Extraordinary Healing System: Acknowledgments
Extraordinary Healing System: Acknowledgments
Extraordinary Healing System: Acknowledgments
Foreword
xi
Acknowledgments
Introduction
xiii
xxiii
PART ONE
Your
Chapter
Your
Healing System
Chapter
Your
Healing System
in Action
Chapter
Chapter
Strengthening
Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
The
and
23
Healing System
57
Healing System at
Extraordinary Healing
73
113
Healing System
and Your
Healing System
PART TWO
249
Begin
Getting Started:
System 263
Conquering
Daily Program
for
Skin Problems
Sick
281
282
282
135
183
viii
Contents
Abscesses
Acne
283
283
Burns
Cysts
285
Folliculitis
285
Impetigo
285
Skin Rashes
286
Allergic
Rashes
286
Infectious Rashes
287
Nerve-Related Rashes
Eczema
288
Shingles
288
Headaches
Eye
287
288
Psoriasis
Head
284
289
Vertigo
289
290
Injury
Disorders
291
292
Conjunctivitis
293
Corneal Abrasions
293
Styes 294
294
Ear Problems
Impacted
294
Ear Wax
Menieres Disease
295
Middle-Ear Infections
295
Noise-Induced
Loss
Hearing
Outer-Ear Infections
296
297
Surfers Ear
Tinnitus
297
298
Respiratory System
Asthma
Disorders
298
298
Bronchitis
Colds
296
299
299
Emphysema
Disease)
Pulmonary
ix
Contents
Pharyngitis
300
Pneumonia
300
Respiratory Allergies
Sinus Infections
Throat
Strep
Tonsillitis
301
302
303
303
Tuberculosis
303
Disorders
Digestive System
Appendicitis
304
305
Colon Cancer
Constipation
305
306
306
Gastritis
306
Gastroenteritis
Hepatitis 307
Inflammatory Bowel
Disease
308
309
310
Reproductive System
Disorders
311
Premenstrual
Syndrome (PMS)
Reproductive System
Male
Menopause
Prostate Cancer
Prostate
314
Disorders
Central Nervous
System
Peripheral Neuropathies
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Muscular
313
313
System Disorders
Fractures
Disorders
313
Testicular Cancer
Nervous
312
313
Enlargement
Lymphatic System
310
Reproductive System
Menopause
Male
309
316
Injuries
Osteoporosis 317
317
314
314
Disorders
316
316
315
311
Contents
Joint Disorders
Gout
318
318
Osteoarthritis
318
Rheumatoid Arthritis
318
319
319
319
319
Back Pain
Spine
320
320
Circulatory System
Heart Disease
High
Disorders
321
322
Endocrine
System
Chronic
Diabetes
Disorders
323
324
System
Allergies
323
Fatigue Syndrome
Thyroid Dysfunction
Immune
321
321
Blood Pressure
Stroke
320
325
Disorders
326
326
Chemical and
Drug Allergies
327
Allergies 327
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
Anaphylaxis 329
Food
Autoimmune Diseases
329
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Multiple Sclerosis 330
Cancer
330
331
Imagery Techniques
Resources
328
363
to
Guided
341
FOREWORD
xii
Foreword
Begin
with
future reference in times of need. Let Dr. Brownstein show you how
to strengthen and fortify the extraordinary healing system within
you, and
body,
youll
and
see
remarkable
changes
mind,
spirit.
Claes Frostell, M.D.
Karolinska
Stockholm, Sweden
~ACKNQWLEDGMENTS
any
people
book.
my
Many more
sincere apologies.
I would like
tribution
to
acknowledge
to
the
following people
for their
con
this work:
Norman .Cousins
was
the
original inspiration
that led
to
the
presented
here.
fortunate
the
severe,
During
system in
patients
grateful to Dr.
with
Ornish
generosity.
Dr. Lee Lipsenthal, medical director of the Ornish Program and
originator of the Physician Heal Thyself program, has been a con
tinuous source of encouragement for this project.
