Periodicity
In many forms of acute disease, crises develop with marked
regularity and in well-defined periodicity. This phenomenon has been
observed and described by many physicians.
It is not so well known, however, that in the cure of chronic
diseases also, crises develop in accordance with certain laws of
periodicity.
Periodicity is governed by the Septimal Law or Law of Sevens, which
seems to be the basic law governing the vibratory activities of the
planetary universe.
The harmonics of heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism and of
atomic structure and arrangement run in scales of seven.
The Law of Sevens governs the days of the week, the phases of the
moon and the menstrual periods of the woman. Every observing
physician is aware of its influence on feverish, nervous and psychic
diseases.
The Law of Sevens dominates the life of individuals and of nations
and of everything that lives and has periods of birth, growth,
fruitage and decline.
Over two thousand years ago Pythagoras and Hippocrates distinctly
recognized and proclaimed the Law of Crises in its bearing on the
cure of chronic diseases. They taught that alternating, well-defined
periods of improvement and of crises were determined and governed by
the law of periodicity and by the law of numbers (the Septimal Law).
The following quotations are taken from the ~Encyclopedia
Britannica,~ Vol. XV, p. 800:
"But this artistic completeness was closely connected with 'the
third cardinal virtue' of Hippocratic medicine--the clear
recognition of disease as being equally with life a process governed
by what we should now call natural laws, which could be known by
observation and which indicated the spontaneous and normal direction
of recovery, by following which alone could the physician succeed.
"Another Hippocratic doctrine, the influence of which is not even
yet exhausted, is that of the healing power of Nature. Not that
Hippocrates taught, as he was afterwards reproached with teaching,
that Nature is sufficient for the cure of diseases; for he held
strongly the efficacy of art. But he recognized, at least in acute
diseases, a natural process which the humours went through--being
first of all crude, then passing through coction or digestion, and
finally being expelled by resolution or crisis through one of the
natural channels of the body. The duty of the physician was to
foresee these changes, 'to assist or not to hinder them,' so that
'the sick man might conquer the disease with the help of the
physician.' The times at which crises were to be expected were
naturally looked for with anxiety; and it was a cardinal point in
the Hippocratic system to foretell them with precision. Hippocrates,
influenced as is thought by the Pythagorean doctrine of numbers,
taught that they were to be expected on days fixed by certain
numerical rules, in some cases on odd, in others on even
numbers--the celebrated doctrine of 'critical days.' It follows from
what has been said that prognosis, or the art of foretelling the
course and event of the disease, was a strong point with the
Hippocratic physicians. In this perhaps they have never been
excelled. Diagnosis, or recognition of the disease, must have been
necessarily imperfect, when no scientific nosology, or system of
disease* existed, and the knowledge of anatomy was quite inadequate
to allow of a precise determination of the seat of disease; but
symptoms were no doubt observed and interpreted skilfully. The pulse
is not spoken of in any of the works now attributed to Hippocrates
himself, though it is mentioned in other works of the collection."
*The author of this article in the Encyclopedia Britannica does not
see that it is the modern [then as now] orthodox "scientific
nosology, or system of disease" which obscures the simplicity and
precision of the Hippocratic philosophy of disease and cure.
"In the treatment of disease, the Hippocratic school attached great
importance to diet, the variations necessary in different diseases
being minutely defined. In chronic cases diet, exercises and
natural methods were chiefly relied upon."
These wonderful truths, with other wisdom of the ancients, were lost
in the spiritual darkness of the Middle Ages. Modern medicine looks
upon these claims and teachings of the Hippocratic School as
"superstition without any foundation in fact." However, the great
sages of antiquity, drawing upon a source of ancient wisdom, deeply
hidden from the self-satisfied scribes and wise men of the schools,
after all, proclaimed the truth.
Every case of chronic disease properly treated by natural methods
proves the reality and stability of the Law of Crises. It is
therefore a standing wonder and surprise to one who knows, that this
all-important and self-evident law is practically unknown to the
disciples of the regular schools.
The Law of Sevens
In accordance with the Law of Periodicity, the sixth period in any
seven periods is marked by reactions, changes, revolutions or
crises. It is, therefore, looked upon by popular intuition as an
unlucky period. Friday, the sixth day of the week, is regarded as an
unlucky day; Friday is hangman's day; according to tradition the
Master, Jesus, was crucified on Friday.
