Frequency of Treatment
The frequency with which the treatment is given will de¬pend upon whether it is general or local, light or heavy, and on the condition of the patient from day to day. A general treatment is usually given three times per week, but a strong person could take it every other day, or four times per week. A light general treatment may be given five or six times a week for a limited period of time, if conditions seem to indicate it and little or no other treatment is being given. Very heavy of treatments including considerable exercise may have to be limited to two a -week, but as these are seldom given except to advanced patients, three a week should not be too much. If manipulation is especially needed it may be permissible to give a light general treatment three times a week and the heavier treatment with exercise twice a week. Local treat¬ment may be given once or twice a day, six days a M’eek. Xo matter what form of treatment is employed, a one-day rest-period each week should be strictly observed: and, if it is necessary to keep up treatment for a long period of time, a week of rest every four to six weeks is advisable. If one is always governed by the patient’s reactions, one will not go wrong. As long as the patient enjoys the treatment and feels better afterward, benefit will be assured.
The illustrations given herewith, with their accompanying captions, should be carefully studied, in order that the move¬ments may be correctly given. If the directions are followed exactly, not only will the patient react better to the treatment, but less exertion will be required on the part of the operator. Anyone who is really interested in learning to give this most effective treatment should have no difficulty in doing so if he will carefully study the instructions presented.
As regards the self-administered treatment, no additionaldirections will be needed, as all that has been said so far ap¬plies also to that form of treatment. The same method of applying the movements, using the little extra pressure at the end, is employed. It is comparatively easy to treat one’s own neck, arms, and legs, but, in the case of the trunk, treatment may have to be applied by pressing or pulling against some external object, or by using one set of muscles against an¬other. The illustrations will make this clear.