Lesson One

Work on the Root

A Systematic Way of Looking at
Health and Disease
In spite of some occasional bad publicity, the interest in natural remedies
and natural health care continues to grow. Many people are frustrated with the
results they are obtaining from orthodox medicine and are seeking alternatives.
The following fictitious story illustrates the basic problem people encounter
with modern medical care. It is a great little story to use to get people think-
ing about the problems with the modern health care system (which is really a
“disease care” system because it focuses on disease, not on health).
There was once a carpenter who was a little clumsy. He regularly hit his
thumb with his hammer. Soon, his thumb became very swollen and inflamed.
He went to a doctor who said, “That finger is badly inflamed, let me write
you a prescription for an anti-inflammatory.”
The man took the medication and noticed that it helped the thumb a little,
but because he kept striking it with the hammer, it continued to get worse.
The pain was becoming difficult to bear. So the man went to another doctor.
This one prescribed a pain killer.
The pain killer really helped take the pain away, but it also made the man’s
fingers a little numb so that he wound up hitting his thumb more than ever.
Soon the thumb was very raw and badly damaged. So, the man sought out a
third doctor, a surgeon, who said, “That thumb is badly diseased, I think we
should cut it off before it damages the rest of the body.
Finally, the man went to an herbalist, who took a case history and
suggested the man find a different job, since he was obviously too clumsy to
be a good carpenter. The carpenter became a salesman and his thumb cleared
up in just a few days.”
Although the causes of most people’s health problems are much more
subtle than this fictitious character’s, the story clearly illustrates the problem of
treating the effect without removing the cause. Unfortunately, much of what
we encounter in modern medicine is exactly that—treating the effect without
he

removing the cause. We call it symptomatic relief. The medical mind set is
T

+
often oriented towards symptomatic relief without regard to the cause.
So, the first thing a person needs to understand if they want to get consis-
tent, effective results with natural health care is that natural health care isn’t
about easing symptoms. It’s about dealing with root causes. As the 18th cen-
Approach
3
The ABC+D Health System
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Body
Systems
Biological
Terrain

Mental & Toxic

Emotional Overload
Stress
Physical
Nutritional
Deficiencies
Trauma Constitution
Figure 1—The Disease Tree

tury herbalist Samuel Thomson put it so succinctly,
“Remove the cause and the effect will cease.”
A New Model of Disease
To help clients understand what we are doing and
how to get to the root causes of disease, the ABC+D
Approach utilizes a model of disease I call The Disease
Tree. The idea for this model came from the writings
of Samuel Thomson, an American herbalist who lived
in the early part of the 19th century. Thomson used a
systematic approach to treating disease, which he sum-
marized in a short poem in his book, New Guide to
Health. Part of that poem reads:
Let names of all disorders be,
Like to the limbs, joined to the tree,
Work on the root, and that subdue
And all the limbs will bow to you.
The limbs are colic, pleurisy,
4
Worms and gravel, gout and stone,
Remove the cause and they are gone.
Thomson’s poetic metaphor helps us realize that
focusing on specific disease symptoms is only attack-
ing the “branches” of disease. Unless we work on the
“roots” or underlying causes, the disease will simply
manifest in a new form. Whenever a person takes a
drug to relieve a symptom, or has some part of the
body cut out, they are not being healed. To be healed
is to be made whole, that is, to be restored to whole-
ness. Drugs and surgery only “chop off ” branches.
The root causes of the problem remain and will grow
“suckers”—new diseases that will spring up in place of
the old.
Most newcomers to natural health care are still
thinking in terms of the disease/treatment model.
They are looking for symptomatic relief. They want
the branches of their disease tree to be pruned. Many
inexperienced herbalists and natural health consultants


try to accommodate this desire by recommending
herbs and supplements to replace their medications.
However, if the root causes are ignored, the results will
be disappointing even if natural substances are used.
In order to really correct the problem, the consultant
has to help a person shift their focus away from disease
symptoms and begin looking at root causes.
Shown in Figure 1, The Disease Tree is a model
you can use to help clients understand what good
health is really all about. Many successful consultants
are now using this model to explain what they are do-
ing with their clients. Here is a brief breakdown of the
elements in this model.
Soil—Constitution
The first element in the model is the soil, which
represents a person’s constitution. This is a person’s
inherent physical and emotional makeup. A person
who has a strong constitution can handle more physi-
cal stress than a person with a weaker constitution. In
other words, under the same physical conditions, one
person may thrive, while another will be taken ill.
Constitution is our basic ability to cope with our
environment. Part of this is our genetic inheritance,
but it also includes early childhood conditioning and
our personality. Natural healers have long recognized
that body shape, facial features and other physical char-
acteristics are linked with personality. These interre-
lated aspects of physical structure and personality form
one’s constitution—the soil that either allows disease
to develop and grow or prevents it from doing so.
Just observing a person’s personality and behavior
patterns will also provide clues to their constitutional
tendencies. Although not taught in this course, there
are other tools that you can use to gain an even more
accurate picture of a person’s constitutional profile.
The best tool for assessing a person’s constitution is
iridology. Through a study of iridology you can learn
to identify a person’s inherent strengths and weak-
nesses, understand what diseases they are prone to, and
learn about their basic personality characteristics. This
information is found in my course Practical Iridology.
Another way to assess a person’s constitution is
through glandular body typing. This involves looking
at a person’s basic physical structure. This technique is
5
Work on the Root
taught in the soon-to-be-released Tree of Light course
An Energetic Approach to Health Assessment.
Roots—Environmental Stress
The roots of disease are the environmental stresses
that overwhelm the ability of the physical body to
maintain balance. There are four basic root causes of
disease, as follows.
1. Trauma. The body can be mechanically dam-
aged. All physical damage from burns and frostbite to
cuts, lacerations and broken bones causes damage to
organs and tissues that results in disease. In fact, physi-
cal trauma, if not addressed appropriately, can lay the
foundation for more serious diseases later in life. For
example, a damaged joint is more susceptible to devel-
oping arthritis than a joint that was never subjected to
trauma.
2. Toxicity or poisoning. Mechanical damage isn’t
the only way the body can be injured. We can be bit-
ten by a snake, stung by a bee, or encounter a bed of
poison ivy, all of which introduce chemical poisons
that damage tissues. This toxicity can also occur from
food additives, pesticides, household cleaning prod-
ucts, heavy metals, drugs and other toxic substances
present in modern society. In fact, the toxic waste can
even come from the body. The body produces waste in
the process of metabolism, which must be eliminated
from the system or it will damage tissues.
3. Nutritional deficiencies. The body needs nutri-
ents in order to function correctly. When these nutri-
ents are not present in the person’s diet, then the body
does not have what it needs to stay healthy. If levels
of these nutrients are low, then the body may not be
able to resist other environmental stresses as efficiently,
either.
4. Mental and Emotional Stress. All of us encoun-
ter mental and emotional stress in relationships and
life situations. Financial problems, marital problems
and other emotional stresses also lay the foundation
for disease. This critical root cause is very often over-
looked in both orthodox and alternative healing circles.
People who continue to experience health problems no
matter what they do often have unresolved mental and
emotional stress that must be dealt with before healing
can occur.
 The ABC+D Health System

problem is, “What was going on in your
life during the six months prior to devel-
oping this condition?” Often their answer
will tell you exactly what the root cause is.
�������
The ABC principles discussed in the
chapters that follow are designed to help
you guide a client in removing the root
causes of their illness. No matter what
diseases they are suffering from, a person’s
overall health will improve when that per-
������������ ����������� son improves their attitude and nutritional
intake, and cleanses their body of toxins.
Healing from previous physical injuries
may require bodywork from a chiroprac-
tor, massage therapist, or other skilled
professional.

������ Trunk—Biological Terrain

All of these root causes feed into the
same trunk. The trunk of the disease tree
is biological terrain. All of the cells of the
Figure 2—Disease as Disharmony Between the Constitution and the body live in an internal ocean of lymphat-
Environement ic fluid. It is the composition of this fluid
that determines the health of our cells.
As these four environmental stressors overwhelm
the capacity of a person’s constitution to cope with Medical doctors proved these facts way back in
them, the process of disease begins. This concept is ex- the 1930s. Dr. Alexis Carrel, a two-time Nobel Prize
panded on in Figure 2. Disease arises from the dishar- winning scientist who performed the first kidney trans-
mony that results when our constitution cannot adapt plant, was head of the Rockefeller Research Institute.
or cope with our environment. Dis-ease, a French Under his direction, they took a small piece of heart
word that literally means “lack of ease,” develops as tissue from an embryonic chicken and cultured it in a
these stresses overwhelm the adaptive mechanisms in flask. They provided it with nutrients, oxygen and wa-
the body. ter. They filtered the water to remove the toxic wastes
and kept the temperature regulated. By doing this, they
This even applies to trauma. A young person slip- were able to keep that piece of chicken heart living for
ping and falling on the ice might experience only a more than 30 years with no signs of deterioration.
bruise, while an elderly person might fracture their hip. This is far past the life span of a normal chicken. They
So, disease is always a combination of constitutional concluded that cells could live and reproduce forever
weakness interacting with environmental stresses. provided proper conditions were maintained.
Assessing root causes is done by taking a case his- Dr. Carrel wrote about the experiment in 1935:
tory. By using an intake form which includes informa- “When the composition of the [fluid around the cells]
tion about a person’s diet, lifestyle, previous surgeries is maintained constant [with oxygen, nutrients, etc.],
and injuries, one can start to get a picture of the root the cell colonies remain indefinitely in the same state
causes that have brought them to their current situa- of activity. They never grow old. Colonies obtained
tion. A sample intake form is included in this course. from a heart fragment removed in January 1912, from
This information can be further developed by ask- a chick embryo, are growing as actively today as 23
ing questions. In fact, one of the most useful questions years ago. In fact, they are immortal ....” [Alexis Carrel,
to ask anyone who is suffering from a chronic health
6


Man the Unknown, New York: Halcyon House, 1938,
p. 173.]
Just like the health of a plant depends on the health
of the soil in which it is grown, so the health of the tis-
sues depends on the composition of the bodily fluids,
lymph and blood. When these are imbalanced, the
whole organism is affected.
There are six basic imbalances in biological terrain,
which can be assessed through a variety of modalities.
Iridology can give you clues as to the probable biologi-
cal terrain. Testing pH or doing readings with biologi-
cal terrain analysis machines will also provide clues to
terrain. Muscle response testing can be used to help
determine overactive (irritated) and underactive (weak-
ened) conditions. Tongue and pulse assessment also
provide important clues to reading biological terrain.
Finally, direct observation and physical palpitation can
also be used to determine these states.
These various modalities are taught in other cours-
es, but the charts in this course provide you with clues
using all of them. Use the ones you know how to use,
ignore the ones you don’t. The more modalities you
learn, however, the more accurate your assessments
will be.
Branches—Body Systems
The cells of the body need five things to survive.
They need nutrients, water, oxygen, waste removal and
a regulated temperature. In the body, these needs are
met by groups of specialized tissues which perform the
various functions required to maintain the health of
the whole body. These specialized tissues form organs
and body systems.
As the imbalances in biological terrain affect the
structure and function of these body systems, the ma-
jor limbs and branches of disease begin to form. In the
ABC+D system, the +D portion of the program refers
to the concept of giving direct aid to weak body sys-
tems. To do this, we need to identify both the primary
body systems that need nutritional support, and the
direction of imbalance in the biological terrain within
those systems.
There are several ways of telling which systems
need support. One of the easiest is to use the Body
System’s Questionnaire found in Appendix One of this
course manual. Iridology and muscle response testing
7
Work on the Root
can also help determine which systems are in need of
nutritional support.
Once you have identified which systems need nu-
tritional support, there is a chart for each system which
you can use to help determine the specific imbalances
within that system and decide what supplements will
most likely be helpful.
Twigs and Leaves—
Specific Disease Symptoms
Finally, we come to the twigs and leaves of our
metaphorical disease tree. These represent the specific
disease symptoms the body manifests. As we have al-
ready suggested, most people are only concerned with
the treatment of symptoms. Treating symptoms is like
pruning the tree. You may be able to eliminate cer-
tain branches by suppressing specific symptoms with
drugs or by removing diseased tissues with surgery,
but these actions do little or nothing to eliminate root
causes, bring the biological terrain back into balance,
or restore the normal function of body systems. They
certainly do nothing to strengthen constitution.
When we focus on the leaves and twigs, our efforts
are misplaced. When a person is obese, diabetic, suf-
fering from depression, high blood pressure, low thy-
roid and arthritis—things seem very complicated. But
this complication only exists when we are looking at
the situation from the perspective of disease symptoms.
All of these conditions are arising from the same root
causes, the same biological terrain and the same imbal-
anced body systems. The body does not exist in pieces;
it exists as a whole, and all of these disease symptoms
are simply part of the pattern of the whole.
There is no point in focusing our efforts on symp-
toms. First of all, we can’t heal anything to begin
with. The body is self-healing when provided with the
right tools and environment. So, if we simply remove
the environmental stressors that are overcoming the
person’s natural constitution and support weak body
systems while balancing the biological terrain, the body
will heal itself of whatever ails it.
Summary
The body does not heal selectively. As we are able
to create the correct environment for healing, there is a
cascade effect—as overall health improves all of a per-
The ABC+D Health System

son’s symptoms start to improve. So, it is not necessary
to understand every disease that can possibly afflict a
person to understand how to promote healing. It is
only necessary to understand how to promote health,
or the normal and natural balance that exists in the
body. This means we need to study health, not disease,
so we can recognize the healthy state of the body and
see how the body has deviated from that healthy state.
8
So, don’t be tempted to skip the basic ABC prin-
ciples taught in the introductory section and skip di-
rectly to the direct aid section. And, don’t focus on
figuring out what to do for a specific disease. Unless
you are a licensed health care professional, it’s illegal,
and it simply isn’t necessary. The ABC principles are
the foundation of health, and universally applicable to
everyone no matter what disease(s) they may have had
diagnosed.
Lesson Two