Counting from the first sixth or Friday period in any given number
of hours, days, weeks, months, years or groups of years, as the case
may be, every succeeding seventh period is characterized by crises.
This explains why 13 is considered an unlucky number. It represents
the second critical or Friday period.
However, there is really no cause for this superstitious fear of
Friday and the number 13. It is due to a lack of understanding of
Nature's Laws. By intelligent cooperation with these laws we may
turn the critical periods in our lives into healing crises and
beneficial changes.
We should not fear the crises periods of the larger life and the
changes in our outward circumstances which they may bring any more
than we should fear crises in the physical body.
A thorough understanding of the nature and purpose of healing crises
in acute and chronic diseases has taught me the nature and purpose
of evil in general. It has made me understand more clearly the
meaning of "Resist not Evil" and of the saying: "We are punished by
our sins, not for our sins." It has shown me that evil is not a
punishment or a curse, but a necessary complement of good, that it
is corrective and educational in its purposes, that it remains with
us only as long as we need its salutary lessons.
The evil of physical disease is not due to accident or to the
arbitrary rulings of a capricious Providence, nor is it always
"error of mortal mind." From the Nature Cure philosophy and its
practical applications we have learned that, barring accidents and
conditions or surroundings unfavorable to human life, it is caused
in every instance by violations of the physical laws of our being.
So the social, political and industrial evil of the larger life is
brought about by violations of the law in the respective domains of
life and action.
So long as transgressions of the physical laws of our being result
in hereditary and acquired disease encumbrances, we must expect
reactions which may become either disease crises or healing crises.
Likewise, so long as ignorance, selfishness and self-indulgence
continue to create evil in other domains of life, we must expect
there also the occurrence of crises, of reaction and revolution.
When knowledge, self-control and altruism become the sole motives of
action, evil and the crises it necessitates will naturally
disappear.
Therefore, we should not be afraid of changes and crises periods but
cooperate with them clear-eyed and strong-willed. Then they will
result in improvement and further growth.
Life is growth, and growth is change. The only death is stagnation.
The loss of friends, home or fortune may seem for the time being an
overwhelming calamity; but if met in the right spirit, such losses
will prove stepping-stones to greater opportunity and higher
achievement.
Many of our patients formerly looked upon their diseased condition
as a great misfortune and an undeserved punishment; but since it
brought them in contact with the Nature Cure philosophy and showed
them the necessity of complying with the laws of their being, they
now look upon the former evil as the greatest blessing in their
lives, because it taught them how to become the masters of fate
instead of remaining the plaything of Nature's destructive forces.
Why should we fear even the greatest of all crises, physical death,
when it, also, is only the gateway to a larger life, greater
opportunities and more beautiful surroundings? Why should we mourn
and grieve over the death of friends and relatives, when they have
only emigrated to another, better country?
Suppose we ourselves had to enter upon the great journey today or
tomorrow, shouldn't we be glad to meet some of our friends on the
other side and to be welcomed, advised and guided by them in the new
surroundings?
Therefore we should not fear, nor endeavor to avoid the crises in
any and all domains of life and action, but meet them and cooperate
with them fearlessly and intelligently. They then will always make
for greater opportunity and higher accomplishment.
The Law of Sevens Applied to Individual Life
Applied to the life of the individual, the Law of Periodicity
manifests itself as follows:
Human life on the earth plane is divided into periods of seven
years. The first seven years represent the period of infancy. With
the next seven, the years of childhood, begins individual
responsibility, the conscious discernment between right and wrong.
The third group comprises the years of adolescence; the fourth marks
the attainment of full growth. Nearly all civilized countries take
cognizance of this fact by fixing the legal age at twenty-one.
The twenty-eighth year, the beginning of the fifth period, is
another milestone along the road to development.
The sixth period, beginning at the age of thirty-five and ending at
forty-two, is marked by reactions, changes and crises. It may,
therefore, seem an unlucky period; but if we understand the law and
comply with it, we shall be better and stronger in every way after
we have passed this period.
During the seventh period, the effects of the sixth or crises period
continue and adjust themselves. It is a period of reconstruction, of
recuperation and rest, and thus the best preparation for a new cycle
of sevens which begins with the fiftieth year.**
**Those who are interested in the Law of Periodicity as applied to
life in general, will find much valuable information in a book
entitled ~Periodicity~ by J. R. Buchanan, M.D., published by the
Kosmos Publishing Co., 2112 Sherman Ave., Evanston, Il.
