Prana

When Prana is not obtainable, generally or locally, no mere chemicals have the power to restore function and prevent decay. (President Coolidge's son, who died from a blister on the heel^[1], gives one food for thought about ancient and modern systems of healing and their effectiveness.)

The principles of "Prana" and "The Artery Rules" were very strongly entrenched in the minds of the ancients. The application of counter-irritants or even fire, to cause blistering on certain joints of intense pain, had its object to draw to the surface the deep-seated, stagnant blood cells, so overloaded with waste that Prana passed them by, as it could not effect its movement any more through the dense waste insulation. Results proved the point.

The Baunscheidt Treatment^[2], with its needles and skin punctures, and powerful drawing salve, had the same effect over local areas by drawing out stagnant lymph and blood sediments. The German method of 'Schröpfen'^[3] was practically identical, except that they used little knives, instead of the needles, to lance the skin.

Junod's^[4] principle of hyperemia had a similar basis in its positive application of cupping and suction, and the negative application of restricting venous return flow to dilate the capillaries in organs and tissues, and then release it suddenly.

All this was based on the theory that "The Artery Rules" and "The Blood is the Life Principle". The objective was to make it do more work in certain areas, relieve congestion elsewhere, like suction on the leg to relieve the head, etc. To bring blood from the deep parts to the surface, was the object of cupping and suction. Back of it all was the principle of PRANA, utilized to advantage, by manipulating the blood stream. THE INTELLIGENT USE OF PERINEAL TECHNIQUE^[5] BALANCES THE ENERGY FIELDS - THE IMPULSES BEHIND THE CIRCULATION - AND RELIEVES SPASTICITY OR CONGESTION in Nature's wireless energy currents.

The water cure systems, with their heroic treatment by application of cold water and its deep reaction, had the same point in mind and were effective when wisely used. It has been my experience that many an arthritic joint would respond to the powerful stimulation of cold water, applied with a hose (but the use of the ordinary shower spray was ineffective) until a reaction took place. This treatment works wonders for sprains and for rheumatic and arthritic joints that are swollen and painful. Even mild freezing has been used very effectively in such cases;

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¹ Calvin Coolidge Jr.
² Carl Baunscheidt (1809-1873), a German teacher and inventor. A form of shallow scarification that encouraged lymph release at the skin's surface. Sometimes, an oil was applied to the puncture sites to produce an irritation and artificial inflammation.
³ A style of cupping therapy.
⁴ Victor Theodore Junod, a French doctor in the mid-1800's.
⁵ See page 87; and Book 2, Charts 30 and 31.