ist view, man
is constitutionally inferior to woman with respect to his sexual
capacities. His energies are easily spent and with the advancement of
years his energetic capacity becomes severely diminished. It is this
factor that is a major cause of conflict between men and women
and it is this factor that is the basic underlying issue of so much of
the current sexual counseling and sex therapy. From our contemporary perspective the idea of a sexual
Kung-Fu seems odd and maybe even a little revolutionary. But
with the growing interactions of oriental and Western culture and
medicine, and the resultant impact on Western sexology, the prin-
ciples and methods of Seminal and Ovarian Kung-Fu could gradu-
ally become accepted. XIVConsidering the fact that Western sexological research is
quite young, we might anticipate the kind of confusion that one
finds in a teenager exploring his/her sexuality. By contrast, the
Taoist tradition is over eight thousand years old and has reached a
full maturity in both theory and method. In fact, both traditions are
dealing with the control of the same powerful impulse. Whether or
not the Taoist Sexual King-Fu can work in Western society will be
determined in part by its translation of it into Western forms of
scientific understanding and psychology. Its acceptance may hinge
equally on the willingness of Westerners to adapt themselves to the
wisdom of the Taoist masters. The ancient Taoist masters would enjoy this play of opposing
forces as the inevitable working of the Tao. A young Taoist master
has taken the bold step of revealing the secret methodology to the
west; it is up to the reader to test its truth. XVSUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPLES OF
TAOIST CULTIVATION
OF SEXUAL ENERGY
1. The universe is filled with different kinds of dynamic en-
ergy, or "chi." The Tao, or "way," for each man is to creatively
transform his energy over a course of a lifetime back to its original
state of harmonious balance. Sexual essence, or "ching," is a
powerful, vital energy that is generated continuously within the
human body. Sexual drive propels the course of man's evolution
biologically by transmitting the genetic lineage. Emotionally it har-
monizes the love between man and woman, and spiritually pro-
vides a tangible link between the "ordinary" creative powers of
man and the eternal creative process of the cosmos. Refining one's
awareness of sexual energy—with or without a partner—is one of
the simplist ways of humans to return to pure consciousness and
experience the deepest rhythms of life. (Chapters 1 and 2.) 2. Sperm is the storehouse of male sexual energy. A single
ejaculation has 200 to 500 million sperm cells, each a potential
human being. There are enough spermotozoa lost in a single
orgasm to populate the entire United States if each cell was to
fertilize an egg. The manufacture of a sperm fluid capable of such
psychic super potency consumes up to a third of a man's daily
energy output and is especially taxing on the male glandular/immu-
nological system. (Chapters 3 and 4). 3. Conservation of sexual energy is the first principle of
cultivation. Ejaculation of the male seed for purposes other than
having children is a wasteful loss of an extremely precious trea-
sure. The energy loss over long periods of time weakens the phys-
ical health of the male, can lead to unconscious emotional anger
towards women and gradually robs the male higher mind/spirit of
it's power to rejuvenate itself. For this reason many traditional
spiritual orders in the world require male celibacy. Taoists accept
sexual love as natural and healthy, but know the momentary plea-
sure of genital orgasm with ejaculation is superficial compared to
the profound ecstasy possible when love is enjoyed without the
loss of the powerful male seed. It's every man's birthright to have
full control over his bodily functions and prevent this loss. The
secret Taoist methods of sealing the penis in order to conserve
"ching" are given in Chapters 5 thru 8. 4. Transformation of sex energy is the second principle of
cultivation. During sexual arousal, the "ching" or sexual essence
stored in the testicles expands rapidly and causes some energy tonaturally rise to higher centers in the heart, brain, glands, and
nervous system. This upward movement is cut short by ejaculation
outward, so most men never become aware of the full power of
their sexuality. The Taoist method perfects this upward transfor-
mation of sex energy by opening subtle channels from the genitals
up the spine to the head and back down the spine to the navel. The
expanding sexual energy is chanelled into this "microcosmic or-
bit" so it flows past all the major vital organs and harmonizes the
etheric energy complexes in the body, called "Tan Tiens" by the
Taoists (or "chakras" by the Hindus). (Chapters 7 and 8)
5. Balancing the polarity of female-male (yin-yang) forces is
the third principle of Taoist cultivation. Once the sex energy has
been conserved and transformed up, a single man can use medita-
tion to balance the male and female poles which exist inside every
male body. In the practice of "dual" cultivation, a couple balances
this field of energy between them by sharing and circulating their
subtle energies. The relationship becomes a springboard to trans-
form the sexual attraction into personal love and then into spiritual
awareness and service. The power struggle between the sexes
gradually diminishes and balancing their differences over work,
family, love, and the purpose of existence leads them into deeper
harmony. Balancing this core sexual polarity in a couple is true
depth psychology, as it nourishes man and woman at their inner-
most root. Chapter 9 details the "valley orgasm" method of ex-
changing the yin and yang energy during intercourse. A higher
level of this practice involves exchanging energy without sex, or
having orgasm within oneself, and must be learned from a master. (Chapter 18)
6. Don't over-emphasize physical sex in your daily practice,
as it is easy to get stuck on pleasure without experiencing higher
subtle energies. Proper sexual refinement is only one small part of
the vast and all-encompassing Tao. If the mixture of your chi (gen-
eral vital energy), ching (sex essence) and shien (spirit) is im-
balanced, it will be difficult to unite yourself and feel whole and
peaceful. Cultivating sex energy is important in nourishing your
spirit, but without proper diet, exercise, meditation, virtuous moral
behavior and love, true cultivation is impossible. Likewise, don't
ignore sex and focus excessively on the higher spiritual centers; the
roof will easily fall without a strong foundation below. Tao is the
wholeness of Heaven and Earth, true harmony for man is the mid-
dle way between them, found in the balanced integration of their
subtle energies. XVIII7. Avoid sex without love. It creates imbalances in your phys-
ical, mental and spiritual bodies and will slow your real growth. The Taoist techniques are meant to be practical, not mechanical. A
woman seeks tenderness of feeling in her lovers and will resent a
man who is overly compulsive or preoccupied with his mechanical
mastery of esoteric love methods. Dual cultivation is impossible
without the full participation of the woman, who must transform up
her yin essence stored in her ovaries. Regard the woman you love
as more than a powerful generator of yin energy; she is foremost a
human being worthy of your full love and respect. 8. You do not need a wife or girlfriend to cultivate your sexual
energy. In the beginning it is easier to practice controlling your
ejaculation alone, without the distracting excitement and heat of a
woman. At any stage it is essential to tell your lover exactly what
you're doing and ask her cooperation. The same principles of Tao-
ist cultivation apply to women, with sexual essence drawn from the
ovaries and this "ching" transformed upward into higher mind and
heart. Many women already have an intuitive feel for the process. The receptive nature of women allows them to quickly learn the
Tao of love, especially if the man has mastered the process in his
own body. 9. Any male in reasonably good health can master the Taoist
methods of cultivating sexual energy taught in this book. If you feel
impotent or ejaculate prematurely, the rejuvenation exercises in
Chapter 15 should be studied before attempting the Big Draw
method taught in Chapter 7. The principles of cultivation are sim-
ple, but require steady attention. Its like cultivating a garden—hoe
a little everyday, and nature will do the rest. One day you will have
luscious blossoms and fruits. An impatient mind kills progress. Do
not feel guilty or angry when you spill your seed; it may take years
to fully master the Tao of love. The key is to relax, enjoy yourself
and keep practicing. XIXPART I •
THE FUNDAMENTAL PREMISE: I
Sex Energy Can Be Transformed into SpiritCHAPTER I
MALE SEX ENERGY IS STORED IN ITS SEED
"There is no medicine, or food, and no spiritual salvation that can
prolong a man's life if he fails to understand or practice the har-
mony of sexual energy." —P'eng Tsu


 of the correctness of your
vision—when they’re ready, their own teachers will surely appear. Here’ s a conclu ding thought on the elusive nature of the Tao, written by
Hafiz many centuries after the death of Lao-tzu:
If you think that the T ruth can be known
From wor ds,

If you think that the Sun and the Ocean
Can pass thr ough that tiny opening called the mouth. O someone should start laughing! Someone should start wildly laughing—
Now! Do the T ao Now
Today, become conscious of the force that allows your every movement. For five minutes in your meditation, stay in “the gap” between your
thoughts and notice the elusive but omnipresent invisible Source  that allows
you to speak, hear, touch, and move. (I’ve created a meditation that can
assist you in this process, and it’ s included in my book Getting in the Gap. ) OceanofPDF.com22nd Verse
The flexible ar e preserved unbr oken. The bent become straight. The empty ar e filled. The exhausted become r enewed. The poor ar e enriched. The rich ar e confounded. Therefore the sage embraces the one. Because he doesn’ t display himself,
people can see his light. Because he has nothing to pr ove,
people can trust his wor ds. Because he doesn’ t know who he is,
people r ecognize themselves in him. Because he has no goal in mind,
everything he does succeeds. The old saying that the flexible ar e preserved unbr oken is sur ely right! If you have truly attained wholeness,
everything will flock to you. OceanofPDF.comLiving with
Flexibility
Having lived by the ocean for many years, I’ve observed the beauty and
majesty of the tall palm trees that grow at the water ’s edge, often measuring
30 or 40 feet in height. These stately giants are able to withstand the
enormous pressure that hurricane-force winds bring as they blow at speeds
up to 200 miles per hour. Thousa nds of other trees in the huge storms’ paths
are uprooted and destroyed, while the stately  palms remain fixed in their
rooted selves, proudly holding sway over their otherwise decimated
domain. So what is the palm trees’ secret to staying in one piece? The
answer is flexibility. They bend almost down to the ground at times, and it’s
that very ability that allows them to remain unbroken. In this 22nd verse of the Tao Te Ching, Lao-tzu invites you to embrace a
similar quality of elasticity. Begin to sense the oneness that is the Tao
supplying your resiliency and grounding, helping you withstand  the storms
of your life as pliantly as the supple palm tree. When destructive energy
comes along, allow yourself to resist brokenness by bending. Look for
times you can make the choice to weather a storm by allowing it to blow
through without resistance. By not fighting, but instead relaxing and going
with all that confronts you, you enter “the T ao time.”
This verse implies an added benefit of wholeness, which attracts
everything to you. That is, if you want abundance, knowledge, health, love,
and all the other attributes that personify the Tao, you need to be receptive
to them. Lao-tzu instructs that you must be empty in order to become filled,
for attac hments keep you so restricted that nothing can enter your already-
filled self. Being empty in this sense means not being full of beliefs,
possessions, or ego-driven ideas, but rather remaining open to all
possibilities. This is in keeping with the nameless Tao: It doesn’ t restrict
itself to a particular point of view or a singular way of doing things; it
animates all. Similarly, the flexible person is open to all possibilities—
there’ s nothing for him or her to prove  because the Tao, not ego, is in
charge.Awareness of the Tao nurtures flexibility, and removing your rigidity
creates an atmosphere of trust. When you live from the perspective of being
able to say, “I don’ t know for certain, but I’m willing to listen,” you become
a person  whom others identify with. Why? Because your flexibility lets
them see that their point of view is welcome. By being open to all
possibilities, everyone who encounters you feels their ideas are valuable
and there’ s no need for conflict. As you connect  more and more  to your Tao nature, you begin noticing
that this principle is perpetually present, available in every moment. In
other words, the Tao isn’t trying to get someplace other than where it is. It
has no goals, no desire, no judgments; it flows everywhere because it is the
energy of creation. To be in harmony with the Tao is to be free of goals,
immersed in all that you’re doing without concern about the outcome—just
noticing in each moment and allowing yourself to flow with the creative
Source that’s energizing everyt hing and everyone in the universe. When
you live in this way, failure becomes an impossibility. How can you fail at
being yourself and trusting completely in the wisdom of the Source of
everything? W ith failure removed from your life, you understand what Lao-
tzu means when he says that “everything he does succeeds.”
Following are the messages from  Lao-tzu as he wrote out this 22nd verse
of the T ao Te Ching two-and-a-half millennia ago:
Change the way you see the storms of your life. Work at removing ego as the dominant influence over you. Release the
need for the attention of others and witness how people become drawn to
you naturally. Let go of having to win an argument and being right by
changing the atmosphere with a statement such as “You’re very likely
correct. Thanks for giving me a new 22nd Verse perspective.” This kind of
a procla mation gives everyone permi ssion to relax their rigidity because
you have no need to prove yourself or make others wrong. If you change
the way you think, the life you’r e living will change, so be willing to say, “I
don’t know” or “I’m uncertain as to why I even did what I did.” As Lao-tzu
reminds you, when you suspend your pomposity and rigidity, others
recognize themselves in your flexible nature, and they’ll trust you. Imagine yourself as a tall, stately palm tr ee.Be an organism without goals and objectives—instead, stand strong and
successful, capable of adjusting to the forces of nature. Be willing to adapt
to whatever may come your way by initially allowing yourself to
experience that ener gy, much like the bending tree in hurricane-force winds. When criticism comes, listen. When powerful forces push you in any
direction, bow rather than fight, lean rather than break, and allow yourself
to be free from a rigid set of rules—in so doing, you’ll be preserved and
unbroken. Keep an inner vision of the wind symbolizing difficult situations
as you affirm: I have no rigidity within me. I can bend to any wind and
remain unbroken. I will use the strength of the wind to make me even
stronger and better pr eserved. This simple teaching is so pleasant that you’ll wonder why you didn’ t
realize it before. In the Tao time, acknowledge the “storm” and then allow it
to be felt in your body—obser ve it without judgment, just like the tree
bends in the wind. As rigidity reappears, notic e that as well, allowing the
winds to blow as you exercise the Tao in place of ego! Seek to uncover the
root of your stiffness and achieve greater flexibility in the storms of life. When seen as this kind of opportunity to open to the Tao energy, storminess
can be transformed into exhilara ting events that uncover more of your true
nature of love. Do the T ao Now
Listen to someone express an opinion that’s the opposite of yours today. It
could be on any of a variety of topics, such as politics, the environment,
religion, drugs, war, the death penalty, or what have you. Refuse to impose
your position, and instead remark, “I’ve never considered that point of
view. Thank you for sharing your ideas with me.” By allowing a contrary
position to be heard, you’ll dismiss ego’s attitude and welcome the
flexibility of the T ao. OceanofPDF.com23rd Verse
To talk little is natural:
Fierce winds do not blow all morning;
a downpour of rain does not last the day. Who does this? Heaven and earth. But these ar e exaggerated, for ced effects,
and that is why they cannot be sustained. If heaven and earth cannot sustain a for ced action,
how much less is man able to do? Those who follow the W ay
become one with the W ay. Those who follow goodness
become one with goodness. Those who stray fr om the W ay and goodness
become one with failur e.

