-steroidal	anti-inflammatory	drugs	(NSAIDs,
including	aspirin,	ibuprofen,	naproxen,	ketoprofin,	etc.)	and	oral	steroids
(cortisone	pills,	birth	control	pills,	etc.).
Maldigestion	of	food	(exacerbated	by	medical	drugs	or	not)	produces	toxins
inside	your	body.	A	mostly	cooked	and	processed	food	diet	lacking	critical
enzymes	is	a	common	contributor,	as	is	poor	chewing	of	food.	Low-fiber	diets
are	also	problematic.	Whatever	the	cause,	undigested	food	can	rot	and	poison
you	while	still	inside	you.	Carbohydrates	ferment,	fats	turn	rancid	and	proteins
putrefy.	The	most	common	symptoms	are	bloating,	constipation,	gas,	halitosis,
heartburn,	eye	problems,	neurological	problems	and	headaches.
Keep	protein	consumption	moderate;	diets	high	in	protein,	especially	cooked
meat	and	pasteurized	dairy,	overload	our	digestive	systems.	We	need	only	35	to
40	grams	of	protein	per	day	(more	for	athletes	or	those	with	large	body	frames),
but	Americans	eat	an	average	of	90	grams	of	gut-putrefying	protein	per	day.	A
one-pound	slab	of	roast	beef	contains	more	than	100	grams	of	protein.	Large
quantities	of	cooked	and	denatured	proteins,	which	are	harder	to	digest,	can
cause	an	overgrowth	of	a	type	of	putrefactive	bacteria	that	thrive	when	food	is
rotting	in	the	gut.	These	bacteria	produce	toxic	chemicals	such	as	indole,	skatole,
phenol	and	hydrogen	sulfide.	In	addition,	these	putrefactive	bacteria	displace
friendly	bacteria,	which	are	essential	to	good	digestion	and	health,	and	the	result
is	intestinal	toxemia.
To	prevent	or	eliminate	the	problems	associated	with	intestinal	toxemia:
•	Avoid	the	use	of	antibiotics,	anti-inflammatories	and	steroids	(including
birth	control	pills).
•	Avoid	excessive	amounts	of	protein.
•	Minimize	or	eliminate	processed	foods.	Eat	the	right	kinds	of	fats.
•	Avoid	sugar,	white	flour,	coffee,	excessive	alcohol	and	fried	foods.	These
substances	are	hard	on	the	digestive	system.
•	Adhere	to	proper	food	combining	and	chewing;	the	digestion	process	must
begin	in	the	mouth	and	in	the	stomach	for	the	intestines	to	function
properly.
Do	you	suffer	from	indigestion,	bloating,	gas,	cramping,	loose	stools,
constipation	or	gastrointestinal	reflux?	Any	of	these	can	indicate	intestinal
toxemia	and	should	be	addressed	before	they	lead	to	serious	disease.
You	can	also	consider	other	strategies	if	you	are	suffering	from	symptoms	of
poor	digestion:	fasting,	exercising,	drinking	large	amounts	of	water,	and	takinghigh-quality	supplements,	including	probiotics,	digestive	enzymes,	and	vitamins
and	minerals.	All	of	these	help	to	detoxify,	repair	and	rebuild	healthy	tissue—in
particular	by	helping	to	create	an	environment	in	the	digestive	system	conducive
to	the	growth	and	maintenance	of	friendly	bacteria.
Allergies	Should	Signal	Alarm
Allergies	are	a	common	source	of	internally	generated	toxins.	Every	allergic
reaction	produces	metabolic	debris	that	has	a	toxic	effect.	We	tend	to	think	of
allergies	as	“normal,”	a	benign	inconvenience,	because	so	many	people	have
them.	Not	so.	Healthy	people	do	not	have	allergies.	Allergies	are	an	abnormal
immune	response	to	foods	and	substances	in	your	environment.	Most	food
allergies	are	the	result	of	an	abnormally	functioning	digestive	system,	as	already
mentioned,	whereby	undigested


