<br><h2>CHAPTER 1</h2><p><b>The 5 Essential Elements of Life</b></p><p><i>The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom thisemotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder andstand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.</i></p><p>—Albert Einstein</p><br><p>The greatest mystery is that of existence itself; that the universe and lifewithin it exists - that there is something at all, rather than nothing. Inthe midst of this spiraling growth of our universe that began at speedsfaster than light, a "Goldilocks" planet (Earth) evolved with conditionsand elements that are not too hot and not too cold, but "just right" forlife. Life has been a hero's journey of 13.77 billion years, a long pilgrimageon the razor-like thin path of eternity from the ineffable big bang, to thepresent moment where we can stand together and gaze at the night sky inawe and wonderment.</p><p>Stargazing connects us to this vastness we call our universe, but asmany stars that seemingly pop out on a clear night we are only seeingroughly 10,000 of them with our naked eye. Our galaxy alone containssome 300 billion stars! On top of that, our nearest galaxy Andromeda ismuch larger then ours and yet appears as only a small fuzzy patch on adark night sky. Also, leading cosmologists estimate there are AT LEAST100 billion galaxies in the universe. Think about that!</p><p>This book is an amazing journey through the cosmic body of theuniverse and onto the body of our planet earth (or Gaia), and then to thebody of man and his 100 trillion cells. This book is an exploration into theelements needed for life. What man needs to create, maintain and sustainan ever-increasing level of health and energy. Health is Life and Life isHealth. There is nothing more auspicious to our sojourn here on earththan to live in a body full of health, married to a mind and spirit open toall of its incredible wonders.</p><p>Modern physics is now shedding light on the great serendipity of lifeand the conditions needed to create it. The great mystery that modernphysics puts in front of us, is the precise balance that all the forces andelements strike for the universe, our galaxy, our solar system, our planetand its over 7 billion humans and uncountable other life forms to exist andbe alive. Before we dive into the essential elements needed for the healthof our body, lets take a brief journey into the amazing circumstances thatwere needed for life in the universe to exist at all. The purpose of this is toexpand your mind while opening up your imagination to the world anduniverse we live in with a greater sense of appreciation and wonder.</p><br><p><b>Our Bubble Universe is "Tuned" for Life to Exist</b></p><p><i>Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man'sdesire to understand.</i></p><p>—Neil Armstrong</p><br><p>According to Stephen Hawking, M-Theory (the source of all prevailingversions of string theory) allows for some 10<sup>500</sup> possible universes as differentpermutations in the fundamental constants. Whether that is correct or not,modern cosmological evidence is already hinting that there are adjacentuniverses to ours corroborating the idea that our universe is only one ofmany within a grand Multiverse (collection of all universes). However,our universe is not just an average face in the crowd. It's a very specialanomaly that is both geared for sustainable growth and "dialed in" for thepossibility of life.</p><p>According to modern physics, there are 4 forces (gravity,electromagnetism, the weak force and the strong nuclear force) and 12fundamental particles (the various quarks and leptons). If the strength ofthese forces (called the coupling constants) or the mass of the particles wereoff by just a little, life would not be possible.</p><p>For example, if the strong nuclear force was changed by just .5%, orthe electromagnetic force was off by 4%, the fusion process needed forcarbon and oxygen (our body is 65% oxygen by weight and 18% carbon)would not occur in stars and life, as we know it would not exist. Or ifthe weak force (responsible for radioactive decay) were weaker, all thehydrogen in the early universe would have been converted to helium andas a result there would be no normal stars. If the weak force were stronger,supernovas would not produce the heavier elements we need for life. If themass of a proton were .2% heavier, they would decay into neutrons andthereby destabilize the atom. Also, the masses of quarks are optimized forthe creation of a large family of stable nuclei as seen on our periodic table.If the quark masses were off by just a little, there would be far fewer stableatoms and again no life (our bodies require a broad spectrum of some 40+elements on the periodic table). There are many more examples of this "finetuning" for initial conditions, but thhhhe bottom line is that our universe isoptimized and tuned for existence and life.</p><p>As a metaphor, consider someone blowing bubbles ... Many of thebubbles immediately pop, some last for a short period, but every now andthen you get one that expands and stays together and flies away as far asyou can see. Similarly most of the variations of possible universes are short-livedbubbles with only a few getting large enough to expand significantlyand even fewer with the ability to host life. We live in a bubble universewhere all the fundamental constants are harmoniously adjusted for thesymphony of life.</p><br><p><b>Planet Earth - The Goldilocks Planet</b></p><p>To arrive at life as we know it on earth, the amazing journey continues.Not only do we need a universe that has the fundamental constantsprecisely tuned, life needs a favorable solar system as well. The three maincomponents that make a solar system able to sustain life are:</p><p>• A <i>single</i> star (not a binary or multi-star system),</p><p>• A star that is "<i>second generation</i>",</p><p>• And a hospitable planet with a <i>nearly circular orbit at just theright distance</i> from its sun.