Exzema, heart disease,bronchitis,anaemia

Tip 49. Avoid medications for colds.
To treat a cold by means of customary suppressive drugs like aspirin and codeine only paves
the way for future trouble of a more serious nature. For such a treatment puts a sudden stop to
the eliminative process then taking place and forces the toxic matter back into the tissues again.
Moreover, drugs have no effect on the duration of the cold. It has been aptly said that a cold can be cured in a week by taking medicines, otherwise it will subside in seven days.
Tip 50. Avoid medications for the treatment of colitis.
The usual treatment of colitis with suppressive drugs is based on the assumption that colitis is
due to germ infection, which it is not. The suppressive drugs drive back into the system the toxic matter in the colon which nature is endeavouring to eliminate in the form of mucus.
They suppress the symptoms temporarily, without removing the cause. In such cases, the symptoms recur and colitis becomes chronic. Plain warm water or warm water with a little olive oil used as a wash-out is the only method of softening and removing the accumulations of hardened matter sticking to the walls of the colon.
Tip 51. Avoid ointments and salves for conjunctivitis.
The treatment of conjunctivitis through salves and ointments does not cure the disease. To be
effective, treatment must be constitutional. A thorough cleansing of the system and adoption of
natural laws in diet and general living alone can help eliminate conjunctivitis.
The best way to commence the treatment is to adopt an exclusive fresh fruit diet for about seven days. The diet may consist of fresh juicy fruits in season such as apple, orange, pears, grapes, pineapple and grapefruit. Banana should, however, not be taken. No other foodstuff should be added to this diet.
Those who have a serious trouble should undertake a juice fast for three or four days. The
procedure is to take the juice of an orange, in a glass of warm water, if desired, every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nothing else should be taken as otherwise the value of the fast will be lost.
If orange juice disagrees, carrot juice may be taken. A warm water enema should be taken daily during the period of fasting.
The short juice fast may be followed by an all-fruit diet for further seven days. Thereafter, the
patient may adopt a general diet scheme on the following lines:
* Breakfast: Any fresh fruits in season, except bananas.
* Lunch: Large mixed raw vegetable salad with whole meat bread or chapattis and butter.
* Dinner: Two or three steamed vegetables, other than potatoes, with nuts and fresh fruit.
The patient should avoid an excessive intake of starchy and sugary foods in the form of white
bread, refined cereals, potatoes, puddings, pies, pastry, sugar, jams and confectionery, which
cause the general catarrhal condition as well as conjunctivitis. He should also avoid the intake of excessive quantities of meat and other protein and fatty foods, strong tea and coffee, too much salt, condiments and sauces.
Tip 52. Avoid overeating.
Avoid overeating. A fundamental teaching of Ayurveda is that the common cause of all diseases is the accumulation of waste and poisonous matter in the body which results from overeating. Every disease can be healed by only one remedy - by doing just the opposite of what causes it, that is, by reducing the food intake or fasting. The majority of persons eat too much and follow sedentary occupations which do not permit sufficient and proper exercise for utilisation of this large quantity of food. This surplus overburdens the digestive and assimilative organs and clogs up the system with impurities or poisons. Digestion and elimination become slow and the functional activity of the whole system gets deranged.
The onset of disease is merely the process of ridding the system of these impurities. By depriving the body of food for a time, the organs of elimination such as the bowels, kidneys, skin and lungs are given opportunity to expel, unhampered, the overload of accumulated waste from the system. Thus, fasting is merely the process of purification and an effective and quick method of cure.
Tip 53. Avoid acidosis.
Acidosis is the enemy of the healthy, alkalising diet.
Whenever the alkalinity of the blood is reduced, even slightly, its ability to transport the carbon
dioxide gets reduced. This results in the accumulation of acid in the tissues. This condition is
known as acidosis or hypo-alkalinity of the blood. Its symptoms are hunger, indigestion, burning sensation and pain in the pharynx, nausea, vomiting, headache, various nervous disorders and drowsiness. Acidosis is the breeding ground for most diseases. Nepthritis or Bright's disease, rheumatism, premature old age, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, skin disorders and various degenerative diseases are traceable to this condition. It seriously interferes with the functions of the glands and organs of the body. It also lowers the vitality of the system, thereby increasing the danger of infectious diseases.
The main cause of acidosis or hypo-alkalinity of the blood is faulty diet, in which too many acid
forming foods have been consumed. In the normal process of metabolism or converting the food into energy by the body,. various acids are formed in the system and in addition, other acids are introduced in food. Whenever there is substantial increase in the formation of acids in the system and these acids are not properly eliminated through the lungs, the kidneys and the
bowels, the alkalinity of the blood is reduced, resulting in acidosis.