 the principal of that school, I asked him what the probabilities were that many of
these boys would finally become involved in crime. His comment was, in effect, that they were
virtually in the vestibule of a penal institute, when judged by the experience of previous boys from
that school.
    In approaching a study of this group, it is helpful to observe the experience of the well-equipped
institutions organized for the correction of the abnormal trend which characterizes these boys. In
this connection, there is a helpful report by the United States Dept. of Labor, Publication No. 203,
which gives the result of tracing the after careers of 621 boys who were in five of the best-known
correctional institutions. It was found that 66 per cent had been arrested and 58 per cent convicted7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 213/250one or more times after having been paroled from the institution. It is apparent from data of this
type that probably the forces that produce these abnormal expressions cause irreparable damage
in the brain tissue. Practically all recent crime reports are recording an increase in juvenile crime.
The Children's Bureau of the Dept. of Labor stated (Nov. 4, 1938): "that juvenile delinquency
spurted during 1937 for the first time since 1930," but it cannot explain why until further study.
    Reports to the bureau from 28 courts in 17 states and the District of Columbia showed that they
handled 31,038 cases during 1937, an increase of 3,000 over 1936. The report showed that 44
per cent of the cases involved children between 14 and 15 years old; 22 per cent those between
12 and 13 years, and 10 per cent those between 10 and 11. Boys' cases comprised 8 5 per cent
of the total.
    As an approach to this problem I have made an examination of 189 boys in the Cleveland
school for pre-delinquents. I gave particular attention to those physical signs of nutritional injury,
which seemed to be definitely assigned to the formative period of the child. We endeavored to
obtain detailed information relative to the family history and to the birth of the child. We were
fortunate in having the assistance of the officers, and of a nurse in the dental service of the Health
Department of the Board of Education, a nurse who made visits to the homes of many of these
boys to obtain the information directly from the mothers.
    In this group of boys, there were twenty-nine for whom I had not sufficient details to include
their cases in the studies. Of the 189 in the group, there were only three with sufficiently normal
dental arches to be classified as normal. Accordingly, 98.4 per cent proved to be individuals with
more or less marked abnormality. Many of the faces were very badly deformed.
    While often it will be difficult to place the responsibility entirely on either parent for the child's
abnormal physical development, it is of interest to study the birth rank of these children. The
average number of children in the families represented by these 160 children is 4.75. Of these,
thirty-five, or 21.9 per cent, are first children in the families represented; thirteen, or 9.1 per cent,
are only children; thirty-nine, or 24.4 per cent, are last children; and thirty-six or 22.5 per cent, are
fifth children or later. Sixty-two, or 38.7 per cent, are either the first or last child. It will be seen
from these data that the first or last child, or even a late child in a large family, tended to have a
distinctly poorer chance than the intermediate children in the families in which these studies were
made. Statistical data relating the age of the mother and father to prenatal deficiency of their
offspring reveal that abnormally young parents have a much higher percentage of defective children
than do those in the most favorable child-bearing period of life. The group at the Cleveland school
included only those boys who have been before the courts because of more or less serious phases
of delinquency. If they are in a considerable part the products of a defective society, it seems quite
unfair that they should be held entirely responsible for that delinquency, which has put them in this
institution. If they are destined for a penal institute in which they will be held entirely responsible for
that abnormality which resulted in their misdemeanor, as has been the procedure in the past, are
they receiving just consideration? Society may be justified in protecting itself from their misdeeds
by placing restrictions about them, but it does not seem that society is justified in shifting the entire
responsibility to the affected individuals.
    Recent studies of the mental capacity of felons brought before the Common Pleas Court in
Cleveland have shown that of 3,197 convicted felons examined in the medical clinic only 42.3 per
cent were classified as normal. Fifty-five and nine-tenths per cent were classed as defective
delinquents and only 1.8 per cent as insane. The outgrowth of this study has resulted in the drafting
by the Cleveland Bar Association of a new criminal law for Ohio to be presented to the coming
State Legislature. This bill provides for the creation of a new criminal class composed of what are
called defective delinquents. This includes morons and others of abnormal mentality but not insane
who commit felonies or misdemeanors. The purpose of this legislation is to afford special treatment
for law violators falling within the new classification, making it possible to segregate delinquents in
separate institutions. The Ohio law like that of most other states now recognizes only two types of
criminals, sane and insane, and if not insane they must be punished.7/29/13 Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks02/0200251h.html#toc 214/250    It is proper that we should ask who is to blame for the abnormalities which render these young
men incapable of making the necessary adaptation to our environment.
    An important characteristic of the boys in the Cleveland school was their low intelligence.
Practically all were recorded as retarded or mentally backward prior to their transfer to this
institution.
    It is important that we note the characteristics of groups that are similarly retarded, but who
have not demonstrated sufficiently unsocial characters to have to be placed in the pre-delinquent
groups. We shall recognize them as individuals who may never commit unsocial acts sufficient to
get them into trouble, though they will doubtless continue in the group of mentally backward
persons. Such a group is to be found in the Outwaithe School in Cleveland. The children in this
school, which enrolls about one thousand students, were examined in order to ascertain whether
there might be groups that are similarly afflicted physically. The school is distinctive because it has
a very high percentage of children who are backward mentally. Many of these children have been
concentrated there in order to bring them under the influence of special teachers. In an examination
of a cross section of the children, almost all were found to have had distinct injury in the formative
period, as evidenced by the changes in facial form. A preliminary survey of the backward children
of this institution was made by having typical classes selected by an official of the school from ages
ranging from eleven to seventeen. I examined the arches and made measurements of the head and
face. With the assistance of the school nurse I obtained records of the other children in the families
selected. This latter survey was supplemented by field work by the nurse. The intelligence
quotients, as reported in the records, were also provided. In the twenty-nine individuals so studied,
seven, or twenty-five per cent were first children; fourteen, or fifty per cent last children in the
families. Only one individual was found with approximately normal dental arches, that is,
approximately three per cent of the individuals. Twenty-eight children, or 97 per cent, had
abnormality of one or both dental arches. These children were placed in this institution because
they were backward mentally, although as a group they are comparable to the group studied in the
Thomas A. Edison School, where the grouping was based on delinquent traits. A cursory
examination was made by observing other pupils in this school in their classes and on the grounds.
A large percentage of severe facial and dental arch deformities and a very high percentage with
definite disturbances in facial growth were evident. These data are presented as applying to a
group of individuals characterized by a disturbed mentality, to the extent that they were assigned to
special classes for the mentally retarded. While the group constituting the school population at
Outwaithe represented the relatively large group of pupils assigned to special classes for backward
children and did not carry the stigmata of delinquency carried by those of the Thomas A. Edison
School, both groups had many physical defects in common.
    We are, accordingly, concerned with the relationship existing among various stages of mental
backwardness, pre-delinquency and criminality. To throw light on this subject, I visited our State
Penitentiary to observe the characteristics of facial and dental arch development of the individuals
whose unsocial traits had brought them to this institution. I visited the dental clinic with the director,
Dr. May, and saw the mouths of typical members of that colony as they were presented for oral
examination. I asked the director what, if any, special features of the oral cavity he had observed
to be characteristic of this group and


