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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential for anyone who cares about their future on earth!, March 20, 1999
By A Customer
This book is like burried treasure. Written years ago (updated 34th printing) the author explains things in such simple form that even a baby can comprehend. My seven year old son grasped many of the concepts offered in this book rather easily. We are raw foodists in a big city, with this new (old) information we learned more about how to obtain the maximum nutrition on such a diet. The breakdown of survival techniques are clear and to the point, with several options available in the case of different geographical location, economic status, or space available to the survivalist. The author obviously cares about his and the lives of others. Its fun, its interesting, its necesary information to have in the dawn of the promised calamities ahead. P.S. Not just for those confined to earth, if you know what I mean.The cost of this book seems to increase just about every year, and for a paper back it can seem rather pricey, but its worth it for the vast range of informatiion given.
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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Somewhat dated, but teachings are timeless, December 13, 2006
Well, some things never change. Some things do. I believe what this book is trying to teach is part of the former. It costs some money, but if you are willing to use it towards your body/life (rather than putting it away after finished), it will pay itself over. It has a lot of valuable insights for today even though it was written by a guy part of the flower power hippie generation. Viktoras really loves every one of his readers; you can feel that as you read the book. Now, the editing and fonts used could be better, etc. The drawings are hand-made, and look childish (but they make their point very well). Sometimes he starts a subject, changes to something else then chapters later is back to the original issue - I'll try to put things together in my review.
What's the story about survival? Well, you just need to study the religious books of every tradition, including Christianity - big things seem to be or will be happening in our lifetimes. Even if you are not religious you can just look around and feel that life is getting tougher... much tougher, lots of people starving, lots of pollution, global warming triggering disasters (tsunami, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados).Basically the book is a manual on how to get a very good health and have a loving heart so that you can do well and even help others in case those catastrophes happen.
The food plays an important part for basically everyone. And yet, it is being poisoned daily with hormones, chemicals, solvents and so on. People should move to organic food. The author strongly advocates a vegetarian diet (vegan actually - no diary, eggs or fish), saying that is better for the health, touching even the subject of the famous B-12 vitamin, supposedly lacking in vegetarians (who need less of it in the first place). Too much protein is harmless for health (this is consistent with other research I made - it seems to affect liver and kidneys). Similarly, too many carbohydrates aren't that good (liver and pancreas; have you heard of diabetes?). He explains that the best temperature for a food is as close as possible to the body's. Moreover, cooking could destroy up to 85% of the nutrients, so if the body could already digest them, they are better.
He suggests eating sprouts, because they contain a lot of nutrients, much more than grown up plants. He says that fruits are the ideal food - not only from religious texts, but also scientifically, in addition to not harming the plant when harvesting them (no karmic consequences). However, one doesn't need to go overboard with them - fruits are after all sugars and could harm in too big a quantity. Also, weeds have incredible nutritive and healing powers (e.g. lamb's quarters contains much more iron than spinach), and if one takes time to learn and become accustomed with those weeds it will never be hungry even when lost in wilderness.
Food is important, but isn't everything, so one could use the healing powers of nature. It so happens that chlorophyll (the green pigment if plant "blood") actually has a chemical structure very similar to hemoglobin (the red pigment in animals' blood), and for that reason eating veggies - or drinking their juice has a lot of beneficial and detoxifying effects. The juice of some sprouts contains a very high percentage of chlorophyll, and of them wheatgrass seems to be the most convenient to use. Actually it is very versatile - you can drink it (take it easy), put it on your cuts and wounds, on sore infected teeth or you can have an enema with it. Sometimes the effects are almost instant. Viktoras talks at length about wheatgrass juice, including a regimen (or more) to follow.
The best medicine is fasting, and this has been known for ages by all civilizations. One should train the body with regular fasting, because during such moments the body throws away toxins (read old diseases) and healing takes place. Not only that, but digestion becomes better, so less food is needed (helping when there is a famine or when getting lost in the woods). What I'm going to write next will seem controversial. Viktoras claims - and comes with examples from our lifetime - that actually by training (that is gradual slooow changes) one could eventually be able to eat less and less and live on very little food (fruits, because they are ideal as I had explained). Some people who are purer might even go beyond that step and live with no food. According to author's research, air and light are actually what the man needs: learn to breathe properly and sunbathe every day (especially letting the eyes get light - there is a reference to a scientist who cured his diseases only after the removed his sunglasses while sunbathing and then research light healing at large). There are people basically living with liquid food only or even water, and they all say everyone can do that, but it takes time. Light has also been proven to transmute chemical elements - in or outside the body).
"Survival" even has a chapter on yoga (literally "union"), the Indian science of becoming one with God. The author touches the subject of the bodies - mental, astral, ether and physical - influencing each other (healing takes place in reverse order - you start with the physical body and you eventually heal your spirit). God is the supreme state of consciousness, while evil is an energetic manifestation unlike the environment around. Yoga has specific techniques and methods for healing the bodies and attaining divinity. Here is a quote I liked: In prayer we say "God, listen, while I talk. In meditation we say: "God, talk, while I listen". We must ask ourselves who has the most valuables things to say.
Of course, sexuality is touched. Sperm is a valuable asset of the body - basically its components are taken away from brain and nerves, so it should not be wasted (oriental traditions preach coitus without ejaculation). Also in those traditions is the fact that woman is biologically superior to man, and now I believe that myself. Menses are a cleansing reaction and they disappear if the woman fasts, becomes purer and follows spiritual practices (she could still get pregnant, though). There should be no sex during pregnancy. Infants are best fed by mother's milk, not by store bought products.
Everyone is an innate healer! Long hair helps with channeling subtle powers (now I understand why monks and mystics do that). Face, eyes, nails, palms - they all show health condition. Viktoras talks about zone therapy, massage, polarity, color therapy and using herbs.
The causes of all diseases are toxemia and over stimulation, over activity, noise, radiations, overeating, and sexual excess. When body is strong, the toxins are expelled shortly after they get in - we call that "acute disease" (e.g. cold). When getting older, body is weaker and it takes a long time to eliminate them (if ever) - and so we have chronic diseases.
Oh yes, there is a section on fermented foods, which could help digestion a lot (but they shouldn't be abused). I learned from this book about some grain fermenting recipes. There are also vegetarian recipes.
A surprising section talks about being happy. Those who condition their happiness (or unhappiness) on accomplishing (or not) their desires are generally unhappy (this is demonstrated pseudo statistically). A superior state (i.e. happy more time) is to be come happy when things come your way, and stay cool if they don't or things are neutral. Those who don't depend on any wish (i.e. get a car, get a TV, etc.) are happy at any time. No wonder religions preach : give all/everything and you will have everything.
The book talks about the story of Viktoras himself, and with many testimonial from people who followed the practices he suggests.
The are appendixes on various subjects (nutrition, building your own distiller, juicer) and a huge bibliography.
As you can see, the author sometimes jumps from one subject to another, but this doesn't make it a bad book. On the contrary, it made me see the world differently, especially my mission/meaning of it, and a possible roadmap to follow to become a better person. I would suggest reading this book.
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A compendium of health food technology, February 9, 1999
By A Customer
I learned about this book 20 years ago, long before the health-food explosion. It was written by a computer programmer who got sick and healed himself with health foods. It is a true reference book, a compliation of hundreds of sources with an extensive bibliography. A true find!
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