Introduction to The Rife Handbook, First (2001) Edition - Nenah Sylver, PhD - Rife Frequency Therapy Healing Specialist and Author

Introduction

Imagine what your life would be like if you could eliminate ill health in as little as one day for something mild (like the common cold), or in six months to a year for a more serious illness (like cancer). To do this, you would need a protocol to strengthen your system so that it is no longer a breeding ground for pathogens, a frequency device, and a list of frequencies.

Royal Raymond Rife, and his effective, non-invasive technology that has helped countless overcome life-threatening diseases, is finally emerging into public awareness after years of suppression. The knowledge that specific frequencies destroy microbes is not new. As incredible as it sounds, Nebraska-born scientist Royal Rife began his career as an inventor almost a century ago.

One of Rife's key inventions was a most unusual microscope. In those days, the magnifying power of existing microscopes was poor. Individual viruses, and even some bacteria, could not be seen unless they were clustered together in colonies. Determined to see individual microbes, Rife built his highly acclaimed Universal Microscope. Many times more powerful than other magnifying instruments, the microscope made specimens visible without killing them-a feat beyond the capacity of even today's electron microscopes. In order to make microbes visible, electron microscopes bombard them with electrons in a vacuum, which kills them. Rife had a good reason for wanting to see specimens in their natural live state. If you want to find out how to kill a microbe, you need to observe how it reacts in its environment. Once Rife could observe the activities and responses of living microorganisms, he could figure out a way to destroy them. Hence, the Rife Ray was born.

Chlorophyll cells, as viewed
through Royal Rife's Universal Microscope.
Photo is courtesy of Rife Research of Canada,
and is reproduced in The Rife Handbook
(as part of Chapter 4 photo essay).

Rife's method of destroying microorganisms was based on the principle of resonance. Every living organism has a resonant frequency, or intrinsic radiation signature. The cliché of the soprano who shatters a glass with her single, pure, focused tone is an adequate working metaphor for how Rife's electronic device worked. The various frequencies it emitted corresponded to the resonance of different microbes, disabling them so severely that they were no longer viable. Once the pathogens were disabled, the body could then eliminate them.

Thousands of tests were successfully conducted on infected animals. Some highly prestigious doctors and clinicians, impressed with the initial results, supported Rife in other ways. They supported him financially, substantiated his findings, and used the Rife Ray in their clinics, both in the United States and overseas. Some doctors even sent Rife notarized affidavits stating the effectiveness of the treatments. This was all done without poisonous drugs, invasive surgery, unhealthy dependence on doctors, or unfairly high medical bills. Accounts of Rife's microscope and ray device were published in journals, newspapers, and medical bulletins across the United States.

Ironically, Rife's treatments may have been too successful. The medical-pharmaceutical industry, foreseeing a loss in profits from drugs and surgeries, spawned some very vocal opponents-none of whom tested the machine. As time passed, the physicians and financial backers who had been Rife's colleagues and friends became targets of character assassination. Medical boards threatened to revoke the licenses of doctors who used the Rife Ray unless they relinquished their equipment. Some of Rife's closest collaborators later denied even knowing him, despite the existence of one widely circulated photograph in which they appeared with him. Articles on Rife and his inventions began disappearing from publication archives. Clearly, Rife's Ray device worked. It was the greed of a powerful few that deprived many of healing and even their lives.

The story of Rife, while unique in its details, nonetheless follows a familiar pattern: a holistic cure is discovered that is non-invasive, successful and inexpensive; and then the modality disappears. Like other promising holistic treatments, Rife's inventions were driven underground.

The long silence on Rife and his inventions was finally broken with Christopher Bird's article "What Has Become of the Rife Microscope?" which first appeared in the March 1976 issue of New Age Journal and was reprinted later in other publications. Then in 1987, Barry Lynes published The Cancer Cure That Worked, an impassioned account of Rife's life and inventions. But original data gradually surfaced as well: Rife's surviving lab notes, along with old newspaper clippings, magazine articles, letters, telegrams, photographs, certificates, awards, tape recordings, and other assorted memorabilia provided vital pieces of Rife history. Some researchers spent hours rummaging through "dead" file cabinets of newspaper offices. Others were lucky to spot an article or two in obscure yellowing engineering journals. Still others uncovered family documents in the attics and basements of descendents of Rife's colleagues and co-workers. A wealth of documents and photos, unearthed over the years, are posted on the Internet at www.rife.org.