 to make them more balancing. The
same holds for raw vegetables. Eat them sparingly and not ice cold. In
general, you should cook all your vegetables with a little oil rather than
steaming them. This will make many “wrong” vegetables more
acceptable to Vata dosha.
When you go out for dinner, ask for warm water to sip in place of ice
water, take the hot soup instead of salad, and feel free to eat bread and
butter, as well as dessert (preferably a warm dessert like apple pie,
rather than ice cream, whose coldness hampers Vata digestion).A hot breakfast cereal for dinner, although not the usual thing, tastes
extremely good to anyone suf fering from a Vata attack. Rice served
with buttered lentils is also very good, as is a hearty minestrone-style
soup. Pasta in all forms is very soothing. Warm milk before going to
bed is a good idea, but eating very late at night is not—it may help you
fall asleep, but your body will feel worse in the morning.
Lassi, a traditional Indian drink, is good for ridding the body of excess
Vata. To make it, whisk together one-half cup plain yogurt and one-half
cup water; flavor with a pinch of powdered ginger, salt, or cumin.
Sweet mango lassi, made from equal parts yogurt and mango pulp
(fresh or canned) is particularly delicious and also balances Vata. For a
lighter beverage, either lassi can be diluted with between one-half and
one cup of water. One ef ficient and instant way to settle Vata is to
sprinkle a special spice powder, called a Vata churna, over your plate at
the table. An Internet source for churnas is on page 378.
Vata-Pacifying FoodsDairyAll dairy is acceptable, unless you have a known lactase deficiency.
Pitta-Pacifying Diet
Favor:
Cool or warm but not steaming-hot foods
Moderately heavy textur es
Bitter, sweet, and astringent tastes
Less butter and added fat
 Pitta types are born with naturally strong, efficient digestion that remains
that way unless disturbed. They come closest to the ideal of being able to eat
a little of everything. Therefor e, they need to be careful to avoid dietary
abuses. The continued use of too much salt, overindulgence in sour and
spicy food, and overeating are the most common aggravating influences.
Being the only hot dosha, Pitta appreciates cool foods, particularly in
summer. It is a good idea to be especially scrupulous about having bitter and
astringent tastes in your meals (supplied mainly through  salads and
legumes). These  two rasas curb the appetite, dry up excessive moisture, and
keep the palate sharp. They also counteract the dulling effect of too much
salt and sugar on the taste buds,  making it easier for Pittas to be moderate in
their appetites, as nature intended them to be. Anything that makes dining a
more soothing and orderly experience will also help to pacify this dosha.
The Pitta-pacify ing diet given below is the natural choice for Pitta types,
unless a Ayurvedically trained physician has indicated otherwi se. Our Pitta
patients report that they feel more balanced on this diet, still energetic but
with a “softer” energy. Their roaring appetites calm down, too. If you suffer
from mild symptoms of Pitta imbalance, such as heartburn, irritability, or
excessive thirst,  this diet is also good. Try it for a month and see if your
symptoms are alleviated.
Some general points to help you implement this diet are as follows.
Cool, refreshing food is best for Pitta types in summer, with a decrease
in salt, oil, and spices, all of which are heating to the body. Salads
contain two tastes, bitter and astringent, that balance Pitta and are also
cold and light. Milk and ice cream are good, too.
Excessive Pitta makes the body too sour; to counteract this, you should
generally avoid pickles, yogurt, sour cream, and cheese. Fresh lemon
juice is an exception and can be used, sparingly, instead of vinegar in
your salad dressings. Fermented foods and alcoholic beverages are
aggravating to Pitta because of their sourness, as are the acids in cof fee.
Learning to drink herb tea, either mint, licorice root, or the specialPitta-pacifying tea you can order (see page 378), will often make a big
difference in smoothing your moods.
A breakfast of cold cereal, cinnamon toast, and apple juice is a good
replacement for cof fee, doughnut, and orange juice, all of which disturb
