In regard to the threat of poison in foods and environment, European doctors and governments have demonstrated their willingness to protect the public. For example, long before Americans even heard of the possible link between smoking and cancer, several European governments, convinced by the overwhelming evidence, took action against smoking. In England tobacco advertising is under rigid restriction. In Italy it is totally banned. Heavy taxes were put on cigarettes by many countries to make them less attractive; a pack of cigarettes in Sweden, for example, costs about three times the American price!

Fluoridation of the water is another good example. Many European countries do not want anything to do with fluoridation. The government of Denmark, on recommendation of their Medical Association, totally prohibited the fluoridation of water throughout the country. Russia and many East European countries did the same. Their reason for prohibition is that “there is no valid scientific evidence as to the benefit or the harmfulness of the measure.”

The scientific council of the International Society for Research on Nutrition and Vital Substances, a foremost scientific body of over 400 scientists from all over the world, has condemned fluoridation of the water. Their resolution on prevention of dental diseases states: “A diet of natural, whole foods rich in vital substances stimulating mastication should be preferred to a compulsory fluoridation of drinking water.”

Where poisonous pesticides and food additives are concerned, many European countries have taken drastic measures to protect the public.

In Germany, since 1959, there has been a very strict law regulating additives to foods of fremdestoffe (foreign substances), implying that they don’t really belong in foods. Amounts of additives permitted in foods are sharply reduced and all additives must be clearly declared, even in restaurants, where food additives used in every item on the menu must be indicated.

In France, bleached flour is not permitted to be used in bread, nor are chemical additives permitted in bread. In England, there is a government law, the Carcinogenic Substances Regulation, termed “a landmark in cancer prevention,” which supervises and regulates the presence of cancer-causing chemicals in man’s environment. Spain and Israel have reduced by law the chemical treatment of their fruits. And in Soviet Russia, food processors and manufacturers are not allowed to use any artificial colors or flavors in any foods whatsoever.

While we ridicule those who try to improve their health and prevent disease by eating health foods, in Sweden, top nutritionists at the famous Nobel Institute have started extensive research aimed at the development of a health-food diet that will prevent illness and build optimum health.

*4\58\2*

The simplest way to pulp comfrey leaves is to place about six of them in the blender (vitamizer) with enough water to reduce to a thick green liquid. (NOTE: Some comfrey will turn to a thick jelly in a few minutes and will bind up the blender if you are not careful to watch for this and add more water as needed.) If you do not have a blender, then bruise and cut the leaves to release the moisture. Spread the pulp onto the poultice cloth and use in the usual way. It is particularly good on swollen

neck glands. Comfrey can be used when there is ulceration of the skin, irritation caused by poison ivy, inflammation of tissue, cellulitis, or when there is swelling and heat causing pain in a leg or arm. Comfrey has a wonderful healing power. When a poultice is used on a large ulcer, it needs to be renewed often, to take off the sludge, or rotting flesh. Do not be afraid of the smell. It is taking away poisons you did not even know were in your body. When it has done its cleansing work, it will begin to nourish the flesh so that new skin will begin to grow over the affected part.

Take a long strip of clean cloth about eight inches wide and as long as is necessary to wrap the affected part. Spread the comfrey mixture on half of the cloth lengthwise. Fold this over lengthwise, and wrap like an elastic bandage around the limb. Lay the folded edge on the lower

Much of the healing power of cabbage is due to its drawing properties. The chlorophyll in it is very cleansing. It will help the skin to eliminate toxins and other harmful substances from the affected area while at the same time supplying it with nutrients. There are several varieties of cabbage, but you can effectively use whichever is available. Often crushed cabbage leaves will help to carry away stale blood and built-up fluids in tissues that are badly bruised and swollen.

Cabbage leaves crushed with a rolling pin can be used to relieve sinus congestion. Crush the green cabbage leaf until it is quite limp and bind it onto the forehead with a bandage or scarf. Or, pulverize the leaf in a blender and place the mush in a small cloth bag. Lay this over the face, patting into position over the closed eyes and cheeks. This may not sound too inviting, but it will not be hard to submit to when your face is aching. Of all the materials available for poulticing, the common potato is the most universally and quickly available. Yet this does not diminish its value. It is a particularly useful and effective material for this purpose. It is always used cold. Simply take the potato and grate it finely to produce a wet, cold mush. Spread this onto a cloth in the usual way and apply it to the affected area. It is very versatile and should charcoal be uncomfortable, it can be used everywhere that charcoal is recommended and will do the same work.

Like charcoal, it can also be used internally. In this case, as with the external poultice, it is taken in its raw state, as cooking will destroy its value for this purpose. Take the potato, grate it finely and eat it. Should this prove to be too unpalatable for you, add a tablespoon of water and strain the potato juice from the pulp, then drink that. It is a wonderful alkalizer and will restore the balance in an acid stomach very quickly.