The ABC+D
System
A Systematic Approach to
Natural Health Care
In this lesson, we’ll learn the basic principles of the ABC+D System, and
how it can be used to work on the underlying causes of disease. To this end,
we turn again to the writings of Samuel Thomson, which provide us with
another analogy that helps us to understand natural healing. In his writings,
Thomson compared the body to a wood stove. In his own words:
Our life depends on heat; food is the fuel that kindles and continues that
heat. The digestive powers being correct, causes the food to consume; this
continues the warmth of the body, by continually supporting the fire. The
stomach is the depository from which the whole body is supported. The heat
is maintained in the stomach by consuming the food; and all the body and
limbs receive their proportion of nourishment and heat from that source; as
the whole room is warmed by the fuel which is consumed in the fire place.
The greater the quantity of wood consumed in the fireplace, the greater the
heat in the room. So in the body; the more food, well digested, the more heat
and support through the whole man. [A Narrative of the Life and Medical
Discoveries of Samuel Thomson by Samuel Thomson Boston: J.Q.Adams,
Printer, 1835, pp. 7-9]
A wood-burning furnace takes in air and fuel and burns it to create heat or
energy. Then, the smoke and ash (waste products) are removed. (See Figure
3.) Similarly, the body takes in oxygen and nutrients, and then metabolizes
(or burns) them to create the energy that runs the body. We then eliminate
the waste from this process.
In disease, the body is not receiving the oxygen and nutrients it needs, the
flame of life is diminished, and waste materials (toxins) are building up in the
firebox. These toxins are creating inflammation, the same process that occurs
he

when we smash, cut, burn or otherwise injure the body. Thomson put it this
way:
T

By constantly receiving food into the stomach, [food] which is...not

suitable for the best nourishment, the stomach becomes foul, so that the food
is not well digested. This causes the body to lose its heat; then the appetite
+
fails; the bones ache, and the man is sick in every part of the whole frame.
[Ibid.] Approach
9
The ABC+D Health System
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Figure 3: The Body Furnace
Think of it this way. If the chimney in the fire-
place gets partially plugged and the ashes and clinkers
aren’t removed from the firebox, then the accumula-
tion of waste material is going to start suffocating the
fire. A similar thing happens in the body. As toxins
accumulate, they produce inflammation, which causes
the supply of oxygen and nutrients to diminish, and
cells begin to suffocate in their own waste. This is il-
lustrated in Figure 4 and is the state of the body in all
acute illnesses and contagious diseases.
Understanding Symptoms
The body doesn’t have just one chimney—it has
four major channels of elimination. When one channel
cannot handle all the waste in the body, then another,
stronger, eliminative system will take up the slack. I
call this process emergency evacuation. It has also been
called vicarious elimination. (See Figure 5.)
This emergency evacuation of toxins produces
most of the symptoms of acute ailments. When this
elimination of excess waste occurs through the diges-
tive tract, we call it nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
When it occurs through the urinary system, it may
produce frequent or burning urination or other signs
of kidney or bladder distress. When it occurs through
the skin, we experience body odor, excess perspiration,
pimples, acne, rashes, hives and pox. When it occurs
through the sinuses and lungs we have bad breath, si-
nus drainage, runny noses, coughs and other forms of
respiratory congestion.
10
Figure 4: The Disease State
Numerous natural healers have made these obser-
vations. Thomas Sydenham, known as the English
Hippocrates stated “Disease is nothing else but an at-
tempt on the part of the body to rid itself of morbific
matter.” [Food is Your Best Medicine, Henry G. Bieler,
M.D., New York, Random House, 1965, 40] A mod-
ern medical doctor, Dr. Henry Bieler, came to these
same conclusions after years of treating patients with
changes in diet. In his book, Food is Your Best Medi-
cine, he states:
The body’s “terrific attempt” to burn up these
waste products results in fever. And it is the
changes (usually destructive) in the organs being
used as avenues of emergency vicarious elimination
which constitute the pathology, or conditions and
processes of a disease.
Following this line of thinking, the name of a
disease is based upon a description...of the changes
in the organs being used as emergency avenues of
elimination. [Ibid. pg 42-43]
The Ayurveda tradition of medicine from India
also describes disease as originating with an imbalance
which impairs the body’s biological fire. They call
this fire “agni” and teach that it governs the process
of breaking down, absorbing and assimilating food.
Once agni is impaired, the body’s natural immuni-
ties falter and “ama” (toxins) circulate throughout the
body and accumulate in weak, susceptible areas, thus
creating disease.


Lungs Kidneys
Skin Colon
Air
Fuel
Figure 5: The Four Chimneys
The Cold is the Cure
This furnace analogy helps us to understand the
truth about the common cold. Modern science will
never discover a cure for the common cold, because
the cold IS the cure. That is to say, the symptoms we
associate with colds—fever, sinus drainage, coughs,
sneezing, etc.—are not the disease. They are not the
enemy. They are the efforts of the body to heal itself.
So anything we do to interfere with the cold symptoms
is actually interfering with the body’s healing process.
In fact, as I have suggested, this is true not only of
colds, but of all acute ailments. Symptoms like rashes,
hives, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, itching, body odor,
poxes, rashes, pimples, sneezing, coughing and even
fever are all manifestations of the life process. They are
all efforts of the body to cure itself. Hence, anything
we do to try to block or suppress these symptoms will
only prolong the illness. In order to get rid of the ef-
fect, we must find and eliminate the cause.
Symptomatic Relief isn’t Healing
Going back to the furnace analogy, suppose we
have a person whose body is in a disease state. The fire
of life is burning low and the system is clogged with
ash and smoke. To preserve the fire of life, the body is
using what energy it does have to force an elimination
of toxins through the respiratory passages. Because the
person believes that this eliminative process is the en-
emy, he seeks medication to stop the symptoms.
11
The ABC+D System
This is what allopathic medicine does. Remember
that the word “allopathic” literally means, “against the
pathology (symptom).” The advertising for over the
counter cold and flu medications focus on how they
relieve the symptoms of a cold, not how they “cure” it.
Pay close attention to almost all drug advertising and
you will notice that the focus of drug medications is
symptomatic relief, not cure.
Suppressing symptoms can be likened to putting a
“cork” in one of the body’s chimneys. This gives the
appearance of a cure by eliminating the effect of the
disease, but it does not eliminate the cause. In fact, it
actually contributes to the underlying cause.
What happens is that the body generates a new
disease (that is, a new set of symptoms) to try to get
rid of the excess waste. These new symptoms are “side
effects” of the medication. When the side effects show
up, more suppressive medications are used to block
the new eliminative processes. Soon, all of the body’s
chimneys have been weakened and suppressed. Now,
although there are no outward symptoms of discharge
(such as diarrhea, vomiting, skin eruptions or respira-
tory congestion), there is a general sick, achy, stiff and
tired feeling. Obesity, diabetes, low thyroid and nu-
merous other chronic diseases now take the place of the
acute problems we once experienced.
The most difficult concept you will need to grasp
if you are going to become effective in understanding
natural healing is to recognize that we do not want to
suppress symptoms. We want to learn to work with
the body, not against it, which means that sometimes
we will deliberately make the symptoms worse for a
short period of time in order to help the body flush
what is irritating it. Once the body has flushed the ir-
ritation (toxins) the crisis will pass and one’s health will
rapidly return to normal.
The ABCs of Health Care
This analogy also shows what must happen to
achieve healing within the body. It is really as simple
as ABC.
First, the dying spark of life must be fanned. Like
putting air into the firebox to get the flame going
again, this means that the body’s energies need to be
stimulated. I call this process Activation.
The ABC+D Health System

Secondly, the right kind of fuel needs to be put
into the firebox so there is a clean-burning flame. Of
course, for the body, this means eating foods that will
nourish the life-process. I call this process Building.
Finally, so that the smoke will be eliminated, chim-
neys need to be opened and accumulated ash cleaned
out. For the body, this means aiding the eliminative
organs to open up all of the body’s chimneys—the
bowels, the kidneys, the skin and the lungs. This pro-
cess is called Cleansing.
Activate, Build and Cleanse are the ABCs of natu-
ral health care. In fact, we can even see these principles
in operation at the cellular level. We have three sys-
tems which permeate the entire body. They are the cir-
culatory system, the lymphatic system and the nervous
system. The nervous system provides stimulation (Ac-
tivation) to the tissues. The circulatory system supplies
blood which carries the oxygen and nutrients needed
to Build the tissues. And finally, the lymphatic system
carries away waste material to Cleanse the tissues.
So, even at the cellular level, the ABCs of natural
healing still hold true. Just about any tissue will heal
if we can give it nervous stimulation (Activate), a good
blood supply (Build) and good lymphatic drainage
(Cleanse). That’s why it isn’t necessary to focus on
or worry about the specific disease symptoms a person
has. Leave that job to the medical doctors. If one
can stimulate the body’s healing powers, supply good
nutrition, and help the body eliminate the toxins and
waste, the health of every part of the body can be im-
proved.
Thomson put it this way:
...By constantly receiving food into the stomach,
which is sometimes not suitable for the best
nourishment, the stomach becomes foul, so that
the food is not well digested. This causes the body
to lose its heat; then the appetite fails, the bones
ache, and the man is sick in every part of the whole
frame.
This situation of the body shows the need of
medicine, and the kind needed; which is such
as will clear the stomach and bowels, and restore
the digestive powers. When this is done, the food
will raise the heat again, and nourish the whole
man. All the art required to do this is, to know what
medicine will do it, and how to administer it, as a
person knows how to clear a stove and the pipe when
clogged with soot, that the fire may burn free, and the
12
whole room be warm as before. [Thomson, Ibid. 8.
Emphais ours.]
In another part of his narrative, Thomson also
says:
When disease invades the frame, it resists
[the heat] in proportion to its force, till [the
heat is] overpowered into submission, and when
extinguished, death follows, and it ceases to
operate alike in all. If then, heat is life and its
extinction death, a diminution of this vital flame
in every instance constitutes disease, and is an
approximation to death.
All then, that medicine can do in the expulsion
of disorder is to kindle up the decaying spark, and
restore its energy till it glows in all its wonted vigor.
If a direct administration can be made to produce
this effect, and it can, it is evidently immaterial
what is the name or color of the disease, whether
bilious, yellow, scarlet or spotted; whether it is
simple or complicated, or whether nature has one
enemy or more. Names are arbitrary things...but
in the knowledge of the origin of a malady, and its
antidote, lies the weightier matters of this science.
This knowledge makes the genuine physician;
all without it is real quackery. [Thomson, Ibid.
10. Words in brackets added for greater clarity in
reading. Emphasis ours.]
In other words, being able to name a disease isn’t
really that important. What is important is under-
standing what causes the body to become sick, and how
to resolve those causes. This is the goal of the ABC+D
System. Rather than memorizing hundreds of diseases
and natural treatments for them, we focus on fanning
the spark of life (activation), providing good nutrition
(build), and removing the toxins (cleanse). The +D
part of the health equation is to give Direct aid to weak
body systems and balance the biological terrain.
Activation
Activation is the primary and most important
principle of natural healing. Activation involves deal-
ing with mental and emotional stress so that the flow
of life energy can be unimpaired. It addresses one of
the four root causes of disease—unresolved mental and
emotional stress. People will simply not get well if
they aren’t able to change their diet and lifestyle habits.
Unfortunately, unless people address their emotional
issues, they will continue to abuse their bodies even if
they know better.


Many years ago a professor of nutrition at the local
university was telling me about her frustrations with
her colleagues. They were researching nutrition, then
having coffee and donuts on their breaks when the very
research they were doing was demonstrating the harm-
ful nature of these substances. She simply couldn’t
understand this.
The fact is, we can intellectually know something
is bad and continue to do it. After all, don’t all of us
“know” that junk food isn’t good for us and we “ought”
to eat more fruits and vegetables. However, we will be
unable to translate this knowledge into action if we
have unresolved mental and emotional conflicts. This
is one reason why activation is a vital step in healing.
On the positive side, the existence of the placebo
effect shows that belief can profoundly alter healing.
Since people have the capability of healing when given
sugar pills that they believe are medicine, we can read-
ily see the power the mind plays in keeping the body
healthy. Having confidence in the body’s ability to
heal increases the body’s healing capacity. Positive at-
titudes and emotions “fan” the life-force inside of us
to promote healing, no matter what disease(s) may be
afflicting us. This is the second, and more important
reason, why activation is always an essential step in the
healing process.
Activation is the process of removing negative
mental attitudes and emotional states and developing
positive attitudes and emotions in their place. Lesson
Three addresses this subject in more detail.
Building
Building is the process of putting good nutrition
into the body. In a country where there is such an
abundance of food, you wouldn’t expect people to
be malnourished. However, there is a problem with
almost all of the food Americans consume—it simply
isn’t natural. First of all, most of it is highly processed.
This includes cereal grains (white flour, polished rice,
de-germed cornmeal, etc.), refined sugars (table sugar,
corn syrup, fructose, etc.) and hydrogenated fats and
oils (shortening, margarine, cooking oil, etc.).
Secondly, the food supply is contaminated with
chemicals. Vegetables and fruits have residues from
pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. To make mat-
ters worse, grocery store fruits and vegetables are often
waxed or otherwise treated with chemical preservatives.
13
The ABC+D System
Farm animals are fed hormones, antibiotics and other
chemicals to artificially fatten them up or make them
produce more. Food additives, flavoring agents, artifi-
cial dyes and other chemical ingredients are also added
to commercial foods. In fact, the average American
consumes two to three pounds of food additives every
year.
Finally, even if people do chose to eat natural, un-
processed foods, there are still problems with modern
agricultural practices. Fruits are picked green before
they have had a chance to fully ripen and develop their
nutrient content. Plants are bred as hybrids to produce
larger, but not more nutritionally dense, crops. Crops
are even being genetically altered so they can handle
more herbicides and pesticides. On top of this, mod-
ern agricultural practices deplete the mineral content
of our soils and, as a result, also deplete our foods.
Eggs, meat, fish and dairy foods have also been tam-
pered with, often being raised in crowded, unnatural
conditions.
So, getting good nutrition into the body must be
done as a matter of conscious choice and some basic
supplements are usually required. This is the process of
building and is addressed in detail in Lesson Four.
Cleansing
Nutrition is important, but as we have already
noted, the process of metabolizing nutrients also cre-
ates waste which must be eliminated from the body.
Toxins introduced from the environment must also be
removed from the system. Herbalists and natural heal-
ers call this cleansing or detoxification.
To understand the importance of cleansing, let’s
return for a moment to Dr. Alexis Carrel’s experiment
with the embryonic chicken heart tissue discussed in
Lesson One. Dr. Carrel stressed the importance of
keeping the body fluids clean in the experiment in
these words, “A fragment of living tissue, cultivated
in a flask, must be given a volume of liquid equal to
two thousand times its own volume in order not to be
poisoned within a few days by its own waste products.”
[Alexis Carrel, Man the Unknown, p. 83.] As a matter
of comparison, it would take a swimming-pool sized
test tube to keep all the cells in the human body in a
healthy state.
In contrast, there are only a few quarts of fluid in
the human body. In fact, there is just enough fluid
The ABC+D Health System