Pitta.
The fat in red meat, which also heats the body, is not needed by Pitta
people. Although they like to eat meat, particularly if they are high-
powered movers and shakers, Pittas do better on a vegetarian diet than
any other body type. If you are not vegetarian, make sure that your diet
includes abundant amounts of milk, grains, and vegetables. All of these
make Pittas feel extremely good. Once they become accustomed to
health-food restaurants, Pittas like them better than their old steak
houses because they feel calmer and more satisfied afterward.
Fried foods are oily, hot, salty, and heavy, all qualities that Pittas need
to avoid. On the other hand, starchy foods—vegetables, grains, and
beans—are satisfying and cut ravenous Pitta hunger. The steady ener gy
of a high-carbohydrate diet will counteract the tendency to overeat
under stress.
Processed and fast foods lean heavily on salt and sour tastes; it is a
good idea for Pitta types to avoid them as much as possible. Since Pittas
are fond of luxury, a subdued, elegant restaurant brings out the best in
them. Japanese and Chinese food, being relatively low in fat and meat,
are good choices for Pittas. When you eat out, order cool, not iced,
water, take salad instead of hot soup, have the bread with a small
amount of butter, and feel free to order dessert. Spicy food is too
intoxicating to Pitta; if you like Mexican food, minimize the cheese and
sour cream, and have a cool guacamole salad to counteract the heavy
aggravation of Pitta caused by chilies.
Pittas respond well to low-salt diets, but if forced to eat tasteless food,
they will quickly rebel. Keeping salt of f the table and adding it only in
the kitchen while you cook is a good compromise. Cocktail hour with
salty snacks is worse for Pitta types than anyone else. The dry, saltyfood and the alcohol combine to inflame their appetites and stomach
linings.
To bring down aggravated Pitta, a standard recommendation is to take
two teaspoons of ghee (clarified butter) in a glass of warm milk. This
also acts as a laxative, which helps flush excess Pitta from the system.
Have your ghee and milk in place of dinner or two hours after a light
dinner. You can also have it in place of breakfast. (Do not take ghee,
however, if you have a problem with elevated cholesterol.)
One ef ficient and instant way to settle Pitta is to sprinkle a special spice
powder, called a Pitta churna, over your plate at the table. An Internet
source for churnas is on page 378.
Pitta-Pacifying Foods
SweetenersAll sweeteners are acceptable, except honey and molasses.
Plus small amounts of cumin and black pepperKapha is a slow dosha to be affected by food, but over time, Kapha types
become imbalan ced as a result of eating too many sweet, rich foods. Other
problems can develop, but in Western society, where sugar and fat account
for more than half of the calories consumed by the average person, Kaphas
have to be on guard against this influence. Salt also needs to be watched,
since it too is greatly overused and promotes fluid retention in many Kaphas.
Anything that increases lightness should be favored—a small, light meal
at breakfast and dinner, lightly cooked foods (no deep-frying), raw fruits and
vegetables. Eating spicy food will promote better digestion and warm your
body; bitter and astringent foods will help to curb your appetite. In general,
anything that makes eating stimulating will help balance Kapha and avert the
danger, ever -present with most Kapha types, of overindulging at the table.
The Kapha-pacifying diet given below is the natural choice for Kapha
body types, unless contrary advice has been given by a Ayurvedically trained
physician. Switc hing to this diet helps many of our Kapha patients feel more
balanced, energetic, lighter, and happier about themselves. If you suffer from
mild symptoms of Kapha imbalance, such as a stuffed or runny nose, being
slow to start in the morning, or oversleeping, this diet is also good. Try it for
six weeks and see if your symptoms are alleviated.
The following suggestions will help people implement a Kapha-pacifying
diet.
Given a choice, pick hot food over cold at every meal—a hot luncheon
entree instead of a sandwich, hot apple pie instead of ice cream, grilledfish instead of tuna salad. Warming up cold


