Category: Naturopathy

In our series of Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part I, Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part II and Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part III, we have been covering the major benefits of fasting. In this article, we will be covering why it is necessary to change our eating habits to suit nature, which controls all aspects of our life.

I mentioned that I am a vegetarian. I have eaten non-vegetarian food, but found them not only absolutely tasteless but also somewhat harmful. I started researching on this subject of vegetarian food versus non-vegetarian food. I found out a few astonishing items. I am listing them here to explain how nature has created human beings for vegetarian food.

1. I mentioned that I found non-vegetarian food as tasteless. It is absolutely true. You can eat all fruits and most vegetables raw, even without cooking. Is it possible to eat raw meat or raw fish without cooking them and adding lots of spices to them, unless you are a cannibal? The taste is not in the meat or in the flesh, but in the spices mixed with them during cooking. This is not necessary in case of fruits and vegetables. If you wish to add some taste to your vegetable salad, all you need is to sprinkle a few pinches of pepper powder and a pinch of salt on them. Adding too much salt is also dangerous to health, since most vegetables have salt built-in in them.
2. Non-vegetarians believe that animals, birds, fish and other living species have been created for their eating. Here is an astonishing fact that even many doctors are not aware of. All animals and other human beings that are carnivorous have a stomach that is two to three feet. They usually eat their meaty food, keep it for some time in their stomach to absorb the energy in the food item and then normally vomit the balance. You will have seen dogs and cats vomit food regularly after some time. Even lions, tigers and other carnivorous animals do this regularly, with only a small residue coming out as stool from them.
3. On the other hand, all herbivorous animals, including humans, have stomach (the length of the stomach is measured from mouth to anus) is between 10 and 12 feet. In fact, for most beings, the length of the stomach exactly doubles its height. Hence, when we or other herbivorous animals eat, it takes 8-12 hours for the food to be completely digested and reach the end of bowels. Most of us use the toilet only once a day and hence the food remains in our stomach for a minimum of 16 to 18 hours. Any non-vegetarian food is very likely to decay within the body during such a long period and germs, bacteria and viruses multiply and spread throughout the body. The construction of the human body and its stomach, which is similar to other herbivorous animals, clearly show that the human body is designed only for vegetarian food and not for non-vegetarian food.
4. Another major argument that non-vegetarians put forth is that meat and other non-vegetarian food items provide more strength than vegetarian food. This is another huge myth created by them. For example, let us say that you are being driven by a dog and you are running as fast as you can. After some time, you will find that the dog will tire, it will start breathing hard and its tongue will start hanging out with saliva dripping. It will stop running. This is true of all carnivorous animals, including cats, lions and tigers. On the other hand, a cow or an ox can drag heavy weights for miles with a mild running. A horse can run easily run for 50 or more miles at a stretch. A deer can do the same and that is why deer or antelopes easily escape from chasing leopards, since the deer or antelopes can easily outrun the leopards. Even an elephant can run easily for 20 miles or so continuously if necessary, even with its huge body. You decide for yourself which food provides more strength.

We shall continue this interesting subject of fasting methods, restrictions and benefits in our subsequent article, Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part V.

Before continuing with the Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part III, as part of our previous articles, Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part I And Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part II, I wish to inform you how allowing nature will facilitate in helping your body cure itself without any external intervention with medications or other medical procedures.

At this juncture, I wish to share my own experience of nature cure with the readers. I was a weak and sick boy until the age of 20. Then, a person from Kerala taught me a few things about nature cure. I started practicing that and it provided positive results on my health. I went on improving my knowledge on various aspects of nature cure. I have been a practitioner of nature cure for the last 40 years. I have never gone to any doctor or taken any medications during those 40 years, but have allowed my own body to cure itself. I rarely suffer from any diseases due to my healthy habits aligned with nature comprehensively. If I get a fever, I will live on liquid food for 2-3 days and the fever will automatically go away. I always make it a habit to eat only when I feel sufficiently hungry and eat only that much quantity which can be digested by and ingested in the body within the next 5-7 hours. I never believe that eating should be regular and on time, but eating should be done only when someone really feels hungry.

I eat only vegetarian food and if I find any food item not smelling the way it should be, I avoid eating it. I take curd rice twice a day, in the noon and in the night, even though certain medical practitioners say that curd should not be taken in the night. My food consists more of vegetables than other items. In fact, a friend of mine once jokingly told me that we are eating the wrong way and we should reverse our plate to eat. Normally, we serve rice or roti in the plate facing us and the vegetable and curry items on the opposite side. He said that if we reverse the plate, we will be eating more vegetables and lesser rice or roti, which is the correct recipe for natural eating.

