How To Be Healthy In A Time Of Crisis

How to Be Healthy in a Time of Crisis

Introduction

I have invested most of my time during the past 40 years of my life to be able to answer the following questions calmly and confidently when someone contacts me because they are suffering through a personal health crisis:

• Why did this happen to me? How did I get sick?

• How do I get well? How do I stay well? And with our global Coronavirus Pandemic (Covid-19) these same questions are now front and center in the hearts and minds of most human beings on planet earth.

• Covid-19 is having the biggest negative impact on the most vulnerable members of society: people who have the weakest and most compromised immune systems, including everyone with a pre-existing medical condition.

• The people with the healthiest, strongest, most resilient and least compromised immune systems are doing the best under these most trying and challenging of circumstances. You need to know the answers to these questions:

1. What nourishes and supports our immune system?

2. What foods, beverages, supplements and lifestyle habits normalize and empower the functions and abilities of our immune system?

3. What weakens and disempowers our immune system?

4. What foods, beverages, supplements, medications and lifestyle habits weaken and disempower the functions and abilities of our immune system?

The best defense against the coronavirus or any other virus is a normally functioning immune system. Eighty percent of the antibodyproducing cells of our immune system depends upon the health and normal functioning of our digestive system.

The health of our digestive system depends upon the health of our intestinal microbiome. Everything is downstream of the microbiome. If our microbiome is healthy our immune system will be healthy and then we will be healthy. It’s as simple as that.

My new book Principle Eating: The No Diet Way to Complete Health instructs you exactly how to do this in a way that is easy to understand and easy and cost-effective to implement.

Click Here to Purchase Book

The coronavirus pandemic has put a giant magnifying glass on the fact that we do not have a comprehensive strategy for health promotion or disease prevention. Washing our hands, wearing face coverings and social distancing are all effective measures in slowing down the transmission of a highly contagious airborne virus, but these measures alone do not get to the deepest root cause of the problem.

The deepest root cause of the problem is this:

We do not have a health-care system. We have a disease-care system.

We have a dis-ease care system that treats the symptoms of dis-ease with drugs or surgery and completely overlooks, diminishes and denies the known and verifiable root causes of those dis-ease symptoms.

We need a new approach.

I have been a pioneer of this new approach for over 40 years!

Here’s what I know to be true:

The relationship between nutrition and health is not casual; it’s causal.

A well-nourished body doesn’t make mistakes.

Food is the soil from which the tree of our own life is grown. Nothing is neutral. Everything is either complementary or insulting. When we find and do the things that nourish our cells best, all will be well.

We are all in this together. We must learn to honor the earth and each other.

Principle Eating: The No Diet Way to Complete Health is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide and a definitive owner’s manual that provides answers to some of the most important questions of our time:

• What are the actual root causes of all physical dysfunction, disorder and dis-ease?

• How can I regain, maintain and optimize my health and wellbeing right now?

“This book is a lighthouse beacon into a safe harbor where health can be restored.”

Dan Shanahan, author The Lotus Seed Poems

Click Here for More Book Reviews

There’s never been a more pressing and urgent reason to regain, maintain and optimize our physical health and well-being than Covid-19.

Not in my lifetime has there been near universal agreement in the minds and hearts of people around the world as to the number one priority of all: our health.

Let’s be and become the healthiest version of ourselves and let’s invite everyone we know and everyone we don’t know to be and become the healthiest version of themselves too.

This free eBook How to Be Healthy in a Time of Crisis contains several of the most important chapters from the print book. To purchase the printed version, please click here.

Be well today and always,

Russell Mariani

April 2021

Russell Mariani is the co-founder of The Center for Functional Nutrition in South Hadley, Massachusetts. He is a Health Educator and Digestive Wellness Expert. In 1973 he was diagnosed with medically incurable Ulcerative Colitis. He chose a path of Nutritional Healing based upon the principles and practices described in his new book: Principle Eating: The No Diet Way to Complete Health. He got better quickly and has been healthy and symptom-free for over 40 years. Since 1980 he has helped thousands of people regain their health

through dietary and lifestyle improvements through classes, seminars, retreats and personal consultations. He is passionate about teaching others how to be and become more proactive in their own self-care.

The Roots of Health

This is an explanation of the seven root cause areas of health that also happens to be a good explanation of the seven root cause areas of all chronic, degenerative diseases including all digestive system disorders.

Remember that 80% of the antibody producing cells of our immune system come from specialized glands located in our small intestines. These glands are protected and supported by a healthy intestinal microbiome. This means that if your digestive system is healthy, your immune system is healthy. This is very important to know at any time but particularly important to remember during a time of crisis. Antibody-producing cells are the type of immune system cells that kill viruses and other invader organisms, including bacterial ones.

Introduction

Physical health is the foundation upon which we build the rest of our lives. The quality of our physical health depends upon the quality of the life of our cells. If our cells are healthy, then we are healthy. It’s as simple as that.

We live and die at the cellular level.

The body is constantly healing itself.

Nothing is neutral.

Everything we do, especially everything we put into our body in the form of food, drink, supplements or medicines or anything else we put into our body is either complementary and helpful to the way the

cells of our body have been designed to function or it is (or they are) insulting and actively harmful.

Nothing is neutral.

Nothing we do to or with our body has a neutral or “no” impact on our health and well-being. Everything we do has an impact. That impact is either helpful or harmful: health-promoting or healthdestroying.

All of these impacts are either complementary or insulting to the way the cells of our body have been designed to function. And every cell has been designed to function normally, in spite of many nasty rumors to the contrary.

Whether the cells in our body function normally or abnormally is mostly up to us and the choices and decisions we make every day of our lives. If our cells function normally, we are healthy. If are cells are not functioning normally, then we are not healthy. Please remember this. The sum-total or synergistic effect of all these various impacts determines the quality of our health and the quantity of years that we are able to enjoy our health… or not enjoy our health.

Over the years, I have identified seven (7) distinct and inter-related root cause areas where these various complementary or insulting impacts or habits are to be found. I will use the word habits to cover ALL impacts, behaviors and influences in our diet and lifestyle that affect our health and well-being.

The most effective way to address and in most cases to permanently resolve any health challenge whatsoever from the most minor to the most serious is to identify the habits in our diet and lifestyle that are insulting and then to make a commitment to transform them into complementary habits and then PRACTICE the complementary habits correctly and consistently to the best of our ability.

When we practice complementary habits consistently, our body will do the rest. The cells in our body will do the rest. If our cells are healthy, then we are healthy.

The cells in our body contain amazing intelligence, resourcefulness, ingenuity and creativity. At the first indication that we have seriously amended and transformed our ways of eating and living and being, the cells in our body will initiate a comprehensive cellular regeneration and repair process: in ALL of our organs and tissues and systems and cells.

We should be very grateful that our cells retain this ability to repair and heal themselves no matter how badly we have treated them in the past. No matter how badly we have insulted the cells in our body, no matter how damaged they have become, they still love us; unconditionally: and they are happy to prove this to us!

All we have to do is to transform our insulting habits into complementary habits.

And, most importantly, as long as we continue to implement and practice the complementary habits consistently and minimize, avoid or completely eliminate the insulting habits, our body will continue this process of cellular regeneration, renewal and repair until our wholebody health and total well-being have been fully and completely restored.

This is how our body heals itself and keeps itself healthy.

Our bodies are amazing.

Our bodies heal themselves from the inside out, at the cellular level.

“Our bodies, and every organ, tissue and system within our bodies, build themselves from single cells and renew themselves through the constant interchange of food, water and air. The cells of the human body seem to remember their original unity, even when they have organized and become the elements of an innumerable multitude. Each cell understands spontaneously and intuitively the functions required of them inside the organized whole. This innate knowledge of the part they must play in the manifestation of a healthy, wholesome body is a consciousness or mode of being inside each and every cell.”

Man

the Unknown, Alexis Carrel (1935)

In order for the cells in our body to heal themselves, they simply require our conscious attention and consistent cooperation, assistance and support.

When we find and do consistently the things that nourish the cells in our body best, all will be well today and in all the days ahead.

The Seven Root Cause Areas Are:

1. Mindfulness

2. Proper Daily Hydration

3. Micronutrient Deficiencies

4. Macronutrient Imbalances

5. Intestinal Dysbiosis

6. Oxidative Stress

7. Redox Molecules: Deficiencies & Imbalances

Root Cause Area #1: Mindfulness

This is the area of Personal Integrity and Being Proactive. This is the area of Personal Responsibility. This is the area of basic Common Sense.

Each person, BEFORE they get ANY new information or advice from ANY Healthcare Practitioner (including me) from any discipline of Health and Healing, Nutrition and Medicine, Traditional or Alternative, Integrative or Holistic — whatever the school of thought, wherever and from whomever the source of new information and advice — already possesses a lot of information and relevant experience.

Each person should evaluate and value all this information and experience first.

What do you already know to be true about your own body and what it needs and what it doesn’t need? What it wants and doesn’t want?

What do you already know or think you know about what works and what doesn’t work to bring your body back into balance and harmony, vitality and health?

What are your current beliefs and your current practices or habits in each of the following areas?

Is your health and fitness your number one priority?

Do you exercise daily, properly, moderately, effectively?

Do you exercise for strength, stamina and flexibility?

Are you properly hydrated?

Do you eat balanced whole food meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Are your snack-food choices healthy and wholesome?

Do you drink too much caffeine, alcohol, soda, beer, wine?

Do you consume too many processed foods and junk foods?

Do you eat too fast, not chew properly, eat too late at night?

Do you over-eat in general?

Do you breathe properly? Do you pay attention to your breathing?

Are you grateful? How do you express your gratitude?

Where are the gaps that exist between what you believe to be the most important things about your health and fitness and your current habits?

Do you already know what’s missing from your daily health and fitness routines?

