Henry Lindlahr-Nature Cure
Henry Lindlahr-Nature Cure
Henry Lindlahr-Nature Cure
HENRY LINDLAHR
Ho, ye who suffer! Know ye suffer from vowselves. None else
compelsno other holds ye that ye live or die. Siddartha
TO THE PROGRESSIVE PHYSICIANS OF THE AGE
There are two principal methods of treating disease. One is the
combative, the other the preventive. The trend of modern medical
research and practice in our great colleges and endowed research
institutes is almost entirely along combative lines, while the
individual, progressive physician learns to work more and more along
preventive lines. The slogan of modern medical science is, Kill the
germ and cure the disease. The usual procedure is to wait until
acute or chronic diseases have fully developed, and then, if
possible, to subdue them by means of drugs, surgical operations, and
by means of the morbid products of disease, in the form of serums,
antitoxins, vaccines, etc. The combative method fights disease with
disease, poison with poison, and germs with germs and germ products.
In the language of the Good Book, it is Beelzebub against the
Devil.
The preventive method does not wait until diseases have fully
developed and gained the ascendancy in the body, but concentrates
its best endeavors on preventing, by hygienic living and by natural
methods of treatment, the development of diseases. By these it
endeavors to put the human body in such a normal, healthy condition
that it is practically proof against infection or contagion by
disease taints and miasms, and against the inroads of germs,
bacteria and parasites.
The question is, which method is the most practical, the most
successful and most popular? Which will stand the test of the
survival of the fittest in the great struggle for existence?
The medical profession has good reason to be alarmed by the inroads
made in its work by irregular, unorthodox systems, schools and cults
of treating human ailments; but instead of raging at the audacious
presumption of these interlopers, would it not be better to inquire
if there is not some reason for the astonishing spread and
popularity of these therapeutic innovations?
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the human body. Since the failure of the X-Rays and the discovery of
Radio-activity, the rays and emanations of radium and other
radio-active substances are widely advertised and exploited as
therapeutic agents, but these rays also are far beyond the vibratory
ranges of the physical body in velocity and power. Therefore, it
remains to be seen whether their injurious by and after-effects do
not out-weigh in the long run their beneficial effects.
The destructive action of these high power rays, as well as of
inorganic minerals, is very slow and insidious, manifesting only in
the course of many years. This new field of therapeutics, therefore,
has not yet passed the stage of dangerous experimentation.
Inorganic minerals prove injurious and destructive to the tissues of
the human body because they are too slow in vibratory velocity, and
too coarse in molecular structure.
It is the intent and purpose of this volume to warn against the
exploitation of destructive combative methods to the neglect of
preventive constructive and conservative methods. If these teachings
contribute something toward this end they will fulfil their mission.
The Author
Chicago, Nov., 1913.
INTRODUCTION
It was the following letter from Mr. William Louden to the editor of
Health Culture which prompted the author to issue the Nature
Cure Magazine (published from November, 1907, to October, 1909).
In the series of books of which this is the first volume, he will
endeavor to collect and systematize all his former writings in the
Nature Cure Magazine, Health Culture, Life and Action, the
Naturopath, the Volksrath, and other publications, and to
amplify these by new material obtained through further research and
wider experience.
Mr. Albert Turner,
Editor of Health Culture.
DEAR SIRI write to ask what you consider the best book or pamphlet
to put into the hands of people generally, in regard to the
preservation of health. I know ther e are a number of very excellent
publications, but as a rule they deal with certain details or phases
What Is Truth?
The exact information and rational method of teaching which Mr.
Louden is seeking, has heretofore been wanting in health-culture
literature.
Many, indeed, stand ready and willing to show the way to physical,
mental and moral perfection. Hundreds, yes, thousands, of different
cults, isms, teachers, books and periodicals treat of these
subjects, but their teachings are so manifold, so contradictory and
confusing, that one becomes bewildered amid the ever increasing
testimony. As is often the case in the study of complicated
subjects, the more one reads and the more one hears, the less one
knows. I believe that no one has described more strikingly this
state of general perplexity than Mr. Louden in his excellent letter.
Nevertheless, these simple fundamental laws and principles really
exist. They must exist, because everything in Nature, including the
processes of health, of disease and cure, of birth, of life and
death, are subject to law and order.
Allopathy, or Old School Medical Science, admits that it does not
know these fundamental principles; that it reasons, not from
underlying causes, but from external symptoms and personal
experiences. It is, therefore, self-confessedly full of doubts,
errors and confusion; in short, empiricaland necessarily, a
failure.
Many teachers of Nature Cure, Hygiene and Health cults have stumbled
accidentally upon some of the natural laws and true methods of
healing, but have failed to grasp and to formulate the broad
underlying principles. For this reason they are often partly right
and partly wrong and very apt to overdo certain methods to the
neglect of others just as effective and essential, or even more so.
I shall endeavor in these volumes to formulate and elucidate some of
the fundamental laws and principles underlying the phenomena of life
and death, health, disease and cure, and shall try to ascertain in
the light of these laws how much of truth and how much of error, how
much of usefulness and how much of harmfulness there may be
contained in the various theories and systems of living and of
healing.
Nature Owe an Exact Science
One of the reasons why Nature Cure is not more popular with the
medical profession and the public is that it is too simple. The
average mind is more impressed by the involved and mysterious than
by the simple and common-sense.
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Chapter I
What Is Nature Cure?
It is vastly more than a system of curing aches and pains; it is a
complete revolution in the art and science of living. It is the
practical realization and application of all that is good in natural
science, philosophy and religion. Like many another world-wide
Chapter II
Catechism of Nature Cure
The philosophy of Nature Cure is based on sciences dealing with
newly discovered or rediscovered natural laws and principles, and
with their application to the phenomena of life and death, health,
disease and cure.
Every new science embodying new modes of thought requires exact
modes of expression and new definitions of already well-known words
and phrases.
Therefore, we have endeavored to define, as precisely as possible,
certain words and phrases which convey meanings and ideas peculiar
to the teachings of Nature Cure.
The student of Nature Cure and kindred subjects will do well to
study these definitions and formulated principles closely, as they
contain the pith and marrow of our philosophy and greatly facilitate
its understanding.
(1) What Is Nature Cure?
Nature Cure is a system of building the entire being in harmony with
the constructive principle in Nature on the physical, mental, moral
and spiritual planes of being.
(2) What Is the Constructive Principle in Nature?
The constructive principle in Nature is that principle which builds
up, improves and repairs, which always makes for the perfect type,
whose activity in Nature is designated as evolutionary and
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Chapter III
What Is Life?
In our study of the cause and character of disease we must endeavor
to begin at the beginning, and that is with LIFE itself, for the
processes of health, disease and cure are manifestations of that
which we call life, vitality, life elements, etc.
While endeavoring to fathom the mystery of life we soon realize,
however, that we are dealing with an ultimate which no human mind is
capable of solving or explaining. We can study and understand life
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Chapter IV
The Unity of Disease and Treatment
There exists a close resemblance between the mechanism and the
functions of a watch and of the human body. Their well-being is
subject to similar underlying laws and principles. Both a watch and
a human body may function abnormally as a result of accidental
injury or unfavorable external conditions, such as extreme heat or
cold, etc. However, in our present study of the causes of disease we
shall not consider accidental injury and hostile environment, but
confine ourselves to causes arising within the organism itself.
The watch may cease to vibrate in accord with the harmonics of our
planetary universe for several reasons. It may lose time or stand
still because (1) the wound spring has spent its force, or (2) its
parts are not made up of the right constituents, or (3) foreign
matter clogs or corrodes its mechanism.
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world.
When people in general grow better acquainted with the laws
underlying prenatal and postnatal child culture, natural living and
the natural treatment of diseases, human beings will approach much
more closely the normal in health, strength, beauty and longevity.
Then will arise a true aristocracy, not of morbid, venous blue
blood, but pulsating with the rich red blood of health.
However, to reach this ideal of perfect physical, mental and moral
health, succeeding generations will have to adhere to the natural
ways of living and of treating their ailments. It cannot be attained
by the present generation. The enthusiasts who claim that they can,
by their particular methods, achieve perfect health and live the
full term of human life, are destined to disappointment. We are so
handicapped by the mistakes of the past that the best which most of
us adults can do is to patch up, to attain a reasonable measure of
health and to approach somewhat nearer Natures full allotment of
life.
Wild animals living in freedom retain their full vigor unimpaired
almost to the end of life. Hunters report that among the great herds
of buffalo, elk and deer, the oldest bucks are the rulers and
maintain their sovereignty over the younger males of the herd solely
by reason of their superior strength and prowess. Premature old age,
among human beings, as indicated by the early decay of physical and
mental powers, is brought on solely by their violation of Natures
Laws in almost all the ordinary habits of life.
Health PositiveDisease Negative
The freer the inflow of life force into the organism, the greater
the vitality, the more there is of strength, of positive resisting
and recuperating power.
In the book Harmonics of Evolution we are told that at the very
foundation of the manifestation of life lies the principle of
polarity, which expresses itself in the duality and unity of
positive and negative affinity. The swaying to and fro of the
positive and the negative, the desire to balance incomplete
polarity, constitutes the very ebb and flow of life.
Disease is disturbed polarity. Exaggerated positive or negative
conditions, whether physical, mental, moral or spiritual, tend to
disease on the respective planes of being. Foods, medicines,
suggestion and all the other different methods of therapeutic
treatment exert on the individual subjected to them either a
positive or a negative influence. It is, therefore, of the greatest
importance that the physician and every one who wishes to live and
work in harmony with Natures Laws should understand this
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being and the operation of the life elements within it, the superman
retains perfect poise and confidence under the most trying
circumstances. Animated by an abounding faith in the supremacy of
the healing forces within him and sustained by the power of his
sovereign will, he governs his body as perfectly as the artist
controls his violin and attunes its vibrations to Natures harmonies
of health and happiness.
Chapter V
The Unity of Acute Diseases
In the last chapter I endeavored to explain the three primary causes
of disease, namely: (1) Lowered Vitality, (2) Abnormal Composition
of Blood and Lymph, (3) Accumulation of Waste, Morbid Matter, and
Poisons in the System.
We shall now consider some of the secondary manifestations resulting
from these primary causes. Consulting the table on page 18 (Chapter
2, internet version), we find mentioned as the first one of the
secondary causes or manifestations of disease, Hereditary and
Constitutional Taints.
On first impression, it might be thought that heredity is a primary
cause of disease; but on further consideration it becomes apparent
that it is an effect and not a primary cause. If the parents possess
good vitality and pure, normal blood and tissues, and if they apply
in the prenatal and postnatal treatment of the child the necessary
insight and foresight, there cannot be disease heredity. In order to
create abnormal hereditary tendencies, the parents, or earlier
ancestors, must have ignorantly or wantonly violated Natures Laws,
such violation resulting in lowered vitality and in deterioration of
blood and tissues.
The female and male germinal cells unite and form the primitive
reproductive cellthe prototype of marriage. The human body with
its millions of cells and cell colonies is developed by the
multiplication, with gradual differentiation, of the reproductive
cell. Its abnormalities of structure, of cell materials and of
functional tendencies are reproduced just as surely as its normal
constituents. Herein lies the simple explanation of heredity which
is proved to be an actual fact, not only by common experience and
scientific observation but also in a more definite way by Natures
records in the iris of the eye.
The iris of the newborn child reveals in its diagnostic details not
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whiskey that are poured into them under the mistaken idea that the
whiskey is an efficient antidote to the snake poison.
People do not know that the death rate from snakebite is so very
low, and therefore they attribute the recoveries to the whiskey,
just as recoveries from other diseases under medical or metaphysical
treatment are attributed to the virtues of the particular medicine
or method of treatment instead of to the real healer, the vis
medicatrix nature, the healing power of Nature, which in
ninety-three cases in a hundred eliminates the rattlesnake venom
without injury to the organism.
To recapitulate: Just as yeast cells are not only the cause but also
the product of sugar fermentation, so disease germs are not only a
cause (secondary) but also a product of morbid fermentation in the
system. Furthermore, just as yeast germs live on and decompose
sugar, so disease germs live on and decompose morbid matter and
systemic poisons.
In a way, therefore, microorganisms are just as much the product as
the cause of disease and act as scavengers or eliminators of morbid
matter. In order to hold in check the destructive activity of
bacteria and to prevent their multiplication beyond the danger
point, Nature resorts to inflammation and manufactures her own
antitoxins.
On the other hand, whatever tends to build up the blood on a natural
basis, to promote elimination of morbid matter and thereby to limit
the activity of destructive microorganisms without injuring the body
or depressing its vital functions, is good Nature Cure practice. The
first consideration, therefore, in the treatment of inflammation
must be to not interfere with its natural course.
By the various statements and claims made in this chapter, I do not
wish to convey the idea that I am opposed to scrupulous cleanliness
or surgical asepsis. Far from it! These are dictates of common
sense. But I do affirm that the danger from germ and other
infectious diseases lies just as much or more so in internal filth
as in external uncleanliness. Cleanliness and asepsis must go hand
in hand with the purification of the inner man in order to insure
natural immunity.
Chapter VI
The Laws of Cure
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he said:
Give, and it shall be given unto you. . . . For with the same
measure that ye mete it shall be measured to you again.Luke 6:38.
In the realms of physical nature, giving and receiving, action and
reaction balance each other mechanically and automatically. What we
gain in power we lose in speed or volume, and vice versa. This makes
it possible for the mechanic, the scientist and the astronomer to
predict with mathematical precision for ages in advance the results
of certain activities in Nature.
The great Law of Dual Effect forms the foundation of the healing
sciences. It is related to and governs every phenomenon of health,
disease and cure. When I formulated the fundamental Law of Cure in
the words, Every acute disease is the result of a healing effort of
Nature, this was but another expression of the great Law of Action
and Reaction. What we commonly call crisis, acute reaction or acute
disease is in reality Natures attempt to establish health.
Applied to the physical activity of the body, the Law of
Com-pensation may be expressed as follows: Every agent affecting
the human organism produces two effects: a first, apparent,
temporary effect, and a second, lasting effect. The secondary,
lasting effect is always contrary to the primary, transient effect.
For instance: The first and temporary effect of cold water applied
to the skin consists in sending the blood to the interior; but in
order to compensate for the local depletion, Nature responds by
sending greater quantities of blood back to the surface, resulting
in increased warmth and better surface circulation.
The first effect of a hot bath is to draw the blood to the surface;
but the secondary effect sends the blood back to the interior,
leaving the surface bloodless and chilled.
Stimulants, as we shall see later on, produce their deceptive
effects by burning up the reserve stores of vital energy in the
organism. This is inevitably followed by weakness and exhaustion in
exact proportion to the previous excitation.
The primary effect of relaxation and sleep is weakness, numbness and
death-like stupor; the secondary effect, however, is an increase of
vitality.
The Law of Dual Effect governs all drug action. The first,
temporary, violent effect of poisonous drugs, when given in
physiological doses, is usually due to Natures efforts to overcome
and eliminate these substances. The secondary, lasting effect is due
to the retention of the drug poisons in the system and their action
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on the organism.
In theory and practice, allopathy considers the first effect only
and ignores the lasting aftereffects of drugs and surgical
operations. It administers remedies whose first effect is contrary
to the disease condition. Therefore, in accordance with the Law of
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Chapter VII
Suppression Versus Elimination
My claim that the conventional treatment of acute diseases is
suppressive and not curative will probably be denied by my medical
colleagues. They will maintain that their methods also are
calculated to eliminate morbid matter and disease germs from the
system.
But what are the facts in actual practice? Is it not true that
preparations of mercury, lead, zinc and other powerful poisons are
constantly used to suppress skin eruptions, boils, abscesses, etc.,
instead of allowing Nature to rid the system through these skin
diseases of scrofulous, venereal and psoric taints?
Some time ago Dr. Wiley, the former Government Chemist, published
the ingredients of a number of popular remedies for colds, coughs
and catarrh. Every one of them contained some powerful opiate or
astringent. These poisonous drugs relieve the cough and the
catarrhal conditions by paralyzing the eliminative activity of the
membranous linings of the nasal passages, the bronchi and lungs, the
digestive and genitourinary organs; but in doing so, they throw back
into the system the morbid matter which Nature is trying to get rid
of, and add drug poisons to disease poisons.
Equally harmful is suppression by means of the surgeons knife. It
may be a quicker and apparently more effective process to remove the
inflamed appendix or the diseased tonsils than to cure them by
building up the blood and inducing elimination of systemic poisons
by natural methods. But operative treatment is not eliminative. It
does not remove from the system the original cause of the
inflammation or deterioration of tissues and organs, but it does
remove the outlet which Nature had established for the escape of
morbid materials.
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However, is he not considered the best doctor who can most promptly
produce these and many similar deceptive results through artificial
inhibition or stimulation by means of the most virulent poisons
found on earth?
Dandruff and falling hair are caused by the elimination of systemic
poisons through the scalp. The thing to do, therefore, is not to
suppress this elimination and thereby cause the accumulation of
poisons in the brain, but to stop the manufacture of poison in the
body and to promote its removal through the natural channels.
Dandruff cures and hair tonics contain glycerine, poisonous
antiseptics and stimulants which are absorbed by scalp and brain,
causing dizziness, headaches, loss of memory, neurasthenia,
deaf-ness, weakness of sight, etc.
Head lice and similar parasites peculiar to other parts of the body
live on scrofulous and psoriotic taints. When these are consumed,
the lice depart as they came, no one knows whence or whither.
This is confirmed by the fact that these noxious pests do not remain
with all people who have been exposed to them, but only with those
whose internal or external filth conditions furnish the parasites
with the means of subsistence.
In a number of instances we have seen healing crises take the form
of lice. At that time the patients were living in the most clean
surroundings, taking different forms of water treatment every day
and infection was practically impossible.
These people invariably recalled that they had been infested with
parasites at some previous time, and that strong antiseptics,
mercurial salves, or other means of suppression had been applied.
We prescribe for the removal of lice only cold water and the comb.
Even antiseptic soaps should be avoided.
The Results of Suppression of Childrens Diseases
Sycotic eruptions on the heads and bodies of infants, also called
milk scurf, if suppressed by salves, cream, unsalted butter or
merely by warm bathing, are often followed by chorea (St. Vitus
dance), epilepsy, a scrofulous constitution and in later life by
tuberculosis.
Measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, spinal meningitis and other
febrile diseases of childhood, if properly treated by natural
methods, are curative or at least corrective in their effects on the
system, and represent well-defined, orderly natural processes for
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prevalent.
They are free from many other diseases that pester us also.
Tuberculosis is hardly known, and only along the coast, where it has
been taken by the whites. The real curse of the coast country is
malaria. It is bad all up and down the East shore. I kept away from
it myself by taking five grains of quinine and the juice of a lemon
once a day on an empty stomach. That is a good remedy for malaria,
for in all my running around I have never had it.
