Posts classified under: Natural Health Information

Ayurveda, “the sience of life” magazine

Welcoming the arrival of a new life is of paramount importance to all communities. The way communities usher a new life varies from one to another. Ayurveda is one unique way.

Ayurveda is a traditional Hindu system of medicine practiced in India since the first century A.D. It is interesting to note that ‘ayur’ means ‘life’ and ‘veda’ means ‘knowledge’.

According to Ayurveda, people are classified into three elemental constitutions. Namely, Vatta (wind), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (water). (Please refer to the constitution chart at the end of this article) A well-adjusted healthy body is achieved by following an appropriate and balanced natural diet based on one’s unique constitution. This principle is similar to the Chinese practice of Yin and Yang. Other Asian cultures also share such principle.

Ayurveda teaches that there are seven biological tissues in the body, which must be cleansed thoroughly for new life to begin. These biological tissues are namely rasa (plasma), rakta (blood tissue), mamsa (muscle tissue), meda (adipose tissue or fat tissue), asthi (bone tissue, including cartilage), majja (bone marrow and nerve tissues) and the highly developed reproductive tissues called shukra and artava.

Ayurveda’s approach to pregnancy and infant care is spiritual. Man and woman, as parents of the future generation, have to plan for proper pregnancy and proper parenting. First of all, there is an absolute need to understand one’s unique constitution (prakruti).

Having done so, prospective parents may then embark on a purification or cleansing program. For this purpose, there are five important cleansing methods- vaman, virechan, basti, nasya and rakta moksha, collectively known as panchakarma.

Vaman is vomiting therapy or cleansing of kapha from the stomach, the mucous membrane, the lymphatics and the connective tissues of the lungs. Excessive kapha in the system must be eliminated in order to minimize problems for the newborn baby. This kapha-type of cleansing is necessary for the kapha-type parents. Vaman is done with licorice tea, vomiting nut tea, salt water or bitter herbs.

The second important cleansing is virechan, which is cleansing of pitta through purgation; senna, aloe vera powder, psyllium husk or certain herbal combination are used to cleanse pitta from the intestine, gall bladder and liver. Virechan is necessary for pitta parents.

The next important cleansing is basti. Basti means medicated enema. Ayurveda uses different herbal teas, concoctions, medicated oils and ghee in basti. Basti acts on the colon, an important site of vata dosha. These herbal concoctions and medicated oils used in basti eliminate vata dosha from the deep connective tissues through the colon. Basti treatment is very important for the vata-type parents.

So before pregnancy, it is very important to use vaman in a kapha person, virechan in a pitta person, and basti in a vata person.

Nasya is the administration of certain herbal powders, herbals teas, concoctions, fresh juice or herbal ghee into the nose. The nose is the ‘door’ to the brain, the consciousness as well as prana (wisdom). Putting a few drops of herbal concoctions or medicated oils into the nose will cleanse the upper part of the body; the brain, the sinuses, the throat, the thymus and the thyroid. This will bring clarity of consciousness and purity of prana.

The last method of purification for the blood is done through rakta moksha, which includes blood letting. Leeches were used in ancient times to remove impure blood from the skin or superficial fascia. Ayurdeva suggests certain herbal methods, concoctions, and preparations for blood purification since blood letting is not practised in our modern times. After purifying the blood, the entire system and every organ in the body is now ready for conception.

Next, one has to choose the right season (to conceive) according to one’s constitution. Ayurveda interprets conception and pregnancy as spiritually sowing the seed and cultivating the crop. The right season has to be chosen for particular seeds. Summer is the season when pitta is dominant in the body, vata is predominant in the fall, kapha in the winter and spring is a time for kapha and pitta as well. Naturally, a vata man should avoid impregnating his wife during fall, because the male seed carries significant vatagenic qualities. Similarly, a pitta person is to avoid sowing his seed during summer, and a kapha person should avoid doing so during winter and spring. Likewise, a vata person can plan to conceive during summer or spring, a pitta person during spring or winter, and a kapha person in the fall. The proper choice of season is important so that the predominant dosha of the parents will not be aggravated in the fetus.

Right season also includes the ‘fertile’ period of a woman’s menstrual cycle, which is between the 5^th to 15^th days when she is ‘in heat’. During this period, her heart is filled with love and compassion and is the most ideal time to conceive.

In planning for a baby, it is most important to take into consideration the constitutions of both parents. For instance, if both are Kapha, which is heavy, oily, cold and liquid, these qualities will manifest in the fetus and subsequently, baby born of kapha parents will be chuddy and will have more mucous problems. The same goes for pitta. Pitta is hot, sharp, penetrating, and sour, and when both parents are pitta, these qualities will be manifested through their seeds into the fetus. The baby born will have juvenile pitta disorders such as jaundice.

Ayurveda explains the woman’s menstruation spiritually as a cleansing process and therefore not an auspicious period for relationships. During menstruation, the egg for the next potential conception begins to mature in the ovary and is particularly susceptible to influences from the mother’s activities. When the egg waits in vain for the sperm to arrive, the womb ‘weeps’; thus menstruation is an emotional as well as physical cleansing ritual.

Planning for pregnancy involves a good balance of one’s lifestyle and diet with special considerations to one’s constitution. A vata woman should avoid eating vatagenic  food (such as black beans, pinto beans, aduki  beans, garbanzo beans, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant or dried fruits) during menstruation or ovulation. Similarly, a pitta woman should avoid pittagenic food (such as jalapeno peppers and hot food). In the same way, a kapha woman should avoid eating dairy products, ice cream, candy, chocolate and cookies. Whatever she eats or does during this period will have an effect on her egg, and the same goes for the man. He should also follow the same diet and the same natural laws to create a good balance of his own constitution.

Ayurveda places great importance to love making. Sex should be sacred and pure. It is the meeting of two consciousness, two bodies and two polarities; and the couple should be totally immersed in love, compassion and care. Ayurveda says that the best time to have sex is between 9:00 and 11:00PM. Daytime sex weakens the kidneys, midnight sex weakens the liver and sex during dawn weakens the colon.

One is also advised to take rejuvenating herbs (rasayanta) to rejuvenate the tissues as part of the pregnancy plan. A vata woman can take ashwagandha, a pitta woman can take shatavari, and a kapha woman takes punarnava.

During intercourse, the man and woman should meditate and visualize the child. If one desires to have a child like Jesus Christ, Krishna, Buddha or a realized soul, one should have pictures of those great saints in the bedroom. Look at those pictures, meditate upon them and send that message to the sperm and ovum.

The woman and man, while making love, are totally one. In that oneness, great compassion and love take place. There is a little secret here. If the man breathes more through the right nostril and if the woman breathes more through the left nostril, then a male child will be conceived. If the man breathes more through the left nostril and the woman breathes more through the right nostril, a female child will be conceived. But if both the man and woman breathe evenly through both nostrils at the same time, the conceived fetus cannot survive. It may be aborted by miscarriage or some type of congenial deformity may develop.

Furthermore, if the sperm and egg meet when the moon is full, the baby conceived would be very intelligent. The mother may adjust her reproductive cycle naturally to coincide with the lunar cycle by inviting a female friend who has a different menstrual rhythm to stay over for a couple of days. Woman living together are known to influence each’s menstrual rhythms.

Having conceived, the larger part of the responsibility falls on the mother to maintain a proper diet and general wellness. The mother has to follow a proper diet according to her constitution. For example, a vata mother should avoid vata-producing food and vata-producing exercises (such as jogging and jumping). During pregnancy, a woman should take calcium, magnesium, folic acid and certain mineral and vitamin supplements. She should not smoke, drink alcohol, watch violent movies and has to avoid excessive exposure to the sun.

The father is responsible for creating happiness and joy and supporting his wife throughout the pregnancy. During pregnancy, a woman feels more insecure. She has fear about the future, of what will happen, of whether or not she will deliver the child normally. Hence it is important to maintain harmony in the couple’s relationship.

During pregnancy, Ayurveda says that the fetus is undergoing developmental changes. The heart is formed during the third and fourth months of pregnancy. That is a crucial and important period. During the formation of the fetal heart, the mother has to take care of her emotions and the father should not criticize or condemn her. There is absolute need for emotional balance. One of the causes of congenital heart diseases is conflicts and emotional chaos in parental relationships during the third and fourth months of pregnancy. Ayurveda says that emotional imbalance may affect the formation of the heart, causing the baby to be born with a hole in the septum, atrial septum defect, ventricle septum defect or prolapsed mitral valve. All these deformities are due to deep-seated fear, anxiety, insecurity, grief, sadness, and conflicts between husband and wife.

After the fourth month, the mother has two hearts – her own heart and the baby’s. The baby expresses her desires and emotions through the mother. Some women become very emotional and crave for certain foods. Ayurdeva advises that the mother gets whatever she wants, because now it is the baby’s desires she is expressing and we should satisfy them. Interestingly, we can predict the gender of the child from these expressions. If the fetus has a desire for sweet savories, the conceived fetus is male. If the baby expresses through the mother’s desire to eat sour and hot spicy food, the conceived fetus may be female. If the pregnant woman, while walking, uses her right foot more, the conceived fetus is male; if her left foot is dominant while walking, the fetus is female.

There is also a pulse on the medial side of the little finger. During pregnancy, that pulse becomes prominent. If the pulse is more prominent on the medial side of the right little finger, the conceived fetus is male. The opposite side is female. (See illustration).

When the baby is due for delivery, the husband should be present to give his wife moral support and allay any fear. The presence of midwife or doctor and her husband will give the mother confidence and she will deliver normally without much problem.

When the baby emerges, the midwife or doctor will clean the eyes, nose and throat and help the baby to take its first breath. The umbilical cord is held to feel for the pulsation. The baby is still attached to be mother’s womb through the placenta. When the pulsation in the umbilical cord ceases, ojas, it is a sign that life from the mother’s body has passed onto the fetal body. At that point, the umbilical cord is severed. The remaining part of the umbilical cord should be carefully tended to until it dries up and drops off; which commonly takes seven to eight days.

It is important for the child to sleep near the mother, because the child and mother share an affectionate karmic relationship. Breast-feeding is best for the child. Newly born babies should receive a warm bath daily. Ayurdeva says that baby should be gently massaged with warm sesame oil on the soles of the feet and the back. (One has to learn this massaging skill from an experienced teacher.) The anterior fontanel, which is constantly pulsating through a gap in the skull, should be well lubricated with warm sesame oil. Take about one teaspoon of warm oil and pour it on the anterior fontanel and do a gentle massage. Also put a little oil into the baby’s ears.

Following the oil massage, apply chickpea flour paste to the skin to remove excess oil. Give a warm bath and then wrap the baby with a warm towel. The baby will sleep soundly after that

Breastfeeding allows the mother to build special bond with her child. The mother should be mindful of this activity and not be distracted by watching TV programs or discussing matters with her husband.

The father should also sleep near the baby and share in the caring. Babies communicate through crying in different ways. The cry of hunger is dry. When the baby cries and starts licking its lips, it is hungry. The baby cries when it is wet and feels uncomfortable. Babies cry when they are bored. When the baby cries and pulls the legs towards the belly and twisting the belly at the same time, it has tummy discomfort; there are gases in the belly. Apply a warm pad of castor oil to the baby’s belly to relieve the gases and intestinal colic.

Sometimes, babies become restless and refuse to sleep. A gentle oil massage to the soles of the feet and to the scalp will do the trick. Gentle music also helps to induce sleep.

There are other important considerations. A child should not be exposed to cold wind and should be well protected. There should not be loud noises to irritate the baby. Care should be taken when showing the baby to other people outside the family because of the risks of bacterial and / or viral infections. Smokers should not kiss the baby, because their bodies carry the smell of nicotine, which is not good for the baby.

A nursing mother should not eat red meat, because red meat will make her milk viscous and very difficult to digest. If a mother continues eating cheese, ice cream, red meat and hamburger, her milk will be viscous and will cause indigestion and tummy cramps in her baby. The mother should not eat overnight or leftover food, because such food is dry and vatagenic, which may create colicky pain in baby’s belly. The best food for the mother is basmati rice, mung dal, lentil soup, vegetable soup and steamed vegetables. Raw vegetables are heavy to digest and may make her milk viscous.

According to Ayurveda, breast milk has three characteristics. Kapha-type milk is heavy, thick or viscous, sweet and takes time to digest. Pitta-type milk has a slightly sour taste and is thin and hot. Vata-type milk is dry and slightly astringent. When the milk is Kapha-type, the breasts are full with lactation. Sometimes lactation takes place and the milk starts flowing as soon as the mother hears her baby cries. Kapha milk produces congestion. Pitta milk creates diarrhea. One has to note the quality/texture of her milk and then make necessary correction to the mother’s diet accordingly to ensure that her baby can easily digest her food. The best herb during lactation is shatavari. A good vegetable is steamed asparagus. Or you can give vegetable soup or warm cow’s milk. Herbal teas and digestive herbs such as cumin, coriander, fennel and ginger will help digestion. After each meal, the mother should take half a teaspoon of roasted cumin and fennel seeds. Giving the right quality of milk will ensure that the baby will not have indigestion, constipation, diarrhea or vomiting.

If the mother and father both have high pitta and the baby has high pitta, and the baby is born in the summer season, high pitta-genic blood in the fetus may produce certain toxins. On the third or fourth day, the baby may become jaundiced. That baby should be bathed in the blue light. Ayurveda says that blue light will stop the discoloration of the pigmentation cells so that the baby’s liver can improve its function. The jaundiced baby should also be fed vitamin C to improve the function of the liver.

Babies born at night sleep during the daytime and are awake at night; and this can be quite troublesome. The mother should drink chamomile, comfrey, angelica and jatamamsi tea. The essence of this tea will go into her milk, which is fed to the baby. The baby will go to sleep. In addition, do a little oil massage on the soles and the scalp at night

Babies are very sensitive to their surroundings. For their protection, put four amethyst crystals on the four corners of the bed. On the thirteenth day, give a proper (according to astrological sign) name to the baby. Every name is a mantra and contains energy.

For many, parenting is part and parcel of living a full and complete life; a basic human instinct. Timeless practice from ancient wisdom helps one lead a balanced lifestyle, and eventually towards ultimate liberation.

Rechel Tseng
Translated by D.Light

Few years ago, I attended a workshop conducted by Dr. Lai on the removal of remnants of anesthesia. I tried the method immediately when I reached home and found it to be very useful. I shall hereforth share it with everyone.

The use of medical anesthesia will cause a split between our energy body and physical body. Our energy body governs the physical body, thus when a surgeon is operating on the physical body, one does not feel pain due to the split. When the effects of anesthesia wear off, and the energy body returns to find a mismatched physical body, one experiences the common post-operation symptoms.

The method of removing anesthesia is simple: One needs to prepare a pail or a basin of salt water (one pound of salt to half a pail of water) and a big towel. The patient is lying down, and using one’s hand, pull away (clockwise or anti-clockwise direction) the anesthesia from the patient and throw it into the saltwater. Slightly rinse one’s hand with the saltwater, dry it with the towel, and repeat the procedure of pulling away and throwing, allowing the saltwater to dissolve the negative energy of the anesthesia.

