A Practical Guide
To Holistic Living
Organic Germanium - Enhancing
Our Health And Our Lives
This book has attempted to bring together the many
aspects currently known regarding the therapeutic uses of organic Germanium.
The topics covered span a wide range of issues and illnesses, including
environmental pollution from radiation and heavy metals, modulation
of the immune and nervous system, and some of the presently not-understood
and esoteric properties of organic Germanium, which suggest that its
healing abilities may work at levels beyond the physical.
Organic Germanium as a substance seems to enhance
and enrich our health, and restore balance to whatever system is "dis-eased".
Really, in a nutshell, this is what holistic living is all about - learning
and knowing about ourselves and our fellow earthly creatures, attuning
to and attempting to realize our innate potential at every level. This
particular element, for reasons not entirely discernable, appears to
embody and promotemovement toward what we seek during our life.
Holistic Health Practices
There are a plethora of different health-enhancing
substances and practices available to us in this "New Age".
We don't have to be expert clinicians or practitioners to have access
to the wisdom of the ages that has been "rediscovered" and
re-introduced to us at this time. These include the many dietary therapies,
Chinese medicine and herbs, essential oils, homeopathy, acupuncture,
crystal and colour healing. We can certainly benefit from the information
available on the various techniques and avail ourselves of these therapies
when the need arises.
This chapter is an attempt to discuss and bring
together, at a commonsense level, some of the many practical ways in
which we can significantly enhance our health. The following sections
review the current wisdom from orthodox and alternative perspectives
concerning factors we can control in our lives, namely what we eat,
the amount of exercise we take, and our attitudes to living and relating.
Diet
Of all the factors in our daily life, choosing what
we eat is one of the simplest and most effective ways in which we can
profoundly influence our health and our attitude toward living. There
are many dietary systems. Some of the more well-known include Macrobiotics,
Raw Food such as the Gerson Diet, Vegetarian and the Rainbow Diet, in
which different colour foods are eaten with an awareness of their correspondences
to different Chakras. Each dietary system usually encompasses a universal
philosophy, which goes beyond merely the physical or nutritional basis
of foods. Each dietary system embodies truth and wisdom - it is for
each of us to choose whatever diet resonates with our being.
During our lifetime, we may go through many changes in our eating practices
- after many years of being Macrobiotic, we may find that we wish to
now incorporate more raw food into our diet. Or, after years of being
Vegetarian, we may feel comfortable with occasionally eating fish or
chicken. Holistic living includes a flexible approach and respect to
our growth and needs. What we eat represents more than simply ingesting
ingredients - if we take nourishment with awareness and gratitude for
its sustenance, then cooking and eating become part of an entire outlook
on life that harmonizes with good health.
Irrespective of whichever diet chosen, there are
several common principles which embody good health practice. These include:
- Choose whole and natural foods and avoid foods
and products which have been chemically adulterated. This includes white
flour and its products, white rice and packaged convenience foods.
- Centre the diet on fruits, vegetables and whole
grains, supplemented with other foods such as fish, poultry or dairy
products.
- Avoid sugar in all forms, including white and brown
sugar and honey.
- Avoid red meat, eggs, and high fat dairy products.
- Avoid immune-depressant substances such as coffee,
tea, tobacco, alcohol and recreational drugs.
Nutritional Supplements
In an ideal world with balanced agricultural practices,
equal distribution of soil nutrients, no atmospheric or industrial pollution,
radiation, no stress - perhaps sitting atop the rarified atmosphere
of the Himalayas - we could, if we led a simple, hard-working life,
get all that we needed from our natural diet. And, indeed, an extremely
healthy active person may not need to supplement his diet all the time.
However, in view of the reality of "civilized" life, with
its pollution, radiation, exhaust fumes, etc., we all could probably
benefit from nutritional supplementation from time to time.
Again, as in all things, commonsense and discrimination
should be operative words in choosing what supplements to take. There
are a myriad of brands available at most health food stores, and stocking
up on everything is extremely expensive and results in "popping"
many different capsules every day, which somehow doesn't feel very natural.
