April 29, 2009

When we go to sleep, we usually lie on our side or curl up comfortably. People often tell me that they have been practising relaxation like this. These are good positions for sleep, but we are aiming for deep mental relaxation which is different from sleep. Whether we lie down, or sit, or squat, our mental relaxation is more effective if we retain a symmetrical posture with our arms and legs in similar positions on each side of our body.

The Lying Posture-This is the basic posture and the easiest position for our exercises. We simply lie on our back with our arms by our side. Young people do not need a pillow. Adults can use a low pillow, but the lower the better, as lying quite flat enhances the feeling of abandonment—the letting go—which is such an important part of mental relaxation.

At the start a couch is quite suitable; but as soon as a real feeling of relaxation is attained it is wise to transfer to the harder surface of the floor. This is not quite so comfortable, and the relaxation achieved comes more from the mind and less from the body.

Lying on the sand on the beach is good; and the absence of clothes aids the feeling of abandonment. However, when we combine our exercises with sun-bathing, we want to

distinguish between the two things. The mental exercises require controlled activity of the mind, but in sun-bathing we just let ourselves doze off, relaxed and uncontrolled.

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Because the underlying causes of arthritis are to be found in the degenerative changes brought about by faulty living habits and specifically by nutritional abuses, it stands to reason to expect that a program of biological treatments is dominated by dietetic measures.

It is a general observation that the diet of arthritic patients has been deficient in vital nutritive elements for prolonged periods and loaded with overcooked, canned, frozen, devitalized, and overrefined foods. In addition, the great amount of empty calories from white sugar and white flour and all the foodless monstrosities made from them makes such a diet even more unhealthy. This sort of nutritional abuse, combined with other health-destroying factors in the form of overeating, use of alcohol, smoking, coffee, lack of exercise, etc., has caused a general breakdown of their health and triggered the development of degenerative processes in their joints.

In order to reverse the process, rebuild the general health of the patient, initiate a betterment in his condition, and induce a subsequent cure, a radical overhaul of his dietary habits is of prime importance. The diet must be as easy as possible for the digestive system to handle and, at the same time, provide all the nutrients required for the repair and building of a healthy body.

The diet during the first two to four weeks consists mainly of raw, uncooked fruits and vegetables (Frischkost). Some of the clinics which I visited use certain amounts of cooked foods in addition to Frischkost. Most Swedish biological clinics use boiled potatoes and vegetable soups in addition to raw foods. They all use raw milk in the form of homemade soured milk. The Bircher-Benner Clinic in Switzerland, one of the most advanced and best-known biological clinics in the world, excludes all cooked foods during the first phase of the treatment— as well as all foods of animal origin: meat, fish, eggs, milk, butter, and cheese. Bread and cooked cereals are eliminated as well during the first two to four weeks. Raw nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains are included in the raw food diet.

Uncooked foods will supply not only all the necessary vitamins and minerals, but also all the enzymes and easily digestible natural starches and proteins needed for healthy functioning of the body. Another advantage of such a diet is that it will cause a minimum of waste retention and sluggishness in the digestive organs and will help the body in its cleansing and detoxicating process. It is a purifying and cleansing diet.

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