I have been practicing this since the age of 20 and I am quite healthy at 60 now. I rarely get cold or fever and I have encountered headache probably 3-4 times in the last 40 years. Even for headache, I do not take any medicine, but allow my mind to relax and enjoy the pain. The pain disappears within 10-15 minutes. Enjoying pain is one easy way of eliminating it quickly. When we are prepared to enjoy pleasure, even for long hours, why not learn to bear pain at least for some time? In fact, pain is not even a part of our body, but a mental projection. When we are in deep sleep, we do not even feel mosquito bites, but feel them acutely when we are awake. This is because the mind perceives the pain and not the body. A fainted person will not feel pain, even if you pinch him/her with a needle. A person in coma will not even be aware of anything happening around him/her.

Hence, pleasure and pain are not part of the body but only of the mind. This is what Indian yoga teaches. Separate the mind from the body and starve the body of physical sensations and you can overcome most of the physical strain, pains and afflictions of the body. Slowly, the mind will take over the body, establish its power and subdue the body to cure itself. This is also a type of fasting, a mental fasting over the physical body. We shall cover more details on the subject of fasting and eating the right food in our next article, Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part IV, as part of our series of articles, Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part I and Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part II.

In continuation of our Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part I, we are presenting more revealing facts about the astonishing effects of fasting as a nature cure method. We have already stated in our introduction to nature cure principles and practices that the most common cause or reason for all bodily disorders, diseases, infections, ailments and other physical and mental afflictions is the accumulation of toxins, waste and poisonous matter in our body, which generally stems from overheating in various body parts. Most of the persons in modern world eat not only too much, but also consume unhealthy food items.

Their sedentary lifestyles of sitting for hours on chairs in offices and occupying the sofas in front of televisions on returning home prevent any type of exercise for the body parts. This results in insufficient and improper exercise for them to utilize the large quantities of food, especially the unhealthy diet that they consume. Munching some type of snack item while we watch television has been a common habit that many of us follow without even thinking about its consequences. We proceed afterwards to an enthusiastic dinner. We usually do not allow enough time for all the food items that we consumed, but go to sleep within an hour or two at the maximum, with many of us directly going to bed after a hearty dinner. The body metabolism slows down when we sleep and hence the time taken for digestion also gets increased.

The surplus of undigested or unutilised food overburdens not only the digestive system and its various organs, but also the assimilative organs, clogging up the entire body system with toxins, impurities or poisonous materials. Digestion of consuming diet and elimination of toxic and waste materials becomes slower and slower. The functional activities of the entire body system get completely deranged. The onset of various diseases is a mere process of the body in trying to get rid of the impurities from the system. There is only one remedy to cure or heal any disease, which is performing the opposite of the cause of the disease, which is reduction of food intake or resorting to partial or complete fasting. We think that we will become weak and die if we fast for long periods. Actually, very few of us are aware that even the weakest human beings are capable of remaining alive even for a minimum of seven to ten days without eating solid food but living on fruit juices, fruits and easily digestible raw uncooked vegetables. On the other hand, the germs, bacteria and viruses in our body cannot survive that long without proper nourishment and they will wither away and die.

Moreover, when you deprive the body for some time without food, all the organs of elimination in the body, such as the liver, spleen, kidneys bowels, lungs and skin get more opportunity and time to expel the overloaded accumulation of toxins and waste materials from the body without any hampering. Fasting is only a quick and effective method of purification and cure. Fasting helps nature in her constant effort to expel all undesirable foreign matter as well as the wastes that produce diseases in the body. Fasting corrects the faults and corruptions of improper eating and wrong lifestyle. It assists in the regeneration of blood and also repair and regeneration of the different muscles, tissues and cells in the body. This is the basic secret of fasting. We shall continue more details on this crucial subject in nature cure further in our next articles in this series, Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part III and Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part IV.

Even though the word ‘fasting’ is considered to be derived from the old English word, ‘feastan’ which means to observe, fast or be strict. Fasting is one of the oldest, least expensive and most effective methods in nature cure of diseases. There is a very ancient Indian adage, “Langanam Parama Oushadam”, meaning fasting is the best medicine, which has been part of nature cure in Indian medicine from time immemorial. Dr. Arnold Eheret, who originated the principle of muscleless healing system through dieting, described fasting as the only natural, universal and omnipotent remedy in the healing of diseases and he added that it was only the only fundamental natural law in all curing and healing.

