7. Traditional Knowledge and science

An important event in India set me on a new path. I was trying to find a way to link science with spirituality, which was very unusual at the time. One day, a boy knocked on my door and insisted I employ his mother as a cook. Despite my initial reluctance, I agreed, the boy explained I am part of the local community, and his mother was in need of a job, I could not say no. This woman, though uneducated, cooked meals tailored to the health needs of her family and me, using her intuitive knowledge of body types, seasons, and fresh ingredients.
This experience made me realize the vast, lost knowledge in traditional practices. I decided to use my scientific background to restore this knowledge, focusing on alternative medicine. This decision led to a career spanning over 40 years, during which I wrote 14 books and about 40-50 scientific papers.
I started two major organizations in London: The Research Council for Complementary Medicine and the Institute for Complementary Medicine, supporting alternative medicine in the 1980s. My work bridged conventional and unconventional approaches, and I met many like-minded professionals, including Arab scientists in the Galilee inspired by traditional Arabic medicine.
This journey was greatly influenced by the cook, Lakshman Kamai, who brought with her a rich cultural knowledge of well-being. Her traditional skills and simplicity were extraordinary, and she even made complex dishes using a simple tin bucket with coal. Her influence, along with the support of friends and her son who translated her explanations and the engagement of my wife Rachel, who joined me in India and fostered with me the friendship with Lakshman, shaped my career and life.
Rachel has a real gift for seeing beyond social hierarchies. Even today, she is deeply engaged with the Bedouin community, preferring to work with them because she appreciates their straightforward, uncomplicated nature compared to the average Israeli. She really enjoyed India for similar reasons, valuing the down-to-earth, direct, and heartfelt interactions with people.
Rachel came to India before we were married, she would receive daily foot massages from Lakshman Kamai. When Lakshman's son was around, he would translate Rachel's questions about cooking. Through these interactions, we learned about the deep cultural knowledge embedded in the way Lakshman cooked, understanding how food affects the soul, mind, body, and overall health.
I also became a vegetarian during this time Lakshman started cooking for me, influenced by the Indian concept of Sattva, one of the three qualities (Triguna) that make up the universe. Sattva represents balance and harmony, promoting nonviolence. I realized that a vegetarian diet fosters a peaceful mind and behavior, contrasting with the more aggressive and agitating effects of a meat-based diet (Rajash food).
This understanding of how food influences personality and behavior was a radical shift for me. It highlighted the importance of lost knowledge and the relationship between a person and the world. Since then, I have remained a vegetarian, not for moral reasons, but for the subtle understanding of its impact on harmony and nonviolence.