ast-fed	(a	good	thing;	even	though
breast	milk	is	toxic,	it	is	still	preferable	to	the	alternatives),	and	her	diet	was
actually	better	than	average. In	fact,	she	had	been	remarkably	healthy	ever	since
birth—until	the	seizures	started. I	began	to	ask	questions	about	her	environment. As	it	turned	out,	during	most
of	her	young	life,	Anne	had	been	sleeping	in	a	crib	in	her	parents’	bedroom. When	she	outgrew	the	crib,	her	parents	decided	she	should	have	her	own
bedroom,	and	they	refurbished	a	room. Knowing	that	brand-new	room
furnishings	can	be	quite	toxic,	I	focused	on	environmental	toxins	as	the	probable
cause	of	the	little	girl’s	problems. I	learned	that	before	the	onset	of	the	seizures,
Anne’s	new	bedroom	had	been	given	a	fresh	coat	of	paint	and	was	furnished
with	new	wall-to-wall	carpeting,	a	new	television	set	and	new	furniture,
including	a	new	bed	and	mattress. In	fact,	that	new	bedroom	had	just	about	every
amenity	that	any	set	of	loving	parents	could	give	to	their	beloved	daughter,	but	it
was	also	a	poison	gas	chamber. The	new	paint,	carpet,	mattress,	television	and
furniture	(constructed	of	particleboard,	which	contains	formaldehyde)	were	all
giving	off	toxic	gases. You	recognize	the	typical	“new	paint	smell,”	that	“new
carpet	smell”	and	that	“new	furniture	smell. ”	They	are	all	toxic,	especially	when
they	are	brand-new,	at	which	time	they	emit	higher	concentrations	of	chemicals. Shut	anybody	inside	a	bedroom	like	little	Anne’s	for	eight	or	ten	hours	a	night,
and	the	person	is	exposed	to	a	lot	of	toxins. Anne	was	in	toxic	overload,	and	her	seizures	were	the	result. Often,	in	a	case
like	this,	when	you	remove	the	source	of	the	toxins,	you	cure	the	disease. Instead,	Anne’s	physicians	had	prescribed	antiseizure	medications,	which	added
to	her	toxic	overload,	making	her	sicker. I	suggested	an	experiment	to	Anne’s
parents:	Close	off	the	toxic	bedroom	and	allow	Anne	to	sleep	in	another	room
for	a	few	weeks. The	result:	The	seizures	stopped,	and	Anne	returned	to	being	a
normal	and	healthy	child. Fight	Back	with	FoodsWhy	isn’t	our	society	taking	more	action	to	protect	us	from	toxins. Why	don’t
our	physicians	routinely	warn	us	about	toxins	and	check	for	them. One
explanation	lies	in	a	1988	report	issued	by	the	National	Academy	of	Sciences
titled,
Role	of	the	Primary	Care	Physician	in	Occupational	Environmental
Medicine,
which	concluded	that	while	toxic	environmental	chemicals	play	an
increasingly	important	role	in	modern	chronic	diseases,	almost	all	physicians	are
ignorant	about	the	degree	to	which	low-level	toxins	affect	health. One	of	the	most	direct	sources	of	our	toxic	exposures	is	the	foods	we	eat. A
meal	that	looks,	smells	and	tastes	good	is	a	wonderful	thing,	but	you	owe	your
body	more. You	need	to	make	sure	your	food	is	free	of	toxins	and	filled	with
nutrients	that	support	your	body’s	natural	ability	to	detoxify. You	need	to	find
out	what	is	in	your	food,	where	your	food	came	from	and	how	your	food	has
been	altered	from	the	way	nature	provided. One	of	the	best	ways	to	minimize	the	toxins	is	to	buy	organic	foods. Organic
is	a	method	of	growing	and	producing	food	free	from	chemical	fertilizers	and
pesticides,	artificial	ripening	agents,	preservatives,	genetic	modification	and
radiation. The	term	“organic”	applies	to	more	than	fruits,	vegetables	and	grains;
organically	grown	animals	are	fed	organic	feed	and	are	produced	without	the
customary	use	of	antibiotics,	hormones	or	other	supplemental	medications. Organic	foods	may	be	more	expensive	and	somewhat	more	difficult	to	obtain,
but	they	almost	always	contain	fewer	toxins	and	better	nutrition. Read	labels;	the
U.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What was the main cause of David's health problems?,
A: Mercury poisoning, which was caused by his consumption of tuna fish and dental fillings.
Q: What was the solution to David's problem?,
A: Removing the source of toxins, which in this case was the tuna fish and dental fillings, and replacing them with non-toxic alternatives.
Q: Why is it important to choose organic foods?,
A: Because they are less likely to contain toxic chemicals and are more nutritious, which can help to minimize the risk of toxic overload and improve health.
Q: What is a key factor to consider when shopping for food?,
A: Avoid foods that contain artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives, and choose whole, unprocessed foods whenever possible.
Q: What is a common source of toxins in the home?,
A: New furniture, carpeting, and other new products that off-gas toxic chemicals, which can accumulate and cause harm.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>All	of	these	products	can	be	replaced	with	safer,	simpler	items
available	in	health	food	stores;	they	will	be	equally	effective	without	harming
your	health. The	laundry	room	is	another	toxic	site. Detergents,	bleach,	spot	removers	and
fabric	softeners	all	contain	chemicals	that	are	toxic	to	you	and	to	the
environment. Manufacturers	have	lulled	us	into	complacency	with	the	term
“biodegradable	detergents.”	This	fact	has	little	to	do	with	the	eventual	health	and
environmental	impact	of	these	synthetic	chemicals. Biodegradable	means	only
that	at	some	point	the	detergent	will	lose	its	foaming	properties. Purchase
unscented	products. Detergents	can	be	replaced	with	soap-based	products,	while
bleach	can	be	replaced	with	safer	sodium	percarbonate	or	hydrogen	peroxide. Furniture	anywhere	in	the	house,	but	especially	in	bedrooms,	can	present
significant	risks. Today,	furniture	often	is	made	with	toxic	synthetic	materials
(polyester,	polyurethane,	polystyrene	and	polyvinyl	chloride),	which	off-gas
toxic	vapors;	likewise,	some	types	of	furniture	are	made	of	particle-board
(which,	as	already	mentioned,	will	off-gas	formaldehyde)	and	then	covered	with
a	wood	or	plastic	veneer. Alarmingly,	most	children’s	furniture	is	made	with
toxic	par-ticleboard! One	study	showed	that	introducing	particleboard	furniture
into	an	empty	house	tripled	the	formaldehyde	levels	in	the	air. This	problem	can
be	particularly	acute	in	mobile	homes,	where
everything
may	be	made	from
particleboard. Buy	furniture	made	from	natural	materials,	such	as	solid	wood	or
metal	furniture;	if	this	option	is	too	expensive,	consider	used	furniture	made	of
these	materials.Even	the	clothes	you	wear	can	be	toxic. Have	you	ever	gone	into	a	clothing
store	and	noticed	the	chemical-laden	atmosphere? Most	clothes	today	contain	or
are	made	of	toxic	synthetic	fibers	(such	as	nylon,	polyester,	acrylics	and
spandex),	which	will	affect	you	adversely	as	you	wear	them	and	also	contribute
to	toxic	indoor	air. Clothes	are	often	treated	with	dyes,	formaldehyde	finishes
(permanent	press),	and	mothproof


 reduced their intake of meat by merely 10%, 100,000,000 people could be
fed using the land, water and energy that would be freed up from growing livestock feed. [45]
Ten billion people could be sustained from present croplands if all ate a vegetarian diet. [46]
References[1] Lester Brown, et al., Vital Signs 1994, Washington, DC : Worldwatch Institute, 1994, pg. 32. [2] Robert Repetto “Renewable Resources and Population Growth, ” Population and
Environment 10:4, Summer 1989) pg. 228-29 cited in Rifkin, Beyond Beef (New York: Dutton Press, 1992. [3] Myra Klockenbrink, “The New Range War Has the Desert as Foe, ” New York Times, Aug.
