 the medical establishment speak for itself.
Reinhard Kurth, director of the Robert Koch Institute (one of the pillars of mainstream
AIDS research), conceded in Der Spiegel (9 September, 2004): "We don't exactly know
how HN causes disease."39 In the 1996 documentary AIDS-The Doubt, by French
journalist Djamel Tahi (broad casted on German Arte Television), Montag nier admitted
to the same, saying, "there is no scientific proof that HN causes AIDS."40 And 12 years
before, in 1984, Montagnier emphasized that, "The only way to prove that HN causes
AIDS is to show this on an animal model." But there is still no such model.41 42
The California Monthly, the UC Berkeley alumni magazine, confronted Nobel
laureate Kary Mullis in an interview using a statement from another Nobelist, David
Baltimore. "[Dear Mr. Mullis,] you mentioned Baltimore a moment ago. In a recent
issue of Nature,43 he said: 'There is no question at all that HN is the cause of AIDS.
Anyone who gets up publicly and says the opposite is encouraging people to risk
their lives."'
Whereupon Mullis replied: ''I'm not a lifeguard, I'm a scientist. And I get up and
say exactly what I think. I'm not going to change the facts around because I believe
in something and feel like manipulating somebody's behavior by stretching what I
really know. I think it's always the right thing and the safe thing for a scientist to
speak one's mind from the facts. If you can't figure out why you believe something,
then you'd better make it clear that you're speaking as a religious person.
People keep asking me, 'You mean you don't believe that HN causes AIDS?' And I
say, 'Whether I believe it or not is irrelevant! I have no scientific evidence for it!' I
might believe in God, and He could have told me in a dream that HN causes AIDS. But
I wouldn't stand up in front of scientists and say, 'I believe HN causes AIDS because
God told me.' I'd say, 'I have papers here in hand and experiments that have been done
that can be demonstrated to others.' It's not what somebody believes, it's experimental
proof that counts. And those guys [from AIDS orthodoxy] don't have that. "44
HIV Antibody Tests, PCR Vir al Load Tests, CD4 Coun ts:
As Unin formativ e as a Toss of a Coin
The most significant diagnostic tools of viral and AIDS medicine are:
1. Antibody tests (HN tests)
2. PCR viral load tests
3. Helper cell counts (T-cells, or rather the T-cell subgroup CD4)
96 AIDS: from Spare Tire to Multibillion-Dollar Business
These are what is known as surrogate markers: alternative methods which
doctors determine, on the basis of laboratory data, if someone is infected with HIV
or not, and whether they have AIDS. Instead of using traditional methods for
investigating whether real disease symptoms (so-called clinical endpoints) have
occurred, AIDS doctors look at whether the number of CD4 cells has decreased
within a certain time period; if so, the risk of contracting AIDS is said to be low. But
as previously mentioned (see Chapter 2), the results given by these methods are
highly dubious ways to detect viruses like HIV, the SARS coronavirus, or the avian
flu virus HSN1 and their pathogenic effects. Often enough, surrogate markers have
led to misdiagnosis.45
Let's look first at the HIV antibody tests. They're based on an antigen-antibody
theory, which assumes the immune system fights against these antigens (proteins
from HIV), as they are called, which are seen by the body as foreign. Their detection
triggers an immune reaction, or response, which in turn induces the formation of
specifically targeted antibodies.
Now, since these so-called HIV antibody tests only prove the existence of
antibodies (and not, it is worth noting, the antigen directly, which in this case would
be parts of HIV), we have to assume that HIV must have been detected during the
validation of the tests. Only then could one use the antigen to calibrate the antibody
tests for this particular (HIV) antigen. That is, only in this way can one test whether
HIV antibodies are present or not, and, if HIV has not been proven to exist, the tests
cannot possibly be known definitively to react to it.
When you know this information, the antibody test manufacturer's insert isn't
quite s? surprising. It dearly states "there is no recognized standard for establishing
the presence or absence of antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 in human blood."46
Reacting to this interesting fact, and in reference to a paper by the Australian Perth
Group (published in the scientif ic journal Nature Biotechnol ogy)47 the German
weekly newspaper Die Woche ran a headline calling it, "The AIDS Test Lottery." The
article went on to say that "the antibody tests do not measure what they should: HIV
infection. They also react to people who have overcome a tuberculosis infection.
[Yet] the world's leading AIDS researchers at the Institute Pasteur in Paris reviewed
the study before publication. "48
But what do the tests react to, then, if not to HIV? As we've already noted with
AIDS, a circular definition has also been used with the antibody tests: in the
mid-1980s, the proteins which caused the tests to react most strongly were selected
from blood samples from seriously ill AIDS patients, and used to calibrate the
tests.
That these proteins have something to do with HIV, or at least are similar to a
retrovirus of whatever type, has, however, never been proven. 49 And, in fact, antibody
97 Chapter 3
tests were not actually designed specially to detect HN at all, as Thomas Zuck, of
the American drug approval authority FDA, warned in 1986. Rather, blood tests
should be·screened for their resistance to false-positive reactions due to other germs
or contaminants (something which also fits with what Die Woche wrote: that HN
tests "also reacted in people who had survived tuberculosi s";50 and also dozens of
other symptoms, including pregnancy or simple flu, could cause a positive reaction). 51
52 But to stop using these HIV tests was "simply not practical," as Zuck admitted at a
World Health Organization meeting. Now that the medical community had identified
HN as an infectious sexually transmitted virus, public pressure for an HN test was
just too strong. 53
With HN antibody tests, orthodox AIDS research turned traditional immunolo gy
upside-do wn, by informing people who had positive antibody tests that they were
suffering from a deadly disease. Normal ly, a high antibody level indicates that a
person had already successfully battled against an infectious agent and is now
protected from this disease. And since no HN can be found in AIDS patients, the
hunt for a vaccine is also an irrational undertaking. 54 Even Reinhard Kurth, director
of the Robert Koch Institute made a sobering comment in the Spiegel in 2004: "To
tell the truth, we really don't know exactly what has to happen in a vaccine so that
it protects from AIDS."55
Viral load measurements with the help of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
are just as dubious and ultimately meaningless. As long as HN has not been proven
to exist, these tests cannot be calibrated for HN-and they cannot be used to measure
"HN viral load." Very fine traces of genes (DNA, RNA) may be detected, but whether
they come from a (certain) virus, or from some other contamination, remains
unclear. 56
Heinz Ludwig Sanger, professor of molecular biology and 1978 winner of the
renowned Robert Koch Prize stated that "HN has never been isolated, for which
reason its nucleic acids cannot be used in PCR virus load tests as the standard for
giving evidence of HN." Not coincidental ly, relevant studies also confirm that PCR
tests are worthless in AIDS diagnos is: for example, "Misdiagnosis of HN infections
by HN-1 viral load testing: a case series," a 1994 paper published in the Annals of
Internal Medicine. 57
In 2006, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
(JAMA) shook again the foundation of the past decade of AIDS science right to the
core, inciting skepticism and anger among many HN = AIDS advocates. A US
nationwide team of orthodox AIDS researchers led by doctors Benigno Rodriguez
and Michael Lederman of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland disputed
the value of viral load tests-the standard used since 1996 to assess the patient's
health, predict progression to disease, and grant approval to new AIDS drugs-after
98 AIDS: From Spare Tire to Multibillion-Dollar Business
their study of 2,800 positively tested people concluded viral load measures failed, in
more than 90% of cases, to predict or explain immune status.
While orthodox AIDS scientists and others protest or downplay the significance
of the JAMA article, Rodriguez's group stands by its conclusion that viral load is only
able to predict progression to disease in 4% to 6