Other staff and participants of the Ornish Program I would like
to personally thank include Melanie Elliot, R.N.; Ruth Marlin,
M.D.; Rob Saper, M.D.; Jim Billings, Ph.D.; Dr. Conrad Knudsen;
Dennis Malone; Glenn
Hank and
Phyllis Ginsberg;
Scripps
xiv
Acknowledgments
book, Love, Medicine and Miracles, and his many other books have
a source
of great
treatment
Harvard
cardiologist,
expert in
of stress-related illnesses, and the first person in the
a
an
world
to
can
Acknowledgments
emeritus
sending
xv
at
was
able
to
observe
healing system.
of
(deceased),
psychoneuroimmunology
was
at
UCLA. He,
to
to
were
healing system.
xvi
Acknowledgments
as
of~ the
Wisneski, M.D.,
holistic
endocrinologist
as
well
as
Len
ported
and
on
recom
mended here.
Debby Young is the best editor in the whole world. Over a four
year period, she was instrumental in helping me to organize, clarify,
xvii
Acknowledgments
and
strip
down the
huge
ideas flow
smoothly and
are
easy
to
for this
book into
gathered
you, Debby.
Bert Holtje and Gene Brissie
are
me to
enough
to
publish
this work,
helpful
and
rest
as
well. I also
of the folks
at
want to
being so
cooperative.
punishment!
encouraged me to do my
best in all my endeavors while he practiced medicine in a career that
spanned 50 years, including a professorship at the UCLA School of
Medicine and a private practice in Beverly Hills, California. My
mother, Fernlee Brownstein, relentlessly encouraged me to follow in
my fathers footsteps as a physician over the course of my childhood
and early education.
My father,
The inner
genius
us are
the
true
healers of disease.
(460400 B.C.)
intelligence
of the
body
in nature.
THE VEDAS
The
physician
GALEN
The
is
only
natures assistant.
(129199 A.D.)
physician
bodys
own
healing
bag
serious the
illness, the
carry him
only
is
major factor
in
so
The
The
can
are
No~&N CousINs
We
wide
one
Your
body
can
heal itself. It
CARYLE HIRSHBERG
AND
can
do
so
because it has
healing
system. If you are in good health, you will want to know about this
system, because it is what keeps you in good health and because you
can
will
want to
or
people
you love
are
sick,
you
hope
for
recovery.
ANDREW WElL, M.D.
Medical students
are not
really taught
about the
healing system.
and how to treat,
that
are at a
we
each inherit
as
much
at
birth.
passive
victim
removes
vigor
as
to
the offender
or
repairs damaged
tissue
that is
S.S. YUKTESWAR
When you
are
be sick.
cease to
Lko Tzu
There is
no
thing
such
as an
incurable disease,
only
incurable
people.
BERNIE SIEGEL, M.D.
There
are no
incurable diseases,
only
man
has
not
a new
MICHEL
DR
MONTAtGNE
(15331592)
INTRODUCTION
our
body
is
an
can
repair
can
to
the other
largely taken
for
granted
and overlooked
by most
of modern science.
were more
true
today,
and other countries in the Far East and Middle East continue
their
us are
Japan,
to
teach
patients how
to
ability to
lofty ranks of our own modern medicine, every surgeon who has ever
wielded a scalpel has relied on the bodys natural ability to heal itself
following each and every operation performed.
Norman Cousins, the famous author, healer, and diplomat,
first spoke to me about the healing system more than a decade ago.
At this time, he was at UCLA, pioneering a new scientific program
in psychoneuroimmunology or PNI, for short, which focused on
understanding how the mind and nervous system influence the
Introduction
Xxiv
functioning
usher in
plored
an
findings helped
we
met,
he im
investigate
copy of his
was.
grown in and connected from his sternum in the very front of his
chest to the vertebra in the back of his spinal column.
Although it took his body 25 years to regrow the rib, his X-ray
was proof of a healing system that was never discussed in my med
ical school training and was more amazing than I had ever known.
