Deanna Minich, PhD, is an internationally known nutritionist, researcher, counselor, and author with more than fifteen years of experience in the nutrition field. Her ability to translate difficult nutrition information into everyday hints and tips allows others to make healthy choices in grocery stores, restaurants, and kitchens. She is the author of The Rainbow Diet, Chakra Foods for Optimum Health, An A-Z Guide to Food Additives, and The Complete Handbook of Quantum Healing.

The Complete Handbook of QUANTUM HEALING

An A-Z Self-Healing Guide for Over 100 Common Ailments

Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

Contents

CHAPTER 1

What Is Quantum Healing?

The very moment we make the choice to heal, the process is set in motion. Atthat point, we have many healing paths to choose from. Because of the complexityof who we are as people, sometimes it takes more than just one modality toengage the healing process. If we are trying to get to the heart of a particularissue in our lives, like combating stress or boosting our immunity, we can go atit by opening a variety of different doors—maybe by increasing physicalexercise, journaling consistently, and repeating powerful affirmations daily. Ormaybe just one way will work. The bottom line is that we have a multitude ofoptions when it comes to healing, whether we're dealing with warts or arthritis,diabetes or cancer. At this point, we come to quantum healing.

Quantum is a word packed with meaning, particularly within physics: as a noun,it's the "smallest quantity of radiant energy," and as an adjective, it refersto a "sudden and significant" change. Quantum healing is about making smallchanges that produce large, radiant results. Those results may be subtle orhuge, but they both give us a significant push in the direction of healing.

Quantum healing can start with something as minute as a thought, an act, amemory, an image. This seemingly small event creates a huge internal rippleeffect. Take a positive thought—"I am loved." Thinking this thought caninstantly change our brain chemistry. It could likely lead to changes in theflux of electrolytes (potassium, sodium) at the site of a nerve cell,stimulating the flow of serotonin (a neurotransmitter that has mood-alteringeffects) between nerve cells. The subsequent release of serotonin in the brainmay be amplified throughout the body by triggering a network of reactions. Thethought set in motion a ripple of physiological responses.

Current science tells us that the body doesn't quite work like a biochemistryflow chart, going from A to B to C in a structured, linear fashion. Rather, thehuman body is an organic web that interconnects all organs and systems, so thatwith the flip of a serotonin switch, we see changes in other systems: heart (ourheart relaxes), lungs (we breathe less shallowly), gut (we are able to digestfood better), and immune system (our white blood cells respond).

When an electrical response is triggered in a part of the body, such as in thebrain, the heart, or the gut, tiny cells move into action, usually starting witha change in the shape of the proteins in the cell membrane (which surrounds thecell like a wall, letting substances in and out). This change subsequently leadsto proteins within the cell signaling a relay race of communication, and themessage travels from protein to protein. Finally, the message makes it to thefinish line, into the heart of the cell—the nucleus. The energy of this signalultimately leads to proteins, which sit on the DNA bench, generating moreproteins that will eventually be sent out of the cell and into the body atlarge.

Depending on the messages we feed our cells, those proteins are going to make usinto glowing, radiant beings or inflamed, stressed individuals. At the end ofthe day, we will either have health or disease, depending on the cumulativebalance of the actions taken. This internal flow of events is transformative. Tothink that every single thing you do is shifting you at the cellular level inthe direction of your wellness or disability is utterly astounding! It speaks tothe profound quote by nutrition pioneer, Adelle Davis, "As I see it, every dayyou do one of two things: build health or produce disease in yourself."

Of course, most of us are plenty familiar with our physical bodies, and anybiochemical or physiological explanations, like the inner cascade describedabove, can be rather easy to digest intellectually. However, we are so much morethan our physical bodies. We are composed of a rainbow variety of layers, somewhich are not even visible to the human eye. And here is another aspect ofhealing that involves thinking along quantum lines.

The Body-Mind-Spirit Revolution

In the past three decades or so, people have been speaking and writing about thebody-mind or body-mind-spirit, implying that (1) we are more than our bodies,and (2) the body, mind, and spirit of a person are unified. There are differentschools of thought on this distinction between the layers of our being, but whatthey all agree on is that there is more than one layer. We are multidimensionalbeings that have built into us varying degrees of activity. It is almost asthough we are a continuum of vibration. We are woven together with differentfrequencies that give us our collective energy field. When we affect the mind (apart of us that moves quickly), we change the emotions (which also move quickly,but perhaps not as fluidly as mental activity; in fact, some emotions can bequite "sticky" and hang around for extended periods), and we alter the body(probably the slowest in its ability to change).

The systems that will be discussed in this book address the onion like nature ofour being, tapping into the body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Therefore, if theyare practiced regularly, they are potent medicines for transforming your lifeand shifting your awareness.

