*Youcanliedownonyourbackasindeeprelaxation,oryoucan
sitinachairoronanycomfortable,firmsurface.Makesureyou
areinacomfortableposition. *Closeyoureyesandbringyourawarenessinsideofyourbody.Noticethegentlemovementinyourstomachandabdomen. (Youobviouslywillneedtokeepyoureyesopentoreadtheinstructionsforthisexercise.Formaximumbenefits,however,
keepyoureyesclosedafteryouhavereadandfamiliarizedyourselfwiththistechnique.) *Noticethatwhenthebreathflowsintoyourbody,yourstom
achandabdomengently.expandandrise. *Noticethatwhenthebreathflowsoutofyourbody,yourstom
achandabdomengentlycontractandfall. *Withouttryingtocontroltherateordepthofthismovement,continuetoobservethisautomaticmovementinyourstomach
andabdomenasyourbreathflowsinandoutofyourbody. *Everytimethebreathflowsintoyourbody,feeltheoxygenfrom
yourbloodenteringintothecellsandtissuesofyourbody,
172 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
energizingandstrengtheningyourhealingsystemandentire
body. oEverytimethebreathleavesyourbody,feelallthemusclesin
yourbodybecomingmorerelaxed. oNowdirectyourawarenesstothetipofyournose.Watchthebreathasitflowsinandoutofyourbody.Again,withouttrying
tocontroltherateordepthofthemovementofyourbreath,focusonseeingthebreathasseparatefromyou. oEverytimethebreathleavesyourbody,feelyourentirebodybecomingmorerelaxed,andyourmindbecomingmorecalm,
serene,andpeaceful.Feelthepowerofthisnaturalstateofcalm
nessandtranquilityinyourentirebody. 0Feelthehealingenergyfromyourbreathflowingintoeverycell
andtissueofyourbody,asyourbodybecomesmorehealthy,vibrant,andalivewitheachbreathyourtake. oAfterbreathinglikethisfor10to15minutes,slowlyopenyour
eyes.Beforeyouresumeyournormalactivities,appreciatethe
powerofyourbreath.Noticeitscalminginfluenceonyourmindanditsenergizingeffectonyourbody.Knowthatyourbreathisalwaysavailabletoyoushouldyoubegintofeelstressed,anxious,orfatiguedatanytime.Keepthisawarenessofbreathwithyouasoftenaspossible.Haveasyourgoaltoprac
ticethisbreathingexerciseeverydayforatleast5tolOminutes. Ifyourschedulepermits,buildupto30minutesperday.The
besttimetodothisexerciseisinthemorningsorevenings,whenitisusuallymorequiet. BreathingExercise#2:BreathingwithSound
oFindaquietplacewhereyoucanbealonefor10tol5minutes.Makesureyouareabsolutelyfreeofallobligationsandresponsibilitiesduringthistime. oYoucanliedownonyourback,asindeeprelaxation,oryoucan
sitinachair,onthefloor,oronanyfirmsurface.Makesureyou
areinacomfortableposition. oGentlycloseyoureyesandbringyourawarenessinsideofyourbody. (Youobviouslywillneedtokeepyoureyesopentoread
ThePowerofYourMindandYourHealingSystem173
theinstructionsforthisexercise.Formaximumbenefits,how
ever,keepyoureyesclosedafteryouhavereadandfamiliarizedyourselfwiththistechnique.) aOpenyourmouthandbreatheinandoutslowly.Everytime
youbreatheout,makethesound“aahh,”whichisthesound
thatthedoctorasksyoutomakewhenheorsheexaminesyourthroat.Makesurethissoundiscomingfromyourthroat.You
canplaceonehandonthefrontofyourneckinthethroatarea
tocheckwhetheryourvocalchordsarevibrating. •Next,whisperthissamesoundasyoubreathe,makingitsofter
andgentler. aNext,closeyourmouthwhileyoucontinuetomakethissamegentle,whisperingsound;allowthebreathtoflowinandoutof
yournose,yetcontinuetofocusonthesoundcomingfrom
yourthroatareaandvocalcords. •Gentlylengthenanddeepentheflowofyourbreath,butmake
sureyouarecomfortablewithyourbreathing. •Makeyourbreathsmoothandflowingasyoumakethissoft,gentlesound,whichshouldfeellikeagentlegratingsensation
inyourthroat.Makethissoundonbothinhalationandexhala
tion.Continuetogentlylengthenyourbreathing. aMakethissoundsofterasyoucontinuetobreatheinthis
manner.Infact,makethissoundbarelyaudible,sothatsome
onesittingnexttoyouwouldn’tbeabletohearit. aContinuetogentlylengthenandslowyourbreathingasmuch
asyoucan,makingsureyourbreathissmoothandflowingas
youmakethissoft,gentle,gratingsound.Makesureyouarecomfortablewithyourbreathing,andthatyouarenotexperiencinganysensationswhatsoeverofforcingorstrainingordiscomfort. aKeepingyoureyesclosed,continueto“breathewithsound”in
thisfashion. aIfyouaredoingthistechniquecorrectly,youwillbegintofeel
morerelaxed,peaceful,andfocusedinyourmindandmoreenergeticinyourbody. 174 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
oStaywiththistechniqueandthesesensationsforaslongasyoulike,graduallyincreasingtoamaximumof15to30minutesat
atime. ThisisapowerfulyogicbreathingtechniquefromancientIndiaknownasUjjayiBreathing.Thetechniquenotonlycombatsstress
byhelpingtokeepthemindcalmandfocused,butitalsoimproveslungcapacityandrespiratoryfunctionasitbringsmoreenergyinto
yourbody.UjjayiBreathingpurifiesthenervoussystemandenhancestheperformancecapabilitiesofyourhealingsystem.MeditationtoReduceYourStressMeditationisasimpleyetpowerfulwaytomanageyourstress.It
cancalmyourmindandrejuvenateyourbody,andinsodoinghelpstrengthenyourhealingsystem.Meditationisnotmysticalormagical.Itisnaturalandordinary,andwhendonecorrectly,itcanhave
atremendouseffectonyourphysicalandmentalwellbeing. Intheearly1970s,Dr.HerbertBensonatHarvardUniversitydocumentedthebeneficialtherapeuticeffectsofmeditationanditsabilitytolowerbloodpressure.Sincethen,numerousotherstudies
havedemonstratedthewide-reaching,therapeuticbenefitsofmedi
tationanditsabilitytohelphealmanyotherseriousconditions,includingheartdisease,cancer,andAIDS.Meditationoccurswhenyouarenotthinkingaboutthepastor
thefuture,andyouarejustawareofwhatishappeninginthehereand
now.Wehaveallexperienced ameditativestateatonetimeoranother,evenifonlyforafewbriefmoments.Aschildren,weexperi
encethisstateofmindmuchmorefrequently.Childrenliketoplaya
lot,and,whentheyplay,theyaresointentontheirplayingthatthey
areoftennotawareofanythingelse.Theymaybehungry~butthey
willcompletelyforgetaboutfoodbecauseoftheirtotalabsorptionin
theirplay.Thisfocusedstateisverymuchlikemeditation.Meditationcanhelpbringbacktheenergyandenjoymentof
lifethatyouexperiencedasayoungchild.Byrelaxingyourmind
andhelpingfocusyourawarenessinthepresentmoment,medita
tionlightenstheburdensofyourpastandfuture,releasingpent-upenergiesandpreciousinternalresourcesthatarenowavailablefor
yourhealingsystemtouse. ThePowerofYourMindandYourHealingSystem175
Therearemanytechniquesformeditation.Formeditationtoworkforyou,itisimportanttofindastyleortechniquethatsuits
yourownpersonaltastesandneeds.Thefollowingmeditationisofferedasasampleofwhatisavailabletoyou.Meditatingregularly
forjust10to15minutesaday,ormoreifyourschedulepermits,
willresultintremendousimprovementinyourhealth. Dr~fringThought-CloudsMeditation
Thisisasimplemeditationtechniquethattakesonlyafewminutes:
~Findaquietplacewhereyoucanbealonefor10tol5minutes.Makesureyouareabsolutelyfreeofallobligationsandresponsibilitiesduringthistime. ~Youcanliedownonyourback,asindeeprelaxation,oryoucan
sitinachair,onthefloor,oronanyfirmsurface.Makesureyou
areinacomfortableposition.Gentlycloseyoureyesandbringyourawarenessinsideofyourbody. (Youobviouslywillneedtokeepyoureyesopentoread
theinstructionsforthisexercise.Formaximumbenefits,how
ever,keepyoureyesclosedafteryouhavereadandfamiliarizedyourselfwiththistechnique.) ~Observeyourbreathingandthegentlemovementofyourbreathasitflowsinandoutofyourbody,asdescribedwiththepreviousbreathingexercises. ~Asyoucontinuetorelaxandobserveyourbreathing,imaginethatyouareinaroomwithveryhighwindowsoneitherside. *Asyoubreatheandcontinuetorelax,itwillbeinevitablethatcertainthoughtsmaycomeintoyourmind.Ratherthanhold
ingontothesethoughtsorreactingtothem,justimaginethat
thesethoughtsaresoftandfluffycloudsgentlypassinginand
outofthewindowsintheroom. *Continuetorelaxandobserveyourbreathing,lettinganythoughtthatcomesintoyourmindbelikeasoftandfluffycloud,gentlydriftinginandoutofthewindowsinyourroom. *Donotletanythoughtdisturbyourpeaceful,relaxedstateofmind;rather,letitgoonitswaylikeasoft,fluffyclouddrifting
by. 176 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
Youcandothismeditationwheneveryoufeelyourselfbecominganxiousortense,orwhenyouareexperiencingdisturbingthoughts
ofanykind.Whenyoubecomeproficientatit,youcanevendothis
withyoureyesopen,inthemidstofotheractivities.Visualization/GuidedImagerytoHelpManageYourStressandStrengthenYourHealingSystem
FromtheWrightBrotherstoAlexanderGrahamBellandThomasEdison,allgreatinventorsinthehistoryoftheworldbeganwithanimaginativeideathatcamefromtheirminds.Imaginationsowsthe
seedsofreality,anditcanplayahugeroleininfluencingtheperformanceofyourhealingsystemwhileithelpsyourbodymaintain
itsnaturalstateofhealth. Yourmindisapowerfulforce,andwhateverimaginativethoughts
youdwelloncanbecomearealityinyourlife.Thisisespeciallytrue
forthoughtsaboutyourhealth.Yourbrainisapowerful,metaboli
callyactivetransformerofpureelectricalenergy;asaresult,thoughtsgeneratedinyourbrainanddirectedtocertain’areasofyourbodycan
