Popular Home Remedies and Alternative Medicine Cures

The following is a list of 365 popular "home remedies" or "alternative medicine cures" for some common ailments.  Many seem to be based on medicine and scientific facts and make good sense, while others do not sound like good advice at all.  The purpose of posting this list is to generate a good discussion about these remedies rather than to suggest cures for ailments.

Disclaimer: This list is a compilation of home remedies that are NOT prescribed by a medical practitioner.  They are presented for educational and discussion purposes and should not be considered as valid replacement for sound medical advice from a medical or a healthcare practitioner.  Furthermore, this information is provided on as "as-is" basis.  If you choose to adopt any of those suggested remedies, you do so at your own risk.

Contents:

1. Color Therapy, A Basic Guide to Putting Color in Your Health
2. Recognize the Problem with Conventional Therapies
3. Use the Recovery Diet
4. Anti-Aging Therapies
5. Basic Nutritional Principles
6. Basic Dietary Treatment Principles
7. Basic Vegetarianism
8. Get to Know Healthy Kitchen Practices
9. Control Inflammation with Cold
10. Control Pain with Heat
11. Fasting Is a Time of Rest
12. Hydrotherapy, the treatment of disease with the bath
13. A simple nature cure for inflammatory conditions is the cold footbath.
14. The cold hipbath is a routine treatment in most diseases.
15. The Epsom salt bath is useful in many conditions.
16. A simple nature cure is the hot footbath.
17. A hot hipbath relieves conditions "below the belt."
18. The hot immersion bath is a surprising cure for obesity.
19. Use the mud bath to remove impurities.
20. Enhance beauty with the mudpack.
21. Control and channel sexual desire with the neutral hipbath.
22. Remove morbid matter from the surface of the skin with the hot steam bath.
23: Avoid medications for sleeplessness.
24. Diet, not surgery, for kidney stones.
25. To avoid headache, avoid eyestrain.
26. Take heed of headaches. Headaches may be a symptom of hypertension.
27. Hydrocele, The Common But Little-Known Condition of Men's Mature Years
28. Indigestion may be caused by how you neat, not just what you eat.
29. Influenza is more than a viral infection.
30. Low blood sugar is caused by too much sugar.
31. To avoid gout, avoid meat.
32. Meditate!
33. No drugs cure high blood pressure.
34. Stress causes headaches.
35. The Surprising Causes of Leucoderma
36. Tingling, burning, stabbing pains? The problem could be neuritis.
37. The right fats fight the effects of the wrong fats.
38. To prevent baldness, eat the right foods.
39. To cure a headache, eat something (as long as it is not sugar).
40. To fight depression, be active.
41. Exercise also plays an important role in the treatment of depression.
42. Treat dandruff from the inside, not the outside.
43. Acid = Danger
44. Activity is not the same as exercise.
45. Alkalize!
46. Any cure begins with detoxification.
47. As noted before, to heal disease, first remove toxins. If you do not, your body will.
48. Attention to diet heals the body as a whole.
49. Avoid medications for colds.
50. Avoid medications for the treatment of colitis.
51. Avoid ointments and salves for conjunctivitis.
52. Avoid overeating.
53. Avoid acidosis.
54. Bed rest for liver disease.
55. Breathe right!
56. Enhance health with color.
57. Count calories to relieve asthma.
58. Detect allergies by taking the pulse.
59. Do not rely on the nature cure for treatment of cataracts.
60. Drink water regularly.
61. Enzymes are good medicine.
62. Eschew the eating of flesh.
63. Chew, chew, chew, for it’s the thing to do.
64. Eat plant foods for faster healing.
65. Safety measures for preventing back pain.
66. Prevention is better than cure in anemia.
67. The alcoholic must choose sobriety.
68. The cause of bronchitis is not a germ, but the diet.
69. The more fiber, the better.
70. The real causes of eczema.
71. The real causes of heart disease.
72. The reality of food allergies.
73. Ten Commandments for Problem Drinkers
74. Raw Juice Therapy? Timing is everything!
75. To treat high blood pressure, get enough sleep.
76. Treat acne from the inside out.
77. Treat hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis) with fresh air and warm bath.
78. Treat bronchitis with moist heat.
79. What you need to know before you start a diet, especially a raw juice diet.
80. What you need to know about fruit.
81. What you need to know about seeds, nuts, and grains.
82. What you need to know about vegetables.
83. Vegetarianism enlivens the health.
84. What You Need to Know About Combining Foods, Rule #1.
85. Why you need fruit in your diet.
86. The reasons for eating green
87. Everything you need to know about bran.
88. More things you need to know about fiber.
89. Basic, health-giving foods.
90. Get the protein-power of meat while eating a vegetarian diet by combining plant foods.
91. For good health, do not be an epicure.
92. Meat is not needed for good health.
93. The key to optimal nutrition is combining the right foods.
94. What you need to know about combining foods, Rule #2.
95. What you need to know about combining foods, Rule #3.
96. Eat different foods at different meals.
97. Fruit juices and vegetable juices have different health applications.
98. Plant protein makes life possible.
99. Get to know the many possibilities of juicing.
100. Relax the eyes to relieve glaucoma.
101. To look young, take lecithin.
102. Controlled breathing allows restful sleep.
103. Quick tips for curing backache.
104. Quick tips for curing fatigue.
105. Quick tips for curing joint pain.
106. Quick tips for curing male impotence.
107. Quick tips for curing nerve problems.
108. Quick tips for curing obesity.
109. Relieve stress by meditation, not medication.
110. More insight into insomnia.
111. Quick tips for dealing with loss of appetite.
112. More insight into impotence.
113. Insight into underweight, the overlooked threat to health.
114. Quick tips for gaining weight.
115. Quick tips for treating urinary tract infections.
116. Ayurvedic Foods for TB
117. The Gooseberry for Chronic Lung Conditions
118. Quick tips for curing sinusitis.
119. The Key Nutrient for Treating TB
120. Nature Cure Methodology for Tuberculosis
121. Water Therapy for TB
122. Yoga for TB
123. Add color to your health with color-charged water.
124. A Brief Explanation of the Healing Power of the Sun
125. Contraindications for Color Therapy
126. Color Therapy: Simple Methods Reviewed
127. Quick tips for curing gum disease.
128. Cost-Free Methods of Health Care: Heat, Cold, and Yoga for Sinusitis
129. Health habits for minimizing the pain of psoriasis.
130. Diet therapy for liver disease.
131. Balanced diet for restoring restful sleep.
132. Good food for good digestion.
133. Diets for Sinusitis
134. To prevent constipation, get your fiber.
135. To prevent diarrhea, get your fiber.
136. Exercise for Gallstone Relief.
137. To relieve depression, exercise.
138. Eye exercise can cure defective vision.
139. Exercises for an Aching Neck.
140. Saving Sight with Palming.
141. Saving Sight with Swinging
142. Exercise promotes longevity.
143. Massage is exercise, too.
144. Methods of Massage
145. When to Watch Out During Exercise
146. When your exercise routine begins to bore you, remember its benefits.
147. Fasting Cures for Arteriosclerosis (Hardening of the Arteries)
148. Fasting Cures for Bronchitis
149. Fasting for Gallstones
150. Fasting for Gout
151. Fasting for Kidney Disease Treatment
152. Fasting to Relieve Leucoderma
153. The Fasting Cure for Rheumatism
154. The Safest, Most Effective, and Best Method of Fasting
155. Fasting Therapies for Psoriasis
156. Why Fasting Is the Master Remedy
157. An Invitation to Fasting
158. Fasting For More Efficient Digestion
159. Not all fasts are equivalent.
160. The Key Rule for Fasting and Fatigue
161. Unless you break your fast properly, its benefits will be lost.
162. Basic Food Cures: Almonds, Cabbage, and Carrots to Relieve Gastric Inflammation
163. Basic Food Cures: Apples in Alcoholism
164. Basic Food Cures: When you need fiber, eat beans.
165. Beet for Heart Health
166. Bitter Gourd for Diabetes
167. Black Raisins for Sexual Vigor
168. Buttermilk for Diarrhea
169. Carrot Soup for Diarrhea
170. Carrots and Lady's Fingers for Male Sexual Stamina
171. Cherries for Gout
172. Dietary Measures for Digestive Regularity
173. Drink fresh fruit juices, not canned or frozen.
174. Fiber for Disease Prevention
175. Fighting Fat with a Vegetarian Diet
176. The Figgy Cure
177. Food Cures for Cataracts
178. Food Cures for Dysentery
179. Food Cures for Seizure Disorders
180. Foods for Colitis
181. More Foods for Male Sexual Stamina
182. More Foods for Sinusitis
183. Foods to Avoid When Dealing with Stress
184. Foods To Be Avoided in Glaucoma
185. Foods to Consume When Dealing with Stress
186. Supplements for Dealing with Stress
187. Fruit for Healthy Teeth and Gums
188. Fruits for Treating Constipation
189. Garlic and Onion in the Bedroom
190. Garlic for Asthma
191. Go Bananas to Treat Chronic Disease
192. Growing Your Own Sprouts
193. Jambul for Diabetes
194. Kidney Beans for Kidney Problems
195. Not Everything Green Goes for Kidney Disease
196. Onion for Bronchitis
197. Parsley for the Heart
198. Pomegranate and Mango for Diarrhea
199. Pumpkins Seeds for Prostate Problems
200. Soy for Nerve Diseases
201. Special Diet for Kidney Stones Made of Calcium
202. Special Diet for Kidney Stones Made of Uric Acid
203. The Basic Protocol for Heart Disease
204. The Cabbage Cure for Psoriasis
205. The Cabbage Diet for Losing Weight
206. Favorable Facts about Raw Juice Therapy
207. The Juice Diet for Asthma
208. The Lemon for Circulatory Health
209. The Lemon Juice Diet for Losing Weight
210. The Milk Cure
211. The Amazing Range of Juice Cures
212. The Potato Cure for Rheumatism
213. The Pungent Cure for Hypertension
214. The Surprising Treatment for Hypertension
215. The Sweet Honey Cure for Overweight
216: To cure ulcers, go bananas.
217. joint diseases with fruits and vegetables.
218: Two Simple Cures for Rheumatoid Arthritis
219. Two Simple Fruits for Controlling Hypertension
220. Vegetable Juices for Nerve Inflammation
221. Vegetable Juices to Benefit Gastritis
222. Vegetables for Cancer Prevention
223. Vegetables for Healthy Teeth and Gums
224. Wheatgrass for Leukemia
225. A Novel Diet for Hypoglycemia
226. Figs and Mango for Relief of Piles
227. Heart Protection with Lecithin
228. Holy Basil for Unholy Stress
229. Castor Oil for Dysenteric Disorders
230. Turmeric for Bronchitis
231. Herbs for Flu
232. Home Remedies for Dandruff
233. Home Remedies for Hair Loss
234. Home Remedies for Jaundice
235. How to Sprout Sprouts
236. More Home Remedies for Hair Loss
237. Seeds that Heal Leucoderma
238: Home Remedies for Colds
239. More Than Just a Diet For Losing Weight
240. Vegetable Juices that Fight Fatigue
241. In Praise of Salt
242. Calcium, the Vital Mineral
243. Chlorine, the Digestive Mineral
244. Cobalt, the Chameleon of Nutrients
245. Fluorine, the Forgotten Nutrient
246. Iodine, the Vitality Nutrient
247. The Right Kind of Iron for Healthy Blood
248: Magnesium, the Neglected Mineral
249. Manganese, the Mental Mineral
250. Phosphorous, an Often Forgotten Nutrient
251. Potassium, the Power Mineral
252. Selenium, the Stamina Mineral
253. Silicon, the "Beauty Mineral"
254. Take a Bead on B
255. Vitamin A, the Forgotten Vitamin
256. Vitamin B for the Brain
257: Vitamin B12, the Ambiguous Vitamin
258: Don’t Forget Your Vitamin B2
259. B3 for Me
260. Ensure the health of your blood with folic acid.
261. Vitamin C, the "Antibiotic" Vitamin
262. Vitamin D, the "Sunshine Vitamin"
263. Vitamin E for Vital Sexuality and Healthy Reproduction
264. Vitamin K for Healthy Blood
265. Why Iron Is Not Enough, the Importance of Copper in the Body
266. Zinc, Key to Reproductive Health
267. Take minerals if you take vitamins.
268. Oil for Arthritis
269. Massage of the Back
270. Overlooked Influences in Prostate Disease
271. Warning Signs of Prostate Disease
272. Home Remedies for Aging Hair
273. How to Prevent or Recolor Grey Hair
274. The Butter Cure
275. Make an Herbal Hair Dye
276. Heal Yourself: A Basic Principle of the Nature Cure
277. A Second Basic Principle of the Nature Cure
278. The Curative Power of a Simple, Healthful Diet
279. Stimulating Vitality
280. Forgotten Healing Methods
281. Clay for Skin Care
282. Spice Up Your Complexion with Radish
283. Turmeric and Mustard Oil for Skin Colour
284. Comprehensive Therapies for Headache
285. Diabetics can eat healthy sugars.
286. Super Foods for Diabetics
287. Just say no to drugs for nerve problems.
288. Natural Enzyme Therapy
289. The Fletcher Method of Weight Control
290. To Treat High Blood Pressure, Drink Milk, Eat Vegetables
291. Sprouts Provide Pre-Digested Food
292. Lecithin: The Cardiovascular Cure
293. Cysteine, the Up and Coming Nutritional Supplement
294. Glutamine, the Essential "Non-Essential" Amino Acid
295. The Amino Trio: Isoleucine, Leucine, and Phenylalanine.
296: Lecithin: To Supplement, or Not to Supplement?
297. Lysine inhibits viruses.
298: Essential Methionine
299. To lower cholesterol, take soy and eat soy.
300. It Bears Repeating, Sprouts are Miraculously Nutritious
301. Let Excess Weight Go Up to the Clouds
302. Everything You Need to Know About Sexually Transmitted Diseases
303. Vegetable juices detoxify venereal diseases.
304. An Intimate Use for Lady’s Fingers
305: Treating Constipation to Relieve Prostate Problems
306. Sunshine Therapy for Psoriasis
307. A Surprising Revelation: Water Therapy Can Lower Cholesterol
308. Iron Deficiency Can Cause Headaches
309. Water Therapies for Headache
310. Animal Flesh Carries the Horror of Slaughter
311. Coconut for Eczema
312. Water Cures for Persistent Rash
313. Correct Nearsightedness without Glasses
314. The Barefoot Cure
315. Colour Therapy Is Easier Than It Appears
316. A Surprising Therapy: Heat for Acne
317. Castor Oil Beneficial in Allergy
318: A Secret Supplement for All-Around Good Health
319. An Amazing Youth Supplement
320. Abdominal Massage for Regularity
321. Salt as Treatment
322. Snack to Cure the Heart
323. For Maximum Protein, Vitamins, and Minerals of Seeds….
324. The Many Benefits of the Enema
325. Treat Constipation to Treat Cancer
326. Exercise the Neck to Strengthen the Eyes
327. Honey for Heart Disease
328. Ice Packs for Heart Disease
329. Onions and Garlic to Get Your Blood Moving
330. The Grape in the Treatment of Cancer
331. Massage for Erectile Dysfunction
332. A and C for Cancer Therapy
333. Vitamin Therapies for Anemia
334. More Than C for Colds
335. Vitamin Therapies for Psoriatic Disease
336. Vitamin B Complex for Headache
337. Vitamins for Acne
338: Vitamins for Glaucoma
339. Vitamins for Graying Hair
340. Vitamins for Hypoglycemia
341. Vitamins for Kidney Stones
342. Vitamins for Sinusitis
343: The Water Cure for Tired Blood
344. Hot Water for Constipation
345. Hydrotherapy for Sleeplessness
346. Mild water relieves mild depression.
347. Water is effective medicine in liver disease.
348. Water for Weak Eyes
349. Water is a natural cleanser.
350. What Your Physician Does Not Know About the Healing Power of Water
351. Bathing for Diabetes
352. Enemas for Arthritis
353. The Wet Sheet Pack
354. Treating the Testicles with Hot and Cold Baths
355. Drink water if you have high blood pressure.
356. The Water Cure for Itchy Skin
357. Drink water to relieve hemorrhoids and piles.
358: Smelly foods are good for you.
359. Bathing Cures for Menstrual Problems
360: Treating Menorrhea
361. Natural Care During Pregnancy
362. Curing Constipation During Pregnancy
363. The All-Fruit Diet for Premenstrual Dysphoria (PMS)
364. The Juice Fast for Varicose Veins
365. The Pill Cure for Varicose Veins




Details:

1. Color Therapy: A Basic Guide to Putting Color in Your Health Are you suffering nervous tension, ulcers, sexual disorders, hay fever, colds, or even cancer? Consider color therapy. This evening is an ideal time to begin putting your tensions away by enhancing your environment with the color green. Green gently relieves tension and mildly sedates the body. It strengthens eyesight. Being highly medicinal and depressive, green is of great help in the treatment of inflammatory conditions. How can we be sure to get benefits of green? One method of color therapy is simple: Just be sure to eat green foods. Eat any of the green vegetables and fruits such as gourds, spinach, plantain, lettuce, pea, green mango, gooseberry, pears, and beans.

2. Recognize the Problem with Conventional Treatments, The Example of Tonsillitis The treatment of the tonsillitis on the lines of modern medical system by means of painting and spraying is both harmful and suppressive. It does not help to rid the system of the toxins, which are the root of the trouble. In fact it forces these toxins back into the system, which may cause more serious trouble later on. The correct way to treat the disease is to cleanse the system of toxic waste through proper dietary and other natural methods.

To begin with, the patient should fast for three to five days by which time serious symptoms would subside. Nothing but water and orange juice should be taken during this time. The bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema during the period of fasting. A cold pack should be applied to the throat at two-hourly interval during the day. The procedure is to wring out some linen material in cold water, wrap it two or three times around the throat and cover it with some flannelling.

The throat may be gargled several times daily with neat lemon juice. Gargle made from the fenugreek seeds is very effective in severe cases. To make such a gargle, two tablespoonful of fenugreek seeds should be allowed to simmer for half an hour in a liter of water and then set aside to cool. The entire quantity should be used as a soothing gargle in a day with beneficial results.

3. Use the Recovery Diet: The Example of the Recovery Diet for Tonsillitis After the acute symptoms of tonsillitis are over, the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for further three or four days. In this regimen, three meals of fresh, juicy fruits such as apples, grapes, grapefruit, oranges, pears, pineapple, peaches and melon may be taken. The juice of fresh pineapple is most valuable in all throat afflictions of this kind. After the all-fruit diet the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet on the following lines:

• Breakfast: Fresh fruits, or grated raw carrot or any other raw salad, and milk. Prunes or other dried fruits may be added, if desired.

• Lunch: Steamed vegetables, as obtainable, and whole wheat chapattis. Vegetables likes bitter gourd and fenugreek are especially beneficial.

• Dinner: A good-sized raw salad of vegetables as obtainable, sprouts seeds as mung beans and alfalfa seeds, whole meal bread and butter or cottage cheese. Raw vegetable juices are also valuable in the treatment of tonsillitis. Juice of carrot, beet and cucumber taken individually or in combination are especially beneficial. Remember to use three parts carrot juice to one part beet and one part cucumber.

4. Anti-Aging Cures: The Example of Lecithin To stay young, take lecithin. Besides reducing the cholesterol level in the blood, there is mounting scientific evidence to suggest several other benefits from lecithin. It has been suggested that its intake in sufficient amounts can help rebuild those cells and organs which need it. Lecithin helps to maintain their health once they are repaired. It may mean that a deficiency of lecithin in the diet may be one of the causes of ageing and that its use may be beneficial in retarding the ageing process.

Edward R. Hewith in his book, The Years Between 75 and 90 says," with older people the fats remain high in the blood for from five to seven hours and in some cases as long as 20 hours, thus giving the fats more time to become located in the tissues. If lecithin is given to older people before a fatty meal, it has been found that the fats in the blood return to normal in a short time, in the same way they do in younger people."

5. Getting to Know the Basic Concepts of Human Nutrition: The Example of Potassium Potassium deficiencies are associated with breathlessness, fatigue, insomnia and low blood sugar. Potassium is essential for healthy heart muscles. Nuts and unrefined grains are good sources of potassium. Calcium is a natural sedative. Deficiencies can cause fatigue, nervousness and tension. Dairy products, eggs, almonds, and soya beans are rich sources of calcium. Magnesium is known as nature's tranquilizer and is associated with the prevention of heart attack. Deficiencies may lead to excitability, irritability, apprehension and emotional disorders. Magnesium is also necessary for absorption of calcium and potassium and is found in many fruits, vegetables, seeds, dates and prunes.

6. Get to Know Basic Diet Concepts: The Example of How Fiber in the Diet Lowers Cholesterol in the Blood The amount of fiber in the diet also influences the cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol can be lowered by taking diets rich in fibers. The most significant sources of dietary fiber are unprocessed wheat bran, whole cereals such as wheat, rice, barley, rye; legumes such as potato, carrot, beet and turnips; fruits like mango and guava and green vegetables such as cabbage, lady's finger, lettuce and celery.

Oat bran is especially beneficial in lowering LDL cholesterol. Expect effects of 8 to 15 mg/dl after consuming 30 g of oat bran each day for 30 days.

7. Get to Know Vegetarian Principles Example: To Lower Blood Pressure, Be Faithfully Vegetarian Vegetables are also good for the patient of hypertension. They should preferably be taken raw. If they are cooked, it should be ensured that their natural juices are not burnt in the process of cooking.

Vegetables like cucumber, carrot, tomatoes, onion, radish, cabbage and spinach are best taken in their raw form. They may be cut into small pieces and sprinkled with a little salt and the juice of a lemon added to them so as to make them more palatable.

8. Get to Know Healthy Kitchen Practices Example: Foods That Require Careful Cooking Certain foods, especially if they are not properly cooked, cause indigestion. Some people react unfavorable to certain foods like beans, cabbage, onions, cucumber, radishes and seafood. Fried foods as well as rich and spicy foods often cause abdominal discomfort and gas, and aggravate the existing condition.

What are some other important considerations?

• Excessive smoking and intake of alcohol can also cause stomach upsets.

• Constipation may interfere with the normal flow of ingested matter through the gastro-intestinal tract, resulting in gas and abdominal pain.

• Drinking too much water with meals, insomnia, emotions such as jealousy, fear and anger and lack of exercise are among the other causes of indigestion.

9. (Basic Healing Principles) Control Inflammation with Cold For controlling inflammation, use the cold compress. This is a local application using a cloth that has been wrung out in cold water. The cloth should be folded into a broad strip and dipped in cold water or ice water. The compress is generally applied to the head, neck, chest, abdomen and back.

The cold compress is an effective means of controlling inflammatory conditions of the liver, spleen, stomach, kidneys, intestines, lungs, brain, pelvic organs and so on. It is also advantageous in cases of fever and heart disease. The cold compress soothes irritations of the dermis and inflammations of external portions of the eye. When the eyeball is affected, the cold compress should follow a short fomentation.

10 (Basic Healing Principles) Control Pain with Heat For relieving pain, use the hot compress. This is a cold compress covered in such a manner as to bring warmth. A heating compress consists of three or four folds of linen cloth wrung out in cold water which is then covered completely with dry flannel or blanket to prevent the circulation of air and help accumulation of body heat.

The hot compress sometimes applied for several hours. The duration of the application is determined by the extent and location of the surface involved, the nature and thickness of the coverings and the water temperature. After removing the compress, the area should be rubbed with a wet cloth and then dried with a towel.

A heating compress can be applied to the throat, chest, abdomen, and joints. A throat compress relieves sore throat, hoarseness, tonsillitis, pharyngitis and laryngitis. An abdominal compress helps those suffering from gastritis, hyperacidity, indigestion, jaundice, constipation, diarrhea, dysentery and other ailments relating to the abdominal organs. The chest compress also known as chest pack, relieves colds, bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia, fever, cough and so on, while the joints compress is helpful for inflamed joints, rheumatism, rheumatic fever and sprains.

11. (Basic Healing Principles) Fasting Is a Time of Rest A lot of energy is spent during the fast in the process of eliminating accumulated poisons and toxic waste materials. It is, therefore, of utmost importance that the patients gets as much physical rest and mental relaxation as possible during the fast.

In cases of fasts in which fruit juices are taken, especially when fresh grapes, oranges or grapefruit are used exclusively, the toxic wastes enter the blood -stream rapidly, resulting in an overload of toxic matter, which affects normal bodily functions. This often results in dizzy spells, followed by diarrhea and vomiting. If this physical reaction persists, it is advisable to discontinue the fast and take cooked vegetables containing adequate roughage such as spinach and beets until the body functioning returns to normal.

The overweight person finds it much easier to go without food. Loss of weight causes no fear and the patient's attitude makes fasting almost a pleasure. The first day's hunger pangs are perhaps the most difficult to bear.

The craving for food will, however, gradually decrease as the fast progresses. Seriously sick persons have no desire for food and fasting comes naturally to them. The simplest rule is to stop eating until the appetite returns or until one feels completely well.

12. Hydrotherapy, the treatment of disease with the bath, is one of the most useful nature cures. The hipbath is one of the most useful forms of hydrotherapy. As the name suggests, this mode of treatment involves only the hips and the abdominal region below the navel. A special type of tub is used for the purpose. The tub is filled with water in such a way that it covers the hips and reaches up to the navel when the patient sits in it. Generally, four to six gallons of water are required. If the special tub is not available, a common tub may be used. A support may be placed under one edge to elevate it by two or three inches. Hipbath is given in cold, hot, neutral or alternate temperatures.

IMPORTANT PRECAUTIONS: Certain precautions are necessary while taking these therapeutic baths. Full baths should be avoided within three hours after a meal and one hour before it. Local baths like the hipbath and footbath may, however, be taken two hours after a meal. Clean and pure water must be used for baths and water once used should not be used again. While taking baths, temperature and duration should be strictly observed to obtain the desired effects. A thermometer should always be used to measure the temperature of the body. Women should not take any of the baths during menstruation. They can take only hipbaths during pregnancy till the completion of the third month.

13. A simple nature cure for inflammatory conditions is the cold footbath. Three to four inches of cold water at a temperature of 7.2 ºC to 12.7º C should be placed in a small tub or bucket. The feet should be completely immersed in the water for one to five minutes. Friction should be continuously applied to the feet during the bath, either by an attendant or by the patient by rubbing one foot against the other.

A cold footbath, taken for one or two minutes, relieves cerebral congestion and uterine haemorrhage. It also helps in the treatment of sprains, strains and inflamed bunions when taken for longer periods. It should not be taken in cases of inflammatory conditions of the genitourinary organs, liver and kidneys.

14. The cold hipbath is a routine treatment in most diseases. The water temperature should be 10ºC to 18ºC. The duration of the bath is usually 10 minutes, but in specific conditions it may vary from one minute to 30 minutes. If the patient feels cold or is very weak, a hot foot immersion should be given with the cold hipbath. The patient should rub the abdomen briskly from the navel downwards and across the body with a moderately coarse wet cloth. The legs, feet and upper part of the body should remain completely dry during and after the bath. The patient should undertake moderate exercise like yogasanas in a warm room, after the cold hipbath, to warm the body.

A cold hipbath is a versatile therapy. It relieves constipation, indigestion, and obesity, and helps the eliminative organs to function properly. It is also helpful in uterine problems like irregular menstruation, chronic uterine infections, pelvic inflammation, piles, hepatic congestion, chronic congestion of the prostate gland, seminal weakness, impotency, sterility, uterine and ovarian displacements, dilation of the stomach and colon, diarrhea, dysentery, hemorrhage of the bladder and so on. The cold hipbath should not be employed in acute inflammations of the pelvic and abdominal organs, ovaries and in painful contractions of the bladder, rectum, or vagina.

15. The Epsom salt bath is useful in cases of sciatica, lumbago, rheumatism, diabetes, neuritis, cold and catarrh, kidney disorders and other uric acid and skin affections. The immersion bathtub should be filled with about 135 liters of hot water at 40ºC. One to 1 1/2 kg of Epsom salt should be dissolved in this water. The patient should drink a glass of cold water, cover the head with a cold towel and then lie down in the tub, completely immersing the trunk, thighs and legs for 15 to 20 minutes. The best time to take this bath is just before retiring to bed.

16. A simple nature cure is the hot footbath. In this method, the patient should keep his or her legs in a tub or bucket filled with hot water at a temperature of 40ºC to 45ºC. Before taking this bath, a glass of water should be taken and the body should be covered with a blanket so that no heat or vapour escapes from the footbath.

The head should be protected with a cold compress. The duration of the bath is generally from 5 to 20 minutes. The patient should take a cold shower immediately after the bath. The hot footbath stimulates the involuntary muscles of the uterus, intestines, bladder and other pelvic and abdominal organs. It also relieves sprains and ankle joint pains, headaches caused by cerebral congestion, and colds. In women, it helps restore menstruation, if suspended, by increasing supply of blood especially to the uterus and ovaries.

17. A hot hipbath helps to relieve painful menstruation, pain in the pelvic organs, painful urination, inflamed rectum or bladder and painful piles. It also benefits enlarged prostate gland, painful contractions or spasm of the bladder, sciatica, neuralgia of the ovaries and bladder. This bath is generally taken for eight to 10 minutes at a water temperature of 40º C to 45ºC. The bath should start at 40º C. The temperature should be gradually increased to 45 º C. NO friction should be applied to the abdomen. Before entering the tub, the patient should drink one glass of cold water. A cold compress should be placed on the head. A cold shower bath should be taken immediately after the hot hipbath. Care should be taken to prevent the patient from catching a chill after the bath. The bath should be terminated if the patient feels giddy or complains of excessive pain.

18. The hot immersion bath is a valuable treatment in chronic rheumatism and obesity. It gives immediate relief when there is pain due to stones in the gall bladder and the kidneys. This bath also relieves capillary bronchitis and bronchial pneumonia in children. It relieves congestion of the lungs and activates the blood vessels of the skin muscles. This bath can be taken from two to 15 minutes at a temperature from 36.6º C to 40º C. Generally this bath is started at 37ºC and the temperature is then gradually raised to the required level by adding hot water.

Before entering the bath, the patient should drink cold water and also wet the head, neck and shoulders with cold water. A cold compress should be applied throughout the treatment. This bath can be advantageously employed in dropsy when there is excessive loss of tone of the heart and blood. The bath should be terminated as soon as the skin becomes red. In pneumonia and suppressed menstruation, the bath should be administered at 37.7º C to 40º C for about 30 to 45 minutes. This bath should be given when the menstruation is due and may be repeated for two to three days in succession. In dysmenorrhoea, this bath should be given at 38º C to 44.4º C for 15 minutes. In chronic bronchitis a very hot bath taken for 5 to 7 minutes should be accompanied with rubbing and friction. This relieves congestion of the mucous membrane and provides immediate relief. After the bath, oil should be applied to the skin if necessary. The hot bath should not be taken in cases of organic diseases of the brain or spinal cord, nor in cases of cardiac weakness or cardiac hypertrophy.

19. Use the mud bath to remove impurities. The mud or clay bath is another mode of the nature cure. It is applied in the same way as mud packs, but only on a larger scale on the entire body. In this, mud or clay is first ground and sifted to remove all impurities, and then made into a smooth paste mixed with hot water. The paste is then spread on a sheet that in turn is wrapped round the body. One or two blankets are then wrapped over this, depending on the temperature of the room and that of the pack. A mud bath is followed with a cleansing warm water bath and a short cold shower.

The mud bath is found to tone up the skin by increasing the circulation and energizing the skin tissues. Frequent mud baths help to improve the complexion, clear spots and patches on the skin following skin disorders or due to smallpox. It is very beneficial in the treatment of skin diseases like psoriasis, leucoderma and every leprosy. This bath is also valuable in getting relief from rheumatic pain or pain in the joints caused by injuries. The duration of the bath should be from 30 minutes to one hour. Care should also be taken to avoid the patient catching a chill during the bath. Mud applications also form a vital part of natural beauty treatment.

20. Enhance beauty with the mudpack. The nature cure practitioners at present are making increasing use of mud packs of moistened earth in the treatment of diseases. The use of mud packs has been found highly beneficial and effective in the treatment of chronic inflammation caused by internal diseases, bruises, sprains, boils and wounds. Mud packs have been found to be a valuable treatment of diseases relating to general weakness or nervous disorders. It can also bring down fever and is beneficial in the treatment of scarlet fever, measles and influenza. The mud pack is prescribed for swellings, eye and ear troubles, gout, rheumatism, stomach troubles, kidney and liver malfunctions, diphtheria, neuralgia, sexual disorders, headache, toothache and general aches and pains. This mode of treatment is normally adopted in conjunction with a proper scheme of dietary and other natural therapies.

The advantage of mud treatment is that it is able to retain moisture and coolness for longer periods than cold water packs or compresses. The cold moisture in the mud packs relaxes the pores of the skin, draws the blood into the surface, relieves inner congestion and pain, promotes heat radiation and elimination of morbid matter.

A mud pack is prepared with clay obtained from about ten cm below the surface of the earth, after ensuring that it does not contain any impurities such as compost or pebbles. The clay is then made into a smooth paste with warm water. This is allowed to cool and then spread on a strip of cloth, the size of which may vary according to requirements. The dimensions of the pack meant for application on the abdomen are generally 20 cm x 10 cm x 2.5 cm for adults. The mud bandage, after being placed on the body, should be covered with flannel or other protective material. The pack is applied for 10 to 30 minutes. Hot and cold applications are useful in relieving chronic pains, intestinal cramps and lumbago. Alternate application helps to relieve discomfort caused by flatulence and intestinal obstructions. It is also helpful in amoebiasis, colitis, enteritis and other inflammatory conditions of bacterial origin.

21. Control and channel sexual desire with the neutral hipbath. The quenching of unrequited sexual desire is accomplished through the neutral hipbath. The neutral hipbath helps to relieve all acute and sub-acute inflammatory conditions such as acute catarrh of the bladder and urethra and sub-acute inflammations in the uterus, ovaries and tubes. It also relieves neuralgia of the fallopian tubes or testicles, painful spasms of the vagina and prorates of the anus and vulva. Besides, it is a sedative treatment for erotomania in both sexes.

The temperature of the water should be 32º C to 36º C. Here too, friction to the abdomen should be avoided. This bath is generally taken for 20 minutes to an hour. 22. Remove morbid matter from the surface of the skin with the hot steam bath. The steam bath is helpful in all forms of chronic toxemias. It relieves rheumatism, gout, uric acid problems, and obesity. It also relieves neuralgias, chronic nephritis, infections, tetanus and migraine.

Steam bath is one of the most important time-tested water treatments which induces perspiration in a most natural way. The patient, clad in minimum loin cloth or underwear, is made to sit on a stool inside a specially designed cabinet. Before entering the cabinet, the patient should drink one or two glasses of cold water and protect the head with a cold towel. The duration of the steam bath is generally 10 to 20 minutes or until perspiration takes place. A cold shower should be taken immediately after the bath.

Very weak patients, pregnant women, cardiac patients and those suffering from high blood pressure should avoid this bath. If the patient feels giddy or uneasy during the steam bath, he or she should be immediately taken out and given a glass of cold water and the face washed with cold water.

23: Avoid medications for sleeplessness. Sleeping pills are no remedy for sleeplessness. They are habit forming and become less effective when taken continuously. They lower the I.Q., dull the brain and can prove fatal if taken in excess or before or after alcohol. The side-effects of sleeping pills include indigestion, skin rashes, lowered resistance to infection, circulatory and respiratory problems, poor appetite, high blood pressure, kidney and liver problems and mental confusion.

To overcome the problem, one should adhere to a regular sleeping schedule, going to bed at a fixed time each night and getting up at a fixed time each morning. Early to bed and early to rise is a good rule. Two hours of sleep before midnight are more beneficial than four after. It is sheer folly for students, at examination times, to keep awake until long after midnight, drinking one cup of tea after another, as that is only apt to cause blackness and inability to concentrate in the examination hall.

24. Diet, not surgery, for kidney stones. A majority of patients suffering from kidney stones can be treated successfully by proper dietary regulations. These regulations will also prevent a recurrence of the symptoms. Only a few cases require surgery.

The patient should avoid foods which irritate the kidneys, to control acidity or alkalinity of the urine and to ensure adequate intake of fluids to prevent the urine from becoming concentrated.

The foods considered irritants to the kidneys are alcoholic beverages, condiments, pickles, certain vegetables like cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, spinach, rhubarb, water-cress and those with strong aroma such as asparagus, onions, beans, cabbage and cauliflower, meat, gravies, and carbonated waters.

25. To avoid headache, avoid eyestrain. Eyestrain is a common cause of headache. In such cases, an eye specialist should be consulted and proper treatment taken. Simple eye exercises such as moving the eyes up and down and from side to side, palming, rotating the head, with neck outstretched, forward and backwards three times, then three times clockwise and three times counter clockwise, can relieve eyestrain.

A surprising way to relieve eyestrain is to give gentle massage to the neck. Bring the shoulders together and release. Then take a few minutes to place a moist cool compress over the eyes to give them rest and recuperation.

