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NATURE CURE
EXPLAINED
BY
ALAN MOYLE
(Member: British Naturopaths Association)
LONDON:
HEALTH FOR ALL PUBLISHING CO.
17/18 HENRIETTA STREET, STRAND, W.C.2.
REFERENCES
Body Mechanics . . .
T. Brown and Lang T. Swain
Allergic Man. . . . . . .by Erwin Pulay
Report from the Zoology Department of the
University of Birmingham
The Living Soil. . . .
The Newer Knowledge of Nutrition . by
Human Physiology . . .
Physiological Economy in Health .
Iris Science. . . . .
The Schroth Regeneration Cure . .
The New Bedrock of Health
Nature Cure. . . . .
My System and Fresh Air Book . .
Actinotherapy Technique . .
Textbook of Massage. . . .
The British Medical Journal
Principles of Osteopathy . .
Coffin's Botanical Journal
Herbal Manual. . . . .
Dr. Schuessler's Biochemistry . .
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
REFERENCES
CHAPTER I
THE MEANING OF NATURE CURE
CHAPTER II
NATURAL LAWS
CHAPTER III
MEDICINE AND NATURE CURE
CHAPTER IV
GENERAL NOTES
CHAPTER V
DIET
COMMERCIALISM AND FOOD
CHAPTER VI
SPECIAL DIETS
CHAPTER VII
THE PROCESS OF ELIMINATION
CHAPTER VIII
WHY FAST?
CHAPTER IX
SPECIAL FASTS THE GUELPA FAST
CHAPTER X
THE HEALING CRISIS
CHAPTER XI
HYDROTHERAPY
CHAPTER XII
SUN AND AIR BATHING
CHAPTER XIII
MASSAGE AND EXERCISES
CHAPTER XIV
THE PROBLEM OF REST
CHAPTER XV
OSTEOPATHY AND NATURE CURE
CHAPTER XVI
HERBALISM
CHAPTER XVII
BIOCHEMISTRY
CHAPTER XVIII
DIAGNOSIS
CHAPTER XIX
CONCLUSION
CHAPTER I
THE MEANING OF NATURE CURE
WHAT is Nature Cure? Briefly, it is a method of curing disease
without the use of drugs or surgical interference. But that is too
simple an explanation, for Nature Cure is not merely the
negative approach to diseaseit is a positive way of life. By
positive life is meant the full abundance of life, which can be
appreciated only by those who know what real, vital health
means. Some of us have experienced this. We remember the
years, probably between seventeen and twenty-one, when we
cared little for anyone or anything outside our own intimate
circle, and life was lived to the full. The lack of material cares
and woes form only half the secret of that joie de vivre which is
the normal attribute of that periodthe other half is the health
that goes with it.
We sigh for those days to return, thinking they are beyond
our grasp. Yet they are within the reach of everyone when once
we have realised that health is not a commodity to be bought
over the counter, but that it lies within each one of us.
Nature Cure or Naturopathy is an arta philosophy. As a
science it is not new, nor has it been re-discovered, though it is
experiencing a renaissance. This renaissance is due principally to
the long-term failure of orthodox medical methods, to which we
shall refer later.
Curiously enough, the world acclaims Hippocrates as the
Father of Medicine. A small excerpt from the Encyclopoedia
Britannica's allusion to the Hippocratic Collection (i.e. medical
works written or attributed to Hippocrates and his followers),
demonstrates how far modern medicine has diverged from the
true path.
. . . the physician attends cases of every type. He is no
specialist. But the mass of his practice lay with cases to which
instrumental treatment was inapplicable. In these cases he tended
to adopt the "expectant" line of treatment. Realising that the
tendency of the body is to recover, he contented himself with
"waiting on Nature." This does not imply that he was helpless, for
much could be done by nursing, regimen and diet to aid the patient
in that conflict which he alone must fight. For the conduct of that
great battle wise and useful directives are recorded. But believing
in the healing, power of Naturethe phrase is characteristically
Hippocraticthe physician was not eager to administer drugs.
Hydrotherapy.
Electrotherapy.
Massage.
Biochemics.
Herbs.
Manipulation (Osteopathy).
CHAPTER II
NATURAL LAWS
A DISTINGUISHED visitor to a mental asylum once encountered a
harmless-looking individual in his cell. "What," said the visitor,"
are you in here for?" The man replied: "Sir, I thought the world
was mad. Because I thought the world was mad, the world said I
was mad. And the world, being in the majority, placed me here."
To a lesser or greater degree each pioneer must have felt
himself in the same position as this inmate. It is illogical but true
that we have progressed and retrogressed at the same time.
Progress, or evolution, has taken place because Man demanded
Power, Luxury, Knowledge and Security. In the first place Man
had to find Food, Comfort and Security. His natural
inquisitiveness showed him how to increase his wealth, comfort
and power. From the first flickering of flame and the first turn of
the wheel Man sought to conquer Nature. In the process, instinct
was submerged and reason and culture grewand with them,
Commercialism.
The observance of natural laws does not imply a reversal to
primitive type (though, who knows, the atomic age may yet
thrust it upon the scattered remnants of a world-wide disaster); it
means the adoption of what is recognised as the fundamental
laws of Nature in relation to modern standards.
Commercialism, though it may play a vital part in
civilisation, has rendered the world a catastrophic disservice by
its interference with Man's food. From the growth of milling and
refining has come disaster. Modern technique in food processing
has resulted in a depletion of the "natural" value of food. Milk is
pasteurised (a poor substitute for clean, healthy cows), so that it
is servedpresumably cleanto the customer. Pasteurisation,
however, owing to the heat required in the process, destroys the
vitamin C and precipitates the vital calcium phosphate mineral
salt which is left in the containers and not in the milk. Balkans,
Sikhs and Arabs drink sour milk, and this, together with eating
whole wheat, helps them to remain virile. The diet of the Sikh is
a "whole" diet, in that it is grown and consumed without any
artificialities such as chemical manures, refining, pasteurising or
concentrating. Modern milling of flour demands that the germ of
the wheat and the wheat-grain covering (bran) be removed from
the flour, in order to save the mills and permit the flour to be
kept without going sour. The germ and the bran contain the
vitamins and mineral salts essential to health, but
Commercialism, and the inability of Britain to feed its
population, decrees that we shall lose the very parts of wheat
upon which we depend for health.
By the refining of sugar-cane we suffer the same losses in
natural food value. Sugar found in a dilute form in fruit and
honey is natural. Refined sugar, however, is a concentrated form
of carbohydrate and can easily be taken in excess. Dr. Chalmers
Watson says: "There is a widely prevailing opinion in the
medical profession that the modern excessive use of highly
CHAPTER III
MEDICINE AND NATURE CURE
FROM the foregoing chapters it will be readily appreciated that
there is a vast discrepancy between Nature Cure and Medicine.
Although each acknowledges the same laws of anatomy and
physiology, although diagnosis follows largely the same lines,
and the naturopath recognises that there are occasions for
surgical work, the similarity ends there.
Nature Cure recognises the unity of disease and the fallibility
of the germ theory. Medicine adheres to the germ theory and
administers to symptoms. If, then, Naturopathy claims to be the
superior of the two methods, why does it appear that Medicine is
successful?
The answer to the superficial success of allopathy lies in its
very suppression of acute conditions. We related previously how
drugs suppress pain, depress or accelerate vital functions and, as
the case may be, stimulate or inhibit secretions. By these means
a transient victory is gained. This victory, however, is won only
at the expense of the body politic. The patient recovers, partly
because of the suppression and partly because of his own
inherent healing force. But the cause of the disease has remained
untouched. Only if the disease factors involved (bad diet, habits,
environment, etc.) are corrected will the cure remain permanent.
That permanent cures are found only rarely in allopathic
methods is proved by the immense outlay diverted to popular
patent remedies.
There are sufficient superficial successes to convince both
the public and the doctors that medical administration is correct.
That does not explain, however, the inability of allopathy to cure
the common cold or rheumatism, nor does it explain the
"incurable" diseases. The failures of Medicine are the successes
of Nature Cure. Naturopathy's victory over chronic disease is, in
effect, thrust upon it by the failure of orthodox treatment. It is in
the sphere of chronic disease that the naturopath works most. It
is from this section of the populace, too, that the major part of
the dissatisfaction with allopathic treatment springs.
We can give a simple illustration of this in a case of
rheumatism. Nature Cure maintains that the cause of rheumatism
is the direct violation of natural laws. The over-consumption of
protein food and starches, together with indulgences in
stimulants and highly refined foods, are the commonest dietetic
errors. These contribute to a state of constipation and retention of
poisons. With ingestion exceeding elimination there ensues a
system burdened with toxins. The usual colds which are a
concomitant of this condition are suppressed with drugs, leading
to a more highly toxic condition.
To this dangerous state of affairs we have to add the effects
of weather and hereditary influences (both exaggerated by the
medical profession), the harmful tendency of the pressure of life,
lack of exercise, over-concentration, worry and depression.
all febrile diseases. The fact that the alkaline salts disappear in the
blood and urine during these diseases leads us to believe that these
salts are used up in the body by combating diseases. Only the
alkaline blood is able to destroy the morbid matter in such diseases
as typhus, pneumonia, scarlet fever, and erysipelas. It has, indeed,
been proven that the alkaline blood kills the most powerful bacilli
as effectually as any disinfectant, carbolic acid or sublimate. We
can, therefore, dispense with the latter; our bloodprovided, as
already emphasised, it be correctly composedbeing the best and
most reliable protection against injurious invasions. Not so much
depends on the action of the heart in febrile diseases as a rich
supply of alkaline blood to the whole system.
CHAPTER IV
GENERAL NOTES
IN the following chapters we propose to discuss diet, fasting and
hydrotherapy in some detail. The reason for this is that the above
subjects are of the most practical value to the person who wishes
to gain health and to practise Naturopathy in his own immediate
surroundings. Osteopathy, herbalism and other branches of
Nature Cure are, of necessity, the work of the expert and can
hardly be translated into practical application for home use.
When, here and there, I is inserted instead of we, the reader
will understand that I am expressing my own opinionand that
this opinion may not necessarily represent the opinion of all
naturopaths. The same basic principles of Naturopathy, however,
are adhered to throughout.
That differences of opinion and procedure existeven in
Nature Cureis a healthy sign. One of the main assets of
Naturopathy is that it does not encourage, nor can it be allied to,
anything approaching regimentation. Naturopathy is entirely
individualistic and must remain so. The relationship between
naturopath and patient is entirely personal. There is no room for
merely interviewing a patient and prescribing certain remedies.
Personal treatment has to be applied, more often than not
through the medium of the hands, in the form of manipulation
and other types of manual therapy. That is not to say, however,
that nothing can be done at home on personal initiative. On the
contrary, no other sphere of healing offers so much that can be
achieved by personal endeavour. The essence of Nature Cure is
simplicity. Once the fundamental principles of Naturopathy have
been grasped golden opportunities for health lie ahead.
It will be discovered that naturopaths differ greatly in the
emphasis placed upon various therapies. No one need be
confused by this differentiation. There is always a personal or
psychological or economic reason for the apparent emphasis of
one therapy. Sometimes, indeed, it is a matter of convenience
that circumstances thrust upon the practitioner. In some areas,
for instance, there are restrictions placed upon the practitioner by
local regulations which do not permit him to use either
electrotherapy or hydrotherapy. In all cases, however, there is the
same insistence upon all the branches of Naturopathy.
In typical working-class districts, for example, there is a
greater demand for herbal therapy than in the more affluent
neighbourhoods. This requirement is based, not solely on
expediency, but because of psychological and economic
impulses. Country people and working classes have always had
more faith in herbs than other sections of the public. This is
perhaps because the countryman and his industrial counterpart
are in closer touch with the soil.
Osteopathy, on the other hand, is more popular among the
middle and upper classes. That it is usually more expensive is
entirely owing to the time factor involved and to the maintenance
of a more adequate establishment.
claim financial benefit should he fall sick and not feel justified in
calling in an orthodox practitioner.
At the same time, for the practitioner, it must be stated that
the reasons for staying outside any Health Scheme are very
concrete. These are, in the main, to keep free from the shackles
that bureaucracy always tends to impose and to maintain a
personal relationship that can hardly conceivably exist under any
official system. It will be readily appreciated, too, that the
opposition from medical quarters is very real. Under the National
Health Scheme the Nature Cure movement would be allowed but
little freedom and every effort would be made to ensure that the
naturopaths would become not independent practitioners, but
little more than medical auxiliaries. Such an invidious position
could not be tolerated.
