The Royal Road to Health Part 4

NOTE.

If the water is not readily expelled do not attempt to force it out by straining. Instead, flatten in the abdomen by forcibly contracting the abdominal muscles.

PART IV.

HOW TO USE IT.

Having endeavored to show the true nature of disease, the rational method of treating it, and the superiority of the "Cascade" over all previously existing methods for carrying the treatment into effect, it may be well to explain the actual manner of using the "Cascade."

In the first place, the reservoir should be thoroughly washed out with slightly warm water, to get. rid of the factory dust. At one time it was the practice to cleanse them all thoroughly before fitting them, but purchasers got the impression that they had been used by other persons, so it was decided to abandon that practice and send them out with the dust of the factory in them, in proof of their newness.

Having cleansed the reservoir, the faucet should be shut off and a level teaspoonful of the antiseptic tonic dissolved in a little warm water in a cup or gla.s.s and poured into the reservoir, which should then be completely filled with water as hot as the hand can comfortably bear; not to simply dip the fingers in and withdraw them, but so that you can immerse the hand and allow it to remain without discomfort. If tested with a thermometer the water should be from 100 to 105 degrees Fahr., but the hand is a safer guide, as it prevents any possible danger from a thermometer out of order, or mistaking a figure in a poor light. If tested by the hand you are absolutely safe, since water can he used twenty degrees hotter internally than externally, but in its pa.s.sage from the body it would he painful to the external parts. Hot water is the best solvent for impacted faecal matter, and, on the other hand, water below the temperature of the body is likely to cause pain. If the hands are impervious to heat, an excellent plan is to test the water with the tip of the elbow, which is a most sensitive part of the body.

It is necessary that the reservoir should be absolutely full to insure the exclusion of air, as that is also likely to cause pain, and, in addition, its presence is likely to prevent the proper reception of the water, as, according to an established law in physics, two bodies cannot occupy the same s.p.a.ce at the same time. For this reason it is advisable to solicit the bowels before taking the treatment, as, if even no faecal matter is expelled, pent-up gases are frequently liberated.

The reservoir having been filled as directed and the above directions carefully observed, the "Cascade" should be laid down and the "injection point" screwed in. It is then ready for use. Being all ready, the stick of rectal soap should be dipped in water--to moisten it--inserted in the r.e.c.t.u.m and withdrawn. This is simply to lubricate the pa.s.sage and facilitate the admission of the "injection point."

Then, standing in front of the seat on which the "Cascade" is lying (as if preparing to sit down), pa.s.s the left hand between the lower limbs and grasp the handle of the faucet, to guide the "injection point" into the r.e.c.t.u.m, and then carefully sit down upon the "Cascade." When the "injection point" has been completely introduced and you are comfortably seated, relax the muscles and allow the whole weight of the body to rest freely on the "Cascade," and turn on the faucet, partially at first, then, after a few seconds, turn it on fully and you will readily receive the water.

The most convenient place to use the "Cascade" is in the bathroom, placing it on the closet seat; or you will find the ordinary bedroom "commode" a suitable article for the purpose, but if neither of these are available, then any firm seat, such as a wooden-seated chair, will do, but taking care to have a vessel at hand in which to discharge the contents of the bowel.

As soon as the faucet is turned on and the water begins to flow into the body, proceed to practise the following movements: Commencing in the right groin; stroke firmly but gently, right across the pelvis, or lower edge of the abdomen, to the left groin, then directly upward with the hands to a point just above the umbilicus, or navel, then straight across the body and down to the right groin. These movements are directly over and along the course of the colon, and if they are made gently but firmly, the water will be a.s.sisted on its course. A study of the diagram of the digestive apparatus at the commencement of the book will be of great a.s.sistance in enabling you to understand the reason for and the method of these movements.

It sometimes happens that after a small quant.i.ty of water has been injected there is a strong desire to expel it, which is sometimes due to nervousness, induced by the novelty of the operation. If this be so, shut off the faucet at once and resist the inclination, when, in a few minutes, the desire will have pa.s.sed away, then turn on the faucet again. Be sure to allow the full weight of the body to rest on the "Cascade," and have no fear. It is the weight of the body itself that furnishes the motive power and to ease up the pressure defeats the object.

As soon as all the water has entered that you feel it possible to receive, turn off the faucet, rise from the "Cascade," sit over the closet, or vessel, and allow the contents of the bowel to escape. At the same time repeat the stroking movement previously described, but this time reverse it, commencing in the right groin, up, across and down to the left groin. These movements have a three-fold object: they a.s.sist the water in its pa.s.sage backward and forward, thus shortening the time of the treatment; they force along the acc.u.mulated matter in the colon with the current of water, and help to dislodge adherent matter from the walls of the colon.