26. Take heed of headaches. Headaches may be a symptom of hypertension. High blood pressure can cause pounding headaches. The headache usually starts at the back of the head on getting up in the morning. A safe method of treatment for this is to immerse your legs to calf-level in a tub of hot water for 15 to 20 minutes. This draws the blood away from the head and down to the feet, relieving the headache. Also helpful is the yogic practice known as pranayama. Stand erect with the feet aligned straight and touching each other. Lock the fingers together with the hands beneath the chin and keep them there through the entire exercise.

Slowly raise the arms as you inhale, filling your lungs with air. Feel the action of the breathing through your throat. Then raise your arms above your head as you lean back and exhale, all the while keeping the hands at your chin. When you completely exhale, feeling the movement of the air through your throat, lower your arms and repeat the exercise 20 times.

27. Hydrocele, The Common But Little-Known Condition of Men's Mature Years Hydrocele is the painful swelling of the testes. It can be painlessly relieved. Tapping (removing fluid with a long needle) is the method usually resorted to for removal of the fluid in hydrocele. This, however, does not remove the cause of the trouble but only its effects. The correct way in which the condition can be really dealt with successfully is through constitutional treatment. Such a treatment should aim at removing the underlying toxicity of the system which is at the root of the trouble.  The sufferer from hydrocele should begin with an exclusive fresh fruit diet for seven to ten days. In this regimen, he should have three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes, grape-fruit, oranges, pineapple, peaches, melon or any other juicy fruit in season but no bananas or dried, stewed or tinned fruit, and no other foodstuff whatever. For drinks, lemon water unsweetened or water either hot or cold may be taken.

If constipation is habitual, all steps should be taken for its eradication. During this period the bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema.

28. Indigestion may be caused by how you neat, not just what you eat. The feelings of discomfort and distress in the abdomen are often caused by overeating, eating too rapidly or not chewing properly. Overeating or eating frequently produces a feverish state in the system and overtaxes the digestive organs. It produces excessive acid and causes the gastric mucus membrane to become congested. Hyperacidity is usually the result.

Overeating makes the work of stomach, liver, kidneys and bowels harder. When this food putrefies, its poisons are absorbed back into the blood and consequently, the whole system is poisoned. Many people gulp their food due to stress or hurry. When food is swallowed in large chunks, the stomach has to work harder and more hydrochloride is secreted.

Eating too fast also causes one to swallow air. These bad habits force some of the digestive fluids into the esophagus, causing burning, a stinging sensation or a sour taste, giving an illusion of stomach acid.

29. Influenza is more than a viral infection. Influenza, like all other acute diseases, is a natural attempt at self-cleansing and if rightly treated in a natural way, immense good can ensue so far as the future health of the patient is concerned. In the acute stage of influenza, a patient should abstain from all solid foods and only drink fruit and vegetable juices diluted with water, 50- 50 for first three to five days, depending on the severity of the disease. The juice fast should be continued until the temperature comes down to normal. The warm water enema should be taken daily during this period to cleanse the bowels.

After fever subsides the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for two or three days. In this regimen, the patient should take three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, oranges, pineapple, peaches and melons at five-hourly intervals. Bananas or dried, stewed or tinned fruits however, should not be taken. No other food stuff should be added to the fruit meals, otherwise the value of the treatment will be lost. This may be followed by a further two or three days on fruits and milk diet. Thereafter, the patient may adopt a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups namely, (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables, and (iii) fruits.

Spices and condiments, and pickles, which make food more palatal and lead to overeating, must be avoided. Lemon juice may be used in salad dressing. Alcohol, tobacco, strong tea and coffee, highly seasoned meats, over-boiled milk, pulses, potato, rice, cheese, refined, processed, stale, and tinned foods should all be avoided.

30. Low blood sugar is caused by too much sugar. Hypoglycemia is a condition of low blood sugars. Ironically, it is aggravated by consuming too much sugar. Hypoglycemia is usually caused by an excessive intake of refined carbohydrates and sugar foods. These substances cause the pancreas, the adrenal gland and the liver to lose their ability to handle the sugar properly. Other causes of low blood sugar are a tumor, disturbed functioning of the liver, pituitary gland or adrenal glands. Stress intensifies this condition as it weakens the adrenal glands and starts a faulty pattern of glucose intolerance.

31. To avoid gout, avoid meat. Gout was at one time considered the disease of the rich, when in the West only the rich ate meat. The gout patient should avoid all purine and uric acid producing foods such as all meats, eggs, and fish. Glandular meats are especially harmful.

The one who has gout should also avoid all intoxicating liquors, tea, coffee, sugar, white flour and its products and all canned and processed foods. Spices and salts should be used as little as possible.

32. Meditate! Meditation involves training the mind to remain fixed on a certain external or internal location. All the mental faculties should be directed, without cessation, towards the object of meditation. It can be achieved by constant practice. It will be advisable to meditate on God or Atman as one becomes imbued with the quality of the object on which one meditates.

Meditation will help create an amount of balance in the nervous system. This would enable the glands to return to a correct state of hormonal balance and thereby overcome the feeling of depression. Regularity of time, place and practice are very important in meditation. Regularity of practice conditions the mind to slowing down its activities. The most effective times for meditation are early dawn and dusk, when the atmosphere is serene and peaceful.

33. No drugs cure high blood pressure. All drugs against hypertension without exception, are toxic and have distressing side effects. The safest way to cure hypertension is to remove the real cause. The natural way of dealing with it is to eliminate the poisons from the system which cause it. Persons with high blood pressure should always follow a well-balanced routine of proper diet, exercise and rest.

Diet is of primary importance. Meat and eggs cause the blood pressure to rise more than any other food. The pressure is lowered and blood clotting diminished by partaking of a higher fruit content, lower protein and non-flesh diet. A natural diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, instead of a traditional diet, is helpful in getting rid of the poisons from the body. A hypertension patient should start the process of healing by living on an exclusive fruit-diet for at least a week, and take fruits at five-hourly intervals thrice in the day. Oranges, apples, pears, mangoes, guava, pineapples, raspberry, water-melon are the best diet in such cases. Bananas and jack fruit should not be taken. Milk may be taken after a week of "fruits only"' diet. The milk should be fresh and should be boiled only once. The patient can be permitted cereals in his food after two weeks.

34. Stress causes headaches. Intense emotions often cause headaches. Many people who outwardly appear to have a pleasant disposition may actually be simmering about a job, or may bear resentment towards a person or something. This hidden hostility may manifest itself as headache. It is important, therefore, that negative feelings should not be bottled up, but should find some safe means of expressions.

How can you know your headache is due to stress? The answer is simple. Tight neck muscles are a sign of stress. Pain across the forehead is a sign of stress.

What can you do to treat stress headaches. To relieve tension, add tension. Tighten the muscles at the back of the neck as you count 10, and then release. If you repeat this exercise several times, your headache will be relieved.

35. The Surprising Causes of Leucoderma Many wrong beliefs are prevalent about the causes of leucoderma. It is not caused by eating fish and drinking milk at the same time, as is generally believed because even vegetarians suffer from this disorder. Other food combinations such as pumpkin and milk, onion and milk as possible causes of leucoderma also have no basis. Leucoderma is not caused by any germs; nor is it due bad blood. It is neither infectious nor contagious. It cannot be transmitted from one person to another by physical contact. The main causes of leucoderma are excessive mental worry, chronic or acute gastric disorder, impaired hepatic function such as jaundice, worms or other parasites in the alimentary canal, ailments like typhoid which affect the gastrointestinal tract, defective perspiration mechanism and burn injuries. Often the hormone secreting glands are involved in this disorder. Heredity is also a causative factor and about 30 per cent of patients have a family history of the disorder.

36. Tingling, burning, stabbing pains? The problem could be neuritis. The main symptoms of neuritis are tingling, burning, and stabbing pains in the affected nerves. In severe cases, there may be numbness and loss of sensation and paralysis of the nearby muscles. Thus a temporary paralysis of the face may result from changes in the facial nerves on the affected side. During the acute stage of this condition, the patient may not be able to close the eyes due to loss of normal tone and strength by the muscles on the affected side of the face.

The chief cause of neuritis is chronic acidosis, that is, excessive acid condition of the blood and other body fluids. All the body fluids should be alkaline in their reaction, but when the acid waste matter is continuously formed in the tissues over a long period due to a faulty diet, it results in acidosis. Wrong habits of living, over work, etc., lower the tone of nervous system and contribute towards neuritis. This disease can also result from a variety of nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disturbances such as faulty calcium metabolism, deficiencies of vitamins B1 (thiamine), B6 (pyridoxine), and B12.

37. The right fats fight the effects of the wrong fats. The essential fatty acids which reduce serum cholesterol levels and minimize the risk of arteriosclerosis can be obtained from sunflower seed oil, corn oil or safflower oil. Several studies have indicated that garlic can reduce the cholesterol level in persons whose body normally cannot regulate the cholesterol fractions. Other important cholesterol lowering foods are alfalfa and yoghurt. Lecithin helps prevent fatty deposits in arteries. Best food sources are unrefined, raw, crude vegetable oils, seeds and grains.

Fruits and vegetables in general are highly beneficial in the treatment of heart disease. Seasonal fruits are quite effective heart tonics. Apples especially contain heart stimulating properties and the patients suffering from the weakness of heart should make liberal use of apples and apple jams. Fresh grapes, pineapples, oranges, custard apples, pomegranates and coconut water also tone up the heart. Grapes are effective in heart pain and palpitation of the heart and the disease can be rapidly controlled if the patient adopts an exclusive grapes diet for few days. Grape juice, especially will be valuable when one is actually suffering from a heart attack.

Indian gooseberry or amla is considered an effective home remedy for heart disease. It tones up the functions of all the organs of the body and builds up health by destroying the heterogeneous elements and renewing lost energy.

38. To prevent baldness, eat the right foods. Persons with a tendency to lose hair should thus take a well balanced and correct diet, made up of foods which in combination should supply all the essential nutrients. It has been found that a diet which contains liberal quantities of

(i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits

would provide adequate amounts of all the essential nutrients.

Each food group should roughly form the bulk of one of the three principal meals. These foods should, however, be supplemented with certain special foods such as milk, vegetable oils, honey, wheat germ, yeast and liver.

39. To cure a headache, eat something (as long as it is not sugar). Low blood sugar is one of the causes of irritability and headache. Sugar is not a cure for low blood sugar, though it may raise the blood sugar temporarily and make one feel better for a while.

Low blood sugar is the result of an abused pancreas which over stimulates the production of insulin in the body. It can be controlled by eating smaller meals at short intervals rather than the standard three large meals daily. The intake of carbohydrates should be cut down to the minimum. Coffee should be eliminated as it over stimulates the pancreas.

40. To fight depression, be active. Overcome depression with activity. The depressive mood can be overcome by activity. Those who are depressive will forget their misery by doing something. They should turn away from themselves and consider others. At home they can take to decorating, repairing or constructing something new. The pleasure of achievement overcomes the distress of depression.

41. Exercise also plays an important role in the treatment of depression. It not only keeps the body physically and mentally fit but also provides recreation and mental relaxation. It is nature' best tranquilizer. According to Dr. Robert Brown, a clinical associate professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine," Exercise produces chemical and psychological changes that improves your mental health. It changes the levels of hormones in blood and may elevate your beta-endorphins(mood-affecting brain chemicals). Exercise may also improve the function of the autonomic nervous system."

42. Treat dandruff from the inside, not the outside. Numerous medicated shampoos are available in the market for the treatment of dandruff. Most of these, however, in the process of curing the disorder, cause irreparable damage to the hair roots because of the synthetic ingredients contained in them. The treatment of dandruff has to be constitutional, if a permanent cure is desired.

The foremost consideration in the treatment of this disorder is to keep the hair and scalp clean so as to minimize the accumulation of dead cells. The hair should be brushed daily to improve the circulation and remove any flakiness. The most effective way to brush the hair is to bend forward from the waist with the head down towards the ground, and brush from the nape of the neck towards the top of the head. Short or shoulder-length hair can be brushed right from the roots to the ends in one stroke. In the case of long hair, two strokes would be best to avoid stretching the hair.

43. Acid = Danger Acid works danger, but base works health. Here are the miracles of the alkalizing diet. The human body is composed of various organs and parts, which are made up of tissues and cells. These tissues and cells are composed of 16 chemical elements. The balance or equilibrium of these chemical elements in the body is an essential factor in the maintenance of health and healing of disease. The acid-alkaline balance plays a vital role in this balanced body chemistry. All foods, after digestion and absorption leave either an acid or alkaline ash in the body depending on their mineral composition. The normal body chemistry is approximately 20 per cent acid and 80 per cent alkaline. This is the acid-alkaline balance.

In normal health, the reaction of the blood is alkaline and that is essential for our physical and mental well-being. The preponderance of alkalis in the blood is due to the fact that the products of the vital combustions taking place in the body are mostly acid in character. Carbohydrates and fats form about nine-tenths of the normal fuel of the body. IN normal health, this great mass of material is converted into carbon dioxide gas and water. Half of the remaining one-tenth fuel is also converted into the same gas and water. This huge amount of acid is transported by the blood to the various points of discharge, mainly the lungs. By virtue of alkalinity, the blood is able to transport the acid from the tissues to the discharge points.

Thus, our daily diet should consist of four-fifth of alkaline-forming foods such as juicy fruits, tubers, legumes, ripe fruits, leafy and root vegetables and one fifty of acid-forming foods containing concentrated proteins and starches such as meat, fish, bread and cereals. Eating sensibly in this manner will ensure the necessary alkalinity of the food which will keep the body in perfect health.

44. Activity is not the same as exercise. Are you active? Do you exercise? Exercise is superior for health to mere activity. While both activity and exercise are important as they are involved in vital physical movement, they vary in degree and benefits. Both activity and exercise employ the body in voluntary movement. Activity uses the body to a limited degree and generally to achieve a specific purpose. Exercise employs the body over the widest possible range of movement for the particular purpose of maintaining or acquiring muscle tone and control with maximum joint flexibility. Activity requires less physical effort and often less conscious effort once the routine has been established. Exercise demands considerable physical effort and is more beneficial as mental concentration is simultaneously employed.

45. Alkalize. The body requires a large alkaline reserve for its daily activity. The many emergencies of acid formation through the day from wrong foods, fatigue, mental stress and lack of sleep can be met by the competency of the alkaline reserves. Boosting the normal body reserve of alkali by liberal use of alkali-forming foods is essential for those suffering from allergies.

The foods which should be excluded from the diet are tea, coffee, chocolate, cola drinks, alcohol, sugar, sweets and foods containing sugar, refined cereals, meats, fish, chicken, tobacco, milk, cheese, butter, smoked, salted, pickled foods and foods containing any chemical additives, preservatives and flavoring. These foods cause either toxic accumulations or over-stimulation of adrenal glands or strain on pancreatic enzymes production or disturb the blood sugar balance.

46. Any cure begins with detoxification. To heal disease, first remove toxins. The first and most basic principle of nature cure is that all forms of disease are due to the same cause, namely, the accumulations of waste materials and bodily refuse in the system. These waste materials in the healthy individual are removed from the system through the organs of elimination.

In the diseased person, toxins are steadily piling up in the body through years of faulty habits of living. These bad habits are such as wrong feeding, improper care of the body and habits contributing to enervation and nervous exhaustion such as worry, overwork and excesses of all kinds.

It follows from this basic principle that the only way to cure disease is to employ methods which will enable the system to throw off these toxic accumulations. All natural treatments are actually directed towards this end.

47. As noted before, to heal disease, first remove toxins. If you do not, your body will. Your body applies this principle by creating "symptoms." This second basic principle of nature cure is that all acute diseases such as fevers, colds, inflammation, digestive disturbances and skin eruptions are nothing more than self-initiated efforts on the part of the body to throw off the accumulated waste materials.

All chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, rheumatism, asthma, kidney disorders, are the results of continued suppression of the acute diseases through harmful methods such as drugs, vaccines, narcotics. and gland extracts.

48. Attention to diet heals the body as a whole. Good diet is the basis of nature cure. This is a constructive method of treatment which aims at removing the basic cause of disease through the rational use of the elements freely available in nature.

It is not only a system of healing, but also a way of life. It is in tune with the internal vital forces or natural elements comprising the human body. It is a complete revolution in the art and science of living.

Nature cure is based on the realization that man is born healthy and strong and that he can stay as such as living in accordance with the laws of nature. Even if born with some inherited affliction, the individual can eliminate it by putting to the best use the natural agents of healing. Fresh air, sunshine, a proper diet, exercise, scientific relaxation, constructive thinking and the right mental attitude, along with prayer and meditation all play their part in keeping a sound mind in a sound body.

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.   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 endeavoring 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.

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.

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 utilization 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.

53. Avoid acidosis. Acidosis is the enemy of the healthy, alkalizing 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. Nephritis 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 diarrhea, 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.

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 liter 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 liters 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.

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.

56. Enhance health with color. 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 color in the form of white light. The white light of the moon originates in the sun and contains seven different colors - violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. These are natural colors which are highly beneficial to the maintenance of health and for healing diseases.

How can you tell if you are receiving all the colors 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 color he lacks. The deficiency is determined by observing the color 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 color, 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 colors of health in your daily life.

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 vapors 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.

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.

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.

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 utilized 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.

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 marvelous 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.

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.

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.

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 nutrition 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."

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.

66. Prevention is better than cure in anemia. Anemia 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 anemia. Diet is of the utmost importance in the treatment of anemia. Almost every nutrient is needed for the production of red blood cells, hemoglobin 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 hemoglobin. 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 utilization of iron in the building of hemoglobin.

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.

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.

69. The more fiber, the better. There are divergent views as to the requirement of dietary fiber 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 fiber 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 fiber expert in England, considers that a fiber intake of 30 grams (about one ounce) per day is sufficient for good health.

Excessive consumption of fiber, especially bran, should however, be avoided. Due to its content of crude fiber, 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 fiber 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.

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.

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.

72. The reality of food allergies. Despite the skepticism of American specialists, food allergy is an important cause of disease. There are two methods to detect disturbing foods. The first method is the trial-and- error elimination diet. This automatically eliminates many hazards and foods. Keep to organic, untreated, unprocessed foods as far as possible and you will eliminate another set of hazards such as pesticides, various sprays and other poisons.

After having eliminated as many disturbing factors as possible, a self-search should be carried out to ascertain any suspicious symptoms from foods. It is advisable to try an elimination diet, excluding suspected foods for two weeks until the cause is detected. Occasionally, by changing the brand or the type, you can find a food substitute that does not upset you.

73. Ten Commandments for Problem Drinkers Here are the Ten Commandments for Problem Drinkers, as given by psychiatrist Dr. William B. Terhune. These are:

(i) Never drink when you "need one." (ii) Sip slowly. (iii) Space your drinks, waiting 30 minutes for a second drink after the first and then an hour before the third. (iv) Dilute your alcohol. (v) Keep an accurate and truthful records of the number of drinks you take. (vi) Never conceal the amount you drink. (vii) Never drink on an empty stomach. (viii) Never drink on cue (for lunch, for dinner, just because you are tired, in bedroom seduction, because you are bored or frustrated, or at bedtime). (ix) Never take a drink in the morning to break a hangover. (x) And never drink to escape discomfort, either physical or mental.

74. Raw Juice Therapy? Timing is everything! When on a raw juice therapy, the prescribed juice should be drunk every three hours. One can thus take juices five to six times a day. A glass of water mixed with lemon juice and 20 to 30 grams of honey may be taken first thing in the morning on arising.

Thereafter, the prescribed juice may be taken at three-hourly intervals. The quantity of juice on each occasion may be 250 ml on the first day. This quantity may be increased by 50 ml each succeeding day until one takes 600 ml on each occasion.

The juice diet can be continued for 30 to 40 days without any ill-effects. The patient should take adequate rest during the raw juice therapy.

75. To treat high blood pressure, get enough sleep. Persons suffering from hypertension must ensure at least eight hours of restful sleep, because proper rest is an important aspect of the treatment. Most important of all, the patient must avoid over-straining, worries, tension, anger and haste. The person who has hypertension must try to be cheerful and develop a contented mind. The natural treatment may take sometime but it is the safest and best way to get rid of this disease.

76. Treat acne from the inside out. For treatment of acne, eschew topical medicaments. The treatment of acne by the administration of salve or ointment does not serve any purpose. They only suppress the action of the sebaceous glands temporarily. In nature cure, the main emphasis is on diet and certain water applications. To begin with the patient should resort to all -fruit diet for about a week. In this regimen, there should be three meals a day, consisting of fresh juicy fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes, grapefruit, pineapple and peaches. Citrus fruits, bananas, dried, stewed or tinned fruits should not be taken. Unsweetened lemon or plain water, either hot or cold, should be drunk and nothing else. During this period, warm-water enema should be taken daily to cleanse the bowels and all other measures adopted to eradicate constipation.

After a week of all fruit diet, the patient can gradually adopt a well-balanced diet. Emphasis should be on raw foods, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, raw nuts and whole grain cereals, especially millet and brown rice. Further shorter periods on the all-fruits for three days, or so may be necessary at a monthly interval until the condition of the skin improves. Strict attention to diet is essential for recovery. Starchy, protein and fatty foods, should be restricted. Meats, sugar, strong tea or coffee, condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods should all be avoided, as also soft drinks, candies, ice cream and products made with sugar and white flour.

77. Treat hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis) with fresh air and warm bath. The patient should undertake plenty of outdoor exercise and eliminate all mental stress and worries. Even lying in the sun motionless in the early morning or just before dusk may be helpful. Prolonged neutral immersion baths at bed time on alternate days is beneficial. This bath is administered in a bath tub which should be properly fitted with hot and cold water connection. The bath-tub should be fitted with water at a temperature ranging from 92º to 98º F and the patient should lie in it for an hour or so. The head should be kept cold with a cold compress.

78. Treat bronchitis with moist heat. In addition to diet, treat bronchitis with a hot poultice. A simple hot poultice of linseed should be applied over the front and back of the chest. It will greatly relieve pain. Poultices act by diluting the vessels of the surface and thereby reducing the blood pressure. The heat of the poultice acts as a cardiac stimulant. A poultice should be applied neatly and carefully and should be often renewed, so that it does not hamper respiration. Turpentine may be rubbed over the chest with fomentation for the same object.

79. What you need to know before you start a diet, especially a raw juice diet. Give care before starting a raw juice diet. Certain precautions are necessary in adopting an exclusive diet of raw juices. Firstly, all juices should be made fresh immediately before drinking. Canned and frozen juices should not be used. It will be advisable that one should have one's own juicer for extracting fresh juices. Secondly, only fresh ripe fruits and vegetables, preferably organically grown, should be used for extraction of juices. Thirdly, only as much juice as needed for immediate consumption should be extracted. Raw juices oxidize rapidly and lose their medicinal value in storage, even under refrigeration. Fourthly, the quality of the juices has a distinct bearing on the results obtained. In case of incomplete extraction of juices, their effective power is proportionately reduced due to the absence of the vitamins and enzymes which are left behind in fiber and the pulp. Finally, if juices are too sweet they should be diluted in water on 50: 50 basis or mixed with other less sweet juices. This is especially important in some specific conditions such as diabetes, hypoglycemia, arthritis and high blood pressure.

80. What you need to know about fruit. Like vegetables, fruits are an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. They are easily digested and exercise a cleansing effect on the blood and digestive tract. They contain high alkaline properties, a high percentage of water and a low percentage of proteins and fats.

Their organic acid and high sugar content have immediate refreshing effects. Apart from seasonable fresh fruits, dry fruits, such as raisins, prunes and figs are also beneficial. Fruits are at their best when eaten in the raw and ripe states. In cooking, the loose portions of the nutrient salts and carbohydrates. They are most beneficial when taken as a separate meal by themselves, preferably for breakfast in the morning. If it becomes necessary to take fruits with regular food, they should form a larger proportion of the meals. Fruits, however, make better combination with milk than with meals. It is also desirable to take one kind of fruit at a time. For the maintenance of good health, at least one pound of uncooked fruits should form part of the daily diet. In case of sickness, it will be advisable to take fruits in the form of juices.

81. What you need to know about seeds, nuts, and grains. Seeds, nuts, and grains: These are the most important and the most potent of all foods and contain all the important nutrients needed for human growth.

These foods contain the germ, the reproductive power which is of vital importance for the lives of human beings and their health. Millet, wheat, oats, barley, brown rice, beans and peas are all highly valuable in building health. Wheat, mung beans, alfalfa seeds and soya beans make excellent sprouts. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, peanuts and soya beans contain complete proteins of high biological value. Seeds, nuts and grains are also excellent natural sources of essential unsaturated fatty acids necessary for health. They are also good sources of lecithin and most of the B vitamins. They are the best natural sources of vitamin C, which is perhaps the most important vitamin for the preservation of health and prevention of premature ageing. Besides, they are rich sources of minerals and supply necessary bulk in the diet. They also contain auxones, the natural substance that play an important role in the rejuvenation of cells and prevention of premature ageing.

82. What you need to know about vegetables. Don't forget to eat your vegetables. They are extremely rich source of minerals, enzymes and vitamins. Faulty cooking and prolonged careless storage, however, destroy these valuable nutrients. Most of the vegetables are, therefore, best consumed in their natural raw state in the form of salads. There are different kinds of vegetables. They may be edible roots, stems, leaves, fruits and seeds. Each group contributes to the diet in its own way. Fleshy roots have energy value and good sources of vitamin B. Seeds are relatively high in carbohydrates and proteins and yellow ones are rich in vitamin A. Leaves, stems and fruits are excellent sources of minerals, vitamins, water and roughage. To prevent loss of nutrients in vegetables, it would be advisable to steam or boil vegetables in their juices on a slow fire and the water or cooking liquid should not be drained off. No vegetable should be peeled unless it is so old that the peel is tough and unpalatable. In most root vegetables, the largest amount of mineral is directly under the skin and these are lost if vegetables are peeled. Soaking of vegetables should also be avoided if taste and nutritive value are to be preserved.

83. Vegetarianism enlivens the health. The word " Vegetarian " was coined by the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom in about 1847. The word does not come from vegetable as is generally assumed: It is a derivation of the Latin word ' vegetari ' which means to enliven.

The practice of vegetarianism, however, goes far back in history. Many noted philosophers and religious teachers urged their followers to avoid a flesh diet. Brahmanism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism acknowledged the sacredness of life and the need to live without causing suffering; so did many of the early Christians. There are various types of vegetarians." Vegans "are the strictest vegetarians who eat only plant foods and exclude all animal by-products such as eggs, milk, cheese, curd, butter, ghee and even honey. There are " lacto vegetarians " who eat plant foods as well as dairy products and " lacto-ovo vegetarians " who eat eggs besides plant foods and dairy products. There are even fish-eating vegetarians. The common factor among them is that they do not eat the flesh of warm- blooded animals.

84. What You Need to Know About Combining Foods, Rule #1. An important rule for food combining is to avoid mixing carbohydrates and acid fruits in the same meal.

The starch-splitting enzyme ptyalin in the saliva plays an important role as the food is chewed. It converts the complex starch molecules into simpler sugars. Ptyalin requires a neutral or slightly alkaline medium for proper functioning and this is the normal condition of the saliva in the mouth. However, when acid foods are taken, the action of ptyalin is halted. It is, therefore, necessary to avoid acid fruits in the same meal as sweet fruits or starches. Thus tomatoes should not be eaten with starches especially potatoes or bread.

Refined sugar products are also acidic, both in the mouth and in the bloodstream. The acidifying of the saliva by sucrose is one of the main causes of tooth decay. It can also cause severe damage to the digestion.

In a nutshell, starches, fats, green vegetables and sugars may be eaten together as they require either an alkaline or neutral medium for their digestion. Similarly, proteins, green vegetables and acid fruits may be eaten together as they require an acid or neutral medium for their digestion.

But starches and proteins, fats and proteins and starches and acid fruits should not be eaten together as a general rule, if the best results are required from the ingestion of the food eaten. This in brief is the whole basis for successful food combination.

85. Why you need fruit in your diet. Fruit is the universal detoxifier, principally because of its content of potassium. It promotes the secretion of hormones and helps the kidneys in detoxification of blood. Potassium is important as an alkalizing agent in keeping a proper acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues. It is essential for muscle contraction and therefore, important for proper heart function. Potassium prevents female disorders by stimulating the endocrine hormone production. It is involved in the proper functioning of the nervous system and helps overcome fatigue. It also aids in clear thinking by sending oxygen to the brain and assists in reducing blood pressure. Potassium is widely distributed in foods. All vegetables, especially green, leafy vegetables, grapes, oranges, lemons, raisins, whole grains, lentils, sunflower seeds, nuts, milk, cottage Cheese, and butter milk are rich sources. Potatoes, especial potato peelings, and bananas are especially good sources.

86. The reasons for eating greens. Eat your greens. Researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and at St. John's Medical College in Bangalore recently published a landmark study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Working with clinicians from Harvard University, the researchers found that heart disease in India could be predicted by just two factors: Eating green leafy vegetables just 3 times a week lowered the risk of heart disease by 67 percent. Cooking foods in mustard oil rather than sunflower oil lowered risk of heart disease by 50 percent.

One of the most effective home remedies for preventing heart disease is lemon peel. It is believed to be one of the richest known sources of vitamin P. It strengthens the entire arterial system. Shredded lemon peel may be added to soups and stews, or sprinkled over salads. To make a medicine, the peel of one or two lemons may be cut up finely, covered with warm water and allowed to stand for about 12 hours. A teaspoonful may be taken every three hours, or immediately before or after a meal.

Parsley is another effective preventative for heart disease. It contains elements which help to maintain the blood vessels, particularly the capillaries and arterial system in a healthy condition. It may be taken as a beverage by simmering it gently in the water for a few minutes and partaking several times daily. The beet juice has also proved valuable in arteriosclerosis. It is an excellent solvent for inorganic calcium deposit. Juices of carrot and spinach are also beneficial. These juices can be taken individually or in combination. Formula proportions found helpful when used in combination are carrot 300 ml and spinach 200 ml to prepare 500 ml of juice.

87. Everything you need to know about bran. Bran, the outer coverings of grains, is one of the richest sources of dietary fiber. And it contains several types of fiber including cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin. Wheat and corn bran are highly beneficial in relieving constipation. Experiments show that oat bran can reduce cholesterol levels substantially. Corn bran is considered more versatile. It relieves constipation and also lowers LDL cholesterol, which is one of the more harmful kinds.

Besides being rich in fiber, bran has a real food value being rich in time, iron and vitamins and containing a considerable amount of protein.

88. More things you need to know about fiber. There are six classes of fiber. They are cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, gums, mucilage and lignin. They differ in physical properties and chemical interactions in the gut, though all except lignin are polysaccharides. The facts known so far about these forms of fiber as a result of various studies are discussed below.

Cellulose: This is the most prevalent fiber. It is fibrous and softens the stool. It abounds in fruits, vegetables, bran, whole-meal bread and beans. It is also present in nuts and seeds. It increases the bulk of intestinal waste and eases it quickly through the colon. Investigations indicate that these actions may dilute and flush cancer-causing toxins out of the intestinal tract. They also suggest that cellulose may help level out glucose in the blood and curb weight gain.

Hemicellulose: It is usually present wherever cellulose is and shares some of its traits. Like cellulose, it helps relieve constipation, waters down carcinogens in the bowel and aids in weight reduction. Both cellulose and hemicellulose undergo some bacterial breakdown in the large intestine and this produces gas.

Pectin: This form of fiber is highly beneficial in reducing serum cholesterol levels. It, however, does not have influence on the stool and does nothing to prevent constipation. Researches are being conducted to ascertain if pectin can help eliminate bile acids through the intestinal tract thereby preventing gallstones and colon cancer. It is found in apples, grapes, berries, citrus fruits, guava, raw papaya and bran.

Gums and Mucilage: They are the sticky fibers found in dried beans, oat bran and oatmeal. Investigations have shown that they are useful in the dietary control of diabetes and cholesterol.

Lignin: The main function of lignin is to escort bile acid and cholesterol out of the intestines. There is some evidence that it may prevent the formation of gallstones. It is contained in cereals, bran, whole meal flour, raspberries, strawberries, cabbage, spinach, parsley and tomatoes. The best way to increase fiber content in the diet is to increase the constipation of whole meal bread, brown rice, peas beans, lentils, root vegetables and sugar-containing fruits, such as dates, apples, pears and bananas. The intake of sugar, refined cereals, meat, eggs and dairy products should be reduced. Candies, pastries, cakes which are rich in both sugar and fat, should be taken sparingly. White processed bread should be completely eliminated from the diet.

89. Basic, health-giving foods. The basic health-giving foods are all of plant origin: seeds and nuts, vegetables, and fruit. They should be supplemented with certain special foods such as milk, vegetable oils and honey.

Milk is an excellent food. It is considered as " Nature's most nearly perfect food." The best way to take milk is in its soured form - that is, yoghurt and cottage cheese. Soured milk is superior to sweet milk as it is in a pre-digested form and more easily assimilated. Milk helps maintain a healthy intestinal flora and prevents intestinal putrefaction and constipation.

High quality unrefined oils should be added to the diet. They are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamin C and F and lecithin. The average daily amount should not exceed two tablespoons. Honey too is an ideal food. It helps increase calcium retention in the system, prevents nutritional anemia besides being beneficial in kidney and liver disorders, colds, poor circulation and complexion problems. It is one of the nature's finest energy-giving food. A diet of the three basic food groups, supplemented with the special foods, mentioned above, will ensure a complete and adequate supply of all the vital nutrients needed for health, vitality and prevention of diseases. It is not necessary to include animal protein like egg, fish or meat in this basic diet, as animal protein, especially meat, always has a detrimental effect on the healing process. A high animal protein is harmful to health and may cause many of our common ailments.

90. Get the protein-power of meat while eating a vegetarian diet by combining plant foods. When pursuing a vegetarian diet, combine plant foods for maximum protein. Wheat, which has a deficiency in the amino-acid lysine but an abundance of sulphur containing amino-acids, can be combined with beans which have the opposite enrichment combination. Taken together, they complement each other to form a complete protein. As regards the adequacy of B12 nutrition, lacto-ovo vegetarians and lacto-vegetarians should not feel concerned on this score, as the B12 needs can be easily supplied by dairy products and eggs. A quarter liter of milk or 100 grams of cheese or 1 egg per day will supply the recommended daily allowance. This vitamin once eaten is stored in the liver. Vegans, however, do not get this vitamin in their food, yet reliable scientific studies have found no evidence of B12 deficiency diseases. It is therefore, presumed that this vitamin can be synthesized in the body.

91. For good health, do not be an epicure. Simple meals in every way are more conducive to health, than more elaborate ones, no matter how well they may be combined. An important point to remember about meals is that the smaller the number of courses they consist of, the better it will be. They should approximate to a one-course meal as much as possible.

The content of this one course? Plant foods! A vegetarian diet can have many nutritional benefits, if it is rich in fruits and vegetables, and contains moderate amounts of seeds, nuts, whole grains and legumes. One of the main benefits of a proper vegetarian diet is its low caloric content in relation to the bulk supplied, which helps maintain ideal weight.

92. Meat is not needed for good health. Meat seems to have assumed an exaggerated importance nutritionally. It is generally mistakenly believed that nutritional deficiencies, especially of proteins and vitamin B12 and poor health may result if animal foods are eliminated. Studies however, have indicated to health problems or deficiency diseases for those on a vegetarian diet. Of the 22 amino acids -the essential components of proteins - needed by the body for its normal functioning, only nine need be supplied by the diet as the body synthesizes the remaining 13. The body can use 100 per cent of this protein if all ten amino acids are in ideal proportions. If, however, one or more of the essential amino acids are present in less than the ideal amount, the value of the entire protein is reduced in the same proportions. On a quality rating scale of 1 to 100, egg protein is 95, milk is 82, meat and poultry are 67, fish 80, grains are between 50 to 70 and legumes, nuts and seeds are between 40 and 60.

The so-called protein deficiency in a vegetarian diet is in fact more imaginary than real as the contribution of the protein value of the green vegetables has been ignored and the true protein requirement is less than that assumed. Green vegetable protein is as high in quality as milk protein and thus makes a very valuable contribution to the vegetarian's protein nutrition. The high quality of protein balances the lower quality of other vegetarian proteins such as nuts and beans. The recommended daily allowance of 70 value proteins is 44 grams per day for women and 56 for men. Researchers have now discovered that the actual protein requirement is much less, being 15 grams per day of 100 value protein or 21.5 grams of 70 value protein or 30 grams of 50 value protein. A wholesome vegetarian diet can, therefore, easily meet the body's protein needs.

93. The key to optimal nutrition is combining the right foods. Optimal nutrition is achieved through wise combinations of foods. The observance of rules of food combining is neither faddish nor eccentric. It is a simple, scientifically -based system of selecting foods, from among different types, which are compatible. This facilitates easy and efficient digestion and ensures after-meal comfort. Digestion is not merely chemical or physical process, but also a physiological one. When food enters the body, it undergoes several changes before it is broken down into its constituent parts and assimilated. But no food can be assimilated by the system and used by various organs unless it has first been digested and then absorbed in the digestive system known as alimentary canal, while the residue, unfit for absorption is eliminated from the system. The chemical part of digestion is accomplished by a series of juices and their enzymes. The juices alternate between alkalis and acids, and their character is determined by the requirement of the enzymes they contain. These enzymes remain active in suitable media of well defined acid-alkaline ranges and are destroyed in unsuitable media.

