In the beginning, his readings were known as "physical readings" (health readings). Cayce often called the body "the organism". Cayce would put himself under self-hypnosis. While he seemed to sleep, he would say where the person was. He would sometimes name the streets along the way. He would then say "Yes, we see the body", and describe the client's organ, circulatory, and nervous systems. He would give reasons for illness or problems. A message would then be given to the person telling them how to get better. The readings were so specialized that treatments were often changed, or not even given, if the person would not follow his advice. People often came to Cayce for health readings when the medical community could find nothing wrong or had given up on them.