As we proceed on the a.s.sumption that the colon is more or less impacted (which experience shows), we do not antic.i.p.ate that more than two quarts will be received at the first treatment, but as the acc.u.mulations are removed by successive treatments, the capacity of the colon is increased, so that at the end of the second week enough should be received to completely fill the colon. The amount of water varies, of course, with the bulk of the individual, but the capacity of the colon, in the average well-grown adult, is about four quarts, but even in the case of a person below the average size, it may safely be a.s.sumed that three quarts of water are absolutely necessary for a successful treatment.

The presence of from three to four quarts of water in the body will naturally distend the abdomen and produce a little discomfort, but no apprehension of any harmful result need be entertained. Rest a.s.sured of this: it is absolutely impossible to rupture the colon, unless you were to use a force pump, and even then, before the point of rupture could be reached, the pain would be so intense that you would be compelled to desist. Again, as we have pointed out, the colon is a wonderfully elastic organ, and it would be an impossibility to distend it with water to the same extent that it is frequently distended by faecal acc.u.mulations.

Whenever pain is present during the treatment it is usually due to one of two things: either the water has not been sufficiently hot, or the reservoir has not been completely filled, but, if in spite of these precautions, pain should be present, it will be found advisable, after a small quant.i.ty of water has been injected (say from a pint to a quart) to shut off the faucet, rise from the "Cascade" and expel it; then, upon returning to the "Cascade," it will usually be found that the cleansing of the lower portions of the bowel has removed the trouble. The same method of procedure holds good when there is any difficulty in injecting the water. In cases where pain is persistent, even although all precautions are taken (although such are extremely rare), a decoction of anise seed made by steeping a tablespoonful of the seed in a pint of boiling water, added to the water used for flus.h.i.+ng (omitting the antiseptic tonic), will act as an anodyne on the intestine, and completely subdue the pain.

The frequency with which the treatment is used will depend upon the nature of the trouble and the length of time it has existed. In the great majority of cases it is recommended to be used as follows when commencing the treatment: The first week use it every night; the second week every alternate night; after that use it twice a week, or as occasion seems to demand it. For the simple preservation of health, twice a week will be found amply sufficient. After using the "Cascade"

it will be found extremely beneficial to inject from a half pint to a pint of cool water and retain it. This will be found not only a valuable rectal tonic, but an excellent diuretic as well, as it will pa.s.s off by way of the kidneys, cleansing and purifying those organs.

The "Cascade" should not be used within three hours after eating a full meal, as, if both the stomach and transverse colon are distended at the same time they press upon each other, and the stomach, being the more sensitive of the two, nausea is likely to be produced; but although (with the above proviso) the treatment can be used with benefit at any period during the twenty-four hours, yet, just before retiring at night is by far the best time to take it, for several reasons. Firstly, it is usually the most convenient time for the majority of people. Secondly, it invariably induces a good night's rest; for no sleeping potion can equal its effects in that direction.

Thirdly, night is Nature's repairing season, when she is busy making good the ravages of the day--replacing the waste by building fresh tissue and by putting the system into a cleanly condition and purifying the blood current; at that season you are co-operating with Nature and may confidently expect, and will undoubtedly secure, the best results.

After using the "Cascade" it is quite possible that there may not be a movement of the bowels until late the following day. This must not be considered as evidence of constipation, but simply a lack of matter to discharge. In a perfectly natural condition of existence there should be at least two movements of the bowels during the day, but it must be remembered that the human system has acquired bad habits, and it will require some time before perfect conditions are re-established. If, however, from a half pint to a pint of hot water is sipped in the morning, certainly not less than half an hour before breakfast, it will stimulate the bowels to action, even though the "Cascade" had been used the night before, while its cleansing effect upon the stomach will a.s.sist the digestive functions in a marked degree.

It may be accepted as a truism that success invariably excites envy, therefore, it is but reasonable that the astounding results that have attended this method of treatment should have aroused a certain amount of antagonism. The hardy individual who dares to propose a new departure in the method of treating disease must be prepared to hear his theories ridiculed, his system denounced, and, possibly, his motives impugned. Consequently, it is not surprising that the "Cascade Treatment" has some objections urged against it.

The first objection I am confronted with is, "it is not natural." I willingly concede that point, and will add that neither is an obstructed and engorged colon natural.

