Young children cannot make a choice about whether or not to smoke. If one or both parents, or other family member’s smoke, then they will also inhale the smoke. Passive smoking has been linked to over 50 children’s ailments and disorders. These range from relatively minor things such as sore throat and irritated eyes to serious and even life-threatening problems. Young children whose parents smoke have an increased frequency of respiratory tract infections such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia, and suffer more from acute asthma attacks. Passive smoking results in decreased lung growth, and there is a definite increased risk of Sudden infant death syndrome in babies when parents smoke. The risk to the child’s health is worse if the mother smokes (because she usually spends more time with the child) and increases if both parents smoke.

So the message is clear. Do not allow your child to smoke nor to be exposed to smoke! Even if you wish to continue to smoke (and we would advise strongly against it), please give up for the sake of your child’s health. Your doctor will be able to provide advice and support for you to quit this deathly habit.

*259\90\8*

sexual and loving education from within our family, educational, and religious institutions.

This chapter is about sex education in the United States. In spite of all of the talk and writing about sex education, there are very few programs that are successfully teaching the combination of love, sensuality, morality, and responsibility. With few exceptions, we continue to teach mechanics and the first three perspectives with their genital and energy-release focus. We are not offering love education, not talking about the purpose behind the struggle of the young people in the story you have just read. We are teaching “preventive sexuality,” a way of preventing disease and pregnancy rather than an enhancing intimacy that can bring the joy of closeness with another person.

Think about your sex and love education. Where and how did you learn about sexuality? Have you really learned enough to teach it yourself? There will never be a school- or church-based sex-education course that will do the job that needs to be done, the job of telling the whys and hows of making love and not just the mechanics of procreation and contraception. As long as sex remains a dirty joke in our schools and a mystery in our homes, we will continue to suffer in a sexually stagnant society. There has never been a sexual revolution at all, but a sexual involution, a turning in to a mechanical, pleasure-oriented sex rather than a looking forward to loving, fulfilling, long-lasting sexual relationships in a daily living context. We will never really be able to have super marital sex by looking only for super sex. You have read throughout this book that sex and love, and all the learning that each requires, cannot be separated from each other. This is the connection that can be opened with the thirteenth key, the key of lifelong learning.

Teaching sex will never be enough. We have to role-model love and caring, talk about everything sexual with everyone in our home, and continue to learn about sexuality and intimacy throughout life. We cannot leave our children to struggle blindly in parked cars. We will have to talk about the snaps on bras and the zippers on jeans. We will have to help them find a safe place and a safe way to be sexual, and not tease them with the joys of sex, then try to hide sex from them. They will always find it. They have already found it. They were born with it and born doing it. Do we want them to suffer without our help? If that happens, what they find will never be super marital sex. We have to put the love, the real snap of sex, back into sexuality.

*295\97\8*

1.Orgasm and ejaculation are the same thing.    

2.Men cannot be multiply orgasmic.    

3.Men must learn to control themselves sexually, so    

that they are able to fulfill their partner through an

appropriately timed sexual response.

4.The best time for sex as a man is when you are

completely rested.

5.    The penis is the most sensitive part of the body for

sexual interaction.

6.    Intercourse is the ultimate form of sexual fulfillment.

7.    The fewer sexual outlets you have, the more aroused

you become. By having less sex you can become

sexier and want sex more.

8.    Firm erections are necessary for fulfilling sex for

yourself and your partner.

9.    Excessive masturbation can interfere with sexual

interactions with your partner.

10. Whether we like it nor not, new and different partners are more arousing than the same partner.

*122\97\8*

There are many meditation techniques passed on to us by our wise ancestors. There is again no room here to analyse them even briefly. Perhaps the best I can do is to summarise some of my personal experiences.

In my opinion, the single most important thing common to the best meditation techniques is the teacher, or master, who is capable of showing you the access path to your own higher mind. No words can describe this connection. You actually have to be shown the beginning of your own path, together with some instructions, so you can progress along it yourself every day.

I had two meditation teachers: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a leader of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement, whom I never met and Master Ching Hai.

TM people will charge you about a thousand dollars for the basic technique, and several thousand dollars if you want to learn more advanced techniques. In my opinion, the gaining of knowledge, for those who are ready to learn, should be essentially free of any charges, so I could not justify the latter. However, I must say, that I have had considerable degree of success, using the basic TM technique.

