Herbal Supplements for Diabetes Management

More than 1200 plant compounds have been tested for their ability to lower blood sugar levels. Many have been found to contain chemical components that have hypoglycemic activity (the ability to lower blood sugar) when tested in test tubes or in animal models. However, there is very little research on such compounds using human subjects, and what research does exist is generally not of high quality.

A few herbal remedies for diabetes have been tested in humans and have been found to have mild blood-sugar-lowering properties. These compounds have not had very powerful effects and at this time are not felt to be adequate for the management of diabetes alone. The most promising of these botanicals include bitter melon (Momordica charantia), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), gurmar (Gymnema sylvestre), goat's rue (Galega officinalis), bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), ginseng (chiefly Panax), nopal (Opuntia streptacantha), and garlic and onion (Allium sativum and Allium cepa).

Bitter melon

Also called bitter gourd, bitter cucumber, balsam pear, karela, and charantin, bitter melon is the most widely used traditional remedy for diabetes. It is commonly used in Asia, especially in India, and in Africa. Bitter melon is frequently eaten as a vegetable and looks like a misshapen, bumpy cucumber. As a treatment for diabetes, it is typically the juice or an extract of the unripe fruit that is used. Dried or powdered forms of bitter melon are not believed to have the same activity.

Several compounds have been isolated from bitter melon that are believed to be responsible for its blood-sugar-lowering properties. These include charantin and an insulin-like protein referred to as polypeptide-P, or plant insulin. It is believed that bitter melon acts on both the pancreas and in nonpancreatic cells, such as muscle cells.

There are no well-designed studies using bitter melon in humans. Most studies have not used controls or placebos, and those that have did not always randomly assign people to treatment groups. These precautions are needed to ensure that the results obtained are real and not merely due to chance. Most of the studies that have been done are short-term studies.
In one study, polypeptide-P isolated from bitter melon was injected (in a manner similar to that used with commercial insulins) into subjects with either Type 1 diabetes or Type 2 diabetes. It decreased blood glucose levels from an average of 305 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) before treatment to 168 mg/dl after four hours in subjects with Type 1 diabetes, and from 140 mg/dl to 95 mg/dl after one and a half hours in subjects with Type 2 diabetes. There were no significant changes in the control subjects. The results in subjects with Type 2 diabetes were generally not considered significant, most likely due to the small number of subjects and the variability of bitter melon's effects in different people.

Another small study tested the effect of eating powdered whole bitter melon for one week in people with Type 2 diabetes. Fasting blood sugar levels and blood sugar levels measured after consuming 50 grams of pure glucose (this is called a glucose tolerance test and is commonly used in research studies) were significantly lower after consumption of bitter melon. The average fasting blood sugar level decreased from 248 mg/dl to 155 mg/dl.

Two other studies, which used fresh bitter melon juice, had similar results. One study found that there were "responders," people whose blood sugar levels during a glucose tolerance test were lower after treatment with bitter melon, and "nonresponders," or people for whom the bitter melon did not have any beneficial effects.

Current preparations of bitter melon are generally not standardized, making recommendations for a specific effective dose difficult. Typically, however, 50 to 200 milliliters (about 2 to 5 ounces) per day of the fresh juice; 3 to 15 grams of the dried, powdered fruit; or 300 to 600 milligrams (divided into three separate doses of 100 to 200 milligrams each) of a standardized extract per day have been used.

There are currently no studies that look at the effects of bitter melon over an extended period of time, and there are no studies of bitter melon's safety, though it is commonly consumed as a vegetable in India and is generally believed to be safe. More research is needed before it can be considered as a potential treatment for diabetes.

Bitter melon is a component of some herbal formulas advertised for people with diabetes. If you use the fresh fruit, prepare it with care: A mildly toxic chemical has been isolated from the seeds and the outer rind. There also are reports of toxicity in children and bleeding and contractions in pregnant women, so this plant should be avoided by these populations. Whatever formulation you choose, work closely with your doctor and health-care team. This precaution is important because there is the potential for hypoglycemia when this herb is combined with medicines that lower blood glucose. Positive effects on blood sugar should be noted fairly quickly. If changes are not seen within four weeks, the herb should be discontinued.

Fenugreek

Fenugreek is a common spice that in small concentrations is categorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as "Generally Recognized As Safe." Its seeds or a defatted powder made from the seeds have been used as a treatment for diabetes. Fenugreek is one of the better researched herbal treatments for diabetes, with both human and animal studies suggesting it has hypoglycemic activity. There is also research suggesting that fenugreek may improve blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. (Triglycerides are a type of fat that circulates in the blood. High levels are thought to increase the risk of heart disease.)

