The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity: A Modern Practical Guide to the Ancient Way

The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity: A Modern Practical Guide to the Ancient Way

by Daniel Reid
The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity: A Modern Practical Guide to the Ancient Way

The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity: A Modern Practical Guide to the Ancient Way

by Daniel Reid

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Overview

With a detailed introduction to the ancient philosophical, ethical, and religious Chinese practice of Taoism, The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity is a unique, comprehensive, and practical self-help guide to live a balanced and positive Taoist lifestyle.

Written by a Westerner for the Western mind, The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity is perfect for the modern reader interested in exploring the balanced and holistic health care system used by Chinese physicians, martial artists, and meditators for over 5,000 years.

Drawing on his extensive personal experience and research from original sources, author Daniel Reid covers all aspects of the healthy Taoist lifestyle, delivering concise information and instruction on diet and nutrition, fasting, breathing and exercise, sexual health, medicine, and meditation.

Featuring helpful charts and illustrations, The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity makes the ancient practice easier to understand and more applicable to a modern Western audience than ever before.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780671648114
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication date: 07/15/1989
Series: Fireside Books (Fireside)
Pages: 416
Sales rank: 259,694
Product dimensions: 6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Daniel Reid was born and educated in America and lived in Taiwan, where he studied under numerous Tao masters. He is a Taoist practitioner and the author of several books, including the bestselling The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity; Guarding the Three Treasures; Chi-Gung; and Chinese Healing Herbs. He lives in Thailand.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1

Diet and Nutrition

Food and drink are relied upon to nurture life. But if one does not know that the natures of substances may be opposed to each other, and one consumes them altogether indiscriminately, the vital organs will be thrown out of harmony and disastrous consequences will soon arise. Therefore, those who wish to nurture their lives must carefully avoid doing such damage to themselves.

[Chia Ming, Essential Knowledge for Eating and Drinking, 1368]

One of the great advantages of learning Tao is that the same basic principles apply to everything from the macrocosmic to the microscopic. In the case of diet, the overriding Taoist principle of balance between Yin and Yang is established by harmonizing the Four Energies and Five Flavors in foods.

The Four Energies in food are hot, warm, cool and cold. These categories define the nature and the intensity of energy released in the human system when food is digested. Hot and warm foods belong to Yang; cool and cold foods belong to Yin. The former are stimulating and generate heat, while the latter are calming and cool the organs.

The Five Flavors are more subtle distinctions based on the Five Elemental Activities: sweet (earth), bitter (fire), sour (wood), pungent (metal) and salty (water). Each of the Five Flavors has a 'natural affinity' (gui-jing) for one of the five 'solid' Yin organs and its Yang counterpart: sweet influences pancreas/stomach; bitter moves to the heart/small intestine; sour has affinity for the liver/gallbladder; pungent affects the lungs/large intestine; and salty associates with the kidneys/bladder.

The therapeutic effects of the Four Energies and Five Flavors are as follows:

* Cool and cold Yin foods calm the vital organs and are recommended for summer menus, as well as for combating 'hot' Yang diseases such as fever and hypertension. Yin foods include soy beans, bamboo shoots, watermelon, white turnips, cabbage, pears, squash and lemons.

* Warm and hot Yang foods stimulate the vital organs, generate body heat and are recommended for winter consumption, as well as palliatives for 'cold' Yin diseases such as anemia, chills and fatigue. Yang foods include beef, mutton, chicken, alcohol, mango and chilies.

* Sweet 'earth' foods disperse stagnant energy, promote circulation, nourish vital energy and harmonize the stomach. Corn, peas, dates, ginseng and licorice are examples of sweet foods.

* Bitter 'fire' foods such as rhubarb and bitter melon tend to dry the system, balance excess dampness, and purge the bowels.

* Sour 'wood' foods such as olives and pomegranate are astringent, tend to solidify the contents of the digestive tract, stop diarrhea and remedy prolapse of the colon.

* Salty 'water' foods such as kelp soften and moisten tissues and facilitate bowel movements.

* Pungent 'metal' goods such as ginger, garlic and chili neutralize and disperse accumulated toxins in the body.

Taoists balance their diets according to favorable combinations of energies and flavors and strictly avoid combinations that conflict. They also avoid excessive consumption of any single variety of food-energy. For example, frequent excessive consumption of 'hot' fatty Yang foods can cause fevers, heartburn, congestion, chest stagnation and other unpleasant effects of 'heat-energy excess'. As this excess 'evil heat' seeks escape from the body, carbuncles and absesses may develop. Too much pungent food can cause gastro-intestinal distress, upset the stomach and result in hemorrhoids. Even the freshest, most wholesome foods are rendered nutritionally useless if consumed in combinations that interfere with digestion, cause putrefaction and fermentation, block assimilation and cause internal energy conflicts.

Mother Nature's Menu

When formulating personal dietary guidelines, it is helpful first to determine your own basic metabolic type, of which there are three: vegetarian, carnivore and balanced. The vegetarian and carnivorous types each represent about 25 per cent of the general population, with the remaining 50 per cent falling into the balanced category. These human metabolic types stem from the prehistoric switch by some segments of the human species from a fruit and nut based diet to a meat diet.

Vegetarian metabolisms are 'slow oxidizers', which means that they burn sugars and carbohydrates slowly. Because the body must burn sugar in order to provide sufficient energy to digest meat and fat, slow oxidizers have trouble burning sugar fast enough to efficiently digest large quantities of meat, eggs, fish and other concentrated animal proteins. Consequently, large doses of protein foods tend to make vegetarian types feel tired and sluggish after meals. An easy test for metabolic type is to eat a large steak or a whole chicken and see how you feel afterward. If it leaves you feeling 'wiped out', mentally depressed and lethargic, then you probably tend towards a slow-oxidizing vegetarian metabolism, in which case you should restrict protein and fat consumption and favor vegetables, fruits and carbohydrates in your diet. If a large intake of concentrated animal protein leaves you feeling strong, vital and mentally alert, then you probably lean towards a fast-oxidizing carnivorous metabolism.

Since carnivorous metabolisms burn sugar and carbohydrates very rapidly, excess consumption of sugar or starch tends to make them excessively nervous and agitated due to overstimulation of the nervous system. Fast oxidizers derive energy by digesting large quantities of animal fats and proteins, which are sent to the liver for conversion into glycogen. The liver then dispenses the glycogen into the bloodstream in the form of glucose — the only form of fuel the body can burn — in gradual measured doses, as needed. That's why fast oxidizers require a steady supply of protein and fat in their diets and should restrict intake of sugars and starches.

Fortunately, most of us have balanced metabolisms that can handle both varieties of food when properly combined. Although our digestive tracts were originally designed by nature for a diet of fruit and vegetables, our digestive systems have evolved the capacity to produce the gastric juices required to digest the meat that became part of the human diet 50,000-100,000 years ago. If large quantities of animal protein don't leave you feeling depleted, and if large doses of sugar and starch don't make you nervous, then you are probably a balanced metabolizer who needs only worry about selecting wholesome foods from both categories and combining them properly for consumption. In the Tao of diet, however, these are just the first steps in regulating diet. Season and climate, for example, must also be considered in order to ensure that the extreme external cold winter is balanced by the extra internal heat of Yang-foods, hot summer weather is complemented by cooling Yin-foods, dry climates are compensated with extra moisturizing foods, and so forth. Foods consumed out of harmony with season and climate can cause all sorts of problems, including skin eruptions, constipation, gas, fatigue and bad breath.

Taoists tend to favor local produce because it is far more likely to be fresh and brimming with the vitality of its own chee. Today, the modern food-processing industry, in conjunction with high-speed transport, has made it possible to eat Florida oranges in Alaska, frozen prawns in the middle of the desert and all sorts of processed packaged 'junk food' any time of day or night, anywhere on earth. As a result, modern diets are completely out of synchrony with the natural prevailing conditions of geography, season and unseen cosmic forces.

Taoists also make a point of eating foods with natural affinities for their weakest organs and related energy systems. Taoist diets aim at strengthening four major systems in the body: digestive, excretory, respiratory and circulatory. When these four functional systems are properly nourished, harmonized and healthy, the health and vitality of the entire organism are assured.

A major goal of Taoist diets is to enhance sexual potency by stimulating sexual glands and strengthening sexual organs. The purpose here is not to increase sexual pleasure — though that is a definite side benefit — but rather to increase the body's store of hormones, semen and other forms of 'vital essence' required for optimum vitality and immunity. Sexual essence provides our greatest internal source of chee, and sexual potency is a major indicator of good health.

Since meat forms such a large part of Western diets, a few Taoist guidelines on meat consumption should be helpful. The great Tang physician Sun Ssu-mo and other Taoist dieticians have always warned against the long-range ill effects of eating large quantities of domestic animal meats, such as beef and pork. The only domestic meat they regarded as safe and healthy for the human system was dog, and that was recommended only for its potent warming effects during the intense cold of mid-winter. The reason that domestic animals are such a poor source of human nutrition is that their own diets consist mainly of kitchen slops, garbage and dried straw. Today, the situation is further aggravated by all the synthetic hormones, antibiotics and other drugs routinely fed to livestock.

Taoists have always recommended wild game as the most nutritionally beneficial type of meat for man. Venison is especially good, primarily because deer feed on all sorts of wild nuts, leaves, berries, barks and other herbs which appear in the Chinese pharmocopeia as remedies for man. The benefits of a wild deer's herbal diet are naturally transmitted to your own system when you eat its meat, just as all the chemical drugs injected into livestock today are transferred to your system when you eat a hamburger or fried chicken.

Note, however, that you will gain very little nutritional benefit from even the freshest wild game if you cook it 'to death'. Any meat that is suitable for human consumption should be eaten as rare as possible, preferably raw or at least partly raw. Steak tartare and Carpaccio are good examples of raw beef dishes that are brimming with their own natural enzymes and are delicious as well. Japanese sashimi (raw fish) is even better; indeed sashimi is arguably the most nutritionally potent, enzymerich, naturally digestible form of animal protein on Mother Nature's entire menu, a fact reflected by the longevity of the Japanese people. Taoists always recommend wild fish from seas and rivers over domestic fish raised in stagnant ponds and fed on 'fish chow'.

The same principle applies to chicken. Chinese physicians today still recommend that their patients consume only tu-ji ('earth chickens') and avoid yang-ji ('cultivated chickens'). Earth chickens are those left to roam about fields and forests to forage for themselves, rather than being fed the artificial, denatured diets of domestic fowl.

In order to prevent putrefaction, promote digestion and facilitate rapid elimination of wastes, all meals in which cooked meats form the major element should be supplemented with a dose of active proteolytic ('protein-digesting') enzymes, which are readily available at health and food stores today.

You may assist rather than interfere with Mother Nature's digestive principles by observing the following basic Taoist dietary guidelines:

* Eat sparingly, and you will live a long and healthy life. The basic Taoist measure is to eat till you are 70-80 per cent full. Mother Nature invariably punishes gluttons with all sorts of misery. The human body simply cannot utilize the enormous quantities and complex combinations of food with which civilized, sedentary man tends to gorge himself daily.

* Chew food thoroughly before swallowing it. This applies especially to carbohydrates, which require initial digestion by the alkaline ptyalin enzyme in the saliva of the mouth. Gandhi's advice on this subject rings with the wisdom of Tao: 'Drink your food and chew your beverages', which means that solid foods should be chewed to liquid form before swallowing, and liquids should be swallowed as slowly as solid food.

* Avoid extreme hot and cold temperatures in foods and beverages. Excessively hot soup, for example, irritates the tender lining of the mouth and esophagus, which impairs salivation and peristalsis. One of the worst digestive offenses is to drink ice water or other freezing cold fluids with meals. Such freezing infusions on a stomach full of food freeze shut the tiny ducts which secrete gastric juices in the stomach, thereby halting digestion and permitting putrefaction and fermentation to occur instead. By the time the temperature of the stomach returns to normal, it is too late for proper digestion to commence. In fact, any beverage taken in large quantities together with food dilutes the gastric medium and impairs digestion. Wine and beer, however, are exceptions because they are fermented (i.e. pre-digested) and thus they actually assist digestion when taken in moderate quantities. Even the Bible advises one to 'take a little wine for the stomach's sake'.

The Human Dietary Devolution

Modern man bristles with pride on his 'evolution' from cave man to space traveler and looks upon his primitive past with disdain. When it comes to diet, however, the human species has experienced a severe 'devolution' in eating habits, a devolution sparked by the much ballyhooed advent of civilization, an event that has driven a permanent wedge between man and nature.

For millions of years prior to the tiny drop in the bucket of time which we call 'history', humans and other primates lived entirely on diets of coarse, fibrous foods gathered in nature and consumed raw. Throughout the realm of nature, animals that rely on diets with a high ratio of indigestible fibrous bulk and low concentrations of protein have evolved relatively long digestive tracts, whereas carnivores such as lions and tigers evolved short tracts. The human alimentary canal, which winds its way from mouth to anus with 40 feet of tubing, is one of the longest digestive tracts relative to body weight in all of nature.

Man's dietary devolution took a serious turn for the worse when he 'advanced' to become a hunter of animals and adopted meat as his major dietary staple. This occurred primarily in the northern hemisphere, where flesh became the only viable source of food in winter. Those human populations that switched to meat developed digestive juices and metabolisms capable of extracting nutrients from animal fats and proteins, even though their digestive tracts remained forever fixed in the vegetarian mold. This development is the source of the two basic metabolic types in man, one geared towards a bulky diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, the other to a fiberless diet of flesh.

Agriculture triggered the final stage of human dietary degeneration. When grain became the main staple of the human diet, a new element was introduced into the digestive tract, an element not at all intended by nature as food for man. That culprit is starch. The fact that grains are the only items in the entire human diet that cannot be eaten and digested in the raw state is sufficient proof that these items were not meant for human consumption. Grains became the world's first 'processed foods.'

Evidence indicates that precivilized man knew better than to consume grains as food. It seems that humans first began gathering and later cultivating grains not for food but rather to feed domestic animals and ferment beer. It was only after population pressure made wild plants and animals insufficient to feed the species that man turned to grains for sustenance.

Grains have been the mainstay of the human diet for only 6,000 or 7,000 years, and thus the Taoist sages of ancient China recognized them as relative newcomers to the human diet with deleterious effects on human health and longevity. Throughout the ancient Taoist literature on health and longevity we find the term bi-gu ('avoid grains') cropping up over and over. This agrees completely with the findings of such great contemporary nutritional scientists as Arnold Ehret, Dr Herbert Shelton, Dr Marsh Morrison, Dr Norman Walker and V.E. Irons, whose theories we'll look at in more detail later. The fact that for the past several thousand years the traditional Chinese diet has consisted of 80-90 per cent grains simply reflects the requirements of over-population. Taoists who 'avoid grains' live much healthier and longer lives than the general populace, but at least the traditional Chinese diet combines grains much more harmoniously than modern Western diets.

Thanks to the dietary devolution fostered by civilization, the human diet today, especially in the Western world, consists primarily of refined, denatured, overcooked food indiscriminately combined. Some of the consequences people suffer by eliminating coarse fibrous foods from their diets and relying instead on concentrated animal protein and concentrated refined starches are described here by Dr Robert Jackson:

The removal of this waste matter [fiber] also removes from our foods the natural stimulus to the muscular activity of the bowel wall...This means a slowing up of the intestinal current. Slowing up the intestinal current means the decomposition of the protein contents and a fermentation beyond what is normal of the carbohydrate contents, the former resulting in evolution of very depressing poisons and the latter of irritants to the tube lining...Thus a vicious cycle is set up, leading to a chronic state of body poisoning from the food canal, for slowing up not only adds to the fermentation and decomposition, it also allows more time for the absorption into the blood of the poisonous products produced.

About ten years ago, an interesting study was conducted to compare the average daily bowel movements of people in India and America. The results at first baffled researchers: although the average American consumed over three times as many calories every day as the average Indian, the latter produced daily bowel movements that weighed more than double the American average. India's diet, based primarily on vegetables and whole grains, provides a high ratio of fibrous bulk to propel wastes through the alimentary canal, while the typical American diet, rich in processed calories but poor in natural bulk, moves through the digestive tract so slowly that much of it putrefies and ferments rather than digests, and the resulting toxic wastes are retained for days, or even weeks, resulting in a chronic state of toxemia (a form of autointoxification of the blood caused by the constant presence of toxins in the stomach, colon, liver and other tissues). This condition is responsible for a host of chronic ailments rarely found in primitive societies, including arthritis, constipation, gastritis, fatigue, infertility, impotence and lack of immunity to infectious disease.

Master faster and colonic specialist V.E. Irons describes the modern American dietary disaster as follows:

In many cases, food can stay in a person for months or even years. This food will rot and decay and will get buried in the crevices and folds of the colon...Most people's colons, instead of being fast-moving sewer systems, have become stagnant cesspools.

Trophology: The Science of Food Combining

Compared to Taoist concepts of balance, the Western notion of a 'balanced diet' is simplistic and superficial. Western physicians advise everyone to take 'a little of everything at every meal,' jumbling together such disparate ingredients as meat, milk, starch, fat and sugar. Such indiscriminate consumption of food is no different than pouring a combination of gas, oil, alcohol and sugar into the gas tank of a car. These blends will not burn efficiently, will provide little power and will quickly clog up the engine so badly that the entire system grinds to a halt. The advice given in the quote at the beginning of this chapter, from a book presented to the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty on the occasion of the author's 100th birthday, clearly reflects the fact that the ancient Chinese were well aware of the importance of the science of food combining. This wisdom was once known to the West as well, as evidenced by Moses' strict regulation that meat and milk must never be consumed at the same meal.

In plain English, the Yin and Yang of diet boils down to 'trophology', a term which you and no doubt your doctor have probably never heard before. Modern medical training in the West, especially in America, is notoriously deficient in nutritional science, although there are a few enlightened nutritional scientists in America and Europe today who, despite sneers from their peers in the medical establishment, are making great medical strides through the science of trophology.

The Western scientific equivalent of Yin/Yang balance in food combinations is something we all learned in elementary high school chemistry: acid/alkaline balance, or 'pH'. We all know that if we did add a measure of alkaline to an equal measure of acid, the resulting chemical solution is as neutral as plain water. That's the principle behind reaching for bicarbonate (a strong alkaline) to relieve 'acid indigestion'.

It is an established scientific fact in Western medicine that, in order to initiate efficient digestion of any concentrated animal protein, the stomach must secrete pepsin. But it is also a well-known fact that pepsin can function only in a highly acidic medium, which must be maintained for several hours for complete digestion of proteins. It is an equally well-established fact of science that when we chew a piece of bread or potato or any other carbohydrate/starch, ptyalin and other alkaline juices are immediately secreted into the food by the saliva in the mouth. When swallowed, the alkalized starches require an alkaline medium in the stomach in order to complete their digestion.

Anyone should be able to figure out what therefore happens when you ingest protein and starch together. Acid and alkaline juices are secreted simultaneously in response to the incoming protein and starch, promptly neutralizing one another and leaving a weak, watery solution in the stomach that digests neither protein nor starch properly. Instead, the proteins putrefy and the starches ferment owing to the constant presence of bacteria in the digestive tract.

This putrefaction and fermentation are the primary cause of all sorts of digestive distress, including gas, heartburn, cramps, bloating, constipation, foul stools, bleeding piles, colitis, and so forth. Many so-called 'allergies' are also the direct result of improper food combinations: the bloodstream picks up toxins from the putrefied, fermented mess as it passes slowly through the intestines, and these toxins in turn cause rashes, hives, headaches, nausea and other symptoms commonly branded as 'allergies'. The same foods that cause allergic reactions when improperly combined often have no ill side-effects whatsoever when consumed according to the rules of trophology. The final fact of the matter is this: when you immobilize your stomach and impair digestive functions by consuming foods in indiscriminate combinations, the bacteria in your alimentary canal have a field day. They get all the nutrients and thrive, while you get all the wastes and suffer.

