 that
value. If you don’ t know that having some financial freedom ofchoice is important, you won’ t know to protect that freedom. Y ou
must take time to reflect and specify your values and what is
inviolable in your life. 2. Failing to define your boundaries. Once you’ve discovered what is
important to you and worth protecting, it is critical that you establish
clear boundaries around those values. As has often been said, we
teach people how to treat us. If you don’ t protect what is important to
you, others won’ t either. You must take the time to share with others
what is critically important to you. 3. Failing to r einfor ce and monitor your boundaries. Boundaries cannot
be set once and for all. They must be continually reinforced, with
consequences for violators. Others must learn we are serious about
our boundaries. W e will not be abused or mistreated, and others must
respect us to play in our yard. W e must reinforce and monitor our
boundaries. Making mistakes regarding boun daries is easy to do. Again, if you have
not had a healthy role model showing you how to set and maintain healthy
boundaries, the concept may be foreign to you. You may feel unworthy of
defining and setting boundarie s. Yet you are valuable and worthy of
protection. Donald Miller, author of Scary Close, shares the story of a workshop he
attended where the presenter set three pillows on the floor. He had a woman
stand on the pillow on the right, and he had Don stand on the pillow on the
left. He told them they were both free to stand on the middle pillow because
they had agreed  to be in relationship with one another. Howeve r, they were
never free to stand on the other ’s pillow. Pointing to Don’ s pillow, the instructor said, “That’ s your pillow. The
only person who gets to step on that pillow is you. Nobody else. That’ s your
territory. Your soul.” The instructor then pointed to the woman’ s pillow and
gave the same advice—that was her pillow, her soul. The middle pillow
symbolized the relationship, to be shared.3
Boundaries are firm and strong, but like pillows, they’re also delicate,
soft, and tender.Why Ar e Boundaries Critical? Tamara came to see me following a very difficult separation from her
husband, Tim. Married 15 years, she never felt the freedom to be who she
wanted to be. Tamara is 38 years old but tells me she still feels 18. “How is it that I still feel so small and vulnerable?” she asked. “I’m a
professional and have successfully raised three children. I’ve accomplished
a lot in my life. Still, I’ve always felt under my husband’ s thumb. I’ve
always felt insecure and frightened. I hate this feeling.”
“Tell me more what is happening,” I said. “Tim isn’ t outwardly dominating,” she said. “He just pouts or complains
when things are not going his way. He has made me give up me in so many
ways. What he wants has always taken precedence. I just finally  got fed up
and had to leave.”
“What did you do?” I asked. “I rented an apartment,” she said. “It was tough, but I needed time and
space to clear my head. I needed to learn more about what I think and feel
without him telling me what is best for me.”
“It is critical that we feel safe to be who we are, Tamara,” I said. “That
must have been very dif ficult to get that space for yourself.”
“It was impossible,” she said. “He threatened me at first, saying he
wouldn’ t suppor t me financially. I had to be prepared to make it on my own
financially. He also threatened me with a divorce, and I had to be okay with
that. He still is very angry that I left.”
“How are you doing now?” I asked. “I’m making it, one day at a time,” she said. “I’m part of a
codependency support group through my church. I’ve got some friends who
are supporting me. I’m trying to decide whether to go back to him.”
“I understand,” I said. “I will say this to you. You have won hard-fought
ground. It has taken a lot of strength to get to where you are. You must have
changes from T im. Don’ t give up that ground too easily.”
“I agree,” she said. Emotional Abuse and BoundariesTamara is not fighting a normal battle. Hers is unique and more difficult
than others’. Why do I say that? Tamara is fighting years of oppression. She is fighting years of being
told there is only one way to do things—his way. She is fighting the feeling
of havin g built a fence over and over again to protect her valuables, only to
have that fence kicked down. Such an experience is more than disheartening. Such an experience
steals one’s confidence to keep trying. Yet like many other valiant women,
she has clawed her way out and is now wondering what to do. “I’ve learned that I can’t fight fire with fire,” she told me. “I can’t
outyell him or push past him. I can’t intimidate him or outsmart him. I had
to leave.”
Still, in all of this, Tamara was able to find freedom, and she can now
decide about her marriage. She has discovered what other women have
discovered—the importance of stating her boundary and following through. “I told him if he continued to disregard my needs, I was going to leave
him,” she said. “I said it many times when I didn’ t really have the courage
to do it. But finally I was able to follow through. He’ s listening to me now.”
Kellie Jo Holly offers this in her blog post “Personal Bounda ries Are
Important for Abuse V ictims”:
A perso nal boundary is a rule that you say cannot be broken
without consequence…The most important result is that you can
now recognize abuse when it happens to you. After writing out
even one boundary, you will experience the “red flags” popping
up all around you when your abuser steps over your line. The
red flags alert you to follow through with your plan—what you
said you would do to protect yourself. You will feel stronger and
your abuser ’s influence over you will diminish.4
Let’s walk through some possible boundaries, clarifying your values
and the consequ ences of violating your boundary. Consider each of the
following statements, inserting your own value and boundary into them.• “I value being treated with respect. If you call me names, I will leave
the house and not return until you have apologized.”
• “I value being heard. If you talk over me, I will bring that to your
attention and stop talking until you listen fully to me.”
• “I value being treated kindly. If you treat me unkindly, I’ll remove
myself from your presence.”
Notice in each of these examp les the importance of clarifying your
values, stating the boundary, and then noting the consequence. Also note
that when we set a boundary, we give up control of the outcome. We are
simply announcing to others what we will do if they violate our boundaries. Breaking Contr olling Powers
Tamara has a job to do—to break free. This does not mean she has to
divorce her husband, but she must break free from controlling powers. Joyce Meyer makes a powerful statement about this:
It is offensive to God to let other people control us. He sent
Jesus, His only Son, to purchas e freedom with his life…If you
are letting someone contro l your life—intimidate you,
manipulate you, and cause you to do what you know in your
heart is not right—then you need to break those controlling
powers. It is not God’ s will for us to be controlled by anybody
except His Holy Spirit, and even that decision He leaves up to
us.5
You can see in Meyer ’s words  the importance of breaking free from
emotional manipulation and control. Breaking free means taking the
following action steps:
1. Acknowledge your right and r esponsibility to manage your own life. Yes, you have been given a life to manage—yours. Managing yourlife is not optional. Y ou must manage it because no one is going to do
it for you. 2. Recognize when someone attempts to manipulate and contr ol you. Watch for the red flags of others attempting to think or act for you,
telling you what is best for you. Notice when they get into your head
and mess with what is important to you. 3. Expr ess your values. Share with others what is important to you. Teach people how you want to be treated. Remind them of why
something is important. 4. Confr ont and set the boundary. Confront anyone who violates a
boundary you have set as important. Be very clear about why
something is important, sharing feelings about being violated. Set the
boundary with consequences for their behavior. 5. Follow thr ough. A boundary is not a boundary without consequences. A statement made without consequences is a hope, wish, or
complaint and will have little impact. 6. Pray. Bathe all of your actions in prayer. Make sure


the points I describe here. It is best to use garlic and onion with mox. Garlic is the best,
which you should slice or chop and put in a piece of cheese cloth. You then put it on the acupuncture point to be treated and apply
the heat of mox or the roll or the cigar or heater to the garlic. Don't
overwarm it, as you can hurt yourself. Garlic is a very strong
stimulus. If kept on the place too long it will "burn" the skin, and
you may suffer from superficial heat burns as well. So, be careful. If allergic to garlic you can use the onion. If allergic also to onion,
you may use heat alone, which is still effective. DIAGRAM 41
Roll the moxa in tissue paper
into a cylindar & ignite Hold the
ignited moxa 1/2" above the
acupuncture point. Ignite a small pile of moxa
on a slice of ginger Place the
ginger & burning moxa over
the acupuncture pointAcupuncture, Moxibustion and Herbs 259
Moxa each point for 3 to 4 minutes, but hold the heat roll at
the point for a few seconds only, moving it up and down all the
time, pressing deeply unless discomfort sets in. Do not exceed this
time of 3 to 4 minutes. When doing moxa try to keep the room
warm. Be careful of a cold room, especially when you are nude, as
you will lose a lot of chi. If you are using the cigar, moxi rolls, or
cigarette, afterwards the room will be smoky for awhile. So you
must have very good ventilation to exhaust the smoke out. Do this moxa treatment every day for ten days and then stop
for 3 days. Then start another 10 day period of application. Don't
drink wine or take a bath for two hours after mox treatment. Dur-
ing mox treatment stop having sex until you recover. If the condi-
tion is serious, stop sex for 1 to 3 months. After a thorough rest you
will recover your strength and potency. If you discipline yourself
to follow the cycle of 10 day treatments and 3 to 4 day rest, most
men will recover their potency unless suffering an anatomical de-
fect (which is extremely rare). 1. URINARY BLADDER MERIDIAN-KAN-SHU BL-18
THE MAIN LIVER POINT
Start at back, the urinary bladder meridian, called the Foot Tai-
Yang. The first point is the Kan Shu BL-18. Kan-Shu is one and
one-half tsun beside the lower end of the spinous process of T9. One and one-half tsun (1 tsun is a thumb-width) is the width of your
index and middle finger. This is considered the main liver point. The liver stores the body's energy. With too much intercourse or
stress, the body must draw its supplies from the liver and deplete
it. For this reason this treatment is helpful in hepatitis. The spinous
process is the outer tip of the vertebra as you move outward from
the center line of the spinal cord. 2. PI-SHU BL-20 MAIN POINT OF SPLEEN
Second point is the Pi-Shu BL-20, which is one and one-half tsun
beside the lower end of the spinous process of Til. This is the main
point for the spleen. It also helps backaches and indigestion.260 Taoist Secrets Of Love
3. SHEN-SHU BL-23 PALACE OF SPERM/TZU-LIAO BL 32
Third point is the Shen-Shu BL-23. (Palace of Sperm). One and
one-half tsun beside the lower end of the spinous process of L2. Used for kidney, this helps fight infections, lower back pain and
sexual problems. Shen-shu means "palace of sperm". Do on both
sides of the spine for all points. Finally come down to Tzu-Liao, BL-32 on the 2nd posterior
sacral foramen and midway between the lower part of the posterior