Anesthesia accumulates around the abdomen, so the whole stretch from stomach to womb can be the area for removing anesthesia. With right palm facing down, approximately 20-30cm away from the patient’s body, briefly touch the energy field of the patient like the way you may touch a water’s surface. Your palm may feel anesthetic or a tingling pain. Pull it and throw into the pail of saltwater. The removal of anesthesia is done on the level of energy body, so one does not need to touch the physical body. The rationale for using our right hand is that energy body enters from left and exits from right. One must consciously remove the anesthesia (with intention) so that the energy of the illness does not stay on one’s hand. Monitor the energy level of the saltwater from time to time, and once it has fully absorbed negative energy, pour it down the drains, and replace with new saltwater. The higher the energy level of saltwater, the more absorbent it is of negative energy.

According to Dr. Lai’s instruction, before commencing on removing anesthesia, both parties (patient and the one treating) are advised to do the breathing exercise (refer to November 2000 issue of Lapis magazine, or page 55 of “Dr. Lai’s Health Tips’). This is done for the purpose of increasing energy level of both parties to achieve a greater effect of removing anesthesia. If the patient is an elderly or a young child who is not able to do the breathing exercise, one can try to use the method of dowsing to open the seven charkas. In my view, using Magnetized Water Enhancer to increase one’s energy level can be another alternative.

When you consciously place your hand near the energy field of someone, at the area where there is illness or discomfort, your hand will feel a tingling feeling of numbness. There was once I experienced a reflex withdrawal of my hand the moment I touched the energy field of a patient, and my hand hurt. Another time, I touched the energy near the ears of a hearing-impaired friend, and I felt painful sensation on my own ears. Many would think that it takes a highly sensitive person to feel an energy field. I beg to differ. Very often, when I ask people to try detect the sensation with their hands (on more severe cases of illnesses), nearly half would be able to feel it. This is an opportunity to train our hands to be sensitive, especially on young children who are inarticulate about their discomfort.

I recalled an incident that happened many years ago where a child was running a high fever of over 40 degree Celsius. My knowledge was limited then and I could not think of other alternatives. I threw away the thermometer and started to grasp and hurl the fever away from the child’s head. His fever subsided the following day.

What I was doing then was to use action and intention (visualization)to grasp the ill energy away, but I could know better that the negative energy should not be misplaced carelessly as it can accumulate on the spot where it is thrown. One can also visualize the negative energy being absorbed into the ground.

If the anesthetic injection is recent, one can more easily grasp the anesthesia as it is still on the surface. However if the injection takes place in distant past, the anesthesia seems to be more deeply embedded. It will still gradually surface with your hands’ throwing movement. Lately I was helping a friend to remove his anesthesia. He has gone through full-body anesthesia thrice. When it felt like a reduction after some throws, more tingling and numbing sensation re-surfaced around his abdominal area; this cycle repeated a second time. It was almost like the remnants of anesthesia on his body surfacing itself in staggered layers.

It does not matter even if one is not able to detect the numbing sensation just continue to draw and pull, like the way you pull a rubber, from the abdominal area of the patient and throw into the pail of saltwater. My father-in-law once went through operation and was given two injections of anesthesia, resulting in overdose. His legs did not really recover from numbness even a week after the operation. Following that, he also felt a strange feeling whenever he stood up or sat down. Away in the States, I called upon my sister to help remove the anesthesia for him. She confided that she was not able to feel the anesthetic-affected areas, and could only pray to Kwan-Yin Bodhisattva in her heart, and blindly grasped at the negative energy. Eventually she did finish throwing away the anesthesia, as when my father-in-law stood up, the strange feeling previously felt was gone.

Many of the patients being treated also experience energetic movements in abdominal area or feeling energy being pulled out; these two being the more common experience. There are some who feel something being purged out from their crown or soles, or numbness. At this workshop, a participant shared with me her first experience of helping someone (who had undergone three major operations) remove anesthesia. When she washed her hand in the saltwater, it was likened to immersing her hand in rice wine, full of alcoholic favour.  She also helped a 60-year-old friend who has been suffering from insomnia to remove anesthesia, and this friend subsequently sleeps better.

When is it considered a clean removal? If our hands can still detect numbing areas, we should continue to grasp until we cannot detect anymore. It is then considered clean removal. For those who went through multiple major operations or women who went through caesarian section, removal of anesthesia can be done over a few sessions. If hands can’t detect, we can use the method of assessing energy level of saltwater (ie. Assess if every fresh replacement of saltwater is lowering in its energy level.) Use this to determine whether saltwater is absorbing negative energy from the anesthesia. We can also compare the level of openness of patient’s first and second charka before and after removal proceeding.

I remembered once I was helping a relative who has just gone through a major operation, and incidentally, there was not enough salt in the house. While I was helping to remove anesthesia, I was feeling a gradual increase of numbness in my hand, spreading upwards to whole arm. I decided to stop the process and insist on buying more salt before continuing. I think this is one big concern among people: whether there is transference of ill-energy from patient to the helper. There was a volunteer who demonstrated this removal procedure without salt, but she visualized a blazing fire below her right arm that burnt away all the negative energies she threw. Notably one may need to have strong visualization ability. Another method is to do “Zipping” before commencing the removal procedure to help protect ourselves. (Please refer to book, Energy Medicine, page 63). We can also visualize a protective shield of light emitting from our third eye. (Please refer to book, Captain Jutta’s Remarkable Journey, page 149). At the workshop, Dr. Lai taught on using “Om” sound to purify energy field; that night, without preparing salt, an experienced student helped 4 or 5 other students to remove anesthesia by reciting “Om” (3 times) at each grasp. At that, the numbness on her hand actually disappeared.

I also liked the reply by Dr. Mitchell May at students’ doubt about being affected by patient’s ill-energy. He said, though he is always in contact with patients, he never worries. He knows he is safe. When we align with Oneness, healing does not come from us; it comes from the original source – Oneness. If you have anxiety or fear, then you need protection instead. He suggested that prior to any healing work, we invoke the most complete energy healing source in the universe – according to our own belief (be it in Buddha, Christ, Mother Mary, etc.) – to help us. In this way, we also heal ourselves in the process.

During demonstration at this workshop, I was delighted to hear from a student that she saw a white lump of something being pulled out and thrown to saltwater when I helped her. I believe this will help more people to be convinced that it is not an empty exercise of pure imagination.

Compared to removing anesthesia, the process of removing x-ray interference is simpler. We only need one or half pound of salt in cotton or paper bag. Brush this bag of salt across the energy field of the person (lying down) who went through x-ray. Brush it from head to toes, or in an anti-clockwise direction circulating out of the energy field. The salt helps to dissolve the negative energies.

One’s energy field can be very far from physical body. The accumulation of negative energy from x-ray could reside on the surface and distant edge of energy field for those who went through x-ray a long time ago. In this case, the one being treated lies on the bed, and the helper may stand on a chair to brush the energy field of this person near the ceiling. It is nearer for those who just had a recent x-ray done. Dr. Lai sensed that the energy field of one who goes through x-ray tends to be sticky and numbing. Yet it is fine if one could not feel anything; we can monitor the energy level of the salt. The decrease in energy level of salt means the clearing is not complete and brushing needs to continue.

Whether it is anesthesia or x-ray, the sooner we do this clearing or removal, the easier it gets. However it requires other person to help us, we can’t do the removal on our own. People in modern world highly rely on advanced medical equipment; learning this skill enables us to help those in need. I hope this skill can better prepare us for an unknown future.