.	Animal	products	are	frequently
contaminated	with	residues	from	drugs	that	were	purposely	added	to	the	feed	to
control	disease	and	enhance	livestock	performance.	In	other	words,	they’re
meant	to	keep	the	animals	alive	and	healthy	enough	to	grow	hefty	before	being
slaughtered.	Many	of	the	drugs	added	to	animal	feed	are	undeclared,	and
residues	of	these	drugs	can	be	found	in	the	meat.	One	study	that	examined
animal	feed	in	Northern	Ireland	showed	that	out	of	247	medicated	feeds,	35
percent	contained	undeclared	antimicrobials.	Even	worse,	out	of	161	“un-
medicated”	feeds,	44	percent	were	found	to	contain	antimicrobials.	The
contaminants	most	frequently	identified	included	chlortetracycline,
sulfonamides,	penicillin,	and	ionophores.
24
	Yes,	you	read	that	right—
penicillin
.
Who	knew	you	were	eating	one	of	the	strongest	antibiotics	available	with	your
Sunday	morning	bacon	and	eggs?
Farms	also	use	a	range	of	antibiotics	to	get	their	chickens	to	market	weight
faster,	and	low-dose-antibiotic	use	in	animals	has	been	linked	to	the
development	of	antibiotic-resistant	bacterial	strains.	This	can	also	wipe	out	your
gut	flora—and	your	whole	health,	really.
25
	In	2011,	the	pharmaceutical	company
Pfizer
temporarily	suspended	use	of	the	poultry	drug
Roxarsone	after	US
Food
and	Drug	Administration	(FDA)	reports	showed	that	compounds	in	the	drug
could	break	down	into	inorganic	arsenic,	a	toxin	that	can	produce	skin	lesions,
respiratory	irritation,	and	several	types	of
cancer.	Inorganic	arsenic	was	leaching
into	local	water	supplies	and	remaining	in	chicken	tissue	after	slaughter.
26
The	effects	of	chronic	low-arsenic	exposure	are	not	well	known,	but	studies
have	indicated	that	even	low-level	exposure	may	contribute	to	endocrine	and
cognitive	deficits.
27
	Although	use	of	Roxarsone	has	been	suspended,	there	are
several	other	similar	drugs	being	used	in	animal	production	that	have	the
possibility	of	exposing	consumers	to	toxic	forms	of	arsenic.	Some	have	even
hypothesized	that	arsenic	can	be	linked	to	the	rise	in	autism	rates.
28
Clearly,	there	is	nothing	pretty	about	commercial	meat.	If	and	when	you
choose	to	eat	animal	products,	look	for	items	that	are	organic,	grass-fed,	and
free	of	steroids	and	hormones.	Ideally,	try	to	find	someone	who	sells	these
products	at	a	local	farmer’s	market	and	talk	to	him	or	her	about	how	the
animals	are	fed	and	treated	in	general.THE
ENVIRONMENTAL	IMPACT	OF	ANIMAL	AGRICULTURE
Eating	organic	meat	will	still	not	solve	the	major	detrimental	environmental	issues
of	animal	agriculture,	which	is
the
	leading	cause	of	deforestation,	water
consumption,	and	pollution;	it	is	also	responsible	for	more	greenhouse	gases	than
the	transportation	industry.	Animal	agriculture	from	producing	meat,	chicken,
eggs,	and	fish	is	a	primary	driver	of	rainforest	destruction,	species	extinction,
habitat	loss,	topsoil	erosion,	ocean	“dead	zones,”	and	more.
29
	It’s	shocking	that	this
is	not	discussed	more,	but	hopefully	that	will	start	to	change.
If	we	truly	care	about	the	environment,	the	most	impactful	thing	we	can	do	is	to
be	conscious	of	our	food	choices	and	the	impact	they	have	on	the	earth.	The	choice
to	give	up	meat,	or	to	at	least	greatly	reduce	your	consumption,	will	make	for	a
healthier	and	more	beautiful	you
and
	a	healthier	and	more	beautiful	planet.SHIFT	5:
Incorporate	Top	Radical	Beauty
Foods	and
Routines
Routines	and	daily	rhythms	are	stabilizing	forces	that	have	a	balancing	effect
on	your	life.	Routine	in	a	dietary	sense	is	important	for	establishing	excellent
digestion	and	patterns.	Having	a	structure	makes	it	easier	to	maintain	your
beneficial	eating	habits.	Such	daily	rhythms	provide	a	sense	of	steadiness,	like
counting	on	the	sun	to	rise	as	we	get	up	and	start	our	day	and	to	set	every
evening	as	we	settle	toward	rest.	This	steadiness	creates	an	environment	of	safety
for	your	mind,	helping	to	reduce	stress	and	anxiety.	A	more	calm,	peaceful
mind	manifests	outwardly	in	a	body	that	does	not	age	as	quickly	and	is	more
naturally	beautiful.
Now	that	you	have	information	about	general	shifts,	here	you’ll	learn	some
very	specific	daily	routines	that	will	give	you	the	most	Radically	Beautiful
results	to	enhance	your	authentic	expression.	Here	are	some	things	to
remember	and	some	new	ideas	as	well.
Start	the	Day	with
Hot	Water	with	Lemon
You	already	know	how	great	this	is	for	your	digestive	system	and
liver	and	to
support	cleansing.	Keep	lemons	stocked	at	home	and	make	this	a	daily	habit!
For	even	more	digestive	benefits,	especially	if	you	live	in	a	place	with	cold
winters,	add	some	sliced	ginger	to	this	nourishing	morning	beverage.
Drink	a
Glowing	Green	Smoothie	Daily
This	is	a	big	component	of	Kimberly’s	Beauty	Detox	program	and	is	outlined
in	great	detail	in	the	Beauty	Detox	books.	Smoothies	are	a	really	efficient	way	to
get	nutrients,	and	blending	abundant	amounts	of	beauty	greens	and	fruit	makes
it
easy	for	you	to	digest	and	absorb	all	those	minerals,	vitamins,	andantioxidants	while	loading	up	your	system	with	fiber.	Start	making	it	part	of
your	morning	routine	(see	recipe	on
this	page
)	after	you	drink	your	hot	water
with	lemon.
Take	an	Excellent
Probiotic	Supplement	Every
Day
Probiotics	support	optimal	digestion,	leading	to	better	nutrient	absorption	and
more	efficient	expulsion	of	waste.	This	is	an	incredibly	important	beauty
supplement.	See	the	authors’	websites	for	recommendations	(
deepakchopra.
com
,
kimberlysnyder.
com
).
Become	Veggie-Centric
Make	it	part	of	your	rhythm	to	include	these	key,	fiber-filled	components	into
every	meal,	whether	a	salad,	some	cooked	or	chopped	greens,	or	greens	topped
on	whatever	you	are	eating.	No	more	meals	of	just	bread	and	cold	cuts	or	eggs
and	toast.	Get	your	veggies	in	at	every	meal	for	alkalizing	balance.
Eat
Seeds	Daily
Sprinkle	some	freshly	ground	flaxseeds	onto	your	salads	or	have	some	soaked
chia	seeds	(in	puddings,	salad	dressings,	or	smoothies)	every	day.	You	can	also
take	an	algae-based	DHA	and	EPA	supplement.	This	will	ensure	you’re	getting
the	proper	level	of	beautifying	omega-3	fats	for	beautiful	skin,	a	balanced
mood,	and	a	healthy	heart.Make
Turmeric	Part	of	Your	Life
If	you	are	new	to	turmeric,	it’s	time


