“Wheninspirationandinformationarecombinedinhealthcare,theresultsexceedexpectations.ExtraordinaryHealingcanhelpyoubringbothintoyourlifeandenjoytheresults.”
BernieSiegel,M.D.Authorof365Prescrz~tionsfortheSoul
andHelpMetoHeal
“ArtBrownsteinisnotonlyaninspireddoctor,he’salsoamasterfulteacher.Inthemostengagingandsimpleways,hedescribestheremark
ablemiraclesofhealingwhileatthesametimedemystifringthesciencebehindthesemiraclessothatwecanallaccessourownextraordinaryhealingpowers.IhighlyrecommendExtraordinaryHealingtoanyonewhowantstoachieveoptimumhealthandwellbeing.”
LarryPayne,Ph.D.FoundingPresidentInternationalAssociationofYogaTherapists
“Inanerawhenpreventionandtakingpersonalresponsibilityforyour
ownhealthisparamount,Dr.Brownstein’sadviceisespeciallytimely.Theimportanceofmentalandphysicalhealthandtheirintegrationwitheachotherisparticularlyrelevant.Thisisanexcellentguidefor
allwhoaspiretoalongandhealthylife.”
JamesE.Banta,M.D.,M.P.H.,F.A.C.P.M.VisitingProfessorandInterimChair,GeorgeWashingtonUniversity
ExtraordinaryHEALING
ExtraordinaryHEALING
TheAmazingPowerof
YourBody’sSecretHealingSystem
ArthurH.Brownstein,M.D.,M.P.H. HARBORPRESS
GicHARBOR,WA
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Brownstein,ArthurH.,1950—Extraordinaryhealing:theamazingpowerofyourbody’ssecrethealingsystem/ArthurH.Brownstein
p.cm.Includesbibliographicalreferences.ISBN0-936197-49-8(alk.paper)Healing.2.Health.3.Mindandbody.I.Title. IMPORTANTNOTICE
Theideas,positions,andstatementsinthisbookmayinsomecasesconflict
withorthodox,mainstreammedicalopinion,andtheadviceregardinghealth
mattersoutlinedinthisbookoronitscoverisnotsuitableforeveryone.Do
notattemptself-diagnosis,anddonotembarkuponself-treatmentofanykindwithoutqualifiedmedicalsupervision.Nothinginthisbookshouldbeconstruedasapromiseofbenefitsorofresultstobeachieved,oraguarantee
bytheauthororpublisherofthesafetyorefficacyofitscontents.Theauthor,
thepublisher,itseditors,anditsemployeesdisclaimanyliability,loss,orriskincurreddirectlyorindirectlyasaresultoftheuseorapplicationofanyof
thecontentsofthisbook.Ifyouarenotwillingtobeboundbythisdisclaimer,pleasereturnyourcopyofthebooktothepublisherforafullrefund. RZ4O1.B8252005
615.5—dc22
2004040615EXTRAORDINARYHEALING
TheAmazingPowerofYourBody’sSecretHealingSystem
Copyright©2005byArthurH.Brownstein
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformbyanymeanswithoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher. PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica. 109876543
HarborPress,Inc. P.O.Box1656
GigHarbor,WA98335
HARBORPRESSandthenautilusshelldesignareregisteredtrademarksofHarborPress,Inc. hisbookisdedicatedtoNormanCousins(1915—1990)andto
hissurvivingfamilymembers.Arareandmostunusualhumanbeing,Cousinswasaninternationalemissaryofpeace;apoliticaladvisortostatesmen,politicians,popes,andpresidents;aprolific,best-sellingauthor;amusician;ahumorist;andanextraordinaryhealer.Considered“healerofthemedicalprofession”and“foundingfatherofmind-bodymedicine,”hewasalsoapioneeringresearcher
andoutspokenproponentofpsychoneuroimmunology, anewbranchofmedicalsciencethatstudiestheinteractionsamongthemind,thenervoussystem,andtheimmunesystemtohelpusbetterunderstandhowourbeliefs,thoughts,feelings,andattitudescanaffectourphysicalhealth. Eventhoughhewasinthemiddleofintensefundraisingandresearchinpsychoneuroimmunologywhenwemetinhisofficeat
theUCLASchoolofMedicine,NormanCousinstooktimeoutof
hisbusyscheduletotellmeaboutthehealingsystem.Hespokeatlengthaboutwhyheconsidereditthemostimportantsysteminthebody,andhowresearchneededtobeconductedinthisvitalareaofhumanhealth.Although,overthepast15years,Ihavesinceheard
andreadaboutthehealingsystemmanytimes,andhavegoneontoconductmyownclinicalstudiesandobservationsaboutit,NormanCousinswasthefirstonetomakemeawareofitanditsprofoundimportancetohumanity’songoingbattleagainstdisease.Icredit
himformakingmeabetterdoctor,andfortheinspirationtowrite
thisbook. CONTENTS
ForewordxiAcknowledgmentsxiiiIntroductionxxiii
PARTONE
YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
Chapter1YourHealingSystemandYourNaturalStateofHealth3Chapter2YourHealingSysteminAction23Chapter3TheTeamMembersofYourHealingSystem57Chapter4StrengtheningandFortif~iingYourHealingSystem73Chapter5FuelingYourHealingSystem113Chapter6ThePowerofYourMindandYourHealingSystem135Chapter7Aging,Long-LastingHealth,andYourHealingSystem183Chapter8TheHealingSystematWork:PersonalStoriesofExtraordinaryHealing219
PARTTWOActivatingYourHealingSystemWhenYou’reSick
BeforeYouBegin249
GettingStarted:ADailyProgramforEnhancingYourHealingSystem263ConqueringCommonHealthConditions281
SkinProblems282Abrasions,Contusions,Lacerations,andPunctures282
viii Contents
Abscesses283
Acne283Boils,Carbuncles,Furuncles284
Burns284
Cysts285Folliculitis285Impetigo285
SkinRashes286
AllergicRashes286InfectiousRashes287Nerve-RelatedRashes287Eczema288Psoriasis288Shingles288ProblemsoftheHead289DizzinessandVertigo289Headaches290HeadInjury291
EyeDisorders292Conjunctivitis293CornealAbrasions293
Styes294
EarProblems294ImpactedEarWax294Meniere’sDisease295Middle-EarInfections295Noise-InducedHearingLoss296Outer-EarInfections296PerforatedEarDrum297Surfer’sEar297Tinnitus298RespiratorySystemDisorders298
Asthma298Bronchitis299Colds299EmphysemaandCOPD(ChronicObstructivePulmonaryDisease)299
Contents ix
Pharyngitis300Pneumonia300RespiratoryAllergies301SinusInfections302
StrepThroat303Tonsillitis303Tuberculosis303DigestiveSystemDisorders304Appendicitis305ColonCancer305Constipation306Gastritis306Gastroenteritis306Hepatitis307InflammatoryBowelDisease308StomachUlcersandDuodenalUlcers309
UrinarySystemDisorders309
KidneyStones310Urinary-TractInfections310
FemaleReproductiveSystemDisorders310
CanceroftheFemaleReproductiveSystem311Menopause311PremenstrualSyndrome(PMS)312
MaleReproductiveSystemDisorders313
MaleMenopause313ProstateCancer313ProstateEnlargement313TesticularCancer314LymphaticSystemDisorders314
NervousSystemDisorders314
CentralNervousSystemDisorders315PeripheralNeuropathies316MusculoskeletalDisorders316Fractures316MuscularInjuries317Osteoporosis317
X Contents
JointDisorders318
Gout318Osteoarthritis318RheumatoidArthritis318DisordersoftheHands,Feet,andExtremities319
HandProblems319CarpalTunnelSyndrome319
FootProblems319Corns,HeelSpurs,PlantarFasciitis,andPlantarWarts320DisordersoftheSpine320
BackPain320CirculatorySystemDisorders321
HeartDisease321HighBloodPressure321Stroke322EndocrineSystemDisorders323ChronicFatigueSyndrome323Diabetes324ThyroidDysfunction325
ImmuneSystemDisorders326Allergies326ChemicalandDrugAllergies327
FoodAllergies327AcquiredImmuneDeficiencySyndrome(AIDS)328Anaphylaxis329AutoimmuneDiseases329AnkylosingSpondylitis330MultipleSclerosis330Cancer331AdditionalRelaxationMethods,BreathingTechniques,andGuidedImageryTechniquestoStrengthenYourHealingSystem341Resources363
AbouttheAuthor369
FOREWORD
odernmedicinerarelysucceedsinteachingdoctorshowtogettheirpatientstoactivelyparticipateintheirownhealing.Thisisone
ofthemajorproblemswithmedicinetodayandwithdoctorstrained
tofocusonexternalsolutionstotheirpatients’healthproblems.Themodern-dayapproachofquick-fixsolutionsandanemphasison“wonder”drugsoftendisregardstheremarkablepotentialweall
havetoawakenourownextraordinaryhealingpowerswhenwe’re
sick,andtousethesehealingpowerstopreventdiseasefromeveroccurring.Butinordertousethesehealingpowersthatweallhave,
wemusttapintoasystemofthebodythathasbeenvirtuallyignoreduntilnow—thehealingsystem.Trueandlastinghealingcan
onlyoccurwhenyouworkwiththisstrongandseeminglymysteriouspowerwithinyou.Throughtheyears,Ihaveseenpatientswithdiseasesandcondi
tionsofallkindsworkwiththeirhealingsystemsinavarietyofways
tocombatsicknessandrestoretheirbodiesandmindstoahealthy
state.Ihaveevenseenunconsciouspatientsinintensivecareunitsofhospitalshealthemselveswithastrongwilltolivethatstimulatesthehealingsystemtogointohighgear.PayattentiontothestoriesDr.Brownsteinsharesinthisbook.Theyarealldramaticexamplesoftheincrediblepowerweallhavetohealourselvesandthecriticalimpor
tanceoflookingwithinforpermanentsolutionstohealthproblems. Ifyouaresickorweak,orevenifyou’rejustnotfeelingasgood
asyou’dliketofeel,yourhealingsystemmaybeslumbering,butit
isjustwaitingtobecalledintoaction—anditisasnecessarytoyourgoodhealthasyourrespiratorysystemandyourdigestivesystem. Trywakingitupwiththestrategiesandtechniquesyou’llfindin
thisbook,andyou’llexperiencethefullrangeofyourpotentialto
xii Foreword
achievemaximumhealth.Beginwithasimplefirststep:“Program”yourselftothinkandfeelinapositivewayaboutyourselfandothers,and,beforelong,you’llseeextraordinarychangesintheway
youfeelphysically.Usethepowerofyourmindtoaffectyourbody,
andyourhealingsystemwillrespondinamyriadofwaystoyourthoughtsandattitudes,anditwillbeginhealingandstrengthening
alloftheothersystemsinyourbody.Justaspatientswhoarein
extremecircumstances,suchasinintensivecareunitsofhospitals,
canrallyandrecover,socanyouifyoulearntoacknowledgeand
workwithyourownhealingpowers.Youareabouttobeginquiteanunusualandremarkablebook,