20, 1991, pg. C4. [4] Ibid., pg. 3. [5] Ibid., pg. 3. [6] U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Statistics. 1989; p. 390, table 554, “Crops: 219
FruiticultureArea, Yield, Production and Value, United States, 1986-99”, Washington, DC: GPO, 1989. [7] Ibid. [8] Tom Aldridge and Herb Schlubach, “Water Requirements for Food Production, ” Soil
and Water, no. 38, Fall 1978), University of California Cooperative Extension, 13017; Paul and Anne Ehrlich, Population, Resources, Environment, San Francisco: Freemna, 1972, pg. 75-76. [9] Ibid., pg. 13-17. [10] Georg Borgstrom, presentation to the Annual Meeting of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science, 1981, cited in John Robbins, Diet for a New America
(Walpole, NH: Stillpoint, 1987), pg. 367. [11] Losos, et al., The Living Landscape, Washington, DC: Wilderness Society and
Environmental Defense Fund, 1993), pg. 20. [12] Ibid, pg. 10. [13] Norman Myers, The Primary Source: Tropical Forests and Our Future, 1992, cited in
Brown et al. as per note 7. [14] Lewis Scott, The Rainforest Book, Venice, CA: The Living Planet Press, 1990). [15] Alan During and Holly Brough, Taking Stock, Worldwatch Paper #103, Washington,
DC: Worldwatch Institute, 1991, pg. 25. [16] Jim Mason, “Fowling the Waters, ” E Magazine, Sep/Oct 1995, pg. 33. [17] EPA workgroup report 1994, cited in Jim Mason, note 15. [18] Natural Resources Defense Council and International Alliance for Sustainable
Agriculture, Hog Wash: Factory Farm Giveaways in Clean Water Act Proposals, July 1995. [19] Ibid. [20] San Jose Mercury News, Sept. 6, 1994. [21] Pimental, et al., Handbook of Pest Management in Agriculture, 2nd ed., Boca Raton, FL:
CRC Press, 1990. [22] David Pimental, Cornell University, as quoted by Lisa Y. Lefferts and Roger Blobaum, 220
Fruiticulture“Eating as if the Earth Mattered, ” E Magazine, Jan/Feb 1992, pg. 32. [23] Ibid. [24] Environmental Working Group and Physicians for Social Responsibility, “Tap Water
Blues, ” Oct. 1994. [25] Lewis Regenstein, How to Survive in America the Poisoned (Herndon, VA: Acropolis
Books, 1982), pg. 173. [26] EPA study cited in USA Today, Sept. 13, 1994. [27] Rachel’s Environment and Health Weekly, #450, July 13, 1995. [28] Ibid. [29] “A Brief Review of Selected Environmental Contamination Incidents with a
Potential for Health Effects, ” prepared by the Library of Congress for the Committee on Environment and Public Works, U.S. Senate, Aug., 1980, pg. 173-174. [30] Carl Safina, “The World’s Imperiled Fish, ” Scientific American, Nov. 1995. [31] Lester Brown and Gary Gardner, State of the World 1996,W.W. Norton & Company,
New York, 1996 pg. 93
[32] Frances Moore Lappe, Diet for a Small Planet, 10th Anniversary edition, New York:
Ballantine Books, 1982, pg. 69. [33] Brown, Lenssen and Kane, Vital Signs 1995, Worldwatch Institute, 1995, pg. 137. [34] USDA, Economic Research Service, “World Agricultural Supply and Demand
Estimates, WASD-256, ” July 11, 1991, tables 256,-7, -16, -19, -23. [35] USDA, Agricultural Statistics 1989; pg. 31, table 40, “Corn: Supply and Disappearance
US, 1974-1988. ”
[36] USDA, Economic Research Service, “World Agricultural Supply and Demand
Estimates, WASD-256, ” July 11, 1991, pg. 17. [37] Amended Petition Requesting the Food and Drug Administration to Halt the
Feeding of Ruminant Animal Protein to Ruminants, The Foundation of Economic Trends, Washington, DC, June 3, 1993.221
Fruiticulture[38] James W. Oltjen, “Potential Sources of Water Contamination from Confined and
Grazing Animal Operations, ” Animal Agriculture: Impacts on Water Quality in California, University of California, Davis, October 1994, pg. 10. [39] Gurney Williams III, “Swearing Off the Miracle, ” Vegetarian Times, Feb., 1994. [40] USDA figures as cited in Frances Moore Lappe, op. cit. note 35, pg. 70. [41] Lester Brown, op. cit, note 1. [42] “Eating into the deficit, ” U.S. News and World Report, March 6, 1995, pg. 73-78. [43] Colin Greer, “Something is Robbing Our Children, ” Parade Magazine, March 5, 1995[44] Patricia Allen, “The Human Face of Sustainable Agriculture, ” Issue Paper No. 4, Nov.
1994, University of California, Santa Cruz, Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. [45] Lester Brown, as quoted by Resenberger, “Curb on U.S. Waste Urged to Help the
World’s Hungry, ” New York Times, 14 Nov. 1974, adjusted using 1988 figures from USDA, Agricultural Statistics 1989, table 74, “High Protein Feeds, ” and table 75, “Feed Concentrates Fed to Livestock and Poultry. ”
[46] Council for Science and Technology, How Much Land Can Ten Billion People Spare for
Nature?, Feb. 1994, pg. 13. The Facts
http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts
Greenhouse GasesAnimal agriculture is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, more than the
combined exhaust from all transportation. [1]
Transportation exhaust is responsible for 13 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. [2]Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 32,000 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO
2)
per year, or 51 percent of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. [3]Methane is 25 to 100 times more destructive than CO
2 on a 20-year time frame. [4]
Methane has a global warming potential 86 times that of CO2 on a 20-year time frame. [5]222
FruiticultureLivestock is responsible for 65 percent of all human-related emissions of nitrous oxide—a green-
house gas with 296 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide, and which stays in the atmosphere for 150 years. [6]
Emissions for agriculture are projected to increase 80 percent by 2050. [7]Energy related emissions are expected to increase 20 percent by 2040.[8]U.S. methane emissions from livestock and natural gas are nearly equal. [9]Cows produce 150 billion gallons of methane per day. [10]Converting to wind and solar power will take 20+ years and roughly 43 trillion dollars. [11]Even without fossil fuels, we will exceed our 565 gigatons CO
2 equivalent limit by 2030, all from
raising animals. [12]Reducing methane emissions would create tangible benefits almost immediately. [13]WaterAnimal agriculture water consumption ranges from 34 to 76 trillion gallons annually. [14]Agriculture is responsible for 80 to 90 percent of U.S. water consumption. [15]Growing feed crops for livestock consumes 56 percent of water in the U.S. [16]Californians use 1,500 gallons of water per person per day. Close to half of that is associated
with meat and dairy products. [17]
Two thousand five hundred gallons of water are needed to produce one pound of beef


Detoxification is just as necessary for the mind as it is
for the body. Yet for detoxification to begin we must first
stop taking toxins into ourselves. For mental well-being,
there must be first a prevention of wrong impressions and
experiences from entering into our consciousness, just as
for physical well-being we must avoid wrong food. The Cycle of Nutrition for the Mind 17^ax
Second, there must be a strong intelligence to digest
impressions properly. We must strive to avoid negative
experiences as much as possible. When we cannot do this,
we must have enough intelligence to digest even disturb-
ing impressions, which are not always avoidable. Elimi-
nating toxins from the consciousness involves stopping
their intake, which requires control of the mind and sens-
es. Then it requires directing the light of intelligence
within to bum up the wrong experiences we have already
absorbed. Just as fasting from food helps detoxify the body, so
fasting from impressions detoxifies the mind. Once the
intake of impressions ceases, consciousness, whose nature
is space, will naturally empty itself out. Its contents will
come up to the level of the intelligence which can then
digest them properly. This requires deep thinking, inquiry
and meditation. When the outer mind and senses are calm
and quiet, our inner thoughts arise. Deep-seated habits
and memories float to the surface. If we leam to observe
and understand them, we can let them go, but this
requires that we are willing to be free from them. Physical Level of Detoxification — Pure Diet
Toxic accumulations of the gross elements, mainly
earth and water, are eliminated from the physical body
through ordinary elimination channels of excretion, urina-
tion and sweating. Special Ayurvedic detoxification mea-
sures help us release excesses of the three Doshas along
with these waste materials. " Fasting is another important
measure, which allows the body to bum up toxins. Special
herbs can help as well. 176 Ayurveda and the Mind
Subtle Level of Detoxification — Pranayama
Negative impressions (the subtle elements) are elimi-
nated mainly through Pranayama or yogic breathing exer-
cises, which create a special type of sweating that releases
excess subtle water and earth elements (taste and odor). Ordinary sweating therapies help in this process, includ-
ing use of sweat lodges, steam baths, saunas and diaphoret-
ic (sweat-inducing) herbs. Sweating therapy is part of
Ayurvedic Pancha Karma therapy, which aids in the purifi-
cation of the subtle as well as the gross body. Fasting from
impressions (Pratyahara) is another helpful method,
which, like fasting from food, allows undigested and toxic
impressions to be released. Crying, a sincere flow of tears
reflecting a real change of heart, is another way that the
mind can be purified of negative emotions. Causal Level of Detoxification — Mantra
The gunas are the core level of matter and are inde-
structible. There is no release of the gunas from conscious-
ness (Chitta) but they can be transformed. Toxic accumu-
lations of the gunas (excess Rajas and Tamas) can be
changed into Sattva. This occurs through mantra or sound
therapy. Sattvic mantras like OM help change the Rajasic
and Tamasic patterns in our deeper consciousness and
make it Sattvic. They change the fabric of the Chitta and
make it receptive to higher influences. Cultivating the Field of Consciousness
Consciousness (Chitta) is a field and like the earth has a
feminine and creative quality. What we put into it, in
terms of our life-experience, is how we cultivate this field. According to how we cultivate it, so things will grow
within it. If our field of consciousness is cultivated with The Cycle of Nutrition for the Mind 111
good food and impressions, then bad habits and impulses
will not have a favorable environment in which to take
root. If we take in bad food and impressions, then even
good thoughts and impulses will have no favorable ground
on which to grow. We can again draw a physical comparison. If we build
up our bodily tissues with wrong food, the tissues them-
selves will be damaged or deficient. Once the structure of
the body is damaged, it becomes difficult to maintain
health. Similarly, consciousness has its substance that is
created through time. If it is wrongly developed, like a
wrongly grown tree, it can require much time and effort to
fix, if it can be fixed at all. Consciousness is also like a deep well. What we take in
through the senses and mind are like the things that we
throw into the well. We do not see the effects of what we
take in because the well is so deep. Yet whatever we throw
into the well of consciousness grows according to its
nature and will eventually impel us to act. Nothing that
we put into our consciousness remains static or has no
effect. Consciousness is fertile and creative. Whatever we
deposit in it has its progeny, which we will have to deal
with for good or ill. We must be very careful in how we feed our minds. The
results will manifest over time, after which it may be too
late to reverse if these are negative. We must constantly
guard our consciousness and what we put into it. We must
treat it like a delicate flower that requires proper soil and
nutrients. We must protect it from wrong influences and
associations as if it were a child. This requires a clear intel-
ligence and a consistent life regimen in harmony with our
nature. Ayurveda and the Mind
Factors of Mental Nutrition
For treating disease, physical or mental, we must con-
sider the following factors of nutrition: 1) Proper food and