superior iliac spine and the median line. It's easy to find; start with
the sacrum, the large piece of bone above the coccyx. Put your
thumb on the point BL-27, which is the last point between the
spinal vertebrae on the sacrum. Put your little finger on your coc-
cyx, and spread the fingers out, and your index finger falls on the
Tzu-Liao. Your thumb should be just at the upper rim of the sac-
rum and the fingers evenly spread out. Another way is to find the point where the sacrum meets the
spinal column. Place the thumb at this junction and then spread the
fingers. This may be easier. Surrounding the outline of the hand are
eight holes of the sacrum. Shang Liao upper hole is on BL-31. The
most important point is the Tzu-Liao BL-32 on the second hole,
then Chung-Liao BL-33 on the middle hole and Hsia-Liao BL-34
on the lower hole. There are more points than those mentioned here. Not all of
the points need moxa every day. Do your back if you have some-
one to help you. You can do it once every two or three days on the
back, combining and alternating with points on your back and
front. 4. GOVERNOR MERIDIAN-CHANG-CHIANG GO-1
FUNCTIONAL MERIDIAN CHI HAI CO-6
THE OCEAN OF ENERGY
Another point is on the governor meridian, the chang-chiang, GO-1
at the lower end of the coccyx between the tip of the coccyx and
the anus. It's also good for lower backache. Another point is on the
Functional Meridian. The point is Chi-Hai CO-6, one and one-half
tsun below the umbilicus, known as the ocean of the chi energy-
This also helps disorders of the bowel. Next go to Kuan YuanAcupuncture, Moxibustion and Herbs 261
CO-4, three tsun below the umbilicus. All points on the functional
(conception) meridian on your back help increase energy in the
abdominal organs, including the small intestine, large intestine,
bladder, and prostate gland. By stimulating all these organs you
greatly help to reduce your impotency. DIAGRAM 42
THE MAIN MOXIBUSTION POINTS TO
RESTORE MALE POTENCY. Pishu (UB-20)
Main point
of Spleen
Tzu-Liao
(BL-32)Kan Shu (UB-20)
Main Liver Point
Shen Shu (BL-23)
Main Point
of Kidney
With the thumb on the sacro-iliac to the left side,
spread out the three fingers evenly on the right side. They will touch S1, S2 & S3.262 Taoist Secrets Of Love
THE SPECIAL POINTS FOR IMPOTENCE:
1. HEAD OF THE PENIS, GLANS PENIS, ROOT OF PENIS,
HUI-YIN
All back and front points on the governor and functional meridians
stimulate the organs. The points listed here are the special points
for impotence. First point is the head of the penis, or the glans
penis. Best way to use is slice the garlic (don't chop it and don't use
garlic if you are allergic to it) and punch a hole in it with a needle. For the first few times put on a silk cloth to prevent burning the
penis glans and then use the heater. Second point is the 2 points at
the under root of penis. Third point is hui-yin, the perineum located
between the anus and the penis, which is included in the special
points. DIAGRAM 43
Root of PmAa
Hui-YIn (CO-1)
2. FU-LIU KM (MASSAGE ONLY)
On the leg, point Fu-Liu KI-7 is two tsun above the posterior media
malleolus on the inner ankle bone. DIAGRAM 44Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Herbs
3. LAO-KUNG (MASSAGE ONLY)263
The point mentioned here cannot use moxa, but responds to mas-
sage and rubbing. On the hand, the Lao-Kung is between the mid-
dle and fourth fingers when the hand is closed so that all fingers run
along the line in the hand. Rub this point every day. DIAGRAM 45
Do not Moxa
Lao-Kung
4. YUNG-CHUAN KIDNEY POINT (MASSAGE ONLY)
Another point is on the Kidney meridian, called the Foot Shao-
Yin. The point is the Yung-Chuan. KI-1 point is on the inside of the
ball of the foot (where your weight falls directly) on a line below the
second toe, counting your big toe as the first. Never moxi this
point. Only rub with a finger or rub the bottom of your feet together
every day. This will help to stimulate the kidney energy, the most
important in regulating sexual activity. DIAGRAM 46
Do not Moxa
K-1 Yung-Chuan264 Taoist Secrets Of Love
I have used moxa treatment for many


as lower back pain and poor posture. The standing hip
openers also teach us the qualities of balance, strength,
empowerment, and perseverance. OceanofPDF.comLOW LUNGE POSE: ANJANEYASANA
Overview:  Low Lunge is sometimes called “runner’s lunge”
because it is the same position you’ll see track runners take just
before they are about to make a sprint. Overall, this pose is a safe
and effective way to begin opening the iliopsoas muscle, which is
the muscle that connects the lower body to the upper body. The
muscle’s primary function is to enable you to bend at the hip, and
it’s an integral part of our ability to stand, walk, and run. How-to:  From Standing Forward Bend, inhale and lengthen your
chest forward, reaching toward the wall in front of you. As you
next exhale, step the left foot back toward the back edge of your
mat. Align your front knee directly over your ankle and press the
back heel straight back toward the wall behind you. Keep your
back thigh straight and strong. Draw the right hip back, so it’s even
with the left hip, and lengthen evenly through both sides of your
torso. Reach through the center of your chest and keep the back ofyour neck long. Relax the tops of your shoulders and gaze toward a
ﬁxed point in front of you. Benefits:  Physically, Low Lunge both strengthens and stretches
the quadriceps and the hip ﬂexors. It tones the lower abdominal
muscles and the muscles along the spine, and is a mild chest
opener. Energetically, Low Lunge is both grounding and releasing at
the same time. It is a simple yet profound embodiment of sthira
and sukha, which in Sanskrit mean “steadiness” and “ease.” It opens
the ﬁrst and second chakras. Engage slight treta bandha. Stimulates samana vayu. Engage
vajroli mudra to create length in the back of the body. Therapeutic applications:  Can be helpful in relieving pain from
sciatica and scoliosis, and may help with the rehabilitation of ankle
and knee injuries. Helpful tips: Lower the back knee down, either onto the mat or
onto a blanket for a deeper stretch in the psoas. Use blocks
underneath each hand to help lengthen the spine and open the
chest. OceanofPDF.comWARRIOR 1 POSE: VIRABHADRASANA 1
Overview:  As the ﬁrst of the three Warrior poses, Warrior 1 pose
invokes the qualities one needs for battle: perseverance, strength,
and commitment. In the case of the asanas, the battleground is not
on a ﬁeld, per se, but within the self. The strength we cultivate from
the Warrior poses helps us break through our own limiting patterns
to a state of freedom and transcendence. How-to:  From Low Lunge pose, place your back left heel ﬂat on
the ﬂoor, slightly left of center. Continue to root down into the back
foot as you lift your torso into an upright position, drawing your left
hip and left rib cage forward toward the front of your mat. Draw
your navel back toward your spine and raise your arms overhead,
lifting from the lower ribs toward your ﬁngertips. Bring your palms
together to touch and gaze toward the hands, keeping the back of
your neck long.Benefits:  Physically, this pose strengthens the ankles, the legs,
the arms, and the back, and stretches the Achilles tendons, the
calves, and the hip ﬂexors. It also opens the chest and the lungs. Energetically, Warrior 1 pose helps to improve balance, focus,
and concentration. It is grounding and increases the qualities of
the earth element within us. It works on the ﬁrst chakra. Engage mula bandha and slight uddiyana bandha. Stimulates
prana vayu. Engage vajroli mudra to create length in the back of
the body. Therapeutic applications:  This pose is helpful in alleviating
sciatica and lower back pain and can help ease asthma and
indigestion symptoms. Helpful tips: To allow more mobility in your pelvis, widen the
distance between your feet and make your stance slightly shorter. If balance is an issue, anchor your back heel against the wall. If
your shoulders are tight, keep the hands shoulder-distance apart
or slightly wider. OceanofPDF.comWARRIOR 2 POSE: VIRABHADRASANA 2
Overview:  Warrior 2 pose is one of the most accessible of all the
standing hip openers because it does not require too much range
in the hips. As one of the three Warrior poses, the stance of Warrior
2 pose elicits a sense of security, strength, concentration, and will. It empowers us to take up the space we are in wholeheartedly. How-to:  From Tadasana, take your feet a little wider than leg’s
distance apart. Pivot your right foot forward toward the front of
your mat; make sure the heel of the right foot aligns with the arch
of your back foot. Now pivot your back toes in slightly so that the
toes line up with the front left corner edge of your mat. Stretch
your arms out in a “T” position, bringing your hands in line with
your shoulders. Inhale, and gaze out over your right middle ﬁnger. As you exhale, bend the right knee and align it directly over the
second and third toes. Keep maintaining a subtle lift through yourpelvic ﬂoor. Relax the tops of your shoulders, soften your facial
muscles, and let your drishti, or gaze, rest over the right middle
ﬁnger. Breathe ﬂuidly in and out. Benefits:  Physically, Warrior 2 pose strengthens the ankles, the
knees, and the quadriceps. It also helps to tone the pelvic ﬂoor and
stretches the groins, the chest, the lungs, and the shoulders. Energetically, Warrior 2 pose builds endurance and patience,
increases focus and concentration, and helps with balance. It
strengthens the ﬁrst and second chakras, helping improve stability,
steadiness, and connection to the Earth. Simultaneously, it
engages and opens our centers of creativity and sexuality. Engage mula bandha and slight uddiyana bandha. Stimulates
apana vayu. Therapeutic applications:  This pose can help relieve backache
and improve the arches in the feet. It is also helpful for addressing
infertility, osteoporosis, and sciatica. Helpful tips: If balance is an issue, practice this pose with your
back against the wall. If your hips are tight, pivot the back toes in
even more, or adjust the space between the front and back foot so
that your feet are heel to heel instead of heel to arch. OceanofPDF.comREVERSE WARRIOR POSE: VIPARITA VIRABHADRASANA
Overview:  Often referred to as “peaceful warrior,” Reverse
Warrior pose brings a softer side to Warrior 2 pose. It opens the
heart and lifts the gaze toward the sky, reminding us that we can be
both strong and at peace simultaneously. How-to:  From Warrior 2 pose, spin the right palm to face the
ceiling. On an inhale, lift through your torso and slide the back arm
toward the back leg. At the same time, move the right arm up by
the right ear. Engage your lower abdominal muscles and lengthen
both sides of your waist evenly. On your next exhalation, come
back to Warrior 2 pose. Benefits:  Physically, Reverse Warrior pose helps tone the lower
abdomen and the side obliques. In addition to its strengthening
effects on the quadriceps, this pose stretches the muscles along
the lumbar spine. These are known as the “QL,” or the quadratuslumborum. Reverse Warrior pose is an excellent pose to stretch the
intercostal muscles, which help to free the breath. It opens the
shoulders and the chest muscles. Energetically, Reverse Warrior pose is stimulating because it
moves the breath up into the upper chest. It encourages inhalation
and engages the ﬁrst, second, and fourth chakras, which induces
feelings of love, compassion, and gratitude. Engage mula bandha. Stimulates prana vayu. Therapeutic applications:  This pose can help relieve backache
and improve the arches in the feet. It helps with asthma and upper-
respiratory congestion. Helpful tips: If balance is an issue, practice this pose with your
back against the wall. To alleviate stress on your quadriceps,
