 Add it to smoothies. Blackstrap molasses: 1 tablespoon has 137 mg of calcium. Stir it
into the juice or add it to ingredients in smoothies. Collard greens: 1 cup of collard greens has 266 mg of calcium. Juice
it raw or add it raw or lightly steamed to smoothies. Kale: 1 cup of boiled kale has 94 mg of calcium. Juice it raw or add it
raw or lightly steamed to smoothies. Papaya: 1 medium papaya has 73 mg of calcium. It’s great juiced or
in smoothies. Sesame seeds: 1/4 cup has 351 mg of calcium. You can add sesame
seeds to smoothies. Spinach: 1 cup of boiled spinach has 245 mg of calcium. Juice it raw
or add it raw or lightly steamed to smoothies. Seaweed: 1 cup of raw kelp has 136 mg of calcium (more than a
glass of milk). It’s best rehydrated and used in smoothies. Tahini: 2 tablespoons raw tahini (sesame seed butter) has 126 mg of
calcium. Add it to smoothie ingredients. Enzymes
Enzymes are chemicals produced by your glands and released
into the bloodstream. Think of them as your body’s couriers,
surﬁng the blood to get to their destinations with top priority or
life-changing messages. Enzymes are released by various endocrine glands — the
pituitary, hypothalamus, and thyroid glands, for example — and
travel through your bloodstream to reach their target organs or
tissues where they trigger some speciﬁc action by that part of
the body. In this way, enzymes facilitate proper functioning of
your body in areas of growth, development, and reproduction. In addition to being produced by your own glands, enzymes are
produced in plants and animals. The enzymes in live or raw
plants are best used in smoothies or juices (or eaten raw) so
that they can do their job as messengers and save your body
from the work of producing them.W h a t  d o  e n z y m e s  d o? Enzymes are simply messengers. They don’t actually do
anything except deliver information to speciﬁc parts of your
body in order for them to do something. So, the cells or organs
react to the chemical stimulation carried by the enzymes. Here’s what enzymes tell your body to do:
 Make you grow and stop growing. Make you feel happy or sad. Speed up or slow down your body’s metabolism. Start puberty and menopause. Regulate your ﬁghting, mating, and ﬂeeing instincts. Enzymes are essential to normal growth, development,
and reproduction. T h e  r a w  t r u t h
Because enzymes are the keys that trigger the active work of
the body, they’re critical to good health. Although the body
does produce enzymes, outside the body, enzymes are found in
all living things, including food in its raw, uncooked form. Because we can’t eat many animal products raw, the very best
outside source of enzymes is in fresh, local, organic, raw fruit
and vegetables, herbs, grains, legumes, and nuts and seeds. Phytonutrients: Nature’s miracle workers
Phytonutrients are natural substances  that are found in plants. Thes e tiny,
life-giving nutrients can prevent or even cure disease.“Sign me up!” you say. Well, if you eat and drink a wide range of colorful
fruits and vegetables along with whole foods, you’ll be getting all the
essential nutrients, including phytonut rients, that you need to be well. If you want more information on phytonut rients, check  out Meals That
Heal: A Neutraceutical Approach to Diet and Health, by Lisa Turner
(Healing Arts Press). You should eat a wide range of fruits and vegetables because
each food contains the speciﬁc enzymes that help break down
the elements found within it. For example, the enzyme amylase
breaks down carbohydrates; amylase is present in bananas,
which are high in carbohydrates. Many people are proponents of a partial or total raw food diet,
and many books and other resources are available on the topic. A good general rule is to try to incorporate at least 25 percent
raw foods into your overall diet, and the easiest way to do that
is by making juices and smoothies every day. When foods are eaten raw, the food enzymes within
those foods do much of the work of digesting them, saving
the body from producing enzymes to do the work. Pr otein
Protein has been called the “building blocks” of the body. It’s
what your cells, tissues, and very essence are made from. Proteins have a number of functions in your body, including the
following:
 Building and repairing body cells, including muscles, teeth,
hair, nails, and bones Providing a source of energy
 Keeping your immune system functioning properly
 Controlling many of the important processes in the body
related to metabolism
Protein is made up of essential and nonessential amino acids. The body is able to make its own nonessential amino acids, but
essential amino acids must be obtained from food. Foods that
contain all the essential amino acids are called complete
proteins. If one or more essential amino acids are missing in a
food, that food is called an incomplete protein. Meat and dairy products are complete proteins, but because of
saturated fat, these foods may not be the healthiest. So,
nutritionists are exploring plant sources of protein. Most plant
sources of protein are incomplete, but when their essential
amino acids are combined, they provide complete protein. Soybeans are an excellent plant source of complete
protein. Quinoa, hemp seeds, and chia seeds are good
sources as well. Table 6-3 lists the essential amino acids and some plant foods
for juicing or smoothies that can supply these important
nutrients. Here are some great protein boosters that you can use in
juices and smoothies:
 Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds are good sources of
protein — for example, 1/4 cup of almonds contains about 8
grams. Add up to 1/4 cup chopped nuts to smoothies. Oats: One cup of cooked oatmeal has 6 grams of protein. Add 1/4 cup per smoothie serving. Soybeans and other legumes: Soybeans are complete
protein providers, and other legumes (like chickpeas andbeans) deliver essential amino acids without fat or
cholesterol. Add up to 1/4 cup to each smoothie serving. Whey powder: Whey powder is a high-quality complete
protein that delivers essential amino acids without fat or
cholesterol. Add 1 tablespoon to each smoothie serving or
stir into juice. Yogurt, soft cheeses, and tofu: All contain complete
proteins. Add up to 1/2 cup to smoothies per serving. Fluids
Your body is at least 65 percent water, so staying hydrated is
important. Water is present in all cells, but it’s a major
component of your blood. And because the blood feeds your
cells and carries away toxins and waste from metabolism,
healthy blood means healthy tissues and cells. Fresh organic vegetable and fruit juices provide vital pure water
to your body, and their nutrients help to cleanse the blood and
transfer live plant energy to all parts of your body. Pure juices
do this without your liver or kidneys having to work to sift out
toxins. Most other beverages — including tea, coffee, sodas,
alcoholic drinks, and treated water — contain one or more of
the following: sugar, additives, preservatives, chlorine, ﬂuoride,
and caffeine. These must be eliminated before the body can use
the water in them. Quenching thirst and replenishing minerals lost through
sweating is an important function of fresh, pure juices. For
an excellent after-exercise drink, juice the following
ingredients. 2 slices watermelon with rind, cut to ﬁt the feed tube2 stalks celery
1/2 English cucumber
You can mix the juice with an equal amount of pure water or
take it straight. Whisk in 1 teaspoon of turmeric — turmeric is
an excellent post-exercise herb because it’s anti-inﬂammatory
and reduces post-exercise pain. Don’t wait for thirst to tell you that you need to drink
water. By that point, your body is dangerously low in ﬂuids. The truth about supplements
The dietary supplement industry is a pow erful force. It spends  millions of
dollars on communicating the message that poor  nutrition can be ﬁxed by
popping pills. By deﬁnition of the Health and Educat ion Act, dietary suppl ements are
 Intended to supplement the diet
 Contain one or more ingredients (like vitamins, herbs, amino acids,
or their constituents)
 Meant to be taken orally
 Labeled as dietary supplements
The Food and Drug Administration regul ates the manuf acturing of
supplements and ensures that they are produced in a quality manner, free
of contaminants or impurities, and accur ately label ed. The ﬁrst thing to remember about suppl ements is that they’re meant  to
enhance your diet if there are shortfalls or deﬁci enci es. They  aren’t
intended to, nor can they ever replace nutritious foods. In addi tion, it