Or, do you really know…that you don’t know where the gaps are and that you really need assistance in getting back on track so you can get yourself well again?

Mindfulness, in its simplest and most powerful expression, is the moment to moment awareness that causes us to make decisions that nourish our selves best and complement our bodies best and support the miraculous abilities of our cells.

This is what I mean when I say: When we find and do…consistently… the things that nourish our cells best…all will be well…today and in all the days ahead.

So, practically speaking, stop what you are doing right now and make a list of all your well-known most insulting habits…and another list of your most complementary habits.

Stop, minimize, avoid or completely eliminate your insulting habits. Start, optimize, increase and practice consistently your complementary habits.

There is a comprehensive explanation and lists of both complementary and insulting habits in the next few pages.

Bring your level of mindfulness to the next level and watch the positive changes that take place. Amaze yourself!

And if you are not sure about where or how to begin this process, keep reading!

Root Cause Area #2: Proper Daily Hydration

Everyone knows that proper daily hydration is a complementary and essential health habit. There is absolutely no doubt about this. However, not everyone understands or practices consistently the most effective way to regain and then maintain proper hydration levels throughout the entire body on a daily and ongoing basis.

Every cell in our body contains water. Every cell in our body contains a salt-water solution called: cytosol. The quality of the cytosol affects the functioning of all of the complex microscopic bio-chemical machinery inside our cells (like mitochondrial function and DNA expression).

Fifty-five to seventy-five percent of the physical structure of every cell is made up of water (cytosol). If there is persistent drought at any level the cell becomes incapable of functioning normally and we begin to suffer from a variety of symptoms and conditions.

When cells become de-hydrated they freak out and set off a variety of alarms. These alarms indicate that a condition of dis-ease is setting up inside our cells and inside our tissues and organ systems. Our whole body is eventually affected.

So many symptoms and conditions of chronic degenerative dis-ease can be fixed and then permanently prevented from ever happening again through the consistent daily practice of proper hydration. Proper daily hydration is transformational.

For specific instructions on the safest and most effective way to properly hydrate your body, please read my explanation of The Watercure Recipe in the next few pages.

Root Cause Area #3: Micronutrient Deficiencies

Micronutrients are the microscopic nutrients inside our foods that we cannot see, which include vitamins, minerals, trace-minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids, pigments like chlorophyll, anti-oxidants like Beta Carotene, etc.

At least 80 different micronutrients have been identified so far and MOST of them play significant roles in the health and normal functioning of the cells in our body.

Therefore, if we become deficient in any one or several of these vitally important micro-nutrients our cells simply cannot function normally and we can begin to suffer from a variety of symptoms and conditions. When these micronutrient deficiencies become chronic and ongoing, our body begins to experience various states of dysfunction, degeneration and eventually dis-ease—including all forms of chronic degenerative type diseases.

We need to restore normal functioning to our entire digestive system in order to be able to digest, absorb and assimilate both the macro-nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, amino acids) that are present in the foods that we eat. To accomplish this we use a variety of food-based nutritional supplements including superfoods, digestive enzymes, antioxidants, probiotics and redox-based supplements. Redox will be explained in Root Cause Area #7.

Root Cause Area #4: Macronutrient Imbalances

Macronutrient Imbalances refers to the correct balance between the various groups of whole foods in our wonderful whole foods cornucopia: grains, beans, root vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, vine vegetables, green leafy vegetables, raw vegetables, cooked vegetables, canned vegetables, pickled vegetables, seeds, nuts, seed butters, nut butters, seasonal fruits, tropical fruits, temperate zone fruits, fruit juice, dried fruits, naturally fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, tofu and tempeh plus eggs, milk, cheese, meat, fish, fowl, wild game, etc.

What is the best balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat? What is the critical distinction between complex carbohydrates and processed and refined carbohydrates? What is the best balance between cooked and raw? Why are fiber-rich foods so important? What are we supposed to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks? And Why?

How can anyone know for sure what we are supposed to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks when there are so many diets and so many conflicting opinions from so many so-called food and diet experts?

Well, for the past forty-plus years I have myself consumed and advocated for others to consume a very simple approach to organic quality (mostly cooked) whole foods based upon a variety of ethnic, cultural and ancestral traditions and a lot of plain old common sense. If we could put ourselves into a time machine and go back in time, 500 or 1,000 or 2,000 years ago, and visit the places where our ancestors lived and worked and played we would find that their basic dietary

habits were centered on the foods listed above in the first paragraph of this section. They had been very consistent for generation after generation, consuming local and regional organic quality and mostly cooked whole foods until the Industrial Revolution (around 1850) brought us the disaster of mass production and heavily processed and refined, denatured and lifeless foods and fake foods and junk foods. Not to mention pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, artificial and synthetic fertilizers, non-sustainable farming practices, etc.

And today we have the challenge of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as well.

The recipes in my book and on our website are a great way to begin the process of changing over your macronutrient diet from many insulting habits and influences to many new and complementary habits and influences. We post new recipes to our website on an ongoing basis.

Root Cause Area #5: Intestinal Dysbiosis

Intestinal Dysbiosis is the opposite of Intestinal Symbiosis. Intestinal Dysbiosis means that there is an overgrowth of opportunistic and pathological bacteria and other pathological and opportunistic organisms living in your digestive system.

It’s challenging to understand and imagine the number of organisms we are talking about here and the profound positive or negative influences they exert and produce, but let’s try.

We know that the human body is composed of at least 100 trillion cells. And that’s a pretty big number. But the number of bacterial (and other) organisms (from now on referred to as “bacteria”) that live inside the human digestive system (in the mouth, throat, stomach, small intestines and large intestines) are in the neighborhood of at least one thousand times a hundred trillion.

Now, that’s a REALLY big number!

This means that what we normally think of as the human body is only 10% of what we are actually composed of—if we simply determine our composition by the number of cells that we are composed of. We will save that interesting conversation for another time.

Simply understand that each and every one of these bacterial organisms that live inside our digestive system consume our food, digest our food and eliminate waste products.

Yes, just like we do.

There are over 500 different species of healthy bacteria discovered so far. These are called the “good bacteria” or probiotics. Five hundred

is a conservative number. I have heard some experts say there are 2 to 3,000 probiotic species!

There are at least an equally large number of unhealthy bacteria that exist and that can find their way into our digestive systems. These are called the “bad bacteria” or dysbiotics.

The waste products generated by the good bacteria are good for us in general and really good for the normal functioning of our digestive system.

For example, the waste products of the good bacteria regulate the pH environment throughout our entire digestive system. When the pH environment is properly balanced and regulated we don’t experience any smelly or painful gas, bloating, cramping, distention or discomfort.

The waste products of the good bacteria include the production of our own endogenous and very powerful antibiotics! One of the most powerful antibiotics that exists is something called acidophilin, which is produced by one of our most prolific and important probiotics called acidophilus. Acidophilus dominates the terrain inside the small intestines.

The waste products of the good bacteria include all of our B-vitamins and B-vitamins are critical components of the cells that make up our immune system.

Oh, and you have already heard or read that 80% of the antibody producing cells of our immune system is manufactured in glands that live in the lining of our small intestine (known as Peyer’s Patches) and these glands or patches are nourished by and protected by the waste products of the good bacteria in our gut.

And on and on and on.

The waste products of our good bacteria produce the environment that allows our digestive system to function normally.

We are supposed to have a “balance” in the microbiome or ecosystem of our gut that is 80% good bacteria and 20% (or less) bad bacteria. This balance is critical not only to the normal functioning of our digestive and immune systems but for all the organs and systems and cells throughout the whole body.

As goes the health of our intestinal microbiome, so goes our health. Another way of saying this is: Everything is downstream of our intestinal microbiome.

So, no doubt you are already starting to imagine the hellish intestinal scenarios that start to play out when the “balance” of good bacteria to

bad bacteria changes from the ideal 80-20 rule (80% good to 20% or less bad bacteria) to something else entirely.

Any other proportion, other than the ideal 80-20 is called Intestinal Dysbiosis. And if you think of the bad bacteria as “weeds” then when you have intestinal dysbiosis you basically have a condition where the weeds have taken over the garden within.

When the bad bacteria dominate the intestinal microbiome there are many problems.

The problems are caused by the waste products eliminated or released into the intestinal eco-system by these bad bacterial organisms.

The bad bacteria eat your food, digest your food and eliminate waste products. It is the waste products of the bad bacteria that are toxic to our digestive system and cause all the various intestinal symptoms, conditions and problems.

So, when you have intestinal dysbiosis, you have an overgrowth of bad bacteria and it is the waste products of these bad bacteria that cause all the symptoms of digestive distress, digestive disorder and digestive dis-ease.

The waste products of the bad bacteria are toxic and very insulting to the health and normal functioning of our intestinal microbiome, which then adversely affects all of the normal processes and procedures of our digestive system.

When we have intestinal dysbiosis the symptoms are many and seemingly endless: gas, bloating, cramping, distention, discomfort, abdominal pain, acid reflux, constipation, diarrhea, headaches, joint pain, mood disorders, insomnia, skin disorders, irritability, food cravings, binge eating or drinking, mental confusion, memory loss, chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety…and many other debilitating symptoms and conditions.

Everything is downstream of the microbiome.

Intestinal Dysbiosis can cause a condition called: Intestinal Permeability or Leaky Gut. Leaky Gut Syndrome is a pervasive problem and can be the root cause of many conditions that do not get properly diagnosed and connected to the core gut issues.

When we have intestinal dysbiosis we do not digest and break down our food effectively; we don’t absorb and assimilate our nutrients effectively (resulting in weight loss or weight gain and many micronutrient deficiency disorders) and we certainly don’t eliminate effectively resulting in constipation and colonic inertia on the one

hand and loose, urgent, frequent and sometimes incontinent bowel movements on the other (and sometimes with blood and mucus).