straighten your front leg. You can also practice this posture sitting
on a chair. OceanofPDF.comSIDE ANGLE POSE: PARSVAKONASANA
Overview:  This full-body stretch and strength-building posture
engages many of the major muscle groups, cultivating a sense of
structure and expansion at the same time. It opens both the lower
body, which represents our connection to the Earth, and the upper
body, which represents our connection to pure intelligence. How-to:  From Warrior 2 pose, inhale and reach your right arm
forward toward the front of


. 50
Good to excellent results in pain control of patients with CRPS type 1 have
been shown after the topical application of 50% DMSO over the affected area. 51
The results indicated significantly favorable pain management, particularly when the CRPS was associated with inflammatory symptoms. 51 The mechanism by which
DMSO is able to provide pain relief in one of the most difficult to treat pain condi -
tions remains unclear. A clue may lie in the fact that DMSO acts as a powerful free radical scavenger,
and it is well known that free radicals following injury can be toxic to tissue and introduce acute or chronic pain sensation. DMSO is also an NMDA and glutamate receptor antagonist, and both substances can activate hyperalgesia and neuropathic pain. CRPS
Amputation of dig it50
40
30
20
10
0Chronic back pain
Phantom limb painChildbir th pr imipara
Childbir th multipara
Nonterminal cancer
Fracture
FIGURE 3. 1  The McGill Pain Index is a subjective measure used clinically to compare
pain perception from 0 to 50 in patients and provide a guideline for analgesic efficacy. CRPS
is nearly at the 50-point mark, the highest pain sensation felt by humans. The analgesic least likely to do harm and provide good efficacy in the treatment of CRPS was reported to be DMSO. (From Quisel, A. et al., J. Fam. Pract., 54(7), 599, 2005. )56 Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) in Trauma and Disease
One of the cardinal features of inflammatory states is that normally innocent
stimuli can produce severe pain. This may be one of the mechanisms targeted by
DMSO as an anti-inflammatory agent. Finally, DMSO has the ability to block C-fiber and small fiber pain fibers after its topical application. These actions may explain to some degree the number of studies that have tested DMSO in hundreds of patients where controlling pain and the consequences of CRPS were achieved. 23,26,51–53
To compare the effects of two free radical scavengers, topical 50% DMSO and
N-acetylcysteine (NAC) were used for the treatment of CRPS-1, in a randomized,
double-dummy controlled, double-blind trial. 3 Treatments were conducted in 146
patients over a period of 24 months. Patients were randomized into two treatment groups: one was instructed to apply DMSO 50% five times daily to the affected extremity, and the second was treated with NAC 600 mg effervescent tablets three times daily, and both treatments were compared to each other and to a placebo. Significant differences were found for subscores of lower extremity function, in favor of DMSO treatment. 3 Subgroup analysis showed more favorable results for DMSO
for warm CRPS-1 than for NAC. 3
A study by Gaspar et al. 54 evaluated the topical treatment of 50% DMSO cream
in type 1 CRPS over a period of 15 days, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year in 29 patients. The evaluation was performed using primarily a visual analogue scale (VAS) as the main efficacy variable that measures the patient’s pain intensity subjectively. Secondary measures of efficacy by DMSO included the quality of life after treatment and the physical mobility of the affected limbs, involving range of motion, strength, and overall limb function. The results showed that topical appli -
cation of 50% DMSO significantly diminished pain intensity approaching absence of pain, according to the VAS score at each period of observation. Secondary measures of efficacy were also recorded as higher scores on the quality of life questionnaire with a general improvement on limb rigidity, mobility, and func -
tion. 54 Thus, this study by Gaspar and his team54 complies with the QFW values
for the quality of easing pain (Q), restoring or significantly improving anatomic–physiological function (F), and general well-being (W) expressed by the patients following treatment. One of the first studies to recognize the usefulness of DMSO in the treatment
of CRPS was reported by Goris
55 in 1985. Goris55 showed that DMSO as an anti-
inflammatory and free radical scavenger agent could reduce the inflammation
 associated with CRPS and demonstrated, in an open study, a reduction of the CRPS
symptoms using 50% DMSO cream. These results led to a prospective,  r andomized,
and double-blind study on 32 patients following an accidental trauma and the devel -
opment of acute CRPS. 56 Patients showed increased temperature,  r edness, and pain
in the affected extremity, coupled to a limited range of motion of the limb. A VAS was used to measure the redness, swelling, and limited active range of motion of  the affected extremity. DMSO 50% cream applied five times daily was com -
pared to a placebo cream for 2 months. After 2 months, DMSO showed significant
(p < 0. 01) improvement of the VAS measures as compared to the placebo cream,
and the authors recommended further use of DMSO for CRPS. 56 Side effects from
the DMSO  a pplications were mild scaling of the skin in the affected areas, which
resolved in time. 5657 DMSO Clinical Pharmacology
More recently, topical application of 50% DMSO three to five times daily was
given as an anti-inflammatory therapy to 74 patients with CRPS and a mean dis -
ease duration of 17 weeks. 57 The DMSO treatment was supplemented with physical
therapy and acetaminophen as an oral analgesic. Of the 74 patients with early CRPS,
55 (74%) patients significantly showed improvement in their pain score. Although no attempt was made to examine whether analgesia was obtained with DMSO or acetaminophen, the authors concluded that this package treatment should become standard therapy for patients presenting with early CRPS. 57
A review of the most promising treatments for CRPS-1 at the present time con-
cluded that early treatment of this syndrome is more likely to respond to treatment. 58
Of all the therapies for CRPS considered, including a wide range of analgesics, gan -
glionic blockers, steroids, adrenoceptor antagonists, acupuncture, calcitonin, and the glutamate blocker ketamine, the authors concluded that the therapy least likely to do
harm and supported by evidence of efficacy  was topical 50% DMSO cream
58 (see
Figure 3.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What percentage of patients with CRPS type 1 showed significant improvement in their pain score after treatment with DMSO?,
A: Not mentioned in the text
Q: What is the primary cause of CRPS, and what is the treatment approach?,
A: The primary cause of CRPS is not specified in the text, but it is mentioned that it may be associated with damage to the peripheral or central nervous system. Treatment approaches are not discussed in this passage.
Q: What is the primary mechanism by which DMSO provides pain relief in CRPS?,
A: The primary mechanism is not specified in the text, but it is mentioned that DMSO acts as a powerful free radical scavenger and an NMDA receptor antagonist.
Q: What is the conclusion of the study by Pestronk and Drachman regarding the use of DMSO as an anti-inflammatory agent?,
A: Not mentioned in the text
Q: What is the primary advantage of using DMSO in the treatment of IC, and what are the potential side effects?,
A: The primary advantage of using DMSO is not specified in the text, but it is mentioned that it reduces inflammation and can be used to treat IC.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>2006;22(3):235–239. 43. Birklein F, Schmelz M, Schifter S, Weber M. The important role of neuropeptides in
complex regional pain syndrome. Neurology. 2001;57:2179–2184. 44. Oaklander AL, Rissmiller JG, Gelman LB, Zheng L, Chang Y, Gott R. Evidence of focal
small-fiber axonal degeneration in complex regional pain syndrome-I (reflex sympa -
thetic dystrophy). Pain. 2006;120:235–243. 45. Cossins L, Okell RW, Cameron H, Simpson B, Poole HM, Goebel A. Treatment of com -
plex regional pain syndrome in adults: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials published from June 2000 to February 2012. Eur J Pain. 2013;17(2):158–173. 46. Zollinger PE, Tuinebreijer WE, Breederveld RS, Kreis RW. Can vitamin C prevent com -
plex regional pain syndrome in patients with wrist fractures? A randomized, controlled, multicenter dose-response study. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2007;89(7):1424–1431. 47. Correll GE, Maleki J, Gracely EJ, Muir JJ, Harb ut RE. Subanesthetic ketamine infusion
therapy: A retrospective analysis of a novel therapeutic approach to complex regional pain syndrome. Pain Med. 2004;5(3):263–275. 48. Collins S


od	exists;	that	somehow,	by	who	knows	what
grace,	we	are	beginning	to	truly	realize	that	we,	as	our	birthright,	have	the
potential	to	truly	experience	the	Godness	of	our	Being. And	that	this	is	the
potential	for	this	moment,	this	day,	in	this	life—not	in	some	future,	more
auspicious	rebirth	when	circumstances	are	more	favorable. We	all	seem	to	be
willing	to	finally	hear	the	“good	news”—that	we	are	That	which	we	seek,	we
have	never	been	separate	from	Who	We	Are,	and	that	this	Reality	is	ours
whenever	we	are	willing	to	drop	out	of	our	mental	and	emotional	temporary
creations	and	into	the	Eternally	Present	Presence. The	final	letting-go	comes	when	we	allow	ourselves	to	Real-ize	that	each
moment	can	be	filled	with	this	warmth	when	we	allow	things	to	be	exactly	as
they	are. We	can’t	“do	it,”	“find	it,”	or	“earn	it.”	But	we	can	Be	It. Because
we	already	are	It. What	could	be	easier	than	Being	what	we	really	are? We
need	to	just	stop	the	trying,	and	what	is	left	is	the	Vastness	of	Being. No
struggle,	no	striving—just	Being. My	Own	“Gratitude	Book”
Rev. Nancy	Norman
Rev. Nancy	Norman

is	dedicated	to	inspiring	people	to	discover,	develop,
and	achieve	their	highest	potential. Her	approach	is	clear,	practical,	sincere,
and	easily	transferable	to	everyday	life. Nancy	is	a	Unity	minister	and	has
enjoyed	successful	careers	in	real	estate,	fashion,	and	education. She	devotes
her	life	to	helping	people	live	better,	fuller,	more	abundant	lives. The	little	dark	cloud	seemed	to	hover	above	me	at	all	times,	ready	to	pour
down	its	doom	and	gloom. Recently	divorced,	unsure	of	my	future,	no	job	or
career	in	sight,	financially	insecure	and	feeling	very	alone,	the	little	dark
cloud	never	left	my	side. What	was	I	to	do? I	didn’t	even	know	where	to	start. Then	an	idea	came	to	mind. It	was	as	if	someone	was	telling	me,	“Stop
focusing	on	what	isn’t	right	about	your	life,	and	begin	seeing	what	is	good
and	positive.”	Not	an	original	idea,	I	admit,	but	one	that	had	not	occurred	to
me	before. A	plan	began	to	formulate. I	sat	down	and	started	to	list	every	good	and
positive	thing	I	could	think	of,	going	back	as	far	as	I	could	remember. As	I
wrote,	the	world	began	to	seem	friendlier,	and	I	realized	how	much	I	had	to
be	grateful	for. By	the	end	of	the	writing	session,	I	had	filled	pages,	and	the
feelings	of	doom	and	gloom	were	ebbing	away. I	decided	at	that	point	to	carry
this	idea	of	gratitude—of	focusing	on	what	was	good	and	right	in	my	life—a
step	further. My	plan	was	to	carry	a	small	notebook	with	me	at	all	times	and
list	the	things	I	was	grateful	for	as	they	occurred. I	took	my	morning	walk	and	saw	the	world	with	new	eyes. The	scenery	that	I
had	taken	for	granted	on	other	mornings	was	alive	with	beauty	and	color. The
dogs	I	passed,	the	birds	I	heard,	were	all	reminders	that	I	lived	in	an	abundant,
loving,	harmonious	Universe. I	recorded	all	these	wonders	in	my	“Gratitude
Book.”