If you conform to the W ay,
its power flows thr ough you. Your actions become those of natur e,
your ways those of heaven. Open yourself to the T ao
and trust your natural r esponses... then everything will fall into place.OceanofPDF.comLiving Naturally
Every thing that composes ultimately decomposes. Notice that I put the
emphasis on the word thing— that’s because all things on Earth are


ish	things
on	behalf	of	your	vision. You	find	your	unique	talent	and	remain	true	to	it. You	don’t	worry	about	reward	or	praise. Someone	once	said,	very	truly,	that	if
you	want	to	be	a	success,	make	someone	else	a	success. You	focus	on	the	journey	rather	than	the	destination. This	means	that	you
keep	your	attention	on	the	very	thing	you	are	doing	now,	getting	everything
out	of	this	moment,	rather	than	focusing	on	events	and	things	that	haven’t
happened	yet. You	always	have	the	inner	attitude	that	your	actions	come	from	the	universe
and	go	back	to	the	universe. You	don’t	hold	on,	you	don’t	clutch	and	cling	to	anything. Your	purpose	is	to
be	the	caretaker	of	everything	valuable	in	your	life,	cherishing	it	but	knowing
that	in	the	end	no	one	possesses	anything. The	only	thing	you	can	truly
possess	is	yourself. A	sparrow,	or	any	creature,	doesn’t	work	at	getting	things	to	go	right. The
next	impulse	that	comes	its	way	is	exactly	what	creatures	should	do. When
you	can	match	that,	you	have	mastered	the	way	of	action. There	is	more
complication	in	your	life	than	in	a	sparrow’s,	but	the	same	infinite	intelligence
is	capable	of	making	even	the	most	complex	life	beautiful,	peaceful,	well
ordered,	and	fulfilled. You	don’t	have	to	fight	and	struggle	for	everything. You	can	trust	that	you	will	always	find	a	way	You	can	be	at	peace	that
whatever	comes	to	you	is	right. You	can	feel	that	your	inner	yearnings	are
understood	and	will	unfold	in	time	as	they	should. So	really,	Baba	gave	me	a	whole	vision	in	the	example	of	one	tiny	sparrow. If
I	could	find	a	way	to	be	carefree	and	still	accomplish	what	I	wanted	to	do,	my
whole	life	would	feel	like	a	miracle. After	our	first	day	together,	I	could	only
imagine	what	he	had	in	mind	for	our	second.Day	Two
:
How	Do	Wishes	Come	True?Life	Is	Desire
B
aba	didn’t	make	me	wait	long. It	was	only	a	few	days	later	that	he	returned. Only	this	time	I	didn’t	find	him	under	the	twisted	tree	by	the	side	of	the	road. He	came	to	me. I	was	back	at	school. Nobody	had	called	me	in	for	missing	a	day;	how	this
magic	occurred	I	will	never	know. Maybe	Baba	knew	a	lot	more	tricks	than	I
imagined. When	the	noon	bell	rang,	I	burst	outside	with	the	other	boys—we
had	no	girls	at	our	school	on	the	hill—tearing	off	my	tie	as	I	ran	toward	the
soccer	field. I	was	in	the	backfield	waiting	for	the	kickoff	when	something	caught	my	eye. A	speck	of	white	in	the	distance. Baba	was	watching	us	from	the	flat	roof	of
the	school. Everyone	else	was	so	caught	up	in	the	game	that	they	didn’t
notice. Or	maybe	Baba	was	just	for	my	eyes. Either	way	I	ran	off	the	field	and
ignored	the	shouts	that	followed	me	from	the	rest	of	my	team. When	I	opened	the	creaky	door	that	led	on	to	the	roof,
	I	half	expected	Baba
not	to	be	there. But	he	was,	sitting	calmly	on	the	parapet. “Some	come	true,	but	many	never	do,”	he	said. He	had	barely	turned	his	head
to	acknowledge	my	arrival. “Do	you	know	what	I’m	talking	about?”
“No.”	I	was	now	used	to	Baba’s	habit	of	mystifying	me. “Wishes,”	he	said. “Look	down	there.”
He	pointed	at	the	soccer	game,	which	was	a	mad,	screaming	scramble. Boys
ran	up	and	down	the	field	and	kicked	the	ball	as	if	everything	was	at	stake. “It
doesn’t	matter	what’s	at	stake,”	Baba	said,	picking	up	my	thought. “When
you	really	want	something,	it’s	hard	to	get	your	mind	off	it. Every	moment
counts	until	your	wish	comes	true.”
“But	many	never	do,”	I	said,	repeating	his	words. “Isn’t	that	how	life	works?”
“No,”	said	Baba. “When	your	wish	doesn’t	come	true,	you’ve	gone	against
the	way	life	works. Let	me	show	you.”His	finger	had	found	a	tuft	of	grass	growing	between	two	bricks	in	the
parapet. “A	seed	landed	up	here,	where	there’s	no	soil. It	sprouted	in	a	pinch
of	dust	between	these	bricks. A	little	rain	found	this	cranny,	and	now	there	is
an	explosion	of	life.”	He	flicked	at	the	grass	with	his	finger. “Each	blade	is	so
fragile	that	you	can	crush	it	with	a	tiny	squeeze,	yet	this	grass	has	all	of	life
behind	it. The	power	of	life	is	irresistible. Go	to	the	city	and	you’ll	see	wisps
of	grass	pushing	their	way	between	tons	of	concrete	in	the	roads	that	cars	roll
over	every	day”
“But	that’s	what	grass	does,”	I	said. “What	does	it	have	to	do	with	a	wish?”
“Life	has	one	overwhelming	desire,”	said	Baba,	“which	is	to	grow. Your
wishes	are	part	of	life,	and	they	deserve	to	have	its	power	behind	them.”
“So	you’re	saying	every	wish	should	come	true?”
“I	am”	said	Baba. “But	they	can’t.”	I	pointed	down	at	the	soccer	field. “Both	sides	want	to	win. They	fight	to	make	that	wish	come	true. Yet	in	the	end	one	side	has	to	lose. For	them	the	wish	doesn’t	come	true.”
“That’s	very	true,”	said	Baba. “But	you’ve	left	out	the	X	factor,	the	unknown. The	X	factor	is	spiritual. It	turns	failures	into	victories,	because	in	the	deeper
reality	all	wishes
must
	come	true. They	have	no	choice.”
“That’s	quite	a	mystery,”	I	said. “One	worth	exploring	on	our	second	day,	if	you	feel	ready,”	said	Baba. He	didn’t	wait	for	an	answer. Five	minutes	later	he’d	led	me	off	the	roof	and
down	the	stairs. We	strode	quickly	away	from	the	school,	and	the	shouts	from
the	soccer	field	faded	into	faint	echoes. W
HAT
	I	L
EARNED
Baba	had	a	lot	to	say	about	how	wishes	come	true. This	encounter	wasn’t
really	a	lesson,	but	it	taught	me	something	important	even	before	we	had
begun. I	stopped	seeing	life
	around	me	as	routine	and	mechanical. Does
anyone	really	bother	about	a	bit	of	grass	growing	through	the	sidewalk? It’s
just	there. But	every	seed	of	grass	is	bursting	with	desire. It
must
	expand	andgrow. It	seizes	any	chance	to	sprout. It	uses	any	opportunity	to	get	around
obstacles. Desires	are	seeds	just	like	that—they	want	to	make	something
happen,	and	even	when	the	desire	is	small	and	insignificant,	it	doesn’t	want	to
stop	until	it	gets	to	its	goal. So	the	wonder	is	not	that	all	of	us	have	so	many	wishes,	hopes,	and	dreams. The	wonder	is	that	they	don’t	come	true	all	the	time. Baba


