THE FIVE SENSES

I have also frequently had the privilege of sitting in the cockpit, sometimes of a jumbo jet and, not so long ago, on a short flight from Belfast to Glasgow, I was asked to sit in the jump seat of a 28-seater plane. It was not a particularly nice day and because the plane was flying low I could see the Irish Sea beneath me as we passed through patches of thick fog. I looked at the Captain and First Officer and thought to myself how busy they were kept, during that half-hour journey, keeping that plane in the air. As I was very cramped and could hardly move I did not have a chance to go to sleep in the plane, as I usually do. Instead, I followed every movement of both men. It was an old plane, and it was with great admiration that I observed their skill in landing the plane so that we scarcely knew that we were on the landing strip. Once we had landed I asked the pilot if he was always able to let the plane touch down so softly. He said not always. My second question was how often had he been in danger and what does he do in such circumstances. He answered that you could almost smell or feel when there is something not right. I pondered over these answers at the time and later, when I started to write this book, I thought again about how a pilot must be in harmony with his five senses. If he were not, I am sure there would be real problems. It is amazing that man’s five tangible senses are so tuned in to man’s technology.

The other day I looked out of a window as I thought about a difficult problem I had with a patient. I thought of the different ways that this patient, who seemed to be a hopeless case, could be helped. To be very honest, all the possibilities that came to mind told me that there seemed to be no answer to this man’s problems. Suddenly, a little bird appeared on the big lawn of our Troon clinic. I looked at that little bird and thought of this little creature that had the ability to fly. While it was doing its little circuits above the lawn I thought of that little creature which has the same senses that man has. Suddenly, it disappeared and then I saw the reason why. Although the bird had probably not seen it, there was a cat under the rhododendrons contemplating how it could catch this little creature. Instinctively, the bird had flown away to look for a safer place. Like the pilot who told me of his intuition, this little bird had sensed when danger was imminent.

Sometimes people speak about a sixth sense – intuition – and a great deal has been written about this subject. Mostly it is said that the sixth sense is an intangible sense, but has anything been scientifically proven about intuition or does it just exist in our imagination? It has taken me many years to discover what this particular sixth sense, or intuition, is all about. In the conclusion of this book I would like to explain some of my tangible findings.

When I think of the enormous passenger aircraft in which I have travelled, compared with this little goldfinch, the two extremes teach us a lesson about Nature, technology and science working in harmony together. This harmony can only be achieved if we realise that if we belong to nature we must live with nature and that we are only a minute part in this great universe where so much can be done even with a very small touch.

I remember a patient who was told in hospital by his doctor to go home and live with his illness and I was thinking of the little I felt I could do to help. I pondered a while on the intuition of that little goldfinch and tried to think intuitively and positively about the patient in order to find an answer. The answer eventually came to me when I later saw this man, who had an incurable disease, back at work and grateful for the little I had been able to do for him. He had followed my advice to the letter, and his progress proves that the laws of science are there to help us discover the secrets of Nature and make these available to man.

I often think of people who were almost crippled, living in places where there was barely any medical help and who have gone to a person with little or no medical knowledge who were nevertheless able to help. I have never forgotten the blind practitioner in Sri Lanka who with only one touch of his thumb clicked a disc into place that had been out for years. I saw it with my own eyes. This blind practitioner, with some osteopathic skills, but without formal training in manipulation, clicked the disc into place. Because his thumb was on the right place and on the right energy point, it could be done. It often surprises me how major problems can be cleared by a little touch and it makes me appreciate that Shakespeare could have been writing for today when he wrote: ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.’

Every day in practice I am surprised by what works with a patient, what methods can be used and how little we really know of the human body.

In this chapter I will set out to explain some of these methods. Some of them have been viewed by many as having no medical value, but over the 30-odd years I have been in medical practice I have seen for myself how many of these methods have been effective, and how many have gone on to receive wider recognition. I will say that it is wonderful to see how with a little adjustment so much can be achieved. Life is a constant renewal of cells; illness and disease are a relentless breakdown, and yet it sometimes takes very little to increase the quality of life and improve situations beyond human understanding.

