In addition to the high-protein diet fallacy there are many other protein fads and fallacies, such as:

1.    ”You should eat lots of proteins every day!” The fact is that

your body can exist without any food, and, consequently, without

any protein, for weeks and months, as, for example, in the case of

complete therapeutic fasting. (See Chapter 2.) And this not only is

not harmful but has evident health benefits. It is a general observation that the protein level of the blood (serum albumin reading) of

fasting patients remains constant and normal during the whole fasting period, in spite of the fact that no protein is consumed. The reason for this is that proteins in your body are in the so-called dynamic

state: that means that they are constantly changed from one stage to

another, being decomposed and resynthesized from blood plasma

amino acids. (This phenomenon, which is so little understood as yet,

may help solve some of the protein cult mystery.) Thus, the body is

using and re-using the same proteins again and again where they are

needed.

This proves that you do not need to eat high-protein meals every day, although your body does need protein each day. You will improve your health by eating a low-protein vegetable and fruit diet several days a week. And you can do it safely and without worrying about “where do I get my proteins?”

2.    ”You need meat for proteins!” The most commonly asked

question when meat-eaters talk with vegetarians or lacto-vegetarians

is a “but where do you get your proteins?”

The answer is that since proteins are such vital and important nutritive substances, our Creator in his infinite wisdom has made them a part of virtually every natural food available to man. Every plant, every vegetable, every fruit, every seed or nut contains some protein. It is practically impossible to eat a natural food without eating some protein. The fact is that it is virtually impossible to get too few proteins on any diet, unless you are on a starvation diet. But it is not only possible, but very likely that you will develop a serious deficiency of vitamins and vital substances on the one-sided diet of meat, potatoes and bread so common in the United States. A meatless diet of raw fruits and vegetables, potatoes, whole bread, milk and cheese, nuts and beans will not only supply all the proteins you need, but is also rich in all the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes essential for optimum health.

The protein quality in some of the vegetables sources is even superior to the meat protein, as in the case of protein from soybeans, some nuts (cashews, almonds), potatoes and green vegetables. You may not know it, but plain old potatoes are a good source of complete proteins. You have been made to believe that potatoes are a pure starch food, but they contain large amounts of complete proteins, biologically comparable to the protein in eggs.1 In some experiments, men lived three to six years with potatoes as the only protein source and maintained excellent health and performed hard work. In the average German diet, ten percent of the daily protein requirement is derived from potatoes.

Much recent research shows that your body’s protein requirement is lowered if the protein is obtained from raw vegetable sources. Professor Eimer in Germany showed that athletes, switched from 100 grams of animal proteins a day to 50 grams of raw vegetable proteins, grew stronger and improved their records. Also a Japanese researcher, Dr. M. Kuratsune, has demonstrated that 22-30 grams of raw vegetable protein a day were sufficient to keep him and his wife in good health.

The foremost scientific authority on nutrition today is the International Society for Research on Nutrition and Vital Substances. Their recommendation in regard to protein reads: “The conception of the classical and late-classical nutrition theory that animal proteins are more valuable than plant proteins, can no longer be accepted. Today we know that the order of rank of proteins is generally dependent on their amino-gram and not on their origin.” They also state: “Each plant protein contains all the exogenous-essential amino acids.”

3. “Only complete proteins can satisfy your protein needs.” This is another common but fallacious statement made in support of “complete” meat proteins. Such foods as soybeans, sesame seeds, many nuts, millet, potatoes, and green vegetables all contain complete proteins, as good or better than meat proteins, without meat’s undesirable side effects.

Furthermore, it is a proven physiological fact that several foods with incomplete proteins will complement one another if eaten at the same time, and thus render their total protein biologically complete. For example: although wheat protein is lacking in some of the essential amino acids, a cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread will be a complete protein meal, with the cheese complementing the wheat and supplying the missing amino acids. Beans and tortillas, eaten with some vegetables, also make a complete protein meal, although beans and corn are not complete separately. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that protein, which is derived in proportion up to two-thirds from plant origin, adequately supplies all the protein needed for normal growth and sustenance of health.

