Hydrotherapy is an ancient form of healing dating back to 1500 ÂÑ. Sebastien Kneipp, a German physician, instituted health spas throughout Germany and Europe ‘n the 19th century, popularizing water therapy even further. No one can ignore the soothing and relaxing qualities of a hot bath or the invigorating, stimulating effects of a cold dip in a lake or waterfall.

The thermal heating and cooling effects of water are responsible for its therapeutic effects in healing. It is great at enhancing circulation and hence removing toxic wastes through the mobilization of white blood cells.

Hydrotherapy is effectively used in the treatment of circulatory problems, weakened immunity, colds, pneumonia, nervous conditions, pelvic inflammatory disease, insomnia, prostate, uterine and other organ and glandular congestions, oedema, chronic pain, fatigue and detoxification problems. The use of alternate hot and cold water therapy treatments increases white blood cell counts and causes corresponding increases in IgM antibodies, alpha-2 macroglobulin and C-3 complement, greatly affecting the function of the immune system.

Using hot cloths opens blood vessels and attracts blood, enhancing circulation and improving organ function. Hot baths enhance circulation, aid relaxation and by adding oils, Epsom salts and specific herbs different healing properties can be stimulated. Epsom salts added to bath water can help to draw impurities out of the body.

One night recently, I had a wonderful Indonesian meal that tasted great but unfortunately was loaded with tones of MSG (monosodium glutamate). The next day I felt fatigued, nauseas and I had a splitting headache that wouldn’t go away. I jumped into the spa and poured in half a packet of Epsom salts. After only 20 minutes I felt amazing. As I began to empty the bath water I noticed the colour of the water had a murky, brown tone. The Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) had actually drawn the impurities out of my kidneys and body and deposited these into the water. Nature often provides us with the most simple and inexpensive tools to restore us back to health and wellness.

Hot Sitz Baths involve sitting in a deep bath so the buttocks and pelvis are immersed. Sitz baths are great for pain or any condition in the uterus, urethra or testes. In Thailand I had the pleasure to work at one of the most beautiful health spas in the world. In my travels I visited health spas all over the world and witnessed some incredible stories of self-healing from the regular use of hydrotherapy. Spa baths, hot and cold water plunge pools, flotation tanks, steam rooms and hydro Jacuzzis are all forms of hydrotherapy that enhance the body’s healing potential on both a physical and emotional level.

A simple and effective way to incorporate hydrotherapy into your life is to alternate hot and cold showers, backwards and forwards, ending with the cold water. This simple method increases blood circulation, improves lymphatic circulation, boosts immunity and enhances general well-being and health.

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We are slowly becoming more conscious of the foods and beverages we put into our body, realizing they have an effect on our health. Likewise, healthy and unhealthy sounds also have an effect on our health emotions, and we should learn to become consciously aware of which sounds are most beneficial to our well-being.

Just as we can decrease our health by regularly consuming unhealthy foods over extended periods, we can also undermine our health by consuming harmful sounds and noises over extended periods. A regular diet of certain kinds of music and sound can help our bodies and mind achieve a greater level of health.

Some people are highly taste-sensitive and can differentiate between subtle flavours. Likewise sound-sensitive people react very strongly to sounds, especially detrimental ones. Sounds are clearly felt in their body and can cause headaches and upset stomachs.

Our body’s cells are of a vibratory nature. They act as sound receptors. Even while the mind is asleep, the body’s cells are aware of harsh sounds and react to these unconsciously. The body converts these irritating sounds into feelings of stress and tension, although we may be unaware of the source.

One of the first sense organs to develop in a baby while in the womb is the ear. This indicates how important sound is to our psychological and physical health, from the first moment of our creation as a living being. While in the womb, babies are aware of sounds and can differentiate between harmonious sounds and detrimental noise. Detrimental noise can produce the following effects:

• raised blood pressure

• stress on the heart leading to abnormal heart rhythms

• circulatory problems

• ulcers, balance disturbances

• fatigue

• irritability, increased stress and anxiety

• disruption of the central nervous system

• delayed healing time

• delayed verbal development in children

• lowered immunity

• disturbed sleep

• poor digestion

• lack of concentration, hyperactivity

• tension, headaches, migraines, nausea, hearing loss.

Noise pollution surrounds us, even quiet noise we cannot hear. The rumble of the refrigerator places people in trance-like states, the humming of fluorescent lights, television, electric blenders, vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, garbage disposals, ventilation fans and knife sharpeners in the home all produce a state of general body arousal (stress) and generate increased nervous tension. All of these constant noises at home and at work affect our normal sleep patterns and decrease our energy levels.

The ill effects of bad sounds are cumulative. Strong vibrations from excessive noise wears out the sensory cells of the ears, until they no longer respond. It is important to become aware of harmful noises and realize they are dangerous, and may pose a hazard to health and general well-being.

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European Mistletoe (Viscum Album)

Mistletoe, also referred to as European mistletoe or birdlime mistletoe, is noted worldwide as being effective in cancer prevention and treatment. It is an ancient herbal remedy noted for its anti-tumour properties. Mistletoe also facilitates the production of red blood cells after radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Mistletoe supports the body’s immune system by increasing the size of the body’s thymus gland, to enhance the production of white blood cells for a better immune response. It is believed to possess strong immune-boosting effects. Its active ingredients do this by increasing the body’s antibody production, increasing natural killer cell activity and improving the scavenging ability of white blood cells.

Mistletoe is very beneficial in the treatment of cancer and it has been extensively marketed throughout Europe for the accessory treatment of cancerous tumours. In Germany, a combination of fermented mistletoe and homeopathic doses of silver, gold or mercury was marketed and sold for the treatment of cancer. During the 1980s, over 40,000 people throughout the world were using this patented formula.

What is the best way to use mistletoe?

• Cold infusion – a heaped teaspoonful of mistletoe is soaked in a liter of cold water overnight,

then the next morning it is slightly warmed and strained. If a larger amount is needed, keep in a

dark bottle or thermal flask in the refrigerator and use as desired. Try to drink within 48 hours

of making the herbal tea.

• Hot infusion – pour 1 cup of boiling water onto 1 to 2 teaspoons of the dried herb and leave to

infuse for 10 to 15 minutes. Drink 3 times daily.

• Tincture – Take 1 to 4ml of tincture 3 times daily.

• Fresh juice — fresh leaves and twigs are washed and, still wet, put into a juice extractor.

Fenugreek

Fenugreek is one of the world’s oldest medicinal herbs. It is a common herb, containing plant hormones which some breast cancers may respond to. For hormone-induced breast cancer take fenugreek seed tea with a salt-free semi-vegetarian diet. Folk healers around the world believe that large amounts of fenugreek seed tea in combination with a salt free diet may help to eliminate breast tumours.

Fenugreek also helps to prevent inflammation, especially in the lungs, and it breaks down mucous and catarrh. It has long been used in China for abdominal pain, in Egypt for period pain and stomach cramps and in the Middle East for abdominal cramps.

What is the best way to use fengureek?

• Herbal Tea — pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 teaspoon of the seeds, let this infuse for 10

minutes. Drink 3 times per day.

• Tincture – take 1 to 2ml of the tincture 3 times daily.

• Poultice – pulverize the seeds to make a poultice.

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N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a form of the simple amino acid cysteine. It is more stable than cysteine, absorbed more easily and is used in a better way by the body. A powerful antioxidant, a premier anti-toxin and immune support substance, it is found naturally in foods. It is a precursor for glutathione, an important antioxidant that protects cells against oxidative stress. In addition to maintaining intracellular glutathione levels, NAC supplementation has been shown to be protective against cell damage caused by chemotherapy and radiation therapy, to be immune enhancing, to protect against toxins and other drugs, as well as mercury, lead, and others heavy metals.

NAC is known and marketed as an ‘anti-amalgam’ medicine, because it helps remove (chelate) mercury from the body. It also generally improves the body’s immune system, making it better able to fight off disease. NAC has neither a sedative or stimulant effect and is a safe substance, showing excellent tolerance in patients.