exertapowerfuleffectonthephysiologyofthatpartofyourbody.Byrecognizingthetremendousimaginativepowerofyourmind,youcanlearntoharnessthispowerandfocustheenergyitgeneratestofortif,r
andboosttheeffectivenessofyourbody’shealingsystem.Guidedimageryandvisualizationarepowerfultechniquesthat
havehelpedmanypeopleovercomesuchseriouslife-threateningill
nessesascancerandheartdiseasebymakinguseoftheconnectionbetweentheirmindsandbodies,andusingthepoweroftheirimaginationsforhealingpurposes.Forexample,pioneercancerspecialistandradiationoncologistDr.0.CarlSimontonshowedthatmany
ofhispatientswereabletosuccessfullyincreasetheirimmune
systemactivity,stimulaterepairandregenerationofdamagedtis
sues,anddemonstratereversaloftheirdiseasesbyusingtheirminds
toimaginetheirwhitebloodcellsremovingthetumorcellsintheirbodies.InhisclassicbookLove,MedicineandMiracles,Dr.BernieSiegelsharesthestoriesofmanyofhiscancerpatientswhoalsoover
cametheirdiseasesthroughthesuccessfulapplicationanduseofvisualizationandimagerytechniques.Dr.MartyRossman,inhisbookHealingYourselfalsosharesstoriesofnumerouspatientsofhis
whohealedthemselvesthroughtheuseofthesespecifictechniques. ThePowerofYourMindandYourHealingSystem177
You’venodoubtheardthesaying“Apictureisworthathousandwords.”Becauseyourmindthinksintermsofpicturesorimages,itcontinuallyprocessesinformationbyvisualizingandimagininganticipatedscenariosasyouprojectyourselfintothefuture.Thisis
howyourmindthinksandmakesplans,anditisoneofthemostnaturalandpowerfulthingsyoudo.Yourbodyisinfluencedbyyourmentalactivities,andbythissameprocessyoucaninfluencethe
stateofyourownhealth.However,thisinfluencecanworkforyou
oragainstyou.Consider,forexample,thecaseofworrying.Worryisthenegativeapplicationofyourimagination,fearfullyprojectingyourmindintothefutureandvisuallyimaginingworst-casescenariosofeventstocome.Thisprocesscausesanxiety~whichincreasesstress.Stressresultsintheconstrictionofbloodvesselsandinhibitstheflowofvitalbodilyfluids,whichcanresultincongestionandaccumulationoftoxinsinvariouspartsofyourbody.Inadditiontohighbloodpressureandheartdisease,chronicworrying
hasbeenshowntocontributetotheformationofulcersandnumer
ousotherillnessesanddiseases.Conversely,numerousstudieshavealsoshownthatwhenpeoplelearntoharnesstheconstructiveforcesoftheirmindsandovercome
theharmfulhabitofpersistentworrying,theirhealthwillinvariablyimprove.Forthisreason,itisvitalthatyoulearnhowtouseyourmindandthepowerofyourimaginationtoimproveyourhealth
andthequalityofyourlife.Visualizingorimagingcanbeanimpor
tantallyforyourhealingsystemasitdirectshealingenergiestospecificareasofyourbody. HowtoBeginGuided-ImageryandVisualizationTechniquesGuided-imageryandvisualizationtechniquesarebestperformedwithyoureyesclosedandwhenyouareinarelaxedstate.Beginas
youwouldwiththedeeprelaxationmethods,andthebreathingtechniquesthatyoujustreadaboutinthissection.Makesureyou
areinacomfortablepositionandyourbreathingisslowandrelaxed.Whenyoufeelyourmindbecomingcalmandyourbodyrelaxed,introducethespecificimageryandvisualizationtechniquesthatbest
suityourneeds.Pleasedonotfeellimitedorrestrictedinanyway
bythefewsuggestedtechniqueslistedhere.Manywonderfulstyles
ofimageryandvisualizationtechniquesareavailablefromtrained
178 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
teachersandprofessionaltherapists,fromthebookslistedintheref
erencesectionofthisbook,andfromyourowncreativeimagination. Ifyouarecurrentlytryingtohealfromanyafflictioninyourbody,youwillrealizethebestresultsbypracticingimageryandvisualizationtechniquesregularlyoveranextendedperiodoftime,until
youarecompletelyhealed.Forserious,life-threateningconditions,
setasideatleast15to30minutes,twiceaday,forthepracticeofimageryandvisualizationtechniques.Forillnessesthatarenotlifethreateningandarelesssevere,practicingthesetechniquesoncea
dayfor15to30minuteswillbehelpful. PositiveImagingforActivatingYourHealingSystem
o‘Whileyouareinarelaxedandserenestate,keepyoureyesclosedandyourawarenessfocusedwithin. oSeeyourselfasverysmall,standingintheinteriorofyourbody. oSeeyourselfwithaclipboardandpencilinhand,andahardhat
onyourhead,asyoumonitorandmakenotesofyourbody’svariousinternalorgansystems. oAllowanimageofyourhealingsystemtoforminyourmind.Withoutjudging,noticethefirstshapeorformthatappears. oSeeyourselfspeakingtoyourhealingsystem.Hearitsgentleandconfidentvoiceanswerbacktoyou.Spendtimecarryingonaconversationwithit,justasyouwouldwithanyotherperson.Askyourhealingsystemanyquestion,andtellitanythingyouwish.Trytogettoknowit.Makesureyoulistencarefullytoresponsestoyourquestionsanddialogue.Youmightwanttoask
itwhetherithasapersonalnameandwhetheryoucoulduse
thisnameinfuturecommunicationswithit. oAfterdialoguingandbecomingfamiliarwithyourhealingsystemonamorepersonallevel,seeyourselfgentlydirecting
yourhealingsystemtoanyareaofyourbodythatneedshealing
oraboutwhichyouareconcerned. oSeeyourselfcalmlyandpersistentlyspeakingwordsofencouragementtoyourhealingsystemandtheothersystemsinyourbodyunderitssupervision,tomakesureyourbodyisfunction
ingoptimallyandharmoniously. ThePowerofYourMindandYourHealingSystem179
~Seeyourselfmakingnotesofyourhealingsystem’sprogressas
youcontinuetoencourageittoperformitstasksofrepairandrestorationwheretheyareneededinyourbody. ~Askyourhealingsystemwhatitneedsfromyousothatitcancontinuetodoitsjobmostefficiently. ~Thankyourhealingsystemfortheworkitisdoingonyourbehalf. ~Makeapointtomeetagaininthenearfuture. ~Breathelifeintothesefeelingsandintoyourbodyasyoucompletethisexercise,maintainingpositivefeelingsaboutwhatyouhavejustvisualized. ~Relaxandtakeadeepbreathasyoufinishthisexercise. ~Openyoureyeswhenyouaredone. ~Writedownanyinsightsorthoughtsaboutyourexperience. Thisvisualization/guided-imagerytechniqueisonlyasmallsamplingofwhatisavailabletoyou.Youcanmodifyandapplythistechniquetosuitanyhealthconditionthatyouwouldliketoimprove.Thebeautyofvisualizationandguidedimageryisthat
theycanenableyoutogainincredibleinsightsandaccesskeyinformationaboutthestateofyourhealth.Furtherinformationaboutvisualizationandguidedimageryisgivenintheresourcesectionin
thebackofthisbook. PraytoReduceYourStress
Prayerservesasapowerfulstress-managementtool,perhapsoneof
themostpowerfulknowntoman.Prayercanopenachannelofcommunicationforyoutodialoguewiththewiseandinfinite
powersofoursacreduniversethatexistoutsideaswellaswithin
you.Inthiscapacity,prayeroffersyouawaytohandoveryourproblemsandworriestoahigherpower,relievingalotoftension
andstressintheprocess.Prayerisoneoftheoldest,mostuniversal,
andmosteffectivemethodsofstressreduction.However,forprayer
toworkforyou,youhavetobecomfortablewiththetypeofprayer
youuse,aswellasthecontext,style,andmethodwithwhichyouchoosetopray. 180 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
Manyscientificstudieshavenowbeenconductedthatdemon
stratethetherapeuticefficacyofprayer.Onestudyevenshowedclinicalimprovementinpeoplewhowereprayedforfromadistance
anddidn’tknowit.Manyofthesepeopledidn’tevenbelieveinGod. InDr.LarryDossey’sbest-sellingbookHealingWords,thisfascinat
ingstudyandothersarediscussedingreatdetail. Nomatterhowembitteredorcynicalyoumighthavebecomeduringyourlife’sjourney,itisnevertoolatetoattempttocontactthisdivinesourcethroughhonestandsincereprayer.Miraclescanoccurwhenyoudo.Infact,considerhowyougotonthisearthandthefact
thatyouarealiverightnow.Thoseareinthemselvesmiracles!‘Whetherornotyouhaveaparticularreligiousorspiritualaffiliation,orevenifyouareanagnosticoranatheist,youcanstilllearn
toopenyourheartandcontacttheloving,intelligentforceand
powerthatcreatedyouandsustainsyourverylife.Whenyoudotakethetimetounburdenyourtroublestoahigherpower,sharingallyourpain,sorrow,problems,fears,anddisappointments,makesurethatyoutakeafewmomentstowaitfor
wisecounselinresponsetoyourprayerswhenyouhavefinished.You
canoftenobtaintremendousinsightsandwisdominthisprocess.However,higherpowersareknowntospeakverysoftlyandquietly,so
toenhanceyourabilitytoreceivearesponsetoyourprayers,firstcalm
yourmindbypracticingrelaxation,breathing,meditation,orallthree
oftheseinsequencebeforeyouinitiatetheactofprayer.Alternatively,youmightfindithelpfultoreleaseyourpain,worries,tensions,andfearstotheocean,thesky~thestars,amoun
tain,orsomeotherspecialentity,force,orplaceinnaturethatcomfortsandreassuresyou.Youmaydothesamewithatrustedfriend,lovedone,orwisecounsel,orthegreatunknownmysteryof
theuniversethatremainsopenandreceptivetocreativeideas,insights,andthehealingforceoflovethatexistsinyourheart. PeaceofMindandYourHealingSystem
Yourbodydoesnotoperateinavacuum.Toalargedegree,itsstate
ofhealthregistersandreflectswhatisgoingoninyourlife,which
inturnisaproductofyourmentalhabitsandthoughts.Acrazy,
ThePowerofYourMindandYourHealingSystem 181
chaotic,troublesomelife,bornofadisturbedmind,createsastress
fullife,createschronicphysicaltension,depletesthebody’senergies,depressestheimmunesystem,repeatedlytriggersthefight-or-flightresponse,andinterfereswiththeperformanceofyourhealingsystemwhileitrendersthebodysusceptibletoillnessesanddiseases