around each cell to “fill in the cracks,” no more, no less.
Cells can survive in this tiny amount of fluid because it
is being changed several times every second. In fact, Dr.
Guyton’s Textbook of Medical Physiology suggests that
fluid is being exchanged from the circulatory system
into the spaces around the cells and back again at a rate
of 80 times per second.
Of course, the fluid is also constantly being fil-
tered and recycled. The eliminative organs (the colon,
liver, kidneys, sweat glands and lungs) are continuously
cleansing the fluids. These organs are so efficient at re-
moving the waste, that a human being can live on a few
quarts of nutritive fluid instead of 50,000 gallons.
Alexis Carrel went on to say:
It is on account of the marvelous apparatuses
responsible for the circulation of the blood, its
wealth of nutritive substances and the constant
elimination of waste products, that our tissues can
live on six or seven liters of fluid instead of two
hundred thousand [liters]. [Ibid. p. 83.]
For most North Americans, the first channel of
elimination to become sluggish is the colon. Hunter-
gatherer peoples had a bowel movement for every meal
they ate. These people were free of all types of bowel
problems such as diverticulitis, hemorrhoids, colitis, ir-
ritable bowel syndrome, constipation, and even colon
cancer.
Most healthy infants and wild animals have one
bowel movement for each meal they eat. Since most
North Americans eat three meals per day, this would
translate into three eliminations per day. Yet most
North Americans think they are regular when they
have one movement per day. Although this is “aver-
age” for Americans and therefore considered “normal”
by medical doctors, let us remember that the average
American is not very healthy. If we want exceptional
health, we need to look for what is “natural” and
healthy and not necessarily what is “normal.”
Dr. Henry G. Bieler spent many years healing pa-
tients with food. In his book, Food Is Your Best Medi-
cine, Dr. Bieler describes how toxemia in the colon
eventually produces symptoms of disease in other parts
of the body. He calls the lining of the digestive tract
the first line of defense. The mucous membranes which
line the intestines are not only designed to absorb nu-
trients, but to reject poisonous substances and waste.
They act as a type of selective filter.
14
When these membranes are overloaded with toxic
material, they become irritated and inflamed. This
causes the fluids to stagnate and the cells lining the
digestive tract to weaken and die. Thus, our “first line
of defense” becomes compromised. Nutrients are not
properly digested and toxic material is not properly
rejected. Thus, poisonous material from the digestive
tract is absorbed into the bloodstream from the diges-
tive system. Thus, a toxic colon overburdens the other
channels of elimination.
More and more scientific research is appearing
which demonstrates the importance of intestinal health
to overall health and well-being. The intestines influ-
ence the immune system and even affect one’s mood.
Research is now showing that we have a “gut brain.”
This means that what is happening in the intestinal
system is sending messages to the nervous system, in-
fluencing one’s mood, choices and behavior. So, intes-
tinal toxicity can result in various “mental” problems
such as depression.
When toxic material from the intestines is ab-
sorbed, it is carried to the organ Dr. Bieler calls our
“second line of defense,” which is the liver. All of the
blood coming out of the intestinal tract passes through
the liver before being carried to other parts of the body.
The liver is the body’s biochemical factory. It per-
forms several vital functions. First, it is a storehouse
to hold nutrients until they are needed by the cells.
Secondly, it is a biochemical factory, where nutrients
are converted from one form to another. Finally, it
is another filtering system of the body. It helps to
neutralize harmful substances which may have passed
through the intestinal membranes.
If the liver is overwhelmed and overburdened
with waste and lacks essential nutrients, then it too
will become irritated and inflamed. According to Dr.
Bieler, at first, the liver will try to throw off the irritants
through the gallbladder. This can lead to nausea, vom-
iting, gas, abdominal pain and diarrhea. However, if it
is unable to do this, these impurities will move into the
general circulation.
Dr. Bieler maintains that the body’s third line of
defense is the glandular or endocrine system, which
consists of the thyroid, adrenals, pituitary, etc. He
indicates that when the liver is overpowered, the
endocrine glands force elimination through other or-
gans. For example, the thyroid gland forces elimina-


tion through the skin and mucous membranes. The
adrenals increase elimination through the urinary and
reproductive systems. Which glands are activated and
which organ systems are used to eliminate the poisons
depends upon a person’s constitution, i.e., their inher-
ent physical strengths and weaknesses.
So, cleansing is the process of helping to open
up the body’s natural detoxification mechanisms to
eliminate waste materials. And while one is cleansing
the body, he or she shouldn’t forget to cleanse his or
her life, too. Avoiding chemical additives in our food
and toxins in our air and water is better than trying to
remove them after they have entered the body. This
process of cleansing is covered in Lesson Five.
Direct Aids
Direct aids are specific herbs and nutrients that
strengthen or balance specific body systems and correct
specific imbalances in one’s biological terrain. There
are six basic imbalances in biological terrain that affect
the systems of the body. To make this process easier,
we’ve put together a body system’s questionnaire to
help identify which body systems are in need of sup-
port. We’ve also put together a set of direct aid charts
that help a person determine what the biological terrain
imbalances are in that system and offers suggestions for
specific supplements that will help to balance biologi-
cal terrain while supporting weak body systems.
Generally speaking, most people will see amazing
improvements in their health when they take two or
three products to address basic root causes and one or
two direct aids to address specific imbalances. A good
program of supplementation contain no more than 3-
6 products at any given time. Programs are generally
more effective if they are focused.
Instead of trying to heal everything at once, chose
the weakest body system and work on that one first,
because the body can be no stronger than its weakest
link. Many times, problems in other body systems dis-
appear when one of the weak systems is strengthened.
As symptoms improve another system may come to the
15
The ABC+D System
forefront as the most important system to work on. At
that point, shift the program until that system shows
improvement, then move to the next one. The process
of selecting direct aids and putting together a program
is covered in Lessons Six and Seven. Lessons Eight
through Eighteen discuss the various body systems and
present charts and information that help a person to
identify specific imbalances in various body systems
and select remedies accordingly.
Selecting direct aids is the primary focus of this
course. For more detailed information on the ABC
principles of healing consult the Dr. Mom-Dr. Dad
course, which is the recommended pre-requisite to this
course.
Summary
The beauty of the ABC+D system is that it by-
passes the need for treating diseases and risking being
charged with practicing medicine without a license.
Instead of thinking in terms of diseases, we think in
terms of tissue states and organ systems. We look at
which systems of the body are not functioning properly
and then assess what terrain imbalance exists in those
tissues. Then, we work with remedies to restore bal-
ance to the different body systems by restoring balance
to their biological terrain. In the process, we identify
and remove underlying (or root) causes of disease.
The Disease Tree model helps us understand that
while there are thousands of diseases (which are simply
symptoms of imbalance in the body), there are only
four root causes of disease, six imbalances in biological
terrain and eleven body systems. Furthermore, all of
this arises out of only one constitutional pattern. So,
which makes more sense—learning to deal with thou-
sands of diseases, by suppressing symptoms—or learn-
ing to work with the four root causes, the six terrains,
and the eleven systems? The latter is not only much
easier to understand, it is also more effective, and all
the tools you need to begin to work with this model are
found in the lessons that follow. A chart summarizing
the ABC+D System is found on the next page.
 Copyright © 2003
The ABC+D Body Tree of Light Publishing
All Rights Reserved

���
������� Systems Approach

GENERAL THERAPY FOR SPECIFIC BODY SYSTEM

PREVENTION & RECOVERY AND TERRAIN SUPPORT

A - ACTIVATE B - BUILD C - CLEANSE D - DIRECT AID

��Believe in the body's ��Eat a zone-balanced diet, ��Do a two week cleanse ��Use the results from the Body Systems Questionaire to
ability to heal itself focusing on low-glycemic at least twice each year identify one or two body systems that require
��Stimulate the healing carbohydrates ��Avoid chemicals such nutritional support
response with ��Eat natural and organic as food additives, ��Determine how each body system is energetically out
positive attitudes foods pesticides, toxic of balance using the six tissue terrains and the
��Identify and address ��Select foods appropriate cleaning and personal appropriate chart(s)
unresolved for your blood type care products, ��Use the chart(s) to select appropriate direct aids to
emotional conflicts ��Use basic supplements electromagnetic support the specific body system(s)�
��Use energetic such as enzymes and trace pollution, etc.
remedies that minerals ��Drink plenty of pure
balance the mind and ��Use additional Nature's Spring water Six Tissue Terrains
body supplements as needed ��Increase dietary fiber
Irritation, Depression, Stagnation, Atrophy, Constriction, Relaxation

• Water • Digestive System • Circulatory System

• Digestive Enzymes • Fiber
• Flower Remedies • Minerals • Alteratives & Liver Tonics
• Hepatic System • Nervous System
• Homeopathic Remedies • Essential Fatty Acids • Laxatives
• Respiratory System • Structural System
• Essential Oils • Vitalized Protein • Antimicrobials & Antifungals • Intestinal System • Glandular System
• Affirmations and • Vitamins • Antiparasitics • Immune System • Reproductive System
Visualizations • Antioxidants • General Cleansing Programs • Urinary System
• Probiotics
Lesson Three

Activation
Helping Clients Activate Their
Capacity for Self-Healing
Activation is always the first step in the healing process. It is also the most
critical, because without it, other therapies a person may use will have limited
effectiveness. Unfortunately, it is also the most overlooked step in the healing
process. The following story illustrates the importance of activation.
In the late 1980s, a young man came to me who had just been diagnosed
with AIDS. I don’t treat AIDS or any other disease, but I do educate people
about health, so I started explaining some of the natural options he might
want to consider. However, as we continued to talk, I could tell that he was
extremely depressed and hardly paid attention to what I was saying.
Following an intuitive hunch, I asked him, “Do you believe that it is your
time to die? Is this God’s way of saying it’s time to come home?”
He looked startled for a moment, then was thoughtful, and replied, “It’s
funny you should ask that because just the other night I was praying about
this, and I felt that God didn’t want me to die. He wanted me to recover from
this and serve as an example to others.”
Hearing this response, I slapped my hand against my thigh, and stated
emphatically, “Well, there you have it. If God wants you to live, how can you
die?” I continued, “I want you to go home and think about that. Think, if
God wants me to live, how can I die?”
I saw him a couple of weeks later and his entire attitude had changed. He
was positive, upbeat, and told me that he had been studying natural approach-
es to treating AIDS. He had already started developing his own program and
wanted to know what I thought of what he was doing. He also asked me to
muscle test him on a few products he was considering taking. I was able to
provide some guidance and information, but he had taken the responsibility
for his own health, which is exactly what I wanted him to do.
If I had just tried to guide this client into using herbs, nutrition and life-
he

style changes to improve his health, without first dealing with his mental and
T

+
emotional state, it is doubtful he would have attained the results he did. A
large part of the process of natural healing is empowering a person to take re-
sponsibility for their own life and health, and to help them develop confidence

Approach
in their ability to heal.