The reason to eat a healthy diet is so that you are consciously and purposefully feeding and nourishing the growing populations of good bacteria in your gut. This is also the reason we consume probiotic supplements containing various strains of good bacteria. “Prebiotics” are foods and supplements that are conducive to the growth and health of the probiotics. Prebiotics are not Probiotics.

Sometimes the condition of intestinal dysbiosis becomes so persistent, pervasive and stubborn that it does not respond to a change in diet or the introduction of probiotics, other supplements or any other positive or complementary changes we make.

And this is where my print book is extremely helpful as I describe a step by step process where we learn how to methodically displace and eliminate the populations of bad bacteria in the intestines and replace them with a healthy eco-system of good bacteria.

That process is described in detail in my print book.

This is a very important reason why people choose to work with me directly one on one. It is not easy to effectively address a condition of intestinal dysbiosis on your own especially if you have never attempted it before, no matter how good the explanation is in my book or other books.

So, if you suspect that this is your biggest health and/or intestinal problem, please contact me directly and let’s discuss your individual situation. My personal contact information will be found here: www. thecenterforfunctionalnutrition.net/contact.

There is a solution.

Basically, the solution involves a comprehensive cleansing and reconditioning of the intestinal microbiome. To do this we use specialized therapeutic herbs alongside other complementary improvements in the other six root cause areas. This reconditioning process takes four to six weeks, typically. Most people report relief and improvement within the first seven to ten days.

Root Cause Area #6: Oxidative Stress

There is good stress and bad stress. Positive Stress and Negative Stress. What I have described as “complementary” habits, behaviors and influences can be considered sources of good stress or positive stress and are essential in the process of regaining, maintaining or optimizing our health. “Insulting” habits, behaviors and influences are sources of bad or negative stress and actively undermine our body’s ability to regain, maintain or optimize our health and well-being.

And then there is Oxidative Stress.

I once heard a physician describe it this way: 90% of all adult conditions are degenerative in nature and 100% of all degenerative conditions are caused by Oxidative Stress.

So, what is Oxidative Stress?

At the microscopic, cellular level everything is in order or it’s not. Everything is functioning normally or it’s not.

When imbalances occur as a result of making insulting choices in one or more of these seven root cause areas some very bad molecular actors get created.

These bad molecular actors are called free radicals or free radical molecules.

Free radicals attack, tear apart and damage the normal structures of our cells.

Free radicals are like cellular gangsters on a rampage of chaos and destruction in a neighborhood of your city or town. That metaphorical city or town might be your knee or shoulder, kidney or heart.

The damage created by free radicals results in inflammation and inflammation is at the root of all chronic degenerative conditions.

Free radicals are sometimes called oxidants.

The remedy for reversing the damage caused by free radicals is called antioxidants.

Antioxidants are substances in our foods and nutritional supplements that have the effect of counter-balancing the destructive behavior of the free radicals. And when our body is healthy and properly hydrated and nourished our body produces its own endogenous (made from inside the cells) antioxidants with names like glutathione and superoxide-dismutase (SOD).

When the free radicals are held in check, the cells can repair and heal themselves.

Learning what foods, snacks, beverages and supplements increase our antioxidant protection mechanisms and decrease free radical activity anywhere in our body is one of the most important things we can do in order to regain, maintain or optimize our health and wellbeing.

Root Cause Area #7: Redox Molecules Deficiencies

Redox Molecules are called Redox Signaling Molecules. They are manufactured in the mitochondria inside every cell in our body. As we age, coupled with a variety of insulting factors in our environment and diet, our cells produce fewer and fewer of these redox molecules over time.

Some cells in our body contain as few as 5-10 mitochondria. Some cells contain as many as 5,000 mitochondria. The mitochondria are microscopic factories constantly producing substances that make all cellular activity possible.

One of these substances is ATP (Adenosine-Tri-Phosphate).

ATP in our cells is like gasoline for a car engine. It makes things go!

When the mitochondria don’t produce enough ATP we will feel tired. Deficiencies of ATP are the root cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In some medical circles Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is now called Mitochondrial Disease.

And the root cause of ATP deficiencies is deficiencies of Redox Signaling Molecules.

When our cells are healthy they produce adequate amounts of Redox Signaling Molecules and everything functions normally.

When our cells don’t produce enough of these Redox Signaling Molecules the cells become unhealthy. All unhealthy cells are damaged cells.

I will continue to use the phrase “damaged cells” in the explanation that follows and this phrase includes all the things that can go wrong

with a cell: undetected and unrepaired damage, various forms of dysfunction, various forms of degeneration and various states of disease.

When our cells don’t produce enough of these vital Redox Signaling Molecules they will become damaged and they will remain damaged until we can restore the balance of Redox Signaling Molecules in our cells back to normal levels.

This is something called the “redox potential” of our cells or Redox Homeostasis. Redox Homeostasis is critical for all cells to be able to regain, maintain or optimize all the miraculous functions that cells perform. When cells function normally we are healthy.

Here’s a simple explanation of what happens to cells deficient in Redox Signaling Molecules.

When cells become damaged and they don’t know that they are damaged they can’t repair themselves. If they can’t repair themselves they will reproduce damaged cells, which in turn produce more damaged cells.

This is not normal.

This is one mechanism in which the body starts going down the wrong path, the path of physical degeneration, dysfunction and disease.

This is the basic mechanism of an uncomfortable aging process. This is the basic mechanism resulting in poor athletic performance. This is the basic mechanism for chronic, unresolved aches and pains in the body. This is the basic mechanism that explains why so many people get sick and tired and can’t get better.

And the question is: How does this happen?

This happens because the cell never got the signal that it was injured or damaged and in need of repair. This is not just happening in a single cell. It’s happening to millions and billions of cells throughout the whole body.

Now, why didn’t the cell get the signal that it was damaged?

The cell never got the signal that it was damaged because the cells were deficient in these very important Redox Signaling Molecules.

Here’s a simple analogy:

A group of friends are out hiking in the woods. One of them slips and falls and breaks their leg. There’s not enough time to carry the friend out. They need a helicopter rescue. They need to call 911. So, they all take out their cell phones to make the emergency call. No one

has four bars. No one has the signal strength on their phone to send the message that they need help.

Now they are all in trouble because they want to help their friend but they can’t. They all want to take immediate action to repair the damage to their friend, but they can’t. They are all blocked and prevented from helping.

This is exactly what happens to individual cells in our body and it happens to groups of cells in our body. The signaling molecules responsible for informing the cell that there is a problem are not getting through.

And…

The signaling molecules responsible for activating the precise instructions about how to fix and repair the problem are also not getting through.

This situation presents a real challenge to our health and well-being. This situation is the single biggest and most important root cause of all human sickness, illness, dysfunction, degeneration and dis-ease…at the cellular level.

Fortunately for all of us, there’s been a bio-medical breakthrough in this area.

In 1997, Redox Signaling Molecules were discovered for the very first time. In 1998, the scientists who made this discovery won the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology. Since the time of this discovery, science labs around the world have been trying to “bio-synthesize” these molecules and put them into supplement form knowing how critical they are for every cell’s ability to “detect” damage and then to “activate” the appropriate healing response.

In 2008 a team of scientists led by Dr. Gary Samuelson figured out how to do this and the world’s first redox-based cell signaling supplement was born.

For the first time in history we can restore to normal levels the Redox Signaling Molecules in our cells. This is a real breakthrough for humanity as it gives us a dramatically increased ability to restore our health and well-being at the most fundamental level, the cellular level. Everyone deserves to learn about this breakthrough.

I first learned about this breakthrough in the summer of 2011 and after performing my normal due diligence on any new potential supplement I decided to take this redox supplement myself and integrate it into my intestinal regeneration program.

What I have observed since adding this redox signaling supplement to my program is that people heal faster and deeper (as in more sustainably over time) than ever before.

More information about this redox cell signaling supplement and the other supplements we use and recommend in our intestinal regeneration program is available upon request.

And you can contact Megan Moore by phone at 413-536-3322 or email; meganmoore@thecenterforfunctionalnutrition.net

We are in Massachusetts in the eastern time zone—same as NYC and Boston.

The Care of the Cell

Physical health is the foundation upon which we build the rest of our lives. The quality of our physical health is determined by the quality of the life of our cells. Cells are amazing! Cells live amazing lives! The cells inside our own body perform countless miracles every second of every day. Please read on to discover how and why this is so.

I am committed to the vision of more people understanding just how critically important it is to take better care of their cells, not just for their own health and well-being, but for the health and well-being of others as well. The care of the cells in our body is rapidly becoming a new way of understanding the meaning and purpose of our lives.

The care of the cells in our body is becoming a practical path and roadmap to the experiences of greater harmony and peace, cooperation and community, imagination and abundance. The care of the cells in our body has always been and will always be one of the very best ways to realize our fullest human potentials. Inspiring others to do the same has always been and will always be one of the greatest gifts we can give and one of the greatest sources of satisfaction and fulfillment that we can experience in this life.

As we find and do the things that nourish us best, including and especially what nourishes our cells best and share these discoveries with others, all will be well—today, and in all the days ahead. What follows are some interesting cell quotes and commentary.

“In order for a cell to be healthy, it needs proper nutrients and oxygen. If our cells are healthy, then we are healthy. It is as simple as that. In order to maintain our health, we must learn to provide our body with the nutrients that our cells need to survive and thrive. All

cellular functions are determined by the environment in which cells live. All cells take their nutrients and oxygen from the surrounding blood and lymph in which they are floating. Cells then, become what they eat. When cells become damaged, for whatever reason, we must be able to give the body the raw materials it needs to heal itself, replacing the damaged cells with healthy new ones. If we do this, then the body can do the rest. The root of the word “health” is “heal.” The body is constantly healing itself. The body’s ability to heal itself is one of the most fundamental and essential principles of life.”

