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Nearly all men die of their remedies, and not of their illnesses.194

—Jean Baptiste Moliere

I know this seems like a strange title. Who doesn’t want to be healthy? We spend billions and billions of dollars on health care every single year. For a family with two or three children, the cost for health care is approaching or surpassing the cost of a monthly mortgage payment. Not only do we spend billions on health care and doctors, but we also spend billions on trying to stay healthy—gym memberships, jogging gear, personal trainers, diets, supplements, healthy foods, and the infinite number of books and videos on the subject of health. The pursuit of health and well-being ranks at the top of most people’s priorities. If you’re not healthy and not feeling good, all the money in the world suddenly is not that important.

So what do I mean by “healthy”? There are countless horrible diseases that plague society, causing all kinds of misery and suffering, and no one knows for sure what causes most of them. I am in no way making light of any of these diseases, and I know how much suffering sickness and disease can cause, not only for the person who has the disease but also for family members and loved ones. My focus in this chapter, however, is directed at some of the common, everyday types of illness like the common cold or flu. I have written this chapter to possibly change the way you think about sickness. Change the way you think about everyday illnesses, and it may change the way you think about other diseases as well.

Every human being is the author of his own health or disease. 195

—Buddha

When I ask, “Do you really want to be healthy?” it seems like a silly question. You might say, “Why would I spend all this money on trying to maintain my health if I didn’t want to be healthy?” The reason I ask this question, though, is because most people spend money on things outside themselves without ever thinking about what is going on inside their mind—their thoughts and beliefs about health and sickness. Most of us accept that sickness is a natural and unavoidable part of life.

Believe me, I used to buy into this too, until about ten years ago, when I started reading and studying some of the great authors and masters mentioned in this book. I used to think, Great, a sore throat, and right before I go on vacation! Why does this always happen to me? Now the sore throat will lead to a fever and then sneezing, coughing, runny nose, and I will feel miserable for the entire week. Great! I knew this would happen!

Focus less on treating the symptom than eliminating the cause. 196

—Taro Gold

How many times has this scenario played out for you? You accept it as part of life, because that is the way you grew up and you took it for granted that there is nothing you can do about it. I could always count on being sick at least a couple times a year. I hated being sick, but I didn’t know that I had any control over what I thought was Mother Nature in action.

As children, despite how bad it is to be sick, there can also be some perks that go with it. You get to stay home from school, maybe watch cartoons or your favorite TV shows. You might be pampered by your mother and father, as in the old Leave It to Beaver TV episodes in which parents Ward and June always brought home ice cream to Wally and Beaver when the boys were sick. The bottom line is that despite feeling miserable, most of us received attention when we were sick as kids. As an adult, you don’t receive as much attention, but a loving spouse may attempt to take care of you, you get to stay home from work, and you can still watch your favorite TV shows. Not a whole lot has changed, except maybe your choice of TV shows and the degree of pampering.

So besides the runny nose, fever, coughing, and feeling miserable, there may be some rewards for being sick, incentives not to be well. I am not implying that anyone wants to get sick for these reasons, but perhaps the desire to fight off sickness is diminished a little because of the way we are treated when we are sick. This isn’t the case for everyone, but I think most of us have experienced some degree of pampering and attention when we have been sick.

This chapter is about changing the way you think about sickness and disease—exposing you to an entirely new way to approach sickness. You may think it’s a bunch of nonsense and that we have no control over whether we get sick, and if you do think that way, what I’m suggesting most likely won’t work for you. But how has your old way of thinking about sickness and disease been working out?

Do you line up like the rest of the masses to get your flu shot every year? I know many friends and family members who without fail get their annual flu shot—and without fail end up getting the flu. I’m not advocating that you should not get a flu shot; it may work for you, and if you believe it will work, that’s half the battle. I mention flu shots because I have never had one. I also have not had the flu in at least ten years. I’m not telling you this to brag or imply that I have any special powers that you don’t have—but I did change my thinking about sickness. I did a complete 180 in my thoughts on the subject. I personally found something much more powerful than a flu shot, at least for me.

The number of diseases is a disgrace to mankind.

—François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon

I used to buy into colds and flus and believed they were an unfortunate part of life that you just had to deal with. Being sick was normal. No way around it. You accept it, you accept going to the doctor, and you accept being down and out for at least three to four days. That’s the way life is. Fortunately, I had an awakening on how I viewed sickness and disease.