Shen Xin

Nobody has expected the end of the US-Iraq war would be followed by a greater war against virus.

Recently in Taiwan, healthcare workers from two hospitals contracted SARS virus and the hospitals were closed as a result. With the virus mutating rapidly and its actual cause yet to be traced, the unknown future has caused anxiety among many people. They begin to wonder: “Would I be the next SARS victim?”

In this time of fear, other than wearing mask to reduce the risk of being infected in public places, is there anything else that we can do?

US medical institutes mentioned that SARS virus could not kill all the immunity cells in a healthy person. The stronger the immunity, the lower is the chance of being infected. Hence, by increasing one’s immunity and strengthening the relevant organs, we can lower the risk of being infected. To boost immunity, one has to start from the body, mind and soul.

FOOD

• Drink a cup (250cc to 300cc) of high-energy soup or fresh fruits and vegetables juice every morning. Eating food rich in vitamin C will help to activate cells.
• Soak 10 slices of Fenguang Shen (粉光参) in hot water for more than 30 minutes and drink it. This is good for our windpipe.
• Replenish our bodies with friendly bacteria to enable our colon, small intestines and digestive tract fight viruses and produce natural antibiotics, lactic acid and acetic acid.
• To strengthen our lungs, mix one big spoon (about 30g) of Huangxing powder (黄杏粉) must be 100% pure, in 200cc of boiled water and drink it.
• Wash clean and dry the skin of carrots, shred it, place it in a glass container and soak it in molasses. Drink it after two days. This is good for our lungs.
• Drink vegetables Wuxing soup (五行汤)(organic, frozen and dehydrated) daily to replenish microorganism, minerals and natural vitamins, etc.
• Eat more of brown rice, fresh vegetables and fruits, kelp and miso.
• The consumption of quality chloroplasma is good for our lungs. It is a good source of chlorophyll which will strengthen our immunity.
• Boil loquat leaves in water and drink it to strengthen the lungs.
• Crush one comfrey leaf and add it to the high-energy soup, or use dried comfrey to make tea, this is good for our airways.

EXERCISE

• Take deep breaths in the forest.
• Walk barefooted in the forest to discharge static electricity.
• Gently hit the upper portion of our chest, the center part where the bones protrude, a hundred times. Do it a few times every day.
• Wutai Mountain Qigong: warming of feet and massaging of Yongquan acupuncture point.

Warming of feet: Use hot water to warm the feet every night before going to sleep. In the beginning, when the water is too hot, slowly touch the water with your feet. When the feet are used to the temperature, soak the whole feet in the water. Move your feet out of the water when the water is about to turn cold. Air-dry your feet instead of drying them with towel.

Massaging of Yongquan: Yongquan refers to the acupuncture point at the center of the sole of your foot. After warming your feet and have them air-dried, sit upright on a chair, bed or stool that is as high as your knees. Relax the whole body, lift up your left leg (right leg for ladies), place your left calf on your right thigh, your foot should face outside and the toes facing the front. Use your left hand to support the left ankle, then use your right palm to massage the center of the sole on your left foot. Rub 1,500 times (approximately 15 minutes). After you have finished rubbing, put down your left leg. Repeat the procedure with your right foot. It will take 30 minutes for both feet. Go to sleep after this. Dr. Stainler stressed that our lungs and our kidneys are closely related, breathing problems arise from our kidneys. We can strengthen the function of our kidneys by warming and massaging our feet.

SLEEP

Sleep at 10pm every day, for the period from 11pm to 1am is the best time when our cells start their repairing work. Even if you are suffering from insomnia, you should lie on the bed and relax your body.

OTHERS

• Remedy for pneumonia: Crush one large clove of garlic until paste-like, add in coconut oil or Vaselin. Apply cooking oil on the soles of your feet, spread the garlic paste on your feet, put on your socks and leave them on throughout the night.
• Rinse your mouth with Effective Microorganism (EM): Add 10cc of EM to 200cc of clean water, rinse your mouth with it and then spit it out. This would help get rid of the unwanted substances in our lungs.
• Before going to public places, spray Wild May Tea Tree Oil onto hair and face. Tea tree essence oil (water) of this quality is the best natural anti-bacterial liquid. Australian natives and army treat it as a remedy for all diseases and carry it with them wherever they go.
• Spray tea tree water in your house occasionally.
• Every night, put five to six drops of tea tree essence oil in the bathtub half-filled with water and soak in it.
• Take four pieces of small and weak magnets or rubber magnetic strips which can adhere to the surface of the fridge door (diameter not more than a quarter inch), find out the north point of the magnet using a compass. With the north side facing downward, stick the magnets on the soft parts in between our thumbs and index fingers, and also on the Yongquan points under our feet. You can then create a safe electromagnetism boundary for yourself, without letting in other energies. Do not leave the magnets on for one whole day, remove them after 12 hours and take a few hours break.

MIND

Nowadays, people would more or less feel nervous and frightened. Nervousness and anxiety will cause the antibacterial substance in our saliva to decrease greatly. Our saliva is one of the barriers that prevent viruses from entering our airways and into our bodies. Hence, we have to turn our negative attitudes and emotions into positive ones. This is one important way of boosting our immunity.

The following methods can help strengthen our energy:

• Praying
• Pray to God, Bodhisattvas, Heaven that this crisis will be over soon.
• Pray that SARS virus will mutate into a kind of bacteria that is useful to human.
• Reciting sutras/mantras: Buddhists can recite mantras; Christians can sing hymns and Catholics recite the rosary.
• Practicing the “Joyful Thought”: Try to recall people, happenings or things which have brought you great happiness, so that you can immerse in the feelings of happiness. Even if you cannot recall, you can pretend to smile and that you are thinking of happy things. Eventually you will laugh naturally and become lighthearted.
• Being thankful all the time: Use a magnifying glass to look at the good points of the people, happenings and things around you. Look at the bad points through a blurred glass. Replace anger with thankfulness.
• To assist instead of criticizing: Instead of cursing the darkness, lend a helping hand to light a lamp in the darkness.
• Reviving the good feelings of our five senses: Look blessedly at a grass, a tree, a person, a cloud. Listen to the sound of wind, chirping of birds, smell the flowers and enjoy the gentle breeze.
• Endless love is the best immunity: Use any suitable method to show love for others, be it donating money, volunteering your time and effort or even a warm and caring look.

Tina Wellman, Ph.D.

The most famous book in the world states “my people perish for lack of knowledge.” We are the recipients of chemical intoxication through our careless use of chemicals at home and at work. We are often deluded into thinking we are gaining ground on eradicating germ warfare and bug infestation through our excessive use of antibacterial soaps, germicides and chemicals. But do we really consider the impact our excessive exposure is wreaking on our health and longevity? Do we know how our actions contribute to the onset of diseases, and predispose our cells to mutate through our own unhealthy “health” practices? Everything we use, everything we eat, everything we subject our bodies to in our immediate environment affects our total state of health.

We can begin cleaning up our immediate environment by checking our own backyard first. When a child spills something, they are taught to clean up their mess. Neglecting to clean up messes manifests in bigger spills and bigger messes. These bigger “spills” have gone through a pseudo metamorphosis in our adult years, gaining new ground as oil spills, toxic dump sites, and waterways polluted by products from detergents, chemicals, and sewage from our negligent habits. Do we ever seriously consider the effect of our individual health habits, their effect on the greater environment and the resulting effects this will have on the health of future generations? We often forget our daily practices have long-term effects that ripple through the years leaving positive or negative effects or others to battle.