94. What you need to know about combining foods, Rule #2. The most important rule for combining foods is to avoid mixing protein and carbohydrate concentrated foods. Although every food contains some protein, those regarded as protein concentrated foods demand the longest digestive time. They are held in the stomach for some hours until the gastric juices has performed its task. This may vary from two-and-a-half to six hours, depending upon the complexity of the protein in the food. If a protein food is mixed with starch-concentrated or sugar-concentrated foods, it will usually result in fermentation. This may lead to indigestion and gas in the stomach.

Animal-food proteins, such as meats, fish and cheese, require very high concentration of hydrochloric acid. Their gastric digestion will be greatly inhibited by carbohydrate fermentation in the stomach. This will produce more gas and increased discomfort. Eating meat, potatoes, bread and sweets should, therefore, be especially avoided. Protein foods are best digested when eaten with fresh vegetable salad. Primary protein foods such as nuts, seeds and soya beans also combine very well with acid fruits like oranges, pineapples, grapefruit and lemons, and fairly well with sub-acid fruits, like grapes, pears, apples, berries, apricots and peaches. These vegetables and fruits are rich natural sources of vitamin C which aids protein digestion.

95. What you need to know about combining foods, Rule #3. The second important rule for food combining is to avoid mixing proteins and fats at the same meal. Fat in foods inhibits the secretion of gastric juice through the small wall. Thus when fat-concentrated foods are taken with protein foods, gastric catabolism will decrease by the degree of liquid concentration in the stomach. Fat will remain undigested in the stomach until gastric juices complete their work on the complex protein molecule. Although all primary protein foods contain high concentration of fat, such lipids will be held in suspension, awaiting catabolism in the intestine, without impeding gastric action. Free fats like oil, butter, and milk tend to coat the gastric mucosa, thereby inhibiting its effort to secrete gastric juice. Fat surrounding fried foods is also regarded as free fat and it interferes with gastric catabolism.

96. Eat different foods at different meals. A meal consisting of proteins, carbohydrates and fats may remain in the stomach for six to seven hours before the stomach is emptied. If carbohydrates are eaten without proteins, they remain in the stomach for a relatively short period. A fruit meal remains in the stomach for even shorter time.

It is advisable to eat these different foods at different meals- a fruit meal, a starch meal and a protein meal. The ideal practice is a fruit meal for breakfast, a starch meal with salad and non- starchy vegetables for lunch, and a protein meal with a salad and non-starchy vegetables for dinner.

97. Fruit juices and vegetable juices have different health applications. Generally speaking, fruit juices stir up toxins and acids in the body, thereby stimulating the eliminative processes. Vegetable juices, on the other hand, soothe the jaded nerves and work in a much milder manner. They carry away toxic matter in a gentle way. Owing to their differing actions, fruit and vegetable juices should not be used at the same time or mixed together. It is desirable to use juices individually. In any case not more than three juices should be used in any one mixture.

98. Plant protein makes life possible. In 1838, a Dutch chemist, G. J. Mulder, described a certain organic material as "unquestionably the most important of all known substances in the organic kingdom. Without it, no life appears possible on our planet. Through its means the chief phenomena of life are produced."

This complex nitrogen-bearing substance was called protein from the Greek word meaning " take the first place." Protein in now a group name signifying the principal nitrogenous constituents of the protoplasm of all plant and animal tissues. There are several varieties of protein. Each type contains a specific number of "building blocks " known as amino-acids. Before they can be absorbed by the body, all proteins must first be broken down into amino-acids. When food stuffs are ingested, the nutrients and amino-acids do not immediately diffuse into all the different tissues. There are a series of biochemical reactions in the digestive tract which collect these proteins, break them down and then utilize them as needed. Any interference with the normal digestive process causes in-complete protein digestion resulting in gas, bloating etc.

There are about 22 amino acids needed for the normal functioning of the body. The body can manufacture many amino acids if it has no adequate nitrogen source, but it cannot produce certain others in sufficient amounts to meet its needs. The amino acids that the body cannot synthesis is in adequate amounts are called essential or indispensable because they must be supplied by the diet in proper proportions and amounts to meet the requirements for maintenance of growth. The body can synthesize in sufficient amounts to meet its needs if the total amount of nitrogen supplied by protein is adequate. 99. Get to know the many possibilities of juicing.

Fruit and vegetable juices may be divided into six main types. These are

• Juices from sweet fruits such as prunes and grapes. • Juices from sub-acid fruits like apple, plum, pear, peach, apricot and cherry, • Juices from acid fruits like orange, lemon, grapefruit, strawberry and pineapple. • Juices from vegetable fruits, namely, tomato and cucumber. • Juices from green leafy vegetables like cabbage, celery, lettuce, spinach, parsley and watercress. • Juices from root vegetables like beetroot, carrot, onion, potato and radish.

There are rules for successful use of the six types of juices. They are:

• Juices from sweet fruits may be combined with juices of sub-acid fruits, but not with those of acid fruits, vegetable fruits or vegetables. • Juices from sub-acid fruits may be combined with juices of sweet fruits, or acid fruits, but not with other juices. • Juices from acid fruits may be combined with those of sub-acid fruits or vegetable fruits, but not with other juices. • Juices from vegetable fruits may be combined with those of acid fruits or of green leafy vegetables, but not with other juices. • Juices from green leafy vegetables may be combined with those of vegetable fruits or of the root vegetable, but not with other juices. • Juices from root vegetables may be combined with those of green leafy vegetables, but not with other juices.

A proper selection of juices in treating a particular ailment is very essential. Thus, for instance, juices of carrot, cucumber, cabbage and other vegetables are very valuable in asthma, arthritis and skin disease, but juices of orange and mosambi aggravate their symptoms by increasing the amount of mucus.

100. Relax the eyes to relieve glaucoma. The glaucoma patient should undertake various methods of relaxing and strengthening the eyes. He should avoid emotional stress and cultivate a tranquil, restful life style. He should also avoid prolonged straining of the eyes such as occurs during excessive TV or movie watching and excessive reading. The use of sun glasses should be avoided. Equally important is the avoidance of stimulants, tea, coffee, and caffeinated soft drinks.

101. To look young, take lecithin. In some cases, the cosmetic effect of lecithin does as much for the mental outlook of persons as it does for their physical well-being. It has been found to eliminate the yellow or yellow-brown plaques on the skin or around the eyes caused by fatty deposits. It is a natural tranquilliser which is beneficial in nervous exhaustion. It can produce great alertness in elderly people.

Some studies have indicated that lecithin increases the gamma globulin in the blood. This helps fight infection. It provides an increased immunity against pneumonia. It has also been found to lower blood pressure in some people. In combination with vitamin E, it has proved helpful in lowering the requirements of insulin in diabetics. It has also proved valuable in the treatment of certain skin ailments, including acne, eczema and psoriasis.

102. Controlled breathing allows restful sleep. Controlled breathing is also a great help in inducing sleep. The method is to lie on your side in bed, and then take three deep breaths expanding the abdomen completely. Then hold your breath as long as you can. Next, take three more breaths and repeat the breath-holding. While you hold your breath, carbon dioxide accumulates in the body and induces natural sleep. Regular, active exercising during the day and mild exercise at bedtime enhances the quantity and the quality of sleep. Exercise stimulates the elimination of lactic acid from the body which correlates with stress and muscular tension. Regular exercise also produces hormonal changes which are beneficial to the body and to the sleep pattern. Walking, jogging, skipping, swimming are all ideal exercises. Vigorous exercise should, however, be avoided at night as this can be over stimulating.

103. Quick tips for curing backache. For chronic conditions of the lower back, consider the alternate hipbath. This technique of the nature cure also known as revulsive hipbath This bath relieves chronic inflammatory conditions of the pelvic viscera such as salpingitis, ovaritis, cellulitis and various neuralgias of the genitourinary organs, sciatica and lumbago. The temperature in the hot tub should be 40º C to 45º C and in the cold tub 10º C to 18ºC. The patient should alternately sit in the hot tub for five minutes and then in the cold tub for three minutes. The duration of the bath is generally 10 to 20 minutes. The head and neck should be kept cold with a cold compress. The treatment should end with a dash of cold water to the hips.

104. Quick tips for curing fatigue. Throw away your sleeping pills and learn the methods of refreshing sleep. Sleeping well is an art. It needs a perfect blend of healthy habits and control of mind. A clean body and mind, relaxed mood, physical exercises, and perfect dietary control are some of the basic sleep-inducing methods. Unpleasant situations at bed time such as arguments, quarrels, watching a horror movie, listening to loud music which would create anxiety, fear, excitement and worries should be avoided. Such situations stimulate the cerebral cortex and tend to keep one awake. The sleeping place should be well ventilated, with balanced temperature and free from noises.

The bed should be neither too hard nor too soft, but comfortable. The pillow should not be too hard or too high. The bedclothes should be loose-fitting and light colored. Another important rule is not to have heavy food shortly before bed time.

Sleeping pills are no remedy for sleeplessness. They are habit-forming and become less effective when taken continuously. They lower the I.Q. dull the brain and can prove fatal if taken in excess or before or after alcohol. The side-effect of sleeping pills include indigestion, skin rashes, lowered resistance to infection, circulatory and respiratory problems, poor appetite, high blood pressure, kidney and liver problems and mental confusion. Gain good sleep through healthy habits rather than from pharmacy.

105. Quick tips for curing joint pain. Stiff and swollen joints can be cured by massage combined with mechanical movements. Massage is, however, not recommended in serious inflammatory cases of the joints and in tubercular joints. It should also be avoided in infectious diseases like diphtheria and gonorrhea which cause formation of pus as massage may spread the pus to the entire system. Sprains and bruises can be cured by massage. In these cases, affected parts should first be bathed with hot water for 15 to 30 minutes. Next the massage should be done for a few minutes. Gentle stroking and kneading is recommended on and around the injured tissues. Fractures can also be treated through massage.

This form of massage is of great help in atrophy of the muscles which usually follows if the muscles are not used for any length of time. This condition may also be brought about by injuries, diseases of the joints, inflammation of the muscles and nerves, and by too long use of cats, bandages and splints.

A human being carries one -half of the weight of his body in the form of muscular tissues. One-fourth of the blood supply circulates in the muscles. When one gets a good massage treatment, the muscles get regenerated and are then capable of holding half of the blood supply. Massage thus provides additional nourishment to feed the muscular tissues, helping them to grow strong. Tapping, striking, and vibrating help the muscle to develop its contractile power. Muscle massage is brought by first effleurage, kneading, followed by tapotement. Later, active and passive movements are given.

106. Quick tips for curing male impotence. The surprising cure for male impotence is derived from the simple soybean. For sexual potency, take lecithin. Lecithin has been suggested as a sexual aid. It was used in Germany 30 years ago as a restorative of sexual powers, for glandular exhaustion and nervous and mental disorders. Seminal fluid is rich in lecithin. Because of its loss from the body, its need for men is regarded as specially great, but women also benefit from lecithin. Its use is also considered valuable in minimizing pre-menstrual and menopausal tension. All that must be remembered in taking this entirely non-toxic supplement is that "more is not always better." When your stomach begins to reject the supplement, you have taken enough. Signs of excessive dosage are loose bowels and very mildly acidic stomach. These symptoms disappear when the dosage is normalized.

107. Quick tips for curing nerve problems. Massage benefits many nerve problems. In case of acute inflammation of the nerves, massage should be done carefully. Light and gentle stroking are recommended. Deep pressure should not be used on swollen nerves for it will increase the inflammation. All that is needed is just a gentle tapotement or beating of the nerve.

Nerve compression is recommended for soothing emotional tension. Grasp the limb with both hands, and create firm pressure around and down the arm. Start with the shoulder and proceed down to the wrist.

As you leave the grip, bring the hands down a little and make another pressure. As a result, blood circulation will increase. Spinal nerve compression is extremely beneficial. It is done by the palm of the hand. Vibration of the fingers stimulate it. Sleeplessness can be cured by long slow and gentle stroking down the spine and entire back.

108. Quick tips for curing obesity. For a low-calorie diet, eat a vegetarian diet. A vegetarian diet can have many nutritional benefits, if it is rich in fruits and vegetables, and contains moderate amounts of seeds, nuts, whole grains and legumes. One of the main benefits of a proper vegetarian diet is its low caloric content in relation to the bulk supplied, which helps maintain ideal weight. Another benefit of the vegetarian diet is the much lower intake of fat, if dairy products, seeds and nuts are eaten sparingly. This accounts for lower serum cholesterol levels found in vegetarians, which considerably reduces the risk of developing heart diseases and breast and colon cancer.

A third nutritional advantage of the vegetarian diet is its high fiber content. Fiber, being indigestible, increases the bulk of the faces, keeps them soft and makes them easy to expel.

One study has indicated that lacto-ovo vegetarians consume twice as much and vegans four times as much fiber as non-vegetarians. High fiber intake has been associated with decreased risks of diseases of the colon, appendicitis, cancer of the colon and rectum, hiatus hernia, piles and varicose veins.

109. Relieve stress by meditation, not medication. Today is an ideal day to be open to spiritual inspiration. Limit the effects of stress in your life. The body and the mind react to any stress factor. A large number of physical changes take place at the time of stress induced arousal. The brain and nervous system become intensely active, the pupils of the eye dilate, digestion slows down, muscles become tense, the heart starts pumping blood harder and faster, blood pressure increases , breathing become faster, hormones such as adrenaline are released into the system along with glucose from the liver and sweating starts.

All these changes take place in a split second under the direction of the nervous system. If the stress factors are immediately removed, no harm accrues and all the changes are reversed. How can you stop the effects of stress? The steps in this direction should include regular practice of any relaxation method or meditation technique, cultivating the art of doing things slowly (particularly activities like eating, walking and talking) limiting the working day to nine to ten hours and five and a half days weekly, cultivating a creative hobby and spending some time daily on this, avoiding working against unrealistic targets and completing one task before starting another.

110. More insight into insomnia. If restful sleep escapes you, be sure to detoxify. Do you get enough sleep? Sleep is essential to the detoxification of the body. If you do not get enough sleep, you should be sure to cleanse your body of potential poisons. sleep is the chemical theory. As a result of experiments in the metabolism of sleeping subjects, it is considered that the fatigue inducing sleep may be a mild form of blood poisoning or toxemia. This " poisoning" is believed to be brought on by the expenditure of energy during the waking hours. According to this theory, every contraction of a muscle and every impulse passing through the brain or the nerves breaks down a certain amount of tissue. The debris from broken down tissue is then thrown into the bloodstream. In the waking state, much of the waste from broken down tissue is got rid of through the natural eliminating processes of lungs, kidneys, bowels and skin. Be sure to get enough sleep-or if you do not wake refreshed, be sure to detoxify.

111. Quick tips for dealing with loss of appetite. Loss of appetite can itself be a serious health condition. Particularly in wasting diseases, such as asthma, AIDS, cancer, emphysema, or chronic degeneration of the central nervous system, a healthy appetite can even make the difference between life and death. Lack of appetite can result from an inadequate supply of vitamin B, which leads to low production of hydrochloric acid by the stomach. Hydrochloric acid is essential for the digestion of food and absorption of vitamins and minerals into the blood. It is, therefore, necessary that the daily diet should be rich in vitamin B for normal appetite. Proper digestion and absorption of foods and regular elimination. Foods rich in vitamin B are all whole grain cereals, blackstrap molasses, nuts, soybean, eggs and butter. Vegetable oil is of special value to those wishing to gain weight as it is rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids.

112. More insight into impotence. Direct physical damage to the male reproductive tract can result in impotence. In most cases, however, there is no obvious reason for this condition. The main problem of secondary impotence is the apprehension created by failure which generates a good deal of anxiety for the next time round regarding the likelihood of failure. If, in fact, intercourse is attempted again and the same failure results, then a vicious circle is established. Anxiety of failure is established as an anticipatory reflex which in turn impairs the capacity of the penis.

113. Insight into underweight, the overlooked threat to health. Underweight due to an inadequate caloric in take is a serious condition, especially in the young. They often feel easily fatigued, have poor physical stamina and lowered resistance to infection. Diseases like tuberculosis, respiratory disorders, pneumonia, circulatory diseases like heart disorders, cerebral hemorrhage, nephritis, typhoid fever and cancer are quite common among them. The occurrence of the complications of pregnancy in your women may result from inadequate calorie intake.

114. Quick tips for gaining weight. Diet plays an important role in building up health for gaining weight. Nutrients which help keep the nerves relaxes are of utmost importance as nervousness causes all the muscles to become tense and the energy which goes into the tenseness wastefully uses up a great deal of food. Although all vitamins and minerals are required for a sound health the most important ones are vitamin D and B6, calcium and magnesium. The richest sources of vitamin D are milk, cod liver oil and the rays of the sun.

Calcium is also supplied by milk and yoghurt. Magnesium can be obtained from green leafy vegetables such as spinach, parsley, turnip, radish and beet tops. These vegetables should be eaten a salad, lightly cooked.

But what is the real secret to correcting underweight? Underweight persons should eat frequent small meals as they tend to feel full quickly. Meals may be divided into six small ones instead of three big ones. These may consist of three smaller meals and three substantial snacks between them. The weight-building quality of a food is measured by the number of calories it contains. To gain weight, the diet should include more calories than are used in daily activities so as to allow the excess to be stored as body fat. The allowance of 500 calories in excess of the daily average needs is estimated to provide for a weight gain of one pound weekly.

115. Quick tips for treating urinary tract infections. To fight harmful bacteria in the urinary tract, encourage the growth of helpful bacteria. To encourage the growth of healthy symbiotic bacteria in your digestive system, consume fiber.

Dietary fiber increases the bacteria in the large intestines which require nitrogen for their growth. This in turn reduces the chances of cancerous changes in cells by reducing the amount of ammonia in the large bowel. Fiber reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the diet. It also slows down the rate of absorption of sugars from the food in the digestive system.

Certain types of fiber increase the viscosity of the food content. This increased viscosity indirectly reduces the need for insulin secreted by the pancreas. Thus a fiber-rich diet can help in diabetes mellitus.

116. Ayurvedic Foods for TB The custard apple is regarded as an effective food remedy for tuberculosis. It is said to contain the qualities of rejuvenating drugs. The Ayurvedic practitioner prepares a fermented liquor called sitaphalasava from the custard apple in its season for use as medicine in the treatment of tuberculosis. It is prepared by boiling custard apple pulp and seedless raisins in water on slow fire. It is filtered when about one third of water is left. It is then mixed with powdered sugar and candy and also the powder of cardamom, cinnamon and certain other condiments. Cardamom, cinnamon, and similar spices are themselves of benefit in treating TB

117. The Gooseberry for Chronic Lung Conditions Indian gooseberry has proved to be an effective remedy for tuberculosis. A tablespoonful each of fresh amla juice and honey mixed together should be taken every morning in this condition. Its regular use will promote vigor and vitality in the body within a few days. Regular use of radish is also of aid. Consider any spicy vegetables a useful addition to the therapeutic diet for tuberculosis.

118. Quick tips for curing sinusitis. Plenty of sleep, adequate rest and fresh air are essential in the treatment of sinus trouble. Patients should avoid the use of perfumes and strongly scented hair oil. Correcting the faulty diet is of utmost importance in the treatment of sinusitis. Patients should take a balanced diet. Most persons with sinus trouble also suffer from acidity. Their diet should, therefore, veer to the alkaline side. The intake of salt should be reduced to the minimum as salt leads to accumulation of water in the tissues and expels calcium from the body.

119. The Key Nutrient for Treating TB The chief therapeutic agent needed for the treatment of tuberculosis is calcium. Milk, being the richest food source for the supply of organic calcium to the body, should be taken liberally. The diet for tuberculosis should include at least one liter of milk daily. Why milk? Milk helps maintain weight.

Appropriate body weight is among the most important physical attributes and has a deep influence upon the health and personality of an individual. For a healthy body, weight slightly above the average is favorable upto the age of 30 years, as it serves as a good defense measure against certain diseases, especially tuberculosis. Between 30 and 40 years of age, the endeavor should be to maintain the weight at the average level as during this period, many future diseases have their beginning. After the age of 40, it will be advisable to keep the weight slightly below the average, so as to lighten the burden on the heart, kidney and other vital organs.

120. Nature Cure Methodology for Tuberculosis Tuberculosis is no longer considered incurable if it is tackled in the early stages. An all round scheme of dietetic and vitality building programme along natural lines is the only method to overcome the disease. As a first step, the patient should be put on an exclusive fresh fruit diet for three or four days. He should have three meals a day of fresh, juicy fruits, such as apples, grapes, pears, peaches, oranges, pineapple, melon or any other juicy fruit in season. Bananas, dried or tinned fruits should not be taken. For drinks, unsweetened lemon water or plain water either hot or cold may be taken. If losing such weight on the all-fruit diet, those already under weight may add a glass of milk to each fruit meal.

After the all-fruit diet, the patient should adopt a fruit and milk diet. For this diet, the meals are exactly the same as the all-fruit diet, but with milk added to each fruit meal. The patient may begin with a liter of milk the first day and increase by quarter liter daily up to two to two and a half liters according to how the milk agrees. The milk should be fresh and unboiled, but may be slightly warmed if desired. It should be sipped very slowly. The fruit and milk diet should be continued for four to six weeks. Thereafter, the following dietary may be adopted:

* Breakfast: Fresh fruits, as obtainable, and milk. Prunes or other dried fruits may also be taken, if desired. * Lunch: Steamed vegetables as available, one or two whole wheat chapattis and a glass of  buttermilk. * Dinner: A bowl of raw salad of suitable vegetables with whole wheat bread and butter. Stewed fruit or cooked apple may be taken for dessert. * At bed time: A glass of milk.

121. Water Therapy for TB Certain water treatments are helpful in cases of tuberculosis. The patient's vital resistance can be built up by a carefully planned graduated cold bath routine twice a day. The intensity of the cold applications should be gradually increased to achieve satisfactory results.  However, care must be taken to keep the patient from catching a chill. A short hot fomentation with alternate short cold application to the chest and back, and in the stomach region or a neutral immersion bath (water temperature 98 to 100º F) for an hour just before retiring at night is also beneficial.

122. Yoga for TB Certain yogic practices are beneficial in the treatment of tuberculosis in its early stages. These include asanas like viparitakarani, sarvangasana and shavasana and jalneti kriya. Every patient with tuberculosis can practice shavasana. Lie flat on your back, feet comfortably part, arms and hands extended about six inches from the body, palms upwards and fingers half-folded. Close your eyes. Begin by consciously and gradually relaxing every part and each muscle of the body; feet, legs, calves, knees, thighs, abdomen, hips, back, hands, arms, chest, shoulders, neck, head and face. Relax yourself completely feeling as if your whole body is lifeless. Now concentrate your mind on breathing rhythmically as slowly and effortlessly as possible.  This creates a state of complete relaxation. Remain motionless in this position, relinquishing all responsibilities and worries for 10 to 15 minutes. Discontinue the exercise when your legs grow numb. This asana helps bring down high blood pressure, and relieves the mind, particularly for those who are engaged in excessive mental activity. This exercise should be done both at the beginning and at the end of the daily round of yogic asanas. During a fast, shavasana soothes the nervous system.

123. Add color to your health with color-charged water. For this technique, colored bottles are needed. These bottles should be cleaned and filled up to three-fourths level with fresh well water, distilled water or rain water. The bottles should be corked and then placed in bright sunlight for three to four hours. After this exposure, the water is said to acquire medicinal properties and this color-charged water can be used both internally and for external applications. Wounds and ulcers can be washed with this water and it can also be used to massage the affected parts or applied as compress on them. For internal use, an adult can take 30 ml. of color-charged water as a single dose. The dose can be repeated as required.

124. A Brief Explanation of the Healing Power of the Sun Sunlight plays an important role in the recovery from chronic diseases. Judicious use of sunlight can be part of the curing process in almost every affliction. The rays of the sun improve digestion and nutrition, quicken blood and lymph circulation and increase the elimination of impurities through the skin. The action and effect of various colors on the body and their healing qualities are as follows:

Red: Symbolic of heat, fire and anger. It is a stimulating and energizing color. It stimulates arterial blood and brings warmth to cool extremities. Used as a general tonic, it is very valuable in the treatment of diseases like low blood pressure, rheumatism, paralysis, anemia and advanced cases of tuberculosis. Orange: Symbolic of prosperity and pride, orange is useful for stimulating blood supply and energizing the nerves. It is beneficial in the treatment of kidney and gallstones, hernia and appendicitis. It is also used to stimulate the milk producing action of breasts after childbirth. Violet: Violet is beneficial in the treatment of nervous and emotional disturbances, arthritis, acute cases of consumption and insomnia. Yellow: Associated with joy and happiness, yellow is laxative and diuretic. It is a stimulant to the brain, the liver and the spleen. It is also effective in the treatment of diabetes, indigestion, kidney and liver disorders, constipation, eye and throat infections, syphilis and impotence. Purple: Purple or indigo combines the blood-warming red and the cooling antiseptic blue. It is an excellent stimulant without being an irritant. It is beneficial in the treatment of advanced stages of constipation, hydrocele, leucorrhoea, many disorders of the stomach and womb, cataract, migraine and skin disorders. It exerts a soothing effect on the eyes, ears and the nervous system. Green: Made up of the blue and yellow, green is regarded as a color of harmony. It is a mild sedative. It is useful in the treatment of nervous conditions, hay fever, ulcers, influenza, malaria, colds, sexual disorders and cancer. It preserves and strengthens eyesight. Being highly medicinal and depressive, it is of great help in the treatment of inflammatory conditions. Blue: Cool, soothing and sedative, blue alleviates pain, reducing bleeding and heals burns. It is beneficial in the treatment of dysentery, colic, asthma, respiratory disorders, high blood pressure and skin aberrations. IN a study at the New England State Hospital in the United States, 25 members of staff with normal blood pressure were bathed in blue light for half an hour. It resulted in universal fall in blood pressure. The blood pressure rose when red light was applied.

125. Contraindications for Color Therapy There are some important contraindications to color treatment which should be borne in mind while adopting this mode of cure. For instance, the red color would be injurious in a naturally inflammatory condition of the system, and in case of persons with feverish and excitable temperament. If the red light is employed for too long and frequently, it may produce dangerous fevers. The danger can be obviated by using the red light for a few minutes at a time or by placing a wet bandage over the head.

Similarly, yellow should not be used when the nerves are very active or irritable. Yellow or orange reddish tones may prove injurious in fevers, acute inflammations, delirium, diarrhea, neuralgia, palpitation of the heart and any condition of over- excitement. In cases of paralysis, chronic rheumatism, gout, consumption and in all cold, pale and dormant conditions of the system, blue, indigo and violet may prove too cooling and constricting and should be avoided.

126. Color Therapy: Simple Methods # 1 See the world through rose colored glasses. There are two methods of treating diseases by color: by the application of light through different colored glasses, and By external or internal use of color-charged water.

In the first method, sheets of glass, 30 cm x 36 cm of the required colors are needed. These are placed at the window frames or any other convenient place in such a way that the sun's rays can pass through them and fall directly on the patient's body. The usual duration of the color treatment is 30 minutes. In case of local application, a pane of glass can be placed in front of the diseased part so that the light passing through the glass falls on the afflicted area. At night lanterns can be used for the purpose. A single lantern can have glass panes of four different colors and the required color can be focused on the patient or the affected parts.

You can also add color your health with color-charged water. For this technique, colored bottles are needed. These bottles should be cleaned and filled up to three-fourths level with fresh well water, distilled water or rain water. The bottles should be corked and then placed in bright sunlight for three to four hours. After this exposure, the water is said to acquire medicinal properties and this color-charged water can be used both internally and for external applications. Wounds and ulcers can be washed with this water and it can also be used to massage the affected parts or applied as compress on them. For internal use, an adult can take 30 ml. of color-charged water as a single dose. The dose can be repeated as required.

127. Quick tips for curing gum disease. Any treatment for pyorrhea, to be effective, should be constitutional. It should aim at cleansing the blood and tissues of the acid impurities which are at the root of the trouble. The extraction of the teeth affected with the disease will not help clear the systemic toxemia.

The patient should begin the treatment with a short juice fast for three to five days. The juice of a fresh orange diluted with water on 50: 50 basis, should be taken at two-hourly intervals from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during this period. If the orange juice does not agree, carrot juice may be taken. The bowels should be cleansed daily during this period with a warm water enema. If constipation is habitual, all steps should be taken for its eradication.

After the juice fast, the patient should spend a further three to five days on an exclusive fresh fruit diet. In this regimen, he should have three meals a day, at five-hourly intervals of fresh juicy fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, grape-fruit, oranges, pineapple and melon. If losing much weight on the all-fruit diet, those already under weight may add a glass of milk to each fruit meal.

Thereafter the patient may gradually embark upon a balanced diet, with emphasis on fresh fruits, green salads, whole meal bread, properly cooked vegetables, cheese, nuts, and milk. White bread, white sugar and all refined and tinned foods must be completely given up.

Condiments, sauces, alcohol, coffee and strong tea as well as meat and other flesh foods should also be avoided. The patient should also keep away from starchy and sticky foods. The teeth and gum, like other parts of the body require exercise. This can be achieved by eating hard and fibrous foods. Wheat is especially valuable in the prevention and treatment of pyorrhea. It takes time to eat wheat chapattis and as it is generally taken with other foods, it compels the chewing of other foods also. This not only provides the needed exercise for the teeth and gums but is also a great aid to digestion.

128. Cost-Free Methods of Health Care: Heat, Cold, and Yoga for Sinusitis Cold application over the sinus will give great relief; alternate hot and cold applications will also prove beneficial. Take pans of hot and cold water, bathe the whole face with hot water- as hot as you can bear- and then apply cold water for short duration. Nasal inhalation of steam for five minutes every hour will also give relief.

Yogasanas such as viparitakarni, bhujangasana, yogamudra and shavasana, yogic kriyas, such as jalneti and sutraneti and pranayamas like anuloma-viloma and suryabhedan will be beneficial in the treatment of sinus trouble.

129. Health habits for minimizing the pain of psoriasis. Too frequent baths should be avoided in psoriasis. Soap should not be used. Regular sea water baths and application of sea water externally over the affected parts once a day are beneficial. The hot Epsom salts bath has proved valuable in psoriasis.

Three full baths should be taken weekly until the trouble begins to subside. The number of baths thereafter may be reduced to two weekly and finally to one. The affected areas should also be bathed twice in hot water containing Epsom salt. After the bath a little olive oil may be applied. The skin should be kept absolutely clean by daily friction or sponge.

130. Diet therapy for liver disease. The simple form of jaundice can be cured rapidly by diet therapy and exercises. Recovery will, however, be slow in serious cases which have been caused by obstruction or pressure in the bile ducts. The patient should rest until the acute symptoms of the disease subside. The patient should be put on a fruit juice fast for a week. The juice of lemon, grapes, pear, carrot, beet, and sugarcane can be taken. A hot enema should be taken daily during the fast to ensure regular bowel elimination, thereby preventing the absorption of decomposed, poisonous material into the blood stream. The fruit juice fast may be discontinued after the severity of the disease is over and a simple diet may be resumed on the following lines:

* On rising: A glass of warm water mixed with two teaspoons of lime juice. * Breakfast: One fresh juicy fruit such as apple, papaya, grapes, berries and mangoes . One cup wheat dalia or one slice of whole wheat bread with a little butter. * Mid-morning: Orange juice. * Lunch: Two small chapattis of whole wheat flour, a cup of strained vegetable soup, a steamed leafy vegetable such as spinach, fenugreek or carrot and a glass of buttermilk. * Mid-afternoon: Orange juice or coconut water. * Dinner: Two whole wheat chapattis with a little ghee or butter, baked. Baked potato and one other leafy vegetable like spinach and fenugreek, a glass of hot milk with honey if desired

All fats like ghee, butter, cream and oils must be avoided for at least two weeks, and after that their consumption should be kept down to the minimum. Digestive disturbances must be avoided. No food with a tendency to ferment or putrefy in the lower intestines like pulses, legumes, etc., should be included in the diet.

131. Balanced diet for restoring restful sleep. A balanced diet with simple modifications in the eating pattern will go a long way in the treatment and cure of insomnia. Such a diet should exclude white flour products, sugar and its products, tea, coffee, chocolate, cola drinks, alcohol, fatty foods, fried foods, foods containing additives, that is chemicals for preserving, coloring and flavouring, excessive use of salt and strong condiments.

In the modified eating pattern, breakfast should consist of fresh and dried fruits, whole cereals, seeds and yoghurt. Of the two main meals, one should consist of a large mixed salad and the other should be protein-based. A cup of milk sweetened with honey at bedtime is helpful as the amino acid tryptophan contained in milk induces sleep.

132. Good food for good digestion. The only effective treatment for indigestion is a thorough cleansing of the digestive tract; adoption of a sensible diet and a change in the style of living. The best way to commence the treatment is to adopt an all-fruit diet for about five days. After the all-fruit diet, the patient may take to a restricted diet of easily digestible foods, consisting of lightly cooked vegetables, juicy fruits and buttermilk for about 10 days. He may thereafter gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet.

The use of fruits in general is beneficial in the treatment of indigestion. They flush out the undigested food reside and accumulated feces and re-establish health to perfect order. Being rich in water, they clean body mechanisms thoroughly. The best among the fruits in dyspepsia is lemon. Its juice reaches the stomach and attacks the bacteria, inhabiting the formation of acids.

Lemon juice removes indigestion by dislodging this acid and other harmful substances from the stomach, thereby strengthening and prompting a healthy appetite.

The orange is another effective food remedy in chronic indigestion. It gives rest to the digestive organs and supplies nutrition in a most easily assimilated form. It also stimulates the flow of digestive juices thereby improving digestion and increasing appetite. It creates suitable conditions for the development of friendly bacteria in the intestines.

Another fruit useful in indigestion is grapes. They are a light food which removes indigestion and irritation of the stomach in a short time and relieves heat. Pineapple is also valuable. It acts as a tonic in dyspepsia and relieves much of the digestives disorders of dyspeptics. Half a glass of pineapple juice should be taken after a meal in this condition.

133. Diets for Sinusitis Those suffering from sinusitis should completely avoid fried and starchy foods, white sugar, white flour, rice, macaroni products, pies, cakes and candies. They should also avoid strong spices, meat and products. Butter and ghee should be used sparingly. Honey should be used for sweetening. All cooked foods should be freshly prepared for each meal. Vegetables should be taken in liberal quantities.

All kinds of fruits can be taken with the exception of those belonging to citrus group such as lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit. Milk should be taken in liberal quantities as it contains calcium which has a marked effect in overcoming inflammation of the tissues. A diet rich in vitamin A is the best insurance against cold and sinus trouble. Vitamin A is the "membrane conditioner" as it helps build healthy mucus membranes in the head and throat. Some of the valuable sources of this vitamin are whole milk, curds, egg yolk, pumpkin, carrot, leafy vegetables, tomato, oranges, mango and papaya.

134. To prevent constipation, get your fiber. Fiber in the diet promotes more frequent bowel movements and softer stools having increased weight. The softness of stools is largely due to the presence of emulsified gas which is produced by the bacterial action on the fiber. A high fiber intake results in greater efficiency in the peristaltic movement of the colon. This helps in relieving the constipation which is the main cause of several acute and chronic diseases.

135. To prevent diarrhea, get your fiber. To prevent diarrhea, consume fiber. Recent studies suggest that increasing the dietary fiber intake may be beneficial for patients with irritated bowel syndrome who have diarrhea and rapid colonic transit, as well as to those who have constipation and slow transit. The high fiber diet, like bran, thus regulates the condition inside the colon so as to avoid both extremes- constipation and diarrhea.

Investigations have shown that several potential carcinogens are produced in the feces. Their production is related to the acidity of the gut content. The greater the acidity in the bowel content, the less is the production of these carcinogens. The breaking down of the fiber by bacteria renders the feces more acidic. This reduces the amount of possible carcinogenic substances. Fiber also reduces the possibility of formation of harmful toxins in the large intestine by reducing the intestinal transit time of the food contents.

136. Exercise for Gallstone Relief. Exercise is essential in cases of gallstones as physical inactivity can lead to lazy gall-bladder type indigestion which may ultimately result in the formation of stones. Yogic asanas which are beneficial in toning up the liver and gallbladder are: sarvangasana, paschimottanasana, shalabhasana, dhanurasana and bhujangasana. Even walking, however, can assist in the relief of this condition. The only time exercise should be avoided is during the acute attack, or after the internal application of oils to encourage movement of the stones.