onethatdeservestobereadcarefullyandthenkeptcloseathandforfuturereferenceintimesofneed.LetDr.Brownsteinshowyouhow
tostrengthenandfortifytheextraordinaryhealingsystemwithin
you,andyou’llseeremarkablechangesinthehealthofyourmind,body,andspirit. ClaesFrostell,M.D.KarolinskaUniversityHospitalHuddingeStockholm,Sweden
~ACKNQWLEDGMENTS
anypeopleareduemythanksforthepublicationofthisbook.Manymoresimplycouldnotbelistedhere.TothemIoffer
mysincereapologies. Iwouldliketoacknowledgethefollowingpeoplefortheircontributiontothiswork:Norman.Cousinswastheoriginalinspirationthatledtothewritingofthisbook. GaryDavidSaldana,M.D.,ofKauai,Hawaii,regularlyencour
agedmeforfiveyearsandadditionallycontributedbyseeingmypatientseachweeksoIwouldhavethetimetowrite. Dr.DeanOrnish,thefirstpersonintheworldtoprovethat
heartdiseasecouldbereversed,providedastrong,scientificfounda
tionfortheideaspresentedhere.Duringthe10yearsthatIwasfortunateenoughtoworkwithhim,Iwasabletowitness,firsthand,
themiraculousworkingsofthehealingsysteminpatientswith
severe,advancedheartdisease.IshallbeforevergratefultoDr.Ornish
forhiswisdomandgenerosity. Dr.LeeLipsenthal,medicaldirectoroftheOrnishProgramandoriginatorofthePhysicianHealThyselfprogram,hasbeenacontinuoussourceofencouragementforthisproject.OtherstaffandparticipantsoftheOrnishProgramIwouldlike
topersonallythankincludeMelanieElliot,R.N.;RuthMarlin,M.D.;RobSaper,M.D.;JimBillings,Ph.D. ;Dr.ConradKnudsen;DennisMalone;GlennPerelson;WernerandEvaHebenstreit;HankandPhyllisGinsberg;andtheentireOrnishstaff.ErminiaM.Guarneri,M.D.,cardiologistandcurrentheadoftheScrippsClinicCenterforIntegrativeMedicine;BrunoCorns,M.D.,
xivAcknowledgments
cardiologist;andAndyMeyer,M.D.,cardiologist,providedlessonsincardiologyandhowimportanttheheartistothehealingsystem.BernieSiegel,M.D.,hasbeenamentorandfriend.HisworkwithExceptionalCancerPatientstherapy,describedinhisbest-sellingclas
sicbook,Love,MedicineandMiracles,andhismanyotherbookshave
beenasourceofgreatinspirationinthewritingofthisbook.AndrewWeil,M.D.,colleagueandfriend,isoneoftheworld’s
mostauthoritativeexpertsinthepracticalandresponsibleuseofcomplementaryandalternativemedicines,andoneofthefirstdoc
torstowriteaboutthehealingsystem.Ithankhimforhiscourageandwisdominhelpingmeadvancethescientificandpracticalideaspresented.LarryDossey,M.D.,colleagueandmedicalexpertonspiritual
ityandprayer,hascontributedgreatlytotheideasincludedhere.EdgarMitchell,Ph.D.,wasanApollo14astronautwhomadehistorybywalkingonthemoon.HewentontofoundtheInstitute
ofNoeticSciences,whichhelpsfundscientificresearchonthecut
tingedgeofhealingandconsciousness.Hehasbeenamajorsource
ofinspirationovertheyearsinmyinvestigationintotheworkings
ofthehealingsystem.DavidSimon,M.D.,acolleagueandconventionallytrainedneurologistwhohasstudiedandwrittenaboutAyurvedaandyoga,
hascontributedgreatlytothisworkthroughhisinsightsanddeepunderstandingofthehealingsystem.JoanBorysenko,Ph.D.,best-sellingauthorandscientist,has
beenamentorandsourceofgreatinspirationinmypersonalandprofessionallife.Overtheyearsshehasprovidedmewithmanycasehistoriesandotherimportantclinicalevidencesharedinthesepages.HerbertBenson,M.D.,isaHarvardcardiologist,anexpertin
thetreatmentofstress-relatedillnesses,andthefirstpersonintheworldtoprovethatmeditationcanlowerbloodpressure.Hiswork
hasbeeninvaluabletomyongoinginvestigationsintothefieldofrelaxationandhowitcanbenefitourhealingsystems.JamesBanta,M.D.,M.P.H.,wasthemedicaldirectorofthe
PeaceCorpsduringtheKennedyadministration,formerdeanoftheSchoolofPublicHealthandTropicalMedicineatTulaneUniversity
inNewOrleans,andcurrentlyisprofessorofepidemiologyatGeorgeWashingtonUniversitySchoolofMedicine,andprofessor
Acknowledgments xv
emeritusatmanymedicalschoolsaroundtheworld.IthankhimforsendingmetoIndia,whereIhadtheopportunitytostudyyogaandtraditionalIndianmedicine.Becauseofhim,Iwasabletoobserveancient,natural,effectivemethodsfortreatingdiseasesthatworked
withthehealingsystem.LarryPayne,Ph.D.,founderoftheInternationalAssociationof
YogaTherapists,internationallyacclaimedyogateacherandbestsellingauthor,hasbeenahugesupportinmyworkwiththebody’shealingsystemandinthewritingofthisbook. SteveSchwartz,M.D.,colleagueandclassmateinmedicalschool,andhiswife,AlmaSchwartz,M.D.,bothlong-timeadvo
catesofthebody’snaturalabilitytohealitself,havemadeasignificantcontributiontomycareerandthebirthofthisproject.RobertoMasferrer,M.D.,militarymedicinecolleague,andworld-classneurosurgeon,Dr.TomHigginbotham,D.O.,anosteopathicphysicianwithincrediblygiftedhealinghands,andDr.BudHockley,dermatologist,havebeensourcesofgreatsupportandinspirationinmycareerandasIputtogetherthismaterial.DavidElpern,M.D.,hasbeenawisecolleagueandmajorsup
portformycareerovertheyears.Hewaskindenoughtocontribute
casehistoriesfromhispatientarchivesthatIhaveincludedwithin.BernardTowers,M.D. (deceased),wasmyadvisorinthedepart
mentofpsychoneuroimmunologyfortheresearchIwasproposing
todowithNormanCousinsatUCLA.He,alongwiththeentire
teamofresearchersintheNormanCousinsPrograminpsychoneuroimmunologyatUCLA,whichincludedGeorgeSolomon,M.D.,FawzyFawzy,M.D.,CarmenClemente,M.D.,HerbertWeiner,M.D.,andothers,contributedtothebook’sideas.Ithankthemall
fortheirpioneeringworkandearlyconceptualizationoftheseideas. TuckCraven,M.D.;BettyCraven,M.D. ;ProfessorLenEisenman,Ph.D.,fromJeffersonMedicalCollegeinPhiladelphia;andDr.FrankMarstellarwereallinstrumentalinmymedicaleducationandcontributedtomanyoftheideasexpressedhere.MartyRossman,M.D.,andDavidBressler,Ph.D.,foundersof
theAcademyforGuidedImagery,weremyinstructorsinthetwo
yearclinicaltrainingprogramIcompletedinguidedimageryandhealing,andtheytaughtmewhatapowerfultoolimagerycanbein
theactivationofthehealingsystem. xviAcknowledgments
S.Kuvalayananda,pioneeringresearcherinyogaandfounderof
theKaivalyadhamaYogaInstituteinIndia,whereIhavestudiedduringthepast20years,andhiswiseanddevotedstudents,SwamiDigambarji;Sri0.P.Tiwari;V.Pratap,Ph.D. ;andDr.SriKrishna,
M.B.B.S.,Ph.D.,allservedasmyteachersandcaretakersinIndia
andtaughtmeabouttheinvaluabletherapeuticbenefitsofyogaand
howitcanstrengthenandfortifythehealingsystem.ClaesFrostell,M.D.,Ph.D.,chairmanofthedepartmentofanesthesiologyattheKarolinskaInstituteinStockholm,Sweden;RosarioPorrovecchio,M.D.,ofItaly;andPedrodeVicente,M.D.,
ofSpain,haveallencouragedandinspiredmeinmyworkofintegratingbody,mind,andspiritinsupportofthehealingsystem.VirenderSodhi,abrilliantyetdown-to-earthAyurvedicphysi
ciânandnaturopathicdoctor,hascontinuedtoinspire,encourage,andsupportmycareerandthewritingofthisbook. RobIvker,D.O.,authorofnumerousbooksandpastpresident
of~theAmericanHolisticMedicalAssociation,aswellasLenWisneski,M.D.,aholisticendocrinologistandhealer,havesupportedandencouragedmeinthisproject.Hawaii-basedphysiciansIraZunin,M.D.,M.P.H.,M.B.A,presidentoftheHawaiiStateConsortiumofIntegrativeMedicine;
andTerryShintani,M.D.,M.P.H.,J.D.,founderoftheHawaiian
DietProgram,haveboth,throughtheirwork,contributedsignificantlytotheideaspresentedinthisbook. TimCrane,M.D.;DonaldTraller,PA.;RobertTeichman,M.D.;Ph.D.;NicholasZina,M.D.;JeffGoodman,M.D.;RonBurkhart,M~D.;StephenDeNigris,M.D.;RogerNetzer,M.D.;BillEvslin,MLD.;NealSutherland,M.D. ;allmycolleaguesattheWilcoxH~spitalinKauai;andmycolleaguesat.theUniversityofHawaiisupportedandencouragedmeinthecompletionofthisproject.Thestaff,mycolleaguesandcoworkers,andmymanypatientsat
thePrincevilleMedicalClinic;KilaueaNorthShoreClinic;KapaaClinic;andFamilyPracticeWalk-InClinicatWilcoxHospitalinLihue,Kauai,have,overtheyears,hadanopenmindtogivemefeedbackonthemanyunconventionalmethodsIhaverecommendedhere.DebbyYoungisthebesteditorinthewholeworld.Overafour
yearperiod,shewasinstrumentalinhelpingmetoorganize,clarify,
Acknowledgments xvii
andstripdownthehugevolumeofmaterialIhadgatheredforthis
bookintoacohesive,clear,readablemanuscript.Becauseofher,the
ideasflowsmoothlyandareeasytograsp.SinceIhavebegunwork
ingwithher,Ihavebecomeamuchbetterwriter.Shehasalsoserved
asmyspiritualcheerleaderbyencouragingmetokeepgoingwhen
Iwasoverwhelmedwithbothclinicaldutiesandwriting.Thank
you,Debby.BertHoltjeandGeneBrissiearemyagentsandIthankthem
forrepresentingmeinthisliterarywork.HarryLynn,presidentofHarborPress,publishedmyfirstbook,HealingBackPainNaturally.Ithankhimforbelievinginmeenoughtopublishthiswork,aswell.Ialsowanttothankhisstaff
andassociatesandtherestofthefolksatHarborPressforbeingsohelpfulandcooperative.Nutan,mywife,andShantanu,myson,allowedmetobeawayfromthemforsomanyhours,whichaddedupconsiderablyover
fouryears,whileIwrote.Beingmarriedtoaphysicianishardenough,buttoaphysicianwhoisalsoawriter—thisisamostcruel
andunusualpunishment! Myfather,S.R.Brownstein,M.D.,encouragedmetodomybestinallmyendeavorswhilehepracticedmedicineinacareerthatspanned50years,includingaprofessorshipattheUCLASchoolofMedicineandaprivatepracticeinBeverlyHills,California.Mymother,FernleeBrownstein,relentlesslyencouragedmetofollowin
myfather’sfootstepsasaphysicianoverthecourseofmychildhood
andearlyeducation. “Naturalforceswithinusarethetruehealersofdisease.”—HIPPOCRATES(460—400B.C.) “Theinnerintelligenceofthebodyistheultimateandsupremegeniusinnature.”