The Science of Healing Revealed, Gary Samuelson, Ph.D.

Note from RM: The blueprints for these miraculous abilities described by Gary Samuelson and others are encoded in the DNA molecules in every cell in our body. The relationship between nutrition and the health of our cells is not casual, it’s causal. Nutrition determines genetic expression!

“Human beings originate from a single cell. This cell divides into two other cells, which in turn divide themselves and this division continues on indefinitely. In the course of this process of structural elaboration and construction, the embryo retains the functional simplicity of the original single-celled egg. The cells of the human body seem to remember their original unity, even when they have organized and become the elements of an innumerable multitude. Each cell understands spontaneously and intuitively the functions required of them inside the organized whole. This innate knowledge of the part they must play in the manifestation of a healthy, wholesome body, is a consciousness or mode of being inside each and every cell.”

Man the Unknown, Alexis Carrel (1935)

“I believe that cells not only teach us about the mechanisms of life, but also teach us how to live rich, full lives. Biology is and will be to the twenty-first century what physics was to the twentieth century.”

The Biology of Belief, Bruce Lipton, Ph.D.

“If you look at your body, you will find that you have trillions of living beings who depend on you for their health. Every cell in your body is a living being who depends on you for their health. You are responsible for all those beings. For all those living beings that are the cells of your body; you are in charge. You are the mother and father of all those cells. In this way you can be loving, kind and generous to them all; or you can be mean, dismissive and negligent.

The cells in your body are completely loyal to you. They work in harmony together with all the other cells in your body; for you. Your

How To Be Healthy In A Time Of Crisis

cells love you unconditionally! But what is your relationship to them? What is your relationship to your cells? What kind of a steward or gardener or caretaker are you?

The relationship between you and your body; between you and all those living cells is perfect in the cells half of the relationship, just like a compassionate and all-loving God is perfect. But; the other half of this relationship is your mind. The cells of your body always take care of their half of the relationship but your mind is the one that always gets in the way and abuses and disrupts the exquisite health and harmony that is possible. Mindfulness is the key to your health and happiness in this life!

Now, what are you going to do with this knowledge?”

Don Miguel Ruiz, from his book, The Mastery of Love (paraphrased)

The Source of All Major Health Problems

All major health problems have this one thing in common: they all involve damaged cells and tissues (which are made from groups of cells).

If all cells were perfectly healthy, there would be no health problems!

The ability to safely enhance the process of detection, repair and/ or replacement of damaged cells and tissues has expansive, almost limitless potential in all fields of medical science.

Technologies that have the ability to quickly eliminate damaged cells and tissues and regenerate healthy ones will certainly dominate the future of medicine.

For example, one emerging technology uses stem cells to regenerate damaged organs (kidneys, hearts, lungs, etc.). This real and available technology is possible because the method by which stem cells adhere to tissues and morph into different types of cells is mediated by the same redox signaling processes that I have outlined in my book (and are described as Root Cause Area Number 7 a few pages back).

Here are some more examples. Diabetes is caused by damaged insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Cancer cells are defined to be severely damaged cells that have the ability to avoid immune detection and can replicate (reproduce) themselves. Heart disease is caused by damaged heart cells. One cause of rheumatoid arthritis is malfunctioning (i.e., damaged) immune cells.

All forms of pain come from cell damage caused by inflammation caused by oxidative stress. Infections from microorganisms cause

damage to cells and tissues. Accidents can cause physical injuries with massive cell damage. In the end, it is massive unrepaired cell damage that leads to death. Even aging is caused by the gradual propagation (increase) of damaged cells over time. I could go on to name any of the tens of thousands of health problems and conditions.

Every single one of them is identified with a certain set of damaged cells.

Each one of them can be solved by repairing the damaged cell!

(If there were no damaged cells there would be no health problems. If all cells were functioning normally there would be no health problems. The ability of healthy cells to be able to detect any damage (as it is occurring) and to quickly decide whether to repair the damaged cell or to replace the damaged cell is determined by the redox potential of the cell in question. The redox potential refers to the active presence of Redox Signaling Molecules being in the right quantity, quality and balance in order for any damaged cell to be able to replace itself or to repair and heal itself. RM)

In the future, it is not unreasonable to expect that there will be major inroads into the elimination of all health problems through the utilization of redox signaling technology in one form or another. Even with genetic or degenerative disorders, we can win the battle if regenerative processes move faster than the degenerative processes.

Thus, increasing regenerative efficiencies will almost always give us the edge to win. This possibility has been explored in science fiction and comic book characters who can heal themselves very quickly. It now can be realized in life. Redox signaling technology, in a very real sense, holds such power in its grasp.

This information is taken from the book A Journey of Discovery into Redox Signaling Biology, by Gary Samuelson, Ph.D. This book was published in 2018 and is currently available as an eBook from Barnes and Noble.

Please Take Note: The following notes are written by Russell Mariani

In 1997, Redox Signaling Molecules were discovered for the very first time. In 1998 the scientists who made this discovery won the Noble Prize for physiology and medicine. Since 1998 laboratories around the world have been attempting to “biosynthesize” these molecules and then stabilize them and put them into supplement form knowing how essential they are to all cellular health and healing processes.

How

During the years 2008 and 2009 a team of scientists led by Dr. Gary Samuelson figured out how to do this and the world’s first redox-based cell signaling supplement was born.

This discovery and development represents a real breakthrough for humanity. Everyone deserves to learn about this breakthrough because everyone can benefit from this breakthrough.

Please contact Megan Moore for more information. 413-536-3322 meganmoore@thecenterforfunctionalnutrition.net

The Conscious Breathing Exercise

When it comes to the fundamentals of nutrition and health, it doesn’t get any more fundamental than oxygen. Although I have not emphasized this at all throughout the text so far, I should have. Oxygen is a vital nutrient, perhaps the most vital of all. We can go without food and water for days at a time. We can go without oxygen, in the form of normal breathing, for only a few minutes. The air we breathe is a most precious and vital nutrient. Most people do not breathe correctly and therefore are unintentionally insulting the normal oxygenation of blood, lymph, organs and cells on a continual basis. The foundation of every traditional medical and meditation tradition is proper breathing. Proper breathing is one of the first complementary habits I learned in the earliest days of my healing journey. Proper breathing is one of the most important habits we can teach ourselves and share with the people we care about the most. Here is the basic explanation I give to my clients.

Tension anywhere in the body will reduce circulation and make it difficult for normal functioning to take place. Tension in the abdomen can be partly or entirely responsible for many uncomfortable digestive system problems. We must all learn to relax. The key to relaxation is proper breathing.

This is a simple explanation of yogic breathing or abdominal breathing. Practicing this breathing exercise for only ten full breaths, two or three times a day, can be very effective in alleviating many symptoms of imbalance and disharmony. Some of these symptoms include anger, depression, anxiety, worry, fatigue and indigestion.

There are many others. Proper breathing will increase oxygen flow throughout the body, help you relax and help you manage your negative stress more effectively.

Sit in a comfortable chair or lie on the floor on your back. If you lie on the floor, make sure you have a pad or blanket to lie on. You need to be comfortable for this to work. Close your eyes or keep them open slightly and gently focused on a point on the floor or ceiling. Focus on a point on the floor if you are sitting in a chair. Focus on a point on the ceiling if you are lying down on the floor. Notice how you are breathing normally. Notice how much time it takes for a normal breath to come in and go out. Are you breathing through your nose or through your mouth? How deep does the breath get into your body? Can you feel the breath down to the bottom of each lung? Or does it feel like your breath gets stuck somewhere half-way down your throat? Most of us, without conscious effort and attention to the contrary, are shallow breathers. Shallow breathing on a regular and continual basis can lead to tension, nervousness, anxiety and deprive our cells of the complete oxygen supply they need to function normally.

Let’s begin the conscious breathing exercise right now. Go slowly. Take your time. Relax.

Let all the air out of your lungs through your mouth and when it is all out, exaggerate your out-breath by blowing outwards a few more seconds. When you do this, you should notice a slight contraction in your upper abdomen, just below your rib cage. If you have never tried this before, you have just succeeded in your first conscious abdominal breath! The muscle just below your rib cage that acts like a bellows when we exercise it properly is called the diaphragm. Diaphragmatic or abdominal (or yogic) breathing is the most effective way to oxygenate our blood without more elaborate exercise programs. It can be done almost anywhere (as long as you don’t mind other people staring at you).

Try breathing in through both nostrils this time and as you draw in this new breath, do it as slowly and methodically as possible. Exaggerate the slowness and luxuriate in the simple act of taking in a larger than normal volume of air into your lungs. Remember to go slowly. No rush, no hurry. It will take a while to get the hang of this. Imagine the air descending to the bottom of each lung and diffusing out of the lungs and into the rest of your body. Visualize the oxygen diffusing into your blood and from there outwards into every cell in your entire body.

Imagine the oxygen attracting and gathering a variety of gaseous toxins into itself and then, at the point when you can no longer comfortably keep breathing in…pause for a few seconds…then simply become aware that you have completely filled every square inch of space inside your lungs. At the point of your fullest lung capacity, yet still remaining completely relaxed and comfortable and no tension anywhere, begin to very slowly exhale through your mouth, as if you were letting the air out of a very large balloon a little bit at a time. Visualize the release of all that carbon dioxide and all those other toxins attached to it. Visualize the millions of little air sacs (alveoli), cleansed of all their impurities. Visualize that every cell in your entire body just received a better supply of oxygen and got rid of many unwanted and dangerous toxins. When your exhalation is complete, force out just a little more air, but stay comfortable.