Thus the notion that only foods with all the essential amino acids can satisfy your protein-need is fallacious.

4. “You need animal proteins for strength!” This fallacy will be difficult to disprove, because steak lovers just love to think that meat gives them strength. The truth is, however, exactly the opposite. And this is proven in scientific experiments over and over again.

Professor Irving Fisher made comparative studies of meat-eating Yale athletes with non-meat-eating vegetarians, doctors and assistants from the Battle Creek Sanatorium. The following tests were given to two groups. First, the men were to hold their arms outstretched as long as possible. Only two of the meat-eaters reached 15 minutes, while 22 of the 32 vegetarians were able to achieve this. None of the meat-eaters, but 15 vegetarians, reached a half-hour. Nine of these reached one hour, four two hours, and one three hours and 20 minutes. The second test was deep knee bends. Only a few of the meat-eaters were able to make more than 300-400 knee bends. One vegetarian made 1,800, one 2,400, and one 5,000. Dr. Fisher concluded that the protein content in the diet was responsible for the difference in endurance and stamina. In his continuous experiments, he further lowered the protein intake of the persons under study and noticed that a 20 percent reduction in protein increased their endurance 33 percent.

Even studies made by Dr. R. Chittenden of Yale University have shown that endurance increases with a lower protein intake. His experiments with professors, students, soldiers and athletes proved that muscle strength and endurance reaches its peak on about one-third of the usual protein intake. His explanation of this phenomenon was that the protein metabolism results in the higher blood content of uric acid, urea, and purines, and that these have a toxic, paralyzing effect on muscles and nerves. This may explain the observation made by westerners in Hong Kong harbour, where the little Chinese coolies carry 200-pound rice bags all day long, eating nothing but rice and vegetables. Asked why don’t they eat meat, one of them said, “If I ate meat I would not be able to carry these bags all day long.” The great Australian swimming champion, Murray Rose, Olympic Gold Medal winner for several years, has never tasted meat in his life—he has been a 100 percent vegetarian since birth. Most of the Japanese endurance swimmers eat little or no meat. You may also remember Horace Braby, a young South African athlete who won over all his meat-eating competitors on a meatless diet; or the remarkable victories of New Zealander John Marshall in 1956 in the long-distance swimming contest; or Bill Pickering “who crossed the English Channel and on his arrival was able to run up the beach”— all on diets without meat but rich in raw vegetable foods.

*50\58\2*

In contrast to most health systems which are limited in scope and which one-sidedly stress certain health-promoting factors—diet, exercise, yoga, baths, etc., (all important and vital factors, of course) —the Waerland system is a complete health system which takes all the factors related to man’s physical and emotional health into consideration. It is a health system based on an idea of “wholeness,” which embraces all health factors, both of the mind and the body.

Waerland himself has expressed his philosophy in a nutshell in the following sentence:

We do not deal with disease—only with mistakes in our way of living; eliminate the mistakes and the diseases will disappear of their own accord.

Waerland’s advice to the members of the healing professions was not to cure a disease, but to cure a sick body. And the sick body can be cured not by seeking to get rid of the symptoms by means of drugs, but by correcting man’s faulty living habits and restoring his original biological rhythm of working and living. Thus the Waerland health system incorporates the following health-promoting factors:

Natural, health-giving foods.

Plenty of fresh air day and night, and sufficient exposure to sun.

Sufficient physical work and exercise.

A clean body through baths and dry brushing.

Efficient bowel elimination through a lacto-vegetarian diet and plenty of raw vegetables and fruits.

Positive mental attitude based on belief in man’s divinely designed calling as a human being.

Those who are in good health will be able to prevent ill health and disease by following this total health program. To those who are suffering ill health, the application of these health-restoring factors will bring them back into harmony with their natural environment, “eliminate the mistakes in their way of living” and restore and build their health.

“Man’s health is his birthright,” says Are Waerland. Man brought disease upon himself by disobeying the God-given laws of nature. Eliminate the mistakes in your way of living and attune yourself with the laws of health and all diseases will disappear.