137. To relieve depression, exercise. Exercise plays an important role in the treatment of depression. It not only keeps the body physically and mentally fit but also provides recreation and mental relaxation. It is nature' best tranquillizer. According to Dr. Robert Brown, a clinical associate professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine," Exercise produces chemical and psychological changes that improves your mental health. It changes the levels of hormones in blood and may elevate your beta-endorphins(mood-affecting brain chemicals). Exercise may also improve the function of the autonomic nervous system." Exercise also gives a feeling of accomplishment and thus reduces the sense of helplessness.

Some form of active exercise, must be undertaken each day at a regular hour. To be really useful, exercise should be taken in such a manner as to bring into action all the muscles of the body in a natural way. Walking is one such exercise. It is, however, so gentle in character that one must walk several kilometers in a brisk manner to constitute a fair amount of exercise. Yogic asanas such as vajrasana, bhujangasana, shalabhasana, halasana, paschomittanasana, sarvangasana and shavasana and pranayamas like kapalbhati, anuloma-viloma and bhastrika are highly beneficial in the treatment of depression.

138. Eye exercise can cure defective vision. The following exercises will loosen the strained and contracted muscles surrounding the eyes:

* Keep your head still and relaxed. Gently move the eyes up and down six times. Repeat the same movement twice or thrice at two-second intervals The eyes should move slowly and regularly as far down as possible and then as far up as possible. * Move the eyes from side to side as far as possible, without any force or effort six times. Repeat two or three times. * Hold the index finger of your right hand about eight inches in front of the eyes, then look from the finger to any other large object ten or more feet away- the door or window will do. Look from one to the other ten times. Do this exercise fairly rapidly. * Move the eyes up gently and slowly in a circle, then move them low in the reverse direction . Do this four times in all. Rest for a second and repeat the movements two or three times, using minimum efforts.

All eye muscle exercises should be performed while seated in a comfortable position.

139. Exercises for an Aching Neck. Neck tension arising from long hours at the desk or behind the wheel of the car can be relieved by certain neck exercises. These include rotating the head clockwise and anticlockwise, allowing the head to drop forward and backward as far as possible and turning the head to the right and left as far as possible several times. These exercises help to loosen up contracted neck muscles which may restrict the blood supply to the head. Neck tension may also be relieved by the yogic discipline pranayama, if the arms are held closely to the body through the exercise. Stand erect with the feet aligned straight and touching each other. Lock the fingers together with the hands beneath the chin and keep them there through the entire exercise.

Slowly raise the arms as you inhale, filling your lungs with air. Feel the action of the breathing through your throat. Then raise your arms above your head as you lean back and exhale, all the while keeping the hands at your chin. When you completely exhale, feeling the movement of the air through your throat, lower your arms and repeat the exercise 20 times.

140. Saving Sight with Palming. Today learn the simple exercise for saving sight called palming. Sit comfortably in an armchair or on a settee and relax with your eyes closed. Cover your eyes with your palms, right palm over the right eye and left over the left eye. Do not, however, press down on the eyes. With your eyes completely covered in this manner, allow your elbows to drop to your knees, which should be fairly close together. With your eyes closed thus, try to imagine blackness, which grows blacker and blacker. Palming reduces strain and relaxes the eyes and their surrounding tissues.

141. Saving Sight with Swinging Today learning the simple exercise for saving sight called swinging. Stand with your feet 12 inches apart, hands held loosely at the sides, the whole body and mind relaxed. Gently sway your body from side to side, slowly, steadily, with the heels rising alternatively but not the rest of the foot.

Imagine you are the pendulum of the clock, and move just as slowly. Swinging should be done in front of a window or a picture. You will see the object moving in the opposite direction of your swing. This must be noted and encouraged. When you face one end of the window or object, blink once. This exercise has a very beneficial effect on the eyes and the nervous system.

142. Exercise promotes longevity. Medical researchers at Harvard and Stanford Universities who studied the habits and health of 17,000 middle-aged and older men, reported the first scientific evidence that even modest exercise helps prolong life. Dr. Ralph S. Paffenberger, the visiting professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Pubic Health, who is the principal author of the report said, " We have found a direct relationship between the level of physical activity and the length of life in the college men we have studied." He added," This is the first good evidence that people who are active and fit have a longer life span than those who are not."

143. Massage is exercise, too. Massage is an excellent form of passive exercise. The word is derived from the Greek word 'massier' which means to knead. It involves the scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. If correctly done on a bare body, it can be highly stimulating and invigorating. As far back as 400 B.C., the great Hippocrates, the father of medicine, employed massage and manipulation in healing his patients. Since then it has been used as a mode of treatment for many ailments and it has restored many a sufferer to health and vigor . What are the benefits of massage? The general massage, dealing with all parts of the body, is highly beneficial in many ways. It tones up the nervous system, influences respiration and quickens the elimination of poisons and waste material from the body through the various eliminative organs such as the lungs, skin, kidneys and bowels. It also boosts blood circulation and metabolic processes. A massage removes facial wrinkles, helps to fill out hollow cheeks and neck and eases stiffness, sore muscles and numbness.

144. Methods of Massage The methods of massage are as varied as its benefits. There are five fundamental modes of manipulation in massage. These are effleurage (stroking), friction (rubbing), petrissage (kneading), tapotment (percussion) and vibration (shaking or trembling).

1. Effleurage: This involves sliding with the hands, using long even strokes over the surface of the body. Effleurage is performed in five ways, namely stroking with (I) palms of two hands; (ii) the palm of one hand; (iii) the knuckles; (iv) the ball of the thumb and (v) the finger tips. Effleurage increases blood circulation and soothes the nervous system. It also warms and relaxes. It is very helpful in atrophied condition of the skin.

2. Friction: The movements, which are circular in nature are performed with the help of the thumb and tips of fingers or the palm of the hand towards the joints or around the joints. Friction limbers up joints, tendons, and muscles and facilitates the removal of deposits by breaking them. It also helps in reducing swelling after nerve inflammation.

3. Petrissage: This is the process of kneading, pressing and rolling of the tissues and is performed with one or both hands, with two thumbs or with thumbs and fingers. One should apply heavy pressure for deep kneading and light pressure for superficial kneading. Petrissage is a treatment of the muscles. It increases nutrition, strengthens muscles, relieves intestinal congestion and helps elimination of the poisons. It boosts long activity and cellular respiration, eliminates fatigue poisons and tones up nerve endings.

4. Tapotement: This involves hacking, tapping, clapping and beating and is achieved by striking the body rapidly. Short and quick blows are generally given from the wrist. Tapotement helps in atrophied condition of the muscles. It increases blood supply, soothes nerves and strengthens muscles.

5. Vibrations: This is achieved by rapidly shaking the pressing movements by use of the hand or fingers on the body. Vibrating hand should move constantly. This is beneficial in neuritis and neuralgia after the inflammatory stage is over. It stimulates circulation, glandular activity and nervous plexuses. It also helps in bowel movement. Another form of massage helpful in most elements is the vibratory massage. This can be done by trained persons only. The vibratory muscles is more efficiently administered by a special, electrically operated machine.

145. When to Watch Out During Exercise. Vigorous exercise of any kind should not be taken for an hour and a half after eating, nor immediately before meals. Weak patients and those suffering from serious diseases like cancer, heart trouble, tuberculosis and asthma should not undertake vigorous exercise except under the supervision of a competent physician. If exercising makes you tired, stop immediately. The purpose of exercise should be to make you feel refreshed and relaxed and not tired. The most important rule about the fitness plan is to start with very light exercise and to increase the effort in gradual and easy stages. The sense of well being will begin almost immediately. One can start off with a brisk walk for 15 to 20 minutes. A comfortable sense of tiredness should be the aim. It is valueless and possibly harmful to become exhausted or seriously short of breath.

146. When your exercise routine begins to bore you, remember its benefits. Regular exercise taken properly can achieve the increased use of food by the body, which contributes to health and fitness. The basal metabolic rate and habitual body temperature will slowly rise during several weeks of physical exercise, if the programme is not too hard. The healthy person usually has abundant body heat and a warm radiant glow. Here are ten important benefits of regular exercise.

1. Regular progressive physical exercise can bring about the balance of automatic, or involuntary, nervous system. The tone of the vagus nerve, one of the nerves that control sensation and motion, is strengthened. This accounts for stronger pulse waves, higher metabolism and better circulation.

2. Exercise can prevent or reduce gravitational ptosis or sag, as it is commonly called. Ptosis results from uneven flow of blood in the feet, legs and lower abdomen.

3. Improved capillary action in the working of muscular and brain tissue results from exercise carried to the point of real endurance. This permits greater blood flow and gives the muscles, including the heart, more resistance to fatigue. Massage, heat and moderate exercise are relatively ineffective in producing additional capillary action as compared with vigorous exercise.

4. The full use of the lungs in vigorous exercise can reduce or prevent lung congestion due to lymph accumulation.

5. Gas and intra-intestinal accumulations can be reduced by exercise that acts to knead and squeeze or vibrate the intraintestinal mass.

6, Better respiratory reserve is developed by persistent exercise. This ensures better breath holding, especially after a standard exercise. With greater respiratory reserves, exercise become easier.

7. Improvement in tone and function of veins can be accomplished by repetitiously squeezing and draining the blood out of them and then allowing them to fill.

8. Sweating in exercise aids kidneys by helping to eliminate the waste matter from the body.

9. Consistent exercise leads to improvement in quality of blood. Studies have shown improved hemoglobin levels, relatively greater alkalinity, improved total protein content and a grater red cell count.

10. Systemic exercise promotes physical strength and mental vigor and strengthens will power and self control leading to harmonious development of the whole system.

147. Fasting Cures for Arteriosclerosis (Hardening of the Arteries) If the causes of arteriosclerosis are known, remedial action should be taken promptly to remove them. To begin with the patient should resort to a short juice fast for five to seven days. All available fresh, raw vegetables and fruit juices in season may be taken. Grape-fruit juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice and juices of green vegetables are especially beneficial. A warm water enema should be used daily to cleanse the bowels during the period of fasting.

After the juice fast, the patient should take optimum diet made up from three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and, (iii) fruits, with emphasis on raw foods. Plenty of raw and sprouted seeds and nuts should be used. Cold pressed vegetable oils, particularly safflower oil, flax seed oil and olive oil should be used regularly. Further, shorter fasts on juices may be undertaken at intervals of three months or so, depending on the progress being made.

148. Fasting Cures for Bronchitis In acute cases of bronchitis, the patient should fast on orange juice and water until the acute symptoms subside. The procedure is to take the juice of an orange in a glass of warm water every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Thereafter, the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for two or three days. In case of chronic bronchitis, the patient can begin with an all- fruit diet for five to seven days, taking each day three meals of fresh juicy fruits.

After the all-fruit diet, the patient should follow a well-balanced diet of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits. For drinks, unsweetened lemon water or cold or hot plain water may betaken. The patient should avoid meats, sugar, tea, coffee, condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods, soft-drinks, candies, ice-cream and products made from sugar and white flour.

149. Fasting for Gallstones Even the nature cure cannot spare the need for surgery on the gallbladder if good diet is neglected. Surgery becomes necessary if the gall-stones are very large or in cases in which they have been present for long. Smaller gall-stones can, however, cleared through nature cure methods. Diet is the basic factor in the treatment of gall bladder disorders. In cases of acute gall-bladder inflammation, the patient should fast for two or three days, until the acute condition clears. Nothing but water should be taken during the fast. After the fast, the patient should take carrot,

* Breakfast: Fresh fruit, one or two slices of whole meal toast and a cup of skimmed powder milk. * Lunch: Vegetable soup, a large salad consisting of vegetables in season with dressing of lemon or vegetable oil. Fresh fruit for dessert, if desired. * Dinner: Vegetable oil, one or two lightly cooked vegetables, baked potato, brown rice or whole wheat chapatti and a glass of buttermilk.

150. Fasting for Gout For an acute attack of gout, there is no better remedy than a fast. The patient should undertake a fast for five to seven days on orange juice and water. Sometimes the condition may worsen in the early stages of fasting when uric acid, dissolved by juices, is thrown into the bloodstream for elimination. This usually clears up if fasting is continued. In severe cases, it is advisable to undertake a series of short fasts for three days or so rather than one long fast. A warm water enema should be used daily during the period of fasting to cleanse the bowels. After the acute symptoms of gout have subsided, the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for a further three or four days. In this regimen, he should have three meals a day of juicy fruits such as grapes, apples, pears, peaches, oranges and pineapple. After the all-fruit diet, the patient may gradually embark upon the following diet:

* Breakfast: Fruits such as oranges, apples, figs, apricot, mangoes, whole wheat bread or dalia and milk or butter-milk. * Lunch: Steamed vegetables such as lettuce, beets, celery, water-cress, turnips, squash, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage and potatoes, chapattis of whole wheat flour, cottage cheese and butter-milk. * Dinner: Sprouts such as alfalfa and mung beans, a good-sized salad of raw vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, and tomatoes, and also whole wheat bread and butter.

151. Fasting for Kidney Disease Treatment To treat kidney disease, consider the fast. The safest treatment for acute nephritis is fasting. By means of the fast, the toxins and systemic impurities responsible for setting up of the inflammatory kidney conditions are removed rapidly. beet, grapefruit, lemon and grape juice for a few days. Ensure that the diet contains an adequate amount of lacto-vegetarian, consisting of raw and cooked vegetables, vegetable juices, and a moderate amount of fruit and seeds. Yoghurt, cottage cheese and a tablespoon of olive oil twice a day should also be taken. Oil serves as a stimulant for the production of bile and lipase, the fat digesting enzymes. All meats, eggs, animal fats and processed and denatured fats as well as fried foods should be avoided. The diet should also exclude refined carbohydrates, especially sugar, sugar products, alcohol, soft drinks, cakes, puddings, ice-cream, coffee and citrus fruits.

The patient should eat small meals at frequent intervals, rather than three large meals. The following is the suggested menu for those suffering from gall-bladder disorders:

* On rising: A glass of warm water mixed with lemon juice and honey or fresh fruit juice, * Mid morning: Fresh fruit juice.

The patient should resort to juice fasting for seven to ten days until the acute symptoms subside. Mostly vegetable juices such as carrot, celery and cucumber should be used during this period. A warm water enema should be taken each day while fasting, to cleanse the bowels of the toxic matter being thrown off by the self-cleansing process resulting from the fast. After the juice fast, the patient may adopt an all-fruit diet for four to five days. Juicy fruits such as apples, grapes, oranges, pears, peaches and pineapples should be taken during this period at five-hourly intervals. After the all-fruit diet, the patient may adopt fruits and milk diet. In this regimen, milk, preferably raw goat's milk, may be added to the fruit diet for further seven days. The patient may thereafter gradually embark upon a well-balanced low protein vegetarian diet.

152. Fasting to Relieve Leucoderma In nature cure, the treatment of leucoderma consists of adoption of constitutional measures to cleanse the system of accumulated toxins. This enables the healing power within the body to assert itself, and produce normalcy. To begin with, the patient should undertake a fast on juices for about a week. In this regimen, he or she should take fruit or vegetable juices, diluted with water on 50: 50 basis every two or three hours from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. The bowels should be cleansed daily with warm water during this period. After the juice fast, the patient may adopt a restricted diet consisting of fresh fruits, raw or steamed vegetables and whole meal bread or chapattis. Curd and milk may be added to this diet after a few days. The patient may thereafter gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits. The large proportion of the diet should consist of raw foods. Seeds and beans such as alfalfa, mung and soya beans can be sprouted. This diet may be supplemented with cold-pressed vegetable oils, honey and yeast. Juice fasting may be repeated at intervals of two months. The patient should avoid tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages and all condiments and highly flavored dishes. He or she should also avoid sugar, white flour products, denatured cereals like polished rice and pearled barley, and tinned or bottled foods.

153. The Fasting Cure for Rheumatism In the case of acute rheumatism, the patient should be put on a short fast of orange juice and water for three or four days. While fasting, the bowels should be cleansed through a warm water enema. After the juice fast, the patient should be placed on a restricted diet for 14 days. In this regimen, orange or grapefruit may be taken for breakfast, lunch may consist of a raw salad of any vegetables in season, with raisins, prunes, figs or dates; and for dinner, one or two steamed vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, carrots, turnips, cauliflower, etc., and a few nuts or some sweet fruit may be taken. NO bread or potatoes or other starchy food should be taken; otherwise the effect of the diet will be lost. Thereafter, the patient may gradually commence a well balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains (ii)vegetables and (iii) fruit.

154. The Safest, Most Effective, and Best Method of Fasting The best, safest and most effective method of fasting is juice fasting. Although the old classic form of fasting was a pure water fast, most of the leading authorities on fasting today agree that juice fasting is far superior to a water fast. According to Dr. Rangar Berg, the world -famous authority on nutrition, "During fasting the body burns up and excretes huge amounts of accumulated wastes. We can help this cleansing process by drinking alkaline juice instead of water while 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."

Vitamins, minerals, enzymes and trace elements in fresh, raw vegetable and fruit juices are extremely beneficial in normalizing all the body processes. They supply essential elements for the body's own healing activity and cell regeneration and thus speeding the recovery. All juices should be prepared from fresh fruit immediately before drinking. Canned or frozen juices should not be used.

A precautionary measure which must be observed in all cases of fasting is the complete emptying of the bowels at the beginning of the fast by enema. This is done so that the patient is not bothered by gas or decomposing matter formed from the excrements remaining in the body. Enemas should be administered at least every alternate day during the fasting period. The patient should get as much fresh air as possible and should drink plain lukewarm water when thirsty. Fresh juices may be diluted with pure water. The total liquid intake should be approximately six to eight glasses.

155. Fasting Therapies for Psoriasis Since psoriasis is a metabolic disease, a cleansing juice fast for about seven days is always desirable in the beginning of the treatment. Carrots, beats, cucumbers and grapes may be used for juices. Juices of citrus fruits should be avoided. The warm water enema should be used daily to cleanse the bowels during the fast. After the juice fast, the patient should adopt the diet of three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits, with emphasis on raw seeds and nuts, especially sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and plenty of organically grown raw vegetables and fruits. All animal fats, including milk, butter and eggs should be avoided. Refined or processed foods and foods containing hydrogenated fats or white sugar, all condiments, tea and coffee, should also be avoided. After noticeable improvement, goat's milk, yoghurt and home made cottage cheese may be added to the diet. Juice fasts may be repeated after four weeks on diet   156. Why Fasting Is the Master Remedy Fasting is the master remedy. The common cause of all diseases is the accumulation of waste and poisonous matter in the body, which results from overeating. The majority of persons eat too much and follow sedentary occupations that do not permit sufficient and proper exercise for utilization 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. 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.

157. An Invitation to Fasting Instead of rushing to complete your day before your evening meal, consider fasting. Use the 2 to 3 hours you would expend on dinner to meditate and "recharge" spiritually. If you suffer a chronic illness, fasting is the best remedy for the treatment of disorders resulting from toxins in the system. general vitality. To begin with, try fasting on orange juice and water for two or three days. The procedure is to take every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. the juice of an orange diluted with warm water on 50:50 basis. If the orange juice does not agree, juices of vegetable such as carrots and cucumber may be taken. A warm water enema may be taken each day while fasting to cleanse the bowels. After the short juice fast, the you may adopt an all-fruit diet for about two days, taking three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, grapefruit, orange, pineapple peaches and melon. After the juice fast, follow a well- balanced diet of seeds, nuts, and grains, vegetables and fruits. This diet should be supplemented with milk, yoghurt, butter-milk, vegetable oil and honey. A further short juice fast or periods on the all-fruit diet may be necessary at intervals of a month or two, according to the needs of the case.

158. Fasting For More Efficient Digestion Fasting is highly beneficial in practically all kinds of stomach and intestinal disorders. It is curative and in serious conditions of the kidneys and liver. It is a miracle cure for eczema and other skin diseases and offers the only hope of permanent cure in many cases. The various nervous disorders also respond favorably to this mode of treatment. Fasting should, however, not be restored to in every illness. In cases of diabetes, advanced stages of tuberculosis, and extreme cases of neurasthenia, long fasts will be harmful. In most cases, however, no harm will accrue to fasting patients, provided they take rest, and are under proper professional care.

159. Not all fasts are equivalent. The duration of the fast depends upon the age of the patient, the nature of the disease and the amount and type of drugs previously used. The duration is important, because long periods of fasting can be dangerous if undertaken without competent professional guidance. It is, therefore, advisable to undertake a series of short fasts of two to three days and gradually increase the duration of each succeeding fast by a day or so. The period of the fast, however, should not exceed a week of total fasting at a time. This will enable the chronically sick body to gradually and slowly eliminate toxic waste matter without seriously affecting the natural functioning of the body. A correct mode of living and a balanced diet after the fast will restore vigor and vitality to the individual.

160. The Key Rule for Fasting and Fatigue Only very simple exercises like short walks may be undertaken during the fast. A warm water or neutral bath may be taken during the period. Cold baths are not advisable. Sun and air baths should be taken daily. Fasting sometimes produces a state of sleeplessness which can be overcome by a warm tub bath, hot water bottles at the feet and by drinking one or two glasses of hot water.

The craving for food will, however, gradually decrease as the fast progresses. Seriously sick persons have no desire for food and fasting comes naturally to them. The simplest rule is to stop eating until the appetite returns or until one feels completely well.

161. Unless you break your fast properly, its benefits will be lost. The success of your fast depends largely on how it is broken. This is the most significant phase. The main rules for breaking the fast are these:

* Do not overeat. * Eat slowly. * Chew your food thoroughly. * Take several days for the gradual change to the normal diet.

If the transition to eating solid foods is carefully planned, there will be no discomfort or damage. The patient should also continue to take rest during the transition period. The right food after a fast is as important and decisive for proper results as the fast itself.

162. Basic Food Cures: Almonds, Cabbage, and Carrots to Relieve Gastric Inflammation Almond milk made from blanched almonds in a blender is very beneficial for ulcers as it binds the excess of acid in the stomach and supplies high quality proteins. Raw goat's milk is also highly beneficial. It actually helps to heal peptic ulcer. Cabbage is regarded as another useful home remedy for peptic ulcers. Cabbage is boiled in water. This water is allowed to cool and taken twice daily. The leaves of kalyana murangal tree, which is a variety of drumstick found in South India, have also proved helpful in the healing of the ulcers. The leaves of this tree are ground into a paste and taken mixed with yoghurt daily. Raw vegetables juices, particularly carrot and cabbage juices are beneficial in the treatment of the peptic ulcers. Carrot juice may be taken either alone or in combination with spinach or beat and cucumber. The formula proportions in the case of the first combination are 300 ml of carrots and 200 ml of spinach and in case of the second combination, 300 ml of carrots and three ounces each of beets and cucumber to make half a liter of juice.

163. Basic Food Cures: Apples in Alcoholism Apples are considered valuable in the treatment of alcoholism as their use removes intoxication and reduces the craving for wine and other intoxicating liquors. The raw celery juice is also considered helpful. It has a sobering effect and is an antidote to alcohol. It is advisable that in the beginning of the treatment, the patient is given a suitable substitute to relieve the craving if and when such a craving occurs. The best substitute drink for alcohol is a glass of fresh fruit juice, sweetened with honey, if desired. In the alternative, wholesome candy may be taken. The patient should always have easily available juices, candy, or other snacks to be taken between meals if he feels a craving for a stimulant.

All refined foods such as sugar, white rice, macaroni products and white flour and meat should be avoided. The patient should eat several small meals a day in preference to two or three large ones and avoid strong condiments such as pepper, mustard, and chili. He should not smoke as this will only increase his desire for alcohol.

164. Basic Food Cures: When you need fiber, eat beans. Fiber is essential to human health. Many are tempted to ensure their consumption of fiber by using just one source, usually whole grains. Unfortunately, eating too much wheat fiber alone can cause unexpected results, such as acid stomach, and, surprisingly, constipation. Fiber from whole grains must be supplemented. Beans and peas are as useful as whole grains as sources of fiber.

Legumes have high fiber content. Much of this fiber is water- soluble, which makes legumes likely agents for lowering cholesterol. Soya beans, besides this, can also help control glucose levels.

165. Beet for Heart Health The beet juice has also proved valuable in arteriosclerosis. It is an excellent solvent for inorganic calcium deposit. Juices of carrot and spinach are also beneficial. These juices can be taken individually or in combination. Formula proportions found helpful when used in combination are carrot 300 ml and spinach 200 ml to prepare 500 ml of juice. Any juice provides the potassium needed for general health of the circulatory system. Favor vegetable juices is there is also any "red" condition: red skin, red face, fever, inflammation, or toxicity. Favor fruit juices is there is any "cold" condition: clammy skin, fatigue, or obesity without toxic symptoms.

166. Bitter Gourd for Diabetes Recent scientific investigations have established that bitter gourd (karela) is highly beneficial in the treatment of diabetes. It contains an insulin-like principle, known as plant-insulin which has been found effective in lowering the blood and urine sugar levels. It should, therefore, be included liberally in the diet of the diabetic. For better results, the diabetic should take the juice of about 4 or 5 fruits every morning on an empty stomach. The seeds of bitter gourd can be added to food in a powdered form. Diabetics can also use bitter gourd in the form of decoction by boiling the pieces in water or in the form of dry powder.

167. Black Raisins for Sexual Vigor Black raisins are also useful for restoration of sexual vigor. They should be boiled with milk after washing them thoroughly in tepid water. This will make them swollen and sweet. Eating of such raisins should be followed by the use of milk. Starting with 30 grams of raising with 200 ml. of milk, three times daily, the quantity of raising should be gradually increased to 50 grams each time.

168. Buttermilk for Diarrhea An effective remedy for diarrhea is the use of buttermilk. It is the residual milk left after the fat has been removed from yoghurt by churning. It helps overcome harmful intestinal flora and re-establish the benign or friendly flora. The acid in the buttermilk also fights germs and bacteria. It may be taken and mixed with a pinch of salt three or four times a day for controlling diarrhea.

Should buttermilk be unavailable, eat yoghurt. This fermented food provides useful bacteria that displace the micro-organisms that cause digestive infections. Eating yoghurt just three times a week in any amount maintains the needed bacteria for intestinal health.

169. Carrot Soup for Diarrhea Carrot soup is another effective home remedy for diarrhea. It supplies water to combat dehydration, replenishes sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sulphur and magnesium, supplies pectin and coats the intestine to allay inflammation. It checks the growth of harmful intestinal bacteria and prevents vomiting. One pound of carrot may be cooked in five ounces of water until it is soft. The pulp should be strained and boiled water added to make a quart. Three-quarter tablespoon of salt may be mixed. This soup should be given in small amounts to the patient every half an hour.

170. Carrots and Lady's Fingers for Male Sexual Stamina Carrot is also considered useful in impotence. For better results, carrot should be taken with a half-boiled egg dipped in a tablespoonful of honey once daily for a month or two. This recipe increases sex stamina by releasing sex hormones and strengthens the sexual plexus. It is for this reason that carrot halwa, prepared according to Unani specifications is considered a very effective tonic to improve sexual strength.

The lady's finger is another great tonic for improving sexual vigor. It has been mentioned in ancient Indian literature that the persons who take five to 10 g of root powder of this vegetable with milk and 'misri' daily will never lose sexual vigor.

171. Cherries for Gout The cherry, sweet or sour, is considered an effective remedy for gout. This was discovered by Ludwig W. Blan Ph.D. some 35 years ago. Himself a gout sufferer, Blan found some cherries to be miraculously effective in his own case and published his own experience in a medical journal in the American state of Texas.

Subsequently, many people with gout used this simple therapy with great success. To start with, the patient should consume about 15 to 25 cherries a day. Thereafter, about 10 cherries a day will keep the ailment under control. While fresh cherries are best, canned cherries can also be used with success.

172. Dietary Measures for Digestive Regularity The most important factor in curing constipation is a natural and simple diet. This should consist of unrefined food such as whole grain cereals, bran, honey, molasses, and lentils; green and leafy vegetables, especially spinach, French beans, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, celery, turnip, pumpkin, peas, beets, asparagus, carrot; fresh fruits, especially pears, grapes, figs, papayas, mangoes, grapefruit, gooseberries, guava and oranges; dry fruits such as figs, raisins, apricots and dates; milk products in the form of butter, ghee and cream.

The diet alone is not enough. Food should be properly chewed, each morsel at least 15 times. Hurried meals and meals at odd times should be avoided. Sugar and sugary foods should be strictly avoided because sugar steals B vitamins from the body, without which the intestines cannot function normally. Foods which constipate are all products made of white flour rice, bread, pulses, cakes, pastries, biscuits, cheese, fleshy foods, preserves, white sugar, and hard-boiled eggs.

173. Drink fresh fruit juices, not canned or frozen. Raw juices act as a cleansing agent and start eliminating toxins and morbid matter from the system immediately. This often results in symptoms such as pain in the abdomen, diarrhea, loss of weight, headache, fever, weakness, sleeplessness and bad breath. These reactions, which are part of the cleansing process, should not be suppressed by the use of drugs. They will cease when the body is able to expel all toxins.

Canned juices contain proteins that have been "shocked" in the process of heating the product to prevent bacterial growth. These "polyamines" enter the bloodstream and encourage the growth of abnormal cells, both infection and cancer. The canned juice may also contain sodium, cancelling out the nutritional effect of its large reserve of potassium. For good health, drink raw, minimally processed juices.

174. Fiber for Disease Prevention Dietary fiber plays an important role in the maintenance of health and prevention of diseases. Fiber forms the skeletal system of plants. Without it no plant or tree would be able to stand upright. Dietary fiber, the roughage of yesteryears, consists of those parts of the plant foods that cannot be digested by enzymes or other digestive secretions in the alimentary canal.

There is sufficient evidence to suggest that an artificial depletion of fiber as in case of refined cereals and sugar has over the last 100 years contributed to several degenerative diseases. Recent studies in this area indicate that sufficient intake of fiber-rich diet may help prevent obesity, colon cancer, heart disease, gallstones, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis and diabetic conditions. Studies have also established that dietary fiber is a collection of elements with a variety of functions rather than a single substance with single function as was assumed earlier. This new insight into the true nature of fiber has given the lie to old beliefs that bran is synonymous with fiber, that all fiber is fibrous or stringy and that all fiber tastes the same.

175. Fighting Fat with a Vegetarian Diet For a low-fat diet, eat a vegetarian diet. Another benefit of the vegetarian diet is the much lower intake of fat, if dairy products, seeds and nuts are eaten sparingly. This accounts for lower serum cholesterol levels found in vegetarians, which considerably reduces the risk of developing heart diseases and breast and colon cancer.

A third nutritional advantage of the vegetarian diet is its high fiber content. Fiber, being indigestible, increases the bulk of the faces, keeps them soft and makes them easy to expel. One study has indicated that lacto-ovo vegetarians consume twice as much and vegans four times as much fiber as non-vegetarians. High fiber intake has been associated with decreased risks of diseases of the colon, appendicitis, cancer of the colon and rectum, hiatus hernia, piles and varicose veins.

McCarrison, one of the greatest authorities on food, has outlined a perfect diet. According to him, " a perfectly constituted diet is one in which the principal ingredients are milk, milk products, any whole cereal grain or mixture of cereal grains, green leafy vegetables and fruits. These are the protective foods. They make good the defects of other constituents of the diet, protect the body against infection and disease of various kinds, and their use in sufficient quantity ensures physical efficiency." 176. The Figgy Cure Figs are an excellent food remedy for increasing weight in case of thinness. The high percentage of rapidly assimilated sugars makes them a strengthening and fattening food. The fig is also the superlative treatment for hemorrhoids. Three or four figs should be soaked overnight in water after cleansing them thoroughly in hot water. They should be taken the first thing in the morning along with water in which they were soaked. They should also be taken in the evening in a similar manner. This treatment should be continued for three or four weeks. The tiny seeds of the fruit possess an excellent quality of stimulating peristaltic movements of intestines. This facilitates easy evacuation of feces and keeps the alimentary canal clean. The pressure on the anus having thus been relieved, the hemorrhoids also get contracted.

177. Food Cures for Cataracts There is increasing evidence to show that in several cases cataracts have actually been reversed by proper nutritional treatment. However, the time needed for such treatment may extend from six months to three years.

A thorough course of cleansing the system of the toxic matter is essential. To start with, it will be beneficial to undergo a fast for three to four days on orange juice and water. A warm water enema may be taken during this period. After this initial fast, a diet of very restricted nature should be followed for two weeks. In this regimen, breakfast may consist of oranges or grapes or any other juicy fruit in season. Raw vegetable salads in season, with olive oil and lemon juice dressing, and soaked raisins, figs or dates should be taken during lunch. Evening meals may consist of vegetable such as spinach, fenugreek, drum sticks, cabbage, cauliflower, carrot, turnips, steamed in their own juices, and a few nuts or some fruits, such as apples, pears and grapes. Potatoes should not be taken. No bread or any other food should be added to this diet. After two weeks on this diet, the cataract patient may start on a fuller diet on the following lines:

* Breakfast: Any fresh fruits in season, except bananas. * Lunch: A large mixed raw vegetable salad with wholemeal bread or chapattis and butter. * Dinner: Two or three steamed vegetables, other than potatoes, with nuts and fresh fruit.

The short fast followed by a restricted diet should be repeated after three months of the commencement of the treatment and again three months later, if necessary. The bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema during the fast, and afterwards as necessary. The patient should avoid white bread, sugar, cream, refined cereals, rice, boiled potatoes, puddings and pies, strong tea or coffee, alcoholic beverages, condiments, pickles, sauces or other so-called aids to digestion.

178. Food Cures for Dysentery Among specific food remedies, bael fruit is, perhaps, the most efficacious in the treatment of dysentery of both the varieties. Pulp of the fruit mixed with jaggery should be given thrice daily.

To deal with a chronic case of dysentery, unripe bael fruit is roasted over the fire and the pulp is mixed with water. Large quantities of the infusion so made should be administered with jaggery. The pulp of the unripe fruit mixed with an equal quantity of dried ginger can also be given with butter milk.

The use of pomegranate rind is another effective remedy for dysentery. About 60 grams should be boiled in 250 grams of milk. It should be removed from the fire when one third of the milk has evaporated. It should be administered to the patient in three equal doses at suitable intervals. It will relieve the disease very soon. Lemon juice is very effective in dealing with ordinary cases of dysentery. A few lemons, peels and sliced, should be added to 250 ml of water and boiled for a few minutes. The strained infusion should be administered thrice daily.

179. Food Cures for Seizure Disorders The most important aspect of the treatment of epilepsy is the diet. To begin with, the patient should be placed on an exclusive fruit diet for first few days. During this period he should have three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits such as oranges, apples, grapes, grapefruit, peaches, pears, pineapple and melon. Thereafter, he may gradually adopt a well balanced diet of three basic food groups viz. (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits with emphasis on sprouted seeds such as alfalfa seeds and mung beans, raw vegetables and fruits. The diet should include a moderate amount of raw milk preferably goat's milk and milk products such as raw butter and homemade cottage cheese.

The diet should eliminate completely all animal proteins, except milk, as they not only lack in magnesium, but also rob the body of its own magnesium storage as well as of vitamin B6. Both these substances are needed in large amounts by epileptics. The best food sources of magnesium are raw nuts, seeds, soyabeans, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, beet-tops etc. The patient should avoid all refined foods, fried and greasy food, sugar and products made with it, strong tea, coffee, alcoholic beverages, condiments and pickles. The patient should avoid over eating and take frequent small meals rather than a few large ones. He should not eat large meals before going to bed.

180. Foods for Colitis Diet plays an important part in the treatment of colitis. It is advisable to observe a juice fast for five days or so in most cases of ulcerative colitis. The juices may be diluted with a little boiled water. Papaya juice, raw cabbage and carrot juices will be especially beneficial. Citrus juices should be avoided. The bowel should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema. After the juice fast, the patient should gradually adopt a diet of small, frequent meals of soft cooked or steamed vegetables, rice, dalia (coarsely broken wheat), well ripened fruits like banana and papaya, yoghurt and home-made cottage cheese. Sprouted seeds and grains, whole meal bread and raw vegetables may be added gradually to this diet after about 10 days. All food must be eaten slowly and chewed thoroughly. Foods which should be excluded from the diet are white sugar, white bread and white flour products, highly seasoned foods, highly salted foods, strong tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages and foods cooked in aluminum pans. Ripe bananas are highly beneficial in the treatment of ulcerative colitis, being bland, smooth, easily digested and slightly laxative. They relieve acute symptoms and promote the healing process.

An effective remedy for ulcerative colitis is the use of butter- milk. It is the residual milk left after the fat has been removed from yoghurt by churning. Buttermilk enema twice a week is also soothing and helps in re-installing a healthy flora in the colon.

Another valuable remedy for colitis is tender coconut water, it is soothing to the soft mucosa of the colon. Cooked apple also aids the healing of ulcerative conditions because of its ample concentration of iron and phosphorous.

181. More Foods for Male Sexual Stamina Dried dates, known as chuhara in the vernacular, is a highly strengthening food for men. Pounded and mixed with almonds, pistachio nuts and quince seeds, it forms an effective remedy for increasing sexual power. These have a special place in the comprehensive diet to correct the condition.