17
The ABC+D Health System

Modern medicine is disempowering to people.
Doctors often use scare tactics, threats, intimidation,
and even legal means to force people to use their ser-
vices or follow their protocols. If you’ve ever had the
experience of questioning something a doctor has rec-
ommended you were probably met with anger, frustra-
tion or indifference. It is the rare physician who allows
the patient to participate in his or her own healing.
Much of this behavior arises from the fact that
modern medicine views the body as a machine. Struc-
tural issues are primarily addressed through surgery,
a form of mechanical repair. Functional issues are
typically addressed through isolated chemicals (drugs).
Breakdown and dysfunction are practically seen as
inevitable, just as cars inevitably break down through
wear and tear and need routine maintenance.
My belief is that the body is more than a machine,
and that we are more than just physical beings. I be-
lieve that there is a healing energy or capacity within
the body that has the ability to effect repairs in most
cases, if it is given the proper tools (nutrition) and is
not obstructed by toxins or mechanical blockages.
There is no doctor on the planet that can heal the
smallest cut. Only the innate healing force found
within living systems has that capacity. By viewing
illness as strictly a physical phenomenon (mechanical
and biochemical process), modern medicine is missing
the most important step in the healing process—acti-
vating the life force.
The Vital Force
All systems of traditional medicine are based on the
belief in a healing energy (or life force) that governed
the body. In Chinese medicine this energy is usually
referred to as chi. In Ayurvedic medicine this same
force is called prana. Samuel Thomson called it fire or
heat. Native American cultures simply called it spirit.
In traditional Western medicine it was called the vital
force, and people who believed in it were called vital-
ists. The belief in this vital force was called vitalism.
Whatever label we put on it, the concept remains
the same. Life is more than simply matter. Life is a
process of energy. What is the primary difference be-
tween a live body and a dead body? All the parts are
still there. All the chemicals are still there. What has
ceased is the motion or movement. Motion or move-
ment is a function of energy, so when a person dies, an
18
energy process has ceased within the body. The struc-
ture and biochemistry of the matter still remains, but
the energy process that animated that matter and gave
it life has left.
So, while chemical and structural intervention can
sometimes help the vital force in its efforts to repair and
maintain the body, we can never overlook or ignore the
role of consciousness and personality in healing. We
must never treat people as objects.
Professional herbalist David Winston told me
once how he had been sitting with a group of medical
doctors. One of them said, “I was treating this uterus
once…” and David interrupted by saying, “You were
treating a disembodied uterus? I don’t think so. I’ll
bet there was a woman attached to that uterus.” The
lesson is clear. We must never ignore the human be-
ing that has the problem by focusing on the disease or
body part as if it were detached from the person. We
must learn to help the person activate the innate recu-
perative powers of their own body.
The Placebo Effect
To me, the simplest evidence of the existence and
value of the vital force is the phenomenon known
as the placebo effect. Placebo means “I will please”
and refers to the phenomenon that a certain number
of patients will get well just because they believe that
something will make them well. This makes medical
research tricky. If a doctor believes strongly enough
that a new medicine or surgical procedure will help a
patient to heal, it will probably work in a large number
of cases. This is because the doctor transmits his or
her confidence and enthusiasm for the therapy to the
patient. This causes the patient to believe the therapy
will work, which often makes it work.
That’s why medical researchers use double-blind,
placebo controlled studies to try to prove the effective-
ness of their medications. Double-blind means that
neither the doctor, nor the patient know who is getting
the real medication and who is getting an inert sub-
stance (like a sugar pill). The sugar pill is the placebo.
In order for a medicine to be considered effective, it has
to have a significantly better effect than the placebo. In
other words, the medicine has to work better than the
placebo.


What the placebo effect demonstrates is the fact
that belief plays a critical role in healing. History is
replete with examples of people who have been healed
of very serious conditions by faith alone. Even sci-
ence is confirming that there is a powerful mind-body
connection that influences a person’s health. For in-
stance, studies have demonstrated that patients who
were prayed for (regardless of the religious persuasion
of those doing the praying) fared better than those
who were not prayed for. More and more evidence
is demonstrating that there is a powerful connection
between the mind and the body. A person’s thoughts
and feelings play a critical role in either creating illness,
or recovering from it.
Think about it for a moment. Can you think of a
time when you got physically ill when you didn’t feel
like you were under (or had recently been under) a lot
of emotional stress? We rarely get sick when we are
excited, confident, positive and happy. We are much
more prone to illness when we are stressed, sad, dis-
couraged, overwhelmed, or unhappy.
To illustrate the power of mind over matter fur-
ther, researchers have also confirmed the existence of
a nocebo effect (“I will not please”). In a study where
cancer patients were given sugar pills and told they
were chemotherapy drugs about 30% of the patients
lost their hair. That’s because they knew that losing
their hair was a side effect of chemotherapy and they
believed they were taking chemotherapy drugs. This
lends additional credibility to the assertion that a
person’s attitude and emotional state alone can cause a
physical problem to appear.
Voodoo Hexes
Returning to the story of the man with AIDS, I’d
like to use his experiences to illustrate the problem of
“Voodoo Hexes” in medicine. He decided to avoid
going to the doctor regularly because he found the
medical environment too negative and depressing. He
wanted to keep a positive attitude because he knew of
the research showing that positive attitudes enhanced
the immune system and negative attitudes depressed
it. He also refused to use any of the medical drugs or
procedures, opting for a completely natural approach.
After seeing him periodically for a year or so, I lost
touch with him for a number of years. When I heard
from him again many years later, he told me that he
19
Activation
was the longest surviving AIDS patient in the state of
Utah. He also told me that his doctor was looking at
the protocols he had used to try to help other AIDS
patients. The most interesting part of the discussion,
however, was the story he shared with me.
Just before he came to see me he had been with the
only doctor in Utah who worked with AIDS patients.
At the end of his session with her, she had put her hand
on his shoulder and told him, “Don’t worry, we won’t
let you suffer.” She had left him feeling that death
from this disease was inevitable, but that they would
use pain-killers so he wouldn’t have to feel the pain. It
was no wonder he was so discouraged when he came
to see me.
Voodoo works largely because people come to
believe that the Voodoo practitioner has power over
them. Because modern medicine encourages people
to place their faith in the doctor and in the system
(instead of in their own judgement), it sets up the per-
fect conditions for creating voodoo hexes. The person
who is told by a medical professional “you have only
six months to live,” has been given a voodoo hex. If
they believe what the doctor has said, then it becomes a
self-fulfilling prophecy and their body will respond by
shutting down and dying in six months.
I had a friend who was diagnosed with gall bladder
cancer. I could see why she got cancer in that organ
because she was a very bitter, resentful and unforgiving
person. The doctors told her that she had less than a
2% chance of surviving more than a year, even with
medical treatment. I tried to hook her up with two
different people who had cured themselves of the same
kind of cancer naturally, but she wouldn’t listen. She
felt she had to please her family by going the medical
route. Even when her digestive tract was so inflamed
that she couldn’t hold any food down I couldn’t get
her to take even some aloe vera juice or slippery elm to
soothe her digestive tract. Her doctor had ordered her
not to take any herbs. She died almost exactly one year
later. She had been hexed by a modern day voodoo.
Doctors say they do not want to give patients “false
hope.” I do not belief hope can be false. We are not
talking about trying to deceive people into believing
things that aren’t true. We’re talking about the re-
sponsibility we have to help a person have hope, faith,
and a positive attitude about their life situation.
The ABC+D Health System

This doesn’t always mean that they are always go-
ing to physically recover. After all, not one of us is
going to get out of this life alive. To me, what is more
important than the quantity of life is the quality of that
life. None of us know how long we have. We are only
given one day at a time. So, even someone who has a
“terminal” illness should focus on enjoying the life they
have, rather than worrying about dying.
I knew a man, an herbalist and teacher of mine,
who died of prostate cancer. After his death, his
daughter told me that he was “healed” a couple of
weeks before he passed away. She said that he came to
realize that he got cancer because of the resentment he
had over some previous business dealings with another
famous herbalist. She said he was finally able to for-
give, and right before he died, he was at peace for the
first time in many years. That’s an example of a case
where the person was healed in the higher sense, even
though physical life ended.
I always tell clients who have potentially terminal
illnesses that none of us know how much time we have
left. I encourage them not to spend their time and
energy thinking about dying. Instead, they should
find positive things that they enjoy doing and focus
on living.
Enhancing Placebo Effect
Placebo effect isn’t something we want to try to get
rid of, rather it is something we want to maximize. I
used to go to a chiropractor named Michael Brenay. I
always looked forward to seeing Dr. Brenay. He was
always positive and cheerful. He was also a good lis-
tener and always confident that you would feel better
after seeing him. He knew how to maximize placebo
effect in a person. Every time I was leaving his office he
would say, “you’re going to feel better.” I knew he was
evoking placebo effect in me, but I didn’t care, it made
me feel better just to hear it.
Dr. Brenay had a sign on his desk which read:
Department of Sunshine and Rainbows
Hopes restored, Spirits lifted,
Enthusiasm renewed.
20
When Dr. Brenay passed away, his wife gave me
some of his belongings, including this sign, which now
hangs beside the door to my office. It reminds me that
my primary responsibility is to activate the self-healing
capacity in each person I speak to—restoring hope,
lifting spirits, and renewing the person’s enthusiasm
for life.
The practical side of doing this is discussed in
greater detail in other courses and books, but the fol-
lowing are some basic ideas to help you get started.
Affirmations
There are many ways to help activate the healing
process, but the most basic is to help people develop
positive attitudes and emotions. Positive thinking
provides an electrical stimulus through the nervous
system and activates the healing energy of the tissues.
Since belief or faith is a powerful healer, we can help to
encourage clients to exercise faith in the healing power
of the body. Faith is laying hold of what one does not
already have as if one already had it. One of the meth-
ods of doing this is to use a positive affirmation.
An affirmation is a present tense statement that
affirms what one wants as if one currently possessed
it. Thus, if a person had a broken bone and wanted to
speed the healing of that bone he or she could affirm
“my bone is whole and strong.” Notice the present
tense statement, “My bone IS.” This is a vital secret to
making affirmations work because it is laying hold of
what is desired in the present tense. If a person says,
“My bone will be whole and strong,” this places the
fulfillment in the future, not the present, and does not
convey the same power.
I often suggest affirmations that clients can repeat
to themselves in order to crowd out negative thoughts
and emotions. Where there is a particularly difficult
issue, it can help to phrase the affirmation as a ques-
tion, “What would it feel like if...” So, if a person
is depressed and unhappy, they might ask themselves
repeatedly, “What would it feel like to be motivated
and happy?” The only way the body can answer such
a question is to start generating the feeling of being
motivated and happy, so this technique can be a very
powerful one for helping a person to change their at-
titudes and feelings.


Deep Breathing and Relaxation
Deep breathing and relaxation, as is done in medi-
tation, has a powerful activating effect on the body. It
helps a person get in touch with buried feelings so they
can be brought to the surface and resolved. As one
breathes deeply, the tissues are oxygenated, which fans
the spark of life and increases the flame of life through-
out the body. Breath is called the “breath of life” be-
cause it is intimately connected with the vital force. To
breath is to connect deeply with life.
Shallow breathing enables a person to stifle feelings
by deadening the body. All blocked emotions and all
unresolved emotional conflicts involve a blockage or a
stifling of breathing. So, I often take clients who are
stressed, anxious, depressed, or fearful through a deep
breathing exercise to help them connect with a positive
and peaceful place inside.
There are numerous techniques which can be used
to do this, but here are the steps I typically use.
First, have the client sit in a comfortable position.
Second, have them relax each part of their body as
much as they are able to. The easiest way to do this is to
focus on each part of the body, starting at the feet and
working up to the head, while consciously allowing it
to relax. Sometimes it is helpful to tense the muscles for
a few moments and then relax them.
Third, have the client focus on breathing slowly
and deeply. Preferably, they should breathe from the
abdomen.
Fourth, have the client focus their mind on count-
ing their breathing, “in-two-three-four, out-two-three-
four,” and so forth. It is amazing how quickly this
procedure can help them connect with a positive place
inside.
Visualization
When a person is in a relaxed state and breathing
deeply as described above, he or she can use another
tool for activating healing. The person pictures the
final result he or she desires in the mind. Again, one
should picture it as if it is already happening or has
already happened.
For instance, cancer patients have practiced visu-
alizing their white blood cells gobbling up the cancer
cells and destroying them. A person suffering from
21
Activation
pain can picture themselves free of pain. It has been
proven in studies that such visualization actually en-
hances immunity and healing.
Specific Remedies to Activate Healing
There are specific remedies that can help to activate
the healing energies of the body. These include ho-
meopathics, flower essences and aromatherapy. These
tools can be applied for activating healing in the same
way that direct aids are used to help balance biological
terrain and strengthen body systems.
Homeopathic Remedies
Homeopathic remedies can be used to activate the
healing response. Homeopathic remedies shift the
body on an energetic level. In classical homeopathy,
remedies are matched to the overall symptom picture,
including the emotional state, of the client, then ad-
ministered as single remedies.
Combination homeopathic remedies, however, are
also employed to help with more specific disease condi-
tions. These remedies can be used as activators when
faced with those particular conditions.
There are numerous books which can be studied to
learn more about homeopathy and how it works, but
the focus of this course is not on homeopathy.
Essential Oils
Essential oils can also be used for specific condi-
tions and will serve to help activate healing of the body
systems. They are also used to help people overcome
negative emotions and mental blocks. Not only do they
stimulate circulation and nerve impulses in the body,
essential oils also have a strong emotional effect.
The sense of smell connects directly into an area of
the brain known as the hypothalamus, which controls
the glandular system. Thus, essential oils can influence
the production of hormones and neurotransmitters to
directly alter one’s emotional state. These oils can be
applied topically, diffused into the air or used in a bath
to help improve attitude and mood and stimulate a
general healing response.
Flower Essences
Flower essences are also extremely helpful in over-
coming negative attitudes and emotions, and to release
The ABC+D Health System