Using this primary source material as reference guides, scientists, health practitioners, electronics engineers and curious laypeople began experimenting with different types of machines as well as new frequencies. With a rapidly growing, fresh generation of wellness seekers demanding access to life-saving technology, a new era of frequency healing was born.

Although frequency equipment has been substantially modified since Rife and his colleagues treated people in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, some of the principles of how the devices work—microbe destruction through resonant frequency—are the same. Despite the intimidation tactics of the medical establishment and some government regulating agencies, more and more researchers are now stepping forward to share what they know via the printed page, radio, electronic media, and at conferences. Medical clinics and formal and informal research centers exist all over the world, in Mexico, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, Romania, and other European countries. Designs and sales of second and third generation versions of Rife’s original ray device are even available on the internet. The host of one Rife website (there are now thousands of Internet pages featuring this and similar technologies) reports that in January 2000 alone, his site received visits from people living in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

It was around 1983 that I first heard about Rife and his technology. Cryptic flyers from companies specializing in unusual devices somehow found their way to me. From time to time, electronics buffs and naturopaths would tell me about a device that emitted frequencies to halt and even reverse disease, but they couldn't or wouldn't elaborate. And small independent magazines occasionally carried articles about Rife. However, I didn't know where to obtain such devices—or, if addresses were available, I wasn't sure if the information was legitimate and the sellers honorable. Since I still had more questions than answers about the information I was gathering, I didn't do much with the data.

Thus for many years, Rife and his inventions occupied the same class as all the other unsolved mysteries of the universe. But although the sparse data had the flavor of a "too good to be true" rumor, my intuition nonetheless told me that this information was vitally important and would one day bear fruit. So I put everything into a file folder labeled "Unusual Healing Technologies," and waited, remaining open for I knew not what.

Then in 1993 I met Howard Mitchell, a dulcimer maker and musician who had majored in electrical engineering at Cornell and was now retired. With his highly inquisitive mind, his engineering background, and his love of tinkering with machines, Howie was an ideal Rife researcher. (My friend had already demonstrated an affinity for unusual science projects: one winter holiday, he sent me several Petri dishes containing glow-in-the-dark fungus.) Howie had previously been interested in frequencies as a musician, so learning about Rife was a logical next step. When he informed me that unfortunately (for experimentation purposes) he was in excellent health and therefore had no way to test his (not one, but two) frequency devices, I could not believe my good fortune and instantly volunteered to do it for him. Just as eagerly, he accepted my offer. This is how my academic query turned into a hands-on experiment.

Little did I know that my experimentation would continue indefinitely and lead me to unexpected and startling places. I exposed myself to many different types and makes of machines and tried nearly all of the frequencies that were on the lists that came with the devices. My efforts were rewarded when I avoided getting the flu, eliminated various types of infections, and helped friends with health problems of their own.

As my friends and acquaintances discovered that I was experimenting with rife technology, they began asking me about Rife and his life, how frequencies work, and about healing in general. Not knowing all of the answers—especially when they involved electronics, certain aspects of physics and details about microbes—I pumped information from every knowledgeable professional who was willing to talk to me. Dragging out my dusty medical and science textbooks, I added to my knowledge about biology, laboriously ploughed through chemistry, and brushed up on physics. I also devoured every book on Rife that I could find. The problem was that except for Barry Lynes's seminal biography, and one highly technical manual about how to build a specific type of frequency device, very little was available.

Compounding the problem of using the equipment was the fact that information on frequencies was found in many disparate places. So I began to compile a simple guide of popular frequencies that I had personally found to be effective, while continuing to try new numbers.

My friends were growing impatient. They wanted me to finish the guide so they could start using the frequencies. But it was becoming clear to me that I couldn't merely create a list of numbers to go with the equipment. I wanted people to understand what it means to be healthy—and why, once they start using the frequencies, they must work to eliminate the conditions that caused the illness in the first place.