 is boiling, toss your washed produce into the basket and
cover the pot with a lid. Take care not to overcook. Superfresh vegetables,
or those cut into small pieces, cook very quickly.
Grilling
Vegetables, fruits, and tofu and other meat substitutes are delicious when
cooked over coals or a wood fire. Toss them lightly with a marinade first.
Spray the bars of the grill with a fat-free cooking spray, or employ one of
those neat-o perforated skillets or cooking baskets atop the coals or flame.
Caramelizing Onions
Onions contain sugars that are released when they are sautéed until
slightly brown. We cook ours on high heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir the
onions continuously in a nonstick skillet until they begin to brown. A
teaspoon or more of dark brown sugar, maple syrup, or molasses can be
added at this stage to speed the process along and complement the onions’
natural flavor. The sweet and savory flavor of caramelized onions is
delicious as a base for soups and stews, as well as on salads and veggie
burgers.
Cooking Fish and Chicken (for Those in the First Week of the Fire Cadet
Program)
Always rinse your fish or chicken before cooking. Prepare a simple
marinade using a basic formula of one part sour, one part savory, one part
fresh, one part sweet. Allow the meat to absorb the flavor of the marinadefor 15 minutes or longer. Meat can be placed with the marinade into a
plastic baggie or airtight container and left in the refrigerator for up to
twenty-four hours (see page 241 for more on marinades).
Cook meat simply and quickly for the best flavor, and allow it to brown
lightly on both sides. Chicken is done when you can poke the center of the
breast with a knife and the juices run clear. Fish is ready when the pieces
flake away easily with a fork and the fillet is the same color all the way
through.
Broiler: Place meat in a sprayed casserole dish and cook for 15 to 20
minutes on each side, depending upon the thickness.
Stove top: Place meat in a sprayed skillet and cook on medium heat for
15 to 20 minutes on each side.
Grill: Place meat on a sprayed grill or into a cooking basket, and cook
over hot coals for 9 to 15 minutes on each side.
Using Homemade Vegetable Stock
This is a great way to maximize your produce purchases. Rinse
vegetables and greens thoroughly to avoid getting any sand or dirt in your
stock. Place discarded trimmings (stalks, root tips, tomato hearts, vegetables
that are past their prime but not rotten, and/or the tough inside shell of
onions, greens, ends of carrots, etc.) into a stockpot with water to cover.
Add a few bay leaves, 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns, and 2 peeled cloves
of garlic. Cook covered for 20 minutes. Save the stock liquid, and discard
the boiled trimmings and seasonings. Stock will keep covered in the
refrigerator for a week, and indefinitely in the freezer.
A Quick Tip on Beans
We often use canned beans to save time, but you can easily cook your
own instead. Look through dried beans for any small pieces of dirt or rock.
Then rinse them thoroughly in a few batches of water and soak overnight.
The next morning drain and boil one part dried beans with three parts water
(i.e., one cup of beans with three cups of water) in a lar ge covered soup pot
on low heat for two hours. Check on them a few times, stirring to make sure
they’re not sticking, and add water as necessary. Lentils cook quickly, in 45
minutes or less. Kidney beans take the longest time to become tender.
Cooked legumes keep well in the freezer to be thawed for future use.
Warming Tortillas and WrapsAt the firehouse, we warm our tortillas and wraps directly on the big gas
burners, using a pair of tongs to turn them. Wraps can also be warmed in a
dry, nonstick skillet until they puf f in the center.
For a warm wrap that is soft and pliable rather than toasted and puf fy,
place it in a cloth towel and microwave it for 30 seconds.
Toasting Nuts and Seeds
Nothing could be simpler than home-toasting nuts, plus you can be
assured there is no fat added when you roast them yourself. Nuts and seeds
change in flavor and texture when they are roasted in a dry, nonstick skillet
or oven. Stir them constantly, taking care not to let them burn. Add them to
soups and salads, or use them as a garnish for stir -fries and vegetable
dishes.
Roasting Peppers and Fresh Chilies
Toast peppers on a gas flame, over the grill, or in a hot skillet until the
skins are blackened and puf fing away from the peppers. Make sure the
peppers are evenly toasted, then peel the skins away from the flesh under
running water. Cut peppers in half and remove the seeds and veins. Slice
into strips. Make extras and freeze for future use.
Preparing Mangoes
Hold the fruit in your hand so a flat side faces your palm. Slice the fruit
in half laterally, running the knife next to the seed, then use the knife to
score the flesh into cubes. Invert the scored mango and cut the cubes away
from the skin with the knife.
Preparing Avocados
Slice the fruit in half lengthwise. Pull the pieces apart. One section will
still have the seed attached. Hit the seed with the sharp side of the knife so
the knife is lodged in the seed, and then give the knife a quarter turn, and
the seed will pop out. Then score and cube the meat, and use a spoon to
scoop out the insides.
Preparing Leafy Greens
Remove those thick spines magically from collard greens and kale: Hold
the spine firmly in your dominant hand. Loosely hold the lower part of the
spine just below the leafy greens in the other hand. (W ith some kale, youmay need to tear back the lower leaves to expose some of the stem.)
Holding firmly with the dominant hand, slide your other hand up the spine.
You are left with all the greens in your opposite hand and the bare stem in
your dominant hand. (Collard spines do not always come away as far up the
leaf, but that doesn’ t matter.)
Now you should have a pile of greens that are easy to chop into bite-size
pieces. Don’ t waste the spines: They are full of fiber! Assemble them in a
row and chop into tiny pieces. Add them to soup or use them in homemade
stock.
E2 POP  QUIZ
Q: How much fiber is in a glass of milk, a slice of chicken, and an
organic egg?
A: Zero. There is no fiber in any animal foods. Fiber is found only in
plant foods.
E2 SUBSTITUTIONS
Meat substitutes: Tofu, made from soybeans, is a hearty and very
malleable food. Think of it as a blank slate, an excellent substitute for fish,
chicken, cheese, cream, eggs, and mayonnaise. Tofu packed in water should
be drained before using.
Tofu can be either soft or hard. Soft, or silken, tofu blends into a smooth
cream and is excellent in desserts. Hard, or firm, tofu retains its shape, and
can be sliced or crumbled. All tofu is about 40 percent fat (except for low-
fat versions).
Firm or extra-firm tofu can be drained and then pressed firmly with a
cloth to remove excess water. Crumble, slice, or dice it, and add it to the
skillet for a spin with your favorite vegetables and seasonings.
Marinate tofu the way you would chicken or fish—with herbs, citrus
juice, cracked black pepper, vinegar, tamari, soy sauce, or wine. Cook
marinated tofu in a sprayed skillet, under the broiler, or on a sprayed grill
until it is nicely browned on both sides.
Try freezing a drained block of tofu in the freezer. After it thaws, frozen
tofu soaks up marinades easily since it becomes more porous in the freezing
process. It also changes slightly in consistency, becoming chewier.Seitan is a wonderful substitute for chicken or beef, and comes in both
flavors. Derived from wheat in a process that extracts the gluten or wheat
protein, it slices and dices easily without falling apart, and is delicious
plain.
Tempeh is a form of fermented, unprocessed tofu; it is remarkably
nutritious. It usually comes in hard bricks that can be sliced or chopped,
then added to stir -fries or chilies.
TVP, or texturized vegetable pr otein  comes in the form of crumbles, and
can be found dried in the bin section or frozen in the vegetarian section of
the grocery store. Use TVP in place of ground beef or sausage. To
reconstitute dried TVP, mix it with an equal portion of hot water before
seasoning and sautéing. Frozen TVP is referred to as meatless grounds or
meaty crumbles, and is generally already lightly seasoned.
Salt:  Instead of salt, season with lime juice, lemon juice, low sodium
tamari, Bragg Liquid Aminos, vinegars,


ene )
in the bedroom. This only “controlled” them. What eliminated
them was a law against sale of used mattresses. Lice were
originally “controlled” by frequent washing, louse combs, and
ironing the seams of clothing. What eliminated them was the
cutting of long hair as a societal practice. But what about mites?
They live with us and other animals.THE CURE FOR ALL DISEASES
408Mites are too tiny to see,
tiny enough to ride on a dust
particle as if it were a magic
carpet. They resemble in-
sects. Chiggers are really
mites. Mange in animals is a
mite infestation. Dust mites
live on our dander (scales of
dead skin).
Get rid of their breeding
places: beds, cloth covered
chairs and soft sofas. Hu mans
leave enough dander behind
in these places to support
these ultra small insects. Cover mattresses with plastic covers.
Use throws on easy chairs and sofas and wash them of ten. Never
allow a pet into the bedroom or the dust will have tapeworm
eggs as well as mites. Throw out rugs that have been pet-beds.
Spray the air with a mist of 50% grain alcohol before vacuuming.
If you have an illness wear a mask to vacuum. Deep, soft, wall to
wall carpets compromise an ancient concept: everything should
be washable and cleanable, without throwing the dirt into the air
for humans to inhale. Vacuuming a carpet blasts mites and tape
eggs into the air. Never shake bedding or rugs where the dust
will blow back into the house behind you.
Mites don't bite us but we inhale them as they float in the ever
present dust in our homes. The mucus in our lungs traps them and
in a few days they die, only to release a drove of Adenoviruses
(common cold virus) in us.
Fig. 58 Mite.409Four Clean-ups
Chronic health problems are not due to exposures of the past.
They are ongoing. Your body is constantly fighting to re move
pollutants. In order to stay sick, you must be constantly
resupplied! These four clean-ups–dental, diet, body, home–are
aimed at removing parasites and pollutants at their source. Only
then can your body heal.
Dental Clean-up
(This section on dentistry was contributed by Frank Jerome,
DDS)
Dr. Jerome:  The philosophy of dental treatment taught in
America is that teeth are to be saved by whatever means avail-
able, using the strongest, most long lasting materials. Long-term
toxic effects are of little concern. The attitude of the majority of
dentists is: whatever the American Dental Association (ADA)
says is OK, they will do.
A more reasonable philosophy is that there is no tooth worth
saving if it damages your immune system. Use this as your
guideline.
The reason dentists do not see toxic results is that they do not
look or ask. If a patient has three mercury amalgam  fillings
placed in the mouth and a week later has a kidney problem, will
she call the dentist—or the doctor? Will they ever tell the den tist
about the kidney problem or tell the doctor about the three
fillings? A connection will never be made.
It is common for patients who have had their metal  fillings
removed to have various symptoms go away but, again, they do
not tell the dentist. The patient has to be asked! Once the patient
begins to feel well they take it for granted, and don't make theTHE CURE FOR ALL DISEASES
410connection, either. If everybody's results were instantaneous,
there would be no controversy.
Find an alternative dentist. They have been leading the
movement to ban mercury from dental supplies. Not only mer-
cury, but all metal needs to be banned. If your dentist will not
follow the necessary procedures, then you must find one that
will. The questions to ask when you phone a new dental office
are:
1.Do you place mercury fillings? (The correct answer is NO.
If they do, they probably don't have enough experience in
the use of non-metal composites.)
2.Do you do root canals? (The correct answer is NO. If they
do, they do not understand good alternative dentistry.)
3.Do you remove amalgam  tattoo s? (The correct answer is
YES. Tattoos are pieces of mercury left in the gum tissue.)
4.Do you treat cavitations? (The correct answer is YES. By
cleaning them.) The complete name of cavitations  is al-
veolar cavitational osteopathosis. They are holes
(cavities) left in the jawbone by an incompletely extracted
tooth. A properly cleaned socket which is left after an ex-
traction will heal and fill with bone. Dentists routinely do
NOT clean the socket of tissue remnants or infected bone.
A dry socket  (really an infected socket) is a common re sult.
These sockets never fully heal. Thirty years after an
extraction, a cavitation  will still be there. It is a form of
osteomyelitis, which means bone infection.
Ninety percent or more of dental offices will not be able to
answer ANY of the above questions correctly. If you allow the
work to be done by a dentist who does not understand the im-
portance of the above list, you could end up with new problems.
Find the right dentist first even if you must travel hundreds of
miles. There are 6,000 to 10,000 dentists who should be able toFOUR CLEAN -UPS
411help. Some can do part of the work and refer you to a specialist
for the rest. Five hundred to one thousand of these dentists can do
it all.
Normal treatment cost is about $1,000 for replacement of 6 to
8 metal fillings including the examination and X-rays. For people
with a metal filling in every tooth, or for the extraction of all
teeth (plus dentures), it may be up to $3,000 (or more in some
places).
Remember, the simpler the treatment, the better.  If the
dentist says that he or she can change your metal fillings to
plastic but it would be better to crown  them, say “NO!”
Guidelines For A Healthy Mouth
If you have What to do
Metal fillings change to plastic fillings
Inlays and onlays change to plastic fillings
Crowns (all types) change to plastic crowns
Bridges change to plastic crowns, partials
Metal partials change to plastic partials(FlexiteTM)
Pink dentures change to clear plastic
Porcelain denture  teeth change to plastic denture  teeth
Badly damaged teeth become extractions
Root canals become extractions
Braces and implants avoid
Cavitations need to be surgically cleaned
Temporary crowns use plastic
Temporary fillings use DuralonTM
Fig. 59 Dental replacements.THE CURE FOR ALL DISEASES
412The guidelines can be summarized as:
1.Remove all metal from the mouth.
2.Remove all infected teeth and clean cavitations.
Dr. Clark:  Removing all metal means removing all root ca-
nals, metal fillings and crowns. Take out all bridge work or
partials made of metal and never put them back in. But you
may feel quite attached to the gold, so ask the dentist to give
you everything she or he removes. Look at the underside. You
will be glad you switched.
The top surfaces of tooth fillings are kept glossy by brushing (you
swallow some of what is removed). Underneath is tarnish and foul ness.
Ask to see your crowns when they are removed.
Fig. 60 Tops and bottoms of some metal crowns.FOUR CLEAN -UPS
413The stench of the infection under some teeth may be over-
whelming as they are pulled. Bad breath in the morning is due
to such hidden tooth infections, not a deficiency of mouthwash!
All metal must come out, no matter how glossy it looks on
the surface. Metal does not belong in your body. It is an un-
natural chemical. Do this as soon as you have found a dentist
able to do it. Find a dentist with experience and knowledge
about this subject. It is more than replacing acknowledged cul-
prits like mercury-amalgam  fillings. This is metal-free
dentistry. Only metal-free plastic should be put back in your
mouth.
Dr. Jerome:  If your dentist tells you that mercury and other
metals will not cause any problems, you will not be able to
change his or her mind. Seek treatment elsewhere!
Your dentist should do a complete X-ray examination of your
mouth. Ask for the panoramic  X-ray rather than the usual series
of 14 to 16 small X-rays (called full mouth series). The
panoramic X-ray shows the whole mouth including the jaws and
the sinuses. This lets the dentist see impacted teeth, root frag-
ments, bits of mercury buried in the bone and deep infections.
Cavitations are visible in a panoramic X-ray that may not be seen
in a full mouth series.
The cost of removing metals should be viewed in the proper
light. It took years or decades to get into your present condition.
When you do a lot of dental repair in a short time, it can seem to
be costly. Unfortunately, many people are in a tight financial
position because of the cost of years of ineffective treatment,
trying to get well.