(Editors Note.Dr. Senn died January 2, 1908. The papers stated
after his death, that the doctor had never been well since the
return from his long voyage, that his heart and nervous system had
been seriously affected by the altitudes of the Andes and of other
mountains. We wonder whether the high altitudes or the five
grains of quinine daily were to blame for the celebrated
physicians heart disease and death.)
Suppression, the Cause of Chronic Diseases
Dr. Senn was right. If men and women lived more naturally, the
majority of diseases would disappear.
The primary cause of disease is violation of Natures Laws.
Civilization has largely stood for artificiality of life and for
unnatural habits. A higher civilization, yet to come, will combine
the most exquisite culture of heart and mind with true simplicity
and naturalness of living. Excessive meat eating, strong spices and
condiments, alcohol, coffee, tea, overwork, night work, fear, worry,
sensuality, corsets, high heels, foul air, improper breathing, lack
of exercise, loveless marriages, race suicide, all of these and many
other evils of hypercivlization have contributed their share in
creating the universal degeneracy of civilized nations commented
upon by Dr. Senn.
When the unnatural habits of life alluded to have lowered the
vitality and favored the accumulation of waste matter and poisons to
such an extent that the sluggish bowels, kidneys, skin and the other
organs of elimination are unable to keep a clean house, Nature has
to resort to other, more radical means of purification or we should
choke in our own impurities. These forcible housecleanings of Nature
are colds, catarrh, skin eruptions, diarrheas, boils, ulcers,
abnormal perspiration, hemorrhages and many other forms of
inflammatory febrile diseases.
Sulphur and mercury may drive back the skin eruptions, antipyretics
and antiseptics may suppress fever and catarrh. The patient and the
doctor may congratulate themselves on a speedy cure; but what is the
true state of affairs? Nature has been thwarted in her work of
healing and cleansing. She had to give up the fight against disease
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and acquired disease matter also are eliminated in the process; and
after such a cure, blood and tissues of the patient are purer than
they were before infection.
The foregoing statement has nothing to do with the moral aspects
involved in acquiring venereal diseases. In this connection we are
dealing solely with the rational or irrational treatment of the
infection after it has been contracted. We do not wish to intimate
that it is advisable to cure the body by killing the soul.
Nevertheless, we must deal with the facts in Nature as we find them.
Furthermore, a great many persons, especially women and children,
acquire these diseases innocently. Are we not justified in relieving
their minds of needless fear and in showing them the way to prevent
the dreadful sufferings of the secondary and tertiary stages brought
on by suppressive drug treatment by means of mercury, the iodides,
606, etc.?
These poisonous drugs suppress the initial lesion and diffuse the
disease poison through the system. Nature takes up the work of
elimination by means of skin eruptions and ulcers in various parts
of the body, but these also are promptly suppressed with mercurial
ointments and other alternatives. This process of suppression is
continued for months and years, until the organism is so thoroughly
saturated with alterative poisons that vital force can no longer
react by acute reactions against the original syphilitic poisons.
This state of vital paralysis is then called a cure.
The medical professor, however, knows better. He instructs the
students from the lecture platform: When, after two or three years
of mercurial treatment, syphilitic symptoms cease to appear, you may
permit the patient to marrybut never guarantee a cure.
Why not? Because the professor is aware that the offspring of such a
union are born with hereditary symptoms well known to every
physician, and because the patient thus cured (?) may turn up in the
doctors office at any time thereafter with a hole in his palate,
ulcers on his body, caries of the bones or with other secondary and
tertiary symptoms.
Mercury has an especial affinity for the bony structures. It will
work its way through the vertebrae of the spine and the bones of the
skull into the nerve matter of the brain and spinal cord, causing
inflammation, excruciating headaches, nervous symptoms, girdle
pains, etc. These stages of acute inflammation are followed in a few
years by sclerosis (hardening) of nerve matter and blood vessels,
resulting in paresis, locomotor ataxy or paralysis agitans.
Neither is it necessary to contract specific diseases in order to
fall a victim to these dreadful conditions: mercury, iodine and
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To illustrate:
The Diagnosis from the Eye reveals heavy quinine poisoning in the
region of the brain. This enables us to say to the patient, without
questioning him, that he suffers from severe frontal headaches and
ringing in the ears, that he is very irritahle, and so on through
the various symptoms of quinine poisoning. The history of the
patient reveals the fact that he has taken large amounts of quinine
for colds, la grippe or malaria. Under our methods of natural living
and treatment, the patient improves; the organism becomes more
vigorous, and the organs of elimination act more freely; the latent
poisons are stirred up in their hiding places; healing crises make
their appearance. The processes of elimination thus inaugurated
develop various symptoms of acute poisoning. The eliminating crises
are accompanied by headaches, ringing in the ears, nasal catarrh,
bone pains, neuritis, strong taste of quinine in the mouth, etc.
Every healing crisis, if naturally treated, diminishes the signs of
disease and drug poisons in the eye.
Chapter VIII
Inflammation
From what has already been said on this subject, it will have become
apparent that inflammatory and feverish diseases are just as
natural, orderly and lawful as anything else in Nature, that,
therefore, after they have once started, they must not be checked or
suppressed by poisonous drugs and surgical operations.
Inflammatory processes can be kept within safe limits, and they must
be assisted in their constructive tendencies by the natural methods
of treatment. To check and suppress acute diseases before they have
run their natural course means to suppress Natures purifying and
healing efforts, to court fatal complications and to change the
acute, constructive reactions into chronic disease conditions.
Those who have followed the preceding chapters will remember that
their general trend has been to prove one of the fundamental
principles of Nature Cure philosophy, namely the Unity of Disease
and Cure.
We claim that all acute diseases are uniform in their causes, their
purpose, and if conditions are favorable, uniform also in their
progressive development.
In former chapters I endeavored to prove and to elucidate the unity
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were applied to the chest and other parts of the body. This had been
done for several weeks until the fever subsided.
As a matter of fact, ice is more suppressive than antifever
medicines. The continued icy cold applications chill the parts of
the body to which they are applied, depress the vital functions and
effectually suppress the inflammatory processes.
The result in this case, as in many similar ones which I had
occasion to observe during and after the ice-bag treatment, was that
the inflammation in the lungs had been arrested and suppressed
during the stage of destruction, when the air cells and tissues were
filled with exudates, blood serum, pus, live and dead blood cells,
bacteria, etc., leaving the affected areas of the lungs in a
consolidated, liver-like condition.
As a consequence of suppression in the case of this Greek patient,
the pneumonia had been changed from the acute to the subacute and
chronic stages and the doctors in charge had told his friends that
he was now suffering from miliary tuberculosis, and would probably
die within a week or two.
After receiving this discouraging information, the friends of the
patient came to me and prevailed upon me to take charge of the case.
He was transferred to our institution, and we began at once to apply
the natural methods of treatment. Instead of ice packs we used the
regular cold-water packs, strips of linen wrung out of water of
ordinary temperature wrapped around the body and covered with
several layers of flannel bandages.
The wet packs became warm on the body in a few minutes. They relaxed
the pores and drew the blood into the surface, thus promoting heat
radiation and the elimination of morbid matter through the skin.
They did not suppress the fever, but kept it below the danger point.
Under this treatment, accompanied by fasting and judicious
osteopathic manipulation, the inflammatory and feverish processes
suppressed by the ice packs soon revived, became once more active
and aggressive, and were now allowed to run their natural course
through the stages of destruction, absorption (abatement) and
reconstruction.
The result of the Nature Cure treatment was that about two months
after the patient entered our institution, his friends bought him a
ticket to sunny Greece. He had a good journey, and in the congenial
climate of his native country made a perfect recovery.
I have observed a number of similar cases suffering from
consolidation of the lungs and the resulting asthmatic or tubercular
conditions, which had been doctored into these chronic ailments by
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adopted the Nature Cure treatment, that is, straight cold water and
fasting, and no drugs, as it was originated by the pioneers of
Nature Cure in Germany more than fifty years ago.
This treatment, which medical science has found so eminently
successful in typhoid fever, would prove equally efficacious in all
other acute diseases if the regular doctors would only try it. It is
a strange and curious fact that so far they have never found it
worth while to do so. All Nature Cure physicians know from their
daily experience in actual practice that the simple water treatment
and fasting is sufficient to cure all other forms of acute diseases
just as easily and effectively as typhoid fever. By this is proved
the unity of treatment in all acute diseases.
Both in typhoid fever and in tuberculosis, progressive medical men
have now entirely abandoned the germ-killing method of treatment.
They have found it absolutely useless and superfluous to hunt for
drugs and serums to kill the typhoid and tuberculosis bacilli in
these, the two most destructive diseases afflicting the human
family. They were forced to admit that the simple remedies of the
Nature Cure school, cold water and fasting in typhoid fever and the
fresh-air treatment in tuberculosis, are the only worthwhile methods
to fight these formidable enemies to health and life.
If they would continue their researches and experiments along these
natural lines, they would attain infinitely more satisfactory
results than through their germ-hunting and germ-killing theories
and practices.
Chapter IX
The Effects of Suppression of Venereal Diseases
Another good illustration of suppression may be found in the
allopathic treatment of venereal diseases. Almost invariably the
drug treatment suppresses these diseases in the stages of incubation
and aggravation, thus locking them up in the system. The venereal
taints and germs, however, are living things which grow and multiply
until the body has been completely permeated by them. Then they must
find an outlet somehow and somewhere, and consequently they break
out in the manifold so-called secondary and tertiary symptoms.
The drug poisons which are used to cure (suppress) these symptoms,
greatly aggravate the disease. They create conditions in the system
infinitely worse than the venereal diseases themselves. Thus the
acute, easily curable stages of these ailments are changed into the
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Chapter X
Suppressive Surgical Treatment of Tonsillitis and Enlarged Adenoids
The following paragraphs are taken from an article in the Nature
Cure Magazine May, 1909, titled Surgery for Tonsillitis and
Adenoids. They will throw further interesting light on the
dangerous consequences of suppressing acute and subacute diseases.
The tonsils are excreting glands. Nature has created them for the
elimination of impurities from the body. Acute, subacute and chronic
tonsillitis accompanied by enlargement and cheesy decay of the
tonsils means that these glands have been habitually congested with
morbid matter and poisons, that they have had more work to do than
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When the nose takes up the work of vicarious elimination, the same
mode of treatment is resorted to. The mucous membranes of the nose
are now swabbed and sprayed with antiseptics and astringents, or
burned by cauterizers, electricity, etc. The polyps are cut out,
and frequently parts of the turbinated bone and septum as well, in
order to open the air passages.
Now, surely, the patient must be cured. But, strange to say, new
and more serious troubles arise. The posterior nasal passages and
the throat are now affected by chronic catarrhal conditions and
there is much annoyance from phlegm and mucous discharges which drop
into the throat. These catarrhal conditions frequently extend to the
mucous membranes of stomach and intestines.
When the drainage system of the nose and the nasopharyngeal
cavities has been completely destroyed, the impurities must either
travel upward into the brain or downward into the glandular
structures of the neck, thence into the bronchi and the tissues of
the lungs.
If the trend be upward, to the brain, the patient grows nervous and
irritable or becomes dull and apathetic. How often is a child
reprimanded or even punished for laziness and inattention when it
cannot help itself? In many instances the morbid matter affects
certain centers in the brain and causes nervous conditions,
hysteria, St. Vitus dance, epilepsy, etc. In children the
impurities frequently find an outlet through the eardrums in the
form of pus-like discharges. This may frequently avert inflammation
of the brain, meningitis, imbecility, insanity or infantile
paralysis.
If the trend of the suppressed impurities and poisons be downward,
it often results in the hypertrophy and degeneration of the
lymphatic glands of the neck. In such cases the suppressive
treatment, by drugs or knife, is again applied instead of
eliminative and curative measures. The scrofulous poisons,
suppressed and driven back from the diseased glands in the neck, now
find lodgment in the bronchi and lungs, where they accumulate and
form a luxuriant soil for the growth of the bacilli of pneumonia and
tuberculosis.
In other cases, the vocal organs become seriously affected by
chronic catarrhal conditions, abnormal growths and in later stages
by tuberculosis. Many a fine voice has been ruined in this way.
The prevention and the cure of all these ailments lie not in local
symptomatic treatment and suppression by drugs or knife, but in the
rational and natural treatment of the body as a whole.
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Chapter XI
Cancer
Let us see how our theories of the Unity of Disease and Cure apply
to cancer, the much-dreaded and rapidly increasing disease which is
considered absolutely incurable by both the laity and the medical
profession.
Allopathy says that the only possible remedy is early operation.
Nevertheless, in the textbooks of medical science and in medical
schools and colleges it is taught that cancer and all other
malignant growths always return after extirpation. In fact, every
student of medicine is expected to state this in his examination
papers as part of the definition of malignant tumors.
The great majority of medical practitioners hold, furthermore, that
cancer is a local disease. This is proved by the fact that they
apply local, symptomatic treatment.
In reality, however, the disease is constitutional. Therefore, after
removal of the growth by surgery, the electric needle, x-rays, etc.,
the cancer or tumor is liable to break out again in the same place
or in several places.
The surest way to change insignificant, so-called benign (not
fatal to life) fibroid or fatty tumors into malignant cancer or
sarcoma is to operate upon them. Wens and warts are often made
malignant by surgical interference or other local irritation.
In my article titled What We Know About Cancer in the August,
1909, issue of the Nature Cure Magazine I quote from an article by
Burton J. Hendrick, the cancer expert, published in the July, 1909,
number of McClures Magazine, as follows:
Clinical observation long ago established the fact that any
irritating interference with a cancer almost always stimulates its
growth. In his earliest experiments Dr. Loeb found that, by merely
drawing a silk thread through a dormant or slowly developing tumor,
he could transform it into a rapidly growing one. Cutting with a
knife produced the same effect. This accounts for the commonly
observed fact that, when extirpated cancers in human beings recur,
they increase in size much more rapidly than the original growth.
The late Dr. Senn, the great cancer surgeon, admitted these facts in
an interview given to Chicago press representatives upon his return
from his trip around the world in 1906. The press clipping reads as
follows.
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It has been found that the bodies of the itch parasites ( Sarcoptes
scabici ) contain an exceedingly poisonous substance which the
homeopaths call psorinum. When these minute animals burrowing in
and under the skin are killed by poisonous drugs and antiseptics,
the morbid taints in their bodies are absorbed by the system and
added to the psoriatic poisons which Nature has been trying to
eliminate.
Thus, after suppression of itchy eruptions or parasites, the
organism is encumbered with three poisons instead of one: (1) the
hereditary or acquired scrofulous and psoriatic taints which the
cells of the body were throwing off into the blood stream and which
the blood was feeding to the parasites on the surface, (2) the
morbid substance contained in the bodies of the parasites, (3) the
drug poisons used as suppressants. (Such poisons may lie latent in
the system for many years before they become active and, in
combination with other disease taints and with food and drug
poisons, create the different forms of chronic destructive
diseases.)
These facts explain why the itch spots in different areas of the
iris of the eye so frequently indicate serious chronic, destructive
disease conditions in the parts and organs of the body corresponding
to these areas, why; for instance, in asthma and tuberculosis we
often find itch spots in the region representing the lungs or why in
cancer of the liver or of the stomach itch spots show in the area of
stomach or liver.
That the itch or psoriatic taint is actually at the bottom of the
cancerous diathesis is attested by the fact that all cancer patients
whom we have treated and cured, with two exceptions (whose healing
crisis took the form of furunculosis), broke out with the itch at
one time or another during the natural treatment. In most of these
cases the bodies of the patients were inflamed with fiery eruptions
for days or even weeks at a time.
Nature Cure allows these healing crises to run their course
unhindered and unchecked; in fact, we encourage them by air and sun
baths, cold-water treatment and homeopathic remedies.
What has been said verifies my claim that benign and malignant
tumors can be cured only by thorough purifying the system of all
morbid and poisonous taints and by building up the blood to a normal
basis, that is, by providing it with the proper elements of
nutrition, especially with the all-important organic salts.
That this is not merely theory, but actual fact has been proved in
the great cancer institutes in Europe and in this country. The
scientists in charge of these institutions report that they have
found a positive cure for cancer in animals. The treatment is as
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follows:
The blood is pumped out of the body of a dog or other animal
afflicted with cancer and immediately afterwards the blood of a
healthy animal which has shown immunity to cancer inoculation is
pumped into the body of the diseased animal. It is reported that in
nine cases out of ten thus treated the cancerous growths disappear.
This treatment, of course, entails the death of the animal which had
to give up its life blood to cure the other and therefore this
method of cure is not adaptable to human beings. Even though an
individual, with suicidal intent, would be willing to give up his
life for a stipulated legacy to his relatives, the law would not
sanction the transaction.
However, we of the Nature Cure school say that it is not necessary
to pump the diseased blood out of the organism. In the natural
methods of living and of treatment we possess the means of purifying
and regenerating that blood while it is in the body. That this is
possible we have proved in a number of cancer cases.
It is obvious, however, that the earlier the disease is treated by
the natural methods, that is, before the breaking-down process has
far advanced, the easier and quicker will be the cure.
In the case of tumors, then, we see again verified the fundamental
law of Nature Cure: the Unity of Disease and of Treatment. We see
that the tumor is not of local, but of constitutional, origin, that
its period of incubation may extend over a lifetime or over several
generations.
Chapter XII
Womens Suffering
Certain ailments peculiar to the female organism have become almost
universal among civilized races. Probably the majority of surgical
operations are performed for so-called womens diseases. That women
suffer untold agonies during menstruation, in childbirth and at the
climacteric is looked upon as unavoidable and a matter of course.
The fact that the native women of Africa, of the Sandwich Islands,
the South American bush and our western plains are practically
exempt from these ailments indicates that the cause of female
troubles must lie in artificial habits of living and in the
unnatural treatment of diseases.
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anemic woman can block the rectum and cause disease, but it is an
excellent talking point, as effective in bringing victims to the
operating table as appendicitis with its fairy tales of seeds and
foreign bodies lodging in the appendix vermiformis.
While studying Nature Cure in Germany, I took special courses in the
Thure-Brandt Massage. By means of this internal manipulative
treatment, weakness of ligaments and muscles, displacements,
adhesions, etc., can be corrected without the use of knife or drugs.
During my first years in practice, I frequently resorted to the
internal manual treatment with good results; but I found that in
most cases it was not at all necessary in order to produce perfect
cures.
I saw that chiropractic and osteopathic correction of spinal and
pelvic lesions and consequent removal of irritation and pressure on
the nerves, the cure of chronic constipation and malnutrition by
pure food diet and hydrotherapy, the strengthening of the pelvic
muscles and nerves by means of active and passive movements and
exercises, were fully sufficient to correct the local symptoms in a
natural manner. Thousands of cases cured by us by these methods
attest the truth of our statements; while those who failed to
understand the simple reasoning of the Nature Cure philosophy or
lacked will power to withstand the arguments of friends and
physicians followed the siren call of the operating table and have
been sorry for it ever since.
