Читать книгу Luminous Life - Jacob Israel Liberman - Страница 13
ОглавлениеAll the energy which we take into our bodies is derived from the sun.
— ALBERT SZENT-GYORGYI
In 1896 Wilbur Atwater and Francis Benedict conducted a series of metabolic experiments that suggested that the human body’s production of heat and physiological activities corresponded to the caloric value of the nutrients ingested. Their findings became the basis of the calorie theory.
Based on Atwater’s findings, Francis Benedict and James Harris developed the Harris-Benedict equation in 1919, making it possible to determine one’s basal metabolic rate or how many calories the human body requires at rest.
This theory stood unchallenged for over fifty years. Then, beginning in 1972, a team of research scientists headed by Dr. Paul Webb conducted a series of studies using state-of-the-art technology in an attempt to replicate Atwater and Benedict’s results. Webb’s findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, uncovered a significant discrepancy between the theoretical amounts of energy produced by metabolism versus the actual amount of energy produced by the body. This difference, referred to as “unmeasured energy,” indicates that as much as 23 percent of the energy produced by the human body could not be attributed to one’s caloric intake.
To further corroborate his discoveries, Webb reviewed all scientific studies related to the subject and found that they not only confirmed his findings but also demonstrated that the more precise the study, the clearer the evidence that a significant amount of energy could not be scientifically explained.
Confronted with the fact that there was energy that could not be accounted for, Webb introduced a new variable that he referred to as Qx into the calculation of energy balance. This variable represented energy that originated from an unknown source, or energy derived from what some call nothingness.
Although the idea of energy derived from “nothingness” may seem strange from a Western perspective, Eastern cultures have been aware of this mysterious life-force energy for thousands of years. In China it is called chi, in India prana, and renowned Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich referred to it as orgone.
Webb’s research not only exposed the shortcomings of the calorie theory but also demonstrated that the human body receives energy (or life force) from an unknown source. The research also discovered that the greater the food deficit, the larger the unmeasured energy. In other words, the body appears to receive a significant amount of energy from an unknown source, and the less we eat the more energy it receives.
Webb’s discovery seems to be verified by the case of yogi Prahlad Jani, who claims to have lived without food or water since 1940. Although this sounds unbelievable, this Indian yogi was evaluated twice under the most stringent of controlled scientific conditions, and each time he was deemed physiologically normal.
In 2003 Prahlad Jani first underwent a rigorous ten-day evaluation at Sterling Hospital in Ahmedabad, India. During the study Jani was evaluated by dozens of medical experts, and all pertinent tests, including daily blood cell counts and CT scans of the body, were administered. In addition, he was under around-the-clock surveillance in a locked room with no access to food or water; the bathroom was sealed off, his clothes and sheets were scrutinized for any traces of urine, and mobile cameras filmed him whenever clinic personnel escorted him from his locked room to an office or laboratory for medical evaluation.
Dr. Urman Dhruv, who supervised and approved the study protocol, stated that Jani did not consume anything orally, including fluids of any type or food during the ten-day study. He also did not pass any urine or stool during that period. In the words of Dr. Sudhir Shah, the initiator of the study, “We are all scientifically educated and research-orientated doctors. . . .And our entire knowledge has been shaken to the core.”
Under ideal circumstances, it is conceivable that humans can live ten to fifteen days without drinking. However, after four to six days without eating, drinking, and urinating, one would expect extremely high levels of uremic waste products. Nevertheless, Jani’s blood and metabolic levels remained in the safe range during the entire project!
In 2010 Jani was once again rigorously evaluated for fifteen days at Sterling Hospital. This time, a team of thirty-five researchers from the Indian Defense Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS) studied him. After fifteen days of not eating, drinking, urinating, or defecating, all medical tests on Jani were reported as normal, and researchers said that Jani was in better health than someone half his age. Representatives from DIPAS stated in 2010 that further studies were planned to investigate, among other things, where Jani’s body derives its energy for sustenance.
In the February 9, 1901, issue of Collier’s Weekly, Nikola Tesla wrote, “Why should a living being not be able to obtain all the energy it needs for the performance of its life functions from the environment, instead of through consumption of food?” Today, Dr. Gerald H. Pollack, professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington and author of The Fourth Phase of Water, may be able to demonstrate how that process actually occurs.
Living Water
According to Pollack, “Experimental evidence shows that light imparts energy to water, including body water. That energy may, in some instances, provide enough energy for sustaining life.” Pollack and his team have confirmed that there exists a fourth phase of water, beyond that of solid, liquid, and gas. The body’s cells are composed of this “living water,” which differs from normal water, as it is imbued with light.
Fourth-phase water, H3O2, is more viscous, dense, organized, and alkaline than H2O and has more available oxygen due to its chemical structure. It has a negative charge and, like a battery, can store the energy contained in sunlight and deliver it as needed. Since the energy required for structuring water comes from the sun, you might say that the body is a biological photocell filled with “living water” that is constantly charged by the sun.
