Tip 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, diarrhoea, 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.

Tip 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.

Tip 8. Get to Know Healthy Kitchen Practices

Certain foods, especially if they are not properly cooked, cause indigestion. Some people react unfavourable 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.

Tip 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.

Tip 6. Get to Know Basic Diet Concepts: The Example of How Fibre in the Diet Lowers

The amount of fibre in the diet also influences the cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol can be lowered by taking diets rich in fibres. The most significant sources of dietary fibre 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.

Tip 5. Getting to Know the Basic Concepts of Human Nutrition: The Example of

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 soyabeans are rich sources of calcium. Magnesium is known as nature's tranquilliser 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.

Tip 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."

Tip 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.

Tip 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 litre of water and then set aside to cool. The entire quantity should be used as a soothing gargle in a day with beneficial results.

Tip 1. Colour Therapy: A Basic Guide to Putting Colour in Your Health

Are you suffering nervous tension, ulcers, sexual disorders, hay fever, colds, or even cancer? Consider colour therapy. This evening is an ideal time to begin putting your tensions away by enhancing your environment with the colour green. Green gently elieves 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 be sure to get benefits of green. One method of colour 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.

Welcome to Everyday Health Guide

This collection of 365 daily health tips provides vital information for your health in the form of the nature cure. This is the healing power of your body and your spirit you can access without restriction and without cost, with the help of wholesome foods, potent nutrients, yogic practices, and simple exercise. Nature intended to fuel the body with the right foods and the appropriate nutrients. It is the responsibility of the person only to partake of food in moderation and to engage in the simplest asanas and healing baths. Water, colour, heat, and cold can do the rest.

The first eight of these 365 healing tips have been chosen to introduce you to the core concepts of the nature cure. They offer an example of healing outside conventional medicine, that is, colour therapy, and they progress through recognizing the problems with conventional therapies, basic nutritional principles, and basic dietary therapies. The balance of this collection of tips offers new and insightful methods of maintaining vibrant and energetic health without side effects, at a minimum cost, through means you yourself can master.

These tips, of course, do not contradict the advice of your physician, nor are they are means of diagnosis or disease treatment in the medical sense. They form the basis of your personal healing modality, and can carry you to the heights of scientific healing in ways grounded in the timeless understanding of the body and the spirit afforded by the science of Ayurveda.