Vol. 25 No.11. NOVEMBER 2010
Patron – His Excellency Dr. Ken Michael AC, Governor of Western Australia
wellness news environment, wellness and healing
the heart and soul of
WHAT IS HEALING?
THE BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVE
DIET AND RECOVERY FROM CHRONIC DISEASE
SIMPLE, OLD FASHIONED WHOLE FOODS THAT HEAL
QUANTUM DEPTH HEALING
ENERGY INFORMATION
THE VISONARY ART OF ALEX GREY
ETHICAL EATING
SPIRITUAL GUIDELINES
CANCER-FREE LIVING
RECIPES TO HEAL & PREVENT CANCER
online magazine of the Cancer Support Association
editorial...
the spiritual life wellness news monthly online magazine of the Cancer Support Association of Western Australia Inc. Wellness News e-magazine is published online and distributed free to members of the Cancer Support Association. Wellness News magazine is dedicated entirely to environment, wellness and healing. The magazine is for people with cancer or serious health issues; for people who are well and want to maintain their good health naturally; and for complementary, alternative and integrative health professionals. Please enjoy your Wellness experience!
news team... Editor Mandy BeckerKnox editor.wellness@yahoo.com.au Editorial Consultant Dr. Peter Daale
online at...
www.cancersupportwa.org.au
social... join our group on facebook “Cancer Support Association - Cottesloe”
The quality we bring to every moment of our
life is what creates the pattern of our days. Approaching each moment with an awareness of its uniqueness and preciousness, and a determination to wrest its complete potential can transform even the most insignificant act to something intensely valuable. The great Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, offers a series of gathas (verses) to anchor us in the moment as we perform our morning routines. The Buddhists call this mindful living, being aware of each moment, moment by moment. Here is the gatha for waking up:
“Everyone is on a spiritual path; most people just don’t know it.” Marianne Williamson
Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment And to look at all beings with eyes of compassion. Imagine if we were to chant this to ourselves on waking up. Imagine if we really meant it. How much we take life for granted. Receiving the gift of 24 hours as we rountinely do seldom seems a cause for celebration, but ask a condemned prisoner at the gallows or a dying patient and they will tell you how unutterably irreplaceable these hours are. ✦ Editorial Comment by Guest Suma Varughese
MEETING THE CHALLENGE!
one day cancer wellness workshop
NEW CSA members can attend free!
Cover image: Seer and The Original face by Kristen Berg
Life Changing Information for people with cancer presented by Dr. Peter Daale, Paul Alexander and Bavali Hill One day seminars for people living with cancer and their carers with a special focus on accessing key cancer information online, nutrition, and meditation. Held on the first Friday of every month. UPCOMING 2010 DATES: 5TH NOVEMBER, 3RD DECEMBER from 9.30am-4.30pm.
To book phone CSA 9384 3544
in this edition... features
6
WHAT IS HEALING? There is more to healing than simply alleviating symptoms
8
QUANTUM DEPTH HEALING Energy Medicine for deep and lasting healing
13 14 20 22 25 26
BOOK REVIEW Care of the Soul in Modern Medicine DIET AND RECOVERY FROM CHRONIC DISEASE How simple, old fashioned whole foods provide the best healing diet
NEW CLASS AT CSA
Yoga for Healing Come along to experience the serenity, wellbeing and healing potential of yoga
PICTORIAL The Visionary Art of Alex Grey THE BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVE ON HEALING A gentle path to wellness and healing HEALING A poem by Walt Whitman ETHICAL EATING The Buddha’s Way
regular 2 EDITORIAL the spiritual life THE NEWS Soundwaves can kill cancer; 5 INCancer caused by modern man 28 SUMMER RECIPES Cancer-free living
Ongoing Classes: Thursdays 10-11.15am Join yoga teacher Madeline Clare in a new class at CSA. Madeline takes inspiration from both Iyengar and Vinyasa approaches to yoga with an emphasis on relaxation, breath awareness, gentle movement and meditation. She believes a balanced yoga practice has the capacity to heal, shift energy blockages and bring the body into physical, emotional, mental and spiritual alignment. Yoga for Healing classes bring the joy of yoga to people with cancer and those who may need a nurturing space in which to practice.
$5 CSA members / $10 others
CSA weekly program...
November/December 2010 MONDAY Meditation Made Easy .................................................................................10.00 – 11.30am Ongoing Lessons with Bavali Hill. FREE FOR MEMBERS (non-members $5) No bookings necessary.
About the Cancer Support Association of WA Inc The Cancer Support Association of Western Australia Inc is a nonprofit charitable organisation which was established in 1984. CSA’s key intention is to help people become informed, empowered and supported on their cancer and wellness journeys. CSA encourages an integrative, well-informed understanding of health and treatment options and strategies, and is committed to supporting all people, regardless of their treatment choices. CSA supports individuals who are living with cancer, their families, carers and the wider community through the services we provide, as well as through our widely distributed publications and unique cancer information website. CSA’s workshops, courses, groups, and complementary therapies are advertised throughout this publication and are held at CSA’s premises in Cottesloe unless otherwise stated.
join CSA on facebook “Cancer Support Association - Cottesloe”
TUESDAY Wellness and Healing Open Support Group ............................... 10.00 – 12.00noon with Dr. Angela Ebert Carer’s Wellness and Healing .............................................................. 10.00 – 12.00noon Open Support Group (when required) Reiki Clinic .....................................................................................................12.15pm – 1.30pm
WEDNESDAY Reflexology with Udo Kannapin ..................................................................10am – 2pm (appointments available between10am – 2pm) Laughter Yoga with Kimmie O’Meara ($3.00) ...................................11.00am – 12.00pm Chinese Medical Healthcare Qigong ($10/$5 members) .........12.30pm – 2.00pm with Master Andrew Tem-Foo Lim
THURSDAY Yoga for Healing .........................................................................................10.00am – 11.15am with Madeline Clare (members $5 / others $10) Grief and Loss Open Support Group ................................................... 1.00pm – 3.00pm last Thursday of each month
FRIDAY Meeting the Challenge 1 Day Seminar ................................................9.30am – 4.30pm 1ST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH with Dr. Peter Daale (and others).
DAILY Cancer Wellness Counselling with Dr. Peter Daale ................................. by appointment General Counselling with Dr. Angela Ebert .................................................. by appointment Phone direct on 0414 916 724 or 9450 6724 or email a.ebert@murdoch.edu.au
Please phone CSA on 9384 3544 or check our website for further information. We can help you with information packs, course prices, confirm course times and make bookings.
New Class: Yoga for Healing Join CSA’s new yoga teacher Madeline Clare for a free introductory class 10-11.15am on Thursday 21st October
November 2010
in the news...
WELLNESS NEWS 5
Sound Waves Can Kill Cancer Ultrasound waves can be used to kill cancer cells. The treatment, called sonodynamic
therapy, first requires application of a drug called a sonosensitizer, which preferentially accumulates in cancer cells. Physicians can then activate this drug by applying ultrasound and thereby killing the malignancy. Last month, Japanese scientists announced discovery of a new sonosensitizer, a derivative of Rose Bengal dye. It is said to be ten times more active than ordinary Rose Bengal. But sonodynamic therapy has been around for years. In 2008, I visited mainland China to investigate this treatment and wound up coauthoring a paper on its effects with Dr. X. Wang of Guangzhou. The treatment is also offered at the Dove clinic in England, the Hope4Cancer Institute in Mexico and the Indiana Center for Advanced Medicine in Indianapolis, usually in conjunction with the older technique of photodynamic therapy, which is the use of light and light-activated drugs in cancer. Skeptics will note that, with the exception of Dr. Wang, none of these clinics has published the results of their treatment. And the costs for this sort of treatment can be considerable. Nonetheless, the field continues to develop, and there are now almost 100 articles in PubMed on this new treatment idea. It is definitely worth keeping an eye on. ✦ Sugita N, Iwase Y, Yumita N, Ikeda T, Umemura S. Sonodynamically induced cell damage using rose bengal derivative. Anticancer Res. 2010;30(9):3361-3366. Wang X, Zhang W, Xu Z, Luo Y, Mitchell D, Moss RW. Sonodynamic and photodynamic therapy in advanced breast carcinoma: a report of 3 cases. Integr Cancer Ther. 2009;8(3):283287.
A new therapy using ultrasound waves to target cancer cells has been
From Dr Ralph Moss’s blog: themossreports.wordpress.com, October 2010. (Important note: mention of any doctor or clinic does not constitute an endorsement by Dr. Moss. It is simply given for informational purposes.)
developed in China
Cancer ‘caused by modern man’ A study of ancient remains by University of Manchester scientists has strongly suggested cancer is a man-made disease caused by modern life.
Professor Rosalie David, a biomedical Egyptologist at the University of Manchester and colleague Professor Michael Zimmerman, look� The researchers identified cancer in only one Egyptian mummy, proving the disease was very rare in ancient times. Prof Zimmerman said: “In an ancient society lacking surgical intervention, evidence of cancer should remain in all cases. “The virtual absence of malignancies in mummies must be interpreted as indicating their rarity in antiquity, indicating that cancer causing factors are limited to societies affected by modern industrialisation.” It was not until the 17th century that they discovered descriptions of operations for breast and other cancers, with the first reports in scientific literature of distinctive tumours only occurring in the past 200 years. The experts have attributed this increase to lifestyle factors including poor diet and pollution. “In industrialised societies, cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as a cause of death. In ancient times, it was extremely rare,” said Prof Rosalie David. “There is nothing in the natural environment that can cause cancer. So it has to be a man-made disease, down to pollution and changes to our diet and lifestyle.” She said they were confident enough to make the assertion as they looked back 3,000 years, not just 100 years. ✦ Source: au.news.yahoo.com, 15TH October 2010
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
WHAT IS HEALING?
6 WELLNESS NEWS
November 2010
By Lonny J. Brown
“Medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” Voltaire
Most of us give little thought to the question of health until symptoms and suffering inform us that it has been lost. Usually, “health” is understood as merely the absence of discomfort and illness. When ailments do manifest, the common response is to place ourselves in the hands of what author Ken Pelletier calls the pathology management industry, and hope for the best. But this passive approach stifles our potential for realising the wonderful, very real possibility of true wellness. True health is our natural birthright, and includes a sense of wholeness, energy, joy, creativity, power, and optimal performance of all our faculties. You can experience this positive high-level health if you become
knowledgeable about the strategies necessary to achieve and maintain it, and activated in practicing them. The pursuit of health becomes a long-term, dynamic process built into one’s lifestyle, rather than an inconvenience based on the passive acceptance of whatever fate – or doctors – dictate at times of breakdown. We need to de-objectify health. Our materialistic society has come to see health as just another consumer commodity, available through the “health-care delivery system” for the right price. This commercialization has led us to believe that health is a product, when in fact it is a personal, participatory experience – a behavioural relationship to one’s body and life.