As	the	day	progressed,	blessing	after	blessing	occurred. The	mail	arrived—rather	than	bills,	there	were	three	checks. Unexpected	income. A	neighbor
brought	me	a	wonderful	homemade	pie;	she	said	that	she	didn’t	know	why,
but	she	thought	of	me	as	she	was	baking. A	friend	gave	me	a	painting	he	had
commissioned	for	me	done	by	a	well-known	artist. I	continued	to	write	these
events	in	my	Gratitude	Book,	and	by	early	afternoon,	that	little	dark	cloud	of
doom	and	gloom	had	disintegrated. I	continue	to	use	my	Gratitude	Book. It	helps	me	see	beyond	my	self-
defeating	fears	and	doubts. Gratitude	is	a	powerful	magnetic	force	that
naturally	draws	joyous	people	and	events	to	me. It	attracts	the	hidden
potential	in	life. Gratitude	is	one	of	the	greatest	secrets	of	a	fulfilled	life—it	is
cooperating	with	the	Universe. Yes! I	do	live	in	a	loving,	abundant,	harmonious	Universe,	and	I	am	grateful! The	Gift	of	Gratitude
Robert	Odom
Robert	Odom,

the	author	of	YOUR	COMPANION	TO	12	STEP	RECOVERY,
is	a	metaphysical	counselor,	lecturer,	and	teacher	with	more	than	20	years	in
recovery. He	is	a	student	of	New	Mexico	history	and,	appropriately,	makes	his
home	in	both	Santa	Fe,	and	Las	Cruces,	New	Mexico. Learning	how	to	love	is	a	process	that	involves	remembering	who	we	really
are. The	bottom-line	reality	is	that	all	life	on	the	planet	is	a	manifestation	of
Spirit	in	physical	bodies. All	life	is	Spirit,	and	Spirit	is	sacred;	therefore,	all
life	is	sacred. Gratitude	involves	taking	time	to	consciously	appreciate	the	complexity	of
life. Often	we	can	get	so	busy	“doing”	that	there	is	little	time	left	for	living. Sometimes	we	can	only	be	grateful	for	obvious	blessings	while	we	wind	up
resenting	our	pain. We	live	in	a	culture	that	programs	us	to	expect	instant	gratification	and	to
devalue	processes	that	involve	large	amounts	of	time	and	close	attention. It	is
easy	for	us	to	read	a	few	books,	go	to	several	workshops,	and	expect
immediate	enlightenment. It	is	a	mentality	of	“microwave	spirituality.”	In
learning	how	to	love,	we	must	embrace	all	of	life’s	experiences,	both	the
horrible	and	the	sublime. So	often,	our	greatest	spiritual	knowing	comes
cloaked	in	confusion	and	pain. It	is	truly	a	challenge	to	become	grateful	for
our	pain	as	well	as	our	joy. Being	grateful	for	our	lessons	and	for	our	experiences	is	actually	a	way	of
responding	to	life,	flowing	from	a	full	heart. Being	grateful,	or	as	we	say	in
12	Step	programs,	adopting	an	“attitude	of	gratitude,”	keeps	us	in	touch	with
our	interconnectedness. It	reminds	us	that	we	are	all	part	of	the	great	spiral	of
creation,	on	a	spiritual	journey	back	to	the	Source. Everything	on	that	journey
is	a	part	of	bringing	us	closer	to	Spirit	by	making	us	aware	of	our	own
divinity.We	have	a	spiritual	responsibility	to	be	consciously	grateful	because	that
energy’s	frequency	flows	from	us	and	assists	in	our	own	healing,	our
brother’s	and	sister’s	healing,	and	ultimately	the	healing	of	the	planet,	our
EarthMother. Take	some	time	to	be	alone	out	in	nature. Quietly	watch	the	ants,	the	birds,
the	leaves	in	the	bushes	and	trees. All	the	life	forms	are	unself-conscious	in
their	enjoyment	of	the	world. The	ants	have	more	than	enough	sand	to	build
their	hills;	the	birds	have	an	abundance	of	twigs	for	nests;	there	is	f


ter”? Reading this book, Water – The Shocking T ruth That
Can Save Y our Life, you are becoming aware of the pr os
and cons of distilled water versus mineral or ground
water. Unfortunately, however, writers and lecturers are
now creating confusion about distilled water. Some have
actually referred to “soft water” (water treated by a water
softener) as “distilled water.” This is definitely not the
case! Softened water has a high content of inorganic
sodium, calcium and other inorganic minerals. Using this misinformation as a basis, even some
health publications have made misleading comparisons
in an attempt to make a case against distilled water! For
136 example, group comparisons were made citing people
who lived in remote areas with hard ground water
supplies and yet had a low incidence of cardiovascular
(heart and cir culator y system) problems  – without also
taking into consideration the pertinent fact that such
people tend to eat more natural “live” foods and live in
a relaxed, rural environment! On the basis of water alone, this rural group was
compared with people living in crowed, highly polluted
metropolitan areas who drank treated city water,
presumably filtered through home water softeners
(erroneously designated as “distilled water”), who
showed a higher incidence of hypertension and other
cardiovascular problems. No mention was made of the
obvious facts that these urban dwellers were subjected
to much greater tensions, as well as diets of lifeless,
processed “plastic” foods from supermarket shelves –
both major contributors to cardiovascular illnesses. Obviously, any self-styled “r esear cher” who makes such
errors as those noted above has not done their basic
homework! Unfor tunately, the reader may not be awar e of this – and thus unnecessary confusion is ir responsibly
created. So, with water as with eating, don’ t let the so–called
“experts”, often paid by big interest violators, fool you! What is Distilled W ater? The Best for Health! Throughout this book we have stressed that distilled
water is the only pure water – the only water you should
put into your body. As noted previously, “soft water” is
not distilled water... nor is “purified water,” “deionized
water,” “filter ed water” or “reverse osmosis water.”
There is only one process that can make 100%
distilled water and that is steam distillation. In steam
distillation, only pure water (H2O) evaporates, leaving
all inorganic minerals and other impurities behind. Test Y our W ater – Drink Safe W ater
With so many of American water supplies contaminated
by harmful chemicals and toxic additives, how can we
make sure that we provide only safe, healthful water for
ourselves and our families? One relatively simple answer
is to drink only distilled bottled water. But even this method
requires care, for not all bottled water lives up to even
FDA bottled water standards. Before you buy any bottled
water ask for an analysis – it’ s your right and it’ s your
health at risk! Let’ s work to prevent these water atr ocities
and get quick action to clean up our countr y’s precious
water supplies!!! Call or write to your bottled water
company and city water board to demand proof that
your water supply contains no THMs (trihalomethanes,
also formed through chlorination), car cinogens, fluoride
and other synthetic or organic chemicals and pesticides! Get your water tested! Call your Public Health Dept. for
details. Also this website will help you test your home,
well, stream, etc. waters. V isit website: www.aquamd.com or
call The American W ater Council (toll free) (886) 278-2637
137
Associated Press – The EPA is set to unveil new requirements that will provide
citizens with details on what chemicals are found in their drinking water. The
U.S. President said new water quality reports are necessary “to ensure that
Americans have the information they need about the safety of their drinking
water.” The new EPA regulation will direct water agencies nationally to provide
information such as: • What lakes, underground aquifers or rivers the water
comes from. • What contaminants are in the water and whether the amounts
exceed EPA health standards. • What health risks are posed by the contamination
when federal standards are exceeded. see updates on web: www.epa.gov How Drinking W ater Affects Y our Health
Pure water is a necessity for health! In resear ch begun
way back in 1960, the water supplies of 1,633 of the
largest cities in the U.S. were analyzed. The shocking
results of this long study showed a definite link between
water quality and the mortality rate from cancer,
cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. Total Dissolved Solids and Chronic Disease
In his study, “Relationship of W ater to the Risk of
Dying,” Dr. Sauer chronicled the relationship of T otal
Dissolved Solids to heart disease, cancer and other
chronic diseases ( Total Dissolved Solids – or TDS –
is the ter m for all the elements present in any
water supply ). It had been thought for centuries that
the European mineral waters so ver y high in TDS were
beneficial to health. But Dr. Sauer’ s study found that  as
TDS increases in a water supply, so does the number of
chronic diseases in the population using that supply. 138
(Author’ s Note: At our home in Desert Hot Springs,
one of California’ s renowned hot mineral water r esorts,
our corroded water pipes had to be replaced after only a
few years due to inorganic mineral buildup in the pipes. What this inorganic mineral-laced water does to
plumbing in homes – it also does to the human pipes!) High Blood Pressure and Drinking W ater
Water quality also plays a par t in the development
of hypertension, or high blood pressure. Hypertension
afflicts over 50 million people in the U.S., making it the
most common chronic disease. It is also a major health
problem in all of the developed countries of the world
– due to stress, the introduction of refined foods, salt,
lack of exer cise, and water dehydration. But the good news about hypertension, or high blood
pressure, is that it can be reduced or even prevented! A
diet high in natural fiber, grains, vegetables, organic
calcium and potassium – with less meat, fat and sodium,
this can help reduce or even prevent hypertension. It’s estimated that fully 10% of our sodium intake is
from drinking water! A study of high school sophomores
in a community with high levels of sodium in their
drinking water showed significantly higher blood
pressure levels than those in areas with less sodium in
their water. The girls among this first gr oup had blood
pressure patterns characteristic of persons 10 years older! Follow up studies in the same area among even younger
children, ages 7 to 11 years, produced similar results. The conclusion from this and other studies seems
obvious: increased sodium levels in drinking water leads
to increased blood pressure levels. The American Heart
Association, the EP A (Environmental Protection Agency)
and the W orld Health Organization – among other
health groups – recommend that sodium levels in
drinking water should not exceed 20 mg/liter! And yet,
of 2,100 water companies included in a r ecent sur vey
Wehave already seen the strong relationship between
soft water and heart disease! But that is only part of the
story – for softened water also poses grave health risks
in terms of hypertension (high blood pressure). The usual method for softening water is to add 2 parts
sodium which then extracts 1 part calcium and 1 part
magnesium from the water supply. This r esults in
“softer” water which is higher in sodium, a good reason
to avoid water softeners. So it would seem the “luxury”
of having soft water to bathe in and for laundr y is hardly
worth the increased risks to health and longevity! 139 by the U.S. Public Health Ser vice, 42% had sodium ion
concentrations above this so called safe level! About 5%
showed shocking levels greater than 250 mg/liter! Water Softeners + Sodium = T rouble
The Sad T ruth About Chlorination
Water chlorination has been widely used to “purify”
water in this countr y for most of this centur y. But its
negative effects on health surely outweigh any benefits. Dr. Joseph Price, for one, believes that ther e is a definite
link between widespread chlorination of water supplies and the increasing incidence of heart disease! In the
animal experiments he conducted, chlorine caused
atherosclerosis in 95% of the animals tested! Chlorine
in the water supply has been linked with cancers of the
bladder, liver, pancreas and urinary tract in certain ar eas. To take just one example of what is happening around
the world, in New Orleans the drinking water is taken
from the Mississippi River. Over 66 new car cinogenic
compounds have been isolated in that city’ s water supply
as a result of adding chlorine – a substance which
naturally combines with methanol, carbon disulfide and
other compounds! A ver


 two Gerson patients at our hospital instead of the
usual salads at lunch and dinner; within a short time both developed recurrences of their primary
diseases, i.e., lupus, viz. cervical cancer, after being symptom-free for months. Other lupus
patients, getting sprouts from the hospital kitchen in their salads and juices, stopped responding
to the treatment and even got worse. Shortly afterwards researchers discovered that sprouts contain immature proteins, called I-
canavanine, which suppress the immune system. At the Gerson hospital sprouts were immediately
banned, and the earlier problems disappeared at once. All past patients were also advised to stop
using sprouts in their diet. Wheatgrass juice contains many valuable nutrients, but it is difficult to digest, tends to
irritate the stomach and, also because of its strange taste, can only be taken in 1 ounce portions. Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 101Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comUsed as a rectal implant it can cause serious irritation. Besides, the Gerson green juice, consisting
of salad greens, chard, a little green pepper, some red cabbage and an apple per 8 ounce glass
(see Chapter 12, pg. 90 ) is highly digestible, contains similar nutrients, and can be enjoyed in
four 8 ounce portions a day, without unpleasant side effects—an excellent reason for not using
wheatgrass juice. Temporarily Forbidden until permitted by Gerson practitioner
Butter, eggs, fish, salt-free defatted cottage cheese, meat, yogurt and other fermented milk
products. Forbidden Personal & Household Items
Cosmetics (see Chapter 5, pg. 26 ), pesticide sprays, aerosols of all types, fresh paint, new
carpeting, chlorine bleach, ointments, perfumes, wood preservatives, all chemical cleansers (see
Chapter 9, pg. 81.) Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 102Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comCHAPTER 11
Happy Foods
“Even the highest medicine can cure
only eight or nine out of ten sicknesses. The sicknesses that medicine cannot cure can be cured only by foods.”