emotional baggage from the past. Developed by an
English homeopath named Edward Bach, flower es-
sences help to adjust a person’s energy to allow them
to overcome mental and emotional blockages that are
impeding healing.
Today, there are numerous flower remedies in the
marketplace from a wide range of companies. There
is one flower remedy that I think every practitioner
should have on hand and that is the Shock-Reliev-
ing Flower Essence discussed in Dr. Mom-Dr. Dad.
(Consult your product guide for brands.)
This flower essence helps stimulate a general heal-
ing process in the body. Use it whenever someone is
injured or receives news of an emotionally shocking or
difficult nature. It can be taken internally or applied
topically.
To apply over a wide area, put ten drops into a
spray bottle filled with purified water, shake vertically
and spray over injured areas. You will be pleasantly
surprised at how rapidly it can reduce pain and inflam-
mation, as well as adjust emotional feelings and mental
attitudes.
Emotional Anatomy
While mental and emotional healing is not the
primary focus of this text, it is useful even for the be-
ginning natural health consultant to understand that
there are connections between specific organ systems
and body parts and various emotional states. These
associations are recognized in all traditional systems
of medicine, and are also part of many of our cultural
expressions. Just think of phrases like:
“I can’t stomach this.”
“That person galls me.”
“She takes things to heart too easily.”
Reading the body emotionally and using flower
essences, affirmations, essential oils and other tools
to heal the emotional issues usually present in various
health problems is part of more advanced training,
such as my Emotional Anatomy course. See the refer-
ences at the end of this chapter for other suggestions.
Meanwhile, here are just a few of the major organ-
emotion relationships and some suggested some essen-
tial oils and flower remedies for each.
22
Heart and Circulation
The heart is connected with emotion in general,
but more specifically with emotions such as love, com-
passion, kindness and tenderness. The flow of blood
is intimately connected with feelings of warmth and
openness. When we experience love and pleasure, the
blood flows closer to the surface of the skin, causing the
body to become warm and flushed.
Emotional shock, such as the loss of a loved one
through death, betrayal, divorce or separation, causes
the blood to flow inward towards the heart and away
from the surface. The body literally becomes cold and
pale. Grief, the process of crying, sobbing, wailing and
moaning, forces this blood to be redistributed to the
extremities of the body and helps the healing process.
Unresolved grief causes the heart to become “hard-
ened” and can contribute to cardiovascular disease. It
will also affect the lungs, as described under lungs and
sinuses. Too much excitement and emotional upheav-
al can also distress the heart, particularly if a person is
prone to “take things to heart” too readily. This means
that they tend to feel things very deeply. Remedies
that can help emotional issues associated with the heart
include the following:
Rose is one of the primary remedies for the heart.
Used as either an essential oil, or as a flower essence,
rose helps to “open” the heart to feeling and connec-
tion. It strengthens the forces of the heart emotionally
and is a general remedy for all heart-related emotional
problems, especially unresolved feelings of grief, hurt
and betrayal.
Bleeding heart is one of my favorite flower rem-
edies for heart issues. It helps a person “let go” in cases
of loss. It teaches the lesson that “love must exist in
freedom,” meaning we cannot control the people we
love. Used with rose, it is very helpful for opening a
person’s heart and helping them go through a grieving
process.
Bergamot is an uplifting essential oil that helps a
person have a lighter heart when their heart feels heavy.
Pink grapefruit essential oil is also helpful for refresh-
ing and uplifting heart energy.
Lungs and Sinuses
The lungs are also deeply associated with emotions
in general. Breathing allows us to live. Shallow breath-


ing deadens the body and reduces feeling, so people
often learn to breath shallowly in order to stifle their
emotions.
The lungs are also associated with a sense of free-
dom and a sense of personal strength that creates an
enhanced immune system. We talk about being able
to breathe freely or conversely, feeling stifled or smoth-
ered. Chronic sinus or respiratory congestion can sig-
nal that we feel “invaded” by others and are not able to
defend our sense of personal space.
Unresolved grief not only affects the heart, it also
damages the lungs. I’ve seen many cases of chronic
respiratory problems that trace back to the death of a
loved one and situations of unresolved grief. Post nasal
drip is often a form of repressed, internal crying from
stifled tears.
For grief-related lung issues, some of the remedies
mentioned under the “heart and circulation” heading
on the previous page are also helpful. Remedies that
can help with more lung specific issues include the fol-
lowing:
Yerba Santa is used both as a single herb and as a
flower essence for “opening” the lung energy. It helps
people who feel smothered to breathe freely again.
Yarrow is one of my favorite remedies for people
who are prone to chronic congestion because they too
readily take on the burdens of others. It is particularly
helpful as a flower essence for healers who over identify
with those they are trying to help. As a result, they take
on too much responsibility for other people’s healing,
and wind up making themselves sick in the process.
Many of the essential oils that work on physical
issues with the lungs are also helping resolve the emo-
tional issues at the same time. Some of the best choices
include: eucalyptus, rosemary, tea tree oil, and thyme.
All of these oils enhance immunity and help a person
defend their personal space so they can “breathe freely”
again.
Stomach and Solar Plexus
The stomach not only helps us digest food, it helps
us process life’s various experiences. Sometimes we
encounter situations we just can’t “stomach” or “di-
gest.” This can lead to feeling paralyzed or chronically
distressed. A person who is always worried or fearful
can’t “stomach” life. In Chinese medicine, worry is
23
Activation
said to damage the stomach. In the West, we associate
worry with ulcers.
We can also “swallow” our anger, fears, and frus-
trations by not allowing them to be expressed. People
who try too hard to be “nice” and aren’t true to their
own feelings often wind up with very weak digestive
systems. They work hard to help others, but can’t
“nourish” themselves.
The stomach is also associated with the solar plex-
us, an area where we experience “gut instincts.” When
a person can’t be true to what their gut instincts are
telling them, they develop chronic tension at the solar
plexus which can contribute to a hiatal hernia and poor
digestion. Adrenal weakness is also linked with this
problem.
Some of my favorite remedies for emotional issues
associated with the stomach include the following:
Dandelion can be used both as an herb and a flow-
er essence for stomach problems. It allows someone to
relax, let go, and learn to stop being tense, worried and
uptight. Dandelion helps a person learn to “go with
the flow.”
Chamomile can be used as an herb, essential oil, or
as a flower essence for emotional issues related to the
stomach. It relaxes the solar plexus and the stomach.
It’s a specific remedy for people who complain too
much and allow themselves to get distressed too easily
over small matters.
Liver and Gallbladder
The liver is appropriately named because it is the
LIVE-ER, i.e., the seat of the will to live. The energy
of the liver and gallbladder helps us defend ourselves
and is associated with anger in both Oriental and
Western healing traditions.
Anger can be useful when it is needed to ward off
a genuine physical attack, but all too often it becomes
a tool for intimidating others for personal reasons. Ex-
cessive anger leads to bitterness, hostility, resentment
and hatred. These emotions damage both the liver
and the gallbladder. The person who is full of “gall” is
more likely to experience gallstones, for instance.
The inability to stand up for oneself in situations
that call for self-protection can be a sign of a blocked
or weak liver energy. This can lead to feelings of being
The ABC+D Health System

defeated, which leads to discouragement and depres- freeze emotionally and can inhibit us from moving
sion. forward toward our goals and dreams.
Forgiveness is usually required for healing emo- Because the kidneys and adrenals control fluid and
tional issues related to the liver and gallbladder. Here mineral balance, they are also physically linked to the
are some of my favorite remedies for these issues. structural system. A major job of the kidneys is to fil-
ter acid waste from the tissues. When kidney function
Just as willow bark is used as a remedy to ease
is impaired, minerals such as potassium, magnesium,
stiff and painful joints in arthritis, the flower essence
and calcium are borrowed from muscles, bones, and
of willow is used to help a person learn to “bend” and
connective tissue. This weakens the structural sys-
be flexible. It helps a person who is suffering from the
tem. Phrases such as “weak kneed,” “unstable,” and
brittleness of bitterness to forgive and regain emotional
“spineless” demonstrate these emotional connections
flexibility with others.
between fear and structural weakness.
Oregon Grape can be used both as an herb and as a
Courage and fortitude are positive emotions that
flower essence for people who constantly perceive hos-
support kidney and adrenal function and strengthen
tile intentions in others which do not exist. It is useful
structural integrity. Some of the remedies I have found
for social paranoia.
valuable for fear and other kidney related emotions in-
Bile is an extremely bitter substance. All of us have clude the following:
to deal with bitterness in our lives from time to time,
Borage is an herb used to strengthen the adrenals.
and we need to learn to accept the bitter as well as the
As a flower essence, it is helpful for people who are dis-
sweet. Artemisias, which include wormwood, tansy,
couraged and have “lost heart.” It promotes a feeling
and sagebrush, have long been used to represent the
of cheerful courage in the face of adversity.
bitter experiences of life. These remedies not only help
relieve physical parasites, they also help a person let go White oak bark is used both as an herb and as a
of emotional garbage from the past. Sagebrush is a flower essence to strengthen the structural system. As a
very good flower remedy for this purpose. flower essence, oak is for the strong-willed person who
has been broken down by constant struggle.
The essential oil of helicrysum is very helpful both
for physically healing the liver and for emotionally Mt. Pride is another flower essence I’ve used to
healing the liver. instill courage in people. It helps people who are unas-
sertive, tending to withdraw in the face of a challenge,
Lemon juice is an old-time remedy for flushing
to stand up for themselves.
the liver of toxins. Lemon essential oil can also help
to flush the liver emotionally when inhaled or applied
topically. Summary
In all of this, let us not forget the healing power of
Kidneys and Adrenals love. Just tenderly caring for someone who is sick is
The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and often enough to stimulate healing, and listening to a
help the body respond to threats and problems by re- person with empathy and compassion is one of the best
leasing hormones that power up the body to fight or medicines we can offer.
flee. These glands also help regulate fluid balance in
If you want to acquire more specific skills in this
the body.
area, including more detailed information on using
The kidneys have been associated with the emo- aromatherapy and flower essence remedies, consult
tion of fear in both Oriental and Western medicine. some of the following references.
The phrase, “he was so scared he wet his pants,” is an
example of the connection. Fear, like worry, can be a
paralyzing emotion that inhibit one’s ability to respond
to life with appropriate actions. Like the proverbial
“deer caught in the headlights,” fear can cause us to

24


Recommended Additional Reading
Anatomy of the Spirit by Caroline Myss
Bach Flower Therapy: Theory and Practice by Mechthild
Scheffer
Enchanting Scents by Monika Junemann
Feelings Buried Alive Never Die by Karol Kuhn Truman
Flower Essence Repertory by Patricia Kaminski and Richard
Katz
Flower Remedies Handbook by Donna Cunningham
Love, Sex and Your Heart by Alexander Lowen
Plant Spirit Medicine by Elliot Cowan
Seven Herbs: Plants as Teachers by Matthew Wood
Subtle Aromatherapy by Patricia Davis
The Betrayal of the Body by Alexander Lowen
25
Activation
The Body Has It’s Reasons by Therese Bertherat and Carol
Bernstein
The Book of Herbal Wisdom by Matthew Wood
The Complete Book of Flower Essences by Rhonda Pallasdowney
The Dragon Doesn’t Live Here Anymore by Alan Cohen
The Language of the Body by Alexander Lown
Additional Coursework
Activating the Healing Response course by Steven Horne
Emotional Anatomy DVDs by Steven Horne
Manage Your Mood DVD by Steven Horne
There Are No Negative Emotions Audio CDs by Steven Horne
 Lesson Four

Building Health
The Best Nutritionist is the One
Inside Each Person’s Body
Building is the process of building up the body with good nutrition. To
any thinking person it is obvious that the body is composed of and maintained
by nutritive substances derived from foodstuffs. It is only common sense that
the quality of those foodstuffs is going to have an impact on both the structure
and function of the body.
Deep down inside, most people don’t realize that they aren’t eating as
healthy as they should, it’s just that the social pressure is largely working
against them. Commercials on television, the attitudes of many medical pro-
fessionals, and the influence of family and friends condition people to believe
they can eat whatever they want and if something goes wrong, it can be magi-
cally fixed by a pill.
People carry this attitude with them as they turn from conventional medi-
cine to natural healing. When they seek out an alternative practitioner, they
aren’t usually looking for a teacher who will help them learn to care for their
body in a healthy way. Instead, they want to have the practitioner give them
an herb or a supplement that will make the problem go away. Unfortunately,
health doesn’t work that way.
In my years of experience, I’ve observed that people who take handfuls of
supplements, but fail to change their harmful diet, sleep, exercise, and lifestyle
habits, never acquire lasting health. Their supplements may stabilize their
body in the short run, but they cannot sustain health in the long run. Herbs
and supplements can help balance biological terrain and strengthen the various
systems of the body, but they do not get at the root causes of disease. People
who adopt this approach are still trying to prune the branches of the disease
tree rather than work on the roots. They are simply choosing to do their prun-
ing with natural “medicines” instead of chemical ones.
One doesn’t build good health from a junk food diet and a handful of
supplements taken as “insurance.” While a few well-chosen supplements can
he

augment a good health program, they can’t replace all of the nutrients and
T

+
benefits being lost because of a “junk food” diet. This is partly because we
don’t yet understand all of the reasons why food nourishes the body and which
substances in the food are essential to health and which are not. It is also partly
due to the fact that most vitamin and mineral supplements are devitalized
Approach
26