The most practical place to begin external detoxification is “naturally” in the home, a place of refuge, a site for recharging, relaxing, and resting. You may also consider the home to be a place of safety for your health and healing until you find your level of home health hazards to be an unexpected surprise. Yet, statistics suggest the proportion of indoor to outdoor pollutants is increasing, a fact worth considering since our greatest exposures may be found within the confines of our own home. Symptoms ranging from a common headache to the flu can be associated with day-to-day products used to clean our furniture, bathrooms, detergents used to wash clothing, air fresheners to keep those lavatories smelling “sweet”.

The simplest way to identify household toxins is to categorize your house. That is, take each room separately and analyse its contents for potential “toxicity”. This process allows one to conduct your own home study, learn the offending substances, and replace them with safer products to minimize your health risk. You can also learn to distinguish just how safe you are in your own home, or whether you are ingredients that are a recipe for disaster, according to consumer advocate Debra Lynn Dadd (1) who notes that your “houses or apartment could be full of everyday products made from materials and substances that cause cancer, birth defects, and changes in genetic structure, and that weaken the immune system, leaving your body vulnerable to many kinds of diseases and infections.”

For example, take a bathroom which houses multiple toiletries including shaving cream, perfume, toothpaste and mouthwash (commonly fluoridated), aerosol hair spray, shampoos, cosmetics and hair care products, bubble bath, toilet bowl and glass cleaners, deodorants, fluoridated dental products, feminine hygiene douches and bleached sanitary pads – note the number of chemicals in this room alone. You could fill a shopping list with them. Detoxifying a bathroom would include replacing toiletries with simple items that may not require your medicine cabinet be filled to the brim but stocked with simple natural products that often have multiple uses.

Here is a potential plan: Toothpaste is a homemade recipe combining redmond salt and clay put in an old glass spice jar. For flavour you can add a few drops of clove or sage or mint oil (such as you find in toothpaste). Additionally, a “natural” mouthwash is available at health stores, or you might consider using a “cleanser” made with grapefruit seed extract due to its anti-microbial effect. One to two drops along with your toothpaste and your mouth feels quite refreshed and sparkling clean. Rinsing with an anti-microbial such as tea tree oil is another option. Tea tree flavoured dental floss and toothpicks are readily available at health stores.

Aluminium free deodorants using herbs or grapefruit seed extract makes a delightful deodorant or antiseptic spray for scratches, rashes, and bites. As a deodorant grapefruit seed extract works quite well – it kills the source of the odour, namely the bacteria.

Unbleached dioxin free toilet tissue is widely available as are organic cotton ear swabs, balls and make up pads. Natural shampoos and conditioners are available in a wide variety of scents (calendula, rosemary, etc.) or you can buy a plain Castille soap and mix in your own favourite essential oils. Natural hair care products that address all hair types are now widely distributed.

How about enjoying a luxurious natural bath with chlorine free water using a shower filter? Fill the tub and add your favourite organic essential oil (i.e., lavender, rose, bergamot, etc.), some redmond bath salts, light a few beeswax (as opposed to paraffin) candles, turn on the nebulizer with your favourite aromatherapy oil combination, and drift off into a relaxing healthy rejuvenating hydrotherapy session. Depending on one’s odour sensitivity health stores stock a variety of incense aromas that can also be added for ambiance and fragrance.

There you have in a nutshell – the natural bathroom. Who needs air freshens with all these wonderful scents available? It is worth noting with the increased incidence of MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) one should always consider individual tolerance and sensitivity to fragrances of any kind.

No need to work like a mule to clean the bathroom – 20 “mule” team borax to the rescue, an ole stand by for deodorizing and disinfecting the commode – pour in a half cup, swish a few times, leave in the bowl overnight, and flush in the morning. White vinegar and water diluted 50/50 is a great overall countertop and floor cleaner. Try Bon-Ami (the old kind made with feldspar is available directly from the company) for tough jobs when scrubbing the tub and sink.

Another cleaning alternative is a low-odour degreaser (AFM) diluted with water according to directions. A mister composed of purified water and essential oil (i.e., lavender, tea tree, etc.) is a superb air freshener. A few drops of lavender or eucalyptus directly into the toilet bowl, a drop or two on the inside of the toilet tissue, and a few muslin filled bags of lavender or rose petals from your organic garden or herb shop should accommodate the most discriminating fragrance connoisseur. While you’re at it put a few drops of an essential oil on an organic makeup pad or ball and slip it into your bathroom drawers – you’ll be pleasantly surprised next time you open the drawer and find a pleasant aroma.

You may also wish to keep a book on aromatherapy handy to read in the bathtub or in the famous “lavatory” room to browse for your favourite essential oils. Specifically look for antiseptic, germicidal, fungicidal, and virucidal properties of oils that keep these “toxins” from proliferating. A combination of several oils can go a long way to “detoxify” and clean your bathroom and keep you safe.

The laundry room is yet another toxic time bomb loaded to the gills with phosphate detergents, caustic chemicals including bleach, spot removers, and fabric softeners. One German based natural laundry care manufacturer notes that all cleaners are surfactant-based cleaners including most environmental cleaners (as opposed to soap based), the consequences of which manifest by way of polluting the environment some 50 times more than soap-based products. Additionally, the use of the word “biodegradable” has been “misused” since by definition, it only means the detergent will cease to foam at some point and has little to do with environmental impact. Equally as concerning are the suspected carcinogenic compounds (byproducts) yielded by surfactant-based detergents.

As we race for the “cure” (pardon the pun) to clean up the environment, keep in mind water treatment plants are unable to break down many of the toxic chemicals that find their ultimate home in our oceans and lakes – so much for sparkling spring water! Aside from polluting our waterways, environmental consequences include decimating fish, vegetation, and microorganisms.

Detoxifying the laundry room minimizes the waste and destruction incurred by unhealthy practices employing the excessive use of chemicals for “cleaning”. Therefore, your laundry room shopping list should include laundry “soap”, a safer bleaching agent such as sodium percarbonate, a water softening agent such as zeolite (a mineral rock which deserves a page of its own to describe its many uses), and a chemical free spot remover.

Another alternative to consider are laundry “discs” which operate by releasing electrons that reduce the water’s surface tension when agitated during the wash cycle. Many users of these discs note their clothes seem brighter and last longer. For those with chemical sensitivities this method offers a viable alternative to the fragrances and potential allergens found in soaps and detergents. An average disc lasts 500-700 washings! Some advocates of the discs combine it with a papaya enzyme-based spot remover for added cleansing.

When using soap-based laundry products one can also “supplement” with such disinfectants as grapefruit seed extract (20 drops per load), eucalyptus oil (especially helpful for mites), and tea tree oil. Instead of fabric softener try a few drops of your favourite essential oil (i.e., lavender) on a hanky or sock and toss it in the dryer – you’ll be delighted with the aroma emitted when you open the door.

Other helpful spot removers and cleaners to stock up on include white vinegar, baking soda, club soda, fresh lemons (the juice works wonders on many types of stains), salt, and corn-starch (if you want to make homemade spray starch). Salt and vinegar often work effectively for removing perspiration stains. The type of stain (grease, wine, blood, chewing gum, meat broth, tea, etc.) dictates which natural cleaner works best.

