 state in which you can live
without painfu l, tortured confusions, where you can function on a
level of inner resilience, contentment, and security, where you are
capable of deep feelings, of blissful pleasure and can express them,
where you are capable of meeting life without fear because you no
longer fear yourself. You will, therefore, nd life, even its problems,
a joyful challenge. If your inner problems can become a challenge
that gives spice to your life, the ensuing peace will be all the more
sweet. The tackling of these problems will give you a sense of your
own strength, resourcefulness, and creative ability. You will feel the
spiritual self owing through your veins, in your thoughts, in your
vision and your perceptions, so that decisions will be made from the
center of your being. When you live this way, occasional outer
problems are the salt of your life and become almost pleasurable.
But the times of outer problems will become less frequent, and
peaceful, joyous, creative living will become the norm.Learning to Endure the State of Bliss
Right now, the saddest part of your longing is that deep inside
you know how your own body and soul are not even capable of
accepting and sustaining intense pleasure at this time. Pleasure
exists on all levels: spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental.
However, spiritual pleasure, separated from the levels of everyday
functioning, is an illusion, because true spiritual bliss encompasses
the total personality. The personality must therefore learn to endure
a state of bliss.  This it cannot  do unless it learns to endure whatever
is locked inside the psyche now: pain, meanness, malice, hate,
suering, guilt, fear, terror. All these must be transcen ded. Then,
and then only, can the human personality function in a blissful
state. Your longing to experie nce more pleasure is a message for you
to embark on a road that aords you the possibility of being in bliss.
The state of existence I described need not be given up as
unrealistic or wishful thinking. It need not be given up because you
will earn it and make it your own by going through whatever in you
prevents you from experien cing it. This state already exists as a
dormant potential within you. It is not something that can be given
to you by others, or acquired through learning or eort.  It unfolds
organically as a byproduct of your going on a path such as I am
privileged to show you.
This brings us to the whole  question of what this path is. This
path is not new: It has existe d in many dierent forms for as long as
human beings  have lived on this earth. The forms and the ways
must change as humanity evolves, but the fundamental path
remains the same. The particular path—the “Pathwork”—in which I
guide you is anchored in ancient and perennial wisdom and yet it is
also new. It oers help for your psychological and spirit ual growth
at this present, critical stage in humanity’s evolution.
The Pathwork and PsychotherapyThe pathwork is not psychotherapy, although aspects of it must
necessarily deal with areas psychotherapy also deals with. In the
framework of the pathwork,  the psychological approach is only a
side issue, a way of getting through obstructions. It is essential to
deal with confusions, inner misconceptions, misunderstandings,
destructive attitudes, aliena ting defenses, negative emotions, and
paralyzed feelings, all of which psychotherapy also attem pts to do
and even posits as its ultimat e goal. In contrast, the pathwork enters
its most important phase only after this rst stage is over. The
second and most importan t phase consists of learning how to
activate the greater consciousness dwelling within every human
soul.
Often the second phase overlaps with the rst phase that is
concerned with overcoming the obstructions, because the second or
spiritual phase of the pathwork is essential for truly executing the
rst. The rst part of the work cannot truly be successful unless
contact with the spiritual self is regularly cultivated and used.
However, when and how this may be done varies greatly and is
dependent on the personality and on the predisposition, prejudices,
and blocks of the individual entering this path. The sooner you can
use, explore, and activate the inexhaustible fountain of strength and
inspiration within, the easier and faster will you deal with the
obstructions. It is thus quite clear in what way this path diers from
psychotherapy, although some of the emphases and, at times, even
the methods may be similar.
The Pathwork and Spiritual Practice
Nor is this path a spiritual practice that aims simply at reaching
higher spiritu al consciousness. There are many methods and
practices that attempt realiza tion of the spiritual self. Though using
valid methods to forcefully reach this goal, many spiritual
disciplines do not pay suci ent attention to those areas of the ego-
self that are steeped in negativity and destructiveness. Any success
thus achieved is always short-lived and illusory, even though someof the experie nces may be genuine enough. But a spiritual state
reached in such a one-sided way is not solid and cannot be
maintained unless the total personality is included. Since human
beings shy away from accep ting and dealing with certain parts of
themselves, they often seek refuge in paths that promise that one
can avoid facing these problematic inner areas. If you think of a
spiritual path as the practice of meditation for its own sake, or for
the sake of reaching blissful cosmic experiences and consciousness,
then this path is not your way.
The temptation to use spiritual practices to grab happiness and
fulllment, and to avoid already existing negativities, confusions,
and pain, is great. But this attitude defeats the purpose; it comes
from and leads to further illusions. One illusion is that anything that
exists in you can be avoided. Another illusion is the belief that what
is in you needs  to be feared and denied. No matter how destructive
it is, any inner aspect of you can be transformed. Only when you
avoid what is in you does your illusion truly become detrimental to
you and others.
Let me recapit ulate what I have said so far. This path is neither
psychotherapy, nor a spiritual path in the usual sense of the word:
and, at the same time, it is both. It will be helpful if you remember
the following points as you consider the possibility of embarking on
this journey.
How to Find Your Real Self
By doing the pathwork, you embark on a voyage leading you into
the new territory of your inner universe. Whether you have had
therapy—satisfactory and successful or not—or whethe r you are
deeply troubled and need help in order to live your life in a
fullling way, you will still weed for quite a while to pay attention
mainly to those areas within  yourself that are negative, destructive,
and in error. You may not like to do so, but if you truly wish to nd
your real self, that core of your being from which all good stems,
this focus is necessary.“How long will it take?” you may ask. That depends on your own
state of mind or feeling and your outer life manifestation. When
your inner negativities are overcome, this new state will express
itself in your life: There will be no doubt. Your path will organically
bring you into dierent emphases and concerns. The aim of this
path is not to cure you of an emotional or mental illness, although it
does this very well and it is bound to do so if you do the work. But
you should not alter this path for that purpose.
Do not enter this path if you expect that it will make you forget
your sadness and pain or let you gloss over those aspec ts of your
personality you like least or even dislike outright. Your dislike may
not be “neurotic.” You may be quite right to dislike these aspects,
but you are not right in believing yourself hopelessly bad because of
them. So this path must teach you to face whatever is in you, for
only when you do this can you truly love yourself. Only then can
you nd your essence and true Godself. If you wish to nd your
essence but refuse to face whatever is in you, this is not the path for
you.
It cannot be denied that to expand the consciousness of a limited
mind is a tremendously dicult task, for all human beings have
only the limited mind available to them when they start out. This
limited mind must transcend  itself in order to realize its unlimited
power and scope. Therefore this path constantly requires your mind
to bridge the gap of its own limitations by considering new
possibilities and by making room for other alternatives for the self,
for life, and for expressing the self in life.
Make no mistake: This is not an easy path. But the diculty is not
xed and immovable. It exists only to the degree the personality has
a state in avoiding aspects of the self. To the degree the
commitment is made to be in truth with the self, the diculty
vanishes. And what rst seem ed a diculty now begins to become a
challenge, an exciting journe y, a process that


ise the
practice of employing  harmful preventatives  (or  alleged  to be
preventatives)  against  acute infectious  disease. Dr. S. S. Goldwater,
New  York Commissioner  of Hospitals,  pointed  out in The Modern
Hospital  Magazine  that measures  used to check contagious  diseases
may  permit of longer  (?) life but not of stronger life. "Chronic diseases,
" he adds, "are  growing at such a rate that America  may  become a
nation  of invalids. More  than half  the hospitalbeds  in the United States
to‐day are occupied by sufferers from chronic mental and physical
diseases. Middle‐aged and elderly persons are not the only sufferers;  64
 many children are victims. " (See  Health Practitioners  Journal, June,
1944.)
One may ask, if sera  and  vaccines are liable eventually  to produce
heart‐disease and  other  chronic serious ailments, why then are they
boosted by the B.M.A.? For, first  of all, as Dr. Alfred Pulford, M.D., has
tersely  remarked:  " Any one who can prevent an occurrence  positively
that he does not know  is bound to occur is indeed a seventh day
wonder  "; and  secondly certain renowned  bigwigs in the Medical
Profession  have demonstrated  that the most  " deadly " germs are
harmless  in a healthy body.  We read that " Prof. Metchnikoff  said he
found the bacilli of Asiatic cholera in the waters of many to alities, but
no epidemic or plague or disease was ever known  to be at any of these
places before or after his findings…  Prof. Tentenkoffer  swallowed
several million germs of the deadly (?) Asiatic cholera… Nothing
happened.  To verify the test, Prof. Emmrich  made a culture from the
intestines  of newly  dead victims of the disease, and  swallowed  millions
of germs, with no noticeable  results! To test even more thoroughly,  and
in far more  frightful conditions,  Dr. Thomas Powell  allowed the germs
of seven deadly (?) diseases to be shot i nto his blood‐ stream‐and  was
as alive ten years later  as on that day,  and as healthy." (Extract from
Naturopath  and  Herald  of Health) Nevertheless  these  facts are not
made known  to the general public, nor do those who urge members  of
the community  to be immunized  against this  or that disease inform
them that  not all doctors are in favour of such measures,  being of the
opinion that vaccines and  serums may  later  on produce chronic
afflictions,  not the least of which  is heart disease.
 65
 CHAPTER  X.
FEVERS: MALARIA  AND OTHERS
Case of a mysterious  fever, which  occurs in Africa but is rare in England.

Patient, young lady of 17.  Mysteriously  stricken.  Very  weak.
Temperature  105. M.D.  called  in said if recovery took place at all, the
victim  would be ill for six months and  then would be nine months
convalescent.  Patient's father‐a believer in urine‐therapy‐sent for me.
At first  I found the victim  difficult to deal with, but she finally consented
to a urine‐fast  plus plain water. On the sixth day after she had  been
stricken, her temperature  was still 105, and  she was growing rapidly
emaciated,  her urine being thick, foul and  concentrated.  But twenty‐
four hours  after starting my treatment  the temperature  had dropped  to
101 and the urine was clearer. In three days the temperature  was down
to 97, and in five days to 95. Patient bright  and lively‐all was going well.
Doctor much puzzled. Fast was broken at the end of 18 days. The
patient's skin was as clear as that of a child. Within a few days of
breaking the fast  she was up and  doing and feeling perfectly  well.  She
continued  the use  of her own urine and  has thrived upon it. Some
sixteen years ago she married, and  had  three children in the first ten
years.
Malaria.