In case of operation for misplacement of the womb, it is necessary,
in order to keep the womb in its new position, to stitch it to the
frontal abdominal wall. Very frequently it will not stay there,
breaks loose, and relapses into an abnormal position. Granted that
it remains fixed, woe to the woman if she becomes pregnant. The womb
cannot assume the constantly changing positions of pregnancy, and
the result is either abortion or malformation of the fetus, together
with great and constant suffering to the woman.
The operation has done nothing to correct unnatural habits of living
or to purify the system of its scrofulous and psoriatic taints, of
drug and food poisons. Frequently these gather in the parts that
have been weakened and irritated by the antiseptics and by the
surgeons knife, and set up new inflammations, ulcerations and only
too often malignant tumors. As a result, one operation follows
another.
We cannot cut in the genital organs without cutting in the brain.
The nervous system is a unit, and the brain is directly and
intimately connected with the complex and highly sensitive nerve
centers of the genital organs. Mutilation of the genital nerve
centers, therefore, invariably affects the brain, and thus the
intellectual and emotional life of a woman. It is almost axiomatic
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Chapter XIII
The Treatment of Acute Diseases by Natural Methods
In the preceding chapters we have described the results of the
wrong, that is, suppressive treatment of acute diseases. We shall
now proceed to describe the simple and uniform methods of natural
treatment.
If the uniformity of acute diseases be a fact in Nature, then it
follows that it must be possible to treat all acute diseases by
uniform methods.
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processes are long drawn out and the patient has become greatly
emaciated, it is advisable to give such easily digestible foods as
white of egg, milk, buttermilk and whole grain bread with butter in
combination with raw and stewed fruits and with vegetable salads
prepared with lemon juice and olive oil.
The quantity of drinking water should be regulated by the desire of
the patient, but he should be warned not to take any more than is
necessary to satisfy his thirst. Large amounts of water taken into
the system dilute the blood and the other fluids and secretions of
the organism to an excessive degree, and this tends to increase the
general weakness and lower the patients resistance to the disease
forces.
Water may be made more palatable and at the same time more effective
for purposes of elimination by the addition of the unsweetened juice
of acid fruits, such as orange, grapefruit or lemon, about one part
of juice to three parts of water. Fresh pineapple juice is very good
except in cases of hyperacidity of the stomach. The fresh,
unsweetened juice of Concord grapes is also beneficial.
Acid and subacid fruit juices do not contain sufficient carbohydrate
or protein materials to unduly excite the digestive processes, while
on the other hand they are very rich in Natures best medicines, the
mineral salts in organic form. Sweet grapes and sweetened grape
juice should not be given to patients suffering from acute, febrile
diseases because they contain too much sugar, which would have a
tendency to start the processes of digestion and assimilation, to
cause morbid fermentation and to raise the temperature and
accelerate the other disease symptoms.
Fasting
Total abstinence from food during acute febrile conditions is of
primary importance. In certain diseases which will be mentioned
later on, especially those involving the digestive tract, fasting
must be continued for several days after all fever symptoms have
disappeared.
There is no greater fallacy than that the patient must be sustained
and his strength kept up by plenty of nourishing food and drink or,
worse still, by stimulants and tonics. This is altogether wrong in
itself, and besides, habit and appetite are often mistaken for
hunger.
A common spectacle witnessed at the bedside of the sick is that of
well-meaning but misguided relatives and friends forcing food and
drink on the patient, often by order of the doctor, when his whole
system rebels against it and the nauseated stomach expels the food
as soon as taken. Sedatives and tonics are then resorted to in order
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perfectly clean. Dry the body quickly but thoroughly, and finish by
rubbing with the hands.
In the meantime the damp bed clothing should be replaced by dry
sheets and blankets (a second cot or bed will be found a great
convenience), and the patient put to bed without delay and well
covered in order to prevent chilling and also to induce, if
possible, a copious aftersweat. The patient is then sponged off a
second time, put into a dry bed, and allowed to rest.
If the patient is too weak to leave his bed, the cold sponge may be
given on a large rubber sheet or oilcloth covered with an old
blanket, which should be placed on the bed before the pack is
applied. After removing the pack, put a blanket over the patient to
prevent chilling and wash quickly but thoroughly first the limbs,
then chest and stomach, then the back, drying and covering each part
as soon as finished. Remove the rubber sheet from the bed and wrap
the patient in dry, warm blankets, or lift him into another bed.
How to Apply the Short-Body Pack
A wide strip of linen or muslin, wrung out of cold water, is wrapped
around the patient from under the armpits to the thighs or knees in
one, two or more layers, covered by one or more layers of dry
flannel or muslin in such a manner that the wet linen does not
protrude at any place.
Similar packs may be applied to the throat, the arms, legs,
shoulder joints or any other part of the body.
The number of layers of wet linen and dry covering is determined by
the vitality of the patient, the height of his temperature and the
particular object of the application, which may be to lower high
temperature to raise the temperature when subnormal to relieve
inner congestion to promote elimination.
If the object is to lower high temperature, several layers of wet
linen should be wrapped around the body and covered loosely by one
or two layers of the dry wrappings in order to prevent the bed from
getting wet. The packs must be renewed as soon as they become dry or
uncomfortably hot.
If the object is to raise subnormal temperature, less wet linen and
more dry covering must be used, and the packs left on a longer time,
say from thirty minutes to two hours. If the patient does not react
to the pack, hot bricks or bottles filled with hot water should be
placed at the sides and to the feet, as explained in connection with
the whole-body pack.
If inner congestion is to be relieved, or if the object is to
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promote elimination, less of the wet linen and more dry wrappings
should be used.
When packs are applied, the bed may be protected by spreading an
oilcloth over the mattress under the sheet. But in no case should
oilcloth or rubber sheeting be used for the outer covering of packs.
This would interfere with some of the main objects of the pack
treatment, especially with heat radiation. The outer covering should
be warm but at the same time porous, to allow the escape of heat and
of poisonous gases from the body.
Local Compresses
In case of local inflammation, as in appendicitis, ovaritis,
colitis, etc., separate cooling compresses may be slipped under the
pack and over the seat of inflammation. These local compresses may
be removed and changed when hot and dry without disturbing the
larger pack.
In all fevers accompanied by high temperature, it is advisable to
place an extra cooling compress at the nape of the neck (the region
of the medulla and the back brain), because here are located the
brain centers which regulate the inner temperature of the body
(thermotaxic centers), and the cooling of these brain centers
produces a cooling effect upon the entire organism.
Enemas
While ordinarily we do not favor the giving of injections or enemas
unless they are absolutely necessary, we apply them freely in
feverish diseases in order to remove from the rectum and lower colon
any accumulations of morbid matter, and thus to prevent their
reabsorption into the system. In cases of exceptionally stubborn
constipation, an injection of a few ounces of warm olive oil may be
given. Allow this to remain in the colon about thirty minutes in
order to soften the contents of the rectum, and follow with an
injection of warm water.
Just How the Cold Packs Produce
Their Wonderful Results
(1) How Cold Packs Promote Heat Radiation
Many people are under the impression that the packs reduce the fever
temperature so quickly because they are put on cold. But this is not
so, because, unless the reaction be bad, the packs become warm after
a few minutes contact with the body.
The prompt reduction of temperature takes place because of increased
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heat radiation. The coldness of the pack may lower the surface
temperature slightly; but it is the moist warmth forming under the
pack on the surface of the body that draws the blood from the
congested interior into the skin, relaxes and opens its minute blood
vessels and pores, and in that way facilitates the escape of heat
from the body.
In febrile conditions the pores and capillary blood vessels of the
skin are tense and contracted. Therefore the heat cannot escape, the
skin is hot and dry, and the interior of the body remains
overheated. When the skin relaxes and the patient begins to perspire
freely, we say the fever is broken.
The moist warmth under the wet pack produces this relaxation of the
skin in a perfectly natural manner. By means of these simple packs
followed by cold ablutions, the temperature of the patient can be
kept at any point desired without the use of poisonous antifever
medicines, serums and antitoxins which lower the temperature by
benumbing and paralyzing heart action, respiration, the red and
white blood corpuscles, and thus generally lowering the vital
activities of the organism.
(2) How Cold Packs Relieve Inner Congestion
In all inflammatory febrile diseases the blood is congested in the
inflamed parts and organs. This produces the four cardinal symptoms
of inflammation: redness, swelling, heat, and pain. [Rubor, tumor,
colar and dolar.] If the congestion be too great, the pain becomes
excessive, and the inflammatory processes cannot run their natural
course to the best advantage. It is therefore of great importance to
relieve the local blood pressure in the affected parts and this can
be accomplished most effectively by means of the wet packs.
As before stated, they draw the blood onto the surface of the body
and in that way relieve inner congestion wherever it may exist,
whether it be in the brain, as in meningitis, in the lungs, as in
pneumonia, or in the inflamed appendix.
In several cases where a child was in the most dangerous stage of
diphtheria, where the membranes in throat and nasal passages were
already choking the little patient, the wet packs applied to the
entire body from neck to feet relieved the congestion in the throat
so quickly that within half an hour after the first application the
patient breathed easily and soon made a perfect recovery. The
effectiveness of these simple water applications in reducing
congestion, heat and pain is little short of marvelous.
(3) How Cold Packs Promote Elimination
By far the largest number of deaths in febrile diseases result from
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At the appointed time make the effort, whether you are success-ful
or not, and do not resort to the enema until it becomes an absolute
necessity. If you combine with the mental and physical effort a
natural diet, cold sitz baths, massage and osteopathic treatment,
you will have need of the enema at increasingly longer intervals,
and soon be able to discard it altogether.
Be careful, however, not to employ your intelligence and your will
power to suppress acute inflammatory and febrile processes and
symptoms. This can be accomplished by the power of the will as well
as by ice bags and poisonous drugs, and its effect would be to turn
Natures acute cleansing efforts into chronic disease.
The Importance of Right Mental and Emotional
Attitude on the Part of Friends and Relatives
What has just been said about the patient is true also of his
friends and relatives. Disease is negative. The sick person is
exceedingly sensitive to his surroundings. He is easily influenced
by all depressing, discordant and jarring conditions. He catches the
expressions of fear and anxiety in the looks, the words, gestures
and actions of his attendants, relatives and friends and these
intensify his own depression and gloomy forebodings.
This applies especially to the influence exerted by the mother upon
her ailing infant. There exists a most intimate sympathetic and
telepathic connection between mother and child. The child is
affected not only by the outward expression of the mothers fear and
anxiety, but likewise by the hidden doubt and despair in the
mothers mind and soul.
Usually, the first thing that confronts me when I am called to the
sickbed of a child is the frantic and almost hysterical mental
condition of the mother, and to begin with, I have to explain to her
the destructive influence of her behavior. I ask her:
Would you willingly give some deadly poison to your child?
Certainly not, she says, to which I reply:
Do you realize that you are doing this very thing? That your fear
and worry vibrations actually poison and paralyze the vital energies
in the body of your child and most seriously interfere with Natures
healing processes?
Instead of helping the disease forces to destroy your child, assist
the healing forces to save it by maintaining an attitude of absolute
faith, serenity, calmness and cheerfulness. Then your looks, your
voice, your touch will convey to your child the positive, magnetic
vibrations of health and of strength. Your very presence will
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Chapter XIV
The True Scope of Medicine
Anyone able to read the signs of the times cannot help observing the
powerful influence which the Nature Cure philosophy is already
exerting upon the trend of modern medical science. In Germany the
younger generation of physicians has been forced by public demand to
adopt the natural methods of treatment and the German government has
introduced them in the medical departments of its army and navy.
In English-speaking countries, the foremost members of the medical
profession are beginning to talk straight Nature Cure doctrine, to
condemn the use of drugs and to endorse unqualifiedly the Nature
Cure methods of treatment. In proof of this I quote from an article
by Dr. William Osler in the Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. X, under
the title of Medicine:
Dr. Osler on Medicine
The new school does not feel itself under obligation to give any
medicines whatever, while a generation ago not only could few
physicians have held their practice unless they did, but few would
have thought it safe or scientific. Of course, there are still many
cases where the patient or the patients friends must be humored by
administering medicine or alleged medicine where it is not really
needed, and indeed often where the buoyancy of mind which is the
real curative agent, can only be created by making him wait
hopefully for the expected action of medicine; and some physicians
still cannot unlearn their old training. But the change is great.
The modern treatment of disease relies very greatly on the old
so-called natural methods, diet and exercise, bathing and
massagein other words, giving the natural forces the fullest scope
by easy and thorough nutrition, increased flow of blood and removal
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On the other hand, we do not use any drugs or medicines which tend
to hinder, check or suppress Natures cleansing and regenerating
processes. We never give anything in the least degree poisonous. We
avoid all anodynes, hypnotics, sedatives, antipyretics, laxatives,
cathartics, etc. Judicious fasting, cold-water applications and, if
necessary, warm-water injections in case of constipation will do
everything that is claimed for poisonous drugs.
Inorganic Minerals and Mineral Poisons
For many years past, physicians of the different schools of
medicine, diet experts and food chemists have been divided on the
question whether or not mineral substances which in the organic form
enter into the composition of the human body may safely be used in
foods and medicines in the inorganic form.
The medical profession holds almost unanimously that this is
permissible and good practice, so that nearly every allopathic
medical prescription contains some such inorganic substance, or
worse than that, one or more virulent mineral poisons, as mercury,
arsenic, phosphorus, etc.
So far, the discussion about the usefulness or harmfulness of
inorganic minerals as foods and medicines was largely theoretical
and controversial. Neither party had positive proofs for its
contentions.
But Natures records in the iris of the eye settle the question for
good and for ever. One of the fundamental principles of the science
of Diagnosis from the Eye is that nothing shows in the iris by
abnormal signs or discolorations except that which is abnormal in
the body or injurious to it. When substances which are uncongenial
or poisonous to the system accumulate in any part or organ of the
body in sufficient quantities, they will indicate their presence by
certain signs and abnormal colors in the corresponding areas of the
iris.
In this way Nature makes known by her records in the eye what
substances are injurious to the body, and which are harmless.
Certain mineral elements, such as iron, sodium, potassium, calcium,
magnesium, phosphorus, sulphur, etc., which are among the important
constituents of the human body, may be taken in the organic form in
fruits and vegetables, or in herb extracts and the vitochemical
remedies, in large amounts, in fact, far beyond the actual needs of
the body, but they will not show in the iris of the eye, because
they are easily eliminated from the system.
If, however, the same minerals be taken in the inorganic form in
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Chapter XV
Homeopathy
When we recommend the use of homeopathic remedies, the medical
nihilist says: Dont talk homeopathy to me! I didnt come to you
for drugs; I have had enough of them.
When we explain that these remedies are so highly refined that they
cannot possibly do any harm, he becomes still more indignant. I
dont need any of your mental therapeutics in homeopathic form, he
exclaims. I, too, believe in the power of mind over matter, but I
have no faith in your sugar of milk pellets; they are poor
substitutes for the real article. That kind of sugar-coated
suggestion might work on some people, but it doesnt on me.
When I first entered upon the study of medicine, I, too, did not
believe in the curative power of homeopathic doses; but experience
caused me to change my mind. The well-selected remedy administered
at the right time often works wonders.
True homeopathic medicines in high-potency doses are so highly
refined and rarefied that they cannot possibly produce harmful
results or suppress Natures cleansing and healing efforts; on the
contrary, if employed according to the Law of Homeopathy: like
cures like, they assist in producing acute reactions or healing
crises, thus aiding Nature in the work of purification and repair.
Homeopathy Works with the Laws of Cure, Not Against Them. Similia
similibus curantur (like cures like) translated into practice means
that a drug capable of producing a certain set of disease symptoms
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cells and thus intensify the chronic disease conditions in cells and
tissues.
Alms-giving, prison sentences and capital punishment have a similar
allopathic effect upon Man, the individual cell of the social body.
Instead of providing for him the proper environment and the
opportunity for natural development and for working out his own
salvation, they take this opportunity away from him and weaken his
personal effort or make it impossible.
The Efficacy of Small Doses
The late revelations of chemistry, Roentgen rays, x-rays,
radio-activity of metals, etc., throw an interesting light upon the
seemingly infinite divisibility of matter. A small particle of a
given substance may for many years throw off a continuous shower of
corpuscles without perceptibly diminishing its volume.
For an illustration we may take the odoriferous musk. A few grains
of this substance will fill a room with its penetrating aroma for
years. When we smell musk or any other perfume, minute particles of
it bombard the end filaments of the nerves of smell in the nose.
Therefore the musk must be casting off such minute particles
continually without apparent loss of substance.
With the aid of this recent knowledge of the true nature of matter,
of the minuteness and complexity of the atom, we can now understand
how the highly triturated and refined (attenuated) homeopathic
remedy may still retain the dynamic force of the element, as
Hahnemann has expressed it, and how a remedy so attenuated may still
be capable of exerting an influence upon the minute cell. Since
chemistry and physiology have acquainted us with the finer forces of
Nature, demonstrating that they are mightier than the things we can
apprehend by weight and measure, the claims of homeopathy do not
appear so absurd as they did a generation ago.
Undoubtedly, the good effect produced by a well-chosen remedy is
heightened and strengthened by the mental and magnetic influence of
the prescriber. The positive faith of the physician in the efficacy
of the remedy, his sympathy and his indomitable will to assist the
sufferer affect both the physical substance of the remedy and the
mind of the patient.
The varying mental and magnetic qualities of prescribers have
undoubtedly much to do with the varying degrees of efficaciousness
of the same remedy when administered by different physicians.
The true Hahnemannian homeopath, who believes in his remedies as in
his God, will concentrate his intellectual and spiritual forces on a
certain remedy in order to accomplish certain well-defined results.
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The bottle is not allowed to become empty. Whenever the graft runs
low, it is replenished with distilled water, alcohol, milk sugar, or
another vehicle. Every time he takes the medicine bottle into his
hands, these potent thought forms are projected into it: You are
the element sulphur. You produce in the human body a certain set of
symptoms. You will produce these symptoms in the body of this
patient.
If there is any virtue at all in magnetic, mental and spiritual
healing, the homeopathic remedy must be an effective agency for
transmitting magnetic, mental and psychic healing forces from
prescriber to patient.
Transmission of these higher and finer forces, whether directly,
telepathically or by means of some physical agent, such as
magnetized water, a charm or simile, etc., is the modus operandi in
all the different forms of ancient and modern magic, white or black.
It is the active principle in mental healing, Christian Science,
sympathy healing, voodooism, witchcraft, etc.
Homeopathy and the Law of Dual Effect
I have formulated the Law of Action and Reaction in its application
to the treatment of diseases as follows:
Every agent affecting the human organism has two effects: a first,
apparent, temporary one and a second, lasting one. The second effect
is directly opposite to the first.