*42\58\2*

If they didn’t, it would be unlikely that over three million people in West Germany alone would visit spas every year, year after year.

I have talked to doctors in Bad Pyrmont and their reaction to my question was something like this:

The modern inquiry into balneology and the medicinal value of mineral waters is recent and as yet incomplete. But what is already known indicates that mineral waters do indeed have curative powers. And they should, inasmuch as disordered mineral metabolism and biochemical derangement are at the root of many diseases. But what is even more important is the fact that these waters here in Bad Pyrmont have been used for healing purposes’ for almost two thousand years; and millions of sick people have been benefited by them—patients and doctors see examples of it every day!

I have asked some patients for the reasons for coming to Bad Pyrmont, and here are a few of the answers I received:

“I have high blood pressure,” said a stout, executive-looking gentleman. “Medication does not help me at all. Also, I have a weight problem. So my doctors advised me to come here. I come each summer and take the water cure for six weeks. In that time my blood pressure usually goes down to normal and I lose some weight. By the next spring my blood pressure probably will go up again, so I’ll make another visit here. These mineral waters keep me alive!”

“I have been suffering from arthritis for three years,” said a young-looking blonde lady of approximately 30. “I am staying at the sanatorium here and taking a cure under my doctor’s supervision. I have been fasting three weeks and drinking mineral waters. I have also taken many different kinds of baths and water treatments. My arthritis is almost gone. All the pain disappeared after the first week here. I hardly could bend my knees before; now I walk all day long without any discomfort.”

I stopped a little girl of about seven, who was on the way to the bath appointment with her mother. “My girl had a disfiguring eczema for several months. Our doctor didn’t know the cause of it and was unable to help her with drugs, so he sent us here. Now she has been taking baths, packs, and drinking cures for six weeks and her eczema is almost gone. Only a very few small spots are left on her elbows.”

On a bench in the beautiful spa park I talked to a group of elderly people, the patients at the state-operated rehabilitation clinic for heart diseases. They all had long records of cardiac insufficiency, circulatory problems and blood pressure disorders. They were sent there by their medical insurance government each year to improve their health and particularly to improve their heart condition. They all assured me that they felt “so much better” after staying one month at their clinic and taking all the recommended water cures.

*34\58\2*

Then the sandwich is served and you take your first bite and drink your milk. As soon as food enters the mouth, several vital enzymes are released by the salivary glands into saliva which will start the digestion of the food even before it enters the stomach. An enzyme called ptyalin starts the preliminary work of digestion by attacking immediately the carbohydrates of the bread and breaks them down into maltose, the predigested form of starch, or energy-producing sugar.<неиAfter it is chewed, the food is swallowed with the help of saliva and enters the stomach. There it is met by various new enzymes which stomach glands were pouring out in anticipation of the food.<неиEnzyme rennin takes care of the milk, causing it to coagulate and changing milk protein, casein, into amino acids, a form that your body can use. Rennin also breaks down the minerals of milk and cheese and makes them available for assimilation by the system. These minerals—calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, etc.— are then transported by the blood stream to become a part of your bones, your teeth, your nerves, and so forth.<неиTwo other enzymes, pepsin and lipase, help to convert your milk and cheese in the stomach. Pepsin is a foremost digestive enzyme for protein. lipase works on the fat part of milk and cheese by splitting it into forms which the body uses to nourish its various cells and organs.<неиBut perhaps the most important enzyme in the stomach is hydrochloric acid. In addition to its enzymatic action on protein foods and the tough fibrous vegetable cells (in this case on the bran part of the wheat to release wheat proteins, minerals and vitamins), hydrochloric acid also has other vital functions to perform. By its strong acid nature it destroys bacteria in the stomach, thus acting as a defensive measure against disease-causing bacteria entering your stomach with foods. It also participates in the regulation of the vital acid-alkaline balance in the system. Another important job of hydrochloric acid is to liberate iron from the food and convert it to a form that the body can use.