Other causes of acidosis are depletion of alkali reserve due to diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera etc., accumulation of carbon dioxide in asphyxia and anoxia as in circulatory and pulmonary diseases and accumulation of acetone bodies resulting from starvation, vomiting and diabetes mellitus.
Acidosis can be prevented by maintaining a proper ratio between acid and alkaline foods in the
diet. Certain foods leave alkaline ash and help in maintaining the alkalinity of the food, while
others leave highly acid ash and lower the alkali reserve of the blood and tissue fluids to a very
large extent. Eggs do the same but less strongly than meats. Cereals of all kinds, including all
sorts of breads are also acid-forming foods, though much less than meats. All fruits, with
exceptions like plums and prunes, and all green and root vegetables are highly alkaline foods
and help to alkalinise the blood and other tissue fluids.
Tip 54. Bed rest for liver disease.
Often forgotten in cases of cirrhosis of the liver is that the patient must have bed rest.
He must also abstain completely from alcohol in any form. He should undergo an initial liver cleaning programme with a juice fast for seven days. Freshly extracted juices from red beets, lemon, papaya and grapes may be taken during this period. This may be followed by the fruit and milk diet for two to three weeks.
In this regimen, the patient should have three meals a day, each of fresh juicy fruits and milk.
The fruits may include apples, pears, grapes, grape fruit, oranges, pineapples and peaches. One litre of milk may be taken on the first day. It should be increased by 250 ml daily up to two to two and a half litres a day. The milk should be fresh and unboiled, but may be slightly warmed if desired. It should be sipped very slowly.
After the fruit and milk diet, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits, with
emphasis on raw organically grown foods. An adequate high quality protein diet is necessary in
cirrhosis. The best complete proteins for liver patients are obtained from raw goat 's milk,
home-made raw cottage cheese, sprouted seeds and grains and raw nuts, especially almonds.
Vegetables such as beets, squashes, bitter gourd, egg-plant, tomato, carrot, radishes and
papaya are useful in this condition. All fats and oils should be excluded from the diet for several
weeks.
The patient should avoid all refined, processed and canned foods, sugar in any form, spices and condiments, strong tea and coffee, fried foods, all preparations cooked in ghee, oil or butter and all meats rich in fat. The use of salt should be restricted. The patient should also avoid all chemical additives in food and poisons in air, water and environment.
Tip 55. Breathe right!
Enhance your health with proper breathing. Breathing is so simple we often take it for granted, but it has fundamental influence on body, mind, and spirit. Every time we breathe in air, we bring oxygen into the body and spark the transformation of nutrients into fuel. Every time we breathe out, we purge the body of carbon dioxide, a toxic waste.
Breathing influences our state of mind. Shallow breathing can make us tense. Deep breathing can make use calm. Breathing can make our thinking confused or clear. In the yogic tradition, breathing is the means of acquiring prana, the ethereal substance that powers life.
Pranayama is the optimization of prana through the control of the breath. Pranayama can be practiced with or without the practice of other poses. You already know how to do this.
1. Sit comfortable with your spine straight or lie comfortable on your back. Take deep breaths through your nostrils.
2. Relax your breath as you slightly contract the back of your throat. The first time you do this, you may create an "oinking" sound rather like a pig! Do not worry about unusual sounds. With a little practice, you will create a steady hissing sound as you breathe in and out. You do not have to force this sounds, but it should be loud enough that another person in the room could hear it.
3. Breathe as long and deep as you can without creating tension anywhere in the body.
Perfect your technique with help of an instructor.
What diseases can be relieved by pranayama? Pranayama purifies the channels along which the life stream of 'prana' flows in the body and prevents various disorders. It increases one's resistance to respiratory diseases. It helps cure cough and cold, insomnia, chronic headache and asthma. And, as recently reported in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, pranayama can even relieve diabetes and heart disease.
Tip 56. Enhance health with colour.
The complete healing spectrum of natural light is essential to health. The full moon is the ancient symbol of completion. The rays of light cast by the moon on the earth contain colour in the form of white light. The white light of the moon originates in the sun and contains seven different colours - violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. These are natural colours which are highly beneficial to the maintenance of health and for healing diseases.