? The point is not to wallow in self-
criticism but to bring home feelings that need reclaiming instead of
displacing them onto others.
If you have been honest with your list, you will find it very difficult to
finish some sentences. Hitler ’s sadism, for example, may seem far removed
from your behav ior, or your boss’s unfairness in not promoting you may be
too fresh a wound. But by persevering you will discover that what you hate
most in others you most strongly deny in yourself. This is a spiritual truth
that we try to evade by projecting, blaming, and making excuses for
ourselves. When you are able to see yourself in what you hate, you come
closer to realizing that you contain everything, as befits a child of spirit.OceanofPDF.comIN OUR LIVES
Cinderella for Sale
THE FIRST DAY that Dana came  to work for Stephen, a spark passed between
them. Fifteen years older than she and a highly successful plastic surgeon,
Stephen didn’ t stand on ceremon y. He told Dana that she didn’ t have to call
him “Doctor” unless a patient was present, and when he asked about her
background, he showed flattering interest. Dana had returned to
technicians’ school in her midtwenties. This was her first job since
graduation, and the fact that Stephen offered her a generous pay package
increased her eagerness to work for him.
Within a month he asked her for a date. Dana was nervous, afraid that the
other women in the office would  be antagonized, but Stephen put on a full-
court press. After dinner at a fine French restaurant, he sent flowers the next
morning. More dates followed, and although Dana found it difficult to
warm up to an older man as a romantic partner, she had to agree with him
that age is only in your head. Being around her seemed to make Stephen
young again, as he was fond of telling Dana. But regardless of the good it
did him, Stephen made sure that his wooing put Dana in the spotlight.
He sent flowers to her apartm ent nearly every day, and bought her
expensive jewel ry, which at first Dana was embarrassed to accept; she gave
in only because her refusal caused Stephen such obvious pain. In time they
made the transition to sexual partners. Stephen was an attentive lover,
although Dana got the impressio n he would be sensitive to any criticism or
even suggestion  about his performance. She therefore was more passive and
compliant than she would have been with another man—it seemed a small
sacrifice to make.
Stephen had grown children by his first marriage, which had taken place
in medical school. Neither of them seemed eager to meet Dana, who was
little more than ten years older than Stephen’ s son, a freshman in college.Stephen’ s divor ce had been granted three years before, but Stephen had
little to say about his first wife, even when asked for detai ls. Nothing
seemed to exist for him outside Dana, and she couldn’ t help but be
immensely flattered.
They had met in June, and by early autumn a wedding date was set for
Christmas. After buying Dana a huge engagement ring, Stephen urged her
to buy the best of everything for the ceremony. They planned a lavish
honeymoon in Paris—or rather, Stephen planned it and sprang the news on
Dana. She was a little distresse d by not having been consulted, but it was
hard to utter the slightest complaint in the face of Stephen’ s overwhelming
generosity.
The bubble didn’ t burst all at once. The first hint that something went
wrong came when Stephen gave Dana an exercise video for tightening the
muscles of her bottom—women were prone to softness there, he said, even
when they looked as sensational as Dana. A week later he nonchalantly
asked if she had ever considere d having a little corrective surgery. Despite
herself, Dana was shocked—she had no intention of letting Stephen make
her over. Stephen backed of f, but he was clearly displeased. W alking around
a corner in the office the next day, Dana overheard a receptionist remark,
“Looks like Cinderella is in for a little liposuction.” She acted as if she
hadn’ t heard it, but doubts had begun to creep in.
They had their first fight when Dana broke down and related the snide
remark to Stephen, who got furious and threatened to fire the receptionist
on the spot. “I don’t think that’s the point,” Dana said. “I’m afraid you don’t
want me unless you get to turn me into someone I’m not.” She knew all too
well where her face and figure fell short of ideal, but how important was
that to him? Stephen evaded the question and treated her coldly  for the rest
of the day. When Friday came, the night they usually spent together, he said
he was too busy, but Dana got the distinct impression he was withholding
sex to punish her.
The comparison to Cinderella was an apt one, but there was to be no
fairy-tale ending. A week before they were to be married, Dana accidentally
pressed the wrong phone button at the office, only to overhear Stephen
talking to another woman. The tone of his voice and the subject of the
conversation left no doubt that they were on intimate terms. Terribly hurt,
Dana walked out of the office and never came back. She refused to takeStephen’ s calls, which quickly stopped. He protested that he still loved her,
but Dana thought it sounded like an act to preserve his self-image. When he
lamented how much money would be lost if they didn’ t go throu gh with the
ceremony, she burst into tears and hung up. Stephen never called again.
On the surface it would be difficult to imagine a courtship that came
closer to the romantic ideal. Far more than most men, Stephen had the
means and the desire to sweep a woman off her feet. He made Dana feel
special and important, lavishing  all his attention on her. But lovely as it
seemed, this courtship had little to do with love and almost nothing to do
with trust. What was really happening?
The key word here is image.  Stephen was mainly interested in enhancing
his self-image as a magician who could turn ordinary women into
goddesses. Not only did he do this professionally but in personal
relationships he had to be the star—he would probably have tried to
“correct” the looks of the most beautiful woman on earth given the chance.
His paying court, from the gifts to the sex, was a performance; Dana was
quite right not to utter the slightest criticism of his sexual abiliti es, since he
would have reacted badly. If they had gotten married, he would have lost
interest in her and gone on to have affairs. One has only to note how
completely he had excluded his first wife from his life to realize how much
he needed new conquests to support his inflated self-image.
The only way Dana could have succeeded with Stephen would have been
to allow  herself to be bought; fortunately, her sense of self was based not on
image but on her feelings. Bein g swept off her feet never felt quite real.
Young as she was, she could tell that Stephen wasn’ t interested in
connecting with her inner self and that he was even less interested in
sharing his own.
In a way this story describes almost the perfect courtship—all we have to
do is reverse everything that happened in it. A perfect courtship unfolds like
a flower, as each partner becom es more comfortable exposing their inner
world. It is a shared experie nce, with decisions made mutually and
boundaries respe cted. One partner doesn’ t try to push the other beyond their
boundaries, knowing that stretching a boundary is a gradual, delicate matter.
The essence of courtship is communion, which this one totally lacked.
As hurt as she was, Dana was also secretly relieved that the wedding to
Stephen didn’ t come off. Being turned into Cinderella had not fulfilledinner needs that I would call spiritual. Spiritually we all need things such as
forgiveness, love, and compassion, but before any of these can be realized,
we need  to satisfy the most basic spiritual need: support on our path. You
cannot expect another person to immediately understand your experiences
as you enter into new and often confusing stages of spirituality, but if
sharing is to take place, you must build a basis for satsang. This basis must
include equality, sensitivity, and communication.
Equality.
Being seen as equally important to your partner is a right many people
cannot assert. Because we are all unequal in terms of intellige nce, status,
money, skills, and talents, these factors can become dominant in a
relationship. A woman may feel, as Dana did, that the man who courts her
has earned so many of life’s advantages that she should be grateful for his
success. The happiness she could expect in such a marriage, however,
would have little spiritual validity.
In spirit everyone is equal. This isn’t just an abstract concept; it is the one
perception that can overcome ego. If I feel superior to you, my superiority
is roote d in self-image. A self-image based upon money, for example,
would make me think that I should be appreciated for all I have  given you,
which puts you at a disadvantage, since your own right to be appreciated
doesn’ t have a comparable basis. When Stephen took Dana to an