According to a recent survey in America, the average American male today carries about 5 pounds of undigested, putrefied red meat in his gut. Leave 5 pounds of meat in a dark, warm, moist place for a few days and see for yourself the results of putrefaction. The severely septic condition of the human intestinal tract is unique in nature, yet Western physicians take it for granted and even insist that it is harmless to the rest of the system.

In fact, however, in order to protect itself from the chronic toxic irritation of improperly combined meals, the colon secretes large quantities of mucus to entrap toxic particles before they damage the colon's sensitive lining. When this occurs at every meal, every day, every week, throughout the year — as is quite typical in modern Western diets — the colon ends up secreting a constant stream of mucus, which accumulates and gets impacted in the folds of the colon. This results in a narrowing of the passage through the colon and a constant seeping of toxins into the bloodstream by osmosis. When the impacting of toxic mucus in the colon reaches a critical pressure, it causes a pocket to balloon outward through the colon lining, causing a condition called diverticulosis. Colitis and cancer are the next stages of colon deterioration caused by these conditions.

Having correlated the Tao of diet with Western scientific terminology, let's take a close look at the practical side of trophology with some concrete examples of food combining. The following categories of food combinations cover most of the 'culinary crimes' against nature committed daily throughout the world today. This list is based mainly on the work of Dr Herbert M. Shelton, one of America's most distinguished nutritional therapists and author of the 'bible' of correct culinary combinations, Food Combining Made Easy:

* Protein and starch. This is the worst possible combination of foods to mix together at a single meal, and yet it is the mainstay of modern Western diets: meat and potatoes, hamburgers and fries, eggs and toast, etc. When one consumes protein and starch together, the alkaline enzyme ptyalin pours into the food as it's chewed in the mouth. When the masticated food reaches the stomach, digestion of starch by alkaline enzymes continues unabated, thereby preventing the digestion of protein by pepsin and other acid secretions. The ever-present bacteria in the stomach are thus permitted to attack the protein and putrefaction commences, rendering nutrients in the protein food largely useless to you and producing toxic wastes and foul gases, including such poisons as indol, skatol, phenol, hydrogen sulphide, phenylpropionic acid, and others.

If that is the case, you may well wonder, then why does the stomach have no trouble handling foods that naturally contain both protein and starch, such as whole grains? As Dr Shelton points out, 'There is a great difference between the digestion of a food, however complex its composition, and the digestion of a mixture of different foods. To a single article of food that is a starch-protein combination, the body can easily adjust its juices, both as to strength and timing, to the digestive requirements of the food. But when two foods are eaten with different, even opposite, digestive needs, this precise adjustment of juices to requirements becomes impossible.'

Rule: Eat concentrated proteins such as meat, fish, eggs and cheese separately from concentrated starches such as bread, potatoes and rice. For example, eat toast or eggs for breakfast, the hamburger patty or the bun for lunch, meat or potatoes for dinner.

* Protein and Protein. Different proteins have different digestive requirements. For example the strongest enzymatic action on milk occurs during the last hour of digestion, whereas on meat it occurs during the first hour and on eggs somewhere in between. It is instructive to recall the ancient dietary law which Moses imposed on his people, forbidding the simultaneous consumption of milk and flesh.

Two similar meats such as beef and lamb, or two types of fish such as salmon and shrimp, are not sufficiently different in nature to cause digestive conflict in the stomach and may thus be consumed together.

Rule: Eat only one major type of protein at a single meal. Avoid combinations such as meat and eggs, meat and milk, fish and cheese. Insure the assimilation of the full range of vital amino acids by varying the types of concentrated proteins taken at different meals.

* Starch and acid. Any acid food taken together with starch suspends secretion of ptyalin, a biochemical fact of life upon which all physicians agree. Therefore, if you consume oranges, lemons and other acid fruits, or acids such as vinegar, along with starch, no ptyalin is secreted in the mouth to initiate the first stage of starch digestion. Consequently, the starch hits the stomach without the vital alkaline juices it needs to digest properly, permitting bacteria to ferment it instead. A single teaspoon of vinegar, or its equivalent in other acids, is all it takes entirely to suspend salivary digestion of starch in the mouth.

Rule: Eat starches and acids at separate meals. For example, if you eat toast or cereal for breakfast, skip the orange juice as well as eggs. If you're eating a starch-based meal of noodles or rice, avoid vinegar as well as concentrated protein.

* Protein and acid. Since protein requires an acid medium for proper digestion, you'd think that acid foods would facilitate protein digestion, but that's not the case. When acid foods enter the stomach, they inhibit the secretion of hydrochloric acid, and the protein-digesting enzyme pepsin can work only in the presence of hydrochloric acid, not just any acid. Therefore, orange juice inhibits the proper digestion of eggs, and a strong vinegar dressing on salad inhibits the digestion of a steak.

rdRule: Avoid combining concentrated proteins and acids at the same meal.

* Protein and fat. In McLeod's Physiology in Modern Medicine, we find a fact accepted by all physicians: 'Fat has been shown to exert a distinct inhibiting influence on the secretion of gastric juice.' For two to three hours after the ingestion of fat, the concentration of hydrochloric acid and pepsin in the stomach is sharply decreased. This delays digestion of any proteins taken together with the fat, which gives bacteria ample opportunity to putrefy the protein. That is why fatty meats such as bacon and 'marbled' steaks, or lean meats fried in fat, sit so heavily in the stomach for hours after eating them.

Rule: Eat concentrated proteins and fats at separate meals. When you cannot avoid mixing them, eat plenty of raw vegetables to assist their digestion and passage.

* Protein and sugar. All sugars, without exception, inhibit the secretion of gastric juices in the stomach. That's because sugars are digested neither in the mouth nor in the stomach. Instead, they pass directly into the small intestine for digestion and assimilation. When consumed in combination with protein, such as cake after steak, not only do the sugars inhibit digestion of proteins by suppressing gastric secretions, the sugars themselves get trapped in the stomach instead of moving swiftly to the small intestine, and this delay permits bacteria to ferment the sugars, releasing noxious toxins and gases which further impair digestion.

Rule: Avoid consuming sugars and proteins at the same meal.

* Starch and sugar. It has been established that, when sugar enters the mouth along with starch, the saliva secreted during mastication contains no ptyalin, thereby sabatoging starch digestion before it reaches the stomach. Furthermore, such a combination blocks passage of sugar through the stomach until the starch is digested, causing it to ferment. The by-products of sugar fermentation are acidic, which in turn further inhibits digestion of starches, which require alkaline mediums for digestion. Bread (starch) and butter (fat) is a perfectly compatible combination, but when you spread a spoonful of honey or jam over it, you introduce sugars to the blend, which interfere with the digestion of the starch in bread. The same principle applies to breakfast cereal sprinkled with sugar, heavily frosted cakes, sweet pies, and so forth.

Rule. Eat starches and sugars separately.

* Melons. Melons are such a perfect food for humans that they require no digestion whatsoever in the stomach. Instead, they pass quickly through the stomach and move into the small intestine for digestion and assimilation. But this can happen only when the stomach is empty and melons are eaten alone, or in combination only with other fresh raw fruits. When consumed with or after other foods that require complex digestion in the stomach, melons cannot pass into the small intestine until the digestion of other foods in the stomach is complete. So they sit and stagnate instead, quickly fermenting and causing all sorts of gastric distress.

Rule: Eat melons alone or leave them alone.

* Milk. Now we come to one of the most controversial and misunderstood items in the Western diet. Orientals and Africans have traditionally avoided milk — except as a purgative. But in the Western world, people are told to drink milk every day throughout their lives.

If we look at nature, we see that the young feed exclusively on milk until weaned away from it with other foods. The natural disappearance of the milk-digesting enzyme lactase from the human system upon reaching maturity proves that adult humans have no more nutritional need for milk than adult tigers or chimpanzees. Though milk is a complete protein food when consumed raw, it also contains fat, which means that it combines poorly with any other food except itself. Yet adults today routinely 'wash down' other foods with cold milk. Milk curdles immediately upon entering the stomach, so if there is other food present the curds coagulate around other food particles and insulate them from exposure to gastric juices, delaying digestion long enough to permit the onset of putrefaction. Therefore, the first and foremost rule of milk consumption is, 'Drink it alone or leave it alone.'

Today, milk is made even more indigestible by the universal practice of pasteurization, which destroys its natural enzymes and alters its delicate proteins. Raw milk contains the active enzymes lactase and lipase, which permit raw milk to digest itself. Pasteurized milk, which is devitalized of lactase and other active enzymes, simply cannot be properly digested by adult stomachs, and even infants have trouble with it, as evidenced by cholic, rashes, respiratory ailments, gas and other common ailments of bottle-fed babies. The lack of enzymes and alteration of vital proteins also renders the calcium and other mineral elements in milk largely unassimilable.

During the 1930s, Dr Francis M. Pottenger conducted a 10-year study on the relative effects of pasteurized and raw milk diets on 900 cats. One group received nothing but raw whole milk, while the other was fed nothing but pasteurized whole milk from the same source. The raw milk group thrived, remaining healthy, active and alert throughout their lives, but the group fed on pasteurized milk soon became listless, confused and highly vulnerable to a host of chronic degenerative ailments normally associated with humans, including heart disease, kidney failure, thyroid disfunction, respiratory ailments, loss of teeth, brittle bones, liver inflammation, etc. But what caught Dr Pottenger's attention most was what happened to the second and third generations. The first offspring of the pasteurized milk group were all born with poor teeth and small, weak bones — a clear-cut sign of calcium deficiency, which indicated lack of calcium absorption from pasteurized milk. The offspring of the raw milk group remained as healthy as their parents. Many of the kittens in third generation of the pasteurized group were stillborn, while those that survived were all sterile and unable to reproduce. The experiment had to end there because there was no fourth generation of cats fed on pasteurized milk, although the raw milk group continued to breed and thrive indefinitely. If that is insufficient proof of the ill effects of pasteurized milk, take note of the fact even that newborn calves fed on pasteurized milk taken from their own mother cows usually die within six months, a fact which the commercial dairy industry is loathe to admit.

Despite such scientific evidence in favor of raw milk and against pasteurized milk, and despite the fact that until the early twentieth century the human species thrived on raw milk, it is actually illegal to sell raw milk to consumers in all but a few states in America today. It is far more profitable to the dairy industry to pasteurize milk to extend its shelf-life, though such denatured milk does nothing whatsoever to extend human life. Furthermore, pasteurization renders milk from sick cows in unsanitary dairies relatively 'harmless' by killing some, but not all, dangerous germs, and this too cuts costs for the dairy industry.

It required only three generations for Dr Pottenger's pasteurized milk fed cats to become sterile and enfeebled. That's about how many generations of Americans and Europeans have fed on pasteurized milk. Today, infertility has become a major problem for young American couples, while calcium deficiency has become so rampant that over 90 per cent of all American children suffer chronic tooth decay. To make things worse, milk is now routinely 'homogenized' to prevent the cream from separating from the milk. This involves the fragmentation and pulverization of the fat molecules to the point that they will not separate from the rest of the milk. But it also permits these tiny fragments of milk fat to easily pass through the villae of the small intestine, greatly increasing the amount of denatured fat and cholesterol absorbed by the body. In fact, you absorb more milk-fat from homogenized milk than you do from pure cream!

Women worried about osteoporosis should take note of these facts about pasteurized milk products. That such denatured milk does not deliver sufficient calcium to prevent this condition is abundantly evident from the fact that American women, who consume great quantities of various pasteurized milk products, suffer the world's highest incidence of osteoporosis. Raw cabbage, for example, supplies far more assimilable calcium than any quantity of pasteurized milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, or any other denatured dairy product.

Recent studies at the Human Research Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota, indicates that the element boron is also an essential factor in absorbing calcium from food and utilizing it to build bones. Even more noteworthy, the level of estrogen in the blood of women given sufficient quantities of boron more than doubled, eliminating the need for estrogen replacement therapy, which is a common stopgap measure against osteoporosis in the West. And where do we find boron? In fresh fruits and vegetables, especially apples, pears, grapes, nuts, cabbage, and other leafy vegetables, where we also find calcium. Nature has already provided abundant sources of all the vital nutrients we need in synergistic form, but man insists on cooking and processing them to death, and then wonders why his diet doesn't 'work.'

Adults should seriously reconsider milk as a constituent of their daily diets, unless they are able to obtain raw certified milk, which is an excellent food. To stuff children with pasteurized milk in order to make them grow 'strong and healthy' is sheer folly, because they simply cannot assimilate the nutrients. Indeed men, women, and children alike should eliminate all pasteurized dairy products from their diets, for these denatured dairy products only gum up the intestines with layer upon layer of slimy sludge that interferes with the absorption of organic nutrients.

Rule: Eliminate pasteurized and homogenized milk entirely from your diet. If raw certified milk is available, consume it as a whole food in itself, not in combination with other foods.

* Desserts. One should avoid any sort of sweet dessert after a big meal, for this type of food combines poorly with everything. Even fresh fruit should be avoided right after a big meal, because it will back up in the stomach and ferment instead of digest. If you really have a 'sweet tooth' and crave cakes, pies and pastries, indulge your habit occasionally by making a whole meal of them. They are still not good for you, but at least taken alone they will not cause as much gastric distresss and toxic by-products as when taken after meals.

Rule: Avoid sweet starchy desserts, as well as fruits, after large meals of protein or carbohydrates.

Correctly combining foods makes all the difference in the world to proper digestion and metabolism. Without complete digestion, the nutrients in even the most wholesome food cannot be fully extracted and assimilated by the body. Moreover, incomplete digestion and inefficient metabolism are prime causes of fat and cholesterol accumulation in the body. A low-calorie diet of overcooked, processed and improperly combined foods will still make you fat and leave sticky deposits in your arteries, just as the wrong mix of fuels will leave carbon deposits on the spark plugs of an engine, clog the pistons, and create foul gaseous exhaust. On the other hand, if foods are properly combined for consumption, then regardless of how many calories or how much cholesterol they contain they will not make you fat or clog up your veins and organs, especially if at least half your daily food intake is taken raw.

If one follows the rules of trophology, there is no need to be a fanatic about controlling one's diet, no need to count calories, and no need to worry about cholesterol. Note also that there is no such thing as a food that is 100 per cent protein or 100 per cent carbohydrate. What counts is whether protein or carbohydrate is the major nutritional element in any particular food. Generally speaking, if a food item contains 15 per cent or more protein, then it's categorized as a 'protein food', while 20 per cent or more carbohydrate makes it a 'carbohydrate food'. When combining different types of food in a single meal, it doesn't matter much if a little bit of protein is added to a basically carbohydrate meal or vice versa, especially if plenty of raw vegetables are included to provide active enzymes and fibrous bulk. Appendix I at the end of this chapter lists a wide range of foods according to the categories of protein, starch, fats, fruits and vegetables. As this list clearly shows, there are plenty of wholesome foods from which to construct a healthy meal, without resorting to artificially refined, processed foods. Appendix II provides sample menus for a week.

Ideally, one should consume only one variety of food at a single sitting. A glance at nature proves this point. Carnivorous animals never consume starchy items with their meat, but they do supplement digestion and occasionally purge their bowels by chewing on wild weeds that have medicinal properties. It has also been observed by birdwatchers for centuries that birds eat bugs and worms at one time of day, seeds and berries at another, but never both together. What makes modern man think that his digestive tract is so different from all other species in nature?

Even though the traditional Chinese diet relies heavily on rice, a closer look at Chinese eating habits shows that, up until the mid-twentieth century, the rice was consumed according to the rules of trophology. For example, when Chinese families eat at home, their meals are usually heavy in fresh vegetables and beancurd products and very light in meats. When Chinese go out for a big banquet in a restaurant, rice is generally not served at all, specifically so that it does not interfere with the enjoyment and digestion of all the meat, fish and fowl that always appear on banquet menus. Today, however, modern lifestyles have eroded these healthy eating habits among urban Chinese, much to the detriment of their health and longevity.

Back in the 1920s, before the modern world had much impact on Chinese lifestyles, an extensive study was conducted in China by Western nutritional scientists to compare the typical eating habits of Chinese and Americans. The regions surveyed were located in central and coastal China, in rural areas where traditional lifestyles and eating habits had not changed much for many centuries, but where relative peace and prosperity gave local households the full range of choice in foods. The study revealed that the average Chinese derived over 90 per cent of their food energy from grains and grain products, with only 1 per cent coming from animal products and all the rest from fresh vegetable sources. A blend of 90 per cent carbohydrate and 1 per cent protein, supplemented with the enzymes and roughage of fresh fruits and vegetables, is about as close to a perfectly combined diet as is practically possible.

The same study then turned towards the eating habits of typical Americans, with most revealing results: 39 per cent of the average American's food energy came from grains, 38 per cent from animal products, and most of the remaining 23 per cent came from refined sugars. Vegetables and fruits accounted for a miniscule portion of the American diet. One could hardly concoct a more poorly balanced diet from the point of view of trophology! According to the results of Dr Pottenger's experiments with cats, the damage from such denatured diets can be transmitted to the next generation.

Let's take a close trophological look at the 'Great American Meal', which is rapidly spreading digestive and metabolic malaise throughout the world via huge corporate fast-food chains. That all-American meal consists of a cheeseburger with French fries, washed down with a milk shake or sweet cola. A cheeseburger combines two different varieties of concentrated protein — meat and cheese. On top of that goes a big, fluffy bun of highly refined white flour — pure starch. Next comes a big bag of deep fried potatoes, thereby adding more concentrated starch, further fattened by deep-frying in stale oil, to the meal. Finally, this mess is washed down with a big frozen milk shake, adding pasteurized milk to the meat and the starch and the fat, plus several spoons of refined white sugar to thoroughly gum up the works. Breaking one or two rules of trophology at any given meal is bad enough, but the Great American Meal breaks at least six. Small wonder that in a recent nationwide health survey in America, reported in an Associated Press bulletin in July 1986, 49 per cent of the population reported chronic, daily stomach pain, gastrointestinal distress, constipation, and other ailments of the digestive tract.

The dietary situation in the Western world is far more serious than any government health authorities care to admit. This is largely because the food industry has become one of the largest, most powerful businesses in the Western world, especially in America, where the processed food industry is represented by one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which decides what foods may be sold in the market, is staffed primarily by professional bureaucrats, not nutritional scientists, and it conducts no scientific tests whatsoever. Instead, it relies on tests and reports submitted by the very corporations which want to get a new food product onto the market! Raw certified milk has become illegal in most states, and gone are the days when people could go down to a local open-air market to purchase fresh produce, as is still the custom in Asia and much of Europe. And so Americans continue to suffer among the world's highest incidence of heart disease, cancer, digestive disorders and other deadly ailments.

Facts are facts, so have a look at the following startling facts about diet and malnutrition in America, compiled by American medical scientists and published in the March/April 1958 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A careful comparative examination of the diets and health of beggars in India and apparently healthy young American teenagers revealed that in India the average daffy calorie intake of the typical beggar amounted to less than half that of the typical American. Yet only 6.25 per cent of the beggars showed any signs of nutritional deficiency, while a staggering 75 per cent of the American teenagers showed signs of severe malnutrition. Only 1.25 per cent of the Indian beggars suffered dental cavities, compared with over 90 per cent of the young Americans. Conclusion: the typical beggar in India derives greater health from his meager diet than the average American teenager does from his 'rich' diet.

A similar study in Mexico found similar results. The September 1951 issue of Harper's Magazine reports the results of a long-term study of the dietary habits of Mexican peasants, conducted by MIT's Dr Robert Harris. States the report,

To the surprise of investigators, these poverty-stricken Mexicans showed less evidence of malnutrition deficiencies than did Michigan school children...

Analysis of all their foods by Dr. Harris' group showed that the Otomis (Indians dwelling in the arid Mesquital Valley north of Mexico City), like the slum dwellers of Mexico City, were obtaining nearly adequate quantities of all nutrients except riboflavin. In fact, their nutrition was definitely superior to that of the average person living in the Boston and New York areas of the United States.