About ten years ago, I heard Dr. Wayne Dyer, the renowned author and speaker, discuss this very subject. He was talking about how he too used to buy into sickness, but after reading the messages from virtually every great master, prophet, and sage in history, he found that they all had the same message about health: it is not natural or normal to be sick. As Venice Bloodworth states, “It is natural for man to be healthy and whole in mind and body. When one learns this truth, and lives in accord with the laws of his being, health and prosperity spring forth naturally and abundantly.”197

Dr. Dyer went on to say that he just told himself that, from that point on, he would not be sick. He was no longer going to accept sickness as a way of life. When he felt a sore throat coming on, he would go out for a walk or run and would not accept that he was going to be sick because he had a sore throat. He was not going to be sick again. He ingrained this in his consciousness as a new way of life. I have heard Dr. Dyer speak in person, and he said that after twenty years, he has had bouts with sickness and disease, but they have been rare.

Nothing is foolproof, as a variety of factors can weaken your immune system and your ability to fight off disease: lack of sleep, lack of exercise, stress, worry. None of us is invincible. But at least for me, the benefit of thinking in a new way far surpassed what I had been accustomed to. Getting a cold or the flu would now be a shock to me instead of the old, “Great, another cold!” Dr. Dyer’s message inspired me. It motivated me. After hearing his message about sickness, that very same day I made up my mind that I would do exactly as Dr. Dyer did. I planted a seed: the health seed. The sickness seed was uprooted that day.

I was no longer going to allow sickness to be a part of my life. Sure, there was a possibility it might not work, but I was ready to give it a try. Why not? What would I have to lose by just changing my thinking? It wouldn’t cost me anything. I made a vow to myself that sickness was no longer going to be just a fact of life that I would have to deal with. If I felt like I might have a sore throat or be coming down with something, I would do exactly as Dr. Dyer did. I would go for a walk or run. I would tell myself that it’s not natural, that I was too healthy to be sick. That my immune system was too strong and could fight off any diseases, any germs.

And guess what? I stopped getting colds. I no longer got the flu. I went for about four or five years without being sick and was so confident that I would never be sick again that I made the dumbest bet I’ve ever made. I bet my brother $100 that I would never be sick again. The problem with the bet was that the only way I could collect would be if I died without being sick. Not very bright, but it motivated me even more.

Bruce Lipton points out in his book Biology of Belief198 that our thoughts can affect every cell in our body. If that is the case, you can see how powerful this tool can be for us. So why not put it to work where it will truly benefit us? If you can affect every cell in your body, affect them in a good way. Use affirmations. Don’t let the old thoughts of sickness and disease get a grip on the new you, the healthy you, the radiant you, the robust you.

All disease is unnatural and does not belong to the real person—if it did, no one could heal it. Any doctor will tell you it is the nature of the body to heal itself of every disease, and that it is the nature of the mind to fight off every psychosis and neurosis. If they didn’t, no one could be healed. There is no physician who thinks he heals anything or anyone. He only assists nature in re-establishing the normal process of circulation, assimilation, and elimination in both body and mind. 199

—Ernest Holmes

I had gone for about six years without having any kind of cold or flu, and then I came down with a cough and a cold. I was shocked, as I was starting to think I was invincible to sickness. Maybe it was a wake-up call, a sign that I was human. As disappointed as I was, I attributed the illness to a lack of sleep and my immune system being weakened. I can’t recall what was happening at that point in my life—maybe I was stressed over something—but it affected my ability to fight off the sickness. I set myself up to be vulnerable.

The worst part (besides being sick after all the years of good health) was that I had to pay my brother $100. Still, I did not let this setback influence me. I knew that what I was doing was working. That is the only time I have been sick since I adopted this new way of thinking and believing. Being sick once in ten years—that’s not bad, considering I used to get sick once or twice a year.

Every action has a resulting consequence (Newton’s Third Law of Motion) is the commonly-held belief. For example, it is assumed that if someone has a cold, you can “catch it” through the transmission of germs. Does this always happen? Of course not. Why not? There are innumerable additional factors, like the state of the person’s immune system, their nutritional constitution, their white blood cell count, and their emotional and mental health. If the person is in prime physical condition and manages stress effectively, they are less likely to “catch a cold” regardless of how much direct contact they have with the ill individual. The germs don’t cause the cold—the condition for the cold to arise must first be present before the cold can manifest. 200

—Scott Jeffrey

We want to be healthy. That’s why we spend all this money at health clubs: to have better health and to feel good. But the point I am trying to make is, don’t discount the power of the mind. Don’t discount managing stress. Don’t discount the fact that we can change the way we think about sickness and disease. It may be the greatest power we have in fighting disease.