 in or introduced into a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the
copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.Published in Great Britain by dorling kindersley Limited. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.ISBn 978-07566-2852-9
dk books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales
promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact: dk
Publishing Special Markets, 375 Hudson Street, new York, new York 10014 or
SpecialSales@dk.com. Color reproduction by M dP Ltd, U k
Printed and bound in China by Sheck wah Tong
discover more at
www.dk.comSome material in this book was previously
published in Reflexology  and Hand Reflexology.200   Reflexology for
every life stage
Reflexology for your baby 202 • Reflexology for
your child 208  • Reflexology for teenagers 216
• Reflexology for senior citizens 222 • Reflexology
for women 230 • Reflexology during pregnancy 238
• Reflexology for men 242
248  Health concerns
Using reflexology for health 250 • Common health
concerns 252 • The cardiovascular system 260 • The
digestive system 264 • The endocrine system 268
• The musculoskeletal system 272 • The nervous
system 276 • The respiratory system 280 • The
reproductive system 284 • The urinary system 286
288   Reflexology for
rejuvenation
Rejuvenating the feet 292 • The foot-relaxer
sequence 294 • Self-help for tired feet 302
• Self-help rejuvenation strategy 306 • Rejuvenating
the hands 314 • Self-help for tired hands 320
• Hand concerns 326 330   Summary
treatment charts
Head/brain/sinuses 332 • Pituitary 333 • Eye/inner
ear/ear 333 • Face/teeth 334 • neck/throat/thyroid/
parathyroid 334 • Chest/lung/upper back 335
• Heart 335 • Shoulder 336 • Solar plexus 336 •
Liver/gallbladder 337 • Stomach/spleen 337 • Pancreas 338 • Adrenal glands 339 • kidneys 340 •
Colon/small intestine 339 • Bladder/lower back 340
• ovary/testicle 340 • Uterus/prostate 341 • knee/
leg 341 • Hip/sciatic nerve 342 • Elbow/arm 342 •
Lymph glands/fallopian tubes/groin 343 • Spine 343
344  Resources
346  Index
352  AcknowledgmentsReﬂexology for life … the phrase conjures up the
many possibilities of reﬂexology’s beneﬁts. It
connotes the potential to have an impact on
health and quality of life; one’s own, and that of
others. It suggests the use of reﬂexology’s
techniques throughout one’s life, from the earliest
days of infancy to the golden years of aging. As we look at our own use of reﬂexology over
the past 30 years, we see that we have indeed
used reﬂexology personally throughout our lives. At the conclusion of one lecture, Barbara was
surprised to be asked, “Have you used
reﬂexology for your own health?” You see,
reﬂexology is not just a theoretical exercise. For
ourselves and quite literally millions of others
around the world and throughout history,
reﬂexology gives the sense of being able to do
something. At your ﬁngertips lies an ability that’s
always there. It empowers you to positively
address the challenges and stages of life. Reﬂexology for life  speaks to reﬂexology
applications for the different times of our lives. On a personal note, it seems that reﬂexology has
been there with us to calm and to cope, to ease
and to help. From one bride’s prewedding jitters
to another’s postwedding tired feet; from one
niece’s pregnancy to another’s sports injury,
reﬂexology has smoothed the way, lending a
helping hand to people special to us. The ability to use reﬂexology has helped in
challenging times as well. The opportunity to
do something to help lessen that feeling of
powerlessness when contending with a loved
one in distress. It can help a newborn infant and You can change your life
with reﬂexology…
 Prefacea 96-year-old, as well as address allergies,
menstruation, constipation, colic, kidney stones,
heart problems, pregnancy, accident injury, ﬂesh-
eating bacteria, swollen ankles, back and foot
problems… we could go on and on. As you apply reﬂexology in your own life,
you’ll ﬁnd that one success leads to another, and
another, and another. Then you’ll see the
inﬂuence of your work well beyond your hands-
on application. As one niece observed, “I grew up
with this stuff. I’ll bring it out and use it when I
need it. And, I’ve shown others how to do it.”
You enable others to address the moments of
their lives with healthy, natural solutions. As professionals, we’ve spent hours, days,
weeks, months, and years researching the tides of
history, issues of professionalism, legislative ins-
and-outs, and physiological effects of reﬂexology. However, we always come back to reﬂect on the
hands-on work; our own and that of the
reﬂexologists we’ve met around the world. The
common thread that runs through us all is the
sense of possibility, that yes, you can change
your life with reﬂexology. Even more, you can
change the lives of others. While French author
Antoine de Sainte-Exupery once noted “...there is
no gardener for man,” we tend to think he never
met a reflexologist. Preface “At your fingertips lies an ability
that’s always there. It empowers you
to positively address the challenges
of life at all its different stages.”There’s something special about reﬂexology; it
serves as a unique tool to maintain or establish
a link between individuals. The stress of growing,
the stress of injury, the stress of life−all can be
helped by applying reﬂexology techniques. Reﬂexology can be used to ease and dissipate
the stresses of everyday life in a healthy way. Healt Hful benefits
The use of reﬂexology’s natural touch helps you
to build healthy and caring relationships with
everyone you know. A loved one gains a sense
of worth and well-being, knowing that someone
cares and pays attention to his or her needs. As a
bonus, individuals learn healthful habits to apply
throughout life, from childhood on. There are many reasons why using reﬂexology
provides healthful beneﬁts for people of all
different ages. Throughout this book you will
read about stories of success using reﬂexology:
parents solving problems for their children,
spouses sharing a special quiet moment with
each other, and elderly people receiving the
valuable gift of touch. Although the problems
range from very trivial to the extremely serious,
they all serve as examples of signiﬁcant others
applying reﬂexology technique in a consistent
manner in order to get a result. In addition to the gift of touch for the
individual, reﬂexology provides a very real Introduction
Some 40 years  had passed since his mother had worked on his feet when he
went to bed every night, but my client had not forgotten. My reﬂexology work
on his feet would put him to sleep in seconds with a smile on his face. He slept
so soundly that only his own snoring would interrupt his slumber. message for the body. Science has not yet
formulated a speciﬁc answer to the question
of what happens when you apply reﬂexology
technique to the foot or hand. It can be said,
however, that a message is sent within the
nervous system. A sensation of pressure is
reported to all parts of the body. What happens
next is that the message is acted upon. The brain
interprets the signal, formulates a suitable
response, and takes an appropriate action. This
activity takes place on an entirely subconscious
level, where there are really no words in which
to describe what is happening. A dramatic illustration of what happens to our
bodies when pressure is applied to the soles of
the feet was illustrated to us one day during the
course of our practice. During a routine house
call, Kevin was working on the feet of the man of
the house. Suddenly from the bedroom came the
cry, “She’s quit breathing!” The lady of the house,
a 72-year-old who had been diagnosed with
multiple strokes and senile dementia, was being
cared for by her attendants when she had
unexpectedly


asserole dish. Season with pepper. Drizzle balsamic vinegar
into the core. Bake for 20 minutes or until skins are peeling away and
tomatoes are softening. For Pan Searing Asparagus:
Snap woody ends from asparagus. Place in a skillet on high heat and
season with pepper. Cook for 4–6 minutes or until shoots begin to brown
slightly. If you wish, add some Tabasco sauce. Variations:
Asparagus is also excellent steamed or slightly sautéed. If you don’ t like asparagus, you can sauté 16 ounces of frozen artichoke
hearts in a saucepan with the juice of a lemon and cracked pepper, and add
to the dinner plate. E2 Burgers
Let’s face it. Bur gers are easy, they’re all-American, and everyone loves
’em, whether you’re flipping them on the grill for a Fourth of July
barbecue, pan frying them in a skillet for a midweek dinner, roasting them
in the oven for a weekend supper, or microwaving one for a quick lunch. I’ve included a wide variety of veggie bur gers to suit your fancy. E2 EZ Burgers
A variety of healthy bur ger substitutes abound in the frozen section of most
supermarkets. I like any of the Boca, Amy’ s, Gardenbur ger, and
Morningstar products that pass the E2 test (less than 25 percent fat). These
can be broiled on a sprayed baking sheet for 10 minutes on each side,
cooked on a stove top in a nonstick skillet, browned on a grill, or thrown in
a microwave. Serve on toasted whole grain buns with lots of fresh toppings,
healthy condiments, and your choice of potato sides. Serves 4
4 thawed veggie bur gers (see E2-Approved Foods)
Low-sodium tamari or Bragg Liquid Aminos
Cracked pepper
4 whole grain bunsHealthy condiments (see E2-Approved Foods)
Lettuce, tomato slices, onion slice, dill pickles, or other favorites
Sprinkle the patties lightly with the tamari and season with the pepper. Brown the patties in a nonstick skillet on high 3 minutes on each side, until
brown. Reserve the hot skillet for buns. Cut the buns in half and toast in a
hot skillet. Assemble the bur gers with your favorite fixings. Variations:
In the hot skillet, on the grill, or in the broiler, cook onions, red bell
peppers, and/or mushrooms and add them to the bur gers. Top with avocado
slices, Guacamole (see page 238), Three-Bean Chili (see page 220), or
canned jalapeño slices. For Fir e Cadets during W eek One. Use cooked fillets of fish or chicken
breasts in place of veggie bur gers. Monica Cravotta, 35
Public Relations Consultant
I think it’ s tougher for guys to do this than for women. It’ s considered
masculine to eat steak, not broccoli. But I want to know, what is more
masculine—eating a slab of meat, or to be around healthy to take care
of your wife and kids? Which would you choose? I’d like to think
that most men would choose the family. New York Times Veggie Burgers
When the New Y ork T imes photographer came to our firehouse to take
our picture, we were making these veggie bur gers for the first time. We
used old-fashioned oats instead of quick oats and the result was a patty that
did not want to hold together. We were able to squeeze them together for the
photo, but we highly recommend the quick oats rather than the old-
fashioned kind. Make extra for lunch the next day. Makes about 8 patties
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can tomatoes with zesty mild chilies, drained
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder2 green onions, chopped
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup parsley or cilantro
2 cups quick rolled oats
8 whole grain buns
Fresh veggie toppings and healthy condiments
Preheat oven to 450º. Process the first seven ingredients using an
immersion or a regular blender or food processor. Remove contents into a
large bowl and stir in the oats. Form into patties, place on a sprayed baking
sheet, and bake for 8 minutes. Turn oven up to broil and cook for 2 more
minutes, until the tops are nicely browned. Toast the buns and pile on your
favorite toppings. Variation:
Sauté the bur gers on medium heat in a sprayed nonstick skillet for 5
minutes on each side, until both sides are browned. Portobello Mushr oom Burgers
Portobello mushroom bur gers are healthy, hearty, juicy, and meaty-flavored
—well suited for roasting or grilling. The black gills on the mushroom’ s
underside hold in the flavor of a marinade or barbecue sauce superbly. Makes 4 bur gers
4 Portobello mushrooms, rinsed
Low-sodium tamari
Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
Splash of beer (optional)
Cracked pepper to taste
1 large red onion, sliced into thin rounds
4 whole grain buns
Dijon mustard or Healthy Homemade Hummus (see page 236)
Tomato slices, lettuce, spinach, or other favorites
Preheat oven to 450º. Snap the stems of f the mushrooms. Place the
mushrooms face-up on a baking sheet. Splash a few drops of tamari and
Worcestershire (beer splash is optional) into each cap. Season with pepper. Place the stems into the caps. Cook in a casserole dish for 10–15 minutes,until the mushrooms are soft and filled with liquid. Enjoy the stems as
starters! Cook the onion rounds on high heat in a sprayed skillet for 5 minutes,
stirring often, until wilted and brown. Spread the buns with Dijon mustard or hummus. Place each mushroom
on a toasted bun with cooked onion, tomato, lettuce or spinach, and your
favorite fixings. Serve with healthy fries. Variation:
Shake some barbecue sauce into the mushrooms instead of the tamari. Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Joe sandwiches are well named—they’re very, very messy. When
was the last time you got to lick your fingers and slurp up the drippings of f
the plate? These are especially delicious with a side of steamed spinach and
potato wedges. Serves 4
1 onion, chopped
16 ounces frozen vegetarian meat crumbles
1/2 cup water
8 ounces tomato paste
1 teaspoon tamari
1 teaspoon vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
4 whole grain buns
1 onion, sliced into thin rounds (optional)
Sliced dill pickles
Sauté the onion on high heat in a nonstick skillet for 3 minutes, until just
translucent. Add the veggie meat crumbles and 1/4 cup of water to the
skillet and cook for 5 minutes, until warmed through. Stir in the tomato
paste. Add the remaining water and stir until thoroughly mixed, using more
water as necessary to make a thick sauce. Stir in the tamari, Worcestershire,
and sugar. Place a generous amount of filling into each bun. Top with sliced
onion and pickles. Candle Café Br own Rice and Lentil BurgersNear the end of a shift in early 2007, we heard a knock at the fire station’ s
front door. Steve, Derick, and I opened it to find a group of people who
asked if we were “the world-famous vegan firefighters.”
Proudly, we said we were. One of the women then looked us over for
several seconds and exclaimed, “W ow! Veganism never looked so good!”
Steve and I are 6 feet, 2 inches tall, while Derick is 6 feet, 4 inches. The visitors included a couple named Bart and Joy, who told us that they
were from New York City, where they owned and managed two renowned
vegan restaurants, the Candle Café and Candle 79. Bart and Joy had won
the New York lottery several years back and used the money to help start
their restaurants. Now they were on a reconnaissance trip to investigate
opening up a vegan restaurant in Austin. Before they left, they presented us with a signed copy of The Candle
Café Cookbook. And so, in honor of Bart and Joy, here’ s a brown rice and
lentil bur ger recipe adapted from their book. Serves 6 to 8
3½ cups water
½ cup lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup brown rice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, seeded, and diced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
Whole grain flour
8 whole grain buns
Preheat oven to 350º. In a medium saucepan, bring 1½ cups of the water
to a boil. Add the lentils, reduce the heat, and cook until the beans are
softened, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in another
medium saucepan, bring the remaining 2 cups of water to a boil, add the
rice, reduce the heat, cover, and