Allopathy, in giving large, physiological doses, takes into
consideration only the first, apparent effect of the drug, and
thereby accomplishes in the long run results directly opposite to
those which it desires to bring about. It produces the very
conditions it tries to cure. As an example, note the permanent
effects of laxatives, stimulants and sedatives upon the system. This
has been explained more fully in Chapter Six.
On the other hand, the homeopathic physician may use the same
remedies as the allopath, provided they produce symptoms similar to
those of the disease, but he administers the different drugs in such
minute doses that their first effect is noticed only as a slight
homeopathic aggravation, while their second and lasting effect is
relied upon to relieve and cure the disease.
In other words, homeopathy produces as the first effect the
condition like the disease, and counts on the second and lasting
effect of the drug to bring about a permanent change.
If, in accordance with the Law of Dual Effect as applied to drugs,
the primary, temporary effect of the homeopathic remedy is equal to
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in her work of cure; and in doing this, it will not attack and
affect the entire organism, but only those serous and mucous tissues
for which it has a special affinity and which, as in the case of
this patient, are the most seriously affected.
To state it in another way: the large, allopathic dose paralyzes the
whole organism in order to produce its fictitious cure. The small,
homeopathic dose, on the other hand, goes right to the spot where it
is needed, and by mild and harmless stimulation of the affected
parts, assists and supports the cells in their acute eliminative
efforts.
Homeopathic medication, therefore, is not only curative in its
effects, but also conservative and in the highest degree economic.
Homeopathy, a Complement of Nature Cure
Having proved the accuracy of Hahnemanns Law of similia similibus
curantur, and having occasion daily to observe its practical
results in the treatment of acute and chronic diseases, we should
not be justified in omitting homeopathy from our system of
treatment. The attenuated homeopathic doses of certain drugs may be
of great service in bringing about the acute reactions which we so
earnestly desire, especially in the treatment of chronic diseases of
long standing.
I am aware of the fact that in severe and obstinate conditions
homeopathy is often apparently of no avail. But when the system has
been purified and strengthened by our natural methods, by a rational
vegetarian diet, hydrotherapy, chiropractic or osteopathy, massage,
corrective exercise, air and sun baths, normal suggestion, etc., the
homeopathic remedies will work with much greater promptitude and
effectiveness.
It is the combination of all the different healing factors which
constitutes the perfect system of treatment.
No disease condition, whether apparently hopeless or not, can be
called incurable unless all these different healing factors,
properly combined and applied, have been given a thorough trial. It
is no charlatanic boasting, but the simple truth, when we affirm
that the different natural methods of treatment, as we of the Nature
Cure school apply them, can and do cure so-called incurable
diseases, such as tuberculosis, cancer, locomotor ataxy, epilepsy,
eczema, neurasthenia, insanity and the worst forms of chronic
dyspepsia and constipation, always providing that the patient
possesses sufficient vitality to react to the treatment and that the
destruction of vital parts and organs has not advanced too far.
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Chapter XVI
The Diphtheria Antitoxin
In this country the antitoxin treatment for diplitheria is still in
high favor, while in Germany, where it originated, many of the best
medical authorities are abandoning its use on account of its
doubtful curative results and certain destructive after-effects.
According to the enthusiastic advocates of this treatment among the
regular physicians in this country, the antitoxin is a certain
cure for diphtheria; but how is this claim borne out by actual
facts?
The Health Bulletins sent regularly to every physician in the City
of Chicago by the City Health Department show an average of from
fifteen to twenty deaths every week from diphtheria treated with
antitoxin.
I do not deny that the antitoxin treatment may have reduced somewhat
the mortality percentage of this disease, allowing even for the
great uncertainty of medical statistics. But we of the Nature Cure
school claim and can prove that the hydropathic treatment of
diphtheria shows a much lower percentage of mortality than the
antitoxin treatment.
The crucial point to be considered in this connection is: What are
the after-effects of the different methods of treatment?
This is a very important matter. I make the following claims:
that the antitoxin, being itself a most powerful poison, may be and
often is the direct cause of paralysis, or of death due to
heart-failure. That diphtheria treated with antitoxin may be and
often is followed by paralysis, heart-failure, or lifelong
invalidism of some kind after the patient has apparently recovered
from the disease. That these undesirable after-effects of diphtheria
do not occur when the disease is treated by natural methods, but
that they are the result of the antitoxin treatment and of its
suppressive effect upon. the disease.
To prove my claims, I submit the following facts: I have in my
possession clippings from newspapers from different parts of the
country stating that death had followed the administration of the
diphtheria antitoxin for prevention or immunization, that is,
where the individual had been in good health at the time the
antitoxin was given.
Several cases of this kind created quite a sensation in Germany
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During the last ten years, I have treated and cured all kinds of
serious acute diseases without resorting to allopathic drugs. In a
very extensive practice, I have not in all these years lost a single
case of appendicitis (and not one of them was operated upon), of
typhoid fever, diphtheria, smallpox, scarlet fever, etc., and only
one case of cerebro-spinal meningitis and of lobar pneumonia. These
facts may be verified from the records of the Health Department of
the City of Chicago.
After the foregoing statements, I leave it to my readers to judge
whether the Nature Cure philosophy is inspired by blind fanaticism
and based upon ignorance and inexperience, or whether it is
justified in the light of scientific facts advanced by the Regular
School of Medicine itself and demonstrated by the wonderful success
of the Nature Cure movement in Germany, which in its different forms
has attained world-wide recognition and adoption.
There is a popular saying: The proof of the pudding is in the
eating. The following letter will explain itself:
January 20, 1913.
Dear Dr. Lindlahr:
You may remember that last winter, Mrs. White and I attended your
Sunday afternoon lectures in the Schiller Building. Those lectures
were an educationI might better say a revelation and an
inspiration.
On the 11th of November last, our boy, aged thirteen years, was
taken ill with diphtheria. I called at your office and asked your
advice. You replied: You know what to dowet packs, no food except
fruit juices, osteopathic treatment and no antitoxin.
We called an osteopathic physician, who at once sent a specimen from
the boys throat to the city laboratory, where it was pronounced
diphtheria. A physician from the Board of Health came and
quarantined us and inquired if we had used the antitoxin treatment.
When Mrs. White replied No, he said: I suppose you know that the
percentage of deaths of those who do not have it is very high. She
said: Yes, I know, but we do not intend to use it.
The boy had all the acute symptoms, was drowsy, with headache, and
on the second day his temperature went to 105 degrees. We applied
the wet body pack and by night had reduced his temperature to 100
degrees. With the aid of the osteopathic treatment, which he had
each night, the boy slept well all through big illness. On the fifth
day, the membrane spread from his throat to his nose, and his
temperature rose again; but the wet body packs again reduced it so
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Chapter XVII
Vaccination
The pernicious aftereffects of vaccination upon the system are
similar to those of the various serum and antitoxin treatments.
Jenner, an English barber and chiropodist, is usually credited with
the discovery of vaccination. The doubtful honor, however, belongs
in reality to an old Circassian woman who, according to the
historian Le Duc, in the year 1672 startled Constantinople with the
announcement that the Virgin Mary had revealed to her an unfailing
preventive against the smallpox.
Her specific was inoculation with the genuine smallpox virus. But
even with her the idea was not an original one, because the
principle of isopathy (curing a disease with its own disease
products) was explicitly taught a hundred years before that by
Paracelsus, the great genius of the Renaissance of learning of the
Middle Ages. But even he was only voicing the secret teachings of
ancient folklore, sympathy healing and magic dating back to the
Druids and Seers of ancient Britain and Germany.
The Circassian seeress cut a cross in the flesh of people and
inoculated this wound with the smallpox virus. Together with this
she prescribed prayer, abstinence from meat and fasting for forty
days.
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Chapter XVIII
Surgery
The discoverers of anesthetics are classed among the greatest
benefactors of humanity, because it is believed that ether,
chloroform, cocaine and similar nerve-paralyzing agents have greatly
lessened the sum of human suffering. I doubt, however, that this is
true.
Anesthetics have made surgery technically easy and have done away
with the pain caused directly by the incisions; but on the other
hand, these marvelous effects of pain-killing drugs have encouraged
indiscriminate and unnecessary operations to such an extent that at
least nine-tenths of all the surgical operations performed today are
uncalled for. In most instances these ill-advised mutilations are
followed by lifelong weakness and suffering, which far outweigh the
temporary pains formerly endured when unavoidable operations were
performed without the use of anesthesia.
We do not wish to be understood as condemning unqualifiedly any and
all surgical interventions in the treatment of human ailments. An
operation may occasionally be absolutely necessary as a means of
saving life. Surgery is also indicated in cases of injury, such as
wounds or fractured bones, in certain obstetrical complications and
in other affections of a purely mechanical nature.
In all such cases anesthetics prevent much suffering which cannot be
avoided in any other way. But anyone who has had an opportunity to
watch the prolonged misery of the victims of un-called-for
operations will not doubt that anesthesia has been a two-edged sword
which has inflicted many more wounds than it has healed.
Many physicians have recognized more or less distinctly the
uselessness and harmfulness of Old School medical treatment.
Dissatisfied and disgusted with old-fashioned drugging, they turn to
surgery, convinced that in it they possess an exact scientific
method of curing ailments. They seem to think that the surest way to
cure a diseased organ is to remove it with the knifefine reasoning
for school boys, but not worthy of men of science.
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Chapter XIX
Chronic Diseases
The Old School of medical science defines acute diseases as those
which run a brief and more or less violent course and chronic
diseases as those which run a protracted course and have a tendency
to recur.
Nature Cure attaches a broader and more significant meaning to these
terms. This will have become apparent from our discussion of the
causes, the progressive development and the purpose of acute
diseases in the preceding pages.
From the Nature Cure viewpoint, the chronic condition is the latent,
constitutional disease encumbrance, whereas acute disease represents
Natures efforts to rectify abnormal conditions, to overcome and
eliminate hereditary or acquired morbid taints and systemic poisons
and to reestablish normal structure and functions.
To use an illustration: In a case of permanent or recurrent itchy
psoriasis, the Old School physician would look upon the itchy skin
eruption as the chronic disease, while we should see in the external
eczema an attempt of the healing forces of Nature to remove from the
system the inner, latent hereditary or acquired psora, which
constitutes the real chronic disease.
It stands to reason that the exterior eruptions should not be
suppressed by any means whatever, but that the only true and really
effective method of treatment consists in eliminating from the
organism the inner, latent psoric taint. After this is accomplished,
the external skin disease will disappear of its own accord.
As another illustration of the radical difference in our respective
points of view, let us take hemorrhoids (piles). The regular
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protection, etc.
This circuit of communication from the cell over the afferent nerves
to the nerve centers in the brain or spinal cord, and from these
centers over the efferent nerves back to the cell or to other cells
is called the reflex arc.
Let us use an illustration: Suppose the fingers come in close
contact with a hot iron. The cells in the finger tips experience a
sensation of burning pain. At once this sensation is telegraphed
over the afferent nerves to the nerve centers in the brain or spinal
cord. In response to this call of distress the command comes back
over the efferent nerve filaments: Withdraw the fingers! At the
same time the impulse to withdraw the fingers is sent over the motor
nerves to the muscles and ligaments which control the movements of
the hand.
If the means of communication between the different parts of the
organism are obstructed or cut off entirely, the individual cell is
bound to deteriorate and to die, just like a person lost in a barren
wilderness and cut off from his fellowmen must perish.
In warfare it is a well-known fact that if one of the contending
armies succeeds in cutting off the telegraphic communication of the
other army with its headquarters, the activities of that other army
are seriously handicapped. So the waste materials in the system, the
disease taints, narcotic and alcoholic poisons, etc., obstruct the
nerve passages, and thus interfere with the functions of the cell by
cutting off its means of communication.
What has been said will serve to elucidate and emphasize the
necessity of perfect cleanliness, inside as well as outside of the
body. It justifies the dictum of Kuhne, the apostle of Nature Cure:
Cleanliness is Health. Anything that in any way interferes with or
obstructs the circulation of vital fluids and nerve currents in the
system is bound to create the abnormal conditions and functions
which constitute disease.
When the morbid encumbrances and obstructions in the organism have
reached the point where they seriously interfere with the
nourishment, drainage and nerve supply of the cells, the latter
cannot perform their activities properly, nor can they rid
themselves of the impediment. They may be compared to people who are
forced to live in bad, unwholesome surroundings and who cannot do
their best work under these unfavorable conditions from which they
cannot escape.
In this way originates chronic disease, which means that the cells
have become incapable of arousing themselves to acute eliminative
effort in the form of inflammatory febrile reactions.
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blood before and after the application of the cold blitzguss. They
were found to have doubled in number. That does not mean that in an
instant again as many red blood corpuscles had come into existence,
but it does mean that before the cold guss one-half of them were
dozing lazily in the corners. The cold water stirred them up, forced
them into the circulation, made them travel and attend to business.
Another powerful means to promote elimination is thorough,
systematic massage. The kneading, rolling, twisting and clapping
actually squeezes the stagnant morbid matter and the waste products
out of the tissues into the circulation, to be carried off through
the venous drainage and allows the red blood with its nourishment
and fresh supply of oxygen to flood the cells and organs.
Massage is also very effective as a means of regulating the blood
supply in the system. In every chronic disease there is obstruction
or congestion in some part of the organism, causing high blood
pressure in the interior of the body and insufficient blood supply
to the external parts, especially the extremities. Massage
distributes the blood quickly and evenly.
Of great importance is osteopathy. All dislocations, luxations and
subluxations of bones and ligaments should be corrected by expert
manipulation. As a matter of fact, hardly a person can be found
today whose spine is not abnormal in one way or another, just as
there is hardly a single normal human eye [as far as iridology
markings are concerned].
Manipulative treatment adjusts the lesions of the spine and other
bony structures, thus removing abnormal pressure upon the nerves and
blood vessels and establishing a free and abundant flow of nerve and
blood currents.
Air and light baths, by stimulating the skin in a natural manner to
increased activity, also contribute to the attainment of the various
good results just described.
Next comes physical exercise. Corrective and curative movements
combined with deep breathing promote the combustion (oxidation) of
morbid materials and in this way facilitate their elimination from
the system.
Life itself is dependent upon breathing. The Life Force enters the
body with every breath we draw. Show me a man with well-developed,
full-breathing lungs, and I will show you a man with good vitality.
Last but not least among the natural methods of treating the cell in
chronic disease we mention the right mental and emotional attitude.
Fear, anxiety and all kindred emotions congeal the nerve matter and
thereby shut off the supply of nerve force. The cells and tissues
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Chapter XX
Crises
Crisis in the ordinary sense of the word means change, either for
better or for worse. In its relation to medicine, the term crisis
has been defined as a decisive change in the disease, resulting
either in recovery or in death.
We of the Nature Cure school distinguish between healing crises and
disease crises, according to the character and the tendency of the
acute reaction. If an acute disease is brought about through the
accumulation of morbid matter or the invasion of disease germs to
such an extent that the health or the life of the organism is
endangered, in other words, if the disease conditions are forcing
the crises, we speak of disease crises.
But if acute reactions take place in the system because conditions
have become more normal, because the healing forces have gained the
ascendancy and forced the acute inflammatory processes, we call them
healing crises.
Healing crises are simply different forms of elimination by means of
which Nature endeavors to remove the latent, chronic disease
encumbrance from the system. The most common forms of these acute
purifications are colds, catarrhal and hemorrhoidal discharges,
boils, ulcers, abscesses, open sores, skin eruptions, diarrheas,
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etc.
Healing crises and disease crises may seem very much alike. Patients
often tell me: I have had this before. I call it an ordinary boil
(or cold, or fever).
That may be true. The former disease crisis and the present healing
crisis may be similar in their outward manifestations. But they are
taking place under entirely different conditions.
When the organism is loaded to the danger point with morbid matter,
it may arouse itself in self-defense to an acute eliminative effort
in the shape of cold, catarrh, fever, inflammation, skin eruption,
etc. In these instances, the disease conditions bring about the
crisis and the organism is on the defensive. These are disease
crises.
Such unequal struggles between the healing forces and disease
conditions sometimes end favorably and sometimes unfavorably.
On the other hand, healing crises develop because the healing forces
are in the ascendancy and take the offensive. They are brought about
through the natural methods of living and of treatment and always
result in improved conditions.
A simple allegory may assist me in explaining the difference between
a healing crisis and a disease crisis:
For years a prizefighter holds the championship because he keeps
himself in perfect physical condition and before every contest
spends many weeks in careful training. When he faces his opponent in
the ring, he has eliminated from his organism as much waste matter
and superfluous flesh and fat as possible by a strictly regulated
diet and a great deal of hard exercise. As a consequence, he comes
off victorious in every contest and easily maintains his
superiority.
These victories in his career, like healing crises in the organism,
are the result of training and preparation.
The prizefighter in the one case and Vital Force in the other are on
the offensive from the beginning of the struggle and have the best
of the fight from start to finish.
Rendered overconfident by long-continued success, our champion
gradually permits himself to drift into a weakened physical
condition. He omits his regular training and indulges in all kinds
of dissipation.
One day, full of self-conceit and underestimating the strength of
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the apparently incurable type, our total failures are few and far
between.
If there is sufficient vitality in the body to react to natural
treatment and if the destruction of vital parts and organs has not
too far advanced, a cure is possible. Often the seemingly hopeless
cases yield the most readily.
Our success is due to the fact that we do not rely on any one method
of treatment, but combine in our work everything that is good in the
different systems of natural healing.
The Law of Crises
Everywhere in nature and in the world of men we find the Law of
Crises in evidence. This proves it to be a universal law, ruling all
cosmic relations and activities.
Wars and revolutions are the healing crises in the life of nations.
Heresies and reformations are the crises of religion. In strikes,
riots and panics, we recognize the crises of commercial life.
Staid old Mother Earth herself has in the hoary past repeatedly
changed the configurations of her continents and oceans by great
cataclysms or geological crises.
When the sultry summer air has become pregnant with poisonous vapors
and miasmas, atmospheric crises, such as rainstorms, thunder,
lightning and electric storms, cool and purify the air and charge it
anew with life-giving ozone. In like manner will healing crises
purify the disease-laden bodies of men.
Emanuel Swedenborg gives us a wonderful description of the Law of
Crises in its relationship to the regeneration of the soul. We quote
from the chapter in which he describes the working of this law,
entitled, Regeneration Is Effected by Combats in Temptation.
They who have not been instructed concerning the regeneration of
man think that man can be regenerated without temptation. But it is
to be known that no one is regenerated without temptation; and that
many temptations succeed, one after another. The reason is that
regeneration is effected for an end, in order that the life of the
old man may die, and the new life which is heavenly be insinuated.
It is evident, therefore, that there must be a conflict [healing
crisis authors note ]; for the life of the old man resists and
determines not to be extinguished; and the life of the new man can
only enter where the life of the old is extinct.
Whoever thinks from an enlightened rationale, may see and perceive
from this that a man cannot be regenerated without combat, that is,
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Chapter XXI
Periodicity
In many forms of acute disease, crises develop with marked
regularity and in well-defined periodicity. This phenomenon has been
observed and described by many physicians.