The most commonly used chemo-preventative agents in the prevention of oral leukoplakia, head and neck cancer and lung cancer are beta-carotene and vitamin A. One of the few natural agents not in this group and presently being used in clinical trials is NAC. Research is beginning to indicate that NAC may help to prevent various types of cancer, including bladder, breast, colorectal, lung and skin cancer. It is a protective agent against harmful chemicals and it may prove to be a useful key in the prevention and spread of many types of cancer.

DHEA

Dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA is the most abundant hormone or steroid found in the bloodstream, made by the body’s adrenal glands. DHEA is produced in large amounts during youth, with production being its highest at around age 25- By the age of 80, people are thought to have only 10 to 20 per cent of the DHEA that they had at 25 years of age. At 25 years old, 20mg of DHEA is found within the body and by age 80 there is an average of six mg in the body.

DHEA contains many health-promoting functions and anti-ageing properties. It helps to generate the sex hormones oestrogen and testosterone, increases the percentage of muscle mass and decreases the percentage of body fat. It also helps prevent osteoporosis.

As the production of DHEA declines with age, certain structures of the body tend to decline with it. This leaves the body vulnerable to developing various cancers, including cancer of the breast, prostate and bladder as well as nerve degeneration.

It has been proposed in various studies on humans that DHEA can increase life span by as much as 50 per cent. While practicing in Thailand, I met an American family of two parents and two children who were injecting DHEA directly into their glands. I believe this to be obsessive and not necessary for good health. This family by no means looked younger or healthier than normal, healthy individuals. Moderation is always the key to good health.

DHEA is believed to be highly beneficial in the treatment and prevention of many types of cancer. Studies have found that DHEA protects against breast, colon, liver, lung, lymphoma and skin cancers. It also protects against many viruses and harmful bacteria. DHEA supplementation is believed to improve alertness, one’s sense of well-being, energy levels, sex drive, immunity and stamina.

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Vitamin B3 – Nicotinamide, Niacin

Vitamin B3 is essential in maintaining good blood circulation, dilating blood vessels and energy production. It also enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatment by tripling the time chemotherapy drugs stay in the bloodstream. Vitamin B3 decreases the toxicity of the commonly used chemotherapy medication, Cisplatin. It increases anti-tumour activity and vitamin B3 and aspirin given with radiation therapy increases the body’s anti-tumour resistance.

Vitamin B3 also enhances the effectiveness of the cancer drug L-pam. It doubles the effectiveness of the drug if given by injection, one hour before L-pam.

During malignancy or cell proliferation, the cancer cell metabolizes glucose anaerobically (without oxygen) rather than aerobically (with oxygen). This results in an energy deficiency. Vitamin B3 partly solves this problem and thus reduces cancer growth and spread, by normalizing cancer cell energetics.

Only moderate amounts of vitamin B3 occur in foods as pure niacin; other niacin is converted from the amino acid tryptophan. The best sources of vitamin B3 are liver and other organ meats, poultry, fish and peanuts, all of which have both niacin and tryptophan. Yeast, dried beans, and peas, wheat germ, avocados, dates, figs, and prunes are good sources of niacin.

Vitamin B6 – Pyridoxine

Vitamin B6 is involved in a majority of the body’s functions. It acts as a cofactor in several hundred different biochemical reactions in nearly every part of the body. It is necessary for the production of hydrochloric acid, the absorption of fats and protein, maintains sodium/potassium balance (preventing fluid retention) and promotes red blood cell formation. It is also important for energy production, for proper functioning of the brain, formation of hemoglobin and for optimal immune function and antibody production.

Vitamin B6 plays a role in cancer immunity and aids in the prevention of arteriosclerosis. It is needed for the synthesis of nucleic acids RNA and DNA that contain the genetic instructions for the reproduction of all cells, and for normal cellular growth. It can trigger the production of other substances, stopping cancer growth. It may help to prevent lung cancer and skin cancer. Women with cervical cancer are thought to have very low levels of Vitamin B6 in their bodies.

Vitamin B6 deficiency may increase susceptibility to virus induced tumour growth. Survival time may be increased in people with cervical carcinoma, Stage Two endometrial carcinoma and Stage Two bladder cancer and breast cancer when supplemented with pyridoxine. A long-term deficiency of Vitamin B6 is thought to contribute to a depressed immune system as this vitamin is integral in the production of immune system cells.

Good sources of vitamin B6 include brewer’s yeast, fish, chicken, spinach, sunflower seeds, walnuts, wheat-germ, peas, carrots, halibut, whole-grains, liver and vegetables.

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The technique here is often used in operations on other tissue—in eye surgery, for example—and now doctors have begun applying it to BPH. It uses a special ultrasound probe that works through an endoscope, a lighted «periscope» used in exploration and treatment of many diseases. The ultrasound targets tissues high in water content, like BPH tissue, while leaving surrounding tissue in the bladder neck, urethral sphincter, and elsewhere in the prostate unscathed (this surrounding tissue has a different makeup—more collagen, less water). The probe simultaneously breaks up the BPH tissue and flushes it out of the body; an aspirator device in the instrument vacuums up the tissue fragments.

In one study of fifty-nine men who were followed a year after the procedure, there was no incontinence, and no men reported urinary problems; two men had bladder neck contractures, and one man developed a stricture in the urethra at the tip of the penis. About 85 percent of men reported retrograde ejaculation. Men who may not benefit from this procedure are patients with middle lobe enlargement, because the ultrasound does not work as well in tissue near the bladder neck.

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Your doctor may want to do these studies if your history or the physical exam suggests that the primary cause of your symptoms—perhaps from a neurologic condition—is bladder dysfunction, not BPH. Cystometry is a means of measuring bladder pressure and function. It’s performed by threading a small catheter into the penis, through the urethra and into the bladder to monitor pressure changes as the bladder is filled with water. Also helpful are pressure-flow studies, in which bladder pressure is monitored as you urinate, again via a small catheter. (Note: Any time a catheter is inserted into the urethra, there’s a slight risk of a urinary tract infection developing a few days later. Be sure to tell your doctor about any subsequent fever or discomfort.) Pressures within the bladder are compared to the rate at which the urine flows from the body. Pressure flow studies can be helpful in determining whether men with high peak urinary flow rates are obstructed. Some men with significant obstruction can produce reasonable urinary flow rates because they can generate high bladder pressure; these men will have relief of symptoms if their obstruction is treated. But in some men, low urinary flow rates are caused by diseased bladders that do not generate much pressure. These men do not benefit from relief of obstruction.

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A new approach to bone pain has arrived with the development of a compound called radioactive strontium-89—a radioactive isotope that is injected into the body as an outpatient procedure.

Strontium-89 is specially tailored for bone pain. Like calcium, it is taken up immediately by bone, as water is absorbed by a sponge—except this compound tends to zoom right past healthy bone and zero in on metastatic cancer. (Strontium-89 is soaked up by tumor in bone, instead of by bone marrow, at a ratio of ten to one.) Relief from pain has been reported in from half to 80 percent of patients.

Strontium-89 has a long half-life—fifty-one days—in the body; a single shot of the compound has proved effective at relieving pain for an average of six months. One advantage of this, as compared to spot radiation, is that it acts on new sites of metastasisthat crop up while it stays in the body, as well as the older sites of cancer it originally was intended to treat.

And, strontium-89 can be used in combination with spot radiation In one study, doctors found that this combined approach—strontium-89 plus spot radiation—delayed progression of pain seven months longer than radiation alone.

Side Effects. The few side effects associated with strontium-89 include the potential for bone marrow damage; this is characterized by a drop in platelets. Also, some men report a mild increase in pain for the first couple of days after receiving the injection; this can be controlled with other pain medication. And a safety note: Because this radioactive substance is excreted in the urine, for the first forty-eight hours after receiving the injection urine must be taken care of in a certain way; this means you must urinate into a special container—not into the toilet—and dispose of this as directed by your doctor.

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One day, as new and better drug therapies and combinations are developed, it may be possible to cure prostate cancer at any stage—or at least to restrain it, to make sure that it never leaves the prostate, or that it stays well-differentiated and slow-growing rather than becoming an aggressive, lethal invader of tissue and bone.

But that day is not here yet.