—THEVEDAS
“Thephysicianisonlynature’sassistant.”—GALEN(129—199A.D.) “Thephysicianknowsthathislittleblackbagcancarryhimonlyso
farandthatthebody’sownhealingsystemisthemainresource.”
“Thephysician’sabilitytoreassurethepatientisamajorfactorinactivatingthebody’sownhealingsystem.”
“Themoreserioustheillness,themoreimportantitisforyouto
fightback,mobilizingallyourresources—spiritually,emotionally,intellectually,andphysically.”
“Wearebecominganationofsissiesandhypochondriacs, aselfmedicatingsocietyeasilyintimidatedbypainandpronetopanic.Weunderstandalmostnothingabouttheessentialrobustnessofthehumanbodyoritsabilitytomeetthechallengeofillness.”—No~&NCousINs
“Thereisawidebodyofevidencesuggestingthatextraordinaryheal
ing,includingregressionofnormallyfataltumors,takesplace,with
noknownscientificexplanation.”
“Webelieveifthereisonepressingargumentforathoroughgoing,urgent,andevenpassionateinvestigationofremarkablerecovery,itis
this:todiscoverandutilizethepropertiesofanotherunmappedmeta
systemofthebodyandmind—thehealingsystem.”
—DRS.BRENDANO’REGANANDCARYLEHIRSHBERG
“Yourbodycanhealitself.Itcandosobecauseithasahealingsystem.Ifyouareingoodhealth,youwillwanttoknowaboutthis
system,becauseitiswhatkeepsyouingoodhealthandbecauseyou
canenhancethatcondition.Ifyouorpeopleyoulovearesick,you
willwanttoknowaboutthissystem,becauseitisthebesthopeforrecovery.”—ANDREWWElL,M.D. “Medicalstudentsarenotreallytaughtaboutthehealingsystem.Theyaretaughtaboutdisease—howtodiagnoseandhowtotreat,
buttheyarenottaughthowthebodygoesabouttreatingitself.They
willpointtotheimmunesystemandletitgoatthat.Buthealinginvolvesnotjustkillingoffdiseasegermsorvirusesbuttheprocessofreconstructionandrepair.”
—DROMARFAREED
“Weareataturningpointinmedicalhistory,when,havingrecognizedtheouterlimitsoftechnologicalmedicine,doctorsandlaypeoplearetogetherdiscoveringthevastpowersforcreatinghealth
thatweeachinheritatbirth.”
“F~arfrombeingapassivevictimtodisease,thehumanbodyralliesitsh~alingforcesandremovestheoffenderorrepairsdamagedtissue
withasmuchvigorastheworld’sbest-trainedmedicalteam.”
—HALZINABENNET
“Thelandofhealinglieswithin,radiantwithhappinessthatisblindlysoughtinathousandouterdirections.”
—S.S.YUKTESWAR
“Whenyouaresickofyoursicknessyouwillceasetobesick.”
—LkoTzu
“Thereisnosuchthingasanincurabledisease,onlyincurablepeople.”—BERNIESIEGEL,M.D. “Therearenoincurablediseases,onlythoseforwhichmanhasnot
yetfoundthecure.”—RACHELLEBRESLOW
“Whenever anewdiscoveryisreportedtothescientificworld,they
sayfirst,‘Itisprobablynottrue.’Thereafter,whenthetruthofthe
newpropositionhasbeendemonstratedbeyondquestion,theysay,‘Yes,itmaybetrue,butitisnotimportant.’Finally,whensufficient
timehaselapsedtofullyevidenceitsimportance,theysay,‘Yes,surely
itisimportant,butitisnolongernew.”—MICHELDRMONTAtGNE(1533—1592)
INTRODUCTION
ourbodyisanincrediblecreation.Noothermachineislikeitin
theworld.Forthemostpart,itisdesignedtolastforabout100years,anditcanrepairandhealitselffromawholehostofinjuries,traumas,illnesses,anddiseases.Itcandothisbecause,inadditiontotheothersystemsofthebody,ithasahealingsystem,asystemsopowerfulandefficient,sosubtleanddynamic,andyetsoobviousthatithasbeenlargelytakenforgrantedandoverlookedbymostofmodernscience. Evenifthissystemweremoreactivelysearchedfor,ourmostmoderndiagnostictechnologiesarecurrentlyinadequatetoaccuratelymapout
thefullextentofitsrealm.Asaresult,despiteitssupremeimportance,
yourhealingsystemremainstheleaststudied,theleastunderstood,
andtheleastwellknownofallofyourbody’ssystems.Althoughtheconceptofahealingsystemmayseemrelativelynew
toWesternmedicine,inreality;theideathatsuchasystemexistsisveryold.Morethantwothousandyearsago,Hippocrates,considered“thefatherofWesternmedicine,”declaredthat“naturalforceswithinusare
thetruehealersofdisease.”Eventoday,doctorsinChina,India,Japan,andothercountriesintheFarEastandMiddleEastcontinuetoteach
theirpatientshowtoactivateandcooperatewiththeirbodies’naturalabilitytohealthemselvesintimesofillnessandinjury.Andwithinthe
loftyranksofourownmodernmedicine,everysurgeonwhohaseverwieldedascalpelhasreliedonthebody’snaturalabilitytohealitselffollowingeachandeveryoperationperformed.NormanCousins,thefamousauthor,healer,anddiplomat,firstspoketomeaboutthehealingsystemmorethanadecadeago. Atthistime,hewasatUCLA,pioneeringanewscientificprogram
inpsychoneuroimmunology orPNI,forshort,whichfocusedonunderstandinghowthemindandnervoussysteminfluencethe
Xxiv Introduction
functioningoftheimmunesystem.Hisresearchfindingshelpedusherinanimportantnewerainmedicine.Whenwemet,heimploredmetoinvestigateandwriteaboutthehealingsystem,butitwasn’tuntilIcameacrossthefollowingextraordinarycasethatIbecameawareofthesignificanceofCousins’supplications.Peterwasapatientofminewhohadundergoneamajoroperation25yearsearlier,duringwhichapartofoneofhislungshadto
beremoved.Toaccesshislungs,thesurgeonsurgicallyremovedarib
fromhischestwall.Aswespokeabouttheoperation,Petermentionedthateventhoughtheentireribhadbeenremovedfromhis
spinetohischest,ithadsomehowgrownback.Asaphysician,Ihad
neverheardofribsgrowingback,soIaskedwhetherhehadproof. HesaidhehadacopyofhisX-ray,whichverifiedthatwhathesaid
wastrue.IfIhadn’tseentheX-ray,Iwouldn’thavebelieveditpossible.Andalthoughtheribwasmottledinappearanceanddistinctlythinnerthanhisotherribs,thereitwas.Onesolidribbonehad
growninandconnectedfromhissternumintheveryfrontofhis
chesttothevertebrainthebackofhisspinalcolumn.Althoughittookhisbody25yearstoregrowtherib,hisX-ray
wasproofofahealingsystemthatwasneverdiscussedinmymed
icalschooltrainingandwasmoreamazingthanIhadeverknown. Toformanewcompleteribwhereonlyablankspaceexistedisakin
tosalamandersgrowingnewtailsorapersongrowinganewlimb.1
stillhaveacopyofPeter’sX-rayinmyofficetoremindmeofhow
trulyamazingthishealingsystemwithinourbodiesreallyis.Italsoremindsmethatifwewoulddevotemoretimetoitsstudy,wecould
learncountlessotherwondrousmiraclesaboutthisincrediblenatu
ralhealingsystemthateachoneofuspossesses,includinghowto
accessittoachieveoptimumhealth. Yourbody’shealingsystemworksinwaysthatmodernsciencehasn’tevenbeguntolookatorunderstand.Inaddition,ithasthetitanicresponsibilityofmonitoringalltheothersystemsinyourbodyandmakingsurethateverythinginyourbodyisfunctioning
atitsoptimum.Thisisespeciallychallengingwhenourmodernway
oflife,whichcanbefast-pacedandstressful,isinherentlyveryhard
onourbodies.Forthisreason,itisimportanttogettoknowyourhealingsystem,tolearnhowtocooperatewithit,andtoexploreanddiscoverwaystostrengthenandfortifjiitintheprocess. Introduction xxv
Inthisbook,Isharebasicinformationaboutyourhealingsystem. Ialsoprovidesimpleyeteffective,time-honored,scientificallyvalid,practicalstrategies,exercises,techniques,andmethodstohelpyoutakeadvantageofyournaturalinternalhealingresources.Thesetools
willenableyoutopreventandovercomeavastarrayofillnesseswhileimprovingtheoverallqualityofyourhealthandlife. PartOnedescribesyourextraordinaryhealingsystemandhow
itworks,aswellasspecificstrategiesandtechniquesforstrengthen
ingandfortifyingthisremarkablesystem.Chapter1explainshowyourbody’snaturalstateisoneofhealth,howillnessanddiseaseareexceptionsratherthantherule,
howyourbodyoperatesonthesameprinciplesthatworkinnature,
andhowyourhealingsystem’sprimaryfunctionistohelpyoumaintainyournaturalstateofhealth.Chapter2presentsevidencethatdemonstratestheexistenceof
yourhealingsystem,withcasereportsandexamplesthatrevealhow
yourbodyusesspecificmechanismsofrepairandrestorationofhealththatareadaptedtoawidevarietyofmedicalscenarios.Chapter3brieflydescribestheotherimportantsystemsinyourbodythatfunctionsynergisticallyandcooperatewithyourhealingsystemtohelpkeepyouhealthy.Chapter4presentssimpleyetpowerfulstrategiesandtechniquesthatwillteachyouhowtocooperatewithandenhanceyourhealingsystem,strengtheningandfortifyingitsoitcanmostefficientlydoitsjobofpreventingandhealingillnessanddisease,whilecreatingbetteroverallhealth.Chapter5coverstheimportantareaofnutritionanditsroleininfluencingtheperformanceofyourhealingsystem.Chapter6explorestheimportantrelationshipbetweenyourmindandyourbody,howyourthoughts,attitudes,beliefs,andemotionsinfluenceyourphysicalhealthandthefunctioningofyourhealingsystem,andwhatpracticalstepsyoucantaketomaximize
