The Ring of Fire

I call these energetic life circuits sacred because they are so remarkably influential in regulating this magnificent temple in which we live. The first, Ring of Fire, was the result of asking what I could do beyond natural progesterone cream to assist DHEA restoration. I sensed that electrical stimulation of specific acupuncture points could regulate the entire endocrine system and indeed it does. In hundreds of individuals, we have enhanced DHEA safely. At the same time, we have demonstrated that stimulation of the Ring of Fire is effective in:

1. Reducing by 75% the frequency and intensity of migraine.
2. Marked improvement in 70 percent of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
3. Reducing pain in 80% of patients with diabetic neuropathy.
4. Improving depression in 70% of patients.

I believe that every adult can benefit from stimulation of the Ring of Fire. My patent for the Ring of Fire is 5,609,617.

Note: For optimal stimulation of each of the Rings, the LissTENS should be used on GV20 and the lowest two body points.

For the Ring of Fire, that is GV20 and K3 bilaterally. The best results are obtained when the She-LiTENS is used on all other points.

The LissTENS is ideal for penetrating bone and has been used safely in our clinic in over 20,000 patients. It emits a maximum of 4 milliamps of current at frequencies of 15,000 times per second (Hz) modulated 15 to 500 times per second.

The She-LiTENS is a much broader band stimulator, which is more effective in activating acupuncture points. It has also been effectively and safely used in many thousands of patients.

The only contraindication to the use of either device is a cardiac pacemaker or other implanted electronic device.

The Ring of Air

Neurotensin is an endogenous tridecapeptide found in the central nervous system. It is a neurotransmitter found in the hypothalamus, amygdala, basal ganglia, and dorsal gray of the spinal cord and it is now known that it also is produced in the intestine itself. Neurotensin plays a role in pain perception but its analgesic effects are not blocked by opioid antagonists. It also affects pituitary hormone release and gastrointestinal activity. Two possible aspects of neurotensin action in the central nervous system are involvement in the etiology of schizophrenia and its analgesic properties. Neurotensin actually is antipsychotic so that theoretically, enhancing neurotensin would prevent or treat schizophrenia. Neurotensin affects pituitary hormone regulation and a remarkable variety of gastrointestinal function. Neurotensin is a neuroleptic, not in the pharmaceutical sense of the word, but in its ability to allow cognitive dissociation. That is, neurotensin essentially increases the ability of an individual to detach from physical sensations and yet be mentally quite alert.

There is considerable clinical evidence of antinociceptive or pain relieving benefits of neurotensin. In nature, however, it is relatively rapidly metabolized so that giving neurotensin externally is not therapeutically feasible. At low blood sugar levels, neurotensin stimulates release of insulin. Interestingly, release of glucagon and somatostatin, the normal neurochemicals that are stimulated by glucose or arginine, are inhibited by neurotensin. There is a close metabolic relationship between neurotensin and histamine with neurotensin effects being reversed by histamine receptive blocks.

In summary, neurotensin has anti-inflammatory properties and decreases the body?s response to all known causes of inflammation. Because of the short half-life of neurotensin, an internally activated production is the most effective way of enhancing neurotensin effect.

It has been our intuitive perception that stimulation of the Ring of Air increases emotional, mental detachment, and helps stimulate holographic thinking or intuition. This would be compatible with its effect as a neuroleptic agent.

Stimulation of the Ring of Air with visualization and massage to these specific 13 acupuncture points has been done in classroom settings with several hundred individuals, most of whom report subjective feelings of increased connectedness accomplished at the highest levels of meditative experience. There is no accurate way of measuring lucidity or meditative states of awareness and obviously much further clinical work needs to be done, both to determine the subjective effects of activation of the Ring of Air, as well as the implications from increased levels of neurotensin.

On the other hand, electrical stimulation of the Ring of Air with the She-LiTENS has increased neurotensin levels as much as 1150 percent with an average increase of 300 percent. Although optimization of neurotensin may not be essential for longevity, its regulation of fat metabolism is at least an attractive reason to consider it! My patent for the Ring of Air is 6,233,489.

The LissTENS should be used on GV20 and Sp1A and the She-LiTENS on all other points.

The Ring of Water

Aldosterone is the adrenal hormone that regulates water and mineral metabolism. Stimulation of the Ring of Water optimizes aldosterone levels. Low levels of aldosterone are more likely in the elderly who are prone to problems with water metabolism. Other benefits may be improved emotional balance and, when combined with stimulation of the Ring of Fire, weight loss.