frombothinternalandexternalagents.Whenyourmindisdisturbed,likeanout-of-controlroller
coasterorafurioustempest,itcancreateviolentmoodswingsthat
canupsetyourbody’sinternalbalance.Thesemoodswingscausethereleaseofpotenthormonesandstrongchemicalmodulatorsthatcanwreakhavoconyourbody’sinternalorgansandtissues.Adisturbedmindopensthedoorforaplethoraofdiseasestoenteryourbody,creatingopportunitiesforasmorgasbordofpotentiallydangerousdisordersthatcanmakeyourlifemiserableandquitepossiblytake
youtoanearlygrave.Yourhealingsystemcannotpossiblyoperateefficientlyundertheseconditions. Apeacefulmind,conversely,createsarelaxed,healthybodyandcontributestoamoreharmoniousinternalenvironmentinwhich
yourhealingsystemcanworksmoothlyandefficiently.Whenyourmindisatpeace,andyouarerelaxedandtranquil,feelingsoflove,contentment,happiness,andgratitudenaturallyandspontaneouslyarise.Thesefeelingsproducepowerfulhormonesandgentle,sooth
ingnerveimpulsesthatbatheandnourishyourhealingsysteminafloodofloving,life-givingenergy.Justasacalmseamakesforsmoothertravelforanyship,sotooapeacefulandtranquilmindmakesforacalmer,smoother,moreharmoniousinternalenviron
mentforyourbody’shealingsystem.Justasyourbody’snaturalstateisoneofhealth,so,too,yourmind’snaturalstateisoneofpeace.Keepingyourmindcalmandrelaxedmaytakesometrainingifyouhaveforgottenwhatitislike
tobepeaceful,butitwillbewellworththeeffort.Apeacefulmind
isessentialforahealthybody.Ifyouwanttoeffectivelypromotetheworkofyourhealingsystem,oneofthemostimportantthingsyou
candoistoactivelyrecruityourmindinthisprocessbykeepingitpeacefulandcalm.Thestress-managementtechniquesdescribedin
thischapter,alongwiththechapter’sotherprescriptiveelements,providethemostpowerful,time-provenmethodstohelpyouachieveandmaintainthismostvaluableofallpossessions. 182 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
ClosingThoughtsonthePower
ofYourMindandYourHealingSystem
Youhaveseeninthischapterthepowerfulinfluenceyourmindhas
overyourhealingsystem.Everythoughtthatisregisteredinyourmindhasthepotentialtocreatepowerfulchemicalchangesinyourbody,changesthataffecttheprocessesofhealingandrepair.Stayingcalmandrelaxed,positive,optimistic,andenthusiasticisvitaltomaximizetheincredibleabilityofyourmindtocooperatewith,sup
port,nourish,andstrengthenyourhealingsystem.Thepracticalstrategies,techniques,andexercisesprescribedin
thischapterarebasedonprovenclinicalexperience,buttoreaptheirbenefits,justreadingthemisnotenough.Setasidetimeassuggested
topracticeoneormoreoftheseextremelyhelpfultechniques,so
theywillbecomeapartofyourdailyroutineandlifestyle,justlikebrushingyourteethis.Ifyouoralovedoneiscurrentlybattlingamajor,life-threateningillness,doingthisisnotanoption;itisanecessity.Thenextchapterwillreinforcetheimportanceofminimizing
stressinyourlifeasweexplorehowastrongandhealthyhealingsystemhasenabledmanypeopletoachievegreatlongevity.You’ll
learnhowthesepeoplewereabletoreachtheageof100ormore,
andhow,byharnessingtheenergyandpowerofyourextraordinaryhealingsystem,youcan,too. CHAPTER7
Aging,Long-LastingHealth,
andYourHealingSystem
ourabilitytolivelongerisnotamatterofmerechance,butis,
forthemostpart,asystematic,self-determinedprocess.Yourbody
comesequippedwithitsownhealingsystemandcanlast,onaver
age,100years.Ofcoursethechoicesyoumakeinyoureverydaylife
canshortenorlengthenthistime.Thepointoflivinglonger,how
ever,isnotjusttoextendyourlife,buttoenjoyahigherqualityof
lifeasyouage,andtoparticipatefullyinlife,remainingenthusias
ticandactivetotheveryendofyourdays.Doingthisrequiresyou
tobehealthy.TheprocessofachievingalonglifewhileremaininghealthyiswhatIcalllong-lastinghealth. Ifyoucarefullystudythelivesofpeoplewhohaveenjoyedlong-lastinghealth,youwilldiscoverprimarilypersonalhealthhabits,diets,lifestyles,andattitudesthatareconsistentwiththeideasandmethodsthatworkwiththeirbodies’healingsystemsandthathave
beenpresentedinthisbook.Understandingandapplyingthese
ideasandmethodswillhelpyouenjoylonglastinghealth,aswell. Butyoumustalsobepreparedforcertainchallengesyoumighthave
tofaceasyouage.Thefollowingstoryillustratesmypoint. Anelderlywomanwassufferingfromapainfulkneecondition
thathadbeentroublingherforsometime.Thepainwasonlyinher
rightknee,butitwassevereenoughtomakewalkingdifficult.She
184 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
couldn’tfigureoutwhatwascausingthepain.Herfriendsalltold
heritwastheresultofoldage,andtostopworryingaboutit.However,becausethepaininterferedwiththequalityofherlife,sherefusedtoacceptthisexplanation,andsheeventuallymadeanappointmentwithherdoctortofindoutwhatwasgoingon.Whenthiswomanwenttothedoctor’soffice,thedoctorexam
inedherkneesthoroughly.Hefirstbentherkneesonewayandthen
theother.Thenhebangedthemwitharubberhammertochecktheirreflexes.Shewasaskedtostandononelegatatime,andthenhopup
anddown,firstwithbothfeetonthefloor,thenwithjusttheright
leg,andthenwiththeleft.Thedoctoralsothoroughlyexaminedthe
otherpartsofherbody.Attheconclusionofhisexam,heshrugged
hisshouldersandreplied,“I’msorry,ma’am;Icanfindnothingseri
ouslywrongwithyourknee.I’mafraidit’sjustduetooldage.”
Thewoman,bynowcompletelyfedupwiththistypeofexplanation,replied,“I’msorrytodisagreewithyoudoctor,butthere
mustbeanotherreason,becausemyotherkneeistheexactsameageanditisperfectlyfine.Thankyouandhaveagoodday!”Thisstoryillustratestwoverysimple,yetimportantpointsthat
Iwanttoclarifyandemphasizehereattheoutsetofthischapter.Understandingthemnowwillhelpyoutobettergraspthechallengesofworkingwithyourhealingsystemasyouage.First,thereisanunhealthy,yetcommontendencyinoursociety;
andamongourmedicalprofessionals,toattributemostformsofchron
icillnesstoadvancingage.Asyouageanddevelopsymptomsofone
kindoranother,itisalltooeasytoblamethesesymptomsonoldage.Second,ifyouwanttoremainhealthyasyouage,youwillneed
toeducateyourselfandlearntoignorenegative,pessimistic,fearful,
anderroneousideasaboutwhatcausesillness.Instead,focusontheimportanttaskathand:workingwithyourhealingsystemtohelp
youachievelong-lastinghealth,incorporatingallthemethods,strategies,andtechniquesthatyouhavelearnedsofar. AdvancingAgeDoesNotCauseIllness
Eventhoughadvancingageandillnessareoftenlinked,ifyouexam
inethefactsandpaycarefulattentiontotheunderlyingcausesof
Aging,Long-LastingHealth,andYourHealingSystem185
mostdiseases,youwilldiscoverthatoldageandillnesshavenothing
todowitheachother.Themajorityofthediseasesthatafflictusas
wegrowolderarecausedbyfactorsthathavenothingtodowith
age.Letmeexplain. Ifyoulookaroundtheworldandperusetheinternationalpublichealthdata,you’llseethatthemajorityofthediseasesthatafflictus
asweageintheWesternindustrializedsocietiesarevirtuallyabsentin
poor,developingcountries.Thesediseasesincludeheartdisease(theworld’snumber-onekiller),highbloodpressure,diabetes,emphy
sema,arthritis,cancer,andmanyotherconditionsthatarerampant
inNorthAmericaandEurope,butthatarerareinplacessuchasAfricaandAsia.Thesediseases,referredtobythelateDr.AlbertSchweitzeras“diseasesofcivilization,”havebeenshowntobedirectlylinkedtofactorsunderourowncontrol,suchasourdiet,lifestyle,
andpersonalhealthhabits.Thesefactorsaccumulateoveralifetime,
andtheircumulativeeffectsbecomeincreasinglyharmfulasweage,buttheyarenotcausedbyage.Eventually,theyjusttaketheirto11. Forexample,apersonwhocontinuallysmokestwopacksofcig—arettesadayfor25yearsormoreislikelytodevelopemphysemaor
lungcancerwhenheorshereaches60or70yearsofage.Doesthis
meanthatemphysemaandlungcancerarediseasesofoldage?Absolutelynot.Itmeansthattheseconditionsaremorelikelyto
occurinpeoplewhosebodieshavebeenabusedoveralongperiod
oftimeand,forthisreason,aremorecommonlyseenwithadvanc
ingyears.Ifyoucontinuallyharmyourbodyandfailtorespectorcooperatewithyourhealingsystem,itisasimplefactthat,intime,
youwillmostlikelybecomeill.Theabusefactor,ratherthantheagefactor,causesthemajorityoftheseillnesses. Ifyoucarefullyexamineothermajorillnesses,includingdiabetes,heartdisease,arthritis,andcancer,amongothers,youwillalmostinvariablydiscoversimilarunderlyingfactorsandmecha
nismsatplay,factorsandmechanismsthataremuchmorerelatedtounhealthydiets,lifestyles,andpersonalhealthhabitsthantoold
age.SoIwillrepeatmyselfbystatingthatoldageandillnesshavenothingtodowitheachother. Asyouworkwithyourhealingsystem,remembertheimpor
tanceofadoptinganattitudesimilartotheladyinthestorywiththepainfulknee.Makeuseofthepowerofyourmindandyourown
186 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
personalhealthchoicestodirectlyinfluenceyourhealingsystem,andconcentrateyourenergiesoncreatingpositivehealthforyourself.Aslongasyouarealive,nomatterhowcompromisedyourhealthmightcurrentlybe,yourhealingsystemhasthecapacityto
healyourillnessesandimproveyourhealth. HowYourMindAffectsYourHealingSystemAsYouAge