Diet is an important factor in this condition. To begin with, the patient should adopt an exclusive fresh fruit diet from five to seven days. In this regimen, he can have three meals a day, at five hourly intervals, of fresh juicy fruits such as grapes, oranges, apples, pears, peaches, pineapple and melon. The bowels should be cleansed daily during this period with a warm-water enema.

After the all-fruit diet, the patient may gradually embark upon a balanced diet of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits, with generous use of special rejuvenating foods such as whey, soured milks, particularly made from goat's milk, millet, garlic, honey, cold-pressed vegetable oils and brewer's yeast. The patient should avoid smoking, alcohol, tea, coffee and all processed, canned, refined and denatured foods, especially white sugar and white flour and products made from them.

182. More Foods for Sinusitis One of the most effective remedies for sinus problems is to eat pungent herbs like garlic and onion which tend to break up mucous congestion all through the respiratory tract. One should begin with small mild doses and increase them gradually. Beneficial results can also be achieved by adding these herbs in moderate amounts to regular meals.

Carrot juice used separately or in combination with juices of beet and cucumber or with spinach juice is highly beneficial in the treatment of sinus trouble. 100 ml each of beet and cucumber juice or 200 ml of spinach juice should be mixed with 300 ml of carrot juice in these combinations.

183. Foods to Avoid When Dealing with Stress Reactions to stress are manifold. No one situation is stressful to all the people all the time. Some of the factors that can produce stress are children or the lack of them, the boss or the subordinate, the traffic ,the telephone or the lack of it, overwork or not enough to do, too much money or too little of it, making decision, a dull routine job, lack of authority and apprehensions about the future. And stress is intimately associated with diet. There are certain foods which are associated with stress and anxiety and should be scrupulously avoided by patients. These foods are caffeine and many soft drinks, which causes nervousness, irritability and palpitation; salt which has been associated with heart diseases; cigarettes which cause tension, irritability and sleeplessness and which have been linked with cancer, and alcohol which depletes vitamins of the B group considered essential for reducing stress.

184. Foods To Be Avoided in Glaucoma Certain foodstuffs should be scrupulously avoided by patients suffering from glaucoma. Coffee in particular, should be completely avoided because of its high caffeine content. Caffeine causes stimulation of vasoconstrictors, elevating blood pressure and increasing blood flow to the eye.

Beer and tobacco, which can cause constriction of blood vessels, should also be avoided. Tea should be taken only in moderation. The patient should not take excessive fluids, whether it is juice, milk or water at any time. He may drink small amounts several times with at least one hour intervals. The diet of the patient suffering from glaucoma should be based on three basic food groups, namely, seeds, nuts and grains; vegetables and fruit, with emphasis on raw vitamin C foods, fresh fruits, and vegetables.

185. Foods to Consume When Dealing with Stress There are many foods that are helpful in meeting the demands of stress and should be taken regularly by the patient. These are yoghurt, blackstrap molasses, seeds, and sprouts.

* Yoghurt is rich in vitamin A, B complex and D. It relieves insomnia, migraine and cramps associated with menstruation. * Blackstrap molasses, a by-product of sugar refining process, is rich in iron and B vitamins. It guards against anemia and is good for heart diseases. * Seeds such as alfalfa, sunflower, and pumpkin and sprouts are rich in calcium and quite effective as deterrents of listlessness and anxiety. Steam cooked vegetables are best as boiling causes many vitamins and minerals to be dispelled into the water.

186. Supplements for Dealing with Stress Certain nutrients are beneficial in relieving stress. These are vitamins A and B, minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium which reduce the feeling of irritability and anxiety. Vitamin A is found in green and yellow vegetables. Some of the valuable sources of vitamin B are cashews, green leafy vegetables, yeast, sprouts and bananas. An element of vitamin B complex, pantothenic acid is especially important in preventing stress. It has a deep effect on the adrenal glands and the immune system and adequate amount of this vitamin along with vitamin A can help prevent many of the changes caused by stress.

187. Fruit for Healthy Teeth and Gums Chewing unripe guava is an excellent tonic for teeth and gums. It stops the bleeding from gums due its styptic effect and richness in vitamin C. Chewing its tender leaves also helps in curing bleeding from gums and keeps the teeth healthy. A decoction of root-bark can also be beneficial used as mouth- wash for swollen gums. Lemon and lime are also useful in pyorrhea due to their high vitamin C-content. They strengthen the gums and teeth and are very effective for preventing and curing acute inflammations of the gum margins.

188. Fruits for Treating Constipation Certain fruits are effective against constipation. Bael fruit is regarded as best of all laxatives. It cleans and tones up the intestines. Its regular use for two or three months throws out even the old accumulated fecal matter. Though generally used to check diarrhea, bael contains both laxative and constipative properties. It hardens the stools when they are loose and serves as a laxative when the bowels are constipated. It should be preferably used in its original form and before dinner. About 60 grams of the fruit will suffice for an adult.

Pears are regarded the next best fruit beneficial in the treatment of constipation. Patients suffering from chronic constipation should better adopt an exclusive diet of this fruit or its juice for few days, but in ordinary cases a medium-sized pear taken after dinner or with breakfast will have the desired effect. The same is true of guava which, when eaten with seeds, gives roughage to the diet and helps in the normal evacuation of the bowels. Grapes have also proved highly beneficial in overcoming constipation. The combination of the properties of the cellulose, sugar and organic acid in grapes make them a laxative food. Their field of action is not limited to clearing the bowels only. They also tone up the stomach and intestines and relieve the most chronic constipation. One should take at least 350 grams of grapes daily to achieve the desired results. When fresh grapes are not available, raisins soaked in water can be used. Raisins should be soaked in a tumbler of drinking water for 24 to 48 hours. This would swell them to the original size of the grapes. The raisins should be eaten early in the morning. The water in which raisins are soaked should be drunk along with the soaked raisins.

189. Garlic and Onion in the Bedroom Certain foods are considered highly beneficial in the treatment of impotence. The most important of these is garlic. It is a natural and harmless aphrodisiac. According to a Dr. Robinson, an eminent sexologist of America, garlic has a pronounced aphrodisiac effect. It is a tonic for loss of sexual power from any cause and for sexual debility and impotence resulting from sexual overindulgence and nervous exhaustion.

Onion is another important aphrodisiac food. It stands second only to garlic. It increases libido and strengthens the reproductive organs. The white variety of onion, is however, more useful for this purpose.

190. Garlic for Asthma Another effective remedy for asthma is garlic. The patient should be given daily garlic cloves boiled in thirty gm of milk as a cure for early stage of asthma. Steaming ginger tea with minced garlic cloves in it, can also help to keep the problem under control and should be taken both in the morning and evening.

Turmeric is also regarded as an effective remedy for bronchial asthma. The patient should be given a teaspoonful of turmeric powder with a glass of milk two or three times daily. It acts best when taken on an empty stomach.

During the attack, mustard oil mixed with little camphor should be massaged over the back of the chest. This will loosen up phlegm and ease breathing. The patient should also inhale steam from the boiling water with caraway seeds, known as ajwain in the vernacular. It will dilate the bronchial passage.

191. Go Bananas to Treat Chronic Disease Bananas are also valuable in nephritis because of their low protein and salt content and high carbohydrates content. In this condition, a diet of bananas only should be taken for three or four days, consuming eight to nine bananas a day.

Smoking and drinking, where habitual, must be completely given up. Studies have shown that smoking impairs kidney function. The patient should avoid white bread, sugar, cakes, pastries, puddings, refined cereals, greasy, heavy or fried foods. He should also avoid tea, coffee, all flesh foods, condiments, pickles, and sauces.

192. Growing Your Own Sprouts The simple bean sprout is a fountain of nutrition. The growing cotyledon concentrates all manner of minerals and transforms carbohydrates into their most easily assimilated form. Ancient medical systems both in India and China made the bean sprout a critical food for treating persons of deficient energy and long-term debility. The bean sprout is an exceptionally wholesome food.

Here is a critical rule for the efficacious use of sprouts: Ensure that seeds and dried beans are purchased from a store where they are fresh, unsprayed and packaged as food. Seeds that are packaged for planting purposes may contain mercury compounds or other toxic chemicals

193. Jambul for Diabetes Another effective home remedy is jambul fruit known as jamun in the vernacular. It is regarded in traditional medicine as a specific against diabetes because of its effect on the pancreas. The fruits as such, the seeds and fruit juice are all useful in the treatment of this disease. The seeds contain a glycoside "jamboline" is believed to have power to check the pathological conversion of starch into sugar in cases of increased production of glucose. They should be dried and powdered. This powder should be taken mixed in milk, curd, or water.

194. Kidney Beans for Kidney Problems Kidney beans, also known as French beans or common beans, are regarded as a very effective remedy for kidney problems, including kidney stones. It was Dr. Ramm of Germany, who first discovered the value of kidney beans as a medicine for kidney and bladder troubles. He employed it for over 25 years with beneficial results. The method prescribed by him to prepare the medicine is to remove the beans inside the pods, then slice the pods and put about 60 mg. in four liters of hot water, boiling slowly for four hours. This liquid should be strained through fine muslin and then allowed to cool for about eight hours. Thereafter, the fluid should be poured through another piece of muslin without stirring.

According to Dr. Ramm, a glassful of this decoction should be given to the patient every two hours through the day for one day, and thereafter it may be taken several times a week. Dr. Ramm also says that this decoction will not work if it is more than 24 hours old. The pods can be kept for longer periods but once they are boiled, the therapeutic factor disappears after one day. The basil, known as tulsi in the vernacular, has a strengthening effect on the kidneys. In case of kidney stones, basil juice and honey should betaken for six months. It has been found that the stones can be expelled from the urinary tract with this treatment. The celery is also a valuable food for those who are prone to stone formation in the kidneys or the gall bladder. Its regular use prevents future stone formation.

195. Not Everything Green Goes for the Kidney Patient The nephritis patient should avoid vegetables containing large quantities of oxalic acid such as spinach and rhubarb. Chocolate and cocoa also contain oxalic acid and must not be used. Garlic, asparagus, parsley, watercress, cucumber and celery are excellent vegetables. The best fruits are papaya and bananas. Both have a healing effect on kidneys. A small amount of soured milk and home- made cottage cheese can be included in the diet. All salt should be eliminated from the diet. Five or six small meals should be taken in preference to a few large ones.

A glassful of carrot juice mixed with tablespoonful of honey and a teaspoonful of fresh lime juice is a very effective home remedy for nephritis. It should be taken every day early in the morning before breakfast.

196. Onion for Bronchitis The onion has been used as a food remedy for centuries in bronchitis. It is said to possess expectorant properties . It liquefies phlegm and prevents its further formation. One teaspoon of raw onion juice, the first thing in the morning will be highly beneficial in such cases.

Why should the humble onion play such a vital role in the treating of this common chronic disease? Scientists say it enables the body to stop the production of cytokines, agents of inflammation that keep the lungs filled with mucus that inhibits normal breath.

197. Parsley for the Heart Parsley is another effective home remedy for arteriosclerosis. It contains elements which help to maintain the blood vessels, particularly the capillaries and arterial system in a healthy condition. It may be taken as a beverage by simmering it gently in the water for a few minutes and partaking several times daily.

The added effects of parsley for the health are many. Parsley protects against allergy, soothes the digestion, and even sweetens the breath. Parsley may also be eaten raw in salads and cooked as a vegetable, taken in moderation in a balanced diet.

198. Pomegranate and Mango for Diarrhea The pomegranate has proved beneficial in the treatment of diarrhea on account of its astringent properties. If the patient develops weakness due to profuse and continuous purging, he should be given repeatedly about 50 ml of pomegranate juice to drink. This will control the diarrhea.

Mango seeds are also valuable in diarrhea. The seeds should be collected during the mango season, dried in the shade and powdered and kept stored for use as medicine when required. It should be given in doses of about one and a half gram to two grams with or without honey.

199. Pumpkins Seeds for Prostate Problems Pumpkin seeds have been found to be an effective home remedy for prostate problems and many patients have been helped by their use. These seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids which are essential to the health of the prostate.

Heavy starches, sweet stimulants and highly seasoned foods are entirely forbidden, as they cause direct irritation on the prostate gland and bladder. The diet should also exclude spices, condiments, salt in excess, sauces, red meats, cheese, asparagus, watercress, greasy or fried foods, alcohol, tobacco and too much tea or coffee. The patient should avoid hurried meals and must chew his food thoroughly and slowly. Water should be taken between meals and not at mealtime.

200. Soy for Nerve Diseases Certain remedies have been found highly beneficial in the treatment of neuritis. One such remedy is soybean milk. A cupful of soybean milk mixed with a teaspoonful of honey should be taken every night in this condition. It tones up the nervous system due to its rich concentration of lecithin, vitamin B1 and glutamic acid.

Soybean milk is prepared by soaking the beans in water for about 12 hours. The skin of the beans is then removed and after a thorough wash, they are turned into a fine paste in a grinding machine. The paste is mixed with water, three times its quantity. The milk should then be boiled on a slow fire, stirring it frequently.

After it becomes little cooler, it should be strained through a cheese cloth and sugar added. barley brew is another effective remedy for neuritis. It is prepared by boiling one-quarter cup of all natural pearled barley in two quarters of water. When the water has boiled down to about one quarter, it should be strained carefully. For better results, it should be mixed with butter-milk and lime juice.

201. Special Diet for Kidney Stones Made of Calcium In calcium phosphate stones, over-secretion of parathyroid hormone causes loss of calcium from the bones resulting in a high blood level of calcium with increased excretion of calcium in the urine. An abnormally high intake of milk, alkalis or vitamin D may also result in the formation of calcium phosphate stones.

For controlling the formation of calcium phosphate stones, a moderately low calcium and phosphorous diet should be taken. The intake of calcium and phosphates should be restricted to minimal levels consistent with maintaining nutritional adequacy.

The maintenance level of calcium is 680 mg and of phosphorous 1000 mg. In this diet, milk should constitute the main source of calcium and curd or cottage cheese, lentils and groundnuts should form the main sources of phosphorous. Foods which should be avoided are whole wheat flour, Bengal gram, peas, soya beans, beets, spinach, cauliflower, turnips, carrots, almonds and coconuts.

When stones are composed of calcium and magnesium phosphates and carbonates, the diet should be so regulated as to maintain acidic urine. In such a diet, only half a liter of milk, two servings of fruits and two servings of vegetables (200 grams) should be taken. The vegetables may consist of asparagus, fresh green peas, squash, pumpkins, turnips, cauliflower, cabbage and tomatoes. For fruits, watermelon, grapes, peaches, pears, pineapple, papayas and guavas may be taken.

202. Special Diet for Kidney Stones Made of Uric Acid Uric acid stones of the kidneys require special dietary measures. Uric stones occur in patients who have an increased uric acid in the blood and increased uric acid exertion in the urine. Since uric acid is an end product of purine metabolism, foods with a high purine content such as sweet bread, liver and kidney should be avoided.

On the other hand the urine should be kept alkaline if oxalate and uric acid stones are being formed. In this diet, fruits and vegetables should be liberally used and acid-forming foods should be kept to the minimum necessary for satisfactory nutrition. When the stones contain oxalate, foods with high oxalic acid content should be avoided. These foods include almonds, beetroots, brinjal, brown bread, cabbage, cherry, chocolate, French Beans, potatoes, radish, spinach and soya beans.

203. The Basic Protocol for Heart Disease The following is the suggested diet for persons suffering from hypertension or some disorder of the heart:

* On rising: Warm water with lemon juice and honey or fresh fruit juice of apple, grapes, orange, pineapple. * Breakfast: Fresh fruit such as apples, grapes, pears, peaches, pineapple, orange, melons, one or two slices whole meal toast, yoghurt, skimmed milk or soy milk. * Mid-morning: Fresh fruit juice or coconut water. * Lunch: Combination salad of vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, endive, carrots, cucumber, beetroot, tomato, onion and garlic. One or two slices of whole meal bread or chapattis, curd, fresh grapes and other fruits in season. * Mid-afternoon: One or two wholemeal biscuits and fruit juice. * Dinner: Fresh fruit or vegetable juice or soup, two lightly cooked vegetables, one or two whole wheat tappets.

The patient should also pay attention to other laws of nature for health building such as taking moderate exercise, getting proper rest and sleep, adopting the right mental attitude and getting fresh air and drinking pure water.

204. The Cabbage Cure for Psoriasis Cabbage leaves have been successfully used in the form of compresses in the treatment of psoriasis. The thickest and greenest outer leaves are most effective for use as compresses. They should be thoroughly washed in warm water and dried with a towel. The leaves should be made flat, soft and smooth by rolling them with a rolling pin after removing the thick veins. Also important is that the leaves should be warmed and then applied smoothly to the affected part in an overlapping manner. A pad of soft wooden cloth should be put over it. The whole compress should then be secured with an elastic bandage.

205. The Cabbage Diet for Losing Weight Cabbage is considered to be an effective home remedy for obesity. Recent research has discovered in this vegetable a valuable content called tartaric acid which inhibits the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat. Hence, it is of great value in weight reduction. A helping of cabbage salad would be the simplest way to stay slim, a painless way of dieting. A hundred grams of cabbage yields only 27 kilo calories of energy while the same quantity of wheat bread will yield about 240 calories. Cabbage is found to possess the maximum biological value with minimum calorific value. Moreover, it gives a lasting feeling of fullness in the stomach and is easily digestible.

206. Favorable Facts about Raw Juice Therapy The favorable effect of raw juices in the treatment of disease is attributed to the following facts:

Raw juices of fruits and vegetables are extremely rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements, enzymes and natural sugars. They exercise beneficial effect in normalizing all the body functions. They supply needed elements for the body's own healing activity and cell regeneration, thereby speeding the recovery.

* The juices extracted from raw fruits and vegetables require no digestion and almost all their vital nutrients are assimilated directly in the bloodstream. * Raw juices are extremely rich in alkaline elements. This is highly beneficial in normalizing acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues as there is over-acidity in most conditions of ill-health. * Generous amounts of easily assimilated organic minerals in raw juices especially calcium, potassium and silicon help in restoring biochemical and mineral balance in the tissues and cells, thereby preventing premature ageing of cells and disease. * Raw juices contain certain natural medicines, vegetal hormones and antibiotics. For instance, string beans are said to contain insulin-like substance. Certain hormones needed by the pancreas to produce insulin are present in cucumber and onion juices. Fresh juices of garlic, onions, radish and tomatoes contain antibiotic substances.

207. The Juice Diet for Asthma Asthmatics should always eat less than their capacity. The patient should fast for a few days on lemon juice with honey and thereafter resort to a fruit juice diet to nourish the system and eliminate the toxins. Gradually, solid foods can be included. The patient should, however, avoid the common dietetic errors. Ideally, his diet should contain a limited quantity of carbohydrates, fats and proteins which are acid-forming foods, and a liberal quantity of alkaline foods consisting of fresh fruits, green vegetables and germinated gram.

Foods which tend to produce phlegm such as rice, sugar, lentils and curds as also fried and other difficult- to- digest foods should be avoided. Breakfast may consist of prunes, orange or berries or a few black raisins with honey. Lunch and dinner should consist of a salad of raw vegetables such as cucumber, lettuce, tomato, carrot and beets, one or two lightly cooked green vegetables and wheat bread. The last meal should preferably be taken before sunset or at least two hours before going to bed.

208. The Lemon for Circulatory Health One of the most effective home remedies for arteriosclerosis is the lemon peel. Lemon peel is believed to be one of the richest known sources of vitamin P. It strengthens the entire arterial system. Shredded lemon peel may be added to soups and stews, or sprinkled over salads. To make a medicine, the peel of one or two lemons may be cut up finely, covered with warm water and allowed to stand for about 12 hours. A teaspoonful may be taken every three hours, or immediately before or after a meal.

209. The Lemon Juice Diet for Losing Weight Another effective remedy for obesity is an exclusive lemon juice diet. On the first day the patient should be given nothing but plenty of water. On the second day juice of three lemons mixed with equal amount of water should be given.

One lemon should be subsequently increased each day until the juice of 12 lemons is consumed per day. Then the number of lemons should be decreased in the same order until three lemons are taken in a day. The patient may feel weak and hungry the first two days, but afterwards the condition will stabilize itself.

210. The Milk Cure An exclusive milk diet for rapid gain of weight has been advocated by some nature cure practitioners. In the beginning of this mode of treatment, the patient should fast for three days on warm water and like juice so as to cleanse the system.

Thereafter, he should have a glass of milk every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. the first day, a glass every hour and half the next day, and a glass every hour the third day. Then the quantity of milk should be gradually increased so as to take a glass every half an hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. If such a quantity can be tolerated fairly comfortably.

The milk should be fresh and unboiled, but may be slightly warmed, if desired. It should be sipped very slowly through a straw. The milk should be unpasteurized, if available.

211. The Amazing Range of Juice Cures Some common ailments and fruit and vegetable juices found beneficial in their treatment are mentioned below:

Acidity: Grapes, orange, mosambi, carrot and spinach. Acne: Grapes, pear, plum, tomato, cucumber, carrot, potato and spinach. Allergies: Apricot, grapes, carrot, beet and spinach. Arteriosclerosis: Grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, celery, carrot, lettuce, and spinach. Anemia: Apricot, prune, strawberry, red grape, beet, celery, carrot and spinach. Arthritis: Sour cherry, pineapple, sour apple, lemon, grapefruit, cucumber, beet, carrot, lettuce and spinach. Asthma: Apricot, lemon, pineapple, peach, carrot, radish and celery. Bronchitis: Apricot, lemon, pineapple, peach, tomato, carrot, onion and spinach. Bladder Ailments: Apple, apricot, lemon, cucumber, carrot, celery, parsley and watercress. Colds: Lemon, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, carrot, onion, celery and spinach. Constipation: Apple, pear, grapes, lemon, carrot, beet, spinach and watercress. Colitis: Apple, apricot, pear, peach, pineapple, papaya, carrot, beet, cucumber and spinach. Diabetes: Citrus fruits, carrot, celery, lettuce and spinach. Diarrhea: Papaya, lemon, pineapple, carrot and celery. Eczema: Red grapes, carrot, spinach, cucumber and beet. Epilepsy: Red grapes, figs, carrot, celery and spinach. Eye Disorders: Apricot, tomato, carrot, celery, parsley and spinach. Gout: Red sour cherries, pineapple, tomato, cucumber, beet, carrot, celery and spinach. Halitosis: Apple, grapefruit, lemon, pineapple, tomato, carrot, celery and spinach. Headache: Grapes, lemon, carrot, lettuce and spinach. Heart Disease: Red grapes, lemon, cucumber, carrot, beet and spinach. High blood pressure: Grapes, orange, cucumber, carrot and beet. Influenza: Apricot, orange, lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, carrot, onion and spinach. Insomnia: Apple, grapes, lemon, lettuce, carrot and celery. Jaundice: Lemon, grapes, pear, carrot, celery, spinach, beet and cucumber. Kidney Disorders: Apple, orange, lemon, cucumber, cucumber, carrot, celery, parsley and beet. Liver ailments: Lemon, papaya, grapes, carrot, tomato, beet and cucumber. Menstrual Disorders: Grapes, prunes, cherry, spinach, lettuce turnips and beet. Menopausal Symptoms: Fruits and Vegetables in season. Neuritis: Orange, pineapple, apple, carrot and beet. Obesity: Lemon, grapefruit, orange, cherry, pineapple, papaya, tomato, beet, cabbage, lettuce, spinach and carrot. Piles: Lemon, orange, papaya, pineapple, carrot, spinach, turnip and watercress. Prostate Troubles: All fruit juices in season, carrot, asparagus, lettuce and spinach. Psoriasis: Grapes, carrot, beet, and cucumber. Rheumatism: Grapes, orange, lemon, grapefruit, tomato, cucumber, beet, carrot and spinach. Stomach Ulcers: Apricot, grapes, cabbage and carrot. Sinus Trouble: Apricot, lemon, tomato, carrot, onion and radish. Sore Throat: Apricot, grapes, lemon, pineapple, prune, tomato, carrot and parsley. Tonsillitis: Apricot, lemon, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, carrot, spinach and radish. Varicose Veins: Grapes, orange, plum, tomato, beetroot carrot and watercress.

212. The Potato Cure for Rheumatism Raw potato juice is regarded as an excellent food remedy for rheumatism. One or two teaspoonful of the juice pressed out of mashed raw potato should be taken before meals. This will help eliminate an acid condition and relieve rheumatism. In some rural areas in Great Britain, it is a custom for rheumatic suffers to carry a potato in their pockets, in the belief that the potato will absorb in itself some of the acid from the sufferer's body. The old potato is thrown away and replaced by a new one after a few days.

The skin of the potato is also an excellent food remedy for rheumatism. The skin is exceptionally rich in vital mineral salts and the water in which the peelings have been boiled is one of the best medicines for the ailments caused by excess of acid in the system. The potato peelings should be thoroughly washed and boiled for a few minutes. The decoction should then be strained and a glassful of the same taken three or four times daily.

213. The Pungent Cure for Hypertension Garlic is regarded as one of the most effective remedies to lower blood pressure. Over 2,500 scientific studies published in 10 languages find that garlic lowers blood pressure, deters the production of unhealthful cholesterol, and prevents the formation of the clots that can cause heart attack and stroke.

The pressure and tension are reduced because it has the power to ease the spasms of the small arteries. Garlic also slows the pulse and modifies the heart rhythm besides relieving the symptoms of dizziness, numbness, shortness of breath and the formation of gas within the digestive tract. The average dosage should be two to three capsules a day to make a dent in the high blood pressure.

214. The Surprising Treatment for Hypertension Watermelon is another valuable safeguard against high blood pressure. It was proved in recent experiments that a substance extracted from watermelon seeds has a definite action in dilating the blood vessels, which results in lowering the blood pressure.

A side-benefit of eating watermelon is its generous supply of the phytochemical lycopene. This pigment in red and pink fruit and vegetables can deter various cancers in women and prostate problems in men. It is also helpful in avoiding the problems of aging in the health of the eyes.

215. The Sweet Honey Cure for Overweight Ingestion of honey is an excellent home remedy for obesity. It mobilizes the extra deposited fat in the body and puts it into circulation which is utilized as energy for normal functions. One should start with small quantity of about 10 grams to be taken with hot water. The dose can be gradually increased.

Fasting on honey-lime juice water is highly beneficial in the treatment of obesity without the loss of energy and appetite. In this mode of treatment, one spoon of fresh honey should be mixed with the juice of half a lime in a glass of lukewarm water and taken at regular intervals.

216: To cure ulcers, go bananas. The most effective remedy for peptic ulcers is bananas. They are said to contain an unidentified compound called, perhaps jokingly, vitamin U (against ulcers). Bananas neutralizes the over acidity of the gastric juices and reduces the irritation of the ulcer by quoting the lining of the stomach.

Banana and milk are considered an ideal diet for the patients who are in an advanced stage of the disease.

217. joint diseases with fruits and vegetables. The diet of the arthritis patient should be planned along alkaline lines and should include fruits and vegetables for protection and proteins and carbohydrates for energy. It may consist of a couple of fresh raw vegetables in the form of a salad and at least two cooked vegetables.

Cabbage, carrot, celery, cucumber, endive, lettuce, onion, radishes, tomatoes and watercress may be used for a raw salad. The cooked vegetables may include asparagus, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, celery, brinjal, mushroom, onions, peas, beans, spinach, tomatoes, squash and turnips.

In severe cases, it will be advisable to put the patient on raw vegetables juice therapy for about a week. Green juice, extracted from any green leafy vegetable, mixed with carrot, celery and red beet juice, is specific for arthritis. The alkaline action of raw juices dissolves the accumulation of deposits around the joints and in other tissues. Fresh pineapple is also valuable as the enzyme in fresh pineapple juice, bromelain reduces swelling and inflammation in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Repeated juice fasts are recommended at intervals of every two months.

218: Two Simple Cures for Rheumatoid Arthritis Celery is another effective food remedy for rheumatism. A fluid extract of the seeds is more powerful than the raw vegetable. This also has a tonic action on the stomach and kidneys. Five to ten drops of this fluid should be taken in hot water before meals. Powdered seeds can be used as a condiment.

Lemons are also valuable and the juice of two or three lemons may be taken each day.

219. Two Simple Fruits for Controlling Hypertension Indian gooseberry (amla) is another effective food remedy for high blood pressure. A tablespoonful each of fresh amla juice and honey mixed together should be taken every morning in this condition.

Lemon is also regarded as a valuable food to control high blood pressure. It is a rich source of vitamin P which is found both in the juice and peel of the fruit. This vitamin is essential for preventing capillary fragility.

220. Vegetable Juices for Nerve Inflammation Raw juices of carrot and spinach have proved valuable in neuritis as both these vegetables are rich in elements, the deficiency of which has led to this disease. The quickest and most effective way in which the body can obtain and assimilate these elements is by drinking daily at least half a liter of the combined raw juices of carrot and spinach.

Remember the ratio: 3 parts carrot, 1 part spinach. This magic medium is optimal for recovery from nervous inflammatory diseases.

221. Vegetable Juices to Benefit Gastritis Carrot juice in combination with the juice of spinach is considered highly beneficial in the treatment of gastritis. For best results, 200 ml of spinach juice should be mixed with 300 ml of carrot juice in this combination.

Too many different foods should not be mixed at the same meal. Meals should be taken at least two hours before going to bed at night. Eight to 10 glasses of water should be taken daily but water should not be taken with meals as it dilutes the digestive juices and delays digestion. And above all, haste should be avoided while eating and meals should be served in a pleasing and relaxed atmosphere.

222. Vegetables for Cancer Prevention Recent studies from all over the world suggest that a liberal use of green and yellow vegetables and fruits can prevent cancer. The 20-years old, ongoing Japanese study found that people who ate green and yellow vegetables every day had a decreased risk of developing lung, stomach and other cancers.

A Harvard University study of more than 1,200 elderly Massachusetts residents found that those who reported the highest consumption of carrots, squash, tomatoes, salads or leafy green vegetables, dried fruits, fresh strawberries or melon had a decreased risk of cancer.

223. Vegetables for Healthy Teeth and Gums Any treatment for pyorrhea, to be effective, should be constitutional. It should aim at cleansing the blood and tissues of the acid impurities which are at the root of the trouble. The extraction of the teeth affected with the disease will not help clear the systemic toxemia.

Raw spinach juice is another valuable food remedy for the prevention and treatment of pyorrhea because of its beneficial effect on the teeth and gums. This effect is generally enhanced if the spinach juice is taken in combination with carrot juice. A permanent aid for this affliction has been found in the use of natural raw foods and in drinking an ample quantity of carrot and spinach juice.

224. Wheatgrass for Leukemia Dr. Ann Wigmore of Boston, U.S.A., the well-known naturopath and a pioneer in the field of living food nutrition, has been testing the effect of a drink made of fresh wheatgrass in the treatment of leukemia. She claims to have cured several cases of this disease by this method. Dr. Wigmore points out that by furnishing the body with live minerals, vitamins, trace elements and chlorophyll through wheatgrass juice, it may be able to repair itself.

You can grow your own wheatgrass from un-milled kernels of organic wheat held for several days in a warm but not hot room on a damp cloth. Extract the juice of the wheatgrass, dilute with an equal part of water, and drink.

225. A Novel Diet for Hypoglycemia The high animal protein diet generally prescribed for hypoglycemia is not suitable for this disorder. It may help control the condition temporarily, but it is harmful in many other respects and may result in other diseases like heart trouble, arteries, kidney problems and cancer. The ideal diet for hypoglycemia should be based on three basic food groups, namely grains, seeds and nuts, vegetable oils. Seeds, nuts and grains should be the main constituents of the diet. Seeds and nuts should be taken in their raw form. Grains, in the form of cereals, should be cooked. Cooked grains are digested slowly and release sugar into the blood gradually six to eight hours after meals. This will keep the blood sugar level normal and constant for a long period.

Persons suffering from low blood sugar should take six to eight small meals a day instead of two or three large ones. Eating raw nuts and seeds such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds or drinking milk, butter milk or fruit juices between meals will be highly beneficial. All refined and processed foods, white sugar, white flour and their by-products should be completely eliminated from the diet.

Coffee, alcohol and soft drinks should also be avoided. The consumption of salt should be reduced as an excessive intake of salt causes loss of blood potassium, which causes blood sugar to drop. The following is the menu suggested for hypoglycemia.

* On rising: Fresh fruits such as apples, peaches, melons, berries, avocado or a glass of fresh fruit juice. * Breakfast: Nuts, seeds, fruit, cottage cheese and buttermilk. * Mid-morning: Fruit, fruit juice or tomato juice. * Lunch: Cooked cereals and milk. * Mid-afternoon: A glass of fruit or vegetable juice or a snack consisting of nuts. * Dinner: Vegetable salad with a cooked vegetable from among those allowed, one or two slices of whole wheat bread, cottage cheese and butter milk. * On retiring: A glass of milk or buttermilk.

Vegetables which can be taken in hypoglycemia are asparagus, beets, carrots, cucumbers, egg-plants, peas, radishes, tomatoes, spinach, kale, lettuce, beans, baked potatoes. Fruits which can be taken are apples, apricots, berries, peaches, and pineapples. Consumption of citrus should be limited.

226. Figs and Mango for Relief of Piles The most important food remedy for piles is dry figs. Three or four figs should be soaked overnight in water after cleansing them thoroughly in hot water. They should be taken the first thing in the morning along with water in which they were soaked. They should also be taken in the evening in a similar manner.

This treatment should be continued for three or four weeks. The tiny seeds of the fruit possess an excellent quality of stimulating peristaltic movements of intestines. This facilitates easy evacuation of feces and keeps the alimentary canal clean. The pressure on the anus having thus been relieved, the hemorrhoids also get contracted.

Mango seeds are regarded as an effective remedy for bleeding piles. The seeds should be collected during the mango season, dried in the shade and powdered and kept stored for use as medicine. It should be given in doses of about one and a half gram to two grams with or without honey.

227. Heart Protection with Lecithin To protect the body from the effects of a high-fat diet, take lecithin. In normal health, when a diet high in fat is taken, there is tremendous increase in the production of lecithin. This helps in changing the fat in the blood from large particles to smaller and smaller ones. In case of atherosclerosis, however, the lecithin in the blood remains very low regardless of the quantity of fat entering the blood.

The result is that, the fat particles remain too large to be able to pass through the arterial walls. A more serious situation can develop if there is lack of lecithin in cells also.

228. Holy Basil for Unholy Stress The leaves of holy basil, known as tulsi in the vernacular, are highly beneficially the treatment of stress. They are regarded as adaptogen or anti-stress agents. Recent studies have shown that the leaves protect against stress significantly. It has been suggested that even healthy persons should chew 12 leaves of holy basil twice a day, morning and evening for preventing stress.

The leaves of the holy basil ( tulsi) have also been found beneficial in the treatment of this condition. The water boiled with basil leaves should be taken as a drink and also used as a gargle in sore throat.

229. Castor Oil for Dysenteric Disorders The often-forgotten but always effective remedy for dysentery is castor oil. The patient may be given small doses of castor oil in the form of emulsion. This acts as a mild aperients and facilitates quicker removal of offensive matter, minimizes the strain during motion and also acts as a lubricant to the ulcerated surfaces. In addition to administration of castor oil, the mechanical removal of accumulated poisonous matter should be attempted by giving very low pressure enema, admitting as much water as the patient can tolerate. This can be done twice or thrice daily. The patient should take complete bed rest as movement induces pain and aggravates distressing symptoms. A hot water bag may be applied over the abdomen.

After the acute symptoms are over, the patient may be allowed rice, curd, fresh ripe fruits, especially bael, banana and pomegranate and skimmed milk. Solid foods should be introduced very carefully and gradually according to the pace of recovery. Flesh foods of all kinds should be avoided in future as far as possible. Other foods which should be avoided are tea, coffee, white sugar and white flour and products made from them as well as alcohol in all forms. Foods which have a detoxifying and cleansing effect upon the intestines on their passage, through, such as fruits and vegetables, are most essential to the future diet.

230. Turmeric for Bronchitis One of the most effective remedy for bronchitis is the use of turmeric powder. A teaspoonful of this powder should be administered with a glass of milk two or three times daily. It acts best when taken on an empty stomach. Another effective remedy for bronchitis is a mixture of dried ginger powder, pepper and long pepper taken in equal quantities three times a day. It may be licked with honey or infused with one's daily tea. The powder of these three ingredients have antipyretic qualities and are effective in dealing with fever accompanied by bronchitis. They also tone up the metabolism of the patient.

231. Herbs for Flu Certain remedies have been found highly beneficial in the treatment of influenza. The most important of these is the use of long pepper. Half a teaspoonful of the powder of the long pepper with two teaspoonfuls of honey and half a teaspoonful of juice of ginger should be taken thrice a day. This will help greatly if taken in initial stages of the disease. It is especially useful in avoiding complications which follow the onset of the disease, namely, the involvement of the larynx and bronchial tube.

Another excellent remedy for influenza is the green leaves of basil or tulsi plant. About one gram of these leaves should be boiled along with some ginger n half a liter of water until about half the water is left. This decoction should be taken as tea. It gives immediate relief.

