Back to Healing through Unity newsletters

HEALING THROUGH UNITY
September, 1999

A monthly newsletter dedicated to serving the principles of
physical and spiritual health envisioned in the Baha'i Teachings.

Volume 3, Issue #1
_______________________________________________________

CONTENTS
-------------------

- Innate Miracles
- Ten Rules for Health
- Uses of Hot and Cold Water
- Setting Our Own Course With Goals
- Laughter Room
- Six Types of Healing - Type Five
- Spiritual Health Habits
- A View of the Spiritual Health Habits
- A Response to the Spiritual Health Habits
- Letters
- Requesting Assistance From Our Readers
- Question of the Month
- Purpose of the Newsletter

***************************
"INNATE MIRACLES"
***************************
By Martin O. Minney

The Power of Innate Intelligence

I want to share with you two stories of patients in my office that
experienced what I like to call "Innate Miracles". A brief explanation may
be in order. I am currently a practicing Chiropractor and I graduated
from Palmer College of Chiropractic in October, 1975. While I was in
school, I took two seminars that changed my life. One was on the
philosophy of Chiropractic called "Forgotten Fundamentals" taught by Dr.
H. Marshall Himes and the other on DNFT (Directional Non-Force Technique)
taught by Dr. Richard Van Rumpt.

Combining all that I learned at Palmer with these two seminars gave me a
strong base from which to operate my practice. Being from a Baha'i family
I knew of the Writings on the soul, health, and healing. Once in practice,
I began to study the Writings in depth and incorporate what I was learning
into the practice. Now, twenty-five years later, my practice is based on
the spiritual teachings of Baha'u'llah. Without question, this body of
information is the foundation of all that I do in my practice. A good
example of this is the passage in Gleanings (pgs 164 - 166) on the Rational
Faculty. This is the absolute best description of the concept of Innate
Intelligence I have ever found. It is clear to me that D. D. Palmer was on
to something when he discovered Chiropractic in 1895 and connected to the
energy of Baha'u'llah's Revelation.

Here are the stories:

The Story of Darlene

On my first day in practice, October 1975 in Summersville, WV, the third
patient I saw was a 14 year old named Darlene. She had been diagnosed with
"ulcerative colitis", was bleeding to death and the doctors told her family
that she had 6 months to live. Darlene and her mom gave me the history and
then they both looked at me and mom asked "Can you help her?" I looked at
Darlene and asked "Are you still alive?" She grinned. "Since you are
still alive, we have a good shot at it", I said.

I did my evaluation looking for the interference patterns in the nervous
system. The biggest area of interference was in the upper cervical area
with a secondary pattern in the sacral area. I further evaluated and
determined to begin the adjusting with an upper cervical correction. I
don't remember if I used the Palmer Toggle-Recoil or the DNFT upper
cervical work, but it cleared the whole pattern!

We did the adjustments as Darlene's body needed and saw her frequently
during the first thirty days. During that time, lots of changes occurred.
She would hemorrhage and masses would be found in the stool. The tumors
were being sloughed off by the innate wisdom of the body. Each time one
would be released, she would bleed. We did no therapies nor medical
monitoring like blood pressure or blood tests, etc.

After the first month, she began to gain some weight and her body began to
stabilize and grow stronger. There was light in her eyes now and she was
doing better in school. At the end of 6 months, she went to Charleston for
a checkup with the medical people. They ran all of their tests and found
"no evidence that she had ever had a problem". They were stunned! "How
did you do this?" Mom told them "A lot of prayers, intense Faith, and a
good Chiropractor."

The Story of Michelle

I heard about Michelle when my wife came home from work at the University
of Wyoming Library and told me that her boss's daughter had been in a car
accident in Buffalo. Of the five or six people in the car, only one was
seriously hurt. Michelle was the best friend of this girl. Michelle
shattered her C-5 segment and was not expected to ever walk again.

I was called by Michelle's dad some six months later as they were moving to
Laramie and he was looking for a Chiropractor to work with Michelle. He
had called the other Chiropractors in town and they all said that I was the
only one crazy enough to try it. We set up a visit after they got settled
in their new home.

Michelle had no sensation from the armpits down, could move her head,
shoulders, and elbows, though without looking, she was not aware where her
arms were. No awareness of any internal functions either. We talked about
Innate Intelligence and how it would always strive for the best in the
body. We talked about how interference garbles the messages and puts the
nervous system into a state of confusion. I explained that it doesn't take
force to clear the interference pattern as we are not trying to move
anything, just open the channels of communication. I did my evaluation and
found a major interference pattern in the upper cervical area. The area of
the injury was pretty stable. The first adjustment was a DNFT upper
cervical group series. The interference cleared!

I saw Michelle for the first time on a Saturday, rechecked her on Sunday,
Tuesday , Thursday and on the following Monday when I went to see her,
Gary, her dad, had a black eye. He was an officer with the Wyoming Highway
Patrol so I teased him a little. He told me that Michelle did it. Now,
Michelle couldn't weigh more than 125 pounds and she's in the chair. He
had her explain. "Saturday night we were all going out for dinner and dad
was putting on my shoes. He had my right one on and was putting on my left
shoe when I decked him. He asked 'What was that for?' and I said 'You hurt
my foot! He said 'What?! I said You hurt my foot!' Then we all got
excited!!!!" I got excited, too!!!

From there it was all upwards. In the course of a year, she got all of her
bladder and bowel control back, had sensation over 90% of her body, was
getting voluntary contractions in her calves, thighs, abdomen and back, was
able to move her wrists and beginning to move her fingers on both hands.

She then moved to Las Vegas to work with the Help Them Walk Again
Foundation. I went down and saw her a couple of times and checked her out.
I did evaluations for all of their patients and learned a lot about spinal
cord injury. Approximately 6 months after my last visit with her, I
received a photo in the mail. It was Michelle, standing under her own
power, and the look on her face is beyond priceless. On the back it said
"Thanks! Love, Michelle"

It was the most AWESOME and humbling thing to watch. If I didn't have a
really fortified, really strong belief in the power of Innate Intelligence
by then, after 11 - 12 years of practice, I had it NOW!!! It was a lesson
in TRUST, SUBMISSION, and OBEDIENCE. Innate mind has access to infinite
power. Conscious mind does NOT know it all. Conscious mind needs to
become the obedient servant of Innate.

If you are interested, I will be glad to share with you more of what I have
learned about health, healing, and the spiritual nature of mankind. For a
"brief" look at the foundations of what I do, see Gleanings pages 136 -
200. It is about the soul and our spirituality. Read it aloud.

Martin O. Minney, D.C.
532 Charles Street
Lockport, IL 60441-4408
Phone: 815-834-0034; email: str8in8dc@aol.com

***********************************
TEN RULES FOR HEALTH
***********************************
By Linda Kavelin Popov, B.C., Canada (Mrs. Popov is the co-founder of The
Virtues Project and co-author of The Family Virtues Guide published by
Penguin.)

This is an answer I received in mediation and prayer to the question "What
must I do to care for my body" during the onset of an energy illness. I
heard the words "I will give you Ten Rules for Health.
Write them down and put them where you can see them." Then it started very
swiftly like a letter being dictated. I wrote as quickly as I could in my
prayer journal. I hope that if these principles can be of help to others,
they will apply them and also discern the 'rules' that work best for their
individual needs. They have made a big difference to me, giving me hope and
far more energy when I am true to them.

1. Purity and Cleanliness: Outside - bathe daily. Inside - eat pure,
water-based foods. 8 glasses of water a day. Dark greens, legumes, rice,
root vegetables. A little meat. Cut oils by 2/3.

2. Breathing: Learn Yoga. Walk or exercise every day for 10 minutes, then
15 minutes, then 20 minutes. No more. Breathe fresh air every day.

3. Vitamins: Increase B, C and E. Speak to a homeopath and listen.

4. Proactive Rest: Take 2 rests each day. Do it as a routine. Stop before
you get tired.

5. Pace Yourself: You have 4 hours a day for work, sometimes 6. Choose
carefully. Keep your correspondence current. Enjoy! Enjoy!

6. Pray every hour: Let your movements be a prayer, your work, your daily
food.

7. Practice restful activity: Cut television down. It depresses you. Read
what comes to you. Listen to music, clear and clean in small ways, watch
the fire, write letters to your friends.