It would be a serious mistake to assume that, since the
naturopath has no official connection with the State (at least at
the moment), Nature Cure practitioners wish to avoid
responsibility. The reverse is actually the case. No naturopath,
for instance, is empowered to write out a death certificate. Any
negligence on the part of a naturopath leading to the death of a
patient involves severe castigation from the authorities. Serious
treatment (fasting, for instance) is sometimes called negligence
for want of better understanding.
If a doctor makes a mistake he can, in effect, bury it. The
most he can expect is a chastising. For a gross misdemeanour the
doctor may be struck off the register. As a general rule, however,
there is a bias in favour of the medical man.
Not so with the naturopath. He must stand on his own,
completely unprotected, and be the object of censure and of
gross misrepresentation in the daily Press. The gratifying aspect
of the few cases that arise is the immediate response of grateful
patients. These are, however, rarely permitted to give evidence in
favour of the unorthodox practitioner.
Knowing, then, what the forces are against him, it is
decidedly improbable that the naturopath could be anything but
responsible. Nor is irresponsibility consistent with the steady
growth of Nature Cure. The naturopath has a responsibility to his
patients no less than the doctor. In carrying out this
responsibility he is not deterred by the handicaps and limitations
that the authorities insist upon.
Though the word "quackery" is now little used in connection
with Nature Cure, that strong antipathy to the profession
remains, especially among orthodox medical circles. When the
authorities make laws bearing on health, they are, of course,
subject to the influence and pressure of the expertsthe doctors.
Can we, therefore, reasonably expect an unbiased consideration
from the authorities? I think not.
No matter what inducements are offered by a free Parliament
to the naturopathic profession for inclusion into any health plan,
it would be advisable for Nature Cure to be wary. Once Nature
Cure came under the auspices of the medical professionand
that would happen if the State controlled all healingthen
Nature Cure would be lost.
CHAPTER V
DIET
COMMERCIALISM AND FOOD
THE Industrial Age and the growth of Commercialism may have
provided manifold benefits, but, paradoxically, they have been
the cause of intense misery throughout the civilised world,
particularly the Western civilisation. One of the major instances
of the decline was the introduction of the steel rolling mill for the
production of flourwhite flour. Make no mistake about this,
modern milling methods were not designed for the benefit of the
consumer, though it could be argued that the introduction of the
steel roller mill helped to fill an ever-growing number of hungry
mouths. The change-over resulted in disaster for the public, but
in satisfying convenience and increased profits for the millers.
What were the immediate causes of the introduction of white
flour which, at one time, was only a luxury for the upper classes?
The answer lies in Industrialisation, the growth of population and
the decline of agriculture. To meet a growing demand wheat had
to be imported and flour kept for a long time. The old milling
processes did not permit flour to be maintained in a good
condition over any lengthy period. This obstacle was overcome
by the steel roller mill, apart from the fact that it was more
economical. For efficient functioning, however, the wheat germ
and the bran (the outer skin of the wheat) had to be removed
hence white flour. Unfortunately it is the germ and the bran that
contain the vital parts of the wheat. These are the Vitamin B and
the mineral salts. The bran, too, provides the roughage essential
for peristaltic action and natural defaecation. Can we wonder that
constipationwith its resulting self-poisoningis so rife? If
bread did not play such an important part in the national diet, the
consequences would not be so serious. For millions of people,
however, it is the "filler" food, and the working classes
especially rely upon bread to stave off hunger.
It is, therefore, the height of folly to take the vitamins out of
flour and so deprive the masses of an essential ingredient of the
natural food. The same truth applies to bran. Yet what an
excellent proposition it is to Commercialism! One of the main
attractions in this profitable venture is the fact that the same
material can be sold twice. The public pays for its bread minus
the bran and then pays again to have the bran packeted and sold
as a remedy for constipationthe constipation having been
caused, to a large extent, by eating the denatured bread. Vitamins
have to be manufactured and sold to make up for what is taken
out of the wheat. Even the existing "National" loaf only half
covers the problem, though it has resulted in a substantial
increase in resistance to disease and provides one of the reasons
why epidemics did not arise through or immediately after the
Second World War.
Commercialism with bread does not end with the removal of
the vital parts of the wheat. When Mr. Strachey, Minister of
Food, announced in Parliament that the amount of creta
allow me to say that, just before the Second World War, one of
our biggest dailies had a large notice installed saying that it was
forbidden to mention anything detrimental about bread. By bread
it can be presumed that white bread was meant, since it had by
far the largest sale. If one's mind runs back to that period, it will
be recalled that there was a large advertising campaign about
"Eat More Bread" going on at much the same time. Whether
there is anything significant in connection with the admonition to
journalists and the large-scale advertising, both taking place at
the same time, I leave to the imagination of the reader.
Take a look in a grocery shop some time and note the
prepared foods that are for sale. Remember that almost each one
is adulterated in some way or another. There are, of course,
reputable manufacturers who specialise in preparing food in
either a natural state or in a condition that calls for a minimum
use of preservatives. Reputable manufacturers, too, deplore the
activities of less responsible business interests.
Drinks, in particular, are often the source of profound
suspicion. The multi-coloured liquids offered as refreshment are
often detrimental to health. At the close of one of the Derbys just
before the Second World War a vendor of refreshments poured
his remnants of so-called lemonade over the grass. He was
subsequently brought before a court and fined, not, as you might
think, for selling liquid dangerous to public health, but for
damaging the sacred grass of the famous Epsom course! His
lemonade had actually "scorched the earth."
It is unfortunate that the Food and Drug Laws of this country
are inadequate. Of late years these laws have been made more
sweeping (even some tea packets now carry the statement that
the tea is of no food value) and it behoves every housewife to
study diligently the labels on packet food, tinned goods and any
form of preserved food. Despite the more extensive restrictions,
however, clever advertising agencies and others directly
concerned with the marketing of food products show remarkable
ability in the art of finding loopholes.
We have previously discussed the disastrous impact of
Commercialism upon our milk supplies. The fear of tuberculosis
from unpasteurised milk has been proved to be riddled with
inaccuracies and is fostered by the large milk combines. Not so,
however, the case with mother's milk. Here, the rapid growth of
bottle-feeding from artificially prepared foods is proving to be a
deadly menace.
An investigation by the Infant Welfare Centre of Chicago
between 1924-29 produced the following results. 20,061 infants
attended the Centre during the period. Of the total number 48.5
per cent. were entirely breast-fed, 43 per cent. partially breastfed and 8.5 per cent. entirely fed on artificial foods. The
mortality figures for the entire group were as follows:
Entirely breast-fed
Partially
Artificially fed
No. of
Infants
9,749
8,605
1,707
Deaths
Total
15
59
144
Percentage
of Deaths
0.15
0.7
8.4
Not until one really gets down to basic facts does one
discover the full deleterious impact of Commercialism upon our
food resources. The ramifications of big business extend over the
whole process of food cultivation and preparation. This
exploitation of the soil and its produce is a vital factor in disease.
There is no doubt that the drive towards artificial fertilisers
was given greater impetus after the First World War, when
explosives manufacturers were compelled to seek other outlets
for their products. Sulphate of ammonia and other synthetic
fertilisers were thus foisted on to the farmers, principally with
the aid of large-scale advertising, so that factories would not
become obsolete and profits could still be made.
To say that Nature Cure has found an answer is an oversimplification of our whole health problem, especially where
food is concerned. Nature Cure, however, points to a richer and
fuller life. One of the main bugbears is the artificial processes
through which our food is denuded of its natural qualities. If
Commercialism could only be prevailed upon to forego 50 per
cent. of its emasculation of total food resources, then we could
expect a most profound improvement in human health. With that
improvement would come greater productivity, decreased
expenditure on drugs, an expansion of industry useful to man,
increased social amenitiesin fact a whole new vista of life
would open up before us.
GEOGRAPHY AND DIET
By studying the effects of food habits in other parts of the
world we are led to the obvious conclusion that, to derive the
utmost benefit from what we eat, the food must be essentially
"whole." By that we mean that the food should be produced,
prepared and consumed in relation to its natural state. This does
not imply that we should consume all our food raw; though there
is ample evidence to prove that raw food, particularly fruit and
vegetables, should hold a high place in a commonsense diet. We
shall refer to this subject again, when we discuss the famous
Bircher-Benner raw-food system.
Some arguments are put forward that for a food to be natural
it should form an integral part of the native produce. In this
event, an orange would be natural for California, but an
unnatural fruit for Britain. Where favourable climatic and
agricultural conditions coincide with industrial and agricultural
usages, as in certain native districts, there is every reason to
support this theory.
Britain, however, is a highly industrialised nation with a
limited variety of food production. What is more, it has, along
with other (so-called) civilised communities, suffered dire effects
from the commercialisation of food. While there is every
indication that we could increase our native agriculture, and at
the same time add to the diversity of indigenous crops, there is
no sound reason why we should forego the many advantages of
imported fruits and vegetables.
Imported fruit, in particular, serves as a pleasant variety and
as a most convenient source of augmenting our stock of
protective foods. There should, however, be some form of
publicnot that they look for it. Their contentions are based
upon ethical and humanitarian grounds. There is some sound
reasoning in part of their arguments. I fail to see, however, where
honey (especially when the bees are not fed upon refined sugar)
is not a good food. Nor, as we have learnt, is there any real
objection to sour milk. To argue that eggs, milk and honey are
not good foods because, by consuming them, Nature is exploited
appears to be a specious argument.
Diet reform, therefore, though it is not insensitive to the
humanitarian element, does not base its reasoning on those lines.
The real factors concerned in diet are the proper balance of food,
food production, preparation and consumption in accordance
with natural requirements. Proteins, starches, sugars, vitamins,
mineral salts and roughage have to be considered in relation to
human needs so that health can be the result. Apart from any
broad lines that can be laid down as necessary, there is always
the personal element to be taken into account. A sedentary
worker obviously does not require so much protein or starch
food as the heavy, manual worker. Then, again, there are people
with a high starch tolerance and others with a low tolerance.
These factors must be personally weighed up when selecting a
dietary.
We have seen, however, that the fundamental basis of a
sound diet is "wholeness." This is demonstrated in wholegrain
cereals, fruit, vegetables, dairy produce, honey and nuts. A diet
that is based upon these foodstuffs, all produced on natural lines,
contains the essential ingredients for proper nutrition. We have
the bulk, vitamins, mineral salts, proteins, starches and sugars
necessary to real health. In the correct combination of the aforementioned foods lies the road to health.
Two important factors influence the selection of various
foods. There are the relative acid and alkaline action of the
various foods. Before we delve into this problem we shall recall
some factors in nutrition.
In Furneaux and Smart's Human Physiology (Longmans,
Green & Co. Ltd., London) there is an excellent description of
the need for food:
All living matter is of the nature of a machine in that it uses up
energy, converting some into work and most into heat. Moreover,
the wear and tear of tissues has to be made good, and the material
for growth to be provided (if the animal is young). All this is
secured by the provision of food; and the more the composition of
the food differs from that of the body of the consumer, the longer it
takes to digest; the greater part of the lives of most animals is
concerned with a continual hunt for food. Food is anything taken
into the body for the purpose of growth, repair, the production of
heat and work, or the supply of body regulators (hormones,
vitamins and enzymes). This food has, however, to be first
rendered suitable for absorption, i.e. it has to be digested. After
absorption it is oxidised for the production of heat and work, or
stored or used for repair and growth, as the case may be.
Alkaline
Root and leaf vegetables.
Dried and fresh fruit.
Buttermilk.
Olives.
COMMON ERRORS
We have already mentioned many of the mistakes in diet,
especially with reference to Commercialism and the high protein
and starch consumption that is normal to the majority. We have
mentioned also overeating and overdrinking. Wrong
combinations in diet, especially with regard to excesses in the
acid-forming foods, are the main errors in diet. They are also the
largest factors in disease.
Let us consider some of the materials concerned in normal
feeding. The orthodox breakfast of cereal food, toast, bacon or
egg or fish, washed down with tea or coffee, is, on examination,
a meal largely devoid of any of the vitamins, minerals or alkaline
elements necessary for health. Bulk there certainly is, but mostly
of a denatured type. The acid-forming protein, starch and tea or
coffee are unrelieved by any of the alkaline elements necessary
for neutralising the acid content. We can, moreover, take it for
granted that some condiment or other is used with the savoury
part of the meal to give it a flavour. The idea of condiments is to
bolster up the appetite and create an unnatural desire for food
and drink. As stimulants condiments work very well. They are,
however, not only acid-forming in themselves, but they arouse
desires for food and drink that are incompatible with human
requirements and lead to excesses. Since this excessive
consumption is largely of the acid-forming foods, and there is a
constant deficiency of the alkaline materials, can we wonder at
the increase in digestive troubles, ulcers, constipation,
rheumatism, etc.?
