New Harbinger Publications: In TriEnergetics you talk about creating a new health paradigm. What do you mean by this?

Sanford L. Severin: The new health paradigm is to respect the wholeness of your being. To do this you must work with all three of your essential energies simultaneously and bring your body back into balance. America spends more on health than any of the other industrialized countries, yet ranks second to last in life expectancy. Obesity and inactivity result in health care cost of over $90 billion and more than 300,000 deaths every year, second only to smoking in mortality. It’s time for a change.

NHP: What are the “three key energies” that your program is based on?

SLS: The three key energies of life are body energy, mind energy, and nourishment energy. The three must be balanced for good health. Think of it as though you were building a magnificent structure. The foundation is your nourishment energy. The walls are your body energy and the roof is your mind energy. If any one of these is missing the structure will fail.

NHP: Chapter 4 of TriEnergetics is called “Diets Don’t Work.” Why do you say this, and what are a few myths about diets?

SLS: It has been proven over and over again that if you diet you will lose weight temporarily but will gain it back unless you make a lifestyle change. Most diets are not healthy. Many are downright dangerous. Some create conditions of acidosis, ketosis or nitrogen imbalance. Those that advocate a high fat intake can contribute to the development of heart disease and cancer. An example of one diet myth is that it is harder to lose weight when you are older because your metabolism slows down. Yes, there is a gradual decrease in metabolism in some older people, but is has nothing to do with their age. Rather, it is because they have become sedentary and have substituted metabolically inactive fat for metabolically active muscle.

NHP: If you had to rate some of the popular diets in recent years, say Atkins or South Beach, what would you say about them and why?

SLS: Each of the popular diets is doomed to fail for reasons that I have mentioned. The Atkins diet works because in avoiding carbohydrates you do away with 90 percent of the junk foods that are responsible for many people’s obesity. The downside is the increased risk of ketosis, heart disease, and cancer.

The South Beach diet restricts the eating of many fruits and vegetables because they rate high on the glycemic index. This is in spite of the proven fact that fruits and vegetables are essential because they supply needed vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.

NHP: What is dynamic energy?

SLS: Dynamic energy is our concept of what develops in a person who has balanced and integrated the three essential energies if life. Dynamic energy is characterized by enthusiasm, vigor, and boundless energy.

NHP: Chapter 7 of TriEnergetics is entitled “The Dragon Within: The Deadly Physiology of Stress.” Is stress really deadly? Other than just making us feel bad, what are its effects?

SLS: Stress is deadly. Prolonged stress causes a hormonal cascade that compromises the immune system, elevates blood sugar, and contributes to the development of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

NHP: You and your coauthor—who also happens to be your son—are MDs, yet in the book you draw heavily on Taoism and other eastern philosophies. How did a pair of Western medical doctors become so interested in these Eastern ideas?

SLS: Conventionally trained doctors are educated in medical schools that do not teach the virtues of a holistic approach, which encourages health rather than treats disease. The majority of medical education is delegated to diagnosing and treating illnesses. Hopefully this is gradually changing. Both [my coauthor] Todd and I believe very strongly in the health-building principles found in Eastern holistic medical traditions.

NHP: One of the three key elements of the TriEnergetics program is mindfulness. What is mindfulness, why do you consider it a key element in overall fitness, and what are some of the challenges you face in getting people to practice mindfulness exercises?

SLS: To be mindful is to be aware. Mindfulness and awareness are cultivated with meditation. Meditation has been scientifically proven to invoke the relaxation response resulting is more serenity, a reduced heart rate, lowered blood pressure, and enhanced immune response. In other words mindfulness and meditation combat stress. We have never had a problem in our seminars getting people to meditate. In fact the need for internal peace is so great that many participants meditate more frequently than our minimal requirement.

NHP: Obesity, particularly in children, is skyrocketing in the US today, and the lifestyles of children are more sedentary than ever. For today’s kids, recreation is more likely to involve playing video games or surfing the Internet rather than playing sports or doing a physical activity. What would you say to a parent who’s worried about his or her child’s weight but knows that getting the child away from the computer and into something physical is going to be a struggle?

SLS: I recently gave a major lecture on childhood obesity. Most obese children have obese parents who set a poor lifestyle example. When parents eat healthy foods and are active physically children will follow. Parents cannot sit on the couch eating potato chips and expect their children to live differently.