Fenugreek has been found to improve blood glucose levels in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. In one study, subjects with Type 1 diabetes were randomly assigned to receive either defatted fenugreek seed powder or a placebo for 10 days. After the first 10 days, subjects then received the other treatment for another 10 days. Fenugreek significantly decreased fasting blood glucose levels, improved glucose tolerance test results, and decreased blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Blood insulin levels did not change with the treatment.

In people with Type 2 diabetes, three studies have demonstrated positive effects of fenugreek on blood glucose and cholesterol levels. All of these studies used placebos and had more than 20 subjects. In the longest study, lasting three months, people with higher initial blood glucose levels did not respond as well as those with lower initial blood glucose levels. In people who had a positive response, average fasting and postprandial (after-meal) blood glucose levels decreased by about 35 mg/dl. This was statistically significant.

Fenugreek seeds are very high in fiber, and it is believed that at least part of fenugreek's effects are achieved because the fiber decreases absorption of dietary carbohydrates. In the study involving people with Type 1 diabetes, the fiber content of the diet containing fenugreek was very high, containing approximately 80 grams of fiber per day. (For comparison, most Americans get less than 15 grams of fiber per day.)

Other compounds believed to contribute to fenugreek's activity include proteins, saponins, and alkaloids. Names you may see listed on herbal supplements include fenugreekine and trigoneline.
The dose of fenugreek used in research studies has varied a great deal—from 5 grams to 100 grams per day—and is generally divided into at least two equal portions. Since the larger amounts would be impossible to consume in a capsule, they have generally been incorporated into foods in the studies. Some herbal supplements designed for people with diabetes include much smaller quantities of fenugreek, often combined with other herbs, in capsule form. Plain dried fenugreek seed powder is also available in capsules, as a bulk powder, and in a chewable wafer form.

Common side effects seen with high doses of fenugreek include diarrhea and upset stomach. It has also been reported that it may decrease blood coagulation, so people using anticoagulant medicines ("blood thinners") or aspirin should use this herb only under the supervision of their doctor. In animals, extracts of fenugreek have been shown to stimulate uterine contractions in late pregnancy, so this herb should not be used by pregnant women. Because of its high fiber content, it may also alter absorption and effectiveness of other medicines taken at the same time. This herb should not be taken at the same time as other medicines.

Gurmar

Gymnema sylvestre leaf has been used as a traditional treatment for diabetes in India. Because chewing the leaf decreases the sensitivity of taste buds to sweet tastes, gymnema has also been called gurmar, which means "sugar destroyer." This effect is reported to last several hours. In people who have had extracts of gymnema applied to their tongue, this decrease in sensitivity to sweets caused a short-term decrease in food consumption. There are no studies that look at the long-term effects of gymnema on appetite, and it is unlikely that consuming gymnema in a capsule or pill would have the same effect.

The active ingredient in gymnema is believed to be a mixture of molecules called gymnemic acids. You may see gymnemic acids listed on the labels of herbal supplements marketed to people with diabetes. Gymnema is believed to act by improving the function of pancreatic beta cells (the cells in the body that make insulin).

In animals with diabetes, gymnema has appeared to help regenerate or increase the number of functional beta cells present in the pancreas, but when gymnema was given to animals that had had their pancreas removed, there was no effect. This suggests that gymnema requires some residual beta-cell function to work. Gymnema may also decrease glucose absorption from food and improve the ability of the body to use glucose for energy.

There is minimal research on gymnema at this time, and the studies there are in humans have not been well designed. One study, which used subjects with Type 2 diabetes, found that consumption of a concentrated extract of gymnema decreased blood glucose levels and blood cholesterol levels. Gymnema also increased blood insulin levels in these people. Another study, using people with Type 1 diabetes, found that long-term consumption of gymnema decreased blood glucose levels, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, and insulin requirements. These results are intriguing, but gymnema cannot be recommended as a treatment for diabetes until we have better studies and more of them.

A typical daily dose of gymnema is 400 to 600 milligrams of an extract (standardized to at least 24% gymnemic acids), given usually in four 100-milligram doses throughout the day. Gymnema has no known toxic effects, but its safety has not been directly tested, and it should not be taken by children or pregnant or nursing women. Gymnema does not appear to cause hypoglycemia in people who do not have diabetes.