There is another factor in overeating that is frequently
overlooked, and which a natural diet checks. That is lack of
mastication. It can be proved that thorough mastication induces a
more real satisfying of hunger and diminishes the tendency to
overeat. Raw feeding emphasises this point on account of the
extra mastication that must take place. Not only is less food
consumed, however, but more taste is extracted from the food.
When we recall how digestion begins in the mouth with the
action of the saliva we realise how important is this neglected
function of mastication. We also have a sound reason for
avoiding the dilution of the saliva with fluid at meal-times.
Though British people are less affected by the gum-chewing
habit common to the Americans, it is of passing interest to record
the latest developments in the habit. I take the following from
Zoe Farmer's "American Diary," a feature of the News
Chronicle:
. . . there are gums containing aspirin, laxative agents, and
indigestion soothers. Latest is a hangover gum claiming to relieve
the most shattering morning-after. Obtainable by prescription only,
since it contains an opium derivative, it is also being successfully
used to placate the morning nausea suffered by some pregnant
women.
VITAMINS
We hesitate to add to the mass of literature on vitamins. In a
work of this kind, however, it is obviously necessary to have the
major details at hand.
What are the vitamins? When analytical chemists were
dealing with fats and oils they discovered that a certain part was
"unsaponifiable." That is to say, the unsaponifiable matter would
not yield to a process of boiling with alkali. From the chemists'
viewpoint, this matter was an impurity. Research work by Sir W.
Gowland Hopkins, from 1906 onwards, proved that the impurity
was the very substance that enabled fats and oils to be fully
utilised in the body.
First thought to be in a class of nitrogenous bodies termed
"amines," the impurity came to be called "vitamins."
Subsequently the terminal "e" was dropped. We know that
vitamins are elusive substances and that deficiencies in them
definitely cause disease. We are aware also that some are
destroyed by heat. So far as we are concerned it is necessary
only to know that vitamins are essential and that the different
classes have different purposes. It is also a known fact that the
best containers of vitamins are those foodstuffs that also contain
the mineral salts, i.e. fruit and vegetables. We have, then, another
factor in proving that the right diet is one based upon lactovegetarian lines, with an emphasis on "wholeness."
There is absolutely no necessity for purchasing foods that
have synthetic vitamins added. All the vitamins required for
bodily needs are contained in a balanced diet containing plenty
of fruit and vegetables, dairy produce and whole-grain cereals. It
is interesting to record that vitamin A was formerly prepared
from nettles. The herbs and wild plants that abound in the
countryside are prolific sources of vitamins and mineral salts.
The following, written by the Science Editor of the News
Chronicle, Ritchie Calder, helps to illustrate the above point,
also the answer to the query why our forefathers did not worry
about vitamins.
A wise old scientist once counselled me "Never despise or
dismiss an old wives' tale or spurn their remedies. Remember they
usually have the sanction of the centuries." Instead of rejecting
time-honoured infusions as a kind of ju-ju, scientists are beginning
to examine them for their properties.
Vegetable tonics, for instance, have fallen out of favour in the
days of man-made drugs, but an investigation has recently been
made into herbs and medical plants to find how much thiamine
they contain. Thiamine is one of the vitamin B family, and a
deficiency of it causes loss of appetite, fatigue, stomach disorders
and a lowering of blood pressure. And these, of course, are just the
run-down conditions for which the "wise women" and the oldfashioned family doctor gave a vegetable pick-me-up.
Guess what was found? Right, first time! Buchu, caraway,
camomile, dandelion, white cinnamon, gentian and thyme were all
rich sources of thiamine.
partly explained, that at that time the normal diet was not short
of vitamins. Milk was not pasteurised, bread and sugar were not
refined, the consumption of denatured foods was infinitesimal.
Even beer was not put through a chemical process Nor was the
soil impoverished by artificial fertilisers, and the food was of the
highest quality. And what medicines were consumed were
largely of the herbalist and non-drug varietyrich in vitamins
and mineral salts. There was, in effect, little need for an
awareness of vitamins.
Below is a list of the main items in vitamins and their
respective actions.
Vitamin A.
Anti-infective.
Phosphorous 1.00%
Potassium 0.35%
Sulphur 0.25%
Sodium 0.15%
Chlorine 0.15%
to absorb oxygen and thus permits the blood to carry out its vital
task of transporting oxygen to the tissues.
The process of digestion and assimilation is considerably
influenced by mineral salts. Along the tract of the small intestine
lie minute, hair-like projections called "villi." Through these villi
nutriment is absorbed in two ways: either directly into the
bloodstream or indirectly via the lymphatic system. The blood
carries the nutriment to the cells of all parts of the body, where it
is ultimately transformed into heat and energy, or used for the
repair and replacement of tissue. The passage of nutritive
substances into blood capillaries and lymphatics is aided by a
mechanical process termed "osmosis." Osmotic pressure is a
feature of all cell life, and it is responsible for the transference of
liquids and dissolved substances to and from the solutions
surrounding the cells of the body and their contents. Osmotic
pressure can be increased by fruit or vegetable juices which
contain their full complement of mineral salts.
While on this subject of osmosis, it seems appropriate to
refer to the statement of a famous German dietician, Ragnar
Berg, concerning the use of common salt. Berg maintained that
common salt has a paralysing effect upon the kidneys and
ureters, that it disturbs the balance of osmosis and interferes with
vascular endothelial activity. Salt causes an abnormally
permeable state of the tissues on account of the increased
osmosis induced by it.
Note that salt causes an abnormally permeable state of the
tissues. This is not caused by the natural mineral salts, which can
never be taken in such massive doses.
We have seen that the body itself is partly composed of a
great many minerals and that we must obtain these from our food
to maintain health. Any deficiency, such as calcium, for instance,
has serious effects upon health. A recurring theme throughout
this book has been that of a natural, whole diet. It has been
emphasised for many reasons, not the least of which is the
necessity for an adequate supply of mineral salts.
These are best obtained from fruits and vegetables and
wholegrain cereals. Mineral salts are just as easily destroyed as
vitamins. Any cooking process, therefore, diminishes the value
of food. The importance of raw fruit and vegetables cannot be
over-emphasised. A lacto-vegetarian, "whole" diet, therefore, is
the soundest basis for ensuring a plentiful supply of mineral
salts. A raw salad and fruit meal per day will, in itself, be
sufficient guarantee against any vitamin and mineral salt
deficiency.
More as a matter of interest than of any consequence, I give
the following table as a guide to mineral salts. It is not intended
to be complete, so far as the foodstuffs are concerned, but it does
emphasise the point of a balanced diet. Whatever feature of diet
we turn up, whether it be vitamins, mineral salts, roughage,
wholeness, acidity or alkalinity, we come to the conclusion that a
balanced diet provides the answer to all the questions.
Mineral
Calcium
Function
Constructs and maintains bone, counteracts
acid, heals wounds,
aids vitality.
Sources
Carrot, cress, kale,
beetroot, cauliflower,
celery, cucumber,
spinach, lettuce, turnip tops, milk,
mushrooms, cheese, egg,
figs, wheat bran, onion,
tomato.
Iron
Sodium
Digestive chemical,
enables body to
absorb iron.
Phosphorus
Sulphur
Potassium
Magnesium
Iodine
Chlorine
Mineral
Fluorine
Function
Anti-infection Youth
preserver.
Silicon
Manganese
Neutralises body
acids. Improves resistance.
Sources
Raw cabbage, spinach,
beetroot, onion,
sprouts, cauliflower,
watercress, cheese, eggs,
milk, whole-grain cereals
Cabbage, celery,
spinach, parsnips,
radishes, dandelion,
beetroot, lettuce, apples,
strawberries, cherries,
figs.
Watercress, endive,
cress, dandelion,
parsley, barley, eggs.
Bread
Meat
Cabbage
Potato
Cauliflower
Lettuce
Celery
Prunes
Sprouts
36%
70%
93%
78%
90%
93%
84%
84%
85%
Cheese
Fish
String Beans
Onion
Spinach
Carrot
Tomato
Apples
Berry Fruit
34%
80%
89%
86%
88%
86%
93%
84%
80-90%
CHAPTER VI
SPECIAL DIETS
THE average reader must be amazed at the number of special
diets which are frequently advocated. He should not allow this
point to worry him unduly. We have previously stated that
naturopaths may have wide variations in their therapeutic
approach, but that the basic principles remain the same. This rule
applies to the varying diet methods applied. The Schroth Dry
Diet Cure, for instance, shocks our concepts of true dietetics. It is
not to be denied, however, that it obtains excellent results, just
the same as does the Bircher-Benner raw-food system or the
Hauser Eliminative Diet.
The main point to bear in mind, when considering the
various special diets, is that their main purpose is practically
always the samethat of the elimination of poisons clogging the
body. Such is not wholly true of all the specific diets, however,
since some are specially designed for the alleviation and cure of
certain diseases (digestive cases and ulcerationsthe Mono
Diet).
Special diets are not to be confused with fasting, which we
shall discuss further on in the book. The essential thing to
remember, when faced with the prospect of alternative diet
systems of the restricted typewhich are, for the most part,
really intended for cure-purposesis their limitations. They are,
almost without exception, purely curative. It is important also to
visualise the effects of any one diet. An old person with stomach
trouble will obviously do better on a Mono Diet than on a strict
Eliminative Diet or a Dry Diet.
There is little need to emphasise that serious feeding is not
faddism. Where the application of dietetic principles is carried to
an extreme, as by those who weigh up everything they eat or
drink, then the true sense of diet is lost. Food is meant for
enjoyment as well as for health, and those who overlook this
point miss much in life. We repeat, therefore, that specialised
diets are intended for specific cases of disease. Once the ailment
is cured then the time arrives to live on a generous balanced diet,
avoiding previous mistakes. There is one further point to bear in
mind when considering these special diets. We have mentioned
that the real aim of all restrictive diet methods is the elimination
of poisons from the body. The practical interpretation of this is
that alkalinity has to overcome acidity. With this in mind, it
would be a real benefiteven to those in normal good health
to have either a fast or a restricted diet once per year. The
restricted diet should last for at least seven days. As the most
appropriate time of the year for this self-denial we suggest the
spring. At this season the psychological and physiological
demands converge, and no other period seems so eminently
suitable as the early spring.
APPLE DIET
Equally simple and perhaps more cleansing is the apple diet.
Here again the one article of diet is adhered to. There is an
advantage in this simplicity of partaking of only one food, and
not merely in its ease of preparation. There is an enforced
economy of digestion which is always beneficial, and the
avoidance of mixtures, for a short spell at least, is frequently a
real asset, especially to those with weak digestions.
The apples may be consumed raw or cooked, according to
the need to avoid roughage. One of the best examples is given
below.
Breakfast
Raw or cooked apples.
Mid-morning
Apple tea or apple juice.
Lunch
Fresh raw apples or baked apples or stewed
(sieved) apples.
Supper
Raw or cooked apples.
It is advisable to have one meal of cooked apples and one
entirely of raw apples. Apple tea is produced from the peel and
core of the cooked apple. The apple juice can be bought in tins or
bottles or extracted from fresh apples by grating and squeezing
with the aid of a piece of strong muslin.
Nervous cases will benefit from the apple diet, though it
should not be continued for the long periods for which some of
the other restrictive diets may be applied. After one week of the
apple diet it is advisable to embark upon one of the more
generous diet systems for the final cleansing.
THE MONO DIET
This is a regime that is particularly suitable for invalids, old
people and those suffering from colitis and weak digestion. It
gives a little more variety, but the same rule of only one food at a
meal applies.
Breakfast
Apple puree.
Mid-morning
Prune pure.
Lunch
Carrot pure.
Tea
Apple pure.
Supper
Cooked spinach.
or
Breakfast
Water gruel or slippery elm.
Mid-morning
Apple pure.
Lunch
Carrots or spinach.
Tea
Apple or prune pure.
Supper
Water gruel or slippery elm.
It will be noted that all the vegetables and fruit are cooked,
but only with very little water (no salt), and, in the case of the
fruit, the liquid is served with the fruit. Water gruel is produced
by making thin porridge and then straining and serving. A little
honey may be used for sweetening the fruit or the gruel.
There is an absence of roughage in the Mono Diet which
renders the diet particularly suitable for the treatment of colitis.
Prunes, apples and spinach are laxative foods, however, which
will assist bowel movements. It is advisable to enlarge upon the
diet and add roughage and variety as soon as it is possible to do
so without harm. While the weak state persists, however,
especially with elderly invalids, the Mono Diet is most
applicable.
