Nicola Tesla, the world’s greatest electrical genius, invented a high frequency healing device in 1891.
I consider myself very fortunate and blessed to have been able to acquire and learn how to use one of these rare and remarkable machines and can now offer treatments for a variety of conditions.
Cosmetologists still use it today for acne, wrinkles, psoriasis, and stimulating hair growth and rejuvenation. The Violet Ray is making a come back today as a pain relief therapy along with skin rejuvenation and hair growth and much, much more.
What can I expect during a treatment?
The machine is compactly housed in a wooden case along with all the glass attachments which are used for various parts of the body and for particular conditions. The appropriate attachment is fitted into a hand held wand which, when switched on, turns the distinctive violet shade. This means the machine is working.
The attachment is put into contact with the skin where you will feel a warm tingling sensation. Occasionally you might feel a slight electric shock type sensation as the attachment is being put into contact with your skin causing a slight arcing effect in the gap. This momentary sensation is perfectly safe and actually helps with the healing.
You may also notice a slight smell which is the ozone being produced by the machine and which produces a healing effect.
Depending of which part of the body is being treated you may be sitting in a chair or lying on a treatment couch during the session.
The machine has several strength settings. I always start at the lowest setting until you get used to the sensation and will gradually increase the charge until you hit a tolerance level. I have to reassure you that it is perfectly safe and I will never force you to continue with anything that causes discomfort.
Each treatment lasts between five and ten minutes at a time, once or twice a day.
When can I not use the machine?
It is strongly advised that the machine is not used if there is any alcohol in your bloodstream. It cannot be used around pacemakers and electronic hearing aids as this frequency will cause them to malfunction.
The use of electrotherapy has been researched and accepted in the field of rehabilitation
1. Pain management
2. Treatment of neuromuscular dysfunction
3. Improves range of joint mobility
4. Tissue repair
5. Acute and chronic edema
6. Peripheral blood flow
7. Hair Growth and Regrowth
8. Skin and Facial Rejuvenation
‘Electricity is present, not only in all the objects of nature about us, but also in every human and animal being, therefore I maintain that it is this which constitutes the primal cause and preservative force of the life of functions. ‘
H. A. Schaefer, 1900, p.110
Designed to be used at home to remedy just about any ailment imaginable, these devices power up the body with energy at a cellular level with photons and electrons, thus increasing the body’s ability to self repair. By the turn of the last century this technology was being hailed as a health marvel.
The Violet Ray in the early 20th century was heralded as an important discovery in the field of electrotherapy. The popularity of electric devices was as pervasive a century ago as today. The early naturopaths were themselves smitten with the mysteries of electricity. In an article published in 1900, Schaefer exclaims, “Nothing in modern science causes us so much amazement as electricity, the sovereign ruler of all.” (Schaefer, 1900, p.110) It was an exciting time with the wireless telegraph, the unrelenting spread of analogue telephone systems, and the growth of X-ray use. The world of electricity offered much promise to the medical arts. This fascination is still with us as we are always on the lookout for new diagnostic and documentation tools in the form of devices in providing health care for our patients. One such electrotherapy that was prominent a century ago was the high-frequency device called Violet Ray.
One man from this period was well known to the naturopathic community as one who recognized the dangers of electricity and contributed to its safe use. Martin weighs in about Nickola Tesla, stating, “In 1900 Nickola Tesla, [1856-1943] the greatest man in electrical research work, that this or any other country has ever known, directed his attention to investigating the reasons why electricity had proved a failure in the treatment of disease.” (Martin, 1921, p.442) Monell also weighs in: “In transforming the primary current into high-frequency discharges Tesla took from it some of its former properties. … It would no longer exert the same power through the same motor, it ceased to sear and burn in its track, and contact with it no longer struck the muscles with a paralyzing and deadly shock.” (Monell, 1910, p.24)
Recognizing that the human body had its own vibratory rate, Tesla concluded that “if electricity was to be introduced into the system in an acceptable form, it was necessary to harmonize by raising the vibrations or voltage to correspond or conform with the number of vibrations in the body.” (Martin, 1921, p.442) Monell describes how Tesla transformed raw electricity into a healing medium.