I know what it feels like to be sick, and it’s not fun. You feel miserable, and the last thing in the world you want to hear is some guy telling you that it’s not normal to be sick. I don’t talk to anyone about it now (except in the book and with my immediate family). There is no need, because most people wouldn’t listen, and not only that, they don’t want to hear it. It’s not something you go around telling all your friends about.

But I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to adopt this attitude that sickness is not natural. You are healthy, and sickness has no place in your life. You can start today and do exactly what I did and still do every day. You have the exact same power. You can start your journey of health now just as I did ten years ago. Jesus gave us the same message. He said that what he can do, you too can also do. You have the same powers Jesus had. You have the power to heal yourself, to be well.

The biggest stumbling block will be your faith and belief that it will work. If you are skeptical, think that I am delusional, think it’s a hokey idea but that maybe you’ll give it a try for a little while to see what happens, it may not work for you. You have to believe that it will work.

If you do happen to feel not quite up to par, maybe a bit of a scratchy throat, try this affirmation by John Randolph Price from his book Nothing Is Too Good to Be True: “I am the wholeness of the universe in individual expression, therefore, every cell, tissue, and organ of my body is in a state of divine order and perfect well-being.”201 Even if you feel good, it wouldn’t hurt to read and express this affirmation in your daily life. It certainly won’t hurt you, and it will hopefully inspire you. Say it now: that every cell, tissue, and organ in your body are perfect! How does that make you feel? If you repeat it enough, you might just start believing it. At the very least, your subconscious will. Why not give it a try?

You must resurrect your mind from the consciousness of disease—from the thought of disease. You are the invulnerable Spirit: but the body now rules the mind. The mind must rule the body. 202

—Paramahansa Yogananda

You may still be skeptical and say, “I want scientific proof. Why should I believe you? My doctor has never mentioned this to me.” Of course your doctor isn’t going to mention it—that would be like me telling people not to eat candy. Doctors didn’t spend all those years (and money) in medical school and internships to tell you that you don’t have to be sick. Their livelihood depends on people being sick. You should actually pay your doctor every month that you don’t have to go see them.

This is not an attack on doctors. Doctors provide an invaluable service to society, and I have the utmost respect for them and what they do. They are wonderful at making repairs, at fixing things that are broken, at giving medicine to make you feel better, at assisting Mother Nature. They deserve the money they are paid and are an intrinsic part of our society—when we need them. But they don’t heal us. They don’t have the power to heal. I am in no way telling you to stay away from your doctor and that you can mentally treat every disease. I use doctors whenever necessary, but I have made very few trips to the doctor because it hasn’t been necessary.

No intelligent physician of any school claims to do more than assist nature to restore the normal conditions of the body. That it is a mental energy that is assisted, no one denies; for science teaches us that the whole body is made up a confederation of intelligent entities, each of which performs its function with an intelligence exactly adapted to the performance of its special duties.

It is a mental energy that actuates every fibre of the body. Health, like any other condition, is a matter of consciousness and is absolutely a matter of choice. Mind controls every function of the body. Take away your mind and your body is as lifeless and senseless as your front gate post. 203

—Dr. Thomas J. Hudson,
as quoted in Key to Yourself

Let’s get back to the idea of scientific proof. I did just what scientists do when they want to test a hypothesis: performed repeated experiments until I concluded that what I was testing was repeatable—that is, producing the same results. The main difference is, I didn’t have a group to test. I could only test myself, and you might say that is where my scientific experiment is flawed. And maybe it is flawed, but I did put to test my experiment ten years ago, as I wanted to test the mental attitude that Dr. Wayne Dyer and countless others have proclaimed and practiced. I did my own scientific experiment on myself. I was sick at least two times a year before I put my personal experiment to a test. Since adopting this new state of mind about health, sickness, and disease, I have been sick once in ten years. So far, knock on wood, I have enjoyed good health—all because I changed my thinking.

The sage in this verse [Tao Te Ching] has looked long and hard at all illness, and has come to realize that it represents a physical manifestation of non-Tao thinking. A fever, a cold, an ache, or a pain are all identical to the non-Tao expressions of impatience, fear, anger, or any other ego-driven impulse. Since the sage has seen where thoughts like these lead, he refuses to participate in such folly. Thus, he has looked at poor health and vowed: I will not think in ways that bring that about. I’ll stay centered in the natural well-being of the Tao because to think a sick thought is to allow sickness to crop up. Consequently, he’s sick of sickness, and the result is the secret of perfect health. 204

—Dr. Wayne Dyer

I too was sick of sickness and tried something different. I made a vow that sickness was no longer going to be a part of my life. That it was not normal, and there were going to be no more sick thoughts. And guess what? It has worked for me, and it can work for you as well.