drink; 2) Proper air and right breathing; and 3) Proper
impressions. Proper food, drink and air nourishes the
physical body and the Pranas. Proper impressions nourish
the outer mind and senses. Our impressions serve as vehi-
cles for the feelings, emotions, beliefs, values and attitudes
that nourish our intelligence and deeper consciousness. For properly nourishing the mind, Ayurveda employs
certain techniques involving positive impressions, emo-
tions, thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes. The physical side of
mental nutrition or food is dealt with in the chapter on
diet and herbs. The use of the breath is examined in the
chapter on Yoga relative to Pranayama. In the remainder of
this chapter we will examine internal factors that affect the
mind, primarily various types of impressions. Sensory Impressions
The senses are our main gates to the external world,
through which we take in not only sensory but mental and
emotional influences. The proper and balanced use of the
senses makes us healthy and happy. The improper, exces-
sive or deficient use of the senses makes us unhealthy and
disturbed. Our senses are constantly feeding us with
impressions, which determine who we are and what will
we become. 5'
We are constantly bringing in sensory impressions of
all types that must affect us in their different ways. We
spend much of our time taking in special sensory impres-
sions through various forms of recreation and entertain-
ment. However, most of the time we are so engrossed in
the world of the senses, like watching a movie, that we fail The Cycle of Nutrition for the Mind 179
to step back and examine what is happening to us through
our sensory interactions. The intake of impressions is a subtle form of eating in
which certain nutrients are taken in from external objects. This we can easily observe by seeing how our daily impres-
sions reverberate in our minds when we sleep through the
kinds of dreams that they create. For example, if we have
been caught in hectic traffic in a noisy and polluted part of
a large city, our minds will also feel noisy and polluted. On
the other hand, positive impressions, like those gathered
during a hike or walk in the woods, will make the mind
feel expansive and peaceful. However, many people today, including those in the
medical field, do not accept that sensory impressions influ-
ence the mind. This debate is most noticeable in the issue
of television violence, which many people claim does not
make those who watch it more violent. To Ayurveda, this
is like saying the food we eat does not affect our health. Ayurveda states that the impressions we take in affect our
behavior directly. Watching television violence may not
make us overtly violent, but it does not make us non-vio-
lent. And it certainly makes us dull and dependent upon
external stimulation of a distorted nature. The mind is very sensitive to impressions. Our impres-
sions feed our life-force and motivate our actions. Dis-
turbed impressions cause disturbed expressions. Peaceful
impressions cause peaceful expressions. Only if we have a
great deal of inner awareness can we effectively ward off
the negative impressions that we all must contact to some
degree. Impressions are taken in by the outer mind based upon
its receptivity to them. They are judged or digested by the
intelligence and their residue is deposited in the feeling Ayurveda and the Mind
nature or consciousness. There, any residue of wrong
im


 At a gathering I attended on Maui led by Swami
Satchidananda, we discussed the dif ference between illness and wellness. He counseled us to look carefully at how these two words were spelled. “Illness,” he said, “begins with the letter i, and it is the source of all disease. The ego’ s belief in its separation from the perfection of God creates a
nonperfect state called illness. W ellness on the other hand,” he reminded us,
“begins with the letters w and e, indicating a sense of being connected to
God in all of God’ s perfection. ” By staying in the we, rather than the I, you
stay in wellness and avoid illness. As you seek to bring pardon to the presence of injury be aware that the
presence of the injury is an indication of spiritual separation. Don’ t use this
as an opportunity to feel guilty, or weak, but to remind yourself to shift
away from your ego’ s sense of being separate from spirit. The moment that
you use your mind to see yourself as connected to spirit you will find
yourself feeling more loving, accepting, trusting and peaceful. These are the
signals to your body and to the existence of any injury that you are now
willing to be a channel through which the force of healing can flow. See the existence of injury in others as an opportunity for you to take
pardoning action. Rather than feeling repulsed or upset when you view an
injury allow your inner feelings to motivate you to action. What follows is a
true story sent to me by a reader who did precisely what I am suggesting
here. I have made changes only to protect the privacy of those involved. My co-workers and I attended a dinner meeting at a family restaurant
in town. W e were visiting at our table when a waitress asked us if we
wanted anything to drink. I looked up at the waitress, saw a pretty lady
and smiled at her. She smiled back and I about choked. Her teeth
were rotted, half were missing and those that were left were chipped
and bucked outward. She continued to smile and took our order as I
turned away from the awful sight. After she left I made a comment and
so did the others at my table. I felt terrible for her that she has had to
live her life like this. It is not fair, especially in today’ s society when
there is good dental care available. After dinner, I could not stop
thinking about her. I had no idea who she was, knew nothing about her
but I felt a need to help. I’m not sure why I was driven to help her
when we see people in need every day. I went home and meditated and came to the conclusion that I could
help. I was not able to af ford to pay for this myself but I knew of many
organizations that were available in our community that could helppeople like her. In fact, I have served on several boards and even knew
the people to contact. I thought she just did not have the connections. Now, my quandary was how to approach her to tell her I wanted to
help. I did not want to of fend her. I decided to write a letter and if she
responded I would go from there. I delivered the letter in person and
within five minutes I received a phone call from her. To make a long
story short, I promised her I would help her get new teeth at no cost to
her. I thought this was going to be simple. After making phone calls to: United W ay (no programs available
yet), the Community Health Department (no dentist available), the
Donated Dental Services Or ganization (there was a three year wait),
The Area Foundation (no funds were set aside for dental care), Social
Services and government programs (since she works full time she is
disqualified. ); I could not believe it, every door was closed. I called
several dentists and they wanted over $5,000. 00 to do the work. I was
very discouraged but what was really bothering me was that I
promised this lady a new set of teeth. What was I going to do now. I went out to eat with my family (mom, dad, brothers and their
wives) and told them what had happened and asked their advice. They
all wrote checks that evening. I then called my dentist and he of fered
to donate $1500. 00 towards her teeth if I could come up with
$3500. 00. Done. Here is the article that was written about the lady, I
thought you would enjoy reading it. This is a real life example of bringing pardon to the presence of injury, and
having the injury dissolve. There is a saying, “When the student is ready,
the teacher will appear. ” The reverse is also true: “When the teacher is
ready, the students will appear. ” When you are living in spirit as a teacher of
spirit, seeking a spiritual solution to every problem, you will see your
students appear each and every day, and you will be directed to provide
pardon merely by getting out of the way of your ego and allowing spirit to
reign. Immerse yourself in the literatur e of healing rather than that of evil. Read
and listen to stories of miraculous cures, healings, positive ener gy, and the
glory of all that is right with the world. Expose yourself to expressions of
God’ s grace and man’ s potential for spiritual perfection. This will thenbecome your expectation for yourself as a channel of healing. Read the
lives of the saints and how they ef fected monumental change in the lives of
those they encountered, particularly the injured. W atch movies and
television shows which extol the virtues of man rather than the
shortcomings and evil intentions of humanity. Continuously reinforce in
yourself the idea that humanity is good, that the sick can be healed, that the
injured can be pardoned. There are a million acts of kindness for every act
of violence in the world. Do what you can to reinforce this truth. One small example of how this can bring healing came to me in a letter
from a woman in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, who had just read a book that I
had written with my wife, Marcelene. A Promise Is a Pr omise  is a true story
of unmatched unconditional love from Kaye O’Bara, a woman who has
cared for her comatose daughter for over thirty years in a spirit of service
and selfless love unlike any I’ve ever known. Barbara Binkley wrote the
following words to me; they are self-explanatory in the context of this
chapter on sowing pardon in the presence of injury. “I am now reading your book A Promise Is a Pr omise. This is an incredible
book so filled with love and miracles that I noticed after I had read some of
it that the pain in my left elbow that had troubled me daily since November
was gone. God bless Y ou, Barbara J. Binkley. ” What a nice reminder of the
value to be found in reading inspiring stories. Take car e of the sick but be indiffer ent to the illness. Don’ t encourage injury
by providing extra special love and attention for the sickness. This applies
to the treatment of others as well as yourself. A void giving yourself and
others a reason to continue being sick. Don’ t make the occurrence of illness
the only time you give loving attention. Sickness and love can become
associated. When a person, particularly a child, wants love they erroneously
may think becoming sick is the way to get it. Take the view that the sickness itself is not real. It is not of God so
spiritually speaking it is unreal. T reat it just like you would treat any other
illusion, as something that really doesn’ t belong in your consciousness or
the consciousness of the injured. Become indif ferent to the illness itself. Reinforce the idea that the real you is not sick and that illness can disappear
as you realize that you don’ t want or deserve it. I find that people who experience a great deal of injury and illness in their
lives appear to enjoy continuously telling everyone about their maladies. When these people begin to tell me how proud they are of their maladies I
respond with indif ference to the sickness itself. “Y ou don’ t have to live with
this pain,” I suggest. “Y ou are stronger than any disease. ” I do not give the
injury any credibility. I treat my family and myself in this way as well. I
have long noticed that in our family we rarely ever talk about being tired,
not feeling well, or feeling something “coming on. ” My wife and I have just
naturally sent our children messages that they are more powerful than any
disease process. In other words we want our love to be more associated
with health, strength, and spiritual consciousness, than with being sick,
tired, or injured. When you stop reinforcing injury with love, and use your
love to reinforce pardoning, healing often replaces sickness quite quickly. Practice dir ecting healing ener gy. One way of sowing pardon in the
presence of injury is to view yourself as a disseminator of higher healing
energy. Consciously notice your breath and get some sense of your essential