*26/58/2*

Should you discontinue with your work and rest or stay in bed during fasting? Not at all! It is advisable to continue with your usual activities, but perhaps avoid too strenuous physical or mental work.

Daily walks, even long ones for an hour or more, twice a day, are recommended; likewise all suitable exercises. Take a bath two or three times a week, but avoid water too cold or too hot. Dry brushing is recommended morning and evening followed by a shower or wet-towel rub. Plenty of fresh air is extremely important for the healing processes during the fast. For this reason the best time of the year to fast is spring or summer, when you can spend a great deal of time outdoors. Always sleep with an open window.

Fasting will bring about many physiological changes in your body. Increased elimination of toxins through urine, skin and lungs will take place. The body’s own healing forces will initiate great repair and health-restoring activity in many ways. These physiological changes may occasionally manifest themselves in certain discomforts such as headache, coated tongue, foul breath, dizziness, or even skin eruptions. These reactions should give no cause for concern. They are common symptoms of fasting and properly understood should not discourage anybody from continuing with the fast.

The first three or four days you will feel hungry, of course. But after that the hunger usually disappears. As a matter of fact, the unbelievable will happen: the longer you fast the less hungry you will feel! When finally the body has completed its repairing and restorative work, it will signal to you by a sudden and definite feeling of hunger that it needs food. This is the physiologically right time to start eating. Of course, in the case of juice fasts even during the first three or four days the patient hardly feels any hunger at all.

Your mental attitude during fasting is of paramount importance. Avoid negative influences. Do not listen to terrified relatives and friends who will warn you that you will pass out any moment. As I said before, nobody has ever died as a result of a few weeks of intentional fasting. Have confidence in what you are doing. Remember, you are not the first to try it—millions of people have done it successfully before you. Even animals fast instinctively when they are sick. But if you do not have complete faith in fasting and are not absolutely convinced of. its safety, you should not undertake fasting at all, at least not on your own.

If it makes you feel better do not call this measure a fast. Call it a liquid diet. After all, that is exactly what it is. I know you will be surprised at the results; so will your friends be, especially if you do not tell them you are fasting, but keep it secret. As for myself, I will never stop being amazed at the miraculous prophylactic and healing effects of this, the oldest—and, I dare say, most effective—therapeutic method known to man.

*18\58\2*

Exactly ten years later, in August 1964, Dr. Lennart Edren organized a second 300-mile fast march. This time there were 19 participants. While in 1954 all the participants were vegetarians with many years of healthful living and many previous experiences with fasting behind them, the 1964 group was deliberately put together of more varied types; there were vegetarians as well as meat-eaters, smokers and non-smokers, fat men and thin men, etc. In addition, the strict condition of 1954 that all must be in perfect health was not enforced in 1964. Furthermore, the 1954 fasting was a strict water fast, while in 1964 the participants received a small amount of juices in addition to water. All these changes were made with the specific purpose of making the experiment more comprehensive and scientific.

Whereas in 1954 official medicine took the position of disinterest and disapproval, the situation in 1964 was totally reversed. The whole experiment was extensively controlled and supervised by a large staff of doctors. First, all participants were given a thorough examination and various tests. Not less than five doctors were present at the start to make the final checkup. During the entire march of ten days, doctors followed the group and made daily controls and tests on the participants. This was truly a scientific experiment under the most scrupulous and careful control.

*10\58\2*

What do all these poisons in our food and environment do to our health? This whole book could be filled with reputable scientific evidence, facts, results of research, and actual cases to prove that poisons in our food and our environment do, indeed, harm us, make us sick, and may even kill us. Many excellent books are written on this subject; Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, for example.

But let me give you just a very short illustration of this point. Here is a case which is so typical in our poisoned way of life that it is happening every day—without our suspecting the real cause of the problem: In Chicago, a nine-year-old girl died after doctors could not diagnose her illness. They treated her for hypoglycemia, acidosis, and other things, without success. Finally her parents remembered that just before her acute illness the girl’s bedroom was sprayed with insecticide containing chlordane and organic phosphates!