 the change of life many surgical operations are performed upon those women whose previous existence has been
such as to foster functional sexual trouble to the degree that structural organic defect in sex organs develops. Then appear fibroid
conditions in uterus, affections of various sorts in ovaries and fallopian tubes, and always vaginal discharge abnormal in ch aracter.
It is useless at this time to indulge in regret because of bodily abuse in the past; the harm has been done; yet, in most  instances,
these conditions of disease may be remedied, and prevention of surgical operation may be assured by employing the agencies
exploited in these chapters. And, previous to the menopause, unless congenital organic disease exists, so -called female t roubles
may successfully be combated, in fact, need never be known, if the dictates of natural law are accepted and obeyed.

    Because of the prevalence of varied forms of sexual distress in woman, not only at the change of life, but throughout adult
existence, the object of the fast and its natural eliminative accessories is again repeated and emphasized. At all times the en d to be
accomplished through abstinence from food is that of bodily purification, systemic cleansing. When correctly administered, a fast
for therapeutic purposes causes allergic avenues to be cleared of obstruction, healthy tissue to be deposited in place of tha t which
was diseased, and vital organs to be recuperated to the point of extreme ability to function. By virtue of these ach ievements the
high office of reproduction in woman is not only healthfully stimulated, but is restored virtually to primal ease in gestatio n and in
delivery of offspring. And, when the bearing period ends, the conditions of disease that are its usual accom paniments may, by the
means described, be obviated, or, if present, may be relieved to the point of recovery and the enjoyment of future health.

    In discussing the problem of sexual disorder of any kind and its relief, but especially with reference to  what is known as
venereal disease, it is necessary to revert to the primary cause of illness of any sort, lowered nutrition resulting from imp airment of
the digestive processes. If the individual system be at high resistive level, if the products of elimi nation be normal in character and
are promptly removed as they are produced, the bacillus of gonorrhea, for instance, transferred by contact to either sex, can not find
foothold for increase. It is only when the balance between nutrition and elimination is at fault, when physiological resistance is
lowered through digestion defective in function, that infection may occur.

    In the past, orthodox treatment of venereal disease has been responsible for much subsequent annoyance and distress, and
present pre vailing methods of handling this sort of illness show but small improvement over those of the past. Deep injections of
antiseptic drugs, aimed at the suppression of nature's curative effort as exhibited in copious secretion issuing from mucus
membrane, are  always productive of increased irritation, and usually leave as sequels of a gonorrheal infection, gleet, urethral
stricture, and prostatitis, if not worse, all more or less permanent physical injuries. Much more logical, and immeasurably m ore
easy of app lication, are those means by which natural curative processes are assisted and accelerated. Omit food, ply the enema
and the bath, rest, and the irritating symptoms will not only subside within a few days, but will disappear, to leave behind them no
superv ening ills.

    And what is true of a symptom, which, like gonorrhea, is in a sense merely local in character, is equally true in the treatme nt of
the dreaded blood taint, syphilis. Here again the criticism is offered that orthodox remedies administered for the suppre ssion of
syphilitic symptoms produce effects that are worse in comparison than those of the blood taint itself. Whether congenital or
acquired, this symptom, if subjected to the purifying processes of the fast and its accompanying eliminative aids, before the
organic lesions characteristic of its later stages develop, will yield to the treatment with success. There will naturally be  more
difficulty attendant upon its eradication from the system than is the case with gonorrhea! infection, for syphilis is the  more deeply
seated symptom and affects the blood itself, hence it partakes of the nature of structural defect in a vital organ. But, if i t be taken in
time, through fasting, systemic purification will surely occur, and eradication of the syphilitic taint be accomplished.

CHAPTER XVI
FOOD AND DISEASE

THE PURPOSE OF FOOD:
WHY WE OVEREAT:
OBJECTIONS TO THE "GERM THEORY":
Page 48 of  72 MUCUS DISCHARGES

    THE PROCESSES by which dead food is transformed into living matter within the animal body are purely chemical  in
character, and, for the reason that these operations are accomplished involuntarily, they are in a sense mechanical. In essen ce the
purpose that food serves in the organism is that of furnishing material for the rebuilding of cell structure when the la tter has
become exhausted by the destructive effect of work performed. The changes involved in the preparation of food for conversion
into living tissue are sufficiently familiar to preclude description here. But the act of digestion involves an effort tha t is at once
nervous and muscular, and in it energy is liberated, utilized, and dissipated, and, in so far as the expenditure of what may be called
nervous force is compensated, a balance is maintained.