This is the part of the book we wish we didn’t have to write, and that nobody would ever have to read. When prostate cancer is advanced, when it has swept through the prostate to the lymph nodes or bone, the options for treating it are limited. Cure is no longer possible. Instead, your doctor’s goal is to stave off the cancer—to buy more time, to alleviate symptoms and, finally, to ease debilitating pain.

There are many schools of thought on treating prostate cancer that has spread beyond the prostate to the lymph nodes or bone (stage N+, M+, Di, or D2). All of them involve hormone therapy—shutting down the hormones that feed the prostate and nourish the cancer. (This is also called «hormone deprivation» therapy.) But there are huge differences in medical opinion: Should hormone therapy begin while a man still feels fine, or should it wait until symptoms begin? Should it target the hormones that most directly involve the prostate, or should it try to smother all the body’s androgen (male hormone) activity? This idea of turning off all androgens is called total androgen blockade (or total androgen ablation), and many doctors believe in it. But is this total shutdown necessary?

And what’s the best method of stopping these hormones? Think of a car going through a series of checkpoints—points A, B, C and D—to cross over a border into another country. You want to stop this car from reaching the other side. At what point do you stop it? Do you set up a roadblock at Point A, the first stop along the way? Or do you simply wall off the border at Point D, so the car can never cross over? Or do you divert the car at some point in between?

The androgens that affect the prostate reach their destination through a process, involving several steps, that begins in the brain. Medical roadblocks are now available to stop or detour this process at Point A (the brain), Point D (the prostate), or at several spots in between. Some of them work better than others, and some are more expensive. But ultimately, all of these means of hormone therapy will fail to control the cancer. This treatment failure may take years if a man is lucky and has a tumor that’s particularly responsive to hormone therapy. It may only take months if he’s not—if he has a faster-growing tumor that doesn’t respond well to hormone therapy because many of its cells are indifferent to it.

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PSA GOES UP AFTER SURGERY?

You will be given general anesthesia, which means you’ll be unconscious during the procedure. To reach the prostate, surgeons make an incision just above the rectum. The prostate is gradually separated from the rectum, bladder, urethra and vas deferens. The seminal vesicles are removed along with the prostate, and then the bladder is linked once again with the urethra.

If a man’s PSA level goes up after a radical prostatectomy, this is an indication that there is prostate cancer somewhere. Maybe it’s a local recurrence, in the area where the prostate used to be, or perhaps it’s a distant metastasis—a tiny seed of cancer that got scattered long before the cancer was ever diagnosed.

How to tell which? Recently, Johns Hopkins investigators studied rising PSA levels in fifty-one men after radical prostatectomy. In 30 percent of these men, cancer returned locally; in 70 percent, the cancer showed up as distant metastases. Based on this study, the scientists found they can estimate which course the cancer will take using the Gleason score of the prostate specimen removed in surgery, the pathologic stage (which is based on study of the actual prostate—not just tissue samples, as in biopsy), and timing—when the PSA starts to rise.

Men most prone to distant metastases will have one or more of these conditions: Gleason scores of 8 or higher, cancer found in their seminal vesicles and lymph nodes during surgery, or a rise in PSA within a year after their surgery. Conversely, men with Gleason scores of 7 or lower, low pathologic stage, and/or increases in PSA several years after surgery most likely will have only a local recurrence of cancer. For these men, the good news is that this cancer may still be cured with external-beam radiation treatment to the prostate bed (the area where the prostate used to be.

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HELPING YOURSELF-SEX TECHNIQUE, TIMING, FREQUENCY

Masters and Johnson found that simple advice on and attention to technique, such as in the list below, provided the answer for one in eight of their so-called ‘infertile’ patients.

Sex technique-To have the best chance of getting a woman pregnant a man’s penis must penetrate her vagina deeply and he must ejaculate while it is there.

Timing-For most sexually active couples it does not much matter how often they have intercourse, because if they do so often enough then by chance alone they will soon hit the time around ovulation and the woman will conceive. However, if a man is a shift worker or works away from home a lot, if either partner is ill, or if for any other reason they do not have intercourse often, their chances of the woman getting pregnant are greatly reduced. The best time to have intercourse in order to stand the best chance of pregnancy is around ovulation. The rhythm, temperature and mucus methods of contraception can obviously be put to use for conception since all aim to foretell ovulation as do the ovulation predictor tests.

Frequency-As we have seen, there is no ‘normal’ number of times a week to have intercourse. However, if you are having intercourse very infrequently you stack the odds up against yourselves very heavily when it comes to conceiving a baby. Many of the couples attending infertility clinics are having intercourse once a month or less. Given that the couple having intercourse about two or three times a week will on average take 5.3 months to conceive, once a month is not giving yourselves a fair chance.

For many couples low intercourse rates are what they want and trying to increase the frequency can produce all kinds of problems in the marriage. Such couples may benefit from professional help. Some couples worry about saving up sperms to produce a better quality ejaculation and so increase their chance of conceiving. There is some truth in this because sperm counts are reduced in a man who ejaculates every day, but there is no point in ‘saving up’ for more than two days.

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MEN-PREMATURE EJACULATION

One way or another anxiety usually lies at the heart of a man’s problems which are of psychological origin. The anxiety is usually unconscious but either way it diminishes his pleasure and impairs his performance.

Premature ejaculation-Sex therapists argue about the definition of premature ejaculation. Some say it is present if a man comes to orgasm in less than thirty seconds and others if orgasm is reached less than two minutes after penetration. Others say five minutes and yet others assert that the problem is present if the man cannot contain himself sufficiently to enable his partner to have an orgasm on at least half of all occasions. Another definition says that it is present if orgasm occurs with ten or fewer thrusts of the penis. Most psychosexual therapists see all this as rather pointless and instead look for psychosexual evidence of a need or wish to avoid intercourse, or intercourse with one particular partner. They also take account of the woman’s orgasmic capacity before arriving at the conclusion that the man is a premature ejaculator.

As for causes, sex therapists regard hasty, early acts of intercourse — such as, for example, might occur with prostitutes or when it is feared that the girl’s parents will return home – as being important, whereas psychosexual therapists concentrate more, for example, on earlier masturbation,.

A premature ejaculation is less enjoyable an experience for the man than a ‘normal’ one. This is probably the result of the underlying anxiety and is why so many inexperienced men suffer from it. As confidence is gained it is usually overcome, especially if the woman is reassuring. A critical woman, however, can easily convert premature ejaculation into impotence simply by helping to build up a type of secondary anxiety in the man. He becomes more anxious and so performs less and less well.

A range of treatments alone or in combination can be used for men with premature ejaculation. Men whose problem stems from the unconscious notion that intercourse is an imposition on a woman (and many women for their own unconscious reasons tend to encourage this view) can be cured simply by listening to their wives giving their psychosexual histories and talking about their masturbation and fantasies. The next step is to use this information so that the woman is near orgasm before they start having intercourse. This increases the chance (especially if stimulation of her clitoris continues during intercourse) that she will have an orgasm, which in turn increases his confidence.

Fantasies about successful intercourse when the man masturbates help, as does starting to masturbate but stopping when near to orgasm, then starting again, and repeating this cycle so that he becomes able to remain sub-orgasmic for increasing periods of time. Eventually, after several weeks of practice, he will be able to control his rate of coming to orgasm during masturbation and will be able to ejaculate at will once he is sufficiently aroused. The next stage is for his partner to do the same to him, but he has to say when she is to stop for a while because he has the early feelings which tell him that if stimulation continues orgasm will be inevitable.

When the couple have worked together for ejaculatory control, the woman can cover the man’s penis with baby oil, KY jelly, or talcum powder and help him learn control with the enhanced slippery feelings these substances produce. A further refinement is for her to place her thumb on his frenum (the little vertical ridge on the underside of the tip of the penis), with her index finger on the rim of the opposite side of the penis and her middle finger just below it, and then to squeeze the penis just before orgasm is reached. This reduces the man’s erection. After a while stimulation of the penis is started again and the procedure repeated until the man can ‘last’ for as long as they both want. This training can be successful after just a few sessions in couples in whom the underyling causes of the problem have been detected and explained. During intercourse the man — instead of ignoring the early warning feelings, as premature ejaculators do — recognises them and stops moving for some moments whilst they subside.