It is not so well known, however, that in the cure of chronic
diseases also, crises develop in accordance with certain laws of
periodicity.
Periodicity is governed by the Septimal Law or Law of Sevens, which
seems to be the basic law governing the vibratory activities of the
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planetary universe.
The harmonics of heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism and of
atomic structure and arrangement run in scales of seven.
The Law of Sevens governs the days of the week, the phases of the
moon and the menstrual periods of the woman. Every observing
physician is aware of its influence on feverish, nervous and psychic
diseases.
The Law of Sevens dominates the life of individuals and of nations
and of everything that lives and has periods of birth, growth,
fruitage and decline.
Over two thousand years ago Pythagoras and Hippocrates distinctly
recognized and proclaimed the Law of Crises in its bearing on the
cure of chronic diseases. They taught that alternating, well-defined
periods of improvement and of crises were determined and governed by
the law of periodicity and by the law of numbers (the Septimal Law).
The following quotations are taken from the Encyclopedia
Britannica, Vol. XV, p. 800:
But this artistic completeness was closely connected with the
third cardinal virtue of Hippocratic medicinethe clear
recognition of disease as being equally with life a process governed
by what we should now call natural laws, which could be known by
observation and which indicated the spontaneous and normal direction
of recovery, by following which alone could the physician succeed.
Another Hippocratic doctrine, the influence of which is not even
yet exhausted, is that of the healing power of Nature. Not that
Hippocrates taught, as he was afterwards reproached with teaching,
that Nature is sufficient for the cure of diseases; for he held
strongly the efficacy of art. But he recognized, at least in acute
diseases, a natural process which the humours went throughbeing
first of all crude, then passing through coction or digestion, and
finally being expelled by resolution or crisis through one of the
natural channels of the body. The duty of the physician was to
foresee these changes, to assist or not to hinder them, so that
the sick man might conquer the disease with the help of the
physician. The times at which crises were to be expected were
naturally looked for with anxiety; and it was a cardinal point in
the Hippocratic system to foretell them with precision. Hippocrates,
influenced as is thought by the Pythagorean doctrine of numbers,
taught that they were to be expected on days fixed by certain
numerical rules, in some cases on odd, in others on even
numbersthe celebrated doctrine of critical days. It follows from
what has been said that prognosis, or the art of foretelling the
course and event of the disease, was a strong point with the
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brought them in contact with the Nature Cure philosophy and showed
them the necessity of complying with the laws of their being, they
now look upon the former evil as the greatest blessing in their
lives, because it taught them how to become the masters of fate
instead of remaining the plaything of Natures destructive forces.
Why should we fear even the greatest of all crises, physical death,
when it, also, is only the gateway to a larger life, greater
opportunities and more beautiful surroundings? Why should we mourn
and grieve over the death of friends and relatives, when they have
only emigrated to another, better country?
Suppose we ourselves had to enter upon the great journey today or
tomorrow, shouldnt we be glad to meet some of our friends on the
other side and to be welcomed, advised and guided by them in the new
surroundings?
Therefore we should not fear, nor endeavor to avoid the crises in
any and all domains of life and action, but meet them and cooperate
with them fearlessly and intelligently. They then will always make
for greater opportunity and higher accomplishment.
The Law of Sevens Applied to Individual Life
Applied to the life of the individual, the Law of Periodicity
manifests itself as follows:
Human life on the earth plane is divided into periods of seven
years. The first seven years represent the period of infancy. With
the next seven, the years of childhood, begins individual
responsibility, the conscious discernment between right and wrong.
The third group comprises the years of adolescence; the fourth marks
the attainment of full growth. Nearly all civilized countries take
cognizance of this fact by fixing the legal age at twenty-one.
The twenty-eighth year, the beginning of the fifth period, is
another milestone along the road to development.
The sixth period, beginning at the age of thirty-five and ending at
forty-two, is marked by reactions, changes and crises. It may,
therefore, seem an unlucky period; but if we understand the law and
comply with it, we shall be better and stronger in every way after
we have passed this period.
During the seventh period, the effects of the sixth or crises period
continue and adjust themselves. It is a period of reconstruction, of
recuperation and rest, and thus the best preparation for a new cycle
of sevens which begins with the fiftieth year.
Those who are interested in the Law of Periodicity as applied to
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weak spots and morbid taints in the organism are revealed through
the healing crises.
The Same Old Aches and Pains
Frequently we hear from a patient in the throes of crises: These
are the same old aches and pains that I had before. It is exactly
the same trouble I have been suffering with for many years. This is
not a crisis!I have caught a cold, or I have eaten something which
does not agree with me.
The patient has forgotten what we taught him regarding the Law of
Crises. He loses sight of the fact that healing crises are nothing
more or less than a coming-up-again of old disease conditions, an
acute manifestation of ailments which had become chronic through
neglect or suppression.
Of course they are the same old aches and pains. Nature Cure does
not create new diseases. Crises mean the stirring up and eliminating
of hereditary and acquired taints and poisons. Under the right
methods of treatment, any previous disease condition suppressed by
drugs or knife or by mental effort may recur as a healing crisis.
They are the same old aches and pains which so often gave trouble in
the past, but they are now running their course under different
conditions because the patient is now living in harmony with
Natures Laws.
Under the natural regimen, Nature is encouraged and assisted in her
cleansing and healing efforts. She is allowed in her own wise way to
tear down the old and build up the new.
The Old Schools of healing proclaim Mother Nature a poor healer.
But we of the Nature Cure school believe that the wisdom which
created this wonderful, complex mechanism which we call the human
body knows also how to preserve and to repair it. Every healing
crisis passed under natural conditions assisted by natural methods
of treatment leaves the body purified and strengthened and nearer to
perfect health.
Our critics and opponents frequently ask us how we know that our
methods are natural and in harmony with Natures laws.
To this we reply: The timely appearance of healing crises, their
orderly development and favorable termination constitute the best
criterion of the correctness and naturalness of the methods of
treatment employed. The prompt arrival and beneficial results of
acute reactions are a certain indication that the healing forces of
the organism are in the ascendancy and that the treatment is in
conformity with the natural laws of cure and with the constructive
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principle in Nature.
Another question sometimes asked of us is: Do healing crises
develop in every chronic disease under natural treatment? Our
answer is: If the condition of the patient is not favorable to a
cure, that is, if the vitality is too low and the destruction of
vital parts too far advanced, the healing crises may be
proportionately delayed or may not occur at all. In such cases the
disease symptoms will increase in severity and complexity and become
more destructive instead of more constructive, until the final fatal
crisis. The end may come quickly, or the patient may decline
gradually toward the fatal termination.
Again, patients ask us: Through how many crises shall I have to
pass? We tell them: Just as many as you need; no more, no less. So
long as there is anything wrong in the system, crises will come and
go; but each crisis, if successfully passed, is another milestone on
the road to perfect health.
It is intensely interesting to observe how orderly and intelligently
Nature proceeds in her work of healing and repair. One problem after
another is taken up and adjusted.
First of all, the digestive organs are put into better condition,
because further progress depends upon proper assimilation and
elimination. The bowels must act freely and naturally before any
permanent improvement can take place. A treatment which fails to
accomplish this first preliminary improvement will surely fail to
produce more important results.
In this connection it is a significant fact that nearly all our
patients, when they come under our care, are suffering from very
stubborn constipation in spite of (or possibly on account of)
lifelong drugging. Neither medicines nor operations had given them
anything but temporary relief and the trouble had grown worse
instead of better.
If the Old School methods of treatment were not successful in
relieving simple constipation, what else can they be expected to
cure, since the overcoming of constipation is evidently the primary
necessity for any other improvement?
A system of treatment which cannot accomplish this cannot accomplish
anything else. It is strange, therefore, that a school of medicine
which has not succeeded, with all its vaunted knowledge and wisdom,
to cure simple constipation, flatly denies that natural methods can
cure cancer, epilepsy, locomotor ataxy and other so-called incurable
diseases.
Our Greatest Difficulty
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Chapter XXII
What About The Chronic? It Takes So Long
Yes, Nature Cure is all right, but it takes so long. Now and then
we hear this or a similar remark. Our answer is: No, it does not
take long. It is the swiftest cure in existence.
The trouble is that, as a rule, we have to deal with none but the
most advanced cases of so-called incurable diseases. People go to
the Nature Cure physician only after all other methods of treatment
have been tried and found of no avail.
As long as there remains a particle of faith in the medicine bottle,
the knife or the metaphysical formula of the mind healer, people
prefer these easy methods, which require no effort on their part, to
the Nature Cure treatment, which necessitates personal exertion,
self-control, the changing or giving up of cherished habits. This,
however, is what most of us evade as long as we can. Exercise, the
cold blitzguss, no red meat, no coffee?Id rather die!
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Chapter XXIII
The Treatment of Chronic Diseases
Let us now consider the best methods for producing the healing
crises referred to in the preceding chapters, that is, the best
methods for treating the chronic forms of disease.
We found that acute diseases represent Natures efforts to purify
and regenerate the human organism by means of inflammatory feverish
processes, while in the chronic condition the system is not capable
of arousing itself to such acute reactions. The treatment must
differ accordingly.
The Nature Cure treatment of acute diseases tends to relieve inner
congestion, to facilitate the radiation of heat and the elimination
of morbid matter and systemic poisons from the body. In this way it
eases and palliates the feverish processes and keeps them below the
danger point without in any way checking or suppressing them.
While our methods of treating acute diseases have a sedative effect,
our treatment of chronic diseases is calculated to stimulate, that
is, to arouse the sluggish organism to greater activity in order to
produce the acute inflammatory reactions or healing crises.
If the unity of diseases as demonstrated in a previous chapter is a
fact in Nature, it must be possible to treat all chronic as well as
all acute diseases by uniform methods, and the natural remedies must
correspond to the primary causes of disease.
The Natural Methods of Treatment
Natural methods of treatment may be divided into two groups:
Those which the patient can apply himself, provided he has been
properly instructed in their correct selection, combination and
application. Those which must be applied by a competent Nature Cure
physician.
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To the first group belong diet (fasting), bathing and other water
applications, correct breathing, general physical exercise,
corrective gymnastics, air and sun baths, mental therapeutics.
To the second group belong special applications of the methods
mentioned under group 1, and in addition to these hydropathy,
massage, manipulation, medical treatment in the form of homeopathic
medicines, nonpoisonous herb extracts and the vitochemical remedies,
and most important of all, the right management of healing crises
which develop under the natural treatment of chronic diseases.
Diagnosis
Correct diagnosis is the first essential to rational treatment.
Every honest physician admits that the Old School methods of
diagnosis are, to say the least, unsatisfactory and uncertain,
especially in ascertaining the underlying causes of disease.
Therefore we should welcome any and all methods of diagnosis which
throw more light on the causes and the nature of disease conditions
in the human organism.
Two valuable additions to diagnostic science are now offered to us
in osteopathy and in the Diagnosis from the Eye.
Osteopathy furnishes valuable information concerning the connection
between disease conditions and misplacements of vertebrae and other
bony structures, contractions or abnormal relaxation of muscles and
ligaments, and inflammation of nerves and nerve centers.
The Diagnosis from the Eye is as yet a new science, and much remains
to be discovered and to be better explained. We do not claim that
Natures records in the eye disclose all the details of pathological
tendencies and changes, but they do reveal many disease conditions,
hereditary and acquired, that cannot be ascertained by any other
methods of diagnosis.
Omitting consideration of everything that is at present speculative
and uncertain, we are justified in making the following statements:
The eye is not only, as the ancients said, the mirror of the soul,
but it also reveals abnormal conditions and changes in every part
and organ of the body. Every organ and part of the body is
represented in the iris of the eye in a well-defined area. The iris
of the eye contains an immense number of minute nerve filaments,
which through the optic nerves, the optic brain centers and the
spinal cord are connected with and receive impressions from every
nerve in the body. The nerve filaments, muscle fibers and minute
blood vessels in the different areas of the iris reproduce the
changing conditions in the corresponding parts or organs. By means
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Chapter XXIV
Vitality
In Chapter Four, we named, as the first of the primary causes of
disease, lowered vitality.
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much coal will dampen and extinguish the fire in the furnace.
Furthermore, the morbid materials and systemic poisons produced by
impure, unsuitable or wrongly combined foods will clog the cells and
tissues of the body, cause unnecessary friction and obstruct the
inflow and the operations of the vital energies, just as dust in a
watch will clog and impede the movements of its mechanism.
The greatest artist living cannot draw harmonious sounds from the
strings of the finest Stradivarius if the body of the violin is
filled with dust and rubbish. Likewise, the life force cannot act
perfectly in a body filled with morbid encumbrances.
The human organism is capable of liberating and manifesting daily a
limited quantity of vital force, just as a certain amount of capital
in the bank will yield a specified sum of interest in a given time.
If more than the available interest be withdrawn, the capital in the
bank will be decreased and gradually exhausted.
Similarly, if we spend more than our daily allowance of vital force,
nervous bankruptcy, that is, nervous prostration or neurasthenia
will be the result.
It is the duty of the physician to regulate the expenditure of vital
force according to the income. He must stop all leaks and guard
against wastefulness.
Stimulation by Paralysis
This heading may seem paradoxical, but it is borne out by fact.
Stimulants are poison to the system. Few people realize that their
exhilarating and apparently tonic effects are produced by the
paralysis of an important part of the nervous system.
If, as we have learned, wholesome food and drink in themselves do
not contain and therefore cannot convey life force to the human
body, much less can this be accomplished by stimulants.
The human body has many correspondences with a watch. Both have a
motor or driving mechanism and an inhibitory or restraining
apparatus.
If it were not for the inhibiting balances, the wound watchspring
would run off and spend its force in a few moments. The expenditure
of the latent force in the wound spring must be regulated by the
inhibitory and balancing mechanism of the timepiece.
Similarly, the nervous system in the animal and human organism
consists of two main divisions: the motor or driving and the
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Chapter XXV
Natural Dietetics
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Producers of
Heat and
Energy
VEGETABLES: Melons, beets, sorghum. FRUITS: Bananas, dates, figs,
grapes, raisins. DAIRY PRODUCTS: Milk. NATURAL SUGARS: Honey,
maple
sugar. COMMERCIAL SUGARS: White sugar, syrup, glucose, candy. NUTS:
Cocoanuts.
GROUP III
Hydrocarbons
Fats and
Oils
Carbon
Oxygen
Hydrogen
Producers of
Heat and
Energy
FRUITS: Olives. DAIRY PRODUCTS: Cream, butter, cheese. NUTS:
Peanuts, almonds, walnuts, cocoanuts, Brazil nuts, pecans,
pignolias, etc. COMMERCIAL FATS: Olive oil, peanut oil, peanut
butter, vegetable-cooking oils. THE YOKES OF EGGS
GROUP IV
Proteids
Albumen
(white of egg)
Gluten
(grains)
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Myosin
(lean meat)
Carbon
Oxygen
Hydrogen
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Sulphur
Producers of Heat and Energy;
Building Materials for Cells and Tissues
CEREALS: The outer, dark parts of wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley,
buckwheat, and rice. VEGETABLES: The legumes (peas, beans, lentils),
mushrooms. NUTS: Cocoanuts, chestnuts, peanuts, pignolias (pine
nuts), hickorynuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, etc. DAIRY PRODUCTS:
Milk, cheese. MEATS: Muscular parts of animals, fish, and fowls.
GROUP V
Organic Minerals
Organic
Mineral
Elements
Sodium
Na
Ferrum (Iron)
Fe
Calcium (Lime)
Ca
Potassium
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K
Magnesium
Mg
Manganese
Mn
Silicon
Si
Chlorine
Cl
Flourine
Fl
Eliminators:
Bone, Blood, and Nerve
Builders;
Antiseptics:
Blood Purifiers;
Laxitives;
Cholagogues;
Producers of
Electro-magnetic Energies
THE RED BLOOD OF ANIMALS. CEREALS: The hulls and outer, dark
layers
of grains and rice. VEGETABLES: Lettuce, spinach, cabbage, green
peppers, watercress, celery, onions, asparagus, cauliflower,
tomatoes, string-beans, fresh peas, parsley, cucumbers, radishes,
savoy, horseradish, dandelion, beets, carrots, turnips, eggplant,
kohlrabi, oysterplant, artichokes, leek, rosekale (Brussels
sprouts), parsnips, pumpkins, squashes, sorghum. FRUITS: Apples,
pears, peaches, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, plums, prunes,
apricots, cherries, olives. BERRIES: Strawberries, huckleberries,
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With very few exceptions, every one of our patients (and we have in
our institution as fine a collection of dyspeptics as can be found
anywhere) heartily enjoys our mixed dietary and is greatly benefited
by it.
Mixing Starches and Acid Fruits
Occasionally we find that one or another of our patients cannot eat
starchy foods and acid fruits at the same meal without experiencing
digestive disturbances. Whenever this is the case, it is best to
take with bread or cereals only sweet, alkaline fruits such as
prunes, figs, dates, raisins, or, in their season, watermelons and
cantaloupes or the alkaline vegetables such as radishes, lettuce,
onions, cabbage slaw, etc. The acid and subacid fruits should then
be taken between those meals which consist largely of starchy foods.
A Word About the Milk Diet
When we explain that the natural diet is based upon the chemical
composition of milk because milk is the only perfect natural food
combination in existence, the question comes up: Why, then, not
live on milk entirely? To this we reply: While milk is the natural
food for the newborn and growing infant, it is not natural for the
adult. The digestive apparatus of the infant is especially adapted
to the digestion of milk, while that of the adult requires more
solid and bulky food.
Milk is a very beneficial article of diet in all acid diseases,
because it contains comparatively low percentages of carbohydrates
and proteins and large amounts of organic salts.
However, not everybody can use milk as a food or medicine. In many
instances it causes biliousness, fermentation and constipation.
In cases where it is easily digested, a straight milk diet often
proves very beneficial. As a rule, however, it is better to take
fruits or vegetable salads with the milk.
Directly with milk may be taken any sweetish, alkaline fruits such
as melons, sweet pears, etc., or the dried fruits, such as prunes,
dates, figs, and raisins, also vegetable salads. With the latter, if
taken together with milk, little or no lemon juice should be used.
All acid and subacid fruits should be taken between the milk meals.
A patient on a milk diet may take from one to five quarts of milk
daily, according to his capacity to digest it. This quantity may be
distributed over the day after the following plan:
Breakfast: One to three pints of milk, sipped slowly with any of the
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clearing the complexion. The water in which prunes or figs have been
cooked should be taken freely to remedy constipation.
As a practical illustration, I shall describe briefly the daily
dietary regimen as it is followed in our sanitarium work.
Breakfast consists of juicy fruits, raw, baked or stewed, a cereal
(whole wheat steamed, cracked wheat, shredded wheat, corn flakes,
oat meal, etc.), and our health bread with butter, cottage cheese or
honey. Nuts of various kinds, as well as figs, dates, or raisins,
are always on the table. To those of our patients who desire a
drink, we serve milk, buttermilk or cereal coffee.
