Vol. 3 No. 5 September,
1999
MERIDIAN INSTITUTE NEWS
Included in this issue:
Hypertension
Project Lowers Blood Pressure
As many as 1 in 4 American
adults has high blood pressure (hypertension), but most are unaware of
it. Because high blood pressure has no obvious symptoms or warning signs,
it is often called the "silent killer." People may not find out they have
it until they have trouble with their heart, brain, or kidneys; it can
lead to a heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure. For the past six months,
three people with high blood pressure have been following a treatment protocol
based on the Cayce readings, with very good results.
Blood pressure is the force
of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. Each time the heart
beats, it pumps out blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is at
its greatest when the heart contracts and is pumping the blood. This is
called systolic pressure. When the heart is at rest, in between beats,
your blood pressure falls. This is the diastolic pressure. Blood pressure
is reported with two numbers: the systolic pressure over the diastolic
pressure. Normal blood pressure is less than 130/85. All three participants
began the project with blood pressures higher than normal for both numbers.
In conventional medicine, the
cause of hypertension is not known. Edgar Cayce attributed high blood pressure
in most cases to an "improper equilibrium of the circulation," due to a
lack of coordination in the nervous system. He also spoke of osteopathic
lesions in the spine, and of problems in the digestive tract. For example,
difficulties with elimination and "accumulations" in the colon were cited
at times, leading to an "overquantity of blood." In Cayce's treatment recommendations,
diet was emphasized repeatedly, as was the need for patience, persistence
and faith in carrying out the treatments. Other suggestions included colonic
irrigations, the radial appliance for equalizing circulation, and eating
a lemon early in the morning.
The three participants spent
10 days in November in Virginia Beach, receiving information and training
in the recommended therapies, so that they could return home and successfully
follow the treatment regimen. The treatment regimen consisted of a diet
high in fresh fruits and vegetables, with low fat, no fried foods, and
little starch. It included occasional colonic irrigations, the radial appliance,
and some chiropractic adjustments. Of particular importance was a
focus on the mental and spiritual aspects of the treatment.
Six months later, in May, they
returned, with the following results, based on monthly averages of daily
blood pressure measurements:
Person 1: November 142/90,
May 128/78
Person 2: November 162/92,
May 142/82
Person 3: November-January
158/88, May 153/83 (November through January were averaged,
due to small numbers of measurement)
Persons 1 and 2, neither of
whom were using any medications, had major reductions in blood pressure.
Person 3 had only a small reduction, but was able to decrease her medication,
and felt better from less medication side effects.
Diet seemed to be the most
important factor in the blood pressure reduction. According to the daily
logs the people kept, all were very faithful in sticking to the Cayce diet.
This was an impressive success, since fidelity to the diet had been one
of the more difficult aspects of our protocols. They also each received
from 6 to 8 colonic irrigations over the six months. Use of the radial
appliance to equalize circulation was somewhat sporadic.
Especially encouraging was
the success in blood pressure reduction despite stressful life events,
without medication. For example, Person 1 experienced a move and a major
change of employment. He noted that there was "currently a substantial
amount of stress associated with the new job.pressure goes up at work."
Yet his morning and evening pressures consistently continued to fall.
There remain more aspects of
the treatments to explore. More consistent use of the radial appliance,
colonic irrigations on a reliable schedule, and guidance on food preparation
might all contribute to even stronger results in the future.
Health
Professionals Symposium
The 4th annual Cayce Health
Professionals Symposium was held at the A.R.E. Conference Center September
18 and 19. The conference was co-sponsored by the A.R.E. and Meridian
Institute and featured presentations by Meridian Institute personnel, Cayce
oriented health professionals and HRRC staff.
The Saturday session began
with a presentation by Douglas Richards, Ph.D. on the Cayce approach to
therapy using gold. Gold appeared prominently in the readings, especially
in relation to glandular and neurological disorders. Dr. Richards showed
how, historically, gold has been used in the treatment of a variety of
disorders, but is often toxic in the doses needed for effective therapy.
The Cayce readings solve the toxicity problem by delivering the gold either
vibratorially through the wet cell battery, or orally in very small doses.
The next presentation by Eric
Mein, M.D. and Deborah Thompson, R.N., was a demonstration of a technique
that uses skin temperature to assess disorders within the body. Computerized
Regulatory Thermography (CRT) measures the temperature at several locations
on the surface of the body associated with organ and visceral function.
Based on measurement of temperature variations, a computer program
shows patterns of stressed function. Edgar Cayce sometimes
noted that certain areas of the body were prone to temperature variations
which could be linked to patterns of disease.
There was also a demonstration
of an infrared neurocalometer, a device recommended in Cayce reading 480-44.
The neurocalometer measures temperature along either side of the spine
as an indication of nervous system coordination and somatic dysfunction.
As with CRT, a powerful computer program provides data and graphic printouts
of the assessment.
In the afternoon Eric Mein
and Deborah Thompson returned to demonstrate live blood analysis using
dark field microscopy. This is another way to assess disease according
to Cayce reading 283-2 which foresaw that, "The day may yet arrive when
one may take a drop of blood and diagnose the condition of any physical
body." Sandra Duggan, R.N., followed this presentation with a talk
on digestion and enzyme therapy. Saturday's session concluded with
a question and answer period directed to a panel consisting of the Meridian
Institute researchers and HRRC staff.
The Sunday morning session
was launched with a presentation on the Cayce Comprehensive Symptom Inventory
(CCSI). David McMillin, M.A., creator of the instrument, discussed the
administration and interpretation of the instrument using a typical Cayce
physical reading as a template. The psychometric characteristics
(reliability and validity) of the CCSI were also addressed. Symposium
attendees were encouraged to complete the CCSI and two other inventories
to provide normative data for the CCSI.
Chiropractor Carl Nelson concluded
the symposium with a lecture and demonstration of basic manual therapy
concepts from the Cayce readings and the early manual therapy literature.
Dr. Nelson's lecture began with a brief historical overview of manual therapy
followed by a discussion of key concepts such as drainages, coordination,
and general treatment. A video tape of Dr. Nelson's presentation
is available from Meridian Institute.
The Cayce Health Professionals
Symposium for 2000 will be held at the A.R.E. Conference Center at Virginia
Beach during the weekend of September 15-17. This gathering of practitioners
and researchers will feature reports on Cayce oriented health research,
demonstrations of therapeutic techniques recommended in the readings, and
interdisciplinary presentations on the integration of spirituality and
healing. We are seeking presentations from health professionals knowledgeable
in healing modalities recommended by Edgar Cayce. If you are interested
in presenting at the symposium, please write a brief summary of your topic
and submit it to us at our address on the last page of this newsletter.
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