These different ways to penetrate the heart of a disease—whether you are usingcolors, gems, or visualization—may not seem as foreign as they did decades ago.A survey indicates that almost 17 percent of American adults use body-mindtherapies like deep breathing exercises, guided imagery, and yoga. These aremost commonly used for anxiety, depression, and pain, and they are often used inconjunction with conventional medical care. Research has indicated that amajority of people (68 to 90 percent) perceive that body-mind therapies arehelpful for specific conditions.

Some phenomenal results have arisen from these therapies. In a study by AnnetteL. Fitzpatrick and her colleagues at the University of Washington Department ofEpidemiology, adults with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) who used anybody-mind therapy, whether psychological (support groups, individual therapy) orspiritual (prayer, meditation, affirmations, visualization), lived significantlylonger (about 50 percent longer) than those who did not use these healing arts.In conjunction with prolonging life, body-mind therapies can improve the qualityof life, as shown by a number of studies. People with mood disorders whofollowed an eight-week, audiotaped spirituality home-study program orparticipated in a mindfulness meditation-based stress-reduction group hadimproved mood (based on a mood questionnaire given at the beginning and end ofstudy) compared with a control group given no intervention. (There was a 49percent improvement in the mood score for the spirituality group, a 22 percentimprovement for the meditation group, and a 16 percent improvement for thecontrol group). In another study, individuals with severe psychological trauma,such as teenagers in Kosovo with high scores for post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD), reduced their symptoms of PTSD by 20 percent after engaging in a twelve-weekmind-body program encompassing techniques such as meditation, guidedimagery, breathing, and self-expression through words, drawings, and movement.In contrast, the control group only experienced a 4 percent reduction in PTSDscores.

Body-mind techniques can also positively affect our physiology in measurableways. They can lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones, calm the immunesystem, and even improve blood sugar levels. Putting attention into deepbreathing can cause the body to relax. Guided imagery can provide a visualtemplate for the body to follow: if we imagine our immune system being strong,the body's defenses will respond.

Some studies show the synergy of body-mind techniques when they are usedtogether. As an example, diabetics were followed up a month after participatingin an eight-week mindfulness-based stress-reduction program that included suchsimple techniques as mental body scans, breathing awareness, and mindful walkingand eating, but no changes to diet or exercise. Surprisingly, the participantshad a beneficial drop in the important diabetic measure of long-term glucosecontrol, glycosylated hemoglobin (also known as hemoglobin A1C). The levelsaveraged 7.50 at the start and 7.02 at the one-month follow-up. Participants'average arterial pressure was also reduced by six points. And if thephysiological changes weren't enough, psychological measures (depression,anxiety, and general psychological distress) were also reduced by 35 to 43percent. These results indicate how closely intertwined the body and mind are.(To see a change in the body, make a change in the mind, and vice versa!)

In another study, people with breast or prostate cancer who followed an eight-weekmind-body program consisting of relaxation, meditation, and yoga reducedtheir levels of the stress hormone (cortisol) and reduced blood pressure, alongwith experiencing less inflammatory immune system activity during theircontinued follow-up over six and twelve months.

It is not truly understood how these mind-body therapies work so effectively.But we do know that in response to mind-body therapies like guided imagery,prayer, breathing exercises, and yoga, the body becomes open to a ripple effectof relaxation: oxygen and carbon dioxide consumption plummet, along with bloodpressure, heart, and respiration rates; additionally, there are activity changesin certain areas of the brain.

Aside from these large-scale physiological changes in the body with body-mindtherapies, we may also be able to impact how our genes express themselves. Afascinating study, published in 2008 by Harvard Medical School researchers,showed that 2,209 genes in people who were used to doing mind-body techniquesexpressed differently when compared with the same genes of people who had neverpracticed any of these modalities. However, when the novices were trained to doa twenty-minute mind-body technique, consisting of deep breathing, meditation,body scans, mantras, and ignoring certain thoughts, at home for eight weeks,they were able to shift 1,561 genes in a more health-promoting direction(especially with respect to how the cells deal with stress responses andinflammation).

It's rather amazing to think that we can control our genes by aligning ourbodies, emotions, and minds to all work in harmony, but it's true! The more"plastic and pliable" we can remain—in our thinking, actions, body, and spirit—themore successfully we will age and achieve not only health, but optimalwellness! Have no doubt about it. Quantum healing is real. And, through thisbook, it's in your hands.

