Mahatma Koat was reading a music book one day and he pondered one question:

Why does music appeal so much to humanity?

"The whole world of manifestation has it’s origin in vibration, in sound. This sound which is called nada in the Vedanta, was the first manifestation of the Universe. Consequently the human body was made of tone and rhythm. The most important thing in the physical body is breath, and the breath is audible; it is most audible in the form of voice. This shows that the principal signs of life in the physical body are tone and rhythm, which together make music. Rhythm appeals to a man because there is a rhythm going on in his body. The beating of the pulse and movement of the heart both indicate this rhythm. The rhythm of the mind has an effect upon this rhythm that is continually in the body, and in accordance with its influence it affects the physical body. The notes appeal to a person because of the breath. Breath is sound and its vibrations reach every part of the body, keeping it alive. Therefore, in having an effect on the vibrations and on the atoms of the body, sound gives us sensation."

Mahatma Koat is a manifestation of Dinky and has been aiding him since birth - helping him get through the down times and illnesses throughout his life. This Balance section is to enlighten the musician, or anyone else for that matter, on the benefits of both Western and Eastern Medicine, giving Western and Eastern medicine their rightful place in the world. Mahatma Koat has steered Dinky to use both Western and Eastern medicine to help him get well from a serious illness; Leucoencephalopathy (white matter on the brain).

This condition started slowly developing while Dinky was on a short tour, working sound and tour managing for Chris Whitley. Chris was opening the show for another old friend, Warren Zevon. At the beginning of the tour, Dinky felt strangely tired, and a trifle numb on the left hand side of his body. By the time Dinky and Chris had arrived in San Francisco with Chris, his daughter Amanda called her Mom to say Dad was slurring his speech and didn’t look to well. Dinky continued touring, driving to Seattle, Portland, Aspen, Denver and Minneapolis, where he went to the emergency room at the local hospital. The initial diagnosis was a small stroke, but after an examination of one of the X-rays, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

After speaking with Bruce Patron, Chris’s manager, Dinky’s wife Nancy recommended that he call an old doctor friend, Dr. Howard Jonas who had semi-retired moving his practice in the North End of Boston to Vermont. Dinky had been a patient and friend of Dr. Jonas for over 25 years. After calling Dr. Jonas from Minneapolis, Dinky got on an airplane and came to Boston to see the chief neurosurgeon at Brigham and Woman’s hospital, Dr. Peter Black.

MRI’s were taken and a biopsy was conducted. At 10:00 p.m. Dr. Black came into the hospital room to see Dinky to discuss what he had found and what could be done. Nancy was amazed at Dr. Black; he had started at 7 am, and was still at it at 10:00 p.m. His personal interaction with his patients is incredible. Dr. Black said that the good news is that it is not a tumor; the bad news is that this condition is rare and Western Medicine has no particular way to treat this. The only thing Western medicine suggested was Chemotherapy or steroid treatment. Both treatments come with their own complications. Dr. Black felt that the body is a wonderful instrument and he had seen cases in which the body healed itself over time. He suggested a wait and see treatment.

With the illness literally in mind, what did Dinky do about this problem?

The first thing he did was start taking vitamins and supplements after researching what was needed to enhance the immune system.

Second, he used a visual technique, suggested by Dr. Jonas, who recommended reading a Norman Cousins book "Anatomy of an Illness". That book talked a lot about using visual therapy and humor to heal the body.

Then he started walking - at first just 10 minuets a day, gradually increasing it to one hour each day.

The fourth remedy was to start a diet of grapefruit in the morning and eat more fresh fruit during the day. We didn’t modify his diet right away. Even though Dr. Andrew Weil is the new guru of alternative medicine in the U.S.A. Dinky likes Mahatma Koat’s Indian pappadums too much.