In this connection it is interesting to note that the Mosaic law
recognized the law of periodicity and fixed upon Sunday as the first
day or "birthday" of the week, and upon Saturday (the Sabbath) as
the last or "rest" day, in which to prepare for another period of
seven days.
Orthodox science now admits that the normal length of human life
should be about one hundred and fifty years. This would constitute
three cycles of forty-nine years each, the first corresponding to
youth, the second to maturity, and the third to fruition.
The Law of Sevens in Febrile Diseases
If we apply the Laws of Periodicity to the course of acute febrile
or inflammatory diseases, we find that the sixth day from the
beginning of the first well-defined symptom marks the first
Friday-period or the first crisis of the disease, and that every
seventh day thereafter is also distinguished by aggravations and
changes, either for better or for worse.
The Law of Sevens in Chronic Diseases
Applied to the cure of chronic diseases under the influence of
natural methods of living and of treatment, the Laws of Crises and
of Periodicity manifest as follows:
When a chronic patient, whose chances of cure are good, is placed
under proper (natural) conditions of living and of treatment he
will, as a rule, experience five weeks of marked improvement.
The sixth week, if conditions are favorable, usually marks the
beginning of acute reactions or healing crises. This means that the
healing forces of the organism have grown strong enough to begin the
work of acute elimination.
By all sorts of acute reactions, such as skin eruptions, diarrheas,
feverish, inflammatory and catarrhal conditions, boils, abscesses,
mucopurulent discharges, etc., Nature now endeavors to remove the
latent, chronic disease taints from the system.
The character of the healing crises and the time of their occurrence
in any given case can often be accurately predicted by means of the
Diagnosis from the Eye (see Chapter XIII), from Nature's records in
the iris.
But the best of all methods of diagnosis is the cure iself, because
weak spots and morbid taints in the organism are revealed through
the healing crises.
The Same Old Aches and Pains
Frequently we hear from a patient in the throes of crises: "These
are the same old aches and pains that I had before. It is exactly
the same trouble I have been suffering with for many years. This is
not a crisis!--I have caught a cold, or I have eaten something which
does not agree with me."
The patient has forgotten what we taught him regarding the Law of
Crises. He loses sight of the fact that healing crises are nothing
more or less than a coming-up-again of old disease conditions, an
acute manifestation of ailments which had become chronic through
neglect or suppression.
Of course they are "the same old aches and pains." Nature Cure does
not create new diseases. Crises mean the stirring up and eliminating
of hereditary and acquired taints and poisons. Under the right
methods of treatment, any previous disease condition suppressed by
drugs or knife or by mental effort may recur as a healing crisis.
They are the same old aches and pains which so often gave trouble in
the past, but they are now running their course under different
conditions because the patient is now living in harmony with
Nature's Laws.
Under the natural regimen, Nature is encouraged and assisted in her
cleansing and healing efforts. She is allowed in her own wise way to
tear down the old and build up the new.
The "Old Schools" of healing proclaim Mother Nature a poor healer.
But we of the Nature Cure school believe that the wisdom which
created this wonderful, complex mechanism which we call the human
body knows also how to preserve and to repair it. Every healing
crisis passed under natural conditions assisted by natural methods
of treatment leaves the body purified and strengthened and nearer to
perfect health.
Our critics and opponents frequently ask us how we know that our
methods are natural and in harmony with Nature's laws.
To this we reply: The timely appearance of healing crises, their
orderly development and favorable termination constitute the best
criterion of the correctness and naturalness of the methods of
treatment employed. The prompt arrival and beneficial results of
acute reactions are a certain indication that the healing forces of
the organism are in the ascendancy and that the treatment is in
conformity with the natural laws of cure and with the constructive
principle in Nature.
Another question sometimes asked of us is: "Do healing crises
develop in every chronic disease under natural treatment?" Our
answer is: If the condition of the patient is not favorable to a
cure, that is, if the vitality is too low and the destruction of
vital parts too far advanced, the healing crises may be
proportionately delayed or may not occur at all. In such cases the
disease symptoms will increase in severity and complexity and become
more destructive instead of more constructive, until the final fatal
crisis. The end may come quickly, or the patient may decline
gradually toward the fatal termination.
