Duration ten to fifteen minutes.

Choose a reasonably comfortable chair. If it’s too comfortable, your relaxation will come from physical comfort rather than the discipline of your mind. You need mental discipline if you are going to be able to relax anywhere at any time. As you become more skilled at this you will be able to do it in very uncomfortable positions. The yogis of the East deliberately contort themselves into painful lotus positions while meditating so they can develop deep mental relaxation as opposed to the superficial relaxation derived from reclining comfortably.

Only by learning deep mental relaxation can you calm yourself in difficult circumstances. Sit down, close your eyes or, if you prefer, fix your gaze on a distant point across the room and hold it for the duration of the exercise. Do this in an unhurried way, with pauses after each presentation, to give the idea time to register its effect in the brain. Say to yourself mentally: ‘I feel relaxed—so relaxed. It’s so good to feel so relaxed—my whole body feels relaxed—so heavy—so easy and so relaxed.’

When you begin to feel relaxed switch your attention to one area of the body and concentrate on relaxing it by visualising it and feeling it relax. It pays to start with the legs and work your way up through the body to the face. Mentally concentrate on one muscle group at a time, noting its presence and then feeling it let go. In the early stages this visualisation can be helped if you physically tense, hold and then relax the muscle in time to the mental commands: ‘My right leg feels relaxed—I can feel the muscles let go—my leg is feeling heavy now—so heavy and relaxed—so easy—gentle—heavy and relaxed— no tension—just relaxed—I can feel my left leg now—it feels relaxed too—I can feel the muscles in it let go.’

So it goes on. The process is repeated as you shift your attention from one group of muscles to another and gradually work your way up through the legs, torso, arms, neck and, most importantly, the muscles of the face. There is a very close relationship between the muscles of the face and the mind. When the mind is relaxed it’s mirrored in the muscles of the face. When the mind is agitated, the facial muscles tense and contort to reflect that agitation.

By the time you get up to the face you are already feeling pretty relaxed and you continue the exercise by feeling the relaxation in your face: ‘Feeling so relaxed—feeling so relaxed in my face—I feel my forehead letting go—feel my jaw letting go—I feel easy all over— feel so relaxed—I feel my eye muscles letting go—I feel my teeth separate—feel easy in the face—feel easy all through my body—feel heavy in my body—feel easy in my face.’

It is at this point that you transpose the feeling of physical relaxation onto the mind: ‘I feel so relaxed in my body—so relaxed in my face—I can feel the relaxation happening in my mind. My mind feels easy—calm—gentle—relaxed—just like my body—easy and relaxed.’ If you have any significant metabolic distortions, such as fluid retention, or high cholesterol, now is the time to work on them: ‘I feel my mind letting go—feel my body letting go—feel my tissues letting go—letting go of excess fluid—feel my kidneys letting go—letting go of excess fluid—it feels so good to be letting go—letting go of excess fluid.’

In the case of high cholesterol: ‘I feel my stress levels dropping— feel the stress hormone levels dropping—dropping—dropping—so good to feel them dropping—I feel my cholesterol levels dropping— dropping with my stress levels—dropping—dropping—dropping— so good to feel them both dropping.’

If you have a skin problem: ‘I feel my stress levels dropping—the stress hormone levels are dropping—dropping—dropping—dropping. The neurokinin levels are dropping too—dropping with the stress hormone—dropping—dropping—dropping—so good to feel the neurokinin dropping—skin is calming now—calm—easy— relaxed—quietening clown—neurokinin is dropping—skin is calming—feels good—feels calm—easy—calm—gentle—relaxed.’

Don’t feel cheated when you open your eyes and see your skin complaint is still there. It won’t disappear in one session. It takes time. It’s the cumulative effect of many sessions of menial relaxation that gives you control over your visceral functions. All you need for success is patience and persistence. IQ, education, personality type have nothing to do with it. Everyone has the ability to relax and control their stress hormone, cholesterol and neurokinin levels. Constant practice of the exercise produces longer tension and neurokinin free periods, and periods of cholesterol and metabolism balance.