Well over a year ago I was informed that my youngest daughter was pregnant, and her husband showed me a scan of a tiny living creature, no bigger than a cashew nut, at about eight or nine weeks development. Two months later he showed me another scan and I could clearly see a little baby sucking its thumb. That little creature has now become a very big boy, full of life. At the same time my third daughter was expecting a baby. In her case it was more worrying because she had already miscarried three times. After six months it was decided that the baby was in distress and she was delivered prematurely as this was considered best for both mother and baby. When that baby was born it was scarcely bigger than a packet of sugar, weighing all of two pounds and three ounces. But the baby was very much alive. After her first day in an incubator I truly believed that the baby would stay alive. She possessed a tremendous spirit which wanted to stay alive and she fought to get rid of all the little drains, tubes and monitors to which she was attached. This baby would live because I could see that the tangible five senses were in harmony. The breath of life was given to her and that would keep her alive.

She did well until she was about one week old, when trouble started. Her tummy started to swell because her digestive system was not functioning. When the doctor decided to operate I prayed all night and by five o’clock in the morning the answer came to me. Because of my emotional involvement my intuition had let me down and it was not until I had thought and prayed that I remembered what I had written about in my book on body energy: the tremendous power to balance energy we possess in our own hands. I phoned my son-in-law very early that morning and told him to go to the hospital immediately. He should disinfect his hands and then all he needed to do was to place his hands right under his baby’s navel. Located at this point is an enormous life centre which not only directs the nervous system, but also has a powerful influence on the digestive system. I asked him to put his left hand under the navel of his little baby and to cover this with his right hand, while breathing deeply in and out. After ten minutes he phoned me from the hospital and told me that a miracle had happened because for the first time the baby had had a normal motion – and she has been right ever since. He told me that he had felt a distinct pain in his left arm and been forced to withdraw his hands. It was then that she had passed a normal bowel action.

Nature will tell us what to do and will also direct us, if we intuitively let Nature work. When I look at that little creature who is so full of life and almost perfectly made, I see once again what can be achieved with a little touch. Her transformation was achieved by transferring energy through the hands, just as I have described in my book Body Energy. This energy transfer is neither a mystery nor a secret; it is simply the use of our own power and strength to balance energy. A small manipulation or even one acupuncture needle can balance energy and restore harmony where there is an imbalance. This is often the most important aspect to consider when treating people and there are many ways that we can do it. Let us look further at some of the different therapies.

Just as my son-in-law only touched the little tummy of his daughter by placing his left hand first under her navel and right hand on top, so there are many other simple therapies that we can use. Let us look first at what we can do for ourselves with our own hands, thereby avoiding expensive medical treatment. We can, in fact, apply our hands, so that we can alleviate our health problems in an easy and safe way. Hands have so much to offer – but is our potential for health present in our own hands? Think of how a nurse can give relief by simply placing a hand on the patient’s forehead. We know that hands can give comfort and if we look further we can clearly see how much power there is in our hands.

The human hand is trained from infancy to express the thought or purpose of the mind which controls it. The hand is the tool which the mind depends upon when it wants to do anything. Thoughts of action naturally turn to the hand for their expression. The hand is the first means of expression. A baby uses its hands long before it learns to walk. The hand ministers and it carries aid. The hand lifts the fallen and ministers to the sick. It is peculiarly the organ of expression of the good wishes of the kindly disposed. When we are hurt, we instinctively place our hand upon the injured part. When another person suffers and we sympathise, we instinctively use our hand to soothe their pain.

Clasped hands represent the universal pledge of friendship and good will. From the earliest dawn of civilisation, the hand has been used in the most sacred ceremonies. The hand is the natural organ of expression, and its actions are mental symbols to which man has learned to make response through untold ages of experience and adaptation. Even thousands of years ago, the ancient Chinese found that the abdominal area had reflex-pains that refer to certain zones or organs. These zones were charted for posterity. These zones of pain were then known as the alarm signal areas to the viscera which could be developing a state of disease – a sort of warning signal of things to come.

Figure 1 plots these abdominal zones or areas. The abbreviations denote the organ that could be in trouble if a pain develops in any of these areas.

Not so long ago I listened to a professor of medicine who knows more about pain than any person I know. He has written books on the subject and during the discussions, which were quite lively, he remained silent until the last moment, when he gave some very helpful advice. He said one thing that I shall never forget, which was that with all the sophisticated scientific methods available to us today, we cannot underestimate the power with which a reflexologist, an aromatherapist or a massage therapist can, with one small touch, sometimes relieve pain where conventional methods have failed.