Again, patients ask us: "Through how many crises shall I have to
pass?" We tell them: Just as many as you need; no more, no less. So
long as there is anything wrong in the system, crises will come and
go; but each crisis, if successfully passed, is another milestone on
the road to perfect health.
It is intensely interesting to observe how orderly and intelligently
Nature proceeds in her work of healing and repair. One problem after
another is taken up and adjusted.
First of all, the digestive organs are put into better condition,
because further progress depends upon proper assimilation and
elimination. The bowels must act freely and naturally before any
permanent improvement can take place. A treatment which fails to
accomplish this first preliminary improvement will surely fail to
produce more important results.
In this connection it is a significant fact that nearly all our
patients, when they come under our care, are suffering from very
stubborn constipation in spite of (or possibly on account of)
lifelong drugging. Neither medicines nor operations had given them
anything but temporary relief and the trouble had grown worse
instead of better.
If the "Old School" methods of treatment were not successful in
relieving simple constipation, what else can they be expected to
cure, since the overcoming of constipation is evidently the primary
necessity for any other improvement?
A system of treatment which cannot accomplish this cannot accomplish
anything else. It is strange, therefore, that a school of medicine
which has not succeeded, with all its vaunted knowledge and wisdom,
to cure simple constipation, flatly denies that natural methods can
cure cancer, epilepsy, locomotor ataxy and other so-called incurable
diseases.
Our Greatest Difficulty
The greatest difficulty in our work lies in conducting our patients
safely through the stormy crises periods. The first, preliminary
improvement is often so marked that the patient believes himself
already cured. He will say: "Doctor, I am feeling fine! There is
nothing the matter with me any more! I cannot understand why I
shouldn't go home and continue the natural regimen there!"
This feeling of mental elation and physical well-being is usually
the sign that the first general improvement has progressed far
enough to prepare the system for a healing crisis. Therefore my
answer to the overconfident patient may be something like this:
"Remember what I told you. The first improvement is not the cure, it
is only the preparation for the real fight. Look out! In a few days
you may whistle another tune."
And sure enough, usually within a few days after such a conversation
the patient is down in the slough of despond. His digestive organs
are in a wretched condition. He is nauseated, his tongue is coated,
he is suffering from headache and from a multitude of other symptoms
according to his individual condition. In fact, many of the old
aches and pains which he thought already cured come up again with
renewed force.
Healing crises, representing radical changes in the system, are
always accompanied by physical and mental weakness, because every
bit of vitality is drawn upon in these reconstructive processes. The
entire organism is shaken up to its very foundation; deep-seated,
chronic disease taints are being stirred up throughout the system.
The eliminative processes of the healing crises are often
accompanied by great mental depression and a feeling of strong
revulsion to the natural regimen and everything connected with it.
The patient thinks that, after all, Nature Cure is not for him, that
he is growing worse instead of better. In proportion to the severity
of the changes going on within him, he becomes disheartened and
despondent. Often he exhibits all the mental and emotional symptoms
of homesickness. In these critical days it requires all our powers
of persuasion to keep the depressed and discouraged patient from
giving up the fight and from taking something to relieve his
distress. He insists that "something must be done for him," and
cannot understand how he will ever get out of his "awful condition"
without some good strong medicine.
If our patients were not continually and thoroughly instructed
regarding the Laws of Crises and of Periodicity and if we did not
strongly advise and encourage them to persevere with the treatment,
few of them would hold out during these critical periods.
This explains why so many people fail to be cured and it also
explains why natural living and self-treatment often do not meet
with the desired results if carried on without the instruction and
guidance of a competent, experienced Nature Cure physician.
So long as the improvement continues, everything is lovely and hope
soars high. But when the inevitable crises arrive, the sufferer
believes that, after all, he made a mistake in taking up the natural
regimen, especially so when friends and relatives do their best to
destroy his confidence in the natural methods of cure by ridicule
and dire prophesies of failure.
Frightened and discouraged, the patient returns to the "flesh-pots
of Egypt" and to the good old pills and potions and ever afterwards
he tells his friends that "he tried Nature Cure and the vegetarian
diet, but it was no good."
Mother Nature remains a "book sealed with seven seals" to those who
mistrust, despise and counteract her, who rely on man-made wisdom
and the ever-changing theories and dogmas of the schools.
But on the other hand, every crisis conducted to a successful
termination in accordance with Nature's laws becomes an inspiration
to him who follows her guidance and assists her with intelligent
effort and loving care.