Health news blog

The modern science of balneology has confirmed the experience of centuries that natural mineral waters do indeed possess curative properties. Millions of Europeans visit thousands of water cure spas on the recommendation of their doctors and testify that the water cure indeed “works.”

Although most spas have disappeared from the American scene, there are still a few left, such Ss Saratoga Spa in New York and a few in Florida. If you are one of those “who have tried everything and nothing has helped,” perhaps a visit to a mineral water spa will help you. Or why not spend a few weeks at some of the famous Bads in Europe on your next holiday trip there? You will find them in abundance in every European country, but particularly in Germany.

Do-it-yourself sitz baths, described in this chapter, are easy to take and the benefits from them could be a real surprise to you. Give them a try. Many tired men have sitz baths to thank for their renewed vigor.

Father Kneipp’s famous “living” water cures are as easy as they are delightful, especially barefoot walking in the dewy grass. Millions of enthusiastic followers of his teachings can’t all be wrong. Try it!

Try a homemade salt water bath and a sulphur bath. They are backed by a long record of successful application. Remember: it has been proved that minerals are absorbed through the skin.

Use every opportunity to spend some time by the seashore. Salt sea water and salt-filled air are stimulating and rejuvenating elixirs. Take one or two teaspoons of pure sea water each day with your meals. Sea water is the best mineral supplement you can think of.

Finally, if none of the above “turns you on,” the least you can do is to take cold showers in your own bath room each morning and evening. Don’t be deceived by the simplicity of this water cure-it has a magic revitalizing and rejuvenating effect on all the vital organs and on the entire system.

Here is an ideal combination of exercise, dry brush massage, and cold showers for each morning and evening:

Do your usual exercises, isometric or conventional, until you feel all warmed up.

Brush your whole body with a stiff-bristled brush. (See Chapter 11 for instructions.)

Take an alternate warm and cold shower, finishing with water as cold as you can stand.

Rub yourself dry and warm with a coarse towel.

This simple routine will build up your resistance to colds and infections, save you money on doctors’ bills, stimulate the functions of all your vital organs and glands, improve your spirits and disposition, and help to prevent premature aging—in short it will keep you younger longer!

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I have visited many Bads in Germany. One of the most typical and the most delightful places I have seen is Bad Pyrmont, near Hanover, in the Lower Saxon State.

The picturesque town of Bad Pyrmont is beautifully located in the valley between forest-clad hills. The spa is state-owned and operated, but the town has many private clinics and sanatoriums. During the high season for cures, about 80 percent of the town’s population are patients and guests.

Here are some excerpts from the information brochure published by the state government for the benefit of those who seek the water cure at Bad Pyrmont:

“Be healthy and keep fit! Visit Bad Pyrmont for disorders of the heart and blood, women’s complaints and rheumatism.”

“A typical family goes to Bad Pyrmont in search of health and recuperation and to experience its wonderful curative powers.”

“New balneological discoveries are combined with the experience of centuries.”

“Bad Pyrmont is ideal for all—the sick and the healthy who know that prevention is better than cure, the young and the old.”

“Bay Pyrmont Spa facilities are recommended for the treatment of the following diseases:

“Diseases of the heart and circulation; cardiac insufficiency, cardiac infarct, coronary thrombosis, disorders in blood pressure, peripheral circulation disorders, nervous disorders of the heart and circulation. Diseases of the blood-forming organs. All types of anemia. Rheumatic diseases of the bones, joints and muscles. Women’s complaints: inflammation of female abdominal organs, periodic and other hormone disorders. Eczema. Allergies. Conditions of exhaustion. Children’s diseases. Diseases of old age and senility.”

Keep in mind that this is not a “quack”-operated joint trying to cheat people of their money by offering a bogus water cure for all these serious diseases, but a state-operated establishment that has been approved by the State Medical Association!

The spa offers the following treatments:

“Carbonic acid chalybeate springs for baths and drinking cures. Saline and brine springs for saline baths, drinking and inhalation cures. Carbonic acid gas from the springs for baths. Chalybeate peat for baths (deep and partial immersion) and packs. Mixed baths.