Enzymes: The Culinary Spark of Life

Another important principle in the Tao of diet is to select foods that are fresh rather than stale, 'living' rather than 'dead', and, as far as practically possible, to consume them either raw or lightly cooked.

The best working definition of 'live food' was made by Dr McCullum of Johns Hopkins University over 50 years ago: 'Eat nothing unless it will spoil or rot, but eat it before it does!' Refined white flour, for example, will not spoil, while freshly ground whole grains will. Indeed, rats fed on diets of refined white flour soon die of starvation. In America, food wholesalers are now adopting the heinous practice of extending the shelf-life of fresh produce by radiating it with powerful doses of gamma rays. Bugs and bacteria will not attack an apple or head of cabbage that has been radiated because such food is not fit for consumption, but the food industry knows that humans will eat almost anything due to ignorance of basic nutrition.

The distinguishing feature between live and dead foods is the presence of active enzymes in the fresh product. Taoist physicians refer to this active living factor in foods as chee, and enzyme-chee constitutes by far the most vital element for health in food. Western science knows perfectly well that enzymes are fragile compounds that are easily destroyed by exposure to high heat, excess moisture, oxygen, radiation, and synthetic chemicals, all of which occur during cooking, canning, refining, preserving and pasteurising food. All enzymes are effectively 'killed' at temperatures exceeding 130°F, which is far below the boiling point of water (212°F) and less than pasteurization (140°F).

Traditional East Asian diets are rich in two types of enzyme-active foods: flesh raw foods such as fruits and vegetables and, in the case of Japan, raw fish; and foods prepared for consumption by treatment with aspergillus plant enzymes, which provide all the enzymes required for the digestion of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

Aspergillus plants, which have been used to prepare foods for centuries in Asia, are exceedingly rich in vital enzymes and are used to prepare such nutritious and therapeutically active foods as tofu (beancurd), yuba (beancurd skin), nado (fermented soy sprouts), miso (fermented porridge of barley, rice or soybean) and other traditional foods. By adding active aspergillus enzymes to cooked grains and beans, the enzymes destroyed in the cooking process are replaced, and the food is consumed without further cooking. Every bite of tofu, nado or miso provides the body with potent infusions of enzymes, the vital culinary spark of life.

The term 'natural food' has become a much-abused label on commercial food products these days, appearing on everything from pasteurized yoghurt to sweet starchy candy bars. For our purposes, we define a food as 'natural' only if all the natural enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and other vital nutritional factors are still intact, which eliminates almost everything labeled as 'natural' in modern markets. On the other hand, there are plenty of good natural foods to be found in any supermarket without being specifically labeled so, such as raw fruits and vegetables, raw meat and fish, molasses, and unblanched, unroasted nuts and seeds. Even certain dehydrated foods, such as prunes, raisins and dates, retain their vital enzymes in dormant state if they are sun-dried rather than sulphur-preserved, and these enzymes are activated by the warmth and moisture of the mouth and stomach.

A careful look at how enzymes act reveals why they are so important for proper digestion, efficient metabolism and overall physical health.

Enzymes are biochemical catalysts secreted by the pancreas and other glands and organs. Some are used for digestion, others enter the bloodstream to scavenge for dangerous microbes, dead and damaged cells, and toxins. In the stomach, there are about 5 million microscopic glands which secrete various enzymes required for digestion, such as pepsin. All enzymes are specific in their actions, fitting the biochemical reactions for which they are designed as precisely as a key fits a lock. When incompatible enzymes are secreted together, owing to conflicting signals sent by incompatible food combinations, their actions are impaired or neutralized.

But enzymes are far more than mere catalysts in the conventional chemical sense of the word. One of America's leading authorities on enzymes, Dr Edward Howell, supported by over 50 years of clinical experience in the field, wrote in a 1979 issue of Healthview Newsletter,

Catalysts are only inert substances. They possess none of the life energy we find in enzymes. For instance, enzymes give off a kind of radiation when they work. This is not true of catalysts.

Asked about Dr Howell's observations on enzymes, a Taoist physician in Taipei replied,

That's chee at work. Chee manifests itself in this world as a sort of radiation that is invisible to the ordinary eye but can be clearly seen by advanced adepts who have cultivated this ability. Chee can also be detected and measured by sophisticated technology. The radiation you speak of in these 'enzymes' is their chee being released as they work in your system.

Here we see a remarkable conformity between the views of an enlightened Western physician and a traditional Taoist practitioner.

Since 'civilized' diets consist almost entirely of cooked, processed, artificially refined foods, they are completely devoid of their own original enzymes. Consequently, the body must produce the enzymes it requires to digest the huge quantities of stale, dead foods modern man consumes every day. Most of those enzymes must be provided by the pancreas, an organ so overworked and swollen in the human species today that humans now have the largest pancreases relative to body weight of any species on earth. 'In proportion to body weight,' notes Dr Howell, 'the human pancreas is more than twice as heavy as that of a cow.'

One's capacity for enzyme production is limited. 'When it gets to the point that you cannot make certain enzymes, then your life ends,' writes Dr Howell in his book Enzyme Nutrition. This accords well with the Taoist tenet that when your body can no longer produce semen, hormones and other forms of jing ('vital essence', which includes enzymes), then you die. Enzymes contain a spark of chee, and therefore it requires the input of chee to produce them. Every organism's store of living chee is limited: the faster one uses it up, the sooner one's life ends. Diets of denatured, overcooked foods put tremendous demands on the body's enzyme capacity, and Dr Howell believes that this unnecessary, unnatural and unabated depletion of the body's enzyme capacity is 'one of the paramount causes of premature aging and early death' and the 'underlying cause of almost all degenerative disease'.

In order to service the mass of enzymeless food in the stomach, other parts of the body — such as the brain, muscles, joints and nerves — are chronically deprived of the vital enzymes they require to function normally, and all sorts of ailments occur. For example, fossil evidence indicates that Neanderthal man, who ate mostly the charred carcasses of dead animals roasted over fires in his cave, suffered crippling arthritis 50,000 years ago. But Eskimos, who traditionally ate a diet that consisted almost entirely of raw meat, raw fat and raw fish, had never been known to suffer arthritis, heart disease or any other chronic ailment until they started eating the packaged processed foods introduced to them by their 'civilized' brethren from America. The Eskimos were the only tribe in all of North and South America that never developed the tradition of a tribal 'medicine man' because they virtually never got sick. Indeed, the word 'Eskimo' comes from an old Indian term which means 'he who eats it raw', and therein lies the secret to their former health and longevity.

Enzymeless diets aggravate the very core of our bodies' 'vital essence' network, which is the endocrine system. According to Dr Howell's findings:

Evidence indicates that cooked, enzyme-free diets contributed to a pathological over-enlargement of the pituitary gland, which regulates the other glands. Furthermore, there is research showing that almost 100% of people over 50 dying from accidental causes were found to have deficient pituitary glands.

Diets of cooked, enzyme-dead foods tend to make you fat, regardless of how carefully you count calories. American farmers discovered long ago that hogs will simply not fatten when fed raw potatoes, but that a diet of cooked potatoes will make them very fat very fast. Active enzymes in raw foods permit food to digest so efficiently in the stomach that not only are the gastric ills of putrefaction and fermentation avoided, but the calories are also burned so efficiently by the body that fat does not accumulate. Indeed, much of the 'fat' on obese bodies is not adipose tissue, but bulky accumulations of mucus and toxic waste bulging out through the intestinal walls, jowls, lymph nodes and other parts of the body where such wastes are stored. Raw calories and cooked calories are as different as fresh air and polluted air. 'From my work,' remarks Dr Howell, I've found that it was impossible to get people fat on raw foods, regardless of the calorie intake.'

Since Western scientists are so fond of testing their theories on rats and then applying the results to humans, let's take a look at how rats fare on cooked food. When two groups of rats are fed respectively on exclusive diets of raw and cooked foods, the raw food group lives an average lifespan of three years, while the cooked food group rarely makes it beyond the age of two. In human terms, that would mean an extra 20-30 years of life! Dr Pottenger's cat experiments with raw and pasteurized milk provided precisely the same results. Think about that the next time you opt for a hamburger and fries instead of a fresh fruit or vegetable salad.

When not busy digesting enzymeless food in the stomach, the body's enzymes roam through the bloodstream and protect the entire system from all sorts of disease and toxic damage. This is one of the great benefits of fasting: the body's entire enzyme capacity devotes itself to cleaning house, digesting and eliminating dead and damaged tissues and putrefied proteins, and helping in the construction of new cells. Obviously, if you live on a daily diet consisting of denatured enzymeless foods, your entire enzyme capacity is constantly preoccupied with digestive duties, thereby permitting all sorts of putrid wastes and damaged cells to accumulate in other tissues to the point of severe toxemia. It is a well-known fact that cancerous tumors almost always develop in tissues that are severely toxified, such as smokers' lungs, drinkers' livers and gluttons' colons.

In order to compensate your system for the enzyme drain caused by cooked foods, especially cooked animal products, Dr Howell recommends taking one to three capsules of enzyme supplements with all big meals, unless the meal consists entirely of raw foods. A small side-salad does not provide sufficient enzyme activity to digest a steak. Enzyme supplements should be swallowed at the beginning of the meal so that they dissolve in the stomach by the time food arrives. Dr Howell recommends plant-derived enzymes over pancreatic enzymes derived from animal sources because 'plant enzymes can work in the acidity of the stomach, whereas pancreatic enzymes work best in the alkalinity of the small intestine'. By the time food reaches the small intestine, much of the digestive work has already been done in the stomach, and therefore it's best to use enzyme supplements that activate in the stomach.

Though raw foods are by far the best source of active enzymes, there are certain ways of lightly cooking foods that do not entirely decimate their natural enzyme factors. The three main conditions that kill enzymes during cooking are intense heat, extreme dryness, and long cooking time. Thus the Western world's favorite cooking methods — baking and roasting — are the worst enzyme offenders.

The solution to this problem is typically Taoist: balance the excess Yang of heat and dryness with the soothing Yin element of water. That means applying fire to heat water, then applying the hot water to cook the food, such as steaming and poaching (but not boiling). When you steam or poach food, temperatures never exceed 212°F, compared with the 350-500°F temperatures generated in an oven and the even higher temperatures of charcoal or gas grilling. Steaming and poaching cut down the time required for cooking and, while both steam and hot water do indeed kill enzymes on exposed surfaces of food, the moisture seals and preserves many of the enzymes deep inside, where intense surface temperatures do not reach. Poaching and steaming also permit cooking without the extra addition of oils, fats, bastes or batters, which only impede digestion and add unwanted dead calories to food.

The other cooking method that preserves a portion of enzymes in food is the traditional Chinese 'stir-fry'. While temperatures are very high, cooking times are very brief — usually 30 seconds to 1 minute — which does not cause the evaporation of all vital juices and seals enzymes inside meat and vegetables. As long as stir-fried vegetables are 'crispy,' it indicates that their internal cellular structure is still intact, with enzymes locked inside. If meats are still rare or bloody inside, they too retain some of their natural enzyme factors.

Even fast-foods need not offend the rules of trophology and enzyme nutrition. For example, you do not necessarily need bread to make a 'sandwich'. Throughout Southeast Asia, people use fresh crispy lettuce leaves to wrap up all sorts of delicious ingredients, many of them raw, to make wholesome delicious meals that can easily be taken 'on the run'. The lettuce combines favorably with everything and provides both active enzymes and fibrous bulk. In Japan, pressed sheets of dried seaweed (nori) are used in a similar manner to wrap all sorts of different ingredients, including poached asparagus, raw lettuce and cabbage, raw fish, beansprouts, minced onions, tomatoes, ground raw beef, avocado and other wholesome enzyme-rich foods that are both nutritious and delicious. Called 'hand rolls' (temaki), they not only digest much better in the stomach and provide far more nutrition than hamburgers, submarines, 'fishwiches' and other culinary abominations, they also taste much better in the mouth. Try it, you'll love it!

Eating Right for Health and Longevity

Those who eat according to nature's way rarely report symptoms of gastric distress, but in America almost everyone now takes it for granted that a big meal is going to cause them some sort of gastric discomfort, and many Westerners routinely arrive at restaurants and dinner parties armed with antacids and other stomach remedies.

In order to help guide the reader onto the path of natural, healthy eating habits that promote longevity without sacrificing the pleasure of eating, the following pages present practical guidelines for the correct way to combine and consume the most important categories of food in the human diet: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fresh fruits, and raw vegetables.

How to eat proteins

Jehovah spoke unto Moses, saying, 'I have heard the murmurs of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying: "At evening ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread."' In other words, Jehovah instructed Moses in the rules of trophology, telling him to teach his people to eat their proteins and carbohydrates at separate meals. He also forbade them to consume milk and flesh together. This is the earliest and soundest dietary advice every recorded in Western civilization, but unlike Orientals, who still respect the wisdom of their ancient sages, Western folks spurn the teachings of the past as 'outdated' and 'unscientific'. On the other hand, as the great American nutritional scientist Dr Tilden pointed out, 'Nature never produced a sandwich!'

Proteins are potent foods and require special conditions to digest and release their nutrients. The best choices for combining animal proteins with other foods are non-starch vegetables such as greens, squash, cabbage, sprouts, etc., and it's best to consume these vegetables raw in the form of a large salad. Concentrated animal proteins should only be consumed at one meal per day, though light vegetable proteins such as beancurd (tofu) may be eaten more often. Indeed, light vegetable proteins may completely replace meats in the human diet: 1 1/2-2 pounds of raw nuts and seeds per week, for example, provide all the protein and fat required by anyone and eliminate the metabolic craving for meat, eggs and other animal proteins.

How to eat carbohydrates

Starchy carbohydrates should not be combined with any concentrated proteins. The best items to blend with starch-foods are non-acid fruits and flesh raw or lightly cooked vegetables. If you like potatoes or pasta or pastries, then make a meal of them, but do not add eggs, meat or cheese to the meal.

Most people prefer to take their carbohydrate meal for breakfast in the morning, either as toast or cereal. Even a well-functioning stomach requires approximately 12 hours to recover digestive equilibrium after ingesting imcompatible combinations of food, and therefore a bad blend at breakfast will ruin your digestion for the rest of the day, regardless of what you eat for lunch or dinner. Among the worst breakfasts is dry cereal flavoured with refined sugar and soaked in pasteurized milk. Jam on toast is almost as bad. Children suffer most from the ravages of such breakfasts, because many adults either skip breakfast entirely, or eat nothing but plain toast and coffee, which is a perfectly agreeable combination.

As with protein, you should not have more than one starch-based meal per day, and you should try to avoid combining two widely different types of starch at a single meal. Since protein and starch are the major antagonists in trophology, it's best to separate the protein and starch meals by 10-12 hours, such as the bread breakfast and flesh dinner recommended by Jehovah to Moses.

With starch-foods, it is even more important than with protein not to wash it down with water, fruit juice, milk or other fluids. Digestion of starch must begin in the mouth in order to continue in the stomach. A mouthful of fluid taken along with a bite of starch dilutes the salivary secretions so much that the starch hits the stomach with insufficient infusions of the alkaline ptyalin enzyme, permitting the starch to ferment instead of digest in the stomach. All carbohydrates should be chewed well and thoroughly ensalivated before swallowing.

How to eat fats

Fats may be consumed in combination with carbohydrates, vegetables and fruits, but should be avoided with concentrated proteins; with light proteins, fat is relatively compatible.

In the fat category, avoid all margarines and other butter substitutes and all 'hydrogenated' oils. Hardened hydrogenated vegetable oils are processed in such a manner that your stomach would have to generate temperatures of 500°F to break them down, i.e. they are indigestible. The best fats are butter and cold-pressed vegetable and nut oils in their fluid state.

How to eat raw vegetable salads

Both Dr Herbert Shelton and V. E. Irons strongly recommend everyone eat a large salad of fresh raw non-starch vegetables every day, preferably just before the main protein or carbohydrate meal. In addition to providing active enzymes and fibrous bulk, raw vegetable salads are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and other vital nutrients in their most assimilable forms.

It is most important to eat your salads immediately after cutting up the ingredients. Raw vegetables that are sliced and shredded then left sitting for hours prior to a meal rapidly lose many of their valuable enzymes and other nutrients due to oxidation.

Be careful with the type of dressings you use on salads, especially when combining them with protein meals. Excess oil or vinegar or cream interfere with digestion of protein in the stomach.

Raw salads are particularly beneficial to growing children. They provide abundant supplies of vital nutrients required for growing bones and tissues, and they keep young colons swept clean of the toxic debris created by eating candy and other junk food. Though it may strike you as illogical, raw vegetables are in fact a much better source of organic calcium for growing bones then the denatured pasteurized cow's milk which so many doctors and parents force children to drink for that purpose. Milk does indeed contain a lot of calcium, but pasteurization renders it virtually inaccessible to the body. If your children have trouble with acne, pimples and other skin eruptions and are chronically constipated, try taking them completely off pasteurized milk for a few months and replace it with fresh raw vegetable juices, especially carrot juice, and see the results for yourself. Raw certified milk is equally good for clearing up skin problems, but it's almost impossible to buy these days. Furthermore, by providing real nutrition that actually enters the bloodstream and feeds the tissues, raw vegetables and their juices effectively stave the notorious 'sweet tooth' syndrome that plagues the health of children whose meals of denatured processed foods ferment and putrefy instead of digest and metabolize. The chronic craving for sweets is a clear-cut sign of nutritional starvation.

How to eat fruits

The human digestive tract evolved around a diet of fruits and their close relatives, nuts and seeds. It is a biological fact that fresh raw fruits and nuts contain all the vitamins, minerals, natural sugars and amino acids required for human nutrition. 'Experts' continue to claim the contrary, saying that since fruits contain little 'protein' per se, they are therefore insufficient to maintain human health. While it is true that fruits contain very little complete complex protein molecules, such as that found in meat and eggs, it is equaly true that the body cannot utilize the complex proteins found in meat and eggs. It must first spend a lot of time digesting and breaking down these proteins, then restructuring the constituent amino acids into the unique proteins required by the human organism. Fresh raw fruits and nuts provide those very building blocks in the form of free-floating amino acids, complete with all the synergistic enzymes and vitamins with which they are associated, thereby saving the body all the time, energy and digestive distress required to process complex animal proteins.

Owing to ignorance of trophology and basic nutrition, fresh fruits have been unfairly accused of all sorts of culinary crimes. The self-styled nutritional 'expert' Dr William Henry Porter, in his book Eating to Live Long, condemned fruit as 'one of the most pernicious and reprehensible dietetic follies', and Dr Percy Howe of Harvard University observed that most people have trouble digesting oranges with their meals, though he did note that this trouble disappeared entirely when the oranges were consumed alone.

Many fruits, especially melons and acid fruits, will indeed cause digestive distress, ferment and thus provide little nutrition when consumed indiscriminately with incompatible foods. But when eaten alone and in sufficient quantities, flesh raw fruits provide all the enzymes, vitamins, amino acids and energy that any body needs for optimum health and vitality. They are also highly cleansing and detoxifying, which is why many people experience diarrhea and discomfort during the first few weeks of an exclusive fruit diet.

The Swedish heavyweight bodybuilder Andreas Cahling, winner of the highly coveted Mr Europe and Mr Universe titles, is an exclusive frugivore. He eats neither meat nor dairy products, not even grains or vegetables! Yet his body is every bit as strong and his health as robust as his carnivorous competitors, who feel obliged to consume many pounds of meat, dozens of eggs and quarts of milk every day to provide protein.

The biggest mistake people make when going on an exclusive diet of fruit is not to eat sufficient quantities. The other mistake is to throw away the most nutritionally beneficial parts. Fruit is composed primarily of water. Frugivores like Andreas Cahling therefore chomp their way through half a dozen bananas or a dozen apples or 3-5 pounds of raw grapes at a sitting. They always eat the white fibers between orange sections, the cores of apples and pears, the seeds and skins of grapes, because these parts contain the most potent enzymes and most of the amino acids. Seeds, cores and fibers of fresh fruits should be well chewed to liquid consistency before swallowing.