</p><br><p>First, a single star is necessary for life. This may sound simple, buthalf of all the stars in the universe are binary stars, which means that twostars are orbiting each other. While there are stable orbits in such systems,all possibilities are not compatible for life to exist because the conditionswould either get too hot or too cold at certain points in the orbit. Multiplestar systems (3 or more stars clustered together) are even worse. Biologicallife needs a solar system with a single star.</p><p>Secondly, the star needs to be a second-generation star, which meansit formed from a supernova explosion of an earlier primordial star.This is critical because elements heavier than iron require a supernovaexplosion for their creation. Iron has the atomic number 26 and allfusion reactions up to iron are exothermic; that is, they release energy.Beyond iron, energy must be supplied to create the heavier elements,which could only come about by a supernova explosion. Our planet hasaround 65 naturally occurring elements heavier than iron. What thismeans is that our sun is a second-generation star and our solar systemwas formed from the remnants of a supernova explosion. Our bodiesrequire several elements heavier than iron such as zinc, copper, iodine,selenium, cobalt (vitamin B-12), plus more. As Carl Sagan put it "Weare made of star stuff"!</p><p>Finally the orbit of the planet around the singular sun needs to bealmost perfectly circular, and not too elliptical like mercury or Pluto. Ifthe orbit is too elliptical, conditions can get too hot or too cold. The planetalso needs to be just the right distance - called the "<i>Goldilocks Zone</i>" byphysicists - from the sun. Since the stars mass determines the amount ofenergy it gives off, this Goldilocks zone can be graphed as a plot of starmass versus distance (See Figure 2). It's a very narrow range. Why? Thinkof water, which we know we need for life. Water, on the cosmic scale existsin its liquid state only in the tiny range of 0-100 degrees Celsius (273-373Kelvin) or 32-212 Fahrenheit. If you consider our sun gets up to 5.4 billiondegrees Fahrenheit (3 billion Kelvin) at its core and many stars in theUniverse get even much hotter, this is a very small range of temperatureson the cosmic scale. As you may have guessed, the earth is in the perfectcenter of this Goldilocks zone. As a comparison, our closest planets Venusand Mars fall just outside of this zone.</p><br><p><b>The Elements of Life</b></p><p>In a classic paper presented by George Wald in 1964 to the US NationalAcademy of Sciences, it was established that life requires (at least) thefollowing elements:</p><p>• The presence of <i>liquid water</i></p><p>• The <i>elements</i> needed for metabolism and reproduction</p><p>• A <i>source of energy</i></p><p>• <i>Suitable environmental conditions (which includes the earth'smagnetic field)</i></p><br><p>Much of what was discussed on life needing an ideal solar systemwith one sun, and a planet that was the perfect distance away, in a nearlycircular orbit revolves around an environment that supports <i>liquid water</i>.Having a second-generation star and solar systems gives all the necessaryelements or building blocks of life, but life requires even a much moredelicate balance.</p><p>The earth itself is considered a living organism (see chapter 5 on theGaia Theory), because of its ability to maintain homeostasis amidst thechaotic activity of the sun and the complex cycles of life on earth. Theearth maintains certain conditions such as a stable global temperature,atmospheric content (high oxygen, low CO2), ocean salinity, the rightbalance of elements in its crust, and several other factors that are "justright" for life.</p><p>The human body is also a paragon of perfect balance and homeostasis,with an inner environment of 100 trillion cells kept in perfect balance togive us life and health. There are several parameters the human body needswithin very precise ranges. Below are 5 of the most important:</p><p>• <b>Glucose level</b>: between 80-110 mg/dl (< Hypoglycemia,>Diabetes)</p><p>• <b>Blood Pressure</b>: [120-140]/[80-90] (< Hypotension (dizziness),> Hypertension)</p><p>• <b>Temperature</b>: 98.6-100 (< Hypothyroidism, > Fever)</p><p>• <b>Oxygen level:</b> paO2 > 95% (< Hypoxia, > Doesn't occur)</p><p>• <b>pH</b>: 7.35-7.45 (< Chronic pain, > Throbbing pain (inflammationresponse))</p><br><p>If your body has an abundance of health and vitality, it will be ableto maintain these healthy ranges via several feedback mechanisms. Forexample, bicarbonate helps to buffer acidity in the body, while the acidin the stomach can neutralize an overly alkaline condition. The pancreas(and liver) keep a stable blood sugar level; the kidneys help stabilize bloodpressure; your body sweats to cool off; breathes fasters to absorb moreoxygen, etc. Sickness and disease results from low vitality and/or excessivestress from diet, dehydration, poor breathing, emotional/psychologicalstress (work, relationships, etc.) that knocks the body out of homeostasis,which usually means outside one or more of the above parameters.</p><p>These are a few examples of the razors edge life walks on to createthe balance of life. Fortunately, as we'll see in this book our bodies are anamazing field of matter, energy, information and consciousness. We have aperfect blueprint for health, providing we give it the right elements and donot over-stress ourselves. Also, in light of new advancements that can betterdetect and understand the human body's bio-energetic field (see chapter4), we'll see that modern science is more and more proving an amazingconnection between the energetic fields of the earth, and those of thehuman body and mind. We'll reveal new "Star Trek"-like devices that canrecharge and re-energize the human body, its organs, tissues and cells.