Drafts: Energy Gait Great Cure-All / Herbs Often Overused

ENERGY GAIT GREAT CURE-ALL

Dear Dr. Meinig: Some time ago you wrote about a walking and breathing method that improved your energy. I did it for a while and it was helpful but then I forgot about it. Now I’m not sure any more if I’m doing it okay. Could you repeat it? I think other readers might have also forgotten how to do it. Thank you. – F. S.

 

Dear F. S.: Yes; I will be glad to repeat the article. It is one of the most beneficial and useful ways to restore energy and mental confusion quickly and is one of the most helpful ideas which I discussed.

If the technique is adopted and used whenever one walks, even for a few steps, it will result in improved performance and a renewal of energy. With a little practice it becomes easy and automatic.

The article appeared May 23, 1979 and was headed “HOW TO DO THE DIAMOND ENERGY GAIT. “

Named the “Diamond Gait”, after its discoverer John Diamond, M.D., of New York City, it is closely involved with our body’s electrical system. It has been found that short circuiting of electric messages often takes place between the right and left hemispheres of the brain and at times to our various glands, organs, and muscles. A rather large percentage of our body ills results from such short circuiting when it takes place continually or frequently. Our electrical system is involved with the acupuncture meridians, nerve pathways, and each and every cell of our bodies has positive and negative charges. A great variety of things affect our electrical performance adversely or beneficially.

The Diamond Gait is so effective because in doing it, detrimental short circuiting is corrected. It is easy to do. To get the picture think of soldiers marching and in cadence counting off one, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. When you start to walk, on the count of one count but as you step forward, breathe in through your nostrils. During inspiration your tongue should be pressed firmly against the palate just back of the upper front teeth. This is a very important part of the procedure.

Now on your second step (the soldiers count of two), you exhale audibly and forcibly going HAW. On the third step you exhale again going HAW and on the fourth step repeat the HAW once more.

Then you start all over again on the next step inhaling through nostrils with tongue against palate and repeat the exhale on the next three steps. It’s inhale on first step, then, HAW, HAW, HAW on the next three steps. Walk tall, swing arms so right arm is out front when left leg is forward and vice versa. Don’t carry anything in your hands. Use a back pack in order to keep arms and hands free. The tongue is not kept against the palate while breathing outward, only on the inspiration first step.

This walk can be done at any pace fast or slow as well as in jogging. The results are noticeable almost at once, particularly if going up a hill. You will find on getting to the top or after a long walk you have considerably more energy than you did before. It is even more noticeable if the walk technique is performed going up a flight of stairs. Experienced joggers report much better time for their usual runs.

The forced breathing, of course, improves oxygenation of our blood but this in itself doesn’t explain the many other health improvements that occur. For instance a nine-year-old with a long term terrible lisp spoke clearly with no lisp after three minutes as he practiced the Diamond Walk. Or take the patient with a thirty year history of continual pain in her jaw joints who was free from discomfort in her first trial using this walking breathing method.

The technical explanation of how this all takes place is somewhat complicated for a short article but basically what is happening is an unswitching of crossed electrical circuits from the right and left brain hemispheres. The lisper isn’t cured permanently with one walk but will be if he uses the walking daily. Do it in your home or office as even a few steps will improve your performance and energy. Not all body ills are due to short circuit circuiting of our electrical system but many are helped by this simple procedure.

Should your nose be stuffed up when you start, try breathing through it anyway. Most of your needed air may be forced to enter through the mouth but usually after the third or fourth intake you will be surprised to find the nostrils opening up and air flowing through them. It is the pressure of the tongue against the palate, on the air inspiration phase, that effects the clearing of the nasal passages.

After a few trial runs of the Diamond Gait, accent the first HAW. That is, exhale more forcibly. It will then be–breathe in on the first step and exhale HAW, haw, haw. Keep repeating this method of breathing during your entire walk or run.

Please don’t think this to be silly or that old Dr. George has flipped his lid. Try it for a while and then let me know what bodily ills you, too, have had disappear.

 

HERBS OFTEN OVERUSED

Dear Dr. Meinig: Please send your article on “the problems the 396 herbs and spices introduce to our body chemistry”. Love your column! No paper anywhere like the OVN! Thanks. – P. B.

 

Dear P. B.: Thank you for your nice words. My article on herbs is on its way to you.

Since these two articles on herbs, quite a few of you have written for copies. Some comments indicate that readers feel I am totally opposed to herbs. This is not true. What I tried to say was this: Some herbs are good, but people seem to be accepting any and all of them as being desirable.

The point I was trying to make concerned the fact that too little study and research had been made about herbs, and too many were tending to use them excessively. Until we learn more, I feel, during this period, we should avoid the ones known to be harmful and go easy on the others until more information is forthcoming about them. Just because your grandmother always cured your sore throat with her favorite herb, or that others are often excellent for stopping a variety of diseases doesn’t necessarily mean that such an herb is suitable as a daily beverage or as an addition to food.

Water is still the drink of choice.