Goat's rue

Goat's rue is another traditional remedy for diabetes, and it has been shown to have hypoglycemic activity in humans. It appears to act in a manner similar to the synthetic drug metformin (brand name Glucophage), an oral hypoglycemic drug used to treat Type 2 diabetes. Metformin lowers blood sugar by decreasing the production of glucose from the liver. Goat's rue may also inhibit glucose absorption from the intestinal tract. In obese animals, dried goat's rue added to the diet led to decreases in body weight and body fat.
However, one of the active ingredients in goat's rue, galegine, when purified is too toxic to be used as a medicine, and there have been reports of poisoning from goat's rue in grazing animals. It is not recommended as a treatment for diabetes at this time due to its potentially toxic effects.
Bilberry

The leaves of bilberry, also known as European blueberry, are reported to contain chromium and have been used as an antidiabetic tea. In animals, extracts of the leaf decreased blood glucose and blood triglyceride levels. The berries are a rich source of antioxidants (compounds that may decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases) and may improve circulation. They have been suggested as a treatment for diabetic retinopathy.
Chronic consumption of bilberry leaf or capsules is not recommended, as it can be toxic. Potential side effects include anemia, severe weight loss, and excitability. Consumption of high doses can be fatal. Bilberry may also interact with anticoagulant medicines, potentially causing increased bleeding.

Ginseng

Ginseng has long been used as a botanical remedy in the Orient. Today, it is also one of the most commonly used herbal supplements in the United States, where it is sold chiefly as an energy booster. Americans spent more than $86 million on ginseng in 1997. However, ginseng supplements have been found to be one of the less reliable supplements on the market. Tests conducted by independent laboratories frequently find little or no ginseng in the supplements, so purchasers of these products need to do their own background research to avoid spending money on "placebo," or inactive, pills.

The term ginseng has been used to refer to more than one plant group. There is the Panax genus, which includes Korean, Japanese, and American ginseng, and there is the Eleutherococcus genus, which includes Siberian ginseng. It is generally felt that the Asian and American ginsengs act similarly, but that Siberian ginseng is not a true ginseng and cannot be used in place of Panax ginseng. The main active ingredients in ginseng comprise a group of molecules called ginsenosides.

There are only a few small studies looking at the hypoglycemic effects of ginseng, and most of the information we have is with Type 2 diabetes. One study did not specify the type of ginseng used but reported decreases in fasting blood glucose levels and HbA1c in people newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes on diet therapy only. The second study used American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and tested the short-term effect of a large dose of ginseng (3 grams) on blood glucose levels after consuming 25 grams of glucose. In people with diabetes, consuming ginseng 40 minutes before or with the glucose decreased postprandial blood sugar levels. (These results were marginally significant.)

Typical doses vary from 200 to 600 milligrams per day of a standardized extract, taken in one or two equal doses. Ginseng is generally believed to be safe, but side effects of its use include increased blood pressure, excitability, nervousness, headache, insomnia, diarrhea, nausea, and worsening of asthma. Ginseng may also have mild estrogen-like properties, sometimes causing postmenopausal bleeding or amenorrhea, the absence of menses. It may also interact with the medicines digoxin, warfarin, and diuretics, increasing or decreasing their effectiveness.

Nopal cactus

The stem or leaf of nopal cactus has been used in traditional Mexican medicine to treat Type 2 diabetes. Short-term, uncontrolled studies of this herb in humans have measured decreases in blood glucose, blood cholesterol, and triglycerides. The active ingredient in nopal is not known, but researchers hypothesize that fiber from nopal helps to decrease glucose absorption from the intestine, and that other compounds help to increase the effectiveness of insulin.
Most studies use cooked or fresh nopal, but extracts from the fresh plant are also used. A typical dose is 500 grams of fresh or cooked nopal eaten before or with the meal. There are no known risks associated with eating nopal other than those you would find with an increase in fiber from any source.

Garlic and onions

Garlic is one of the top-selling herbal supplements in the United States. It is best known for its potential protective effects in cardiovascular disease. It has been claimed that garlic can decrease blood cholesterol levels, decrease high blood pressure, and decrease the likelihood of blood clots forming, properties that are all beneficial in preventing heart disease. Numerous studies have examined these effects. In general, it appears that garlic does have a positive effect on these risk factors, and the consensus of the scientific community is that more research is needed before garlic can be recommended as a common treatment.

Garlic and onions have also been used as folk medicines to treat diabetes. There is much less research on this potential role of garlic, but a few studies do suggest that it (and onions) may have some mild blood-sugar-lowering properties. It is believed that garlic and onions lower blood sugar levels by decreasing the rate at which insulin is inactivated and degraded by the body, effectively increasing quantities of circulating insulin and decreasing blood glucose levels. Overall, these effects do not appear to be strong enough to warrant use of garlic or onion as a blood-sugar-lowering agent.