THE DRY DIET
The Dry Diet really appertains to the Schroth Dry Diet Cure,
which will be discussed under "Fasting." Any toxic condition
can be treated with the Dry Diet Cure, but as a short measure for
dealing with colds, attacks of rheumatism, common disturbances
of the system and depression, the Dry Diet will be found useful
and simple in application. It is not entirely, as the name suggests,
a dry cure, though there are long dry periods. There are
modifications, too, but any modification lessens the efficacy of
the method. The only drink permitted is light wine or cider, and
that only after a suitable dry period.
Breakfast
Dry toast or rolls.
Lunch
Same as breakfast or modified with baked
potatoes.
Supper
Dry toast or rolls with a glass of light wine or
cider.
The above menu can be repeated for two or three days, or
even only one day can be undertaken. During the dry spells a
flow of toxins from the tissues into the bloodstream is induced.
The mucous membranes of the various organs act as energetic
outlets for waste products attracted from the tissues. The light
wine or cider stimulates the excretion of the toxic matter, though
it also has the effect of driving some of the effete matter back
CHAPTER VII
THE PROCESS OF ELIMINATION
METABOLISM is the term covering all the physical and chemical
processes by which life is maintained. The constructive element
of metabolismthe processes by which food materials are
adapted for the use of the body, repair and renewal of tissues,
etc.is known as anabolism. The destructive processes, by
which energy is produced and the breaking down of tissues takes
place, is termed catabolism.
Physiological income is derived from food and oxygen, and
physiological expenditure is heat and work, repair of tissue,
growth in the young and elimination of waste matter. Curiously
enough, disease is almost always the result of a physical
situation diametrically opposite to that of the despaired-of
financial one; in that the physiological income exceeds that of
expenditure, and a satiated condition is brought about, in the
majority of people, which gives rise to all the common ills.
When, as we said before, these common symptoms of disease are
treated with drugs, an even worse condition arises. Not only have
we a system poisoned with retained toxic matter, but the drugs
are added to it. That these drugs temporarily suppress the ailment
is the most unsatisfying part of the treatment, because such
temporary relief gives an illusion of success and entirely
misleads, at the same time becoming a causative factor in
disease.
The naturopathic concept of health visualises a true balance
between physiological income and expenditure. In other words,
when a correct diet exists, when there is no overeating, when
exercise is taken, habits are moderated, drugs avoided and
elimination perfected, there is no disease. There is a constant
reiteration of the need for elimination. This reiteration is quite
understandable, for elimination provides the means of creating
harmony within the body. Without good elimination there can be
no true health, and without it an ever-increasing vicious circle
depresses the system and causes disease.
What is elimination? It is the series of processes by which
waste matter from food debris, destroyed cells, bacteria and all
the catabolic processes are removed from the body.
Four organs take charge of elimination: the bowels, lungs,
skin and kidneys. When these function efficiently and in
harmony, and providing that no undue stress is placed upon them
by overeating, eating wrong foods, lack of exercise and other
errors, health is maintained. Any neglect of natural laws,
however, that leads to a breakdown in elimination and the
retention of poisons within the system, must inevitably lead to
disease.
One of the first things the naturopath attends to in any case
of disease is elimination. So do medical practitioners. While the
latter, however, usually limit their attention to a purging of the
bowels, the naturopath delves further into the question. That is
not to say that the naturopath does not himself take advantage of
that pour from the exhausts of motor vehicles will still vitiate the
air. The impact of civilisation upon the air we breathe is a
sufficient handicap in itself without that of under-developing the
lungs.
The importance of elimination via the lungs is common
knowledge. The response to this knowledge, however, is
depressingly small. Respiration is the process by which air
passes into the lungs so that the blood can absorb oxygen, and
stale air (carrying off carbonic acid gas and more complex
poisonous substances) is breathed out. The process is vital to life.
When, however, it is limited by the air we breathe and the
shallowness of the act, an accumulation of carbonic acid is
retained in the system and the oxygen supply is deficient. This
hampers the work of elimination and leads to a retention of
poisons or the overwork of the other organs of elimination.
Postural defects (bad walking and sitting in wrong positions
with the lungs and abdominal organs suffering compression
effects) and shallow breathing lead to a poisoned system and a
breakdown of elimination and, of course, disease. The answer to
this defect is deep-breathing, better ventilation, purification of
the atmosphere and more frequent excursions to the sea and
country for the town-dweller.
When the effects of deoxidised and vitiated air are so well
known, it is difficult to understand the lack of attention given to
the art of breathing. Deep-breathing and the full development of
the lungs are as essential to elimination as good bowel
movements. The pressure of life and the pursuit of artificial
pleasures, plus ill-designed workrooms and benches, are often to
blame for deficient respiration.
The Kidneys. The kidneys are a pair of glands lying close to
the spine in the upper part of the abdomen. Their chief function
is that of separating urine from the blood. As the urine contains
solids, from the waste matter of the body, a large amount of
water also is excreted to keep the solids in solution. Urine is
elimination of the end-products of metabolism in a liquid form.
When the other organs of elimination (bowels, skin and
lungs) fail to work to capacity, the kidneys endeavour to
maintain balance by increasing their activities. This condition,
however, can last only for a certain period, and the ultimate
efficiency of the organs is impaired.
The way in which the balance of the system is maintained
can be illustrated by a natural phenomena that all have
experienced. That is, in cold weather, when the skin activity is
decreased, more urine is excreted. The kidneys do their best to
cope with any extra tasks thrown upon them when elimination is
unbalanced or when an excess of poisons is consumed (as in
drug-taking, excessive starch and protein consumption or rabid
tea, coffee and alcohol drinking). When the kidneys fail to act,
solid waste substances accumulate in the blood, creating a
condition called uraemia. The name arises from the fact that urea
is the chief waste substance excreted by the kidneys. The
disease, of course, is highly dangerous and leads to coma and
death.
Disturbances in the body are reflected in the urine. Uric acid
from a high protein diet is eliminated with the urine, sugar in
CHAPTER VIII
WHY FAST?
THERE is, throughout all Nature Cure works, an emphasis upon
the fast as a curative measure which is in full accord with natural
laws. At first glance it appears the height of folly to withhold
food at a time of disease, or to prescribe the fast as frequently as
is the practice in Naturopathy. It may even seem that the fast is
applied indiscriminately, but such is not the case.
Without a doubt much of the scorn of orthodox opinion is
directed against the fast as a natural procedure. That ignorance
lies behind this scorn in no way mitigates the harm caused by
unthinking attacks made upon a profession and a way of life that
materially contributes to the welfare of the community and adds
to the efficiency of its people. To people who have regained their
health by fasting, the folly of popular opinion appears just as
ludicrous as, no doubt, fasting is to strict medical-minded people.
Unfortunately, the good work achieved by natural therapeutics
using the fast as an instrument of cureis never reported. But let
one case of fasting end in fatal results, and it is nationally
reported. It is newsit is sensationand the most is made of it.
More often than not, in these rare cases, there are extraneous
influences beyond the control of either the victim or the adviser
involved. The truth of the matter is that the ordinary expert on
health (the medical man) has no conception of natural
therapeutics; is unable to read anything into the case but lack of
food, and is not in a position to determine the facts. Is it to be
surprised at, therefore, when an opportunity to discredit
Naturopathy is, so to speak, offered up on a platter, that much is
made of it? The ingenious misinterpretation and distortion are
due firstly to a lack of knowledge and secondly to a desire to
discredit. While the successes of fasting go unrecorded, the few
failures are widely publicised. That the successes of Naturopathy
are the failures of medicine is unobserved by the large majority.
The vindication of Nature Cure and the methods employed
including fastingis found in the enormous strides the
movement has made in recent years. That this success is made
under every handicap of official frustration and misguided
intolerance proves that Naturopathy is worthy of the confidence
it has gained. More than that, however, it demonstrates that
there is something seriously wrong with the official health
system.
Acute disease, we believe, is an expression of the life-force
of the body. All the main efforts of the body are concentrated
upon reaching a healthy state by throwing off the poisons
accumulated within the system. In acute disease there is an
increase of symptoms: the pulse rate rises, pain and other
symptoms are increased. The digestive function is temporarily
suspended, hence the loss of appetite. Even the common state of
heightened emotion produces a condition of anorexia. Such a
condition is purely protective; because the body, having no need
for food, and with little power to act upon it, seeks to protect the
suspended digestion by abstention.
It is necessary to limit the digestive functions because the
energies of the body are required for the elimination of waste
matter. Any energy that is used to digest food has to be diverted
from the primary task of elimination. But very little energy is
diverted, the consequence being that undigested food material
decomposes, forms a mass of toxins poisoning the system and
adds fresh fuel to the fire. As a result of feeding the cure is
protracted, the strength is sapped and unnecessary complications
arise.
Lack of appetiteone of the first symptoms to appear in
acute diseaseis a protective instinct which is woefully ignored
under modern medical treatment. All sorts of devices are
resorted to so that the unwilling patient shall eat. Not that the
patient is always unwilling. In minor cases of acute disease,
when the appetite is lost, he is only too keen to stimulate the
jaded appetite with drugs or medicines or to succumb to the
blandishments of anxious but misguided relatives. Fear and
tradition play a large part in this spurning of a natural instinct.
Though there is, it must be admitted, less nonsense talked about
food and fasting these days, outworn fears die hard and
ignorance is still rife. The saying that "one must build up" is an
evil that has yet to be correctly understood.
Among the animal world, the instinct to avoid food when
sick or wounded is very strong, and animals possess none of the
human inhibitions over this matter. Wounded elephants will
avoid food. Cats not only keep away from food, they seek their
own cures in the fields and hedges. Practically all wild animals
have this power of knowing when to fast and what to eat when
they are ill. When American black bears emerge from
hibernation they will select laxative berries and herbs to
counteract the unbalanced condition arising from the long
hibernation. Buck deer travel miles to find drinking water rich in
lime to provide proper growth for their new horns. Pregnant
mule deer carefully select the right food for their condition.
Throughout the animal and bird world there are natural instincts
governing the avoidance of food and the selection of herbs and
bulbs for the treatment of disease.
Mice are not men, as we are not slow to remind the medical
profession when they publish the results of experiments on
defenceless animals. Animal instincts provide a pointer to the
human instinct to avoid food in cases of sickness, but there it
ends. We do not rely upon such evidence, even though it is a
form of corroboration. Our interpretation of acute disease clearly
demonstrates the utility of the fast and, without recourse to
examples in the animal world, proves the basic need for fasting.
What is more, it is in accord with the natural, protective and
healing instinct of Nature.
That thousands upon thousands of cases have shown the
therapeutic value of the fast is sufficient evidence in itself. We
have shown how fasting is reconciled with acute disease. How is
it applied in the case of chronic disease? We have reiterated that
most chronic disease is the result of the suppression of the
simple acute diseases. The same rules, therefore, operate in such
cases. Cleanse the system, with due regard to the special features
of the disease, and improvement in the condition and a cure will
be found. All the factors having a part in the etiology of the
disease, of course, must be considered and corrected. But this the
Nature Cure way of life shows.
A simple cold provides an illustration of the need for fasting.
A cold, we believe, is an effort on the part of the body to
supplement the normal channels of elimination by an extra outlet
of poisons via the respiratory passages. (Skin diseases are the
same, witness acne or boils.) That a cold may be occasioned by
damp, infection or cold we do not deny. What we do suggest is
that the toxic materials must be in the system ready for removal
and that, when the right variety of conditions arises, the cold
develops. It could not develop, however, within a healthy
system.
The question one should ask is: "Where does all this stream
of mucus spring from?" Where, indeed, but from what is
consumed, from the poisons retained in the system and those
manufactured by worry, bad habits and lack of attention to
natural laws. If the cold develops into a feverish state, food is
obnoxious.
What is the best way to overcome the cold? First and
foremost is the fast. At one stroke we stop the intake of acidforming material, stimulate the elimination of effete matter and
reduce the cold. Other measures have to be taken in conjunction
with the fast: remedial baths, fresh air, massage and rest, etc., but
the fast remains the surest way of tackling the problem.
Since Nature Cure claims that disease is the result of an
impure system; that acute disease is an effort by the life-forces of
the body to expel accumulated toxic products; that the
suppression of acute disease results in chronic disease, then it
follows that the fast is frequently indicated as a therapeutic
measure. It may even seem that the fast is indiscriminately
applied. With due regard to the basic causes of most diseases,
however, and the need for the cleansing of the system, the
repeated use of the fast should occasion little surprise. By it
disease is tackled at its very source. All the other factors in the
causation of disease are studied independently, and correct
measures are taken to rectify possible errors. Such errors are
largely covered by the Nature Cure theory of living.
A fast achieves four main objects:
(1) It stops the intake of food which would inevitably
produce toxins.