Other techniques which some men find useful are: avoiding excessive stimulation before penetration; using a sheath; thinking about some non-sexual subject (although this is usually inadvisable); covering the penis with a mildly anaesthetic ointment or spray; tightening the anus by squeezing the internal muscles; and pushing the penis very deeply into the vagina so that the tip lies in the expanded upper portion, and then making only small movements. Other recommendations are to keep fairly high orgasm rates and to have an orgasm by masturbation before having intercourse.

However, the easiest way of all involves simply a change in attitude. This change is not usually difficult for premature ejaculators to make because it often fits in with the underlying cause of their problem. The man must think of putting his penis in the vagina as being an extension of foreplay. In this way he uses his penis instead of his hands or mouth to stimulate the woman. This gives him the impression of being in control of himself and he now finds that he can last for as long as he wants or even not ejaculate at all on any one particular occasion.

By using one or more of the many techniques suggested here, many premature ejaculators can be performing to their perfect satisfaction (and that of their partner) within weeks.

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Obviously women’s likes and dislikes are very personal and individual when it comes to

love-play and the caring man finds out what pleases his partner most by asking her to tell him and by experimentation. We cannot stress enough how different women are one from another in what they like, so don’t go by your previous experience of women. What she does to you may be a clue as to what she likes done to her.

Kissing and caressing-Almost all women like being stroked and caressed and kissed all over their body. Usually it is best to start furthest away from her sex organs and work towards them slowly. Find areas of the body which she especially likes having stimulated and concentrate on these. The feet, behind the knees, the insides of her thighs, the shoulders and the ear lobes are areas that many women find arousing. The nearest you should get to genital stimulation at this stage is to run your fingers over and through her pubic hair.

Next, go on to caress other more specifically erotic areas such as her breasts, mouth and bottom. When kissing these, or indeed any areas be careful not to tickle your partner because this can break the relaxing spell. Breasts need to be approached gently at first. Many women complain that men are too rough with their breasts before they are aroused. Kissing and sucking is what most women like best and stroking is pleasant too. Never bite the nipples (especially when a woman is highly aroused) because you could easily hurt or damage them. As you caress and kiss the woman’s breasts, her nipples will stand out and become hard and her breasts will swell slightly. About half of all women say that they enjoy their breasts as erotic centres during love-making. Of the remainder, some are excited more by their partner’s obvious enjoyment of them than they are by the direct stimulation he gives them. Many a woman’s breast sensitivity changes in the course of her menstrual cycle and what can be very arousing at one time of the month can be annoying or even painful at others. It is therefore important that men learn about their partner’s breasts and vary their love-making techniques to take these changes into account.

A woman’s buttocks are also very sensitive and arousing for her during foreplay. Most women like their buttocks caressed and squeezed. This also gives the man an opportunity to get very near her vaginal area with the woman face down and this can be very arousing because of the promise it brings. Some women enjoy gentle smacking on their bottom. This is not necessarily related to the sadomasochistic pursuits we will consider later.

When caressing your partner you may find you get carried away and that you bite or suck her so hard that she is marked. Be sensitive about this. First, never bite too hard but keep it playful and, second, don’t bite her where it will be seen by others, which will embarrass her.

By now your partner should be very relaxed and pleasantly aroused and her excitement phase will be well under way. The time all this takes varies enormously from couple to couple and even within any one couple, depending on the circumstances. When you both feel ready, let your hand go down to her vulva and start to caress her clitoris. Some women are so aroused by what has already happened that they will guide your hand to their pubic area. The whole area should be fairly moist from the woman’s vaginal fluids which are produced as she becomes aroused, but KY jelly can be useful if the woman lubricates slowly. If she is still dry, use some saliva so that as you caress her clitoris your finger does not feel rough but slides more easily. What you do to your partner’s clitoris depends entirely on what she likes and you should ask her, but most women like the pressure to be gentle and the movements slow at first, building up to harder and more vigorous movements as they near orgasm. What any one woman likes is based on her unique masturbation method.

Now as the clitoris responds dip your fingers into her vagina to keep the vulva moist with vaginal fluid. You really should not need any lubricant other than saliva or the woman’s natural fluids. Once she is very excited don’t delay but bring her to a climax and be sensitive to her needs for this. Many women want their partner to put his penis into their vagina while continuing to caress their clitoris; others need manually produced orgasms before the man enters; and others like to have one orgasm without the penis inside and then to have others with it inside with either the man or the woman herself caressing her clitoris.

Either before caressing the clitoris or even after an orgasm (depending on what your partner likes or asks for) you can use your fingers to stimulate her vagina. Always make sure that your nails are well cut and that you have not got any obvious infections on your fingers before doing any of this.

Many men assume that because they enjoy their penis being stimulated by hand that women will also enjoy vaginal stimulation best. This is by no means true and some women dislike fingers inside them. If your partner does like to be stimulated in this way, and most do, don’t thrust several fingers in at once or do it when she is dry. Get her well lubricated as we have described above, then lick your middle finger and gently insert it in with your palm upwards. You may be able to feel the neck of the womb (cervix) as a hard knob with a dimple in the middle. Some women like their cervix stimulated when they are very aroused or like the finger to sweep around inside the vagina. Some like their ovaries stimulated (at the sides of the top of the vagina). Some women like their partner to use his fingers in a sort of thrusting (penis-like) movement and others like the fingers simply inserted and kept nearly still.

Many women use two fingers inside their vaginas when they masturbate and so may well want more stimulation than one finger can give, especially if they have had a baby. Find out how many fingers your partner most enjoys: though it may be different from one time to the next. A few women like their vaginal opening stretched with several fingers. Some women, once sufficiently aroused, can have very enjoyable orgasms from being stimulated using the fingers alone but many enjoy the combination of fingers inside and other things such as cunnilingus (oral stimulation of the clitoral area).

*87\164\2*

Controversy rages on the subject of circumcision and its effects on a man’s sex life, so it is worth a mention here. Circumcision is an operation carried out to remove the foreskin and so leave the penis head uncovered all the time. Circumcision is now a rare operation and is usually only carried out for medical or religious reasons. Routine circumcision is a thing of the past, but its decline has been accompanied by a rise in cases of urinary infections in boys. There is absolutely no problem in having a foreskin left intact when it comes to sexual functioning provided that the man keeps the head of the penis underneath the foreskin clean. This is not only more pleasant for the woman who may want to kiss or suck the penis, but is also thought to be safer because it has been found that the wives of uncircumcised men are more likely to get cancer of the cervix than those who are married to circumcised men.

When it comes to sex and circumcision, men vary greatly in their views on the subject. Some uncircumcised men claim that because the head of the penis is covered all the time it is more sensitive and so gives them more pleasure and some circumcised men claim that because their penis head is rubbing against things (underpants usually) all the time it becomes de-sensitized and so allows them to enjoy longer vaginal stimulation before they reach orgasm. Clinical experience shows that whether or not a man has a foreskin seems to make very little, if any, difference to his enjoyment of sex. Obviously if the foreskin is so tight that it cannot be pulled back and it hurts him, it would make sense to discuss it with a doctor. However, medical views about circumcision are also very varied. If the foreskin can easily be pulled back at five (do not fiddle with it before) and boys are taught to pull it back to wash underneath, this is all that is needed for health and future sexual pleasure.

Sometimes an uncircumcised man can find that his foreskin becomes trapped behind the head of the penis if it is tight. This can be painful and distressing but it is possible to try a DIY treatment before seeking medical help. Soak a large handkerchief in very cold water and apply it to the affected area. Hold it in place tightly for a few minutes. Then pull the foreskin forwards using the hanky held firmly in place. If this doesn’t do the trick after one or to goes get medical help.

*67\164\2*

Marriage, like all human endeavours, never stands still; it evolves with time.