Fruits deliver their best nutritional benefits when consumed on an empty stomach, for much of it passes directly onward to the small intestine for digestion. But unless you eat nothing else but fruit and fruit juice all day, you should limit your fruit comsumption to one or two exclusive fruit meals per day. Eating fresh fruits or drinking their juices between starch and protein meals can severely inhibit digestion because the stomach will still be busy working on the starch or protein when the fruit lands there. You should also eat sweet fruits and acid fruits at separate sittings and never sweeten any fruit with sugar or honey, for other sugars do not blend well with fruit in the stomach.

If you eat carbohydrates for breakfast and proteins for dinner, then you may construct a very healthy lunch entirely of fresh raw fruits. This habit is especially beneficial for meat-eaters, for the fruit meal will provide active enzymes, fresh fibrous bulk and fruit acids to help clean the by-products of putrefactions from the intenstinal tract and bloodstream. As an extension of this once-a-day fruit meal diet, you might wish to declare one day each week as 'fruit day' and consume nothing but fresh raw fruits all day long.

All this is much easier to implement than it seems. The biggest hurdle is not physiological but psychological. As Walter Bagehot once remarked, 'The pain of a new idea is one of the greatest pains in human nature...Your favorite notions may be wrong, your firmest beliefs ill founded.' And your favorite foods may be the root cause of your greatest pains! It's a fact of life that people find it much easier to believe a lie they've heard a thousand times than a fact they've never heard before. One must first unlearn all the bad dietary habits instilled since early childhood, then familiarize oneself with the real facts concerning diet and nutrition. And there is no need to take anyone else's word about all this. If you simply follow the Tao of diet and the rules of trophology for a few months, your own body will provide all the evidence you need, and, unless you simply don't care about your health and longevity, you will quickly adopt these new eating habits as a permanent and natural part of your daily life.

Taoist diets do not require strict self-denial or culinary boredom. Using your imagination and your knowledge of trophology, it is easy to construct compatible, digestible, nutritious meals that are very pleasing to the palate. And how much trouble is it to set some fresh fruit, nuts and seeds on the table from time to time, instead of cooking up a storm? And by leaving the cupboard bare, you will be motivated to shop a bit more frequently for fresh, enzyme-rich produce instead of relying on canned, processed, refined foods that provide no nutrition while causing nothing but misery in your digestive tract.

Eating out at even the fanciest restaurants is also no excuse for commiting culinary crimes against your body. You can order a perfectly balanced and trophologically compatible meal at almost any restaurant that prepares food to order. That of course eliminates all fast-food outlets where everything is prepared long in advance from pre-processed products. But in an Italian restaurant you can build a good starch-based meal of pasta and tomato sauce (without cheese or meat, please), supplemented with a plate of antipasto and a big vegetable salad. At a steak house, help yourself to a large steak if you like, but forgo the bread and potatoes and specify your steak to be cooked very rare, and supplement it with a flesh vegetable salad. If you find yourself at a big buffet table laden with all sorts of tempting desserts that you know you will not be able to resist after the main courses, then skip the main courses and take two or three desserts after first preparing your stomach with the enzymes and roughage of a large salad. Where there's a will there's a way, and now that you know the Way, the rest is up to your own will to practice it.

Food as Medicine

Sun Ssu-mo, the Tang Dynasty Taoist physician who correctly diagnosed and cured the nutritional-deficiency disease beriberi 1,300 years ago, a full millennium before European doctors did in 1642, wrote in Precious Recipes:

A truly good physician first finds out the cause of the illness, and having found that, he first tries to cure it by food. Only when food fails does he prescribe medication.

Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, said precisely the same thing when he told his students. 'Thy food shall be thy medicine', but contemporary Western physicians seem to have forgotten his words of wisdom, as well as those by Dr Charles Mayo, one of the most celebrated American physicians of the twentieth century:

Normal resistance to disease is directly dependent upon adequate food. Normal resistence to disease never comes out of pill boxes. Adequate food is the cradle of normal resistance, the playground of normal immunity, the workshop of good health, and the laboratory of long life.

Nutritional therapy used to be part and parcel of Western medical practice, but conventional Western physicians today don't even inquire about their patients' eating habits when making a diagnosis, nor do they dispense dietary advice with the powerful synthetic drugs they so casually prescribe.

A Federal Research Committee appointed by the National Research Council and headed by Dr Myron Winick, director of the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, reported in July 1985 that American medical schools do not provide physicians with even the most rudimentary education in nutritional therapy, despite growing awareness of its importance among the general public. Indeed, the six major causes of premature death in the United States today have all been linked to dietary factors: heart disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, arteriosclerosis and cirrhosis of the liver. A major change in American dietary habits would have a powerful preventive impact on these deadly diseases, but that would require a tremendous revolution in the lucrative medical, pharmaceutical and food industries.

Reports Dr Winick, 'The faculty of many American medical schools are still philosophically not as committed to the whole area of preventive medicine as they are to diagnosis and treatment.' The heart of preventive medicine lies in diet and nutritional therapy, not pharmacology and surgery, and the preventive approach to health requires that the patient, not the physician, play the major role. Small wonder the American medical establishment so stubbornly resists this threat to its multibillion dollar industry!

To give the reader an idea how effectively various common foods may be utilized both as curative and preventive medicine, three of the most potent therapeutic foods are briefly introduced below: garlic, grapes and cherries. Appendix III provides a complete list of medicinal foods, categorized according to the ailments they remedy.

Garlic

Garlic has been prescribed as medicine since the dawn of recorded history in China, and probably long before that. Egyptian medical texts dating from 1550 BC list garlic as a major ingredient in 22 prescriptions, and it is a well-known fact that countries where garlic is consumed in large quantifies suffer a significantly lower incidence of cancer. Chinese texts clearly state that in order to be fully effective, garlic must be consumed raw.

Modern science confirms the efficacy of this ancient remedy. American biochemists have discovered that 'allicin', the active component in garlic, works as a powerful antibiotic and fungicide. In fact, allicin has proven even more effective than penicillin in suppressing certain types of disease-carrying agents. However, allicin appears only in freshly cut or crushed raw garlic, again confirming the wisdom of ancient Chinese medical advice. When you cut a clove of raw garlic, a neutral vegetable substance called alliin mixes with a plant enzyme called allinase to produce the potent allicin factor. The characteristic odor of fresh cut raw garlic is caused by this powerful enzyme reaction. The garlic pills, garlic oil and other odorless garlic extracts sold in health-food stores are devoid of the allicin compound and are therefore therapeutically useless.

In old China, tuberculosis was effectively treated with hot compresses of fresh raw garlic applied to the back. The volatile therapeutic factors penetrated the skin and entered the lungs, killing the baccillus that causes tuberculosis. Garlic is also effective in ridding the alimentary canal of worms and other parasites, preventing colds and influenza, and giving a tonic boost to the libido. Regular daily consumption of flesh raw garlic provides round-the-clock protection against a host of contagious diseases and parasites.

Grapes

This may surprise you, but grapes rank among the most potent of all medicinal foods when properly used for therapy. Raw grape juice has been called 'vegetarian milk' owing to its ability to sustain nursing infants deprived of mother's milk, and it is a far superior option to pasteurized cow's milk. The sugars contained in raw grapes are precisely those used in cellular metabolism: mostly pure glucose, with some fructose and levulose. These natural sugars are immediately absorbed into the bloodstream, ready for metabolic use.

Among the most effective therapeutic applications of grapes is to cure constipation and gastritis, which are common complaints for those who live on Western diets. When severe gastritis strikes, simply stop eating and drinking everything else for a day or two and start eating flesh raw grapes. The black variety of grapes are by far the most potent. Start with a pound or two and work up to three or four pounds per day. In the case of gastritis, the seeds and skins should be spat out and only the juice and pulp swallowed. This therapy usually eliminates all symptoms of gastritis within 24-48 hours. If thereafter you avoid the denatured foods and improper combinations that cause the problem in the first place, gastritis will usually not recur.

Black grapes are wonderfully effective detoxifiers, especially for the digestive tract, liver, kidneys and blood. When used for this purpose, the seeds and skins should be carefully chewed and swallowed along with the juice and pulp, for they contain potent bioactive agents with specific detoxifying properties. They also alkalize the digestive tract and bloodstream, a highly desirable benefit in this day of chronic acidosis. The diarrhea and discomfort one often experiences during the first few days of grape therapy are due entirely to the powerful detoxifying properties of grapes: the worse you feel, the more toxic you are.

Cherries

Used therapeutically, cherries are nutritive, detoxifying, laxative and stimulating to the nervous system and vital organs and glands. Their potent antiphlogistic and antiputrid properties make them an excellent adjunct in combating the harmful effects of putrefaction of animal proteins in the intestinal tract. Cherries are safe for diabetics because the sugar they contain is levulose, which can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream without first being transformed by insulin.

As with grapes, dark cherries are the most medically efficacious variety, and they too must be consumed raw in order to gain their therapeutic benefits. You may chew them or drink their freshly extracted juice. Pasteurization, however, destroys the bioactive elements that make cherries such strong medicine. Fed to infants, raw cherry juice protects their sensitive systems against all sorts of digestive disorders, including those caused by pasteurized cow's milk, and enhances their resistance to infections.

It must be remembered that neither grapes nor any other therapeutic food will work their medical magic unless you also eliminate the bad dietary habits that cause your problems. All therapeutic foods work best when you fast for a few days and make them your exclusive diet. If you suggest this cure for gout or arthritis to a typical American doctor, he is likely to laugh in your face, but in the Soviet Union the medical community takes the grape cure very seriously, as they do colonic irrigations and other natural forms of hygiene. There are huge health resorts in Russia devoted entirely to the grape cure, and they are generally booked years in advance by Soviet citizens who habitually spend their holidays at such spas to rid themselves of the chronic ailments and toxic accumulations caused by contemporary urban lifestyles.

A word on vitamin and mineral supplements is in order here. Most of the so-called 'natural' vitamins on sale today are in fact either synthetic products or else crystalized extracts of natural products, such as bran, liver, butter and citrus fruits. The extraction process requires the use of powerful chemical solvents such as ether, benzine and methyl alcohol, precipitants such as barium chloride, lead and aluminium salts, and distillation at high temperatures. These chemical processes denature the vitamins, isolate them from their natural synergists, and destroy their related enzymes.

It has been observed for decades that all laboratory animals fed on 'scientifically balanced' diets of dry chow, to which synthetic vitamins and minerals have been added, habitually eat their own feces. Why? Because despite their 'enriched' diets, their food contains nothing raw or fresh and therefore no enzymes. Hence, they instinctively recycle their own limited stores of vitamins and enzymes by consuming their own feces.

The evidence against the efficacy of synthetic vitamins is overwhelming. In 1942, the Journal of Immunology reported the following results of tests on rabbits: when synthetic vitamin C was administered, ascorbic acid levels in the blood did not rise; when fed on plain raw cabbage, ascorbic acid levels in the blood rose significantly. In 1951, Dr E. Cruckshank reported in Food and Nutrition that when young chickens were fed synthetic vitamin D they reached an average 345 grams in weight, compared with 400 grams for a group fed with natural vitamin D extracted from cod-liver oil. Of the synthetically fed group of chickens, 60 per cent died before reaching maturity, while not a single one of the naturally fed group died prematurely.

It is a popular practice today to take mega-doses of vitamins and minerals on the assumption that these alone will guarantee health and longevity. They will not. Balance, not quantity, is the key to vitamin therapy, and this conforms entirely with the basic premises of Tao. 'Balance' not only means taking the full range of vital vitamins in correct proportions, it also means balancing your vitamin supplements with correct dietary habits, proper nutrition, regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle. As Dr Charles G. King points out, 'The same intake of a given nutrient may be optimum, toxic, or inadequate, depending on the intake of other nutrients.' Among those other nutrients, active enzymes are perhaps most important of all, for they are absolutely indispensable for the proper metabolism of vitamin and mineral supplements and they are the elements in which modern diets are most deficient. Unless you eat nothing but raw food, enzyme supplements extracted from natural sources are just as important as vitamin and mineral supplements.

Fresh wholesome foods contain all the known and unknown factors required for optimum health and longevity. Vitamin B12, for example, was 'discovered' and isolated in 1954, but prior to that people derived their daily doses of this vital element unknowingly from wholesome foods. Fresh unadulterated foods probably contain dozens of vital nutritional factors not yet 'discovered' and isolated by scientists. People who rely on diets of processed refined foods supplemented by synthetic vitamins deprive themselves of all the potent unknown factors for health and longevity contained in Mother Nature's menu.

Therefore, your best bet is to rely primarily on a diet of wholesome primary foods supplemented with vitamins and enzymes derived from natural sources and taken in small doses several times throughout the day. The body cannot absorb mega-doses of any sort of supplement and instead excretes the surplus with the urine and feces. As in every other aspect of life, Tao demands balance and harmony in diet, not a mega-dose of Yin or Yang.

Diet and Mental Health

Psychoanalysis as practiced in Western medical circles does not exist in the traditional Chinese medical system. When a patient in the Orient displays symptoms of emotional stress, mental confusion, panic, paranoia, and so forth, 'the truly good physician first tries to cure it by food'. After carefully analyzing the patient's dietary habits, the Chinese physician usually finds a critical deficiency of vital nutrition or an extreme imbalance in the pharmodynamic energies contained in the foods consumed. He then proceeds to tonify deficiency and redress imbalance with strict dietary guidelines supplemented with herbal therapy.

It was in Europe, where by Taoist standards diets are deplorably unbalanced, that psychotherapy evolved as a formal branch of medicine divorced from physiology. This medical dichotomy is typical of the dualism that lies at the core of Western thought.

Despite the dualistic currents in Western thinking, a small handful of dedicated nutritional scientists in America and Europe today have finally rediscovered the 'missing link' between body and mind, physical and mental health, and that link turns out to be nutrition. Dr George Watson of the University of Southern California states the case clearly in his excellent book Nutrition and Your Mind:

We have found functional mental illness to be a reflection of disordered metabolism, principally involving the malfunction of enzyme systems.

The emphasis on enzyme systems is particularly significant, in light of the enzyme-dead diets of Western societies, which suffer most from mental disturbances.

To understand how these links function, we must take a close look at how the brain works. The brain can burn only glucose, which is also known as 'blood sugar'. In fact, the brain, which accounts for only 2 1/2% of body weight, consumes 25% of all available blood sugar. Unlike other tissues, the brain cannot switch over to fat or other fuels when glucose supplies in the blood run dry. Since blood can only carry enough glucose to last for about four hours, any interruption to the steady supply of glucose in the bloodstream results in immediate impairment of brain functions. The very first symptom of mental impairment due to glucose deficiency in the brain is loss of emotional control.

The brain gets its glucose from three sources. Some is absorbed directly into the bloodstream and delivered to the brain from such glucose-rich foods as grapes and honey. Another source is the breakdown of carbohydrates and their refinement into glucose. A third source is glycogen, which is produced and stored in the liver from the breakdown of proteins and fats. When the relatively limited supplies of glucose from glucose-rich foods and carbohydrate digestion are exhausted, the liver converts stored glycogen into glucose and secretes it into the bloodstream to insure a steady supply of blood sugar to the ever-active, ever-hungry brain.

In order to break down protein and fat to produce glycogen, the liver must itself burn glucose to fuel this vital metabolic process. A person who follows a fad diet that excludes all carbohydrates and sugars, for example, is unable to furnish sufficient supplies of glucose to process the proteins and fats he consumes. Consequently, his brain is starved of all three sources of glucose — natural sugar foods, carbohydrates and liver glycogen. If on the other hand the diet calls for the elimination of protein and fat, then the body has inadequate stores of liver glycogen to take up the slack when glucose in the blood is all consumed.

Eliminating fat entirely from the diet is the ultimate folly, for fat is one of the very best sources of food energy. Fat yields three times the amount of energy as sugar and twice as much as protein, and it combusts faster and more completely than almost any other food. The key to consuming fat is to avoid incompatible combinations of foods that interfere with its digestion, such as consuming it together with concentrated proteins. When taken in correct combinations from wholesome natural sources, fat will not make you fat. Recall that Eskimos traditionally ate raw blubber and thrived on it. Sufficient supplies of fat are necessary for 'brain power', and Dr Watson's extensive research has established a definite link between too little fat in the diet and chronic mental disturbance.

Psychiatrists attach great importance to all sorts of abnormal mental symptoms, such as depression, mania and neurosis, when in fact these symptoms are usually psychologically meaningless manifestations of severe nutritional imbalance and deficiency. A typical example is the chronic violent behavior associated with critical niacin deficiency. Ten years on the psychiatrist's couch will do nothing to cure this condition, but a sufficient daily dose of niacin will.

Let's take a look at a concrete case described by Dr Watson in Nutrition and Your Mind. A young man was referred to Dr Watson suffering from severe mental depression and morbid claustrophobia. So afraid was he of small spaces that he had been unable to remain in his own bathroom long enough to take a shower or bath for over five years! Upon inquiry, the patient revealed that his daily diet, day in and day out, all year long, consisted entirely of only three items: hamburgers, black coffee and pasteurized skim milk. Due to prolonged malnutrition, Dr Watson discovered that the patient's cells had almost entirely lost their capacity to convert food into energy. Dr. Watson immediately put him on a balanced diet of protein, fat, carbohydrate, fresh fruits and vegetables, supplemented with natural vitamins and minerals, and the young man soon recovered his capacity for normal metabolism. His chronic mental depression and morbid claustrophobia disappeared entirely and permanently. Instead of spending years and wasting a fortune talking to a 'shrink', the patient was cured in only a few weeks at minimal cost.

Fully 80 per cent of Dr Watson's cases have been permanently cured of virtually every known form of mental illness using nutritional therapy, including some 'basket cases' referred to him by frustrated psychiatrists. Compare his excellent track record with the results of psychoanalysis: a report by Dr H. J. Eysenck in the International Journal of Psychiatry in 1965 evaluated the results of 19 different studies involving over 7,000 psychiatric patients and came to the conclusion that psychotherapy proved of no lasting value whatsoever in helping any of the patients recover from any mental disorder. By contrast, Dr Watson's nutritional approach to precisely the same ailments often effects permanent cures within only a few days or weeks. And while this approach is still regarded as heresy within the orthodox Western medical establishment, it has always been standard procedure in Taoist healing arts.

Dr Watson's work led him to discover for himself the traditional Taoist 'trinity' of essence, energy and spirit from an entirely modern scientific angle. His realization that 'essence' (enzymes and other nutrients) must provide the vital 'energy' required to support the 'spirit' (mind) is reflected in the following passage from his book:

What one eats, digests, and assimilates provides the energy-producing nutrients that the bloodstream carries to the brain. Any interference with the nutritional supply lines or with the energy-producing systems of the brain results in impaired functioning, which then may be called poor mental health.

Concludes Dr Watson, 'What you eat determines your state of mind and who you are.'

Truly, 'food for thought!'

APPENDIX I:

Food Categories and Combination Chart


Food Categories

I. Proteins: foods that contain 15 per cent or more protein matter

Concentrated proteins: meat, fish, fowl, eggs, milk, cheese

Light proteins: nuts, beans, peas, soy beans products, avocados, whole grains

II. Carbohydrates: foods that contain 20 per cent or more starch and/or sugars

Starch: peanuts, bananas, potatoes, all pasta products, rice, breads, cakes, pies, refined cereals, etc.

Sugars: whole, brown and raw cane sugar, fructose, honey, maple syrup, dried sweet fruits (dates, raisins, figs, prunes)

III. Fats: animal or vegetable oils

Animal: butter, cream, lard, tallow, fatty meats

Vegetable: Olive, soy bean, sunflower seed, sesame, safflower, corn, and all nut oils

IV. Vegetables: lettuce, celery, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, bean sprouts, cucumber, asparagus, onion, eggplant, turnip, watercress, leek, zuccini, string bean, green pepper, radish, carrot, okra, artichoke, olive, etc.