foods themselves. They are lacking in the vital life
energy that helps sustain the body. Allow me to elabo-
rate.
Food and the Vital Force
In the previous lesson, we discussed the impor-
tance of life energy in healing. I called this life energy
the vital force. Ed Millet, my first herb teacher, taught
that this vital force was literally light. He felt that light
and life were literally synonymous. Plants capture the
light energy of the sun and use it to animate and raise
the non-living matter into living forms. It is the deli-
cate bonds of vibrating light energy that hold all living
things in their form. Genesis, the process of creation
(Gen as in generate or Genesis, means “to create” or “to
form”) begins with, “Let there be light.”
When the light or the life force leaves living tissue
it begins to degenerate, meaning that the subtle light or
energy bonds that held it together begin to break down.
When we heal, we are regenerating or recreating living
tissue, which means we must restore the subtle bonds
of life energy that hold all living things together.
Living foods contain strong life energy and thus,
they provide more than chemical substances to the
body. They are also a source of life energy or light.
They “enlighten” and “enliven” our minds and bod-
ies. The more we refine and process a food, the more
de-vitalized or de-natured it becomes. This means that
refining food causes it to lose its vital energy or vitality.
This loss of light or vital energy causes the nature of the
food to break down. The food becomes “dead” and
cannot fully participate in the life process.
With rare exceptions, vitamin and mineral supple-
ments are in a devitalized or denatured state. This is
because they have either been synthesized or they are
highly refined substances. There is, in other words,
more to nutrition than chemistry.
There is an old Oriental saying that applies to our
current understanding of nutrition.
When a man is young and knows nothing, trees
are trees, mountains are mountains and waters
are waters; but when he has studied and knows a
little, trees are no longer trees, mountains are no
longer mountains, and waters are no longer waters;
but when he has thoroughly studied and finally
understands, trees are once again trees, mountains
are mountains and waters are waters.
27
Building Health
Traditional people lived very healthy lives just eat-
ing whatever Mother Nature put on their plate. They
didn’t worry about calories, how much fat or protein
they were getting, or whether they were getting enough
vitamins. They simply knew which foods gave them
health and strength and which didn’t. People living
off the land in these traditional cultures were rarely sick
and had far more physical stamina and endurance than
the average person living in civilization today. This is
primarily because they ate whole, natural foods.
In our culture, we are in the stage where we have
“studied a little.” So we no longer think of nutrition
as food—fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, meat,
milk—instead, we think of nutrition as fats, proteins,
carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and other biochem-
ical substances. Because of this belief we have thought
we could improve on what nature provides. Just as we
extract certain “active constituents” from plants and
call them drugs, so we have extracted what we think is
nutrition from food and call them “nutritional supple-
ments.”
I believe that when we have thoroughly studied
nutrition and finally understand, we will realize that
nutrition is everything that Nature put into the foods
we eat. We will also realize that Nature balances these
substances so that the whole is both nourishing and
non-toxic. I think we will also discover that there is a
vital force, or life energy, in whole living things that we
cannot duplicate through chemistry.
Food as Medicine
In Western culture, we tend to think of food and
medicine as separate things. Most natural healers,
however, don’t see it that way. Consider the following
statement by Samuel Thomson.
I shall now describe the fuel which continues
the fire, or life of man. This is contained in two
things, food and medicines [herbs]; which are in
harmony with each other; often grow in the same
field, to be used by the same people. People who
are capable of raising their food, and preparing the
same, may as easily learn to collect and prepare all
their medicines and administer the same when it
was needed. [A Narrative of the Life and Medical
Discoveries of Samuel Thomson by Samuel Thomson
Boston: J.Q.Adams, Printer, 1835, p 8.]
The ABC+D Health System

Masanobu Fukuoka, a retiree from the Japanese
Ministry of Agriculture, and a farmer who has devel-
oped methods of growing grain, fruits and vegetables
without cultivation, weeding or fertilizing makes a
similar claim.
Edible herbs and wild vegetables, plants growing
on the mountain and in the meadow, are very
high in nutritional value and are also useful
as medicine. Food and medicine are not two
different things: they are the front and back of one
body. Chemically grown vegetables may be eaten
for food, but they cannot be used as medicine.
[The One-Straw Revolution Masanobu Fukuoka.
Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1978. pp.100]
Many healing herbs are simply wild vegetables that
were consumed by native people for food. So, it is dif-
ficult to tell where nutrition ends and herbal medicine
begins. The truth is, there may be no clear cut distinc-
tion. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates is the
author of the oft-quoted sentiment, “Let your food be
your medicine and your medicine be your food.” The
simple fact is that good food is medicine, and good
medicine has nutritional value.
If our food is our primary medicine, then it ought
to be of the highest quality possible. Dr. Bernard Jen-
sen, the famous iridologist and nutritionist, encour-
aged people to spend their money on quality food. He
said that people would either spend their money on
good food or on doctor bills. I, for one, have chosen
to spend my money on good food and encourage my
clients and students to do the same.
What is A Healthy Diet?
In the early 90s, I took my family with me while I
traveled around holding lectures and classes. We had
our share of difficulties, but we had a few opportuni-
ties for fun, as well. One of the places we visited was
the San Diego Zoo. The tour bus driver and numer-
ous signs warned us not to feed the animals. The zoo
has each animal on a “scientific” diet and feeding
them other food could make them sick. The signs
also explain what various animals eat. Some live on
fruit, others on seeds, some are meat-eaters, others are
grass-eaters. Each animal has specific foods which are
best suited for its make-up or nature. Every animal
has a mouth, teeth, digestive organs, etc. that are best
adapted for the food it eats.
28
When it came time to find something for our fami-
ly to eat, however, it was very clear that there was noth-
ing “scientific” about the way people are fed at the zoo.
Sodas, hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream and so forth
were the mainstays of the food stand menus. Almost
everything is made with refined white flour, refined
sugar, processed fats and oils and/or animal proteins.
No wonder the zoo doesn’t want people feeding this
stuff to their animals—it’s enough to make anybody
sick!
Food that is best suited for the “nature” of a crea-
ture is the food that is ‘natural’ for it. If different ani-
mals have their particular food that is best suited for
their nature, does not man also have a food that is best
suited for his nature? If so, what is the ‘natural’ food
for man?
There are numerous opinions ventured on what is
man’s natural food. Most current nutritional educa-
tors state that man is omnivorous, meaning that our
digestive organs are capable of handling every type of
natural food. Human beings certainly seem capable of
surviving on a wide variety of foods, natural or other-
wise, which gives rise to a great deal of confusion about
what constitutes a “good” diet. Some people espouse
a vegetarian diet or a vegan diet, others focus on eating
lots of animal protein and low amounts of carbohy-
drates. There are people who eat only raw foods, and
people who won’t eat anything raw for fear of parasites.
If one studies the field long enough, one can get thor-
oughly confused.
Consider this. The fact that human beings can sur-
vive on such a wide range of dietary preferences shows
how incredibly adaptive and flexible the human body
and digestive system is. Furthermore, there are varia-
tions in individual biochemistry, genetics, and living
conditions (hot climates, cold climates, etc.) that create
widely different nutritional requirements.
After working in this field for almost 25 years, I
have come to the conclusion that there is no “perfect”
diet for everyone. I’ve seen a lot of nutritional fads
come and go, but I’ve also seen certain principles that
seem to be consistent. So, while there are some general
principles of good nutrition, there is no set plan that
works for everyone. You will even find that a person’s
nutritional needs vary not only through the various
stages of their life, but throughout the year depending


on the climate and what stresses are present in his or
her life.
Common Sense Rules for Helping
People Improve Their Nutrition
So, this brings us back to the question, how do we
help people make changes to their diet? Here are some
practical suggestions.
Work on Yourself First
The best way to influence others to improve their
health habits is by working on your own. In other
words, be what you want to teach. There is a story
about Ghandi that illustrates the importance of this
concept. Some parents brought their child to Ghandi
because the doctor had said the child needed to give up
sweets because of a health problem. The parents had
been unable to get the child to comply with the doctors
instructions.
Ghandi told them to bring the child back in a
couple of weeks. When the parents returned, he whis-
pered something to the child and from that point on
the child complied with the doctors instructions. The
parents were amazed and asked him what he had said
and why he hadn’t just said it on the first visit.
Ghandi replied that he had to give up sweets him-
self for a period of time before he could advise the
child. He had simply told the child that he had given
up sweets and the child could do the same.
In this vein, I never recommend dietary or lifestyle
changes to anyone that I have not been able to put into
practice in my own life. Only if you have succeeded
at something yourself can you effectively help anyone
else.
Furthermore, it is important to be a light, not a
judge. This means that you don’t ever criticize some-
one else’s food choices or adopt a “holier than thou”
attitude about diet and nutrition.
Don’t criticize what other people eat. If you sit
down to a meal with me, you’ll never hear me criticize
what you are eating. If you order a Coke, a hamburger
and fries or a sugar dessert, I won’t say a thing. It is
rude, anti-social and arrogant to go around criticizing
what other people eat, and it violates the first and most
important principle of healing—activating the healing
29
Building Health
energies of the body by maintaining positive attitudes
and emotions.
Many years ago a vegetarian woman and her two
children stayed in a fifth wheel trailer at our home
for a brief period of time. One day, we were having
some chicken for dinner and her daughter was look-
ing longingly at the chicken as if she wanted a piece.
Her mother came by and grabbed the daughter and
said very audibly, “We don’t throw the bodies of dead
animals down our throats.” As our guest, this was not
very polite. Furthermore, her child looked pale and
anemic, and frankly, I think a piece of naturally-raised
chicken would have done her some good. After all, her
body seemed to be craving it.
Regardless of whether the chicken would have
been good for the child or not, adopting a negative at-
titude about anyone because of their choices of food is
counterproductive to healing. Let who you are be the
teacher more than what you say.
Which brings us to the next suggestion.
Pay Attention to the Body
The best nutritionist is inside of the body. People
need to pay attention to how the foods they are eating
are making them feel. Most people are unable to con-
nect the aches and pains they feel in their body with
the foods they are consuming. This is partly because
they aren’t trained to pay attention.
The simple fact is, the body knows what it needs
and will seek the nutrients it needs from sources with
which it is familiar. So, if a person gets a strong craving
for a particular type of food, they shouldn’t ignore it.
The body may require some nutritional element from
that food and it doesn’t know anywhere else to get it.
Kimberly Balas, ND had a client once who was eating
the foam out of her sofa. It turns out she was deficient
in zinc (one of the minerals in the foam). As a child
she had sucked on her mom’s hair curlers (which were
made out of the same material). As a result, her body
knew that the foam material contained zinc, and when
she became deficient in it, she developed a craving for
the foam. After being put on a zinc supplement, the
craving for foam went away because her body was no
longer deficient.
In short, people shouldn’t eat from a philosophy.
To adopt any dietary philosophy and follow it as if it
were the gospel truth is a mistake. We can use various
The ABC+D Health System

materials to provide people with general principles to
guide them in improving their health, but animals in
nature don’t follow diet books, count calories, or worry
about what percentages of fats, proteins, and carbohy-
drates they have in their diets. They just follow their
instincts and eat what nature tells them to eat.
The best nutritionist is the one found right inside
each person’s body. As one starts avoiding artificial
chemicals and highly processed foods, and starts to
consume high quality, natural foods, then one begins
to rediscover natural instincts. Animals don’t need a
nutritionist to tell them which plants are edible and
which one’s are poisonous, or to tell them what kind of
food they need to consume. People need to rediscover
these “gut instincts.” They need to learn what is good
or bad for them by paying attention to the signals the
body is giving them, not by some expert opinion pro-
vided by some nutrition guru, which includes those of
us who are teaching people about nutrition.
This is because, ultimately, we are all biochemically
unique. Some of us may need more protein, some of
us more carbs. One dietary plan will not work for
everyone because we are all different. So, before you
encourage anyone to jump on some dietary philoso-
phy, take a step backwards and look at the issue from a
broader perspective. If people will just focus on eating
natural foods they will soon learn to trust their “gut
brain” (instincts) more than their “head brain” (book
learning) for sound nutritional advice.
Suggest Healthier Alternatives
The main reason why people can’t trust their
instincts on what to eat is because they are eating so
many artificial foods. The artificial flavoring agents,
preservatives, dyes, sweeteners, etc. are all designed to
fool the body’s instincts and cause it to crave unnatural
foods. Furthermore, it is much easier to substitute a
healthier version of a food than it is to give it up entire-
ly. So, the first and most important goal in improving
diet should simply be to eliminate as many unnatural
(artificial or highly refined) foods as possible.
In 1981, I attended a seminar in Colorado spon-
sored by Mother Earth News (which I read avidly for
many years). One of the speakers talked about giving
up the whites (refined sugar, bleached white flour,
shortening, etc.) and replacing them with healthier
substitutes. He said that white may be a symbol of pu-
30
rity in religion; but when it comes to nutrition, white
is a symbol of sickness and death. My experience has
shown this is generally true.
So, a good place for most people to start is by re-
placing the “whites” with healthier alternatives. Here
is a list of the “whites” discussed a the seminar I at-
tended, and some healthier substitutions.
All Refined Sugars—This includes table sugar
or sucrose, fructose, and corn syrup. When people
are craving sweets, encourage them to eat a piece
of whole fruit. In cooking, replace refined sug-
ars with natural products such as raw, unfiltered
honey; blackstrap molasses, pure maple syrup, date
sugar, freeze-dried sugar cane juice (Sucanat), and
other more natural sweeteners. Stevia can be used
as a natural sugar substitute, as well. When people
crave sweets, licorice root can be taken to help re-
duce their sugar cravings.
Refined Flour and White Rice—Replace
refined flours with whole grains. Use a variety of
grains, especially millet, brown rice (many variet-
ies), wild rice, kamut and quinoa, as these grains
are less prone to be allergenic.
Table Salt—Table salt contains many fillers
and additives and has generally been processed at a
very high temperature. Celtic Salt or Real Salt are
excellent natural salts and have a completely dif-
ferent taste and effect in the body. Various herbal
seasonings can also be used as seasonings instead
of salt, adding more interesting flavors and varity
to food.
Shortening and Margarine—Margarine is
colored to make is seem yellow, so it’s really a white
in disguise. These hydrogenated fats contain trans-
fatty acids, which are one of the biggest disease
producers in our modern world. Use real butter,
virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil and hemp seed oil for
high quality fats. Raw nuts and seeds are also good
sources of necessary fatty acids (they should be
moistened and left overnight to deactivate enzyme
inhibitors). Safflower oil is one of the best cooking
oils. Avocados and deep ocean fish are also good
sources of healthy fats.
Pasteurized, Homogenized Milk—Milk is an
allergen for all blood types except blood type B. If
people are going to use milk, they should obtain