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Don’t expect to have all these symptoms. Different people manifest different stress symptoms. However, the more stressed you are the more symptoms you will have. They are:

• Trouble getting off to sleep.

• Tendency to toss and turn and wake during the night.

• Waking up tired in the morning even after a good night’s sleep.

• Feeling like lying in on waking.

• Grinding of teeth while asleep.

• Waking up with a sudden start just as you are beginning to doze off.

• Sweaty palms.

• Dry mouth.

• Feeling tired and drowsy to the point of nodding off in the middle of the day if you sit down to rest or read. At work this drowsiness can come on when you sit down at lunch or tea break. Truck drivers can experience it while waiting to be loaded.

• Feeling a reduction in the intensity of your allergy symptoms while on the go—working, exercising and/or socialising—and a worsening of your allergy symptoms while resting.

• High cholesterol and triglycerides, especially when dietary intake of both is low.

If you seem to be forever eating on the go and experiencing a bloated abdomen as a result, you are almost certainly stressed. This is perhaps the most common of all symptoms and the one that most often brings hard-charging over-achievers to the doctor or naturopath in the first place. They have invariably read a book on food allergies or Candida albicans and they have recognised digestive tract symptoms. These people, after sticking strictly to the combined Anti-Candida/Anti-Allergy Program, are invariably no better by the end of the treatment program. They are still complaining that food is causing them to feel bloated and uncomfortable. This is because the high levels of adrenalin in their system are preventing the digestion of food. Instead it sits in their intestines and ferments giving rise to wind and distension of the abdomen.

Hard-charging, over-achiever types seldom experience dramatic improvements on any treatment regime—stress can mimic many of the symptoms of allergy and Candida yeast infection. They seldom ever notice appreciable increases in energy as they burn up their new found energy as quickly as they get it by doing more, often without being aware of it. For them, stress is a very insidious thing and they are seldom aware of how much they are stressing themselves. A frequent remark I hear from hard-chargers is: ‘No. I don’t feel any more energetic since my last appointment, but I’ve got a lot more done in the last few weeks.’

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Busy people get out of the habit of drinking because they’re too involved with other things to be bothered with it. Humans are profound creatures of habit. Busy people (and indeed lazy people) get into the habit of denying the subtle messages of thirst the body sends to the brain. Habitual denial eventually takes them to the point where they no longer hear the messages and can’t understand why their bodies are racked with the symptoms of dehydration. In the words of Ovid (90 BC): ‘Nothing is stronger than habit.’ Keep a full bottle of water on the front seat of the car.

To further aggravate the situation, zinc deficiencies develop in those who don’t drink and zinc is needed to activate the appetite and thirst centres in the brain. (Water deficiency = hydrochloric acid in the stomach deficiency = poor zinc absorption = lack of thirst = water deficiency.)

Unfortunately bad drinking habits are often learned early in life. Toddlers who appear to be forever harping on about wanting a drink are frequently misread as being attention seeking. To break this demanding habit the parent will often tell the child to be quiet as they don’t need a drink at all. Not surprisingly the child starts to believe this after a while and learns to get by on sub-optimum fluid intake. By the time they’re big enough to reach the tap or pour their own drinks from the fridge they’re well and truly in the habit of drinking less than they need.

To return to good health we must simply re-educate ourselves back into appropriate drinking habits. We must alter our lifestyle and work habits to accommodate these new drinking habits. Fortunately that doesn’t take long and drinking more soon gives you a taste for it. In the words of Pythagorus: ‘Choose what is best, habit will soon render it agreeable and easy.’

‘But all I seem to do is run to the toilet more?’ That’s fine. That’s the way it’s meant to be. Busy and lazy people just have to integrate that into their lifestyle. More regular drinking means better nourishment of cells and better flushing out of waste products, including allergens. More regular visits to the toilet means more toxins are being removed from the body. As you progress with your greater fluid intake you’ll notice your visits to the toilet will taper off a bit. This is because improved water intake (especially when combined with the improved vitamin and mineral intake from the programs in this book) raises the metabolic rate. Greater production of heat and energy results, with increased evaporation of water through the skin.

