Recently I began re-reading one of my early textbooks in naturopathy on the nature cure doctors (now known as naturopathy). It is so fascinating to me to read these books now after having been in this line of work for a number of years. I can relate to their experiences with the status quo and the thinking of society at large – until all conventional options have been exhausted for the care of their chronically ill animals so we become their last ditch effort. Conventional medicine was never designed for chronic care, in fact it most often exacerbates it. Sadly, if only we were the first resort to help people learn the simple principles of health most of the pain and suffering could be avoided so that animals and people could simply BE well. Fear is the real driving force behind all of this that I will focus on more in an upcoming post as I do digress here….so let’s get back to the Light!
One of my favorite nature doctors was/is Arnold Rikkli, ND (1823-1906, Slovenia), known as the “sun doctor” who fashioned the “atmospheric cure“. He was a very gifted and prolific author of many books including, “Let There Be Light“. The title was taken obviously straight from scripture in Genesis 1:3-4, “Then God said, ‘Let there be Light’; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness“. The last I checked none of his books were translated into English.
I find it interesting and rather annoying that in hospitals and nursing homes with the chronically ill and elderly humans the least amount is done to help them regain health and strength. In animal hospitals (when I worked in them) we at least took the animals outside for short times in the sun and fresh air if they were mobile and in a longer recovery UNLESS they were infectious. The poor infectious ones always had to stay locked in an isolation room. Sigh. We miss SO much not allowing the ailing to receive fresh air and sunshine – they are LAWS of health which means NOT optional for HEALTH and HEALING! The wonderful nature doctors knew this, taught it, implemented it and people got well – much to the chagrin of the medical community who lost patients as a result. We can’t have people and animals getting or being well now can we? Especially we can’t have them being empowered with the knowledge on how to stay and BE well either right? And how to keep their animals in a state of wellness? Oh no, the money that would be lost!
Rikkli was famous for saying, “Water is good, air is better, but light is best of all.” He was the originator of the sun and air baths to which I and my dogs adhere YEAR round weather permitting (which is mostly permitting in a drought-ridden southwest region). Most of these nature doctors learned about healing and health by observing nature. As well, most of them were also personally harmed by the conventional approaches of modern medicine so they took to nature for the cure!
Additionally Rikkli was very much a model for the barefoot, earthing/grounding movement of today – also year round in all sorts of weather. People are AFRAID (there’s that fear again) of “catching” a cold, etc., unless they are bundled up, wearing too many clothes and bound up feet in rubber-soled shoes (we are doing the same to our companion animals also). He knew that what many think of as the body “getting sick” was often really the body mounting a great house cleaning and removing cellular debris so the body could actually BE well. He said in regards to “catching cold“, “the cough is not the disease, but a curative reaction against disease.” That happened to me during the holidays and I was so glad to be rid of that debris. I was never bed-bound either. I just weathered it for two whole days, even walking in the fresh air and sitting in the sun to further aid my body. I diffused quality, exceptional essential oils, used Vitamin C and worked shorter days with longer sleep at night for those two days. Awesome right?
Nature doctor Louis Kuhne said, “In fact, I consider the whole scheme of poisoning patients by medicine, lately so decidedly on the increase, as one, if not the chief cause that thoroughly healthy persons are now hardly to be found, and that chronic diseases are multiplying with fearful rapidity.” (1835-1901).
Since their message couldn’t be attacked (and still can’t) the status quo would rather character assassinate. Nothing much has changed in the 21st century on this either. That is why I and my “ilk” continue to shed LIGHT on the darkness of health care – or what masquerades as health care. I’ll get more into this as I said before in an upcoming post. I meant for this to be on SUN and LIGHT lol but it seems my heart had to SHINE light into some darkness first. Rather than continuing in this jaded light (pun intended), in my ahem light support of modern medicine, I will say it does do heroics quite well and that is where I believe it is meant to shine.
As I stated previously my dogs and I do sun and air bathe daily weather permitting. My American Bully, King, prefers to be outdoors doing just that as much as he can when the skies aren’t overly intoxicated with chemical spraying and the weather isn’t too cold. He’s a hot weather kind of guy. Schatzie, my Carolina Dog, is a cold weather girl.
Dogs aren’t sunbathing to manufacture Vitamin D in their skin as we need to do. They get their primary Vitamin D from the right nutrition as in RAW meat, bones and organs for their carnivore needs. The sun is something else for them. Arnold Rikkli proved 75 years before the mainstream medical community figured it out (although they tried to take credit for it), that the sun’s rays helped heal tuberculosis of the glands, bone, and skin as well as speed up the healing of surgical wounds. For our dogs it would seem that the sun and light is more like what my colleague wrote in the series on the laws of health: “Sunlight consists of many different frequencies of light; each one has its own unique healing power!“.
So I believe my dogs know what helps them. Schatzie loves to do grounding more than sunning, King loves sunning himself more than grounding – although they both do both every day…it’s just part of a natural dog lifestyle!
I hope in some way with my rambling here today you are encouraged. Embrace the Light, you won’t be disappointed.
Until next time….
Have a pawsitively tail waggin’, NATUROPATHICALLY healthy day!
Kim Bloomer, V.N.D., N.D. is an animal naturopath as well as being certified in small animal nutrition, with years of experience in animal wellness. Dr. Kim is a published author, writer, and blogger. Subscribe to her DOGgone Newsletter for updates or to her blog via email. Copyright ©2005-2024 Aspenbloom Pet Care, Dr. Kim Bloomer, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the Author/Publisher. This article is intended to be educational. However, it is not intended to be a substitute for diagnosis or treatment from a qualified animal health professional. Dr. Kim Bloomer and Aspenbloom Pet Care, do not assume any legal responsibility for misuse of the products discussed in this article. The only essential oils referenced on this website are Young Living.