Phase one-This first phase lasts until the couple start a family. Changing homes, friends and life-styles to accommodate the marriage can be difficult. However, for many, the first few years spent together — with the wife working and no children — providing themselves with a home and preparing for a family, can seem, in retrospect, to have been the best years of their marriage. Sex is usually frequent and experimentation commonplace, but sexual difficulties arising from sexual inexperience and the lack of a will to learn are widespread. Many young women complain that their husbands do not do what they like most, that they are too rough and that they are selfish. In spite of all this most young couples at this stage say that they are happy sexually and that they look forward to their problems disappearing as they mature and get used to each other. The fact that the divorce rate is highest in this phase of marriage would appear to contradict what we have just said but, as we shall see, this is not as surprising as it at first seems.

Ideally, during this phase of married life the couple are learning to resolve conflict and should be getting used to communicating with each other before children come along. If the couple cannot sort out the problems of living together, tensions arise and anger, resentment, and misunderstandings are common.

During this stage some young people become ill physically or mentally, and depression is not at all uncommon. Once things begin to go bad, sex, rather than being the cause of the trouble as many couples think, becomes the victim. Provided the basic relationship is good, nearly all these early problems can be resolved by the couple themselves or with professional help.

All these adjustments take a long time and it is essential to allow plenty of time between getting married and having a first baby. Far too many couples have a baby so soon after marriage that they have hardly had time to get used to each other as partners, let alone as parents. In most couples it is the woman who starts putting on the pressure for a baby.

Whether this pressure comes about because of the intrinsic biological yearnings of women or whether it is the result of our apparently baby-centred culture is hard to say but the result is the same. The couple, who hardly know each other have to take another human being into account and have to adapt to quite different roles too soon.

Some young couples imagine, quite wrongly, that once the wife becomes pregnant all sex should cease. This is bad enough in a long-established relationship but in the first few years of marriage it can lead to trouble. After the birth, the nights of broken sleep and new-baby routines can stress even the mature married couple but they particularly take their toll on the recently married. The new mother needs plenty of help but the young husband, still seeing himself as a grown-up boy with a permanent live-in girlfriend, often is not ready or able to cope with new burdens. The woman, fearing that the baby will change her body for the worse (the vagina, stomach and breasts are now irrevocably altered in many women’s views), fear that after only a few years of marriage her husband will go off her.

Is it surprising with all this going on that couples in their first seven years of marriage are so prone to divorce?

*47\164\2*

Weave the threads of sensuality and colour powerfully into your life. Colour is a fabulous way to enhance romance, love and relationships. Team information on sensual colour psychology with positive communication strategies and notice the changes in your relationship. Colourful changes. You will enjoy them, absolutely. The Colour of Sex provides you with romantic remedies for tired relationships, romantic concepts to make a first date lead to a lasting relationship, (if that’s what you want) and fascinating ideas to take you to loving seduction. It is for lovers, spouses and new partners.

We have combined knowledge of the effects of colour with powerful information on human behaviours, sensuality and relationships. Much of the information is new. What is not new is sex drive. Perhaps happy sex has been put on the back burner for you because of stress or circumstances you can’t change. Nevertheless, if you are single, you are still driven to look for a partner, enjoy the romance of a new relationship, lust after the sex and sensuality which go hand in hand with it, and set in place commitment and behaviours to establish a long-lasting loving relationship. And you are not alone. Men and women in long-term relationships yearn for all the substance of sexual success as well as romance. For a variety of reasons the loving seems to get buried in comfortable practical security.

*1\74\8*

You need your home to look attractive too so you feel proud when your guest comes calling. Can’t afford the home decor you yearn for? Choose some splashes of happy colours as accents in the meantime. Something as simple as a vase of flowers or new and colourful cushions, will make you look and feel confident. Having a completely bland colour scheme doesn’t send a sensual message about you.

Keep your home clean and tidy. Nothing turns off a potential partner faster than messiness, so get rid of clutter and dirt. This will give you a great sense of freedom and clarity as though a load has been lifted. The truth is, it has. Clean it up, brighten it up and watch your spirits and confidence soar.

Develop your tactile ability and identify the feelings of touch you enjoy most. Touch surfaces, fabrics and furniture, not only people. After you have cleaned your home for your guest, touch ornaments, touch furniture surfaces, feel your towels and feel your sheets and pillow cases. Derive pleasure from feeling the differences. Which ones appeal? Run your hands over surfaces and objects. Enjoy the variety of warmth and cool as well as hard, soft, slippery, smooth, and textured.

The smell of your home, your kitchen, your bathroom and eventually your bedroom are indicators of your sensuality as well. Clean, fresh and natural smells are enticing. Air your home just one key fragrance at a time so you don’t confuse the senses. Florals in summer and spring and something more aromatic or regularly. Having a fragrant home is appealing and you may decide to use potpourri or oil burners using essential oils throughout your home. If you do, choose spicy for autumn and winter is a good way to go. Fresh flowers with an attractive perfume are always a winner as well. According to Feng Shui, fragrance in a home creates good chi or energy.

*7\74\8*

Take a new look at yourself. Decide to involve the senses as much as possible in your life. Be as sensual as you can. Examine what you do each day to recognise and gratify your sensuality. Then you can bring that awareness to your romance. What can yourself more in tune with your senses of sight, touch, sound, taste and smell?

It’s not only becoming more aware, it’s translating it into action in your relationship. For a successful relationship and added romance, choose positive action for all the senses:

1. present the best visual appearance of yourself

2. give attention to your grooming

3. have the best communication possible

4. make every room in your home attractive

5. have the best and cleanest smells in your home

6. have the most pleasant musical sounds in your home

7. tidy your garden, your yard and your car

8. have the best tastes in food without worrying about being an expert chef

9. have the courage to lightly touch a friend, to reach out and show emotion without anyone feeling overwhelmed

Challenge yourself to work on these areas. You know deep down the areas you are sloppy in. They’re ones you don’t feel very confident about too. Do something about them. You won’t become a fabulous and sensual person overnight. You will however become a confidently sensual person who is not afraid to express your desires.

*12\74\8*

We asked Elizabeth, who is in her late 40s, to list her courting behaviours when she went out on a first date and after much honest consideration and embarrassment about her modus operandi, this is the list she came up with:

1. When 1 like someone, early on in the relationship 1 touch his hands, or arm or sometimes even his face easily. Being very honest with myself, it’s because 1 know that touching begins the bonding process. Being more honest, I know I need to be touched too. So touching him satisfies some of my needs.

2. I am talkative and am prepared to reveal intimate details (not sexual but personal) about my life.

3. I am good at getting a man to talk about himself. He will often say at the end of a dinner date, ‘I don’t usually talk about myself so much’.

4. I make good eye contact and smile a lot.

5. I laugh at his jokes and encourage him to tell me more. In fact, I make him the key player.

6. I allow him to open doors for me, pull out my chair and make decisions about wine.

7. I wear a subtle perfume.

8. I wear an attractive outfit that is stylish and not too sexy.

9. Unless it is a very casual date, I wear high heels.

10.1 wear sexy underwear so I feel good, although there is no way he is going to see them on the first date.

11.1 show some leg.

12. My make-up is carefully applied and my hair well groomed.

13.1 sit opposite him so his focus of attention is on me.

14. As we walk from the restaurant, if I like him, I let my arm brush his.

15. If I like him, I kiss him on the cheek as I thank him for the evening.

16. When I speak to him next on the phone I thank him once more for the pleasant time we had.

17. In person or on the phone, I always make him laugh, not uproariously, more because I say unusual things.

18.1 become very personal on the telephone. I want to break down any formality and allow us to move on with shared special times.

19. My home is always very neat and tidy with lovely flowers near the entrance.

20. My bedroom always looks good and has a sense of romance in it. This is not for him at this stage, but for me. It makes me feel romantically confident.

Elizabeth has had some very successful relationships and some not so good. She has made a conscious decision now to be less proactive and let a man do the hunting and chasing. Being more mysterious and revealing less about herself early on will be her new modus operandi. She realises she has told some new men almost everything very early in the relationship. She admits when she doesn’t hear from an interested partner, she contacts him under some small pretext. To be quite frank, she told us, she ^ made herself too available and too easy to seduce. Her new approach now, for she feels she has nothing to lose, is to slow down the courting process. Instead of phoning to speak to her new love interest she is prepared to wait for him to phone her. If he never phones, so be it.