Garlic appears to be generally safe and well tolerated when taken as a supplement. Common side effects include mild stomach discomfort and an unusual body odor (even with the "odorless" forms of garlic). The primary safety concern about garlic relates to its ability to decrease blood clotting. In people who take aspirin or anticoagulant therapies, garlic may lead to increased bleeding. People who use these drugs should discuss with their doctor the safety of taking a supplement containing garlic. Garlic supplements should also be discontinued several weeks before surgery to prevent any problems with blood clotting. They should not be used by pregnant women, because they may cause contractions.

The active ingredients in garlic and onions are sulfur-containing molecules. (These compounds are what give garlic and onions their distinctive smell.) There are more than 20 molecules that are believed to contribute to garlic's effects, but the best understood are allicin, also called diallyl disulfide oxide, and APDS, or allyl propyl disulfide. You may see any of these names on garlic supplement labels.

Common doses for blood-sugar-lowering effects are quite high and probably not realistic for the general population. Typical doses used to decrease blood cholesterol levels are 600 to 900 milligrams, in tablet or capsule form, or one to three fresh cloves per day. Look for products that are standardized and list the active ingredient allicin on the label. Heat and acid destroy the active ingredients in garlic and onions, so slow-release forms or enteric-coated forms of supplements may be more effective.

Safe supplement use

Because the safety and effectiveness of the herbal supplements covered in this article are unproved, people who are interested in using them are in a sense acting as human "experiments." They need to approach the treatments they use very carefully, preferably with the guidance and support of their health-care team. If you would like to try an herbal supplement, here are some guidelines to keep in mind:
• Discuss your plans with your primary health-care provider, and ask whether any of the supplements you'd like to try might interact with drugs you currently take or have other negative side effects.
• Do not use herbal preparations if you are pregnant or nursing. The effects of herbs on a fetus or baby are unknown. Do not give children herbal supplements without first consulting their pediatrician.
• If you get your doctor's OK to try herbal supplements, keep a log of all the supplements you are taking and the specific doses you are taking.
• Try only one new supplement at a time so that you can more effectively gauge its effects.
• Follow the dosage guidelines on the supplement label. Do not take more than the recommended dose.
• Monitor your blood sugar levels more frequently, and keep careful records of your numbers. This is the only way to know what effect the supplement is having on your blood sugar levels.
• Pay attention to any symptoms, such as headaches, nausea, rash, or changes in sleep patterns or mood, that may be side effects caused by a supplement. If symptoms persist, stop taking the supplement and see your doctor.
• Store herbal supplements in their original containers with safety seals intact and out of the reach of children. Having the original container is important in case of accidental overdose or side effects.
• Set a time limit for trying a supplement, usually three to six weeks. If it hasn't had any effect within that limit, stop using it.
Herbal remedies are unlikely to replace existing diabetes drug treatments any time soon. It is possible, however, that some will be shown to be effective in helping to control blood sugar levels or as a basis for designing new drug treatments for diabetes.

Weight gain and Calories

If you consume too many calories, your body stores them as fat – so it’s important to only take in as many calories as your body needs.

One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories, so if you get that many above and beyond what your body needs, you put on weight. That may sound like a lot, but if you have just 100 extra calories a day (found in about one tablespoon of butter, one egg, one slice of bread or one, big savory bite of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey ice cream!, for example), you’ll gain a pound every five weeks – or just over ten pounds in a year!

If your goal is to lose weight, experts recommend that you do so at a slow rate:

Specifically, aim for no more than a pound or two a week. Since, as explained, a pound of fat equals 3,500 calories, you simply need to aim for 500-1000 fewer calories each day than the calorie needs you determined for yourself above.

In the 25-year-old male example, if he ate between 2331 and 2881 calories a day – rather than the 3331 required to maintain his weight – he would lose 1-2 pounds a week. Clearly, this is still quite a lot of calories, and since he’s getting plenty of exercise, there’s little danger of the body going into conservation mode.

You need to get 45-65 percent of your daily calories from carbohydrates, 20-35 percent from fat, and 10-35 percent from protein.

Why should you be shooting for these ranges? First, they collectively provide virtually all your caloric energy (specifically: 1 gram of carbohydrates has 4 calories, 1 gram of protein has 4 calories, and 1 gram of fat has 9 calories), and you use all three, in varying degrees, to fuel your basic physiological functions, as well as your exercise. Your metabolism is cranking along – and you’re burning calories – even when you’re at rest. During those times, your body gets slightly more than half of its energy from fats and most of the rest from carbohydrates, along with a small percentage from proteins. When you’re exercising, the mixture of fuels is modified – and the amounts of each one used depend on how long and how hard you’re working out, as well as the sort of shape you’re in (how well you’re conditioned to be doing the activity you’re doing).