This in an infectious  disease characterised  by paroxysms  of intermittent
fever, each consisting  of a cold, a hot and  a perspiring  stage. Between
the paroxysms  the  victim  appears comparatively  well.  According  to 66
 Materia  Medica all forms of malaria  are due  to parasites living in the
blood. Mosquitoes  are infected by sucking human  blood  and  in turn
infect human beings by biting them.  The troublesome  and  distressing
feature  of malaria‐which  the allopaths treat (suppress)  with quinine‐is
that when once  contracted  it occurs again and  again, for under  the
usual orthodox treatment  it merely  goes into latency instead of being
totally eradicated.  Under  urine‐therapy,  however,  it is cured once  and
for all. So far I have  never had  a case which  did not clear up in 10 days
or less by dint  of fasting on urine and plain water.
Mr. Q. Athletic type. Very  temperate  and a small eater. Contracted
malaria out East. 'Had it for three  years. During the year before I saw
him in 1920 had suffered from thirty‐six attacks.  He dosed  himself
regularly with quinine. Finally cured himself  completely  with a urine‐
fast  lasting ten days. No more  quinine. Has never had  another  attack,
and  has kept in fine health by adhering to his temperate  habits and
freely  partaking  of the


 her ovaries.
2. In Teaching  your Man
   Once  a woman  masters these  techniq ues, she can  more easily
share  the information with her partner. The best  way would be for
him to carefull y read  the instructions  in the companion  volu me,
Taoist Secrets  Of Love: Cultivating Male S exual  Energy.  Short  of
that, a woman  should  know  that when teaching  a man, there  are
some essential  differe nces  that must be  considere d.
A. Testicle  Breathing
     Testicle Breathin g is performed  similarly to Ovarian  Breathing.
A man has a visible testimony  of his testicles  lifting  up with a
contraction  of the  pubococc ygeal muscle (PC Muscle ). Also,
temperatur e-wise, the ener gy for the man is cool  or cold  (reme mber
the ovarian  energ y during  Ovarian  Breathing  is wa rm). Therefor e,
it is not  necessary  to emphasize  bringing  dow n this energ y into the
navel- -the cool  energ y in his head  will not harm the brain.  He is
- 283  -Dual Cultivation
welcome, of  course,  to bring  the energy  down to the navel  and
circulate  it in the Micr ocosmic Orbit.
B. Big Draw for Men
    Having  a partn er who believes  that withholdin g ejaculation  is an
acceptable  idea  removes  one major obstacle.  The will to want to
try this method  is already  a step in the  right  direction,  and you will
soon  have  a partn er with whom to practice  and with whom to
escalate  the pleasure  of sexual contact.  Teaching  the Big Draw  to
a ma n is a  matter of  great  magnitude  since  men have  a hard  time
controlling  ejaculation.  First of  all, it w ill take  a lot  of solo  practice
before  he feels  com fortable  with his control  over  his ejaculation.
With you the additional  excitement ma kes it more difficult  to control.
The role  of coach  and trainer,  willing to guide  him throu gh the steps
of the  Big Dra w, will serve  you both  best.
    We have  received  varying repo rts from  women  students  who
have  helped  to cultivate  the practice  in their  partners.  One  described
her experience  as if she w ere at a sporting  event,  rooting  him on,
which made her feel involved  in his Big Draw  and gave  her
something  to do  as she w aited. Another  woma n felt neglected,
noting  that all the  emphasis  was on his Big Dra w. In her  workshop
training  it was emphasized  that the woma n had to be patient  for a
time in order  to help  him. Therefore,  attitude  play s a large  role in
your success.
C. Stopping Ejaculation
   The Brauers,  in their  book  ESO: Extended Sexual Orgasm, offer
several  techniqu es for dela ying ejaculation  and orgas m. One  simple
way is for  both  men and  women  to push  down, as though  having  a
bowel movement, and  feel the genitals  bulge.  Holding  the breat h
naturall y accompanies  this ma neuver.  It seem s to work very
temporarily  however: while you are actuall y bearin g down the sexual
sensations  do not  exist, then  when you inhale  and relax y ou are
almost back  where you started.  It is, though,  a chance  to switch
gears  to a different  kind  of stim ulation.
   Another  technique  to dela y ejaculation  described  in the  Brauers’
book  is called  the “scrotal  pull.”  Its effectiven ess is based  on the
fact that  ejaculation  will not occur  when the testicles  are low rathe r
than being  pressed  against  the body. You can both  learn  how to do
- 284  -Chapter  VIII
this. The Bauers  instruct  the man to “grasp  the scrotu m bet ween
your testicles  with the thumb and  forefin ger of your left hand.  When
you are near  orgasm, pull firmly down.” Another  way is to  “make a
ring with your left thumb and  forefin ger betw een your testicles and
body  and pull downward.”‘
   The com panion  book  for men, Taoist Secrets  of Love: Cultivating
Male Se xual Energy,  describes  other  helpful  techniques  to dela y
ejaculation  in m en. The “Cold  Water Skinny -Dip” is one  method:
that is, having  a bowl of cold w ater by the bed  for him  to stick his
penis  in if he  wishes to take  a breath er to get  more control  over
himself. Another  technique  is the “Centu ry Count,”  which is counting
to 100  very slowly.
   Sharing  the techniqu es of the practice  of Healing  Love  promotes
kindness,  underst anding, selflessness,  pleasur e and happin ess in
you and your partner  and is we ll worth the time spent  in learnin g.
Fig. 8.48 Vallrey  Orgasmic  Couple
- 285  -Interview
Chapter 9
         Inte rview:
Ovarian Kung Fu Pract itione r
The follow ing intervie w with a 43-year-old Ovarian  Kung  Fu
Practitioner  and movement teacher  was conducte d by a Taoist
teacher:  Michael  Winn.
    Question:  How long  have  you been  practicing  Ovarian  Kung  Fu?
    Answer:  For three  years.
    Question:  Did y ou find the techniq ues difficult  to learn?
    Answer:  I found  them eas y to learn,  especially  since  from the
very beginning  the benefits  were so im mediately  obvious.  I was
motivated  to practice,  but it did requir e a certain  amount of time to
completely  embody  them and  make the m a part of my  life.
    Question:  Did y ou learn  them  alone  or w ith a partne r?
    Answer:  Initiall y I practiced  alone  having  just ended  a relationshi p.
I immediatel y found  they empowered me with control  of my own
sexual  energy, and rediscovere d sexualit y as a  resource  for
cultivating  myself.
    Question:  What do you mean b y resource?
    Answer:  In the sense  that the Taoists  speak  of cultivating  one’s
nature,  refining  ener gy for personal  and spiritual  development,  with
sexual  energy  being  one raw material  from  which that refinement
is acco mplished.  I actuall y had the experie nce of being  able  to direct
my sexual  energ y within my body, and watch it transform my  body
and my em otions.
    Question:  Did y ou have  a sense  of sexual  energy  as a resourc e
before  you bega n Taoist practices?
    Answer:  No, not specifically  as a resourc e. I felt confused  after
growing up in this  Western culture  which perpet uates  a sense  of
separatio n of body  and spirit.  I am naturally  a very  sensuo us person
and totally  enjoy the ph ysical aspects  of sex. I al ways had a sense
of the  mystical  quality  or spiritual  communion possible  in a sexuall y
and emotionally  intimate relations hip. I longed  for inner  union  and
knew  I would need  to experie nce that union  within myself  before  I
would be able  to experience  it with a partner.  This longing  fueled
my spiritual  quest,  leading  me to meditation  and eventuall y to the
- 286  -Chapter IX
Taoist sexual  practices.
    Learni ng the Taoist sexual  practices  helped  grou nd my
meditations  in my  body  and in my  daily  relations hips.  I wa s attracte d
to them  because  of the value  placed  on harmonizing  heave n and
earth,  spirit  and body. Sexual  energ y beca me for  me a valuable
resource  as a  fuel for  my spiritual  journey. I discovered  I could
enjoy sex and  transform it into  spiritual  ener gy at the same ti me.
The pleasure  of sex  actually  beca me more intense  and exquisite.
Pleasur e became ecstas y and ecstasy  grew into


 life span, most men will develop
prostate cancer. Statistically, however, only 7 percent of prostatecancers will metastasize. In essence, this means that if a prostatecancer is left alone, most men would die with it and notfrom it.
Based on this information, watchful waiting appears to be
a feasible and logical approach when it comes to prostatecancer. This disease is diagnosed by sticking twelve to eighteenneedles into the prostate, which means some blood capillarieswill be pierced and disturbed. If there are cancer cells present,is it possible, then, that the biopsy procedure itself may causethe cancer to metastasize by allowing cancer cells to get intothe blood?
The traditional thinking in medicine is that testosterone is
the hormone that causes prostate cancer. Yet the men with thehighest levels of testosterone have the lowest incidence ofprostate cancer. And if it were true, why wouldn’t males haveprostate cancer at the age of 17, when the levels of testosteroneare at their highest?
The level of testosterone in men starts dropping when they
are in their 20s, becoming very low by the age of 50. Whilethis is happening, the level of estradiol is rising. Men in their50s and beyond almost always have higher levels of estrogenthan women have. And they are no longer producing proges-terone to protect them from all of this estrogen.111 ANDR OPAUSE—THE MALE MENOPAUSE  Keep in mind that estrogen is the only known cause of
uterine cancer (other than the drug Tamoxifen). Since theprostate is derived embryologically from the exact tissue thatthe uterus comes from, why wouldn’t estrogen also be causingprostate cancer? Logically, it would appear to be so. Yet, insome cases, estrogen is used to treat prostate cancer.
/Iswashn my view,
prostate cancer is probably a disease to be prevented,
rather than to be treated, by balancing a man’s hormones
and prescribing appropriate supplements.
Right now, testosterone is thought to cause cancer of the
prostate, so most of the attention in treating prostate cancer ison eliminating testosterone. Often the drug Lupron is admin-istered, and many times it appears to be beneficial. However,besides lowering testosterone levels, it also eliminates estradiol.Perhaps this is its main benefit. Interestingly, in Europe testos-terone is now being used to treat prostate cancer.
In my view, prostate cancer is probably a disease to be
prevented, rather than to be treated, by balancing a man’shormones and prescribing appropriate supplements. Here is alist of some of the supplements known to prevent and/or treatprostate cancer:
• Vitamin D3 – 5,000 I.U./day for prevention,
20,000 I.U./day for treatment
• Vitamin E – 800 I.U./day in the form of
mixed tocopherols
• Lycopene – 30 mg/day• Selenium – 200 mcg/day• Zinc – 25–50 mg/day112 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  • Indole-3-carbinol – 300 mg/day
• Beta-sitosterol – 300 mg/day
Note that Vitamin D3 is known to prevent 26 different cancers;
it also kills cancer cells. It is more likely a prohormone, asubstance that converts into a hormone, rather than a vitamin.Dosages of up to 50,000 I.U./day are probably safe.
For men whose lab tests show an elevated PSA (prostate
specific antigen) it is imperative to check the free PSA level aswell. A PSA level greater than 2.5 is now considered elevated(not 4.0, as previously thought). The free PSA test is animportant determinant of the possibility of cancer. However,keep in mind that the most common cause of an elevated PSAlevel is benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Another frequentcause is prostatitis (infectious or inflammatory).