*17\74\8*

On a first date, you want to be confident, comfortable and show yourself off to the best advantage. A first date is in many ways like going for a job interview. There, you present yourself in the best light possible, dress in an appropriate manner and hope you say the right words and have the answers to get the job. You feel nervous beforehand and don’t know afterwards if the prospective employer finds you acceptable.

So it is the first time you go out with a new love interest. You think carefully about where to go, what to wear and how to behave. You feel nervous beforehand hoping everything goes well. Sometimes you feel like cancelling because the pain or anxiety doesn’t seem worth it. Because there is no intimate history between you, the first date is fraught with awkwardness.

Consider the impact of colour psychology within restaurants. Colour isn’t everything for the first date but it will certainly have a subconscious effect.

• a restaurant decorated in peach or apricot tones, or with terracotta floof tiles having peach/orange tones as a strong feature, or at least the cloths or serviettes in these colours, encourages conversation and closer communication. These colours are warmer and more romantic than blues and greens.

* A restaurant using a lot of yellow, even though it creates a happy friendly atmosphere could also increase the anxiety of both parties on a first date, or in someone who is tired after a busy day. Come back to it as the romance blossoms. (A yellow decorated venue works very well to stimulate ideas and conversation if a relationship becomes stale later on. It can also add some fun to a romance which may be suffering from being too serious and boring.)

• For the first date stay away from a restaurant which is decorated in red, unless your aim is to have a sexual relationship from the very beginning. Red stimulates the senses enormously. Do you want a long-lasting and romantic relationship? Don’t go to bed with your new friend on the first date. Let the relationship develop. Getting to know each other mentally and spiritually before you know each other physically gives you more chance of developing a lasting friendship. Once the flirting reaches a certain level, a red restaurant may be the prelude for your first sexual encounter.

• A restaurant decorated with pinks is not a good idea for the first encounter. It is too romantic. Keep it in mind for later on in the relationship.

• How about blue? No. It’s too cool, too contemplative and not stimulating enough for your first rendezvous unless the restaurant uses some warm tones as decorative touches with the blue. If your relationship later has tension in it, blue will help calm and release animosity and anxiety. Turquoise however, has a light-hearted air. It is more suitable at the beginning of the relationship than blue.

• A restaurant decor based on green is relaxing and rejuvenating after a busy day.

• Neutrals perhaps? Look at the cloths and napkins used to enliven the white, beige, cream or grey walls. Notice the colour of the plates, the flooring and the wall decorations. What you are aiming for is something warm and inviting and most important, conducive to conversation. Is the food and its presentation important? Of course but as is the way with intimacy, food becomes almost secondary to the emotional communication.

*22\74\8*

Bipolar manic depression is a disorder characterized by periods of major depression alternating with periods of elevated mood. When those periods of elation are severe, they are known as mania and the diagnosis is bipolar I. When the periods of elation are relatively mild, or hypomanic, the diagnosis is bipolar II. About 25% of the people who experience major depression also experience these periods of high, and the contrast between the two poles (hence the term «bipolar») is dramatic. Hypomanic patients become overactive socially, physically, and sexually. Characteristically tireless in energy, they may be garrulous and expansive, charming, and irritable or angry, and they are often seductive at the office, cracking risque jokes. During a full manic episode, into which the hypomanic state sometimes grows, the increased energy is extreme. People experiencing this manic state may literally go for two or three days without sleep at all. Hypomanic people, who usually require only four or five hours of sleep, are constantly busy, talking, telephoning.

faxing, planning, and implementing numerous schemes. Hypomanic women in the home are often described as «super moms.» Everyone tends to admire hypomaniacs except when they seem to lose judgment or snap back angrily when their opinion is challenged or when they are crossed. Their minds often race, and they periodically overestimate their own abilities. Their judgment in politics, business, and the arts may be extremely sharp. Yet at other times their judgment is poor. As the hypomanic mood develops, at times coming dangerously close to a full mania, they may take irresponsible risks, drive recklessly, go on spending sprees, or participate in a multitude of sexual liaisons.

In the most severe form of the illness, manic-depressive patients become psychotic. Those who experience four or more mood swings a year are referred to as rapid cycling manic depressives.

Even though patients often use the word «high» to describe these hypomanic or manic episodes, the mood in many cases is not euphoric but irritable, paranoid, and angry, leading to confrontations and rage attacks. In its most severe form, known as psychotic mania, the manic-depressive patient may hallucinate or have grandiose religious or paranoid delusions. Because manic patients seldom perceive that they are ill, they often refuse to see psychiatrists or take any medication. However, if severe mania is left untreated, there is a risk of full psychosis and collapse brought on by physical and mental exhaustion. Hospitalization is usually required to prevent harm to themselves or others. Often, this hospitaliza-tion must be made at the request of the family, and, unfortunately, it must occasionally be legally forced when two psychiatrists deem that the patient presents a threat to him or herself or to others in the community.

*2\22\6*

Having a surgical operation throws your life into turmoil, at least for a while. The length of time you’re out of action obviously depends on how severe the illness is, and the prognosis will determine the way you face the rest of your life. If there is a threat to your life, survival will naturally be your first priority.

A medical crisis can make you take a long look at yourself and your relationships with others. There’s nothing quite like the risk of losing someone close to stimulate some soul-searching. Have I been taking him for granted? Could we have spent more time together? How important is my partner in my life?

Many types of surgery can change your body image and affect the way you feel about yourself sexually. Both men and women can feel physically violated after an operation, and it is common to feel embarrassed and self-conscious about scarring.

The rapid advancements in ‘keyhole surgery’ have been made possible by massive leaps forward in fibre optic and laser technology. Operations from knee reconstructions to gall bladder removal, even hysterectomy, are now being accessed through tiny incisions. There have been some big advantages.

Because there is less pain you spend less time in hospital and you are back to your normal activities faster. Because the incisions are so much smaller, the cosmetic result is much better and there is less of an impact on your body image. This has to be good news but there are some conditions where the treatment has to involve surgery that is invasive and disfiguring. Mastectomy for breast cancer is one of these.

*135\17\9*

What would really help is preparation — talking about the likely changes so you don’t think you’re going crazy and how to cope with problems as they arise. Terence told me, ‘I wish there had been some way of preparing myself for the incredible change in my lifestyle. We sailed through the labor without a hitch, but the day they said it was time to go home I went into a real panic. You go along to the childbirth education classes and learn all about getting the baby into the world, but no one tells you anything past that. Your friends who don’t have kids abandon you once the novelty wears off.’ With a hint of sadness he added, ‘I’d never thought of myself as a boring family man, but here I am. Not that I’d change a thing, I just think that’s how my old friends see me now. I guess they’ll come back once they’re boring old dads too. They’ll probably need my advice then.’

Counselling can really help if parents are having problems they can’t deal with. According to the experts, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The normal sexual relationship between a couple is likely to resume six to twelve months after the birth but it might take up to two years. John made an important point. ‘Sex just takes a secondary role for a while. You look at that beautiful smiling face that you have helped to create, and you are overwhelmed by all the positive things it brings to your relationship.’

*114\17\9*

The success rate of fertility programs refers to the ‘take-home-baby rate’, but for every one of these babies (the ‘success stories’) many more will have a near miss. One of the cruellest blows is when the euphoria of a positive pregnancy test turns to disaster when the pregnancy miscarries. After an assisted fertilization, things are monitored so closely that a pregnancy test is done just two weeks after the insertion of the embryo. Jenny recalled, ‘When they called me from the clinic to say that the pregnancy test was positive I was over the moon. Even though we tried not to get too excited, after a couple of weeks we just couldn’t help choosing names and making plans for this baby. We didn’t dare have intercourse in case it did something to risk the baby. When I started bleeding it was worse than a nightmare. It was like going through a death in the family. We were absolutely shell-shocked.’