organic, raw milk, if possible. Goat’s milk is better
for humans than cow’s milk. One can also consid-
er soy milk (although this can be an allergens, too),
as well as almond and other nut milks, rice milk or
oat milk. These milk alternatives should not, how-
ever, be fed to infants as they are not nutritionally
complete. Breast milk is what infants need.
In addition, to the above, I would include ALL ar-
tificial chemicals that have been added to food. These
powders, white or not, are entirely unnatural. They
include, but are not limited to: artificial sweeteners,
artificial colors, preservatives, artificial flavors, and
texturizers. If people could accomplish this one step
alone, their health would generally improve no matter
what kinds of natural foods they chose to eat—fruits,
vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds, meat, fish, poultry or
eggs.
So, I encourage people to follow Dr. Jensen’s ad-
vice. Spend the money and buy healthy food, even if
it appears to cost more. If they don’t, they’ll just wind
up paying the same or an even greater price later in the
form of sickness and doctor bills.
The truth is, that eating healthy foods is actually
easier on the family budget. That’s because one eats
less when foods are more nutritionally dense. For
instance, although whole grain bread costs more, one
tends to eat far less of it because it is more nutritionally
satisfying.
Focus on the Positive
Many years ago, I began gradually substituting less
healthy foods for healthier versions of the same dishes.
I still make dishes like pizza, cookies, cakes, and so
forth, but I produce them with healthier ingredients.
I’ve never felt deprived in doing this, and gradually
found that I started craving healthier food. I was also
aided by the teachings of Dr. C. Samuel West, the
Lymphologist. He taught, “It’s not what you do once
in a while, it’s what you do every day that counts.” He
said that if you would eat healthy for a period of time
and then get the urge to binge, then really binge. He
said that you would get so sick, that you’d think twice
before eating the food again.
This is exactly what I would do. When the emo-
tional urge to “pig out” on sweets or some other un-
healthy food would come, I would indulge in it to the
fullest. My mental clarity would disappear, my energy
31
Building Health
level would get a temporary boost followed by a rapid
“let-down.” I began to become keenly aware of how
“bad” these foods actually made me feel. It’s just that
had been eating them so regularly that I didn’t realize
that I was always feeling bad. I’ve found the same is
true for most people. They consider their low grade
aches and pains normal, when they are not.
By avoiding the “junk food” for a time, focusing
on eating healthy foods and substituting healthier ver-
sions of the foods I enjoyed, I found that my occasional
binges were good learning experiences. They allowed
me to clearly see how these foods affected me in a nega-
tive way and more and more I began to choose to “feel
good” rather than “feel bad,” which made it even easier
to avoid them.
I remember the day that I realized I had won my
battle with emotional addiction to sugar. I got a crav-
ing that day for donuts and I hadn’t had any sugar or
refined carbs in a while, so I decided to indulge myself.
I went to a local donut shop and ordered a bunch of
donuts. I took one bite, and all I could taste was re-
fined sugar, white flour and shortening. The taste was
so bland, that I couldn’t eat another bite. In fact, for
several years I never touched the stuff. I wasn’t even
tempted. After turning down cake and ice cream at
an office party once, someone told me, “you have a lot
of willpower.” I replied that it didn’t take willpower
to avoid eating foods you don’t like, and that’s exactly
how I felt.
I’ve used what I learned by working on myself
to help other people overcome bad food habits. For
instance, in helping people with a dairy allergy to give
up milk, I’ve told them to fast from it for a couple of
weeks. The reward is that they get to eat all the ice
cream they want when the two weeks are up. When
they’ve gone without the dairy for two weeks and they
eat it again, their symptoms flare up and it gets easier
for them to resolve to go without the dairy.
So, I always encourage people to focus on the posi-
tive. Focus on eating healthy food, not on avoiding
junk food. If a person deliberately chooses to eat some
fresh fruit everyday, some vegetables and a good salad,
the body will gradually adjust and start craving more
natural foods. Tell clients to eat what they know they
should eat first. “Eat the apple, then if you still crave
the candy bar, eat it, too.” If nothing else, they’ll wind
The ABC+D Health System

up eating less of the “junk food” because they’ve par- and vegetables and avoiding all junk food. Before long,
tially filled their stomach up with healthy food. the sinus problems I’d suffered from for most of my
life flared up and I started experiencing massive sinus
Over time, as the body becomes acquainted with
drainage. I remember wondering how come all this
a wide variety of healthful foods, it will learn which
healthy food was making me so sick. It wasn’t until
foods contain the nutritional elements it needs. As the
I understood the furnace analogy and realized that
body becomes more and more accustomed to healthful
these acute symptoms were “chimney fires” the body
food it will gradually lose the desire for the junk food.
was using to clear the accumulated debris, that I was
So, never violate the first rule of healing (positive at-
able to move past that point. I had to learn about the
titude) by making people worry about the food they
third step in the healing process, cleansing. I had to
are eating. Tell them, “If you decide to eat something,
learn how to help the body remove that debris so that
eat it and enjoy it.” People are better off eating a ham-
it didn’t make me feel “sick.”
burger, milk shake and french fries with a pleasant,
happy attitude than the most wholesome of foods with The next lesson will discuss the process of cleans-
a sour, ungrateful disposition. Guilt is not an effective ing in greater detail, but the truth is that if a person
approach to health. Reinforcing negative feelings and changes gradually, and does a periodic cleanse, he or
behaviors does not bring about lasting positive results. she will usually avoid having any serious “chimney
fires” or healing crisis. So, don’t overwhelm people in
one session. Stick to what people can handle.
One Step at a Time
Another key to helping clients improve their health Get a Commitment
is to take things one step at a time. I find that most
Finally, it is important to get the client to “buy off ”
people cannot cope with more than 3-5 instructions
on the suggestions you make by promising they will
at one time. If I suggest an affirmation, provide them
“do it.” If they say they will “try to do it,” or otherwise
with a few supplements to take, and suggest one dietary
refuse to commit, then they either aren’t convinced
change (such as avoiding caffeine or sugar) that’s about
of the value of your suggestion, or they are unsure of
all the average person can handle. If I give clients more
their ability to follow through with it. So, find recom-
instructions than they can follow or cope with, then
mendations that they can agree to with an “I will do
they will not be able to follow through and they won’t
it” attitude.
get good results.
There are several important reasons for doing this.
There is another reason why it is best to move
First, a commitment makes them feel accountable to
gradually. It helps to avoid or minimize the phenom-
you—they have someone to report to, which increases
enon known as the healing crisis. This is one of the
their motivation to follow through. So, it’s a powerful
biggest obstacles I’ve found in helping people to heal
tool for motivating change.
naturally.
Second, if you make a suggestion that someone
To understand the nature of the healing crisis, we
can’t follow or feels unable to comply with, they may
need to go back to Lesson Two. There, we discussed
stop seeing you because they feel guilty about not keep-
the furnace analogy. When a person has been eating
ing their commitments. You want people to succeed,
poorly for a long period of time the body tends to
not fail, since success tends to breed more success and
become congested with waste material and toxins. As
failure tends to breed more failure. So, by finding
one fans the flame of life with positive attitudes and
things to do that the client feels they can commit to
emotions, and improves the quality of fuel being con-
enthusiastically, you are helping them to succeed.
sumed, the body starts having the energy to do “house-
cleaning.” This can give rise to various symptoms of When a person is unable to follow through, it is
acute disease, such as sinus drainage, coughing, skin important not to make them feel bad about it. Adjust
eruptions, diarrhea, vomiting and so forth. the commitment to find something they can commit
to. For example, can they reduce their coffee consump-
When I first started changing my diet, I got very
tion by half, instead of giving it up completely?
“gung-ho” about it. I started eating lots of fresh fruits

32


When they are able to follow through give ap-
propriate reinforcement by praising or complimenting
them on their sucesses. Then, move on to the next
suggestion. When people make changes gradually and
willingly, the changes will be more powerful and per-
manent.
Basic Supplement Programs
When it comes to supplements, many people by-
pass the general building process and want to begin
immediately using direct aids for specific body systems
or imbalances. There are, however, some general issues
to consider with supplementation. These supplements
improve general health and well-being and aren’t di-
rected at any particular health problem. They include
the following:
Suggested Supplement #1:
SuperFood Supplements
When most people think of supplements, they im-
mediately think of vitamins, or vitamin and mineral
supplements. I use vitamin and mineral supplements
occasionally, I don’t find them to be as helpful as whole
foods and herbs. Plant and animal foods are highly
complex substances containing thousands of chemi-
cals. We are constantly discovering new compounds
in these plants that play critical roles in human health,
so I don’t feel all that confident that a “one-a-day” vi-
tamin and mineral pill is going to adequately substitute
for the rich diversity of whole foods.
Besides, the vitamins and minerals in these supple-
ments are often derived from industrial waste products
and synthetic manufacturing. A little research into
many of the ingredients in some of these supplements
will show they simply aren’t that healthy.
In contrast, I find that there are many valuable
“superfoods”—herbs or foods that are highly concen-
trated sources of nutrition. Taking a blend of these
superfoods mixed in water or juice ever day often does
far more good than a multiple vitamin and mineral
supplement.
Here are some major foods and herbs that could be
considered superfoods.
Alfalfa
Amaranth
Asparagus
33
Building Health
Astragalus
Barley grass or sprouts
Bee pollen
Beet root
Blue-green algae
Broccoli
Chlorella
Flax seed
Kale
Pumpkin seeds
Spirulina
Wheat grass or wheat grass juice
Many of these kinds of highly dense natural foods
and herbs are blended into various green drink pow-
ders and whole foods supplements. These products of-
ten contain many of the other basic supplements we’re
about to discuss—probiotics, antioxidants, enzymes,
fiber and even minerals—making them very complete
supplements. A list of products that fit into this Super-
food Supplement category can be found in the Thera-
peutic Guide that comes with this course. There is also
a quiz in the Appendix which you can copy and give
to clients to deterimine if a SuperFood supplement is
right for them. Quizzes are also found for the other six
supplements we’re discussing.
If budgets are limited and clients can only take one
or two things, then a good SuperFood Supplement
should be at the top of the list since it will provide so
many important health benefits.
Suggested Supplement #2: Minerals
Since our bodies are literally composed of minerals
(i.e., we are made of the “dust of the earth”), healthy
bodies are connected to healthy soil. If any element is
missing from the soil, then it will be missing from the
foods we eat and as a result, we will not be properly
nourished.
Unfortunately, our commercial methods of agri-
culture are not only depleting the soil of precious trace
minerals, they are also destroying the ability of plants
to be able to utilize those elements. Hence, our food
is nutritionally deficient right from the start. To make
matters worse, as our food gets refined, more of its nu-
tritional content is removed.
Modern food is lacking in minerals because mod-
ern farming methods reduce mineral content in food.
The ABC+D Health System

This is partly because chemical fertilizers focus on three
nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and
neglect other elements needed in the soil for healthy
plants. Agricultural chemicals and a lack of organic
matter in the soil also reduce mineral availability. This
is because minerals are made available to plants through
microorganisms in the soil.
Bacteria in the soil break down organic material
from dead animals and plants to recycle it for use by
other plants. Mycorrhiza fungi, which grow on the
roots of plants, protect growing plants against these
bacteria (fungus and bacteria are natural antagonists).
Both these fungi and the bacteria in the soil help the
plants assimilate the minerals they need. Chemical ag-
riculture destroys these microbes. All this is discussed
in detail in Dr. Mom-Dr. Dad.
This is why most people need something to supple-
ment their mineral intake. Again, there is a quiz in the
Appendix you can give you clients to see if they need
mineral supplements.
When seeking to obtain minerals, the first source
people should be encouraged to use is mineral-rich
plants. This is because the minerals in plants are more
bioavailable to the body. Mineral rich herbs include
the following: :
Alfalfa
Dulse
Horsetail
Kelp
Nettles
Oatstraw
Red Raspberry
Alfalfa, which has roots that penetrate deep into
the soil, is particularly rich in trace minerals. There is a
list of “Herbal Mineral Formulas” in your Therapeutic
Guide.
Another way human beings get minerals is through
water. Mineral springs have long been sought out for
their healing benefits. Colloidal mineral products are
generally a form of concentrated mineral water and
can also be used to increase mineral intake. A list of
“Colloidal Mineral” products is also found in your
Therapuetic Guide.
34
Suggested Supplement #3: Enzymes
Enzymes are the “spark plugs” of the life process.
They regulate numerous body functions. Minerals act
as catalysts for enzymes, so the two work hand in hand
to promote health. Enzymes are natural components
of living things, so they are found in raw foods. How-
ever, heat deactivates or destroys enzymes.
Cultured foods like live-culture yogurt and sauer-
kraut are also rich in enzymes. These foods are regularly
consumed in many cultures, and appear to contribute
greatly to gastrointestinal health, but few Americans
consume them regularly. And, if these foods have been
heated past 120 degrees the enzymes are deactivated.
To compound the problem, most processed foods con-
tain enzyme inhibitors, which are added to processed
foods to prevent spoilage and increase shelf life.
Ideally, a large percentage of a person’s food should
be raw, but few people are able to do this in modern
society. This fact, compounded with the other prob-
lems we’ve discussed, means most people need to take
an enzyme supplement.
Enzymes are covered in more detail in the sec-
tion on the Digestive System, but for now we need to
understand that there are two basic types of enzyme
supplements—those that contain the actual digestive
secretions produced by the body (pancreatic enzymes,
hydrochloric acid and bile salts) and those that contain
plant-based enzymes (amylases, lipases, proteases, etc.).
Generally speaking, I recommend plant-based enzymes
as these replace the enzymes lost through cooking and
processing.
Wherever possible, I do not like to supplement
substances the body should be making on its own,
because I believe it encourages the body to be lazy.
So, I reserve the use of enzyme supplements contain-
ing digestive secretions for people who are very elderly
or weak and have lost the ability to digest food. Even
then, I only use the products containing digestive se-
cretions for a limited period of time, while I stimulate
digestive secretions with herbs. Then, I switch to
plant-based enzymes.
Examples of “Digestive Enzyme Supplements” is
found in your Therapeutic Guide.
It is also possible to stimulate the body’s own diges-
tive secretions. Generally speaking, bitter-tasting herbs
and pungent or aromatic herbs will stimulate digestive