thebenefitsofthisrelationship.Chapter7reinforcesthepowerofastrongandvibranthealingsystemasitrelatestotheagingprocess.Inthischapteryou’llfind
numerousstoriesofpeoplewhohavelivedverylongliveswithopti
mumhealthbecauseoftheirstronghealingsystems.Thesestoriesillustratethecriticalpointthatgrowingolderdoesn’thavetobe
xxvi Introduction
synonymouswithsicknessanddeterioration.Thisimportantchap
tershowsthatthemosteffectivepathtoalonglifewithgoodhealth
istokeepyourhealingsystemfortifiedandstrong.Chapter8includesstoriesofextraordinaryhealingthatI’veeitherwitnessedmyselforhaveheardabout.Thisisasmallsampling
ofthethousandsandthousandsofpeoplewhosehealingsystemshaveenabledthemtohealfromawidevarietyofhealthproblems,fromveryseriousillnesses,suchascancer,tolesslife-threateningconditions,suchaseczema. PartTwoistheprescriptivesectionofthebook.Itbeginswithgeneralstrategiestoenhanceyourhealingsystemthattakeminutes
aday,butthatwillhaveapowerfulcumulativeeffectonyourheal
ingsystem.Thenyou’llfindstep-by-stepstrategiestohelpyouovercomespecificmedicalproblemsandhealfromawidevarietyof
commonailments.Iorganizedthissectionbythesystemsofthe
bodytomakeiteasierforyoutouse.PartTwoendswithadditionalrelaxationmethods,breathingtechniques,andguided-imagerytechniquestostrengthenyourhealingsystem.Thebottomlineisthatyouhavemanymoreinternalhealingresourcesavailabletoyouthanyouarecurrentlyaware.Ifyouknew
whatyourhealingsystemwascapableof,andhowyoucouldbring
outitsbest,youwouldbeabletoovercomealmostanymaladyorafflictionthatlifecouldthrowyourway.Insodoing,youwoulddis
coverthatjustasillnessdoesnotoccurrandomlyorspontaneously,neitherdoeshealth.Simplethingsthatyoucandotosupportyourhealingsystemcancombinetomakeahugedifferenceinyourhealthandqualityoflife. Wearenothelplessvictimsofcircumstance.Wecandomuch
tohealourselvesfromillness,andtolivevibrant,healthy,happylives. PARTONE
YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
CHAPTER I
YourHealingSystem
andYourNaturalStateofHealth
hroughouttheuniverseandallofnature,thereexistsanabundantlyflowing,vibrantenergythatcreatesandsustainsalloflife. Onearth,thisenergypermeatesalllivingformsandistheunderly
ingsustainingprinciplethatallowsspeciestobeborn,togrow,tomultiply,toflourish,andtocontinuetheirlifecyclesforthousands
andevenmillionsofyears.Thisenergy,orlifeforce,asitisoftenreferredto,expressesitselfasvitalityor“aliveness.”Althoughthere
maybeexceptions,thisistheoverwhelminglydominantthemethat
governsthelifeofeachlivingcreatureandspecies,includinghumanbeings.Inhumanbeings,thisvitalityoralivenessexpressesitselfas
anaturalstateofhealth.Healthisyourbody’sfundamental,naturalstate.HealthisprogrammedintotheDNAofeveryoneofyourcells,asitisprogrammedintotheDNAofthecellsofeveryhumanbeing.Infact,
ifyouweretoconductasimpleexperimentbyleavingyourbodyto
itsowndevices,supplyingitwithjustafewbasicnecessities,youwoulddiscoverthat,forthemostpart,itcanremainhealthyallon
itsown,withverylittleinterferenceorintervention. Yourbody’snaturalstateofhealthexplainswhytheaveragecur
rentlifespanforhumanbeingsiswellover75years,withmanypeoplelivingtotheageof100ormore.Withoutthisintrinsicstate
4 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
ofhealth,humanscouldnotpossiblylivethislongandcontinue
toexistgenerationaftergeneration.Ifgoodhealthwerenotourspecies’natural,fundamentalcondition,wewouldhavelongsinceperishedfromthefaceoftheearth. Yournaturalstateofhealthservesasafundamentalprinciplearoundwhichyourbodyorganizes,balances,andkeepsitselfvital
andstrongovertheyears.Becauseofthisinternalorganizingprinciple,yourbodyknowshowtoadjustandadapttoexternalforces
andchangesintheenvironmentwhilekeepingitsorderandbal
ance.Itcanrightandrepairitselffromlife’smyriadchallenges,threats,anddisturbances.Yourbodypossessesanuncannyresiliency
tospringbacktohealthevenafterithasbeensubjectedtotremen
dousforcesofdeprivation,starvation,andtorture,life-threateningillnesses,andhigh-impactaccidents. Yourbodyalsodisplaysaninnerintelligenceorwisdomthatsupportsyournaturalstateofhealthasyoumovethroughthevari
ousstagesoflife.Consider,forexample,thatyourbodyknowshow
togrowacompletesetofnewteethafteryouloseyourbabyteeth. Howdoesthebodyknowhowtoincreaseitssizeasitgrows,to
createfacialhairinmenastheygothroughpuberty,andtoenlarge
thebreastsinwomen?Howdoesitknowhowtogrowanewtoenail
intheplaceoftheonethathasbeenlostbecauseofastubbedtoe,
andtocreatenewskinwheretheoldlayerhasbeenlostduringanabrasion?Howdoesyourbodyknowhowtoknittogetherafrac
turedbonesothatitisstrongerthanbefore,andtogrownewbloodvesselsintheheartifthereisablockageintheoldones? Howdoesyourbodymaintainitsnaturalstateofhealth,evenwheninjuriesoccurandvariousdiseasesregularlyassaultit?How
canitmendandhealitself,andreturntoastateofnormalfunction
ing,followinginfectionsfromviruses,bacteria,fungi,andparasites,
ormajortraumaticinjuriesandlife-threateningillnesses?Think
aboutchildhoodalone,andalltheinjurieschildrensustain,andthe
tearstheyshedthroughouttheearlystagesofgrowingup,astheylearntocrawl,stand,walk,climbupanddownstairs,run,rideabicycle,andswim.Addtothisthemultitudeofrashes,fevers,andinfectionstheymustendure,anditisdifficulttoimaginethatanychildcouldevermakeitintoadulthoodinonepiece.Andyet,most
ofusdid. YourHealingSystemandYourNaturalStateofHealth 5
Howdoesyourbodymoveforwardthroughtheroughandtumble,turbulenttimesoflifeandalwaysspringback,continuing,
forthemostpart,pasttheageof50,to75,andeven100yearsormore?Itaccomplishesallthisbecauseofitsincrediblehealingsystem,andthecrucialwaysinwhichthatsystemworkswithyourbody’sothertissues,organs,andsystems. HealthIsNaturalandNormal;DiseaseIsUnnaturalandAbnormal
Becausehealthisyournatural,normalstate,illnessrepresentsanunnatural,abnormalstate.WhatdoImeanbythis? Thewordhealthisrelatedtothewordhealing,whichisamove
menttowardwholenessandasenseofwell-being.Whenyouarehealthy,youfeelwholeandwell,andyouhaveacomfortable,vibrant,free-flowing,easyfeelinginyourbody.Yourbodyfeels
light;youreverydaymovementsandactivitiesfeeleffortless.Thisis
yournaturalstateofhealth,aconditionassociatedwithafeelingof
easeinthebodyandinthemind.Whenyoubecomeill,youloseyourhealth.Youloseyourfeel
ingofease,andyoubecomeafflictedwith“dis-ease.”Understoodin
theseterms,diseaserepresentsnothingmorethanatemporarydeparturefromyournaturalstateofhealth.Diseaserepresentsamovementawayfromyourcentral,orderly,naturallybalancedstate,intoamorechaoticstate.Thisconditionisaccompaniedbyafeelingofdiscomfortorevenpain.Eachmovement
inyourbodybecomesdifficultandfullofeffort.Youexpendgreatenergyperformingsimpletasks.Yourbreathingisusuallylabored.Your
heartrateisincreased.Yourappetiteisdecreased.Yourbodyfeelsweak
andvulnerable.Thisisanunnaturalandabnormalstateforyourbody.Whenyouhavelostyourhealth,insteadofanaturalfeelingoflightnessorease,yourbodyfeelssluggishandheavyYoufeelillat
easebecauseyouareoutofbalance,andyourbodyhasbecomedisoriented.Ithasbecomeahugedistractionforyourmind.Tothinkaboutanythingupliftingorcreativeisdifficult,becauseyourmentalenergiesarecompletelyconsumedbyyourdiseaseanddiscomfort. Yourbodyhasbecomeapainful,heavyburdenthatkeepsyoufrom
6 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
enjoyingyourlife.Diseaseisnotyourbody’snatural,normalstate. Onthecontrary,itisentirelyabnormalandunnatural. Inthescienceofbiology,thewordhomeostasisdescribesyourbodyasaflexible,fluidform,withanever-changinginternalenvironmentthatisnaturallyresilient,alwaysstrivingfororderandbalance.Thisorderandbalancethatmaintainyournaturalstate
ofhealthareachievedthroughhomeostasisasyourbodyprocessesandadjuststoexternalforcesandstimulitomaintainitsnatural
stateofhealth.‘Whenexternalforcesbecomeharmfulortoxic,andtheseforces
arelargeorpersistentenoughtocreatesignificantimbalanceinyourbody,orderturnstochaos,withdis-ease,orillnessresulting.Accordingtothebiologicalprincipleofhomeostasis,orbalance,ill
nessanddiseaseareonlytemporarystates.Anyillnessordisease,then,whendissectedtoitsessentialnature,reflectsonlythis:abreakdownintheorderlinessofyourbody,astateoftemporaryimbalanceanddisorder.Illnessanddiseasenotonlycreatetemporary,unnaturalimbal
anceinyourbody;theyalsoaretheresultoftemporary,unnaturalimbalancesthathavebeencreatedintheworld.Forexample,in