A free PSA percentage greater than 20 percent suggests the
absence of cancer; a level less than 10 percent suggests itspresence. Levels from 11 to 20 percent are in the gray area.
When my patients show any elevation of PSA, I start them
on progesterone, prescribe the supplements just listed, andcontinue to track their PSA and free-PSA levels. This approachis my own. Please discuss any prostate concerns you have withyour own physician.113 ANDR OPAUSE—THE MALE MENOPAUSE  ADULT-ONSET DIABETES
AND LOUIS R.
chapter THIRTEEN
Louis R. is a successful and contented 60-year-old who has
struggled with weight all his life. When I took his family history,it became clear that his weight problem was genetic. Everyone inhis family—mother, father, aunts, uncles, grandparents—was “heavyset.”
When we talked about his goals, Louis emphasized that he
was bound and determined not to “let himself go” at age 60,the way many of his family members had done.
When his treatment is completed, Louis can be assured
he’ll be able to control his weight without dieting. He’ll also beable to manage his adult-onset diabetes without the use ofmedication. Here is his story:
I am a type II diabetic. My diabetes started in middle age, but
even before that I’d always experienced problems with my weight.At six different times in my life I’ve been 40 pounds over-weight,and I’ve dieted to lose those 40 pounds. Each time I was successfulin losing the weight, but over time those same 40 poundsreappeared. I have done Weight Watchers, I used Diet Center twice,and I’ve gone the Nutra System route and others. Each of these dietswas effective. The pounds just flew off but psychologically I was
115about four feet off of the ground at all times. Either that or I was
unbearably fatigued. My whole family is predisposed to beingheavy. My father was a little shorter than me and at one timeweighed about 240 pounds. My paternal grandmother was aboutsix feet tall and a very big woman who weighed about 230pounds. When my late sister was diagnosed with colon cancer, sheweighed 290 pounds. My maternal grandfather was large, as wasmy maternal grandmother.
So I’m from sturdy big stock and I’m never going to be one of
those men who weigh 165 pounds. I know that. Once I dieted myway down to 168 pounds but I looked horrible. People wereasking me what disease I had, I was so gaunt. T oday my goal ismore realistic. I want to reach 185 pounds and stay there for therest of my life. My other goal is to control my diabetes with dietand exercise.
When my mother turned 60, she told me she just wanted to
be a fat old lady. She just let everything go. When she died she was5’2” and weighed about 240 pounds. I turned 60 last year andI decided I did not want to be like my mother. I’m going in theopposite direction. I want to slim down and build some muscleand remain attractive.
I have to say up front that when I first visited Dr. Platt, I
walked into his office with an attitude of skepticism. Not becauseof all the diets I’d gone on, but because I have an insider’sknowledge of medical scams. For 20 years my career consisted ofmarketing and selling pharmaceutical products. I know whatpharmaceutical companies will stoop to in order to turn a profit.I lost my innocence about medicine long ago, and I’m always onthe lookout for someone trying to turn an easy buck.
But once I spoke to Dr. Platt I was relieved. From the way he
talked, I realized he wasn’t just promoting products. What he saidabout why people hang onto weight and why their bodies hate tolose fat made sense. There was none of the jargon and medical116 THE MIRACLE OF BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES  babble that tends to cluster around trendy medical scams.
Platt’s office staff have also been very supportive, and they
communicate a sense of being genuinely interested in everyone whocomes in there. The whole atmosphere is wonderful. They’re notpunitive when you don’t meet your goals as expected.
As far as the process of losing weight is concerned, it’s been
virtually painless. The diet itself is easy to follow. I’m a fruit freakand that’s been the most difficult thing to give up, but I realizethat I will be able to go back to fruit later in the process; it’s notsomething I have to give up for the rest of my life. Once I’ve lostthe weight I want to lose, the fruit will be re-introduced. In theshort term, trust me, if that’s all I have to give up, that’s fine.
There was a brief period when I was losing weight but not
feeling very energetic. I went in to see one of the nutritionalcounselors, who recommended a multi-mineral supplement. It wasmy thought, knowing just enough about medicine to be dangerous,that perhaps I should be taking potassium. I know diets can bepotassium-depleting. But the counselor said not only to do potas-sium but to take a multi-mineral as well. Sure enough, myenergy returned and I started feeling absolutely great. It made mewonder whether I’d been lacking in some mineral or other formany years.
During my very first interview with Dr. Platt it came out
that my sister died of colon cancer and that now one of her daugh-ters has colon cancer. Also, my mother


 or irregular heartbeat
Fatigue
ConstipationConfusion, restless thoughts
Common arthritis Intolerance to stress
Nonspecific aches and pains Intolerance to coldWeakened immunity
(susceptibility to colds,
pneumonia, and other
infections)
You’ll immedia tely notice the close match between these disorders of
imbalanced Vata and aging. As the “wind” of the body, Vata is cold, drying,
and piercing. When Vata is aggravated, it is as if a withering wind begins to
stir inside. Usually the first place to which aggravated Vata will travel is the
joints, initiating a range of joint problems beginning with minor aches and
pains (these cause trouble especially during winter, the season that is worst
for Vata disturbance) and ending with degenerative arthritis if the
aggravation persists.
Since every cell contains Vata dosha, the effects of aggravating it are not
confined to the joints. The whole body begins to shrivel and dry up; the
bowels become dry, tight, and constipated; racked with insomnia  and worry,
the person languishes, prey to ever-increasing aches and pains.  Millions of
prescriptions for painkillers, tranquilizers, and sleeping pills are written by
baffled doctors who cannot explain why elderly patients start exhibiting
such symptoms, since usually there is nothing organically wrong. In
medical terminology, organic  means that a physical organ shows signs of
disease or malfunction. Physicians tend to dismiss symptoms without
organic cause as psychosomatic or idiopathic (unexplainable).
Old people rarely suf fer from just one of the symptoms of V ata imbalance
and many suffer them on a broad scale. If multiple drugs are prescribed for
each symptom, new imbalances  begin to pile up, for the body cannot help
but react with imbalance to painkillers, diuretics, tranquilizers, sleeping
pills, beta blockers, and all the other medications commonly prescribed for
the elderly. Whether we like it or not, a symptom is something the body
wants to express—it is a message—and drugs suppress that expression.
How fast you age is intimately linked to the speed and intensity of Vata
aggravation. Some people are extremely prone to Vata imbalance, while
others are not. Some people may get aggravated Vata in their fingers,
leading to arthritis, while others  get it in their intestines, leading to chronic
constipation.What can cause Vata imbalance? Ayurveda follows the principle of
complementarity—“like speaks to like.” What this means is that any quality
Vata dosha possesses will be stimulated by the same quality outside your
body. These qualities are as follows.
QUALITIES OF V ATA DOSHA
Dry
Cold
Changeable
Rough
Moving
Light
Subtle
Quick
Leads other doshas
Anything in your environment that contains the above traits will increase
Vata. For example:
Dry weather; dry foods (crackers, cereals, potato chips, etc.)
Cold weather; cold food and drink
Changeable: sudden life changes; death in family; loss of job; mood
swings; sudden change of season; etc.
Rough-textured materials next to the skin; rough words or behavior
Moving: travel; falling down; physical exercise or labor; exposure to
drafts or wind
Light foods that have a high air content, particularly raw fruits and
vegetables
Subtle changes of mood, a subtle draft
Quick: any activity, physical or mental, requiring speed; being made
to rush
Let me illustrate  how these qualities (called gunas  in Sanskrit) interact. If
my kidneys detect a fluid shortage in my bloodstream, they secrete aspecific chemical messenger—angiotensin 2—which gets carried to the
hypothalamus in the brain and is converted into a mental event: I feel
thirsty. This feeling then prompts me to act by getting a glass of water.
In Ayurvedic terms, what has happened is a steady flow of one impulse
of intelligence—V ata—as it registers the needs of 50 trillion cells
simultaneously. Vata has the quality of being dry, and it increases under any
kind of dry condition. Dry crackers, dry desert heat, dry cold from air-
conditioning, and even dry wit all serve to increase Vata. Dryness make us
thirsty because our bodies detect this increased Vata, and the signal will
persist until something wet, such as a drink of water, brings the opposite
quality into play and V ata falls back into line.
Vata is the easiest dosha to push out of balance, but also the easiest to
bring back. Since Prana Vata, the most important aspect of this dosha,
regulates the nervous system,  it shifts with the slightest thought or
sensation. By doing the thing s that are needed to keep Prana Vata in
balance, we have a complete system for conserving Prana and defeating the
aging process at an extremely subtle level. This means we must pay some
attention to Vata every day, whic h is in fact quite a natural and easy thing to
do. Vata can be “pacified”—i.e., kept in balance—through various lifestyle
measures.
PACIFYING V ATA
To keep  Vata dosha in balance, you need to keep the following  qualities in
mind:
Regular: regular habits; mealtimes; bedtime; work
schedule
Warm: warm, well-cooked food; sunshine;
avoidance of cold food and drink
Nourishing: rich, nourishing, even heavy foods in cold
weather; nurturing emotions
Relaxing: taking time for adequate rest; avoidance of
stressful situations, overexcitement, and
overexertionStable: stable relationships and work; stable home
life
Calming: quiet, orderly work environment; gentle
massage (particularly good is warm oil
massage using sesame oil)
Steady: steady supply of food and water to body; not
skipping meals or going on an empty
stomach
A dosha  is pacified by qualities it lacks. Because Vata tends to make
people erratic, irregular, and inconsistent, it is helpful to coun ter with the
oposite—steadiness and regularity. Small matters such as not skipping
meals and going to bed on time pay large dividends in pacifying Vata.
Prolonged expo sure to stress creates serious Vata imbalance, so special
attention has to be paid to giving yourself a quiet, orderly work
environment. Cheerful conditions at work greatly relieve the Vata tendency
to uncertainty and insecurity.
When you are under the influ ence of Vata, you will naturally seek
warmth; keeping  warm in winte r and sunbathing at other times  of the year
soothes this dosha. Your diet should emphasize well-cooked, nourishing
foods; Ayurveda considers even heavy, oily food to be good for Vata (which
is why long-cooked stews and soups seem so appealing in winter). A voiding
cold salads, iced drinks, alcohol, and dry or uncooked food in cold weather
will also correct the body’ s tendency to develop aggravated Vata at those
times. In general, stimulants of any kind, including coffee, tobacco, and
alcohol, create V ata imbalance.