Even though Indian medicine system has prescribed fasting as a strong method of curing illnesses, following the teachings of Dhanvantari, deemed as the God of Medicine and Guardian Deity of Hospitals, fasting practice has been followed by nearly all the religions of the world, such as the Hindus, the Buddhists, the Mohammedans and other religions. Most of them have strict periods of fasting. Asclepiades, a philosopher of nature cure school advocated fasting as an effective treating method two thousand years ago. Other nature cure advocates like Hippocrates, Paracelsus and Galen as well as several other great authorities on naturopathy have recommended fasting as one of the most dependable methods of curing illnesses or preventing them from occurring altogether. It is a known fact that the Mohammedans strictly follow the day time fasting during the month of Ramzan and eat only in the night. Saints of all religions during the medieval times have also laid great stress on fasting.

In Hindu religion, fasting during the eleventh day after each day of Amavasya and Pournami, the New Moon and Full Moon days have been prevalent for several millennia. In fact, this fasting is quite rigid. The follower of this fasting ritual should eat only once during the day on the tenth day, eat nothing on the eleventh day and eat at sunrise on the twelfth day. The Indian medicine has even described the kind of food that should be consumed in the morning of the twelfth day, such as Athi Keerai or Agathi Keerai cooked with dal (paruppu) and dried and powdered Nelli or Amla pachadi, along with certain other essential cooling food items (For ingredients of the diet to be prepared for the twelfth day after New Moon and Full Moon, you can refer to http://anudinam.org/2012/06/30/dwadasi-paaranai-thaligai/). The reason for such a food is to provide relief to the digestive organs in a natural manner, by cooling them with natural ingredients and eliminating the acidity that accumulates during the fasting period. Apart from this rigorous fortnightly fasting, it is usual for Hindus to fast on other days also, such as Soma Vara Vrata (Monday Fasting), Guru Vara Vrada (Thursday Fasting) and Sani Vara Vrada (Saturday Fasting), etc. to keep the digestive system as clean as possible. Further details on fasting will be taken up in our next articles, Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part II, Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part III and Master Remedy of Nature Cure is Fasting with Strict Restrictions – Part IV.

Nature cure or naturopathy is one among the several alternative medical fields, such as naturopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, Ayurveda, Siddha, energy therapies, etc. The modern allopathic medicine, its inventors, advocates and practitioners, normally do not accept naturopathy or other alternative medicines, stating that the healing effects of such alternative medicinal practices are not based on evidences collected through the use of accepted scientific methods and principles.

Hence, the practices of medical diagnosis and treatment methods of alternative medicines have been excluded from the educational courses or curriculum of a majority of the established medical schools, colleges and other higher education institutions in the field of conventional medicine. Very few practitioners of conventional medicines accept or recommend the principles and practices of alternative medicines. Still, the alternative medicines consist of a wide range of principles, practices, therapies and products in the field of health care. The most prominent among them is naturopathy, an alternative medicine that has been grossly misunderstood or even rejected as dangerous by people ignorant of its true meaning and value.

The truth is that nature cure or naturopathy is exactly what its name indicates, using nature to cure all types of bodily disorders, ailments and diseases. The history of naturopathy is as old as the origin of humanity. Nature cure is not a mere healing system, it is a also a way of healthy life and a constructive treatment method. The aim of nature cure is to remove the underlying or fundamental cause of any disease by using the various elements available freely in nature. This is achieved through a rational approach that is in perfect tuning with internal vital forces present in the human body or the other natural elements that comprise the human body. Nature cure is not even an alternative medicine, but a complete revolution in human life. It is both a science and an art that has been perfected over several millennia.

The term ‘naturopathy’ may be of recent origin, coined by John Scheel in 1895 and Benedict Lust, considered the father of naturopathy in the United States popularized it even further in the West. However, the philosophical basis of nature cure and the various treatment methods are very ancient. Historical and anthropological evidences clearly suggest that nature cure principles and treatment practices were practiced widely in Greece, Rome, and Egypt in their ancient periods of glory. Hippocrates (460-357 B.C.), accepted as the father of Western medicine, was a strong advocate of nature cure and he has emphatically stated that ‘Nature Cures, not the Physician’.