The LissTENS should be used on GV20 and Sp4 and the She-LiTENS on all others.

The Ring of Earth

The Ring of Earth significantly increases calcitonin levels within one hour of initial stimulation. Calcitonin was discovered in 1961 and has been widely used clinically for the treatment of Paget?s disease, hypercalcimia, osteoporosis, and for relief of bone pain. Calcitonin is a hormone produced by the thyroid gland and is secreted in response to high levels of calcium in the blood. It lowers the level of calcium by inhibiting bone resorption or the dissolution of bony tissues. Calcitonin plays a role in pain relief and has been noted for its analgesic effects in bone metastases in a variety of cancers, as well as in phantom limb pain. It also enhances or produces recalciflcation of osteopenic bone and has been used for treatment of peptic ulcers.

Clinically, salmon calcitonin is the form widely used therapeutically but injected pharmaceutical grade calcitonin, from the salmon, has a small risk of anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal. However, even this salmon calcitonin is a powerful analgesic agent with a potency of 30 to 50 times that of morphine, milligram for milligram. Caleitonin clinically is widely used for the treatment of Paget?s disease, hypercalcemia, osteoporosis, and relief of bone pain and, indeed, in 1992 world sales of calcitonin exceeded $900 million, of which 85 percent was for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is thinning of the bone through reduction in bone mass due to depletion of calcium and bone protein. Osteoporosis predisposes individuals to fractures, which are often slow to heal and heal poorly. It is more common in older adults, particularly post-menopausal women, in patients taking steroids, and in those taking steroidal drugs. Unchecked, osteoporosis can lead to changes in posture, physical abnormality (particularly in the form of a hunchback, known colloquially as ?Dowager?s Hump?), and decreased mobility. The food and drug administration, or FDA, has approved a calcitonin salmon nasal spray, as well as the injectable form for treatment of osteoporosis. However, the nasal spray may cause ulceration, inflammation of the nose or rhinitis, nosebleeds, and even sinusitis.

The effect of space travel on calcitonin levels has been the subject of studies both in animals and in astronauts and it is quite well demonstrated that even short space flights disrupt calcium metabolism and lead to decreased blood calcitonin levels, as well as rapid onset of bone loss. Interestingly, salmon calcitonin has been more effective than indomethacin in preventing heterotopic ossification, that is, deposits of calcium leading to bone formation outside the skeleton itself. Calcitonin has also been seen to help osteopenia, as well as pain, in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Non-osteoporotic vertebral fractures have been quite successfully treated with calcitonin, with the pain being reduced very rapidly, and the pain relief allowing for earlier mobilization and gradually restoration of activity.

One of the most interesting effects of ealcitonin is in treating chronic phantom limb pain. That is the pain that sometimes is totally incapacitating after amputation of a limb. In a study of calcitonin vs. cimetidine in gastric ulcers, it was reported that the calcitonin group had some mild side effects of headache, nausea and vomiting but calcitonin was a superior anti-ulcer drug.

Considering the fact that electrical stimulation of thirteen acupuncture points with the Ring of Earth can raise calcitonin up to 80 percent, this appears to be a very natural and safe approach without the risk of pharmaceutically available salmon calcitonin. At least it is human calcitonin produced in that particular human?s body! Hip fracture is a leading cause of death in the elderly; thus stimulation of the Ring of Earth appears to have a major potential for maintaining long-term health and longevity, as well as pain relief. It should also be of use in astronauts. A patent has been applied for. For those over 60, the Ring of Earth may be even more crucial than any other in preventing osteoporosis.

The LissTENS should be used on GV20 and K1 and the She-LiTENS on all other points.

The Ring of Crystal

When I received the intuitive flash that led to the Ring of Crystal, I sensed that this is the crucial circuit for Regeneration of the nervous system and body as a whole. Cellular physiologists tell us that every cell in the body is regenerated within a maximum of seven years. Some, of course, are replaced within hours or days. Unfortunately, it is Free Radicals that ultimately adversely affect cell physiology and regeneration.

Free radicals are somewhat like the ozone layer, which is essential in destroying some cosmic radiation and provides a protective atmospheric shield. In our bodies, free radicals are ?wild? oxidized chemicals that are a contributor to virtually all illnesses, aging, and death.