“Youareasoldasyouthinkyouare”isacommonsayinginmanyculturesandfolktraditionsaroundtheworld.Accordingtoourmodernscientificunderstanding,thisdictumappearstocontainmuchtruth.Yourattitudeaboutyourhealthandyourlifehasadirecteffectonyourhealingsystem.Yourmentalattitude,andyourexpectationsaboutyourhealth
andhealthoutcomes,whichreflecthealing-systemfunctioning,arestronglylinked.Manystudieshavedemonstratedthatahealthymentalattitudenotonlycreateshealthierbiochemistryinthebrain
andbody,butalsoismorelikelytosupportahealthy,activelifestyle.Bothfactorsdirectlybenefityourhealingsystem,producing ahealthier,disease-freebodyandalongerlifespan.Apositiveattitude
willstrengthenyourhealingsystem,whetheryouare30yearsoldor
103yearsold,anditwillliterallyaddyearstoyourlife. Inhisbook,RealAge,MichaelRoizen,M.D.,makesclearthat,basedonscientificstudies,yourmentalattitudecanaffectyourphysicalhealthandyourbody’shealingsystemintwoways:1)Yourmentalattitudedetermineshowwellyoutreatyourbodythrough
yourdailypersonalhealthhabits,and2)yourmentalattitudecandirectlyinfluenceyourphysicalhealththroughthebrain-bodyconnection,whereinneurochemicalsandelectricalimpulsesproduced
byyourbraincancausepowerfulphysicalchangesineveryorganandtissueinyourbody.Thesefactorshaveadirectimpactonthevitalityofyourhealingsystemandhowyouage. Asaconsequenceofthesefindings,Dr.Roizendiscoveredthat
howoldyouareinbiologicalyearscanbeverydifferentfromhow
oldyouareinchronologicalyears.Forexample,peopleintheirtwentiesandthirtieswhoabusetheirbodieswithtobacco,drugs,or
Aging,Long-LastingHealth,andYourHealingSystem187
alcohol;livehigh-stresslives;havepoordiets;practiceunsafesex;do
notexercise;reflectunhealthymentalattitudes;andexhaustthe
resourcesoftheirhealingsystemsoftenweartheirbodiesoutbythe
timetheyare40or50yearsofage.Thesepeopleoftenbecomesick
anddisabled,dyingprematurelyfromunnaturalcauses.Atanypointintime,thesepeopleappearmucholderthantheiractualage,and,inbiologicalterms,theyaremucholder.Thesepeoplehavenotlearnedhowtohonorandworkwiththeirhealingsystems,andinthe
end(whichusuallycomesmuchsoonerthanneedbe),havingbecome
oldbeforetheirtime,theypaywiththeirlives.Conversely,otherpeopleintheirseventies,eighties,nineties,andevenhundredsarebiologicallymuchyoungerthantheirbirthdatesindicate.Theyexhibit
notonlybodiesthatarefarmoreyouthfulthantheirchronological
age,butmentalattitudesandthinkingthataresimilarlyyouthful.Theyhavemasteredtheartoflearninghowtocooperatewiththeirhealingsystems,andtheyareperfectexamplesofhow,bydoingso,
therewardsofsuperiorandlong-lastinghealthhavebecometheirs. Elizabeth’sStory
ThestoryofElizabeth,oneofmypatients,isagoodexampleofhow
yourattitudeaboutyouragesignificantlyaffectsyourhealingsystem.Elizabeth,83yearsofage,hadregularlypracticedyogaforseveralyears,butshehadnotcometoclassforaboutsixmonths.WhenIaskedher
why,shesaidthatshehadbeentravelingforanextendedperiodand
hadneglectedtostretchandmoveherbody.Shefeltembarrassedbyhowstiffshehadbecomeintheinterim,especiallyinherhandsandfingers,whichhadbecomequitepainful.Becauseofthepain,shedecidedtoseeanotherdoctorwhileshewastraveling.Hediagnosed
herashavingarthritisofherhandsandfingers.Thisdiagnosisfurtherdiscouragedherandsentherintoamilddepression.Shesaidshewasfeelingdisabled,handicapped,andold,andshecommentedthatshe
wasafraidshecouldnolongerkeepupwiththeyoungerstudents. IurgedElizabethtoreturntoclass.Shesheepishlyappearedthefollowingmorning.Itoldhertotakeiteasyandnotpushherself. Shedidfine.Aftertheclass,Elizabeththankedmeforinsistingthat
shereturn.Sincethatday,morethanthreeyearsago,shehasn’tmissedaclass.Notonlyhashermentalattitudeimprovedandherdepressionlifted,butherphysicalflexibilityhasimprovedaswell,
188 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
especiallyinherhandsandfingers.Today,thereisnoevidenceofanyarthritisinherhands.Bychanginghermentaloutlookaboutherageandlearningtoworkwithherhealingsystem,shewasabletoregain
herhealth.Elizabethnowappearsandbehavesmuchyoungerthan
her83years,andthere’snosignof“oldage”settinginanytimesoon. Bill’sStory:OneAmongMany
BillwasapatientImetthroughmyworkwithDr.DeanOrnish.Billdemonstratedtheimportanceofcultivatingahealthymentalattitudeabouthisagewhilehesuccessfullyovercameandreversedhisheartdis
ease.Attheageof85,afterhehadsucceededinwinningbackhishealth,Billwasinterviewedbyareporterwhoinquiredabouthissecret
toahealthy,vibrantlife,whichheobviouslydemonstratedbyregularlytravelingaroundtheworld,hikinginalpinealtitudes,andpracticing
yogaeveryday.Tothisquestion,Billreplied,“Oldageissomething
thathappenstosomeonewhoisatleast15yearsolderthanme!”This
isthekindofattitudethatimprovestheperformanceofyourhealingsystemandcontributestolong-lastinghealth. Inmy10yearsofworkwithDr.Ornish,Ihadtheopportunity
toworkwithmanyotherwonderfulpatients.LikeBill,thesefolksdemonstratedremarkablyoptimisticmentalattitudesabouttheir
livesandtheirages,inspiteoftheirhistoriesofsevere,advanced,life-threateningdisease.Infact,itturnedoutthatanoptimisticmentalattitudewascriticaltostrengtheningandfortifyingtheirhealingsystemsintheirqueststosuccessfullyreversetheirheartdis
ease,oneoftheworld’smostdangerousanddeadlyofalldiseases. AninterestingfindingthatsurfacedearlyoninDr.Ornish’sresearchsupportedthisobservationabouttherelationshipbetweentheiratti
tudeandtheirsuccessinovercomingheartdisease.BeforeDr.Ornish’sresearch,numerousstudieshadconcluded
thatheartdiseasewasanirreversibleandincurabledisease.Thesestudieshadrepeatedlydemonstratedthatonceapersondevelopedheartdisease,itwouldcontinuetoprogressandgetworseasthe
persongotolder,eventuallykillinghimorher.Again,thisisexactlywhatwouldbepredictedbasedonoursociety’scurrentviewsabout
aginganddisease.IntheearlystagesofDr.Ornish’sgroundbreak
ingresearch,whichuncoverednewevidenceabouthowtheheartcouldhealitself,thegeneralexpectation,basedonthesebeliefs,was
Aging,Long-LastingHealth,andYourHealingSystem189
thatifreversalofheartdiseasewaspossible,itwouldbeseeninthosepatientswhowereyoungerandhadlessseveredisease.Contrarytowhatwaspredicted,however,theoppositeturned
outtobethecase:Theoldestandsickestpatientsshowedthegreat
estimprovementintheshortesttime.Theseresultsrancompletelycountertowhattheexpertshadpredicted.Everyone,includingDr.Ornish,wasstumped.Uponfurtherinspection,however,theresultsbegantomake
sense.Theoldestpatientswiththemostadvancedheartdiseasehad
triedallthelatesthigh-techinterventions,includingsurgery,with
outsuccess.Havingexhaustedtheiroptions,theyturnedtoDr.Ornishoutofdesperation.Becausetheirliveswereontheline,thesepeoplewerehighlymotivatedtoimprovetheirhealth,muchmore
sothantheiryounger,less-illpeers.Theyalsorecognizedtheneedtoenlistapositivementalattitudeintheirquesttoovercometheirill
nesses.Becauseoftheirmotivationandattitude,regardlessoftheiradvancedage,thesepeopledemonstratedthegreatestadherenceto
alltheelementsofDr.Ornish’sprogram,andtheyshowedthegreat
estreversalofdiseaseandthemostimprovementinhealthintheshortestperiodoftime.Onceagain,thisstoryillustratesthatregard
lessofyourageortheseverityofyourillness,yourhealingsystemisreadytohealyouwhenyoustarttoworkwithit. Iknowofmanypeoplewithotherdiseases,includinghypertension,diabetes,arthritis,andcancer,whohavesimilarstories.Theevidenceseemsclear.Whenyouharboranegativementalattitudeaboutyourlifeandfailtotakegoodcareofyourself,youimpedethefunctionofyourhealingsystemandaremorelikelytoagefaster,succumbtoillnessmoreeasily,anddiesooner.Conversely,when
youlearntopositivelyalignyourmentalattitudeandpersonalhealthhabitswithyourhealingsystem,youaremuchmorelikelytoenjoygreaterhealthasyouage...andtolivelonger,aswell. HowYourBeliefsAffectAging
andYourHealingSystem
Yourattitudes,thoughts,andbeliefsaboutyourageandhealthpowerfullyinfluencetheperformanceofyourhealingsystem.These
190 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
beliefsarestronglyshapedbyyourcultureandthesocietyinwhich
youlive.Forexample,ifthesocietyinwhichyoulivesaysthatold
agebeginswhenyoureachyourfortiethorfiftiethbirthday,youwillprobablystarttofeeloldwhenyouapproachthisage.Ifpeoplearoundyoualsostarttellingyouthatyoulookold,thiswillreinforce
yourinnerbeliefthatindeedyouaregettingold.Whenyoustartfeelingolder,anyacheorpainorfeelingofdiscomfortinyourbody
willreinforcethisunhealthybelief,whichinturnwillundermine
theworkofyourhealingsystemandacceleratetheagingprocess. AsIdiscussedearlier,towronglybelievethatasyougrowolder
yourhealthwillcontinuetodeterioratewitheachpassingdayisalso
commoninWesterncultures.Further,itisgenerallybelievedthat
therearediseasesspecifictooldage,andthat,asyoubecomeolder,
youaredestinedtocontractoneormoreoftheseillnesses.Attached
tothesebeliefsisthefearthatoldageisanaturalprogressionofillnessesandmaladiesinpreparationforthefinalactofhumanlife,whichisdeath,alsoconsideredtobethemostpainful,tortuous,andterrifyingexperienceofall. (Asweshallseelater,thisscenarioneed