</p><p>Life has been 13.77 billion years in the making. It's the ultimatebalancing act, a remarkable evolution at the cosmic, galactic, solar, andplanetary levels that has created life on earth. For our own life and health,that balance is created by giving the body the essential elements it needsfor health, and removing the stressors, toxicity and unhealthy elementsthat throw us out of balance, out of homeostasis and into disease. Nextwe'll look into the five essential elements needed for the human body tomaintain its balance, health, and vitality.</p><br><p><b>The 5 Elements of Health:Earth, Water, Fire, Air, & Aether</b></p><p><i>Health is not everything, but without health everything isnothing.</i></p><p>—German Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer</p><br><p>What is health anyway? Is it just an absence of disease, surviving tolive another day? Is there a limit to how much energy we can have and howlong we can live? Or are those limits self-imposed through our educationand upbringing?</p><p>We've seen the amazing journey life has taken. We've looked at theelements needed for the universe, our solar system, and our planet to behospitable for life. Let's now look closer at how we can preserve and extendthe precious life-force within us, and what elements our bodies need tothrive, not just survive. In this book, we are going to take a pro-healthapproach to longevity and wellness. This pro-health approach is simplyreconnecting to the earth and its elements and it is in alignment withnew breakthroughs in physics, biophysics and biology. This pro-healthapproach puts YOU in the drivers seat as pro-active and responsible foryour own health. This is opposed to the anti-sickness approach of modernmedicine that views health as simply an absence of disease, and makes youa helpless patient or victim needing to be fixed if something goes wrong.</p><p>It's important to understand that your body has an innate intelligenceknowing how to sustain, maintain, and create perfect health if the rightelements are introduced into your body while the "wrong" elements areeliminated and removed. We'll see the <i>five essential elements</i> the humanbody needs for optimal health. The first four essential elements may beobvious, but the 5th element of health might surprise you as being essential.It's that 5th element that this book is primarily dedicated to, but all of theseelements work together to enliven and innervate your amazing holographicand energetic human body.</p><br><p><b>The "Real" Science of the Four Elements</b></p><p>The philosophical system of the elements dates back to ancientcivilizations including the Babylonian, Greek, Hindu, Japanese andMedieval alchemy. All of these systems have closely related concepts ofthe four elements of nature: earth, water, fire and air, along with a fifthelement. We'll explore the four elements of nature in this section and thefifth element in the next, and then we'll connect these five elements to thefive elements of nature, life, and health of the human body.</p><p>We know today there are 92 naturally occurring elements on earth.We can better understand the philosophical idea of the 4 elements whenthinking of the states of matter: solid, liquid, gas and plasma. These are thefour primary phases that all elements can be categorized in so perhaps theancients did understand the elements. These phases correspond to earth(solid), water (liquid), air (gas) and fire (plasma).</p><p>These states of matter are obvious and easy to understand with perhapsthe exception of plasma. Plasma is an ionized gas, a gas into which sufficientenergy is provided to free electrons from atoms or molecules and to allowboth species, ions and electrons, to coexist. It is plasma from the sunthat generates the sun's energy, which is then emitted to the earth forwarmth, energy, and life. Plasma is the most common state of matter inthe universe.</p><p>It turns out we need these elements as they exist on our planet in theform of food (earth), water (liquid), air (oxygen) and fire (plasma on the sunthat creates the electromagnetic frequencies we need in the infrared, visibleand UV spectrum). Fire can also be thought of as temperature, namelythe right temperature for life to exist (and the other necessities related tokeeping a stable temperature are clothing, shelter, AC and heat).</p><p>Because we've evolved on this planet, our bodies are made of theelements of this earth; it follows logically that we require natural foods,water, air and sunlight (along with the right temperature) as close aspossible to what the earth provides to survive. I want to briefly go overthese four elements: EARTH/FOOD, WATER, FIRE/SUNLIGHT andAIR/OXYGEN plus a fifth we'll explore in the next section.</p><br><p><b>The 1st Element of Health - Earth/Food</b></p><p><i>Look deep into nature and understand everything elsebetter.</i></p><p>—Albert Einstein.</p><br><p>The element "earth" gives us the primary foundation and structurefor our human body. On planet earth, there are 92 naturally occurringelements, 40 of which are needed by our body. Along with these 40elements, which are mainly minerals, we also need vitamins, essentialamino acids, glucose, and essential fatty acids. And nutritional science isnow discovering we may also depend on countless more phytochemicals,antioxidants and other complex molecules found in fruits, vegetables,herbs, sprouts, nuts, seeds, beans, etc. Many of these essential elementscan be obtained by eating a well-balanced, whole food organic diet thatincludes a wide variety of foods (especially fruits and veggies).