 proud of my work.”
“It’s very right and good that you are,” I said, “but by opening up
that one channel so wide, you may be cutting o others, equally
valid but more dicult for you to experience.”
A guarded look came over her face. We were on the edge of a
psychological precipice, but I had no intention of pushing  her over.
Elaine’s intimate life had to be healed at a pace that was
comfortable to her. What I wanted her to see at the moment was
something much more general. Sometime in the past she had made
a fatal choice common to many people. She had decided to control
her unhappine ss instead of expressing it and letting it go. Humans
seem to be unique in facing this choice. If a cat stalks a sparrow in
the grass, pounces, and misses, its whole body reacts with
frustration. The cat paces, twitches its tail, licks itself, and then falls
asleep. These various reexes manage to clear the slate of the cat’s
nervous system, and the next time it stalks a bird, there will be no
shadow of the earlier failure.
The human nervous system, although equipped with similar
automatic reexes, is far more elaborate, and it gives us much more
complex reacti ons in the face of frustration. If a cat thought like a
person, it might resort to denial (“I was just practicing”), blame
(“Someone’s been scaring the game around here”), self-
recrimination (“I knew I should have sharpened my claws this
morning”), or guilt (“Why can’t I stay away from those sparrows?”).
As things stand, human life is inconceivable without these reactions.
They are part of our nature, however much we suer from them. Ina psychologica lly healthy person, guilt, shame, self-recr imination,
and blame serve as sympt oms of unease. When the unease is
corrected—when we face our guilt, confess our shame, or confront
the person we have blamed—a feeling of ease returns.
An illness is a localized form of unease (as the term “disease”
implies), and it is not surprising to nd that for many people, a
much broader unease underl ies it. What I try to do with patients is
to reveal this very general unease, just enough so that they are not
entirely caught up in the narrow boundaries of their symptoms. In
Elaine’s case, there were intimate details of her life invol ved in her
illness; I am sure a knowi ng psychiatrist could probe into her
fundamental feelings of guilt and shame. (To begin with, why did
she remain devoted to a man who had failed to tell her of his sexual
incapacity before their marriage? Did she deny her anger because
she felt too guilty to demand sexual satisfaction as her rightful
reward?)
It would be foolhardy and cruel to explore a patient’s defenses
simply to expose them. These boundaries exist for good reason: the
person is trying to salvage shreds of happiness by isolating himself
from areas of distress. This is what I meant by saying that we choose
to control our unhappiness instead of letting it go. If, like a cat, we
could wipe clean the slate of our memory, then living with guilt,
shame, disappointment, and self-recrimination might not be
inevitable. As nature made us, however, we turn our distress into
ourselves, just as we turn food into ourselves. What can we do but
try to devise the best defense s we can? If anything, a compassionate
doctor would try to reinforc e them, limiting his treatment to the
local problem while mercifully ignoring the general one. Unless,
that is, he understands how to reveal a deeper mercy.
I have no illusion that my words are enough to change a person’s
deep unease. Each of us is a walking universe. Our inner space spans
huge distances, with unreachable horizons in all directions. We
contain black holes of lost memory and white holes of erupting joy.
A mysterious center of gravity keeps all our mental processes in
delicate balance. To change this vast, intricate, ever-ev olving
system, you must know how to overturn worlds. The only personwho can do that is the god who presides over this inner cosmos, and
when I presume to break into a patient’s mind, it is to implant the
idea that he is that god. By thinking, feeling, and acting, he is
altering the universe that is himself. If a person can gain that
insight, even in a brief glimpse, anything in his life can change.
Here I am thinking of a woman in Canada whom I have never met
but who wrote me a fascinating letter. At the age of twenty-four she
married a man she had loved for six years. Because the couple had
very little money, they waited four more years before trying to have
a child. The woman was unable to conceive, however, and it was
eventually discovered that her husband was completely sterile due
to a testicular disorder.
The woman was bitterly disappointed, but she remained caring
and considerate toward her husband, whose psycholo gical state
became very fragile. A few months later she woke up in bed one
night and found a lump in her abdomen that was hard to the touch.
By morning it had swollen so large that her belly was distended. She
rushed to a doctor, who informed her that she was at least ve
months pregnant. The woman carefully explained why this was
impossible. For some inexplicable reason, the doctor then advised
her that the problem might be a bladder infection, and she was sent
home with a two-week prescription for antibiotics.
When the swelling refused to subside, she returned to the clinic,
and a second doctor made a careful physical examinatio n. He, too,
conrmed that she was pregnant. The woman had no choice but to
assume that a miracle had occurred. She started wearing loose
dresses and spent her time in maternity shops. But then the swelling
became tender, and she experienced vaginal bleeding. She returned
to the clinic, where she was met with harsh skepticism. Her doctor
assumed that she had been having an extramarital aair and was
now trying to induce a miscarriage. Various tests were performed,
and at last the mystery was solved: she was suering from a massive
ovarian tumor. The woman immediately entered the hospital, where
one ovary was removed and the other repaired.
The letter ends: “My surgeon insisted that such a large growth
must have taken at least ve years to reach that size. I am the onlyone who believes that it appeared overnight. Although I was bitterly
disappointed to be deprived of a child for the rest of my life, I have
gained something, too. I realized that nothing—or everything—is as
real as what I make it. If getting sick is in my power, so is getting
well. To this day, more than ten years later, I have not allowed
myself to catch so much as a cold.”
I nd myself moved by this story, not just because of its
poignancy, but because a veil has parted. Whenever reality shows
itself, even in the midst of crisis, there is the hint of joy, and if we
could see further, there would be no limit to it. That was in my
mind when I was talking to Elaine. “Look at that tree out there,” I
said to her, and pointed to a huge old copper beech outside the
window. “Tell me what you see.”
“I see a large tree with purple leaves and gnarled bark,” she
began.
“It’s very beautiful, isn’t it?” I interrupted.
“Yes,” she agreed.
“Now can you look further and see more?” We both paused and
she continued to look. “Do you have a sense of its gloriousness? Do
you see the living light being tossed o by each leaf? Doesn’t that
old tree seem to possess the air around it like a monarch?”
Elaine laughed. “Sure, I can sort of see all that.”
“But you notice that we had to work at it a little,” I said. “The
rst tree you saw was not so glorious. If that tree had looked truly
glorious to you, you would have stared at it from the moment you
walked in. Gloriousness is pretty hard to ignore. Now tell me, what
do you see when you look at Elaine?”
She gave a startled jerk of her head.
“Are you glorious?” I asked. She looked embarrassed, and in a
gentler voice I said, “It migh t take a little work to see yourself as
glorious, and right now it’s not your rst reaction, just as it wasn’t
to that copper beech. All the same, the gloriousness could be there.
It really could.”
For the rst time, her face softened and she looked genuinely
touched. “Feeling the glory of life means feeling it in yourself and
about yourself,” I said. “You can look at beautiful trees and listen tobeautiful music, but these substitutes, however gratifying, are still
substitutes. The fact that you can appreciate them means that your
own inner beauty wants to come out. It is seeking its own kind.
“What is that tree’s glory but your own, seen in nature


really want it; but actually I do want it, but I don’t want to admit that I want
it” indicate ambivalence. This confusing mix of thoughts inevitably brings
forth a confusing mix of experiences. Many people fail to manifest money
because on some deep level they don’ t think they should.
Having been taught that pover ty is holy, perhaps they think that rich
people are therefore not holy. Having been taught that wealth is a finite
resource, some people think that to manifest money for themselves is, by
definition, to take money away  from someone else. Whatever their reason
is, many people don’t think it’s okay to desire money. And if you disown
the desire, you literally disown the money.

THIS BOOK  DEALS  not only with how we attract miracles, but also with how
we deflect them. Judgment is one of the biggest barriers to our own
miraculous breakthroughs. If we judge someone else for having wealth,
then we’ll subconsciously sabotage our own. If we have the idea that
somehow it’s more pure to be poor, then that’s most probably what we’ll
manifest.
I once received a letter from a woman named Judy, who ran a business
called Café Joy. She told me she was despondent because her café was
getting ready to close. She owed her landlord money, and a neighboring
business was making an unfair play for her space. She wrote:

We’ve been working hard for four years to keep this place going. This
place is so speci al, and I would be devastated to lose it all. Not only do
we serve healthy food, but we created what many people say is a
beautiful, peaceful place. We also created a community and supported
and brought together artists, as well as neighbors and colleag ues,...
becoming a very special, important place to people in our neighborhood.
It was never a venture for money—the importance was always on
fellowship and good health—so I’m feeling sad and confused about why
it’s being taken from us ... and especially upset to lose the space to
people who are simply able to pay more.
When Judy and I spoke, I loved her passion and vision for the café, but I
also noticed that she had some interesting attitudes about money, business,
and capitalism in general. As a business owner, she needed to make a profit
in order to stay afloat, yet she said things that made it clear she didn’ t
respect the effort to do so. She spoke of profit with a subtle disdain.
Whether she wanted to admit it or not, as an operator of a small business
she was a capit alist; yet she also seemed to project onto all capita list
ventures that they’re an unethical rip-of f of the 99 percent!
Judy was giving mixed messages to the universe, her conscious mind
saying  one thing and her subconscious hearing  another. In talking to her
further, I learned that she had both a degree in social work and a
background in the nonprofit world, as well as excellent business skills.
Integrated, her past experiences  could have been a marvelous marriage of
values and mate rial aptitude. But those things were at war with each other
inside her. Judy  was operating in conflict with herself: she was a business
owner, yes, but it was almost as though she was ashamed  of the fact. It was
like she didn’ t want to admit to herself that the business had to make money
in order to survive, because somehow that would make the venture unholy
or impure.
Judy’ s challenge was to make peace with the fact that her café required a
profit. And she could do that only by looking more deeply at why she’d
ever thought it shouldn’ t.
“I’ve never wanted to have more than the next person,” she told me, as
though her having more than other people somehow made less abundance
available to them. This picture of the financial world, in which we assume
that there are only so many pieces of the pie and if I have a slice then
there’ s less available to you, is called a zero-sum game. If I feel that by
asking you to pay me I’m ripping you off, of course I’ll feel guilty about
charging you money! This will then confuse the universal programming and
deflect my abundance.
But if I feel that I’m providing an honorable service, asking for an
equitable and fair pay in return, then I can feel good about the exchange
because I’m increasing abundance for both of us. Fair exchange is a
spiritual, not just an economic, principle. As long as we’re making moneyrighteously, we’re not only receiving a blessing but also exten ding one to
others.
The spiritual universe does not operate as a zero-sum game. In the realm
of spirit  there is infinite abundance, and my creativity does not take from
yours; in fact, it adds to yours. I provide energy through a service or
product, and you provide energy through the money you pay for it. With an
equitable exchange, both parties profit.
Judy told me she’d prayed to be released from any resistance she had to
making money, and during our conversation we looked deeply at where the
resistance came from. Deeply embedded core beliefs, when they cause a
problem, aren’ t magically removed for us when we pray that the problem be
solved. Such beliefs are brought to consciousness  when we pray;  then it’s
our responsibility to surrender them and ask that they be removed. The
Holy Spirit will take from us only what we’re willing to release.
Judy mentioned that she had a habit of saying to her customers— she even
had it written on the menu! —the words, “Thank you for your support.” I
tilted my head when I heard that, asking, “Why wouldn’ t you say, ‘Thank
you for your business’?”
She began to recognize what her resistance was—namely, her
unrecognized belief that there was something unfair or unrighteous about
making money. On one hand, she needed to make money in order for the
business to thrive, and she was well aware that she and those she employed
worked very hard and provided a beautiful service to the community. On
the other  hand, she had ambivalent feelings about receiving money. The war
raged within her, and so it raged at her café.
Once again, everything we experience in the world is a reflection of our
thoughts. If you feel ashamed about celebrating money, don’t expect money
to celeb rate you. If your making money is a rip-of f of others, an
exploitation or unfair reach into someone else’s pocket, then as a righteous
person you won’ t feel good about it, nor should you.
But Judy’ s café is what free-mar ket capitalism should be. There is nothing
there to be ashamed  of. (Many people don’t realize  that capitalism has
different faces in different industrialized societies. A critique of unethical
business practices is not an inherent critique of capitalism itself.)
I asked Judy why she felt the need to hold her clientele in such a pitiful
light—as though  they were orphans in Oliver Twist rather than abundantadults. Was that really doing them a service, almost infantilizing  them in the
name of econom ic fairness? As a social worker, Judy had come in contact
with many peop le who were down and out and needed a helping hand;
perhaps she had brought into her work as a café owner an energy that had
been appropriate in her social work but was not necessarily appropriate
here. Her custom ers weren’ t coming to her for help; they were comin g to
her for her coffee!
The Law of Divine Compensation would bring about every miracle she
needed: a way to settle righteously with her landlord, as well as a way to
reopen Café Joy. What Judy needed more than anything was to align her
thinking with the natural patter ns of the universe, and for that we prayed.
She adopted a dif ferent attitude and opened herself to new beginnings.
I’ve heard it said that prayer doesn’t change a situation for you so much as
it changes you for the situation. It changes the effects in your life because it
changes you on the level of cause. Heisenber g’s Uncertainty Principle states
that when the perceiver changes, that which is perceived then changes. The
fact that Judy achieved a new attitude meant— literally, not just figurati vely
—that opportunities she would not otherwise have experienced  would now
appear.
If she’d stayed in “Ain’ t it awful,” “I hate my landlord,” “Damn the owner
of the business next door,” and “There’ s no hope now,” simply adding the
event to her “victim résumé,” the universe would absolutely have proved
her right. If we convince oursel ves that there is no hope, our subconscious
mind edits out of the picture any evidence that might prove otherwise.
Hopelessness and negativity could have led to many different things for
Judy, none of them miraculous: depression, anxiety, bitterness, resentment,
anger, an attitude of victimizatio n, and many other forms of suffering. The
landlord had been a jerk, after all; the neighbor had been unethical; and the
customers at the old café had taken advantage of her. There were many
places where she could have tarried, had she chosen; fear has many
addresses.
But Judy  wanted a miracle, and she was ready to receive one. In A Course
in Mirac les, it says that we can


 and keep
them hot.
2. Place the onion in a large bowl.
Sprinkle with salt and cold water and
allow to stand for 5 minutes. Then
drain.
3. Slice the potatoes and add to the
onions. Add the olive oil, lemon juice
and celery, and mix well to absorb the
dressing.
4. Season with salt and pepper and
garnish with parsley. Serve warm.
Mechouia (Grilled Vegetable
Salad – Tunisian)
This traditional Tunisian recipe
combines grilled vegetables and hotchilli to make a delicious salad. This
recipe is ideal for barbecues.
Serves 2
 2 large red bell peppers
 4 medium tomatoes
 2 large red onions
 1 small hot pepper
 1 can tuna
 4 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
Dressing
 3 tbsp olive oil
 1 lemon, juiced
 1 tsp oregano
 Salt and black pepper to taste1. Grill the peppers, tomatoes and onions
in a hot oven at 200°C. Turn over once
and grill until soft. Remove from the
oven and cool.
2. Remove the seeds from the pepper and
chop all the vegetables into small
pieces.
3. Place the vegetables on a serving
platter and top with tuna and feta
cheese.
4. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice,
oregano, salt and pepper, and pour
over the salad. Serve.
Macedonian Salad
I know cabbage is not everyone’s
favourite vegetable but think of thenutritional benefits and vitamins.
Serves 4
 ¼ head white cabbage
 ⅛ head red cabbage
 1 green pepper, chopped
 1 red pepper, chopped
 4 sprigs parsley, chopped
 2 celery stalks, chopped
 1 carrot
 2 tbsp olive oil
 ½ lemon, juiced
 Salt to taste
1. Cut the cabbage into thin strips and
place in a bowl.2. Add the peppers, parsley and celery.
3. Grate the carrot and add to the bowl.
4. Sprinkle with olive oil, lemon juice and
salt to taste. Mix well and serve.
Vegetable and Pomegranate
Salad
Pomegranate makes this salad more
interesting and adds a bit of a twist for
your taste buds.
Serves 2–4
 2 green bell peppers, cut into 1 cm
cubes
 4 large tomatoes, cut into 1 cm cubes 2 red onions, chopped finely
 2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1 cm
cubes
 ½ pomegranate
Dressing
 4 tbsp olive oil
 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
 ¼ tsp coarse salt and black pepper
1. Put the vegetables in a bowl.
2. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, salt and
pepper together. Add the dressing to
the salad and toss.
3. Hold the pomegranate over the salad.
Using a spatula or spoon, release the
seeds and juice over the salad.4. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.Chapter 8
Dressings and Dips
It is easy to make your own
dressings and dips, try to be
creative – adjust the ingredients
in this section to your own taste.
Just think, you are making your
own dressings that contain
absolutely no preservatives,
how fabulous is that!Salad Dressings
Healthy Dressing
 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
 1 tsp flaxseed oil
 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
 1 garlic clove
 ¼ tsp dry mustard
 ¼ tsp parsley, finely chopped
Mash the garlic, mustard and parsley
together. Mix with other ingredients. Use
this dressing with any salad.
Lemon Mint Dressing 4 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
 4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
 1 lemon
 2 tbsp olive oil
 1 tsp flaxseed oil
Mix all ingredients together and use over
salad. Try it with cucumber salad.
Asian Dressing
 1 lime
 3 garlic cloves
 2 serrano chillies, halved, seeded and
chopped
 1½ tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce
 1 tbsp honey or agave nectarCrush the garlic and mix in with all other
ingredients.
Indian Style Dressing
 4 tbsp grapeseed oil
 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
 Juice of ½ fresh lime
 1 garlic clove
 1 tsp Dijon mustard
 ¼ tsp ground cumin
 ¼ tsp salt
 ¼ tsp ground black pepper
 2 tbsp mint, chopped
Crush the garlic with the mint and mix in
with the other ingredients.Greek Dressing
 3 tbsp olive oil
 1½ tbsp red or white-wine vinegar
 ½ tsp salt
 ¼ tsp oregano
 ¼ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
Put all ingredients in a small jar, close
and shake thoroughly. Chill before
serving.
Sicilian Dressing
 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
 2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
 80ml water ½ tsp salt
 ½ tsp black pepper
 1 tsp oregano
 1 tsp garlic powder or 1 garlic clove,
crushed
Put all ingredients in a jar and shake
thoroughly.
Dips
Red Pepper Dip
 3 red peppers
 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
 2 tbsp fresh parsley 1 tbsp olive oil
 Salt to taste
1. Cut and deseed the red peppers.
2. Bake them in the oven on a low
temperature for about 20–25 minutes.
Then remove the skin.
3. In a food processor, blend the peppers,
lemon juice, parsley, olive oil and salt.
4. Serve with any veggie sticks such as
carrots or cucumbers.
Salsa Dip
 5 tomatoes, chopped
 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
 1 red bell pepper, chopped 2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
 2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
 1 small red onion, finely chopped
 2 garlic cloves, crushed
 1 tsp balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
Mix all ingredients together, chill and
serve.
Yellow Split Pea Dip
 250g dried yellow split peas, rinsed
and drained
 ¾ tsp salt
 ½ tsp black pepper
 1 litre water
 1 onion, chopped 2 tbsp extra virgin oil
 1 tomato, finely chopped
 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1. Put the split peas with a pinch of salt
and black pepper in a saucepan. Pour
in enough water to cover the peas by
2½ cm and bring to the boil. Reduce
the heat to medium and simmer,
uncovered, stirring occasionally and
adding more water, a little at a time, if
it gets too thick before the peas get soft
which takes about an hour.
2. Mash the peas and allow to cool.
3. Stir in half the onion, oil and remaining
salt and pepper. Spread this purée out
in a shallow bowl.4. In a small bowl, mix the remaining
onion, tomato, red pepper and parsley.
Sprinkle over the purée.Chapter 9
Soups
Soups are very nutritious and
warming, especially during
winter.Mixed Vegetable Soup
This is a delightful and nutritious winter
warmer, but it’s also great at any time.
Serves 2–4
 1 tbsp olive oil
 2½ cm ginger, crushed
 1 garlic clove, crushed
 2 carrots, finely chopped
 1 head cauliflower, chopped
 50g broccoli, chopped
 1 red pepper, chopped
 ½ head cabbage, finely chopped
 5 green beans, chopped
 600 ml water 2 potatoes, chopped
 ½ tsp soy sauce
 ¼ tsp red chilli powder
 1 medium onion, chopped
 ½ tsp honey or agave nectar
1. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the
ginger and garlic, and cook for 1
minute.
2. Add all the vegetables except the
potatoes and onion.
3. Add salt and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes or
until the vegetables are cooked.
4. Pour in the water and bring to the boil.
5. Add the potatoes, soy sauce and chilli.
Boil until the soup becomes thick and
transparent.
6. Finally, add the chopped onion andhoney or agave nectar and boil for
another 2–3 minutes. Serve hot.
Saffron-rich Soup (Middle
Eastern)
This soup is full of interesting
combinations of flavours. Saffron is an
expensive and rich golden spice, which
has several health benefits such as
improving blood circulation and anti-
cancer and antioxidant properties.
Serves 4–6
 4 tbsp olive oil
 2 medium onions, chopped 2 fennel bulbs, chopped
 3 garlic cloves, crushed
 1 tsp saffron
 1 tbsp boiling water
 125 ml white wine
 50 g fresh basil, shredded
 1 kg tomatoes, finely chopped
 450 ml water
 Salt and black pepper to taste
 100g shredded basil to garnish
1. Heat the oil in a large pot. Sauté the
onions, fennel and garlic over a
medium heat for about 10 minutes.
2. Crumble and soak the saffron in 1 tbsp
of boiling water for 5 minutes.
3. Pour