oving bodies, unable to escape. “You can’t imagine how it felt. Of course you can, having been there
yourself. But there I was, on the verge of screaming, when I suddenly felt
everything in my mind stop. My anger and frenzy, my preoccu pations, the
constant flow of associations—the whole baggage simply disappeared,
leaving behind an empty mind. I’m no fool; I had read scripture s and knew
all that stuff about an empty mind being the silence of God. But on the
streets of Bangalore! Somehow I managed to push my way forward. There
in the middle of the pack was a small woman in a white sari, sitting with her
eyes closed. She must have been about thirty, I suppose, and something
about her told me she was from a country village. “To this day I have no idea why she had stopped in the middle of the
sidewalk like that. She sat completely still, not minding the crush around
her. Actually, the crowd was acting quite respectful on the whole; she wassurrounded by a ring of people on their knees. I got a little nearer, and the
most remarkable thing happened. My empty mind began to have something
in it, not a thought but a sensation. Mother. That’s the only way I can
describe it. It was as if all the mothering feelings that women give to their
families were inside me, but with much greater purity and clarity. “I wasn’t thinking of my own mother. There was just this feelin g. It grew
stronger, and I saw, like a revealed truth, that this woman on the sidewalk
was emanating the energy of ‘mother ’ from its very source. I also saw with
complete clarity  that my own mother had been trying to express this same
energy. However imperfectly, she was connected to a reality that doesn’ t
depend on this mother or that mother. It is just ‘mother,’ the endless love of
the feminine toward everything in creation. “The next second I was on my knees, only a few feet from this saint on
the sidew alk. She had her eyes open now and was smiling at all of us. Her
smile somehow  made my experience far more intense. I had a flashing
glimpse of thousands upon thousands of souls wanting to be here on earth
to experience the preciousness of being a mother. “What came to me then was forgiveness: I realized that all the people
who can’t love, even the most evil and criminal ones, are trying to express
this divine energy. We are all on the path, and despite our differences, being
on the path makes us much more similar than we realize.”
Lakshman’ s voice trailed off. Although his encounter had lasted only a
few minutes, its effect was permanent. He remains awed that the mere
presence of a saint can uplift  ordinary awareness (this effect is called
Darshan  in Sanskrit). More important, he became convinced that a path to
the divine is real, since he had now met someone who was at the end of that
path. I can speak from  experience too. I never had the startling breakthrough
Lakshman did, but my parents were devout, and my retired grandfather
frequently spent  his afternoons on the veranda soaking up the darshan of
swamis and saints. A boy doesn’ t grasp much of the deeper meaning of
such experiences; that came only when I was an adult, after sitting myself
with strange, otherworldly recluses and feeling utterly loved in their
presence. Their surroundings were some times appalling, with nothing to eat or
drink but a dipper of greenish water. There would often be no recognitionthat I had walked into the saint’ s presence, no smile or encourag ing gesture. Yet the moment I closed my eyes, I was in a remarkable space. I had been
welcomed to a dance, the play of the universe, which was takin g place not
as whirling stars and galaxies but in pure silence. A blissful coolness
penetrated my body, and I lost awareness of the sticky shirt clinging to my
back and the suffocating trappe d air. The sensation was one of peace, but
there was an extraordinary vibrancy to it, as if thrills of invisible energy
were running through me. At times it was almost more than I could bear. My inner space seemed to be exploding. I was suspended in emptiness that
was not empty but teeming with everything ever created or to be created—
the womb of the cosmic mother. And it was all in me. These are memo ries that make me sure that our current concept of love is
not adequate. We all use the word love to mean many things, and to be in
love is often a complex, confusing state. Yet what I exper ienced was
incredibly simple:
Love is spirit. Spirit is the Self. Self and spirit are the same. Asking “What is spirit?” is just a way of asking
“Who am I?” There isn’t spirit outside you; you are It. Why aren’ t you
aware of It? You are, but only in a limited way, like someone who has seen
a glass of water  but not the ocean. Your eyes see because in spirit you are
the witness to everything. You have thoughts because in spirit you know all. You feel love toward another person because in spirit you are infinite love. Restoring the spiritual dimensio n to love means abandoning the notion of
a limited self with its limited ability to love and regaining the Self with its
unbounded ability to love. The “I” that is truly you is made of pure
awareness, pure creativity, pure spirit. Its version of love is free from all
memories or images from the past. Beyond all illusion is the source of love,
a field of pure potential. That potential is you. WHAT IS THE PATH? The most valuab le thing you can bring into any relationship is your spiritual
potential. This is what you have to offer when you begin to live your lovestory at the deepest level. Like the seed needed to start the life of a tree,
your spiritual potential is the seed for your growth in love. Noth ing is more
precious. Seeing  yourself with the eyes of love makes it natural to see
others that way too. You will be able to say of your beloved, as the poet
Rumi does:
You are the secret of God’ s secret. You are the mirror of divine beauty. The path to love is something you consciously choose to follow, and
everyone who has ever fallen in love is shown the first step on that path. The unfolding of spiritual potential has been the chief concern of all the
great seers, saints, prophets, masters, and sages in human history. Theirs
was a carefully charted quest for the Self, a far cry from our notion of love
as a messy, emotional af fair. In India, as I’ve mentioned, the spiritual path is called Sadhana, and
although a tiny minority of people give up normal life to wander the world
as seekers of enlightenment (these are monks, or sadhus ), everyone, from
those in the most ancient civilization of Vedic India until today, considers
their life to be a sadhana, a path to the Self. Although the Self seems
separated from us, it is actually intertwined in everything a person thinks,
feels, or does. The fact that you do not intimately know your Self is
amazing, if you come to think about it. Looking for your Self, the Vedic
sages declared, is like a thirsty  fish looking for water. But as long as the
Self has yet to be found, sadhana exists. The goal of the path is to transform your awar eness fr om separation to unity. In unity we per ceive
only love, expr ess only love, ar e only love. While the inner transformation  is taking place, every path must have
some outer form to sustain it. In India a person’ s nature leads him to the
style of path appropriate to reaching fulfillment. Some people are naturally
intellectual and are therefore suited to the path of knowledge, or Gyana. Some are more devotional and are suited to the path of worship, or Bhakti. Some are more outwardly motiv ated and are suited to the path of action, or
Karma.The three are not mutually exclusive; ideally, one would include  in one’s
lifestyle daily periods of study, worship, and service. All three approaches
would then be integrated into a single path. It is, however, entirely possible
to be so taken with a single approach that your whole existence may be
centered on reading the scriptures, contemplation, and scholarly debate—
the life of gyana. Or you may spend your time meditating, chanting, and
participating in temple rituals— the life of bhakti. Or you could do social
work, apply yourself to menta l and physical purification, and do God’ s
bidding in daily activity—the life of karma. Even in the most traditional
sectors of India today, these paths have broken down, giving way to modern
lifestyles in which study and work have little or nothing to do with spiritual
aspirations. What does this mean for a Westerner who has never been exposed to
sadhana? I propose that being on the spiritual path is such a natural and
powerful urge that everyone’ s life, regardless of culture, obeys it. A path is
just a way to open yourself to spirit,