How can you tell if you are receiving all the colours of the healing sun? In 1932, Gerrard and Hessay, two Californian psychologists, scientifically established that blue light had a calming effect and red a stimulating power on human beings. A patient is first subjected to an examination to ascertain which colour he lacks. The deficiency is determined by observing the colour of the eyeballs, nails, urine and excrement. In cases of the lack of red, the eyes and nails will be bluish, and the urine and excrement white or bluish. If there is a deficiency of the blue colour, the eyes and nails will be reddish and urine and excrement yellowish or red. This is a good day to consider whether you are receiving all the vital colours of health in your daily life.
Tip 57. Count calories to cure asthma.
Starve a fever, feed a cold, but do not overfeed an asthmatic.
Asthma, particularly when the attack is severe, tends to destroy the appetite. In such cases, do
not force the patient to eat. He should be kept on fast until the attack is over. He should, however, take a cup of warm water every two hours. An enema taken at that time will be very beneficial.
Honey is considered highly beneficial in the treatment of asthma. It is said that if a jug of honey
is held under the nose of an asthma patient and he inhales the air that comes into contact with
the honey, he starts breathing easier and deeper. The effect lasts for about an hour or so. This is because honey contains a mixture of 'higher' alcohols and ethereal oils and the vapours given off by them are soothing and beneficial to the asthma patient. Honey usually brings relief whether the air flowing over it is inhaled or whether it is eaten or taken either in milk or water. It thins out accumulated mucous and helps its elimination from the respiratory passages. It also tones up the pulmonary parenchyma and thereby prevents the production of mucous in future. Some authorities recommend one year old honey for respiratory disease.
Tip 58. Detect allergies by taking the pulse.
Another way to detect the cause of allergy is by Dr. Coca's "pulse test." The method is as follows:
Check your pulse before a meal. Then limiting that meal to one food only, wit for half an hour
after eating and take your pulse again.
A slight increase is considered normal, even up to 16 extra beats. If your pulse does not rise above 84, you may be allergy-free. But if your pulse rises beyond that point, and remains high an hour after the meal, you have found your food allergy.
The best way, however, to prevent or overcome allergies is to strengthen the overall physical
resistance so as not to fall an easy prey to every allergen that comes along. To start with, the
patient should fast on fresh fruit juices for four or five days. Repeated short juice fasts are likely
to result in better tolerance to previous allergies.
After the fruit juice fast, the patient can take a mono diet of vegetables or fruits such as carrots, grapes or apples, for one week. After that one more food is added to the mono diet. A week later the third food is added and so on. After four weeks, the protein foods can be introduced, one at a time.
In case an allergic reaction to a newly introduced food is noticed, it should be discontinued and a new food tried. In this way all real allergens can be eventually eliminated from the diet.
Tip 59. Do not rely on the nature cure for treatment of cataracts.
Diet is not the only nature cure for cataracts.
Simultaneous with the dietary treatment, the patient should adopt various methods of relaxing
and strengthening the eyes. These include moving the eyes gently up and down, from side to
side and in a circle, clockwise and counter clockwise; rotating the neck in circles and semicircles and briskly moving the shoulders clockwise and counter clockwise.
The patient should also resort to palming which is highly beneficial in removing strain and relaxing the eyes and its surrounding tissues.
Tip 60. Drink water regularly.
Regular drinking of water is beneficial not only for constipation but also for cleaning the system,
diluting the blood and washing out poisons. Normally six to eight glasses of water should be
taken daily as it is essential for digesting and dissolving food nutrients so that they can be
absorbed and utilised by the body.
Water should, however, not be taken with meals as it dilutes the gastric juices essential for proper digestion. Water should be taken either half an hour before or an hour after meals.
Tip 61. Enzymes are good medicine.
To defeat stubborn diseases, consume enzymes in fresh, uncooked foods and in supplements.
Enzymes are chemical substances produced in the living organism. They are marvellous organic catalysts which are essential to life as they control all the chemical reactions that take place in a living system. Enzymes are part of all living cells, including those of plants and animals.
The term enzyme, which literally means in yeast', was coined following the demonstration of
catalytic properties of yeast and yeast juices. Although enzymes are produced in the living cell,
they are not dependent upon the vital processes of the cell and work outside the cell. Certain
enzymes of yeast, for instance, when expressed from the yeast cells are capable of exerting
their usual effect, that is, the conversion of sugar to alcohol.
It has been estimated that there are over 20,000 enzymes in the human body. This estimate is
based on the number of bodily processes that seem to require action. However, so far only
about 1,000 enzymes have been identified. But their great role in nutrition and other living
processes has been firmly established. They are protein molecules made up of chains of amino acids. They play a vital role and work more efficiently than any reagent concocted by chemists.
