t is my purpose in these pages to help the reader to solve the problems
associated with the attainment of vitality and health at its best. By
following out the suggestions which you will find in this volume, by
stimulating the life-forces in connection with the thyroid gland,
by straightening and strengthening the spine, by toning up the
alimentary canal, and by adopting other suggestions set forth in these
pages, you should be insured the attainment of vital vigor really
beyond price. Do not be satisfied with an existence. If life is worth
anything, it is worth living in every sense of the word. The building
up of one's physical assets should be recognized as an imperative duty.

CHAPTER II: Functional Activity-The Secret of Power

Vitality means normal functioning. When the organs of the body are all
performing their duties satisfactorily, you can practically be sure of
a plentiful supply of vitality. So it can truly be said that proper
functioning is the secret of power.

The most important of all functional processes begins in the stomach.
There is where the blood-making process commences, and, since a man
is what the blood makes of him, you can realize the tremendous
importance of this particular function. If the digestion is carried on
properly, and the blood is made rich in those elements that add to life,
health and strength, then the functions of the stomach are being
properly performed. Strength of this organ, therefore, is absolutely
indispensable in vitality building.

This blood-making work is then continued by the small intestines, where
a large part of the elements of nourishment essential to life are
assimilated, taken up and carried to the portal circulation, thence to
the lungs and heart, and finally throughout the entire body. It
is absolutely impossible for one to enjoy the possession of a high
degree of vitality, or of the general good health upon which vitality
depends, unless the intestinal tract is in a healthy and vigorous
condition, so that the functions of this particular part of the body-
machine may be performed without a flaw. The entire digestive system
may be compared to a boiler supplying the energy by which the engine
does its work.

Then consider the heart itself. One cannot underestimate the functional
importance of this organ. It is commonly regarded as the most vital spot
in the body, the very center of life-indeed the poets have made it the
s