Lastly a common question relates to alternatives to dry cleaning. At minimum consider hanging your clothes in the air for an hour or two to at least “vent” the fumes from the perchloroethylene used in conventional dry cleaners. Additionally, consider looking for a “wet cleaners” in your area that provides professional solvent-free cleaning. This system uses cleaning methods that claim to generate “no” hazardous waste. Garments are pre-sorted by fabric type since the washer/dryer cycles are pre-programmed and controlled by microprocessors. Wascomat, the world’s largest professional laundry equipment manufacturer produces one of these systems which they note has been developed in cooperation with the EPA, the EPA in Canada, and with the Hohenstein and Krefield Textile Research Institute in Germany. Authorized dealers offer these “green cleaners” as an alternative to dry cleaning. Toxic overload directly affects the results and “maintenance” of any health restoration program by creating more burdens than our bodies can tolerate.

By saturating ourselves with chemical burdens we sabotage the mechanism by which healing takes place. For any health regimen to succeed, we must limit our exposure to chemicals in our immediate environment. In our endeavours for health and longevity, let us remember we are individually and collectively responsible for the quality controls that tip the scales in either direction.

To your good health!

Rachel Tseng

• USE OF ANTI-EMF SACHETS

(Peat moss from Sweden’s virgin forest sewn within organic cotton cloth)

Peat moss has the ability to protect one’s life force, and to prevent the harmful effects of EMF. Cotton cloth can enhance the powers of peat moss.

Put the peat moss sachets on our Dantian (acupressure point or chakra located below the navel) and Mingmen (located on the intersection between the hip and the spine). The sachets can also be sewn onto one’s cap at the crown chakra and third-eye chakra (located between the two eyebrows). They can be directly placed on the electrical appliance itself to avoid EMF interference.

Another way is to purchase peat moss (available from nursery gardens at 5 pounds per packet) and mix it with kelp powder in the ratio of 5:1. Put the mixture under the bed within the perimeter of 4 to 6 feet. This will help you discharge the toxins within your body and those from EMF. Change the mixture every six months. The mixture can also be placed within an open container, in front of the television set, on top of the kitchen cabinet, or anywhere where there is a need for it.

• USING THE CHAKRA BREATHING METHOD BY VALERIE HUNT

(see “Harmonizing Energy for a Healthy Body” in July-Sept 2001 issue of Lapis News or in our web site)

Use of chakra energy can enhance one’s energy levels to help discharge EMF interference and emotional burdens.

• SPECIAL BATHS

• KELP POWDER BATH

Add a quarter cup of kelp powder and soak your body in the bath for 20 to 40 minutes. You can also rub 1-2 (or more) spoonful of kelp powder onto your body before taking a shower.

• SEA SALT BATH

Add a pound of sea salt and a pound of baking soda to a bathtub of water, and soak your body in it for 20 minutes.

• JAPANESE WHITE CHARCOAL BATH

Add a pound of Japanese white charcoal to the bath or soak your feet in it. This has the effect of warming and detoxifying the body. Soak for 20 minutes.

• NATURAL CLAY BATH

Mix natural clay to the bath water to increase its conductivity. This helps the body to discharge EMF.

• SUNSHINE BATH

Avoid the noon sun. Best to do so before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Select a clean and fresh environment and wear minimum clothes (swimming costume or nude). Face the sun for 5 minutes, and then have the back face the sun for another five minutes. At this time, close your eyes, relax the whole body, and feel the sun’s energy flow into your head, eyes, arms, body, and legs. Visualize the toxins and negative energy in your body seep from your legs into the earth as fertilizer.

• WHITE CHARCOAL

This protects against EMF and has other special properties. Put the charcoal in places with high EMF radiation such as the computer or television set. You can also put it under the pillow to improve your sleep, or to soak in bath water.

• HANNA KROEGER’S APPROACH

Find the power cables that lead into your house and put magnets with pull-force of 20 (each with an index of 10kg pull-force) on each end of the cable. Put a silver wire between the magnets (like a sandwich), and tie with an electrical tape (see Figure 1). The underlying principle behind this method is as follows: Electricity frequencies have amplitudes of 23.5 inches. The combination of magnet and silver wire (called Electrilizer) will reduce the amplitude to 3.5 inches, and thereby prevents the electrical current from having harmful effects.

Dr. Lai has investigated the effects of this method and has found that the EMF interference in her house has really decreased. Furthermore, the cost of this device is low, and is therefore highly recommended.

Note: please contact Lapis office at Tel: 6337-5183 to purchase this product.

• ANOTHER HANNA KROEGER’S APPROACH

Negative energy may flow beneath our bed or house. This can arise from EMF of underground electrical cables, deep underground water, or radioactive radon etc. These have particularly harmful effects during our sleep. One simple way to protect ourselves is as follows: Use a coarse copper wire to wrap once round your bed (the easiest way is to wrap it round the mattress). Start from the side of the bed that is facing north, and end on the same side. One end of the wire is upward facing; the other is downward facing. It does not matter which end is considered the top or bottom (see Figure 2).

• PLACEMENT OF THE WIRES INSIDE THE WALLS

Most wires located within the walls are of three kinds: live wire (that carries all the voltage), neutral wire (that carries reverse current), and earth wire (that carries no current). During wiring, if the live and neutral wires are placed next to each other, they will neutralize each other’s EMF. Some high-voltage cables use this method of wiring.

• REDUCE THE USAGE OF ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES

Reduce the usage of the television set, computer, and mobile phone, especially at night. One reason is that the human’s energy level is generally weaker at night and more prone to harmful effects. In general, remove the sockets of all electrical appliances that are not used (*). Reduce the use of electricity and use appliances that are energy saving. Buy computers that satisfy Sweden’s TCO standards.

*In U.S., since there is no On/Off switch at the power sockets, it is recommended to remove sockets to totally cut off electricity. In Singapore, switch off electricity at the power sockets.

• SWITCH OFF THE MAINS

Do so when there is no one at home, and before sleep, retaining only the power for the refrigerator. This is a good overall method for reducing EMF radiation. You can sleep better, and don’t have to worry whether the power socket next to your bed is influencing your head. This also saves electricity.

• EAT FOOD THAT HAS RESTORATIVE PROPERTIES

Such food includes green vegetables juice, carrot juice, natural pickled vegetable, wheat grass, natural organic vegetarian food, Vitamin C supplements (best to add bioflavonoids, which are available by soaking the skins of organic oranges or lemons in water), fermented food (such as pickled vegetables, yogurt, miso), and seaweeds. These types of food can protect us from various kinds of harmful ions and radiation.

• WEAR ATTIRE MADE OF NATUAL COTTON OR WOOL (best if organic)

Clothes and socks made of these materials are best. Increase contact with nature and visit such natural places regularly to discharge static electricity. It is best to either wear straw or cloth shoes or walk barefooted on the grass. Select spots where no insecticide has been sprayed.

Arthur Hubbard Ph.D.

Microwaves are a form of electromagnetic radiation, as are X-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet, visible light, radio waves and radar. Electromagnetic radiation is an electric and magnetic disturbance, a wave that transports energy from a source to a receiver without the actual transfer of material. Wave motion occurs on the surface of the ocean, and the energy of the waves is readily apparent, as are their wavelength and frequency. The wavelength of a microwave is about 15 centimeters [6 inches]. Microwaves have high frequencies, about 1 gigahertz [1 billion cycles per second] or more and happen to be strongly absorbed by the human body and by moist foods.

A commercial application of microwaves is the “microwave oven” in which food is placed in an electromagnetically shielded microwave chamber and allowed to absorb microwaves generated by a powerful electronic circuit. Microwaves are absorbed by moist foods because the oven frequency is similar to the rotational frequency of water molecules [about 2.4 gigahertz]. This “microwave excitation” causes water molecules in the food to suddenly become super-heated. Heat rapidly transfers from the super-heated molecules to the surrounding food. The excitation process is not perfectly specific to water, such that other molecules are also excited to some extent. Shielding of a microwave oven is sometimes less than perfect, allowing microwaves to stray into the surrounding spaces. Not all of the microwaves are absorbed by the food, but all of them must go somewhere, and some of them stray into the building via the electrical wiring.