Pesticides are suspected of being one of the causes of the sharp increase in birth defects.2 Measurable amounts of pesticides have been found in the tissues of stillborn babies. Lengthy exposure to pesticides in homes and farms can cause the fatal blood diseases, leukemia and aplastic anemia, reported a Mayo Clinic consultant Dr. M. M. Hargraves. The sharp increase in hepatitis in the U.S. may be due to wide use of insecticides.

Analysis of samples of foods served in restaurants showed that each food was contaminated with DDT. There are dozens of various pesticides in use in food production, and although little is known of the effect of one pesticide in combination with another, it is known that the toxic effect due to combination can be increased from 10 to 50 times!

*2\58\2*

Jethro Kloss in his book, Back to Eden, p. 375, states that the slippery elm poultice has no superior. It may be used alone, or it may be combined with other materials, as follows:

Combine charcoal and slippery elm in equal quantities. Both should be in a dry powder form so they can be mixed with warm water to form a paste. Use this for gangrenous-type sores or inflamed areas of the body, especially glands. It is also very effective when used internally.

Case Histories

Case No. 1.

On rising early one morning a professional woman found that she had great pain in her lower abdomen. It was a pain that affected the whole body through the nervous system. Later, blood was noticed in the urine indicating that the kidneys and bladder were involved. Some lobelia (an herb) was steeped in two cups of boiling water about 20 minutes. After straining the herb out, we placed the solution over the fire and mixed in 2 ozs. of slippery elm and enough wheat-meal flour to make a spreadable mixture. This was then spread over a thin cloth and applied to the abdomen. The poultice was applied warm and kept warm with a hot water bottle for two hours. It was not long till the pain eased, the nerves became calm, and a good rest was acquired. A new poultice was put on when the two hours were up. After four hours of treatment the woman was feeling a little weak, but there was no more blood and no more pain. She had also taken a cup of hot tea made from Golden Seal followed by a glass or two of pure water. She was able to continue her work quite normally the next day.

Case No. 2.

There was a gentleman whose whole body seemed to be sick. He did not know what was bothering him, but he did know that he was suffering a lot of pain and that his food was not helping him. He was given a cleansing treatment including steam baths and massage, etc. His diet for one week was as follows. In the morning upon rising he took 1 cup of warm slippery elm gruel. This was made by mixing together one teaspoon of powdered slippery elm with half an ounce of honey. When this is well mixed so that no powder is left, add very hot water. (Not boiling, but very hot.) This makes a very palatable drink which has the effect of coating the inflamed membrane of the digestive tract. For breakfast he ate apple mush (whole apples cooked and put through a sieve), bread that had been dried out in the oven until very crisp, and another cup of slippery elm gruel. The same menu was eaten at every meal. By the end of the week his health had recovered to the point where he was able to eat normally and live a reasonably comfortable life again.

Internally or externally, separately or in combination with other ingredients, the slippery elm poultice brings wonderful healing to inflammations found in all parts of the body.

Slippery elm combined with baker’s yeast forms a poultice which will draw boils and abscesses to a head and prevent the onset of infection. Just make a paste with the yeast and powder by adding a little water.

The role of charcoal in poultices is worthy of mention. Charcoal for medicinal purposes is more effective when made from particular types of trees. In Australia, the eucalyptus trees are the best, while in the United States, boxwood, willow, pine, and other soft woods are excellent. Charcoal is an absorbent material. It will absorb many times its own weight in gases and impurities. Commercial acetylene bottles are filled with charcoal to enable the storage within the container of much greater amounts of the gas. It is also used for the purification of water and is the filter substance used in gas masks.

This makes it very useful as an antiseptic, due to its absorbent and oxidizing qualities. It is excellent taken internally for acid dyspepsia, gas, fermentation, indigestion and heartburn. For these internal applications, either as a cure or as a preventative, place the charcoal in a cup; mix with warm water into a paste; then, dilute with hot water or milk and drink immediately. This may be repeated as often as necessary. No injury can result provided that reasonable care has been taken to keep the charcoal from other contamination.