Historians and anthropologists also unanimously agree that the natural healing system was in a very advanced stage in India in the most ancient times, even before other countries of the world obtained any knowledge of medicine. The scriptures and other sacred books of India, especially the medical treatises, such as Charaka Samhita (a text on Indian medicine), Sushruta Samhita (a text on Indian surgery), Ashtanga Hridaya (a text on Indian medicine and surgery), Ashtanga Samgraha, Kashyapa Samhita (a text on gynecology, obstetrics and child health) and other innumerable ancient text books in Sanskrit and other regional languages are evidences of the level of advancement that India has achieved in the field of medicine even before several millennia. Several references are available in the four Vedas of Hindu philosophy, namely, Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda about natural cure medicinal practices, especially the methods of using the excellent healing agents of nature, such as earth, water, air and sun. In fact, Ayurveda is considered as the fifth Veda in Indian medical practice.

The exact nature of the principles and practices of nature cure or naturopathy will be explained in our subsequent articles, Nature Cure or Naturopathy – An Introduction to Principles and Practices – Part II, Nature Cure or Naturopathy – An Introduction to Principles and Practices – Part III and Nature Cure or Naturopathy – An Introduction to Principles and Practices – Part IV. If you have any questions or doubts on this initial introduction on nature cure, please feel free to contact us. If you wish to know more about nature cure and its methods, kindly go through Part II, Part III and Part IV of this series of introductory articles. We will be taking up the actual diagnosis and treatment methods of nature cure or naturopathy in subsequent articles.

Consequent to our previous article, Nature Cure or Naturopathy – An Introduction to Principles and Practices – Part I, we are presenting the major principles and practices in not only diagnosing and treating all types of diseases, ailments and bodily disorders but also in avoiding all of them even before they occur. It is true that we may be born with certain afflictions due to genetic or other health related reasons. It is easily possible either to eliminate even these prenatal, postnatal or inherited afflictions completely or minimize their effect to such an extent that they do not pose any health problem.

Two basic principles usually guide nature cure or naturopathy, though there are several other principles that are the foundations of nature cure. The first principle is that any affliction, disease, disorder or ailment in the human body is only an abnormal condition that has resulted from the violation of the laws of nature. Each violation of the laws of nature has serious repercussions on the human body system, usually leading to lowered vitality, accumulation of toxic and waste matters and irregularities in blood, lymph and other crucial body functions. For example, when we consume faulty, unnatural or unhealthy diets, the first system that gets affected adversely is the digestive system, which should be obvious even to lay persons.

What many of us do not realize is that such food items lead to accumulation of several toxic as well as waste materials in our body. When this occurs, not only the digestive system, but other crucial organs of the body, such as liver, spleen, kidneys, bowels, skin, lungs and even the heart are forced to overwork to remove these toxins and waste materials or at least neutralize their ill effect on the entire body system. Since it is not possible to get rid of these dangerous materials as fast as they accumulate in our bodies, various types of diseases and afflictions are the natural result.

Another cause for diseases is the mental and/or emotional disturbances that all of us undergo regularly in our lives. All these disturbances lead to serious imbalances in the vital electric fields that control the cell metabolisms in our body. These electrical field imbalances produce toxins in the cell metabolisms. In normal conditions, the electric fields remain undisturbed and germs, bacteria and viruses that live in our cells continue to remain inactive without getting multiplied or producing toxins. When the electric fields get disturbed or when the blood circulating in our bodies gets polluted with toxic wastes, these germs, bacteria and viruses become active, start to multiply and become very harmful to our bodies. This is a second major cause of diseases and other physical afflictions.

Even though the food that we eat and our mental and emotional states are the major reasons for many of the afflictions from which we suffer, the technological advancements and mass industrialization have also been a major reason for several physical disorders and diseases. The high pollution levels due to serious degradation of the environment, the greenhouse gases and other toxic materials in the air that we breathe, the chemically contaminated water that we drink, the additional physical and mental stresses and strains that we encounter in our daily life due to changed modern lifestyles and the lazy and languid way in which we spend our days without any physical exercises or other activities that stimulate the body system are all major contributors to different types of afflictions and diseases.

The second most important, but abominably ignored principle is that the human body is not only a highly complex system, but is also a very powerful system that still remains a mystery even to the most intelligent scientists of the past several centuries until today. Our bodies have the capacity and vitality to cure themselves in a natural manner in most cases of diseases and disorders without the use of any drugs or other medications. This second principle and other principles that guide nature cure or naturopathy will be discussed in our next articles in this series, Nature Cure or Naturopathy – An Introduction to Principles and Practices – Part III and Nature Cure or Naturopathy – An Introduction to Principles and Practices – Part IV.