–glucose deprivation resulting from the severe ischemia that leads inevitably to ATP production failure and a neurometabolic energy crisis in adjacent hypoper -
fused neurons. 22
The reduced mortality and improved outcome for patients with severe traumatic
brain injury in the past decade has been attributed to the partial but incomplete success of trying to squeeze oxygenated blood through a swollen brain. This plan requires quantification of cerebral perfusion by monitoring the ICP and by prompt treatment of cerebral hypoperfusion to lower the incidence of secondary injury. Although this plan can mean the difference between good survival and incapacitat -
ing, long-lasting neurological deficits or death, it is not generally possible to achieve due to the absence of an agent that can address cerebral hypoperfusion, brain edema, excitotoxic release of glutamate and cytokines, ionic cell shifts involving sodium and calcium channels, and free radical formation. Is there an agent that can address the pathologic cascade results from severe brain trauma and clinical success and improved outcome? SECONDARY INJURY AND ISCHEMIC PENUMBRAL NEURONS
Because traumatic brain injury results in irreversible damage at the site of impact and initiates cellular and molecular processes that lead to secondary neural injury
in the surrounding tissue, understanding the pathophysiology of secondary injury is
critical to the development of effective therapy. Adding to the cell and molecular damage that results at the site of trauma, sec -
ondary injury to the surrounding brain tissue also undergoes electrophysiological 136 Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease
changes without the anatomic necrotic changes to neurons described earlier. The  s econdary injury primarily involves reduced cerebral perfusion, inflammatory
changes, lowered cerebral energy metabolism, release of excitatory neurotransmit -
ters, and oxidative stress.23,24 These cell and molecular abnormalities not only add to
the site of injury but can give rise to an area of the brain adjacent to the injury core
where a ring of ischemic penumbral neurons can accumulate. In his classic paper describing the ischemic penumbra, Astrup and his colleagues25
recognized two stages where penumbral neurons can experience functional impair -
ment and irreparable degenerative damage, usually with the former stage preceding the latter. However, irreparable damage to penumbral neurons is not always the case, and
it is clear that at least in embolic stroke, these neurons are salvageable with the proper treatment, for example, using intra-arterial thrombolytics such as the tissue plasminogen activators (tPAs). These clot busters are able to accelerate the conver -
sion of plasminogen to plasmin, the major enzyme that catalyzes clot breakdown. However, one of the disadvantages of tPA therapy is that it must be administered as quickly as possible after an embolic stroke, usually within 4½ h after the onset of symptoms. 26
This brief window of opportunity means that only 3% of persons qualify for treat -
ment with tPAs since most patients wait beyond this time period to seek medical help after the onset of stroke symptoms. Another serious disadvantage of tPAs is the risk of hemorrhage in the brain, worsening the primary damage from stroke. Due to the bleeding risk, tPA has not been assessed in any traumatic brain injury
trial that we are aware of, but other agents have been used to address the disturbances in platelet function, leading to hyperaggregability following a head injury. 27
Neurons in the ischemic penumbra are formed as a result of critically subnor -
mal brain perfusion following a stroke or local brain trauma.28 These penumbral
neurons retain their structural integrity but lose their ability to function normally.29
The penumbral region is therefore a functionally silent population of neurons. The physiological outcome of penumbral neurons is dependent on the degree and dura -
tion of ischemia. 30 It has been reported that an ischemic penumbra results when local
cerebral blood flow dips between 12 and 18 mL/100 g tissue/min following brain trauma. 31 Below 12 mL/100 g tissue/min, the tissue becomes irreparably damaged
and soon dies.31
The penumbral neurons are more likely to die if normal cerebral perfusion is
not quickly restored. However, the grace time before penumbral neurons die from a reduced blood flow supply is variable and dependent on the type of injury involved, severity, region of the brain affected, and many other constants. Penumbral neu -
rons have been reported to remain viable for hours, days, months, or even beyond a year. 32–34 During traumatic brain injury, astrocytes become reactive and increase
proinflammatory cytokines to produce excitotoxicity through the excessive pro -
duction of extracellular glutamate. This results in brain edema and swelling, a
 condition that promotes neuronal death from the activation of reactive oxygen
 species (ROS). In addition, the activation of Janus kinase and signal transducer and activator of
transcription signaling pathway is one of the most important transducing signals 137 DMSO in Basic Neuroprotection
from the cell surface to the nucleus in response to cytokines, particularly the
 proinflammatory interleukin-6 cytokine family.36 The Janus kinase and signal trans -
ducer and activator of transcription signaling pathway is the focus of much research
at the present time due to studies that report its involvement in the pathophysiology of brain ischemia, brain trauma, and spinal cord injury (SCI). 37,38
It is clear that when primary traumatic brain injury cannot be prevented, secondary
injuries must be restricted with appropriate neuroprotective strategies. Nevertheless, present drug treatments are not generally able to do that consistently or effectively. 39
The ability of pharmacotherapy to rescue salvageable neurons following brain
trauma and arrest or reverse the quantitative damage that results from such injuries remains elusive and extremely limited. A recent Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Cochrane Injury Group
conducted an exhaustive literature search analyzing drug therapeutic studies dealing with severe head injury. The search concluded that the majority of these clinical tri -
als included only a modest number of patients largely due to the uncertainty of the trial drug effectiveness. 40 Not surprisingly, the quality of these clinical trials was
regarded as more or less questionable.40
For this reason, there is an expectation that the effects of dimethyl sulfoxide
(DMSO) used to treat brain trauma, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and SCI will receive the clinical attention it deserves. When brain trauma, stroke, AD, and SCI are combined, it represents a block of disorders that affect 8% of adult Americans and more than 15 million individuals in the United States alone. The findings reviewed here will reveal a very unusual molecule possessing a num-
ber of biological actions that may explain its positive therapeutic effects following traumatic brain injury and other CNS insults. DMSO IN EXPERIMENTAL BRAIN TRAUMA
The mechanism of action(s) exerted by DMSO in improving the outcome of trau -
matic brain injury remains unknown. However, DMSO is reported to display a range of properties, which may be useful in the management of the brain trauma patient or animal. For example, DMSO increases cerebral blood flow without altering blood pressure,
41,42 quickly reduces ICP without a rebound effect,43–46 is a potent diuretic
that does not affect cardiac rate or output,41,42 reduces cerebral edema,47,49 blocks
sodium channel activation,50,51 is a powerful free radical scavenger,52,53 prevents glu -
tamate excitotoxic neuron death,54 lowers the Janus kinase and signal transducer
and activator of transcription signaling pathway whose activation can be induced by excitotoxic cytokines following brain ischemia,
55 and suppresses NMDA-
AMPA-induced (NMDA, N-methyl- d-aspartate; AMPA, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-
methylisoxazole-4-propionate) ion currents and excessive calcium influx known to damage and kill neurons. 54,56 Additionally, DMSO has a protective and stabilizing
effect on cell membranes57–59 and inhibits inflammation, a reaction that is generally
associated with moderate-to-severe brain trauma.60–62
The biological actions listed earlier for DMSO are relevant to our review of the
cellular–molecular events associated with CNS injuries, including traumatic brain injury, stroke, or neurodegenerative conditions since these events generally involve 138 Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease
sodium channel activation, free radical formation, and glutamate excitotoxic signal -
ing involving NMDA-AMPA-induced ion channels and calcium signaling in cell-
death pathways.50,51,54,61 These cellular–molecular actions modified by DMSO will
be discussed in detail in this section of this chapter and in Chapter 9. Chapter 9 will detail how the basic research of DMSO in cerebral injuries has been successfully applied to humans sustaining a variety of insults to the brain. It is important to point out that the cellular and subcellular biological actions of
DMSO with the exception of lowering brain edema after trauma are not known to be associated with mannitol, a drug commonly used for the treatment of head injuries. This may be one of the reasons why DMSO treatment has been shown to be more efficacious and safer than mannitol when used in patients with severe, closed head injury. 44,45
The initial studies with DMSO were first carried out in the early 1970s in the
Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Chicago by a team of investigators led by Jack de la


 who have discovered the secret
of the relative world —and refused to
acknowledge its reality. In short, Masters
are those who have  chosen only love. In
every instance. In every moment. In every
circumstance. Even as they were being
killed, they loved their murderers. Even as
they were being persecuted, they loved
their oppressors. This is very difficult for you to understand,
much le ss emulate. Nevertheless, it is  what
every Master has ever done. It doesn’t
matter what the philosophy, it doesn’t
matter what the tradition, it doesn’t matter
what the religion —it is what every Master
has done. This example and this lesson has been laid
out so clearly for you. Time and time  again,
over and over has it been shown to you. Through all the ages and in every  place. Through all your lifetimes and in every
moment. The universe has used every
contrivance to place this Truth before you. In song and  story, in poetry and dance, in
words and in motion —in pictures of motion,
which you call motion pictures, and in
collections of words, which you call hooks. From the highest mountain it has been
shouted, in the lowest place its whisper has
been heard. Thr ough the corridors of all
human experience has this Truth been
echoed: Love is the answer. Yet you have
not listened. Now come you to this book, asking God
again what God has told you countless
times in countless ways. Yet I will tell you
again —here—in the  context of this book. Will you listen now? Will you truly hear? What do you think brought you to this
material? How does it come to pass that
you are holding it in your hands? Do you
think I know not what I am doing? There are no coincidences in the unive rse. I have heard the crying of your heart. I have
seen the searching of your soul. I know  how deeply you have desired the Truth. In
pain have you called out for it, and in joy. Unendingly have you beseeched Me. Show Myself. Explain Myself. Reveal
Myself. I am doing so here, in terms so plain, you
cannot misunderstand. In language so
simple, you cannot he confused. In
vocabulary so common, you cannot get lost
in the verbiage. So go ahead now. Ask Me anything. Anything. I will contrive to bring you the
answe r. The whole universe will I use to do
this. So be on the lookout. This book is far
from My only tool. You may ask a question,
then put this book down. But watch. Listen. The words to the next song you hear. The
information in the next article you read. The
story line of the next movie you watch. The chance utterance of the next person  you
meet. Or the whisper of the next river, the
next ocean, the next breeze that  caresses
your ear —all these devices are Mine; all
these avenues are open to Me. I  will speak
to you if you will listen. I will come to you if
you will invite Me. I will show  you then that
I have always been there. All ways. Chapter 2
“Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy
presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand
there  are pleasur es forevermore.”
—Psalm 16:11
I’ve searched for the path to God all my
life—
I know you have —
—and now I’ve found it and I can’t believe
it. It feels like I’m sitting here, writing this to
myself. You are. That does not seem like what a
communication with God would feel like. You want bells and whistles? I’ll see what I
can arrange. You know, don’t You, that there are those
who will call this entire book a blasphemy. Especially if You keep showing up as such
a wise guy. Let Me explain something to you. You have
this idea that God shows up in only one
way in life. That’s a very dangerous idea. It stops you from seeing God all over. If you
think God looks only one way or sounds
only one way or is only one way, you’re
going to look right past Me night and day. You’ll spend your whole life looking for God
and not finding Her. Because you’re  looking
for a Him. I use this as an example. It has been said that if you don’t see God in
the profane and the profound, you’re
missing half the story. That is a great Tr uth. God is in the sadness and the laughter, in
the bitter and the sweet. There is a divine
purpose behind everything —and therefore
a divine presence in everything. I once began writing a book called God is a
Salami Sandwich. That would have been a very go od book. I
gave you that inspiration. Why did you  not
write it? It felt like blasphemy. Or at the very least,
horribly irreverent. You mean wonderfully irreverent! What
gave you the idea that God is only
“reverent”? God is the up and the down. The hot and the cold. The left and the right. The reverent and the irreverent! Think you that God cannot laugh? Do you
imagine that God does not enjoy a good  joke? Is it your knowing that God is without
humor? I tell you, God invented humor. Must you speak in hush ed tones when you
speak to Me? Are slang words or tough
language outside My ken? I tell you, you
can speak to Me as you would speak with
your best friend. Do you think there is a word I have not
heard? A sight I have not seen? A sound I
do not know? Is it your thought that I despise some of
these, while I love the others? I tell you, I
despise nothing. None of it is repulsive to
Me. It is life, and life is the gift; the
unspeakable treasure; the holy of holies. I am life, for I am the stuff life is. Its eve ry
aspect has a divine purpose. Nothing  exists —nothing —without a reason
understood and approved by God. How can this be? What of the evil which
has been created by man? You cannot create a thing —not a thought,
an object, an event —no experience of  any
kind—which is outside of God’s plan. For
God’s plan is for you to create  anything —
everything —whatever you want. In such
freedom lies the experience of  God being
God—and this is the experience for which I
created You. And life itself. Evil is that which you call  evil. Yet even that
I love, for it is only through that which  you
call evil that you can know good; only
through that which you call the work of the
devil that you can know and do the work of
God. I do not love hot more than I love  cold, high more than lo w, left more than right. It
is all relative. It is all part of what is. I do not love “good” more than I love “bad.”
Hitler went to heaven. When you
understand this, you will understand God. But I have been raised to believe that good
and bad do exist; tha t right and wrong are
opposed; that some things are not okay,
not alright, not acceptable in the sight of
God. Everything is “acceptable” in the sight of
God, for how can God not accept that
which is? To reject a thing is to deny that it
exists. To say tha t it is not okay is to say
that it is not a part of Me —and that is
impossible. Yet hold to your beliefs, and stay true to
your values, for these are the values of your parents, of your parents’ parents; of
your friends and of your society. They form
the structure of your life, and to lose them
would be to unravel the fabric of your
experience. Still, examine them one by
one. Review them piece by piece. Do not
dismantle the house, but look at each brick,
and replace those which appear broken,
which no longer  support the structure. Your ideas about right and wrong are just
that—ideas. They are the thoughts which
form the shape and create the substance
of Who You Are. There would be only one
reason to change any of these; only one
purpose in making an alteratio n: if you are
not happy with Who You Are. Only you can know if you are happy. Only
you can say of your life —“This is my
creation (son), in which I am well pleased.”  If your values serve you, hold to them. Argue for them. Fight to defend them. Yet seek to f ight in a way which harms no
one. Harm is not a necessary ingredient in
healing. You say “hold to your values” at the same
time you say our values are all wrong. Help
me with this. I have not said your values are wrong. But
neither are they right. They are simply
judgments. Assessments. Decisions. For
the most part, they are decisions made