(2) It rests the digestive tract.
(3) It enables the body to concentrate its energies upon
elimination.
(4) It stimulates the life-force and expels effete matter.
It is because the fast has a deep-reaching, disencumbering
effect upon the system that it is so widely used. It is for the same
reason that it is applied with due caution. Indiscriminate fasting
would indeed be a menace, but such is not the case. It is,
perhaps, at this point, advisable to warn those who consider that
fasting is the beginning and end of Nature Cure of their
CHAPTER IX
SPECIAL FASTS
THE GUELPA FAST
THE three-day Guelpa Fast is mentioned first, not because of any
rigid preference, but on account of its practical considerations.
Though it must be stressed that, in healing with Nature, there are
no short cuts to health, there are certain practical items that have
to be considered. Busy people, for instance, cannot always afford
either the time or the money to go away for institutional
treatment. Such people have to be content with curing
themselves (which is one of the aims of Nature Cure) in as short
a possible time as can be obtained, and with a minimum of risk
and discomfort. Not that fasting always signifies discomfort.
Such is far from the case. To meet such circumstances, and yet
obtain a good result, is one of the reasons for applying the
Guelpa Fast. It can be repeated if necessary. For many minor
ailments, however, it is a most practical fasting method.
The Guelpa Fast is one where aperients are used. We have
previously mentioned that aperients are adopted in Naturopathy,
but not in the same sense as when applied in orthodox treatment.
During fasting, the stomach and intestines, instead of performing
their normal processes of digestion and assimilation, exude and
dispatch a flow of toxins coming from all parts of the body. The
aperient has the effect of washing these away and cleansing the
bowels. The saline aperient may be Esvach or Apenta water or
Epsom salts. Below we give a specimen of the Guelpa Fast:
First day
On an empty stomach at breakfast-time have half an
ounce of Epsom salts dissolved in a little warm water,
together with half a pint of warm water. Suck a small
piece of orange if something is required to take away
the flavour of the salts. Repeat above dose thirty
minutes later. At 2-3 hourly intervals drink orange
juice, apple juice, prune or raisin juice or clear
vegetable soup.
Second day
Same as first day except that thick vegetable soup (no
fat) may be taken at 7 or 9 p.m.
Third day
Dry-diet day. No drinks whatsoever until 7-8 p.m.,
when a glass of light wine or cider is consumed. Eat
only dry toast, dry rolls or dry bread.
From the above it will be realised that the Guelpa Fast
consists of two liquid days and a dry day. In the chapter on
special diets we gave an account of the eliminatory action of the
dry diet. It will be recalled that we stated that the dry diet
induced a flow of toxins from the tissues into the bloodstream,
which, under the stimulus of the drink, were expelled. As the two
liquid days are taken before the dry day, it follows that there
must be a certain amount of elimination already taking place.
The dry day accelerates the process and aids the elimination of
any poisons that have escaped the flushing that has already taken
place.
If necessary, a more efficient result can be obtained by the
application of the enema on the first two evenings of the fast.
STRAIGHT FASTING
Straight fasting usually lasts over a period of days or weeks.
It is not recommended for home application. If it is applied under
home conditions there must be the strictest supervision by a
qualified practitioner. The length of the fast is always determined
by the practitioner with relation to the facts he possesses. Among
factors taken into consideration are: condition of patient, the
patient's reaction, the disease being treated and, if there is a timelimit, that factor. The fast, however, may go on until all the signs
of an impure system have abated and hunger returns.
The application of straight fasting obviously calls for a
skilled technique and the correct interpretation of all the physical
signs that may arise. Its very duration renders specialised
supervision necessary. Up to the present moment, it appears that
the longest fast ever recorded is one of 100 days. It must be
remembered, however, that the breaking of records is no part of
the strictly serious aspect of fasting. The fast goes on only so
long as is considered necessary and advisable for the particular
case in hand. Any person who undertakes a fast for the sole
purpose of establishing a record is either a fool or a moron.
Straight fasting is usually conducted on water, fruit juices or
clear vegetable soup or on a combination of these drinks. On the
first and second mornings of the fast a saline aperient may be
given. Enemas or colonic irrigations are frequently applied so as
to ensure bowel cleansing and elimination of toxic products.
It will be found that, even in straight fasting, there are
differences of procedure in the varying Nature Cure
establishments. The same principles, however, are adopted in
every case. The stress is always upon elimination.
Undoubtedly, straight fasting is a very drastic measure. As
such it calls for the maximum of care and attention. It has its
detractors. What these detractors usually fail to appreciate,
however, is the enormous success that can be attributed to the
fasting method.
Fasting on the above lines is not necessarily weakening.
Many people are able to perform as much work while fasting as
when consuming normal meals. The only danger is that either
the fast may be over-lengthened or the patient may develop a
negative attitude towards food. Such complications are rare.
MILK FAST
This is really not so much a fasting system as a dietetic
regime. (We have mentioned cases of people living on milk
alonewhole milk or sour milknot the pasteurised milk we
see on the milk vans. Chaganail Parekh, an Indian, has lived on
milk since 1944. He takes six pints per day and recently declared
that he would never touch solid food again.) Since the milk diet
is a frequent sequel to the long fast, we have included it under
this heading.
A full glass of unpasteurised milk is taken every two hours,
from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., on the first day of the fast. On the second
day the two-hourly interval is reduced to ninety minutes, and
from then on the quantity of milk is gradually increased on each
successive day until as much milk is taken as can be comfortably
tolerated. The milk should not be too creamy and is best taken
slightly warm or cool. It is important that, as with all drinks, the
milk should be sipped.
Constipation is a development that may arise with the milk
diet, and often does, hence laxative dried fruits (prunes, dates,
figs) are given to assist a bowel motion. Enemas or colonic
irrigations are also applied for this trouble.
Unmalted Slippery Elm Food can be substituted for milk,
providing some milk is taken with it.
Although we have stated that whole milk is a good food and
have mentioned that people live exclusively on milk, it is not by
any means suggested that existing entirely on milk is advisable.
For cure-purposes the full milk diet is often useful. The average
person, however, needs much more than milk in his diet; though
for people well advanced in years, a type of Mono Diet, in which
milk plays a large part, would probably be found most
applicable. It can be said that, for ordinary purposes, the Milk
Diet is essentially curative only.
THE SCHROTH CURE
To be strictly accurate, the Schroth Dry Diet Cure is in no
sense a fast. At the same time, however, it is so drastic a measure
that it is considered necessary to include it under this section.
We have previously mentioned this cure method, and it has
already been explained that it consists of long, dry spells on
starch food punctuated with drink intervals, when light wine is
given. It is a most radical eliminative regime and is not without
its opponents. The important thing to bear in mind is that the
Schroth Cure is in harmony with natural healing and that, even if
the diet is contrary to all our ideas of scientific dietetics, it
achieves its results by elimination. What is more, we have
already discussed some of the implications of the diet and
recognised that one of the secrets lies in the preponderance of
potassium content and in the action of the wine or cider. That it
does work is proved. There are so many unexplained processes
going on in the body that we must recognise our limitations of
knowledge and strive to perfect them. What is important is that
where Nature has the power to achieve what we arc unable to
understand, we should regard the effect and endeavour to
understand why and not belittle success because of our lack of
understanding.
The Schroth Dry Diet Cure is essentially eliminative, and
once we recognise this and do not attempt to find in it an
argument for adding an accumulation of starch to our normal diet
we shall best serve the cause of Nature Cure. As to alcohol, there
is no doubt that there is little harm in having light wine or cider
Lunch
Tea
Supper
Second day
Breakfast
Lunch
Tea
Supper
Grilled tomatoes.
Spinach and potatoes.
Prunes
or
Potatoes and onions.
Figs.
Mat tea or fruit juice.
Salad of lettuce, tomato, cooked beetroot, chopped parsley, grated raw carrot,
watercress or cress.
Biscuits (NO butter).
Fruit.
Fruit
Poached or scrambled egg or mushrooms.
Potatoes and leafy vegetable.
Prunes, figs or raisins.
Mat tea or fruit juice.
Salad.
Cold nutmeat or nut mince.
Fruit.
CHAPTER X
THE HEALING CRISIS
ALL diseases manifest themselves by certain variations from the
normal which are called symptoms. Such symptoms may be an
exaggeration or a lessening of normal reactions. The
supernormal reaction is one that is, on the whole, favourable to
recovery, while the sub-normal is unfavourable. It is the
supernormal reaction that is evident in acute diseases, and the
same reaction is displayed in the healing crisis. Lindlahr defines
a healing crisis in the following terms:
"A healing crisis is an acute reaction, resulting from the
ascendancy of Nature's healing forces over disease conditions,
and it is, therefore, in conformity with Nature's constructive
principle."
A healing crisis is the approximation of an acute disease. We
shall again emphasise the curative aspect of acute diseases, for
too often are these suppressed in fear and ignorance. Such
suppression invariably leads to chronic disease, and it is with this
facet 'of medical treatment that we so deeply quarrel. Lindlahr,
in his book Nature Cure, says:
What is commonly called "acute" disease is in reality the result
of Nature's efforts to eliminate from the organism waste matter,
foreign matter, and poisons, and to repair injury to living tissues. In
other words, every so-called acute disease is the result of a
cleansing and healing effort of Nature. The real disease is lowered
vitality, abnormal composition of the vital fluids (blood and
lymph), and the resulting accumulation of waste materials and
poisons. . . .
Chronic disease is a condition of the organism in which
lowered vibration (lowered vitality), due to the accumulation of
waste matter and poisons, with the consequent destruction of vital
parts and organs, has progressed to such an extent that Nature's
constructive and healing forces are no longer able to react against
the disease conditions by acute corrective efforts (healing crises).
Chronic disease is a condition of the organism in which the
morbid encumbrances have gained the ascendancy and prevent
acute reaction (healing crises) on the part of the constructive forces
of Nature.
Chronic disease is the inability of the organism to react by
acute efforts or "healing crises" against constitutional disease
conditions.
CHAPTER XI
HYDROTHERAPY
IT is frequently said that there is nothing new in the world. To a
large extent this is true, and hydrotherapy subscribes to this
view, for it is not new. Even colonic irrigation, a more recent
addition to the branch of therapeutics with which we are now
dealing, was applied by the early Egyptian civilisation.
Hydrotherapy simply means the use of water as a curative agent.
For our present knowledge of hydrotherapy we are indebted
to the Continental pioneers of Nature Cure. In particular we must
pay homage to Father Kneipp, the remarkable parish priest of
Worishofen, in Bavaria; the German peasant Vincent Priessnitz,
also a great water-healer; Johann Schroth, originator of the dry
diet and pack system, Bilz and others. These men all had their
time in the early Victorian era.
Father Kneipp, like a great many true healers, took up his
work because he had to cure himself. He came across a little
book describing cold-water therapy and immediately began his
own regeneration. Kneipp, however, soon abandoned the more
drastic of the cold water treatments and improved his methods
through constant observation. As he himself said:
The applications it enjoined were often too rough, too violent,
for the human constitution. Such exaggerated treatment only serves
to bring the cold-water cure into discredit, and to reinforce the
ranks of those who blindly condemn whatever they do not, or but
imperfectly, understand.
Dr. Samuel Hahnemann was met with the same contumely and
misrepresentation at the end of the eighteenth century as that
strange genius Paracelsus suffered in the sixteenth. The highly
intelligent German peasant Vincent Priessnitz, at the beginning of
what in this country we call the Victorian era, drew patients to his
Water Cure from all over Europe, but hydropathy, i.e. water
treatment, did not become medically respectable until the end of
the nineteenth century, as Dr. Bircher-Benner points out. It was
Arnold Rikli, a Swiss layman, who established the curative effects
of sunlight when combined with water in the 1860's; but the
medical profession took no notice of anything so cranky until Dr.
Rollier applied the method to tubercular disorders some forty years
later; even he, when he gave his first lecture on his findings to a
medical congress in Paris in 1905, spoke to rapidly emptying
benches. Dr. Lahmann, of Dresden, was one of the first to perceive
the basic importance of the mineral elements in food at a time
when British doctors knew no more about nutrition than they did
about the other side of the moon. The frequent suggestion in recent
times that medical science has led the way in nutrition \ is
shockingly false. Dr. Still developed the theory and practice of
spinal manipulation a whole life-time before the medical
profession, after deriding the whole thing as spurious and
unscientific, began to adopt something of the technique under the
name of "orthopedic surgery."
These baths can be taken cold or hot or alternately hot and cold.