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
November 2010
YOU ARE THE HEALER Healing entails the multiplication and growth of individual cells, replenishing themselves in an orderly configuration which duplicates their ideal genetic design. This renewal is a routine part of biological life: virtually all the cells in you body will die and be replaced by others in the normal course of events. For blood cells, the turnover time is less than two weeks, effectively amounting to a natural transfusion twice per month. Other cells last longer, but it is a fact that – speaking purely physically – you are not the same person you were just a few months or years ago. This is a good reason to be optimistic about selfhealing. Rapid and complete regeneration is an everyday process which you have been accomplishing all your life. Since this cellular turnover involves the replacement of bodily mass, it should be obvious that the quality of the newly-assimilated building material is critical to the results. In other words, diet is a significant primary variable in healing. Confirming this, a five-year study sponsored by the U.S. National Cancer Institute recently found that cancer death rates were significantly reduced by supplements of vitamin E, selenium, and beta carotene, a nutrient found in fruits and vegetables. The other side of cell regeneration is waste removal. The elimination of toxins and the by-products of metabolism is essential to good health. During healing, there are many ways to maximize this internal housekeeping process by promoting the optimal functioning of the organs of elimination (kidneys, lungs, colon, lymph system, and skin). These include taking certain purifying foods and herbs, fasting, aerobic exercise, sauna and steam baths, skin brushing, massage, inversions, and colonic irrigation.
A QUESTION OF BALANCE One effect of the orderly, cooperative growth of numerous cells is the mending of tissue, organs and bones, But proper functioning also entails a healthy relationship among the various systems
WELLNESS NEWS 7
which they comprise. Think of the complex inter-dependence of the circulatory and respiratory, the digestive and eliminative, and the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. The restoration of a dynamic, multi-dimensional equilibrium (called homeostasis) is crucial for good health. The late Norman Cousins, author of Anatomy of an Illness, called this inter-system feedback process, self- regulatory normalization. This is mostly an automatic process, but the interaction of systems is also affected by mind and emotions. For example, people with the circulatory deficit, Raynaud’s disease, can be taught to self-induce greater blood flow to the extremities with relaxation, breathing, and visualization techniques. Note that there is nothing inherent in any drug, surgical procedure, or applied intervention that in itself accounts for cell growth, tissue repair, or restored organ functioning, although such measures may accelerate the desired results by creating metabolic circumstances favorable to the body’s own repair mechanisms. The finest surgeon in the world knows that he can do no more than draw the edges of a wound together and hope that the body re-grows the living cells to connect them. Only the organism can repair the organism. In other words, all healing is self-healing.. The wise physician will always bear this in mind, and make every effort to encourage the innate healing powers of the patient, without which his or her efforts are bound to be in vain. ✦ Excerpt from ‘Self-Actuated Healing’ (Naturegraph, Publ. USA. ISBN# 0-87961185-5), by Lonny J. Brown, Ph.D. Lonny Brown is a Holistic Health Counselor and educator living in Peterborough, New Hampshire, USA. He writes the monthly online column, The Holistic Mystic (http://www.themetaarts.com/pages/ holisticmystic.html), and his writings on holistic health and natural medicine have appeared on AOL’s Alternative Medicine Forum and in Alternative Health Practitioner, Yoga Journal, and many other progressive publications. Brown teaches holistic health, mind/body healing, and stress reduction courses at hospitals, schools and businesses throughout the US. His website also features essays, tapes, books, and links to a variety of integrative health sources. Website: www.holistic.com/lonny.
A weekly group held every Tuesday at CSA 10am – 12noon. Anyone who’s life has been affected by cancer or other life threatening illnesses is welcome to attend. A Carer’s Support Group is held at the same time when required.
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Quantum Depth Healing
8 WELLNESS NEWS
?>?
November 2010
“All that you are is a result of all that you have thought...”
By Dr. Michael G Millett
At the height of their civilisation Greek medicine reached a level of insight which was not to be achieved again until Paracelsus (1493 – 1541), more properly Theophrastus Phillippus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim, the father of alternative medicine – 2000 years later. He was a contemporary of Nicholas Copernicus, Martin Luther, Leonardo da Vinci and a host of other figures we associate with the shattering of medieval thought and a re-birth.
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
November 2010
WELLNESS NEWS 9
“Quantum Depth Healing involves a shift in the areas of energy information, so as to bring about a reconstruction in an idea that has gone wrong.” The Body or “Soma” is a complex bio-computer made up countless cells and nerves that register every significant event in our lives. The body mind principle of Somatic Processing recognises that the Body is a “Somatic Library” of emotions and beliefs; the energy and information of psycho-emotional experiences that have been imprinted instantaneously into the cells of specific body areas, organs and tissues.
In effect the body has an actual psycho-emotional anatomy. An extraordinary tapestry of structures, functions, emotions, memories, attitudes and beliefs – all intertwined, all affecting each other and manifesting in the final consequence. If you are unwell – YOUR BODY WON’T LIE TO YOU. It is trying to tell you what it doesn’t like. Symptoms are your body’s language to quit doing bad things to it and start doing good things for it. “A truly healthy body will not need to call attention to itself!” If you have a headache, back pain, chronic disease, pain or inflammation, it is urging you to find and fix the cause. Antiquated ideas about the physics of consciousness and the body are changing – fast! Changing our belief systems about the mind-body connection and its influence on health is important to foster the process in people of healing themselves, which is the only true and permanent healing. We now know there is a link between disease and retained emotion. All occurrences that affect our life are registered in our cellular matrix. If these events are traumatic (such as pain, illness, injury, grief, surgery, shock, trauma...) – they may exert a lasting effect upon the rest of our life. That’s why we often hear people say: “Ever since such-and-such happened, I never have had a day of peace, comfort, good health or happiness”. In the past, we have had the standardised approach of contemporary medicine, which says that there is a magic potion in the form of a pill or drug for practically everything we have. Medicine today tends to be more and more chemistry and less and less healing in the classical sense. It is also a fact that many of our medical interventions do not get to the root cause of disease. The word “cure” is not even used. They are just treating the patient. “Curing” is a term that all medical people avoid. Their training is not geared towards that. However, I do not for one moment wish to decry the chemistry because we owe it too much, but it is not the whole answer. It seems to me that the lack in psychological insight – into the unconscious being of man – is possibly one of the saddest neglects of modern contemporary medicine. The body can help itself! The power that made the body can heal the body. Health does not come from a pill, a potion, a lotion, surgery, a doctor or even an herb. It comes from the body’s own innate intelligence or inborn wisdom to survive and rejuvenate. Our bodies ultimately are domains of information, intelligence and energy. The very fact that our body is an assembled mass of molecules implies that we are energetic entities. Further, quantum physics discovered in the last decades that every particle of matter is associated with
interaction and resonance quanta (parcels of energy) at a ratio of about 1 nucleon to 1 billion quanta. The quanta exhibit specific patterns and are susceptible to resonance. These subtle energetic configurations (bodies) can be disturbed causing unwellness and pain. Therefore, the body is a quantum mechanical device and Quantum Healing is healing the bodymind from a quantum level. That means from a level, which is not manifest at a sensory level. Quantum Depth Healing involves a shift in the areas of energy information, so as to bring about a reconstruction in an idea that has gone wrong. So quantum healing involves healing one mode of consciousness “the mind” to bring about changes in another mode of consciousness “the body”. Another important point in quantum biology is that consciousness is not consolidated or focused in any one particular place. Each thought, feeling, desire, attitude, instinct, or drive you have affects your nervous system through all it’s organs and tissues by a group of chemicals called neuropeptides in the brain. Each thought, feeling, desire, attitude, instinct, or drive you have affects your nervous system by means of these specific messenger units. When scientists investigated immune system cells and t-cells that protect us from cancer and infection, they found that receptors to these same neuropeptides exist in the immune system cells and t-cells. Under emotional distress, the brain may signal the adrenal glands to produce chemicals called corticosteroids, hormones that weaken the immune response. Cancer-related processes are accelerated in the presence of these chemicals as well as other stress hormones like prolactin. Certain cancers have also been associated with distressing life events. In one study, the risk of developing breast cancer was five times higher if the woman had experienced an important emotional loss in the six years prior to the discovery of the tumour. Since the unconscious mind is the controlling intelligence in the body, it is the connection between the mind and the immune system and the unconscious mind can communicate with any part of the body and can stimulate the healing process. Negative and trapped emotions as well as limiting decisions and beliefs connected to past memories trapped in the body are not beneficial to health and can start illness or impede getting well, and that is why we must release them! Many mental, emotional and physical diseases are preceded by a significant negative emotional experience (SEE). Significant emotional experience is any major, highly charged emotional event. However, we might not be fully aware of the significance or gravity of a particular event in the past and its effect on us now. These experiences have the potential to create and often are the source of illness and diminish the quality of life because they are stored in the body and are harmful. These trapped emotions in the body can create obstructions that can impede the flow of nerve information through the neural network pathways and lead to all sorts of problems. Cancer is a disease that scares us the most and is one of the world`s biggest killers. Cancer first begins when one or more of the billions of continued on next page...
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
10 WELLNESS NEWS
November 2010
...from previous page
cells in our body breaks free from it`s normal restraints and starts to multiply in an abnormal, uncontrolled way. This can happen to almost any type of body cell – bone, skin, blood and so on – so there are many types of cancer as there are different cells in the body – about 200. Growth of abnormal cells fall into two broad groups. First are the oncogenes, mutated versions of healthy genes that normally stimulate cell division but, in this instance, become overactive so cell production runs out of control. Secondly, there are mutations that inactivate the tumour-suppresser genes that normally inhibit cell growth. It takes far more than one fault to turn a cell into a cancer cell but, as we go through life, we tend to accumulate genetic mistakes and an accumulation of negative emotional experiences, which is why cancer is more common in the elderly. More than 70 per cent of cancers in the UK occur in the over-65 age group. Could accumulated emotional trauma be a factor here? In about five to ten per cent of cancers, genetic faults are directly inherited, but the other 90 per cent are the result of DNA damage through cancercausing compounds such as tobacco, chemical poisons, certain viruses, ionising radiation, sunlight and diet but what about the rest? It is interesting to note that many cancers seem to develop out of the blue with many beginning in body tissues that were previously normal. I wonder what percentage of cancers develop out of the blue? A huge percentage, I can tell you! Again the connection between emotional stress and cancer survival can be explained by recent findings in psychoneuroimmunology (PNI). Its research suggests that the persistence of cancer cells depends in part on internal body controls that retrain or stimulate tissue growth; psychological factors appear to regulate these controls through neurological, hormonal, and immunologic pathways. These and other mind/body links could play a major role in determining a person’s ability to survive cancer and mind/body therapies should be employed to alleviate these psychological factors. Dr. Hamer in Germany began his own work in Cancer research with a personal tragedy when his teenage son was killed. Several years later, Dr. Hamer developed cancer and survived. He began to research over 10,000 cases, studying the incidence of severe emotional trauma and the onset of cancer and his results were startling. All cancers are caused by damage to the DNA, which in turn, causes faulty genetic instructions to be given to the cell. Damaged cells then reproduce themselves with the same genetic mistake, which makes them grow abnormally to form a tumour. Dr. Hamer through his research directly states that all cancer starts with a severe psychological conflict and when a major SEE occurs, there is trapped emotion in the brain. The brain suffers something like a mild stroke and starts sending wrong information to a specific part of the body, and mutations start in a number of genes there that allow the growth of abnormal cells. Evidence shows that the onsets of cancer symptoms occur one to three years after the SEE. The nature of the SEE determines the area of the brain, the type of cancer, and the rate of its growth. Even a small imagined conflict SEE could be enough to start or restart the cancer symptoms. As soon as the SEE is released, immediately a change occurs in the area where the trapped emotions were. This can be seen on a CT Scan! Once this occurs, the cancer growth stops and healing begins. This link between disease and retained emotion is very real! Toxic emotions are powerful, strongly held, and often unconsciously active beliefs and emotions that help generate symptoms that keep illnesses in place. A thought held long enough and repeated enough becomes a belief and the belief then becomes biology.