 I know. I am the living
proof of how well they work. The Secr et  showed  you how to create anything you want to be,
do, o r ha ve. Not hing has changed—it is as true today as it ever
was. Th is book reveals the greatest discovery a human being
can ever make and shows yo u the way out of negativity,
problems, and what you don’ t want, to a life of permanent
happiness and bliss. It sim ply doesn’ t get any better than this. It is my greatest joy
to welcome you to The Gr eatest Secr et.C h a p t e r  1
Hidden in Plain Sight
Of t he billions of people on our planet, only a few have
discovered the truth. Those few are completely free from the
turmoil and negativity of life and live in permanent peace and
happiness. For the rest of us, whether we realize it or not,
we’ve been in se arch of this truth unceasingly every single day
of our lives. Despite the fact that this great secret has been written about
and alluded to by many great sages, prophets, and religious
leaders throughout history, the majority of us still remain
ignorant of the single greatest discovery we can ever make. Among those who have share d this discovery with us are
Buddha, Krishna, Lao Tzu,  Jesus Christ, Y ogananda,
Krishnamurti, and the Dalai Lama. While they each have dif ferent teachings that were appropriate
for their time, they all refer to the same truth—the truth about
us and the truth behind our world. “In some religions this truth is expressed less openly and
clearly than in others, but it is nevertheless the truth that lies at
the heart of every religion.”
Michael James, fr om  Happiness and the Art of Being
This gre at secret  is in plain view for every one of us to see. It’ s
closer to  us than our very breath, yet we’ve missed it! Ancienttraditions knew that to hide a s ecret it should be put in plain
sight, wh ere no one will think to  look for it. And that’ s exactly
where The Greatest Secret lies. “Thus it  is referred to in the Kashmir Shaivite tradition as ‘the
greatest secret, more hidden than the most concealed and yet
more evident than the most evident of things.’”
Rupert Spira, fr om  Being A ware of Being A ware
W e’ve missed the truth for thou sands of years because we’ve
not looked at what is right in front of us. W e’ve become easily
distracted by our problems, the drama in our lives, the
comings and goings of the ev ents in the world, and we’ve
missed the greatest discovery we can make that is right here
before u s—a discovery that can take us out of suf fering and
into lasting happiness. What secret can possibly be so life-changing? What single
discovery can ever end suf fering, or bring everlasting peace
and happiness? Quite simply, a secret that reveals who you really are. Y ou might think you know who you are, but if you think
you’re a n individual person with a name, who’ s a certain age,
from a particula r race, who has a profession, a family history,
and various life experiences, you will be stunned by the
revelation of who you r eally  are. “The only way that someone can be of help to you is by
challenging your ideas.”
Anthony de Mello, S.J., fr om  A wareness: Conversations with the Masters
W e’ve all accepted many false ideas and beliefs throughout
our live s, and those false ide as and beliefs have kept us
enslaved. W e’ve  been told that there’ s limitation and lack in
the world—that there’ s not enough money, time, resources,
love, or health: “Life is short,”  “Y ou’re only human,” “Y ou
have to work h ard and struggle to get somewhere in life,”
“W e’re running out of resource s,” “The world is in turmoil,”
“The world needs saving.” But the moment you see the truth,
those mistruths will crumble, and your happiness will arise
from the ruins.Perhaps you’re thinking, “My life is going swimmingly, and so
why would I even want to know The Greatest Secret?”
T o quote the wonderful late Anthony de Mello, S.J. :
“Because your life is a mess!”
Y ou may disagree. I certainly didn’ t think my life was a mess
either until Anthony de Mello defined exactly what he meant. Do y ou ever ge t upset? Ever get stressed? Ever worry? Ever
feel anxious, of fended, or hurt? Ever feel sad, down in the
dumps, or despondent? Are yo u ever unhappy or in a bad
mood? If you e xperience any of these emotions at any time,
then according to Anthony de Mello, your life is a mess! Y ou mi ght think it’ s normal to be plagued by negative
emotions throug hout your day, but life isn’ t supposed to be
that way. Y ou can live your life utterly free of hurt, upset,
worry, and fear, and exist in continuous  happiness. Life is showing us there’ s a way  out of suf fering through every
single challenging circumstance we experience, especially the
very chal lenging circumstances. But we don’ t see it. W e’re
lost in our probl ems, and we miss the very thing that is right in
front of us that is the way out of all problems forever! “W e se ek happiness in experience after experience,
relationship afte r relationship, therapy after therapy, workshop
after workshop—even ‘spiritual’ ones, which sound so
promising but never address the root cause of suf fering:
ignorance of our true nature.”
Mooji, fr om  White Fire, second edition
Whenever we suf fer, it’ s becau se we’ve believed something
about ourselves that isn’ t true; we’ve mistaken our own
identity. All  of humanity’ s s uf fering comes down to a case of
mistaken identity. The trut h is, you’re not a person  who has no control over what
happens to you and your life. Y ou’re not a person who has to
slave at a job you don’ t like, o nly to die at the end of it all. Y ou’re not a pe rson who has to struggle from paycheck to
paycheck. Y ou’re not a person w ho needs to prove yourself or
who needs anybody else’ s appr oval. The truth is, you are notreally a  person at all. Y ou are most certainly having the
experience  o f being a perso n, but in the bigger picture it’ s not
who you are. “It isn’ t the way it appears to be. Y ou aren’ t what you think
you are.”
Jan Frazier, fr om  The Freedom of Being
“Sometimes we’re tar geting the symptoms in life but the real
cause in life we’re missing—the understanding and
recognition of our true nature. This is the one medicine for
everything.”
Mooji
“All the unhappiness, disco ntent and misery that we
experience in our life is caus ed only by our ignorance or
confused knowl edge of who or what we really are. Therefore
if w e wa nt to be free of all forms of misery and unhappiness,
we must free ourself from our ignorance or confused
knowledge of what we really are.”
Michael James, fr om  Happiness and the Art of Being
Y our ga uge of how your life  is going is your level of
happiness. How happy are you? Are you genuinely happy all
of th e time? Do  you live within a continuous background of
happiness? Y ou’re supposed to be happy all the time. Happiness is  you. It’ s your true nature. It’ s who you really are. “The thi ng that every one of us is looking for in this world is
exactly the same thing. Every being, even the animals are
looking for it. And what is it that we’re all looking for—
happiness with no sorrow. A continuous happiness with no
taint whatsoever of sorrow.”
Lester Levenson, fr om  W ill Power audio
Every action we take, every dec ision we make, is because we
think we will b e happier from it. It’ s not a coincidence that
we’re all looking for happiness ; in our search for happiness,
we are actually looking for ourselves without realizing it! It’ s not possible to find lasting happiness through material
things. Every material thing appears and eventually
disappears, so if you vest your happiness in a material thing,your happiness  will disappear when the material thing
disappears. There’ s nothing wro ng with material things (they
are won derful, and you deserve to have whatever you want in
life), but it’ s a major breakthrough when you realize that you’ll
never find lasting happiness in them. If material things brought
us happi ness, then when we receive something that we really
wanted, the happiness would n ever leave us. But it’ s not the
case. Instead, we experience a fl eeting happiness, and