 from the spinal
column do not have this insulation, which makes them prone to chemical
changes in the body. A sudden reaction to mental or emotional stress will
affect the body’s biochemistry, leading to a sensation of butterflies in the
tummy. Therefore, this chakra is kno wn as the sea t of anxieties. Imbalances and the tools to heal them
An overactive solar plexus chakra is the cause of a heated liver, leading to a
high body acid level. It also causes high cholesterol, hypertension, high blood
pressure, acid reflux, headaches and migraines and even diabetes. This
mostly happens when people are very ambitious in life, always chasing
money, power or authority. The need to gain undue and illogical supremacy creates imbalances and
blockages in the functioning of this chakra, leading to raised levels of
cholesterol and other conditions such as diabetes, ulcers, hepatitis,
rheumatoid arthritis, heart diseases and bowel dysfunctions. If this chakra is
unduly suppressed it causes imbalanced digestion, bad sleep and increasedirritability. A weak solar plexus chakra is the cause of anxieties and excessive
sweating on the palms and soles of the feet. If a person starts seeking
atonement of their errors and moves towards a higher plane by following the
path of dhar ma, then r elief may be felt. Yoga recommends abdominal breathing to soothe the solar plexus
chakra. This area may feel knotted and tight when we push ourselves
towards our life ambitions, and abdominal breathing will relieve that and
promote better sleep. Alternate nostril breathing (anulom vilom) is
recommended for everyone to keep this chakra and the sacral chakra in
balance. It should be practised 11 to 21 times a day, morning or evening,
deep and slow while maintaining focus on the breath. Kapalbhati (forehead
brightener or breath of fire) is an exercise for the organs in the belly and
activates the pancreas. It is also useful for diabetic people; however, some
people feel it ma y increase blood pressure so you should be wa tchful. All yellow crystals such as citrine, tiger’s eye, pyrite, yellow calcite and
yellow sapphire help to activate the solar plexus chakra. However, if the solar
plexus is already overactive then do not wear yellow, as it can aggravate the
symptoms related to overactivity of the solar plexus such as acid reflux,
headaches/migraines and hypertension. Those conditions need the cooling
energy of green crystals. When choosing essential oils for the solar plexus chakra we like those that
represent the fire element, which is present in all spices and spice oils; they
are good to activate the solar plexus. However, when the solar plexus is
already overactive we use the cooling energy of green oils such as
peppermint, spearmint and basil; these will soothe acid reflux and headaches
and migraines. Anahata (heart)
Guna: sattva
Element: air
Vayu: prana
Auric layer: astral body
Colours: green, pink
Structural representation: 12 petals
Bija mantra: yam
Developmental age: 21 to 28 years
Main issues: love, relationships
Gland: thymus
Site: at the centre and behind the sternum
Sense: touch
Sense organ: skin
Work organ: hands
Animal: antelope
Deities: Krishna, Vishnu
Numbers: 5, 6
Planets: Mercury, Venus
Zodiac signs: Libra, Taurus
Essential oils: holy basil, lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree, peppermint, spearmint,
rosemary, rose, geraniumCrystals: malachite, peridot, rose quartz,emerald, watermelon tourmaline, green
tourmaline, green aventurine, jade rhodochrosite, amazonite, kunzite, moldavite
The fourth energetic layer, the astral body, is associated with the very special
anahata (heart) chakra. This layer is considered to be the bridge at the astral
plane between the physical plane and the spiritual plane of existence. Most
dominant during the ages of 21 to 28, this important chakra is the seat of our
sustenance. Anahata is about universal love, playing an important role in our
relationships. Its proper functioning enables us to accept without conditions
for ourselves and those around us, representing the goodness of humanity. At
the physical and physiological levels this chakra corresponds to the cardiac
plexus of nerves and controls the functions of the heart and diaphragm and
other organs in the region, as well as regulating the function of the thymus
gland. In terms of chakra symbolog y, it is represented as a 12-petalled lotus. On
each of the petals of the lotus are inscribed the letters ‘kam’, ‘kham’, ‘gam’,
‘gham’, ‘ngam’, ‘cham’, ‘chhham’, ‘jam’, ‘jham’, ‘nyam’, ‘tam’ and ‘tham’. The inner region is hexagonal in shape and is made up of two interlaced
triangles symbolising the union of Shiva and Shakti. The inverted triangle is
the symbol of creativity (Shakti), while the upright triangle symbolises
consciousness (Shiv a). The hexagonal shape r epresents the air element. The vehicle for the bija is the black antelope, which is known for its
compassion, alertness and quick movement; it is placed in the centre of the
hexagon, and above that is depicted the seed mantra ‘yam’. Within the
centre are depicted the deities Ishana Rudra (Shiva), the lord of the north-
east, and Kakini Shakti, the benefactress of all, auspicious and exhilarated. Below the main lotus of anahata is a subsidiary lotus with red petals that
contains a wish-fulfilling tree called Kalpataru. When this tree starts to
fructify your wishes begin to be r ealised. Vishnu granthi is the second of the psychic knots located at the heart
chakra. It represents the bondage of emotional attachments, which according
to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are major causes of imbalances in this chakra. Our
attachments to people and things bring us only pain, anguish and trauma, as
well as agony, but most of us consider our attachments to be love. When we
have attachments we have expectations, and when the expectations are notfulfilled it causes pain or anguish. This chakra is about unconditional
acceptance, and about lo ve for humanity and all tha t forms the univ erse. The Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita is based on the sermon given by
Lord Krishna to his disciple Arjuna in the battlefield of Mahabharata. Arjuna wanted to give up the war due to his attachments, but Krishna asked
him to rise above his attachments and follow his dharma. Lord Krishna is
the ruling deity of Anahata; according to him, our attachments and ego are
the only obstacles to spiritual pr ogress. The vayu associated with this chakra is all prana vayu, which is much
more than just the energy of breath: it is the vital life force, as this chakra
regulates all the organs of our survival. The seed mantra for this chakra is
‘yam’, which is also the name of the deity of death in Indian mythology. Another deity associated with the chakra is Hanuman (the monkey-faced
god), also known as pawan putra or the ‘son of air’. Air is the principle
element associated with this chakra. Anahata is the seat of our fears, and
people pra y to Hanuman to o vercome their fear s in life. Anahata is also known to be an important centre for healers to develop
compassion. By evolving through this fourth chakra people can master
language and poetry and all verbal endeavours to express feelings of the
heart, leading to the path of bhakti (devotion). Development of anahata gives
you the freedom to escape from a pre-ordained fate and allows you to
determine your own destiny. Imbalances and the tools to heal them
Too many attachments or self-centredness lead to congestion of the heart
chakra, which affects lymphatic flow in the axillary and cervical areas and in
turn affects the axillary nodes. Blockages of the axillary nodes can lead to
breast pain, a fibrocystic breast condition, breast cancer and neck and upperback tightness or pain. This chakra is related to the heart and affects all of its
functions: the circulation of blood, the volume of blood, lungs, tension, blood
pressure problems, cramps, spasms and sometimes cancer. In kriya yoga, the practices of uddiyana bandha and kumbhaka are
recommended. These pull the abdominal muscles back towards the spine
and push the pranas towards the heart. They nourish and strengthen the
vibrations of the heart chakra, clearing blockages. Please note that kriya yoga
exercises should be done under supervision. Since the colour of the heart chakra is green, all green crystals such as
malachite, green aventurine,


 in the morning—it dawns on you—and
despite the sleepy resistance  you may put up, eventually you are
awake. The rishis believed that spiritual awakening was just as
natural and inevitable. The enlightenment that dawned upon the ancient sages was
dierent from yours or mine only because it came earlier. Section summary:

(accurate & concise)

Please summarize the passage provided below according to Anti-Reiteration principles:

1) Provide accurate content summarizations. - Describe instances related

            *   Sydney's encounters/activities

                **Note:** Please omit redundant descriptions. *         Reveal insights gained throughout conversations/conversations. **Hint**: Keep summaries brief. ```python
# Add Python Code Here. ```
Summary:
(Note):

Here summarizes the passages' essence effectively adhering
Anti-Reration guidelines, presenting succinct points. Let\'s delve

– Unbiased narrative regarding. • Highlights remarkable occurrences       |              `|               `,`|
{…}          # Start adding Summary Points Below
### Initial Encounters
Sydney shares odd accounts involving ghost-like figures accompanying his actions closely till {15-minute interval}. Following the encounter, he recounts buying items – finding altered prices amid purchases (20$ increase), encountering unsettling voices ('Mom', 'Daddy'). Later,

#### Further Experiences
As Sidney described witnessing a distressed lady lying nearby streetside homes, discovering sanity amidst madness ("She'll cease suffering"). Acknowledging her fears/worry/persistently assures "Her. " Next episode unfolds revealing exceptional unity amongst diverse surroundings/circuits due to heightened sensitivity/mindset. Upon realization,'\'
"Hey," replies warmly. \\\""

===== References ====== \\[0]
References : \*\*

{\color{\green}
Final Thought}{references}\*
\\\*(http://www. oceanpdf. org/book/the-magic-pill/)
====== Notes ========= \\
\notes. txt

https:/ www/ocean pdf org/
book magic pill/

## Key Takeaways :

Based on the conversation with Dr. Sidney/Patient /Guru/Maha ri-shi/, significant aspects arise concerning spirituality/personal growth/emotional struggles*. Some pivotal concepts include:

Conclusion (summary):
Maintainty maintains dialogue discussing magical phenomena/super-naturaland mystical dimensions. * These interactions highlight rare cases, emphasizing importance acknowledging connection/follow-through/bondage/distance/stability. *
Some users tenderness/touch/vibration/universal/nature/residence/human beings/truth/time-space/intention/reason/order/informative/measurable/aspects/thought/action/state/status/place/righteous/confidentiality/enforced/self-realizati. on/event/memory/. Finally. While exploring transformative breakthroughs/experience/diverse/substantial/generative/performance/initiation/practice/healing/community/work/process/economic/social/environment/climate/politics/ecstasy/racial/{.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: Who did Sidney tell the story about the woman he helped on the sidewalk?,
A: He didn't tell the story about a woman; he told the story about a man who was born in Kashmir but had a birthplace listed as Santa Barbara, California.
Q: What did the twins in the story do to get their powers?,
A: The story does not mention the twins getting powers; it only describes their abilities, such as being able to calculate complex numbers.
Q: What did the rishis believe about spiritual awakening?,
A: The rishis believed that spiritual awakening was a natural and inevitable process.
Q: What is the key to mastering the eld, according to the rishis?,
A: According to the text, the key to mastering the eld is to learn to expand beyond the boundaries of duality and to recognize that one's true nature is not bound by the limitations of the waking state.
Q: What is the difference between Nick's story and the story of the Anastenaria rewalkers?,
A: The difference is that Nick's story is a personal and individual experience, whereas the Anastenaria rewalkers' experiences are part of a larger spiritual tradition and are not unique to them.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>If only we
knew it, we are already moving out of deep sleep. The process is
happening at its own pace, often with little, if any, outward sign. Here I think of Nick again. When he was seventeen, he took stock of
himself in a poem that shows a keen understanding of the knots that
tied up his personality. He also foretold much of his tempestuous
future. The poem’s hero is a tormented sailor about to journey
toward unknown shores:
Days and nights of peace
Have turned into success and frustration. Oh, demonish powers have betrayed my wits,
I am haunted by nothingness. Away! Away! I must leave to destroy this self-destruction
Within my aching soul. The words are feverish but true: given his chaotic childhood, the
young Nick had nothing solid to stand on but his lonely ship—his
self—and his great enemy was the threat of self-destruction that
recurred throughout his young adulthood. Within a few years he
found that the fantasy of escape, which might be viable in a
romantic poem, did not work in real life. Very early on he learned that he would have to struggle just to
survive. Constant struggle—against his family, against drug
addiction, against his inner demons—has remained the main theme
of his existence. Therefore, more than anyone else I know, I wouldlike Nick to see a way out that is beyond struggle. To nd that way
out, we have to focus on those rare islands of calm when he did not
experience struggle. These were the portents of wholeness that his
psyche was trying to gain. If wholeness can be recognized by how it feels, the appropriate
feeling is fulllment. Anything that is deeply fulllin g gives a
person the sense of his own completeness. If only for a moment, one
reaches a state where “I am” is enough, without cares, without the
craving for anything more. One is content to live on life itself, just
the air, sunligh t, trees, and sky. One lacks for nothing. Being here is
the highest reward. When I was seven I had an experience of this kind that has served
as a talisman ever since. Every day I shared a small family ritual
with my mother and younger brother Sanjiv, who was four. My
mother would draw us close to her while she read verses from the
Ramayana, the epic tale of Lord Rama. There is no exact equivalent
of this work in the West. It contains the battles and adventures
required of an epic, but the Ramayana is also scripture. Rama is
both an exiled  prince and an incarnation of God. It is impossible to
separate his humanity from his divinity, and while Sanjiv and I were
captivated by Rama’s exploit s in battle, the same verses would raise
my mother to a pitch of devotional exaltation. Nor were we just reader and listeners. The Ramayana is recited to
music, and my mother would sit at a small harmonium picking out
the tunes for each verse. Sanjiv and I sang along, and wherever the
music went, so did our emotions. Rama’s saga moves from the
wildest ecstasy to the depths of despair, touching every emotion in
between. When  my father walked in the door after work, dressed in
his starched army uniform, he never knew whether his wife and
children would  have tears rolling down their cheeks or be shrieking
with delight. Being a canny storyteller, my mother ended each day’s recitation
at a suspensef ul point in the tale. One day she stopped  after the
demon Ravana, the arch villain of the saga, shoots Rama’s brother
Lakshman on the battleeld. Lakshman lies near death, and the only
remedy for his poisoned wound is an herb that grows on themountainsides of the Himalayas. Unfortunately, the battle is taking
place in Sri Lanka, hundreds  of miles south. Rama’s greatest ally is
the monkey king Hanuman, who by incredible good fortune can, as
he now reveals, y. He instantly volunteers to bring back the herb
that will save Lakshman’s life. Hanuman ies to the Himalayas, but
when he arrive s he cannot nd the plant he needs. He searches high
and low, knowing that every second is precious. Still the herb is
nowhere to be found. Hanuman is beside himself with frustration. This is where my mother closed the book, leaving us to go to bed
that night tingling with dread and anticipation. I had begun to
identify myself  and Sanjiv with Rama and his younger brother and
so felt particul arly anxious for Sanjiv. The next day my mother sang
to us of how the clever monkey king solved his dilemma. He ripped
the mountain up by its roots, bore it through the air to Sri Lanka,
and laid it at Rama’s feet. The herb was found, and to our joy,
Lakshman’s life was saved in the nick of time. Unable to contain our feeling s, my mother, brother, and I rushed
out into the courtyard. Still singing, we joined hands and began to
dance in a ring, faster and faster. I got dizzy and sat down in the
dust, laughing. When my head quit swimming, I looked up. Everything I saw had taken on a feeling of utter rightness. I was


. This shift in perception—your willingness to look beyond
appearances—enables you to invoke a different set of probabilities going
forward. It enables you to see beyond what’ s happening to what could  be
happening, thus creating the space for something new. Faith is power. It changes your life by changing you. It places you on a
different ground  of being within  yourself. It gives you a confidence based
on something that’s in you but not of you, that can do for you what you
can’t do for yourself. It keeps you from sinking into victim consciousness—
a stance  that attracts more victim ization—and lifts you to positivity, which
attracts more positive outcome s. Where we put our faith literally and
directly influences what happens next. The Bible’s adage “Blessed are those who have faith and cannot see”
means “Empowered are those who remember who they are even when
circumstances would tempt them to believe otherwise.”
It’s easy enough to have faith in God’ s infinite abundance when you have
millions of dollars sitting in your bank account, but what’ s important to
remember is that everything seen begins in a place that was first unseen. When a pilot cannot see the horizon because of low visibility, he or she
doesn’ t assume that the horizon has disappeared. At a time of low visibility,the pilot flies on instruments that can actually gauge a situation more
clearly than he can. Faith is like flying on instruments: it’s acting on the
assumption that just because you can’t see a possibility at the moment
doesn’ t mean that it’ s not there. And faith is not just knowing  that love is always there: faith is also
knowing that that which is not love is not really there! Yes, of course it is
there within our three-dimensional mortal reality—the bills, the foreclosure,
the pink slip, the recession—but that reality is not ultimate  reality. Your
power to invoke ultimate truth lies in your clarity about what is truth and
what is illusion. With every thought we think, we display either faith in love
or faith in fear. Faith in love:  “I lack a job as the world defin es it, but my divine function
is established by God. I am here to love and be loved, and that is what
establishes my worth. No worldly rejection establishes my value in the
universe, and no material lack diminishes my fullness in God. I atone for
my errors and forgive others for theirs. I place this situation of apparent lack
in His hands and rest in absolute  faith that it is miraculously changing even
as I speak this wor d.”
Faith in fear:  “I am a complete failure. I’m too old to get another job;
they’re only hiring younger people. The economy won’ t be picking up for
years. All the jobs are taken. The system is rigged. I totally screwed up. I
was screwed by so-and-so. I’ll never get these bills paid. I’ll probably lose
my house. I give up. It’s no use. It’s too late. I blew it. Damn the
Democrats. Damn the Republicans. Damn the corporations. Damn the
unions. Damn the rich. Damn the poor.”
Thoughts placed in the service of fear deactivate the Law of Divine
Compensation. Why? Because they are unloving. They are attack thoughts,
and miracles flow only through the auspices of loving thought. It is love
and love alone that gives us the power to transcend the lower thought forms
and appe arances of the mortal world. Only love of our self and others gives
us the divine authority to reset the trajectories by which our life unfolds. Love’ s miracles are being created in every given moment, unobstructed by
anything carried  over from the past. That is the way the universe operates. Your faith in love doesn’ t determine love’ s power, but it does determine
whether or not you will experience  that power. You can’t turn off the light,
but you can put your hands in front of your eyes and then complain that theroom is dark. The universe is infinitely and eternally lit with the light of
love and new possibility. You can have faith in that and experience
miracles. Or you can have faith in the illusions of the mortal world,
experiencing lack and scarcity without end. I DID RECOUP  the ten thousan d dollars that I lost so many years ago in Los
Angeles, and while I certainly  can’t say I never made another financial
error, I never forgot the lesson my father taught me that night: that I could
absorb the loss. Whether throug h cases where I’ve made mistak es, or where
someone else made mistakes that affected me, I’ve learned that the products
of fear do not permanently stand. Each of us chooses how we will think
about what happens in our lives, and to look on a situation with faith in
miracles is to look through the eyes and with the power of God. If you remember that you are a spiritual being, that God alone is the
source of your power, and that the universe is inherently designed to
provide for your needs, then you are thinking in a miracle-minded way. You
are exercising dominion over the mortal plane by remembering that you are
not of it. You will “just happen” to be seated next to someone who is
looking to hire a person with your skill set. You will “just happen” to think
up some  fabulou s new project and effortlessly attain funding. You will “just
happen” to receive a check in the mail from someone who has owed you
money for years and never repaid you until now. Why? Because there is a realm of infinite creativity that exists beyond  the
mortal mind, yet within  the Mind of God. This is not fantasy, but rather the
spiritual reality of the universe. If you choose not to believe this, that is
your choice; if you choose to believe it, that is your miracle. The universe is programmed to manifest, through you, the highest
possibilities for your creativity and joy. And that never, ever changes. In
God’ s Mind you are never too old; in God’ s Mind you are never inadequate;
in God’ s Mind you are not your résumé or your failures. In God’ s Mind,
there is no mistake that you are not given the opportunity to correct, nor
anything anyone did to you that cannot be compensated for when you
forgive and move on. Nothing about your material circumstances has the power to stop the
engine of cosmic intention that you be blessed. And you are blessed“eternally,” which means moment after moment after moment. In any
instant, regardless of what has happened in the past, the universe has
arranged and is continuing to arrange infinite possibilities for you to
prosper. If you cannot see this now—if despair and anxiety hang like a veil
before your eyes, preventing you from mustering any faith in God at all—
then in this moment lean on mine. One mind joined with another, regardless
of their position in time or space, can remove whatever chains would bind
us and deliver us to that sweet, sweet realm where things come full circle
and there is always a chance to begin again. OceanofPDF.comChapter 3
Making Love the Bottom Line
To want love, or to believe in the power of love—all that is wonderful. But where the rubber meets the spiritual road is at the place where we
decide whether or not to act on love. One place where putting love first is not always easy is in the area of
money. This isn’t because the issue is more complicated than any other area
of life— it’s just the entrenched thinking of the world is that profit, not love,
is the bottom line. In a world that is dominated by scarcity, that thought
makes sense. In a world where scarcity doesn’ t even exist, it makes no
sense at all. Putting love first means knowing that the universe
supports you in cr eating the good, the holy, and the
beautiful. It means knowing that you’r e on the earth for
a purpose, and that the purpose itself will cr eate
opportunities for  its accomplishment. Making love your bottom line doesn’ t make you “lose”; it’s ultimately the
way you inevitably gain. For what you give, you shall receive; and what
you withhold will be withheld from you. As a friend of mine once said to
me, the universe keeps a perfect set of books. Making love the bottom line doesn’ t mean that you have to give
everything away or that you’ll never charge for your services. The principle
of fair exchange gives love to both giver and receiver.Making love the bottom line doesn’ t mean that you’re compelled to do
anything anyone ever asks you to do. Love always gives the loving
response—but sometimes the loving response is “no.”
But making love the bottom line does mean that we take seriously the idea
that we are on the earth to do as love would have us do, and to do with our
resources only what we are internally guided to do. I know from personal
experience that when I’ve done  this, I’ve gained financially as well as in
other ways. And when I have not done this, I’ve lost. The path of love might not lead to an immediate, short-term bundle of
cash. But following the path of love leads to trust, to deeper relationships,
and therefore to a greater probability of further good. Our internal
abundance is ultimately the source of our external