Stimulation of the Ring of Crystal, which reduces free radicals, appears either to enhance natural antioxidant levels or allow the body to produce its own antioxidants.

Oxidative stress is thought to be involved in the aging process in aerobic organisms and to play a role in the pathogenesis of a variety of disease states, including Alzheimer?s disease, myocardial infarction, arteriosclerosis, Parkinson?s disease, autoimmune diseases, radiation injury, emphysema, sunburn, glomerular disorders, schizophrenia, sickle cell disease, leukemia, osteoporosis, infertility, cancer, retinopathy, and noise related hearing impairment. Oxidative stress is the result of free radicals, such as the hydroxyl radical, reacting with biological macromolecules, such as lipids, proteins, nucleic acid and carbohydrates. The initial reaction generates a second radical, which in turn can react with a second macromolecule to continue the chain reaction. In the process of reacting, a free radical can modify protein or DNA structures, disrupt individual nucleotide bases, and thereby cause effects such as single-strand breaks and cross-linking in nucleic acids - or DNA! Free radical induced oxidative stress has been associated in a number of studies with major risk for cardiovascular disease.

Free radical-induced oxidative stress is a major factor in the long-term tissue degradation associated with aging. Aging appears to be the cumulative result of oxidative damage to the cells and tissues of the body that arises primarily as the result of aerobic metabolism or burning oxygen. Several lines of evidence have been used to support this hypothesis including the claims that:

Variation in the lifespan of different species is correlated with metabolic rate and protective antioxidant activity. Enhanced expression of antioxidant enzymes in experimental animals can produce a significant increase in longevity.

Cellular levels of free radical damage increase with age. Reduced caloric intake leads to a decline in the production of free radicals and an increase in life span.

The free radical theory may also be used to explain many of the structural features that develop with aging, including the lipid peroxidation of membranes, the formation of age pigments, cross-linkage of proteins, DNA damage, and decline of mitochondrial function.

Free radicals occur in trace quantities in biological tissues and are extremely reactive. Because of the difficulty of directly measuring free radicals in living individuals, measurements can be made using biomarkers, for example, an assay of antioxidant vitamins and free radical scavengers. Therefore, oxidative stress has been mainly observed through such indirect biomarkers in aerobic organisms, as oxidative damage to tissues and organs. This is prevented by a network of defenses, which include antioxidant and repairing enzymes, as well as small molecules with scavenging ability, such as antioxidant vitamins. For these reasons, the assay of antioxidant vitamins and of small molecular free radical scavengers in biological milieus may be used, if appropriately performed, to quantify the defense status against oxidative damage and to provide an indirect estimate of free radical production in aging individuals.

Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in both blood and urine have been one of the most widely used free radicals markers. Measurement of MDA excretion in the urine became available in 1964. MDA is the end product of lipid peroxidation and this urinary colorimetric assay represents by far the simplest approach to measurement of free radical activity. Furthermore, this colorimetnc assay has been highly significantly correlated with the fluorometric or more sophisticated laboratory approach.

Mammalian cells normally possess elaborate defense mechanisms to detoxify radicals. Radical-scavenging antioxidants such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E and beta-carotene interrupt the chain by capturing the radical. Excessive amounts of cellular oxidants, which animal cells constantly produce, can induce oxidative damage. Cellular antioxidants provide a defense against the damaging effects of the cellular oxidants. However, in moderate concentrations, cellular oxidants are necessary for a number of protective reactions, which eliminate cancerous and other life threatening cells, such as antimicrobial phagocytosis and apoptosis. Abundant antioxidants could suppress normal protective functions, especially in people with low baseline levels of cellular oxidants. Conventional antioxidant supplements can be harmful in high doses and safe antioxidant supplementation requires an accurate dosage level according to each individual?s needs.

A delicate balance exists between the production of free radicals and the production of antioxidants. Free radicals are produced in the body as by-products of normal metabolism as well as being a result of exposure to radiation and some environmental pollutants. They are normally neutralized by the body?s production of antioxidant enzymes (super oxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase) and the nutrient-derived antioxidant small molecules such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, carotene, flavonoids, glutathione, uric acid, and taurine. The natural balance can be upset by pathological conditions in which there is increased oxidative stress, such as diabetes. Oxidative stress can cause a reduction in the body?s normal production of antioxidant enzymes.