“Supplementary treatments; inhalation cures in single cabins and public inhalatorium. Oral douches for pyorrhea. Massage. Undercurrent massage and douches. Colonic irrigation. Arm baths

(Hauffe) . Alternate hot-and-cold foot baths. Hydrotherapy. Vaginal douches. Terrain cures. Special diets. Rest cures. Gymnastics

(Medau method). Sun and air baths.”

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You have probably heard references to the human body as a most complicated and intricate piece of machinery. But if you would delve into the deep study of the human enzyme system, you would be astonished and amazed by its ingenious design.<неиImagine for a moment an enormous chemical factory where crude raw materials are converted to precious elements through the complicated processes of billions of tiny particles known as enzymes. Your digestive system is such a chemical factory. Follow me on an excursion through it and we trace the process of conversion of crude food into the precious building blocks of your body.<неиSuppose you eat a simple meal of a cheese sandwich and a glass of milk. As soon as you glance at the menu and decide to order your sandwich—even before it is served to you—your chemical factory starts its work. The complicated machinery of food digestion is switched on the moment you make your mental decision to eat a certain food. The enzyme-producing glands located in your stomach and in your mouth are already producing valuable enzymes which will be needed shortly for mastication and swallowing and later for digestion. Enzymes are catalysts which bring about chemical changes in food to prepare them for easier digestion and assimilation.

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Note: This is vitally important! Breaking the fast is the most significant phase of it; the beneficial effects of fasting could be totally undone if the fast is broken incorrectly.

The main rules of breaking the fast are:

Do not overeat!

Chew food extremely well and eat slowly!

Take several days of gradual transition to the normal diet.

First day, eat one whole apple or other sweet fruit and a little bowl of fresh vegetable soup or puree, unsalted and unspiced, in addition to the usual juice and broth menu.

Second day, you may add to the above some mashed potatoes and a glass of yogurt or homemade soured milk.

Third day, increase the portions a little and add a small plate of fresh raw vegetable salad, some cooked rice, and a little portion of homemade cottage cheese.

Fourth day, you can start to eat normally. By normally I mean, of course, that you should continue on the diet recommended in this book. In order to benefit to the greatest possible extent from the therapeutic fasting it is important that after fasting a diet of vital natural foods is maintained. Such a diet will supply the healing forces of your body with all the vital nutritive elements necessary for the continued repair and healing processes initiated by the body during the fast. However, keep always in mind the first rule of resuming eating after the fast—do not overeat! Needless to say, this rule is also the first rule of health.

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The initiative for the 1954 fast march came from Lennart Edren, D.D.S., who was the leader and the participant in this and many subsequent fasts in Sweden. Dr. Edren is the leading spirit behind the Swedish fast movement. Asked what was the purpose with this dramatic exhibition, Dr. Edren said:

This fast was the first in the series of experiments to determine the effects of total fasting under severe conditions of stress. If we find out that fasting will not cause any damage to the body but will, on the contrary, exert a beneficial, revitalizing, cleansing and regenerating effect on bodily functions, it will supply invaluable information for healthy as well as for sick people. The healthy will be encouraged to fast in order to regenerate and increase vitality, and the sick to cure their ills. This experiment has proved to the world the preventive and therapeutic potentials of fasting. It also may prove very valuable for armed forces and various expeditions where the possibility of getting lost and isolated, and forced into an involuntary fast, is great.

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In spite of the great medical progress and the billions of dollars spent on health care in the United States today, it is estimated that there are still in this country over 80 million chronically ill people. The most distressing fact is that instead of improving, the situation is worsening with every passing year. There is an epidemic increase in such diseases as heart disease, cancer, arthritis, allergies, multiple sclerosis, and birth defects. Our mortality rate is higher than in most civilized countries; and in life expectancy among nations, the United States ranks 22nd for men and 10th for women. Many responsible scientists have expressed their concern and called the health conditions of this nation “catastrophic.”

What are the reasons for such an appalling and frightful deterioration of the health of the American people? The main reason for this is our artificial, sedentary, air-conditioned way of life in a denatured, synthetic, chemicalized, and poisoned environment. Nutrition is the most important single environmental factor affecting one’s health. But, according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture survey, only half of the American households are found to be eating a nutritionally adequate diet. The other half of the American people are malnourished.