manydevelopingcountries,wherethescalesofmaterialabundance
havebeentippedtowardpoverty,scarcity,andalackofbasichumannecessitiessuchasfood,water,shelter,clothing,sanitation,andeducation,“diseasesoflack”predominate.Enoughofthebasichumannecessitiessimplyarenotavailable.Inthisdeficientenvironment,
thebodybecomesweakandvulnerableandcanfallpreytoanyofanumberofdiseases.Alternatively,inthedevelopedWesternworld,“diseasesofexcess”prevail,diseasescausedbytoomuch:toomuch
food,toomuchluxury,toomuchoverindulgence,toomuchstress,
andsoon.Again,thissituationrepresentsimbalancedconditions.Nobodygetssickbyaccident,oroutoftheblue.Ifyoutakeacloserlookatthefactorsthatgovernyourhealth,youwilldiscover
thatillnessdoesnotstrikerandomly.Diseaseandillness,withvery
fewexceptions,occuratpredictabletimes,andfordiscernablerea
sons.Justassunriseandsunsetarepredictableandoccurinconjunctionwiththeearth’srotationonitsaxis,justasthetidesof
theoceanarepredictableandoccurinconjunctionwiththelunarphases,soitiswithillnessanddisease. YourHealingSystemandYourNaturalStateofHealth 7
ListeningtoYourBody
AsI’vealreadymentioned,illnessanddiseaseoccurwhenyourbody’sinternalenvironmenthasbecomeimbalancedanddisordered.Thisisusuallytheresultofnature’sbasiclawsofhealthbeingknowinglyorunknowinglyviolated.Theselawsaresimpleandsystematic.Moreimportant,yourbody,whichisconnectedtonature,
isconstantlytryingtoremindyouoftheselawsthroughitsintelli
gentcommunicationsnetwork.Infact,youareprobablyintuitively
awareofwhatyourbodyrequirestoremainhealthyandstrong.Yourbodycontinuallyprovidesyouwithclear,updatedinformationrelayeddirectlyfromaprecise,highlyintelligent,earlywarningsystemdesignedtoinformyouwhenyouareindangeroflosingyourhealth.Youfallintoillnessordiseaseusuallywhenyouhaveignoredyourbody’sbasiccommunicationsandearlywarningsigns.Thisoccursinspiteofyourbody’spleadingwithyoutochangeyourunhealthyways.Thesephysicalmessagesusuallystart
asgentleincantationsintheformofbodilydiscomfort,andthenprogresstoshoutingandscreamingintheformofdebilitatingpain. Forinstance,Greg,apatientofminewithchronicbackproblems,wasbuildingahouse.Afterbendingover,sawingwood,poundingnails,andliftingheavylumberalldaylong,intheeveninghe’dbeextremelysoreandstiff.Thenextmorning,thepainwasso
badhecouldbarelygetoutofbed.Ratherthanrestandtakeiteasy,however,he’dtakepainkillerssohecouldfinishhiswork.Thispat
ternwentonforseveralweeks,anditseemedtowork,untiloneday
hewenttoofar.Whilehewasbendingovertoliftaheavylaminatedbeam,herupturedadiscinhisspineandendeduponanoperatingtable,whereheunderwentemergencyspinesurgery.Asisoftenthe
casewithmanyofmyotherback-painpatients,Greghadhadplenty
ofwarningfromhisbodybeforehisrupture;hejustchosenottolisten.Tohim,finishinghishousewasahigherprioritythanlisten
ingtoandtakingcareofhisbody.Aswithmostillnessorinjuriesthatareentirelypreventable,Gregcouldeasilyhavesolvedhisbackproblemwithouthavingtogothroughsurgeryifhehadtakenthe
timetoheedthemessagesfromhisbody.Jim,anotherpatientofmine,hadchronicobstructivelungdisease,aconditionverymuchlikeasthma.Heneededregular
8 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
prescriptionsforinhalersthatcontainedstrongmedicines,whichhe
useddailyjusttobeabletobreathe.Asacomplicationofhiscondi
tion,heoftencamedownwithseriousrespiratoryinfectionsthatrequiredpotentantibioticstostop.Often,hewouldendupintheemergencyroombecausehecouldn’tbreathe.Atthesetimes,heneededoxygen,ventilatingassistance,andstrongintravenousmedications,orhecouldeasilyhavedied.Althoughhisbreathingproblemswouldflareupwhenhesmoked,hecontinuedtodoso,
tothetuneofonetotwopacksofcigarettesaday,hispatternfor
morethan20years.Hisbodywasconstantlyhacking,coughing,
andspittingupfoul-smellingmucousandphlegm.Hefinallygot
themessageonedayafteranear-deathepisode,afterwhichheended
upintheintensive-careunitfortwoweeks. IthasnowbeenthreeyearssinceJimstoppedsmoking.Funny,
henolongerrequiresinhalerstobreathe,hehasn’thadarespiratoryinfectioninmorethanayear,andhischronicobstructivepulmonarydiseasehasvanished.Jimdecidedtopayattentiontohisbody’smessagesandworkwithitsnaturalabilitytomaintainhishealthandwell-being.Sallyisanotherpatientofminewhoignoredherbody’smes
sages.Sallywasinalotofpainandhadbeenvomitingyellow,biliousmaterialfortwodaysbeforeshecametomyofficeinobvi
ousdistress.Herpain,whichhadlastedforalmostoneweek,waslocatedintherightupperaspectofherabdomen.Shewassignificantlyoverweight,offaircomplexion,andapproximately40years
ofage.Hersignsandsymptomspointedtoanacutegall-bladderattack,whichtestslaterconfirmedtobetheproblem.Inmostcases,
thiscondition,broughtonlargelybyahigh-fatdiet,iscompletelypreventable.Almosteverydayfortheweekprecedingherproblem,Sallyhad
eatensausageandfriedeggsforbreakfast,burgersandfrieswithamilkshakeforlunch,andpizzaandicecreamfordinner.Evenwhen
herpainincreasedandthevomitingbegan,shecontinuedtoeat
toastwithbutter,cheesesandwiches,andchocolatecandybars,allhigh-fatfoods.Shecouldn’tunderstandwhyshedidn’tfeelbetter. AfterIspokewithSallyatlength,shementionedtomethatthiswasn’tthefirstincidentofthisnature.Overthepastseveralyears,afterhavingeatencertainrichfoods,shehadnoticedsignificant
YourHealingSystemandYourNaturalStateofHealth 9
abdominaldiscomfort,bloating,andbelching,thingsthatsheattributedtomere“indigestion.”Herbodyhadobviouslybeentryingtogetherattentiontochangeherdietforalongtime. IplacedSallyonaclear,liquiddietfor48hoursandalsosent
herdowntothehospitalforlaboratorytestsandanX-raytocon
firmmydiagnosticsuspicions.Afterthediagnosiswasconfirmed,IreferredSallytoasurgeontohavehergallbladderremoved.During
the48hoursaftershehadcometoseeme,duringwhichshedrank
onlywaterandliquidsandatenothingsolid,hervomitingandpaincompletelystopped,andshetoldmeshehadn’tfeltthatgoodinalong,longtime.However,bythen,thewheelsofthesystemwereturning,andthesurgeon’sknifewasimpatientlywaiting.Afterthree
days,Sallywaswheeledintotheoperatingroom,wherehergallbladderwasremovedinlessthan2hours.Sallycouldhavemaintainedhernaturalstateofhealthbyheedingthemessagesherbody
hadbeengivingher.Instead,sheignoredthemandinterferedwith
herbody’snaturalabilitytokeepherhealthyandstrong.Sam’sbodywastalkingtohim,too,and,likeSally,hewasn’tlistening.SamwasalocalHawaiianwhodrankacaseofbeereachday
anddidn’tthinkmuchaboutit.Heandhisbuddieshadbeenon
thissteadyregimenformanyyears.Theymetatthelocalbeachparkafterwork,drank,andtoldtheirstoriesuntilwellafterdarkandit
wastimetogohome.Oneday,aftermanyyearsofthesedrinkingactivities,Samcameintoseeme.Hisabdomenwastender,andhis
liverwaspainfulandswollen.Hewasnauseousanddehydrated,and
hehadn’tbeenabletoeatordrinkformorethanaweek.Hewassufferingfromacute(andchronic)alcoholismthatwasaffectinghis
liver.Hisfeetandankleswerealsoextremelyswollen,abadsignthat
meanthewashavingcirculationproblems,aswell. Samhadhadplentyofwarningsfromhisbodybeforethisepisode.Hehadnotonlyexperienced atender,swollenbellyand
liver,nausea,anddehydrationonseveralprioroccasions,buthehad
alsosufferedfromDTs(deliriumtremens)andshakeswhenhehad
triedtoquitdrinking.Afterbriefperiods,however,oncethestorms
ofsufferinghadpassed,hehadresumedhisdrinkinghabitswithhisbuddies. Iwasverybusywithotherpatients,andafterhearingSam’s
story,IthoughtIwouldn’thavemuchofanimpactonhelpinghim
10 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
tochangehisways.Iresignedmyselftobelievinghewasjustanothercasualtyofalcohol,andIreferredhimtoaninternistwhocouldadmithimtothehospital.Idid,however,givemyperfunctoryspeechabouttheneedtostopdrinking,whichIthoughtwouldonly
fallondeafears. Twoyearslater,amanshowedupinmyofficeforachestcold.Otherthanthat,helookedhealthyandingood,athleticshape.Becauseofhisnewbeard,Ididn’trecognizewhoitwas—Sam.He
wasatotallychangedperson!SamtoldmethatwhatIhadsaidtohimthatdaydidmakeanimpact.Hehadn’thadadrinkintwoyears.Anditshowed!Instead,
hehadbeendrinkinglotsofwater,exercising,anddoinghardphys
icallabor;hehadquitsmoking,aswell.Samhadfinallylistenedto
hisbody,andhewasbacktohisnaturalstateofhealth. WhoGetsSick,andWhy? Manypeoplecomeintomyofficeblaminganotherfamilymember,orthe
personsittingnexttothemontheairplane,forthebronchitisorthroatinfectiontheycontracted.Thisattitudeisonlynatural.However,becauseof
