It is not at all unusual for scientific thought to take some strange and unusual paths toward achieving a particular goal. Often, the goal develops as a work in progress, not necessarily seen with any degree of clarity at the outset. It has been said that all of science can be summarized in three words. These words are simply “observing and inferring”. A perfect example of this in the advancement of medicine came about when Edward Jenner, in the 1700s, observed that milkmaids did not seen to get smallpox like the rest of those in the community. It no doubt took a period of contemplation to arrive at the observation that infection with the mild disease cow pox provided natural immunity to the more dreaded smallpox. From this simple observation came the eradication of smallpox from the face of the earth. Few people are aware that Jenner’s work was driven by a simple admonition that he received from a mentor; “Don’t think –TRY!” The point I wish to make with this little bit of medical history is that though an idea might seem childishly simple or unrelated to the subject at hand, that is not, by itself, sufficient grounds to condemn an idea, especially when that simple notion might be easily verified with no particular downside risk. There are times when we should not let our thinking prevent us from trying! There is no worthwhile, breakthrough idea that the nay sayers cannot stop if we allow them to do so.
I have been blessed with a career in the engineering sciences that I believe would pass muster in most quarters where creativity and original thought is valued. I am well acquainted with living in the pit of despair and disappointment when ideas I believed in were found to have no value. I have also felt that sublime joy that come when a fresh new idea seems to come from nowhere to solve a problem that heretofore was accepted as simply a way of life with no prospect of solution by the peers in the field. No amount of money or political pressure can command these flashes of inspirations to occur. How then can we utilize them to solve problems if we cannot control their coming and going? In my own work I have come to the realization that there are two basic rules for discovery.
The first of these is to get your self in a position to receive it. Here is where experience in the field becomes important provided it is tuned to looking forward, not backwards. I have often noted that there are two kinds of experienced persons. The first would be the person with 30 years experience and the other with one years experience 30 times. Many find the truth of the statement that creativity looks forward while research looks backwards to be unduly harsh in its criticism of the academic guardians of yesterday’s thinking.
The second of these is to be continually on the alert with an open mindset that is capable of making observations. The trouble with these flashes of inspiration is that they can be of very short duration and, if not received by one mind, will depart for another at some distant time and place. It is for the benefit of mankind that Jenner was not otherwise occupied by such as illness or circumstances on the day he noticed the milkmaids or Isaac Newton was not busy elsewhere when the apple fell from the tree. Of course, these are rather ridiculous analogies but they will hopefully convey the idea.
My interest in Multiple Sclerosis came in such an unexpected way. I was conversing one day with one of the “miracle” cancer survivors when he asked me for help in a very sensitive way. He told me that he had two daughters afflicted with multiple sclerosis and felt that, based on his own success with his cancer, we could use guided imagery to help them. I still remember what I blurted out in response to this unexpected request – “When I told you hello, I told you 95% of what I know about MS.” I thought that would put the matter to rest but, boy, was I wrong. He then fired another shot across my bow by asking me: “How much did you know about cancer when you found out you had it?” That shot hit home because the answer was absolutely nothing. In fact, I am the guy who has written so often that cancer comes with a corollary and even deadlier disease, being that of ignorance. We treat the ignorance so that we can better treat the cancer!! The final shot this man fired at me won the day in that it got my interest and involvement in MS. He simply pointed out; “In the case of cancer, your imagery program wakes the immune cells up and starts them killing the cancer cells. With MS, it seems to me like all you have to do is have them go back to sleep and stop killing the Myelin cells. It should always be easier to put a thing back to sleep than to wake it up and start it working.” I must admit that I have found this logic perfect in its simplicity.
After a crash course in the mechanisms of MS, I prepared a CD of guided imagery and sent copies to 4 different patients. Two of these have reported improvement and the other two have reported a very restful and worthwhile experience from using the imagery. We have now advanced the state of the art by producing a CD specifically for MS that has been embedded with the Alpha Wave frequency of the subconscious mind. The healing imagery will now be transmitted in perfect tuning resonance with the subconscious mind.
This is an exciting picture when viewed against the backdrop of the success that has been achieved with this exact same technique with many cancer patients, some of whose stories can be read on this very webpage. The same skeptics who will no doubt criticize this approach to MS were also heard when we were first trying it for cancer. Had I listened to these apostles of “false hope”, I would not be writing this article as I would have died back in 1996.
I urge all visitors to this page to view with interest, the DVD that was produced by Bob Richards. One of many terrific points Bob makes in this dynamic presentation has to do with humans being goal setting creatures. He points out correctly that; “The body becomes the goal!” The most encouraging thing that I noted back in the early days of my cancer fight was that there has never been a form of cancer that did not have at least a few survivors who simply went into remission. I was struck by the fact that medical science can no more account for these remissions than why the cancer occurred in the first place. If one can go into remission then a dozen can and if a dozen can, then a multitude can was my thinking at the time. It is perfectly logical to assume that if we can but understand the mechanisms of remission, whether it be cancer or MS, then we are well along the road to inducing them.
What a wonderful surprise it was to find out that there are friendly cells whose job is to restore the cells of the myelin sheath and, yes, there have been cases of people recovering from MS. Giving encouragement to these good, restorative cells, will be an objective of the guided imagery as well as the stopping of the attack.
There is a Booklet and CD combo available on the Order Page on this website You will find it patient friendly, non invasive, self scheduled, self administered in the privacy of your home and nobody will ever send you a bill for the treatment program. We now say to the cancer patients, “What do you have to lose except the cancer?” There is every indication that the same may be apropos for MS. I urge anyone currently in the struggle with MS to join us in this exciting journey of exploration into an exciting new world of healing possibilities.