Why, in the country that has the most abundant supply of food in the world, should one half of the population be malnourished? The answer is: because of ignorance. “People just don’t know what kinds of foods are necessary for good health and vigor,” said Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, George L. Mehren. The nutrition Americans obtain today in the form of devitalized, factory-produced and chemicalized food, loaded with poisonous residues from additives and pesticides, can result only in deteriorated health. Add to this the air poisoned with deadly chemicals, the polluted water, and the gigantic consumption of toxic drugs, and you will have found most of the reasons for the appalling deterioration of our health.

The extensive and prolonged use of chemical fertilizers has depleted our soils and, although the quantity of the crops still remains high with the help of constantly increasing amounts of chemical fertilizers, the nutritional quality of foods produced on depleted soils is lowered. For example, wheat grown in the American midwest in the beginning of the century contained an average 17-18 percent of protein; sometimes it even went as high as over 20 percent. Now, the average content of protein in our wheat is only 12-14 percent, often even less. Just imagine what this significant difference in the content of one of the most important nutritional elements will do to your health! In Russia, wheat still contains 16-18 percent protein. Professor Barry Commoner, of Washington University in St. Louis, said that a slice of American bread needs a slice of cheese on it to match the slice of plain Russian bread in nutritional value 1

The mineral and vitamin content of processed foods produced on depleted soils with the help of chemical fertilizers is equally reduced. For example, nutritionist Dr. H. K. Stieberling writes in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association that the national food supply is about 15 percent lower in vitamins A and C today than it was 20 years ago.

Continuous and widespread use of poisonous insecticides in production, processing and handling of foodstuffs has resulted in greater and greater residues of them in foods.

In addition to pesticides, foods are loaded with various other toxic chemicals added to it during processing. These are: preservatives, dyes, bleaches, conditioners, hydrogenators, softeners, moisteners, acidifiers, alkilizers, antioxidents, emulcifiers, and many more. Many of these are harmful and unfit for human consumption.

The air in most of our larger cities is so polluted by the poisonous gases from automobiles and industries that it is also a major health hazard. It is considered to be one of the leading causes of cancer in the respiratory organs. Emphysema, which spreads as a plague around the whole nation, is directly linked to polluted air and smoking.

Our water is just as unfit for drinking as our air is for breathing. Almost half of the American public is drinking fluoridated water in spite of the mounting evidence that the toxic effect of sodium fluoride is one of the reasons for the catastrophic deterioration of the health of Americans.

In addition to all this, we poison ourselves in a hundred other ways in our everyday living with household chemicals, detergents, insecticides for homes and gardens, insect repellents, air-fresheners, disinfectants, hair sprays, etc. Many other things in our environment, such as clothing, rugs, wallpapers, upholstery, and mattresses, are treated with toxic chemicals.

*1\58\2*

A burn is the destruction of human tissue from overheating. It may range from a relatively mild and localized burn in which only the surface skin is affected, to third degree burns—burns penetrating deep into the flesh-to burns of varying degrees covering large areas of the body.

Painstaking research done by the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia), has revealed that there is a critical loss of magnesium in burn victims. Using a technique called atomic absorption measurement they were able to make very accurate chemical analyses of various substances.

The first and obvious problem is that a great deal of tissue has been destroyed and, in its dead form, has become toxic to the body. Not so obvious is the fact that there has been, especially in a major burn situation, a dramatic loss of magnesium.

“It (atomic absorption measurement) saved the life of a young boy who went into violent convulsions after being admitted to a Sydney hospital with severe burns. Atomic absorption tests showed the boy had suffered a critical loss of magnesium. Given doses of that element, he recovered. Today his photograph has a special place in Walsh’s office. (Scientist Walsh is the man who developed this technique.)

“Other atomic absorption tests solved the riddle of the crazed Minamata cats which were diving into the sea off Japan. The discovery that they had eaten mercury-polluted fish saved thousands of people from crippling illness and death. Similar tests recently explained the soaring delinquency rate in Sudbury, Ontario, revealing that a lead-smelting plant was contaminating the town. Atomic absorption has detected tainted baked beans during canning and helped find huge mineral deposits in Western Australia.”

Understanding the problem created by the burning enables us to understand how to treat it. The first task must be to draw off the poisons to prevent their circulation through the system. Secondly, external oxygen must be kept away from the burned areas because oxygen will accelerate decomposition of tissue, and continued decomposition only serves to manufacture more toxins in the form of dying cells. The third objective is to replace the depleted supply of magnesium.