progress for hepatitis, cirrhosis without jaundice, liver toxicity, and acute liver disease. It also
distinguishes between myocardial and hepatic tissue damage. ALT values range from 10 to 32 U/L in men; from 9 to 24 U/L in women; twice those levels
in infants. When they are very high—up to 50 times normal—viral or drug-induced hepatitis must
be suspected. Or there may be other liver disease with extensive necrosis. Moderate-to-high levels of ALT may indicate infectious mononucleosis, chronic hepatitis,
intrahepatic cholestasis, early or improving acute viral hepatitis, or severe hepatic congestion due
to heart failure. Slight-to-moderate ALT elevations may appear with any condition that produces acute
cellular injury in the liver such as active cirrhosis and drug-induced or alcoholic hepatitis. Marginal elevations possibly show acute myocardial infarction or secondary hepatic
congestion. An interfering factor for the alanine transaminase, serum glutamicpyruvic transaminase
laboratory test is the taking of opiate analgesics such as morphine, codeine, and meperidine,
The Total Serum Cholesterol Laboratory Test
This quantitative serum analysis measures the circulating levels of free cholesterol and
cholesterol esters and reflects the amount of cholesterol compound appearing in the body tissues. Both absorbed from the diet and synthesized in the liver and other body tissues, cholesterol is a
structural component in cell membranes and plasma lipoproteins. It contributes to the formation
of adrenocorticoid steroids, bile salts, androgens, and estrogens. A diet high in saturated fat raises
cholesterol levels by stimulating absorption of lipids, including cholesterol, from the intestine;
a diet low in saturated fat lowers them. Elevated total serum cholesterol is associated with an
increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Thus, the total serum cholesterol laboratory test assesses the risk of coronary artery disease
(CAD), evaluates fat metabolism, and aids in diagnosing kidney disease, pancreatitis, liver
disease, hypothyroidism, and, hyperthyroidism. Total cholesterol concentrations vary with age
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 186Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comand sex. Its common range is from 150 to 200 mg/dL. A desirable blood cholesterol is below 200
mg/dL, and levels from 200 to 240 mg/dL are considered borderline or at high risk for CAD. A
level in excess of 250 mg/dL (hypercholesterolemia) indicates high risk of cardiovascuar disease,
incipient hepatitis, lipid disorders, bile duct blockage, nephrotic syndrome, obstructive jaundice,
pancreatitis, and hypothyroidism. They require treatment. Hypercholesterolemia from high dietary
intake requires modification of eating habits and possibly medication to retard absorption. Hypercholesterolemia can occur from taking adrenocorticotropic hormone, corticosteroids,
androgens, bile salts, epinephrine, chlorpromazine, trifluoperazine, oral contraceptives, salicylates,
thiouracils, and trimethadione. Low serum cholesterol (hypocholesterolemia) is associated with malnutrition, cellular
necrosis of the liver, and hyperthyroidism. Cholesterol often drops below normal in the Gerson
program, because patients are eating an extremely low-fat diet. The Lipoprotein/Cholesterol
Fractionation Laboratory Test
To assess the risk of coronary artery disease, the lipoprotein/cholesterol fractionation
laboratory test is conducted. By centrifugation or electrophoresis, it isolates and measures
the cholesterol in blood, which appears as low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density
lipoproteins (HDL). It’s known that a lower HDL level in the population gives rise to a higher
incidence of CAD. Conversely, higher HDL levels produce a lesser amount of CAD. Note: Since the Gerson Therapy offers a minimal amount of fat, it often lowers the risk
of coronary artery disease; but it does provide an adequate supply of certain polyunsaturated
essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins that cannot be synthesized in adequate amounts for
optima[ body function. Normal HDL cholesterol ranges from 29 to 77 mg/100 mL of blood, and normal LDL
cholesterol ranges from 62 to 185 mg/100 mL. Too-high LDL levels increases the risk of CAD,
while elevated HDL generally reflects a healthy state. Or it might indicate chronic hepatitis, early-
stage primary biliary cirrhosis, or too much alcohol consumption. The Serum Triglycerides Laboratory Test
Being the body’s main storage form of lipids (constituting 95 percent of fatty tissue), the serum
triglycerides laboratory test provides a quantitative analysis of them. It identifies hyerlipemia in
kidney disease and CAD. The triglyceride values vary according to age:
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 187Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comAge            Trigyceride Values
                                                                 Mg/dL     nmol/L
0-29              10-140    0.1-1.55
30-39          10-150    0.1-1.65
40-49          10-160    0.1-1.75
50-59          10-190    0.1-2.10
Test abnormality suggests that other measurements are needed. High triglycerides indicate the
risk of atherosclerosis or CAD. Mild-to-moderate levels advise of biliary obstruction, diabetes,
kidney disease, endocrinopathies, or too much consumption of alcohol. Decreased levels are rare
but may show malnutrition or a betalipoproteinemia. Note: On the Gerson diet, flare-ups and healing reactions are shown by elevated tri-
glycerides. The Serum Protein Electrophoresis Laboratory Test
The major blood proteins of the body, albumin and four globulins, are measured in an electric
field by separating them into patterns according to size, shape, and electric charge at pH 8.6. Comprising more than 50 the serum creatinine level (see the test description which immediately
follows). With normal values ranging from 8 to 20 mg/dL, the BUN test helps to evaluate kidney
function, aids in the diagnosis of kidney illness, and assesses the body’s hydration. An elevated
BUN happens in reduced renal blood flow from dehydration, renal disease, urinary tract
obstruction, and ‘increased protein catabolism as in burns. Depressed BUN levels occur in severe
liver damage, malnutrition, and overhydration. Note: Due to  initial decreased dietary protein intake, a person following the Gerson Therapy
will likely show a slightly reduced level of BUN. The Serum Creatinine Laboratory Test
Providing a more sensitive measure of kidney damage than the BUN, the serum creatinine
laboratory test is a quantitative analysis of the nonprotein end product of metabolism, creatinine. Kidney impairment is virtually the only cause of creatinine elevation in the blood; therefore,
creatinine levels are directly related to the glomerular filtration rate. They assess renal glomerular
function and screen for kidney damage. Creatinine concentration in males normally ranges from 0.8 to 1.2 mg/dL; in females it ranges
from 0.6 to 0.9 mg/dL. Elevation of serum creatinine means that serious renal disease is present
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 188Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comwith 50 percent damaged nephrons as in gigantism and acromegaly. Interfering factors are too
much absorption of ascorbic acid, barbiturates, diuretics, and sulfobromophthalein. Also, athletes
may have above-average creatinine levels, even with normal kidney function. The Serum Uric Acid Laboratory Test
Used mainly to detect gout, the serum uric acid laboratory test measures levels of uric acid,
a metabolite of purine in the blood. Glomerular filtration and tubular secretion gets rid of uric
acid, but it’s less soluble at a pH of 7.4 or lower which occurs in certain diseases such as gout,
excessive cellular generation and destruction as in leukemia, and kidney dysfunction. Uric acid concentrations in men range from 4.3 to 8 mg/dL; in women they range from 2.3
to 6 mg/dL. Although elevated levels of serum uric acid don’t correlate with severity of disease,
they do rise in congestive heart failure, glycogen storage disease, acute infectious diseases
such as infectious mononucleosis, hemolytic anemia, sickle cell anemia, hemoglobinopathies,
polycyth


 the dosed fast”
In the late 1940s -1960s, Nikolayev intensified
his observations of schizophrenia patients who
became the object of his doctoral thesis, pre-
sented in 1960 under the title Razgruzochno- di-
eticheskaja terapiya shizofrenii i ee fiziolog-
icheskoe obosnovaniye  (RDT diet -fasting therapy
in the treatment of schizophrenia and its
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frphysiological basis). In those difficult years, Ni-
kolayev's selflessness in his work of furthering
therapeutic fasting would not have been success-
ful, had it not been for a decisive stroke of luck:
Nikolaeyv’s wife, also a psychiatrist employed in
the rehabilitation of alcoholics, happened to
handle the case of Lev Bulganin, son of an im-
portant man of t he party, the Chairman of the
Soviet Council of Ministers, N.A. Bulganin. The Nikolayevs both treated the illustrious pa-
tient together and managed to cure him by ap-
plying the method of therapeutic fasting. The
powerful N.A. Bulganin, wishing to express gra t-
itude for his son’s healing, assured Dr. Nikolayev
his high protection. Thanks to this, Nikolayev
was able to freely conduct his research and
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frexperiments at the psychiatric clinic and record
his observations. Using fasting to treat thousands of cases of
schizophrenia and other psychic disorders, he
noted that, by eradicating the disease at the root,
fasting could heal several diseases simultane-
ously. Thus, with copious clinical results in hand
and the protection of the high -ranking official
Bulganin, Niko layev soon succeeded in intro-
ducing therapeutic fasting into clinical practice,
thus contributing to its approval by the Soviet
Ministry of Health. In 1961, Nikolayev was appointed director of
the psychiatry program at the Rostov -on-Don
Medical Institute. During the two years in this
position he had managed to set up a school of
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frexperts in therapeutic fasting and inspire nu-
merous colleagues. In the decades that followed, Nikolayev worked
in Moscow at the Soviet Scientific Research In-
stitute of Psychiatry an d coordinated the work of
the numerous fasting wards that had been
opened everywhere throughout the Soviet Un-
ion. The development of the method benefited im-
mensely from the collection Problemy
lechebnogo golodaniya (Problems of therapeutic
fasting), published in Moscow in 1969. It com-
prised the contribution of scientists such as P.K. Anokhin, A.A. Pokrovskiy, P.A. Fedorov, in ad-
dition to Nikolayev. It comprised approximately
sixty articles dedicated to therapeutic fasting in
psychiatric practice, to the neu rophysiology of
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frthe sensation of hunger and satiety, and to the
pathophysiology of fasting. Nikolayev himself
spoke of the growing interest and fervor in the
studies in the introduction to 1988 edition of his
book Golodaniye radi zdoroviya  (Fasting for
Health), published for the first time in 1973 with
200,000 copies. At the end of the 1990s, the Republic of Burya-
tia hosted a pilot experience to introduce fasting
dietary therapy (RDT) in the practice of medical
and hospital facilities at the state level. Under the
scientific direction of Prof. A.N. Kokosov, a
training program for RDT specialists was estab-
lished in the republic, with lectures, seminars
and conferences on the method aimed at both
doctors and health personnel, and the interested
public. Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frSince then, in Russia, the number of scientific
articles that have been released and authors who
have made contributions to the field of thera-
peutic fasting (including dry fasting) are un-
countable. This is evidenced by the materials re-
ported in Appendix 1 and th e relative bibliog-
raphy included in this book, which contains ref-
erences, as complete as possible, on the enor-
mous amount of medical and scientific research
carried out in the USSR -Russia in the last sixty
years. Finally, I would like to add that 25 years since
the creation of the Russian fasting dietary ther-
apy (RDT) were celebrated on 10 August 2019,
in Goryachinsk, Republic of Buryatia, and I had
the pleasure of being present and of getting to
know the people who are still carrying out this
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frfantastic project (see the photographic dossier at
the end of this book). Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frPreface by Sergey Filonov

I was born in the Altai region in a family of
physicians; both my mother and my older sister
are pediatricians. Since early childhood at home
I regularly overheard conversations about med-
icine. With such a "family anamnesis" it was a
foreseeable predicament that my path would
lead me straight to the study of medicine, and so
it was indeed, even though, from what I recall,
during childhood and adolescence I was fond of
totally different things: like all the boys on our
street, I, too, wanted to become a pilot. One day my father and I went skiing. After
our outing we visited some friends for a cup of
tea, and it was there that for first time in my life
I saw a cancer pat ient. He was very thin and
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frsuffered from severe pain. This made a very
strong impression on me. Once I reached home
I asked my mother if it recovering from this dis-
ease really was impossible, and she replied: " Un-
fortunately, my son, at this stage of the illness our
medicine is yet ineffective." In eighth grade, by chance, I stumbled upon a
book. I do not remember the title, but I remem-
ber well that it spoke of a talented healer who
had cured a man suffering from cancer by treat-
ing it with herbs and fasting. Hence, the body
has the reserves and forces capable to treat such
a serious and insidious disease like cancer, I
thought. For every poison, there must necessarily be an
antidote in nature. For each disease in the body
there must be forces able to heal it. After all,
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.franimals in nature do not have hospitals, clinics
and doctors. They are guided by their natural in-
stincts. They know better than any herbalists,
which grass to take in the moment they need it,
or they heal themselves just by fasting. From that
moment, I became more interested in natural
ways of healing. I began to read books about fast-
ing, hypnosis, herbs, acupuncture. I began to un-
derstand: a man is a natural pharmacy, the or-
ganism has all it needs for the treatment of any
disease, it is  only necessary to discover these nat-
ural medicines and stimulate them to benefit the
organism, with work, patience and willpower. My decision to enroll in medical school was ab-
solutely conscious, but I knew that I would not
be interested in sitting at the  clinic and to pre-
scribe tablets. I had to find a specialization and
Copyright © Vera Giovanna Bani 2019 www.dryfasting.infoThis Ebook was purchased by Gilberto Franchi email: gilbertofranchi@hotmail.frto gain knowledge in such a way that my future
patients would be assisted and able to utilize
their huge hidden potential to heal diseases. On the fourth year of my medical degree, I
was appointed to supervise a patient with bron-
chial asthma. When I went to her room, I could
not believe what I saw: a blooming woman with
a pink blush on the face and sparkling eyes. She
didn’t look at all like an asthm


	the	carrots	and	orange	through	a	juicer. 2. You	can	enjoy	this	juice	on	a	daily	basis. It	prevents	heart	diseases,	cancer,
infection,	and	the	other	disorders.Black	Currant	and	Sprout	Juice
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	2)