8. Play! Spend time in ways which give you joy and make you laugh.

9. Plan a sustainable life.

10. Prioritize: Always put your first passion (writing) first. It is your
most productive activity.

**********************************************
USES OF HOT AND COLD WATER
**********************************************
By Bill Sims, Ontario, Canada

"It is, therefore, evident that it is possible to cure by foods, aliments
and fruits; but as today the science of medicine is imperfect, this fact is
not yet fully grasped. When the science of medicine reaches perfection,
treatment will be given by foods, aliments, fragrant fruits and vegetables,
and by various waters, hot and cold in temperature."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 258-59)

Here are some suggested uses of hot and cold water for the treatment of
certain ailments that we are aware of. Can you think of others? Please
share your experience with us, and we will update the list in a future
issue. Note: The hot water should not be boiling but comfortable to the touch.

1. Leg and foot cramps - Immerse your legs and/or feet in a hot bath. You
may need to sit there for 15 - 30 minutes. Repeat the process as necessary.

2. Sting ray bite - Immerse the area of the bite in hot water to
neutralize the venom. The hot water should be as hot as possible without
scalding. This may take approximately 45 minutes. You will know when it is
complete when you can remove your foot or bitten area from the water
without the pain returning.

3. Headaches - Immerse your head in hot water and then cold water.
Alternate this process for approximately 10 - 15 minutes until the pain
lessens. Then wrap your head in a towel as long as necessary. Repeat this
process if the pain returns.

4. Coughing - Drink a cup of hot water if you get a coughing spell. The
hot water will soothe the spasm in the throat.

5. Burns - Immerse the burned area in cold water until you can get
appropriate medical treatment.

*********************************************************
SETTING OUR OWN COURSE WITH GOALS
*********************************************************
By Frances Mezei, Ontario, Canada

"To thank Him for this, make ye a mighty effort, and choose for yourselves
a noble goal."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 35)

Sometimes we may feel that our lives are going in different directions
causing us to feel that we have no or little control over our lives. We may
be reacting to others and to the course they would prefer we took with our
lives. During the course of the day, people may make demands on our time,
talents, energy, money and emotions.

A solution to these struggles is to set clearly defined, purposeful goals
and most importantly of having the desire to act on them.

Here are some practical notes about setting goals taken from the book: "The
Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" by Robin Sharma.

"These are the five steps to follow to make your desires come true.
Step One: Have a clear vision of your outcome.
Step Two: Create positive pressure to keep you inspired.
Step Three: Never set a goal without attaching a timeline to it. Always
write it down.
Step Four: Apply the Rule of 21. For a new behavior to crystallize into a
habit, one has to perform the new activity for twenty-one days in a row.
Step Five: Enjoy the process with laughter, love and fun." (p. 85 - 90)

"Goal-setting is the starting point. Mapping out your objectives and your
goals releases the creative juices that get you on the path of your
purpose." (p. 78)

Think about what you want for yourself. What do you need? We can trust God
and listen to our intuition or inner voice to guide us. Here are some
examples of goals. "I will achieve calmness and balance by April 2000",
"To create a simple, balanced and sincere lifestyle by April, 2000", "To
learn how to be efficient and successful in my work/service by December,
2000", "I will walk (for a person who uses crutches) and achieve focus in
my life by December, 2000". Then, we can form a team with our spouses or
close friends to act as coaches to work on our specific goals. We can have
regular consultation meetings, perhaps about once a week.

We can let go of our specific goals after we have written them down. Have
faith and confidence that God will guide us to the steps to take to achieve
the goals. During the process, we do not need to look for the results or
outcome which often comes when we are not thinking about them. When we
review our goals, we will often be amazed that the goals have been
accomplished in ways that we did not imagine. "The less you focus on the
end result, the quicker it will come". (ibid, p. 52)

We will receive divine assistance to achieve a manageable life that is
directed in the course we choose for ourselves. We can own our power to
choose the path that is right for us.

****************************
LAUGHTER ROOM
****************************

The "Laughter Room" is a new and regular feature which will appear in each
issue of the 'Healing Through Unity' newsletter. Laughter is medicine for
the soul and we wish to explore this topic in depth. We need your
participation to help decorate the "Laughter Room". Please send your jokes,
funny stories, information and experiences about laughter, etc. to:
-- .

This concept was taken from:

"...only few hospitals have learned from Norman Cousins' case (see June,
1999 issue), and incorporated 'laughter rooms' into their treatment plans.
These rooms provide patients with a variety of materials (funny gadgets,
books, videos and toys) to make them laugh.

I remember when my father was in the hospital I asked a nurse if they had a
laughter room available. She looked at me with a puzzled expression and
said 'What?!' After I explained to her what a laughter room was, she
shrugged and said that they didn't have enough money to afford new facilities.

After I discovered that there wasn't even a video cassette recorder
available for the patients to use, I went to the local library, rented a
16mm film projector, and borrowed a copy of the Marx Brothers' 'Horse
Feathers' along with a collection of Chaplin's best films. My father and I
watched the movies and laughed for more than two hours. As a result, he
felt better about himself and his illness, and changed its apparent effect
on him."

From "Stress An Owner's Manual: Postive Techniques for Taking Charge of
Your Life", by Arther Rowshan, OneWorld, pp. 65. (This book takes a
positive look at the role of stress in our lives, teaches us how to
recognize our personal stress symptoms, and offers a holistic approach to a
stress-free life. This useful book can be ordered from your local Baha'i
Distribution Service.)

**************************************************
SIX TYPES OF HEALING - TYPE FIVE
**************************************************
By Dr. Orval H. Minney, California, U.S.A.

I have been presenting my views on the six types of healing (four
spiritual and two material) as mentioned by Abdu'l Baha in Some Answered
Questions. Of spiritual healing; Type One was through contagion of health
(March, 1999 issue); Type Two, was by transfer of a magnetic force from the
healer to the patient (April, 1999 issue), Type Three was from the entire
concentration of the mind of a strong person upon a sick person, when the
latter expects with all his concentrated faith that a cure will be
effected. (May,1999 issue ), and Type Four, was "...produced by the power
of the Holy Spirit" (June, 1999 issue).

In the next two issues we will consider material healing which consists of:
Type Five, by means of medicines and surgical procedures, and Type Six, by
aliments, fruits, vegetables, and hot and cold waters.

He speaks in the same reference that the body is in a state of energy
and chemical equilibrium and that an imbalance causes disease while
balance restores the equilibrium. Scientifically, we say the body is in a
state of homeostasis, or dynamic energy/chemical balance, which is
controlled by the autonomic nervous system through the endocrine system.
This balance is affected by thoughts, beliefs and attitudes and by invading
organisms, toxins, allergens and structural changes from vertebral and
joint subluxations to broken bones and lacerations.

"But the principal causes of disease are physical, for the human body is
composed of numerous elements, but in the measure of an especial
equilibrium. As long as this equilibrium is maintained, man is preserved
from disease; but if this essential balance, which is the pivot of the
constitution, is disturbed, the constitution is disordered, and disease
will supervene." ( Abdu'l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 257)

Obviously, for vertebral or joint subluxations go to an expert on
structural/neural probems such as a Chiropractor or Osteopathic
specialist. Broken bones must be set and wounds treated and sutured by a
physician competent in those areas. Abdu'l Baha also speaks of the use of
surgical procedures to remove afflicted parts that are acting as toxins to
the rest of the body in the same sense as removing felons from the body of
society.

For the invading organisms, toxins and allergins, the present practice
of Western Medicine is based on using chemical agents, i.e.,
manufactured drugs, for removing or destroying the invading toxins or
organisms, or reducing the symptom's effects, thus allowing the body's
innate intelligence to reestablish homeostasis and health. The overuse of
some of these drugs, such as the antibiotics, has caused the pathogenic
organisms to develop resistant strains in accordance with the "survival of
the fittest". So more powerful agents are developed, some of which may do
more harm than good by damaging the body's own healing mechanisms. The
other problem with the chemical agents is, as stated in a recent medical
journal, that over 326,000 deaths in the United States were due to
iatrogenic causes such as wrong prescriptions, or incompetently
administered pharmaceuticals.

Few alopathic medicines are designed to strengthen the body's
homeostatic mechanisms directly and help speed up the healing process.
Bedside manner, in which the physician considers the spiritual and
psychological belief systems of the patient, or at least maintains a
cheerful attitude, no longer seems to be taught in medical schools.

This present trend to make the practice of medicine a scientific
battleground and the doctor a noble warrior or a Demi-God armed with the
latest patented nostrum is, in my opinion, not the holistic approach
presented by Abdu'l Baha in his discourses on health and healing. While he
admonishes us to seek help from a 'competent physician' he does not give a
definition of a 'competent physician'. From the writings I
infer that a competent physician will consider the whole patient and his
or her own healing mechanisms; not just treat physical symptoms or
diseases, but help to restore or reinforce the patient's beliefs, thoughts
and attitudes that lead to natural healing.

I have expressed some concerns in finding competent physicians in a
technological culture but there are competent physicians out there.
Seek them out and support them so the future of medicine will advance.

****************************************
SPIRITUAL HEALTH HABITS
****************************************

Here are some essential elements for our spiritual and physical health
provided by a physician who has practised for more than 35 years under the
guidance of the Baha'i teachings.

1) Trust in God
2) Consult a skilled physician and follow his instructions
3) Practice detachment from all save God
4) Practice moderation
5) Pray and meditate daily; read the Creative Word morning and evening
6) Be happy always
7) Simplify
8) Focus
9) Practice patience
10) Eat simple, natural plant foods
11) Drink adequate pure water
12) Evaluate progress daily, summarize weekly

*************************************************************
A VIEW OF THE SPIRITUAL HEALTH HABITS
*************************************************************
By Dr. Dan Boyle, Network Chiropractor, Ontario, Canada

I wanted to voice my concern regarding these recommendations of the
Spiritual Health Habits. I know that there is no ranking given to the 12
items on the list, meaning that their importance is not listed from
greatest to least, but I think that because Trust in God is listed first
this concept is implied. The corollary of this is that we should consider
consulting a skilled physician as the second most important thing to do. I
think that is a very misleading interpretation of the writings.

All of the other items on the list are far more important to our Spiritual
Health Habits than that of consulting a physician and I am still very
confused by how to define a skilled physician today. The first part of the
definition for me would be that the physician has a sound knowledge of the
other 10 principles listed and many physicians today don't. They have very
little if any education on nutrition and very few will think behind their
randomized control trials which don't look at us as being spiritual beings
but rather machines that, for some, happen to hold the soul. There are
some that certainly do understand our spiritual being quite well but they
are a large minority and many of them don't incorporate it into their
practice.

I also feel that the writings tend to refer to the treatment offered by
physicians as physical means of healing rather than spiritual means and
therefore since the list is a "Spiritual" Health Habits, I question whether
it should be on the list at all or maybe the title of the list should be
changed as it does say under the title that the list is both spiritual and
physical habits.

The writings also say that medicine is in its infancy and we should first
look to diet, then herbs and lastly drugs when looking for help with our
health. When I hear that physicians are having their license taken away by
their own licensing boards because they are using treatments that involve
herbs or homeopathy does not give me confidence that they will be able to
offer advice based on this principle. And as I said , physicians today are
not trained in nutrition and neither are they trained in herbs therefore it
is understandable that they should not be offering advice on these subjects.

I know this all may sound very harsh. I am not saying that all medical
doctors have all these problems. There are some very good doctors out there
that truly understand their oath of "first do no harm" and they practice
with ethics and a sound understanding of spiritual principles but this is
not the case of the profession of medicine as a whole today. This is my
understanding of the evidence that is available to me.

I guess the major principle of the Faith of independent investigation of
truth will bring this out for people but I still feel that people will get
the wrong message when reading this list of Spiritual Health Habits.

****************************************************************
A RESPONSE TO THE SPIRITUAL HEALTH HABITS
****************************************************************
Dr. William Saunders, Atlantic, U.S.A.

That which our brother says is true,
thoughts similar to those I have been voicing for years,
but if I act on the basis of this logic,
what will be accomplished?
Can a Phoenix be snared in a spider's web?
The listing of these 12 points
is grossly inadequate to accomplish the entire process.
It is a single action in response to the call
of the Universal House of Justice (main administrative body
of the Baha'i Faith located in Haifa, Israel)
"act, act now, and continue to act"
and it was effective.
There are those who responded to it,
representative of many more to come
in need of that particular form,
but there are infinitely more in need of other forms,
and those too must be developed and made available.
If each step that is incomplete be destroyed
and replaced by the following step,
what happens to the process?
Of what importance is consulting a physician?
It is an injunction in the Most Holy Book
by Baha'u'llah.
Does the physician cure?
No! "All true healing comes from God" by Abdu'l-Baha.
Results come from following the injunction of God.

"It is incumbent upon everyone to seek medical treatment and to follow the
doctor's instructions, for this is in compliance with the divine ordinance,
but, in reality, He Who giveth healing is God."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p.156)

------------------------
LETTERS
------------------------
We are writing to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated June 3, 1999 in
which you shared with us a copy of the summary of the "Healing Through
Unity" newsletter publication for the second successful year.

We note that the number of subscribers to the newsletter has increased
dramatically over this last year and the quality of the submissions has
also attained a new level. The newsletter has also become a vehicle through
a "unity in diversity" of thought expressed on the vital topic of health...
- Reginald Newkirk, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is
of Canada
..................................

Thank you very much for your bulletin. It was as interesting and
informative as usual. We are getting some of its parts translated into
Urdu, our national language for publication into Baha'i Bulletins. Please
convey our deepest regards to all who help you to bring out such a
wonderful bulletin.
- Shamsheer Ali, Coordinator, National Baha'i Institute for Human
Resource Development, Pakistan
.............................

With warm appreciation we regularly receive the 'Healing Through Unity'
newsletter. We decided to translate these materials into Russian for our
communities.
- Alma Nurlybayeva, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is
of Kazakhstan

****************************************************************
REQUESTING ASSISTANCE FROM OUR READERS
****************************************************************
By Cori and Marlize Silva Correa, Brazil

We're from Brazil and have been living in this rather Portuguese island
(Madeira) for over 12 years now, trying to serve our beloved Faith here.
Although the place is very agreeable, it lacks in many facilities one can
easily encounter in the mainland regions.

In our particular case, we have a 12-year old daughter who has some rather
serious emotional problems that have been badly affecting her social
behaviour and learning performance at school. We've taken her to a number
of doctors and psychologists, here and in Brazil alike. None of them have
been able to come up with a proper diagnosis of her problem and so the
right treatment has never been found and applied, and little progress has
been made. We cannot help feeling sad and frustrated, as we see our kid
falling behind in her studies day by day, and we can't do much to help
because of our limited resourses and the limitations of this island in
terms of medical treatment.

She's undergone some neurological and genetic tests, but they have all come
out negative; nothing clearcut has been found or detected, although she has
some features of an autistic child, but not the full set of symptoms.

We wonder if any of the friends have had any similar experience from which
some good result has derived and could be shared with us. We shall be very
grateful for any kind of assistance and guidance we could get from the
friends. You can write to us at: cory@mail.telepac.pt

****************************************
QUESTION OF THE MONTH
****************************************

What are your views of the Spiritual Health Habits? Do you have any
suggestions or additions to build on the Spiritual Health Habits? Have you
had any experience with a specific health habit (positive or negative),
which you can share with us?

********************************************
PURPOSE OF THE NEWSLETTER
********************************************

"Healing Through Unity" is published for the purpose of sharing thoughts,
comments and experiences on how the teachings of the Baha'i Faith are being
applied to our physical and spiritual health. Other than the quoted Holy
Writings, the material in this newsletter represents the thoughts and
opinions of the writers and has no authority. You are free to copy
articles, provided you indicate the source of the article. If you have a
change of e-mail address or wish to unsubscribe the newsletter, please
inform me. There are 10 issues per year; it is not published during July
and August. The newsletter is produced in Ontario, Canada.

WEB SITE
You can visit the website and obtain back issues and the Healing Through
Unity Course at: http://www.healingthroughunity.org

Please send your stories, comments, suggestions or "Question for the Month"
ideas to Frances Mezei by e-mail: -- .