When we grow old, the white at the bottom of our eyes begins to show. An adult with the white showing is in a very negative condition. His organs are weakened and, having little reflex ability in case of danger, he is prone to accidents. Frequent blinking often signifies the body’s attempt to discharge excess negative energy in any way it can. One should not blink one’s eyes more than three times a minute. A prominent red colour in the whites of the eyes is a sign of a bad liver. The liver had grown tired due to an over-consumption of food, especially animal food. When the red has spread all over the whites of the eye, this is a clear indication that the organs are malfunctioning.

If the eyes move constantly or are slow to react (to follow your finger) there is a problem with the heart. The pace of the heart is not normal. In such cases, the pupil of the eye will be abnormally large. A moon on the top part of the iris or a white ring around it indicates malfunctioning in the abdominal area.

Swelling around the eyes, particularly a swelling of the upper eyelid, indicates gall-stones. When the stones pass, the swelling subsides immediately. A dark brown colour under the eyes indicates excessive kidney activity and trouble in the female organs. Swelling under the eyes indicates kidney stones. A formation of gall-stones or stagnation of the blood may also be indicated.

Dark blue or violet shadows under the eyes also reveal blood stagnation, probably caused by an over-consumption of fruit, sugar and meat. Bulging eyes indicate thyroid trouble. Pimples on the interior of the eyelid signify excess protein. They usually appear and disappear relatively quickly.

An eyelid that is almost white signifies anaemia. The inside of the eyelid should be red. To examine for this, gently pinch the eyelid and pull it away from the eye. A broad, thick eyebrow is positive; a thin eyebrow is negative. Too much sweet food, especially sugar, makes the eyebrows thinner and eventually causes them to disappear. People with almost no eyebrows are prone to cancer.

An examination of the nose can also tell much about the condition of the person being diagnosed. Reduce your intake of food and you will see your nose grow smaller. Your nose can save your life. A long nose starting high up on the face is negative. A short nose indicates a strong constitution. A small nose pointing upwards is a sign of strong, positive energy. The centre of the nose indicates the condition of the heart. An enlarged nose shows an enlarged heart (caused by excess consumption of food and drink). The nostrils show the condition of the lungs: the larger the nostrils, the better. Small nostrils indicate weak lungs. Well-developed nostrils are a sign of masculinity. A fat nose which is somewhat oily and sometimes shiny indicates over-consumption of animal protein. Red vessels on the tip of the nose are an indication of high blood pressure. Heart disease will follow.

A small mouth is positive. A large mouth is negative. A horizontal line between the mouth and nose shows a malfunctioning of the sexual organs. The lips should be of equal thickness. In general, thick lips indicate a positive constitution and thin lips a negative constitution. The size of the upper lip shows the condition of the liver. If the lip is swollen, the liver is enlarged. The subject eats too much and is prone to mental disorders. The size of the lower lip indicates the condition of the large intestine. When the lower lip is swollen, there is a weakness, a looseness, in the intestines, and thus constipation is experienced. Epilepsy is a possibility when both lips are enlarged. This condition indicates that as a child the patient was given too much food. Lips should usually be pink; however, they grow darker with age. A young person with dark lips has blood stagnation. The blood circulation is poor due to an excessive intake of animal protein and strong negative foods. People with dark lips tend to develop cancer, pineal troubles and diseases of the sexual organs.

The texture of the lips reveals the condition of the stomach. A cyst on the right side of the mouth indicates stomach trouble, acidity or the beginnings of an ulcer on the left side of the stomach. A cyst on the left side of the mouth indicates a problem in the right side of the stomach.

In acupuncture, and also in acupressure, we have to take these principles into account when we treat patients. The different-shaped faces in Chinese facial diagnostics are important in relation to these five elements – and you can actually see the same in animals. Just as the lines in our hands continually change, so do the lines in our face. Even our complexion has a lot to do with this.