   The Yellow Emperor’ s Classic of Internal Medicine (Chinese, circa 400 B.C.) “Food is better medicine than drugs.”
    Title of book by leading British nutritionist Patrick Holfor
So what IS there to eat?—asks the startled newcomer to the Gerson way of life, after reading
the list of forbidden foods in the preceding chapter. That is an important question to ponder,
because it shows how alienated one can become from a natural way of eating, and above all from
the huge range of available plant foods, rightly called the Vegetable Kingdom (which in this
instance includes fruits, too.) It is a fair guess that the majority of people in the so-called developed
world regard vegetables as no more than incidentals that accompany a main course of fish or
meat, while fruits are only considered if there is no dessert on of fer. Well, this is the moment to think again—and to make some delightful discoveries. The fact is that the plant foods that are the basis of the Gerson regime are much superior to
animal-based ones. Besides being lighter, more pure, and easier to digest and absorb, each one
contains a subtle mixture of vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and trace elements, which work in
synergy, i.e., in cooperation, and supply the depleted organism with valuable nutrients. It is only
when the non-healing—in fact harmful—food items are excluded that the wide range and variety
of plant foods becomes clear. And it is not just their usefulness but also their beauty that needs to
be acknowledged. Try to look at a display of fresh organic fruits and vegetables with the eyes of
an artist, note the glowing colors and varied shapes of golden carrots, deep red cabbages, creamy
cauliflowers with their light green collars, beige pears, multicolored apples, translucent green
grapes—the range is vast, and eye appeal adds a great deal to the enjoyment of the produce. There is another happy surprise that awaits the novice explorer of the Vegetable Kingdom:
the discovery of the true flavor of vegetables and fruits. At first, without salt and pepper, plant
foods taste bland and, frankly, boring. Yet they are neither. But a lifetime of excessive use of salt
deadens the taste buds of the tongue, until they are unable to convey the true taste of any food,
and even the salt intake has to be increased all the time to have any effect. On the salt-free Gerson
regime it takes a week or so for the paralyzed taste buds to recover, but once that happens, fruits
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 103Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comand vegetables suddenly begin to taste more interesting. At the same time one’s sense of smell
also becomes more acute and contributes to the enjoyment of every meal. “Let your food be your medicine, and let your medicine be your food,” said Hippocrates, the
father of modern medicine some 2500 years ago. We might add: and let your medicine consist of
happy foods only. Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 104Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comCHAPTER 12
Preparing Food and Juices –the Basic Rules
“A first-rate soup is more creative than a second-rate painting.”
Abraham Maslow
 Assuming that your kitchen is now fully equipped for your healing Gerson routine and that
you have banished from your home all forbidden foods and substances, the moment has come to
find out about the all-important task of food preparation. The rules are simple, but they must be
observed faithfully to secure the best results. All food must be organic and as fresh as possible. Ideally we should be able to gather fresh
living food from our own organic gardens; unfortunately this is not an ideal world and we must
compromise. The next best thing is to shop frequently for salad and leaf vegetables in smallish
amounts, so there is no need to keep them for any length of time. Apples, pears, oranges and root
vegetables can be stored for a while without significant loss of quality. The two most important basic rules of food preparation are the following :
1) All foods must be prepared with great care in order to preserve nutrients as much as
possible. Cooking must be slow, using low heat; high temperatures alter nutrients
in vegetables and cause them to be less easily absorbed. Vegetables should not be
peeled—valuable nutrients are contained in or immediately underneath their skins—
only washed or scrubbed well. Except for potatoes, corn and whole beets, which have
to be boiled in sufficient water, vegetables are cooked with the minimum of water
or soup stock (see below), or on a bed of sliced onions and tomatoes, which release
enough moisture to keep the vegetables from burning. Remember that oxidation,
with loss of nutrients, sets in as soon as you cut into a vegetable or fruit: only start
chopping when you are ready to cook. 2) Food must be tasty, varied and enjoyable, to make up for being very different from the
so-called “normal” Western diet. Variety helps to stimulate appetite. It also supplies a
wide range of minerals and trace elements, needed by the body to heal. Remember the
importance of eye appeal! Salads in particular can be made truly tempting by mixing
green leaves with chopped tomatoes and multicoloured peppers, adding radishes and a
scattering of chives. (For further ideas, see Chapter 28 )
Copyright © Charlotte Gerson, 2007. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any medium, print or electronic without prior written permission from the author.Page 105Healing the Gerson Way—Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
www.thegersonway.comA small vase of flowers on the dining table can work wonders in making the meal taste even
better. The Gerson diet strikes a fine balance between raw and cooked foods. The ample main meals
may suggest to some patients that much of their food is cooked. But this is not the case. Meals
begin with huge helpings of raw salad and end with raw fruit, and the daily ration of 13 glasses
of freshly made juice is as raw as can be. Cooked foods are necessary: Dr. Gerson’s experience
showed that patients do not digest well if given only raw foods along with the juices. In fact,
cooked foods provide additional variety and enable patients to eat more than they would on an
exclusively raw diet. They also supply soft bulk, which promotes the digestion of the raw foods
and juices. The most popular item on the list of cooked foods is the “Special Soup” or Hippocrates
Soup that helps to detoxify the kidneys and is highly comforting, especially in cold weather. All
cooked foods serve as a kind of “blotting paper”


 way, you’ll miss countless op portunities. There’ s an old s aying that says, “If you really want to make Go d laugh, tell
Him yo ur plan s. ” When you let go and let God, when you stop this
insistence that you have to ha ve everything planned out, then you will
experience heightened spiritual awareness. Again, shift your focus from
striving to arriving. Another belief that most of us have hung on to for most of our lives—
because, as you’ll recall, it’ s be en handed to us by well-meanin g folks—is
that we always have to do our best. I hear this almost every sing le day, from
motivational speakers to athletes: “I have to do my best. ” I’d like to
challenge that. Y ou don’ t have to be perpetually performing and doing
things at the top level. As a mat ter of fact, the idea that things a lways have
to b e done per fectly is very o ften what will keep you from  achieving
anything at all. I was a doctoral advisor after I received my own doctorate, a nd I can
remember having many students who would go through all the coursework
but then couldn’ t write their dissertation because they “cou ldn’ t get it
right. ” I’d say, “Look, you don’ t have to do your best at this thing. But
you’ve got to get it done if you ever want to be able to have your
doctorate. ” Like those students, if you’re preoccupied with perfectionism, it
will turn into pa ralysis in the en d, because you won’ t be able to accomplish
anything. Get rid of that whole idea of best and just do. I s uggest that you replace the idea that you always have to do your best at
everything with this: Ther e’ s going to be a few things that I do very well—it
may eve n be my best. But when it comes to the r est of the things I do in my
life, I’m not goi ng to worry about my best and instead simply enjoy them. Remember to take that pressure of f of your children as well, because it’ s far
more im portant for them to do and enjoy and be at peace and in harmony
than it is to live with all of the illness-producing stress that comes from
constantly being told that you always have to do your best. Y our “best” is r eally a notion t hat the ego keeps promoting in order to
keep you away from the higher part of yourself, which says, “Y ou don’ t
have to beat an ybody. Y ou don’ t have to do achieve. Y ou don’ t have to
perform. Y ou simply have to be:  B e at p eace. Be at joy. Be at bliss. ” When
you operate from this place, you will be unattached to the outcome of
whatever it is you do. Y ou’ll be in process. Y ou’ll be enjoying  the whole
journey, rather than seeking o ut all these destinations that others have
imposed on you. One of the fundamental proble ms is that people want the world to be
dif ferent than it is. Contrary to what you’ve heard, the world is a perfect
place. There’ s no anxiety in it. T here’ s no depression in it. There’ s no stress
in it. There’ s only anxious thinking. There’ s only stressful thinking. There’ s
only angry thoughts. There’ s no anger in the world. Y ou are also pa rt of that perfec t world; your perfection is in your own
creation. Y ou could never be a mistake. So once you surrender to your
higher self and replace the ego’ s messages with the serenity and peace I’ve
been tal king about, you won’ t e ven know how to be victimized anymore. Y ou will be in the universe’ s flow. Y ou won’ t need to get there; you’ll be
living it. CHAPTER 9
HARNESS THE POWER OF
VISUALIZA TION
When yo u are imbued with inne r peace or serenity and are on th e side of
order, disorder is impossible for you. Y ou no longer see yourself as a
hapless victim. Y ou see the intelligence behind everything, and this
motivates you to seek solution s where others can only see  impossible
problems. Here’ s an example of what I’m  talking about. A while ago, I caught a
flight fro m Fort Lauderdale to Chicago. I got on the airplane at one o’clock