Of all Western culture’s beliefs, few reveal themselves as intellectually and spiritually bankrupt as those pertaining to health. For while medical technology has brought unprecedented sophistication to the practice of medicine, and scientific explorations daily uncover new secrets of the body’s inner life, Western culture remains among the unhealthiest ever to people the globe. Billions upon billions are spent on health care; the rise of degenerative diseases mocks the technological advances which can never keep pace; and the cost of maintaining the health care system affects everyone, in sickness and in health.

You create your reality through your beliefs. Knowing this and observing the epidemic of illness permeating Western culture, what can you conclude about the belief systems underlying the culture’s approach to the body and to health?

You are taught to believe that you can play no role in maintaining your health, that such must be left to professionals bestowing the benefit of technology to patch up the decaying heap you cart about beneath your neck.

Is it any wonder Western culture should be riddled with illness? 205

—Ramón Stevens

As you walk down the aisles of supermarkets, it’s mind-boggling the number of drugs that are available for every kind of disease and illness. At the first sign or symptom of any kind of illness, we run to the drugstore or doctor to get our medications. We have gotten to the point where we no longer allow the body and its magnificent immune system to do its job. We rely on drugs to do that for us.

Now, there is a definite place and need for drugs. I just recently had hip-resurfacing performed in New York City, and if I’d had to do it without drugs… well, let’s just say I probably would have been in a tremendous amount of pain. The pain would have been unbearable, and I am very grateful for the drugs I received. Thank God for drugs!

But we need to think twice about buying drugs for every little ailment that comes along. Dr. John Efferiedes, chief of cardiac surgery at the Yale School of Medicine, states, “I am anti-drug in general and I always ask and have patients ask exactly why a doctor is prescribing medication. If there is not a very strong reason, the drug should not be taken.”206

You have an inner pharmacy that is absolutely exquisite, you name it—the body can make it in the right dose at the right time, for the right organ, with no side effects. 207

—Dr. Deepak Chopra

Doesn’t it make sense that if we use drugs to fight off every ailment that comes our way that our immune system will no longer function as it was intended? It’s similar to taking sleeping pills every night to help you go to sleep—pretty soon, you can’t go to sleep without the pills. Without the drugs, you can no longer fight off illness.

Whenever I observe the rows and rows of drugs when I am in the supermarket, I always think about how humorous it would be to see animals in nature going to the drugstore for every ailment they have. Picture deer lined up at the checkout counter with their cart full of drugs. Obviously this is a ridiculous and crazy thought, but animals rely on what nature has given them—a fabulous immune system. Maybe that’s why we are such a sick nation. Our bodies have forgotten how to fight off diseases.

The Swedish physician Carl Linnaeus wrote, “To live by medicine is to live horribly.”208 He made this observation back in the 1700s! Very astute. You can just imagine what he would think about the plethora of drugs and medicine available today. Again, drugs can be very useful and necessary, but don’t dismiss the power of your body and its wonderful immune system.

Let’s get back to the question of this chapter: do you really want to be healthy? Even if you don’t believe or buy into anything I have said or what the sages throughout the ages have said—would it hurt to give it a try? There is no financial outlay. The only thing you have to do is believe that sickness and disease are not natural, not normal. Read the books by some of the authors I’ve mentioned. Learn for yourself. Don’t believe it just because it worked for me or I told you. Do your own scientific experiment. Choose health and well-being. Where have your old thoughts and beliefs taken you except to the doctor’s office and the drugstore?

The best advice I can give you if you want to adopt a new attitude about health and sickness is to change your thinking now. Do what I did—don’t accept it. Believe that you are too healthy to get sick, that your immune system is too strong. Fight off the first signs of a sore throat and don’t think that just because you have a sore throat that you will now get sick. Reverse your thinking. Maybe it won’t work for you, and maybe it won’t work 100 percent of the time, but it won’t cost you anything to try!

One of the hardest lessons we have to learn is that we build our bodies by our thoughts; that they are discordant or harmonious, diseased, or healthy, in accordance with our habitual thoughts. 209

—Orison Swett Marden