Cold sitz baths of short duration are excellent for piles,
constipation and sexual troubles. At the same time, the long hot
sitz bath followed by a cool sponging is equally advised. For
cases of heart trouble, the sitz bath can be applied when no other
hot-water treatment is applicable. There is no strain upon the
heart, and its function is aided by the sitz bath lessening the
pressure upon the heart and reducing abdominal congestion.
Where indigestion is present, the sitz bath draws the blood to the
stomach and stimulates the functioning of the digestive glands.
For lumbago and sciatica, the alternate hot and cold sitz bath is
an ideal treatment. Female troublesinflammation of uterus,
ovaries, leucorrhoea and any irregularity or painfulness of
periodsshow a remarkable response when the sitz bath is
applied. For some conditions it is applied hot, and for others,
cold. Bladder troubles, enlarged prostate gland and hernias
should be treated with a daily cold sitz bath lasting from thirty
seconds to three minutes, and also with the hot sitz bath followed
by a cool sponging. The sitz bath is always advised in
conjunction with fasting. The alternate hot and cold sitz bath
promotes the dissolving and elimination of the effete matter
accumulated in the bowels during the cleansing process of the
fasting. Even if an enema or colonic irrigation is applied during
the fast, the daily alternate hot and cold sitz bath or the long hot
sitz bath followed by a cool sponging is advised.
As previously stated, the old-fashioned sitz bath and a foot
bath is all that is necessary for the purpose. The depth of the
water is varied according to the displacement arising from the
size of the person being treated, but the water must reach up to
the patient's waistline. The foot bath is necessary because it helps
to reduce the abdominal congestion and attracts the blood from
the head, lungs and liver, etc.
Ebbard, co-author of The New Bedrock of Health, describes
the application of the hot sitz bath in these terms:
The sitz bath is two parts filled with hot water, as hot as the
patient can bear it, up to 108 to 110 degrees Fahr. The bath should
last 10-14 minutes, during which time the temperature must be kept
up and, should the water cool down, boiling water must be ready at
hand to bring the temperature up again. By this means, all the
abdominal blood-vessels and tissues become expanded, and for the
moment even more blood is attracted to the abdomen. After the
given time, the patient gets out of the bath and part of the body,
which has been in the water, and only this part, is sponged with
cold water for about two minutes. By this sudden cold spraying, the
abdominal blood-vessels and tissues contract, and the blood is
forced away, at once establishing, especially by its larger quantity,
an increased circulation, not only in the abdomen, but all over the
body. Warm feet and the relaxing of any pressure in the body are
the immediate effects of the sitz bath.
(1) The hot sitz bath, lasting from ten to thirty minutes and
terminated with a cold or cool sponging.
(2) The alternate hot and cold sitz bath (hot for five
minutes, followed by a short cold sitz bath for thirty
seconds) repeated twice or three times and always
concluded with the cold sitz bath.
(3) The cold sitz bath (deeper in summer than in winter)
lasting from thirty seconds to three minutes according
to the case, vitality of patient and time of year. This can
be a cool sitz bath in winter, or for people with nervous
temperament or heart cases.
(4) The blanket sitz bath, a mild and safe sweating
treatment for those with weak hearts.
The hot sitz bath is commenced with the water at a
temperature of 104 degrees Fahr. and is then raised (quickly or
gradually, as the patient prefers) to 110 to 114 or even 116
degrees Fahr. After ten to thirty minutes in the hot water the
patient is transferred to a cool sitz bath or sponges down those
parts that have been immersed in the hot water. The hot foot bath
(temperature 105-107 degrees Fahr.) is taken in conjunction with
the sitz bath, and the feet must also be cooled. The water of the
sitz bath should be heated by having a can of hot water handy.
The hot sitz bath is indicated in all cases of abdominal
congestion, constipation, bladder troubles, amenorrhoea, piles,
prostate gland, etc.
The alternate hot and cold sitz bath, as the name implies,
means using a hot and then a cold sitz bath. The temperature of
the hot bath must be kept constant at 110-112 degrees Fahr., and
the cold sitz bath means either cold water from the tap or just
slightly warmed to take off the chill (the latter especially in
winter). Sit in the hot bath for five minutes and then in the cold
for thirty seconds, repeating the process two or three times and
concluding with the cold sitz bath. Here, again, the feet are
included in the treatment by using foot baths. The alternate hot
and cold sitz bath is invaluable for constipation, all abdominal
congestion, piles, bladder troubles, sexual weakness and
inflammation of the uterus and ovaries, etc.
The cold sitz bath is used in addition to the other treatments.
Ruptures, piles, constipation, menhorragia, etc., are best treated
with a short cold sitz bath in addition to the other types. The
water must not be icy cold and, in winter, the addition of a little
warm water is advised. The essential part of any cold treatment
is the subsequent warm reaction. It is not advisable in the cases
of weak heart, nervous exhaustion or anaemia in the early stages,
though these will profit by such applications after a certain stage
in the cure has been reached. The temperature of the cold sitz
bath, and its depth, vary according to the time of the year and the
patient. The more vigorous can take lower temperatures and
greater depth of water, the less vigorous correspondingly higher
temperature and lower depth. In winter, 70 degrees Fahr. is quite
cold enough for most cases. The blanket sitz bath is one of the
most efficacious forms of sweating and can be applied in all
cases. It also acts in the same way as the hot sitz bath, but, as a
form of sweating, there is no gentler means of inducing
elimination via the skin. The only difference between the hot sitz
bath and the sweating bath is that boards are arranged over the
foot bath and sitz bath, so that a blanket can be placed from the
feet to the neck without falling into the water. Sit in the bath for
fifteen to thirty minutes, according to the case, the shorter period
being more applicable for the weaker person. Conclude the
treatment with a cool sponge-down. A cold towel should be
placed over the heart for bad cases, and one on the head is
advised. This is a simple form of sweating which lends itself to
use in the sickroom, thereby creating a minimum of disturbance
for the weakened patient. It is quite safe to apply. Frequently the
hot sitz bath and the sweating sitz bath will produce a sleepy
state in the patient; provided there is no overheating and the
patient is attended, this is not to be discouraged, though special
precaution attaches to the heart cases.
The Rising and Falling Bath
The rising and falling bath is almost self-descriptive. It can
be carried out in the ordinary bath with little or no trouble and is
a most effective water treatment. The result of the changing
temperatures of the bath is to dissolve, eliminate and strengthen.
As a general treatment it is excellent, though it should not be
applied to heart cases. The ordinary long bath is filled with
sufficient water to cover the patient, the temperature of the water
being between 96 and 100 degrees Fahr. The patient lies in this
water, and then the hot tap is turned on and the temperature of
the bath raised to between 108 and 110 degrees Fahr. The patient
should be made to sweat (this is seen on the forehead), and if 107
degrees Fahr. is sufficient for this purpose, there is no need to
raise the temperature higher. The sweating should not be of more
than three to four minutes' duration, after which the temperature
of the bath is lowered to 80-85 degrees Fahr. It is essential to rest
in bed for at least thirty minutes after this bath. The rising and
falling bath is indicated in all cases where auto-toxasmia is
present, for rheumatism, sciatica, arthritis, constipation, and
practically all those diseases where there is no weakness of the
heart and where high blood pressure is not present.
The Epsom Salt Bath
This, like the previous baths, is a very simple matter and
lends itself to home use. In all disease there is an accumulation
of acids in the system. This is especially true of those complaints
with a rheumatic character, where there exists an excess of uric
acid. In such conditions the Epsom salt bath is advised because
the salts neutralise the acid waste products and assist their
elimination. In an ordinary bath of hot water dissolve two large
handfuls of the commercial salts, and lie in the hot water for not
more than ten minutes. Over this period there is a danger of
enervation. Cool down after the hot bath and rest. People with
weak hearts should not take the Epsom salt bath, and in no case
should it be applied more than twice per week. Provided that the
above instructions are observed, it will be found that the salt bath
gives much relief and is efficacious in such cases as arthritis,
rheumatism, sciatica, neuritis, lumbago, colds and catarrh.
warmth. With this in view we shall again emphasise that the best
effects are obtained from short-lasting cold-water applications.
Water Paddling
Run two to three inches of cold water in the bath, and paddle
with the bare feet for so long as it is comfortable. This is very
useful in the case of tired feet, varicose veins, nervous
conditions, insomnia and bad circulation. When varicose veins
are present it is advisable to combine water paddling with the
cold spray by allowing the cold water to run over the legs while,
at the same time, it is filling the bath to the required depth. Water
paddling is useful also in enuresis, and this measure alone,
carried out every night, is often successful in preventing bedwetting. For all foot troubles, however, water paddling is
especially advised. Walking on wet grass or wet stones in the
bare feet is often advised as a tonic. It must be remembered,
however, that the feet must be thoroughly warm after the
walking.
The Alternate Hot and Cold Foot Bath
For this treatment two bowls are required. One is three parts
filled with water at a temperature of 104 to 110 degrees Fahr.
and the other with water from the cold supply. Sit on a stool and
place the feet first into the hot water for from three to five
minutes and then into the cold water for about thirty seconds.
Repeat the process three to four times, and conclude with the
cold dip. This type of treatment is excellent for headaches, poor
circulation, tired feet, chilblains, sleeplessness, etc. Wounds,
bites and stings on the lower limbs can also be allayed with this
treatment. The Hot Foot Bath is applied in the same way as the
above with the exception that there is no changing over from one
bath to the other, the feet remaining in the hot water for from ten
to fifteen minutes and then in the cold water for about one to two
minutes. This is the most useful in the case of headaches.
The Alternate Hot and Cold Arm Baths
The directions for this are the same as those for the alternate
hot and cold foot bath. It is used for the same purposes, i.e. bites,
stings, wounds, chilblains and poor circulation. It is a local
treatment for Raynaud's disease.
The Dripping Mantle
This treatment is one of the oldest hydropathic methods. It is
neither a bath nor a pack, yet it is a most useful remedy, being
applicable in feverish conditions, colds, poor circulation, general
debility, autotoxaemia, lowered skin vitality and as a general
tonic. The treatment should be applied in a warm room, and the
patient should be able to go straight to a warm bed when the
treatment is concluded. All that is required for the dripping
mantle is a large sheet that has been dipped into cold water and
lightly wrung out. The sheet is wrapped round the patient and is
slapped against his body with light strokes and is gently rubbed
and stroked against the skin. The essential part of this treatment
is the speed with which the wet sheet is made to come into
contact with the skin and the stroking of the sheet against the
skin. The treatment lasts not more than three minutes, when the
patient is released from the sheet and returns to the warm bed.
Before embarking upon an explanation of the various types
of packs and compresses, it is in order to learn something of how
these work and the reason for their application. The secret of the
wet-sheet pack lies in the moist warmth it promotes. The heat of
the body supplies the warmth, and this comes from drawing the
blood to the surface of the body. By attracting the blood to the
superficial areas we decrease internal congestion, relax the
tissues of the skin and permit toxins (drawn by the larger amount
of blood attracted to the surface) to escape via the relaxed pores.
Since the pack is applied for at least two hours, it will be realised
that there must be a considerable amount of elimination taking
place. This is best illustrated in very toxic conditions, where,
when the sheet is removed, visible staining can be seen. In the
Schroth Cure, for instance, wet-sheet packs are applied each
evening and the drastic eliminative dry diet is supplemented by
the packs, resulting in a very potent elimination effect. Staining
of the wet sheets is often demonstrated in the Schroth Cure,
proving the powerful elimination that the packs promote.
Lindlahr, in his book, Nature Cure, says:
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 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. . . .
The essential value of the pack lies in the way that it utilises
the natural forces of the body for healing. As previously stated,
the wet sheet draws a larger amount of blood to the surface of
the body, relieves internal congestion and promotes elimination.
Body-warmth, it is observed, is used to create a gentle stewing,
and it is this moist warmth that is most effective in treating
disease. The moist warmth, then, acting over a period of time
(varying from two to six hours), provides the means by which
elimination is stimulated and decongestion takes place.
While the full-body or three-quarter pack is the most useful
to apply, local packs are often advantageous and, in some ways,
easier of application. It must be remembered, however, that the
pack draws blood to the surface, attracting more blood than is
normal, and with this in mind we have to advise against the
practice of applying packs to the neck and throat alone, since
more blood is attracted to that area than is safe in so small a
cool down with cold water and reapply the steam, concluding
with the cold-water application. Medical steaming kettles,
incidentally can be procured from almost any chemist.
Ice
Ice packs and the use of ice in baths has largely fallen into
disfavour on account of the extreme coldness. There are
occasions, however, when ice is a very useful medium. Freezing
treatment by the external application of ice has proved very
beneficial. It must be stressed that great care should be taken in
its application, and it is not advised unless the operator has either
some experience in its application or is accustomed to giving
manual and professional treatment. I am indebted to Mr. Leslie
0. Korth, D.O., for the following remarks on freezing treatment.
This method can well come under the heading of hydropathy,
as water in a solidified state may be used as an excellent freezing
agent. It is little known in this country and still less practised, but
its efficacy is striking not only in the relief of pain but in removing
its cause.