self as pure awareness and ener gy expressed through your body/mind. Visualize placing this awareness in your heart and breathing gently into that
heart awareness. Then, see a gently flowing, loving stream of ener gy from
your heart to


 become nothing more than a
walking encyclopedia of disease and the worst part about the entire situation was
that no matter how many failed drug therapies I tried, any visit to the doctor's
office only resulted in another discouraging failure. Another  big  problem  was  the  drug  side  effects  -I  felt  like  a  ping-pong  ball,
bouncing  from  one  drug  to  another  as  my  doctors  kept  prescribing  more  and
different drugs to counteract the side effects of the ones I was already taking. By the time I turned 30, the natural health movement was really picking up speed,
and, desperate for any solution, I tried out the Adelle Davis nutrition regimen,
7mega-vitamin therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic care and every herbal preparation
and drug-free natural health therapy that I could find. Within  two  years,  my  chronic  cystitis  cleared  up  and  the  menstrual  pain  and
bleeding markedly decreased. The ulcerative colitis also responded and the sinus
infections disappeared. I felt that I was slowly and surely regaining strength and
health and even beginning to experience a portion of the energy and vigor that
'normal' healthy people enjoy - and all without drugs. When I conceived my son at
34 and made it through the first trimester without miscarrying I felt as though I'd
conquered the final health frontier. Unfortunately,  in  my  burst  of  enthusiasm,  I  underestimated  the  impact  of
pregnancy on my understandably frail health, and the birth that I had so carefully
prepared for was a near fatal disaster requiring emergency surgery. And as it turned out, even despite all the illness and pain I'd gone through in the
years before the birth, all of it seemed like child's-play after I ran head on into the
serious complications of a difficult childbirth. For months after the birth, I hounded my gynecologist, complaining of unremitting
and severe abdominal cramps, cystitis and horribly painful menstrual periods. My
natural  health  treatments would  give  temporary  relief,  but  mystifyingly,  didn't
seem to have the same beneficial and lasting effects that they'd had before my
pregnancy. I underwent every conceivable medical test, all of which came back negative, but
the problems just didn't go away My doctor flinched every time I walked in the
door and then sent me back out again with increasingly severe assurances that the
pain was "unwarranted" and probably all in my head. After alienating every doctor in town with my complaints, I finally gave up and
decided to'suffer in silence' until one hot summer day almost twenty-four months
after the birth, I suddenly fell, screaming with pain, on my living room floor in
front of my terrified two year old. I literally had to crawl to the phone to call my
husband. When he carried me, screeching, into my OB's office, the doctor clicked
his tongue disapprovingly. "Now it can't be that bad, dear, we just checked you out
a few months ago", he cajoled. 8He gave me Codeine and sent me home - 48 hours later I was in  the operating
room having emergency surgery for multiple ruptured ovarian tumors. A couple of days after the procedure, my doctor sauntered into my hospital room
with a conciliatory grin on his face. "Gee", he drawled apologetically, "We had no
idea anything like this was going to happen. Your ovary looked horrible - engorged
to the size of a grapefruit. No wonder you were hurting. Sorry you had to go so
long without help but, you know, the tests just never turned up anything. And oh,
by the way, the pathologist found a little endometriosis in your right ovary." Endometriosis is an incurable women's disease in which uterine tissue for some
unknown reason detaches itself from the uterus, moves to other locations in the
body, and attaches itself to other organs or body tissue. This misplaced uterine
tissue  spontaneously  bleeds  in response  to  hormonal  changes,  causing  internal
bleeding, scarring and often excruciating pain that can destroy the woman's ability
to live and function normally. This disease is not uncommon among women, but it
is incurable, at least by conventional medical standards. My "little" endometriosis turned into the monster that ate Tokyo - three months
after my doctor had "successfully" operated, I was sitting in the ultrasound room at
the hospital again, watching as several new endometrial tumors appeared on the
monitor  screen,  accompanied  by  the  usual  excruciating  pelvic  pain,  internal
bleeding, constipation, hemorrhagic cystitis and acute exhaustion. After the ultrasound, I decided to contact a doctor who was recommended to me as
an expert on endometriosis. He told me that he felt that my health problems had
originally stemmed from undiagnosed severe endometriosis and an underactive
thyroid which had probably been present since adolescence. He recommended an
immediate  hysterectomy,  which  I  underwent. The  day  after  the  operation,  the
doctor visited  me  arid  compassionately  whispered  that I would  "never  have a
problem with endometriosis again". But he was wrong. Twenty months later, I had more tumors and another operation. Three months after
that, the pain, tumors and internal bleeding reappeared again and I was scheduled
for what would by now have been my sixth surgical procedure in five years, which
I refused to undergo. 9Desperate and seriously debilitated, I flew to Mexico where I spent $15,000 on an
intensive course of intravenous mega-vitamin and livecell therapy at one of the
alternative cancer clinics which had offered some hope for my case. For weeks,
doctors poured nutrients and natural medicines into my veins and mouth. I watched
as many of the cancer patients around me seemed to get better and better with the
treatments. And I did too - for about two months. I spent my fortieth birthday hopelessly sick and in bed which was where I stayed
that entire year. The drugs, operations and Mexican treatments had completely
failed,  and  my  usual  herbs  and  homeopathic  remedies,  although  they  gave
temporary relief, seemed almost useless against the disease. And by now, even
though I had health insurance, my husband and I had spent over $100,000 of our
own money, and still, I couldn't even get out of bed. I had one last surgery which removed another large bleeding tumor. When I got
home  from  the  hospital,  I  weighed  89  pounds  and  developed  a  post-surgical
infection which required several courses of antibiotics. After taking the antibiotics,
I developed an extremely severe case of candida (yeast infection). My hands and
arms became covered with a horribly itchy fungal infection that nothing could
relieve or cure, and I remained generally exhausted, bedridden, and in intense pain. Because of the surgeries, I was also experiencing early and severe menopausal
symptoms – hot-flashes, mood swings, water retention and depression. But because
endometriosis is exacerbated by estrogen, my doctor recommended that I refrain
from taking estrogen supplements which she said would have relieved the severe
and very unpleasant symptoms. Several  months  after  the  surgery,  the  all-too-familiar  endometrial  symptoms
returned. My  doctor  assured  me  that  all  was  well,  but  when  I  asked  for  and
received my surgical records from the hospital, I found that she had written that
"all attempts to remove endometriosis will be done, but complete surgical care can
rarely be guaranteed; the patient may require further therapy for endometriosis,
medically or surgically" For my exhausted and bewildered husband and myself,
this prognosis seemed like an insurmountable and final defeat. I had one more heart to heart talk with a gynecologist who told me, "given the
severity of your case, the reality is that you could be facing a lifetime of corrective
10surgery". Given the state of my health at the time, I couldn't envision that 'lifetime'
meant anything more for me than a few additional years of mind-numbing pain and
misery before my body finally gave out. After nearly a lifetime of illness, these last episodes in my late thirties and early
forties seemed like the final blow, and in all honesty I felt that there was no way
out and no hope in sight. No matter how many times I'd been assured by my
doctors  that  drugs  and  surgery  would  cure  the  endometriosis  and  my  other
disorders and make it possible for me to live a normal life, the doctors had been
proven wrong. A few weeks later, when I heard that one of my friends from the cáncer clinic had
died in his sleep, I felt sad for his family, but happy for him, because he was finally
free of his pain and suffering. In many ways, I felt that he was the lucky one and I
almost wished that the same thing would happen


I N T R O D U C T I O N
While in contemplation one day, the mind said:
“What in the world is wrong with us?”
“Why doesn’ t happiness stay put?”
“Where are the answers?”
“How do we address the human dilemma?”
“Have I gone nuts or has the world gone crazy?”
The solution to any problem seems to bring only brief relief, for it is
the very basis of the next problem. “Is the human mind a hopeless squirrel cage?”
“Is everybody confused?”
“Does God know what He’ s doing?”
“Is God dead?”
The mind just kept chattering along:
“Does anybody have the secret?”
Don’ t worry—everybody’ s desperate. Some seem cool about it. “I can’ t
see what all the fuss is about,” they say. “Life seems simple to me.” They
are so scared they can’ t even look at it!How about the experts? Their confusion is more sophisticated, wrapped
in impressive jar gon and elaborate mental construction. They have
predetermined belief systems into which they try to squeeze you. It seems
to work for a while and, then, it is just back to one’ s original state again. It used to be that we could count on social institutions, but they have
had their day; nobody trusts them any more. W e now have more watchdogs
than institutions. The hospitals are monitored by multiple agencies. Nobody
has time for the patients, who get lost in the shuf fle. Look down the
corridors. There are no doctors or nurses. They are in the of fices doing
paperwork. The whole scene is dehumanized. “W ell,” you say, “there have to be some experts who have the
answers.” When upset, you go to a doctor or psychiatrist, an analyst, a
social worker, or an astrologer. Y ou take up religion, get philosophy, take
the Erhard Seminars T raining (est), tap yourself with EFT. Y ou get your
chakras balanced, try some reflexology, go for ear acupuncture, do
iridology, get healed with lights and crystals. Y ou meditate, chant a mantra, drink green tea, try the Pentecostals,
breathe in fire, and speak in tongues. Y ou get centered, learn NLP, try
actualizations, work on visualizations, study psychology, join a Jungian
group. Y ou get Rolfed, try psychedelics, get a psychic reading, jog,
jazzercise, have colonics, get into nutrition and aerobics, hang upside down,
wear psychic jewelry. Get more insight, bio-feedback, Gestalt therapy. Y ou see your homeopath, chiropractor, naturopath. Y ou try kinesiology,
discover your Enneagram type, get your meridians balanced, join a
consciousness-raising group, take tranquilizers. Y ou get some hormone
shots, try cell salts, have your minerals balanced, pray, implore, and
beseech. Y ou learn astral projection. Become a vegetarian. Eat only
cabbage. T ry macrobiotics, go or ganic, eat no GMO. Meet up with Native
American medicine men, do a sweat lodge. T ry Chinese herbs,
moxicombustion, shiatsu, acupressure, feng shui. Y ou go to India. Find a
new guru. T ake of f your clothes. Swim in the Ganges. Stare at the sun. Shave your head. Eat with your fingers, get really messy, shower in cold
water. Sing tribal chants. Relive past lives. T ry hypnotic regression. Scream a
primal scream. Punch pillows. Get Feldenkraised. Join a marriage
encounter group. Go to Unity. W rite af firmations. Make a vision board. Get