.
A Concentrated and Undivided Mind
Imagine a pool player who wins  ten games in a row. During ea ch game, he
is in the flow, pocketing balls easily while positioning the cue ball perfectly
for the next shot. His game is ef fortless and spontaneous.
Based on his suc cess, the player decides to place a wager of five dollars
that he will win the next game.  No longer is he doing the acti vity for the
experience or enjoyment of it. N ow he has an ulterior motive, and his mind
is d ivided between the wager and playing the game. Only part of his
attention remains on the activity. He has lost focus, and he loses.
Ronan O’Gara is a former rugb y union player who played for  Ireland
and Munster. Considered by m any to be one of the best fly-halfs of his
generation, he won four T riple Crowns with Ireland and two Heineken Cups
with Mu nster. H e also scored m ore tries for Ireland than any other fly-half
in history and is the third most capped player in rugby union history.
W ith suc h impressive repeated successes, one would expect O’Gara to
have been full of self-confidence, approaching each game in his stride.
However, in a compelling interview with Irish national television, he
described how he wished he c ould have “laughed and enjoyed it more,”
especially in the lead-up to gam es where he would be “puking, questioning
everything, not sleeping, feeling low, and going for walks” to try to quell
his nega tive inner commentary.  O’Gara is not alone in this experience of
pregame anxiety, and no doubt his feelings are shared by many professional
athletes who, in their sense of pride and dedication to their team and
country, place immense pressure upon themselves.This is the side of professional sports that is seldom talked abo ut. It is
brushed under the carpet and hidden from view while the world gets to see
only the outward displays of power, strength, speed, and skill. After playing
for over  a decade at the profes sional level, Ronan O’Gara began to settle
down only when he knew that h is retirement from professiona l sports was
imminent: “It was only in the la st eighteen months that I said I’m going to
start enjoying myself for whatever limited time is left.”
Why is so much anxiety and tension created prior to a game? Prematch
days for many a thletes might involve hundreds of “what if” thoughts: What
if I don ’ t feel right on the day? What if I get injur ed? What if I make a
mistake? What if I mark the wr o ng guy? What if I’m not selected? What if I
perform badly and get dr opped  fr om the team?  As imagination runs riot,
anticipation of all the possible things that could happen during the game
builds so high that nervous tension and anxiety take over to the point of
distraction. In reality, there are so many variables involved that it is
impossible for the mind to pred ict what is going to happen. Not only that,
but the mind is capable of creat ing an imaginary drama with o utcomes far
worse th an wha t might actually unfold. It is essential to understand that in
any situation there are many factors outside of your control, and despite
your be st ef fort s you are but a part of the lar ger whole. Ruminating on
anything outsid e of our contro l is simply a distraction and a waste of
ener gy. Having passion for what you do and the desire to perform to the
best of your ability are all that matters. Everything else is in t he hands of
the univ erse, so there really is n o point in worrying about it. Before a game
or e vent, observe negative or  recurrent thought patterns and make a
conscious decision to step away from thinking about things th at you have
no control over.
I may not be an athlete, but I can closely relate to the process of
thinking so much that your tho ughts consume you. As a sixte en-year -old
boy from  a Catholic background, educated in an all-boys sc hool, I was
particularly shy when it came to talking to girls. From time to time, a very
attractive blond girl would take the same bus as me to school. I longed for a
conversation with this girl, dreaming about what I would say, nervous that
she would rebuke my advances.  On one particular day she sat r ight next to
me, and while m y heart thumped out of my chest, no words could come out
of m y mouth. I was completely  tongue-tied in a sea of doubt and sat thewhole te n-mile j ourney in silence. I had built up the moment into  something
so big, so monumental, that it s cared the life out of me. In hindsight, all I
really w anted to  do was strike up a conversation, to say hello and ask her
how sch ool was going, to ask whom she hung out with, and maybe talk
about our favorite music. It was all very innocent, but overthinking created
a task of giganti c proportions, almost as if I were planning to ask the girl to
marry me.
W ith experience and confidence we learn how to deal better with
situations like this, but by persisting in overthinking every act ion, we add
unnecessary hurdles to the path to success. There is no doubt that had I
thought less about striking up a conversation with the girl, it would have
happened naturally and easily when the situation arose.
Although a certain amount of stress helps to keep us focused, to o much
thinking, anxiety, and apprehension about what can go wrong can cause a
loss of concentration on the ga me. The night before a big event you may
find you rself lying in bed ruminating on every possible scenar io, while in
reality a deep sl eep is really what you need to secure a good performance
the following day. There is a tim e for planning, and it is more likely to be
ef fective when you are able to focus on it productively. Pregame  warm-ups,
drills, re hearsals, and discussions of tactics can help to reduc e stress and
iron out uncertainties, but lyin g awake worrying about what might go
wrong will only cause more self-doubt and potentially ruin your
concentration on the day.
It is  important to consistently monitor the ef fectiveness of your
thinking. When you begin to n otice the same thoughts creeping into your
head for the u mpteenth time, ask yourself whether these thoughts are
actually serving a purpose. Are they helpful for devising a strategy or
addressing the situation? Or are they keeping you on a merry-go-round of
insanity? Quest ioning the usefulness of your thinking allows you to
determine which thoughts are useful and which are negative and repetitive.
Even tho ugh you  may not be able to prevent these thoughts from occurring,
you can  learn to reduce them by quieting your mind and br inging your
attention to the breath in between bouts of overthinking. Later, if you feel
the n eed to think a little more ab out whatever is bothering you, spend a few
minutes indulging your thoughts  before mer ging back with the quietness of
the breath. Alternating between thinking and quietness creates spacebetween thoughts to allow fresh ideas to surface. The thoughts that emer ge
after the silence of meditation can be very powerful, creative, and intuitive,
and may  natural ly provide you w ith the solution to your worrie s. The same
process of course applies to daily life.
Practicing meditation and achieving a quiet mind are extremely valuable
techniques for athletes, or anyone who suf fers from anxiety, ena bling you to
reduce y our inner commentary and focus on what’ s important. T o reduce
prematch apprehension and ner ves, you will need to approach the game
from a dif ferent mind-set. P articipate in your sport solely for the
experience, beca use you enjoy i t. When your only wish is to ex perience the
game or the individual shot, swing, or race, there is no ulteri or motive. This
doesn’ t m ean tha t you will simp ly be going through the motions —no, not at
all. Whe n you are playing or ru nning or shooting or cycling solely for the
experience, your  mind will be undivided and a state of intense a lertness will
ensue. In this state, you will be at the top of your game.
At first,  make a commitment to really experience your sport during
training sessions, where there is nothing to lose. Fully experienc e your sport
by d ispersing your attention th roughout your entire body and getting in
touch w ith your senses. In time, you will feel comfortable “experiencing”
your spo rt regardless of the leve l of competition, allowing muscle memory
to ensure a smooth and ef fortless performance.
Make it  a priority to occupy y our body with your full attent ion and
experience the aliveness of you r entire body. During a race, follow your
instincts and your natural rhyth m, letting muscle memory decide on the
course of action: how far to stay back, when to