Ingredients

1. 1	cup	red	grapes

1. 1⁄2	cup	black	currants

1. 2	tablespoons	alfalfa	sprouts

1. 1/2	cup	coconut	water

Directions

1. Juice	the	ingredients	in	a	juice	machine. 2. You	can	sweeten	the	juice	with	your	favorite	natural	sweetener	if	desired. 3. These	ingredients	promote	healthy	skin. Blackcurrant	is	widely	used	as	an
herbal	medicine.Mint	Pineapple	Juice
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	2)

Ingredients

1. 1	cup	pineapple,	peeled	and	cut	into	chunks

1. 2	celery

stalks,	with	leaves

1. 1	tablespoon	mint	leaves

Directions

1. Process	the	pineapple	and	celery	through	a	juicer. 2. Serve	the	juice	garnished	with	mint	leaves. 3. The	juice	contains	anti-inflammatory	ingredients	and	vitamin	C.Grape	and	Melon	Surprise
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	3)

Ingredients

1. 1⁄4	small	honeydew	melon

1. 1	cup	green	grapes,

seedless

1. 2	kiwi	fruits,	peeled

1. 3⁄4	cup	spinach,	torn	into	pieces

1. 1	lemon,	peeled

Directions

1. Mix	the	juice	thoroughly	to	combine	all	the	above	ingredients. 2. Serve	at	once	and	enjoy! 3. Honeydew	melon	is	rich	in	vitamin	B	and	potassium	and	grapes	are	high	in
phytochemicals.Mint	Tropical	Delight
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	3)

Ingredients

1. 1	mango,	peeled	and	cored

1. 2	apricots,	pitted

1. 1⁄4	cup	pineapple,	peeled	and	cut	into	chunks

1. 1	teaspoon	fresh	grated	ginger

1. 1	cup	strawberries

1. 1	tablespoon	mint	leaves

Directions

1. Process	the	ingredients	through	your	electronic	juicer	following	the
manufacturer’s	directions. 2. You	can	sweeten	the	juice	with	the	raw	honey. 3. The	juice	is	beneficial	for	digestion	and	weight	loss. Enjoy!Hot	Beet	Juice
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	4)

Ingredients

1. 4	carrots,	trimmed

1. 3	celery	stalks

1. 1	beet

1. 1⁄2	cup	kale

1. 3	tomatoes

1. 2	red	bell	peppers,	seeded

1. 4	green	onions,	trimmed

1. 1	teaspoon	salt

1. A	pinch	of	black	pepper

1. A	few	drops	hot	pepper	sauce
	Directions

1. Clean	all	the	above	ingredients. 2. Process	the	carrots,	celery	and	beet	through	your	electronic	juicer	following
the	manufacturer’s	instructions. 3. Add	the	kale,	followed	by	tomatoes,	bell	peppers,	and	green	onions. Season
with	salt,	black	pepper,	and	hot	sauce. 4. Lastly,	whisk	the	juice	thoroughly,	and	serve	over	ice. Enjoy! 5. Remember	that	the	micronutrients	in	fresh	juices	are	fragile,	so	drink	your
juice	immediately.Carrot	and	Tangerine	Juice
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	2)

Ingredients

1. 2	carrots,	trimmed

1. 1	apple,	cored

1. 1	pear,	cored

1. 3	tangerines,	peeled

1. 1-inch	piece	fresh	ginger

Directions

1. Process	the	carrots,	apple,	and	pear	through	an	electronic	juicer. 2. Add	the	tangerines,	a	few	pieces	at	a	time. Stir	in	the	ginger	and	mix	the
juice	thoroughly. 3. Serve	and	enjoy! 4. The	juice	is	very	beneficial	for	circulation	and	digestions.Melon	and	Coconut	Juice
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	2)

Ingredients

1. 1	cup	watermelon	chunks

1. 1⁄2	honeydew	melon,	peeled

1. 1	tangerine,	peeled

1. 1/2	cup	coconut	water

Directions

1. Juice	all	the	ingredients;	transfer	the	juice	to	the	glasses. 2. This	is	the	natural	way	to	fight	stress. Enjoy!Avocado	and	Apple	Juice
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	4)

Ingredients

1. 4	Granny	Smith	apples,	cored

1. 1	medium	cucumber

1. 1-inch	piece	of	ginger

1. 1	avocado,	pitted

Directions

1. Process	all	the	ingredients,	except	for	avocado. Then,	blend	the	juice	and
avocado	well. 2. Pour	into	serving	glasses	and	serve. 3. Avocado,	also	known	as	‘alligator	pear’,	is	nutritious	fruit	loaded	with	good
fatty	acids.Berry	and	Apple	Cooler
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	4)

Ingredients

1. 4	apples,	cored

1. 2	cups	strawberries,	hulled

1. 1/2	cup	blackberries

1. 1	cup	blueberries

Directions

1. Simply	juice	the	apples	through	an	electronic	juicer	following
manufacturer’s	directions. 2. Add	the	strawberries,	followed	by	the	blackberries	and	the	blueberries. Serve	over	crushed	ice. 3. The	useful	ingredients	help	your	muscles	relax,	so	it	is	a	perfect	juice	at	the
end	of	a	hectic	day!Grape	and	Sugar	Beets
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	2)

Ingredients

1. 2	sugar	beets,	with	greens

1. 1	medium	carrot,	trimmed

1. 1⁄2	pound	black	grapes,

seedless

Directions

1. Trim	the	beets	and	after	that	cut	them	into	pieces. Transfer	the	beets	to	your
electronic	juicer;	process	them	according	to	the	manufacturer’s	instructions. 2. Add	the	carrots	and	black	grapes. 3. Whisk	the	juice	before	serving. Try	to	drink	immediately. 4. This	amazing	juice	helps	your	body	remove	toxins. Enjoy!Minty	Beets	with	Fruits
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	2)

Ingredients

1. 2	sugar	beets	including	greens

1. 1	pear,	cored

1. 1	orange,	peeled	and	segmented

1. 1	large	cucumber

1. 1	handful	parsley

1. 2	tablespoons	fresh	mint	leaves

Directions

1. Process	the	beets	together	with	greens	through	an	electronic	juicer. 2. Add	the	remaining	ingredients. 3. Blend	your	juice	thoroughly	to	combine;	serve	over	ice	and	enjoy. 4. Beet	with	their	greens	is	an	amazing	cleanser	of	our	blood	and	liver. Enjoy!Green	Detox	Special
(Ready	in	about	10	minutes	|	Servings	2)

Ingredients

1. 2	cups

spinach

1. 1	½	cups	arugula


restore
the
structure
and
thus
the
functioning
of
the
pancreas. Urinotherapy
and
diseases
of
the
heart
and
blood
vessels
Here,
it
is
primarily
necessary
to
purify
the
blood
and
remove
various
clots
and
deposits
from
the
bloodstream. Before
cleansing
the
blood,
the
large
intestine
must
first
be
cleansed,
and
in
order
to
achieve
free
blood
circulation,
the
so-called
portal
hypertension
must
beremoved,
i. e. the
liver
must
be
cleansed. The
substances
contained
in
the
urine
will
do
everything
else:
they
will
help
the
heart
muscle
and
stimulate
it,
dissolve
thrombi. It
is
recommended
to
drink
an
odd
number
of
sips
2-3
times
a
day
after
50-100
grams
of
urine. Example:
“For
three
weeks,
I
collect
the
middle
part
of
the
urine
from
3
to
4
in
the
morning
and
drink
3
sips
of
quarter
urine. It
seems
to
me
that
the
large
intestine
has
started
to
work,
the
comb
between
the
stomach
and
the
duodenum
works
better,
the
stomach
is
softer
and
the
heart
works
better. So
far
I
have
under gone
8
surgeries
under
general
anesthesia. Among
other
things,
they
removed
the
bullet
from
my
liver.'Example:
"I
am
54
years
old,
I
am
already
retired,
I
felt
very
bad,
I
had
injections
twice
a
year,
I
suffer
from
rheumatoid
carditis
and
I
have
a
heart
murmur. By
chance,
I
got
hold
of
your
book,
where
you
also
write
about
urinotherapy. She
helped
me
a
lot. I
haven't
had
any
injections
for
half
a
year
now,
I
drink
urine
and
smear
myself
with
it. I
starve
twice
a
month. I
feel
much
better.'Example:
"I
am
54
years
old,
I
have
been
suffering
from
high
blood
pressure
for
8
years
up
to
200
to
120,
my
head
is
spinning. After
only
ten
glasses
of
urine
drunk
on
an
empty
stomach,
my
blood
pressure
dropped. " Example:
The
patient,
64
years
old,
suffers
from
high
blood
pressure,
atherosclerosis,
ischemia
of
the
heart,
varicose
veins
on
the
legs. For
a
month
and
a
half,
she
drank
urine
3
times
a
day,
smeared
herself
with
it
and
followed
a
diet. The
results
are
good:
blood
pressure
130/80,
venous
nodes
on
the
legs
have
disappeared
and
heart
function
has
improved. Example:
"Patient
swollen
to
the
waist,
'elephant'
legs
blackened
to
the
knees,
swollen
hands,
black
wrists,
sores. After
many
months
in
the
hospital,
she
went
home
to
die. A
neighbor
gave
her
faith
in
life
and
a
book
on
urine
therapy. She
stopped
taking
medicine
and
started
drinking
urine,
doing
massages,
enemas,
for
the
first
time
with
a
man's
urine. She
starved
for
seven
days. Black
lumps
started
coming
out,
the
swelling
didn't
go
away,
but
it
didn't
get
bigger
either. The
patient
has
a
weak
heart
and
cirrhosis
of
the
liver. Please
advise
what
to
do
next.'Comment
and
recommendation:
Always
apply
poultices
of
evaporated
quarter
urine
to
the
area
of
  swelling
and
wounds,
pay
close
attention
to
enemas
-
all
problems
come
from
the
large
intestine. Continue
with
urine
intake
and
fasting. Vomiting
and
passing
black
sludge
are
symptoms
indicating
the
beginning
of
the
cleansing
process. So
it
is
necessary
to
continue,
drink
more
urine,
use
melted
water. If
the
condition
were
to
worsen,
but
at
the
same
time
pathological
waste
products
were
being
excreted,
this
means
a
cleansing
process
and
a
healing
crisis. You
have
to
overcome
them. If
you're
getting
worse
without
these
symptoms,
you've
let
the
disease
go
too
far. Cloudy
and
at
the
same
time
strongly
smelling
urine
indicates
a
body
heavily
clogged
with
waste
and
poisons. In
particular,
the
intestine
and
liver
are
affected. That
is
why
cleansing
procedures
are
so
important
for
relaxing
the
body. For
heart
problems,
the
best
massage
is
from
11
a.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the main cause of infection in the kidneys and urinary tract?,
A: Escherichia coli.
Q: What is the recommended treatment for kidney problems?,
A: Transition to a moderate diet, cleanse the large intestine with enemas, and then focus on the focus of the disease.
Q: What is the recommended treatment for diabetes?,
A: Drink 50-100 grams of urine per ex 3 times a day, apply urinotherapy, and massage with urine.
Q: What is the recommended treatment for cancer?,
A: Cleanse the body, drink 50-100 grams of urine per day, apply poultices, and starve for 10-14 days.
Q: What is the recommended treatment for the heart and blood vessels?,
A: Cleanse the body, drink 50-100 grams of urine per day, apply poultices, and starve for 10-14 days.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>The
colon
was
very
badly
affected
by
the
putrefaction,
and
from
there
came
the
depression
and
problems
in
the
mouth. It
was
also
possible
to
start
the
treatment
with
enemas,
with
the
aim
of
normalizing
bowel
activity
and
generally
ridding
the
body
of
poisons,
and
continue
with
urine
massages
and
drinking
a
quart
of
urine
twice
a
day. Starvation
must
be
started
only
after
cleansing
the
main
organs
(intestines,
liver,
kidneys),
then
it
is
better
tolerated. Ending
the
hunger
strike
in
our
conditions:
drink
fresh
carrot
juice,
decoctions
of
herbs
with
honey
prepared
from
melt
water,
eat
sprouted
wheat,
which
will
immediately
supply
the
body
with
the
necessary
trace
elements
and
vitamins
in
such
a
huge
amount
that
is
not
found
in
all
the
foods
listed
by
Armstrong. Later,
switch
to
vegetables
(steamed
in
winter),
seasonal
fruit,
whole
grain
porridge,
sprouted
grain
bread. Armstrong's
recommendation
to
drink
water
is
important. During
fasting,
the
amount
of
urine
decreases
considerably
and
it
is
then
highly
concentrated. This
can
be
prevented
by
drinking