Whenever I give seminars on this subject I stress the hand application very strongly. If we think of the battery of a car, it has a plus and a minus, a positive and a negative, and as we know from schooldays a neutral zone right in the middle – the zone where nothing happens. Positive looks for negative, and negative looks for positive. I have told many reflexologists, aromatherapists and acupuncturists how important it is when they use touch for health or when they work with their hands that they use their thumbs, which are very powerful in getting to this neutral zone. Just as the battery of a car can be charged so it is the same with the human body. By placing the thumbs on the right points we can balance energy, even when something is out of place.

I have often worked with copper and zinc magnets, we can also see here that the polarity is important between the South and North Poles. Sometimes I have been surprised at what can be done with magnets as well as what can be done with hands, and later I will mention a few case histories to illustrate this. The workings of the right and left hand can be compared to the battery of a car which has positive and negative aspects. It is the same in the human body when speaking of the different polarities of a magnet.

Bearing this in mind, it must be stated that the poles are not homogenous (alike) but bilateral (different). It has been proved scientifically that the poles of a magnet are different. The South or positive pole gives off a circling form of vortex energy that spins to the right and the North or negative pole gives a movement to the left.

Research has found that human hands also have an inherent North or negative pole power as well as a South or positive pole power. These facts must be understood when using hands to ease pain and discomfort. Please note that the South or positive pole energy is contained in the right hand, and has a tendency to affect a condition of upgrading life, whilst the North or negative pole, contained in the left hand, arrests all forms of life and contracts. The following will put you in the picture.

The use of the right hand or South pole energy: the energy emanating from the right hand will strengthen biological systems and thus produce an increase in general strength. It is worth noting here that any type of infection, bacteria, virus or disease is, in fact, a form of life in itself. Never use the right hand on such areas of infection, as doing so would help these infections to grow instead of arresting them. Do, however, use the right hand if you need to strengthen an area, providing no infection or disease exists at that point or area. Remember, the right hand carries a positive charge.

The use of the left hand or North pole energy: the left hand affords relief from pain. It also has the ability to arrest or slow down an infection, alleviate nerve pains, reduce swellings and has also been known to dissolve surface tumours. The left hand is a negative polarity of influence and thus it has the ability to slowly dissolve calcium and any unnatural build-up of tissue. Swollen tendons, weak muscles and similar complaints will show improvement following the application of the left hand to the area.

When treating a friend or relation, you should keep the above reactions in mind. Normally, all areas on the left anterior (front) should be treated with the right hand. For all areas on the left posterior (back) the left hand should be used. The same principle applies to the right of the body: always use the left hand on the right anterior and on the right posterior always use the right hand. This simple logic will become clear if you study the chart depicting flow of energy (Figure 2 on p.21). This method will always put the practitioner into circuit with the patient.

There is, however, an exception to the above rules. When a car battery runs out of energy, the positive pole is connected to the positive pole of electricity and the negative pole to the negative pole of electricity. Thus, the internal body of the battery receives a charge. The human body can be likened to a battery and when it is depleted (has no energy) this same method can be utilised to advantage to start the flow of energy. In these circumstances use the right (positive) hand on the positive side of the body (be it the back or front of the body) and the left (negative) hand on the opposite side of the body (negative side).

Just as the battery is recharged, so will the human energies be charged within the depleted body. In all instances, please follow the explicit hand applications as described; these methods have been tried and tested, and never before explained in print.

This primary motive energy of life is a threefold principle in operation as male (or positive) and female (or negative) and a neutral pole as the child or product, as well as the unknown origin of both poles in the beginning. So, the first is the process of creation in all forms. It is only through the discovery of atomic action that we can be convinced of the actual presence of this function in every particle of matter, including the human body. This warmth of life, like atomic heat, is then stepped down and transmuted into chemical and mechanical action guided by sparks of nerve energy to control its local and specific function.

These finer forces in Nature were recognised as realities by the Ancients. They are the key to the principles of health and their application in the body through manipulative polarisation, the lost art of healing.

The neutral position of the embryo in the mother’s womb is the origin and place of building the body by these finer energies in Nature’s secret domain prior to chemistry and mechanics. The energy pattern and the geometric designs created here carry on through life and build the nervous system, the circulation, the glands, and the muscular and body structure.