Nothing better has been found than cold applications as a
remedial measure in the treatment, for example, of localised areas
of spinal tenderness and all inflammatory conditions.
The skin over the region of tenderness must be distinctly
frozen so that the tissues under treatment present a whitened or
parchment-like appearance, and this condition must be maintained
for one to two minutes.
Very often but one application is sufficient for the cure of
neuralgia. However, the process must be repeated for a few days in
some cases.
There are many freezing agents obtainable, but the safest and
easiest for home use is ice out of the domestic refrigerator.
Sprinkle some fine salt on to one or two of the small blocks of
ice and hold firmly against the skin over the affected part. In the
case of facial neuralgia, for instance, freeze the parts just above the
eyebrow, below the eyeball and between the chin and lower lip
alternately.
Freezing is a specific for all forms of uncomplicated neuralgia
provided it can be done near the point of origin of the nerve
involved, i.e. close to the site of most pain. If the neuralgic pain is
situated at the lower part of the back of the head freezing over a
particular sensitive point in that region will cause the pain to cease.
Should the neuralgia be present in the leg or arm freezing along the
painful path will relieve it.
Freezing is also most effective in some cases of herpes zoster
or shingles.
To relieve pain in the back freeze each side of the spine in the
painful area and other painful muscles that may be involved.
Neuritis either in the arms or in the thigh and leg (sciatica)
reacts most favourably to freezing, and so does fibrositis or any
other inflammatory condition.
Freezing is also very useful in stubborn, persistent coughs.
Freeze each side of the upper spine including the neck.
Migraine headaches respond well to this form of treatment, and
no better treatment is available for strains or sprains. If the ankle or
any other joint is sprained move it immediately after freezing and
keep on moving it; little or no pain will be experienced.
CHAPTER XII
SUN AND AIR BATHING
THERE is no doubt that psychologically there is an asset in being
well dressed. There is a sense of satisfaction and an uplift in
morale from the knowledge that one is wearing good clothes and
looking one's best. Conversely, there is an equally strong uplift
arising from the freedom from clothes. It is not the intention of
this book to debate the merits or demerits of nudism in public.
Suffice it to say that there would be less sexual abnormalities
and a healthier outlook on sex if we were not so inclined towards
prudish habits inculcated from early childhood. Moreover, we
are slowly overcoming much mock modesty, and it is to be
regretted that the average film possesses such a baneful influence
regarding sex and clothes.
It has long been recognised that sun and air bathing are
conducive to health. Hippocrates was an early pioneer of sun
bathing. We are indebted to Arnold Rikli, a Swiss naturopath, for
the first revival of sun bathing in recent history. Rikli had an
establishment at Veldes, Austria, which he opened in 1855.
Apart from instituting sun bathing, Rikli pioneered the air bath
as distinct from the sun bath. Like all pioneers, he suffered from
the contempt and misrepresentation of an unreasoning public.
Medical opposition contumeliously dismissed Rikli's claims.
Among his pupils, however, was a medical man, Heinrich
Lahmann. Lahmann opened his own establishment at Dresden
and, at this Nature Cure Home which achieved world-wide fame,
made a feature of sun and air baths. The famous Bilz
Sanatorium, also at Dresden, promoted sun and air bathing.
In 1900 sun and air bathing was getting into its stride. By
1903 Dr. Rollier had opened the first heliotherapeutic clinic for
the treatment of tuberculosis at Leysin, in Switzerland. This,
again, was at first disregarded and ridiculed by orthodox
medicine.
A well-known advocate of sun and air bathing was Lt. J. P.
Muller, the famous physical culture expert, whose books My
System and Fresh Air Book (Link House Publications, London),
had immense popularity. "Sunlight," said Muller, "kills all
manner of bacteria and disease; as soon as we permit the sun's
rays to penetrate our skin, our digestive powers are invigorated,
our blood becomes healthier and darker, our disposition
enlivened."
Normal out-door sun bathing can be a very dangerous
pastime. While the burning effects from sun bathing are not
usually dangerous, such burns are exceedingly painful. Olive oil
applied to the skin before sun bathing will help to prevent any
such occurrence. Sunstroke, however, can be very detrimental
and cause serious harm. Only the extremely unwary should ever
suffer evil effects from sun bathing in this temperate climate of
ours. Even so, it is much wiser to be knowledgeable before than
after the event.
CHAPTER XIII
MASSAGE AND EXERCISES
MOVEMENT is Life. This much has been recognised from the
earliest times of Man's existence. Massage is really nothing more
than producing the end-results of movement in a patient who
has, actually, made little or no movement while the massage was
in progress. That is to say, the beneficial results of massage are
similar to those of exercise, and the art has more than once been
called the "lazy man's exercise."
Massage is a form of manipulation that has existed in Eastern
countries for countless centuries. In the Textbook of Massage, by
L. L. Despard (Hodder & Stoughton Ltd., London), we read:
. . . at the commencement of the Christian era, as well as
antecedent to that time, celebrated Greek and Roman physicians
prescribed the treatment for their patients, and that Plato classified
the movements as being active or passive. Massage is known to
have been employed on the Continent for some centuries, but its
practice in England dates only from the beginning of 1800. The
present system owes much to Professors Ling, Mezger of
Amsterdam, Von Mosengeil, Klein and others. Professor Ling was
a native of Sweden. He lived 1776-1839 and it was he who
elaborated the "Swedish Medical Gymnastic" system and
introduced it in Stockholm in the year 1813.
CHAPTER XIV
THE PROBLEM OF REST
GREAT importance has always been attached to the question of
rest in disease and health. In the last few years, however, there
has been a reversal of previous policy as regards rest, not so
much in normal, healthy life, as in the after-treatment of surgical
cases and other afflictions. The period of immobility in bed has,
in some cases, been drastically reduced. This applies particularly
to patients who have had operational treatment The reduction of
the lying-in period after the removal of some abdominal organ or
a section of the abdominal mechanism, etc., has produced some
startlingly successful results. Statistics from a large American
hospital encourage the belief that previous conceptions of rest
periods were on the generous side, and were even detrimental to
health. Patients who had undergone abdominal surgery, for
instance, responded quicker when the resting period was
shortened.
In this country, during the Second World War, the necessity
for keeping beds available for serious cases and potential air raid
victims drove many patients home long before the usual time.
Was this an evil arrangement dictated by circumstances? In the
light of subsequent events it would hardly appear to be as harsh
as was imagined. Even now, of course, when the position as
regards hospital staff is still a little critical, some reduction in the
lying-in period is a boon. But we must not be cynical enough to
assume that cutting down the number of days a patient occupies
a bed is one method of helping to solve the staff shortage
problem.
Not long ago, a medical specialist, R. A. J. Asher, wrote in
the British Medical Journal of the dangers of prolonged lying in
bed. Dr. Asher argued that the maintenance of one position
causes the collection of secretions in the lung; that the blood
stagnates in the veins and may cause clotting and even
embolism; that muscles waste and bones become drained of their
calcium; that the appetite fails and the patient may sink into a
vegetative condition which creates an antipathy to movement.
The above, of course, is rather an alarming picture of what
might and could happen if prolonged rest was indulged in. Up to
1939 people spent from ten to fourteen days in bed after an
operation. Yet in 1899 an American surgeon, Emil Ries, was
advocating a reduction in the resting period after operation or
illness. A minimum of mobility retards the recovery of postoperation cases. Figures have proved that complications have
been halved by the act of making patients get up one or two days
after injury. It has also been found that fractures heal better when
holding the weight of the body rather than when suspended in
the air.
For a long time, of course, naturopaths have bitterly
commented upon the avoidable distortion and fixation of limbs
arising from ill-advised complete rest in many cases of arthritis.
Though complete rest is not so generally insisted upon
Any patient who has been compelled to stay in bed for a few
days will recall the weakness of the legs when first getting up.
Bowels, too, become sluggish, and natural defaection may be
affected by prolonged rest. Few people can stay in bed for any
length of time without becoming constipated. It is not unknown
for old people to go to bed for some trifling complaint and never
get up again. This is explained partly by the fact that undue
resting weakens the system, causes the collection of secretions,
the retention of poisons and saps the initiative. Ultimately the
decline becomes serious and death ensues.
There is no intention, of course, to imply that rest is neither
essential nor desirableit is both. There is, too, a necessity for
older people to rest at more frequent intervals than the majority
of people. What must be guarded against, however, is the
excessive use of rest. The habit of staying in bed a few days for
any minor complaint is to be guarded against. Normal people
leading busy lives are not likely to require such a caution; it is
more than likely that they do not obtain sufficient rest. But the
neurotic "invalid" type and the phlegmatic (and, perhaps, slightly
indolent) individual should be warned against the dangers of
overindulgence of lying in bed.
It is obvious that there are times when resting in bed is
essential. Influenza, bronchitis and any febrile condition
demands rest in the prone position. There are numerous
conditions when rest in bed is the only sensible plan, but beware
of overdoing the inactive state of lying in bed.
CHAPTER XV
OSTEOPATHY AND NATURE CURE
DOCTOR Andrew Taylor Still, who, in 1874, founded osteopathy,
would most certainly be gratified by the enormous spread of his
teachings, and no less flattered and encouraged by the
tremendous amount of human suffering that has been banished
by the aid of osteopathy. It is, however, unfortunate that there
still exists such a great mass of ignorance concerning the
meaning of osteopathy. Even now, despite the rapid growth of
the profession and the respect that osteopathy has acquired, the
average person has only a vague idea of its nature.
Describing how the term "osteopathy" arose, Still said:
I had worked hard and tried to reason that a body that was
properly normal in structure could keep a man in the full
enjoyment of health just as long as the body was perfectly normal.
On that conclusion I worked first to know what was normal in form
and what was not normal: then I compared the two in health and
disease. I found by hard study and by experimenting that no body
was normal in bone whilst harbouring any disease, either acute or
chronic. I got good results in adjusting those bodies to such a
degree that people began to ask what I was going to call my new
science. . . . I concluded that I would start with the word "os"
(bone) and the word "pathology" (disease) and press them into one
word"osteopathy."
osseous lesion. The soft tissues ranging the troubled area must
all be brought back to normality and the nerve, blood and lymph
now restored. In fact, all the stresses and strains causing or
arising from any lesion must be eradicated before a permanent
cure can be effected. It follows, therefore, that osteopathy is not
just a matter of producing impressive "clicks" and "pops," but of
ascertaining the true causes producing detrimental results within
the organism and, as far as possible, the removal of these causes.
The spectacular results achieved by osteopathy in the treatment
of primary lesions receiving early attention are far outweighed
by the patient but solid successes gained by persistent treatment
concerned with introducing normality to a disordered system.
Too frequently people expect immediate results from osteopathy
when, in point of fact, they have probably spent years in
reaching their state of ill-health by persistent abuse of the body.
Nonetheless, osteopathy does frequently achieve results in a
remarkably short time where all else has failed, and it is a system
of healing that should be encouraged.
What is the place of osteopathy in Nature Cure? It would be
a brave man indeed who entered into such a controversy. While
many regard osteopathy as the dominant factorand quite a lot
of osteopaths are scornful of Nature Cureit cannot but be said
that osteopathy is only one, though admittedly an impressively
useful one, addition to the arts of healing. The osteopath is not
automatically a Nature Cure practitioner, and the Nature Cure
practitioner is not always sympathetic to osteopathyor
chiropractic, its near relation. There is no doubt that the
osteopathic profession is very jealous of its code and standing,
and rightly so. They do not make extravagant claims any more
than the naturopath. It seems, however, that while the
osteopathic teaching does emphasise the way to health, its
subjects are more limited than those of the more-embracing
Nature Cure system.
Osteopathy does, of course, fall into that group of drug-less,
natural means of achieving and maintaining health which Nature
Cure must enfold. Osteopathy embraces diet, hygiene, exercise,
etc., but not to the same extent as Nature Cure. The difference
between the two can be summed up by saying that osteopathy is
a way to health and that Nature Cure is a way to life. In effect the
two are complementary, and the value of osteopathy as a natural
means of overcoming disease and maintaining health should not
be overlooked. At the same time, however, it must be
remembered that one of the essential differences between
osteopathy and Nature Cure is that the latter can be practised all
the time and the former only when taking that treatment. As a
prophylactic, Nature Cure must be supreme. Albeit, it is a very
healthy sign that there exists a fine body of osteopaths distinct
from the Nature Cure profession, even though the large majority
of the latter embrace osteopathy in their curriculum.