theubiquityofbacteria,viruses,andotherorganismsinourimmediateenvi
ronmentandintheairwebreathe,thesemicroorganisms,inandofthemselves,areusuallynottheonlycauseoftheillness.Iftheywere,allof
uswouldbesickallthetime.Also,ifgermswerespreadfrompersonto
personsoeasily,thendoctors,whospendeverydayaroundthesegerms
andaroundthepeoplewhospreadthesegerms,shouldbethesickestpeopleofall.Buttheyarenot.Undernormalconditions,bacteriaand
virusesinourenvironmentusuallydonotbotherusintheleast.What,then,
haschangedthatallowsustobecomeinfectedandaffectedbythem?Isit
them,orsomethinginus?Recentresearchpointsstronglyinfavorofthe
latter.Epidemiologyisthesciencethatstudiesdiseaseoutbreaksinthe
world,knownasepidemics.Aclassicmodelknownastheepidemiologicaltriangleexistsinthisfield.Theepidemiologicaltriangleillustratesthattheexistenceofdiseasedependsonthreefactors:I)thehost,whichisthe
personwhoisthepotentialtargetofthedisease;2)theagent,whichistheorganismordisease-causingfactorthatinitiatesortransmitsthedisease;
YourHealingSystemandYourNaturalStateofHealth 11
and3)theenvironment,inwhichboththehostandagentresideorcomein
contactMedicalscienceneedstoweighandmeasureallthreefactorsto
helpdiscoverthetrueoriginsofillness,whileitworkstosolveandpreventfutureepidemicsfromoccurring.Whereaspreviousmedicalresearchattributedmoreimportancetothevirulenceofsuchagentsasbacteriaandvirusesthatcausedthediseases,
newermedicalresearchplacesmuchgreateremphasisonhostresistancefactors,whicharefactorswithinusthatkeepushealthyandhelpusresistill
ness.Wecanthinkofhostresistancefactorsasthebody’sinternalhealingresources.Theydetermineaperson’ssusceptibilitytoillnessanddiseaseand
reflectone’snaturalresiliency.Studyinghostresistancefactorshelpsustounderstandwhysomepeoplegetsickandwhyothersdon’t,evenwhenthey
areexposedtothesamedisease-causingagents;whycertainpeoplegetsick
moreoftenthanothers;andwhycertaindiseasesseemtohaveanaffinityfor
certainpeople.Studiesonhostresistancefactorsshowthat,forpeoplelivinginthemodern,developedworld,themostimportantfactorsindeterminingour
stateofhealthandsusceptibilitytoillnessarebasedonhowwellwetake
careofourselves,howwellwenurtureandhonorourbodies,andhowwell
werespectournaturalstateofhealth.Thesefactorsaredependentonthepersonalchoiceswemakeinoureverydaylives.Studiesonhostresistancefactorshavealsoledtotherealizationthat,
inadditiontotheimmunesystem,thereisanotherextremelyimportantsys
teminthebodythatisresponsibleforitsnaturalresiliency,anditsabilityto
healitselfandkeepitselfhealthy.Thissystemisthebody’shealingsystem,
themostrecentlydiscoveredsystem,anditsmostimportantone.Thebodyknowshowtohealitselfandmaintainitsnaturalstateofhealthbecauseof
itshealingsystem. YourHealingSystem
TheGuardianofYourBody’sHealth
Imagineyourselfoutsideonabeautiful,warmsummerday.You’reskippingdownthestreet,feelingcarefreeandlight-hearted.Allofasudden,youtriponanoversizedcrackinthesidewalk.Asyoufeelyourselfgoingdown,youinstinctivelyputoutyourarmtobrace
12 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
yourfall.Asyouhitthegroundandslidealongthepavement,youimmediatelyfeelpaininyourarm.Asyouslowlyrisetoyourfeet,
younoticeanareawhereapatchofskinhasbeenrippedoff.Itis
red,raw,andbleeding.Althoughyou’rethankfulthatit’sonlya
scrape,itstillhurtslikethedickens.Indoctor’slanguage,youhave
justsustainedanabrasion! Overthecourseofthenextseveraldays,withoutmuchfuss,youwatchyourbodygothroughinterestingyetpredictablechangesatthe
siteoftheabrasion.First,itbeginstosecreteaclear-lookingfluidthateventuallyturnsintoabrown,crustycoveringthatthickensandforms
intoascab.Whenyourbodyshedsthescabafteraweekortwo,just
asasnakeorlizardshedsitsskin,younoticeyouhaveabrand-new
layerofskin.Severalmonthslater,there’snotevenascartomarkthe
sightoftheinjury~Prettycommon,everydaystuff,andyet,atthe
sametime,whenyouthinkaboutthefactthatyouhavenewskin,youhavetoaskyourself,“Howdidmybodyknowhowtodothat?”
Yourbodyknowshowtohealitselfbecauseofitshealingsystem.Forthemostpart,withoutyourevenknowingit,yourheal
ingsystemkeepsyourbodyresilientbyrepairingandhealingitfrom
amyriadofproblemsencounteredeverysingledayofyourlife.Theseeventsincludenotonlytherapidmendingofsuperficialproblemssuchasabrasionsandcutsandbruisesontheskin,butalso
thesupervising,monitoring,andcontinualadjustingofcriticalphysiologicalprocessesthatoccurdeepwithinyourbody’sinternalenvironment.Whenexternalforcesseektocreateimbalancewithin
yourbody,whenorderbecomeslessorderlyandmayeventurntochaos,whendis-ease,orillnessmanifests,yourhealingsystemworks
hardtorestoreorderandbalancetohelpyoureclaimyournatural
stateofhealth.Herearejustafewwaysyourhealingsystemworks
tosafeguardyourhealth:
oYourhealingsystemcanexpandandcontractbloodvessels
toincreasebloodflowtospecificareasofyourbodythatneedhealing. oYourhealingsystemcanspeedupyourheartrateandincrease
thestrengthofitscontractionstorapidlydelivermoreblood,oxygen,andnutrientstospecificsitesthatneedhealing;this
processincludescasesoflife-threateningemergencies. YourHealingSystemandYourNaturalStateofHealth 13
aYourhealingsystemstimulatesyourglandstoproducekeyhor
monestoinitiategrowthandrepairprocesseswithinthecellsofdamagedtissues. aYourhealingsystemcanincreasebodytemperaturetocauseafeverandinducesweating,toremovetoxinswhenaninfection
ispresent. aYourhealingsystemcanmodifythefunctionofyourkidneystoreduceurineoutputandhelpconservewaterifyou’redehydrated. aYourhealingsystemsupervisestheamazingprocessofboneremodeling,ofknittingyourbonestogetherasithealsfractures. aYourhealingsystemcanincreaseyourbreathingrateandlungcapacitytobringinmoreoxygenforyourcellsandtissueswhen
anillnessorinjuryhasoccurred. Yourhealingsystemcandoallofthesethingsandmany,many
more.Infact,foraslongasyouarealive,yourhealingsystemremainsviableandcommittedtoitsrole~astheguardianofyourbody’shealth. Eveniftherehavebeentimesinthepastwhenyouwerequite
illandhadtostruggleagainstlife’smostseriousadversitiesandsetbacks,yourhealingsystemwasthereforyou,attemptingtopullyou
outofyoursuffering.Evenifyouarebattlinganillnessrightnow,underneaththesymptomsofillness,youwillfindyourhealingsystemworkinghardtoreestablishbalanceandorderinyourbody.Thefactthatyouarealivetodayisindicativeofyourhealingsystem’sfunctioningtofulfillyourbody’sunderlyingdrivetoheal
andbecomehealthyonceagain.Evenifyourhealthiscurrentlycompromisedandnotwhatyouwouldlikeittobe,youcanwork
withyourhealingsystemtostrengthenandfortifyitandregainyournaturalstateofhealth. EliminatingObstaclestoYourHealingSystem
Inmanycases,youunknowinglyplaceobstaclesinthewayofyourheal
ingsystem,creatinganunfairburdenthathindersitsworkandjeopardizesitseffectiveness.Byunderstandingwhattheseobstaclesare
andremovingthem,inmanyinstances,yourhealingsystem,now
14 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
unshackledtocompleteitstaskofhealing,canquicklyrestorenormalfunctioningtoyourbody,enablingittoexpressitsnaturalstateofhealth. Forexample,considerthecaseofachroniclunginfectionina
personwhocontinuestosmokecigarettes.Constantbreathingofcigarettesmokeisnotnatural.Ifcigarettesmokingwerenatural,
we’dallhavebeenbornwithacigaretteinourmouth.Yourbody
wasdesignedtobreathefreshandhealthy,clean,naturalair.Althoughitcansurviveandtoleratecigarettesmokeforacertainperiodoftime,afterawhile,thesmokeparticles,thecarbonmonox
ide,thetars,andtheothertoxicsubstancesinthecigarettesmoke
createaburdenonyourhealingsystemthatcausesanimbalanceand
abreakdowninyourhealth.Inthiscase,removingtheharmfulobstacleofthecigarettesmokeisallthatisrequiredforyourbody
toregainitsnaturalstateofhealth.Withtheburdenofthecigarettesmokeremoved,itisaneasy,routinetaskforyourhealingsystemto
restoreyourbodytoitsnaturalstateofhealth.Anotherexampleisevidentwithheartdisease,thenumber-one
killerintheWesternworld.Heartdiseaseiscausedbyexcesscholes
terolaccumulation.Highcholesterollevelsresultingfromalackofexercise,toomanyrichandfattyfoods,andstresscanclogthearter
iesoftheheartandcauseaheartattack.Removingtheseobstacles
byrestrictingfatintake,increasingexercise,andmanagingstressallowsthehealingsystemtorestorethebodytoitsnaturalstateofhealth.Itiswellknownthatthissimplestrategycanreverseeven
severe,advancedheartdisease. Themajordiseasesofourtime,includinglungdiseases,heartdiseases,jointdiseases,metabolicdiseases,autoimmunediseases,