Exceptions: potatoes act as a starch; tomatoes act as an acid fruit

V. Fruits

Acid fruits: orange, grapefruit, lime, lemon, berries, cranberry, pineapple, tomato

Sub-acid fruits: apple, pear, peach, cherry, grape, apricot, nectarine, plum, etc.

Melons: watermelon, musk melon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, papaya, etc.

Exceptions: bananas act as a starch; dried figs, dates, raisins and prunes act as sugars

Notes:

1. 'No' denotes incompatible combinations.

2. 'Yes' denotes compatible combinations.

3. Milk is best taken completely alone as a protein food, preferably as raw certified milk.

4. Melons are not included in the 'fruit' headings above; they should always be eaten alone for optimum digestion and assimilation.

5. Bananas, figs, dates, prunes and raisins are sugar/starch foods of the very best quality, and should not be mixed with proteins.

6. Vegetables combine well with everything, except for potatoes (a starch) and tomatoes (an acid).

7. Fats should be avoided with concentrated proteins, but are relatively compatible with light proteins.

8. The closer to the fresh, raw state a food is consumed, the more compatible it is with other varieties of food; therefore, try to make at least 50% of your diet consist of fresh, raw foods consumed in the fresh, raw state. That will provide the active enzymes and moist, raw fiber required to compensate for incompatible combinations of cooked foods.

APPENDIX II:

Sample Menus for One Week


General Guidelines:

* Take no more than one meal of concentrated animal protein per day.

* Take at least one meal of all raw food per day, and try to make at least 50% of your daily food intake consist of raw foods.

* Observe the basic rules of food combining at all meals.

* Avoid eating between meals.

* Avoid pasteurized milk and milk products, as well as cooked eggs. If you do eat these things, eat them alone.

* Do not start eating immediately upon rising from bed in the morning; wait at least one hour, and use that hour for exercise. At night, don't eat food immediately prior to going to bed; last food intake should be 2-3 hours before bedtime.

Day 1

Breakfast: Coffee, tea, hot water or molasses in hot water as beverage (no sugar or milk in coffee or tea)

Whole-grain bread, very well toasted, with dairy butter (no
margarine) or any raw nut butter except peanut butter, 1-3 slices

1-2 ripe bananas

Handful of raw nuts (except peanuts) or seeds

Lunch: Large glass of fresh raw carrot juice

Large raw vegetable salad, with olive oil/lemon juice/garlic dressing

Dinner: Steamed fresh fish, garnished with ginger, scallions, parsley, and/or fresh coriander

Fresh vegetable, Chinese-style (i. e. lightly sautéd to preserve crispness)

Raw vegetable salad, if desired

Day 2

Breakfast: Coffee, tea or molasses water

2-3 sun-dried figs and/or dates and/or black raisins

Handful of raw nuts and/or seeds

Lunch: Large plate of flesh raw sub-acid fruits: grapes, apples, pears, peaches, plums, nectarines (no acid fruits or bananas or dried fruits)

Handful of raw nuts or seeds

Dinner: Very rare piece of beef or lamb, garnished with pepper, mustard or other seasonings

Lightly steamed fresh vegetable

Raw vegetable salad, if desired

Day 3

Breakfast: Large glass of freshly squeezed orange juice

One flesh grapefruit or a bowl of fresh berries

Lunch: Roast chicken, rare steak, or a piece of grilled or steamed fish

Steamed or sautéd fresh vegetables

Raw vegetable salad, if desired

Dinner: Large glass of flesh carrot or other vegetable juice

Large vegetable salad with olive oil/lemon juice/garlic dressing

Handful of raw nuts or seeds

Day 4

Breakfast: Glass of raw certified milk or bowl of yoghurt made from raw certified milk

Plate of fresh sub-acid fruits

Lunch: Large glass fresh carrot or other vegetable juice

Raw vegetable salad

Handful of raw nuts or seeds

Dinner: Brown rice, wild rice or fresh pasta with a vegetable sauce, fresh scallions, parsley and/or other fresh garnishes (no meat)

Steamed or sautéd fresh vegetables

Day 5

Breakfast: Coffee, tea or molasses water

Boiled kasha (whole buckwheat kernels), flavored with molasses or honey, raisins, chopped dates and/or figs

1 ripe banana, if desired

Lunch: Large plate of sub-acid fruits OR

Large raw vegetable salad

Large glass of carrot, cucumber or other vegetable juice

Dinner: Lightly sautéd fresh shrimps or prawns, with garlic, ginger and scallions (also chilies, if desired)

Broccoli and/or cauliflower, lightly steamed, garnished with freshly ground roasted sesame seeds

Raw salad, if desired

Day 6

Breakfast: Plate of fresh sub-acid fruits

Handful of raw nuts or seeds

Glass of molasses water

Lunch: 2-3 slices of whole-grain bread, very well toasted, with dairy butter or raw nut butter (except peanut butter)

1-2 ripe bananas

Dinner: Fresh avocado stuffed with poached shrimps, chopped celery, scallions and/or other vegetables and dressed with olive/lemon/garlic dressing or good quality mayonnaise

Piece of steamed or grilled fresh fish

Steamed or sautéd fresh vegetable

Day 7

Breakfast: Fresh honeydew melon, papaya, musk melon or cantaloupe — as much as you want, but combined with nothing else Molasses water

Lunch: Large raw vegetable salad with dressing

Handful of raw nuts or seeds

Dinner: Tofu (beancurd) prepared any way you like

Sautéd fresh vegetables

Mushrooms: sautéd, steamed or in a casserole with broccoli, cauliflower, string beans and/or asparagus

APPENDIX III:

Therapeutic Foods and Juices

0

The therapeutic foods and juices introduced below are listed according to their natural affinities and therapeutic effects within the body's six major functional systems: digestive, excretory, respiratory, circulatory, nervous and reproductive. Within each category, foods and juices are listed according to the diseases and degenerative conditions they help cure and prevent. All therapeutic foods should be consumed as fresh as possible, without incompatible combinations of other foods, and all juices should be consumed raw immediately after extraction.

Digestive System: stomach, intestines, liver, gallbladder, pancreas

Colic


Abdominal pain caused by excess gas and acid owing to fermentation and putrefaction of improperly combined foods.

Carrot (10 oz), beet (3 oz) and cucumber (3 oz) juice: this blend of juices is very rich in the organic alkalizing elements sodium, potassium and phosphorus; neutralizes acid, helps expel gas, promotes peristalsis; 2 pints daily.

Yoghurt: benefits all forms of indigestion; restores friendly intestinal bacteria; soothes inflamed intestinal lining; 6-8 oz daily.

Spinach (bulk or juice): detoxifies digestive tract; restores pH balance; soothes intestinal inflammation; promotes peristalsis; must be taken raw, either in salad, or as 6 oz juice mixed with 10 oz carrot juice, 1-2 pints daily.

Other beneficial foods: zucchini, raw tomatoes, raw apples (on empty stomach), dark grapes.

Foods to avoid: pasteurized milk, cooked eggs, overcooked meats, refined sugars and starches.

Diabetes and pancreatitis

Inability of pancreas to produce sufficient insulin to metabolize sugars, owing to long-term excess consumption of refined sugars and starches; inflammation of pancreas due to excess demand for pancreatic enzymes in the stomach.

String beans (bulk or juice): rich in potassium, help restore deficient pancreas exhausted by excess demand for insulin and other enzymes; alkalize the pancreas; as bulk, steam lightly; as juice, extract raw, 1 pint daily; may be mixed with carrot juice for flavor.

Brussels sprouts (bulk or juice): rich in alkalizing elements with specific affinity for the pancreas; steam lightly for bulk consumption; extract raw juice, and mix with carrot juice, if desired; 1 pint daily.

Molasses: use unsulphured molasses only; all cases of diabetes and pancreatitis are associated with iron deficiency; molasses is one of nature's richest sources of organic iron and copper, which work together; take 2 tbsp molasses in large cup of warm water, 1-2 times daily; absolute abstention from refined starch and sugar required; this regimen has corrected diabetes, pancreatitis and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in 1-2 months; flavor molasses with 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract, if desired.

Other beneficial foods: active yeast dissolved in warm water (one small packet of powder per cup); raw tomatoes; cucumbers; raw spinach; asparagus.

Foods to avoid: All refined starch and sugar; overcooked meat; cooked potatoes; bananas, figs, dates, raisins; salt, pepper, mustard.

Gastritis

Gastric distress in stomach owing to excess gas and acid formed by incompatible combinations of foods, stimulating spices, alcohol, coffee and other irritants.

Yoghurt: soothes inflammation; neutralizes toxic gas and acids; promotes efficient digestion. Plain yoghurt only, may be flavored with a little molasses, if desired.

Carrot, beet and cucumber juice: powerful alkalizing blend; neutralizes stomach acidity; promotes digestion in stagnant stomach; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 1-2 pints daily.

Spinach (raw or juice): detoxifies intestinal tract; restores pH balance; soothes inflammation; consume raw in salad, or as juice, 6 oz with 10 oz carrot juice, 1-2 pints daily.

Grapes: dark grapes, raw, 1-2 pounds daily, with no other food, for 1-3 days; or raw juice equivalent; powerful organic alkalizing and detoxifying elements.

Apple cider vinegar: contains malic acid (all other vinegars contain acetic acid), which is highly beneficial to digestion; balances stomach pH; 2 tsp in glass of water, 2-3 times daily, as needed.

Other beneficial foods: almonds, molasses, raw apples, raw tomatoes, papaya.

Foods to avoid: deep fat fried foods; pickled and smoked foods; salt-preserved foods; vinegar (except apple cider vinegar); hot peppers, mustard; alcohol, coffee; sweet carbonated soft drinks.

Liver trouble (cirrhosis and hepatitis)

Hardening, congestion and impairment of liver owing to excess consumption of refined starches (especially white flour), refined sugars, hydrogenated fats and overcooked meats, and insufficient raw food in diet; also due to excess use of alcohol and drugs, including nicotine.

Yeast: active yeast is a potent source of B vitamins and pangamic acid, all of which are vital for liver function and help reduce liver inflammation; alkalizes the liver and stimulates liver functions; 1 packet of granular active yeast in a glass of warm water, twice per day, on empty stomach only; do not mix with other foods.

Tomato: raw tomato is especially effective in reducing inflammation of liver due to hepatitis and cirrhosis; best taken for 1-3 days exclusive of other food, either bulk or raw juice; may be mixed with carrot juice for flavor and extra therapeutic benefit.

Carrot juice: fresh raw carrot juice is one of the best liver detoxifiers when consumed in quantities of 2-3 pints daily. Such dosage sometimes results in an orange tinge in the skin; contrary to popular belief, this is not caused by carotene, any more than beets turn you red or spinach green; the orange tinge is due to toxic bile being purged from the liver by the mega-dosage of carrot juice; the bloodstream cannot excrete the bile fast enough through kidneys, so it is purged through skin; when liver is clean, you won't turn orange, regardless how much carrot juice you drink.

Summer squash: especially rich in sodium, summer squash is an excellent alkalizing remedy for acidosis of liver and blood due to depressed liver function. Lightly steamed, no salt or spices.

Other beneficial foods: beets (raw juice or bulk); cabbage; zucchini; string beans (bulk or juice); calves liver; raw spinach; sunflower seeds; soy beans.

Foods to avoid: Deep fat fried foods; overcooked meats; refined sugars and starches; alcohol; drugs; foods with chemical additives and preservatives.

Obesity

Excess adipose tissue deposited throughout the body, especially abdomen, buttocks and thighs, owing to excessive consumption of refined starch and sugar and habitual consumption of incompatible food combinations; obesity is sometimes due to glandular disorders, but such disorders are often also the direct result of poor dietary habits and may therefore be corrected with the same nutritional therapy; fasting and colonic irrigations are very helpful as the first steps in correcting both obesity and glandular disorders, followed by nutritional therapy.

Carrot juice: raw carrot juice cleanses the entire digestive tract of morbid wastes, detoxifies the liver, and balances the endocrine system, all of which help cure and prevent obesity; 2 pints daily.

Carrot, beet and cucumber juice: a major symptom of obesity is severe acidosis of blood and tissues; this blend has potent alkalizing properties in the bloodstream and kidneys, thus promoting efficient metabolism and excretion of wastes, 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 2 pints daily.

Spinach: raw spinach is one of nature's best antidotes for lower bowel stagnation, which is a common cause of obesity; consume raw in salads, or 6 oz juice mixed with 10 oz carrot juice, 1-2 pints daily.

Cabbage juice: raw cabbage juice detoxifies the stomach and upper bowels of putrefactive wastes, thereby improving digestive efficiency and facilitating rapid elimination; mix half/half with carrot juice; 1 pint daily.

Other beneficial foods: all raw vegetables and raw fruits which provide the active enzymes, organic alkaline minerals and moist raw fiber required for digestive and metabolic efficiency.

Foods to avoid: all refined starch and sugar, especially white bread and sweet pastries; overcooked meats; fatty meats; chocolate; pasteurized milk, cooked eggs; alcohol.

Ulcers (gastric)

Severe inflammation and irritation of the lining of the stomach and duodenum owing to fermentation and putrefaction of incompatible combinations of foods, excess consumption of chemical additives and preservatives, excess alcohol, and excessively stimulating spices.

Cabbage juice: has potent cleansing and reducing properties; best taken half/half with carrot juice, 1-2 pints daffy.

Yoghurt: soothes inflamed ulcers; restores pH balance.

Grapes: raw dark grapes, pulp or juice, 1-2 pounds daffy, exclusive of other food, 1-3 days.

Other beneficial foods: raw goat's milk; raw egg yolk; raw black cherries or juice; papaya.

Foods to avoid: vinegar (except apple cider vinegar); smoked and pickled foods; overcooked meats; hot peppers, mustard, curry; coffee, alcohol.

Excretory System: colon, kidneys, bladder, lymph nodes, skin

Acne, boils, pimples


These skin conditions are caused mainly by excessive putrefactive waste matter in the body's excretory channels, and extreme acidosis of blood due to accumulation of toxic wastes; when wastes are retained and the colon is clogged, the body purges toxins through the skin and lungs, where these toxins cause abscesses, tumors, inflammation and eruptions. Also due specifically to poor metabolism of fats.

Wheat germ oil: Rich in inositol, which enhances metabolism of fats, thereby reducing excretory burden on skin; contains pyridoxine, which enhances peristalsis and thus improves digestion and assimilation of nutrients and elimination of wastes; 1-2 tsp daffy, after meals; may also be rubbed directly onto skin eruptions.

Wheat germ: same benefits as wheat germ off, but less concentrated; also rich in silicon, which builds strong fingernails and healthy hair.

Cucumbers (bulk or juice): raw cucumbers are rich in potassium, sodium and phosphorus, which neutralize blood acidosis; potent diuretic properties, which facilitate excretion of wastes through kidneys, so that they need not be purged through skin; also good for nails and hair; in raw bulk, or as juice, mixed 1/3 cucumber to 2/3 carrot, 2-3 pints daffy.

Garlic: purifies the bloodstream and purges body of toxic waste; garlic ethers reach the skin soon after consumption, killing bacteria attracted to festering eruptions; must be taken raw.

Green (sweet) pepper juice: in combination with equal parts carrot juice; 1-2 pints daily.

Other beneficial foods: active yeast (in warm water); soy beans; fresh lemon juice (no sugar); alfalfa tea; raw potato slices rubbed directly on skin eruptions and raw potato juice (1/2 pint daily).

Foods to avoid: deep fat fried foods; refined starch and sugar; hydrogenated fats; cooked fatty meats, especially hamburgers on white buns; hot peppers; chocolate.

Allergies

Hives, rashes, runny nose and other irritations after consuming certain foods, usually fresh raw foods; raw foods are such excellent and efficient detoxifiers that they cause a cathartic excretion of accumulated toxins, usually through the skin (for example, orange liver bile excreting through the skin owing to large intake of raw carrot juice); such 'allergies' disappear entirely when the body is thoroughly detoxified; fasting and colonic irrigations are the best way to start the process, followed by nutritional therapy.

Carrot juice: detoxifies the liver, blood and intestinal tract; balances pH throughout the system; 2-3 pints daily.

Cucumber juice: purges blood and kidneys of acids and other toxins, thereby enhancing excretion of wastes; balances pH; may be mixed with carrot juice, 2 pints daily.

Wheat germ oil: rich in inositol, which improves fat metabolism, preventing accumulation of toxic wastes; improves oxygen absorption in blood, which facilitates efficient, toxin-free metabolism.

Other beneficial foods: fresh lemon or grapefruit juice (no sugar) in distilled water; raw egg yolk; raw potato juice; barley tea.

Foods to avoid: refined starch and sugar; pasteurized milk; cooked eggs; overcooked meats; hydrogenated fats; chemical additives and preservatives.

Appendicitis

Acute inflammation of the appendix owing to excessive accumulation of putrefactive wastes in the colon; first and foremost defense is a therapeutic fast with twice-daily colonic irrigations to quickly remove the offending toxic waste matter, followed with therapeutic foods and juices to restore colon and appendix health.

Spinach: provides the organic mineral salts required for repair and maintainence of the colon; raw bulk, or as 6 oz juice mixed with 10 oz carrot juice, 2 pints daily.

Molasses: molasses in warm water is a natural, mild laxative which helps keeps bowels functioning regularly, which prevents accumulation of the toxins in colon that cause appendicitis; 2 tbsp in warm water, twice daily.

Raw vegetables: a large salad of bulk, raw vegetables taken once or twice a day provides the moist raw fiber required by the colon to maintain regular bowel movements.

pardOther beneficial foods: sun-dried figs; prunes; raw tomato; raw apple; papaya.

Foods to avoid: incompatible combinations, especially of animal protein and concentrated starch pasteurized milk; cooked eggs; cooked fatty meats.

Arthritis

Caused by deposits of inorganic calcium in the cartilage of joints, where they eventually form 'spurs' that cause intense pain and inhibit movement of joints; these deposits are caused by incomplete digestion of incompatible foods and accumulation of toxic wastes throughout the system; the body dumps these inorganic minerals in the joints, where they won't pollute the bloodstream; excess consumption of concentrated starch and sugar and too much cooked meat in the diet are major factors.

Celery juice: rich in organic sodium, which dislodges inorganic calcium deposits from joints and holds them in solution until eliminated through kidneys; 1 pint daily; 2 pints if mixed with carrot juice.

Grapefruit juice: fresh raw grapefruit juice (no sugar) is highly effective in dissolving deposits of inorganic calcium in joints; mix half/half with distilled water, 1-2 pints daily.

Bone meal: bone meal is a rich source of readily assimilable organic calcium and other vital minerals that are indispensable for proper bone and joint formation; mix 1-2 tsp into any raw juice in the morning.

Cherries: raw black cherries contain active enzymes that help dissolve calcium spurs in joints; eat about 1 pound on empty stomach and take no other food for at least 12 hours, continue for 1-3 days in severe cases.

Grapes: when eaten exclusively for 1-5 days, depending on severity, raw black grapes provide amazing therapeutic relief for acute arthritis; 2-3 pounds per day; chew skin, seeds and pulp very well before swallowing.

Other beneficial foods: molasses; alfalfa (tea or sprouts); asparagus; whole barley; whole lemon, lime or orange pureed in blender with 1 cup distilled water (including peel, fibers and seeds).

Foods to avoid: incompatible combinations, especially of protein and starch; pasteurized milk; cooked eggs; ice cream; salt; excessive consumption of cooked foods, especially animal proteins.

Bladder inflammation (cystitis)

This common condition is the result of excess acidity in the bladder due to incomplete digestion of meats and starch; the by-products of incomplete digestion form uric acid crystals which irritate the lining of the bladder and eventually form painful bladder stones.

Carrot, beet, cucumber juice: this blend exerts a potent alkalizing influence in the bloodstream and the kidneys, thereby neutralizing the excess uric acid that inflames kidneys and bladder and forms stones there; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 2 pints daily.

