“All this time I had been walking, at first only four blocks. After two weeks I made five blocks, two weeks later six blocks, two weeks later eight blocks, then ten and twelve, etc., until within six months I was walking six miles, though not always without resting. Then I began to walk faster and faster, without increasing distance. When I was able to walk the first two miles in forty minutes I began to add squatting exercises to my room exercises; placing hands to sides above hips I squatted until my hips contacted my heels, then I rose to a standing position.
When I was able to do this ten times in close succession without getting winded or wobbly in the knees I began stationary running. With arms bent at sides, as in actual running, I stood in one place and ran on my toes or balls of my feet ten times, at first very guardedly, then I gradually increased the number of steps.
“When I could run fifty steps without seeing black and feeling my my heart beat as if it would jump out of my bosom I began to do a little hill climbing, seeking at first very short and gentle slopes, then longer slopes and then longer and steeper ones. Soon I was climbing stairs to my office on the fourth floor, beginning by climbing at first only one flight, then two and finally the whole four flights.
“I then began to lift light weights; gradually, very gradually, increasing them.
“By these various measures I gave to my every voluntary muscle vigorous exercise, always keeping it up until just the beginning of tiredness, then promptly and positively stopping. But I was as careful to keep on until I was getting tired as I was to stop at that point, since that is the only method of training functional power to increase.
“Finally I got to the point where I could lie on my bed quite nude with the windows open for half an hour in zero weather, at the same time keeping up vigorous muscular movements to keep up the circulation.
Then Id go to the bathroom and carry out the routine already described, completing the programme there by pommelling my body from head to feet with my closed fists and frictioning the skin from scalp to toes, these final manipulations being, in my opinion, the best of the entire series of my exercises.
“When I began my exercises my blood vessels were of such poor grade that almost if I were struck with a feather I would have a great blue mark on the skin, showing rupture of the capillary walls with resultant bleeding into the surrounding tissue, a condition bordering upon scurvy, and common everywhere. Now I can pound my body as hard as I am able to hit with my closed fists and never leave a shade of colour.
Moreover, if I now accidentally hit my let or arm against some hard object with force enough to make a contusion – and it has to be considerable blow – it is not likely to turn a dark blue, but will be only very slightly discoloured and entirely disappear in a few days.
“What is the meaning of this? It means that my blood vessels have regained their elasticity and, being no longer brittle, they do not rupture easily, and my blood and tissues being normally alkaline and my blood and lymph vessels normal, they quickly reabsorb any blood that is extravasated into the tissues from ruptured capillaries. And this means what? It ought to mean that my heart is no longer struggling against rigid and contracted arteries and that it ought to be more normal in its beat, and that is quite true.
Within a year my heart was practically normal, although it would cut a few capers on rare occasions for three or four years, but that was generally a reflex condition from my stomach when I happened to overload it or otherwise abuse it.
“Naturally, while my heart was getting well, all of my other organs were similarly approaching normal condition, for by my new living habits I was permitting nature, through my reflex Defensive Mechanism, to have her own way; and she was responding and reconstructing my body as a whole, as she may be counted on to do when properly liberated and co-operated with by a willing mind and body.
“It will be observed once more that I made changes in my living habits very slowly and by very easy stages. This was vitally important since any drastic change in accustomed habits might mean disaster to one in my devitalized state. It must be remembered that organic functions are not under control of the will, but of the reflex nervous system, and thus they can adapt themselves only slowly to any new conditions.
“The chronically sick should understand that getting well is a gradual process, just as getting chronically sick is a gradual process”.
In 1914, when Dr. Robert G. Jackson M.D. was in his 40s, he developed a severe case of arthritis (probably rheumatoid arthritis) and when he was 49, his doctors gave him four years to live. He refused to accept the diagnosis and began to exercise more and sleep with his bedroom windows open. Long before such things were popular, he developed a health food diet of fruits, vegetables and his own line of health foods including Roman Meal bread. This bread was fashioned after the multi-grain bread ate by the Roman legions and included wheat, barley, oats, spelt and rye. Disease,” he said, “was due solely to man’s stupidity.”
Jackson started the Roman Meal Co. to manufacture his special diet foods. He went on lecture tours where he attracted large audiences. He bragged that “I am growing younger every year.” By 1930, at age 72, and in good health, he was a millionaire. He died in 1941 from complications of a broken hip. Roman Meal bread is still available in the United States.