Garlic and turmeric are other effective food medicines for influenza. Garlic is useful as a general antiseptic and should be given as much as the patient can bear. Garlic juice may also be sucked up the nose. A teaspoonful of turmeric powder should be mixed in a cup of warm milk and taken three times in the day. It will prevent complications arising from influenza and also activate the liver which becomes sluggish during the attack.

232. Home Remedies for Dandruff Several home remedies have been found useful in the treatment of dandruff. The use of fenugreek (methi) seeds is one such remedy. Two tablespoons of fenugreek seeds should be soaked overnight in water. The softer seeds should be ground into a fine paste in the morning. This paste should be applied all over the scalp and left for half-an hour. The hair should then be washed thoroughly with soap nut (ritha) solution or shikakai. The use of a teaspoon of fresh lime juice for the last rinse, while washing hair, is equally beneficial. This not only leaves the hair glowing but also removes stickiness and prevents dandruff. Washing the hair twice a week with green gram powder in curd is another useful prescription.

Dandruff can be removed by massaging one's hair or half-an- hour with curd which has been kept in the open for three days, or with a few drops of lime juice mixed with amla juice every night, before going to bed. Another measure which helps to counteract dandruff is to dilute cider vinegar with an equal quantity of water and dab this on to the hair with cotton wool in between shampooing. Cider vinegar added to the final rinsing water after shampooing also helps to disperse dandruff.

233. Home Remedies for Hair Loss Certain home remedies have also been found useful in case of patchy loss of hair. The seeds of lime and black pepper seeds, ground to get a fine paste, is one of the valuable remedies. This paste applied on the patches, has mildly irritant action. This increases blood circulation in the affected area and stimulates hair growth. The paste should be applied twice a day for a few weeks.

Another useful remedy for patchy loss of hair is the paste of liquorice (mulethi) made by grinding the pieces in milk with a pinch of saffron. This paste should be applied over the bald patches at night before going to bed.

234. Home Remedies for Jaundice The juice of bitter luffa (karvi torai) is regarded as an effective (home) remedy for jaundice. It is obtained by pounding and squeezing through cloth. The juice should be placed on the palm of the hand and drawn up through the nostrils. This will cause a profuse overflow of the yellow colored fluid through the nostrils. The toxic matter having been evacuated in a considerable quantity, the patient will feel relieved. It is, however, a strong medicine and may cause in the patients will delicate nature, side effects like giddiness, migraine and at times high fever for a short duration. Its use should, therefore, be avoided by such patients. If the green juice of bitter luffa is not available, it can best be substituted by two or three drops of the fluid obtained by soaking its dry crusts overnight in water. This produces an identical effect. Seeds of bitter luffa which are easily available can also be used for the same purpose after rubbing in water.

Another valuable food remedy for jaundice is the green leaves of radish. The leaves should be pounded and their juices extracted through cloth. One pound of this juice daily is sufficient for an adult patient. It should be strained through a clean piece of muslin cloth before use. It provides immediate relief. It induces a healthy appetite and proper evacuation of bowels, and this results in gradual decrease of the trouble. In most cases a complete cure can be ensured within eight or ten days.

235. How to Sprout Sprouts As a first step, a good variety of seeds should be used for sprouting. It should be ensured that the seeds, legumes or grains are of the sproutable type. Soya beans do not sprout well as they often become sour. Wheat has to be grown in soil. It is advisable to use seeds which are not chemically treated as this slows down the germination rate. The seeds should be washed thoroughly and then soaked overnight in a jar of pure water. The jar should be covered with cheesecloth or wire screening. The duration of soaking will depend upon the size of the seed. Small seeds are soaked for five hours, medium size for eight hours and beans and grains for 10 to 12 hours.

On the following morning, the seeds should be rinsed and the water drained off. Not more than one-fourth of the jar should be filled with the seeds for sprouting. Soaking makes the seeds, grains or legumes fatty, pulpy and full of water. It should, therefore, be ensured that the jar has enough room for the seeds to expand during sprouting. They will expand about eight times their original size. The jar should be kept at a place which is exposed neither to chill nor hot winds. It should also be ensured that the mouth of the jar is not completely covered so as to allow air in. The seeds should be rinsed and water drained off three times every day until they are ready to eat.

The seeds will germinate and become sprouts in two or three days from commencement of soaking, depending on temperature and humidity. Care should always be taken to ensure that sprouts do not lie in water. They should be kept well drained to prevent souring. Sprouts are at their optimum level of flavor and tenderness when tiny green leaves appear at the tips. Their nutritional value is also optimum. To retain their freshness and nutritional value, they should be placed in a refrigerator, if they cannot be consumed immediately after reaching suitable maturity. Sprouts can be kept for several days in this way.

236. More Home Remedies for Hair Loss Several home remedies have been found useful in the prevention and treatment of the loss of the hair. The most effective among these remedies is a vigorous rubbing of the scalp with fingers after washing the hair with cold water. The scalp should be rubbed vigorously until it starts to tingle with the heat. It will activate the sebaceous glands and energize the circulation of blood in the affected area, making the hair grow healthy. Amla oil, prepared by boiling dry pieces of amla in coconut oil, is considered a valuable hair tonic for enriching hair growth. A mixture of equal quantity of fresh amla juice and lime juice used as a shampoo stimulates hair growth and prevents hair loss.

Lettuce (salad-ka-patta) is useful in preventing hair loss through deficiencies. A mixture of lettuce and spinach juice is said to help the growth of hair if it is drunk to the extent of half a liter a day. The juice of alfalfa (lucerne) in combination with carrot and lettuce juice, taken daily also helps the growth of hair to a remarkable extent. The combination of these juices is rich in elements which are particularly useful for the growth of hair.

237. Seeds that Heal Leucoderma Certain home remedies have been found useful in the treatment of leucoderma. The best known of such remedies is the use of seeds of psoralea, known as babchi in Hindi. Seeds should be steeped in the juice of ginger or cow's urine for three days. The fluids should be renewed every day. The seeds should then be rubbed with hands to remove their husks, dried in the shade and powdered. One gram of this powder should be taken every day with fresh milk for 40 days continuously. The ground seeds should also be applied to the white spots.

Babchi seeds, combined with tamarind seeds, are also useful. Equal quantity of both the seeds should be steeped in water for three to four days. They should then be shelled and dried in the shade. They should be ground into paste and applied to the white patches for a week. If the application of this paste causes itching or the white spots become red and a fluid being to ooze out, it should be discontinued. If there is no itching or reddening, babchi seeds should be taken also for 40 days.

238: Home Remedies for Colds Garlic soup is an ancient remedy to reduce the severity of cold. Garlic contains antiseptic and antispasmodic properties besides several other medicinal virtues. The volatile oil in garlic flushes out the system of all toxins and thus helps bring down fever. Garlic oil combined with onion juice, diluted with water and drunk several times a day, has also been found in several studies to be extremely effective in the treatment of the common cold.

Ginger is also an excellent food remedy for colds and coughs. Ginger should be cut into small pieces and boiled in a cup of water; it should then be strained and half a teaspoon of sugar added to it. It should be drunk while it is still hot, in case of colds. Ginger tea, prepared by adding a few pieces of ginger into boiled water before adding tea leaves, is also an effective remedy for colds and for fevers resulting from cold.

Turmeric, with its antiseptic properties, is an effective remedy for cold and throat irritations.

Half a teaspoonful of fresh turmeric powder mixed in 30 grams of warm milk is a useful prescription for these conditions. Turmeric powder should be put into a hot ladle. Milk should then be poured in it and boiled over a slow fire. In case of a running cold, smoke from the burning turmeric should be inhaled. It will increase the discharge from the nose and will bring quicker relief.

239. More Than Just a Diet For Losing Weight A suitably planned course of dietetic treatment, in conjunction with suitable exercise and other measures for promoting elimination is the only scientific way of dealing with obesity. The chief consideration in this treatment should be the balanced selection of foods which provide the maximum essential nutrients with the least number of calories. To begin with, the patient should undertake a juice fast for seven to ten days. Juices of lemon, grape fruit, orange, pineapple, cabbage, celery, may be taken during this period. Long juice fast up to 40 days can also be undertaken, but only under expert guidance and supervision. In the alternative, short juice fasts should be repeated at regular intervals of two months or so until the desired reduction in weight is achieved.

After the juice fast, the patient should spend a further four or five days on an all-fruit diet, taking three meals of fresh juicy fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, pineapple and papaya. Thereafter, he may gradually embark upon a low-calorie well- balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and (iii)fruits, with emphasis on raw fruits, vegetables, and fresh juices.

The foods which should be drastically curtailed or altogether avoided are high-fat foods such as butter, cheese, chocolates, cream, ice-cream, fat meats, fried foods, and gravies; high carbohydrate foods like bread, candy, cake, cookies, cereal products, legumes, potatoes, honey, sugar, syrup and rich puddings beverages such as all-fountain drinks and alcoholic drinks.

240. Vegetable Juices that Fight Fatigue Raw vegetable juices, especially carrot juice, taken separately or in combination with juices of beets and cucumbers, is highly valuable in overcoming fatigue. The formula proportions considered helpful in the combination juice of 500 ml are carrot 300 ml and beet and cucumber 100 ml each.

The patient should avoid depending for an energy lift, on crutches such as taking aspirin, tranquilizers and other drugs, drinking coffee or alcohol, smoking, eating some sugar or sweets. They give only a temporary boost and this is soon followed by a downward plunge of energy, leaving the sufferer worse than before.

241. In Praise of Salt You are surely worth your salt. Salt is the essential source of the mineral sodium. Sodium chloride, the chemical name for common salt, contains 39 per cent of sodium, an element which never occurs in free form in nature. It is found in an associated form with many minerals especially in plentiful amounts with chlorine.

The body of a healthy person weighing about 65 kg contains 256g of sodium chloride. Of this the major part, just over half, is in the extra-cellular fluid. About 96g is in bone and less than 32g in the cells.

Sodium is the most abundant: chemical in the extra-cellular fluid of the body. It acts with other electrolytes, especially potassium, in the intracellular fluid, to regulate the osmotic pressure and maintain a proper water balance within the body. It is a major factor in maintaining acid-base equilibrium, in transmitting nerve impulses, and in relaxing muscles. It is also required for glucose absorption and for the transport of other nutrients across cell membranes. Sodium can help prevent catarrh. It promotes a clear brain, resulting in a better disposition and less mental fatigue. Because of its influence on calcium, sodium can also help dissolve any stones forming within the body. It is also essential for the production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach and plays a part in many other glandular secretions.

There is some natural salt in every food we eat. Vegetable foods rich in sodium are celery, cucumbers, watermelon, lemons, oranges, grapefruit, beet-tops, cabbage, lettuce, corn, lady's fingers, apple, berries, pears, squash, pumpkin, peaches, lentils, almonds and walnuts. Animal food sources include shell fish, lean beef, kidney, bacon and cheese. The sodium chloride requirements for persons living in the tropics have been estimated at 10g to 15g per day for adults who are engaged in light work and 15g to 20g for those engaged in hard work. The requirements of children are from five to 10g and those for adolescent boys and girls from 10g to 25g.

Both deficiency and excess of salt may produce adverse effects o the human body. Deficiencies of sodium are, however, rare and may be caused by excessive sweating, prolonged use of diuretics, or chronic diarrhea. Deficiency may lead to nausea, muscular weakness, heat exhaustion, mental apathy and respiratory failure. Over-supply of sodium is a more common problem because of overuse of dietary sodium chloride or common salt. Too much sodium may lead to water retention, high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, stomach cancer, hardening of arteries and heart disease.

In case of mild deficiency of sodium chloride, taking a teaspoon of common salt in one half liter of water or any fruit juice quickly restores the health. In severe conditions, however, administration of sodium chloride in the form of normal saline by intravenous drip may be restored to. The adverse effects of excessive use of sodium chloride can be rectified by avoiding the use of common salt.

242. Calcium, the Vital Mineral No mineral is more vital to the human body than calcium. The human body needs calcium more than any other mineral. A man weighing 70 kg contains one kg of calcium. About 99 per cent of the quantity in the body is used for building strong bones and teeth and the remaining one per cent is used by the blood, muscles and nerves.

Calcium performs many important functions. Without this mineral, the contractions of the heart would be faulty, the muscles would not contract properly to make the limbs move and blood would not clot. Calcium stimulates enzymes in the digestive process and coordinates the functions of all other minerals in the body. Calcium is found in milk and milk products, whole wheat, leafy vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, and cabbage, carrots, watercress, oranges, lemons, almonds, figs and walnuts. A daily intake of about 0.4 to 0.6 grams of calcium is considered desirable for an adult. The requirement is larger for growing children and pregnant and lactating women. Deficiency may cause porous and fragile bones, tooth decay, heart palpitations, muscle cramps, insomnia and irritability. A large increase in the dietary supply of calcium is needed in tetany and when the bones are decalcified due to poor calcium absorption, as in rickets, osteomalacia and the malabsorption syndrome. Liberal quantity of calcium is also necessary when excessive calcium has been lost from the body as in hyperparathyroidism or chronic renal disease.

243. Chlorine, the Digestive Mineral Chlorine is the digestive mineral. Ensure your body's supply of chlorine by adequate consumption of salt. In the human body, chlorine is liberated by the interaction of common salt, taken along with food, and hydrochloric acid liberated in the stomach during the process of digestion. It is essential for the proper distribution of carbon dioxide and the maintenance of osmotic pressure in the tissues.

This food element is necessary for the manufacture of glandular hormone secretions. It prevents the building of excessive fat and auto-intoxication. Chlorine regulates the blood's alkaline -acid balance and works with Potassium in a compound form. It aids in the cleaning out of body waste by helping the liver to function.

Chlorine is found in cheese and other milk products, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, all berries, rice, radishes, lentils, coconuts and egg yolk. No dietary allowance has been established, but an average intake of daily salt will ensure adequate quantity of chlorine. Deficiency of this mineral can cause loss of hair and teeth.

244. Cobalt, the Chameleon of Nutrients Cobalt is the mineral that we consume as a vitamin. Cobalt is a component of vitamin B12, a nutritional factor necessary for the formation of red blood cells. Recent research in vitamin B12 has shown that its pink color is attributed to the presence of cobalt in it. The presence of this mineral in foods helps the synthesis of hemoglobin and the absorption of food- iron. The best dietary sources of cobalt are meat, kidney and liver. All green leafy vegetables contain some amount of this mineral. No daily allowance has been set. Only a very small amount up to 8 mcg is considered necessary.

245. Fluorine, the Forgotten Nutrient Who ever hears about the many uses of fluorine by the body? Yet this element is essential to good health. Fluorine is the element that prevents diseases from decaying the body. It is a germicide, and acts as an antidote to poison, sickness and disease. There is a strong affinity between calcium and fluorine. These two elements, when combined, work particularly in the outer parts of bones. They are found in the enamel of the teeth and the shiny, highly polished bone surface. Fluorine is found in goat's milk, cauliflower, watercress, garlic, beets, cabbage, spinach and pistachio nuts.

246. Iodine, the Vitality Nutrient Maintain the beauty of your neck and the vitality of your metabolism by adequate consumption of iodine. The chief store-house of iodine in the body is the thyroid gland. The essential thyroxin, which is secreted by this gland, is made by the circulating iodine. Thyroxin is a wonder chemical which controls the basic metabolism and oxygen consumption of tissues. It increases the heart rate as well as urinary calcium excretion. Iodine regulates the rate of energy production and body weight and promotes proper growth. It improves mental alacrity and promotes healthy hair, nails, skin and teeth. The best dietary sources of iodine are kelp and other seaweeds. Other good sources are turnip greens, garlic, watercress, pineapples, pears, artichokes, citrus fruits, egg yolk and sea foods and fish liver oils. The recommended dietary allowances are 130 mcg. per day for adult males and 100 mcg. per day for adult females. An increase to 125 mcg. per day during pregnancy and to 150 mcg. per day during lactation has been recommended. Deficiency can cause goiter and enlargement of the thyroid glands.

Small doses of iodine are of great value in the prevention of goiter in areas where it is endemic and are of value in treatments, at least in the early stages. Larger doses have a temporary value in the preparation of patients with hyperthyroidism for surgical operation . 247. The Right Kind of Iron for Healthy Blood Iron is essential for healthy blood. Iron is an important mineral which enters into the vital activity of the blood and glands. Iron exists chiefly as hemoglobin in the blood. It distributes the oxygen inhaled into the lungs to all the cells. It is the master mineral which creates warms, vitality and stamina. It is required for the healthy complexion and for building up resistance in the body.

The chief sources of iron are grapes, raisins, spinach, all green vegetables, whole grain, cereals, dried beans, dark colored fruits, beets, dates, liver and egg yolk. The Indian Council of Medical Research has recommended an allowance of 20 to 30 mg of iron in a balanced diet for an adult. Iron deficiency is generally caused by severe blood loss, malnutrition, infections and by excessive use of drugs and chemicals. Deficiency of dietary iron may cause nutritional anemia, lowered resistance to disease, a general run down condition, pale complexion, shortness of breath on manual exertion and loss of interest in sex. Iron is the classic remedy for anemia. However, there are several forms of anemia, and iron deficiency anemia is only one. If one is taking iron pills due to insufficient intake of iron in the normal diet, one should also take at least 40 mg of folic acid or folate every day, along with 10 to 25 mg of vitamin B12. Both these vitamins are essential in building healthy blood cells.

248: Magnesium, the Neglected Mineral Magnesium is often neglected in human nutrition. Green vegetables, soybeans, brown rice, sunflower and sesame seeds are essential sources of this mineral. All human tissues contain small amounts of magnesium. The Adult human body contains about 25 gm of this mineral. The greater part of this amount is present in bones in combination with phosphate and carbonate. Bone ashes contain less than one per cent magnesium. About one-fifty of the total magnesium in the body is present in the soft tissues, where it is mainly bound to protein. Next to potassium, magnesium is the predominant metallic action in living cells. The bones seem to provide a reserve supply of this mineral in case of shortage elsewhere in the body.

Biochemists call magnesium the " cool, alkaline, refreshing, sleep-promoting mineral". Magnesium helps one keep calm and cool during the sweltering summer months. It aids in keeping nerves relaxed and normally balanced. It is necessary for all muscular activity. This mineral is in activator for most of the enzyme system involving carbohydrate, fat and protein in energy-producing reactions. It is involved in the production of lecithin which prevents building up of cholesterol and consequent atherosclerosis. Magnesium promotes a healthier cardiovascular system and aids in fighting depression. It helps prevent calcium deposits in kidneys and gallstones and also brings relief from indigestion.

Magnesium is widely distributed in foods. It is a part of the chlorophyll in green vegetables. Other good sources of this mineral are nuts, soybeans, alfalfa, apples, figs, lemons, peaches, almonds, whole grains, brown rice, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. The recommended dietary allowances for magnesium are 350 mg per day for adult man, 300 mg for women and 450 mg during pregnancy and lactation. Deficiency can lead to kidney damage and kidney stones, muscle cramps, arteriosclerosis, heart attack, epileptic seizures, nervous irritability, marked depression and confusion, impaired protein metabolism and premature wrinkles. Chronic alcoholics often show a low plasma magnesium concentration and a high urinary output. They may, therefore, require magnesium therapy especially in an acute attack of delirium tremens. Magnesium has also proved useful in bladder and urinary problems and in epileptic seizure. This mineral together with vitamin B6 or pyridoxine has also been found effective in the prevention and treatment of kidney stones. Magnesium can be taken in therapeutic doses up to 700 mg a day.

249. Manganese, the Mental Mineral Ensure adequate consumption of manganese for intelligence and coordination. The human body contains 30 to 35 mg of manganese, widely distributed throughout the tissues. It is found in the liver, pancreas, kidney, and pituitary glands. This mineral helps nourish the nerves and brain and aids in the coordination of nerve impulses and muscular actions. It helps eliminate fatigue and reduces nervous irritability. Manganese is found in citrus fruits, the outer covering of nuts, grains, in the green leaves of edible plants, fish and raw egg yolk. No official daily allowance of manganese has been established, but 2.5 to 7 mg is generally accepted to be the average adult requirement. A deficiency of this mineral can lead to dizziness, poor elasticity in the muscles, confused thinking and poor memory.

250. Phosphorous, an Often Forgotten Nutrient When taking calcium, do not forget phosphorus. The essential complement to calcium is phosphorus. This mineral combines with calcium to create the calcium-phosphorus balance necessary for the growth of bones and teeth and in the formation of nerve cells. This mineral is also essential for the assimilation of carbohydrates and fats. It is a stimulant to the nerves and brain.

Phosphorous is found in abundance in cereals, pulses, nuts, egg yolk, fruit juices, milk and legumes. Usually about one gram of phosphorous is considered necessary in the daily diet. A phosphorous deficiency may bring about loss of weight, retarded growth, reduced sexual powers and general weakness. It may result in poor mineralisation of bones, deficient nerve and brain function.

While taking calcium in therapeutic doses for calcium deficiency conditions or for treating ailments, it is advisable to take the calcium supplement in which phosphorous has been added in the correct proportions. This is necessary as calcium cannot achieve its objectives unless phosphorous is present in a proper balance.

251. Potassium, the Power Mineral Potassium is essential to the life of every cell of a living being and is among the most generously and widely distributed of all the tissue minerals. It is found principally in the intracellular fluid where it plays an important role as a catalyst in energy metabolism and in the synthesis of glycogen and protein. The average adult human body contains 120 g as potassium and 245 g as potassium chloride. Out of this body potassium, 117 g is found in the cells and 3 g in the extracellular compartment.

Potassium is important as an alkalizing agent in keeping a proper acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues. It is essential for muscle contraction and therefore, important for proper heart function. It promotes the secretion of hormones and helps the kidneys in detoxification of blood. Potassium prevents female disorders by stimulating the endocrine hormone production. It is involved in the proper functioning of the nervous system and helps overcome fatigue. It also aids in clear thinking by sending oxygen to the brain and assists in reducing blood pressure.

Potassium is widely distributed in foods. All vegetables, especially green, leafy vegetables, grapes, oranges, lemons, raisins, whole grains, lentils, sunflower seeds, nuts, milk, cottage cheese and butter milk are rich sources. Potatoes, especial potato peelings, and bananas are especially good sources. Potassium requirements have not been established but on intake of 0.8 to 1.3 g per day is estimated as approximately the minimum need. Potassium deficiency may occur during gastrointestinal disturbances with severe vomiting and diarrhea, diabetic acidosis and potassium-losing nephritis. It causes undue nervous and body tiredness, palpitation of the heart, cloudiness of the mind, nervous shaking of the hands and feet, great sensitivity of the nerves to cold, and excessive perspiration of the feet and hands.

In simple cases of potassium deficiency, drinking plenty of tender coconut water daily, can make up for it. It is advisable to consume plenty of figs, apricots, prunes, almonds and tomatoes during the use of oral diuretics. Potassium-rich foods should be restricted during acute renal failure and Addison's disease.

252. Selenium, the Stamina Mineral The mineral selenium creates stamina. Selenium and vitamin E are synergistic and the two together are stronger than the sum of the equal parts. Selenium slows down ageing and hardening of tissues through oxidation. Males seem to have a greater need for this mineral. Nearly half of the total supply in the body is concentrated in the testicles and in the seminal ducts adjacent to the prostate gland. Selenium is useful in keeping youthful elasticity in tissues. It alleviates hot flushes and menopausal distress. It also helps in the prevention and treatment of dandruff. This mineral is found in Brewer's yeast, garlic, onions, tomatoes, eggs, milk and sea food. There is no official dietary allowance for selenium but, 50 to 100 mcg is considered adequate. Deficiency of this mineral can cause premature loss of stamina.

253. Silicon, the "Beauty Mineral" Silicon is known as the " beauty mineral " as it is essential for the growth of skin, hair shafts, nails and other outer coverings of the body. It also makes the eyes bright and assists in hardening the enamel of the teeth. It is beneficial in all healing process and protects body against many diseases such as tuberculosis, irritations in mucous membranes and skin disorders. Silicon is found in apples, cherries, grapes, asparagus, beets, onions, almonds, honey, peanuts and the juices of the green leaves of most other vegetables.

No official dietary allowance has been established for this mineral. Deficiency can lead to soft brittle nails, ageing symptoms of skin such as wrinkles, thinning or loss of hair, poor bone development, insomnia, osteoporosis.

254. Take a Bead on B Today, ensure your nutrition includes the B vitamins. There are a large variety of vitamins in the B group, the more important being B1 or thiamine, B2 or riboflavin, B3 or niacin or nicotinic acid, B6 or pyridoxine, B9 or folic acid, B12 and B5 or pantothenic acid. B vitamins are synergistic. They are more potent together than when used separately.

Whole grains and dark, leafy vegetables are excellent supplies of vitamin B1, also known as thiamine. Known as anti-beriberi, anti-neuritic and anti-ageing vitamin, thiamine plays an important role in the normal functioning of the nervous system, the regulation of carbohydrates and good digestion. It protects heart muscle, stimulates brain action and helps prevent constipation. It has a mild diuretic effect. Valuable sources of this vitamin are wheat germ, yeast, the outer layer of whole grains, cereals, pulses, nuts, peas, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables, milk, egg, banana and apple. The deficiency of thiamine can cause serious impairment of the digestive system and chronic constipation, loss of weight, diabetes, mental depression, nervous exhaustion and weakness of the heart.

The recommended daily allowance for this vitamin is about two milligrams for adults and 1.2 mg for children. The need for this vitamin increases during illness, stress and surgery as well as during pregnancy and lactation. When taken in a large quantity, say up to 50 mg, it is beneficial in the treatment of digestive disorders, neuritis and other nervous troubles as well as mental depression. For best results, all other vitamins of B group should be administered simultaneously. Prolonged ingestion of large doses of any one of the isolated B complex vitamins may result in high urinary losses of other B-vitamins and lead to deficiencies of these vitamins.

255. Vitamin A, the Forgotten Vitamin The vitamin of the day is vitamin A. Known as anti-ophthalmic, vitamin A is essential for growth and vitality. It builds up resistance to respiratory and other infections and works mainly on the eyes, lungs, stomach and intestines. It prevents eye diseases and plays a vital role in nourishing the skin and hair. It helps to prevent premature ageing and senility, increases life expectancy and extends youthfulness. The main sources of this vitamin are fish liver oil, liver, whole milk, curds, pure ghee, butter, cheese, cream and egg yolk, green leafy and certain yellow root vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, turnip, beets, carrot, cabbage and tomato and ripe fruits such as prunes, mangoes, papayas, apricots, peaches, almonds and other dry fruits. A prolonged deficiency of vitamin A may result in inflammation of the eyes, poor vision frequent colds, night blindness and increased susceptibility to infections, lack of appetite and vigor, defective teeth and gums and skin disorders.

The recommended daily allowance of vitamin A is 5,000 international units for adults and 2,600 to 4,000 international units for children. When taken in large therapeutic doses, which are usually 25,000 to 50,000 units a day, it is highly beneficial in the treatment of head and chest colds, sinus trouble, influenza and other infectious diseases. It is also valuable in curing night blindness and other eye diseases as well as many stubborn skin disorders. This vitamin can be given up to 1,00,000 units a day for a limited period of four weeks under doctor's supervision. In a recent year-long study, huge doses of vitamin A given twice a year reduced death by about 30 per cent among Indonesian children. This has raised the hope in the fight against a significant cause of childhood mortality in developing countries.

256. Vitamin B for the Brain Remember B for brain. Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, helps in cell building, maintaining normal growth and development of the central nervous system. It stimulates the adrenal glands and increases the production of cortisone and other adrenal hormones. It is essential for conversion of fatty and sugar to energy. It also helps guard against most physical and mental stresses and toxins and increases vitality. The main sources of this vitamin are whole grain bread and cereals, green vegetables, peas, beans, peanuts and egg yolk. It can be synthesized in the body by intestinal bacteria. A deficiency can cause chronic fatigue, hypoglycemia, graying and loss of hair, mental depression, stomach disorders, blood and skin disorders.

The minimum daily requirement of this vitamin has not been established, but is estimated to be between 30 and 50 mg a day. The usual therapeutic doses are 50 to 200 mg In some studies, 1,000 mg or more were given daily for six moths without side effects. It is useful in the treatment of insomnia, low blood pressure and hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.

257: Vitamin B12, the Ambiguous Vitamin When you ingest vitamin B12, you consume both a vitamin and a mineral. Vitamin B12 or cobolamin, commonly known as "red vitamin", is the only vitamin that contains essential mineral elements. It is essential for proper functioning of the central nervous system, production and regeneration of red blood cells and proper utilization of fat, carbohydrates and protein for body building. It also improves concentration, memory and balance. Valuable sources of this vitamin are kidney, liver, meat, milk, eggs, bananas and peanuts. Its deficiency can lead to certain types of anemia, poor appetite and loss of energy and mental disorders.

Off all the nutrients essential to human health, vitamin B12 deficiency is most likely to be noted among Indians expatriated to other countries. Numerous European studies found that vegetables grown in India are superior source of cobolamin. The recommended daily allowance of this vitamin is 3 mcg. Taken in large therapeutic doses from 50 to 100 mcg., it is beneficial in the treatment of lack of concentration, fatigue, depression, insomnia and poor memory.

258: Don’t Forget Your Vitamin B2 In addition to vitamin B1, ensure your daily diet includes vitamin B2. Vitamin B2 or riboflavin, also known as vitamin G, is essential for growth and general health as also for healthy eyes, skin, nails and hair. It helps eliminate sore mouth, lips and tongue. It also functions with other substances to metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and protein. The main sources of this vitamin are green leafy vegetables, milk, cheese, wheat germ, egg, almonds, sunflower, seeds, citrus fruits and tomatoes. Its deficiency can cause a burning sensation in the legs, lips and tongue, oily skin, premature wrinkles on face and arm and eczema.

The recommended daily allowance for this vitamin is 1.6 to 2.6 mg for adults and 0.6 to one mg for children. Its use in larger quantities, say from 25 to 50 mg is beneficial in the treatment of nutritional cataracts and other eye ailments, digestive disturbances, nervous depression, general debility, and certain types of high blood pressure.

259. Like you make sure you take B2, ensure your daily diet includes vitamin B3. Vitamin B3 or niacin or nicotinic acid is essential for proper circulation, healthy functioning of the nervous system and proper protein and carbohydrate metabolism. It is essential for synthesis of sex hormones, cortisone, thyroxin and insulin. It is contained in liver, fish, poultry, peanut, whole wheat, green leafy vegetables, dates, figs, prunes and tomato. A deficiency can lead to skin eruptions, frequent stools, mental depression, insomnia, chronic headaches, digestives disorders and anemia.

The recommended daily allowance is 12 to 20 mg for adults and 4.8 to 12 mg for children. Large doses of this vitamin say up to 100 mg with each meal, preferably together with other B group vitamins, affords relief in case of migraine and high blood pressure caused by nervousness, high cholesterol and arteriosclerosis.

260. Ensure the health of your blood with folic acid. Vitamin B9 or folic acid, along with vitamin B12 is necessary for the formation of red blood cells. It is essential for the growth and division of all body cells for healing processes. It aids protein metabolism and helps prevent premature graying. Valuable sources of this vitamin are deep green leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, brewers yeast, mushrooms, nuts, peanuts and liver. A deficiency can result in certain types of anemia, serious skin disorders, loss of hair, impaired circulation, fatigue and mental depression. A deficiency during pregnancy can result in neural tube defects or cleft palate in the child.

The minimum daily requirement of this vitamin is 0.4 mg To correct anemia and deficiencies 5 mg or more are needed daily. Some authorities believe that folic acid is contraindicated in leukemia and cancer.

261. Vitamin C, the "Antibiotic" Vitamin The greatest antibiotic in the nature cure is vitamin C. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is essential for normal growth and the maintenance of practically all the body tissues, especially those of the joints, bones, teeth, and gums. It protects one against infections and acts as a harmless antibiotic. It promotes healing and serves as protection against all forms of stress and harmful effects of toxic chemicals. It helps prevent and cure the common cold. It also helps in decreasing blood cholesterol. This vitamin is found in citrus fruits, berries, green and leafy vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes, sprouted Bengal and green grams, A deficiency can cause scurvy marked by weakness, anemia, bleeding gums and painful and swollen parts, slow healing of sores and wounds, premature ageing and lowered resistance to all infections. The recommended daily allowance is 50 to 75 mg for adults and 30 to 50 mg for children. Smokers and older persons have greater need for vitamin C. It is used therapeutically in huge doses from 100 to 10,000 mg a day. It prevents and cures colds and infections effectively, neutralizes various toxins in the system, speeds healing processes in virtually all cases of ill health, increases sexual vitality and prevents premature ageing. According to Dr. Linus Pauling, a world famous chemist and nutrition expert, " because vitamin C is one of the least toxic vitamins, it is very safe to use in high doses." Your body will take exactly what it needs and excrete any excess naturally."

262. Vitamin D, the "Sunshine Vitamin" For healthy bones, ensure an adequate supply of vitamin D. Vitamin D is necessary for proper bone and teeth formation and for the healthy functioning of the thyroid gland. It assists in the assimilation of calcium, phosphorus and other minerals from the digestive tract. This vitamin is found in the rays of the sun, fish, milk, eggs, butter and sprouted seeds. A deficiency can cause gross deformation of bones and severe tooth decay. The recommended daily allowance of this vitamin for both adults and children is 400 to 500 international units.

Therapeutically, up to 4,000 to 5,000 units a day for adult or half of this for children, is a safe dose, if taken for not longer than one month. It is beneficial in the treatment of muscular fatigue, constipation and nervousness. It can be toxic if taken in excessive doses, especially for children. Signs of toxicity are unusual thirst, sore eyes, itching skin, vomiting, diarrhea, urinary urgency, abnormal calcium deposits in blood vessel walls, liver, lungs, kidneys and stomach.

263. Vitamin E for Vital Sexuality and Healthy Reproduction For reproductive vitality, ensure an adequate supply of vitamin E. Vitamin E is essential for normal reproductive functions, fertility and physical vigor. It prevents unsaturated fatty acids, sex hormones and fat soluble vitamins from being destroyed in the body by oxygen. It dilutes blood vessels and improves circulation. It is essential for the prevention of heart diseases, asthma, arthritis, and many other conditions. It is available in wheat or cereals germ, whole grain products, green leafy vegetables, milk, eggs, all whole, raw or sprouted seeds and nuts. Its deficiency can lead to sterility in men and repeated abortions in women, degenerative developments in the coronary system, strokes and heart disease.

The official estimated requirement of this vitamin is 15 international units. Expert nutritionists estimate the actual requirement at 100 to 200 I.U. a day. The therapeutic doses are from 200 to 2400 I.U. daily. It is beneficial in the treatment of various forms of paralysis, diseases of the muscles, arteriosclerotic heart disease by diluting blood vessels. It prevents formation of scars in burns and post-operation healing. It protects against many environmental poisons in air, water and food. It also has a dramatic effect on the reproductive organs and prevents miscarriage, increases male and female fertility and helps to restore male potency.

264. Vitamin K for Healthy Blood To conserve the blood, ensure an adequate supply of vitamin K. Vitamin K is necessary for the proper clotting of blood, prevention of bleeding and normal liver functions. It aids in reducing excessive menstrual flow. This vitamin is contained in egg yolk, cow's milk, yoghurt, alfalfa, green and leafy vegetables, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage and tomato. Its deficiency can lead to sufficient bile salts in the intestines, colitis, lowered vitality and premature ageing.

265. Why Iron Is Not Enough, the Importance of Copper in the Body Copper is the essential complement to iron. There are approximately 75 to 150 mg of copper in the adult human body. Newborn infants have higher concentrations than adults. Liver, brain, kidney, heart, and hair contain relatively high concentration. Average serum copper levels are higher in adult females than in males. Serum copper levels also increase significantly in women both during pregnancy and when taking oral contraceptives. This mineral helps in the conversion of iron into hemoglobin . It stimulates the growth of red blood cells. It is also an integral part of certain digestive enzymes. It makes the amino acid tyrosine usable, enabling it to work as the pigmenting factor for hair and skin. It is also essential for the utilization of vitamin C. Copper is found in most foods containing iron, especially in almonds, dried beans, peas, lentils, whole wheat, prunes and egg yolk. The recommended dietary allowance has not been established but 2 mg is considered adequate for adults. A copper deficiency may result in bodily weakness, digestive disturbances and impaired respiration.

266. Zinc, Key to Reproductive Health Zinc is essential to reproductive health. There are about two grams of zinc in the body where it is highly concentrated in the hair, skin, eyes, nails and testes. It is a constituent of many enzymes involved in metabolism. Zinc is a precious mineral. Our need for this mineral is small but its role in growth and well-being is enormous, starting before birth. It is needed for healthy skin and hair, proper healing of wounds, successful pregnancies and male virility. It plays a vital role in guarding against diseases and infection. It is needed to transport vitamin A to the retina. There are 156 enzymes that require zinc for their functioning. It has long been known that growth and sexual maturity depend on zinc. The main dietary sources of zinc are milk, liver, beans, meat, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. The recommended dietary allowance of zinc is 15 mg daily. Deficiency can result in weight loss, skin diseases, loss of hair, poor appetite, diarrhea and frequent infection. Those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis may have a zinc deficiency. Heavy drinks lose a lot of zinc in their urine.