When out of balance, Vata leads to light, interrupted sleep; this is best
countered by going to bed early and avoiding late-night reading and
television. The body also wants some periods of calmness, relaxation, and
peace during each day. Meditation is ideal, since exposing the nervous
system to deep silence allows it to harmonize all the synchronized bodily
rhythms that Vata regulates. Peaceful, loving family life is an ideal many
people feel has slipped away in recent decades, but from the viewpoint of
Vata dosha, it is vital.Vata has a special affinity with warm oils; daily massage with warm
sesame oil on the feet, head, and lower abdomen is one of the best measures
for relieving deep stresses in the nervous system. The oil should be applied
gently and slowly before the morning bath and again before bedtime.
Special attentio n to balancing Vata should be paid whenever you are
recuperating from illness or under emotional stress; suffering from jet leg;
displaying depression, chronic fatigue, and exhaustion; or have been
physically wounded—all of these conditions cause severe V ata disturbance.
If you detect chronic symptoms of Vata imbalance,  the follo wing specific
measures should help:
• Include sweet, sour, and salty tastes in your meals; these are
balancing for Vata. This dosha  calls for more sour and salty foods
than does any other.
• Avoid bitter, astringent, and pungent (spicy) tastes. Astringent is
counted as a taste in Ayurveda; it is found in dry-tasting foods that
pucker the mouth (beans, lentils, pomegranates, tea).
• If you feel uncomfortable living in a dry, cold, windy climate,
consider moving  to a warm one, which is more conducive to Vata
balance. Everyone who lives in a cold climate would do well,
according to Ayurveda, to make sure that their home and workplace
has warm, humidified air. Avoid drafts and prolonged outdoor
exercise in winter. Warm, heart y food eaten at regular interval s is a
good anti-V ata measure in cold climates.
• If possible, eat all meals sittin


fulasaremedytohelpestablishagood
NBSEEALSOPAGES203-26FORGENERALADVICE,DOSANDDON'TS.
162•Veratrumalbum(Ver-a.) INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA
supplyofmilkintheearlydaysoffeedingwherethis
seemsslow,andthereisnoobviouscause.Givewhere
therearenoobviousgeneraloremotionalmental
symptomsthatwouldguideyoutoanotherremedy.It
canalsohelpwherethereisanover-abundance ofmilk
andthemotherdoesnotwanttoexpressandstorebut
wisheshersupplytobegearedmoretothedemand.
Burns
SymptomsBurnsminor.Pains:burning;stinging.
Usefulineverydayminorscaldsandburns,especially
wherethereareburning,stingingpainsafterwards.
Foodpoisoning
Causesrottenshellfish.
Hives
SymptomsRash:biting;burning;itching;stinging.
WithJOINTPAIN.
Betterforrubbing.
Worseatnight;forheat;forexercise.
Causesstingingnettles;insects.
Thisrashwillappearasred,raisedblotches. Itmay
accompanyarheumaticflare-up,oritmaybeare-
actiontoeatingshellfish.Thereisaconstantdesireto
rubtheskin.
Pricklyheat
SymptomsWithsymptomsofhives(seeabove).
Feelsasthoughstungbystingingnettles.
VERATRUMALBUM(Ver-a.)
Familyname:Liliaceae
Commonnames:white-flowered Veratrum;white
hellebore;Europeanhellebore
Veratrumalbumisahardyperennialplantfoundin
moist,grassyspotsinmountainouspartsofEurope,
thoughnotintheBritishIsles.Itgrowsuptofivefeet
high,hashairybranchesandproduceslargegreenish-
whiteflowerheadsfromJunetoAugust.
Itisoneoftheoldestknownpoisons,apparently
usedbytheGaulsandothersonarrowsanddaggersin
theirfightagainsttheRomans.Thepoisoningscause
terriblesufferingtoallanimals:thewholegastrictract
becomesirritated,causingviolentvomiting,painful
(oftenbloody)diarrhoea,abdominal,gnpingpains,
burningsensationsinthemouth,throat,stomachand
bowels,smallpulse,faintness,coldsweats,trem-
bling,dizziness,dilatedpupils,andfinallylossofvoice,lossofsight,convulsions,unconsciousnessand
death.
Ithasoccasionallybeenadministeredexternallyfor
stubborncasesofscabiesorlicebutthispracticeis
fraughtwithdangerandrarelyused.Ithasbeenused
traditionallyfromHippocrates'timeasacurefor
cholera;morerecentlyhomeopathshaveprescribed it
successfullyforcertaintypesofcholera,especiallythe
thirdstagewherethereisterrible,continualvomiting,
anunquenchable thirstandcollapse.
Thehomeopathicpreparation ismadefromtheroot
whichiscollectedinJune,powderedcoarselyand
lefttostandinalcoholbeforebeingstrainedand
succussed.
GENERALSYMPTOMS
Breathcold.Collapseafterdian-hoea.Expression:
anxious.Faceblue;pale.Likes:colddrinks;fruit-
ice-cream;refreshingthings;sourfoods.Saliva
increased.Sweat:cold;clammy;profuse;sour.
Thirstyforlargequantities.Tonguecold.
Worseaftereatingfruit.
Veratrumalbumisindicatedforthetypeofexhaustion
withfaintnessthatmayaccompanyanacuteillness,
usuallya'tummybug',forexamplegastro-enteritis,
dysentery,foodpoisoning.Acuteillnessesthatcanbe
helpedbyVeratrumalbumwillbeaccompaniedbya
generalcoldness-ofthebreath,thetongueandthe
skin(whichiscoldtotouch.)Icv-coldsweatisanother
INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA Zincummetallicum(Zinc.)•163
generalsymptom,andthesetypesfeelworsewhile
sweating.Therewillalsobeanincreaseofsalivainthe
mouthandaferociousthirstforlargequantitiesofcold
oricv-colddrinks.Thesemaybevomitedimmediately
ingastrictroubles.Eatingfruitcausesageneral
worsening.
EMOTIONAL/MENTALSYMPTOMS
Broody.Forgetful.Tearful.Uncommunicative.
Veratrumalbumtypesmayappearverydistressed,and
restless(theyhavetobeupanddoingsomething),and
maybepronetoweepingandwailingandincessant
talking.Alternatively,theymaybetotallywithdrawn,
silentandinactive.thesweatingwillbeworse(duringandafterpassing
stools),andthepatientwillfeelgenerallyworsewhile
sweating.
Vomiting
SymptomsBei.i.y/stomach feelscold.Pains:cramp-
ing/griping.Vomit:ofbile;ofmucus;sour,watery;
yellow.Vomitingviolent.Withdiarrhoea(see
above);dizziness;hiccupingaftervomiting.
Worseaftereating;afterdrinking.
ThisoftenaccompaniesVeratrumalbumdiarrhoeaand
isoneofthemostsevereformsofdiarrhoeaand
vomiting.Thepersonmayvomitandpassdiarrhoea
simultaneously.
PHYSICALCOMPLAINTS
Cough
SymptomsCough:deep;hollow.
Breathingisdifficultandmaybelouderthanusual.
Thereisafeelingoftightnessinthechest,andthe
coughisaccompaniedbythecharacteristicVeratrum
coldsweat.
Diarrhoea
SymptomsDiarrhoea:exhausting;involuntary;
violent.Pains:burning;cutting;dull/aching.
Stools:copious;frequent;green;watery.Withicy-
coldhandsandfeet;sweating(seeGeneralSymp-
toms)duringandafterpassingastool;vomiting(see
below).
Worseafterdrinking;duringamenstrualperiod;for
movement.
Causesfruit;gettingchilled.
Thisdiarrhoeamaybeaccompaniedbyaravenous
appetite,withafeelingofemptinesswhichisnot
relievedbyeating.Thepersonhastroublepassing
wind,andwhenisabletodosomaypassaninvolun-
tarystool.Stoolsshootout,andthepersonhastopass
themfrequently.Handsandfeetareicycold.
Exhaustion
SymptomsExhaustion:paralytic;sudden.Withcold
extremities.
Worseafterpassingastool.
Causesdiarrhoea.
Fever
SymptomsWithsweating(seeGeneralSymptoms).
Worseforsweating.
Theskinispaleandicycoldtotouch,eitheroverthe
wholebodyorinspotsorpatches.IfthereisdiarrhoeaZincummetallicum (Zinc.)
Othername:zinc
Zincisasoft,blue-whitemetalofmoderatehardness.
Itdoesn'trustandisthereforeusedto'galvanise'
metalsorprotectthemfromcorrosion,aswellasto
makealloyssuchasbrass(zincpluscopper).Ithas
manyuses,forexampleindrybatteries,radios,zips,
carparts,electricalfuses,roofingandguttering,cable
wrappingsandorganpipes.
Zincasatraceelementisessentialforbothplants
andanimalsandisfoundinmostfoods.Zincde-
ficiencyinhumanscauseslossofappetiteandsenseof
taste,andslowhealing.Zincointmentstopromote
healinghavelongbeenknowninmedicine. Itismildly
astringentandprotectivetotheskinandisusedin
dustingpowdersandlotionssuchascalamine,where
itiscombinedwithiron.
Thehomeopathicpreparation ismadebyheating
purezincandthengrinding ittoafinepowder.Itis
thentrituratedanddilutedbysuccussion.
GENERALSYMPTOMS
Facepale.Whitespotsonfingernails.Twitchy.
Trembling.
Worseaftereating;duringtheevening;atnight;for
Zincactswellinpeopleofanyagewhoareweary
andrundownfromstressandoverwork.Theymay
tremble,twitchandjerk.Theirsymptomstendtobe
worseatnight,fromdrinkingwineandaftereating,
althoughtheymayfeelbetterwhileactuallyeating.
LikeSulphurtypestheyhaveanemptyfeelinginthe
stomacharound11a.m.
Thoughthereisageneraltwitchinesswiththese
164•Zincummetallicum(Zinc.) INTERNALMATERIAMEDICA
types,akeynotesymptomisrestless,twitchylegs;
Zincumtypeswillfeelexhaustedbutfidgety,andthey


p. 69) to soothe inflammation, astringe,
and protect the inner lining of the stomach,
and reduce excess acid production. In
addition, herbal practitioners also address
poor dietary habits, bad posture, and stress—which are all conditions that
may have undermined the body’s healing ability. Problems such as these
are reversed with herbs to relieve stress, a diet rich in non-acidic
vegetables and fruits, and exercise.
Popular Herbs
In European herbal medicine, native herbs are still highly popular. Alpine
plants such as arnica ( Arnica montana, p. 172) and pulsatilla ( Anemone
pulsatilla, p. 168) are much used in Swiss, German, Italian, and French herbal
medicine, while comfrey ( Symphytum officinale, p. 138) is particularly well
liked in Britain. There has also been a surge in demand for exotic herbs. The
Chinese ginkgo tree ( Ginkgo biloba, p. 100), which improves circulation of
blood to the head and helps the memory, is now cultivated in vast plantations
in France, and has been a bestselling medicine in Germany for over 20 years.