But there’s more to it than energy supply. While carbohydrates primarily function in this manner and are your most efficient source of energy, protein is not only used for energy, but is broken down into amino acids and reassembled into whatever proteins your body needs to make muscles, bones, skin, hair and all the connective tissues that literally keep you from falling apart. Certain amino acids found in protein are considered essential, meaning your body can’t make them; you can only get them from foods you eat. And then there’s fat, which isn’t all bad – no matter how awful the word may sound to you. In fact, in addition to providing you with energy, fats help your body to make cell membranes and certain hormones and to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, E, D and K. And like amino acids, some fats are also considered essential and can only be obtained from specific food sources.

Why do men have nipples?

Andrew M. Simons, a professor of biology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, explains.

Like all "why" queries, the question of why men have nipples can be addressed on many levels. My four-year-old daughter, always suspicious of a trick when asked such obvious questions, answered: "because they grow them." In search of the trick answer, she quickly added that "chests would also look pretty funny with just hair."

Evolutionary biologists, whose job it is to explain variety in nature, are often expected to provide adaptive explanations for such "why" questions. Some traits may prove—through appropriate tests—to be best explained as adaptations; others have perfectly good evolutionary, but nonadaptive, explanations. This is because evolution is a process constrained by many factors including history, chance, and the mechanisms of heredity, which also explains why particular attributes of organisms are not as they would be had they been "designed" from scratch. Nipples in male mammals illustrate a constrained evolutionary result.

A human baby inherits one copy of every gene from his or her father and one copy of every gene from his or her mother. Inherited traits of a boy should thus be a combination of traits from both his parents. Thus, from a genetic perspective, the question should be turned around: How can males and females ever diverge if genes from both parents are inherited? We know that consistent differences between males and females (so-called sexual dimorphisms) are common--examples include bird plumage coloration and size dimorphism in insects. The only way such differences can evolve is if the same trait (color, for example) in males and females has become "uncoupled" at the genetic level. This happens if a trait is influenced by different genes in males and females, if it is under control of genes located on sex chromosomes, or if gene expression has evolved to be dependent on context (whether genes find themselves within a male or a female genome). The idea of the shared genetic basis of two traits (in this case in males and females) is known as a genetic correlation, and it is a quantity routinely measured by evolutionary geneticists. The evolutionary default is for males and females to share characters through genetic correlations.

The uncoupling of male and female traits occurs if there is selection for it: if the trait is important to the reproductive success of both males and females but the best or "optimal" trait is different for a male and a female. We would not expect such an uncoupling if the attribute is important in both sexes and the "optimal" value is similar in both sexes, nor would we expect uncoupling to evolve if the attribute is important to one sex but unimportant in the other. The latter is the case for nipples. Their advantage in females, in terms of reproductive success, is clear. But because the genetic "default" is for males and females to share characters, the presence of nipples in males is probably best explained as a genetic correlation that persists through lack of selection against them, rather than selection for them. Interestingly, though, it could be argued that the occurrence of problems associated with the male nipple, such as carcinoma, constitutes contemporary selection against them. In a sense, male nipples are analogous to vestigial structures such as the remnants of useless pelvic bones in whales: if they did much harm, they would have disappeared.

In a now-famous paper, Stephen Jay Gould and Richard C. Lewontin emphasize that we should not immediately assume that every trait has an adaptive explanation. Just as the spandrels of St. Mark's domed cathedral in Venice are simply an architectural consequence of the meeting of a vaulted ceiling with its supporting pillars, the presence of nipples in male mammals is a genetic architectural by-product of nipples in females. So, why do men have nipples? Because females do.

Why Does Asparagus Make Some People's Urine Smell Funny?

Asparagus, a green vegetable belonging to the lily family, has one notorious side effect for some diners who eat enough of it. Within a half-hour of asparagus consumption, some people notice their urine has acquired a very pungent odor, often compared to rotting cabbage, ammonia or rotten eggs. The effects of asparagus on urine are generally fleeting and harmless, but it's not necessarily the consumer's finest hour, bodily excretion-wise.

The good news is that asparagus does not affect everyone. Studies conducted on the "asparagus urine" phenomenon (aren't you glad you didn't volunteer!) indicate that roughly 40 to 50 percent of those tested developed the distinctive odor. Surprisingly enough, there is also a segment of the population who cannot smell the sulphurous fumes of asparagus-laced urine. It is believed that both the generation of the odoriferous urine and the ability to smell it are based on genetics. Only those with a certain gene can break down the chemicals inside the asparagus into their smelly components, and only those with the proper gene can smell the results of that chemical breakdown.