n’tbethecase. )Thesebeliefsandattitudescreatefearfulexpectationsconcern
ingwhatkindoffateawaitsyouasyougetolder.Forexample,in
theWest,particularlyinAmerica,olderpeoplearelookeduponasaburdentosociety,andoldageisconsideredanillness.Elderlypeople
areoftensequesteredandfarmedouttonursinghomestoliveouttheirlives.Noonewantstospendhisorherfinaldayslonelyandisolated,surroundedbyfourwalls,cutofffromfamily,friends,andlovedones,andsotheagingviewoldageasacurseandapunishment.Thesefactorsconspiretocreateatremendousamountofunderlyinganxietyaboutgrowingoldthatcaninterferewiththefunctionofthehealingsystemandaccelerateanelderlyperson’sdemise.Becauseofthesenegativebeliefsandfearsaboutoldage,people
intheWestoftentrytoavoidanddenytheagingprocessaltogether. Toescapetheterriblecurseofgrowingolder,peoplewilldesperately
trytoturnbacktheclockandreclaimtheiryouthfulappearancewithsuperficialcover-ups.Coloringtheirhairwhenitbeginstoshowgray;usingdrugs;usinghairpiecesorsurgicallytransplantedhairtocom
pensateforhairloss;undergoingfacelifts,chinlifts,andtummytucks;receivinghormoneinjections;overdoingvitaminsandsupple-
Aging,Long-LastingHealth,andYourHealingSystem191
ments;andtakingprescriptionmedicationstorevivesexualvigorare
justafewexamplesthat,whiletheyinitiallymightappeartobegoodideas,oftenrepresentattemptstorunawayfromthedeeperfearsofgrowingold.Attemptingtolookyoungerontheoutsidewhilebeingterrifiedaboutgrowingolderontheinsideonlyfeedsintothedehumanizingillusionthatyourbodyisallyouareandallyouhave.As
longasyoufeargrowingold,afearthatcausesmentalandphysicaltensionsthatinterferewiththefunctioningofyourhealingsystem,
youwillnotagegracefullyorbeabletoextendyourlifespaninawaythatimprovestheoverallqualityofyourlife. Toresolvethisinternalstrife,learninghowtorelaxandacceptyourselfasyouare,inspiteofyouradvancingage,willbehelpful.Doingthiswillsetinmotiontheprocessesofcooperationbetween
yourmind,body,andhealingsystem,andwillallowyoutoenjoynat
ural,long-lastinghealthformanyyearstocome.Tohelpyourelaxand
acceptyourselfasyouare,beginregularlypracticingtherelaxationandstress-managementtechniquesthatarerecommendedinthisbook.Thesemethodsworkfromtheinsideoutandwillprovetobeinvalu
ableaidstohelpyounotonlylookyounger,butfeelyounger,aswell.ExpectationsandLongevity
Bystudyingpeoplewhoconsistentlyremainhealthywhileenjoying
greatlongevity~wecanlearnalotabouthowculturalbeliefsandattitudesaboutagingcanbenefitourhealingsystemsandcontributetolong-lastinghealth.Forexample,amongtheHunza,whodwellinthemountainsofCentralAsiaandconsistentlylivebeyondtheageof100
years,thereisconsiderablelackofdisease.Hispeersconsidera70-year-oldHunzamantobe.ayoungster,andtheyexpecthimtoremainhealthy,active,andproductiveuntilwellbeyondthisage.Becauseof
thepowerfulimpactthemindhasonthebody,theculturalmindset
andexpectationsoftheHunzaexertapositiveinfluenceontheirheal
ingsystems,contributingtolessillness,greateroverallhealth,andincreasedlongevityIfyouexpecttobeworkinginthefieldsandridingyourhorsewhenyouare100yearsold,astheHunzatypically
do,youwillhaveamuchgreaterlikelihoodofremainingdiseasefree
andperformingtheseactivitiesatthatage.TheHunzaareabletoagegracefully,stayhealthy,andlivelongerbecausetheyhaveamuchhealthieroutlookonlifeatallstages,includingoldage. 192 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
EvenintheWest,nowthatpeoplearelivinglonger,whatonce
wasconsideredoldageclearlynolongerappliestotoday’sstandards. AsI’vepreviouslymentioned,centenarians,peoplewholiveto100
yearsormore,currentlymakeupthefastestgrowingsegmentofthe
U.S.population.Considerjngthisstatistic,thereisnomedical
reasonwhya70-year-oldpersoncannotfullyparticipateinanactive
life,includingrunningafarm,drivingatractor,owningabusiness,workingasadoctororamailman,playingtennis,snowskiing,waterskiing,surfing,orevenhang-glidingorbungee-jumping.Infact,becauseoftheseincreasinglongevitystatistics(theaverageAmerican
malenowlivesto74years,theAmericanfemaleto79years),the
U.S.federalgovernment’sSocialSecurityprogramispresentlyencouragingseniorcitizenstocontinueworkingpasttheageof65,
untilage70,beforetheybegincollectingretirementbenefits.Theselongevitystatisticscreatechangesinexpectationsaboutourhealth
andourcapacityforagingasanation.Thesechangeswill,inturn,
createbettercooperationandsupportofourhealingsystems,which
willcontributetohealthierpeople,fewerdiseases,andstill-greaterlongevityacrosstheboard. TheMythofAge-RelatedDiseases
andYourHealingSystem
Whencomparingdiseasetrendsaroundtheworld,oneisstruckby
theremarkableabsenceinnon-WesterncountriesofdiseasesthatarelookeduponasnaturallyendemictotheWest,especiallythosedis
easesthatareassociatedwithgeneticsandaging,suchasheartdisease,diabetes,arthritis,emphysema,cancer,andothers.Ifthesediseases
weretrulydueto“oldage”andgenetics,thenweshouldbeseeingwidespreadprevalenceofthesediseasesintheelderlyonaglobalscale;
butwearenot.ThesediseasesarespecifictoWesternsocietiesandcul
tures,andtheyareduetocausesthatareanythingbutnatural.Aswediscussedearlier,unhealthydiets,lifestyles,andmental-emotionalfac
torsthatcausestressandcreatechemicalimbalancesinthebody’sinternalenvironmentaretherootcausesofthesediseases. Oneofthebetter-knownstudiesthatdemonstratesthisfactcomparedratesofdiabetesinolderJapanesemenwholivedinJapan
Aging,Long-LastingHealth,andYourHealingSystem193
withthosewhohadmovedtoHawaii,andwiththosewhohadimmigratedtotheU.S.mainland.Thestudyobservedverylowrates
ofdiabetesintheoldermenlivinginJapan,wherediabetesisquite
rare.RatesofdiabetesweretwiceashighinthegroupthathadmovedtoHawaii.Inthethirdgroupthathadimmigratedtothe
U.S.mainland,wherethemenhadadoptedWesterndietsandlifestyles,theratesofdiabetesweresohighthattheywereidentical
tothoseofotherAmericansofthesameagegroup.Thisstudyprovidedstrongevidencethatdiet,lifestyle,andpersonalhealthhabits,
notageorgenetics,wereresponsiblefortheincreasingratesofdia
betesobservedintheseJapanesemen.OtherstudieshaveshownsimilarincreasesofothercommondiseasesinimmigrantpopulationswholefttheirnativecountriestosettleinNorthAmericaandEurope. Isharethisinformationsothatyouwillnotbefooledbytheconventionalmythsaboutagingandillnessthataboundinoursoci
ety~Idon’twantyoutofallpreytotheillusionthattherearediseases
“outthere”thataremorepowerfulthanyouare.Instead,Iwantyou
tounderstandthattheunderlyingcausesofmostmajordiseasesaresimplefactorssuchasdiet,lifestyle,personalhealthhabits,andattitudesthatneglect,ignore,andworkagainstyourhealingsystem.Thesefactors,whicharetheultimateforcesindeterminingwhether
youwillremainhealthyorbecomeill,arewithinyourcontrol.Whenthesefactorsarealignedinsupportofyourhealingsystem,
youcanfeelconfidentinknowingthat,evenasyouage,youwillbe
abletoconqueranddefeatalmosteveryillnessanddiseasethatlife
maythrowyourway.Contrarytopopularbelief,thefollowingmajorcategoriesofill
nesses,oftenassociatedwithadvancingage,arenotcausedbyage-relatedfactorsatall. (Forspecificrecommendationsforlearning
toworkwithyourhealingsystemtopreventandovercometheseill
nesses,refertoPartTwoandtoearlierchapters. )Alzheimer’sdiseaseisprevalentintheelderlyandisassociatedwithmemorylossandprogressivedementia,orlossofintellectualfunction.Alzheimer’siscommoninseniorcitizenswhohavebeenneglected
andhavenotreceivedongoing,adequateintellectualstimulation,or,
foronereasonoranother,havewithdrawnfromsocialinteraction.Atzheimer’sappearstobemoreofafunctionalneurologicalproblemthanrelatedtoaspecificanatomicaldefect.Forinstance,whenthe
194 YourExtraordrnaryHealingSystem
brainbecomesoverloadedwithinformation,andstressandtension
arepresent,symptomsworsen.Althoughexpertsaretryingtodiscover
ageneticlinkordetermineanotherunderlyingfactortoitscause,a
recent13-yearstudyconcludedthatsocialfactorsarethemostsignificantcontributingcausestoAlzheimer’sdisease. Inmanycases,symptomsofAlzheimer’scanimprovethroughadequatesocialcontact,learninghowtorelaxwhilecalmingdownthe
nervoussystem,practicingregularstressmanagement,andpayingcloserattentiontoallofthefactorsthatimprovethehealthofthehealingsystem.Properdiet,alongwithnaturalremedies,includinggingko,whichimprovesbloodflowtothebrain,mayalsobehelpful.Arthritisisageneralcategoryofcommonjointdiseases.Arthritisencompassesseveraldifferentillnessesthathaveastheircommondenominatorprogressivestiffness,swelling,andpaininoneormorejoints.Theseillnesses,althoughmorecommoninoldage,often
showupinjointareasofthebodythathavebeenneglected,have
notbeenusedbecauseofpreviousinjuryorlackofmovement,or
havebeenoverused.Themostcommonjointsaffectedincludethehandsandfingers,toes,knees,hips,andspine.Butoftenmorethan
justphysicalfactorscontributetoarthritis;theseconditionsusuallybecomeworseduringtimesofstress,emotionalupheaval,ordietaryimbalances,orfromothercauses.Thegoodnewsisnewevidence
that,likeheartdisease,manydifferentformsofarthritisarereversible