At that time, another area of my life also began affecting my world view: my work as a Reichian (bodymind) psychotherapist. Increasingly, my clients began struggling with serious illnesses. Having been raised to believe that Western medicine was the only legitimate modality, they weren't totally convinced that holistic methods could help them. It felt odd to me that some of my clients had trouble understanding that physical disease can heavily influence one's emotional state, considering that they had specifically sought my services based on the understanding that unresolved emotions lodge in the body as tension, eventually causing illness. It never occurred to my clients that many emotional problems are exacerbated—if not directly caused—by the same physiological and biochemical imbalances that contributed to their diseases! This fired my resolve even more strongly to become active as an educator.

Wilhelm Reich, MD:
psychoanalyst, natural scientist, biologist,
and the forerunner of body-mind psychotherapies.
Today, the huge role of emotions in physical disease
is common knowledge. We also readily acknowledge
that unexpressed--and especially unresolved--emotions
get stuck in the body's cells.
However, when Reich stated this in the early 1900s,
he was disbelieved and ridiculed.

Reich (who was, by the way,
a contemporary of Royal Raymond Rife)
is truly a pioneer in the realm of psychology,
biology and cosmology.

As I became more involved with this technology, sharing with friends and acquaintances became a full-time job. Although my enthusiasm never decreased, my energy level did. I had so much to share and explain that I was working even when I was socializing. Recognizing that this was a lot of information to handle, and that people tend to retain written information more easily than verbal, I looked for documents that presented the material systematically and clearly. I envisioned an all-purpose manual to meet a wide variety of needs-a combination holistic health guide, exposition on Rife and his work, and frequency directory, emphasizing cutting-edge research in medicine and science. But nothing suited my exacting requirements. After complaining for months about how hard it was to obtain reliable information about Rife, in conjunction with additional topics that I felt were essential, presented in just the way I wanted, I realized that the person who was supposed to put this all together was me. This is how my little list of popular frequencies metamorphosed into a project whose scope I could not have foreseen. This edition that you are now holding in your hands is the result of my curiosity, learning, labor, and love over the course of more than fifteen years.

So now that you have this Handbook, where do you begin? Some readers, especially those who own frequency devices, may be tempted to go directly to the Frequency Directory chapter. This Handbook, however, is about much more than microbe-destroying frequencies. It is about freeing yourself from propaganda, trusting in your own experience, and the self-confidence—and health!—that blossom when you think and act for yourself. Please don't ignore Chapters 1 through 3, which suggest new ways to think about your body and healing. They will enhance whatever protocol you decide to use.

Chapter 1, "The Politics of Medicine and the Nature of Health," is a primer on allopathic and holistic medicine. It explains why most drugs don't work and usually make you worse-and also how the majority of laboratory testing is not only worthless, but can be rigged to "prove" whatever outcome the experimenter wants. The reader is also shown how drugs are approved, and by whom—which in most cases involves politics and profit rather than humanitarian concerns or even good science. [The level of deception and number of outright lies, from both the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA, have vastly escalated since even a few years ago when this book was first published. It is eye-opening indeed to contemplate the impact of the medical-pharmaceutical industry on all of our lives.]

Chapter 2, "The History of Pleomorphism and the Inventions of Royal Raymond Rife," features Rife's unusual life and the controversial debate over pleomorphism, a phenomenon little-known in the United States, but widely understood in Europe. Pleomorphism is the ability of microbes to radically change their form, structure and even function, depending on the ever-changing terrain of the body. Rife's microscope proved that in many cases, microbes become dangerous only when the system becomes biochemically unbalanced. This scientific breakthrough played a pivotal role in Rife's lack of acceptance by his mainstream colleagues. So, if you are attached to the germ theory of disease, this chapter will give you a new perspective.

Pleomorphic life cycle of microbes
as seen under an Ergonom microscope,
made by Grayfield Optical.
Drawing courtesy of Kurt Olbrich,
inventor of all Ergonom microscopes.
This drawing appears in one of the
photo essays in The Rife Handbook.