Scientists are still not entirely sure which set of chemical compounds contained in asparagus actually cause the smelly pee. The stalks themselves do not acquire a similar odor as they are prepared, so whatever happens most likely happens after ingestion. Experts believe that those with a certain gene produce a digestive enzyme which breaks down the asparagus into various chemical compounds. One of those compounds is called methyl mercaptan, which is the same chemical which gives a skunk its defensive smell. One theory suggests that asparagus breaks down quickly in the body and an enzyme releases methyl mercaptan, which eventually goes through the kidneys and is excreted as a waste product in the urine.

How to measure antioxidants level

Scientists from around the world are talking about a brand new invention that is on the verge of changing the way people think about antioxidant health – the Pharmanex® BioPhotonic Scanner. This revolutionary tool enables us, for the first time, to measure our level of antioxidant protection quickly.

Antioxidants are our frontline defense against the free radicals that constantly affect our cell. Over 30,000 scientific papers have been written about free radicals and antioxidants in the last 20 years. With the Pharmanex® BioPhotonic Scanner we can now obtain an accurate measurement of your personal antioxidant level.

How does it work?

Sir C V. Raman discovered the technology on which the scanner is based in the 1920’s. Sir Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the Raman Spectroscopy in 1930.
That was in the 1920's, but until the onset of the computer, optical and laser technology reached its current sophistication, the concept was not really practical.

Raman’s discovery proved that there are certain molecules, like antioxidants, that can be excited with a certain wavelength of laser light. The molecules then begin to resonate in very particular ways, releasing a very specific light signal of an altered wavelength that then can be measured. This discovery was revolutionary at the time, but computer and laser technologies could not fully apply it until recently. In just the last ten years, researchers at a major university, led by Dr. Werner Gellerman, actually started putting all these pieces of technology together.

The scanner technology is a tremendous scientific breakthrough. Because antioxidants are found throughout the body as part of the body’s antioxidant network, scientists believed this technology could be used to measure antioxidant levels in human tissue. That’s when the scientists at Pharmanex® collaborated with Dr. Gellerman to develop the Pharmanex® BioPhotonic Scanner.

By simply placing the palm of your hand in front of the safe, low-energy blue light laser, you obtain an immediate, accurate reading of your antioxidant level.

NOTHING AS PURE OR IMPURE.

Life is a paradox. To reach near you have to travel far, and that which is already achieved you have to achieve again. Nothing is lost. Man remains natural, man remains pure, man remains innocent; it is only that he forgets it. The purity is not disturbed, the innocence is not destroyed. Only a deep forgetfulness is there.

That which is to be achieved you are already. In essence, nothing new is to be achieved. You have only to discover, uncover, unfold that which is already the case; hence, both the difficulty of spiritual endeavor and the simplicity. I say "both".... It is very simple if you can understand, but it is very difficult because you have to understand that which you have completely forgotten, that which is so obvious that you never become aware of it, that which is just like your breathing. It goes on continuously, uninterruptedly, but because it goes on continuously, uninterruptedly, you need not be aware of it. Your awareness is not needed; it is not a basic requirement. You can forget it or you can remember it: it is a choice.

SANSARA and NIRVANA, the world and the liberated state of consciousness, are not two things -- just two attitudes, just two choices. You can choose either. You can be in the world because of a certain attitude, and the same world becomes NIRVANA, the same world becomes absolute bliss, just by changing the attitude. You remain the same, everything remains the same; just a change of focus, a change of emphasis, a change of choice, is required. It is easy. Once absolute bliss is achieved, you will laugh about it. Once it is known, you will not be able to understand why you were missing it, how you could miss it. It was there always just waiting to be looked at, and it was yours.

A buddha laughs. Anyone who achieves it laughs because the whole thing seems to be ridiculous. You were searching for something which was never lost. The whole effort was absurd. But this happens only when you have achieved it, so those who have achieved it say it is very simple. But those who have not achieved it, they say it is the most arduous thing, the most difficult -- really, not simply difficult, but the most impossible thing.

These methods which we will be discussing are told by someone who has achieved -- remember this. They will look too simple, and they are. To our minds things so simple cannot be appealing -- because if techniques are so simple and the abode is so near, if you are already in it, if techniques are so simple and the home is so near, you will look ridiculous to yourself. Then why are you missing it? Rather than feel the ridiculousness of your own ego, you will think that such simple methods cannot help.

That is a deception. Your mind will tell you that these simple methods cannot be of any help -- that they are so simple, they cannot achieve anything. To achieve divine existence, to achieve the absolute and the ultimate, how can such simple methods be used? How can they be of any help? Your ego will say that they cannot be of any help.