The human body, including the brain and other vital organs, averages about 70% water, and thus the body is a strong absorber of microwave radiation. The health impact of microwave radiation absorbed by the body is a complicated issue that needs much further study, particularly the practical question as to the long-term effect of microwave exposure on the health and behavior of people of widely varying ages and states of health, including unborn fetuses.

Foods are complex substances from a scientific standpoint, and the impact of microwave excitation of foods on health and nutrition needs much further study. There have been reports of experiments in which frozen food warmed in a microwave oven was found to have undergone unhealthful changes, and food prepared in a microwave oven produced various symptoms of illness in volunteers who ate the food.

Another commercial device that presently employs microwave radiation is the cellular telephone system in which microwave radiation is transmitted and received by handheld units, “cell phones,” and by a network of powerful transmitters that now dot the globe. Other, safer, frequencies could have been used, but microwave frequencies were chosen for business reasons. Unlike the microwave oven, which attempts to confine its radiation within a shielded chamber, the cellular telephone system broadcasts its radiation everywhere. The world is its oven! The microwave frequencies employed by cell phone networks are in the range from about 0.8 to 2.1 gigahertz and thus are absorbed by the human body as are the frequencies used in microwave ovens. Although the microwave power [energy per unit time] is somewhat smaller for a cell phone than for a microwave oven, the cell phone broadcasts its radiation directly and unhindered into the brain and body of the user and anyone else nearby. Also, the neighborhood transmitter towers broadcast microwave radiation throughout their surroundings at power levels that are typically quite large. People living or working near a functioning transmitter tower are continuously exposed to microwave radiation.

Exposure to radiation as a result of cell phone use can induce “microwave sickness” the list of symptoms of which is “as long as your arm”. Some of the symptoms include inflammation of eyes, ears, nose, mouth and throat, headaches, earaches, insomnia, dizziness, and various mental or neurological disorders. Increased incidence of certain cancers has been reported among cell phone users.

Clearly, caution regarding cell phones and microwave ovens is in the best interest of each individual and of our civilization. What can one do to protect oneself and one’s family? Cell phone use should be limited to genuine emergencies. Microwave ovens, and the food establishments that use them, should be avoided. If cell phone use is mandatory, care should be taken to select a cell phone unit for which the radiation level is as low as possible. Radiation typically decreases as the square of distance from the source, that is, by a factor of one hundred for every ten-fold increase in distance from the source; thus, one should try to keep as far away as possible from radiation sources. Microwaves are absorbed rather efficiently by electrical wiring, resulting in the spread of the undesired signal throughout the building and neighborhood. Meters for measuring microwave radiation intensity levels in units of milli-watts of power per square centimeter of area are available with which to check for relatively strong signals, such as from a cell phone during a call, or from an oven due to imperfect shielding; warning beepers that are sensitive to moderately low intensity levels [micro-watts per sq. cm.] are also available [http://www.LESSEMF.com].

REFERENCES:

“Microwaving Our Planet: the Environmental Impact of the Wireless Revolution”
By Arthur Firstenberg, The Cellular Phone Task Force,
P.O. Box 1337, Mendocino, CA 95460, USA

“Your Community Guide to Cellular Phone Towers,”
Communications Workers of America,
AFL-CIO, 501 Third Street, NW, Washington,
DC 20001-2797, USA

Questions? Contact:
Lapis Lazuli Light, P.O. Box 42530, Santa Barbara
CA 93140-2530, USA

Stephen F. Sherrill

It was 55 years ago in Grand Rapids Michigan that the first large scale experiment with water fluoridation began. Today, approximately 60 percent of our nations water supplies are artificially fluoridated. The idea, then as now, was that tiny amounts of fluoride taken into the body on a daily basis would help prevent tooth decay in children with developing teeth. Since its inception, the practice has had enthusiastic supports and equally vigorous opponents. A half century later the often-bitter debate continues between mainstream medical/dental associations who routinely endorse water fluoridation and scientists, researchers and health-conscious citizens who are concerned about the growing body of scientific evidence linking ingested fluoride to a variety of adverse health consequences. Proponents maintain that ingested fluoride strengthens newly forming tooth enamel making teeth more impervious to decay. They insist that in small dosages, the additive is perfectly safe and that thousands of studies prove its safety and effectiveness. Not so, say opponents and the weight of new scientific evidence appears to be tipping the scales in their favor.

Faced with new toxicological evidence, some high-profile fluoridation advocates are jumping ship. Dr. Hardy Limeback, B.Sc., Ph.D. in Biochemistry, D.D.S., head of the Department of Preventive Dentistry for the University of Toronto, president of the Canadian Association of Dental Research and until recently one of Canada’s most outspoken champions of water fluoridation now warns, “Children under three should never use fluoridated toothpaste, or drink fluoridated water. And baby formula must never be made with [fluoridated] Toronto tape water. Never.” He continues, “In fluoridated areas, people should never use fluoride supplements.” In recent interview, columnist Barry Forbes asked Dr. Limeback, “Why the paradigm shift?” “It’s been building up for a couple of years”, said Limeback. “But the crowning blow was the realization that we have been dumping contaminated fluoride into water reservoirs for half a century. The vast majority of all fluoride additives come from Tampa Bay, Florida smokestack scrubbers. The additives are a toxic byproduct of the super-phosphate fertilizer industry. Tragically,” says Limeback, “that means we’re not just dumping toxic fluoride into our drinking water. We’re also exposing innocent unsuspecting people to deadly elements of lead, arsenic and radium, all of them carcinogenic. Because of the cumulative properties of toxins, the detrimental effects on human health are catastrophic.”

But does ingested fluoride actually fight tooth decay? Supporters credit fluoridated drinking water for a nationwide decline in tooth decay but opponents contend that the decline is more likely due to improvements in lifestyle, nutrition and oral hygiene. They point to an equivalent decline in tooth decay in Europe which is 98 percent fluoridation free and Japan where there is no water fluoridation at all. In 1986-97 the National Institute of Dental Research conducted the largest ever study in the U.S. to determine the dental health of our nation’s children. The study found no identifiable correlation between tooth decay rates in children and the consumption of fluoridated water. Likewise, the fifty-year fluoridation experiment in two New York cities, Newburgh and Kingston, shows no significant difference in tooth decay. The only distinguishable difference in dental health between these two communities is that fluoridated Newburgh shows nearly twice the incidence of dental fluorosis – the first, visible sign of chronic fluoride toxicity – as in non-fluoridated Kingston. “There is no point in swallowing fluoridated water”, says Canada’s Dr. Limeback. “The only benefit comes with direct contact with the teeth. Here in Toronto, we’ve been fluoridating for 36 years. Yet Vancouver – which has never fluoridated – has a cavity rate lower than Toronto’s.”

What sort of health hazards are we talking about? The pro-fluoridationists contend that there is no proof positive of any of the adverse health effects claimed by opponents, which range from cancer and neurological impairment to damaged tooth enamel and brittle bones. Opponents are troubled by reports that accumulated fluoride fuses with bones and teeth making them more brittle and fracture prone. Four articles published in the Journal of the American Medical Association since 1990 linking fluoridated drinking water to an increased rate of hip fracture gives strong credibility to these concerns. In the words of Charles Gordon Heyd, past president of the American Medical Association, “Fluoride is a corrosive poison that will produce serious effects on a long-range basis” Dr. Limeback emphasizes, “We absolutely know about the tragic consequences of higher levels of fluoride, and we know it builds up over time. These people haven’t done any studies to find out what effect fluoride accumulation will have at current levels. How can they say it’s safe when the studies haven’t been done? Right now, we [in Toronto] have been ingesting fluoride for 35 years. What happens in another 50 years, when these people have been adding this poison to their bones for 85 years? What we’re finding indicates a trend”, says Limeback. “Torontonians have double the fluoride levels in their hip bones compared to Montreal, where water is not fluoridated.”