Thus for instance, a chemist can separate proteins into their component amino acids by boiling
them at 166 o C for over 18 hours in a strong solution of hydrochloric acid, but the enzymes of
the small intestines can do so in less than three hours at body temperature in a neutral medium.
A feature which distinguishes enzymes from inorganic catalysts is that they are absolutely
specific in their actions. This means that a particular enzyme can cause reactions involving only a particular type of substance or a group of closely related substances. The substance on which the enzyme acts is known as "substrate." The specificity of an enzyme is, however, related to the formation of the enzyme-substrate complex which requires that the appropriate groupings of both substrate and enzyme should be in correct relative position. The substrate must fit the enzyme like a key fits its lock.
Tip 62. Eschew the eating of flesh.
Flesh is often a carrier of disease germs.
Diseases of many kinds are on the increase in the animals, making flesh foods more and more unsafe. People are continually eating flesh that may contain tuberculosis and cancerous germs. Often animals are taken to the market and sold for food when they are so diseased that their owners do not wish to keep them any longer. And some of the processes of fattening them to increase their weight and consequently their market value, produce disease. Shut away from light and pure air, breathing the atmosphere of filthy stables, perhaps fattening on decaying foods, the entire body now becomes contaminated with foul matter.
If you do not eat meat, you are spared its contamination.
Tip 63. Chew, chew, chew, for it's the thing to do.
The process of digestion begins in the mouth. The saliva in the moth, besides helping to
masticate the food, carries an enzyme called ptyalin which begins the chemical action of
digestion. It initiates the catabolism (breakdown) of carbohydrates by converting starches into
simple sugars. This explains the need for thorough mastication of starchy food in the mouth. If
this is not done the ptyalin cannot carry out its functions as it is active in an alkaline, neutral or
slightly acid medium and is inactivated by the highly acid gastric juices in the stomach.
Although enzymatic action starts while food is being chewed, digestion moves into high gear
only when the chewed food has passed the esophagus and reached the stomach. While the
physical action of peristalsis churns and kneads solid food into a semi-solid amorphous mixture
called chyme, this mixture undergoes chemical changes initiated by gastric juices secreted by
the walls of the stomach. These juices include mucus for lubricating the stomach, hydrochloric
acid and gastric juice.
The enzyme or active principle of the gastric juice is pepsin. This enzyme in combination with hydrochloric acid starts the breakdown of proteins into absorbable amino acids called polypeptides. An additional enzyme, rennin, plays an important role in the stomach of the infant. It curdles milk and allows the pepsin to work upon it. The gastric juice has no effect
upon starches or fats.
Tip 64. Eat plant foods for faster healing.
An exclusive diet of raw juices of fruits and vegetables results in much faster recovery from
diseases and more effective cleansing and regeneration of the tissues than the fasting on pure
water.
Dr. Ragnar Berg, a world-renowned authority on nutriton and biochemistry observes:
"During fasting the body burns up and excretes huge amounts of accumulated wastes. We can
help this cleansing process by drinking alkaline juices instead of water while fasting. I have
supervised many fasts and made extensive examinations and tests of fasting patients, and I am convinced that drinking alkali-forming fruit and vegetable juices, instead of water, during fasting will increase the healing effect of fasting. Elimination of uric acid and other inorganic acids will be accelerated. And sugars in juices will strengthen the heart. Juice fasting is, therefore, the best form of fasting."
Tip 65. Safety measures for preventing back pain.
Certain safety measures, especially, for people in sedentary occupation, are necessary to
relieve and prevent backache. The most important of these is exercise which improves the
supply of nutrients to spinal discs, thereby delaying the process of deterioration that comes with age and eventually affects everybody. Safe exercises include walking, swimming and bicycling.
The latter should be done keeping the back upright. Controlling one's weight is another
important step towards relieving backache as excess weight greatly increases the stress on soft back tissues.
Those with sedentary occupations should take a break to stand up every hour. Soft cushioned
seats should be avoided and position should be changed as often as possible. Persons with
back problems should sleep on a firm mattress on their sides with knees bent at right angles to
the torso. They should take care never to bend from the waist down to lift any object but instead should swat close to the object, bending the knees but keeping the back straight, and then stand up slowly.
Tip 66. Prevention is better than cure in anaemia.
Anaemia is much more easily prevented than corrected. A liberal intake of iron in the formative
years can go a long way in preventing iron-deficiency anaemia.