* It must be mentioned here that at this time (2005) Dr. Hamer is being accused by the “Tribunal de Grande Instance” in Chambéry, France, of “agitation against medical science and instigation of the New Medicine, with the purpose of its practice” (Inquiry Custody Order since 1993). – Author’s notes The longest study to date, initiated in 1946, focused on students from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Researchers divided 972 of the students into five groups based on various psychological measures. Over the course of three decades, students characterised as “loners” who suppressed their emotions beneath a bland exterior were 16 times more likely to develop cancer than those who gave vent to their feelings. In an earlier report, based on 1,337 students, cancer death rates correlated significantly with a lack of closeness with parents. In Traditional Chinese Medicine – Pan Mingji, in his book Cancer Treatment with Fu Zheng Pei Ben Principle, presents a section on etiology of cancer, listing 5 contributing factors. The first item mentioned is emotional disturbance: Traditional Chinese Medicine embodies changes of spirit and sentiment as the seven emotions: pleasure, anger, grief, fear, yearning, sorrow, surprise, all of which are emotional, physiological reactions of an organism towards external changes in its environment. Emotional disturbance refers to reactions, either excessive (excitation) or insufficient (inhibition) which ultimately leads to disturbances in the flowing of qi and blood and the visceral functions, with subsequent illness. Traditional Chinese Medicine claims rage harms the liver, excessive stimulation harms the heart, grief harms the spleen, great sorrow harms the lungs, and fear harms the kidneys. Though not necessarily precise, this belief points out that emotional injury effects the physiological functions of the qi, blood, viscera, and channels, and lowers the body resistance, resulting in disease. The human body is susceptible to cancer when under emotional stress or disturbance. This is mentioned early in Chinese medical classics, such as Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Internal Medicine and Golden Mirror of Original Medicine. How do you know if you have something to release from a past event? Go back to a memory in your mind that does not contain a trauma or phobia and associate fully into it by putting yourself into the picture and looking through your own eyes. If you recall the memory and you feel any negative emotions and feelings in your body, then that is an indication there is negative emotional content to the memory, and trapped emotion in your body and you need to sort it out. Not only do releasing trapped negative emotions, decisions and beliefs clear up physical health, it also has the potential to improve mental and emotional health. Freedom from the past contributes to an altogether better quality of life, along with motivation and confidence to take charge of your life. Any memory that triggers anger, hurt, sadness, fear or guilt needs to be healed and released through therapeutic interventions. It is also imperative that all traumas and phobias should be eliminated and neutralised with the help of a trained and professional facilitator as a matter of urgency. Meditation and my own Elevated Energy Therapy (EET) Kundalini Protocol are also helpful and important aspects of all the approaches that one can use in quantum depth healing, because it allows you to experience your own source. It allows you to be available to your own experience. When you experience your own source, you realise that you are not your thoughts. You are the thinker behind the thought, the observer behind the observation, the unlimited potential of consciousness. When you have that on the experiential level, you spontaneously realise that you have choices, and that you can action these choices, not through
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
November 2010 willpower alone but spontaneously and naturally Quantum Depth Healing and a quantum approach in therapy addresses the WHOLE PERSON, so it may include a variety of strategies (see below) to deal with negative emotional content to a memory, and trapped emotion in your body. These therapeutic approaches and techniques help release the sequential storage of emotion that is at the root of disease. There are restrictions that block full expression of the Unlimited Essential Self and stop you returning to the wholeness of being and remaining there. By removing the precursor and restrictions, your capacity to be well is infinitely transformed. It is also important to continue any traditional medical treatment that you are undergoing as with all non-traditional approaches, anyone with a life threatening dis-ease should see a medical doctor as well. Working therapeutically through Quantum Depth Healing forms an adjunct to that. Quantum Depth Healing is not just about the physical manifestations of disease but about core level shift in your being, it can help you enter a new phase in your life: to become well and stay well through using and combining the “elevated” therapies listed below through the mind, body and spirit:
Hypnotherapy An efficient, exciting and enlightening tool for your personal, emotional and also spiritual growth if required. A state of deep relaxation in which the unconscious mind is extraordinarily receptive to positive thoughts and suggestions. The goal of this approach is promote an openness of emotions and assist people in dealing with events both past and present without unnecessary difficulties. By expressing yourself and increasing self-awareness – inner harmony, positive feelings and compassion can restore both your mental and physical well-being achieving the inner balance that helps keep negative stress under control. Used also for instilling positive messages in your unconscious and replacing the negative messages thus helping you with your goals and ultimately developing enrichment.
WELLNESS NEWS 11
Forever Oneness, who sings to us in silence, who teaches us through each other. Guide my steps with strength and wisdom. May I see the lessons as I walk, honor the Purpose of all things. Help me touch with respect, always speak from behind my eyes. Let me observe, not judge. May I cause no harm, and leave music and beauty after my visit. When I return to forever may the circle be closed and the spiral be broader. ~ Bee Lake (aboriginal elder)
continued on next page...
DR PHILLIP KEENAN BDS, MSc, MFDS RCS With 18 years experience Phillip is a caring General Dentist who enjoys all aspects of dentistry, but in particular working with patients requiring complex dentures. He has postgraduate qualifications in denture construction. He has worked previously at the Oral Health Centre of WA constructing dentures for patients referred from Fremantle Hospital with head and neck cancer. This training has given Phillip a good understanding of the particular needs and difficulties experienced by this patient group. With his move into general practice, Phillip is now pleased to offer his expertise without the need for hospital referrals. The surgery benefits form convenient parking and has easy wheelchair access.
Tel (08) 9384 1644 Fax (08) 9384 1617 www.cottesloedental.com.au
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
12 WELLNESS NEWS
November 2010
We should remind ourselves that the words “healing” and “holy” come from the same original idea of “making whole”.
Transpersonal Hypnosis Used as a tool to access and explore the fascinating realm of the unconscious and spiritual mind and the higher self. It can help by going beyond the individual to consider the deep connections between human beings and our capacity to transcend the limitations of a three-dimensional consciousness. This can also help you to uncover unresolved issues and release restrictive emotions and memories so you can regain balance and control of your life.
NLP Neuro-Linguistic Programming studies the structure of how you individually think and experience the world. From this information, techniques for quickly and effectively changing thoughts, behaviours and beliefs that limit you have been developed.
Reiki A method of natural healing based on the application of Universal Life Force Energy. It is not the popular conception of removal of symptoms. Healing is full and complete resolution of the causes of your disease. Healing is returning to a state of alignment with your Higher Self or true way of being.
Chakra Balancing Balancing and realigning your Chakras and Meridian Lines which may be distorted, out of alignment or even stagnant. This blocks life force energy flowing in and out freely and your physical body may suffer. Stress, inability to express emotions, beliefs incongruent with Truth, disconnection from a higher power, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, exposure to toxicity, negative emotions etc. can cause your chakra system to close down.
Rebirthing Using breathwork and focussed awareness to easily release long-suppressed negative blocked emotions which brings about massive and positive changes in your health, consciousness, self-esteem, personal power and life in general.
Focusing Consists of specific steps for getting a body sense of how you are in a particular life situation. It begins with the body and occurs in the zone between the conscious and the unconscious. Focusing is coming to know the whole of what your experience “knows,” about whatever it is you are dealing with just now. Focusing is more than being in touch with your feelings, greater than just thinking about your problem and different from body work. You experience a physical change in the way that the issue is being lived in the body. You learn to live in a deeper place than just thoughts or feelings. The whole issue looks different and new solutions arise.
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
November 2010
The Energy Psychotherapies Working with your emotions and disruptions in your body’s energy system through stimulating certain meridian points while you are “tuned in” to the problem or issue. This rapidly eliminates/neutralises negative emotions and the self-limiting beliefs which lead to your numerous everyday problems of human adjustment, personal ineffectiveness, emotional pain, dissatisfaction, and personal blocks.
Energy Medicine For moving and freeing Body, Mind and Spirit through the body’s energy systems. Your health problems can be diminished, and overcome, by intelligently shifting the energies that maintain them. By keeping your energies balanced and humming, you increase your vitality, effectiveness, and joy in life! All of the above approaches can help and support the neutralising of infections – repairing relationships – building one’s self-esteem – improving the immune system – releasing pent-up emotional charges – eliminating residue of physical trauma – dealing with experiences of shock – reprogramming old patterns – re-establishing proper communication amongst organs, systems, meridians and the brain – finding your own path in life and fulfilling deficient matrix-patterns in your Energy Field. Releasing trapped negative emotions, decisions and beliefs helps to clear up physical health as well as mental and emotional health, helping you to become well and stay well. We should remind ourselves that the words “healing” and “holy” come from the same original idea of “making whole”. So, begin your joyous journey NOW along the road to your “true”, “well” and “WHOLE” self. ✦
This article is from the Elevated Therapy International website: www.elevatedtherapy.org. uk. Dr. Michael G Millett is not a Medical Doctor and wrote this article to enhance public access to help and information and its initiatives and therapy and personal development in general. His goal is to keep information timely and accurate and ultimately empower people. Any person with medical or deep or complicated emotional, psychological, and / or spiritual issues should seek professional help, medical intervention or personal counselling, healing or therapy face to face immediately and not use the information in this article to diagnose or treat.