Watermelon: one of nature's safest and most dependable diuretics, watermelon has a remarkable ability to wash out the bladder quickly and completely; the most effective therapeutic use is to refrain from all other food and drink for 24 hours and eat a few small chunks of fresh watermelon every 5-10 minutes throughout the day; this will cause an incredible excretion of fluids from the bladder.

Cucumber (bulk or juice): raw cucumbers are an excellent diuretic with specific affinity for the bladder; as juice, mix 1/3 cucumber with 2/3 carrot, 2 pints daily.

Pears: ripe raw pears are almost as good as watermelon for correcting bladder inflammation; use them in conjunction with a 24-hour fast, a bite or two at a time, like watermelon therapy.

Other beneficial foods: asparagus, raw beet juice (8 oz sipped slowly throughout the day), barley water.

Foods to avoid: salt, soy sauce; strong coffee and tea; salt-preserved foods; cooked meats.

Colitis

Inflammation of the colon owing to prolonged chronic constipation and a critical deficiency of live active enzymes and moist raw fiber in the diet; the first and foremost measure against this dangerous condition, which often results in surgical colostomies, is to thoroughly clean out the colon of putrefactive wastes and solid obstructions with a 7-day fast and twice-daily colonic irrigations, followed by dietary adjustments to prevent recurrence.

Carrots (juice or bulk): grated raw carrots are an excellent preventive against colitis, providing both live enzymes and moist raw fiber for proper bowel function; best when supplemented with 1-2 pints daily of raw carrot juice.

Carrot and spinach juice: raw spinach juice is nature's best remedy for chronic constipation and inflammation of the colon; 6 oz spinach/10 oz carrot, 2 pints daily.

Molasses: a mild but dependable laxative, molasses also provides vital mineral salts required to restore and maintain colon health; 2 tbsp in warm water, twice daily.

Figs: fresh or sun-dried figs are also an excellent natural laxative for sluggish bowels; the tiny seeds gather toxic wastes and mucus in the colon and drag them out with feces.

Cabbage juice: raw cabbage juice effectively breaks up accumulations of putrefactive wastes in the intestines; its high sulphur and chlorine content makes it an excellent bowel cleanser; works so fast that foul gas often expelled soon after ingestion; 1 pint daily, or 2 pints mixed half/half with carrot juice.

Other beneficial foods: papaya; almonds; sunflower seeds; apple cider vinegar (2 tsp in distilled water); squash.

Foods to avoid: pasteurized milk; cooked eggs; cooked meat; refined starch and sugar, especially white flour and sweet pastries.

Constipation

Excessive consumption of devitalized and cooked foods, especially in incompatible combinations, results in sluggish bowels and chronic constipation; the colon fills with feces and toxic by-products of fermentation and putrefaction, which impairs peristalsis, irritates the colon, and eventually poisons the bloodstream by osmosis; colonic irrigations are the first step in correcting constipation, followed by nutritional therapy.

Figs: fresh or sun-dried figs cleanse the bowels of toxic waste and mucus and serve as a natural laxative; for an excellent therapeutic drink for constipation, put 3 figs in a blender with one ripe banana, 2 tbsp molasses and 1 cup water and blend till smooth.

Molasses: 2 tbsp in warm water, twice daily.

Spinach: raw spinach is nature's best remedy for irritated and sluggish bowels; as juice mix 6 oz spinach with 10 oz carrot, 2 pints daily.

Carrot: grated raw carrots supplemented with 2 pints raw carrot juice should be consumed daily by those with chronic constipation.

Other beneficial foods: papaya; squash; raw apples; ripe bananas; raw almonds.

Foods to avoid: never use mineral oil as a laxative: it robs the digestive tract of all oil-soluble vitamins, such as A, E & D, and is not as effective as figs or molasses; also avoid pasteurized milk, cooked eggs, overcooked meats, and refined starch.

Fever

Fevers are the result of the body trying to 'incinerate' waste matter stirred up in the system as the result of other conditions, such as colds, flu and infectious diseases. Hippocrates wrote, 'If you feed a fever, you'll have to starve a cold', which has been misquoted as 'Feed a fever, starve a cold'. Thus, the best remedy for any fever is complete fasting, plus colonic irrigations to accelerate elimination of waste matter from the body. If you 'feed a fever', you'll only make things worse.

Citrus juice: the only thing a fever patient should be given is freshly extracted lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit juice, diluted half/half with distilled water, with no sugar or ice; citrus fruit acids help loosen, dissolve and eliminate mucus and other toxic wastes throughout the system.

Foods to avoid: all foods and beverages, except for distilled water and the juices mentioned above.

Gout

Closely related to rheumatism, gout is the inflammation of bones and ligaments in joints, owing to formation of acid crystals; this is caused mainly by diets that contain too much fatty meat, salt and alcohol, and insufficient quantities of raw, enzyme-active foods.

Carrot, beet, cucumber juice: the potent alkalizing properties of this blend help rebalance pH in blood and tissues and dissolve acid crystals in joints; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 1-2 pints daily.

Parsley juice: raw parsley facilitates oxygen metabolism and stimulates adrenal secretions; both actions relieve the discomfort of gout and help correct the excess acidity of blood and tissues which causes it; mix 4 oz parsley juice with 12 oz carrot juice, 1 pint daily.

Celery juice: rich in organic sodium, iron, calcium and magnesium, it corrects blood acidosis, dissolves deposits of inorganic calcium in joints, and provides the organic calcium required for repair of damaged ligaments and bones; mix half/half with carrot juice, 1-2 pints daily.

Other beneficial foods: cabbage; fresh citrus juices (no sugar); raw black cherries (exclusively for 24 hours); raw black grapes (exclusively for 1-3 days); alfalfa tea or sprouts.

Foods to avoid: fatty meats, especially pork; organ meats, especially liver; cooked spinach; cooked tomatoes; dry beans; alcohol; salt.

Hemorrhoids

This increasingly common affliction is caused by stagnation and coagulation of blood fibron in the tiny capillaries that feed the anus and lower rectum; this is mainly the result of sticky toxic waste in the bloodstream, owing to excess consumption of refined starch, especially white bread and other flour products; in addition to dietary adjustments, daily practice of the anal sphincter exercise and defecation in the squatting position help correct and cure this condition.

Carrot and spinach juice: this blend benefits all colon conditions; restores proper blood pH; eliminates the sticky wastes that clog anal capillaries; 1-2 pints daily, 6 oz spinach to 10 oz carrot.

Celery juice: hemorrhoids are sometimes result of insufficient supplies of organic sulphur, iron and calcium in the diet; celery juice provides abundant supplies of these elements; may be mixed half/half with carrot juice, 2 pints daily, or 1 pint straight.

Apple cider vinegar: 2 tsp in a glass of water, 2-3 times daily, prevents excessive bleeding in hemorrhoids by balancing the bloodstream and lowering blood pressure.

Other beneficial foods: turnips; watercress; parsley.

Foods to avoid: refined starch and sugar, especially white bread and sweet pastries; all pasta; chili peppers; persimmons.

Kidney inflammation (nephritis)

This and related kidney conditions, such as kidney stones, are the result of excessive retention of uric acid in the kidneys, owing to an overload of acid wastes in the blood from incomplete digestion of improperly combined foods; left unattended, uric acid forms painful crystals or 'stones' in the kidneys.

Asparagus: contains asparamid, nature's most effective kidney diuretic; asparagus gives urine a strong odor of ammonia, which indicates that excess uric acid is being rapidly expelled; asparamid breaks up oxalic acid crystals in kidneys and muscles (cooked spinach and cooked tomatoes leave oxalic acid in the system); steam a bunch of fresh asparagus for 3 minutes or less and consume immediately, once daily.

Red beet juice: raw red beet juice has strong natural affinity for the kidneys; it is one of nature's best kidney cleansers, dissolving acid crystals and quickly eliminating the 'gravel' from the kidneys; its affinity for kidneys is reflected in red coloration of urine; take 8 oz raw beet juice, 2-3 tsp at a time, over a 24-hour period, with no other foods.

Watermelon: for nephritis, the watermelon cure is an excellent adjunct to asparagus therapy; eat nothing but lightly steamed asparagus and bites of raw watermelon for 24-48 hours.

Cucumbers: raw cucumbers, in bulk or juice, are excellent kidney diuretics and alkalizing agents; may be mixed with carrot and beet juice, 2 pints daily.

Other beneficial foods: apple cider vinegar; barley water; parsley; carrot juice; lecithin; cabbage; black grapes.

Foods to avoid: salt and salt-preserved foods; soy sauce; shellfish; strong coffee and tea; cooked spinach and tomatoes; alcohol; hot peppers.

Rheumatism

Closely related to gout, rheumatism is caused by heavy retention of uric acid, which eventually is absorbed into muscles, where it crystallizes. The condition is further aggravated by heavy consumption of cooked animal proteins, which cannot be properly digested and metabolized when the system is saturated with excess uric acid.

Carrot, beet, cucumber juice: this potent alkalizing blend dissolves uric acid crystals in muscle tissue and kidneys; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 2 pints daily, taken in 6 equal doses throughout the day.

Lemon juice: dissolves and neutralizes uric acid crystals, thereby facilitating their rapid elimination through the kidneys; take the juice of one whole lemon in a tumbler of warm distilled water (with no sugar), 4- 5 times throughout the day; efficacy is doubled if taken mid-way between doses of carrot, beet, cucumber juice.

Spinach: raw spinach helps dissolve uric acid crystals in blood and tissue and cleanses the lower bowels of the putrefactive wastes that contribute to accumulations of excess acidity; 6 oz with 10 oz carrot juice, 1-2 pints daily.

Other beneficial foods: parsley; asparagus, grapefruit juice (mixed with distilled water); cabbage; dark grapes, raw tomatoes.

Foods to avoid: cooked meats; refined starch and sugar; salt and salt-preserved foods; hot peppers; mustard.

Toxemia

This is a condition of general toxicity throughout the system, caused by auto-intoxication of the bloodstream, owing to huge accumulations of toxic waste matter in the intestinal tract; toxemia is characterized by severe acidosis of the blood, chronic fatigue, irritability and depression, skin eruptions, body odor, bad breath and poor digestion; the foremost measure against toxemia is therapeutic fasting with daily colonic irrigations, followed by nutritional therapy and permanent adjustments in dietary habits.

Carrot, beet, cucumber juice: restores pH balance in blood; dissolves acid crystals; cleanses bowels; builds strong blood plasma; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 2 pints daily.

Carrot and spinach juice: cleanses and tonifies lower bowels; detoxifies bloodstream; balances pH; restores peristalsis and general colon health; builds strong blood plasma; 10 oz/6 oz, 2 pints daily.

Cabbage juice: a powerful cleanser and detoxifier for the stomach and upper bowels, raw cabbage juice is especially effective against protein putrefaction; 5 oz with 11 oz carrot juice, 1-2 pints daily.

Other beneficial foods: parsley; celery juice; asparagus; grapefruit juice (in distilled water); black grapes (exclusively 1-3 days); black cherries (exclusively 1-3 days).

Foods to avoid: incompatible combinations, especially of animal protein and concentrated starch; pasteurized milk; cooked eggs; overcooked meats; refined sugars, especially sweetened soft drinks.

Respiratory System: lungs, bronchial tubes, throat, nose, sinuses

Asthma


Extreme difficulty in breathing owing to inability to fully evacuate the lungs of stale air; accumulations of mucus in the lungs and consequent blockage of air passages block outflow of air, not inflow; pasteurized milk and refined starch are prime dietary causes.

Horseradish and lemon juice: the potent ethers in fresh grated horseradish dissolve mucus in the sinuses and bronchial tubes quickly and effectively; mixing it with fresh lemon juice doubles its efficacy; grate fresh horseradish into a bowl, add enough fresh lemon juice to make a paste, take 1/2 tsp 2-3 times a day, as needed.

Carrot and radish juice: fresh raw radish juice is similar in effect to horseradish, but milder; it is too strong to take straight, however, and should be blended 5 oz with 11 oz carrot juice, 1 pint daily.

Cranberries: cranberries contain one of nature's most potent vasodilators, which open up congested bronchial tubes so that normal breathing is restored; cranberries are excellent curative and preventive therapy for the entire breathing apparatus; bring fresh cranberries to boil with just enough water to cover them, simmer 2-3 minutes, pour off excess water, purée cranberries in blender, strain off skins, and keep pulp in refrigerator; when asthma or other respiratory difficulty occurs, mix 2 tbsp in a cup of warm distilled water and sip slowly.

Garlic: raw garlic contains potent ethers and enzymes that dissolve mucus in lungs and bronchial tubes and help restore normal breathing; also kills bacteria in air passages, preventing respiratory infections; 3-5 cloves daily.

Other beneficial foods: wheat germ oil; pumpkin seeds; sunflower seeds; celery juice; turnips; raw spinach.

Foods to avoid: pasteurized milk and all dairy products; cooked eggs; refined starch, especially white flour.

Bronchitis

Inflammation of the bronchial tubes owing to excess mucus in the lungs, caused by vicarious elimination of toxic wastes from the bloodstream to the lungs; toxins irritate and inflame tender lung and bronchial tissues as they excrete, permitting infection by bacteria to occur; colonic irrigations have proven highly effective as a fast method of eliminating the excess toxic wastes from the system, so that they do not get pushed out through skin and lungs.

Carrot and dandelion juice: raw dandelion juice counteracts blood acidosis and helps alkalize the entire system, with particular affinity for the lungs; 4 oz with 10 oz carrot juice, 1-2 pints daily.

Horseradish and lemon juice: same effects and dosage as for asthma.

Carrot and radish juice: same as for asthma.

Cranberries: same as for asthma.

Other beneficial foods: celery juice; raw radishes; raw spinach; whole lemon purée (mix in blender with cup of distilled water); watercress.

Foods to avoid: same as for asthma.

Colds

Colds are caused not by germs, but rather by accumulations of toxic mucus in the nasal passages that prevent the normal bathing and cleansing of nasal and sinus passages by clear moving mucus; germs then attack these toxic wastes, generating even more mucus and inflaming nasal and sinus passages; the best cure for a severe cold is a 3-day therapeutic fast with twice-daily colonic irrigations, followed by nutritional therapy to prevent recurrence.

Horseradish and lemon juice: same as for asthma.

Lemon juice: take the juice of one or two lemons and mix with a glass of warm distilled water, then sip slowly, 2-3 times daily; helps dissolve and eliminate excess mucus throughout the system, thus preventing its vicarious excretion through the lungs and nasal membranes.

Whole lemon purée: puree a whole lemon (with skin, fiber and seeds) in blender with a cup of distilled water, and drink slowly; flavor with 1 tbsp molasses, if desired, but no sugar; dissolves mucus, restores mucus membranes; biflavonoids in skin and fiber assist in restoring tissue integrity in respiratory system.

Other beneficial foods: carrot juice; raw radishes; cranberries (as for asthma); raw spinach; raw garlic; molasses.

Foods to avoid: pasteurized milk and all dairy products; all cooked food; all refined starch and sugar; eat nothing but raw fruit and raw vegetable juice.

Coughs

Coughs are caused mainly by the body's attempt to rid itself of excess toxic mucus through the lungs and bronchial tubes; the toxins irritate tender lining of throat, causing the throat to 'cough it up'.

Pineapple: fresh ripe pineapple is rich in bromelin, a proteolytic (protein-digesting) enzyme; bromelin literally 'digests' dead and diseased cells and foreign microbes in the throat; cut pineapple into cubes, chew well, and let juice dribble down throat, but spit out the pulp; or gargle with the freshly extracted juice of ripe pineapple, and spit it out.

Persimmons: raw, very ripe persimmons soothe sore throats and contain enzymes that break down damaged cells and foreign microbes.

Horseradish and lemon juice: for coughs and accompanied by heavy mucus congestion in lungs and sinuses; same usage as for asthma.

Whole lemon purée: same as for colds.

Other beneficial foods: grapefruit and orange juice; raw tomatoes; raw garlic; carrot and radish juice (as for asthma).

Foods to avoid: pasteurized milk and all dairy products; refined starch, especially white flour; cooked meats; cooked eggs.

Influenza

The 'flu' is caused primarily by the body's vulnerability to flu germs owing to extreme toxemia of the system, which results in excessive retention of toxic wastes, which impair immunity; flu strikes hardest in winter, because in winter the body excretes wastes more slowly and people eat less fresh, raw foods; toxic tissues, mostly in respiratory apparatus, become breeding grounds for air-borne pathological bacteria; as with all such conditions, the most effective first step in treatment is a short therapeutic fast with daily colonic irrigations to remove the source of toxemia, followed by therapeutic nutrition.

Horseradish and lemon juice: same as for asthma.

Carrot, celery, parsley, spinach juice: this blend is super-rich in potassium, which quickly reduces acidity throughout the system, thereby commencing the detoxification process required for a complete cure and recovery; this blend also contains the full range of organic minerals and other nutrients required to sustain convalescing patients, without stuffing them full of solid foods; 8 oz/4 oz/2 oz/4 oz, 1-2 pints daily, taken in small doses throughout the day.

Other beneficial foods: lettuce juice; carrot and radish juice; whole lemon purée; grapefruit juice (in distilled warm water); distilled warm water.

Foods to avoid: all cooked and solid foods; pasteurized milk; coffee, tea; sweet soft drinks.

Pneumonia

Severe inflammation of lung tissues owing to vicarious elimination of highly toxic wastes through the respiratory system, which becomes infected by pathogenic bacteria as a result; due largely to excessive long-term consumption of pasteurized milk, refined starch and sugars; at the turn of the century, Dr J. H. Tilden of Denver, Colorado, treated thousands of cases of pneumonia using only two methods: fasting with daily colonic irrigations, and nutritional therapy; no drugs, no surgery; and he never lost a single patient! Therefore, fasting and colonic irrigation are the first and foremost defense against this dangerous disease.

Horseradish and lemon juice: same as for asthma; provides quick relief from mucus congestion.

Carrot, celery and radish juice: dissolves mucus; alkalizes bloodstream and respiratory tract; accelerates detoxification and thus restores natural immunity; 8 oz/5 oz/3 oz, 1 pint daily.

Carrot and spinach juice: detoxifies colon and restores normal bowel functions, thereby taking excretory load off the respiratory system; 10 oz/ 6 oz, 2 pints daily.

Other beneficial foods: cranberry (as for asthma); raw garlic; whole lemon purée (as for colds); molasses.

Foods to avoid: all refined starch and sugar; pasteurized milk and all dairy products; all cooked foods, especially meat and eggs.

Tonsillitis

Excessive retention of wastes and extreme acidosis permit germs to enter the body through the throat, thereby inflaming the tonsils, which are the first line of defense against incoming airborne germs; surgical removal, especially in children, is harmful, because the tonsils are glands that are intimately involved in endocrine balance; removal can adversely affect growth and normal development in children, especially in girls; colonic irrigation has proven highly effective in curing tonsillitis by removing the offending accumulations of toxic wastes that inflame the respiratory system when in excess.

Pineapple: ripe pineapple contains the protein-digesting enzyme bromelin, which digests diseased cells and foreign microbes in the throat; same usage as for coughs.

Garlic: the ethers from raw garlic quickly permeate the entire system, killing germs in the throat and decongesting the respiratory system.

Carrot and spinach juice: the best blend for detoxifying the colon and restoring normal bowel functions, which takes excretory pressure off the respiratory system, especially the lymph vessels in the throat; 10 oz/6 oz, 1-2 pints daily.

Other beneficial foods: carrot juice; ripe persimmons; grapefruit juice (in distilled water); cranberry; carrot, celery, parsley juice.

Foods to avoid: pasteurized milk; refined starch and sugar; cooked eggs and meat; strong coffee and tea.

Circulatory System: heart, pericardium, blood vessels

Anemia


A condition also known as 'tired blood', anemia is caused by a critical deficiency of red blood corpuscles, especially the oxygen-carrying element hemoglobin; symptoms include chronic fatigue, lethargy, depression and loss of sexual drive; this condition is due entirely to poor dietary habits, especially the exclusive consumption of cooked, denatured, processed foods, pasteurized milk and refined starch; heavy smoking may also be a contributing factor.