Use potato poultices externally for strains, bruises, infections, boils, abscesses, rheumatic and arthritic inflammations and sores. In general, potato can be effectively used where the affected part is congested, inflamed and heated. The potato neutralizes the acid condition of the tissues and cools by drawing off the excess heat. At the same time it absorbs the excess fluids in the tissues.

Potato is rich in potassium and phosphorus. These chemicals are important to normal muscle and nerve responsiveness, heart rhythm, and in particular, intercellular fluid pressure and balance. No doubt, as the potato is brought into contact with the skin there is an absorption through the pores of the skin of the potassium and phosphorous which further assists in the healing process.

*34\62\2*

Sprains and bruises are so well known to us that they hardly need any explanation. What family has not had a member with a twisted ankle or severe bruising at some time or the other? How many are the people who have been laid up for a week or two with their ankles or knees swollen and painful. But this need not be. The prompt and proper application of hot and cold water will bring almost instant relief and put you back on your feet again in a matter of hours or even less.

This is what happens in this kind of accident. The sudden wrenching of the joint damages the network of fine capillaries. Finding its return route damaged, the incoming blood piles up. This blood quickly becomes de-oxygenated and dies with the result that it turns black and blue. This explains the colour of a bruised or sprained joint.

The concentration of blood and damaged cell fluid under pressure causes swelling and pain. Unless this congestion is speedily removed, the pain and swelling will increase. The body does not, of itself, have the ability to remove this quickly. It needs assistance. If this is not received, it will take many days for this congestion to be removed by the slow process of absorption. It is important to understand that until this dead material is removed, no actual healing can begin. In other words, the real time lag in the restoration is not in the healing process, which is actually quite short, but in the clearing away of congestion.

Therefore, the best treatment for this is one that will clear the congestion as quickly as possible so that the life-giving blood can flow again, bringing with it restorative nutrients and oxygen. Nothing can do this as fast as hot and cold water treatments.

*25\62\2*

The steam tent is a valuable tool in home treatments and in general health conditioning. A home-made variety is not hard to arrange. A light bench is built, usually with a slatted top, over which is placed a two-inch thick foam-rubber mattress.

Along the sides of the bench frame, drill holes about eighteen inches apart and large enough to accommodate a number eight (i.e., % inch) fencing wire. Hoops made from this wire are extended from one side of the bench, up over the area where the patient will lie, then to the other side. Over this framework of hoops the tent-type cover is laid. A double-bed blanket or large, heavy quilt will do nicely for this. The blanket must extend far enough below the sides of the slatted surface to catch the steam and direct it up into the tent.

The kettle may be placed under the bench allowing the steam to rise first to the bottom of the slats, then around and up into the tent. The special value of this set-up is that in addition to allowing application of steam to the body as a whole, it will also allow the steam treatment to be localized and applied to a specific part of the body, such as the legs only, shoulders only, or stomach only. This may be accomplished by putting the wire hoops and covering only over the area to be treated and letting the steam rise into this mini-tent. Better control of the steam may be achieved by adding four partitions reaching from the underside of the bench to the floor. This will divide the area under the bench into three sections, each of which will confine the steam from the kettle placed in it and guide the steam up to the mini-tent over the particular area being treated. If you know that you will only be using this set-up for generalized, whole-body treatments, as in the case of arthritis, asthma, overweight, and other related problems, then you may want to custom-fit your bench with a cover made of fiberglass cloth or canvas. Attach it permanently to a tilt-back framework, leaving an opening at the end where the steam will enter the tent through a downpipe (or down-spouting) such as plumbers use to bring the water from the roof guttering to the ground. If this piping method is used, it Is not necessary to make the bench top slatted.

When using the steam tent for the whole body, the head is left out. It is necessary to keep a cool cloth around the neck. Do not allow the blood going to the head to become overheated. Take note when the patient is showing signs of perspiration on the head. It has been observed that some patients’ heads respond very quickly to the heat while the rest of the body refuses to perspire. If this is the case, it will be necessary to take added precautions to keep the head cool until the rest of the body responds.

In using the steam tent, as with all other natural treatments, it is extremely important to concentrate on watching for the response of the patient. Just knowing and carrying out the proper time duration and order of a treatment is not enough. The treatment will only be successful if it accomplishes the desired result. Your knowledge of how the treatment should be carried out must take second place to the response of the patient. When the response indicates it, you should not hesitate to depart from the “normal” mode of doing things. Work towards developing a sensitivity for the patient’s feelings, and he will consider you a compassionate friend as well as a wise health worker.