Diet is of the utmost importance in the treatment of anaemia. Almost every nutrient is needed for the production of red blood cells, haemoglobin and the enzymes, required for their synthesis. Refined food like white bread, polished rice, sugar, and desserts rope the body of the much-needed iron.
Iron should always be taken in its natural organic form as the use of inorganic can
prove hazardous, destroying the protective vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids, causing serious liver damage and even miscarriage and delayed or premature births. The common foods rich in natural organic iron are wheat and wheat grain cereals, brown rice and rice polishings, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, carrot, celery, beets, tomatoes, spinach; fruits like apples, berries, cherries, grapes, raisins, figs, dates, peaches and eggs. It has been proved that a generous intake of iron alone will not help in the regeneration of haemoglobin. The supplies of protein, too, should be adequate. The diet should, therefore, be adequate in proteins of high biological value such as those found in milk, cheese and egg. Copper is also essential for the utilisation of iron in the building of haemoglobin.
Tip 67. The alcoholic must choose sobriety.
The treatment of alcoholism begins with resolute choice of the alcoholic to recover.
The chronic alcoholic first of all must make a firm resolve to stop drinking. He should abstain
from alcohol all at once for the habit cannot be got rid of in gradual stages.
The most effective way to treat alcoholism is to build the body's nutritional integrity soaps to
prevent craving for stimulants like drinks. The patients should be put on a cleansing juice fast for at least ten days in the beginning. During this period, he should have juice of an orange every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The juice may be diluted with warm water, if desired. If orange juice does not agree, vegetable juices may be taken. Each day while fasting, bowels should be cleansed of effete and poisonous matter thrown off by the self-cleansing process set up by the body. This can be achieved by warm water enema.
During the juice fast, the patient will usually feel no craving for alcohol. This will give a good 10
day start towards breaking the drinking habit and would help remove not only the physical
dependence but also the psychological factors. After the initial fast on juices, the optimum diet of vital nutrients is essential. Such a diet should consist of whole grains, cereals, nuts, seeds and sprouts, fresh fruits and vegetables.
Tip 68. The cause of bronchitis is not a germ, but the diet.
The chief cause of bronchitis is wrong feeding habits.
The habitual use of refined foods such as white sugar, refined cereals and white-flour products results in the accumulation of morbid matter in the system and collection of toxic waste in the bronchial tube. Another important cause of this disease is smoking. Excessive smoking irritates the bronchial tubes and lowers their resistance so that they become vulnerable to germs breathed in from the atmosphere.
Other causes of bronchitis are living or working in stuffy atmosphere, use of drugs to suppress earlier diseases and hereditary factors. Changes in weather and environment are common factors for the onset of the disease.
Tip 69. The more fibre, the better.
The more fibre, the better.
There are divergent views as to the requirement of dietary fibre for good health. There is no
recommended daily dietary allowance for it and hardly any data about optimum amounts. Some Africans known for lower incidence of degenerative diseases take about 150 grams of fibre a day. In Europe and North America, where there is a high incidence of such diseases, people take 25 grams or less a day. Dr. John H. Cummings, a noted fibre expert in England, considers that a fibre intake of 30 grams (about one ounce) per day is sufficient for good health.
Excessive consumption of fibre, especially bran, should however, be avoided. Due to its content of crude fibre, bran is relatively harsh and it may irritate the delicate functioning of the digestive system, especially in the sick and the weak. Excessive use of fibre may also result in loss of valuable minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium from the body through excretion due to quick passage of food from the intestine.
Tip 70. The real causes of eczema.
Many opine that eczema results from an imbalance of the immune system. This is not correct.
The real cause of eczema however is the failure of the human system to excrete the poisons
from the various orifices of the body. Waste matter is excreted from the rectum through stools,
from the bladder through urine, from the lungs through breath and from the pores of the skin
through sweat. Sometime the pores of the skin are overworked as waste matter is not properly
eliminated from the other orifices. If the pores are not given the chance to perform their normal
function, the sweat will be full of morbid matter and this gives rise to skin diseases like eczema,
acne, boils and other eruptions.
Tip 71. The real causes of heart disease.
The most important cause of arteriosclerosis is excessive intake of white sugar, refined foods
and high fat diet, rich in cholesterol.
A sedentary life and excesses of all kinds are the major contributing causes. Hardening of the arteries may also be caused by other diseases such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, rheumatism, Bright's disease, malaria, and syphilis.
Emotional stress also plays an important part, and heart attacks are more common during the
periods of mental and emotional disturbances, particularly in those engaged in sedentary
occupations. Heredity also plays its role and this disease runs in families.