CHAPTER 2

The Seven Spokes of the Wheel of Quantum Healing

The physical parts of us are obvious because we can see them, or at least we canimagine what they look like because of anatomical sketches in textbooks. Thereare, however, other parts of us that are not as visible; their vibration isfiner and more subtle than the dense vibration and slow frequency of the humanbody. We refer to this interwoven, subtle frequency as the human energy system.Like the circulatory system, which encompasses the action of blood runningthrough our arteries and veins, the anatomy of the energy system is interlacedthroughout the body. Ancient medical practices from India and China havedepicted the energy system as a circuitry of energy threads throughout everypart of the body.

In designated sections of the body, typically lined up along the spinal columnand permeating through to the front of the body, there reside various energycenters. In Sanskrit, these energy centers are called chakras (pronounced chuh-kras,meaning "spinning wheels"), and they take in and distribute energy fromthe outside as well as harness energy from the inside and allow it to spiraloutward. Although the actual physical existence of chakras has not been verifiedwith validated technical devices, they are often perceived by those who engagein energy medicine and healing and can be useful for focusing our awareness.

The main seven chakras are correlated to parts of the physical body. However,they also have less physical and more symbolic connections. The symbolicmeanings of the chakras compose the collective of our being. If we distill downthe meaning of each chakra into one word, we could make the followingassociations:

• Root chakra: body

• Sacral chakra: emotions

• Solar plexus chakra: mind

• Heart chakra: love

• Throat chakra: expression

• Third eye chakra: imagination

• Crown chakra: connection

Aspects of our being to access for healing.

When we address all these parts of ourselves and not just a particular pain orsymptom, we cut right through all the layers of our being and can effect a morepermanent, more integrated change.

I have distilled the essential aspects of quantum healing and mapped them tothese seven key areas. Here are the seven spokes of the quantum healing wheel:

1. Body/Root Chakra

General Principle: Understand the physical nature of the condition.

Specific Action: Ingest physical substances, such as foods and supplements, tocorrect the underlying physiological causes of the condition.

Example: Anemia is the body's inability to carry oxygen in the red blood celldue to low amounts of hemoglobin, an iron-containing protein that sits at thecenter of the red blood cell and latches onto oxygen. When we supplement thediet with iron-rich foods, such as spinach, or take a dietary iron supplement,we can correct for the iron level in the body so that red blood cells will bemore robust and fuel the body with the oxygen it needs.

2. Emotions/Sacral Chakra

General Principle: Mine the potential emotions that are connected to a physicalmanifestation.

Specific Action: Substitute uplifting emotional patterns for those that areunhealthy.

Example: There is an emotional component (high fear, anxiety, worry, negativemood) to heart disease. When we combat these emotions by developing copingmechanisms or substituting acceptance for them, we may have less anxiety andless constriction, or narrowing, of blood vessels supplying the heart withblood.

3. Mind/Solar Plexus Chakra

General Principle: Uncover beliefs that underlie patterns of our behavior.

Specific Action: Substitute life- and health-promoting mental patterns for thosethat are outdated.

Example: If we are walking around with a belief such as "I hate myself" or "Idon't accept myself" ingrained in our subconscious, we may be more apt todevelop conditions that attack the self, like autoimmune conditions such asmultiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis. Not all autoimmune conditions arelinked to these specific beliefs, but if we examine the thought on a symboliclevel and how that thought might translate symbolically, this thought/belief anddisease connection might be a possibility.

4. Love/Heart Chakra

General Principle: Give and receive love in a manner that enhances love of selfand others.

Specific Action: Receive from nature the gift of unconditional love and healingembodied by plants (flowers).

Example: In some traditions, the planet earth is perceived as the heart of thesolar system, or we are born perceived to be on this earth to learn lessons withrespect to love: self love, love of another, love of people and animals, andlove of nature. By using the essences of the earth, namely flowerremedies/essences, we can bring ourselves back into harmony with our truenature, others, and the planet. Flower essences take raw emotions and transformthem into emotional wisdom. For instance, someone who has difficulty maintaininghealthy emotional boundaries may receive additional support by taking yarrow(Achillea millefolium) flower essence on a daily basis. This flower essence canassist in restoring a sense of self and thus reduce the need for taking on theenergy of the surrounding environment, including other people.

5. Expression/Throat Chakra

General Principle: Examine verbal and written communication around us.

Specific Action: Verbalize energizing affirmations through the voice or inwriting to counteract any unhealthy thoughts or emotions about the self, others,or a situation.

Example: Vocalizing and listening to the words "I trust my body's instinct," orwriting these words on a sticky note and placing it somewhere you can view itevery day, has a transformative effect on your subconscious mind and may help tonourish you, so that you are no longer filled with depleting, defeating thoughtsabout yourself.
(Continues...)Excerpted from The Complete Handbook of QUANTUM HEALING by Deanna M. Minich. Copyright © 2011 Deanna M. Minich, Ph.D.. Excerpted by permission of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.
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