267. Take minerals if you take vitamins. Complement vitamins with minerals. The term "minerals" refers to elements in their simple inorganic form. In nutrition they are commonly referred to as mineral elements or inorganic nutrients. Minerals are vital to health. Like vitamins and amino acids, minerals are essential for regulating and building the trillions of living cells which make up the body. Body cells receive the essential food elements through the blood stream. They must, therefore, be properly nourished with an adequate supply of all the essential minerals for the efficient functioning of the body.

Minerals help maintain the volume of water necessary to life processes in the body. They help draw chemical substances into and out of the cells and they keep the blood and tissue fluid from becoming either too acidic or too alkaline. The importance of minerals, like vitamins, is illustrated by the fact that there are over 50,000 enzymes in the body which direct growth and energy and each enzyme has minerals and vitamins associated with it. Each of the essential food minerals does a specific job in the body and some of them do extra work, in teams, to keep body cells healthy. The mineral elements which are needed by the body in substantial amounts are calcium, phosphorous, iron, sulphur, magnesium, sodium, potassium and chlorine. In addition the body needs minute (trace) amounts of iodine, copper, cobalt, manganese, zinc, selenium, silicon, fluorine and some others.

268. Oil for Arthritis As you would oil a squeaky hinge, oil an inflamed joint. Warm coconut oil or mustard oil, mixed with camphor, should be massaged in case of stiff and aching joints. It will increase blood supply and reduce inflammation and stiffness on account of gentle warmth produced while massaging. Camphorated oil is an ancient rubefacient used for the purpose. Ayurveda teaches that sesame oil is ideal when the inflammation is of long duration or the patient is obese. Avoid the application of cool oils or cold conditions in the treatment of any person with arthritis.

269. Massage of the Back Massage of the back is recommended in constipation, hemorrhoids, weakness and congestion of the bladder and sexual organs. The purpose of the massage of the back is to stimulate the nerves and circulation for treating backache, rheumatic afflictions of the back muscles, and for soothing the nervous system. The patient is made to lie down with the arms at the sides. The masseur effleurages the back from the shoulders downwards using both hands on each side of the spine. Stroking is done from the sacrum upward. Friction follows with each hand at the sides of the spine going down slowly. Next, kneading by muscle picking is done with squeezing. Alternate rapid pushing and pulling movement of the hands sliding down the spine. Circular kneading should also be done. The treatment should end by slapping, hacking and cupping on each side of the spine. Gentle stroking and light kneading of the back is relieving and soothing. Percussion and vibration result into stimulating experience. Vibration of the end of spine benefits the sacral nerves and pelvic organs.

270. Overlooked Influences in Prostate Disease An important cause of prostate disorders is constipation. In constipation, the feces becomes hardened and the rectum or lower bowel overloaded. This causes undue pressure on the prostate gland. It also entails a great deal of straining at stools and this adversely affects the prostate gland due to its proximity to the rectum.

How does one treat constipation complicating prostate disease? To begin with, the patient should forgo all solid foods and subsist on water only for two or three days. The intake of water should be as plentiful as possible. Nothing should be added to the water except a little lemon juice, if desired. The water may be taken cold or hot and it should be taken every hour or so when awake. This will greatly increase the flow of urine. An enema may be taken once a day during fasting to clear the lower bowel of accumulations.

After a thorough cleansing of the bowels, hot and cold applications may be used directly on the prostate gland and its surrounding parts. The heat relieves the tissues and a brief cold immersion tones them up. The patient should take alternate hot and cold hip baths. These are of great value in relieving pain and reducing congestion. The hot bath should be taken first for 10 minutes, followed by a cold bath for one minute daily.

After the short fast, the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for three days.

271. Warning Signs of Prostate Disease There are two warning signals to indicate the possibility of prostate disorders. The first is the interface with the passage of urine and the second is the need to void the urine frequently during the night's sleep. Other symptoms are a dull aching pain in the lower back and pain in the hips, legs and feet.

Prostate enlargement affects the glandular system as a whole. The patient experiences all the symptoms of disturbed health such as lack of energy and physical, mental and nervous disturbances.

272. Home Remedies for Aging Hair Certain home remedies have been found useful in the prevention and treatment of premature graying of hair. The foremost among these is the use of Indian gooseberry or amla which is a valuable hair tonic for enriching hair growth and hair pigmentation. The fruit, cut into pieces, should be dried, preferably in the shade. These pieces should be boiled in coconut oil until the solid matter become little charred dust. This darkish oil is very useful in preventing graying.

The water in which dried amla pieces are soaked overnight is Indian gooseberry (amla) is considered highly beneficial in the treatment of premature graying of hair. also nourishing to the hair. This water should be used for the last rinse while washing the hair. Massaging the scalp with a teaspoonful of amla juice mixed with a teaspoonful of almond oil or few drops of lime juice, every night has proved beneficial in the prevention and treatment of premature graying of hair.

273. How to Prevent or Recolor Gray Hair Liberal intake of curry leaves is considered beneficial in preventing premature graying of hair. These have the property to give vitality and strength to hair roots. New hair roots that grow are healthier with normal pigment. The leaves can be used in the form of chutney or these may be squeezed in butter- milk or lassi. When the leaves are boiled in coconut oil, the oil forms an excellent hair tonic to stimulate hair growth and bring back hair pigmentation.

274. The Butter Cure The butter made from cow's milk has the property to prevent premature graying of hair. A small roll may be taken internally and a little quantity may be massaged into the hair root twice a week. Ribbed gourd, known as torai in the vernacular, boiled in coconut oil is another effective remedy for premature graying of hair. Pieces of this vegetable should be dried in the shade. These dried pieces should be soaked in coconut oil and kept aside for three or four days. The oil should then be boiled until the solid is reduced to a blackened residue. This oil should be massaged into the scalp. It will help enrich the hair roots and restore pigment to the hair.

275. Make an Herbal Hair Dye Make a natural hair dye, the favorite of American actresses. The paste of henna leaves, boiled in coconut oil to get a darkish oil, can be used as a hair dye to blacken grey hair. The paste itself can be applied to the hair and washed away after a few hours to dye the grey hair. Washing the hair with concentrated tea extract twice a week is also considered useful in coloring grey hair to brown or black.

276. A Basic Principle of the Nature Cure The power to cure disease lies within the body itself and not in the hands of the doctor. This is the third principle of the nature cure. The modern medical system treats the symptoms and suppresses the disease but does little to ascertain the real cause. Toxic drugs which may suppress or relieve some ailments usually have harmful side-effects. Drugs usually hinder the self-healing efforts of the body and make recovery more difficult. According to the late Sir William Osler, an eminent physician and surgeon, when drugs are used, the patient has to recover twice - once from the illness, and once from the drug.

Drugs cannot cure diseases; disease continues. It is only its pattern that changes. Drugs also produce dietary deficiencies by destroying nutrients, using them up, and preventing their absorption. Moreover, the toxicity they produce occurs at a time when the body is least capable of coping with it. The power to restore health thus lies not in drugs, but in nature.

277. A Second Basic Principle of the Nature Cure To cure disease, the first and foremost requirement is to regulate the diet. To get rid of accumulated toxins and restore the equilibrium of the system, it is desirable to completely exclude acid-forming foods, including proteins, starches and fats, for a week or more. During this time, confine the diet to fresh fruits which will disinfect the stomach and alimentary canal. If the body is overloaded with morbid matter, as in acute disease, a complete fast for a few days may be necessary for the elimination of toxins. Fruit juice may, however, be taken during a fast. A simple rule is: do not eat heavy foods when you are sick, stick to a light diet of fresh fruits. Wait for the return of the usual healthy appetite. Loss of appetite is Nature's warning that no burden should be placed on the digestive organs.

278. The Curative Power of a Simple, Healthful Diet Based on the principles of the nature cure, here is a comprehensive daily menu for your greatest health.

Upon arising: A glass of lukewarm water mixed with the juice of a half a lemon and a teaspoon of honey, or a glass of freshly squeezed juice of any available seasonable fruit such as apple, pineapple, orange, sweet lime and grapes. Breakfast: Fresh fruits such as apple, orange, banana, grapes, or any available seasonal fruits, a cup of butter-milk or unpasteurized milk and a handful of raw nuts or a couple of tablespoons of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Mid-morning snack: One apple or a banana or any other fruit. Lunch: A bowl of freshly prepared steamed vegetables using salt, vegetable oil and butter for seasoning, one or two slices of whole grain bread or chapattis and a glass of butter-milk. Mid-afternoon: A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice or any available fruit. Dinner: A large bowl of fresh salad made up of green vegetables, such as tomatoes, carrot, cabbage, cucumber, red beet and onion with lime juice dressing, any available sprouts such as alfalfa seeds, and mung beans, a warm vegetable course, if desired, one tablespoon of fresh butter, cottage cheese or a glass of butter-milk. The above menu is a general outline around which an individual diet can be built. It can be modified and changed to adopt to specific requirements and conditions. The menu for lunch and dinner is interchangeable. Do not drink liquids with meals. The water should be taken half an hour before meals or an hour after meals. Milk, buttermilk, and vegetable soups are foods and can be taken with meals.

279. Stimulating Vitality Here is another important principle of the nature cure: Stimulate the vitality of the body. This can be achieved by using water in various ways and at varying temperatures in the form of packs or baths. The application of cold water, especially to the abdomen, the seat of most diseases, and to the sexual organs, through a cold sitting (hip) bath immediately lowers body heat and stimulates the nervous system. In the form of wet packs, hydrotherapy offers a simple natural method of abating fevers and reducing pain and inflammation without any harmful side-effects. Warm water applications, on the other hand, are relaxing.

280. Forgotten Healing Methods Other natural methods useful in the cure of diseases are air and sunbaths, exercise and massage. Air and sunbaths revive dead skin and help maintain it in a normal condition. Exercise, especially yogic asanas, promotes inner health and harmony and helps eliminate all tension: physical, mental and emotional. Massage tones up the nervous system and quickens blood circulation and the metabolic process.

281. Clay for Skin Care Another useful remedy for leucoderma is red clay found by the riverside or on hill slopes. The clay should be mixed in ginger juice and applied over the white spots once a day. The copper contained in the clay seems to bring back skin pigmentation and ginger juice serves as a milk stimulant, facilitating increased blood flow to the spots. Drinking water kept overnight in a copper vessel also helps.

282. Spice Up Your Complexion with Radish A paste made from the seeds of the radish is valuable in treating leucoderma. About 35 grams of these seeds should be powdered in vinegar and applied on the white patches. For better results, seeds should be finely pounded, mixed with a little white arsenic and soaked in vinegar at night. After two hours, when leaves appear, it should be rubbed on the leucoderma patches.

283. Turmeric and Mustard Oil for Skin Color The use of turmeric and mustard oil is also considered beneficial in the treatment of leucoderma. About 500 grams of turmeric should be pounded and soaked in eight kg of water at night. It should be heated in the morning until only one kg. of water is left. It should then be strained and mixed with 500 grams of mustard oil. This mixture should be heated until only the oil is left. It should be applied on white patches every morning and evening for a few months.

284. Comprehensive Therapies for Headache The best remedy to prevent headaches is to build up physical resistance through proper nutrition, exercise and constructive thinking. As a first step, the patient should undertake a short fast. During the fast, citrus fruit juices, diluted with water may be taken six times daily. By taking the load of digestion, the patient will at once save nervous energy which can be utilized for more important purposes. The blood and lymph will also be relieved of a great burden. After a short fast, the diet should be fixed in such a way as to put the least possible strain on the digestion. The menu should be as follows:

* Breakfast should consist of fruits, both fresh and dried. * Lunch should consist largely of protein foods. * Starchy foods such as whole wheat bread, cereals, rice or potatoes should be taken at dinner along with raw salads. * Spices, tomatoes, sour buttermilk and oily foodstuffs should be avoided. * Drinking a glass of water (warm water in winter and cool water in summer) mixed with a teaspoonful of honey the first thing in the morning, is also a good remedy.

285. Diabetics can eat healthy sugars. The diabetic should not be afraid to eat fresh fruits and vegetables which contain sugar and starch. Fresh fruits contain sugar fructose, which does not need insulin for its metabolism and is well tolerated by diabetics. Fats and oils should be taken sparingly, for they are apt to lower the tolerance for proteins and starches. Emphasis should be on raw foods as they stimulate and increase insulin production. For protein, home- made cottage cheese, various forms of soured milks and nuts are best. The patient should avoid overeating and take four or five small meals a day rather than three large ones.

The following diet should serve as a guideline.

* Upon arising: A glass of lukewarm water with freshly squeezed lemon juice. * Breakfast: Any fresh fruit with the exception of bananas, soaked prunes, a small quantity of whole meal bread with butter and fresh milk. * Lunch: Steamed or lightly cooked green vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, spinach, turnip, asparagus and mushrooms, two or three whole wheat chapattis according to appetite and a glass of butter-milk or curd. * Mid-afternoon: A glass of fresh fruit or vegetable juice. * Dinner: A large bowl of salad made up of all the raw vegetables in season. The salad may be followed by a hot course, if desired, and fresh home-made cottage cheese. * Bedtime Snack: A glass of fresh milk.

Flesh foods find no place in this regimen, for they increase the toxemic condition underlying the diabetic state and reduce the sugar tolerance. On the other hand, a non-stimulating vegetarian diet, especially one made up of raw foods, promotes and increases sugar tolerance.

286. Super Foods for Diabetics Celery, cucumbers, string beans, onion and garlic are especially beneficial in diabetes. String bean pod tea is an excellent natural substitute for insulin and highly beneficial in diabetes. The skin of the pods of green beans are extremely rich in silica and certain hormone substances which are closely related to insulin.

One cup of string bean tea is equal to one unit of insulin. Cucumbers contain a hormone needed by the cells of the pancreas for producing insulin. Onion and garlic have proved beneficial in reducing blood sugar in diabetes.

287. Just say no to drugs for nerve problems. Treatment of neuritis by painkilling drugs may give temporary relief but it does not remove the trouble effectively. The pain is relieved for the time being at the cost of the health of other parts of the body, especially the heart and the kidneys, and the neuritis remains. The best treatment for neuritis is to ensure that the patient gets optimum nutrition, well assimilated with all the vitamins and other nutrients. The emphasis should be on whole grains, particularly whole wheat, brown rice, raw and sprouted seeds, raw milk, especially in soured form, and home-made cottage cheese. In this regimen, the breakfast may consist of fresh fruits, a handful of raw nuts or a couple of tablespoons of sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Steamed vegetables, whole wheat, chapattis and a glass of butter-milk may be taken for lunch. The dinner may comprise a large bowl of fresh, green, vegetable salad, fresh home made cottage cheese, fresh butter and a glass of butter milk.

In severe cases, the patient should be put on a short juice fast for four or five days before being given the optimum diet. Carrot, beet, citrus fruits, apple and pineapple may be used for juices. All vitamins of the B group have proved highly beneficial in the prevention and treatment of neuritis. The disorder has been helped when vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, and pantothenic acid have been given together, and extreme pain, weakness and numbness in some cases have been relieved within an hour.

The patient should avoid white bread, white sugar, refined cereals, meat, fish, tinned foods, tea, coffee, and condiments which are at the root of the trouble, by continuously flooding the tissues with acid impurities.

288. Natural Enzyme Therapy To harness the power of enzymes in your health, consider raw juice therapy. Raw juice therapy is a method of treatment of disease through an exclusive diet of juices of fruits and vegetables. It is also known as juice fasting. It is the most effective way to restore health and rejuvenate the body.

During raw juice therapy, the eliminative and cleansing capacity of the organs of elimination, namely lungs, liver, kidneys and the skin, is greatly increased and masses of accumulated metabolic waste and toxins are quickly eliminated. It affords a physiological rest to the digestive and assimilative organs. After the juice fasting or raw juice therapy, the digestion of food and the utilization of nutrients is vastly improved.

289. The Fletcher Method of Weight Control One sure method of reducing weight is by practicing what is known as "Fletcherism." It was discovered in 1898 by Horace Fletcher of the U.S.A. Fletcher, at 40, considered himself an old man. He was 50 pounds overweight, contracted flu every six months and constantly complained of indigestion and a tired feeling. After a deep study, he made some important discoveries and prescribed the rules for "Fletcherism" which are as follows:

1. Chew your food to a pulp or milky liquid until it practically swallows itself. 2. Never eat until hungry. 3. Enjoy every bite or morsel, savoring the flavor until it is swallowed. 4. Do not eat when tired, angry, worried, and at meal-time refuse to think or talk about unpleasant subjects.

Horace Fletcher followed these rules for five months. As a result he lost more than 60 pounds and felt better than he had for 20 years. A weight reducing programme built on Fletcherism works wonders and is worth a trial.

290. To Treat High Blood Pressure, Drink Milk, Eat Vegetables Recent studies have revealed an important link between dietary calcium and potassium and hypertension. Researchers have found that people who take potassium-rich diets have a low incidence of hypertension even if they do not control their salt-intake.

They have also found that people with hypertension do not seem to get much calcium in the form of dairy products. The two essential nutrients seem to help the body throw off excess sodium and are involved in important functions which control the working of the vascular system. Potassium is found in abundance in fruits and vegetables and calcium is found in dairy products.

291. Sprouts Provide Pre-Digested Food Sprouts supply food in pre-digested form, that is, food that has already been acted upon by the enzymes and made to digest easily. During sprouting, much of the starch is broken down into simple sugars such as glucose and sucrose by the action of the enzyme 'amylase'. Proteins are converted into amino acids and amides. Fats and oils are converted into more simple fatty acids by the action of the enzyme lipase.

Also during sprouting, the beans lose their objectionable gas producing quality. Research has shown that oligosaccharides are responsible for gas formation. For maintenance of health, some amount of gas production is necessary but it should be within safe limits. As the process of germination ends and sprouting begins, the percentage of oligosaccharides is reduced by 90. Sprouts contain a lot of fiber and water and, therefore, are helpful in overcoming constipation.

Sprouts are an extremely inexpensive method of obtaining a concentration of vitamins, minerals and enzymes. They have in them all the constituent nutrients of fruits and vegetables and are 'live' foods. Eating sprouts is the safest and best way of getting the advantage of both fruits and vegetables without contamination and harmful insecticides.

292. Lecithin: The Cardiovascular Cure For protection of the heart, take lecithin. The action of lecithin on the heart is the most important of all its proved benefits. It achieved its popularity initially in this area. Cholesterol is a fatty substance that tends to collect in the walls of the arteries and veins, thus narrowing them. This may eventually lead to a fatal blood clot.

Scientific studies have shown that lecithin has the ability to break up cholesterol into small particles which can be easily handled by the system. With sufficient intake of lecithin, cholesterol cannot build up against the walls of the arteries and veins.

293. Cysteine, the Up and Coming Nutritional Supplement Cysteine is an up and coming nutritional supplement. There is some evidence that cysteine (not to be confused with cystine) has certain therapeutic value as a nutritional supplement. Dr. H. Ghadimi, chairman of the nutrition committee at Nassau country, (New York) medical centre uses cysteine supplements to treat his patients suffering from obesity. He considers that there is link between obesity and over-production of insulin and that cysteine supplements taken along with vitamin C at the end of the meals somehow neutralizes some of the excess insulin, which is responsible for fat production. He regards this amino acid as ' anti-cancer and anti-ageing' and claims that like vitamin C, cysteine protects the body from damage by oxidants.

294. Glutamine, the Essential "Non-Essential" Amino Acid Glutamine is an "essential," highly necessary, non-essential amino acid (which the body can manufacture).This little known non-essential amino acid known as " sobriety nutrient." It is considered beneficial in the treatment of alcoholism. According to Roger J. Williams, a world-known nutritionist, glutamine reduces the usually irresistible craving for alcohol that recovering drinkers almost inevitably encounter. Taken with B vitamins and milk proteins, glutamine is wonderful in treating allergy. This "non-essential" amino acid also plays a role in focusing the attention and the maximum productivity of the mind.

295. The Amino Trio: Isoleucine, Leucine, and Phenylalanine. The amino acids isoleucine, leucine, and phenylalanine often appear together in nutritional supplements. Isoleucine is the amino acid essential for maintaining the nitrogen balance vital to all body functions. It also regulates metabolism of the thymus, spleen and pituitary glands. Rich sources are sunflower seeds, all nuts, except cashew nuts, avocados and olives. Leucine the compliment of isoleucine, with a similar chemical composition although in different arrangement. Its functions and sources are also similar. Phenylalanine is essential to the production of hormone adrenaline, to the production of the thyroid secretion and the hair and skin pigment, melanin. It is effective in weight control because of its effect on the thyroid. Its use before meals suppresses the appetite substantially. Patients taking half a teaspoon of the powder 30 minutes before each meal, lose from a quarter to half a pound a day. It is also essential for the efficient functioning of kidneys and bladder. Major source are nuts, seeds, carrots, parsley and tomatoes. An important recently discovered therapeutic use of phenylalanine is its ability to overcome most conditions of lethargy through stimulation of adrenaline.

296: Lecithin: To Supplement, or Not to Supplement? The best way to increase lecithin in your body is to take a lecithin supplement. You may, however, also obtain more lecithin by proper diet.

The best way to increase lecithin in the diet is to eat the same amount of fat as usual, but reduce animal fat except that from fish. Oil may be used for cooking, seasoning and salad dressing. All hydrogenated fats such as margarines, cooking fats, hydrogenated peanut butter and processed cheese should be avoided as also foods prepared with

297. Lysine inhibits viruses. Lysine inhibits viruses. Its use along with vitamin C, zinc and vitamin A helps eliminate virus infections. Vitamin C protects this amino acid while in the body so that lysine plus vitamin C has a much stronger anti-virus effect than if either is used separately. Lysine also influences the female reproductive cycle. Lack of adequate lysine in the diet may cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and incipient anemia. The main sources of this amino acid are most kinds of nuts, seeds, vegetables and sub-acid fruits. Lysine upsets in the body have also been associated with pneumonia, nephrosis and acidosis as well as malnutrition and rickets in children. It is considered a natural remedy for cold, sores, shingles and genital herpes. In a study published in 1983, a group of researchers polled over 1,500 people whose daily intake of lysine was over 900 mg 88 per cent said that lysine seemed to reduce the severity of their attacks of herpes virus and accelerated the healing time. These results have, however, been disputes by some scientists.

298: Essential Methionine Methionine is an essential amino acid. This is a vital sulphur -bearing compound which helps dissolve cholesterol and assimilates fat. It is required by hemoglobin , the pancreas, the lymph and the spleen. It is necessary to maintain normal body weight and also helps maintain the proper nitrogen balance in the body. Rich sources of methionine are Brazil nut, hazelnut, and other nuts. It is also found in Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, pineapples and apples. Its deficiency can lead to chronic rheumatic fever in children, hardening of the liver (cirrhosis) and nephritis of the kidneys. Studies show that methionine and chorine prevent tumors and proliferation.

299. To lower cholesterol, take soy and eat soy. Lecithin, also a fatty food substance and the most abundant of the phospholipids, is highly beneficial in case of increase in cholesterol level. It has the ability to break up cholesterol into small particles which can be easily handled by the system. With sufficient intake of lecithin, cholesterol cannot build up against the walls of the arteries and veins. It also increases the production of bile acids made from cholesterol, thereby reducing its amount in the blood.

Egg yolk, vegetable oils, whole grain cereals, soya beans and unpasteurized milk are rich sources of lecithin. The cells of the body are also capable of synthesizing it as needed, if several of the B vitamins are present.

300. It Bears Repeating, Sprouts are Miraculously Nutritious Sprouts are considered as wonder foods. They rank as the freshest and most nutritious of all vegetables available to the human diet. By a process of natural transmutation, sprouted food acquires vastly improved digestibility and nutritional qualities when compared to non-sprouted embryo from which it derives.

Sprouted foods have been part of the diet of many ancient races for thousands of years. Even to this day, the Chinese retain their fame for delicious mung bean sprouts. Sprouts provide all the essential vitamins and minerals. They should form a vital component of our diet. Sprouting requires no constant care but only an occasional sprinkling of water.

301. Let Excess Weight Go Up to the Clouds To lose weight, perspire. Exercise and the steam bath are equally effective. How to replace the water? Fasting on honey-lime juice water is highly beneficial in the treatment of obesity without the loss of energy and appetite. In this mode of treatment, one spoon of fresh honey should be mixed with a juice of half a lime in a glass of lukewarm water and taken at regularly intervals.

Another effective remedy for obesity is an exclusive lemon juice diet. On the first day the patient should be given nothing but plenty of water. On the second day juice of three lemons mixed with equal amount of water should be given. One lemon should be subsequently increased each day until the juice of 12 lemons is consumed per day. Then the number of lemons should be decreased in the same order until three lemons are taken in a day. The patient may feel weak and hungry on the first two days, but afterwards the condition will be stabilized by itself.

The patient should also adopt measures which bring on excessive perspiration such as sauna baths, steam bath and heavy massage. They help to reduce weight. Above all, obese persons should make every effort to avoid negative motions such as anxiety, fear, hostility and insecurity and develop a positive outlook on life.

302. Everything You Need to Know About Sexually Transmitted Diseases The only safe way of treating venereal disease is fasting. All cases of syphilis and gonorrhea can be cured through the agency of the fast. The fast will not only prevent dreaded after-effects, but will also greatly enhance the whole general health level of the patient by a thorough cleansing of his system. The juice of an orange, in a glass of warm water, may be taken during this period. If orange juice disagrees, vegetable juice may be taken.

Each day while fasting, it should be ensured that the bowels are cleansed of the poisonous matter thrown off by the self-cleansing process now set up by the body. This can be achieved through a warm water enema. The fast may be continued from seven to 14 days. After the fast, the patient, may adopt an exclusive fruit diet for further five days. 303. Vegetable juices detoxify venereal diseases.

Vegetable juices are highly beneficial in the treatment of venereal diseases. Juices which are particularly helpful include those of carrot, cucumber, beet and spinach. The patient may make liberal use of carrot juice either in combination with spinach juice or cucumber or beet. Amaranth (chaulai ka saag) is considered highly beneficial in the treatment of gonorrhea. About 25 g of the leaves of this vegetable should be given twice or thrice a day to the patient in this condition. Fresh juice of the flowers of the drumstick is very useful in the treatment of gonorrhea. For better results, this juice should be given twice daily with tender coconut water. It acts as a diuretic tonic medicine in this disease.

304. An Intimate Use for Lady’s Fingers A decoction of fresh lady's fingers has also been found useful in treating gonorrhea. A cupful of mucilage of lady's finger is mixed with ripe banana and a glassful of buttermilk. The mixture is a very effective remedy for gonorrhea.

Four capsules of lady's finger are cut into 2.5 cm pieces and are boiled in quarter liter of water for about 15 minutes. After cooling the pieces are squeezed and the mucilage is extracted and strained through a muslin cloth.

305: Treating Constipation to Relieve Prostate Problems Treat constipation to relieve prostate disorders. To begin with, the patient should forgo all solid foods and subsist on water only for two or three days. The intake of water should be as plentiful as possible. Nothing should be added to the water except a little lemon juice, if desired. The water may be taken cold or hot and it should be taken every hour or so when awake. This will greatly increase the flow of urine. An enema may be taken once a day during fasting to clear the lower bowel of accumulations.

After a thorough cleansing of the bowels, hot and cold applications may be used directly on the prostate gland and its surrounding parts. The heat relieves the tissues and a brief cold immersion tones them up. The patient should take alternate hot and cold hip baths. These are of great value in relieving pain and reducing congestion. The hot bath should be taken first for 10 minutes, followed by a cold bath for one minute daily. After the short fast, the patient should adopt an all-fruit diet for three days. The fruits should include apples, pears, oranges, grape-fruit, grapes, sweet limes, mangoes, melons and all other juicy fruits. This will help to clear toxins from the body and will also enable excess fat to be reduced to some extent.

The exclusive fruit diet should be followed by a diet, consisting of two meals of fruits and one of cooked vegetables for further seven days. The vegetable meal should be taken in the evening and should consist of all kinds of cooked vegetables, preferably steam cooked. Thereafter, the patient may adopt a well-balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely (i) seeds, nuts and grains, (ii) vegetables and (iii) fruits.

The short lemon juice fast followed by an all-fruit diet and a further period on fruits and vegetables may be repeated after two or three months if necessary depending on the progress made.

306. Sunshine Therapy for Psoriasis In many cases, psoriasis responds well to sunlight. The affected parts should be frequently exposed to the sun. The daily use of a sunlamp or ultraviolet light is also beneficial. If light is used as treatment, however, small precautions should be taken to avoid super-sensitivity of the skin to sun:

* Avoid overdoses (more than 4000 IU per day) of vitamin D. * Do not eat celeriac, celery, or psoralea seeds on days you bathe in the sun. * Be aware that many prescription medications, especially those for high blood pressure, increase sensitivity to the sun.

307. A Surprising Revelation: Water Therapy Can Lower Cholesterol Hydrotherapy can be successfully employed in reducing excess cholesterol. Cold hip baths for 10 minutes taken twice every day have proved beneficial. Steam baths are also helpful except in patients suffering from hypertension and other circulatory disorders. Mud packs, applied over the abdomen improve digestion and assimilation. Warm therapies are recommended for those who may also have diabetes. The combination of moist heat followed by gentle exercise stimulates circulation in ways that lower blood pressure, blood sugars, cholesterol, and weight.

308. Iron Deficiency Can Cause Headaches A lack of iron, resulting in anemia, is a common cause of headache. The headache sometimes appears before the onset of anemia, due to a chronic iron deficiency. Brewer's yeast is an excellent source of iron and anemia can easily be prevented by taking a few teaspoons daily.

Never treat iron deficiency by taking artificial mineral supplements. With iron sulfate it is possible to overload the liver and cause the very complaints one is seeking to avoid.

309. Water Therapies for Headache There are certain water applications that help relieve headaches. Copious drinking of water can help, as do the cleansing enema with water temperature at 98.6º F, the hot foot bath, a cold throat pack, frequent applications of towels wrung out from very hot water to the back of the neck, a cold compress at 40 to 60º F applied to the head and face or an alternate spinal compress. Hot fomentations over the abdominal region just before retiring relieve headaches due to stomach or liver upsets.

310. Animal Flesh Carries the Horror of Slaughter The flesh of slaughtered animals is poisoned by the emotion of fear. As is well known, emotions of worry, fear and anger actually poison blood and tissues. Imagine the excitable condition of animals after many days of travel, closely packed in shaking vehicles- hungry, thirsty, scared en route to the slaughter-houses. Many die even before the end of their journey. Others are driven half dead with fear and exhaustion to the slaughter pans, their instinctive fear of death augmented by the sight and odor of the blood shambles. Sodium naturally present in animal flesh and sodium added to the meat captures adrenaline in forms that are extremely toxic. In its purest form, this sodium-bound adrenaline can even cause heart attack. Avoid this toxin by avoiding the flesh of slaughtered animals.

311. Coconut for Eczema An efficacious remedy for persistent eczema is found in the coconut. Coconut oil may be applied to the portions with eczema. It will help the skin to stay soft. Walking or jogging should be resorted to in order to inactivate the bowels. Sun bathing is also beneficial as it kills the harmful bacteria and should be resorted to early in the morning, in the first light of dawn. A light mudpack should be applied over the sites of the eczema is also helpful. The pack should be applied for an hour at a time and should be repeated twice or thrice a day.

312. Water Cures for Persistent Rash In cases of acute eczema, cold compress or cold wet fomentations are beneficial. The affected part should be wrapped with a thick soft cloth. The cloth should be moistened with cold water every 15 to 30 minutes for two hours at a time. The bandage should be left intact, keeping the cloth cold. There may be intensification of itching or pain initially but this will soon subside. A cold compress may be applied twice daily for a week or so.

313. Correct Nearsightedness without Glasses Here is a surprising remedy for short sight:

Sun gazing: Sit on a bench facing the sun with your eyes closed and gently sway sideways several times for 18 minutes. Open the eyes and blink about ten times at the sun and look at some greenery. This helps nearsightedness and is good for inflamed eyes. Also helpful is the procedure called palming:

1. Rub both palms together quickly for 8-10 seconds. This friction creates a mild heat. 2. Close the eyes and gently place the left palm over the left eye and the right palm over the right eye for one minute. Do not press the eyeballs with the palms, just let them gently rest there. Breathe in and out slowly to release stress. 3. Repeat 2-3 times. 4. Other poses that strengthen the eyes include the Bhujangasana (snake pose), Surya Namaskara (sun salutes), and Shavasana (rest pose).

314. The Barefoot Cure Going barefooted all day long, except when it is very cold, is also regarded as a valuable step towards achieving good health and true happiness.

Men can draw vital energy and strength out of the earth through their feet. Jesus Christ also attached a great deal of importance to the practice of going barefooted. He himself was barefooted and commanded his disciples likewise. It is advisable to go entirely barefooted as often as possible, especially on the bare ground but in rooms with painted floors it is better to wear sandals, since the painted floor affects the body adversely if one walks on it with bare soles.

The American Indians, especially the Hopi people, lay great stress on earth treatment. They believe that healing power is strong in leaves and herbs, powerful in the air, but very powerful indeed in the earth. They have a custom to bury sufferers from all kinds of disease in the earth up to their necks, leave them there for some hours, and then remove them. They believe that many of them are cured. Presumably the body draws unto itself the healing minerals and some of the earth's magnetism. To a lesser degree, it is possible to obtain these benefits by baring of the feet.

315. Color Therapy Is Easier Than It Appears A simple rule of color therapy is this:

Blue + Red = Purple

The color purple has potent healing effects. Yesterday we considered diagnoses of deficiency of the healing colors blue and red, but how do these deficiencies related to states of illness and health? Cool, soothing and sedative, blue alleviates pain, reducing bleeding and heals burns. It is beneficial in the treatment of dysentery, colic, asthma, respiratory disorders, high blood pressure and skin aberrations. In a study at the New England State Hospital in the United States, 25 members of staff with normal blood pressure were bathed in blue light for half an hour. It resulted in universal fall in blood pressure. The blood pressure rose when red light was applied.

Red, of course, keeps blood pressure from falling too low. Symbolic of heat, fire and anger. It is a stimulating and energising color. It stimulates arterial blood and brings warmth to cool extremities. Used as a general tonic, it is very valuable in the treatment of diseases like low blood pressure, rheumatism, paralysis, anemia and advanced cases of tuberculosis. Here is a simple treatment to ensure you benefit from both colors: Purple or indigo combines the blood-warming red and the cooling antiseptic blue. It is an excellent stimulant without being an irritant. Today eat some familiar purple food, such as black carrot, berries, or purple grapes.

316. A Surprising Therapy: Heat for Acne A hot Epsom-salt bath twice a week will be highly beneficial in all cases of acne. This bath is prepared by adding one and a half kg of Epsom salt to 50 liters of water having a temperature of about 100º F. The patient should remain in the bath from 25 to 35 minutes until he perspires freely. After the bath the patient should cool off gradually.

Why should this method work? The warmth of the water stimulates the flow of blood. The bloodstream is then able to carry off impurities from acne-affected skin. This therapy is especially important in cases of "diabetes of the skin." Acne sufferers who are in any way sensitive to sugar (whether or not they have diabetes) can benefit from the therapeutic bath.

317. Castor Oil Beneficial in Allergy An exciting remedy for allergy has been discovered by an Indian physician, Dr. Hement Pathak. He found that the use of five drops of castor oil in a little juice or water taken on an empty stomach in the morning, is highly beneficial for allergies in the intestinal tract, skin and nasal passages.

Dr. Pathak, who is an expert in Chinese medicine, has reported numerous cases of allergic protection by this method. For allergic conditions in which an element of stress is present, it is essential to employ such methods as relaxation, exercise, meditation and mind control. These methods will reduce or remove stress and thereby contribute towards the treatment of allergies.

318: A Secret Supplement for All-Around Good Health For all-around good health, take lecithin. Dr. N.A. Ferri, an eminent physician remarks-"Lecithin has a versatile function in life. It is an extremely important factor in the digestion and oxidation of fats, thus creating more muscle and glandular activity, resulting in greater body exertion and less fat accumulations. Lecithin is essential not only for tissue integrity of the nervous and glandular system in all living cells, but has been regarded as also the most effective generator and regenerator of great physical, mental and glandular activity. Shattered nerves, depleted brain power, waning activity of vital glands, find in lecithin, especially in the cellular structure of the nervous system and endocrine glands a source of dynamic energy."

319. An Amazing Youth Supplement Lecithin is the most abundant of the phospholipids. It is a fatty food substance, which serves as a structural material for every cell in the body. It is an essential constituent of the human brain and nervous system. It forms 30 per cent of the dry weight of the brain and 17 per cent of the nervous system.

