Russian mystic Porfiry Ivanov (February 20, 1898 – April 10, 1983) was sure that cold is the remedy against cancer, “cold throws hormone of health into the body“. Porfiry Korneyevich Ivanov was born in the end of XIX century, in a small village of Orekhovka, near Lugansk, Russian Empire. After graduating from the mandatory four classes of parochial school, the 15-year-old boy began working at the coal mine. It is not known what his life would have been under the tsars, but in 1917 the revolution broke out. The news of the overthrow of the tsar caught Ivanov on his way to the front of WWI. Then truce was declared, and Ivanov went home and began building his life.
Soon he married Ulyana Fyodorovna Gorodovitchenko. In 1918 their first-born Andrew was born, in 1925 – the second son Yakov. Porfiry Ivanov changed a lot of works, and in 1922 was convicted of tax evasion. He was serving a sentence of 11 months in the Arkhangelsk region. All these years, he did not lead most healthy way of life – drinking and smoking. Later, he wrote about himself: “Childhood, youth and mature years of life I spent just like everyone else. I was at one time a robber in nature, robbed it, killed cheerfulness. But then withdrew from it all and began to to make friends with nature … ”
A tragic event completely turned his life – in the early 1930s Porfiry Ivanov became ill with cancer. Doctors refused to treat him – the case was inoperable. The disease became more severe, and Ivanov was soon to die in terrible agony. And then he decided to speed up the process and left naked in the cold. But nothing happened, he did not even get a cold.
Ivanov was out of home every day, began to pour over a bucket of ice water – to speed up the process of dying, and as a result … recovered. From the cold and ice water appeared force, vigor, energy. And shaken Ivanov discovered the truth about how to improve his health and how important it is to merge with nature …
Porfiry Ivanov quit drinking and smoking, began to temper his body, every day out on the winter frost naked and then stopped using all outerwear. Soon he was able to treat not only himself but also other people, opening his gift of a healer. Porfiry Ivanov gave advice to people:
“My dear, all your sickness comes from your spoilness from the heat, delicious food, from the rest. Do not be afraid of the cold, it mobilizes, the body defenses. Chill rolls hormone of health in the body. Let everyone think what is more important. All must feel victory. Man must live in victory; if not, then you are a penny price on market day … Why be treated when you can and should not let the disease in the body!”
Ivanov held a variety of bold experiments with his body, which resulted in coming to the conclusion what to a person is useful and what is causing him harm. During his lifetime, Porfiry Ivanov constantly argued that a person can do everything, and that the health needs cold, hunger, and physical activity. Several times he carried trekking across vast distances, treated for months without food, bathed in winter and remain fit and healthy.
However, this way of life aroused derision and condemnation. Ivanov was repeatedly fired from his jobs, and in 1936 he was treated in the Rostov neuropsychiatric clinic, from which he was discharged with a diagnosis – schizophrenia. As a result, he was recognized as a disabled of group I.
November 25, 1936 in Moscow was held VIII Extraordinary Congress of Soviets, which adopted a new constitution. Ivanov, having learned about it, wrote a letter to Congress in which he proposed some ideas to the Constitution – how to improve health and live in peace with nature. He did not wait for an answer and went to the capital. In winter in Moscow appeared bearded man in shorts, who asked everyone how to get to the Red Square. Needless to say, that he soon found himself in the OGPU, and then was sent to a psychiatric clinic. Interestingly, for the most severe of Ivanov were not compulsory treatment and prison conditions, but the fact that he was forced to wear warm clothes.
Two months later, accompanied by his nurses he was sent home to the city of Krasny Sulin, where he lived at the time. There he continued to treat people. In 1937, Ivanov met with a woman who suffered from malaria. Porfiry cured her, she invited him to her house in the city of Mozdok, and Ivanov agreed. When in Mozdok appeared a strange man, he was immediately arrested as a saboteur. Ivanov said that he was studied, his stories were checked, he was poured with the cold water, and then was let go ….
The Second World War was over, and Ivanov continued his unusual practice. In the end got a few more times for treatment in psychiatric hospitals of different cities or was imprisoned. During his life he spent about 12 years in prisons, detention centers and psychiatric hospitals. Porfiry Ivanov was released and again started to treat people and proclaimed his views, because of which he was considered crazy. His rules gradually took shape in the whole doctrine which Ivanov called “Baby” – so he appealed to everyone, considering all the people – children of nature.
Porfiry Ivanov died at the age of 85 years April 10, 1983. Thousands of students of Ivanov continue the work of the Master, as they call him, and try to follow his philosophy, called “Detka” (eng. – Baby). ‘Detka’ – twelve commandments by Russian mystic Porfiry Ivanov.
You are filled with the desire to be useful to all people. For that you should try to be healthy. I ask of you from my heart to accept an advice from me. Be like me:
Winner of nature, teacher of the people, God of the Earth.
Porfiry Korneyevich Ivanov attained a cult status, with followers estimated in the tens of thousands. The Russian Orthodox Church considered his teachings to be heretical. Porfiry Ivanov’s sect has its own hymn, written by Ivanov himself.