The body of man is a microcosm within a macrocosm and is thus subject to all the physical, chemical and electrical laws that govern the universe. Recent moon probes have shown that the earth has not only an atmosphere but also an ionosphere surrounding it. Different layers, comprising fine electromagnetic energy fields, surround this earth. What happens in the ionosphere finally takes place in our atmosphere. Today, there is growing concern about what is happening to our protective ionosphere. The hydrogen and the atom bomb, and other forms of environmental interference, have ruptured our protective ionosphere; this allows the ultra-violet and cosmic rays to pass through which, over time, will injure the earth’s vegetation.

Naturally, you will wonder what this has to do with the electromagnetic field of our bodies. Remember, the human body is an extension of the earth: it has three finer magnetic fields:

The diagram of the human body in Figure 2 shows that the plus, or positive, energy flows down the right-side front and the negative energy up the back of the right side. In opposition, there is a negative or minus flow upward on the left side and positive, or plus, flow downward on the left-side back. These flows of body energy are like two separate magnets, giving their respective polarities to the human body.

There also exist some major points of contact which it is important to treat when necessary; believe it or not, there are 22 anterior points of control, 11 on each body. These points are shown in Figure 3 and explained below.

In China, massage is mentioned in the I Ching, which was written by the Yellow Emperor and dates back to 1000 BC. In 1800 BC in India it was used for respiratory relief according to the books of Ayurveda. The ancient Greek and Roman civilisations practised massage extensively and this is verified in the writings of Socrates and Plato. Hippocrates also practised massage.

Massage stimulates the exterior receptors of the skin and the proprioceptive receptors of the underlying tissues. Relief from pain is brought about through any one or a combination of these effects. The patient as an individual is always viewed as being of primary importance. He is normal in most respects but has developed a problem and so needs help. All kinds of massage techniques can be used; the one used most frequently is effleurage, which is a series of long, gliding, stroking movements using the whole hand. Effleurage is usually used at the start of each treatment to enable the physical therapist to evaluate the condition of the patient. It is then often dispersed between strokes from one area to another, according to the discretion of the massage therapist.

Massage techniques which employ vibration have been developed in Europe and several types of machines can be used for this; massage with certain oils, as is sometimes used in aromatherapy, is also very beneficial to the patient. It is important, however, that the massage therapist has been properly trained to ensure the correct technique is used. There are many different methods, for example the Hoffa method, McMillan’s method and Meno method. They all employ different techniques and systems and the therapist must decide which treatment will be best for the patient. The Seriac method involves the most potent form of massage, which is deep friction. I favour this method as Seriac was also an osteopath and his therapeutic methods and compression massage has proved very beneficial for many of my patients.

It was a Dr R.W. Babylon who worked out some of the most wonderful methods of massage which I have been using for many years. One of his techniques – compression massage – has been particularly successful in the past and I have taught this to many patients.

The theory behind compression massage is basically that we have ten fingers and ten toes and we may consider the entire body, or organism, to be divided into ten zones. Figure 4 illustrates what we mean by these ten zones of the body. Each line is drawn through the body to divide parts and organs through which the respective zone extends. The space between the lines indicates the zones as numbered. Locate any of the internal organs of the body on the chart and determine in which zone they are located. Reference to the compression zone charts of the feet will show which part of the feet or hands requires pressure to stimulate or affect these organs.

Compression massage is achieved by firm pressure on the zone in the muscle or tissue between the ball of the finger and thumb. With a slight rotation use a moderate amount of pressure, pressing and releasing over the zone being massaged. The amount of time for pressure on each zone should be from 30 seconds to one minute. The pressure on the zone has a definite effect in bringing about normal physiological functioning in all parts of the body treated, no matter how remote this area may be from the part upon which the treatment is exerted. If you feel worse the day after the treatment, do not be discouraged. Continue with the treatments until all the soreness has been worked out of the zone. In severe cases the treatment should not be given more than once or twice a week.

To massage the foot without using the hands, place a golf ball or other object with a round, hard surface on the floor in front of your chair and slowly work your foot over its surface.

The arches of the feet play an important role in our health. Remember that car you had? It rode smoothly because it was poised on a strong set of springs. We have the equivalent of two sets in each foot. But here is the difference: your car’s springs work automatically. The foot springs of your caveman ancestor, as he plodded barefoot through the primeval mud, worked automatically, but yours, after years of shoes and pavements, probably don’t.