To form a new complete rib where only a blank space existed is akin
to
salamanders
still have
new
copy of Peters
truly amazing
reminds
growing
me
this
tails
X-ray
or a
person
in my office
growing
to
remind
healing
that if we
a new
me
limb. 1
of how
ral
healing
access
it
to
us
possesses,
including
natu
how
to
reason,
it is
important
to
Introduction
xxv
ing
and
are
natural
state
is
one
of
the rule,
how your body operates on the same principles that work in nature,
and how your healing systems primary function is to help you
maintain your natural state of health.
Introduction
xxvi
most
effective
important chap
to
conditions, such
as eczema.
prescriptive
begins
with
PART ONE
Extraordinary
Healing System
Your
CHAPTER
Your
Healing System
natural
state
of health.
being. In fact,
if you were to conduct a simple experiment by leaving your body to
its own devices, supplying it with just a few basic necessities, you
would discover that, for the most part, it can remain healthy all on
grammed
its
own,
people living
to
or more.
state
Your
exist
after
generation
state
and continue
not
of health
we
serves as
were
would have
not our
long
fundamental
since
principle
around which your body organizes, balances, and keeps itself vital
and strong over the years. Because of this internal organizing prin
ciple, your body knows how to adjust and adapt to external forces
and
changes
keeping
myriad challenges,
threats, and disturbances. Your body possesses an uncanny resiliency
to spring back to health even after it has been subjected to tremen
dous forces of deprivation, starvation, and torture, life-threatening
illnesses, and high-impact accidents.
Your body also displays an inner intelligence or wisdom that
supports your natural state of health as you move through the vari
ous stages of life. Consider, for example, that your body knows how
to grow a complete set of new teeth after you lose your baby teeth.
How does the body know how to increase its size as it grows, to
create facial hair in men as they go through puberty, and to enlarge
It
ance.
can
right
and
repair
and
place
of the
to create new
one
to
grow
layer
a new
stubbed
when
can
injuries
body
occur
blockage
during an
together a frac
new
blood
itself, and
toe,
toenail
state
regularly
return to a state
of health,
even
of normal function
to
child could
of
us
did.
ever
one
most
Your
Healing System
for the
through
rough and
spring back, continuing,
the
part, past the age of 50, to 75, and even 100 years or
more? It accomplishes all this because of its incredible healing
most
system, and the crucial ways in which that system works with your
bodys other tissues, organs, and systems.
unnatural, abnormal
natural, normal
state.
What do I
healthy,
to
illness represents
by this?
state,
mean
healing, which is
of well-being. When
the word
a sense
well, and
you have
vibrant,
a move
you
are
comfortable,
Your
body
feels
effortless. This is
ing
an
feeling
of
When you become ill, you lose your health. You lose your feel
of ease, and you become afflicted with dis-ease. Understood in
these
terms,
departure
Disease represents
a movement
temporary
central, orderly,
Your
enjoying
In the science of
body
as a
ronment
state.
biology,
that is
balance. This order and balance that maintain your natural state
of health are achieved through homeostasis as your body processes
adjusts
and
to
to
of health.
state
or
ance
not
body; they
only
also
are
body,
state
of temporary
create
example,
in
closer look
few
at
exceptions,
occur at
predictable
rea
Just
as
sunrise and
sunset
are
Your
Healing System
Listening
As Ive
bodys
already mentioned,
to
Your
Body
when your
internal environment has become imbalanced and disor
occur
dered. This is
went too
beam, he
far. While he
ruptured
was
bending over
disc in his
spine
to
lift
and ended
heavy laminated
up on an operating
a
to
and
Your
room
the
tune
of
one to two
he
longer requires
no
inhalers
to
smoking. Funny,
respiratory
bodys
ability
to
maintain his
well-being.
Sally is another patient of mine who ignored her bodys mes
sages. Sally was in a lot of pain and had been vomiting yellow,
bilious material for two days before she came to my office in obvi
health and
distress. Her
preventable.
Almost every day for the week preceding her problem, Sally had
eaten sausage and fried eggs for breakfast, burgers and fries with a
after
having
eaten
nature.
