Читать книгу Edgar Cayce's Everyday Health - Carol Ann Baraff - Страница 22

There’s a great term for health-enhancing uses of light that hardly anyone seems to know. Heliotherapy, derived from the Greek word helios or sun, literally means the treatment of disease using sun baths. By Cayce’s day, the heliotherapy options had expanded to include several different types of lamps that emitted parts of the sun’s spectrum. Evidently it was quite common for health professionals, such as the eminent Dr. Harold Reilly, to use these lamps in their practice, and the readings include them in hundreds of treatments. Two of the three main types are at least somewhat familiar today. Fans of color therapy, take note—there are some interesting statements to ponder here.

Infrared lamps, with the most recommendations, have long been valued for their deep-heating and muscle-relaxing properties. Their rays lie just beyond the red end of the spectrum we can see and are longer than visible light. Unlike the infrared heat feature that comes with many massage appliances today, the lamps familiar to Cayce were quite large and were aimed at the body from at least a few feet away.

Referring to these emanations as deep therapy, many readings found them the perfect warm up for a spinal adjustment or massage, either before or afterwards:

. . . {Use} the deep therapy, or the Infra-Red Light. This should be given after the deep manipulations—for these tend to relax and allow the activities of the blood supply through the disturbed areas; both the impulses of the circulation itself and the nerve flow.

920-11

Just before the osteopathic manipulations are given, then, relax the body thoroughly . . . with the use of the Infra Red Rays. This should be the deep therapy . . . that is more inter-penetrating, that gives . . . the ability to prevent the improper . . . setting of tissue through all portions of the circulation. It will aid in those places where healing has not been accomplished, and yet make the proper corrections where tensions have been set up in the sacral and the lumbar area.

1083-3

The benefits of infrared light are truly deep if they extend all the way to the bones, or what Cayce referred to as structural portions of the body:

. . . Hence the deep therapy of the Infra Red should release these activities through structural portions as to build for a better, more stable, near normal circulation . . .

808-5

. . . {Use} as a stimulation for the deep therapy produced to the structural portions along the rib area especially.

2456-2

. . . The Infra Red is for the deeper application, or for the bone or structural portions of the body as related to their activity with assimilations and eliminations, while the ultra-violet works with deeper and the superficial, see?

443-4

As with the ultraviolet lamp mentioned above, using a plate of heavy green glass to modify the frequencies may also be advisable with infrared:

. . . use between the red ray and the body the green light or glass, that will take from that portion of the ray itself that which would be destructive to tissue that would replenish or rebuild . . .

338-1

The more unusual blue glass has a different function:

. . . use a blue glass between the body and the source of the light or the light itself. This would make for such an effect upon the tissue as to retard the tendencies for infectious reaction, because of the lack of coagulation and the removal by the flow of impulse of disintegrations from the energies of the body-exercise; and would also tend to make for healing forces.

1525-1

The ultraviolet light is also regarded as a form of deep therapy, though with superficial benefits as well. More properly known as a mercury vapor lamp, it has several different names in the readings, including ultraviolet ray and mercury quartz (or quartz mercury) light. Here electricity discharged through mercury vapor in a vacuum tube (mercury arc) emits a light that’s rich in actinic and ultraviolet rays. Actinic rays, which consist of radiant energy, are found especially in the shorter light waves, and the ultraviolet are outside the visible spectrum at the violet end.

This lamp is not to be confused with the common sunlamp, which produces light in the ultraviolet spectrum as well. It is also quite different from a violet ray, a handheld device that emits static electricity when placed in contact with the skin.

Ultraviolet radiation is typically regarded as a circulation stimulant and infection fighter:

Use the deep therapy of the ultra-violet that we have indicated from the first. Not too strong, as to destroy tissue, but of sufficient strength that there may be the reactions from the flow of the stimulated circulations to those portions of the body that have been affected by the tendencies for the accumulation of infectious forces . . . This will relax the body.

632-10

As with the infrared, it is helpful in some cases to use this lamp in concert with tiny internal doses of animated ash so the “. . . circulatory forces—that are aided by the releasing of the oxygen for the system through the Ash itself—may have the effect of the deeper therapy . . .” (901-1) Other readings (or sometimes the same ones) advise using “. . . the Ultra-violet with a green light {glass} between same and body . . .” (632-2)

When asked to explain the purpose of the green glass, Cayce responded:

Breaks up the rays and rather than being of destructive natures, as it is in the destroying of tissue, it enlivens the good tissue and destroys the bad.

257-236

Blue glass might be of similar, or complementary, benefit to some, as in one reading advising the use of “spectro-chrome” therapy, or “. . . the ultra-violet ray broken up by the green and blue light {glass} . . .” (988-2)

Due to precautions respecting excess usage, ultraviolet light treatments must be carefully timed. Initial durations are often no more than a minute and a half to avoid burning the skin. Cayce also warned more than one enthusiast against conducting light treatments without the right expertise:

. . . None of these should be used except under one that has the training in such things—for this body as well as for anyone else!

480-16

Sun lamp, or the quartz mercury is the better—but under the supervision of one knowing, and not turned loose freely!

325-29

This leads us to the familiar sun lamp, another source of ultraviolet radiation that shares some benefits with both the mercury lamp and natural sunlight. Often referred to as the sunlight or carbon light, this was, in Cayce’s day, an arc lamp that used a carbon rod. According to Cayce, “the Sun Lamp only stimulates the superficial circulation, or causes superficial irritation.” (632-10)

However, this kind of stimulation can sometimes have therapeutic value when treatments are kept to a couple of minutes:

We would find it also well . . . that there is the glow from the Sun Lamp or Light on the cerebrospinal system—from the base of the brain to at least the middle of the dorsal area . . .

917-1

It will be found at times that the sun lamp will be beneficial. This does not mean to become merely rote, but the practical applications of heat—as the sun lamp—will be helpful.

1710-1

So far as this condition is concerned, it will be only when the body is tired or overstrained, overworked, that it would be of any particular benefit.

257-172

But the readings largely tend to view sun lamps as temporary substitutes for natural sunlight. As such, they are promptly discontinued when enough outdoor time can be had:

If there is not the exercise in the open air or sunshine, this is well.

257-240

From now on, or through a period until the body will be active sufficient, it will not be necessary; for the body can keep out of doors or in sunlight sufficient.

738-3

. . . As we find, the sun baths would be much preferable to a sun lamp in this particular season or time. These are the better violet ray at this particular time . . .

365-4

And this brings us back to helios, the sun, the original life-giving light. Here again, Cayce is very conservative about exposure, advising limited durations in the summertime before ten in the morning and after three or four in the afternoon. A good rule of thumb is to avoid the sun whenever your shadow is shorter than you are. When done properly, however, “sun bathing will add to those vitamins necessary, or aids the body materially in this.” (275-27)