©1994 Institute for Psychoactive Research, 3418 Heatherwood Ln., Durham, NC 27713
The only component of the Air Diet is air. Air has been the basis of diets before, especially in the extreme case of Wiley Brooks, the self-styled "breatherian" who subsisted entirely upon air, not withstanding several instances of "being seen" eating cheeseburgers while being interviewed on radio stations. The Air Diet of the Institute for Psychoactive Research doesn't require you to avoid any other food, though. It might itself be likened to the rock soup of the old fables, but it is more than just a starting point for something richer. It is a technique that works, and its results are surprising and in some cases startling.
The technique is simple. Every day, set aside a period for concentrated, rhythmical deep breathing. The goal is to breathe more air. Concentrate on expanding the lungs, the rib cage and the diaphragm. Any approach is OK. Do it while exercising (actually, it is hard not to), while still lying in bed, while driving in the car. Do not breathe so rapidly or forced that you hyperventilate, of course, but concentrate, really work at it. Eventually, the effect will spread over the rest of the day, even when the technique is not being consciously performed, and you will be able to breathe deeper. Without any change in the rest of your diet or exercise regimen, you will slowly start to lose weight.
Why? No one knows for sure, but there is a plausible explanation. Exercise does increase breathing rate and lung capacity, because more oxygen is needed to burn the fuel that muscles demand. The human body is a heat machine, demanding a constant source of fuel, in the form of carbohydrates and fat. Oxygen is necessary to burn that fuel. The more oxygen that is supplied, the faster the fuel will burn.
But can you burn more than you need, past satisfying the demands of the work done by your muscles? Possibly so. Blowing on a fire will cause it to flare, and that seems to be analogous to what happens with the Air Diet. The extra oxygen will burn extra calories. Will your body take in more oxygen than it needs? Undoubtedly so, as that is exactly what happens when you hyperventilate.
Under the Air Diet, you may feel a little light-headed (be careful not to hyperventilate) but the effect is not even as noticeable as when someone from the coast goes up to breathe the rarefied air of mile-high Denver. Some people don't even notice. There is no other need to worry about unknown side-effects--the only component of the Air Diet is air. The FDA doesn't have to worry about this diet! No need to change any other aspect of your life.
Does it work for everybody? Of course not, but then there are a million possible factors that could be influencing the outcome. Try the Air Diet for one, two months, or longer, and send us a note as to how it turned out. We're particularly interested in people who think that they've been failed by the Air Diet, but of course we'd like hear from people who succeed. Tell us the details of your attempt. Please write to the Institute for Psychoactive Research at the address at the top of this article.
Do not substitute the Air Diet for any diet that has been prescribed for you by a medical doctor. This is not a miracle diet, it is a slow (but steady) process and it may take a lot of time and hard work.
The Institute for Psychoactive Research has developed other programs. If you'd like to hear more about them, send $10 to the Institute for Psychoactive Research, 3418 Heatherwood Ln., Durham, NC 27713, and ask for the Fire, Earth and Water newsletters.