We are living (in a large measure) an artificial life. In his barbaric state man obeyed the calls of nature without regard to time or place, and it is safe to a.s.sert that under those conditions an obstructed colon was an unknown quant.i.ty. But in deference to the demands of civilized life we disregard Nature's calls and defer the response until a convenient opportunity presents itself, and for this violation of natural law, a penalty is inflicted.

An obstructed colon, therefore, being itself unnatural, man is obviously justified in using the brains that Nature has endowed him with to cleanse it. An artificial limb is unnatural, but would the same objection hold good that because a man has had the misfortune to suffer amputation, he must, therefore, limp through life on crutches, rather than use the mechanical subst.i.tute that man's ingenuity has devised?

Common sense teaches us, and experience has amply confirmed the teaching, that flus.h.i.+ng is not only the easiest, but the most effectual means of accomplis.h.i.+ng this purpose; and it is unmistakably the most harmless, inasmuch as we use Nature's most simple and effective cleansing agency in the process--pure water. Sickness is in itself unnatural, and until the system can be restored to its natural condition reason plainly shows us that we must co-operate with Nature and a.s.sist in removing these impurities from the system, a task which our disregard of her warnings has prevented her from accomplis.h.i.+ng.

Cathartics simply excite the excretory processes, and stimulate Nature to a violent effort to expel them, the unnatural exertion being followed by a feeling of languor, for all purgative action is debilitating. Flus.h.i.+ng, on the contrary, acts directly on the acc.u.mulated matter in the colon (which cathartics never do), and, instead of causing an unnatural excitation of any of the natural processes, it induces a calm, restful feeling and a sense of profound relief.

"It is a debilitating practice," the objectors urge. Here, again, I join issue. I am in a position to prove a decided negative.

I have the evidence of thousands of people to the contrary--people who have tested the treatment, and, setting aside the weight of testimony, even the most prejudiced mind must admit, that actual, personal experience is more to be relied on than unsupported theory.

Dr. Contrary--people said that his patients who had used the treatment for months, and even years, had steadily gained in strength and flesh all the time.

Another favorite objection is that "it causes the intestines to become weakened and dependent upon this unnatural method." To this I reply that it is a well known fact that at least fifty per cent, of people in civilized (?) communities are slaves to the purgative habit, the system refusing to fulfil its functions without this unnatural excitation; therefore, if dependence must be placed in something, we should unhesitatingly give the preference to water, as against cathartics, but the whole weight of evidence shows that the objection has no foundation in fact.

On this subject Dr. Forrest said: "Flus.h.i.+ng the colon does not cause a weakening of the intestines. When this procedure is no longer necessary, owing to restored health, the intestines have also been restored and improved in tone and will carry on their functions unaided."

Dr. Stevens, who has used the treatment upon himself and patients for over twenty years, says that it in no wise interferes in his case with the normal movement of the bowels. To test it in this respect he has frequently discontinued its use for a week, with the result of a regular movement, as soon as enough faecal matter had acc.u.mulated to demand it.

He recommends flus.h.i.+ng every two or three days as a preventive of disease. For over twenty years he has practiced flus.h.i.+ng upon himself as a precaution, and, although now between seventy and eighty years old, since beginning its use he has never known a day of sickness.

It is contended by some people, including a percentage of physicians (who should know better), that the frequent use of this treatment will so stretch the colon that it will remain permanently distended. This argument is so totally opposed to physiological law, to say nothing of experience and common sense, that it is almost laughable. The veriest tyro in the matter of exercise knows that exercise develops a muscle; that repeated flexion and extension of the arm, for instance, will strengthen the muscles of that limb, not cause them to lose their contractibility. All muscle fibres are alike in structure, except that some are voluntary, others involuntary, but that difference is simply due to the difference in the source of nerve supply. There is no reason that can be shown why the muscles of the colon should lose their elasticity through exercise in contra-distinction to all the other muscles of the body, since they are not subjected to any extraordinary strain, the extreme tension only lasting for a few seconds, while as soon as the water commences to escape, relaxation follows, and, in addition, heat acts as a stimulant. The objection does not even merit serious consideration.

"It operates against peristalsis," we are told. I deny it, for the energy evinced by the intestine in expelling the water is proof of increased peristaltic vigor, if it is proof of anything. And even if it did suspend peristalsis for a few minutes, is it not a fact that other natural functions can be suspended for a much longer period, only to be resumed with unabated vigor?

Equally absurd, and dest.i.tute of foundation, in fact, is the objection frequently advanced that the was.h.i.+ng of the interior surface of the colon is injurious; as it washes away the fluid that Nature secretes for the purpose of lubrication.

