Page:Linda Hazzard - Fasting for the cure of disease.djvu/46

 spring-tonics are household terms, and epidemic disease is more prevalent then than at any other season. But again, remedy for disease should be used only when disease is manifested.

On the other hand, the social surroundings of a fasting patient are of the utmost import. The effect of mental states upon the physical body is too well known to dwell upon in this connection, and another chapter deals with this subject in all of its aspects. When friends and family object to the treatment, they object because of ignorance of the purpose of the method and of the details of its application. Affection, too, may enter into their opposition, and they, in their ignorance fear the outcome. The simple truth that underlies the method is usually easy to impress upon a mind situate in a body long diseased. But, often, convincing a patient is only half the battle, for relatives and friends resist to the point of compulsion. Since peace of mind and quiet environment are essential to successful issue, it is best to remove from anxious but misguided intimates, permitting them to await in ignorance of immediate trials the results that prove the wisdom of conviction.