CASTOR-CISE: A TIME FOR HEALING

Once all indigenous cultures had healing rituals. Those rituals provided people with purpose and structure for a time of shared silence and spiritual renewal. We now live "fast" lives—what might be the benefits of the time so saved is not clear to me—and healing rituals have been victim of that speeded up life.

This is the age of toxic environment, toxic foods, and toxic thoughts. These toxicities create a state of molecular and cellular burn-out. High blood pressure is one of the consequences of those toxicities. At present, we need healing rituals far more than during an earlier time in human history. In clinical medicine, I recognize the absolute need for regular periods of spiritual work, the language of silence, physical exercise, and detoxification measures. Castor-Cise is my personal effort to bring such a healing ritual in my life. The idea of Castor-Cise evolved slowly as I continually improvised on what my patients needed. The ideal subject to test whether castor oil worked or not work, of course, was myself. Below, I describe my integrated spiritual-detox-exercise program for which I have used the term Castor-Cise in pervious publications.

The following are the components of my Castor-Cise program followed on weekend mornings.

Recognition of unrecognized unkindnesses to others,
Language of silence,
Water therapy,
Dr. Ali's breakfast (described below),
Oral, liver, and bowel Detox,
Limbic exercise,
Oxygen therapy with peroxide foot soaks,
Limbic breathing, and
Sauna detox.

It is desirable to include all of the above elements. However, it is important not to skip the whole program on days when any of the above components cannot be done for any number of reason. Indeed, infrequently I myself am not able to do the full Castor-Cise program. First things first. The element of recognition of unrecognized unkindnesses to others sets the stage for the rest of the Castor-Cise period. Later, I give one example of unrecognized unkindnesses to illustrate my point.

Imagine, Act, Observe, and Imagine Again
True teachers inspire their students to reach beyond their teaching. In that spirit, my crucial message is: readers will learn Castor-Cise, understand it, test it, validate the benefits of this time of healing, then imagine how it can be improved. I hope there will begin a personal path of discovery, understanding, and enlightemnent with four steps: imagine, act, observe, and Imagine again. Of course, I do not suggest this path of imagine, act, observe, and Imagine again only for a periods of castor-Cise. I am a dreamer. I am also a realist. I recognize habitual thinking can be a tough competitor. However, I see inspiring examples of change every working week, and so continue to impressed by human capabilities.

Dr. Ali's Castor-Cise
On weekend mornings, I warm two tablespoons of castor oil in a large spoon by flame. I apply the oil liberally to:
(1) the liver area (the rib cage on the right side, extending from mid-line in front to the mid-line behind);

(2) the front and sides of the abdomen;

(3) shoulders; and

(4) face (light smear). For the next two hours, I stay in a limbic state, a meditative state free of chatter of a cluttered head (see The Monkey and Healing [1990] for description). I do not use the telephone, nor watch TV. Low volume music is acceptable at times. I prepare my breakfast (described in chapter 9 entitled "Optimal Food Choices for Normalizing Blood Pressure") and take nutrient and herbal supplements with eight to ten ounces of the breakfast shake at a time. Intermittently, I engage in limbic (gentle, meditative, non-competitive exercised described in chapter 7 entitled "Limbic Exercise for Normalizing Blood Pressure"). I favor rebounding exercise (jumping jacks on a rug wearing thick socks, trampoline), rug-running, and light weights (twenty to thirty pounds). There is no sweating, huffing, or puffing, nor any sore muscles (crucial for a 67-year-old with much work to do). In between segments of exercise, I practice limbic breathing (described in chapter 8 entitled "Limbic Breathing for Normalizing Blood Pressure.") I describe some aspects of my spiritual work later in this chapter and refer the readers to The Crab, Oxygen, and Cancer (2007) for many valuable practical suggestions. During castor-Cise, I often read and work on my computer at intervals. Writing is easier in the limbic states). At the end, I shave, shower, and get ready to see my patients. In the shower, I begin with hot water and end it with a sudden burst of cold water to help maintain autonomic equilibrium. In each Castor-Cise period, I am mostly free of the demands of a cluttered mind.

Castor-Walk, Castor-Jog, Castor-Gym, and Castor-Sleep

There is a difference between gurus and teachers. Gurus do not want their disciples to escape their servitude. Teachers, I write above, yearn to get their students to go beyond their reach. To encourage my patients to innovate and modify the basic Castor-Cise outlined here, I introduced the following terms: Castor-Walk, Castor-Jog, Castor-Gym, and Castor-Sleep. Some of my patients apply warmed castor oil before going for a walk (Castor-Walk), a jog (Castor-Jog), or a work-out in a gym (Castor-Gym). Many of my patients with cancer and other serious disorders sleep with castor oil application (Castor-Sleep). Other patients skip one, two, or more components of Castor- Cise on some days, depending upon availability of time, mood, or inclination. The crucial point is that each castor period is free of the demands of a cluttered mind.

Castor Rub HM

The term castor Rub HM stands for castor oil rub with heat application and massage. I find Castor Rub HM to be one of the most effective therapies for treating acute and chronic painful conditions affecting ligaments, tendons, muscles, joints, vertebral discs, and related tissues. I prescribe direct application of warmed castor oil to painful and swollen tissues and then apply warmth and massage for periods of ten to fifteen minutes. Some effective and inexpensive brands of heating pads with in-built massage (vibrations) units.