is,  14 –15
Homo naledi,  14 –15
Homo neanderthalensis,  14 –15Homo sapiens,  14 –16
honeymoon rhinitis, 41
Hooton, Earnest, 114, 115
Huberman, Andrew, 152
hypertension, 89 –90
hypocapnia, 140
hypoventilation training / Buteyko breathing, 93 –97, 221 –24
Control Pause technique, 222
Counsilman’ s training of U.S. Olympic swim team and, 95 –96
current medical community dismissal of, 101
Decongest the Nose technique, 224
extending time between inhalations and exhalations, 103 –4
internet websites of fering instructions, 224
Mater Hospital study, 101
Mini Breathholds technique, 222 –23
Nose Songs technique, 223
W alking/Running technique, 223 –24
W oorons’ s verifying ef ficacy of, 95
Zátopek’ s pioneering of, 93 –94
hypoxic training. See  hypoventilation training / Buteyko breathing
Indus-Sarasvati civilization, 195 –96
infections, and bacterial growth in congested nasal passages, 7
Inner Fire Meditation (T ummo), 145 –48, 150 –58, 186, 210, 226 –27
insomnia, 30
intelligence, and mouthbreathing, 30 –31
internal or gans, malleability of, 56
Intr oduction to Respiratory Science (video), 67 –68
Iraq W ar, 142
Irritable Heart Syndrome, 140 –42, 147 –48
Iyengar, B. K. S., 104
jiya pranayama, 200
Jones, T imothy, 67
Kahn, Sandra, 125
Kayser, Richard, 40 –41
Kearney, Ann, 50 –51, 208
Kelder, Peter, 53 –54
khechari,  82
ki,  188
Kingsley, Norman, 123, 132
Klein, Donald, 176, 211
Kling, Arthur, 165 –66
lactic acid, 24
lar ge intestines, 13 –14
laryngectomies, 51
larynx, 15 –16
left nostril breathing, 41 –42
Lemnius, Levinus, 29less breathing
asthma and, 90, 98 –101
author ’ s and Olsson’ s practice of, 87 –89, 91, 96 –97
Buteyko’ s experiments and development of techniques, 89 –90, 92 –93, 97 –98
historical traditions practicing, 86
hypoventilation training and. See  hypoventilation training / Buteyko breathing
kidney buf fering and, 101 –2
Papworth method, 101
respiratory rates considered normal, 85 –86
and treatment of respiratory conditions, 101 –2
VO 2  max and, 89
Zátopek’ s pioneering of hypoventilation training, 93 –94
Lieberman, Daniel, 13
lifespan, and lung capacity, 54 –55
lips, 15
lower turbinates, 44 –45
Lund, V alerie J., 26
lungs / lung capacity, 73
aging and, 55 –56
freedivers and, 56
lifespan and, 54 –55
malleability of, 56
moderate exercise and, 56
orthopedic breathing and, 57 –58
shallow breathing, ef fects of, 64
Stough’ s work with emphysema patients and, 59 –64
as weight-regulating system of body, 75
Maf fetone, Phil, 25 –26
malocclusion, 12, 134
mammals, 9 –10
Martin, L ynn, 58 –59, 64, 66 –67
masseter, 131, 132
mastic gum, 225
Mater Hospital study, on ef fects of breathing less, 101
matter, 192 –93
Matthiessen, Peter, 46 –47
maxilla, 131
McGee, Chuck, III, 142, 147 –48, 150, 153 –56, 210, 227
McKeown, Patrick, 27, 28, 224
meditation, 176 –77
Meuret, Alicia, 100 –101, 177 –78
Mew, John, 124 –25, 126 –29
Mew, Mike, 127 –29, 226
mewing, 128 –29
mindful meditation, 177
mineral springs, 174
Mini Breathholds technique, 222 –23
modern medicine
limitations of, 204 –5problems requiring, 204
view of breathing, xviii
molecules, 192
monoblocs, 123
morphological changes in humans, 14 –16, 107 –8
chewing, lack of, 116, 133 –34
farmed foods and, 107 –8
Price’ s research on traditional and modern processed diets and, 113 –16
processed foods and, 111 –16
soft foods and, 133 –34
vitamin and mineral deficiencies, role of, 115 –16
Morton, Samuel, 11, 32
Morton Collection, 11, 32
mouth
airway obstructions of, 120 –22
Belfor ’ s bone growth research and, 131 –33, 134 –35
breathing through. See  mouthbreathing
children with deformities of, 31 –32
oral posture, 127 –28
orthodontic devices designed to expand, 121 –22
size of, 121, 122
tongue-thrusting exercises, 129
tooth extraction and retractive orthodontics, impacts of, 123 –25
width of, and impeded development of nasal cavities, 6
See also  chewing
mouth taping, 50, 51 –52
mouthbreathing, 20 –33
athletic performance and, 23 –24
dental problems and, 49 –50
Douillard’ s bike experiment and, 23 –24
ef fects of, 206 –7, 208
Harvold’ s monkey experiments and, 26 –27, 33
intelligence, impact on, 30 –31
oxygen levels and, 29
physical body and airways, ef fect on, 27, 29, 32 –33
prevalence of, 5 –6
sleep apnea and, 28, 49 –50
snoring and, 28, 49 –50
Stanford experiment with author and Olsson, 3 –9, 16 –18, 19 –23, 28 –29, 37 –38, 79 –82, 87 –89,
105 –7, 139, 206 –8
water loss and, 29 –30
mucous membrane, 44 –45
mudra s, 82
My Journey to Lhasa  (David-Néel), 150 –51
nadi shodhana, 42, 219 –20
Naropa, 145 –46
nasal breathing
alternate nostril breathing techniques, 42 –45
benefits of, 50, 208Catlin and, 46 –49
left nostril breathing, 41 –42
manipulating body functions through, 42
mouth taping and, 50, 51 –52
nadi shodhana, 42, 219 –20
nasal cycles, 39 –42
nitric oxide release and, 50
physical body and airways, ef fect of, 27
Plains Indians and, 46 –48
right nostril breathing, 41
surya bheda pranayama, 43
See also  nose
nasal cycles, 39 –42
nasal dilator cones, 118
nasal sur geries, 118 –19
nasal valve collapse, 118
Natur e, 151
Nayak, Jayakar, 4, 5, 6 –7, 8, 117 –18
neck, 121
neutrons, 192
New Y ork T imes, The, 190
Ni Ch’i (adverse breath), 31
Nims, Robert, 63
nitric oxide
nose breathing and, 50
Nose Songs technique and, 223
Nitsch, Herbert, 56
norepinephrine, 153
normobaric hypoxia training. See  hypoventilation training / Buteyko breathing
nose, 37 –52
atrophy of, 50 –51
bacteria growth, in congested nasal cavities, 7
balloon sinuplasty and


. Mint is used in jams, jellies and other preserves,
peppermint being the most flavourful for preserving recipes. Both peppermin t and spearmint (bottom photo above) are healthy and
aggressive plants in the herb garden. Parsley
Parsley is a great herb for preserving because it keeps its colour  and freezes
well. Curly parsley (Petr oselinum crispum)  and flat-leaf  parsley
(P.neapolitanum)  are common.I grow and use b oth varieties of parsley and find that the flat-le af variety is
stronger in flavour. Parsley is used in salsa, with bulgur and couscous, and
in summer pastes and pesto. Persillade
One of my favourite methods of preserving parsley is to make a persillade
of finely  chopp ed parsley, garlic and sunflower seeds in a 3:2:1 ratio. I
freeze it  in 1 or 2 tbsp (15 or 25  mL) amounts for an easy addition to soups,
casseroles, marinades, sauces a nd stews. I lightly spray a plastic ice cube
tray with olive oil and pack persillade into it. Once frozen, the persillade
cubes pop out, and I store them in resealable plastic bags for easy use. Rose
Although roses are not herbs, their flowers and fruits, like those of herbs,
can be used in cooking. North American First Nations people s used rose
petals an d hips to treat a variety of ailments. Rosewater is an ef fective way
to preser ve the fragrance of rose s, and it is used in Middle East ern cooking
in particular. Rich in vitamins C, A, B, E and K, tart-tasting rosehips can be d ried for teas
and infu sions. L ike crabapples, rosehips are also high in pectin  and can be
chopped and boiled with rose petal infusion or fruit juice to impart their
beautiful colour, pectin and n utrients to jelly. Substitute rosehips forcranberries in sauce and relish  dishes if you have enough after the cold
weather brings them along to maturity. parsley jelly
Parsley jelly is an old English f avourite that often r elied on cr abapples or
early tart apples to make the parsley infusion “set up,” or jell. If made the
traditional way, it’ s a very mild-tasting, soft jelly that can be used with pork,
fish or poultry. U se the flat-leaf parsley if you have it, because it is str onger
in flavour. This r ecipe can be us ed to make mint, sage, thyme or basil jelly
by s imply substituting any of those fr esh herbs for the parsley. For mor e zip
to the jelly, add up to 1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fr esh hot chile pepper or 2
tbsp (25 mL) crushed dried cayenne pepper. MAKES 6–1/2 CUPS (1.625 L)
2 cups (500 mL) lightly packed coarsely chopped fr esh parsley
3 cups (750 mL) boiling water
1 cup (250 mL) unsweetened apple juice (appr ox)
2 tbsp (25 mL) cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 tbsp (25 mL) fr eshly squeezed lemon juice 4–1/2 cups (1.125 L)
granulated sugar 1 pkg (1–3/4 oz/49 to 52 g) fruit pectin crystals 1/4
cup (50 mL) finely chopped hot chile pepper (or to taste), optional

