Return to Wholeness

Simon David

Description

"Beautiful. . . . If you are facing cancer or any other serious illness, I encourage you to allow the wisdom contained within these pages to nurture, guide, and support you."-Deepak Chopra, M.D., from his foreword

Return to Wholeness is a revelation. David Simon breaks new ground with the innovative, holistic mind-body approaches developed at the Chopra Center for Well Being. The guiding theme in this book is wholeness, as Dr. Simon demonstrates to readers the value of integrating the best of traditional and alternative medicines with ancient Eastern, Ayurvedic principles and practices in order to forge the most effective path to wellness.

Return to Wholeness features advice and recommendations on every aspect of living with illness, including designing a simple nutritional program to purify, rejuvenate, and provide balance; benefiting from the healing properties of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and herbs; facing the toll exacted by chemotherapy and other medical techniques; incorporating various kinds of meditation, creative visualization, and aromatherapy into the larger Return to Wholeness program; and weathering emotional cycles through art therapy, journaling, laughter, and music.

"Return to Wholeness is magnificent. Reading this book made me feel embraced and uplifted by all that is healing and true. Return to Wholeness should be kept on the nightstand of everyone who has cancer or another illness or who is afraid of becoming ill." - Christiane Northrup, M.D. author of Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

"Return to Wholeness is the perfect book for anyone facing the diagnosis of cancer. . . . Powerful, powerful teachings you will not read elsewhere from a medical doctor." -Wayne Dyer, Ph.D., author of Manifest Your Destiny

"Gentle, compassionate, and yet thorough . . . a book that awakens the inner healer in all of us." - Louise L. Hay, author of You Can Heal Your Life

"An excellent source of information and guidance to help one integrate one's life and approach to cancer."
-Bernie S. Siegel, M.D., author of Love, Medicine, and Miracles

"In every great challenge of life, we need guides who can show us the way. Dr. David Simon is a wise, compassionate physician who can help anyone on the journey through the experience of cancer." -Larry Dossey, M.D. author of Prayer Is Good Medicine and Healing Words
Understanding Cancer.

Eavesdropping on the Mind-Body Conversation.

Nutritional Healing.

Heroic Biochemicals.

The Wisdom of Herbs.

Contending with Cancer.

Envisioning Wholeness.

Sensual Healing.

A Time to Every Purpose.

Emotional Healing.

Healing Through Expression.

The Best Medicine.

Weighing the Options.

Holistically Specific.

The Unknown Destination.

Postscript.

Appendix.

Notes.

Index.

Sujets

• Santé et bien-être
• Santé du quotidien
• Santé au quotidien
• Santé au quotidien
• Fitness
• Ayurveda
• Health
• ?yurveda
• Alternative Therapies

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 02 mai 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470348635
• Langue: English

Extrait

Return to Wholeness

Embracing Body, Mind, and Spirit in the Face of Cancer
David Simon, M.D.
This book is printed on acid-free paper. Copyright 1999 by David Simon. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc.
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax [phone]. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158-0012, [phone], fax [phone], E-Mail: [e-mail].
The information contained in this book is not intended to serve as a replacement for professional medical advice. Any use of the information in this book is at the reader s discretion. The author and the publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use or application of any information contained in this book. A health care professional should be consulted regarding your specific situation.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Simon, David
Return to wholeness : embracing body, mind, and spirit in the face of cancer / David Simon.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN: 978-0-471-34964-8
1. Cancer-Alternative treatment. 2. Medicine, Ayurvedic.
I. Title.
RC271.A62S54 1999
616.99 406-dc21 98-18402
Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my beloved children, Max and Sara. May wholeness be your companion all the days of your lives .
In memory of Jill Simon Bernstein, whose presence and absence changed our lives forever
Contents
Foreword by Deepak Chopra
Acknowledgments
Introduction

1 Understanding Cancer
Through the Windows of Modern Science and the Timeless Healing Traditions
Discovering Cancer
Looking at Cancer from a Consciousness-based Mind-Body Approach
Searching for Meaning
What Is Cancer?
Environmental Agents
Cancer, Lifestyle, and Culture
Genes and Cancer, Taking a History
Cancer and Immunity, The Physical Examination

2 Eavesdropping on the Mind-Body Conversation
How Our Mind and Our Body Communicate in Health and Disease
The Actors in the Immune Drama
Mind, Body, and Immunity
The Stress of Life
Enlivening Our Immunity
Changing the Message

3 Nutritional Healing
Food for Nourishment, Balance, and Joy
The Major Players-Carbohydrates, Protein, Fats, and Fiber
Eating Naturally, Eating Wisely, The Testicles
Science of Life Nutrition, Sperm Cell Production
Making Eating Simple, The Sperm Matures
Food as Medicine
Purifying and Rejuvenating Foods
Replenishing Foods
Conscious Eating
Mindfulness Eating
Assessing Nutritional Programs
Stop Driving Yourself Crazy
Listening to Our Bodies

4 Heroic Biochemicals
The Miracle and Mythology of Vitamins, Minerals, and Other Healing Substances
Vital Vitamins and Magnificent Minerals
Winning Metals
Does Nutrition Have to Be So Complicated?
Fabulous Phytochemicals

5 The Wisdom of Herbs
Accessing Nature s Botanical Intelligence
Rational Use of Herbs
Herbs in Cancer Care
Ancient Medicines, Modern Times

6 Contending with Cancer
Complementary Approaches for Coping with Symptoms and Side Effects
The Modern Medical Cancer Arsenal
Coping with Chemotherapy
Pain and Suffering
Communicating with Your Doctor
Cancer Therapy Embracing Body, Mind, and Spirit