In spite of the stringent medical assessment and scientific scrutiny that Prahlad Jani underwent, the current scientific findings of Pollack, and the powerful documentary by P. A. Straubinger titled In the Beginning There Was Light, most doctors and scientists still do not consider the possibility that our bodies may actually run on sunlight.
The Power of Light
Earlier I mentioned that Nobel laureate Albert Szent-Gyorgyi said that “all the energy which we take into our bodies is derived from the sun.” The sun’s energy, through the process of photosynthesis, is stored in plants, which are then eaten by animals and humans, who use this light-created energy. But is it possible that we can supplement this process even further by spending more time outdoors in natural light? If solar power can run our homes, cars, and cities, is it so far-fetched to consider that sunlight may also be powering our lives?
According to physician and photobiologist Alexander Wunsch, only one-third of the energy produced by our body comes from the food we eat. The balance comes from the light we are exposed to. In essence, the body’s energy production involves a lot more than just eating right. The body is always seeking homeostasis, and most of the energy required to maintain that essential balance comes from the sunlight we ingest. The easiest way to get our minimum daily requirement of sunlight is to spend some time outdoors each day, revealing as much of our skin as possible. The body is powered by both food and light. That is why sunlight — nature’s optimal fuel mix for life — is so critical for our health and well-being.
Perhaps this is why fasting, accompanied by sunbathing, has been used for centuries across cultures for spiritual and physical cleansing, renewal, and replenishment. It can help us recover from illness and injury and has been shown effective in the prevention and treatment of numerous chronic health conditions. Could the process of eating less and spending more time in nature impact our health and wellness in ways we may have not considered?
Although the information in this chapter about living on light is fascinating, I am not suggesting anyone should stop eating, as I myself love to eat. However, I think it is important that we consider the significance of light as not only a guide for our eyes but also for our entire physiology and journey through life. This light guidance, received through the gateway of presence, is not only directing every aspect of our lives but is also nourishing us at levels we cannot even imagine.
The nutritional value of our food is related to its light content. Organically grown fruits and vegetables that are harvested when ripe and eaten fresh are light-filled and nutritionally rich. Now consider the health benefits of eating less, spending more time outdoors each day, and receiving the ultrapure nourishment of light directly rather than receiving it indirectly via food.
Eating a simpler, lighter diet has been shown to promote healthier aging by shielding the body’s cells from deterioration and other major health risks. In addition, it has been confirmed that underfed lab animals live longer, healthier lives and rarely develop age-related pathologies such as cancer and heart disease. According to evolutionary biologist Dr. Margo Adler of the University of New South Wales in Australia, “cutting back on food leads to increased rates of ‘cellular recycling’ and repair mechanisms in the body.” Perhaps this is why Prahlad Jani was reported by researchers to be in better health than someone half his age.
Jani’s extraordinary state of health was not just related to the fact that he did not eat or drink. He also received great health benefits from sunbathing, as spending time outdoors stimulates the production of vitamin D. The significance of this is paramount, as vitamin D deficiency, which is associated with not spending enough time in sunlight, has become a modern-day epidemic, strongly linked to a rise in the incidence of the “diseases of civilization” such as cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, macular degeneration, and immune deficiencies. Scientists have also confirmed a significant relationship between sunlight-related vitamin D deficiency and the development of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
As you can see, sunlight profoundly influences every facet of our lives, from our overall health and well-being to the quality and efficiency of our vision. These astonishing discoveries about light, paired with the instantaneous healing of my vision and clinical experience with light therapy, sparked the curiosity of those I worked with, opening them to new possibilities within themselves. I had been trained to believe that disease was contagious, but wellness is even more contagious — and the potential for recovery in my patients increased in direct proportion to the space I was able to hold for what was possible.
Wellness Is Contagious
Over the years, many people have contacted me after my lectures to say that their vision had improved, or they stopped wearing glasses altogether, just by being open to the possibility. Many of them have kept in touch, including a woman who wrote this after attending a presentation on light: “You are responsible for a spontaneous remission of poor vision. After listening to your words, I could see without my glasses.”
I heard from another patient recently whom I had treated as a child, who is now a successful actress with a child of her own:
I remember being excited about going to the doctor’s office. I was only five or six, but remember jumping on the trampoline and the sugar-free lollipops. Most importantly, I remember the day Dr. Liberman took the glasses off my face and told me I didn’t need them anymore. I remember always wearing glasses as a kid until the day he told me I didn’t need them anymore. And I never needed them since. Even though my family’s eyesight is terrible, I’ve always had 20/20 vision.
Growing up with parents who were diagnosed with multiple cancers instilled me with a fear that haunted me for much of my life. They both survived, but the fear of the cancer’s recurrence left a permanent mark on our family. I realized that it is often not the disease that kills us but the diagnosis. Many people rid their body of cancer, but few can rid their mind of it.
When I went into practice I noticed this same phenomenon with patients who came to me with diagnoses of learning problems such as attention deficit disorder (ADD) or dyslexia. We could often resolve their issue, but once they had been labeled, the diagnosis remained part of their identity. Here is a true personal story that illustrates that point.