re-birthed. Cast the I Ching. Do the T arot cards. Study Zen. T ake morecourses and workshops. Read lots of books. Do transactional analysis. Get
yoga lessons. Get into the occult. Study magic. W ork with a kahuna. T ake a
shamanic journey. Sit under a pyramid. Read Nostradamus. Prepare for the
worst. Go on a retreat. T ry fasting. T ake amino acids. Get a negative ion
generator. Join a mystery school. Learn a secret handshake. T ry toning. T ry
color therapy. T ry subliminal tapes. T ake brain enzymes, antidepressants,
flower remedies. Go to health spas. Cook with exotic ingredients. Look into
strange fermented oddities from faraway places. Go to T ibet. Hunt up holy
men. Hold hands in a circle and get high. Renounce sex and going to the
movies. W ear some yellow robes. Join a cult. T ry the endless varieties of psychotherapy. T ake wonder drugs. Subscribe to lots of journals. T ry the Pritikin diet. Eat just grapefruit. Get
your palm read. Think New Age thought. Improve the ecology. Save the
planet. Get an aura reading. Carry a crystal. Get a Hindu sidereal
astrological interpretation. V isit a transmedium. Go for sex therapy. T ry
T antric sex. Get blessed by Baba Somebody. Join an anonymous group. T ravel to Lourdes. Soak in the hot springs. Join Arica. W ear therapeutic
sandals. Get grounded. Get more prana and breathe out that stale black
negativity. T ry golden needle acupuncture. Check out snake gallbladders. T ry chakra breathing. Get your aura cleaned. Meditate in Cheops, the great
pyramid in Egypt. Y ou and your friends have tried all of the above, you say? Oh, the
human! Y ou wonderful creature! T ragic, comic and yet so noble! Such
courage to keep on searching! What drives us to keep looking for an
answer? Suf fering? Oh, yes. Hope? Certainly. But there is something more
than that. Intuitively, we know that somewhere there is an ultimate answer. W e
stumble down dark byways into cul-de-sacs and blind alleys; we get
exploited and taken, disillusioned, fed up, and we keep on trying. Where is our blind spot? Why can’ t we find the answer? W e don’ t understand the problem; that’ s why we can’ t find the
answer. Maybe it’ s ultra simple, and that’ s why we can’ t see it. Maybe the solution is not “out there,” and that’ s why we can’ t find
it.Maybe we have so many belief systems that we are blinded to the
obvious. Throughout history, a few individuals have reached great clarity and
have experienced the ultimate solution to our human woes. How did they
get there? What was their secret? Why can’ t we understand what they had
to teach? Is it really next to impossible or nearly hopeless? What about the
average person who is not a spiritual genius? Multitudes follow spiritual pathways, but scarce are the ones who
finally succeed and realize the ultimate truth. Why is that? W e follow ritual
and dogma and zealously practice spiritual discipline—and we crash once
again! Even when it works, the ego quickly comes in and we are caught in
pride and smugness, thinking we have the answers. Oh, Lord, save us from
the ones who have the answers! Save us from the righteous! Save us from
the do-gooders! Confusion is our salvation. For the confused, there is still hope. Hang
on to your confusion. In the end it is your best friend, your best defense
against the deathliness of others’ answers, against being raped by their
ideas. If you are confused, you are still free. If you are confused, this book
is for you. What’ s in the book? It tells of a simple method to reach great clarity
and transcend your problems along the way. It’ s not by finding the answers,
but by undoing the basis of the problem. The state reached by the great
sages of history is available; the solutions are within us and easy to find. The mechanism of surrender is simple and the truth is self-evident. It works
during daily life. There is no dogma or belief system. Y ou verify everything
for yourself, so you cannot be misled. There is no dependence on any
teachings. It follows the dicta of “Know thyself”; “The truth shall set you
free”; and “The kingdom of God is within you.” It works for the cynic, the
pragmatist, the religionist, and the atheist. It works for any age or cultural
background. It works for the spiritual person and the non-spiritual person
alike. Because the mechanism is your own, nobody can take it away from
you. Y ou are safe from disillusionment. Y ou will find out for yourself what
is real and what are just the mind’ s programs and belief systems. While all
of this is going on, you will become healthier, more successful with less
ef fort, happier, and more capable of real love. Y our friends will notice adif ference; the changes are permanent. Y ou aren’ t going to go for a “high”
and crash later. Y ou will discover there is an automatic teacher within
yourself. Eventually you will discover your inner Self


, then frees from obstruction and
ft·nally rebuilds the vital organs and passages after
they have been wasted by the ravages of disease. An Introduction to Urine Therapy 9 In fact it rebuilds not only the lungs, pancreas, liver,
brain, heart, etc., but also repairs the linings of
brain and bowel and other linings, as has been
demonstrated in the case of many 'killing' diseases,
such as consumption of the intestines and the worst
form of colitis. In fine, it accomplishes what fasting
merely on water or fruit juices (as some naturopaths
advocate) can never achieve." (From: The Water of Life, J.W Armstrong, Health
Science Press, London 1971, p. 26)
Armstrong uses natural metaphors in order to il
lustrate the effects of urine therapy. Nature knows
how to take care of herself; there is much to learn
from her. In order to remain in balance, she makes
use of an economically and ecologically perfect sys
tem called recycling, in which nothing is wasted. For example, leaves fall from the trees in autumn. The leaves decay, and the remains slowly sink into
the earth. The tree feeds on these same substances
the next season. If we let the fallen leaves remain
on the ground instead of raking them away, the
trees yield a larger and better crop the next season. The cycle of water is another example. The sun
evaporates water, and this consequently forms
clouds. Some time later the clouds release water,
usually in the form of rain or snow. Back on the
ground, water cleanses the earth and serves as a
nutrient, until it returns to a reservoir and is evapo
rated again. Similar cycles also exist within ourselves. Our
blood has its own cycle; the heart pumps it through
the body. The most important function of blood is
to transport oxygen and nutrients to every cell in
10 Getting the Taste the body, and it passes through the liver and kid
neys on its way. One of the liver's most important functions
is detoxification of the blood. The liver removes
A natural cycle: trees grow best when they feed on their own
fallen leaves. poisonous substances from the blood and either
stores them or secretes them into the gall-bladder. In the latter case, the poisonous substances end up
as bile in the intestinal canal. They then leave the
body in the form of defecation. After the blood is
detoxified by the liver, it flows to the kidneys. This
is, of course, a simplified explanation. The kidneys' most important function consists
of balancing out all elements in the blood. They
remove all superfluous vital substances from the
blood, and filter out a surplus of water. This water
and the vital substances consequently form urine. For example, at any given moment, the body can
absorb only a certain amount of vitamin C. Any
surplus vitamin C in the bloodstream is at that
moment unusable and consumes energy; after all,
it has to be transported. This is why the body
removes the surplus of vitamin C through the
kidneys. A second example: In order to activate an enz
yme, a second co-enzyme is necessary. This co-en
zyme is usually a mineral or vitamin brought into
the body with our food. The co-enzyme activates
and transpcJrts the enzymes to the proper location
in the body. Even if our body produces more than
enough enzymes, it cannot function optimally if
our food does not contain enough nutrients, and
thus co-enzymes. In order to save energy and bring
the blood into balance, the kidneys remove unused
enzymes from the blood. The same goes for hor
mones, minerals and other substances. It is clear that
urine is full of vital elements, which can hardly be
called waste products. The harmful waste products which nonethe-less can be found in urine are often the result of
unhealthy eating and drinking habits. This includes
consuming products which contain chemica·! additives and radiation, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine
or indigestible fats. As previously mentioned, it
toilet re·use through
massage
A schematic and simplified representation of the excretion
system of the human body: liver, lungs and skin excrete the
toxic substances from the body; the kidneys filter superfluous
substances from the blood. In this way the kidneys guarantee
an optimal equilibrium of the elements the blood is composed
of Taking these substances into the body again, e.g. by
drinking urine or massaging it into the skin, creates the pos
sibility to use them once again. In this way we just make use
of a natural cycle, offered to us by our own bodies. An Introduction to Urine Therapy 11 is therefore advisable to follow a healthy and
non-toxic diet while applying urine therapy. If you
do so, your urine will also remain healthy and non
toxic. After all, no substance which has not earlier
been consumed will appear in the urine. This does
not mean that consuming toxic products excludes
the use of urine therapy, but it may make it less
effective. If a pathological process is in progress, the body
may produce poisonous substances. If these sub
stances, or part of these, end up in the urine, drink
ing urine can have a homoeopathic or isopathic
effect. These substances are not foreign to the body,
and can fulfil an important role in restoring the
natural balance. This usually concerns relatively
small amounts, unless the kidneys, bladder or uri
nary passages are inflamed, in which case some cau
tion is required. In those cases urine therapy can be
applied by placing a few drops of urine on or under·
the tongue or by means of a homoeopathic dilu
tion. You can read all about the practical applica
tions of urine therapy- possibilities and limitations
-in Chapter 4 of this book. To repeat, the liver detoxifies the blood and se
cretes the waste products in the intestinal canal. The kidneys, as mentioned above, keep the vital
substances and the water level in balance. So urine is actually filtered blood. When fresh, it
merely contains substances and elements found in
the bloodstream. Substances which at one point
were an integral part of your blood, and therefore
of yourself, shortly thereafter become your urine. So, actually, you are ingesting nothing more or less
than yourself. 12 Getting the Taste 2. THE WATER OF LIFE:
The History of Urine Therapy in the West
2.1 The Use of Urine in Ancient
Europe
Urine therapy is the most primitive, original and
simple form of homoeopathy or isopathy. Although
this natural healing method is still widely used in
India, urine therapy is not only an Eastern tradi
tion. In fact the use of urine as medicine in one
form or another can be found in many medical tradi-
1 tioris of people or tribes which are still in close con
tact with nature. I recently heard a story from a
native North American who told that he ha:; used
urine therapy his whole life in order to purify his
body and soul periodically. He had learned this from
his parents and grandparents. Gypsies and Eskimos
still use urine as medicine. Eskimo women often
use urine as shampoo; it gives hair extra body and a
beautiful shine. Also many people in the modern Western world
of Europe and America are familiar with the use of
urine in treating warts, chillblained hands and feet,
and as a disinfectant for minor wounds. The use of urine is thus also rooted in the European
tradition. Doctors in ancient Greece reportedly used urine for healing wounds. In book 28 of his Natura/is
Historia ('Natural History'), the Roman author C.