This makes the skin moist, soft and younger looking. Busy people should bear in mind that they’re going to be more productive if their metabolic rate is raised and this will more than compensate for time spent visiting the toilet. They’ll be making less mistakes and repeating less work.

But I suffer from fluid retention, surely drinking more water will make it worse? No it won’t. If anything it might help reduce it.

There are many reasons for fluid retention. One of them is a reduced fluid intake. When fluid is regularly withheld from the body it starts to panic and fearing dehydration begins to release the fluid-retaining hormones. This is an attempt on the part of the body to keep what little fluid it’s getting in the body. Building up a reserve of fluid is nature’s way of coping with the uncertainly of irregular and inadequate supplies.

When we start drinking greater quantities and more regularly the body soon gets its confidence up. Perceiving a regular and adequate intake of water the body stops secreting the fluid-retaining hormones and stored excesses of fluid are released and pass out of the body as urine.

If you retain fluid (that is, put on weight) on hot days it’s a sure sign that you’re not drinking enough. Feeling tired, cranky, and unwell on hot days is another. Headaches on hot days is a classic sign of water deficiency and a dry skin is the most obvious of all.

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Many children who are tired, cranky and irritable after school are dehydrated and sometimes overcome by formaldehyde. Because everyone gets bad tempered when they are thirsty, parents should not jump to the conclusion that their child has a Candida problem or allergies until the possibility of dehydration has been excluded.

Dehydration raises stress levels, particularly in children. If you are unsure whether your child is under-drinking at school, organise for him/her to take a 0.5-1 L (depending on the size of the child) bottle of water or fruit juice to school, with strict instructions to drink it all. I’ve found that teachers are very co-operative and will check to see that your child alone is consuming the prescribed drink and that it’s not being passed around the group. Bottled drinks are necessary as kids get so involved with friends and games at recess that they forget to drink from the bubblers.

Remember: your child’s behaviour can be influenced by those she/he mixes with. Hyperactive and aggressive playmates can incite similar behaviour patterns in non-hyperactive, non-aggressive children. Pay close attention to who your child is mixing with.

By following the instructions in this chapter there’s every chance your child can come off Ritalin or whatever other drug is being used to treat his or her hyperactivity and slow learning.

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Glue ear responds well to six to eight weeks on the Metabolism-Balancing Program and supplements (Formula Six, codliver oil, evening primrose oil, vitamin C). During this time the energy levels and resistance to disease rise to the point where low grade smouldering allergies, Candida, colds and ‘flu are often totally contained. (Low resistance to disease has vitamin/mineral deficiency as its main cause.) The demeanour changes, schoolwork improves and more often than not the under seventeen go into a growth spurt. With no more mucus being produced the ears soon clear themselves of the mucus that has accumulated as the little hairs (cilia) in the ears sweep it back down the eustacian tube from whence it came. Mucus arriving back in the throat can cause a short-lived mild healing crisis until it is all expectorated.

Because lowered resistance is the root cause of glue ear the sufferer must stay on the Metabolism-Balancing Program and supplements for the rest of his/her life with only a minimum (5 per cent or less) of junk food. Those who require the Anti-Candida/ Anti-Allergy Program to cure their glue ear will return to the Metabolism-Balancing Program when the anti-allergy treatment is completed. It goes without saying that the normal procedures for keeping the body at an even warm body temperature must be followed if any of the programs are to work.

A sub-optimum fluid intake is one reason the programs won’t work. Even borderline dehydration will keep the body’s resistance low despite faithful adherence to the Metabolism-Balancing Program and the supplements. Make sure the full measure of fluid included in the program is consumed.

If either low-grade or full-blown glue ear is not showing signs of reducing after four to six weeks on the Metabolism-Balancing Program, Formula Six and other supplements you can be sure that allergies and/or Candida infections are the principal causes. If after four to six weeks on the Metabolism-Balancing Program and supplements you are showing improvement keep the program going until the improvement level plateaus or the symptoms disappear completely.