*14\62\2*

Water is truly the “unique” substance. Of all the substances that are necessary to life as we know it on earth, water is by far the most important, the most wonderful; yet, most people know very little about it. Water, this simple liquid everyone takes for granted, is one of earth’s miracles. Because of its unique chemical properties, it is a maverick compound that seems to defy the normal scientific laws. If water behaved as it should according to molecular theory, blood would boil in the body, plants and trees would die from lack of food, the seas would become great masses of ice, and the world would be turned into an arid waste. Nearly every one of water’s unique properties is closely woven into the fabric of human life. Water covers three quarters of earth’s surface, amounting to 324,000,000 cubic miles. A further two million cubic miles is held underground, and 3,100 cubic miles in the atmosphere.

Using a very versatile and universal substance, water therapy provides a most effective and readily available remedy for a wide variety of problems. Apart from pure air, it is the most important element in nature for sustaining life.

Unfortunately, its use in the treatment of illness and the relief of pain is all too often overlooked, much to the detriment of many.

Records show that the use of water for remedial purposes dates back to Hippocrates, who lived around 500 B.C. He used water extensively in the treatment of disease, applying it both internally and externally. Ancient Egyptian pictures found in tombs depict people preparing for a bath. The early Persians and Greeks erected stately public baths, but it was the Romans who surpassed all other nations in the costliness and magnificence of their bathing facilities.

About the year 1600, Dr. Bell of Paris stated that public vapor baths were numerous and that in connection with city hospitals, nearly 130,000 baths were given in one single year to outside patients. Records show that almost two thousand years ago, the noted physicians Celus and Galen praised and glorified the bath as invaluable. The Germans, too, were fond of bathing, and during the decade of 1840-1850, Victor 1′iK-ssnitz re-established the use of water as a curative agent.

When taken internally, water itself undergoes no change In the body. Yet, it is absolutely essential for the maintenance of vital functions because it is the substance which enables the various organs to perform their life-sustaining processes. The circulatory system is especially dependent upon water because it is the solvent which floats the blood corpuscles, mid the nutritive and waste products carried by the blood. It is perfectly adapted for this purpose, circulating through the most delicate capillaries without friction and even passing through membranes into parts not accessible by openings.

The tissues and organs of our bodies are composed of cells, and seventy to ninety percent of what is inside the cell wall is composed of water. This water is by no means inert and unimportant. It is the chief dispersion medium of the protoplasm; that is, it is the liquid that dissolves, suspends, or otherwise disperses most of the various substances present in the cell. Water is the most highly effective solvent of in-organic compounds and it will also dissolve numerous organic substances.

There are many, many types of cells, all doing their individual work in the tissue or organ of which they are a part, but all need plenty of water in order to carry out their duties which all cooperate in maintaining a healthy body. It is this that makes water so important in the maintenance of health.

The cell is surrounded by a thin membrane wall. Inside this wall is a sophisticated communication set-up: dozens of power stations, a transport system, and an efficient government dictatorship. The healthy cell has power to absorb the nutrients it needs to carry out its work and to reject anything it considers to be an intruder, which includes anything that detracts from its normal function, such as viruses, bacteria, or harmful poisons. When the volume of water is increased in the body, more poisons are dissolved and removed through the cells in the eliminative organs: the lungs, the skin, kidneys, and intestines. By drinking plenty of water, we increase the rate of cell metabolism and, ultimately, the whole body’s ability to assimilate nutrients and disintegrate wastes. Thus, through internal and external therapy with water, every cell of the body can be brought into action in the fight against disease.

There are several qualities about water that make it an ideal substance for use in the treatment of human illness. Water has an exceptionally high heat capacity. It also has a high rate of heat conductivity, one of the highest for fluids, making it possible for even small changes in internal temperatures of one area to be quickly dispersed over large areas. Along the same line, water has a high heat of vaporization, which provides a cooling factor in organisms, generally through perspiration (vaporization) from body surfaces. Because our bodies are composed of such a high percentage of water, these qualities serve to keep our overall temperature relatively stable, even when rapid changes in the temperature of the environment occur.

The heat-absorbing capacity of water makes it especially valuable in applying heat to the body. If we use mercury as the basis for comparison, a pound of hot water will communicate thirty times as much heat to the body as a pound of mercury at the same temperature. Conversely, a pound of cold water will take away from the body thirty times as much heat as a pound of mercury at the same temperature. Hot or cold water will store or absorb a great amount of heat and will very readily communicate this change in temperature to things with which it comes into contact. When applied to the human body, it will very quickly cool or warm the skin, adjacent tissues, and underlying blood current.

*5\62\2*

This refers to the inflammation and infection of the sinuses, membrane lined cavities in the bones of the face. Infection commonly spreads from the nose when a cold is present,- but it can be caused by allergies, swimming (particularly in chlorinated water) or smoking.