Martin was very interested in these developments and wrote on related aspects of the use of electricity in naturopathic treatment. For example, he writes, “the wavelengths of the different rays decrease from red to violet, the red having the longest, the violet the shortest wave lengths. Beyond the red and violet of the visible spectrum are rays which are invisible.” (Martin, 1921, p.446) We are all familiar with the current medical application of infrared or thermography for breast screening programs and with ultraviolet rays. These have had a long history in the treatment of various skins conditions. Lindquist explains that the wavelengths of X-rays are .01 to 5.0 AU [Angstrom Unit], compared to ultraviolet waves that measure 200 to 3900 AU with the larger infrared waves measuring 7700 AU to 0.04 cm long. (Lindquist, 1948, p.92) Martin reminds us, “The long waves red and infra-red rays diffuse heat and penetrate deeply; the shorter waves, the violet and ultra-violet, give little or no heat and are called cold rays. These rays are easily absorbed and do not penetrate as deeply as the heat waves.” (Martin, 1921, p.446)
Tesla Transformer and Coil [very high frequency, alternate current, less amperage than the D’Arsonval] (Eberhart, 1910, p.30-37)
High-frequency currents that were attached to a vacuum tube “electrode” emitted a violet-colored light when in use. Monell explains: “Vacuum electrodes are made in various shapes to suit various purposes and also exhausted to different degrees of vacuum.” (Monell, 1910, p.204) The shapes of the electrodes were designed to deliver the current directly to the diseased part and were ideal “for aural, nasal or throat work, and for rectal, prostatic, urethral and vaginal treatments.” (Monell, 1910, p.205)
The Violet Ray was operated by setting it up with a glass tube electrode in the handle. The instructions were very straightforward: “Connect the patient to one terminal of the current, using either a bare metal handle, [included with the device] or metal plate, or wet-pad electrode, according to convenience in a minor case or effects wanted in an important case.” Like with all equipment, judgment and experience directed the choice of which was used. “With the vacuum electrode connected to the opposite terminal and the current at zero, grasp the head of the electrode lightly in the left palm and with the right hand run up the current until the tube is seen filled with a steady luminous glow and the bulb warms the hand in contact with it.” (Monell, 1910, p.206)
Treatment of the Patient
The vacuum glass tube came into direct contact with the patient’s skin. Eberhart cautions, “All metal, such as chains, corset-steels, wire hair pins, etc., with which the tubes comes in contact or within sparking distance of, will be charged with the current and give rise to sharp and disagreeable sensations. If they cannot be avoided they should be removed.” (Eberhart, 1920, p.83)
In any case, Martin advocated the Violet Ray with confidence, “There is no case on record of any injury having been sustained by anyone using Violet Ray properly or improperly, that, is to say with or without experience.” (Martin, 1921, p.449) He offered guidelines in the use of the Violet Ray. “The rule set down, however, being that ten minutes is the limit that any one should apply the current as no good can be accomplished by a longer treatment. … Two or three applications may be given in the course of 24 hours, if required; ordinarily one a day is sufficient.” (Martin, 1921, p.449) Eberhart stipulated that burns could be possible, warning his colleagues that “to avoid this, I make it a rule never to leave a vacuum tube in contact with a mucous membrane for more than seven minutes at a time.” (Eberhart, 1920, p.66)
Therapeutic Benefits
The Violet Ray instrument had numerous therapeutic benefits. The light and thermic properties of the Violet Ray offered “a stimulus to blood circulation and also to nerve action.” (Martin, 1921, p.443) Martin adds, “Light [and color] Therapy also enters as a part of Violet Ray treatment because [color] is produced in the vacuum tube when in operation. … The violet light is produced by the many ions of electricity discharged in the vacuum tube bombarding molecules within the tube, becoming most predominant and resulting in the phenomena of exhibiting a Violet light.” (Martin, 1921, p.443) However, the purple light, these early naturopaths reminded their colleagues and their patients, is accompanied by “Ultra-Violet Rays, invisible to the eye, yet particularly destructive to micro-organism.” (Martin, 1921, p.443) Ultraviolet is well known for its germicidal activity.
Monell and Eberhart outlined specific protocols for treating numerous diseases affecting every system in the body. The Violet Ray was effective in reducing “congestion and inflammations,” (Monell, 1910, p.258), “inducing relaxation in cardiac and nerves,” (Monell, 1910, p.88) and as a non-irritating antiseptic, “healing skin lesions and infections.” (Monell, 1910, p.102)
In Eberhart’s A Working Manual of High Frequency Currents, eight constitutional effects are listed:
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Increase general metabolism
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Increase glandular activity
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Increase temperature and bodily heat
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Increase oxidization and haemoglobin
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Increase secretions
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Increase elimination
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Lower blood pressure when hypertension exists
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Soothing to the nervous system
(Eberhart, 1920, p.64)
Some of the conditions that the Violet Ray was used for included: “neuritis, neuralgia, rheumatism, gout, sciatica, diabetes, asthma, dyspepsia, impotence, influenza, leucorrhea, paralysis, pneumonia, gonorrhea, hay fever, high blood pressure, anemia, and a wide range of other conditions.” (Puderbach, 1927, p.134) Reading through this list of ailments, one might conclude that the Violet Ray was a type of panacea. Monell, for example, utilizing the Violet Ray, lists many treatment plans in his book for chronic nephritis, tuberculosis, rheumatism, gout, headaches, neuralgias, and digestive complaints, to name a few. Eberhart lists an equally impressive list of conditions that Violet Ray high-frequency current successfully treated in their clinical experience.
Dentists used the famous ‘cocaine’ electrode and other electrodes specially designed for the mouth and gums. Hairdressers used them for hair regrowth and they rapidly became very popular for home use on both people and animals. The devices are electro-mechanical, utilising resonating Tesla coils (Oudin) to create plasma within noble gas filled electrodes.
As you can imagine this technology was hated by the doctors and pharmaceutical companies of the day who saw them as rivals to their growing monopoly. By the 1930’s they had sufficiently pressured the US government to ban their manufacture in the US entirely.
Major hospitals all over the world used to have Tesla derived frequency devices to heal everything. They have now been written out of history….
References
Eberhart, N.M. (1920). A Working Manual of High Frequency Currents. Chicago, IL: New Medicine Publishing Co., pp. 319.
Lindquist, R. J. (1948). Approach to Electrotherapy. Los Angeles, CA: R. J. Lindquist Publishing., pp. 136.
Martin, E.A. (1921). Violet rays or properly called high frequency. Herald of Health and Naturopath, XXVI(9), 442-449.
Monell, S.H. (1910). High Frequency Electric Currents. Racine, WI: Western Coil & Electrical Co., pp. 408.
Puderbach, P. (1927). Massage with violet rays. Herald of Health and Naturopath. XXXII(3), 134-138Schaefer, G.H.A. (1900). Natural therapeutics and electricity. The Kneipp Water Cure Monthly, I(7), 110-111