Lecithin is also an important component of the endocrine glands and the muscles of the heart and kidneys. It makes up 73 per cent of the total liver fat. Nervous, mental or glandular over activity can consume lecithin faster than its replacement. This may render a person irritable and exhausted. It is, therefore, of utmost importance to add lecithin to the diet, if the body's own supply decreases as in old age or working under stress. Lecithin is derived from the Greek Word, likithos, meaning egg yolk. Egg yolk is a rich source of lecithin, and also a rich source of cholesterol. This combination makes it possible for the lecithin to emulsify the cholesterol. Vegetable oils, whole grain cereals, soya beans, liver and milk are other rich sources of lecithin. The cells of the body are also capable of synthesizing it as needed, if several of the B vitamins are present. Since these B vitamins are generally removed when grains are refined, people who eat exclusively white flour products are lacking them.

320. Abdominal Massage for Regularity Abdominal massage is useful in treatment of constipation. This method stimulates the peristalsis of the small intestines, tones up the muscles of the abdomen walls and mechanically eliminates the contents of both large and small intestines. Abdominal massage should not be done in general, femoral, inguinal and umbilical hernia, inflammation of the uterus, bladder, ovaries and fallopian tubes, kidney stones, bladder or gall bladder, ulcers of the stomach and intestines, and pregnancy.

Abdominal massage should not be done after a heavy meal, but after two hours or so. The bladder should be emptied before the massage. The patient is made to lie on his back with his knees drawn up. This enables the abdomen wall to relax. The masseur should stand at the right side of the patient and use his finger tips for friction round the umbilical region from right to left. He should likewise alternatively knead the walls and roll with both hands, making deep and firm pressure. He should knead with the hand and finger tips and keep clear of any wound or tender places. He should later take up massaging of the larger intestines.

The manipulation of the large intestine should begin on the right side. Keep it going upwards and across the transverse colon and move right down on the left side to the sigmoid flexure and rectum. Circular kneading should be done with the help of the three middle fingers. At the same time press into the contents of the abdomen, following the course of the larger colon with a crawling motion. Keep kneading by means of a few circular movements in one spot with the help of finger tips. Keep moving the fingers a little further along. Knead repeatedly. Use knuckles of the hand to make deep pressure along the large colon, moving the hands along after each pressure.

Once the kneading of the abdomen is over, follow up by tapotement with both hands cupped or use the knuckles of the hand. Vibration may also be employed. The patient could also be asked to do some gymnastic exercises for strengthening the walls of the abdomen. Since blood pressure increases during abdominal manipulation, patients with hypertension should avoid abdominal massage. Massage should also be avoided in cases where there has been recent bleeding in the lungs, the stomach or the brain.

321. Salt as Treatment Some days are better for rest and reflection than for starting new endeavors. Today, rest your weary bones. Simply taking time to rest is beneficial for the most common of all chronic health conditions, osteoarthritis. And the most appropriate "medication" may be as simple as salt. Bathing in the sea is best. The natural iodine in the sea water is said to relieve arthritis pain. As is well-known, iodine regulates the acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues, helps to repair and regenerate worn out tissues and nourishes the skeletal structure. It enters into the thyroid gland's secretion. The hormone uses this iodine to nullify germs in the bloodstream and to create a self- cleansing of internal toxemia. Not everyone, of course, can bathe in the sea.

If sea bathing is not possible, relax for 30 minutes every night in a tub of warm water in which a cupful of sea salt has been mixed. The minerals in the sea salt, especially iodine, can be absorbed through the skin pores. This will help correct an internal imbalance. Be sure your water is warm. After your bath, drink warm water with the juice of a lemon. The lemon is a natural solvent for uric acid crystals that attack the joints.

322. Snack to Cure the Heart A possible cure for arteriosclerosis can be found in snacking. The patient should take several small meals instead of a few large ones. He should avoid all hydrogenated fats and an excess of saturated fats, such as butter, cream, ghee and animal fat.

He should also avoid meat, salt and all refined and processed foods, condiments, sauces, pickles, strong tea, coffee, white sugar, white flour and all products made from them. Foods cooked in aluminum and copper utensils should not be taken as toxic metals entering the body are known to be deposited on the walls of the aorta and the arteries. Smoking, if habitual, should be given up as smoking constricts the arteries and aggravates the condition.

Recent investigations have shown that garlic and onions have a preventive effect on the development of arteriosclerosis. Vitamin C has also proved beneficial as it helps in the conversion of cholesterol into bile acids.

323. For Maximum Protein, Vitamins, and Minerals of Seeds…. There is an amazing increase in nutrients in sprouted foods when compared to their dried embryo. In the process of sprouting, the vitamins, minerals and protein increase substantially with corresponding decrease in calories and carbohydrate content. These comparisons are based on an equivalent water content in the foods measured. Analysis of dried seeds, grains and legumes shows a very low water content. But this increases up to tenfold when the same food is converted into sprouts. For accurate comparison each must be brought to a common denomination of equal water content to assess the exact change brought in nutritional value. Sprouted mung beans, for instance, have a 8.3 increase of water content over dried beans. Hence the nutritional value of sprouted and dried mung beans can be compared by multiplying the analyzed nutrients of sprouted mung beans by the factor of 8.3. Based on this criterion, the changes found in sprouted mung beans when compared with the figures for the beans in the dried state are as follows:

* Energy content- calories Decrease 15 per cent. * Total carbohydrate content Decrease 15 per cent * Protein availability Increase 30 per cent * Calcium content Increase 34 per cent * Potassium content Increase 80 per cent * Sodium content Increase 690 per cent * Iron content Increase 40 per cent * Phosphorous content Increase 56 per cent * Vitamin A content Increase 285 per cent * Thiamine or Vitamin B1 content Increase 208 per cent * Riboflavin or Vitamin B2 content Increase 515 per cent * Niacin or Vitamin B3 content Increase 256 per cent * Ascorbic acid or Vitamin C content An infinite increase

324. The Many Benefits of the Enema Consider the enema for the healing of the bowels. Also known as rectal irrigation, an enema involves the injection of fluid into the rectum. In nature cure treatment, only lukewarm water is used for cleaning the bowels. The patient is made to lie on his left side extending his left leg and bending the right leg slightly. The enema nozzle, lubricated with oil or Vaseline, is inserted in the rectum. The enema can containing the lukewarm water is then slowly raised and water is allowed to enter into the rectum. Generally, one to two liters of water is injected. The patient may either lie down on his back or walk a little while retaining the water. After five to 10 minutes, the water can be ejected along with the accumulated morbid matter. A warm water enema helps to clean the rectum of accumulated fecal matter. This is not only the safest system for cleaning the bowels, but also improves the peristaltic movement of the bowels and thereby relieves constipation. A cold water enema is helpful in inflammatory conditions of the colon, especially in cases of dysentery, diarrhea, ulcerative colitis, hemorrhoids and fever. A hot water enema is beneficial in relieving irritation due to inflammation of the rectum and painful hemorrhoids. It also benefits women in leucorrhoea.

325. Treat Constipation to Treat Cancer Treat constipation to treat cancer. As a first step, the patient should cleanse the system by thoroughly relieving constipation and making all the organs of elimination-the skin, lungs, liver, kidneys and bowels-active. Enemas should be used to cleanse the colon. For the first four or five days, the patient should take only juicy fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, apples, peaches, pears, pineapples and tomatoes. Vegetable juices are also useful, especially carrot juice. After a few days of an exclusive fruit diet, the patient may be given a nourishing alkaline-based diet. It should consist of 100 per cent natural foods, with emphasis on raw fruits and vegetables, particularly carrots, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, onion, garlic, cucumber, asparagus, beets and tomatoes. A minimum requirement of high quality protein, mostly from vegetable sources such as almonds, millet, sesame seeds, sprouted seeds and grains, may be added to the diet.

326. Exercise the Neck to Strengthen the Eyes Defective vision may also be improved by neck exercises:

* Rotate the head in semicircles. * Move the shoulders clockwise and counter clockwise briskly, drawing them up as far as possible several times. (This can also be done in the yogic pose, Pranayama.) * Turn the head to the right and to the left as far as possible several times.

These exercises loosen up tight neck muscles which may restrict blood supply to the head.

327. Honey for Heart Disease Honey has marvelous properties to prevent all sorts of heart disease. It tones up the heart and improves the circulation. It is also effective in cardiac pain and palpitation of the heart. One tablespoon daily after food is sufficient to prevent all sorts of heart troubles. A side-effect of this therapy will be the strengthening of the skin. Scaly skin, dry skin, infections of the skin all disappear with the consumption of honey every day for several months.

328. Ice Packs for Heart Disease An overlooked therapy in the treatment of heart disease is the use of ice. The use of an ice bag on the spinal area between the second and tenth thoracic vertebrae for 30 minutes three times a week, a hot compress applied to the left side of the neck for 30 minutes every alternate day and massage of the abdomen and upper back muscles are water treatments which are beneficial in cases of heart disease.

329. Onions and Garlic to Get Your Blood Moving Another excellent home remedy for heart disease is onions. They are useful in normalizing the percentage of blood cholesterol by oxidizing excess cholesterol. One teaspoon of raw onion juice first thing in the morning will be highly beneficial in such cases.

Garlic is regarded as one of the most effective remedies to lower blood pressure. Over 2,500 scientific studies published in 10 languages find that garlic lowers blood pressure, deters the production of unhealthful cholesterol, and prevents the formation of the clots that can cause heart attack and stroke.

The pressure and tension are reduced because it has the power to ease the spasms of the small arteries. Garlic also slows the pulse and modifies the heart rhythm besides relieving the symptoms of dizziness, numbness, shortness of breath and the formation of gas within the digestive tract. The average dosage should be two to three capsules a day to make a dent in the high blood pressure.

330. The Grape in the Treatment of Cancer Johanna Brandt, the author of the book The Grape Cure has advocated an exclusive grape diet for the treatment of cancer. She discovered this mode of cure in 1925, while experimenting on herself by fasting and dieting alternately in the course of her nine-year battle with cancer. She claimed to have cured herself by this mode of treatment. She recommends a fast for two or three days so as to prepare the system for the change of diet. After the short fast, the patient should have a grape meat every two hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This should be followed for a week or two even a month or two, in chronic cases of long standing. The patient should begin the grape cure with a small quantity of 30, 60, to 90 grams per meal, gradually increasing this to double the quantity. In course of time, about 250 grams may safely be taken as a meal.

331. Massage for Erectile Dysfunction A vigorous massage all over the body is highly beneficial in the treatment of impotence as it will revive the muscular vigor which is essential for nervous energy. The nerves of the genital organs are controlled by the pelvic region. Hence a cold hip bath for 10 minutes in the morning or evening will be very effective.

These methods correct the underlying problem of impotence. The main problem of secondary impotence is the apprehension created by failure which generates a good deal of anxiety for the next time round regarding the likelihood of failure. If, in fact, intercourse is attempted again and the same failure results, then a vicious circle is established. Anxiety of failure is established as an anticipatory reflex which in turn impairs the capacity of the penis.

332. A and C for Cancer Therapy Recent researches have shown that certain vitamins can be successfully employed in the fight against cancer and that they can increase the life expectancy of some terminal cancer patients. According to recent Swedish studies vitamin C in large doses can be an effective prophylactic agent against cancer. Noted Japanese scientist, Dr. Fukunir Morishige, and his colleagues who have been examining the healing potential of vitamin C for the last 30 years, have recently found that a mixture of vitamin C and copper compound has lethal effects on cancer.

According to several studies, vitamin A exerts an inhibiting effect on carcinogenesis. It is one of the most important aids to the body's defense system to fight and prevent cancer. Dr. Leonida Santamaria and his colleagues at the University of Pavia in Italy have uncovered preliminary evidence suggesting that beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A may actually inhibit skin cancer by helping the body thwart the cancer-causing process known as oxidation.

333. Vitamin Therapies for Anemia Vitamin B12 is a must for preventing or curing anemia. This vitamin is usually found in animal protein and especially in organic meats like kidney and liver. A heavy meat diet is often associated with a high hemoglobin  and high red cell count, but it has its disadvantages. One cause of anemia is intestinal putrefaction, which is primarily brought on by a high meat diet. Moreover, all meats are becoming increasingly dangerous due to widespread diseases in the animal kingdom. There are, however, other equally good alternative sources of vitamin B12 such as dairy products, like milk, eggs and cheese, peanuts. Wheat germ and soya beans also contain some B12. Vegetarians should include sizeable amounts of milk, milk products and eggs in their diet.

For prevention of anemia, it is essential to take the entire B-complex range which includes B12, as well as the natural foods mentioned above. Eating ovo-lacto products, which are complete proteins, and which also contain vitamin B12 is good insurance against the disease. Brewer's yeast is a good source of complete protein.

A liberal intake of ascorbic acid is necessary to facilitate absorption of iron. At least two helpings of citrus fruits and other ascorbic acid rich foods should be taken daily. Mention must be made of beets which are extremely important in curing anemia. Beet juice contains potassium, phosphorous, calcium, sulphur, iodine, iron, copper, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, B1, B2, niacin B6, C and vitamin P. With its high iron content, beet juice regenerates and reactivates the red blood cells, supplies the body with fresh oxygen and helps the normal function of vesicular breathing.

334. More Than C for Colds Vitamin C is not sufficient to overcome a cold. The patient should strengthen the system as a whole by taking a diet which supplies all the vitamins and minerals the body needs. Vitamin C, however, heads the list of these nutrients. It protects one against infection and acts as a harmless antibiotics. It is found in citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, sprouted Bengal and green grins. According to Dr. Linus Pauling, a Nobel prize-winning scientist, the regular use of this vitamin in the optimum daily amount will prevent the common cold and if a cold has already appeared, large doses of this vitamin will relieve the symptoms and shorten its duration. He estimates that one to two grams or 100 mg. to 200 mg. per day is approximately the optimum amount of this vitamin. His advice is to swallow one or two 500 mg. tablets of vitamin C at the appearance of first sign of the cold and continue the treatment by taking an additional tablet every hour.

Lime is the most important among the many home remedies for common cold. It is highly beneficial in all types of cold and fevers. It should be taken well diluted. Vitamin C-rich lime juice increases resistance, decreases toxicity and reduces the duration of the illness. Lime juice should be diluted in a glass of warm water, and a teaspoonful of honey should be added to it. It forms an ideal remedy for a cold and dry cough.

335. Vitamin Therapies for Psoriatic Disease Vitamin E therapy has been found effective in the treatment of psoriasis. The patient should use this vitamin in therapeutic doses from 200 to 800 IU a day. It will help reduce itching and scabs. Lecithin is considered a remarkable remedy for psoriasis. The patient may take six to nine lecithin capsules a day- two or three capsules before or after each meal. In the form of granules, it may be taken four tablespoonfuls daily for two months. It may thereafter be reduced to two tablespoonfuls.

336. Vitamin B Complex for Headache Headache can be brought on due to the deficiency of B vitamins, namely pantothenic acid, B-1 (thiamine), B-12 and B-6 (pyridoxine) and can be cured by taking these vitamins. When taking any of the B-vitamin factors separately, it is absolutely essential to add the entire B-complex range to one's diet in some form such as Brewer's yeast, liver, wheat germ, etc., otherwise too much of one factor can throw the other factors into imbalance, resulting in other problems. Actually, the entire B complex group itself serves as protection against headaches, including migraine.

337. Vitamins for Acne Two common, inexpensive, safe, and effective vitamins can clear skin conditions. Two vitamins, namely, niacin and vitamin A have been used successfully to treat acne. The vitamin therapy which may comprise a niacin, 100 mg. three times daily and vitamin A in large doses up to 1,50,000 units per day should not exceed one month. Vitamin E is also vitally important to prevent scarring from acne and in removing old scars.

Another effective remedy in the realm of nutrition that seems to offer new promise of help for acne is zinc. It has shown dramatic results in some cases. Zinc should be taken in therapeutic doses of 50 mg. three times a day. After noticeable improvement it can be gradually reduced.

338: Vitamins for Glaucoma Glaucoma can be treated with vitamin C. Dr. Michele Virno and his colleagues reported recently at a meeting of the Roman Ophthalmologic Society in Rome, Italy, that the average person weighing 150 pounds be given 7000 mg. of ascorbic acid, five daily, acquired acceptable intraocular pressure within 45 days.

Symptoms such as mild stomach discomfort and diarrhea from the large doses of vitamin C were temporary and soon disappeared. It has also been suggested that some calcium should always be taken with each dose of ascorbic acid to minimize any side effects of the large dose.

339. Vitamins for Graying Hair The vitamins considered useful in premature graying of hair are pantothenic acid, para-amino benzoic acid or PABA and inositol. The minimum daily requirement of these vitamins appears to be 10 mg of pantothenic acid, 100 gm of para-aminobenzoic acid and 2000 mg of inositol.

To obtain satisfactory results, all three of these vitamins, belonging to B group, should be supplied at one time preferably in a form which gives all B vitamins, such as yeast, wheat germ and liver. The three anti-grey hair vitamins can be produced in the intestinal tract by bacteria. Thus drinking a liter of yoghurt daily with a tablespoon of yeast before each meal will be an excellent remedy for the prevention and treatment of premature graying of hair. If one wishes to take tablets of calcium pantothenate and PABA, they should be taken in addition to the yeast and yoghurt and not as a substitute for them.

340. Vitamins for Hypoglycemia Foods rich in vitamin C, E and B-complex are highly beneficial in the treatment of low blood sugar. Vitamins C and B increase tolerance to sugar and carbohydrates and help normalize sugar metabolism. Pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6 help to build up adrenals which are generally exhausted in persons with hypoglycemia.

Vitamin E improves glycogen storage in the muscles and tissues. The patient should take vitamin C in large doses from 2,000 to 5,000 mg, B6 in a daily dose of 50 mg and vitamin E up to 1,600 IU daily.

341. Vitamins for Kidney Stones Research has shown the remarkable therapeutic success of vitamin B6 or pyridoxine in the treatment of kidney stones. This treatment has to be continued for several months for obtaining a permanent cure.

The patient should take a low protein diet, restricting protein to one gram per kg. of food. A liberal intake of fluid up to 3,000 ml or more daily is essential to prevent the production of urine at the concentration level where the salts precipitate out.

The patient should be given a large hot enema, followed by a hot bath with a temperature of 100º F, gradually increased to 112º F. The head should be kept cold with cold application. Hot fomentation applied across the back in the region of the kidneys will relieve the pain. Certain yogasanas such as pavan-muktasana, uttanpadasana, bhujangasana, dhanursana and halasana are also highly beneficial as they stimulate the kidneys.

342. Vitamins for Sinusitis When the sinus trouble has already developed, relief can be obtained by taking vitamin A in large therapeutic doses of 25,000 I.U. per day.

Vitamin C has also proved beneficial in the treatment of sinusitis and the patient should take one gram of this vitamin per day in two therapeutic doses of 500 mg. each. Also to be remembered:

One of the most effective remedies for sinus problems is to eat pungent herbs like garlic and onion which tend to break up mucous congestion all through the respiratory tract. One should begin with small mild doses and increase them gradually. Beneficial results can also be achieved by adding these herbs in moderate amounts to regular meals.

Carrot juice used separately or in combination with juices of beet and cucumber or with spinach juice is highly beneficial in the treatment of sinus trouble. 100 ml. each of beet and cucumber juice or 200 ml. of spinach juice should be mixed with 300 ml. of carrot juice in these combinations.

343: The Water Cure for Tired Blood Cold water is also a cure for anemia. A cold water bath is among the most valuable curative measures in anemia. The patient should be given carefully graduated cold baths twice daily. Cold friction, hot Epsom salt bath for five to 10 minutes once a week and an occasional cabinet steam bath are also recommended. Full sun baths are especially beneficial as sunlight stimulates the production of red cells.

There are other important factors which are helpful in curing anemia. Deep breathing and light exercise like walking and simple yoga asanas should be undertaken to tone up the system. Sarvangasana, paschomittanasana, uttanpadasana and shavasana yoga likewise are recommended. Massage also helps to keep the blood level high.

344. Hot Water for Constipation Drinking hot water with sour lime juice and half a teaspoon of salt is also an effective remedy for constipation. Drinking water which has been kept overnight in a copper vessel, the first thing in the morning will bring good results. Linseed is extremely useful in difficult cases of constipation. A teaspoon of linseed swallowed with water before each meal provides both bulk and lubrication. In all ordinary cases of constipation, an exclusive fruit diet for about seven days would be the best way to begin the treatment. For long-standing and stubborn cases, it should be advisable to have a short fast for four or five days. This will drive out the packed contents of the bowels, eliminate toxins and purify the blood stream. Weak patients may take orange juice during the period of fasting. After the all-fruit diet or the short fast, as the case may be, the patient should gradually embark upon a balanced diet comprising adequate raw foods, ripe fruits and whole grain cereals.

In some cases, further short periods on fruits or short fasts may be necessary at intervals of two months or so, depending on the progress being made. The bowels should be cleansed daily through a warm water enema for a few days at the commencement of treatment.

345. Hydrotherapy for Sleeplessness Hydrotherapy is also effective in treatment of insomnia. Application of hot packs to the spine before retiring, hot fomentation to the spine, hot foot bath or an alternate hot and cold foot bath at bedtime are all time-tested methods.

The cold hip bath with the feet in hot water and the prolonged neutral immersion bath (92 to 96º F) at bed time, when one's nerves are usually irritable, are also effective measures. A neutral immersion bath for one hour daily is also helpful in the treatment of depression. This bath is administered in a bath tub which should be properly fitted with hot and cold water connections. The patient should lie in the tub after filling it with water a temperature ranging from 92º to 98º F. The head should be kept cold with a cold compress.

This approach is especially useful in treating depression caused by thyroid dysfunction. It is difficult to recognize the first symptoms of goiter because they are of a very short duration.

They usually appear as emotional upsets and can pass almost unnoticed. These spells of emotional upsets gradually increase in duration, when other symptoms also appear. These include loss of power of concentration, depression and weeping. The patient appears to be very easily irritated. The approach of a nervous breakdown is often suspended. The thyroid gland may swell but this has no relation to the severity of the ailment because many serious cases have practically no visible swelling. There is always a rapid though regular heart beat and any undue excitement increases this to a quick pulsation which may even be conveyed to the thyroid gland. There is, in most cases, a tremor of the hands and a feeling of extreme tiredness, together with a lack of power to make any real muscular effort. The eyes may incline to protrude although this does not appear in all patients.

A most alarming symptoms of goiter is the loss of weight which no treatment seems to check, and this can persist till the patient feels extremely weak. All the symptoms appear very gradually and that is why so many women do not complain until the trouble has reached serious proportions.

346. Mild water relieves mild depression A neutral immersion bath for one hour daily is also helpful in the treatment of depression. This bath is administered in a bath tub which should be properly fitted with hot and cold water connections. The patient should lie in the tub after filling it with water a temperature ranging from 92º to 98º F. The head should be kept cold with a cold compress.

This approach is especially useful in treating depression caused by thyroid dysfunction. It is difficult to recognize the first symptoms of goiter because they are of a very short duration.

They usually appear as emotional upsets and can pass almost unnoticed. These spells of emotional upsets gradually increase in duration, when other symptoms also appear. These include loss of power of concentration, depression and weeping. The patient appears to be very easily irritated. The approach of a nervous breakdown is often suspended. If you were to ask your friends how many times a week they did something to improve the health of their eyes, they'd probably say "none. Most people only pay attention to their eyes if they have a problem. Yet the hours spent watching TV and working on computers take their toll on eye health.

The nature cure also offers water for weak eyes. The method is splashing: Splash cold, plain water several times on closed eyes. Rub the closed lids briskly for a minute with a clean towel. This exercise cools the eyes and boosts blood supply. Be sure only to splash water on the eyes. Essential oils or soaps, in particular, could be damaging.

349. Water is a natural cleanser. Skin blemishes, blackheads, and pimples can be treated with water and natural cleansers. As regards local treatment, hot fomentation should be applied to open up the pores and squeeze the waste matter. Then rinse with cold water. Sun and air baths by exposing the whole body to sun and air are highly beneficial. The healing packs made of grated cucumber, oatmeal cooked in milk, and cooked, creamed carrots used externally, have been found to be effective.

The orange peel is valuable in the treatment of acne. The peel, pounded well with water on a piece of stone, should be applied to the affected areas. The lemon has also proved beneficial in removing pimples and acne . It should be applied regularly.

The thyroid gland may swell but this has no relation to the severity of the ailment because many serious cases have practically no visible swelling. There is always a rapid though regular heart beat and any undue excitement increases this to a quick pulsation which may even be conveyed to the thyroid gland. There is, in most cases, a tremor of the hands and a feeling of extreme tiredness, together with a lack of power to make any real muscular effort. The eyes may incline to protrude although this does not appear in all patients.

A most alarming symptoms of goiter is the loss of weight which no treatment seems to check, and this can persist till the patient feels extremely weak. All the symptoms appear very gradually and that is why so many women do not complain until the trouble has reached serious proportions.

347. Water is effective medicine in liver disease. Drinking a lot of water with lemon juice will protect the damaged liver cells. Alternate hot and cold compresses should be applied to the abdomen. Maintain the hot compress for one minute at 120º F. Alternate with a cold compress at 60o F for few minutes. The treatment may be continued for an hour or 10 repetitions. The procedure should be repeated at five-hourly intervals.

A hot immersion bath at 104º F for 10 minutes daily will be helpful in relieving the itching which sometimes accompanies jaundice and in the elimination of the bile pigment from the system through the skin and kidneys. Cold friction twice a day will be beneficial for general tone-up.

348. Water for Weak Eyes cleansing results from high content of potassium sulphur, phosphorous and chlorine in the potato. These elements are, however, of value only when the potato is raw as in this state they are composed of live organic atoms.

350. What Your Physician Does Not Know About the Healing Power of Water A teaspoonful of coriander juice, mixed with a pinch of turmeric powder, is another effective home remedy for pimples and blackheads. The mixture should be applied to the face after thoroughly washing it, every night before retiring.

The juice of raw potatoes has also proved very valuable in clearing skin blemishes. This In all major ancient civilizations, bathing was considered an important measure for the maintenance of health and prevention of disease. It was also valued for its remedial properties. The ancient Vedic literature in contains numerous references to the efficacy of water in the treatment of disease.

Water exerts beneficial effects on the human system. It equalizes circulation, boosts muscular tone and aids digestion and nutrition. It also tones up the activity of sweat glands and in the process eliminates the damaged cells and toxic matter from the system. The common water temperature chart is: cold 10ºC to 18ºC, neutral 32ºC to 36ºC, and hot 40ºC to 45ºC. Above 45ºC, water loses its therapeutic value and is destructive.

351. Bathing for Diabetes Today, a simple hint for diabetics: Bathing in cold water greatly increases the circulation and enhances the capacity of the muscles to utilize sugar. But surprisingly, bathing in warm water followed by mild exercise such as walking as increases the circulation and enhances the capacities of the muscles to utilize sugar.

How do you choose? If there is skin deterioration in the case of diabetes, bathe in cold water. If the skin is intact, bathe in hot water. Add sea salt or Epsom salts to the hot water bath but not the cold.

352. Enemas for Arthritis The patient should be given a lukewarm enema for a few days to cleanse the bowels. Neutral immersion baths, hot foot baths, ultrasonic diathermy and exposure of the affected parts to infra-red rays, a knee pack applied for an hour every night, stream baths and a massage once a week are beneficial in the treatment of arthritis. All general cold water treatments, such as cold baths and cold sprays, should be avoided.

Also helpful is the warm bath. Ensure easy ingress and egress from the bathing tub to maintain the benefits of bathing. Limit the time in the bath to 30 minutes a day.

353. The Wet Sheet Pack When bathing is impractical, consider the full wet sheet pack. Water has been used as a valuable therapeutic agent since time immemorial.

This is a procedure in which the whole body is wrapped in a wet sheet, which in turn is rapped in a dry blanket for regulating evaporation. The blanket should be spread on the bed with its edges hanging over the edge of the bed. The upper end should be about eight inches from the head of the bed. Then spread a linen sheet wrung out in cold water over the blanket so that its end is slightly below the upper end of the blanket.

The patient should lie on the bed sheet with his shoulders about three inches below the upper edge. The wet sheet should be weekly wrapped round the body of the patient, drawn in, tightly tucked between the legs and also between the body and the arms. The sheet should be folded over the shoulders and across the neck. Now the blanket should be drawn tightly around the body and tucked in along the side in a similar manner, pulling it tightly. The ends should be doubled up at the feet.

A Turkish towel should be placed below the chin to protect the face and neck from coming into contact with the blanket and to exclude outside air more effectively. The head should be covered with a wet cloth so that the scalp remains cold.

The feet should be kept warm during the entire treatment. If the patient's feet are cold, place hot water bottles near them to hasten reaction. The pack is administered for half an hour to one hour till the patient begins to perspire profusely. He may be given cold or hot water to drink.

This pack is useful in cases of fever especially in typhoid and continued fevers, and benefits those suffering from insomnia, epilepsy and infantile convulsions. It is useful in relieving chronic cold and bronchitis and helps in the treatment of rheumatism and obesity.

354. Treating the Testicles with Hot and Cold Baths Treatment through water is extremely beneficial in curing the painful swelling of the testicles known as hydrocele. Cold hip baths twice daily in the morning and the evening, for 10 minutes each time, are specially valuable. For a cold hip bath, an ordinary tub may be used. It should be filled with cold water. The patient should sit in the tub, keeping the legs outside.

A hot Epsom-salts bath is also very useful in the treatment of hydrocele and should be taken once or twice weekly, if possible.

355. Drink water if you have high blood pressure. Persons with high blood cholesterol level should drink at least eight to 10 glasses of water every day as regular drinking of water stimulates the excretory activity of the skin and kidneys. This in turn facilitates elimination of excessive cholesterol from the system. Regular drinking of coriander (dhania) water also helps lower blood cholesterol as it is a good diuretic and stimulates the kidneys. It is prepared by boiling dry seeds of coriander and straining the decoction after cooling.

356. The Water Cure for Itchy Skin A simple but effective remedy for itching is water. In cases of acute itch, wrap the affected area with a thick soft cloth. The cloth should be moistened with cool but not cold (55 to 65º F) water every 15 minutes for two hours at a time. The bandage should be left intact, keeping the cloth cold.

For the first few moments, there may be intensification of itching or pain but this will quickly subside. Use the cold compress twice daily for a week or so to see results. For the first few moments, there may be intensification of itching or pain but this will quickly subside. Use the cold compress twice daily for a week or so to see results.

357. Drink water to relieve hemorrhoids and piles. The patient with piles should drink at least six to eight glasses of water a day. He should avoid straining to pass a stool. Cold-water treatment helps the veins to shrink and tones up their walls. The treatment is done by sitting in a tub filled with cold water for two minutes with knees drawn up to your chin. The water level should cover the hips. This should be done twice a day. Other water treatments beneficial in curing piles include cold perennial douche and cold compress applied to the rectal area for an hour before bedtime.

358: Smelly foods are good for you. Smelly foods are good for you. Their odor is often due to the presence of sulphur. Without the mineral sulphur, there could be no proteins. All living matter contains some sulphur; this element is therefore essential for life. The greater part of the sulphur in the human body is present in the two sulphur-containing amino acids, methionine and cysteine, or in the double form of the latter cystine. The main purpose of sulphur is to dissolve waste materials. It helps to eject some of the waste and poisons from the system. It helps keep the skin clear of blemishes and makes hair glossy. It is also valuable in rheumatic conditions.

The main sulphur-containing foods are radishes, carrots, cabbage, cheese, dried beans, fish and eggs. There is no recommended dietary allowance. But a diet sufficient in protein will generally be adequate in sulphur. Deficiency of sulphur may cause eczema and imperfect development of hair and nails. Sulphur creams and ointments have been remarkably successful in treating a variety of skin problems.

359. Bathing Cures for Menstrual Problems When pain occurs during menstruation, it usually means that the womb itself is inflamed. This condition can be relieved by proper attention to diet and hot hip baths just before the period is due and cold hip baths between the periods.

The hot hip bath is generally taken for eight to ten minutes at a water temperature of 100º F which can be gradually increased to 120º F. The cold hipbath should be taken for 10 to 15 minutes at a water temperature of 50 to 65º F.

360: Treating Menorrhoea Menorrhoea is a condition of excessive menstruation. Profuse menstrual flow is common in certain women and usually denotes a blood deficiency, especially blood calcium. A variety of causes may be responsible for this trouble, but toxic condition of the system is at the root of the matter. It is essential to keep the patient absolutely quiet and confined to bed. The bottom of the bed should be raised 10 to 13 cm. In case of excessive bleeding, a gauze may be inserted in the vagina as a temporary measure. For the first few days the diet should consist only of milk and raw vegetables. No stimulants should be taken as they tend to increase the flow. When the bleeding has stopped, great care should be taken to avoid over exertion or straining the body in any manner. A full nature cure diet should then be adopted using fresh vegetables raw salads twice daily. As a long term measure, what is needed is a scheme of treatment which will thoroughly cleanse the system of toxic material.

361. Natural Care During Pregnancy A proper diet during pregnancy is the most important factor for not only having a painless childbirth but also for giving birth to a healthy baby. The idea of "eating for two," which is so prevalent today, is absurd and it leads to overeating, resulting in an unusually, heavy baby. The diet during pregnancy should consist of natural, vital foods and minimum intake of today's denatured food products.

The unborn child will require an adequate amount of organic minerals from its mother for building of bones and tissues and this can be supplied by natural food such as fruits, raw vegetables, whole meal bread, and milk, unnatural foods like white bread, sugar, meat, pudding and pies are very deficient in organic mineral matter and their intake during pregnancy leads to loss and decay of teeth, general debility, and other ailments after childbirth.

362. Curing Constipation During Pregnancy Pregnancy is rendered more difficult in case of habitual constipation. In the eighth and ninth months of pregnancy, constipation is aggravated by the pressure of the enlarged uterus on the bowels. This can be avoided by eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables of high fiber content. The expectant mother should drink eight to ten glasses of water. She should not delay going to the lavatory when there is the urge. In severe constipation, a lukewarm water enema may be taken once every week.

363. The All-Fruit Diet for Premenstrual Dysphoria (PMS) The sufferer from menstrual disorders should begin with an all-fruit diet for about five days. In this regimen, the patient should have three meals a day of fresh, juicy fruits, such as apples, pears, grapes, papaya, oranges, pineapple, peaches and melon. No other foodstuff should be taken; otherwise the value of the whole treatment will be lost. However, if there is much weight loss on the all-fruit diet, those already underweight may add a glass of milk to each fruit meal.

During this period the bowels should be cleansed daily with a warm water enema. After the all-fruit diet, the sufferer should adopt a well- balanced diet on the following lines:

* Upon rising: A glass of lukewarm water mixed with the freshly squeezed juice of half a lime and a spoon of honey. * Breakfast: Fresh fruits such as apple, orange, grapes, papaya, banana and milk. * Lunch: A bowl of freshly prepared steamed vegetable such as carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, squash, and beans, two or three whole wheat chapattis. * Mid-afternoon: A glass of carrot juice or sugarcane juice. * Dinner: A large bowl of fresh green vegetable salad using all available vegetable such as carrot, cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, radish, red beets and onion and mung bean sprouts. * Bedtime snack: A glass of milk or an apple.

364. The Juice Fast for Varicose Veins For a proper treatment of varicose veins, the patients should, in the beginning, be put on a juice fast for four or five days or on all-fruit diet for 7 to 10 days. A warm water enema should be administered daily during this period to cleanse the bowels and measures should be taken to avoid constipation.

After the juice fast or all-fruit diet, the patient should adopt restricted diet plan. In this regimen, oranges or orange and lemon juice may be taken for breakfast. The midday meal may consist of a raw salad or any of the vegetables in the season with olive oil and lemon juice dressing. Steamed vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, carrots, turnips, cauliflower and raisins, figs or dates may be taken in the evening. No bread or potatoes or other starchy food should be included in this diet, or otherwise the whole effect of the diet will be lost. After the restricted diet, the patient may gradually embark upon a well-balanced diet with emphasis on grains, seeds, nuts, vegetables and fruits. About 75 per cent of the diet should consist of raw vegetables and fruits. All condiments, alcoholic drinks, coffee, strong tea, white flour products, white sugar, and white sugar products should be strictly avoided. A short fast or the all-fruit diet for two or three days may be undertaken every month, depending on progress.

365. The Pill Cure for Varicose Veins Certain nutrients, especially vitamin E and C have also been found effective in the treatment of varicose veins. The patient should take vitamin C in a therapeutic dose up to 3,000 mg. and Vitamin E in therapeutic doses from 600 to 1200 I.U. daily. This will relieve her of pain and leg cramps associated with varicose veins.

Raw vegetable juices, especially carrot juice in combination with spinach juice, have proved highly beneficial in the treatment of varicose veins. The formula proportion considered helpful in this combination are carrot 300 ml and spinach 200 ml to prepare 500 ml of juice.

Disclaimer: This list is a compilation of home remedies that are NOT prescribed by a medical practitioner.  They are presented for educational and discussion purposes and should not be considered as valid replacement for sound medical advice from a medical or a healthcare practitioner.  Furthermore, this information is provided on as "as-is" basis.  If you choose to adopt any of those suggested remedies, you do so at your own risk.