andevencancer,haveattheirrootsmajorobstaclesthathavebeenplacedasburdensuponthehealingsystem.Removetheseburdens,
andhealingoccursbecausenowthehealingsystemisfreetorestore
thebodytoitsnaturalstateofhealth. WhytheHealingSystemHasBeenOverlooked
Sometimes,whatwearelookingforisrightunderournoses.Thisisexactlythecasewiththebody’shealingsystem.Untilrecently,wemissedsomethingveryfundamentalandessentialabouthowour
YourHealingSystemandYourNaturalStateofHealth 15
bodiesworkasintelligent,functional,wholelivingsystems.Asaconsequence,wefailedtorecognizethesignificanceofthemostimportantsysteminourentirebodies. Thebody’shealingsystemhasbeenoverlookeduntilnowforanumberofreasons.Theprimaryreasonisthatconventionalmedicalsciencefocuses,forthemostpart,onthestructureandformofthebody,ratherthanonitsfunction,orhowthebodyworks.Thisview
hasanimpactonmedicineinthesesignificantways:
oConventionalmedicinefocusesmoreonstructureandform
thanonfunction(howthebodyworks),andsodiseasesandill
nessesareviewedaslocalizedproblemswithinspecificanatomicalareasofthebody.Insteadofoneunitworkingasawhole,thebodyisviewedasmanyindividualpartsworkingseparatelyandsurgeryisoftenseenastheultimatetreatmentfor
theseseparateproblems. oConventionalmedicinehasneglectedtoacknowledgethecen
tralrolethatenergyplaysinthebody’sgrowth,development,sustenance,andhealing.Notrecognizingthatenergyisthereal,active,life-promoting,fundamentalprincipleinourbodies,doctorsonceagaintendtofocusmoreonstructureandform
thanonfunction.Butthehealingsystemisnotconfinedtooneanatomicalarea.Thebodyisafunctionalsystembasedonthe
flowandmovementofenergieswithinit.Thebodydirectsheal
ingenergytowhereitisneeded,muchlikeafiremandirects
waterfromtheendofhishosetohelpputoutafire. Alargepartofscientificresearchhasbeendevotedtothestudy
ofexternalagentsofdisease,suchasbacteriaandviruses,andthedevelopmentofspecificdrugs,suchasantibiotics,tokillthem. Thisresearchhasdirectedawarenessawayfromthebody’sinnerresources.Forthemostpart,thisfocushasleftusignorantabout
howourbodiesworkandhowtheyhealthemselves. oAlargeamountofresearchiscurrentlydevotedtogenetics,whichseekstolinkcertaindiseasestospecificgenedefects.Geneticdefectsarecurrentlybeingblamedformostdiseasesnotcausedbyexternalagentssuchasbacteria,viruses,orinjuries.Althoughgeneticscertainlyhasitsplaceinaperson’shealth,
16 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
internationalpublichealthdatashowthatbadgenesdonot
causemostdiseasesintheworld.Mostcommondiseases,such
asheartdisease,highbloodpressure,diabetes,stroke,arthritis,
andcancer,arelinkedtopoordietsandunhealthylifestylesratherthanbadgenes.Seekingtocurealldiseaseswithgeneticengineeringthroughtheremovalofdefectivegenes,whileimportantforcertainrarediseases,completelybypassestheimportanceofdiscoveringhowthebody’shealingsystemcan
helpovercomethemajorityofdiseases. TheGrowthofSpecialtiesinMedicine
Anothersignificantreasonthatthehealingsystemhasbeenoverlookedisthetremendousamountofinformationcomingfromso
manydifferentspecialtyfieldsinmedicinetoday.Specialists,likesurgeons,tendtotreateachsystemofthebodyasaseparateentity,ratherthanaspartofaunifiedwhole. Forexample,wenowhavecardiologytostudyandtreattheheart;dermatologytostudyandtreattheskin;neurologyforthe
nerves;endocrinologyfortheglands;nephrologyforthekidneys;pulmonologyforthelungs;rheumatologyforthejoints;orthopedicsfor
thebonesandmuscles;podiatryforthefeet;otolaryngologyforthe
ears,nose,andthroat;urologyforthebladderandrelatedorgans;andsoon.Becausethehealingsystemisintegratedwithinthestruc
tureandfunctionofalltheothersystemsofthebody,overspecializationhascausedustoseeonlyfragmentsofitsexistencewhilewecontinuetoremainunawareofitstotalpresenceandsignificance.Eachspecialtyfocusesonthestudyofonlyonesystemwithin
thehumanbody,andcommunicationamongthevariousspecialtyfieldsisoftenlacking.Asaresult,wephysicianshavedevelopeda
typeoftunnelvisionthatpreventsusfromseeingthebigpicture,
andorganizingandsortingallofthisspecializedinformationinto
onecomplete,wholesystem.Attimes,itappearsthelefthanddoes
n’tknowwhattherighthandisdoing.Thisisamajorflawofmodernmedicine. TheHealingSystemIsNotaNewDiscoveryAlthoughmanypeopleregardthebody’shealingsystemasarecentdiscovery,infact,ancientculturesandhealersfromotherpartsofthe
YourHealingSystemandYourNaturalStateofHealth 17
worldhavelongknownaboutit.Withinthehealingcommunitiesof
thesesocieties,whosememberslivedincloseproximitytonatureandrespectedherwisdom,theexistenceofahealingsystemhasneverbeenchallenged.Itisoniyinourmodernageofskepticism,inwhich
weneednewideastobescientificallyprovenbeforewecanacceptthemasfact,thattheroleofthehealingsystemhasbeenquestioned.Eventoday,mostpractitionersofthehealingartslivingabroadoperatefromthepremisethatourbodiesarelinkedtonature,
andthatthebody’shealingsystemworkswiththesameintelligentorganizationalprinciplesthatcanbefoundinnature.Further,theybelievethatbystudyingthesenaturalprinciples,wecandiscover
andutilizeimportant,natural,gentle,andsupportivemodalities
thatworkinharmonywiththishealingsystemtohelprestore
andmaintainourhealth.Healingcanoccurwhenweworkwith,
notagainst,theforcesofnaturethatexistwithinthehumanbody.Whenconfrontedwithasickpatient,anyphysicianwhounderstandsthetruevalueofthehealingsystemwilltrytounderstandhow
thebody’snaturalforcesofhealthbecameunbalancedinthefirstplace.Whatcausedthebodytobecomelessorderlyandmorechaotic,andtofalloutofitsnaturalbalancedstateofhealthandinto
astateofdisease?Factorssuchasstress,poorsleepinghabits,poordiet,lackofregularexercise,problemsatworkorworkingtoomuch,turmoilathome,erraticsocialrelationships,mentalandemotionalconflict,andsoon,areallpossibilities.Discoveringandinvestigatingthesefactorsiscriticalforasuccessfultreatmentoutcome.Oncetheharmfulculpritshavebeenidentified,theroadbacktohealthbecomesclearer.Removingtheseobstaclesandharmfulforcesallows
thehealingsystemtodoitsjobmoreeffectively. Westernmedicalscience’sdiscoveryofthebody’shealingsystemisstillinits
earlystages,andsomuchoftheevidenceforitsexistenceisindirect.Thissituation,however,istobeexpectedofanynewfieldofscientificexploration.Letmeexplain. Inthefieldofastronomy,whenanewstarorplanetisfirstdiscovered,
thefirstsignofitsexistenceisoftenglimpsedthroughobservingitsinfluence
18 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
onthebehaviorandorbitingcharacteristicsofitsclosestknownneighbor.Here,motionabnormalitiescanoftenbedetectedwiththehelpofahigh-poweredtelescope.Precisemathematicaldataaboutthenewentity,based
onmass,densit>~gravitationalfields,andorbitalmotions,resultincarefulcalculationsandacloserlookthroughthetelescope,untilthenewstarorplan
etcomesintoclearfocusandisactuallyseen.Manynewstarsandplanets,
andevengalaxies,havebeendiscoveredinthismanner.Inthevastnessoftheuniverse,ifwedon’tactivelylookforsomething,thechancesoffindingitarealmostnil. Withinourbodiesalsoexistsanentire,vastuniverseofitsown:thehealingsystem.Becausewehavespentmoreeffortsinvestigatingexternal
agentsofdiseaseandhaven’tbeenactivelylookingforthisinternalsystem,
wehaven’tamassedagreatdealofinformationaboutit.Thehealingsystem’stremendouseffectonusandhowourbodiesfunctionisclear,eventhough
wedon’thavescientificevidenceyetofitsexistence.Giventhelimitations
ofourcurrenttechnologiesandmindset,whichfocusmoreonanatomicalstructuresandlessonenergyandfunction,thehealingsystemwouldstillbedifficulttoaccuratelyevaluateinallitsexquisitedetailandsophistication,
evenifwehadbeenmoreaggressivelylookingforit. Ifwecanshiftthecurrentfocusofscientificexplorationawayfromthe
variousbacteriaandvirusesandthepharmaceuticalweaponsproducedtoneutralizethem,awayfromquick-fixsurgicalsolutions,awayfromtoxicchemicalstopoisonourmalignancies,andawayfrom“badgenes”thatwe
suspectcausethemajorityofourotherproblems,andinsteadfocusmore
onunderstandinghowourbodiesknowhowtohealthemselves,thenwe
willbemuchfurtheralonginlearninghowtocooperatewithourhealingsystemstopreventillness,healdiseases,andenjoylongandhealthylivesbeyondourcurrentexpectations. Centenarians
LivingExamplesofYourHealingSystem
Innature,eachlivingspecieshasaprogrammedlifespan,amaxi