WELLNESS NEWS 13
CARE OF THE SOUL IN MODERN MEDICINE
I n his latest volume on everyday upkeep of the soul,
psychotherapist/theologist and prolific author Moore (Care of the Soul, Soul Mates, Dark Knights of the Soul) looks at the ways that health care addresses the spirit and soul – with body, the three distinct aspects of the human condition – and the how it can do so better. Addressing providers and patients, Moore gives readers ways to tell if a doctor works with his soul, explaining why a good bedside manner – a sense of connection, a willingness to take off the mask – is a vital characteristic of an effective healer, but also addresses topics like a provider’s sense of calling, spiritual meaning, the relevance of emotional and personality issues, and the physical environment itself. An understanding of often-unconscious factors he calls “emotional complexes” is key, and Moore takes readers through his concepts with an insightful and accessible voice, offering much reassurance and love as he goes. Citing his extensive scholarly background and his own experience with doctors, Moore challenges the modern notion of dispassionate and highly regimented health care, offering practical and conceptually simple ideas to incorporate awareness of “soul” into the health care equation. Few experiences stir the emotions and throw a person into crisis as illness does. If affects not only the body but also the spirit and soul. Illness is about life and death, fear and hope, love and conflict, spirit and body. And yet, the healthcare system is not structured around these considerations—our doctors and other medical professionals are not trained to deal with the whole person. Care of the Soul In Medicine is Moore’s manifesto about the future of healthcare. In this new vision of care, Moore speaks to the importance of healing a person rather than simply treating a body. He gives advice to both healthcare providers and patients for maintaining dignity and humanity. He provides spiritual guidance for dealing with feelings of mortality and threat, encouraging patients to not only take an active part in healing but also to view illness as a positive passage to new awareness. While we don’t fully understand the extent to which healing depends on attitude; it has been shown that healing needs to focus on more than the body. Care of the Soul in Medicine represents Moore’s vision for improving health care. It spells out how health-care workers can care for their patients as whole persons—body, soul, and spirit. While sharing stories from his personal and professional life, he gives advice to both health-care providers and patients for maintaining dignity and humanity, providing spiritual guidance for dealing with feelings of mortality and threat, encouraging patients to not only take an active part in healing but also to view illness as a positive passage to new awareness. Thomas has spent thirty years as a psychotherapist and knows firsthand the deep issues involved in suffering and healing. For this book in particular, he has participated in dozens of medical conferences, visited hospitals and medical schools in several countries, and dedicated two years, two days a month, to interviewing every kind of worker, from the CEO to the housekeeping staff of St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut. Among the medical centers where he has lectured are McGill University Medical School, the University of Tennessee Medical School, the University of Minnesota program in Spirituality and Healing, the Mayo Clinic, NYU Cancer Center, Sloan-Kettering, Hermann Memorial in Houston, the Irish Hospice Foundation, and several smaller non-teaching hospitals and hospices. The book is written to both caregivers and patients, offering ideas for enriching their sense of calling and responsiveness and specific solutions to common problems in health care. ✦
Review from www.amazon.com. Care of the Soul in Modern Medicine is availoable from amazon. com and bookstores.
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
14 WELLNESS NEWS
November 2010
Diet & Recovery from Chronic Disease By Ron Schmid, ND
“Chronic diseases often linger and recur. What appears to happen is that we go far enough with our diets to alleviate symptoms, but not far enough for long enough to completely change the body in a way that eliminates all traces of the disease.”
Weston Price showed us that the fundamental cause of disease is inadequate nutrition. In virtually
every indigenous culture he visited and studied, from tropical regions to the extreme north, people who were eating entirely according to the traditional wisdom of their ancestors were immune to chronic diseases. His interviews of medical practitioners who served in these areas confirmed the fact that diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, tuberculosis and gastrointestinal problems requiring surgical intervention did not occur until the people began eating “the white man’s foods” – sugar, flour, vegetable oils, canned goods and other refined foods.1 Price was not alone in his discoveries. In the first three decades of the twentieth century, many explorers, anthropologists and physicians who traveled in remote areas and lived amongst traditional people described the splendid health and absence of chronic disease these people enjoyed.2,3 I first read Price’s classic work, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, in the 1970s when I was studying to be a naturopathic physician. I began incorporating the dietary principles I learned into my own diet, and this step was instrumental in healing my chronic intestinal problems. Then, as I began my work as a physician, I used the principles I learned from Dr. Price with my patients. In 1987, I published my first book, Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine, in which I wrote extensively about Dr. Price’s work and its application. And yet, many of the people who have consulted with me over the years have had the same problem that I had: despite having some understanding of the nutritional principles that Dr. Price discovered and elucidated, they often have great difficulty in finding and implementing a diet that will prevent or reverse chronic diseases.
WRONG ASSUMPTIONS One mistake made by nearly anyone seeking healing through food is the assumption that one diet is right for everyone. A corollary of this premise is the notion that a diet that worked well for you for a while will continue to be right for you indefinitely. On the contrary, each of us has different needs and idiosyncrasies. What works beautifully for me may not work well for you, and vice-versa. Furthermore,
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
November 2010
WELLNESS NEWS 15
one’s needs change over time, so that your “best diet” today may well need to evolve dramatically over the weeks, months and years.
disease, acute or chronic. Yet here I was with a debilitating case of Lyme disease. What was going on?
An example: if you go from a diet of mostly steak, pasta, Scotch and cheesecake, to raw fruits, vegetables and juices, you might well feel better, lose unwanted weight, and think you’ve discovered the fountain of youth – for a while. But at some point – a point that will vary markedly for different people – you’ll run into trouble. And many people will then think, “Gee, I did great on that diet. Why won’t it work now? Something else must be wrong since my diet is fine.”
My lab tests made it clear that my Lyme was chronic, that I’d had it for some time. The unexplained symptoms I’d been experiencing before the acute attack confirmed that the problem had existed for many months. I’d continued to function at an intense physical level – two or three hours of tennis many days and runs of five to fifteen miles a couple of times a week. In fact, I was overdoing it, and eventually the Lyme overwhelmed my system and I became acutely ill. But the question remained, why had I been susceptible to Lyme?
But this is probably the wrong conclusion. The physical part of the explanation for health problems can almost always be found in the diet. My objective in this article is to explain some ideas about how each individual may use the nutritional principles Dr. Price discovered in order to move toward his or her health goals. I’m a believer in the ancient credo “Physician, heal thyself,” so I will start out with my own case and go on from there to details about my work with patients and then generalizations I think apply to most of us.
Because of my basic assumption that the fundamental cause of all disease is faulty diet, I went back to the drawing board. I decided to question all my assumptions and make any changes that seemed reasonable.
THE CHOLESTEROL TRAP I initially fell into the trap of being overly influenced by the conventional wisdom about animal fats and cholesterol. Like most of us, I’d been thoroughly indoctrinated about the alleged dangers, and in the 1970s and 1980s I read a lot of literature about “primitive” and “Paleolithic” diets, which maintained that such diets, while high in protein, were low in fat. I bought into this idea, and advocated the use of moderate amounts of meat and raw dairy foods along with large amounts of vegetables, fish, and some fruit and whole grains (a diet not unlike that which many Price Foundation members report that they eat). Now that is a diet that many people do very well with for some time, and this was true for me. But as I described above, the belief that the same diet that you may have thrived on for a number of years will always be right for you is often fallacious. It’s quite natural to make this error; we all become attached to the things we like, to our routines. Change is difficult.
AN ATTACK OF LYME In the summer of 2002, I came down with a severe and debilitating case of Lyme disease. I’d had unexplained joint and muscle pain for several weeks, which I’d attributed to the normal strains of being an aging athlete. On a hot summer evening after a long run in extreme heat, I experienced severe shooting pains throughout my upper body, with fever and chills, headache and a variety of other extremely uncomfortable symptoms. Only my training as a naturopathic physician kept me from going to the emergency room – I knew there was nothing conventional medicine could do for me that I would want done. These symptoms raged on for several days, and I sent a sample of my blood to a laboratory that confirmed what I suspected – I was having an acute attack of chronic Lyme disease. In the late 1990s, I had finally figured out, with the help of the Weston A. Price Foundation, that optimal native diets were invariably high in the fat-soluble activators available in animal fats. I’d begun using more raw dairy foods and fatty meats to complement the huge amount of raw vegetables and moderate amounts of fresh fish and fruit that I’d eaten for decades. When I came down with Lyme, I’d just begun working on my next book, The Untold Story of Milk, which was published a year later. I thought my diet was great. But why did I get sick? I’ve always maintained that if health is optimal, one should be resistant to all
Understanding what Weston Price taught – as complicated as that is – is really just the beginning of understanding how to use food to prevent and heal chronic disease. Think of it this way: Price studied cultures all over the world, all of which ate wildly different diets. From the vast amount of information he gathered, he extracted certain principles about what foods were most important and the nutrients those foods contained. Based upon these principles, we must try to choose, from the foods available to us today, those that will best supply the essential nutrients common to these varied traditional diets. In so doing, it’s essential to decide what the optimal proportions of different foods are, how much of each to eat. Then there is the question of which foods, and how much of them, are best eaten raw or undercooked. These are among the issues I looked at in tackling my Lyme problem. I resolved that I would not take antibiotics. When the disease is diagnosed early, when it initially appears, antibiotics are not unreasonable, and often eradicate the organism that is involved in Lyme. Many people go this route and never have a further problem. However, once Lyme is established for several months, as mine was, conventional treatment calls for months of intravenous antibiotics. Results are at best mixed; I’ve interviewed many patients who continued to suffer severe symptoms in spite of such treatment. The symptoms of chronic Lyme tend to exacerbate into acute attacks lasting a few days about every four weeks, and that was my experience. A month after my first acute attack, I again had several days of marked symptoms, but this time only about half as severe as the initial attack. I’d been applying what I’d learned, and was eating much more animal food and much more raw food (more on this later). It took me three or four months to get to the point where I felt 95 percent well, to where I was playing tennis and running again (although less than before, having decided that there is wisdom in moderation and that discretion is the better part of valor). During my recovery, I was writing The Untold Story of Milk, and in the spring we bought the small farm where we now live.
RECOVERY My recovery from Lyme is complete; I do the usual farm chores, milk cows, build fences, carry heavy stuff, play some tennis and go for an occasional run. I feel “100 percent.” And yet, the Lyme is there, and I think perhaps it may remain with me for several years. We’ve learned to live together. This requires some explanation. I’ve often seen individuals recover from a chronic disease only to have the problem recur within a few months or years. Related to this is the fact that we all have health problems that go back to our continued on next page...
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
16 WELLNESS NEWS
November 2010
...from previous page
younger years, which tend to come back periodically. It appears that with concerted effort in the areas of diet and lifestyle, chronic issues can usually be controlled to one degree or another, but they continue to lurk beneath the surface, only to emerge again when one lets one’s guard down, so to speak. I believe that the key to healing more completely, at a deeper level, and eliminating the recurrence of chronic problems, is the same as the key to establishing a path of recovery initially in dealing with a chronic disease. And that is to be very thorough in one’s approach to diet. Special food extracts, supplemental nutrients, and natural and herbal medicines should be used to complement the diet. But the details of the diet and the supplements taken should be highly individualized according to one’s tastes, medical history, resources and health goals.
COMMON MISTAKES The observations of Price and other anthropologists studying native people in their indigenous state and in the early stages of modernization made it clear that even small amounts of “the white man’s foods” resulted in sickness. We tend to think in black and white terms: that native people were eating their native diets and were immune to disease, and then they started eating lots of white flour and sugar and got sick. What really happened was in many cases much more subtle. Physicians on Arctic expeditions in the 1920s and 1930s, referred to above, found that the introduction of relatively small amounts of refined flour products into otherwise pristine native diets resulted in some natives developing high blood pressure and heart disease. Northern Indians and Eskimos Price studied in trading villages commonly ate a combination of native foods and refined foods, and many developed the diseases of civilization. Meanwhile, Josef Romeg, a surgeon who spent 35 years amongst native Eskimos and Indians and who was interviewed by Price in 1933, found that native Alaskans with tuberculosis usually recovered when returned to their remote native villages – where none of the white man’s foods was available. This calls to mind the work of Max Gerson, a medical doctor who developed a dietary treatment for cancer and other chronic diseases in the 1930s. Gerson’s regime involved large amounts of raw vegetable juices and raw liver juice (extracted in a special way by pressure, not by pulverization); fermented raw milk; a variety of natural medications; and strict avoidance of everything not specifically included in his program. Very thorough documentation exists showing that many of Gerson’s patients recovered from advanced cancer (virtually all had not had chemotherapy, a highly toxic therapy that severely impairs chances of recovery by natural means). Gerson was adamant that the use of even the smallest amounts of what he called forbidden foods would prevent recovery.