Pause a quiet second or two before you begin a new inhalation. With the new inhalation, see if you can taste and feel the quality of the air you are breathing in as it streams in through your nostrils, some into your mouth and around your tongue, down your throat and into your lungs. Exaggerate the inhalation and consciously pull the air into the center of your belly and fill up your entire abdomen as if it were a giant bellows or hot air balloon. Once filled, repeat the exercise as described above. Repeat this exercise a minimum of ten times and with each inhalation and exhalation, see if you notice any changes in how your body-mind responds. Do this slowly in a gentle series of ten complete breaths. Do it three times a day for a week and see if you notice any changes in your overall energy, vitality, sense of alertness and sense of calmness.

Of course, if you would like to do this longer than ten breaths, feel free. Most people who use this exercise or some variant as part of their regular habit of meditation usually suggest a time frame between twenty and forty minutes, twice daily for optimum results.

The Watercure Recipe

I first learned about the watercure recipe in March 1997. It was the mid-day break during a seminar I was presenting called Building Bridges to Better Health. A young man handed me a book with the title: Your Body’s Many Cries for Water by F. Batmanghelidj MD and said: “Here, it’s a gift. I think you will find this book very interesting.” And the rest as they say is history.

I read the book on my flight home from Tulsa, Oklahoma (where I was presenting the seminar) and first thing Monday morning I called the book publisher to see if I could arrange a conversation with Dr. B (short for Batmanghelidj). Within a few minutes, I was speaking to Dr. B and a few hours after that, I started the watercure. Fourteen days later my body was finally properly hydrated (or getting there) for perhaps the first time in my life. Fourteen days after I started the watercure, the bout of depression and anxiety that had been with me for about six weeks, lifted. I had been suffering from periodic, episodic bouts of anxiety and depression that would come on suddenly and sometimes last days, weeks or months; for over 25 years. Fourteen days into the watercure and my symptoms of anxiety and depression were gone.

I am writing these words in July 2020 and since that day in March 1997 I have not had another moment of anxiety or depression. The circumstances of my life have not changed dramatically since that time. The nature of my work, family life and normal stresses and strains remain, just like everyone else’s. What has changed is that since March 1997, I’ve been properly hydrated each day via the watercure and this simple habit has made all the difference in my health and well-being.

How

In A

Of

I have experienced many other health benefits as a result of this habit of proper daily hydration via the watercure and you will too. Keep in mind that everything that happens inside the human body and I mean the physiological functioning of every organ and system and cell and all the miraculous microscopic mechanics inside all of our cells, everything… is happening inside a salt water liquid or salt water solution called cytosol. If there is draught at any level, if there is chronic under-hydration at any level, your body will manifest negative symptoms—symptoms like fatigue, headaches, joint pain, back pain, lack of focus, lack of concentration, memory problems, skin problems, digestion problems, elimination problems, blood pressure, blood sugar, hormone problems. You get the idea. The first place to look to make improvements for anyone and everyone under any circumstances is in the area of proper daily hydration.

I am so thankful to Dr. B. His kindness, generosity and acute insights into the physiology of hydration at the cellular level have dramatically improved the quality of my life and health. Please read his books!

If you have any questions about how to integrate the steps of the watercure into your current diet and lifestyle, please just call me or email me. My contact information will be at the end of this document.

How To Do The Watercure

1. The water we drink must be free of all impurities. If you do not have an effective point-of-use water purifier, for your drinking and cooking water, let me know and I will send you information about the unit I have been using and recommending for over 30 years. It converts your tap water into purified water that is 99.99% free of all impurities for less than ten cents a gallon. Do not drink tap water. Do not use an inferior quality faucet filter as they often make your water quality worse not better. If you must, go to your local health food store and buy the bottled water they recommend; but the use of any bottled water should be temporary.

2. The water you drink must be warm. Not hot, not cold, warm. The best temperature varies from person to person based on body type, metabolism and current state of health. Room temperature may be too cool because water, standing alone, will always want to return to its original temperature. For most people starting out and for all people with serious health challenges, body temperature water is best. Our normal internal body temperature is 98.6 degrees. Your body works very hard to maintain this internal temperature. When

you are sick, it takes extra energy and extra nutrients to maintain homeostasis, including the maintaining of your internal body temperature. Body temperature water is best for most situations.

3. The water you drink must contain salt. Sea salt is best. Celtic sea salt is the best sea salt in my opinion. I have been using the Celtic sea salt since the 1970’s. One quarter teaspoon of salt per one quart of drinking water. One quart is 32 ounces. The Celtic sea salt from Selina’s Naturally is now available in many retail stores including most Whole Foods Market stores. www.selinanaturally. com/celtic-sea-salt You can also phone them at 1-800-867-7258. I use and recommend the Light Grey Salt. There is some difference of opinion on the Internet about whether to add the salt to the water or not. I was taught directly by Dr. B himself to add the salt to the water. I have been doing it this way and teaching it this way for over 20 years. Each person needs to decide what works best for them. I prefer adding the salt to my water. The reason for adding the salt to your water is to aid the process of absorption and assimilation of the water molecules into your blood and into your cells. The presence of the salt also has an alkalinizing effect which is conducive to the natural healing process. If you cannot handle the taste of one quarter of a teaspoon of salt per quart of water, don’t worry. Just start with a smaller amount, even if that smaller amount is one grain of salt per quart of water. Then just build up gradually over days and weeks until you reach compliant levels. And for a variety of reasons, your body may prefer less than one quarter teaspoon of salt per quart of water. Experiment and discover what works best for you. Most people have some difficulty when first drinking intentionally salted water. These same people also report that they prefer the salted water once they get used to it and once they experience the profound benefits of proper daily hydration. Build up gradually to compliant levels of both the volume of water to drink each day and the amount of salt per quart of water for best results.

4. We must consume half our body weight in ounces of water per day, each and every day to recover from the symptoms of long term, chronic, unintentional dehydration and to prevent it from happening again. Read that rather long sentence again and then several times after that, for it represents the most important part of the watercure recipe. If you weigh 200lbs you need to drink 100oz of water per day. It’s just this simple. You must consume the right

quality water and you must consume the right amount or quantity of water. I have never been one for “set prescriptions” especially when it comes to our food and beverage intake. Set prescriptions are usually reserved for drugs, not for habits in the world of natural healing. However, there are always exceptions to the rules and this is absolutely one of those exceptional rules. We must consume half our body weight in ounces of water per day. If you exercise and sweat profusely you will need to drink more water. If it’s summer time you will need to drink more water. If it is hot and humid you will need to drink more water. For every hour of vigorous activity and sweating you may need as much as 24oz of additional water or more. If you drink alcohol or coffee or tea (caffeine) or take any diuretics, you may need to drink more water. Ninety to ninety-five percent of your total daily intake of water should be consumed between 6am and 6pm as much as possible or from when you wake up until just before your last meal of the day. Be careful not to drink too much water during meals as it may dilute your digestive juices. A small amount of sipped water during a meal is fine. Be flexible. Find the balancing point for your own body and your own activity level.

5. Drink your warm salted water throughout the entire day. Break the day into four parts. Part One is the time from waking up until you eat breakfast. You need to drink at least 12 oz and possibly up to 32 oz each morning before breakfast based on body weight, activity level and the total volume of water you need to consume each day. Part Two is the time between after breakfast and before lunch. Do the math and make sure you are close to 50-60% of the way to your water volume quota by lunchtime each day. Part Three is the time between after lunch and before dinner. This is typically the longest stretch of time you will have to be consuming water. Ninety to ninety-five percent of your total daily intake of water should be consumed between 6am and 6pm as much as possible. Or from when you wake up until just before your last meal of the day. Part Four is the time between after the last meal of the day and bedtime. Drink only small amounts of water after the last meal of the day. Be careful not to drink too much water during meals as it may dilute your digestive juices. A small amount of sipped water during a meal is fine.

6. The amount of urine you eliminate should be equal to the amount of water you drink each day (plus or minus a few ounces). It may take several days but not usually more than several weeks to see

this balance happening with your body. You’ve never measured your outflow of urine? Neither had I. Join the club. Hey, we get to do all kinds of fun, strange and curious things in the name of natural healing. The color of the first morning urine can be moderately yellow, but the rest of the urine should be very light yellow to almost clear like the color of lite beer. Dark yellow to orange colored urine is a sure-sign of dehydration and possible kidney stagnation, which is not good. If the color of your urine is currently orange or very dark yellow and it does not become significantly lighter within several days of doing the watercure, you should check with your medical doctor right away.

7. Sip your water. Sipping is the key to the success of the watercure recipe. Don’t drink 6-8oz at a time. Sip and swallow 1-2 oz at a time. A mouthful of water typically measures 1-2 ounces. Go slowly. Sip water throughout the day. Be gentle. Do not drink too fast or drink too much at any one time. Space it out evenly throughout the day. If you have a history of urinary incontinence, other bladder problems, frequent bladder and urinary tract infections, or you are concerned about the increased amount of water you will be drinking, relax. This isn’t something I am telling you about because it sounded like a good idea. This is a powerful solution to all kinds of health problems. I have witnessed this in my own life and in the lives of my clients during the last twenty plus years. As your kidneys and bladder become properly re-hydrated their normal functions will get better, not worse, and any associated problems in these areas will get better, not worse. Just follow these directions precisely. Be patient. Go slow but go steady. Sipping is the key!

Please do not underestimate the importance of being consistent with the correct amount of water you need to drink each day. Water and salt in combination promote and restore proper hydration levels within the cells and systems of the body. Proper daily hydration is the most significant biomodulating and homeostatic influence inside the human body. When the body is properly and consistently hydrated, everything else functions better. If you exercise and sweat, consume any diuretic beverages (alcohol, coffee, tea, soda, caffeine), then you will need to consume more water to make up. Your body loses 32 ounces of water each day just from breathing and sleeping and sitting around! If you exert yourself vigorously and sweat profusely, you will

need to be very careful to restore proper hydration levels and then maintain proper hydration levels. Half your body weight in ounces of water is therefore, the absolute minimum of water you need each day. But don’t over-hydrate yourself either. Find the balance. Find the right amount of water for you given your unique circumstances and conditions and all will be well.