1. Place  parsley  in a non-react ive teapot or bowl with a tight-fitting lid. Pour bo iling wa ter over parsley and cover with lid. Let stand until cool,
about 1 hour. 2. Heat seven 1- cup (250 mL) ja rs in boiling water, and scald the lids, lifter,
funnel and tongs ( Boiling W ater Method, Step by Step ).3. Strain  of f the parsley infusion  into a 4-cup (1 L) liquid measure. Discard
the h erbs. Add e nough apple juice to bring the total liquid to 4 cups (1 L). Pour parsley/apple liquid into a Maslin pan or canning kettle. Add vinegar
and lemon juice. Increase hea t and bring to a boil over m edium heat,
stirring constantly. 4. A dd sugar, 1 cup (250 mL) at a time, stirring to dissolve  after each
addition. Bring to a full rolling boil. Add pectin and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Skim of f and discard any foam. If using chile pepper, let
jelly sit for up to 30 minutes before adding chile to the jelly. 5. F ill hot jars, leaving a 1/4-inch (5 mm) headspace. Run a thin non-
metallic utensil around the insid e of the jar to allow air to escape. Add more
hot jelly, if necessary, to leave a  1/4-inch (5 mm) headspace. W ipe rims, top
with flat lids an d screw on met al rings. Return jars to the hot water bath,
topping up with hot water if necessary. Bring to a full rolling boil and
process jars for 10 minutes (see page xx). 6. Remo ve cann er lid and wait 5 minutes before removing jars t o a towel or
rack to cool com pletely. Check seals, label and store in a cool place for up
to 1 year. s u m m e r  h e r b  b r o w n  m a y o n n a i s e
I make up lots of this tangy puré e and use it to r eplace r eal mayonnaise, as
a spr ead  for grilled fish, to toss with rice or to mix with an chovies for
crackers. It’ s one of those condi ments that will pr ove to be very versatile in
the kitchen. It makes a gr eat picnic spr ead. Rimmed baking sheet, lightly oiled
Pr eheat oven to 450°F (230°C)
MAKES 3 CUPS (750 mL)
2 onions, quarter ed
1 leek, trimmed, washed and coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, halved
3/4 cup (175 mL) olive oil, divided
3 tbsp (45 mL) chopped fr esh basil
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fr esh parsley
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 cup (50 mL) balsamic vinegar

1. O n pr epared b aking sheet, arrange onions, leek and garlic in single layer. Drizzle with 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the olive oil. Roast in preheated oven,
stirring frequently, for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned and tender. 2. T rans fer vege tables to a sma ll bowl. Stir in remaining oliv e oil, basil,
parsley and salt. Cover and let  stand overnight or for at least 4 hours to
blend flavours.3. In a food processor, purée vegetable mixture, adding vinegar in a slow
stream t hrough the opening in t he lid. Process until smooth. T r ansfer to an
airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. T o Use as a Dressing: Whisk together 3 tbsp (45 mL) Summer Herb
Brown Mayonnaise with 1/2 cup (125 mL) orange juice. b a s i l  p e s t o
Pesto turns fr om a beautiful b right gr een to black very quic kly, almost
befor e you can get it spooned into the jar or fr eezer bag. For this r eason, I
have included a few tablespoons  of lemon juice to pr event oxidation, which
turns cu t herbs black. Personall y, I do not use the lemon juice in pesto for
my own use (it does change the taste slightly, although not in a bad way),
but I offer it her e as an option because it would be a shame for your family
to shy away fr om this fabulous ar omatic, nutmeg-flavour ed sauce just
because of its blackish colour. T he benefit of making your own pesto is that
you can use as much or as little oil as you like and, in turn, will get a fairly
dry or a wet pesto. My husband, who uses gobs of pesto on everything, even
br eakfast omelet tes, likes it smoo th and paste-like, but not oily. I pr ocess his
pesto longer than I do mine but use the same amount of oil for both. I like
my p esto on the dry side and wi th definite small bits of the ingr edients still
discernible (that’ s my pesto in the photograph, below). MAKES ABOUT 12 CUPS (3 L) 4 large cloves garlic
1/2 cup (125 mL) pine nuts or sunflower seeds 3 oz (90 g) hard Italian
cheese (Parmesan,
Parmigiano-Reggiano or pecorino), cut into
small cubes
3 cups


 not projecting blame, or
talking about another person, event, or idea in a complaining or
fault-finding manner. • Stop waiting for others to change. Ask yourself why others160 / Your Erroneous Zonesshould be different simply because you would like it better if they
were. Recognize that every person has a right to be whatever they
choose, even if you irritate yourself about it. • Come up with a blame list, wherein you detail everything about
yourself that you dislike. It can look something like this:
Who, What Is To Blame What I Dislike About Me and My Life
Sara Lee, metabolism, mother,
McDonalds, heredityI’m too fat……. Parents, grandparents, God, ge-
netics, homework, Con-EdI have poor eyesight……. Elementary teachers, sister, defi-
cient math genes, motherI’m lousy in mathematics…. Luck, all creeps at my school,
parents, I can’t wear makeupI have no boy/girl friends…. Genetics, God, mother I’m too tall……. The economy, Dow-Jones, di-
vorce, my children hate me, ill-
nessI’m unhappy……. Mother, genetics, luck, no early
nourishment, God, SatanMy breasts are too small……
Helena Rubenstein, heredity, girl
friend, the sunMy hair is the wrong color…. Presidents Ford, Nixon, Johnson,
etc., the Communists, humanityThe state of the world bugs me
The neighborhood, “Those kinds
of people,” zoning regulationsMy neighbors are bitchy……
The wind, the sun, the net is too
high/low, the distractions, my
cramps, my sore arm, leg, etc. My tennis outcome……. My metabolism, my period, my
doctor, the food, the heat, the
cold, the wind, the rain, the pol-
len, You Name It. I don’t feel well……. BREAKING THE BARRIER OF CONVENTION  / 161Now add up your total blame score and see if you are any different
now that you have fault and blame appropriately doled out to all
of the precise people and things that are responsible for your feelings. Isn’t that something. You are exactly the same. Whether you blame
or don’t, you stay as you are unless you do something constructive
to correct your dislikes. You can use this as an exercise in seeing the
futility of blaming. • Announce out loud that you just blamed and that you are
working on eliminating this behavior. By stating it as a goal, you’ll
be mindful of your proclivities in this direction. • Decide that any and all unhappiness that you choose will never
be the result of someone else, but rather that it will be the result of
you and your own behavior. Remind yourself constantly that any
externally caused unhappiness reinforces your own slavery, since
it assumes that you have no control over yourself or them, but they
have control over you. • When someone is blaming, politely ask them, “Would you like
to know if I want to hear what you are telling me right now. ” That
is, teach others not to use you as a blame receptacle and begin to
label other people’s blaming and fault-finding so that you get in
touch with recognizing it in yourself. You can label it with a nonof-
fensive treatment such as, “You just made George responsible for
how you feel. Do you really think it’s that way. Or, “You keep saying
that if only the market would go up, you’d be happier. You really
give it a lot of control over your life. ” Your recognition of others’
blames and shoulds will help you to eliminate such behavior in
yourself. • Refer back to the lists of shoulds discussed earlier in this chapter. Try to substitute some new and different behavior for these old
habits—perhaps a late night dinner, or changing your sexual posi-
tion, or wearing what you like. Begin to trust yourself and give less
credence to those external musts. • Remind yourself that what other people do is not what bothers
you, it’s your reaction to it. Instead of saying “They162 / Your Erroneous Zonesshouldn’t do that,” say, “I wonder why I bother myself with what
they are doing. ”
Some Final Thoughts on Should Behavior
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in Literary Ethics  in 1838,
Men grind and grind in the mill of a truism, and nothing comes
out but what was put in. But the moment they desert the tradi-
tion for a spontaneous thought, then poetry, wit, hope, virtue,
learning anecdote, all flock to their aid. What a beautiful thought. Stay with tradition and you ensure that
you’ll always be the same, but toss it aside, and the world is yours
to use as creatively as you choose. Become your own judge of your conduct and learn to rely on
yourself to make present-moment decisions. Cease leafing through
a lifetime of policies and traditions for an answer. Sing your own
song of happiness in any way that you choose, oblivious to how it
is supposed to be. BREAKING THE BARRIER OF CONVENTION  / 163VIII
THE JUSTICE TRAP
If the world were so organized that everything had to be fair, no living
creature could survive for a day. The birds would be forbidden to eat
worms, and everyone’s self-interest would have to be served. W e are conditioned to look for justice in life and when it doesn’t
appear, we tend to feel anger, anxiety or frustration. Actually, it
would be equally productive to search for the fountain of youth, or
some such myth. Justice does not exist. It never has, and it never
will. The world is simply not put together that way. Robins eat
worms. That’s not fair to the worms. Spiders eat flies. That’s not fair
to the flies. Cougars kill coyotes. Coyotes kill badgers. Badgers kill
mice. Mice kill bugs. Bugs…You have only to look at nature to
realize there is no justice in the world. Tornadoes, floods, tidal waves,
draughts are all unfair. It is a mythological concept, this justice
business. The world and the people in it go on being unfair every
day. You can choose to be happy or unhappy, but it has nothing to
do with the lack of justice you see around you. 164This is not a sour view of humanity and the world, but rather an
accurate report of what that world is like. Justice is simply a concept
that has almost no applicability, particularly as it pertains to your
own choices about fulfillment and happiness. But too many of us
tend to demand that fairness be an inherent part of our relations
with others. “It isn’t fair. ” “You have no right to do that if I can’t”
and “Would I do that to you. ” These are the sentences that we use. We seek justice and use the lack of it as a justification for unhappi-
ness. The demand for justice is not the neurotic behavior. It only
becomes an erroneous zone when you punish yourself with a negat-
ive emotion as you fail to see evidence of the justice that you so fu-
tilely demand. In this case the self-defeating behavior is not the de-
mand for justice, but the immobilization that may result from no-
justice-reality. Our culture promises justice. Politicians refer to it in all of their
campaign speeches. “We need equality and justice for all. ” Yet day
after day, nay, century after century, the lack of justice continues. Poverty, war, pestilence, crime, prostitution, dope and murders
persist generation after generation in public and private life. And if
the history of humanity can be used as a guide they will continue. Injustice is a constant, but you, in your infinite new wisdom, can
decide to fight that injustice and refuse to be seduced into being
emotionally immobilized over it. You can work at helping to eradic-
ate injustice, and you can decide that you won’t be psychologically
defeated by it. The legal system promises justice. “The people demand justice,”
and some of them even work to make it happen. But it generally
doesn’t. Those with money are not convicted. Judges and policemen
are often bought by the powerful. A President and Vice-President
of the United States are pardoned or wrist-slapped for obvious
felonies. The poor fill the jails, and have next to no chance of beating
the system. It’s not fair. But it’s true. Spiro Agnew becomes rich after
evading his income taxes. Richard Nixon is exonerated, and his yes-
men serve a fewTHE JUSTICE TRAP  / 165months in a minimum security prison, while the poor and members
of minority groups rot in jail waiting for trial, waiting for a chance. A visit to any local courthouse or police station will prove that the
influential have a separate set of rules, although this is relentlessly
denied by the authorities. Where is the justice. Nowhere. Your de-
ciding to fight it may be admirable indeed, but your choosing to be
upset by it is as neurotic as guilt, approval-seeking or any other of
the self-flagellating behavior that constitutes your erroneous zones. “It’s Not Fair. ” The Slogan of Ineffective Relationships
The demand for justice