It’s important to realise that we’re considering here the optimal diet for people with very serious medical problems. What may work well for the vast majority of basically healthy people is very different from the far more stringent routine that seriously ill people may require. The observations of Price, the early anthropologists and Dr. Gerson are entirely consistent with my own observations over the past twentyfive years. While most patients feel better and make at least a partial recovery from medical problems by adopting a diet that includes more of the foods Price showed us are critical to good health, at the same time many limit the extent of their recovery by their inability to go further in eliminating the refined foods that cause problems, while failing to include adequate amounts of superior foods. With this background, here are what I believe to be the two most common mistaken thoughts my patients have in attempting to recover from serious medical problems. 1. A little bit of refined foods won’t hurt. 2. A modest amount of high-quality animal foods is enough. I’ve described some of the evidence that shows why number one is a mistaken thought. From hundreds of case histories from my own practice, let me give three examples as further evidence. A 45 year-old man with chronic herpes for years remains completely symptom-free for several months but when he eats one or two commercial walnuts or a small cup of soup at a health food store, he breaks out with herpes sores the next day. A 60-year-old woman with painful arthritis in her hips is pain-free for weeks until eating three or four cookies at a birthday party for her grandson. The next day, her pain is so severe she has difficulty walking. A 22 year-old man with a ten-year history of epileptic seizures at least every two weeks has no seizures for three months. One afternoon, he has several handfuls of dried fruit and commercial cashews as a “treat.” Three hours later, his roommate finds him in the midst of a grand mal seizure, and he is hospitalized for several days. These are not coincidences. Through careful observation of my patients and my own body, I’ve concluded that every food eaten has subtle (or sometimes obvious) effects. The second common mistake in thinking – that a modest amount of high-quality animal foods is enough – requires first at least a brief explanation of what high-quality animal foods are. Put simply, these are foods that come from animals fed their natural diets – grass-fed farm animals, wild game and wild seafood. This would include raw milk and the foods made from it (cheese, yoghurt, kefir and especially butter and cream); red meats, especially organ meats;
Meditation Made Easy weekly meditation classes with Bavali Hill every Monday at CSA from 10am to 11.30am. Cost: Free for CSA Members, $5 for non-members. Newcomers welcome. No bookings necessary. www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
November 2010
WELLNESS NEWS 17
fish and shellfish; and eggs from free-range chickens. How much should be eaten raw and how much cooked, and how cooked, is an important but highly individual matter; however, the dairy products should always be raw. (Some individuals have problems with even the best raw milk and raw milk cheeses and should avoid dairy.) Many of these are the farm-fresh foods we’ve been taught to be afraid of because they contain cholesterol and saturated fat. And even when one has some understanding of Price’s work, there’s a tendency to think that one shouldn’t eat too much of these foods, perhaps just to be safe, to hedge one’s bets a bit. And the mixed diet we’ve all been taught is essential – lots of fruits and vegetables and whole grains – only leaves so much room for animal foods.
THE FAT-SOLUBLE ACTIVATORS This principle is easy to understand in light of Dr. Price’s discoveries about the importance of fat-soluble activators found in significant quantity only in seafood and certain fats of grass-fed animals. The natural forms of vitamins A and D are crucial for mineral metabolism and immune function. The nutrient Price called “Activator X,” most richly concentrated in milk fat from cows grazing on rapidly growing pasture, may be the most important activator of all. Price was able to reverse tooth decay and cure many diseases using “X-Factor” butter oil concentrate in conjunction with high-vitamin cod liver oil. The dosage of X-factor oil Price used to treat a four-year old boy suffering with rampant tooth decay and an unhealed fracture is instructive – a “large spoonful” five times a day! When I became ill with Lyme disease, I had for many years used cod liver oil daily, but not the highvitamin type, and X-factor oil was not available. (Also, intense exercise depletes vitamin A and I was doing that on a daily basis.) I switched to high-vitamin cod liver oil, and when it became available about a year and a half ago, I added X-factor oil to my supplements. I’ve since used 2 large tablespoonfuls a day of high-vitamin cod liver oil, providing about 70,000 IU of vitamin A and 7,000 IU of vitamin D, and two or three teaspoons of X-factor oil. “High vitamin” cod liver oil is something of a misnomer, for it actually is “normal-vitamin” cod liver oil. Most popular brands of cod liver oil today have been molecularly distilled to remove up to ninety percent of the vitamin A and D. This is in response to the general fear of overdosing on these vitamins, a fear which has been magnified to the point that many doctors now tell their pregnant patients not to eat liver. This fear is based on misinformation, for it is the synthetic forms of vitamins A and D that are toxic in even moderate doses. The natural forms of these vitamins, as found in cod liver oil, liver and butterfat from cows grazing on green grass, are not toxic even in amounts far greater than the substantial amounts that I and many of my patients take. The “high vitamin” cod liver oil we use is actually cod liver oil that contains the normal content of vitamins A and D that naturally occur in this oil, a superfood that has been used for centuries as an elixir.
We go far enough with our diets to alleviate symptoms, but not far enough for long enough to completely change the body in a way that eliminates all traces of the disease.
Cod liver oil also provides the fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), unknown in Dr. Price’s day but now recognized as important factors to human health.
RAW VERSUS FERMENTED Prior to getting Lyme disease, I had for decades habitually consumed a large raw vegetable salad nearly every day. But about two years ago, I switched to fermented vegetables almost exclusively, primarily unpasteurized kimchee, which is loaded with live enzymes. Fermented vegetables are wonderful for digestion, and provide far more enzymes than fresh salad vegetables. I believe that the healthiest diets are built around grassfed animals (meat, organs and bones) and raw milk products, and fermented vegetables. Traditionally prepared vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds, fruits and other foods play complementary roles.
CAN’T EAT TOO MUCH These facts provide a basis for understanding the principle that most people with chronic disease simply can’t eat too much top quality animal food. It’s my belief that this simple but little understood principle is a key to recovering from chronic disease. It certainly has been central in my recovery from Lyme disease; I have lived on little but raw milk, raw or very undercooked grassfed beef, and fermented vegetables, along with my cod liver oil and X-factor butter oil supplements, for over a year now. continued on next page...
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
18 WELLNESS NEWS
November 2010 ...from previous page
I mentioned above the fact that chronic diseases often linger and recur. What appears to happen is that we go far enough with our diets to alleviate symptoms, but not far enough for long enough to completely change the body in a way that eliminates all traces of the disease. Gerson found that eighteen months of intense therapy (and the therapy was incredibly intense, calling for twelve glasses daily of raw vegetable juice, three glasses of raw liver juice, fermented raw milk, coffee enemas, a host of supplements and various other special foods) were required to have a reasonable chance of eliminating cancer or other serious chronic diseases. Even then recurrences would strike if one strayed too far from a very careful diet. My own belief is that human beings are designed to function optimally on a diet made up exclusively of perfect food. When after a lifetime – be it 20, 40, 60 or 80 years – of eating way too much of the wrong stuff, we begin eating the right stuff, it just takes time for the body to really come around. One might feel better quite rapidly indeed, even after just a few days; I see this often in my patients. But a deep and thorough healing appears to be a very long process.
The reward of a willingness to experiment and make changes can be profound; the confidence that one’s body will function smoothly and effortlessly into advanced age may provide a unique satisfaction. And when and if it doesn’t – well, then back to the drawing board; life is change, and every symptom has a lesson.
And the kicker is that even small amounts of poorly chosen or even less-than-optimal foods appear to slow down or derail the healing process. An example: early in dealing with my Lyme disease, I adopted an all raw-foods approach for a time, including raw meat and fish and raw milk. I also included unprocessed, unheated honey. Over the course of a few months, it became clear to me that honey was one factor in my diet that was clearly responsible for the continued low-level symptoms of Lyme I experienced. Honey was something I simply could not eat if I wanted full recovery. Similarly, there was no place for any but the smallest amount of fruit in my diet if I wanted a complete recovery. This need to eliminate nearly everything sweet in order to get well has been the case for many of my patients, people with a wide variety of medical problems. The highly addictive nature of not only sweets and other highly processed modern foods, but also carbohydrates in general, including whole grain foods, makes the extreme regime of the milk cure or any similar program based on animal foods a difficult proposition for many people to accept. The heart of the matter lies in the relative importance one assigns food in the overall scope of one’s life. To put it in terms of extremes: some people see food as entertainment, as an end in itself, and some see food as fuel, as a means to an end. Of course we all fall somewhere in between these extremes, but most of us fall closer to one pole than the other. The more food becomes a means to an end, the easier it is to gravitate to foods that promote health. This does not mean that eating simple foods cannot be a great pleasure. In fact, the tastes of plain foods – fresh raw milk, unadorned meat or fish, perhaps raw or lightly cooked with butter and perhaps spices, fermented vegetables – become more pronounced and satisfying as one consistently avoids sweets, breads and other prepared foods. The satisfying and satiating taste of animal fat far surpasses the instant and temporary allure of sweets and starches. While it is clear to me that carbohydrates that are either refined or are not prepared in traditional ways are to one degree or another a problem for people seeking recovery from chronic disease, the role of traditionally prepared sprouted and fermented grains is much less clear to me. I simply don’t have much experience with the latter (I’m a food-for-fuel type). It seems to me that these foods may often play a role in healing diets, for Price found healthy traditional cultures that included traditionally prepared grains. And too, I know of
at CSA with Master Andrew Lim Every Wednesday from 12:30pm to 2pm in the Sun Room at CSA. Cost $5.00 (CSA members) or $10.00 per class www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
November 2010 numerous reliable reports of people recovering from chronic problems using mixed diets that included traditionally prepared grains as well as bone broths. At the same time, I believe it pays to be aware of how different each of us is when it comes to nutrition and healing. The principles Dr. Price discovered apply to each and every one of us, yet it appears that many of us have idiosyncrasies that profoundly affect our ability to heal and obtain optimal health. The reward of a willingness to experiment and make changes can be profound; the confidence that one’s body will function smoothly and effortlessly into advanced age may provide a unique satisfaction. And when and if it doesn’t – well, then back to the drawing board; life is change, and every symptom has a lesson. ✦
References 1. Weston A. Price, DDS. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, The Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, San Diego, CA, 1945, 1970. 2. Ron Schmid, ND. The Untold Story of Milk. New Trends Publishing, Washington, DC, 2003
The Gawler Foundation 12 week Cancer Self-Help Program
Cancer, Healing & Wellbeing Facilitated by Cathy Brown. Starts: Wednesday, 2nd February 2011. 10am to 12.30pm weekly at CSA
BOOK NOW FOR 2011!
3. Edward Howell, MD. Enzyme Nutrition, Avery Publishing, Wayne, NJ, 1985.
This article by Dr Schmid is from the Weston A. Price Foundation website: www.westonaprice.org. Dr. Schmid has been licensed to practice naturopathic medicine since 1981. The Weston A. Price Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charity founded in 1999 to disseminate the research of nutrition pioneer Dr. Weston Price, whose studies of isolated nonindustrialized peoples established the parameters of human health and determined the optimum characteristics of human diets. Dr. Price’s research demonstrated that humans achieve perfect physical form and perfect health generation after generation only when they consume nutrient-dense whole foods and the vital fatsoluble activators found exclusively in animal fats. The Foundation publishes a quarterly journal, Wise Traditions in Food, Farming, and the Healing Arts.