European Traditions & the Future
Sales of over-the-counter herbal medicines in Europe have continued to
increase over the last two decades, though the reasons for this growth
vary widely.
 It is possibly a reaction to the over-reliance on drug treatment in
conventional medicine. Sound advice on a healthy diet and lifestyle,
including food herbs, such as turmeric ( Curcuma longa, p. 90), might well
prove more beneficial than conventionally prescribed drugs in helping
an aging population to stay healthy for longer.
 Nevertheless, in several European countries herbal medicines are
routinely prescribed, offering doctors a choice of gentle-acting
treatments for chronic and more minor health problems. In Germany and
Poland, herbal medicines can be frontline treatments for digestive disorders
and chronic problems such as arthritis. This approach leaves conventional
drug treatments available for more acute or serious conditions.
 In contrast, a barely reported trend is that more and more people are
growing medicinal plants. There seems to be a desire to rediscover the
magic of cultivating and harvesting plants, and involving them (as food and
medicine) in one’s daily life.Hawthorn (Crataegus
oxyacantha, p. 87)
has a marked tonic
effect on the heart.
Cowslip (Primula
veris, p. 256) is a
sedative plant that
helps calm what
herbalist John Gerard
called “the frensies.”
Thyme (Thymus
vulgaris, p. 143) is a
good antiseptic and
tonic herb. It is
particularly effective
as a treatment for
chest infections.
Common foxglove
(Digitalis purpurea,
p. 202) is the
source of digitalis,
a widely used
cardiac stimulant.
Heartsease (Viola
tricolor, p. 282)
gained its name
from its former
use in love potions.
It is an effective
expectorant, treating
coughs and colds.
Lavender (Lavandula
officinalis, p. 108)
yields an essential oil
that is a good first-aid
remedy for insect
bites and sunburn.Dried hawthorn
flowers and berriesDried feverfew
John Gerard’s 1597 Herball is one of the
classic texts on healing plants.
US_032-035_Europe.indd   35 26/02/16   4:42 pm
36The developmenT  of herbal medicine
36Myrtle (Myrtus
communis, p. 239) is cultivated for its oil, which is used for bronchitis.
Castor oil plant
(Ricinus communis,  p. 262) is prescribed in India for nervous disorders.
Garlic (Allium sativum, p. 59) is  a key herb in Ayurvedic medicine, highly regarded for  its detoxifying properties. The name Ayurveda derives from two Indian words: ayur meaning
longevity, and veda meaning knowledge or science. Ayurveda is as much a way of life as a system of medicine, and encompasses science, religion, and philosophy. Its ultimate aim, drawing on its many different practices—yoga and meditation, for example—is to promote self-realization and a harmonious relationship with the world.
Early Origins
Ancient Indian culture developed around 5,000 years ago along the banks of the Indus river in northern India. This is thought of as a time of great spiritual enlightenment, with knowledge and wisdom being transmitted orally from teacher to student over many generations, and eventually set down in Sanskrit poetry known as the Vedas. These writings, dating from approximately 1500 bce, distilled the prevailing historical, religious, philosophical, and medical knowledge, and form the basis of Indian culture. The most important of these texts are the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda. In about 400 bce, the first Ayurvedic medical school was founded by Punarvasu Atreya. He and his pupils recorded medical knowledge in treatises that would in turn influence Charaka, the scholar who is thought to have written the Charaka Samhita. This compendium of writings, in the form that it has come down to us, dates from around 100 ce and describes 341 plant medicines as well as medicines of animal and mineral origin. The second major work was the Susruta Samhita, dating from around the same time; it displays detailed knowledge of surgery, especially plastic surgery, and is still consulted today.
The Influence of Ayurveda
Other traditions of medicine share common roots with Ayurveda, and
Ayurveda has some claim to being the oldest surviving medical tradition
in the world. From the time of  the Buddha (563–483 bce) onward, Ayurvedic medical ideas and practices spread across Asia, accompanying the spread of Buddhism itself. Buddhism, and Ayurvedic approaches to medicine, strongly influenced the development of Tibetan medicine, and these ideas in turn combined fruitfully with traditional Chinese medicine.Ancient civilizations of East and India and the
Middle East
In India and the neighboring regions, a variety of herbal traditions
continue to flourish. Ayurveda is the main system of healing in India, but Unani Tibb, traditional Arabic medicine, and Siddha, practised in T amil areas of southern India and  Sri Lanka, are also major herbal traditions.
Cloves (Eugenia
caryophyllata, p. 97) help infections ranging from scabies to cholera.
Storax (Liquidambar
orientalis, p. 229)
is an important ingredient in Western cough mixtures.
Licorice
(Glycyrrhiza glabra, p. 101) grows wild in India. It is  an indispensable medicinal herb.Garlic pearls
Garlic capsules
Garlic cloves
Powdered garlic
Dried licorice root
Powdered
licorice root
Fresh licorice
Cloves have been used medicinally for thousands of
years in India. The flower buds are dried in the open air.
US_036-039_India.indd   36 26/02/16   4:42 pm37Ind Ia and the m Iddle east
Nutmeg
Fresh holy basilNutmeg & mace
(Myristica fragrans,
p. 115) are different
parts of the same
tree. In India, nutmeg
paste is applied to
eczema, and mace is a
warming herb for
stomach infections.
Holy basil (Ocimum
tenuifolium, p. 116) is
often planted in
temple courtyards
in India. It is used in
Ayurvedic medicine
to protect the heart,
and recent research
shows that it lowers
blood pressure.
Balloon vine
(Cardiospermum
spp., p. 183) is used
in Indian herbal
medicine to bring on
delayed menstruation.
Turmeric (Curcuma
longa, p. 90) is a
traditional Ayurvedic
remedy for jaundice.Mace
Holy basil seedsWest were linked to one another
by trade routes, campaigns, and
wars. In each case, this led to the
exchange of ideas, medicinal
plants, and medical practices,
including fertile connections
between Ayurveda, Siddha, and
traditional Chinese medicine
to the east, and ancient Greek
and Roman medicine to the west.
Later, from around 700 ce,
traditional Greek medicine, based
on Hippocratic ideas, developed
in the Arabic world as classical
Greek texts were translated
into Arabic. This tradition,
known as Unani Tibb
(meaning “Ionian medicine,”
referring to the island of Iona
where Hippocrates lived),
at one time spanned from India to Spain, and is still the main form of
herbal medicine practiced by hakims in the Middle East.
The Five Elements
Ayurveda is a unique holistic system, based on the interaction of body,
mind, and spirit. In Ayurveda, the origin of all aspects of existence is pure
intellect or consciousness. Energy and matter are one. Energy is
manifested in five elements—ether, air, fire,


 many parts of
Central and South America, Lippia is valued for
its ability to resolve common illnesses, such as stomach upset, nausea, gas and bloating, coughs, colds, sore throat, and headache. Its Colombian name, Prontoalivio (meaning “quick relief”) points  to its place in popular Latin American medicine.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Lippia has
pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, relaxant, and
antispasmodic properties, making it useful in many non-severe health problems. In Brazil, where it is regulated as a medicinal herb, the herb is typically used for upper digestive problems, coughs, colds, and bronchitis, as well as for high blood pressure and as a sedative. The herb has been little researched, though a small clinical trial
in Brazil found it effective in treating migraine headache. The essential oil is increasingly used
in pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations,
for example, within Europe, and has significant  antifungal and antibacterial activity on the skin.
Related Species  The sweet tasting L. dulcis has
broadly similar medicinal use and is found across Central America and the Caribbean. See also Lemon Verbena (Lippia citriodora, following entry).
RootLippia alba (Verbenaceae)
Lippia,
Bushy Lippia, Prontoalivio
Description  Multi-branched, square-stemmed,
aromatic shrub growing to 5 ft (1.5 m), with
opposite leaves and small white or pink flowers close to the leaf axils.
Habitat & Cultivation  Lippia grows
throughout South and Central America from northern Argentina to the southern U.S. It
is a common garden herb, and may be grown
from seed or cuttings, the latter being used for commercial cultivation. Lippia citriodora syn. aloysia
triphylla (Verbenaceae)
Lemon Verbena
Description  Deciduous shrub growing to 61⁄2 ft
(2 m). Has strongly scented lance-shaped leaves and
clusters of tubular, pale green to mauve flowers.
Habitat & Cultivation  Lemon verbena
is native to South America. It is cultivated in temperate climates as an aromatic, ornamental plant and for its leaves, which are used to make herbal tea. The leaves are gathered in late summer.
Parts Used  Leaves.
Constituents  Lemon verbena contains a volatile
oil (mainly consisting of citral, cineole, limonene, and geraniole), mucilage, tannins, and flavonoids.
History & Folklore  Lemon verbena was
introduced to Europe in 1784. In Spain, France, and elsewhere in Europe, the infusion is a popular drink.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  An undervalued
medicinal herb, lemon verbena shares qualities with lemon balm (Melissa officinalis, p. 113). Both herbs contain a strong lemon-scented volatile oil that has calming and digestive properties. Lemon verbena has a gentle sedative action and a reputation for
US_224-245_Jasmine_Harmala.indd   228 26/02/16   12:47 pm229 other medicinal plantsLonicera spp.
soothing abdominal discomfort. Its tonic effect on
the nervous system is less pronounced than that
of lemon balm, but it nonetheless helps to lift the
spirits and counter depression.
Related Species  Y erba dulce ( L. dulcis ), native
to Mexico, is used therapeutically as a demulcent
and expectorant remedy. In Mexico, many other
Lippia  species are used for their antispasmodic,
period-inducing, and stomach-soothing properties.
L. adoensis  is drunk as a tea in West Africa. See also
lippia ( Lippia alba, preceding entry ).
Self-help Use  Gas & bloating, p. 306.
Liquidambar orientalis
(Hamamelidaceae)
Levant Storax
Description  Deciduous tree growing to 20 ft
(6 m). Has purplish-gray bark, lobed leaves, and
small single yellow-white flowers.
Habitat & Cultivation  Levant storax is
found in southwestern Turkey. Storax balsam,
a viscid gray-brown liquid, is extracted from the
bark, which is pried off the tree in autumn.
Part Used  Bark extract.Mixed with witch hazel ( Hamamelis virginiana,
p. 102) and rosewater ( Rosa species ), levant storax
makes an astringent face lotion. In China, storax
balsam is used to clear mucus congestion and to
relieve pain and constriction in the chest.
Related Species  American storax ( L. styraciflua ),
which grows mainly in Honduras but is also found
farther north, has been used since the time of the
Maya for its healing properties.
Lobaria pulmonaria
(stictaceae)
Tree Lungwort
Description  Gray or light green lichen with
forked irregular lobes measuring up to 5⁄8 in
(1.5 cm) across.
Habitat & Cultivation  Found throughout
Europe, tree lungwort grows on trees and rocks
in woodland areas. It is gathered year round.