in the afternoon, we took of f and flew for 30 minutes, and then we were
informed that we were going to have to land in Miami. Appa rently, they
couldn’ t retract the landing gear, which was stuck in the down position. The
airline s taf f was  trying to conv ince us that there was no emer gency, that
those ambulances we saw in M iami were standing by in ca se anybody
fainted w hile they watched us la nd, that the foam out there on the runways
was so they could see if their foam equipment worked. There was, in fa ct, some emer gency. And there were lots of in teresting
reactions from the people around me on the plane. There were a lot of ashen
looks, a nd a lot of very scared  people—one couple even jumped up and
screamed. But I didn’ t feel any of that. I saw myself being oka y. It wasn’ t
that I tried hard not to be fearfu l; it was that inside of me, som ething had
replaced that fear. The serenity within assured me that everything was all
right, and I was fine. I c hose to be ef fective, using my mind in a situation where oth er people
might choose to panic. I calmed  down the guy next to me. I looked around
to se e where th e emer gency exits were. I elected to be conscious, to be
intelligent, and to think of survival. I wasn’ t the least bit afraid, yet I know Iwould h ave bee n in such a circumstance at an earlier time in my life. That
potential for fear has been replaced now by peace and fulfillment as well as
the knowing that when it’ s my turn, it’ s my turn, and that’ s okay. I know
I’m not my form, so I’m not afraid of leaving it when the time comes. Everything turn ed out to be fine on my flight, except now 19 2 people
who were on this plane had to figure out what to do next. Y ou see, the first
thing they did once we landed safely was announce the following: No one
would be getting a seat out of Florida because all the airline s were full. W e’d pr obably h ave to be stuck in the airport while they figured  out what to
do. And no, they weren’ t going to put us up in a hotel. Again, I  watched  the people arou nd me. A minute ago, they were worried
about w hether or not they were going to live. Now they were relieved that
they we re alive, but they we re also angry because of this additional
information. It was like the airl ine was throwing every negative thing they
could think of at us. I be lieve in looking for solutio ns, never problems. So when the plane
landed a nd they gave us that negative message, I knew they weren’ t ta lking
to me. I saw myself in Chicago. I had a speech to give the next morning,
and there were a lot of people depending on me to be there. I knew I’d be
there, as  oppose d to the 191 other people who didn’ t believe they would be
in Chica go and were acting that way. They were angry, they were upset,
they were yelling at the airline personnel, they were letting their blood
pressure get out of control—but they weren’ t actually doing  anything. As soon as we deplaned, I called my secretary in Fort Lauderdale and
said, “Please make sure I have a seat on a plane. No matter what it costs or
the inconvenien ce may be, get me a seat. ” When I called her back in 15
minutes, she told me that she was able to get me a seat on another airline. It
turned o ut that somebody had canceled right before she called, and I was
able to get that seat. Out of 192 people, I believe I was the only one who
made it to Chicago that day. It didn’ t happen because I’m smarter or better
than everybody else. Instead, I looked for solutions rather than problems
because I refused to be victimized by the ego’ s need to be angry and right. What th is examp le shows is tha t when you are able to visualize yourself
doing so mething, it becomes automatic for you to act on that v isualization,
or that image. Y ou are then able to make the most incredible things happen. TURNING YOUR VISION INT O REALITY
When yo u get an image in your mind of something you want, an d you act
on that image, i t becomes what you are. An image is nothing more than a
thought, and you know that as you think, so


 come to the rescue of the
pseudo-scientists who are dulled by their owndope, and who are suffering from the malariawhich collects in the dark ruts they arefollowing in the tortuous complications of thealimentary canal. The physical culturists mustbuild models of normality for the scientists tostudy. When giving information as to what happens
in the mouth, and as to what happens as aresult of proper head digestion, I feel as if I amsitting on the upper lip of Mother Natureherself, and entrusting her messages to thecurrent of her own sweet breath for distributionamong her human children.CHAPTER VI
WHAT IS HEAD DIGESTION? My Study of the Subject—The Mouth as a Digestive Organ—Dr. Cannon's Researches—Pawlow's Proofs
IN the latest comprehensive treatise on
human nutrition, under the title of " Food andthe Principles of Dietetics," by Dr. RobertHutchinson, of London, more than six hundredpages are devoted to the subject. Of these, justfifty lines are given to " Mouth Digestion." In afootnote of sixty-four words Dr. Hutchinson hasstated the case of the importance of carefuleating, with admission of a fact that wouldmean emancipation from most of the humandisabilities if it were repeated in nurseries andprimary schools as religiously as are theordinary rules of " polite conduct," and held bySociety to be the basis of respectability, which itreally is. When I first took up the study of dietetics in
academic circles, nearly fifteen years ago,physiologists did not concede that there was anymouth digestion at all. Putting food in themouth was for the purpose of mixing it with
saliva so that it could be formed into a " bolus "for convenient swallowing. Now it is recognisedthat there is some mouth digestion. In themeantime Pawlow * has demonstrated that thepsychic influence has much to do with digestion.Cannon, also, has shown by the evidence of theRöntgen rays that mental states retard andeven stop entirely the digestive processes thatare going on in the stomach, and has asserted,as has also Pawlow, that the stomach digestivejuices flow in response to the reports andstimulation of taste, pouring out into the cavityof the stomach juices appropriate for thedigestion of the particular food being tasted, inadvance of its arrival in the stomach. This evidence, confirming my own secured by
concentrated and unremitting study of the effectof head digestion on health and recuperativereconstruction, is proof enough that there is animportant department of nutrition that can beproperly called head digestion. * Dr. Prof. J. P. Pawlow, Director of the Department of
Experimental Physiology in the Russian Imperial Military
School of Medicine, &c.MY STUDY  OF THE SUBJECT
began with the tip from Mother Logic—that
the full extent of the personal responsibility innutrition is located in the head before the foodis swallowed. That is what led me toconcentrate on the mouth as the field of ourresponsibility which had been neglected byScience. Even the Dental Profession as a wholehad not at that time " tumbled " to the fact thatthey were occupied professionally andconstantly in a field of " Preventive Medicine "as important as now they find it. Everybody had supposed that the digestion of
food was effected only in the stomach and smallintestines. This may be true, in a narrow sense,but it can be arrested and completely stopped,by the head. Furthermore, digestion can be asmuch assisted by favourable head influence asit can be obstructed by unfavourable headtreatment. This being so, as everybody knows, or can
easily learn, what follows as a logical sequence? Here is a physiological eye-opener, as it
dawns upon the business physiologist. Theobvious inference is that if the head can makedigestion easy or stop it altogether, the stomach
being a subservient, mechanical, and chemicalservant of the head in the matter, we mayproperly declare that the master-key ofdigestion is held by the head, and we may safelysay that there is Head Digestion. THE MOUTH  AS A DIGESTIVE  ORGAN. The logical continuation of the search for the
location of responsibility for good or poordigestion leads us to consider the question of" Division of Labour " as apportioned by theLaws of Normality. All the laboratory evidence Ihave seen confirms my own observations of thepast fifteen years that Nature assures goodresults if we are thoroughly faithful to our headresponsibility during the treatment of food up tothe point of swallowing. From that timedigestion has been rendered so easy bythorough mouth preparation that it mayproceed smoothly even if the mental states arenot pleasant. Here, too, we discover that easydigestion reacts favourably on the mentalityand exerts a calming influence. Some observers declare that idiots digesttheir food quite easily. The less mental clarity
they possess the better for their metabolism.This does not argue in favour of the absence ofmental influence, for the idiot is a sensualist,and in the relief from mental excitement findsenjoyment of taste and the satisfaction ofappetite as agreeable as do the animals undersimilar favourable conditions. Quite recently, when I was personally under
observation by Dr. Professor Zuntz in Berlin, totest the ease of my digestion of food ascompared with others who paid less attention tomouth treatment of it, the good professorinstructed me to " be as nearly like a littleanimal as possible, thinking nothing ofanything." This isn't as easy for a "live-wirethinking outfit " as for an idiot, or as for aningenuous little animal having no thought forthe morrow, but the business physiologist doesnot scorn to go anywhere for light on Nature'srequirements. One thing is sure, the personwho has been faithful to his personalresponsibility by starting the process ofdigestion as Nature demands can relax andenjoy metabolic and mental calm in delightfulharmony more easily than one who has gluttonyon his conscience and the wages of sinning on
his stomach. These wages look big to theswollen greed of cultivated gluttony, but theyare as bad as they are big, and the best way tobe convinced of this fundamentally importantfact is to realize the potency of head digestionfor well or ill, and give it a practical trial. The key to good digestion is in the head, and
the sooner mankind comes to realize thisimportant truth the quicker will come themillennium of nutrition normality. DR. CANNON 'S RESEARCHES. I have just been reading Professor Walter B.