Remember another thing: ego is always interested in something which is difficult, because when something is difficult there is a challenge, and if you can overcome the difficulty your ego will feel fulfilled. The ego is never attracted towards anything which is simple -- never! If you want to give your ego a challenge, then you have to have something difficult devised. If something is simple there is no appeal, because even if you can conquer it there will be no fulfillment of the ego. In the first place, there was nothing to be conquered, the thing was so simple. Ego asks for difficulties -- some hurdles to be crossed, some peaks to be conquered. And the more difficult the peak, the more at ease your ego will feel.

Because these techniques are so simple, they will not have any appeal to your mind. Remember, that which appeals to the ego cannot help your spiritual growth. Only that which has no appeal to your ego can be a help towards transformation. But this is what happens: if some teacher says that this or that is very difficult, very arduous, that only after lives and lives and lives will you have any possibility for any glimpse, your ego will feel good.

These techniques are so simple that right now, here and now, the thing is possible. But then there is no contact with your ego. If I say that right now, here, this very moment you can achieve all that is possible to man, that you can become a Buddha or a Christ or a Krishna in this very moment here and now without losing a single instant, then there will be no contact with your ego. You will say, "This is not possible. I must go somewhere else to search for it." And these techniques are so simple that you can achieve all that is possible to human consciousness at any moment that you decide to achieve it.

When I say that these techniques are simple, I mean many things. First, spiritual explosion is not caused by anything; it is not a causal phenomenon. If it were caused by something, then time would be needed, because time is necessary for the cause to take place. And if time is needed, then it cannot be the case, it cannot happen this very moment. Then you will have to wait for tomorrow or for another life. The next moment will be needed. If anything is causal, then the cause has to take place, and then after the cause the effect will follow,.and you cannot produce the effect right now without the cause; time will be needed. But a spiritual happening is not a causal phenomenon. You are already in that state; just a remembering is needed. It is not a causal phenomenon.

It is just like this: in the morning somebody has suddenly awakened you, and you cannot recognize where you are. For a moment you may not even recognize who you are. In a sudden awakening from deep sleep, you may not be able to recognize the place, the time, but within a moment you will recognize. The more alert you will become, the more you will recognize who you are, where you are and what has happened. This is not a causal thing -- just a question of alertness. With a growing alertness, you will recognize.

All these techniques are for a growing alertness. You are already the person you long to be, you are already where you want to reach. You have reached your home already. You have never left it really. You have always been there, but dreaming, asleep. You can fall asleep here and then you can dream, and in your dream you can move anywhere; you can go to hell or to heaven or anywhere.

Have you ever observed that whenever you are in your dream, one thing is certain? -- that you are never in the room in which you are asleep. Have you observed that fact? You can be anywhere, but you will never be in the same room, on the same cot where you are. Because you are already there, there is no need to dream about it. Dream means you have to trek away.
You may be sleeping in this room, but you will never dream of this room. There is no need, you are already there. The mind desires something which is not, so the mind moves. It may go to London, to New York, to Calcutta, to the Himalayas, to Tibet, to anywhere. It may go anywhere, but it will never be here. It can be anywhere, but never here -- and you are here. This is the case. You are dreaming. Your divine existence is here; you are THAT. But you have been trekking long.... And each dream creates a new sequence of dreaming. Each dream creates new dreams, and you go on dreaming and dreaming and dreaming.

All these techniques are just to make you alert so that you can come out of your dreams back to the place where you have always been, to the state which you have never missed. And you cannot miss it, it is your nature -- it is SWABHAV. It is your very being, so how can you miss it? These techniques are just to help your alertness to grow more, to help it become more intense. With the intensity of awareness, everything changes. The more intense the awareness, the less the possibility for dreaming; you become more and more alert about the real. The less intense the awareness, the more you drift into dreaming. So the whole phenomenon is that a non-alert state of mind is the world, and an alert state of mind is NIRVANA. Non-alert, you are what you appear to be. Alert, you are what you are.

So the whole question is one of how to change your non-alert state of mind into an alert state of mind, how to become more aware, how to get out of sleep and dreaming. That is why techniques can be of help. Even an alarm clock can be of help -- just an artificial device, just an alarm clock. But if the alarm goes on, it can help to bring you out of your dreaming. But you can deceive it also; you can even dream about it, and then the whole thing is falsified. When the alarm goes, you can dream, you can make a dream around the alarm also. You can dream that you have entered a temple and the bells are going on. Now you have deceived the alarm. It could have broken your sleep, but you can change it into dream itself; you can make it part of your dreaming.

If you can make it part of your dreaming, if it can be absorbed into a dreaming process, then it cannot help you. You can dream anything, and then it will not look like an alarm. It will have become something else. You have entered a temple and the bells are....; now there is no need to wake up. You have changed the alarm, the real thing, into a dream, and a dream cannot be disturbed by another dream, it can only be helped.