Part Used  Lichen.
Constituents  Tree lungwort contains a variety
of plant acids (including stictic and sticinic acid),
fatty acids, mucilage, and tannins.
History & Folklore  Tree lungwort has been
used since ancient times as a remedy for lung
problems. The Italian physician and herbalist
Pierandrea Matteoli (1501–77) recommended it for
healing pulmonary ulcers and for treating blood-
flecked phlegm. It was also used to treat wounds,
heal ulcers, reduce excessive menstrual bleeding,
relieve dysentery, and halt “choleric vomiting.”
Medicinal Actions & Uses  A beneficial but
underused remedy, tree lungwort has expectorant
and tonic properties. It aids in clearing congested
mucus, reduces phlegm, and helps to increase the
appetite. In a decoction sweetened with honey, it
is appropriate for all conditions that are marked by
chronic respiratory infections, especially coughs
and bronchitis. The plant also treats asthma,
pleurisy, and emphysema. Being astringent and
demulcent, tree lungwort makes a useful
treatment for pulmonary ulcers as well as for a
variety of gastrointestinal problems. It is highly
suitable for treating ailments in children.Parts Used  Root.
Constituents  Lomatium contains flavonoids,
coumarins, tetronic acids, and volatile oil.
History & Folklore  One of the most
important medicinal plants of the Pacific
Northwest, lomatium was “big medicine” for
Native Americans and widely used for respiratory
infections such as coughs, colds, and flu. In Nevada,
lomatium root was combined with yarrow ( Achillea
millefolium, p. 56) to treat sexually transmitted
diseases. In Oregon, a decoction of the root was
applied to horses to rid them of ticks. During the
1917 influenza epidemic an American doctor,
Ernest Krebbs, successfully used lomatium in his
own practice, after noting the effective use of
the herb by Native Americans.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Lomatium is
today used mostly by botanical practitioners in
North America to treat a broad range of viral
infections, from chronic fatigue syndrome to
influenza and herpes infections. A good tonic
herb, it promotes peripheral blood flow and
stimulates immune function. It is usually
combined with other herbs such as echinacea
(Echinacea spp., p. 92) or wild indigo root
(Baptisia tinctoria, p. 176).
Research  The tetronic acids have been shown to
be markedly antimicrobial and toxic to fish (Native
Americans used to place the fresh root in streams
or pools in order to stun fish). Preliminary studies
in Canada and the U.S. suggest that lomatium has
significant antiviral activity.
Cautions  A red measles-like rash, which
clears on stopping treatment, may develop
when taking lomatium. Like other members of
the carrot family, lomatium can increase sensitivity
to sunlight.
Levant storax  is used to relieve congestive chest problems.
Constituents  Levant storax contains cinnamic
acid, cinnamyl cinnamate, phenylpropyl cinnamate,
triterpene acids, and a volatile oil.
History & Folklore  Levant storax has been
the Liquidambar  species most commonly used
medicinally since the 19th century. Levant storax
is also employed as a fixative for perfumes.
Medicinal Actions & Uses  Levant storax
balsam acts as both an irritant and an expectorant
within the respiratory tract, and it is one of the
ingredients of Friar’s Balsam, an expectorant
mixture that is inhaled to stimulate a productive
cough. In addition, levant storax balsam is applied
externally to encourage the healing of skin


 oil-soluble nutrients. Also rubbing the skin with fresh raw fats containing lipase is good, use raw butter or avocado.
Scar tissue:  To remove, frequently rub with camphorated oil, Lugol's  solution, DMSO  or MSM solution, and vitamin E. In addition,
scars can be treated with neural therapy. An anaesthetic (Xylocain) is injected into scar tissues that are thought to induce electrical
interference ﬁelds in other areas of the body. Sometimes a health problem of long standing disappears instantly after an injection.
Alternatively, you can prick the scar with a ﬁne needle to release the tissue tension in the area. Prick long scars in several places and
leave a needle inserted for ten to 20 minutes about 2 mm deep at each end of the scar. Before and after any needling, apply a
suitable antiseptic to the skin, such as tea tree oil.
Skin cancer:  The main cause of skin cancers is Candida, often combined with antioxidant deﬁciency. Therefore, penetrating
fungicides can be effective, such as Lugol’ s solution, gum turpentine, and patches of turmeric paste or sodium bicarbonate. You may
also apply the milky juice from the stem of radiation weed, radium-weed, or milkweed (spurge, euphorbia, petty spurge). Repeat as
required; a strong skin reaction may result, followed by healing. Try this also for warts, moles, blemishes, and so on. For serious
conditions, including melanoma and tumours close to the skin, escharot ic creams based on zinc chloride and the herb bloodroot are
available. Also try remedies mentioned for warts and moles.
Skin rejuvenation:  Rub the skin with some of the following ingredients: aloe  vera, fresh green juice, acidophilus ferment, or
energized water. You may add sodium ascorbate, magnesium chloride, MSM or whatever else you like. Lanolin easily penetrates the
skin to keep it moist and soft. Mix it with coconut oil, a small amount of glycerine and add some oil-soluble nutrients. At other times,
you can make a facial mask with fresh residue from juicing vegetables or grass or try a carbon dioxide face mask,
see Hypercoagulation  or Google. Also helpful are alternating hot and cold showers or skin brushing.
Ulcers and skin infections:  Wash the area with warm diluted magnesium chloride or an Epsom salt solution and apply suitable
antimicrobial remedies. In addition try fresh cabbage-leaf or fresh green-vegetable pulp or juice. Aloe  vera  gel is excellent for sealing
a wound, alternatively cover with unheated honey, add a few drops of hydrogen peroxide, and renew twice daily. When there is dead,
proud ﬂesh (granulation) and gangrene, apply protein-digesting enzymes (bromelain, papain), e.g. the inside skin of green papaya
fruit, also white sap or juice of raw papaw leaves.
Warts and moles:  To remove, gently rub on cod-liver oil or castor oil mornings and evenings. For stronger action, apply baking soda
moistened with castor oil to the consistency of putty; leave overnight; repeat until it becomes sore. Then apply vitamin E oil, green
juice, or honey for several days before continuing with castor oil. Be careful and gentle with moles. If a mole appears to turn
malignant, cover with raw, crushed garlic, changing two or three times per day. When it becomes sore after several days, cover with
honey instead for ﬁve days; alterna te between garlic and honey period s as long as required. Alternatively keep applying 50-70%
DMSO or Lugol's solution or concentrated solution of ascorbate and MSM.
Basically, moles indicate that the systems of elimination are not function ing well. A protruding mole may also be removed by tying a
hair tightly around it, then every two or three days adding another hair tying it a fraction tighter. Active moles can also be removed
with an escharotics cream but this will cause a strong and painful inﬂammation for several days.
Wet eczema:  This is best kept dry, either exposed to air and sunshine or covered with slippery elm powder. For healing, after
infections have cleared, apply vitamin E, fresh green juice or fresh leaves, especially cabbage.
Thyroid Problems
 For an indication of your thyroid function, take your temperature before getting up in the morning. Measure it under the tongue for
three consecutive mornings. For women before menopause, measure in the ﬁrst half of the cycle before ovulation in the ﬁrst week
after the start of a new period. The temperature should be 36.5ş C or higher; otherwise, the thyroid is likely to be underactive.
However, be sure that you do not have a raised temperature due to an infection.
If the thyroid is underactive, try the following measures: Take a supplement of the amino acid tyrosine, 500 mg three times daily
before meals. Best take it together with a kelp or seaweed tablet as a source of iodine. Also helpful are freeze-dried thyroid and
vitamin B complex. Selenium is needed to activate the thyroid hormone. The most helpful remedy for normalizing thyroid functions
is Maca, a Peruvian tuberous root, similar to Wild Yam but more ef fective. For sources, check the Internet.
Other useful measures are pressing the thyroid foot reﬂexes, using a magnetic pulser on the thyroid gland, and sanitizing the teeth.
The main causes of thyroid problem s, except for iodine deﬁciency, are Candida and pyroluria, dead teeth (e.g. root-canalled teeth),
jawbone infections, and mercury from amalgam ﬁllings; these can also cause overactive or toxic thyroid conditions and need to be
corrected. For autoimmune disease of the thyroid, see also Managing the Immune System. For more details see  Iodine.
Vaccination Damage
Despite the refusal of the conven tional health establishment to investigate the long-term effects of childhood vaccinations,
independent research reports have increasingly been made public. These link vaccination rates to the epidemic of childhood asthma,10/30/24, 4:15 PM Health-Science-Spirit - Summary of Speciﬁc Health problems
https://health-science-spirit.com/Diseases/Speciﬁc-Health-Problems.html 14/15as well as to crib death, shaken baby syndrome, hyperactivity, attention deﬁcit disorder, autism, and juvenile diabetes. Since the
1990’ s, there has been a tenfold or 1000 percent increase in autism, an increase which has been linked by some researchers to the
organic mercury preservative commonly found in baby-vaccines.
A greatly increased incidence of juvenile diabetes has been correlated to speciﬁc vaccination sequences and to the number of
vaccines given. In some Australian Aboriginal communities, every second child died shortly after vaccination until high doses of
vitamin C were given before vaccination. Vitamin C deﬁciency following vaccination can cause bleeding in the brain or "shaken baby
syndrome". Also, the original explosive spread of AIDS across Africa correlates with a smallpox vaccination campaign there. Basically,
most components of most vaccines are highly toxic, and these are introduced by an unbiological  route directly into the bloodstream of
babies, whose immune systems are immature.
While the dangers of vaccinations are greatly understated by most health authorities, the advertised beneﬁts are greatly exaggerated.
For instance, incidence of the four leading childhood killer diseases - diphtheria, pertussis, scarlet fever, and measles - had already
declined 90 to 97 percent before the introduction of vaccines, due to improved sanitation and hygiene.
If you cannot avoid vaccinations for your child, then give high doses of protective nutrients for several days before and several weeks
after the event, in particular vitamin C and MSM, to aid in rapid detoxiﬁcation. The most common cause of vaccine-related death or
injury is severe vitamin C deﬁciency (scurvy) causing brain haemorrhage, just like “Shaken Baby Syndrome ”. Vaccinations, like
infections, use up large amounts of vitamin C.
Wounds and Burns
DIET : Have a diet high in easily digestible proteins (such as a protein drink), fresh green-vegetable juices, chicken broth, foods high in
arginine (such as almonds and sunﬂower seeds, best as seed cheese), and lentils.
SUPPLEMENTS: Beneﬁcial are high doses of vitamins C, A, B1, D3 and E, bioﬂavonoids, manganese, MSM, zinc, glucosamine,
protein-digesting enzymes, and comfrey root. Try homeopathic Arnica and/or Bach Rescue Remedy, internally and topically; also
burdock, chamomile, comfrey, echinacea, and yarrow, as teas and topically.