Accordingly, learn about the various vitamins and minerals and their
therapeutic properties (15,41), and be sensible about your choices.
Read the label carefully and don't buy brands with sugar (sucrose, fructose).
For a generally healthy person, a multi-vitamin and mineral tablet may
provide an adequate boost to the daily diet; to a person very ill with
cancer or AIDS or with a heart condition, then it may be advisable to
take mega doses of immune-enhancing vitamins, minerals and other extracts.
The most important vitamins and minerals which have known therapeutic
properties by virtue of being immune-enhancers, free radical scavengers,
blood sugar or neuroendocrine modulators include (5,113):
Vitamins: A, B6, Folic Acid, Pantothenic
Acid, C, E.
Minerals: Iron, Magnesium, Chromium GTF,
Zinc, Selenium, Organic Germanium (2,32,35,65,79,81).
In addition to these main supplements, there are
many additional health food supplements, such as herbs (ginseng), amino
acids and substances such as seaweeds, algae and royal jelly. Again,
trust your intuition and discrimination and read the literature carefully
to ensure that these products will be of benefit to you.
Exercise
Every tradition encourages exercise. From the age-old
and contemporary practices of yoga, the oriental martial arts, running,
swimming, dancing, skiing, or just plain walking, exercise is good for
mind and body. At the mental level, exercise provides a focus for our
concentration, and an outlet for expressing pent-up emotions. Exercise
when practised as an art can be an exquisite meditation, the ultimate
harmonization of mind and body. At the body level, movement benefits
the immune system, strengthens the cardiac system and can increase flexibility,
agility and coordination.
We all know the above, and yet many of us, including
myself, do not exercise as optimally as we could. Any programme of exercise,
no matter how limited, is of great benefit, because movement can provide
one of the greatest sources and inlets to transcendent feelings of calmness,
well-being and even ecstasy. Vide the "highs" experienced
by long-distance runners.
To make it easy and practical to exercise, determine
to spend at least five minutes each morning for some form of exercise.
This could entail anything from stretching, yoga, dancing or walking
to the corner and back. A five minute commitment is not too great for
any person, yet can produce great benefits.
The most important thing to remember about exercise
is that it ought to be enjoyable. Embarking on a fitness routine that
is painful or loathesome defeats the entire purpose, which is to enjoy
the sheer action of moving the body. Also, choose practices which harmonize
with your age, physical condition and body needs, and which don't torture
old injuries or inflict new ones. Be very practical - if the nearest
swimming pool is half an hour away and lacks hairdryers, then perhaps
swimming should not be your daily exercise.
This is not to deter anyone from following an exercise
plan which may be challenging and present difficulties. The advice on
choosing simple and short is merely a device to cajole lazy and/or forgetful
and unmotivated people from starting to get moving. Any regime which
is relished should be indulged in and utilized to full advantage.
Environmental Factors
Our environment has a profound effect on the immune
system and our entire outlook to living. Environment includes such things
as sunlight, which stimulates immune function, radiation, water and
air quality. Exposure to sunlight, even five minutes per day (without
glasses), is an excellent boost to overall good health. The air we breathe
and the water we drink, may all contain poisons such as heavy metals
and carcinogens, and may severely limit our oxygen supply, so vital
for good health. While it is not always possible to vary where we live,
it is possible to make choices about the location of our home based
on priorities which support optimum health.
Relating To Healthcare: Commonsense
And Discrimination
As consumers, we are fortunate indeed to be able
to benefit from the knowledge of the orthodox and alternative medical
healing professions. However, all too often, due to our unwillingness
or inability to take responsibility for our own health, we place ourselves
passively into the hands of the "men in the white coats",
expecting them to make us well. This is not to disparage the intent
or expertise of the medical profession - modern medicine has achieved
much that is invaluable to our lives - rather, this is more a comment
on our incredible gullibility and inexplicable faith we have for the
mortals in whose care we entrust our bodies. We as health care consumers,
sometimes surrender our personal power to another person, in whom we
invest the authority to heal us.