andcurable.Ofcourse,thisevidenceisnotsurprisingwhenyouunderstandthatyourbodyhasahealingsystem.Cancerisoftenerroneouslyattributedtotheagingprocessbyhealthexpertswhocitediminishedimmunefunctionintheelderly
asaprimarycontributingfactor.Cancercanaffectallagegroups,andalthoughcertaincancersmayoccurmorefrequentlyintheeld
erly,othermorecloselyassociatedriskfactors,ifavoided,cansignificantlylowercancerrisk.Inworkingwithyourhealingsystem,preventingcanceriseasierthantreatingit.Forthisreason,itisbettertoincorporateearlypreventivemeasuresthatincludeahealthydietandlifestyle.Ifcanceroccurs,treatingitiseasierifitiscaughtearly,andmanycaseshavebeenarrestedandcuredintheearlystages.Eveninadvancedstages,however,cancercanbesuccessfullydefeatedifyouenlistthehelpofyourhealingsystemandcooperatewithitoneverylevel.Therearemanycasereportsofpeoplewhohave
Aging,Long-LastingHealth,andYourHealingSystem195
successfullyovercomecancer,eveninitsadvancedstages.DoctorsBernieSiegeland0.CarlSimontonaretwocancerdoctorswhohavesharedmanyoftheseinspirationalandcourageousstoriesintheirbooks.Themoreyoulearn,thecleareritbecomesthatadvancingagedoesnotcausecancer,andnotonlytheyoung,butpeopleofallageswhohaveastrongandeffectivehealingsystem,conquerit.Depressionismorecommonlyseenintheelderly,butitcanstrikeatanyage.Intheelderlyforwhomalackofmeaningorpur
poseinlifehasbecomepronounced,circumstancesareripefordepressiontosetin.Thedangerofdepressionisthatinitsmoreadvancedstagesitcanleadtoprematuredeaththroughsuicide.Becausedepressionalsoactsasastressor,itcancauseharmfulphysiologicaleffectsaswell,damagingthehealingsystemandshortening
yourlifespan.Depressionhasbeenlinkedtosuchstress-relateddisordersasheartdisease,diabetes,andcancer.Depressionismore
commoninmoreintelligentpeoplewho,withtheirsuperiorintellectualskills,tendtobecomeprisonersoftheirownrepeatednegativethinking.Forthesepeople,learninghowtorelax,calmthemind,andgetinvolvedinactivitiesthatupliftthespiritsisimpor
tant.Eventhoughdepressionistraditionallyclassifiedasamentalillness,physicalfactorsoftencancontributetothisproblem.Inworkingwiththehealingsystem,acombinedmind-bodyapproach
isusuallythebeststrategyforreversingandovercomingdepression,regardlessofyourage. Inmostcases,youcanavoidorreversedepressionbystayinginvolvedandconnectedtofamily,friends,andlovedones;volunteeringinmeaningfulactivities;beingaroundchildren,animals,and
nature;developingasenseofgratitude;rememberingtohavefun
andnottakelifetooseriously;andfocusingmoreonthespiritualaspectsoflife.‘Whetheryouare22or82,thesamestrategiesapply,
andyouwillgainthesamebenefits.Exerciseandsimplymovingthebodycanbeeffectiveinliftingmildandmoderatedepression.Awholesomediet,combinedwithSt.John’swort,anaturalherbalmedicationcommonlyprescribedinGermany,mayalsobehelpful.Learningtoletgoofunwantedmental
andemotionalbaggagecanlightenloadsandliftspiritsconsiderably.Practicingself-forgivenessandlearningtoreleaseangerandhostility
arealsooftenhelpful.AgreatbookthatdealswiththissubjectisDan
196 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
Miliman’sTheWayofthePeacefi~,lWarrior,basedonthetruestoryof
anathletewhoovercamedepressionandwentontowinagoldmedal
intheOlympics.Rememberthatdepression,likethevastmajorityofdiseases,isnotanage-relatedillness.Diabetesisanotherdiseasecommonlyassociatedwiththeagingprocess,butrecentresearchhasshownthatthecausesofthisdisease
havenothingtodowithage.Themostcommontypeofdiabeteshas
beenlinkedtoalackofexercise,poordiet,stress,andemotionalupheaval.Recentresearchhassuggestedthatstressisamajorcontributortodiabetes.Themedicalcommunityhasknownforquite
sometimethatstresscausesblood-sugarfluctuationsthatcanbeharmful.Byworkingwithyourhealingsysteminlearningto
managestress,inadditiontoincorporatinghealthyeatingandexer
cise,youcannotonlypreventbutreversethisillness. Heartdiseasewasoncethoughttobeanaturalconditionthataccompaniedtheagingprocess.‘Whileitistruethatheartdiseaseis
morecommonintheelderly,wehavelearnedthroughthepioneer
ingresearchofsuchnoteworthyscientistsasDr.DeanOrnishthat
otherfactorsinthegenesisofheartdiseasearefarmoreimportantthanage.Factorssuchaspoordiet,stress,lackofexercise,lackof
loveandintimacy,andrepressionofemotionshavebeenshownto
playamuchgreaterroleintheoriginofthisdisorder.Asnotedear
lier,inDr.Ornish’sstudies,theoldestpatientswiththemostsevereheartdiseasegenerallyshowedthegreatestreversalofdiseaseandimprovementintheirhearthealth.Learningtoworkwithyourheal
ingsystem,asDr.Ornish’smethodshaveproven,canbothpreventandreverseheartdisease,nomatterhowoldyouare.Highbloodpressure,orhypertension,isadiseasecommonlyassociatedwiththeelderlyandiserroneouslyattributedtotheagingprocess.Eventhoughhighbloodpressureismarkedlyabsentin
youngerpeople,thecumulativeeffectsofstressandpoordiets,alongwithalackofexerciseandtheunhealthysuppressionofsuchemo
tionsasangerandresentment,causethegradualnarrowingandthickeningofthearteries,whichleadstothisdisease.Methodsforreversingthisconditioncenterondietandlifestylefactors,includ
inglearninghowtorelax,andreleasinghostilityandtension.More
than30yearsago,Dr.HerbertBenson,DirectoroftheHyperten
sionSectionatBethIsraelHospitalinBoston,inconjunctionwith
Aging,Long-LastrngHealth,andYourHealingSystem197
HarvardMedicalSchool,provedthatrelaxationandmeditationcouldsubstantiallylowerandreversehighbloodpressure.Support
ingyourhealingsystembypracticingstressmanagementandincorporatingotherhealthydietaryandlifestylemeasurescanhelppreventandreversethiscondition.Parkinson’sdiseaseisanotherneurologicalconditionassociated
withtheelderlyandbelievedtobecausedbyaspecificbiochemicaldeficiencyinthebrain.However,Parkinson’ssymptomsmayoccurinyoungerpeople,suchasMichaelJ.Fox,whosechallengeswiththisdiseasearewellknown.ManyyoungParkinsonpatientshavesuffered
fromtraumatothebrain,areunderstress,orhaveabuseddrugs.Parkinson’salsoflaresupduringperiodsofstressandemotionalupheaval.Ifcaughtearly,Parkinson’smaybepreventedandmanaged
byproperdiet,naturalmodalitiesthathelpimprovebloodflowtothebrain,stressmanagement,andothermind-bodymethodsaimedatrestoringbalancetothenervoussystemandstrengtheningthehealingsystem.Again,thisdiseaseisnotreservedfortheelderly,butcanoccur
inanyoneatanyage,anditcanbetreatedwiththesamemethods.Strokecanbeacripplinganddisablingconditionthatcommonlyaffectstheelderly.However,toassociatestrokewiththeagingprocessaloneistooverlookthekeyriskfactorsandunderlyingconditionsthat
causestroke,whichinmostcasesarerelatedtostress,diet,andlifestyle.Infact,strokeisanuncommonconditioninmostdevelop
ingcountries.Althoughseveraldifferentmechanismscanresultinstroke,themostcommonisanunderlyingconditionofpersistent,uncontrolledhighbloodpressure,notoldage.Strokeisalsocommonlycausedbyconstantirregularheartbeats,knownasarrhythmias,whichcreateblood-flowdisturbancesthatcancausesmallbloodclots
topasstothebrain.Stroke,regardlessofitsunderlyingcauses,isentirelypreventable.Workingwiththehealingsystem,apersonwithnormalbloodpressurewhowatcheshisorherweight,exercisesregularly,drinksfluids,managesstress,andparticipatesinthehealthyreleaseandexpressionofemotionswillmostcertainlybesuccessfulinavoidingthiscondition.Andevenwithstrokesthatalreadyhaveoccurred,successfulrehabilitationisoftenpossiblethankstotheheal
ingsystem,whichisabletoworkwiththenervoussystemtohelptransferinformationfromthedamagedsideofthebraintotheother
side,bringinglifebacktopreviouslyparalyzedlimbs. 198 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
RemainingFlexibleAsYouAgeStretchingtoSupportYourHealingSystem
Theaxiom“Moveitorloseit”seemstobeafundamentalprinciple
intheuniverse,anditcertainlyappliestothehealthofourbodies.Peopletendtoslowdownandbecomemoresedentaryastheyage,andsotheytendtomoveless.Thislackofmovementcanleadtostiffness,muchlikewhathappenswhenrustsetsintoanunused,neglectedmachine.Thestiffnesscanleadtopain,whichinturndiscouragesfurthermovement.Aviciouscycleperpetuatesitself,leadingtoimmobilityanddisability,notjustofthejointsandlimbs,
butalsooftheinternalorgans.Whenyoustopmoving,yourheal
ingsystemweakens,andlifeexpectancydiminishes.Toavoidtheseconsequences,gentlybutpersistentlystretchingthevariousmuscles
inyourbodyisimportant.Stretchingkeepsyourjointsmobileandensuresthatyourbody
willremainflexibleasyouage.Forthisreason,stretchingisoneofthe
mostimportantthingsyoucandotosupportyourhealingsystemandpromotelong-lastinghealth.Likeacoconuttreeinahurricane,if
yourbodyisflexible,itcanbetterendureadverseforcesofstressand
traumaasyouage.Ifyouwereadogoracat,youwouldinstinctivelystretcheverytimeyougotupfromsleep.Allmammalsandvertebratesinstinctivelystretch.Nothingelseisasnaturalandbeneficialforyourhealingsystemandbodyasstretching. ChronicDisease
ABlessinginDisguise
Onedaywhilehewasbeinginterviewed,SirWilliamOsler,oneof
themostfamousphysiciansofthetwentiethcentury,wasaskedthe
secrettolongevity.Hegaveananswerthatsurprisedeveryone:“Get
achronicdisease,andlearntotakegoodcareofit!”