At the same time as the charcoal and water is given internally, a charcoal poultice can be laid with great advantage over the stomach area to relieve trouble in this area.

Thoroughly pulverize the dry charcoal. Make a cloth bag large enough to cover the stomach. Pour a goodly quantity of charcoal powder into the bag, lay it flat on the table, and sprinkle water over it to moisten it. This is a simple and clean way to prepare a charcoal poultice when only using water. If only a small area is to be poulticed, mix the charcoal with water to form a paste, spread on a cloth, fold over, and lay over the affected area. The use of charcoal in healing is a very old remedy as the following experience will show.

Case No. 3.

A gentleman “was taken sick with inflammation of the bowels and bloody dysentery. The man was not a careful health reformer, but indulged his appetite. Fears were entertained that mortification had set in. Then the thought came to me like a communication from the Lord to take pulverized charcoal, put water upon it, and give this water to the sick man to drink, putting bandages of the charcoal over the bowels and stomach. We were about one mile from the city of Denison, but the sick man’s son went to a blacksmith’s shop, secured the charcoal, and pulverized it, and then used it according to the directions given. The result was that in half an hour there was a change for the better. We had to go on our journey and leave the family behind, but what was our surprise the following day to see their wagon over-take us. The sick man was lying in a bed in the wagon. The blessing of God had worked with the simple means used.” Selected Messages, Volume 2:299, Ellen G. White, Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1958. The original letter from which this report was taken was written in 1899.

The use of charcoal includes applications for inflamed eyes, bruises, infections, old ulcers, sores and poisonous bites from insects or spiders. Charcoal may be combined with water, olive oil, flaxseed (linseed) porridge, corn mush, or wheat mush. The first two of these may be used cold permitting the body heat to warm the poultice.

Linseed (flaxseed) and charcoal poultices can also be of great advantage in the treatment of chest colds. Make a porridge out of linseed and stir in the charcoal. Spread this on a cloth, apply to the chest, protect with plastic and wrap flannel around to keep warm. If linseed (flaxseed) is not available, use cornmeal or just thickened wheatmeal with charcoal added.

Case No. 4.

Here is another example of the effectiveness of this form of poultice. “On Thursday Sara McEnterfer was called to see if she could do anything for B’s little son, who is eighteen months old. For several days he has had a painful swelling on the knee supposed to be from the bite of some poisonous insect. Pulverized charcoal, mixed with flaxseed, was placed upon the swelling, and this poultice gave relief at once. The child had screamed with pain all night, but when this was applied, he slept. Today she has been to see the little one twice. She opened the swelling in two places, and a large amount of yellow matter and blood was discharged freely. The child was relieved of its great suffering. We thank the Lord that we may become intelligent in using the simple things within our reach to alleviate pain, and successfully remove its cause.”

Case No. 5.

A child of four was suffering from bronchitis but was allowed to play in the rain and become wet. This did not help the condition of his chest and by nightfall, he found it difficult to breathe. He also began to run an elevated temperature. A flaxseed and charcoal poultice was fixed for his chest and he was carefully watched over until, almost two hours later, he had vomited up the contents of his stomach along with a lot of phlegm. The warmth of the flaxseed and charcoal poultice gave him ease in breathing and loosened the mucous in the lung area so that his body was able to throw it off. Although there was no problem in this case, it is necessary to watch over young patients carefully while giving them this treatment because they may have a difficult time getting rid of the mucous that will be thrown off.

Case No. 6.

In our district one year there was a man afflicted by a virus of a certain strain that was affecting many people in the area. Its symptoms seemed similar to those of meningitis, i.e., a stiffening of the neck and back muscles. A flaxseed and charcoal poultice made by pouring a mixture about the thickness of porridge into a bag was placed under the neck like a cushion and left overnight. In the morning, the man was able to go out to work in his pineapple patch. It is not always that such a quick response will be realized, but any relief obtained will show that you are working in the right direction.

*32\62\2*

Last, but not least, we will talk about the hot foot bath and hot sitz bath.