Plinius Secundus discusses the medicinal use of
urine in the treatment of wounds, dog and snake
bites, skin diseases, eye infections, burns and scars. Although only a few sources in Western history can
be found which discuss the use of urine as medi
cine, a number of sources describe other possible
applications of urine. A number of examples are
discussed below. Urine was used in ancient Rome for washing and
dying textiles. Urine was centrally collected by so
called laundries, as it is an excellent detergent and
cleanser. Large stone jugs for collecting urine were
placed on street corners. Urine was so important
during the time of the Roman Empire that, accord
ing to the author Suetonius, Emperor Vespasian lev
ied taxes on every drop collected in public toilets
and the urine-jars. Urine was therefore a commod
ity, and the emperor Vespasian wanted to get his
share of this lucrative business. The 'urine-traders'
thought the urine tax was unf<>ir: the work they
performed was oppressive because the old urine
stank so badly. Vespasian was not interested in their
objections. //Money does not stink" (pecunia non olet)
was his answer to their complaints, and is the
The History of Urine Therapy in the West 13 origin of this well-known expression. Even today ·
in Paris, a public urinal is known as


 are being
prepared to be born into the same environmental conditions that surround
her—giving the infant a better chance of survival. That being said, is any parent ever truly “ready”? Yes and no. Ayurveda teaches us that we can prepare with as much attention and
intention as possible—but we cannot control the outcomes. Some of you
who are reading this may have been trying to conceive for months or years
already and are feeling more ready than you’ll ever be! Others may be
reading this after finding yourselves unexpectedly pregnant. You may be
excited or resentful (or perhaps teetering between the two! ), feeling that
you’re not ready, your career isn’ t ready, your relationship isn’ t ready. Perhaps you don’ t have a partner to parent with. It could be that you’ve
wanted to become pregnant for some time, yet now that it has happened
you’re grieving the life you’ll be leaving behind. Ayurvedic tradition says
that the soul of your baby comes when it is time, ready or not. This arrival
time is exactly what you need, no matter your situation—you are exactly
the parent that your little one needs, for the evolution of both of your souls’
journeys. Your life—who you are now and everything  about you—is what
your little one needs to experience. What we can do as conscious mamas is
to continue to refine. It is a journey that doesn’ t end, and I hope this book
guides you into becoming more of who you r eally  are, more healed and
more whole, so that you may hold the loving space for your little one to
blossom into their wholeness.Note:  My intention in this book is to be authentic to the ancient tradition
of Ayurveda, and I also hope to share the Ayurvedic approach to conception,
pregnancy, birth, and postpartum health in a way that feels relevant to
readers in our present day. To that end, I strongly encourage everyone who
picks up this book to read themselves into the teachings and practices of
Ayurveda in whatever way best reflects their own experience. I’ve
embraced the word mama  for my own experience, and it’ s a term I have
used in this book as a way of labeling the deeply binding and intimate role
we embark upon when bringing a tender new life into the world. Please
don’t hesitate to substitute whatever loving words and appropriate terms are
a fit for yourself and your own family. Years before conceiving my first baby, I began diving into Ayurveda’ s
teachings about preparing for pregnancy. I learned that there were dietary
and lifestyle recommendations, cleansing and nourishing routines, mantras
for conception, and even details of how to decorate the room. Love is in the
details, and I felt in my heart that the most beautiful way to invite a soul
into my womb would be to pay attention to all the details that have been
passed down for thousands of years through the traditions of yoga and
Ayurveda. While pregnant in 2019, I read every book that of fered a holistic
approach to pregnancy that I could get my hands on. As a first-time mama,
being pregnant and birthing a baby was the greatest mystery, the greatest
adventure I had ever embarked upon! I wanted to feel as prepared as
possible, as I felt that my preparedness would allow me to trust in the
process much more deeply. I was surprised to find that although many books talk about pregnancy,
and some books talk about building physical and mental health postpartum,
no books shared wisdom about preparing my mind and body, or guidance
about deeply connecting to my spiritual nature, before becoming pregnant.Many books touched on Ayurveda, but none of them overviewed the
entirety of Vedic science from preconception to the weeks postpartum. With my background and deep faith in Ayurveda’ s holistic approach to
health, I wanted more guidance from its ancient (and thus time-tested)
perspective. So I reached out to all the teachers I knew, researched online
and in books, and then put into practice everything that I learned. My
pregnancy was one of the most beautiful and nourishing times of my life! I
felt vibrant, like a shining temple that was housing the most special little
soul. I shared my experiences online throughout my pregnancy as well as
during my postpartum window. I wrote about the dif ferent lifestyle
practices I was applying to invite balance; I talked about the dif ferent herbs
I used to stay nourished; I of fered details about why a newly birthed mama
stays home for the first forty-two days with her little one. I was surprised by
the incredible interest and by the number of mamas who wrote to me
saying, “I wish I knew all these things when I was pregnant!” Hearing the
response of so many mamas moved me to make this wisdom more widely
accessible. All mamas should feel deeply cared for so that they in turn can
care for their little ones in such profound ways. My hope for this book is that it gives parents-to-be the tools to create
the ideal environment (internally and externally) to invite a soul into. I hope
that it may inspire even one family to nourish their little one with deeper
intention, and thus greater love. I pray it gives couples the tools to feel
empowered in their lifestyle choices throughout the childbearing year,
supporting the health and well-being of themselves and their babe. The
book of fers Ayurvedic wisdom about how to care for a mama postpartum,
so that she may grow, heal, and deepen in ways that she never knew
possible, along with guidance for the newborn mama about how to parent
with more awareness and how to use practical and natural solutions to
correct common newborn imbalances. I’d like to of fer my greatest appreciation to my mom and dad, who have
offered such a beautiful example of intention and love in their parenting. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all the helpful mamas and mamas-to-bewho generously read dif ferent drafts of this book and of fered abundant
encouragement and helpful feedback. To Krsna Jivani, whose deep passion
about caring for mamas moved her to help me complete this book, I extend
thanks for her countless hours of editing, formatting, writing, meeting, and
cooking. You will find a beautiful short essay toward the end of chapter 6
with her wisdom regarding the postpartum window, as well as other bits of
her knowledge throughout the book. Thank you, Radhi Devlukia-Shetty,
whose encouragement while I was pregnant inspired me to start writing,
and who lovingly wrote the foreword that makes this book feel complete. And last, my appreciation to all of you reading. Thank you for wanting to
live and love with more intention. For wanting to nourish your little babes
in ways that will invite them to care more deeply for this world and all
beings that live here. The world needs more little ones who are raised like that…who are
loved like that. With love and deep gratitude,
Dhyana Masla
OceanofPDF.comTNote to the Reader
his is for all mamas. To the independent mamas, the single mamas, the mamas with
partners who are not involved, or maybe only partly involved. To the
surrogate mamas, to the mamas who conceived through methods such as
using a sperm donor or with their partners through in-vitro fertilization. To
the same-sex and queer mamas and the mamas whose support systems may
not include an opposite-sex partner but include parents, siblings,
community members, friends, children, doulas, and caregivers. This is for
you. This book is for all mamas, no matter what your life may look like, no
matter what your relationship may look like, no matter what your family
may look like, no matter the country you live in or the resources you have
or the color of your skin or the religion you follow. This is for you. You do not have to have the “perfect” situation in order to implement
conscious parenting, or conscious mothering. You do not have to implement
all or nothing. Take the pieces of knowledge in this book and apply what
resonates with you, what fits with your life, and what feels right. Use this
book as a starting point to dive into your own heart and find the place
within you that is full of deep meaning and intention, so that you can
approach your motherhood from that place, whatever that may look like for
you. You can do this with or without a partner, you can do this with a
support system of your own making, with whomever it is that you love and
cherish. You can do this on your own. The intention to mother with
awareness comes from your heart and your heart only. While Ayurveda
teaches certain rituals, routines, and recipes to promote health and wellness
throughout pregnancy and birth, you don’ t need permission from anyone
else, and you don’ t need a certain environment to look a certain way. Theknowledge and guidelines provided in this book are meant to inspire you to
connect more deeply to yourself. As mamas and pregnant mamas, we can get so wrapped up in wanting
everything to be perfect that we become extra hard on ourselves when
things don’ t work out the way we want them to or when our situations turn
out dif ferent from what we had envisioned. Even in those moments,
everything you learn in this


 suggest below are all
from doTERRA  and can be ordered through the link provided in the
resources section of this book. APPROACHES FOR USING OILS
For acute conditions, essential oils can be used every twenty minutes until
symptoms subside, then used every two to six hours as needed. For ongoing
conditions, use two times per day as preventive medicine, typically in the
morning and the evening. You can access the healing properties of essential oils three main ways:
aromatically, topically, and internally. When essential oils are used
ar omatically, they are inhaled, absorbed through the respiratory tract and
lungs, and then circulated through your bloodstream. Aromatic oils can be
used in a scent dif fuser, or you can inhale the scent from your cupped hands
or directly from the oil bottle. Your nose is the most direct route to your
brain, which makes the aromatic use of oils one of the fastest ways to alter
your mood. The scent travels from your olfactory nerve to your limbic
system, and once in the limbic system it triggers a response in your brain
based on memories and experiences, of fering immediate benefits that can
be uplifting, renewing, soothing, calming, or ener gizing. To use oils topically, you put the oils directly on your skin or diluted in
a carrier oil; the oil gets absorbed into your bloodstream and circulates
around your entire body within minutes. ( Note:  There are some “hot” oils—
such as oregano, cassia, clove, thyme, and cinnamon—that you should
never apply directly onto your skin without a carrier oil. ) The tissues and
the or gans then absorb what they need, whether it is the plant medicine or
the ener getic quality of the plant, such as “calm” or “ener gize. ” When using
essential oils for your little one, always dilute 1 drop of oil per 1 tablespoon
of a carrier oil such as olive, sweet almond, sesame, or coconut oils. You can apply oil topically to any area of pain or concern (dilute as
needed), or apply more generally under the nose, at the back of neck, to
forehead, or to wrists. To affect the entire body, apply oil to the bottoms of
feet, spine, or navel. Add a warm compress or massage into tissues to drive
the oils deeper, if you wish. You can also add 6–8 drops of essential oils to
bath salts before adding them to your bath. Pure essential oils can also be taken internally : remember that oils are
what give plants and fruits much of their flavor. Because our bodies are
already designed to metabolize and process plants and fruits, we are
consequently equipped to metabolize essential oils (when taken in
appropriate doses), which have higher concentrations of the natural
compounds. When taken internally, the oils are absorbed into systemic
circulation via the digestive tract. As lipid-soluble compounds, essential oils
can easily be transported to all the body’ s organs, even the brain. Note:  Not
all essential oils are safe for internal use, and I only advocate the use of
doTERRA ’s essential oils internally. To use an oil internally, put a drop under your tongue, hold for a few
seconds, and then swallow. You can also dilute a drop of oil by adding it to
a teaspoon of honey, and then adding that to warm water. To send the oil
directly to your digestive system, put a drop of oil in an empty veggie
capsule and swallow. MAMA MUST-HAVES
The next few pages provide an outline of the oils that I would personally
suggest to have on hand for common conditions that a pregnant, birthing,
and postpartum mama might experience, as well as essential oil solutions
for your babe. PREGNANCY
Copaiba. Take 1 drop under the tongue morning and evening for
headaches and nervous system support. doTERRA  DigestZen blend. Take 1 drop internally when needed to
relieve nausea and morning sickness, as well as indigestion. Lemon. Use aromatically to help with nausea and for its energizing
and uplifting ef fect. Frankincense. Take internally to tone and strengthen the uterus,
and for its emotional ef fect of calming the nervous system (helpingus to “be here now”). Peppermint. Apply topically for headaches, sore muscles, and
tension; inhale as an aromatic to relieve indigestion and nausea; use
for cooling if you are feeling overheated. LABOR
Lavender and clary sage. Diffuse lavender and clary sage together
to promote relaxation and stabilize contractions. Lavender and frankincense. Lavender and frankincense, used
topically with a carrier oil, can be used to promote skin integrity of
the perineum throughout the birthing process. They can be applied
topically toward the end of pregnancy and during birth to help
prevent tearing.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the recommended time to start eating apples?,
A: Seven to ten days postpartum.