Let’s summarize the steps of the watercure recipe:

1. The water we drink must be free of all impurities.

2. Body temperature water is best for most circumstances and conditions.

3. Add best quality sea salt to the water.

4. We must consume half our body weight in ounces of water per day.

5. Drink body temperature salted water throughout the day. Break the day into four parts.

6. The outflow of urine should be equal in volume to the inflow of water.

7. Sipping our water one to two ounces at a time is the key to successful hydration.

If you have any questions about how to implement the watercure recipe into your current diet and lifestyle, you can phone me during the day at 413-536-0275 or email me at russellmariani@ thecenterforfunctionalnutrition.net and visit our website: www. thecenterforfunctionalnutrition.net

The Habits of Naturally Healthy People

It’s not just what you eat, but how, when, where and why you eat that makes all the difference in the world! Imagine that.

In the early years of my nutrition counseling career, I was consistently surprised with the number of clients who would tell me something like the following: “I don’t know why I am not getting better. I do all the right things. I eat organic whole foods, I don’t eat any junk food, I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t smoke, I exercise a lot, I do yoga, I meditate. What am I missing?” And I would think to myself: “Where is Sherlock Holmes when you need him?” I would answer in the only way I knew how. I would tell them that it didn’t make sense to me either. It didn’t make sense that they were actually doing all the “right things” and not getting better. Then I would ask them some questions about their diet and lifestyle. Questions designed to elicit their relationship to their diet and lifestyle.

Most of us grew up around the cliché, “You are what you eat.” And there is definitely a lot of truth to this statement. However, the more I learned about the digestive system, the more I became convinced of a more expanded version of this truism: “We are what we digest, absorb and assimilate.” You could eat the best quality food in the world, prepared with love by the very best organic whole foods chef in the world. All the food could be in perfect balance and proportion, but if you ate too much, or ate too fast, or ate standing up, or ate too late at night, you could end up creating a nightmare of indigestion and all the adverse symptoms related to indigestion. It was very clear to me early on that how we eat was as important, and many times, more important than what we eat.

So, I would ask my clients a few simple questions: Do you chew your food thoroughly? Do you always sit down when you eat? Do you overeat? Do you eat too fast? To which, more often than not, people would answer yes, yes, no, and no, because they knew that these were the correct and preferred answers. I became increasingly suspicious of the stories I was being told by my clients. I wanted to believe they were telling me the truth, but it was becoming abundantly clear that something was being lost in the translation between their perception of their own reality related to eating and the real thing.

I call this something an integrity gap. An integrity gap happens when you know you should do something but you don’t do it. An integrity gap happens when you know you shouldn’t do something, but you do it anyway. Some people can easily admit to their integrity gaps but do not perceive the negative influence they exert. Some people are in complete denial about their integrity gaps. They actually know what they are doing, or not doing, but they just won’t admit it and make the necessary corrections. And some people are just totally clueless and unconscious of many of the habits they employ and how they affect the digestion, absorption and assimilation of their foods and beverages.

Helping someone address, correct and ultimately transform their integrity gaps into useful complementary habits are the keys to an effective counseling relationship. It’s easy to say, but not always easy to accomplish. For some strange reason, many people seem to resist the transformation of their health and life. Understanding this point is the key to your effectiveness during this program and more importantly for the rest of your life. Your effectiveness is the result of your becoming more proactive in your own self-care.

When I was a new student of natural healing in the mid to late 1970s, I was always conducting “experiments” with everything I was learning about. I felt a powerful need to prove things to myself. To find out for sure what worked and what didn’t work. To find out for sure, what were the most reliable foods, the most reliable recipes, the most reliable remedies and the most reliable habits. I would often conduct experiments focused on one thing, like chewing each mouthful 100 times. I would do this for seven days, or fourteen days, or twentyone days. No one had to encourage me to do these things. I was completely self-motivated. I wanted to discover the truth about the real impact of these habits on my digestive system and on my overall health and energy.

When I started counseling others, it did not occur to me to demand that my clients conduct similar experiments on themselves. I think I

just assumed that people would do these things on their own, as I had done. And if not, then I would conclude that they just weren’t serious enough about getting well. But this was a very unhelpful conclusion on my part. In fact it was a complete lose-lose situation. My client lost out because they simply did not get well. And I lost out, because I did not experience the joy that comes from successfully coaching someone to a condition of better health.

One day something happened to change all that forever. I had been working with a woman in her early fifties, who complained of having indigestion and chronic fatigue. I’ll call her Cindy. Cindy was one of those puzzling, well-educated clients I was referring to earlier. She knew everything about nutrition and health. She read all the books. She tried all the diets, all the meditation techniques and all the bodywork therapies. She claimed that nothing had worked. Who was I to doubt her? I believed her. Her case baffled me for months. One lazy Spring afternoon, I got out of work early and drove into town to do a little shopping. I was stopped at a red light and gazed out the open passenger side window as another car pulled up alongside me. It was Cindy. My impulse was to call out to her and say hello, but something stopped me. I kept my mouth shut and just sat and stared at her. I stared because I couldn’t believe my eyes. Cindy was sitting in the driver’s seat of her car, eating her lunch. I don’t know exactly what it was, but it was healthy and wholesome for sure. It was some kind of sandwich. There was big bread involved, with sprouts dangling from the sides. The light changed and Cindy drove off into the sunset.

As Cindy drove off into the sunset, my mind was buzzing with a thousand realizations! Ok, it was really only one realization, but it felt like a thousand. My realization was this: What we eat is not what matters most. What matters most is how we eat, and when and where and why we eat. In order for the digestive system to work properly, from start to finish, it has to be relaxed. In order for the digestive system to be relaxed, the person has to be relaxed. In order for the person to relax, he or she must consciously dis-engage from any stressful activity before consuming any food or beverage. I knew this was true from my own personal experience. I knew this was true for all the people I had worked with in the past. I just didn’t know how to apply this knowledge more effectively in my current counseling sessions. That all changed the next time I met with Cindy.

Let me make a long story short. The next time I saw Cindy, I gave her an elaborate song and dance about how we eat is more important than what we eat and I could tell that she was getting annoyed and

bored. “I know all this!” she insisted. Finally, I was ready to lower the boom. “I know you know all this, Cindy. I am simply concerned that you are not practicing what you know.” She was miffed. I then asked her if she ever ate when she was driving her car. She answered immediately: “Never.” She said never because she knew this was the correct answer. I then explained to Cindy that I had caught her red-handed driving her car and eating her lunch the previous Friday afternoon. After we both exchanged glances of mutual embarrassment and perhaps a little guilt and shame, my face broke out into a huge smile and we both started laughing.

As you have probably already guessed, eating food while driving her car turned out to be the most insulting habit in Cindy’s diet and lifestyle. Before she left my office that afternoon, I made her promise not to eat anything while driving her car, for at least the next seven days. In fact I made her sign a piece of paper that said: “I will not eat while driving my car for the next seven days.” We both signed it. One week later she sat in my office, smiling. “I never would have imagined that one simple, quirky lifestyle habit could have such a powerful effect on my digestion and health. I feel the best I have in years! No more indigestion and no more chronic fatigue. Thank you very much.”

This was the first of many similar experiences that were to unfold in the next few years of my nutrition counseling career. Let me summarize a few of my other favorites.

A young woman in her early thirties wanted to get pregnant. I’ll call her Beth. She and her husband were happily married and looking forward to starting a family. Beth was about thirty pounds overweight and wanted to lose the weight before getting pregnant. I looked at her diet and could not find any major problems. What she was eating seemed fine and how much she was eating was also not a problem. In fact I was amazed at how little she ate. Where was all this weight coming from? By this time in my counseling career I had developed a short list of important habits that I would rely upon in these types of situations. I referred to my list as: the seven habits of highly effective eaters (with kudos to Stephen Covey).

1. Always say grace at mealtimes (before, during, and after).

2. Always sit down when you eat.

3. Always chew each mouthful completely.

4. Avoid eating or drinking anything too cold.

5. Avoid eating late at night.

6. Avoid processed foods and junk foods and junk beverages.

7. Select the highest quality organic whole foods.

I went down the list as I always did back then, one item at a time, with a brief explanation for each, looking for a thumbs up or thumbs down from my client. When I got to number four, there was a big thumbs down. Beth started to explain to me about her habit of drinking ice-water. I was amazed. She had a big 24-ounce plastic mug filled with ice in her freezer at all times. Her jug of cold drinking water was always in the refrigerator. She drank ice-water all day long! I knew this was insulting to her digestive system. I did not know it was a contributing factor in her inability to lose weight. I advised her to experiment for a few weeks and only drink room temperature water. In the first 14 days, she lost 15 pounds! After Beth’s experience, I knew I was onto something important.

What I learned from Beth’s experience was that no habits related to digestion are neutral. I learned that all habits are either complementary and helpful, or they are insulting and harmful in some very specific and measurable ways. I learned that when the digestive system is complemented and functioning normally, it will effectively transform food into nutrients and then turn the nutrients into useable energy. I learned that when the digestive system is insulted and stressed it becomes inefficient. And one of the adverse effects of digestive inefficiency will be to convert otherwise good food into fat and store it away. And no matter how hard you try to lose that weight, you won’t be able to. That is, until you correctly identify the insulting habit and transform it into a complementary habit.

Imagine that.