What are patients to do? According to a recent article in a medical journal (Lucia 2003), about
70 percent of people with cancer report feelings of fatigue after surgery or during radiotherapy or chemotherapy. This fatigue can devastate the patient’s quality of life and aggravate other symptoms such as pain and nausea. Common sense and intuition may dictate that exhausted cancer patients should get plenty of rest and avoid physical activity. However, by coincidence, in the October issue of Lancet Oncology (the Lancet’s sister publication), exercise physiologists and fitness specialists discuss how to use low or moderate exercise to benefit cancer patients, reducing or even eliminating the need for drugs. The quality of life for cancer patients, they say, can be greatly improved with the right exercise program. The authors cite the example of Lance Armstrong, who bounced back from his own chemotherapy-related fatigue to win the Tour de France (“the hardest endurance race…that human beings can undertake”) not just once but for the last five years in a row. “Both people with cancer and their physicians should view his achievements as a highly motivating reference and a testimony to the usefulness of exercise in promoting physiological function,” the authors write. We must keep faith that there are non-pharmacological solutions to the common problems of cancer patients, although our drug-oriented mainstream media is unlikely to tell us about them during prime time. ✦ By Dr. Ralph W. Moss. from the Moss Reports blog: www. , 23rd April 2010.
WELLNESS NEWS 19
“Cancer is a challenge – something you can conquer. Use it to make changes in your life – the things you have always been going to do. Do them now and change them now. Be open to things you may never have explored before.”
ON THE PROGRAMME YOU WILL LEARN TO: • • • •
Activate your potential for healing Relax effortlessly and meditate deeply Develop and sustain a positive state of mind Understand the role of nutrition and healthy diet for healing • Develop strategies to manage pain and fear • Find meaning and purpose in life
WEEKLY TOPICS INCLUDE: Week 1: Introduction and Meditation 1 Week 2: Meditation 2 Week 3: Mind Training 1 Week 4: Food 1 Week 5: Food 2 Week 6: Pain Management Week 7: Healing Week 8: Causes and solutions for cancer Week 9: Mind Training 2 Week 10: Living and Dying Week 11: Healthy Emotions Week 12: Health and Wellbeing
Cost: $350 per person. Limited Places. Contact CSA to book.
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
“Drawing is a way to deepen
the spiritual practice of seeing.” Alex Grey
the visonar� ar� of Alex Grey Alex Grey is one of the rare truly-inspired artists of our age. He not only paints humans with medical precision, but he also paints many dimensions of the actual human being. That is, he paints the actual subtle energy bodies of the human, as well as the obvious physical flesh body – creating a separate painting for each “plane” or “dimension” of the human energy field. This is truly higherconsciousness “visioning”! His paintings thereby offer a “glimpse” into the actual subtle auric energy-fields of humans. His art combines the Sacred-Divine with the precision-externalization of multi-dimensional vision.
Alex Grey in Aust�alia
For the first time visionary artists Alex and Allyson Grey will step foot upon Australian soil to present their radiant portfolio of visionary paintings, drawings, and multimedia to art, science and music lovers across the nation.The main event in Melbourne will take place at the iconic AstorTheatre in St. Kilda on Saturday January 29th 2011, featuring an artistic showcase and interactive discussion with both Alex and Allyson followed by a live painting performance. Displaying their finely detailed images of subconscious symbolism, this full day with the Greys will allow each participant to truly delve into the artistic realm of Alex and Allyson Grey and their transformative works of art. This spectacular event is bound to inspire, encourage, and transform. For more details details for the Alex and Allyson Grey AustralianTour sign up to the newsletter at www.agmtours.com
The Vast Ex�anse
I acknowledge the privilege of being alive in a human body at this moment, endowed with senses, memories, emotions, thoughts, and the space of mind in its wisdom aspect. It is the prayer of my innermost being to realise my supreme identity in the liberated play of consciousness, the Vast Expanse. Now is the moment, Here is the place of Liberation. Witness the contents of mind, the visions and sounds, the thoughts, as clouds passing through the vast expanse – the sky-like nature of mind. The rootedness of Being is in emptiness, clarity and awareness: unborn, unspoilt, stainlessly pure. The infinite vibratory levels, the dimensions of interconnectedness are without end. There is nothing independent. All beings and things are residents in your awareness. I subject my awareness to the perfection of being, the perfection of wisdom and perfection of love, all of these being co-present in the Vast Expanse. I share this panorama of Being and appreciate all I can share it with...the seamless interweaving of consciousness with each moment. Create perfection wherever you go with your awareness. That is why this teaching is admired by artists – they sense the correctness of the response to life as creative. Life is infinite creative play. Enjoyment and participation in this creative play is the artists profound joy. We co-author every moment with universal creativity. To bare our souls is all we ask, to give all we have to life and the beings surrounding us. Here the nature spirits are intense and we appreciate them, make offerings to them – these nature spirits who call us here – sealing our fate with each other, celebrating our love. I am an intersecting kaleidoscope of Being in a rainbow refractive wave pattern: a corpuscle of light on the ocean...the transparency of my body with the rocks...sometimes the only way to summarize my feelings is to draw – to collapse the frenzy in my limbs enough to make a mark out of profound appreciation for my existence. Share your presence with others, no boundaries, completely openly lovingly. Love is what makes us alive, that is why we feel so alive when we love. Service is being available to love. Life is the combustion of love. That we love ourselves here, that is the true magnificence in the mountains of being. We are constantly drawing the line between love and not love – enter into the Non-duality Zone, and all judgements dissolve in the Vast Expanse. It’s as though we are co-conspirators of consciousness – everyone, everywhere, everywhen, mixing up our openable minds. It’s as though we could gather clouds in the sky and people into our lives. Like an eruption of consciousness, we discover the most important force is love. Experience yourself as the Source and appreciate every moment as perfection. Sunrise – Sunset. Thank you, Thank you, Creator, profound unstoppable connectedness of all beings, pattern to everything, most radical no-thing, the Vast Expanse. All images and “The Vast Expanse” are by Alex Grey. For more information on the art of Alex Grey and The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors go to www.alexgrey.com.
22 WELLNESS NEWS
November 2010
Healing
A BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVE
Compiled by Ven. Pende Hawter
What is healing? What do we mean by healing? Do we mean healing of the physical body, healing of the psyche/soul/mind, or both of these. What is the connection between body and mind?
Many modern healing techniques regard successful healing as the cure of the presenting physical problem, whether this be symptoms of cancer, AIDS, chronic fatigue syndrome, or some other illness. If the person does not recover from the presenting physical problem, or if that problem recurs or another develops at a later time, this may be regarded as failure.
It is not uncommon in these situations for the therapist or organisation that has been helping the “sick” person to infer or state that the person must have done something wrong, that they haven’t stuck strictly enough to the diet or meditated enough or done whatever else it was that they were supposed to do. In these situations the person can feel guilty, depressed or angry. In many cases, they just give up hope. To avoid these problems, it is necessary to consider a more comprehensive view of healing that incorporates not only physical healing but mental healing.
MIND IS THE CREATOR To understand healing from the Buddhist perspective, a useful starting point is to consider the Buddhist concept of mind. The mind is non-physical. It is formless, shapeless, colourless, genderless and has the ability to cognize or know. The basic nature of mind is pure, limitless and pervasive, like the sun shining unobstructedly in a clear sky. The problems or sickness we experience are like clouds in the sky obscuring the sun. Just as the clouds temporarily block the sun but are not of the same nature as the sun, our problems or sickness are temporary and the causes of them can be removed from the mind. From the Buddhist perspective, the mind is the creator of sickness and health. In fact, the mind is believed to be the creator of all of our problems. That is, the cause of disease is internal, not external. Unlimited potential You are probably familiar with the concept of karma, which literally means action. All of our actions lay down imprints on our mindstream which have the potential to ripen at some time in the future. These actions can be positive, negative or neutral. These karmic seeds are never lost. The negative ones can ripen at any time in the form of problems or sickness; the positive ones in the form of happiness, health or success.
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
November 2010 To heal present sickness, we have to engage in positive actions now. To prevent sickness occurring again in the future, we have to purify, or clear, the negative karmic imprints that remain on our mindstream. Karma is the creator of all happiness and suffering. If we don’t have negative karma we will not get sick or receive harm from others. Buddhism asserts that everything that happens to us now is the result of our previous actions, not only in this lifetime but in other lifetimes. What we do now determines what will happen to us in the future. In terms of present and future healing, the main objective is to guard our own actions, or karma. This requires constant mindfulness and awareness of all the actions of our body, speech and mind. We should avoid carrying out any actions that are harmful to ourselves and to others. Buddhism is therefore a philosophy of total personal responsibility. We have the ability to control our destiny, including the state of our body and mind. Each one of us has unlimited potential – what we have to do is develop that potential. Healthy mind, healthy body Why do some people get ill while others remain in the best of health? Consider skin cancer. Of all the people who spend many hours out in the sun, some will develop skin cancer and others will not. The external situation is the same for all of them, but only some will be affected. The secondary cause of the skin cancer – the sun – is external, but the primary cause – the imprints laid down on the mindstream by previous actions – is internal. Also, people with similar types of cancer will often respond quite differently to the same treatment, whether this be orthodox or alternative. Some will make a complete recovery. Some will recover temporarily and then develop a recurrence. Others will rapidly become worse and die. Logically one has to look to the mind for the cause of these differences. Buddhism asserts that for lasting healing to occur, it is necessary to heal not only the current disease with medicines and other forms of treatment, but also the cause of the disease, which originates from the mind. If we do not heal or purify the mind, the sickness and problems will recur again and again. This introduces the notion of “ultimate healing”. By ridding the mind of all its accumulated “garbage”, all of the previously committed negative actions and thoughts, and their imprints, we can be free of problems and sickness permanently. We can achieve ultimate healing – a state of permanent health and happiness. In order to heal the mind and hence the body, we have to eliminate negative thoughts and their imprints, and replace them with positive thoughts and imprints.
THE INNER ENEMY The basic root of our problems and sickness is selfishness, what we can call the inner enemy. Selfishness causes us to engage in negative actions, which place negative imprints on the mindstream. These negative actions can be of body, speech or mind, such as thoughts of jealousy, anger and greed. Selfish thoughts also increase pride, which results in feelings of jealousy towards those higher than us, superiority towards those lower than us and competitiveness towards equals. These feelings in turn result in an unhappy mind, a mind that is without peace. On the other hand, thoughts and actions directed to the well-being of others bring happiness and peace to the mind.