Molasses: molasses is nature's richest source of organic iron and copper, which work together to build 'strong blood', especially the iron-dependent protein hemoglobin; 2 tbsp in a glass of warm water, twice daily.

Wheat germ oil: enhances the blood's capacity to carry oxygen, thereby correcting blood deficiency; 1 tsp of pure wheat germ oil after breakfast and again after dinner.

Lecithin: builds strong blood plasma and dissolves sticky deposits in arteries, thereby enhancing blood's capacity to assimilate and transport oxygen and nutrients; liquid lecithin from soy beans is best; raw egg yolks is another rich source.

Fennel juice: use 'Florence Fennel', also known as 'Finocchio'; specific affinity for bloodstream, builds strong blood plasma; may be taken straight, 1 pint daily, or mixed half/ha. If with carrot juice, 2 pints daily.

Red beet juice: builds red blood corpuscles and tones up overall blood quality; 8 oz, taken 2-3 tsp at a time throughout the day; or as carrot, beet, cucumber blend.

Spinach: rich in organic iron and other vital minerals; builds strong blood plasma, especially iron-dependent hemoglobin; raw bulk in salads, or 6 oz juice with 10 oz carrot juice, 1-2 pints daily.

Other beneficial foods: pomegranate; lettuce juice; dandelion juice; asparagus; cabbage; chrysanthemum tea; black grapes; raisins; raw egg yolks wheat germ.

Foods to avoid: pasteurized milk; strong coffee and tea; refined starch, especially white flour; canned, smoked, preserved and otherwise processed foods.

Angina pectoris

Painful contractions and cramps in the valves and muscles of the heart and/or pericardium, due primarily to polluted blood, and sometimes to excess pressure from gas in the colon.

Carrot, celery, parsley, spinach juice: this potent potassium-rich blend quickly detoxifies and alkalizes the bloodstream, thereby correcting a major cause of angina pectoris; builds strong blood to nourish the heart muscles; 8 oz/4 oz/2 oz/4 oz, 1 pint daily.

Garlic: raw garlic consumed daily in sufficient quantities has been shown to eliminate the acute pain of angina pectoris within 5 days; it cleanses the blood, removes sticky deposits in blood vessels, and thus enhances the quality and quantity of blood supplied to the heart; 6-8 cloves daily (minced into salad dressings, or crushed and put into gelatin capsules for swallowing).

Black fungus: also called 'Tree Ears' because it grows from the bark of trees, this Chinese delicacy contains active elements that remove deposits from the walls of blood vessels, thus enhancing the supply of blood to the heart and other tissues.

Wheat germ oil: according to research of nutritional therapist Dr Marsh Morrison, 1 tsp of wheat germ oil per day provides about as much oxygen to the heart as an oxygen tent, thus relieving spasms and cramps in heart muscles and valves.

Other beneficial foods: raw spinach; wheat germ; lecithin; pecans; active yeast (in warm water, on empty stomach); sunflower seeds; raw egg yolk.

Foods to avoid: refined starch and sugar, especially white flour; pasteurized milk and dairy products; cooked eggs and meat.

Arteriosclerosis

The hardening of blood vessels owing to deficiency of organic calcium and other vital organic minerals, and an excess of calcium and inorganic cholesterol, derived primarily from denatured foods, especially pasteurized milk, cooked eggs and overcooked fatty meats; these deposits of inorganic calcium and cholesterol continue to accumulate, hardening and narrowing the blood vessels and permitting clots to develop.

Carrot, celery, parsley, spinach juice: alkalizes bloodstream; removes deposits from blood vessels; 8 oz/4 oz/2 oz/4 oz, 1 pint daily.

Garlic: purifies blood and removes accumulations of sticky inorganic deposits from walls of blood vessels, thereby restoring elasticity and free flow of blood.

Black fungus: a fungus that grows on bark of trees, it contains elements that purify blood and remove sticky deposits from blood vessels.

Beet and carrot juice: raw beets purify the blood and build strong blood plasma, enhancing capacity to carry oxygen; best mixed half/half with carrot juice, 1-2 pints daily.

Other beneficial foods: raw spinach; celery; lettuce; black grapes; pumpkin seeds; raw tomatoes; seaweed (kelp).

Foods to avoid: pasteurized milk and all dairy products; cooked eggs; animal fat, especially lard; cooked meat, especially pork; all preserved and canned foods; salt.

Blood pressure (high)

Excessive pressure of blood against the walls of blood vessels, owing primarily to diets of denatured and overcooked foods, which deposit inorganic minerals and cholesterol against walls of blood vessels, narrowing and hardening them and raising blood pressure; also caused by excess retention of toxic by-products of protein putrefaction in the digestive tract and liver.

Carrot, celery, parsley, spinach juice: same benefits and usage as for arteriosclerosis, which is usually accompanied by high blood pressure.

Spinach: raw spinach corrects pH imbalance in the digestive tract and bloodstream, thus eliminating a major source of the toxic wastes that leave deposits in blood vessels and raise blood pressure.

Beet and carrot juice: same effects and usage as for arteriosclerosis.

Molasses: builds and balances the bloodstream, eliminating toxic conditions that lead to high blood pressure; 2 tbsp in cup of warm water, twice daily.

Other beneficial foods: raw garlic; wheat germ oil; wheat germ; pecans; sunflower seeds; raw tomatoes; seaweed (kelp); lecithin.

Foods to avoid: refined starch and sugar; pasteurized milk; fatty meats; salt and salt-preserved foods; alcohol; stimulating spices such as hot peppers, curry, mustard.

Headache

There are dozens of different types of headache, but most are caused primarily by excess pressure in the tiny capillaries that feed the brain; this pressure is caused by impurities in the bloodstream, which not only block the tiny capillaries but also deprive the brain of oxygen and glucose.

Spinach: raw spinach, as bulk or juice, purifies the bloodstream and builds up the oxygen-carrying element of hemoglobin, thus enhancing supply of oxygen and blood to the brain.

Carrot, beet, and cucumber juice: this blend breaks down acid crystals in kidneys, thus improving their ability to cleanse the blood of the impurities that often cause headaches when they reach the brain; also purifies blood and builds hemoglobin, thus enhancing oxygen supplies to brain; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 1-2 pints when headache approaches.

Lecithin: 20 per cent of brain tissue consists of lecithin, which when taken in combination with vitamin C has remarkable rejuvenating effects on the brain; organic lecithin also rinses away inorganic cholesterol deposits in coronary arteries, thereby enhancing supply of oxygenated blood to the brain; liquid lecithin extracted from soy beans is most convenient form of supplement.

Garlic: raw garlic is one of nature's best blood vessel cleansers; taken in conjunction with lecithin, it not only eliminates toxic conditions that often cause headaches, but also enhances memory, learning and other mental functions.

Other beneficial foods: lettuce juice; molasses; pecans; wheat germ; sunflower seeds; raw egg yolk (for lecithin and organic cholesterol).

Foods to avoid: refined starch, especially white flour; refined sugar, especially sweet soft drinks; cooked eggs; pasteurized milk; cooked fatty meats.

Heart disease

The various forms of heart disease are primarily the result of toxic impurities clogging blood vessels; this deprives the heart muscles and valves of oxygen and puts excessive chronic strain on the heart, which has to pump much harder than normal to push blood through a clogged circulatory system — a healthy heart pumps about 3,000 gallons of blood every 24 hours, but a heart under the stress of a clogged circulatory system must pump up to 25,000 gallons in 24 hours just to maintain sufficient circulation; obviously, such an 8-fold increase in heart strain soon leads to heart exhaustion and disease; the prime source of the blood impurities and deposits that cause heart disease is a diet composed entirely of denatured and cooked foods.

Carrot, celery, parsley, spinach juice: the most potent blend of juices for potassium, which quickly restores proper blood pH, helps remove deposits from blood vessels, and builds strong blood plasma, especially hemoglobin; 8 oz/4 oz/2 oz/4 oz, 1-2 pints daily.

Carrot, beet, cucumber juice: dissolves acid crystals in kidneys, enabling them to cleanse the blood more efficiently, thus removing impurities that can accumulate to cause heart disease; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 1-2 pints daily.

Molasses: rich in organic iron and copper, as well as potassium, all of which alkalize the bloodstream and build strong blood plasma, which in turn benefits the heart tissues; 2 tbsp in warm water, twice daily.

Grapes: the 'grape cure' (nothing but 1-3 pounds of raw black grapes for 5-7 days) has been shown by experiments in the Soviet Union to have a direct tonifying effect on the muscles and valves of the heart; also purifies and balances the bloodstream.

Wheat germ oil: greatly enhances delivery of oxygen to the heart; best when used in conjunction with raw garlic; 1 tsp wheat germ oil and 2-3 cloves raw garlic, once or twice a day, after meals.

Pecans: raw pecans are nature's richest source of readily assimilable organic pyridoxine (vitamin B6), an element that plays an essential role in converting the amino acids from consumed proteins into usable form for the body; thus, raw pecans assist in the regeneration of damaged cells in diseased hearts; 10-15 raw pecans (or 20-30 pecan halves) per day.

Other beneficial foods: raw spinach; cabbage; ripe bananas; wheat germ; lecithin; sunflower seeds; raw garlic.

Foods to avoid: refined starch, especially white bread and sweet pastries; refined sugar, especially sweet carbonated soft drinks (regular as well as 'diet' types); cooked eggs; pasteurized milk; cooked fatty meats; salt.

Varicose veins

This condition is caused by deposits of inorganic calcium, cholesterol and other inorganic elements in the walls of veins, causing them to clog up and bulge outward through the skin; refined starch and sugar are primary dietary culprits.

Spinach: raw spinach detoxifies and stimulates the lower bowel, so that wastes are eliminated there rather than accumulating and polluting the bloodstream; builds and balances blood; as juice, mix 6 oz with 10 oz carrot juice, 2 pints daily.

Red beet juice: another potent purifier and builder of blood, raw beet juice eliminates the blood toxemia that causes varicose veins; best taken half/half with carrot juice, 1-2 pints daily; or sip 8 oz of the straight beet juice slowly throughout the day.

Garlic: raw garlic dissolves the deposits of inorganic calcium and cholesterol that lead to varicose veins.

Parsley juice: raw parsley juice is one of the most potent of all vegetable juices for enhancing oxygen metabolism, cleansing the blood, dissolving sticky deposits in veins and maintaining elasticity of blood vessels, especially delicate capillaries; it's too strong to take straight and should be mixed with 4 oz to 12 oz carrot juice, or with other blends, 1 pint daily.

Other beneficial foods: lettuce juice; turnips; watercress; black grapes (exclusively for 1-5 days, depending on severity), Black Fungus; molasses; lecithin.

Foods to avoid: pasteurized milk; refined starch, especially white flour; refined sugar; cooked eggs and overcooked meats; hydrogenated fats.

Nervous System: brain, nerves, eyes

Eye trouble


Most eye trouble is due to insufficient circulation and nutritional deficiency in the eye muscles and the optic nerve; the optic nerve is one of the most powerful nerves in the body and uses up to 30% of available glucose (blood sugar); when blood sugar runs dry, all nerves must rely on glycogen from the liver; any interruption in glycogen supply due to liver dysfunction is often reflected in eye trouble; Chinese physicians always look first to the liver when treating eye problems; a polluted bloodstream can also cause serious eye problems.

Sunflower seeds: sunflower seeds are rich in organic vitamin A and other vital eye nutrients; Dr Marsh Morrison has shown that 2 oz of raw sunflower seeds per day, in conjunction with abstention from all animal proteins, clears up many eye problems within two weeks.

Carrot, celery, endive, parsley juice: this blend provides potent nourishment to the entire optic system, including nerves and muscles; carrots provide organic vitamin A as carotene, endives are rich in other nutrients with specific affinity for the eyes; 8 oz/4 oz/3 oz/2 oz, 1-2 pints daily.

Dandelion juice: rich in potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium and iron, raw dandelion juice alkalizes the bloodstream and provides a blend of organic nutrients of specific benefit to the nervous system, of which the optic nerve is the busiest component; mix half/half with carrot juice, 1-2 pints daily.

Spinach: raw spinach is another good source of organic vitamin A for the optic system; also builds strong blood due to rich supplies of organic iron, and this enhances circulation of oxygenated blood to the eyes.

Other beneficial foods: carrots; watercress; apricots; turnip greens; calves liver.

Foods to avoid: deep fat fried foods; refined starch and sugar; hot peppers; alcohol; mineral oil (as laxative).

Fatigue

Chronic fatigue is an indication that the body's 'batteries' have run down and resistance is lowered, and thus serves as a warning that disease might strike at any time; it is primarily due to a critical deficiency of active enzymes in the diet and an overabundance of 'dead' processed, overcooked foods, in incompatible combinations; such diets, typical of modern times, literally starve cells of nutrition and energy and permit toxic wastes to accumulate in the tissues; consequently, the body is unable to generate and direct energy for work or play; all available energy must be used just to keep the body alive.

Pecans: nature's most potent source of organic pyridoxine (vitamin B6), which is essential for all nervous functions and plays a key role in utilizing amino acids derived from consumed proteins; since all vital functions are controlled by the nervous system, pecans provide the element required by nerves to transform nutritional 'essence' to functional energy and regulate the body; 10-15 raw pecans, or 20-30 pecan halves daily is a therapeutic dose.

Carrot, beet, cucumber juice: this blend provides a potent boost of active enzymes and organic nutrients to the bloodstream, while also alkalizing and cleansing the kidneys, which in turn improves blood quality and helps relieve fatigue; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 1-2 pints daily.

Carrot juice: raw carrot juice is perhaps the best overall therapeutic food in the world; it alkalizes, cleanses, nourishes and stimulates almost every system in the body; as such, it is an effective antidote for the nervous exhaustion caused by diets deficient in vital raw foods; 2-3 pints daily.

Raw egg yolk: a potent source of organic lecithin, which is a major component in brain and nerve tissue; also stimulates sluggish adrenal glands, which alleviates fatigue; 2 yolks daily, blended into carrot juice.

Other beneficial foods: raw spinach; active yeast (in warm water, on empty stomach); molasses; wheat germ; soy beans; lecithin.

Foods to avoid: denatured, processed, preserved, canned and cooked foods should compose less than 50 per cent of daily diet in order to cure and prevent chronic fatigue due to nutritional deficiency.

Hypertension

Besides stress and other psychological factors, hypertension is caused by the irritation of various nerve centers owing to nutritional deficiency, retention of toxic wastes and lack of organic alkaline elements; for example, severe hypertension that leads to violent outbursts has been quickly cured in many patients with sufficient doses of niacin (vitamin B3); pyridoxine (vitamin B6) in organic form relieves the hypertension associated with nervous stress.

Pecans: a potent source of organic pyridoxine, pecans rank among the very best of therapeutic foods for hypertension and other nervous disorders; 10-15 whole raw pecans per day.

Yeast: active yeast dissolved in a cup of warm water and taken on an empty stomach provides a powerful dose of all important B vitamins in organic form; brewer's yeast, though more palatable, is technically 'dead' and thus not as potent a source of nutritional elements; 1 small packet of granular active yeast per cup warm water, twice a day.

Lecithin: the most basic building block of brain and nerve tissue, organic lecithin may be taken as liquid extract of soy beans or in the form of raw egg yolks (as for fatigue).

Wheat germ oil: nature's best source of organic vitamin E, which is essential for optimum nerve function; 1 tsp daily after breakfast, another after dinner.

Carrot, beet, cucumber juice: alkalizes the kidneys and blood, thus eliminating the excess acidity that is usually a contributing factor to hypertension; also provides organic minerals and active enzymes which enhance nervous functions; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 2 pints daily.

Other beneficial foods: carrot juice; celery juice; molasses; wheat germ; black grapes; apricots; apricot kernels (for vitamin B17); turnip greens.

Foods to avoid: hot peppers; mustard; cooked meats, especially pork; all preserved and canned foods; strong coffee and tea; refined sugars, especially sweet soft drinks; alcohol.

Insomnia

Inability to sleep owing to nervous tension and/or excess acidity in the system.

Pecans: 10-15 whole raw pecans per day provide all the organic pyridoxine (vitamin B6) the nervous system needs for normal function; this helps eliminate the nervous tension that causes insomnia.

Molasses: besides iron, copper and potassium, molasses is rich in organic pyridoxine and calcium, which enhance nervous functions; organic calcium is well known as a promoter of sound sleep; a glass of milk, if pasteurized, will not deliver organic calcium to the system owing to lack of the vital lactase enzyme, which is required to extract calcium from milk; 2 tbsp in warm water, before bed.

Bananas: ripe bananas are very rich in potassium, sodium and magnesium, all of which restore health and balance to nutritionally exhausted nervous systems; also rich in the amino acid tryptophan, which is known to promote sleep.

Other beneficial foods: lecithin; wheat germ; grapefruit; parsnips; soy beans; honey.

Foods to avoid: vinegar (except apple cider vinegar); cooked meats, especially at dinner; refined starch, especially white bread and sweet pastries; hot peppers; strong coffee and tea; alcohol.

Neuralgia

Acute pain in and around nerves that are inflamed and impaired owing to nutritional deficiency and excess acidity.

Lecithin: provides the basic building block for nourishment and repair of damaged nerves.

Wheat germ oil: potent source of organic vitamin E, which is required for nourishment and repair of nerves and increases oxygen supply to nerves; 2 tsp daily, one after breakfast and the other after dinner, in conjunction with lecithin.

Pecans: provide organic pyridoxine, which nerves require to utilize amino acids.

Carrot and celery juice: rich in organic sodium, magnesium and iron, which help restore blood pH, thus eliminating acidity, and nourish the nerves; mix half/half, 1-2 pints daily.

Other beneficial foods: raw spinach; raw parsley; wheat germ; molasses; active yeast (in warm water, on empty stomach).

Foods to avoid: cooked fatty meats; refined starches and sugars; synthetic additives and preservatives; salt; hot peppers; mustard.

Neuritis

Acute pain caused by the formation of uric acid crystals in muscles, which then press against nerve endings; excess consumption of cooked meat is the prime dietary cause of excess uric acid, and hence of neuritis.

Carrot, beet, cucumber juice: a potent alkalizing blend with specific affinity for the blood and the kidneys; facilitates elimination of uric acid from blood and kidneys; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 2 pints daily.

Carrot, celery, parsley juice: an alkalizing blend of raw juices with specific affinity for the nervous system; contains organic minerals required for repair and maintainence of nerves; 9 oz/5 oz/2 oz, 1-2 pints daily.

Lemon: raw lemon juice diluted with warm distilled water is an excellent all-around alkalizer and mucus dissolver, but only when taken without sugar; though acidic in the natural state, lemon juice has strong alkalizing properties in the stomach and bloodstream.

Wheat germ oil: provides organic vitamin E, required for repair and maintenance of nerves; 1 tsp after breakfast.

Other beneficial foods: pecans; lecithin; grapefruit juice (diluted with distilled water); molasses; carrot and spinach juice.

Foods to avoid: vinegar (except apple cider vinegar); refined starch, especially white flour; refined sugars, especially sweet soft drinks; chocolate and candy; cooked meat and eggs.

Reproductive System: genitals, suprarenal glands, prostate, ovaries, testes, uterus, urogenital canal

Impotence


A condition of male sexual dysfunction, in which erection cannot be attained, or maintained sufficiently to complete sexual intercourse; other than psychological factors, common contributing causes include nervous exhaustion, depletion of sexual glands due to excessive ejaculation, insufficient nutrition for the reproductive organs and glands, and excess acid toxicity; therapeutic fasts in conjunction with colonic irrigations have corrected even the most stubborn cases of impotence, when followed up with proper nutrition.

Carrot, beet, cucumber juice: this is one of the strongest kidney alkalizers and cleansers and helps heal damage to the urogenital canal, bladder, prostate, suprarenal glands and other parts directly affected by excess acid toxicity in the kidneys; also provides vital organic nutrients for their repair and maintainence; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 2 pints daily.