Q: What is the recommended time to start using essential oils during pregnancy?,
A: Omit essential oils during pregnancy, except for a few specific oils mentioned in the text.
Q: What is the recommended time to resume eating shatavari after giving birth?,
A: At least six weeks postpartum.
Q: What is the recommended method for cooking vegetables during postpartum?,
A: Steaming is recommended as it preserves more nutrients.
Q: What is the recommended way to use essential oils during labor?,
A: Inhale the scent, apply topically, or take internally, as needed.
Q: What is the recommended time to start using shatavari for milk supply?,
A: Postpartum, at least six weeks after giving birth.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>See also  acid reflux/heartburn
induction, labor, 145, 314
inflammation, 24, 58, 65, 86, 181, 263, 318
informed consent, 133–34
intention, 91, 184
in childbearing, 1–2, 3–4
in conception, 32, 33, 67–68
early labor, setting, 146
in mothering, 228–29
in parenthood, 79
in sexual desire, 41
interventions, 116, 120, 121, 128, 134, 135
intuition, 194, 243, 305
iron anemia, 100
irritability, 16, 24, 62, 104–6, 202, 206–7, 256
J
jaggery, 56, 284
jasmine, 75, 207, 306, 307
jasmine oil, 126, 151, 198, 315
jatamamsi oil, 317, 318
Jivani, Krsna, 305
Journey W ithin, The  (Radhanath Swami), 81
Judith, Anodea, Eastern Body, Western Mind,  1
K
kalala, 84–85
Kali-Santarana Upanishad, 83
kanji, 153, 280, 283, 292–93
kapha
balancing, 28–29
constitutions, 94
diabetes and, 103–4
imbalances, 27–28, 62, 112
overview, 26–27
postpartum, 203, 281
during pregnancy, 86–87kirtan, 75, 78, 83, 89, 158
kitchari
in home cleanse, 55
instructions, 294–95
Kitzinger, Sheila, Experience of Childbirth, The, 115
Knost, L. R., 236
Krishna, 157–58, 159, 232
kumquat oil, 313
kustha (costus root), 153, 315
L
labor
active, 147–48
early, 146–47
essential oils for, 311, 315–16
herbs for, 304
in hospital birth, planning, 135
kapha during, 156
messages about baby during, 148
nourishment during, 152–53
pain reduction during, 125
pitta during, 155–56
placenta phase, 150
planning for, 129–30
preterm, 95, 314
pushing stage, 149
slowing or stopping, 120, 131
terms for, 143–45
transition stage, 148–49
vata during, 20, 154–55
visualizing, 124
lactation specialists, 249, 253, 254, 261
Lad, Vasant, 7
lavender, 198, 199, 200, 210
after C-section, 214
Diaper Rash Cream, 320
Edema Massage Oil, 313
essential oil, 252, 311, 312, 314, 316, 317, 318, 319
Stretch Mark Blend, 315
law of conservation of mass, 9
leavenings,


 the realm of nonform, nonlimitation, and nonlocality;
therefore, it is the realm of the totality of the ever -present All. There is only Existence. Existence requires no cause, and to think as
much is to create a fallacy of logic. By Existence, we mean discernible
through observa tion, and it imputes a hypothetical change of condition from
nonexistent to existent. However, that which is always  was in its
completeness beyond all time; looking for a “primary cause” is an artifact
of mental activity that arises along with the concepts of time and space. Beyond time and space, there are no events, no beginnings, and no endings
that are beyond the categories of human thought or reason. The first evidence of the Presence of God is an awakening curiosity or
interest in spiritual matters. That is the crack in the ego’s dam. When the
person begins to desire or practice spiritual goals or pursue spiritual
information, the Presence is already taking hold of his life. The discovery of the Presence of God is not due to fear but to the
surrender that was precipitated by the fear. With the cessation of time, the doors swing open to an eternity of joy; the
Love of God becomes the Reality of the Presence. The Knowingness of the
Truth of all Life and Existence  stands forth with stunning Self-revelation. The wonderment of God is so all-encompassing and enorm ous that itsurpasses all possible imagination. To be at last truly and finally home is
profound in the totality of its completeness. The Presence of God is the quintessence of profound peace, stillness, and
love. It is overwhelming in its profundity. It is totally enveloping, and the
love is so powerful that it disso lves any remaining “non-love” held by the
residual ego. The infinite presence of all things is beyond all time and space, forever
complete, perfect, and whole. All points of observation disappear, and there
is the omniprese nce of that which Knows All by the fact that it Is All. As
Reality stands forth in its stunning self-evidence and infinite peace, it
appears that the block to Realization was the mind itself, which is not
different from the ego—they are one and the same. The term “Self” emphasizes that God is discovered withi n as the
Ultimate Reality  that underlies one’s actual existence in the “here and now”
(to quote the Bible: “The Kingdom of God is within you”). To surre nder identification with that which was presumed to be “me”
allows the Real Me to shine forth as the immanent quality of Divinity that is
the source of the unencumbered reality of “I. ”
The sense of “I” is an identification and a knowingness that are qualities
of the Inner Presence, which enable the capacity to know the “I” as Self. Stripped of all pretenses, the inner sense of “I-ness” merely knows Itself
without any content. No concepts are possible in the Infinite Light of the glory of God. There
is a profound peace, safety, and “at home-ness. ” Completion has finalized. The prevalence of inner silence is the threshold of the dawning
realization that everything is happening of itself and that nothin g is causing
anything; one becomes aware that such constructions are merely forms of
mental entertainment. One can realize the Self as the primordial, irreducible Reality from any
starting point. It is not the starting point that is important but the dedication
to relentlessly pursuing it to its very roots. To unravel the nature of
experience leads to one’s Sour ce. Any leg of the elephant leads to the
elephant. The infinite field of the Source  of All Existence is a radiant effulgence
that shines forth, and its consequences as Creation are forever unified. Creator and Creation are one. The experience of Divinity within as Self, or God Immanent, is quite
different from belief in God Transcendent. It is for this reason that the
Buddha counseled against all depictions or nominalizations of God, because
enlightenment is a condition or state in which the Self-knowing is that of
Identity. In this condition or state, there is no “this,” such as self, with
which to describe the Self. The condition or state is best described as “Self-
effulgent,” and in that state the Knowingness is its own Reality. The ego/mind is a learned set of behaviors, and the ultimate goal is to
transcend its programming and functioning by virtue of the power of the
Radiance of the Self, which recontextualizes life benignly. The Presence of
the Self is expe rienced as compassion for all of life in all its expressions,
including its evolution as one’ s personal self. As a consequence, for giveness
replaces condemnation, which is a sign that it is now safe to proceed deeper
into serious inner inventory without undue stress. To be at one with phenomena, instead of separate from them, results in
experiencing the aliveness and Allness of the Presence expressed as All
That Exists. All that has existence is not just passively “there” but instead
seemingly presents itself to awareness as a quality of its existence rather
than as a volitio nal intention. Thus, the universe appears to be a gift of
exquisite beauty  and perfection that shines forth with the intrins ic Radiance
of Divinity. Divine Love is an all-inclusive field, and its quality is unfor gettable, as
anyone who has ever had a near-death experience knows. It is intrinsically
truly ineffable, and its Presence is like a meltingness in its exquisite,
experiential totality. There is nothing in worldly life that even comes closeto it. It is profou ndly gentle, yet infinitely powerful by virtue of its intrinsic
infinite strength. Innate to the Presence as Love is the quality of timelessness/for everness. Even a brief moment of the Presence in earthly time is realized via the Self
to be eternal. This is an unmist akable hallmark. Therefore, to have known
the Real for even a few brief moments of clock time is to know it forever. Divinity is Infinite Love. Within its Presence, even relinquishment of
bodily existence is not a “problem” or a source of resistance. As the ego
dissolves, so do all its fears and presumptions. The Inner Reality  is immune
to considerations or doubts. The Self is Certainty. The Radiance of God is the light of awareness that reveals the Divinity of
all that exists. In the stillness of the Infinite Presence, the mind is silent, as
there is nothing that can be said; all speaks of itself with completeness and
exactitude. With this realization, one transcends the final duality of
existence versus nonexistence because only existence is possible. The
opposite of Truth does not exist, since Reality excludes nonrea lity. In this
realization resides the Peace of God. Fear itself actually precludes the awareness of the Presence of God. Only
when it is abandoned does profound surrender of the resistant ego reveal a
peace beyond understanding. There is nothing more wonderful than arriving back home again at one’s
Source. The illusion is that one struggles with spiritual growth by one’ s own
effort; in fact, we are pulled into greater awareness by the Will of God
expressed as the Holy Spirit, and all that is necessary is to allow it to
happen by surrendering completely. For truly, only God is God. Eventually even the illusion of witness/observer dissolves into
awareness/consciousness itself, which is discovered to be nonpersonal and
autonomous. There is no longer the limitation of “cause and effect” or
“change. ” The illusion of “time” also dissolves into the Allnes s of Divine