As the case histories in this chapter reveal, most kids respond well to the Metabolism-Balancing Program and supplements alone. Those who have to progress to the full Anti-Candida/Anti-Allergy Program find that those last remaining symptoms are cleared away in ninety days. The disappearance of all the symptoms is associated with improved annunciation as well as a rapidly expanding vocabulary as hearing becomes unruffled for the first time. I’ve received many phone calls and letters from excited parents who are witnessing these changes for the first time. Some call me on talkback radio to let as many people know as possible such is their desire for others to have this rewarding experience.

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Eating in a hurry, hurrying off after a meal or working hard after a meal will ensure you don’t digest and absorb that meal properly. The joints will not receive the minerals they need in sufficient quantity to normalise their metabolism and repair themselves.

Sit down after the main meal of the day, put your feet up and listen to music, read a book, have a relaxing chat or watch some TV. Unwind, take it easy, let your food digest and give your joints a rest. Eight hours’ sleep a night isn’t enough to allow joint regeneration, you need rest and recreation as well. Recreation means exactly that—re-creation—a time to create new tissue out of old.

If you are the hard-charger, over-achiever type that always has to be doing something constructive and sees sitting around as a waste of time just remember there is nothing more constructive than making new body tissues. This principal applies equally to sufferers of skin complaints and asthma.

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Certainly not. Inordinate attention is like heroin, cocaine, alcohol or dope. The more you get, the more you want, as the temporary lift it gives you becomes shorter each time. One only has to look at how many high profile sports people, business people and performing artists turn to drugs, alcohol and suicide when their popularity and recognition are on the wane. Is the going up worth the coming down? The sad, neurotic state of these people indicates great unhappiness with their lot—memories of the going up don’t seem to be buoying their spirits now. Attention seekers are always insecure as they never know how long they can sustain the interest of others. Insecure people are anxious and anxiety flares up skin complaints.

Attention seekers seldom develop close, emotionally nourishing friendships and relationships because they are so busy seeking they don’t have time to give. A lack of meaningful friendships adds to their loneliness and insecurity. All human beings need some attention. Wanting too much is being greedy and greed always comes back on us in the end. How much is too much? Worrying to the point of distress about the opinions others hold of us is an indication we are wanting too much.

This begs the question: If no one else is getting upset because you have a skin complaint, why should you? The fact is, the happiest, healthiest and most relaxed people are those who realise they are not the centre of the universe, have accepted that, and are happy with less attention.

To successfully overcome the emotional stress caused by acne, eczema, psoriasis and hives, one’s attitude must be right. The big problem with skin complaints is that their visibility is a constant reminder of their existence and most owners of the skin complaints are constantly worrying about what others think when they see their skin. This in turn leads to feelings of anxiety, frustration and resentment on the part of (he owner who invariably adopts the attitude of ‘Why me? It’s not fair! Life shouldn’t treat me like this.’ Such self talk leads to feelings of anger which often progress to hostility and rage as time goes by. These emotions only exacerbate the acne, eczema, psoriasis and hives by causing the antidromic nerve impulses to pour down the sensory nerves and release neurokinin into the skin.

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Colds and ‘flu are viral infections that take hold when the body’s resistance is low. The body’s resistance drops because we are tired due to over-work, over-exercise, over-socialising, restless, broken sleep, crash diets, skipping meals, and the lack of protein, vitamins and minerals in our diet. In other words, when we’re stressed out. The most significant stress that can trigger viral infection is chilling of the body. Colds are so named because we get them when we’re cold. Viral infections produce toxins and these toxins float through the bloodstream causing irritations in the body’s tissues and aggravating irritations that already exist. In this way colds and ‘flu can trigger allergies and exacerbate allergies that already exist. Asthma caused by colds is called ‘hypersecretory viral asthma’ and is very common in children.

Asthma, acne, eczema and arthritis are particularly affected by colds and ‘flu. Head colds, sore throats and chest colds cause mucus to drip down the back of the throat (especially while asleep) causing irritation of the windpipe and asthma attacks. Low grade colds and ‘flu can smoulder away for weeks and months preventing asthma and other allergies from responding to treatment.

Colds and ‘flu will not go unless the body is sufficiently rested, properly fed and kept at an even, warm temperature. If you feel an attack coming on take time out to rest in bed and take a complete multi-vitamin and mineral formula. It’s better to nip it in the bud so you can be back at work fighting fit in a day or two. If you soldier on, as many do, you’ll find it will drag on for weeks. This will reduce your productivity at work and start your allergy symptoms up again.