Then there was David. David called me one night in the middle of the worst sinus congestion he had ever had and I had ever heard. He was completely stuffed up and very uncomfortable. He was forced to breathe through his mouth. He didn’t have any other symptoms, so it was easy to rule out anything too serious, like a viral or bacterial infection. He said he felt fine, he just didn’t understand where all the congestion was coming from. David was another one of those well-educated, eco-friendly, holistic-oriented clients, like Cindy. He was a vegetarian by choice. He meditated and did yoga. He was an experienced whole foods cook. All the normal questions about what he was eating and how much he was eating checked out fine. The causative insult was going to be found somewhere else in his diet and lifestyle. I went down my list of seven habits. David announced that

he had just started a new job and during the last three weeks, he was getting home much later than usual and not sitting down for dinner until 9 pm, unlike his normal 6 pm. Aha. I simply suggested that for the next seven days, David not eat anything past 4 pm. He said he would do it. Four days later, he called me on the phone and sounded very different! All the congestion had cleared up completely. This was another big lesson.

It didn’t take me long to realize that everyone had at least one or two (or more) of these kinds of insulting habits working against them, actively preventing them from getting well. Every day these same habits would reveal themselves in my counseling sessions and more often than not, turn out to be the critical piece of information that allowed everything else to work and opened the door to the successful self-healing of my clients.

It didn’t take me long to realize that learning the difference between the complementary and insulting habits (and influences) in our diet and lifestyle represents one of the most important things we will ever learn. Practicing the complementary habits and avoiding the insulting habits is the difference between healing ourselves and staying sick.

Imagine that.

Complementary or Insulting?

What are the habits of naturally healthy people according to the principles of functional nutrition?

This step of your Intestinal Regeneration Program is the most important step of all. If you fail to identify your most insulting habits (and then avoid them) you may not experience the success you desire and deserve. If you fail to avoid your most insulting habits during the Phase One recovery period, you may not recover your normal intestinal functions. However, if you take this step seriously and practice the complementary habits while avoiding the insulting ones, you will be astonished at how rapidly your intestinal regeneration will proceed. This step, in my opinion, is what makes my program different and more effective than any other. This step integrates your bio-chemical individuality with all your dietary and lifestyle idiosyncrasies. This step customizes and personalizes your program making it unique and special. Other books and programs and practitioners give lip service to some of these habits but generally overlook their primary significance. These habits aren’t just important: they are transformational. In my experience all the habits listed below provide the keys to your selfhealing journey. Separate the complementary habits from the insulting ones, practice the complementary habits and minimize or avoid the insulting ones and you will dramatically increase your recovery time. Please read this next section very carefully. Please read this next section as if your entire digestive system health depended on it. It does.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.

Aristotle

Practice These Complementary Habits Consistently!

Think before you eat or drink anything always: “What nourishes me best?”

Select the highest quality foods and beverages always. Organic quality is best.

Learn how and why to select and prepare your foods and beverages according to the principles of balance and harmony in nature. Find the best whole foods cooking instructors in your area and take some classes.

Always say Grace with any meal or snack. Grace is the pause that nourishes best. If you believe in God, saying Grace is probably a no brainer, a given. Or it could be one of those major integrity gaps that needs your attention. But whether or not you believe in God, or whether or not you practice the tenets of any religion, saying Grace is still important and makes good common sense. Where did this food come from that I am about to consume? Where is it going? Why? You don’t have to call this habit Grace. You can call it anything you want. Just make sure you stop before you begin to consume any meal, beverage or snack. Make sure you ask these three questions: Where did this (food, beverage, snack, supplement, etc.) come from? Where is it going? Why? If you do this consistently, this habit will change your life.

Create an atmosphere of peace and quiet, relaxation and calmness around mealtimes. Light a candle. Put on some quiet music. Turn off the TV. Turn off the radio news. Shut off the phone. Don’t answer the phone during mealtimes. Don’t eat when you are angry, upset, stressed-out or tired. First you must relax.

Go for a walk, clear your head, breathe. Don’t let mealtime be invaded by other time. Mealtimes are special. Mealtimes are sacred.

Learn to breathe from your belly. This habit will not only help you relax, it will help you to digest everything better. Always sit down when you eat. Eating standing up or on the run (or in the car) is one of the best and fastest ways I know to create indigestion.

Enjoy regular mealtimes. Create balance in your day. Seek harmony in your daily activities. Look to the rhythms in nature and discover how they relate to your life.

Approach each meal with an attitude of gratitude. How lucky am I to have such abundance and variety in my meal options! How lucky am I to have farmers who know how to grow such wonderful food! How lucky am I to have a fully functioning digestive system that knows exactly what to do with all this wonderful food! This is a form of, or an extension of grace with meals.

Take your essential supplements before meals.

Don’t dine without your supplemental digestive enzymes.

Eat one mouthful at a time. Put less food on your fork or spoon. Eat less, chew more. Put down your fork, spoon, knife or chopsticks between mouthfuls. Chew each mouthful until your food becomes liquid in your mouth. Slow down. Eat less, chew more. This habit is so extremely important I am going to repeat it.

Chew each mouthful of food completely. Eat one mouthful at a time. Put your fork down between mouthfuls. Slow down. Drink your solids and chew your liquids. There may be no greater dietary integrity gap than this one. (We all know that chewing is important but we rarely do it!) The good news is this: Consistent proper chewing of every mouthful of food you consume produces extraordinary health benefits that you simply cannot imagine possible until you experience them yourself directly. Experiment, and experience the benefits! Chew, chew, chew!

Our stomach can expand quite a bit to accommodate our overeating of large quantities of food. It doesn’t want to do this. This should be the exception not the rule. Unfortunately it is a very common practice these days. Traditional peoples taught themselves the habit of knowing when to stop eating, before fullness. Your normal stomach is about the size of your clenched fist. Right. Not very big. You need to

learn to eat slowly and only until your stomach is about 75–80% full. Learning the art of when to stop eating is as important as learning the art of when to start eating. This habit will teach you humility, kindness and generosity.

Practice the habit of proper daily hydration according to the watercure recipe described earlier.

Exercise. Exercise moderately and frequently. Walking twice daily for 20-30 minutes at a time may be all the exercise you need. It’s a start and a very good one at that. Exercise increases oxygen levels in our blood and throughout the cells of our entire body. Oxygen is another one of those most fundamental internal regulators and biomodulators. Almost every function in the human body requires water and oxygen.

Moderate exercise is also the very best way to circulate our lymphatic fluid, bringing necessary nutrients to cells and removing undesirable toxic waste matter away from cells. Our blood supply has a pump called the heart, but we have twice the amount of lymph fluid in our body and the only pump is moderate daily exercise.

Instructions to learn how to give yourself a therapeutic abdominal massage can be found in my print book on page 275.

Get enough sleep at night and rest during the day if necessary.

If you need a nap, take one. Napping is extremely therapeutic especially if you are healing. Most people require eight hours of sleep at night and the most important hours of sleep are those before midnight. If you stay up too late you will not get better. Go to bed earlier for a week and see what a difference it makes. Pay attention to the natural rhythms of the rising and setting of the sun and moon. Go to sleep after sunset. Try to get up an hour before sunrise. See what a difference this habit makes.

Conduct an effective 7-14 day colon cleanse at least once every year, that is after completing the colon cleanse from Phase One.

Start and keep a daily journal of self-discovery. This journal can chronicle your ongoing process of distinguishing complementary habits from insulting ones. This journal can chronicle the people, places and things that nourish you best.

Avoid These Insulting Habits as Much as Possible!

Avoid wearing tight pants. Don’t laugh. It is absolutely amazing to me how many people fail to understand and observe this most basic, most sensible of habits. You may think this is silly and obvious, but you would be amazed how many people make how they look more important than how they feel. Any restriction of your abdomen, especially after a meal, is going to cause problems. Your belly must remain relaxed and not constricted at all times if you are going to heal yourself from any digestive problem. Wear loose fitting undergarments and loose fitting pants or skirts. Don’t wear your belt too tight. You will be rewarded greatly for paying attention to this very important detail.

Avoid eating anything too late in the day. Remember the story of the king, the prince and the pauper. Eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch and a pauper at dinner! How late is too late? It varies from person to person and condition to condition. Any time after sunset is risky. Simply keep in mind that the digestive system works best during the daylight hours. When you experiment with this habit you will see just how powerful it is. For so many people, the habit of eating late at night is their major insult and changing this habit is the key to their success.

Avoid eating or drinking anything too cold. What’s too cold? Again it varies from person to person and condition to condition. Simply keep in mind that the entire digestive system is functioning at 98.6 degrees (and warmer) and is moist and humid like a tropical rain-forest. No ice water, ice cream, frozen yogurt, iced drinks. Many symptoms associated with indigestion have their “root

How

cause” right here. When your digestive health is really poor, this habit is absolutely critical to your improvement. Once you are well again, you will have to experiment and see how things affect you. Do this with all the habits. Experiment.

Avoid excess meat and dairy consumption. Choose quality. Find the balance.

Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine. Not for the rest of your life. Just today. Just one day at a time.

Avoid processed and synthetic foods and beverages. Read labels.

Avoid junk food.

Avoid all toxins in food, air, water, clothing and household cleaning products, synthetic carpets and furniture, suspect gardening products and building supplies.

Avoid excess consumption of fruit juice from concentrates especially with children. Concentrated juices may concentrate nutrients but they concentrate sugars too.

Avoid all carbonated beverages. CO2 (carbon dioxide) is a toxic by-product of normal human metabolic activity. We breathe in oxygen and we breathe out carbon dioxide. This is one of those insane modern inventions that represent giant leaps backwards when it comes to the combination of nutrition and technology. The body works incredibly hard to get rid of carbon dioxide from our blood. Why on earth would we want to put carbon dioxide back into our body?

Avoid Aspartame and other synthetic and artificial sweeteners.

Avoid artificial colors, natural flavors, additives, preservatives, fortifiers, fillers. We must consume real foods, whole foods, not fake foods.

Avoid the use of artificial and synthetic placeware, cookware, and utensils. Use wood, ceramic, glass, cast iron, stainless steel.