So when is enough enough? The answer could well be, ‘How long is a piece of string?’ Of course, the decision to stop is a very personal one and there can’t be one hard and fast rule that applies to everyone. For some couples, the stress of their first attempt will be enough to let them know that they do not want to pursue it any further. One man said, ‘We tried one cycle and it failed. Although we had been told what to expect, we both found the whole process overwhelming. We talked it over with the counsellor from the clinic and with our specialist, then we talked between ourselves for hours. We decided that the most important thing for us was each other. We just accepted that we were not meant to have babies. We planned a trip overseas and we are going to concentrate on our careers. One day we might adopt, but we can think about that when the time comes. In the meantime we will be the world’s greatest uncle and aunt!’

*94\17\9*

There’s an old saying that you have to work at marriage. Now while that’s definitely true, it helps if you start off with the right raw materials: some interests in common, compatible goals in life, an ability to compromise and adapt, an ability to listen, compatible beliefs about childraising and financial management, mutual respect, and that indeterminate ‘chemistry’. While you don’t have to have a full house, it helps if you have a few of the cards in your hand.

The more you see of relationships the clearer it becomes that chance plays a major role in their success. When you consider the changes we go through as we get older, it’s a wonder that any two people who had compatible goals and needs in their twenties are still on the same wavelength at sixty or seventy. People would need to change in the same direction as they get older to continue to fulfil each other’s needs.

Add to this the well established fact that respective sexual peaks of men and women happen in totally separate decades of life, then you start to suspect there really might be something to this theory about the Creator with a wry sense of humor. But let’s take a look at this ‘well established fact’.

*74\17\9*

Despite the excellent organisation of the lymphatic system, as we have just seen, the lymph often needs help. For example, a deficiency of calcium or vitamin D creates a problem for the lymphatics. Swellings in children, notably in the region of the groin and at times on the neck or behind the lower ear, can be attributed to this deficiency. Lack of calcium and vitamin D is marked by susceptibility to colds and catarrh, sore throats and other infectious diseases, as well as loss of appetite, irritability and constant fatigue.

Plenty of exercise and fresh air are a boon for our lymphatic system. Mountain sun and sea air, if enjoyed in sensible measures, have an excellent effect on the lymph.

A proven botanical remedy especially recommended for building up the lymphatic system is the subtropical plant Echinacea. Echin-aforce, the tincture from this plant, can be taken internally as well as applied externally, and brings speedy relief in cases of swollen lymph nodes and blood poisoning. For external use the freshly squeezed green leaves can be made into a pack or poultice, or a cotton swab can be soaked with the tincture and placed on the affected area. If the condition is an acute one, take ten drops of the tincture with a little water every hour. Because of its effectiveness, Echinaforce should be kept in the medicine chest of every home.

*198/28/1*

Even though the blood has been subdivided into groups, the Rh factor has been discovered, and we know already that the texture of our blood may be either coarse or fine (similar to the skin with its coarse or fine pores), there are many singularities of the blood that remain unknown. Just think of the mysteries surrounding the content and structure of an individual’s blood. It is left to the scientists to lift the veil as time goes by.

If the blood, this truly mysterious red fluid of life, had already been sufficiently researched, there would hardly be some 20,000 deaths a year due to blood transfusions in the United States alone.
In the future, it is probable that surgeons, having been made aware of the great risks involved in transfusing human blood, will only make use of the much improved and effective non-blood plasma and blood replacements that are now available. Let me also mention that hepatitis, a much feared inflammation of the liver with infectious jaundice, has frequently resulted from blood transfusions. The prevention of serum hepatitis as a consequence of blood transfusions is a problem that has not yet been solved. In more recent times, AIDS too has been passed on through blood transfusions. Considering that even the medical director of an American blood bank has expressed serious concern over the risks involved in transfusions and that many surgeons, as a result of unsatisfactory experiences, prefer to work with substitutes, is there
any wonder that the patient should wish to express his personal preference, talk it over with the surgeon and then make his own decision?

*191/28/1*

It is important that growing children, indeed all of us, eat wholefoods and avoid white sugar and white flour products as much as possible. Food should be eaten in the same condition that nature or the Creator made it grow. In wholefoods you will find all the vitamins and minerals in the right proportions and combinations. Always bear in mind the advice to go back to natural foods and avoid those artificial refined products that human commercial greed has imposed upon us. While the manufacturer profits, the body suffers. Of course, the damage does not necessarily show up from one day to the next. The consequences of deficiencies, chemical additives and other aspects of convenience foods take time to manifest themselves, but sooner or later most people fall victim to them. Whether it is cancer, increased susceptibility to infection and disease, low resistance, a debilitation of the body, or any other known or yet unknown ailment affecting the central nervous system, they are always to be reckoned with. These frightening consequences of man’s ignorance and greed are brought about by our lack of resistance, which depends on a healthy body resulting from a natural way of life and natural nutrition.

*184/28/1*

Important Factors in the Treatment of Pulmonary Diseases It is strange that orthodox medicine still does not pay enough attention to the basic healing factors in the treatment of lung patients. Much can be achieved by rest, light, air and sun, and their value has been proved beyond doubt. The words ‘Lift up your eyes to the mountains whence your help comes’ are inscribed over the entrance of a sanatorium in Arosa, Switzerland. They are an honest admission by orthodox medicine that it is primarily the air – mountain air in particular – which provides a cure for lung diseases.

Another factor must not be forgotten either, and that is nutritional therapy. The body must be supplied with the substances it lacks before it can attempt regeneration. First on the list are foods rich in calcium and vitamins — these are indispensable. Raw, freshly pressed carrot juice or raw, finely grated carrots, the freshly pressed juice of grapes, oranges and grapefruit, and other wholesome juices, should be taken slowly in little sips and well insalivated. If you observe this advice, the fruit acid will cause no unpleasant gastric disturbance.

*177/28/1*

There is no doubt that fresh mountain air has a favourable effect on our health and those who are fortunate enough to be able to spend their holidays in the mountains should take every advantage

of it. Alternatively, if you are unable to visit the mountains, you may go to the seaside, where the air is not bad either, as long as it is unpolluted. The main thing is to get away from factories and busy roads.

Let me here draw your attention to the advice given in the sections ‘Happiness Means Health’ and ‘Breathing Means Life’. A positive mental attitude acts as a preventative to illness, signifying half the cure so to speak. For this reason it is good if the doctor keeps a careful eye on his patient’s mental disposition, so that he can discuss this important factor with him. Moreover, proper breathing exercises contribute a great deal to the patient’s improvement. Every nature-oriented doctor will appreciate the importance of these natural preventative measures and healing factors, knowing that health is not primarily a matter of taking medicines. He will thus be able to share in the patient’s delight when the recovery is complete.

*170/28/1*

Ah, food! We can’t live without it, but sometimes it seems like we can’t live with it, either. It can make us fat, it can encourage cancer, it can promote heart disease. We can become obsessed with it, and yet we have to eat, for our bodies need a wide variety of nutrients every day in order to keep humming along in peak condition. How can we get everything we need without overdoing it? And how can we feel truly satisfied without gaining unwanted pounds?

The answer is simpler than you might think. Take a lesson from the Biblical story of Daniel. The king told his steward to feed Daniel and his three friends-the richest food and the finest wine, but Daniel declined. He wanted only grains, vegetables, and water. After 10 days on this regime, Daniel appeared much healthier and better fed than his friends who had been feasting on heavier fare.

I like to remind my patients to eat like Daniel did. The bulk of the diet should be made up of grains (whole-grain breads, cereals, and pastas). To that, add plenty of vegetables (raw or lightly steamed are best) and several pieces of fruit. Then, add small amounts of meat, fish, poultry, peas, beans, or lentils for protein, plus modest amounts of dairy products for calcium Fatty foods like salad dressing, oil, butter, margarine, and mayonnaise should be used sparingly, just for flavor. Sweets should also be eaten only occasionally, as a treat.