The adage "the terrain is everything" leads us to Chapter 3, which offers some of the most effective, user-friendly, and inexpensive "Complementary Therapies" to help you detoxify and heal your system. This chapter is for frequency device users who want to handle the effects of sudden microbial die-off. It is also designed for nonusers who want to read about some of the best holistic modalities all in one place. Those readers already familiar with such protocols can learn new ways to approach what they are already doing. Here, you will read about various modalities such as oxygen, sauna and light therapies, and Inclined Bed Therapy. There is also up-to-date information on diet and nutritional supplements. Finally, drawing on my background in Reichian  psychotherapy, I address the relationship between mind and body and discuss the psychological aspects of what we call disease.

The book closes with Chapter 6, "Creating a Better World, Inside and Out." Many people, taught to avoid death, are unprepared when it happens and they fear it, both for themselves and their loved ones. Yet paradoxically, the dominant values in our culture are filled with death. The economics, values, and lifestyle promoted by our culture support misery, poverty, hate and fear, instead of encouraging joy, love, creativity and truth. We cannot die in peace unless we live in love. In this chapter I discuss the changes that must be made on all levels-personal, political and transpersonal-in order for a life-based culture to emerge. In keeping with this theme, I could not resist including some exciting, groundbreaking scientific research that points to the existence of what we call spirit, and proves without a doubt that love heals.

Appendix A, "Resources," lists some sources of information, products and services that can help us on the road to health.

For those interested in making their own rife technology units available to other people, Appendix B, "Legal Implications of Rife Sessions," discusses some challenges of using non-medically approved devices for healing purposes. However, I am not an attorney; and different countries and municipalities have different laws concerning the use of electromedical devices. To ensure that you are in compliance with the laws of your own locale, use this section as a guide only and then consult with an appropriate professional.

Appendix C, "Healing with Electromedicine and Sound Therapies," is written for the layperson with no background in physics or electronics. This overview, which includes definitions and concepts related to the electromagnetic spectrum and sound waves, will help you better understand the more technical aspects of electromedicine. Those who want to explore frequency therapies in greater depth will find a listing of selected published clinical trials, spanning over four decades, in Appendix D. And Appendix E reports a promising study by a US research team of a Bare-Rife unit killing leukemia cells in vitro.

Free download
Healing with
Electromedicine and
Sound Therapies

The References section includes both books that are referenced in the text and others not specifically cited. Since many of the books are from non-mainstream sources, I include detailed contact information for the publishers.

Several editorial notes are in order. When referring to people suffering from various health problems, I use terms like "people with cancer" or "people with multiple sclerosis" instead of "cancer patients" or "multiple sclerosis patients." Although this phraseology can be a bit cumbersome, I avoid using "patient" because the word both reflects and reinforces a hierarchical medical model that exalts the doctor as the all-knowing savior and relegates the seeker of health services to a subordinate role. Since one theme of this book is self-empowerment, I try to select my words carefully.

A similar dilemma exists with the word "layperson." Obviously, "layperson" is a substitute for the gender-biased "layman." However, I discovered that initially "layman" meant anyone (read: male) who was not a member of the laity (clergy). Later, "layman" was expanded to mean anyone who is not in a specialized profession. In other words, a layman is a commoner, someone who holds no title. In this dualistic world, titles of worth and prestige are accorded to "experts" who are assumed to "know it all," while little respect is given to so-called "non-experts" who do not hold prestigious titles or degrees. Therefore, even though many laypeople are highly educated and informed-sometimes even more than persons with degrees-their lack of medical credentials apparently still makes them commoners (and thus not worthy of esteem). Alas, I could find no suitable, respectful word in English that designates someone who is not a medical professional. In using the words "laypersons" or "laypeople," I mean no disrespect. Sometimes the limitations of language can be quite frustrating.

Despite my own language preferences, when quoting others I try to respect the writer's voice. Thus, if certain words are used, such as "patient," I leave them in.