When we wish to purchase a car, house, stereo,
or even a suit or dress, we may spend hours, days or even longer researching
what is available, discussing the merits of the available products,
doubting and being sceptical about what the sales(wo)men tell us, trying
it, asking the opinions of our friends or lovers, before making a final
decision. However, when we take ourselves or our children to the doctor,
dentist or any other practitioner, we are often handed a prescription
which we have dispensed at the chemist without even knowing what has
been the diagnosis or what medication has been prescribed. Of course,
in theory, these things should be discussed at the time of treatment.
However,in the absence of such information, how often do we "interview"
the practitioner about the various kinds of treatments available, what
types of side-effects they may have, what will happen if we don't take
any medication, etc. etc.
Ultimately, we must decide which treatment we choose,
ideally in a cooperative and mutually-enriching relationship with the
practitioner. The qualities of discrimination, compassion, wisdom and
understanding are all essential ingredients in healing. These should
be exercised by the consumer as well as the practitioner. Practitioners
have a responsibility to inform and take the utmost care in treating
and advising their clients, acting in a manner that serves the highest
ideals of their profession. We as consumers have the responsibility
to be fully informed and cooperate in an active way with the course
of treatment. In this symbiotic fashion, both parties will gain the
most.
We are our only healers. Doctors, practitioners,
therapists, can and do certainly help us to heal ourselves, however,
it is ultimately we who have the illness or condition, and no one can
know more about all the details of ourselves than we can. There are
definitely times to go to the doctor, take certain medications, undergo
surgery, etc. etc. There are also times when less radical procedures,
or perhaps simply relaxing and taking better care of ourselves will
work, without having to subject our bodies to drugs, or to needlessly
waste our time and that of the practitioner.
Well-Being At The Emotional
And Spiritual Level
Taking steps to view our life from a holistic perspective
has certain inevitable consequences, which all lead to change. First
and foremost, the choice to take responsibility for our life puts us
squarely in the driver's seat - we control and create our life. We have
always been in control, but may not have been aware of it. Additionally,
viewing and experiencing life from a holistic perspective means exploring
all angles - positive, negative, logical, intuitive, sensible, irrational.
This may be threatening to our beloved sense of security and perhaps
result in major explorations outside of narrow career goals, but will
ultimately result in heightened awareness, personal development and
spiritual maturity. And, despite our very real and human feelings of
inadequacy, hopelessness and despair, there is nothing more exhilarating
and challenging in life than a sense of adventure engendered by knowing
that we are our own potential instrument of change.
As we progress further along the path of self-discovery,
there comes a point at which we glimpse some fragment of who we are,
and perhaps why we are here or what out true inner essence is. In my
view, if life has any "purpose", it is to enable us to realize
the fulfilment of our truest potential. This is not spoken of from an
outwardly ambitious viewpoint of money and career, but rather from a
perspective of finding deep enriching satisfaction in our lives.
Each of us is unique, and we are always moving
towards the attainment of our individual paths. Within each of us is
our own inner wisdom, intuition and knowing which can guide us in our
individual quests toward self-realization and fulfillment. Dr. Asai
found deep spiritual satisfaction and realized many insights with his
discoveries and development of organic Germanium. For each of us, this
search and discovery will take many different forms. Only our inner
voices can guide us to the treasures contained within. Good health and
life-enhancing practices are invaluable assets which we should strive
to maintain in order to arrive at our destinies.
Fun And Self-Acceptance
In conclusion and above all else, fun and enjoyment
is of principal importance. "Seriousness" can become a number
one disease. Fun means giving yourself permission to be yourself - not
some good little child. We can all benefit from being in touch with
our mischievous side, remembering a few good jokes, not being so boringly
predictable. For, no matter how well we plan things, or how careful
we may be, we never know for certain for how long we will be around.
The best recipe for a happy life is to enjoy every moment to its fullest.
To relish everything, the bad, the sad along with the happy, to experiment
and not be afraid of making mistakes, because there are no such thing
as mistakes, only lessons.