Concordance. There is neither attraction nor aversion to existence itself, for
even the manifest is seen to be a consequence of discernment by
consciousness as a concept. An analysis of the nature of consciousness reveals that redemption occurs
as the result of the return of consciousness to its original pristine state of
nonduality. It can do so only by the “obedience” of surrendering the
dualities of will and willfulness of the ego to the nonduality of God’ s Truth. The return from the duality of the ego to the nonduality of the spirit is so
difficult and unlikely that only by Divine Grace is it even possible. Thus,
man needs a savior to be his advocate, his inspiration, and the fulcrum of
his salvation from the pain and suf fering of the ego. Ego/mind thinks, field (consciousness) knows, and Self is. Nonduality means without form, division, or limitation—such as time,
locality, or mentalization—inclu ding arbitrary linear presumptio ns. Divinity
is, by its innate “qualities,” omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence;
and all evolves as a consequence of the Unmanifest’ s becoming Manifest as
evolutionary Creation. In Reality, from a nondualistic viewpoint, it can be observed and
experienced that everything is actually occurring spontaneously as the field
effect of the automatic consequence of the manifesting of potentiality into
actuality. Unsee n is the underlying power of the infinite context of
Consciousness/Reality/Divinity and its effect on content. The nonlinear,
infinite field of power is equ


 our purposes it is sucient to have a
circumscribed understanding of the Organ Networks  and their
correspondences within the Five-Phase  model. THE CONSEQUENCES OF  DISSONANCE
All the Organ Networks  are interconnected and interdependent. If the
behavior of one becomes exaggerated, this results in the depletion of
some and the hyperactivity  of others. An overly brawny Liver
depletes the Kidney, destabilizes the Heart, oppresses the Spleen, and
obstructs the Lung. If an Organ Network  becomes undermined through stress and
collapses, this triggers a dierent pattern of depletion and
overactivity. If the Liver collapses, the Spleen  and Lung become overly
strong, the Kidney  and Heart  becom e vulnerable and exhausted. A
simple excess or deciency  of one Organ Network  persisting over time
devolves into complex patterns of disharmony and disease. Diseases of excess  often migrate from one Organ Network  to
another along the ke sequence. That is, a disharmony of the Liver
may aict the Spleen. If this is not corrected, the Spleen  passes this
problem on to the Kidney, the Kidney  to the Heart, the Heart  to the
Lung. Finally, the disease comes home to roost in the Liver. Deciency  diseases often develop along the sheng sequence. Weakness is transmitted from parent to child: from Kidney  to Liver,
Liver to Heart, and so forth until the disea se returns to its point of
origin. The gravity of a disea se can be assessed by determining how
far along the sequence it has progressed and how many Networks  are
seriously aected.Wood:  Liver  Patterns
Harmonic
Collapsed
Exaggerated
Harmonic and Dissonant Patterns
A simple excess  or deciency  of one Organ Network  persisting over
time devolves into complex patterns of disharmony and disease. Diseases of excess  often migrate  along the ke sequence, whereas
deciency  diseases often develop along the sheng sequence. The
harmonic patte rn depicts the predominant Organ Network  in relative
equilibrium with the other Networks. The exaggerated  pattern
represents the predominant Organ Network  oppressing the Organ
Networks  along the ke sequence. The collapsed  pattern shows the
depletion not only of the predominant Organ Network, but of those
along the sheng sequence with encroachment of those Networks
along the ke sequence. Fire: Heart  Patterns
Harmonic
CollapsedExaggerated
Earth: Spleen  Patterns
Harmonic
Collapsed
Exaggerated
Metal: Lung  Patterns
HarmonicCollapsed
Exaggerated
Water: Kidney  PatternsHarmonic
Collapsed
Exaggerated
FOR EXAMPLE, THE LIVER PATTERN
Disease patterns usually involve two or three Organ Networks  in
addition to the one primari ly disturbed. For example, the Organs
most aected by the Liver are the Organ  it controls (Spleen ), the one
that is its controller ( Lung), and the one that is its parent ( Kidney ). If an Organ  is strong, the pattern is dierent than if it’s weak. When an Organ  is powerful, the origin of the complaints usually
involves Organs  under attack or being drained. When the Organ  is
feeble, primar y complaints usually involve the Organ  itself and
sometimes the one succeedin g it in the sheng  sequence. For example,
if the Liver is weak and the Lung is stron g, the person will contract
symptoms associated with an attack on the Liver by the Lung, such
as depression, irritability, pain in the groin or genital organ, and
tiredness. The symptoms result from the Lung literally suppressing
Liver Qi, preventing its ascension and expansion. Since the Lung domin ates the Qi, it can inhibi t the free ow of
Liver Qi and the easy expression of feelings, thoughts, and desires. This shows as a atness and dullness of response and sensation—
depression. The contractive or Yin nature of the Lung is constricting
the expansive Yang nature of the Liver. When this occurs, peristalsis
is also aected because the Liver cannot regulate the smooth ow of
Qi within the Spleen  and Stomach. Symptoms of poor digestion
occur, such as atulence and constipation, because tension in the
stomach and intestines causes a lack of motility. If the Liver is hardy and the Spleen  is frail, sympto ms manifest that
emerge from Stomach  and Spleen  dysfunction: pain and cramp ing in
the stomach and intestines, bloating, erratic appetite, nausea, loose
stools, and a feeling of weakness in the limbs. This is due to the
harsh energy of the Liver invading and restricting the performance
of the Spleen  and Stomach. If the Liver is powerful and the Lung is delicate, symptoms of
distress will be manifest in the function of the Lung such as
coughing, asthmatic breathi ng, dicult urination, rashe s, itching,
redness of the eyes, and dryness of the skin and mucous membranes.These symptoms are a manifestation of the uprising hot Qi of the
Liver invading and restricting the moistening, dispersing, and
descending function of the Lung. If the Liver’s strength causes deciency  of the Kidney, a reversal of
the natural relationship may occur whereby the child (Liver) goes
against the parent (Kidney ). This may result in hip and low back
pain, herniated disk, inammation of the reproductive organs or
dysfunctions such as infertility, impotence, excessive libido,
inammation of the genitourinary system, or the formation of cysts
and tumors, including those of the prostate, uterus, ovaries, and
bladder. When one Organ  aects  another, those adjacent to it suer. Generally, the generative sheng sequence, also referred  to as the
parent-child relationship, is more stable than the restraining ke
relationship. Since the Lung is child to the Spleen, it becomes
distressed when the parent is. When the Spleen ’s function of
generating Qi and Blood  from the transformation of nutrients is
suppressed by the Liver, it is unable to nurture the Lung. The Lung’s
ability to disperse and move the Qi becom es impaired. This
manifests as fatigue, shortne ss of breath, susceptibility to colds and
us, and the appearance of excessive phlegm in the nose, mouth,
throat, and chest. Parent to the Spleen  is the Heart. When the child suers, so does
the parent; hence the Heart  is also troubled when the Spleen
becomes disturbed. Since the Spleen  cannot eciently nourish the
blood, the Blood  of the Heart  becomes decient  (which may or may
not include actual anemia), leading to instability of the Heart Qi. This manifests as disturbances of sleep, emotions, circulation, and
an irregular pulse. The Spleen  cannot  properly restrain the Kidney,
and the inrm Lung cannot adequately nurture the Kidney. The
manifestations of this are seen at a later stage as weakness of the
back, knees, and ankles and a tendency toward water retention in
the hands, feet, and face. Chinese medicine identies disease as disorders of relationship,
not as a singular, unvarying entity. Problems recognized early on
can be dealt with before they develop into complex, deep-seated,chronic sickness. From the above example and the kind of
widespread derangement that arises, one can imagine how disease
progresses from its place of origin in the Liver Network  and spreads
throughout the body as a whole. This sort of analysis is the basis of
diagnosis and prognosis in Chinese medicine. ORGAN NETWORKS
WOOD: THE  LIVER
Like a military commander who formulates strategy and tactics, the
Liver exercises authority in collecting and directing the Blood. Since
Blood  is never stationary but constantly circulating, and since Qi
courses insepa rably through  the body with the Blood, the Liver
equitably distributes all resources, assuring the maint enance of
smooth ow. Liver-GallbladderLiver NetworkSTORING AND  RELEASING  BLOOD
The Liver bears the Yin responsibility of storing and the Yang role of
distributing the Blood. This process of regulation  determines the
quantity and pressure of Blood  in the physical body and the
evenness of emotion and consistency of behavior in the feeling
body. The force of the Liver moves upward and outward, lifting
Blood  and Qi toward  the far reaches of the head and limbs. Through
this action, the Liver facilitates the work of the Heart  and Spleen  to
adequately nourish the body with Blood  and Nutritive Essence. The
healthy sexua l and procreative role of the genital organs also
depends on the capacity of the Liver—to transmit the power of our
Essence  to another person. SPREADING  QI
The Blood  nourishes the tissue of the body and is the source, or
“mother,” of Qi. Through the task of