Bananas: ripe raw bananas are very rich in potassium, tryptophan and other nutrients that restore the nervous system and thus help eliminate impotence; they also contain enzymes that help manufacture sexual hormones.

Pumpkin seeds: nature's most nourishing food for the male prostrate gland, dysfunction of which is a common cause of impotence; 2-3 oz of raw seeds daily.

Oysters: raw oysters are rich in zinc, which is vital for prostrate health and sexual functions; they also contain active enzymes and hormones of benefit to the reproductive system.

Wheat germ oil: a potent source of organic vitamin E, which is vital for manufacture of sexual hormones, and also helps eliminate nervous exhaustion; 1-2 tsp daily, preferably after meals.

Lecithin: male semen consists largely of lecithin, and thus lecithin helps build strong and abundant semen, deficiency of which is one cause of impotence.

Bee pollen: contains enzymes and other elements that stimulate production of sexual hormones; 3-6 capsules per day.

Other beneficial foods: sunflower seeds; carrot juice; raw spinach; shrimp (preferably raw or very lightly steamed); seaweed (kelp); ginger root; celery seeds; raw garlic; beet juice; raw egg yolk; black grapes, black cherries.

Foods to avoid: refined starch and sugar, especially white bread, sweet pastries and sweet soft drinks; overcooked meat, especially hamburger meat on white bread; all meat and other foods preserved with potassium nitrate (saltpeter); vinegar (except apple cider vinegar); strong coffee and tea.

Infertility

Insufficient sperm or ova to effect conception during intercourse; this is largely a result of nutritional deficiency and excess retention of toxic wastes throughout the system, especially in sexual glands; it can also be caused by a collapsed colon, which puts excess pressure on prostate in males and fallopian tubes in females, preventing the free flow of sperm and ova; some couples, infertile for 10-15 years of marriage, have suddenly found themselves 'with child' after three to five 7-day fasts with daily colonic irrigations, followed by proper nutritional therapy.

Carrot, beet, cucumber juice: the best blend for cleaning and alkalizing the kidneys, sexual organs and sexual glands — all of which are influenced by kidney function and condition; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 2 pints daily.

Asparagus: contains aspartic acid, an amino acid that neutralizes toxic wastes in the bloodstream and eliminates them through the kidneys; one of nature's best kidney diuretics; lightly steamed, no salt.

Bee pollen: a potent stimulator of sexual hormone production in men and women; 3-6 capsules daily.

Raw egg yolk: rich in organic lecithin, which builds strong semen; 2 per day, stirred into carrot juice.

Bananas: rich in tryptophan, a vital amino acid involved in nerve function, but also vital for fertility in both men and women; chronic tryptophan deficiency often causes infertility in men and women.

Wheat germ oil: rich in organic vitamin E, essential for production of sperm and ova; 2 tsp daily, one after breakfast and one after dinner.

Other beneficial foods: raw spinach; celery; pumpkin seeds; sunflower seeds; raw fish (sashimi)

Foods to avoid:
pasteurized milk (prolonged use of which has been shown to be a contributing factor to infertility — recall Dr Pottenger's experiments on cats); overcooked meats; cooked eggs; refined white starch, especially white flour.

Leucorrhea

Excess formation and discharge of mucus in the female genital tract; this is almost always the direct result of poor dietary habits and the consequent retention of toxic wastes in the system; denatured foods consumed in incompatible combinations, with insufficient supplies of active enzymes, are the major cause of this condition.

Horseradish and lemon juice: a potent dissolver of mucus throughout the system; use in similar manner as for asthma and other respiratory ailments.

Carrot, beet, cucumber juice: alkalizes the kidneys and sexual organs, thus eliminating acid mucus from the reproductive system; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 2 pints daily.

Whole lemon purée: one of naturés best therapeutic foods for the female sexual organs and glands, whole lemon puree contains active bioflavonoids, which have specific affinity for the uterus and vagina; dissolves vaginal mucus; restores pH balance; regulates the female reproductive system; purée whole lemon in blender with 1 cup distilled water and 1 tbsp molasses (if desired), 1-2 times daily.

Other beneficial foods: grapefruit juice (in distilled water); whole grapefruit or orange purée (same as lemon purée method); apple cider vinegar (2 tsp in glass of distilled water, twice daily); carrot and spinach juice.

Foods to avoid: pasteurized milk and dairy products; cooked eggs; fatty meats, especially pork; hydrogenated fats, especially margarine; refined starch, especially white bread and sweet pastries.

Menstrual disorders

Excessive bleeding during menstruation, excessively dark menstrual blood, foul menstrual odor and irregular menstrual cycles usually indicate a condition of blood toxemia as well as endocrine imbalance, which itself is often a result of blood toxemia; these problems generally respond very well to a program of fasting and colonic irrigation to cleanse the bloodstream and rebalance the endocrine system, followed by nutritional therapy.

Fennel juice ('Florence Fennel' or 'Finocchio'): fennel juice is a highly effective blood builder, and thus helps correct menstrual disorders; best mixed half/half with carrot juice, 1-2 pints daily.

Carrot, beet, cucumber juice: an excellent all-around blend for cleaning and balancing sexual organs and glands, via its natural affinity for the kidneys; 10 oz/3 oz/3 oz, 2 pints daily.

Carrot and spinach juice: specific affinity for blood and lower bowels, this blend eliminates the source of blood toxemia in the colon, thereby neutralizing the blood toxemia that causes menstrual problems; 10 oz/ 6 oz, 1-2 pints daily.

Whole lemon purée: this remedy has worked wonders in correcting all sorts of menstrual disorders, including excess bleeding, foul odor, dark blood, irregularity and the stress of menopause; same use as for leucorrhea.

Molasses: builds and balances the blood, especially the vital hemoglobin component; 2 tbsp in warm water, twice daily.

Other beneficial foods: whole orange or grapefruit purée; seaweed (kelp); beet juice; black grapes (exclusively for 1-3 days); wheat germ oil.

Foods to avoid: pasteurized milk; cooked eggs; fatty meats, especially pork; hydrogenated fats; refined starch and sugar.

Prostate disorders

This increasingly common problem has four prime causes: nutritional deficiency; excess toxicity; excess ejaculation; pressure from a collapsed colon. Prostitis can quickly lead to impotence in men and can also make urination painful and difficult, and eventually impossible, requiring surgical removal of the prostate, which in men is tantamount to castration as far as sexual potency is concerned; colonic irrigation is very beneficial in cases due to excess toxicity and/or collapsed colons.

Pumpkin seeds: raw pumpkin seeds have been recognized in East and West for centuries as the very best therapeutic food for the prostate; they are very rich in unsaturated fatty acids, organic iron and pangamic acid (vitamin B15), all of which are vital for prostate function; 2-3 oz raw seeds daily.

Wheat germ oil: contains organic vitamin E, essential for prostate health; 2 tsp daily, one after breakfast and the other after dinner.

Yeast: active yeast contains abundant supplies of almost all B vitamins in organic form; these are very helpful in restoring prostate health; 1 packet of granular active yeast in a cup of warm water, on empty stomach, twice a day.

Carrot, asparagus, lettuce juice: this blend detoxifies and alkalizes deficient kidneys, as well as the entire urogential tract, which runs straight through the prostate; 8 oz/4 oz/4 oz, 1-2 pints daily.

Lemon juice: the juice of two lemons in 6 oz of warm distilled water, taken at 3-4 hour intervals for 24-36 hours, with no intake of any other food or beverage, has potent alkalizing and cleansing effects in the urogenital canal, prostate and related sexual parts.

Red beet juice: an 8 oz glass taken 2-3 tsp at a time, throughout the day, with no intake of other food, detoxifies and alkalizes the prostate via its affinity for the kidneys and urogenital tract.

Other beneficial foods: lecithin; filbert (Hazel) nuts; sunflower seeds; grapefruit juice (in distilled water); black grapes (exclusively for 1-3 days); bee pollen; soy beans; carrot juice.

Foods to avoid: pasteurized milk and other dairy products; cooked meats, especially pork; refined starch; especially white flour; all foods with artificial additives and preservatives.

Cancer/AIDS/Herpes

Cancer

According to both traditional Chinese medicine as well as more enlightened studies in the West, cancer occurs when a mass of cells in various tissues become so toxic and starved of organic nourishment that they can no longer breathe properly, i.e. they can no longer eliminate wastes and absorb nutrients. Hence, they literally 'ferment' in their own toxic wastes, mutate, and become cancerous tumors. This condition can be caused by a number of factors: primary cause is chronic poor diet, heavy in cooked meats, eggs, and refined starches and sugars and poor in raw food, enzymes, organic nutrients. Insufficient circulation of essence and energy due to lack of exercise and shallow breathing are contributing causes. Chronic stress and depression also play a role by poisoning the bloodstream with toxic by-products of adrenalin and other 'fight or flight' reactions.

First and foremost therapy is detoxification with a series of 7-10 day fasts with daily colonic irrigations. Thereafter a diet of raw fruit and vegetable juices is indicated. Breathing exercises are extremely beneficial to cancer patients, in conjunction with detoxification and proper organic nutrition, because they circulate the nutrients to the cells, and suffuse all tissues with abundant supplies of chee.

Carrot juice: this is perhaps the best vegetable juice for detoxifying tissues. It also helps alkalize the bloodstream, which in cases of toxemia is always highly acidic. Raw carrot juice delivers abundant supplies of readily assimilable vitamins, minerals, and enzymes to diseased cells, giving them the fuel they require to sluff off wastes and rebuild cells. 75-year-old Jay Kordish, who today promotes raw juice diets in America, was cured of bladder cancer at age 25 with a blend of raw carrot and apple juice, taken a glass at a time every hour 13 times a day under the supervision of the great raw juice therapist Dr Max Gersen. Drink at least 1 1/2 quarts freshly extracted raw carrot juice daily, in conjunction with breathing and other exercises, for as long as therapy is required.

Grapes: raw grapes, especially the dark variety, are renowned as excellent cancer therapy when taken as an exclusive diet for prolonged periods. Entire sanatoriums in Russia are devoted to this cure. Grapes detoxify all tissues and organs and restore organic integrity to starved cells. In 1925, South African Johanna Brandt cured herself of cancer with an exclusive grape diet and wrote a book about it called The Grape Cure. She recommends 2'4 pounds of dark grapes per day, for a week to a month or more, chewing the skins and seeds as well.

Cabbage juice: flesh raw cabbage juice has been proven to cure severe ulcers in the stomach, duodenum, and intestines. As such, it is also an effective therapy for cancers of the stomach and intestinal tract. High concentrations of organic chlorine and sulphur in raw cabbage cleanse the mucus membranes of the stomach and intestinal tract, where cancerous tissues often form. It is generally recommended to take cabbage juice in combination with raw carrot juice, due to its strength. 4 oz cabbage juice/8 oz carrot juice, 3 times daily.

Raw beet juice: beet juice is highly beneficial as a liver detoxifier and blood cleanser. In cases of cancer, therefore, it purifies the bloodstream so that the blood can do its work of detoxifying the body and delivering nutrients to starved cells. By detoxifying the liver, it further promotes clean blood, which is filtered by the liver. Also indicated in cases of liver cancer. 8 oz of pure beet juice, twice daily, or 6 oz beet/6 oz carrot, 3 times daily. Tablets and dry crystals of pure beet juice extract are also very good.

Foods to avoid: all animal products, especially proteins and fats, i.e. no cooked meat, fat, eggs, milk, etc.; all refined sugars and starches; carbohydrates; oils; eat only fresh raw fruit and vegetables, juices and extracts.

AIDS

AIDS is a disease of the immune system which has only recently been recognized. Therefore, no specific cures have yet been proven to be effective. The raw juice therapy recommended below is not claimed as a cure but rather as a highly effective adjunct to whatever other therapies are being used. Since AIDS directly attacks the immune system, it is a logical approach to tonify the immune system as a basic part of therapy. Tonifying the immune system involves a two-pronged approach: removing morbid wastes from the system which suppress immunity and resistance; ingesting organic nutrients which repair and strengthen the immune system. Fasting is by far the most efficient method of removing morbid wastes from the body, and raw fruit and vegetable juices are by far the most potent sources of the organic nutrients required to repair the body.

Carrot juice: as the best overall vegetable juice for detoxifying the system and repairing damaged tissues, carrot juice is an excellent supplement to the diet of AIDS victims. It has specific affinity for the adrenal glands, which by virtue of their hormone secretions bolster the entire immune system and help regulate the whole endocrine system. It detoxifies the liver, which is responsible for filtering and nourishing the blood. It is the blood which carries immune factors to the various tissues of the body. At least 1 1/2 quarts of freshly extracted carrot juice per day is recommended.

Beet juice: beet juice has strongly detoxifying properties, especially in the liver, bloodstream, and kidneys, owing to its high organic chlorine content. It is rich in potassium, which balances metabolism. Its organic iron content help build 'strong blood' by enriching the red corpuscles, which by virtue of their hemoglobin carry oxygen to the tissues. Take 8 oz twice daily, preferably on empty stomach, or mix 8 oz with 8 oz carrot juice and take twice daily.

Grapes: raw dark grapes are such an effective remedy for so many serious ailments when taken as an exclusive diet for up to one month that this therapy is well worth trying in cases of AIDS. 'Incurable' cancers have in many cases been completely cured with this therapy, when properly administered. Since AIDS is also regarded by conventional medical practice as 'incurable,' raw grape therapy may be helpful, although no studies have yet confirmed this. Therapy indicates 2-4 pounds of grapes per day, for up to one month at a time.

Garlic: fresh raw garlic, in bulk or juice, is one of the most effective natural antibiotics on earth. It has been shown to kill many germs which are resistant to penicillin. It also eliminates intestinal parasites. Among the many symptoms of AIDS are a wide range of infections caused by the body's lack of normal immune factors. Daily doses of raw garlic or garlic juice help protect the body from all sorts of germs and parasites to which AIDS victims are vulnerable. This prevents the onset of severe infections during other forms of therapy against the AIDS virus itself. Note that the garlic must be fresh and raw. Odorless refined substitutes do not contain the active enzymes responsible for its therapeutic benefits. 6-12 cloves of flesh raw garlic daily, either crushed and stuffed into gelatin capsules for ingestion, or extracted juice. It's best to take it in two doses to ensure steady absorption throughout the day.

Foods to avoid: eliminate all cooked meat and eggs and all pasteurized milk and milk products, in order to avoid protein putrefaction in the system, which damages the immune system; all refined sugars and starches; deep-fried foods; artificial preservatives and additives.

Herpes

Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease which attacks the nervous system and in its active stages manifests itself as festering skin eruptions and lesions, usually on and around the genitals and mouth areas. It is contagious only in its active stages but relatively harmless when dormant. Its connection with the nervous system is why it tends to become active and erupt into lesions when the victim becomes 'nervous' due to stress. Several drugs have been developed to suppress herpes but so far there is no permanent cure. The juice therapy recommended below is helpful in suppressing active symptoms and helping the body to fight the infection, but it is not claimed as a cure.

Carrot juice: as an overall detoxifier and source of organic nutrients, flesh carrot juice is a good dietary supplement for victims of herpes. By cleansing the body of morbid matter, carrot juice reduces the severity of skin eruptions when the disease becomes active. Take at least 1 1/2 quarts daily, preferably in 2 or 3 doses, on empty stomach.

Pecans: rich in pyridoxine, pecans rank among the best of therapeutic foods for the nervous system. Daily intake of raw pecans helps balance nervous system functions and hence reduces the symptoms of nervous stress, which is a prime cause in activating herpes symptoms. One or two handfuls of raw pecans, eaten throughout the day, is recommended.

Wheat germ oil: rich in vitamin E, wheat germ oil is almost always beneficial to patients with nervous ailments. It also contains inositol, which improves the body's fat metabolism and thereby takes some excretory burden off the skin. When lesions occur, wheat germ oil may be rubbed onto them externally to promote rapid healing. 1 tbsp morning and night.

Apple cider vinegar: rich in organic potassium, apple cider vinegar enhances metabolic efficiency, which in turn calms the entire system, thereby preventing dormant herpes from becoming active. When sores and lesions do occur, apple cider vinegar may be rubbed directly onto the skin to disinfect them and promote rapid healing. This should be done in conjunction with internal dosage as well. 2-3 tsps apple cider vinegar in an 8 oz glass of distilled water, 2-3 times per day.

Foods to avoid: overcooked meats, cooked eggs, pasteurized milk; refined sugars and refined starches; deep-fried foods; coffee, alcohol, sweet soft drinks; artificial additives.

Copyright © 1989 by Daniel Reid

Table of Contents

Contents
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
The Tao
History of Taoism in China
'The Way and its Power'
The Parting of the Way
The Tao Today
Yin and Yang
Complements of Yin and Yang
The five elemental activities
The dynamic duo today
The Three Treasures
Jing: the essence of life
Chee: the energy of life
Shen: the spirit of life
The bridge of energy
APPENDIX: Cast of Taoist Characters
PART I
The Tao of Health
Chapter 1: DIET AND NUTRITION
Mother Nature's Menu
The Human Dietary Devolution
Trophology: The Science of Food Combining
Enzymes: The Culinary Spark of Life
Eating Right for Health and Longevity
Food as Medicine
Diet and Mental Health
APPENDIX I: Food Categories and Combination Chart
APPENDIX II: Sample Menus for One Week
APPENDIX III: Therapeutic Foods and Juices

Chapter 2: FASTING AND EXCRETION
The Colon: Sewer or Cesspool?
Fasting
Plumbing Your Colon with Water
The Seven-Day Fast and Colon-Cleansing Program
Mini-Fasts and Semi-Fasts
Excretion: 'Squatters Do It Better'

Chapter 3: BREATHING
The Science of Breathing
The Neti Nasal Douche
The Art of Breathing
Basic Breathing Exercises
Establishing a Regular Regimen
A Bonanza of Breathing Benefits

Chapter 4: EXERCISE
The Hard Way versus the Soft Way
The Martial Arts
Warming Up
Loosening and Stretching
Long-Life Exercises
Total Relaxation
A Sample Regimen

Chapter 5: TAOIST HEALING ARTS
The Tao of Health and Disease
The Five-fold Path to Natural Health Care
The New Medicine

PART II
The Tao of Sex
Chapter 6: THE TAO OF YIN AND YANG
The Nature of Man and Woman
The Way of Yin and Yang
Foreplay, the Four Attainments, the Five Signs, the Five Desires, the Ten
Indications and the Five Virtues
The Great Libation of the 'Three Peaks'
Semen Retention
Tao is a Two-Way Street
The Harmony of Yin and Yang
The Tao Comes Westward
Essence and Energy
Hormones and Health
Absorbing Essence and Storing Energy

Chapter 7: EJACULATION CONTROL
Regulating Ejaculation Frequency
Mastering the Methods of 'Contact without Leakage'
Learning How to 'Lock the Gate'
The Orgasmic Upward Draw for Women
Taoist Birth Control
Summary Remarks

Chapter 8: TAOIST BEDROOM ARTS
The Thrust of the Matter
Adopting Different Positions
Artful Accessories
Sex Therapy
The Legend of the Goat
Cupid's Cornucopia
Springtime in a Bottle

PART III
The Tao of Longevity
Chapter 9: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES ON LONGEVITY
Some Enlightening Examples of Longevity
Comparative World Lifespans Today
Fundamental Factors in Longevity

Chapter 10: THE TAO OF NURTURING LIFE
Pollution and Purification
Cultivating the Three Treasures
External Elixir Approach
Internal Elixir Approach
The Highway to Health and Longevity

Chapter 11: 'SITTING STILL DOING NOTHING'
The Eight Stages of Internal Alchemy
Meditation for Health and Longevity
The Microcosmic Orbit
The Macrocosmic Orbit
Shen-hsien: The 'Cosmic Astronauts'
Opening the Central Channel
Death and Immortality

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING
INDEX
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