    If, however, the process of digestion is permit ted to proceed to a point beyond actual reconstructive need, chemical action and
reaction are thrown out of poise, and the result is disease. And, too, when the system is surfeited with sustenance, energy t hat
should be utilized for other important metabol ic purposes is necessarily employed in the attempted disposal of matter in excess of
what is needed for replacement of used tissue. Some of this material is absorbed by the assimilative processes, and surplus t hus
accumulates in circulation and in the cell s of muscular and organic tissue. The liver, laboring to its functional limit, segregates and
casts out what it can, and its largely increased bilious product, together with undigested matter in the intestinal tract, if  not
promptly evacuated, ferments, ge rm soil is provided, and absorption of toxins proceeding from active decomposition and from
evolved bacteria occurs rapidly and continuously. Small wonder that, in the circumstances, natural avenues for the passage of
energic force are clogged, that imperf ect functioning occurs, and that disease follows!

    Only that portion of digested food that is assimilated can be used for the repair of cell structure; the remainder is refuse that not
only adds dead weight to the body, but that, in its disposal, vast ly increases the labor of every vital organ. There succeeds a waste
of energy that is shown in diminished digestive and assimilative power, with resultant lowered vitality. And any disturbance either
of the function of digestion or of that of assimilation sends into the circulation blood -forming material that is elementally deficient,
a condition that assures defective tissue nourishment.

    A review of the physiology of the passage of the blood through the body evidences that health is synonymous with p erfect blood
quality and circulation. Given a pure blood supply properly delivered, the products of converted food are carried to their va ried
destinations, and cell waste is gathered and promptly eliminated. The maintenance and well -being of the animal bo dy is directly
dependent upon the normal performance of the process outlined.

    An examination of human fecal discharges in the average instance reveals conditions that are conclusive. Undigested food is
discovered, digested food products and old feces  are present, and, dependent upon the dietetic regimen and the preliminary
processes of digestion as carried out by the individual, the odor is more or less offensive. Normal refuse from properly mast icated,
correctly digested food, not animal in origin, i s not disagreeable in odor. Again in the average case, when daily examination of
bowel passages is continued for a time, assurance is gained that all ingested food is not digested; that the colon is not com pletely
cleared of waste even by regular daily mov ements; and that fermenting matter defiles the interior to a degree scarcely to be
accepted as a fact.

    A movement of the bowels each day is never a certain indication of a clean and healthy alimentary canal. Sufferers from
digestive troubles often as sume that, because the bowels are regular in action, the evacuations must be complete and sufficient.
This assumption presumes physiological ignorance, for in these subjects usually the rectum alone, daily filled with a mass of  waste
forced downward by tha t which is retained in the colon, is relieved of its contents. If, after such an evacuation, a full enema is
administered, indubitable evidence of extreme internal filth will be produced. Post mortem dissection of the colon in the ave rage
cadaver but adds weight to the substance of the statements here made, for fecal matter of more or less remote production is
discovered lodged in the sacculations of the organ and upon its walls. In these circumstances during life, a movement of the
bowels takes place throu gh the center of a fouled tube.