In the Punjab province of Pakistan and many other regions of Southeast Asia, there is a strong tradition of mustard oil rubs on the abdomen of women after childbirth. I do not know if anyone in Pakistan ever tried to carefully invesitigate and document the clinical benefits of such massage. Nor do I recall any professor bring the subject up. That is unfortunate because extended experience with oil massage therapies has convinced me of the great clinical benefits of this approach. The following are the conditions in which I have been most impressed by the results of Castor Rub HM:

Colics in infants and children;

GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disorder);

Irritable bowel syndrome, spastic colitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's colitis, and other forms of bowel inflammations;

Energey deficits states (fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, persistent fatigue after chemotherapy);

Viral hepatitis (Of B, C, and other types);

Cancers and benign tumors (specific guidelines from the examining physicians are imperative in each case);
Arthritis of various types;

Trigger points

Inflammatory conditions of joints, tendons, muscles, and soft tissues;

The common denominator among all of the above conditions is derangements of oxygen signaling. I consider Castor Rub HM is a good oxygen transporter therapy. This, in my view, is the primary mechansim by which castor oil, sesame oil, mustard oil, and other oils work.

The Cortical Monkey Thrives on Recycling Past Misery.
In my self-regulation (energy-over-mind) work, the cortical monkey is the term for troublesome chatter of a scattered mind. Most of my chronically ill patients live highly stressful lives and that stress brings along troublesome clutter of an unfocused mind. I recognized they need a time to escape the cortical monkeys, at least for one period of healing time daily. To underscore the nature of the cortical monkey, In The Cortical Monkey and Healing (1990), I included the following words:

The cortical monkey thrives on recycling past misery.
When that is not enough, it precycles feared, future misery.

In Monkey, I described the development of several energy methods for self-regulation. Auto-regulation—autoreg, for short—was the term I settled on for that energy work. The idea of learning a language of silence for coping—and chilling out—the cortical monkey developed while I struggled with the stress in the lives of very sick people. The most effective meditation for reversing chronic health and preserving health is working meditation. I learned this crucial lesson while struggling with my migraine attacks many years ago. I wrote about the language of silence in The Ghoraa and Limbic Breathing (1993) and What Do Lions Know About Stress? (1996). Since I published my personal experiences with auto-reg, including complete control over migraine attacks, it has gratified me much to hear my patients describe similar experiences. More importantly, I have been inspired by descriptions of ingenious enhancement of what I teach them by other patients.

Unrecognized Unkindness

I add a few words here about what I consider to be three essential components of my working auto-reg daily:

Practice of grace and gratitude;
Recognizing and discarding fear addiction
Recognizing and discarding resentment addiction
Awareness of "unrecognized unkindness";

Here is an example of what I call unrecognized unkindness. A friend of my wife told her the following: I stood on a sidewalk in New York. I wore a colorful Punjabi salwar-qamees suit. I saw two black young men on the sidewalk. They noticed my clothes, smiled approvingly, and moved closer to my side of the sidewalk. Then together they said a loud hello to me and grinned. I became nervous at their coming close to me. I backed off and nearly yelled, "Go away." They froze, then raised their hands, apologized repeatedly, and scurried away. I breathed easier. Moments later, I thought about what had happened. They were two neat young men with smiling faces. They were gracious. In their own way, they approached me to complement me. What happened to me? Why did I get alarmed? Why did I yell at them? Would have I done that if they had been white? I felt embarrassed, then sick to my stomach.

A Case Study of the Effects of Castor-Cise
The results of Castor-Cise generally reported by my patients have been so good that I now routinely prescribe Castor-Cise to be done twice or more often in a week for all my adult patients. The "strangeness" of being "oiled-up" experience initially by some individuals clears up after two or three Castor-Cise sessions. In Table 1, I furnish data for a 47-year-old woman who was diagnosed with cancer of her left breast in January 2006. She underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy for breast cancer. Her treatment caused progressive and distressing massive swelling and stiff of the tissues of left breast, axilla, and upper arm caused by severe lymphedema. She gained several pounds in weight and was unable to reduce it from the level of 170 pounds despite her best efforts.

During a 14-week period of Castor-Cise, her girth (mid-belly) measurement decreased from 87 cm to 79.5 as she lost 21 pounds in weight. Concomitantly, lymphedema of the breast, axilla, and arm decreased with marked softening of the tissues.

Dr. Ali's Breakfast

The following are the directions I offer my patients when I prescribe Dr. Ali's Breakfast to be taken four or five days a week:

1. Begin with a 28-ounce mug filled with spring water and one ounce of Seltzer water
(Seltzer water unnecessary for those who prefer plain water)
2. Drink five to seven ounces of water, taking probiotics with it, followed by five to seven minutes with gentle limbic (non-competitive exercise) exercise
3. Drink five to seven ounces with additional supplements every five to seven minutes
Prepare the follow drink:

3.1. Spring water 14 ounces
3.2. One to one-and-half heaping tablespoon of granular lecithin
3.3. One to one-and-half heaping tablespoon of freshly ground (in a coffee grinder) flaxseed
3.4. Organic vegetable juice 14 ounces
3.5 Mix and drink, again five to seven ounces at a time, taking additional supplements, and continue doing limbic exercise between drinking the fluid.

4. If desired, on some days vegetable juice may be replaced with milk (cow's, goats, rice or soy) and one-half of a banana or other fruit may be added for taste. However, vegetable juice is the best source of minerals and is far superior to milks. "Very Veggie" brand of Knudson Co. is a good product of organic bottled juice. Freshly squeezed juice if preferable whenever possible.
5. One or two days a week, the above breakfast may be replaced with an egg breakfast.