Royal Rife's name is used often, as one would expect. Appropriate to this usage, "Rife" is capitalized. However, "rife" is now being used as a verb (referring to the act of giving oneself a frequency session). For these, and for the nouns "rifing" and "rifer" (which refers to one who gives oneself frequency sessions), the "r" is not capitalized. Similarly, when used to describe frequency devices, "rife" is not capitalized, since none of the devices in use today were made by Royal Rife the man. A similar logic explains why "rife practitioner" also uses a lower-case "r." However, when referring to the research, "Rife" is capitalized, since engineers and scientists involved in this area are usually investigating the man as well as the technology. (By the way, the acronym RIFE, for Resonance Induced Frequency Effect, has recently come into existence, to honor the many types of frequency devices modeled after Rife's original equipment or similar principles of resonance that he used.)

My final editorial note concerns the completeness of the information that appears in this volume. It seems that every month brings a fresh scandal involving the medical-pharmaceutical industry. Likewise, more exciting and innovative discoveries about health are constantly being shared with the public. The information in these pages was as complete as possible when this book went to press. You are encouraged to continue researching on your own.

The persecution that Royal Rife endured from our government and medical establishment simply for inventing a safe, inexpensive healing device is only part of the story of  frequency technology. Reading the available literature about Rife and knowing which frequencies to use is a good start. But to really understand rife frequency healing, you must be willing to explore a radically different way of perceiving reality. This requires the mammoth (and not always easy) paradigm shift away from the one-size-fits-all, pop-a-pill-for-instant-results mentality. It means being observant and patient, trusting in the new paths to which your innate intelligence leads-insights that you were not taught how to cultivate during your conventional education.

Despite the remarkable success that I have personally experienced and seen with friends who have experimented with rife technology, there is no magic cure-all that has been found to work for everyone always. Most people respond favorably to sessions, but others may respond minimally. The machines cannot effect miracle cures. Your body is in charge of that. If you faithfully give yourself rife sessions, but continue doing what contributed to your getting sick in the first place, the best equipment in the world will not be able to induce lasting positive changes. This is why when you use a healing modality is as important as the therapy itself. Depending on the degree and type of imbalance, at different times a particular cleansing technique, healing modality, or frequency, maywork better than others.

Sometimes I hear people complain when their healing regimen is not progressing according to schedule. But whose schedule? We are not inanimate machines.  Mechanized medicine adheres to a prototype or standard of what it defines as normal, yet people vary wildly outside the range of presumed "normalcy." How many times have you heard of someone who felt unwell and received the following response from a doctor? "There's nothing wrong with you. You're in perfect health." These experiences teach us that we need to listen to our own bodies.

Admittedly, the line between listening to your body and listening to your addictions can be fuzzy. People are sometimes confused between these two, unsure which voice to follow. Cravings can seem like legitimate needs, and heeding the body's signals for nutrients can feel indulgent if one doesn't know what information to look for. In this case, the guidance of a professional can be very helpful. But you must use your powers of discrimination. Who is the best person to help you? The one with the greatest number of professional degrees may not be your best choice. If your concerns are brushed aside, or if your advisor places more importance on his or her knowledge than on your own experience, you might do better with someone else. The answers to wellness are not always simple, because life isn't simple. Since each person is different,
there is rarely a single "right answer."

Ultimately, your best teacher is you! You are the one responsible for learning, deciding what to use and what to discard, trusting in your own (informed) experience, and being accountable for your actions and decisions. These qualities constitute true power. Don't ever give away your power. This book is one of many stepping stones to acquiring the knowledge that you need to become an expert on you.

In closing, I want to thank you for helping to create a global paradigm shift, of which holistic healing is one part. Even if you are fortunate to be in good or excellent health now, it is comforting to know that this technology is available, should you or a loved one need it in the future. The application of rife and other kinds of frequency technology is bound to change the way medicine is practiced. As my friend Howie once wrote me: "I am thoroughly delighted, knowing that the experience of dealing with a disease might be interesting and even pleasant, rather than physically debilitating and allopathically terrifying." As more people strive to live in a loving, respectful manner--despite what those in power try to impose--everyone will have a greater opportunity to prosper. I dearly want to see this paradigm shift happen in my lifetime.

Welcome to the journey.