Healing System
Your
and didnt think much about it. He and his buddies had been
on
steady regimen
was
liver
was
to
to eat or
He
was nauseous
drink for
more
and
than
dehydrated,
and
week. He
was
suffering
from
acute
he
was
to
of suffering had
passed,
once
the
storms
buddies.
I
was
story, I
very
busy
thought I
with other
patients,
and after
hearing Sams
impact on helping him
10
Your
fall
deaf ears.
on
new
Sam told
me
He hadnt had
impact.
drink in
to
day
him that
did make
Instead,
two
an
Many people
person
infection
the
they
airplane,
the
on
the air
in
usually
are
not
so
easily,
only
only
the
people
of all.
viruses in
or
latter.
that allows
something
Epidemiology
world, known
triangle
they
are
environment
our
changed
them,
But
as
not.
usually
us to
our
of the illness. If
spend
throat
immediate envi
were
every
spread
day
they
were,
all of
from person
to
do
not
bother
us
in the least.
points strongly
What, then,
by
them? Is it
in favor of the
epidemics.
as
epidemiological triangle
the
epidemiological
three factors:
is the
is the
existence of disease
in
organism
or
the
organisms
cause
spread
who
or
we
people
family member,
another
person
has
them
and
themselves,
us
next to
blaming
ubiquity
ronment
into my office
come
sitting
Why?
depends
on
or
transmits the
disease;
Your
Healing System
3)
and
contact
help
discover the
epidemics
future
Whereas
true
from
previous medical
factors, which
We
resources.
They
why
are
exposed
more
to
places
we
emphasis
much greater
us
that
keep
healthy
us
the
the
as
host resistance
on
help
and
bodys
us
resist ill
internal
healing
resistance factors
helps
us to
people get sick and why others dont, even when they
same disease-causing agents; why certain people get sick
why
certain diseases
seem to
on
of health and
respect
personal
natural
our
choices
Studies
most
susceptibility
have
an
affinity for
we
to
illness
we nurture
state
make in
are
based
and honor
every
day
the
body
that is
responsible
in the
determining
how well
we
our
take
are
dependent
on
the
lives.
on
in
on
our
people living
important factors
the
some
care
to
people.
Studies
state
to
importance
more
persons susceptibility to
certain
to
in
as
determine
while it works
can
measure
research attributed
factors within
are
and
or come
occurring.
medical research
newer
weigh
to
origins of illness,
ness.
11
to
extremely important
resiliency, and
its
sys
ability
to
most
knows how
its
to
state
of health because of
healing system.
Your
Healing System
Bodys
on a
skipping
feeling carefree
down the
street,
beautiful,
Health
day. Youre
light-hearted. All of a
warm summer
and
you
12
Your
your fall. As you hit the ground and slide along the pavement, you
immediately feel pain in your arm. As you slowly rise to your feet,
you notice
red,
raw,
patch of skin
bleeding. Although youre
an area
and
where
has been
sustained
off. It is
just
ripped
language,
only
you have
abrasion!
an
layer
sight
several
next
snake
as a
of the
course
or
of the
everyday stuff,
injury~ Pretty
body
common,
knows how
to
events
healing
most
encountered every
include not only the rapid
problems such as abrasions and cuts and bruises on the skin, but also
the supervising, monitoring, and continual adjusting of critical
physiological processes that occur deep within your bodys internal
environment. When external forces seek
your
body,
hard
to restore
state
of health. Here
safeguard your
and may
even turn to
or
are
just
healing
system works
health:
Your
to
orderly
imbalance within
to
to create
healing
healing.
o
Your
Your
Healing System
13
sweating,
to remove
toxins when
an
infection
is present.
a
Your
healing system
can
Your
Your
process of bone
it heals fractures.
Your
more.
healing
bodys
to
its role~
as
the
guardian
of your
health.
Even if there have been times in the past when you were quite
ill and had to struggle against lifes most serious adversities and set
your
natural
state
Eliminating
In many
ing
Obstacles
cases,
system,
jeopardizes
and
of health.
you
to
Your
Healing System
creating
an
its effectiveness.
removing them,
By understanding
healing
system,
are
now