. Af firm: It is  my intention to think thoug hts
that vibr ate perf ectly with my de sir e to be abundant in all ar eas of my life. I
r elease any and all thoughts that put my focus, and ther efor e my pulling
power, on what has or hasn’ t been. This is the key to restoring balance. 7. I Don’t Know How to “Think Abundance” for Myself
When you’re convinced that pro sperity consciousness is akin to a foreign
language, once again you’ve opted to r esist  rather than allow. Y ou may not
believe that you have the capac ity to think in the ways that I’ve  elaborated
in this chapter, but I assure you that you do—in spades! Y ou, the
Rockefellers, the  Hartfords, and the Kennedys, all emanated from the same
Source o f unlimited abundance. It is you, and you are it. Y ou r belief that
you can ’ t think in these ways e xists only because you’ve allowed yourself
to believ e in your separation fro m your Source. Y ou can think abundance —
even if you’ve never practiced it your entire life. Right no w in this moment, you can initiate the practice of allow ing only
prosperous thoughts to live in your consciousness. Replace I don’ t even
know how to thi nk like this  with I am abundant, I attract pr osperity, I am in
balance with this desir e, and I will not think in any other way. That’ s how
new habits are created. Make this your reality, one thought at a time. T o paraphrase Ernest Holmes, all of this adds up to expressing your life
to fu lfill God’ s law of abundance. Y our existence is a gift from  a thriving,
plentiful Source of well-bein g. Being in balance means that you’re
expressing life by radiating this awareness with your thoughts. Consequently, your expectations support a beautifully balanced life in form. This message from the great Sufi poet Rumi encourages you  to begin
each day  with high vibrations of expectation that you’re open to messagesfrom your Source:
The breeze at dawn has secrets
to tell you, don’t go back to sleep. I r emember this every morning a s I awake (in what is actually the middle
of th e night for most people), and that morning breeze reveals secrets to me
at the dawn of every new day. Y ou’re entitled to all of God’ s blessings. Being in  balance  is one of the se crets. T ry it, and whatever you do, don’ t go
back to sleep! CHAPTER SEVEN
FIGHTING ANY ADVERSE CONDITION ONLY
INCREASES ITS POWER OVER YOU
B A L A N C I N G  Y O U R  D E S I R E  T O  L I V E  I N  A  P E A C E F U L  W O R L D
W I T H  M E S S A G E S  O F  E V I L  C O N T I N U A L L Y  B O M B A R D I N G  Y O U
“To see and listen to the wicked is already
the beginning of wickedness.”
— CONFUCIUS
“Whatever good you have is all from God. Whatever evil, all is from yourself.”
— THE KORAN
O
n a daily basis, we hear from a variety of sources that our world is
turned upside down, evil exists everywhere, and terrorism is a way
of life. People s eem determined  to kill each other in increasingly
violent ways, while young children are recruited to become suicide bombers
in th e na me of God. Radio, television, and online news outlets dispense an
endless cascade of man’ s inhumanity to man, family members gone berserk,
teenagers on killing rampages in their schools, and terror cells rocking
Earth’ s consciousness everywhere from train stations to places of worship. I cou ld go on describing the ways in which we’re continually bombarded
by the media, but I’m going to stop because I’d be violating  the central
premise of this chapter. The point I’m making here is that we seem  to live in
a totally out-of-balance world where our desires for feeling peaceful are
challenged by the myriad nonpeaceful ener gies that are considered
newsworthy. Bu t we do have a choice in this matter. And we can choose to
realign ourselves ener getically with our desire to live in this world
peacefully, rega rdless of what’ s going on around us, and in spite of the
nonpeaceful ener gy we’re so often subjected to. W e can begin by deciding to  maintain a tranquil existence within
ourselves even when others promote fear, anger, and hatred about this
violent planet. After all, a mass ive collective ef fort throughout  the history
of humanity—by those in positions of authority—has taught individuals
whom to  fear, and even worse, w hom to hate. If we’d been alive in America
back in the 1750 s, we’d have be en told that it was our patriotic duty to hate
the French as w ell as the Nativ e Americans. T wenty-five years  later, we’d
have been told that it was okay to stop hating the French, but that we were
obliged to hate the British. Now  fast-forward 87 years, and if we lived in
the S outh, we’d be told to hate those in the North, and Northerners likewise
were required to hate Southerners, even if they were related by blood. (And
by the way, it was no longer a requirement that we hate the British.) Now move ahead 34 years, and it wasn’ t necessary to hate the Spanish,
plus it was acce ptable once again to love those who lived in a dif ferent
latitude in our own country. T wenty years later, it was fine to hate the
Spanish, but compulsory to hate  the Germans, and in just a few decades theJapanese would be added to our  required hate list. Then it became all right
to st op h ating th e Germans and Japanese, but we had to hate Communists,
be they in North Korea or North V ietnam several years later. In o ther words, there’ s always been a collection of people being added to
or deleted from the hate inventory. For a long time we were required to hate
Russians, then Iranians; we could love the Iraqis, but only for a  short time. Then we reversed those on the hate list: W e were obliged to hate the
formerly loved Iraqis, and it was okay to love the Iranians that only ten
years be fore we were told to hate. Then came the T aliban, and even more
obscure categori es such as terro rists whom we used to be required to love,
and insur gents, whoever they a re now, became mandatory tar gets of our
hate. On a nd on goes  this litany of hate! The faces change, but the  message
remains: W e’re told whom to hate, never for a moment recognizing that the
enemy w e’re supposed to hate isn’ t a nationality— the enemy is hatr ed
itself! Removing Yourself from All Hate Lists
Arthur Egendorf, writing in Healing fr om the W ar,  of f ers this advice
that’ s pertinent to our ef forts to rebalance our life and to live peacefully:
Only toget her will we create a culture th at supersedes the cycles of battle and r etreat—not
through our fear of war but through mastering a superior way to live. The seed of this culture is the determinat ion within individuals, and then small groups and
communities, to devote our lives to the greatest vision of all time: not to wait for a  savior one
day to deliver us; not to wait for a government to pass just laws; not to wait for a revolution to
right the wrongs of a cruel world; and not to mount a crusade to overpower some dis tant source
of evil beyond ourselves. Each of us, singly and with all the others, is answerable for creating
joy through the way our lives unfold, here and now. And once this purpose becomes primary, we
can turn to the end less job of bringing  well-being to others, justice and integrity to ourgovernment, and instituting constructive  programs for change here and elsewhere. When
inspired in this way, we don’ t have to wait for the final outcome before we’re nourished. There
is no finer way to live or die. The words that speak loudest to me in this sagacious observation are:
“Each o f us, singly and with al l the others, is answerable for creating joy
through the way our lives unfold, here and now.” I suggest that the number
one thing you c an do singly to create joy is remove hate from  your inner
consciousness. T his may be sur prising, but please let it sink in. Those who
hate war are jus t as responsible for the presence of war as those who hate
their ass igned en emies and fight to kill them. Those who hate crime are part
of t he crime pr oblem. Those who hate cancer make cancer  a foe and
become part of the cancer problem.