These techniques are all artificial in a way. They are just devices to help bring you out of your dreaming state, but you can make them also part of your dream. Then you miss the point. Then you MISS the point! Try to understand this because this is very basic. And once understood, it will be helpful; otherwise you can go on deceiving yourself.

For example, I say, "Take a jump into sannyas." That is just a device. Your old identity is broken; your old name becomes as if it belongs to someone else. You can look at your past more detachedly. You can be a witness. You are aloof, a distance is created. I give you a new name and a new robe just to create the distance. But you can make it part of your dreaming; then you will miss the whole point. You can still think in terms of the old -- that the old man, A, has taken sannyas. You feel, "I have taken sannyas. " "I" remain the old. "I" have changed my robe, my name, but "I" remain the old,.and the old continues. Now this sannyas is just something added to the old. It is not discontinuous, it is continuous. If it is continuous, if YOU have taken sannyas, you the old one, if YOU have changed your robe and name, you have missed the point.
You must be dead, you must not be the old now. You must feel that the old has died, that this is a new entity which you never knew, that this is not a growth out of the old. This is discontinuous with the old. Then the device will have helped. Then the alarm will have worked and the technique is useful. You are not missing the point. All these techniques are such that you can miss or you can use them; it depends. But remember well, the techniques are just techniques. If you understand the spirit, you may become alert even without any technique.

For example, the alarm clock may not be needed. Go deeply into it. Why do you need an alarm clock? If you want to get up early in the morning at three, why do you need an alarm clock? Deep down you know that you can deceive yourself, and deep down you know that if you really want to get up at three, you will get up at three and no clock is needed. But with the clock, the responsibility is put off. Now you will not be responsible. Now if something goes wrong, the clock is responsible. You can sleep with ease now. Now the clock is there; you can sleep without any disturbance.

But if you really want to get up early at three, you will get up early at three. No clock is needed. This very intensity to get up will bring the happening. This will to get up at three may be so intense, you may not be able to sleep at all, and there will be no need to get up; you will already be awake the whole night. But to sleep well the clock is needed. Then you can go to sleep. But you can deceive. When the alarm goes off, you can deceive; you can dream about it.
These techniques are helpful only because your intensity is low. If you are really intense, there is no need of any technique; you can be alert. But your intensity is not such. Even with the technique you may start dreaming, and many possibilities are there. The first possibility is that you will not believe that such simple techniques can be of any help. This is the first thing. Then there is no contact. Secondly, you may think that a very, very long process is needed, that it will come gradually. But there are certain things that only happen suddenly, they never come gradually.

PRANAYAMA

Pranayama is an exact science. It is the fourth Anga or limb of Ashtanga Yoga. It is the regulation of breath or control of Prana.

Pranayama steadies the mind, augments the gastric fire, energises digestion, invigorates the nerves, destroys the Rajas, destroys all diseases, removes all laziness, makes the body light and healthy and awakens Kundalini.

Pranayama should be practised when the stomach is empty. Be regular in your practice. Do not take bath immediately after the practice. Do not practise Kumbhaka or retention of breath in the beginning. Have only slow and mild Puraka (inhalation) and Rechaka (exhalation). Do not strainthe breath beyond your capacity. Keep the ratio for Puraka, Kumbhaka and Rechaka as 1:4:2. Exhale very very slowly.

Sit on Padma, Siddha or Sukha Asana. Keep the head, neck and trunk in a straight line. Inhale slowly through the left nostril and retain the breath according to the ratio, then exhale slowly through the right nostril. This is half process of Pranayama. Then inhale through the right nostril, retain and exhale through the left nostril. Do not retain the breath for more than one or two minutes. Do ten or twenty Pranayamas according to your capacity. Do not fatigue yourself. Increase the number gradually. You can go up to 16:64:32. This is Sukhapurvaka or easy comfortable Pranayama.

Practise Sitali in summer. This will purify your blood and cool the system too. Practise Bhastrika in winter. This will cure asthma and consumption. Repeat ‘Om’ or ‘Rama’ mentally during the practice. Observe Brahmacharya and diet-control. You will derive maximum benefits and will quickly purify the Nadis or nerves.

Prana and mind are intimately related to each other. If you control Prana, the mind will also be controlled. If you control the mind, the Prana will be automatically controlled. Prana is related to mind, and through it to will and through will to the individual soul and through individual soul to the Supreme Soul.

Start the practice this very second in right earnest. Control the breath and calm the mind. Steady the breath and enter Samadhi. Restrain the breath and lengthen the life. Subdue the breath and become a Yogi, a dynamo of power, peace, bliss and happiness.