CONSCIOUS LIVING, CONSCIOUS DYING It is important to consider what happens to us when we die. The Buddhist view is that at the time of death the subtle consciousness, which carries with it all the karmic imprints from previous lives, separates from the body. After spending up to forty-nine days
WELLNESS NEWS 23
in an intermediate state between lives, the consciousness enters the fertilised egg of its future mother at or near the moment of conception. New life then begins. We bring into our new life a long history of previous actions with the potential to ripen at any time or in any of a myriad ways. The state of mind at the time of death is vitally important and can have a considerable effect on the situation into which we are reborn. Hence the need to prepare well for death and to be able to approach our death with a peaceful, calm and controlled mind. Death itself can be natural, due to exhaustion of the lifespan, or untimely, due to certain obstacles. These obstacles arise from the mind and can be counteracted in different ways. One method commonly employed in Tibetan Buddhism to remove life obstacles is to save the lives of animals that would otherwise have been killed. For example, animals can be rescued from being slaughtered or live bait can be purchased and released. For those with a life threatening illness, it is important to understand that being free of that illness doesn’t mean that you will have a long life. There are many causes of death and death can happen to anybody at any time. Not just pills and potions Tibetan medicine is popular and effective. It is mostly herbal medicine, but its uniqueness lies in the fact that in the course of its preparation it is blessed extensively with prayers and mantras, giving it more power. It is said that taking such medicine will either result in recovery, or, if the person is close to death, they will die quickly and painlessly. (Another theory, based on personal experience, is that it tastes so bad you want to recover quickly so that you can stop taking the medicine!) Blessed pills and blessed water are also used extensively. The more spiritually developed the person carrying out the blessings or the healing practices, the more powerful is the healing result or potential. These pills often contain the relics of previous great meditators and saints, bestowing much power on the pills. Many Tibetan lamas actually blow on the affected part of the body to effect healing or pain relief. I have seen a person with AIDS with intense leg pain have his pain disappear after a lama meditated intensely and blew on his leg for twenty minutes.
COMPASSION IS THE POWER THAT HEALS Visualisation can also be very powerful healing. One method is to visualise a ball of white light above your head, with the light spreading in all directions. Imagine the light spreading through your body, completely dissolving away all sickness and problems. Concentrate on the image of your body as completely healed and in the nature of light. This type of meditation is even more powerful when combined with visualising holy images and reciting mantras. I often tell my Christian patients to visualise the light as Jesus, with the light emanating from him. In the Tibetan tradition, there are many Buddha figures (deities) which can be visualised while reciting their mantra. The Medicine Buddha; Chenrezig, or Avalokiteshvara (the Buddha of Compassion); or one of the long-life deities such as Amitabha are commonly used. Deities can be in peaceful or wrathful aspects. The wrathful ones are often used to cure heavy or terminal diseases. If you are not comfortable with these images, you can use other objects such as crystals, or simply visualise all the universal healing energy absorbing into you, transforming your body into light, and imagine yourself as totally healed. Over the centuries many people have used these methods and have recovered from their illnesses, even from conditions such as continued on next page...
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
24 WELLNESS NEWS
November 2010
It would be best if you could practice being in this moment and then in the next moment and so on. Try to be here, right now. Focus upon a leaf fluttering, light reflected on the waves. Things are more beautiful, afterwards. Make it your own experience. Things will taste, feel better. Colours will be brighter and you’ll feel more alive. ~ from the Scriptures of Kuan Yin
...from previous page
leprosy, paralysis and cancer. The aim of these practises is to heal the mind as well as the body, so that the diseases or problems will not recur in the future. In Tibetan Buddhism, we believe that many diseases are associated with spirit harm. Lamas and other practitioners will often recite certain prayers and mantras or engage in ceremonies to stop the spirit harm and allow the person to recover. A seven year old girl I knew had petitmal epilepsy as the result of spirit harm; the epilepsy disappeared after various rituals and prayers had been performed. Whenever she had an epileptic attack, the girl would see a frightening apparition coming towards her. After the initial prayers had been performed, however, her attacks lessened and she would see a brick wall between her and the frightening figure. This wall was the colour of a monk’s robes. Eventually the attacks and visions disappeared altogether. In summary, we can say that the essential ingredients in the healing process, for both the person doing the healing and the person being healed, are compassion, faith, and orality.
CHANGING OUR MINDS Another powerful method of healing in Tibetan Buddhism is to meditate on the teachings known as thought transformation. These methods allow a person to see the problem or sickness as something positive rather than negative. A problem is only a problem if we label it a problem. If we look at a problem differently, we can see it as an opportunity to grow or to practice, and regard it as something positive. We can think that having this problem now ripens our previous karma, which does not then have to be experienced in the future. If someone gets angry at us, we can choose to be angry in return or to be thankful to them for giving us the chance to practice patience and purify this particular karma. It takes a lot of practice to master these methods, but it can be done. It is our concepts which often bring the greatest suffering and fear. For example, due to a set of signs and symptoms, the doctor gives the label ‘cancer’. This can cause great distress in a person’s mind, because they forget that it is only a label, that there is no truly existent, permanent cancer. ‘Death’ is another label that can generate a lot of fear. But in reality ‘death’ is only a label for what happens when the consciousness separates from the body, and there is no real death from its own side. This also relates to our concept of ‘I’ and of all other phenomena. They are all just labels and have no true, independent existence. Lama Zopa Rinpoche, a highly realised Tibetan Lama, says that the most powerful healing methods of all are those based on compassion, the wish to free other beings from their suffering. The compassionate mind – calm, peaceful, joyful and stress-free – is the ideal mental
environment for healing. A mind of compassion stops our being totally wrapped up in our own suffering situations. By reaching out to others we become aware of not just ‘my’ pain but the pain of all beings. Many people find the following technique powerful and effective: think “By me experiencing this disease or pain or problem, may all the other beings in the world be free of this disease, pain or problem” or “I am experiencing this pain/sickness/problem on behalf of all living beings.” One voluntarily takes on suffering in order for others to be free of it. This is similar to the Christian concept of regarding one’s suffering as sharing the suffering of Jesus on the cross. Even death can be used in this way: “By me experiencing death, may all other beings be freed from the fears and difficulties of the death process.” We have to ask ourselves “What is the purpose of my life? Why do I want to have good health and a long life?”. The ultimate purpose of our life is to be of benefit to others. If we live longer and just create more negative karma, it is a waste of time. Giving and taking is another powerful meditation. As you breathe in, visualise taking the suffering and the causes of suffering from all living beings, in the form of black smoke. When breathing in the black smoke, visualise smashing the black rock of selfishness at your heart, allowing compassion to manifest freely. As you breathe out, visualise breathing out white light that brings them happiness, enjoyment and wisdom. Developing compassion is more important than having friends, wealth, education. Why? Because it is only compassion that guarantees a happy and peaceful mind, and it is the best thing to help us at the time of death We can use our sickness and problems in a very powerful way for spiritual growth, resulting in the development of compassion and wisdom. The highest development of these qualities is the full realisation of our potential, the state of full enlightenment. Enlightenment brings great benefit to ourselves and allows us to work extensively for others. This is the state of ultimate healing. ✦
References Levine, Steven Healing Into Life and Death, Anchor Press/Doubleday, New York, 1987 Geshe Rabten and Geshe Dhargyey Advice From a Spiritual Friend, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 1986 Sogyal Rinpoche The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Rider, London, 1992 Lama Zopa Rinpoche Transforming Problems Into Happiness, Wisdom Publications, Boston 1993 Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche The Door to Satisfaction, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 1994
Ven Pend Hawter is a Tibetan Buddhist monk who is part of an international group of experienced Buddhist practitioners and Buddhist based hospices and centres that offer to give spiritual and emotional support to the dying and bereaved of any religion, culture, age, gender, etc. Details on the website www. purifymind.com
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
November 2010
WELLNESS NEWS 25
Miracles Why! who makes much of a miracle? As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles, Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan, Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky, Or wade with naked feet along the beach, just in the edge of the water, Or stand under trees in the woods, Or talk by day with any one I love – or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love, Or sit at table at dinner with my mother, Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car, Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive, of a summer forenoon, Or animals feeding in the fields, Or birds – or the wonderfulness of insects in the air, Or the wonderfulness of the sun-down – or of stars shining so quiet and bright, Or the exquisite, delicate, thin curve of the new moon in spring; Or whether I go among those I like best, and that like me best – mechanics, boatmen, farmers, Or among the savans – or to the soiree – or to the opera, Or stand a long while looking at the movements of machinery, Or behold children at their sports, Or the admirable sight of the perfect old man, or the perfect old woman, Or the sick in hospitals, or the dead carried to burial, Or my own eyes and figure in the glass; These, with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles, The whole referring – yet each distinct, and in its place. To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, Every cubic inch of space is a miracle, Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same, Every foot of the interior swarms with the same; Every spear of grass – the frames, limbs, organs, of men and women, and all that concerns them, All these to me are unspeakably perfect miracles. To me the sea is a continual miracle; The fishes that swim – the rocks – the motion of the waves – the ships, with men in them, What stranger miracles are there? Walter Whitman (1819 – 1892) American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist.
Champion Juicer for Sale
Reflexology Reflexology appointments with Udo Kannapin are available on Wednesdays between 10am – 2pm. The benefits of reflexology include the release of toxins, chemicals and hormones that, in effect, promote relaxation and overall well-being
Please book in
Good condition. $250. advance 9384 3544 everyLouise Monday at CSA from 10am to 11.30am. Contact 0466 692 344
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Ethical Eating
26 WELLNESS NEWS
November 2010
The Buddha’s Way... Eating is both a basic and essential activity. If we don’t eat we die – simple as that. The question for ethics revolves around what choices we make about what we eat and what eating patterns we subscribe to. We don’t have to go far to find advice – newspapers, magazines, websites, television and video, education classes... all compete for our attention. But what advice on food and eating did the Buddha give?