Master Ching Hai, on the other hand, teaches you the Quan Yin method, known for thousands of years to be the best meditation technique, totally free of charge. Her organisation does not even accept donations. The only way to help their activity financially is to buy books, works of art, fashion clothes and other things they produce. Master Ching Hai’s requirement to teach you the Quan Yin method is your commitment to become a vegetarian for life and to meditate 2.5 hours each day. (Master Ching Hai books are listed in the References).

After meditating for some time I noticed, that my life has become much easier. Most problems, including stress, have been practically eliminated. I have found that nothing is truly difficult to understand, you just need to learn to listen to your higher mind.

I have also found that development of our wisdom is actually the purpose of our existence. Life is just a lesson. If we do not learn, it becomes harder, until we do.

*21\96\8*

Interference with the function of the liver cells may allow the bile to accumulate in the liver and spill over into the blood rather than passing freely down to the gallbladder and into the duct.

The liver makes the proteins in the blood and many of these are concerned with normal clotting mechanism so that impairment of liver function can lead to a bleeding disorder.

Glucose is stored in the liver ready to be released when the blood sugar levels drop. Vitamins Â12 and A are also stored in this organ, which is also the major site for the breakdown of most drugs.

The liver can suffer injury, infection or cancer. Primary cancer of the liver is rare but secondary spread of cancer from other organs is common.

Drugs, particularly alcohol, may damage the liver and, if the insult is severe and, in the case of alcohol, prolonged, the liver cells can be destroyed and replaced with scar tissue. This is cirrhosis.

This hard-working and fascinating organ is hardly thought of by most people until, for some reason, its function starts to fail.

*489/71/1*

This may lead the person to go to the toilet several times a day. Yet all that is passed is a little wind and sometimes some blood-stained mucus.

Alteration in bowel habits is the next most frequent symptom, and the commonest deviation from normal is constipation.

This may lead to taking increasing amounts of laxatives and so diarrhoea may be caused.

Pain is a late symptom.

Although any of these symptoms should take the sufferer to the doctor for a full examination to exclude the possibility of bowel cancer, they may not be due to this cause.

Routine screening tests for bowel cancer are becoming common, although these may be too expensive in terms of both time and money when applied to the whole population.

You don’t need to totally change your diet until there is more proof.

But eating more fibre and less animal fat and sugar is probably good for your health, and all forms of alcohol — not only beer — ought to be taken in moderation.

In case you did not know, moderation is three to four drinks a day.

*233/71/1*

Among diseases transmitted by insect bites are: viral encephalitis (mosquitoes); and typhus (red mites, lice, and rat fleas).

Some people are allergic to the venom contained in the stings of bees, wasps, and hornets and can suffer a severe reaction if stung. This reaction can take the form of generalized hives, asthma, or circulatory collapse (insufficient blood pressure to maintain circulation of the blood), and can even lead to death.

Some children become allergic to the bites of mosquitoes, stable flies, fleas, and lice, but an allergic reaction to the bite of one of these is usually less severe than that caused by stinging insects.

Flying insects usually bite only exposed areas of the skin. Crawling insects bite anywhere, and often in groups. Flea bites tend to be concentrated on the ankles and lower legs. Bedbugs often leave three to five bites two to four centimeters apart and arranged in a fairly straight line. Honeybees leave the stinger in the wound; bumblebees and other stinging insects do not. Ticks remain attached to the skin for long periods while they suck blood and, when engorged with blood, resemble small plump raisins.

*135/84/5*

Food poisoning is a loose term applied to any disease carried by food. Sometimes it is caused by the presence of disease-producing bacteria and sometimes by the toxins they produce.

The potential for food-borne disease has never been greater, if only because we all rely so much on massive, centralized food production, processing and distribution. Any contamination along the chain could involve hundreds or even thousands of individuals, whereas food contaminated in the home affects only the members of the household.

Although we all assume food to be safe it does not take much to make it unsafe and then for it to cause disease. The commonest food poisoning organisms are salmonella, staphylococcus, viruses such as hepatitis, and tapeworms. Of course, food can also be contaminated by chemicals and poisons but these are less common.

Most people who eat contaminated or infected food will simply become ill with diarrhea and vomiting but a small proportion become seriously ill and even die. Food poisoning causes large numbers of deaths around the world and thousands a year even in sophisticated westernized countries.