A return of your allergy symptoms when everything was going so well on the program and you were practically allergy free, can be so disheartening as to cause you to give up and break the program before you are properly desensitised. It’s not worth it. Colds and ‘flu are so easily prevented. The moment you feel one coming on, go to bed with one of the standard remedies available from the chemist. Get your doctor to recommend the right one for you. If taken early enough these remedies are fantastic at knocking out colds and ‘flu before they take hold. If they have already taken hold, these remedies are not very effective.

As with asthma you must keep the bedroom window closed while you are in bed. By all means leave the bedroom window and door open all day, in fact even up to the point of going to bed at night. Close the window just before turning in. You can leave the door open if you like. Don’t have the window open if you are in bed all day with a cold.

Draughts at school cause many colds, ‘flu and asthma attacks in kids. Talk to the teacher and get him or her to close the windows on one side of the classroom. Kids can work up a sweat from playing at recess. Asthma, sore throats, colds and ‘flu can develop when a draught blows on a moist body. Nylon wind breakers must be worn by kids playing outside in cold winds. Cold winds cut right through woollen sweaters and chill a perspiring body.

Cracker night and winter barbecues can be another problem. Don’t stand too close to smoking barbecues and bonfires. The smoke can cause asthma. Don’t take off your jacket or sweater because the fire is making you hot. The back of you will chill even though the front of you is warm. Asthma, colds and ‘flu will result.

Ceiling fans, floor fans and air-conditioners are out until such time as you’ve completely overcome your allergies. They create draughts that keep house dust, dust mites and the pollens and moulds growing in plants perpetually airborne, thus aggravating asthma and sinus problems. The mucus that results provides an excellent breeding ground for bacteria and viruses, giving rise to colds, ‘flu and sore throats. The air-conditioners in cars, trains, coaches and planes are diabolical. Turn them off wherever possible or at least train the jet stream away from you. If positioned directly on the body this jet stream causes significant chilling and is one of the main reasons people don’t overcome their asthma, colds, ‘flu and sore throats.

Summer colds, ‘flu and asthma attacks frequently develop as a result of swimming in the afternoon. Cool on-shore winds always blow in from the sea in the afternoon and those who don’t thoroughly towel themselves dry the moment they come out of the water are prone to chills. Swim in the morning only or in sheltered home swimming pools. All asthma sufferers should wear a wetsuit vest while swimming and should not stay in too long. Watch out for the afternoon southerlies, get out of the water the moment they hit.

The big problem with colds and ‘flu is that they produce mucus which, in the horizontal position during sleep, drains down the back of the throat and into the windpipe causing asthma attacks. Broken sleep results and this in turn fatigues the body making it hard to get the body’s resistance up to the point where it can kill the cold or ‘flu virus. This is why colds or ‘flu must be nipped in the bud with adequate bed rest, adequate wholesome food, a complete multi-vitamin and mineral supplement and a cold remedy recommended by your doctor.

Remember: Cold feet cause a reflex chill through the rest of the body. Wear socks to bed in winter so that your feet are kept warm when you get up. Don’t wear open sandals or thongs on winter days.

Around 70 per cent of body heat is lost through the head (heat rises). Don’t leave the house with damp hair. Wear a hat or beanie on cold days. Put on a thick dressing gown even if you shower first thing. The thirty to sixty seconds between getting out of bed and under the hot shower is enough to chill you. Chilling also reduces the white blood cells’ candida-killing ability.

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I recommend getting rid of all aerosols, harsh disinfectants, cleaners and phenol products. Instead I recommend the following:

• Soda bicarbonate mixed to a paste for cleaning.

• Mix it. with cooking salt for heavy duty use.

• White vinegar for mould removal.

• Pure yellow laundry soap for personal washing, grated and pulped for laundry use (for machine or hand washing).

• Pure soap flakes are also a better alternative to laundry detergents and cheaper.

• Don’t bath or shower using perfumed soaps.

• Use washing soda to soften water for laundry use.