By Nancy Kalish
In the early scriptures known as the Pali Canon, the Buddha has a number of significant things
to say about food. The first stems from his six year search for enlightenment during which time he experimented with various forms of dietary restriction in extremis. For example, for a period he settled for eating only one grain of rice a day! The result? ‘My body reached a state of extreme emaciation...the hair, rotted at its roots, fell from my body as I rubbed’. The Buddha realised that spiritual progress and starving the body were in no way compatible. It was only when he began to eat sufficiently that he was able to make the final steps necessary to win enlightenment. The Buddhist attitude to the body is to simply look after it and one aspect of this is to feed it properly. This means avoiding extremes – over-indulgence on the one hand and rigorous abstinence on the other. Both are potentially damaging to health and thereby create obstacles for the effort and energy required for spiritual and ethical development. In the Buddha’s words, ‘We will take food neither for amusement nor for intoxication nor for the sake of physical beauty and attractiveness, but only for the endurance and continuance of this body, for ending discomfort, and for assisting the holy life’. The Buddha and the monks that followed his teachings were mendicants. In other words, they were homeless wanderers who travelled form place to place and – as is still the tradition in Buddhist countries such as Thailand and Sri Lanka – lived off what lay people would give them in their begging bowls. Sometimes the Buddha would be invited for more elaborate meals by wealthy benefactors. Consequently, sometimes the Buddha ate very frugally; at other times there would be opportunities to eat more sumptuously. However, the Buddha advised his monks to eat only once a day – before noon – and that this was conducive to good health: ‘eat at a single session. By doing so, you will be free from illness and
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
November 2010 affliction, and you will enjoy health, strength, and a comfortable abiding’. This was not advice given to lay people, it should be noted, whose lives may require them to eat more, and more often. A manual laborer, for example, who expends a great deal of physical energy might require something more substantial than one frugal meal a day. For everyday folk, the main message, it seems, is to be moderate in eating – eat sufficient to one’s needs and don’t become overly fixated on food other than in terms of sustaining good health. One of the three poisons – from which many unwholesome actions stem – is ‘greed’ and although this can be understood on all sorts of levels its most obvious form is over-eating! Of course, one of the most frequently discussed issues is whether Buddhism and vegetarianism go hand in hand. After all, the first precept is to abstaining from harming living beings – eating meat on a regular basis would suggest that the systematic killing of animals is necessary. As with many ethical issues, it’s a question of interpretation. The Buddha ate meat and therefore was not a vegetarian. Indeed, it is thought that he died from food poisoning after eating contaminated pork. However, he advised that meat should only be eaten when it was not seen, heard or suspected that the animal had been specifically killed for the monk’s consumption. In Buddhism, therefore, meat is not something that is forbidden. However, the circumstances which result in the meat being served for consumption is a crucial factor. So how does this apply to the modern world? Our supermarkets are filled with meat. Those that buy such meat and consume it have no direct involvement in the slaughter of the animal. Does this make them innocent? Many Buddhists would argue that to eat meat bought from a supermarket would indirectly (if not directly) support the systematic slaughter of animals, and would thereby be breaking the first precept. For such people, vegetarianism seems to be the only practical option. Others may argue that if they are not directly involved in the slaughter of such animals then it is not ethically unwholesome. Indeed, in countries whose cultural orientation is Buddhist, you will find meat being eaten which has involved the killing of animals specially for this purpose. ✦ From the About: Buddhism website: www.buddhism.about.com
WELLNESS NEWS 27
Buddhist Monk’s Soup The recipe for this wholesome vegetarian soup is in line with Buddhist precept of not harming other living beings... Water Pumpkin or butternut squash – peeled & cut into large chunks Sweet potato – peeled & cubed 1/2 cup Raw peanuts – shelled and skinned. Soaked 30 min, drained & roughly chopped 1/3 cup dried mung beans – soaked 30 min and drained 3 tbs olive oil 1 square of bean curd Coconut milk Cellophane noodles – soaked 20 min, drained & cut into 1 inch sections
Method Boil the water and drop in the pumpkin/squash, sweet potato, peanuts and mung beans. Cook on medium heat for 35 min. While making the soup, prepare the bean curd by heating the oil in a frying pan and cooking the curd until light brown on both sides. Slice lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips and set aside. After the 35 min, check the mung beans for softness. If they’re soft, add the coconut milk and a touch of salt. Bring up to a boil and throw in the cellophane noodles and fried bean curd. Serve with rice and Buddhist Nuoc Leo. Serves 8.
Buddhist Nuoc Leo This sauce is used in Buddhist vegetarian dishes. 1 tb Granulated sugar 2 tb Tuong 2 tb Water Fresh hot red chili slices – to taste (optional) 1 tb Roasted peanuts [I use unsalted Planter’s]
Method Mix the sugar with the tuong and water. Add some slices of fresh red chili pepper, if desired, and sprinkle with roasted peanuts.
Recipes from “The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam”, Bach Ngo and Gloria Zimmerman, Barron’s.
Christmas Gift Ideas from CSA Wellness Shop • Beautiful tealight candle angels & brilliant suncatcher angels in various sizes, each with a healing crystal. • Inspirational cards, soaps, organic personal care products • Gift vouchers of any value
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
28 WELLNESS NEWS
November 2010
living e e r f r e c can recipes from Sally Errey
Email your healing recipes and food news to the editor: editor.wellness@yahoo.com.au
fighting e s a dise
Mild Curried Ginger and Carrot Soup Scientists have found that cooking and puréeing carrots increases the availability of their antioxidants more than three times. Keeping the outer skin on carrots (as with other fruits and vegetables) retains numerous extra cancer-fighting compounds. Carrots belong to the “umbelliferous” group of foods, which contain rich sources of plant chemicals, including beta-carotene and canthaxanthin. Ingredients 2 tsp (10 ml) extra-virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 2 Tbsp (30 ml) ginger root, grated or minced 1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander 1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cumin 1/4 tsp (1 ml) curry powder 1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt 1/4 tsp (1 ml) pepper 4 cups (1 L) carrots, chopped 3 cups (750 ml) vegetable stock 2 cups (500 ml) low fat milk or enriched soymilk 1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped fresh cilantro
“In order to make healthful choices we need to understand the latest disease-fighting foods. That’s why I included the Top 40 cancerfighting foods in my new book, “Staying Alive! Cookbook for Cancer Free Living” – so that you can incorporate them into delicious, satisfying meals. Unprocessed, whole foods include natural medicines such as phenols, sulfurophanes, indole-3 carbinol, resveratrol, and anthocyanins, which are fancy long words that can be translated into simple items like brown rice, ginger, carrots, apples, blueberries, flax seed, garlic, and green tea. These are Mother Nature’s way of helping prevent cancer or stop it in its tracks.” ~ Sally Errey
Method In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and cook the garlic, onion, ginger root, coriander, cumin, curry powder, salt, and pepper. This releases the aroma of the curry. Cook until onions are soft, five to 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots until well coated, add the stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until carrots are very soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Turn off heat. Using a hand blender, carefully blend the soup until creamy. (If no hand blender is available, transfer the soup in batches to a blender. This gives best results if you’re having company over.) Return pot to heat and add milk or soymilk, reheating gently until just hot. Serve in bowls and decorate with cilantro. Serves 4.
All recipes are by Sally Errey, RNCP. Sally is the nutritionist at the Centre for Integrated Healing in Vancouver where her seminars, cooking classes, and consultations help transform peoples’ lives. These recipes are excerpted from her new cookbook Staying Alive! Cookbook for Cancer Free Living (Belissimo Books, 2004). 1-87-STY-ALIVE, stayingalivecookbook.com.
www.cancersupportwa.org.au environment • wellness • healing
November 2010
WELLNESS NEWS 29
Grilled Veggie Wrap with Avocado Tasty and wholesome wraps are easy and fun to assemble and are a big hit with family and friends. I highly recommend the pure taste sensation and maximum nutrition from these simple grilled vegetables.
French Salad with Egg and Olives The vitamin B6 found in greens and carrots aids the absorption of zinc provided by the egg as well as facilitates conversion of healthy oils to prostaglandins. Ingredients Ingredients 1 medium zucchini, sliced 1 red bell pepper, cut in 1 in (2.5 cm) wedges 1 cup (250 ml) Portobello or white mushrooms, sliced 1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 Tbsp (22 ml) balsamic vinegar, divided Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 1/4 cup (60 ml) cream cheese 1 tsp (5 ml) mixed herbs such as oregano, thyme, and tarragon, chopped 4 leaves green lettuce 2 whole-grain tortilla wraps 1 avocado, sliced 2 large tomatoes, cut in wedges
Method In medium saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil over medium heat and sauté zucchini, pepper, and mushrooms until soft and tender. Remove from heat, stir in 1 Tbsp (15 ml) balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, herbs, and 1/2 Tbsp (7 ml) balsamic vinegar. Spread mixture on each wrap. Place 2 leaves of lettuce on each wrap and add sautéed vegetables.
1 large English cucumber, sliced lengthwise 2 large tomatoes, cut in wedges 2 large carrots, thinly sliced lengthwise 2 cups (500 ml) organic mixed greens or Romaine lettuce, cut in 1 in (2.5 cm) strips 1 small red onion, julienned 1/4 cup (60 ml) black olives 2 large free-range eggs, soft boiled and sliced
Dressing 1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup (60 ml) cold-pressed walnut oil 1 Tbsp (30 ml) fresh tarragon, chopped 1 Tbsp (30 ml) Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar 1 Tbsp (30 ml) minced shallot 1 Tbsp (30 ml) minced garlic
Method In small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.In a large bowl, combine vegetables and olives. Garnish with egg; then pour dressing over top and serve
To assemble each wrap, fold the bottom 1 1/2 in (4 cm) over the filling to hold everything together; then roll.
Staying Alive! Cancer Free Living With every cancer diagnosis there are hundreds of agonising choices. It can be difficult to sort out what to think, and who to believe. “Staying Alive: Cancer Free Living” is a collection of some of the most inspirational stories of cancer survival you’ll ever read. The book shares the secrets of these survivors…what they did and what they ate. it is also filled with practical hints and proven, health-promoting recipes.
Readers will discover, the top 20 cancer fighting foods, how to incorporate them in daily food plans, nutrition information for cancer management and prevention, along with over 100 simple, fast and delicious recipes. You can order the “Staying Alive: Cancer Free Living” from the publisher at orderdesk@stayingalivecookbook.com
of the Cancer Support Association of WA September 2008 Cancer SupportMagazine Association www.cancersupportwa.org.au
PI MAG
“the water of life”
15% discount for CSA members • ALKALINE • pure, good tasting • recreates nature’s living water • magnetised • mineralised • energised • no electricity • highly cost effective
For further information contact Peter Symons Ph 0417 095 993. Email petersymons01@optusnet.com.au
www.enikken.com.au/info/pimag/main.html
In fond memory of those who have shared part of their journey with us... Andrea Arena Mary Buchanan George Terpou
Trevor Collins Gordon Macpherson
Do not stand at my grave and we ep. I am not ther e. I do not sle ep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain...
Subscribe to Wellness News print and return this form to subscribe, make a donation or give it to an interested friend...
All Wellness News magazine subscribers receive a FREE membership from the Cancer Support Association which entitles you to many benefits including: • A place on the informative 1 Day ‘Meeting the Challenge’ Cancer Wellness Seminar • Cancer wellness information counselling session • 15% DISCOUNT on all items from the Wellness Shop • access to our world class wellness library • members prices on all CSA activities including yoga, qigong, reflexology & seminars
I would like to become a Wellness News emagazine subscriber for $50 per annum, and have enclosed AUD$50 I would like to make a donation to CSA. Enclosed is $25
$50
$100
Other $
Enclosed is my cheque/money order OR please debit my credit card detailed below: BankCard
Master Card
Visa Card
AMEX
Card No
Diners Expiry Date
Name on Card
Signature
Details for Subscription Name (Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr.)
Date of Joining Please post to: Cancer Support Association PO Box 325, Cottesloe W.A. 6911 OR email: info@cancersupport wa.org.au
D.O.B.
Postal Address Phone No. (home)
(work or mobile)
Email Website username:
/
upation (5-12 characters only)
Website password:
(5-12 characters only)
The Cancer Support Association of WA Inc is a registered charity and non-profit organisation, formed to help people affected by cancer. The Association relies on donations, bequests and member subscriptions to continue its services.
contact cancer support association... 80 Railway St, Cottesloe, Western Australia. PO Box 325 Cottesloe WA 6911 Australia Phone 08 9384 3544, Fax: 08 9384 6196. Email: csa@cancersupportwa.org.au Web: www.cancersupportwa.org.au
Wellness News magazine is published by the Cancer Support Association of WA Inc (CSA). Wellness magazine contains a diverse selection of articles and information on subjects related to cancer, wellness and healing. The contents of this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the CSA and should be not be construed as medical advice. CSA encourages readers to be discerning with information presented and when making treatment, dietary and lifestyle choices. © Copyright of all articles and images remains with individual contributors.