ADDITIONAL  THERAPIES: Cool burns with ice or soak immediately for 30 minutes in cold water. If disinfection is required
try Lugol’ s solution or hydrogen peroxide. Spray wounds and burns with a one-percent ascorbic acid solution; alternatively, apply
weak tannic acid. Also useful is spraying on a solution of ascorbate and MSM, and frequently applying 50-70% DMSO. For protection


 who hold this same dark sadness within them. When people are
happy, they congregate and so share that energy. When we are in  great pain, we cut
ourselves off and the feeling of being isolated in the darkness and left out of life is so
prevalent. Knowing I am not alone is so helpful to me, and maybe it will be helpful to
someone else.”  Leah’s experience is not unusual. Her e -mail was just another in a fifteen -year string of
evidence that demonstrated to me that self -isolation is just what we do when we feel the
loss of something important to us through the changing of circumstances or conditions.
We shrink back into ourselves whe n the ground beneath us starts shifting. I’ve done it,
haven’t you? I don’t do it anymore, but I have done it. That’s why I recognize it so fast. Even
people in committed relationships, even people in marriages or long -standing business
partnerships, often  turn quiet, reclusive, self -isolating (and sometimes, self -loathing).
So right now I’m hoping that you’ll do everything in your power to make sure that you
don’t go through this critical time of your life by yourself. Reading this book is a good start.
A great start, actually. But it’s only the beginning.
So let’s explore....
CHANGE #1:
Change your decision to “go it alone”
This is a simple change, but it requires something from us that many people —I’m going
to say, most people —are not used to, and not always comfortable with. It requires
transparency.
The reason that so many of us tend to self -isolate when we are facing big problems —and
by the way, have you noticed that almost every really big problem you’ve ever faced
emerged from something that change d?—is that we have never given ourselves permission
to be seen as less than perfect, or as someone who does not have it all together.
We’ve also been taught as children that we should not “burden others” with our
problems. And finally, we’ve been told that  most everything is our own fault anyway, so
why would we go to someone else with it? It was made very clear: we made our bed and
now we have to lie in it.
None of the above teachings have any value at all. The people who raised us were wrong
about all of that. Every single bit of it.
The need to be “perfect” and to “have it all together” is a manifestation of a larger need:
the need for approval.
Most of us learned as children that to get the approval of our parents and other elders
around us, we needed to  be good little boys and girls. Some of us were told about a person
named Santa Claus who is “making a list, checking it twice, going to find out who’s naughty
and nice.” And some of us were told about a God who loves us and watches over us... but
will also judge us for everything we do “wrong” and will condemn us to everlasting
damnation if that list is too long, or contains particular items.
So, we’ve poured love and fear into the same bowl and mixed them together pretty well.
Our fear of losing love i s what causes us to love ourselves with the same conditions with
which others love us. It is easy, then, to be self -condeming and self -loathing. We’ve gotten
so good at it that we’ll do the work for others even when they have no intention of doing it.
This  work of self -condemnation, self -recrimination, and self -disapproval must be done
in private, of course, lest others disapprove of us for this. So we hide our emotions, and
sometimes our very selves, from others when we are facing difficulties and problems. The irony of this is that these are precisely the times when those who love us want to be
there for us. Wouldn’t you want to be there for someone you love who is hurting? Of course
you would. It is, in fact, your first impulse.
What we have to do is trus t that it is the same with others. People want  to help us. They
do not feel “burdened” by doing so. Quite the opposite. They feel uplifted.
Knowing that we’ve helped others brings us value, skyrockets our feelings of self -worth.
Life suddenly begins to mak e sense. Or at least to give us, in that moment, a sense of higher
purpose.
When you think about it, every occupation is nothing more than a way of helping others
have something they want. Singers, dancers, painters, police officers, doctors, teachers,
plumbers, actors, firefighters, stripteasers, priests, baseball players, photographers, flight
attendants, waitresses, chairmen of the board... everybody  is just doing something that
helps someone else get something they want!
That’s all we’re doing here. We’re not doing anything else. We’re all just running around
trying to help somebody. Knowing this should make it easier to accept  help —from a
professional or from a loved one —when our own need is particularly acute. Why would we
make it more difficult for  someone to help us when help is exactly what we need, and
exactly what others want to give?
So much for “don’t burden others.”
Okay? You got it? So much for don’t burden others....
So I’m going to invite you to make a commitment right now to reach out to another and
share with that person how you’re feeling about the changes that are occurring in your life.
Tell them you’re reading this book if you want to. You might even invite them to read it
along with you.
I don’t care whom you connect with, but con nect with somebody. Connect with a relative.
Connect with a friend. Connect with a professional counselor. Connect with a rabbi or an
ulama or a priest or a minister. Connect with a member of the Changing Change Network.
Connect with somebody. Because when  you connect with somebody else, you connect with
yourself.
I just said something very important there, and I don’t want you to just skip over it. So
please, let me say that again.
I said...
... when you connect with somebody else, you connect with yo urself.
Talking with another person, communicating with a mind outside of your own  mind,
puts you in touch with the part of your Self that is bigger than your mind, larger than your
thoughts. That’s because the act of connecting with another pulls you out of your ongoing
internal dialogue and into an external one.
In an external dialogue, another person can bring you fresh energy, provide a different
perspective. They can come to the subject with a clear head, free of the self -judgment
through which you are looking at everything. They see you as you really are, proving the
irony t hat sometimes you have to get out of yourself to get into yourself. Sometimes you
have to stop looking at yourself to see yourself.  To Love yourself, start here:
take your own hand —put it to your lips
then
lay the soft of your cheek, to the round of your s houlder
where
the faint musk
of the enduring dreams and the labors of your life
perfume you.
It’s a start.
It’s a beginning.
Now the ache of your heart
has a surface.
—‘To Love Yourself’  © 2006 Em Claire  3.
ONCE UPON A TIME...
IN ADDITION TO SEEKING  dialogue with others, it is also very good to “go deep within” and re -
companion with your own soul. This is not the same as what you might have been doing
lately. This is an engagement with the soul, not with the mind.
What often happens when people are sudde nly faced with really life -impacting change is
that they disconnect  from their soul by burrowing deep inside their story. Your story does
not live in your soul, only in your mind.
Now, you would think that going deep within would produce ultimate clarity —and you
would be right. In fact, my favorite axiom is: If you don’t go within, you go without. Yet
“going within” and “burrowing deep inside one’s story” are two different things.
A story is a tale you tell yourself about yourself. It starts off, “Once upon  a time...,” and
it tells about everything that has happened to you, how and why. It is your internal
narrative, a summary of the conclusions you have come to about yourself —conclusions
that are rarely based on the truth about you and almost always inc lude your harshest
judgments about yourself.
Burrowing deep within that  mess rarely produces clarity. In fact, I will say that it never
does, because your story is not real. It exists only within your mind. It may seem very real
to you, but it is not reali ty.
“Going within,” on the other hand, is the taking of a journey in which the Self leaves  the
mind and travels to the soul —where one’s Personal Story does not exist. This allows you to
come from a totally different space as you look at what is happening t o you. You go


 is a return of solid objects
and clock time. They were held in waiting, so to speak, by
consciousness, even during the eight hours a day that the thinking
mind was out of commission.
If th e d irect pa th aims to tak e us beyond the illusion we accept
as r eal, it must deliver the experience of being timeless. In its
fullest state, the timeless experience is simple, natural, and
effortless—it is  the sense of self, which quietly lies insid e every
other experience. We are only partially there. The exercise in this
chapter, which  allows you to experience your body in awareness,
thaws o ut one aspect of the  illusion. The present discussion of
being t imeless thaws out another aspect. In both cases, as
physicality and  clock time sta rt to lose their grip, you realize that
there is another way to live: being metahuman.
When you start being metahuman, you exist at the timeless
source of the self. It’s a huge step to know that the timeless is with
us, bey ond any belief in birth and death, age and decay. Things
appear and disappear in our dreams when we’re sleeping. Yet we
don’t m ourn them, because we know that dreams are an illusion.
What matters isn’t the things  that appear and disappear, o nly that
you don’t mistake the dream for reality.
Discovering that the same is true about our waking dream sets
us f ree from t he fear of death. Metahuman is about mo re than
this. Liberated  from illusion, we can be free of all fear. In the end,
waking up leads to absolut e freedom. We don’t just l ead our
everyday lives. We navigate the field of infinite possibilities.I11

R E C O V E R I N G  T H E
W H O L E  M I N D
magine that you’ve gone to a cabin in the woods that sits by a
small lake. The sun wakes you up very early, and when you walk
down to  the lake in the pale light of dawn, it is perfectly still. The
surface is mirror-like and undisturbed. You have the urge to pick
up a pebble and toss it into the lake. The pebble lands with a plop,
ripples spread  out across the water, and, as the ring of ripples
widens, they fade away until nothing remains but the still surface
of the lake. It h as returned to what it was before you came along to
disturb it.
In this modes t experience is reflected the whole story of the
human mind. All that’s needed is to see the scene in reverse, like
running a film backward. The surface of the lake is perfectly still.
A faint ring of ripples distur bs the water, at first in a way that’s
barely d iscernible. The ripple s grow bigger and the ring starts to
shrink. All at once a pebble pops out of the water and f lies into
your hand.
This is how the human mind looks from the perspective of
metareality. Th ere is pure c onsciousness, still and undisturbed.
Faint activity begins to stir, s o faint that you have to be quiet andvery alert to notice it. But this activity—call it a vibr ation in
consciousness—becomes mo re urgent until something fully
formed pops into existence: a sensation, image, feeling, or
thought.
In d aily life a myriad of mental events pop into existence, and
they are so con stant and compelling we never experience  the still
surface of the lake, which is pure consciousness. The direct path
aims to recover this experien ce, because a still, undisturbed state
of a wareness is whole mind. Whole mind contains the infinite
potential that is unique to Homo sapiens. A s with so ma ny things
in meta reality, whole mind is already here and now. You  have to
have a lake before you can throw a pebble into it, and you have to
have a lake for the pebble to pop out of it, too. Both p rocesses
occur in the co smos as every subatomic particle emerges from the
quantum vacuum and fades back into it. Likewise, your thoughts
arise from silence, poise in midair only as long as it takes to be
noticed, and then fade back where they came from.
If w hole mind is already here and now, why do we ne ed to
recover it? The answer offered in this book is that metareality lies
beyond the illusions of virtual reality, which bamboozles us by
seeming to be real. Whole m ind is indisputably real, as th e direct
path aims to prove. But I feel that something more is needed. If
mental activity were exactly like pebbles popping out of a lake,
each thought would naturally die away, and the mind  would
effortlessly ret urn to its und isturbed state. In other words, there
would be no i nterruptions, no clinging or blurring or storms to
whip the lake up.