How toxic is fluoride? A brief look into any toxicology textbook will quickly reveal what most Americans would be alarmed to discover. Fluoride is more toxic than lead and only slightly less toxic than arsenic. Lead has been removed from most commercial products including paint and gasoline because of its toxic effects on the brain and central nervous system. It’s curious that fluoride, which is more toxic, remains so prevalent in our society and is even promoted by well-meaning health professionals and public health officials as a safe and effective tooth decay preventative. The established “optimal” amount of fluoride in drinking water (one milligram per liter) is 266 times higher than the maximum contaminant level for lead established by the Environmental Protection Agency. A pea-sized portion of fluoride toothpaste contains approximately one milligram of fluoride. The FDA now requires that toothpaste manufacturers include a poison warning on the back of all products containing fluoride.

On July 2, 1997, National Federation of Federal Employees, Local 250, the union that represents the toxicologists, biologists, chemists, engineers, attorneys and other professional employees at Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters in Washington, D.C., stated, “Our members’ review of the body of evidence over the last eleven years, indicates a causal link between fluoride/fluoridation and cancer, genetic damage, neurological impairment and bone pathology. Of particular concern are recent epidemiology studies linking fluoride exposure to lower I.Q. in children.

What about fluoride’s neurological effects? According to The Lancct, England’s premier medical journal, fluoride inhibits or destroys the crucial neurotransmitter Acetylcholine sterase, which is imperative for the process of learning and memory. In the United States, scientist Phyllis Mullenix, while doing research for the Forsyth Dental Center in Boston, found similar evidence of neurological impairment. She proved that low doses of fluoride accumulate in the brain tissue of laboratory animals, and that the severity of the effects depends on the age of those exposed. The younger were more vulnerable and could even be affected while still in the womb. What’s worse, the effects were permanent. “We demonstrated that fluoride does accumulate in the brain, and it was previously thought or reported that fluoride does not cross the blood-brain barrier, but this is definitely not true” proclaims Dr Mullenix. “There is a distinct possibility that fluoride may be decreasing the neurological capacity of the children, and for that matter, even of the adults and into the aged population. New epidemiological evidence from China confirms a correlation between low-dose fluoride exposure and diminished I.Q. in children.”

In 1999, Dartmouth College researchers Roger D. Masters and Myron J. Coplan completed a study, which sampled 280,000 children in Massachusetts and reported a doubling of the risk of lead levels in children’s blood rising above the danger level of 10 micrograms per deciliter when the waste silicofluorides from the phosphate fertilizer industry are used for water fluoridation. In a plenary address, Masters states that heavy metals compromise normal brain development and neurotransmitter function, leading to long-term deficits in learning and social behavior. Earlier studies revealed that hyperactive children and criminal offenders have significantly elevated levels of lead, manganese, or cadmium compared to controls. High blood lead at age seven predicts juvenile delinquency and adult crime. Communitics using silicofluorides also report higher rates of learning disabilities, ADHD and violent crime.

How are we exposed to fluoride? Fluoride exposure has increased since water fluoridation’s inception in 1945 and, in addition to fluoridated water, popular dental products, prescribed fluoride drops and tablets and professional dental treatments, fluoride has found its way into many common food items such as soft drinks, cereals, milk, concentrated soups and juices, meats, teas, white grape juice, lettuce, tomatoes, raisins, and other produce because of fluoride-based pesticide residues and food processed with fluoridated water. The quandary facing health-conscious Americans wishing to avoid excess exposure is that there are no labeling requirements for fluoride contents in food. Dr. Mullenix warns, “It’s totally illogical to be putting fluoride into our drinking water. We should be working on ways to control our exposures, reducing it from our drinking water, reducing it from our food intake and/or by inhalation in various occupational situations. We shouldn’t be working to introduce more fluoride into our diet with this type of risk looming over our head.”

How can we tell if our children are being overexposed? The first sign … “Mottled and brittle teeth”, says Dr. Limeback. “In Canada we are now spending more money treating dental fluorosis than we do treating cavities.” The characteristics of dental fluorosis are mottled, discolored, porous and fracture-prone teeth caused by fluoride over exposure between birth and approximately 8 years of age. In 1995, while segments of these same trade associations simultaneously continued to lobby for water fluoridation, both the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, concerned over the increased incidence of dental fluorosis, created new policy recommendations for fluoride drops and tablets. These supplements are intended to be a substitute in communities where the water is not fluoridated. The new schedules indicate that the accepted “optimal” daily dose from fluoridated water (one milligram per day) exceeds the dosage that any qualified medical professional could ethically prescribe to a child under 6 years of age and an infant under 6 months of age should receive no fluoride. According to the new recommendations, a child under the age of 6 would be overdosed every day by the amount of fluoride found in one liter of “optimally” fluoridated tap water and a child between the ages of 6 months and 3 years would be limited to the amount of fluoride found in just one cup of fluoridated tap water. U.S. Public Health Service documents show that even in 1991, when considering exposure from all sources, non-fluoridated communities were already receiving amounts equal to and above the targeted daily fluoride dosage. Fluoridated communities were receiving an estimated 3 to 7 times the “optimal” amount. The largest dental study in the United States revealed that 66 percent of children in fluoridated areas now display the visible signs of dental fluorosis. Dr. John Colquhoun, Auckland, New Zealand’s former Principal Dental Officer and high-profile fluoridation advocate wrote, “Common sense should tell us that if a poison circulating in a child’s body can damage tooth-forming cells, then other harm is also likely.”

Recently members of Congress have also been getting into the act. In light of the fact that fluoride is well recognized as a general enzyme poison, legislators such as a Ken Calvert, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, have been demanding answers to some tough questions from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), National Academy of Science (NAS) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the subcommittee’s investigation of these agencies’ actions surrounding the fluoridation issue. Calvert is calling for answers to questions regarding conflict of interest among those responsible for setting foundation standards, unproven claims of fluoride’s benefits, the increase of dental fluorosis nationwide and the cost of repairing damaged teeth, the margin of safety for unusually susceptible individuals, known contaminants in fluoridation additives and compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1996.

In light of all the new data why do associations like the ADA and agencies like the CDC continue to endorse water fluoridation? “Unfortunately,” says Dr. Limeback, “the CDC is basing its position on data that is 50 years old and questionable at best. Absolutely no one has done research on fluorosilicates, which is the junk they’re dumping into the drinking water. On the other hand,” he adds, “the evidence against systemic fluoride intake continues to pour in.”

Why do the dentists still believe water fluoridation is safe? “I have absolutely no training in toxicity,” admits Dr. Limeback. “Your well-intentioned dentist is simply following 50 years of misinformation from public health and the dental association. Me too. Unfortunately, we were wrong.” Last year, before the University of Toronto Department of Dentistry. Dr. Limeback apologized to faculty and students and told them that he had unintentionally mislead his colleagues and his students. Dr. Limeback admitted, “For the past 15 years, I had refused to study the toxicology information that is readily available to anyone. Poisoning our children was the furthest thing from my mind. The truth was a bitter pill to swallow. But swallow it I did.”