 just
going into a real house was going to be a novelty for me.
The Griffises’ house was a warm country home. The
walls were pecky cypress, milled long ago on-site. Mrs.
Griffis had cooked up a southern meal with plenty of
vegetables, sin ce she had heard that I was a vegetarian.
The conversations were warm and friendly, and it really
felt as though we were all family. At one point, Mr.
Griffis said something I will never forget. He said,
“Before we met you three, w e used to think that hippies
were the dirtiest, filthiest things on Earth. You know,
we’ve really come to love you boys.” It was another one of
those b eautiful moments th at started me thinking—
where were all these unbelievable experiences coming
from? Someh ow, deeply touching experiences kept
coming from the most unexpected places. It was really
starting to blow me away.
As days  turned into weeks, the house began to take
shape. Once the outside sidin g was up, you could really
begin to feel the inside space. Bobby Altman then posed
a q uesti on I had never though t of—which of us was going
to do the electrical wiring? Though I had never done
such a thing, I volunteered. Bobby handed me a small
book on electrical wiring from  one of his courses and left
me on my own. His confidence in my ability to do the
entire electrical system for the house rather astounded
me. Bu t if he t hought I could do it, then I could—and I
did. A great spiritual teacher once said, “Every day bite
off more than you can chew, and chew it.” Life was
teaching me some very important lessons.
We laid  pinewood floors throughout the house, put
cedar d ecks in both the fro nt and back, and hired a
plumber to install exposed, c ast-iron plumbing pipes for
the bath room area. By then, the house had taken on a life
of it s own. We had put our he arts and souls into buildingthat house, and we were ve ry proud of what we had
accomplished. To me, it had started out as a project to
build a quick, s imple meditation hut, and it turned into a
one-of-a-kind life experience. But it wasn’t the one I
longed for. All I really wanted was to go into solitude and
work on  my heart’s only desir e—absolute peace, stillness,
and freedom. With the house finished, the time for that
work had finally arrived.November 1971: All I wanted was a ti ny meditation hut—just look
at what life gave us to build!House finished—time for solitude.1 1.
G e t  T h e e  t o  a  M o n a s t e r y
I  moved  into my new house in November 1971. I
remember it was November because just before I moved
in, my sister, Kerry, and he r husband came up from
Miami to visit me for Thanksgiving. This was very brave
of them, considering they were regular folk. Harvey was
a successful accountant, and he and Kerry were used to a
nice ho use and comfortable living conditions. When they
showed up, I was busy finishi ng the final checklist before
moving out of my van and int o the house. Harvey helped
me inst all the last two windows and then insisted on
having Thanks giving dinner with me. That meant they
joined m e sitting outside on rocks and cooking what we
could o n an open fire. Person ally, I think they had come
up to check on me to see if I w as still halfway sane. I had
been w ithout a phone number for a long time, and I’m
sure my family must have been concerned about me.
Once Kerry and Harvey left, I was glad to be alone
again with my beautiful new house. All I had wanted was
a simple place to fully focus on my meditations. What I
got was a gift from the invisible hand that had taken over
my life.  That’s  what I called  it back then—the invisible
hand. From the beginning of my awakening, I had
inwardly begge d for help in knowing who I was, the one
who wa s watching the voice o f the mind. From that point
forward, it was as though something had reached down
and grabbed me by the ponyt ail and begun to pull me up.
My who le outer life had been ripped away from me in the
blink of an eye. In its place I had been shown the beauty
and peace of an inner state that was beyond anything I
had eve r imagined. That touch of the beyond had lit myheart aflame. I had a fire bur ning in the pit of my being
that never left me alone—eve n for a moment. It was like
a b ecko ning, a calling to come home. At that stage of my
awakening, the only way I knew how to get back was to
willfully push my way through myself with the intense
discipline of Zen meditation. As I sat at the threshold of
the door that o pened into the beautiful place that life had
given m e to do this work, I reverently bowed my head.
This wa s my temple, my monastery, and I vowed to use it
well.
I wa s ve ry surp rised to find t hat the monastic lifestyle
came q uite naturally to me. I awoke every morning at
3:00 a.m. and sat for a few h ours of meditation. I would
then do contemplative walkin g out on the fields. In those
early days, I w as still holding on to the concept that it
was all about concentration a nd focus. When I walked, I
would become  acutely aware of every step I took and
every movement of my body. This helped to prolong the
peace I  felt from my morning meditations. I would then
do y oga postures outside un til it was time for my noon
meditation. I held the rope of self-discipline very tightly,
every day. It was an extremely strict lifestyle, very
different from anything I had ever experienced. But just
as a n athlete is  willing to give everything, every day and
night, t o train for the Olympics, so I was willing to give
everything, eve ry moment, to drop the part of me that
was holding me back from wh ere I so desperately wanted
to go.
It d idn’t take long before I noticed that food had a
major effect on my practices. The less I ate, the easier it
was to fall into a meditative s tate. So I tested the limits of
how far I could go without eating. The balance I reached
was to eat a small dinner salad every other day and fast
in between. My intention was to give up everything
possible that pulled my attention outward. This would
allow me to more fully focus on the deeper inner states.My nighttime routine began  at sunset. Somehow the
setting sun strongly affected the force that pulled me into
meditation. I was always on my meditation pillow before
the sun started setting. After a few hours of meditation, I
would m ake my way upstairs to go to sleep. I had no
alarm clock; I awoke naturally at 3:00 a.m. every
morning to start the regimen again.
I d on’t know where I got the i dea that if I held the rope
tight enough, my lower self w ould go away and leave me
alone. But that is how I lived for about a year and a half.
The par t of me that had dominated my entire previous
way of life had no place in my new life. There were no
perks fo r him, and every day he fought back less and less.
The noisy, demanding personal part of me didn’t go away
—he just began to resign himself to the intense
discipline. I thought it was working, but I would soon
come to see that I was very wrong.1 2.
W h e n  t h e  D i s c i p l e  I s  R e a d y,  t h e  M a s t e r
A p p e a r s
O ther than for schoolwork, r eading books had never
played a  major role in my life. But just as Three Pillars of
Zen  had shown u p exactly when I was ready for it, so
another book had found its  way to me just before I
moved into my house. It was given to me by Bob Merrill,
a friend  of mine who, like me, was very much into yoga
and meditation.
One day while I was still living in my van, Bob gave me
the book called Autobiography of a Yog i  by
Paramahansa Yogananda, a holy man from India. I
remember tryi ng to start this book the evening Bob had
given it  to me, but after a few  pages I had to put it down.
Not because I didn’t like it, but because each word I read
kept drawing me into such a deep meditative state that I
couldn’t continue reading. I tried again the next night.
The same thing happened. I didn’t understand what was
going on, but I was certainly intrigued by the experience.
I de cided to pack the book away until