Unfortunately, our minds are not smoothly connected to pure
consciousness. Our minds are a confused, chaotic jumble, vividly
described in some Eastern traditions as a monkey. Every thought
joins the storm of other thoughts without returning to a still,
undisturbed st ate. To be hu man is to ride the storm. Once you
learned as a small child to speak and put thoughts into words,
your mind was off and running. Fueled by the agenda of the ego,
“I” started the endless task of accepting A and rejecting B. Even
two- or three-year-olds want  what they want: toys to call “mine,”
attention from  their mother, their favorite foods, stories th ey want
to h ear over and over again. Rejection is a vital part of the ego’sagenda as well. A two- or three-year-old throws some toys on the
floor, re jects hugs and kisses, refuses to eat certain foods, and so
on.
There is a fam ous cartoon by Carl Rose and E. B. W hite
showing a mother and child at the dinner table. The caption goes:
M OTHER:  “It’s broccoli, dear.”
D AUGHTER:  “I say it’s spinach and I say the hell with it.”
If kids spoke in adult voices, that’s exactly how they’d talk!
From the perspective of metahuman, none of the ego’s agenda
is a necessity. Why go to the  trouble of constructing a se lf when
you already are  the self? The o nly real necessity is to be here now
and allow life to unfold.
But bec ause our thoughts don’t fade away into pure, quiet
calmness, an obstacle arises. Thoughts interfere with our ability to
be here now. Every thought generates a new thought, every
sensation a new sensation. This endless mental activity is so
distracting that we cannot see our source or touch it or sense its
presence. Getting rid of mental interference has become hard
work. T he years spent in Zen  Buddhist monasteries or sitting in
lotus pose in a Himalayan cave are images in popular culture that
represent just how arduous it  is to quiet the mind. The dir ect path
cuts thr ough th e hard work i n a simple way, as illustrate d in the
following exercise.
E x e r c i s e :  E y e s  O p e n,  N o  T h o u g h t s
This exercise is reserved for  the moment you wake up in the
morning. When you open your eyes and before you get out of bed,
your mind begins its day. You are preset to jump in to your
customary rou tine. You start to think about what you have to do
that da y, and very soon you have rebooted your persona l story—
your mind is tr ained to run automatically, like a computer whosesoftware is ready for instructions the minute the machine is
turned on.
Yet ther e is a s mall interval before your story reboots. For a few
seconds you are awake but not yet engaged with the world. At this
moment there is no interven ing thought to block pure aw areness.
You can expand these few s econds into a conscious experience.
Here’s how.
Go to bed wit h the intention that you are going to tak e the
following steps the instant you wake up the next morning:
Step 1:  When you first are aware of waking up, open your
eyes.
Step 2:  Stare at the ceiling without focusing on anything in
particular.
Step 3:  Try to keep your eyes open. Focus on this and
nothing else.
What t his exercise does is to set a trap for undisturbed
awareness. Each step is important in the sequence. As yo u go to
bed the night before, you set an intention; this puts the exercise at
the top of your  mental agenda in the morning. Opening y our eyes
and staring at the ceiling d istracts you from starting to think.
Focusing your attention on keeping your eyes open is the real
secret, howeve r. Your brain wakes up in the morning in  waves,
alternating sleep and wakefulness. As these waves increase, there
is st eadily more wakefulness  than sleepiness, and thus you


erval	training,	which	is	a
short,	intense	workout	for	a	few	minutes	that	requires	recovery	time.
6
	These
types	of	exercise	may	compact	the	time	for	working	out	due	to	their	more
vigorous	nature,	but	they	may	feel	too	depleting	for	some,	so	listen	to	your	body
and	stick	to	the	type	of	movement	that	feels	good	to	you.	If	you	always	dread
something,	you	likely	won’t	stick	with	it	long-term.
Every	component	of	the	Radical	Beauty	lifestyle	is	tied	together.	Earlier	we
talked	about	grounding	(see
this	page
)	and	the	profound	benefits	of	making
contact	with	nature.	Even	if	you	aren’t	literally	grounding	by	walking	barefoot
while	you	walk,	jog,	or	hike,	you’ll	reap	a	lot	of	the	same	benefits	from	being
around	trees,	including	fresh,	oxygen-rich	air	and	the	inexplicable	joy	of
connecting	with	nature.	We	are	part	of	nature,	and	it	inherently	feels	wonderful
for	us	to	reconnect	with	the	bigger	whole	of	which	we	are	part.
Sitting	and	Lack	of
Movement	Diminish	Your
Beauty
Failing	to	move	your	body	has	an	extremely	adverse	effect	on	your	overall
beauty.	But	even	if	you	regularly	engage	in	intense	exercise,	you	might	still	be
accruing
body	fat	and	harmful	health	effects	from	sitting	for	long	periods
during	the	day.	In	other	words,	an	hour	of	exercise	does	not	necessarily	balance
the	negative	effects	of	a	nonstop	hour	of	sitting.
7
	If	you	want	to	feel	and	look
your	most	beautiful,	it’s	critical	to	break	up	your	periods	of	sitting	during	the
day.
If	you	take	a	moment	to	tally	the	amount	of	time	you	spend	in	your	car,	at
your	desk,	and	perhaps	in	front	of	a	television	set,	you	might	be	shocked	to	seehow	much	it	all	adds	up.	Dr.
James	Levine,	director	of	the
Mayo	Clinic–
Arizona	State	University	Obesity	Solutions	Initiative,	promotes	the	phrase
“Sitting	is	the	new	smoking.”
8
	Studying	the	adverse	effects	of	the	increasingly
sedentary	Western	lifestyle	for	years	has	led	Levine	and	others	to	believe	that
sitting	and	being	inactive	for	long	periods	is	extremely	dangerous	to	your
health.	For	example,	researchers	have	found	evidence	that	prolonged	sitting
affects	the	blood	sugar	levels	and	insulin	in	the	body,	and	that	sitting	too	much
can	actually	increase	the	risk	of	developing	several	serious	illnesses,	such	as
heart	disease,	type	2	diabetes,	and	colon	and	endometrial
cancer.
9
	An	article
published	in
Diabetologia
	examined	the	results	of	eighteen	studies	with	nearly
800,000	participants	and	determined	that	those	who	sat	the	most	were	twice	as
likely	to	develop	type	2	diabetes	compared	with	those	who	sat	the	least.
10
Sitting	too	much	can	also	keep	you	from	feeling	beautifully	joyful.	If	you	sit
for	longer	periods,	your	circulation	can	be	reduced,	and	it	may	be	harder	for
your	“feel-good”	brain	chemicals	(neurotransmitters,	endorphins,	and
endocannabinoids)
to	make	their	way	to	receptors.
11
	A	study	published	in	the
American	Journal	of	Preventive	Medicine
	that	looked	at	over	9,000	middle-aged
women	found	that	women	who	sat	more	than	7	hours	a	day	were	47	percent
more	likely	to	suffer	from	depression	than	those	who	sat	4	hours	or	fewer.
12
Our	natural	state	is	to	be	dynamic	and	moving,	and	if	we	don’t	live	in
alignment	with	our	authentic	nature,	we	simply	won’t	feel	as	genuinely	happy.
The	negative	impact	of	sitting	nearly	all	day	is	a	relatively	new	problem.	Our
ancestors	spent	most	of	their	days	upright	and	moving,	first	while	seeking	out
and	gathering	their	own	food,	and	in	later	generations	while	working	in	the
fields,	building	structures,	and	getting	around	by	foot	or	horseback.	Technology
and	modern	farming	have	put	us	in	a	position	where	we	hardly	need	to	move	at
all	in	order	to	get	everything	done.	This	may	be	a	luxury	in	some	ways,	but	as	a
result,	we	as	a	society	move	around	on	average	90	percent	less	than	our
ancestors	did	just	one	hundred	years	ago.
13
WALKING	FOR
DIGESTION
A	central	belief	in
Ayurveda	is	that	energy	has	to	stay	in	motion	within	us	and	in	our
lives	in	order	to	continually	nourish	us	and	create	harmony.	On	the	opposite	end	of
the	spectrum	is	stagnation,	which	leads	to
ama
,	or	toxicity	buildup.	It	is	a	highly
recommended	practice	in	Ayurveda	to	go	for	a	15-minute	walk	after	dinner.	This
practice	is	believed	to	help	promote	digestion,	as	well	as	the	assimilation	and
circulation	of	nutrients	all	around	your	body.
This	easy	practice	of	walking	after	dinner	could	be	coupled	with	gazing	upon	the
sunset,	particularly	in	the	summer,	or	doing	some	errands	like	taking	out	the	trash,
dropping	off	dry	cleaning,	or	picking	up	pet	food.	Strolling	around	the	neighborhoodcan	be	a	great	bonding	experience	to	share	with	your	family	or	roommates	as	you
do	something	great	for	your	health	and	promote	your	Radical	Beauty.	Try	it	for
yourself.
Movement	shouldn’t	be	an	all-or-nothing	proposition.	Just	because	you	can’t
get	to	the	gym	doesn’t	mean	you	have	to	sit	and	be	completely	inactive,
forgoing	all	movement	for	the	whole	day.	Remember,	it’s	all	about	balance.
Research	has	shown	that	whether	or	not	you	exercise	regularly,	taking	breaks
from	long	periods	of	sitting	can	stave	off	some	of	the	negative	effects	of
inactivity	such	as	high	cholesterol,	triglycerides,	and	inflammation.
14
	Even	very
short	breaks	can	be	beneficial.
15
	Whether	or	not	you	set	aside	time	each	day	to
exercise,	incorporating	micro	movements	and	mini	routines	into	your	daily	life
can	be	great	for	your	health.
A	study	from
The
Journal	of	Physiology
	tested	levels	of	an	enzyme	that	breaks
down	fat	in	three	groups	of	mice:	mice	that	lay	down	for	most	of	the	day,	stood
for	most	of	the	day,	or	exercised.
16
	Not	surprisingly,	the	enzyme	activity	in	the
lying	mice	was	very	low,	while	the	levels	rose	more	than	ten	times	when	the
mice	simply	stood.	However,	a	surprising	finding	was	that	exercise	had	no
additional	effects	on	the	enzyme	levels	in	the	mice’s	legs.	The	researchers
surmised	that	even	if	you	don’t	exercise	rigorously,	simply	spending	much	of
the	day	standing	over	sitting	would	lead	to	big	benefits.
SUPPORT	FOR	THE	STANDING	DESK
Since	many	of	us	have	jobs	that	require	us	to	sit	for	several	hours,	an	option	that	is
growing	in	popularity	is	the	standing	desk.	A	standing	desk	is	built	specifically	for
you	to	work	at	while	standing	up.	Many	of	them	convert	into	seated	desks	so	you
can	alternate