• Buy shampoos, conditioners and cosmetics that are free of petrochemicals (try the Herbon range).

• Use an aluminium free roll-on deodorant.

• Use the pump packs available in supermarkets instead of aerosol products.

• Use fresh herbs in the toilet instead of Bloo Loo and deodorisers.

• Plain sorbolene cream, with glycerine, makes a very good inexpensive body moisturiser.

This list was kindly supplied by a patient who once suffered from environmental sensitivities. She finally cured her husband’s itchy rash by getting him to eliminate perfumed soaps.

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If you want to be rid of an allergy, once and for all, you must stick religiously to your Anti-Allergy Program for at least three months. If you break the program in that time, even a tiny little bit, you’ll resensitise yourself and have to start a new three month period from that point on. There are no shades of grey with the Anti-Allergy Program, it’s very much a black and white situation. You’re either on it or you’re not.

Some patients find this three month mandatory time span hard to accept, especially if after a month or so all of their symptoms have disappeared. Some of them start to break the program a little bit at a time and if the symptoms don’t return, feel sure they are well. Most often when the program is broken there is an immediate reaction, though sometimes there is sufficient desensitisation for a delayed reaction to occur. If after a few weeks there is still no sign of the symptoms, people who have broken a program arc convinced they are fully desensitised and begin eating whatever they like. Without fail, a short time later, the symptoms begin to reappear and the dieter is back to square one.

A minority of my patients are actually happy to see-saw about like this. Choosing to stay on the program until their symptoms disappear then breaking it till they return again. At which point they go back on the program. Since this method will never cure your allergies I wouldn’t recommend it. The choice is yours.

It is most important to remember that just because the symptoms have disappeared, it does not mean you’re cured of the problem. Most people need at least three months to consolidate their desensitisation, even if their symptoms have disappeared in the first month. Some people, a minority, require six months and an even smaller percentage need twelve months to desensitise. People in this category need their treatment supervised and closely monitored by a doctor or naturopath to prevent vitamin and mineral deficiency developing.

Only 5 per cent of people don’t desensitise and have to stay away from the allergenic food for the rest of their lives. The advantage of desensitisation is that you can, after the period of total abstinence, go back on the foods you were once sensitive to. You win on two counts here:

1. You lose the symptoms that have been troubling you.

2. You are able to eat anything you like.

And all of this achieved with three short months of total abstinence from the offending food or foods. Some of these 5 per cent of people who don’t fully desensitise after ninety days on the program, and who aren’t prepared to continue strictly on the program for twelve months or more, find they can lead a very comfortable life if they stay strictly on the Ant i-Candida/ Anti-Allergy Program through the week and break it on the weekends only. Two days of breaking it in moderation is usually not enough to cause a flaring up of symptoms. In those who do experience a reaction the moment they eat a forbidden substance the symptoms are usually mild. The up side of being on the Anti Candida/Anti-Allergy Program is that after ninety days most people are so used to it that sticking to it five days per week and breaking it on weekends only is no problem to them. The discipline and routine of having to get up each day for work is conducive to staying on the program. Breaking it on the weekend when relaxed gives the body that feeling of joie de vivre that comes from a rest and a change. The balance thus struck between discipline and rest contributes to a balanced lifestyle and a balanced metabolism. Balanced metabolisms are less prone to reacting allergically to contact with foreign substances/allergens.

The combined effects of diet and rest are so successful because they raise the body’s resistance to allergies. A raised resistance is the greatest desensitiser of all.

Holidays often see a disappearance of allergies even though allergens are still present. Holidays are potent healers because they mean a temporary release from commitment and a rest from everyday routine. Under these conditions the body’s resistance soars. I’ve noticed that the further away from one’s place of work one holidays the greater effect the holiday has. It never ceases to amaze me how well allergic people feel when they travel to the other side of the world. Even though the climate may be unfriendly and the environment polluted their allergies invariably disappear for the time they are away, proving the healing potency of rest. It’s a pity that in our fast moving, achievement-orientated world rest is no longer taken seriously as a healing modality. Rest always has been and always will be the most potent healer of all. No matter how positive your attitude may be its limited if not backed up with rest.

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