Cannon's book in the Arnold MedicalMonograph Series, entitled " The MechanicalFactors of Digestion." I have learned manyvaluable lessons from the intestinalobservations of Dr. Cannon, and have seen theshadows he describes on his fluorescent screenunder his practised guidance, and, with hisgenerous permission, quoted him extensively inmy book, The A.B.—Z. of Our Own Nutrition. It seems that we began our quest for light on
the mechanics and mentality of digestion byobjective observation about the same year, 1898.He took a hop, skip and jump over the three
inches of the alimentary canal that is ourpersonal responsibility and, with the aid ofbismuth blackened food and a Röntgen-rayapparatus, began to study the movementsincident to digestion by the shadows cast on thescreen. For this purpose he principally usedfemale cats, because they were more amenablethan male cats to the torture of being tied flat toa cloth with the possible fear that they werecondemned to death as well as to inactivity.Even the use of pink or blue ribbons as bands ofbondage under the circumstances does not luretheir cat-ladyships into the quietude demandedfor normal movements of digestion, and malecats will not " stand for it " at all. For ten years or more Professor Cannon and
his assistants were devoted to these DarkChamber X-ray observations, and in themeantime wading through hundreds of volumesof Physiological Archives for reports of other
intestinal investigations. The fruit of thisthoroughness of research is more than 400references to reported data and conclusionsextending back to the dawn of Physiology.To one who has followed the accounts of the
" Diddings " in the " Old Man Greenlaw's LiquorSaloon in Arkansas City," as given weekly inthe New York Sunday Sun, these researches
seem to be governed by the strict rules of" Draw Poker." Eventually all of the cards (orevidence) go into the " discard," confirming SirMichael Foster's dictum, to the effect that" the more we learn of Physiology the more weknow how little we really know." I recommend everybody to get Dr. Cannon's
book and turn at once to page 74, and readabout the importance of mastication in securingeasy digestion free from fermentation. Thenturn to page 217 and read his conclusionsrelative to the influence of the emotions ondigestion. Put these two statements together,and then judge for yourself if it is claiming toomuch to say that there is really Head Digestion,and that it is in the field of personalresponsibility, in the mouth and in the brain,that good or bad digestion—right or mal-nutrition—are inaugurated. You will find theliterary quality of Dr. Cannon's book sofascinating, no matter whether you know themeaning of the terms used or not, that you will
enjoy it like a novel. It has the charm of thediction of Sir Michael Foster and SherlockHolmes combined, with enough of the solving ofthe secrets of the alimentary canal to


naked
after
a
bath
and
I
don't
die. I
gained
immunity. I
had
periodontal
disease
and
13
teeth
were
pulled
out
in
three
years. Nevertheless,
the
purulent
pockets
in
the
gums
did
not
disappear. Thanks
to
urine
and
regular
gum
massage,
all
dental
problems
stopped. I
stopped
visiting
doctors,
they
don't
help
a
person
anyway. I
once
had
an
infection
in
my
left
ear
and
I
stopped
hearing
them. After
washing
my
ears
with
urine,
my
hearing
returned
and
I
can
hear
very
well. I
cured
my
daughter's
eczema
and
my
granddaughter's
asthma. An
acquaintance
of
mine
had
varicose
veins
and
a
large
open
wound
on
her
leg,
which
festered. After
the
urine
treatment,
she
was
cured. The
important
thing
is
that
I
am
no
longer
tired
in
the
morning
(urine
has
a
huge
energy
charge
-
note
author). I
get
up
early
and
start
doing
urine
therapy,
I
feel
wonderful. I
used
to
be
lifeless,
now
I
can
walk
like
when
I
was
young,
no
one
would
guess
that
I
am
70
years
old. At
the
same
time,
if
it
weren't
for
urine
therapy,
I
would
have
been
in
my
grave
a
long
time
ago." Example:
Patient,
80
years
old. He
started
urinotherapy
boldly
and
with
gusto. "I
drink
urine
four
times
a
day:
at
night
after
2
a.m.,
then
at
1
p.m.
before
meals,
at
6
p.m.
an
hour
before
dinner,
and
overnight. I
used
to
suffer
from
chronic
inflammation
of
the
gallbladder,
prostate
(I
was
operated
on
here
6
years
ago),
high
blood
pressure. I
had
a
massive
heart
attack. Just
serious
trouble. I
was
still
on
many
medications. I
stopped
taking
the
pills
when
I
started
drinking
urine. All
trouble
has
ceased.' Urinotherapy
in
diseases
of
the
digestive
tract
Example:
"I
suffered
from
pyoria,
periodontitis
(infectious
gingivitis). Teeth
have
lost
their
luster
and
color. Toothpaste
and
careful
brushing
did
not
help. For
several
days
I
massaged
my
gums
with
urine
and
rinsed
her
mouth. On
the
fourth
day,
the
unpleasant
smell
disappeared. I
now
use
this
method
regularly. Moreover,
I
found
out
that
urine
reduces
appetite
.“
For
toothaches,
it
is
necessary
to
hold
the
urine
in
the
mouth
for
about
3
minutes
five
times
a
day,
if
the
pain
does
not
subside. Then
you
put
a
cotton
ball
soaked
in
urine
on
your
tooth. You
can
try
all
kinds
of
urine,
quarter
urine
probably
works
best. Example:
In
the
early
days
of
urinotherapy,
the
elderly
patient
barely
overcame
the
psychological
barrier. She
finally
succeeded
and
cured
her
duodenal
ulcer,
improved
her
thyroid
function
(she
was
suffering
from
thyrotoxicosis)
and
finally
survived
a
complex
operation
thanks
to
urine
therapy. They
removed
a
huge
cyst
that
encircled
and
almost
suffocated
her
abdominal
organs
and
a
cancerous
tumor. Example:
Female
patient,
52
years
old,
sedentary
job. "I
was
lucky
to
learn
about
urinotherapy
in
your
book. I
don't
know
what
would
happen
to
me. I
have
been
suffering
from
severe
constipation
for
20
years. Sometimes
I
don't
go
to
the
party
for
a
week. My
female
problems
brought
me
to
urine
therapy. I
started
drinking
urine
morning
and
night
for
about
two
weeks. I
was
so
dizzy,
I
thought
I
was
going
to
fall. My
stomach
was
also
tight. Black
sludge
came
out
of
me
in
large
quantities,
oily
black
clumps
and
flakes,
sticky
and
smelly. After
that,
the
constipation
stopped
and
the
stool
became
regular. The
neoplasm
in
the
area
of
  the
left
ovary
has
disappeared." Comment
and
recommendation:
Women's
problems
are
the
result
of
severe
constipation. That's
why
you
have
to
monitor
the
work
of
the
large
intestine
and
regulate
its
activity
with
proper
nutrition
and
urine
therapy
(enemas). Compresses
with
lukewarm
urine
on
the
abdomen
and
crotch
will
help
with
persistent
constipation. In
the
morning,
it
is
necessary
to
eat
food
with
coarse
fiber
content
-
various
salads. It
also
helps
a
lot
to
run
a
little
in
the
morning. Example:
A
patient
suffering
from
heartburn
and
increased
stomach
acidity. He
began
to
use
urine
and
the
difficulty
eased. Comment
and
recommendation
:
Urine
normalizes
the
function
of
the
stomach
and
itsacidity. However,
for
more
permanent
results,
it
is
necessary
to
adjust
the
diet
(varied,
separated,
with
a
restriction
of
meat
and
dairy
products). Urinotherapy
and
treatment
of
infectious
diseases
The
treatment
of
various
infectious
diseases
with
urine
therapy
is
very
effective
precisely
because
of
this
interference
and
nosody
effect. The
methodology
is
very
simple:
you
need
to
drink
50-100
grams
of
urine,
if
possible
at
once
with
as
few
odd
sips
as
possible. During
fevers,
highly
concentrated
urine
is
formed,
which
is
not
very
pleasant
to
the
taste. Its
taste
can
be
improved
by
drinking
plenty
of
water
melted
from
the
ice
and
in
addition
brewed
or
herbal
tea. To
reduce
the
temperature,
use
an
old
recipe
-
put
a
compress
with
urine
on
the
pulse. Example:
“When
I
got
the
tremors
in
conditions
of
complete
solitude
and
without
medication,
I
remembered
urine
therapy. Mother
nature
gave
us
the
best
medicine. After
a
glass
of
urine,
which
I
drank
at
once,
I
was
well
in
five
minutes. Nothing
like
that
has
happened
to
me
more
than
once.' Example:
"It
was
during
the
war. There
was
no
anti-malaria
medicine
and
the
doctors


 n s p o r t i n g  t h e  b r e a t h ” :  Primor dial Br eath: An Ancient Chinese W ay of Pr olonging Life thr ough
Br eath Contr ol, vol. 1, Seven T r eatises fr om the T aoist Canon, the T ao T sang, on the Esoteric
Practice of Embryonic Br eathing, trans. Jane Huang and Michael W urmbrand, 1st ed. (Original
Books, 1987), 3. Introduction
m a s t e r  t h e  a r t  o f  b r e a t h i n g :  I wrote about freediving and the human connection to the sea in my first
book, Deep (New Y ork: Houghton Mif flin Harcourt, 2014). b o o k s  o f  t h e  C h i n e s e  T a o :  The Primor dial Br eath: An Ancient Chinese W ay of Pr olonging Life thr ough
Br eath Contr ol, vol. 1, Seven T r eatises fr om the T aoist Canon, the T ao T sang, on the Esoteric
Practice of Embryonic Br eathing, trans. Jane Huang and Michael W urmbrand, 1st ed. (Original
Books, 1987); Christophe André, “Proper Breathing Brings Better Health,” Scientific
American, Jan. 15, 2019; Bryan Gandevia, “The Breath of Life: An Essay on the Earliest
History of Respiration: Part II,” Australian Journal of Physiotherapy  16, no. 2 (June 1970):
57–69. a n c i e n t  T a o  t e x t :  The Primor dial Br eath,  8.