 Pitmann.
Williams, R. J. (1975). Physicians’  Handbook of Nutritional Science.
Springfield, Illinois: Charles W. Thomas.
Wrench, G. T., M.D. (1938). The Wheel of Health  (Reprinted 1960 by the Lee
Foundation for Nutritional Research; Reprinted by Bernard JensenInternational, Escondido, CA, 1990. ed.). London: C.W. Daniel CompanyLtd.
Wylie, H. W. (1915). Not By Bread Alone: The Principles of Human
Nutrition.  New York: Hearst’s International Library.
Wylie, H. W. (1929). The History of a Crime Against the Food Law
(Reproduced by Lee Foundation for Nutritional Research, Milwaukee, 1955ed.). Washington, D.C.: H. W. Wylie.
Wylie, H. W. (1930). An Autobiography.  Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill.
<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>KIDNEY  DISEASE
A Holistic Therapy
by W alter Last
The main functions of the kidneys are the removal of metabolic waste matter, of any toxic material and excess of water, minerals, and
bio-chemicals in order to keep their blood levels within an optimal range. This is done by ﬁltering the blood and concentrating the
waste in the form of urine. In addition, the kidneys produce hormones, which af fect the salt balance and red blood cell production.
A common kidney disorder is the formation of kidney stones. These are mostly composed of calcium salts and to a lesser degree of
uric acid. Stones can partly block the ﬂow of urine and this may result in infections as well as accumulation of waste matter in the
blood. The passing of large stones through the urethra can be extremely painful and is called kidney colic.
Stone formation as well as bacterial infections or accumulation of toxic material may lead to acute or chronic inﬂammation of the
kidneys, also called nephritis or Bright's disease. Symptoms are a rise in blood pressure, back pain, fatigue, being listless and loss of
appetite. Later oedema may develop; one may feel dizzy and nauseated. Albumin, a protein compound, will be passed in increasing
quantities with the urine.
If the condition continues to deterio rate, uraemia or renal failure develo ps. High concentrations of waste matter accumulate in the
blood and all of the mentioned symptoms become more severe. If nothing is done about it, death will eventually occur. The
conventional medical treatment is the removal of these waste materials by ﬁltering the blood through an external membrane, a
dialysis machine or artiﬁcial kidney. When the condition deteriorates still further, a kidney transplant is attempted.
The disadvantages and dangers are that dialysis takes a long time; 4 - 12 hours twice a week, and beneﬁcial ingredients, such as
zinc may be lowered while harmful ones, such as aluminium may accumulate. Kidney transplants have the major disadvantage, apart
from the risk of the operation itself, that the lifelong requirement to take immune-suppressive drugs weakens the immune system and
predisposes to chronic and severe infections as well as cancer.
NUTRITIONAL  CAUSES
From the point of view of natural medicine there should rarely be a need for such extreme measures, except in the case of serious
accidents. Prevention as well as cure begins with two simple measu res: raising the water intake and reducing the salt intake.
Disregarding these basic rules is the main cause for the high incidence of kidney disease in hot climates as in Queensland.
Nephritis or Bright's Disease
Further important nutritional factors in the development of kidney disease are a high intake of protein, phosphate and calcium, a low
intake of magnesium and vitamin B6, and ﬁnally, chronic inﬂammation due to food allergy.
Proteins are generally high in phosphorus. Therefore, by restricting the protein intake the amount of phosphate ingested or formed in
the body is reduced at the same time. With a severe restriction of protein and phosphate intake, tests showed a 10 to 40 fold
decrease in the progression of kidney disease and patients who would normally have required immediate commencement of dialysis
could postpone this for about seven months.
A high protein and phosphate intake  imposes a greatly increased worklo ad on the kidneys. If their functions are already impaired by
stone formation or inﬂammation, then the individual ﬁltering units become more and more sclerotic, which means they calcify and
harden through overgrowth with tough, ﬁbrous tissue. This causes large amounts of protein to be lost with the urine while other
chemicals, such as salt and uric acid remain in the body.
High phosphate levels also cause an overactivity of the parathyroid gland s with a resultant rise in calcium blood levels. This may lead
to decalciﬁcation of bones and to the formation of calcium deposits as with kidney stones, arteriosclerosis and arthritic deformations.
It raises the blood pressure and damages the kidneys still further, in particular through calciﬁcation of the kidneys with calcium
phosphate.
In addition to a high phosphate intake, a diet high in protein produces much more waste products than any other class of nutrients,
especially in the form of urea, uric acid and sulphates. Compared to proteins there is hardly any residue in a properly metabolised
carbohydrate or fat diet. Both produ ce carbon dioxide and water as end products. Therefore, with these foods there is hardly any
need for dialysis.
Home About Diseases Healing the Body Healing Foods Healing the Mind Healing the Emotions Energies Science & Spirituality Spirituality Contact10/30/24, 3:10 PM Health-Science-Spirit - Kidney Disease - A Holistic Therapy
https://health-science-spirit.com/Diseases/Kidney Disease/Kidney-Disease-A-Holistic-Therapy.html 1/6Patients with severe renal failure should restrict their protein intake to less than 20 g and phosphorus to less than 400 mg. For
children and as a maintenance diet amino acid supplements may be necessary with severe protein restrictions.
Allergy
A major cause of degeneration of the kidneys is chronic inﬂammation, and a major cause of chronic inﬂammation is hidden food
allergy and chemical sensitivity, these are commonly due to microbes from intestinal dysbiosis or root canal treatments. While kidney
patients are hardly ever tested for food allergy in conventional medicin e, in one recent test it was found that about 65% reacted
positive. However, due to their high calcium and often low acidity levels, kidney patients usually show only a weak allergy response
with various testing procedures. Therefore, the only reliable test is the avoidance of all suspected foods and checking kidney
functions after a prolonged period of abstinence. In this way patients improved greatly.
Chronic inﬂammations caused by hidden food allergies as well as inﬂammations due to irritations caused by kidney stones both
accelerate the process of kidney degeneration. In addition to avoiding the mentioned harmful inﬂuences, there are several nutrients
that help to overcome inﬂammations.
Commonly used in natural medicine to remove infections and inﬂammations are vitamin C, magnesium, propolis, various herbs such
as echinacea, golden seal and garlic, the anti-inﬂammatory protein-digesting enzyme Bromelain from pineapple and the omega-3
fatty acids from ﬁsh oils and linseed oil.
The common polyunsaturated oils from oil seeds form mainly pro-inﬂammatory tissue hormones, while the ﬁsh oils and the linolenic
acid in linseed tend to suppress inﬂammations. Trials with ﬁsh oils produced signiﬁcantly beneﬁcial results in patients with kidney
disease. Protein loss in the urine could be reduced by nearly 50%.
KIDNEY  STONES
Various calcium salts are only slightly soluble and easily precipitate during the ﬁltration process in the kidneys. They may then
crystallise and combine to form kidney stones or urinary calculi. It has been estimated that about 90% of such stones contain calcium
as main ingredient, mainly as phosp hates and oxalates. Phosphate stones are chalky and soft while oxalate stones are small, dark
and hard. Stones may also contain a mixture of both. Uric acid stones form mainly in acid urine and are yellow or black. A few stones
are formed from the oxidised amino acid cystine with a waxy appearance.
A high protein diet contains a large amount of phosphate that overstimulates the parathyroids and raises the calcium blood level. This
gives rise to the formation of calcium phosphate stones, especially when the urine is alkaline.
Sugar
Sucrose, the common household sugar, has several negative effects. One experimentally controlled study found that sugar added to
a meal will greatly increase urinary  calcium as well as oxalate excretions and that both reach maximum levels together, thereby
greatly increasing the possibility of precipitation.
This over-saturation of the kidneys tends to result in calciﬁc lesions that serve as foci on which crystals begin to aggregate and start
to form stones. Sugar also increases  the urinary output of an enzyme that is indicative of kidney disease. Most at risk from sugar are
individuals with an excessive insulin response and this includes most stone formers.
In addition, insulin levels remain permanently elevated in maturity-onset diabetics and others due to habitual sugar consumption.
They are also elevated in stressed individuals as


 has to be the lack of hard evidence, i.e., evidence that is accepted by the body of the
profession, be they GPs or specialists - the randomised double-blind clinical trial. This kind of clinical
trial is the definitive way of assessing whether a new treatment actually works and is superior to other
treatments. It involves the selected patients to be divided into two groups. One group receives only a
placebo or another form of treatment and the other group receives the treatment under test. It is essential
that neither the patient nor the doctor knows which treatment is being prescribed so there can be no bias.
Only when the trial is completed are the different treatments revealed and the results analysed.
Until recently the documented trials were, regrettably, not of the quality and precision that would win
over the sceptical, scientifically orientated doctor, especially with the current emphasis of evidence based
medicine. The overwhelming anecdotal evidence has largely been ignored by regular practitioners, but
fortunately there are some who have given it a try. I know of a handful of doctors, both in the National Health Service and private sector who now regularly use Aloe in their practices.

One small but significant trial was carried out in 1985, by Dr Jeffrey Bland, a nutritionist of the Linus
Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine in California. He studied the effect of Aloe Vera on the
gastrointestinal function in normal humans and involved ten volunteers, five of each sex. They changed nothing in their lifestyle but consumed two ounces of Aloe Vera juice three times a day for seven
consecutive days.

Before entering the study the participants fasted overnight so that base line gastric secretion could be
measured by a pH (level of acidity) sensitive capsule. After their gastric pH was measured, morning stool and urine samples were collected. The object of the experiment was to see if Aloe had any effects on
these two functions. Dr Bland looked at urinary indican, which reflects the bowel bacterial conversion of
the amino acid tryptophan and therefore possible improved protein digestion and absorption after Aloe
Vera treatment. He also looked at stool specific gravity, gastric pH and bowel motility.
 He found that urinary indican levels after one week on Aloe were lowered, suggesting an increase in both
protein breakdown and absorption. He also found stool specific gravity was reduced with a faster
movement of stool through the bowel, both suggesting an increase in water in the stool. No diarrhoea was
reported. He also found the pH was normalised or buffered, meaning that Aloe Vera acted as an alkalising
agent.

He commented that the Aloe Vera had helped to normalise stool bacterial cultures in six subjects, four of the six having previously had high yeast levels in their gut.

In discussing his findings, Jeffrey Bland said:

 The most important trials to appear recently were published by T Syed et al; one on Psoriasis in the
Journal of Tropical Medicine and International Health and the other on Genital herpes in the Journal of Dermatological treatment.

Both fitted the necessary criteria being randomised double blind and controlled and showe
d
impressive results. They achieved an 83% cure rate with Aloe in Psoriasis against a 6% rate with the
control. In the Herpes trial there was 66.7% healing as opposed to 6.7% with the control. To establish
the validity beyond doubt these results must be repeated by other workers in other clinical trials
elsewhere. "The tolerance of the subjects to Aloe Vera juice supplementation was in general quite good. One person
complained of gas and another of transient gut pain which after continued supplementation throughout the
week, diminished. The other eight subjects were asymptomatic with no diarrhoea, nausea, intestinal
bloating or distress. Four of the subjects noted an improved bowel regularity with greater gastrointestinal
comfort after eating. Three indicated that they felt some enhancement of energy and a sense of well-
being, although this could not be confirmed quantitatively."
It must be noted because the Food and Drugs Administration regard Aloe Vera as a food, the gel in the
USA must be referred to as juice.

Although the scale of this experiment is too small to be of real significance, I believe it does highlight, in a semi-controlled fashion, the experiences that are repeatedly talked of anecdotally and it reinforces the
need for further investigation on a larger scale.

Professor Edzard Ernst, Director of the Centre for Complementary Health Studies at Exeter University
with whom I have had discussions also feels Aloe should be formally investigated. But, regrettably, clinical trials are expensive and they require willing consultants to undertake them. If a pharmaceutical
company thought there was money to be made out of Aloe, then funding would be forthcoming, but for
them it would be pointless as they could never achieve a patent!

However, I believe the future of Aloe Vera is rosy because there is a definite move in the community towards natural remedies and the medical profession is beginning to recognise this and slowly adapt.

Complementary medicine is undeniably a major growth area. In the UK 15 per cent of non-hospital
consultations are now with complementary therapists whose numbers have mushroomed from 2,900 in
1981, to more than 60,000 at the last count. But the UK still lags behind most European countries and the United States, where visits to complementary therapists exceed those to conventional doctors.

Recently published in the British Medical Journal, the official organ of the British Medical Association,
in a series of articles on this change towards complementary and over the counter medicines were some
most interesting statistics.