Howcouldthesecretoflong-lastinghealthandlongevityever
befoundinhavingachronicdisease?Tohaveachronicdiseaseand
atthesametimebeabletoextendyourlifespansoundslikeatotalcontradiction.WhatwasonSirWilliamOsler’smindwhenhecame
upwiththisenigmaticstatement? Aging,Long-LastingHealth,andYourHealingSystem199
Inhisgreaterwisdomandglory,Dr.Oslerwentontoclarifywhat
hemeant.Heexplainedthathavingachronicdiseaseisreallyabless
ingindisguisebecauseitforcesyoutopaycloserattentiontoyourbodythanyouwouldnormallydo.Insodoing,youbenefitallparts
ofyourbody,andsoyouroverallhealthactuallycanbeimproved.Hefurtherwentontoexplainthatwhenyouhaveachronicdisease,yourbodybecomesmoresensitive,vulnerable,anddemanding,andthismakesyouabetter“listener.”Youbecomemoreawareofyourbody,
andyoucanmoreeffectivelyidentifywhatcausesflare-upsofyourdisease,whethertoxinsintheenvironment,unhealthyfoods,irritat
ingsubstances,stressoremotionalupheaval,orotheroffensivefactors.Intheprocess,youhavetheopportunitytolearnhowtoavoidthesefactorsandlessentheintensityorfrequencyoftheflare-
ups.Youalsohavetheopportunitytodiscoverhowimbalanceswerecreatedinyourbodytocausethediseaseinthefirstplace.Theseimbalancesmayhavebeencausedbyunconscious,self-destructivehabitsandtendencies,aswellasbyunhealthythoughtsandattitudes.Withchronicdisease,youhavetheopportunitytolearnhowtoundo
thedamage,reversethediseaseprocess,andcooperatewithyourheal
ingsystemtorestoreyourbodytoitsnaturalstateofhealth.Doing
thisrequiresthatyoulearntonurture,andbekindandgentleto,
yourbody,exploringwaystofulfillitsneedsandtreatitbetter.Havingachronicdiseasecanteachyouhowtobecomeyour
ownbestcaregiver,yourownfull-timedoctor,sotospeak.Andas
youlearntocooperatewithyourhealingsysteminyourmissionofreturningtoanaturalstateofhealthandwellness,yourhealingsystemcanhelpyouremainhealthy,functional,andsymptomfree
fortherestofyourlife.ThisisthehiddenmeaningbehindSirWilliamOsler’sstatementthatthekeytolongevityistogetachronicdiseaseandlearntotakegoodcareofit. Incontrasttothisapproach,assoonastheyarediagnosedwith
achronicdisease,manypeoplegiveintofear,negativethinking,anddespair.Thisresponseonlyreinforcesthediseaseprocessandisa
surerecipeforanearlydemise.Evenwell-meaningdoctorsoftenunknowinglysupportthispessimisticattitude.Thefollowingstoryillustratesthepoint. AmanIknewwassuspectedofhavingprostatecancer.Hisdoctororderedteststoconfirmthathehadcancer,andthetests
200 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
camebackpositive.Onhisfirstdoctor’svisitafterthediagnosiswasestablished,thismanaskedhisdoctorwhetherheshouldquitsmok
ing.Tohisastonishment,hisdoctorreplied,“Atthispoint,what’s
theuse?”Withhisdoctor’snegativeattitude,helefttheofficeandimmediatelyplungedintoadeepdepression.Eventhoughthedoctordidn’tsayitinexactlythesewords,whatheheardwas“Itis
toolatetodoanythingatthisstage.Facethefacts.Youaregoingtodie.”Sixweekslater,themandied. Itisimportantnottodenytherealityofanillness;atthesametime,itismoreimportantnottobecomepassiveordepressed,orto
giveintothepopularpessimisticnotionsaboutwhatwillhappen
toyouasyoubecomemoreill.AsthelateNormanCousinsusedto
say,“Don’tdenythediagnosis,butdefytheverdict!”Becauseoftheconnectionbetweenyourmindandyourhealingsystem,remainingoptimistic,evenwhentheoddsappeartobestackedagainstyou,iscrucial.AccordingtoDr.Osler’swisdomandexperience,evenifyouhavebeendiagnosedwithdiabetes,orheartdisease,oranyotherchroniccondition,itispossibleforyoutolivetobe120yearsold.Ifyouwatchyourdiet,regularlyexercise,practicestressmanagement,anduseothermethodsandstrategiesthatcooperatewithyourhealingsystem,youcanlearntopositivelyinfluenceyourbody’sinternalenvironmentandimproveyouroverallhealth.Ifyouarecurrentlytakingmedications,youmaygraduallybeabletoreduceyourdependenceonthemandquitepossiblygetoffthemaltogether.In
myownpractice,Ihaveseenthishappenquitefrequently. Ifyouaresufficientlymotivated,andyoudon’tgiveintopessimismanddespair,achronicdiseasecandirectandguideyoutowardamuchhealthierlifestylethatsupportsyourhealingsystemandimprovesyouroverallhealth.Insodoing,thediseasecanenable
youtoenjoylong-lastinghealth.Seenfromthisperspective, achronicdiseasecanactuallybeablessingindisguise. I’dliketomakeanadditionalpointinsupportofDr.Osler’swisdom.Thereisasaying,“Youdon’tmissyourwateruntilyourwell
runsdry.”Inmyownexperience,Ihaveseenthatmanypeopledonothonororvaluetheirhealthunlesstheyareatimmediateriskoflosing
it.Inthisregard,contracting achronic,life-threateningdiseasecan
serveasamuch-neededwake-upcall.Whenyourealizeyourlifeison
Aging,Long-LastingHealth,andYourHealingSystem201
thelineandyouarenothereforever,it’samazinghowquicklyyoucanbecomemotivatedtoimprovethequalityofyourhealthandlife.Withthisclarityandsenseofurgency;itisofteneasiertomakesweep
ing,constructivechangesinyourdiet,lifestyle,andpersonalhabits
thatstrengthenandenhancetheworkofyourhealingsystem.When
youliveyourlifefully,withtheawarenessthatbeingaliveistrulyablessing,privilege,anduniqueopportunity,youbegintorealizethecriticalimportanceofyourhealthandyourresponsibilitytotakecare
ofyourself.‘Whenyouparticipateinhealthful,wholesomeactivities
thatsupportyourhealingsystem,youroverallhealthimproves,and
theprospectsforgreaterlongevityincreasesignificantly. Asyoulearntotakebettercareofyourself,yourillnesscanserve
asyourtickettoalongerandhappier,moreproductivelife.In
fact,manypeoplewhohaveovercomechronic,life-threateningill
nesseshavelookedbackanddeclaredthattheirillnessesweregifts,withoutwhichtheirliveswouldhaveneverbeentransformedfor
thebetter. Andwhoistosaythatonceyouhaveachronicdiseaseyouarestuckwithit?Since.Dr.Osler’stime,inadditiontoDr.DeanOrnish’sstudiesthatprovedheartdiseasecanbereversed,manyotherstudies
arenowshowingsimilarpossibilitiesfordiabetes,arthritis,asthma,multiplesclerosis,cancer,andmanyotherdiseases.Thesamemecha
nismsthatcausediseaseprocessestooccurinthefirstplacecanbereversedandeliminatethediseasefromyourbody.Ifyouarecurrentlyplaguedbyahealthproblem,thesooneryouadoptanactiveroleinsupportingandcooperatingwithyourhealingsystem,thefasteryou
canhealandbebackontheroadtolong-lastinghealth. MemoryLossandYourHealingSystemAsYouAge
Asimplefactoflivingisthat,aspeopleage,theirbrainsaccumulate
moreinformationthantheyneed.Mostpeoplewhoageandhavetroublewiththeirmemoriessufferfromasimplecaseofinformationoverload,otherwiseknownas“brainclutter.”Therearejusttoomanyuselessfacts,memories,incidents,orothertrivialpiecesofinforma
tionintheirheads,storedupoveralifetime,andallthesedetailsslow
202 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
downthequalityoftheirbrain’sabilitytoprocessinformationandfunctionefficiently.Althoughoccasionallyrealorganicorphysical
causesexistformemorylossorbraindysfunction,suchasimpairedbloodflowtothebrainorchemicalimbalancesintheblood,inmyexperience,theoverwhelmingmajorityofmemory-lossandbrain-dysfunctionexperiencesarenottheresultoforganiccauses. Thedangersofmemorylossandbraindysfunctionarethatthey
cancausedisorientationandconfusion,whichleadtostressandanx
iety,whichcanburdenthehealingsystemthroughthemind-bodyinteractionsthatwehavediscussedearlierinthisbook.Ifachronicphysicaldiseaseisalsoalreadypresent,itcanfurtherjeopardizeyourhealthbyinterferingwiththeworkofyourhealingsystem.Manypeoplewhodevelopmemoryproblemsastheyagecontributetotheirowndifficultiesbyhangingontomemoriesandpiecesofoutdatedinformationthatnolongerservetheirbestinter
ests.Foronereasonoranother,theyareafraidtomoveforwardwith
theirlives,remainingstuckinthepastandlivingtheirlivesasifthe
besttimeswerebehindthem.Peoplewhodothisareclosingthe
doortofutureexperiencesthatmaybewonderfullyupliftingandenlightening.Astheirmemorycontinuestofailthem,theybecome
moreandmorefrightened,stressed,andanxious,andtheirbrainfunctiondeterioratesfurther.Thiscombinationcanbecometerriblyunsettlinganddisorientingtotheirmentalhealthandwell-being. TipsforImprovingMemoryandBrainFunction
Takinganactiveroleinpreserving,maintaining,andrestoringyour
veryimportantmentalhealthandwell-beingisessential.Infact,
yoursurvivaldependsonit.Youcantakedefiniteactionstocoop
eratewithyourhealingsysteminimprovingyourmemoryandbrainfunctionasyouage.Thefollowingkeysteps,whilenotall-inclusive,
canserveasastartingpointinthisprocess:
DMakesureyouhaveinvestigatedthepossibilityofunderlyingorganiccauses,includingchemicalimbalancesinthebloodor
yourbody’sinternalenvironmentthatmaybeinterferingwith
yourbrainfunction.Doingthismaynecessitateavisittoyourfamilydoctorforacheckup. oClearyourmindofunnecessarypiecesofinformation,includ
Aging,Long-LastingHealth,andYourHealingSystem203
ingphonenumbers,facts,figures,memories,orexperiencesthat
donotserveyourbestinterests. oIfyoucannotrecallapieceofinformationthatyoufeelisimportant,don’tstruggle,strain,orfight.Relax,breathe,calm
yourmind,andletgo.Iftheinformationisreallyimportant,it
willeventuallycomebacktoyou.Yourmemoryfunctionsbestwhenyourmindiscalmandrelaxed,notwhenyouareupset,tense,oranxious. oMakesureyourdietishealthyandwholesome,andthatyou
aredrinkingenoughfluids.Avoidexcesscaffeine,alcohol,andotherunhealthysubstancesthatnegativelyaffectyourbrain. oAvoidexcessmedicationsormedicationsthatmayinterferewith
yourmemory. oMakesureyouaregettingenoughexercise.Exercisehasbeenshowntoimprovebloodflowtothebrain,whichimprovesbrainfunctionandmemory. oPracticestress-managementtechniquestokeepyourbrainand
nervoussystemcalmandrelaxed.Anaturallycalmandrelaxedmindismorealertandcanconcentratebetter. oAvoidemotionalupheaval,includingangerandresentment,whichcompromisesclarityandcloudsthinking. oExperimentwithnaturalsupplementssuchasgingkobilobaand
gotucola,whichhavebeenshowntoimprovebloodflowtothebrain;theseherbscanimprovememoryandbrainfunction.Makesuretheywillnotconflictwithothermedicationsyoualreadymaybetaking. oConsidertryingothernaturalmethods,includingcranial-sacraltherapy,acupuncture,yoga,taichi,andothergentle,non-inva
sive,complementarytherapies. AdvantagesofAging
andLong-LastingHealth
Asyouadvanceinyears,andwheneveryoubegintodoubtyourintrin
sicworth,gotoyourlocalliquorstoreandasktoseeitsselection
204 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
andpricelistoffinewines.Youwillnoticethattheolderwinesarethe
mostexpensive.Likeabottleoffinevintagewine,yournetworthandvaluealsoincreaseasyouage.Agingincludesanumberofadvantages;proudlyandnoblyembracethem.Oldageisatimetolookforward
to,andlong-lastinghealthwillensurethatyoucanenjoyitmorefully. Forexample,intheaboriginalcultureofAustralia,morethan40,000yearsold,theeldermembersareregardedasthewisestandmostpowerfulofallsouls,andtheirpeopleaffordthemthegreatestrespect.Theculturereliesupontheirwisdomandexperiencetoguidetheaboriginesthroughdifficulttimes,topresideoverdisputesandtohelpsettledifferences,andtobeavailableforconsultationinallimportantmatters,includingthoseofadomestic,political,orspiritualnature. IntheBuddhisttradition,elderBuddhistsarelookeduponas
thehighest-rankingmembersofthesociety.Inmanyotherculturesthroughouttheworld,theeldersystemisstillintact.Peoplearehon
oredandvaluedfortheiradvancingyears,notbanished,punished,andshamed,astheyoftenareintheWest. Assurprisingasitmaysound,gettingolderalsoconfersmanyhealthadvantages.Forexample,whenyouareolder,youhavemoreexperience,moreknowledge,andmorewisdomaboutyourhealth. Youaremorefamiliarwithyourbody’sstrengths,weaknesses,andlimitations,andyouhaveprobablydiscoveredthevirtuesofmodera
tion.Additionally,overtheyearsthatyouhaveaged,youhavelearned
howtofeedandnourishyourbody;howtoexerciseit;howmuch
water,sleep,andrestitrequires;howittoleratestemperaturechanges;andwhatkindofclothesitrequirestokeepwarmforeachseason.In
thewordsofPlato,“Itgivesmegreatpleasuretoconversewiththeaged.Theyhavebeenovertheroadthatallofusmusttravelandknowwhereitisroughanddifficultandwhereitislevelandeasy~”
Asyouage,youpossessagreaterabilitytoavoidillnessandinjury.Youlearntobemorecarefulandsafeinallactivities,fromwalkingandclimbingstairstodriving.Youbecomebetteratphysicalandmentalenergyconservationforyourhealthandwell-being.Forexam
ple,whenyouwereyoung,youmayhavethoughtthatyouwereinvincible,asifyouwereasupermanorsuperwoman.Asaconsequence,youmayhavemadesomecostlymistakes.Whenyouareolder,youtendnottobesofoolish,tobemorethoughtfulanddelib
erate.Whenyouareolder,youarerulednotsomuchbyyour
Aging,Long-LastingHealth,andYourHealingSystem205
hormonesorpassionsasbyyourcommonsense,tempereddiscipline,
andyourabilitytolistentoyourbodyandactbenevolentlyonitsbehalf.Whenyouareolder,youtendnottobecomesosweptawayorpreoccupiedwiththeaffairsoftheworld,but,rather,tobecomemoreself-entertainingandself-contained.Thisprocessdirectsyourmentalenergiesinward,increasingyourbodilyawareness,andimproving
yourabilitytolistentoandcooperatewithyourhealingsystem.
Extraordinary_Healing_-_the_amazing_power_of_your_body_s_secret_healing_system.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        *Youcanliedownonyourbackasindeeprelaxation,oryoucan
sitinachairoronanycomfortable,firmsurface. Makesureyou
areinacomfortableposition. *Closeyoureyesandbringyourawarenessinsideofyourbody. Noticethegentlemovementinyourstomachandabdomen. (Youobviouslywillneedtokeepyoureyesopentoreadtheinstructionsforthisexercise. Formaximumbenefits,however,
keepyoureyesclosedafteryouhavereadandfamiliarizedyourselfwiththistechnique. ) *Noticethatwhenthebreathflowsintoyourbody,yourstom
achandabdomengently. expandandrise. *Noticethatwhenthebreathflowsoutofyourbody,yourstom
achandabdomengentlycontractandfall. *Withouttryingtocontroltherateordepthofthismovement,continuetoobservethisautomaticmovementinyourstomach
andabdomenasyourbreathflowsinandoutofyourbody. *Everytimethebreathflowsintoyourbody,feeltheoxygenfrom
yourbloodenteringintothecellsandtissuesofyourbody,
172 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
energizingandstrengtheningyourhealingsystemandentire
body. oEverytimethebreathleavesyourbody,feelallthemusclesin
yourbodybecomingmorerelaxed. oNowdirectyourawarenesstothetipofyournose. Watchthebreathasitflowsinandoutofyourbody. Again,withouttrying
tocontroltherateordepthofthemovementofyourbreath,focusonseeingthebreathasseparatefromyou. oEverytimethebreathleavesyourbody,feelyourentirebodybecomingmorerelaxed,andyourmindbecomingmorecalm,
serene,andpeaceful. Feelthepowerofthisnaturalstateofcalm
nessandtranquilityinyourentirebody. 0Feelthehealingenergyfromyourbreathflowingintoeverycell
andtissueofyourbody,asyourbodybecomesmorehealthy,vibrant,andalivewitheachbreathyourtake. oAfterbreathinglikethisfor10to15minutes,slowlyopenyour
eyes. Beforeyouresumeyournormalactivities,appreciatethe
powerofyourbreath. Noticeitscalminginfluenceonyourmindanditsenergizingeffectonyourbody. Knowthatyourbreathisalwaysavailabletoyoushouldyoubegintofeelstressed,anxious,orfatiguedatanytime. Keepthisawarenessofbreathwithyouasoftenaspossible. Haveasyourgoaltoprac
ticethisbreathingexerciseeverydayforatleast5tolOminutes. Ifyourschedulepermits,buildupto30minutesperday. The
besttimetodothisexerciseisinthemorningsorevenings,whenitisusuallymorequiet. BreathingExercise#2:BreathingwithSound
oFindaquietplacewhereyoucanbealonefor10tol5minutes. Makesureyouareabsolutelyfreeofallobligationsandresponsibilitiesduringthistime. oYoucanliedownonyourback,asindeeprelaxation,oryoucan
sitinachair,onthefloor,oronanyfirmsurface.
10-15 minutes, and it's recommended to gradually increase the time to 30 minutes if possible.
What is the recommended duration for practicing the breathing exercise?
It is essential to avoid the negative impact of a disturbed mind, as it can disrupt the body's natural state of health and hinder the healing process.
What is the importance of a peaceful and calm state in maintaining a healthy body?
The primary cause is not age, but rather unhealthy lifestyle habits, poor diet, and mental-emotional factors, which can lead to a weakened immune system.
What is the primary cause of most chronic diseases, according to the text?
The recommended approach is to adopt a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet, regular exercise, and stress management, as well as seeking support from loved ones and maintaining a positive attitude.
What is the recommended approach to dealing with Alzheimer's disease?
It is crucial to adopt a healthy lifestyle, manage stress, and maintain a positive attitude, as well as co-operate with your healing system by releasing negative thoughts and emotions, and embracing a sense of self-awareness and inner peace.
What is the key to achieving long-lasting health and longevity?