7 Envisioning Wholeness
Meditation and CreativeVisualization to Enliven Healing
Interrupting the Cycle
Slipping between the Thoughts
Using Meditation Instruments
Tantric Meditation
Healing Visualization

8 Sensual Healing
Using Sound, Touch, Sight, and Smell to Awaken Our Inner Pharmacy
Healing Harmonics
Using Sound to Heal
Therapeutic Music, The Karyotype
Healing Words, Microdeletions of the Y Chromosome
Balancing Mind and Body with Sound
Healing Touch
Enhancing Immunity, Relieving Pain, Ultrasonography
Practicing Healing Touch, The Triple Screen
Healing Sights, Amniocentesis
Healing Images, Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
Healing Aromas, Percutaneous Umbilical Blood Sampling (PUBS)
Using Fragrance to Face Cancer, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis
Mind-Body Principles and Aromas, Who Uses Prenatal Diagnosis?
Neuroassociative Conditioning
Sensory Nourishment

9 A Time to Every Purpose
Harmonizing with the Rhythms of Nature
The Rhythms of Nature
Getting Rest
Seasonal Cycles
Seasons, Cycles, and Cancer
The Rhythm of Life

10 Emotional Healing
Riding the Turbulent Wave of Feelings
The Emotions of Cancer
Processing Emotional Upsets
Weathering the Emotional Storms
Diving Deeper
Finding Meaning in Illness
Envisioning the Future

11 Healing through Expression
Deepening Insight through Drawing and Movement
Art Therapy
Drawing Your Mandala
Illustrating a Story
Healing Movement
A Word on journaling
Moving into Wholeness

12 The Best Medicine
Laughter as Therapy
Our Natural State
The Science of Humor
Invoking Laughter
Laughing Meditation
Laughing

13 Weighing the Options
Assessing and Utilizing Alternative Medicine
What Is Alternative?
Asking the Questions
Mainstream Alternatives
Responsive and Responsible Healing

14 Holistically Specific
Approaching Common Cancers from a Mind-Body Perspective
Breast Cancer-The Shadow in the Nurturer
Prostate Cancer-Restricting the Flow
Cancer and Sexuality
Colon Cancer-The Silent Obstructor
Conscious Healing

15 The Unknown Destination
Facing Our Fear of Death by Embracing Life
Responses to Death
Rituals of Release
The Next Step
Returning to Wholeness

Postscript
Appendix: General Ayurvedic References
Notes
Index
Foreword by Deepak Chopra
Life is a magnificent paradox. We are ultimately spiritual beings vibrating as conscious energy while appearing as physical entities made of flesh and blood. When we primarily identify ourselves with our physical bodies, localized in time and space, subject to the laws of entropy and decay, we are susceptible to fear, anguish, and disease. When we remember our true nature as Spirit, the veil of ego-based ignorance is parted and we glimpse our essential Self as eternal, boundless, and whole. Whether you think of yourself as physically fit or are in the midst of a life-threatening illness, the most valuable gift any loved one or healer can provide you is the reminder that the real you cannot succumb to illness and cannot die.
In this beautiful book, Return to Wholeness , written by my dear friend and colleague Dr. David Simon, readers are inspired and encouraged to awaken their inner healer, which is the basis of all personal transformation. With love, compassion, and sensitivity, David reminds us that facing our mortality offers a window into our immortality. A reservoir of energy, creativity, and vitality resides within us all, and the very practical tools offered in this book enable us to tap into its healing waters.
The approaches in this book have been demonstrated to have powerful life-affirming effects at the Chopra Center for Well Being in La Jolla, California. Dr. Simon has helped guide many hundreds of people with cancer along their healing journey in our Return to Wholeness program, which is now being offered in health care institutions around the country. It is my fervent hope and belief that this book will help catalyze a genuine transformation in our approach to illness that integrates the best of Western medical technology along with a reverence for and understanding of our profound natural healing forces. If you are facing cancer or any other serious illness, I encourage you to allow the wisdom contained within these pages to nurture, guide and support you. I am grateful that David has written a book that so clearly helps shepherd us back to our source- our birthright of wholeness.
Acknowledgments
Many loving souls have participated in the birth of this book, including family members, close friends, colleagues, and patients. To each of you who have graciously shared your joys and sorrows, strengths and vulnerabilities, insights and feedback, with me, I offer my deep appreciation.
I wish to express special gratitude to:
Stephen Bickel, Danielle Dorman, Jeremy Geffen, and Gayle Rose,
Deepak and Rita Chopra,
Muriell Nellis and Jane Roberts,
Tom Miller,
Myron, Lee Shirley, Howard, Dana, Samantha, Melissa, Judy, Al, Bruce, and Lori,
And my darling wife, Pam, whose loving reflection makes me whole.
Introduction
In the clarity of a quiet mind, there is room for all that is actually happening and whatever else might also be possible.-R AM D ASS
You learn you have cancer, and in that moment, your life changes. A torrent of feelings is unleashed into consciousness. Disbelief, dismay, anguish, and dread grapple for dominance in your awareness-one distressing emotion transforming into another without clear boundaries. Each of these feelings is the mask of a more primordial emotion: fear . Fear of pain, fear of disfigurement, fear of dependency, fear of regret, fear of loss, fear of death. And with the activation of this most basic emotion, a chemical cascade of stress hormones-the result of millions of years of evolution-floods your body, inciting you to fight or run.
Unfortunately, unlike a furtive stranger in a dimly lit alley, the provocateur of your panic is not outside of yourself, and there is no place to escape this threat. Rather, you feel betrayed by your own cells, and this dislo