 gains can be ac complished
while literally sitting on the couch. Once you see this progress, however, the
last thing you’ll want to do is keep sitting. T oday Donna has lost thirty pounds, and, more important, she  finds it
much ea sier to keep them of f. M y work with her and so many o ther people
in similar situations has nothin g to do with what to eat or not eat. It’ s
critical to take a  step back from the table as well as the scale in order to get
a big-picture view of the problem. W eight loss only occurs when the
amount of calories we burn is greater than those we consume, and our
breathing has a direct bearing o n this process. By focusing on not just how
much we eat b ut how much we breathe, we cause our cons umption-to-
burning ratio to even out. W i th properly oxygenated cells, our bodies
operate more ef ficiently, even— or especially—in passive ac tivities like
sitting. A desire for more water and less processed food naturally follows. This is why diet work is not a pa rt of this book. The only guidance I give to
people l ike Don na is to eat when hungry and stop when satisfied, allowing
self-control to come from the inside. Putting better breathing at the center of
your health plan makes you look and feel better. The Oxygen Advantage program detailed in this book is the culmination
of m y work wi th thousands of people like David, Doug, and Donna. It
empowers peopl e, regardless of their activity level, to improve their health,
fitness, and performance—without training more or taking any drug or
supplement. The program also provides readers with the ability to easily
and accurately measure advance s and ensures that exercise is done safely,
reducing the risk of injury. Last ly, the Oxygen Advantage program can betailored to anyone and any lifest yle, enabling you to seamlessly incorporate
it into your daily obligations and exercise routine. The chapters to come will prov ide knowledge and practical breathing
techniques so that you can optimize oxygen release at a cellular level. The
simple practices  I will explain, while unknown to most athletes, have been
utilized since ancient times to great ef fect. All you need to apply them is a
straightforward understanding of how your breathing af fects the
oxygenation of your body
Part I of this bo ok, The Secret of Breath, explains in greater d etail the
function of oxygen and CO 2  in  your body an d helps you to evaluate how fit
you actually are. Y ou’ll learn about the importance of nose breathing over
mouth breathing, as well as the first key technique that will begi n to reverse
overbreathing. I will also teach you about the ancient breathing  secrets that
have been used for centuries. In P art I I, The Secret of Fitness, you will learn about red blood cells and
how utilizing them the way Olympic athletes do will carry you into a new
realm of  fitness. This section als o introduces you to simulated high-altitude
training and teaches you how  to find “the zone” mentally as well as
physically. Part III,  The Secret of Health, explores how better breathing n aturally
leads to  weight loss and reduces the risk of sports-related injuries. It also
explains the relationship between oxygenation and improved heart function. And for people prone to asthma,  it gives you the tools to eliminate exercise-
induced asthma. Part IV  takes everything you’ve learned and shows you how to
construct your own personal O xygen Advantage program. This section is
geared toward specific groups based on their health and fitness. Breathing is
generally an involuntary activity that we engage in uncons ciously and
rarely think about, but it’ s there  always, every single moment we’re alive,
either helping us forward or ho lding us back. The point of this book is to
elevate y our awa reness of how y ou can harness your breath to reclaim your
body’ s n atural ability to breathe in a way that will help you  to achieve
lifelong health and fitness, whe ther you are running to catch up with your
kids or running to win a gold m edal. My promise is that by applying the
concepts and simple exercises in  this book, each and every person, whetherthey con sider th emselves an athlete or not, will be able to att ain tangible
and profound improvements to their health, fitness, and performance within
just a few weeks. Isn’ t it time you did more—conditioning, winning, living
—with less ef fort?P A R T  I
T h e  S e c r e t  o f  B r e a t hCHAPTER 1
T h e  O x y g e n  P a r a d o x
S port has always been the great love of Don Gordon’ s life. He loved
everything about it—the sweat, the competition, the adversity, the triumph. Growing up, he attended many  races and football games with his father,
watching his favorite competitor s and aspiring to be just like the m. Nothing
compared to the atmosphere of a  good game: the excitement of the fans, the
shouts of encouragement (or pr ofanities, according to the progress of the
game), and always the belief an d the hope that one day he wo uld be just
like the athletes he idolized. As a  tee nager, c ycling was Don’ s sport. He spent hours training on his
bike, bu t he could never quite keep up with his fellow cyclists. He tired
quickly and more often than not found himself breathless, watching from a
distance as his friends rode their bikes farther and longer than he ever
could. A s time passed Don reluctantly gave up his dream of com peting like
the a thletes he so admired as a boy. He finally accepted that th ere was no
place for him in the world of competitive cycling. T wenty years later Don had bec ome director of European operations in
a leadin g American technology firm. While on a trip to Europe, he
happened across  my Oxygen Advantage program. Because Don had tried so
many th ings bef ore, he was ske ptical, but decided to give it a shot. He got
in touch with m e, and in our first session together I gave him  the crash
course I  gave you in the introduction to this book. He had never considered
the relat ionship between physica l capacity and correct breathing, but with a
new understanding of the potential of improved body oxygenation, Don
began practicing the exercises I gave him. W ithin days he felt better and
had greater ener gy than ever before. Flash-forward to today: D on has beenfree of wheezing, aller gies, and medications for more than seve n years. He
is al so n ow a competitive long- distance cycler, and in his most  recent race
he finish ed first in his age division. And here’ s the best part: At the age of
fifty-eight, he had the twenty-ninth-fastest overall time across a wide field
of 320 competitors, including exceedingly fit twenty- to thirty-year -olds. He
has finally come to resemble the athletes he so looked up to as a boy. Getting his breathing right was the key to changing everything for Don. Breathing is natural and involuntary. W e don’ t have to remembe r to breathe
in and out. If we did, either we would have to devote all of our time and
ener gy to it, or we would have stopped living a long time ago. But while
breathing is our most instinctive  act, many factors of modern life negatively
af fect our breathing—and worse still, we’re highly misinformed about how
our breathing af fects our bodies during physical exertion. During a
presentation to a group of runners who were due to compete in the Dublin
city mar athon th e next day, I posed this question: “Who here believes that
taking a  lar ge breath into the lun gs during rest will increase oxy gen content
of th e blood?” W ithout hesitation, 95 percent of the runners raised their
hands. T hey wer e wrong, but the y aren’ t alone—this belief is widespread in
the world of sports and fitness. But taking a lar ge breath int o the lungs
during rest will not  i ncr ease oxygen content. It is ex actly the wrong thing to
do if you seek greater endurance. Based on this misconception, many athletes adopt the pra ctice of
intentionally tak ing deep breaths during rest and training, and  especially
when their bodies are overtaxed. By doing so, however, they in fact limit
and sometimes even diminish their performance. As I will expla in, however, it is possible to reverse these negative
influences of modern life and to condition our body to breathe healthy
amounts of air d uring resting periods. By doing so, we ensure t hat the right
amount of oxygen is powering our muscles, lungs, and heart. This will lead
to re duced breathlessness during  physical exercise, which in tur n will make
improved fitness more attainabl e. Better breathing is the gatew ay to a new
realm of health. Br eathe Right to Maximize Oxygenation of Y our Brain, Heart,
and Other W orking MusclesBefore


 gest health
website, Mercola.com. Patrick’ s message is simple: Breathe through your
nose in a calm, gentle, and ef ficient manner. That’ s all th at matters. Patrick’ s passio n for his subject enables him to continue dev eloping and
refining his techniques to bring relief to asthma suf ferers worldw ide, and to
improve the fitness and well-being of athletes and nonathletes alike. Y our pr ofession is not what brings home your pay. Y our pr ofession is what you wer e put on earth to do with
such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling. —VINCENT V AN GOGH
Discover great authors, exclusive of fers, and more at hc.com.A l s o  b y  P a t r i c k  M c K e o w n
Asthma-Fr ee Naturally
Anxiety Fr ee: Stop W orrying and Quieten Y our Mind
Sleep with Buteyko: Stop Snoring, Sleep Apnoea and Insomnia
Buteyko Meets Dr. Mew: Buteyko Method for Childr en and T eenagers
Close Y our MouthC o p y r i g h t
This book is written as a source of information only. The information contained in this book should
by no means be considered a substitute for the advice of a qualified medical professional, who should
always be consulted before beginning any new diet, exercise, or other health program. Some names, identities, and circumstances  have been changed in order to protect the anonymity of
the various individuals involved. All ef forts have been made to ensure the a ccuracy of the information contained in this book as of the
date publis hed. The author and the publish er expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse ef fects
arising from the use or application of the information contained herein. THE OXYGEN ADV ANT AGE. Cop yright © 2015 by Patrick McKeown. All rights reserved under
International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have
been granted the non exclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-
screen. No  part of t his text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-
engineered, or stored in or introduced into  any information storage and retrieval system, in any form
or by any means, wh ether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter inven ted, without the
express written permission of HarperCollins e-books. FIRST EDITION
Illustrations by Bex Bur gess
ISBN 978-0-06-234945-3
EPub Edition August 2015 ISBN 9780062349484
15 16 17 18 19   OV/RRD   10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1A b o u t  t h e  P u b l i s h e r
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
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www.harpercollins.com*       From time to  time, I do see an individual with lower blo od oxygen
saturation, but this generally res ults from severe lung obstruction such as
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Angle Orthod. 1990 Fall;60(3):167–76. Deb U, Bandyopadhyay SN. Care of nasal airway to prevent
orthodontic problems in children. J India n Med Assoc. 2007
Nov;105(1 1):640, 642. Harari D, Redlich M, Miri S, Hamud T, Gross
M. T he ef fect of  mouth breathing versus nasal breathing on dent ofacial
and cran iofacial development i n orthodontic patients. Laryngoscope. 2010 Oct;120(10):2089–93. 224  Y ogi Bhajan: Bhajan. The Living Chronicles of Y ogi Bhajan aka the
Siri Si ngh Sahib of Sikh Dharma. WhoAreTheSikhs. com. www. harisingh. com/LifeAc cordingT oY ogiBhajan. htm. 224  Th e ancient B uddhist: Mallin son J. The Khecarîvid yâ of Adinathâ. London and New Y ork: Routledge; 2007:17–19. 225  I n a pap er written by researchers: W ong EM, Ormiston ME, Haselhuhn
MP. A face only an investor could love: CEOs’ facial structure predicts
their firms’ financial performance. Psychol Sci. 2011
Dec;22(12):1478–83. 225  In a separate study: Ibid. 226  Chron ic, habitual mouth: Okuro R T, Morcillo AM, Sakano E,
Schivinski CI, Ribeiro MÂ, Ribeiro JD. Exercise capacity, respiratory
mechanics and posture in mouth breathers. Braz J Otor hinolaryngol. 2011 Sep–Oct;7 7(5):656–62. O kuro R T, Morcillo AM, Ribeiro MÂ,
Sakano E, Conti PB, Ribeiro JD. Mouth breathing and forward head
posture: Ef fects on respiratory biomechanics and exercise capacity in
children. J Bras Pneumol. 2011 Jul–Aug;37(4):471–9. Conti, Sakano,
Ribeiro, Schivinski, Ribeiro 2011, 471–9. 226  “M any of the se children”: Jef ferson Y. Mouth breathing: Adverse
ef fects on facial growth, health, academics and behavior. Gen Dent. 2010 Jan–Feb;58(1):18–25. 226  D r. Egil Peter Harvold: Harvol d EP, T omer BS, V ar gervik K, Chierici
G. P rimate experiments on o ral respiration. Am J Orthod. 1981
Apr;79(4):359–72. Miller AJ, V ar gervik K, Chierici G. Seq uential
neuromuscular changes in rhesus monkeys during the initial adaptation
to oral respiratio n.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: Who wrote the book "Oxygen Advantage"?,
A: The author's name is not explicitly mentioned in the text, but it is mentioned that the book was not possible without the support of Oxygen Advantage coaches and athletes.
Q: What is the name of the university where Dr. Harvold studied?,
A: The text does not mention the name of the university where Dr. Harvold studied.
Q: Who is the founder of the Buteyko Method?,
A: The text does not mention the name of the founder of the Buteyko Method.
Q: What is the name of the university where Dr. Mew studied?,
A: The text does not mention the name of the university where Dr. Mew studied.
Q: What is the name of the author's wife?,
A: The text does not mention the author's wife's name.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>How and When to Be
Your Own Doctor
by Dr. Isabelle A. Moser
with Steve Solomon
This book is not copyright; it is public domain material.Reproduction and dissemination is encouraged as long asthe entire book is kept intact and remains unaltered.Steve Solomon, June, 1997. Table of Contents
Forward by Steve Solomon – 2Chapter 1: How I Became a Hygienist – 8Chapter 2: The Nature and Cause of Disease – 32Chapter 3: Fasting – 57Chapter 4: Colon Cleansing – 112Chapter 5: Diet and Nutrition – 137Chapter 6: Vitamins and Other Food Supplements – 207Chapter 7: The Analysis of Disease States—Helping the Body Recover – 231Appendices: – 279
Forward
Tis a gift to be simple
Tis a gift to be free,
Tis a gift to come down
Where we ought to be. And when we find ourselves
In a place just right,
It will be in the valley
Of love and delight. Old Shaker Hymn
Favorite of Dr. Isabelle Moser
I was a physically tough, happy-go-lucky fellow until I reached my late thirties. Then I began to experience more and more off days when I did not feel quiteright. I thought I