What causes it?

• Poor personal hygiene.

• Sloppiness in the kitchen and other food preparation areas.

• Faulty storage of food.

Prevention

• The prevention of food poisoning starts with good personal hygiene. Before doing anything with food wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Wash your hands after going to the lavatory, using a nailbrush to scrub both hands and nails thoroughly. Never wash your hands in a sink used for food preparation. Make sure your overall or apron is clean. Keep your fingernails short and clean. If you work in a commercial food-preparation area wear a hat or hair net if you have lots of hair.

Never comb your hair in the kitchen; don’t pick your nose and handle food; don’t smoke while preparing food; and don’t cough or spit over food.

If ever you cut or burn yourself make sure the wound is covered at once and then kept covered with a waterproof dressing or a plastic finger-stall.

If you are personally ill, and especially if you have any diarrheal illness, don’t prepare food for others. This is especially important if you work with food that is eaten by the general public.

Don’t handle food more than you absolutely have to. Never dip your fingers into things to taste them. Keep all the utensils and the surfaces you use really clean. Wipe up spills as soon as they occur because germs breed quickly in a warm kitchen. Keep scraps in bins with lids so that flies can’t get to them and germs can’t get out.

Use really hot water for washing up. Use a detergent for greasy things and then be sure to rinse off the bubbles thoroughly. Using properly hot water also means that things will dry quickly which is more hygienic.

Once you have cooked food allow it to cool and then always keep it in a refrigerator. Be sure especially never to leave meat out in the open – it is a breeding ground for germs. Never store cooked meat alongside raw meat in the fridge. If this is unavoidable ensure that the cooked meat is totally covered. By and large try to cook only as much food as you will eat at that meal unless you are pre-cooking deliberately to freeze some for later. Subsequent reheating of most foods, especially meats, needs to be as thorough as the first cooking.

Poultry is a potent source of food poisoning. Always thaw frozen birds properly before cooking. A large turkey can take forty-eight hours to thaw out completely. Egg products, including custards, artificial creams, fillings and trifles, are especially prone to bacterial growths, so be especially careful with these. Ice cream should be used at once and if there is too much for one meal put the rest back in the freezer immediately. Ice cream that has gone liquid and been refrozen is a dangerous source of food poisoning.

Store food in a refrigerator or chiller cabinet to keep flies off it during the warm months. Empty dustbins regularly and keep them clean so that they don’t breed maggots and flies. Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold!

*153/72/5*

Unlike beta-blockers there is no proof that calcium antagonists reduce mortality even though they do reduce angina. Therefore they are not your doctor’s first choice. They may be added to beta-blockers and nitrates to form “triple therapy” for angina that is hard to control.

Calcium antagonists are a diverse group of medicines and while they are generally easier to tolerate than beta-blockers, they do have their side effects. Verapamil (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan) can make heart failure worse, is rarely given in combination with beta-blockers, and is famous for causing constipation. Nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia), is-radipine (DynaCirc), and nicardipine (Cardene) form a group more likely to cause dizziness, flushing, headaches, rapid heartbeat, and swelling of the feet. Amlodipine (Norvasc) also causes headache and dizziness in some people. Diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor) can cause any of these problems but is often the best tolerated of the class.

Long-acting formulations of these drugs, taken once or twice a day, are safer than the fast-acting forms as well as more convenient. Be especially careful to store these drugs out of reach of children as they can cause swift death in young children even when only a few are swallowed.

*92\86\8*

Even worse, the tobacco companies are vigorously promoting their deathly products to the poorer countries, adding lung and heart diseases to their already huge health problems. What right-minded person can collude in that process? Ask any teenager!

The appearance of a smoker can be another powerful motive to stop. Smoking induces wrinkles and a gray, pasty complexion. Women who smoke could save themselves the horrendous costs of beauty creams and of cigarettes, and look far better by stopping smoking.

For older men and women, and particularly people with angina, the main motivation to stop must be health. Cessation of smoking decreases coronary risk by almost 50 percent within the first year. Remember the statistics given a few pages ago. They are horrific for the smoker with angina. A third of all men do not live to collect their pensions, mainly because of their smoking. There are few merry widows outside of opera—that fact alone should be enough to make people stop. But how to do it?

*72\86\8*