c o n f i r m e d  t h i s  p o s i t i o n :  In the December 1998 issue of The  New Republic, the editor of the New England
Journal of Medicine  ar gued that health determines how we breathe, and how we breathe has no
ef fect on the state of health. In the introduction to T eresa Hale’ s book Br eathing Fr ee: The
Revolutionary 5-Day Pr ogram to Heal Asthma, Emphysema, Br onchitis, and Other Respiratory
Ailments (New Y ork: Harmony, 1999), Dr. Leo Galland, Fellow of the American College of
Nutrition and the American College of Physicians, described exactly how the ways in which
we breathe directly af fect health. Galland’ s account was one of several that I discovered in the
initial research for this book and subsequent conversations with professors, doctors, and others
in the medical field. Chapter One: The W orst Breathers in the Animal Kingdom
d e n t a l  a r c h e s  a n d  s i n u s  c a v i t y :  Karina Camillo Carrascoza et al., “Consequences of Bottle-Feeding to the
Oral Facial Development of Initially Breastfed Children,” Jornal de Pediatria  82, no. 5 (Sept.–
Oct. 2006): 395–97. i n c r e a s i n g  h i s  c h a n c e s  o f  d e v e l o p i n g :  A retrospective review of more than 7,300 adults associated a 2
percent higher risk of obstructive sleep apnea with every tooth lost. If five to eight teeth wereremoved, that percentage increased to 25 percent; nine to 31 teeth showed a 36 percent
increase. Those patients who had all their teeth removed suf fered a 60 percent greater chance of
acquiring sleep apnea. Anne E. Sanders et al., “T ooth Loss and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Signs
and Symptoms in the US Population,” Sleep Br eath 20, no. 3 (Sept. 2016): 1095–102. Related
studies: Derya Germeç-Çakan et al., “Uvulo-Glossopharyngeal Dimensions in Non-Extraction,
Extraction with Minimum Anchorage, and Extraction with Maximum Anchorage,” Eur opean
Journal of Orthodontics  33, no. 5 (Oct. 2011): 515–20; Y u Chen et al., “Ef fect of Lar ge Incisor
Retraction on Upper Airway Morphology in Adult Bimaxillary Protrusion Patients: Three-
Dimensional Multislice Computed T omography Registration Evaluation,” The Angle
Orthodontist  82, no. 6 (Nov. 2012): 964–70. T w e n t y - f i v e  s e x t i l l i o n  m o l e c u l e s :  Simon W orrall, “The Air Y ou Breathe Is Full of Surprises,” National
Geographic, Aug. 13, 2012, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/08/air -gas-caesar -
last-breath-sam-kean. a r o u n d  h a l f  o f  u s :  Mouthbreathing estimates are murky and range from 5 to 75 percent. T wo
independent studies in Brazil showed that more than 50 percent of children are mouthbreathers,
but the condition may be more common than that. V aldenice Aparecida de Menezes et al.,
“Prevalence and Factors Related to Mouth Breathing in School Children at the Santo Amaro
Project—Recife, 2005,” Brazilian Journal of Otor hinolaryngology  72, no. 3 (May–June 2006):
394–98; Rubens Rafael Abreu et al., “Prevalence of Mouth Breathing among Children,” Jornal
de Pediatria 84, no. 5 (Sept.–Oct. 2008): 467–70; Michael Stewart et al., “Epidemiology and
Burden of Nasal Congestion,” International Journal of General Medicine 3 (2010): 37–45;
David W. Hsu and Jef frey D. Suh, “Anatomy and Physiology of Nasal Obstruction,”
Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America 51, no. 5 (Oct. 2018): 853–65. T h e  c a u s e s  a r e  m a n y :  “Symptoms: Nasal Congestion,” Mayo Clinic,
https://www.mayoclinic.or g/symptoms/nasal-congestion/basics/causes/sym-20050644. W h e n  m o u t h s  d o n ’ t  g r o w :  Michael Friedman, ed., Sleep Apnea and Snoring: Sur gical and Non-Sur gical
Therapy,  1st ed. (Philadelphia: Saunders/Elsevier, 2009), 6. 4  b i l l i o n  y e a r s  a g o :  Keith Cooper, “Looking for LUCA, the Last Universal Common Ancestor,”
Astrobiology at NASA: Life in the Universe, Mar. 17, 2017,
https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/looking-for -luca-the-last-universal-common-ancestor/. o x y g e n  w a s t e  i n  t h e  a t m o s p h e r e :  “New Evidence for the Oldest Oxygen-Breathing Life on Land,”
ScienceDaily, Oct. 21, 2011,
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/201 1/10/1 1 1019181210.htm. 1 6  t i m e s  m o r e  e n e r g y :  S. E. Gould, “The Origin of Breathing: How Bacteria Learnt to Use Oxygen,”
Scientific American, July 29, 2012, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/lab-rat/the-origin-of-
breathing-how-bacteria-learnt-to-use-oxygen. s t r a i g h t  t e e t h :  Not all the skulls had teeth. But Evans and Boyd could tell from the shape of the jaw and
tooth cavities that the teeth that had been there were straight. H a r v a r d  b i o l o g i s t  D a n i e l  L i e b e r m a n :  Lieberman defines dysevolution as “the deleterious feedback loop
that occurs over multiple generations when we don’ t treat the causes of a mismatch disease but
instead pass on whatever environmental factors cause the disease, keeping the disease prevalent
and sometimes making it worse.” A “mismatch disease” begins “when we get sick or injured
from an evolutionary mismatch that results from being inadequately adapted to a change in the
body’ s environment.” Y ou can read more about dysevolution in Lieberman’ s book The Story of
the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease  (New Y ork:


 T ransfer to freezer bags
or containers, label and seal. Use within 6 to 8 weeks and serve slightly
frozen. OR
Pack in Syrup:  In a saucepan, combine 2-1/2 cups (625 mL) granulated
sugar an d 1/2 tsp (2 mL) crysta lline ascorbic acid or three 500 mg vitamin
C tablets. Stir in 4 cups (1 L) water. Bring to a gentle boil over high heat,
stirring f requently. Reduce heat and gently boil for 3 minutes. Let cool. Fill
pint (2-c up/500 mL) or quart (1  L) freezer containers with halv ed or sliced
nectarines to within 3 to 4 inches (7 to 10 cm) of the top. Pour syrup over
top; use 1 cup (2 50 mL) syrup p er quart (1 L) of prepared fruit. Squeeze out
air; leave 1-inch (2.5 cm) headspace. Seal, label and freeze. ORDry Pack:  F ill pint (2-cup /500 mL) or qu art (1 L) freezer containers with
halved or sliced nectarines to within 3 to 4 inches (7 to 10 cm) of the top. Pour dry granulated sugar over top; use 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar per quart (1
L) o f pre pared f ruit. Squeeze out air; leave 1-inch (2.5 cm) head space. Seal,
label and freeze.P e a c h e s
PEACHES (PRUNUS PERSICA)  a re divided into two categories:
clingstone and freestone. Howe ver, there are two dif ferent fles h types that
occur in both of  the categories: melting flesh and non-melting flesh types. For can ning, it is advantageous to choose non-melting peach varieties
whenever possible since they are less subject to bruising and will remain
firm after canning. Melting flesh varieties are best eaten fresh. Good Pr eserving V arieties
Non-melting, yellow-fleshed canning peaches: Babygold 5, T riogem,
Redhaven, Redskin, Sunhigh, V ulcan, V inegold, V irgil, V entur e.
White-fleshed varieties: White L ady, Blushingstar, Car olina Belle, China
Pearl. Best V arieties for Eating Fr esh
Melting varieties: Red Haven, Redskin, Canadian Harmony, Loring. Pur chasing/Storing
• 1 lb (500 g), about 3 medium peaches, yields 2-1/2 to 3 cups (625 to 750
mL) sliced. • Y ou will need 2 to 2-1/2 lb (1 to 1.25 kg) for each quart (1 L) jar. Select firm, plump fruits with no touch of green or bruising. Peaches should
give slig htly w hen gently pressed and should not be soft. It is best to
purchase peaches at their peak of ripeness and use immediately. If
necessary, ripen in a paper bag  at room temperature, away fro m sunlight,
checking daily. Use immediately once ripened. Good W ith
• Herbs such as rosemary, basil, bay, thyme.• Sweet seasonings such as cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla,
almond. • Semi-soft cheeses such as havarti, Boursin; medium-age cheddars, colby. • Other fruit, such as raspberries, blueberries, nectarines, strawberries,
cherries. • T oasted almonds, pecans and walnuts; raisins; dark chocolate. • Freshwater fish such as whitefish, trout, perch, bass, or light saltwater fish
such as red snapper. Pr eparation
Blanch peaches in boiling water for 45 seconds until skins loosen; plunge
into cold water a nd slip of f the skins. Cut lengthwise in half and  remove the
stone. T o prev ent discolouration, acidulate: Immerse peeled fruit in  water with
vitamin C made by mixing 1 tsp (5 mL) crystalline ascorbic acid or six 500
mg vitamin C t ablets in 1 gallo n (4 L) cool water. Drain before using in
recipes. Canning Peaches
See detailed canning information, Methods. 1. Pr epar e Equipment:  W ash and heat pint (2-cup/500 mL) or quart (1 L)
jars, and  scald the lids, funnel, la dle and tongs ( Boiling W ater Method, Step
by Step ). 2. Make a Light Syrup:  In a la r ge sauc epan, combine 1 cup (250 mL)
granulated suga r with 4 cups (1 L) water; stir until dissolved. Bring to a
gentle b oil over  high heat. Mak es 4-1/2 cups (1.125 L) syrup,  enough for
three or four 1-quart (1 L) jars of sliced or halved peaches. Note:  Y ou  can use the same amount of apple juice or white grape juice in
place of the light syrup.3. Pack peaches into jars either hot or raw  (Hot Pack Method is
considered the best). Make a Hot Pack:  A dd peach slic es or halves to gently boiling syrup or
juice and boil fo r 1 minute. Fill  hot jars with hot fruit and cooking liquid,
leaving a 1/2-inch (1 cm) headspace. Run a thin non-metallic utensil around
the inside of the jar to allow air to escape. Add more hot fruit or liquid, if
necessary, to leave a 1/2-inch (1 cm) headspace. W ipe sealing edge of jars
with a clean, dam p, lint-free cloth. Position flat lids over the top s of jars and
hand-tighten screw bands. OR
Make a  Raw Pack:  Fill  jars with peeled sliced or halved peaches, cut sides
down an d packed fairly tightly. C over with hot syrup or juice, leaving a 1/2-
inch (1 cm) headspace. Run a thin non-metallic utensil around the inside of
the jar to allow air to escape. A dd hot liquid, if necessary, to leave a 1/2-
inch (1 cm) hea dspace. W ipe sealing edge of jars with a clean, damp, lint-
free clot h. Posit ion flat lids ov er the tops of jars and hand-tighten screw
bands. 4. Pr ocess peaches in a canner:  Use a B oiling W ater Canner according to
the following chart. OR
Process peaches in a Pressure Canner following manufacturer ’ s directions
for steam pressure and time at your altitude. 5. Cool, Label and Stor e:  L ift jars from c anner and place on a clean towel
or rack. Do not re-tighten screw bands. Let the jars cool to room
temperature. This may take from 12 to 24 hours. Remove and store screw
bands. Check lid seals ( Boiling W ater Method, Step by  Step ). W ipe and
label sealed jars. Store in a cool, dark place. p e a c h  a n d  o n i o n  c h u t n e y
Of cour se, peach pies, peach jams and peach cobblers ar e traditional
favourites, but this savoury chu tney brings all of the rich peach and citrus
attributes to a c ondiment that can be used for entrées. All kin ds of ocean
and fr eshwater fish team well with it. I have also used it on a dessert fruit-
and-cheese platter to finish a meal. MAKES ABOUT 10 CUPS (2.5 L)
2 cups (500 mL) orange sectionsgrated rind and juice of 2 oranges
5 cups (1.25 L) peach slices
1–2/3 cups (400 mL) granulated sugar
1 medium onion, chopped
1–1/2 cups (375 mL) rice vinegar
3/4 cup (175 mL) golden raisins
1 tbsp (15 mL) grated fr esh gingerr oot or 2 tsp (10 mL) gr ound ginger
1 tsp (5 mL) gr ound cinnamon
1–1/2 tsp (7 mL) salt
1/2 tsp (2 mL) gr ound allspice
1 pkg (2 oz/57 g) fruit pectin crystals
1/2 cup (125 mL) sliver ed almonds 5 star anise

1. Heat five 1-pint (2-cup/500 mL) jars in boiling water, and scald the lids,
lifter, funnel and tongs ( Boiling W ater Method, Step by Step ). 2. In a Maslin pan or canning kettle, combine orange sections, rind and
juice. M easure and add peaches to the pan as they are sliced. Bring to a
simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add granulated sugar,
stirring to dissolve. Stir in onion and bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 5
minutes or until onion