Headache, toothache and pain in the face and eyes are sometimes accompanied by red swelling of the cheeks. Mucous discharge from the nose is often yellow or discoloured, containing pus draining from the infected sinuses. The patient will experience blocked nostrils and will often lose much of their sense of smell.

Take care to treat colds thoroughly to avoid the spreading of infection. Never blow the nose too hard as this will force infected mucous into the sinus cavities. Garlic taken during a cold will help stop the spread of infection and horseradish, chewed or taken in tablet form immediately before meals, will help reduce the swelling. Vitamin A reduces membrane inflammation and promotes the quick healing of damaged tissues. Take codliver oil which not only contains Vitamin A but also several fatty acids effective in fighting infection.

For relief from the pain of sinusitis, breathe a vapour of eucalyptus, peppermint or lavender oils. These oils can also be rubbed on the swollen areas of the face. Avoid dairy products for as long as the infection persists and include as much citrus fruit in the diet as possible. Grapefruit in particular is thought to be helpful for sufferers of sinus complaints.

*51\69\2*

In the early 1980s my colleagues and I found that the symptoms of winter depression could be greatly alleviated by exposing the SAD sufferer to bright environmental light. Many controlled studies have by now demonstrated beyond question that light therapy is an effective treatment for this condition. Light therapy has been accomplished most successfully by means of special light boxes or fixtures. A typical light box is a square or rectangular metal apparatus that contains fluorescent light tubes behind a plastic diffusing screen. The user generally places it on a flat surface, such as a desk or table top, and sits a certain prescribed distance away from it. In order for light therapy to be effective, the user’s eyes must be open, but it is not necessary to stare at the light. Instead, people often choose to read, eat their meals or do anything that can be done while sitting in one place. I used to recommend that people use this time for paperwork or chores, but then I found that they were avoiding doing their light therapy because they associated it with unpleasant matters. So now I advise them to do whatever will succeed in helping them to use their light therapy regularly throughout their winter depressions. Just as with anti-depressant medications, if a person is still in a vulnerable phase, for example during the short dark days of winter, light treatment must be continued even if symptoms are under good control in order to avoid a depressive relapse.

Light boxes may stand upright or be tilted forward, an arrangement that reduces glare and brings the light source closer to the face, resulting in greater amounts of light entering the eyes. Light intensities are measured in units called lux. Average indoor lighting is about 500 lux; modern light therapy fixtures result in levels of approximately 10,000 lux, about 20 times as much light as ordinary indoor lighting provides. Properly designed light boxes include special filters that remove potentially harmful ultraviolet rays from the light source. If used as recommended, light therapy appears to be very safe and, out of thousands of people treated with light therapy over the past 15 years, no evidence of any harm to the eyes has been reported. Even so, if you have any history of eye problems you should have your eyes checked out by a qualified professional before initiating light therapy, as some serious conditions of the retina can be exacerbated by exposure to bright environmental light.

The duration of light therapy needed varies with the time of year and the individual, and depends also on what is convenient and feasible. The worst elements of the depression can often be prevented if the problem is tackled early in the season. During the autumn or early winter, just before the usual time of onset of symptoms, it is reasonable to begin with 15 to 30 minutes of light therapy in the morning. Studies have shown that light therapy can be most effective when given in the morning hours, though many people find it to be beneficial no matter when they use it during the course of the day. I therefore often recommend that people start by using light therapy whenever it is most convenient. As the winter deepens, it is often helpful to add a second dose of light (such as 15 to 30 minutes in the evening) to the morning dose. After using light therapy for some time, people often become skilful at calculating how much works for them. Some people require up to 45 minutes of light therapy twice a day in order to obtain optimal effects. This amount of light therapy might seem like a very burdensome time commitment, but it is important to remember that one is often sitting down in one place anyway, and it is often quite convenient and actually pleasant to have the bright, cheerful light of the box shining down on you while you are doing so.

Just as people often learn how much light they need in order to overcome winter’s doldrums, so they frequently learn to detect when they are being exposed to too much light. Side-effects of excessive light treatment include feelings of restlessness and overstimulation, headaches or eyestrain. These effects frequently respond to decreasing the duration of light exposure or sitting a little further away from the light fixture. Using light therapy late at night may cause difficulty falling asleep, in which case it often helps to move the light therapy to an earlier hour during the evening or late afternoon.

When spring arrives, people naturally find themselves using their light boxes less and not missing them. But spring tends to be an erratic season and it is prudent to watch out for rainy or cloudy days – especially a string of them – and be ready to bring out the light box at a moment’s notice.

An innovation developed to help people who want to move around while receiving their light therapy is a head-mounted light delivery system called a Light Visor. This device is also handy for those who need light therapy while travelling. While many people swear by the benefits of the Light Visor, data from controlled studies of the anti-depressant effects of light therapy are not as convincing for the Light Visor as for the light box.

*27\75\2*