secretions. This includes bitter greens eaten raw in a
salad.
Some herbs that can be used to stimulate digestive
secretions include:
Alfalfa herb
Artichoke leaf
Catnip herb
Chamomile flowers
Dandelion leaf and root
Fennel seed
Fringetree bark
Gentian root
Ginger root
Goldenseal
Horseradish
Orange peel
Peppermint leaf
Spearmint leaf
Turkey rhubarb root
A list of commercial herbal formulas that act as Di-
gestive Tonics can be found in your Therapeutic Guide.
A Quiz you can use to determine if your clients need
enzyme supplements may be found in the Appendix.
Suggested Supplement #4: Probiotics
Most of us associate bacteria with disease. We
think of bacteria as something to be eliminated and
destroyed. This has created an almost obsessive use
of disinfectants in our culture. But not all bacteria are
bad. It is the action of bacteria, for example, that al-
lows milk to be fermented to create cheese, yogurt and
kiefer. Bacteria also create other fermented foods such
as sauerkraut and tofu. Another benefit of bacteria is
that they breakdown minerals in the soil and make
them available to the roots of plants. So, plants need
bacteria to be healthy.
Our “roots,” i.e., the place where we absorb wa-
ter and nutrients, is the intestinal tract, and bacteria
play an important role in our “root” system, too. In
fact, there are about three to four pounds of friendly
microorganisms living in the intestinal tract, most of
them bacteria. A proper balance of these microbes is
essential to one’s health, because we live in a symbiotic
relationship with microorganisms. Many strains of
bacteria are actually part of the body’s natural eco-
35
Building Health
system. They serve to help protect the body against
unfriendly microbes.
There are many different species of beneficial bac-
teria inhabiting the intestines. Many belong to the
genus Lactobacillus. These include L. acidophilus, one
of the first strains sold as a supplement. Another genus
containing species of friendly bacteria is Bifidobacte-
rium, sometimes referred to as bifidophilus. A third
major group belong to the Streptoccus genus. There are
many others.
The friendly bacteria inhabiting the intestines are
called friendly flora or probiotics. Biotic is from a Greek
word that refers to life. So pro-biotic means favor-
able to life. This is in contrast to the word anti-biotic,
which literally means against life.
Antibiotics weaken the immune system because
they destroy the friendly flora. These friendly flora are
actually part of the immune system. Friendly bacteria
enhance the immune system in several ways. First of
all, they form a sort of living “blanket” that coats the
intestinal tract and inhibits other species of microor-
ganisms from “gaining a foothold” on the intestinal
mucosa. They compete with other microbes for food,
which also holds down the growth of infectious organ-
isms.
Friendly bacteria even produce chemicals that are
deadly to harmful forms of bacteria, so they act as natu-
ral antibiotic agents against harmful bacteria. Another
benefit of friendly bacteria is that they have a stimulat-
ing effect on the body’s immune system. For instance,
animal studies showed that S. thermophilus and L. bul-
garicus increased proliferation of lymphocytes, stimu-
lated B lymphocytes and activated macrophages.
A well-known benefit of friendly flora is their
ability to prevent yeast such as Candida albicans from
multiplying out of control. This is one of the primary
problems with antibiotics. Antibiotics not only kill
harmful bacteria, they also kill the friendly bacteria
and encourage yeast overgrowth. Yeasts secrete a toxin
that weakens the intestinal membranes and reduces the
immune response. Probiotics are the antidote to this
side effect of antibiotics, helping to restore a healthy
intestinal microflora.
Probiotics also help overall colon health. They re-
duce the risk of inflammatory bowel disorders such as
colitis, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.
The ABC+D Health System

They also reduce the risk of colon cancer. They should
be used as part of a natural treatment plan for these
diseases.
Healthy intestinal microflora improve the body’s
ability to digest fats and proteins. Probiotics synthesize
certain vitamins the body needs, including B1, B2, B6,
B12, folic acid and biotin. The synthesis of B12 by
probiotics is particularly important for vegetarians who
are not getting this vitamin in their diets.
The friendly flora also help detoxify certain poisons
in the digestive tract. For instance, they help break
down ammonia, cholesterol, and excess hormones.
The anthraquinone glycosides in stimulant laxa-
tive herbs like cascara sagrada and senna are activated
by the intestinal microflora. In fact, these herbs are
much less effective if the intestinal microflora is out
of balance. Probiotics by themselves help to overcome
constipation, too.
Finally, about 70% of the energy requirements of
the intestinal mucosa come from fatty acids produced
as a by product of bacterial fermentation. This means
that the intestinal microflora actually helps feed the
intestinal lining. This demonstrates how vital this
synergistic relationship is to health.
In fact, a healthy intestinal microflora is such an
important part of total health, that some health re-
searchers feel it should be considered as an indepen-
dent body system. The intestinal microflora is a highly
adaptable system, as it changes constantly, adapting
itself to one’s diet and environment. It is easy to see
why a balanced intestinal microflora is such an impor-
tant factor in a healthy body.
When looking for a probiotic product look for
one that contains several strains of bacteria such as
acidophilus, bifidophilus, etc. Make certain that the
product is stored in the refrigerator, as the bacteria
are living organisms and will die quickly when stored
a room temperatures. L. Reuteri is a strain of friendly
bacteria is particularly helpful after a round of antibiot-
ics because it is aggressive at knocking out unfriendly
organisms and making room for the friendly ones.
Examples of commercially-available Probiotic
Supplements you can use with your clients is found in
your Therapeutic Guide. As before, the Appendix con-
tains a quick you can ue with clients to determine if a
probiotic supplement may be right for them.
36
Suggested Supplement #4: Fiber
This brings us to the next essential supplement just
about everyone needs—fiber. Of course, if people were
eating fruits and vegetables every day, including edible
skins and seeds, and if they were eating only whole
grains, then they’d be getting enough fiber. However,
very few people do this.
Fiber has numerous benefits. It absorbs bile from
the gallbladder to help reduce cholesterol levels. It
slows the release of sugar into the blood to regulate
hypoglycemia and diabetes. It absorbs toxins in the
intestinal tract to help detoxify the body. It reduces
inflammation in the gut. It provides food for friendly
bacteria. Fiber also reduces the risk of colon cancer
and prevents diverticulitis and hemorrhoids. And, of
course, it helps assure regular elimination.
Many people think that cleansing the colon means
taking a stimulant laxative. These products just
stimulate peristalsis, which is something that is rarely
needed. Most people are constipated from lack of fi-
ber, lack of water, and magnesium deficiency. Besides,
fiber is what really cleanses the colon, because fiber is
what binds the toxins so they can’t be absorbed into
the bloodstream. So, fiber is the one cleansing prod-
uct that can, and should, be taken regularly by most
Americans.
There are many great fiber products on the market.
I’ve taken many different kinds and haven’t found too
much difference between them. Find one that appeals
to you.
I find that taking just one heaping teaspoonful of
a fiber blend, first thing in the morning, along with a
large glass of water, can make a dramatic difference.
The only problem you might run into with fiber
is if you don’t drink enough water with it. Without
water, fiber can actually bind you, so make certain
you drink plenty of water when you take fiber. Stay
hydrated. If you are taking fiber and stop having regu-
lar bowel movements, discontinue the fiber and drink
plenty of water. You many need to take some magne-
sium or a stimulant laxative to get the colon working
properly again.
Examples of Fiber Blends available in the commer-
cial marketplace may also be found in your Therapeutic
Guide. A Quiz to determine if your clients need fiber
supplements may be found inthe Appendix.


Suggested Supplement #6:
Essential Fatty Acids
Contrary to all the propaganda that suggests oth-
erwise, we need fats in our diet to stay healthy. Fats
play critical roles in our health. Brain and nerve tissue,
for instance, requires the proper kind of fats, and low
fat diets can lower the intelligence of children. The
heart burns fat as its primary source of fuel. Fats are
also burned to keep the body warm in cold weather.
Fats are also necessary for the production of many
hormones.
Extremely low fat diets aren’t good for us and can
actually raise cholesterol, since about half of the cho-
lesterol in the body is used to make bile to digestive
fats. However, we need to get the right kinds of fats in
our diet and most of the fats we’re eating are the wrong
kind of fats.
For starters, Americans tend to get too many ome-
ga-6 fatty acids and not enough omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids protect us against heart disease.
They also benefit the immune system because they
help control the chronic inflammation that underlies
the development of hardening of the arteries, arthritis,
memory loss in aging and other degenerative disease.
The best sources of omega-3 are wild game, grass fed
beef, eggs and poultry and deep ocean fish (not farm
raised). Avocados and nuts, especially walnuts, also
contain good fats.
Unfortunately, because most Americans get too
many bad fats, and not enough good fats, most Ameri-
cans can benefit from supplementing their diet with
omega-3 essential fatty acids. Examples of Omega-3
Supplements available in the commercial marketplace
may also be found in your Therapeutic Guide. A Quiz
to determine if your clients need essential fatty acid
supplements may be found in the Appendix.
Suggested Supplement #7: Antioxidants
More and more research is emerging showing that
chronic inflammation and oxidative stress due to free
radical damage are the underlying causes of many of
the chronic illnesses so prevalent in our society. In this
course, we’ve already shown that all diseases begins
with an inflammatory process, which eventually be-
comes chronic disease. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes,
arthritis, dementia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and a host
of other chronic diseases start with inflammation that
37
Building Health
is improperly healed and winds up turning into these
chronic and degenerative conditions.
This research has established what I learned so
many years ago from Dr. West, that chronic inflam-
mation is at the base of all disease. Part of this inflam-
matory process is free radical damage. Free radicals are
substances that steal electrons. They cause oxidative
damage that “burns” tissues leading to simple things
like wrinkles and more serious problems like heart dis-
ease and cancer.
Having a lot of antioxidant nutrients in the diet
helps prevent free radical damage and heal inflamma-
tion. These antioxidant nutrients are found primarily
in fresh fruits and vegetables. In fact, the bright colors
of fresh produce are due to the presence of these anti-
aging and disease preventing compounds. However,
most Americans eat very little fresh produce.
Antioxidants can be thought of as the body’s cool-
ing system. They soak up the free radicals that cause
oxidative stress and inflammation. Antioxidants help
prevent (and even heal) heart disease, diabetes, cancer,
arthritis, auto-immune diseases and most other chronic
diseases. They also slow the aging process and keep us
looking and feeling young.
Antioxidants are abundant in fresh fruits, berries,
greens and other vegetables. They are depleted by ship-
ping, storage and processing, which is why few of us get
enough of them even if we are eating the recommended
7-9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily. (Most
Americans only get 1 or 2 servings at best.)
Besides fruits and vegetables, many herbs act as
great antioxidants. Here are some major herbs with
good free radical scavenging ability.
Acai
Astragalus
Black Cherry
Blueberry
Bilberry
Chaparral
Chocolate (dark)
Ginkgo leaf (standardized extract)
Grapeseed (extract)
Green tea
Hawthorn
Lycium fruit
The ABC+D Health System

Mangosteen fruit and pericarp I recommend that you read a wide variety of books
Milk thistle on the subject of nutrition to gain real perspective.
Noni fruit Here is a list of books from my Tree of Light Publish-
Olive leaf ing library that I have found interesting and valuable.
Pomegranate
Recommended Additional Reading
Rosemary leaf
Blatant Raw Foodist Propaganda by Joe Alexander
Sage leaf Diet and Nutrition: A Holistic Approach by Rudolph Ballentine
Sea buckthorn Diet for a New America by John Robbins
Thyme leaf Eat Right for Your Type by Peter J. D’Adamo
Empty Harvest by Bernard Jensen and Mark Anderson
Turmeric rhizome Energetics of Food by Steve Gagne
There are also many antioxidant nutrients that can Feed Your Kids Right by Lendon Smith
be helpful here. These include the following. Food is Your Best Medicine by Henry Bieler
Food, Teens, and Behavior by Barbara Reed
Alpha Lipoic Acid Instinctive Nutrition by Severen L. Schaeffer
Beta carotene Is Any Sick Among You? by LaDean Griffin
Co-Q10 Live Right for Your Type by Peter J. D’Adamo
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
Vitamin A Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price
Vitamin C Pottenger’s Cats: A Study in Nutrition by Francis M. Pottenger
Vitamin E Spiritual Nutrition and the Rainbow Diet by Gabriel Cousens
Staying Healthy With the Seasons by Elson M. Haas
This is by no means a comprehensive list. Consult The Age-Free Zone by Barry Sears
your Therapeutic Guide for more suggestions on Anti- The Milk of Human Kindness is Not Pasteurized by William
oxidant Blends and supplements. As with all the other Campbell Douglas
basic supplements, there is a Quiz you can give to your
clients to determine if they need antioxidant supple-
Cookbooks
ments in the Appendix. More valuable than references that talk about nu-
trition as an abstract concept are cookbooks that actu-
ally teach people how to prepare healthier food. Here
Summary are some of my favorite cookbooks from my personal
Obviously, this hasn’t been a lesson on all the ins library.
and outs of good nutrition. One course is hardly suffi- Laurel’s Bread Book by Laurel Robertson
cient to obtain a real understanding of nutrition. More Laurel’s Kitchen: A Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and
good information is found in the Dr. Mom-Dr. Dad Nutrition by Laurel Robertson
course, which explains the concepts of pH, healthy Uprisings: The Whole Grain Bakers Book by The Cooperative
Whole Grain Education Association
food choice, zoning the diet and eating right for one’s
blood type.
To help teach people about better nutrition, Tree
of Light has developed Blood Type and Nutrition charts
that combine the blood type diet, pH balancing in-
formation, and zone diet information into one handy
reference. I use these with my own clients to help them
learn about more healthy eating.

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