Market breakdown for major categories of non-prescription medicines:

Pain £196.4m (16.7%)
Skin 2143.5m (1 1.3%)
Cold £93.9m (7.4%)
 Cough £68.1 m (5.4%)
Sore throat £72.7m (5.7%)
Indigestion £73.9m (5.8%)
Total £1268.5m

Everyday ailments for which people report treating themselves rather than seeking a consultation with a
doctor:

Ailment  Percentage of people reporting ailment  (n=2000)
Headache 80
Athlete's foot 79
Dandruff 73
Heartburn 62
Migraine 62
Period pain 61
Colds 60
Coughs 56
Mouth ulcers 51
Acid stomach 50

The article concluded with a comment that has two implications for doctors.

If the scope of self-medication widens as predicted, doctors, pharmacists, and other health professionals
will need to respond in a more active and constructive way than they have to date.
(BMJ Vol.312, 30/3/1996)
I am encouraged by interest shown in university departments at Oxford, both on the dermatology and
gastroenterology departments, and there is a reasonable chance that proper trials looking at venous leg
ulcers and IBS may be conducted there in the near future; watch out for the next edition!
 Aloe Vera's eponym 'the Medicine Plant' is a fitting one and we must constantly remind ourselves of the
influence that folklore has had on medicine over the ages and the plants that have provided powerful
drugs once isolated - opium from the poppy, digitalis from the foxglove, ergot from rye, and aspirin from
willow bark to name but a few.

"Within the infant rind of this weak flower poison hath residence and medicine power."
Romeo and Juliet.

In fact, 121 prescription drugs in common use owe their origins to plants, being concocted from 95
separate plants.

Eighty-eight per cent of people in developing countries rely on plant extracts for primary health care. In Africa where the AIDS pandemic is most aggressive and from where Aloe Vera originated, GIFTS OF
HEALTH (Global Initiative for Traditional Systems of Health), a charitable organisation, is considering a
project to develop Aloe and educate the people to use it, amongst other things to treat genital herpes. It
has been shown to be effective against this virus whose lesions often form the portal of entry of the HIV
virus and so by reducing the effects of genital herpes one can similarly reduce the incidence of AIDS.
 Most plant species are to be found in rainforests of which 400,000 hectares, or the area of Scotland, are
disappearing every week so by 2000 AD, 10 per cent of the world's 250,000 species of plant could be
extinct.

I will leave you to ponder on this and suggest the following two quotations:

"The Doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the
human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease".
Thomas A Edison 1847-1931 American Inventor

"...and above all do no harm."
Hippocrates

FURTHER READING

1. Aloe Vera
Carole Miller Kent. Arlington, Virginia The Print Factory, 1979

2. Aloe Vera Heals - The Scientific Facts K. Gottlieb. Denver, Colorado.
Royal Publications Inc., 1980

3. The Silent Healer Bill Coats. 1984
 4. Remarkable Aloe - Aloe through the Ages Ivan E. Danhof PhD. M.D.
Omnimedicus Press, 1987

5. Aloe - Myth Magic Medicine Odus M. Hennessee
Universal Graphics


 whole business of holistic versus sickness
thinking. Y our medical profession is sickness rather than wellness oriented.
Everyone teaches about illness. Almost no one teaches about health. Y ourdoctors see patients when they don’ t feel well, or when something overtly
appears to be wrong. Their role is to correct what has gone wrong, or, more
precisely, what has been allowed to go wrong. People on Earth go to
doctors to be fixed up and brought back to normal. No one seems to think
about living beyond the normal, especially those in the medical and helping
professions,” she said.
“We doctors do have to operate this way, we have to treat those in need,”
I offered, still assuming the role of a leading medical practitioner.
“Why not a medical profession which helps people to transcend their
sickness thinking and uses doctors primarily as persons who help people to
become as healthy as possible, and only secondarily as repairers of the
sick?” Eykis asked.
“We do try to teach preventive medicine and holistic thinking. W e are
simply overworked and overcrowded, with so many sick people that current
work loads preclude shifting gears to what you propose,” I stated.
“That too is incorrect thinking. The medical world relies on its sickness
mentality and reinforces it in virtually all of its practices. Doctors are the
ones dispensing those huge numbers of tranquilizers used for your
nonexistent anxiety attacks. It is doctors who perform the unnecessary
surgery that has become a way of life in medical practices. Doctors
hurriedly write out prescriptions for every ailment on your planet, lar gely
because they are victims of their own erroneous thinking.”
“How are we victims of our thinking?” I asked somewhat testily.
“You think that you are the healers, and that the medicines you dispense
are doing the healing within the body. This is incorrect,” she stated firmly.
“But how can you say that? Look at what medicine has done on our
planet. Life expectancies have increased, some forms of virulent diseases
have been eradicated, and doctors improve people’ s lives every day,” I
reminded her.
“Of course, many diseases have been eliminated and life expectancies
have increased, but let’ s give the credit where it belongs. The body, not you,
is the hero! Y our bodies are perfect creations. No doctor can heal a broken
bone. Only a body which is working properly can do that. No doctor can
eliminate polio; only bodies can do that, by building up inner resistances.
Just because you administer the immunization and write out the prescription
doesn’ t mean that you are the healer. As educators must train their young to
be their own teachers, and parents must aid their children to become theirown parents, so, too, must doctors teach their patients to become their own
doctors. Each person must be taught to use his own inherent healing
properties. But most doctors don’ t do this because they don’ t believe in it.
They choose to believe that they actually do the healing. Consequently they
perpetuate the very same incorrect thinking which leads to so much
unnecessary sickness in your world.”
“It sounds as if you have very little regard for our medical profession,” I
said.
“Quite the contrary,” Eykis shot right back. “The medical profession is
perhaps the most advanced of all of your institutions. The training methods
for weeding out incompetence are superb. The people are highly motivated
and actually exceedingly competent. What needs repair are the incorrect
beliefs about what constitutes health services, and who does the healing,”
she said.
“And how would you help to correct this?” I asked.
“First, I would help the medical profession to see the advantages of
holistic wellness thinking. I could envision people going to their doctors,
not because they were sick, but because they wanted to get even healthier.
Doctors could serve primarily to help people acquire mental attitudes which
would preclude psychosomatic illnesses. They could monitor their nutrition
intake, their exercise, their heart rate, their lung power, blood count, and
endurance. People would begin seeing doctors not as rectifiers to achieve
normalcy, but as people who helped them go beyond basic normal health to
super health. People would become wellness oriented. Doctors would
facilitate this from birth, instead of fighting it and acting as if anyone who
comes along and recommends anything other than drugs or sur gery is a
quack. Doctors seem to fear innovation, despite their involvement in
research, particularly as it relates to human health. In W estern cultures they
are usually the first to reject any nondrug or nonmedical approach to human
health. Such practices as meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis, yoga,
nutritional therapy, acupuncture, or anything else which they know little
about, are immediately denounced as shams by the medical profession, and
it often takes many years for doctors to accept them even grudgingly. You
seem to be exceedingly protective of your one-way approach to health and
extremely reluctant to admit that there may be other approaches that could
be combined with traditional medical practices to create an entire network
of wellness-oriented practitioners.”“And then?” I said, wanting her to go on.
“And then I would reexamine the proclivity you have for hanging onto
medicines as healers. Y ou must look toward the vast mending potential of
your minds. I would train people to stop seeking external miracle cures and
begin looking inward, to examine the limitless capacity that your mind and
body have for convalescence and health. So much of your Earthly sickness
is located in your minds. This is due to a lifetime of expectation that some
sickness is normal, and that when it comes along it should be treated with
external rather than internal elixirs. Moreover, I would look at your medical
beliefs themselves, such as the routine use of sur gery to remove healthy
organs in the body, and immobilization for virtually all ailments, when
perhaps vigorous exercise to promote circulation would be more conducive
to health. So much of your medical thinking seems to center on the notion
that people are weak and fragile, and that an injury always requires rest. Y et
the time it takes for healing is greatly decreased in active people. Activity is
almost always frowned upon, lar gely because so many doctors appear to be
a much more sedentary lot than I had imagined they would be.
“I see doctors smoking and drinking, often overweight, and actually
becoming addicted themselves, while simultaneously dispensing medical
advice. This is a prospect that I must confess eludes my logical mind. I see
the overemphasis on drugs as a major area of medical malpractice. Drugs
for headaches, cramps, tension, and even anxiety. This overreliance on
drugs comes from your external mindset in medicine. Y ou believe that
something outside the person caused the illness (such as a virus going
around, the cold season, flu bugs, old age, a draft), and consequently you
look to something outside yourselves for a cure. This attitude explains your
overreliance on drugs and your obsession with tablets as panaceas for
everything. But the process of healing, like everything else, is already
located within those patients you treat. Positive attitudes toward health as a
means of abolishing sickness, and the mind as healer, are often treated as
heresy by doctors, who cannot see the truth because they are blinded by
their own rigid education.”
“And that truth is?” I inserted.
“And that truth is that no doctor on your planet has ever healed anyone.
The mind and body do the healing, and doctor ’s treatments can only
facilitate that process. Until doctors educate themselves and their patients
on the great healing capacities of your perfect bodies, you will continue tohave a world which is becoming increasingly and needlessly drug
dependent,” she concluded.
“Can people really alter their proclivity toward serious illness with their
minds?” I asked.
“Positively. Your mind is the captain of the ship called your body.
Whatever is going on inside it, is controlled by that captain, and he uses
only a tiny fragment of his potential in the process of being well. Every
doctor on your planet knows about the will to live.  They can’ t directly put
their fingers on it, but they know that patients with a strong will to live have
a much greater chance of surviving any serious illness or major sur gery.
That will needs to be cultivated in everyone and reflected in healthful,
wellness-oriented approaches toward life.
“Doctors seldom question the ability of the mind to be destructive. They
know that a ‘tense thinking’ mind can actually create an ulcer or high blood
pressure. But somehow they find it dif ficult to act as if they believe that that
same mind is capable of curing the ulcer, or lowering the blood pressure.
Instead they rely on drugs. They know that the mind can alter the chemistry
of the body and promote disease, yet they disdain those who train the same
mind to reverse the process. The medical profession still wants to hang onto
medicine and treatment as the approach to health, lar gely because doctors
practice external incorrect thinking. When you begin to see the limitless
potential of the human body for healing itself, you will be taking a big step
forward. Then you can prescribe your medicines as ancillary to the healing
process, and put the focus of healing where it belongs, within the patient.
As always the inner person is ignored by professionals of all stripes, and
your medical profession is no exception. Y ou have an advantage over us on
Uranus