Despite extensive research on the use of antioxidant supplements, however, there is no clear-cut consensus that these antioxidants are totally successful in reducing or eliminating free radicals. There is, however, considerable evidence that the antioxidants found in natural sources, such as vegetables and fruits, do have a beneficial effect. It is of considerable interest that antioxidants themselves do not ordinarily cross the blood brain barrier, a significant problem in reducing the known negative effects of free radicals in many degenerative central nervous system diseases, such as Alzheimer?s.

Interestingly, there is only one known non-antioxidant technique for reducing free radicals. That is, 6 degrees head down bed rest; however, that can require as much as 17 days of simulated weightlessness. Furthermore, bed rest and the corresponding inactivity have also been linked to increased free radical levels.

The discovery that the Ring of Crystal markedly reduces free radicals is the first major new breakthrough in our search for health and longevity. Every human should take advantage of this remarkable innovation.

In 80 percent of individuals, free radicals are reduced an average of 80 percent after just two to three days of stimulation of the Ring of Crystal. Indeed, in at least 50 percent of individuals, free radicals are eliminated.

Considering all of the aspects of managing free radicals and the pathology associated with them, our discovery of a significant decrease in free radicals after electrical stimulation of the Ring of Crystal is of great interest. Patent applied for.

The LissTENS should be used on GV20 and SP4 and the She-LiTENS on all other points.

Use Of the LissTENS For Overcoming Depression

The LissTENS is excellent as a major therapeutic device for recovery from depression. Used transcranially for 40 to 60 minutes each morning before noon, it will be all that is needed to treat about 50% of depressed patients. The wet electrodes are placed on either temple and held in place with either the Velcro straps or a baseball cap. Alternate days, the electrodes are placed on center of forehead and just beneath hairline on upper neck. Patients do not need to be restricted while using this for depression. That is they can go about their morning activities, while the Liss activates and optimizes beta endorphin and serotonin.

For those who need more than the Liss, three other activities are great adjuncts. Photostimulation at the lowest possible frequency can be done well with a strobe light from Radio Shack. I prefer the one with 3 removable plastic color disks. Green is best or a combination of blue and red, to give violet. Patients should look directly at the light for one hour. This approach alone is excellent for many depressed patients. Secondly, it is best if the patient listens to great classical music while watching the photo-stimulator. Third, patients should read and DO the 90 DAYS TO STRESS-FREE LIVING program in my book by this title. With the Liss, photostimulation, music, and the self-directed program of the book, we can treat at least 85% of depressed patients adequately without drugs. Other useful adjuncts are:

• Tryptophan up to 10 grams daily
• Lithium Orotate 45 mg. daily
• Taurine 3 grams daily

Rejuvenation

Individuals who wish optimal youth and health, should use the LissTENS and She-LiTENS daily on one of the Sacred Rings, with the following sequence:

Fire, Crystal, Earth, Crystal, Fire, Crystal, ?Water, Crystal, Earth, Crystal, Fire, Crystal, Earth, Crystal, Water, Crystal.

This 16 day basic rhythm is the recommended one. Then restart.

The stimulation can be done with one lead always on GV 20 and then a pair of leads used on each pair of points, starting at the lowest acupuncture points and working up, applying one or two milliamps of current (one or two yellow lights flashing), each pair of points being stimulated for 5 minutes. Of course one can stimulate at one time up to 4 points below the GV 20 point, using a total of 5 leads; but this is a bit cumbersome! Individuals should be at perfect rest during stimulation of the Rings. No television, etc!!!

Of course, healthy individuals should also exercise adequately, eat well and take appropriate supplements, as outlined in my Recommendations for Everyone.

Potential Regeneration of the Body/Nervous System

(Liss and She-LiTENS)

Individuals wanting to use electrotherapy for regeneration should do two Rings each day, using the following 7-day pattern:

• Fire, Crystal
• Earth, Crystal
• Fire, Crystal
• Earth, Crystal
• Fire, Crystal
• Earth, Crystal
• Water, Crystal

It is particularly important for individuals to visualize their intent during the stimulation. I recommend at least listening to the appropriate audio tape for guided imagery of each Ring.

Neurochemical Purpose Of Each Ring:

Fire - restore DHEA
Earth - optimize Calcitonin
Water - balance Aldosterone
Crystal - reduce Free Radicals

For Weight Loss

Optimally, one should do both Ring of Fire and Ring of Water, daily.