Thin shouldn’t be confused with healthy. I treat many very thin models—women who weigh between 95 and 110 pounds. They’re thin, but at the same time some of them are significantly «overfat!» Of course you don’t ever know it by looking at them. Still, body weight is accounted for by a combination of lean body tissue (bones and muscle) and fat tissue. It’s quite possible for a 100-pound woman to look slim but carry only 70 of those pounds as lean body tissue and 30 of them as fat. But fat should account for no more than 20 to 25 percent of a healthy woman’s body weight, and about 15 percent of the average man’s weight. So the 100-pound woman in our example is overfat and therefore unhealthy. It’s much more prudent to focus on improving your health rather than on trying to reach a designated dress size or number on the scale. Remember: Thinness and good health are two different things.

Research studies conducted under ideal conditions are one thing, but I always want to know how well something works in the real world, where conditions are not always perfect. Fortunately, my patients have enjoyed excellent results with this amazing yet simple substance. I’ve used Chitosan for years. One of my early Chitosan patients was Joan, a 40-year-old attorney from trendy Brentwood, California. Her ideal weight was 125 pounds and she was frustrated, because even though she’d been dieting conscientiously, she seemed to be stuck at 145. When I first saw her in my office she said, «I want to lose weight, but only in a healthy way. No crazy diets for me.»

Since she was already following a highly nutritious, medically safe, low-calorie diet, I felt that she just needed an extra push to get her unstuck. I prescribed Chitosan and she began losing half a pound, then 1 pound a week. «The weight just melted off me,» she later reported. «It was easy.»

I was glad to see Joan’s weight drop down to her ideal range. And I was delighted to note that the Chitosan also pushed up her «good» HDL cholesterol while driving the «bad» LDL

cholesterol down. She became slimmer and healthier simultaneously.

John, a 36-year-old entertainment personality, was also pleased with Chitosan’s fat-blocking prowess. He lived north of Sunset in Beverly Hills, the choice place to reside in the City of the Stars. «My belly’s bulging over my pants, Dr. Fox,» he said one day as he slapped his paunch. «I’ve tried following the diet you told me about, but my schedule is crazy and I’m always eating the junk they bring on the set. Can you help me?»

I measured the circumference of John’s abdomen. It was greater than the circumference of his hips. That is a shorthand way I often use for estimating that my patients are at increased risk for heart disease. You can check it out for yourself. If the measurement comes in «backwards»

(as one of my patients
phrased it), with the abdomen measurement greater than the hip measurement, it’s high time you did something about it. In John’s case, it was not only that his weight was a health problem, in his business it was an image problem, too. I got him started with Chitosan and the Fat Blocker Program, and soon he was losing weight. After a few months on the program his belly was no longer hanging over his pants, and his abdomen-to-hip ratio shrunk to .75. (This means that the circumference of his abdomen was only 75 percent that of his hips, which is a good indication that patients are safe from heart disease.)

«That did the trick,» he told me a few months later in my office, proudly showing me his newly slim waistline. «This has given me the confidence to stick to a healthy diet—forever. No more belly over the pants for me.»

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There is no doubt that the risk of coronary heart disease rises as the cholesterol increases. Conversely, the risk drops as cholesterol falls. Although the American Heart Association recommends that the total cholesterol be 200 or less, I feel that this is too high. It may be average, but being average in this country is a risky proposition. After all, the average person with the average cholesterol gets the average heart attack or stroke. Being average isn’t healthy. We want to be better than average—much better.

I tell my patients that we should aim for ideal cholesterol and fat numbers, not average. It may not be possible for all of us to have ideal numbers, but we should know what we’re striving for.

The fat blocker diet-Here is the ideals:

♦ Total cholesterol—150, or no more than 100 plus your age

♦ LDL «bad» cholesterol»—100 or less

♦ HDL «good» cholesterol—55 plus

♦ VLDL cholesterol—20 or less

♦ Triglycerides—less than 100

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Claire, a 48-year-old, 200-pound nurse whom I’ve known for many years, recently showed me her computerized «diet database.»

«Look at this, Dr. Fox,» she said proudly, pointing to the computer screen. «Here’s a list of the diets I’ve been on, arranged alphabetically.» It looked like there were 30 or 40 diets on the screen, from Atkins down to Zone.

New words and numbers appeared on the screen moments after she tapped a few keys on the keyboard. «Now they’re arranged by pounds lost. See?» She pointed to the first item on the list.

«I lost 50 pounds on liquid protein, that’s the most, then 42 pounds when my jaw was wired and 28 pounds on this fruit only diet. And look at this.»

The display changed as she tapped a few more keys. «Now I’ve got them listed by amounts of weight regained after going off the diet. And the list in this column shows the side effects of each diet.» She sat back in her chair, smiling proudly. «This is the most complete record of dieting ever compiled. By name, by dates that I was on the diet, by pounds lost, pounds gained, side effects, and cost; I’ve got it all.» Her smile faded as she continued. «Unfortunately, I’ve also still got all the fat I started with.» Claire is not alone. One out of every three American adults is obese¹ and millions more are carrying around too much fat and becoming obese. Despite the fitness craze that arose in the 1970s and still continues, America is not a slim and healthy nation. But we certainly want to be (and quickly), so we turn to fad diets.

In the early years of my practice of internal medicine and cardiology, I put many people on weight-loss diets in an attempt to improve their health. But things did not go nearly as well as I had hoped. In fact, I once joked to a colleague, «I think I’m running a weight gain practice.» Many of my patients were actually getting heavier on the unimpressive diets we doctors used to recommend back in the 1950s and 1960s.

In the 40 years I’ve practiced medicine, I’ve seen every kind of diet you can imagine: water diets, grapefruit diets, the Drinking Man’s Diet, the Stillman and Atkins diets, pineapple diets, starvation diets, no-carbohydrate diets, starch-blocking diets, diets with pills, diets without pills, «scientific» diets, «common sense» diets, army diets, air force diets, American diets, foreign diets, liquid diets, and liquid protein diets. I learned about these diets from my colleagues, from the medical literature, from my patients, from my secretary, from my wife, even from Reader’s Digest and The Ladies’ Home Journal.

My patients have always asked me which diet was the best, which one they should be on. I knew you could lose a lot of
weight quickly on almost any of the diets, but I always hesitated to recommend one. Once I was approached by a manufacturer of the supplement used in the

Starch-Blocker Diet, who asked me to say something positive about the pill. As I spoke with the manufacturer, I realized that he didn’t know how much trouble this starch-blocking supplement could create as it blocked the ability of the pancreas to make an enzyme called amylase. Sure enough, many people who went on this diet suffered from nausea, vomiting, and other problems. The moral of the story is you must learn everything you can about a diet or supplement before you take it, and avoid it if the answers are not positive.

The problem with most all the fad diets is they are ill conceived, ineffective in the long run, and often dangerous. The originators and purveyors of these diets do
not understand (or have chosen to ignore) the underlying meaning and rationale of diets. Most of us think of a diet as a quick way to lose weight. We see it as a temporary device, a way to control ourselves or juggle food around. And once we’ve lost the desired amount of weight, we quickly and happily discard it.

The word «diet» comes from the Greek word «diaita,» which means a mode of life or a regimen. A diet, then, is not a temporary aid to be dropped and forgotten when the weight-loss goal is met. Instead, it is a lifelong plan, a blueprint for your life and health.

You can lose weight (at least temporarily) on just about any diet. But before you do, ask yourself 2 very important questions: How are you losing the weight? And how will the process affect your health?

There are three ways to lose weight: 1) By getting rid of water in your tissues; 2) By forcing your body to consume lean body tissue such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, or muscles; or 3) By burning fatty tissue.

Losing water weight, as you do with the high-protein diets and diuretics, is absolutely worthless because you will quickly replace the lost water and find yourself right back where you started. Losing and regaining water is not only a big waste of time and money, but it can also cause you to lose vital minerals, which can prompt serious medical problems.

Cutting into your lean body tissue is also a dangerous, possibly deadly, approach. Vital organs can become undermined, leading to organ damage and even organ failure. The only safe, sound, and permanent weight-loss method is burning off excess fat. Doing so takes time and patience, but fad diet promoters would rather promise quick and easy weight loss. Unfortunately, their promises are usually just hot air. Numerous studies have shown that 95 percent of those who lose 30 to 40 pounds or more on fad diets will gain it all back (often with interest) within 1 year. And 99 percent will have gained back all the lost weight within 3 years.

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