Twice a week we serve eggs, preferably raw, soft boiled or poached.
Luncheon is served at noontime and is composed altogether of acid
and subacid fruits, vegetable salads or both. We have found by
experience that, by having one meal consist entirely of fruits and
vegetables, the medicinal properties of these foods have a chance to
act on the system without interference by starchy and protein food
elements.
Dinner is served to our patients between five and six. The items of
the daily menu comprise relishes, such as radishes, celery, olives,
young onions, raw carrots, etc., soup, one or two cooked vegetables,
potatoes, preferably boiled or baked in their skins, and a dessert
consisting of either a fruit combination or a pudding.
We serve soup three times a week only, because we believe that a
large amount of fluid of any kind taken into the system at meal time
dilutes and thereby weakens the digestive juices. For this reason it
is well to masticate with the soup some bread or crackers or some
vegetable relish.
As drinks we serve to those who desire it water, milk or buttermilk.
Prunes or figs, stewed or raw, are served at every meal to those who
require a specially laxative diet.
Chapter XXVI
Acid Diseases
The origin, progressive development and cure of acid diseases are
very much the same whether they manifest as rheumatism,
arteriosclerosis, stones (calculi), gravel, diabetes, Brights
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instance is: Your nerves are weak and overwrought. You need plenty
of good, nourishing food (broths, meat and eggs), and a good
tonic.
The remedies prescribed by the doctor are the very things which
caused the trouble in the first place.
As stated before, uric acid is undoubtedly one of the most common
causes of disease and therefore deserves especial attention. Through
the study of its peculiar behavior under different circumstances and
influences, the cause, nature and development of all acid diseases
will become clearer.
Like urea, uric acid is one of the end products of protein
digestion. It is formed in much smaller quantities than urea, in
proportion of about one to fifty, but the latter is more easily
eliminated from the system through kidneys and skin.
The principal ingredient in the formation of uric acid is nitrogen,
one of the six elements which enter into all proteid or albuminous
food materials, also called nitrogenous foods. Uric acid, as one of
the by-products of digestion, is therefore always present in the
blood and, in moderate quantities, serves useful purposes in the
economy of the human and animal organism like the other waste
materials. It becomes a source of irritation and cause of disease
only when it is present in the circulation or in the tissues in
excessive amounts.
How Uric Acid Is Precipitated
The alkaline blood takes up the uric acid, dissolves it and holds it
in solution in the circulation until it is carried to the organs of
depuration and eliminated in perspiration and urine. If, however,
through the excessive use of nitrogenous foods or defective
elimination, the amount of uric acid in the system is increased
beyond a certain limit, the blood loses its power to dissolve it and
it forms a sticky, glue-like, colloid substance, which occludes or
blocks up the minute blood vessels (capillaries), so that the blood
cannot pass readily from the arterial system into the venous
circulation.
This interference with the free passing of the blood is greater in
proportion to the distance from the heart, because the farther from
the heart, the less the force behind the circulation. Therefore we
find that slowing up of the blood currents, whether due to uric acid
occlusion or any other cause, is more pronounced in the surface of
the body and in the extremities than in the interior parts and
organs.
This occlusion of the surface circulation can be easily observed and
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brain.
In individuals of different constitutions, accumulations of uric
acid, xanthines, oxalates of calcium and various other earthy
substances form stones, gravel or sandy deposits in the kidneys, the
gall bladder and in other parts and organs.
The diseases caused by permanent deposits of uric acid in the
tissues are called arthritic diseases, because the accumulations
frequently occur in the joints.
Thus we distinguish two distinct stages of uric acid diseases: the
collaemic stage, marked by an excess of uric acid in the circulation
and resulting in occlusion of the capillary blood vessels, and the
arthritic stage, marked by permanent deposits of uric acid and other
earthy substances in the tissues of the body.
During the prevalence of the collaemic symptoms, that is, when the
circulation is saturated with uric acid, the urine is also highly
acid. When precipitation of the acid materials from the blood into
the tissues has taken place, the amount of acid in the urine
decreases materially.
I have repeatedly stated that xanthines have the same effect upon
the system as uric acid. Caffeine and theobromine, the narcotic
principles of coffee and tea, are xanthines; and so is the nicotine
contained in tobacco. Peas, beans, lentils, mushrooms and peanuts,
besides being very rich in uric acid-producing proteins, carry also
large percentages of xanthines, which are chemically almost
identical with uric acid and have a similar effect upon the organism
and its functions.
From what has been said, it becomes clear why the meat-eater craves
alcohol and xanthines. When by the taking of flesh foods the blood
has become saturated with uric acid and the annoying symptoms of
collaemia make their appearance in the forms of lassitude, headache
and nervous depression, then alcohol and the xanthines contained in
coffee, tea and tobacco will cause the precipitation of the acids
from the circulation into the tissues of the body, and thus
temporarily relieve the collaemic symptoms and create a feeling of
well-being and stimulation.
Gradually, however, the blood regains its alkalinity and its
acid-dissolving power and enough of the acid deposits are reabsorbed
by the circulation to cause a return of the symptoms of collaemia.
Then arises a craving for more alcohol, coffee, tea, nicotine or
xanthine-producing foods in order to again obtain temporary relief
and stimulation, and so on, ad infinitum.
The person addicted to the use of stimulants is never himself. His
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homeopathic medication.
Chapter XXVII
Fasting
Next in importance to building up the blood on a natural basis is
the elimination of waste, morbid matter and poisons from the system.
This depends to a large extent upon the right (natural) diet; but it
must be promoted by the different methods of eliminative treatment:
fasting, hydrotherapy, massage, physical exercise, air-and sunbaths
and, in the way of medicinal treatment, by homeopathic, herb and
vitochemical remedies.
Foremost among the methods of purification stands fasting, which of
late years has become quite popular and is regarded by many people
as a panacea for all human ailments. However, it is a two-edged
sword. According to circumstances, it may do a great deal of good or
a great deal of harm.
Kuhne, the German pioneer of Nature Cure, claimed that disease is a
unit, that it consists in the accumulation of waste and morbid
matter in the system. Since his time, many naturists claim that
fasting offers the best and quickest means for eliminating systemic
poisons and other encumbrances.
To fast it out seems simple and plausible, but it does not always
prove to be successful in practice. Fasting enthusiasts forget that
the elimination of waste and morbid matter from the system is more
of a chemical than a mechanical process. They also overlook the fact
that in many cases lowered vitality and weakened powers of
resistance precede and make possible the accumulation of morbid
matter in the organism.
If the encumbrances consist merely of superfluous flesh and fat or
of accumulated waste materials, fasting may be sufficient to break
up the accumulations and to eliminate the impurities that are
clogging blood and tissues.
If, however, the disease has its origin in other than mechanical
causes, or if it is due to a weakened, negative constitution and
lowered powers of resistance, fasting may aggravate the abnormal
conditions instead of improving them.
We hear frequently of long fasts, extending over days and weeks,
undertaken recklessly without the prescription and guidance of a
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Stones, gravel (calculi), etc., grow in acid blood only, and must be
dissolved and eliminated by rendering the blood alkaline. This is
accomplished by the absorption of the alkaline salts, contained most
abundantly in the juicy fruits, the leafy and juicy vegetables, the
hulls of cereals and in milk.
How, then, are these all-important solvents and eliminators to be
supplied to the organism by total abstinence from food?
Prolonged fasting undoubtedly lowers the patients vitality and
powers of resistance. But natural elimination of waste products and
systemic poisons (healing crises) depends upon increased vitality
and activity of the organism and the individual cells that compose
it.
For these reasons we find, in most cases, that proper adjustment of
the diet, both as to quality and quantity, together with the
different forms of natural corrective and stimulative treatment,
must precede the fasting.
The great majority of chronic patients have become chronics because
their skin, kidneys, intestines and other organs of elimination are
in a sluggish, atrophied condition. As a result, their system is
overloaded with morbid matter.
Moreover, during the fast the system has to live on its own tissues,
which are being broken down rapidly. This results in the production
and liberation of additional large quantities of morbid matter and
poisons, which must be eliminated promptly to prevent their
reabsorption.
However, the atrophic condition of the organs of elimination makes
this impossible and there are not enough alkaline mineral elements
to neutralize the destructive acids. Therefore the impurities remain
and accumulate in the system and may cause serious aggravations and
complications.
Is it not wiser first of all to build up the blood on a normal basis
by natural diet and to put the organs of elimination in good working
order by the natural methods of treatment before fasting is
enforced? This is, indeed, the only rational procedure and will
always be followed by the best possible results.
When, under the influence of a rational diet, the blood has regained
its normal composition, when mechanical obstructions to the free
flow of blood and nerve currents have been removed by manipulative
treatment, when skin, kidneys, bowels, nerves and nerve centers, in
fact, every cell in the body has been stimulated into vigorous
activity by the various methods of natural treatment, then the cells
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Chapter XXVIII
Hydrotherapy Treatment of Chronic Disease
While in our treatment of acute diseases we use wet packs and cold
ablutions to promote the radiation of heat and thereby to reduce the
fever temperature, our aim in the treatment of chronic diseases is
to arouse the system to acute eliminative effort. In other words,
while in acute disease our hydropathic treatment is sedative, in
chronic diseases it is stimulative.
The Good Effects of Cold-Water Applications
(1) Stimulation of the Circulation. As before stated, cold water
applied to the surface of the body arouses and stimulates the
circulation all over the system. Blood counts before and after a
cold-water application show a very marked increase in the number of
red and white blood corpuscles. This does not mean that the cold
water has in a moment created new blood cells, but it means that the
blood has been stirred up and sent hurrying through the system, that
the lazy blood cells which were lying inactively in the sluggish and
stagnant blood stream and in the clogged and obstructed tissues are
aroused to increased activity.
Undoubtedly, the invigorating and stimulating influence of cold
sprays, ablutions, sitz baths, barefoot walking in the dewy grass or
on wet stones and all other cold-water applications depends largely
upon their electromagnetic effects upon the system. This has been
explained in Chapter Ten, Natural Treatment of Acute Diseases.
(2) Elimination of Impurities. As the cold water drives the blood
with increased force through the system, it flushes the capillaries
in the tissues and cleanses them from the accumulations of morbid
matter and poisons which are one of the primary causes of acute and
chronic diseases.
As the blood rushes back to the surface it suffuses the skin, opens
and relaxes the pores and the minute blood vessels or capillaries
and thus unloads its impurities through the skin.
Why We Favor Cold Water
In the treatment of chronic diseases some advocates of natural
methods of healing still favor warm or hot applications in the form
of hot-water baths, different kinds of steam or sweat baths,
electric light baths, hot compresses, fomentations, etc.
However, the great majority of Nature Cure practitioners in Germany
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Dry with a coarse towel, then rub and pat the skin with the hands
for a few minutes.
The duration of the hip bath and the temperature of the water must
be adapted to individual conditions. Until you are accustomed to
cold water, use water as cool as can be borne without discomfort.
(11) The Morning Cold Rub
The essentials for a cold rub, and in fact for every cold-water
treatment, are warmth of the body before the application, coolness
of the water (natural temperature), rapidity of action and friction
or exercise to stimulate the circulation. No cold-water treatment
should be taken when the body is in a chilled condition.
Directly from the warmth of the bed, or after sunbath and exercise
have produced a pleasant glow, go to the bathroom, sit in the empty
tub with the stopper in place, turn on the cold water, and as it
flows into the tub, catch it in the hollow of the hands and wash
first the limbs, then the abdomen, then chest and back. Throw the
water all over the body and rub the skin with the hands like you
wash your face.
Do this quickly but thoroughly. The entire procedure need not take
up more than a few minutes. By the time the bath is finished, there
may be from two to four inches of water in the tub. Use a towel or
brush for the back if you cannot reach it otherwise.
As long as there is a good reaction, the cold rub may be taken in
an unheated bathroom even in cold weather.
After the bath, dry the body quickly with a coarse towel and finish
by rubbing with the hands until the skin is dry and smooth and you
are aglow with the exercise, or expose the wet body to the fresh air
before an open window and rub with the hands until dry and warm.
A bath taken in this manner combines the beneficial effects of cold
water, air, exercise and the magnetic friction of the hands on the
body (life on life). No lifeless instrument or mechanical appliance
can equal the dexterity, warmth and magnetism of the human hand.
The bath must be so conducted that it is followed by a feeling of
warmth and comfort. Some persons will be benefited by additional
exercise or, better still, a brisk walk in the open air, while
others will get better results by returning to the warmth of the
bed.
There is no better means for stimulating the general circulation and
for increasing the eliminative activities of the system than this
cold morning rub at the beginning of the day after the nights rest.
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and press the cup securely against the eye; then bend backward and
open and shut the lid a number of times.
Many ailments of the eyes, for instance, the much-dreaded cataract,
are caused by defective circulation and the accumulation of
impurities and poisons in the system in general and in the mechanism
of the eyes in particular. All such cases yield readily to our
combination of natural methods of treatment, such as water
applications, massage and special exercises, combined with the
general Nature Cure regimen.
In a large number of cases treated in our sanitarium, patients who
had worn glasses for years were able to discard them. Weakened
eyesight and many serious so-called incurable affections of the eye,
including cataract and glaucoma, have been permanently cured.
Chapter XXIX
Air and Light Baths
Even among the adherents of Nature Cure there are those who think
that air and light baths should be taken out of doors in warm
weather only and in winter time only in well-heated rooms.
This is a mistake. The effect of the air bath upon the organism is
subject to the same Law of Action and Reaction which governs the
effects of water applications.
If the temperature of air or water is the same or nearly the same as
that of the body, no reaction takes place, the conditions within the
system remain the same. But if the temperature of air or water is
considerably lower than the body temperature there will be a
reaction.
In order to react against the chilling effect of cold air or water,
the nerve centers which control the circulation send the blood to
the surface in large quantities, flushing the skin with warm, red,
arterial blood. The flow of the blood stream is greatly accelerated,
and the elimination of morbid matter on the surface of the body is
correspondingly increased.
What Is the Cause of Poor Skin Action?
Man is naturally an air animal. He breathes with the pores of the
skin as well as with the lungs. However, the custom of hiding the
body under dense, heavy clothing, thus excluding it from the
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rich in oxygen and ozone, that generates the electric and magnetic
currents which are so stimulating and vitalizing to everything that
draws the breath of life.
This is being realized more and more, and air-bath facilities will
in the near future be considered as indispensable in the modern,
up-to-date house as is now the bathroom.
We predict that before many years the roofs of apartment houses will
be utilized for this purpose and people will wonder how they ever
got along without the air bath.
Our sanitarium has two large enclosures on its roof, open above and
surrounded on all sides by wooden lattice work, which allows the air
to circulate freely, but excludes observation from neighboring roofs
and windows and the streets below. One compartment is for men and
one for women, each provided with gymnastic apparatus and a separate
spray room.
How Air Baths Should Be Taken
At first expose the nude body to cool air only for short periods at
a time, until the skin becomes inured to it.
Likewise, unless you are well used to the sun, take air baths of
short duration, say from ten to twenty minutes, until your skin and
your nervous system have become accustomed to the influence of heat
and strong light. Prolonged exposure to the glaring rays of the
noonday sun might produce severe burning of the skin, aside from a
possible harmful effect upon the nervous system.
The novice should protect head and eyes against the fierce rays of
sunlight. This is best accomplished by means of a wide-brimmed straw
hat of light weight. In cases where dizziness results from the
effect of the heat upon the brain, a wet cloth may be swathed around
the head or placed inside a straw hat.
It will be found very pleasurable and invigorating to take a cold
shower or spray off and on during the sun bath and to allow the air
to dry the body. This will also increase its electromagnetic effects
upon the system.
The Friction Bath
While taking the air bath, the skin may be rubbed or brushed with a
rough towel or a flesh brush in order to remove the excretions and
the atrophied cuticle. The friction bath should always be followed
by a spray or a cold-water rub.
At the time of the air bath, practice breathing exercises and the
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Chapter XXX
Correct Breathing
The lungs are to the body what the bellows are to the fires of the
forge. The more regularly and vigorously the air is forced through
the bellows and through the lungs, the livelier burns the flame in
the smithy and the fires of life in the body.
Practice deep, regular breathing systematically for one week, and
you will be surprised at the results. You will feel like a different
person, and your working capacity, both physically and mentally,
will be immensely increased.
A plentiful supply of fresh air is more necessary than food and
drink. We can live without food for weeks, without water for days,
but without air only a few minutes.
The Process of Breathing
With every inhalation, air is sucked in through the windpipe or
trachea, which terminates in two tubes called bronchi, one leading
to the right lung, one to the left. The air is then distributed over
the lungs through a network of minute tubes, to the air cells, which
are separated by only a thin membrane from equally fine and minute
blood vessels forming another network of tubes.
The oxygen contained in the inhaled air passes freely through these
membranes, is absorbed by the blood, carried to the heart and thence
through the arteries and their branches to the different organs and
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tissues of the body, fanning the fires of life into brighter flame
all along its course and burning up the waste products and poisons
that have accumulated during the vital processes of digestion,
assimilation and elimination.
After the blood has unloaded its supply of oxygen, it takes up the
carbonic acid gas which is produced during the oxidation and
combustion of waste matter and carries it to the lungs, where the
poisonous gases are transferred to the air cells and expelled with
the exhaled breath. This return trip of the blood to the lungs is
made through another set of blood vessels, the veins, and the blood,
dark with the sewage of the system, is now called venous blood.
In the lungs the venous blood discharges its freight of
excrementitious poisons and gases, and by coming in contact with
fresh air and a new supply of oxygen, it is again transformed into
bright, red arterial blood, pregnant with oxygen and ozone, the
life-sustaining elements of the atmosphere.
This explains why normal, deep, regular breathing is all-important
to sustain life and as a means of cure. By proper breathing, which
exercises and develops every part of the lungs, the capacity of the
air cells is increased. This, as we have learned, means also an
increased supply of life-sustaining and health-promoting oxygen to
the tissues and organs of the body.
Bad Effects of Shallow Breathing
Very few people breathe correctly. Some, especially women, with
tight skirtbands and corsets pressing on their vital organs, use
only the upper part of their lungs. Others breathe only with the
lower part and with the diaphragm, leaving the upper structures of
the lungs inactive and collapsed.
In those parts of the lungs that are not used, slimy secretions
accumulate, irritating the air cells and other tissues, which become
inflamed and begin to decay. Thus a luxuriant soil is prepared for
the tubercle bacillus, the pneumococcus and other disease-producing
bacilli and germs.
This habit of shallow breathing, which does not allow the lungs to
be thoroughly permeated with fresh air, accounts in a measure for
the fact that one-third of all deaths result from diseases of the
lungs. To one individual perishing from food starvation, thousands
are dying from oxygen starvation.
Lung culture is more important than other branches of learning and
training which require more time and a greater outlay of time, money
and effort. In the Nature Cure regimen, breathing exercises play an
important part.
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Breathing Exercises
General Directions
The effectiveness of breathing exercises and of all other kinds of
corrective movements depends upon the mental attitude during the
time of practice. Each motion should be accompanied by the conscious
effort to make it produce a certain result. Much more can be
accomplished with mental concentration, by keeping your mind on what
you are doing, than by performing the exercises in an aimless,
indifferent way.
Keep in the open air as much as possible and at all events sleep
with windows open.
If your occupation is sedentary, take all opportunities for walking
out of doors that present themselves. While walking, breathe
regularly and deeply, filling the lungs to their fullest capacity
and also expelling as much air as possible at each exhalation. Undue
strain should, of course, be avoided. This applies to all breathing
exercises.
Do not breathe through the mouth. Nature intends that the outer air
shall reach the lungs by way of the nose, whose membranes are lined
with fine hairs in order to sift the air and to prevent foreign
particles, dust and dirt, from irritating the mucous linings of the
air tract and entering the delicate structures of the lungs. Also,
the air is warmed before it reaches the lungs by its passage through
the nose.
Let the exhalations take about double the time of the inhalations.
This will be further explained in connection with rhythmical
breathing.
Do not hold the breath between inhalations. Though frequently
recommended by teachers of certain methods of breath culture, this
practice is more harmful than beneficial.
The Proper Standing Position
Of great importance is the position assumed habitually by the body
while standing and walking. Carelessness in this respect is not only
unpleasant to the beholder, but its consequences are far-reaching in
their effects upon health and the well-being of the organism.
On the other hand, a good carriage of the body aids in the
development of muscles and tissues generally and in the proper
functioning of cells and organs in particular. With the weight of
the body thrown upon the balls of the feet and the center of gravity
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well focused, the abdominal organs will stay in place and there will
be no strain upon the ligaments that support them.
In assuming the proper standing position, stand with your back to
the wall, touching it with heels, buttocks, shoulders and head. Now
bend the head backward and push the shoulders forward and away from
the wall, still touching the wall with buttocks and heels.
Straighten the head, keeping the shoulders in the forward position.
Now walk away from the wall and endeavor to maintain this position
while taking the breathing exercises and practicing the various arm
movements.
Take this position as often as possible during the day and try to
maintain it while you go about your different tasks that must be
performed while standing. Gradually this position will become second
nature, and you will assume and maintain it without effort.
When the body is in this position, the viscera are in their normal
place. This aids the digestion materially and benefits indirectly
the entire functional organism.
Persistent practice of the above will correct protruding abdomen and
other defects due to faulty position and carriage of the body.
The following breathing exercises are intended especially to develop
greater lung capacity and to assist in forming the habit of
breathing properly at all times. The different movements should be
repeated from three to six times, according to endurance and the
amount of time at disposal.
(1) With hands at sides or on hips, inhale and exhale slowly and
deeply, bringing the entire respiratory apparatus into active play.
(2) (To expand the chest and increase the air capacity of the
lungs.)
Jerk the shoulder forward in several separate movements, inhaling
deeper at each forward jerk. Exhale slowly, bringing the shoulders
back to the original position.
Reverse the exercise, jerking the shoulders backward in similar
manner while inhaling. Alternate the movements, forcing the
shoulders first forward, then backward.
(3) Stand erect, arms at sides. Inhale, raising the arms forward and
upward until the palms touch above the head, at the same time
raising on the toes as high as possible. Exhale, lowering the toes,
bringing the hands downward in a wide circle until the palms touch
the thighs.
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(4) Stand erect, hands on hips. Inhale slowly and deeply, raising
the shoulders as high as possible, then, with a jerk, drop them as
low as possible, letting the breath escape slowly.
(5) Stand erect, hands at shoulders. Inhale, raising elbows
sideways; exhale, bringing elbows down so as to strike the sides
vigorously.
(6) Inhale deeply, then exhale slowly, at the same time clapping the
chest with the palms of the hands, covering the entire surface.
(These six exercises are essential and sufficient. The following
four may be practiced by those who are able to perform them and who
have time and inclination to do so.)
(7) Stand erect, hands at sides. Inhale slowly and deeply, at the
same time bringing the hands, palms up, in front of the body to the
height of the shoulders. Exhale, at the same time turning the palms
downward and bringing the hands down in an outward circle.
(8) Stand erect, the right arm raised upward, the left crossed
behind the back. Lean far back, then bend forward and touch the
floor with the right hand, without bending the knees, as far in
front of the body as possible. Raise the body to original posture,
reverse position of arms, and repeat the exercise. Inhale while
leaning backward and changing position of arms, exhale while bending
forward.
(9) Position erect, feet well apart, both arms raised. Lean back,
inhaling, then bend forward, exhaling, touching the floor with both
hands between the legs as far back as possible.
(10) Horizontal position, supporting the body on palms and toes.
Swing the right hand upward and backward, flinging the body to the
left side, resting on the left hand and the left foot. Return to
original position, repeat the exercise, flinging the body to the
right side. Inhale while swinging backward, exhale while returning
to position.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
The diaphragm is a large, flat muscle, resembling a saucer, which
forms the division between the chest cavity and the abdominal
cavity. By downward expansion it causes the lungs to expand likewise
and to suck in the air. The pressure of air being greater on the
outside of the body than within, it rushes in and fills the vacuum
created by the descending diaphragm. As the diaphragm relaxes and
becomes contracted to its original size and position, the air is
expelled from the body.
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Chapter XXXI
Physical Exercise
Aside from breathing, gymnastics in generalor in the case of
illness or deformity, special corrective and curative
exercisesshould be taken every day.
Physical exercise has similar effects upon the system as
hydrotherapy, massage and manipulative treatment. It stirs up the
morbid accumulations in the tissues, stimulates the arterial and
venous circulation, expands the lungs to their fullest capacity,
thereby increasing the intake of oxygen, and most effectively
promotes the elimination of waste and morbid materials through skin,
kidneys, bowels and the respiratory tract.
Furthermore, well-adapted, systematic physical exercises tend to
correct dislocations of spinal vertebrae and other bony structures.
They relax and soften contracted and hardened muscles and ligaments
and tone up those tissues which are weakened and abnormally relaxed.
Regular physical exercise means increased blood supply, improved
nutrition and better drainage for all the vital organs of the body.
By means of systematic exercise, combined with deep breathing, the
liberation and distribution of electromagnetic energies in the
system are also greatly promoted.
Most persons who have to work hard physically are under the
impression that they need not take special exercises. This, however,
is a mistake. In nearly all kinds of physical labor only certain
parts of the body are called into action and only certain sets of
muscles exercised, while others remain inactive. This favors unequal
development, which is injurious to the organism as a whole. It is
most necessary that the ill effects of such one-sided activity be
counteracted by exercises and movements that bring into active play
all the different parts of the body, especially those that are
neglected during the hours of work.
Systematic physical exercise is an absolute necessity for brain
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organs:
(3) Chest Stretcher: This exercise must be performed vigorously, the
movements following one another in rapid succession:
Stand erect. Throw the arms backward so that the palms touch
(striving to bring them higher with each repetition), at the same
time rising on the toes and inhaling. Without pausing, throw the
arms forward and across the chest, the right arm uppermost, striking
the back with both hands on opposite sides, at the same time
exhaling and lowering the toes. Throw the arms back immediately,
touching palms, rising on toes and inhaling as before, then bring
them forward and across the chest again, left arm upper most. Repeat
from ten to twenty times.
An excellent massage and vibratory movement for the lungs.
(4) Exercises for filling out scrawny necks and hollow chests:
Stand erect. Without raising or lowering the chin and without
bending the neck, push the head forward as far as possible, then
relax. Repeat a number of times. Push the head straight back in
similar manner, making an effort to push it farther back each time.
Do not bend the neck. Repeat. Stand erect. Bend the head toward the
right shoulder as far as possible, then relax. Do not rotate the
head. Repeat.
Bend the head to the left shoulder in a similar manner, then
alternate the two movements. Stand erect. Bend the head forward as
far as possible, making an effort to bring it down farther each
time. Relax.
Bend the head backward as far as possible.
Bend the head first forward, then backward. Repeat.
(5) For exercising the muscles of the chest and the upper arm.
Stand erect, elbows to sides, hands closed on chest, thumbs inward.
Thrust out the arms vigorously and quickly, first straight ahead,
then to the sides, then straight up, then straight downward, then
backward. Repeat each movement a number of times, then alternate
them, each time bringing arms back and hands to the original
position quickly and forcefully.
As a variation, raise the elbows sideways to shoulder height with
fists on shoulders, then strike vigorously as before, opening the
palms and stretching the fingers with each thrust. Repeat from ten
to twenty times or until tired.
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(6) Stand erect, hands on hips. Keeping the legs straight, rotate
the trunk upon the hips, bending first forward, then to the right,
then backward, then to the left. Repeat a number of times, then
rotate in the opposite direction.
Especially valuable to stir up a sluggish liver:
(7) Lie flat on your back on a bed or, better still, a mat on the
floor, hands under head. Without bending knees, raise the right leg
as high as possible and lower it slowly. Repeat a number of times,
then raise the other leg, then alternate. As the abdomen becomes
stronger, raise both legs at once, keeping knees straight. It is
important that the legs be lowered slowly.
For exercising the abdominal muscles and strengthening the pelvic
organs. This and the following exercise are especially valuable for
remedying female troubles:
(8) Lie flat on back, arms folded on chest. Place the feet under a
chair or bed to keep them in position. Raise the body to a sitting
posture, keeping knees, back and neck straight. Lower the body
slowly to its original position. Repeat from five to ten times,
according to strength.
Supplementary Exercises
(9) Stride-stand position (feet about one-half yard apart). Raise
the arms sideways until even with the shoulders, then, without
bending the back, rotate the trunk upon the hips, first to the
right, then to the left.
As a variation of this exercise, rotate from the waist only, keeping
the hips motionless.
An excellent massage for the internal organs:
(10) See-saw motion:
Stride-stand position, arms raised sideways. Bend to the right until
the hand touches the floor, left arm raised high. Resume original
position. Repeat several times, then bend to the left side, then
alternate.
(11) Chopping exercise:
Stride-stand position. Clasp the hands above the left shoulder.
Swing the arms downward and between the legs, bending well forward.
Return to position and repeat a number of times, then repeat with
hands on right shoulder, then alternate.
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Chapter XXXII
Manipulative Treatment Massage
Massage has very much the same effects upon the system as the
cold-water treatment. It accelerates the circulation, draws the
blood into the surface, relaxes and opens the pores of the skin,
promotes the elimination of morbid matter and increases and
stimulates the electromagnetic energies in the body.
We have learned that one of the primary causes of chronic disease is
the accumulation of waste matter and systemic poisons in the tissues
of the body. These morbid encumbrances clog the capillaries, thus
obstructing the circulation and interfering with or preventing the
normal activity of the organs of elimination, especially the skin.
The deep-going massage, the squeezing, kneading, rolling and
stroking, actually squeezes the stagnant blood and the morbid
accumulations out of the tissues into the venous circulation, speeds
the venous blood, charged with waste products and poisons, on its
way to the lungs and enables the arterial blood with its freight of
oxygen and nourishing elements to flow more freely into the
less-obstructed tissues and organs.
Through manipulation of the fleshy tissues, the blood is drawn to
the surface of the body and in that way the elimination of morbid
matter through the relaxed and opened pores of the skin is greatly
facilitated.
Very important are the electromagnetic effects of good massage upon
the system. The positive magnetism of the operator will stir up and
intensify the latent electromagnetic energies in the body of the
patient, very much like a piece of iron or steel is magnetized by
rubbing it with a horseshoe magnet. The more normal and positive,
morally and mentally as well as physically, the operator, the more
marked will be the good effects of the treatment upon the weak and
negative patient.
Magnetic Treatment
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trunks and filaments, that cause interference with the normal nerve
supply of cells and tissues and thereby abnormal function and
disease.
The philosophy of Natural Therapeutics points to the fact that this
shrinkage and contraction of the connective tissues surrounding and
permeating the nerve trunks and filaments is caused by certain acids
and other pathogenic materials which are produced by faulty diet and
defective elimination and that the same causes produce accumulation
of waste and morbid matter in the tissues of the body which, all
through the system, interfere just as effectually with nutrition,
drainage and innervation of the cells and tissue as do spinal
lesions and ligatights.
While the other systems of manipulative treatment confine themselves
almost entirely to the correction of bony and other connective
tissue lesions, to pressing the button, as it is called,
neurotherapy, besides this, aims at other very important results.
In disease the tissues are either in an abnormally tense and
contracted or in a weak, relaxed condition. The functional
activities are either hyperactive as in acute inflammation, or
sluggish and inactive as in chronic atonic and atrophic conditions.
These extremes can be powerfully influenced and equalized by
manipulative inhibition, relaxation or stimulation.
During an acute attack of gastritis, for instance, the
neurotherapist would exert strong inhibition on the nerves which
supply the stomach. This is accomplished by deep and persistent
pressure on the nerves where they emerge from the spinal openings
(foramina). This diminishes the rush of blood and nerve currents to
the inflamed organ and thereby eases but does not suppress the
inflammatory process and the attending congestion and pain.
In case of extreme tension in any part of the system, relaxation of
the shrunken tissues can be brought about by gentle but persistent
stretching of the nerves and adjacent muscles and ligaments, in a
manner similar to that of the naprapathic directos.
When the vital organs and their functions are weak and inactive or
when nerves, muscles, ligaments and other connective tissues are in
a relaxed, atonic or atrophic condition, certain stimulating
movements applied to the nerves where they emerge from the spinal
column will energize the vital functions all through the system.
Many patients imagine that such manipulative treatment is
superficial. To them it is just rubbing and seems all alike. They
do not realize that manipulative stimulation applied to the nerves
near the surface of the body travels all along their branches and
filaments like electricity along a complicated system of copper
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wires and thus reaches the innermost cells and organs of the body,
making them more alive and active. This internal stimulation of
vital activities is attained also by good massage through energizing
the nerve endings all over the surface of the body.
The Fundamental Difference Between Neuratherapy
and Other Manipulative Systems
The following paragraphs will explain the fundamental difference
between neurotherapy and the older systems of manipulative
treatment. The older systems, the same as the allopathic school of
medicine, look upon acute diseases as destructive processes
dangerous to health and life; therefore they endeavor to check or
suppress them as quickly as possible by their various methods.
Neurotherapy so far is the only system of manipulative treatment
that bases its work on the fundamental laws of Natural Therapeutics.
According to these laws every acute disease is the result of a
purifying, healing effort of Nature. Therefore neurotherapy would
not suppress acute processes by manipulative treatment any more than
by drugs, ice, antitoxins, surgery or any other suppressive method.
To illustrate: Supposing that spontaneously or as a result of
natural living and treatment a patient suffering from chronic
constipation, indigestion, etc., develops a vigorous purging, which
we of the Nature Cure school would consider a splendid healing
crisis. Under allopathic as well as under the treatment of other
manipulative schools such an acute reaction would be immediately
suppressed. This can be accomplished very easily by a few
manipulative moves, but it would mean the suppression of a purifying
healing crisis and this would result in throwing the patient back
into his old chronic condition. The underlying causes of disease
must be removed before we can cure chronic disease and bring about a
normal condition of the organism.
Suppose manipulative treatment should succeed in stopping a fever
instantaneously. This would suppress Natures purifying,
regenerating efforts, the patient would continue to load up more
morbid materials (especially since these schools do not teach the
importance of natural living) and it would only be a matter of time
until the morbid accumulations in the body would excite new acute
reactions, necessitating more adjustments. This may be all right for
the practitioner; but what about the patient? In the long run it can
only have one result, and that is chronic disease.
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Chapter XXXIII
Legitimate Scope and Natural Limitations
of Mental and Metaphysical Healing
During the last generation people have perceived more or less
clearly the fallacies of Old School medicine and surgery. They
have grown more and more suspicious of orthodox theories and
practices. From allopathic overdoing the pendulum has swung to the
other extreme of metaphysical nihilism, to the underdoing of
mental and metaphysical systems of treating human ailments.
Some of these systems and cults of metaphysical healing have met
with success and wide popularity and this is looked upon by their
followers as a proof that all the claims and teachings of these
cults and isms are based upon absolute truth.
However, a thorough understanding of the fundamental Laws of Cure,
as I have explained them in this volume, will reveal in how far
their teachings and their practices are based upon truth and in how
far they are inspired by erroneous assumptions.
Let us then apply the yardstick and the weights and measures of
Nature Cure philosophy in testing the true value of the claims of
metaphysical healers.
For ages people have been educated in the belief that almost every
acute disease will end fatally unless the patient is drugged or
operated on. When they find to their surprise that the metaphysical
formulas or prayers of a mental healer or Christian Scientist will
cure babys measles or fathers smallpox just as well as, and
possibly better than, Dr. Dopems pills and potions, they are firmly
convinced that a miracle has been performed in their behalf and
straightway they become blind believers in and fanatical followers
of their new idols.
They simply exchange one superstition for another: the belief in the
efficacy of drugs and surgical operations for the belief in the
wonder-working power of a metaphysical formula, a self-appointed
savior or a reason-stultifying and will-benumbing cult. They have
not been taught that every acute disease is the result of a healing
effort of Nature and therefore fail to see that it is vital force,
the physician within, that, if conditions are favorable, cures
measles and smallpox as easily as it repairs the broken blade of
grass or heals the wounded deer of the forest.
That is exactly what we say, exclaim healer and scientist. Have
unlimited faith in the God within and all will be well.
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True, faith is good, but faith and works are better. Though we
cannot heal and give life, we can in many ways assist the healer
within. We can teach and explain Natures Laws, we can remove
obstructions and we can make the conditions within and around the
patient more favorable for the action of Natures healing forces.
When the Great Master said: Go forth and sin no more, lest worse
things than these befall you, he acknowledged sin, or the
transgression of natural laws, to be the primary cause of disease,
and made health dependent upon compliance with the Law. The
necessity of complying with the Law, in all respects and on all the
planes of being, is still more strongly emphasized in the following:
For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point,
he is guilty of all.
The skeptic and the superficial reader may reply: This saying is
utterly unreasonable. Stealing a penny is not committing a murder;
overeating does not break the law of chastity; how, then, is it
possible to break all laws by breaking any single one of them?
There is, however, a deeper meaning to this seeming paradox which
makes it scientifically true.
Self-Control, the Whole Law
Obedience to all laws on all planes of being depends primarily on
self-control. Self-control is, therefore, in a sense, the whole law,
for man cannot break any one law unless he breaks first this
fundamental Law of all Laws. This implies that the demoralizing
effect of sinning or law-breaking, on any one of the planes of
being, does not depend so much upon the enormity of the deed as upon
the loss of self-control. Continued weakening of self-control in
trivial things may therefore, in the end, prove more destructive
than a murder committed in the heat of passion. If there is not
self-control enough to resist a cup of coffee or a cigar, whence
shall come the will-power to resist greater temptations?
Truly, lack of self-control in small things is the dry rot of the
soul. Is it not, then, somewhat unreasonable to expect God or Nature
to strain and twist the immutable laws of Nature at the request of
every healer in order to save us from the natural consequences of
overeating, red meat eating, whisky drinking, smoking, tobacco
chewing, drugging and a thousand and one other transgressions of
natural laws?
In spite of the finest-spun metaphysical sophistries, we continue to
burn our fingers in the fire until we know enough to leave it alone.
Herein lies the corrective purpose of that which we call
evilsuffering and disease. The rational thing to do is not to deny
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Chapter XXXIV
The Difference Between Functional and Organic Disease
Much confusion concerning the curability of chronic diseases by the
various methods of treatment arises because people do not understand
the difference between functional and organic chronic disease.
For instance, there is a close resemblance between pseudo-and true
locomotor ataxy. Often it is difficult to distinguish functional
lung trouble from the organic type of the disease. In our practice,
several cases of mental derangement which had been diagnosed as true
paresis proved to be of the functional type and under natural
treatment recovered rapidly.
Functional diseases may present a very serious appearance and may be
labeled with awe-inspiring Greek or Latin names, and yet yield
readily to natural methods of living and treatment.
In diseases of an organic nature, however, right living and
self-treatment are usually not sufficient to obtain satisfactory
results. In such cases all forms of active and passive treatment
must be applied, and even then it is frequently difficult and
sometimes impossible to produce a cure.
Chronic diseases of a functional nature develop when an otherwise
healthy organism becomes saturated and clogged with food and drug
poisons to such an extent that these encumbrances interfere with the
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free circuation of the blood and nerve currents, and with the normal
functions of the cells, organs and tissues of the body.
Such cases resemble a watch which is losing time because its works
are filled with dust. All that such a waste-encumbered watch or body
needs, in order to restore normal functions, is a good cleaning.
Pure food diet, fasting, systematic exercise, deep breathing, cold
bathing and the right mental attitude are usually sufficient to
perform this physical housecleaning and to restore perfect health.
Functional disorders yield readily to the various forms of
metaphysical treatment. Remove such patients from the weakening and
destructive effects of poisonous drugs and of surgical operations,
supplant fear and worry by courage and faith, and the results often
seem miraculous to those who do not understand the power of the
purifying and stimulating influence of clean living and of the right
mental attitude.
In diseases of the organic type, however, good results are not so
easily achieved. A body affected by organic disease resembles a
watch whose mechanism has been injured and partly destroyed by rust
and corrosive acids. If such be the case, cleaning and oiling alone
will not be sufficient to put the timepiece in good working order.
The watchmaker has to replace the damaged parts.
This is easy enough in the case of the watch, but it is not so
easily accomplished in the human body. Besides, in many instances
the corroding acids are the very medicines which were given to cure
the disease and the injury and destruction of vital parts and organs
is only too often the direct or indirect result of surgical
operations.
The watchmaker may remove those parts of the watch which are
suffering from organic trouble, and replace them by new ones. This
the surgeon cannot do. He can extirpate, but he cannot replace.
Operative treatment leaves the organism forever after in a mutilated
and therefore unbalanced condition, and often prevents and
frustrates Natures cleansing and healing crises.
The Limitations of Metaphysical Healing
In the writings of metaphysical healers we often meet the assertion
that they can cure organic diseases as easily and quickly as
functional ailments. If they understood better the difference
between functional and organic disorders as explained in the
foregoing pages, they would not make such deceptive and extravagant
claims. They would then realize the natural limitations of
meta-physical healing.
I do not underestimate the great value of mental, metaphysical
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Chapter XXXV
The Two-fold Attitude of Mind and Soul
The following is an extract from a letter sent to me by a reader of
my articles in The Nature Cure Magazine.
Sometimes you say we must rely on our own personal efforts and at
other times you teach dependence upon a higher power. This, to me,
is contradictory and confusing. I cannot understand how,
consistently, we can do both at the same time. Which is right? Is it
best to rely upon our own power and our personal efforts or upon the
Higher Power ?
Similar inquiries have come from other friends. I shall now endeavor
to answer these and other questions.
There is nothing contradictory or incompatible in the teachings of
the Nature Cure philosophy concerning the physical and metaphysical
methods of treating human ailments. Both the independent and the
dependent attitudes of mind and soul are good and true and may be
entertained at the same time. It is necessary for us to rely on our
own personal efforts in carrying out the dictates of reason and of
common sense. But this need not prevent us from praying for and
confidently expecting a larger inflow of vital power and intuitional
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Chapter XXXVI
The Symphony of Life
Human life appears to me as a great orchestra in which we are the
players. The great composition to be performed is the Symphony of
Life, its infinitude of dissonances and melodies blending into one
colossal tone picture of harmony and grandeur. We players must study
the laws of music and the score of the Great Symphony and we must
practice diligently and persistently, until we can play our part
unerringly in harmony with the concepts of the Great Composer. At
the same time we must learn to keep our instrument, the body, in the
best possible condition; for the greatest artist, endowed with a
profound knowledge of the laws of music and possessed of the most
perfect technique, cannot produce musical and harmonious sounds from
an instrument with strings relaxed or overtense, or with its body
filled with rubbish.
The artist must learn that the instrument, its material, its
construction and its care are just as subject to law as the
harmonics of the score.
In the final analysis, everything is vibration acting in and on the
universal ethers, which are held to be the primordial substance.
Possibly the ethers themselves are modes of vibration.
That which is constructive is harmonious vibration. That which is
destructive is inharmonious or discordant vibration.
Against this it may be urged that devolution has its harmonics as
well as evolution, that every symphony is made up of dissonances as
well as of harmonies. To this I answer: Unadulterated harmony may,
solely for lack of change, become monotonous; but discords alone
never create melody, harmony, health or happiness.
As the artist seeks vibratory harmony between his instrument and the
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Chapter XXXVII
The Three-fold Constitution of Man
The following diagram and accompanying explanations will serve to
illustrate Three Planes of Being, the corresponding Three-fold
Constitution of man, and their analogy tothe artist and his
instrument.
The Three-fold Constitution of Man
Planes of Being
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I say this with all due reverence for, and faith in, the efficacy of
true prayer and with full knowledge of the healing power of
therapeutic faith, but I do not believe that God, or Nature, or a
master or metaphysical formulas can or will make good in a
miraculous way for the inevitable results of our transgressions of
the natural laws that govern our being.
If such miraculous healing were possible and of common occurrence,
what occasion would there be for the exercise of reason, will and
self-control? What would become of the scientific basis of morality
and constructive spirituality?
All this leads us to the following conclusions:
If there is in operation a constructive principle of Nature on the
ethical, moral and spiritual planes of being, with which we must
align ourselves and to which we must conform our conscious and
voluntary activities in order to achieve self-completion,
self-content, individual completion and happiness, then this
constructive principle must be in operation also in our physical
bodies and in their corelated physical, mental and emotional
activities. If the constructive principle is active in the physical
as well as in the moral and spiritual realms, then the established
harmonic relationship of the physical to the constructive law of its
being must constitute the morality of the physical; and from this it
follows that the achievement of health on the physical plane is as
much under our conscious and voluntary control as the working out of
our individual salvation on the higher planes of life.
To recapitulate:
First, our well-being on all planes and in all relationships of life
depends upon the existence, recognition and practical application of
the great fundamental laws and principles just explained.
Second: Physical health, as well as moral health, is of our own
making. We are personally responsible not only for our own physical
and mental health, but we are also morally responsible for the
hereditary tendencies of our offspring toward health or disease.
Third: The attainment of physical health through compliance with
Natures laws is just as much a part of the Great Work as our
ethical, moral and psychical development.
The Unity and Continuity of the Law
That which we call God, Nature, the Creator or the Universal
Intelligence is the great central cause of all things and the
vibratory activities produced by or proceeding from this central or
primary cause continue through all spheres of life, in like manner
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as the light waves of the sun, moon and fixed stars penetrate
through the intervening spheres of life to our plane of earth.
Therefore all powers, forces, laws and principles which manifest on
our plane proceed and continue from the innermost Divine to the most
external plane in physical nature. This explains the continuity,
stability and correspondence on all planes of being of that which we
call Natural Law. In other words, Natural Law is the established
harmonic relationship of effects and phenomena to their causes and
of all particular causes to the one great primary cause of all
things.
Chapter XXXVIII
Mental Therapeutics
The new psychology and the science of mental and spiritual healing
teach us that the lower principles in Man stand or should stand
under the dominion of the higher. The physical body, with its
material elements, is dominated and guided by the mind. The mind is
inspired through the inner consciousness, which is an attribute of
the soul. The soul of man is in communion with the Oversoul, which
is the Source of all life and all intelligence animating the
universe.
Wherever this natural order is reversed, there is discord or
disease. Too many people think and act as though the physical body
is all in all, as though it is the only thing worth caring for and
thinking about. They exaggerate the importance of the physical and
become its abject slaves.
The physical body is the lowest and least intelligent of the
different principles making up the human entity. Yet people allow
their minds and their souls to become dominated and terrified by the
sensations of the physical body.
When the servants in the house control and terrify the master, when
the master becomes their slave and they can do with him as they
please, there cannot be order and harmony in that house.
We must expect the same results when the lower principles in Man
lord it over the higher. When physical weakness, illness and pain
fill the mind with fear and dismay, reason becomes clouded, the will
atrophied and self-control is lost.
Every thought and every emotion has its direct effect upon the
physical constituents of the body. The mental and emotional
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not exert such absolute control over the cells and cell groups, it
would be impossible for us to walk, talk, write, dodge danger, etc.,
with almost automatic ease.
The cells are not able to reason upon the truth or untruth of the
suggestions conveyed to them from the mind. They accept its
promptings unqualifiedly and act accordingly.
Thus, if the mind constantly thinks of, say, the stomach as being in
a badly diseased condition, unable to do its work properly, the
mental images of weakness and disease with their accompanying fear
vibrations are telegraphed over the efferent nerves to the cells of
the stomach and these become more and more weakened and diseased
through the destructive vibrations sent to them from the mind.
I often advise my patients to procure a book on anatomy and
physiology and to study and keep constantly before their minds eye
the normal structure and functions of a healthy stomach or liver or
whatever organ may be involved in any particular case.
Positive Affirmations
This explains why affirmations of health are justified in the face
of disease. The health conditions must be first established in the
mind before they can be conveyed to and impressed upon the cells.
The well-being of the human body as a whole depends upon the health
of the billions of minute cells which compose it. These cells are so
small that they have to be magnified several hundred times under a
powerful microscope before we can see them. Yet they are independent
living beings which grow, assimilate food, multiply and die like the
big cell, Man.
These little cells are congregated in communities which form the
organs and tissues of the body and in these communities they carry
on the complicated activities of citizens living in a large city.
Some are carriers, bringing food materials to the tissues and organs
or conveying waste and morbid matter to the excretory channels of
the body. Other cells manufacture chemical substances, such as
sugar, fats, ferments, hormones etc., for the production of which
man requires complicated factories. Still others act as policemen
and soldiers which protect the commonwealth against bacteria,
parasites and other hostile invaders.
The marvelous work performed by these little organisms, as well as
observations made in the dissecting room and under the microscope,
strongly indicate that these cells are endowed with some sort of
individual intelligence. They do their work without our aid or
conscious volition. But, nevertheless, they are greatly influenced
by the varying conditions of the mind. While their activities seem
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Chapter XXXIX
HOW SHALL WE PRAY?
Shall we say: Father, give me this Father, do for me that!? Or
shall we say: Behold, I am perfect! Imperfection, sin and suffering
are only errors of mortal mind!?
Or shall we pray: Father, give me of Thy strength that I may live
in harmony with Thy law, for thus only will all good come to me!?
The first way is to beg, the second, to steal, the third, to earn by
honest effort.
Father, give me this!Father do for me that! Thus prayed our
fathers, not understanding the great law of compensation, the law of
giving and receiving, which demands that we give an equivalent for
everything we receive. To receive without giving is to beg.
The lily, in return for the nourishment it receives from the soil
and the sun, gives its beauty and fragrance. The birds of the air
give a return for their sustenance by their songs, their beauty of
plumage, and by destroying worms and insects, the enemies of plants
and men. Every living thing gives an equivalent for its existence in
some way or other.
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that we must not try to help ourselves lest we forfeit their good
will.
Is it not blasphemous to assume that God would blame us and withhold
his aid because we dared to use the faculties, capacities, and
powers with which he has endowed us? You say, Nobody is foolish
enough to claim such things. But this is the teaching of a powerful
healing-cult. Its members are forbidden, on penalty of expulsion, to
use in the treatment of human ailments the most innocent natural
remedies. The giving of an enema, or the common-sense regulation of
diet are regarded as sufficient to nullify the power of their
metaphysical formulas and to prevent the working of Natures healing
forces.
One of our patients who had been under such treatment until she was
in a dying condition, told us afterwards that her bowels often did
not move for a week, and that, when she complained to her healer
about this condition and asked permission to take an enema, he
answered her: Pay no attention. The Lord is taking care of that in
some other way.
The man who said this had been a prominent allopathic physician
before he turned healer. He, too, like so many others ignorant of
Natures simple laws, had swung from one extreme to the other, from
allopathic overdoing to metaphysical underdoing. In this instance,
the Lord took care of the patients bowels until she was taken
down with a severe attack of appendicitis and peritonitis.
Amidst all the extremes, Nature Cure points the common-sense middle
way. Basing its teachings and its practices on a clear understanding
of the laws of health, disease, and cure, it refrains from
suppressing acute diseases with poisonous drugs or the knife,
realizing that they are in reality Natures cleansing and healing
efforts. Neither does it sit idly by and expect the Lord, or
metaphysical formulas, or the medicine bottle and the knife, to do
our work and to make good for our violations of Natures laws.
Understanding the Law, Nature Cure believes in cooperating with the
law; in giving the Lord a helping hand. It teaches that God helps
him who helps himself, that He will not become angry and refuse His
help if His children use rightly the reason, the willpower, and the
self-control with which he has endowed them, so that they may
achieve their own salvation.
Nature Cure from beginning to end is one grand, true prayer. It
teaches The Law on all planes of being, the physical, the mental,
the moral, and the spiritual; and it insists that the only way to
attain perfect health of body, mind, and soul is to comply with the
law to the best of our ability. When we do that, we place ourselves
in allgnment with the constructive principle in Nature, and in exact
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Chapter XL
Scientific Relaxation and Normal Suggestion
Under the strain of work-a-day hurry and worry, your nerve
vibrations are apt to become more and more intense and excited. They
run away with you until, as the saying goes, you are flying all to
pieces.
A good illustration of this condition of the nervous system may be
found in a team of horses shying at some object in their path. The
driver, panic-stricken, has dropped the reins, the frightened horses
have taken the bits between their teeth and are dashing headlong
down the road, until their master regains control, checks the
animals in their maddened course, and compels them to resume their
ordinary pace.
So the high-strung, oversensitive individual must gain control over
his nervous system and must subdue his runaway mental and emotional
activities into restful, harmonious vibrations.
This is done by insuring sufficient rest and sleep under the right
conditions and by practicing scientific relaxation at all times.
The nervous person gets easily excited. Comparatively little
things will cause an outbreak of intense irritation or emotional
hyperactivity.
Usually, the victim of unbalanced nerves is of the high-strung,
sensitive type, naturally inclining to more rapid vibrations on all
planes, capable of greater achievement than the stolid, heavy,
slow-vibrating person who doesnt know that he has any nerves, but
he is also in greater danger of mental and emotional overstrain and
physical depletion as a result of the excessive and uncontrolled
expenditure of life force and nervous energy.
Relaxation while Working
At first glance this expression may seem paradoxical, but experience
will teach that it is not only possible, but absolutely necessary
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Chapter XLI
Conclusion
Our critics say: If Nature Cure is all that you claim for it, why
is it not more generally accepted by the medical profession and the
public?
The greatest drawback to spreading the Nature Cure idea is the
necessity of self-control which it imposes. If our cures of
so-called incurable diseases could be made without asking the
patients to change their habits of living, without the demand of
effort on their own part, Nature Cure sanitariums could not be built
fast enough in this country.
No matter how marvelous the results of the natural methodswhen
investigators learn that the treatment necessitates the control of
indiscriminate appetite and self-indulgence and the persistent
practice of natural living and all that this involves, they exclaim:
The natural regimen may be all right, but who can live up to it?
You are asking the impossible. You are looking for a perfection
which does not exist. Your directions call for an amount of
willpower and self-control which nobody possesses.
Fortunately, however, this is not true. Human nature is good enough
and strong enough to comply with Natures laws. Furthermore, the
natural ways must be the most pleasant in the end or Nature is a
fraud and a cheat. True enjoyment of life and happiness are
impossible without perfect physical, mental and moral health and
these depend upon natural living and natural treatment of human
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ailments.
Strengthening of Will-Power and Self-Control
If I were asked the question: What do you consider the greatest
benefit to be derived from the Nature Cure regimen? I should
answer: The strengthening of willpower and self-control.
This is the very purpose of life. Upon it depends all further
achievement. Self-control is the masters key to all higher
development on the mental, moral and spiritual planes of being; but
before we can exercise it on the higher planes, we must have learned
to apply it on the lower plane, in the management and control of our
physical appetites and habits. When we have learned to control
these, higher development will come easy.
A good method for strengthening the willpower is autosuggestion. The
most opportune moments in the twenty-four hours of the day for
practicing this mental magic are those before dropping to sleep. At
this time there is the least disturbance and interference from
outside influences, the mind is most passive and susceptible to
suggestion and impressions made under these favorable conditions
upon the phonograph records of the subconscious mind are the most
lasting and the most powerful to control physical, mental and moral
activities.
When thoroughly relaxed, at rest and at peace, say to yourself:
Whatever duties confront me tomorrow, I shall execute them
promptly, without wavering or hesitation. I shall not give in to
this bad habit which has been controlling me. I shall do that only
of which reason and conscience approve.
In order to be more specific and systematic and to obtain results
more surely and quickly, concentrate upon one weakness at a time.
When that has been overcome, take up another one, until in this way
you have attained perfect control over your thoughts, feelings and
actions.
Suppose you have acquired the habit of remaining in bed and dozing
after your mental alarm clock has given its signal to arise and you
dread the effort of going through your morning exercises and
ablutions. Then, the night before, impress upon the subconscious
mind deeply and firmly the following suggestions: Tomorrow morning,
on awakening, I shall jump out of bed without hesitation and go
through my morning exercises with zest and vigor.
Or, suppose you are subject to the fear and worry habit. Say to
yourself: Tomorrow or any time thereafter when depressing, gloomy
thoughts threaten to control me, I shall overcome them with thoughts
of hope and faith, and with absolute confidence in the Divine power
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