CHAPTER XVI
HERBALISM
BOTANIC therapy is as old as civilisation itself. It is a skilled art
which has, to a certain extent, been commercialised and brought
up to date. Whether this commercialism is a good or bad thing is
no concern of ours at the moment. Certainly, however, larger
groupings are probably better able to procure, prepare and
market the herbal remedies. They will, on the whole, most likely
do so under more hygienic conditions than previously existed in
the small herbalist shops of yore. It is essential, however, to bear
in mind the antiquity of herbalism. No healing art is more
steeped in tradition. The fact that botanic therapy has stood the
test of time should be sufficient proof of its value. An
investigating commission recently conducting scientific research
into old-time recipes and so-called "old wives' tales" was
surprised to find that many such recipes and habits had been
based on sound lines and supplied the missing ingredients in
many a familiar complaint. More than that, they were superior to
more modern treatment, because the preparations used were
found in natural surroundings and produced by natural growth.
An Act of Henry VIII decreed:
. . . by Authority of this present Parliament, That at all time
from henceforth it shall be lawful to every person being the King's
subject, having Knowledge and Experience of the Nature of Herbs,
Roots and Waters, or of the Operation of the same, by Speculation
or Practice, within any part of the Realm of England, or within any
other the King's Dominions, to practise, use and minister in and to
any outward Sore, Uncane Wound, Apostemations . . . any Herb or
Herbs, etc., or drinks for the Stone, Strangles or Agues, without
Suit, Vexation, Trouble, Penalty or Loss of their Goods. . .
The above Act was made necessary in the early years of the
sixteenth century by the victimisation of herbalists and others at
the hands of the orthodox medical school, who have never
ceased to be contemptuous of herbalism. All the way through
English history there are repeated attempts to connive for the
destruction of anything unorthodox in the healing world.
Herbalism has ever been the target for recrimination and
sarcasm, yet it has always maintained a high standard of
popularity, chiefly in country districts and urban areas.
The first great English name in herbalism, of course, is
Culpeper. Nicholas Culpeper (1616-54) was not an uneducated
man and gained great distinction in his work. The next great
name in botanic therapy is that of Samuel Thomson, who was
born in America. Thomson was entirely against the use of
poisonous herbs and, despite imprisonment, succeeded in
gaining State recognition for his methods in America. In the
meantime, herbalism had still flourished in England and was
given further assistance by the arrival in this country of Dr.
Coffin. Dr. Coffin was a very energetic American who did
CHAPTER XVII
BIOCHEMISTRY
IT will already have been appreciated, from earlier chapters in
this book, that many Nature Cure pioneers were born in
Germany and adjacent Continental countries. How much one
was influenced by the other is difficult to estimate. The
biochemic system of medication, which is used as an adjunct by
numerous naturopaths, was founded by Dr. W. H. Schuessler.
The word "biochemistry" is derived from the Greek bios,
meaning "life," and "chemistry." The appellation, however, now
covers the following: "that branch of science which treats of the
composition of animal and vegetable matter; the process by
which the various fluids and tissues are formed; the nature, cause
and correction of the abnormal condition called disease."
Biochemistry is based upon the fact that all tissue of the
body contains, in varying degrees, twelve main mineral salts.
Actually, the human body is composed of two kinds of matter
organic and inorganic. The organic substances are sugar, fats and
albuminous materials. The inorganic constituents are water and
cell-salts, the latter comprising about one-twentieth of the body.
The unity of the human organism is such that, without the
relatively much smaller inorganic material, the organic would be
unable to perform its function. The twelve inorganic mineral
salts (previously mentioned in the diet section) are, in the
biochemic world, classed as follows:
Calcarea Fluor.
Calcarea Phos.
Calcarea Sulph.
Kali Sulph.
Magnesia Phos.
Natrum. Mur.
Ferrum Phos.
Kali Mur.
Kali Phos.
Natrum. Phos.
Natrum. Sulph.
Silicea.
a cure, and insisted that it was in accord with natural laws. Dr.
Chapman writes:
Any disturbance in the motion of these cell-salts in living
tissues, constituting disease, can be rectified and the equilibrium
re-established by administering the same salts in small quantities.
CHAPTER XVIII
DIAGNOSIS
IT will have been noted from time to time during the reading of
this book that reference is more than once made to the debt
Nature Cure owes various pioneers who are, or were, medical
practitioners. Usually, however, such pioneers were scorned by
their own fraternity for stepping out of convention. Insofar as
diagnosis goes, however, Nature Cure frankly pays its respects to
the medical system. The basic sciencesi.e. anatomy,
physiology, pathology, embryology, etc.are identical. There is
no point in denying that the best medical textbooks on these
subjects are used for training and guidance.
The patient who comes into contact with a Nature Cure
practitioner for the first time will find, on a superficial estimate,
very little difference between medical and unorthodox diagnosis.
There is a difference, however, despite the use of X-rays, urine
tests and all other modern devices that may be called upon. One
particular difference, perhaps even not apparent, would be the
formation of certain questions relating to diet, habits, posture,
previous medical treatment, etc. Of more fundamental
importance, however, is the interpretation of signs and symptoms
of physical disorder. True healing efforts such as diarrhoea, skin
eruptions, colds, fevers, etc., would be regarded as indicative of
a deeper-seated unbalance of the system and a sign that Nature's
reparative efforts are at work. There would be no danger of
symptoms pointing to a toxaemia being treated as primary
disorders and suppressed. On the contrary, these signs of supranormal activity of the body would be regarded for what they
arenatural healing effortsand correspondingly dealt with.
The family history, so often useful and so frequently
misleading, would be considered in a manner not accepted in
allopathic practice. For instance, the same environment and
similar habits as one's forbears would not necessarily mean that
the same family complaint is inevitable. Correction of mistakes
common to the parents and the rest of the family, which may
quite possibly have been the active cause of the common
complaint, is more likely to be detected by the naturopath than
the medical practitioner because, in the main, he is more
interested in natural factors governing health.
Since the majority of naturopaths include osteopathy in their
work osteopathic diagnosis would also be employed Particular
attention would be given to the spine in the search for lesions
that might be the cause of trouble. Such lesions may be the result
of violence or injury and, when the spinal lesion is situated in
such a manner as to have a bearing upon some internal organ
through its innervation from the same spinal area, such
association would probably confirm the diagnosis. Secondary
lesions arising from some functional derangement which
coincide physiologically would again tend to diagnostic
confirmation. That is to say, a liver disorder coinciding with a
lesion around the eighth, ninth and tenth dorsal vertebrae would
be of considerable help in diagnosis.
Such measures universally employed in diagnosisi.e.
questions, symptoms, inspection, palpation, percussion, etc.are
sharpened and reinforced by osteopathic diagnosis. This is, of
course, still not including all the modern aids in disease detection
which science has made available to the naturopath and which
are frequently brought into play.
What is important to the patient, however, is not so much the
naming of a disease as its removal. While it may be of some
consolation to know one is only suffering from fibrositis, the
patient would undoubtedly feel a great deal happier if this branch
of rheumatism were cured. In this respect, the treatment on
natural lines would follow closely on that of a second person
who had had his ailment confirmed as rheumatism. The result,
however, would be the same, since Nature Cure recognises the
unity of the body and the comparative unity of disease. The
supremacy of Nature Cure methods is due almost entirely to the
recognition of the body as a whole and the determination not to
waste too much time on the palliation of local symptoms, which,
though they may be important in themselves, are only indicative
of the general diseased state of the body.
The first and last aim in the diagnosis and treatment of
disease by natural methods is to find and remove the cause.
CHAPTER XIX
CONCLUSION
IN a narrative of this type, it is of course impossible to embrace
every feature of Nature Cure. Much has to be left unsaid; indeed,
a proper work on the theory and practice of Naturopathy would
occupy several volumes. It does, however, aim at giving the
man-in-the-street some idea of the meaning and usefulness of a
way of life that offers advancement not merely in health, but also
in the understanding that life can be fuller and more interesting.
The health we normally enjoy and the health we should enjoy are
poles apart.
There is one aspect of Nature Cure that we have not touched
upon. This concerns the extremes to which it is sometimes
subject by people who do accept it. These extremists do the
cause small service. Yet we must make some allowance for the
extremity of their views because, in most cases, Nature Cure has
been the means by which (a) they have either recovered their
health through the application of natural methods after years of
pain and misery; or (b) their health and prospects have been
permanently damaged by allopathy, but have regained a degree
of health by natural methods which permits them to lead a
tolerable existence only by strict adherence to Nature Cure
principles. We must not, of course, overlook that section of born
extremists who, if they did not take up Nature Cure, would be
attracted to some other unorthodoxy. These, however, are a small
minority, and, basically, Nature Cure adherents are a clearheaded section of the public who are able to think for
themselves, not ready to accept stereotyped ideas and are
attracted by the logic of Nature Cure.
There was, undoubtedly, a period when Nature Cure had to
be pioneered by extremists and by leaders fired with the
enthusiasm of the cause and by the necessity to overcome
ridicule, contempt and opposition by sheer force of character.
Such hectic days are practically over. Insensate opposition is
rapidly declining and Nature Cure is an accepted force. Tacit
State recognition has arrived, because public opinion has put
sufficient weight behind natural methods to compel the State to
give some consideration to unorthodox healing of this type.
Nonetheless, despite the fact that Naturopathy will one day have
to be fully recognised by both State and Medicine, a lot of the
old militant forces ranged against Nature Cure remain. Such
opposition as exists must be countered by cold logic.
Indisputable facts, however, must be properly presented to carry
any weight. In this age of publicity Nature Cure suffers its one
failing of lack of public appeal. Certain personalities do get
Nature Cure overwe could do with many more of these.
Indeed, many famous people who subscribe to Nature Cure
views would never consider making these views known publicly.
The reluctance on the part of many people, famous and humble,
to impart their enthusiasm for Nature Cure to others is, perhaps,
understandable. It is curious what diffidence is displayed by
many who are attracted by natural methods, yet are most mindful
of normal conventions and orthodoxy. Nonetheless, such
diffidence has detrimental results on Nature Cure as a whole, for
it does not permit a true picture of the effective supporters of
Naturopathy. It is very surprisingand gratifyingto discover
how Nature Cure has strode ahead in the last few years.
One of the questions invariably hurled at the naturopath is:
"Look at So-and-So. He's eighty years old and never suffered a
day's illness, yet he lives on anything and everything. What do
you say about that?" The answer is that old So-and-So must have
a tremendous constitution, probably has never worried about a
thing in his life and would, in proper natural circumstances,
probably live to be one hundred and forty! After all, Old Parr
(1483-1635) only died quickly when he was moved from his
rough-and-ready, simple existence into the pampered, luxurious
life of King Charles's court.
It is quite obvious that many old people now existing not
only laid the foundation of their good constitutions in the preartificial era, but would also live well over the eighty years if
natural methods were followed, as has been proved. Crete, for
instance, contains a high average of centenarians, and the diet is
plain and simpleprincipally sour milk and fruit. We must not
overlook, of course, the effects of improved hygienic and
working conditions, which do, to some extent, ameliorate the
effects of bad diet and other artificialities.
We must once again stress the fact that Nature Cure is not
merely a negative approach to disease. To look upon it, as one
looks upon allopathy, as a system to be called upon when disease
is present or imminent, is entirely misleading. One of the
essential differences is that Nature Cure teaches people how to
live and how to avoid disease.
In conclusion we have to emphasise the individual entity of
every person. In doing so we realise that while, within defined
limits, we can visualise the reactions that will arise from any
given dietetic regime, fast or therapeutic technique, we do not
anticipate all reactions to be the same. As proof of this, after
having conducted countless numbers of fasts where the tongue
has furred (the usual sign), in isolated cases no furring arises and
yet elimination still progressed as in normal patients. The same
individuality is frequently shown in diet, and we often find that
patients will recover or otherwise, despite all our teachings and
knowledge. As Kurt Kretschmann said: "He who takes his own
body as a guidance in matters of feeding, experiences the
collapse of a thousand prejudices and scientific dogma."
In so far as idiosyncracies arise, however, we must not
overlook the obvious effects of allergic conditions which were
mentioned in an earlier chapter. We must not forget, too, that our
knowledge of the human organism and how it functions is still
very incomplete. Nature Cure, like all other sciences, has much
to learn. In this, however, we have to avoid the pitfalls of
becoming too scientific and overlooking the simple, elementary
details that are part and parcel of the commonsense methods of
adopting natural laws for the betterment of health.
In a large measure, the failure of allopathy has been due to a
condition of developing scientific methods to supplant the