The materials used in this simple remedy will depend upon your patient’s size and his physical condition. You will need a container for hot and cold water to place the feet in. If the patient is a child, an ordinary bucket will do. But if he is an adult with big feet, then you will have to look around for something bigger. A plastic garbage bin is often just the thing, and it would be well to set one aside for this purpose. This is one of the simplest and easiest remedies to carry out and a very effective one, too, if done properly. The secret lies in the heat of the water.

In a head cold, for instance, the head is all congested, you are sneezing your head off, and are generally miserable. You will have no problem in believing that your head is congested! What better way to relieve this congestion than to draw it down to the feet! It seems that every time the body is weary, exhausted, injured, or infected, a spontaneous congestion takes place. To equalize circulation again and stimulate it into doing its restorative work with all haste, there is no better booster than good, clean, healing water. Fill the bucket or bin with enough hot water to reach just below the knee. The water should be comfortably hot. Beside this place a bucket of cold water. The contrasting of the hot and cold will enable you to raise the temperature of the hot one to quite a degree without burning and will give a powerful stimulant to the circulation and nervous system. (It will warm the “cockles” of your heart!) Rest the feet in the hot water for a few minutes, then take them out and place in the cold for a shorter period, just enough to feel the cold penetrating. While the patient is doing this, add more boiling water to the hot bucket. This will be noticed by the patient when he puts his feet back in, but he will be able to bear it because of the effect of the cold. For the first few minutes when the reaction takes place, he will feel his whole body tingle. Continue treatment until the congestion has been relieved, the sneezing arrested, and the patient feels warm all over. Finish with a quick cold bath or shower, and dry the feet well.

Another method that can be used to relieve congestion in the head or chest, regardless of what the cause might be, is to use a cold cloth covering the area of congestion and heating an opposite area. For instance, in mumps, where there is congestion in the glands around the neck, place a cool cloth here and wrap the legs up in a warm blanket after placing hot water bottles between the legs and at the feet. Wrap well and be careful not to have the bottles too hot. The object is to create a warming effect. This can also be done to relieve the chest congestion in bronchitis or asthma. This will draw the blood that is congesting around the head or chest into the large blood vessels of the legs where it is warmed. As it circulates back through the body, it brings warmth and healing. It quiets the nerves and promotes good sleep.

When one part of the body is suffering, it is good to enlist the help of another part that is strong and healthy. A lady suffering from a very painful arm, too sore for us to touch, was relieved by massage of the feet. The body is full of reflex areas which respond to stimuli because all the nerves in the body are in touch with each other. When one suffers, the others are in sympathy with it. Knowing this, we can help the ones in sympathy to do something constructive. Thus, though it may at first seem strange, hot foot baths or heating pads to the legs can help head and chest complaints.

*23\62\2*

The fevers described previously are those in which the entire body becomes feverish, and, therefore, requires application of the cold to the entire body. However, in some instances fevers may be quite localized. Invariably, this will be a case of an infected gland—salivary glands in the case of mumps, mammary glands in milk fever, and lymphatic glands of the groin in the case of infected foot or leg. The rest of the body may be at a normal or a slightly raised temperature. The area around the gland involved will be extremely hot. When this is the case, effort must be concentrated on the affected spot. Once again the application of cold is the means used to control the fire, this time in the form of an ice bag.

Materials Required:

Ice bag (or any waterproof bag)

Light flannel or woolen cloth to protect the skin from direct contact with the surface of the ice bag.

Procedure: Simply hold the ice bag in contact with the swollen gland keeping only the light protective flannel in between. There is little chance of damaging the skin by freezing because of the intense heat of the gland. However, it would not hurt to be alert to this possibility and to periodically inspect the surface of the skin, perhaps at three to five minute intervals, or as the situation indicates. Simply continue the treatment until all pain and heat have disappeared from the gland. It is possible that the gland will reheat and again become painful. This is quite usual and only calls for further treatment. No quicker or better relief can be obtained from this kind of problem than with this treatment. The reasons for this are exactly the same as for fevers of a general nature.

*12\62\2*