Where, in the name of common sense, do they get their authority for such a statement? Do they not know that such a contention is in direct opposition to physiological law? Does bathing the external surface of the body prevent the further excretion of perspiration; or bathing the eyes destroy the functions of the Meibomian glands? Does the drinking of water prevent any further discharge of saliva into the mouth, or of gastric juice into the stomach? If the was.h.i.+ng away of a secretion destroyed the power of the secreting gland, human existence would be brief indeed.

The truth is that not one in ten thousand has any practical knowledge of the subject. They may possess a smattering, and in the endeavor to make it show to advantage, they draw upon their imagination to supply the deficiency. On the other hand, I have been making this subject a constant study for the past twenty years, having had experience in thousands of cases, and, therefore, contend that my opinion is of more value than that of the average man--whether physician or layman--and is at least ent.i.tled to respectful consideration.

Whether the practice of the treatment is to be persisted in will, of course, depend upon the nature and habits of the patient. If the pernicious habits that caused the trouble are not abandoned, a constant resort to the treatment will be necessary. If the patient is naturally of a costive habit, and has thoroughly weakened his intestines by a reckless and indiscriminate use of cathartics, it will require a long persistence in reformed habits before the weakened bowels will have gained sufficient strength to fulfil their functions normally.

It is advisable for elderly people to use it more or less continuously throughout life, for with advancing years the bowels naturally become less active, and this simple process offers a valuable means of a.s.sistance to flagging nature at the cost of little, if any, exertion; in fact, after a, little experience no more will be thought of using the "Cascade" than of taking a meal.

I would strictly impress on the minds of those who propose to give this treatment a trial that, like every other undertaking in life, thoroughness and persistence are absolutely indispensable to success.

No great end was ever yet achieved except by hard work, conscientiousness and perseverance, and these three factors are in the highest degree necessary to restore health to a system from which it has long been estranged:

If a chronic, deep-seated disease can be cured in a year, by a home process, so simple that a child can understand and practise it, the individual so benefited should consider himself or herself most fortunate; and few will deny that the end in view--restoration to health--is a full and ample recompense for the thorough and persistent effort necessary to attain it. If it were a question of large pecuniary profit to the patient, it is scarcely necessary to say that every nerve would be strained to its utmost tension to bring the coveted prize within his grasp; yet here the reward is of infinitely greater value, a prize compared with which riches are as dross in comparison with gold. It is Health, without which the acquisition of Wealth, is well-nigh impossible, and its possession as profitless to the possessor as Dead Sea fruit.

I write thus strongly on this point because there is a large cla.s.s of people who dabble in every new system of treatment projected, and toy with every medicinal device that is placed upon the market. They are the cla.s.s from whom the patent medicine vendor draws his enormous annual profits. Like a bee in a garden of roses, they flit from one remedy to another, but, unlike that energetic and acquisitive insect, they do not gather the golden reward they are in search of--health. It is the purveyor of the nostrum that secures whatever there is of gold.

They seem to be utterly incapable of continuity of effort, and, unless they can discern a marked improvement within a week after commencing a fresh method of treatment, get discouraged and abandon it. To this cla.s.s of people I say, in the most emphatic manner, that if they propose to give this great remedial process a trial and expect to derive benefit from it, that the cure rests entirely in their own hands.

They must persevere. They must be thorough. They must not expect miraculous results in a few days. Their diseased condition is the growth of months, perhaps years, and it is the height of unreasoning folly to expect to be cured in a few weeks. A merchant whose business has been crippled and who starts in to rebuild it, will consider himself an extremely fortunate man if, by watchful and untiring endeavor, he can restore it to a sound and healthy condition in a few years. Growth is necessarily slow--and this is especially the case with the human system. Nature will not be hurried. But of one thing they may rest a.s.sured, and that is that if they conscientiously and persistently practise this simple hygienic treatment they will find Nature a responsive and willing coadjutor.

"Heaven fights on the side of the strongest battalions," is a military aphorism, and Nature ranges herself on the side of the individual who co-operates with her most faithfully, who, in the struggle for the regaining of health, brings the greatest amount of determination and perseverence to the encounter.

What these irresolute dabblers in "medical fads" need most of all is to be inoculated with good, sound common sense, but until some method is discovered for the accomplishment of that psychological feat, they will continue to run hither and thither after every new remedy, dallying with all, and deriving benefit from none.

Here is the testimony of an intelligent man who realizes that the cure of a chronic disease must necessarily be a gradual process: