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The Secret Science Behind Miracles – Max Freedom Long

When Dr Brigham heard of the treatment and arrived at the place where it was being given, the first steps had already been taken.  The man had been sponged off with a warm tea made by boiling several herbs and leaves in water to which had been added a little salt of the unrefined sort made by evaporating sea water.

After the bath the patient was dried and placed in the warm sun clad only in a loin cloth.  The woman had recited a form of chant during the bathing , saying all illness was being washed away and all pain was being soothed.  With variations in her words, she described the benefits being brought through the touch of her healing hands and the touch of round stones which she raked from a fire, washed off, and used to massage stiff muscles and aching joints.

The use of the hot stones was followed by the use of her hands alone, the small fire being kept burning so that she could often heat her hands before kneeding deeply into the sore spots.

When the patient's aches and pains had been much relieved, she became more vigorous in her manipulations, twisting and pressing joints, starting with cracking the finger joints and knuckles and ending by cracking all possible joints in neck and spine, especially where there was greatest soreness or pain.  The lumbago condition seemed to be centred around a very sore spot in the middle of the lower back and the treatment there was very gentle at first with protracted heating, and at last alarmingly heavy pressure was exerted with the heels of both hands

As a last part of the treatment, the woman placed her hands on the hands of the man and told him to rest and let the healing power run from her hands into his to make him well and free of pain.  This took several minutes, at the end of which time the patient was covered warmly and told to take a nap.  His face was shaded from the sun and his wife came to sit beside him and keep away the flies with a small switch of green leaves.

Later in the day when Dr Brigham inquired as to the outcome of the treatment, the man said that he had no more pain and that he felt very well except for a little soreness of the skin of his back where the treatment had been most severe.