Avoid the use of artificial cooking techniques in general and microwave cooking in particular.

Avoid the habit of consuming a mono diet as in monotonous.

Variety is an important nutritional requirement, perhaps as important as any other. Too many people eat the same things day after day, breakfast, lunch and dinner; month after month, winter, spring, summer and fall; year after year, through childhood, adolescence, maturity and old age. Don’t do this to yourself! The more dynamic and flexible your food choices are the greater the variety of beneficial

bacteria and vital foods enzymes will be. Variety complements the proper functioning of your digestive system. Variety is the spice of life! Obviously, during Phase One of your Intestinal Regeneration Program your menu selections will be purposefully limited. So this habit is really an invitation to those who successfully complete Phase One and Phase Two.

Review the Habits Checklist regularly.

There is substantial and reliable documentation to support each of the habits outlined above that is available in the bibliography in the print version of my book. However, nothing is more important and ultimately nothing is more convincing than the actual experiments you conduct yourself on yourself to determine the relevance of any of these habits. If you are not willing to carry out experiments with your diet and your habits, as explained below, you will only see limited improvement or none at all. You must conduct reliable experiments to prove to yourself conclusively which habits in your diet and lifestyle are complementary and which ones are insulting. Your health depends on these experiments. Please use the following suggestions to guide your experiments.

The Seven Day Experiment

Seven Days is the absolute minimum period of time to conduct a meaningful experiment.

1. Pick a habit that you want to experiment with from the list above.

2. Make an unbreakable commitment to experiment with 100% enthusiasm and integrity. This means that no matter what comes up in your life in the form of any distraction whatsoever, you will not break your commitment to your experiment.

3. Let’s say you have decided to conduct a chewing experiment. You obviously cannot avoid chewing, so you simply decide to chew more diligently and more completely than ever before. Not just for one or two meals, but for every meal, beverage and snack during the next seven days. You will be amazed at your results. To be effective you must count your chews. Don’t swallow until each mouthful has turned to liquid. Eat only one mouthful at a time. Put your fork down between mouthfuls. In other words, eat with total awareness, sensitivity and consciousness!

4. If you need to, write down your commitment to yourself and sign it. Put it on the wall of your bedroom or office or the bathroom mirror. Have your wife sign it, or your husband. If you need to, get it witnessed and notarized. Do whatever you need to do to make and then keep your unbreakable seven day commitment to yourself.

5. Don’t try to do this seven day experiment. Just do it! Get serious. Be real. Follow through. I can’t tell you how many clients tell me: “Oh, I just couldn’t do it. This came up and that came up and blah, blah, blah.” I say nonsense. I say, “Balderdash.” Excuses are just excuses. Personal healing requires personal power, the power to choose and

decide what nourishes us best and what doesn’t. No one ever healed themselves by not following through. No one ever healed themselves by just trying. No one ever grew a magnificent garden without weeding and composting. Insulting habits are weeds. Complementary habits are compost. If you are not willing to identify the weeds in your life and pull them out by the roots, they will eventually take over your garden. You cannot let the weeds in your life dictate what your garden is going to look and feel like. You must cultivate the habits that nourish you best. Become a master gardener. Separate the weeds from the things you most want to grow. You will be amazed at how successful you can become at this.

I hear and I forget. I do and I understand. Chinese Proverb

The Habits: Daily and Weekly Checklists

Making the transition to a healthier diet and lifestyle can most effectively be achieved by understanding and then consistently practicing the most important health and nutrition fundamentals. I have attempted to explain most of them throughout the course of my book. Here is a simple checklist to help you remember the difference between the complementary habits and the insulting ones. I suggest you check this list twice daily, at the beginning and at the end of each day. Choose the one(s) that you want to work on first and then gradually add more complementary habits to your life while you work to eliminate the insulting ones. If you minimize and/or completely avoid the insulting habits while practicing and optimizing the complementary habits you will succeed in gradually yet dramatically improving the quality of your health and life!

Primary habits to consider implementing

1. Check this list each morning

2. Proper sleep last night? Any dreams? (record in your journal)

3. Proper daily hydration

4. Moderate exercise each day

5. Conscious Breathing Exercise

6. Therapeutic Abdominal Massage

7. Selecting better quality food

8. Selecting better quality beverages

9. Improved preparation of foods

10. Always sit down when you eat

11. Always be calm when you eat

12. Always say “grace” before and after meals

13. Always eat slowly and chew

14. Never eat to fullness; listen!

15. Do not eat and run; relax first!

16. Avoid cold foods and beverages

17. Avoid eating anything late in the day

18. Check this list before going to bed

Additional habits to consider

1. Daily redox signaling supplement

2. Daily superfood and/or green drink

3. Digestive enzymes before meals

4. Probiotics before meals or once daily

5. Antioxidant supplements daily

6. Eat fruit separate from other foods

7. 16 to 32 oz. of fresh juice each day (optional)

8. Cooked, whole grain cereal daily

9. Lightly steamed vegetables daily

10. Dry roasted seeds and nuts daily

11. Small amount of cooked beans daily (optional)

12. Raw fruits and vegetables daily (raw can be optional)

13. Small portions of organic quality meat/fish when desired

Reduce and minimize these habits

1. Dairy foods in general: milk, cheese, butter

2. Beer, wine, alcohol

3. Processed foods in general

4. Baked flour products, bread, donuts, cookies, cakes, pies

5. Processed/packaged breakfast cereals

6. Deep fried foods

7. Fast food restaurant food

8. Carbonated beverages of any kind

9. Sodas and diet sodas

10. Candy bars and all other junk food snacks

Seek to eliminate these habits

1. Microwave oven use

2. Food additives and preservatives

3. Food colorings and dyes

4. Herbicides and pesticides

5. Anything artificial

6. Meats that contain antibiotics

7. Meats that contain growth hormones

8. Meats that contain pesticides

9. Any foods containing GMOs

10. Drinking unfiltered tap water

Additional habits to consider implementing

1. Whole foods cooking classes

2. Backyard organic gardening

3. Join a local CSA group

4. Growing your own sprouts

5. Regular use of a juicer

6. Periodic fasting

6. Seasonal cleansing

7. Natural fiber clothing

8. Toxin-free personal products

9. Toxin-free workplace and home

Self-evaluation habits:

1. Colon transit time

2. Two or three bowel movements per day

3. Quality of bowel movements

4. Fecal incontinence?

5. Color of first urine of day

6. Urgency of urine flow

7. Quantity of urine flow

8. Urinary incontinence?

9. Body odor in general

10. Quality of breath

11. Skin quality

12. Skin brushing

13. Brightness in eyes

14. Whiteness of white part of eye

15. Overall aches and pains

16. Moods

17. Physical energy

18. Mental clarity

19. Memory

20. My personal vision, mission and purpose in life!

21. Am I living my life to the fullest?

What Lies Ahead?

When I look back over the forty plus years that have passed since I first started learning about the connections between nutrition and health, two qualities come to mind: belief and persistence. Early in my quest I developed the strong belief that health and disease were not accidents of nature but the direct result of a more or less cooperative relationship with nature. I had a strong belief that the biological/ ecological principles in evidence in the world around us could have and would have a direct bearing on the ebb and flow of life and health and well-being, within us.

Persistence in these beliefs forced me to prove to myself their validity and usefulness. How useful these beliefs are will be determined by the readers of my book.

The key to making these connections more apparent and accessible to people everywhere is a better system of health education and a much longer list of passionate and committed health educators. I am one of these health educators who is committed to my work as a changeagent in the culture at large today. I invite you to take up the vocation if it resonates with you. My persistence in this belief about the pivotal role that health practitioners and health educators play in creating a better health-care system for all is what motivated me to complete the writing of my book and this e-book. I have a clear vision of what lies ahead of us.

What lies ahead is a paradigm shift of epic proportion and significance.

No longer can our society afford to persist in its belief in a magic pharmaceutical bullet or surgical procedure for all the many ills that plague us. At last we are at a point where the medical and economic imperatives point directly at each one of us to be and become more proactive in our own self-care. The current disease-care system is not sustainable. The current disease-care system is broken beyond the hope of effective repair. We need a new approach.

The principles and practices that I have described in my books are representative of the kinds of things that will prove to be foundational in the health-care system of the future. To establish this new healthcare system will require a new set of beliefs and enormous patience and persistence. As a result we will prevent the suffering of millions and lay the groundwork for global cooperation, economic justice and peace. In this not too distant future time, defined by new principles, priorities and practices, we will re-discover our passion for the stewardship of the earth and each other and move forward in our endless perennial quest for the realization of our full human potentials.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that, the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence; Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

The Cherokee Chief and His Grandson

An old Cherokee Chief is teaching his grandson about life:

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil. He is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, pride, superiority, self-doubt and ego.”

“The other is good. He is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

“This same fight is going on inside you and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old chief simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Author Unknown

My Invitation in Response to COVID-19: The Coronavirus of 2020-2021

Let’s be and become the healthiest version of ourselves and invite everyone we know and everyone we don’t know to be and become the healthiest version of themselves too. And let’s do this together, today and in all the days ahead.

Russell Mariani

April 2021

The Last Word

To me, optimum health is most perfectly defined as the ability to digest everything! Food, water, air, people, places, things, conversations, ideas, experiences. Everything. Thank you for reading my book. I wish you health and happiness, abundance and prosperity and inner abdominal tranquility—today and in all the days ahead.

Thank You for reading this eBook. Please share it freely with everyone you know and everyone you don’t know!

This free eBook, How to be Healthy in a Time of Crisis, includes excerpts from Health Educator, Digestive Wellness Expert and Author Russell Mariani’s new print book: Principle Eating: The No Diet Way to Complete Health; 7 Steps to Total Dietary Freedom: Digestive Wellness Edition.

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