TREATMENT

Let us deal with small burns first, such as are encountered in the kitchen when you bump against the hot stove, dip a finger unexpectedly in scalding water, or such like. For these burns, nothing can compare with the application of Epsom salts. Everyone should keep a jar containing a saturated solution of this on their kitchen shelves or in their first aid cabinet. [A solution is considered saturated when the water's capacity to dissolve any more salts is exhausted.]

Some people advocate the use of honey for burns, but we have not had as successful a result with it as with the methods described above. Epsom salts also have the added advantage of not being as messy as honey.

The moment the burn is experienced, quickly dip a bandage in the Epsom salts solution and wrap it around the injury. Burnt fingers can be plunged directly into the jar. In a few moments, the heat and the pain will disappear from the wound, and there will be no blistering. Eight or ten hours later there will not even be a red mark to show where the burn was. Unbelievable? No, not really, because this treatment satisfies all three of the above requirements for a burn. First of all, Epsom salts have long been recognized as a substance having the capacity to draw off poisons and fluids. Secondly, binding up the wound excludes the oxygen; and third, Epsom salts are a magnesium salt, and the skin will absorb the magnesium, thus replacing any deficiencies caused by the burn.

DEEPER BURNS

These may be successfully treated with a potato poultice, either with or without Epsom salts mixed in with it. Potato is also excellent for drawing off poisons, sealing off the oxygen, and being rich in potassium, it likewise makes up deficiencies. Furthermore, the concentration of cold pulp absorbs the heat from the tissues.

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A poultice is the application, to an affected part, of crushed vegetable matter such as comfrey, potato, charcoal, onion, banana, linseed (flaxseed), slippery elm, etc. Its purpose is to isolate infection and draw off the poisons by absorption. It is used for such things as boils, abscesses, kidney complaints, sore throats, chest congestions, infected toes or fingers, arthritic or rheumatoid joints, etc. You will notice that some conditions covered here are included also in the section on compresses. This is because the effects of the compress and the poultice are similar, but there are times when a warm poultice may be more effectively used as an alternate method of treatment. This is especially true when the complaint has reached a stage that calls for more drastic measures. A compress breaks up congestion and disperses it into the bloodstream, while a poultice breaks up congestion and draws it off through the skin. There are times when it is better to isolate the problem and deal with it without disturbing the eliminative organs of the whole body. The skin is porous, and poisons can be drawn out through it as well as fluids being absorbed by it. This is true to such an extent that the fluid in the tissues can be changed by the particular material used in the poultice.

The poultice is applied much in the same way as the compress, although not quite as much covering is needed over it as with a compress.

General Method:

Make the cloth into a bag or sack, either by sewing or folding. Grate or blend the potato, comfrey, onion—as the case may be—until it is a wet mush. Pour this into the sack or inside the folded cloth. Pat it out to an even thickness and apply it to the area to be treated. Wrap the plastic around this, being careful to turn the edges of the plastic back under about an inch to prevent leakage. Then, bind semi-firmly with the elastic bandage to keep the whole thing in place. The best time to apply this is in the evening because during the night there will be a minimum of movement. Remove it in the morning and replace with a fresh one if further treatment is necessary.

In most cases one application is all that will be needed. But in some instances, the patient’s condition will indicate that it should be applied more often. It stands to reason that in an acute situation a poultice is drawing off poisons at a fairly fast rate, and it can only absorb so much. Therefore, in an acute situation, fresh material must be applied about every two hours.

Once a poultice has been used, discard it. It is a mistake to use it over again because the poisons drawn out of the body by it may be re-absorbed by the skin. Do not make up poultices ahead of schedule for use several hours later. This will diminish their effectiveness. The poultice material must be fresh when applied to the affected area if it is to be effective.

It is important to keep the poulticing continuous. While the first one is in place, have a second one in the process of preparation so that it can be applied as soon as the first is removed.

When a poultice is applied cold, the body should be able to bring the material to body temperature in a short time. If this does not happen and there is no warming reaction to the poultice, either place a hot water bottle over the cold poultice in order to help the body to warm it, or replace the poultice with one that can be applied warm. The patient should not feel chills coming from the poultice. Its intent is to bring comfort to the suffering area as well as to accomplish healing.