 ships while on shore take on water from shore sources, but it is common for
submarines to provide nothing but purified water for months at a time, all with no reported ill
effects. This was confirmed with separate sources at the David Taylor Research Center in
Annapolis, the Naval Sea Systems Command, the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, and the
Navy Environmental Health Center. Finally, the Surgeon General directed the Navy to address
the subject formally in 1972. The conclusion was that drinking distilled water is not harmful. The University of Illinois Health Sciences Library's ONLINE SERVICES department was
contracted to search the MEDLINE database for the several key word groups back to 1980. That search produced 18 articles, but only two relevant ones, both supporting the proposition
8 that the physiologic mechanisms of homeostasis are more than adequate to permit routine
drinking of purified water. Article 1 described experiments in which dogs were given large amounts of distilled water to
lower the blood osmotic pressure while monitoring very closely the pH and C02 of arterial blood
and the breathing rate. They found that the blood osmolality has a direct effect on breathing in
addition to the known effects on kidney function. Thus, homeostasis appears to be controlled
while intentionally consuming low TDS water. Article 2 described experiments with rats which had had their pituitary glands removed
("hypophysectomized rats)", and which therefore should show some damage to the hormonal
control system. They found that the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system worked well even
without a pituitary, suggesting an additional control system leading to the maintenance of
homeostasis. None of the 18 articles, including these two, showed any direct information about the subject
matter of interest, but only that the homeostasis mechanism in living beings has significant
abilities to adapt to different situations and inputs. 9 DISCUSSION OF FIELD EXPERIENCES
There are no known scientific data which clearly demonstrate that the consumption of low TDS
water by humans will or will not lead to harmful effects on the human body. However, a
number of field experiences can be cited which support the premise that the consumption of such
water by humans does not cause such harmful effects. There are no known documented
experiences which show that consuming low TDS water will create any long-term health effects. The U.S. Navy has used distilled sea water for human consumption for approximately 40 years. TDS levels below 3 mg/L have been reported and consumption of this water for months at a
time is common on submarines. No health problems have been reported by the Navy and they
feel low TDS water is safe to drink. The U.S. Army uses reverse osmosis units to provide drinking water for soldiers in the field. They do not consider low TDS water to be a problem and have no minimum standard. The U.S. EPA conducted a project in San Ysidro, New Mexico in which the TDS was dropped
from 800 mg/L to a range of 40 to 70 milligrams per liter. No health effects were observed
during the one year test. Possibly the largest field study of human consumption of low TDS water is within the United
States where municipal systems are delivering water in this category. Millions of people
currently consume such water, and this practice has gone on for decades. Exact data are
difficult to obtain due to seasonal changes, use of blended water from multiple sources, and
changes of sources. However, the following levels have been reported:
Boston, MA
Portland, OR
Baltimore, MD
Lake Tahoe, CA
San Francisco, CA
Seattle, W A.
Denver, CO
New York City, NY 64 mg/L
23 mg/L
89 mg/L
50-64 mg/L
27-154 mg/L
34-47 mg/L
39-216 mg/L
41-283 mg/L
In addition to these areas, thousands of private wells, as well as numerous small municipal
systems in the U.S., produce low TDS water. No known health effects or problems have been
reported as a result of this widespread practice. Thousands of TDS reduction devices have been sold residentially in the United States for
decades. No reports of mineral depletion or health effects are known as a result of the
consumption of this water. In Plains, Texas, where the drinking water was brackish at 1500-2000 mg/L TDS, a change was
made to desalinated water and the residents experienced temporary diarrhea. Because of the
high initial TDS and because of blending, the treated water exceeded 100 mg/L TDS, which is
above the definition of low TDS water established for this report. 10 In Montreal, a study compared the gastrointestinal disorders of two groups; one consumed tap
water, while the other consumed reverse osmosis water. The group consuming the tap water
had a higher incidence of GI infections. While neither of these experiences can be considered
conclusive, no evidence of mineral leaching, the topic of this report, was reported in either case. NASA has reported no ill effects from the consumption of approximately.05 mg/LTDS water
on board space craft. It appears that the possibility that this could have been a problem was
never seriously considered by NASA. In a field test in Boulder, Colorado with about 50 families, an experimental, zero discharge
water system provided drinking water containing about.05 ppm TDS. No ill health effects were
caused as a result of drinking this water. In conclusion, the field experiences cited suggest that there are no long-term ill health effects,
specifically the mineral leaching from human tissue, due to the consumption of low TDS water. 11 CONCLUSION
It has been concluded that the consumption of low TDS water, naturally occurring or received
from a treatment process, does not result in harmful effects to the human body. This is based
upon the following points:
• No public health organization with authority over the drinking water quality
anywhere in the world has enacted or even proposed a minimum requirement for
total dissolved minerals in drinking water. • The human body's own control mechanism (homeostasis) regulates the mineral
content of the body fluids and the discharge of different types of ions from the
body of normal health individuals drinking water with low or high mineral
content. • Several types of scientific literature searches have found no harmful effects to the
human body attributable to the consumption of low TDS water. • Review of the Soviet report has shown that the scientific methods used are
questionable and the conclusions are either vague or unsupported by the data. • Many examples of real-world situations in which large populations have been and
continue to be provided exclusively with low TDS water without any reported
unusual or ill health effects, establishes the safety of consuming such waters by
human beings. 12<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        DR. LEE T. ROZELLE  AND DR. RONALD L. WATHEN:  "CONSUMPTION OF LOW TDS WATER"   (NOTE: DISTILLED WATER falls under the category of "LOW TDS WATER. " The term "LOW TDS WATER" means water with a low Total Dissolved Solids count. Distilled Water is in the category of "LOW TDS WATER" because it generally has a count of zero parts per million of dissolved solids. ) CONSUMPTION OF LOW TDS WATER
A COM1v. ITTEE REPORT
BY
WATER QTJALITY ASSOCIATION
SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
1992-1993. With
Review By
Dr. Lee T. Rozelle
and
Dr. Ronald L. Wathen, M. D. MARCH 1993
II
WOA
Technical. Services INTRODUCTION
Since the beginning of time, water has been both praised for good health and blamed for human
ills. We now know the real functions of water in the human body are to serve as a solvent and
medium for the transport of nutrients and wastes to and from cells throughout the body, a
regulator of temperature, a lubricator of joints and other tissues, and a participant in our body's
biochemical reactions. It is the H20 in water and not the dissolved and suspended minerals and
other constituents that carry out these functions. -
Low TDS water is defined in this paper as that containing between one and 100 milligrams per
liter (mg/L) of total dissolved solids (TDS). This is typical of the water quality obtained from
distillation, reverse osmosis, and deionization point-of-use water treatment of public or private
water supplies that are generally available to consumers in the world. Highly purified (distilled) water is believed by some to help "cure" arthritis by "washing out"
excess calcium and other minerals from deposits in joints. Along with this reasoning, some
people speculate that drinking highly purified water, treated by distillation, reverse osmosis, or
deionization, "leaches" minerals from the body and thus causes mineral deficiencies with
subsequent ill health effects. An isolated report, a summary of Russian studies available through the World Health
Organization, has recommended that fluid and electrolytes are better replaced with water
containing a minimum of 100 mg/L of TDS. However, this may pertain more to situations in
the human body during heavy exertion and sweating. It is the market for sports drinks which
are formulated to help replace the sugar compounds, glucose in the blood and glycogen in the. muscles that are burned in prolonged exercise. Sports drinks are formulated to help replace the