mumpotentialagetowhichmembersofthatspeciescanlive.Forexample,mostinsects,suchasmosquitoes,gnats,andbutterflies,
livetoamaximumofonlyonetotwoweeks.Fordogs,thelifespan
YourHealingSystemandYourNaturalStateofHealth 19
isroughly10tol2years.Forgreatwhitesharks,itis300years.Forcertainreptiles,suchasdeserttortoises,itis400years.Forcertain
trees,suchastheGiantSequoiasofNorthernCalifornia,thelife
spanrangesfrom2,000to3,000years.Forhumans,themaximumpotentiallifespanisabout100years. Ifagroupofpeopleeverdemonstratedthehumanbody’snaturalabilitytostayhealthy,andtheexistenceofitshealingsystem,that
groupisthecentenarians,who,bydefinition,arepeoplewhohave
livedtoandbeyond100yearsofage.Surprisingly,accordingtorecentdemographicsurveys,thefastestgrowingsegmentoftheU.S.populationispeopleovertheageof100.TwentyyearsagointheU.S.,therewere6,200reportedcentenarians.Today,therearemorethan64,000centenariansintheU.S.alone.Peopletodayaremorehealth-consciousthantheywere20yearsago,sotheyarebetteratcooperat
ingwithandstrengtheningtheirhealingsystems.Thischangehasenabledmorepeopletolivelonger.Withoutthebody’sincredibleabilitytohealitselfandreturntoitsnaturalstateofhealthoverand
overagain,howisitpossibleforsomanypeopletolivesolong? Byandlarge,centenarianshavelearnedhowtocooperatewith
theirhealingsystemstoreapandenjoytheirmaximumallotmentof
timeonthisearth.Andmostdiditwhilestayingactiveandmaintainingtheirhealthuntiltheveryend.Lookingattheirlifestyles,
andnotmerelytheirgenes,wecanlearnalotaboutthemanywaysthatwetoocancooperateandworkwithourhealingsystems.Mostcentenarians Ihavemet,althoughtheyarealluniqueindividualswiththeirownpersonalstories,shareacommonbondin
howtheyhavelivedtheirlives.Mosthaveeatenmoderately,keptactive,enjoyedgoodsleep,restedwhennecessary,stayedinvolved
withfriendsandfamily,andgenerallyenjoyedlife.Althoughtheirdiets,lifestyles,andgeneshavediffered,manyhavehadtoendure
extremehardshipsoverthecourseoftheirlonglives,includingthe
lossoftheirclosestlovedonesandfamilymembers.Still,mostof
thesepeoplehaveexhibitedwhatIwouldcalla“lightheartedattitude.”It’sraretomeetacentenarianwithoutagreatsenseofhumor
andasmileonhisorherface.Anexampleofthiswastheworld’soldestlivingWesternwoman,aFrenchwomanwholivedto122
yearsofage.Althoughshehadlosthereyesightandrecentlyhad
cometorelyonawheelchair,shehadjustquitsmokingattheageof
20 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
121!‘Wheninterviewedaboutthesecretsofherlongevity,shereplied
thattheonlythingsheknewwasthat“Ionlyhaveonewrinkleonmyentirebody,andI’msittingonit!”Thiskindoflight-heartedattitudetypifiesthosewhohavereachedtheageof100orbeyond.Thewell-knowncomedianGeorgeBurnslivedtobemorethan
100yearsold,andhecontinuedtoperformandactinmoviesuntil
hispassing.Heneverstoppedsmokingcigars;moreimportantly,he
alsoneverstoppedsmilingandtellingjokes!Hispositiveattitudehelpedtostrengthenhishealingsystemandbringhisbodybackto
itsnaturalstateofhealthafterillness. Ioncetreatedadelightful95-year-oldwomanwhowasdressed
inahot-pinkoutfit,sunglasses,andashellnecklace,andwhohada
bigsmileonherface,despitethefactthatshehadalargegashon
herleg,whichpromptedhervisittome.Shewastakingacruiseand
hadsteppedofftheshipforaday’sshoppinginHawaii.Whensheremovedhersunglasses,Isawapairofyouthful,sparkling,blueeyesthateasilyrevealedhercarefree,optimisticattitudetowardlife.AfterseveralminutesofchattingasIattendedtoherwound,sheaskedwhetherIcouldspeedthingsup.“Why?”Iasked.“Becausemyoldersisterisinyourwaitingroom,andIdon’t
wanttokeepherwaiting.Weonlyhaveonedayonyourisland,and
Ipromisedtogobodysurfingwithher!”WhenIsteppedoutintothewaitingroom,Isawhersister,threeyearsherelder.Shewasalsovibrantandsmiling,anddressed
inamatchingredoutfitwithastrawhat!Manypeoplecomeintomyofficeandtellmethattheyare“get
tingoldandfallingapart!”Ihavehadpeopleintheirthirtiesandfortiestellmethis.Conversely,Ihaveseenmanyotherpatientswho
arelearninghowtosurfandwaterskiattheageof70,otherswho
aretakingyogaintheireightiesandaremoresuppleandgracefulthanpeoplelessthanhalftheirage,andstillotherswhoaredancing
andgardeningdailywellintotheirnineties.Youthandhealthappear
tobemoreconnectedtoourstatesofmind,andreflectourattitudes
morethanpurechronology.Apositiveattitudeandazestforlifearecriticalforenhancingandfortifyingyourhealingsystem.Takealessonfromthecentenarians,anddiscoverthemany
waysthatyoutoocanenjoyalong,healthy,andrewardinglife,free
fromdiseaseanddebility,waybeyondyourpresentexpectations,by
YourHealingSystemandYourNaturalStateofHealth 21
learningtocooperatewithyourhealingsystem,andrespectingandhonoringyournaturalstateofhealth. ClosingThoughtsonYourHealingSystemandYourNaturalStateofHealth
Healthisyournormalandnaturalstate.Thisconditionisfounded
onuniversalbiologicalprinciplesthatapplytoalllivingspecies,not
justhumans.HealthisprogrammedintotheDNAofeverycellin
yourbodyandisthereasonwhythehumanspecieshasbeenabletoflourishandsurvivefromonegenerationtothenextforthousands
ofyears.Healthisthereasonyouarealivetoday.Themaximum
averagepotentiallifespanforahumanbeingis100yearsormore.Becauseyournaturalstateishealth,anydeviationfromthisnatural
staterepresentsanunnaturalcondition.Youareactuallyprogrammed
forgoodhealththedayyouareconceived.Diseaseandillnessnotonlyareundesirableconditions,but
theyalsoarefundamentallyunnaturalandabnormal.Theirexis
tencerepresentsadeparturefromthenaturallawsthatgovernnormalbiologicalprocessesonearth.Whenyoubecomeill,itusu
allymeansthatunnatural,harmful,unhealthyforceshavebeenimposeduponyourbodythatcauseittobecometemporarilyimbalancedanddisordered.Restoringorderandbalancereturnsyourbodytoitsnaturalstateofhealth.Thisisthejobofyourextraordi
naryhealingsystem,whichcanbethoughtofastheguardianof
yourbody’shealth. Eventhoughchallengesanddifficultiesmayseemtobeanalmostdailyoccurrence,yourbodycanrisetomeetthesechallengesanddifficultiesbecauseithasanextraordinaryhealingsystemthat
hasbeendesignedtosustain,repair,andcorrectimbalancesandproblems,naturallyandautomatically.Attimes,diseasemayappearoverwhelmingandall-encompassing,butyourhealingsystemcan
helpyourbodybouncebacktoreclaimitsnaturalstateofhealth,
eveninthefaceofdeath,andattimeswhenyouhaveabandoned
allhope.Throughyourhealingsystem,yourbodypossessesanuncannynaturalresiliency,likeabuoyfloatinginthesea,torightitselfinthemidstoflife’smostdevastatingtempests. 22 YourExtraordinaryHealingSystem
Inthenextchapter,youwillgetacloserlookatyourhealingsysteminaction,includingtheopportunitytoexaminetheevidence
foritsexistence,andtounderstandwhatthissystemdoesandhow
itworks.Youwillalsodiscoverwhylearningtocooperatewithyourhealingsystem,andstrengtheningandfortifyingit,areessentialfor
youtoachieveandenjoyoptimumhealth.
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:

        “Wheninspirationandinformationarecombinedinhealthcare,theresultsexceedexpectations. ExtraordinaryHealingcanhelpyoubringbothintoyourlifeandenjoytheresults. ”
BernieSiegel,M. D. Authorof365Prescrz~tionsfortheSoul
andHelpMetoHeal
“ArtBrownsteinisnotonlyaninspireddoctor,he’salsoamasterfulteacher. Inthemostengagingandsimpleways,hedescribestheremark
ablemiraclesofhealingwhileatthesametimedemystifringthesciencebehindthesemiraclessothatwecanallaccessourownextraordinaryhealingpowers. IhighlyrecommendExtraordinaryHealingtoanyonewhowantstoachieveoptimumhealthandwellbeing. ”
LarryPayne,Ph.
Arthur Brownstein, M.D.
Who wrote the book "Extraordinary Healing"?
The book focuses on the importance of understanding and working with the body's natural healing system to maintain optimal health and well-being.
What is the main theme of the book "Extraordinary Healing"?
The introduction aims to emphasize the significance of the body's natural healing system and its potential for self-healing.
What is the purpose of the book's introduction?
The author encourages readers to learn how to work with and strengthen their body's natural healing system to prevent and overcome various health problems.
What is the author's message to the reader?
The author criticizes the current medical approach, stating that it focuses on treating symptoms rather than understanding the body's natural healing system and its role in maintaining health.
What is the author's opinion on the current state of medicine?