Sometimes it is good to alternate the substance used in the poultices—-i.e. first a potato poultice, next a charcoal one, then back to potato, etc.

In addition to vegetables, many different herbs are used in poultices. Consequently, study should be given to the various herbs to determine which should be used and when. Following are examples of several herbs and vegetables and some of the problems for which they have been proven useful.

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1. A little three-year-old had a heavy cold. When she was put to bed at night, she coughed continually. This was distressing to the child and also the parents. A heating compress was suggested, and it was applied as indicated in the pictures. Within ten minutes the coughing had stopped, and a good night’s sleep was enjoyed by all. The compress stimulated a healing reaction, and the little girl was soon over her cold.

2. Another family was travelling on a Queensland train overnight. One of the children, about nine years old, had a distressing cold, and nothing could ease the coughing. So, right there on the train, a wet heating compress was put on the child’s chest, and silence soon reigned.

Do not be afraid to use the wet heating compress. If the coughing does not cease in about ten minutes, then it is possible that it has not been applied correctly. Check to see that all air has been blocked from the chest. The cold, moist doth causes the body to react by heating this area with extra blood flow; hence the name, ‘heating’ compress. In addition to carrying away the poisons, the increased circulation causes relaxation of the underlying muscles and thus reduces nervous tension. Use on the throat in the same way. Place the wet handkerchief or cloth around and cover with plastic and I he warm cloth. This will relieve the sore throat and break up the inflammation.

This same basic treatment can be used for the elimination (if toxins via the skin by placing the whole body in a heating compress. Usually a chronically ill person will find this a mild and yet very effective means of eliminating poisons. If the patient is a person who is inclined to chill easily, put him into a warm bath or shower first for five or ten minutes to warm him up. Then proceed with the treatment as follows:

Wrap the body in a sheet wrung out of warm water using the same method as described for the wet sheet pack. During the wrapping process the warmth will diminish, mid the sheet will feel cool to the patient, but the fact that you did use warm water will be comforting to him. Next a plastic sheet is applied to help retain body heat. A woolen blanket is added to this, and, if necessary, another blanket over all. A cold cloth is placed on the forehead, and a hot water bottle is put at the feet. In a short time the face will reveal that the patient is sweating inside the pack. When a strong reaction has taken place, remove enough blankets to slow it down to a comfortable sweating. The patient will be your best indicator to determine when this has taken place. Enough body heat to keep the perspiration going is all that is necessary. Bathe the face in cool water quite often during the process which is usually continued for about two hours. When the treatment is over, have the patient take a cool shower. The treatment has brought the blood to the surface, stimulating the elimination of poisons through the skin, so they need to be washed away. You may be surprised how lovely and healthy the skin will feel and how relaxed the patient will be.

*22\62\2*

In 1965, a strong and active young man of our acquaintance came down with a particularly severe fever. The cause was unknown, and it was puzzling and surprising that he should be so afflicted since he had been careful to obey the laws of health and was not especially aware of having violated any particular one.

His body was burning with fever, and he decided to commence with the cold sheet treatment at once, but he felt that the ordinary wet sheet was not cold enough to handle the heat his body was generating. So, he advised his assistant to place the sheets, after wetting them, in the deep freeze. This was done, and the sheets were duly delivered, as stiff as boards. He paused only long enough to thaw them till they were flexible and then applied them to his body. This proved to be effective, but even then it took twelve applications before the heat was drawn off and the fever abated.

In this case, the patient was intelligent in regard to the treatment, believed in it implicitly, and supervised the application himself. This meant that the powerful healing force of his mind was added to the treatment. The next day he was able to depart as scheduled on a very long and arduous journey. Curiously enough, while he has suffered various minor illnesses in the thirteen years since, he has never again come down with a severe fever. The treatment had assisted nature in its work, resulting in the strengthening of the area where the disease found entrance previously. Of course, it should be stressed that this patient was naturally very vital and strong so that the one course of treatment proved to be all that was needed to provide lasting protection. In a person with less vitality, the treatment may have to be repeated many times before immunity is achieved. In some cases, it might never be achieved. But, in any case, the patient will be considerably strengthened by the treatment, and for this reason alone it is well worth while.

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